The FarAboveAll translation of the Westminster Leningrad Codex edition of the Old Testament / Tanakh

This is the FarAboveAll English translation of the Westminster Leningrad Codex (version 4.18), obtained from the Groves Center. This document contains the English translation text only, without notes. Please refer to the Introduction, the Hebrew and Aramaic source text and the English translation and notes at www.FarAboveAll.com.

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Version 0.33.105, 15 February 2024


Genesis  

Genesis Chapter 1 

1In the beginning God created heaven and the earth. 2But the earth became desolate and deserted, and there was darkness over the surface of the deep. Now the spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the water, 3and God said, “Let there be light.” And there was light, 4and God saw that the light was good. Then God made a division between the light and the darkness, 5and God called the light day, whereas the darkness he called night. Then evening came to pass, and morning came to pass – day one. 6Then God said, “Let there be an expanse in the middle of the water, and let it divide one mass of water from another mass of water”, 7and God made the expanse and divided the water which was below the expanse from the water which was above the expanse. And so it came about, 8and God called the expanse sky. Then evening came to pass, and morning came to pass – the second day. 9Then God said, “Let the water under the sky be gathered into one place, and let the dry land appear.” And so it came about, 10and God called the dry land earth, whereas the accumulation of water he called seas. And God saw that it was good. 11Then God said, “Let the earth produce grass, herbaceous vegetation bearing seed, and the fruit-bearing tree which produces fruit according to its species, which has its own intrinsic seed, on the earth.” And so it came about, 12and the earth produced grass, herbaceous vegetation bearing seed according to its species, and the tree producing fruit, which has its own intrinsic seed according to its species. And God saw that it was good. 13Then evening came to pass, and morning came to pass – the third day. 14Then God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the sky, to divide the day from the night, and let them be as signs and for appointed times and for days and years, 15and they will serve as lights in the expanse of the sky, to shine on the earth.” And so it came about, 16and God made the two great lights, the greater light as a ruler of the day and the smaller light as a ruler of the night, and also the stars. 17And God put them in the expanse of the sky to shine on the earth, 18and to rule by day and by night, and to divide light from darkness. And God saw that it was good. 19Then evening came to pass, and morning came to pass – the fourth day. 20Then God said, “Let the waters teem with aquatic animals, with living beings, and let birds fly above the earth, over the expanse of the sky”, 21and God created the great sea-monsters, and every living being that creeps, which the water teems with, according to their species, and all the winged fowl according to its species. And God saw that it was good. 22And God blessed them and said, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the water in the seas, and let the birds multiply on the earth.” 23Then evening came to pass, and morning came to pass – the fifth day. 24Then God said, “Let the earth bring forth living beings according to their species, cattle and reptiles and beasts of the earth, according to their species.” And so it came about, 25and God made the beasts of the earth according to their species, and the cattle after their species, and all the reptiles of the ground according to their species. And God saw that it was good. 26Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, according to our likeness, and they will subdue the fish of the sea and the birds of the sky, and the cattle, and the whole earth, and every reptile that crawls on the earth.” 27So God created man in his image. He created him in the image of God. Male and female he created them. 28And God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth, and subjugate it, and subdue the fish of the sea and the birds of the sky and every animal that creeps over the earth.” 29Then God said, “Look, I have given you all vegetation bearing seed which is on the surface of the whole earth, and every tree which has fruit of the tree in it bearing seed. It will be for food for you, 30and for every beast of the earth, and for all birds of the sky, and for every reptile on the earth which has the breath of life in it; all green vegetation is for food.” And so it came about. 31And God saw everything that he had made, and the result was that it was very good. Then evening came to pass, and morning came to pass – the sixth day.

Reference(s) in Chapter 1: v.1 ↔ Revelation 14:7 ● v.27 ↔ Mark 10:6.

Genesis Chapter 2 

1So heaven and the earth were completed with all their array. 2And on the seventh day God had finished his workmanship which he executed. Now he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had done, 3and God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, for on it he rested from all his workmanship which God had created in making it. 4These are the genealogies of heaven and the earth when they were created, on the day when the Lord God made the earth and heaven, 5and every wild shrub before it was on the earth, and all wild vegetation before it had sprouted, for the Lord God had not sent rain onto the earth, and there was no man to till the ground. 6But a vapour would come up from the earth, and it watered the whole surface of the ground. 7So the Lord God formed man from the dust from the ground and blew the breath of life into his nostrils, and the man became a living soul. 8Then the Lord God planted a garden in Eden in the east, and he put the man there whom he had formed. 9And the Lord God caused to grow up from the ground every tree that is attractive to look at and good for food, and the tree of life in the middle of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil. 10Now a river goes out from Eden to water the garden, and from there it divides itself and has become four spring sources. 11The name of the first is Pishon; it is the one which goes round the whole land of Havilah where there is gold. 12And the gold of that land is good; there is bdellium and onyx there too. 13And the name of the second river is Gihon; it is the one which goes round all the land of Cush. 14And the name of the third river is Hiddekel; it is the one which goes east to Assyria. And the fourth river is the Euphrates. 15And the Lord God took the man and set him down in the garden of Eden to tend it and to keep it. 16And the Lord God commanded the man and said, “You can freely eat from every tree of the garden, 17but you shall not eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil, for on the day that you eat from it, you will surely die.” 18And the Lord God said, “It is not right for man to be on his own. I will make him a helper as his counterpart.” 19Now the Lord God had formed from the ground every wild animal and all birds of the sky, and he brought them to the man to see what he would call them, and whatever the man called each living being, that was its name. 20And the man gave names to all the cattle and to the birds of the sky and to every wild animal, but no helper was found for man as his counterpart. 21Then the Lord God caused a slumber to fall on the man, and he fell asleep, and he took one of his ribs and closed the flesh after it. 22Then the Lord God built the rib which he had taken from the man into a woman, and he brought her to the man. 23And the man said,

“This time it is bone from my bones

And flesh from my flesh.

This one will be called woman,

For from man she was taken.”

24On account of this a man will leave his father and his mother, and he will cleave to his wife, and they will become one flesh. 25Now the two of them were naked – the man and his wife – but they were not ashamed.

Reference(s) in Chapter 2: v.2 ↔ Hebrews 4:4 ● v.7 ↔ 1 Corinthians 15:45 ● v.24 ↔ Matthew 19:5, Mark 10:7-8, 1 Corinthians 6:16, Ephesians 5:31.

Genesis Chapter 3 

1Now the serpent was more cunning than all the other wild animals which the Lord God had made, and he said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You shall not eat from any tree of the garden’?” 2Then the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat from the fruit of the trees of the garden, 3but from the fruit of the tree which is in the middle of the garden God has said, ‘You shall not eat from it, and you shall not touch it, lest you die.’ ” 4Then the serpent said to the woman, “You certainly will not die. 5For God knows that on the day when you eat from it, your eyes will be opened, and you will become like God, knowing good and evil.” 6Then the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was an object of pleasure to the eyes, and that the tree was desirable for imparting wisdom, and she took some of its fruit and ate it, and she gave some to her husband also, who was with her, and he ate it. 7And the eyes of both of them were opened, and they became aware that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together, and they made themselves aprons. 8Then they heard the voice of the Lord God as he was walking about in the garden in the breeze of the day. And the man hid himself, as did his wife, from the presence of the Lord God in the midst of the trees of the garden. 9Then the Lord God called out to the man and said to him, “Where are you?” 10And he said, “I heard your voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I am naked, and I hid myself.” 11Then he said, “Who has told you that you are naked? Have you eaten from the tree which I commanded you not to eat from?” 12Then the man said, “The woman whom you gave to be with me – she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it.” 13Then the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this that you have done?” And the woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate it.” 14At this the Lord God said to the serpent,

“Because you have done this,

You are more cursed than all the cattle

And than all the wild animals.

You will go on your belly

And eat dust all the days of your life.

15And I will put enmity between you and the woman,

And between your seed and her seed.

It will crush your head,

But you will crush it in the heel.”

16To the woman he said,

“I will greatly increase your labour pains

And your childbirth.

In pain you will give birth to sons,

And your desire will be to your husband,

And he will rule over you.”

17And to the man he said,

“Because you have heeded the voice of your wife

And eaten from the tree

About which I commanded you by saying,

‘You shall not eat from it’,

The ground is cursed because of you.

In sorrow you will eat from it

All the days of your life.

18And it will cause thorns and brambles to spring up to you,

And you will eat the vegetation of the field.

19By the sweat of your face you will eat bread,

Until you return to the ground,

For from it you were taken

– For you are dust –

And to dust you will return.”

20And the man called his wife Eve, for she became the mother of everyone living. 21Then the Lord God made coats of skin for the man and for his wife, and he clothed them. 22Then the Lord God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of us, in knowing good and evil, and now, lest he should stretch out his hand and also take anything from the tree of life, and eat it, and live age-abidingly ...” 23And the Lord God sent him out of the Garden of Eden to till the ground from which he had been taken. 24So he drove the man out and stationed the cherubim and a flaming sword which rotated at the east of the Garden of Eden to guard the way to the tree of life.

Reference(s) in Chapter 3: v.16 ↔ 1 Corinthians 14:34, 1 Timothy 2:15.

Genesis Chapter 4 

1And Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived, and she bore Cain, and she said, “I have got a man – the Lord.” 2Then she gave birth again, to his brother, Abel. Now Abel became a shepherd of small cattle, whereas Cain became a tiller of the ground. 3And it came to pass, after a number of days, that Cain brought some fruit of the ground as an offering to the Lord. 4And Abel also brought an offering, from the firstlings of his small cattle, and from their fat. And the Lord looked upon Abel and his offering with favour. 5But he did not look upon Cain and his offering with favour, and it infuriated Cain greatly, and he became crestfallen. 6And the Lord said to Cain, “Why are you infuriated and why are you crestfallen? 7If you do well, is there not exaltation? And if you do not do well, a sin-offering is lying at the door, and its desire is towards you, and you may rule over it.” 8Then Cain spoke to Abel his brother, and it came to pass while they were in the field that Cain rose up against Abel his brother and killed him. 9At this the Lord said to Cain, “Where is Abel your brother?” And he said, “I don't know. Am I my brother's keeper?” 10Whereupon he said, “What have you done? The voice of your brother's blood is crying out to me from the ground. 11So now you are more cursed than the ground which opened its mouth to receive the blood of your brother at your hand. 12When you till the ground, it will not give you its vigour any more; a nomad and a fugitive you will be on the earth.” 13Then Cain said to the Lord, “My iniquity is too great to bear. 14Look, you have driven me out today from the face of the ground, and I will be hiding from your presence. And I have become a nomad and a fugitive on the earth, and it will come to pass that anyone who finds me will kill me.” 15Then the Lord said to him, “That is why anyone who kills Cain will have vengeance taken on him seven times over.” And the Lord put a sign on Cain so that no-one who found him should strike him. 16So Cain departed from the presence of the Lord and dwelt in the land of Nod to the east of Eden. 17And Cain knew his wife, and she conceived, and she bore Enoch, and he became a builder of a city, and he called the city after the name of his son, Enoch. 18Then Irad was born to Enoch, and Irad begot Mehujael, and Mehujael begot Methushael, and Methushael begot Lamech. 19Now Lamech took for himself two wives; the name of one was Adah and the name of the other was Zillah. 20And Adah bore Jabal. He became the father of those who live in tents and have cattle. 21And the name of his brother was Jubal. He became the father of all those who play the harp and flute. 22And Zillah also gave birth, to Tubal-Cain, a sharpener of all copper and iron cutters. And the sister of Tubal-Cain was Naamah. 23And Lamech said to his wives,

“Adah and Zillah,

Hear my voice.

You wives of Lamech,

Listen to my saying,

For I have killed a man to my wounding,

And a youth to my scarring.

24Inasmuch as Cain will be avenged seven times over,

So Lamech will be seventy-seven times.”

25Then Adam knew his wife again, and she bore a son, and she called him Seth, “For”, she said, “God has appointed me another seed instead of Abel, because Cain killed him.” 26And to Seth also a son was born, and he called him Enos. At that time people began to call on the name of the Lord.

Reference(s) in Chapter 4: v.8 ↔ 1 John 3:12.

Genesis Chapter 5 

1This is the book of the genealogy of Adam, on the day God created Adam. In the likeness of God he made him. 2Male and female he created them, and he blessed them, and he called them Adam on the day of their being created. 3And Adam lived one hundred and thirty years, and he begot a son in his likeness, as an image of himself, and he called him Seth. 4Then the days of Adam after begetting Seth were eight hundred years, and he begot sons and daughters. 5So all the days that Adam lived were nine hundred and thirty years, and he died. 6And Seth lived one hundred and five years and begot Enos. 7Then Seth lived eight hundred and seven years after begetting Enos, and he begot sons and daughters. 8So all the days of Seth were nine hundred and twelve years, and he died. 9And Enos lived ninety years and begot Cainan. 10Then Enos lived eight hundred and fifteen years after begetting Cainan, and he begot sons and daughters. 11So all the days of Enos were nine hundred and five years, and he died. 12And Cainan lived seventy years and begot Mahalalel. 13Then Cainan lived eight hundred and forty years after begetting Mahalalel, and he begot sons and daughters. 14So all the days of Cainan were nine hundred and ten years, and he died. 15And Mahalalel lived sixty-five years and begot Jared. 16Then Mahalalel lived eight hundred and thirty years after begetting Jared, and he begot sons and daughters. 17So all the days of Mahalalel were eight hundred and ninety-five years, and he died. 18And Jared lived one hundred and sixty-two years and begot Enoch. 19Then Jared lived eight hundred years after begetting Enoch, and he begot sons and daughters. 20So all the days of Jared were nine hundred and sixty-two years, and he died. 21And Enoch lived sixty-five years and begot Methuselah. 22Now Enoch walked with God for three hundred years after begetting Methuselah, and he begot sons and daughters. 23So all the days of Enoch were three hundred and sixty-five years. 24And Enoch walked with God, and he disappeared, for God had taken him. 25And Methuselah lived one hundred and eighty-seven years and begot Lamech. 26Then Methuselah lived seven hundred and eighty-two years after begetting Lamech, and he begot sons and daughters. 27So all the days of Methuselah were nine hundred and sixty-nine years, and he died. 28And Lamech lived one hundred and eighty-two years, and he begot a son. 29And he called him Noah and said, “This son will give us relief from our labour and from the toil of our hands – from the ground which the Lord cursed.” 30Then Lamech lived five hundred and ninety-five years after begetting Noah, and he begot sons and daughters. 31So all the days of Lamech were seven hundred and seventy-seven years, and he died. 32And Noah was five hundred years old when Noah begot Shem, Ham and Japheth.

Genesis Chapter 6 

1And it came to pass when man began to increase on the surface of the ground that daughters were born to them, 2and the sons of God saw man's daughters – how good-looking they were – and they took wives to themselves from everyone they chose. 3And the Lord said, “My spirit will not strive with man age-abidingly in his waywardness. He is flesh, and his days will be one hundred and twenty years.” 4There were Nephilim on the earth in those days, and after that too, when the sons of God went into the daughters of man who bore them offspring. They are the heroes who since antiquity have been men of renown. 5And the Lord saw that man's evil on the earth was great, and that every conception of the thoughts of his heart was nothing but evil all day long. 6And the Lord grieved over having made man on the earth, and he was distressed in his heart. 7And the Lord said, “I will wipe man that I created off the face of the earth – both man and beast, and reptile and birds of the sky, for I am grieved over having made them.” 8But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord. 9This is the lineage of Noah. Noah was a righteous man; he was pure in his genealogy. Noah walked with God. 10And Noah begot three sons: Shem, Ham and Japheth. 11Now the earth became corrupt before God, and the earth became full of violence. 12And God looked at the earth and saw that it had become corrupt, for all flesh had gone a corrupt way on the earth. 13Then God said to Noah, “The end of all flesh has come before me, for the earth is full of violence because of them. So I am about to bring ruin on them with the earth. 14Make yourself an ark of gopher wood. You shall make the ark in cells, and you shall cover it inside and outside with pitch. 15And this is how you will make it: the length of the ark will be three hundred cubits. Its width will be fifty cubits, and its height will be thirty cubits. 16You will make a skylight for the ark and finish it one cubit projecting above, and you will make a door to the ark on the side of it. You will make it with a lower, a second and a third deck. 17And as for me, I am about to bring a flood of water on the earth, to bring to ruin all flesh on it that has the breath of life in it under heaven. Everything that is on the earth will expire. 18And I will set up my covenant with you, and you will go into the ark – you, and your sons, and your wife, and your sons' wives with you. 19And you will bring two of every species of every living thing of all flesh into the ark to preserve them alive with you – male and female they shall be – 20of birds according to their species, and of cattle according to their species, and of all reptiles of the ground according to their species. Two of everything will come to you to preserve them alive. 21And you are to take with you all kinds of food that are eaten, and gather it up, and it will be food for you and for them.” 22And Noah did it. Everything that God commanded him, he duly carried out.

Reference(s) in Chapter 6: v.5 ↔ James 4:5.

Genesis Chapter 7 

1And the Lord said to Noah, “Go, you and all your household, into the ark, for I have seen you as righteous before me in this generation. 2From every clean beast, take along seven and seven, the male and its mate. And from the beasts which are not clean, a pair, the male and its mate. 3Also from the birds of the sky, take seven and seven, male and female, to preserve seed alive on the face of all the earth. 4For in seven days' time I will be sending rain over the earth, for forty days and forty nights, and I will wipe out every living thing which I made from the face of the earth.” 5And Noah did everything that the Lord commanded him. 6Now Noah was six hundred years old when the flood took place with water over the earth. 7And Noah and his sons and his wife and his sons' wives went with him into the ark because of the water of the flood. 8Those from the clean beasts, and from the beasts which are not clean, and from the birds, and everything that creeps on the ground 9came two by two to Noah into the ark, male and female, as God had instructed Noah. 10And it came to pass after seven days that the floodwater came over the earth. 11In the six hundredth year of Noah's life, in the second month, on the seventeenth day of the month – on this day – all the founts of the great deep were split open, and the floodgates of heaven were opened. 12And the rain came over the earth for forty days and forty nights. 13On this very day Noah went into the ark, as did Shem and Ham and Japheth, Noah's sons, and Noah's wife, and the three wives of his sons with them – 14they and all the wild animals according to their species, and all the cattle according to their species, and all the reptiles which creep on the earth according to their species, and all the birds according to their species – all fowl of every wing. 15So they came to Noah, to the ark, two by two, from all the kinds of flesh in which there is the breath of life. 16And those that came were male and female; from every kind of flesh they came, as God had instructed him. Then the Lord closed up after him. 17And the flood took place for forty days on the earth, and the water increased and bore up the ark, and it was lifted up above the earth. 18And the water gained strength and increased greatly over the earth, while the ark went on the surface of the water. 19And the water gained greater and greater strength over the earth, and all the high mountains which are below all the heavens were covered. 20The water grew to fifteen cubits upwards, and it covered the mountains. 21And all flesh which creeps over the earth expired, with birds and with beasts and with animals, and with all aquatic life which teems on the earth, and all mankind. 22Everything that had the breath of the spirit of life in its nostrils – everything which was on dry land – died. 23And he wiped out every living thing which was on the surface of the earth, both man and beast, and reptile and the birds of the sky. And they were wiped out from the earth, and only Noah and those with him in the ark remained. 24And the water held sway over the earth for one hundred and fifty days.

Genesis Chapter 8 

1And God remembered Noah and all the livestock and all the beasts that were with him in the ark, and God caused a spirit to pass over the earth, and the waters abated. 2And the founts of the deep were closed off, as were the floodgates of heaven, and the rain was held back from the heavens. 3And the water receded from the earth, and it kept receding, and the water diminished after one hundred and fifty days. 4Then the ark came to rest in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the month, on the mountains of Ararat. 5And the water kept on diminishing until the tenth month. In the tenth month, on the first day of the month, the summits of the mountains were seen. 6Then it came to pass after forty days that Noah opened the window of the ark which he had made, 7and he sent out a raven, and it kept going out and coming back again until the water dried up on the earth. 8And he sent out a dove to see if the water had ebbed away on the surface of the ground. 9But the dove did not find a resting place for the sole of its foot, and it came back to him – to the ark – for there was water over the surface of the whole earth. And he stretched out his hand and took it and brought it in, into the ark. 10And he waited for another seven days, and again he sent out the dove from the ark. 11And the dove came back to him in the evening, and behold, there was a fresh olive leaf in its mouth. So Noah knew that the water had ebbed away from the surface of the earth. 12And he waited for another seven days, and he sent out the dove, and it did not come back to him again. 13And it came to pass in the six hundred and first year, in the first month, on the first day of the month, that the water dried up from the earth, and Noah removed the covering of the ark and looked around, and what he saw was that the surface of the ground had become dry. 14And in the second month on the twenty-seventh day of the month, the earth became dry. 15And God spoke to Noah and said, 16“Go out of the ark, you and your wife, and your sons, and your sons' wives with you. 17Bring out with you all the livestock which is with you, the specimens from all the kinds of flesh, on the birds and on the beasts and on all the reptiles which creep on the earth, so that they may teem on the earth, and be fruitful and increase on the earth.” 18So Noah came out, as did his sons and his wife and his sons' wives with him. 19All the livestock, all the reptiles and all the birds, everything that creeps on the earth, according to their families, came out of the ark. 20Then Noah built an altar to the Lord, and he took sacrificial victims from all the clean beasts and from all the clean birds, and he made burnt offerings on the altar. 21And the Lord smelled the sweet fragrance, and the Lord said in his heart,

“I will not curse the ground again because of man,

For the imagination of the heart of man is evil from his youth on,

And I will not strike everything living again,

As I have done,

22As long as all the days of the earth

– Seed time and harvest time,

And cold and hot,

And summer and winter,

And day and night –

Do not cease.”

Reference(s) in Chapter 8: v.21 ↔ James 4:5.

Genesis Chapter 9 

1And God blessed Noah and his sons, and he said to them, “Be fruitful and increase and fill the earth. 2And fear of you and dread of you will be innate to all the animals of the earth, and to all the birds of the sky, and to everything that creeps on the ground, and to all the fish of the sea. They have been delivered into your hand. 3Every reptile that lives will be food for you, like the green vegetables. I have given you everything. 4But you shall not eat flesh with its source of life – its blood. 5And I will surely require the blood of your lives. At the hand of every animal I will require it, and at the hand of man, at the hand of each man's brother, I will require the life of man.

6As for him who sheds the blood of man,

By man his blood will be shed,

For in the image of God

He made man.

7As for you,

Be fruitful and increase;

Teem on the earth

And increase on it.”

8Then God spoke to Noah and to his sons with him, and he said, 9“As for me, I am about to set up my covenant with you and with your seed after you, 10and with every living thing which is with you, with birds, with cattle and with all earthly life, with you, both everything that came out of the ark and all earthly life. 11And I will set up my covenant with you, that no more will all flesh be cut off by the water of a flood, and there will not be a flood any more bringing the earth to ruin.” 12And God said, “This is the sign of the covenant which I give between myself and you and with all living beings which are with you, for age-abiding generations: 13I put my bow in the clouds, and it will be a sign of a covenant between myself and the earth. 14And it will come to pass, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the bow will appear in the cloud. 15And I will remember my covenant which is between myself and you, and with all living beings – with all flesh – and there will not be any floodwater any more to bring all flesh to ruin. 16And the bow will be in the cloud, and I will see it, so as to remember the age-abiding covenant between God and all living beings with all flesh that is on the earth.” 17And God said to Noah, “This is the sign of the covenant which I have set up between myself and all flesh which is on the earth.” 18Now the sons of Noah who came out of the ark were Shem and Ham and Japheth. And Ham is the father of Canaan. 19These three were the sons of Noah, and from these the whole earth was populated. 20Then Noah took up being a cultivator of the ground, and he planted a vineyard. 21And he drank from the wine and became drunk, and he uncovered himself inside his tent. 22Now Ham the father of Canaan saw the nakedness of his father, and he told his two brothers outside. 23So Shem and Japheth took a mantle and put it on both of their shoulders and walked backwards and covered the nakedness of their father, while their faces were directed backwards, and they did not see the nakedness of their father. 24Then Noah awoke from his wine stupor and knew what his youngest son had done to him. 25And he said,

“Cursed be Canaan.

He shall be a servant of servants

To his brothers.”

26And he said,

“Blessed be the Lord God of Shem,

And may Canaan be his servant.

27May God enlarge Japheth,

And may he dwell in the tents of Shem,

And may Canaan be his servant.”

28And Noah lived for three hundred and fifty years after the flood. 29So all the days of Noah were nine hundred and fifty years, and he died.

Reference(s) in Chapter 9: v.6 ↔ Revelation 13:10.

Genesis Chapter 10 

1Now this is the lineage of the sons of Noah, Shem, Ham and Japheth, and sons were born to them after the flood. 2The sons of Japheth were Gomer and Magog and Madai and Javan and Tubal and Meshech and Tiras. 3And the sons of Gomer were Ashkenaz and Riphath and Togarmah. 4And the sons of Javan were Elishah and Tarshish, Kittim and Dodanim. 5From these the coastlands of the Gentiles were separated into their lands, each one according to his language, by their families in their nations. 6And the sons of Ham were Cush and Mizraim and Put and Canaan. 7And the sons of Cush were Seba and Havilah and Sabtah and Raamah and Sabtechah. And the sons of Raamah were Sheba and Dedan. 8And Cush begot Nimrod. He started to become mighty in the land. 9He became a mighty hunter before the Lord. On account of that there is a saying, “Like Nimrod the mighty hunter before the Lord.” 10And the beginning of his kingdom was Babylon and Erech and Accad and Calneh in the land of Shinar. 11From that land Ashshur emerged, and he built Nineveh and Rehoboth City and Calah, 12and Resen between Nineveh and Calah. This is the great city. 13And Mizraim begot Ludim and Anamim and Lehabim and Naphtuhim, 14and Pathrusim, and Casluhim from whom the Philistines emerged, and the Caphtorites. 15And Canaan begot Sidon his firstborn and Heth, 16and the Jebusite and the Amorite and the Girgashite, 17and the Hivite and the Arkite and the Sinite, 18and the Arvadite and the Zemarite and the Hamathite. Then afterwards the families of the Canaanites spread out. 19And the border of the Canaanites was from Sidon as one goes to Gerar as far as Gaza, as one goes to Sodom and Gomorrah and Admah and Zeboim, as far as Lasha. 20These were the sons of Ham by their families, by their languages, in their territories, in their nations. 21And to Shem also offspring were born. He is the father of all the sons of Eber the brother of Japheth the elder. 22The sons of Shem were Elam and Ashshur and Arphaxad and Lud and Aram. 23And the sons of Aram were Uz and Hul and Gether and Mash. 24And Arphaxad begot Shelah, and Shelah begot Eber. 25And by Eber two sons were begotten. The name of one was Peleg, for in his days the earth became divided, and the name of his brother was Joktan. 26And Joktan begot Almodad and Sheleph and Hazarmaveth and Jerah, 27and Hadoram and Uzal and Diklah, 28and Obal and Abimael and Sheba, 29and Ophir and Havilah and Jobab. All of these were the sons of Joktan, 30and their dwelling place was from Mesha as one goes to Sephar, the mountain of the east. 31These were the sons of Shem by their families, by their languages, in their territories, by their nations. 32These were the families of the sons of Noah by their family histories in their nations, and from these the nations separated off on the earth after the flood.

Genesis Chapter 11 

1Now the whole earth was of one language and one vocabulary. 2And it came to pass as they migrated eastwards that they found a valley in the land of Shinar and dwelt there. 3And they said to each other, “Come on, let's make bricks and fire them thoroughly.” And they had bricks for stone, and they had bitumen for mortar. 4And they said, “Come on, let's build ourselves a city, and a tower with its top in the sky, and let's make ourselves a reputation, so that we are not scattered over the surface of all the earth.” 5Then the Lord came down to see the city and the tower which the sons of Adam had built. 6And the Lord said, “Behold, there is one people and one language for all of them, and this is what they have undertaken to do. Now nothing that they devise will be infeasible for them to do. 7Come now, let us go down and confound their language there, so that one will not understand the language of another.” 8So the Lord scattered them from there over the surface of the whole earth, and they stopped building the city. 9For that reason they called it Babel, because the Lord confounded the language of the whole earth there, and from there the Lord scattered them over the surface of the whole earth. 10This is the lineage of Shem. Shem was one hundred years old when he begot Arphaxad, two years after the flood. 11Then after he begot Arphaxad, Shem lived for five hundred years, and he begot sons and daughters. 12And Arphaxad lived for thirty-five years and begot Shelah. 13Then after he begot Shelah, Arphaxad lived for four hundred and three years, and he begot sons and daughters. 14And Shelah lived for thirty years and begot Eber. 15Then after he begot Eber, Shelah lived for four hundred and three years, and he begot sons and daughters. 16And Eber lived for thirty-four years and begot Peleg. 17Then after he begot Peleg, Eber lived for four hundred and thirty years, and he begot sons and daughters. 18And Peleg lived for thirty years and begot Reu. 19Then after he begot Reu, Peleg lived for two hundred and nine years, and he begot sons and daughters. 20And Reu lived for thirty-two years and begot Serug. 21Then after he begot Serug, Reu lived for two hundred and seven years, and he begot sons and daughters. 22And Serug lived for thirty years and begot Nahor. 23Then after he begot Nahor, Serug lived for two hundred years, and he begot sons and daughters. 24And Nahor lived for twenty-nine years and begot Terah. 25Then after he begot Terah, Nahor lived for one hundred and nineteen years, and he begot sons and daughters. 26And Terah lived for seventy years and begot Abram, Nahor and Haran. 27This is the lineage of Terah. Terah begot Abram, Nahor and Haran, and Haran begot Lot. 28But Haran died before Terah his father in his native land, in Ur of the Chaldees. 29And Abram and Nahor took wives. The name of Abram's wife was Sarai and the name of Nahor's wife was Milcah, the daughter of Haran the father of Milcah and the father of Iscah. 30Now Sarai was barren – she did not have any offspring. 31And Terah took Abram his son, and Lot Haran's son, his grandson, and Sarai his daughter-in-law, the wife of Abram his son, and they went out together from Ur of the Chaldees to go to the land of Canaan, and they went as far as Haran and dwelt there. 32And the days of Terah were two hundred and five years. Then Terah died in Haran.

Reference(s) in Chapter 11: v.31 ↔ Acts 7:2.

Genesis Chapter 12 

1Then the Lord said to Abram,

“Get going out of your land

And from your native country

And from your father's house

To the land which I will show you.

2And I will make you a great nation,

And I will bless you

And make your name great,

And you must become a blessing.

3And I will bless those who bless you,

But I will curse him who reviles you.

But all the families of the earth

Will be blessed through you.”

4Then Abram set off as the Lord had told him, and Lot went with him. Now Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran. 5And Abram took Sarai his wife and Lot his brother's son, and all their property which they had accumulated, and the livestock which they had acquired in Haran, and they set off to go to the land of Canaan, and into the land of Canaan they came. 6And Abram crossed through the land to the place of Shechem, to the oak of Moreh, but the Canaanite was then in the land. 7Then the Lord appeared to Abram and said, “I will give this land to your seed.” At this he built an altar there to the Lord, who had appeared to him. 8Then he moved from there to a mountain to the east of Beth-El and pitched his tent with Beth-El to the west and Ai to the east, and he built an altar there to the Lord and called on the name of the Lord. 9Then Abram moved on, and he kept on moving southwards. 10Then there was a famine in the land, and Abram went down to Egypt to stay there, for the famine in the land was severe. 11And it came to pass, as he got near entering Egypt, that he said to Sarai his wife, “Look, I ask you, I know that you are a beautiful woman in appearance, 12and it will be the case that when the Egyptians see you, they will say, ‘This is his wife’, and they will kill me and keep you alive. 13Say, would you, that you are my sister, so that it will go well with me on your account, and I myself will live because of you.” 14And it came to pass, when Abram went to Egypt, that the Egyptians saw that the woman was very beautiful. 15And Pharaoh's princes saw her, and they commended her to Pharaoh. And the woman was taken to Pharaoh's house. 16And it went well with Abram on her account, and he had sheep and cattle and donkeys and menservants and maidservants and she-asses and camels. 17Then the Lord afflicted Pharaoh with great plagues, along with his household, because of the matter of Sarai, Abram's wife. 18So Pharaoh called Abram and said, “What is this you have done to me? Why did you not tell me that she was your wife? 19Why did you say, ‘She is my sister?’, so that I took her for her to be my wife? So now, here is your wife. Take her and go.” 20And Pharaoh gave his men instructions concerning him, and he sent him off with his wife and everything that was his.

Reference(s) in Chapter 12: v.1 ↔ Acts 7:3 ● v.3 ↔ Acts 3:25, Galatians 3:8.

Genesis Chapter 13 

1So Abram went up from Egypt – he and his wife and everything that was his – as did Lot with him, to the south. 2Now Abram was well-endowed with cattle, with silver and with gold. 3And he went on his journeys from the south as far as to Beth-El, to the place where his tent was at the start, between Beth-El and Ai, 4to the place of the altar which he had made at the start, and Abram called on the name of the Lord there. 5And Lot also, who went with Abram, had sheep and oxen and tents, 6and the land did not support them living together, for their property was considerable, and they could not live together. 7And there arose a dispute between the shepherds of Abram's livestock and the shepherds of Lot's livestock, while the Canaanite and the Perizzite were already dwelling in the land. 8Then Abram said to Lot, “Please don't let there be a dispute between me and you, or between my shepherds and your shepherds, for we are kinsmen. 9Is not all the land before you? Separate yourself from me, would you. If you go to the left, then I will go to the right, and if you go to the right, then I will go to the left.” 10At this Lot lifted up his eyes and saw the whole tract of the Jordan – that all of it was a well-watered area – (before the Lord had brought Sodom and Gomorrah to ruin) like the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt as one goes to Zoar. 11So Lot chose the whole tract of the Jordan for himself, and Lot moved eastwards, and they separated from each other. 12Abram dwelt in the land of Canaan whereas Lot dwelt among the cities of the tract of land and lived in tents as far as Sodom. 13Now the men of Sodom were evil and sinners against the Lord to a great degree. 14And the Lord said to Abram, after Lot had been separated from him, “Raise your eyes now and look, from the place where you are, northwards and southwards and eastwards and westwards. 15For all the land which you see I will give to you, and to your seed, age-abidingly. 16And I will make your seed like the dust of the earth, such that if a man can count the dust of the earth, then your seed will be able to be counted too. 17Arise and walk about in the land, in its length and in its breadth, for I will give it to you.” 18And Abram lived in a tent, and he arrived at, and dwelt in, the oak woods of Mamre, which are in Hebron, and he built an altar to the Lord there.

Reference(s) in Chapter 13: v.15 ↔ Acts 7:5.

Genesis Chapter 14 

1Now it came to pass in the days of Amraphel king of Shinar, Arioch king of Ellasar, Chedorlaomer king of Elam and Tidal king of nations, 2that they made war on Bera king of Sodom, and Birsha king of Gomorrah, Shinab king of Admah, and Shemeber king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela, which is Zoar. 3All these joined forces at the Valley of Siddim, which is the Salt Sea. 4For twelve years they served Chedorlaomer, and in the thirteenth year they rebelled. 5And in the fourteenth year Chedorlaomer and the kings who were with him came and attacked the Rephaim in Ashteroth-Karnaim, and the Zuzim in Ham, and the Emites in Shaveh-Kiriathaim, 6and the Horites in their Mount Seir, up to El-Paran which is by the desert. 7Then they returned and came to En-Mishpat, which is Kadesh and attacked all the country of the Amalekites, and also the Amorites who were living in Hazezon-Tamar. 8And the king of Sodom, and the king of Gomorrah, and the king of Admah and the king of Zeboiim and the king of Bela, which is Zoar, came out and arrayed themselves in battle against them in the Valley of Siddim, 9against Chedorlaomer king of Elam, and Tidal king of nations, and Amraphel king of Shinar, and Arioch king of Ellasar – four kings against five. 10Now the Valley of Siddim consisted of bitumen pit after bitumen pit, and the king of Sodom and the king of Gomorrah fled, and they fell there, and the rest fled to a mountain. 11And they took all the property of Sodom and Gomorrah, and all their food, and they went away. 12And they took Lot, the son of Abram's brother who dwelt in Sodom, and his property, and they went their way. 13Now an escapee came and told Abram the Hebrew about it, while he was living in the oak woods of Mamre the Amorite, the brother of Eshcol and the brother of Aner, and they were party to a covenant with Abram. 14And when Abram heard that his brother had been taken captive, he led out his trained men, born in the household – three hundred and eighteen of them – and he pursued them as far as Dan. 15And he divided himself against them at night – he and his servants – and he attacked them and pursued them to Hobah which is to the left of Damascus. 16And he recovered all the property, and he also recovered Lot his brother and his property, and also the women and the people. 17Then the king of Sodom came out to confront him, after he had returned from attacking Chedorlaomer and the kings with him, to the Valley of Shaveh, which is the Valley of the King. 18And Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine. Now he is a priest to the Most High God. 19And he blessed him and said,

“Blessed be Abram to the Most High God,

Who possesses heaven and earth.

20And blessed be the Most High God,

Who has disarmed your adversaries by your hand.”

And he gave him a tithe of everything. 21And the king of Sodom said to Abram, “Give me the people but keep the property.” 22But Abram said to the king of Sodom, “As I raise my hand to the Lord, the Most High God, possessor of heaven and earth, 23I most certainly will not take as much as a thread or a shoe-latchet, or anything that is yours, so that you cannot say, ‘I made Abram rich’, 24except for just what the lads have eaten, and the contingent of the men who went with me – Aner, Eshcol and Mamre – they may take their portion.”

Reference(s) in Chapter 14: v.18 ↔ Ps 110:4, Hebrews 5:6, Hebrews 7:1, Hebrews 7:17, Hebrews 7:21.

Genesis Chapter 15 

1After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision, and he said, “Do not fear, Abram. I am your shield and very much your reward.” 2Then Abram said, “My Lord the Lord, what will you give me, for I go childless, and the superintendent of my house is Eliezer of Damascus.” 3And Abram said, “Look, you have not given me any seed, and look, a member of my household staff will inherit from me.” 4Then what happened was that the word of the Lord came to him and said, “This man will not inherit from you, but it is rather he who will come out of your inward parts who will inherit from you.” 5And he brought him outside and said, “Just look up to the sky and count the stars, if you can count them.” And he said to him, “So shall your seed be.” 6And he believed the Lord, and he imputed it to him as righteousness. 7And he said to him, “I am the Lord who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldees, to give you this land, for you to inherit it.” 8At this he said, “My Lord the Lord, by what token will I know that I will inherit it?” 9And he said to him, “Take for me a three-year-old cow-calf and a three-year-old goat-kid, and a three-year-old ram, and a turtle-dove and a young pigeon.” 10So he took all these together and cut them in pieces down the middle, and he put each piece opposite its counterpart, but he did not cut the birds up. 11Then the birds of prey descended on the carcases, but Abram drove them away. 12Now the sun was on the point of setting, and a slumber fell on Abram, and what happened was that dread – a great darkness – fell on him. 13And he said to Abram, “Know with certainty that your seed will be outsiders in a land which is not theirs, and they will serve them; and they will be afflicted for four hundred years. 14But also that I will judge the people whom they serve, and after that they will go out with considerable property. 15And you will go to your fathers in peace – you will be buried in a good old age. 16And the fourth generation will return here, for the iniquity of the Amorite is not full so far.” 17Then as the sun set, a thick darkness came on, and then there appeared a furnace of smoke and a fiery flame which passed between these pieces. 18On that day the Lord made a covenant with Abram and said, “To your seed I have given this land, from the River of Egypt to the great river, the River Euphrates: 19the Kenites and the Kenizzites and the Kadmonites 20and the Hittites and the Perizzites and the Rephaim 21and the Amorites and the Canaanites and the Girgashites and the Jebusites.”

Reference(s) in Chapter 15: v.5 ↔ Romans 4:18, Hebrews 11:12 ● v.6 ↔ Romans 4:3, Romans 4:22, Galatians 3:6, James 2:23 ● v.13 ↔ Acts 7:6 ● v.14 ↔ Acts 7:7.

Genesis Chapter 16 

1Now Sarai, Abram's wife, had not given birth of anyone to him, and she had an Egyptian maidservant whose name was Hagar. 2And Sarai said to Abram, “Look now, the Lord has prevented me from giving birth. So go into my maidservant. Perhaps I will be built up from her.” And Abram heeded Sarai. 3So Sarai, Abram's wife, took Hagar the Egyptian, her maidservant, after the passing of ten years of Abram dwelling in the land of Canaan, and she gave her to Abram her husband to be his wife. 4And he went in to Hagar, and she conceived. And she saw that she had conceived, and her mistress was made light of in her eyes. 5Then Sarai said to Abram, “My injuriousness be upon you. I gave my maidservant into your bosom, and she saw that she had conceived, and I am made light of in her eyes. May the Lord judge between me and you.” 6To this Abram said to Sarai, “Look, your maidservant is in your hand. Do to her what is right in your sight.” Then Sarai oppressed her, and she fled from her presence. 7But the angel of the Lord found her at a source of water in the desert, at the source on the road to Shur. 8And he said, “Hagar, Sarai's maidservant, where have you come from and where are you going?” And she said, “I am fleeing from Sarai my mistress.” 9Then the angel of the Lord said to her, “Go back to your mistress and submit yourself under her hands.” 10Then the angel of the Lord said to her, “I will very much increase your seed, and they will not be able to be counted for their abundance.” 11Then the angel of the Lord said to her,

“You see that you are pregnant,

And you will give birth to a son,

And you will call him Ishmael,

Because the Lord has heard your affliction.

12And he will be a wild ass of a man;

His hand will be against everyone,

And everyone's hand will be against him,

And he will dwell alongside all his brothers.”

13And she called the Lord who had been speaking to her, “You are the God of a vision.” For she said, “Can I still see, right here, after my vision?” 14That is why they call the well Beer-Lahai-Roi. It is located between Kadesh and Bered. 15And Hagar gave birth to a son to Abram, and Abram called his son whom Hagar had borne Ishmael. 16Now Abram was eighty-six years old when Hagar gave birth to Ishmael to Abram.

Genesis Chapter 17 

1And when Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to Abram and said to him, “I am God Almighty; walk before me and be with integrity, 2and I will perform my covenant between myself and you, and I will increase you very greatly.” 3Then Abram fell face down, and God spoke with him and said, 4As for me, behold, my covenant is with you, and you will become the father of a multitude of nations. 5And you will no longer be called Abram, but your name will be Abraham, for I will make you the father of a multitude of nations. 6And I will make you extremely fruitful, and I will constitute you as nations, and kings will come out of you. 7And I will set up my covenant between myself and you and your seed after you for their generations, as an age-abiding covenant, so as to be God to you, and to your seed after you. 8And I will give you and your seed after you the land in which you are resident – the whole of the land of Canaan – as an age-abiding possession, and I will be God to them.” 9Then God said to Abraham, “And you shall keep my covenant, you and your seed after you, for their generations. 10This is my covenant which you shall keep between myself and you, and with your seed after you: for all males among you to be circumcised. 11And you will be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskin, and it will be a sign of a covenant between me and you. 12And at eight days old, every male among you will be circumcised in your generations, whether born in the household or bought for money, including any foreigner who is not of your seed. 13He who is born in your household and he who is bought for your money absolutely must be circumcised, and my covenant will be in your flesh as an age-abiding covenant. 14And as for any uncircumcised male, whose flesh of his foreskin is not circumcised – that person will be cut off from his people; he has broken my covenant.” 15Then God said to Abraham, “As for Sarai your wife, you will not call her Sarai, but her name will be Sarah. 16And I will bless her, and I will also give you a son by her, and I will bless her, and she will give rise to nations; kings of peoples will spring up from her.” 17Then Abraham fell face down and laughed and said in his heart, “Will a child be born to a one-hundred-year-old, and will Sarah who is ninety years old give birth?” 18And Abraham said to God, “If only Ishmael would live before you!” 19And God said, “Nevertheless, Sarah your wife will bear you a son, and you will call him Isaac, and I will set up my covenant with him, as an age-abiding covenant to his seed after him. 20But as for Ishmael, I have heard you. Behold, I have blessed him, and I will make him fruitful, and I will make him numerous to a very great degree. He will beget twelve princes, and I will make him a great nation. 21But I will set up my covenant with Isaac whom Sarah will bear to you, at this time of year in another year.” 22Then he finished speaking with him, and God went up away from Abraham. 23So Abraham took Ishmael his son, and all those born in his household, and all those bought for his money – every male among the men of Abraham's household – and circumcised the flesh of their foreskin on that very day, as God had told him. 24And Abraham was ninety-nine years old when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin. 25And Ishmael his son was thirteen years old when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin. 26On that very day Abraham and Ishmael his son were circumcised, 27as were all the men of his household – born in the household or bought for money from a foreigner – they were circumcised with him.

Reference(s) in Chapter 17: v.5 ↔ Romans 4:17.

Genesis Chapter 18 

1Then the Lord appeared to him in the oak woods of Mamre, while he was sitting at the entrance of his tent in the heat of the day. 2And he lifted up his eyes and looked, and what he saw was three men standing in his vicinity, and when he saw them, he ran from the entrance of the tent to meet them and bowed down to the ground. 3And he said, “Lord*, please, if I have found grace in your eyes, please do not pass by, away from your servant. 4Do let a little water be fetched and wash your feet and recline under the tree, 5and let me fetch a bit of food, and you refresh your hearts, and afterwards you can pass on, for that is why you came across to your servant.” Then they said, “Do so, as you have said.” 6So Abraham hurried to his tent, to Sarah, and he said, “Quickly prepare three seahs of fine flour, knead it, and make bread-cake.” 7Meanwhile Abraham ran to the cattle and took a calf that was tender and good and gave it to the servant-lad, and he quickly cooked it. 8Then he took butter and milk and the calf which he had cooked, and he set it before them, and he stood by them under the tree, while they ate. 9And they said to him, “Where is Sarah your wife?” And he said, “Here she is, in the tent.” 10Then he said, “I will certainly return to you at this time next year, and you will see that Sarah your wife will have a son.” Now Sarah was listening at the entrance to the tent, which was behind him. 11And Abraham and Sarah were old, advanced in days, and it had ceased to be with Sarah the way it is with women. 12And Sarah laughed inwardly and said, “Will I have the pleasure, having grown old, my lord being old too?” 13And the Lord said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh, saying, ‘Will I really give birth, when I am so old?’? 14Is anything too stupendous for the Lord? At the appointed time I will return to you, at this time next year, and Sarah will have a son.” 15Then Sarah spoke falsely and said, “I did not laugh”, for she was afraid. But he said, “No, you did laugh.” 16Then the men got up from there and peered down at the landscape of Sodom, and Abraham went with them to escort them on their way. 17Then the Lord said, “Do I conceal from Abraham what I do, 18considering Abraham will definitely be a great and powerful nation, and all the nations of the earth will be blessed through him? 19For I know him, in that he will command his sons and his household after him to keep the way of the Lord, to exercise justice and judgment, in order that the Lord may bring over Abraham what he has told him.” 20And the Lord said, “Because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very serious, 21I will just go down and see whether what they have done is completely in accordance with their cry which has come to me, and if it is not so, I will know.” 22Then the men wended their way from there and went to Sodom, while the Lord was still standing in the presence of Abraham. 23Then Abraham approached and said, “Will you really destroy the righteous with the wicked? 24Suppose there are fifty righteous inside the city. Would you really destroy it and not bear with the place for the sake of fifty righteous inside it? 25Far be it from you to do such a thing, to kill the righteous with the wicked, so that it would be the same for the righteous and the wicked – far be it from you. Would the judge of the whole earth not execute justice?” 26Then the Lord said, “If I find fifty righteous in Sodom, inside the city, then I will bear with the whole place for their sakes.” 27Then Abraham responded and said, “Look, now that I have undertaken to speak to the Lord*, although I am but dust and ashes, 28suppose that fifty righteous should fall short by five, would you bring the whole city to ruin for want of five?” And he said, “I will not bring it to ruin if I find forty-five righteous there.” 29Then he spoke yet again to him and said, “Suppose forty are found there.” And he said, “I will not do it for the sake of the forty.” 30Then he said, “Oh, do not let the Lord* be angry, and let me speak. Suppose thirty are found there.” And he said, “I will not do it if I find thirty there.” 31Then he said, “Look, now that I have undertaken to speak to the Lord*, suppose twenty are found there.” And he said, “I will not bring it to ruin for the sake of the twenty.” 32Then he said, “Oh, do not let the Lord* be angry, and I will speak just this one time. Suppose ten are found there.” And he said, “I will not bring it to ruin for the sake of the ten.” 33Then the Lord went away when he had finished speaking to Abraham, and Abraham went back to his place.

Reference(s) in Chapter 18: v.14 ↔ Romans 9:9.

Genesis Chapter 19 

1Then two angels came to Sodom in the evening, while Lot was sitting at Sodom's gate, and Lot saw them and got up to meet them, and he bowed his face to the ground. 2And he said, “Look, if you would, my lords, turn aside, if you would, to the house of your servant and lodge here, and wash your feet and get up early and go your way.” But they said, “No, for we can lodge in the street.” 3But he urged them strongly, and they turned aside to him and came to his house, and he prepared a feast and baked unleavened bread for them, and they ate it. 4But before they reclined, men from the city – men from Sodom – surrounded the house, both youths and old men: all the people from its limits. 5And they called out to Lot and said to him, “Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us so that we may know them.” 6Then Lot went out to them, to the entrance, and he shut the door after him. 7And he said, “My brothers, do not, please, do any wrong. 8Look now, I have my two daughters who have not known a man. Let me bring them out to you, would you, and you do to them what is right in your eyes, but do not do anything to these men, for there is a reason why they have come to the protection of my roof.” 9But they said, “Move away”, and they said, “This one came to stay and he is determined to judge. Now we will deal worse with you than with them.” Then they pressed the man – Lot – greatly and drew near so as to break down the door. 10At this the men stretched out their hand and brought Lot in to them into the house, then they shut the door, 11and they struck the men who were at the entrance to the house with blindness, both small and great, and they struggled to find the entrance. 12Then the men said to Lot, “Who else is with you here? Get any son-in-law, or sons or daughters of yours and everyone whom you have in the city out of the place, 13for we are about to bring this place to ruin, for their cry has become great before the Lord, and the Lord has sent us to bring it to ruin.” 14Then Lot went out and spoke to his sons-in-law, who had taken his daughters in marriage, and said, “Get up and get out of this place, for the Lord is about to bring the city to ruin.” But he was regarded as a joker in the eyes of his sons-in-law. 15And as dawn arose, the angels urged Lot and said, “Get up, take your wife and your two daughters who are present here so that you are not destroyed in the city's iniquity.” 16But he took his time, and the men took him by the hand, and his wife by the hand, and his two daughters by the hand, in the Lord's mercy to him, and they brought him out, and they set him down outside the city. 17And it came to pass as they took them outside that one said, “Escape to save your life; do not look behind you, and do not stay at any adjacent tract. Escape to the mountain so that you are not destroyed.” 18Then Lot said to them, “May it not be so, Lord*. 19Look now, your servant has found grace in your sight, and you have been very kind in how you have dealt with me, in keeping me alive, but I cannot escape to the mountain, in case evil comes upon me and I die. 20Look, please, this city is nearby to flee to, and it is small. Do let me escape there. Is it not small, so that I will live?” 21And he said to him, “Very well, I also grant you this by not overthrowing the city of which you have spoken. 22Escape there quickly, for I cannot do anything until you arrive there.” This is why he called the city Zoar. 23The sun had risen on the land when Lot arrived in Zoar. 24Then the Lord rained sulphur and fire on Sodom and on Gomorrah, from the Lord from heaven. 25And he overthrew those cities, and the whole adjacent tract, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and the vegetation of the ground. 26But his wife looked back, and she became a pillar of salt. 27And Abraham rose early in the morning and went to the place where he had stood in the presence of the Lord. 28And he peered out over the landscape of Sodom and Gomorrah, and all the landscape of the adjacent tract, and he looked, and what he saw was the smoke of the land going up like the smoke of a furnace. 29And it came to pass, after God had brought the cities of the tract of land to ruin, that God remembered Abraham, and he sent Lot from the scene of the overthrow, when he overthrew the cities in which Lot had lived. 30And Lot went up from Zoar and lived in the mountain, as did his two daughters with him, for he was afraid to live in Zoar, and he lived in a cave – he and his two daughters. 31Then the firstborn daughter said to the younger, “Our father is old, and there is not a man in the land to come into us after the manner of the whole earth. 32Come, let us give our father wine to drink and lie with him, and we will preserve seed from our father.” 33So they gave their father wine to drink on that night, and the firstborn came and lay with her father, while he was unaware that she was lying with him or of her getting up again. 34And it came to pass on the next day that the firstborn daughter said to the younger, “Look, last night I lay with my father. Let us give him wine to drink tonight as well, and you come and lie with him, and we will preserve seed from our father.” 35So that night too they gave their father wine to drink and the younger daughter got up and lay with him, while he was unaware that she was lying with him or of her getting up again. 36And the two daughters of Lot conceived from their father, 37and the firstborn daughter gave birth to a son, and she called him Moab. He is the father of Moab to this day. 38And the younger daughter also gave birth to a son, and she called him Ben-Ammi. He is the father of the sons of Ammon up to this day.

Genesis Chapter 20 

1When Abraham moved on from there to the land of the south, he dwelt between Kadesh and Shur and stayed in Gerar. 2And Abraham said about Sarah his wife, “She is my sister.” Then Abimelech king of Gerar sent servants, and he took Sarah. 3But God came to Abimelech in a dream at night and said to him, “Look, you are as good as dead on account of the woman whom you have taken, for she is married to a husband.” 4But Abimelech had not come near to her, and he said, “Lord*, will you kill a people even if it is righteous? 5Did he not say to me, ‘She is my sister?’ And she herself also said, ‘He is my brother.’ I did this in the integrity of my heart and in the innocence of my hands.” 6At this God said to him in a dream, “I too know that you did this in the integrity of your heart, so I – my very self – restrained you from sinning against me. That is why I did not let you touch her. 7So now, return the man's wife to him, for he is a prophet, and he will pray for you, and you shall live, but if you do not return her, know that you will certainly die, along with everyone who is yours.” 8Then Abimelech got up early in the morning and called all his servants and related all these things in their audience, and the men became very fearful. 9And Abimelech called for Abraham and said to him, “What have you done to us, and in what way have I sinned against you, that you should bring a great punishment for sin on me and my kingdom? You have done things to me which ought not to be done.” 10Then Abimelech said to Abraham, “What did you have in view when you did this thing?” 11And Abraham said, “It is because I said to myself, ‘There is surely no fear of God in this place, and they will kill me because of my wife.’ 12And she really is my sister; she is the daughter of my father but not the daughter of my mother. And she became my wife. 13And it came to pass when God made me move out of my father's house that I said to her, ‘This is a favour for you which you will do for me: in every place to which we go, say of me, «He is my brother.» ’ ” 14Then Abimelech took sheep and cattle and menservants and maidservants and gave them to Abraham, and he returned Sarah his wife to him. 15And Abimelech said, “Behold, my land is before you. Dwell where it is good in your sight.” 16And to Sarah he said, “Look, I have given a thousand pieces of silver to your brother. Look, he is a covering of the eyes to all who are with you, and with everyone.” And so she was thoroughly reproved. 17Then Abraham prayed to God, and God healed the breach with Abimelech and his wife and his maidservants, and they gave birth. 18For the Lord had utterly shut up every womb in the house of Abimelech because of the case of Sarah the wife of Abraham.

Genesis Chapter 21 

1Then the Lord visited Sarah as he had said, and the Lord did for Sarah as he had spoken. 2And Sarah conceived and bore a son to Abraham in his old age, at the time of year which God had told him. 3And Abraham called his son who was born to him, whom Sarah had borne to him, Isaac. 4And Abraham circumcised Isaac his son when he was eight days old, as God had commanded him. 5Now Abraham was a hundred years old when Isaac his son was born to him. 6And Sarah said, “God has made me a laughing matter. Everyone who hears will laugh about me.” 7And she said, “Who would have said to Abraham that Sarah will suckle sons – for I have given birth to a son in his old age.” 8So the child grew up and was weaned, and Abraham held a great feast on the day when Isaac was weaned. 9Then Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian woman, whom she had borne to Abraham, mocking, 10and she said to Abraham, “Drive this maidservant and her son out, for the son of this maidservant will not have any inheritance with my son – with Isaac.” 11But the matter was very hurtful in Abraham's eyes, because of his son. 12But God said to Abraham, “Don't let it be hurtful in your eyes concerning the lad or your maidservant. As for everything that Sarah says to you, heed her, for your seed will be called in Isaac. 13But I will make the son of the maidservant a nation too, for he is your seed.” 14Then Abraham got up early in the morning and took bread and a skin-bottle of water and gave them to Hagar, putting them on her shoulder, and he took and gave her the child and sent her away. And she departed and wandered in the Desert of Beersheba. 15Then the water from the skin-bottle ran out, and she threw the child under one of the shrubs. 16And she went and sat down by herself opposite at about a bow-shot's distance, for she said, “Let me not see the death of the child.” And she sat opposite and raised her voice and wept. 17But God heard the voice of the lad, and the angel of God called out to Hagar from heaven and said to her, “What is the matter with you, Hagar? Do not be afraid, because God has heard the voice of the lad, where he is. 18Get up and take the lad up and take hold of him with your hand, for I will make him a great nation.” 19Then God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water, and she went and filled the skin-bottle with water, and she gave the lad some to drink. 20And God was with the lad, and he grew up, and he dwelt in the desert, and he became great as an archer. 21And he dwelt in the Desert of Paran, and his mother took a wife from the land of Egypt for him. 22And it came to pass at that time that Abimelech and Phichol the commander of his army spoke to Abraham and said, “God is with you in everything you do. 23So now, swear to me by God here that you most certainly will not act falsely towards me or my progeny or my posterity, and that according to the kindness which I have shown you, you will show me the same, and with the land in which you dwelt.” 24And Abraham said, “I swear it.” 25Then Abraham reproved Abimelech on the issue of a well of water which Abimelech's servants had seized possession of. 26And Abimelech said, “I don't know who did this thing, and you haven't told me either, and I didn't hear about it until today either.” 27Then Abraham took sheep and cattle, and he gave them to Abimelech, and the two of them made a covenant. 28And Abraham placed seven ewe-lambs of the flock on their own, 29at which Abimelech said to Abraham, “What are they – these seven ewe-lambs which you have placed on their own?” 30To which he said, “They are so that you may take the seven ewe-lambs from my hand in order for it to be a testimony to me that I dug this well.” 31For this reason he called the place Beersheba, because the two of them swore there. 32And they made a covenant in Beersheba, and Abimelech and Phichol the commander of his army arose and returned to the land of the Philistines. 33And he planted a tamarisk tree in Beersheba, and he called on the name of the Lord there – the age-abiding God. 34And Abraham stayed in the land of the Philistines for many days.

Reference(s) in Chapter 21: v.10 ↔ Galatians 4:30 ● v.12 ↔ Romans 9:7, Galatians 3:16, Hebrews 11:18.

Genesis Chapter 22 

1Then it came to pass after these things that God tested Abraham, and he said to him, “Abraham”, and he said, “Here I am.” 2And he said, “Now take your son, your only son, whom you love, Isaac, and get going to the land of Moriah, and offer him up there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains which I will tell you.” 3So Abraham got up early in the morning and saddled his donkey, and he took two servant-lads with him, and Isaac his son, and he chopped pieces of wood for the burnt offering, and he got up and went to the place which God had told him. 4On the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes and saw the place from a distance. 5Then Abraham said to his servant-lads, “You remain here with the donkey, but I and the lad will go over there and worship, and we will come back to you.” 6And Abraham took pieces of wood for the burnt offering and loaded them onto Isaac his son, and he took fire and a knife in his hand. And the two of them went together. 7Then Isaac spoke to Abraham his father and said, “My father”, and he said, “Here I am, my son.” Then he said, “Here are the fire and the pieces of wood, but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?” 8And Abraham said, “God will provide himself with the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.” And the two of them went together. 9And they came to the place which God had said to him, and Abraham built an altar there, and he arrayed the pieces of wood, and he bound Isaac his son and put him on the altar, on top of the pieces of wood. 10And Abraham stretched out his hand and took the knife to slay his son. 11Then the angel of the Lord called out to him from heaven and said, “Abraham, Abraham.” And he said, “Here I am.” 12And he said, “Do not stretch out your hand to the lad, and do not do anything to him, for now I know that you are a fearer of God, for you did not withhold your son – your only son – from me.” 13Then Abraham lifted up his eyes and looked, and there was a ram behind him caught in a thicket by its horns. And Abraham went and took the ram and offered it as a burnt offering instead of his son. 14And Abraham called that place Jehovah-Jireh, as it is said today, “In the mountain of the Lord, provision will be made.” 15Then the angel of the Lord called out from heaven to Abraham a second time, 16and he said, “By myself I have sworn, says the Lord, because you have done this thing and did not withhold your son – your only son – 17that I will greatly bless you and greatly increase your seed, like the stars of the sky and like the sand which is on the sea-shore, and your seed will inherit the gate of its enemies. 18And all the nations of the earth will be blessed through your seed, because you have obeyed me.” 19Then Abraham returned to his servant-lads, and they got up, and they went together to Beersheba. And Abraham remained in Beersheba. 20And it came to pass after these things that it was reported to Abraham as follows: “Behold, Milcah also has borne sons to Nahor your brother: 21Uz his firstborn, and Buz his brother, and Kemuel the father of Aram, 22and Chesed and Hazo and Pildash and Jidlaph and Bethuel.” 23Now Bethuel begot Rebekah. Milcah bore these eight to Nahor the brother of Abraham, 24and his concubine, whose name was Reumah, also gave birth, to Tebah and Gaham and Tahash and Maachah.

Reference(s) in Chapter 22: v.10 ↔ Hebrews 11:17 ● v.17 ↔ Hebrews 6:14, Hebrews 11:12 ● v.18 ↔ Acts 3:25, Galatians 3:8.

Genesis Chapter 23 

1Now Sarah's life was for one hundred and twenty-seven years; these were the years of the life of Sarah. 2And Sarah died in Kiriath-Arba, which is Hebron, in the land of Canaan, and Abraham came to mourn for Sarah and to weep for her. 3Then Abraham arose from looking at the sight of his deceased, and he spoke to the sons of Heth and said, 4I am an outsider and a temporary resident with you. Give me a burial plot amid you so that I may bury my dead out of my sight.” 5At this the sons of Heth answered Abraham and said to him, 6“Hear us, my lord. You are a mighty prince in our midst. Bury your dead in a choice burial place of ours. No-one among us will withhold his burial place from you, stopping you from burying your dead.” 7Then Abraham arose and bowed to the people of the land – to the sons of Heth. 8And he spoke to them and said, “If you have the willingness to let me bury my dead out of my sight, hear me and make request on my behalf with Ephron the son of Zohar, 9for him to give me the cave of Machpelah which he has, which is at the end of his field, for him to give it to me against full payment – a burial place as a possession in your midst.” 10Now Ephron was dwelling among the sons of Heth, and Ephron the Hittite answered Abraham in the audience of the sons of Heth – of all those who had come to the gate of his city – and he said, 11“No, my lord; hear me. I will give you the field and the cave which is in it. I will give it to you. In the sight of the sons of my people I hereby give it to you to bury your dead.” 12And Abraham bowed before the people of the land. 13Then he spoke to Ephron in the audience of the people of the land and said, “If only you would hear me, I will give money for the field. Take it from me and let me bury my dead there.” 14Whereupon Ephron answered Abraham and said to him, 15“My lord, hear me. The land is worth four hundred shekels of silver. What is that between me and you? So bury your dead.” 16Then Abraham complied with Ephron, and Abraham weighed out to Ephron the money which he had specified, in the audience of the sons of Heth: four hundred shekels of silver, current to the merchant. 17So Ephron's field, which is at Machpelah, which is before Mamre – the field and the cave which was in it, and all the trees which were in the field, which were within all its boundary around it – was confirmed 18as Abraham's, as his purchase, in the eyes of the sons of Heth, with all those who had come to the gate of his city. 19And after that, Abraham buried Sarah his wife in the cave of the field of Machpelah, before Mamre, which is Hebron, in the land of Canaan. 20And the field was confirmed, including the cave which is in it, as Abraham's, as a burial place, as an acquisition from the sons of Heth.

Reference(s) in Chapter 23: v.4 ↔ Hebrews 11:13.

Genesis Chapter 24 

1Now Abraham was old – he was advanced in days – and the Lord blessed Abraham in everything. 2And Abraham said to his senior household servant who was in charge of everything that he had, “Please put your hand under my thigh, 3and I will adjure you by the Lord God of heaven and God of the earth, not to get a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites in whose midst I dwell, 4but rather that you will go to my land and my native place to get a wife for my son, for Isaac.” 5And the servant said to him, “What if the woman will not be willing to follow me to this land? Should I under any circumstances bring your son back to the land which you departed from?” 6Then Abraham said to him, “Be careful not to bring my son back there. 7The Lord God of heaven who took me from my father's house and from my native land, and who spoke to me and who swore to me, and who said, ‘To your seed I will give this land’ – he will send his angel before you, and you will get a wife for my son from there. 8And if the woman is not willing to follow you, you will be absolved from this oath of mine, only you shall not bring my son back there.” 9So the servant put his hand under the thigh of Abraham his master and swore to him on this matter. 10Then the servant took ten camels from his master's camels and departed, with all his master's wealth in his hand, and he arose and went to Mesopotamia, to Nahor's city. 11And he made the camels kneel outside the city at the water well at evening time, at the time when the women who draw water come out. 12And he said, “Lord God of my master Abraham, please bring it about before me today, that you act kindly with my master Abraham. 13Look, I am standing at a source of water, and the daughters of the men of the city are coming out to draw water. 14So let it come to pass that the girl to whom I say, ‘Please tilt your pitcher so that I may drink’, and she says, ‘Drink, and I will give your camels water to drink too’, that you will have appointed her for your servant, for Isaac, and that by that I will know that you have acted kindly towards my master.” 15And this came to pass before he had finished speaking, and what happened was that out came Rebekah, who was born to Bethuel the son of Milcah, the wife of Nahor, the brother of Abraham, with her pitcher on her shoulder. 16And the girl was very good-looking, a virgin, for no man had known her, and she came down to the source and filled her pitcher and came up. 17Then the servant ran to meet her and said, “Please give me a little water from your pitcher to drink.” 18And she said, “Drink, my lord.” And she acted quickly and lowered her pitcher onto her hand and gave him water to drink. 19Then when she had finished giving him water to drink, she said, “I will draw water for your camels too, until they finish drinking.” 20And she acted quickly and emptied her pitcher into the trough and ran to the well again to draw water, and she drew it for all his camels. 21And the man was astonished at her and was dumbfounded in knowing whether the Lord had made his journey successful or not. 22And it came to pass, when the camels had finished drinking, that the man took a golden earring of half a shekel in weight, and two bracelets of gold of ten shekels in weight for her hands. 23And he said, “Whose daughter are you? Do tell me, is there room in your father's house for us to lodge there?” 24And she said to him, “I am the daughter of Bethuel the son of Milcah whom she bore to Nahor.” 25And she said to him, “We also have plenty of straw and fodder and also room to lodge.” 26Then the man bowed his head and worshipped the Lord. 27And he said, “Blessed be the Lord God of my master Abraham, who has not abandoned his kindness and truth towards my master. As for me, the Lord has led me along the way to the house of my master's brothers.” 28Then the girl ran and told her mother's household these things. 29Now Rebekah had a brother whose name was Laban, and Laban ran to the man outside, to the water-source. 30And it came to pass, when he saw the ring and the bracelets on his sister's hands, and when he heard the account of Rebekah his sister, who said, “The man spoke to me like this”, that he went to the man, and there he was, standing with the camels at the water-source. 31And he said, “Come, you who are blessed of the Lord. Why should you stand outside, when I have prepared the house, and there is a place for the camels.” 32Then the man came to the house and untied the camels, and he gave straw and fodder to the camels, and water to wash his feet and the feet of the men who were with him. 33And he set a meal before him to eat, and he said, “I will not eat until I have explained my mission.” And he said, “Explain it.” 34And he said, “I am Abraham's servant. 35And the Lord has blessed my master very much, and he has become great, and he has given him sheep and cattle and silver and gold and menservants and maidservants and camels and donkeys. 36And Sarah my master's wife has given birth to a son to my master, after her old age, and he has given him everything he has. 37And my master has made me swear, and he said, ‘You shall not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, in whose land I dwell. 38You absolutely must go to the house of my father and to my family to get a wife for my son.’ 39Then I said to my master, ‘What if the woman will not follow me?’ 40And he said to me, ‘The Lord before whom I walk will send his angel with you and will make your journey successful, and you will get a wife for my son from my family and the household of my father. 41Then you will be absolved from my oath – when you go to my family. For if they do not give you a wife, you will be absolved from my oath.’ 42When I came to the source today, I said, ‘Lord God of my master Abraham, if you would make my journey which I am going on successful, 43when I am standing at a source of water, let it come to pass that the virgin who comes out to draw water, and I say to her, «Please give me a little water from your pitcher», 44and she says to me, «Both you drink and I will also draw water for your camels», that she is the woman whom the Lord has appointed for my master's son.’ 45Then before I had finished speaking in my heart, behold, Rebekah came out with her pitcher on her shoulder, and she came down to the source and drew water, and I said to her, ‘Please give me some water to drink.’ 46And she quickly lowered her pitcher from her shoulder and said, ‘Drink, and I will also give your camels water to drink’, so I drank, and she also gave the camels water to drink. 47Then I asked her and said, ‘Whose daughter are you?’ And she said, ‘The daughter of Bethuel the son of Nahor whom Milcah bore to him.’ Then I put the earring on her face and the bracelets on her hands. 48Then I bowed the head and worshipped the Lord, and I blessed the Lord God of my master Abraham, who has led me along the way of truth to get the daughter of my master's brother for his son. 49And now, if you will deal kindly and truly with my master, tell me, and if not, tell me, and I will turn to the right or to the left accordingly.” 50Then Laban and Bethuel answered and said, “The matter has originated from the Lord. We cannot speak bad or good to you. 51Look, Rebekah is before you. Take her and go, and she shall be the wife of your master's son, as the Lord has spoken.” 52And it came to pass, when Abraham's servant heard their words, that he worshipped the Lord facing the ground. 53Then the servant brought out articles of silver and articles of gold, and clothes, and he gave them to Rebekah, and he gave valuable items to her brother and to her mother. 54Then they ate and drank – he and the men who were with him – and they lodged there, and they arose in the morning, and he said, “Send me off to my master.” 55But her brother and her mother said, “Let the girl stay with us for ten days or so, and after that she can go.” 56Then he said to them, “Do not delay me, considering that the Lord has made my journey successful. Send me off and I will go to my master.” 57Then they said, “We will call the girl and ask her opinion.” 58So they called Rebekah and said to her, “Will you go with this man?” And she said, “I will go.” 59So they sent Rebekah their sister off, and her nurse, and Abraham's servant, and his men. 60And they blessed Rebekah and said to her,

“You are our sister.

Become thousands times ten thousand,

And may your seed inherit

The gate of those who hate it.”

61Then Rebekah arose, as did her maidservants, and they rode on the camels and followed the man. So the servant took Rebekah and departed. 62Now Isaac was coming back from a trip to Beer-Lahai-Roi, for he dwelt in the land of the south. 63And Isaac went out to meditate in the field at the approach of evening, and he lifted up his eyes and looked, and what he saw was camels coming. 64And Rebekah lifted up her eyes and saw Isaac, and she dismounted from the camel. 65Then she said to the servant, “Who is that man coming across in the field towards us?” And the servant said, “He is my master.” Then she took her veil and covered herself. 66And the servant recounted to Isaac all the things that he had done. 67Then Isaac brought her to the tent of his mother Sarah, and he took Rebekah, and she became his wife, and he loved her, and Isaac was comforted after his mother had gone.

Genesis Chapter 25 

1Then Abraham took a wife again, and her name was Keturah. 2And she bore him Zimran and Jokshan and Medan and Midian and Ishbak and Shuah. 3And Jokshan begot Sheba and Dedan, and the sons of Dedan became the Ashshurim and the Letushim and Leummim. 4And the sons of Midian were Ephah and Epher and Hanoch and Abida and Eldaah. All these were the sons of Keturah. 5But Abraham gave everything he had to Isaac. 6Nevertheless, to the sons of Abraham's concubines Abraham gave presents, and he sent them away from Isaac his son, while he was still alive, eastwards, to the land of the east. 7And these were the days of the years of the life of Abraham which he lived: one hundred and seventy-five years. 8And Abraham expired and died at a good old age, old and satisfied, then he was gathered to his people. 9And Isaac and Ishmael his sons buried him in the cave at Machpelah, in the field of Ephron the son of Zohar the Hittite, which is before Mamre 10– the field which Abraham bought from the sons of Heth. There Abraham was buried, as was Sarah his wife. 11And it came to pass after the death of Abraham that God blessed Isaac his son, and Isaac dwelt near Beer-Lahai-Roi. 12This is the lineage of Ishmael the son of Abraham, whom Hagar the Egyptian, Sarah's maidservant, bore to Abraham. 13Now these are the names of the sons of Ishmael, by their names, according to their genealogy: the firstborn of Ishmael was Nebaioth, then Kedar and Adbeel and Mibsam, 14and Mishma and Dumah and Massa, 15Hadad and Tema, Jetur, Naphish and Kedemah. 16These were the sons of Ishmael, and those were their names by their villages and by their castles – twelve princes of their nations. 17And these were the years of the life of Ishmael: one hundred and thirty-seven years, and he expired and died, and he was gathered to his people. 18And they dwelt from Havilah to Shur, which is alongside Egypt as you go to Assyria, and he fell alongside all his brothers. 19Now this is the lineage of Isaac the son of Abraham. Abraham begot Isaac, 20and Isaac was forty years old when he took Rebekah the daughter of Bethuel the Aramaean from Paddan-Aram, the sister of Laban the Aramaean, as his wife. 21And Isaac entreated the Lord on behalf of his wife, for she was barren, and the Lord was entreated by him, and Rebekah his wife conceived. 22And the sons struggled together inside her, and she said, “If it is like this, why is it this way with me?” And she went to inquire of the Lord. 23And the Lord said to her,

There are two nations in your womb,

And two peoples will be separated from your belly.

And one people will prevail over the other people,

And the elder will serve the younger.”

24And her days to when she should give birth were completed, and it was the case that there were twins in her womb. 25And the first came out red-haired – all over him was a cloak of hair – and they called him Esau. 26And after that his brother came out, and his hand was holding on to Esau's heel, and they called him Jacob. And Isaac was sixty years old when she bore them. 27And the boys grew up, and Esau became a man skilled in hunting, a man of the open land, whereas Jacob was a straightforward man, living in tents. 28Now Isaac loved Esau because of his appetite for game, but Rebekah loved Jacob. 29On an occasion Jacob had made a broth, when along came Esau from the open land, and he was tired, 30and Esau said to Jacob, “Please give me some of that very red broth to eat, for I am weary”, which is why he is called Edom. 31Whereupon Jacob said, “Sell me today your birthright.” 32Then Esau said, “Look, I am going to die. So what good is a birthright to me?” 33And Jacob said, “Swear to me this day.” And he swore to him, and he sold his birthright to Jacob. 34Then Jacob gave Esau bread and lentil broth, and he ate and drank, and he got up and went off. So Esau despised his birthright.

Reference(s) in Chapter 25: v.23 ↔ Romans 9:12 ● v.33 ↔ Hebrews 12:16.

Genesis Chapter 26 

1Then a famine came in the land, besides the first famine which was in the days of Abraham, and Isaac went to Abimelech king of the Philistines in Gerar. 2And the Lord appeared to him and said, “Do not go down to Egypt. Dwell in the land which I tell you. 3Stay in this land, and I will be with you, and I will bless you, for I will give you and your seed all these lands, and I will establish my oath which I swore to Abraham your father. 4And I will make your seed numerous like the stars of the sky, and I will give your seed all these lands, and all the nations of the earth will be blessed through your seed, 5because Abraham obeyed me and kept my ordinance, my commandments, my statutes and my laws.” 6So Isaac stayed in Gerar. 7Then the men of the place asked him about his wife, and he said, “She is my sister”, for he was afraid to say, “my wife”, in case, he thought, “the men of the place kill me for Rebekah, for she is good-looking.” 8Then it came to pass that a long time went by for him there, and Abimelech king of the Philistines peered out of a window and looked out, and what he saw was Isaac playing with Rebekah his wife. 9And Abimelech called for Isaac and said, “Surely it is the case that she is your wife. So how come you said, ‘She is my sister’?” And Isaac said to him, “Because I said to myself, ‘In case I die because of her.’ ” 10Then Abimelech said, “What is this you have done to us? One of the people nearly lay with your wife, and you would have brought guilt on us.” 11Then Abimelech gave commandment to all the people and said, “Anyone who touches this man or his wife will certainly be put to death.” 12Then Isaac sowed in that land and obtained in that year a hundredfold return, and the Lord blessed him. 13And the man became great, and he kept becoming greater, until he had become very great. 14And he had sheep in his possession, and cattle in his possession, and a large body of servants. And the Philistines envied him, 15and the Philistines blocked up all the wells which his father's servants had dug in the days of Abraham his father, and they filled them with soil. 16Then Abimelech said to Isaac, “Depart from us, for you have become much stronger than us.” 17So Isaac departed from there and encamped at the watercourse of Gerar and stayed there. 18Then Isaac again dug the wells of water which they had dug in the days of Abraham his father and which the Philistines had blocked up after the death of Abraham, to which he gave names, after the names which his father had given them. 19So Isaac's servants dug in the dry watercourse and found there a well of running water. 20But the shepherds of Gerar quarrelled with Isaac's shepherds and said, “The water is ours”, and they called the well Esek, because they strove with him. 21And they dug another well, and they quarrelled over that one too, and they called it Sitnah. 22Then he moved from there and dug another well, which they did not quarrel over, and he called it Rehoboth and said, “For now the Lord has given us room, and we shall be fruitful in the land.” 23Then he went up from there to Beersheba. 24And the Lord appeared to him that night, and he said, “I am the God of Abraham your father. Do not be afraid, for I am with you, and I will bless you and I will increase your seed because of Abraham my servant.” 25Then he built an altar there and called on the name of the Lord, and he pitched his tent there, and Isaac's servants dug a well there. 26Then Abimelech went to him from Gerar, with Ahuzzath his friend, and Phichol the commander of his army. 27And Isaac said to them, “Why have you come to me, seeing you detest me, and you sent me away from you?” 28To which they said, “We have clearly seen that the Lord was with you, and we said, ‘Let there be now an oath between us – between us and you – and let us make a covenant with you, 29that you absolutely won't do us any harm, as when we did you no injury, and that you will act as when we only did you good and when we sent you off in peace’, and now you are blessed by the Lord.” 30Then he held a banquet for them, and they ate and drank. 31And they got up early in the morning, and they swore to each other, and Isaac sent them off, and they departed from him in peace. 32Then it came to pass on that day that Isaac's servants came and told him about the well which they had dug, and they said to him, “We have found water.” 33And he called it Shibah, which is why the name of the town is Beersheba up to this day. 34Now Esau was forty years old when he took as a wife Judith the daughter of Beeri the Hittite, and Bosmath the daughter of Elon the Hittite. 35But they became a source of grief to Isaac and Rebekah.

Reference(s) in Chapter 26: v.4 ↔ Acts 3:25, Hebrews 11:12.

Genesis Chapter 27 

1And it came to pass when Isaac was old that his eyesight was failing, and he called Esau his elder son and said to him, “My son”, and he said to him, “Here I am.” 2And he said, “Look now, I am old and I do not know the day of my death. 3So now, take up your weapons – your quiver and your bow – and go out into the countryside and hunt game for me. 4And make a tasty meal the way I like it and bring it to me for me to eat, so that my whole being can bless you before I die.” 5Now Rebekah was listening when Isaac was speaking to Esau his son. Then when Esau had gone to the countryside to hunt for game to bring, 6Rebekah spoke to Jacob her son and said, “Look, I have heard your father speaking to Esau your brother, saying, 7‘Bring me game and make a tasty meal for me to eat, and I will bless you before the Lord before my death.’ 8So now, my son, obey me with what I am commanding you. 9Go now to the flock and get me two good kids of the goats from there, and I will make from them a tasty meal for your father the way he likes it. 10Then you will bring it to your father, and he will eat, so that he blesses you before his death.” 11Then Jacob said to Rebekah his mother, “Look, Esau my brother is a hairy man, whereas I am a smooth man. 12Maybe my father will feel me, and I will be a mocker in his sight, and I will bring a curse on myself and not a blessing.” 13Then his mother said to him, “May your curse be on me, my son, but obey me and go and get me the goats.” 14So he went and got them and brought them to his mother, and his mother made the tasty meal the way his father liked it. 15Then Rebekah took the finest clothes which she had in the house of Esau her elder son and clothed Jacob her younger son with them. 16And she put the skins of the kids of the goats on his forearms and around the smoothness of his neck. 17And she put the tasty meal and bread, which she had made, in the hand of Jacob her son. 18And he went to his father and said, “My father”, and he said, “Here I am. Who are you, my son?” 19And Jacob said to his father, “I am Esau your firstborn. I have done what you told me. Get up now, and sit and eat my game, so that your whole being can bless me.” 20Then Isaac said to his son, “How come you have been so quick in finding it, my son?” And he said, “Because the Lord your God made it happen before me.” 21Then Isaac said to Jacob, “Come near, would you, and I will feel you, my son, to see if you really are my son Esau or not.” 22So Jacob came near to Isaac his father, and he felt him, and he said, “The voice is Jacob's voice, but the forearms are Esau's forearms.” 23And he did not recognize him, for his forearms were like the hairy forearms of Esau his brother, and he blessed him, 24and he said, “Are you really my son Esau”, and he said, “Yes, I am.” 25And he said, “Serve me some of my son's game, and I will eat it, so that my whole being can bless you.” So he served it to him, and he ate, and he brought him wine, and he drank. 26And Isaac his father said to him, “Come close, would you, and kiss me, my son.” 27So he came close and kissed him, and he smelled the smell of his clothing, and he blessed him, and he said,

“See, the smell of my son

Is as the smell of countryside

Which the Lord has blessed.

28So may God give you the dew of heaven

And the fatness of the earth,

And abundance of corn and new wine.

29Nations will serve you,

And various peoples will bow down to you;

Be master over your brothers,

And the sons of your mother will bow down to you.

Those who curse you will be cursed,

And those who bless you will be blessed.”

30And it came to pass, when Isaac had finished blessing Jacob, and Jacob had only just left the presence of Isaac his father, that Esau his brother came back from his hunting. 31And he also made a tasty meal and brought it to his father, and he said to his father, “Let my father get up and eat his son's game, so that your whole being can bless me.” 32Then Isaac his father said to him, “Who are you?” And he said, “I am your son, your firstborn, Esau.” 33Then Isaac trembled, trembling very greatly, and he said, “Who was it then who hunted game and brought it to me, which I ate all of before you came, and I blessed him, and he will be duly blessed?” 34When Esau heard his father's words, he let out a very loud and bitter cry and said to his father, “Bless me too, my father.” 35But he said, “Your brother came deceitfully and took your blessing.” 36And he said, “Isn't this why he is called Jacob? For he has supplanted me twice now. He has taken my birthright, and now he has gone and taken my blessing.” And he said, “Haven't you reserved a blessing for me?” 37Then Isaac answered and said to Esau, “Look, I have appointed him master over you, and I have assigned all his brothers as servants to him, and I have sustained him with corn and new wine. So then, what can I do for you, my son?” 38At this Esau said to his father, “Is your blessing just a single one, my father? Bless me, me too, my father.” And Esau raised his voice and wept. 39Then Isaac his father answered and said to him,

“Behold, your dwelling place will be the fatness of the land

And benefiting from the dew of heaven above.

40And you will live by your sword,

And serve your brother,

But it will come to pass

That as you roam around,

You will break off his yoke from your neck.”

41At this Esau hated Jacob because of the blessing with which his father had blessed him, and Esau said in his heart, “The days of mourning for my father are approaching, and I will kill Jacob my brother.” 42But the words of Esau her elder son were told to Rebekah, so she sent for and called Jacob her younger son and said to him, “Look, Esau your brother is consoling himself over you, plotting to kill you. 43So now, my son, obey me, and get up and flee to Laban my brother in Haran. 44And stay with him for several days until your brother's fury subsides 45– until your brother's anger recedes from you, and he forgets what you did to him – and I will send for you and take you back from there. Why should I be bereaved of the two of you on one day.” 46Then Rebekah said to Isaac, “I am fed up with my life because of the daughters of Heth. If Jacob were to take a wife from the daughters of Heth like these – from the daughters of the land – what purpose would my life have?”

Genesis Chapter 28 

1Then Isaac called for Jacob and blessed him, and he gave him commandment, and he said to him, “You shall not take a wife from the daughters of Canaan. 2Arise, go to Paddan-Aram, to the house of Bethuel your mother's father, and take a wife from there, from the daughters of Laban your mother's brother.

3And may God Almighty bless you,

And make you fruitful and increase you,

So that you become a people who are a convocation.

4And may he give the blessing of Abraham

To you and to your seed with you

So that you inherit the land you are staying in,

Which God gave to Abraham.”

5Then Isaac sent Jacob off, and he went to Paddan-Aram, to Laban the son of Bethuel the Aramaean, the brother of Rebekah the mother of Jacob and Esau. 6And Esau saw that Isaac had blessed Jacob and had sent him to Paddan-Aram to get himself a wife from there, when he blessed him and commanded him, saying, “You shall not take a wife from the daughters of Canaan”, 7and that Jacob obeyed his father and his mother and went to Paddan-Aram. 8And Esau saw that the daughters of Canaan were considered bad in the eyes of Isaac his father, 9so Esau went to Ishmael and took Mahalath the daughter of Ishmael the son of Abraham, the sister of Nebaioth, to be his wife along with his other wives. 10So Jacob went out from Beersheba and went to Haran. 11And he arrived at the place and lodged there, because the sun was setting, and he took some of the place's stones and placed them as his pillow, and he lay down in that place. 12And he had a dream, and what he saw was a ladder placed on the earth, whose top reached to heaven, and he also saw angels of God ascending and descending by it. 13And behold, the Lord was standing by it, and he said, “I am the Lord God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac. I will give the land on which you are lying to you and to your seed. 14And your seed will become as the dust of the earth, and you will forge your way westwards and eastwards, and northwards and southwards, and through you all the families of the earth will be blessed, and through your seed. 15And look, I am with you, and I will guard you everywhere you go, and I will bring you back to this land, for I will not leave you until I have carried out what I have told you.” 16Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, “The Lord is certainly in this place, yet I did not know it.” 17And he was afraid, and he said, “How fearful this place is. This is nothing but the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven.” 18Then Jacob got up early in the morning and took the stone which he had placed as his pillow, and he set it up as a pillar and poured oil on top of it. 19And he called that place Beth-El, but the name of the city was initially Luz. 20Then Jacob made a vow and said, “If God will be with me and keep me on this way which I am going and give me bread to eat and clothing to wear, 21and I return in peace to the house of my father, then the Lord will be my God, 22and this stone which I have set up as a pillar will be the house of God, and I will rigorously give you a tenth of everything you give me.”

Reference(s) in Chapter 28: v.14 ↔ Acts 3:25.

Genesis Chapter 29 

1Then Jacob got going and went to the land of the easterners. 2And he looked, and what he saw was a well in the field, and there were three flocks of sheep there lying by it, because it was from that well that they gave the flocks to drink, and there was a large stone on the opening of the well. 3When all the flocks had gathered there, the shepherds rolled away the stone from the opening of the well and gave the sheep drink, then they put the stone back on the opening of the well in its place. 4And Jacob said to them, “My brothers, where are you from?” And they said, “We are from Haran.” 5Then he said to them, “Do you know Laban the son of Nahor?” And they said, “Yes, we know him.” 6He then said, “Is he well?” And they said, “Yes, he is well. And look, Rachel his daughter is coming with the sheep.” 7But he said, “Look, it is still high day. It is not the time for gathering the cattle. Give the sheep drink and go to tend them.” 8They then said, “We can't do that until all the flocks have been gathered, and they roll away the stone on the opening of the well; then we give the sheep drink.” 9While he was still speaking with them, Rachel came with the sheep which her father had, for she was a shepherdess. 10And it came to pass when Jacob saw Rachel, the daughter of Laban his mother's brother, and the sheep of Laban his mother's brother, that Jacob approached and rolled the stone away from the opening of the well, and he gave drink to the sheep of Laban the brother of his mother. 11Then Jacob kissed Rachel and raised his voice and wept, 12and when Jacob told Rachel that he was the brother of her father, and that he was Rebekah's son, she ran and told her father. 13And it came to pass when Laban heard the report of Jacob his sister's son that he ran to meet him and embraced him and kissed him, and he brought him into his house. And he told Laban all these things. 14Then Laban said to him, “You are simply my bone and my flesh.” And he stayed with him for a full month. 15Then Laban said to Jacob, “Are you not my brother? So should you work for nothing? Tell me what your wages should be.” 16Now Laban had two daughters. The name of the elder one was Leah and the name of the younger one was Rachel. 17And Leah's eyes were pale, but Rachel was of an attractive figure and beautiful in appearance. 18Now Jacob loved Rachel, and he said, “I will serve you for seven years, for Rachel your younger daughter.” 19And Laban said, “It is better that I give her to you than that I give her to another man. Remain with me.” 20So Jacob worked for seven years for Rachel, and they were only like a few days in his sight, with his love for her. 21Then Jacob said to Laban, “Give me my wife, for my days have been fulfilled, so that I may go in to her.” 22Then Laban gathered all the men of the place and gave a banquet. 23And it came to pass in the evening that he took Leah his daughter and brought her to him, and he went in to her. 24And Laban had given her Zilpah his maidservant – to Leah his daughter, as a maidservant. 25Then it transpired in the morning that she was in fact Leah. And he said to Laban, “What is this you have done to me? Did I not work for you for Rachel? So why have you deceived me?” 26To which Laban said, “It is not done like that in our place, to give the younger before the firstborn. 27Fulfil seven years and we will give you her as well in return for the work you will do for me, for another seven years besides.” 28So Jacob did so, and he fulfilled these seven years for her, and he gave him Rachel his daughter as his wife. 29Then Laban gave to Rachel his daughter Bilhah his maidservant, as a maidservant for her. 30And he also went in to Rachel, and he loved Rachel too, more than Leah, and he worked another seven years besides for him. 31Now when the Lord saw that Leah was hated, he opened her womb, but Rachel was barren. 32And Leah conceived and bore a son, and she called him Reuben, for, she said, “Because the Lord has considered my affliction, for now my husband will love me.” 33And she conceived again and bore a son, and she said, “Because the Lord has heard that I am hated, and he has given me this one too.” And she called him Simeon. 34And she conceived again and bore a son, and she said, “Now this time my husband will bond with me because I have borne him three sons”, which is why she called him Levi. 35And she conceived again and bore a son, and she said, “This time I will thank the Lord”, which is why she called him Judah. Then she stopped bearing.

Genesis Chapter 30 

1And Rachel saw that she had not borne to Jacob, and Rachel became jealous of her sister, and she said to Jacob, “Give me sons, and if there aren't any, I am dead.” 2At this Jacob's anger was kindled against Rachel, and he said, “Am I in place of God, who has held back fruit of the womb from you?” 3Then she said, “Look, here is my maidservant Bilhah. Go in to her, and she shall bear on my knees, and I too will obtain sons through her.” 4And she gave him Bilhah her maidservant as a wife, and Jacob went in to her, 5and Bilhah conceived and bore Jacob a son. 6And Rachel said, “God has judged me and also heard my voice and given me a son”, which is why she called him Dan. 7Then Bilhah, Rachel's maidservant, conceived again and bore a second son to Jacob. 8And Rachel said, “I have wrestled with mighty wrestlings with my sister, and I have also prevailed”, so she called him Naphtali. 9Then when Leah saw that she had stopped bearing, she took Zilpah her maidservant and gave her to Jacob as a wife. 10And Zilpah, Leah's maidservant, bore Jacob a son. 11And Leah said, “This is by good fortune.” And she called him Gad. 12Then Zilpah, Leah's maidservant, bore a second son to Jacob. 13And Leah said, “This is with my happiness, for the daughters will pronounce me happy.” And she called him Asher. 14Now Reuben went out in the days of the wheat harvest and found some mandrakes in a field and brought them to Leah his mother. And Rachel said to Leah, “Please give me some of your son's mandrakes.” 15But she said to her, “Is it a small thing that you should take my husband and then take my son's mandrakes too?” And Rachel said, “Here is why he will lie with you tonight: in return for your son's mandrakes.” 16Then Jacob came back from the field in the evening, and Leah went out to meet him, and she said, “You will go in to me, for I have expressly hired you with my son's mandrakes.” And he lay with her that night. 17And God hearkened to Leah, and she conceived and bore Jacob her fifth son. 18And Leah said, “God has given me my hire, because I gave my maidservant to my husband.” And she called him Issachar. 19Then Leah conceived again, and she bore her sixth son to Jacob. 20And Leah said, “God has endowed me with a good dowry. This time my husband will dwell with me because I have borne him six sons.” And she called him Zebulun. 21And after that she bore a daughter, whom she called Dinah. 22Then God remembered Rachel, and God hearkened to her and opened her womb. 23And she conceived and bore a son, and she said, “God has taken my reproach away.” 24And she called him Joseph, and she said, “The Lord will add another son to me.” 25And it came to pass, when Rachel bore Joseph, that Jacob said to Laban, “Send me off, and I will go to my place and my land. 26Give me my wives and my children for whom I worked for you, and I will go, for you know the work I did for you.” 27Then Laban said to him, “If now I have found grace in your eyes, stay, for I have observed how the Lord has blessed me because of you.” 28Then he said, “Specify your wages to me, and I will give them.” 29And he said to him, “You know how I have worked for you, and how your cattle was with me. 30For it was little that you had before my time, but it increased greatly, and the Lord blessed you in my tracks, but now, when will I for my part gain anything for my household?” 31Then he said, “What shall I give you.” And Jacob said, “Don't give me anything except do this thing for me, and I will again tend your sheep and guard them: 32I will go through all your small cattle today, removing from them all the speckled and spotted sheep, and all the brown sheep among the lambs, and the spotted and speckled ones among the goats, and they will be my wages. 33And what is my right will give its testimony to me in the future, when it comes before you concerning my wages. Everything that is not speckled or spotted among the goats, or brown among the lambs, will be considered stolen by me.” 34To this Laban said, “Agreed. Let it be according to your word.” 35Then on that day he removed the striped and spotted he-goats, and all the speckled and spotted she-goats, and every one that had some white on it, and all brown ones among the lambs, and he put them under his sons' care. 36Then he fixed a distance of three days' journey between himself and Jacob, while Jacob tended Laban's sheep which were left over. 37Then Jacob got himself a moist white-poplar rod, and an almond tree one, and a plane tree one, and he peeled off the white strippings from them, making the white part on the rods bare. 38And he placed the rods which he had peeled in the channels, in the water-troughs, where the sheep came to drink, in front of the sheep, so that they would become ruttish when they came to drink. 39So the sheep became ruttish at the rods, and the sheep gave birth to striped and speckled and spotted young. 40And Jacob separated the lambs, and he matched the sheep with a view to striped young, and he matched all the brown ones with white sheep, and he put his own flocks on their own, and he did not put them with Laban's sheep. 41And it came to pass, whenever the strong sheep were to become ruttish, that Jacob put the rods before the eyes of the sheep in the channels, for them to become ruttish by the rods. 42But with the sheep that were weak, he did not put them out, and the weak sheep were for Laban and the strong ones for Jacob. 43So the man gained wealth most exceedingly, and he acquired many sheep and maidservants and menservants and camels and donkeys.

Genesis Chapter 31 

1Then he heard the words of Laban's sons, who said, “Jacob has taken everything that our father had, and he has acquired all this glory from what our father had.” 2And when Jacob saw Laban's face, it was clear that he was not favourable to him as he had been in the past. 3And the Lord said to Jacob, “Return to the land of your fathers and to your native land, and I will be with you.” 4Then Jacob sent a messenger and called for Rachel and Leah to come to the field, to his sheep. 5And he said to them, “I can see from your father's face that he is not favourable to me, as in the past, but the God of my father has been with me. 6And you know that I have served your father with all my might, 7but your father deceived me and changed my wages ten times, but God has not allowed him to be to my detriment. 8If he said this: ‘Your wages will be the speckled ones’, then all the small cattle gave birth to speckled ones, and if he said this: ‘Your wages will be the striped ones’, then all the small cattle gave birth to striped ones. 9So God delivered your father's cattle and gave it to me. 10And it came to pass at the time of the small cattle becoming ruttish that I lifted up my eyes and saw in a dream, and what I saw was that the he-goats mounting the flock were striped, speckled and dappled. 11And the angel of God said to me in the dream, ‘Jacob’, and I said, ‘Here I am.’ 12And he said, ‘Lift up your eyes now and look. All the he-goats mounting the flock are striped, speckled and dappled, for I have seen everything that Laban is doing to you. 13I am the God of Beth-El where you anointed a pillar – where you made a vow to me. Now arise and depart from this land and return to your native land.’ ” 14Then Rachel and Leah answered and said to him, “Do we still have a portion or inheritance in our father's house? 15Aren't we considered foreigners to him, for he has sold us and has completely spent our money. 16But all the wealth which God has transferred from our father is ours and our sons', so now, do everything which God said to you.” 17So Jacob arose and lifted his sons and his wives onto the camels. 18And he drove all his cattle and all his property that he had acquired – his acquisition of cattle which he acquired in Paddan-Aram – so as to go to Isaac his father in the land of Canaan. 19Now when Laban went to shear his sheep, Rachel stole the amulets which belonged to her father. 20Then Jacob broke Laban the Aramaean's heart by not telling him that he was fleeing. 21So he fled, with all that were his, and he arose and crossed the river and made for Mount Gilead. 22And it was reported to Laban on the third day that Jacob had fled, 23at which he took his brothers with him and pursued him on a journey of seven days, and he caught up with him at Mount Gilead. 24Then God came to Laban the Aramaean in a dream at night and said to him, “Be careful in speaking with Jacob, whether what you say is good or bad.” 25And Laban caught up with Jacob. Now Jacob had pitched his tent at the mountain, and Laban pitched his with his brothers, at Mount Gilead. 26And Laban said to Jacob, “What have you done, breaking my heart by making off with my daughters like captives of the sword? 27Why did you flee secretly and act furtively towards me and not tell me, so that I could send you off in joy and with songs and with drum- and harp-music? 28And you did not let me kiss my sons and daughters. Now you have acted foolishly in so doing. 29It is in my power to do you harm, but the God of your father spoke to me last night and said, ‘Take care in speaking good or bad with Jacob.’ 30But as it is, you have gone off without more ado, because you really longed for your father's household. But why have you stolen my gods?” 31Then Jacob answered and said to Laban, “I fled secretly because I was afraid, for I said to myself, ‘I'll flee so that you don't snatch away your daughters from me.’ 32Whoever you find your gods with shall not live. Ascertain for yourself before our brothers what I have here and take what is yours.” Now Jacob did not know that Rachel had stolen them. 33And Laban went into Jacob's tent, and into Leah's tent, and into the tent of the two maidservants, but he did not find anything. Then he came out of Leah's tent and went into Rachel's tent. 34Now Rachel had taken the amulets and put them in the saddle of the camel, and she sat on them, and Laban rummaged through the whole tent, but he did not find them. 35And she said to her father, “Do not let my lord be angry because I cannot rise in your presence, for it is the way of women with me.” And he searched, but he did not find the amulets. 36Then Jacob became angry, and he quarrelled with Laban, and Jacob reacted and said to Laban, “What is my transgression, and what is my sin that you should pursue me so ardently? 37When you rummaged through all my baggage, what did you find of any of your household items? Put it here before my brothers and your brothers so they can arbitrate between the two of us. 38For twenty years I was with you. Your ewes and your goats did not miscarry, and I did not eat the rams of your flock. 39I didn't bring you anything savaged by wild animals – I suffered the loss of it. You demanded it of me, whether anything with me got stolen by day or stolen by night. 40My circumstances were that by day dryness consumed me, and cold by night, and my sleep eluded my eyes. 41This was my lot for twenty years in your house. I worked for you for fourteen years for your two daughters and six years for your small cattle, and you changed my wages ten times. 42If I had not had the God of my father, the God of Abraham and the fear of Isaac, then you would have sent me away empty-handed now. God has seen my affliction and the weariness of my hands, and he censured you last night.” 43Then Laban answered and said to Jacob, “The daughters are my daughters and the sons are my sons, and the small cattle is my small cattle, and everything you see is mine. Now what can I do for these daughters of mine today, or for their sons whom they have borne? 44So now, come, let us make a covenant, you and I, and it will be a testimony between you and me.” 45Then Jacob took a stone and erected it as a pillar. 46And Jacob said to his brothers, “Gather some stones”, and they took stones and made a heap, and they ate there on the heap. 47And Laban called it Jegar-Sahadutha, but Jacob called it Galeed. 48And Laban said, “This heap is a testimony between you and me today.” That is why he called it Galeed, 49and Mizpah, in that he said, “May the Lord keep watch between you and me, for we shall be hidden from one another, 50that you most certainly will not oppress my daughters, and that you most certainly will not take wives in addition to my daughters. There is no man with us. See, God is a witness between you and me.” 51Then Laban said to Jacob, “Here is this heap and here is the pillar, which I hereby set between you and me. 52This heap is a testimony, and the pillar is a testimony, that I will not cross this heap to you and that you will not cross this heap to me, nor this pillar, with harmful intentions. 53The God of Abraham and the God of Nahor judge between us – the God of their father.” And Jacob swore by the fear of his father Isaac. 54And Jacob offered a sacrifice on the mountain, and he invited his brothers to eat bread, and they ate bread and spent the night on the mountain. 55Then Laban got up early in the morning and kissed his sons and his daughters and blessed them. Laban then departed and returned to his place.

Genesis Chapter 32 

1And Jacob went his way, and the angels of God met him. 2And when he saw them, Jacob said, “This is God's encampment”, and he called that place Mahanaim. 3Then Jacob sent messengers ahead of him to Esau his brother, to the land of Seir, the country of Edom. 4And he instructed them and said, “Here is what you will say to my lord, to Esau: ‘This is what your servant Jacob says: «I have dwelt with Laban and I stayed there until now. 5And I have acquired oxen and donkeys, sheep and menservants and maidservants. And I have sent to inform my lord, to find grace in your eyes.» ’ ” 6Then the messengers returned to Jacob and said, “We went to your brother, to Esau, and he also is coming to meet you, and there are four hundred men with him.” 7At this Jacob was very afraid, and he was in a strait, and he divided the people who were with him into two, and also the sheep and the oxen and the camels, into two detachments. 8And he said, “If Esau comes against one detachment and attacks it, then the remaining detachment will be in a position to escape.” 9And Jacob said, “O God of my father Abraham and God of my father Isaac, the Lord, who said to me, ‘Return to your land and to your native country, and I will deal well with you’, 10I am of little account compared to all the acts of kindness and all the faithfulness which you have shown to your servant, for with my staff I have crossed this Jordan, but now I have become two detachments. 11Please deliver me from the hand of my brother – from the hand of Esau – for I am afraid of him, that he comes and attacks me, and a mother with her sons. 12And you have said, ‘I will certainly deal well with you, and I will make your seed like the sand of the sea which cannot be counted for its abundance.’ ” 13And he lodged there that night, then he took from what he could afford as a gift to Esau his brother: 14two hundred goats and twenty he-goats, two hundred ewes and twenty rams, 15thirty milk-giving camels and their young, forty cows and ten bulls, twenty she-asses and ten ass-colts. 16And he handed them over to his servants, each herd apart, and he said to his servants, “Cross over before me and leave a space between one herd and another.” 17And when he instructed the first, he said, “When Esau my brother meets you and questions you, saying, ‘Who do you belong to and where are you going, and whose are these animals in front of you?’ – 18you will say, ‘They are your servant's, Jacob's. It is a present sent to my lord, to Esau. And look, he himself is behind us.’ ” 19Then he instructed the second one too, and the third, and all those following the flocks, and he said, “With these words you will speak to Esau, when you encounter him. 20And you will say, ‘Here is your servant Jacob too, behind us.’ ” For he said, “I will appease him with the gift going ahead of me, and after that I will see his face; maybe he will treat me benevolently.” 21So the gift went across ahead of him, while he lodged that night in the encampment. 22Then he got up that night and took his two wives and his two maidservants and his eleven boys and crossed the ford of Jabbok. 23And he took them and brought them across the brook, and he took what he had across. 24But Jacob remained alone, and a man wrestled with him, until dawn arose. 25And he saw that he could not prevail over him; and he touched his hip-bone socket, so Jacob's hip-bone became dislocated as he wrestled with him. 26And he said, “Let me go, for dawn has arisen.” But he said, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.” 27And he said to him, “What is your name?” To this he said, “Jacob.” 28He then said, “You shall not be called Jacob any more, but Israel, for you have wrestled with God, and with men, and you have prevailed.” 29Then Jacob asked him and said, “Please tell me your name.” To this he said, “Why are you asking my name like this?” And he blessed him there. 30And Jacob called the place Peniel, “For”, he said, “I have seen God face to face, and my life was preserved.” 31Then the sun rose on him, as he crossed through Penuel, and he limped on his thigh, 32which is why the sons of Israel do not eat the thigh sinew which is on the thigh joint, up to this day, because he struck Jacob on the thigh joint in the thigh sinew.

Genesis Chapter 33 

1Then Jacob lifted up his eyes and looked, and what he saw was Esau coming, and with him were four hundred men, and he divided the children among Leah and Rachel and the two maidservants. 2And he put the maidservants and their children in front and Leah and her children behind, and Rachel and Joseph behind them. 3And he crossed over before them, and he bowed down to the ground seven times, until he came near to his brother. 4And Esau ran to meet him, and he embraced him and fell around his neck and kissed him, and they wept. 5And he lifted up his eyes and saw the women and the children, and he said, “Who are these of yours?” And he said, “The children whom God has been so gracious as to give your servant.” 6Then the maidservants approached – they and their children – and they bowed down. 7Then Leah approached too, with her children, and they bowed down, and after that Joseph and Rachel approached, and they bowed down. 8And he said, “Who are all this troop of yours which I have met?” And he said, “They are to find grace in the eyes of my lord.” 9Then Esau said, “I have plenty, my brother; keep what you have for yourself.” 10But Jacob said, “No, please, if now I have found grace in your eyes, then take my gift from my hand, for it is because of it that I saw your face as if I saw the face of God, when you were pleased with me. 11Do take my blessing which has been brought to you, for God has been gracious to me, and because I have everything.” And he pressed him, and he accepted it. 12And he said, “Let us move on and get going, and I will go in front of you.” 13Then he said to him, “My lord knows that the children are tender, and that the flocks and dairy cattle are with me, and if they overdrive them for just one day, all the flocks will die. 14Do let my lord go in front of his servant, and I will proceed at a gentle pace, at the speed of the cattle which are in front of me, and at the speed of the children, until I have come to my lord in Seir.” 15And Esau said, “Let me station some of the people who are with me with you.” And he said, “Why have I found grace in the eyes of my lord like this?” 16Then Esau returned on that day, taking the road back to Seir, 17while Jacob moved to Succoth and built himself a house there, and he made booths there for his cattle, which is why he called the place Succoth. 18Then Jacob arrived safely in the city of Shechem which is in the land of Canaan, when he came from Paddan-Aram. And he encamped in front of the city. 19And he bought a parcel of land where he had pitched his tent, from the sons of Hamor the father of Shechem, for one hundred kesitahs. 20And he erected an altar there and called it El-Elohe-Israel.

Reference(s) in Chapter 33: v.19 ↔ Acts 7:16.

Genesis Chapter 34 

1Now Dinah, Leah's daughter, whom she had borne to Jacob, went out to see the daughters of the land. 2And Shechem the son of Hamor the Hivite, a prince of the land, saw her, and he took her and lay with her and violated her. 3And his desire was fixed on Dinah, Jacob's daughter, and he was in love with the girl, and he spoke kindly to the girl. 4And Shechem spoke to Hamor his father and said, “Get me this girl for a wife.” 5And Jacob heard that he had defiled Dinah his daughter while his sons were with his cattle in the field, and Jacob kept silence until they came in. 6Then Hamor the father of Shechem went out to Jacob to speak with him. 7Then Jacob's sons came back from the field when they heard about it, and the men were aggrieved, and they became very much incensed that he had done a dishonourable thing in Israel by lying with Jacob's daughter, for such a thing is not done. 8And Hamor spoke with them and said, “About Shechem my son – his whole being craves for your daughter. Be so good as to give her to him as a wife. 9And let us exchange in marriage. Give us your daughters, and take our daughters for yourselves. 10And dwell with us, and the land will be before you. Live in it and trade in it and have your interest in it.” 11Then Shechem said to Dinah's father and her brothers, “If I find grace in your eyes, then I will give you whatever you say to me. 12Specify a large dowry and gift for me to give, and I will give it according to what you say to me, but give me the girl as a wife.” 13Then Jacob's sons answered Shechem and Hamor his father deceitfully, and they spoke so because he had defiled Dinah their sister. 14And they said to them, “We cannot do this thing, giving our sister to a man who is not circumcised, for it is a contemptible thing to us. 15But we can agree on this with you: if you become like us, in every male among you being circumcised, 16then we will give you our daughters, and we will take your daughters for ourselves, and we will dwell with you, and we will become one people. 17But if you do not comply with us in being circumcised, then we will take our daughter and go our way.” 18And their words were pleasing in Hamor's sight, and the sight of Shechem the son of Hamor. 19And the lad did not delay in doing the thing, because he took delight in Jacob's daughter. Now he was held in more honour than all the household of his father. 20Then Hamor and Shechem his son came to the gate of their city, and they spoke to the men of their city and said, 21“These men are peaceable towards us, and they will dwell in the land and trade in it. And as for the land, behold, it is very wide before them. We will take their daughters to ourselves as wives, and we will give our daughters to them. 22But the men have agreed this with us: to dwell with us, to become one people, if we have ourselves circumcised – every male – as they are circumcised. 23Their cattle and their possessions and all their livestock, are they not then ours? Just let us agree with them, and they will dwell with us.” 24And all those who went out to the gate of his city heeded Hamor and Shechem his son, and all the males were circumcised – everyone who went out to the gate of his city. 25And it came to pass on the third day, while they were sore, that two of Jacob's sons, Simeon and Levi, Dinah's brothers, each took his sword and went to the city confidently, and they killed every male. 26And they killed Hamor and Shechem his son with the edge of the sword, and they took Dinah out of Shechem's house and left. 27The sons of Jacob went to the slain men and stripped the city, because they had defiled their sister. 28And they took their sheep and their oxen and their donkeys and whatever was in the city, and they took whatever was in the field. 29And they captured and stripped all their wealth, and all their little ones, and their women, and everything that was in the house. 30But Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, “You have caused me trouble, by making me odious to the inhabitants of the land, to the Canaanite and the Perizzite, whereas I am few in number, and they could gather together against me and attack me, and I and my household would be destroyed.” 31But they said, “Should he treat our sister like a prostitute?”

Genesis Chapter 35 

1Then God said to Jacob, “Arise and go up to Beth-El and live there, and make an altar there to God, who appeared to you when you were fleeing from Esau your brother.” 2Then Jacob said to his household and to everyone who was with him, “Remove the foreign gods which are in your midst and cleanse yourselves and change your garments. 3Then let us arise and go up to Beth-El, and I will make an altar there to God, who answered me on the day when I was in a strait, but he was with me on the way I went.” 4So they gave Jacob all the strange gods which were in their possession, and the rings which were in their ears, and Jacob hid them under the terebinth tree which was near Shechem. 5And they moved on, and a fear of God came upon the cities which were around them, so they did not pursue the sons of Jacob. 6Then Jacob arrived at Luz, which is in the land of Canaan – it is Beth-El – he and all the people who were with him. 7And he built an altar there and called the place El-Beth-El, for God had revealed himself to him there when he was fleeing from his brother. 8Then Deborah, Rebekah's nurse, died, and she was buried under Beth-El, under the oak tree, and he called it Allon-Bachuth. 9Now God had appeared to Jacob again as he was coming from Paddan-Aram, and he had blessed him. 10And God had said to him, “Your name is Jacob; your name will no longer be Jacob, but your name will be Israel.” And he called him Israel. 11And God said to him, “I am God Almighty. Be fruitful and increase. A nation and a convocation of nations will come from you, and kings will come out of your loins. 12I will give you the land which I gave to Abraham and to Isaac, and I will give the land to your seed after you.” 13Then God ascended away from him, at the place where he spoke with him. 14Jacob then erected a pillar at the place where he spoke with him, a stone pillar, and he poured out a libation on it, and he poured oil on it. 15And Jacob called the place where God had spoken to him Beth-El. 16Then they moved on from Beth-El, and there was just a small stretch of land to go to arrive at Ephrath when Rachel gave birth, and she had difficulty in her labour. 17And it came to pass, as she was having difficulty in her labour, that the midwife said to her, “Do not be afraid, for this is also a son of yours.” 18And it came to pass, as her life was departing – for she was dying – that she called him Ben-Oni, but his father called him Benjamin. 19Then Rachel died, and she was buried at the road to Ephrath, which is Bethlehem. 20And Jacob erected a pillar at her grave; it is the pillar of Rachel's grave to this day. 21Then Israel moved on and pitched his tent beyond the tower of Eder. 22And it came to pass, while Israel was dwelling in that land, that Reuben went and lay with Bilhah his father's concubine, and Israel heard it. Now Jacob's sons were twelve in number. 23Leah's sons were Jacob's firstborn, Reuben, then Simeon and Levi and Judah and Issachar and Zebulun. 24Rachel's sons were Joseph and Benjamin. 25And the sons of Bilhah, Rachel's maidservant, were Dan and Naphtali. 26And the sons of Zilpah, Leah's maidservant, were Gad and Asher. These were Jacob's sons who were born to him in Paddan-Aram. 27Then Jacob came to Isaac his father in Mamre at Kiriath-Arba – that is Hebron – where Abraham and Isaac dwelt. 28And the days of Isaac amounted to one hundred and eighty years. 29When Isaac expired and died, he was gathered to his people, being old and full of days, and Esau and Jacob his sons buried him.

Genesis Chapter 36 

1This is the lineage of Esau. He is Edom. 2Esau took his wives from the daughters of Canaan: Adah the daughter of Elon the Hittite and Aholibamah the daughter of Anah the daughter of Zibeon the Hivite, 3and Bosmath, Ishmael's daughter, the sister of Nebaioth. 4And Adah bore to Esau Eliphaz, and Bosmath bore Reuel. 5And Aholibamah bore Jeush and Jaalam and Korah. Those were the sons of Esau who were born to him in the land of Canaan. 6And Esau took his wives and his sons and his daughters and all the people of his household, and his cattle and all his livestock and all his property which he had acquired in the land of Canaan, and he went to a land away from Jacob his brother. 7For their property was too much for them to live together, and the land of their residence could not support them because of their cattle. 8And Esau dwelt at Mount Seir. Esau is Edom. 9Now this is the lineage of Esau, the father of Edom in Mount Seir. 10These are the names of the sons of Esau: Eliphaz, the son of Adah the wife of Esau; Reuel, the son of Bosmath the wife of Esau. 11And the sons of Eliphaz were Teman, Omar, Zepho and Gatam and Kenaz. 12And Timna was a concubine to Eliphaz, Esau's son, and she bore Amalek to Eliphaz. Those were the sons of Adah the wife of Esau. 13And these were the sons of Reuel: Nahath and Zerah, Shammah and Mizzah. Those were the sons of Bosmath, Esau's wife. 14And these were the sons of Aholibamah the daughter of Anah the daughter of Zibeon, Esau's wife. And she bore Jeush and Jaalam and Korah to Esau. 15These were the chieftains of the sons of Esau. The sons of Eliphaz, Esau's firstborn, were Chieftain Teman, Chieftain Omar, Chieftain Zepho, Chieftain Kenaz, 16Chieftain Korah, Chieftain Gatam, Chieftain Amalek. Those were the chieftains descending from Eliphaz in the land of Edom; those were Adah's sons. 17And these were the sons of Reuel the son of Esau: Chieftain Nahath, Chieftain Zerah, Chieftain Shammah, Chieftain Mizzah. Those were the chieftains descending from Reuel in the land of Edom; those were the sons of Bosmath the wife of Esau. 18And these were the sons of Aholibamah, Esau's wife: Chieftain Jeush, Chieftain Jaalam, Chieftain Korah. Those were the chieftains descending from Aholibamah the daughter of Anah, Esau's wife. 19Those were the sons of Esau, and those were their chieftains. He is Edom. 20These were the sons of Seir the Horite – the inhabitants of the land: Lotan and Shobal and Zibeon and Anah, 21and Dishon and Ezer and Dishan. Those were the chieftains of the Horites, the sons of Seir in the land of Edom. 22And Lotan's sons were Hori and Hemam, and Lotan's sister was Timna. 23These were Shobal's sons: Alvan and Manahath and Ebal, Shepho and Onam. 24And these were Zibeon's sons: Veajah and Anah – he is Anah who found the hot springs in the desert when he was tending the donkeys for Zibeon his father. 25And these were the sons of Anah: Dishon; and Aholibamah the daughter of Anah. 26And these were the sons of Dishon: Hemdan and Eshban and Ithran and Cheran. 27These were the sons of Ezer: Bilhan and Zaavan and Akan. 28These were the sons of Dishan: Uz and Aran. 29These were the chieftains of the Horites: Chieftain Lotan, Chieftain Shobal, Chieftain Zibeon, Chieftain Anah, 30Chieftain Dishon, Chieftain Ezer, Chieftain Dishan. Those were the chieftains descending from Hori, constituting their chieftains in the land of Seir. 31And these were the kings who reigned in the land of Edom, before any king reigned over the sons of Israel. 32Now Bela the son of Beor reigned in Edom, and the name of his city was Dinhabah. 33Then Bela died, and Jobab the son of Zerah from Bozrah reigned in place of him. 34Then Jobab died, and Husham from the land of the Temanites reigned in place of him. 35Then Husham died, and Hadad the son of Bedad, who struck Midian down in the countryside of Moab, reigned in place of him, and the name of his city was Avith. 36Then Hadad died, and Samlah from Masrekah reigned in place of him. 37Then Samlah died, and Saul from Rehoboth-upon-the-River reigned in place of him. 38Then Saul died, and Baal-Hanan the son of Achbor reigned in place of him. 39Then Baal-Hanan the son of Achbor died, and Hadar reigned in place of him, and the name of his city was Pau, and the name of his wife was Mehetabel, the daughter of Matred, the daughter of Me-Zahab. 40And these are the names of the chieftains of Esau by their families and by their places, by their names: Chieftain Timna, Chieftain Alvah, Chieftain Jetheth, 41Chieftain Aholibamah, Chieftain Elah, Chieftain Pinon, 42Chieftain Kenaz, Chieftain Teman, Chieftain Mibzar, 43Chieftain Magdiel, Chieftain Iram. Those were the chieftains of Edom by their dwelling places in the land of their possession, which is Esau, the father of Edom.

Genesis Chapter 37 

1And Jacob dwelt in the place of residence of his father in the land of Canaan. 2This is the genealogy of Jacob. Joseph was seventeen years old and was tending the flock with his brothers, and he was just a lad with the sons of Bilhah and the sons of Zilpah, his father's wives. And Joseph brought a bad report of them to their father. 3Now Israel loved Joseph the most of all his sons because he was the son of his old age to him, and he made him a long-sleeved gown. 4And when his brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers, they hated him, and they could not speak peaceably to him. 5Then Joseph had a dream and told it to his brothers, and they hated him all the more. 6And he said to them, “Do listen to this dream which I have had. 7There we were binding sheaves in the middle of the field, and what happened was that my sheaf arose and stood up even, and there were your sheaves encircling it, and they bowed down to my sheaf.” 8At which his brothers said to him, “Are you really going to reign over us, or really going to rule over us?” And they hated him still more because of his dreams and because of his words. 9Then he dreamt again and had another dream, and he told it to his brothers and said, “Look, I have had a dream again, and there were the sun and the moon and eleven stars bowing down to me.” 10And he told it to his father and to his brothers, and his father rebuked him and said to him, “What is this dream you have had? Am I and your mother and your brothers really going to bow down to you to the ground?” 11And his brothers were envious of him, but his father kept the account under consideration. 12Then his brothers went to tend their father's flocks in Shechem. 13And Israel said to Joseph, “Are not your brothers tending flocks in Shechem? Come, and I'll send you to them.” And he said, “Here I am.” 14And he said to him, “Please go and see how your brothers are doing, and how the flock are doing and report back to me.” And he sent him from the Valley of Hebron, and he went to Shechem. 15And a man came across him seeing that he was wandering in a field, and the man asked him and said, “What are you looking for?” 16And he said, “I am looking for my brothers. Tell me, would you, where are they tending the flocks?” 17And the man said, “They have moved on from here, for I heard them saying, ‘Let's go to Dothan.’ ” So Joseph went after his brothers and found them in Dothan. 18And they saw him from a distance, and before he approached them, they plotted against him to kill him. 19And they said to each other, “Look, Mister Dreamer himself is coming. 20So now, come on, let's kill him and throw him into one of the pits, and we will say, ‘A wild animal has eaten him’, and we will see what becomes of his dreams.” 21But Reuben heard, and he delivered him from their hands and said, “Let us not fatally strike him.” 22And Reuben said to them, “Do not shed blood. Throw him in this pit which is in the desert, and do not lay hands on him”, so as to deliver him from their hands, to take him back to his father. 23And it came to pass when Joseph came to his brothers that they stripped Joseph of his gown – his long-sleeved gown which was on him – 24and they took hold of him and threw him into the pit. Now the pit was empty – there was no water in it. 25And they sat down to eat bread, and they lifted up their eyes and looked around, and what they saw was a company of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead. And their camels were carrying spices and balsam and fine myrrh on their way to take it down to Egypt. 26And Judah said to his brothers, “What good is it if we kill our brother and conceal his blood? 27Come, let's sell him to the Ishmaelites, and let our hand not be on him, for he is our brother – he is our flesh.” And his brothers acquiesced. 28And the Midianite merchants passed by, and they hauled him up and brought Joseph up out of the pit. And they sold Joseph to the Ishmaelites for twenty pieces of silver. They then brought Joseph to Egypt. 29Then Reuben returned to the pit, and when he saw that Joseph wasn't in the pit, he tore his clothes. 30And he returned to his brothers and said, “The lad isn't there. And as for me, where can I go?” 31Then they took Joseph's gown, and they killed a buck of the goats and dipped the gown in the blood. 32And they took the long-sleeved gown with them and brought it to their father and said, “We found this. So examine whether the gown is your son's or not.” 33And he identified it and said, “It is my son's gown. A wild animal has eaten him. Joseph must have been torn apart.” 34And Jacob tore his clothes, and he put sackcloth on his loins and, he mourned for his son for many days. 35Then all his sons and all his daughters arose to comfort him, but he refused to be comforted, and he said, “I will go down to my son – to the grave – mourning.” And his father wept for him. 36And the Medanites sold him in Egypt to Potiphar, Pharaoh's courtier, the head executioner.

Genesis Chapter 38 

1And it came to pass at that time that Judah went down leaving his brothers, and he turned aside to an Adullamite man whose name was Hirah. 2And Judah saw the daughter of a Canaanite man there, his name being Shua. And he took her and went in to her, 3and she conceived and bore a son, and he called him Er. 4And she conceived again and bore a son, and she called him Onan. 5And she conceived yet again and bore a son, and she called him Shelah, and he was in Chezib when she bore him. 6And Judah took a wife for Er his firstborn, whose name was Tamar. 7Now Er Judah's firstborn was evil in the sight of the Lord and the Lord killed him. 8And Judah said to Onan, “Go into your brother's wife and marry her as brother-in-law of the deceased and raise up seed to your brother.” 9But Onan knew that the seed would not be counted as his, and it came to pass, when he went to his brother's wife, that he spilt it on the ground, so as not to give seed to his brother. 10And what he did was evil in the eyes of the Lord, and he killed him too. 11Then Judah said to Tamar his daughter-in-law, “Remain a widow in the house of your father until my son Shelah is grown up”, for he said, “I am concerned that he too may die like his brothers.” So Tamar went and stayed in the house of her father. 12And many days went by, and the daughter of Shua, Judah's wife, died. And Judah was comforted, and he went up to those who shear his sheep – he and Hirah his friend the Adullamite – to Timnah. 13And it was reported to Tamar as follows: “Look, your father-in-law is going up to Timnah to shear his sheep.” 14And she took off her widow's clothes which were on her, and she screened herself with a veil and covered herself, and she sat at the entrance to Enaim, which is on the way to Timnah, for she had seen that Shelah had grown up but that she had not been given to him as a wife. 15And Judah saw her, and he thought she was a prostitute, for she had covered her face. 16And he turned aside to her on the way and said, “Come on now, I will go in to you”, for he did not know that she was his daughter-in-law. And she said, “What will you give me if you go in to me.” 17And he said, “I will send you a kid from the flock.” Then she said, “All right if you give me security until you have sent it.” 18And he said, “What is the security that I should give you?” And she said, “Your seal and your cord and your staff that is in your hand.” Then he gave them to her and went in to her, and she conceived by him. 19Then she got up and went back and took off her veil that was on her and put her widow's clothes on. 20And Judah sent the kid of the goats via his friend the Adullamite, to recover the security from the woman. But he could not find her. 21And he asked the men of her place and said, “Where is the prostitute who was in Enaim by the road?” And they said, “There hasn't been a prostitute around here.” 22So he returned to Judah and said, “I could not find her, and moreover the local men said, ‘There hasn't been a prostitute around here.’ ” 23Then Judah said, “Let her take it any time, so that we do not come to be held in disdain. After all, I sent this kid, but you could not find her.” 24Then it came to pass after three months that it was reported to Judah as follows: “Tamar your daughter-in-law has played the harlot, and moreover we have seen that she has become pregnant with her harlotry.” Then Judah said, “Bring her out and let her be burnt.” 25She was brought out, and she sent for her father-in-law and said, “I became pregnant by the man to whom these belong.” And she said, “Please identify whose this seal and cords and staff are.” 26And Judah recognized them and said, “She is more righteous than I am, for this is because I did not give her to Shelah my son.” And Judah did not know her any more. 27And it came to pass at the time when she gave birth that there were twins in her womb. 28And it came to pass, when she gave birth, that one put out a hand, and the midwife took hold of it and tied a scarlet band round his hand and said, “This came out first.” 29Then it came to pass as he withdrew his hand that what happened was that his brother came out, and she said, “How you broke out! May the breaking out be upon you!” And he called him Perez. 30And afterwards his brother came out, on whose hand the scarlet band was, and he called him Zerah.

Genesis Chapter 39 

1So Joseph was brought down to Egypt, and Potiphar, Pharaoh's official, the head executioner, an Egyptian, bought him from the Ishmaelites who had brought him down there. 2And the Lord was with Joseph, and he became a prosperous man, and he was in the house of his master the Egyptian. 3And his master saw that the Lord was with him, and how the Lord made everything he did prosper in his hand. 4So Joseph found grace in his eyes, and he served him, and he appointed him over his household, and he put everything he had under his charge. 5And it came to pass, from when he had appointed him in his house and over everything he had, that the Lord blessed the Egyptian's household because of Joseph, and the blessing of the Lord was on everything that he had in the house and in the field. 6And he left everything he had in Joseph's hand, and he did not know anything about his personal affairs except the food he ate. Now Joseph was well-proportioned and good-looking, 7and it came to pass after these things that his master's wife raised her eyes to Joseph and said, “Lie with me.” 8But he refused and said to his master's wife, “Look, my master does not know what is in the house delegated to me, and he has put everything he has under my authority. 9There is no-one greater in this house than me, and he has not withheld anything from me except you, because you are his wife, so how can I do this great evil and sin against God?” 10And it kept happening that when she spoke to Joseph day by day, he would not consent with her to lie with her and to be with her. 11And it came to pass around this time that he went to the house to carry out his business, and there were none of the men of the household there in the house. 12And she took hold of him by a garment of his and said, “Lie with me.” And he left his garment in her hand and fled and went outside. 13Then it came to pass when she saw that he had left a garment of his in her hand and had fled outside, 14that she called the men of her household and spoke to them and said, “Look, he has brought a Hebrew man to us to mock us. He came to me to lie with me, and I shouted with a loud voice, 15and it happened that when he heard that I was raising my voice and calling out, that he left his garment with me and fled and went outside.” 16And she kept his garment at her side until his master returned to his house. 17And she spoke to him with these words and said, “The Hebrew servant whom you brought to us came to me to mock me. 18And it came to pass when I raised my voice and called out that he left his garment with me and fled outside.” 19And it came to pass, when his master heard his wife's words which she spoke to him, when she said, “These are the things which your servant did to me”, that he became angry. 20And Joseph's master took hold of him and put him in prison – a place where the king's prisoners were imprisoned – and he was there in the prison. 21But the Lord was with Joseph, and he extended kindness to him, and he gave him grace in the eyes of the chief prison officer. 22And the chief prison officer put all the prisoners who were in the prison under Joseph's authority. He was in control of everything that they did there. 23The chief prison officer didn't oversee anything that was in his charge, because the Lord was with him, and the Lord made whatever he did prosper.

Genesis Chapter 40 

1And it came to pass after these things that the king of Egypt's butler and baker did wrong to their master, to the king of Egypt. 2And Pharaoh became angry with his two courtiers, with the head butler and with the head baker. 3And he put them under guard, in the house of the head executioner, in the prison – the place where Joseph was imprisoned. 4And the head executioner put Joseph in charge of them. And he officiated over them, and they were under guard for many days. 5And the two of them had a dream – each his own dream, on one night, each according to the interpretation of his dream – the king of Egypt's butler and baker who were imprisoned in the prison. 6When Joseph came to them in the morning, he saw them, and there they were, looking gloomy. 7And he questioned Pharaoh's courtiers who were with him under guard in the house of his master, and he said, “Why are your expressions so downcast today?” 8And they said to him, “We have had a dream, and there is no interpreter of it.” Then Joseph said to them, “Are not interpretations a matter for God? Please tell me them.” 9And the head butler told Joseph his dream and said to him, “In my dream, there was a vine before me. 10And on the vine were three branches, and as it bloomed, its blossom arose and its fruit ripened into grapes. 11And Pharaoh's cup was in my hand, and I took the grapes, and I pressed them into Pharaoh's cup, and I put the cup in Pharaoh's hand.” 12Then Joseph said to him, “This is the interpretation of it. The three branches are three days. 13In three days' time, Pharaoh will lift your head and reinstate you in your office, and you will put Pharaoh's cup in his hand as was the former custom when you were his butler. 14Nevertheless, remember me who was with you, when it is going well for you, and do me a favour, would you, and mention me to Pharaoh, and bring me out of this house. 15For I was brought here most insidiously from the land of the Hebrews, and even here I have not done anything warranting that they should put me in the pit.” 16And when the chief baker saw that he had correctly interpreted it, he said to Joseph, “I too was in a dream of mine, and there were three baskets of white bread on my head. 17In the upper basket were all kinds of food for Pharaoh – baker's fare – and the birds were eating them from the basket on my head.” 18Then Joseph responded and said, “This is the interpretation of it. The three baskets are three days. 19In three days' time Pharaoh will lift your head off you and hang you on a tree, and the birds will eat away at your flesh on you.” 20And it came to pass on the third day, Pharaoh's birthday, that he held a banquet for all his servants, and he lifted the head of the head butler and of the head baker among his servants. 21And he restored the head butler to his office of butler, who put the cup in Pharaoh's hand. 22But he hanged the head baker, as Joseph had interpreted for them. 23But the head butler did not remember Joseph but forgot him.

Genesis Chapter 41 

1And it came to pass after two years' time that Pharaoh had a dream, and there he was, standing at the river. 2And what he saw was seven cows coming up out of the river, of fine appearance and with healthy flesh, and they grazed on the reeds. 3And he then saw seven other cows coming up out of the river after them, of bad appearance and lean in flesh, and they stood alongside the other cows on the bank of the river. 4Then the cows of bad appearance and lean in flesh ate the seven cows which were of fine appearance and healthy. Then Pharaoh awoke. 5Then he fell asleep and dreamt a second time, and what he saw was seven ears of corn coming up on one stalk, healthy and good. 6Then what he saw was seven lean ears of corn which were blighted by the east wind, growing up after them. 7And the lean ears of corn swallowed up the seven healthy and full ears of corn. Then Pharaoh awoke and realized that it was a dream. 8And it came to pass in the morning that his spirit was disturbed, and he sent for and called all the sacred scribes of Egypt, and all its wise men. And Pharaoh related his dreams to them, but there was no interpreter of them to Pharaoh. 9Then the head butler spoke with Pharaoh and said, “I do call to remembrance my sins today. 10Pharaoh became angry with his servants, and he put me under guard in the house of the head executioner – me and the head baker. 11And we had a dream one night, I and he. Each of us dreamt according to the interpretation of his dream. 12And there was with us there a Hebrew youth, a servant of the head executioner, and we told him our dreams, and he interpreted them for us. He gave the interpretation of each one's dream. 13And it came to pass, after he had interpreted for us, that so it came about. Pharaoh restored me to my office, but he hanged the head baker.” 14Then Pharaoh sent for and called for Joseph, and he whisked him out of the pit. Then he shaved himself and changed his clothes, and he went to Pharaoh. 15And Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I have had a dream and there is no interpreter of it, and I have heard about you, that you know how to interpret a dream.” 16Then Joseph answered Pharaoh and said, “It is outside my competence. God will answer Pharaoh with peace.” 17Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “In my dream, there I was standing on the bank of the river, 18and what I saw was seven cows coming up out of the river, with healthy flesh and of fine appearance, and they grazed on the reeds. 19Then what I saw was seven other cows coming up after them, weak and of very bad appearance and lean in flesh – I have never seen anything like them in the whole land of Egypt for badness. 20Then the lean and bad cows ate the seven former and healthy cows. 21And they went inside them, but it could not be perceived that they had gone inside them, and their appearance was as bad as it was at first. Then I awoke. 22And I saw in my dream that there were seven ears of corn coming up on one stalk, full and good. 23Then what I saw was seven hard and lean ears of corn which were blighted by the east wind growing up after them. 24And the lean ears of corn ate the seven good ears of corn. And I told it to the sacred scribes, but there was no-one who could explain it to me.” 25Then Joseph said to Pharaoh, “Pharaoh's dream is a unity. God has told Pharaoh what he is about to do. 26The seven good cows are seven years, and the seven good ears of corn are seven years. The dream is a unity. 27The seven lean and bad cows coming up after them are seven years, and the seven lean ears of corn which were blighted by the east wind will be seven years of famine. 28This is the account which I have spoken to Pharaoh. What God is about to do, he has shown Pharaoh. 29Behold, seven years of great abundance are coming in the whole land of Egypt. 30Then seven years of famine will arise after them, and all the abundance will be forgotten in the land of Egypt, and the famine will waste away the land. 31And the abundance will not be felt in the land on account of that famine afterwards, for it will be very severe. 32And as for the dream being repeated to Pharaoh, with him dreaming twice, that is because the matter is fixed with God, and God is making haste to carry it out. 33So now let Pharaoh discern a wise and prudent man and appoint him over the land of Egypt. 34Let Pharaoh do this and appoint overseers over the land, and take a fifth of the yield of the land in the seven years of abundance. 35And let them gather all the food of those good years that are coming and store corn under Pharaoh's administration – food in the cities – and guard it. 36And the food will be a stockpile for the land, for the seven years of famine which will take place in the land of Egypt, so that the land is not cut down in the famine.” 37And the procedure was good in the eyes of Pharaoh and in the eyes of all his servants. 38And Pharaoh said to his servants, “Can anyone else like this be found – a man in whom the spirit of God is?” 39And Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Consequent to God making all this known to you, there cannot be a prudent and wise man like you. 40You will be over my house, and at your behest the whole of my people will be regulated. Only in the throne will I be greater than you.” 41And Pharaoh said to Joseph, “See, I have appointed you over the whole land of Egypt.” 42Then Pharaoh took his ring off his hand and put it on Joseph's hand, and he clothed him in garments of fine linen, and he put a golden chain round his neck. 43And he had him ride in his second chariot, and they cried out before him, “Bow the knee.” And he appointed him over the whole land of Egypt. 44And Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I am Pharaoh, and without your consent, no man in the whole land of Egypt will lift his hand or his foot.” 45And Pharaoh called Joseph Zaphenath-Paneah, and he gave him Asenath the daughter of Poti-Phera the priest of On as a wife. And Joseph went out over the land of Egypt. 46Now Joseph was thirty years old when he stood before Pharaoh king of Egypt, and Joseph went out from Pharaoh's presence and passed through the whole land of Egypt. 47And the land yielded produce by handfuls in the seven years of abundance. 48And he gathered all the food of the seven years which elapsed in the land of Egypt, and he put food in the cities. He put the food of the city fields, which were around it, inside the city itself. 49And Joseph stored corn like the sand of the sea, a very large amount, until he stopped counting, for there was no counting it. 50And before the years of famine came, two sons were born to Joseph, sons whom Asenath the daughter of Poti-Phera the priest of On bore to him. 51And Joseph called the first one Manasseh, “For”, he said, “God has caused me to forget all my sorrow and the whole household of my father.” 52And he called the second one Ephraim, “For”, he said, “God has made me fruitful in the land of my affliction.” 53Then the seven years of abundance which came to pass in the land of Egypt came to an end. 54And the seven years of famine started to come, as Joseph had said, and there was famine in all the lands, but in all the land of Egypt there was bread. 55And when all the land of Egypt was hungry, the people cried out to Pharaoh for bread, and Pharaoh said to the whole of Egypt, “Go to Joseph and do what he tells you.” 56And the famine came over the whole face of the land, and Joseph opened up everything in it, and he sold it to Egypt. And the famine became severe in the land of Egypt. 57And the whole continent came to Egypt, to Joseph, to buy grain, for the famine was severe in the whole continent.

Genesis Chapter 42 

1When Jacob saw that there was grain in Egypt, Jacob said to his sons, “Why are you staring at each other?” 2And he said, “Look, I have heard that there is grain in Egypt. Go down there and buy us some from there, so we live and don't die.” 3So Joseph's brothers went down, ten of them, to buy corn from Egypt. 4But Jacob did not send Benjamin, Joseph's brother, with his brothers, for he said, “I am concerned in case misfortune should befall him.” 5So Israel's sons came to buy grain among those who came, for the famine came to the land of Canaan. 6Now Joseph was the governor over the land; he was the seller of grain to all the people of the land. And Joseph's brothers came, and they bowed down to him with the face to the ground. 7And Joseph saw his brothers, and he recognized them, but he feigned not recognizing them, and he spoke harshly with them, and he said to them, “Where have you come from?” And they said, “From the land of Canaan to buy food.” 8And Joseph recognized his brothers, but they did not recognize him. 9And Joseph remembered the dreams which he had had about them, and he said to them, “You are spies. You have come to look at the vulnerability of the land.” 10And they said to him, “Not so, my lord, but your servants have come to buy food. 11We are all the sons of one man; we are upright – your servants are not spies.” 12Then he said to them, “No, for you have come to look at the vulnerability of the land.” 13Then they said, “Your servants are twelve brothers; we are the sons of one man, in the land of Canaan, and actually the youngest is with our father today, and one of us is not to be found.” 14Then Joseph said to them, “As for what I said to you when I said, ‘You are spies’, 15this is the means by which you will be put to the test: by the life of Pharaoh, you certainly will not depart from here unless your youngest brother comes here. 16Send one of you to bring your brother, but you will be kept in prison, and your words will be put to the test to see if you are truthful, and if not, by the life of Pharaoh, it will show that you are spies.” 17And he rounded them up under guard for three days. 18And Joseph said this to them on the third day: “Do this and live, for I fear God. 19If you are upright, let one of your brothers be kept imprisoned in the prison building you are in, while you go and take grain for the famine of your households. 20And bring your youngest brother to me, and your words will be proved true, and you will not die.” And they did so. 21And they said to one another, “Doubtless we are guilty concerning our brother, in that we saw his impassioned distress when he pleaded with us, and we did not take any notice. That is why this distress has come upon us.” 22Then Reuben answered them and said, “Did I not say this to you when I said, ‘Do not sin against the lad’? But you did not listen, and look, his blood is duly required.” 23And they did not know that Joseph was listening, for there was an interpreter between them. 24And he turned aside from them and wept, then he returned to them and spoke to them, and he took Simeon from them and bound him before their eyes. 25And Joseph gave orders to fill their vessels with corn, and to restore each one's money in his sack, and to give them provision for the journey. This is what he did with them. 26So they lifted their grain onto their donkeys and departed from there. 27Then when one opened his sack to give fodder to his donkey at an inn, he saw his money, and there it was at the opening of his bag, 28and he said to his brothers, “My money has been returned to me, and here it really is, in my bag.” And their heart fainted, and they trembled and said to each other, “What is this that God has done to us?” 29And they came to Jacob their father in the land of Canaan, and they told him everything that had happened to them and said, 30“The man who is the lord of the land spoke harshly with us and considered us spies on the land. 31And we said to him, ‘We are upright; we are not spies. 32We are twelve brothers, the sons of our father. One of us is not to be found, and the youngest is with our father in the land of Canaan today.’ 33Then the man who is the lord of the land said to us, ‘Here is how I will know that you are upright. Leave one of your brothers with me, and take relief for the famine of your households and go, 34and bring your youngest brother to me so that I know that you are not spies – that you are upright. Then I will give you back your brother, and you can trade in the land.’ ” 35And it came to pass when they emptied their sacks that for each one there was his money-purse in his sack, and they saw their money-purses, they and their father, and they were afraid. 36Then Jacob their father said to them, “You have bereaved me: Joseph is not to be found, and Simeon is not around, and you want to take Benjamin away. All these things are against me.” 37Then Reuben spoke to his father and said, “You can kill my two sons if I do not bring him to you. Put him in my charge, and I will bring him back to you.” 38But he said, “My son will not go down with you, for his brother is dead and he alone remains, and if misfortune were to befall him on the way you are going, then you would bring my old age down to the grave in grief.”

Genesis Chapter 43 

1And the famine was severe in the land. 2And it came to pass, when they had finished eating the grain which they had brought from Egypt, that their father said to them, “Go back and buy us a little food.” 3Then Judah spoke to him and said, “The man solemnly testified to us and said, ‘You will not see my face unless your brother is with you.’ 4If you let our brother go with us, we will go down and buy you food. 5But if you don't let him go, we will not go down, for the man said to us, ‘You will not see my face unless your brother is with you.’ ” 6Then Israel said, “Why have you treated me so badly by telling the man that you had another brother?” 7And they said, “The man persistently asked about us and our family and said, ‘Is your father still alive? Have you got a brother?’ And we answered him in accordance with these things. How could we possibly know that he would say, ‘Bring your brother down’?” 8Then Judah said to Israel his father, “Send the lad with me, and we will get up and go, and we will live and not die, neither us, nor you, nor our little ones. 9I will be security for him. You can require it from my hand if I do not bring him back to you and set him before you, for I would be in sin before you all my days. 10For if it wasn't for us delaying, then we would have been back by now twice over.” 11Then Israel their father said to them, “If it is like this, then do this: take some of the select produce of the land in your vessels and take a gift down to the man – a little balsam and a little honey, spicery and fine myrrh, pistachio nuts and almonds. 12And take double money in your hand, and take back in your hand the money that was restored in the opening of your bags – perhaps it was a mistake. 13And take your brother and get up and go back to the man. 14And may God Almighty give you favour before the man, and may he let you go with your other brother and with Benjamin. And as for me, if I am bereaved, I am bereaved.” 15So the men took this present, and they took double money in their hand, and Benjamin, and they got up and went down to Egypt, and they stood before Joseph. 16And Joseph saw Benjamin with them, and he said to him who was over his house, “Bring the men into the house, and butcher meat and prepare it, for the men will dine with me at noon.” 17Then the man did what Joseph had said, and the man brought the men into Joseph's house. 18And the men were afraid when they were brought into Joseph's house, and they said, “It is because of the matter of the money which was restored in our bags at the start that we have been brought in, to rush upon us and fall upon us and take us as slaves, and our donkeys.” 19And they approached the man who was over Joseph's house and spoke to him at the door of the house, 20and they said, “Please, my lord, we really only came down from the start to buy food. 21And we came to an inn, and we opened our bags, and what we saw was that each man's money was in the opening of his bag – our money in full weight – and we have brought it back in our hand. 22And we have brought more money down in our hand to buy food. We don't know who put our money in our bags.” 23And he said, “Peace to you. Do not be afraid. Your God and the God of your father has given you treasure in your bags. Your money was brought to me.” Then he brought Simeon out to them. 24Then the man brought the men into Joseph's house, and he gave them water, and they washed their feet, and he gave their donkeys fodder. 25Meanwhile they prepared their gift, until Joseph came out at noon, for they had heard that they would eat bread there. 26Then when Joseph came home, they brought the present for him which was in their hand into the house, and they bowed down to him to the ground. 27And he asked them how they were and said, “Is your elderly father whom you spoke of well? Is he still alive?” 28And they said, “Your servant our father is well; he is still alive.” And they bowed the head and bowed down. 29And he raised his eyes, and he saw Benjamin his brother, the son of his mother, and he said, “Is this your youngest brother about whom you spoke to me?” And he said, “God be gracious to you, my son.” 30Then Joseph made haste, for he burned with feelings of compassion towards his brother, and he needed to weep, and he went into a room and wept there. 31Then he washed his face and went out, and he restrained himself and said, “Serve bread.” 32And they served him on his own, and them on their own, and the Egyptians who ate with him on their own, for the Egyptians cannot eat bread with the Hebrews, for that is an abomination to the Egyptians. 33And they sat before him, the firstborn in the firstborn's place, and the youngest in the youngest's place, and the men looked at each other with astonishment. 34And he had helpings served to them in his presence, and Benjamin's helping was five times bigger than the helping of any of them, and they drank and became inebriated with him.

Genesis Chapter 44 

1Then he instructed him who was over his house, and he said, “Fill the men's bags with food, as much as they can carry, and put money in each one's opening of his bag. 2But put my goblet, the silver goblet, in the opening of the bag of the youngest, and the money for his grain.” And he acted according to the words which Joseph had spoken. 3The morning dawned and the men were sent off – they and their donkeys. 4They went out of the city, and they had not gone far, when Joseph said to him who was over his house, “Get up and pursue the men, and when you have caught up with them, say to them, ‘Why have you requited me bad for good? 5Is not this what my master drinks from? And doesn't he keenly divine with it? You have done wrong in what you have done.’ ” 6So he caught up with them and said these things to them. 7And they said to him, “Why does my lord say these things? Far be it from your servants to do such a thing as this. 8Look, we brought the money which we found in the opening of our bags back to you from the land of Canaan, so how could we steal silver or gold from the house of your lord? 9Let him among your servants who is found with it die, and let the rest of us too become servants to my lord.” 10And he said, “Let it duly be so now, according to your words. He who is found with it will be my servant, but the rest of you will be clear.” 11Then they made haste and each one brought his bag down to the ground, and each one opened his bag. 12And he searched, starting with the oldest, and finishing with the youngest, and the goblet was found in Benjamin's bag. 13And they tore their clothes, and each loaded his luggage on his donkey, and they returned to the city. 14And Judah and his brothers returned to Joseph's house, and he was still there, and they fell down to the ground before him. 15And Joseph said to them, “What is this deed you have done? Were you not aware that a man like me keenly divines?” 16And Judah said, “What can we say to my lord? What can we speak and how can we justify ourselves? God has found the iniquity of your servants. Here we are as servants to my lord, both we and he in whose hand the goblet was found.” 17Then he said, “Far be it from me to do that. The man in whose hand the goblet was found – he will be my servant, but you go up in peace to your father.” 18Then Judah approached him and said, “Please, my lord, let your servant speak a word in my lord's ears. Do not become angry with your servant, for you are like Pharaoh. 19My lord asked his servants and said, ‘Have you got a father or brother?’ 20And we said to our lord, ‘We have an elderly father, and a small child of his old age, but his brother is dead, and he alone remains to his mother, and his father loves him.’ 21And you said to your servants, ‘Bring him down to me, and let me set my eye on him.’ 22And we said to my lord, ‘The lad cannot leave his father. If he leaves his father, his father will die.’ 23But you said to your servants, ‘If your youngest brother does not come down with you, you will not see my face again.’ 24So it was that we went up to your servant our father and told him the words of my lord. 25And our father said, ‘Go back and buy us a little food.’ 26And we said, ‘We cannot go down. If our youngest brother is with us, then we will go down, because we cannot see the man's face if our youngest brother is not with us.’ 27And your servant my father said to us, ‘You know that my wife bore two sons to me. 28And one went out from me, and I said, «He must have been torn apart», and I have not seen him up to now. 29And you have taken this one too from my presence, and if any misfortune should befall him, you would bring my old age down to the grave in a bad way.’ 30So now, if I go to your servant my father, and the lad is not with us, while one's life is bound up with the other's life, 31it would happen that when he saw that the lad was not there, he would die, and your servants would bring the old age of your servant our father down to the grave in grief, 32for your servant became security for the lad with my father and said, ‘If I do not bring him to you, I will be in sin to my father all my days.’ 33So now, please let your servant stay instead of the lad, as a servant to my lord, and may the lad go up with his brothers. 34For how can I go up to my father if the lad is not with me? Otherwise, I would see the harm that would come upon my father.”

Genesis Chapter 45 

1Then Joseph could not restrain himself regarding all those standing around him, and he called out, “Have everyone go out from my presence.” Then no-one was standing with him when Joseph made himself known to his brothers. 2Then he raised his voice with weeping, and the Egyptians heard it, and Pharaoh's household heard it. 3And Joseph said to his brothers, “I am Joseph. Is my father still alive?” And his brothers could not answer him, for they were alarmed at his presence. 4Then Joseph said to his brothers, “Come close to me.” And they came close. Then he said, “I am Joseph your brother whom you sold to Egypt. 5So now, do not be grieved, and do not be angry with yourselves for selling me here, for God sent me here ahead of you as a means of preserving life. 6For it has been two years of famine in the land, and there are still five years to go in which there is no ploughing or harvest. 7And God sent me ahead of you to establish you as a remnant in the land and to preserve you alive with great deliverance. 8So now, it is not you who sent me here, but God, and he appointed me to be a father to Pharaoh, and a master over all his house, and a ruler over all the land of Egypt. 9Make haste and go up to my father and say to him, ‘This is what your son Joseph says: «God has appointed me lord of all Egypt. Come down to me and do not stay around. 10And you will live in the land of Goshen, and you will be near to me, you and your sons and your grandsons, and your sheep and your cattle and everything that is yours. 11And I will sustain you there, for there are still five years of famine, so that you don't become destitute – you and your household and everyone belonging to you.» ’ 12And look, your eyes see, as do my brother Benjamin's eyes, that it is my mouth that is speaking to you. 13And tell my father about all my glory in Egypt, and everything you have seen, and make haste to bring my father down here.” 14And he fell around the neck of Benjamin his brother and wept, and Benjamin wept around his neck. 15And he kissed all his brothers, and he wept against them, and after that his brothers spoke with him. 16And the report was heard in Pharaoh's house, where they said, “Joseph's brothers have come.” And it was a good thing in Pharaoh's eyes and in the eyes of his servants. 17And Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Tell your brothers to do this: ‘Load your beasts of burden and do a round trip to the land of Canaan, 18and take your father, and your households, and come to me, and I will give you the goodness of the land of Egypt, and eat the fat of the land.’ 19And you are commanded to do this: get yourselves wagons from the land of Egypt, for your little ones, and your wives, and bring your father, and come here. 20And don't let your eye grieve over your goods, for the goodness of all the land of Egypt is yours.” 21So the sons of Israel did this, and Joseph gave them wagons according to Pharaoh's bidding, and he gave them provisions for the journey. 22He gave all of them individually changes of clothing, but to Benjamin he gave three hundred pieces of silver and five changes of clothing. 23And this is what he sent to his father: ten donkeys carrying some of the goodness of Egypt, ten she-asses carrying corn and bread and food for his father for the journey. 24So he sent his brothers off, and they departed, and he said to them, “Do not be perturbed on the way.” 25And they went up from Egypt, and they came to the land of Canaan, to Jacob their father. 26And they told him about it and said, “Joseph is still alive”, and that he was ruler over all the land of Egypt. At this his heart became frigid, for he did not believe them. 27And they told him all Joseph's words which he had spoken to them, and when he saw the wagons which Joseph had sent to carry him, the spirit of Jacob their father revived. 28And Israel said, “It is great that my son Joseph is still alive. I will go and see him before I die.”

Genesis Chapter 46 

1So Israel travelled with all his belongings, and he arrived at Beersheba, and he offered sacrifices to the God of his father Isaac. 2And God spoke to Israel in nightly visions, and he said, “Jacob, Jacob.” And he said, “Here I am.” 3And he said, “I am God, the God of your father. Do not be afraid of going down to Egypt, for I will make you a great nation there. 4I will go down to Egypt with you, and I will bring you up again without fail. And Joseph will put his hand on your eyes.” 5Then Jacob arose from Beersheba, and Israel's sons lifted Jacob their father and their little ones and their wives into the wagons which Pharaoh had sent to transport him. 6And they took their cattle and their property which they had acquired in the land of Canaan, and they came to Egypt – Jacob and all his seed with him. 7He brought with him his sons and his grandsons, his daughters and his granddaughters, and all his seed, to Egypt. 8And these are the names of the sons of Israel who came to Egypt – of Jacob and his sons. Jacob's firstborn was Reuben. 9Reuben's sons were Hanoch and Pallu and Hezron and Carmi. 10And Simeon's sons were Jemuel and Jamin and Ohad and Jachin and Zohar and Saul the son of the Canaanite woman. 11And Levi's sons were Gershon, Kohath and Merari. 12And Judah's sons were Er and Onan and Shelah and Perez and Zerah, but Er and Onan died in the land of Canaan. And the sons of Perez were Hezron and Hamul. 13And Issachar's sons were Tola and Puvvah and Job and Shimron. 14And Zebulun's sons were Sered and Elon and Jahleel. 15Those were Leah's sons whom she bore to Jacob in Paddan-Aram, with Dinah his daughter. The total headcount of his sons and daughters was thirty-three. 16And Gad's sons were Ziphion and Haggi, Shuni and Ezbon, Eri and Arodi and Areli. 17And Asher's sons were Jimnah and Jishvah and Jishvi and Beriah, and Serah was their sister. And Beriah's sons were Heber and Malchiel. 18Those were the sons of Zilpah whom Laban gave to Leah his daughter. And she bore these to Jacob – sixteen people. 19The son's of Rachel, Jacob's wife, were Joseph and Benjamin. 20And progeny were born to Joseph in the land of Egypt, where Asenath the daughter of Poti-Phera the priest of On bore Manasseh and Ephraim to him. 21And Benjamin's sons were Bela and Becher and Ashbel, Gera and Naaman, Ehi and Rosh, Muppim and Huppim and Ard. 22Those were the sons of Rachel who were born to Jacob. The total headcount was fourteen. 23And Dan's sons were Hushim and his line. 24And Naphtali's sons were Jahzeel and Guni, and Jezer and Shillem. 25Those were the sons of Bilhah whom Laban gave to Rachel his daughter, and she bore those to Jacob. The total headcount was seven. 26The total headcount of Jacob's family which came to Egypt – who issued from his thighs – excluding the wives of Jacob's sons – the total headcount – was sixty-six. 27And Joseph's sons who were born to him in Egypt were two people. The total headcount of the house of Jacob that came to Egypt was seventy. 28And he sent Judah on ahead of him to Joseph, so as to direct him to Goshen. And they came to the land of Goshen. 29Then Joseph harnessed his chariot and went up to meet Israel his father at Goshen, and he presented himself to him and fell around his neck, and he wept while still around his neck. 30And Israel said to Joseph, “I could die now, after seeing your face, for you are still alive.” 31Then Joseph said to his brothers and to his father's household, “I will go up and tell Pharaoh and say to him, ‘My brothers and the house of my father who were in the land of Canaan have come to me. 32And the men are shepherds, for they are cattle-farmers, and they have brought their sheep and their cattle and everything of theirs with them.’ 33And it will come to pass when Pharaoh calls you and says, ‘What are your occupations?’ 34– that you will say, ‘Your servants have been cattle-farmers from our youth up to now, both we and our fathers’, so that you may dwell in the land of Goshen, for every shepherd is an abomination to the Egyptians.”

Genesis Chapter 47 

1So Joseph came and told Pharaoh and said, “My father and my brothers and their flocks and the oxen and all their belongings have arrived from the land of Canaan, and here they are in the land of Goshen.” 2And he took five men from his collection of brothers, and he presented them to Pharaoh. 3And Pharaoh said to his brothers, “What are your occupations?” And they said to Pharaoh, “Your servants are shepherds, both we and our fathers.” 4And they said to Pharaoh, “We have come to stay temporarily in the land, for there is no pasture for your servants' flocks, for the famine is severe in the land of Canaan, so now, please, let your servants stay in the land of Goshen.” 5Then Pharaoh spoke to Joseph and said, “Your father and your brothers have come to you. 6The land of Egypt is before you. Install your father and your brothers in the best part of the land and let them stay in the land of Goshen, and if you know of any suitable men among them, appoint them as officials over the cattle that is mine.” 7Then Joseph brought in Jacob his father and set him before Pharaoh, and Jacob blessed Pharaoh. 8And Pharaoh said to Jacob, “How many are the days of the years of your life?” 9And Jacob said to Pharaoh, “The days of the years of my course of life are one hundred and thirty years. The days of the years of my life have been few and bad, and they have not reached the days of the years of the life of my fathers in comparison with the days of their course of life.” 10Then Jacob blessed Pharaoh and went out from Pharaoh's presence. 11And Joseph installed his father and his brothers, and he gave them a possession in the land of Egypt, in the best part of the land, in the land of Rameses, as Pharaoh had commanded. 12So Joseph sustained his father and his brothers and the whole household of his father, with bread, taking account of the number of little ones. 13And there was no bread in the whole of the land, for the famine was very severe, and the land of Egypt and the land of Canaan became weary because of the famine. 14And Joseph collected all the money that was to be found in the land of Egypt and in the land of Canaan, in exchange for the grain which they bought, and Joseph brought the money to Pharaoh's house. 15Then the money from the land of Egypt and the land of Canaan came to an end, and all of Egypt came to Joseph and said, “Give us bread, for why should we die in your presence, when money has run out?” 16And Joseph said, “Give me your cattle, and I will give you bread in exchange for your cattle, if the money has run out.” 17So they brought their cattle to Joseph, and Joseph gave them bread for horses and for small cattle and for bovine cattle and for donkeys, and he sustained them with bread in exchange for all their cattle in that year. 18Then that year came to an end, and they came to him in the second year and said to him, “We will not hide the fact from our lord that our money has run out, as have our stocks of cattle which have gone to our lord. Nothing remains before our lord except our body and our land. 19Why should we die in your sight, both we and our land? Buy us and our land in exchange for bread so that we and our land become subservient to Pharaoh, and give us seed so that we live and do not die and the land does not become desolate.” 20Then Joseph bought all the land of Egypt for Pharaoh, for each man in Egypt sold his field, for the famine was severe over them, and the land became Pharaoh's. 21And as for the people, he moved them to the cities, from one end of the territory of Egypt to the other end, 22except that he did not buy the priests' land, for the priests had a statute from Pharaoh, and they ate by virtue of their statute which Pharaoh had given them, which is why they did not sell their land. 23Then Joseph said to the people, “Look, today I have bought you and your land for Pharaoh. Here is seed for you, so sow the land. 24And it will be the case that you will give one fifth of the produce to Pharaoh, whilst four fifths will be for yourselves, as seed for the field, and for your food, and for those in your houses, and for your little ones to eat.” 25And they said, “You have kept us alive. May we find grace in the eyes of our lord, and we will be servants to Pharaoh.” 26So Joseph made it a statute up to this day over the land of Egypt: a fifth part is for Pharaoh, except that the priests' land alone was not Pharaoh's. 27And Israel remained in the land of Egypt in the land of Goshen, and they had their interest in it, and they were fruitful, and they increased greatly. 28And Jacob lived for seventeen years in the land of Egypt, and the days of Jacob – the years of his life – were one hundred and forty-seven years. 29And when Israel's days were approaching when he would die, he called for his son, for Joseph, and he said to him, “If now I have found grace in your sight, put your hand now under my thigh and do with me what is kind and true: please do not bury me in Egypt. 30And I will lie with my fathers, so bring me out of Egypt and bury me in their tomb.” And he said, “I will act according to your words.” 31And he said, “Swear to me.” And he swore to him, and Israel bowed on the head of his bed.

Genesis Chapter 48 

1And it came to pass after these things that they said to Joseph, “Look, your father is ill.” And he took his two sons with him, Manasseh and Ephraim. 2And they told Jacob and said, “Look, your son Joseph has come to you.” And Israel perked up and sat up on his bed. 3Then Jacob said to Joseph, “God Almighty appeared to me in Luz in the land of Canaan and blessed me, 4and he said to me, ‘I am about to make you fruitful, and I will increase you and make you a convocation of people, and I will give this land to your seed after you as an age-abiding possession.’ 5And now, your two sons who were born to you in the land of Egypt, before I came to you in Egypt – Ephraim and Manasseh – are mine. They will be mine like Reuben and Simeon. 6And your offspring that you beget after them will be yours. They will be called by the name of their brothers in their inheritance. 7And as for me, when I came from Paddan, Rachel died when with me in the land of Canaan on the journey when there was just a little way to go to Ephrath, and I buried her there on the way to Ephrath, which is Bethlehem.” 8Then when Israel saw Joseph's sons, he said, “Who are these?” 9And Joseph said to his father, “They are my sons whom God has given me here.” And he said, “Please bring them to me and I will bless them.” 10Now Israel's eyes had become dim with old age, and he could not see, so he brought them near to him, and he kissed them and embraced them. 11And Israel said to Joseph, “I didn't think I would see your face, but look, God has shown me your seed too.” 12Then Joseph took them off his knees and Jacob bowed with his face to the ground. 13Joseph then took the two of them, Ephraim on his right, to the left of Israel, and Manasseh on his left, to the right of Israel, and he brought them near him. 14And Israel stretched out his right hand and put it on Ephraim's head, he being the younger, and his left hand on Manasseh's head, acting discerningly with his hands, for Manasseh was the firstborn. 15And he blessed Joseph and said,

“God, before whom my fathers walked,

Abraham and Isaac,

The God who has been a shepherd to me

From since ever I was

Up to this day

16– The angel who redeems me from all evil –

May he bless the lads,

And may my name and the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac

Be what they are called after,

And may they teem for abundance

In the heart of the land.”

17And Joseph saw that he had put his right hand on Ephraim's head, and it was wrong in his sight, and he took hold of his father's hand to remove it from Ephraim's head to Manasseh's head. 18And Joseph said to his father, “Not like that, my father, for this one is the firstborn. Put your right hand on his head.” 19But his father refused and said, “I know, my son, I know. He too will become a people, and he too will become great, and yet his younger brother will become greater than him, and his seed will become the fulness of the nations.” 20And he blessed them on that day, and he said, “Through you, Israel will give blessing and say, ‘May God make you like Ephraim and like Manasseh.’ ” And he put Ephraim before Manasseh. 21And Israel said to Joseph, “Look, I am dying, but God will be with you, and he will bring you back to the land of your fathers. 22And I have given you one portion more than your brothers, which I took from the hand of the Amorite with my sword and with my bow.”

Genesis Chapter 49 

1Then Jacob called his sons and said, “Gather round and I will tell you what will happen to you in the last days.

2Assemble and listen,

You sons of Jacob,

And listen to Israel your father.

3Reuben, you are my firstborn,

My strength and the beginning of my vigour

– A profusion of high-standing

And a profusion of power.

4As unrestrained as water,

Do not overflow,

For you went up to your father's bed,

Then you defiled it.

He went up to my couch.

5Simeon and Levi are brothers

– Vessels of violence by their swords.

6Let my being not enter into their counsel.

Let my honour not be united with their convocation,

For in their anger they killed a man,

And for their pleasure they hamstrung an ox.

7Cursed be their anger,

For it was fierce,

And their wrath,

For it was harsh.

I will divide them in Jacob

And scatter them in Israel.

8Judah, as for you,

Your brothers will praise you.

Your hand will be on your enemies' neck,

And the sons of your father will bow down to you.

9Judah is a lion's cub.

From the prey, my son, you went up.

He crouched,

He lay like a lion,

And like a great lion

– Who dares to arouse him?

10The sceptre will not depart from Judah,

Nor the statute maker from between his legs,

Until Shiloh comes,

And obedience of the nations

Will be to him.

11Binding his ass-colt to the vine,

And his young of a she-ass to the choice vine,

He washed his clothes in wine

And his garment in the juice of grapes.

12The red of his eyes will be from wine,

And the white of his teeth will be from milk.

13Zebulun will dwell at the coast of the sea,

And he will be a coast-line for ships.

And his border will be up to Sidon.

14Issachar is a well-built ass

Lying between two folds.

15And he saw that the resting place was good,

And that the land was pleasant.

So he set his shoulder to bear the burden

And became a tribute-paying servant.

16Dan will judge his people,

As one of the tribes of Israel.

17Dan will become a serpent on the way

– An adder on the road –

That bites the heels of a horse,

So the rider falls off backwards.

18O Lord,

I have put my hope in your salvation.

19As for Gad,

A troop will press on him,

But he will press on the heel.

20From Asher comes his rich bread,

And he will supply royal delicacies.

21Naphtali is a hind let loose,

Who bears words of beauty.

22Joseph is a fruitful bough,

A fruitful bough at a water-source,

With branches where each shoots over a wall.

23The archers provoked him

And shot at him

And hated him.

24But his bow remained in place firmly,

And the strength of his hands was with agility,

From the hands of the mighty one of Jacob,

From where the shepherd comes

– The stone of Israel.

25This is from the God of your father,

Who will help you,

And with the Almighty,

Who will bless you with heavenly blessings above,

Blessings from the deep which lies below

– Blessings of the breasts and womb.

26The blessings of your father

Have been mightier than the blessings of my parents,

Extending to the limits of the age-old hills.

They will be for Joseph's head

And for the crown of the head of the Nazarite

Among his brothers.

27Benjamin is a wolf

Which will tear quarry apart.

In the morning he will eat prey

And in the evening he will divide spoil.”

28All these are the twelve tribes of Israel, and this is what their father said to them. And he blessed them. He blessed them individually, each according to his blessing. 29And he instructed them, and he said to them, “I am being gathered to my people. Bury me with my fathers in the cave which is in the field of Ephron the Hittite, 30in the cave which is in the field of Machpelah, which is before Mamre in the land of Canaan, which Abraham bought with the field from Ephron the Hittite as an acquisition for a burial ground. 31That is where they buried Abraham and Sarah his wife. That is where they buried Isaac and Rebekah his wife. And that is where I buried Leah. 32It is the field, and the cave which is in it, which were acquired from the sons of Heth.” 33Then Jacob finished instructing his sons, and he drew back his feet into the bed, and he expired and was gathered to his people.

Reference(s) in Chapter 49: v.9 ↔ Revelation 5:5.

Genesis Chapter 50 

1And Joseph fell on his father's face and wept for him and kissed him. 2Then Joseph instructed his servants the doctors to embalm his father. So the doctors embalmed Israel. 3And his forty days were fulfilled, for so the days of embalming are fulfilled, and the Egyptians wept for him for seventy days. 4Then when the days of his being wept for had passed, Joseph spoke to the house of Pharaoh and said, “If I have now found grace in your eyes, please have a word in Pharaoh's ear and say, 5‘My father adjured me and said, «Look, I am dying. Bury me over there in my tomb which I dug for myself in the land of Canaan.» So now let me go up and bury my father, and I will come back.’ ” 6Then Pharaoh said, “Go up and bury your father, as he adjured you.” 7So Joseph went up to bury his father, and all Pharaoh's servants went up with him – the elders of his household – and all the elders of the land of Egypt, 8as did all the household of Joseph, and his brothers, and the household of his father. They only left their little ones and their small cattle and their bovine cattle behind in the land of Goshen. 9And both chariots and horsemen went up with him, and the company was very large. 10And they came to the threshing floor in Atad, which is across the Jordan, and they mourned there with a great and very grave mourning, and he held lamentation for his father for seven days. 11And the inhabitants of the land – the Canaanites – saw the lamentation at the threshing floor of Atad, and they said, “This is a great lamentation for Egypt.” That is why they called it Abel-Mizraim, which is across the Jordan. 12So his sons did for him as he had instructed them. 13And his sons carried him to the land of Canaan and buried him in the cave of the field of Machpelah, which Abraham had bought with the field as an acquisition for a burial place, from Ephron the Hittite, opposite Mamre. 14Then Joseph returned to Egypt, he and his brothers, and all those who had gone up with him to bury his father, after he had buried his father. 15Then when Joseph's brothers saw that their father was dead, they said, “What if Joseph hates us, and fully requites us for all the evil which we did to him?” 16And they sent messengers to Joseph with a commission to say, “Your father gave a command before his death and said, 17‘Say this to Joseph: «Please forgive now the transgression of your brothers and their sin, for they did you wrong.» ’ So now, do forgive the transgression of the servants of the God of your father.” And Joseph wept when they spoke to him. 18And his brothers also went and fell down before him and said, “Here we are as your servants.” 19Then Joseph said to them, “Do not be afraid, for am I in the place of God? 20While you were devising evil against me, God devised that it should be for good, so as to make it a means of preserving a great people alive, as it is this day. 21So now, do not be afraid. I will sustain you and your little ones.” Then he comforted them and spoke kindly to them. 22Then Joseph dwelt in Egypt – he and his father's household – and Joseph lived for one hundred and ten years. 23And Joseph saw the sons of the third generation of Ephraim. Also, the sons of Machir, Manasseh's son, were born at Joseph's knees. 24And Joseph said to his brothers, “I am dying, but God will assuredly visit you and bring you up from this land to the land which he swore about to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob.” 25And Joseph charged the sons of Israel solemnly and said, “God will assuredly visit you, and you shall carry up my bones from here.” 26Then Joseph died, being one hundred and ten years old, and they embalmed him, and he was put in a coffin in Egypt.

Exodus  

Exodus Chapter 1 

1Now these are the names of the sons of Israel who came to Egypt. Each man and his household came with Jacob: 2Reuben, Simeon, Levi and Judah, 3Issachar, Zebulun and Benjamin, 4Dan and Naphtali, Gad and Asher. 5And the number of all the people who came out of Jacob's thighs was seventy people, while Joseph was in Egypt. 6And Joseph died, as did all his brothers and all that generation, 7but the sons of Israel were fruitful, and they abounded and increased and became strong in number to a very great extent, and the land was filled with them. 8And a new king arose over Egypt, who had not known Joseph, 9and he said to his people, “Look, the people of the sons of Israel is more numerous and stronger than we are. 10Come on, let us act wisely with them so that they don't increase, for it might be that a war befalls us, and they might for their part be a reinforcement to those that hate us, and that fight us and go up from the land.” 11And they appointed tribute-masters over them in order to afflict them with their burdens, and they built cities of storehouses for Pharaoh: Pithom and Rameses. 12But the more they afflicted them, the more they increased and the more they expanded, and they felt revulsion at the sons of Israel. 13Then the Egyptians made the sons of Israel serve with rigour, 14and they made their lives bitter with hard work, work with mortar and bricks and all kinds of outdoor work. All their work which they imposed on them was with rigour. 15Then the king of Egypt spoke to the Hebrew midwives, the name of one of whom was Shiphrah, and the name of the other was Puah, 16and he said, “When you deliver the Hebrew women, you will see the sex by the presence or absence of the testicles. If it is a son, you will kill him, but if it is a daughter, she will live.” 17But the midwives feared God, and they did not do what the king of Egypt said to them, and they let the children live. 18Then the king of Egypt called for the midwives and said to them, “Why have you done this thing and let the children live?” 19And the midwives said to Pharaoh, “It is because the Hebrew women are not like the Egyptian women, for they are lively, and before the midwife comes to them, they have given birth.” 20And God treated the midwives well, and the people increased and became very strong. 21Then it came to pass, because the midwives feared God, that he built up the people into family house lines. 22Then Pharaoh commanded all his people and said, “As for every son born, cast him into the river, but let every daughter live.”

Exodus Chapter 2 

1Now a man from the house of Levi went out and took Levi's daughter as a wife, 2and the woman conceived and bore a son, and she saw that he was fair, and she hid him for three months. 3But when she could no longer keep him hidden, she took a reed ark for him and impregnated it with bitumen and pitch, and she put the child in it, and she put it in the bulrushes by the bank of the river, 4while his sister stood at a distance to see what would be done to him. 5Then Pharaoh's daughter came down to wash at the riverside, and her maidservants went to the riverside, and she saw the ark in among the bulrushes, and she sent a maidservant of hers to get it. 6And she opened it and saw the child, and what she saw was a boy crying, and she had compassion on him, and she said, “This is one of the Hebrews' children.” 7Then his sister said to Pharaoh's daughter, “Shall I go and call for a nurse for you from the Hebrew women to suckle the child for you?” 8And Pharaoh's daughter said to her, “Yes, go.” So the maiden went and called for the child's mother. 9And Pharaoh's daughter said to her, “Take this child away and suckle him for me, and I will give you your recompense.” So the woman took the child and suckled him. 10And the child grew, and she brought him to Pharaoh's daughter, and he was a son to her, and she called him Moses and said, “For I drew him out of the water.” 11And it came to pass in those days that Moses grew up and went out to his brothers, and he saw their burdens, and he saw an Egyptian man striking a Hebrew man – one of his brothers. 12Then he looked to one side and to the other side, and when he saw that there was no man there, he struck the Egyptian and buried him in the sand. 13Then he went out on the second day, and there were two Hebrew men quarrelling, and he said to the one in the wrong, “Why are you striking your colleague?” 14To which he said, “Who appointed you a commander and a judge over us? Do you intend to kill me, as you killed the Egyptian?” At this Moses was afraid, and he said to himself, “Obviously, the incident has become well-known.” 15When Pharaoh heard about this incident, he wanted to kill Moses, but Moses fled from Pharaoh's presence, and he dwelt in the land of Midian, and he dwelt by the well. 16Now the priest of Midian had seven daughters, and they came and drew water, and they filled the troughs to give their father's flocks drink. 17Then the shepherds came and drove them away, but Moses arose and saved them, and he gave their flocks drink. 18And they went to Reuel their father, and he said, “How come you have come so quickly today?” 19And they said, “An Egyptian man rescued us from the hand of the shepherds, and he also went so far as to draw water for us, and he gave our flocks water.” 20Then he said to his daughters, “So where is he? Why did you leave the man? Invite the man to eat bread.” 21And Moses was willing to dwell with the man, and he gave Zipporah his daughter to Moses as a wife. 22And she bore him a son, and he called him Gershom, for he said, “I was a foreigner in a foreign land.” 23And it came to pass in that long period that the king of Egypt died, but the sons of Israel sighed with the workload, and they cried out, and their outcry went up to God because of the workload. 24And God heard their groaning, and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac and with Jacob. 25And God looked to the interests of the sons of Israel, and God acknowledged the situation.

Reference(s) in Chapter 2: v.14 ↔ Acts 7:27, Acts 7:28, Acts 7:35 ● v.22 ↔ Hebrews 11:13.

Exodus Chapter 3 

1Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian, when he drove the flock to the hinder part of the desert and came to the mountain of God, Horeb, 2and the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a fiery flame from the middle of the bush. And he looked, and what he saw was a bush burning in the fire, but the bush was not being consumed. 3And Moses said, “I will just turn aside and look at this great spectacle, so as to see why the bush isn't burnt up.” 4And the Lord saw that he had turned aside to look, and God called out to him from within the bush and said, “Moses, Moses.” And he said, “Here I am.” 5Then he said, “Do not come near here. Take your shoes off your feet, for the place which you are standing on is holy ground.” 6And he said, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob.” Then Moses hid his face, for he was afraid of looking at God. 7And the Lord said, “I have clearly seen the affliction of my people who are in Egypt and heard their cry on account of their taskmasters, for I know their pains. 8And I have come down to deliver them from Egypt's grip, to bring them up from that land to a good and wide land, to a land flowing with milk and honey, to the place of the Canaanite and the Hittite and the Amorite and the Perizzite and the Hivite and the Jebusite. 9So now, what has happened is that the cry of the sons of Israel has come to me, and I have seen the oppression with which the Egyptians are oppressing them. 10So now, go, and I will send you to Pharaoh, and bring my people, the sons of Israel, out of Egypt.” 11Then Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and that I should bring the sons of Israel out of Egypt?” 12And he said, “Be assured that I will be with you, and this will be a sign to you, that I have sent you: when you bring the people out of Egypt, you will serve God on this mountain.” 13Then Moses said to God, “Look, when I go to the sons of Israel and I say to them, ‘The God of your fathers sent me to you’, they will say to me, ‘What is his name?’ What should I say to them?” 14And God said to Moses, “I am what I am”, and he said, “This is what you shall say to the sons of Israel: ‘I am has sent me to you.’ ” 15Then God spoke again to Moses: “This is what you will say to the sons of Israel: ‘The Lord 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 age-abidingly, and this is my memorial from generation to generation. 16Go, and gather the elders of Israel and say to them, ‘The Lord God of your fathers appeared to me, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and he said, «I will certainly visit you and that which has been done to you in Egypt. 17And I have said, ‹I will bring you up out of the affliction of Egypt to the land of the Canaanite and the Hittite and the Amorite and the Perizzite and the Hivite and the Jebusite, to a land flowing with milk and honey.› » ’ 18And they will comply with you, and both you and the elders of Israel will go to the king of Egypt and say to him, ‘The Lord God of the Hebrews has met up with us, so now, kindly let us go three days' journey into the desert so we can sacrifice to the Lord our God.’ 19And I know that the king of Egypt will not permit you to go, and not so with a strong hand. 20But I will stretch out my hand and strike Egypt with all my wonders which I will do in its midst, and after that, he will let you go. 21And I will give this people grace in the eyes of Egypt, and it will be the case that when you go, you will not go empty-handed. 22And a woman will ask from her neighbour, and from her that is staying in her house, for items of silver and items of gold, and clothes, and you will put them on your sons and on your daughters, and you will despoil Egypt.”

Reference(s) in Chapter 3: v.5 ↔ Acts 7:33 ● v.6 ↔ Matthew 22:32, Mark 12:26, Luke 20:37, Acts 7:32 ● v.7 ↔ Acts 7:34 ● v.8 ↔ Acts 7:34 ● v.10 ↔ Acts 7:34 ● v.12 ↔ Acts 7:7 ● v.14 ↔ Luke 22:70, John 4:26, John 6:20, John 18:5, Revelation 1:4, Revelation 1:8.

Exodus Chapter 4 

1Then Moses answered and said, “But what if they do not believe me, and they do not comply with me? For they will say, ‘The Lord did not appear to you.’ ” 2Then the Lord said to him, “What is that in your hand?” And he said, “A rod.” 3He then said, “Throw it onto the ground.” So he threw it onto the ground, and it became a serpent, and Moses fled from its presence. 4Then the Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand and seize it by its tail.” So he stretched out his hand and seized it, and it became a rod in his palm. 5Do this so that they may believe that the Lord God of their fathers – the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob – has appeared to you.” 6And the Lord said furthermore to him, “Just put your hand in your bosom.” So he put his hand in his bosom, and he took it out, and what he saw was that his hand was leprous like snow. 7And he said, “Put your hand back in your bosom.” So he put his hand back in his bosom, and he took it out of his bosom, and what he saw was that it was restored like his flesh. 8“And it will come to pass, if they do not believe you, and they do not heed the first sign, then they will believe the last sign. 9And it will come to pass that if they don't even believe these two signs, and they do not comply with you, that you will take some water from the river and pour it on dry land, and the water which you took from the river will become blood on the dry land.” 10Then Moses said to the Lord, “Please, Lord*, I am not eloquent, nor was I yesterday or the day before, nor have I been since you spoke to your servant, for I am inarticulate and tongue-tied.” 11But the Lord said to him, “Who put a mouth in man? Or who makes a man mute or deaf or sighted or blind? Do not I, the Lord? 12So now, go, and I will be with your mouth, and I will instruct you as to what you will say.” 13Then he said, “Please, Lord*, send, would you, someone suitable for you to send.” 14At this the Lord's anger was kindled against Moses, and he said, “Is not Aaron your brother, the Levite? I know that he can speak fluently, and moreover here he is coming out to meet you, and when he sees you, he will be glad in his heart. 15And you will speak to him, and you will put the words in his mouth, and I will be with your mouth and with his mouth, and I will instruct you as to what you are to do. 16And he will speak to the people for you, and he will be a mouth for you, and you will be to him as if you are God. 17Now take this rod in your hand, with which you will perform the signs.” 18Then Moses departed and returned to Jether his father-in-law, and he said to him, “Let me go, would you, and I will return to my brothers who are in Egypt and see if they are still alive.” Then Jethro said to Moses, “Go in peace.” 19Then the Lord said to Moses in Midian, “Go and return to Egypt, for all the men who tried to kill you have died.” 20Then Moses took his wife and his sons, and he mounted them on a donkey and returned to the land of Egypt. And Moses took the rod of God in his hand. 21And the Lord said to Moses, “As you go to return to Egypt, have in view all the miracles which I have put in your power and perform them before Pharaoh, and I will harden his heart, and he will not let the people go. 22And you will say to Pharaoh, ‘This is what the Lord says: «Israel is my son, my firstborn. 23And I say to you, ‹Let my son go so that he can serve me.› And if you refuse to let him go, be aware that I will kill your son, your firstborn.» ’ ” 24And it came to pass, on the journey, at the inn, that the Lord met him and purposed to kill him. 25But Zipporah took a sharp stone and excised her son's foreskin and flung it at his feet, and she said, “What a bridegroom of blood you are to me!” 26Then the Lord left off from him. Then she said, “A bridegroom of blood in matters of circumcision.” 27Then the Lord said to Aaron, “Go to meet Moses in the desert.” So he went, and he met him at the mount of God, and he kissed him. 28And Moses told Aaron all the words of the Lord, who had sent him, and all the signs with which he had commissioned him. 29So Moses went, as did Aaron, and they gathered all the elders of the sons of Israel together. 30And Aaron spoke all the words which the Lord had spoken to Moses, and he performed the signs in the sight of the people. 31And the people believed, and they heard that the Lord had visited the sons of Israel, and that he had seen their affliction, and they bowed down and worshipped.

Exodus Chapter 5 

1And afterwards Moses and Aaron came and said to Pharaoh, “This is what the Lord God of Israel says: ‘Let my people go so that they may celebrate a festival to me in the desert.’ ” 2To this Pharaoh said, “Who is the Lord that I should take notice of him in letting Israel go? I do not know the Lord, and I will not let Israel go either.” 3Then they said, “The God of the Hebrews has come into contact with us. Please let us go three days' journey into the desert for us to sacrifice to the Lord our God, so that he does not assail us with pestilence or with the sword.” 4Whereupon the king of Egypt said to them, “Why should Moses and Aaron disrupt the people from their works? Go back to your tasks.” 5And Pharaoh said, “Look, the people of the land are now numerous, and you have made them stop their tasks.” 6And on that day Pharaoh gave orders to the taskmasters over the people, and his foremen, and he said, 7“You will no longer give the people straw for making the bricks as previously. They must go and gather straw for themselves. 8But you will impose on them the same quantity of bricks which they were making previously. Do not reduce it, for they are lazy, which is why they are shouting out, saying, ‘Let us go and sacrifice to our God.’ 9Let the workload on the men be heavy, and let them work on it, and do not let them pay attention to vain words.” 10Then the taskmasters of the people went out, as did their foremen, and they spoke to the people and said, “This is what Pharaoh says: ‘I am not giving you straw. 11You must go and get straw for yourselves from wherever you can find it, yet none of your work is to be reduced at all.’ ” 12Then the people dispersed all over the land of Egypt to gather stubble for straw. 13And the taskmasters pressed them and said, “Complete your work – the daily routine – as when there was straw.” 14And the foremen of the sons of Israel, whom Pharaoh's taskmasters had appointed over them, were beaten, while they said, “Why have you not completed your assignment to make bricks today in the same way as previously?” 15Then the foremen of the sons of Israel came and cried out to Pharaoh and said, “Why are you dealing this way with your servants? 16Straw is not given to your servants, yet they say to us, ‘Make bricks’, and look, your servants are beaten, but it is your people's fault.” 17And he said, “You are lazy, lazy, which is why you say, ‘Let us go and sacrifice to the Lord.’ 18So now, go and work, but straw will not be given to you, but you will deliver the required quantity of bricks.” 19And the foremen of the sons of Israel saw that they were in a bad light when they said, “You will not reduce the quantity of your bricks in the daily routine.” 20Then they confronted Moses and Aaron, who were standing where they would meet them as they departed from Pharaoh, 21and they said to them, “May the Lord look into you and judge you, in that you have made us odious in Pharaoh's sight, and his servants' sight, with him putting a sword in their hand to kill us.” 22Then Moses returned to the Lord and said, “O Lord*, why have you brought harm on this people? Why have you sent me like this? 23For since I came to Pharaoh to speak in your name, he has brought harm on this people, and you haven't by any means delivered your people.”

Exodus Chapter 6 

1Then the Lord said to Moses, “You will now see what I will do to Pharaoh, for with a strong hand he will let them go, and with a strong hand he will drive them out of his land.” 2And God spoke to Moses and said to him, “I am the Lord, 3and I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob as God Almighty, and my name is the Lord, but I was not known to them in that character. 4And I will also set up my covenant with them, by giving them the land of Canaan – the land of their domicile where they were resident. 5And I have also heard the groaning of the sons of Israel whom the Egyptians are forcing to work, and I have remembered my covenant. 6Say, therefore, to the sons of Israel, ‘I am the Lord, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of Egypt, and I will deliver you from their works, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great judgments. 7And I will take you to myself as a people, and I will be God to you, and you will know that I am the Lord your God, who brought you out from being under the burdens of Egypt. 8And I will bring you to the land where I raised my hand swearing to give it to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob, and I will give it to you as a possession, as I am the Lord.’ ” 9So Moses spoke like that to the sons of Israel, but they did not listen to Moses on account of their impatience and the harsh work. 10Then the Lord spoke to Moses and said, 11“Go and speak to Pharaoh the king of Egypt and say that he is to let the sons of Israel go from his land.” 12Then Moses spoke in the presence of the Lord and said, “Look, the sons of Israel have not listened to me, so how will Pharaoh listen to me, and I have an impediment in my speech.” 13Then the Lord spoke to Moses and to Aaron, and he gave them instructions regarding the sons of Israel and Pharaoh the king of Egypt, so as to bring the sons of Israel out of the land of Egypt. 14These are the heads of the households of their fathers. The sons of Reuben Israel's firstborn were Hanoch and Pallu, Hezron and Carmi. Those were the families of Reuben. 15And the sons of Simeon were Jemuel and Jamin and Ohad and Jachin and Zohar and Saul the son of the Canaanite woman. Those were the families of Simeon. 16And these are the names of the sons of Levi, by their genealogy: Gershon and Kohath and Merari. And the years of the life of Levi were one hundred and thirty-seven years. 17The sons of Gershon were Libni and Shimei according to their families. 18And the sons of Kohath were Amram and Izhar and Hebron and Uzziel. And the years of Kohath's life were one hundred and thirty-three years. 19And the sons of Merari were Mahli and Mushi. Those were the families of the Levites by their genealogies. 20And Amram took Jochebed his aunt as his wife, and she bore him Aaron and Moses. And the years of Amram's life were one hundred and thirty-seven years. 21And the sons of Izhar were Korah and Nepheg and Zichri. 22And the sons of Uzziel were Mishael and Elzaphan and Sithri. 23And Aaron took Elisheba the daughter of Amminadab, Nahshon's sister as his wife, and she bore him Nadab, and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar. 24And the sons of Korah were Assir and Elkanah and Abiasaph. Those were the families of the Korhites. 25And Eleazar the son of Aaron took one of Putiel's daughters as his wife, and she bore him Phinehas. Those were the heads of the fathers of the Levites according to their families. 26They are the Aaron and Moses to whom the Lord said, “Bring the sons of Israel out of the land of Egypt by their companies.” 27They are the ones who told Pharaoh king of Egypt to bring out the sons of Israel from Egypt. They are Moses and Aaron. 28And it came to pass on the day when the Lord spoke to Moses in the land of Egypt, 29that the Lord spoke to Moses and said, “I am the Lord. Tell Pharaoh the king of Egypt everything that I say to you.” 30Then Moses said before the Lord, “Look, I have an impediment in my speech, so how will Pharaoh listen to me?”

Exodus Chapter 7 

1And the Lord said to Moses, “Look, I have appointed you as God to Pharaoh, and Aaron your brother will be your prophet. 2You will speak everything that I command you, and Aaron your brother will speak to Pharaoh, and he will let the sons of Israel go from his land. 3And I will harden Pharaoh's heart, and I will increase my signs and miracles in the land of Egypt, 4but Pharaoh will not hearken to you, and I will place my hand on Egypt, and I will bring my companies out – my people the sons of Israel – from the land of Egypt, with great judgments. 5And the Egyptians will know that I am the Lord when I stretch out my hand over Egypt, and I bring the sons of Israel out from their midst.” 6And Moses and Aaron did this. What the Lord commanded them, they did. 7Now Moses was eighty years old and Aaron was eighty-three years old when they spoke to Pharaoh. 8And the Lord spoke to Moses and to Aaron and said, 9“When Pharaoh speaks to you and says, ‘Produce a miracle for yourselves’, you will say to Aaron, ‘Take your rod and throw it in front of Pharaoh’, and it will become a serpent.” 10So Moses and Aaron came to Pharaoh and did so – as the Lord had commanded – and Aaron threw his rod in front of Pharaoh and in front of his servants, and it became a serpent. 11Then Pharaoh for his part called for the wise men and the sorcerers, and they did this too – the magicians of Egypt with their enchantments – likewise. 12And they each threw their rod, and they became serpents, but Aaron's rod swallowed up their rods. 13And Pharaoh's heart hardened, and he would not hearken to them, as the Lord had said. 14And the Lord said to Moses, “Pharaoh's heart is unimpressionable – he refuses to let the people go. 15Go to Pharaoh in the morning and you will see that he is going out to the water, and you will stand where you will meet him on the bank of the river, and take in your hand the rod which changed into a serpent. 16And you will say to him, ‘The Lord God of the Hebrews sent me to you to say, «Let my people go so they can serve me in the desert», but look, you have not complied up to now. 17This is what the Lord says: «Here is how you will know that I am the Lord. I am about to strike the water which is in the river with the rod which is in my hand so that it turns to blood, 18and the fish that are in the river will die, and the river will stink, and Egypt will be at a loss to drink water from the river.» ’ ” 19Then the Lord said to Moses, “Say to Aaron, ‘Take your rod and stretch out your hand over the water of Egypt, over their rivers, over their channels, and over their pools and over every accumulation of their water, and they will become blood, and there will be blood in all the land of Egypt, and in vessels of wood and in channels of stone.’ ” 20And Moses and Aaron did so, as the Lord had commanded, and he raised his rod and struck the water which was in the river, in Pharaoh's sight, and his servants' sight, and all the water which was in the river turned to blood. 21And the fish which were in the river died, and the river stank, and the Egyptians could not drink water from the river, and there was blood in all the land of Egypt. 22But the magicians of Egypt did likewise with their secret arts, and Pharaoh's heart was hardened, and he did not hearken to them, as the Lord had said. 23Pharaoh then turned and went back to his house, and he did not pay attention to this either. 24And all Egypt dug around the river for water to drink, because they could not drink from the river-water. 25And seven days passed after the Lord struck the river.

Reference(s) in Chapter 7: v.20 ↔ Revelation 16:3.

Exodus Chapter 8 

1Then the Lord said to Moses, “Go to Pharaoh and say to him, ‘This is what the Lord says: «Let my people go so that they can serve me. 2And if you refuse to let them go, look, I will strike all your territory with frogs. 3And the river will teem with frogs, and they will come up and come into your house and into your bedroom and into your bed and into the house of your servants and to your people and into your ovens and into your kneading-basins. 4And the frogs will come up to you and to your people and to all your servants.» ’ ” 5Then the Lord said to Moses, “Say to Aaron, ‘Stretch out your hand with your rod over the rivers, over the channels and over the pools and bring up frogs over the land of Egypt.’ ” 6So Aaron stretched out his hand over the water of Egypt and the frogs came up and they covered the land of Egypt. 7And the magicians did likewise with their secret arts, and they brought up frogs over the land of Egypt. 8Then Pharaoh called for Moses and for Aaron and said, “Entreat the Lord to remove the frogs from me and from my people, and I will let the people go, and they can sacrifice to the Lord.” 9Moses then said to Pharaoh, “Specify to me when I should entreat for you and for your servants and for your people, to eliminate the frogs from you and from your houses. Only in the river will they remain.” 10And he said, “Tomorrow.” And he said, “It will be according to your word so that you will know that there is no-one like the Lord our God. 11And the frogs will depart from you and from your houses and from your servants and from your people. Only in the river will they remain.” 12Then Moses and Aaron departed from Pharaoh, and Moses cried out to the Lord about the matter of the frogs which he had imposed on Pharaoh. 13And the Lord acted according to Moses' words, and the frogs died off in the houses, in the courtyards and in the fields. 14And they piled them up in heaps and heaps, and the land stank. 15But when Pharaoh saw that there was relief, he hardened his heart and would not hearken to them, as the Lord had said. 16And the Lord said to Moses, “Say to Aaron, ‘Stretch out your rod and strike the dust of the ground, and it will become lice over all the land of Egypt.’ ” 17So they did so, and Aaron stretched out his hand with his rod and struck the dust of the ground, and it became lice, on man and on the cattle. All the dust of the earth became lice over all the land of Egypt. 18Then the magicians acted likewise with their secret arts, to produce lice, but they could not. And the lice were on man and on the cattle. 19Then the magicians said to Pharaoh, “It is the finger of God.” But Pharaoh's heart hardened, and he did not hearken to them, as the Lord had said. 20And the Lord said to Moses, “Get up early in the morning and stand before Pharaoh – you will see that he is going out to the water – and say to him, ‘This is what the Lord says: «Let my people go so they can serve me. 21For if you don't let my people go, I am ready to send the gadfly on you and on your servants and on your people and in your houses, and the houses of Egypt will be full with the gadfly, and also the ground they are on. 22But on that day I will set the land of Goshen apart, on which my people stand, so that there will be no gadfly there, so that you may know that I am the Lord in the midst of the land. 23And I will put a sign of redemption between my people and your people. This sign will take place tomorrow.» ’ ” 24And the Lord did so, and a heavy swarm of gadflies came on Pharaoh's house and on his servants' house and all over the land of Egypt. The land was ravaged because of the gadfly. 25Then Pharaoh called for Moses and for Aaron and said, “Go. Sacrifice to your God in the land.” 26But Moses said, “It is not right to do it like that, for we will sacrifice what is an abomination to the Egyptians to the Lord our God. If we sacrifice what is an abomination to the Egyptians in their sight, will they not stone us? 27We will go three days' journey into the desert and sacrifice to the Lord our God according to what he says to us.” 28Then Pharaoh said, “I will let you go so you can sacrifice to the Lord your God in the desert, but do not go all that far away. And entreat on my behalf.” 29Then Moses said, “Behold, I am about to depart from you, and I will entreat the Lord and the gadfly will depart from Pharaoh, from his servants and from his people tomorrow, but don't let Pharaoh be deceptive any more in not letting the people go to sacrifice to the Lord.” 30Then Moses departed from Pharaoh, and he entreated the Lord. 31And the Lord acted according to Moses' word, and the gadfly departed from Pharaoh, from his servants and from his people. Not one remained. 32But Pharaoh hardened his heart this time too, and he did not let the people go.

Exodus Chapter 9 

1And the Lord said to Moses, “Go to Pharaoh and say to him, ‘This is what the Lord God of the Hebrews says: «Let my people go so that they may serve me. 2For if you refuse to let them go, and you still hold on to them, 3you will see the hand of the Lord on your cattle which is in the field – on the horses and on the donkeys, on the camels and on the oxen and on the sheep – a very severe pestilence. 4And the Lord will distinguish between Israel's cattle and Egypt's cattle, and nothing at all of what belongs to the sons of Israel will die.» ’ ” 5And the Lord fixed a time and said, “Tomorrow the Lord will do this thing in the land.” 6And the Lord did this thing on the next day, and all the cattle of Egypt died, but of the sons of Israel's cattle, not one animal died. 7And Pharaoh sent out observers, who saw that not as much as one animal of Israel's cattle had died. But Pharaoh's heart became hardened, and he did not let the people go. 8And the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “Take along handfuls of furnace soot and Moses will sprinkle it towards the sky in Pharaoh's sight. 9And it will become fine dust over all the land of Egypt, and it will become festering boil pustules on man and on the cattle in all the land of Egypt.” 10So they took the furnace soot and stood before Pharaoh, and Moses sprinkled it towards the sky, and it became festering boil pustules on man and on the cattle. 11And the magicians could not stand in Moses' presence on account of the boils, because there were boils on the magicians and on all Egypt. 12Then the Lord hardened Pharaoh's heart, and he didn't hearken to them, as the Lord has said to Moses. 13And the Lord said to Moses, “Get up early in the morning and stand before Pharaoh and say to him, ‘This is what the Lord God of the Hebrews says: «Let my people go so that they may serve me. 14For this time I am about to send all my plagues into your heart and on your servants, and on your people, in order that you may know that there is no-one like me in all the world. 15For now I will put my hand out and strike you and your people with a pestilence, and you will be cut off from the earth. 16But it is for this purpose that I have put you in place, in order to show you my power, and in order to declare my name in all the earth. 17Do you still set yourself in opposition to my people in not letting them go? 18Look, at this time tomorrow I will rain down very heavy hail, such as there has never been in Egypt from the day when it was founded up to now. 19So now, send servants and bring your cattle to safety, and everything you have in the field. It will hail on every man and animal that is found in the field and is not gathered in, indoors, and they will die.» ’ ” 20He who feared the word of the Lord among Pharaoh's servants made his own servants and his cattle take refuge in the houses, 21whereas he who did not heed the word of the Lord left his servants and his cattle in the field. 22And the Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand towards the sky, and there will be hail in all the land of Egypt, on man and on the cattle and on all the vegetation of the field in the land of Egypt.” 23So Moses stretched out his rod towards the sky, and the Lord sent noises and hail, and fire came to the ground, and the Lord rained hail on the land of Egypt. 24And there was hail, and fire taking hold in the hail. It was very heavy, and there had never been anything like it in all the land of Egypt since when it became a nation. 25And the hail struck all the land of Egypt – everything in the field, both man and cattle – and the hail struck all the vegetation of the field, and it broke every tree of the countryside. 26Only in the land of Goshen, where the sons of Israel were, was there no hail. 27And Pharaoh sent servants and called for Moses and for Aaron and said to them, “I have sinned this time; the Lord is righteous, and I and my people are the wicked ones. 28Entreat the Lord that it should be enough of almighty noises and hail, and I will let you go, and you will not stay any longer.” 29Then Moses said to him, “When I go out of the city, I will stretch out my hands to the Lord. The noises will cease and the hail will be no more, so that you may know that the earth is the Lord's. 30But as for you and your servants, I know that you do not yet fear the Lord God.” 31And the flax and the barley were struck, for the barley was showing green ears of corn and the flax was in flower, 32but the wheat and spelt were not struck, for they were late in growing. 33Then Moses departed from Pharaoh and the city, and he stretched out his hands to the Lord, and the noises and the hail stopped, and the rain was not poured down onto the earth. 34But when Pharaoh saw that the raining down had stopped, both the hail and the noises, he sinned again, and he hardened his heart – he and his servants. 35So Pharaoh's heart became hardened, and he did not let the sons of Israel go, as the Lord had said, through the intermediacy of Moses.

Reference(s) in Chapter 9: v.9 ↔ Revelation 16:2 ● v.16 ↔ Romans 9:17.

Exodus Chapter 10 

1Then the Lord said to Moses, “Go to Pharaoh, for I have hardened his heart and his servants' hearts in order that I may show these signs of mine in his full view, 2and in order that you may relate in your son's and your grandson's ear what I have undertaken against Egypt, and my signs which I showed among them, so that you may know that I am the Lord.” 3So Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and said to him, “This is what the Lord God of the Hebrews says: ‘How long will you refuse to humble yourself before me? Let my people go so that they may serve me. 4For if you refuse to let my people go, you will find me bringing locusts into your territory tomorrow. 5And they will cover the landscape, and one will not be able to see the land, and they will devour the remainder of the remnant that remains to you from the hail, and they will devour every tree springing up to you in the countryside. 6And they will fill your houses and all your servants' houses and the houses of the whole of Egypt, such as your fathers and your grandfathers never saw from the day they came into being on the earth up to this day.’ ” Then he turned and departed from Pharaoh. 7Then Pharaoh's servants said to him, “How long will we have this as a snare to us? Let the men go and serve the Lord their God. Do you still not acknowledge that Egypt is being destroyed?” 8Then Moses and Aaron were brought back to Pharaoh, and he said to them, “Go. Serve the Lord your God. But who exactly are those that are to go?” 9Then Moses said, “We will go with our young ones and with our old ones, with our sons and with our daughters. With our sheep and with our cattle we will go, for we have a festival to the Lord.” 10Then he said to them, “Let it be so. The Lord be with you when I let you and your little ones go. Look out, for evil is ahead of you. 11But it will not be quite like that. Just let the men go and serve the Lord, for that is what you are requesting.” Then he drove them out from Pharaoh's presence. 12Then the Lord said to Moses, “Stretch your hand out over the land of Egypt for the locusts so that they come up over the land of Egypt and devour all the vegetation of the land – everything that the hail has left.” 13So Moses stretched his rod out over the land of Egypt, and the Lord set an east wind in motion in the land, all that day and all night. Then morning came, and the east wind brought the locusts. 14And the locusts came up over the whole land of Egypt, and they settled on all the territory of Egypt. It was very severe; before it there had never been such a locust plague as this, and after it there never will be such a one. 15And they covered the landscape of the whole land, and the land became dark, and they devoured all the vegetation of the land, and all the fruit of the trees which the hail had left, and no greenery remained on the trees at all, nor on the vegetation of the countryside in all the land of Egypt. 16Then Pharaoh hastened to call for Moses and for Aaron, and he said, “I have sinned against the Lord your God, and against you. 17So now, forgive my sin, just this time, and entreat the Lord your God that he removes just this deadly thing from me.” 18And he departed from Pharaoh and entreated the Lord. 19At which the Lord turned it to a very strong westerly wind, and it carried away the locusts and drove them to the Red Sea. Not one locust remained in all the territory of Egypt. 20Then the Lord hardened Pharaoh's heart, and he did not let the sons of Israel go. 21And the Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand towards the sky and let there be darkness over the land of Egypt, and they will have to grope in the dark.” 22So Moses stretched out his hand towards the sky and a thick darkness came over all the land of Egypt for three days. 23One person could not see another, and no-one could get up from the spot where he was for three days, but all the sons of Israel had light in their dwelling places. 24Then Pharaoh called for Moses and said, “Go. Serve the Lord, but let your sheep and oxen be left behind, but your little ones can also go with you.” 25Then Moses said, “You must also hand our animals over to us for sacrifices and burnt offerings for us to perform them to the Lord our God. 26And our cattle must also go with us: not a hoof shall remain, for we must take some from it to serve the Lord our God, and we won't know what to serve the Lord with until we arrive there.” 27Then the Lord hardened Pharaoh's heart, and he was not willing to let them go. 28And Pharaoh said to him, “Go away from me. Watch out: do not see my face any more, for on the day when you see my face, you will die.” 29To this Moses said, “Thus you have spoken. I will not see your face any more.”

Exodus Chapter 11 

1Then the Lord said to Moses, “I will bring one more plague on Pharaoh and on Egypt. After that he will let you go from here. When he lets you go, he will completely drive you right out from here. 2Now speak in the audience of the people to the intent that every man asks from his neighbour, and every woman from her neighbour, for items of silver and items of gold.” 3And the Lord put an attitude of grace towards the people in Egypt's sight. Moreover Moses was a very great man in the land of Egypt, in the eyes of Pharaoh's servants and in the eyes of the people. 4And Moses said, “This is what the Lord says: ‘At about midnight I will go out into the midst of Egypt, 5and every firstborn in the land of Egypt will die, from Pharaoh's firstborn, who sits on his throne, to the firstborn of the maidservant, who sits at the millstones, and every firstborn of the cattle. 6And there will be a great outcry in all the land of Egypt, such as there has not been in the past, and such as will not take place again. 7But with all the sons of Israel, not a dog will point its tongue at anything whether man or cattle, in order that you may know that the Lord has made a distinction between Egypt and Israel.’ 8And all these servants of yours will come down to me and pay homage to me, saying, ‘Go out, you and all the people who are under your authority.’ Then after that I will go out.” Then he departed from Pharaoh in furious anger. 9Then the Lord said to Moses, “Pharaoh will not hearken to you, in order that my miracles may be increased in the land of Egypt.” 10So Moses and Aaron performed all these miracles in Pharaoh's presence, and the Lord hardened Pharaoh's heart, and he did not let the sons of Israel go from his land.

Exodus Chapter 12 

1Then the Lord spoke to Moses and to Aaron in the land of Egypt and said, 2“This month is the start of months to you. It is the first of the months of the year to you. 3Speak to the whole congregation of Israel and say that on the tenth day of this month they must each take their lamb – one per house of their fathers – a lamb per house. 4And if the house is too small to afford a lamb, then it and its neighbour which is most like that house in headcount will take a lamb, and you will each be attributed to the shared lamb in accordance with those eating from it. 5It shall be a perfect one-year-old male of yours. You will take it from the lambs or from the goats. 6And it will be an animal kept for you until the fourteenth day of this month, when the whole convocation of the congregation of Israel will slaughter it in the evening. 7And they will take some of its blood and put it on the two doorposts and on the lintel of the houses in which they will eat it. 8And they will eat the meat on that night, roasted on a fire, and unleavened bread, and they will eat it with bitter herbs. 9Do not eat any of it raw, or boiled in water at all, but rather roasted on a fire, its head with its legs and with its innards. 10Do not leave any of it remaining until the morning, and whatever of it would remain until morning, burn up in a fire. 11And this is how you shall eat it: with your loins girded and with your shoes on your feet, and with your staff in your hand. And you shall eat it with haste. It is the Lord's Passover. 12And I will pass through the land of Egypt on that night, and I will strike every firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and cattle, and I will execute judgments against all the gods of Egypt, as I am the Lord. 13And the blood will be a sign for you on the houses where you are, and I will see the blood, and I will pass over you, and there will not be any destructive blow on you when I strike in the land of Egypt. 14And this day will be a memorial for you, and you will celebrate it as a festival to the Lord throughout your generations. You will celebrate it as an age-abiding statute. 15You will eat unleavened bread for seven days. Right on the first day you will remove leaven from your houses, for if anyone eats leavened bread, then that person will be cut off from Israel, this being in force from the first day to the seventh day. 16On the first day you will hold a holy convocation and on the seventh day you will hold a holy convocation. No work will be done on them, except that food needs to be eaten by everyone; that alone is what can be done by you. 17And you will keep the days of the unleavened bread, for on this very day I will have brought your companies out of the land of Egypt, and you will keep this day throughout your generations, as an age-abiding statute. 18In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month, in the evening, you will eat unleavened bread, until the twenty-first day of the month in the evening. 19For seven days no leaven will be found in your houses, for if anyone eats anything leavened, then that person will be cut off from the congregation of Israel, this applying to the foreigner and the native of the land. 20You will eat nothing leavened; in all of the places where you live, you will eat unleavened bread.” 21Then Moses called for all the elders of Israel, and he said to them, “Select and take a lamb for yourselves according to your families, and slaughter the Passover. 22And take a bundle of hyssop, and dip it in the blood which is in the drain pan, and apply some of the blood which is in the drain pan to the lintel and to the two doorposts. And not one of you will go out of the door of his house until the morning. 23And the Lord will pass through so as to strike Egypt, and he will see the blood on the lintel and on the two doorposts, and the Lord will pass over the door and will not allow the destroyer to come into your houses to strike there. 24And you will observe this injunction as a statute of yours and of your sons, age-abidingly. 25And it will come to pass, when you come to the land which the Lord will give you, as he has said, that you will keep this service. 26And it will come to pass, when your sons say to you, ‘What is this service of yours?’ – 27that you will say, ‘It is the sacrifice of the Passover to the Lord, who passed over the houses of the sons of Israel in Egypt, when he struck Egypt but saved our houses.’ ” Then the people bowed and worshipped. 28Then the sons of Israel departed and did this. As the Lord had commanded Moses and Aaron, so they carried it out. 29And it came to pass at midnight that the Lord struck every firstborn in the land of Egypt, from Pharaoh's firstborn, who sat on his throne, to the firstborn of the captive, who was in the dungeon, and all the firstborn of the cattle. 30And Pharaoh got up at night – he and all his servants and all of Egypt – and there was loud shouting in Egypt, for there was no house where there wasn't someone dead. 31Then he called for Moses and for Aaron at night and said, “Get up and go away from my people, both you and the sons of Israel, and go and serve the Lord according to what you said. 32Take also your sheep and your cattle as you said, and go, and bless me too.” 33And Egypt was resolved concerning the people to be quick in sending them out of the land, for they said, “Otherwise, we are all dead.” 34And the people carried their dough before it was leavened in their kneading-troughs, on their shoulder, bound up in their clothes. 35And when the sons of Israel acted according to Moses' word, and they asked Egypt for items of silver and items of gold, and clothes, 36the Lord put favour towards the people in Egypt's sight, and they granted their requests, and they plundered Egypt. 37And the sons of Israel moved from Rameses to Succoth. There were about six hundred thousand men on foot, excluding children. 38But a large number of mixed camp followers also went up with them, as did sheep and cattle – livestock in a very considerable quantity. 39And they baked the dough which they had brought out of Egypt into unleavened cakes, for it was not leavened, for they had been driven out of Egypt and could not delay, and they had not prepared any provisions for themselves either. 40Now the time of the stay of the sons of Israel when they stayed in Egypt was four hundred and thirty years, 41and it came to pass, after four hundred and thirty years, and it was on the very same day, that all the companies of the Lord went out from the land of Egypt. 42It is a night of observance to the Lord when he brought them out of the land of Egypt. This very night of the Lord's is an observance to all the sons of Israel throughout their generations. 43And the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “This is the statute of the Passover. No foreigner will partake of it. 44But as for every servant who was bought for money, and whom you have circumcised, in that case he shall partake of it. 45No temporary resident or hired servant shall partake of it. 46It will be eaten in one house. You shall not bring any meat out from the house outside, and you shall not break any bone in it. 47Every congregation of Israel will celebrate it. 48And if a foreigner should stay with you and celebrate the Lord's Passover, every male belonging to him must be circumcised, and then he shall approach to celebrate it, and he will be like a native of the land, but no uncircumcised person shall partake of it. 49There will be one law for the native and the foreigner staying with you. 50And all the sons of Israel did what the Lord commanded Moses and Aaron – so they did.” 51And it came to pass on this very day that the Lord brought the sons of Israel out of the land of Egypt in their companies.

Reference(s) in Chapter 12: v.46 ↔ John 19:36.

Exodus Chapter 13 

1And the Lord spoke to Moses and said, 2Sanctify to me every firstborn, that opens any womb, among the sons of Israel, among man and among cattle; he is for me.” 3So Moses said to the people, “Remember this day when you came out of Egypt, from a house of slavery, for by strength of hand the Lord brought you out from there. And nothing leavened is to be eaten. 4Today you are coming out, in the month of Abib. 5And it will come to pass that the Lord will bring you to the land of the Canaanite and the Hittite and the Amorite and the Hivite and the Jebusite, the land about which he swore to your fathers that he would give it to you – a land flowing with milk and honey – and you will perform this service in this month. 6You will eat unleavened bread for seven days, and on the seventh day it is a festival to the Lord. 7Unleavened bread will be eaten for seven days, and nothing leavened will be seen in your possession, and no leaven will be seen in your possession in all your territory. 8And you will explain it to your son on that day and say, ‘It is for this reason: the Lord did this for me when I came out of Egypt.’ 9And it will be as a sign to you on your hand and as a memorial between your eyes, so that the Lord's law may be in your mouth, for the Lord brought you out of Egypt with a strong hand. 10So you will keep this statute in its due time on these days when they occur. 11And it will come to pass that the Lord will bring you into the land of the Canaanite, as he swore to you and to your fathers, and he will give it to you. 12And you will set everyone who opens the womb aside for the Lord, and every first offspring from cattle which you will have. The males are the Lord's. 13You will redeem every first offspring from a donkey with a lamb. If you do not redeem it, you will break its neck. And you will redeem every human firstborn among your sons. 14And it will come to pass when your son asks you in the future and says, ‘What is this?’ that you will say to him, ‘With a strong hand the Lord brought us out of Egypt, out of a house of slavery. 15And it came to pass that he hardened Pharaoh about letting us go, and the Lord killed all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both the firstborn of man and the firstborn of cattle, which is why I sacrifice to the Lord everything that opens the womb – the males – but I redeem every firstborn of my sons.’ 16And it will be as a sign on your hand, and as phylacteries between your eyes, for the Lord brought us out of Egypt by the strength of his hand.” 17And it came to pass, when Pharaoh let the people go, that God did not lead them through the way of the Philistines (for that was nearby), but God said, “No, in case the people have regrets when they see war, and they return to Egypt.” 18So God led the people round through the way in the desert – the Red Sea – and the sons of Israel went up from the land of Egypt armed. 19And Moses took Joseph's bones with him, for he had made a point of adjuring the sons of Israel, when he said, “God will definitely visit you, and you will bring my bones with you from here.” 20Then they moved from Succoth and encamped at Etham, at the edge of the desert. 21And the Lord would go in front of them, by day in a column of cloud to lead them along the way, and by night in a column of fire to give them light, for going by day and by night. 22He did not withdraw the column of cloud by day, nor the column of fire by night, in front of the people.

Reference(s) in Chapter 13: v.2 ↔ Luke 2:23.

Exodus Chapter 14 

1Then the Lord spoke to Moses and said, 2“Say to the sons of Israel that they must turn and encamp before Pi-Hahiroth between Migdol and the sea, before Baal-Zephon. You will encamp opposite it by the sea. 3And Pharaoh will say of the sons of Israel, ‘They are confused in the land; the desert has cut them off.’ 4And I will harden Pharaoh's heart, and he will pursue them, and I will be glorified through Pharaoh and through all his army, and the Egyptians will know that I am the Lord.” And they did so. 5And it was reported to the king of Egypt that the people had fled, and Pharaoh's heart and that of his servants was turned against the people, and they said, “What is this that we have done? For we have let Israel go from serving us.” 6So he harnessed his chariot and took his people with him, 7and he took six hundred choice chariots, and all the chariots of Egypt, with crews of three on each of them. 8And the Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and he pursued the sons of Israel, while the sons of Israel were going out by a high hand. 9And the Egyptians pursued them, and they caught up with them when they were encamping by the sea. Every horse and chariot of Pharaoh and its riders and his army was in Pi-Hahiroth before Baal-Zephon. 10And Pharaoh approached, and the sons of Israel lifted up their eyes, and what they saw was the Egyptians coming after them, and they were very afraid, and the sons of Israel cried out to the Lord. 11And they said to Moses, “Is it for want of graves in Egypt that you have taken us to die in the desert? What is this you have done to us, bringing us out of Egypt? 12Isn't this the concern which we told you in Egypt, when we said, ‘Leave us alone and let us serve Egypt, for it is better for us to serve Egypt than that we die in the desert.’ ” 13At this Moses said to the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand up and observe the Lord's salvation, which he will effect for you today, for as for the Egyptians whom you have seen today, you will never see them again. 14And the Lord will fight for you, and you will keep quiet.” 15And the Lord said to Moses, “Why are you crying out to me? Say to the sons of Israel that they should move on. 16And you lift up your rod, and stretch your hand out over the sea, and divide it, so that the sons of Israel can go through the middle of the sea on dry ground. 17And as for me, I am about to harden the Egyptians' hearts, and they will come after them, and I will be glorified by means of Pharaoh and all his army, his chariot fleet and his horsemen. 18And Egypt will know that I am the Lord when I am glorified by means of Pharaoh, his chariot fleet and his horsemen.” 19Then the angel of God, who goes ahead of Israel's camp, moved and went behind them, and the column of cloud moved from in front of them and stood behind them, 20and it went between Egypt's camp and Israel's camp, and it became cloud and darkness, but it lit up the night. And one did not approach the other all night. 21Then Moses stretched his hand over the sea, and the Lord caused the sea to recede with a strong east wind all night, and he made the sea dry land. And the water was divided, 22and the sons of Israel went through the middle of the sea on dry ground, and the water was a wall to them on their right and on their left. 23Meanwhile the Egyptians pursued them and came after them – every horse of Pharaoh's, his chariot fleet and his horsemen – into the middle of the sea. 24And it came to pass in the morning watch that the Lord peered at the Egyptian troops through the column of fire and cloud, and he routed the Egyptian troops. 25And he caused their chariot-wheels to come off, so that they drove them with difficulty, and Egypt said, “I will flee from Israel's presence, for the Lord is fighting for them in Egypt.” 26Then the Lord said to Moses, “Stretch your hand out over the sea, and the water will return over Egypt, over its chariot fleet and over its horsemen.” 27So Moses stretched his hand out over the sea, and the sea returned at the break of morning to its normal state, while the Egyptians were fleeing towards it, and the Lord tossed the Egyptians about in the middle of the sea. 28Then the water returned and covered the chariot fleet and the horsemen in all Pharaoh's forces which came after them in the sea. Not a single one of them remained. 29But the sons of Israel went on dry land in the middle of the sea, and the water was a wall to them on their right and on their left. 30So the Lord saved Israel from Egypt's grip on that day, and Israel saw Egypt dead on the sea-shore. 31And Israel saw the great power which the Lord exerted in Egypt, and the people feared the Lord, and they believed in the Lord and in Moses his servant.

Exodus Chapter 15 

1Then Moses and the sons of Israel sang this song to the Lord, and they spoke and said,

“I will sing to the Lord,

For he is highly exalted.

He has thrown horse and its rider into the sea.

2The Lord is my strength and my melody,

And he became salvation to me.

This is my God,

And I will prepare a dwelling for him

– The God of my father –

And I will extol him.

3The Lord is a man of war;

The Lord is his name.

4He cast Pharaoh's chariots and his army into the sea,

And the elite of his crews of three

Sank in the Red Sea.

5The depths covered them;

They descended into the depths like a stone.

6Your right hand, O Lord,

Has become glorious by power.

Your right hand, O Lord,

Has crushed the enemy.

7And in the wealth of your splendour

You demolished those rising up against you.

You sent your fury

Which consumed them like stubble.

8And by the breath of your nostrils

The water heaped up,

The liquid stood like a mound;

The depths solidified in the heart of the sea.

9The enemy said, ‘I will pursue;

I will catch up with them.

I will share out the spoil;

My fervour will be satisfied on them.

I will draw my sword;

My hand will disinherit them.’

10You blew with your wind;

The sea covered them.

They sank like lead

In mighty waters.

11Who is like you

Among the gods, O Lord?

Who is like you?

Glorious in holiness,

Fearfully praiseworthy,

Performing wondrously.

12You stretched out your right hand;

The earth swallowed them up.

13In your kindness you have led the people

Whom you redeemed.

You have guided them by your strength

To your holy dwelling place.

14The nations will hear about it

And will be awestruck.

Writhing has seized the inhabitants of Philistia.

15Then the chieftains of Edom will be terrified;

As for the mighty ones of Moab,

Trembling will seize them.

All the inhabitants of Canaan will melt away.

16Dread and fear will descend on them;

By the magnificence of your arm

They will be dumbfounded like a stone,

Until your people cross over, O Lord,

Until the people you have purchased cross over.

17You will bring them in and plant them

At the mountain of your inheritance,

A place established for you to dwell in,

Which you, O Lord, have made,

A sanctuary, O Lord*,

Which your hands have established.

18The Lord will reign

Age-abidingly and timelessly.

19For Pharaoh's cavalry with his chariot fleet and his riders went into the sea, but the Lord caused the water of the sea to return over them, whereas the sons of Israel went on dry land in the middle of the sea.” 20Then Miriam the prophetess, Aaron's sister, took a drum in her hand, and all the women went out following her with drums and dancing. 21And Miriam intoned to them,

“Sing to the Lord

For he is most exalted.

He cast horse and its rider

Into the sea.”

22Then Moses moved Israel from the Red Sea, and they went out to the Desert of Shur, and they went for three days in the desert, but they did not find water. 23And they came to Marah, but they could not drink the water of Marah, for it was bitter, which is why it is called Marah. 24The people then complained about Moses, and they said, “What will we drink?” 25And he cried out to the Lord, and the Lord pointed out a piece of wood to him, which he threw into the water, and the water became freshwater. He established for them a statute and a law there, and he tested them there, 26and he said, “If you carefully obey the Lord your God, and do what is right in his sight, and hearken to his commandments and keep all his statutes, then I will not lay on you any of the diseases which I laid on Egypt, for I am the Lord your healer.” 27Then they came to Elim, where there were twelve springs of water and seventy date palm trees, and they encamped there by the water.

Reference(s) in Chapter 15: v.18 ↔ Revelation 11:15.

Exodus Chapter 16 

1Then they moved from Elim, and the whole congregation of the sons of Israel came to the Desert of Sin which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month, after they had come out of the land of Egypt. 2And the whole congregation of the sons of Israel complained about Moses and Aaron in the desert. 3And the sons of Israel said to them, “If only we could die at the Lord's hand in the land of Egypt, when we sat at the meat pot, when we ate bread to our fill, for you have brought us out into this desert to kill the whole of this convocation by starvation.” 4Then the Lord said to Moses, “You will see how I rain down bread for you from heaven, and the people will go out and collect a day's worth per day so that I may test them as to whether they walk in my law or not. 5And it will come to pass on the sixth day that they will prepare what they bring back, and it will be double what they collect on an ordinary day.” 6Then Moses and Aaron said to all the sons of Israel, “When evening comes, you will know that the Lord brought you out of the land of Egypt. 7And in the morning you will see the Lord's glory, because he has heard your complaining about the Lord. But as for us, what are we that you should complain about us?” 8And Moses said, “You will see this when the Lord gives you meat to eat in the evening, and bread in the morning to your fill, because the Lord has heard your complaints which you bring against him, but what are we? Your complaints are not against us, but against the Lord.” 9Then Moses said to Aaron, “Say to the whole congregation of the sons of Israel, ‘Come near before the Lord, for he has heard your complaints.’ ” 10Then it came to pass, when Aaron was speaking to the whole congregation of the sons of Israel, that they turned their gaze to the desert, and they saw that the glory of the Lord had appeared in the cloud. 11And the Lord spoke to Moses and said, 12“I have heard the complaints of the sons of Israel. Speak to them and say, ‘In the evening you will eat meat, and in the morning you will have your fill of bread, and you will know that I am the Lord your God.’ ” 13And it came to pass in the evening that quails came up and covered the camp, and in the morning there was a layer of dew around the camp. 14Then the layer of dew evaporated and revealed a flaky dust on the surface of the desert, dust like a hoarfrost on the ground. 15And when the sons of Israel saw it, they said one to another, “It is manna”, for they did not know what it was. Then Moses said to them, “This is the bread which the Lord has given you to eat. 16This is what the Lord commands: ‘Collect it – each one according his nutritional requirement – an omer per head for the number of people you are. Everyone is to take what is needed for those in his tent.’ ” 17So the sons of Israel did this and collected it – some a lot and some a little. 18And they measured it in omers, and he who had gathered a lot had no surplus, and he who had gathered a little had no lack. Each man gathered according to his nutritional requirement. 19Then Moses said to them, “Let no-one keep any of it over until the morning.” 20But they did not heed Moses, and some men kept some of it over until the morning, and it harboured worms, and it stank, and Moses became angry with them. 21So they collected it every morning, each man according to his nutritional requirement, then the sun would become hot, and it would melt. 22And it came to pass on the sixth day that they collected double the amount of bread – two omers for one. And all the leading people of the congregation came and told Moses. 23And he said to them, “This is what the Lord has spoken: ‘Tomorrow is a high Sabbath – a holy Sabbath to the Lord.’ Bake what you want to bake; cook what you want to cook, and store up until morning everything that is left over as a stock.” 24So they stored it until the morning, as Moses instructed them, and it did not become foul-smelling, nor were there worms in it. 25And Moses said, “Eat it today, for it is the Lord's Sabbath. Today you will not find it in the countryside. 26You will collect it for six days, but on the seventh day – the Sabbath – there will not be any there.” 27And it came to pass on the seventh day that some people went out to collect it, but they did not find any. 28Then the Lord said to Moses, “How long will you refuse to keep my commandments and my laws? 29See that the Lord has given you the Sabbath, which is why he is giving you bread for two days on the sixth day. Let everyone stay in his place; let no-one go from his place on the seventh day.” 30So the people rested on the seventh day. 31And the house of Israel called it manna, and it is like coriander seed, being white, and its taste is like cake kneaded with honey. 32Then Moses said, “This is what the Lord commanded: ‘Fill an omer of it, as a stock for your future generations so that they may see the bread with which I fed you in the desert, when I brought you out of the land of Egypt.’ ” 33And Moses said to Aaron, “Take an urn and put a full omer of manna in it, and place it before the Lord as a preserved item for your future generations.” 34As the Lord commanded Moses, so Aaron placed it before the testimony as a preserved item. 35And the sons of Israel ate the manna for forty years, until they came to inhabited land. They ate the manna until they came to the border of the land of Canaan. 36An omer is a tenth of an ephah.

Reference(s) in Chapter 16: v.18 ↔ 2 Corinthians 8:15.

Exodus Chapter 17 

1Then the whole congregation of the sons of Israel moved from the Desert of Sin in their moves at the instruction of the Lord, and they encamped at Rephidim, but there was no water for the people to drink. 2And the people argued with Moses and said, “Give us water to drink”, whereupon Moses said to them, “Why are you arguing with me? Why are you testing the Lord?” 3So the people thirsted for water there, and the people complained to Moses and said, “Why is it that you have brought us up out of Egypt to kill me and my sons and my cattle with thirst?” 4And Moses cried out to the Lord and said, “What should I do with this people? A little longer and they will be stoning me.” 5And the Lord said to Moses, “Go across in front of the people, and take some of the elders of Israel with you, and take in your hand your rod with which you struck the river. So go. 6You will see that I am standing before you there on the rock at Horeb, and you will strike the rock, and water will come out of it, and the people will drink.” So Moses did this in the sight of the elders of Israel. 7And he called the place Massah and Meribah, on account of the arguing of the sons of Israel and on account of their testing the Lord, when they said, “Is the Lord in our midst or not?” 8Then Amalek came and fought against Israel in Rephidim. 9And Moses said to Joshua, “Select men for us and go out to fight against Amalek. Tomorrow I will be standing on the top of the hill with the rod of God in my hand.” 10And Joshua did as Moses had said to him, to fight against Amalek, while Moses and Aaron and Hur went up to the top of the hill. 11And it was the case that when Moses lifted up his hand, Israel prevailed, but when he let his hand drop, Amalek prevailed. 12And Moses' hands became heavy, so they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat on it, and Aaron and Hur supported his hands, one on one side and one on the other side, so his hands were steady until the sun set. 13So Joshua defeated Amalek and his people by the blade of the sword. 14And the Lord said to Moses, “Write this down as a memorial in a book, and recite it in Joshua's ears, for I will thoroughly wipe out the memory of Amalek under heaven.” 15Then Moses built an altar and called it The Lord is my Banner. 16And he said, “Because there is a hand on the throne of the Lord, the Lord will have war with Amalek from generation to generation.”

Exodus Chapter 18 

1When Jethro the priest of Midian, Moses' father-in-law, heard everything that God had done for Moses and for Israel his people – that the Lord had brought Israel out of Egypt – 2Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, then took Zipporah Moses' wife back, after her being sent back, 3and her two sons, of whom the name of one was Gershom, because he had said, “I was a foreigner in a foreign land”, 4and the name of the other was Eliezer, because he had said, “The God of my father is present as my help, and he delivered me from Pharaoh's sword.” 5Then Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, came with his sons and his wife to Moses in the desert where he was encamped at the mountain of God, 6and he said to Moses, “I, Jethro your father-in-law, have come to you, as have your wife and her two sons with her.” 7And Moses went out to meet his father-in-law, and he bowed and kissed him, and each asked how the other was, and they went to the tent. 8And Moses told his father-in-law everything the Lord had done to Pharaoh and to Egypt for the sake of Israel, and all the hardship which they had met with on the way and how the Lord had delivered them. 9And Jethro rejoiced at all the good which the Lord had done to Israel in delivering them from Egypt's grip. 10And Jethro said, “Blessed is the Lord, who delivered you from Egypt's grip and from Pharaoh's grip – who delivered the people from being in the grip of Egypt. 11Now I know that the Lord is greater than any of the gods, for it is apparent in the matter where they acted insolently against them.” 12And Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, took a burnt offering and sacrifices to God, and Aaron came, as did all the elders of Israel, to eat bread before God with Moses' father-in-law. 13And it came to pass on the next day that Moses sat down to judge the people, and the people stood before Moses from the morning until the evening. 14And Moses' father-in-law saw everything that he was doing with the people, and he said, “What is this business that you are doing with the people? Why are you sitting on your own while all the people are standing opposite you from morning to evening?” 15And Moses said to his father-in-law, “Because the people have come to me to consult God. 16If they have an issue, they come to me and I judge between a man and his neighbour, and I make God's statutes and his laws known.” 17Then Moses' father-in-law said to him, “The thing you are doing isn't right. 18You will utterly exhaust yourself, both you and this people which is with you, for the procedure is too burdensome for you; you cannot do it on your own. 19So now listen to me. I will advise you, and may God be with you. Be in the service of the people yourself opposite God, and bring the cases to God, 20and instruct them in the statutes and the laws, and make known to them the way which they should go, and the things which they should do. 21But select from all the people men of valour, who fear God, men of truth who hate dishonest gain, and appoint over the people men in charge of a thousand, men in charge of a hundred, men in charge of fifty and men in charge of ten. 22And they will judge the people all the time, and it will be the case that they will bring every major issue to you, but these men will judge every minor matter, and it will relieve you, and they will bear the burden with you. 23If you do this thing, and God so instructs you, you will be able to cope, and also all this people will be able to go to their place in peace.” 24And Moses concurred with his father-in-law, and he did everything he said. 25So Moses selected men of valour from the whole of Israel and appointed them as heads over the people: men in charge of a thousand, men in charge of a hundred, men in charge of fifty and men in charge of ten. 26And they judged the people all the time, but they brought any difficult matter to Moses, whereas they judged every minor matter themselves. 27Then Moses let his father-in-law go, and he went his way to his land.

Exodus Chapter 19 

1In the third month after the exodus of the sons of Israel from the land of Egypt, on the same day, they came to the Sinai Desert. 2And they travelled from Rephidim and came to the Sinai Desert, and they encamped in the desert. And Israel encamped there opposite the mountain. 3Then Moses went up to God, and the Lord called to him from the mountain and said, “This is what you will say to the house of Jacob and what you will tell the sons of Israel: 4‘You have seen what I did to Egypt, when I lifted you up on the wings of eagles and brought you to me. 5So now, if you will rigorously obey me and keep my covenant, you will be a special acquisition of mine above all the nations, for the whole earth is mine. 6And you will be a kingdom of priests to me, and a holy nation.’ Those are the things which you will speak to the sons of Israel.” 7Then Moses came back and called the elders of the people, and he set before them all these things which the Lord had commanded him. 8Then all the people answered together and said, “We will do everything that the Lord has said.” Moses then reported the words of the people to the Lord. 9And the Lord said to Moses, “Behold, I am about to come to you in a thick cloud, so that the people may hear when I speak with you, and that they may believe you age-abidingly.” Moses then told the words of the people to the Lord. 10And the Lord said to Moses, “Go to the people and sanctify them today and tomorrow, and they must wash their clothes. 11And be prepared for the third day, for on the third day, the Lord will descend in the sight of all the people to Mount Sinai. 12And restrict the people round about and say, ‘Be careful not to go up into the mountain or to touch its edge. Everyone who touches the mountain will certainly be put to death. 13Let no hand touch it, otherwise he will certainly be stoned or shot through; whether beast or man, he shall not live.’ When the horn is sounded then they will go up into the mountain.” 14Then Moses came down from the mountain to the people, and he sanctified the people, and they washed their clothes. 15And he said to the people, “Be prepared; do not approach your wife for three days.” 16And it came to pass on the third day while it was morning that there were sounds and lightning flashes and a dense cloud at the mountain, and a very loud sound of a ramshorn, and all the people who were in the camp trembled. 17Then Moses brought the people out from the camp to meet God, and they stood at the bottom of the mountain. 18And Mount Sinai was smoke all over, because the Lord had descended onto it with fire, and its smoke ascended like the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mountain trembled greatly. 19And when the sound of the ramshorn resounded very loudly, Moses spoke, and God answered him with a voice. 20And the Lord descended onto Mount Sinai, to the top of the mountain, and the Lord called Moses to the top of the mountain, and Moses went up. 21And the Lord said to Moses, “Go down and testify to the people not to break through to the Lord to see him, whereby many of them would fall down dead. 22And let the priests who also approach the Lord sanctify themselves, in case the Lord breaks out against them.” 23Then Moses said to the Lord, “The people will not be able to come up to Mount Sinai, for you testified to us and said, ‘Delimit the mountain and sanctify it.’ ” 24And the Lord said to him, “Go, go down and come up, you and Aaron with you, but do not let the priests and the people break through to come up to the Lord, in case he breaks out against them.” 25So Moses went down to the people and spoke to them.

Reference(s) in Chapter 19: v.6 ↔ Revelation 1:6, Revelation 5:10, Revelation 20:6 ● v.13 ↔ Hebrews 12:20.

Exodus Chapter 20 

1Then God spoke all these things and said, 2“I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of a house of slavery. 3You shall not have any other gods besides me. 4You shall not make yourself any engraved image or any image of what is in heaven above or of what is on the earth below, or of what is in the water below the surface of the earth. 5You shall not worship them, and you shall not serve them, for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the sons, and on those of the third generation, and on those of the fourth generation, of those who hate me, 6and showing kindness to thousands, to those who love me and to those who keep my commandments. 7You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him who takes his name in vain innocent. 8Remember the Sabbath day, to sanctify it. 9For six days you shall work and carry out all your business, 10but the seventh day is the Lord your God's Sabbath. You shall not do any work on itneither you nor your son nor your daughter, neither your manservant nor your maidservant, nor your cattle, nor your foreigner who is within your gates. 11For in six days the Lord made heaven and the earth and the sea, and everything that is in them, and on the seventh day he rested, which is why the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and sanctified it. 12Honour your father and your mother, in order that your days may be long on the land which the Lord your God is giving you. 13You shall not commit murder. 14You shall not commit adultery. 15You shall not steal. 16You shall not give a false testimony against your neighbour. 17You shall not covet your neighbour's house; you shall not covet your neighbour's wife, or his manservant, or his maidservant, or his ox, or his donkey, or anything which is your neighbour's.” 18And all the people experienced the thunderings and the flames with the sound of the ramshorn and the mountain smoking, and when the people saw it, they were perturbed, and they stood at a distance. 19And they said to Moses, “You speak with us, and we will listen, but don't let God speak with us, so that we don't die.” 20Then Moses said to the people, “Don't be afraid, for God has come in order to test you, and so that fear of him should be prominent in your minds, so that you do not sin.” 21So the people stood at a distance, but Moses approached the thick cloud where God was. 22And the Lord said to Moses, “This is what you will say to the sons of Israel: ‘You have seen that I spoke with you from heaven. 23You shall not make gods of silver competing with me, nor shall you make yourselves gods of gold. 24You shall make me an altar of earth, and you shall sacrifice your burnt offerings on it, and your peace-offerings, and your sheep, and your oxen. Everywhere where I cause my name to be remembered I will come to you and bless you. 25And if you make me an altar of stone, you shall not build it with hewn stones, for if you apply your cutting blade to it, you defile it. 26And you shall not go up to my altar by steps, so that your nakedness is not exposed at it.’

Reference(s) in Chapter 20: v.7 ↔ Matthew 5:33 ● v.12 ↔ Matthew 15:4, Matthew 19:19, Mark 7:10, Mark 10:19, Luke 18:20, Ephesians 6:2, Ephesians 6:3 ● v.13 ↔ Matthew 5:21, Matthew 19:18, Mark 10:19, Luke 18:20, Romans 13:9, James 2:11 ● v.14 ↔ Matthew 5:27, Matthew 19:18, Mark 10:19, Luke 18:20, Romans 13:9, James 2:11 ● v.15 ↔ Matthew 19:18, Mark 10:19, Luke 18:20, Romans 13:9 ● v.16 ↔ Matthew 19:18, Mark 10:19, Luke 18:20, Romans 13:9RP‑marg,TR ● v.17 ↔ Romans 7:7, Romans 13:9.

Exodus Chapter 21 

1And these are the principles of justice which you will set out before them. 2If you acquire a Hebrew servant, he will serve for six years, then in the seventh year, he will go out free, without any claim on him. 3If he comes on his own, he will go out on his own; if he is the husband of a wife, then his wife will go out with him. 4If his master gives him a wife, and she bears him sons or daughters, the wife and her children will be her master's, and he will go out on his own. 5If the servant positively says, ‘I love my master, my wife and my sons; I will not go out free’, 6then his master will bring him to the representatives of God, then he will bring him to the door or to the doorpost, and his master will bore through his ear with an awl, and he will serve him indefinitely. 7And if a man sells his daughter as a maidservant, she will not go out as menservants go out. 8If she is bad in the sight of her master who appointed her to himself, then he will have her redeemed. He shall not have authority to sell her to a foreign nation in his deceitful dealing with her. 9And if he appoints her for his son, he will deal with her according to the custom for daughters. 10If he takes another woman to wife, he shall not diminish her food and clothing and marital rights. 11If he does not do these three things for her, she shall go out without claim on her, without financial consequences. 12He who strikes a man so that he dies shall certainly be put to death. 13But if he did not deliberately kill him, but God caused him to cross paths with him, then I will appoint you a place to which he can flee. 14But when a man is incensed against his neighbour to the point of deliberately killing him, you will take him from my altar to be put to death. 15And he who strikes his father or his mother will certainly be put to death. 16And he who abducts a man and sells him, or if the man is found in his power, he will certainly be put to death. 17And he who curses his father or his mother will certainly be put to death. 18And if men argue, and a man strikes his neighbour with a stone or with his fist, and he doesn't die, but becomes bed-ridden, 19then if he recovers and can walk about outside with his stick, then he who struck him will be acquitted, except that he will compensate him for his time recovering, and he will see to a complete recovery. 20And if a man strikes his manservant or his maidservant with a stick, and he or she dies when under his charge, he will certainly be avenged. 21But if after a day or two he can stand, he will not be avenged, because he is his source of income. 22And if men quarrel and strike a pregnant woman and her unborn baby miscarries, but there is no further injury, he will certainly be punished according to what the husband of the woman imposes on him, and he will pay in the presence of the judges. 23If there is further injury, you will impose life for life, 24an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, a hand for a hand, a foot for a foot, 25a burn for a burn, a wound for a wound, scarring for scarring. 26If a man strikes his manservant's eye or his maidservant's eye and ruins it, he shall let him go free as compensation for his eye. 27If he knocks out a tooth of his manservant's or a tooth of his maidservant's, he will let him go free as compensation for his tooth. 28And if an ox butts a man or a woman and he or she dies, the ox will certainly be stoned and its flesh will not be eaten, and the owner of the ox will be innocent. 29But if the ox had been prone to butting for some time, and it had been solemnly stated to its owner, but he did not keep it securely, and the ox killed a man or a woman, it shall be stoned, and also its owner shall be put to death. 30If bail is imposed on him, then he must make the bail payment for his life according to everything that was imposed on him. 31Whether it butts a son or butts a daughter, the matter will be dealt with for him according to this law. 32If the ox butts a manservant or a maidservant, the owner shall give thirty shekels of silver to the servant's master and the ox will be stoned. 33And if a man opens up a pit or a man digs a pit and does not cover it, and an ox or donkey falls into it, 34the owner of the pit shall pay money in compensation to its owner, and the dead animal will be his. 35And if a man's ox butts a neighbour's ox, and it dies, they shall sell the ox that is alive, and they will divide the proceeds of it, and they will also share the dead animal. 36But if it was known that the ox had been prone to butting for some time, and its owner had not kept it securely, he shall certainly pay an ox for an ox, and the dead ox will be his.

Reference(s) in Chapter 21: v.17 ↔ Matthew 15:4, Mark 7:10 ● v.24 ↔ Matthew 5:38.

Exodus Chapter 22 

1If a man steals an ox or sheep and slaughters it or sells it, he shall repay five oxen for the ox, and four sheep for the sheep. 2If a burglar is caught breaking in and is struck down and dies, the striker has no guilt of bloodshed. 3If the striker does it in broad daylight, he is guilty of bloodshed. Otherwise, the burglar must certainly repay, and if he does not have the means, he will be sold for his burglary. 4If the stolen goods are plainly found in his possession, whether an ox or a donkey or a sheep, alive, he shall repay double. 5If a man consumes the produce of a field or vineyard, or sends his cattle in, and it feeds in the fields of another person, on the best part of his field or on the best part of his vineyard, he shall pay compensation. 6If a fire breaks out and spreads to thorns, and a stack of corn or the standing corn or the field is consumed, he who lit the fire will certainly pay compensation for the fire-damage. 7If a man gives his neighbour money or goods to keep for him, and they are stolen from the man's house, if the thief is found, he shall repay double. 8If the thief cannot be found, the owner of the house will approach the representatives of God to see whether he laid his hand on his neighbour's property or not. 9For every criminal matter, for an ox, for a donkey, for a sheep, for an item of clothing, for any lost item which someone claims to be his, the dispute between the two of them will come to the representatives of God. The one the representatives of God condemn will pay double to his neighbour. 10If a man gives his neighbour a donkey or an ox, or a sheep, or any cattle to keep for him, and it dies or is wounded, or it is rustled with no-one seeing it, 11an oath to the Lord will be made between the two of them, that he did not lay his hand on his neighbour's property, and its owner will accept it, and the other will not have to pay. 12But if it was evidently stolen from him, he will compensate its owner. 13If it has been badly mauled, let him bring the mauled animal as evidence, and he will not have to pay. 14And if a man borrows anything from his neighbour, and it becomes wounded or dies, when the owner of it is not present, he will certainly pay compensation. 15If the owner of it is present, he shall not pay; if he is a hired labourer, it is a matter of his hire arrangements. 16If a man seduces a virgin who is not betrothed and lies with her, he will certainly purchase her as his wife with a dowry. 17If her father resolutely refuses to give her to him, he shall weigh out silver according to the dowry of virgins. 18You shall not let a sorceress live. 19Everyone who lies with cattle will certainly be put to death. 20He who sacrifices to any gods except the Lord alone will be solemnly executed. 21You shall not maltreat a foreigner or oppress him, for you were foreigners in the land of Egypt. 22You shall not ill-treat any widow or orphan. 23If you nevertheless ill-treat him, considering how he would doubtlessly cry out to me, I will certainly hear his crying out, 24and my anger will be kindled, and I will kill you by the sword, and your wives will become widows, and your sons orphans. 25If you lend money to my people – to the poor in your society – you shall not be as it were a lender at interest to him; you shall not impose interest on him. 26If you take your neighbour's clothing in a pledge at all, you shall return it to him by sunset. 27For it is his only covering. It is his clothing for his skin. Otherwise, with what can he lie down? And it will be the case that if he cries out to me, I will hear him, for I am gracious. 28You shall not despise the representatives of God, nor curse a leader among your people. 29You shall not be late in offering your full produce or your extracted liquids. You shall give me the firstborn of your sons. 30This is what you shall do with your ox and your sheep: it shall be seven days with its mother, then on the eighth day you shall give it to me. 31And you will be holy men to me, and you shall not eat flesh mauled in the field; you shall throw it to the dogs.

Reference(s) in Chapter 22: v.28 ↔ Acts 23:5.

Exodus Chapter 23 

1You shall not raise a false report. Do not join the wicked in being a false witness. 2You shall not be a follower of the powerful in wicked deeds, and you shall not testify in a dispute by leaning towards the powerful, so perverting the course of justice. 3Neither shall you favour the needy in his dispute. 4If you come across your enemy's ox or donkey which is straying, you shall return it to him without fail. 5If you see the donkey of someone who hates you lying under its burden, and you would decline to help it, you shall certainly help it. 6You shall not pervert the course of justice for the poor man among you in his dispute. 7Avoid false statements, and do not kill the innocent and righteous, for I will not pronounce the wicked righteous. 8And you shall not accept a bribe, for the bribe blinds the sighted and subverts the words of the righteous. 9And you shall not oppress the foreigner, for you know the feelings of the foreigner, for you were foreigners in the land of Egypt. 10Now for six years you shall sow your land and gather its produce, 11but in the seventh year you shall leave it uncultivated and leave it fallow, so that the poor among your people may eat, and the wild animals can eat what they leave. So shall you also do with your vineyard and your olive grove. 12For six days you can do your business, but on the seventh day you shall rest, in order that your ox and your donkey should rest, and the son of your maidservant and the foreigner should be refreshed. 13And you shall take heed of everything that I have said to you, and you shall not make mention of the name of other gods – it shall not be heard from your mouth. 14Three times per year you shall hold a festival to me. 15You shall keep the Festival of Unleavened Bread, when for seven days you shall eat unleavened bread as I commanded you, at the set time in the month of Abib, for in it you came out of Egypt, and none shall see my face empty-handed; 16and the Festival of the Harvest, the firstfruits of your labours, that which you sow in the field; and the Festival of the Ingathering, at the end of the year, when you gather your produce from the field. 17Three times per year all your male population shall appear in the presence of the Lord, the Lord. 18You shall not offer the blood of my sacrifice with leavened bread, and the fat of my festival shall not remain until the morning. 19You shall bring the prime firstfruits of your land to the house of the Lord your God. You shall not cook a goat-kid in its mother's milk. 20Behold, I am sending an angel out before you to keep you on the way and to bring you to the place which I have prepared. 21Be circumspect with him and obey him. Do not provoke him, for he will not pardon your transgression, for my name is central to him. 22But if you diligently obey him and do everything that I say, then I will be an enemy to your enemies, and I will be an adversary to your adversaries. 23For my angel will go in front of you and bring you to the Amorite and the Hittite and the Perizzite and the Canaanite and the Hivite and the Jebusite, and I will annihilate them. 24You shall not worship their gods, and you shall not serve them, and you shall not do what they do, but you will utterly demolish them and thoroughly shatter their idolatrous statues. 25Rather, you will serve the Lord your God, and he will bless your bread and your water, and I will remove any sickness from your community. 26You will not miscarry or be infertile in your land; I will fill the number of your days. 27I will send dread of myself ahead of you, and I will rout all of any nation which you come to, and I will make all your enemies turn their backs to you. 28And I will send wasps in front of you, and they will drive out the Hivite, the Canaanite and the Hittite before you. 29I will not drive them out before you in one year, so that the land does not become a desolation, and wild animals increase against you. 30Little by little I will drive them out before you, until you increase in number and inherit the land. 31And I will set your border from the Red Sea to the Sea of the Philistines and from the desert up to the river, for I will deliver the inhabitants of the land into your hand, and you will drive them out before you. 32You shall not make a covenant with them or with their gods. 33They will not dwell in your land, so that they do not make you sin against me, for if you were to serve their gods, it would be a snare to you.”

Exodus Chapter 24 

1Then he said to Moses, “Come up to the Lord, you and Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel, and worship from a distance. 2And Moses alone shall approach the Lord, but they shall not approach. And the people shall not go up with him.” 3Moses then came and told the people all the Lord's words and all the injunctions, and all the people answered unanimously and said, “We will do all the things which the Lord has said.” 4And Moses wrote down all the words of the Lord, and he got up early in the morning and built an altar under the mountain, and twelve pillars to the twelve tribes of Israel. 5And he sent youths of the sons of Israel to offer burnt offerings and to offer peace-sacrifices of bulls to the Lord. 6Then Moses took half of the blood and put it in basins, and he sprinkled half of the blood on the altar. 7And he took the book of the covenant, and he read it in the audience of the people. And they said, “We will do and obey everything the Lord has said.” 8Then Moses took the blood and sprinkled it on the people and said, “Behold the blood of the covenant which the Lord has made with you concerning all these things.” 9Then Moses went up, as did Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel. 10And they saw the God of Israel, and under his feet was a kind of artefact of clear sapphire, and like the sky itself in purity. 11And he did not lay his hand on the noble men of the sons of Israel, and they beheld God, and they ate and drank. 12Then the Lord said to Moses, “Come up the mountain to me and be there, and I will give you the slabs of stone and the law and the commandments which I have written so as to instruct them.” 13And Moses arose, as did his servant Joshua, and Moses went up the mountain of God. 14But he said to the elders, “Wait for us here until we return to you, and look, Aaron and Hur are with you. Let whoever has an issue approach them.” 15Then Moses went up the mountain, and a cloud covered the mountain. 16And the glory of the Lord rested on Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it for six days, then he called to Moses on the seventh day from within the cloud. 17And the appearance of the glory of the Lord was as a consuming fire on the summit of the mountain, in the sight of the sons of Israel. 18And Moses went inside the cloud, and he went up the mountain, and Moses was on the mountain for forty days and forty nights.

Reference(s) in Chapter 24: v.8 ↔ Hebrews 9:20.

Exodus Chapter 25 

1And the Lord spoke to Moses and said, 2“Tell the sons of Israel to bring me a heave-offering. You shall take my heave-offering from every man whose heart wills it. 3And this is the heave-offering which you shall take from them: gold and silver and copper, 4and blue and purple and scarlet material, and fine linen and goat's hair, 5and rams' skins dyed red, and badgers' skins and acacia wood, 6and lamp-oil, fragrances for anointing oil and for aromatic incense, 7onyx gemstones, and stones for setting in the ephod and the breastplate. 8And they shall make me a sanctuary so that I may dwell in their midst, 9according to everything that I am about to show you – the model of the tabernacle and the model of all its equipment – and that is how you shall make it. 10And make an ark of acacia wood, two and a half cubits in length and one and a half cubits in width and one and a half cubits in height. 11And you will overlay it with pure gold; you will overlay it inside and outside, and you will make a golden edge on it all around. 12And you will cast four golden rings for it, and you will put them on its four corner-posts, with two rings on one side of it, and two rings on the other side of it. 13And you shall make poles from acacia wood and overlay them with gold. 14And you will pass the poles through the rings on the sides of the ark, to carry the ark by means of them. 15The poles will be through the rings of the ark; they shall not be removed from it. 16And you will put the testimony which I will give you in the ark. 17And you will make an atonement cover of pure gold, two and a half cubits in length and one and a half cubits in width. 18And you will make two cherubim of gold; you will make them as beaten work at the two ends of the atonement cover. 19And make one cherub at one end and one cherub at the other end. Make the cherubim from the atonement cover at its two ends. 20And the cherubim will be with wings spread upwards, covering the atonement cover with their wings, and they will face each other. The faces of the cherubim will be directed towards the atonement cover. 21And you will put the atonement cover on the ark from above, and you will put the testimony which I will give you in the ark. 22And I will be known to you there, and I will speak with you from above the atonement cover, from between the two cherubim which are on the ark of the testimony, and I will tell you everything that I command you for the sons of Israel. 23And you shall make a table from acacia wood, two cubits in length and a cubit in width, and one and a half cubits in height, 24and you will overlay it with pure gold, and you will make a golden edge for it to go around it. 25And you will make it a rim a handbreadth wide, all around, and you will make a golden edge for the rim all around. 26And you will make four golden rings for it, and you will put the rings on the four corners which are at its four legs. 27And the rings will be joined to the rim, as receptacles for the poles by which to carry the table. 28And you will make the poles from acacia wood, and you will overlay them with gold, and the table will be carried by means of them. 29And you will make its dishes and spoons and bowls and vials by which libations are poured. You will make them of pure gold. 30And you will place showbread on the table before me always. 31And you will make a lampstand of pure gold. The lampstand will be made as beaten work – its main stem and its branches. Its cups, its knobs and its flowers will diverge from it. 32And there will be six branches coming out of its sides – three branches of the lampstand from one of its sides and three lampstand branches from the other side. 33There will be three almond-shaped cups on one branch, with a knob and a flower, and three almond-shaped cups on another branch, with a knob and a flower. This is how it will be for the six branches coming out of the lampstand. 34And in the main stem of the lampstand there will be four almond-shaped cups with its knobs and its flowers. 35And there will be a knob under the two branches where they diverge from it and a knob under the two branches where they diverge from it and a knob under the two branches where they diverge from it, this being for the six branches which come out of the lampstand. 36Their knobs and their branches will be integral to it. All of it will be work beaten from one piece of pure gold. 37And you will make its seven lamps, and the lamps will be lit, and it will give light straight forwards. 38And its snuffing-tongs and snuff-dishes shall be of pure gold. 39From a talent of gold he shall make it, with all these accessories. 40And see that you make them according to the model of them which you were shown on the mountain.

Reference(s) in Chapter 25: v.9 ↔ Acts 7:44, Hebrews 8:5 ● v.40 ↔ Acts 7:44, Hebrews 8:5.

Exodus Chapter 26 

1And you will make the tabernacle with ten curtains of fine twined linen, with blue and purple and scarlet dye; you will make them with cherubim, as the work of a damask weaver. 2The length of one curtain will be twenty-eight cubits, and the width will be four cubits per curtain. There will be one size for all the curtains. 3There will be five curtains joined one to another, then five curtains joined one to another. 4And you will make loops of blue material on the hem of one curtain, at the edge with the adjoining one, and you will do likewise on the hem of the last curtain, at the second join. 5You will make fifty loops on one curtain, and you will make fifty loops on the edge of the curtain which is at the second join, so that the loops hold each other together. 6And you will make fifty clasps of gold, and you will join the curtains to each other by the clasps so that the tabernacle becomes a unity. 7And you will make curtains of goat's hair, as a tent over the tabernacle. You will make eleven such curtains. 8The length of one curtain will be thirty cubits, and the width will be four cubits per curtain. There will be one size for the eleven curtains. 9And you will join five curtains separately, and six curtains separately, and you will fold the sixth curtain double towards the front of the tent. 10And you will make fifty loops on the hem of one curtain – the last one to the adjoining one – and fifty loops on the hem of the other adjoining curtain. 11And you will make fifty copper clasps, and you will bring the clasps through the loops so that you join the tent up so that it becomes a unity. 12And the superfluous part of the curtains of the tent which remains – the half curtain which remains – will be draped over at the back of the tabernacle. 13And the cubit on one side and the cubit on the other side of what remains in the length of the curtains of the tent will be draped over at the side of the tabernacle on each side to cover it. 14And you will make the covering for the tent from rams' skins dyed red, with a covering from badgers' skins above it. 15And you will make the boards for the tabernacle from acacia wood, to be standing vertically. 16The length of one board will be ten cubits, and the width of one board will be one and a half cubits. 17Two tenons per board will each be joined to its counterpart. This is how you shall make it for all the boards of the tabernacle. 18And you will make twenty boards for the tabernacle on the south side, south-facing. 19And you will make forty silver sockets to go under the twenty boards – two sockets under one board for its two tenons, and two sockets under another board for its two tenons. 20And the second side of the tabernacle – the north side – will have twenty boards. 21And you will make forty silver sockets for them, two sockets under one board, and two sockets under another board. 22And for the flank of the tabernacle to the west you will make six boards. 23And you will make two boards for the corners of the tabernacle on its flanks, 24and they will be coupled from below, and they will be perfectly aligned up to the top of it, to a ring. The two of them will be made this way; they will be at the two corners. 25And there will be eight boards and their silver sockets – sixteen sockets – two sockets under one board, and two sockets under another board. 26And you will make bolts of acacia wood: five bolts for the boards of one side of the tabernacle, 27and five bolts for the boards of the second side of the tabernacle, and five bolts for the boards of the side of the tabernacle on the west flank. 28And the middle bolt inside the boards will pass from end to end. 29You will overlay the boards with gold, and you will make their rings from gold, as receptacles for the bolts, and you will overlay the bolts with gold. 30So you will set up the tabernacle according to its blueprint which you were shown on the mountain. 31And you will make a veil of blue, purple and scarlet thread and fine twined linen – the work of a damask weaver. It will be made with cherubim. 32And you will put it on four acacia wood columns, overlaid with gold, with their golden hooks on four silver sockets. 33And you will put the veil under the clasps, and you will bring the ark of the testimony there inside the veil, and the veil will be a demarcation for you between the holy place and the holy of holies. 34And you will put the atonement cover on the ark of the testimony in the holy of holies. 35And you will put the table outside the veil, and the lampstand opposite the table on the south side of the tabernacle, and you will put the table on the north side. 36And you will make a screen for the door of the tent from blue and purple and scarlet thread, and fine twined linen, the workmanship of an embroiderer. 37And you will make five columns of acacia wood for the screen, and you will overlay them with gold, and their hooks will be of gold, and you will cast five copper sockets for them.

Reference(s) in Chapter 26: v.30 ↔ Acts 7:44, Hebrews 8:5.

Exodus Chapter 27 

1And you will make an altar of acacia wood, five cubits in length and five cubits in width. The altar will be square, and its height will be three cubits. 2And you shall make its horns on its four corners. The horns will be integral to it, and you will overlay it with copper. 3And you shall make its pans for removing ashes from it, and its shovels, and its basins, and its forks, and its firepans. You shall make all its equipment from copper. 4And you will make it a grate, a meshed artefact of copper, and you shall make four copper rings on the mesh at its four corners. 5And you shall put it below the ledge of the altar, underneath, and the mesh will extend up to half the size of the altar. 6And you shall make poles for the altar – poles of acacia wood – and you will overlay them with copper. 7And its poles will be brought through the rings so that the poles will be at the two sides of the altar for carrying it. 8You shall make it hollow with panels. As it was shown to you on the mountain, so they shall make it. 9And you will make the courtyard of the tabernacle. On the south side, facing south, the courtyard will have drapes of fine twined linen. It will be one hundred cubits in length for one side. 10And you will make its twenty columns and their twenty copper sockets, and hooks for the columns and their silver connectors. 11And similarly you shall make for the northern side over its length drapes for a length of one hundred cubits, and its twenty columns, and their twenty copper sockets, and the hooks for the columns, and their silver connectors. 12And the width of the courtyard on the western side with drapes will be fifty cubits, with their ten columns and their ten sockets. 13And the width of the courtyard on the eastern side will be fifty cubits. 14And there will be fifteen cubits of drapes on the side with their three columns and their three sockets. 15And on the other side there will be fifteen cubits of drapes with their three columns and their three sockets. 16And for the gate of the courtyard there will be a screen of twenty cubits of blue and purple and scarlet thread and fine twined linen, the work of an embroiderer, and their four columns and their four sockets. 17All the columns around the courtyard will be connected by silver. Their hooks will be of silver but their sockets will be of copper. 18The length of the courtyard will be one hundred cubits, and its width will be fifty throughout, and its height will be five cubits of fine twined linen, and their sockets will be of copper. 19All the equipment of the tabernacle used in all its service, and all its pegs and all the pegs of the courtyard will be of copper. 20And you will command the sons of Israel, and they will bring you pure beaten olive oil for the lamp, to be offered up as a perpetual light. 21In the tent of contact outside the veil which is at the ark of the testimony, Aaron and his sons will attend to it from evening to morning before the Lord. It is an age-abiding statute for their generations with the sons of Israel.

Exodus Chapter 28 

1Have Aaron your brother join you, and his sons with him, coming from the sons of Israel, for him to serve as a priest to me: Aaron with Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar, Aaron's sons. 2And you will make holy garments for Aaron your brother, for glory and for splendour. 3And you will speak to all the skilled men whom I have filled with a spirit of wisdom, and they will make Aaron's garments, to sanctify him for him to serve as a priest to me. 4And these are the garments which they shall make: a breastplate and an ephod and a robe and a chequered tunic, a turban and a girdle. So they will make holy garments for Aaron your brother and for his sons, for him to serve as a priest to me. 5And they will take the gold, and the blue and purple and scarlet thread, and the fine linen, 6and they will make the ephod from the gold and blue and purple and scarlet thread and the fine twined linen, the work of a damask weaver. 7It will have two shoulder-pieces joined to its two ends, so it will be joined up. 8And the embroidered belt of his ephod, which goes over it, will be of similar workmanship to it, of gold, blue and purple and scarlet thread and fine twined linen. 9And you will take two onyx gemstones, and you will engrave the names of the sons of Israel on them, 10– six of their names on one gemstone and the six remaining names on the second gemstone according to their lineage. 11You will engrave the two gemstones with the work of a gemstone engraver, with the engravings of a signet, with the names of the sons of Israel. You shall enclose them in golden bezels. 12And you shall put the two gemstones on the shoulder-pieces of the ephod as memorial gemstones to the sons of Israel, and Aaron will wear their names in the presence of the Lord on his two shoulder-pieces as a memorial. 13And you shall make bezels of gold, 14and two chains of pure gold; you shall make them as edgings, as wreathed work, and you will put the wreathed chains on the bezels. 15And you will make a breastplate of judgment, the work of a damask weaver. You shall make it like the work of the ephod. You shall make it of gold and blue and purple and scarlet thread, and fine twined linen. 16It shall be square and doubled; its length will be a span and its breadth will be a span. 17And in it you will set the gemstones to be inserted as four rows of gemstones; there will be a row of ruby, topaz and emerald. That is the first row. 18And the second row will consist of chrysoprase, sapphire and diamond. 19And the third row will consist of ligure, agate and amethyst. 20And the fourth row will consist of chrysolite, onyx and jasper. They will be set in gold when they are set. 21And the gemstones will be with the names of the sons of Israel – twelve of them with their names – the engravings being as a signet. Each one will be with its name for the twelve tribes. 22You will make edging chains on the breastplate, wreathed work of pure gold. 23And you will make two golden rings on the breastplate, and you will put the two rings on the two ends of the breastplate. 24And you will put the two golden wreaths on the two rings at the ends of the breastplate. 25And you will put the two ends – the two wreaths – in the two bezels, and you will put them on the shoulder-pieces of the ephod on the front of it. 26And you will make two golden rings and put them on the two ends of the breastplate, on its hem which is on the side of the ephod facing inwards. 27And you will make two golden rings and put them on the two shoulder-pieces of the ephod underneath, at the front of it, opposite its join, above the embroidered belt of the ephod. 28And they shall bind the breastplate by its rings to the rings of the ephod with a thread of blue yarn, to be above the embroidered belt of the ephod, so the breastplate does not become displaced from the ephod. 29And Aaron will wear the names of the sons of Israel on the breastplate of judgment, over his heart, when he goes into the holy place, as a memorial before the Lord continually. 30And you will put the Urim and the Thummim on the breastplate of judgment, and they will be over Aaron's heart when he comes before the Lord, and Aaron will bear the judgment of the sons of Israel on his heart before the Lord continually. 31And you will make the robe of the ephod entirely from blue material. 32And there will be an opening for his head in the middle of it. There will be a hem to its opening around it, the workmanship of a weaver. It will be like the opening of a coat of mail, so that it does not tear. 33And you will make on its edges pomegranates of blue and purple and scarlet thread, on its edges all around, and golden bells inside them all around. 34A golden bell and a pomegranate, a golden bell and a pomegranate, on the edges of the robe all around. 35And it will be on Aaron for him to minister in, and his voice will be heard when he comes into the holy place before the Lord, and when he goes out, he will not die. 36And you will make a shining plate of pure gold, and you will engrave on it an engraving as for a signet, ‘Holiness to the Lord.’ 37And you will display it with a blue thread so that it is on the turban, and it will be on the front of the turban. 38And it will be on Aaron's forehead, and Aaron will carry away the iniquity of the holy things which the sons of Israel will sanctify with all their holy gifts, and it will always be on his forehead, so that they may be pleasing before the Lord. 39And you will weave the fine linen tunic, and you will make a fine linen turban, and you will make a girdle, the workmanship of an embroiderer. 40And you will make tunics for Aaron's sons, and you will make them girdles, and you will make them high headgear for glory and splendour. 41And you will put them on Aaron your brother, and his sons with him, and you will anoint them and consecrate them, and you will sanctify them so that they may serve as priests to me. 42And make them fine linen trousers to cover naked flesh. They will be from the loins to the thighs. 43And they will be on Aaron and on his sons when they come into the tent of contact, or when they approach the altar to serve in the holy place, so that they do not bear iniquity and die. It will be an age-abiding statute for him and his seed after him.

Exodus Chapter 29 

1And this is the procedure which you will carry out for them to sanctify them for serving as priests to me. Take a bull-calf of the oxen and two rams without blemish, 2and unleavened bread and unleavened thin cakes mixed with oil, and unleavened wafers basted with oil. You shall make them from fine wheat flour. 3And you will put them in one basket, and you will offer them in the basket, with the bull and the two rams. 4And you will have Aaron and his sons approach the entrance to the tent of contact, and you will wash them with water. 5And you will take the garments, and you will clothe Aaron in the tunic and the robe of the ephod, and the ephod itself, and the breastplate, and you will gird it on him, with the embroidered belt of the ephod. 6And you will put the turban on his head, and you will put the holy crown on the turban. 7And you will take the anointing oil and pour it on his head and anoint him. 8And you will have his sons approach, and you will clothe them in tunics, 9and you will gird them with a girdle – Aaron and his sons – and you will bind high headgear on them, and it will be for their priesthood, as an age-abiding statute. So you will consecrate Aaron and his sons. 10And you will bring up the bull in front of the tent of contact, and Aaron and his sons will lay their hands on the bull's head. 11And you will slaughter the bull before the Lord at the entrance to the tent of contact. 12And you will take some of the blood of the bull, and you will put it on the horns of the altar with your finger, and you will pour all the blood onto the base of the altar. 13And you will take all the fat covering the innards, and the caul of the liver, and the two kidneys and the fat which is on them, and you will burn them on the altar. 14And you will burn the flesh of the bull and its hide and its dung with fire outside the camp. It is a sin-offering. 15And you will take the first ram, and Aaron and his sons will lay their hands on the head of the ram. 16And you will slaughter the ram, and you will take its blood, and you will sprinkle it on the altar all around, 17and you will divide the ram into its sections, and you will wash its innards and its legs, and you will put them on its sections and on its head. 18And you will burn the whole of the ram on the altar. It is a burnt offering to the Lord – a sweet fragrance. It is a fire-offering to the Lord. 19And you will take the second ram, and Aaron and his sons will lay their hands on the head of the ram. 20And you will slaughter the ram, and you will take some of its blood and put it on Aaron's right ear lobe and on the right ear lobe of his sons, and on the thumb of their right hand and on the big toe of their right foot, and you will sprinkle the blood on the altar all around. 21And you will take some of the blood which is on the altar, and some anointing oil, and you will sprinkle it on Aaron and on his garments and on his sons and on the garments of his sons with him, so that he, and his garments, and his sons, and the garments of his sons with him become holy. 22And you will take from the ram the fat and the tail and the fat covering the innards and the caul of the liver and the two kidneys and the fat that is on them, and the right front leg, for it is a ram for the sacrifice of consecration, 23and one loaf of bread, and one thin cake of oiled bread, and one wafer, from the basket of unleavened breadstuff which is before the Lord, 24and you will put it all in the palms of Aaron's hands and the palms of his sons' hands, and you will wave them as a wave-offering before the Lord. 25And you will take them from their hands, and you will burn them on the altar with the burnt offering, as a sweet fragrance before the Lord. It is a fire-offering to the Lord. 26And you will take the breast of the consecrated ram which Aaron has, and you will wave it as a wave-offering before the Lord, and it will be a portion for you. 27And you will sanctify the breast of the wave-offering and the leg of the heave-offering, which will be waved and which will be heaved, taken from the consecrated ram – what is Aaron's and what is his sons'. 28And it will be an age-abiding statute to Aaron and his sons, an offering from the sons of Israel, for it is a heave-offering, so there will be a heave-offering from the sons of Israel among their peace-sacrifices – their heave-offering to the Lord. 29And Aaron's holy garments will be for his sons after him, in which to be anointed and in which his sons are to be consecrated. 30For seven days the priest will wear them – after him it being one of his sons – when he goes into the tent of contact to serve in the holy place. 31And you will take the consecrated ram and cook its flesh in a holy place. 32And Aaron and his sons will eat the ram's flesh and the bread that is in the basket, at the entrance to the tent of contact. 33And they will eat them, because atonement is made by them, to consecrate the priests – to sanctify them – and no foreigner will eat these things, for they are holy. 34And if any flesh is left over from what is consecrated or from the bread by the morning, then you will burn what is left in fire. It shall not be eaten, for it is holy. 35And you will do this for Aaron and for his sons – according to everything that I have commanded you. You will consecrate them for seven days. 36And you will offer a bull as a sin-offering each day for atonement, and you will expiate sin on the altar as you make atonement on it, and you will anoint it to sanctify it. 37For seven days you will make atonement on the altar, and you will sanctify it, and the altar will be a holy of holies. Anyone who touches the altar will be holy. 38And this is what you shall offer on the altar: two one-year-old lambs per day perpetually. 39One lamb you will offer in the morning and the second lamb you will offer in the evening, 40with a tenth measure of fine flour mixed with beaten oil – a quarter of a hin – and a libation of a quarter of a hin of wine for the first lamb, 41and you will offer the second lamb in the evening, in the same way as the offering of the morning, and you will offer it in accordance with its libation as a sweet fragrance, a fire-offering to the Lord. 42It is a perpetual burnt offering for your generations at the entrance to the tent of contact before the Lord, which is where I will meet you to speak to you there. 43And I will meet the sons of Israel there, and it will be sanctified by my glory. 44And I will sanctify the tent of contact and the altar, and I will sanctify Aaron and his sons for serving as priests to me. 45And I will dwell among the sons of Israel, and I will be their God. 46And they will know that I am the Lord their God, who brought them out of the land of Egypt, for me to dwell in their midst. I am the Lord their God.

Reference(s) in Chapter 29: v.45 ↔ 2 Corinthians 6:16.

Exodus Chapter 30 

1And you will make an altar for burning incense. You will make it from acacia wood. 2Its length will be one cubit, and its width will be one cubit; it will be square, and its height will be two cubits. Its horns will be integral to it. 3And you will overlay it with pure gold – its top and its walls around it, and its horns – and you will make a golden edge for it all around. 4And you will make two golden rings for it below its edge on the two flanks. You will make them on the two sides, and they will be receptacles for the poles with which to carry it. 5And you will make poles of acacia wood, and you will overlay them with gold. 6And you will put it in front of the veil which is at the ark of the testimony, before the atonement cover which is on the ark of the testimony, which is where I will meet you. 7And Aaron will burn aromatic incense on it; every morning when he adjusts the lamps, he will burn it. 8When Aaron lights the lamps in the evening, he will burn incense on it. It is a perpetual incense ordinance before the Lord for your generations. 9You shall not offer extraneous incense, nor such a burnt offering or meal-offering, and you shall not pour a libation on it. 10And Aaron will make atonement on its horns once per year, with the blood of the sin-offering for atonements. Once per year he will make atonement on it for your generations. It is a holy of holies to the Lord.” 11Then the Lord spoke to Moses and said, 12“When you hold a census of the sons of Israel according to the counting of them, let each one give an atonement-offering for his life to the Lord when they are counted, so that there is no plague among them when they are counted. 13This is what everyone who passes through the counting will give: half a shekel according to the holy shekel. A shekel is twenty gerahs. The half shekel will be a heave-offering to the Lord. 14Everyone who passes through the counting from twenty years old and above will give the Lord's heave-offering. 15The rich man will not give more – and the poor man will not give less – than half a shekel, when you give the Lord's heave-offering to atone for your lives. 16And you will receive the atonement money from the sons of Israel, and you will put it towards the work of the tent of contact, and it will be a memorial to the sons of Israel before the Lord to atone for your lives.” 17Then the Lord spoke to Moses and said, 18“And you will make a copper laver and its copper pedestal for washing, and you will put it between the tent of contact and the altar, and you will put water there. 19And Aaron and his sons will wash their hands and their feet in it. 20When they go to the tent of contact, they will wash with water so that they don't die, or when they approach the altar to serve by burning incense as a fire-offering to the Lord. 21So they will wash their hands and their feet so that they do not die, and it will be an age-abiding statute to them – to him and to his seed – in their generations.” 22Then the Lord spoke to Moses and said, 23“And take some prime spices: five hundred shekels of fine myrrh, and half as much of cinnamon spice, two hundred and fifty shekels, and two hundred and fifty shekels of calamus fragrance, 24and five hundred shekels of cassia, according to the holy shekel, and a hin of olive oil. 25And you will make it as a holy anointing oil, a formulated ointment, the pharmacist's product. It will be a holy anointing oil. 26And you will anoint the tent of contact with it, and the ark of the testimony, 27and the table and all its equipment, and the lampstand and its equipment, and the incense altar, 28and the burnt offering altar and all its equipment, and the laver and its pedestal. 29And you will sanctify them, and they will be a holy of holies. Anyone who touches them will be holy. 30And you will anoint Aaron and his sons and sanctify them for officiating as priests to me. 31And you will speak to the sons of Israel and say, ‘This will be a holy anointing oil to me for your generations. 32It shall not be poured on man's flesh, and you shall not make anything like it in its composition; it is holy; it will be holy to you. 33Anyone who prepares anything like it, or who puts any of it on a foreigner, will be cut off from his people.’ ” 34Then the Lord said to Moses, “Get yourself some spices: resin and onycha and galbanum spices, and pure frankincense. They will be in equal parts. 35And you will make it as unctuous incense, the product of the pharmacist, salted, pure, and holy. 36And you will grind some of it very fine, and you will put some of it in front of the ark of the testimony in the tent of contact where I will meet you. It will be a holy of holies to you. 37And the incense which you will make, you will not make in its composition for yourselves. It will be your holiness to the Lord. 38Anyone who makes anything like it to produce a scent with it will be cut off from his people.”

Exodus Chapter 31 

1Then the Lord spoke to Moses and said, 2“Look, I have called Bezalel by name, the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, 3and I have filled him with the spirit of God in wisdom and in understanding and in knowledge, and in all craftsmanship, 4to make designs, to work in gold and in silver and in copper, 5and in lapidary work, in setting gemstones, and in wood-sculpting, to make all kinds of artisanry. 6And as for me, look, I have appointed with him Aholiab the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan. And I have put wisdom in the heart of every skilled person, and they will make everything that I have commanded you to make – 7the tent of contact and the ark for the testimony and the atonement cover which goes on it, and all the equipment of the tent, 8and the table and its equipment and the pure lampstand and all its equipment and the incense altar, 9and the burnt offering altar and all its equipment, and the laver and its pedestal, 10and the garments for officiating, and the holy garments for Aaron the priest, and the garments of his sons for officiating as priest, 11and the anointing oil and the aromatic incense for the holy place. They will do according to everything that I have commanded you.” 12Then the Lord spoke to Moses and said, 13“And speak to the sons of Israel and say, ‘You will be sure to keep my Sabbaths, for it is a sign between me and you for your generations, to know that I am the Lord who sanctifies you. 14So you shall keep the Sabbath, for it is holy to you. He who profanes it will surely be put to death, for as for anyone who does work on it, that person will be cut off from the midst of his people. 15For six days work may be done, but on the seventh day, it is a Sabbath of holy sabbatic observance to the Lord. Anyone who does work on the Sabbath day shall surely be put to death.’ 16So the sons of Israel will keep the Sabbath, in celebrating the Sabbath, in their generations as an age-abiding covenant, 17between me and the sons of Israel. It is an age-abiding sign, for in six days the Lord made heaven and the earth, then on the seventh day he rested and was refreshed.” 18Then when he had finished speaking with him on Mount Sinai, he gave Moses the two tablets of the testimony – tablets of stone – written on by the finger of God.

Exodus Chapter 32 

1But when people saw that Moses had delayed in coming down from the mountain, the people assembled to Aaron and said to him, “Get up and make us gods which will go before us. For as for this man Moses – who brought us up out of the land of Egypt – we do not know what has become of him.” 2Then Aaron said to them, “Break off the golden earrings which are on the ears of your wives, your sons and your daughters, and bring them to me.” 3So all the people broke off the golden rings which were on their ears, and they brought them to Aaron. 4And he took them from their hands, and he fashioned them with an engraving tool, and he had them make them into a cast calf, and they said, “These are your gods, O Israel, which brought you up out of the land of Egypt.” 5And Aaron saw it, and he built an altar in front of it, and Aaron called out and said, “Tomorrow is a festival to the Lord.” 6Then they got up early on the next day and made burnt offerings and presented peace-offerings, and the people sat to eat and to drink, and they arose to make sport. 7And the Lord said to Moses, “Go, go down, for your people whom you brought up out of the land of Egypt have acted perversely. 8They have quickly departed from the way which I commanded them. They have made themselves a cast calf and have worshipped it and sacrificed to it, and they have said, ‘These are your gods, O Israel, which brought you up out of the land of Egypt.’ ” 9Then the Lord said to Moses, “I have seen this people, and the conclusion is that it is a stiff-necked people. 10So now, leave me, and my anger will be kindled against them, and I will consume them, but I will make you a great people.” 11But Moses pleaded with the Lord his God and said, “Why, O Lord, should your anger be kindled against your people whom you brought up out of the land of Egypt with great power and with a strong hand? 12Why should the Egyptians speak and say, ‘He brought them out malevolently, to kill them in the mountains and to obliterate them from the face of the earth’? Relent from the fury of your anger and forbear about the evil to your people. 13Remember Abraham, Isaac and Israel your servants to whom you swore by yourself and said to them, ‘I will increase your seed like the stars of the sky, and I will give to your seed all this land of which I have spoken, and they will inherit it age-abidingly.’ ” 14At this the Lord forbore about the evil which he had said he would do to his people. 15Then Moses turned and went down from the mountain with the two tablets of the testimony in his hand – the tablets inscribed on both sides – on each side they were inscribed. 16And the tablets were the work of God, and the writing was the writing of God, engraved on the tablets. 17Meanwhile Joshua heard the sound of the people as they shouted, and he said to Moses, “There is the sound of war in the camp.” 18And he said,

It is not the sound of shouting in bravery,

And it is not the sound of shouting in defeat;

I hear the sound of singing.”

19Then it came to pass as he was approaching the camp that he saw the calf and dancing, and Moses' anger was kindled, and he threw the tablets out of his hands, and he broke them below the mountain. 20And he took the calf which they had made and burnt it in fire, and he ground it to fine dust, and he sprinkled it on the surface of the water, and he gave it to the sons of Israel to drink. 21And Moses said to Aaron, “What did this people do to you? For you have brought a great sin on them.” 22And Aaron said, “Do not let your anger be kindled, my lord. You know the people, how they walk in wickedness. 23And they said to me, ‘Make us gods who will go before us, for as for this man Moses – who brought us up out of the land of Egypt – we don't know what has become of him.’ 24And I said to them, ‘Whoever has got gold, let them break it off.’ And they gave it to me, and I threw it in the fire, and this calf came out.” 25And Moses saw the people, how they were unrestrained, for Aaron had left them to their devices, to the detriment caused by those of them who rose up. 26Then Moses stood at the camp gate and said, “Whoever is for the Lord, come to me.” And all the sons of Levi gathered round him. 27And he said to them, “This is what the Lord God of Israel says: ‘Let every man put his sword to his thigh, and pass through and come back, from gate to gate in the camp, and let every man kill his brother, and let every man kill his neighbour, and let every man kill his kin.’ ” 28Then the sons of Levi acted according to Moses' word, and on that day about three thousand men of the people fell. 29Then Moses said, “Consecrate yourselves today to the Lord, for a man is against his son and against his brother, so that he gives you a blessing today.” 30And it came to pass on the next day that Moses said to the people, “You have committed a great sin, so now I will go up to the Lord – perhaps I can atone for your sin.” 31So Moses returned to the Lord and said, “Please, this people has committed a great sin, and they have made themselves gods of gold. 32And now, if you will forgive their sin ... ; but if not, please blot me out of your book which you have written.” 33Then the Lord said to Moses, “It is he who sins against me whom I will blot out of my book. 34And now, go, lead the people to where I have told you. Behold, my angel will go before you, and on the day of my visitation, I will visit their sin on them.” 35And the Lord struck the people because they had made the calf which Aaron had let be made.

Reference(s) in Chapter 32: v.1 ↔ Acts 7:40 ● v.6 ↔ 1 Corinthians 10:7 ● v.13 ↔ Hebrews 11:12 ● v.32 ↔ Philippians 4:3, Revelation 3:5, Revelation 13:8, Revelation 17:8, Revelation 20:12, Revelation 20:15, Revelation 21:27.

Exodus Chapter 33 

1Then the Lord said to Moses, “Depart, move up from here, you and the people which you brought up out of the land of Egypt to the land about which I swore to Abraham and to Isaac and to Jacob and said, ‘I will give it to your seed.’ 2And I will send an angel before you, and I will drive the Canaanite, the Amorite and the Hittite and the Perizzite and the Hivite and the Jebusite 3into a land flowing with milk and honey, for I will not go up in your midst, for you are a stiff-necked people, so that I do not obliterate you on the way.” 4When the people heard this bad piece of news, they mourned, and no-one put any ornament on. 5Then the Lord said to Moses, “Say to the sons of Israel, ‘You are a stiff-necked people. In one moment I will come up into your midst and obliterate you. So now, take your ornaments off, and I will know what I will do to you.’ ” 6So the sons of Israel stripped themselves of their ornaments by Mount Horeb. 7And Moses took the tent and pitched it outside the camp, far from the camp, and he called it the tent of contact, and it came to pass that everyone who was seeking the Lord would come out to the tent of contact, which was outside the camp. 8And it came to pass, when Moses came out to the tent, that all the people arose, and everyone stood at the entrance to his own tent, and they watched Moses until he had gone into the tent. 9And it came to pass, when Moses had gone into the tent, that the column of cloud descended and stood at the entrance to the tent, and he spoke with Moses. 10And all the people saw the column of cloud standing at the entrance to the tent, and all the people arose and worshipped – each one at the entrance to his tent. 11And the Lord spoke to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his neighbour, and he returned to the camp, but his attendant Joshua the son of Nun, a lad, did not move from the inside of the tent. 12Then Moses said to the Lord, “Look, you say to me, ‘Bring this people up’, but you have not made known to me whom you will send with me, yet you said, ‘I know you by name, and also you have found grace in my sight.’ 13So now, please, if I have found grace in your sight, please make your way known to me so that I may know you, in order that I may find grace in your sight. And have in view that this nation is your people.” 14And he said, “My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.” 15And he said to him, “If your presence does not go with us, do not lead us up from here, 16for by what means would it be known then that I have found grace in your sight, I and your people? Is it not in that you go with us, and we are distinguished – I and your people – from every other people which is on the face of the earth?” 17And the Lord said to Moses, “I will do this thing also, which you have said, for you have found grace in my sight, and I know you by name.” 18Then he said, “Please show me your glory.” 19And he said, “I will bring all my goodness upon you, and I will make proclamation in the name of the Lord before you, and I will show grace to whom I will show grace, and I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy.” 20But he said, “You will not be able to see my face, for man does not see me and live.” 21And the Lord said, “Here is a place with me, and you shall stand on the rock. 22And it will come to pass, when my glory passes across, that I will place you on a cleft in the rock, and I will cover you with my hand, until I have passed through. 23Then I will remove my hand, and you will see my back, but my face will not be seen.”

Reference(s) in Chapter 33: v.19 ↔ Romans 9:15.

Exodus Chapter 34 

1Then the Lord said to Moses, “Hew out for yourself two stone tablets like the first ones, and I will write on the tablets the words which were on the first tablets, which you broke. 2And be ready in the morning and go up in the morning to Mount Sinai and present yourself to me there on the summit of the mountain. 3And no-one shall go up with you, and moreover let no-one be seen anywhere on the mountain, nor shall sheep or cattle graze near that mountain.” 4So he hewed out two stone tablets like the first ones, and Moses got up early in the morning and went up to Mount Sinai, as the Lord had commanded him, and he took the two stone tablets in his hand. 5Then the Lord descended in the cloud and stood with him there and made proclamation in the name of the Lord. 6And the Lord passed by alongside him and proclaimed, “The Lord, the Lord, merciful and gracious God, slow to anger and abundant in kindness and truth, 7maintaining kindness to thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who certainly does not pronounce innocent, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on sons and grandsons up to the third and fourth generations.” 8Then Moses was quick to bow down to the ground, and he worshipped. 9And he said, “Please, if I have found grace in your sight, O Lord*, please let the Lord* go in our midst, for it is a stiff-necked people, but pardon our iniquity and our sin and acquire us as an inheritance.” 10Then he said, “Look, I am about to make a covenant. In the presence of all your people, I will perform wonders which have not been produced in all the earth or among any of the nations, and all the people in whose midst you are will see the work of the Lord, for it is a fearful thing which I am about to do with you. 11Observe what I am about to command you today, and you will see that I will drive out the Amorite and the Canaanite and the Hittite and the Perizzite and the Hivite and the Jebusite away from you. 12Beware that you do not make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land which you are going into, in case it becomes a snare in your midst. 13For you will demolish their altars and break up their idolatrous statues, and you will cut down their phallic parks. 14For you shall not worship any other god, for the Lord has the name ‘Jealous’. He is a jealous God. 15Beware that you do not make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land and they go whoring after their gods and sacrifice to their gods, or someone invites you, and you eat from his sacrifice, 16or you take their daughters for your sons, and their daughters go whoring after their gods, and they make your sons go whoring after their gods. 17You shall not make yourself cast gods. 18You shall observe the Festival of Unleavened Bread; for seven days you will eat unleavened bread as I commanded you, at the fixed time in the month of Abib, for you came out of Egypt in the month of Abib. 19Everyone who opens the womb is mine, as is all male cattle of yours which opens the womb, whether ox or sheep. 20And you will redeem a donkey which opens the womb with a sheep, and if you do not redeem it, you will break its neck. You will redeem every firstborn of your sons, so that none shall see my face empty-handed. 21For six days you shall work, but on the seventh day you will desist; whether in time of ploughing or in time of harvest, you will desist. 22And you will observe the Festival of Weeks, at the firstfruits of the wheat harvest, and the Festival of the Ingathering in the cycle of the year. 23Three times a year all your males will see the face of the Lord, the Lord God of Israel. 24For I will dispossess nations before you, and I will broaden your border, and no-one will want your land when you go up to see the face of the Lord your God three times per year. 25You shall not slaughter anything for the blood of my sacrifice with anything leavened, and the sacrifice of the Festival of the Passover shall not remain until the morning. 26You shall bring the beginning of the firstfruits of your land to the house of the Lord your God. You shall not cook a goat-kid in its mother's milk.” 27Then the Lord said to Moses, “Write these things down for yourself, because it is according to these things that I have made a covenant with you and with Israel.” 28And he was there with the Lord for forty days and forty nights. He did not eat bread and he did not drink water, and he wrote the words of the covenant on the tablets – the ten commandments. 29And it came to pass, when Moses came down from Mount Sinai with the two tablets of the testimony in Moses' hand as he came down from the mountain, that Moses did not know that the skin of his face was shining from talking with him. 30And Aaron, and all the sons of Israel, saw Moses, and it was apparent that the skin of his face was shining, and they were afraid to approach him. 31And Moses called to them, and Aaron and all the leaders in the congregation returned to him, and Moses spoke to them. 32And after that, all the sons of Israel approached, and he commanded them everything that the Lord had spoken with him on Mount Sinai. 33Then Moses finished speaking with them, and he put a covering over his face. 34Then when Moses came before the Lord to speak with him, he removed the covering until he went out. Then he went out and spoke to the sons of Israel what he had been commanded. 35And the sons of Israel saw Moses' face, for the skin of Moses' face was shining. Then Moses put the cover back over his face, until he went to speak with him.

Exodus Chapter 35 

1Then Moses convened the whole congregation of the sons of Israel, and he said to them, “These are the words which the Lord commanded us to do. 2For six days you shall do work, but on the seventh day you will have a holy Sabbath of sabbatic observance to the Lord. Everyone who does work on it will be put to death. 3You shall not light a fire in any of your dwelling places on the Sabbath day.” 4Then Moses spoke to the whole congregation of the sons of Israel and said, “This is what the Lord commanded and said: 5‘Take from your company a heave-offering to the Lord; let everyone who is willing in his heart bring it – the Lord's heave-offering – gold and silver and copper, 6and blue and purple and scarlet material, and fine linen and goat's hair, 7and rams' skins dyed red and badgers' skins and acacia wood, 8and oil for the lamp, and fragrances for anointing oil and for aromatic incense, 9and onyx gemstones and set gemstones for the ephod and for the breastplate. 10And let every skilled man among you come and make everything that the Lord commanded: 11the tabernacle, its tent and its covering, its clasps and its boards, its bolts, its columns and its sockets, 12the ark and its poles, the atonement cover and the screening veil, 13the table and its poles and all its equipment, and the showbread, 14the lampstand for illumination and its equipment and its lamps, and the oil for light, 15and the incense altar and its poles, and the anointing oil, and the aromatic incense, and the screen at the entrance, for the entrance to the tabernacle, 16the altar for the burnt offering and the copper grate which goes with it, its poles and all its equipment, the laver and its pedestal, 17the drapes for the courtyard, its columns and its sockets and the screen to the gate of the courtyard, 18the pegs of the tabernacle and the pegs of the courtyard and their guylines, 19the garments of office so as to serve in the holy place – the holy garments of Aaron the priest and his sons' garments – so as to officiate as a priest.’ ” 20Then all the congregation of the sons of Israel left Moses' presence, 21and every man who so felt moved in his heart and everyone whose spirit so impelled him brought the Lord's heave-offering for the artisanry of the tent of contact and for all its work and for the holy garments. 22And the men came with the women – everyone who was willing in his heart – and brought a nosering or an earring or a finger-ring or a brooch or any item of gold. And as for every man who made a wave-offering of gold to the Lord, 23and every man with whom blue, purple and scarlet material, and fine linen, and goat's hair and rams' skins dyed red and badgers' skins was available, he brought these things. 24Everyone who made a heave-offering of silver or copper brought the Lord's heave-offering, and everyone with whom acacia wood was available for any artisanry in the work brought it. 25And every woman skilled in handiwork spun and brought yarn – the blue and purple and scarlet yarn and the fine linen. 26And all the women who felt moved in their heart with skill spun the goat's hair. 27And the leaders brought the onyx gemstones and the gemstones to be set, for the ephod and the breastplate, 28and the fragrances, and the oil for the lamp, and the anointing oil, and the aromatic incense. 29Every man and woman whose heart impelled them to bring any of the materials which the Lord had commanded to make, through the intermediacy of Moses – all such sons of Israel brought a freewill-offering to the Lord. 30Then Moses said to the sons of Israel, “Look, the Lord has called Bezalel, the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, by name, 31and he has filled him with the spirit of God in wisdom and in understanding and in competence, and these in every kind of craftsmanship, 32and to devise designs to make in gold and in silver and in copper, 33and in shaping of gemstones to set and in carving wood to use in any craftsmanship by design. 34And he has put it in his heart to teach, in his and in that of Aholiab the son of Ahisamach of the tribe of Dan. 35He has filled them with skill to make all the artisanry – of the engraver and the damask weaver and the embroiderer in blue and purple and scarlet material and fine linen, and the weaver – the makers of all the artisanry and the producers of designs.”

Exodus Chapter 36 

1Then Bezalel and Aholiab started work, as did every skilful man in whom the Lord had put wisdom and understanding, so that they would know how to make all the artisanry of the work of the holy place, according to everything that the Lord had commanded. 2And Moses called for Bezalel and for Aholiab and for every skilful man in whose heart the Lord had put wisdom – everyone whose heart had impelled him to launch into the artisanry and to make it. 3And they took from Moses all the heave-offering which the sons of Israel had brought for the artisanry of the work of the holy place, with which to make it, and they brought an additional freewill-offering to him each morning. 4And all the skilled men who were making all the artisanry of the holy place came, each one from his work which they were doing. 5And they spoke with Moses and said, “The people are bringing more than enough for the work of the artisanry which the Lord commanded them to make.” 6Then Moses gave the commandment, and they caused word to be passed around in the camp and said, “Don't let any man or woman make any more contribution to the heave-offering of the holy place.” So the people were restrained from bringing anything more. 7And the materials were sufficient for them, for all the artisanry, to make it, and there was surplus. 8And all the skilled men among those making the artisanry made the tabernacle, ten curtains, fine twined linen, and blue and purple and scarlet material. As for the cherubim, it was with the work of a damask weaver that he made them. 9The length of one curtain was twenty-eight cubits, and the width was four cubits for one curtain. There was one size for all the curtains. 10Then he joined the five curtains one to another, and he joined another five curtains one to another. 11And he made loops of blue material on the hem of one curtain at the joining edge, and he did so at the hem of the last curtain, at the second join. 12He made fifty loops in one curtain, and he made fifty loops on the edge of the curtain which was at the second join, and the loops held each other together. 13And he made fifty golden clasps, and he joined one curtain to another with the clasps, and the tabernacle became a unity. 14And he made curtains of goat's hair for the tent over the tabernacle; he made eleven of these curtains. 15The length of one curtain was thirty cubits, and the width of one curtain was four cubits, and the eleven curtains were of one size. 16And he joined the five curtains separately, and the six curtains separately. 17And he made fifty loops on the hem of the last curtain at the join, and he made fifty loops on the hem of the other adjoining curtain. 18And he made fifty copper clasps to join the tent up into a unity. 19And he made a covering for the tent from rams' skins dyed red, and a covering from badgers' skins above it. 20And he made the boards for the tabernacle from acacia wood, standing vertically. 21The length was ten cubits per board, and the width of one board was one and a half cubits. 22Two tenons per board were each joined to its counterpart. That is how he made it for all the boards of the tabernacle. 23So he made the boards for the tabernacle – twenty boards – on the south side, south-facing. 24And he made forty silver sockets to go under the twenty boards – two sockets under one board for its two tenons, and two sockets under another board for its two tenons. 25And for the second side of the tabernacle, on the north side, he made twenty boards, 26and their forty silver sockets, two sockets under one board, and two sockets under another board. 27And he made six boards for the flanks of the tabernacle on the west. 28And he made two boards for the corners of the tabernacle on the flanks. 29And they were coupled from below, and they were perfectly aligned up to the top of it, to a ring. He made the two of them this way for the two corners. 30And there were eight boards and their silver sockets – sixteen sockets – two sockets each time under one board. 31And he made bolts of acacia wood – five for the boards on one side of the tabernacle, 32and five bolts for the boards on the second side of the tabernacle, and five bolts for the boards of the tabernacle on the western flank. 33And he made the middle bolt to pass inside the boards from end to end. 34And he overlaid the boards with gold, and he made their rings of gold, as receptacles for the bolts, and he overlaid the bolts with gold. 35And he made the veil in blue and purple and scarlet material and fine twined linen – the work of a damask weaver. He made it with cherubim. 36And he made four acacia columns for it, and he overlaid them with gold, and he made their golden hooks, and he cast four silver sockets for them. 37And he made a screen for the entrance to the tent, from blue and purple and scarlet material and fine twined linen, the work of an embroiderer, 38and its five columns and their hooks, and he overlaid their capitals and their connecting rods with gold, and he made their five sockets of copper.

Exodus Chapter 37 

1And Bezalel made the ark from acacia wood; its length was two and a half cubits, and its width was one and a half cubits, and its height was one and a half cubits. 2And he overlaid it with pure gold on the inside and on the outside, and he made an edge around it from gold. 3And he cast four golden rings for it at its four corners, with two rings for one of its sides, and two rings for its second side. 4And he made poles of acacia wood, and he overlaid them with gold. 5And he brought the poles through the rings on the sides of the ark, to carry the ark. 6And he made the atonement cover from pure gold. Its length was two and a half cubits, and its width was one and a half cubits. 7And he made two cherubim of gold; he made them as beaten work at the two ends of the atonement cover. 8He made one cherub on one end and one cherub on the other end. He made the cherubim coming from the atonement cover at its two ends. 9And the cherubim were with wings spread upwards, covering the atonement cover with their wings, and they faced each other. The faces of the cherubim were directed towards the atonement cover. 10And he made the table of acacia wood. Its length was two cubits, and its width was one cubit, and its height was one and a half cubits. 11And he overlaid it with pure gold, and he made a golden edge around it. 12And he made a rim a handbreadth high around it, and he made a golden edge to the rim around it. 13And he cast four golden rings for it, and he put the rings on the four corners which were at its four legs. 14The rings were joined to the rim as receptacles for the poles by which to carry the table. 15And he made the poles of acacia wood and he overlaid them with gold, by which to carry the table. 16And he made the equipment which goes on the table – its dishes and its spoons and its vials and the bowls by which libations are poured. They were of pure gold. 17And he made the lampstand from pure gold; as beaten work he made the lampstand – its main stem and its branches. Its cups, its knobs and its flowers diverged from it. 18And six branches came out of its sides – three branches of the lampstand from one side of it and three branches of the lampstand from the other side of it. 19There were three almond-shaped cups on one branch, with a knob and a flower, and three almond-shaped cups on another branch with a knob and a flower. That is how it was for the six branches coming out of the lampstand. 20And in the main stem of the lampstand there were four almond-shaped cups with its knobs and its flowers. 21And he made a knob under the two branches where they diverge from it, and a knob under the two branches where they diverge from it, and a knob under the two branches where they diverge from it, this being for the six branches which come out of it. 22Their knobs and branches were integral to it; all of it was one piece of beaten work of pure gold. 23And he made its seven lamps and its snuffing-tongs and its snuff-dishes of pure gold. 24From a talent of pure gold he made it, with all its accessories. 25And he made the incense altar from acacia wood. Its length was one cubit, and its width was one cubit. It was square, and its height was two cubits. Its horns were integral to it. 26And he overlaid it with pure gold – its top and its walls around it and its horns. And he made a golden edge for it all around. 27And he made two golden rings for it below its edge on its two flanks, on its two sides, as receptacles for the poles by which to carry it. 28And he made the poles of acacia wood, and he overlaid them with gold. 29And he made the holy anointing oil and the pure aromatic incense, the product of a pharmacist.

Exodus Chapter 38 

1And he made the burnt offering altar from acacia wood. Its length was five cubits, and its width was five cubits. It was square, and its height was three cubits. 2And he made its horns on its four corners. Its horns were integral to it, and he overlaid it with copper. 3And he made all the equipment for the altar – the pans and the shovels and the basins and the forks and the firepans. He made all its equipment from copper. 4And he made a grate for the altar – a meshed copper artefact – under its ledge, underneath, extending up to half way. 5And he cast four rings on the four ends of the copper grate, as receptacles for the poles. 6And he made the poles of acacia wood, and he overlaid them with copper. 7And he brought the poles through the rings on the sides of the altar in order to carry it by them. He made it hollow with panels. 8And he made the copper laver and its copper pedestal, from the mirrors of the women-servants who served at the entrance to the tent of contact. 9And he made the courtyard on the southern side, facing south. The drapes of the courtyard were of fine twined linen, one hundred cubits long. 10Their columns were twenty in number, and their twenty sockets were of copper, and the hooks of the columns and their connecting rods were of silver. 11And on the northern side, for one hundred cubits, there were their twenty columns and their twenty sockets of copper, and the hooks of the columns and their connecting rods were of silver. 12And on the western side there were drapes for fifty cubits, and their ten columns and their ten sockets. And the hooks of the columns and their connecting rods were of silver. 13And the eastern side, facing east, was fifty cubits long. 14There were fifteen cubits of drapes on the side, and their three columns and their three sockets. 15And on the second side, on each side of the gate of the courtyard, were fifteen cubits of drapes and their three columns and their three sockets. 16All the drapes around the courtyard were of fine twined linen. 17And the sockets of the columns were of copper, and the hooks of the columns and their connecting rods were of silver, and the overlaying of their capitals was of silver, and all the columns of the courtyard were connected by silver. 18And the screen at the gate of the courtyard was the work of an embroiderer in blue and purple and scarlet material and fine twined linen. And its length was twenty cubits, and the height across its width was five cubits, agreeing with the drapes of the courtyard. 19And as for their four columns, their four sockets were of copper, and their hooks were of silver, and the overlaying of their capitals and their connecting rods was of silver. 20And all the pegs of the tabernacle and of the courtyard around it were of copper. 21These are the things appointed for the tabernacle – the tabernacle of the testimony – which was appointed through Moses' instruction for the work of the Levites, through the authority of Ithamar, the son of Aaron the priest. 22And Bezalel, the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, made everything that the Lord commanded Moses. 23And with him was Aholiab the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan, an engraver and a damask weaver and an embroiderer in blue and purple and scarlet material and in fine linen. 24As for all the gold that was used for the artisanry, in all the artisanry of the holy place, the gold of the wave-offering was twenty-nine talents and seven hundred and thirty shekels according to the holy shekel. 25And the silver of those who were counted in the congregation amounted to one hundred talents and one thousand seven hundred and seventy-five shekels according to the holy shekel. 26A beka per head – half a shekel – according to the holy shekel, for everyone who passes through to be counted, from twenty years old and above, for the six hundred and three thousand five hundred and fifty of them. 27And the one hundred talents of silver were for casting the sockets of the holy place and the sockets of the veil – one hundred sockets for one hundred talents – a talent per socket. 28And from the one thousand seven hundred and seventy-five shekels, he made hooks for the columns, and he overlaid their capitals, and he connected them together. 29And the copper for the wave-offering amounted to seventy talents and two thousand four hundred shekels. 30And from it he made the sockets of the entrance to the tent of contact and the copper altar and the copper grate which belonged to it, and all the equipment of the altar, 31and the sockets of the courtyard round about, and the sockets of the gate of the courtyard, and all the pegs for the tabernacle, and all the pegs for the courtyard round about.

Exodus Chapter 39 

1And from the blue and purple and scarlet material they made the garments of office so as to serve in the holy place, and they made the holy garments which were for Aaron, as the Lord had commanded Moses. 2And they made the ephod from gold, and from blue and purple and scarlet material and from fine twined linen. 3And they beat the plates of gold thin, and they cut lengths of thread to work into the blue material, and into the purple material, and into the scarlet material, and into the fine linen. It was the work of a damask weaver. 4They made joined up shoulder-pieces for it. At its two ends it was joined up. 5And they made the embroidered belt of his ephod with which it went, with similar workmanship to it, of gold, and of blue and purple and scarlet thread and fine twined linen, as the Lord had commanded Moses. 6And they made the onyx gemstones enclosed in golden bezels, engraved with the engravings of a signet, with the names of the sons of Israel. 7And he put them on the shoulder-pieces of the ephod, as memorial gemstones to the sons of Israel, as the Lord had commanded Moses. 8And he made the breastplate, the work of a damask weaver, like the workmanship of the ephod, in gold and blue and purple and scarlet material and fine twined linen. 9It was square; they made the breastplate double. Its length was a span, and its width was a span, folded double. 10And they set four rows of gemstones in it: a row of ruby, topaz and emerald. That was the first row. 11And the second row consisted of chrysoprase, sapphire and diamond. 12And the third row consisted of ligure, agate and amethyst. 13And the fourth row consisted of chrysolite, onyx and jasper, enclosed in golden bezels for setting them. 14And the gemstones were with the names of the sons of Israel – twelve of them with their names – the engravings being as on a signet, each one with its name for the twelve tribes. 15And they made edging chains on the breastplate – wreathed work of pure gold. 16And they made two golden insets, and two golden rings, and they put the two rings at the two ends of the breastplate, 17and they put the two golden wreaths on the two rings at the ends of the breastplate. 18And they put the two ends – the two wreaths – on the two insets, and they put them on the shoulders of the ephod on the front of it. 19And they made two golden rings, and they put them on the two ends of the breastplate on its edge which was on the side of the ephod facing inwards. 20And they made two golden rings, and they put them on the two shoulder-pieces of the ephod underneath, at the front of it, opposite its join, above the embroidered belt of the ephod. 21And they bound the breastplate by its rings to the rings of the ephod with a thread of blue yarn so that it was above the embroidered belt of the ephod and so that the breastplate would not become displaced from the ephod, as the Lord had commanded Moses. 22And he made the robe of the ephod – the workmanship of a weaver – entirely from blue material. 23And the opening of the robe in the middle of it was like the opening of a coat of mail, with a hem to the opening all around, so that it would not tear. 24And at the edges of the robe they made pomegranates of blue and purple and scarlet thread, finely twined. 25And they made bells of pure gold, and they put the bells inside the pomegranates on the edges of the robe all around inside the pomegranates. 26A bell and a pomegranate, a bell and a pomegranate on the edges of the robe all around, to serve with, as the Lord had commanded Moses. 27And they made the tunics of fine linen – the workmanship of a weaver – for Aaron and his sons, 28and the turban of fine linen, and the ornamental high headgear of fine linen, and the linen trousers of fine twined linen, 29and the girdle of fine twined linen and blue and purple and scarlet material – the workmanship of an embroiderer – as the Lord had commanded Moses. 30And they made the shining plate of the holy crown, of pure gold, and they wrote on it in the engraved writing of a signet, “Holiness to the Lord”. 31And they put a blue thread on it to go on the turban, high up, as the Lord had commanded Moses. 32And all the work of the tabernacle of the tent of contact was finished, and the sons of Israel made it according to everything that the Lord had commanded Moses – so they made it. 33And they brought the tabernacle to Moses – the tent and all its equipment – its clasps, its boards, its bolts, and its columns and its sockets, 34and its covering of rams' skins dyed red, and the covering of badgers' skins and the screening veil, 35the ark of the testimony and its poles and the atonement cover, 36the table and all its equipment, and the showbread, 37the pure lampstand and its lamps – lamps in their arrangement – and all its equipment and oil for the light, 38and the golden altar and anointing oil, and the aromatic incense, and the screen at the entrance to the tent, 39the copper altar and the copper grate which belongs to it, its poles and all its equipment, and the laver and its pedestal, 40the drapes for the courtyard, its columns and its sockets, and the screen to the gate of the courtyard, and its guylines and its pegs and all the equipment for the work of the tabernacle for the tent of contact, 41the garments of office so as to serve in the holy place – the holy garments for Aaron the priest and the garments for his sons to officiate as priests. 42The sons of Israel did all the work according to everything that the Lord had commanded Moses. 43And Moses saw all the artisanry, and the result was that they had made it as the Lord had commanded – so they had made it. And Moses blessed them.

Exodus Chapter 40 

1Then the Lord spoke to Moses and said, 2“On the first day of the first month, you will set up the tabernacle of the tent of contact, 3and you will put the ark of the testimony there, and you will cover the ark with the veil. 4And you will bring the table and arrange it in its proper arrangement, and you will bring the lampstand, and you will light its lamps. 5And you will put the golden incense altar in front of the ark of the testimony, and you will put the screen at the entrance to the tabernacle in place. 6And you will put the burnt offering altar in front of the entrance to the tabernacle of the tent of contact. 7And you will put the laver between the tent of contact and the altar, and you will put water in it. 8And you will lay the courtyard out all around, and you will put up the screen at the gate of the courtyard. 9And you will take the anointing oil, and you will anoint the tabernacle and everything that is in it, and you will sanctify it and all its equipment, and it will become holy. 10And you will anoint the burnt offering altar and all its equipment, and you will sanctify the altar, and the altar will become a holy of holies. 11And you will anoint the laver and its pedestal, and you will sanctify it. 12And you will bring Aaron and his sons to the entrance to the tent of contact, and you will wash them with water. 13And you will clothe Aaron in the holy garments, and you will anoint him and sanctify him, and he will officiate as a priest to me. 14And you will bring his sons and clothe them in tunics. 15And you will anoint them as you anointed their father, and they will officiate as priests to me, and their anointing will be for them to have an age-abiding priesthood in their generations.” 16And Moses did everything that the Lord commanded him – so he did. 17And it came to pass in the first month, in the second year, on the first day of the month, that the tabernacle was set up. 18So Moses set up the tabernacle, and he installed its sockets, and he inserted its boards and inserted its bolts, and he erected its columns. 19And he pitched the tent over the tabernacle, and he put the covering of the tent over it – on top – as the Lord had commanded Moses. 20And he took the testimony and put it in the ark, and he inserted the poles alongside the ark, and he put the atonement cover over the ark, on top. 21And he brought the ark to the tabernacle, and he put the screening veil in place, and he covered the ark of the testimony, as the Lord had commanded Moses. 22And he put the table in the tent of contact on the side of the tabernacle to the north, outside the veil. 23And he arranged bread on it in its proper arrangement before the Lord, as the Lord had commanded Moses. 24And he placed the lampstand in the tent of contact opposite the table on the side of the tabernacle to the south. 25And he lit the lamps before the Lord, as the Lord had commanded Moses. 26And he placed the golden altar in the tent of contact in front of the veil. 27And he burnt aromatic incense on it, as the Lord had commanded Moses. 28And he put the screen at the entrance to the tabernacle. 29And he put the burnt offering altar at the entrance to the tabernacle of the tent of contact, and he offered on it the burnt offering and the meal-offering, as the Lord had commanded Moses. 30And he placed the laver between the tent of contact and the altar, and he put water in it for washing. 31And Moses and Aaron and his sons washed their hands and their feet with it. 32When they came to the tent of contact and when they approached the altar, they washed, as the Lord had commanded Moses. 33And he set up the courtyard round about the tabernacle and the altar, and he put the screen at the gate of the courtyard in place, and Moses finished the work. 34Then a cloud covered the tent of contact, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. 35And Moses could not go into the tent of contact, because the cloud stayed on it. And the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. 36And when the cloud was taken up from the tabernacle, the sons of Israel moved in all their journeyings. 37But if the cloud was not taken up, then they did not move, until the day when it was taken up. 38For the cloud of the Lord was on the tabernacle by day, and there was fire in it by night, in the sight of the whole house of Israel, in all their journeyings.

Reference(s) in Chapter 40: v.34 ↔ Revelation 15:8.


Leviticus  

Leviticus Chapter 1 

1And the Lord called out to Moses and spoke to him from the tent of contact and said, 2“Speak to the sons of Israel and say to them, ‘If any of you bring an oblation to the Lord, you can bring your oblation from your cattle, from your oxen, or from your flock. 3If a man's oblation is a burnt offering from the oxen, he will offer a male without blemish; he will offer it at the entrance to the tent of contact, willingly before the Lord. 4And he will lay his hand on the head of the burnt offering, and it will be accepted on his behalf to atone for him. 5And he will slaughter the bull-calf before the Lord. And the sons of Aaron – the priests – will offer the blood, and they will sprinkle the blood all around on the altar which is at the entrance to the tent of contact. 6Then he will skin the burnt offering and cut it in pieces. 7And the sons of Aaron the priest will put fire on the altar, and they will arrange wood on the fire. 8And the sons of Aaron – the priests – will arrange the pieces, the head and the fat, on the wood which is on the fire, which is on the altar. 9And he will wash the innards and the legs with water, and the priest will burn the whole on the altar, as a burnt offering, a fire-offering of a sweet fragrance to the Lord. 10And if his oblation is from the flock, from the lambs or from the goats, for a burnt offering, he shall offer a male without blemish. 11And he shall slaughter it on the north side of the altar before the Lord, and Aaron's sons the priests will sprinkle its blood on the altar round about. 12And he will cut it in pieces, including its head and its fat, and the priest will arrange them on the wood which is on the fire which is on the altar. 13And he will wash the innards and the legs with water, and the priest will offer the whole, and he will burn it on the altar. It is a burnt offering – a fire-offering of a sweet fragrance to the Lord. 14And if the burnt offering for his oblation to the Lord is from birds, he will make his oblation from turtle-doves or from young pigeons. 15And the priest will bring it to the altar, and he will wring its head off and burn it on the altar, and its blood will be wrung out on the wall of the altar. 16And he will remove its crop with its feathers and cast it to the side of the altar on the east, to the place of the ashes. 17And he will split it at its wings, but he will not separate the parts, and the priest will burn it on the altar, on the wood which is on the fire. It is a burnt offering – a fire-offering of a sweet fragrance to the Lord.

Leviticus Chapter 2 

1And if anyone brings an oblation of a meal-offering to the Lord, his oblation shall be of fine flour, and he shall pour oil on it, and he shall put frankincense on it. 2And he will bring it to Aaron's sons – the priests – and he will take a handful of it, of its fine flour, and of its oil, with all its frankincense, and the priest will burn it as a memorial of it on the altar – a fire-offering of a sweet fragrance to the Lord. 3And the residue of the meal-offering is for Aaron and for his sons. It is a holy of holies of the Lord's fire-offerings. 4And if you bring an oblation of a meal-offering baked in an oven, unleavened cakes of fine flour mixed with oil, or unleavened wafers coated with oil, 5or if your oblation is a meal-offering on the baking tray, it shall be of unleavened fine flour mixed with oil. 6You will break it into pieces, and you will pour oil on it. It is a meal-offering. 7And if your oblation is a meal-offering of the frying pan, it will be made from fine flour with oil. 8And you will bring the meal-offering which is made from these things to the Lord, and you will bring it to the priest, and he will bring it up to the altar. 9And the priest will take up the memorial-offering from the meal-offering, and he will burn it on the altar. It is a fire-offering, a sweet fragrance to the Lord. 10And the residue of the meal-offering is for Aaron and his sons. It is a holy of holies of the Lord's fire-offerings. 11No meal-offering which you offer to the Lord may be made leavened, for you will not burn any fire-offering to the Lord with any leaven or any honey. 12As regards the oblation of the firstfruits, you shall offer them to the Lord, but they will not be burnt on the altar as a sweet fragrance. 13And every oblation of your meal-offering will be seasoned with salt. For you shall not allow the salt of the covenant of your God to be lacking in your meal-offering. You shall offer salt in every oblation of yours. 14And if you bring an offering of the firstfruits to the Lord, you shall offer green ears of corn roasted in the fire, ground corn of the choice plantation, as the offering of your firstfruits. 15And you will put oil on it, and you will put frankincense on it; it is a meal-offering. 16And the priest will burn a memorial of it, from its ground corn and from its oil, with all its frankincense – a fire-offering to the Lord.

Leviticus Chapter 3 

1And if his oblation is a peace-sacrifice, or if he is offering from the oxen, whether it is male or female, he will offer a specimen without blemish before the Lord. 2And he will lay his hand on the head of his oblation, and he will slaughter it at the entrance to the tent of contact, and Aaron's sons the priests will sprinkle the blood on the altar round about. 3And he will make an offering from the peace-sacrifice – a fire-offering to the Lord. As for the fat which covers the innards, and all the fat that is on the innards, 4and the two kidneys, and the fat which is on them, which is at the loins, and the caul which is on the liver and on the kidneys, he will remove them. 5And Aaron's sons will burn it on the altar, on top of the burnt offering which is on the wood which is on the fire – a fire-offering of a sweet fragrance to the Lord. 6And if his oblation is from the flock, as a peace-sacrifice to the Lord, he will offer a male or female without blemish. 7If it is a lamb that he offers as his oblation, he shall offer it before the Lord. 8And he will lay his hand on the head of his oblation, and he will slaughter it in front of the tent of contact, and Aaron's sons will sprinkle its blood on the altar round about. 9And he will make an offering from the peace-sacrifice – a fire-offering to the Lord. As for its fat and the whole of its tail at its spine, he will remove them and the fat covering the innards and all the fat that is on the innards, 10and the two kidneys and the fat that is on them, which is on the loins, and the caul on the liver and on the kidneys. He will remove them. 11And the priest will burn it on the altar – the bread of a fire-offering to the Lord. 12And if his oblation is a goat, he will offer it before the Lord. 13And he will lay his hand on its head and slaughter it before the tent of contact, and Aaron's sons will sprinkle its blood on the altar round about. 14And he will offer his oblation from it – a fire-offering to the Lord. As for the fat covering the innards, and all the fat that is on the innards, 15and the two kidneys, and the fat that is on them, which is on the loins, and the caul on the liver and on the kidneys, he will remove them. 16And the priest will burn them on the altar – the bread of a fire-offering – as a sweet fragrance. All fat is the Lord's. 17It is an age-abiding statute for your generations, in all your dwellings; you shall not eat any fat or any blood.’ ”

Leviticus Chapter 4 

1And the Lord spoke to Moses and said, 2“Speak to the sons of Israel and say, ‘Anyone who commits sin in a sin of ignorance in any of the Lord's commandments which are prohibitions, but he does it, in respect of any one of them, 3or if the anointed priest sins, incurring the guilt of the people, then he shall make an offering for his sin which he has committed, of a bull-calf of the oxen without blemish, to the Lord as a sin-offering, 4and he will bring the bull to the entrance of the tent of contact before the Lord, and he will lay his hand on the head of the bull, and he will slaughter the bull before the Lord. 5And the anointed priest will take some of the blood of the bull and bring it to the tent of contact. 6And the priest will dip his finger in the blood, and he will sprinkle some of the blood seven times before the Lord in front of the veil of the holy place. 7And the priest will put some of the blood on the horns of the aromatic incense altar before the Lord which is at the tent of contact, and he will pour all the blood of the bull onto the base of the burnt offering altar which is at the entrance to the tent of contact. 8And as for all the fat of the bull of the sin-offering, he will remove from the bull the fat covering the innards and all the fat that is on the innards. 9And as for the two kidneys, and the fat which is on them, and which is on the loins, and the caul on the liver and on the kidneys, he will remove it. 10As they are removed from the ox of the peace-sacrifice, so the priest will burn them on the burnt offering altar. 11And as for the hide of the bull and all its flesh, on its head and on its legs, and its innards and its dung, 12he will bring the whole bull out to outside the camp, to a clean place, to the deposition site for ashes, and he will burn it on wood with fire. It is at the deposition site for ashes that it shall be burned. 13And if the whole congregation of Israel commits a sin of ignorance, and the matter is kept hidden from the eyes of the convocation, and they commit any one of all the prohibited acts of the Lordthings which are not to be done – and they become guilty, 14and the sin by which they have sinned becomes known, then the convocation will offer a bull-calf of the oxen as a sin-offering, and they will bring it before the tent of contact. 15And the elders of the congregation will lay their hands on the bull's head before the Lord, and the priest will slaughter the bull before the Lord. 16And the anointed priest will bring some of the bull's blood to the tent of contact. 17And the priest will dip his finger in some of the blood, and he will sprinkle it seven times before the Lord, in front of the veil. 18And he will put some of the blood on the horns of the altar which is before the Lord, which is in the tent of contact, and he will pour all the blood onto the base of the altar of the burnt offering which is at the entrance to the tent of contact. 19And he will remove all its fat from it and burn it on the altar. 20And he will deal with the bull. As he deals with the bull of the sin-offering, so he will deal with it. And the priest will atone for them, and it will be forgiven them. 21And he will take the bull outside the camp, and he will burn it as he burns the first bull. It is the sin-offering for the convocation. 22If a leading man sins through ignorance and commits any one of all the prohibited acts of the Lord his God – things which are not to be done – and he becomes guilty, 23or his sin which he committed is made known to him, then he will bring as his oblation a kid of the goats, a male without blemish, 24and he will lay his hand on the head of the goat, and he will slaughter it in the place where one slaughters the burnt offering before the Lord. It is a sin-offering. 25And the priest will take some of the blood of the sin-offering with his finger, and he will put it on the horns of the burnt offering altar, and he will pour its blood onto the base of the burnt offering altar. 26And he will burn all its fat on the altar like the fat of the peace-sacrifice, and the priest will atone for it – for his sin – and it will be forgiven him. 27And if anyone from the people of the land sins with a sin of ignorance by him committing any one of the prohibited acts of the Lordthings which are not to be done – and he becomes guilty, 28or his sin by which he sinned is made known to him, then he will bring as his oblation a female kid of the goats without blemish, for his sin by which he sinned, 29and he will lay his hand on the head of the sin-offering, and he will slaughter the sin-offering in the place of the burnt offering. 30And the priest will take some of its blood on his finger, and he will put it on the horns of the burnt offering altar, and he will pour all its blood onto the base of the altar. 31And he will remove all its fat, as the fat is removed from the peace-sacrifice, and the priest will burn it on the altar as a sweet fragrance to the Lord, and the priest will atone for him, and it will be forgiven him. 32And if he brings a lamb as his oblation, as a sin-offering, he will bring a female without blemish. 33And he will lay his hand on the head of the sin-offering, and he will slaughter it as a sin-offering in the place where he slaughters the burnt offering. 34And the priest will take some of the blood of the sin-offering on his finger, and he will put it on the horns of the burnt offering altar, and he will pour all its blood onto the base of the altar. 35And he will remove all its fat, as the fat is removed from the lamb of the peace-sacrifice, and the priest will burn it on the altar with the Lord's fire-offerings. So the priest will atone for him – for his sin which he committed – and it will be forgiven him.

Leviticus Chapter 5 

1And a person who sins in that he hears the sound of cursing, and he is a witness, or he sees it, or he learns of it, if he does not report it, he shall bear his iniquity. 2Or a person who touches any unclean thing, either a carcase of an unclean animal, or a carcase of unclean cattle, or the carcase of an unclean reptile, and it has escaped his notice, then he is unclean and guilty, 3or if he touches a man's uncleanness, in any uncleanness of his by which he is defiled, and it has escaped his notice, then he comes to know that he is guilty, 4or if a person who swears by speaking rashly with his lips about doing wrong or doing good, according to everything man rashly speaks with an oath, and he is unaware of it, then he comes to know that he is guilty of any one of these offences, 5then it shall come to pass when he is consciously guilty of one of these things and confesses that he has sinned against it, 6that he shall bring his guilt-offering to the Lord for his sin whereby he sinned: a female from the flock, a ewe or a she-goat kid, as a sin-offering, and the priest will make atonement for him regarding his sin. 7And if the expense of a lamb is out of his reach, then he shall bring for his guilt which he incurred two turtle-doves or two young pigeons to the Lord: one for a sin-offering and one for a burnt offering. 8And he will bring them to the priest, and he will offer the one which is a sin-offering first, and he will wring its head at its neck, and he will not divide it. 9He will then sprinkle some of the blood of the sin-offering on the wall of the altar, and the remainder of the blood will be wrung out onto the base of the altar. It is a sin-offering. 10And he will perform the burnt offering with the second one according to the prescribed way, and the priest will make atonement for him, for his sin which he committed, and it will be forgiven him. 11And if his means do not extend to two turtle-doves or to two young pigeons, then he that sinned will bring as his oblation a tenth of an ephah of fine flour, as a sin-offering. He shall not put oil on it, and he shall not put frankincense on it, for it is a sin-offering. 12And he will bring it to the priest, and the priest will take a handful of it, as a memorial of it, and he will burn it on the altar, with the Lord's fire-offerings. It is a sin-offering. 13And the priest will make atonement for him, for the sin which he committed against one of these things, and it will be forgiven him, and it will be for the priest as a meal-offering.’ ” 14And the Lord spoke to Moses and said, 15“If anyone commits a trespass and sins through ignorance against the Lord's holy things, then he will bring his guilt-offering to the Lord, a ram without blemish from the flock, according to your valuation, in silver shekels according to the holy shekel, as the guilt-offering. 16And he will pay for having sinned in respect of the holy thing, and he will add a fifth to it, and he will give it to the priest, and the priest will make atonement for him with the ram of the guilt-offering, and it will be forgiven him. 17And if a person sins and does any one of all the Lord's prohibited acts – things which are not to be done – and he did not know, and he becomes consciously guilty, then he will bear his iniquity. 18And he will bring a ram without blemish from the flock, according to your valuation for a guilt-offering, to the priest, and the priest will make atonement for him, for his sin of ignorance which he committed in ignorance, and he was not aware of it, and it will be forgiven him. 19It is a guilt-offering for whoever has in any way incurred guilt with the Lord.”

Leviticus Chapter 6 

1Then the Lord spoke to Moses and said, 2“If a person sins and commits a trespass against the Lord, and he lies about something to his neighbour in a matter of safe deposit or safe keeping with a pledge, or in a matter of plunder, or if he has oppressed his neighbour, 3or if he finds a lost item and lies about it, or if he swears falsely about any one of all the things that a man does, so as to sin in them, 4then it shall come to pass, in that he sinned and is guilty, that he will return the booty which he plundered, or the gain which he gained by oppression, or the item in safe deposit which was deposited with him, or the lost item which he found. 5Or in any matter where he swore falsely, he will repay it, the original sum, adding a fifth to it, and he will give it to him whose it is, on the day of his guilt-offering. 6And he will bring his guilt-offering to the Lord, a ram without blemish from the flock, by your valuation, as a guilt-offering, to the priest. 7And the priest will make atonement for him before the Lord, and it will be forgiven him, for anything at all that he does by which he incurs guilt.” 8Then the Lord spoke to Moses and said, 9“Command Aaron and his sons, and say, ‘This is the procedure for the burnt offering. It is the burnt offering on the hearth of the altar, kept alight all night until the morning, as the fire of the altar burns on it. 10And the priest will wear a fine linen garment, and he will wear fine linen trousers on his flesh. And he will take up the ashes produced when the fire consumes the burnt offering on the altar, and he will put them alongside the altar. 11Then he will take his clothes off and put other clothes on, and he will take the ashes outside the camp to a clean place. 12And the fire of the altar will be kept burning on it – it will not be extinguished – and the priest will burn wood on it every morning, and he will arrange the burnt offering on it, and he will burn the fat of the peace-offering on it. 13A continual fire will burn on the altar; it shall not be extinguished. 14And this is the procedure for the meal-offering: that Aaron's sons should offer it before the Lord, in front of the altar. 15And he will take up a handful of it – of the fine flour of the meal-offering including its oil – and all the frankincense, which are to go with the meal-offering, and he will burn them on the altar, a sweet fragrance, a memorial of it, to the Lord. 16And Aaron and his sons will eat the remainder of it. It will be eaten as unleavened loaves in a holy place; they will eat it in the courtyard of the tent of contact. 17It will not be baked leavened. I have given it as their portion of my fire-offerings. It is a holy of holies like the sin-offering and the guilt-offering. 18Every male among Aaron's children will eat it. It is an age-abiding statute for your generations concerning the Lord's fire-offerings. Everyone who touches them shall be holy.’ ” 19And the Lord spoke to Moses and said, 20“This is the oblation of Aaron and his sons which they will offer to the Lord, on the day when the man is anointed: a tenth of an ephah of fine flour of the meal-offering, perpetually, half of it in the morning and half of it in the evening. 21It will be made on a baking tray with oil; you will bring it when it has been mixed. You will offer baked items of the meal-offering baked in pieces as a sweet fragrance to the Lord. 22And the anointed priest in place of him, from his sons, will make it. It is an age-abiding statute of the Lord. It shall be completely burnt. 23And every meal-offering of the priest will be a complete burnt offering; it shall not be eaten.” 24Then the Lord spoke to Moses and said, 25“Speak to Aaron and his sons and say, ‘This is the procedure for the sin-offering. At the place where the burnt offering is slaughtered, the sin-offering will be slaughtered before the Lord. It is a holy of holies. 26The priest who offers it as a sin-offering will eat it. It will be eaten in a holy place, in the courtyard of the tent of contact. 27Everyone who touches its flesh will be holy. And when any of its blood is splashed on the garment, you will wash that which was splashed on in a holy place. 28And the earthenware vessel in which it is boiled will be broken, or if it is boiled in a copper vessel, then it will be thoroughly scoured and thoroughly rinsed with water. 29Every male among the priests will eat it. It is a holy of holies. 30But no sin-offering of which blood is brought to the tent of contact to make atonement in the holy place will be eaten; it will be burned by fire.

Leviticus Chapter 7 

1And this is the procedure for the guilt-offering. It is a holy of holies. 2In the place where they slaughter the burnt offering, they will slaughter the guilt-offering, and he will sprinkle its blood on the altar round about. 3And he will offer all its fat – the tail and the fat covering the innards. 4And as for the two kidneys, and the fat that is on them, which is on the loins, and the caul that is on the liver, and on the kidneys, he will remove them. 5And the priest will burn them on the altar as a fire-offering to the Lord. It is a guilt-offering. 6Every male among the priests will eat it. It will be eaten in a holy place. It is a holy of holies. 7As the sin-offering is, so is the guilt-offering. They have one procedure. The priest who makes atonement with it will have it. 8And the priest who offers any man's burnt offering will have the skin of the burnt offering which he offers. It is for the priest. 9And every meal-offering that is baked in an oven, and everything prepared in a frying pan or on a baking tray will be for the priest who offers it. 10And every meal-offering mixed with oil, or dry, will be for all Aaron's sons, one as another. 11And this is the procedure for the sacrifice of the peace-offering which he will offer to the Lord. 12If he offers it as a thank-offering, he will offer with the thank-sacrifice unleavened cakes mixed with oil, and unleavened wafers coated with oil, and fine flour well stirred for cakes mixed with oil. 13He will make his oblation with cakes of leavened bread with the sacrifice of his thankful peace-offering. 14And out of this he will offer one particular part of the whole oblation: a heave-offering to the Lord. It will be for the priest who sprinkles the blood of the peace-offering. 15And the meat of his sacrifice of the thankful peace-offering will be eaten on the day of his oblation – he shall not save any of it until the morning. 16And if the sacrifice of his oblation is a vow or freewill-offering, it shall be eaten on the day when he offers his sacrifice, and on the next day, when the remainder of it shall be eaten. 17And the remainder of the meat of the sacrifice will be burned by fire on the third day. 18And if any of the meat of his sacrifice of a peace-offering is eaten at all on the third day, it will not be accepted. It will not be imputed to the one offering it – it will be an abomination, and any person eating any of it will bear his iniquity. 19And any meat that comes into contact with any unclean thing will not be eaten; it will be burned with fire. And as for meat in general, every clean person may eat meat. 20But as for anyone who eats any of the meat of the peace-sacrifice which is the Lord's, while in a state of uncleanness, that person will be cut off from his people. 21And anyone who touches anything unclean, by the uncleanness of man, or unclean cattle, or any unclean abomination, and then eats any of the meat of the peace-sacrifice which is the Lord's, that person will be cut off from his people.’ ” 22And the Lord spoke to Moses and said, 23“Speak to the sons of Israel and say, ‘You shall not eat any fat of an ox or a lamb or a goat. 24But the fat of a carcase and the fat of a savaged animal can be used for any purpose, but you certainly will not eat it. 25For anyone who eats fat from the animal which he offered as a fire-offering to the Lord – that person who so eats will be cut off from his people. 26And you will not eat any blood in any of your dwellings, either of birds or of cattle. 27As for any person who eats any blood – that person will be cut off from his people.’ ” 28And the Lord spoke to Moses and said, 29“Speak to the sons of Israel and say, ‘He who offers his peace-sacrifice to the Lord shall bring his oblation to the Lord from his peace-sacrifice animal stock. 30His hands shall bring the Lord's fire-offerings; he will bring the fat on the breast with the breast in order to wave it as a wave-offering before the Lord. 31And the priest will burn the fat on the altar, and the breast will be for Aaron and his sons. 32And you will give the right leg to the priest as a heave-offering from your peace-sacrifices. 33He of the sons of Aaron who offers the blood of the peace-sacrifice and the fat will have the right leg as a portion. 34For as regards the breast of the wave-offering and the leg of the heave-offering, from the peace-sacrifices, I have made an election from the sons of Israel and given these things to Aaron the priest and his sons, as an age-abiding statute with the sons of Israel. 35That is the anointing of Aaron and the anointing of his sons, by the Lord's fire-offerings on the day when he had them approach, to serve as priests to the Lord, 36which the Lord commanded, that they should be given an age-abiding statute for their generations, on the day when he anointed them, chosen from the sons of Israel. 37That is the procedure for the burnt offering, the meal-offering, and the sin-offering, and the guilt-offering, and the consecration, and the sacrifice of the peace-offering, 38which the Lord commanded Moses on Mount Sinai on the day when he commanded the sons of Israel to offer their oblations to the Lord in the Sinai Desert.’ ”

Leviticus Chapter 8 

1Then the Lord spoke to Moses and said, 2“Take Aaron and his sons with him, and the clothes, and the anointing oil, and a bull for the sin-offering, and two rams, and the basket of unleavened bread, 3and assemble the whole congregation at the entrance to the tent of contact.” 4And Moses did as the Lord had commanded him, and the congregation was assembled at the entrance to the tent of contact. 5Then Moses said to the congregation, “This is the thing which the Lord commanded us to do.” 6And Moses brought Aaron and his sons forward and washed them with water. 7And he put the tunic on him, and he girded him with the girdle, and he clothed him with the robe, and he put the ephod on him, and he girded him with the embroidered belt of the ephod, and he bound it on to him. 8And he placed the breastplate on him, and he put the Urim and the Thummim on the breastplate. 9And he put the turban on his head, and on the turban facing forwards he put the shining plate of gold – the holy crown – as the Lord had commanded Moses. 10And Moses took the anointing oil and anointed the tabernacle and everything that was in it, and he sanctified those things. 11And he sprinkled some of it on the altar, seven times, and he anointed the altar and all its equipment, and the laver, and its pedestal, so as to sanctify them. 12And he poured some of the anointing oil on Aaron's head, and he anointed him, so as to sanctify him. 13And Moses brought Aaron's sons forward and clothed them with tunics, and he girded them with girdles, and he bound high headgear on them, as the Lord had commanded Moses. 14And he presented the bull of the sin-offering, and Aaron and his sons laid their hands on the head of the bull of the sin-offering. 15And he slaughtered it, and Moses took the blood and put it on the horns of the altar round about with his finger, and he expiated the altar, and he poured the blood onto the base of the altar, and he sanctified it to atone for it. 16And he took all the fat which is on the innards, and the caul of the liver, and the two kidneys, and their fat, and Moses burnt it on the altar. 17And he burnt the bull, and its hide, and its flesh, and its dung, with fire, outside the camp, as the Lord had commanded Moses. 18And he brought the ram of the burnt offering forward, and Aaron and his sons laid their hands on the head of the ram. 19And Moses slaughtered it and sprinkled its blood on the altar round about. 20And he cut the ram up into pieces, and Moses burnt the head, and the pieces, and the fat, 21and he washed the innards and the legs with water, and Moses burnt the whole of the ram on the altar. It was a burnt offering as a sweet fragrance. It is a fire-offering to the Lord, as the Lord had commanded Moses. 22And he brought the second ram forward, the ram of the consecration, and Aaron and his sons laid their hands on the head of the ram. 23And Moses slaughtered it and took some of its blood and put it on the lobe of Aaron's right ear and on his right thumb and on his right hand big toe. 24And he brought Aaron's sons forward, and Moses put some of the blood on the lobe of their right ears and on their right thumbs and on their right hand big toes, and Moses sprinkled the blood on the altar round about. 25And he took the fat and the tail, and all the fat that is on the innards, and the caul of the liver, and the two kidneys, and their fat and the right hand front leg. 26And he took one unleavened cake and one cake of oiled bread, and one wafer, from the basket of unleavened bread which is before the Lord, and he put them on the items of fat and on the right hand front leg, 27and he put it all in Aaron's hands, and in his sons' hands, and he waved them as a wave-offering before the Lord. 28And Moses took them from their hands and burnt them on the altar with the burnt offering. They were a consecration as a sweet fragrance. It was a fire-offering to the Lord. 29And Moses took the breast, and he waved it as a wave-offering before the Lord. Moses' portion was from the ram of consecration, as the Lord had commanded Moses. 30And Moses took some of the anointing oil and some of the blood which was on the altar, and he sprinkled it on Aaron and on his garments, and on his sons and on his sons' garments with him, and he sanctified Aaron, his garments, and his sons, and his sons' garments with him. 31And Moses said to Aaron and to his sons, “Boil the meat at the entrance to the tent of contact, and there you will eat it, and the bread which is in the consecration basket, as I commanded, when I said, ‘Aaron and his sons will eat it.’ 32And you will burn the remainder of the meat and bread with fire. 33And you will not go out of the entrance of the tent of contact for seven days, until the day of fulfilment of your consecration days, because for seven days he will consecrate you.” 34The way he acted on this day was what the Lord had commanded to be done, so as to atone for you. 35“And you will stay at the entrance to the tent of contact day and night for seven days, and you will keep the Lord's charge, so that you do not die, for so I have been commanded.” 36And Aaron and his sons did all the things which the Lord had commanded through the intermediacy of Moses.

Leviticus Chapter 9 

1And it came to pass on the eighth day that Moses called for Aaron and his sons and the elders of Israel. 2And he said to Aaron, “Get a calf, a young bull of the oxen as a sin-offering, and a ram as a burnt offering, both without blemish, and offer them before the Lord. 3And speak to the sons of Israel and say, ‘Take a buck from the goats as a sin-offering and a one-year-old calf and lamb, both without blemish, as a burnt offering, 4and an ox and a ram as a peace-offering to sacrifice before the Lord, and a meal-offering, mixed with oil. For today the Lord will appear to you.’ ” 5And they took what Moses commanded to the front of the tent of contact, and the whole congregation drew near and stood before the Lord. 6And Moses said, “This is the thing that the Lord has commanded you to do. And the glory of the Lord will appear to you.” 7And Moses said to Aaron, “Draw near to the altar and perform your sin-offering and your burnt offering, and atone for yourself and for the people, and perform the people's oblation and atone for them, as the Lord has commanded.” 8And Aaron drew near to the altar, and he slaughtered the calf of the sin-offering which was for himself. 9And Aaron's sons brought the blood to him, and he dipped his finger in the blood, and he put it on the horns of the altar, and he poured the blood onto the base of the altar. 10And he burned the fat and the kidneys and the caul from the liver from the sin-offering on the altar, as the Lord had commanded Moses. 11And he burned the flesh and the skin with fire outside the camp. 12And he slaughtered the burnt offering, and Aaron's sons presented the blood to him, and he sprinkled it on the altar round about. 13And they presented the burnt offering to him, in its pieces, and the head, and he burnt it on the altar. 14And he washed the innards and the legs, and he burned them with the burnt offering on the altar. 15And he offered the people's oblation, and he took the goat of the sin-offering which was for the people, and he slaughtered it and offered it as a sin-offering like the first one. 16And he offered the burnt offering, and he performed it according to the prescribed way. 17And he offered the meal-offering, and he filled his hand with it, and he burnt it on the altar, besides the burnt offering of the morning. 18And he slaughtered the ox and the ram, the peace-sacrifice, which was for the people. And Aaron's sons presented the blood to him, and he sprinkled it on the altar round about. 19And they presented the fatty parts from the bull and from the ram, the tail and the covering of the innards and the kidneys and the caul of the liver. 20And he put the fatty parts on the breasts, and he burnt the fatty parts on the altar. 21And Aaron waved the breasts and the right hand front leg as a wave-offering before the Lord, as Moses commanded. 22And Aaron lifted up his hand to the people and blessed them, and he came down from performing the sin-offering and the burnt offering and the peace-offering. 23Then Moses and Aaron went to the tent of contact, then they came out and blessed the people. Then the glory of the Lord appeared to all the people. 24And fire went out from the Lord and consumed the burnt offering and the fatty parts on the altar, and all the people saw it, and they shouted, and they fell face down.

Leviticus Chapter 10 

1Subsequently, Aaron's sons Nadab and Abihu each took their censer, and they put fire in them, and they put incense on it, and they offered strange fire before the Lord, which he had not commanded them. 2At this fire went out from the Lord and consumed them, and they died before the Lord. 3Then Moses said to Aaron, “This is what the Lord spoke about when he said,

‘I will be sanctified among those who draw near to me,

And I will be glorified in the presence of all the people.’ ”

And Aaron was silent. 4Then Moses called for Mishael and Elzaphan, the sons of Uzziel, Aaron's uncle, and he said to them, “Come near and carry your brothers from the front of the holy place to outside the camp.” 5So they came near and carried them in their tunics to outside the camp as Moses had told them. 6Then Moses said to Aaron, and to Eleazar and to Ithamar his sons, “Do not shave your heads, and do not rip the seam of your clothes, so that you do not die, and he becomes angry with the whole congregation. And as for your brothers, let the whole house of Israel bewail the conflagration with which the Lord burned them. 7And you will not go out of the entrance to the tent of contact, so that you do not die, for the anointing oil of the Lord is upon you.” And they acted according to Moses' word. 8Then the Lord spoke to Aaron and said, 9“Do not drink wine or strong drink, either you or your sons with you, when you come to the tent of contact, so that you do not die. It is an age-abiding statute for your generations, 10and to make a distinction between what is holy and what is profane, and between what is unclean and what is clean, 11and to teach the sons of Israel all the statutes which the Lord has spoken to them through the intermediacy of Moses.” 12And Moses said to Aaron, and to Eleazar and to Ithamar his remaining sons, “Take the meal-offering which remains from the fire-offerings of the Lord and eat it, unleavened, beside the altar, for it is a holy of holies. 13And you will eat it in a holy place, for it is a statute for you and a statute for your sons – one of the fire-offerings of the Lord – for so I have been commanded. 14And you will eat the breast of the wave-offering and the front leg of the heave-offering in a clean place, you and your sons and your daughters with you, for they have been given as a statute for you and as a statute for your sons, among the sacrifices of peace-offerings of the sons of Israel. 15They will bring the front leg of the heave-offering and the breast of the wave-offering, with the fire-offerings of fatty parts, to wave as a wave-offering before the Lord, and it will be an age-abiding statute for you and for your sons, as the Lord has commanded.” 16And Moses carefully sought the goat for the sin-offering, but he found out that it had already been burned, and he became angry with Eleazar and with Ithamar, Aaron's remaining sons, and he said, 17“Why did you not eat the sin-offering in the holy place? For it is a holy of holies. And he gave it to you to bear the iniquity of the congregation, to atone for them before the Lord. 18Look, its blood has not been brought to within the holy place; you must definitely eat it in the holy place as I commanded.” 19And Aaron said to Moses, “Look, they offered their sin-offering and their burnt offering before the Lord today, and things like this have befallen me. If I had eaten the sin-offering today, would it have been acceptable in the Lord's eyes?” 20And Moses heard it, and it was accepted in his sight.

Leviticus Chapter 11 

1Then the Lord spoke to Moses and to Aaron and said to them, 2“Speak to the sons of Israel and say, ‘These are the animals which you may eat of all the fauna which is on the earth. 3Everything among fauna that divides the hoof and is cloven-footed and chews the cud, you may eat. 4But these are what you shall not eat of the cud-chewers, or of those that divide the hoof: the camel, for it chews the cud, but it does not divide the hoof; it is unclean to you. 5And the rock hyrax, for it is a chewer of the cud, but it does not divide the hoof; it is unclean to you. 6And the hare, for it is a chewer of the cud, but it does not divide the hoof; it is unclean to you. 7And the pig, for it divides the hoof and is cloven-footed, but it does not chew the cud; it is unclean to you. 8You shall not eat of their flesh, and you shall not touch their carcases; they are unclean to you. 9This is what you may eat of everything that is in the water: everything that has fins and scales in the water – in the seas and in the rivers. You may eat them. 10But as for everything that does not have fins and scales in the seas and in the rivers, both everything that teems in the water, and every living being that is in the water, they are an abomination to you. 11And they will be an abomination to you; you shall not eat any of their flesh, and you will abhor their carcases. 12Everything that does not have fins and scales in the water is an abomination to you. 13And you will abhor the following from the bird kingdom; they must not be eaten – they are an abomination: the eagle, the ossifrage and the osprey, 14and the vulture, and the kite, after its kind, 15and every raven after its kind, 16and the ostrich, and the nightjar, and the sea-gull, and the hawk after its kind, 17and the little owl, and the cormorant, and the great owl, 18and the common owl, and the pelican, and the black vulture, 19and the stork and the heron after its kind, and the hoopoe, and the bat. 20Every teeming flying creature which goes on four feet is an abomination to you. 21But this is what you may eat: every teeming flying creature which goes on four feet, which has legs above its feet by which to leap over the ground. 22The following of them you may eat: the locust after its kind, and the migratory locust after its kind, and the short-horned grasshopper after its kind and the long-horned grasshopper after its kind. 23And every other teeming flying creature which has four legs is an abomination to you, 24and you would make yourself unclean with those; anyone who touches their carcase becomes unclean until the evening. 25And anyone who carries any carcase of theirs will wash his clothes, and he will be unclean until the evening. 26This applies to all cattle dividing the hoof yet not cloven-footed, or not chewing the cud. They are unclean to you; anyone touching them is unclean. 27And every animal that walks on its paws of all animals walking on four feet will be unclean to you. Anyone who touches their carcase will be unclean until the evening. 28And whoever holds their carcases will wash his clothes, and he will be unclean until the evening; they are unclean to you. 29And these are the unclean to you among creeping creatures which creep on the ground: the mole, the mouse, the tortoise after its kind. 30The lesser lizard, the chameleon, the greater lizard, and the mole rat, the shrew. 31They are unclean to you among every creeping animal. Anyone who touches them when they are dead will be unclean until the evening. 32And as for anything on which any of them fall when they are dead, it will become unclean, whether it is any wooden utensil or item of clothing or skin or sackcloth or any item that is used for work. It will be brought to water, and it will be unclean until evening, then it will be clean. 33And any earthenware vessel into which any of them fall – everything that has them inside it – will be unclean, and you will break it. 34Any food which is eaten on which water comes will be unclean, and any drink which is drunk from any such vessel will be unclean. 35And anything on which any of their carcases fall will become unclean. Whether an oven or a stove, it must be broken up. They are unclean, and they will be unclean to you. 36But a fount and a cistern – a storage area for water – is clean. But anyone who touches their carcase will be unclean. 37And if any of their carcases fall on any seed for sowing, which will be sown, it is clean. 38But if any water is put on the seed, and any of their carcases have fallen on it, it is unclean to you. 39And if any of the cattle which are food for you dies, anyone who touches its carcase will be unclean until the evening. 40And whoever eats from its carcase will wash his clothes, and he will be unclean until the evening, and whoever carries its carcase will wash his clothes and will be unclean until the evening. 41And every creeping thing that creeps over the earth is an abomination. It is not to be eaten. 42As for everything that goes on its belly, and everything that goes on four legs, and everything that has many legs – every creeping thing that creeps on the earth – you shall not eat them, for they are an abomination. 43Do not make yourselves abominable by any creeping thing that creeps, and do not make yourselves unclean by them and so become unclean by them. 44For I am the Lord your God, and you will sanctify yourselves, and you shall be holy, for I am holy, and you will not make yourselves unclean with any creeping thing that crawls on the earth. 45For I am the Lord who brought you up out of the land of Egypt, to be God to you, and you shall be holy, for I am holy. 46This is the law of cattle and birds and every living thing which moves in the water and of every creature that creeps on the earth, 47so as to make a distinction between unclean and clean, and between the animal that may be eaten and the animal that shall not be eaten.’ ”

Reference(s) in Chapter 11: v.44 ↔ 1 Peter 1:16 ● v.45 ↔ 1 Peter 1:16.

Leviticus Chapter 12 

1And the Lord spoke to Moses and said, 2“Speak to the sons of Israel and say, ‘If a woman conceives and gives birth to a male, she will be unclean for seven days. She will be unclean as for the days of the sickness of her menstrual impurity. 3And on the eighth day, the flesh of his foreskin shall be circumcised. 4Then she shall remain for thirty-three days in the blood of her purification. She shall not touch any holy thing, and she shall not go to the sanctuary until the completion of the days of her purification. 5And if she gives birth to a female, she will be unclean for two weeks, as in her menstrual impurity, and she will remain for sixty-six days in the blood of her purification. 6And when the days of her purification have been completed, for a son or for a daughter, she will bring to the priest a one-year-old lamb as a burnt offering, and a young pigeon or a turtle-dove, as a sin-offering, at the entrance to the tent of contact. 7And he will offer it in the presence of the Lord, and he will atone for her, and she shall be clean of the issue of her blood. This is the law of her who gives birth to a male or a female. 8And if she cannot afford a lamb, she will take two turtle-doves or two young pigeons, one for a burnt offering and one for a sin-offering, and the priest will atone for her, and she will be clean.’ ”

Reference(s) in Chapter 12: v.6 ↔ Luke 2:24.

Leviticus Chapter 13 

1Then the Lord spoke to Moses and to Aaron and said, 2“A man who has in the skin of his flesh a swelling or scurf or a bright spot, or who has in the skin of his flesh an affliction of leprosy, will be brought to Aaron the priest, or to one of his sons, the priests. 3And the priest will examine the affliction in the skin of his flesh, and if the hair of the afflicted area has turned white, and the profile of the afflicted area is deeper than the skin of his flesh, then it is an affliction of leprosy, and the priest will look at him and pronounce him unclean. 4And if it is a white bright spot in the skin of his flesh, and the profile of it is not deeper than the skin, and its hair has not turned white, then the priest will close the afflicted area up for seven days. 5Then on the seventh day the priest will examine him, and if the affliction is stable in his view, and the affliction has not spread in the skin, then the priest will close it up for a second period of seven days. 6Then the priest will examine him on the seventh day a second time, and if the affliction is dull and the affliction has not spread in the skin, then the priest will pronounce him clean. It is just scurf, and he will wash his clothes and be clean. 7But if the scurvy area has a definite spread in the skin after it has been examined by the priest as to whether it is clean, then he will be examined again by the priest. 8And the priest will make an examination, and if the scurvy area has spread on the skin, then the priest will pronounce him unclean; it is leprosy. 9If there is an affliction of leprosy with a man, he shall be brought to the priest. 10And the priest will look, and if there is a white swelling in the skin, and it has turned the hair white, and there is an indication of raw flesh in the swelling, 11then it is dormant leprosy in the skin of his flesh, and the priest will pronounce him unclean. He will not close it up, for he is unclean. 12And if the leprosy spreads extensively in the skin, and the leprosy covers all the skin with an affliction, from his head to his feet, at every visual examination by the priest, 13then the priest will look, and if the leprosy covers all his flesh, then he will pronounce the affliction clean. It has all turned white and he is clean. 14But on the day when raw flesh is seen on him, he will be unclean. 15And the priest will examine the raw flesh and pronounce him unclean. The raw flesh is unclean. It is leprosy. 16Or if the raw flesh changes back and turns white, then he will go to the priest. 17And the priest will examine him, and if the affliction turns white, then the priest will pronounce the afflicted area clean; he is clean. 18And if there is any ulcer in the skin of any flesh, and it heals, 19and in the place of the ulcer there is a white swelling or a bright spot, reddish white, then it will be examined by the priest. 20And the priest will examine it, and if its profile is lower than the skin and its hair has turned white, then the priest will pronounce him unclean. It is the affliction of leprosy which has flared up at the ulcer. 21And if the priest examines it, and if there is no white hair on it, and it is not lower than the skin, and it is dull, then the priest will close it up for seven days. 22And if it spreads extensively in the skin, then the priest will pronounce him unclean; it is an affliction. 23But if the bright spot remains in its place and does not spread, then it is an inflammation of the ulcer, and the priest will pronounce him clean. 24Or if there is a fiery burn in the skin of his flesh, and there is an indication of the burn – a bright spot that is reddish white or just white – 25then the priest will examine it, and if the hair has turned white at the bright spot, and its profile is deeper than the skin, then it is leprosy; it has flared up at the burn. And the priest will pronounce him unclean. It is an affliction of leprosy. 26But if the priest examines it and if there is no white hair at the bright spot, and it is not lower than the skin, and it is dull, then the priest will close it up for seven days. 27Then the priest will examine it on the seventh day. If it has spread at all in the skin then the priest will pronounce him unclean; it is an affliction of leprosy. 28But if the bright spot remains in place, and it does not spread on the skin, and it is dull, it is a swelling of the burn, and the priest will pronounce him clean, for it is an inflammation of the burn. 29Now if a man or woman has an affliction on the head or the chin, 30then the priest will examine the afflicted area, and if its profile is deeper than the skin, and there is thin yellow hair in it, then the priest will pronounce him unclean; it is scall, a leprosy of the head or chin. 31But if the priest looks at the affliction of the scall, and if its profile is not deeper than the skin, and there is no black hair in it, then the priest will close up the affliction of the scall for seven days. 32Then the priest will examine the afflicted area on the seventh day, and if the scall has not spread, and there is no yellow hair in it, and the profile of the scall is not deeper than the skin, 33then he will shave himself, but he will not shave the scall, and the priest will close up the scall for seven days a second time. 34Then the priest will examine the scall on the seventh day, and if the scall has not spread in the skin, and its profile is not deeper than the skin, then the priest will pronounce him clean, and the man will wash his clothes and be clean. 35But if the scall has spread at all in the skin after his cleansing, 36then the priest will examine it, and if the scall has spread in the skin, then the priest will not look for the yellow hair; he is unclean. 37But if in his sight the scall is stable, and black hair grows on it, then the scall is healing; he is clean, and the priest will pronounce him clean. 38And if a man or woman has bright spots on the skin of their flesh – white bright spots – 39then the priest will examine them, and if there are dull white bright spots in the skin of their flesh, then it is a case of freckles that grow in the skin; he is clean. 40And if a man loses hair on the head, he has become bald; he is clean. 41And if his head loses hair from the part of his head towards the front, he is front-receding bald; he is clean. 42But if there is a reddish white affliction in his bald area or his front-receding bald area, it is leprosy developing on his bald area or his front-receding bald area. 43And the priest will examine him, and if there is a reddish white swelling of an affliction on his bald area or his front-receding area, with the profile of leprosy of the skin of the flesh, 44then he is a leprous man; he is unclean. The priest will certainly pronounce him unclean; his affliction is on his head. 45The clothes of him who is leprous – who has an affliction – will be ripped at the seam, and his head will be made bare, and he will cover his upper lip, and he will call out, ‘Unclean, unclean.’ 46All the time that the affliction is on him, he will be unclean. He is unclean; he will live alone; his dwelling will be outside the camp. 47And as for the garment that has the affliction of leprosy – either in a woollen garment or in a flaxen garment – 48whether in the warp or the woof of the flax or the wool or in hide or in any processed hide, 49if the affliction in the garment is greenish or reddish, whether in hide or warp or woof or any hide product, it is an affliction of leprosy, and it will be shown to the priest. 50And the priest will examine the affliction, and he will close up the afflicted item for seven days, 51then he will examine the afflicted item on the seventh day. If the affliction has spread in the garment, either in the warp or in the woof or in the hide or in anything which is made from hide into a product, the affliction is a rankling leprosy; it is unclean. 52And he will burn the garment, whether it is in the warp or the woof or in the wool or in the flax or in any product of hide where the affliction is, for it is rankling leprosy; it will be burned by fire. 53And if when the priest looks, if the affliction has not spread in the garment or in the warp or woof or in any hide product, 54then the priest will command that they wash the thing which has the affliction in it, and that they shut it up for seven days a second time. 55Then the priest will examine it after the afflicted item has been washed, and if the affliction has not changed its profile and the affliction has not spread, it is unclean. You will burn it with fire. It is inward ravaging as it becomes worn thin or threadbare. 56And if when the priest examines it, it is seen that the afflicted area is dull after it has been washed, then he will tear it out from the garment or from the hide or from the warp or from the woof. 57But if it still appears in the garment or in the warp or the woof or in any hide product, it is flaring up; you will burn the thing that has the affliction in it with fire. 58And as for the garment or warp or woof or any hide product which you wash, where the affliction goes away from it, it will be washed a second time, and it will be clean. 59This is the procedure for the affliction of leprosy in a garment of wool or flax, either in the warp or in the woof or in any product from hide, for it being pronounced clean or unclean.”

Leviticus Chapter 14 

1Then the Lord spoke to Moses and said, 2“This will be the procedure for him who is leprous, on the day of his cleansing. Now he will be brought to the priest, 3and the priest will go outside the camp, and the priest will examine him, and if the affliction of leprosy has healed in the leper, 4then the priest will command that two birds are taken for him that is having himself cleansed, live and clean ones, and cedar wood, and scarlet dye and hyssop, 5and the priest will command that one bird be killed in an earthenware vessel over running water. 6As for the living bird, he will take it and the cedar wood, and the scarlet dye and the hyssop, and he will dip them, and the bird that is alive, in the blood of the bird that was killed, above running water. 7And he will sprinkle it seven times on him who is having himself cleansed from the leprosy, and he will pronounce him clean, and he will release the bird that is alive into the open field. 8And he that is having himself cleansed will wash his clothes, and he will shave all his hair, and he will wash himself in water, and he will be clean. And after that he will go to the camp, and he will stay outside his tent for seven days. 9And it will come to pass on the seventh day that he will shave all his hair – his head and his chin and his eyebrows. So he will shave off all his hair, and he will wash his clothes and wash his body in water, and he will be clean. 10Then on the eighth day he will take two young lambs without blemish, and one young ewe, one-year-old, without blemish, and three tenths of an ephah of fine flour for the meal-offering, mixed with oil, and one log of oil. 11And the priest who performs the cleansing will place the man who is having himself cleansed and them before the Lord at the entrance to the tent of contact. 12And the priest will take one lamb, and he will offer it as a guilt-offering, and the log of oil, and he will wave them as a wave-offering before the Lord. 13And he will slaughter the lamb in the place where he slaughters the sin-offering and the burnt offering, in the holy place, for the guilt-offering is as the sin-offering to the priest. It is a holy of holies. 14And the priest will take some of the blood of the guilt-offering, and the priest will put it on the lobe of the right ear of him who is having himself cleansed, and on his right thumb and on his right hand big toe, 15and the priest will take some of the log of oil, and he will pour it in the palm of the priest's left hand. 16And the priest will dip his right finger in the oil which is in his left palm, and he will sprinkle some of the oil with his finger seven times before the Lord. 17And the priest will put some of the remainder of the oil which is in his palm on the lobe of the right ear of him who is having himself cleansed, and on his right thumb, and on his right hand big toe, with the blood of the guilt-offering. 18And as for the remainder of the oil in the priest's palm, he will put it on the head of him who is having himself cleansed, and the priest will atone for him before the Lord. 19And the priest will perform the sin-offering, and he will atone for him who is having himself cleansed from his uncleanness, and afterwards he will slaughter the burnt offering. 20And the priest will perform the burnt offering and the meal-offering on the altar, and the priest will atone for him, and he will become clean. 21But if he is poor and he cannot afford it, he will take one lamb as a guilt-offering, as a wave-offering, to atone for him, and one tenth of an ephah of fine flour mixed with oil as a meal-offering, and a log of oil, 22and two turtle-doves or two young pigeons as he is able to afford, and one will be a sin-offering and the other a burnt offering. 23And he will bring them on the eighth day of his cleansing to the priest at the entrance to the tent of contact before the Lord. 24And the priest will take the lamb of the guilt-offering and the log of oil, and the priest will wave them as a wave-offering before the Lord. 25And he will slaughter the lamb of the guilt-offering, and the priest will take some of the blood of the guilt-offering, and he will put it on the lobe of the right ear of him who is having himself cleansed, and on his right thumb, and on his right hand big toe. 26And the priest will pour some of the oil into the priest's left palm. 27And the priest will with his right finger sprinkle some of the oil which is in his left palm seven times before the Lord. 28And the priest will put some of the oil which is in his palm on the lobe of the right ear of him who is having himself cleansed, and on his right thumb, and on his right hand big toe, at the place of the blood of the guilt-offering. 29And as for the remainder of the oil which is in the priest's palm, he will put it on the head of him who is having himself cleansed, to atone for him before the Lord. 30And he will perform the offering of one of the turtle-doves or young pigeons, whatever he can afford. 31He will offer whatever he can afford, one as a sin-offering and one as a burnt offering with a meal-offering, and the priest will atone for him who is having himself cleansed before the Lord. 32This is the procedure for him who has the affliction of leprosy who cannot afford the animals of his cleansing procedure.” 33Then the Lord spoke to Moses and to Aaron and said, 34“When you go into the land of Canaan which I am giving you as a possession, if I inflict an affliction of leprosy on a house in the land of your possession, 35then he whose house it is will go and tell the priest and say, ‘An affliction seems to have appeared on my house.’ 36And the priest will command that they empty the house before the priest comes to examine the affliction, so that nothing in the house becomes unclean, and after that the priest will come and examine the house. 37And he will examine the affliction, and if the affliction is in the walls of the house, in greenish or reddish hollows, and its profile is recessed in the wall, 38then the priest will go out of the house to the entrance of the house, and he will close the house for seven days. 39Then the priest will return on the seventh day, and he will examine it, and if the affliction has spread in the walls of the house, 40then the priest will command that they remove the stones that have the affliction in them, and they will cast them out of the city in an unclean place. 41And he will have the house scraped inside all around, and they will pour out the dust which they scrape off outside the city in an unclean place. 42And they will take other stones, and they will bring them in place of those stones, and he will take other powder, and he will plaster the house. 43And if the affliction returns, and it flares up in the house after he has removed the stones, and after the scraping of the house and after application of the plaster, 44then the priest will come, and he will examine it, and if the affliction has spread in the house, it is a rankling leprosy in the house. It is unclean. 45Then he will demolish the house, its stones and its beams, and all the plaster of the house, and he will take it outside the city to an unclean place. 46And whoever goes into the house all the time that he shut it up will be unclean until the evening. 47And whoever lies in the house will wash his clothes, and whoever eats in the house will wash his clothes. 48But if the priest comes, as he must, and he examines it, and if the affliction has not spread in the house after the house has been plastered, then the priest will pronounce the house clean, for the affliction has been cured. 49And to expiate the house he will take two birds and cedar wood, and scarlet dye, and hyssop. 50And he will kill one bird in an earthenware vessel over running water. 51And he will take the cedar wood and the hyssop and the scarlet dye and the bird that is alive, and he will dip them in the blood of the bird that was killed, and in the running water, and he will sprinkle it on the house seven times. 52And he will expiate the house with the blood of the bird, and with the running water, and with the living bird, and with the cedar wood, and with the hyssop and with the scarlet dye. 53And he will release the living bird outside the city in the open field, and he will atone for the house, and it will be clean. 54This is the procedure for every affliction of leprosy and of scall, 55and of leprosy of a garment and of a house, 56and of a swelling, and of scurf and of a bright spot, 57to teach when a thing is unclean and when a thing is clean. This is the procedure for leprosy.”

Leviticus Chapter 15 

1And the Lord spoke to Moses and to Aaron and said, 2“Speak to the sons of Israel and say to them, ‘As for every man who has a discharge from his flesh, his discharge means he is unclean. 3And this will be his uncleanness in his discharge, whether his flesh emits his discharge or his flesh seals up his discharge, it is his uncleanness. 4Every bed on which he who has the discharge lies will be unclean, and every item of furniture on which he sits will be unclean. 5And anyone who touches his bed will wash his clothes and wash himself with water, and he will be unclean until the evening. 6And anyone who sits on any item of furniture on which he who has a discharge sits will wash his clothes and wash himself with water, and he will be unclean until the evening. 7And anyone who touches the flesh of him who has the discharge will wash his clothes and wash himself with water, and he will be unclean until the evening. 8And if he who has the discharge spits on someone clean, the latter will wash his clothes and wash himself with water, and he will be unclean until the evening. 9And every carriage-seat on which he who has a discharge rides will be unclean. 10And anyone who touches anything that has been under him will be unclean until the evening, and anyone who carries them will wash his clothes and wash himself with water, and he will be unclean until the evening. 11And everyone whom he that has the discharge touches, who does not rinse his hands with water, will wash his clothes and wash himself with water, and he will be unclean until the evening. 12And any earthenware object which he who has the discharge touches will be broken, and every wooden implement will be washed with water. 13And when he with a discharge is cleansed of his discharge, he will reserve to himself seven days for his cleansing, and he will wash his clothes and he will wash his body with running water, and he will be clean. 14And on the eighth day he will get himself two turtle-doves or two young pigeons, and he will come before the Lord at the entrance to the tent of contact, and he will give them to the priest. 15And the priest will make offerings with them, one as a sin-offering and one as a burnt offering, and the priest will atone for him before the Lord for his discharge. 16And if semen is emitted from a man, he will wash all his body with water, and he will be unclean until the evening. 17And every garment and every hide product which has semen on it will be washed with water, and it will be unclean until the evening. 18And as for a woman with whom a man lies with an emission of semen, they will wash themselves with water, and they will be unclean until the evening. 19And if a woman has a discharge, and her discharge is of blood, in her flesh, she shall be in her menstrual separation for seven days, and anyone touching her will be unclean until the evening. 20And everything that she lies on in her menstrual separation will be unclean, and everything she sits on will be unclean, 21and anyone who touches her bed will wash his clothes, and he will wash himself with water, and he will be unclean until the evening. 22And anyone who touches any item of furniture that she sits on will wash his clothes and he will wash himself with water, and he will be unclean until the evening. 23And if it is the bed or the item of furniture on which she sits, when he touches the item, he will be unclean until the evening. 24And if a man actually lies with her, then her menstrual impurity will be upon him, and he will be unclean for seven days, and all the bed he lies on will be unclean. 25And if with any woman a discharge of her blood flows for many days not in the time of her menstrual separation, or if it discharges beyond the time of her menstrual separation, all the days of her unclean discharge will be as the days of her menstrual separation. She is unclean. 26Any bed that she lies on on any of the days of her discharge will be as the bed of her menstrual separation to her, and every item of furniture on which she sits will be unclean, as with the uncleanness of her menstrual separation. 27And anyone who touches them will become unclean, and he will wash his clothes and he will wash himself with water, and he will be unclean until the evening. 28And when she has been cleansed of her discharge, she will reserve herself seven days, and after that she will be clean. 29And on the eighth day, she will take two turtle-doves or two young pigeons, and she will bring them to the priest at the entrance to the tent of contact. 30And the priest will offer one of them as a sin-offering and the other as a burnt offering. And the priest will atone for her before the Lord, for her unclean discharge. 31And you will separate the sons of Israel from their uncleanness so that they do not die in their uncleanness, by them making my tabernacle, which is in their midst, unclean. 32This is the procedure for him who has a discharge and for him from whom semen is emitted, so as to become unclean by it, 33and of her that is sick in her period, and of him who has a discharge, for male or female, and for the man who lies with an unclean woman.’ ”

Leviticus Chapter 16 

1And the Lord spoke to Moses after the death of the two sons of Aaron when they made an offering before the Lord and died, 2and the Lord said to Moses, “Speak to Aaron your brother, and don't let him come at just any time to the holy place inside the veil, into the presence of the atonement cover which is over the ark, so that he does not die, for I will appear over the atonement cover in the cloud. 3Aaron will come to the sanctuary with this: with a bull-calf of the oxen for a sin-offering, and a ram for a burnt offering. 4He will wear a holy fine linen tunic, and fine linen trousers will be over his body, and he will gird himself with a fine linen girdle, and he will wear a fine linen turban. They are holy garments, and he will wash his body with water, and he will put them on. 5And he will take from the congregation of the sons of Israel two goat bucks for a sin-offering and one ram for a burnt offering. 6And Aaron will offer the bull of the sin-offering which is for himself, and he will atone for himself and for his household, 7and he will take the two goat bucks and stand them before the Lord at the entrance to the tent of contact. 8And Aaron will cast lots for the two goat bucks. One lot is for the Lord, and one lot is for the scapegoat. 9And Aaron will offer the goat buck on which the lot fell to the Lord, and he will perform the sacrifice of it as a sin-offering. 10But the goat on which the lot fell to be the scapegoat will be stood before the Lord alive, to atone for himself, by dismissing it as a scapegoat into the desert. 11And Aaron will offer the bull of the sin-offering which is for himself, and he will atone for himself and for his household, and he will slaughter the bull of the sin-offering which is for himself. 12And he will take a censer full of burning coals from the altar before the Lord, with his hands full of aromatic incense ground fine, and he will bring it inside the veil, 13and he will put the incense on the fire before the Lord, and the cloud of the incense will cover the atonement cover which is above the testimony, so that he does not die. 14And he will take some of the blood of the bull, and he will sprinkle it with his finger on the surface of the atonement cover towards the east, and he will sprinkle some of the blood in front of the atonement cover with his finger seven times. 15And he will slaughter the goat buck of the sin-offering which is for the people, and he will bring its blood inside the veil, and he will do with its blood as he did with the blood of the bull, and he will sprinkle it on the atonement cover and in front of the atonement cover. 16And he will atone for the holy place because of the uncleanness of the sons of Israel, and because of their transgressions with all their sins, and he will do likewise for the tent of contact which remains with them in the midst of their uncleanness. 17And there will be no-one at the tent of contact when he goes to make atonement in the holy place until he comes out and has atoned for himself and for his household and for the whole convocation of Israel. 18And he will go out to the altar which is before the Lord, and he will atone for it, and he will take some of the bull's blood and some of the goat buck's blood, and he will put it on the horns of the altar round about. 19And he will sprinkle some of the blood on it with his finger seven times, and he will cleanse it and sanctify it from the uncleanness of the sons of Israel. 20And he will finish atoning for the holy place and the tent of contact and the altar, and he will bring up the goat buck that is alive. 21And Aaron will lay both his hands on the head of the goat buck that is alive, and he will confess over it all the iniquities of the sons of Israel, and all their transgressions, in all their sins, and he will put them on the head of the goat buck, then he will release it by the hand of a man fit for it into the desert. 22And the goat buck will bear on itself all their iniquities to an isolated land. So he will release the goat buck into the desert. 23And Aaron will come to the tent of contact, and he will take off the fine linen garments which he put on when he went into the holy place, and he will deposit them there. 24And he will wash his body with water in a holy place, and he will put his clothes on, then he will go out, and he will perform the sacrifice of his burnt offering and the burnt offering for the people, and he will atone for himself and for the people. 25And he will burn the fat of the sin-offering on the altar. 26And he who releases the goat buck as a scapegoat will wash his clothes and wash his body with water, and after that he will come to the camp, 27and he will bring the bull of the sin-offering and the goat buck of the sin-offering, whose blood was brought to make atonement in the holy place, out to outside the camp, and they will burn their skin and their flesh and their dung with fire. 28And he who burns them will wash his clothes, and he will wash his body with water, and after that he will come to the camp. 29And it will be an age-abiding statute to you in the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month. You will humble yourselves, and you will not do any work – neither a native nor the foreigner who is living among you. 30For on this day the priest will make atonement for you, to cleanse you. You shall be clean from all your sins before the Lord. 31It is a Sabbath of sabbatic observance to you, and you will humble yourselves. It is an age-abiding statute. 32And the priest, whom he shall anoint, and whom he shall install to officiate as priest in place of his father, will make atonement, and he will put the fine linen garments on – the holy garments. 33And he will atone for the holy sanctuary, and he will atone for the tent of contact and the altar, and he will atone for the priests, and for all the people of the convocation. 34And this will be an age-abiding statute to you, to atone for the sons of Israel – for all their sins – once a year.” And he did as the Lord commanded Moses.

Leviticus Chapter 17 

1And the Lord spoke to Moses and said, 2“Speak to Aaron and to his sons and to all the sons of Israel and say to them, ‘This is the word which the Lord commanded when he said, 3«As for any man of the house of Israel who slaughters an ox or lamb or goat in the camp, or who slaughters one outside the camp, 4and who does not bring it to the entrance of the tent of contact to offer it as an oblation to the Lord before the Lord's tabernacle, blood will be imputed to that man; he has shed blood, and that man will be cut off from the midst of his people, 5in order that the sons of Israel bring their sacrifices which they have been sacrificing in the open field, and they bring them to the Lord, to the entrance of the tent of contact, to the priest, and that they sacrifice them as peace-sacrifices to the Lord. 6Then the priest will sprinkle the blood on the Lord's altar at the entrance to the tent of contact, and he will burn the fat as a sweet fragrance to the Lord. 7And they will no longer make their sacrifices to the demons which they go whoring after. This will be an age-abiding statute to them in their generations.» ’ 8And you will say to them, ‘Any man from the house of Israel, and from the foreigners who dwell in their midst, who offers a burnt offering or a sacrifice, 9but who does not bring it to the entrance of the tent of contact, for it to be made to the Lord, that man will be cut off from his people. 10And as for any man from the house of Israel, or from the foreigners who dwell in their midst, who consumes any blood, I will oppose that person who consumes blood, and I will cut him off from the midst of his people. 11For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have appointed it for you on the altar, to atone for your lives, for it is the blood which atones for the life.’ 12That is why I have said to the sons of Israel, ‘None of you will consume blood, nor will the foreigner who dwells among you consume blood.’ 13So as for any man of the sons of Israel and of the foreigners who dwell in their midst, who hunts for a live catch, or birds which are eaten, he will pour out its blood and cover it with dust. 14For the life of all flesh is its blood which is for its life. So I said to the sons of Israel, ‘You will not consume the blood of any flesh, for the life of all flesh is its blood; anyone who consumes it will be cut off.’ 15And as for anyone who eats a carcase of natural death or a savaged carcase, among native people or foreigners, he will wash his clothes and wash himself with water, and he will be unclean until the evening. Then he will be clean. 16But if he does not wash his clothes or does not wash his body, then he will bear his iniquity.”

Leviticus Chapter 18 

1And the Lord spoke to Moses and said, 2“Speak to the sons of Israel and say to them, ‘I am the Lord your God. 3You will not act according to the practices of the land of Egypt in which you lived, and you will not act according to the practices of the land of Canaan to which I am bringing you. And you shall not walk in their statutes. 4You will act in accordance with my regulations, and you will keep my statutes, by walking in them. I am the Lord your God. 5And you will keep my statutes and my regulations, which a man shall do and live by. I am the Lord. 6No man will approach any kinsman of the flesh to uncover nakedness. I am the Lord. 7You shall not uncover the nakedness of your father or the nakedness of your mother: she is your mother; you shall not uncover her nakedness. 8You shall not uncover the nakedness of the wife of your father: it is the nakedness of your father. 9As for the nakedness of your sister, the daughter of your father or the daughter of your mother, whether born at home or born away from home, you shall not uncover her nakedness. 10As for the nakedness of your son's daughter or your daughter's daughter, you shall not uncover their nakedness, for they are your nakedness. 11As for the nakedness of the daughter of your father's wife – your father's offspring – she is your sister; you shall not uncover her nakedness. 12You shall not uncover the nakedness of your father's sister: she is your father's kin. 13You shall not uncover the nakedness of your mother's sister, for she is your mother's kin. 14You shall not uncover the nakedness of your father's brother; you shall not approach his wife: she is your aunt. 15You shall not uncover the nakedness of your daughter-in-law: she is your son's wife; you shall not uncover her nakedness. 16You shall not uncover the nakedness of your brother's wife: it is your brother's nakedness. 17You shall not uncover the nakedness of a woman and her daughter, nor will you take her son's daughter or her daughter's daughter to uncover her nakedness: they are her kin; it is lewdness. 18And you will not take a woman to wife in addition to her sister, which would cause strife in uncovering her nakedness as well as the first one's, while she is still alive. 19And you will not approach a woman in her time of being set apart for her menstrual impurity, uncovering her nakedness. 20And you shall not lie in intercourse with your fellow citizen's wife, so being defiled by her. 21And you shall not let any of your seed impregnate prostitutes of Molech, and you shall not profane the name of your God. I am the Lord. 22You shall not lie with a male as in the act of lying with a woman. It is an abomination. 23And you shall not let your intercourse be with any animal, so defiling yourself with it, and a woman shall not stand before an animal so that it copulates with her; it is a perversion. 24Do not defile yourselves with any of these, for the Gentiles are defiled by all of these, whom I am casting out before you. 25And the land is defiled, and I will visit it for its iniquity, and the land will vomit up its inhabitants. 26And you will keep my statutes and my regulations, and you will not commit any of these abominations – neither the native nor the foreigner who is living in your midst – 27for the men of the land who were before you committed all these abominations, and the land has become defiled, 28so that the land does not vomit you up for your defiling of it, as it vomited up the nation which was before you. 29For as for anyone who commits any of the abominations, the individuals who commit them will be cut off from the midst of their people. 30And you will keep my charge not to engage in any abominable statutes which were committed before you, and you will not defile yourselves with them. I am the Lord your God.’ ”

Reference(s) in Chapter 18: v.5 ↔ Romans 10:5, Galatians 3:12.

Leviticus Chapter 19 

1And the Lord spoke to Moses and said, 2“Speak to the whole congregation of the sons of Israel and say to them, ‘You will be holy, for I, the Lord your God, am holy. 3Every man shall fear his mother and his father, and you shall keep my Sabbaths. I am the Lord your God. 4Do not turn to idols, nor make yourselves cast gods. I am the Lord your God. 5And if you offer a peace-sacrifice to the Lord, you will offer it for your acceptance. 6It will be eaten on the day of your sacrifice, and on the next day. Then what remains up to the third day will be burned with fire. 7And if it is eaten at all on the third day, it is a foul thing – it will not be accepted. 8And he who eats it will bear his iniquity, for he has profaned the holiness of the Lord, and that person will be cut off from his people. 9And when you reap the harvest of your land, you will not completely reap the corners of your field, and you will not glean gleanings of your harvest. 10And you will not re-harvest your vineyard, and you will not glean fallen fruit of your vineyard; you will leave them for the poor and for the foreigner. I am the Lord your God. 11You will not steal, and you will not deceive, and you will not lie to one another. 12And you will not swear in my name falsely, so profaning the name of your God. I am the Lord. 13You shall not defraud your neighbour, and you will not plunder him, and you will not keep the wages of a hired labourer with you until the morning. 14You shall not curse the deaf, and you shall not put a stumbling block before the blind. And you will fear your God. I am the Lord. 15You shall not commit injustice in judgment; you shall not show partiality before the poor, nor shall you show honour before the great; you shall judge your fellow citizen in righteousness. 16You shall not go around slandering among your people. You shall not threaten to draw your neighbour's blood. I am the Lord. 17You shall not hate your brother in your heart, you will certainly reprove your fellow citizen, and you will not countenance him in sin. 18You will not take revenge, and you will not bear a grudge against the sons of your people, and you shall love your neighbour as yourself. I am the Lord. 19You shall keep my statutes; you shall not breed your cattle across species; you shall not sow your field with diverse species, and no garment of diverse interwoven threads will come on you. 20And if a man lies in intercourse with a woman who is a bondmaid acquired for a man, and she has not been redeemed at all and no freedom has been granted to her, then they will be scourged. They shall not be put to death, for she has not been made free. 21And he will bring his guilt-offering to the Lord, to the entrance of the tent of contact – the ram of a guilt-offering. 22And the priest will atone for him with the ram of the guilt-offering before the Lord for his sin which he committed, and his sin which he committed will be forgiven him. 23And when you go into the land, you will plant all kinds of trees for food, but you will regard their fruit as uncircumcised – you will wait three years during which they will be uncircumcised to you and not eaten. 24But in the fourth year all their fruit will be a holy object of praise to the Lord. 25And in the fifth year you will eat its fruit, and it will increase its produce to you. I am the Lord your God. 26You shall not eat it with blood; you shall not use enchantment, and you shall not divine by clouds. 27You shall not cut round the sides of your head, and you shall not spoil the sides of your beard. 28And you shall not make a cutting in your flesh for the soul, and you shall not put an incised mark on yourselves. I am the Lord. 29Do not profane your daughter by letting her become a prostitute, and do not let the land fall into whoredom, whereby the land would be full of lewdness. 30Keep my Sabbaths, and fear my sanctuary. I am the Lord. 31Do not turn to the soothsayers, and do not seek wizards, whereby you would be defiled by them. I am the Lord your God. 32You shall rise before the aged, and respect the old, and you will fear your God. I am the Lord. 33And if a foreigner is resident in your land, you shall not oppress him. 34The foreigner resident among you will be as a native among you, and you shall love him as yourself, for you were foreigners in the land of Egypt. I am the Lord your God. 35Do not commit injustice in judgment, or in dry measure, in weights or in liquid measure. 36You shall have just balances, just weights, a just ephah and a just hin. I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt. 37And you will keep all my statutes and all my regulations, and you will do them. I am the Lord.’ ”

Reference(s) in Chapter 19: v.2 ↔ 1 Peter 1:16 ● v.12 ↔ Matthew 5:33 ● v.18 ↔ Matthew 5:43, Matthew 19:19, Matthew 22:39, Mark 12:31, Mark 12:33, Luke 10:27, Romans 13:9, Galatians 5:14, James 2:8.

Leviticus Chapter 20 

1And the Lord spoke to Moses and said, 2“And to the sons of Israel you will say, ‘Any man of the sons of Israel or of the foreigners who are dwelling in Israel who gives any of his seed to Molech will certainly be put to death. The people of the land will stone him. 3And I will set my face against that man, and I will cut him off from the midst of his people, because he has given some of his seed to Molech, so as to defile my sanctuary and to profane my holy name. 4And if the people of the land turn a blind eye to that man when he gives his seed to Molech, so that they do not put him to death, 5then I will set my face against that man and his family, and I will cut him off, and all those libertines who follow him in committing prostitution in following the practices of Molech, from the midst of their people. 6And as for any person who turns to the soothsayers or the wizards, to go whoring after them, I will set my face against that person, and I will cut him off from the midst of his people. 7And you will sanctify yourselves, and you will be holy, for I am the Lord your God. 8And you will keep my statutes, and you will do them. I am the Lord who sanctifies you. 9For any man who curses his father or his mother will certainly be put to death. He has cursed his father or his mother; his blood will be upon him. 10And as for a man who commits adultery with the wife of a man – who commits adultery with the wife of his neighbour – the adulterer and adulteress will certainly be put to death. 11And a man who sleeps with his father's wife has uncovered the nakedness of his father. The two of them will certainly be put to death; their blood will be upon them. 12And as for a man who sleeps with his daughter-in-law, the two of them will certainly be put to death; they have committed a perversion. Their blood will be upon them. 13And as for a man who lies with a male as in the act of lying with a woman, they have both committed an abomination. They will certainly be put to death; their blood will be upon them. 14And if a man takes a wife and her mother, it is lewdness; they will burn him and them with fire, so that there will be no lewdness in your midst. 15A man who lies with an animal will certainly be put to death, and you will kill the animal. 16And if any woman approaches any animal so that it copulates with her, then you will kill the woman and the animal. They will certainly be put to death; their blood will be upon them. 17And if a man takes his sister – the daughter of his father or the daughter of his mother – and sees her nakedness, and she sees his nakedness, it is a disgrace, and they will be cut off in the sight of the sons of their people, for he has uncovered the nakedness of his sister; he will bear his iniquity. 18And if a man lies with a woman ailing in her menstrual sickness, and he uncovers her nakedness, he has exposed her source of bleeding, and she has uncovered the source of her bleeding, and the two of them will be cut off from their people. 19And you will not uncover the nakedness of your mother's sister or your father's sister, for he would be making his kin bare; they will bear their iniquity. 20And any man who sleeps with his aunt-in-law has uncovered his uncle's nakedness; they will bear their sin; they will die childless. 21And any man who takes his brother's wife – it is an unclean thing – he has uncovered his brother's nakedness; they will be childless. 22And you shall keep all my statutes and all my regulations, and you will do them, so that the land, which I am bringing you to, to inhabit it, does not vomit you up. 23And do not walk in the statutes of the people whom I am driving out before you, for they do all these things, and I abhor them. 24And I said to you, «You will inherit their land, and I will give it to you, to inherit it, a land flowing with milk and honey.» I am the Lord your God, who separated you from the various peoples. 25And you will make a distinction between clean animals and unclean ones, and between unclean birds and clean ones, and you will not make yourselves abominable with animals or birds or with anything that creeps on the earth, which I have divided off for you to regard as unclean. 26And you will be holy to me, for I, the Lord, am holy, and I have separated you from the various peoples to be mine. 27And any man or woman among them who is a soothsayer or wizard will certainly be put to death. They will stone them; their blood will be upon them.’ ”

Leviticus Chapter 21 

1And the Lord said to Moses, “Speak to the priests, the sons of Aaron, and say to them, ‘No-one shall defile himself by a dead person among his people, 2except by his kin, closely related to him, by his mother and his father, and by his son and by his daughter and by his brother, 3and by his virgin sister, closely related to him, who has not had a husband; by her he may be defiled. 4A master of his people shall not defile himself, so as to profane himself. 5They shall not shave themselves bald on their head, and they shall not shave the corner of their beard, and they shall not make any incision in their flesh. 6They shall be holy to their God, and they shall not profane the name of their God, for they offer the Lord's fire-offerings – the bread of their God – and they shall be holy. 7They shall not take a prostitute or a profane woman to wife; they shall not take a woman who has been divorced from her husband, for he is holy to his God. 8And you will sanctify him, for he offers your God's bread. He will be holy to you, for I, the Lord, who am sanctifying you, am holy. 9And as for the daughter of a man who is a priest, if she profanes herself by committing whoredom, she is profaning her father; she will be burned by fire. 10And as for the high priest among his brothers on whose head anointing oil is poured, and whom he consecrated to wear the garments, he shall not lay his head bare, and he shall not rip the seam of his clothes. 11And he will not go to any dead person. He shall not defile himself with his father or mother. 12And he shall not go out of the sanctuary, and he shall not profane the sanctuary of his God, for the consecration of the anointing oil of his God is upon him. I am the Lord. 13And he shall take a wife who is in her virginity. 14As for a widow, or a divorced woman or a profane prostitute, he will not take any of these, but he will take to wife a virgin from his people. 15And he will not profane his seed among his people, for I am the Lord who sanctifies him.’ ” 16And the Lord spoke to Moses and said, 17“Speak to Aaron and say, ‘Any man of your seed in their generations who has a blemish shall not approach to offer the bread of his God. 18For no man who has a blemish shall approach, neither a blind man, nor a lame man, nor a man mutilated in the nose, nor with an overgrown body part, 19nor a man who has a fracture in the foot or a fracture in the hand, 20nor anyone hunchbacked, or emaciated, or with cataracts in his eye, or scurvy or scabby or with crushed testicles. 21No man of the seed of Aaron the priest who has a blemish shall approach to offer the Lord's fire-offerings: he has a blemish; he shall not approach to offer the bread of his God. 22He may eat the bread of his God, of the holy of holies, and of the holy things, 23but he will not go to the veil, and he will not approach the altar, for he has a blemish, and he must not profane my sacred places, for I am the Lord who sanctifies them.’ ” 24Then Moses spoke to Aaron and to his sons and to all the sons of Israel.

Leviticus Chapter 22 

1Then the Lord spoke to Moses and said, 2“Speak to Aaron and to his sons, and tell them that they should separate themselves from the holy things of the sons of Israel, and not profane my holy name, inasmuch as they are sanctifying things to me. I am the Lord. 3Say to them, ‘In your generations, every man of any of your seed who is in an unclean state, who approaches the holy things which the sons of Israel are sanctifying to the Lord, that person will be cut off from my presence. I am the Lord. 4Any man of the seed of Aaron who is leprous or with a discharge shall not eat in the holy places until he is clean, and whoever touches any person who is unclean, or a man from whom semen is emitted, 5or a man who touches any reptile by which one is defiled, or a man by whom he is defiled – by any uncleanness of his – 6the person who has touched him will be unclean until the evening, and he will not eat of the holy things, but he will wash his body with water. 7And when the sun has set, he will be clean, and after that he will partake of the holy things, for it is his bread. 8He shall not eat from a carcase or savaged animal, which would defile him. I am the Lord. 9And they will keep my charge, so as not to bear sin on its account, and they will die in it if they have profaned it. I am the Lord who sanctifies them. 10And no foreigner will eat any holy thing; no resident with the priest, nor a hired labourer will eat any holy thing. 11But if a priest buys a person as a purchase with his own money, that person may eat of it, as may anyone born in his house; they may partake of his bread. 12Neither will a priest's daughter, if she is wife to a foreigner, partake of the heave-offering of the holy things. 13And as for the daughter of a priest who becomes a widow or is divorced, and has no offspring, she will return to the house of her father, as in her youth. She will partake of her father's bread, and no foreigner will eat it. 14And if a man eats a holy thing in ignorance, then he will add one fifth to it, and he will give the holy thing to the priest. 15And they will not profane the holy things of the sons of Israel which they heave to the Lord. 16Nor shall they cause them to bear iniquity, entailing guilt, which they would incur if they were to eat their holy things, for I am the Lord who sanctifies them.’ ” 17Then the Lord spoke to Moses and said, 18“Speak to Aaron and to his sons, and to all the sons of Israel, and say to them, ‘Any man of the house of Israel or of foreign residents in Israel who offers his oblation according to all their vows, or according to all their freewill-offerings which they make to the Lord as a burnt offering, 19let him offer for your acceptance, a male without blemish, among the oxen, lambs, or goats. 20You shall not offer any animal that has a blemish, for it will not be accepted on your behalf. 21And if a man offers a peace-sacrifice to the Lord, to fulfil a vow or as a freewill-offering, it will be an animal without blemish from the oxen or the sheep offered for acceptance; there will not be any blemish in it. 22As for animals suffering blindness, or which are fractured or lacerated, or which have a festering sore, or scurvy, or scabs – you will not offer these to the Lord, and you will not make a fire-offering of any of them to the Lord on the altar. 23A bull or a lamb with anything overgrown or undergrown you may offer as a freewill-offering, but it will not be accepted for a vow. 24And you will not offer to the Lord any animal that is bruised or crushed or castrated or with anything cut off, and you shall not offer it in your land. 25And you will not offer the bread of your God from the hand of a foreigner, with any of these offerings, for they are inherently defiled – there is a blemish in them. They will not be accepted for you.’ ” 26Then the Lord spoke to Moses and said, 27“A bull or a lamb or a goat, when it is born, will be kept for seven days with its mother, but from the eighth day onwards it will be accepted as an oblation of a fire-offering to the Lord. 28And you shall not kill both a bull or a sheep and its young in one day. 29And when you offer the sacrifice of a thank-offering to the Lord, you will make the sacrifice for your acceptance. 30It must be eaten on that very day; you shall not leave any of it until the morning. I am the Lord. 31And you shall keep my commandments, and you shall carry them out. I am the Lord. 32And you will not profane my holy name, and I will be sanctified among the sons of Israel. I am the Lord who sanctifies you, 33who brought you out from the land of Egypt, to be God to you. I am the Lord.”

Leviticus Chapter 23 

1Then the Lord spoke to Moses and said, 2“Speak to the sons of Israel and say to them, ‘The festival times of the Lord which you convoke – the holy convocations – these are my festival times. 3For six days work may be done, but on the seventh day it is a Sabbath of sabbatic observance – a holy convocation. You shall do no work; it is the Lord's Sabbath in all your dwellings. 4These are the Lord's festival times – the holy convocations which you will convoke at their appointed time. 5In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month, in the evening, it is the Lord's Passover. 6And on the fifteenth day of this month it is the Lord's Festival of the Unleavened Bread. You shall eat unleavened bread for seven days. 7On the first day you will have a holy convocation; you shall not do any kind of work. 8And you will offer a fire-offering to the Lord for seven days, and on the seventh day there will be a holy convocation; you shall not do any kind of work.’ ” 9Then the Lord spoke to Moses and said, 10“Speak to the sons of Israel, and say to them, ‘When you come into the land which I am giving you, and you reap its harvest, then you will bring the first sheaf of your harvest to the priest. 11And he will wave the sheaf before the Lord for your acceptance. On the day after the Sabbath the priest will wave it. 12And on the day when you wave the sheaf, you will carry out the sacrifice of a lamb without blemish, one-year-old, as a burnt offering to the Lord, 13and its meal-offering: two tenths of an ephah of fine flour, mixed with oil – a fire-offering to the Lord – a sweet fragrance, and its wine libation, a quarter of a hin. 14But you will not eat bread or parched corn, or fresh grain, until this very day – until you have brought the oblation to your God. It is an age-abiding statute for your generations in all your dwelling places. 15And you will keep count: from the day after the Sabbath, from the day you bring the sheaf for the wave-offering, there shall be seven complete Sabbaths. 16Up to the day after the seventh Sabbath you will count fifty days, then you will offer a new meal-offering to the Lord. 17You will bring from your dwelling places bread for the wave-offering – two loaves – two tenths of an ephah. They will be of fine flour; they will be baked with leaven; they are the firstfruits for the Lord. 18And you will offer with the bread seven lambs without blemish, one-year-olds, and one bull-calf of the oxen, and two rams. They will be a burnt offering to the Lord, with their meal-offerings and their libations. It is a fire-offering of a sweet fragrance to the Lord. 19And you will perform the sacrifice of one buck of the goats as a sin-offering, and two one-year-old lambs as a peace-sacrifice. 20And the priest will wave them with the bread of the firstfruits as a wave-offering before the Lord, with the two lambs. They will be holy to the Lord for the priest. 21And on this same day you will convoke the festival; you will have a holy convocation. You will do no kind of work. It is an age-abiding statute in all your dwelling places for your generations. 22And when you reap the harvest of your land, you will not completely reap the corners of your field as you reap, and you will not glean gleanings of your harvest. You will leave them for the poor and the foreigner. I am the Lord your God.’ ” 23Then the Lord spoke to Moses and said, 24“Speak to the sons of Israel and say, ‘In the seventh month, on the first day of the month, you will have a high Sabbath – a memorial of trumpet blowing – a holy convocation. 25You will do no kind of work, and you will offer a fire-offering to the Lord.’ ” 26And the Lord spoke to Moses and said, 27“Now on the tenth day of this seventh month it is the day of atonement. You will hold a holy convocation, and you will humble yourselves, and you will offer a fire-offering to the Lord. 28And you will not do any work on this particular day, for it is the day of atonement to atone for you before the Lord your God. 29For any person who is not humbled on this particular day will be cut off from his people. 30And as for any person who does any work on this particular day, I will eradicate that person from the midst of his people. 31You shall not do any work. It is an age-abiding statute for your generations in all your dwelling places. 32It is a Sabbath of sabbatic observance for you, and you will humble yourselves. On the ninth day of the month, in the evening, from evening to evening you will celebrate your Sabbath.” 33Then the Lord spoke to Moses and said, 34“Speak to the sons of Israel and say, ‘On the fifteenth day of this seventh month, it is the Festival of Tabernacles for seven days to the Lord. 35On the first day there will be a holy convocation. You shall not do any kind of work. 36For seven days you will make a fire-offering to the Lord. On the eighth day you will hold a holy convocation, and you will offer a fire-offering to the Lord. It is a solemn assembly; you shall do no kind of work. 37These are the Lord's festival times which you will convoke – holy convocations – to offer a fire-offering to the Lord: a burnt offering and a meal-offering, a sacrifice and libations, the duty of a day on its day, 38besides the Lord's Sabbaths, and besides your gifts, and besides all your vows, and besides all your freewill-offerings which you give to the Lord. 39But on the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when you gather the produce of the land, you will celebrate the Lord's festival for seven days; on the first day there will be a high Sabbath and on the eighth day there will be a high Sabbath. 40And on the first day, you will take for yourselves the firstfruit growth of a tree of honour: palm-branches, and a bough of a thick tree, and willows of the stream, and you will rejoice before the Lord your God for seven days. 41And you will celebrate it as a festival to the Lord for seven days of the year. It is an age-abiding statute for your generations; you will celebrate it in the seventh month. 42You will dwell in tabernacles for seven days; every native in Israel will dwell in tabernacles, 43so that your generations know that I made the sons of Israel dwell in tabernacles when I brought them out of the land of Egypt. I am the Lord your God.’ ” 44And Moses related the festival times of the Lord to the sons of Israel.

Leviticus Chapter 24 

1Then the Lord spoke to Moses and said, 2“Command the sons of Israel to bring to you pure beaten olive oil for the lamp, to have a lamp burn continually, 3outside the veil of the testimony in the tent of contact. Aaron will set it up, to be from evening to morning before the Lord continually. It is an age-abiding statute for your generations. 4He will set up the lamps on the pure lampstand to be before the Lord continually. 5And you will take fine flour, and you will bake it making twelve cakes. Each cake will consist of two tenths of an ephah. 6And you will place them in two rows, six per row, on the pure table before the Lord. 7And you will put pure frankincense on the row, and it will be bread of a memorial – a fire-offering to the Lord. 8On every Sabbath day he will set it up before the Lord perpetually; it is an age-abiding covenant with the sons of Israel. 9And it will be for Aaron and his sons, and they will eat it in a holy place, for it is a holy of holies to him among the Lord's fire-offerings. It is an age-abiding statute.” 10Then a son of an Israelite woman, who was the son of an Egyptian man, went out into the midst of the sons of Israel, and the Israelite woman's son and an Israelite man quarrelled in the camp. 11And the son of the Israelite woman blasphemed the name and cursed it, and they brought him to Moses. Now the name of his mother was Shelomith, the daughter of Dibri of the tribe of Dan. 12And they kept him in a guarded room, for a verdict to be determined for them according to the pronouncement of the Lord. 13Then the Lord spoke to Moses and said, 14“Bring him who cursed to outside the camp, and let all those who heard place their hands on his head. And the whole congregation will stone him. 15And you will speak to the sons of Israel and say, ‘Any man who curses his God will bear his sin. 16And any blasphemer of the name of the Lord will certainly be put to death. The whole congregation will certainly stone him. It is the same for a foreigner as for a native: if he blasphemes the name he will be put to death. 17And any man who takes the life of any man will certainly be put to death. 18And anyone who takes the life of a farm animal will repay it: a life for a life. 19And as for a man who inflicts physical harm on his fellow citizen: as he did, so it will be done to him. 20A fracture for a fracture, and an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. As he inflicts physical harm on a man, so it will be inflicted on him. 21And he who strikes a farm animal will repay it, and he who fatally strikes a man will be put to death. 22There will be one regulation for you – as for a foreigner, so it will be for a native, for I am the Lord your God.’ ” 23So Moses spoke to the sons of Israel, and they brought him who had cursed to outside the camp, and they stoned him. And the sons of Israel did as the Lord had commanded Moses.

Leviticus Chapter 25 

1And the Lord spoke to Moses at Mount Sinai and said, 2“Speak to the sons of Israel and say to them, ‘When you go to the land which I am giving you, the land will rest for a Sabbath for the Lord. 3For six years you will sow your field, and for six years you will prune your vineyard and gather its produce, 4but in the seventh year, it will be a Sabbath of sabbatic observance for the land – the Lord's Sabbath. You shall not sow your field, and you will not prune your vines. 5You shall not reap the produce of spilt grain of your harvest, and you will not harvest the grapes of your unpruned vine. It will be a year of sabbatical observance for the land. 6And the Sabbath of the land will be the means of food for you – for you and for your servant and for your maidservant and for your hired servant and for your lodger who dwell with you. 7Also your cattle and the animals in your land will have all its produce to eat. 8And you will count yourself seven Sabbaths of years – seven years seven times over – and you will have the days of seven Sabbaths of years: forty-nine years. 9Then you will make proclamation with a ramshorn as a rallying sound in the seventh month on the tenth day of the month on the day of atonement. You will make a proclamation with a ramshorn in all your land. 10And you will sanctify the fiftieth year, and you will proclaim liberty in the land to all its inhabitants. It will be your Jubilee, and every man among you will return to his possession, and every man among you will return to his family. 11It is Jubilee; it will be in the fiftieth year for you. You will not sow, you will not reap the produce of spilt grain in it, nor will you harvest the unpruned vines in it. 12For it is Jubilee. It will be holy to you; in it you will eat from the produce of the field. 13In this Jubilee year, every man among you will return to his possession. 14And if you sell an item to your fellow citizen or buy from your fellow citizen, let no man extort his brother. 15You will buy from your fellow citizen at a value in inverse proportion to the number of years after Jubilee; he will sell to you at a value in direct proportion to the number of years of income to run. 16The more the number of years, the more you may increase its price, and the less the number of years, the more you will reduce its price, for he will sell it to you according to the number of years of income to run. 17And no-one may extort his fellow citizen, and you will fear your God, for I am the Lord your God. 18And you will observe my statutes, and you will keep my regulations and carry them out, and you will dwell in the land in safety. 19And the land will yield its fruit, and you will eat your fill, and you will dwell in safety in it. 20And when you say, «What will we eat in the seventh year, seeing we won't be sowing, and we won't be reaping our produce?» 21I will command my blessing for you in the sixth year, and it will produce the produce of three years. 22And you will sow in the eighth year and eat from the old produce, until the ninth year – until its produce comes. You will eat old stored produce. 23And the land will never be sold, for the land is mine, for you are foreigners and lodgers with me. 24And in all the land of your possession, you will exercise redemption of the land. 25If your brother becomes poor and sells part of his possession, and his kinsman redeemer comes to him, then he can redeem the thing sold by his brother. 26And if a man does not have a redeemer, but he can afford it, and he finds enough money for the redemption, 27then he will calculate the years of the item he has sold, and he will return the outstanding value to the man to whom he sold it, and it will return to his possession. 28And if he cannot afford sufficient to have it returned to himself, then his item sold will be in the possession of him who bought it until the Jubilee year, then it will expire in the Jubilee and it will return to his possession. 29And if a man sells a residential house in a walled city, then the right of redemption of it will be for a complete year from its sale. The right of redemption of it will be for those days. 30But if it is not redeemed within the elapsing of a complete year, then the house in the walled city will be established indeterminately for him who bought it, for his generations. It will not expire in the Jubilee. 31But houses in villages which do not have a surrounding wall will be considered as the fields of the land: such will be subject to redemption and will expire in the Jubilee. 32But as for the cities of the Levites – the houses of the cities in their possession – the Levites have an age-abiding right of redemption. 33And whoever of the Levites makes a redemptive claim on anything, then the sale of the house will expire, as will the city in his possession, in the Jubilee, for the houses of the cities of the Levites are their possession among the sons of Israel. 34And the pasture fields of their cities will not be sold, for they are their age-abiding possession. 35And if your brother becomes poor, and loses his wealth, being of your community, then you will support him: foreigner or lodger, he will live with you. 36Do not take interest or profit from him, and fear your God, and your brother will live among you. 37Do not lend him money at interest, nor give food for a profit. 38I 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. 39And if your brother among you becomes poor, and he is sold to you, you shall not make him do the work of a servant. 40He will be as a hired worker or as a lodger with you. He will work for you until the Jubilee year. 41Then he will go out from you, he and his sons with him, and he will return to his family, and he will return to the possession of his fathers. 42For they are my servants, whom I brought out from the land of Egypt. They will not be sold as a servant is sold. 43You shall not rule over him with rigour, and you will fear your God. 44As for your manservant and your maidservant who will be yours, from the Gentiles who are around you, from them you may buy a manservant or a maidservant, 45and also from the sons of the lodgers who live with you. From them you can buy servants, and from their families which are with you, whom they beget in your land, and they will be your property. 46And you will receive them as an inheritance, for your sons after you, to inherit them as a possession. You will put them to work age-abidingly, but as for your brothers, the sons of Israel – a man in relation to his brother – you will not rule over him with rigour. 47And if a foreigner – a temporary resident with you – becomes wealthy, and your brother alongside him becomes poor, and he sells himself to the foreigner, a temporary resident alongside you, or to the household of a foreign family, 48after he has sold himself, he will have a right of redemption: one of his brothers may redeem him. 49Alternatively his uncle or his cousin may redeem him, or anyone of his kin in blood relation to him from his family may redeem him, or if he can afford it, he may redeem himself. 50And he will calculate with him who bought him, from the year when he was sold to him to the year of the Jubilee, and the price of him being sold shall be according to the number of years. It will be with him as the number of days of a hired servant. 51If there are still many years to run, he will repay according to them for his redemption a large part of the sum for which he was bought. 52But if there remain few years until the year of the Jubilee, then he will calculate for himself; he will repay for his redemption according to his years to run. 53He will be with him as a hired servant from year to year. He will not rule over him with rigour in your sight. 54And if he is not redeemed by these means, he will go out in the Jubilee year – he and his sons with him. 55For the sons of Israel are servants to me; they are my servants, whom I brought out from the land of Egypt. I am the Lord your God.

Leviticus Chapter 26 

1You shall not make idols for yourselves, and you shall not set up a fashioned image or a statue for yourselves, and you shall not place any stone sculpture in your land at which to worship, for I am the Lord your God. 2You shall keep my Sabbaths and fear my sanctuary. I am the Lord. 3If you walk in my statutes and keep my commandments and do them, 4then I will give you your rain in its seasons, and the land will yield its produce, and the tree of the field will yield its fruit. 5And your threshing season will last until the vintage, and the vintage will last until the sowing season, and you will eat your bread to satiety, and you will dwell in safety in your land. 6And I will give you peace in the land, and you will lie down, and there will be no-one to make you afraid, and I will rid the land of evil beasts, and the sword will not pass through your land. 7And you will pursue your enemies, and they will fall to the sword before you. 8And five of you will pursue a hundred of them, and a hundred of you will pursue ten thousand of them, and your enemies will fall to the sword before you. 9And I will turn to you, and I will make you fruitful, and I will make you increase, and I will set up my covenant with you. 10And you will eat old produce of a previous season, and you will bring out the old on account of the new to go in. 11And I will put my tabernacle in your midst, and my being will not loathe you. 12And I will walk around in your midst, and I will be your God, and you will be my people. 13I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, saving you from being their slaves, and I broke the bars of your yoke, and I enabled you to walk upright. 14But if you do not heed me, and do not do all these commandments, 15and if you reject my statutes, or if your being loathes my regulations, so as not to carry out all my commandments, so that you break my covenant, 16then I for my part will do this to you: I will visit you with dread, with tuberculosis, and with burning fever, consuming the eyes and wasting the body, and you will sow your seed in vain, and your enemies will eat it. 17And I will set my face against you, and you will be struck down before your enemies, and those who hate you will rule over you, and you will flee when no-one is pursuing you. 18And if you will not hear me even after these things, then I will punish you more – seven times for your sins. 19And I will break your stiff pride, and I will make your sky as iron and your earth as copper. 20And your strength will be expended in vain, and your land will not yield its produce, and the tree of the land will not yield its fruit. 21And if you walk in opposition to me, and you are not willing to hear me, then I will add a blow to you, seven times, according to your sins. 22And I will send the wild animals on to you, and they will bereave you of children, and they will destroy your cattle and reduce you, and your roads will be desolate. 23And if despite these things you will not be corrected by me, and you walk in opposition to me, 24then I too will walk in opposition to you, and I for my part will strike you seven times for your sins. 25And I will bring a sword over you, avenging the cause for vengeance of the covenant, and when you are gathered in your cities, I will send a plague into your midst, and you will be given up into the hand of the enemy. 26When I break your supply of bread, and ten women bake your bread in one oven, and they dispense your bread by weight, you will eat, but you will not be satisfied. 27And if despite this you will not hear me, and you walk in opposition to me, 28then I will walk in angry opposition to you, and I for my part will punish you seven times for your sins. 29And you will eat the flesh of your sons, and you will eat the flesh of your daughters, 30and I will destroy your idolatrous raised sites, and I will cut off your sun-images, and I will put your carcases on the carcases of your idols, and my being will abhor you. 31And I will make your cities a desolation, and I will devastate your sanctuaries, and I will not smell your sweet fragrance. 32And I will devastate the land, and your enemies who inhabit it will be astonished at it, 33and I will scatter you among the Gentiles, and I will draw the sword after you, and your land will become a scene of devastation, and your cities will become a desolation. 34Then the land will take pleasure in its Sabbaths, all the days of its devastation, and you will be in a land of your enemies. Then the land will rest and take pleasure in its Sabbaths. 35It will rest for all the days of its devastation – the time for which it didn't rest on your Sabbaths when you were dwelling in it. 36And as for those that remain among you, I will bring faintness into their hearts, in the lands of their enemies, and the sound of a leaf being driven about will pursue them, and they will flee as when fleeing from the sword, and they will fall when there is no-one pursuing. 37And a man will stumble against his brother as if running away from the sword, when no-one is pursuing, and you will not have the ability to make a stand before your enemies. 38And you will perish among the nations, and the land of your enemies will devour you. 39And those of you who remain will waste away in their iniquity in the lands of your enemies, and they will also waste away in the iniquities of their fathers with them. 40Then they will confess their iniquity and the iniquity of their fathers in their treachery, when they dealt treacherously against me, and also when they walked in opposition to me. 41So I in turn will walk in opposition to them, and I will bring them into the land of their enemies, to see whether then their uncircumcised heart will be humbled, and whether they will accept their iniquity. 42But I will remember my covenant with Jacob, and also my covenant with Isaac, and I will also remember my covenant with Abraham, and I will remember the land. 43So the land will be forsaken by them, and it will take pleasure in its Sabbaths, while it is desolate because of them, and they will accept their iniquity, because and for the reason that they rejected my regulations, and their inner self loathed my statutes. 44But despite even this, when they are in the land of their enemies, I will not reject them, and I will not loathe them to the point of making an end of them, so breaking my covenant with them, for I am the Lord their God. 45And for their sake I will remember the covenant with their ancestors when I brought them out of the land of Egypt in the sight of the Gentiles, to the intent that I would be God to them. I am the Lord.’ ” 46These are the statutes and the regulations and the laws which the Lord instituted between himself and the sons of Israel at Mount Sinai through the intermediacy of Moses.

Reference(s) in Chapter 26: v.12 ↔ 2 Corinthians 6:16.

Leviticus Chapter 27 

1Then the Lord spoke to Moses and said, 2“Speak to the sons of Israel and say to them, ‘Concerning anyone who makes a special vow, when you value people dedicated to the Lord, 3then as regards your valuation of a male from twenty years old to sixty years old, your valuation will be fifty silver shekels according to the holy shekel. 4And if it is for a female, your valuation will be thirty shekels. 5And if it is for a five-year-old to a twenty-year-old, then your valuation for a male will be twenty shekels, and for a female ten shekels. 6And if the person is from a month old to five years old, then your valuation of a male will be five silver shekels, and for a female your valuation will be three silver shekels. 7And if the person is from sixty years upwards, if it is a male, then your valuation will be fifteen shekels, and for a female, ten shekels. 8Now if he is too poor for your valuation, then he will be presented before the priest, and the priest will value him. The priest will value him according to what the vower can afford. 9And if it is cattle from which men offer an oblation to the Lord, everything from which he gives to the Lord will be holy. 10He shall not change it and he shall not exchange it – neither good for bad nor bad for good – and if he does after all exchange cattle for cattle, the original and its exchange will be holy. 11And if it is any unclean cattle from which no oblation is made to the Lord, then he will place the cattle before the priest, 12and the priest will value it as to whether it is good or bad. According to your valuation, O priest, so it will be. 13And if he redeems it at all, then he will add a fifth to your valuation. 14And if a man consecrates his house to be holy to the Lord, then the priest will value it, as to whether it is good or bad. As the priest values it, so it shall stand. 15And if he who consecrates it redeems his house, then he will add a fifth to the sum of your valuation, and it will be his. 16And if a man consecrates land he owns to the Lord, then your valuation will be according to the seed it yields: a homer of barley seed to fifty shekels of silver. 17If he consecrates his land in the Jubilee year, it will stand according to your valuation. 18But if he consecrates his land after the Jubilee, then the priest will calculate for him the sum according to the remaining years up to the Jubilee year, and there will be a deduction from your valuation. 19And if he who consecrates it redeems the land at all, he will add one fifth of the sum of your valuation to it, and it will be confirmed as his. 20And if he does not redeem the land, and if he sells the land to another man, it will not be redeemed any more. 21And the land will be holy to the Lord when it goes out in the Jubilee, as dedicated land: his possession will belong to the priest. 22And if anyone consecrates to the Lord a purchased field which is not land originally owned by him, 23then the priest will calculate for him the amount of your valuation to the Jubilee year, and he who consecrates it will give your valuation on that day as a holy thing to the Lord. 24In the Jubilee year the land will return to him from whom he bought it – to him whose possession it is in the land. 25And all your valuing will be according to the holy shekel; there will be twenty gerahs to the shekel. 26But as for a firstling that is born to the Lord among the cattle, no man will consecrate it, whether it is an ox or a lamb, it is the Lord's. 27And if it is from unclean cattle, then he will ransom it according to your valuation, and he will add a fifth of it to it. And if it is not redeemed, it will be sold at your valuation. 28But every dedication that a man dedicates to the Lord, from anything he has, whether a man or cattle or land in his possession – it shall not be sold, and it shall not be redeemed. Every dedication is a holy of holies to the Lord. 29No dedication which is dedicated by man will be redeemed, under penalty of certainly being put to death. 30And every tithe of the land, whether from seed of the land or from fruit of the tree is the Lord's. It is holy to the Lord. 31And if a man redeems anything at all of his tithe, he will add a fifth to it. 32And as for every tithe of oxen or sheep, everything that passes under the staff, a tenth of it will be holy to the Lord. 33He shall not search out whether it is good or bad, and he will not exchange it. And if he does after all exchange it, then it will be the case that both it and the exchange will be holy. It will not be redeemed.’ ” 34These are the commandments with which the Lord charged Moses concerning the sons of Israel at Mount Sinai.

Numbers  

Numbers Chapter 1 

1And the Lord spoke to Moses in the Sinai Desert in the tent of contact on the first day of the second month in the second year since they came out of the land of Egypt, and he said, 2“Hold a census of all the congregation of the sons of Israel according to their families, according to their paternal house, for the number of the names of every male according to their headcount. 3From twenty years old and above – everyone who could serve in the army in Israel – you and Aaron will count them according to their armies. 4And one man per tribe will be with you: he who is the chief man of his paternal house. 5And these are the names of the men who will stand with you: for Reuben, Elizur the son of Shedeur. 6For Simeon, Shelumiel the son of Zurishaddai. 7For Judah, Nahshon the son of Amminadab. 8For Issachar, Nethaneel the son of Zuar. 9For Zebulun, Eliab the son of Helon. 10For the sons of Joseph: for Ephraim, Elishama the son of Ammihud; for Manasseh, Gamaliel the son of Pedahzur. 11For Benjamin, Abidan the son of Gideoni. 12For Dan, Ahiezer the son of Ammishaddai. 13For Asher, Pagiel the son of Ocran. 14For Gad, Eliasaph the son of Deuel. 15For Naphtali, Ahira the son of Enan.” 16These are those called out from the congregation, the leading men from the tribes of their fathers. They are the heads of the families of Israel. 17So Moses and Aaron took those men who were specified by their names, 18and they assembled the whole congregation on the first day of the second month, and they declared their genealogy according to their families, by their paternal house, according to the number of their names, from twenty years old and above, according to their headcount. 19As the Lord commanded Moses, so he counted them in the Sinai Desert. 20And for the sons of Reuben, the eldest son of Israel, in their genealogy according to their families, according to their paternal house, by the number of their names according to their headcount – every male from twenty years old and above, everyone who could serve in the army – 21those of them counted in the tribe of Reuben came to forty-six thousand five hundred. 22For the sons of Simeon, in their genealogy according to their families, according to their paternal house, those of his men counted, by the number of their names according to their headcount – every male from twenty years old and above, everyone who could serve in the army – 23those of them counted in the tribe of Simeon came to fifty-nine thousand three hundred. 24For the sons of Gad, in their genealogy according to their families, according to their paternal house, by the number of their names from twenty years old and above – everyone who could serve in the army – 25those of them counted in the tribe of Gad came to forty-five thousand six hundred and fifty. 26For the sons of Judah, in their genealogy according to their families, according to their paternal house, by the number of their names from twenty years old and above – everyone who could serve in the army – 27those of them counted in the tribe of Judah came to seventy-four thousand six hundred. 28For the sons of Issachar, in their genealogy according to their families, according to their paternal house, by the number of their names from twenty years old and above – everyone who could serve in the army – 29those of them counted in the tribe of Issachar came to fifty-four thousand four hundred. 30For the sons of Zebulun, in their genealogy according to their families, according to their paternal house, by the number of their names from twenty years old and above – everyone who could serve in the army – 31those of them counted in the tribe of Zebulun came to fifty-seven thousand four hundred. 32For the sons of Joseph, for the sons of Ephraim, in their genealogy according to their families, according to their paternal house, by the number of their names from twenty years old and above – everyone who could serve in the army – 33those of them counted in the tribe of Ephraim came to forty thousand five hundred. 34For the sons of Manasseh, in their genealogy according to their families, according to their paternal house, by the number of their names from twenty years old and above – everyone who could serve in the army – 35those of them counted in the tribe of Manasseh came to thirty-two thousand two hundred. 36For the sons of Benjamin, in their genealogy according to their families, according to their paternal house, by the number of their names from twenty years old and above – everyone who could serve in the army – 37those of them counted in the tribe of Benjamin came to thirty-five thousand four hundred. 38For the sons of Dan, in their genealogy according to their families, according to their paternal house, by the number of their names from twenty years old and above – everyone who could serve in the army – 39those of them counted in the tribe of Dan came to sixty-two thousand seven hundred. 40For the sons of Asher, in their genealogy according to their families, according to their paternal house, by the number of their names from twenty years old and above – everyone who could serve in the army – 41those of them counted in the tribe of Asher came to forty-one thousand five hundred. 42The sons of Naphtali, in their genealogy according to their families, according to their paternal house, by the number of their names from twenty years old and above – everyone who could serve in the army – 43those of them counted in the tribe of Naphtali came to fifty-three thousand four hundred. 44These are those who were counted, whom Moses and Aaron counted with the leading men of Israel. There were twelve of these men – one man for each paternal house. 45And they were all the sons of Israel who were counted, according to their paternal house, from twenty years old and above – everyone who could serve in the army in Israel – 46and all those counted came to six hundred and three thousand five hundred and fifty. 47But the Levites, according to the tribe of their fathers, were not counted among them. 48Then the Lord spoke to Moses and said, 49“Now you shall not count the tribe of Levi, and you shall not hold a census of them among the sons of Israel. 50But you shall appoint the Levites over the tabernacle of the testimony and over all its equipment and over everything that belongs to it. They will carry the tabernacle and all its equipment, and they will serve it, and they will encamp around the tabernacle. 51And when the tabernacle is moved, the Levites will take it down, and when the tabernacle is pitched, the Levites will set it up, and any foreigner who comes near will be put to death. 52And the sons of Israel will pitch their camp, each one at his own encampment, and each one at his own ensign, according to their armies. 53But the Levites will encamp around the tabernacle of the testimony, so that there will be no wrath on the congregation of the sons of Israel, and the Levites will keep the observance of the tabernacle of the testimony.” 54And the sons of Israel did it. They acted according to everything that the Lord commanded Moses.

Numbers Chapter 2 

1Then the Lord spoke to Moses and to Aaron and said, 2“The sons of Israel will encamp each at his own ensign, at the insignia of their paternal house. They shall encamp at a distance around the tent of contact. 3And those encamping towards the east, towards sunrise, will be those of the ensign of the camp of Judah, according to their armies, and the leader of the sons of Judah will be Nahshon the son of Amminadab.” 4And his army and those of them who were counted came to seventy-four thousand six hundred. 5“And those encamping next to him will be the tribe of Issachar, and the leader of the sons of Issachar will be Nethaneel the son of Zuar.” 6And his army and his men who were counted came to fifty-four thousand four hundred. 7As for the tribe of Zebulun, now the leader of the sons of Zebulun will be Eliab the son of Helon.” 8And his army and his men who were counted came to fifty-seven thousand four hundred. 9All those counted of the camp of Judah came to one hundred and eighty-six thousand four hundred in their armies. “They will move camp first. 10The ensign of the camp of Reuben will be to the south, according to their armies, and the leader of the sons of Reuben will be Elizur the son of Shedeur.” 11And his army and his men who were counted came to forty-six thousand five hundred. 12“And those encamping next to him will be the tribe of Simeon, and the leader of the sons of Simeon will be Shelumiel the son of Zurishaddai.” 13And his army and those of them who were counted came to fifty-nine thousand three hundred. 14“As for the tribe of Gad, now the leader of the sons of Gad will be Eliasaph the son of Reuel.” 15And his army and those of them who were counted came to forty-five thousand six hundred and fifty. 16All those counted from the camp of Reuben came to one hundred and fifty-one thousand four hundred and fifty, according to their armies. “And they will move camp second in line. 17And the tent of contact will move with the camp of the Levites in the middle of the camps. As they encamp, that is how they will be moved, with each man in his place according to their ensigns. 18The ensign of the camp of Ephraim according to their armies will be to the west, and the leader of the sons of Ephraim will be Elishama the son of Ammihud.” 19And his army and those of them who were counted came to forty thousand five hundred. 20“And next to him will be the tribe of Manasseh, and the leader of the sons of Manasseh will be Gamaliel the son of Pedahzur.” 21And his army and those of them who were counted came to thirty-two thousand two hundred. 22“As for the tribe of Benjamin, now the leader of the sons of Benjamin will be Abidan the son of Gideoni.” 23And his army and those of them who were counted came to thirty-five thousand four hundred. 24All those counted from the camp of Ephraim came to one hundred and eight thousand one hundred, according to their armies. “And they will move third in line. 25The ensign of the camp of Dan will be to the north, according to their armies, and the leader of the sons of Dan will be Ahiezer the son of Ammishaddai.” 26And his army and those of them who were counted came to sixty-two thousand seven hundred. 27“And those who encamp next to him will be the tribe of Asher, and the leader of the sons of Asher will be Pagiel the son of Ocran.” 28And his army and those of them who were counted came to forty-one thousand five hundred. 29“As for the tribe of Naphtali, now the leader of the sons of Naphtali will be Ahira the son of Enan.” 30And his army and those of them who were counted came to fifty-three thousand four hundred. 31All those counted from the camp of Dan came to one hundred and fifty-seven thousand six hundred. “They will move camp according to their ensigns last.” 32These are the men of the sons of Israel who were counted according to their paternal house. All those counted by the camps of their armies came to six hundred and three thousand five hundred and fifty. 33But the Levites were not counted among the sons of Israel, as the Lord had commanded Moses. 34And the sons of Israel acted according to everything that the Lord had commanded Moses. That is how they encamped according to their ensigns, and that is how they moved camp, each man according to his families, according to his paternal house.

Numbers Chapter 3 

1Now this is the genealogy of Aaron and Moses, on the day when the Lord spoke with Moses on Mount Sinai. 2These are the names of the sons of Aaron. The firstborn was Nadab, then Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar. 3These are the names of the sons of Aaron, the priests who are anointed, whom he appointed to serve as priests. 4But Nadab and Abihu died before the Lord when they offered strange fire before the Lord in the Sinai Desert, and they had no sons, and Eleazar and Ithamar served as priests alongside Aaron their father. 5And the Lord spoke to Moses and said, 6“Bring the tribe of Levi near, and set them before Aaron the priest so that they serve him. 7And they will discharge the duty he imposes, and the duty towards the whole congregation before the tent of contact, in performing the service of the tabernacle. 8And they will have charge over all the equipment of the tent of contact, and a duty to the sons of Israel, to perform the service of the tabernacle. 9And you will give the Levites to Aaron and to his sons. They are absolutely given to him from the sons of Israel. 10And you shall appoint Aaron and his sons, and they will be diligent in their priesthood, and any foreigner who approaches will be put to death.” 11And the Lord spoke to Moses and said, 12“Note how I have taken the Levites from among the sons of Israel instead of every firstborn, who opens the womb from the sons of Israel, and the Levites will be mine. 13For every firstborn is mine. On the day when I struck every firstborn in the land of Egypt, I sanctified to myself every firstborn in Israel, both man and beast. They will be mine. I am the Lord.” 14And the Lord spoke to Moses in the Sinai Desert and said, 15“Count the sons of Levi according to their paternal house, according to their families. You shall count every male from a month old and above.” 16So Moses counted them according to the instruction of the Lord, as he was commanded. 17And these were the sons of Levi by their names: Gershon and Kohath and Merari. 18And these were the sons of Gershon according to their families: Libni and Shimei. 19And the sons of Kohath according to their families were Amram and Izhar, Hebron and Uzziel. 20And the sons of Merari according to their families were Mahli and Mushi. These were of the families of Levi according to their paternal house. 21Gershon had a family branch of Libni and a family branch of Shimei. These are those of the Gershonite families. 22Those of them counted in the census of every male from a month old and upwards – those of them counted – came to seven thousand five hundred. 23The Gershonite families will encamp behind the tabernacle to the west. 24And the leader of the paternal house of the Gershonites was Eliasaph the son of Lael. 25And the duty of the sons of Gershon was in the tent of contact – the tabernacle and the tent, its covering and the screen at the entrance to the tent of contact, 26and the drapes of the courtyard, and the screen at the entrance to the courtyard which is at the tabernacle, and by the altar, round about, and its guylines, for all its service. 27And from Kohath was the Amramite family, and the Izharite family, and the Hebronite family, and the Uzzielite family. These were the Kohathite families, 28who were in number – every male from one month old and above – eight thousand six hundred, who were the entrusted stewards of the operations of the holy place. 29“The families of the sons of Kohath will encamp on the southern side of the tabernacle.” 30And the leader of the paternal house of the Kohathite families was Elizaphan the son of Uzziel. 31“And their duty is to the ark and the table and the lampstand and the altars and the equipment of the holy place, with which they serve, and the screen and all its service.” 32And the leader of the leaders of the Levites, Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest, had oversight of the entrusted stewards of the operations of the holy place. 33And from Merari was the Mahlite family and the Mushite family. These were the families of Merari. 34And those of them counted, the number of all males, from a month old and above, came to six thousand two hundred. 35And the leader of the paternal house of the families of Merari was Zuriel the son of Abihail. “They will encamp on the northern side of the tabernacle. 36And the duty appointed to the sons of Merari is the boards of the tabernacle, and its bolts, and its columns and its sockets and all its equipment and all its service, 37and the columns of the courtyard round about, and their sockets, and their pegs and their guylines. 38Then those who encamp before the tabernacle on the east, to the eastern side in front of the tent of contact, will be Moses and Aaron and his sons, keeping the observance of the sanctuary, according to the duty of the sons of Israel. And any foreigner who approaches will be put to death.” 39All those of the Levites who were counted, those whom Moses and Aaron counted according to the instruction of the Lord, according to their families, every male from a month old and above, came to twenty-two thousand. 40And the Lord said to Moses, “Count every male firstborn of the sons of Israel, from one month old and above, and take the number of their names. 41And you will take the Levites for me – I am the Lord – instead of every firstborn among the sons of Israel, and the Levites' cattle instead of every firstborn among the cattle of the sons of Israel.” 42So Moses counted all the firstborn among the sons of Israel, as the Lord had commanded him. 43And all the male firstborn, by the number of the names, from one month old and above of those of them counted, came to twenty-two thousand two hundred and seventy-three. 44Then the Lord spoke to Moses and said, 45“Take the Levites instead of every firstborn among the sons of Israel, and the Levites' cattle instead of their cattle, and the Levites will be mine. I am the Lord. 46And as for those to be redeemed, the two hundred and seventy-three who are in excess of the Levites, from the firstborn sons of Israel, 47you will take five shekels for each in the headcount. According to the holy shekel you will take them. There are twenty gerahs to the shekel. 48And you will give the money to Aaron and to his sons, for those to be redeemed who are in excess.” 49And Moses took the redemption money from those who were in excess of those of the Levites who were redeemed. 50He took the money from the firstborn of the sons of Israel – one thousand three hundred and sixty-five shekels according to the holy shekel. 51And Moses gave the money of those redeemed to Aaron and to his sons, according to the instruction of the Lord, as the Lord had commanded Moses.

Numbers Chapter 4 

1Then the Lord spoke to Moses and to Aaron and said, 2“Hold a census of the sons of Kohath among the sons of Levi according to their families, according to their paternal house, 3of those from thirty years old and above up to fifty years old – everyone who could serve in the army – to do work in the tent of contact. 4This is the work of the sons of Kohath in the tent of contact: to do work concerning the holy of holies. 5And Aaron and his sons will come when the camp is moved, and they will take down the screening veil, and they will cover the ark of the testimony with it. 6And they will put on it a covering of badgers' skins, and they will spread out a cloth made entirely from blue material on top of it, and they will put its poles in position. 7And on the display table they will spread out a cloth of blue material, and they will put on it the dishes and spoons and vials and bowls for libations, and there will be the perpetual bread on it. 8And they will spread out over them a cloth of scarlet material, and then cover it with a cover of badgers' skins, and they will put its poles in position. 9And they will take a cloth of blue material, and they will cover the lampstand for illumination, and its lamps and its snuffing-tongs and its snuff-dishes, and all the equipment for its oil with which they serve it. 10And they shall put it and all its equipment in a covering of badgers' skins, and they will put that on a pole. 11And they will spread out a cloth of blue material on the golden altar, and they will cover it with a covering of badgers' skins, and they will put its poles in position. 12And they will take all the equipment for the service with which they officiate in the holy place, and they will put it in a cloth of blue material, and they will cover it in a covering of badgers' skins, and they will put it on a pole. 13And they will remove the ash from the altar and then spread a cloth of purple material on it. 14And they will put on it all the equipment with which they officiate for it – the firepans, the forks, the shovels, the basins – all the equipment of the altar – and they will spread out a covering of badgers' skins over it and put its poles in position. 15And Aaron and his sons will finish covering the holy things and all the equipment of the holy place when the camp is moved. And after that the sons of Kohath will come to carry it. Then they will not touch the holy things, otherwise they will die. These charges are the burden of the sons of Kohath in the tent of contact. 16And the duty of Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest is the oil of the light and the aromatic incense, and the perpetual meal-offering, and the anointing oil, the oversight of the whole tabernacle and everything in it – of the holy place and of its equipment.” 17And the Lord spoke to Moses and to Aaron and said, 18“Do not cut off the tribe of the families of Kohath from among the Levites. 19But do this for them so that they live and do not die, when they approach the holy of holies: Aaron and his sons will enter, then you are to appoint each individually concerning his work and his burden. 20But they will not enter to look when the holy place is wrapped up, whereby they would die.” 21Then the Lord spoke to Moses and said, 22“Hold a census of the sons of Gershon – them too – according to their paternal house, according to their families. 23You will count them from thirty years old and above up to fifty years old – everyone who could serve in the army – to perform service in the tent of contact. 24This is the work of the Gershonite families, for them to perform, and as a burden: 25that they will carry the curtains of the tabernacle, and the tent of contact, its covering and the covering of badgers' skins which is on top of it, and the screen at the entrance to the tent of contact, 26and the drapes of the courtyard, and the screen at the entrance of the gate of the courtyard which is around the tabernacle and the altar, and their guylines, and all the equipment for their service, and everything that is made for them, so they can perform it. 27All the work of the sons of the Gershonites will be according to the instructions of Aaron and his sons. It will be according to all their burdens and according to all their service, and you will oversee them in the discharging of all their burdens. 28This is the work of the families of the sons of the Gershonites in the tent of contact, and their duty under the control of Ithamar the son of Aaron the priest. 29As for the sons of Merari, you will count them according to their families, according to their paternal house. 30You will count them from thirty years old and above up to fifty years old – all who could serve in the army – to perform the service of the tent of contact. 31And this is the duty of their burden, to see to all their service in the tent of contact, the boards of the tabernacle and its bolts and its columns and its sockets, 32and the columns of the courtyard round about, and their sockets, and their pegs, and their guylines – to see to all their equipment, and to see to all their serviceability. And you will count by name the items of equipment for doing the duty of their burden. 33This is the service of the families of the sons of Merari, according to all their work in the tent of contact under the control of Ithamar the son of Aaron the priest.” 34And Moses and Aaron and the leading men of the congregation counted the sons of the Kohathites according to their families and according to their paternal house, 35from thirty years old and above up to fifty years old – everyone who could serve in the army – for service in the tent of contact. 36And those of them counted according to their families came to two thousand seven hundred and fifty. 37These are those who were counted from the families of the Kohathites – everyone who served in the tent of contact – whom Moses and Aaron counted, according to the instruction of the Lord, through the intermediacy of Moses. 38And as for those of the sons of Gershon who were counted, according to their families and according to their paternal house, 39from thirty years old and above up to fifty years old – everyone who could serve in the army – for service in the tent of contact, 40those of them counted according to their families, according to their paternal house – came to two thousand six hundred and thirty. 41These are those counted from the families of the sons of Gershon – everyone who serves in the tent of contact – whom Moses and Aaron counted according to the instruction of the Lord. 42And as for those counted from the families of the sons of Merari according to their families, according to their paternal house, 43from thirty years old and above up to fifty years old – everyone who could serve in the army – for service in the tent of contact – 44those of them counted according to their families came to three thousand two hundred. 45These are those counted from the families of the sons of Merari, whom Moses and Aaron counted, according to the instruction of the Lord through the intermediacy of Moses. 46All those counted, whom Moses and Aaron and the leaders of Israel counted – the Levites according to their families, according to their paternal house, 47from thirty years old and above up to fifty years old, everyone who could go to perform the service of the work, and the work of the burden in the tent of contact – 48those of them counted came to eight thousand five hundred and eighty. 49He counted them according to the instruction of the Lord, through the intermediacy of Moses, each man according to his service and according to his burden. And those counted by him were those whom the Lord commanded Moses.

Numbers Chapter 5 

1Then the Lord spoke to Moses and said, 2“Command the sons of Israel that they should cast out from the camp every leper and everyone with a discharge, and everyone who has been defiled by the dead, 3Whether male or female, you will cast them out. To outside the camp you will cast them out, so that they do not defile their camp where I dwell in their midst.” 4And the sons of Israel did so, and they cast them out, to outside the camp. As the Lord had spoken to Moses, so the sons of Israel did. 5Then the Lord spoke to Moses and said, 6“Speak to the sons of Israel and say, ‘When a man or woman commits any of mankind's sins, in acting treacherously against the Lord, and that person has become consciously guilty, 7and they confess their sin which they committed, then he shall compensate for the damages he caused to its full value, and he will add a fifth to it and give it to him whom he has offended. 8And if an offended man does not have a kinsman redeemer to whom compensation for the damages can be made, the damages will be compensated to the Lord, to the priest, apart from the ram of atonement with which he atones for him. 9And every heave-offering, as with all the holy things of the sons of Israel which they present to the priest, will be his. 10And the holy things of each man will be his own, but when a man gives anything to the priest, it will be the priest's.’ ” 11Then the Lord spoke to Moses and said, 12“Speak to the sons of Israel and say to them, ‘Anyone at all whose wife turns aside and is unfaithful to him, 13whereby a man lies with her in sexual intercourse, and it is hidden from the sight of her husband, and it is concealed, and she is defiled, and there is no witness against her, and she is not caught, 14and a spirit of jealousy comes over him, and he is jealous of his wife, while she is defiled, or if a spirit of jealousy comes over him, and he is jealous of his wife while she is not defiled, 15then the man will bring his wife to the priest, and he will bring her oblation concerning herself, a tenth of an ephah of barley flour. He will not pour oil on it, and he will not put frankincense on it, for it is a meal-offering for jealousy, a meal-offering for remembrance, bringing iniquity to remembrance. 16And the priest will bring her near, and he will have her stand before the Lord. 17And the priest will take holy water in an earthenware container, and the priest will take some of the dust which is on the ground of the tabernacle, and he will put it in the water. 18And the priest will set the woman before the Lord, and he will uncover the woman's head, and he will put the remembrance-offering in her hands – it is a jealousy-offering – and the priest will have in his hand the bitter water which causes a curse. 19And the priest will adjure her and say to the woman, «If no man has lain with you, and you have not turned aside to defilement instead of being faithful to your husband, then be innocent of this bitter water which causes a curse. 20But if you have turned aside instead of being faithful to your husband, and if you have become defiled, and some man has lain with you, other than your husband», 21then the priest will adjure the woman with an imprecation of a curse, and the priest will say to the woman, «May the Lord put you under a curse and an imprecation among your people, when the Lord makes your thigh waste away and your belly swell, 22and this water which causes a curse will go into your bowels to swell the belly and to cause the thigh to waste away.» And the woman will say, «Amen, amen.» 23And the priest will write these curses in a book, and he will blot them out with the bitter water. 24And he will give the bitter water which causes a curse to the woman to drink, and the water which causes a curse will go into her and become bitter. 25Then the priest will take the jealousy-offering from the hand of the woman, and he will wave the offering before the Lord, and he will offer it on the altar. 26Then the priest will take a handful of the offering – her remembrance-offering – and burn it on the altar, and afterwards he will give the woman the water to drink. 27And he will give her the water to drink, and it will be the case that if she is defiled and has dealt unfaithfully with her husband, then the water which causes a curse will go into her and it will become bitter, and her belly will swell, and her thigh will waste away, and the woman will become a curse among her people. 28But if the woman is not defiled, and she is clean, she will be pronounced innocent, and she will conceive offspring. 29This is the law of matters of jealousy, when a woman turns aside instead of being faithful to her husband, and she becomes defiled, 30or when a spirit of jealousy comes over a man, and he is jealous of his wife, and he sets his wife before the Lord, and the priest deals with her according to all this law. 31And the man will be pronounced innocent of iniquity, but the woman in question will bear her iniquity.’ ”

Reference(s) in Chapter 5: v.23 ↔ John 8:6.

Numbers Chapter 6 

1Then the Lord spoke to Moses and said, 2“Speak to the sons of Israel and say to them, ‘If a man or woman commits to making the special vow of a Nazarite – to separate himself to the Lord – 3he will abstain from wine and strong drink, and he will not drink wine vinegar or strong drink vinegar, nor will he drink any mashed grape juice, nor will he eat any fresh or dried grapes. 4All the days of his separation, he will not eat anything that is made from the grape vine, from the pips to the skin. 5All the days of the vow of his separation, no razor will pass over his head, until the days which he dedicated to the Lord are fulfilled; he will be holy; he will let the locks of the hair of his head grow. 6All the days of his separation to the Lord he will not go to any dead body. 7He will not defile himself for his father or for his mother or for his brother or for his sister – for them – when they die, for the separation to his God is on his head. 8All the days of his separation, he is holy to the Lord. 9And if a dying man very suddenly dies in contact with him and defiles his dedicated head, then he will shave his head on the day of his cleansing: on the seventh day he will shave it. 10And on the eighth day he will bring two turtle-doves or two young pigeons to the priest at the entrance to the tent of contact. 11And the priest will offer one as a sin-offering and one as a burnt offering, and he will make atonement for him, because he sinned by the dead person, and he will sanctify his head on that day. 12And he will recommit the days of his separation to the Lord, and he will bring a one-year-old lamb as a guilt-offering, and the prior days will be forfeited, for he has defiled his separation. 13And this is the law of the Nazarite: on the day of fulfilling the days of his separation he will betake himself to the entrance of the tent of contact. 14And he will offer his oblation to the Lord, one one-year-old lamb without blemish as a burnt offering, and one one-year-old ewe-lamb without blemish as a sin-offering, and one ram without blemish as a peace-offering, 15and a basket of unleavened bread from fine flour in cakes mixed with oil, and wafers of unleavened bread coated with oil, and their meal-offering, and their libations. 16And the priest will make the offering before the Lord, and he will perform his sin-offering and his burnt offering. 17And he will offer the ram as a peace-sacrifice to the Lord, with the basket of unleavened bread, and the priest will perform his meal-offering and his libation. 18And the Nazarite will shave his dedicated head at the entrance to the tent of contact, and he will take the hair of his dedicated head, and he will put it on the fire which is under the peace-sacrifice. 19And the priest will take the boiled shoulder of the ram, and one cake of unleavened bread from the basket, and one wafer of unleavened bread, and he will put them in the hands of the Nazarite after he has shaved his dedicated hair. 20And the priest will wave them as a wave-offering before the Lord. It is holy to the priest, with the breast of the wave-offering and with the leg of the heave-offering, and afterwards the Nazarite will drink wine. 21This is the law of the Nazarite who vows his oblation to the Lord, concerning his separation, apart from whatever else he can afford. According to the statement of his vow which he vows, so he shall do, according to the law of his separation.’ ” 22Then the Lord spoke to Moses and said, 23“Speak to Aaron and to his sons and say, ‘You will bless the sons of Israel in this way, saying to them,

24«May the Lord bless you and keep you.

25May the Lord cause his face to shine on you,

And may he be merciful to you.

26May the Lord lift up his face towards you

And give you peace.» ’

27And they shall propound my name to the sons of Israel, and I will bless them.”

Numbers Chapter 7 

1And it came to pass on the day when Moses had finished setting up the tabernacle and had anointed it and sanctified it and all its equipment, including the altar and all its equipment, having anointed and sanctified them, 2that the leaders of Israel, the heads of their paternal house – they were the leaders of the tribes who had supervised those who were counted – made an offering, 3and they brought their oblation before the Lord: six covered wagons and twelve oxen, one wagon for two leaders, so an ox for each one, and they offered them in front of the tabernacle. 4Then the Lord spoke to Moses and said, 5“Take the oblations from them, and they will be for performing the service of the tent of contact, and you will give them to the Levites, to each man according to his work.” 6So Moses took the wagons and the oxen and gave them to the Levites. 7He gave two wagons and four oxen to the sons of Gershon according to their work, 8and he gave four wagons and eight oxen to the sons of Merari according to their work, under the authority of Ithamar the son of Aaron the priest. 9But he did not give any of these to the sons of Kohath, because the work of the holy place was charged to them, that they should bear it on their shoulders. 10Then the leaders made offerings for the dedication of the altar, when it was anointed, and the leaders offered their oblation in front of the altar. 11And the Lord said to Moses, “The leaders will offer their oblation each one on his own day for the dedication of the altar.” 12And the one to offer his oblation on the first day was Nahshon the son of Amminadab of the tribe of Judah. 13And his oblation was one silver dish whose weight was one hundred and thirty shekels, one silver basin of seventy shekels according to the holy shekel, both of them being full of fine flour mixed with oil, as a meal-offering, 14one spoon weighing ten shekels of gold, filled with incense, 15one bull-calf of the oxen, one ram, one one-year-old lamb for a burnt offering, 16one goat buck for a sin-offering, 17and for the peace-sacrifice, two oxen, five rams, five he-goats, and five one-year-old lambs. This was the oblation of Nahshon the son of Amminadab. 18On the second day, Nethaneel the son of Zuar, the leader of the sons of Issachar, made his offering. 19For his oblation he offered one silver dish whose weight was one hundred and thirty shekels, one silver basin of seventy shekels according to the holy shekel, both of them being full of fine flour mixed with oil, as a meal-offering, 20one spoon weighing ten shekels of gold, filled with incense, 21one bull-calf of the oxen, one ram, one one-year-old lamb for a burnt offering, 22one goat buck for a sin-offering, 23and for the peace-sacrifice, two oxen, five rams, five he-goats, and five one-year-old lambs. This was the oblation of Nethaneel the son of Zuar. 24On the third day the leader of the sons of Zebulun, Eliab the son of Helon, made his offering, 25His oblation was one silver dish whose weight was one hundred and thirty shekels, one silver basin of seventy shekels according to the holy shekel, both of them being full of fine flour mixed with oil, as a meal-offering, 26one spoon weighing ten shekels of gold, filled with incense, 27one bull-calf of the oxen, one ram, one one-year-old lamb for a burnt offering, 28one goat buck for a sin-offering, 29and for the peace-sacrifice, two oxen, five rams, five he-goats, and five one-year-old lambs. This was the oblation of Eliab the son of Helon. 30On the fourth day the leader of the sons of Reuben, Elizur the son of Shedeur, made his offering. 31His oblation was one silver dish whose weight was one hundred and thirty shekels, one silver basin of seventy shekels according to the holy shekel, both of them being full of fine flour mixed with oil, as a meal-offering, 32one spoon weighing ten shekels of gold, filled with incense, 33one bull-calf of the oxen, one ram, one one-year-old lamb for a burnt offering, 34one goat buck for a sin-offering, 35and for the peace-sacrifice, two oxen, five rams, five he-goats, and five one-year-old lambs. This was the oblation of Elizur the son of Shedeur. 36On the fifth day, the leader of the sons of Simeon, Shelumiel the son of Zurishaddai, made his offering. 37His oblation was one silver dish whose weight was one hundred and thirty shekels, one silver basin of seventy shekels according to the holy shekel, both of them being full of fine flour mixed with oil, as a meal-offering, 38one spoon weighing ten shekels of gold, filled with incense, 39one bull-calf of the oxen, one ram, one one-year-old lamb for a burnt offering, 40one goat buck for a sin-offering, 41and for the peace-sacrifice, two oxen, five rams, five he-goats, and five one-year-old lambs. This was the oblation of Shelumiel the son of Zurishaddai. 42On the sixth day, the leader of the sons of Gad, Eliasaph the son of Deuel, made his offering. 43His oblation was one silver dish whose weight was one hundred and thirty shekels, one silver basin of seventy shekels according to the holy shekel, both of them being full of fine flour mixed with oil, as a meal-offering, 44one spoon weighing ten shekels of gold, filled with incense, 45one bull-calf of the oxen, one ram, one one-year-old lamb for a burnt offering, 46one goat buck for a sin-offering, 47and for the peace-sacrifice, two oxen, five rams, five he-goats, and five one-year-old lambs. This was the oblation of Eliasaph the son of Deuel. 48On the seventh day, the leader of the sons of Ephraim, Elishama the son of Ammihud, made his offering. 49His oblation was one silver dish whose weight was one hundred and thirty shekels, one silver basin of seventy shekels according to the holy shekel, both of them being full of fine flour mixed with oil, as a meal-offering, 50one spoon weighing ten shekels of gold, filled with incense, 51one bull-calf of the oxen, one ram, one one-year-old lamb for a burnt offering, 52one goat buck for a sin-offering, 53and for the peace-sacrifice, two oxen, five rams, five he-goats, and five one-year-old lambs. This was the oblation of Elishama the son of Ammihud. 54On the eighth day, the leader of the sons of Manasseh, Gamaliel the son of Pedahzur, made his offering. 55His oblation was one silver dish whose weight was one hundred and thirty shekels, one silver basin of seventy shekels according to the holy shekel, both of them being full of fine flour mixed with oil, as a meal-offering, 56one spoon weighing ten shekels of gold, filled with incense, 57one bull-calf of the oxen, one ram, one one-year-old lamb for a burnt offering, 58one goat buck for a sin-offering, 59and for the peace-sacrifice, two oxen, five rams, five he-goats, and five one-year-old lambs. This was the oblation of Gamaliel the son of Pedahzur. 60On the ninth day, the leader of the sons of Benjamin, Abidan the son of Gideoni, made his offering. 61His oblation was one silver dish whose weight was one hundred and thirty shekels, one silver basin of seventy shekels according to the holy shekel, both of them being full of fine flour mixed with oil, as a meal-offering, 62one spoon weighing ten shekels of gold, filled with incense, 63one bull-calf of the oxen, one ram, one one-year-old lamb for a burnt offering, 64one goat buck for a sin-offering, 65and for the peace-sacrifice, two oxen, five rams, five he-goats, and five one-year-old lambs. This was the oblation of Abidan the son of Gideoni. 66On the tenth day, the leader of the sons of Dan, Ahiezer the son of Ammishaddai, made his offering. 67His oblation was one silver dish whose weight was one hundred and thirty shekels, one silver basin of seventy shekels according to the holy shekel, both of them being full of fine flour mixed with oil, as a meal-offering, 68one spoon weighing ten shekels of gold, filled with incense, 69one bull-calf of the oxen, one ram, one one-year-old lamb for a burnt offering, 70one goat buck for a sin-offering, 71and for the peace-sacrifice, two oxen, five rams, five he-goats, and five one-year-old lambs. This was the oblation of Ahiezer the son of Ammishaddai. 72On the eleventh day, the leader of the sons of Asher, Pagiel the son of Ocran, made his offering. 73His oblation was one silver dish whose weight was one hundred and thirty shekels, one silver basin of seventy shekels according to the holy shekel, both of them being full of fine flour mixed with oil, as a meal-offering, 74one spoon weighing ten shekels of gold, filled with incense, 75one bull-calf of the oxen, one ram, one one-year-old lamb for a burnt offering, 76one goat buck for a sin-offering, 77and for the peace-sacrifice, two oxen, five rams, five he-goats, and five one-year-old lambs. This was the oblation of Pagiel the son of Ocran. 78On the twelfth day, the leader of the sons of Naphtali, Ahira the son of Enan, made his offering. 79His oblation was one silver dish whose weight was one hundred and thirty shekels, one silver basin of seventy shekels according to the holy shekel, both of them being full of fine flour mixed with oil, as a meal-offering, 80one spoon weighing ten shekels of gold, filled with incense, 81one bull-calf of the oxen, one ram, one one-year-old lamb for a burnt offering, 82one goat buck for a sin-offering, 83and for the peace-sacrifice, two oxen, five rams, five he-goats, and five one-year-old lambs. This was the oblation of Ahira the son of Enan. 84This was the dedication of the altar on the day it was anointed by the leaders of Israel, with twelve silver dishes, twelve silver basins and twelve golden spoons. 85The weight of each silver dish was one hundred and thirty shekels, and each basin weighed seventy shekels. All the silver of the objects came to two thousand four hundred shekels according to the holy shekel. 86As for the twelve golden spoons full of incense, each spoon weighed ten shekels according to the holy shekel. All the gold of the spoons came to one hundred and twenty shekels. 87All the oxen for the burnt offering came to twelve bulls. There were twelve rams, twelve one-year-old lambs, with their meal-offering, and twelve goat bucks as a sin-offering. 88And all the oxen of the peace-sacrifice came to twenty-four bulls, sixty rams, sixty he-goats, sixty one-year-old lambs. This was the dedication of the altar after it was anointed. 89And when Moses went into the tent of contact to speak with him, he heard the voice speaking with him from the atonement cover – which is over the ark of the testimony between the two cherubim – when he spoke to him.

Numbers Chapter 8 

1Then the Lord spoke to Moses and said, 2“Speak to Aaron and say to him, ‘When you light the lamps, do it at the front of the lampstand, and the seven lamps will shine.’ ” 3And Aaron did so, in front of the lampstand. He lit its lamps, as the Lord had commanded Moses. 4And this is the way the lampstand is made: it is beaten gold. Up to its main stem and up to its flower it is beaten work. According to the vision which the Lord showed Moses, so he made the lampstand. 5Then the Lord spoke to Moses and said, 6“Take the Levites from among the sons of Israel and cleanse them. 7And this is how you will act towards them to cleanse them: sprinkle sin-offering water over them, and they shall pass a razor over all their body, and they shall wash their clothes, and they shall cleanse themselves. 8And they will take a bull-calf of the oxen and its meal-offering – fine flour mixed with oil – and you will take a second bull-calf of the oxen as a sin-offering. 9And you will have the Levites approach the tent of contact, and you will assemble the whole congregation of the sons of Israel. 10And you will have the Levites come near before the Lord, and the sons of Israel will lay their hands on the Levites, 11and Aaron will wave the Levites from the sons of Israel as a wave-offering before the Lord, and their task will be to do the Lord's service. 12And the Levites will lay their hands on the head of the bulls, and you shall offer one as a sin-offering and one as a burnt offering to the Lord, to atone for the Levites. 13And you will set the Levites before Aaron, and before his sons, and you will wave them as a wave-offering to the Lord. 14And you will separate the Levites from among the sons of Israel, and the Levites will be mine. 15And after that the Levites will come to serve the tent of contact, and you will cleanse them and wave them as a wave-offering, 16for they are wholly given to me from among the sons of Israel instead of those who open every womb. I have taken them instead of the firstborn of all the sons of Israel for myself. 17For every firstborn among the sons of Israel is mine, among man and among cattle. On the day when I struck all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, I sanctified them to myself. 18So I have taken the Levites instead of every firstborn among the sons of Israel, 19and I have given the Levites as people given to Aaron and to his sons from among the sons of Israel, to do the work of the sons of Israel in the tent of contact, and to atone for the sons of Israel, so that there will be no plague among the sons of Israel when the sons of Israel approach the holy place.” 20And Moses and Aaron and the whole congregation of the sons of Israel acted towards the Levites according to everything that the Lord had commanded Moses in respect of the Levites. The sons of Israel acted towards them like that. 21So the Levites had themselves propitiated for sins, and they washed their clothes, and Aaron waved them as a wave-offering before the Lord, and Aaron atoned for them to make them clean. 22Then after that the Levites came in order to carry out their duty in the tent of contact before Aaron and before his sons. As the Lord had commanded Moses concerning the Levites, so they acted towards them. 23Then the Lord spoke to Moses and said, 24“This is what the Levites have to do: from twenty-five years and above, each will go to engage in service, in the work of the tent of contact. 25But from fifty years he will retire from the workforce, and he will not perform the service any more, 26but he will serve with his brothers at the tent of contact, to keep guard, but he will not do any work. So you will act towards the Levites in their duties.”

Numbers Chapter 9 

1And the Lord spoke to Moses in the Sinai Desert in the second year since they came out of the land of Egypt, in the first month, and he said, 2“And let the sons of Israel hold the Passover festival in its season. 3On the fourteenth day of this month in the evening you will hold it, in its season. You shall hold it according to all its statutes and according to all its regulations.” 4Then Moses told the sons of Israel to keep the Passover. 5And they kept the Passover in the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month in the evening, in the Sinai Desert. According to everything the Lord had commanded Moses, so the sons of Israel did. 6But there were men who were unclean by the dead body of a man, and they could not keep the Passover on that day, and on that day they came before Moses and Aaron, 7and those men said to him, “We are unclean by the dead body of a man. Why are we prevented from offering the Lord's oblation in its season among the sons of Israel?” 8At this Moses said to them, “Stand still and let me hear what the Lord commands for you.” 9And the Lord spoke to Moses and said, 10“Speak to the sons of Israel and say, ‘If any man of your company or of your posterity is unclean by a dead body or is on distant travels, then he will keep the Lord's Passover, but 11they will keep it in the second month on the fourteenth day in the evening. They will eat it with unleavened bread and bitter herbs. 12They will not leave any of it until the morning, and they will not break a bone of it. They will keep it according to every statute of the Passover. 13But as for any man who is clean and is not on travels, who neglects to keep the Passover, that person will be cut off from his people because he did not offer the Lord's oblation in its season. That man will bear his sin. 14And if a foreigner is lodging with you, then he will keep the Lord's Passover. He will keep it according to the statute of the Passover and according to its regulation. There will be one statute for you, both for the foreigner and for the native of the land.’ ” 15And on the day of setting up the tabernacle, a cloud covered the tabernacle, at the tent of the testimony, and in the evening there was an appearance of fire on the tabernacle until the morning. 16So it was all the time – the cloud covered it, and at night there was an appearance of fire. 17And when the cloud was taken up from the tent, then after that the sons of Israel would move, and in the place where the cloud settled, there the sons of Israel would encamp. 18At the command of the Lord the sons of Israel would move, and at the command of the Lord they would encamp. For all the days that the cloud settled on the tabernacle, they would be encamped. 19And if the cloud stayed many days on the tabernacle, then the sons of Israel kept the Lord's charge and did not move. 20And there were occasions when the cloud was on the tabernacle for few days, when they would encamp at the command of the Lord, and when they would move at the command of the Lord. 21And there were occasions when the cloud was there from evening until morning. When the cloud was taken up in the morning, they would move. Whether it was by day or by night that the cloud was taken up, they would move. 22Whether it was two days or a month or days on end that the cloud stayed on the tabernacle, remaining on it, the sons of Israel would be encamped and would not move, and when it was taken up, they would move. 23At the command of the Lord they would encamp, and at the command of the Lord they would move. They would keep the Lord's charge according to the command of the Lord through the intermediacy of Moses.

Reference(s) in Chapter 9: v.12 ↔ John 19:36.

Numbers Chapter 10 

1Then the Lord spoke to Moses and said, 2“Make two silver trumpets for yourself. You will make them as beaten work, and they will be for you for convoking the congregation and for moving the camps. 3And when they blow them, all the congregation will gather round you at the entrance to the tent of contact. 4And if they blow just one trumpet, then the leaders will gather round you – the heads of the thousands of Israel. 5And when you sound a signal to move, the camps encamped on the east will move. 6And when you sound a second signal to move, then the camps encamped to the south will move. They will sound a signal to move for their journeys. 7And when you convene the assembly, you will blow, but you will not sound a signal to move. 8And the sons of Aaron – the priests – will blow the trumpets, and these things will be an age-abiding statute to you and to your descendants. 9And when you go to war in your land against the adversary who oppresses you, then you will sound the trumpets, and you will be remembered before the Lord your God, and you will be saved from your enemies. 10And on a joyous day of yours, and at your festivals, and on the first day of your months, you will blow the trumpets at your burnt offerings and at your peace-sacrifices, and they will be a memorial to you before your God. I am the Lord your God.” 11And it came to pass in the second year, in the second month, on the twentieth day of the month, that the cloud was taken up from the tabernacle of the testimony. 12So the sons of Israel moved and went on their travels from the Sinai Desert, and the cloud settled in the Desert of Paran. 13And they moved for the first time at the Lord's command through the intermediacy of Moses. 14And the ensign of the camp of the sons of Judah moved first in their armies, and in charge of its army was Nahshon the son of Amminadab. 15And in charge of the army of the tribe of the sons of Issachar was Nethaneel the son of Zuar. 16And in charge of the army of the tribe of the sons of Zebulun was Eliab the son of Helon. 17And the tabernacle was taken down, and the sons of Gershon and the sons of Merari moved, bearing the tabernacle. 18And the ensign of the camp of Reuben moved according to their armies, and in charge of its army was Elizur the son of Shedeur. 19And in charge of the army of the tribe of the sons of Simeon was Shelumiel the son of Zurishaddai. 20And in charge of the army of the tribe of the sons of Gad was Eliasaph the son of Deuel. 21And the Kohathites moved – the bearers of the sanctuary – and they set the tabernacle up before the rest arrived. 22And the ensign of the camp of the sons of Ephraim moved according to their armies, and in charge of its army was Elishama the son of Ammihud. 23And in charge of the army of the tribe of the sons of Manasseh was Gamaliel the son of Pedahzur. 24And in charge of the army of the tribe of the sons of Benjamin was Abidan the son of Gideoni. 25And the ensign of the camp of the sons of Dan moved, keeping the rearguard of all the camps according to their armies. And in charge of his army was Ahiezer the son of Ammishaddai. 26And in charge of the army of the tribe of the sons of Asher was Pagiel the son of Ocran. 27And in charge of the army of the tribe of the sons of Naphtali was Ahira the son of Enan. 28These were the removal operations of the sons of Israel according to their armies when they moved. 29And Moses said to Hobab the son of Reuel the Midianite, Moses' father-in-law, “We are moving to 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 spoken of well-being concerning Israel.” 30But he said to him, “I will not go. Rather, I will go to my land and to my native country.” 31Then he said, “Please do not leave us, for you know how we should encamp in the desert, and you will be our eyes. 32And it will come to pass if you go with us, that we will treat you well with the same goodness with which the Lord treats us well.” 33And they moved from the mountain of the Lord, three days' journey, and the ark of the covenant of the Lord travelled in front of them for the three days' journey, to search out a resting place for them. 34And the Lord's cloud was over them by day as they travelled from the camp. 35And it came to pass, as the ark was travelling, that Moses said,

“Arise, O Lord,

And let your enemies be scattered,

And let those who hate you

Flee from your presence.”

36And when it rested, he said,

“Return, O Lord,

To the very many thousands of Israel.”

Numbers Chapter 11 

1Then the people started to murmur bad things in the ears of the Lord, and the Lord heard them, and his anger was kindled, and the Lord's fire burned among them and consumed at the end of the camp. 2And the people cried out to Moses, and Moses prayed to the Lord. Then the fire subsided. 3And he called that place Taberah, because the Lord's fire had burned among them there. 4Then the mixed camp followers who were in their midst had a strong craving, and the sons of Israel also wept again, and they said, “Who will give us meat to eat? 5We remember the fish which we ate in Egypt freely, the cucumbers and the melons, and the leeks and the onions and the garlic. 6And now our soul is dried up, and there is nothing but the manna before our eyes.” 7Now the manna was like coriander seed, and its appearance was like the appearance of bdellium. 8The people went to and fro and gleaned it, and they ground it with a handmill or crushed it in a mortar and boiled it in a pan and made it into cakes, and its taste was like the taste of oil cake. 9And when the dew came down on the camp at night, the manna came down onto it. 10And Moses heard the people weeping throughout their families, each man at the entrance to his tent, and the anger of the Lord was greatly kindled, and it was also an evil matter in Moses' eyes. 11And Moses said to the Lord, “Why are you afflicting your servant, and why have I not found grace in your eyes, by putting the burden of all this people on me? 12Did I conceive all this people, or did I give birth to them? For you say to me, ‘Bear them in your bosom as a nursing father bears a baby’, to the land about which you swore to their fathers. 13For where should I get meat to give to all this people? For they weep to me and say, ‘Give us meat to eat.’ 14I cannot bear all of this people on my own, for it is too heavy for me. 15And if you deal with me in this way, then kill me, please, without ado, if I have found grace in your eyes, so that I do not see the affliction you cause.” 16Then the Lord said to Moses, “Gather for me seventy men from the elders of Israel whom you know to be elders of the people, and their foremen, and take them to the tent of contact, and they shall stand there with you. 17And I will descend and speak with you there, and I will take back some of the spirit which is on you, and I will put it on them, and they will bear the burden of the people with you, and you will not bear it on your own. 18And you will say to the people, ‘Sanctify yourselves for tomorrow, and you will eat meat, for you have wept in the ears of the Lord, saying, «Who will feed us meat, for we fared well in Egypt», and the Lord will give you meat, and you will eat it. 19You will not eat it for one day, and not for two days, and not for five days, and not for ten days, and not for twenty days, 20but for as much as a month of days, until it comes out of your nose, and it will be a loathsome thing to you, for you have rejected the Lord, who is in your midst, and you have wept to his face, saying, «Why ever did we come out of Egypt?» ’ ” 21Then Moses said, “The people consists of six hundred thousand foot soldiers, in whose midst I am, and you have said, ‘I will give them meat, and they will eat it for a month of days.’ 22Should sheep and oxen be slaughtered for them, to suffice for them, or should all the fish of the sea be gathered for them, to suffice for them?” 23And the Lord said to Moses, “Is the hand of the Lord too short? Now you will see whether my word comes to pass for you or not.” 24Then Moses went out and told the people the words of the Lord, and he gathered seventy men from the elders of the people and stood them round the tent. 25And the Lord came down in the cloud and spoke to him, and he took back some of the spirit which was on him, and he gave it to the seventy men of the elders. And it came to pass that as the spirit rested on them, they prophesied, but they did not repeat it. 26And two men remained in the camp. The name of one was Eldad and the name of the other was Medad, and the spirit rested on them, and they were in the records, and they did not go out to the tent but prophesied in the camp. 27And a young boy ran and told Moses and said, “Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp.” 28Then Joshua the son of Nun, a servant of Moses, one of his young men, answered and said, “My lord Moses, forbid them.” 29And Moses said to him, “Are you envious on my behalf? If only all the Lord's people were prophets and that the Lord would put his spirit on them.” 30Then Moses joined the camp gathering – he and the elders of Israel. 31Then a wind was brought into motion by the Lord, and it brought quails from the sea, and it released them at the camp, at about a day's journey on one side and at about a day's journey on the other side, around the camp, and about two cubits high on the surface of the land. 32And the people were up all that day and all the night and all the next day, and they gathered the quail, and he who gathered little gathered ten homers, and they spread them out wholesale around the camp. 33The meat was already between their teeth before it was cut up, and the Lord's anger was kindled against the people, and the Lord struck the people with a very great blow. 34And he named that place Kibroth-Hattaavah, for there they buried the people who had a craving. 35From Kibroth-Hattaavah the people moved on to Hazeroth, and in Hazeroth they stayed.

Numbers Chapter 12 

1Then Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses because of the Ethiopian woman whom he had taken in marriage, because he had taken an Ethiopian woman. 2And they said, “Has the Lord only ever spoken to Moses? Has he not also spoken to us?” And the Lord heard it. 3Now the man Moses was very meek, more so than any man on the face of the earth. 4Then the Lord said all of a sudden to Moses and to Aaron and to Miriam, “Go out, the three of you, to the tent of contact.” And the three of them went out. 5Then the Lord came down in a column of cloud and stood at the entrance to the tent, and he called Aaron and Miriam, and they both came out. 6And he said, “Just hear my words.

If there is a prophet of yours here,

I, the Lord, will make myself known to him in a vision,

And I will speak to him in a dream.

7But not so with my servant Moses.

He is faithful over all my house.

8I will speak with him mouth to mouth,

And in an appearance, and not in riddles,

And he will behold the likeness of the Lord.

Now why were you not afraid

To speak against my servant Moses?”

9And the Lord's anger was kindled against them, and he departed. 10And the cloud departed from the tent, and the next thing that happened was that Miriam became as leprous as snow, and Aaron looked at Miriam, and he saw that she was leprous. 11And Aaron said to Moses, “O my lord, please do not lay sin upon us, in that we have been foolish and in that we have sinned. 12Let her not be as one dead concerning whom, when he came out of our mother's womb, half our flesh was consumed.” 13And Moses cried out to the Lord and said, “O God, please heal her, please.” 14Then the Lord said to Moses, “If her father had just spat in her face, would she not have been ashamed for seven days? Let her be shut away for seven days outside the camp, and afterwards be assimilated again.” 15So Miriam was shut away outside the camp for seven days, and the people did not move on until Miriam was assimilated again. 16And afterwards the people moved from Hazeroth and encamped in the Desert of Paran.

Numbers Chapter 13 

1Then the Lord spoke to Moses and said, 2“Send men on your behalf to spy out the land of Canaan, which I am giving to the sons of Israel. They will send one man per tribe of his fathers. They will each be a leader in that company.” 3So Moses sent them from the Desert of Paran at the command of the Lord. All of them were men who were heads of the sons of Israel. 4And these are their names. For the tribe of Reuben, Shammua the son of Zaccur. 5For the tribe of Simeon, Shaphat the son of Hori. 6For the tribe of Judah, Caleb the son of Jephunneh. 7For the tribe of Issachar, Igal the son of Joseph. 8For the tribe of Ephraim, Hoshea the son of Nun. 9For the tribe of Benjamin, Palti the son of Raphu. 10For the tribe of Zebulun, Gaddiel the son of Sodi. 11For the tribe of Joseph, for the tribe of Manasseh, Gaddi the son of Susi. 12For the tribe of Dan, Ammiel the son of Gemalli. 13For the tribe of Asher, Sethur the son of Michael. 14For the tribe of Naphtali, Nahbi the son of Vophsi. 15For the tribe of Gad, Geuel the son of Machi. 16Those are the names of the men whom Moses sent to spy out the land, and Moses called Hoshea the son of Nun Joshua. 17And Moses sent them to spy out the land of Canaan, and he said to them, “Go up here in the south and go up the mountain, 18and see what the land is like, and the people living on it, whether they are strong or weak, whether they are few or many, 19and what the land is like which they are living on, whether it is good or bad, and what the cities are like which they are living in, whether they are in encampments or in fortifications, 20and what the land is like as to whether it is fertile or barren, whether there are trees in it or not. So take courage, and take some of the fruit of the land.” Now the days were the days of the firstfruits of the grapes. 21So they went up and spied out the land from the Desert of Zin to Rehob, as one goes to Hamath. 22And they went up in the south and came to Hebron, where Ahiman, Sheshai and Talmai are – Anak's offspring. And Hebron was built seven years before Zoan in Egypt. 23And they came to the Brook of Eshcol, and they cut down a branch from there, and one bunch of grapes, and they carried it by pole with two of them, with some pomegranates and some figs. 24They called that place the Brook of Eshcol because of the bunch of grapes which the sons of Israel cut down there. 25Then they came back from spying out the land after forty days. 26And they departed and came back to Moses and Aaron and the whole congregation of the sons of Israel, to the Desert of Paran, to Kadesh, and they reported back to them and the whole congregation, and they showed them the fruit of the land. 27And they related it to him and said, “We came to the land to which you sent us, and indeed it is flowing with milk and honey, and this is its fruit. 28However, the people who live in the land are strong, and the cities are fortified and are very great, and we also saw the offspring of Anak there. 29Amalek lives in the land to the south, and the Hittite and the Jebusite and the Amorite live in the mountainous area, and the Canaanite lives by the sea and by the side of the Jordan.” 30Then Caleb silenced the people before Moses, and he said, “We can certainly go up and inherit it, for we will certainly overpower it.” 31But the men who went up with him said, “We cannot go up to the people, for they are stronger than us.” 32And they propounded a slander to the sons of Israel concerning the land which they had spied out, and they said, “The land which we crossed over to spy it out is a land which consumes its inhabitants, and all the people we saw in it were men of great stature. 33And we saw the Nephilim – the sons of Anak who spring from the Nephilim – and in our sight we were like grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight.”

Numbers Chapter 14 

1Then the whole congregation raised their voice and gave vent to it, and the people wept that night. 2And all the sons of Israel murmured against Moses and against Aaron, and all the congregation said to them, “If only we had died in the land of Egypt, or if only we had died in this desert. 3Why is the Lord bringing us to this land to fall by the sword? Our wives and our children will be a spoil. Would it not be good for us to return to Egypt?” 4And one man would say to another, “Let us appoint a head and return to Egypt.” 5At this Moses and Aaron fell face down before the whole assembly of the congregation of the sons of Israel. 6And Joshua the son of Nun and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, who were of those who spied out the land, tore their clothes, 7and they spoke to the whole congregation of the sons of Israel, and they said, “The land which we crossed to spy it out is a very, very good land. 8If the Lord takes delight in us, he will bring us to this land, and he will give it to us – a land which is flowing with milk and honey. 9But do not rebel against the Lord and do not fear the people of the land, for they are our warfare, and their defence is departing from them, and the Lord is with us. Do not fear them.” 10Then all the congregation spoke for stoning them, when the glory of the Lord appeared in the tent of contact to all the sons of Israel. 11And the Lord said to Moses, “How long will this people despise me? And how long will they not believe in me, despite all the signs which I have performed in their midst? 12I will strike them with a plague, and I will disinherit them, and I will make just you a people greater and more powerful than them.” 13Then Moses said to the Lord, “Then Egypt will hear that you brought this people up from its midst by your power, 14and they will tell of it to the inhabitants of this land, who have heard that you are the Lord in the midst of this people, and that you appeared, O Lord, eye to eye, and how your cloud would remain on them, and in the column of the cloud you would go before them by day, and in the column of fire by night. 15If you kill this people down to the last man, the Gentiles who have heard of your fame will speak and say, 16It is for lack of ability of the Lord to bring this people to the land which he promised by an oath to them that he slaughtered them in the desert.’ 17So now, please let your power be great, O Lord*, as you have spoken and said, 18‘The Lord is longsuffering and great in mercy, bearing iniquity and transgression, but he certainly will not declare them innocent, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on sons, on the third generation, and on the fourth generation.’ 19Please forgive the iniquity of this people according to your great kindness, and as you have borne with this people from Egypt to here.” 20Then the Lord said, “I have forgiven them in accordance with your request. 21But, as I live, the whole earth will be filled with the glory of the Lord. 22Nevertheless, all the men who, seeing my glory and my signs which I performed in Egypt and in the desert, still tempted me these ten times and did not heed me 23will certainly not see the land about which I swore to their fathers, and all those who despise me will not see it. 24But as for my servant Caleb, because there was a different spirit with him, and he fully followed me, I will bring him into the land which he is going to, and his seed will inherit it. 25Yet the Amalekite and the Canaanite are living in the valley. Tomorrow turn and move on to the desert in the direction of the Red Sea.” 26And the Lord spoke to Moses and to Aaron and said, 27“How long shall I suffer this wicked congregation, who murmur against me? I have heard the murmurings of the sons of Israel with which they murmur against me. 28Say to them, ‘As I live, says the Lord, I swear that as you have spoken in my hearing, so I will deal with you. 29Your corpses will fall in this desert with all of those of you counted according to all your numbers, from twenty years old and above, because you murmured against me. 30I swear that you will not go to the land which I swore to settle you in, except Caleb the son of Jephunneh and Joshua the son of Nun. 31Now as for your children, whom you said would be a spoil, I will bring them in, and they will know the land which you rejected. 32But as for you, your corpses will fall in this desert. 33And your sons will be shepherds in the desert for forty years, and they will bear your immoral practices until your corpses have been consumed in the desert, 34according with the number of days you spied out the land – for forty days. At a day to a year you will bear your iniquities, for forty years, and you will know how you hindered me.’ 35I, the Lord, have said, ‘I will certainly do this to all this wicked congregation which is gathered together against me. They will be consumed in this desert, and there they will die, 36as will the men whom Moses sent to spy out the land who, when they returned, murmured against him with all the congregation by propounding a slander about the land.’ ” 37And the men who propounded the evil slander about the land died in a plague before the Lord. 38But Joshua the son of Nun and Caleb the son of Jephunneh survived of those men who went to spy out the land. 39And Moses told these things to all the sons of Israel, and the people mourned greatly. 40And they rose early in the morning, and they were going up to the summit of the mountain when they said, “Here we are, and we have come up to the place which the Lord spoke of, for we have sinned.” 41Then Moses said, “Why ever are you transgressing the Lord's command? So this will not succeed. 42Do not go up, for the Lord is not in your midst, so that you do not get struck down before your enemies. 43For the Amalekite and the Canaanite are there in front of you, and you will fall by the sword, because you have turned away from following the Lord, and the Lord will not be with you.” 44But they were presumptuous in going up to the summit of the mountain when the ark of the covenant of the Lord and Moses had not moved from the midst of the camp. 45And the Amalekite came down, as did the Canaanite who lived on that mountain, and they struck them and routed them as far as Hormah.

Numbers Chapter 15 

1Then the Lord spoke to Moses and said, 2“Speak to the sons of Israel and say to them, ‘When you come to the land of your dwelling places which I am giving you, 3you will perform a fire-offering to the Lord, a burnt offering, or a sacrifice, by committing yourself to a vow, or in a freewill-offering, or in your festivals by making a sweet fragrance to the Lord from the oxen or from the sheep. 4And the offerer will offer his oblation to the Lord, a meal-offering of a tenth measure of fine flour mixed with a quarter of a hin of oil. 5And you will put wine on the burnt offering or the sacrifice as a libation – a quarter of a hin per lamb. 6Or for a ram you will make a meal-offering of two tenth measures of fine flour mixed with a third of a hin of oil, 7and wine for the libation – a third of a hin. You will offer a sweet fragrance to the Lord. 8And when you perform the burnt offering of a bull-calf, or a sacrifice, by committing yourself to a vow, or perform peace-offerings to the Lord, 9he will offer with the bull-calf a meal-offering of three tenth measures of fine flour mixed with half a hin of oil. 10And you will offer wine as a libation – half a hin, as a fire-offering as a sweet fragrance to the Lord. 11That is how it will be performed for one ox or for one ram or for a small cattle animal from the lambs or goats. 12For whatever number you carry out, that is how you will perform the offering for each one – according to their number. 13Every native citizen will perform these things this way by offering a fire-offering as a sweet fragrance to the Lord. 14And if a foreigner is dwelling with you, or whoever is in your midst, throughout your generations, he will perform a fire-offering as a sweet fragrance to the Lord. As you do, so shall he do. 15Convocation, there will be one statute for you and for the foreigner who is temporarily resident. It is an age-abiding statute for your generations. As it is for you, so for the foreigner shall it be before the Lord. 16It will be one law and one regulation, for you and for the foreigner dwelling with you.’ ” 17Then the Lord spoke to Moses and said, 18“Speak to the sons of Israel and say to them, ‘When you come to the land to which I am bringing you, 19it will come to pass that when you partake of the bread of the land, you will offer a heave-offering to the Lord. 20You will offer a heave-offering of cake of the first of your groats. As a heave-offering of produce on the threshing floor, so you will offer it. 21You will give the Lord a heave-offering of the first of your groats throughout your generations. 22And if you go astray and do not carry out all these commandments which the Lord has spoken to Moses, 23everything that the Lord commanded you through the intermediacy of Moses from the day when the Lord gave commandment and since then for your generations, 24then it will come to pass, if it was done hidden from the eyes of the congregation in a sin through ignorance, then the whole congregation will carry out a burnt offering of one bull-calf of the oxen as a sweet fragrance to the Lord, with its meal-offering and its libation according to the regulation, and one kid of the goats as a sin-offering. 25And the priest will make atonement for the whole congregation of the sons of Israel, and it will be forgiven them, for it was a sin through ignorance, and they will bring their oblation – a fire-offering to the Lord, and their sin-offering – before the Lord for their sin through ignorance. 26And it will be forgiven the whole congregation of the sons of Israel and the foreigner who is temporarily resident in their midst, because all the people were in a sin of ignorance. 27And if one person sins by a sin of ignorance, then he will offer a one-year-old she-goat as a sin-offering. 28And the priest will atone for the person who has sinned through ignorance, in a sin, in a sin of ignorance before the Lord, by atoning for him, and it will be forgiven him. 29There will be one law for you, both for the native of the sons of Israel and for the foreigner who is temporarily resident in their midst – for him who commits a sin of ignorance. 30But as for any person who acts presumptuously, whether from the native citizens or the foreigners, reviling the Lord, that person will be cut off from the midst of his people. 31For he has despised the word of the Lord, and he has broken his commandment. That person will certainly be cut off – his iniquity is on him.’ ” 32Now when the sons of Israel were in the desert, they found a man collecting wood on the Sabbath day. 33And those who found him gathering wood brought him to Moses and Aaron and to the whole congregation, 34and they put him in custody, for it had not been declared what should be done to him. 35And the Lord said to Moses, “The man will certainly be put to death. The whole congregation will stone him outside the camp.” 36So the whole congregation brought him outside the camp and stoned him, and he died, according to what the Lord had commanded Moses. 37Then the Lord spoke to Moses and said, 38“Speak to the sons of Israel and say to them that they are to make fringes on the edges of their clothes throughout their generations, and they are to put a cord of blue material on the fringes, on the edge. 39And it will be a fringe to you, and when you see it, you will remember all the Lord's commandments, and you will carry them out, and you will not go about after your own heart and after your own eyes, in which case you would be committing whoredom going off after them, 40so that you remember to carry out all my commandments, and you will be holy to your God. 41I am the Lord your God, who brought you out from the land of Egypt to be God to you. I am the Lord your God.”

Numbers Chapter 16 

1Then Korah, the son of Izhar, the son of Kohath, the son of Levi, and Dathan and Abiram the sons of Eliab, and On the son of Peleth, sons of Reuben, took matters into their own hands 2and rose up before Moses, with two hundred and fifty men from the sons of Israel, leaders of the congregation, selected men of the assembly, men of renown, 3and they were convened against Moses and against Aaron, and they said to them, “It is too much for you, seeing that the whole congregation is all holy, and the Lord is in their midst, so why do you elevate yourselves above the Lord's convocation?” 4And when Moses heard it, he fell face down. 5And he spoke to Korah and to the whole of his company and said, “In the morning, let the Lord make known who are his, and who is holy, and he will bring them near to him. So he will bring near to himself him whom he has chosen for himself. 6Do this: take your censers, Korah and all his company, 7and put fire in them, and put incense in them before the Lord tomorrow, and it will come to pass that the man whom the Lord chooses will be the one who is holy. It is too much for you, you sons of Levi.” 8Then Moses said to Korah, “Listen, please, you sons of Levi. 9Is it a small matter to you that the God of Israel has separated you from the congregation of Israel to bring you near to him, to do the work of the Lord's tabernacle, and to stand before the congregation to serve them? 10And he has brought you near, and all your brothers the sons of Levi with you, and yet you seek the priesthood too? 11Therefore, you and all your company which is gathered against the Lord – as regards Aaron, what is he that you should murmur against him?” 12Then Moses sent for Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab, but they said, “We will not come up. 13Is it a small matter that you have brought us up from a land flowing with milk and honey to kill us in the desert? For you have most definitely set yourself up as a ruler over us. 14But you have not brought us to a land flowing with milk and honey, nor have you given us an inheritance of a field or a vineyard. Will you poke out the eyes of these men? We will not come up.” 15Then Moses became very angry, and he said to the Lord, “Do not respect their meal-offering. I have not taken one donkey from them, nor have I harmed a single one of them.” 16And Moses said to Korah, “You and all your company, be present before the Lord, you and they, and Aaron, tomorrow. 17And let each man take his censer, and you will put incense in them, and let each man bring his censer before the Lord – two hundred and fifty censers – both you and Aaron, each man with his censer.” 18So each man took his censer, and they put fire in them, and they put incense in them, and they stood at the entrance to the tent of contact, as did Moses and Aaron. 19And Korah convened all the company against them, to the entrance to the tent of contact, and the glory of the Lord appeared to the whole congregation. 20Then the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron and said, 21“Be separated from the midst of this company, and I will destroy them in an instant.” 22And they fell face down and said, “O God, the God of the spirits of all flesh, one man has sinned, and will you be angry with the whole congregation?” 23Then the Lord spoke to Moses and said, 24“Speak to the congregation and say, ‘Get away from the vicinity of the tabernacle of Korah, Dathan and Abiram.’ ” 25Then Moses got up and went to Dathan and Abiram, and the elders of Israel followed him. 26And he spoke to the congregation and said, “Please depart from the tents of these wicked men, and do not touch anything that is theirs, in case you are destroyed in all their sins.” 27So they withdrew from the vicinity of the tabernacle of Korah, Dathan and Abiram, while Dathan and Abiram went out and stood at the entrance of their tents with their wives and their sons and their little ones. 28Then Moses said, “By this you will know whether the Lord has sent me to do all these works, for they are not from my heart: 29if these men die as all men ordinarily die, and death is visited on them as on all men, then the Lord did not send me. 30But if the Lord produces something entirely new, and the ground opens its mouth and swallows them up with everything that is theirs, and they go down alive to the grave, then you will know that these men despised the Lord.” 31And it came to pass, as he finished speaking all these words, that the ground under them split apart, 32and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them up, and their dwellings, and every man who was of Korah's company, and all their property. 33And they and all those who were of their company went down alive to the grave, and the earth covered them, and they were eliminated from the convocation. 34And all of Israel that was round about them fled at their cry, for they said, “Flee so that the earth does not swallow us up.” 35And fire went out from the Lord and consumed the two hundred and fifty men who offered incense. 36Then the Lord spoke to Moses and said, 37“Say to Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest that he should lift out the censers from the blaze and scatter the fire further away, for they have become holy. 38As for the censers of these sinners against themselves, let them be made into beaten-out plates as an overlay for the altar, for they offered them before the Lord, so they have become holy, and they will serve as a sign to the sons of Israel.” 39So Eleazar the priest took the copper censers with which those who were burnt up had offered, and they beat them into an overlay for the altar, 40and as a reminder to the sons of Israel that a foreigner who is not of the seed of Aaron must not approach to burn incense before the Lord, and he must not be like Korah and his company, as the Lord had said to him through the intermediacy of Moses. 41But the next day the whole congregation of the sons of Israel murmured against Moses and against Aaron and said, “You are killing the Lord's people.” 42And it came to pass, when the congregation was convened against Moses and against Aaron, that they looked at the tent of contact, and what they saw was that the cloud had covered it and the glory of the Lord had appeared. 43Then Moses and Aaron went to the front of the tent of contact, 44and the Lord spoke to Moses and said, 45“Get away from this congregation, and I will consume them in an instant.” And they fell face down. 46And Moses said to Aaron, “Take the censer and put fire in it from the altar, and put incense in it and go quickly to the congregation and make atonement for them, for anger has gone out from the Lord. An onslaught has begun.” 47So Aaron took it as Moses had said, and he ran to the middle of the convocation, and he saw that the onslaught on the people had begun, and he took the incense, and he atoned for the people. 48And he stood between the dead and the living, and the onslaught stopped. 49And those who died in the onslaught came to fourteen thousand seven hundred, excluding those who died in the incident with Korah. 50Then Aaron returned to Moses at the entrance of the tent of contact, and the onslaught stopped.

Reference(s) in Chapter 16: v.1 ↔ Jude 1:11 ● v.5 ↔ 2 Timothy 2:19.

Numbers Chapter 17 

1Then the Lord spoke to Moses and said, 2“Speak to the sons of Israel, and take from each of them a rod according to the paternal house, from all their leaders, according to their paternal house – twelve rods – and you will write each one's name on his rod. 3And you will write the name of Aaron on Levi's rod, for there is one rod for the head of their paternal house. 4And you will deposit them in the tent of contact in front of the testimony, where I will meet with you. 5And it will come to pass that the rod of the man whom I choose will sprout, and I will put a stop to the murmurings against me of the sons of Israel, which they murmur against you.” 6And Moses spoke to the sons of Israel, and each of their leaders gave him a rod – for each leader, a rod for that leader – according to their paternal house, twelve rods, and Aaron's rod was among their rods. 7And Moses deposited the rods before the Lord at the tent of the testimony. 8And it came to pass on the next day that Moses went to the tent of the testimony, and what he saw was that Aaron's rod had sprouted, for the house of Levi, and it had produced a sprout, and it had blossomed with a flower, and it had yielded almonds. 9And Moses brought out all the rods from before the Lord to all the sons of Israel, and they each saw and took their own rod. 10And the Lord said to Moses, “Bring Aaron's rod back before the testimony, as a retained item, as a sign about the rebels. And you will put an end to their murmurings against me so that they do not die.” 11And Moses did it. As the Lord commanded him, so he acted. 12And the sons of Israel spoke to Moses, and they said, “Look, we are expiring, we are perishing, we are all perishing. 13Anyone who approaches – who approaches the tabernacle of the Lord – will die. Will we ever cease from expiring?”

Numbers Chapter 18 

1Then the Lord said to Aaron, “You and your sons and your paternal house with you will bear the iniquity of the sanctuary, and you and your sons with you will bear the iniquity of your priesthood. 2And bring your brothers up also, the tribe of Levi, your father's stock, with you, and they will join with you and serve you, as you and your sons with you serve before the tent of the testimony. 3And they will discharge the duties you give them, and the duties of the whole tent, but they will not approach the holy equipment or the altar, so that neither they nor you die. 4So they will join with you and discharge the duties of the tent of contact, in respect of all the work of the tent, and no foreigner will approach you. 5And you will discharge the duties of the holy place, and the duties of the altar, so that there will not be anger any more at the sons of Israel. 6And as for me, look, I have taken your brothers the Levites from among the sons of Israel. They are for you a gift given to the Lord to do the work of the tent of contact. 7And you and your sons with you will keep your priesthood in every matter of the altar and of the inside of the veil, and you will perform it. I am giving you the work – your priesthood – as a gift. And any foreigner who approaches will be put to death.” 8Then the Lord spoke to Aaron and said, “And for my part look, I have given you the duties of my heave-offerings. Regarding all the holy matters of the sons of Israel, I have given them as an anointing to you and your sons, as an age-abiding statute. 9This is what will be yours from the holy of holies, from fire: every oblation of theirs, whether every meal-offering of theirs, or every sin-offering of theirs, or every guilt-offering of theirs which they render to me. It is a matter of the holy of holies to you and to your sons. 10In the holy of holies you will eat it. Every male will eat it. It will be holy to you. 11And this is yours: the heave-offering of their gift with all the wave-offerings of the sons of Israel. I have given them to you and to your sons and your daughters with you, as an age-abiding statute. Everyone who is clean in your house will eat it. 12All the best of the new oil, and all the best of the new wine and corn – the firstfruits of them which they give to the Lord – I have given to you. 13The firstfruits of everything in their land which they bring to the Lord will be yours. Every clean person in your house will eat it. 14And every dedicated thing in Israel will be yours. 15Everything that opens the womb of all flesh which they offer to the Lord, whether of men or cattle, will be yours, but you will most definitely redeem the firstborn of man, and you will redeem the firstborn of unclean cattle. 16And you will redeem those from one month old who are to be redeemed to him according to your valuation – money to the value of five shekels according to the holy shekel: it is twenty gerahs. 17But you will not redeem the firstborn ox or the firstborn lamb or the firstborn goat – they are holy. You will sprinkle their blood on the altar, and you will burn their fat as a fire-offering as a sweet fragrance to the Lord. 18And their meat will be yours. Just like the breast of the wave-offering and the right leg, it will be yours. 19All heave-offerings of holy things which the sons of Israel heave to the Lord I have given you and your sons and your daughters with you, as an age-abiding statute. It is an age-abiding covenant of salt before the Lord for you and your seed with you.” 20Then the Lord said to Aaron, “You will not have an inheritance in their land, and you will have no portion in their midst – I am your portion and your inheritance among the sons of Israel. 21And look, I have given every tithe in Israel to the sons of Levi as an inheritance, in exchange for their work which they do – the work of the tent of contact. 22And the sons of Israel will no longer approach the tent of contact, which would mean that they would bear mortal sin. 23And the Levites will do the work of the tent of contact, and they will bear their iniquity. It is an age-abiding statute for their generations, but they will not inherit any inheritance among the sons of Israel. 24For I have given the tithe of the sons of Israel which they heave to the Lord as a heave-offering to the Levites as an inheritance, which is why I have said to them, ‘They will not have an inheritance among the sons of Israel.’ ” 25Then the Lord spoke to Moses and said, 26“And you will speak to the Levites and say to them, ‘When you receive from the sons of Israel the tithe which I have given you from them as your inheritance, you will heave a heave-offering to the Lord from it, a tithe of a tithe. 27And it will be counted for you as your heave-offering, as grain from the threshing floor and as the fulness of the wine vat. 28So you too will offer the Lord's heave-offering from all your tithes which you receive from the sons of Israel, and you will give from it the Lord's heave-offering to Aaron the priest. 29You will offer all the Lord's heave-offering from all your gifts, from all the best of it – the sacred part of it. 30And you will say to them, «When you offer the best part of it, it will be counted for the Levites as the produce of the threshing floor and as the produce of the wine vat. 31And you will eat it in every place, you and your household, for it is your wages in exchange for your work in the tent of contact. 32And you will bear no sin on account of it, when you heave up the best part of it, and you will not profane the holy things of the sons of Israel, so that you do not die.» ’ ”

Numbers Chapter 19 

1Then the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron and said, 2“This is the statute of the law which the Lord has commanded, saying, ‘Tell the sons of Israel to bring to you a perfect red heifer, which has no blemish, on which no yoke has gone, 3and you will give it to Eleazar the priest, and he will bring it outside the camp, and he will have it slaughtered in his presence. 4And Eleazar the priest will take some of its blood on his finger, and he will sprinkle some of its blood straight in front of the tent of contact seven times. 5And he will burn the heifer before his eyes – its skin and its flesh – and he will burn its blood with its dung. 6And the priest will take cedar wood and hyssop, and scarlet material, and he will throw them into the middle of the conflagration of the heifer. 7Then the priest will wash his clothes, and he will wash his body with water, and after that he will go to the camp, and the priest will be unclean until the evening. 8So he who burns it will wash his clothes in water, and he will wash his body with water, and he will be unclean until the evening. 9And a man who is clean will collect the ashes of the heifer, and he will deposit them outside the camp in a clean place, and it will be a thing kept for the congregation of the sons of Israel, for water of impurity. It is a sin-offering. 10Then he who has collected the ashes of the heifer will wash his clothes, and he will be unclean until the evening, and it will be an age-abiding statute for the sons of Israel and for the foreigner who is temporarily resident in their midst. 11He who touches the dead body of any person will be unclean for seven days. 12He will have himself propitiated by it on the third day, and on the seventh day he will be clean, but if he does not have himself propitiated on the third day, then on the seventh day he will not be clean. 13Everyone who touches the dead body of a man who has died and does not have himself propitiated defiles the Lord's tabernacle, and that person will be cut off from Israel, for the water of impurity has not been sprinkled on him. He will be unclean – his uncleanness will still be on him. 14This is the law: if a man dies in a tent, everyone who comes into the tent and everyone who is in the tent will be unclean for seven days. 15And every vessel that is open, which does not have a lid screwed on to it, is unclean. 16And anyone in an open field who touches anyone fallen by the sword or dead or a man's bone or a grave will be unclean for seven days. 17And they will take for him who is unclean some dust from the burnt sin-offering, and he will put running water on it in a vessel, 18and a clean man will take hyssop and dip it in the water and sprinkle it on the tent and on all the furnishings and on the people who were there, and on him who touched the bone or the fallen man or the dead or the grave. 19And he who is clean will sprinkle it on him who is unclean, on the third day and on the seventh day, and he will expiate him on the seventh day, and he will wash his clothes and wash himself in water, and he will be clean in the evening. 20And as for any man who becomes unclean but does not have himself propitiated, that person will be cut off from the midst of the convocation, for he has defiled the Lord's sanctuary. The water of impurity was not sprinkled on him; he is unclean. 21And it will be an age-abiding statute to them, and he who sprinkles the water of impurity will wash his clothes, and he who touches the water of impurity will be unclean until the evening. 22And anyone whom he who is unclean touches will become unclean, and any person who touches him will become unclean until the evening.’ ”

Numbers Chapter 20 

1And the sons of Israel – the whole congregation – came to the Desert of Zin in the first month, and the people stayed in Kadesh, and Miriam died there and was buried there. 2And there was no water for the congregation, and they convened together against Moses and against Aaron. 3And the people contended with Moses and spoke and said, “If only we had expired when our brothers expired before the Lord. 4Now why have you brought the Lord's convocation to this desert to die here – us and our cattle? 5And why have you brought us up from Egypt to bring us to this bad place? There is no place with seed or figs or vine or pomegranates, and there is no water to drink.” 6Then Moses and Aaron went from the convocation to the entrance to the tent of contact, and they fell face down, and the glory of the Lord appeared to them. 7And the Lord spoke to Moses and said, 8“Take the rod and convene the congregation, you and Aaron your brother, and speak to the rock before their eyes, and it will yield its water, and you will extract water from the rock for them, and you will give the congregation drink, and their cattle.” 9So Moses took the rod from its place before the Lord as he had commanded him. 10And Moses and Aaron convened the convocation in front of the rock, and he said to them, “Hear please, you rebels. Can we extract water from this rock for you?” 11Then Moses lifted up his hand and struck the rock with the rod twice, whereupon much water came out, and the congregation and their cattle drank. 12Then the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “Because you did not believe me, by sanctifying me in the eyes of the sons of Israel, you will not bring this convocation into the land which I have given them.” 13This is the water of Meribah because the sons of Israel contended with the Lord, and he was sanctified by it. 14Then Moses sent messengers from Kadesh to the king of Edom, saying, “This is what your brother Israel says: ‘You know all the trouble which has come our way, 15how our fathers went down to Egypt and how we dwelt in Egypt for many days, and how Egypt afflicted us and our fathers, 16and how we cried out to the Lord and how he heeded us and sent an angel and led us out of Egypt, and so here we are in Kadesh, a town at the end of your territory. 17Please let us cross your country. We will not cross by fields or by vineyards, and we will not drink the water of the wells. We will take the royal route and we will not deviate to the right or to the left until we have crossed your territory.’ ” 18But Edom said to him, “You may not cross my country, otherwise I will come out against you with the sword.” 19Then the sons of Israel said to him, “We will go up by the highway, and if we drink your water – I or my cattle – then I will pay the price of it, but there is no alternative: I will cross on foot.” 20Then he said, “You may not cross.” And Edom came out against him with a considerable number of people and with a strong hand. 21And Edom refused to give Israel passage through his territory, and Israel turned away from it. 22So they moved on from Kadesh, and the sons of Israel – the whole congregation – came to Mount Hor. 23Then the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron at Mount Hor at the border of the land of Edom and said, 24“Aaron will be gathered to his people, for he will not go into the land which I have given to the sons of Israel, because you rebelled against my word at the water of Meribah. 25Take Aaron and Eleazar his son and bring them up Mount Hor. 26And strip Aaron of his clothes, and clothe Eleazar his son with them, and Aaron will be gathered up and die there.” 27And Moses did as the Lord had commanded, and they went up into Mount Hor in the sight of the whole of the congregation. 28And Moses stripped Aaron of his clothes, and he clothed Eleazar his son with them, and Aaron died there on the summit of the mountain. Then Moses and Eleazar came down from the mountain. 29And all the congregation saw that Aaron had expired, and the whole house of Israel wept for Aaron for thirty days.

Numbers Chapter 21 

1Now King Arad the Canaanite, who lived in the south, heard that Israel was coming by the route of Atharim, and he waged war against Israel, and he took some of them prisoner. 2Then Israel made a vow to the Lord and said, “If you decisively deliver this people into our hands, then we will destroy their cities.” 3And the Lord heeded Israel, and he delivered up the Canaanites, and they destroyed them and their cities, and they named the place Hormah. 4Then they moved from Mount Hor by the route of the Red Sea, to go round the land of Edom, but the people became impatient on the way. 5And the people spoke against God and Moses, saying, “Why have you brought us up from Egypt for us to die in the desert? For there is no bread and no water, and our being loathes this insubstantial bread.” 6At this the Lord sent fiery serpents on the people, and they bit the people, and many people of Israel died. 7Then the people came to Moses and said, “We have sinned, for we have spoken against the Lord and against you. Pray to the Lord that he removes the serpents from us.” And Moses prayed for the people. 8Then the Lord said to Moses, “Make yourself a fiery serpent and put it on a standard, and it will come to pass that everyone who has been bitten but who looks at it, will live.” 9So Moses made a copper serpent and put it on the standard, and it came to pass that if a serpent had bitten a man, and he beheld the copper serpent, he lived. 10Then the sons of Israel moved on and encamped at Oboth. 11Then they moved on from Oboth and encamped at the ruins of Abarim in the desert which is alongside Moab, towards the sunrise. 12From there they moved on and encamped at the Brook of Zered. 13From there they moved on and encamped at the other side of the Arnon, which is in the desert, which comes out of the territory of the Amorites, for the Arnon is the border of Moab, between Moab and the Amorites. 14This is why it relates in the Book of the Wars of the Lord,

“Vaheb in the whirlwind

And the brooks of Arnon,

15And the outpouring of the brooks,

Which turns to the dwelling of Ar

And adjoins the border of Moab.”

16And from there they moved to Beer, which is the well where the Lord said to Moses, “Gather the people and I will give them water.” 17Then Israel sang this song:

“Spring up, O well;

Sing in response to it.

18As for the well, princes dug it;

The nobles of the people excavated it,

With lawgivers with their staffs.”

And they moved from the desert to Mattanah. 19Then they moved from Mattanah to Nahaliel, and from Nahaliel to Bamoth, 20and from the Valley of Bamoth which is in the open country of Moab to the summit of Pisgah, which overlooks the landscape of Jeshimon. 21Then Israel sent messengers to Sihon king of the Amorites and said, 22“We would like to cross your country. We will not deviate through field or vineyard, and we will not drink well-water, but we will go by the royal road, until we have crossed your territory.” 23But Sihon did not allow Israel to cross his territory, and Sihon gathered all his people, and he went out against Israel into the desert. And he went to Jahaz and fought against Israel. 24But Israel struck him by the blade of the sword, and he came into possession of his land from the Arnon to the Jabbok, up to the sons of Ammon, for the territory of the sons of Ammon was strongly held. 25So Israel took all these cities, and Israel lived in all the cities of the Amorites, in Heshbon and all its satellite towns. 26For Heshbon is the city of Sihon king of the Amorites, and he had fought against the first king of Moab, and he had taken all his land from his control as far as the Arnon. 27This is why those who speak in proverbs say,

“Come to Heshbon;

The city of Sihon

Will be built up and established.

28For fire went out from Heshbon;

A flame from the town of Sihon.

It consumed Ar of Moab

And the lords of the heights of Arnon.

29Woe to you, Moab;

You have been ruined,

O people of Chemosh.

He has made its sons fugitives

And taken its daughters into the captivity

Of Sihon king of the Amorites.

30But we have shot them down;

Heshbon has been ruined up to Dibon,

And we have laid them waste

As far as Nophah

Which extends to Medeba.”

31Then Israel dwelt in the land of the Amorites. 32Then Moses sent spies to spy out Jazer, and they captured its satellite towns, and he dispossessed the Amorites who were there. 33Then they turned and went up the road to Bashan, and Og king of Bashan came out against them – he and all his people – to the battle at Edrei. 34And the Lord said to Moses, “Do not be afraid of him, for I will deliver him and all his people into your hand, and his land, and you will deal with him as you dealt with Sihon king of the Amorites who was living in Heshbon.” 35And they struck him and his sons and all his people, so much so that he had no survivors left. And they took possession of his land.

Reference(s) in Chapter 21: v.9 ↔ John 3:14.

Numbers Chapter 22 

1Then the sons of Israel moved and encamped in the arid tracts of Moab, across the Jordan at Jericho. 2And Balak the son of Zippor saw everything that Israel had done to the Amorites, 3and Moab was very afraid of the people, for it was great. And Moab felt revulsion at the sons of Israel, 4and Moab said to the elders of Midian, “The convocation will now lick up all our surroundings as the ox licks up the greenery of the field.” Now Balak the son of Zippor was king of Moab at that time, 5and he sent messengers to Balaam the son of Beor, to Pethor, which is on the river of the land of the sons of his people, to call for him, and they said, “Look, a people has come out of Egypt, and look, it has covered the surface of the land, and they are living opposite me. 6So now, please come and curse this people for me, for it is stronger than me, and maybe I will prevail and we can strike them, and I can drive them from the land, for I know that what you bless is blessed and what you curse is cursed.” 7So the elders of Moab and the elders of Midian went with divining payment in their hand, and they came to Balaam and quoted Balak's words to him. 8And he said to them, “Lodge here tonight, and I will report to you according to what the Lord says to me.” So Moab's dignitaries stayed with Balaam. 9And God came to Balaam, and he asked, “Who are these men with you?” 10And Balaam said to God, “Balak the son of Zippor, the king of Moab, sent them to me and they said, 11‘Look, the people who came out of Egypt have covered the surface of the land. Now please come and curse them for me, then maybe I will be able to fight them and drive them out.’ ” 12And God said to Balaam, “You shall not go with them. You shall not curse the people, for they are blessed.” 13And Balaam arose in the morning and said to Balak's dignitaries, “Go to your own country, for the Lord refuses to allow me to go with you.” 14So Moab's dignitaries arose and went to Balak and said, “Balaam refuses to go with us.” 15Then Balak sent dignitaries again, more of them, and more honourable ones, than those. 16And they came to Balaam, and they said to him, “This is what Balak the son of Zippor says: ‘Do not, please, refrain from coming to me. 17For I will certainly honour you greatly, and I will carry out everything you say to me, so please come, and curse this people for me.’ ” 18Then Balaam answered and said to Balak's servants, “Even if Balak gives me his house full of silver and gold, I cannot transgress the word of the Lord my God, by doing anything small or great. 19And now, please remain here, you also, tonight, and I will find out what else the Lord says to me.” 20And God came to Balaam by night and said to him, “If the men come and call for you, arise and go with them, but you will surely carry out the words which I will speak to you.” 21So Balaam arose in the morning, and he saddled his she-ass, and he went with Moab's dignitaries. 22Then God's anger was kindled because he went, and the angel of the Lord stationed himself on the road, in opposition to him, while he was riding on his ass, and his two servant-lads were with him. 23And the ass saw the angel of the Lord standing in the way, with his sword drawn in his hand, and the ass turned aside from the way and went into the field. Then Balaam struck the ass to turn it to the road. 24But the angel of the Lord stood on the track of the vineyards, there being a fence on each side. 25And the ass saw the angel of the Lord, and it squeezed itself against the wall, and it squeezed Balaam's foot against the wall, and he struck it again. 26Then the angel of the Lord came across again and stood in a narrow spot where there was no room to turn to the right or to the left. 27And the ass saw the angel of the Lord, and it lay down under Balaam, and Balaam's anger was kindled, and he struck the ass with his stick. 28Then the Lord opened the ass's mouth, and it said to Balaam, “What have I done to you, that you should strike me these three times?” 29And Balaam said to the ass, “Because you are fooling around with me. If only I had a sword in my hand, then I would kill you now.” 30Then the ass said to Balaam, “Am I not your ass upon which you have ridden for as long as you have existed up to this day? Am I in any way accustomed to behave this way to you?” And he said, “No.” 31Then the Lord unveiled Balaam's eyes, and he saw the angel of the Lord standing in the way with his sword drawn in his hand. And he bowed down and prostrated himself face down. 32Then the angel of the Lord said to him, “Why did you strike your ass those three times? Look, I have come out in opposition, because your way is perverse before me. 33And the ass saw me and turned aside before me those three times. Unless it had turned aside from me, it's you I would have killed by now, but I would have preserved it alive.” 34Then Balaam said to the angel of the Lord, “I have sinned, for I did not know that you were standing facing me on the road. So now, if this matter is wrong in your sight, I had better go back.” 35Then the angel of the Lord said to Balaam, “Go with the men; however, the word which I will speak to you is what you will speak.” So Balaam went with Balak's dignitaries. 36Then when Balak heard that Balaam was coming, he went out to meet him at the City of Moab, which is on the border at the Arnon, which is at the end of his territory. 37Then Balak said to Balaam, “Did I not specifically send men to you to call for you? Why did you not come to me? Is it credible that I should be unable to honour you?” 38Then Balaam said to Balak, “Look, I have come to you now. Am I at all able to say anything of my own? The word which God puts in my mouth, that I will say.” 39Then Balaam went with Balak, and they came to Kiriath-Huzoth. 40And Balak sacrificed oxen and sheep, and he sent for Balaam and for the dignitaries who were with him. 41And it came to pass in the morning that Balak took Balaam and brought him up to the heights of Baal, and from there he showed him the extent of the people.

Numbers Chapter 23 

1Then Balaam said to Balak, “Build me here seven altars, and prepare for me here seven bulls and seven rams.” 2And Balak did what Balaam said, and Balak and Balaam offered up a bull and a ram on each altar. 3Then Balaam said to Balak, “Stand at your burnt offering, and I will go. It may happen that the Lord will meet up with me, and I will tell you whatever he shows me.” And he went to a high place. 4And God came across to Balaam, and Balaam said to him, “I arranged seven altars, and I have made a burnt offering of a bull and a ram on each altar.” 5Then the Lord put a word in Balaam's mouth and said, “Return to Balak, and you will speak accordingly.” 6So he returned to him, and what he saw was that he was standing at his burnt offering – he and all the dignitaries of Moab. 7And he delivered his discourse and said,

“Balak king of Moab

Led me from Aramaea,

From the mountains of the east,

Saying, ‘Come, please, and curse Jacob’,

And, ‘Come and be insolent to Israel.’

8How can I curse him

Whom God has not cursed?

And how can I be insolent

To him to whom the Lord

Has not been insolent?

9For from the summit of the rocks I saw him,

And from the hills I beheld him.

Behold, a people will dwell on its own,

And it will not be reckoned among the nations.

10Who has counted the dust of Jacob,

Or the number of a quarter of Israel?

May my soul die the death of the upright,

And may my end be like him.”

11Then Balak said to Balaam, “What are you doing to me? I took you to curse my enemies, and what you have done is you have thoroughly blessed them.” 12Then he answered and said, “Am I not constrained to say what the Lord puts in my mouth?” 13Then Balak said to him, “Please come with me to another place from where you will see them. You will see the extreme end of them, but you will not see all of them, and curse them for me from there.” 14And he took him to the area of the look-out men, at the summit of Pisgah, and he built seven altars, and he offered a bull and a ram on each altar. 15Then he said to Balak, “Stand here at your burnt offering while I will be met with over there.” 16And the Lord met with Balaam, and he put a word in his mouth, and he said, “Go back to Balak, and you will speak accordingly.” 17So he went back to him, and there he was, standing at his burnt offering, and the dignitaries of Moab were with him. And Balak said to him, “What did the Lord say?” 18And he delivered his discourse and said,

“Arise, Balak, and listen;

Give ear to me, O son of Zippor.

19God is not a man who might lie,

Nor a son of Adam who might change his mind.

Does he speak and then not do it?

Or does he declare something

And not fulfil it?

20Behold, I have received

A constraint to bless.

And he has blessed,

And I cannot reverse it.

21He does not observe wickedness in Jacob,

And he does not see injustice in Israel.

The Lord his God is with him,

And the shout of the king is among them.

22The God who brought them out of Egypt

Has strength like that of a buffalo.

23For there is no enchantment against Jacob,

And no divination against Israel.

Now it will be told to Jacob,

And to Israel, what God has done.

24Behold, a people like a great lion is arising,

And like a young lion it is lifting itself up.

It does not lie down until it has eaten prey

And has drunk the blood of the slain.”

25Then Balak said to Balaam, “Neither curse them at all nor bless them at all.” 26Then Balaam answered and said to Balak, “Did I not tell you and say, ‘Everything that the Lord says to me, that I will do?’ ” 27Then Balak said to Balaam, “Come, please, and let me take you to another place. Maybe it will be right in God's eyes for you to curse them for me from there.” 28So Balak took Balaam to the summit of Peor, which overlooks the landscape of Jeshimon. 29And Balaam said to Balak, “Build me seven altars here, and prepare for me seven bulls and seven rams here.” 30And Balak did as Balaam had said, and he offered up a bull and a ram on each altar.

Numbers Chapter 24 

1And Balaam saw that it was good in the eyes of the Lord to bless Israel, and he did not go as at other times to engage in enchantments, but he directed his face towards the desert. 2And Balaam raised his eyes and saw Israel dwelling according to their tribes, and the spirit of God came upon him. 3And he delivered his discourse and said,

“Balaam the son of Beor speaks,

And the man who has an open eye declares,

4And he who heard the sayings of God,

Who saw a vision from the Almighty,

Who fell down and became of unveiled eyes,

Pronounces,

5‘How fair are your tents, Jacob!

Your dwellings, Israel!

6They are spread out like brooks,

Like gardens at the river,

Like aloes which the Lord planted,

Like cedars at water.

7He will distil water from his buckets,

And his seed will be among much water.

And his king will be exalted above Agag,

And his kingdom will be set high up.

8The God who brought him out of Egypt,

Who has strength like that of a buffalo,

Will consume the nations which are his adversaries.

He will gnaw their bones,

And with his arrows he will pierce them.

9He crouches and lies down

Like a young lion,

And like a great lion,

Who would arouse him?

Those who bless you are blessed,

But those who curse you are cursed.’ ”

10At this Balak's anger was kindled against Balaam, and he struck his hands together, and Balak said to Balaam, “I called for you to curse my enemies, and what you have done is you have thoroughly blessed them these three times. 11So now, get away to your place. I said I would honour you greatly, and look, the Lord has held honour back from you.” 12Then Balaam said to Balak, “Did I not expressly speak to your messengers that you sent to me and say, 13Even if Balak gives me his house full of silver and gold, I cannot transgress the word of the Lord – by doing good or bad from my heart – but that which the Lord says, I will say.’ 14And now, here I am, I am going to my people. Come, and I will inform you what this people will do to your people in the latter days.” 15And he delivered his discourse and said,

“Balaam the son of Beor speaks,

And the man who has an open eye declares,

16And he who heard the sayings of God,

And who is party to the knowledge of the Most High,

Who saw a vision of the Almighty,

Who fell down and became of unveiled eyes,

Pronounces,

17‘I will see him, but not now;

I will look upon him, but not shortly.

A star from Jacob will set foot here,

And a sceptre will arise from Israel

Which will dash the quarters of Moab

And overturn all the sons of Seth.

18And Edom will become an inheritance,

And an inheritance for its enemies

Is what Seir will become

When Israel acts valiantly.

19And he who is from Jacob will have dominion

And will destroy anyone who escapes from the city.’ ”

20And when he saw Amalek, he delivered his discourse and said,

“Amalek is the foremost of the nations,

But his final state is to perish.”

21And when he saw the Kenite, he delivered his discourse and said,

“Your habitation is firm,

And you have situated your nest on the rock.

22Yet the Kenite is destined to be burnt up

Until Assyria takes you captive.”

23And he delivered his discourse and said,

“Woe to him who is living

When God brings it about.

24And ships will come from the Chittim,

And they will afflict Assyria,

And they will afflict Eber,

But he who does this is also destined to perish.”

25Then Balaam got up and departed, and he returned to his place, and Balak too went his way.

Numbers Chapter 25 

1And Israel stayed in Shittim, but the people began to commit whoredom with the daughters of Moab, 2and these women called the people to the sacrifices to their gods, and the people ate them, and they worshipped their gods. 3Then Israel adhered to Baal-Peor, and the Lord's anger was kindled against Israel. 4And the Lord said to Moses, “Take all the leaders of the people and hang them up before the Lord in the sun, so that the fury of the Lord's anger may recede from Israel.” 5Then Moses said to the judges of Israel, “Let each one execute the men under his jurisdiction who adhered to Baal-Peor.” 6And there was a man of the sons of Israel who came and brought a Midianite woman to his brothers, in the sight of Moses and in the sight of the whole congregation of the sons of Israel, who were weeping at the entrance to the tent of contact. 7And when Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, saw it, he arose from the midst of the congregation, taking a spear in his hand, 8and he went after the man of Israel into the vaulted tent and thrust both of them through – the man of Israel, and the woman, in her belly – and the plague on the sons of Israel ceased. 9Now those who died in the plague came to twenty-four thousand. 10Then the Lord spoke to Moses and said, 11“Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, turned my fury back from the sons of Israel, when he was zealous with my zeal in their midst, so that I did not make an end of the sons of Israel in my zeal. 12Therefore say, ‘Behold, I am giving him my covenant of peace. 13And he and his seed after him will have the covenant of an age-abiding priesthood, because he was zealous for his God, and he made atonement for the sons of Israel.’ ” 14And the name of the man of Israel who was struck down – who was struck down with the Midianite womanwas Zimri the son of Salu, a leader of the Simeonite paternal house. 15And the name of the Midianite woman who was struck down was Cozbi the daughter of Zur, who was head of the nations of his paternal house in Midian. 16Then the Lord spoke to Moses and said, 17“Be hostile to the Midianites and strike them down, 18for they are hostile to you, in their deceit with which they were deceitful to you in the matter of Peor and in the matter of Cozbi the daughter of the leader of Midian, their sister who was struck down on the day of the plague in the matter of Peor.”

Numbers Chapter 26 

1aAnd it came to pass after the plague, 1bthat the Lord spoke to Moses and to Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest, and he said, 2“Hold a census of the whole congregation of the sons of Israel from twenty years old and above, according to their paternal house – everyone who could serve in the army in Israel.” 3So Moses and Eleazar the priest addressed them in the arid tracts of Moab, near the Jordan at Jericho, and he said, 4“From twenty years old and above, as the Lord commanded Moses and the sons of Israel who came out of the land of Egypt.” 5For Reuben the firstborn of Israel: the sons of Reuben were Hanoch with the family of the Hanochites, and belonging to Pallu, the family of the Palluites, 6and belonging to Hezron, the family of the Hezronites, and belonging to Carmi, the family of the Carmites. 7Those were the families of the Reubenites, and those of them counted came to forty-three thousand seven hundred and thirty. 8And the sons of Pallu were Eliab and his line. 9And the sons of Eliab were Nemuel and Dathan and Abiram. These were Dathan and Abiram who were recruited to the company which contended with Moses and Aaron, in the company of Korah, when they contended with the Lord, 10and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them up, with Korah in the death of the company, when the fire consumed the two hundred and fifty men, and they became a warning sign. 11But the sons of Korah did not die. 12The sons of Simeon according to their families were: belonging to Nemuel was the family of the Nemuelites, belonging to Jamin was the family of the Jaminites, belonging to Jachin was the family of the Jachinites, 13belonging to Zerah was the family of the Zarhites, and belonging to Saul was the family of the Saulites. 14Those were the families of the Simeonites; they came to twenty-two thousand two hundred. 15The sons of Gad according to their families were: belonging to Zephon was the family of the Zephonites, belonging to Haggi was the family of the Haggites, belonging to Shuni was the family of the Shunites, 16belonging to Ozni was the family of the Oznites, belonging to Eri was the family of the Erites, 17belonging to Arod was the family of the Arodites, and belonging to Areli was the family of the Arelites. 18Those were the families of the sons of Gad according to those of them counted; they came to forty thousand five hundred. 19The sons of Judah were Er and Onan, but Er and Onan died in the land of Canaan. 20And the sons of Judah according to their families were: belonging to Shelah was the family of the Shelanites, belonging to Perez was the family of the Parzites, and belonging to Zerah was the family of the Zarhites. 21And the sons of Perez were: belonging to Hezron was the family of the Hezronites, and belonging to Hamul was the family of the Hamulites. 22Those were the families of Judah according to those of them counted; they came to seventy-six thousand five hundred. 23The sons of Issachar according to their families were: belonging to Tola was the family of the Tolaites, belonging to Puvvah was the family of the Punites, 24belonging to Jashub was the family of the Jashubites, and belonging to Shimron was the family of the Shimronites. 25Those were the families of Issachar according to those of them counted; they came to sixty-four thousand three hundred. 26The sons of Zebulun according to their families were: belonging to Sered was the family of the Sardites, belonging to Elon was the family of the Elonites, and belonging to Jahleel was the family of the Jahleelites. 27Those were the families of the Zebulunites according to those of them counted; they came to sixty thousand five hundred. 28The sons of Joseph according to their families were Manasseh and Ephraim. 29The sons of Manasseh were: belonging to Machir was the family of the Machirites, and Machir begot Gilead, and belonging to Gilead was the family of the Gileadites. 30These were the sons of Gilead: belonging to Jiezer was the family of the Jiezrites, belonging to Helek was the family of the Helekites, 31belonging to Asriel was the family of the Asrielites, belonging to Shechem was the family of the Shichmites, 32belonging to Shemida was the family of the Shemidaites, and belonging to Hepher was the family of the Hepherites. 33Now Zelophehad the son of Hepher did not have any sons – only daughters – and the names of the daughters of Zelophehad were Mahlah and Noah, Hoglah, Milcah and Tirzah. 34Those were the families of Manasseh, and those of them counted came to fifty-two thousand seven hundred. 35These were the sons of Ephraim according to their families: belonging to Shuthelah was the family of the Shuthalhites, belonging to Becher was the family of the Bachrites, and belonging to Tahan was the family of the Tahanites. 36These were the sons of Shuthelah: belonging to Eran was the family of the Eranites. 37Those were the families of the sons of Ephraim according to those of them counted; they came to thirty-two thousand five hundred. Those were the sons of Joseph according to their families. 38The sons of Benjamin according to their families were: belonging to Bela was the family of the Belaites, belonging to Ashbel was the family of the Ashbelites, belonging to Ahiram was the family of the Ahiramites, 39belonging to Shephupham was the family of the Shuphamites, and belonging to Hupham was the family of the Huphamites. 40And the sons of Bela were Ard and Naaman. Belonging to Ard was the family of the Ardites, and belonging to Naaman was the family of the Naamanites. 41Those were the sons of Benjamin according to their families, and those of them counted came to forty-five thousand six hundred. 42These were the sons of Dan according to their families: belonging to Shuham was the family of the Shuhamites. Those were the families of Dan according to their families. 43All the families of the Shuhamites according to those of them counted came to sixty-four thousand four hundred. 44The sons of Asher according to their families were: belonging to Jimnah was the family of the Jimnites, belonging to Jishvi was the family of the Jishvites, and belonging to Beriah was the family of the Beriites. 45Of the sons of Beriah were: belonging to Heber was the family of the Hebrites, and belonging to Malchiel was the family of the Malchielites. 46And the name of Asher's daughter was Sarah. 47Those were the families of the sons of Asher according to those of them counted; they came to fifty-three thousand four hundred. 48The sons of Naphtali according to their families were: belonging to Jahzeel was the family of the Jahzeelites, belonging to Guni was the family of the Gunites, 49belonging to Jezer was the family of the Jizrites, and belonging to Shillem was the family of the Shillemites. 50Those were the families of Naphtali according to their families, and those of them counted came to forty-five thousand four hundred. 51These were those who were counted of the sons of Israel and they came to six hundred and one thousand seven hundred and thirty. 52And the Lord spoke to Moses and said, 53“To these the land will be divided, with an inheritance according to the number of names. 54To a large number you will give them a large inheritance, and to a small number you will give them a small inheritance. Each tribe will be given its inheritance according to those of it counted. 55But by lot the land will be divided; they will inherit according to the names of the tribes of their fathers. 56According to lot their inheritance will be apportioned, between the many and the few.” 57And these were those counted of the Levites according to their families: belonging to Gershon was the family of the Gershonites, belonging to Kohath was the family of the Kohathites, and belonging to Merari was the family of the Merarites. 58These were the families of Levi: the family of Libnites, the family of Hebronites, the family of Mahlites, the family of Mushites, and the family of Korhites. And Kohath begot Amram. 59And the name of the wife of Amram was Jochebed, the daughter of Levi, whom her mother bore to Levi in Egypt. And she bore to Amram Aaron and Moses and Miriam their sister. 60And there were born to Aaron Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar, 61but Nadab and Abihu died when they offered strange fire before the Lord. 62And those of them counted came to twenty-three thousand – all the males from one month old and above – for they are not counted among the sons of Israel, for no inheritance was given to them among the sons of Israel. 63These were those counted by Moses and Eleazar the priest, who counted the sons of Israel in the arid tracts of Moab, near the Jordan at Jericho. 64And among these there was not a man of those counted by Moses and Aaron the priest, when they counted the sons of Israel in the Sinai Desert. 65For the Lord had said of them, “They will certainly die in the desert.” And there did not remain a single man of them, except Caleb the son of Jephunneh and Joshua the son of Nun.

Numbers Chapter 27 

1Then the daughters of Zelophehad, the son of Hepher, the son of Gilead, the son of Machir, the son of Manasseh – so of the families of Manasseh the son of Joseph – approached, and these are the names of his daughters: Mahlah, Noah and Hoglah and Milcah and Tirzah. 2And they stood before Moses and Eleazar the priest, and before the officials and the whole congregation at the entrance to the tent of contact, and they said, 3“Our father died in the desert, but he was not among the company which gathered against the Lord in Korah's company, for he died in his own sin, and he had no sons. 4Why should the name of our father be suppressed among his family because he had no son? Give us a possession among our father's brothers.” 5Then Moses brought their case before the Lord. 6And the Lord spoke to Moses and said, 7“Zelophehad's daughters speak rightly. You must certainly give them a possession as an inheritance among their father's brothers, and you will transfer their father's inheritance to them. 8And you will speak to the sons of Israel and say, ‘If a man dies and has no son, you will transfer his inheritance to his daughter. 9And if he has no daughter, then you will give his inheritance to his brothers. 10And if he has no brothers, you will give his inheritance to his father's brothers. 11And if his father has no brothers, you will give his inheritance to the nearest kinsman to him, in his family, and he will inherit it, and it will be a statute of the justice system for the sons of Israel, as the Lord commanded Moses.’ ” 12And the Lord said to Moses, “Go up into this Mount Abarim, and look at the land which I have given to the sons of Israel, 13and you will see it, and then you will be gathered to your people – you too – as Aaron your brother was gathered, 14because you rebelled against my word in the Desert of Zin, in the rebellion of the congregation, my word being to sanctify me at the water before their eyes – that is the water of Meribah in Kadesh in the Desert of Zin.” 15Then Moses spoke to the Lord and said, 16“Let the Lord God of the spirits of all flesh appoint a man over the congregation 17who will go out before them, and who will come in before them, and who will lead them out, and who will lead them in, so that the congregation of the Lord will not be like sheep who have no shepherd.” 18And the Lord said to Moses, “Then take Joshua the son of Nun, a man with spirit in him, and lay your hand on him, 19and set him before Eleazar the priest, and before the whole congregation, and command him in their sight. 20And confer on him a share of your honour so that the whole congregation of the sons of Israel will obey him. 21And he will stand before Eleazar the priest, who will inquire for him oracularly by the decision of the Urim before the Lord. At his word they will go out, and at his word they will come in, he and all the sons of Israel with him, and the whole congregation.” 22So Moses did as the Lord commanded him, and he took Joshua, and he set him before Eleazar the priest and before the whole congregation. 23And he laid his hand on him, and he commanded him according to what the Lord had said, through the intermediacy of Moses.

Numbers Chapter 28 

1Then the Lord spoke to Moses and said, 2“Command the sons of Israel and say to them, ‘You must ensure to offer my oblation to me in its season – my bread for my fire-offerings as my sweet fragrance.’ 3And you will say to them, ‘This is the fire-offering which you will offer to the Lord: two one-year-old lambs without blemish per day as a perpetual burnt offering. 4You will offer one lamb in the morning, and you will offer the second lamb in the evening, 5with a tenth of an ephah of fine flour as a meal-offering, mixed with a quarter of a hin of beaten oil. 6You will make a perpetual burnt offering as ordained at Mount Sinai as a sweet fragrance of a fire-offering to the Lord, 7with its libation, a quarter of a hin per lamb. Pour out the libation of strong wine to the Lord in the holy place. 8And you will offer the second lamb in the evening. You will offer it like the meal-offering of the morning and like its libation. It is a fire-offering of a sweet fragrance to the Lord. 9And on the Sabbath day offer two one-year-old lambs without blemish and two tenth measures of fine flour as a meal-offering, mixed with oil, and its libation – 10a burnt offering on every Sabbath, besides the perpetual burnt offering and its libation. 11And at the start of your months, you will offer a burnt offering to the Lord: two bull-calves of the oxen, and one ram, and seven one-year-old lambs without blemish, 12and three tenth measures of fine flour, as a meal-offering, mixed with oil, per bull, and two tenth measures of fine flour for the meal-offering, mixed with oil, per ram, 13and a tenth measure of fine flour each time for the meal-offering, mixed with oil, per lamb. It is a burnt offering of a sweet fragrance – a fire-offering to the Lord. 14And their libations will be half a hin of wine per bull, and a third of a hin per ram and a quarter of a hin per lamb. This is the burnt offering of each month throughout the months of the year. 15And one buck of the goats will be offered as a sin-offering to the Lord besides the perpetual burnt offering and its libation. 16And in the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month, it is the Lord's Passover. 17And on the fifteenth day of this month it is a festival. For seven days unleavened bread will be eaten. 18On the first day it is a holy convocation. You will not engage in any kind of work. 19And you will offer a fire-offering – a burnt offering to the Lord. You will use two bull-calves of the oxen, and one ram, and seven one-year-old lambs without blemish. 20And their meal-offering will be fine flour mixed with oil. You will offer three tenth measures per bull and two tenth measures per ram. 21You will offer a tenth measure each time per lamb, for the seven lambs, 22and one goat as a sin-offering, to atone for you. 23You will carry these out apart from the burnt offering in the morning which is the perpetual burnt offering. 24You will act according to these instructions each day for seven days, as bread of a fire-offering, as a sweet fragrance to the Lord. It will be done in addition to the perpetual burnt offering and its libation. 25And on the seventh day you will hold a holy convocation, and you will not engage in any kind of work. 26And on the day of the firstfruits, when you offer a new meal-offering to the Lord, on your Festival of Weeks, you will hold a holy convocation, and you will not engage in any kind of work. 27And you will offer a burnt offering as a sweet fragrance to the Lord: two bull-calves of the oxen, one ram, and seven one-year-old lambs, 28with their meal-offering of fine flour mixed with oil: three tenth measures per bull, two tenth measures per ram, 29and one tenth measure each time per lamb for each of the seven lambs, 30and one buck of the goats to atone for you. 31You will do this apart from the perpetual burnt offering and its meal-offering. You will use animals without blemish with their libations.

Numbers Chapter 29 

1And in the seventh month, on the first day of the month, you will hold a holy convocation. You will not engage in any kind of work; it will be a day of blowing of ramshorns to you. 2And you will perform a burnt offering as a sweet fragrance to the Lord: one bull-calf of the oxen, one ram, and seven one-year-old lambs without blemish, 3with their meal-offering of fine flour mixed with oil: three tenth measures per bull, two tenth measures per ram, 4and one tenth measure per lamb for each of the seven lambs, 5and one buck of the goats as a sin-offering to atone for you, 6apart from the burnt offering of the month and its meal-offering and the perpetual burnt offering and its meal-offering and their libations according to their regulation, as a sweet fragrance – a fire-offering to the Lord. 7And on the tenth day of this seventh month you will hold a holy convocation, and you will afflict yourselves, and you will not do any work. 8And you will offer a burnt offering to the Lord, a sweet fragrance: one bull-calf of the oxen, one ram, and seven one-year-old lambs. You will use animals without blemish. 9And their meal-offering will be fine flour mixed with oil: three tenth measures per bull, two tenth measures per ram, 10and one tenth measure for each lamb for each of the seven lambs, 11and one buck of the goats as a sin-offering, apart from the sin-offering of the atonement, and the perpetual burnt offering and its meal-offering and their libations. 12And on the fifteenth day of the seventh month you will hold a holy convocation. You will not engage in any kind of work, and you will celebrate the festival to the Lord for seven days. 13And you will offer a burnt offering, a fire-offering of a sweet fragrance to the Lord: thirteen bull-calves of the oxen, two rams and fourteen one-year-old lambs. They will be without blemish, 14and their meal-offering: fine flour mixed with oil, three tenth measures per bull for the thirteen bulls, two tenth measures per ram for each of the two rams, 15and a tenth measure for each lamb, for the fourteen lambs, 16and one buck of the goats as a sin-offering, apart from the perpetual burnt offering, and its meal-offering and its libation. 17And on the second day, you will offer twelve bull-calves of the oxen, two rams, and fourteen one-year-old lambs without blemish, 18and their meal-offering and their libations, to go with the bulls, with the rams, and with the lambs, by their number, according to the regulation, 19and one buck of the goats as a sin-offering, apart from the perpetual burnt offering, and its meal-offering and their libations. 20And on the third day, you will offer eleven bulls, two rams, and fourteen one-year-old lambs without blemish, 21and their meal-offering and their libations, to go with the bulls, with the rams, and with the lambs, by their number, according to the regulation, 22and one goat as a sin-offering, apart from the perpetual burnt offering, and its meal-offering and its libation. 23And on the fourth day, you will offer ten bulls, two rams, and fourteen one-year-old lambs without blemish, 24and their meal-offering and their libations, to go with the bulls, with the rams, and with the lambs, by their number, according to the regulation, 25and one buck of the goats as a sin-offering, apart from the perpetual burnt offering, and its meal-offering and its libation. 26And on the fifth day, you will offer nine bulls, two rams, and fourteen one-year-old lambs without blemish, 27and their meal-offering and their libations, to go with the bulls, with the rams, and with the lambs, by their number, according to the regulation, 28and one goat as a sin-offering, apart from the perpetual burnt offering, and its meal-offering and its libation. 29And on the sixth day, you will offer eight bulls, two rams, and fourteen one-year-old lambs without blemish, 30and their meal-offering and their libations, to go with the bulls, with the rams, and with the lambs, by their number, according to the regulation, 31and one goat as a sin-offering, apart from the perpetual burnt offering, and its meal-offering and its libations. 32And on the seventh day, you will offer seven bulls, two rams, and fourteen one-year-old lambs without blemish, 33and their meal-offering and their libations, to go with the bulls, with the rams, and with the lambs, by their number, according to the regulation, 34and one goat as a sin-offering, apart from the perpetual burnt offering, and its meal-offering and its libation. 35And on the eighth day you will hold a solemn assembly. You will not engage in any kind of work. 36And you will offer a burnt offering, a fire-offering of a sweet fragrance to the Lord: one bull, one ram, and seven one-year-old lambs without blemish, 37and their meal-offering and their libations to go with the bull, with the ram and with the lambs, by their number according to the regulation, 38and one goat as a sin-offering, apart from the perpetual burnt offering, and its meal-offering and its libation. 39You will do these things for the Lord at your appointed times, apart from your vows and your freewill-offerings, your burnt offerings and your meal-offerings, and your libations and your peace-offerings.’ ” 40And Moses told the sons of Israel everything that the Lord had commanded Moses.

Numbers Chapter 30 

1And Moses spoke to the heads of the tribes of the sons of Israel and said, “This is the matter which the Lord has commanded. 2If a man makes a vow to the Lord or swears an oath, so imposing an obligation on himself, he shall not break his word – he shall act according to everything that comes out of his mouth. 3And if a woman makes a vow to the Lord, and she imposes an obligation on herself in her father's house in her youth, 4and her father hears her vow and her obligation which she imposed on herself, and her father remains silent with her, then all her vows will stand, and the whole of her obligation which she imposed on herself will stand. 5But if her father disallows her on the day when he hears it, none of her vows and obligations which she imposed on herself will stand, and the Lord will pardon her, for her father has disallowed her. 6And if it is the case that she has a husband, and she has vows self-imposed on her, or an utterance of her lips which she has imposed on herself, 7and her husband hears it, and on the day he hears it he remains silent with her, then her vows will stand, and her obligations which she imposed on herself will stand. 8But if on the day when her husband hears it, he disallows her, then he will abrogate her vow which is on her, and the utterance of her lips with which she bound herself, and the Lord will pardon her. 9And as for the vow of a widow or a divorcee, everything that she has imposed on herself will stand imposed on her. 10And if in the house of her husband she vowed or imposed an obligation on herself by an oath, 11and her husband heard it and remained silent with her and did not disallow her, then all her vows and all the obligation which she imposed on herself will stand. 12But if it is the case that her husband abrogated them on the day he heard it – all the utterance of her lips in respect of her vows and the obligation on herself – then it will not stand: her husband abrogated them and the Lord will pardon her. 13As regards every vow and every oath of an obligation to afflict oneself, her husband may let it stand or her husband may abrogate it. 14But if it is the case that her husband remains silent with her from day to day, then he has let all her vows stand, or he has let all her obligations on herself stand, for he remained silent with her on the day he heard them. 15But if on the contrary he abrogates them a while after he heard them, then he will bear her iniquity.” 16These are the statutes which the Lord commanded Moses, between a man and his wife, between a father and his daughter in her youth, in the house of her father.

Reference(s) in Chapter 30: v.2 ↔ Matthew 5:33.

Numbers Chapter 31 

1And the Lord spoke to Moses and said, 2“Take vengeance for the sons of Israel on the Midianites, and afterwards you will be gathered to your people.” 3So Moses spoke to the people and said, “Let a group of your men be armed for war, and confront Midian, to take the Lord's vengeance on Midian. 4You will send a thousand men for each tribe – for all the tribes of Israel – to war.” 5So one thousand men per tribe, from the thousands of Israel, were handed over – twelve thousand men armed for war. 6And Moses sent them to war – a thousand per tribe, with Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest, to war. And he had the holy instruments and the trumpets for sounding in his hand. 7And they went to war against Midian, as the Lord had commanded Moses, and they killed all males. 8And they killed the kings of Midian among those defeated by them, Evi and Rekem and Zur and Hur and Reba – the five kings of Midian – and they killed Balaam the son of Beor with the sword. 9And the sons of Israel took the women of Midian captive, and their children, and they plundered all their cattle and all their property and all their wealth. 10And they burned with fire all their cities in their inhabited areas, and all their palaces. 11And they took all the spoil and all the booty by way of people and cattle. 12And they brought the captives and the booty and the spoil to Moses and Eleazar the priest and to the congregation of the sons of Israel at the camp in the arid tracts of Moab, which were near the Jordan at Jericho. 13And Moses and Eleazar the priest and all the leaders of the congregation went out to meet them, outside the camp. 14But Moses was angry with the officers in the army – the commanders of a thousand and the commanders of a hundred – who came from the army which fought the war. 15And Moses said to them, “Have you kept all the females alive? 16Look, they came to the sons of Israel in the incident with Balaam, to stir up treachery against the Lord in the affair of Peor, and there was a plague in the Lord's congregation. 17So now, kill all the males among the children, and kill every woman who has known a man in lying with a male. 18But keep all the female children who have not known lying with a male, alive, for yourselves. 19And encamp outside the camp for seven days, everyone who kills a person and everyone who touches those slain. Have yourselves propitiated, you and your captives, on the third day and on the seventh day. 20And have every garment and every leather item, and every product of goats and every wooden article propitiated.” 21Then Eleazar the priest said to the men of the army who went to war, “This is the statute of the law which the Lord commanded Moses. 22But as for the gold and the silver, the copper, the iron, the tin and the lead – 23every item that can go through fire – pass it through fire, and it will be clean, but it will be propitiated by water of impurity, and pass everything that cannot go through fire through the water. 24And you will wash your clothes on the seventh day, and you will be clean, and afterwards you can come to the camp.” 25Then the Lord spoke to Moses and said, 26“Hold a census of the captives taken – of the people and the cattle – you and Eleazar the priest, and the paternal heads of the congregation, 27and divide what was taken into two, between those who undertook the war, who went out in the army, and the whole congregation. 28And you will raise a levy for the Lord from the men of war who went out to battle: one individual in five hundred, from the people and from the oxen, and from the donkeys and from the sheep. 29You will take them from their half and give them to Eleazar the priest, as a heave-offering to the Lord. 30And from the half for the sons of Israel you will take one part in fifty from the people, from the oxen, from the donkeys and from the sheep – from all the cattle – and give them to the Levites, who keep the observance of the Lord's tabernacle.” 31And Moses and Eleazar the priest acted according to what the Lord had commanded Moses. 32And what was taken – the remainder of the plunder which the people of the army plundered – amounted to six hundred and seventy-five thousand sheep, 33and seventy-two thousand oxen, 34and sixty-one thousand donkeys, 35and people, from the women who had not known lying with a male: thirty-two thousand people in all. 36And of the half for the part which went out to battle, the number of sheep amounted to three hundred and thirty-seven thousand five hundred. 37And the levy for the Lord from the sheep was six hundred and seventy-five. 38And the oxen amounted to thirty-six thousand, and their levy for the Lord was seventy-two. 39And the donkeys amounted to thirty thousand five hundred, and their levy for the Lord was sixty-one. 40And the people amounted to sixteen thousand, and their levy for the Lord was thirty-two people. 41And Moses gave the levy as a heave-offering for the Lord to Eleazar the priest, as the Lord had commanded Moses. 42And from the half for the sons of Israel which Moses divided from the spoil of the men who fought, 43the half for the congregation: of the sheep the number amounted to three hundred and thirty-seven thousand five hundred, 44and the oxen amounted to thirty-six thousand, 45and the donkeys amounted to thirty thousand five hundred, 46and the people amounted to sixteen thousand. 47And Moses took from the half for the sons of Israel one part in fifty from the people and from the cattle, and he gave them to the Levites who kept the observance of the Lord's tabernacle, as the Lord had commanded Moses. 48Then the officers who were over the thousands of the army – the commanders of a thousand and the commanders of a hundred – approached Moses 49and said to Moses, “Your servants have held a census of the men of war who were under our authority, and not a man of us is missing. 50And we have performed the Lord's oblation, each one who found an item of gold – a bangle or a bracelet, a ring or an earring or a brooch – to atone for ourselves before the Lord.” 51And Moses and Eleazar the priest received the gold from them – all the items of craftsmanship. 52And all the gold of the heave-offering which they heaved to the Lord amounted to sixteen thousand seven hundred and fifty shekels, from the commanders of a thousand and from the commanders of a hundred. 53The men of the army took spoil – each for himself. 54And Moses and Eleazar the priest took the gold from the commanders of a thousand and the commanders of a hundred and brought it to the tent of contact, as a memorial to the sons of Israel before the Lord.

Numbers Chapter 32 

1Now the sons of Reuben and the sons of Gad had a lot of cattle – a very great quantity – and when they saw the land of Jazer and the land of Gilead, they saw that the place was a place for cattle. 2And the sons of Gad and the sons of Reuben came and spoke to Moses and to Eleazar the priest, and to the leaders of the congregation, and they said, 3“Ataroth and Dibon and Jazer and Nimrah and Heshbon and Elealeh and Sebam and Nebo and Beon – 4the land which the Lord struck before the congregation of Israel – is a land of cattle, and your servants have cattle.” 5And they said, “If we have found grace in your eyes, let this land be given to your servants as a possession, and do not have us cross the Jordan.” 6Then Moses said to the sons of Gad and the sons of Reuben, “Should your brothers go to war, while you stay here? 7Now why should you discourage the sons of Israel from crossing to the land which the Lord has given them? 8Your fathers behaved the same way when I sent them from Kadesh-Barnea to see the land, 9when they went up to the Brook of Eshcol and saw the land, but they discouraged the sons of Israel so that they wouldn't go to the land which the Lord has given them, 10so that the Lord's wrath was kindled on that day, and he swore and said, 11‘The men who came up from Egypt, from twenty years old and above, will certainly not see the land about which I swore to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob, for they have not fully followed me, 12except Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite and Joshua the son of Nun, for they have fully followed the Lord.’ 13And the Lord's wrath was kindled against Israel, and he caused them to wander in the desert for forty years, until the whole generation which had done wrong in the eyes of the Lord had come to an end. 14And look, you have risen up in place of your fathers – the progeny of sinful men – to add more to the angry fury of the Lord towards Israel. 15If you turn away from following him, then he will leave them again in the desert, and you will bring the whole of this people to ruin.” 16But they approached him and said, “We will build sheepfolds for our livestock here, and cities for our little ones. 17And we will arm ourselves swiftly before the sons of Israel, until we have brought them to their place, while our little ones remain in fortified cities, because of the inhabitants of the land. 18We will not return to our houses until the sons of Israel have received their inheritance – each man his inheritance. 19For we will not inherit with them on the far side of the Jordan, for our inheritance has come to us on the eastern side of the Jordan.” 20Then Moses said to them, “If you do this thing, if you arm yourselves before the Lord for war, 21and every armed man of yours crosses the Jordan before the Lord until he has dispossessed his enemies before him, 22and the land is subdued before the Lord, and afterwards you return, then you will be guiltless with the Lord and with Israel, and this land will be yours as a possession before the Lord. 23But if you were not to act this way, then in that case you would be sinning against the Lord. And be aware that as for your sin, it would find you out. 24Build yourselves cities for your little ones, and folds for your sheep, and do what you have pronounced.” 25Then the sons of Gad and the sons of Reuben spoke to Moses and said, “Your servants will do as my lord commands. 26Our little ones, our wives, our cattle and all our livestock will be there in the cities of Gilead, 27and your servants will cross, every one in the army, armed for battle before the Lord, as my lord says.” 28And concerning them Moses commanded Eleazar the priest, and Joshua the son of Nun, and the paternal heads of the tribes of the sons of Israel, 29and Moses said to them, “If the sons of Gad and the sons of Reuben cross the Jordan with you – every one armed for war before the Lord – and the land is subdued before you, then you will give them the land of Gilead as a possession. 30But if they do not cross armed with you, then they will have a possession among you in the land of Canaan.” 31And the sons of Gad and the sons of Reuben answered and said, “What the Lord said to your servants, we will do. 32We will cross armed before the Lord into the land of Canaan, and we will have the possession of our inheritance on the other side of the Jordan from there.” 33And Moses gave them – the sons of Gad and the sons of Reuben and half of the tribe of Manasseh the son of Joseph – the kingdom of Sihon king of the Amorites, and the kingdom of Og king of Bashan, the land with its cities, in the territories of the cities of the land round about. 34And the sons of Gad built Dibon and Ataroth and Aroer, 35and Ataroth-Shophan and Jazer and Jogbehah, 36and Beth-Nimrah, and Beth-Haran – fortified cities – and sheepfolds. 37And the sons of Reuben built Heshbon and Elealeh and Kiriathaim, 38and Nebo and Baal-Meon (the names being changed) and Sibmah, and they called the cities which they had built by changed names. 39And the sons of Machir the son of Manasseh went to Gilead and captured it and dispossessed the Amorite who was in it. 40And Moses gave Gilead to Machir the son of Manasseh, and he lived in it. 41Then Jair the son of Manasseh went out and captured their villages and called them the Villages of Jair. 42And Nobah went out and captured Kenath and its satellite villages, and he called it Nobah after his own name.

Numbers Chapter 33 

1These are the moves of the sons of Israel who came out of the land of Egypt according to their armies through the agency of Moses and Aaron. 2For Moses recorded their departures per move of theirs according to the instruction of the Lord. And these are their moves by their departures. 3Now they moved from Rameses in the first month on the fifteenth day of the first month. On the first day after the Passover, the sons of Israel departed with a high hand in the eyes of all Egypt. 4And Egypt buried those among their own whom the Lord struck down – all the firstborn – and the Lord executed judgments on their gods. 5And the sons of Israel moved from Rameses and encamped at Succoth. 6Then they moved from Succoth and encamped at Etham which is at the edge of the desert. 7Then they moved from Etham, and they returned to Pi-Hahiroth which is alongside Baal-Zephon, and they encamped in front of Migdol. 8Then they moved from the proximity of Hahiroth and crossed through the middle of the sea into the desert, and they went three days' journey in the Desert of Etham, and they encamped at Marah. 9Then they moved from Marah and came to Elim, and in Elim were twelve sources of water and seventy palm trees, and they encamped there. 10Then they moved from Elim and encamped at the Red Sea. 11Then they moved from the Red Sea and encamped at the Desert of Sin. 12Then they moved from the Desert of Sin and encamped at Dophkah. 13Then they moved from Dophkah and encamped at Alush. 14Then they moved from Alush and encamped at Rephidim, but there was no water there for the people to drink. 15Then they moved from Rephidim and encamped in the Sinai Desert. 16Then they moved from the Sinai Desert and encamped at Kibroth-Hattaavah. 17Then they moved from Kibroth-Hattaavah and encamped at Hazeroth. 18Then they moved from Hazeroth and encamped at Rithmah. 19Then they moved from Rithmah and encamped at Rimmon-Perez. 20Then they moved from Rimmon-Perez and encamped at Libnah. 21Then they moved from Libnah and encamped at Rissah. 22Then they moved from Rissah and encamped at Kehelathah. 23Then they moved from Kehelathah and encamped at Mount Shepher. 24Then they moved from Mount Shepher and encamped at Haradah. 25Then they moved from Haradah and encamped at Makheloth. 26Then they moved from Makheloth and encamped at Tahath. 27Then they moved from Tahath and encamped at Terah. 28Then they moved from Terah and encamped at Mithcah. 29Then they moved from Mithcah and encamped at Hashmonah. 30Then they moved from Hashmonah and encamped at Moseroth. 31Then they moved from Moseroth and encamped at Bene-Jaakan. 32Then they moved from Bene-Jaakan and encamped at Hor-Haggidgad. 33Then they moved from Hor-Haggidgad and encamped at Jotbathah. 34Then they moved from Jotbathah and encamped at Abronah. 35Then they moved from Abronah and encamped at Ezion-Geber. 36Then they moved from Ezion-Geber and encamped in the Desert of Zin, which is Kadesh. 37Then they moved from Kadesh and encamped at Mount Hor, at the edge of the land of Edom. 38And Aaron the priest went up Mount Hor according to the instruction of the Lord, and he died there, in the fortieth year after the exodus of the sons of Israel from the land of Egypt, in the fifth month, on the first day of the month. 39And Aaron was one hundred and twenty-three years old when he died at Mount Hor. 40And the Canaanite heard it – King Arad – when he was living in the south, in the land of Canaan, when the sons of Israel came. 41Then they moved from Mount Hor and encamped at Zalmonah. 42Then they moved from Zalmonah and encamped at Punon. 43Then they moved from Punon and encamped at Oboth. 44Then they moved from Oboth and encamped at the ruins of Abarim in the territory of Moab. 45Then they moved from “The Ruins” and encamped at Dibon-Gad. 46Then they moved from Dibon-Gad and encamped at Almon-Diblathaim. 47Then they moved from Almon-Diblathaim and encamped in the mountains of Abarim, before Nebo. 48Then they moved from the mountains of Abarim and encamped in the arid tracts of Moab, near the Jordan at Jericho. 49Then they encamped at the Jordan, from Beth-Jeshimoth to Abel-Shittim, in the arid tracts of Moab. 50Then the Lord spoke to Moses in the arid tracts of Moab, near the Jordan at Jericho, and he said, 51“Speak to the sons of Israel and say to them, ‘When you have crossed the Jordan into the land of Canaan, 52you will dispossess all the inhabitants of the land in front of you, and you will destroy all their effigies, and you will destroy all their cast images, and you will demolish all their idolatrous raised sites. 53And you will dispossess the land, and you will dwell in it, for I have given you the land, to inherit it. 54And you will inherit the land by lot, according to your families. To a large one you will give a large inheritance, and to a small one you will give a small inheritance. Wherever his lot falls, he will have it. You will inherit according to your paternal tribes. 55But if you do not dispossess the inhabitants of the land before you, then it will come to pass that those of them that you let remain will be thorns in your eyes and spikes in your sides, and they will be hostile to you in the land in which you live. 56And it will come to pass, that as I thought to do to them, I will do to you.’ ”

Numbers Chapter 34 

1Then the Lord spoke to Moses and said, 2“Command the sons of Israel and say to them, ‘When you come into the land of Canaan – this is the land which falls to you as an inheritance – the land of Canaan according to its borders, 3you will have the southern quarter of the Desert of Zin alongside Edom, and your southern border will be from the edge of the Dead Sea eastward. 4And your border will turn from the south, to the ascent of Akrabbim, and it will cross to Zin, and its extremities at the south will be at Kadesh-Barnea, and it will excurse to Hazar-Addar and cross to Azmon. 5And the border will turn from Azmon to the Brook of Egypt, and its extremities will be to the sea. 6And as for your western border, your border will be the Great Sea, as a natural border, and this will be your western border. 7And this will be your northern border: from the Great Sea you will mark out a line for yourselves to Mount Hor. 8From Mount Hor you will mark out the route to Hamath, and the extremities of the border will be to Zedad. 9And the border will excurse to Ziphron, and its extremities will be at Hazar-Enan. This will be your northern border. 10And you will mark out for yourselves the border eastwards from Hazar-Enan to Shepham. 11And the border will go down from Shepham to Riblah to the east of Ain, and the border will go down and encompass Lake Kinnereth to the east. 12And the border will go down the Jordan, and its extremities will be the Dead Sea. This will be your land according to its borders around it.’ ” 13And Moses commanded the sons of Israel and said, “This is the land which you will inherit by lot which the Lord has commanded, to be given to the nine and a half tribes. 14For the tribe of the sons of the Reubenites, according to their paternal house, and the tribe of the sons of the Gadites, according to their paternal house, had received their inheritance, and half of the tribe of Manasseh had received their inheritance. 15Two and a half tribes had received their inheritance on the other side of the Jordan from the rest, from Jericho eastwards, to the sunrise.” 16And the Lord spoke to Moses and said, 17“These are the names of the men who will allot the land to you as an inheritance: Eleazar the priest and Joshua the son of Nun. 18And you will take one leader per tribe to allot the land. 19And these are the names of the men: for the tribe of Judah, Caleb the son of Jephunneh. 20And for the tribe of the sons of Simeon: Samuel the son of Ammihud. 21And for the tribe of Benjamin: Elidad the son of Chislon. 22And for the tribe of the sons of Dan, the leader is Bukki the son of Jogli. 23For the sons of Joseph, for the tribe of the sons of Manasseh, the leader is Hanniel the son of Ephod. 24And for the tribe of the sons of Ephraim, the leader is Kemuel the son Shiphtan. 25And for the tribe of the sons of Zebulun, the leader is Elizaphan the son of Parnach. 26And for the tribe of the sons of Issachar, the leader is Paltiel the son of Azzan. 27And for the tribe of the sons of Asher, the leader is Ahihud the son of Shelomi. 28And for the tribe of the sons of Naphtali, the leader is Pedahel the son of Ammihud.” 29These are those whom the Lord commanded to allot the inheritance to the sons of Israel in the land of Canaan.

Numbers Chapter 35 

1And the Lord spoke to Moses in the arid tracts of Moab, near the Jordan at Jericho, and he said, 2“Command the sons of Israel that they must give to the Levites a contribution from the inheritance which comes into their possession, cities to dwell in, and you must give pasture for the cities around them to the Levites. 3And the cities will be for them to dwell in, and the pasture lands will be for their cattle and for their property and for all their livestock. 4And the pastures of the cities which you will give to the Levites will measure one thousand cubits from the wall of the city outwards round about it. 5And you will measure from outside the city on the eastern side two thousand cubits, and on the southern side two thousand cubits, and on the western side two thousand cubits, and on the northern side two thousand cubits, with the city in the centre. This will be for their city pastures. 6And as for the cities which you will give to the Levites, there are six cities of refuge which you will give for the manslayer to flee to, and in addition to them you will give forty-two cities. 7All the cities which you will give to the Levites amount to forty-eight cities – them with their pasture lands. 8And as for the cities which you will give from the possessions of the sons of Israel, you will give more from him who has many, and give less from him who has few. Each will give from his cities to the Levites according to his inheritance which they inherit.” 9And the Lord spoke to Moses and said, 10“Speak to the sons of Israel and say to them, ‘When you cross the Jordan to the land of Canaan, 11you will select suitable cities for yourselves. They will be your cities of refuge, and a manslayer – one who strikes a person by accident – will flee there. 12And they will be your cities of refuge from the avenger so that the manslayer does not die before he stands before the congregation for judgment. 13And the cities which you give will be your six cities of refuge. 14You will give three cities on the far side of the Jordan, and you will give three cities in the land of Canaan. They will be cities of refuge. 15These six cities will be for refuge – for the sons of Israel and for the foreigner and the temporary resident among them – for everyone who strikes a person by accident, to flee there. 16But if he strikes him with an iron implement, and he dies, he is a manslayer. The manslayer will certainly be put to death. 17And if it is the throwing of a stone by which he is killed – he strikes him, and he dies – he is a manslayer. The manslayer will certainly be put to death. 18Or if it is a wooden hand-instrument by which he is killed – he strikes him, and he dies – then he is a manslayer. The manslayer will certainly be put to death. 19The avenger of blood is the one who will kill the manslayer. When he meets with him, he will kill him. 20And if he thrusts him through out of hatred or casts something at him on purpose, and he dies, 21or he strikes him with his hand out of enmity, and he dies, then the striker will certainly be put to death – he is a manslayer. The avenger of blood will kill the manslayer when he meets with him. 22But if he accidentally without enmity thrusts him through or casts any item at him not on purpose, 23or if it is by any stone that he is killed, not seeing him when he throws it on him, and he dies, and he is not at enmity with him, and he did not mean him harm, 24then the congregation will judge between the striker and the avenger of blood according to these principles. 25And the congregation may save the manslayer from the hand of the avenger of blood, and the congregation may refer him to his city of refuge where he fled to, and he will live in it until the death of the high priest who was anointed with holy oil. 26But if the manslayer goes out at all from the boundary of his city of refuge to where he fled, 27and the avenger of blood finds him, outside the boundary of his city of refuge, and the avenger of blood kills the manslayer, then he will not be guilty of blood. 28For he must stay in his city of refuge until the death of the high priest, and after the death of the high priest, the manslayer may return to the land of his possession. 29And these things will be a statute of justice to you for your generations in all your dwelling places. 30As for anyone who strikes a person: on the testimony of witnesses one will execute the manslayer, but just one witness will not provide testimony against a person for conviction for him to be put to death. 31And you will not take a ransom for the life of the manslayer, who is punishable by death, for he will certainly be put to death. 32And you will not take a ransom from anyone in exchange for fleeing to his city of refuge, so as to live in the land again, before the death of the priest. 33And you will not defile the land which you are in, for it is the blood that defiles the land, and there is no expiation for the land of the blood which was shed on it, except by the blood of him who shed it. 34And you will not make the land which you are living in unclean, in the midst of which I dwell. For I, the Lord, dwell in the midst of the sons of Israel.’ ”

Numbers Chapter 36 

1Then the heads of the fathers of the family of the sons of Gilead, the son of Machir, the son of Manasseh, of the families of the sons of Joseph, approached and spoke before Moses and before the leaders – the paternal heads of the sons of Israel. 2And they said, “The Lord commanded my lord to give the land as an inheritance by lot to the sons of Israel, and my lord was commanded by the Lord to give the inheritance of Zelophehad our brother to his daughters. 3And if they become wives to any of the sons of the tribes of the sons of Israel, then their inheritance is a reduction of the inheritance of our fathers, and it is added to the inheritance of the tribe of which they become part, and there is a reduction in the allotment of our inheritance. 4And if it is the Jubilee of the sons of Israel, then their inheritance is added to the tribe of which they become part, and their inheritance is a reduction of the inheritance of the tribe of our fathers.” 5Then Moses commanded the sons of Israel according to the instruction of the Lord, and he said, “The tribe of the sons of Joseph speaks well. 6This is the word which the Lord commands the daughters of Zelophehad, and he says, ‘Let them be wives to whomever they like, but let them be wives to the family of the tribe of their father. 7And the inheritance of the sons of Israel will not go round from tribe to tribe. For everyone of the sons of Israel will stick to the inheritance of the tribe of his fathers. 8And every daughter who inherits an inheritance from the tribes of the sons of Israel will be a wife to someone from a family of the tribe of her father, so that the sons of Israel all inherit the inheritance of their fathers. 9And the inheritance will not go round from one tribe to another tribe, for each member of the tribes of the sons of Israel will stick to his inheritance.’ ” 10As the Lord commanded Moses, so the daughters of Zelophehad did. 11And Mahlah, Tirzah and Hoglah and Milcah and Noah, the daughters of Zelophehad, became wives of the sons of their uncles. 12And they became wives to husbands from the families of the sons of Manasseh the son of Joseph, and their inheritance was in the tribe of the family of their father. 13These were the commandments and the injunctions which the Lord commanded the sons of Israel through the intermediacy of Moses in the arid tracts of Moab, near the Jordan at Jericho.

Deuteronomy  

Deuteronomy Chapter 1 

1These are the words which Moses spoke to the whole of Israel across the Jordan in the desert, in the arid tract opposite Suph, between Paran and Tophel, and Laban and Hazeroth and Di-Zahab, 2it being eleven days' journey from Horeb, by the route of Mount Seir to Kadesh-Barnea. 3Now it came to pass in the fortieth year, in the eleventh month, on the first day of the month, that Moses spoke to the sons of Israel, according to everything that the Lord had commanded him to pass on to them, 4after he had defeated Sihon king of the Amorites who lived in Heshbon, and Og king of Bashan who lived in Ashtaroth in Edrei. 5Across the Jordan in the land of Moab, Moses started to expound this law, and he said, 6“The Lord our God spoke to us at Horeb and said, ‘You have dwelt long enough at this mountain. 7Wend your way and get yourselves moving and go to the mount of the Amorites and all its neighbouring areas in the arid tract, on the mountain, and in the lowland, and in the south and at the coast of the sea – the land of the Canaanite, and Lebanon – as far as the great river, the River Euphrates. 8Look, I have put the land in front of you. Come and take possession of the land about which the Lord swore to your fathers – to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob – that he would give it to them and to their seed after them.’ 9And I spoke to you at that time and said, ‘I cannot bear you on my own. 10The Lord your God has increased you, and here you are today like the stars of the sky in abundance.’ 11(May the Lord, the God of your fathers, increase you to be a thousand times what you are, and may he bless you, as he has said to you.) 12‘How can I bear your vexatiousness and your burdensomeness and your strife on my own? 13Appoint for yourselves wise, intelligent and knowledgeable men according to your tribes, and I will set them up as your heads.’ 14And you answered me and said, ‘The matter which you have spoken is right to do.’ 15So I took the heads of your tribes, wise and knowledgeable men, and I appointed them as heads over you, commanders of a thousand and commanders of a hundred and commanders of fifty and commanders of ten, and officers, according to your tribes. 16And I instructed your judges at that time, and I said, ‘Hear the case between your brothers and judge justly between a man and his brother and the foreigner with him. 17You shall not show partiality in judgment: you shall hear the small in the same way as the great; you shall not be afraid of any man, for judgment is of concern to God, and if a case is too hard for you, bring it to me, and I will hear it.’ 18Then I commanded you at that time as to all the things that you should do. 19Then we moved from Horeb, and we went through all that great and fearful desert which you have seen – the way of the mount of the Amorites – as the Lord our God commanded us, and we came to Kadesh-Barnea. 20And I said to you, ‘You have come to the mount of the Amorites which the Lord our God is giving us. 21See, the Lord your God has put the land in front of you. Go up and take possession of it as the Lord God of your fathers has said to you. Do not fear and do not be afraid.’ 22And you all approached me and said, ‘We will send men on ahead of us, and they will investigate the land for us and report back to us on the way by which we should go up, and on the cities to which we should go.’ 23And I approved of the matter, and I took twelve of your men, one man per tribe. 24And they wended their way, and they went up to the mountain, and they came to the Brook of Eshcol, and they spied it out. 25And they took some of the fruit of the land in their hand, and they brought it down to us, and they reported back to us, and they said, ‘The land which the Lord our God is giving us is good.’ 26But you were not willing to go up, and you resisted the instruction of the Lord your God. 27And you rebelled in your tents, and you said, ‘In his hatred of us the Lord has brought us out of the land of Egypt to deliver us into the hand of the Amorite to destroy us. 28To where can we go up? Our brothers have made us faint-hearted, and they said, «The people are greater and more powerful than we are, the cities are large and fortified to the sky, and we have also seen the sons of the Anakites there.» ’ 29But I said to you, ‘Do not be terrified and do not fear them. 30The Lord your God, who goes before you – he will fight for you, just as everything that he did with you in Egypt before your eyes, 31and in the desert, where you have seen that the Lord your God put up with you as a man puts up with his own son, in all the way you went, as far as you arriving at this place.’ 32Yet in this matter you do not believe the Lord your God, 33who goes before you on the way, to search out a place for you, for you to encamp, in fire at night to show you the way you must go, and in the cloud by day. 34Now when the Lord heard the sound of your words, he became angry, and he swore and said, 35‘Assuredly not a man among these men – this evil generation – will see the good land which I swore to give your fathers, 36except Caleb the son of Jephunneh. He will see it, and I will give him the land which he has trodden on, and his sons, because he has been fully committed to the Lord.’ 37The Lord also became angry with me, because of you, and he said, ‘Neither will you go there. 38Joshua the son of Nun, who is standing before you – he will go there. Strengthen him, because he will enable Israel to inherit it. 39But your little ones, whom you said would be spoil, and your sons who do not currently know good and evil – they will go in there, and I will give it to them, and they will take possession of it. 40But as for you, wend your way and move to the desert by the way of the Red Sea.’ 41Then you answered and said to me, ‘We have sinned against the Lord; we will go up and fight according to everything that the Lord our God commands us.’ And each of you girded on his weapons of war, and you presumed to go up the mountain. 42And the Lord said to me, ‘Say to them, «You shall not go up, and you shall not fight, for I am not in your midst, so that you do not get struck down by your enemies.» ’ 43So I spoke to you, but you would not listen, and you rebelled against the instruction of the Lord, and you acted insolently and went up the mountain. 44And the Amorite who lives on that mountain came out against you and pursued you as bees do, and they routed you in Seir and as far as Hormah. 45Then you came back and wept before the Lord, but the Lord did not heed you and did not hearken to you. 46And you dwelt in Kadesh for many days; such were the days you dwelt there.

Deuteronomy Chapter 2 

1Then we turned and moved to the desert by the way of the Red Sea, as the Lord had said to me, and we went round Mount Seir for many days. 2And the Lord spoke to me and said, 3‘You have gone round this mountain long enough. Take a turn northwards. 4And command the people and say, «You will be crossing the territory of your brothers – the sons of Esau who live in Seir – and they will be afraid of you, so you will be very much on your guard. 5Do not engage them, for I will not give you any of their land, not even the print of a footstep, for I have given Mount Seir as a possession to Esau. 6You may buy food for money from them and eat it, and you may also procure water for money from them and drink it. 7For the Lord your God has blessed you in every work of your hands. He knows your walk in this great desert. For forty years now the Lord your God has been with you; you have lacked nothing.» ’ 8And we crossed through the territory of our brothers – the sons of Esau – who live in Seir, by the way of the arid tract from Elath and Ezion-Geber, and we turned and crossed by the way of the Desert of Moab. 9Then the Lord said to me, ‘Do not cause distress to Moab and do not engage them in war, for I will not give you any of his land as a possession, for I have given Ar to the sons of Lot as a possession. 10The Emites inhabited it in times past. They were as great and numerous and powerful as the Anakites. 11They too are considered Rephaim, like the Anakites, and the Moabites call them Emites. 12And the Horites dwelt in Seir in times past, but the sons of Esau dispossessed them and destroyed them in their advance, and they dwelt there instead of them, just as Israel did to the land of its possession which the Lord gave them. 13Now get up and get crossing the Zered Brook.’ And we duly crossed the Zered Brook. 14And the time in which we went from Kadesh-Barnea until we had crossed the Zered Brook was thirty-eight years – until the whole generation of the men of war had come to an end and was not in the camp, as the Lord had sworn to them. 15Moreover the hand of the Lord was against them, to drive them out of the midst of the camp until they had come to an end. 16And it came to pass when all the men of war had come to an end, by dying in the midst of the people, 17that the Lord spoke to me and said, 18‘You are crossing the territory of Moab today, that is, Ar, 19and you will go near, but opposite, the sons of Ammon. Do not cause them distress and do not engage them, for I will not give you any of the land of the sons of Ammon as a possession, because I have given it to the sons of Lot as a possession.’ 20This is also considered the land of the Rephaim. The Rephaim lived there in times past, and the Ammonites call them Zamzummites 21– a people as great and numerous and powerful as the Anakites – but the Lord destroyed them at their advance, and they dispossessed them, and they dwelt there instead of them, 22just as he did for the sons of Esau who dwelt in Seir, when he destroyed the Horites at their advance and dispossessed them, and they have been living there instead of them up to this day. 23And as for the Avites who dwelt in Hazerim and as far as Gaza, the Caphtorites who came from Caphtor destroyed them and dwelt there instead of them. 24‘Get up and move on and cross the Arnon Brook. Look, I have put Sihon king of Heshbon, the Amorite, in your power, so begin to possess his land and engage him in battle. 25This day I will begin to put dread of you and fear of you among the nations under the whole of heaven when they hear your reputation and are awestruck, and they reel in front of you.’ 26And I sent messengers from the Desert of Kedemoth to Sihon king of Heshbon with peaceful words, saying, 27‘Let me cross your land. I will only go by the main roads; I will not deviate to the right or to the left. 28Sell me food for money so that I can eat, and give me water for money so that I can drink, but let me cross on foot, 29as the sons of Esau did for me, who live in Seir, and the Moabites who live in Ar, until I have crossed the Jordan into the land which the Lord our God is giving us.’ 30But Sihon king of Heshbon was not willing to let us pass through his land, for the Lord your God had hardened his spirit, and he had made his heart obstinate, so that he could put him in your power, as it is to this day. 31And the Lord said to me, ‘Look, I have started to put Sihon and his land in front of you. Make a start and possess it – to possess his land.’ 32Then Sihon came out to confront us – he and all his people – to battle at Jahaz. 33And the Lord our God put him in front of us, and we defeated him and his son and all his people. 34And we captured all his cities at that time, and we utterly destroyed the men and the women and the children in every city. We did not leave a single survivor, 35except that we took cattle as spoil for ourselves, and the booty of the cities which we had captured, 36from Aroer which is on the bank of the Arnon Brook, and the city which is at the brook, and as far as Gilead. There was no town that was too strong for us – the Lord our God placed everything in front of us, 37except that you did not approach the sons of Ammon, nor any place on the Jabbok Brook, nor the cities of the mountain range, nor anything that the Lord our God forbade us.

Deuteronomy Chapter 3 

1Then we turned and went up by the way of Bashan, and Og king of Bashan came out to confront us – he and all his people – to battle at Edrei. 2And the Lord said to me, ‘Do not fear him, for I have handed him over to you, and all his people, and his land. And you will do to him what you did to Sihon king of the Amorites who lived in Heshbon.’ 3And the Lord our God also handed Og king of Bashan over to us, and all his people, and we defeated him to the extent that no survivor remained to him. 4And we captured all his cities at that time – there was no town that we did not capture from them – sixty cities, the whole region of Argob, the kingdom of Og in Bashan. 5All of these were cities fortified with a high wall, gates and bolts, apart from the very many open rural towns, 6and we utterly destroyed them, as we did to Sihon king of Heshbon, in utterly destroying in every city the men, the women, and the little ones. 7And we took all the cattle and booty of the towns as spoil for ourselves. 8And at that time we took the land from the two Amorite kings who were across the Jordan, from the Arnon Brook to Mount Hermon. 9(The Sidonians call Hermon Sirion, and the Amorites call it Senir.) 10We took all the cities of the plain and all Gilead and all Bashan as far as Salchah and Edrei, cities of the kingdom of Og in Bashan. 11For only Og king of Bashan remained of the remnant of the Rephaim. Note how his bed was a bed of iron – is it not in Rabbath of the sons of Ammon? Its length is nine cubits, and its width is four cubits, according to the common cubit. 12And we took possession of this land at that time, from Aroer which is on the Arnon Brook, and half of Mount Gilead and its cities, and I gave them to the Reubenites and the Gadites. 13And I gave the remainder of Gilead and all of Bashan, the kingdom of Og, to half of the tribe of Manasseh – all the region of Argob with all of Bashan. That is called the land of the Rephaim. 14Jair the son of Manasseh captured the whole of the region of Argob as far as the border with the Geshurites and Maachathites, and he called the villages after his own name: he called Bashan the Villages of Jair, as it is up to this day. 15And I gave Gilead to Machir. 16And I gave the region from Gilead to the Arnon Brook to the Reubenites and the Gadites, the mid-line of the brook being a border up to the Jabbok Brook, the border of the sons of Ammon, 17and the arid tract and the Jordan, whose border is from Kinnereth to the sea of the arid tract, the Salt Sea, under Ashdoth-Pisgah to the east. 18And I commanded you at that time and said, ‘The Lord your God has given you this land to possess. You will cross it armed before your brothers the sons of Israel – all those who are soldiers. 19But your wives and your children and your cattle – I know that you have a lot of cattle – will stay in your cities which I have given you, 20until the Lord settles your brothers like you, and they too have taken possession of the land which the Lord your God is giving them across the Jordan, and each man will return to his possession which I will have given you.’ 21And I commanded Joshua at that time, and I said, ‘Your eyes have seen everything the Lord your God has done to these two kings. The Lord will do likewise to all the kingdoms to which you cross. 22Do not fear them, for it is the Lord your God himself who will be fighting for you.’ 23And I pleaded with the Lord at that time, and I said, 24‘My Lord the Lord, you have begun to show your servant your greatness and your strong hand, so who else is God in heaven or on earth who can do anything comparable to your works and your mighty deeds? 25Please let me cross so that I may see the good land which is across the Jordan, this good mountain, and Lebanon.’ 26But the Lord was angry with me for your sakes, and he did not hear me, and the Lord said to me, ‘It is sufficient for you. Do not speak to me any more about this matter. 27Go up to the summit of Pisgah and lift up your eyes westward and northward and southward and eastward, and see with your eyes, for you will not cross this Jordan. 28And command Joshua and strengthen him, and encourage him, because he will cross in front of this people, and he will cause them to inherit the land which you will see.’ 29Then we stayed in the valley opposite Beth-Peor.

Deuteronomy Chapter 4 

1So now, Israel, listen to the statutes and the regulations which I am teaching you to do, so that you may live and come and possess the land which the Lord God of your fathers is giving you. 2You shall not add to the injunction which I am commanding you, and you shall not take anything out of it, so that you keep the commandments of the Lord your God with which I am commanding you. 3Your eyes have seen what the Lord has done in Baal-Peor, for the Lord your God eradicated from your midst every man who followed Baal-Peor. 4But you who adhere to the Lord your God are all alive today. 5Look, I have taught you statutes and regulations according to what the Lord my God commanded me, namely that you should act accordingly inside the land to which you are going, to possess it. 6So you must keep them and do them, for it is your wisdom and understanding in the eyes of the nations which will hear all these statutes and say, ‘Only this great nation is a wise and understanding people.’ 7For what great nation is there that has gods close to it, as the Lord our God is in all our calling out to him? 8And what great nation is there that has righteous statutes and regulations according to all this law which I am placing before you today? 9But be on your guard and watch out for your life very alertly, so that you do not forget the things which your eyes have seen, and so that they do not depart from your heart any of the days of your life. And you shall make them known to your sons and to your grandsons. 10On the day when you stood before the Lord your God at Horeb, when the Lord said to me, ‘Assemble the people to me, and I will cause them to hear my words, so that they may learn to fear me all the days that they live on the earth, and to teach their sons’, 11you approached and stood below the mountain while the mountain was burning with fire up to the heart of heaven – it was darkness and cloud and gloom. 12And the Lord spoke to you from the middle of the fire, and you heard the sound of the words, but you did not see the image – there was just the sound. 13And he told you his covenant which he commanded you to do – the ten commandments – and he wrote them on two stone tablets. 14And at that time the Lord commanded me to teach you statutes and regulations, for you to carry them out, in the land to which you are crossing in order to take possession of it. 15And take great care for your lives, for you did not see any image on the day when the Lord spoke to you at Horeb from the middle of the fire, 16not to act corruptly or make yourselves an idol, an image of any figure, a likeness of anything male or female, 17a likeness of any cattle that is on earth, a likeness of any winged bird which flies in the sky, 18a likeness of any creeping animal on the ground, or a likeness of any fish that is in the water below the surface of the earth. 19And take great care not to lift up your eyes towards the sky and see the sun and the moon and the stars – the whole array of the sky – and you are induced to worship them and to serve them, which the Lord your God apportioned to all nations under the whole sky. 20And the Lord took you, and he brought you out of the iron furnace – out of Egypt – to be a people to him, an inheritance, as you are today. 21But the Lord became angry with me because of you, and he swore that I would not cross the Jordan, and that I would not go to the good land which the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance. 22For I am to die in this land. I will not be crossing the Jordan, but you will be crossing, and you will take possession of that good land. 23Take care not to forget the covenant of the Lord your God which he made with you, by you making for yourselves an idol, an image of anything that the Lord your God has forbidden you. 24For the Lord your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God. 25If when you have begotten sons and grandsons and have grown old in the land, you cause corruption, or you make an idol – an image of anything – or do wrong in the eyes of the Lord your God, so as to provoke him to anger, 26I call heaven and earth to witness against you today that you will certainly perish swiftly in the land which you are crossing the Jordan to inherit – you will not have a long time in it, but be utterly destroyed. 27And the Lord will scatter you among the nations, and you will remain few in number among the nations to which the Lord will drive you. 28And you will serve gods there, the work of men's hands, wood and stone which do not see and do not hear, and which do not eat and cannot smell. 29And you will seek from there the Lord your God, and you will find him if you search him out with all your heart and all your soul. 30When you are in adversity, and all these things will come upon you in the last days, you will return to the Lord your God, and you will heed him. 31For the Lord your God is a merciful God; he will not abandon you, and he will not let you go to ruin, and he will not forget the covenant of your fathers which he swore to them. 32So ask, please, about the former days which were before you, from the day when God created man on the earth, and from one end of the sky to the other end of the sky, whether such a great thing as this has ever taken place, or whether anything like it has been heard of. 33Has any people heard the voice of God speaking from the middle of fire, as you have heard, and have they lived? 34Or has God ventured to go and take to himself any other nation from the middle of a nation, with trials and signs and wonders, and by war, with a strong hand and an outstretched arm and with great awesome things, as everything that the Lord your God has done with you in Egypt before your eyes? 35You have been shown, so as to know, that the Lord is God; there is no other besides him. 36From heaven he has caused you to hear his voice, to instruct you, and on the earth he has shown you his great fire, and you have heard his words from the middle of the fire. 37And because he loved your fathers, he chose his seed after him, and he brought you out of Egypt in front of him by his great power, 38so that you might dispossess nations greater and more powerful than yourself at your advance, to bring you in, and to give you their land as an inheritance, as it is this day. 39And you shall know today, and you will reflect in your heart, that the Lord is God in heaven above and on the earth below – there is no other. 40And you shall keep his statutes and his commandments which I command you today, so that things may go well with you, and with your sons after you, and in order that you may have a long time on the land which the Lord your God is giving you for all time.” 41Then Moses allocated three cities across the Jordan on the east, 42for the manslayer who has killed his neighbour unintentionally to flee to, when he had not hated him in the past, so that he may flee to one of these cities and live: 43Bezer in the desert, in the plain country for the Reubenites, and Ramoth in Gilead for the Gadites, and Golan in Bashan for the Manassites. 44And this is the law which Moses put before the sons of Israel. 45These are the testimonies and the statutes and the regulations which Moses told the sons of Israel when they came out of Egypt, 46across the Jordan in the valley opposite Beth-Peor in the land of Sihon king of the Amorites, who lived in Heshbon, whom Moses and the sons of Israel defeated when they came out of Egypt. 47And they took possession of his land, and of the land of Og king of Bashan – two kings of the Amorites who were across the Jordan on the east, 48from Aroer which is on the bank of the Arnon Brook to Mount Sion, which is Hermon, 49and the whole arid tract across the Jordan on the east, and to the sea of the arid tract under Ashdoth-Pisgah.

Reference(s) in Chapter 4: v.2 ↔ Revelation 22:18, Revelation 22:19 ● v.26 ↔ Luke 23:43.

Deuteronomy Chapter 5 

1Then Moses called the whole of Israel and said to them, “Hear, O Israel, the statutes and the regulations which I am speaking in your ears today. And you shall learn them, and you will ensure that you carry them out. 2The Lord our God made a covenant with us at Horeb. 3It is not with our fathers that the Lord made this covenant, but with us – those of us who are all alive here today. 4The Lord spoke face to face with you, at the mountain, from the middle of the fire. 5I was standing between the Lord and you at that time to tell you the word of the Lord (for you were afraid of the fire, and you did not go up the mountain), and he said, 6‘I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of a house of slavery. 7You shall not have any other gods besides me. 8You shall not make yourself any engraved image or any image of what is in heaven above or of what is on the earth below, or of what is in the water below the surface of the earth. 9You shall not worship them, and you shall not serve them, for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the sons, and on those of the third generation, and on those of the fourth generation, of those who hate me, 10and showing kindness to thousands, to those who love me and to those who keep my commandments. 11You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him who takes his name in vain innocent. 12Keep the Sabbath day, to sanctify it, as the Lord your God has commanded you. 13For six days you shall work and carry out all your business, 14but the seventh day is the Lord your God's Sabbath. You shall not do any work on itneither you nor your son nor your daughter, neither your manservant nor your maidservant, nor your ox, nor your donkey, nor any of your cattle, nor your foreigner who is within your gates, so that your manservant and maidservant may have rest, as you do. 15And remember that you were a servant in the land of Egypt, but the Lord your God brought you out of there with a strong hand and with an outstretched arm. On account of this the Lord your God commands you to keep the Sabbath day. 16Honour your father and your mother, according to what the Lord your God has commanded you, in order that your days may be long, and in order that it may go well with you on the land which the Lord your God is giving you. 17You shall not commit murder. 18You shall not commit adultery. 19You shall not steal. 20You shall not give a false testimony against your neighbour. 21You shall not covet your neighbour's wife, and you shall not be desirous of your neighbour's house, his field or his manservant, or his maidservant, or his ox, or his donkey, or anything which is your neighbour's.’ 22The Lord spoke these words to the whole of your convocation at the mountain from the middle of the fire, the cloud and the thick darkness, with a loud voice. And he did not add to them, and he wrote them on two tablets of stone, and he gave them to me. 23And it came to pass, when you heard the sound from the middle of the darkness, and that the mountain was burning with fire, that you came near to me, all you who are heads of your tribes, and your elders. 24And you said, ‘Behold, the Lord our God has shown us his glory and his greatness, and we have heard his voice from the middle of the fire. This day, we have seen that God speaks with man, and he lives. 25So now, why should we die? For this great fire will consume us. If we hear the voice of the Lord our God any more, then we will die. 26For who is there of all flesh who has heard the voice of the living God speaking from the middle of the fire as we have, and has lived? 27You go near and listen to everything that the Lord our God says, then you can tell us everything that the Lord our God says to you, and we will hear it and do it.’ 28And the Lord heard the sound of your words when you spoke to me, and the Lord said to me, ‘I have heard the sound of the words of this people who spoke to you. They have done well in all that they have spoken. 29If only they had a heart like this: to fear me and to keep all my commandments all the time, so that it would go well with them and with their sons, age-abidingly. 30Go and say to them, «Now go back to your tents.» 31But you, stand here with me, and I will tell you the whole body of commandments and the statutes and the regulations which you shall teach them to do in the land which I am giving them, so that they take possession of it.’ 32And you will ensure that you act as the Lord your God has commanded you. You shall not deviate to the right or to the left. 33You shall walk in every way which the Lord your God commands you, so that you may live, and it may go well with you, and you may live long in the land which you will be taking possession of.

Reference(s) in Chapter 5: v.16 ↔ Matthew 15:4, Matthew 19:19, Mark 7:10, Mark 10:19, Luke 18:20, Ephesians 6:2, Ephesians 6:3 ● v.17 ↔ Matthew 5:21, Matthew 19:18, Mark 10:19, Luke 18:20, Romans 13:9, James 2:11 ● v.18 ↔ Matthew 5:27, Matthew 19:18, Mark 10:19, Luke 18:20, Romans 13:9, James 2:11 ● v.19 ↔ Matthew 19:18, Mark 10:19, Luke 18:20, Romans 13:9 ● v.20 ↔ Matthew 19:18, Mark 10:19, Luke 18:20, Romans 13:9RP‑marg,TR ● v.21 ↔ Romans 7:7.

Deuteronomy Chapter 6 

1And this is the body of commandments, and these are the statutes and regulations which the Lord your God has commanded me to teach you, for you to do them in the land which you are crossing over to take possession of, 2so that you may fear the Lord your God, in keeping all his statutes and his commandments which I am commanding you – you and your son and your son's son – all the days of your life, so that your days are prolonged. 3So hear, O Israel, and ensure you do them, so that it goes well with you, and so that you may increase greatly, as the Lord God of your fathers said to you, in a land flowing with milk and honey. 4Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God is one Lord. 5And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. 6And these things which I am commanding you today shall be on your heart. 7And you will diligently teach them to your sons, and you will talk about them when you sit down in your house, and when you walk on the road, and when you lie down, and when you get up. 8And you shall bind them on your hand as a sign, and they will be phylacteries between your eyes. 9And you shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates. 10And it will come to pass that the Lord your God will bring you to the land which he swore to your fathers – to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob – to give to you, great and fine cities which you did not build, 11and houses full of all kinds of good things which you did not fill them with, and cisterns hewn out which you did not hew, vineyards and olive groves which you did not plant, and you will eat and be satisfied. 12Be on your guard not to forget the Lord, who brought you out of the land of Egypt – out of a house of slavery. 13You shall fear the Lord your God and serve him, and you shall swear by his name. 14You shall not go after other gods – any of the gods of the nations which are round about you, 15for the Lord your God in your midst is a jealous God, so that the anger of the Lord your God is not kindled against you, and he obliterates you from the face of the earth. 16You shall not tempt the Lord your God, as you tempted him in Massah. 17You shall absolutely keep the commandments of the Lord your God, and his testimonies, and his statutes, which he has commanded you. 18And you shall do what is upright and good in the eyes of the Lord, so that it goes well with you, and you come and take possession of the good land which the Lord swore to your fathers, 19driving out all your enemies before you, as the Lord has said. 20For your son will ask you tomorrow, saying, ‘What are the testimonies and the statutes and the regulations which the Lord our God commanded you?’ 21And you will say to your son, ‘We were slaves to Pharaoh in Egypt, and the Lord brought us out of Egypt with a strong hand. 22And the Lord gave signs and wonders, great and noxious ones in Egypt, against Pharaoh and against all his house in our sight. 23And he brought us out of there in order to bring us in, to give us the land which he swore to our fathers. 24And the Lord commanded us to do all these statutes, to fear the Lord our God, for our good, all our days, so that he might preserve us alive, as it is this day. 25And we shall have righteousness if we ensure we keep all this body of commandments before the Lord our God, as he has commanded us.’

Reference(s) in Chapter 6: v.4 ↔ Mark 12:29, Mark 12:32 ● v.5 ↔ Matthew 22:37, Mark 12:30, Mark 12:33, Luke 10:27 ● v.13 ↔ Matthew 4:10, Luke 4:8 ● v.16 ↔ Matthew 4:7, Luke 4:12.

Deuteronomy Chapter 7 

1When the Lord your God brings you to the land to which you are going in order to take possession of it, he will drive out many nations before you, the Hittite, the Girgashite and the Amorite and the Canaanite and the Perizzite and the Hivite and the Jebusite – seven nations more populous and stronger than you. 2And the Lord your God will put them in front of you, and you will conquer them, and you shall completely obliterate them. You shall not make a covenant with them, and you shall not show them mercy. 3And you shall not intermarry with them. You shall not give your daughter to a son of theirs, and you shall not take a daughter of theirs for your son. 4For this would cause your son to depart from following me, and they would serve other gods, and the anger of the Lord would be kindled against you, and he would quickly destroy you. 5But you shall rather deal this way with them: you shall tear down their altars, and you will smash their statues, and you will cut down their phallic parks, and you will burn their carved images with fire. 6For you are a holy people to the Lord your God. The Lord your God chose you to be to him a people who are a special acquisition, out of all the various peoples that are on the face of the earth. 7Not because of your greater population than all the nations did the Lord desire you, but he chose you because you are the fewest of all the nations. 8For it was because of the Lord's love for you, and because of his keeping the oath which he swore to your fathers, that the Lord brought you out with a strong hand, and he redeemed you from a house of slavery – from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt, 9and so that you will know that the Lord your God is God, the faithful God, keeping the covenant and maintaining mercy to those that love him and to those who keep his commandments for a thousand generations, 10but requiting those who hate him to their face, destroying them. He will not be slow with him who hates him; he will requite him to his face. 11So you shall keep the body of commandments and the statutes and the regulations which I command you this day to do. 12And it will come to pass, provided you obey these regulations and keep them, and you do them, that the Lord your God will keep the covenant with you and maintain the mercy which he swore to your fathers. 13And he will love you and bless you and multiply you, and he will bless the fruit of your womb and the fruit of your ground – your corn and your new wine and your new oil, the offspring of your oxen and the issue of your flock on the land which he swore to your fathers to give to you. 14You will be more blessed than any of the nations. There will not be anyone sterile or barren among you or among your cattle. 15And the Lord will remove from you every illness and every evil disease of Egypt which you have known. He will not lay them on you, but he will put them on all those who hate you. 16And you will devour all the nations which the Lord your God gives to you. Your eye will not show pity to them, and you will not serve their gods, for that is a snare to you. 17If you say in your heart, ‘These nations are more numerous than me. How will I be able to dispossess them?’ – 18you shall not fear them. You shall plainly remember what the Lord your God did to Pharaoh and to all Egypt. 19As with the great trials which your eyes saw, and the signs and the wonders, and the strong hand and the outstretched arm, when the Lord your God brought you out, so the Lord your God will do to all the people you are afraid of. 20And the Lord your God will also send the hornet against them, until those that remain and those that hide from you have perished. 21You will not be terrified of them, for the Lord your God is in your midst – a great and fearsome God. 22And the Lord your God will drive out those nations before you little by little. You will not be able to make an end of them quickly, in case the wild animals increase against you. 23And the Lord your God will place them before you, and he will rout them with a great rout, until they have been destroyed. 24And he will deliver their kings into your hand, and you will obliterate their name from under heaven. No man shall stand to face you until you have destroyed them. 25You will burn the carved images of their gods with fire. You shall not desire the silver and gold on them, or take it for yourself, in case you are ensnared by it, for it is an abomination to the Lord your God. 26You shall not bring an abomination into your house in case you become an accursed thing like it. You shall utterly abhor it and thoroughly abominate it, for it is an accursed thing.

Deuteronomy Chapter 8 

1You shall ensure that you do the whole body of commandments which I am commanding you today, so that you live and increase, and you enter in and take possession of the land which the Lord swore to your fathers. 2And you shall remember the whole of the way the Lord your God made you go for these forty years in the desert, in order to humble you, and to test you, so as to know what is in your heart, whether you will keep his commandments or not. 3And he humbled you, and he allowed you to hunger, then he fed you with manna which you did not know, nor have your fathers known it, so as to make it known to you that man shall not live by bread alone, but man shall live by every utterance of the mouth of the Lord. 4Your clothing did not wear out on you, and your feet did not swell, for these forty years, 5so that you should acknowledge with your heart that as a man disciplines his son, so the Lord your God has been disciplining you. 6And you shall keep the commandments of the Lord your God, by walking in his ways and fearing him. 7For the Lord your God is bringing you to a good land, a land of brooks of water, springs and underground water issuing in the valley and mountains, 8a land of wheat and barley and vines and figs and pomegranates, a land of oil-bearing olives and honey, 9a land that knows no scarcity. You will eat bread in it, you will lack nothing in it – a land whose stones are iron-bearing, and from whose hills you can mine copper. 10And you will eat and be satisfied, and you shall bless the Lord your God on the good land which he has given you. 11Be on your guard not to forget the Lord your God, by not keeping his commandments and his regulations and his statutes which I am commanding you today, 12lest you eat and are satisfied, and you build fine houses and live in them, 13and your cattle and flocks increase, and your silver and gold increase, and everything you have increases, 14and your heart becomes haughty, and you forget the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt – out of a house of slavery. 15He it is who made you go in the great and fearsome desert of the fiery serpent and the scorpion, in a thirsty land where there is no water, who produced water for you from a rock of flint, 16who fed you with manna in the desert, which your fathers did not know, so as to humble you and so as to test you, to make things go well for you in your latter time. 17Yet you say in your heart, ‘My own power and the strength of my hand made me this wealth.’ 18But you shall remember the Lord your God. For it is he who gives you the power to generate wealth, so that he sets up his covenant which he swore to your fathers, as it stands this day. 19But it will come to pass, if you clean forget the Lord your God, and you follow after other gods, and you serve them and worship them – I testify against you today – you will certainly perish. 20As with the nations which the Lord is destroying in front of you, so you will perish, because you didn't heed the Lord your God.

Reference(s) in Chapter 8: v.3 ↔ Matthew 4:4, Luke 4:4 ● v.19 ↔ Luke 23:43.

Deuteronomy Chapter 9 

1Hear, O Israel, you are crossing the Jordan today, to enter to dispossess nations greater and stronger than yourself with cities which are large and fortified to the sky. 2The sons of the Anakites are a large and tall people whom you know, and of whom you have heard it said, ‘Who can stand in the face of the sons of Anak?’ 3So know today that the Lord your God is he who is crossing in front of you – a consuming fire. He will destroy them and he will subdue them at your advance, and you will dispossess them and destroy them quickly as the Lord has told you. 4Do not say in your heart when the Lord your God drives them out at your advance, saying, ‘Because of my righteousness the Lord brought me to take possession of this land’; rather it is because of the wickedness of these nations that the Lord is dispossessing them at your advance. 5It is not because of your righteousness or the uprightness of your heart that you are entering in to possess their land, but it is because of the wickedness of these nations that the Lord your God is dispossessing them at your advance, and in order to establish the word which the Lord swore to your fathers – to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob. 6And you will know 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. 7Remember – do not forget – that by which you provoked the Lord your God to anger in the desert. From the day when you came out of the land of Egypt up to your coming to this place, you have been rebelling against the Lord. 8At Horeb you provoked the Lord to anger, and the Lord became angry with you to the point of destroying you. 9When I went up the mountain to receive the stone tablets – the tablets of the covenant which the Lord made with you – I remained in the mountain for forty days and forty nights. I ate no bread and I drank no water. 10And the Lord gave me the two tablets of stone, written by the finger of God, and on them was a record of all the words which the Lord spoke with you at the mountain from the middle of the fire on the day of the convocation. 11And it came to pass at the end of forty days and forty nights that the Lord gave me the two stone tablets – the tablets of the covenant. 12And the Lord said to me, ‘Arise and go down from here quickly, for your people whom you brought out of Egypt have acted corruptly. They have quickly departed from the way which I commanded them. They have made themselves a cast image.’ 13And the Lord spoke to me and said, ‘I have seen this people, and look, it is a stiff-necked people. 14Leave off me, and I will destroy them, and I will blot out their name from under heaven, and I will make you into a more powerful and numerous people than them.’ 15Then I turned and went down from the mountain, while the mountain was burning with fire, and I had the two tablets of the covenant in my two hands. 16And I looked, and what I saw was that you had sinned against the Lord your God – you had made yourselves a cast calf. You had quickly departed from the way which the Lord commanded you. 17Then I took hold of the two tablets and threw them out of my two hands and broke them in your sight, 18and I fell down before the Lord as at first, for forty days and forty nights. I did not eat bread and I did not drink water for all your sin by which you sinned in doing wrong in the eyes of the Lord, so as to provoke him to anger. 19For I was afraid because of the anger and fury by which the Lord had become irate over you to the point of destroying you, but the Lord listened to me that time too. 20Nevertheless, the Lord became very angry with Aaron, to the point of destroying him, but I prayed for Aaron too at that time. 21And as for your sin in that you made the calf, I took it and burnt it in fire and crushed it and ground it down until it was as fine as dust, then I cast its dust into the brook which went down the mountain. 22And in Taberah and in Massah and in Kibroth-Hattaavah you provoked the Lord to anger, 23and when the Lord sent you from Kadesh-Barnea, saying, ‘Go up and take possession of the land which I have given you’, you rebelled against the word of the Lord your God, and you did not believe him, nor did you obey him. 24You have been rebelling against the Lord since the day I first knew you. 25So I fell down before the Lord for the forty days and forty nights, during which I was fallen down, for the Lord had said that he was on the point of destroying you. 26And I prayed to the Lord, and I said, ‘My Lord the Lord, do not destroy your people and your inheritance whom you redeemed by your greatness when you brought them out of Egypt with a strong hand. 27Remember your servants Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Do not pay attention to the stubbornness of this people or to their wickedness or to their sin, 28so that people do not say that it is because the Lord is not able to bring them from the land out of which you brought us, to the land which he told them, and that because of his hatred of them he brought them out to kill them in the desert. 29And they are your people and your inheritance whom you brought out by your great strength and with your outstretched arm.’

Deuteronomy Chapter 10 

1At that time the Lord said to me, ‘Hew yourself two stone tablets like the first ones, and come up the mountain to me, and make yourself an ark of wood, 2and I will write on the tablets the words which were on the first tablets, which you broke, and you will put them in the ark.’ 3So I made an ark of acacia wood, and I hewed two tablets of stone like the first ones, and I went up the mountain with the two tablets in my hands. 4And he wrote on the tablets – as was the first writing – the ten commandments which the Lord spoke to you at the mountain from the middle of the fire on the day of the convocation, and the Lord gave them to me. 5Then I turned round and went down from the mountain, and I put the tablets in the ark which I had made, and they were there, as the Lord had commanded me. 6Then the sons of Israel moved from Beeroth of the sons of Jaakan to Moserah. Aaron died there, and he was buried there, and Eleazar his son carried out the office of priest instead of him. 7From there they removed to Gudgodah, and from Gudgodah to Jotbathah, a land of brooks of water. 8At that time the Lord separated the Levite tribe to bear the ark of the covenant of the Lord, to stand before the Lord, to serve him and to bless in his name, up to this day. 9For this reason Levi did not have a share and an inheritance with his brothers – it is the Lord who is his inheritance, as the Lord your God said to him. 10Then I stayed on the mountain for the same number of days as previously – forty days and forty nights – and the Lord heard me that time too; the Lord was willing not to destroy you. 11Then the Lord said to me, ‘Arise, go on your journey before the people, and they shall enter and take possession of the land about which I swore to their fathers that I would give it to them.’ 12So now, O Israel, what does the Lord your God ask of you, but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all his paths and to love him, and to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, 13to keep the Lord's commandments and his statutes which I am commanding you today, for your well-being? 14Behold, heaven and the heaven of heavens, the earth and everything in it are the Lord your God's. 15But the Lord fixed upon your fathers to love them, and he chose their seed after them – you – above all nations, as it is this day. 16So circumcise the foreskin of your hearts and no longer stiffen your necks. 17For the Lord your God is the God of gods and Lord of lords, the most great and mighty and fearsome God, who does not show partiality and does not accept a bribe, 18who executes justice for the orphan and the widow, and who loves the foreigner in giving him bread and clothing. 19So you shall love the foreigner, for you were foreigners in the land of Egypt. 20You shall fear the Lord your God; you shall serve him and cleave to him and swear by his name. 21He is your praise and he is your God, who performed these great and fearsome things with you present, which your eyes saw. 22Your fathers who went down to Egypt were seventy persons, but now the Lord your God has made you like the stars of the sky in multitude.

Reference(s) in Chapter 10: v.20 ↔ Luke 4:8.

Deuteronomy Chapter 11 

1And you shall love the Lord your God, and you shall keep his charge and his statutes and his regulations and his commandments all the time. 2And you shall know today that it is not with your sons that he was active, who do not know and who did not see the discipline of the Lord your God, his greatness, his strong hand and his outstretched arm, 3and his signs and his deeds which he did in the midst of Egypt to Pharaoh king of Egypt and to all his land, 4and what he did to the army of Egypt, to its horses and to its chariot fleet, when he made the water of the Red Sea overflow on top of them, when they were pursuing you, and the Lord destroyed them, as it stands up to this day, 5and what he did for you in the desert, until you came to this place, 6and what he did to Dathan and to Abiram, the sons of Eliab the son of Reuben, when the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them up, and their houses and their tents and all the property that was at their feet in the midst of all Israel, 7for it is your eyes that have seen all the great work of the Lord which he has done. 8So keep the whole body of commandments which I am commanding you today, so that you may be strong, and you enter in and take possession of the land to which you are crossing over, in order to take possession of it, 9and so that you prolong your days on the land about which the Lord swore to your fathers that he would give it to them and to their seed – a land flowing with milk and honey. 10For the land to which you are going, to take possession of it, is not like the land of Egypt from where you came out, where you sowed your seed and watered it on foot like a vegetable garden, 11but the land to which you are crossing over to take possession of is a land of mountains and valleys. It drinks water by rain from the sky, 12a land which the Lord your God cares for. The eyes of the Lord your God are continually on it, from the start of the year to the end of the year. 13And it shall come to pass, if you diligently obey my commandments which I am commanding you today, to love the Lord your God and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul, 14then I will give rain on your land in its season, the early rain and the latter rain, and you will gather your grain, and your new wine, and your new oil. 15And I will put grass in your field for your cattle, and you will eat and be satisfied. 16Be on your guard that your heart is not deceived, and you turn aside and serve other gods and worship them, 17and the Lord's anger is kindled against you, and he restrains the sky so that there will be no rain, and the soil does not yield its produce, and you quickly perish on the good land which the Lord is giving you. 18And you shall impress these words of mine on your heart and on your soul, and you will bind them as a sign on your hand, and they will be phylacteries between your eyes. 19And you will teach them to your sons, by speaking about them when you sit down in your house, and when you walk on the road, and when you lie down and when you get up. 20And you will write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates, 21in order that your days may be many, and the days of your sons, on the land about which the Lord swore to your fathers that he would give it to them, as the days of heaven on the earth. 22For if you diligently keep this whole body of commandments which I am commanding you to carry out: to love the Lord your God, to walk in all his ways, and to cleave to him, 23then the Lord will dispossess all these nations at your advance, and you will take possession of nations greater and more powerful than yourselves. 24All the space which the sole of your foot treads on will be yours. Your border will be from the desert and Lebanon, from the river – the River Euphrates – to the Western Sea. 25No man will be able to stand before you. The Lord your God will put fear of you and awe of you on the face of the whole land on which you will tread, as he has told you. 26Behold, I set before you today a blessing and a curse – 27the blessing provided you obey the commandments of the Lord your God, which I command you today, 28but the curse if you do not obey the commandments of the Lord your God, and you depart from the way which I command you today, in following other gods which you have not known. 29And it will come to pass that the Lord your God will bring you to the land to which you are coming, to take possession of it, and you will place the blessing on Mount Gerizim and the curse on Mount Ebal. 30Are they not across the Jordan, behind the road of the setting of the sun, in the land of the Canaanites who live in the arid tract opposite Gilgal beside the oak woods of Moreh? 31When you cross the Jordan to enter and take possession of the land which the Lord your God is giving you, and you take possession of it and dwell in it, 32then you shall ensure that you carry out all the statutes and regulations which I am placing before you today.

Deuteronomy Chapter 12 

1These are the statutes and the regulations which you must ensure you carry out in the land which the Lord God of your fathers has given you to take possession of, for all the days you live on the land. 2You will completely destroy all the places where the nations which you dispossess served their gods – on the high mountains, on the hills and under every luxuriant tree. 3And you will demolish their altars and break up their statues and burn their phallic parks with fire, and you will cut up the idols of their gods and eradicate their name from that place. 4You will not do so to the Lord your God, 5but in the place which the Lord your God has chosen from all your tribes to establish his name there, you will seek his dwelling, and you will go there. 6And you will bring your burnt offerings there, and your sacrifices, and your tithes, and the heave-offering of your hand, and your vows, and your freewill-offerings, and the firstlings of your oxen and your flocks. 7And you will eat there before the Lord your God, and you will rejoice in everything you turn your hand to – you and your households – because the Lord your God will bless you. 8You shall not do anything that we are doing here today, each man doing whatever is right in his own eyes. 9For up to now you have not come to the rest and to the inheritance which the Lord your God is giving you, 10but you will cross the Jordan, and you will dwell in the land which the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance. And he will give you rest from all your enemies round about, and you will dwell in safety. 11And it will come to pass that you will bring everything that I command you to the place where the Lord your God has chosen to have his name seated: your burnt offerings and your sacrifices, your tithes and the heave-offering of your hand, and your whole selection of vows which you make to the Lord. 12And you will rejoice before the Lord your God, you and your sons and your daughters and your menservants and your maidservants, and the Levite who is within your gates, for he has no part or inheritance with you. 13Be on your guard not to offer your burnt offerings in any arbitrary place you see, 14but in the place that the Lord chooses in the territory of one of your tribes – there you will offer your burnt offerings, and there you will perform everything that I command you. 15However, for everything your soul desires, you may sacrifice and eat meat as a blessing of the Lord your God which he has given you within any of your gates. The unclean and the clean may eat it, if it is such as the gazelle and the roebuck. 16But you shall not consume the blood. You will pour it out on the ground like water. 17You shall not be able to eat within your gates the tithe of your corn or your new wine or your new oil or the firstlings of your oxen or your sheep, or any of your vows which you have made, or your freewill-offerings or the heave-offering of your hand. 18But you will eat it before the Lord your God in the place which the Lord your God chooses – you and your son and your daughter and your manservant and your maidservant and the Levite who is within your gates – and you will rejoice before the Lord your God in everything you turn your hand to. 19Be on your guard not to forsake the Levite all your days on your land. 20When the Lord your God widens your territory, as he has said to you, and you say, ‘I will eat meat’ – for your being longs to eat meat – then every time your being so longs, you shall eat meat. 21If the place which the Lord your God has chosen to establish his name is too far for you, then you will sacrifice animals from your oxen and your sheep which the Lord has given you, as I have commanded you, and you will eat within your gates whatever your being desires. 22But as the gazelle and the roebuck are eaten, so shall you eat them. The unclean and the clean shall eat them alike. 23But be steadfast not to consume the blood, for the blood is the soul, and you shall not consume the soul with the meat. 24You shall not consume it; you must pour it out on the ground like water. 25You shall not consume it, so that things go well for you and your sons after you, for you will do what is upright in the eyes of the Lord. 26But as for your holy things which you have, and your vows, you shall take them and come to the place which the Lord has chosen. 27And you shall perform your burnt offerings – the flesh and the blood – on the altar of the Lord your God. And the blood of your sacrifices will be poured out on the altar of the Lord your God, whereas you may eat the meat. 28Ensure you obey all these things which I am commanding you, so that it goes well with you and with your sons after you, age-abidingly – that you do what is good and upright in the eyes of the Lord your God. 29For the Lord your God will cut off the nations to which you are going, to dispossess them at your advance, and you will dispossess them, and you will dwell in their land. 30Be on your guard not to be ensnared into following them, after they have been destroyed in front of you, and not to seek their gods, saying, ‘How these nations served their gods! So I too will do likewise.’ 31You shall not do likewise to the Lord your God, for they did for their gods everything that is an abomination to the Lord, things which he hates, for they even burnt their sons and their daughters with fire for their gods. 32As regards the whole injunction which I am commanding you, you will ensure you carry it out. You shall not add to it, and you shall not take anything from it.

Reference(s) in Chapter 12: v.32 ↔ Revelation 22:18, Revelation 22:19.

Deuteronomy Chapter 13 

1If a prophet arises in your midst, or one who has a dream, and he gives you a sign or a wonder, 2and the sign or the wonder takes place, which he told you, when he said, ‘Let us follow other gods which you have not known, and serve them’, 3then you will not hearken to the words of that prophet, or to that dreamer of the dream, for the Lord your God is testing you, so as to know whether you love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul. 4You will follow the Lord your God, and you will fear him, and you will keep his commandments, and you will obey him and serve him and cleave to him. 5And that prophet or that dreamer of the dream will be put to death, for he has propounded apostasy against the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt and redeemed you from a house of slavery, by driving you from the way which the Lord your God commanded you to go on. So you will eradicate the evil out of your midst. 6If your brother – your mother's son – or your son or your daughter, or the wife of your bosom, or a neighbour who is like yourself, secretly entices you, saying, ‘Let us go and serve other gods’, which you have not known, neither you nor your fathers, 7any of the gods of the nations which are around you, near to you or far from you, from one end of the earth to the other end of the earth – 8you shall not hold him dear, and you shall not hearken to him, and your eye will not pity him, and you shall not have compassion on him, and you shall not cover him, 9but you will without fail kill him; your hand will be the first to be on him, to put him to death, and the hand of all the people will follow afterwards. 10And you will stone him so that he dies, for he tried to drive you from being with the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt – out of a house of slaves. 11And all Israel will hear and fear, and they will not do such a wicked thing as this again in its midst. 12If you hear it said in one of your cities which the Lord your God is giving you, to dwell there, 13Some worthless men have come out from your midst and have subverted the inhabitants of their city, saying, «Let us go and serve other gods which you have not known» ’, 14then you will seek and search and inquire diligently, and if it is true – if the matter is established – that this abomination has been committed in your midst, 15you will without fail strike the inhabitants of that city with the edge of the sword. Obliterate it and everyone in it, and its cattle, with the edge of the sword. 16And you will gather all its spoil onto the middle of its street and burn the city and all its spoil with fire completely, to the Lord your God, and it will be an age-abiding mound of ruins; it will not be built again. 17And nothing of the condemned place shall cleave to your hand, so that the Lord returns from the fury of his anger and shows you mercy, and he is merciful to you, and he multiplies you, as he swore to your fathers. 18For you shall obey the Lord your God, by keeping all his commandments which I am commanding you today, by doing what is upright in the eyes of the Lord your God.

Reference(s) in Chapter 13: v.1 ↔ Mark 13:22.

Deuteronomy Chapter 14 

1You are sons of the Lord your God. You shall not make incisions on yourselves, and you shall not make a bald patch between your eyes for the dead. 2For you are a holy people to the Lord your God, and the Lord has chosen you to be a people who are a special acquisition for himself from all the nations which are on the face of the earth. 3You shall not eat any abominable thing. 4These are the cattle which you may eat: the ox, the herded lamb, the herded goat, 5the roebuck, the gazelle, the fallow deer, the wild goat, the antelope, the oryx, the dorcas gazelle, 6and all cattle that divides the hoof and is cloven-footed with two hoof divisions and which chews the cud amongst the cattle. Such you may eat. 7But you shall not eat the following of those that chew the cud or of those that divide the cloven hoof: the camel and the hare and the rock hyrax, for they chew the cud, but they do not divide the hoof; they are unclean to you. 8And the pig, for it divides the hoof, but it does not chew the cud; it is unclean to you. You shall not eat their flesh, and you shall not touch their carcase. 9You may eat the following of everything in water: everything that has a fin and scales you may eat. 10But everything that does not have a fin and scales you shall not eat. It is unclean to you. 11You may eat every clean bird, 12but the following birds are those you shall not eat: the eagle, the ossifrage, the osprey, 13the vulture and the kite and the scavenger vulture, according to its kind, 14and every raven, according to its kind, 15and the ostrich, and the nightjar, and the sea-gull, and the hawk, according to its kind, 16the little owl and the great owl and the common owl, 17the pelican, the black vulture and the cormorant, 18and the stork, and the heron, after its kind, and the hoopoe and the bat, 19and all swarming insects that fly – they are unclean to you; they shall not be eaten. 20You may eat any clean bird. 21You shall not eat any carcase. You may give it to the foreigner who is in your gates, and he may eat it, or you may sell it to the foreigner, for you are a holy people to the Lord your God. You shall not boil a kid in its mother's milk. 22You will make a point of tithing all the produce of your seed which comes up in the field year by year. 23And you will eat before the Lord your God, in the place where he chooses to seat his name, the tithe of your corn, your new wine, and your new oil, and the firstlings of your oxen and your sheep, in order that you learn to fear the Lord your God at all times. 24Now if the way is too much for you, because you are not able to carry it, if the place where the Lord your God has chosen to place his name is too far away for you (for the Lord your God blesses you), 25then you will exchange it for money, and you will bind the money to your hand, and you will go to the place which the Lord your God has chosen. 26And you will exchange the money for anything that your being desires – for oxen and sheep and wine and strong drink, and everything your being asks for – and you will eat it there before the Lord your God, and you and your house will rejoice. 27And as for the Levite who is within your gates, you will not desert him, for he has no share or inheritance with you. 28At the end of three years you will bring out the whole tithe of your produce in that year and deposit it at your gates. 29And the Levite will come, because he has no share or inheritance with you, and the foreigner, and the orphan, and the widow, who are within your gates, and they will eat and be satisfied, so that the Lord your God may bless you in all the work of your hands that you undertake.

Deuteronomy Chapter 15 

1At the end of seven years you will hold a remission. 2And this is the nature of the remission. Every creditor who has lent to his neighbour will cancel the debt. He shall not exact payment from his neighbour or his brother, because the Lord's remission has been called. 3You may exact payment from a foreigner, but you shall cancel the debt of whatever your brother has of yours, 4to the end that there will be no poor among you, for the Lord will certainly bless you in the land which the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance to take possession of, 5but only if you diligently obey the Lord your God by ensuring to do this whole body of commandments with which I am commanding you today. 6For the Lord your God has blessed you, as he has spoken to you, and you shall lend to many nations, but you shall not borrow, so you shall rule many nations, but they shall not rule you. 7If any one of your brothers is poor in any one of your gates in your land which the Lord your God is giving you, you will not harden your heart, and you will not shut your hand to your poor brother. 8Rather, you will definitely open your hand to him, and you will definitely lend him sufficient for his need which he suffers. 9Be on your guard that there should be no thought in a base-minded heart of yours whereby you say, ‘The seventh year has come near, the year of the remission’ and your eye is ill-disposed towards your poor brother, and you do not give him anything, and he calls out to the Lord against you, and a sin will be counted against you. 10You will definitely give him what he needs; your heart will not be in bad grace when you give it to him, for it is on account of this matter that the Lord your God will bless you in all your work and in all your undertaking. 11For there will never be a lack of poor in the midst of the land, which is why I am commanding you, saying, ‘You shall definitely open your hand to your brother, to your poor and to your needy in your land.’ 12If a Hebrew brother of yours, or a Hebrew woman is sold to you, and he serves you for six years, then in the seventh year you will let him go free from you, 13and when you let him go free from you, you shall not release him empty-handed. 14You will make a point of generously bestowing on him some of your flock and your threshing floor produce, and your wine vat produce. You will give him from what the Lord your God has blessed you with. 15And you will remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, but the Lord your God redeemed you, which is why I am commanding you this thing today. 16And it shall come to pass, if he says to you, ‘I shall not go away from you’ because he loves you and your house, because it was fine for him with you, 17then you will take an awl, and apply it to his ear and to the door, and he will be your permanent servant. And you will also do likewise in respect of your maidservant. 18It will not be hard in your sight when you let him go free from you, for it is replacement wages of a hired servant – he has served six years – and the Lord your God will bless you in everything you do. 19You shall sanctify to the Lord your God every male firstling that is given birth to among your cattle and your sheep. You shall not work with the firstborn of your oxen, and you shall not shear the firstborn of your sheep. 20You will eat it before the Lord your God year by year in the place which the Lord chooses – you and your household. 21If it has any blemish – being lame or blind – any bad feature, you shall not sacrifice it to the Lord your God. 22You – the unclean and the clean person alike – shall eat it within your gates, as with the gazelle or roebuck. 23But you shall not consume its blood; you shall pour it on the ground like water.

Deuteronomy Chapter 16 

1Keep the month of Abib, and celebrate the Lord your God's Passover, for in the month of Abib the Lord your God brought you out of Egypt by night. 2And you shall sacrifice the Passover to the Lord your God, sheep and oxen, in the place where the Lord chooses to seat his name. 3And you shall not eat anything leavened with it. For seven days you shall eat unleavened bread with it, bread of affliction, for you went out of the land of Egypt in haste, so that you remember the day of your exodus from the land of Egypt all the days of your life. 4And no leaven will be seen by you in all your territory for seven days, and none of the flesh which you sacrifice in the evening on the first day will remain until morning. 5You shall not sacrifice the Passover in any arbitrary one of your gates which the Lord your God is giving you, 6but in the place where the Lord your God chooses to seat his name. That is where you will sacrifice the Passover in the evening at sunset, in the season of your exodus from Egypt. 7And you will boil it and eat it in the place which the Lord your God chooses, and in the morning you will wend your way and go to your tents. 8For six days you will eat unleavened bread, and on the seventh day there will be a solemn assembly to the Lord your God. You will not carry out any work. 9You will count out seven weeks. From the start of the sickle going in the corn, you will start counting seven weeks. 10And you will celebrate the Festival of Weeks to the Lord your God, with a quantity of freewill-offering from your resources which you may give, according as the Lord your God blesses you. 11And you will rejoice before the Lord your God, you, and your son, and your daughter, and your manservant, and your maidservant, and the Levite who is within your gates, and the foreigner, and the orphan, and the widow, who are in your midst, in the place where the Lord your God chooses to seat his name. 12And you will remember that you were a slave in Egypt, so you will keep and perform these statutes. 13You will celebrate your Festival of Tabernacles for seven days when you gather in from your threshing floor and your wine vat. 14And you will rejoice in your festival, you, and your son, and your daughter, and your manservant, and your maidservant, and the Levite, and the foreigner, and the orphan, and the widow, who are within your gates. 15For seven days you will celebrate the festival to the Lord your God, in the place which the Lord chooses, for the Lord your God will bless you in all your produce and in all the work of your hands, and you will be joyful in all respects. 16Three times per year all your male population will see the face of the Lord your God in the place which he chooses at the Festival of Unleavened Bread and at the Festival of Weeks and at the Festival of Tabernacles. And they shall not see the presence of the Lord empty-handed. 17Each man will come with a gift according to his resources, according to the blessing of the Lord your God which he has given you. 18You will appoint yourselves judges and officials at all your gates, which the Lord your God is giving you by your tribes, and they will judge the people with righteous judgment. 19You shall not pervert judgment, you shall not show partiality, and you shall not accept a bribe, for a bribe blinds the eyes of the wise and subverts the words of the righteous. 20You shall pursue justice and nothing but justice, so that you may live and possess the land which the Lord your God is giving you. 21You shall not plant phallic parks of any tree for yourself alongside the altar of the Lord your God, which you might make for yourself, 22and you shall not set up any idolatrous statue for yourself, which the Lord your God hates.

Deuteronomy Chapter 17 

1You shall not sacrifice to the Lord your God an ox or a sheep which has a blemish – any bad feature – for that is an abomination to the Lord your God. 2If a man or a woman is found in your midst within any of your gates which the Lord your God is giving you, who does what is wrong in the eyes of the Lord your God, by transgressing his covenant, 3and if he departs and serves other gods and worships them, either the sun or the moon, or any of the array of heaven, which I have not commanded, 4and if a case is reported to you, and you hear it, and you inquire diligently, and if it is true – if the matter is established – that this abomination has been committed in Israel, 5then you will bring out to your gates that man or that woman who did this evil thing – the man or the woman – and you will stone them so that they die. 6On the attestation of two witnesses or three witnesses, he who is on a capital charge will be put to death. He shall not be put to death on the attestation of one witness. 7The hand of the witnesses will be on him first, to put him to death, and the hand of all the people afterwards, and you will eradicate the evil out of your midst. 8If a case is too difficult for you in judgment between blood shed by the parties, between accusations made by the parties, or between violence committed by the parties – the words of the contentions at your gates – then you will arise and go up to the place which the Lord your God chooses. 9And you will go to the Levite priests and to the judge who is in office in those days, and you will inquire, and they will tell you the judicial verdict. 10And you will act according to the verdict which they tell you from that place, which the Lord chooses, and you will ensure that you do everything that they instruct you. 11You shall act according to the law about which they instruct you, and according to the judgment which they tell you. You shall not deviate either to the right or to the left from the pronouncement which they tell you. 12And as for the man who acts defiantly, by not obeying the priest who stands ready to serve the Lord your God there, or the judge, that man shall die, and you will eradicate the evil from Israel. 13And all the people will hear it, and fear, and they will not act defiantly any more. 14When you come to the land which the Lord your God is giving you, and you take possession of it, and you live in it, and you say, ‘Let me appoint a king over me like all the nations which are around me’, 15you will certainly appoint a king over you whom the Lord your God chooses. You will appoint a king over you from the midst of your brothers. You cannot appoint a foreign man, who is not your brother, over you. 16But he shall not acquire masses of horses, and he shall not make the people return to Egypt in order to increase the number of horses, for the Lord has said to you, ‘You shall not return by that way any more.’ 17And he shall not acquire a large number of wives for himself, so that his heart does not swerve, and he shall not acquire a vast amount of silver and gold for himself. 18And it shall come to pass, as he sits on the throne of his kingdom, that he shall write out for himself a copy of this law in a book in the presence of the Levite priests. 19And it will be with him, and he will read from it all the days of his life, in order to learn to fear the Lord his God, to keep all the words of this law and these statutes, by carrying them out, 20so that his heart does not become haughtier than that of his brothers, and so that he does not deviate from the body of commandments to the right or to the left, so that he may prolong his days over his kingdom – he and his sons in the midst of Israel.

Deuteronomy Chapter 18 

1The Levite priests – the whole tribe of Levi – will have no share or inheritance with Israel. They will eat the Lord's fire-offerings and his inheritance. 2So Levi will have no inheritance in the midst of his brothers. It is the Lord who is his inheritance, in accordance with what he has said to him. 3And this will be the priest's right from the people – from those who offer a sacrifice, whether it is an ox or a sheep – they will give the priest a shoulder and the cheeks and the stomach. 4You will give him the firstfruit of your corn, of your new wine, and of your new oil, and the first fleeces of your sheep. 5For the Lord your God chose him of all your tribes, to stand and serve in the name of the Lord – him and his sons, day after day. 6And if a Levite comes from any of your gates, from anywhere in all Israel where he lives, and he comes with all enthusiasm to the place which the Lord chooses, 7and he serves in the name of the Lord his God, as do all his brothers the Levites who stand there before the Lord, 8they will eat similar portions, besides the proceeds of his paternal property. 9When you come into the land which the Lord your God is giving you, you shall not learn to do anything like the abominations of those nations. 10There will not be found among you anyone making his son or daughter pass through fire, anyone practising occult arts, or a fortune-teller from clouds, or a diviner, or a sorcerer, 11or a spellbinder, or a consulter of a medium of spirits, or a wizard, or anyone seeking contact with the dead. 12For everyone who does these things is an abomination to the Lord, and it is on account of these abominations that the Lord your God is dispossessing them in front of you. 13You will have integrity with the Lord your God. 14For these nations which you are dispossessing heed the fortune-tellers from clouds and those who practice occult arts, but as for you, the Lord your God has not permitted you to do so. 15The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from your midst, from your brothers. Him you will hear, 16in accordance with everything that you asked for from the Lord your God at Horeb on the day of the convocation, when you said, ‘Let me not hear the voice of the Lord my God again, nor see this great fire any longer, so that I do not die’, 17after which the Lord said to me, ‘They have done well with what they have spoken.’ 18I will raise up to them a prophet from the midst of their brothers like you, and I will put my words in his mouth, and he will speak to them everything that I command him. 19And it will come to pass for any man who does not listen to my words which he shall speak in my name, that I will require justice from him. 20But as for any prophet who is presumptuous by speaking in my name anything that I did not command him to speak, or who speaks in the name of other gods – then that prophet shall die. 21And if you say in your heart, ‘How shall we know whether it is a word which the Lord did not speak to him?’ the answer is this: 22when the prophet speaks in the name of the Lord and the matter does not come to pass, and it does not come about, then it is something that the Lord did not speak, and the prophet spoke it in presumption, and you shall not fear him.

Reference(s) in Chapter 18: v.15 ↔ John 1:21, Acts 3:22, Acts 7:37 ● v.18 ↔ John 1:21, Acts 3:22, Acts 7:37 ● v.19 ↔ Acts 3:23.

Deuteronomy Chapter 19 

1When the Lord your God cuts off the nations whose land the Lord your God is giving you, so that you dispossess them and dwell in their cities and in their houses, 2you will separate out three cities for yourself inside your land which the Lord your God is giving you to take possession of. 3You will prepare the way for yourself, and you will divide in three parts the territory of your land which the Lord your God will give you as an inheritance, and it will be for any manslayer to flee to. 4And these are the circumstances when the manslayer may flee there and live: when he strikes his neighbour unintentionally, and he did not hate him in the past, 5or when he goes into a forest with his neighbour to cut wood, and his hand drives the axe to cut the wood and the iron head comes off the handle and hits his neighbour, and he dies, then he will flee to one of these cities and may live, 6lest the avenger of blood pursues the manslayer, because his heart has flared up, and he catches up with him, because the way is long, and he strikes him dead, whereas he deserved no sentence of death, because he had not hated him in the past. 7That is why I am commanding you, saying, ‘You shall separate out three cities for yourself.’ 8And when the Lord your God broadens your territory as he swore to your fathers, and he gives you all the land which he said he would give to your fathers, 9if you keep this whole body of commandments, by carrying it out – what I am commanding you today – to love the Lord your God and to walk in his ways day after day, then you will add three more cities to these three. 10And no innocent blood shall be shed in the midst of your land which the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance, so that blood guilt would be on you. 11But if there is a man who hates his neighbour, and he ambushes him and rises up against him, and he strikes him lethally, and he dies, and the man flees to one of these cities, 12then the elders of his city will send for him, and they will take him from there and deliver him into the hands of the avenger of blood, and he will die. 13Your eye will not show pity on him, and you will eradicate the guilt of innocent blood from Israel, so that things go well for you. 14You shall not move the boundary with your neighbour, which will be marked out initially in your inheritance which you will inherit in the land which the Lord your God is giving you to take possession of. 15One witness against a man shall not stand for any iniquity or any sin – for any sinfulness by which he sins. A case will stand at the attestation of two witnesses or at the attestation of three witnesses. 16If a false witness against a man rises up, to testify against him deviously, 17then the two men who have a quarrel will stand before the Lord, before the priests and the judges who are in office in those days, 18and the judges will investigate thoroughly, and if the witness is a false witness – he has testified falsely against his brother – 19then you will deal with him as he planned to deal with his brother, and so you will eradicate the evil from your midst. 20And those who remain will hear and fear, and they will not do such an evil thing as this again in your midst. 21And your eye will show no pity. A life for a life, an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, a hand for a hand, a foot for a foot.

Reference(s) in Chapter 19: v.15 ↔ Matthew 18:16, John 8:17, 2 Corinthians 13:1.

Deuteronomy Chapter 20 

1When you go out to war against your enemies, and you see horses and chariots – a people greater than you – you shall not fear them, for the Lord your God, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt, is with you. 2And it will come to pass, when you engage in battle, that the priest will approach and speak to the people, 3and he will say to them, ‘Hear, O Israel, you are engaging in battle against your enemies today. Do not let your heart be faint, do not be afraid, and do not be alarmed, and do not be terrified in the face of them. 4For it is the Lord your God who goes with you, to fight for you against your enemies, to save you.’ 5And the officers will speak to the people and say, ‘What man builds a new house and does not dedicate it? Let him go and return to his house, so that he does not die in battle and another man dedicates it. 6And what man plants a vineyard and does not gather its vintage? Let him go and return to his house, so that he does not die in battle and another man gathers its vintage. 7And what man betroths a wife and does not take her in marriage? Let him go and return to his house, so that he does not die in battle and another man takes her in marriage.’ 8And the officers will further speak to the people, and they will say, ‘What man is fearful and faint-hearted? Let him go and return to his house, so that his brothers' hearts should not become faint like his heart.’ 9And it will come to pass, when the officers have finished speaking to the people, that they shall appoint the commanders of the armies at the head of the people. 10When you approach a city to do battle against it, you will proclaim peace to it. 11And it will be the case that if it answers you with peace and opens up to you, that all the people present in it will be yours under tribute, and they will serve you. 12But if it does not submit in peace to you, but wages war on you, then you will besiege it. 13And the Lord your God will deliver it into your hand, and you will strike down all its male population by the edge of the sword. 14But you will take for yourselves as booty the women and children and cattle and everything in the city – all its spoil – and you will eat the spoil of your enemies which the Lord your God has given you. 15You will act like this with all the cities which are very remote from you, which are not of the following peoples 16(and you will certainly not allow any living thing from the cities to live – the cities of these peoples which the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance), 17for you will completely obliterate them: the Hittite and the Amorite, the Canaanite and the Perizzite, the Hivite and the Jebusite, as the Lord your God has commanded you, 18so that they do not teach you to do the same as any of their abominations, which they perform for their gods, whereby you would be sinning against the Lord your God. 19For you will besiege the city for many days doing battle against it, to capture it. You will not destroy its trees by applying an axe to them, for you will eat from them. So you will not cut them down, for is the wild tree a man who can confront you in the siege? 20But as for a tree which you know not to be a fruit tree, you may destroy it and cut it down, and you may build a siege engine against the city which is waging war with you, until its fall.

Deuteronomy Chapter 21 

1If a slain man is found on the ground which the Lord your God is giving you to inherit, having fallen in the field, and it is not known who struck him, 2then your elders and your judges will come out and measure the distance to the cities which are around the slain man. 3And it will take place in the nearest city to the slain man that the elders of that city will take a calf of the oxen which has not been put to work – which has not drawn anything in a yoke – 4and the elders of that city will bring the calf down to an area with a constantly flowing brook, which is neither tilled nor sown, and there they will break the neck of the calf – at the brook, 5and the priests – the sons of Levi – will approach, for it is they whom the Lord your God has chosen to serve him and to bless in the name of the Lord, and according to their pronouncement every quarrel and every case of violence will be resolved. 6And all the elders of that city who are closely related to the slain man will wash their hands over the calf which has had its neck broken at the brook, 7and they will testify and say, ‘Our hands did not shed this blood, and our eyes did not see anything. 8Make atonement for your people Israel, O Lord, whom you redeemed, and do not lay innocent blood to their charge in the midst of your people Israel.’ And the blood-guilt will be atoned for for them. 9And you will eradicate the shedding of innocent blood from your midst, for you will do what is upright in the eyes of the Lord. 10If you go out to war against your enemies, and the Lord your God delivers them into your hand, and you take them into their captivity, 11and you see in the body of captives a beautiful woman, and you desire her, and you wish to take her as your wife, 12then you will bring her into your house, and she will shave her head and attend to her nails, 13and she will take her captive's garment off, and she shall dwell in your house, and she will weep for her father and her mother for a month of days, then after that you may go to her and marry her, and she will be your wife. 14And it will come to pass, if you are not pleased with her, that you will send her away as she wishes. And you will certainly not sell her for money. You shall not trade her, since you have ravished her. 15If a man has two wives, one loved and one hated, and they bare him sons – the one loved and the one hated – and the firstborn son is of the one hated, 16then it shall come to pass that on the day when he leaves his inheritance to his sons – what he possesses – he will not be able to designate as firstborn the son of the one loved in preference to the firstborn son of the one hated, 17but he shall recognize the firstborn – the son of the one hated – by giving him a double share of whatever he happens to have, for that man is the first child of his vigour; he has the right of the firstborn. 18If a man has a refractory and rebellious son, who does not obey his father or his mother, and they chasten him, but he does not listen to them, 19then his father and his mother will take hold of him and bring him out to the elders of his city and to the gate of his locality, 20and they will say to the elders of his city, ‘This son of ours is refractory and rebellious; he does not obey us. He is profligate and dissolute.’ 21Then all the men of the city will stone him, and he will die, and you will eradicate the evil from your midst, and all Israel will hear and fear. 22If there is a conviction against a man – a capital charge – and he is put to death, then you will hang him on a tree. 23His corpse will not remain on the tree all night, but you will make a point of burying him on that day, for a person hanging is an object of curse to God, and you will not defile your land which the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance.

Reference(s) in Chapter 21: v.15 ↔ Romans 9:13 ● v.23 ↔ Galatians 3:13.

Deuteronomy Chapter 22 

1You shall not see your brother's ox or his sheep going astray and ignore it. You will make a point of returning it to your brother. 2And if your brother is not a near relation to you, and you do not know him, then you will accommodate the animal in your household, and it will be with you until your brother searches for it, when you will return it to him. 3And you will do likewise with his donkey, and you will do likewise with his garment, and you will do likewise with every lost item of your brother's which he has lost and which you find. You are not permitted to feign ignorance. 4You shall not see your brother's donkey or his ox fall by the way and ignore it. You will make a point of getting it up with him. 5There shall be no item of men's kit on a woman, and a man shall not wear a woman's clothing, for anyone doing these things is an abomination to the Lord your God. 6If, when outdoors, you come across a bird's nest in any tree or on the ground – a brood or eggs – and the mother bird is lying on the brood or on the eggs, you shall not take the mother with the young. 7You will be sure to let the mother go, but you can take the young away, so that things go well with you, and you prolong your days. 8If you build a new house, then you shall make a parapet for your roof so that you do not incur blood-guilt in your house if anyone falls from it. 9You shall not sow your vineyard with diverse species, so that the fulness of the seed which you sow and the produce of the vineyard are not profaned. 10You shall not plough with an ox and a donkey together. 11You shall not wear compositely threaded material – wool and flax together. 12You shall make yourself tassels on the four sides of your vesture with which you cover yourself. 13If a man takes a wife, and he goes in to her, but he hates her, 14and he fabricates pretexts against her, and publicizes a scandal against her, and says, ‘I took this wife, and I went close to her, but I found her not to be a virgin’, 15then the father of the girl and her mother will take and bring out evidence of the virginity of the girl to the elders of the city at the gate. 16And the father of the girl shall say to the elders, ‘I gave my daughter to this man as a wife, but he hates her. 17And look, he has fabricated pretexts, saying, «I did not find your daughter to be a virgin, and this is the evidence of the virginity of my daughter.» ’ And they will spread the cloth before the elders of the city. 18And the elders of the city will take the man and chastise him, 19and they will fine him a hundred pieces of silver, and they will give them to the father of the girl, for he publicized a scandal against a virgin of Israel. And she shall be his wife; he shall not be able to divorce her all his days. 20But if this matter is true – the evidence of the girl's virginity is not found – 21then they will take the girl out to the door of her father's house, and the men of her city will stone her, and she will die, because she committed a folly in Israel by fornicating in her father's house, and you will eradicate the evil from your midst. 22If a man is found lying with a woman who is married to a husband, then they shall die – strictly both of them – the man lying with the woman, and the woman, and you will eradicate the evil from Israel. 23If a virgin girl is betrothed to a man, and another man finds her in the city and lies with her, 24then you will bring both of them out to the gate of that city and stone them, and they will die: the girl because she did not cry out in the city, and the man because he ravished his neighbour's future wife, and you will eradicate the evil from your midst. 25But if the man finds the betrothed girl in the field, and the man overpowers her and lies with her, then only the man who lay with her will die, 26and you will not do anything to the girl. The girl has not committed a capital sin, for as a man rises up against his neighbour and strikes him dead, so is this matter. 27For he found her in the field, and the betrothed girl cried out, but she did not have a deliverer. 28If a man finds a virgin girl who is not betrothed, and he seizes her and lies with her, and they are found, 29then the man lying with her will give the girl's father fifty pieces of silver, and she will be his wife, because he ravished her. He will not be allowed to divorce her all his days. 30A man shall not take his father's wife, and he shall not uncover his father's skirt.

Reference(s) in Chapter 22: v.24 ↔ John 8:5.

Deuteronomy Chapter 23 

1No man who is wounded by crushing or cutting off of the male organs shall enter into the Lord's convocation. 2No illegitimate offspring shall enter into the Lord's convocation. Even the tenth generation shall not take it upon themselves to enter into the convocation of the Lord. 3No Ammonite or Moabite shall enter into the Lord's convocation. Even the tenth generation shall not take it upon themselves to enter into the Lord's convocation, ever, 4because they did not meet you with bread and water on the way when you came out of Egypt, and because they hired Balaam the son of Beor from Pethor in Mesopotamia against you to curse you. 5But the Lord your God was not willing to listen to Balaam, and the Lord your God changed the curse into a blessing for you, for the Lord your God loves you. 6You shall not seek their peace or their welfare at any time, ever. 7You shall not regard the Edomite as abominable, for he is your brother. You shall not regard the Egyptian as abominable, because you were a foreigner in his land. 8Any sons that are born to them in the third generation may take it upon themselves to enter into the Lord's convocation. 9When you go out of your camp against your enemies, you will keep yourself from every evil thing. 10If there is a man among you who becomes not clean, by chance at night, he shall go out to the exterior of the camp; he shall not come straight back into the interior of the camp. 11And it shall come to pass at the approach of evening that he shall wash himself with water, and when the sun sets, he may come into the interior of the camp. 12And you will have a place outside the camp, and you will go there – outside – 13and you will have a spade with your equipment, and it will be the case that when you sit outside, you will dig with it and then turn and cover your excrement. 14When the Lord your God walks up and down in the midst of your camp, to deliver you and to set your enemies before you, your camp will be holy, and he shall not see the nakedness of anything with you and turn aside from you. 15You shall not deliver back to his master a servant who has escaped to you from his master. 16He will remain with you in your midst, in a place which he chooses at one of your gates, for his welfare. You shall not afflict him. 17There shall be no prostitute among the daughters of Israel, and there shall be no male prostitute among the sons of Israel. 18You shall not bring a harlot's immoral earnings or the proceeds of the sale of a dog to the house of the Lord your God for any vow, for decidedly both of these are an abomination to the Lord your God. 19You shall not lend to your brother at interest – interest in terms of money, interest in terms of food, or interest in terms of anything that one might exact as interest. 20You may lend at interest to the foreigner, but you shall not lend at interest to your brother, so that the Lord your God blesses you in every undertaking of yours on the land which you are coming to, to take possession of it. 21When you make a vow to the Lord your God, you shall not be tardy in fulfilling it, for the Lord your God will certainly claim it from you, otherwise there will be sin in you. 22But if you refrain from vowing, there will be no sin in you. 23Keep the utterance of your lips, and carry it out, in accordance with having vowed a freewill-offering to the Lord your God – that which you spoke with your mouth. 24When you go into your neighbour's vineyard, you may eat grapes as you desire – your fill – but you shall not put them in any container of yours. 25If you go into your neighbour's standing corn, you may pluck ears of corn in your hand, but you shall not swing the sickle into your neighbour's standing corn.

Reference(s) in Chapter 23: v.21 ↔ Matthew 5:33.

Deuteronomy Chapter 24 

1If a man takes a wife and marries her, it will be the case that if she does not find grace in his eyes, because he finds something shameful about her, then he shall write her a deed of divorce and place it in her hand, and he shall dismiss her from his house. 2And she will depart from his house and go away and become the wife of another man. 3And if the subsequent husband hates her, he shall write her a statement of divorce and place it in her hand, and he shall dismiss her from his house. Or if the subsequent husband who took her to be his wife dies, 4then the first husband, who dismissed her, cannot take her again to be his wife, after she has been defiled, for that is an abomination before the Lord, and you shall not bring sin on the land which the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance. 5When a man takes a wife and is newly wed, he shall not go out in the army, and no duty will be imposed on him. He will remain free for his household for one year, and he will please his wife whom he has taken. 6No-one shall bind another with a lower and an upper millstone as security, for that would be binding him by his livelihood. 7If a man is found stealing a person from his brothers – from the sons of Israel – and he makes merchandise of him, and he sells him, then that thief shall die. And so you will eradicate the evil from your midst. 8Beware of the plague of leprosy; be very much on your guard, also to do everything that the Levite priests instruct you. As I have commanded them, so you will ensure you act. 9Remember what the Lord your God did to Miriam, on the way when you were coming out of Egypt. 10If you lend anything to your neighbour as a secured loan, you shall not go into his house to take security for it. 11You shall stand outside, and the man to whom you are lending with security will bring out the security to you outside. 12And if he is a poor man, do not go to bed having his security. 13You will make a point of returning his security when the sun sets, and he will go to bed with his garment, and he will bless you, and you will have righteousness before the Lord your God. 14You shall not defraud a hired labourer, who is poor and needy, whether he is of your brothers or of your foreigners who are in your land within your gates. 15You will give him his wages on the day due, and the sun will not set on him not having received them, for he is poor, and he sets his heart on them, so he does not cry out to the Lord against you, and there is sin against you. 16The fathers shall not be put to death because of the sons, and the sons shall not be put to death because of the fathers. A man shall be put to death for his own sin. 17You shall not pervert the course of justice of the foreigner, nor of the orphan, and you shall not bind a widow on the security of her clothing. 18And you will remember that you were a slave in Egypt, and the Lord your God redeemed you from there, which is why I am commanding you to do this thing. 19When you reap your harvest in your field, and you forget a sheaf in the field, you shall not return to get it. It will be for the foreigner, for the orphan, and for the widow, so that the Lord your God blesses you in every undertaking of yours. 20When you beat your olive tree, you shall not glean the boughs after you. They will be for the foreigner, for the orphan, and for the widow. 21When you gather the vintage of your vineyard, you shall not glean after you. It will be for the foreigner, for the orphan, and for the widow. 22And you will remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, which is why I am commanding you to do this thing.

Reference(s) in Chapter 24: v.1 ↔ Matthew 5:31, Matthew 19:7, Mark 10:4.

Deuteronomy Chapter 25 

1If there is a quarrel between men, they shall present themselves at the judiciary, and the judges will judge them, and they will justify the one in the right and condemn the one in the wrong. 2And it will be the case, if the one in the wrong is deserving of a beating, that the judge will make him fall down, and he will beat him in front of him, in number according to his wrongdoing. 3He may beat him with forty strokes, but he shall not exceed that, so that he does not beat more than this number – a great beating – and your brother is made light of in your sight. 4You shall not muzzle the ox when it is threshing. 5If some brothers live together and one of them dies, and he has no son, the wife of the deceased shall not become the wife of a foreigner outside. Her brother-in-law will go in to her and take her as his wife, and he will marry her in the capacity of the deceased husband's brother. 6And it will be the case that the firstborn whom she bears will be raised in the name of his deceased brother, so his name shall not be blotted out from Israel. 7But if the man is not willing to take his sister-in-law, then let his sister-in-law go up to the gate, to the elders, and say, ‘My brother-in-law refuses to raise a name in Israel to his brother – he is not willing as the deceased husband's brother to marry me.’ 8Then the elders of his city will call him and speak to him, and if he stands his ground and says, ‘I do not wish to take her’, 9then his sister-in-law will approach him in the sight of the elders, and she will pull his shoe off his foot and spit in his face, and she will answer and say, ‘May it so be done to the man who does not build up his brother's house.’ 10And his name shall be known in Israel as, ‘The house of the one with the shoe pulled off.’ 11If two men are striving together – a man and his brother – and the wife of one approaches to deliver her husband from the hand of the one striking him, and she stretches out her hand and takes hold of his private parts, 12then you shall cut her hand off. Your eye shall not have pity. 13You shall not have in your bag two kinds of weight – one large and one small. 14You shall not have in your house two kinds of ephah, one large and one small. 15You shall have a full and just weight, you shall have a full and just ephah, so that your days may be prolonged on the land which the Lord your God is giving you. 16For everyone who does those things is an abomination to the Lord your God – everyone who commits injustice. 17Remember what Amalek did to you on the way when you were coming out of Egypt, 18what befell you on the way, when he attacked you in the rear – all those weak at your rear – when you were tired and weary, and he did not fear God. 19And it shall come to pass when the Lord your God gives you rest from all your enemies round about in the land which the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance, to take possession of it, that you will wipe the memory of Amalek out from under the sky. You shall not forget.

Reference(s) in Chapter 25: v.4 ↔ 1 Corinthians 9:9, 1 Timothy 5:18 ● v.5 ↔ Matthew 22:24, Mark 12:19, Luke 20:28.

Deuteronomy Chapter 26 

1And it will come to pass when you enter into the land which the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance, and you take possession of it and dwell in it, 2that you will take some of the firstfruit of every fruit of the land which you bring in from your land which the Lord your God is giving you, and you will put it in a basket, and you will go to the place in which the Lord your God chooses to seat his name. 3And you will go to the priest who is in office in those days, and you will say to him, ‘I declare today to the Lord your God that I have entered into the land about which the Lord swore to our fathers that he would give it to us.’ 4And the priest will take the basket from your hand, and he will place it in front of the altar of the Lord your God. 5And you will respond and say before the Lord your God, ‘My father was an Aramaean who was perishing, and he went down to Egypt and dwelt there with few men, but he became a great people there, powerful and numerous. 6And the Egyptians treated us badly and oppressed us and imposed harsh work on us. 7And we cried out to the Lord God of our fathers, and the Lord heard our voice and saw our affliction and our toil and our distress. 8And the Lord brought us out of Egypt with a strong hand and an outstretched arm and with great awe, and with signs and miracles. 9And he brought us to this place, and he gave us this land – a land flowing with milk and honey. 10And now look, I have brought the firstfruit of the land which you, O Lord, have given me.’ And you shall place it before the Lord your God, and you shall worship before the Lord your God. 11And you will rejoice at all the goodness which the Lord your God has given you and your household – you and the Levite and the foreigner who is in your midst. 12When you have finished tithing the whole tithe of your produce in the third year – the year of the tithe – and you have given it to the Levite, to the foreigner, to the orphan, and to the widow, so that they can eat at your gates and be satisfied, 13you shall say before the Lord your God, ‘I have conveyed the holy requirement from my house, and I have indeed given it to the Levite, and to the foreigner, to the orphan, and to the widow, according to the whole of your body of commandments which you commanded me. I have not transgressed your commandments, and I have not forgotten anything. 14I have not eaten from it in my frivolity, nor have I conveyed any of it in a state of uncleanness, nor have I appointed any of it for the dead. I have obeyed the Lord my God; I have acted according to everything you have commanded me. 15Look down from your holy dwelling place, from heaven, and bless your people – Israel – and the ground which you have given us, according to what you swore to our fathers, a land flowing with milk and honey.’ 16This day the Lord your God commands you to carry out these statutes and these regulations, and you shall keep and perform them, with all your heart and with all your soul. 17You have affirmed today that the Lord is your God, and that you will walk in his ways, and that you will keep his statutes and his commandments and his regulations and obey him. 18And the Lord has affirmed to you today that you will be his people as a special acquisition, as he has said to you, and for you to keep all his commandments, 19and to place you above all the nations which he has made, to be praise and renown and splendour, and for you to be a holy people to the Lord your God, as he has spoken.”

Deuteronomy Chapter 27 

1Then Moses and the elders of Israel commanded the people and said, “Keep the whole body of commandments which I am commanding you today. 2And it will be the case that on the day when you cross the Jordan into the land which the Lord your God is giving you, that you will set up some large stones and plaster them over with gypsum. 3And you shall write on them all the words of this law when you cross, so that you go into the land which the Lord your God is giving you – a land flowing with milk and honey – as the Lord God of your fathers has said to you. 4And it shall be the case when you cross the Jordan that you will set up these stones about which I am commanding you today, at Mount Ebal, and you will plaster them over with gypsum. 5And you will build there an altar to the Lord your God – an altar of stones. You shall not use an iron tool on them. 6You will build the altar to the Lord your God made with whole stones, and you will offer burnt offerings on it to the Lord your God. 7And you will sacrifice peace-offerings, and you will eat there, and you will rejoice before the Lord your God. 8And you will write on the stones all the words of this law. Engrave them meticulously.” 9Then Moses and the Levite priests spoke to the whole of Israel and said, “Be quiet and listen, O Israel. This day you have become a people to the Lord your God. 10And you will obey the voice of the Lord your God, and you will carry out his commandments and his statutes which I am commanding you today.” 11Then Moses commanded the people, on that day, and he said, 12“The following tribes shall stand to bless the people on Mount Gerizim when you cross the Jordan: Simeon and Levi and Judah and Issachar and Joseph and Benjamin. 13And the following shall stand for the curse on Mount Ebal: Reuben, Gad and Asher and Zebulun, Dan and Naphtali. 14And the Levites shall respond and say to every man of Israel in a loud voice, 15‘Cursed is the man who makes an idol or a cast image. The work of the hands of a craftsman, which he puts in a secret place, is an abomination to the Lord.’ And all the people shall respond and say, ‘Amen.’ 16‘Cursed is he who despises his father and his mother.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’ 17‘Cursed is he who moves his neighbour's boundary.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’ 18‘Cursed is he who lets the blind go astray on the way.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’ 19‘Cursed is he who perverts the course of justice with a foreigner, an orphan or a widow.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’ 20‘Cursed is he who lies with his father's wife, for he has uncovered his father's skirt.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’ 21‘Cursed is he who lies with any cattle.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’ 22‘Cursed is he who lies with his sister – his father's daughter or his mother's daughter.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’ 23‘Cursed is he who lies with his mother-in-law.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’ 24‘Cursed is he who strikes his neighbour in secret.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’ 25‘Cursed is he who accepts a bribe to strike and shed the blood of an innocent person.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’ 26‘Cursed is he who does not establish the words of this law, by doing them.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’

Reference(s) in Chapter 27: v.26 ↔ Galatians 3:10.

Deuteronomy Chapter 28 

1And it will be the case, if you rigorously obey the voice of the Lord your God by ensuring to carry out all his commandments which I am commanding you today, that the Lord your God will set you above all the nations of the earth. 2And all the following blessings will come upon you and overtake you, if you obey the voice of the Lord your God. 3Blessed you will be in the town, and blessed you will be in the country. 4Blessed will be the fruit of your womb and the fruit of your land and the fruit of your cattle – the offspring of your oxen and the issue of your flock animals. 5Blessed will be your basket and your store. 6Blessed you will be in your coming, and blessed you will be in your going. 7The Lord will grant that your enemies who rise up against you will be struck down before you. They will come out towards you in one direction, and they will flee in seven directions before you. 8The Lord will command the blessing to be with you in your storehouses and in every undertaking of yours, and he will bless you in the land which the Lord your God is giving you. 9The Lord will raise you up to be a holy people to him, as he has sworn to you, if you keep the commandments of the Lord your God, and you walk in his ways. 10And all the various peoples of the earth will see that the name of the Lord is what you are called after, and they will be afraid of you. 11And the Lord will cause you to abound in good things – in the fruit of your womb, and in the fruit of your cattle, and in the fruit of your ground on the ground about which the Lord swore to your fathers that he would give it to you. 12The Lord will open his good treasury to you – the heavens to give rain to your land in its season and to bless every work of your hands – and you will lend to great nations, but you shall not borrow. 13And the Lord will make you the head and not the tail, and you will be only high up, and you will not be low down, if you obey the commandments of the Lord your God which I am commanding you today to keep and to carry out. 14And you shall not depart from any of the words which I am commanding you today, neither to the right nor to the left, in going after other gods to serve them. 15But it will come to pass, if you do not obey the voice of the Lord your God, in ensuring to carry out all his commandments and his statutes which I am commanding you today, then all the following curses will come upon you, and they will overtake you. 16Cursed you will be in the town, and cursed you will be in the country. 17Cursed will be your basket and your store. 18Cursed will be the fruit of your womb and the fruit of your ground – the offspring of your oxen and the issue of your flock animals. 19Cursed you will be in your coming, and cursed you will be in your going. 20The Lord will send the curse on you – turbulence and rebuke at every undertaking of yours which you do, until you are destroyed and until you perish swiftly on account of the wickedness of your deeds, in that you abandoned me. 21The Lord will cause a plague to keep a hold on you until it finishes you off in the land to which you are going, to take possession of it. 22The Lord will strike you with tuberculosis and with fever and with inflammation and with burning and with dehydration, and with blight and with mildew, and they will pursue you until you perish. 23And your sky that is over your head will be copper, and the land that is underneath you will be iron. 24The Lord will make the rain of your land powder and dust. It will come down on you from the sky until you have been destroyed. 25The Lord will arrange that you are struck down before your enemies. You will go out in one direction towards them, but you will flee in seven directions before them, and you will be a target of atrocity to all the kingdoms of the earth. 26And your corpse will be food for all the birds of the sky and the beasts of the earth, and there will be no-one to frighten them away. 27The Lord will strike you with the ulcers of Egypt and with haemorrhoids, and with scurvy and with an itch, which you will not be able to be cured of. 28The Lord will strike you with madness and blindness and a bewildered heart. 29And you will be groping around at noon, as a blind man gropes around in thick darkness, and you will not prosper in your ways, and you will be nothing but oppressed and spoiled every day, and there will be no-one to save you. 30You will betroth a woman, but another man will ravish her; you will build a house but not live in it; you will plant a vineyard, but you will not gather its vintage. 31Your ox will be slaughtered before your eyes, but you will not eat any of it; your donkey will be snatched away in front of you, and it will not return to you; your sheep will be given to your enemies, and there will be no-one to save them for you. 32Your sons and your daughters will be given to another people, and your eyes will look and pine for them all day long, and there will be nothing in the power of your hand. 33A people whom you have not known will eat the fruit of your ground, and all your toil, and you will be nothing but oppressed and crushed every day. 34And you will become mad at the sight in front of your eyes which you will see. 35The Lord will strike you with a severe ulcer on the knees and on the legs, which you will not be able to be cured of, from the sole of your foot to the crown of your head. 36The Lord will lead both you and the king whom you set up over you, to a people whom you and your fathers have not known, and you will serve other gods there – wood and stone. 37And you will be an object of astonishment, the butt of proverbs and taunts among all the various peoples where the Lord will lead you. 38You will take out much seed to the field, but you will gather little, because the swarming locust will devour it. 39You will plant vineyards and cultivate them, but you will not drink the wine, and you will not gather the vintage, for the grub will eat it. 40You will have olive trees throughout your territory, but you will not anoint yourself with the oil, for your olives will fall off prematurely. 41You will beget sons and daughters, but they will not be with you, for they will go into captivity. 42The chirping locust will take possession of all your trees and the fruit of the land. 43The foreigner who is among you will rise above you higher and higher, but you will descend lower and lower. 44He will lend to you, but you will not lend to him. He will become the head, and you will become the tail. 45And all these curses will come upon you, and they will pursue you and overtake you, until you are destroyed, because you did not obey the voice of the Lord your God by keeping his commandments and his statutes which he commanded you. 46And they will be a sign and a wonder against you, and against your seed, age-abidingly, 47because you did not serve the Lord your God, with joy and cheerfulness at the abundance of everything. 48And you will serve your enemies whom the Lord will send against you, in hunger and in thirst and in nakedness and in need of everything, and he will put a yoke of iron on your neck until he has destroyed you. 49The Lord will mobilize a people from afar against you, from the end of the earth, as the eagle flies – a people whose language you will not understand – 50a people of fierce appearance who do not respect the aged, nor do they show compassion to a boy. 51And they will eat the fruit of your cattle and the fruit of your land until you have been destroyed, and they will not leave you corn or new wine or new oil, offspring of your oxen or issue of your sheep, until they have destroyed you. 52And they will besiege you at all your gates until your high and fortified walls come down in which you trust throughout your land, and they will besiege you at all your gates throughout your land which the Lord your God has given you. 53And you will eat the fruit of your womb, the flesh of your sons and your daughters whom the Lord your God has given you, in the siege and in the oppression with which your enemy will oppress you. 54The tender man among you, and the very delicate man, will be malevolently disposed towards his brother, and towards the wife of his bosom, and towards the remnant of his sons whom he has remaining, 55so that he will not give to any of them any of the flesh of the sons whom he eats, because he will not have anything remaining in the siege and in the oppression with which your enemy will oppress you at all your gates. 56The tender woman among you, and the delicate woman who does not venture to set the sole of her foot on the ground on account of her being delicate or because of her softness, will be malevolently disposed towards the husband of her bosom and towards her son and towards her daughter, 57and towards her placenta which comes out from between her legs, and towards her sons whom she bears, because she will eat them in a lack of everything, in secret, in the siege and in the oppression with which your enemy will oppress you at your gates, 58if you do not ensure to carry out all the words of this law, which are written in this book, in fearing this glorious and awesome name, the Lord your God. 59And the Lord will go to extraordinary lengths in striking you and in striking your seed – with great and firm striking and with harmful and tenacious diseases. 60And he will bring on you all the ailments of Egypt, of which you are fearful, and they will cling to you. 61Moreover the Lord will bring on you every disease and every blow which is not written in the book of this law, until you have been destroyed. 62And you will be left with few people, instead of being like the stars of the sky in multitude, because you did not obey the voice of the Lord your God. 63And it shall come to pass that as the Lord rejoices over you in doing you good and in increasing you, so shall the Lord rejoice over you in causing you to perish and in destroying you, and you will be plucked up off the land to which you are going, to inherit it. 64And the Lord will scatter you among all the various peoples, from one end of the earth to the other end of the earth, and you will serve other gods there which you and your fathers have not known – wood and stone. 65And you will not have quiet among those nations, and the sole of your foot will not have rest, and the Lord will give you a trembling heart there, and failing eyes, and a fainting spirit. 66And your life will hang in suspense before you, and you will be in fear by night and by day, and you will not be sure of your life. 67In the morning you will say, ‘If only it were evening!’ and in the evening you will say, ‘If only it were morning!’ because of fear in your heart with which you will be afraid, and for the sight of your eyes which you will see. 68And the Lord will bring you back to Egypt in ships, by the route about which I said to you, ‘You will not see it again’, and you will sell yourselves there to your enemies as menservants and maidservants, and no-one will buy you out.”

Deuteronomy Chapter 29 

1These are the words of the covenant which the Lord commanded Moses to make with the sons of Israel in the land of Moab, in addition to the covenant which he made with them at Horeb. 2Then Moses called the whole of Israel together, and he said to them, “You have seen everything that the Lord did before your eyes in the land of Egypt to Pharaoh and to all his servants and to all his land – 3the great trials which your eyes have seen – those great signs and wonders. 4But the Lord has not given you a heart to know or eyes to see or ears to hear up to this day. 5‘When I led you in the desert for forty years, your clothes on you did not wear out, and your sandals did not wear out on your feet. 6You did not eat bread or drink wine or strong drink, in order that you might know that I am the Lord your God.’ 7And you came to this place, and Sihon king of Heshbon and Og king of Bashan came out to confront us in war, and we defeated them, 8and we captured their land, and we gave it as an inheritance to the Reubenites and to the Gadites and to the Manassite half-tribe. 9Now you shall keep the words of this covenant, and you shall carry them out, so that you act wisely in everything you do. 10You are all standing today before the Lord your God – your heads of your tribes, your elders, and your officers, and every man of Israel, 11your little ones, your wives, and your foreigner who is in the midst of your camp, both the hewer of your wood and the drawer of your water – 12for you to enter into the covenant of the Lord your God and into his oath which the Lord your God is making with you today, 13in order to set you up today as a people to himself, and he will be God to you, as he has said to you, and as he swore to your fathers – to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob. 14‘And it is not with you alone that I am making this covenant and this oath’, 15but with whoever is here with us standing today before the Lord our God, and with whoever is not here with us today, 16for you know how we dwelt in the land of Egypt, and how we passed through the middle of the nations which you have passed through. 17And you saw their abominations and their idols – the wood and stone, silver and gold, which they had – 18being careful in case there is among you a man or woman or family or tribe whose heart is turning away today from being with the Lord our God, by going to serve the gods of those nations, in case there is a root among you bearing poison and wormwood, 19and it comes to pass, when he hears the words of this curse, and he blesses himself in his heart and says, ‘I will have peace, for I will walk in the obstinacy of my heart, so as to add drunkenness to thirst’, 20that the Lord will not be willing to forgive him, for then the Lord's anger and his jealousy will fume against that man, and all the curse written in this book will rest on him, and the Lord will blot his name out from under heaven. 21And the Lord will separate him from all the tribes of Israel to evil, according to all the oaths of the covenant which is written in this book of the law. 22And the latter generation – your sons who will arise after you – and the foreigner who comes from a far land, shall speak, when they see the blows on this land, and its sicknesses with which the Lord made it sick – 23sulphur and salt, the whole land a conflagration. It shall not be sown, and it will not support growth, and no grass will come up in it, as in the overthrow of Sodom and Gomorrah, Admah and Zeboim, which the Lord overthrew in his anger and in his fury. 24And all the nations will say, ‘Why did the Lord act so towards this land? What was the reason for the kindling of this great anger?’ 25And they will say, ‘Because they forsook the covenant of the Lord God of their fathers which he made with them when he brought them out of the land of Egypt. 26And they went their way and served other gods and worshipped them – gods they did not know and which he had not apportioned to them. 27And the anger of the Lord was kindled against that land, in bringing on it the whole curse which is written in this book. 28And the Lord uprooted them from their land, in anger and in fury and in great wrath, and he cast them into another land, as it is at this day.’ 29The hidden things of the Lord our God, and the things revealed to us and to our sons for the age, are: to carry out all the words of this law.

Deuteronomy Chapter 30 

1And it will be the case, when all these things come upon you – the blessing and the curse which I have put in front of you – that you will recall them in your heart, being among all the nations to which the Lord your God has driven you. 2And you will return to the Lord your God, and you will obey his voice, according to everything that I am commanding you today – you and your sons – with all your heart and with all your soul. 3And the Lord your God will restore your fortunes, and he will have mercy on you, and he will return and gather you from all the various peoples where the Lord your God scattered you. 4If one of you has been driven to the end of sky, the Lord your God will gather you from there, and he will fetch you from there. 5And the Lord your God will bring you to the land which your fathers took in possession, and you will inherit it, and he will treat you well, and he will increase you more than your fathers. 6And the Lord your God will circumcise your heart, and the heart of your progeny, with a view to you loving the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, for the sake of your life. 7And the Lord your God will place all these curses on your enemies and on those that hate you – those who persecuted you. 8And you will return and obey the voice of the Lord, and you will carry out all his commandments which I am commanding you today. 9And the Lord your God will cause you to abound in every work of your hands, in the fruit of your womb and in the fruit of your cattle, and in the fruit of your land, for your welfare, for the Lord will again rejoice over you in goodness, as he rejoiced over your fathers, 10when you obey the voice of the Lord your God, by keeping his commandments and his statutes, which are written in this book of the law, when you return to the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul. 11For this body of commandments which I am commanding you today is not too extraordinary for you, and it is not far from you. 12It is not in heaven, with you saying, ‘Who will go up to heaven for us and fetch it for us, and proclaim it to us so that we can carry it out?’ 13And it is not across the sea, with you saying, ‘Who will go across to the other side of the sea for us, to fetch it for us, and proclaim it to us, so that we can carry it out?’ 14For the word is very near you, in your mouth and in your heart, for you to carry it out. 15Look, I have put before you today life and prosperity, and death and adversity, 16in view of which I am commanding you today to love the Lord your God, to walk in his ways, and to keep his commandments, and his statutes, and his regulations, so that you live and multiply, and the Lord your God blesses you in the land to which you are going, to inherit it. 17But if your heart turns aside, and you do not obey, and you are drawn away, and you worship other gods and serve them, 18I tell you today that you will certainly perish – you will not prolong your days on the ground which you are crossing the Jordan to go to, to inherit it. 19I testify to you today by heaven and earth: I have put life and death, the blessing and the curse, before you, so choose life, in order that you and your seed may live, 20by loving the Lord your God, by obeying his voice and clinging to him, for he is your life and the prolongation of your days, in living on the ground which the Lord swore to your fathers – to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob – that he would give it to them.”

Reference(s) in Chapter 30: v.4 ↔ Matthew 24:31 ● v.12 ↔ Romans 10:6 ● v.13 ↔ Romans 10:7 ● v.14 ↔ Romans 10:8.

Deuteronomy Chapter 31 

1Then Moses came and spoke these words to the whole of Israel, 2and he said to them, “I am one hundred and twenty years old today. I cannot go out and come in any more, and the Lord has said to me, ‘You shall not cross this Jordan.’ 3The Lord your God is crossing before you. He will destroy these nations in front of you, and you will dispossess them. It is Joshua who will cross over before you, as the Lord has said. 4And the Lord will deal with them as he dealt with Sihon and with Og, kings of the Amorites, and their land, whom he destroyed. 5And the Lord will deliver them before you, and you will deal with them according to the whole body of commandments which I have commanded you. 6Be strong and take courage; do not fear and do not be terrified of them, for it is the Lord your God who is going with you. He will not desert you nor forsake you.7Then Moses called out to Joshua and said to him in the sight of the whole of Israel, “Be strong and take courage, for you will go with this people to the land about which the Lord swore to their fathers that he would give it to them, and you will cause them to inherit it. 8And it is the Lord who is going in front of you. He will be with you. He will not desert you nor forsake you. Do not fear and do not be afraid.” 9And Moses wrote this law, and he gave it to the priests – the sons of Levi – who carry the ark of the covenant of the Lord, and to all the elders of Israel. 10And Moses commanded them and said, “At the completion of seven years, at the time of the year of remission, at the Festival of Tabernacles, 11when all Israel comes to see the face of the Lord your God in the place which he chooses, you shall read this law in the presence of the whole of Israel, with them hearing. 12Convene the people, the men and the women and the children and your foreigner who is within your gates, so that they hear and so that they learn, and they fear the Lord your God, and they ensure to carry out all the words of this law. 13And their sons who have not known will hear and learn to fear the Lord your God, all the days that you are alive on the ground which you are crossing the Jordan to go to, to take possession of it.” 14And the Lord said to Moses, “Look, the days are approaching for you to die. Call for Joshua and both of you stand in the tent of contact, and I will command him.” So Moses and Joshua went and stood in the tent of contact. 15And the Lord appeared in the tent in a column of cloud, and the column of cloud stood at the entrance to the tent. 16And the Lord said to Moses, “You are about to lie down with your fathers, but the people will rise up and go whoring after the gods of the foreigner of the land who has come there in their midst, and they will forsake me and break my covenant which I made with them. 17And my anger will be kindled against them on that day, and I will leave them and hide my face from them, and they will be for devouring, and many distressful evils will befall them, and they will say on that day, ‘Is it not because my God is not in my midst that these evils have befallen me?’ 18But I will definitely hide my face on that day, because of all the evil which they will have done, for they will have turned to other gods. 19So now, write this song for yourselves and teach it to the sons of Israel. Put it in their mouths so that I have this song as a testimony among the sons of Israel. 20For I will bring them into the land about which I swore to his fathers, flowing with milk and honey, but they will eat and be satisfied, and they will grow fat, and they will turn to other gods and serve them, and they will despise me and break my covenant. 21And it will come to pass that many distressful evils will befall them, and this song will give testimony in their presence as a witness, for it shall not be forgotten from the mouth of their progeny, for I know their scheming which they are devising today, before I bring them into the land about which I swore.” 22And Moses wrote this song on that day, and he taught it to the sons of Israel. 23And he commanded Joshua the son of Nun and said, “Be strong and take courage, for you will bring the sons of Israel to the land about which I swore to them, and I will be with you.” 24And it came to pass when Moses had finished writing the words of this law in a book, in their entirety, 25that Moses commanded the Levites, who carry the ark of the covenant of the Lord, and he said, 26“Take this book of the law, and put it beside the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God, and it will be there as a testimony to you. 27For I know your recalcitrance and your stiff neck. Look, with me being still alive with you today, you have been recalcitrant with the Lord, so how much more after my death? 28Convene around me all the elders of your tribes, and your officers, and I will speak these words with them hearing, and I will cause heaven and earth to testify to them, 29for I know that after my death you will certainly act corruptly and depart from the way which I have commanded you, and evil will befall you in the latter days, for you will do evil in the eyes of the Lord, so as to provoke him to anger with the work of your hands.” 30Then Moses spoke the words of this song in their entirety in the audience of the whole convocation of Israel.

Reference(s) in Chapter 31: v.6 ↔ Hebrews 13:5.

Deuteronomy Chapter 32 

1“Give ear, O heaven,

And let me speak.

And hear, O earth,

The words of my mouth.

2My instruction will condense like rain

– My discourse will distil like dew –

Like showers on grass

And like fine rain on herbage,

3For I will proclaim the name of the Lord.

Attribute greatness to our God!

4He is the rock;

His work is perfect,

For all his ways

Are justice itself.

A God of faithfulness

And without iniquity,

Righteous and upright

Is he.

5A perverse and crooked generation

Has corrupted itself.

With their blemish,

They are not his sons.

6Do you recompense the Lord with this,

O foolish and unwise people?

Is not he your father,

Who purchased you?

– The one who made you

And fashioned you?

7Remember the days of old;

Discern the years

Of generation after generation.

Ask your father,

And let him inform you

– Your elders,

And let them tell you –

8Of when the Most High gave the nations their inheritance,

Of when he separated the sons of Adam

And appointed the borders of the various peoples

According to the number of the sons of Israel.

9For the portion of the Lord is his people.

Jacob is the legacy of his inheritance.

10He found him in a desert land

And in the howling desolation of a wasteland.

He encircled him and instructed him;

He guarded him as the apple of his eye,

11As an eagle stirs up its nest

And flutters over its young

And spreads its wings

And takes them

And carries them on its pinion.

12The Lord alone leads him,

And there is no foreign god with him.

13He made him ride on the heights of the earth,

And he ate the produce of the field,

And he gave him honey

To suck from the rock,

And oil from the flinty outcrop,

14And butter from cattle,

And milk from sheep,

With the fat of fatted lambs,

And rams of the Bashan breed,

And goats with fat,

And choice wheat.

And from the juice of the grape

One may drink wine.

15But Jeshurun became fat and recalcitrant

– You became fat, you became indifferent;

You became apathetic.

And he forsook God

Who made him,

And he despised

The rock of his salvation.

16They provoked him to jealousy

With foreign customs.

They provoked him to anger

With abominations.

17They sacrificed to demons,

– Not to God –

To gods that they had not known

– New ones that had recently arrived –

Whom your fathers never reverenced.

18You became oblivious to the rock

That begot you,

And you forgot the God

Who brought you forth.

19And the Lord saw it

And despised it

Because of the provocation to anger

Of his sons and daughters.

20And he said,

‘I will hide my face from them;

I will see what their final state is,

For they are a generation of perversities

– Sons in whom there is no faithfulness.

21They have provoked me to jealousy

With that which is not God.

They have provoked me to anger

With their idols.

So I shall provoke them to jealousy

With those who are not a people.

By a foolish nation

I will provoke them to anger.

22For a fire has been kindled in my anger,

And it is burning

Down to the lower underworld,

And it will consume

The earth and its produce,

And it will ignite

The foundations of mountains.

23I will heap evils on them;

I will expend my arrows on them.

24When they are exhausted by famine

And consumed by inflammation

And a bitter pestilence,

I will send against them the tooth of beasts

With the venom of the reptiles of the dust.

25Out of doors the sword

And indoors terror

Will bereave them

– Both the young man and the young maiden,

And the baby

With the grey-haired old man.

26I would have said

That I would blow them away;

I would have made the memory of them

Cease among mankind,

27Except that I feared the provocation of the enemy,

That their adversaries would mistake the situation

– That they would say,

«Our power is great

And it is not the Lord

Who did all this.»

28For they are a people devoid of counsel,

And there is no understanding among them.’

29If only they would become wise

And prudent in this respect,

That they would understand their final state.

30How can one pursue a thousand

And two put ten thousand to flight,

If it is not that their rock has sold them,

And that the Lord has delivered them up?

31For their rock

Is not like our rock,

Even our enemies

Are judges of that.

32For their vine is a vine from Sodom

And from blasted vineyards of Gomorrah.

Their grapes are grapes of hemlock.

Grape-bunches of bitter taste

Are what they have.

33Their wine is venom from serpents

And cruel poison from vipers.

34Is it not laid up in store with me,

Sealed up in my treasuries?

35Vengeance and retribution are mine.

Their foot will totter in due course,

For the day of their calamity is near,

And their future hastens on.

36For the Lord will judge his people,

And he will have compassion on his servants,

For he will see that their power has gone,

And that they are nothing but shut in

And abandoned.

37And he will say,

‘Where are their gods

– The rock in which they trusted –

38Their gods who consumed the fat of their sacrifices

And drank the wine of their libations?

Let them arise and help you;

Let there be protection over you.’

39See now that I myself am he,

And there is no god with me.

I put to death, and I give life.

I dash to pieces, and I heal,

And there is no-one

Who delivers from my hand.

40For I have raised my hand to heaven,

And I have stated

That I live age-abidingly.

41If I sharpen my glittering sword,

And my hand takes hold of it in judgment,

I will take vengeance on my adversaries,

And I will repay those who hate me.

42I will make my arrows

Drunk with blood,

And my sword will consume flesh

With the blood of the slain,

And of captives,

And from the chief of the leaders of the enemy.

43Shout for joy,

O nations and his people,

For he will avenge

The blood of his servants,

And he will retribute vengeance

On his adversaries,

And he will reconcile his land,

And his people.”

44Then Moses came and spoke all the words of this song with the people hearing – he and Joshua the son of Nun. 45And Moses finished speaking all these words to the whole of Israel. 46And he said to them, “Be attentive to all the words which I am testifying to you today, in that you shall command your sons to ensure to carry out all the words of this law. 47For it is not a trivial matter for you, for it is your life, and by this matter you will prolong your days on the land which you are crossing the Jordan to go to, so as to take possession of it.” 48And the Lord spoke to Moses on this same day and said, 49“Go to this Mount Abarim, Mount Nebo, which is in the land of Moab, which is opposite Jericho, and see the land of Canaan which I am giving the sons of Israel as a possession, 50and die on the mountain which you are going up to, and be gathered to your people, as Aaron your brother died on Mount Hor, and he was gathered to his people, 51because you dealt treacherously with me among the sons of Israel at the waters of Meribah-Kadesh, in the Desert of Zin, because you did not sanctify me among the sons of Israel. 52So you will see the land ahead, but you will not go there, to the land which I am giving the sons of Israel.

Reference(s) in Chapter 32: v.17 ↔ 1 Corinthians 10:20 ● v.21 ↔ Romans 10:19 ● v.35 ↔ Romans 12:19, Hebrews 10:30 ● v.36 ↔ Hebrews 10:30 ● v.43 ↔ Romans 15:10, Revelation 19:2, Hebrews 1:6.

Deuteronomy Chapter 33 

1And this is the blessing with which Moses, a man of God, blessed the sons of Israel before his death. 2And he said,

The Lord came from Sinai,

And he arose to them from Seir.

He shone from Mount Paran,

And he came from tens of thousands of holy ones.

On his right hand side

Was a fiery mandate for them.

3He very much loves the various peoples;

All his holy ones are in your hand.

And they are set down at your feet,

Where one is elevated by your discourses.

4Moses commanded us a law

– A legacy of the convocation of Jacob.

5And he became king in Jeshurun,

Where the heads of the people were gathered

Together with the tribes of Israel.

6‘May Reuben live and not die,

And may his men not be few in number.’

7Now this is concerning Judah, and he said,

‘Hear, O Lord, the voice of Judah,

And bring him to his people.

May his abilities be of great service to him,

And may you be a help from his adversaries.’

8And concerning Levi he said,

May your Thummim and Urim be with your gracious man

Whom you tested at Massah,

With whom you contended

At the waters of Meribah.

9And he said concerning his father and his mother,

«I have not seen him»,

And he did not recognize his brothers,

Nor know his son.

For they kept your word

And maintained your covenant.

10They will teach your judgments to Jacob

And your law to Israel.

They will put incense to your nose

And a complete burnt offering on your altar.

11Bless, O Lord, his wealth,

And accept the works of his hands.

Crush the loins of those

Who rise up against him

And those who hate him,

So that they cannot rise up.’

12Concerning Benjamin he said,

‘The beloved of the Lord

Will dwell in safety with him,

As he protects him all day,

And he dwells between his shoulders.’

13And concerning Joseph he said,

May his land be blessed by the Lord

With the preciousness of heaven – with dew –

And with the depth which lies underneath,

14And with the preciousness

Of the produce of the sun,

And with the preciousness

Of the yield of many moons,

15From the peak of the mountains of olden time,

And from the preciousness

Of the age-old hills,

16And with the preciousness

Of the earth and its fulness,

And acceptance by him

Who dwelt in the bush.

Let this come upon Joseph's head,

And on the Nazarite crown of the head of his brothers.

17May the firstlings of his oxen

Be to his glory,

And may his horns

Be as the horns of the buffalo.

With them he shall butt

Various peoples all at once

At the ends of the earth.

And they are the tens of thousands of Ephraim

And they are the thousands of Manasseh.’

18And concerning Zebulun he said,

‘Rejoice, Zebulun, when you go out,

And Issachar, in your tents.

19They shall call various peoples to the mountain;

There they will offer righteous sacrifices,

For they will ingest the abundance of the seas,

And the hidden treasures of the sand.’

20And concerning Gad he said,

‘Blessed is he who enlarges Gad.

He dwells like a lion,

And he tears off an arm,

Or even the crown of the head.

21And he provided the first part for himself,

For there a share for the lawgiver was reserved.

And he went to the heads of the people

And carried out the Lord's justice

And his judgments with Israel.’

22And concerning Dan he said,

‘Dan is a lion's whelp;

He shall leap from Bashan.’

23And concerning Naphtali he said,

‘Naphtali is abounding in favour

And is full of the Lord's blessing.

Inherit the west and the south.’

24And concerning Asher he said,

‘Asher is blessed with sons.

May he be favourably accepted by his brothers

As he dips his foot in oil.

25Your bolts are of iron and copper,

And as your days are,

So shall your strength be.’

26There is none like God, O Jeshurun,

Riding on heaven to your help,

And in his majesty on the sky.

27The age-old God is a refuge,

And beneath are age-abiding arms.

And he will drive out the enemy at your advance,

And he has said, ‘Destroy them.’

28Then Israel will dwell safely alone,

The eye of Jacob will be on a land of corn and new wine,

And his skies will also distil dew.

29Happy is Israel

– Who is like you?

A people saved by the Lord,

Your helping shield,

Who is also your majestic sword.

And your enemies will feign obedience to you,

And you will trample on their idolatrous raised sites.”

Reference(s) in Chapter 33: v.2 ↔ Jude 1:14.

Deuteronomy Chapter 34 

1Then Moses went up from the arid tracts of Moab to Mount Nebo, to the summit of Pisgah, which is opposite Jericho, and the Lord showed him all the land, from Gilead to Dan, 2and all Naphtali and the land of Ephraim and Manasseh and all the land of Judah as far as the Western Sea, 3and the south, and the tract of land in the Valley of Jericho, the City of Palm Trees, as far as Zoar. 4And the Lord said to him, “This is the land about which I swore to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob, and I said, ‘I will give it to your seed.’ I have shown it to you with your eyes, but you will not go across to there.” 5And Moses the Lord's servant died there, in the land of Moab, according to the Lord's pronouncement. 6And he buried him in the valley, in the land of Moab, opposite Beth-Peor, and no man knows his grave, as it is up to this day. 7And Moses was one hundred and twenty years old at his death. His eye had not become dim and his vigour had not deserted him. 8And the sons of Israel wept for Moses in the arid tracts of Moab for thirty days, and the days of weeping were completed – of mourning for Moses. 9Now Joshua the son of Nun was full of the spirit of wisdom, for Moses had laid his hands on him, and the sons of Israel listened to him, and they acted according to what the Lord had commanded Moses. 10But no prophet arose again in Israel like Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face, 11with all the signs and wonders which the Lord sent him to do in the land of Egypt, to Pharaoh and to all his servants and to all his land, 12and with all the mighty power and all the great fearfulness with which Moses acted in the sight of the whole of Israel.

Joshua  

Joshua Chapter 1 

1And it came to pass, after the death of Moses the servant of the Lord, that the Lord spoke to Joshua the son of Nun, Moses' servant, and he said, 2“Moses my servant is dead. So now, arise, cross this Jordan, you and the whole of this people, to go into the land which I am giving to them – to the sons of Israel. 3Every place that the sole of your foot is going to step on, I have given to you, as I said to Moses. 4From the desert and this Lebanon as far as the great river – the River Euphrates – all the land of the Hittites, and as far as the Great Sea in the west, shall be your territory. 5No man will be able to stand confronting you for all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I shall be with you: I will not desert you, and I will not forsake you. 6Be strong and take courage, for you will enable this people to inherit the land about which I swore to their fathers that I would give it to them. 7Just be strong and take great courage to ensure to do all the law which Moses my servant commanded you. Do not deviate from it to the right or to the left, so that you act wisely in every place you go. 8This book of the law shall not recede from your mouth, and you will meditate on it day and night, so that you ensure to act according to everything written in it, for then you will cause your way to prosper, and then you will act wisely. 9Have I not commanded you? Be strong and take courage. Do not be terrified and do not be afraid, for the Lord your God is with you in every place you go.” 10Then Joshua commanded the officers of the people and said, 11“Pass through the middle of the camp, and command the people, and say, ‘Prepare provisions for yourselves, for in three days' time you will be crossing this Jordan to go and take possession of the land which the Lord your God is giving you, to take possession of it.’ ” 12And Joshua spoke to the Reubenites and the Gadites, and half of the tribe of Manasseh, and he said, 13“Remember the word which Moses the servant of the Lord commanded you, when he said, ‘The Lord your God is giving you rest, and he has given you this land.’ 14Your women, your little ones and your cattle will remain in the land which Moses gave you on this side of the Jordan, but you will cross over armed before your brothers – all warriors in the army – and you will help them, 15until the Lord gives rest to your brothers, as to you, and they too take possession of the land which the Lord your God is giving them, and you return to the land of your possession, and you take possession of it, which Moses the servant of the Lord gave you on this side of the Jordan in the east.” 16And they answered Joshua and said, “Everything you have commanded us, we will do, and everywhere you send us, we will go. 17Just as we obeyed Moses in everything, so we will obey you, but let the Lord your God be with you, as he was with Moses. 18Any man who rebels against your pronouncement and does not hear your words in anything you command us will be put to death, but be strong and take courage.”

Reference(s) in Chapter 1: v.5 ↔ Hebrews 13:5.

Joshua Chapter 2 

1And Joshua the son of Nun sent out two spies secretly from Shittim, and he said, “Go and look at the land, and Jericho.” And they departed and came to the house of a prostitute woman whose name was Rahab, and they lodged there. 2And it was reported to the king of Jericho, and they said, “Look, some men from the sons of Israel came here tonight, to investigate the land.” 3And the king of Jericho sent men to Rahab, who said, “Bring out the men who came to you – who came to your house – because they came to investigate all the land.” 4But the woman had taken the two men and hidden them, and she said this: “The men came to me, but I did not know where they were from. 5When the gate was about to close in the dark, the men went out. I do not know where the men went. Pursue them quickly, because you will catch up with them.” 6Then she brought them up onto the roof and hid them with flax stalks which had been laid out by her on the roof. 7So the men pursued them on the road to the Jordan, at the fords, and the gate was closed after the pursuers had gone out after them. 8Then before they lay down, she came up to them on the roof, 9and she said to the men, “I know that the Lord has given you the land, and that dread of you has fallen on us, and that all the inhabitants of the land have become disheartened before you. 10For we have heard how the Lord dried up the water of the Red Sea in front of you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to the two kings of the Amorites who were across the Jordan – to Sihon and to Og – whom you obliterated. 11When we heard it, our hearts fainted and no man's spirit held up in him any more because of you, for the Lord your God is God in heaven above and on the earth beneath. 12So now, please swear to me by the Lord, since I have acted kindly to you, that you in turn will act kindly to the house of my father, and that you will give me a sign of truth, 13and that you will let my father and my mother live, and my brothers and my sister, and all that they have, and that you will save us from death.” 14And the men said to her, “May our life take the place of yours to die, providing you do not betray this affair of ours, and it will come to pass, when the Lord gives us the land, that we will act kindly and truly to you.” 15Then she let them down by a rope through the window, for her house was built into the wall of circumvallation, as she lived in the circumvallation. 16And she said to them, “Go to the mountain, so that those pursuing you do not come across you, and hide there for three days until the pursuers return, and afterwards you can go your way.” 17Then the men said to her, “We are in the clear with this oath of yours which you had us swear. 18Look, we are coming into the land. Bind this line of scarlet thread to the window by which you let us down and gather your father and your mother and your brothers, and the whole household of your father with you into the house. 19And it will be the case that anyone who comes out of the doors of your house to the outside will have his blood on his head, but we will be in the clear, but the blood of anyone who is with you indoors will be on our head if we lay a hand on him. 20But if you inform about this matter of ours, we will be clear from your oath which you had us swear.” 21And she said, “As your words are, so shall it be.” And she sent them off, and they departed, and she bound the scarlet line to the window. 22So they departed and came to the mountain, and they remained there for three days, until the pursuers had returned. And the pursuers searched on all the route, but they did not find them. 23Then the two men returned and came down from the mountain, and they crossed over, and they came to Joshua the son of Nun, and they recounted to him all the things that had befallen them. 24And they said to Joshua, “Because for his part the Lord has given us the whole land in our hand, so for their part all the inhabitants melted away at our presence.”

Joshua Chapter 3 

1Then Joshua got up early in the morning, and they moved from Shittim, and they came to the Jordan – he and all the sons of Israel – and they lodged there before they crossed over. 2And it came to pass, after three days, that the officers passed through the camp. 3And they commanded the people and said, “When you see the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God, and the Levite priests bearing it, you will move from your place and follow it. 4But there will be a distance of about two thousand cubits between you and it. Do not approach it. Do this so that you know the route you are taking, for you have not crossed by this route in times past.” 5And Joshua said to the people, “Sanctify yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will perform wonders in your midst.” 6Then Joshua spoke to the priests and said, “Bear the ark of the covenant, and cross over ahead of the people.” So they bore the ark of the covenant and went ahead of the people. 7Then the Lord said to Joshua, “This day I shall begin making you great in the eyes of the whole of Israel, so that they know that as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. 8And you will command the priests who bear the ark of the covenant, and say, ‘When you arrive at the edge of the water of the Jordan, stand in the Jordan.’ ” 9And Joshua said to the sons of Israel, “Come near, this way, and hear the words of the Lord your God.” 10And Joshua said, “This is how you will know that the living God is in your midst, and that he will definitely dispossess the Canaanite and the Hittite and the Hivite and the Perizzite and the Girgashite and the Amorite and the Jebusite at your advance. 11Behold the ark of the covenant. The Lord of the whole earth is crossing before you in the Jordan. 12And now, take for yourselves twelve men from the tribes of Israel – one man for each tribe. 13And it will come to pass, when the soles of the feet of the priests who bear the ark of the Lord – the Lord of the whole earth – come to rest in the water of the Jordan, that the water of the Jordan will be cut off – the water coming down from upstream – and it will stand still as one mass.” 14And it came to pass, when the people moved from their tents to cross the Jordan, with the priests bearing the ark of the covenant ahead of the people, 15and when the bearers of the ark came to the Jordan, and the feet of the priests bearing the ark were dipped in the edge of the water, while the Jordan was full up to all its banks – as it was all the days of the harvest-time – 16that the water which came down from upstream stood still. It rose as one mass, very far away in the city of Adam, which is beside Zarethan, and the water that descended into the Arid Sea – the Dead Sea – failed and was cut off. And the people crossed over opposite Jericho. 17Then the priests who were bearing the ark of the covenant of the Lord stood still on the dry land in the middle of the Jordan, firmly, and all Israel crossed on dry land, until the whole of the people had completed crossing the Jordan.

Joshua Chapter 4 

1And it came to pass, when all the people had finished crossing the Jordan, that the Lord spoke to Joshua and said, 2“Take for yourselves twelve men from the people, one man from each tribe, 3and command them, and say, ‘Take for yourselves from here – from the middle of the Jordan, from the standing place of the priests' feet – twelve stones to set up. So take them across with you, and set them down in the lodging place where you lodge tonight.’ ” 4Then Joshua called for the twelve men whom he had appointed from the sons of Israel, one man from each tribe, 5and Joshua said to them, “Cross in the presence of the ark of the Lord your God to the middle of the Jordan, and let each man lift up one stone on his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Israel, 6so that this will be a sign in your community, for your sons will ask about it in the future and say, ‘What is the significance of these stones to you?’ 7And you will say to them that the water of the Jordan was cut off ahead of the ark of the covenant of the Lord. When it crossed the Jordan, the water of the Jordan was cut off, and these stones are a memorial to the sons of Israel, age-abidingly.” 8And the sons of Israel did so, as Joshua had commanded, and they took twelve stones from the middle of the Jordan, as the Lord had said to Joshua, corresponding to the number of the tribes of the sons of Israel, and they took them across with them to the lodging place, and they set them down there. 9And Joshua set up twelve stones in the middle of the Jordan, at the standing place of the feet of the priests who bore the ark of the covenant, and they have been there up to this day. 10And the priests who bore the ark stood in the middle of the Jordan until the whole event was finished which the Lord had commanded Joshua to say to the people, according to everything that Moses had commanded Joshua. And the people hastened and crossed over. 11And it came to pass, when all the people had finished crossing, that the ark of the Lord and the priests crossed over in the presence of the people. 12And the sons of Reuben and the sons of Gad and half of the tribe of Manasseh crossed over armed in the presence of the sons of Israel, as Moses had said to them. 13About forty thousand armed men in the army crossed over before the Lord, to war, to the arid tracts of Jericho. 14On that day the Lord magnified Joshua in the eyes of the whole of Israel, and they feared him as they feared Moses, all the days of his life. 15And the Lord spoke to Joshua, and he said, 16“Command the priests, who bear the ark of the testimony, that they are to come up out of the Jordan.” 17So Joshua commanded the priests, and he said, “Come up out of the Jordan.” 18And it came to pass, when the priests who bore the ark of the covenant of the Lord came up out of the Jordan, and the soles of the priests' feet retired onto dry land, that the water of the Jordan returned to its place, and it ran as in times past on all its banks. 19And the people came up out of the Jordan on the tenth day of the first month, and they encamped in Gilgal, at the eastern end of Jericho. 20And Joshua set up in Gilgal those twelve stones which they had taken from the Jordan. 21And he spoke to the sons of Israel, and he said, “When your sons ask their fathers in the future, and they say, ‘What do those stones signify?’ – 22you will inform your sons and say, ‘Israel crossed this Jordan on dry land, 23because the Lord your God dried up the water of the Jordan in front of you until you had crossed, as the Lord your God did to the Red Sea, which he dried up before us until we had crossed, 24so that all the various peoples of the world would know the power of the Lord, that it was strong, so that you might fear the Lord your God always.’ ”

Joshua Chapter 5 

1And it came to pass, when all the kings of the Amorites who were on the western side of the Jordan, and all the kings of the Canaanites who were beside the sea, heard that the Lord had dried up the water of the Jordan in the presence of the sons of Israel until we had crossed, that their hearts melted away, and they no longer had any inward mettle in them in the face of the sons of Israel. 2At that time the Lord said to Joshua, “Make yourselves knives of rock, and circumcise again the sons of Israel – a second round.” 3So Joshua made himself knives of rock, and he circumcised the sons of Israel at the Hill of Foreskins. 4And this is the circumstance of Joshua circumcising: all the people who came out of Egypt, the males, all the men of war, had died in the desert on the way when they had come out of Egypt, 5because all the people who came out had been circumcised, but they had not circumcised any of the people born in the desert on the way when they had come out of Egypt. 6For the sons of Israel went for forty years in the desert until all the people – the men of war who came out of Egypt, who did not obey the voice of the Lord – were finished off, those to whom the Lord swore that he would not show them the land about which the Lord had sworn to their fathers that he would give it to us, a land flowing with milk and honey. 7And he raised up their sons in their place, and it was they whom Joshua circumcised, because they were uncircumcised, because they did not circumcise them on the way. 8And it came to pass, when all the people had finished being circumcised, that they remained in their place in the camp until they had recovered. 9And the Lord said to Joshua, “Today I rolled the reproach of Egypt away from you.” And he called that place Gilgal, as it is called up to this day. 10And the sons of Israel encamped in Gilgal, and they held the Passover on the fourteenth day of the month in the evening, in the arid tracts of Jericho. 11And they ate, from the past produce of the land, on the day after the Passover, unleavened bread and roasted corn, on this very day. 12And the manna ceased on the day after when they ate from the past produce of the land, and the sons of Israel had no more manna, and they ate from the produce of the land of Canaan in that year. 13And when Joshua was in Jericho, he lifted up his eyes and looked, and what he saw was a man standing opposite him, with his sword unsheathed in his hand. And Joshua went up to him and said to him, “Are you for us or for our adversaries?” 14And he said, “Not the latter, because I have come now as the commander of the army of the Lord.” Then Joshua fell with his face to the ground and worshipped, and he said to him, “What does my Lord say to his servant?” 15And the commander of the army of the Lord said to Joshua, “Take your shoe off your foot, for the place which you are standing on is holy.” And Joshua did so.

Joshua Chapter 6 

1Now Jericho was shut and closed up because of the sons of Israel. No-one came out and no-one went in. 2And the Lord said to Joshua, “Look, I have delivered Jericho, and its king, into your hand, valiant warriors though they be. 3And you will circle round the city – all the men of war. Go around the city once, and so you will do for six days. 4And seven priests will bear seven far-sounding ramshorns before the ark, and on the seventh day you will circle round the city seven times, and the priests will blow the ramshorns. 5And it will come to pass, when you draw out a far-reaching sound on the horn, when you hear the sound of the ramshorn, that all the people will utter a great shout, and the wall of the city will collapse, and the people will go up, each man forwards.” 6Then Joshua the son of Nun called for the priests, and he said to them, “Take up the ark of the covenant, and let seven priests take up seven far-sounding ramshorns before the ark of the Lord.” 7And they said to the people, “Cross over and encircle the city, and let every armed man cross over before the ark of the Lord.” 8And it came to pass, as Joshua spoke to the people, that the seven priests bearing the seven far-sounding ramshorns, before the Lord, crossed over and sounded the ramshorns, and the ark of the covenant of the Lord followed them. 9And he who was armed went before the priests who sounded the ramshorns. And the rearguard followed the ark, and they went sounding the ramshorns. 10Then Joshua commanded the people, and he said, “Do not shout, and do not let your voices be heard, and let nothing be uttered from your mouth until the day when I say to you, ‘Shout’, then you will shout.” 11So the ark of the Lord circled round the city by going round once, and they came back to the camp, and they lodged at the camp. 12Then Joshua rose early in the morning, and the priests took up the ark of the Lord, 13while seven priests were bearing seven far-sounding ramshorns before the ark of the Lord, walking continually and sounding the ramshorns, and whoever was armed went before them, and the rearguard followed the ark of the Lord, and they sounded the ramshorns as they went. 14And they circled round the city on the second day once, then they returned to the camp. So they did for six days. 15And it came to pass on the seventh day that they rose early at the break of dawn and circled round the city seven times, as was this custom, except that on that day it was seven times that they circled round the city. 16And it came to pass the seventh time, that the priests sounded the ramshorns, and Joshua said to the people, “Shout! For the Lord has given you the city. 17And the city shall become a cursed place to the Lord, it and everyone in it, except that Rahab the prostitute shall live – she and all those with her at home – because she hid the two scouts whom we sent. 18And indeed, you must be on your guard with the cursed place, so that you do not become a cursed person, and you take anything from the cursed place, and you make the camp of Israel become a cursed site, and you cause it sorrow. 19And all silver and gold and articles of copper and iron are holy to the Lord. They will go into the Lord's treasury.” 20Then the people shouted, and the ramshorns were sounded, and it came to pass that when the people heard the sound of the ramshorn, the people shouted with a great shout, and the wall collapsed, and the people went up into the city, each man forwards, and they captured the city. 21And they obliterated everything in the city, both man and woman, both child and old man, including oxen and sheep and donkeys, with the edge of the sword. 22But Joshua had said to the two men who spied on the land, “Go to the house of the prostitute woman and bring the woman out from there with all those belonging to her, as you swore to her.” 23So the young men who did the spying went in and brought Rahab out, and her father and her mother, and her brothers, and all that belonged to her. And they brought out all her family members and set them down outside the camp of Israel. 24Then they burnt the city with fire, and everything that was in it, except that they put the silver and gold and the articles of copper and iron in the treasury of the house of the Lord. 25And Joshua let Rahab the prostitute live, and the household of her father, and everyone that belonged to her, and she has been living in the midst of Israel to this day, because she hid the scouts whom Joshua sent out to spy out Jericho. 26And Joshua adjured them at that time, and he said, “Cursed before the Lord is the man who arises and builds this city – Jericho. He will lay the foundations at the cost of his firstborn, and he will install gates at the cost of his younger son.” 27And the Lord was with Joshua, and his fame was spread all over the land.

Joshua Chapter 7 

1But the sons of Israel acted treacherously in the cursed place, and Achan, the son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took goods from the cursed place, and the anger of the Lord was kindled against the sons of Israel. 2Then Joshua sent men from Jericho to Ai which is conglomerate with Beth-Aven to the east of Beth-El, and he spoke to them and said, “Go up and spy out the land.” So the men went up and spied out Ai. 3Then they returned to Joshua and said to him, “Do not have all the people go up. Have about two thousand or about three thousand men go up and strike Ai. Do not weary all the people there, for they are few.” 4So about three thousand men from the people went up, but they fled from the men of Ai. 5And the men of Ai struck down about thirty-six men, and they pursued them from the front of the gate as far as Shebarim, and they struck them on the way down, and the heart of the people melted away and became water. 6Then Joshua tore his clothes and fell face down to the ground before the ark of the Lord until the evening – he and the elders of Israel – and they cast up dust onto their heads. 7And Joshua said, “Alas, my Lord the Lord, why did you so specially have this people cross over the Jordan to deliver us into the hand of the Amorite to destroy us? So if only we had been contented to live on the other side of the Jordan. 8Please, Lord*, what shall I say, now that Israel has retreated at the presence of its enemies? 9And the Canaanites and all the inhabitants of the land have heard, and they will surround us and cut off our name from the earth. Then what will you do about your great name?” 10At this the Lord said to Joshua, “Get yourself up. Why is it that you have fallen face down? 11Israel has sinned, and they have also transgressed my covenant which I commanded them, and they have also taken goods from the cursed place, and they have also stolen, and they have also lied, and they have put them in their boxes. 12So the sons of Israel will not be able to stand in the presence of their enemies, and they will retreat in the presence of their enemies, because they have been made an object of cursing. I will not be with you any more if you do not eradicate the cursed object from your midst. 13Arise, sanctify the people and say, ‘Sanctify yourselves for tomorrow, for this is what the Lord God of Israel says: «There is a cursed object in your midst, O Israel. You will not be able to stand against your enemies until you have removed the cursed object from your midst. 14Now you will approach in the morning by your tribes, and it will be the case that the tribe which the Lord convicts will approach by families, and the family which the Lord convicts will approach by households, and the household which the Lord convicts will approach by men. 15And it will be the case that he who is convicted of the cursed object will be burned with fire – he and everything he has – because he has transgressed the Lord's covenant, and because he has committed a foolish act in Israel.» ’ ” 16So Joshua arose early in the morning, and he gathered Israel together by their tribes, and the tribe of Judah was convicted. 17So he had the family of Judah approach, and he convicted the family of Zarhi. Then he had the family of Zarhi approach by men, and Zabdi was convicted. 18Then he had his household approach by men, and Achan, the son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, was convicted. 19Then Joshua said to Achan, “My son, do accord honour to the Lord God of Israel and make confession to him and tell me, please, what you have done. Do not conceal anything from me.” 20Then Achan answered Joshua and said, “Indeed I have sinned against the Lord God of Israel, and I did such and such. 21When I saw among the spoil a fine mantle from Shinar, and two hundred shekels of silver, and a bar of gold whose weight was fifty shekels, I coveted them, and I took them, and now they are hidden in the ground inside my tent, with the silver under it.” 22Then Joshua sent out messengers, and they ran to the tent, and there it was hidden in his tent, with the silver under it. 23Then they took the goods from the interior of the tent, and they brought them to Joshua and to all the sons of Israel, and they laid them out before the Lord. 24And Joshua took Achan the great grandson of Zerah, and the silver, and the mantle, and the bar of gold, and his sons, and his daughters, and his ox and his donkey and his sheep and his tent and everything he had, while all Israel was present with him, and they brought them up to the Valley of Achor. 25And Joshua said, “Why have you caused us trouble? The Lord will cause you trouble this day.” Then all Israel stoned him, and they burned them with fire, and they stoned them. 26And they raised a great heap of stones over him, which is there up to this day, and the Lord relented from the fury of his anger. For this reason he called that place the Valley of Achor, as it is up to this day.

Joshua Chapter 8 

1Then the Lord said to Joshua, “Do not fear and do not be afraid. Take all the military people with you, and arise and go up to Ai. Look, I have delivered the king of Ai into your hand, with his people and his city and his land. 2So do to Ai and its king as you did to Jericho and its king, but you may take as booty its spoils and its cattle for yourselves. Ambush the city behind it.” 3So Joshua arose with all the military people to go up to Ai, and Joshua selected thirty thousand men, valiant warriors, and he sent them out by night. 4And he commanded them, and he said, “Look, you are ambushing the city behind the city. Do not go very far from the city, but all of you be prepared. 5And I and all the people who are with me will approach the city, and it will be the case that they will come out against us as the first time, and we will flee before them. 6And they will come after us until we have drawn them away from the city, for they will say, ‘They are fleeing before us as the first time’, and we will flee before them. 7Then you will arise from the ambush and take possession of the city, and the Lord your God will deliver it into your hand. 8And it will be the case that when you capture the city, you will set the city on fire. You will act according to the word of the Lord. Look, I have commanded you.” 9So Joshua sent them off, and they went to the ambush, and they remained between Beth-El and Ai to the west of Ai, while Joshua lodged that night among the people. 10Then Joshua got up early in the morning, and he reviewed the people, then he and the elders of Israel went up before the people to Ai. 11And all the military people who were with him went up and approached it, and they came opposite the city, and they encamped to the north of Ai. Now there was a valley between them and Ai. 12And he took about five thousand men and stationed them as an ambush between Beth-El and Ai to the west of the city. 13And they stationed the people – the whole camp which was to the north of the city – and their trap to the west of the city, while Joshua went into the valley that night. 14And it came to pass, when the king of Ai saw it, that the men of the city quickly got up and went out to confront Israel in war – he and all his people at the appointed time, before the arid tract – but he did not know that there was an ambush for him behind the city. 15Then Joshua and all Israel acted as if beaten by them, and they fled in the direction of the desert. 16Then all the people who were in the city were called upon to pursue them. So they pursued Joshua, and they were drawn out of the city. 17And not a man remained in Ai or Beth-El who did not come out after Israel, and they left the city open, and they pursued Israel. 18And the Lord said to Joshua, “Point the spear in your hand towards Ai, for I will deliver it into your hand.” So Joshua pointed the spear in his hand towards the city. 19Then the ambush arose quickly from its place, and they started to run as he pointed his hand, and they came to the city and captured it, and they quickly set the city on fire. 20And the men of Ai turned round and looked, and what they saw was the smoke of the city rising into the sky, and they did not have the ability to flee one way or another, and the people who were fleeing to the desert turned on the pursuer. 21And Joshua and all Israel saw that the ambush had captured the city, and that the smoke of the city was rising, and they turned round and attacked the men of the city. 22Then the others came out of the city towards them, and Israel had them in a pincer, with some on one side and some on the other side, and they struck them down until they had not left a remnant or escapee. 23But they took the king of Ai alive and brought him to Joshua. 24And it came to pass, when Israel had finished killing all the inhabitants of Ai in the open land in the desert in which they had chased them, and they had all fallen by the edge of the sword until they had been destroyed, that all Israel returned to Ai, and they struck it with the edge of the sword. 25And all those that fell on that day, both men and women, were twelve thousand – the whole population of Ai. 26And Joshua did not retract his hand with which he pointed the spear until he had obliterated all the inhabitants of Ai, 27except that Israel took the spoils of the cattle and the booty of that city, according to the word of the Lord with which he had commanded Joshua. 28Then Joshua burned Ai and made it an age-abiding mound – a desolation up to this day. 29And he hanged the king of Ai on a tree until evening time, and as the sun set, Joshua gave commandment, and they took his corpse down from the tree, and they cast it into the entrance of the gate of the city, and they raised up on it a great heap of stones, which is there up to this day. 30Then Joshua built an altar to the Lord God of Israel at Mount Ebal, 31as Moses the servant of the Lord had commanded the sons of Israel, as it is written in the book of the law of Moses – an altar of pure stones, which no-one has used iron on – and they offered burnt offerings to the Lord on it, and they sacrificed peace-offerings. 32And he wrote there on the stones a copy of the law of Moses, which he wrote in the presence of the sons of Israel. 33And all Israel and its elders and officers and its judges stood on either side of the ark, opposite the Levite priests who bear the ark of the covenant of the Lord – the foreigner as well as the native citizen, half of them facing Mount Gerizim and half of them facing Mount Ebal, as Moses the servant of the Lord had commanded at the start, so as to bless the people of Israel. 34And after that he read all the words of the law, the blessing and the curse, according to everything that was written in the book of the law. 35There was no word in everything which Moses commanded which Joshua did not read in the presence of the whole convocation of Israel, including the women and the children and the foreigner who walked in their midst.

Joshua Chapter 9 

1And it came to pass that when all the kings who were across the Jordan heard it, in the mountain ranges and the low lying land, and along all the coast of the Great Sea opposite Lebanon – the Hittite and the Amorite, the Canaanite, the Perizzite, the Hivite and the Jebusite – 2that they joined up together to wage war on Joshua and on Israel unanimously. 3And the inhabitants of Gibeon heard what Joshua had done to Jericho and Ai, 4and they for their part acted craftily, and they set out and pretended to be travellers, and they took worn-out sacks for the donkeys, and worn-out skin bottles for the wine, which were torn and mended, 5and they wore shoes that were worn out and patched up on their feet, and they had worn-out clothes on them, and all the bread of their provisions was stale and speckled with mould. 6And they came to Joshua at the camp in Gilgal, and they said to him and to the men of Israel, “We have come from a distant land, so make a covenant with us now.” 7And the men of Israel said to the Hivite, “It could be that you dwell in my midst. So how can I make a covenant with you?” 8And they said to Joshua, “We are your servants”, and Joshua said to them, “Who are you and where do you come from?” 9And they said to him, “Your servants have come from a very distant land, because of the name of the Lord your God, for we have heard of his fame and everything that he did in Egypt, 10and everything he did to the two kings of the Amorites who were across the Jordan, to Sihon king of Heshbon and Og king of Bashan, who was in Ashtaroth. 11And our elders and all the inhabitants of our land spoke to us and said, ‘Take provisions in your hand for the journey, and go and meet them, and say to them, «We are your servants, so now make a covenant with us.» ’ 12This is our bread. We stocked up with it hot from our houses when we departed to go to you, but now look, it is dry, and it has become speckled with mould. 13And these are our wine bottles which we filled when they were new, but look, they have become torn, and these clothes and shoes of ours are worn out from the great length of the journey.” 14And the men took some of their provisions, but they did not ask for the Lord's pronouncement. 15And Joshua made peace with them, and he made a covenant with them to let them live, and the chiefs of the congregation swore it to them. 16Then it transpired after three days, after they had made a covenant with them, that they heard that they were their neighbours, and that they lived in their midst. 17Then the sons of Israel travelled and came to their cities on the third day. Now their cities were Gibeon, and Chephirah and Beeroth and Kiriath-Jearim. 18So the sons of Israel did not attack them, because the chiefs of the congregation had sworn to them by the Lord God of Israel. And the whole congregation complained about the chiefs. 19And all the chiefs said to the whole congregation, “We have sworn to them by the Lord God of Israel, so now we cannot touch them. 20This is what we will do with them, as we let them live, so that there will not be anger on us on account of the oath which we swore to them ...” 21And the chiefs said to them, “They shall live ...” And they became hewers of wood and drawers of water for the whole congregation, as the chiefs told them. 22So Joshua called them and spoke to them, and he said, “Why did you deceive us, saying, ‘We are very distant from you’, whilst you live in our midst? 23So now, you are cursed, and none of you shall be discharged from being a servant or hewers of wood or drawers of water for the house of my God.” 24Then they answered Joshua and said, “It is because it was definitely told to your servants what the Lord your God commanded Moses his servant, that he would give you all the land and destroy all the inhabitants of the land before you, and we were very afraid of you for our lives, so we did this thing. 25So now, here we are in your hands. Do what is right and proper in your sight to do to us.” 26So he did so to them, and he spared them from the hand of the sons of Israel, and they did not kill them. 27And Joshua appointed them hewers of wood and drawers of water on that day, to the congregation and for the altar of the Lord, as it is up to this day, at the place which he would yet choose.

Joshua Chapter 10 

1And it came to pass when Adoni-Zedek king of Jerusalem heard that Joshua had captured Ai and had obliterated it – that as he did to Jericho and its king, so he did to Ai and its king – and that the inhabitants of Gibeon had made peace with Israel, and they were in their midst, 2that they were very afraid, for Gibeon was a great city, as one of the royal cities, and it was larger than Ai, and all its men were warriors. 3So Adoni-Zedek king of Jerusalem sent messengers to Hoham king of Hebron, and to Piram king of Jarmuth, and to Japhia king of Lachish, and to Debir king of Eglon and said, 4“Come up to me and help me, and we will attack Gibeon, because it has made peace with Joshua and the sons of Israel.” 5So five kings of the Amorites, the king of Jerusalem, the king of Hebron, the king of Jarmuth, the king of Lachish, and the king of Eglon gathered together and went up – they and all their companies – and they encamped against Gibeon and waged war on it. 6Then the men of Gibeon sent messengers to Joshua, to the camp in Gilgal, and they said, “Do not let your support for your servants fail. Come up to us quickly and save us and help us, because all the kings of the Amorites – the inhabitants of the mountain range – are gathered up against us.” 7So Joshua went up from Gilgal – he and all the military people with him – and all the valiant warriors. 8And the Lord said to Joshua, “Do not be afraid of them, for I have delivered them into your hand. Not a man of them will stand before you.” 9And Joshua immediately went to them; he went up from Gilgal all night. 10And the Lord routed them before Israel, and he struck them with a great blow in Gibeon, and he pursued them on the ascent road to Beth-Horon, and he struck them down as far as Azekah and as far as Makkedah. 11And it came to pass, as they fled from Israel, while they were on the descent of Beth-Horon, that the Lord cast great stones at them from heaven, as far as Azekah, and they died. There were more that died by the hailstones than they whom the sons of Israel killed with the sword. 12Then Joshua spoke to the Lord on the day when the Lord delivered up the Amorite before the sons of Israel, and he said in the sight of Israel,

“Sun in Gibeon, stand still,

And moon too,

At the Valley of Aijalon.

13And the sun stood still,

And the moon stood in place,

Until a people had taken vengeance on their enemy.”

Is it not written in the Book of the Upright?

“And the sun stood in place

Half way across the sky

And did not hasten to set

For a complete day.”

14And there was nothing like that day, before it or after it, in that the Lord obeyed man, for the Lord fought for Israel. 15Then Joshua returned, as did all Israel with him, to the camp in Gilgal. 16And those five kings fled, and they hid in a cave at Makkedah. 17But it was reported to Joshua as follows: “The five kings have been found hiding in a cave at Makkedah.” 18Then Joshua said, “Roll large stones across the entrance to the cave and appoint men over it to guard them. 19But don't you stay. Pursue your enemies and attack them at the rear. Do not let them go to their cities, for the Lord your God has delivered them into your hand.” 20And it came to pass, when Joshua and the sons of Israel had finished striking them down with a very great blow, until they had been finished off, that the remnant escaped from them and went to the fortified cities. 21Then all the people returned to the camp – to Joshua – Makkedah being secure, and no-one criticized any of the sons of Israel. 22Then Joshua said, “Open the entrance to the cave and bring out to me those five kings from the cave.” 23And they did so, and they brought those five kings to him from the cave – the king of Jerusalem, the king of Hebron, the king of Jarmuth, the king of Lachish, and the king of Eglon. 24And it came to pass, when they had brought these kings out to Joshua, that Joshua called for every man of Israel and said to the leaders of the men of war who had gone with him, “Approach, place your feet on the necks of these kings.” So they approached and placed their feet on their necks. 25Then Joshua said to them, “Do not fear and do not be afraid. Be strong and take courage, for so the Lord will do to all your enemies with whom you are waging war.” 26And after that Joshua struck them and killed them, and he hung them on five trees, and they were hanging on the trees until the evening. 27And it came to pass, at the time of sunset, that Joshua gave command, and they took them down from the trees, and they cast them into the cave where they had hidden, and they placed large stones at the cave entrance, which are there to this very day. 28And Joshua captured Makkedah that day, and he struck it with the edge of the sword, including its king. He obliterated them, along with every person in it. He did not leave a remnant remaining, and he did to the king of Makkedah as he had done to the king of Jericho. 29Then Joshua and all Israel with him crossed from Makkedah to Libnah, and he fought against Libnah. 30And the Lord delivered that too into Israel's hand, and its king, and he struck it with the edge of the sword, along with every person in it. He did not leave a remnant remaining in it, and he did to its king as he did to the king of Jericho. 31Then Joshua and all of Israel with him crossed from Libnah to Lachish, and he encamped against it, and he fought against it. 32And the Lord delivered Lachish into the hand of Israel, and he captured it on the second day, and he struck it with the edge of the sword, along with every person in it, just as everything he did to Libnah. 33Then Horam king of Gezer went up to help Lachish, but Joshua struck him and his people, not leaving him a remnant remaining. 34Then Joshua and all Israel with him crossed from Lachish to Eglon, and they encamped against it, and they fought against it. 35And they captured it on that day, and they struck it with the edge of the sword, along with every person in it. On that day he obliterated it, just as everything he did to Lachish. 36Then Joshua and all Israel with him went up from Eglon to Hebron, and they fought against it, 37and they captured it, and they struck it with the edge of the sword, and its king, and all its cities, and every person in it. He did not leave a remnant remaining, just as everything he did to Eglon. And he obliterated it along with every person who was in it. 38Then Joshua and the whole of Israel with him returned to Debir, and he fought against it. 39And he captured it and its king, and all its cities, and they struck them with the edge of the sword, and they obliterated every person in it. He did not leave a remnant remaining. Just as he did to Hebron, so he did to Debir and its king, and as he did to Libnah and its king. 40And Joshua struck the whole land – the mountain range and the south and the low lying land and the ravines – and all their kings. He did not leave a remnant remaining, and he obliterated every breathing creature, as the Lord God of Israel had commanded. 41And Joshua struck them from Kadesh-Barnea to Gaza, and all the land of Goshen to Gibeon. 42And Joshua captured all these kings and their land in one go, because the Lord God of Israel fought for Israel. 43Then Joshua and all Israel with him returned to the camp in Gilgal.

Joshua Chapter 11 

1And it came to pass, when Jabin king of Hazor heard of this, that he sent messengers to Jobab king of Madon, and to the king of Shimron and to the king of Achshaph, 2and to the kings to the north, in the mountain range, and to those in the arid tract to the south of Kinnereth and in the low lying land, and in the heights of Dor to the west, 3and to the Canaanite to the east and to the west, and the Amorite and the Hittite and the Perizzite and the Jebusite in the mountain range, and the Hivite under Hermon in the land of Mizpah. 4And they came out, as did all their companies with them – a numerous people which is like the sand on the sea-shore in multitude – with horses and chariots in very great number. 5And all these kings met, and they departed and encamped together at the waters of Merom, to fight against Israel. 6And the Lord said to Joshua, “Do not be afraid of them, for tomorrow at about this time I will be making all of them fallen men before Israel. You will hamstring their horses, and you will burn their chariots with fire.” 7Then Joshua and all the military people with him came against them suddenly at the waters of Merom, and they attacked them. 8And the Lord delivered them into Israel's hand, and they struck them, and they pursued them as far as Great Sidon and Misrephoth-Maim, and as far as the Valley of Mizpeh in the east. And they struck them without leaving them a remnant remaining. 9And Joshua did to them as the Lord had told him. He hamstrung their horses, and he burned their chariots with fire. 10Then at that time Joshua turned back and captured Hazor. And he struck its king with the sword, for Hazor in the past was the head of all these kingdoms. 11And they struck every person that was in it with the edge of the sword. He obliterated it. No breathing creature remained, and he burned Hazor with fire. 12And Joshua captured all the cities of those kings, and all their kings, and he struck them with the edge of the sword. He obliterated them as Moses the servant of the Lord had commanded. 13But Israel did not burn any of the cities which stood on their mound, except for Hazor alone, which Joshua burned. 14And the sons of Israel took as spoil for themselves all the booty of these cities, and the cattle, but they struck every person with the edge of the sword until they had destroyed them. They did not leave any breathing creature remaining. 15As the Lord had commanded Moses his servant, so Moses had commanded Joshua, and so Joshua did. He did not omit anything of all that the Lord commanded Moses. 16And Joshua took all this land – the mountain range and all the south and all the land of Goshen, and the low lying land and the arid tract and the mountain range of Israel and its low lying land, 17from Mount Halak which goes up to Seir, as far as Baal-Gad in the Valley of Lebanon under Mount Hermon – and he captured all their kings, and he struck them and killed them. 18Joshua waged war with all these kings for many days. 19There was no city which made peace with the sons of Israel except the Hivites – the inhabitants of Gibeon. They took everything in the war. 20For it was from the Lord that their hearts should be hardened to engage in battle with Israel, so as to obliterate them, so that they should not be shown any mercy, for it was so as to destroy them, as the Lord had commanded Moses. 21And Joshua came at that time and cut the Anakites off from the mountain range, from Hebron, from Debir, from Anab and from every mountain of Judah, and from every mountain of Israel. Joshua obliterated them with their cities. 22No Anakites remained in the land of the sons of Israel, except that they remained in Gaza, in Gath and in Ashdod. 23And Joshua took all the land according to everything the Lord had said to Moses. And Joshua gave it as an inheritance to Israel according to their divisions by their tribes. Then the land rested from war.

Joshua Chapter 12 

1Now these are the kings of the land whom the sons of Israel struck and whose land they took possession of across the Jordan on the east, from the Arnon Brook up to Mount Hermon and all the arid tract in the east: 2Sihon king of the Amorites who lived in Heshbon, who ruled from Aroer, which is on the bank of the Arnon Brook, and from the brook, and from half of Gilead to the Jabbok Brook, the border of the sons of Ammon, 3and the arid tract up to the Sea of Kinnereth to the east, and as far as the Arid Sea – the Dead Sea – to the east, the road to Beth-Jeshimoth, and to the south below Ashdoth-Pisgah, 4and the territory of Og king of Bashan, who was of the remnant of the Rephaim, who lived in Ashtaroth and in Edrei, 5and who ruled at Mount Hermon and in Salcah and in all Bashan up to the border with the Geshurites and the Maachathites, and half of Gilead, to the border of Sihon king of Heshbon. 6Moses the servant of the Lord and the sons of Israel struck them, and Moses the servant of the Lord gave it as a possession to the Reubenites and the Gadites and half of the tribe of Manasseh. 7And these are the kings of the land, whom Joshua and the sons of Israel struck across the Jordan to the west, from Baal-Gad in the Valley of Lebanon to Mount Halak, which goes up to Seir, land which Joshua gave to the tribes of Israel as a possession, according to their divisions, 8in the mountain range and in the low lying land, and in the arid tracts and in the ravines, and in the desert, and in the south – the land of the Hittite, the Amorite, the Canaanite, the Perizzite, the Hivite and the Jebusite: 9the king of Jericho, one, the king of Ai which is alongside Beth-El, one, 10the king of Jerusalem, one, the king of Hebron, one, 11the king of Jarmuth, one, the king of Lachish, one, 12the king of Eglon, one, the king of Gezer, one, 13the king of Debir, one, the king of Geder, one, 14the king of Hormah, one, the king of Arad, one, 15the king of Libnah, one, the king of Adullam, one, 16the king of Makkedah, one, the king of Beth-El, one, 17the king of Tappuah, one, the king of Hepher, one, 18the king of Aphek, one, the king of Lasharon, one, 19the king of Madon, one, the king of Hazor, one, 20the king of Shimron-Meron, one, the king of Achshaph, one, 21the king of Taanach, one, the king of Megiddo, one, 22the king of Kedesh, one, the king of Jokneam of Carmel, one, 23the king of Dor of the heights of Dor, one, the king of the nations of Gilgal, one, 24the king of Tirzah, one. All the kings came to thirty-one.

Joshua Chapter 13 

1Now Joshua was old and advanced in years, and the Lord said to him, “You have become old and advanced in years, but very much of the land remains to be taken possession of. 2This is the land which remains: all the regions of the Philistines, and all Geshuri, 3from Shihor which is before Egypt up to the border of Ekron to the north, which is reckoned to the Canaanites, five barons of the Philistines: the Gazathites and the Ashdodites, the Ashkelonites, the Gittites and the Ekronites; also the Avites. 4From the south: all the land of the Canaanites and Mearah of the Sidonians to Aphek, to the border of the Amorites, 5and the land of the Giblites, and all Lebanon to the east, from Baal-Gad under Mount Hermon to the approach of Hamath. 6As for all the inhabitants of the mountain range, from Lebanon to Misrephoth-Maim – all the Sidonians – I will dispossess them before the sons of Israel. You just assign it to Israel as an inheritance, as I have commanded you. 7And now, divide this land to be an inheritance for the nine tribes and half of the tribe of Manasseh. 8With them the Reubenites and the Gadites received their inheritance which Moses gave them across the Jordan on the east, as Moses the servant of the Lord gave them, 9from Aroer which is on the bank of the Arnon Brook and the city which is at the middle section of the brook, and all the plain of Medeba to Dibon, 10and all the cities of Sihon king of the Amorites, who reigned in Heshbon and as far as the border of the sons of Ammon, 11and Gilead and the territory of the Geshurites and the Maachathites and all of Mount Hermon and all Bashan as far as Salcah, 12and all the kingdom of Og in Bashan who reigned in Ashtaroth and in Edrei. It is he who was left from the remainder of the Rephaim, whom Moses struck and dispossessed.” 13But the sons of Israel did not dispossess the Geshurite and the Maachathite, and Geshur and Maachath dwell in the midst of Israel up to this day. 14But he did not give an inheritance to the tribe of Levi. The fire-offerings of the Lord God of Israel are their inheritance, as he has said to them. 15And Moses gave the tribe of the sons of Reuben their inheritance according to their families. 16And they had the territory from Aroer, which is on the bank of the Arnon Brook, and the city which is at the middle section of the brook, and all the plain as far as Medeba, 17namely Heshbon and all its cities which are on the plain, Dibon and Bamoth-Baal and Beth-Baal-Meon, 18and Jahzah and Kedemoth and Mephaath, 19and Kiriathaim and Sibmah and Zereth-Shahar in the mountain range of the valley, 20and Beth-Peor and Ashdoth-Pisgah and Beth-Jeshimoth, 21and all the cities of the plain, and all the kingdom of Sihon king of the Amorites who reigned in Heshbon, whom Moses struck, with the chiefs of Midian – Evi and Rekem, and Zur and Hur and Reba, princes of Sihon – inhabiting the land. 22And the sons of Israel killed by the sword Balaam the son of Beor, the diviner, among those who were defeated by them. 23And the border of the sons of Reuben was the Jordan – as a natural border. This was the inheritance of the sons of Reuben according to their families – their cities with their villages. 24And Moses gave an inheritance to the tribe of Gad – to the sons of Gad – according to their families. 25And their territory was at Jazer and all the cities of Gilead, and half of the land of the sons of Ammon as far as Aroer which is before Rabbah, 26and from Heshbon to Ramath-Mizpeh and Betonim, and from Mahanaim up to the border of Debir, 27and in the valley, Beth-Haram and Beth-Nimrah, and Succoth and Zaphon – the remainder of the kingdom of Sihon king of Heshbon – with the Jordan as a natural border up to the end of the Sea of Kinnereth across the Jordan, to the east. 28This was the inheritance of the sons of Gad according to their families – the cities and the villages. 29And Moses gave inheritance to half of the tribe of Manasseh, and to the half-tribe of the sons of Manasseh it belonged, according to their families. 30And their border was from Mahanaim, all Bashan, all the kingdom of Og king of Bashan, and all the villages of Jair which were in Bashan: sixty cities. 31And half of Gilead and Ashtaroth and Edrei, cities of the kingdom of Og in Bashan were given to the sons of Machir the son of Manasseh – to one half of the sons of Machir by their families. 32These are what Moses gave as an inheritance in the arid tracts of Moab across the Jordan, east of Jericho. 33But to the tribe of Levi Moses did not give any inheritance. The Lord God of Israel is their inheritance, as he said to them.

Joshua Chapter 14 

1And these are the places which the sons of Israel inherited in the land of Canaan, which Eleazar the priest and Joshua the son of Nun distributed as an inheritance, with the paternal heads of the tribes of the sons of Israel. 2Their inheritance was by lot, as the Lord had commanded through the intermediacy of Moses, it being for the nine and a half tribes. 3For Moses gave the inheritance of the two and a half tribes across the Jordan, but he did not give the Levites any inheritance among them. 4For Joseph's sons became two tribes – Manasseh and Ephraim. But they did not give a portion to the Levites in the land, except cities to inhabit and pasture lands belonging to them, for their cattle and for their property. 5As the Lord commanded Moses, so the sons of Israel did, and they divided up the land. 6Then the sons of Judah approached Joshua in Gilgal, and Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite said to him, “You know the word which the Lord spoke to Moses the man of God concerning me and concerning you in Kadesh-Barnea. 7I was forty years old when Moses the servant of the Lord sent me from Kadesh-Barnea to spy out the land, and I reported back to him, in accordance with my heart. 8But my brothers who went up with me caused the heart of the people to melt away, but I followed the Lord my God fully. 9And Moses swore on that day and said, ‘The land which your foot has trodden on will certainly be yours as an inheritance, and your sons', age-abidingly, for you have fully followed the Lord my God.’ 10And now, look, the Lord has kept me alive, as he said forty-five years ago, since when the Lord spoke this word to Moses, when Israel was walking in the desert, and now, look, I am eighty-five years old today. 11Today I am still as strong as on the day when Moses sent me. As my strength was then, so my strength is now, in battle and in ordinary affairs. 12So now, give me this mountain, of which the Lord spoke on that day, for you heard on that day that the Anakites were there, with great fortified cities, but that if the Lord was to be with me, I would dispossess them, as the Lord had said.” 13Then Joshua blessed him, and he gave Hebron to Caleb the son of Jephunneh as an inheritance, 14which is why Hebron came to belong to Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite as an inheritance, up to this day – because he fully followed the Lord God of Israel. 15And the name of Hebron was previously Kiriath-Arba, after Arba, who was the great man of the Anakites. And the land rested from war.

Joshua Chapter 15 

1And the lot of the tribe of the sons of Judah, according to their families, was to the border of Edom – the Desert of Zin to the south, at the southern end. 2And their border to the south was from the end of the Dead Sea, from the inlet which faces south. 3And it went out from the south to the ascent of Akrabbim, and it crossed over towards Zin, and it went up from the south to Kadesh-Barnea, and it crossed Hezron and went up to Addar, and it went round to Karkaa. 4And it crossed to Azmon and went out to the Brook of Egypt, and the border at the sea was its extreme end. This will be your southern border. 5And the border to the east was the Dead Sea, up to the end of the Jordan, and the border in the northern corner is from the sea inlet at the end of the Jordan. 6And the border went up to Beth-Hoglah, and it crossed over in the north to Beth-Arabah, and the border went up to the stone of Bohan the son of Reuben. 7And the border went up to Debir from the Valley of Achor, and northwards, turning towards Gilgal, which is opposite the ascent of Adummim, which is to the south of the brook, and the border crossed to the water of En-Shemesh, and its extremities were at En-Rogel. 8And the border went up the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, to the slope of the Jebusite to the south, that is Jerusalem. And the border went up to the summit of the mountain which faces the Valley of Hinnom on the west, which is at the northern end of the Valley of the Rephaim. 9And the border was drawn from the summit of the mountain to the source of the water of Nephtoah, and it went out to the cities of Mount Ephron, and the border was drawn to Baalah, that is Kiriath-Jearim. 10Then the border went round from Baalah westwards to Mount Seir, and it crossed to the side of Mount Jearim on the north, that is Chesalon, and it went down to Beth-Shemesh, and it crossed over to Timnah. 11And the border went out to the side of Ekron towards the north, then the border was drawn to Shicron, and it crossed over to Mount Baalah, and it went out to Jabneel, and the extremities of the border were at the sea. 12And the border to the west went to the Great Sea – as a natural border. This is the border of the sons of Judah round about, according to their families. 13And to Caleb the son of Jephunneh he gave a share in the midst of the sons of Judah according to the pronouncement of the Lord to Joshua: Kiriath-Arba (Arba being the father of Anak), that is Hebron. 14And Caleb dispossessed the three sons of Anak of that place: Sheshai and Ahiman and Talmai – the offspring of Anak. 15Then he went up from there to the inhabitants of Debir. Now the name of Debir was previously Kiriath-Sepher. 16And Caleb said, “Whoever attacks Kiriath-Sepher and captures it, to him I will give Achsah my daughter as a wife.” 17Then Othniel the son of Kenaz, Caleb's brother, captured it, and he gave him Achsah his daughter as a wife. 18And it came to pass when she came to him that she persuaded him to ask for a field from her father. So she dismounted from her donkey, and Caleb said to her, “What is the matter?” 19And she said, “Give me a blessing, for you have given me the land of the south, so give me springs of water.” Then he gave her the upper springs and the lower springs. 20This was the inheritance of the tribe of the sons of Judah, according to their families. 21And the cities from the boundary of the tribe of the sons of Judah to the border of Edom in the south were: Kabzeel and Eder and Jagur, 22and Kinah and Dimonah and Adadah, 23and Kedesh and Hazor and Ithnan, 24Ziph and Telem and Bealoth, 25and Hazor-Hadattah and Kerioth and Hezron which is Hazor, 26Amam and Shema and Moladah, 27and Hazar-Gaddah and Heshmon and Beth-Pelet, 28and Hazar-Shual and Beersheba and Bizjothjah, 29Baalah and Iim and Ezem, 30and Eltolad and Chesil and Hormah, 31and Ziklag and Madmannah and Sansannah, 32and Lebaoth and Shilhim and Ain and Rimmon – all the cities came to twenty-nine in number, with their villages. 33In the lowland: Eshtaol and Zorah and Ashnah, 34and Zanoah and En-Gannim, Tappuah and Enam, 35Jarmuth and Adullam, Sochoh and Azekah, 36and Shaaraim and Adithaim and Gederah and Gederothaim – fourteen cities with their villages; 37Zenan and Hadashah and Migdal-Gad, 38and Dilan and Mizpeh and Joktheel, 39Lachish and Bozkath and Eglon, 40and Cabbon and Lahmas and Kithlish, 41and Gederoth, Beth-Dagon and Naamah and Makkedah – sixteen cities with their villages; 42Libnah and Ether and Ashan, 43and Jephthah and Ashnah and Nezib, 44and Keilah and Achzib and Mareshah – nine cities with their villages; 45Ekron with its satellites and its villages; 46from Ekron westwards: all that were next to Ashdod with their villages, 47Ashdod, its satellites, and its villages, Gaza, its satellites and its villages, as far as the Brook of Egypt and the sea – the border – as a natural border; 48and in the mountain area: Shamir and Jattir and Sochoh, 49and Dannah and Kiriath-Sannah, which is Debir, 50and Anab and Eshtemoh and Anim, 51and Goshen and Holon and Giloh – eleven cities with their villages; 52Arab and Rumah and Eshan, 53Janim and Beth-Tappuah and Aphekah, 54and Humtah and Kiriath-Arba, which is Hebron, and Zior – nine cities with their villages; 55Maon, Carmel and Ziph and Juttah, 56and Jezreel and Jokdeam and Zanoah, 57Cain, Gibeah and Timnah – ten cities with their villages; 58Halhul, Beth-Zur and Gedor, 59and Maarath and Beth-Anoth and Eltekon – six cities with their villages; 60Kiriath-Baal which is Kiriath-Jearim and Rabbah – two cities with their villages; 61in the desert: Beth-Arabah, Middin and Sechachah, 62and Nibshan and the City of Salt and En-Gedi – six cities with their villages. 63But as for the Jebusites – the inhabitants of Jerusalem – the sons of Judah are not able to dispossess them, and the Jebusites have been dwelling with the sons of Judah in Jerusalem up to this day.

Joshua Chapter 16 

1And the lot of Joseph's sons came out as from the Jordan at Jericho to the water of Jericho to the east – the desert which rises from Jericho at Mount Beth-El. 2And it came out as from Beth-El to Luz, and it crossed over to the border of Archi, to Ataroth. 3And it went down to the west, to the border of Japhleti as far as the border of Lower Beth-Horon, and as far as Gezer, and its limits were at the sea. 4And the sons of Joseph, of Manasseh and Ephraim, inherited it. 5And the border of the sons of Ephraim according to their families was assigned, and the border of their inheritance was to the east, in Ataroth-Addar as far as Upper Beth-Horon. 6And the border went out westwards to Michmethath in the north, and the border went round to the east to Taanath-Shiloh, and it passed it on the east, proceeding to Janohah. 7And it went down from Janohah to Ataroth and to Naarath, and it reached Jericho, and it went out to the Jordan. 8The border goes from Tappuah westwards to the Kanah Brook, and its limits are at the sea. This was the inheritance of the tribe of the sons of Ephraim according to their families. 9And the separate cities of the sons of Ephraim were among the inheritance of the sons of Manasseh – all the cities with their villages. 10But they did not dispossess the Canaanite who was living in Gezer, and the Canaanite lived in the midst of Ephraim, as it is up to this day, and they were under tribute service.

Joshua Chapter 17 

1And there was the lot for the tribe of Manasseh, because he was Joseph's firstborn, the lot for Machir Manasseh's firstborn, the father of Gilead, for he was a man of war, and he had Gilead and Bashan. 2And the sons of Manasseh who remained had a lot according to their families: for the sons of Abiezer and for the sons of Helek, and for the sons of Asriel, and for the sons of Shechem, and for the sons of Hepher, and for the sons of Shemida. These were the sons of Manasseh the son of Joseph – the males – according to their families. 3But Zelophehad, the son of Hepher, the son of Gilead, the son of Machir, the son of Manasseh, did not have any sons, but only daughters, and these are the names of his daughters: Mahlah and Noah, Hoglah, Milcah and Tirzah. 4And they came into the presence of Eleazar the priest and of Joshua the son of Nun, and of the leaders, and they said, “The Lord commanded Moses to give us an inheritance among our brothers.” And he gave them an inheritance according to the pronouncement of the Lord, among their father's brothers. 5And the portions of Manasseh fell, ten of them in number, apart from the land of Gilead and Bashan which are across the Jordan. 6For the daughters of Manasseh received an inheritance among his sons, and the land of Gilead was for the remaining sons of Manasseh. 7And the border of Manasseh was from Asher to Michmethath, which is in front of Shechem, and the border went to the right, to the inhabitants of En-Tappuah. 8Manasseh had the land of Tappuah, but Tappuah itself up to Manasseh's border was for the sons of Ephraim. 9And the border went down to the Kanah Brook southwards – towards the brook. These cities were for Ephraim in the midst of the cities of Manasseh, and Manasseh's border was to the north of the brook, and its limits were at the sea. 10To the south it was Ephraim's and to the north it was Manasseh's. And the sea was its border, and they met with the territory of Asher in the north, and with that of Issachar in the east. 11And Manasseh had in Issachar's territory and in Asher's territory: Beth-Shean and its satellites, and Ibleam and its satellites, and the inhabitants of Dor and its satellites, and the inhabitants of En-Dor and its satellites, and the inhabitants of Taanach and its satellites, and the inhabitants of Megiddo and its satellites – the three highlands. 12But the sons of Manasseh could not dispossess these cities, and the Canaanites resolved to dwell in this land. 13And it came about that, when the sons of Israel became strong, they put the Canaanites under tribute, but they did not dispossess them at all. 14Then the sons of Joseph spoke with Joshua and said, “Why have you given me as an inheritance one lot and one portion, whilst I am a numerous people inasmuch as so far the Lord has blessed me?” 15And Joshua said to them, “If you are a numerous people, get moving up into the woodland and reclaim land for yourself there, in the land of the Perizzite and the Rephaim, for Mount Ephraim is too confined for you.” 16Then the sons of Joseph said, “The mountain is not sufficient for us, but all the Canaanites who live in the valley area have iron chariots, both they of Beth-Shean and its satellites, and they of the Valley of Jezreel.” 17Then Joshua spoke to the house of Joseph – to Ephraim and to Manasseh – and he said, “You are a numerous people, and you have great strength. You will not have just one lot. 18For you will have a mountain, for it is woodland, and you will reclaim it, and its limits will belong to you, for you will dispossess the Canaanite, although they have iron chariots and although they are strong.”

Joshua Chapter 18 

1Then the whole congregation of the sons of Israel was convened at Shiloh, and they set up the tent of contact there. And the land was subdued before them. 2Now there remained among the sons of Israel those who had not been apportioned their inheritance – seven tribes. 3And Joshua said to the sons of Israel, “How long will you be slack in going to take possession of the land which the Lord God of your fathers has given you? 4Appoint yourselves three men per tribe, and I will send them, and they will get up and walk around the land, and document it according to their inheritance, and then they will come to me. 5And they will divide it into seven portions. Judah will remain in his territory in the south, and the house of Joseph will remain in their territory to the north. 6And you will document the land as seven portions, and you will report to me here, and I will cast lots for you here before the Lord our God. 7For the Levites do not have a portion in your midst, for the Lord's priesthood is their inheritance, and Gad and Reuben and half of the tribe of Manasseh received their inheritance across the Jordan on the east, which Moses the servant of the Lord gave them.” 8Then the men got up and departed, and Joshua commanded those who went to document the land, and he said, “Go and walk around the land and document it, then return to me, and I will cast lots for you here in the presence of the Lord in Shiloh.” 9So the men departed and crossed the land and documented it by cities in seven portions in a book. Then they came back to Joshua at the camp at Shiloh, 10and Joshua cast lots for them in Shiloh, in the presence of the Lord, and Joshua apportioned the land there to the sons of Israel according to their divisions. 11And the lot of the sons of Benjamin came up according to their families, and the territory of their lot came out as between the sons of Judah and the sons of Joseph. 12And their border in the northern quarter was from the Jordan, and the border went up to the side of Jericho in the north, then it went up to the mountain range westwards, and its limits were at the Desert of Beth-Aven. 13The border then crossed over from there to Luz, to the slope of Luz, going south, that is to Beth-El, then the border went down to Ataroth-Addar at the mountain which is south of Lower Beth-Horon. 14And the border was drawn, and it went round the western quarter southwards from the mountain which is before Beth-Horon, southwards, and its limits were at Kiriath-Baal, that is Kiriath-Jearim, a city of the sons of Judah. This is the western quarter. 15And the southern quarter was from the end of Kiriath-Jearim, and the border went out westwards, and it went out to the water-source of Nephtoah. 16And the border went down to the end of the mountain range which is by the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, which is in the Valley of the Rephaim to the north. And it went down the Valley of Hinnom to the side of Jebusi on the south, and it went down to En-Rogel. 17And it was drawn from the north, and it went out to En-Shemesh, and it went out to Geliloth, which is opposite the ascent to Adummim, then it went down to the stone of Bohan the son of Reuben. 18And it crossed over to the side opposite Arabah to the north, and then descended to Arabah itself. 19And the border crossed the side of Beth-Hoglah northwards, and the limits of the border were at the inlet of the Dead Sea to the north and at the southern end of the Jordan. This is the southern border. 20And the Jordan formed its border in the eastern quarter. This was the inheritance of the sons of Benjamin according to their enclosing borders, according to their families. 21And the cities which belonged to the tribe of the sons of Benjamin according to their families were: Jericho and Beth-Hoglah and the Valley of Keziz, 22and Beth-Arabah and Zemaraim and Beth-El, 23and Avim and Parah and Ophrah, 24and Chephar-Haammoni and Ophni and Geba – twelve cities with their villages; 25Gibeon and Ramah and Beeroth, 26and Mizpeh and Chephirah and Mozah, 27and Rekem and Irpeel and Taralah, 28and Zela, Eleph and Jebusi – that is Jerusalem – Gibeath, Kiriath – fourteen cities with their villages. This was the inheritance of the sons of Benjamin according to their families.

Joshua Chapter 19 

1And the second lot came out for Simeon – for the tribe of the sons of Simeon according to their families – and their inheritance was within the inheritance of the sons of Judah. 2And they had as their inheritance Beersheba and Sheba and Moladah, 3and Hazar-Shual and Balah and Ezem, 4and Eltolad and Bethul and Hormah, 5and Ziklag and Beth-Marcaboth and Hazar-Susah, 6and Beth-Lebaoth and Sharuhen – thirteen cities with their villages; 7and Ain, Rimmon, and Ether and Ashan – four cities with their villages; 8and all the villages that are around these cities, up to Baalath-Beer and Ramath of the south. This was the inheritance of the tribe of the sons of Simeon according to their families. 9The inheritance of the sons of Simeon came from the portion of the sons of Judah, for the portion of the sons of Judah was too great for them, and the sons of Simeon received an inheritance within their inheritance. 10Then the third lot came up, for the sons of Zebulun, according to their families, and the border of their inheritance was up to Sarid. 11And their border went up to the west, and to Maralah, and it reached Dabbesheth, and it reached the brook which is before Jokneam. 12And it came back from Sarid eastwards, towards the sunrise, to the border of Chisloth-Tabor, and it went out to Daberath, and it went up to Japhia. 13And from there it crossed eastwards, towards the sunrise, to Gittah-Hepher and Ittah-Kazin, and it went out to Rimmon-Methoar, and to Neah. 14And the border went round it to the north at Hannathon and its limits were at the Valley of Jiphtah-El, 15and Kattath and Nahalal and Shimron, and Idalah, and Bethlehem – twelve cities with their villages. 16This was the inheritance of the sons of Zebulun according to their families – these cities with their villages. 17The fourth lot came out for Issachar – for the sons of Issachar according to their families. 18And their border was towards Jezreel and Chesuloth and Shunem, 19and Hapharaim and Shion and Anaharath, 20and Rabbith and Kishion and Ebez, 21and Remeth and En-Gannim and En-Haddah and Beth-Pazzez. 22And the border reached Tabor and Shahazumah and Beth-Shemesh, and the limits of their border were at the Jordan – sixteen cities with their villages. 23This was the inheritance of the tribe of the sons of Issachar according to their families – the cities with their villages. 24Then the fifth lot came out, for the tribe of the sons of Asher, according to their families. 25And their border was at Helkath and Hali and Beten and Achshaph, 26and Alammelech and Amad and Mishal, and it reached Carmel to the west, and to Shihor-Libnath. 27And it came back eastwards to Beth-Dagon, and it reached the territory of Zebulun and the Valley of Jiphtah-El to the north of Beth-Emek and Neiel, and it went out to Cabul on the left hand side, 28and Ebron and Rehob and Hammon and Kanah, as far as Great Sidon. 29And the border returned to Ramah and to the fortified city of Tyre, then the border returned to Hosah. And its limits to the west were from the region of Achzib. 30And Umah and Aphek and Rehob – twenty-two cities with their villages. 31This was the inheritance of the tribe of the sons of Asher according to their families – these cities with their villages. 32The sixth lot came out for the sons of Naphtali – for the sons of Naphtali according to their families. 33And their border was from Heleph and from Elon at Zaanannim and Adami, Nekeb and Jabneel, up to Lakkum. And its limits were at the Jordan. 34And the border returned westwards to Aznoth-Tabor, and it went out from there to Hukok, and it adjoined the territory of Zebulun in the south, and it adjoined the territory of Asher in the west, and of Judah at the Jordan towards the east. 35And it took in the fortified cities of Ziddim, Zer and Hammath, Rakkath and Kinnereth, 36and Adamah and Ramah and Hazor, 37and Kedesh and Edrei and En-Hazor, 38and Iron and Migdal-El, Horem and Beth-Anath and Beth-Shemesh – nineteen cities with their villages. 39This was the inheritance of the tribe of the sons of Naphtali according to their families – the cities with their villages. 40The seventh lot came out for the tribe of the sons of Dan according to their families, 41and the territory of their inheritance was Zorah and Eshtaol and Ir-Shemesh, 42and Shaalabbin and Aijalon and Jithlah, 43and Elon and Timnah and Ekron, 44and Eltekeh and Gibbethon and Baalath, 45and Jehud and Bene-Berak and Gath-Rimmon, 46and Me-Jarkon and Rakkon with the border opposite Japho. 47And the border of the sons of Dan went out from them, and the sons of Dan went up and fought against Leshem and captured it, and they struck it with the edge of the sword, and they took possession of it and dwelt in it, and they called it Leshem Dan, after the name of Dan their father. 48This was the inheritance of the tribe of the sons of Dan according to their families – these cities with their villages. 49And they finished inheriting the land according to its borders, and the sons of Israel gave an inheritance to Joshua the son of Nun in their midst. 50They gave him the city which he had asked for, according to the pronouncement of the Lord: Timnath-Serah on Mount Ephraim, and he built the city and dwelt in it. 51These were the inheritances which Eleazar the priest and Joshua the son of Nun, and the chief men of the fathers caused the tribes of the sons of Israel to inherit by lot in Shiloh before the Lord at the entrance to the tent of contact, and they finished dividing the land.

Joshua Chapter 20 

1Then the Lord spoke to Joshua and said, 2“Speak to the sons of Israel and say, ‘Appoint for yourselves the cities of refuge, about which I have told you through the intermediacy of Moses, 3so that a manslayer can flee there – one who strikes a person by accident, unintentionally – and they will be a refuge for you from the avenger of blood. 4And he will flee to one of these cities, and he will stand at the entrance of the gate of the city and relate his case in the audience of the elders of that city, and they will absorb him in the city with them, and they will give him a place, and he will dwell with them. 5And if the avenger of blood pursues him, they will not deliver the manslayer into his hand, because he struck his neighbour unintentionally not having hated him in the past. 6And he shall dwell in that city until he stands before the congregation in judgment, until the death of the high priest who is in office in those days. Then the manslayer will return and go to his city and to his house – to the city from which he fled.’ ” 7So they sanctified Kedesh in Galilee at Mount Naphtali, and Shechem at Mount Ephraim, and Kiriath-Arba – that is Hebron – at the mountain of Judah. 8And across the Jordan east of Jericho they appointed Bezer in the desert, in the plains of the tribe of Reuben, and Ramoth in Gilead, of the tribe of Gad, and Golan in Bashan of the tribe of Manasseh. 9These were the cities appointed for all the sons of Israel and for the foreigner temporarily resident in their midst, for them to flee there – anyone striking a person accidentally – so that he does not die at the hand of the avenger of blood, up to when he stands before the congregation.

Joshua Chapter 21 

1Then the paternal heads of the Levites approached Eleazar the priest and Joshua the son of Nun, and the paternal heads of the tribes of the sons of Israel. 2And they spoke to them in Shiloh in the land of Canaan, and they said, “The Lord gave commandment through the intermediacy of Moses to give us cities to inhabit with their pasture lands for our cattle.” 3So the sons of Israel gave the Levites their due from their own inheritance, according to the instruction of the Lord – these cities with their pasture lands. 4And the lot came out for the families of the Kohathites, and the sons of Aaron the priest – members of the Levites – had from the tribe of Judah and from the tribe of the Simeonites and from the tribe of Benjamin, by lot, thirteen cities. 5And to the sons of Kohath who remained were given – from the families of the tribe of Ephraim and from the tribe of Dan and from the half-tribe of Manasseh – ten cities by lot. 6And to the sons of Gershon were given – from the families of the tribe of Issachar and from the tribe of Asher and from the tribe of Naphtali, and from the half-tribe of Manasseh in Bashan – thirteen cities by lot. 7To the sons of Merari, according to their families were given – from the tribe of Reuben and from the tribe of Gad and from the tribe of Zebulun – twelve cities. 8So the sons of Israel gave the Levites these cities with their pasture lands, as the Lord had commanded through the intermediacy of Moses, by lot. 9And from the tribe of the sons of Judah and from the tribe of the sons of Simeon, they gave these cities which he specified by name. 10And the sons of Aaron, of the families of the Kohathites, of the sons of Levi, had what follows, because they had the first lot, 11and they were given Kiriath-Arba (Arba being the father of Anak), that is Hebron, in the mountain range of Judah, and its pasture lands around it, 12but the fields of the city and its courtyards were given to Caleb the son of Jephunneh as his possession. 13So they gave the sons of Aaron the priest as a city of refuge for the manslayer Hebron and its pasture lands, and Libnah and its pasture lands, 14and Jattir and its pasture lands, and Eshtemoa and its pasture lands, 15and Holon and its pasture lands, and Debir and its pasture lands, 16and Ain and its pasture lands, and Juttah and its pasture lands, and Beth-Shemesh and its pasture lands – nine cities from these two tribes. 17And from the tribe of Benjamin: Gibeon and its pasture lands, Geba and its pasture lands, 18Anathoth and its pasture lands and Almon and its pasture lands – four cities. 19All the cities of the sons of Aaron, the priests, came to thirteen cities with their pasture lands. 20And the families of the sons of Kohath – the remaining Levites of Kohath's sons – had cities by their lot from the tribe of Ephraim. 21And they gave them as a city of refuge for the manslayer Shechem and its pasture lands at Mount Ephraim, and Gezer and its pasture lands, 22and Kibzaim and its pasture lands, and Beth-Horon and its pasture lands – four cities. 23And from the tribe of Dan: Eltekeh and its pasture lands, Gibbethon and its pasture lands, 24Aijalon and its pasture lands, and Gath-Rimmon and its pasture lands – four cities. 25And from the half-tribe of Manasseh: Taanach and its pasture lands, and Gath-Rimmon and its pasture lands – two cities. 26All these cities amount to ten, with their pasture lands, given to the families of the sons of Kohath who remained. 27And to the sons of Gershon from the families of the Levites, they gave from the half-tribe of Manasseh, as a city of refuge for the manslayer, Golan in Bashan and its pasture lands, and Beeshterah and its pasture lands – two cities – 28and from the tribe of Issachar: Kishion and its pasture lands, Daberath and its pasture lands, 29Jarmuth and its pasture lands, En-Gannim and its pasture lands – four cities. 30And from the tribe of Asher: Mishal and its pasture lands, Abdon and its pasture lands, 31Helkath and its pasture lands, and Rehob and its pasture lands – four cities. 32And from the tribe of Naphtali, as a city of refuge for the manslayer: Kedesh in Galilee and its pasture lands, and Hammoth-Dor and its pasture lands, and Kartan and its pasture lands – three cities. 33All the cities of the Gershonites according to their families amount to thirteen cities with their pasture lands. 34And to the families of the sons of Merari – the remaining Levites – they gave from the tribe of Zebulun Jokneam and its pasture lands, Kartah and its pasture lands, 35Dimnah and its pasture lands, Nahalal and its pasture lands – four cities. 36And from the tribe of Reuben: Bezer and its pasture lands, and Jahzah and its pasture lands, 37Kedemoth and its pasture lands, and Mephaath and its pasture lands – four cities. 38And from the tribe of Gad, as a city of refuge for the manslayer: Ramoth in Gilead and its pasture lands, and Mahanaim and its pasture lands, 39Heshbon and its pasture lands, Jazer and its pasture lands – all the cities amount to four. 40All the cities of the sons of Merari according to their families – those who remained from the families of the Levites – had as their lot twelve cities. 41All the cities of the Levites among the possessions of the sons of Israel amounted to forty-eight cities with their pasture lands. 42These cities were city by city with their pasture lands around each – so it was for all these cities. 43And the Lord gave Israel all the land about which he had sworn that he would give it to their fathers, and they took possession of it, and they dwelt in it. 44And the Lord gave them rest round about, according to everything he had sworn to their fathers, and no man could stand before them from any of their enemies; the Lord delivered all their enemies into their hand. 45And not a word failed of all the good words which the Lord had spoken to the house of Israel – it all came about.

Joshua Chapter 22 

1Then Joshua called for the Reubenites and the Gadites and half of the tribe of Manasseh, 2and he said to them, “You have kept everything Moses the servant of the Lord commanded you, and you have obeyed me in everything I have commanded you. 3You did not forsake your brothers during these many days up to this day, and you have kept the charge of the body of commandments of the Lord your God. 4And now the Lord your God has given your brothers rest, as he told them, and now, turn and get going to your tents and to the land of your possession which Moses the servant of the Lord has given you across the Jordan. 5But be very much on your guard to carry out the body of commandments and the law which Moses the servant of the Lord commanded you – to love the Lord your God, and to walk in all his ways, and to keep his commandments, and to cling to him, and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul.” 6And Joshua blessed them and dismissed them, and they went to their tents. 7Now Moses had given an inheritance to half of the tribe of Manasseh in Bashan, and Joshua gave the other half of it an inheritance with their brothers, across the Jordan to the west. And also when Joshua sent them off to their tents, he blessed them. 8And he spoke to them and said, “Return to your tents with great riches and very much cattle, with silver and gold and copper and iron and very many clothes. Divide the spoil of your enemies with your brothers.” 9So the sons of Reuben and the sons of Gad and half of the tribe of Manasseh returned and departed from the sons of Israel, from Shiloh which is in the land of Canaan, to go to the land of Gilead, to the land of their possession which they became possessors of, according to the pronouncement of the Lord through the intermediacy of Moses. 10And they came to the regions of the Jordan which are in the land of Canaan. And the sons of Reuben and the sons of Gad, and half of the tribe of Manasseh built an altar there – at the Jordan – an altar of grand appearance. 11And the sons of Israel heard it and said, “Look, the sons of Reuben and the sons of Gad, and half of the tribe of Manasseh have built an altar opposite the land of Canaan in the regions of the Jordan, opposite the sons of Israel.” 12And when the sons of Israel heard it, the whole congregation of the sons of Israel assembled at Shiloh to go up against them in battle. 13And the sons of Israel sent Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest to the sons of Reuben and to the sons of Gad and to half of the tribe of Manasseh, to the land of Gilead, 14and ten leading people with him – one leading person individually per paternal house – for each of the tribes of Israel, and each was a head of their paternal house, which the thousands of Israel have. 15And they came to the sons of Reuben and to the sons of Gad and to half of the tribe of Manasseh, to the land of Gilead, and they spoke with them and said, 16“This is what the whole congregation of the Lord says: ‘What is this treacherous thing that you have treacherously done against the God of Israel, in turning away today from following the Lord, in building yourselves an altar – in rebelling today against the Lord? 17Is the iniquity of Peor a small matter to us, from which we have not cleansed ourselves up to this day, when there was a plague in the congregation of the Lord? 18But you have turned away today from following the Lord, and it has come about that you are rebelling against the Lord today, and tomorrow he will become angry with the whole congregation of Israel. 19And even if the land of your possession is unclean, do cross over to the land of the Lord's possession where the Lord's tabernacle dwells, and come into a possession in our midst, and do not rebel against the Lord, and do not rebel against us, by building yourselves an altar other than the altar to the Lord our God. 20Did not Achan the son of Zerah deal treacherously with an accursed thing, so that there was anger on the whole congregation of Israel? And he did not die in his iniquity on his own.’ ” 21Then the sons of Reuben and the sons of Gad and half of the tribe of Manasseh answered and said to the heads of thousands of Israel, 22“The Lord God of gods – the Lord God of gods – he knows, and he will know Israel, whether they are in rebellion or whether they are in treachery against the Lord (do not save us on this day) 23in building ourselves an altar, in turning away from following the Lord. And whether it was to offer on it a burnt offering and a meal-offering, or whether it was to sacrifice peace-offerings on it, the Lord will inquire, 24or whether it is not out of concern, for a reason, that we made this thing and said, ‘In the future your sons will speak to our sons and say, «What is the connection between you and the Lord God of Israel? 25For the Lord has put a border between us and you, you sons of Reuben and you sons of Gad – the Jordan. You have no part in the Lord.» ’ So your sons will stop our sons from fearing the Lord. 26So we said, ‘Let us now undertake to build an altar, but not for a burnt offering and not for sacrifice. 27For it is a testimony between us and you and our generations after us to carry out the Lord's service before him with our burnt offerings and with our sacrifices and with our peace-offerings, so that your sons will not say in the future to our sons, «You have no part in the Lord.» ’ 28So we said, ‘It will be the case that when they speak to us and to our generations in the future, that we will say, «See the edifice – an altar to the Lord – which our fathers made, not for a burnt offering and not for sacrifice, but it is a testimony between us and you.» ’ 29May it be far from us to rebel against the Lord, and to turn away today from following the Lord in building an altar for a burnt offering, for a meal-offering or for a sacrifice other than the altar to the Lord our God which is before his tabernacle.” 30Then Phinehas the priest and the leaders of the congregation and the heads of thousands of Israel who were with him heard the words which the sons of Reuben and the sons of Gad and the sons of Manasseh said, and they were happy with it. 31Then Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest said to the sons of Reuben and to the sons of Gad and to the sons of Manasseh, “Today we know that the Lord is in our midst, and that you have not committed such a treacherous act against the Lord. You have now delivered the sons of Israel from the hand of the Lord.” 32Then Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest, and the leaders, came back from the sons of Reuben and from the sons of Gad, from the land of Gilead to the land of Canaan, to the sons of Israel, and they reported back to them. 33And the sons of Israel were happy with the matter, and the sons of Israel blessed God, and they did not speak of going up against them in battle to ruin the land which the sons of Reuben and the sons of Gad were living in. 34And the sons of Reuben and the sons of Gad called the altar Testimony, for it was a testimony between us, that the Lord is God.

Joshua Chapter 23 

1And it was the case after many days, after the Lord had given Israel rest from all their enemies round about, that Joshua had become old and advanced in years, 2and Joshua called all Israel – its elders and its heads and its judges and its officers – and he said to them, “I have become old; I am advanced in years, 3and you have seen everything that the Lord your God has done to all these nations before you, for it is the Lord your God who fights for you. 4See how I have assigned these remaining nations to you as an inheritance to your tribes, from the Jordan, with all the nations which I cut off, with the Great Sea in the west. 5And it is the Lord your God who drives them back at your presence and who dispossesses them in front of you, so that you inherit their land as the Lord your God has said to you. 6So be of very good courage to keep and do everything that is written in the book of the law of Moses, so not to depart from it to the right or to the left, 7and not to go among these nations – these that remain with you – and you shall not mention the name of their gods, and you shall not adjure by them, and you shall not serve them, and you shall not worship them. 8But rather, cling to the Lord your God, as you have done so far. 9For the Lord has dispossessed great and powerful nations before you, and as for you, no man has withstood you up to this day. 10One man from you will pursue a thousand, for it is the Lord your God who is fighting for you, as he has said to you. 11So be very much on your guard for your lives to love the Lord your God. 12For if you turn back at all and cling to the remnant of these nations – these that remain with you – and intermarry with them, and you go into them, and they into you, 13then know for certain that the Lord your God will not continue to dispossess these nations before you, and that they will be a trap and a snare and a scourge to you in your sides, and as thorns in your eyes, until you perish from this good land which the Lord your God has given you. 14And look, I am going the way of the whole of the earth today, but you have known with all your heart and with all your soul that not one word has failed from all the good words which the Lord your God has spoken concerning you – everything has come about for you; not one word of it has failed, 15and it will come to pass, that just as every good word that the Lord your God spoke to you has come about with you, so shall the Lord bring upon you every bad word until he has destroyed you in this good land which the Lord your God has given you, 16in your transgression of the covenant of the Lord your God, which he commanded you, if you depart and serve other gods and bow down to them, so that the Lord's anger is kindled against you, and you quickly perish from the good land which he has given you.”

Joshua Chapter 24 

1Then Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel in Shechem, and he called for the elders of Israel and for its heads and for its judges and for its officers, and they stood before God. 2And Joshua said to all the people, “This is what the Lord God of Israel says: ‘Your fathers dwelt across the river in time past – Terah the father of Abraham and the father of Nahor – and they served other gods, 3but I took your father Abraham from the far side of the river, and I led him through all the land of Canaan, and I multiplied his seed, and I gave him Isaac. 4And to Isaac I gave Jacob and Esau, and to Esau I gave Mount Seir to possess, while Jacob and his sons went down to Egypt. 5And I sent Moses and Aaron, and I plagued Egypt with what I did in their midst, and afterwards I brought you out. 6And I brought your fathers out of Egypt, and you came to the sea, whereupon Egypt pursued your fathers with chariots and horsemen at the Red Sea. 7And they cried out to the Lord, and he put darkness between you and the Egyptians, and he brought the sea over them, and it covered them, and your eyes saw what I did in Egypt, and you dwelt in the desert for many days. 8And I brought you to the land of the Amorite who dwelt across the Jordan, and they fought you, and I delivered them into your hand, and you took possession of their land, and I destroyed them before you. 9Then Balak the son of Zippor, the king of Moab, rose up and fought against Israel, and he sent men and called for Balaam the son of Beor to curse you. 10But I was not willing to hear Balaam, and he thoroughly blessed you, and I delivered you out of his hand. 11Then you crossed the Jordan and went to Jericho, and the lords of Jericho fought against you – the Amorites and the Perizzites and the Canaanites and the Hittites and the Girgashites and the Hivites and the Jebusites – and I delivered them into your hand. 12And I sent out wasps before you, and they drove them out before you – two kings of the Amorites – not by your sword and not by your bow. 13And I gave you land which you did not toil on, and cities which you did not build, and you dwell in them, and you are eating from vineyards and olive trees which you did not plant.’ 14So now, fear the Lord and serve him in sincerity and in truth, and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the river, and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. 15And if it is bad in your sight to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves today whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served, which were on the other side of the river, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are dwelling, but as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.” 16And the people answered and said, “Far be it from us to forsake the Lord, to serve other gods. 17For the Lord is our God, who brought us and our fathers up out of the land of Egypt, from a house of slavery, and who performed in our sight these great signs, and who guarded us along all the way we went, and among all the various peoples through whose midst we crossed. 18And the Lord drove out all the nations before us, including the Amorites inhabiting the land, so we in turn will serve the Lord, for he is our God.” 19Then Joshua said to the people, “You are not able to serve the Lord, for he is a holy God, and he is a jealous God; he will not endure your transgressions or your sins. 20If you forsake the Lord and serve strange gods, he will turn and do you harm and make an end of you, after doing you good.” 21Then the people said to Joshua, “Not that, for we will serve the Lord.” 22Then Joshua said to the people, “You are witnesses to yourselves, for you have chosen the Lord, to serve him.” And they said, “We are witnesses.” 23Joshua said, “And now, put away the strange gods which are in your midst, and extend your heart to the Lord God of Israel.” 24And the people said to Joshua, “We will serve the Lord our God, and we will obey him.” 25Then Joshua made a covenant with the people on that day, and he set up for them a statute and a judicial system in Shechem. 26And Joshua wrote these words in the book of the law of God, and he took a large stone, and he set it up there under the oak tree at the sanctuary of the Lord. 27Then Joshua said to all the people, “Look, this stone will be a witness to us, for it has heard all the words of the Lord which he spoke with us, and it will be a witness to you, lest you deny your God.” 28Then Joshua sent the people away – each one to his inheritance. 29And it came to pass after these things that Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of the Lord, died, aged one hundred and ten years. 30And they buried him in the territory of his inheritance at Timnath-Serah, which is at Mount Ephraim, to the north of Mount Gaash. 31And Israel served the Lord all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders who outlived Joshua and who knew all the work of the Lord which he had done for Israel. 32And they buried Joseph's bones, which the sons of Israel had brought up from Egypt, in Shechem, in the parcel of land which Jacob had bought from the sons of Hamor the father of Shechem for a hundred kesitahs, and they became an inheritance of the sons of Joseph. 33Then Eleazar the son of Aaron died, and they buried him at the hill of Phinehas his son which had been given to him at Mount Ephraim.

Judges  

Judges Chapter 1 

1And it came to pass after the death of Joshua that the sons of Israel inquired of the Lord and said, “Who will go up for us against the Canaanite first, to fight against them?” 2And the Lord said, “Judah will go up. Behold, I have delivered the land into his hand.” 3Then Judah said to Simeon his brother, “Go up with me into my lot, and we will fight against the Canaanite, and I in turn will go with you into your lot.” And Simeon went with him. 4So Judah went up, and the Lord delivered the Canaanite and the Perizzite into their hand, and they struck them down in Bezek – ten thousand men. 5And they found Adoni-Bezek in Bezek, and they fought against him, and they struck the Canaanites and the Perizzites down. 6And Adoni-Bezek fled, but they pursued him and captured him, and they cut off his thumbs and big toes. 7And Adoni-Bezek said, “Seventy kings have had their thumbs and their big toes cut off, and they have picked up the pieces under my table. As I did, so God has requited me.” And they brought him to Jerusalem, and he died there. 8Then the sons of Judah fought in Jerusalem and captured it, and they struck it with the edge of the sword, and they set the city on fire. 9And afterwards the sons of Judah came down to fight the Canaanite, who inhabited the mountain range, and the south, and the lowland. 10And Judah went against the Canaanite who was living in Hebron (now the name of Hebron was previously Kiriath-Arba) and they struck down Sheshai and Ahiman and Talmai. 11Then he went from there to the inhabitants of Debir. Now the name of Debir was previously Kiriath-Sepher. 12And Caleb said, “Whoever attacks Kiriath-Sepher and captures it, to him I will give Achsah my daughter as a wife.” 13Then Othniel the son of Kenaz, Caleb's younger brother, captured it, and he gave him Achsah his daughter as a wife. 14And it came to pass, when she came to him, that she persuaded him to ask for a field from her father. So she dismounted from her donkey, and Caleb said to her, “What is the matter?” 15And she said to him, “Give me a blessing, for you have given me the land of the south, so give me springs of water.” Then Caleb gave her the upper springs and the lower springs. 16And the sons of the Kenite, Moses' father-in-law, went up from the City of Palm Trees with the sons of Judah to the Judaean Desert which is in the south of Arad, and they departed and dwelt with the people. 17Then Judah went with Simeon his brother, and they struck the Canaanite who dwelt in Zephath, which they obliterated, and they called the city Hormah. 18And Judah captured Gaza and its territory, and Ashkelon and its territory and Ekron and its territory. 19And the Lord was with Judah, and he gained possession of the mountain, but he could not dispossess the inhabitants of the valley, because they had iron chariots. 20And they gave Caleb Hebron, as Moses had said, and they dispossessed the three sons of Anak of that place. 21But the sons of Benjamin did not dispossess the Jebusite – the inhabitant of Jerusalem – and the Jebusite has been dwelling with the sons of Benjamin in Jerusalem up to this day. 22And the house of Joseph also went up against Beth-El, and the Lord was with them. 23And the house of Joseph spied out Beth-El. Now the name of the city was previously Luz. 24And the observers saw a man coming out of the city, and they said to him, “Please show us the entrance to the city, and we will deal with you graciously.” 25And he showed them the entrance to the city, whereupon they struck the city with the edge of the sword, but they let the man and all his family go. 26Then the man went to the land of the Hittites, and he built a city, and he called it Luz – that is its name up to this day. 27And Manasseh did not dispossess Beth-Shean and its satellites, or Taanach and its satellites, or the inhabitants of Dor and its satellites, or the inhabitants of Ibleam and its satellites, or the inhabitants of Megiddo and its satellites. And the Canaanites resolved to dwell in this land. 28And it came about that, when Israel became strong, they put the Canaanite under tribute, but they did not dispossess them at all. 29And Ephraim did not dispossess the Canaanite who was living in Gezer, and the Canaanite dwelt in their midst in Gezer. 30Zebulun did not dispossess the inhabitants of Kitron or the inhabitants of Nahalal, and the Canaanite dwelt in their midst, and they came under tribute. 31Asher did not dispossess the inhabitants of Akko or the inhabitants of Sidon, or of Ahlab or of Achzib or of Helbah, or of Aphik or of Rehob. 32And the Asherites dwelt among the Canaanites – inhabitants of the land – because they did not dispossess them. 33Naphtali did not dispossess the inhabitants of Beth-Shemesh or the inhabitants of Beth-Anath, and they dwelt among the Canaanites – inhabitants of the land – but the inhabitants of Beth-Shemesh and Beth-Anath came under tribute to them. 34And the Amorites squeezed the sons of Dan into the mountain range, for they did not let them come down into the valley. 35And the Amorites resolved to dwell on Mount Heres, in Aijalon and in Shaalbim, but the power of the house of Joseph was greater, and they came under tribute. 36And the border of the Amorites was from the ascent of Akrabbim, from the rock and above.

Judges Chapter 2 

1Then the angel of the Lord went up from Gilgal to Bochim and said, “I am bringing you up from Egypt, and I have brought you to the land about which I swore to your fathers, for I said, ‘I shall never break my covenant with you. 2And you shall not make a covenant with the inhabitants of this land. You will demolish their altars.’ But you have not obeyed me. What is this you have done? 3So I also said, ‘I shall not drive them out before you, and they will be snares to you, and their gods will be a trap to you.’ ” 4And it came about, as the angel of the Lord spoke these words to all the sons of Israel, that the people lifted up their voice and wept. 5And they called that place Bochim, and they made a sacrifice there to the Lord. 6Then Joshua dismissed the people, and the sons of Israel each went to their inheritance to take possession of the land. 7And the people served the Lord all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders who outlived Joshua, who had seen all the great work of the Lord which he had done for Israel. 8Then Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of the Lord, died, aged one hundred and ten years. 9And they buried him in the territory of his inheritance, in Timnath-Heres at Mount Ephraim to the north of Mount Gaash. 10And also all that generation were gathered to their fathers, and another generation arose after them, who had not known the Lord, nor the work that he had done for Israel either. 11And the sons of Israel did wrong in the sight of the Lord, and they served the Baalim. 12And they forsook the Lord God of their fathers who brought them out of the land of Egypt, and they followed other gods, from the gods of the various peoples which were around them, and they bowed down to them, and they provoked the Lord to anger. 13And they forsook the Lord, and they served Baal and images of Astarte. 14And the Lord's anger was kindled against Israel, and he delivered them into the hand of plunderers, and they plundered them, and he sold them into the hand of their enemies round about, and they could no longer stand against their enemies. 15Everywhere they went, the hand of the Lord was against them, to their detriment, as the Lord had said, and as the Lord had sworn to them, and they were greatly straitened. 16But the Lord raised up judges, who saved them from those who were plundering them. 17But they did not obey their judges either, for they played the harlot with other gods, and they bowed down to them, and they quickly departed from the way their fathers had gone, in that those obeyed the Lord's commandments, but these did not do so. 18And when the Lord raised up judges to them, the Lord was with the judge, and he saved them from the hands of their enemies all the days of the judge, because the Lord had pity, because of their lamentation on account of those who oppressed them and those who tyrannized them. 19And it would come to pass at the death of the judge, that they would revert and corruptly deviate from the way of their fathers, in following other gods, in serving them and in bowing down to them. They did not desist from their deeds or their stubborn way, 20so the Lord's anger was kindled against Israel, and he said, “Since this people has transgressed my covenant which I commanded their fathers, and they have not obeyed me, 21I in turn will not continue to dispossess anyone before them, from the nations which Joshua left when he died, 22in order to test Israel through them, as to whether they are keeping the way of the Lord, by walking in these ways as their fathers kept them, or not.” 23For the Lord had left those nations alone, not quickly dispossessing them. And he had not delivered them into Joshua's hand.

Judges Chapter 3 

1And these are the nations which the Lord left alone, in order to test Israel through them – all those who did not know all the wars of Canaan – 2but in order for the generations of the sons of Israel to know – to teach them war – just those who had not known them previously, they are: 3five barons of the Philistines, and all the Canaanites and the Sidonians and the Hivites who lived at the mountain range of Lebanon, from Mount Baal-Hermon to the approach to Hamath. 4Now they were to test Israel, by means of them, so as to know whether they would obey the Lord's commandments which he commanded their fathers through the intermediacy of Moses. 5And the sons of Israel dwelt in the midst of the Canaanites, the Hittites and the Amorites and the Perizzites and the Hivites and the Jebusites. 6And they took their daughters for themselves as wives, and they gave their daughters to their sons, and they served their gods. 7And the sons of Israel did wrong in the eyes of the Lord, and they forgot the Lord their God, and they served the Baalim and the phallic parks. 8And the Lord's anger was kindled against Israel, and he sold them into the hand of Chushan-Rishathaim king of Aramaea of Mesopotamia, and the sons of Israel served Chushan-Rishathaim for eight years. 9And the sons of Israel cried out to the Lord, and the Lord raised up a saviour to the sons of Israel, who delivered them: Othniel the son of Kenaz, Caleb's younger brother. 10And the spirit of the Lord came on him, and he judged Israel, and he went out to battle, and the Lord delivered Chushan-Rishathaim king of Aramaea into his hand, and his hand prevailed against Chushan-Rishathaim. 11Then the land was quiet for forty years, then Othniel the son of Kenaz died. 12The sons of Israel then did wrong in the sight of the Lord again, and the Lord strengthened Eglon king of Moab against Israel, because they had done wrong in the sight of the Lord. 13And he recruited the sons of Ammon and Amalek, and they set off and struck Israel, and they took possession of the City of Palm Trees. 14Then the sons of Israel served Eglon king of Moab for eighteen years. 15And the sons of Israel cried out to the Lord, and the Lord raised up a saviour to them, Ehud the son of Gera, the Benjaminite, a left-handed man, and the sons of Israel sent a gift through his agency to Eglon king of Moab. 16And Ehud made himself a sword with two edges, a short-cubit in length, and he girded it under his garments at his right thigh. 17And he offered the gift to Eglon king of Moab. Now Eglon was a very fat man. 18And it came to pass, when he had finished offering the gift, that he sent the people who bore the gift out. 19And he returned from the quarry which was in Gilgal, and he said, “I have a secret message for you, O king.” And he said, “Shush.” And all the people standing around him went out away from him. 20Then Ehud went to him. Now he was sitting in an upper cool room which was for himself only, and Ehud said, “I have a message from God to you.” And he got up from his seat. 21Then Ehud shot out his left hand and took his sword from his right thigh and thrust it into his belly. 22And even the handle went in after the blade, and the fat closed in around the blade, because he did not draw the sword out of his belly, and it came out at his rectum. 23Then Ehud went out through the porch, and he closed the doors to the upper room behind him and locked them. 24And when he had gone out, his servants came and looked, and they found the doors of the upper room locked, and they said, “Surely he is covering his feet in the upper cool room.” 25And they waited until they were ashamed, and contrary to expectation, he didn't open the doors to the upper room, so they took the key and opened it, and what they saw was that their master had fallen to the ground dead. 26And Ehud escaped while they delayed, and he crossed over the quarry and escaped to Seirah. 27And it came to pass, when he arrived, that he sounded the ramshorn at Mount Ephraim, and the sons of Israel came down with him from the mountain, and he was in front of them. 28And he said to them, “Pursue following me, because the Lord has delivered your enemies – Moab – into your hand.” So they went down following him, and they captured the fords of the Jordan for crossing to Moab, and they did not allow any man to cross. 29And they struck Moab at that time – about ten thousand men – all brawny and all valiant men, and not a man escaped. 30So Moab was humiliated on that day by the power of Israel, and the land was quiet for eighty years. 31And after him was Shamgar the son of Anath, and he struck the Philistines – six hundred men – with an ox-goad. And he too saved Israel.

Judges Chapter 4 

1Then the sons of Israel did what was wrong in the eyes of the Lord again, but Ehud was dead. 2And the Lord sold them into the hand of Jabin king of Canaan, who reigned in Hazor, the commander of whose army was Sisera, who lived in Harosheth of the Gentiles. 3And the sons of Israel cried out to the Lord, for he had nine hundred iron chariots, and he oppressed the sons of Israel severely for twenty years. 4Now Deborah was a prophetess, the wife of Lappidoth, and she was judging Israel at that time, 5and she was sitting under the palm tree of Deborah – between Ramah and Beth-El at Mount Ephraim – and the sons of Israel went up to her for justice. 6And she sent for and called for Barak the son of Abinoam in Kedesh-Naphtali, and she said to him, “Did not the Lord God of Israel command you and say, ‘Go and seize Mount Tabor, and take with you ten thousand men from the sons of Naphtali and from the sons of Zebulun. 7And I will draw Sisera, the commander of Jabin's army, to you at the Kishon Brook, with his chariot fleet and his multitude, and I will deliver him into your hands’?” 8Then Barak said to her, “If you go with me, I will go, but if you don't go with me, I won't go.” 9Then she said, “I will willingly go with you, but you will not have the honour of the expedition which you are going on, for the Lord will sell Sisera into the hand of a woman.” Then Deborah arose and went with Barak to Kedesh. 10Then Barak called Zebulun and Naphtali together in Kedesh, and ten thousand men went up in his footsteps, and Deborah went up with him. 11And Heber the Kenite, who had parted from the Kenites, one of the sons of Hobab, Moses' father-in-law, pitched his tent at the oak at Zaanannim which is next to Kedesh. 12And it was reported to Sisera that Barak the son of Abinoam had gone up to Mount Tabor. 13So Sisera called up the whole of his chariot fleet – nine hundred iron chariots – and all the people who were with him, from Harosheth of the Gentiles to the Kishon Brook. 14Then Deborah said to Barak, “Arise, for this is the day on which the Lord has delivered Sisera into your hand. Will not the Lord go out before you?” So Barak went down from Mount Tabor with ten thousand men following him. 15And the Lord routed Sisera and all his chariot fleet and the whole of his camp, by the edge of the sword before Barak, but Sisera descended from his chariot and fled on foot. 16And Barak pursued the chariot fleet and the camp as far as Harosheth of the Gentiles, and the whole of Sisera's camp fell at the edge of the sword – not even one remained. 17And Sisera fled on foot to the tent of Jael the wife of Heber the Kenite, for there was peace between Jabin king of Hazor and the house of Heber the Kenite. 18And Jael went out to meet Sisera, and she said to him, “Turn in, my lord, turn in to me. Do not be afraid.” So he turned in to her, into her tent, and she covered him with a blanket. 19And he said, “Please give me a little water to drink, for I am thirsty.” And she opened a flask of milk and let him drink, and she covered him. 20And he said to her, “Stand at the entrance to the tent, and make sure if a man comes and asks you, and says, ‘Is there a man here?’, that you will say, ‘No.’ ” 21Then Jael Heber's wife took a tent peg, and she took a mallet in her hand, and she went to him stealthily, and she drove the peg into his temple, and it penetrated the ground, while he was slumbering and was weary. And he died. 22And what happened was that when Barak was pursuing Sisera, Jael came out to meet him, and she said to him, “Come and I will show you the man you are looking for.” So he went to her and there was Sisera fallen down dead, with the peg in his temple. 23So God humiliated Jabin king of Canaan on that day before the sons of Israel. 24And the force of the sons of Israel was ongoing and severe against Jabin king of Canaan, until they had destroyed Jabin king of Canaan.

Judges Chapter 5 

1And Deborah and Barak the son of Abinoam sang on that day, and they said,

2“For the effecting of deliverance in Israel,

When the people were willing,

Bless the Lord.

3Hear, O kings;

Give ear, O princes.

I myself shall sing to the Lord;

I shall sing psalms to the Lord God of Israel.

4Lord, when you went out from Seir,

When you marched from the open country of Edom,

The earth trembled,

And not only did the heavens drip,

But the thick clouds also precipitated water.

5Mountains flowed on account of the Lord

– Sinai here did

On account of the Lord God of Israel.

6In the days of Shamgar

The son of Anath,

In the days of Jael,

They avoided the highways,

And those that went on travels

Went by twisting ways.

7Leadership ceased in Israel

– It ceased –

Until I, Deborah, arose,

When I arose as a mother in Israel.

8It chose new gods,

Then there was war at the gates.

Was a shield seen

– Or a spear –

Among the forty thousand in Israel?

9My heart turned to the legislators of Israel,

Those who were willing among the people.

Bless the Lord.

10Riders on white she-asses,

You who sit in judgment,

And you who walk on the road,

Speak!

11At the sound of archers,

Between water troughs,

There they celebrate

The righteous deeds of the Lord

– The righteous deeds

Of his leadership in Israel.

That is when the people of the Lord

Went down to the gates.

12Awake, awake, Deborah!

Awake, awake; utter a song.

Arise, Barak!

And make your captivity captive,

O son of Abinoam.

13At that time he gave dominion

Over the nobility of the people

To a survivor.

The Lord gave me dominion

Over warriors.

14From Ephraim came their root

Against Amalek.

And after you came Benjamin,

Among your people.

From Machir, legislators came down,

And from Zebulun,

They that hold out the rod of the recording scribe.

15But my princes among Issachar were with Deborah.

And as was Issachar, so was Barak.

He was sent to the valley on foot.

Among the divisions of Reuben,

Great were the impressions on the heart.

16Why did you dwell between the sheepfolds,

So as to hear the bleating of the flocks?

Among the divisions of Reuben,

Great were the searchings of the heart.

17Gilead dwelt across the Jordan,

And why did Dan inhabit ships?

Asher stayed on the coast of the seas

And dwelt in its creeks.

18Zebulun is a people

Who despised mortal danger.

Naphtali likewise

In the heights of the open countryside.

19Kings came and fought,

Then the kings of Canaan fought

In Taanach by the water of Megiddo.

They did not take any spoils of silver.

20They fought from heaven;

The stars fought

Against Sisera from their courses.

21The Kishon Brook swept them away

– The brook of the ancients,

The Kishon Brook.

My own self was to tread there in strength.

22Then the tracks of cavalry were imprinted at the prancing

– The prancing of his mighty ones.

23‘Curse Meroz’,

Said the angel of the Lord;

‘Curse its inhabitants vehemently,

For they did not come

To the Lord's help

– To the Lord's help

Against the warriors.’

24May Jael be the most blessed of women

– The wife of Heber the Kenite –

May she be the most blessed

Of women in the tent.

25He asked for water;

She gave him milk.

In a bowl for the nobility,

She offered buttermilk.

26Her hand reached for the peg

And her right hand for the workmen's hammer,

And she hammered Sisera.

She crushed his head

And dashed and pierced his temple.

27He sank down and fell

And lay between her feet.

He sank down and fell between her feet.

Where he sank down,

There he fell,

Slain.

28Sisera's mother peered through the window

And cried aloud through the latticework,

‘Why is his chariot delayed in coming?

Why is the clattering noise of his chariots late?’

29Her princesses in their wisdom answered;

She even responded in her own words,

30‘Have they not found,

And are they not dividing, the spoil?

A maiden or two per headcount of a man,

Spoil of dyed garments for Sisera,

Spoil of dyed garments with embroidery,

Dyed double-sided embroidery

For the necks of the spoil-takers.’

31May all your enemies perish that way,

O Lord,

But let those who love him

Be like the rising of the sun

In its strength.”

And the land was quiet for forty years.

Judges Chapter 6 

1Then the sons of Israel did wrong in the sight of the Lord, and the Lord delivered them into the hand of Midian for seven years. 2And Midian's grip on Israel tightened. Because of Midian, the sons of Israel made themselves tunnels in the mountains, and caves, and fortresses. 3And it came to pass, when Israel had sown seed, that Midian came up, as did Amalek and the easterners, and they came up against them. 4And they encamped against them, and they destroyed the produce of the land as far as when you come to Gaza. And they did not leave any means of livelihood in Israel, neither sheep, nor oxen, nor donkeys. 5For they and their cattle would come up, with their tents. They would come like locusts in multitude, they and their camels being innumerable, and they came to the land to destroy it. 6And Israel was brought very low on account of Midian, and the sons of Israel cried out to the Lord. 7And it came to pass, when the sons of Israel cried out to the Lord because of Midian, 8that the Lord sent a prophet to the sons of Israel, and he said to them, “This is what the Lord God of Israel says: ‘I brought you up out of Egypt, and I brought you out of a house of slavery. 9And I delivered you from Egypt's grip and from the grip of all who were oppressing you, and I drove them out before you, and I gave you their land. 10And I said to you, «I am the Lord your God. Do not fear the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living», but you did not obey me.’ ” 11Then the angel of the Lord came and sat under the terebinth tree which was in Ophrah, which belonged to Joash the Abi-Ezrite, while Gideon his son was threshing wheat in the wine press, to hide it from the Midianites. 12And the angel of the Lord appeared to him and said to him, “The Lord is with you, you valiant warrior.” 13And Gideon said to him, “O my Lord, please, if the Lord is present with us, then why has all this befallen us? And where are all his wonders which our fathers told us about, when they said, ‘Did the Lord not bring us up out of Egypt?’ And now the Lord has forsaken us and delivered us into the hand of Midian.” 14And the Lord turned to him and said, “Go in this strength of yours, and save Israel from Midian's grip. Have I not sent you?” 15Then he said to him, “Please, Lord*, by what means shall I save Israel? Look, my family is the most reduced in the tribe of Manasseh, and I am the youngest in my father's house.” 16And the Lord said to him, “When I am with you, you will be able to strike Midian as one man.” 17And he said to him, “If now I have found grace in your sight, do perform a sign for me, to show that it is you talking to me. 18Please do not depart from here until I come to you and bring out my meal-offering, and I deposit it before you.” And he said, “I will stay until you return.” 19Then Gideon departed and prepared a kid of the goats and an ephah of flour's worth of unleavened loaves. He put the meat in a basket, and he put the broth in a pot, and he brought it out to him under the terebinth tree, and he offered it. 20Then the angel of God said to him, “Take the meat and the unleavened loaves, and deposit them on this rock, and pour out the broth.” And he did so. 21And the angel of the Lord held out the end of the staff which was in his hand, and he touched the meat and the unleavened loaves, and fire went up from the rock and consumed the meat and the unleavened loaves. Then the angel of the Lord departed out of his sight. 22And Gideon saw that it was the angel of the Lord, and Gideon said, “Alas, my Lord the Lord, because I have seen the angel of the Lord face to face.” 23And the Lord said to him, “Peace be to you, do not be afraid, you shall not die.” 24Then Gideon built an altar to the Lord there, and he called it Jehovah-Shalom, as it is up to this day, still there in Ophrah of the Abi-Ezrites. 25And it came to pass that night that the Lord said to him, “Take your father's bull of the oxen, and the second bull which is seven years old, and demolish the altar of Baal which your father has, and cut down the phallic park which goes with it. 26And build an altar to the Lord your God on the top of this fortress at the pile of material, and take the second bull and make a burnt offering with the wood of the phallic park which you cut down.” 27Then Gideon took ten men from his servants, and he did what the Lord had said to him, and it so happened that as he was afraid of the house of his father and the men of the city – of doing it by day – that he did it by night. 28Then when the men of the city got up early in the morning, what they saw was that the altar of Baal had been demolished, and the phallic park which went with it had been cut down, and the second bull had been offered as a burnt offering on the altar which had been built. 29And they said to each other, “Who has done this thing?” And they looked into it and inquired, and they said, “Gideon the son of Joash has done this thing.” 30And the men of the city said to Joash, “Bring your son out, and he will die, because he has demolished the altar of Baal and because he has cut down the phallic park which went with it.” 31But Joash said to everyone who was standing against him, “Will you defend Baal? Or will you save him? Let him who would defend him be put to death while it is morning. If he is a god, let him defend himself, because someone has demolished his altar.” 32And he called him Jerubbaal on that day, and he said, “Let Baal defend himself, because that man has demolished his altar.” 33Then all the Midianites and Amalekites and the easterners gathered together, and they went across and encamped in the Valley of Jezreel. 34And the spirit of the Lord clothed Gideon, and he sounded the ramshorn, and Abiezer was called to assembly after him. 35And he sent messengers throughout all the territory of Manasseh, and they too were called to assembly, following him. And he sent messengers to Asher and Zebulun and Naphtali, and they went up to meet them. 36Then Gideon said to God, “If you are about to save Israel through my intermediacy, as you have said, 37here I am ready to put the fleece of wool on the threshing floor, to see whether there will be dew on the fleece only and dryness on all the ground, so that I know that it is through my intermediacy that you will save Israel, as you have said.” 38And it was so, and he rose early on the next day, and he wrung the fleece out and extracted dew from the fleece – a full bowl of water. 39Then Gideon said to God, “Do not let your anger be kindled against me, and I will speak just once. Please let me do the test just once with the fleece. Let the fleece only be dry, and let there be dew on all the ground.” 40And God did so on that night, and there was dryness for the fleece only, and on all the ground there was dew.

Judges Chapter 7 

1Then Jerubbaal – that is Gideon – and all the people who were with him arose early and encamped at the source of Harod, while Midian had his camp to the north, by the hill of Moreh, in the valley. 2And the Lord said to Gideon, “The people who are with you are too many for me to deliver Midian into their hands, in case Israel vaunt themselves against me, and they say, ‘My own ability saved me.’ 3So now, please proclaim in the audience of the people and say, ‘Whoever is fearful or trembling should return and go back quickly from Mount Gilead.’ ” And twenty-two thousand of the people returned, but ten thousand remained. 4And the Lord said to Gideon, “The people are still too many. Bring them down to the water, and I will filter them out for you there. And it will be the case that of whomever I say to you, ‘This man will go with you’, he will go with you, and everyone of whom I say to you, ‘This man will not go with you’, he will not go.” 5So he led the people down to the water, and the Lord said to Gideon, “Everyone who laps the water with his tongue as a dog laps, set him aside, and also everyone who kneels down to drink.” 6And the number of those who lapped with their hands to their mouth was three hundred men, and all the rest of the people knelt down to drink the water. 7Then the Lord said to Gideon, “I will save you by the three hundred men who lapped, and I will deliver Midian into your hand. So let all the people go to their own place.” 8So the people took provisions in their hand, with their ramshorns, and he sent every man of Israel away to his tent, but he kept hold of the three hundred men. Now Midian had his camp below in the valley. 9And it came to pass that night that the Lord said to him, “Get up and go down to the camp, for I have delivered it into your hand. 10But if you are afraid to go down, you and Purah your servant-boy go down to the camp, 11and you will hear what they are saying, and afterwards your hands will be strengthened, and you will go down to the camp.” So he and Purah his servant-boy went down to the edge of the armed men who were in the camp. 12And Midian and Amalek and all the easterners were lying in the valley, like locusts in multitude, and their camels were countless, like the sand which is on the sea-shore in abundance. 13Then Gideon came, and what he heard was a man telling his colleague a dream, and he said, “Look, I have had a dream, and what I saw was a loaf of barley bread tumbling into Midian's camp, and it came up to the tent and struck it, and it fell down, and it turned it upside down, so the tent fell down.” 14And his colleague answered and said, “This is nothing other than the sword of Gideon the son of Joash, a man of Israel. God has delivered Midian and all his camp into his hand.” 15And it came to pass, when Gideon heard the account of the dream, and its interpretation, that he worshipped and went back to Israel's camp and said, “Arise, for the Lord has delivered Midian's camp into your hand.” 16Then he divided the three hundred men into three contingents, and he put ramshorns in each one's hand, and empty jars, with lamps inside the jars, 17and he said to them, “Look at me and act accordingly, and when I come to the edge of the camp, whatever I do, so you do. 18When I sound the ramshorn – I and everyone who is with me – then you also sound the ramshorns yourselves, all around the camp, and say, ‘For the Lord and for Gideon.’ ” 19Then Gideon and the one hundred men who were with him came to the edge of the camp at the start of the middle night-watch – they had only just put the watchmen on duty – and they sounded the ramshorns and broke the jars which were in their hands. 20So the three contingents sounded the ramshorns and broke the jars, and they held the lamps in their left hand and the ramshorns to sound in their right hand, and they shouted, “A sword for the Lord and for Gideon.” 21And each man stood on the spot round about the camp, but all the camp itself ran shouting out and fled. 22And the three hundred men sounded their ramshorns, and the Lord set every man's sword against his colleague, and this throughout the camp, and the camp fled to Beth-Shittah of Zererah, to the border of Abel-Meholah, as far as Tabbath. 23Then the men of Israel and Naphtali and Asher and all of Manasseh were drawn together, and they pursued Midian. 24Then Gideon sent messengers throughout Mount Ephraim, who said, “Go down against Midian, and capture their water-rich area as far as Beth-Barah and the Jordan.” Then every man of Ephraim was drawn together, and they captured the water-rich area as far as Beth-Barah and the Jordan. 25And they captured two of Midian's commanders, Oreb and Zeeb, and they killed Oreb on the rock of Oreb, and they killed Zeeb in the wine vat of Zeeb, and they pursued Midian, and they brought the head of Oreb and of Zeeb to Gideon across the Jordan.

Judges Chapter 8 

1And the men of Ephraim said to him, “What is this thing you have done to us in not calling us, because you went to fight against Midian.” And they argued with him vehemently. 2And he said to them, “What have I done now compared to you? Are not the gleanings of Ephraim better than the whole wine crop of Abiezer? 3God delivered Midian's commanders into your hands – Oreb and Zeeb – and what was I able to do compared to you?” Then their temper against him subsided, when he said these words. 4Then Gideon came to the Jordan. He and the three hundred men who were with him crossed over, weary but pursuing. 5And he said to the men of Succoth, “Please give loaves of bread to the people who are following in my footsteps, for they are weary, and I am pursuing Zebah and Zalmunna, kings of Midian.” 6But the commanders of Succoth said, “Are the palms of the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna now in your hands, so that we should give your army bread?” 7Then Gideon said, “That presumption is why, when the Lord delivers Zebah and Zalmunna into my hand, I will thrash your flesh with the desert thorn bushes and with the briars.” 8Then he went up from there to Penuel and spoke similarly to them, and the men of Penuel answered him in the same way as the men of Succoth answered. 9And he also spoke to the men of Penuel and said, “When I return in peace, I will demolish this tower.” 10Now Zebah and Zalmunna were in Karkor, and their camps were with them – about fifteen thousand men – all those who remained from the whole camp of the easterners. And those who fell were one hundred and twenty thousand men who drew the sword. 11And Gideon went up the road to the tent-dwellers to the east of Nobah and Jogbehah, and he attacked the camp, although the camp was secure. 12And Zebah and Zalmunna fled, and he pursued them, and he captured the two kings of Midian, Zebah and Zalmunna, and he routed the whole camp. 13Then Gideon the son of Joash returned from the battle before sunrise. 14And he took a boy-servant of the men of Succoth, and he questioned him, and the boy described the chief men of Succoth to him, and its elders – seventy-seven men. 15Then Gideon went to the men of Succoth, and he said, “Here are Zebah and Zalmunna, about whom you reproached me and said, ‘Are the palms of the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna now in your hands, so that we should give your weary men bread?’ ” 16And he took the elders of the city, and the desert thorn bushes, and the briars, with which he gave the men of Succoth a lesson. 17And he demolished the tower of Penuel, and he killed the men of the city. 18And he said to Zebah and Zalmunna, “What kind of men were they that you killed at Tabor?” And they answered, “As you are, so were they. Each one had the appearance of the king's sons.” 19Then he said, “They were my brothers – my mother's sons. As the Lord lives, if you had let them live, I would not kill you.” 20And he said to Jether his firstborn, “Arise and kill them.” But the lad did not draw his sword, for he was afraid, for he was still only a lad. 21Then Zebah and Zalmunna said, “You arise and fall on us. For as a man is, so is his valour.” Then Gideon arose and killed Zebah and Zalmunna, and he took the crescent ornaments which were on the camels' necks. 22And the men of Israel said to Gideon, “You rule over us – in turn you and your son and your grandson – for you have saved us from the hand of Midian.” 23But Gideon said to them, “I shall not rule over you, neither shall my son rule over you. The Lord will rule over you.” 24And Gideon said to them, “Let me ask you a request. Give me every man's earring which he has as his spoil.” For they had golden earrings, for the Midianites were Ishmaelites. 25And they said, “We will certainly give them.” And they spread out a garment, and each man cast there his earring which he had as his spoil. 26And the weight of the golden earrings which he requested was one thousand seven hundred shekels of gold, apart from the crescent ornaments and the pendants and the purple clothes which were on the kings of Midian, and apart from the necklaces which were on the camels' necks. 27And Gideon made these things into an ephod, and he put it in his city, in Ophrah, and the whole of Israel went whoring after it there, and it became a snare to Gideon and his household. 28So Midian was subdued before the sons of Israel, and they did not assert themselves any more, and the land was quiet for forty years in the days of Gideon. 29Then Jerubbaal the son of Joash departed, and he dwelt in his house. 30And Gideon had seventy sons – those who came from his thighs – for he had many wives. 31And his concubine who was in Shechem also bore him a son, and he gave him the name Abimelech. 32And Gideon the son of Joash died at a good old age, and he was buried in the grave of Joash his father, the Abi-Ezrite, in Ophrah. 33And it came to pass, when Gideon died, that the sons of Israel went whoring after the Baalim again, and they made Baal-Berith their god. 34And the sons of Israel did not remember the Lord their God, who saved them from the hand of all their enemies round about. 35Nor did they deal kindly with the house of Jerubbaal – Gideon – for all the good which he did with Israel.

Judges Chapter 9 

1Then Abimelech the son of Jerubbaal went to Shechem, to his mother's brothers, and he spoke to them and to the whole family of his mother's father's house, and he said, 2“Please speak in the audience of all the lords of Shechem, and say, ‘What is better for you: seventy men to rule over you – all of Jerubbaal's sons – or for one man to rule over you? And remember that I am your bone and your flesh.’ ” 3So his mother's brothers spoke concerning him all these words in the audience of all the lords of Shechem, and their heart inclined towards Abimelech, for they said, “He is our brother.” 4And they gave him seventy pieces of silver from the house of Baal-Berith, with which Abimelech hired some idle and reckless men, and they followed him. 5And he went to his father's house, to Ophrah, and he killed his brothers – the sons of Jerubbaal, seventy men – on one stone, but Jotham, Jerubbaal's youngest son, was left remaining, because he hid himself. 6And all the lords of Shechem, and the whole house of Millo gathered together, and they departed and made Abimelech king by the oak which had been set up in Shechem. 7And it was reported to Jotham, and he departed and stood on the summit of Mount Gerizim, and he raised his voice and called out and said to them, “Listen to me, you lords of Shechem, so that God may listen to you. 8The trees went purposefully to anoint a king over them, and they said to the olive tree, ‘Reign over us.’ 9But the olive tree said to them, ‘Should I give up my fatness, by which through me they honour God and men, and should I go to hold sway over the trees?’ 10Then the trees said to the fig tree, ‘You come and reign over us.’ 11But the fig tree said to them, ‘Should I give up my sweetness and my good produce, and should I go to hold sway over the trees?’ 12Then the trees said to the vine, ‘You come and reign over us.’ 13But the vine said to them, ‘Should I give up my new wine which cheers up God and men, and should I go to hold sway over the trees?’ 14Then all the trees said to the blackthorn, ‘You come and reign over us.’ 15And the blackthorn said to the trees, ‘If you truly anoint me as king over you, come and put your trust in my shadow; and if you do not, let fire come out of the blackthorn and devour the cedars of Lebanon.’ 16So now, if you acted truthfully and with integrity when you made Abimelech king, and if you acted correctly with Jerubbaal and with his house, and if you dealt with him according to his just deserts, 17in that my father fought for you, and he put his life in jeopardy and saved you from Midian's grip 18(and you have risen up against the house of my father today, and you have killed his sons – seventy men – on one stone, and you have made Abimelech, his maid's son, king over the lords of Shechem, because he is your brother), 19so if you have dealt truthfully and with integrity with Jerubbaal and with his house this day, rejoice in Abimelech and let him also rejoice in you. 20But if not, let fire come out from Abimelech and consume the lords of Shechem and the house of Millo, and let fire come from the lords of Shechem and the house of Millo and consume Abimelech.” 21Then Jotham fled and bolted, and he went to Beer, and he lived there because of Abimelech his brother. 22And Abimelech was prince over Israel for three years. 23Then God sent an untoward spirit between Abimelech and the lords of Shechem, and the lords of Shechem acted treacherously against Abimelech, 24so that the violence against the seventy sons of Jerubbaal should come to a head, and to lay their blood on Abimelech their brother, because he killed them, and on the lords of Shechem, because they abetted him in killing his brothers. 25And the lords of Shechem set up men in ambush against him on the summits of the mountains, and they robbed everyone who came across them on the road, and it was reported to Abimelech. 26Then Gaal the son of Ebed and his brothers came and crossed over to Shechem, and the lords of Shechem put their trust in him. 27And they went out into the fields and harvested their vineyards and trod the grapes, and they held thanksgiving celebrations, and they went to the house of their god, and they ate and drank, and they cursed Abimelech. 28And Gaal the 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? Serve the men of Hamor the father of Shechem. So why should we serve this one? 29And if only this people was in my power! Then I would remove Abimelech.” And he said to Abimelech, “Increase your army and come out!” 30And when Zebul the chief officer of the city heard the words of Gaal the son of Ebed, his anger was kindled. 31And he sent messengers to Abimelech clandestinely and said, “Look, Gaal the son of Ebed and his brothers are coming to Shechem, and what they are doing is stirring up the city against you. 32So now, arise by night, you and the people who are with you, and set an ambush in the countryside. 33So what you should do is, in the morning, when the sun rises, get up early and invade the city, and when he and the people with him come out against you, do to him whatever is fitting.” 34So Abimelech and all the people who were with him arose at night and lay in ambush against Shechem, in four contingents. 35Then when Gaal the son of Ebed came out and stood at the entrance of the gate of the city, Abimelech and the people with him arose from the ambush. 36And when Gaal saw the people, he said to Zebul, “Look, a people is coming down from the summits of the mountains.” But Zebul said to him, “You are mistaking the shadow of the mountain for men.” 37Then Gaal spoke yet again and said, “Look, a people is coming down from the height of the land, and one contingent is coming by the way of the oak of Meonenim.” 38Then Zebul said to him, “Where is your mouth now, with which you might say, ‘Who is Abimelech, that we should serve him?’? Is this not the people whom you rejected? Come on out now and fight them!” 39Then Gaal came out in the presence of the lords of Shechem, and he fought against Abimelech. 40And Abimelech pursued him, and he fled before him, and many fell wounded up to the entrance of the gate. 41And Abimelech lived in Arumah, and Zebul drove out Gaal and his brothers, stopping them from living in Shechem. 42And it came to pass on the next day when the people went out into the fields that it was reported to Abimelech. 43And he took his people and divided them into three contingents, and he lay in ambush in the fields, and he looked, and what he saw was the people coming out of the city. And he rose up against them and struck them. 44And Abimelech and the contingents which were with him made an onslaught, and they took up position at the entrance of the gate of the city, and two contingents made an onslaught against everyone in the fields and struck them down. 45And Abimelech fought in the city all that day, and he took the city, and he killed the people who were in it, and he demolished the city and sowed it with salt. 46Then when all the lords of the tower of Shechem heard it, they went to the watchtower of the house of El-Berith. 47And it was reported to Abimelech that all the lords of the tower of Shechem had gathered together. 48Then Abimelech went up to Mount Zalmon – he and all the people who were with him – and Abimelech took axes in his hand and cut off a bough from one of the trees, and he lifted it up and put it on his shoulder, and he said to the people who were with him, “What you have seen me do, hurry up and do the same as me.” 49So all the people also each cut off a bough, and they followed Abimelech, and they put them against the watchtower, and with them they set fire to the watchtower, and all the men of the tower of Shechem also died – about a thousand men and women. 50Then Abimelech went to Thebez, and he encamped at Thebez, and he captured it. 51Now there was a strong tower inside the city, and all the men and women and all the lords of the city fled there, and they closed it behind them, and they went up onto the roof of the tower. 52And Abimelech went to the tower, and he attacked it, and he approached the entrance of the tower to set it on fire. 53And a certain woman threw an upper millstone on Abimelech's head, and it crushed his skull. 54And he quickly called the servant-lad carrying his equipment, and he said to him, “Draw your sword and kill me, so that they do not say about me, ‘A woman killed him.’ ” So his servant thrust him through, and he died. 55And when the men of Israel saw that Abimelech was dead, each man went to his place. 56So God requited Abimelech's wickedness which he committed against his father, in killing his seventy brothers. 57And God requited all the wickedness of the men of Shechem on their head, and the curse of Jotham the son of Jerubbaal came upon them.

Judges Chapter 10 

1Then after Abimelech was gone, Tola, the son of Puah, the son of Dodo, arose to save Israel – a man of Issachar – and he lived in Shamir at Mount Ephraim. 2And he judged Israel for twenty-three years, then he died and was buried in Shamir. 3And after him Jair the Gileadite arose, and he judged Israel for twenty-two years. 4And he had thirty sons who rode on thirty ass-colts, and they had thirty cities, and they call them the Villages of Jair up to this day, which are in the land of Gilead. 5Then Jair died, and he was buried in Camon. 6Then the sons of Israel again did what was wrong in the eyes of the Lord, and they served the Baalim, and images of Astarte, and the gods of Aramaea, and the gods of Sidon, and the gods of Moab, and the gods of the sons of Ammon, and the gods of the Philistines. But they forsook the Lord, and they did not serve him. 7And the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel, and he sold them into the hand of the Philistines and into the hand of the sons of Ammon. 8And they crushed and oppressed the sons of Israel in that year – for eighteen years all the sons of Israel who were on the other side of the Jordan in the land of the Amorites who were in Gilead. 9Then the sons of Ammon crossed the Jordan to fight against both Judah and Benjamin, as well as the house of Ephraim, and Israel was in a serious strait. 10And the sons of Israel cried out to the Lord and said, “We have sinned against you, because we have both forsaken our God and we have served the Baalim.” 11Then the Lord said to the sons of Israel, “Is it not from Egypt and from the Amorites and from the sons of Ammon and from the Philistines that I saved you? 12And when the Sidonians and Amalek and Maon oppressed you, you cried out to me, and I saved you from their hand. 13But you forsook me, and you served other gods. That is why I shall not save you again. 14Go and cry out to the gods that you have chosen. Let them save you in the time of your distress.” 15Then the sons of Israel said to the Lord, “We have sinned. Deal with us in whatever way is right in your sight, but please deliver us this day.” 16Then they removed the foreign gods from their midst, and they served the Lord, and he became impatient over Israel's suffering. 17Then the sons of Ammon were mobilized, and they encamped at Gilead. And the sons of Israel gathered and encamped in Mizpah. 18And the people – the officers of Gilead – said to each other, “Who is the man who will start fighting the sons of Ammon? He will be the head of all the inhabitants of Gilead.”

Judges Chapter 11 

1Now Jephthah the Gileadite was a valiant warrior, and he was the son of a harlot woman, and it was Gilead who begot Jephthah. 2And Gilead's wife bore him sons, and his wife's sons grew up and drove Jephthah out, and they said to him, “You will not inherit anything in our father's house, for you are the son of another woman.” 3At this Jephthah fled from his brothers, and he dwelt in the land of Tob, and some idle men gathered around Jephthah and went out with him. 4And it came to pass after a number of days that the sons of Ammon fought against Israel. 5And it so happened as the sons of Ammon were fighting against Israel, that the elders of Gilead went to fetch Jephthah from the land of Tob. 6And they said to Jephthah, “Come and be our leader, and let us fight against the sons of Ammon.” 7Then Jephthah said to the elders of Gilead, “Have you not hated me and driven me out of my father's house? So why have you come to me now that you are in a strait?” 8And the elders of Gilead said to Jephthah, “This is why we have now turned to you: for you to come with us and fight against the sons of Ammon, and you will be our head over all the inhabitants of Gilead.” 9Then Jephthah said to the elders of Gilead, “If you are bringing me back to fight against the sons of Ammon, when the Lord has delivered them before me, then I will be your head.” 10Then the elders of Gilead said to Jephthah, “May the Lord hold us to account if we do not act according to your words.” 11Then Jephthah went with the elders of Gilead, and the people appointed him to be head over them and a leader, and Jephthah spoke all his words before the Lord in Mizpah. 12Then Jephthah sent messengers to the king of the sons of Ammon and said, “What is the issue between me and you that you should come to me to fight in my land?” 13And the king of the sons of Ammon said to Jephthah's messengers, “Because Israel took my land when it came up from Egypt, from the Arnon to the Jabbok and up to the Jordan. So now, give it back in peace.” 14Then Jephthah sent messengers again to the king of the sons of Ammon, 15and he said to him, “This is what Jephthah says: ‘Israel did not take the land of Moab or the land of the sons of Ammon, 16for when it came up from Egypt, Israel went into the desert, to the Red Sea, and it came to Kadesh. 17Then Israel sent messengers to the king of Edom and said, «Please let me cross your land.» But the king of Edom did not consent. And it also sent messengers to the king of Moab, but he was not willing, and Israel stayed in Kadesh. 18And it went into the desert, and it went round the land of Edom and the land of Moab, and it came to the land of Moab from the sunrise direction, and they encamped across the Arnon, but they did not enter the territory of Moab, for the Arnon is the border of Moab. 19Then Israel sent messengers to Sihon king of the Amorites – the king of Heshbon – and Israel said to him, «Please let us cross through your land to our place.» 20But Sihon did not trust Israel to cross its territory, and Sihon gathered all his people, and they encamped at Jahaz, and he did battle with Israel. 21And the Lord God of Israel delivered Sihon and all his people into Israel's hand, and they struck them, and Israel took possession of all the land of the Amorites who lived in that land. 22So they took possession of all the territory of the Amorites, from the Arnon to the Jabbok, and from the desert to the Jordan. 23So now that the Lord God of Israel has dispossessed the Amorites before his people Israel, will you then take possession of it? 24Is it not so, that whatever Chemosh your god dispossesses for you, you take possession of? And that everything that the Lord our God dispossesses before us, we take possession of? 25So now, are you really any better than Balak the son of Zippor, the king of Moab? Did he strive vehemently with Israel, or did he fight fiercely against them? 26When Israel dwelt in Heshbon and its satellites, and in Aroer and its satellites, and in all the cities alongside the Arnon, for three hundred years, why did you not deliver these places, at that time? 27And I have not committed any offence against you, but you are doing wrong with me in fighting me. May the Lord, the judge, judge today between the sons of Israel and the sons of Ammon.’ ” 28But the king of the sons of Ammon did not favourably receive the words of Jephthah which he had sent to him. 29Then the spirit of the Lord came on Jephthah, and he crossed Gilead and Manasseh, and he crossed Mizpeh of Gilead, and from Mizpeh of Gilead he crossed over to the sons of Ammon. 30Then Jephthah made a vow to the Lord, and he said, “If you will make a point of delivering the sons of Ammon into my hand, 31then it will be the case that whatever comes out of the doors of my house to meet me when I return in peace from the sons of Ammon will be the Lord's, or I will offer it as a burnt offering.” 32Then Jephthah crossed over to the sons of Ammon to fight against them, and the Lord delivered them into his hand. 33And he struck them from Aroer to where one approaches Minnith – twenty cities – and as far as Abel-Keramim, with a very great blow, and the sons of Ammon were humiliated before the sons of Israel. 34Then Jephthah went to Mizpah, to his house, and what should happen but his daughter came out to meet him, with timbrels and dancing, and moreover, she was an only child – besides her he had neither son nor daughter. 35And it came to pass when he saw her that he tore his clothes, and he said, “Alas, my daughter, you have brought me very low, and you have joined those who cause me sorrow, for I have opened my mouth to the Lord, and I cannot reverse it.” 36Then she said to him, “My father, have you opened your mouth to the Lord? Do to me according to what was uttered from your mouth, since the Lord has taken vengeance for you on your enemies, on the sons of Ammon.” 37And she said to her father, “Let this thing be done for me – leave me alone for two months, and I will go up and down on the mountains and bewail my virginity, I and my companions.” 38And he said, “Go.” And he sent her off for two months. So she went – she and her companions – and she bewailed her virginity on the mountains. 39Then it came to pass after two months that she returned to her father, and he performed with her his vow which he had made, and she did not know a man, and it became a statute in Israel. 40On these days, as they recur, the daughters of Israel go to commemorate the daughter of Jephthah the Gileadite, for four days per year.

Judges Chapter 12 

1Then the men of Ephraim were called together, and they crossed over to the north, and they said to Jephthah, “Why did you cross over to fight the sons of Ammon, without calling us to go with you? We will burn your house with fire on you.” 2Then Jephthah said to them, “I was a man in contention – I and my people – with the sons of Ammon, to a great extent, and I called out to you, but you did not deliver me out of their hand. 3And when I saw that you were not delivering me, I risked by life, and I went across to the sons of Ammon, and the Lord delivered them into my hand. So why have you come up this day to fight against me?” 4Then Jephthah gathered all the men of Gilead and fought against Ephraim, and the men of Gilead struck Ephraim down, for the latter had said, “You are fugitives of Ephraim, Gilead within Ephraim and within Manasseh.” 5And Gilead captured Ephraim's fords of the Jordan, and it came to pass that when the fugitives of Ephraim said, “Let me cross”, the men of Gilead said, “Are you an Ephraimite?” If he said, “No”, 6then they said to him, “Kindly say, ‘Shibboleth’ ”, and if he said, “Sibboleth”, and he did not articulate to pronounce it correctly, then they took him and killed him at the fords of the Jordan. And at that time forty-two thousand men of Ephraim fell. 7And Jephthah judged Israel for six years, then Jephthah the Gileadite died, and he was buried in the cities of Gilead. 8Then after him, Ibzan of Bethlehem judged Israel. 9And he had thirty sons and thirty daughters whom he sent out. And he brought thirty daughters from outside for his sons, and he judged Israel for seven years. 10Then Ibzan died, and he was buried in Bethlehem. 11And after him Elon the Zebulonite judged Israel, and he judged Israel for ten years. 12Then Elon the Zebulonite died, and he was buried in Aijalon in the land of Zebulun. 13Then after him Abdon the son of Hillel the Pirathonite judged Israel. 14And he had forty sons and thirty grandsons who rode on seventy ass-colts, and he judged Israel for eight years. 15Then Abdon the son of Hillel the Pirathonite died, and he was buried in Pirathon in the land of Ephraim at the mount of the Amalekite.

Judges Chapter 13 

1Then the sons of Israel again did what was wrong in the eyes of the Lord, and the Lord delivered them into the hand of the Philistines for forty years. 2And there was a certain man of Zorah, of the Danite family, and his name was Manoah, and his wife was barren, and she had not given birth. 3And the angel of the Lord appeared to the woman and said to her, “Look now, you are barren, and you have not given birth, but you will conceive and bear a son. 4So now, please be on your guard, and do not drink wine or strong drink, and do not eat anything unclean. 5For you are about to conceive, and you will bear a son, and no razor will pass over his head, for the boy will be a Nazarite of God from the womb, and he will begin to save Israel from the hand of the Philistines.” 6Then the woman went and spoke to her husband, and she said, “A man of God has come to me, and his appearance was as the appearance of an angel of God – most awesome – and I did not ask him where he was from, and he did not tell me his name. 7And he said to me, ‘You are about to conceive, and you will bear a son. So now, do not drink wine or strong drink, and do not eat anything unclean, for the boy will be a Nazarite of God from the womb to the day of his death.’ ” 8Then Manoah entreated the Lord and said, “O Lord*, please – the man of God whom you sent – may he please come to us again and teach us what we are to do with the boy who is to be born.” 9And God heeded Manoah, and the angel of God came again to the woman while she was sitting down in a field, when Manoah her husband was not with her. 10And the woman hastened and ran and told her husband, and she said to him, “Look, the man who came to me the other day has appeared to me again.” 11So Manoah got up and followed his wife, and he came to the man, and he said to him, “Are you the man who spoke to the woman?” And he said, “Yes I am.” 12Then Manoah said, “May your words now come to pass. What is the boy's duty to be, and his function?” 13And the angel of the Lord said to Manoah, “Let her be on her guard about everything I have said to her. 14She shall not consume anything that comes from the grape vine, nor drink any wine or strong drink, nor eat anything unclean. Let her keep everything I have commanded her.” 15Then Manoah said to the angel of the Lord, “Please let us detain you, and we will prepare a kid of the goats for you.” 16But the angel of the Lord said to Manoah, “If you detain me, I shall not eat your food, but if you would offer a burnt offering, you shall offer it to the Lord.” For Manoah did not know that he was the angel of the Lord. 17Then Manoah said to the angel of the Lord, “What is your name, so that when your words come to pass, we can honour you.” 18Then the angel of the Lord said to him, “Why do you ask me my name, when it is Wonderful?” 19Then Manoah took a kid of the goats and a meal-offering, and he offered them on the rock to the Lord, and a wondrous thing was done while Manoah and his wife were watching. 20And it came to pass, as the flame went up from the altar towards heaven, that the angel of the Lord went up in the flame of the altar, while Manoah and his wife were watching, and they fell face down to the ground. 21And the angel of the Lord did not appear again to Manoah or to his wife, so Manoah knew that he was the angel of the Lord. 22And Manoah said to his wife, “We will certainly die, for we have seen God.” 23But his wife said to him, “If it had pleased the Lord to kill us, he would not have accepted a burnt offering or a meal-offering from our hand, and he would not have shown us all these things, and at this time he would not have informed us of such things.” 24And the woman bore a son, and she called him Samson, and the boy grew up, and the Lord blessed him. 25And the spirit of the Lord began to motivate him in the camp of Dan, between Zorah and Eshtaol.

Judges Chapter 14 

1Then Samson went down to Timnah, and he saw a woman in Timnah, one of the daughters of the Philistines. 2And he went up and told his father and his mother, and he said, “I have seen a woman in Timnah, one of the daughters of the Philistines, so now, get her for me to be my wife.” 3But his father and his mother said to him, “Is there not a woman among the daughters of your brothers and all my people, that you should go and take a wife from the uncircumcised Philistines?” But Samson said to his father, “Get her for me, for she is right in my eyes.” 4Now his father and his mother did not know that this was from the Lord, for he was seeking an occasion against the Philistines, for at that time the Philistines were ruling over Israel. 5Then Samson and his father and his mother went down to Timnah, and they came to the vineyards of Timnah, and what he came across was a lion cub roaring at him. 6But the spirit of the Lord descended on him, and he tore it apart as one tears a kid of the goats apart, yet there was nothing in his hand, but he did not tell his father or mother what he had done. 7Then he went down and spoke to the woman, and she was right in Samson's eyes. 8Then after a number of days he returned to take her, and he turned aside to see the carcase of the lion, and what he saw was a colony of bees and honey in the carcase of the lion. 9And he took some of it in his palms, and he went eating as he was walking, and he went to his father and mother, and he gave them some, and they ate it, but he did not tell them that he had taken the honey from the carcase of the lion. 10Then his father went down to the woman, and Samson held a feast there, for so the young men would do. 11And it came to pass, when they saw him, that they took thirty friends, who accompanied him. 12Then Samson said to them, “Let me pose you a riddle. If you can plainly tell me the solution in the seven days of the feast, and solve it, then I will give you thirty linen undergarments and thirty suits of clothing. 13But if you cannot tell me, then you must give me thirty linen undergarments and thirty suits of clothing.” And they said to him, “Pose your riddle, and we will listen to it.” 14And he said to them,

“Food came out of that which eats,

And out of that which is strong

Came out sweetness.”

And they could not solve the riddle for three days. 15Then it came to pass on the seventh day that they said to Samson's wife, “Entice your husband to tell us the solution to the riddle, or else we will burn you and your father's house with fire. Did you invite us so as to dispossess us or not?” 16Then Samson's wife wept at him, and she said, “You just hate me, and you do not love me. You posed the riddle to the sons of my people, but you have not told me its solution.” Then he said to her, “Look, I have not told my father or my mother, so am I supposed to tell you?” 17Then she wept at him in the week in which they held the feast, and it came to pass on the seventh day that he told her, because she distressed him. Then she told the sons of her people. 18Then on the seventh day the men of the city said to him before the sun set,

“What is sweeter than honey,

And what is stronger than a lion?”

Then he said to them, “If you had not ploughed my heifer, you would not have solved my riddle.” 19Then the spirit of the Lord descended on him, and he went down to Ashkelon and struck down thirty of its men, and he took their spoil, and he gave the suits of clothing to those who had solved the riddle, and his anger was kindled, and he went up to his father's house. 20And a friend of his, who had befriended him, had Samson's wife.

Judges Chapter 15 

1Then it came to pass after many days, in the days of the wheat harvest, that Samson visited his wife with a kid of the goats, and he said, “I will go to my wife, into the room.” But her father would not let him go in. 2And her father said, “I have solemnly declared that you definitely hated her, and I gave her to your friend. Is not her younger sister prettier than she? Please have her instead of her.” 3Then Samson said concerning them, “This time I am more innocent than the Philistines, although I am doing them harm.” 4Then Samson went and took three hundred foxes, and he took torches, and he orientated them tail to tail, and he put one torch between the two tails in between them. 5And he set the torches on fire and released them in the Philistines' cornfields, and he burnt both a stack of corn and standing corn, and also an olive grove. 6And the Philistines said, “Who did this?” And they said, “Samson the son-in-law of the Timnite, for he took his wife and gave her to his friend.” Then the Philistines went up and burnt her and her father with fire. 7And Samson said to them, “As you have done this, I will surely avenge myself on you, and only afterwards will I cease.” 8And he struck them down in the leg and in the thigh with a great assault, and he went down and sat in a cleft in the rock of Etam. 9And the Philistines came up and encamped in Judah and spread out in Lehi. 10And the men of Judah said, “Why have you come up against us?” And they said, “We have come up to bind Samson up, to do to him what he has done to us.” 11Then three thousand men from Judah went down to the cleft in the rock of Etam, and they said to Samson, “Do you not know that the Philistines rule over us? What is this that you have done to us?” And he said to them, “As they have done to me, so I have done to them.” 12And they said to him, “We have come down to bind you up and to deliver you into the hands of the Philistines.” Then Samson said to them, “Swear to me that you will not attack me yourselves.” 13But they spoke to him and said, “No, rather we will certainly bind you up and deliver you into their hand, but we will certainly not kill you.” And they bound him with two new ropes, and they brought him up out of the rock. 14He came to Lehi, and the Philistines sounded an alarm to confront him, but the spirit of the Lord descended on him, and the ropes which were around his arms became like flax burning in a fire, and his bonds melted from around his hands. 15Then he found a fresh donkey's jawbone, and he stretched out his hand and took hold of it, and he struck down one thousand men with it. 16Then Samson said,

“With an ass's jawbone

– A heap, a pair of heaps –

With an ass's jawbone

I struck down a thousand men.”

17And then, when he had finished speaking, he threw the jawbone away, and he called that place Ramath-Lehi. 18And he was very thirsty, and he called on the Lord and said, “You have now put this great salvation in the hand of your servant, but now I will die of thirst, and I will fall into the hands of the uncircumcised.” 19Then God split open the hollow which is in Lehi, and water came out, and he drank, and his spirit returned, and he revived, and for that reason he called it En-Hakkore, which is in Lehi, up to this day. 20And he judged Israel in the days of the Philistines for twenty years.

Judges Chapter 16 

1Then Samson went to Gaza, and he saw a harlot there, and he went in to her. 2It was reported to the Gazans as follows: “Samson has come here.” Then they surrounded and ambushed him all night at the city gate, and they kept quiet all night and said, “At morning light we will kill him.” 3And Samson lay down until midnight, then he arose at midnight, and he seized the doors of the gate of the city and the two gateposts, and he wrenched them out with the bolt, and he put them on his shoulders, and he brought them up to the top of the mountain which is adjacent to Hebron. 4And it came to pass after that, that he fell in love with a woman at the Brook of Sorek, and her name was Delilah. 5Then the barons of the Philistines went up and said to her, “Entice him and see what his great strength is due to, and by what means we can prevail over him, so that we can bind him to subdue him, and we will each give you one thousand one hundred pieces of silver.” 6So Delilah said to Samson, “Do tell me what your great strength is due to, and by what means you can be bound to subdue you.” 7And Samson said to her, “If they bind me with seven fresh cords which have not dried up, then I will become weak, and I will become like any other man.” 8Then the barons of the Philistines brought up to her seven fresh cords which had not dried, and she bound him with them. 9And an ambush was present in collusion with her in the room, and she said to him, “The Philistines are upon you, Samson!” But he broke the cords as one breaks a thread of hemp when one makes it touch fire, and the cause of his strength was not known. 10Then Delilah said to Samson, “Look, you have mocked me, and you have told me lies. Now do tell me how you can be bound.” 11Then he said to her, “If indeed they bind me with new ropes with which no work has been done, then I will become weak and become like any other man.” 12So Delilah took new ropes and bound him with them, and she said to him, “The Philistines are upon you, Samson!” And the ambush was present in the room, but he broke them from around his arms like a thread. 13Then Delilah said to Samson, “Up to now you have mocked me and told me lies. Tell me how you can be bound.” And he said to her, “If you weave the seven braids of my head with a web.” 14She did so, and she fastened it with a peg. And she said to him, “The Philistines are upon you, Samson!” Then he awoke from his sleep and pulled out the peg for the woven work and the web. 15Then she said to him, “How can you say, ‘I love you’, when your heart is not with me? That is three times you have mocked me and not told me what your great strength is due to.” 16And it came to pass that she distressed him with her words every day, and she urged him, so that he was inwardly grieved to death. 17And he told her all his heart, and he said to her, “No razor has gone over my head, for I have been a Nazarite of God from my mother's womb. If I am shaved, then my strength will depart from me, and I will become weak, and I will become like any other man.” 18And Delilah saw that he had told her all his heart, and she sent word and called for the barons of the Philistines, and she said, “Come up this time.” For he had told her all his heart. And the barons of the Philistines came up to her, and they brought up the silver in their hands. 19And she made him sleep on her knees, and she called for the man, and she had him shave the seven braids of his head, then she began to oppress him, and his strength departed from him. 20And she said, “The Philistines are upon you, Samson!” And he awoke from his sleep, and he said, “I will go out as at other times and rouse myself.” But he did not know that the Lord had departed from him. 21Then the Philistines seized him, and they gouged out his eyes, and they brought him down to Gaza, and they bound him in fetters, and he became a millstone worker in the prison. 22And the hair of his head began to grow after he had been shaven. 23Then the barons of the Philistines gathered to offer a great sacrifice to Dagon their god, and for rejoicing, and they said, “Our god has delivered Samson our enemy into our hands.” 24And the people saw him, and they praised their god, for they said,

“Our god has delivered our enemy into our hands

– The one who made our land desolate

And who increased the number of our casualties.”

25And it came to pass, because their heart was cheerful, that they said, “Call for Samson, and he will be sport for us.” So they called for Samson from prison, and he was sport before them, and they placed him between the columns. 26And Samson said to the boy who held him by the hand, “Let me feel the columns by which the building is held up, so that I can lean on them.” 27And the building was full of men and women, and all the barons of the Philistines were there, and there were about three thousand men and women on the roof, watching the sport with Samson. 28And Samson called out to the Lord, and he said, “My Lord the Lord, do remember me and strengthen me just this once, O God, so that I will be avenged with one act of vengeance on the Philistines for my two eyes.” 29And Samson took hold round the two central columns to which the building fixed, and he exerted force against them, one by his right hand, and one by his left hand. 30And Samson said, “I myself will die with the Philistines.” And he stretched out in strength, and the building fell on the barons and on all the people in it, and those who died – whom he killed in his death – were more than those whom he killed in his life. 31Then his brothers and the whole household of his father went down and took him and brought him up, and they buried him between Zorah and Eshtaol in the grave of Manoah his father. And he had judged Israel for twenty years.

Judges Chapter 17 

1Now there was a man from Mount Ephraim, and his name was Micah. 2And he said to his mother, “Regarding the one thousand one hundred pieces of silver which were taken from you, when you then cursed and also spoke in my ears: here is the silver; I have it with me – I took it.” And his mother said, “Blessed are you, my son, by the Lord.” 3And he gave the one thousand one hundred pieces of silver back to his mother, and his mother said, “I had specifically dedicated the silver to the Lord from my own resources for my son, to make an engraved image and a cast image. But now I will give it back to you.” 4But he returned the silver to his mother. And his mother took two hundred pieces of silver, and she gave them to the silversmith, and he made them into an engraved image and a cast image, and they were in Micah's house. 5And the man Micah had a house of gods, and he made an ephod and amulets, and he appointed one of his sons to be his priest. 6In those days there was no king in Israel – each man did what was right in his own eyes. 7And there was a lad from Bethlehem-Judah of the family of Judah, and he was a Levite, and he was staying there. 8And the man went from the city – from Bethlehem-Judah – to stay wherever he could find a livelihood, and he came to Mount Ephraim, to Micah's house, in making his way. 9And Micah asked him, “Where have you come from?” And he said to him, “I am a Levite from Bethlehem-Judah, and I am moving around to stay wherever I find a livelihood.” 10Then Micah said to him, “Stay with me and be a father and a priest to me, and I will give you ten pieces of silver per year and a suit of clothes and your food.” And the Levite went in. 11And the Levite was willing to stay with the man, and the lad became to him like one of his sons. 12And Micah appointed the Levite, and the lad became his priest, and he was in Micah's house. 13And Micah said, “Now I know that the Lord will be favourable to me, because I have the Levite as a priest.”

Judges Chapter 18 

1In those days there was no king in Israel, and in those days the Danite tribe was looking for an inheritance to dwell in, because up to that time no inheritance had fallen to it among the tribes of Israel. 2And the sons of Dan sent five men from their family – from their borders, valiant men – from Zorah and Eshtaol to spy out the land and to search it out, and they said to them, “Go and search out the land.” And they came to Mount Ephraim, to Micah's house, and they lodged there. 3They were with Micah's household, and they recognized the voice of the Levite lad, and they went aside there and said to him, “Who brought you here, and what are you doing in this place, and what is your business here?” 4And he said to them, “Micah offered me this and that and hired me, and I became his priest.” 5Then they said to him, “Kindly ask God so that we may know whether our way on which we are going will be prosperous.” 6And the priest said to them, “Go in peace. Your way on which you are going is before the Lord.” 7And the five men departed, and they came to Laish, and they saw the people inside it, dwelling in security, in the manner of the Sidonians, being quiet and secure, with no-one who possessed authority accusing anyone of any shame in the land. Now they were far from the Sidonians, and they had no business with any man. 8Then they went back to their brothers in Zorah and Eshtaol, and their brothers said to them, “What news have you?” 9And they said, “Arise, and let us go up against them, for we have seen the land, and we have seen that it is very good. But you are silent. Do not be slack in going to enter in and to take possession of the land. 10As you arrive, you will come to a self-confident people. And the land is very wide, for God has delivered it into your hands – a place where there is no lack of anything in the land.” 11Then six hundred men of the Danite family, girded with weapons of war, moved from there – from Zorah and Eshtaol – 12and they went up and encamped at Kiriath-Jearim in Judah, which is why they call that place Mahaneh-Dan up to this day. Its location is behind Kiriath-Jearim. 13And they crossed from there to Mount Ephraim, and they went up to Micah's house. 14Then the five men who had gone to spy out the land of Laish spoke and said to their brothers, “Did you know that there is an ephod and amulets in these houses, and an engraved image and a cast image? So now, decide what you are going to do.” 15Then they turned aside to there, and they went to the house of the Levite lad – to Micah's house – and they asked him how he was. 16And the six hundred men, girded with their weapons of war, who were from the sons of Dan, stood at the entrance of the gate. 17And the five men who had gone to spy out the land went up and went in there. They took the engraved image and the ephod and the amulets and the cast image, while the priest stood at the entrance of the gate, with the six hundred men girded with weapons of war. 18So these men went to Micah's house, and they took the engraved image, the ephod and the amulets and the cast image. And the priest said to them, “What are you doing?” 19And they said to him, “Be silent, and put your hand to your mouth, and come with us, and be a father and a priest to us. Is it better for you to be a priest to the house of one man or for you to be a priest to a tribe and family in Israel?” 20Then the priest's heart was glad, and he took the ephod and the amulets and the engraved image, and he went among the people. 21Then they turned around and departed, and they put the little ones and the cattle and the precious things before them. 22When they had moved away from Micah's house, the men who were in the houses which were associated with Micah's house mobilized themselves and caught up with the sons of Dan. 23And they called out to the sons of Dan, who turned round and said to Micah, “What is the matter with you that you should mobilize yourself like this?” 24And he said, “You have taken my gods which I made, and the priest, and you have departed. So what remains for me, and what is this that you say to me, ‘What is the matter with you?’?” 25And the sons of Dan said to him, “Do not let your voice be heard with us in case any embittered men attack you and you gather yourself and the people of your household with the dead.” 26Then the sons of Dan went their way and Micah saw that they were stronger than he, so he turned round and went back to his house. 27So they took what Micah had had made, and the priest whom he had, and they came to Laish, to a quiet and self-confident people, and they struck them down with the edge of the sword, and they burnt the city with fire. 28And there was no deliverer, because it was far from Sidon, and they had no dealings with any man, and it was in the valley which belongs to Beth-Rehob. Then they built up the city and dwelt in it. 29And they called the city Dan after their father Dan who was born to Israel, but the name of the city at first was Laish. 30And the sons of Dan set up the engraved image for themselves, whilst Jonathan, the son of Gershom, the son of Manasseh – he and his sons – became priests to the Danite tribe up to the day when the land became captive. 31And they set up for themselves Micah's engraved image which he had had made for all the time when the house of God was in Shiloh.

Judges Chapter 19 

1And it came to pass in those days, when there was no king in Israel, that there was a Levite man staying on the far side of Mount Ephraim, and he took for himself a concubine woman from Bethlehem-Judah. 2And his concubine played the harlot on him, and she went from him to her father's house, to Bethlehem-Judah, and she was there for a year and four months. 3Then her husband-as-it-were arose and went after her to speak kindly to her, to bring her back, and his servant-lad was with him, with a pair of donkeys. And she brought him into her father's house, and when the young lady's father saw him, he was pleased at meeting him. 4And his father-in-law as it were – the father of the young lady – prevailed upon him, and he stayed with him for three days, and they ate and drank, and they lodged there. 5And it came to pass on the fourth day that they got up early, and he arose to go, but the father of the young lady said to his son-in-law, “Refresh your heart with a bit of food, and afterwards you can go.” 6So they stayed and ate – both of them together – and they drank, and the father of the young lady said to the man, “Please be willing to lodge and let your heart be cheerful.” 7But the man got up to go, but his father-in-law put pressure on him, and he lodged there again. 8And he arose early to go on the fifth day, but the father of the young lady said, “Do refresh your heart. And they tarried until the day turned noon.” And the two of them ate. 9Then the man got up to go – he and his concubine and his servant-lad – but his father-in-law, the father of the young lady, said to him, “Look, the day is declining so as to draw towards evening. Please lodge; see how the day is drawing in. Lodge here, and let your heart be cheerful, and get up early tomorrow for your journey, and go to your tent.” 10But the man was not willing to lodge, and he got up and departed and came to opposite Jebus – that is Jerusalem – and with him were the pair of donkeys, saddled, and his concubine was also with him. 11They were near Jebus when the day was very much in decline, and the servant-lad said to his master, “Please go and let us turn aside to this city of the Jebusites and lodge in it.” 12But his master said to him, “We will not turn aside to a foreigner's city where there aren't any sons of Israel, but we will cross to Gibeah.” 13And he said to his servant-lad, “Come, and we will approach one of the places, and we will lodge in Gibeah or in Ramah.” 14Then they crossed over, and they proceeded, and the sun set on them beside Gibeah, which is Benjamin's. 15And they turned aside there to go and lodge in Gibeah. When he arrived there, he sat in a city street, for no-one would receive them indoors to lodge. 16Now there was an old man coming from his work – from the field – in the evening, and the man was from Mount Ephraim, and he was staying in Gibeah, but the men of the place were Benjaminites. 17And he raised his eyes, and he saw the traveller in a city street, and the old man said, “Where are you going, and where do you come from?” 18And he said to him, “We are crossing from Bethlehem-Judah to the far side of Mount Ephraim. I am from there. And I went to Bethlehem-Judah, and I am going to the house of the Lord, but no-one will receive me in their house. 19Yet we have not only straw and also fodder for our donkeys, but I also have bread and wine, including for your maidservant and the servant-lad, whom you can reckon with your servants. There is no lack of anything.” 20And the old man said, “Peace to you. Only let all your needs be my responsibility, and do not lodge in the street.” 21And he brought him into his house, and he fed the donkeys, and they washed their feet, and they ate and drank. 22While they were making their hearts merry, what happened was some men of the city – good-for-nothing men – surrounded the house, and they knocked on the door and spoke to the old man who was master of the house, and they said, “Bring out the man who went into your house so that we may know him.” 23And the man who was master of the house came out and said to them, “No, my brothers, please do not act wickedly, because this man has come into my house. Do not do this disgraceful thing. 24Here is my virgin daughter, and this man's concubine. Let me bring them out. Then rape them and do to them what is right in your eyes, but do not do this immoral thing to this man.” 25But the men were not willing to listen to him, and the man took hold of his concubine and brought her outside to them, and they knew her, and they abused her all night until morning, and they let her go when dawn came. 26And the woman came at daybreak and fell down at the door of the house of the man where her master was, until daylight. 27And her master rose in the morning and opened the doors of the house and went out to go his way, and what he saw was the woman who was his concubine fallen down at the entrance to the house with her hands on the threshold. 28And he said to her, “Get up and let's go.” But no-one answered. Then he took her on his donkey. Then the man got up and went back home. 29And when he came to his house, he took a knife, and he took hold of his concubine, and he cut her in pieces by her bones – into twelve pieces – and he dispersed her into every territory of Israel. 30And it came to pass that everyone who saw it said, “Nothing like this has happened or has been seen from the day the sons of Israel came up out of the land of Egypt, up to this day. Consider it, deliberate, and speak out.”

Judges Chapter 20 

1Then all the sons of Israel went out, and the congregation assembled in unanimity from Dan to Beersheba and the land of Gilead, to the Lord in Mizpah. 2And the key men of all the people – of all the tribes of Israel – stood up in the convocation of the people of God, four hundred thousand infantrymen who drew the sword. 3Now the sons of Benjamin heard that the sons of Israel had gone up to Mizpah. And the sons of Israel said, “Explain how this wickedness came about.” 4And the Levite, the husband of the murdered woman, answered and said, “I and my concubine arrived in Gibeah, which belongs to Benjamin, to lodge there. 5And the inhabitants of Gibeah rose up against me and surrounded the house on me by night. They intended to kill me, and they raped my concubine, and she died. 6So I took hold of my concubine, and I cut her in pieces, and I dispersed her into all the country of the inheritance of Israel, for they committed depravity and immorality in Israel. 7Behold, you are all sons of Israel. Give your verdict and counsel here.” 8And all the people arose unanimously and said, “Not one of us will go to his tent, and not one of us will turn in to his house. 9For now this is the thing which we will do to Gibeah, against it, by lot: 10we will take ten men per hundred from all the tribes of Israel, and one hundred per thousand, and one thousand per ten thousand, to take provisions for the people, for them to do to Geba of Benjamin when they arrive there what they deserve for all the immorality which they did in Israel.” 11So every man of Israel gathered against the city, unanimously, in league. 12And the tribes of Israel sent men throughout all the tribes of Benjamin, and they said, “What is this evil act which has taken place among you? 13So now, hand over the good-for-nothing men who are in Gibeah so that we can put them to death and eradicate evil from Israel.” But the sons of Benjamin were not willing to comply with their brothers, the sons of Israel. 14Then the sons of Benjamin gathered together in Gibeah from the cities so as to go out to war against the sons of Israel. 15And the sons of Benjamin were counted on that day, from the cities, as twenty-six thousand men who drew the sword, apart from the inhabitants of Gibeah who were counted: seven hundred choice men. 16From all this people there were seven hundred choice men who were left-handed. Each of these could sling a stone at a hair and not miss. 17And each man of Israel was counted, apart from Benjamin: four hundred thousand men who drew the sword. All these were men of war. 18And they arose and went up to Beth-El, and they inquired of God, and the sons of Israel said, “Which of us should go up first into battle against the sons of Benjamin?” And the Lord said, “Judah will go up first.” 19Then the sons of Israel arose in the morning and encamped against Gibeah. 20And the men of Israel went out to battle against Benjamin, and the men of Israel drew themselves up for battle against them in Gibeah. 21And the sons of Benjamin went out from Gibeah and dispatched twenty-two thousand men of Israel to the ground on that day. 22But the people – the men of Israel – encouraged themselves and drew up for battle again in the place where they had drawn up on the first day. 23And the sons of Israel went up and wept before the Lord until evening, and they inquired of the Lord and said, “Should I again engage in battle the sons of Benjamin my brother?” And the Lord said, “Go up against him.” 24And the sons of Israel engaged the sons of Benjamin on the second day. 25And Benjamin came out from Gibeah to confront them on the second day, and they dispatched another eighteen thousand men among the sons of Israel to the ground, all these drawing the sword. 26Then all the sons of Israel went up with all the people, and they came to Beth-El, and they wept, and they sat there before the Lord, and they fasted on that day until evening, and they offered burnt offerings and peace-offerings before the Lord. 27Then the sons of Israel inquired of the Lord, for the ark of the covenant of God was there in those days, 28and Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron, was standing before it in those days, and he said, “Should I yet again go out to battle against the sons of Benjamin my brother, or should I cease?” And the Lord said, “Go up, for tomorrow I will deliver him into your hand.” 29Then Israel placed men in an ambush around Gibeah. 30And the sons of Israel went up against the sons of Benjamin on the third day, and they drew up against Gibeah as on previous occasions. 31And the sons of Benjamin came out to confront the people, and they were drawn away from the city, and they began to strike down some of the people dead as on previous occasions, on the highways, one of which goes up to Beth-El, and one to Gibeah in the field – about thirty men of Israel. 32Then the sons of Benjamin said, “They are defeated at our advance as at first.” But the sons of Israel said, “Let us flee and draw them away from the city to the highways.” 33And every man of Israel arose from his place, and they drew up in Baal-Tamar, and Israel's ambush burst out of its place – out of the scrubland of Geba. 34And ten thousand choice men from all Israel came opposite Gibeah, and the battle was heavy, but they did not know that a calamity was about to hit them. 35And the Lord struck Benjamin before Israel, and the sons of Israel dispatched twenty-five thousand one hundred men of Benjamin on that day – all these drew the sword. 36And the sons of Benjamin saw that they had been defeated, and that the men of Israel had only given way to Benjamin because they relied on the ambush which they had placed in Gibeah. 37And the ambush hastened and invaded Gibeah, and the ambush drew up and struck all the city with the edge of the sword. 38Now there was an agreed signal between the men of Israel and the ambush: they would make smoke rise profusely from the city. 39When the men of Israel retreated in the battle, Benjamin began to strike some dead among the men of Israel, about thirty men, for they said, “Surely he has been defeated before us, as in the first battle.” 40But when the rising signal began to rise from the city – a column of smoke – Benjamin turned round, and what they saw was that the whole city was going up into the sky. 41Then the men of Israel turned round, and the men of Benjamin were terrified, because they saw that a calamity had struck them. 42And they turned in front of the men of Israel to the road to the desert, but the battle caught up with them, and Israel dispatched whoever was from the cities in their midst. 43They surrounded Benjamin, they pursued them, they trod them down with ease all the way to just outside Gibeah on the east. 44And eighteen thousand men of Benjamin fell – all of these being valiant men. 45Then they turned and fled to the desert, to the rock of Rimmon, and Israel gleaned five thousand of their men on the highways, and they pursued them to Gidom, and they struck down two thousand of their men. 46And all the fallen of Benjamin amounted to twenty-five thousand men who drew the sword on that day – all of these being valiant men. 47And they turned and fled to the desert, to the rock of Rimmon – six hundred men – and they stayed at the rock of Rimmon for four months. 48So the men of Israel turned on the sons of Benjamin and struck them down with the edge of the sword from the entire city, including the cattle and everything found there. And they also set all the cities they found on fire.

Judges Chapter 21 

1And the men of Israel swore in Mizpah and said, “None of our men will give his daughter to Benjamin as a wife.” 2And the people came to Beth-El and stayed there until the evening, before God, and they lifted up their voices and wept with great weeping. 3And they said, “Why, O Lord God of Israel, did this happen in Israel, for one tribe of Israel to be visited today?” 4And it came to pass on the next day that the people got up early and built an altar there and offered burnt offerings and peace-offerings. 5And the sons of Israel said, “Who is there in the convocation of all the tribes of Israel who has not come up to the Lord?” For a great oath had taken place against whoever did not come up to the Lord in Mizpah, namely, that he should certainly be put to death. 6And the sons of Israel felt compassion for Benjamin their brother, and they said, “Today, one tribe of Israel was cut off. 7What shall we do for wives for them that remain? For we have sworn by the Lord not to give them any of our daughters as wives.” 8And they said, “What single person is there in the tribes of Israel who did not come up to the Lord in Mizpah?” And they ascertained that no-one had come up to the camp from Jabesh-Gilead to the convocation. 9For the people had been counted, and it was seen that there was no man there of the inhabitants of Jabesh-Gilead. 10Then the congregation sent twelve thousand of the valiant men there, and they commanded them and said, “Go and strike down the inhabitants of Jabesh-Gilead with the edge of the sword, including the women and little ones. 11And this is what you will do: you will destroy every male and every woman who has known intercourse with a male.” 12And of the inhabitants of Jabesh-Gilead they found four hundred virgin girls who had not known a man by intercourse with a male, and they brought them to the camp at Shiloh which is in the land of Canaan. 13And the whole congregation sent word and spoke to the sons of Benjamin, who were at the rock of Rimmon, and they proclaimed peace to them. 14And Benjamin returned at that time, and they gave them the women whom they had let live from the women of Jabesh-Gilead, but that was not sufficient for them. 15And the people had compassion on Benjamin, for the Lord had caused a rupture in the tribes of Israel. 16And the elders of the congregation said, “What shall we do for wives for those who remain? For the women have been obliterated from Benjamin.” 17And they said, “Benjamin must have an inheritance for the escaped remnant so that a tribe is not wiped out from Israel. 18But we cannot give them wives from our daughters, because the sons of Israel have sworn and said, ‘Cursed is he who gives a wife to Benjamin.’ ” 19And they said, “Look, there is a festival to the Lord on these days when they occur, in Shiloh, which is north of Beth-El to the east of the highway which goes up from Beth-El to Shechem, and to the south of Lebonah.” 20And they commanded the sons of Benjamin and said, “Go and set an ambush in the vineyards. 21And watch, and this is the plan: when the daughters of Shiloh come out to dance in the dances, then you come out of the vineyards and seize each one a wife for yourselves from the daughters of Shiloh, and go to the land of Benjamin. 22And it will come to pass that if their fathers or their brothers come to contest this with us, we will say to them, ‘Be gracious to us with them, because we did not take for each man his wife in battle, and because you are by no means giving them to them now, whereby you would incur guilt.’ ” 23And the sons of Benjamin did so, and they took wives according to their number from the dancers whom they snatched away, and they departed and returned to their inheritance, and they built cities and lived in them. 24And the sons of Israel walked away from there at that time – each man to his tribe and his family – and each man went out from there to his inheritance. 25In those days there was no king in Israel; each man did what was right in his own eyes.

Ruth  

Ruth Chapter 1 

1And it came to pass in the days when the judges were judging that there was a famine in the land, and a man went from Bethlehem-Judah to live in the plains of Moab – he and his wife and his two sons. 2Now the name of the man was Elimelech, and the name of his wife was Naomi, and the names of his two sons were Mahlon and Chilion, Ephrathites of Bethlehem-Judah. And they came to the plains of Moab and stayed there. 3Then Elimelech the husband of Naomi died, and she was left with her two sons. 4And they took Moabitess wives. The name of one was Orpah, and the name of the other was Ruth, and they dwelt there for about ten years. 5Then both Mahlon and Chilion died too, and the woman was left bereaved of her two children and her husband. 6So she got up, she and her daughters-in-law, and she returned from the plains of Moab, for she had heard in the plain of Moab that the Lord had visited his people by giving them bread. 7And she departed from the place where she had been, together with her two daughters-in-law, and they went on the way to return to the land of Judah. 8Then Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, “Go and return, each to your mother's house. May the Lord act kindly with you, as you have done with the dead and with me. 9May the Lord grant that you find rest, each in your husband's house.” And she kissed them, and they raised their voice and wept. 10But they said to her, “It is with you that we will return – to your people.” 11But Naomi said, “Go back, my daughters. Why should you go with me? Do I have any more sons in my womb, to be your husbands? 12Go back, my daughters, go, for I am too old for a husband to have me, for I have said, ‘Is there hope for me, even if a husband had me tonight, and even if I gave birth to sons, 13would you wait for them until they grew up? Would you refrain from belonging to another husband for them?’ No, my daughters. For it is much more bitter for me than you, because the hand of the Lord has gone out against me.” 14And they raised their voice and wept again, and Orpah kissed her mother-in-law, but Ruth clung to her. 15Then she said, “Look, your sister-in-law has returned to her people, and to her gods. Go back after your sister-in-law.” 16But Ruth said, “Do not press me into leaving you – into giving up following you – for wherever you go, I will go, and wherever you lodge, I will lodge. Your people are my people, and your God is my God. 17Where you die, I will die, and that is where I will be buried. May the Lord so do to me and more still otherwise, for only death will separate you from me.” 18And she saw that she had resolved to go with her, and she stopped speaking to her. 19And the two of them journeyed until they had come to Bethlehem, and it came to pass when they came to Bethlehem that the whole city went into commotion over them, and they said, “Is this Naomi?” 20But she said to them, “Do not call me Naomi. Call me Mara, for the Almighty has dealt with me very bitterly. 21I went away full, but the Lord has brought me back empty. Why should you call me Naomi when the Lord has testified against me, and the Almighty has brought harm on me.” 22Then Naomi returned, Ruth the Moabitess her daughter-in-law being with her, having returned from the plains of Moab, and they arrived in Bethlehem at the start of the barley harvest.

Ruth Chapter 2 

1Now Naomi had a kinsman through her husband, a man mighty in wealth, of Elimelech's family, and his name was Boaz. 2And Ruth the Moabitess said to Naomi, “Let me go into the field and glean ears of corn after him in whoever's eyes I find grace.” And she said to her, “Go, my daughter.” 3So she departed and came there and gleaned in the field after the reapers. And her venture happened to be in a part of the field belonging to Boaz, of the family of Elimelech. 4And what should happen but Boaz came from Bethlehem and said to the reapers, “The Lord be with you.” And they said to him, “The Lord bless you.” 5Then Boaz said to his servant who was in charge of the reapers, “To whom does this young woman belong?” 6And the servant in charge of the reapers replied and said, “She is a Moabitess, who came back with Naomi from the plain of Moab. 7And she said, ‘Let me glean and gather among the sheaves after the reapers’, and she came and has continued doing it from the morning until now. That leaves little rest for her at home.” 8Then Boaz said to Ruth, “Did you not hear, my daughter? Do not go to glean in any other field, and do not move across from here, and in this way you will stay attached to my maidservants. 9Your eyes will be on the field that they are reaping, and you will follow the maidservants. Have I not ordered my menservants not to touch you? If you are thirsty, go to the pots and drink from what the servants draw.” 10Then she fell face down and bowed to the ground and said to him, “Why have I found grace in your eyes, in that you have been concerned about me, when I am a foreigner?” 11Then Boaz answered and said to her, “It has been told me in full – everything you have done with your mother-in-law after the death of your husband, and how you left your father and mother and the land of your birth and went to a people which you did not know in times past. 12May the Lord reward your work, and may your recompense from the Lord God of Israel be in full, under whose wings you have come to trust.” 13And she said, “Let me find grace in your eyes, my lord, for you have shown compassion on me, and because you have spoken kindly to your maidservant, while I am not like any of your maidservants.” 14Then Boaz said to her at the time of the meal, “Come here, and you can eat some bread and dip your piece in the vinegar.” So she sat beside the reapers, and he handed her roasted corn, and she ate and was satisfied and had some left over. 15Then she got up to go gleaning, and Boaz instructed his servants and said, “Let her glean between the sheaves too, and do not treat her ignominiously. 16And deliberately spill some from the sheaves for her too, and leave it so she can glean it, and do not rebuke her.” 17So she gleaned in the field until the evening, and she threshed what she had gleaned, and it amounted to about an ephah of barley. 18And she took it and came to the city, and her mother-in-law saw what she had gleaned, and she emptied it out, and she gave her what she had left over after taking what was enough for her. 19And her mother-in-law said to her, “Where did you glean today, and where did you work? May he who is showing concern for you be blessed.” And she told her mother-in-law with whom she had worked, and she said, “The name of the man with whom I worked today is Boaz.” 20Then Naomi said to her daughter-in-law, “May he be blessed by the Lord, who has not abandoned his kindness to the living and the dead.” And Naomi said to her, “The man is a near relative of ours. He is one of our kinsman redeemers.” 21And Ruth the Moabitess said, “He also said to me, ‘You must stay attached to my servants until they have finished the whole of my harvest.’ ” 22Then Naomi said to Ruth her daughter-in-law, “It is a good thing, my daughter, that you go out with his maidservants, so that no-one will molest you in another field.” 23So she stayed attached to Boaz's maidservants to glean until the end of the barley harvest, and the end of the wheat harvest, and she stayed with her mother-in law.

Ruth Chapter 3 

1Then Naomi her mother-in-law said to her, “My daughter, will I not seek rest for you, so that it will go well for you? 2Well now, is not Boaz, with whose maidservants you were, our relation? Look, he will be winnowing the barley in the threshing floor tonight. 3Now wash and anoint yourself and put your dress on and go down to the threshing floor. Do not make yourself known to the man until he has finished eating and drinking. 4And it will come to pass when he lies down that you must note the place where he lies, then go in and uncover his feet-end and lie down, and he will tell you what you must do.” 5And she said to her, “I will do everything you say.” 6And she went down to the threshing floor, and she acted according to everything her mother-in-law had instructed her. 7So Boaz ate and drank, and his heart was merry, and he went to lie down at the end of the heap. Then she came secretly and uncovered his feet-end and lay down. 8And it came to pass at midnight that the man had a shock and turned round, and what he saw was that a woman was lying at his feet-end. 9And he said, “Who are you?” And she said, “I am Ruth your maidservant, so spread your wings over your maidservant, for you are a kinsman redeemer.” 10Then he said, “May you be blessed by the Lord, my daughter. You have shown even more kindness of late than in the beginning, in not going after the young lads, whether poor or rich. 11So now, my daughter, do not be afraid. Everything you say, I will do for you, because every gate of my people knows that you are a virtuous woman. 12And now although it is true that indeed I am a kinsman redeemer, yet there is a kinsman redeemer nearer than me. 13Lodge tonight, and it will follow in the morning, if he will redeem you, all right, let him redeem. But if he does not wish to redeem you, then I will redeem you, as the Lord lives. Lie down until the morning.” 14So she lay down at his feet-end until the morning, then she got up before anyone would recognize his neighbour, and he said, “Let it not be known that a woman came into the threshing floor.” 15And he said, “Take the gown which is on you and hold it out.” So she held it out, and he measured out six measures of barley, and he put it in it, then he went to the city. 16And she went to her mother-in-law, and she said, “Who are you, my daughter?” So she told her everything the man had done for her. 17And she said, “He gave me these six measures of barley, for he said, ‘Do not go to your mother-in-law empty-handed.’ ” 18Then she said, “Stay, my daughter, until you know how the matter turns out, for the man will not rest unless he concludes the matter today.”

Ruth Chapter 4 

1Then Boaz went up to the gate and sat there, and what should happen but the kinsman redeemer of whom Boaz had spoken passed by. And Boaz said, “Turn aside and sit down here, my good sir.” And he turned aside and sat down. 2And he took ten men from the elders of the city and said, “Sit down here.” And they sat down. 3And he said to the kinsman redeemer, “Naomi, who has come back from the plain of Moab, is selling the parcel of land which belonged to our brother, Elimelech. 4And I hereby declare, I notify you as follows: you can buy it in the presence of the inhabitants and in the presence of the elders of my people. If you will redeem it, redeem it. But if you will not redeem it, tell me, so that I know, for there is no-one except you first in line to redeem it, and I am after you.” And he said, “I will redeem it.” 5Then Boaz said, “On the day you purchase the field from Naomi, and from Ruth the Moabitess, the wife of the dead, you also buy to raise up the name of the deceased in his inheritance.” 6At this the kinsman redeemer said, “I cannot take this redemption on myself lest I spoil my own inheritance. You redeem my inheritance, for I cannot redeem it.” 7Now this was the custom in early times in Israel concerning redemption and concerning exchange, so as to establish every transaction: a man would take off his shoe and give it to his contracting counterpart, and this was a testimony in Israel. 8And the kinsman redeemer said to Boaz, “You buy it.” And he took off his shoe. 9And Boaz said to the elders and all the people, “You are witnesses today that I have purchased everything that was Elimelech's and everything that was Chilion's, and Mahlon's, from Naomi. 10And I have also purchased Ruth the Moabitess, the wife of Mahlon, to be my wife, to raise up the name of the deceased on his inheritance, so that the name of the deceased is not cut off from being with his brothers, or from the gate of his place. You are witnesses today.” 11And all the people who were at the gate and the elders said, “We are witnesses. May the Lord grant the woman who has come to your household to be like Rachel and Leah, the two who built up the house of Israel. And you act virtuously in Ephrathah, and proclaim fame in Bethlehem. 12And may your house be like the house of Perez whom Tamar bore to Judah, from the seed which the Lord will give you, the house being built from this young woman.” 13Then Boaz took Ruth, and she became his wife, and he went in to her, and the Lord gave her conception, and she bore a son. 14And the women said to Naomi, “Blessed be the Lord, who has not deprived you of a kinsman redeemer today, so that his fame may be proclaimed in Israel. 15And he will be a restorer of your well-being, and one who sustains you in your old age, for your daughter-in-law, who loves you, who is better for you than seven sons, has borne him.” 16And Naomi took the child and placed him in her bosom, and she became a nurse to him. 17And the neighbouring women proclaimed his fame and said, “A son has been born to Naomi.” And they called him Obed. He was the father of Jesse, the father of David. 18This is the genealogy of Perez: Perez begot Hezron, 19and Hezron begot Ram, and Ram begot Amminadab, 20and Amminadab begot Nahshon, and Nahshon begot Salmon, 21and Salmon begot Boaz, and Boaz begot Obed, 22and Obed begot Jesse, and Jesse begot David.

Reference(s) in Chapter 4: v.17 ↔ Acts 13:22.


1 Samuel  

1 Samuel Chapter 1 

1Now there was a certain man from Ramathaim-Zophim, from Mount Ephraim, and his name was Elkanah, the son of Jeroham, the son of Elihu, the son of Tohu, the son of Zuph, an Ephrathite, 2and he had two wives. The name of the first was Hannah and the name of the second was Peninnah. And Peninnah had children, but Hannah did not have any children. 3And this man went up from his city every year to worship and to sacrifice to the Lord of hosts in Shiloh, where Eli's two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, the priests to the Lord, were. 4And the day came when Elkanah made his sacrifice, and he gave portions to Peninnah his wife and to each of her sons and her daughters. 5And to Hannah he gave a double portion, because he loved Hannah, but the Lord had closed her womb. 6And her rival provoked her dreadfully, so as to torment her, for the Lord had closed her womb. 7And just as he did this from year to year, every time she went up to the house of the Lord, so she for her part provoked her, and she wept and would not eat. 8And Elkanah her husband said to her, “Hannah, why are you crying, and why will you not eat, and why does your heart grieve? Am I not better to you than ten sons?” 9Then Hannah got up after they had eaten in Shiloh and after they had drunk. Now Eli the priest was sitting on the seat at the gatepost of the temple of the Lord. 10But she was very bitter, and she prayed to the Lord and wept profusely. 11And she made a vow and said, “O Lord of hosts, if only you would make a point of attending to the affliction of your maidservant and would remember me and not forget your maidservant and give your maidservant progeny, then I would give him to the Lord all the days of his life, and no razor would pass over his head.” 12And it came to pass that she was praying intensively before the Lord when Eli observed her mouth. 13Now Hannah was speaking in her heart – only her lips were moving and her voice was not heard – and Eli thought she was drunk. 14And Eli said to her, “How much longer will you keep getting drunk? Put your wine well away from you.” 15But Hannah answered and said, “It's not that, my lord. I am a hard-pressed woman, and I have not drunk any wine or strong drink, but I have poured out my heart before the Lord. 16Do not take your handmaid for a good-for-nothing girl, for it is with a lot of grievance and frustration on my part that I have spoken so far.” 17Then Eli answered and said, “Go in peace, and may the God of Israel grant your request which you have asked him for.” 18And she said, “May your maidservant find grace in your eyes.” And the woman went her way and ate, and her expression was no longer dejected. 19And they got up early in the morning and worshipped before the Lord, then they returned and went to their home in Ramah, and Elkanah knew Hannah his wife, and the Lord remembered her. 20And it came to pass in the course of time that Hannah conceived and bore a son, and she called him Samuel, “Because”, she said, “I asked for him from the Lord.” 21And the man, Elkanah, and all of his household, went up to offer the yearly sacrifice and that of his vow to the Lord. 22But Hannah did not go up, for she said to her husband, “Not until the young boy is weaned, and then I will bring him, and he will appear in the presence of the Lord, and he will stay there indefinitely.” 23And Elkanah her husband said to her, “Do what is right in your sight. Stay until you have weaned him, only may the Lord establish his word.” So the woman stayed and suckled her son until she had weaned him. 24Then when she had weaned him, she took him up with her, with three bulls and one ephah of flour and a bottle of wine, and she brought him to the house of the Lord in Shiloh, when he was just a boy. 25And they slaughtered the bull, and they brought the boy to Eli. 26And she said, “Please, my lord, as you yourself live, my lord, I am the woman who was standing with you here, praying to the Lord. 27I prayed for this boy, and the Lord granted my request which I asked for from him. 28And I have also made him over to the Lord for all his days. He was a request made to the Lord.” And he worshipped the Lord there.

1 Samuel Chapter 2 

1And Hannah prayed and said,

“My heart exults in the Lord,

My horn has been raised by the Lord,

My mouth has become broad over my enemies,

For I have rejoiced in your salvation.

2There is no-one holy like the Lord,

For there is no-one besides you,

Nor is there any rock like our God.

3Do not speak profusely in lofty words,

Nor let insolence issue from your mouth,

For the Lord is a God of knowledge,

And by him deeds are weighed.

4The bows of heroes are shattered,

But those who once stumbled

Have girded themselves with strength.

5The once satiated have hired themselves out for bread,

But the hungry are no more so.

Even the barren has borne seven,

Whereas she who had many sons is languishing.

6The Lord kills and makes alive;

He brings down to the grave and raises up.

7The Lord disinherits and enriches;

He abases as well as exalts.

8He raises up the poor from the dust

And elevates the needy from the dung heap,

To house them with princes

And to endow them with a throne of honour.

For the pillars of the earth are the Lord's,

And on them he has set the world.

9He will keep the feet of the man of his grace,

But the wicked will be destroyed in darkness,

For man will not prevail by force.

10As for the Lord, his adversaries will be broken;

He will thunder against them in heaven.

The Lord will judge the ends of the earth

And give strength to his king

And raise the horn of his messiah.”

11Then Elkanah went to Ramah, to his house. And the boy was serving the Lord before Eli the priest. 12But Eli's sons were good-for-nothing – they did not know the Lord. 13And it was the custom of the priests with the people that when any man offered a sacrifice, the priest's servant-boy would come while the meat was cooking, with a three-pronged fork in his hand. 14And he would plunge it into the pan or the cauldron or the kettle or the pot. Everything that the fork brought up, the priest would take for himself. So they did with all Israel which went there, to Shiloh. 15Also, before they burned the fat, the priest's servant-boy would come and say to the man who was making a sacrifice, “Give the meat to the priest to roast. And he will not accept cooked meat from you, but rather, raw.” 16And if the man said to him, “Be sure they burn the fat straightaway, then take for yourself whatever your heart desires”, then he would say to him, “No, for you must give it now, and if you do not, I will take it by force.” 17And the young men's sin was very great before the Lord, for the men despised the Lord's offering. 18But Samuel served before the Lord – a boy girded with an ephod of fine linen. 19And his mother would make him a little coat and bring it up to him each year when she came up with her husband to offer the yearly sacrifice. 20And Eli blessed Elkanah and his wife, and he said, “May the Lord appoint you seed from this woman in return for the granted request – the boy who has been made over to the Lord.” Then they went home. 21Then the Lord visited Hannah, and she conceived and bore three sons and two daughters. And the boy, Samuel, grew up in fellowship with the Lord. 22Now Eli was very old, and he heard everything that his sons did to the whole of Israel, and that they lay with the women who served at the entrance to the tent of contact. 23And he said to them, “Why are you doing such things? For I hear about your bad behaviour from all of this people. 24No, my sons, for it is not a good report that I hear about you, making the Lord's people transgress. 25If a man sins against another, then God will judge him, but if a man sins against the Lord, who will pray for him?” But they would not heed their father, and consequently the Lord wished to put them to death. 26And the boy, Samuel, kept growing and was approved of by both the Lord and men. 27And a man of God came to Eli and said to him, “This is what the Lord says: ‘Was I not clearly revealed to the house of your father when they were in Egypt in Pharaoh's house? 28And did I not choose him from all the tribes of Israel to be a priest to me? – to offer on my altar, to burn incense, to wear the ephod before me, and did I not allocate all the fire-offerings of the sons of Israel to your father's house? 29Why are you recalcitrant about my sacrifice and my meal-offering which I commanded in my dwelling place, and why have you honoured your sons more than me by making yourselves fat with the beginning of all the offerings of my people Israel?’ 30Therefore the Lord God of Israel says, ‘I have explicitly said to your house and to the house of your father that they should walk before me age-abidingly. And now, says the Lord, far be it from me, for I will honour those who honour me, and those who despise me will be held in contempt. 31Behold, the days are coming when I will cut off your arm and the arm of the house of your father, so that there will not be an old man in your house. 32And you will see distress in my dwelling place, in everything regarding which it has been treating Israel well, and there will not be an old man in your house at any time. 33But I will not cut anyone of yours off from my altar when I waste your eyes away and wear your heart down, and at every increase in your house, men will die. 34And this will be the sign to you, which will come on your two sons, on Hophni and Phinehas. On one day the two of them will die. 35And I will raise up a faithful priest to myself, who will act according to what is in my heart and in my soul, and I will build a faithful house for him, and he will walk before my anointed at all times. 36And it will come to pass that everyone who remains in your house will come to bow down before him for an agorah of silver and a loaf of bread, and he will say, «Admit me, please, to one of the priestly offices, so that I may eat a piece of bread.» ’ ”

1 Samuel Chapter 3 

1And Samuel the boy served the Lord before Eli, and the word of the Lord was precious in those days, and visions were infrequent. 2And it came to pass at that time, when Eli was lying down in his place, and his eyes had begun to become dim, and he could not see, 3and before the lamp of God went out, while Samuel was lying down in the temple of the Lord where the ark of God was, 4that the Lord called out to Samuel. And he said, “Here I am”, 5and he ran to Eli and said, “Here I am, for you have called me.” But he said, “I didn't call you. Lie down again.” So he went back and lay down. 6Then the Lord called him again: “Samuel.” And Samuel got up and went to Eli and said, “Here I am, for you have called me.” But he said, “I did not call you, my son. Lie down again.” 7Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord, and it was before the word of the Lord had been revealed to him. 8And the Lord called Samuel again – a third time. And he got up and went to Eli and said, “Here I am, for you have called me.” And Eli understood that the Lord had been calling the boy. 9And Eli said to Samuel, “Go and lie down, and it will be the case that if he calls you, you will say, ‘Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.’ ” So Samuel went back and lay down in his place. 10And the Lord came and stood there and called as the previous times, “Samuel, Samuel.” And Samuel said, “Speak, for your servant is listening.” 11And the Lord said to Samuel, “I am about to do something in Israel at which the two ears of everyone who hears it will tingle. 12On that day I will fulfil everything against Eli which I have spoken against his house. I will make a start and I will bring it to its conclusion. 13For I have told him that I am about to judge his house age-abidingly for the iniquity which he has known about, for his sons are cursing God, but he has not admonished them. 14Therefore I have sworn to the house of Eli that the iniquity of the house of Eli will certainly not be expiated by sacrifice or offering age-abidingly.” 15And Samuel lay down until the morning, when he opened the doors of the house of the Lord, but Samuel was afraid to tell the vision to Eli. 16And Eli called Samuel and said, “Samuel, my son”, and he said, “Here I am.” 17And he said, “What is the thing which he has said to you? Please do not conceal it from me. May God do such-and-such to you and add such-and-such if you conceal from me anything of the whole thing which he said to you.” 18So Samuel told him all the words, and he did not conceal anything from him. And he said, “It is the Lord. May he do what is right in his sight.” 19And Samuel grew up, and the Lord was with him, and he did not let any of his words fall on the ground. 20And all Israel from Dan to Beersheba knew that Samuel had been confirmed as a prophet of the Lord. 21Then the Lord appeared again in Shiloh, for the Lord was revealed to Samuel in Shiloh with the word of the Lord.

1 Samuel Chapter 4 

1And Samuel's word came to all of Israel, and Israel went out to war against the Philistines, and they encamped at Eben-Ezer, whereas the Philistines encamped in Aphek. 2And the Philistines lined themselves up against Israel, and the war spread, and Israel was defeated when confronting the Philistines, who struck down about four thousand men in battle-array in the field. 3And the people went to the camp, and the elders of Israel asked, “Why has the Lord defeated us today when confronting the Philistines? Let us fetch the ark of the covenant of the Lord from Shiloh, so that it comes right in among us and saves us from the hand of our enemies.” 4So the people sent men to Shiloh, and they brought from there the ark of the covenant of the Lord of hosts – with him dwelling between the cherubim – and Eli's two sons were there with the ark of the covenant of God, Hophni and Phinehas. 5And it came to pass when the ark of the covenant of the Lord came to the camp that all Israel raised a loud shout, and the land was in commotion. 6And the Philistines heard the sound of the shouting, and they said, “What is this sound of loud shouting in the camp of the Hebrews?” And they became aware that the ark of the Lord had come into the camp. 7And the Philistines were afraid, for they said, “God has come into the camp.” And they said, “Woe to us, because it wasn't like this in the past. 8Woe to us. Who can deliver us from the hand of these great gods? They are the gods which struck Egypt with every kind of blow in the desert. 9Strengthen yourselves and become men, you Philistines, so as not to become servants to the Hebrews, in the way they have been servants to you, and become men, and fight.” 10And the Philistines fought, and Israel was defeated, and each fled to his tent, and the blow was very heavy, and thirty thousand of Israel's infantry fell. 11And the ark of God was taken, and Eli's two sons died – Hophni and Phinehas. 12Then a Benjaminite ran from the battle-line and came to Shiloh on that day, with his clothing torn and earth on his head. 13And when he arrived, he saw Eli sitting on a seat at the side of the road keeping a look out, for his heart was trembling about the ark of God, and when the man came to give a report in the city, all the city shouted out. 14And Eli heard the sound of the shouting, and he said, “What is this sound of commotion?” And the man quickly came and told Eli. 15Now Eli was ninety-eight years old, and his eyes were unable to focus, and he could not see. 16And the man said to Eli, “I am the one who has come from the battle-line, and I fled from the battle-line today.” And he said, “What was the outcome, my son?” 17And the messenger replied and said, “Israel has fled before the Philistines, and there was also a great massacre among the people, and also your two sons died, Hophni and Phinehas, and the ark of God was captured.” 18And it came to pass, when he mentioned the ark of God, that he fell from his seat backwards through the side of the gate, and his neck was broken, and he died, for the man was old and heavy. And he had judged Israel for forty years. 19And his daughter-in-law, Phinehas's wife, was pregnant and was on the point of giving birth when she heard the report of the ark of God being captured, and that her father-in-law and her husband were dead. Then she sank down and gave birth, for her labour pains had come on over her. 20And at the time of her death, the women standing around her said to her, “Do not be afraid, for you have given birth to a son.” But she did not answer, and she did not lay it to heart. 21And she called the boy I-Chabod, for she said, “The glory has been removed from Israel with the ark of God being captured”, and because of her father-in-law and her husband. 22And she said, “The glory has been removed from Israel, for the ark of God has been captured.”

1 Samuel Chapter 5 

1So the Philistines captured the ark of God, and they brought it from Eben-Ezer to Ashdod. 2And the Philistines took the ark of God and brought it to the house of Dagon, and they set it up next to Dagon. 3But when the Ashdodites got up early next day, what they saw was that Dagon had fallen face down to the ground before the ark of the Lord. And they took Dagon and restored him to his position. 4Then they got up early on the next day and saw that Dagon had fallen face down to the ground before the ark of the Lord, and Dagon's head and the two palms of his hands had been cut off at the threshold – only the trunk of Dagon was left to him. 5For this reason the priests of Dagon and all those who come to the house of Dagon have not been treading on the threshold of Dagon in Ashdod up to this day. 6And the hand of the Lord became very heavy on the Ashdodites, and he devastated them, and he struck them – the people of Ashdod and its outskirts – with haemorrhoids. 7And when the men of Ashdod saw that it was like that, they said, “The ark of the God of Israel will not stay with us, for his hand has been harsh on us and on Dagon our god.” 8So they sent word, and they had all the barons of the Philistines gather with them, and they asked, “What shall we do with the ark of the God of Israel?” And they said, “The ark of the God of Israel shall be transferred to Gath.” And they transferred the ark of the God of Israel. 9Then it came to pass, after they had transferred it, that the hand of the Lord came on the city with very great turmoil, and he struck the men of the city, both great and small, and haemorrhoids broke out on them. 10Then they sent the ark of God to Ekron, and it came to pass when the ark of God arrived at Ekron that the Ekronites shouted out and said, “They have transferred the ark of the God of Israel to me to kill me and my people.” 11And they sent word, and they had all the barons of the Philistines gather, and they said, “Send the ark of the God of Israel away, and have it return to its place, so that it does not kill me and my people”, for there was a deadly turmoil in the whole of the city – the hand of God was very heavy there. 12And the men who did not die were struck with haemorrhoids, and the outcry of the city went up to heaven.

1 Samuel Chapter 6 

1And the ark of the Lord was in the Philistines' country for seven months. 2Then the Philistines called for the priests and the diviners, and they said, “What should we do with the ark of the Lord? Tell us in what way we should send it to its place.” 3And they said, “If you send the ark of the God of Israel back, do not send it back empty, but certainly return a guilt-offering to him, then you will be healed, and it will be made known to you why his hand would not depart from you.” 4And they said, “What is the guilt-offering which we should render to him?” And they said, “As the number of barons of the Philistines is: five golden haemorrhoids and five golden mice, for there is one plague on them all, including your barons. 5And you shall make images of your haemorrhoids and images of your mice which infested the land, and you shall give honour to the God of Israel so that maybe he will relax his grip on you and on your god and on your land. 6Why should you harden your heart in the way Egypt and Pharaoh hardened their heart? When he dealt forcefully with them, did they not let them go, and they departed? 7So now, make one new wagon, and take two dairy cows on which no yoke has been put, and you will attach the cows to the wagon and have their calves remain at home, leaving them behind. 8And you will take the ark of the Lord, and you will put it on the wagon, and you will put the golden items, which you are giving to him in return as a guilt-offering, in a box alongside it, and you will send it, and it will be dispatched. 9And you will see whether it goes up by the way of his border to Beth-Shemesh, because then it was him who did this great evil to us, but if not, then we will know that it was not his hand which struck us, and that it was a coincidence that happened to us.” 10And the men did this, and they took two dairy cows, and they attached them to the wagon, and they confined their calves at home. 11And they put the ark of the Lord and the box and the golden mice and the images of their tumours on the wagon. 12And the cows went straight down the road, on the road to Beth-Shemesh, and they went on the one highway, lowing as they went, and they did not turn to the right or left, while the barons of the Philistines followed them up to the border of Beth-Shemesh. 13And at Beth-Shemesh they were reaping the wheat harvest in the valley, and they lifted up their eyes and saw the ark, and they rejoiced at seeing it. 14And the wagon came to the field of Joshua the Beth-Shemeshite, and it stopped there, where there is a large stone, and they chopped up the wood of the wagon and offered the cows as a burnt offering to the Lord. 15Then the Levites brought the ark of the Lord down, and the box which was with it, in which were the golden items, and they put them on the large stone. And the men of Beth-Shemesh offered burnt offerings and offered sacrifices to the Lord on that day. 16And the five barons of the Philistines saw it and went back to Ekron on that day. 17And these are the golden tumours which the Philistines returned as a guilt-offering to the Lord: for Ashdod, one; for Gaza, one; for Ashkelon, one; for Gath, one; for Ekron, one. 18And the golden mice were in number according to all the cities of the Philistines belonging to the five barons, from fortified city to unwalled village, including the great meadow above which they placed the ark of the Lord, a place as it is up to this day, in the field of Joshua the Beth-Shemeshite. 19Then he struck down the men of Beth-Shemesh, because they looked in the ark of the Lord, and among the people he struck down seventy men, and fifty thousand men. And the people mourned, for the Lord had inflicted a severe blow on the people. 20And the men of Beth-Shemesh said, “Who can stand before this holy Lord God, and to whom will it go up away from us?” 21And they sent messengers to the inhabitants of Kiriath-Jearim and said, “The Philistines have returned the ark of the Lord. Come down and bring it up to where you are.”

1 Samuel Chapter 7 

1So the men of Kiriath-Jearim came and brought the ark of the Lord up, and they brought it to the house of Abinadab on the hill, and they sanctified Eleazar his son for him to keep the ark of the Lord. 2And it came to pass, since the day when the ark remained in Kiriath-Jearim, that much time passed, and twenty years went by, and the whole house of Israel lamented before the Lord. 3Then Samuel spoke to the whole house of Israel and said, “If you are returning to the Lord with all your heart, remove the foreign gods from your vicinity, including the images of Astarte, and prepare your heart for the Lord, and serve him alone, and may he deliver you from the hand of the Philistines.” 4So the sons of Israel removed the images of Baal and the images of Astarte, and they served the Lord only. 5Then Samuel said, “Assemble all of Israel in Mizpah, and I will pray to the Lord for you.” 6So they assembled in Mizpah, and they drew water and poured it before the Lord, and they fasted on that day, and they said there, “We have sinned against the Lord.” And Samuel judged the sons of Israel in Mizpah. 7And the Philistines heard that the sons of Israel had assembled in Mizpah, and the barons of the Philistines went up against Israel, and when the sons of Israel heard it, they were afraid of the Philistines. 8And the sons of Israel said to Samuel, “Do not refrain in silence from crying out to the Lord our God on behalf of us, so that he saves us from the hand of the Philistines.” 9Then Samuel took a suckling lamb and offered it as a complete burnt offering to the Lord, and Samuel cried out to the Lord on behalf of Israel, and the Lord answered him. 10And Samuel was performing the burnt offering when the Philistines approached to wage war on Israel, but the Lord made it thunder on the Philistines with a loud sound on that day, and he routed them, and they were struck down before Israel. 11And the men of Israel went out from Mizpah and pursued the Philistines, and they struck them down as far as below Beth-Car. 12Then Samuel took a stone, and he put it between Mizpah and Shen, and he called it Eben-Ezer, and he said, “Up to this point the Lord has helped us.” 13So the Philistines were defeated, and they did not come into Israel's territory again, and the hand of the Lord was against the Philistines for all Samuel's days. 14And the cities which the Philistines had captured from Israel returned to Israel, from Ekron to Gath, and Israel rescued their borders from the hand of the Philistines, and there was peace between Israel and the Amorite. 15And Samuel judged Israel all the days of his life. 16And each year he went round Beth-El and Gilgal and Mizpah, and he judged Israel in all these places. 17And his final stop was to Ramah, for that is where his house was, and he judged Israel there, and he built an altar to the Lord there.

1 Samuel Chapter 8 

1And it came to pass, when Samuel was old, that he appointed his sons as Israel's judges. 2And the name of his elder son was Joel, and the name of his second one was Abijah, and they were judges in Beersheba. 3But his sons did not walk in his way, and they turned aside after unjust gain, and they accepted bribes, and they perverted the course of justice. 4And all the elders of Israel gathered and came to Samuel in Ramah. 5And they said to him, “Look, you are old, but your sons don't walk in your ways. Now then, appoint us a king to judge us like all the Gentiles.” 6But the matter was wrong in Samuel's sight, when they said, “Give us a king to judge us.” And Samuel prayed to the Lord. 7And the Lord said to Samuel, “Heed the people – everything they say to you – for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected me reigning over them, 8like all their deeds which they have perpetrated from the day when I brought them up out of Egypt up to this day, and they have abandoned me and served other gods, and so they are doing to you too. 9So now, heed them, but nevertheless testify solemnly against them, and tell them about the administration of the king who will reign over them.” 10And Samuel spoke all the words of the Lord to the people who were asking him for a king. 11And he said, “This will be the administration of the king who will reign over you: he will take your sons and appoint them in his interest in his chariot fleet and his cavalry, and some of them will run before his chariot fleet. 12And he will appoint himself commanders of a thousand and commanders of fifty, and men to plough his fields and to reap his harvest and to make his armaments and his chariot equipment. 13And he will take your daughters to be perfumers and cooks and bakers. 14And he will take your best fields and vineyards and olive groves, and he will give them to his servants. 15And he will tithe your seed and your vineyards and give them to his courtiers and his servants. 16And he will take your menservants and your maidservants and your best young men, and your donkeys, and he will engage them in his work. 17He will tithe your sheep, and you will become his servants. 18And you will cry out on that day because of your king whom you chose for yourselves, but the Lord will not answer you on that day.” 19But the people refused to heed Samuel, and they said, “No, on the contrary, we will have a king over us. 20And we too will be like all the Gentiles, and our king will judge us, and he will go out before us and fight our wars.” 21And Samuel heard all the words of the people, and he spoke them in the audience of the Lord. 22And the Lord said to Samuel, “Heed them and appoint them a king.” Then Samuel said to the men of Israel, “Depart, each of you, to your city.”

1 Samuel Chapter 9 

1Now there was a Benjaminite whose name was Kish, the son of Abiel, the son of Zeror, the son of Bechorath, the son of Aphiah, a Benjaminite, who was a valiant warrior. 2And he had a son, whose name was Saul, a fine young man, and there was no man among the sons of Israel who was better than him. He was taller than any of the people from his shoulders upwards. 3And the donkeys of Kish, Saul's father, got lost, and Kish said to Saul his son, “Take one of the servant-lads with you, and get up and go and look for the donkeys.” 4And he crossed over at Mount Ephraim, and he crossed into the land of Shalishah, but they did not find them, and they crossed into the land of Shaalim, but they were not there. Then he crossed into the land of the Benjaminites, but they did not find them. 5And they came into the land of Zuph, and Saul said to his servant-lad who was with him, “Come, let us return in case my father stops worrying about the donkeys and worries about us.” 6And he said to him, “Look now, there is a man of God in this city, and the man is honoured. Everything he says absolutely comes to pass. Now let's go there; maybe he can tell us the way which we should go.” 7Then Saul said to his servant-lad, “Well look, we will go, but what shall we bring for the man, for we have run out of bread, and there is no gift to bring to the man of God. What do we have?” 8And the servant-lad answered Saul again, and he said, “Look, here is a quarter shekel of silver in my hand. So I will give it to the man of God, and he will tell us our way.” 9Previously in Israel, this is what a man said when he went to inquire of God: “Come, let us go to the seer”, for he who is called a prophet today was previously called a seer. 10And Saul said to his servant-lad, “Your proposal is fine. Come on, let's go.” So they went to the city where the man of God was. 11As they went on the way up to the city, they found some girls on their way out to draw water, and they said to them, “Is the seer here?” 12And they answered them and said, “He is – here ahead of you. Go quickly now, because he came to the city today, for there is a sacrifice today for the people, on the raised site. 13As soon as you go into the city, you will find him before he goes up to the raised site to eat, for the people will not eat until he comes, because he will bless the sacrifice. After that, those invited will eat, so go up now, for at this time of day you will find him.” 14So they went up to the city, and as they went into the city, it so happened that Samuel was coming out towards them to go up to the raised site. 15Now the Lord had informed Samuel privately one day before Saul came, and he had said, 16“At about this time tomorrow, I will send a man from the land of Benjamin to you, and you will anoint him as leader over my people Israel, and he will deliver my people from the hands of the Philistines, for I have seen my people, for their cry has come to me.” 17So Samuel saw Saul, and the Lord affirmed to him, “Here is the man concerning whom I said to you, ‘This man will rule my people.’ ” 18Then Saul drew near to Samuel inside the gated area and said, “Please tell me, where is the seer's house?” 19Then Samuel answered Saul and said, “I am the seer. Come up before me to the raised site, and you will eat with me today, and I will send you on your way in the morning, and I will tell you everything that is on your heart. 20And as for your donkeys which you lost three days ago, do not concern yourself with them, for they have been found. And for whom is all the desire of Israel? Is it not for you and for the whole house of your father?” 21And Saul answered and said, “Am I not a Benjaminite, from the smallest of the tribes of Israel, and is not my family the lowliest of all the families of the tribe of Benjamin? So why have you spoken to me in this way?” 22Then Samuel took Saul and his servant-lad, and he brought them to the reception room, and he gave them a place at the head of those invited, of whom there were about thirty. 23And Samuel said to the cook, “Serve the portion which I gave to you, about which I said to you, ‘Keep it aside.’ ” 24So the cook brought up the leg and what was on it and placed it before Saul. And Samuel said, “Here is what was reserved. Put it in front of you and eat, for it was kept for you for this occasion when I said, ‘I have invited the people.’ ” So Saul ate with Samuel on that day. 25Then they went down from the raised site to the city, and he spoke with Saul on the roof-top. 26And they got up early, and as it was dawning, Samuel called to Saul on the roof-top and said, “Get up, and I will see you off.” So Saul got up and the two of them went out, he and Samuel, into the open. 27And as they were going at the edge of the city, Samuel said to Saul, “Tell the servant-lad to move on ahead of us” – and he moved on – “but you stand still now, and I will proclaim the word of God to you.”

1 Samuel Chapter 10 

1And Samuel took the flask of oil and poured it on his head, and he kissed him, and he said, “Is it not the case that the Lord has anointed you as leader over his inheritance? 2When you depart from me today, you will find two men at Rachel's tomb, at the border of Benjamin's territory at Zelzah, and they will say to you, ‘The donkeys which you went to look for have been found, and look, your father dropped the matter of the donkeys and became concerned for you, and he said, «What can I do for my son?» ’ 3And you will pass on from there and go further on, and when you arrive at the oak tree of Tabor, there three men will meet you, going up to God in Beth-El, one leading three goat-kids, and one carrying three loaves of bread, and one carrying a skin-bottle of wine. 4And they will ask you how you are, and they will give you two loaves of bread, and you will take them from them. 5After that you will come to the hill of God where there are garrisons of Philistines, and it will come to pass when you arrive there at the city that you will meet a company of prophets coming down from the raised site, and in front of them will be a lute and a drum and a pipe and a harp, and they will prophesy. 6And the spirit of the Lord will come over you, and you will prophesy with them, and you will be turned into another man. 7And it will come to pass, when these signs come on you, that you will do whatever presents itself to you, for God is with you. 8And you will go down before me to Gilgal, and look, I am coming down to you to make burnt offerings and to offer peace-sacrifices. You will wait for seven days for me to come to you, and I will make known to you what you will do.” 9And it came to pass when he turned his back to depart from Samuel that God replaced his heart by a different one, and all these signs came about on that day. 10And when they came there – to the hill – it so happened that a group of prophets came towards him, and the spirit of God descended on him, and he prophesied among them. 11And it came to pass that everyone who had known him for some time looked and saw that he prophesied with the prophets, and the people said to one another, “What is this that has happened to the son of Kish? Is Saul also among the prophets?” 12And a man from there answered and said, “And who is their father?” Because of that it became a saying: “Is Saul also among the prophets?” 13Then he finished prophesying, and he went to the raised site. 14Then Saul's uncle said to him and to his servant-lad, “Where did you go?” And he said, “To look for the donkeys. And when we saw that they weren't around, we went to Samuel.” 15And Saul's uncle said, “Please tell me, what did Samuel say to you?” 16And Saul said to his uncle, “He emphatically told us that the donkeys had been found.” But he did not tell him about the matter of the kingdom which Samuel had spoken about. 17Meanwhile Samuel called the people together to the Lord in Mizpah. 18And he said to the sons of Israel, “The Lord God of Israel says this: ‘I brought Israel up from Egypt, and I delivered you from the grip of Egypt and the grip of all the kingdoms which were oppressing you. 19But you today have rejected your God, who saves you from all your troubles and adversities, and you have said to him, «So appoint a king over us.» And now stand before the Lord according to your tribes and according to your thousands.’ ” 20And Samuel had all the tribes of Israel approach, and the tribe of Benjamin was selected. 21Then he had the tribe of Benjamin approach according to its families, and the family of Matri was selected, and Saul the son of Kish was selected. And they looked for him, but he was not found. 22Then they inquired of the Lord again, “Has the man come here yet?” And the Lord said, “Look, he has hidden among the equipment.” 23So they ran and took him from there, and he stood among the people, and he was taller than any of the people from his shoulders upwards. 24And Samuel said to all the people, “Do you see whom the Lord has chosen? For there is no-one like him among all the people.” And all the people shouted and said, “May the king live.” 25And Samuel told the people the decision on the kingship, and he wrote it in a book and deposited it before the Lord. Then Samuel sent all the people away – each one to his home. 26And Saul went home to Gibeah, and with him went the army whose heart God had motivated so to do. 27But the riff-raff said, “How can this man save us?” And they despised him and did not bring him any offering. But he remained silent.

1 Samuel Chapter 11 

1Then Nahash the Ammonite went up and encamped against Jabesh-Gilead. And all the men of Jabesh said to Nahash, “Make a covenant with us, and we will serve you.” 2And Nahash the Ammonite said to them, “On this condition I will make a covenant with you: that I gouge out every right eye of yours and make it a reproach on all Israel.” 3And the elders of Jabesh said to him, “Give us seven days, and we will send envoys to every territory of Israel, and if we don't have anyone to save us, we will come out to you.” 4And the envoys came to Gibeah of Saul, and they spoke the words in the audience of the people. And all the people raised their voice and wept. 5And it so happened that Saul came following the cattle from the field, and Saul said, “What is the matter with the people making them weep?” And they told him the words of the men of Jabesh. 6Then the spirit of God came on Saul when he heard these words, and his anger was very much kindled. 7And he took a yoke of oxen and divided them in pieces and sent them to every territory of Israel by the hand of envoys and said, “As for anyone who does not come out behind Saul and behind Samuel, so shall it be done to his oxen.” And the fear of the Lord fell on the people, and they came out in unison. 8And he counted them in Bezek, and the sons of Israel were three hundred thousand in number, and the men of Judah came to thirty thousand. 9And they said to the envoys who came, “This is what you will say to the men of Jabesh-Gilead: ‘Tomorrow in the heat of the sun, you will have salvation.’ ” So the envoys went back and reported it to the men of Jabesh, and they rejoiced at it. 10And the men of Jabesh said, “Tomorrow we will go out to you, and you will do to us whatever is right in your sight.” 11And it came to pass on the next day that Saul arranged the people in three contingents, and they went into the camp during the morning-watch, and they struck the Ammonites down until the heat of the day. And it came to pass that those remaining were scattered, and no two among them remained together. 12And the people said to Samuel, “Who is it that said, ‘Shall Saul reign over us?’ Give us the men so we can put them to death.” 13Then Saul said, “No-one shall be put to death on this day, for today the Lord accomplished salvation in Israel.” 14And Samuel said to the people, “Come, let us go to Gilgal and renew the kingship there.” 15So all the people went to Gilgal, and they made Saul king there before the Lord at Gilgal, and they offered peace-sacrifices there before the Lord, and Saul and all the men of Israel rejoiced greatly.

1 Samuel Chapter 12 

1And Samuel said to the whole of Israel, “Look, I have given heed to your voice – everything you have said to me – and I have appointed a king over you. 2So now, look, the king walks before you, but I have grown old and become grey-haired, but here are my sons with you, and I have walked before you from my youth up to this day. 3Here I am – testify against me in the presence of the Lord and in the presence of his anointed. Whose ox have I taken? Or whose donkey have I taken? Or whom have I oppressed? Whom have I maltreated? Or from whose hand have I received a bribe to turn a blind eye with it? – and I will restore it to you.” 4And they said, “You have not oppressed us, and you have not maltreated us, and you have not taken anything from anyone's hand.” 5And he said to them, “The Lord is a witness to you, and his anointed is a witness on this day that you have not found anything in my hand.” And each said, “He is a witness.” 6Then Samuel said to the people, “It is the Lord who made Moses and Aaron, and who brought your fathers up out of the land of Egypt. 7And now, stand there and let me join issue with you before the Lord about all the righteous acts of the Lord which he did with you and with your fathers, 8when Jacob went to Egypt, and your fathers cried out to the Lord, and the Lord sent Moses and Aaron, and they brought your fathers out of Egypt and settled them in this place. 9But they forgot the Lord their God, so he sold them into the hand of Sisera, the commander of the army of Hazor, and into the hand of the Philistines, and into the hand of the king of Moab, and they fought against them. 10Then they cried out to the Lord, and each said, ‘We have sinned, for we have left the Lord and served the images of Baal and images of Astarte, but save us now from the hand of our enemies, and we will serve you.’ 11And the Lord sent Jerubbaal and Bedan and Jephthah, and Samuel, and he delivered you from your enemies round about, and you lived in security. 12And when you saw that Nahash king of the sons of Ammon had come against you, you said to me, ‘No, for a king will reign over us’, although the Lord your God is your king. 13And now here is the king whom you chose, whom you asked for, and you see that the Lord has assigned a king over you. 14If you fear the Lord and serve him and heed his voice and do not resist the Lord's instructions, then both you and the king who reigns over you will be in the wake of the Lord your God. 15But if you don't heed the voice of the Lord, and you rebel against the instructions of the Lord, then the hand of the Lord will be against you and against your fathers. 16Now too, stand and see this great proceeding which the Lord is about to do before your eyes. 17Is it not the wheat-harvest today? I will call out to the Lord, and he will produce rolls of thunder and rain, so be aware and see that your wickedness which you have committed is great in the eyes of the Lord in asking for a king for yourselves.” 18Then Samuel called out to the Lord, and the Lord produced rolls of thunder and rain on that day, and all the people feared the Lord and Samuel greatly. 19And all the people said to Samuel, “Pray to the Lord your God on behalf of your servants that we don't die, for we have added to all our sins a wicked thing in asking for a king for us.” 20And Samuel said to the people, “Do not fear – you have all done this wrong, but do not depart from following the Lord, and serve the Lord with all your heart. 21And you shall not depart, for that would be to follow vain things which will not be of benefit and will not save you, for they are vain things. 22For the Lord will not abandon his people, for the sake of his great name, for the Lord is willing to make you his people. 23Also as for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the Lord by stopping praying on your behalf. And I will teach you the right and upright way. 24But fear the Lord and serve him in truth with all your heart, for see how he has done great things with you. 25But if you for your part decidedly act wickedly, both you and your king will perish.”

1 Samuel Chapter 13 

1Saul was one year old when he started to reign, and he reigned over Israel for two years. 2And Saul chose for himself three thousand men from Israel, and there were two thousand men with Saul in Michmas and at the mountain of Beth-El, and one thousand were with Jonathan in Gibeah of Benjamin, and he sent each of the rest of the people to his tent. 3And Jonathan attacked the Philistines' garrison which was in Geba, and the Philistines heard about it, and Saul blew the ramshorn throughout all the land, and he said, “Let the Hebrews hear.” 4And all Israel heard it said, “Saul has defeated the Philistines' garrison, and also Israel has become odious among the Philistines.” And the people were called together behind Saul in Gilgal. 5And the Philistines gathered to fight against Israel – thirty thousand chariots and six thousand horsemen, and people like the sand on the sea-shore in profusion – and they came up and encamped at Michmas, to the east of Beth-Aven. 6And the men of Israel saw that they were in a strait, for the people were distressed, and the people hid in caves and in thorn bushes and in rocks and in watchtowers and in pits. 7And the Hebrews crossed the Jordan, to the land of Gad and Gilead, whereas Saul was still in Gilgal, and all the people were trembling behind him. 8And he waited seven days, for the time which Samuel had said, but Samuel did not come to Gilgal, and the people dispersed away from him. 9Then Saul said, “Bring me a burnt offering and a peace-offering.” And he performed a burnt offering. 10And it came to pass when he had finished offering the burnt offering that he saw Samuel coming, and Saul went out to meet him to bless him. 11And Samuel said, “What have you done?” And Saul said, “When I saw that the people had dispersed away from me, and that you had not come after the appointed number of days, and that the Philistines were assembled in Michmas, 12I then said, ‘Now the Philistines will descend on me in Gilgal, and I have not entreated the Lord.’ Then I constrained myself and offered a burnt offering.” 13At this Samuel said to Saul, “You have acted foolishly. You have not kept the commandments of the Lord your God which he commanded you, for the Lord would have now appointed your kingdom over Israel age-abidingly. 14But now your kingdom will not stand. The Lord has sought a man for himself according to his heart, and the Lord will command him as leader of his people, for you have not kept what the Lord commanded you.” 15Then Samuel arose and went up from Gilgal to Gibeah of Benjamin. And Saul counted the people who were present with him – about six hundred men. 16Then while Saul and Jonathan his son and the people who were present with them were living in Geba of Benjamin, the Philistines encamped at Michmas. 17And the fighting force came out from the Philistines' camp in three contingents. One contingent turned into the road to Ophrah, to the land of Shual, 18and one contingent turned into the road to Beth-Horon, and one contingent turned into the road to the border which overlooks the Valley of Zeboim, going towards the desert. 19Now there was no blacksmith to be found in all the land of Israel, for the Philistines had said, “Prevent them, in case the Hebrews make swords or spears.” 20So all Israel went down to the Philistines for each to sharpen his ploughshare and his coulter and his axe and his mattock. 21And there was a file for the mattocks and coulters and for the three-pronged pitchfork and the axes, and to sharpen the goad. 22And it came to pass on the day of war that no sword or spear was to be found in the hand of any of the people who were with Saul and Jonathan, but with Saul and Jonathan his son themselves each item was to be found. 23And the Philistines' garrison went out to the pass of Michmas.

Reference(s) in Chapter 13: v.14 ↔ Acts 13:22.

1 Samuel Chapter 14 

1Then it came to pass on a certain day that Jonathan the son of Saul said to his servant-lad carrying his arms, “Come, let us cross to the Philistines' garrison which is beyond this place.” And he did not tell his father. 2And Saul remained at the edge of Gibeah under the pomegranate tree which is in Migron, and the people who were with him were about six hundred in number. 3And Ahiah the son of Ahitub, the brother of I-Chabod the son of Phinehas, the son of Eli, the priest of the Lord in Shiloh, wearing the ephod, remained there, and the people did not know that Jonathan had gone. 4Now among the passes which Jonathan undertook to cross to the Philistines' garrison was one with a precipice on each side of the pass, and the name of one side was Bozez, and the name of the other side was Senneh. 5And one precipice was a sheer edge to the north, facing Michmas, and the other was to the south, facing Geba. 6And Jonathan said to the servant-lad who was carrying his arms, “Come, and let us cross to the garrison of these uncircumcised men. Perhaps the Lord will act for us, for the Lord is not under any constraint to save by means of many or few.” 7And his arms-bearer said to him, “Do everything that is in your heart. Be resolute – here I am with you according to your intention.” 8And Jonathan said, “Look, we will cross over to the men and reveal ourselves to them. 9If they say this to us: ‘Wait until we have come to you’, then we will stay on the spot, and we will not go up to them. 10But if they say this: ‘Come up to us’, then we will go up, for then the Lord will have delivered them into our hand, and this will be a sign to us.” 11And the two of them revealed themselves to the Philistines' garrison, and the Philistines said, “Look, the Hebrews are coming out of their holes where they hid themselves.” 12And the men of the garrison answered Jonathan and his arms-bearer, and they said, “Come up to us, and we will make a thing known to you.” And Jonathan said to his arms-bearer, “Go up behind me, for the Lord has delivered them into Israel's hand.” 13So Jonathan went up on his hands and feet with his arms-bearer behind him. And they fell before Jonathan, and his arms-bearer killed them after him. 14And the first attack which Jonathan and his arms-bearer made was on about twenty men in the narrow space of about half a furrow which a yoke of oxen would plough in a field. 15And there was trembling in the camp, in the field, and among all the people. The garrison and the fighting force also trembled, and the land shook, and it was a tremendous trembling. 16And Saul's watchmen in Gibeah of Benjamin looked and saw a crowd melt away this way and that way. 17Then Saul said to the people who were with him, “Count now, and see who has gone away from us.” So they counted, and it turned out that Jonathan and his arms-bearer were absent. 18And Saul said to Ahiah, “Bring the ark of God here”, for at that time the ark of God was with the sons of Israel. 19And it came to pass, while Saul was speaking to the priest, that the noise in the Philistines' camp became louder and louder, and Saul said to the priest, “Stay your hand.” 20And Saul and all the people with him assembled and went to the battle, and it ensued that each man's sword was against his neighbour, and there was very great confusion. 21And moreover the Hebrews who had been in favour with the Philistines for some time, who had gone up with them in the camp, in the surroundings, re-joined Israel, which was with Saul and Jonathan. 22And when every man of Israel who had been hiding in Mount Ephraim heard that the Philistines had fled, they too joined in pursuing them in the battle. 23And the Lord saved Israel on that day, and the battle moved across to Beth-Aven. 24But the men of Israel were distressed on that day, and Saul adjured the people and said, “Cursed be the man who eats bread before this evening, so that I may be avenged of my enemies.” So none of the people tasted any bread. 25And the whole country went to a wood, and there was honey throughout the terrain. 26And when the people came to the wood, they saw that there was a supply of honey, but no-one brought his hand to his mouth, for the people feared the oath. 27But Jonathan had not heard his father adjuring the people, and he poked with the end of the stick which was in his hand and dipped it in the honeycomb, and he put his hand to his mouth, and his eyes saw a vision. 28And a man from the people reacted and said, “Your father solemnly adjured the people and said, ‘Cursed be the man who eats bread today.’ ” And the people became faint. 29And Jonathan said, “My father has caused the land sorrow. Look now, for my eyes have been enlightened, because I tasted a little of this honey. 30How much better it would have been if only the people had eaten today from the spoil of their enemies which they found! For would there not now have been a greater defeat of the Philistines?” 31And they struck the Philistines down on that day from Michmas to Aijalon, but the people were very faint. 32And the people acquired spoil, and they took sheep and oxen and calves, and they slaughtered them on the ground, and the people ate them with the blood. 33And they reported it to Saul, and they said, “Look, the people are sinning against the Lord by eating with the blood.” And he said, “You have dealt treacherously. Roll a large stone up to me this day.” 34And Saul said, “Disperse among the people and say to them, ‘Let each man bring to me his ox, or let each man bring his sheep, and slaughter them here and eat them, and do not sin against the Lord by eating with the blood.’ ” So all the people brought their ox in their hand that night, and they slaughtered them there. 35And Saul built an altar to the Lord. He began with this one in building altars to the Lord. 36And Saul said, “Let us go down after the Philistines at night and plunder them until the light of the morning, and let us not leave a man among them remaining.” And they said, “Do whatever is right in your sight.” And the priest said, “Let us draw near here to God.” 37And Saul inquired of God, “Shall I go down after the Philistines? Will you deliver them into the hand of Israel?” But he did not answer him on that day. 38Then Saul said, “Come over here, all you princes of the people, and know and see what this sin today consisted of. 39For as the Lord, the saviour of Israel, lives, even if it is Jonathan my son who committed it, he will surely die.” But there was no-one among all the people who answered him. 40And he said to the whole of Israel, “You be on one side, and Jonathan and I will be on the other side.” And the people said to Saul, “Do what is right in your sight.” 41Then Saul said to the Lord God of Israel, “Give the verdict of the Thummim.” And Jonathan and Saul were indicted, whereas the people were exonerated. 42Then Saul said, “Draw the lot between me and Jonathan my son.” And Jonathan was indicted. 43Then Saul said to Jonathan, “Tell me what you have done.” And Jonathan told him and said, “I did indeed taste a little honey with the end of my staff which is in my hand, and in consequence I will die.” 44And Saul said, “May God do this and add more otherwise, for you will surely die, Jonathan.” 45And the people said to Saul, “Must Jonathan die, who achieved this great salvation in Israel? Far be itas the Lord lives – no hair from his head shall fall to the ground, for he acted with God on this day. So the people delivered Jonathan, and he did not die.” 46Then Saul withdrew after the encounter with the Philistines, and the Philistines went to their own place. 47And Saul took the kingship over Israel, and he fought against all his enemies round about, against Moab, and against the sons of Ammon, and against Edom, and against the kings of Zobah, and against the Philistines. And everywhere he turned, he caused harm. 48And he acted valiantly, and he struck Amalek down, and he delivered Israel from the hand of those who plundered it. 49And Saul's sons were Jonathan and Jishvi and Malchi-Shua, and as for the names of his two daughters, the name of the elder was Merab and the name of the younger was Michal. 50And the name of Saul's wife was Ahinoam the daughter of Ahimaaz, and the name of the commander of his army was Abner the son of Ner, Saul's uncle. 51And Kish was Saul's father, and Ner the father of Abner was the son of Abiel. 52And the war against the Philistines was fierce, for all Saul's days, and when Saul saw any heroic man or any valiant man, he recruited him.

1 Samuel Chapter 15 

1And Samuel said to Saul, “The Lord has sent me to anoint you as king over his people, over Israel, so now, listen to the voice of the words of the Lord. 2The Lord of hosts says this: ‘I have examined what Amalek did to Israel, how he took a position on the way when Israel came up out of Egypt. 3Now go and strike Amalek down, and obliterate everything of his, and do not show mercy to him, and put to death both men and women, both child and baby, both ox and sheep, both camel and donkey.’ ” 4And Saul summoned the people and counted them in Telaim – two hundred thousand infantrymen and ten thousand men of Judah. 5And Saul came to the city of Amalek, and he contended with him in the ravine. 6And Saul said to the Kenites, “Go, depart, go down away from the Amalekites, so that I don't destroy you with them, for you acted kindly towards all the sons of Israel when they came up out of Egypt.” And the Kenites departed and went away from Amalek. 7And Saul attacked the Amalekites from Havilah to where you come to Shur which is opposite Egypt. 8And he captured Agag king of the Amalekites alive, but he obliterated all the people by the edge of the sword. 9But Saul and the people spared Agag and the best of the sheep, and the cattle, and the second best of them, and the fatted lambs, and all the goods, for they were not willing to obliterate them. But they obliterated all the despised artisanry, and it was all melted down and they obliterated it. 10Then the word of the Lord came to Samuel and said, 11“I regret making Saul king, for he has turned away from following me, and he has not fulfilled my words.” And it infuriated Samuel, and he cried out to the Lord all night. 12And Samuel rose early to meet Saul in the morning, and the matter was reported to Samuel with the words, “Saul came to Carmel, and behold, he set up a landmark for himself, and he went round the perimeter, and he passed across, and he went down to Gilgal.” 13Then Samuel went to Saul, and Saul said to him, “Be blessed by the Lord. I have fulfilled the word of the Lord.” 14But Samuel said, “Now what is this sound of sheep in my ears, and the sound of oxen which I hear?” 15And Saul said, “They have brought them from the Amalekites, because the people spared the best of the sheep and the oxen in order to sacrifice to the Lord your God, but we have obliterated the remainder.” 16And Samuel said to Saul, “Stop, and I will tell you what the Lord said to me last night.” And he said to him, “Speak.” 17Then Samuel said, “Is it not so, that when you were unimportant in your own sight, you became the head of the tribes of Israel, and that the Lord anointed you as king over Israel? 18And the Lord sent you on an expedition and said, ‘Go and obliterate the sinners – the Amalekites – and fight them until you have finished them off.’ 19So why did you not obey the Lord, for you swooped on the spoil, and you did wrong in the sight of the Lord?” 20And Saul said to Samuel, “I maintain that I have obeyed the Lord, and I went on the way which the Lord sent me, and I led Agag king of the Amalekites captive, and I obliterated the Amalekites. 21But the people took sheep and oxen from the spoil – the firstlings of the condemned animals to sacrifice to the Lord your God in Gilgal.” 22Then Samuel said,

“The Lord's pleasure in the offering of sacrifices

Is as that of obeying the Lord's voice.

Look, to obey is better than a sacrifice,

And heeding him is better than the fat of rams.

23For rebellion is as the sin of divination,

And stubbornness is as the wickedness of amulets.

Since you have rejected the word of the Lord,

He has rejected you as king.”

24Then Saul said to Samuel, “I have sinned, for I have transgressed the utterance of the Lord and your words, for I feared the people and I obeyed them. 25So now, please forgive my sin, and turn back with me, and I will worship the Lord.” 26But Samuel said to Saul, “I will not turn back with you, for you rejected the word of the Lord, and the Lord has rejected you from being king over Israel.” 27Then when Samuel turned to depart, he grasped the hem of his coat, and it tore. 28Then Samuel said to him, “The Lord has torn the kingdom of Israel away from you today, and he has given it to a compatriot of yours who is better than you. 29And moreover the perpetual one of Israel will not lie and will not relent, for he is not a man to relent.” 30Then he said, “I have sinned. Now honour me, please, before the elders of my people and before Israel, and turn back with me, and I will worship the Lord your God.” 31Then Samuel turned back to Saul, and Saul worshipped the Lord. 32And Samuel said, “Bring me Agag king of the Amalekites.” Then Agag came to him winsomely, and Agag said, “Surely the bitterness of death has gone.” 33But Samuel said,

“As your sword has bereaved women,

So your mother will be bereaved among women.”

And Samuel hacked Agag in pieces before the Lord in Gilgal. 34Then Samuel went to Ramah, and Saul went up to his house in Gibeah of Saul. 35And Samuel did not see Saul any more up to the day of his death, for Samuel mourned for Saul, and the Lord regretted having made Saul king over Israel.

Reference(s) in Chapter 15: v.22 ↔ Mark 12:33.

1 Samuel Chapter 16 

1And the Lord said to Samuel, “How long will you mourn for Saul, whereas I have rejected him from reigning over Israel? Fill your horn with oil and go. I will send you to Jesse the Bethlehemite, for I have provided myself with a king from among his sons.” 2Then Samuel said, “How can I go? If Saul hears of it, he will kill me.” And the Lord said, “Take a calf with you and say, ‘I have come to sacrifice to the Lord.’ 3And invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will make known to you what you must do, and anoint for me him whom I tell you.” 4And Samuel did what the Lord had told him, and he went to Bethlehem. And the elders of the city trembled at meeting him, and they said, “Is it in peace that you have come?” 5And he said, “It is in peace, to sacrifice to the Lord, that I have come. Sanctify yourselves and come with me to the sacrifice.” And he sanctified Jesse and his sons, and he invited them to the sacrifice. 6And it came to pass, when they came, that he saw Eliab, and he said, “Surely his anointed is before the Lord.” 7But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance and the height of his stature, for I have rejected him, for it is not a matter of how man sees it, for man sees with his eyes, but the Lord looks at the heart.” 8Then Jesse called for Abinadab, and they brought him for review before Samuel, but he said, “The Lord has not chosen this one either.” 9And Jesse brought Shammah for review, but he said, “The Lord has not chosen this one either.” 10So Jesse brought his seven sons before Samuel for review, and Samuel said to Jesse, “The Lord has not chosen these.” 11And Samuel said to Jesse, “Do these lads complete the number?” And he said, “The youngest still remains, and there he is tending the sheep.” Then Samuel said to Jesse, “Send for him and get him, for we will not wend our way until he comes here.” 12So he sent for him and brought him. Now he was red-haired with handsome eyes and of fine appearance, and the Lord said, “Get up, anoint him, for this is him.” 13So Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in full view of his brothers, and the spirit of the Lord came on David from that day on. Then Samuel arose and went to Ramah. 14And the spirit of the Lord departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the Lord alarmed him. 15And Saul's servants said to him, “It is apparent that an evil spirit of God is alarming you. 16Please let our lord tell your servants before you to seek a man who is skilled in playing the harp, and it will come to pass when there is an evil spirit of God on you that he will play music plucking with his hand, and you will feel better.” 17Then Saul said to his servants, “Provide me, then, with a man who is good at playing music, and bring him to me.” 18And one of the servant-lads answered and said, “Look, I have seen a son of Jesse the Bethlehemite who is skilled in playing music and who is a valiant warrior and a man of war, and with common sense and who is a man of handsome appearance, and the Lord is with him.” 19So Saul sent messengers to Jesse, who said, “Send me David your son who is with the sheep.” 20Then Jesse took a donkey, and bread and a skin-bottle of wine, and one kid of the goats, and he sent them under the charge of David his son to Saul. 21And David came to Saul and stood before him, and Saul liked David a lot, and he became his arms-bearer. 22And Saul sent a messenger to Jesse to say, “Please let David stand before me, for he has pleased me.” 23And it came to pass, when the spirit from God was on Saul, that David took the harp and played it plucking it with his hand, and Saul had relief and felt better, and the evil spirit departed from him.

Reference(s) in Chapter 16: v.7 ↔ Revelation 2:23.

1 Samuel Chapter 17 

1Then the Philistines mobilized their battalions for war, and they were assembled in Sochoh which is in Judah, and they encamped between Sochoh and Azekah in Ephes-Dammim. 2And Saul and the men of Israel assembled and encamped in the Valley of Elah, and they drew up for war against the Philistines. 3Now the Philistines were stationed on one side of the mountain, and Israel was stationed on the other side of the mountain, and there was a valley between them. 4And a duellist went out from the Philistines' camps, whose name was Goliath, from Gath, and his height was six cubits and a span. 5And there was a copper helmet on his head, and he wore scaled armour, and the weight of his armour was five thousand shekels of copper. 6And he had copper leg-armour on his legs, and a copper javelin between his shoulders. 7And his spear was an arrow like a weaver's beam, and the head of his spear weighed six hundred iron shekels, and his shield-bearer went in front of him. 8And he stood and called to the regiments of Israel, and he said to them, “Why have you come out to draw up for war? Am I not a Philistine, and you Saul's servants? Choose a man for yourselves, and let him come down against me. 9If he is able to fight with me, and he strikes me down, then we will be your servants, but if I prevail over him and strike him down, then you will be our servants, and you will serve us.” 10And the Philistine said, “I defy the regiments of Israel this day. Give me a man and let us fight together!” 11And Saul and the whole of Israel heard these words of the Philistine, and they were very fearful and afraid. 12Now David was the son of this Ephrathite man from Bethlehem Judah whose name was Jesse, who had eight sons, and the man was becoming old in the days of Saul, going about his affairs among men. 13And the eldest three sons of Jesse had gone to follow Saul to battle, and the names of his three sons who went to battle were Eliab the firstborn, and his second-born Abinadab, and the third one, Shammah. 14And David was the youngest, and the three eldest went behind Saul. 15Now David had departed and was returning from Saul to tend his father's sheep at Bethlehem. 16And the Philistine approached early in the morning and in the evening, and he took a stand for forty days. 17Meanwhile Jesse said to David his son, “Please take this ephah of roasted corn and these ten loaves to your brothers, and bring them quickly to the encampment for your brothers. 18And bring these ten slices of cheese to the commander of a thousand, and bid your brothers good fortune, and take their pledge.” 19And Saul and they and every man of Israel were in the Valley of Elah, fighting against the Philistines. 20And David rose early in the morning and left the sheep to a guardian, and he loaded up and departed as Jesse had commanded him, and he arrived at the entrenchment, and the army was going out to the opposing regiment, and they sounded a call to battle. 21And Israel drew up its lines, as did the Philistines – regiment against regiment. 22And David left his equipment behind him in the hands of his equipment-guardian, and he ran to the regiment, and when he arrived, he asked his brothers how they were faring. 23And just as he was speaking with them, the duellist came up, whose name was Goliath the Philistine from Gath, from the caves of the Philistines, and he spoke similar words to the previous ones, and David heard them. 24And when they saw the man, all the men of Israel fled from him and were very afraid. 25Now the men of Israel had said, “Have you seen this man who has come up, for he comes up to defy Israel, and the king would make the man who could strike him down rich with great wealth, and he would give him his daughter, and he would make his father's house free in Israel.” 26And David spoke to the men who were standing with him and said, “What will be done for the man who strikes this Philistine down and removes the reproach from Israel, for who is this uncircumcised Philistine, for he has defied the regiments of the living God?” 27And the people spoke to him as described above and said, “So shall it be done for the man who strikes him down.” 28And Eliab his eldest brother heard when he spoke to the men, and Eliab's anger was kindled against David, and he said, “Why is it that you have come down, and to whom have you left those few sheep in the desert? I know your insolence and the wickedness of your heart, for you came down to watch the battle.” 29Then David said, “What have I done now? Isn't there business to attend to?” 30And he turned away from him towards someone else, and he spoke in the same way, and the people answered him in a similar way to the first time. 31And when the words which David spoke were heard, they reported them in Saul's presence, and he fetched him. 32And David said to Saul, “Do not let anyone's heart sink because of him. Your servant will go and fight against this Philistine.” 33Then Saul said to David, “You cannot go to this Philistine to fight against him, for you are a lad, whereas he has been a warrior from his youth.” 34Then David said to Saul, “Your servant was a shepherd among the sheep for his father, and a lion came, and a bear, and it took a sheep from the flock. 35And I went out after it and struck it down and delivered the sheep from its mouth, and it rose up against me, but I seized its beard and struck it down and killed it. 36Your servant struck down both the lion and the bear, and this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, for he has defied the regiments of the living God.” 37And David said, “The Lord who delivered me from the grip of the lion and from the grip of the bear will deliver me from the grip of this Philistine.” And Saul said to David, “Go, and the Lord will be with you.” 38Then Saul clothed David with his livery, and he put a copper helmet on his head, and he put armour on him. 39And David girded his sword on his livery and set about walking, for he had not practised with it, and David said to Saul, “I can't walk in these things, for I have not practised with them.” So David took them off. 40And he took his staff in his hand, and he chose five smooth stones from the brook and put them in the shepherd's bag which he had and in his satchel. And his sling was in his hand, and he approached the Philistine. 41Then the Philistine came, getting closer and closer to David, and the man who bore the shield went before him. 42And the Philistine looked and saw David, and he despised him, because he was a lad, and red-haired, and with an elegant appearance. 43And the Philistine said to David, “Am I a dog, in that you come to me with sticks?” And the Philistine cursed David by his gods. 44And the Philistine said to David, “Come to me, and I will give your flesh to the birds of the sky and to the wild animals.” 45And David said to the Philistine, “You come to me with your sword and your spear and with your javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the ranks of Israel, whom you have defied. 46This day the Lord will deliver you up into my hand, and I will strike you down, and I will remove your head from you, and I will give the corpses of the Philistines' camp this day to the birds of the sky and to the wild animals of the land, and all the land will know that Israel has a God. 47And this whole convocation will know that it is not by sword or by spear that the Lord saves, for the battle is the Lord's, and he will deliver you into our hands.” 48And it came to pass that the Philistine arose and walked and approached David, and David hastened and ran to the ranks towards the Philistine. 49And David put his hand in his bag and took a stone from there, and he slung it, and he struck the Philistine on his forehead, and the stone penetrated into his forehead, and he fell to the ground face down. 50So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and a stone, and he struck the Philistine and killed him, while there was no sword in David's hand. 51Then David ran and stood over the Philistine, and he took his sword and drew it out of its sheath and killed him, and he cut his head off with it. And the Philistines saw that their hero was dead, and they fled. 52Then the men of Israel and Judah rose up and shouted and pursued the Philistines to where you come to the valley, and to the gates of Ekron. And the Philistines' casualties fell along the way to Shaaraim and to Gath and to Ekron. 53Then the sons of Israel returned from ardently pursuing the Philistines, and they pillaged their camps. 54And David took the Philistine's head, and he brought it to Jerusalem, and he put his equipment in his tent. 55And when Saul saw David coming out against the Philistine, he said to Abner the commander of the army, “Whose son is this young man, Abner?” And Abner said, “I swear by your own life, O king, I do not know.” 56And the king said, “You ask whose son the lad is.” 57Then when David returned from striking the Philistine, Abner took him and brought him before Saul, with the Philistine's head in his hand. 58And Saul said to him, “Whose son are you, young man?” And David said, “The son of your servant Jesse the Bethlehemite.”

1 Samuel Chapter 18 

1And it came to pass when he had finished speaking to Saul that Jonathan's deepest feelings were bound to David's deepest feelings, and Jonathan loved him as his own self. 2And Saul took him on that day, and he did not let him return to his father's house. 3Then Jonathan and David made a covenant, because he loved him as his own self. 4And Jonathan took off his coat which was on him, and he gave it to David, and his livery, and even his sword and even his bow and even his girdle. 5And David went out to everywhere that Saul sent him, and he acted prudently. And Saul appointed him over the warriors, and he was popular with all the people, and also with Saul's servants. 6And it came to pass, as they were coming in when David was returning from striking the Philistine, that the women came out from all the cities of Israel to sing, and with dancing, converging on Saul the king, with drums and rejoicing and triangles. 7And the women who played sang in turns and said,

“Saul has struck down his thousands,

But David his tens of thousands.”

8And Saul became very angry, and this matter displeased him, and he said, “They have credited David with tens of thousands, whereas they have only credited me with thousands. And what more will he have but the kingdom?” 9And Saul viewed David with envy from that day on. 10And it came to pass on the next day that an evil spirit from God came on Saul, and he prophesied inside the house, while David was playing music plucking with his hand, as on other days, and there was a spear in Saul's hand. 11And Saul threw the spear and said, “I will strike David down against the wall.” But David dodged him twice. 12And Saul feared David, for the Lord was with him, but from Saul he had departed. 13Then Saul removed him from his presence, and he appointed him as his commander of a thousand, and he went out and came before the people. 14And David was prudent in all his ways, and the Lord was with him. 15And Saul saw that he was very prudent, and he was afraid of him. 16And all Israel and Judah loved David, for he went out and came in in their presence. 17And Saul said to David, “Here is my elder daughter Merab. I will give her to you as a wife, but be a warrior to me and fight the Lord's wars.” And Saul said to himself, “Don't let my hand be on him, but let the hand of the Philistines be on him.” 18Then David said to Saul, “Who am I, and what is my life, or my father's family in Israel, that I should be the king's son-in-law?” 19But it came to pass, at the time when Merab Saul's daughter was to be given to David, that she was given to Adriel the Meholathite as a wife. 20But Michal, Saul's daughter, loved David, and they told Saul, and he approved of the matter. 21And Saul said, “I will give her to him, and she will be a snare to him, and the hand of the Philistines will be on him.” And Saul said to David, “Make it so that I am a father-in-law through both daughters today.” 22And Saul commanded his servants and said, “Speak to David secretly and say, ‘It is apparent that the king is pleased with you. And all his servants like you, so now, marry into the king's family.’ ” 23So Saul's servants spoke these words to David privately, to which David said, “Is it a light matter in your sight to marry into the king's family, seeing I am a poor and insignificant man?” 24And Saul's servants reported back to him and said, “David said such and such.” 25Then Saul said, “This is what you will say to David: ‘The king has no wish for a dowry, but rather for one hundred foreskins of the Philistines, so as to be avenged on the king's enemies.’ ” But Saul intended to cause David to fall at the hand of the Philistines. 26And his servants told David these things, and David approved of the matter, to marry into the king's family. And before the days were completed, 27David arose and set off, he and his men, and he struck two hundred men of the Philistines down, and David brought their foreskins, and they presented them to the king for him to marry into the king's family. Then Saul gave him Michal his daughter to be his wife. 28And Saul saw and knew that the Lord was with David, and that Michal, Saul's daughter, loved him. 29And Saul became even more afraid of David, and Saul became more hostile to David day by day. 30Then the commanders of the Philistines came out, and it came to pass that whenever they came out, David was more prudent than any of Saul's servants, and he was greatly esteemed.

1 Samuel Chapter 19 

1And Saul spoke to Jonathan his son and to all the servants about how to kill David, but Jonathan Saul's son liked David very much. 2And Jonathan spoke to David and said, “Saul my father is looking for a way to kill you, so now, please, beware in the morning, and live in a secret place and hide. 3Meanwhile I will go out and stand at my father's side in the field where you are, and I will speak about you to my father, and I will see what happens, and I will tell you.” 4And Jonathan spoke well of David to Saul his father, and he said to him, “Let the king not sin against his servant David, for he has not sinned against you, and because his deeds have been very good for you, 5and he put his life in his hand and struck the Philistines, and the Lord performed a great act of salvation for all Israel. You saw it and rejoiced, so why should you sin against innocent blood in killing David gratuitously?” 6And Saul heeded Jonathan, and Saul swore, “As the Lord lives, he will certainly not be put to death.” 7Then Jonathan called for David, and Jonathan told him all these things, and Jonathan brought David to Saul, and he would be in his presence as previously. 8And there was war again, and David went out and fought the Philistines, and he dealt them a severe blow, and they fled from his presence. 9Then an evil spirit from the Lord came on Saul, when he was sitting at home with his spear in his hand, and David was playing music, plucking with his hand, 10and Saul tried to strike David against the wall with the spear, but he evaded Saul, who struck the spear into the wall. And David fled and escaped that night. 11Then Saul sent agents to David's house, to watch him and to kill him in the morning, but Michal his wife told David and said, “If you do not save yourself tonight, you will be put to death tomorrow.” 12And Michal lowered David through a window, and he departed and fled and escaped. 13And Michal took the amulets and put them on the bed, and she put the goat's hair pillow at his head-end and covered it with a garment. 14Now Saul had sent agents to seize David, and she said, “He is ill.” 15Then Saul sent agents to watch David, and he said, “Bring him up to me in the bed, so that I can kill him.” 16When the agents came, what they saw was the amulets on the bed and the goat's hair pillow at his head-end. 17Then Saul said to Michal, “Why have you deceived me like this and let my enemy go, so he has escaped?” And Michal said to Saul, “He said to me, ‘Let me go. Why should I kill you?’ ” 18So David fled and escaped, and he went to Samuel in Ramah, and he told him everything that Saul had done to him. Then he and Samuel departed and stayed in Naioth. 19And it was reported to Saul as follows: “Look, David is in Naioth in Ramah.” 20Then Saul sent agents to seize David, and they saw the company of prophets prophesying, with Samuel standing by, having been appointed over them, and the spirit of God came on Saul's agents, and they also prophesied. 21And they reported this to Saul, and he sent other agents, but they also prophesied. So Saul sent agents again – a third group – but they also prophesied. 22Then he also went to Ramah, and he came to the big cistern which is in Sechu, and he inquired and asked, “Where are Samuel and David?” And the person said, “He is in Naioth in Ramah.” 23So he went there, to Naioth in Ramah, and the spirit of God came on him too, and he prophesied as he went, until he came to Naioth in Ramah. 24And he too took his clothes off, and he too prophesied before Samuel, and he lay naked all that day and all night. This is why they say, “Is Saul also among the prophets.”

1 Samuel Chapter 20 

1Then David fled from Naioth in Ramah, and he came and said in Jonathan's presence, “What have I done and what is my iniquity and what is my sin before your father that he should seek my life?” 2And he said to him, “Far be it – you will not die. Look, my father will not do anything great or small without informing me, and why should my father hide this matter from me? It is not the case.” 3And David swore again and said, “Your father certainly knows that you like me, and he has said to himself, ‘Don't let Jonathan know this, in case he is grieved’, but as the Lord lives and as you yourself live, there is just a step between me and death.” 4And Jonathan said to David, “Whatever your inclination dictates, I will do for you.” 5And David said to Jonathan, “Look, it is the new moon tomorrow, and I really ought to be sitting with the king to dine, but let me go, and I will hide in the country until the third evening. 6If your father misses me at all, say, ‘David made a point of asking me for leave to dash off to Bethlehem his city, because there is an annual sacrifice there for all the family.’ 7If he replies with this, ‘That's all right’, then your servant will have peace, but if it infuriates him at all, know that he intends evil. 8And act graciously towards your servant, for you have brought your servant into a covenant of the Lord with you, and if there is any iniquity in me, kill me yourself, for why then should you bring me to your father?” 9Then Jonathan said, “Far be it from you, for if I were at all aware that my father intended evil to come on you, would I not tell you about it?” 10Then David said to Jonathan, “Who will tell me about it if your father answers you harshly?” 11And Jonathan said to David, “Come, let's go out into the field.” So the two of them went out into the field. 12And Jonathan said to David, “By the Lord God of Israel, when I investigate my father at this time tomorrow and up to the third evening, if he is well-disposed to David, and I do not then send a report to you and inform you, 13may the Lord so do to Jonathan and more. But if my father decides to do harm to you, then I will inform you and let you go, and you can go in peace, and the Lord be with you, as he was with my father. 14And let it not be while I am still alive that you do not show me the Lord's kindness, in which case I would die. 15And do not ever cut your kindness off from my house, nor when the Lord cuts David's enemies off, each one from the face of the earth.” 16So Jonathan made a covenant with the house of David, and he said, “May the Lord require any penalty from the hand of David's enemies.” 17Then Jonathan adjured David again in his love for him, for he loved him with his deepest feelings. 18And Jonathan said to him, “Tomorrow is the new moon. You will be missed, because your seat will be unoccupied. 19And when you have spent three days over there, come down quickly and come to the place where you hid on the previous occasion of intrigue, and remain at the stone of Ezel, 20and I will shoot three arrows to the side of it, as if I were practising shooting at a target. 21And look, I will send a lad, and say, ‘Go and find the arrows.’ If I specifically say to the lad, ‘Look, the arrows are short of you; take them’, then come, for you have peace, and there is no issue, as the Lord lives. 22But if I say this to the youth: ‘Look, the arrows are beyond you’, then go, for the Lord will have sent you away. 23And as for the matter which we have spoken about, you and I, look, the Lord is between you and me age-abidingly.” 24So David hid in the field, and the new moon came, and the king sat at the meal to dine. 25And the king sat in his seat as on previous occasions, on a seat at a wall, and Jonathan arose, and Abner sat at Saul's side, and David's place was unoccupied. 26But Saul did not say anything untoward on that day, for he said, “It is some incident – he is unclean – it is that he is not clean.” 27And it came to pass on the next day of the month – the second – that David's place was unoccupied, and Saul said to Jonathan his son, “Why did the son of Jesse not come either yesterday or today to the meal?” 28Then Jonathan replied to Saul, “David made a point of asking me for leave to go to Bethlehem. 29And he said, ‘Please let me go, for we have a family sacrifice in the city, and the one who commanded me to attend is my brother. So now, if I have found grace in your eyes, let me slip away, please, and I will see my brothers.’ That is why he has not come to the king's table.” 30And Saul's anger was kindled against Jonathan, and he said to him, “You son of a perverse and rebellious woman, am I not aware that you have chosen the son of Jesse to your shame and to the shame of your mother's nakedness? 31For as long as the son of Jesse is alive on the ground, neither you nor your kingdom will be established. So now, send men and bring him to me, for he is destined for death.” 32Then Jonathan answered Saul his father and said to him, “Why should he be put to death? What has he done?” 33Then Saul threw his spear at him so as to strike him. So Jonathan knew that it had been determined on the part of his father to kill David. 34And Jonathan got up from the table in furious anger, and he did not eat any food on the second day of the month, for he grieved for David, for his father had put him to shame. 35And it came to pass in the morning that Jonathan went out into the field, to the place agreed with David, and a little lad was with him. 36And he said to his servant-lad, “Run and find me the arrows which I shoot.” So the lad ran, and he shot an arrow beyond him. 37And the lad came to the place of the arrow which Jonathan had shot, and Jonathan called to the lad and said, “Isn't the arrow further on from you?” 38And Jonathan called to the lad, “Quick, hurry, don't stand around.” So Jonathan's servant-lad picked up the arrow and came back to his master. 39And the lad wasn't aware of anything, but Jonathan and David knew the purpose. 40Then Jonathan gave his equipment to his servant-lad and said to him, “Go and take it to the city.” 41The lad departed, and David came up from the southern side, and he fell face down to the ground, and he bowed three times, and they kissed each other, and they wept with one another, with David doing it profusely. 42aThen Jonathan said to David, “Go in peace, inasmuch as we have both sworn in the name of the Lord, saying, ‘The Lord will be between me and you and between my seed and your seed age-abidingly.’ ” 42bAnd he got up and departed, and Jonathan went to the city.

1 Samuel Chapter 21 

1And David arrived in Nob, and he went to Ahimelech the priest. And Ahimelech was afraid at meeting David, and he said to him, “Why are you on your own, and why is no-one with you?” 2And David said to Ahimelech the priest, “The king has charged me with a matter, and he said to me, ‘No-one must know anything about the mission which I am sending you on, and what I have charged you with. And I have appointed servants to go to such and such a place.’ 3And now, what is at your disposal? Hand me five loaves or whatever is available.” 4And the priest answered David and said, “There is no ordinary bread at my disposal. There is only holy bread, which you can have if your servant-lads really have kept themselves from women.” 5Then David answered the priest and said to him, “Indeed women have been withheld from us for several days since I went out, and the lads' equipment is holy, although it was a secular journey, so how much more will it be sanctified today by the vessel containing it.” 6Then the priest gave him the holy bread, for there was no bread there other than the showbread, which was removed from the Lord's presence, so it was necessary to put hot bread out on the day it was taken away. 7Now there was there on that day a man from Saul's servants, retained in the Lord's presence, and his name was Doeg the Edomite, the foreman of Saul's shepherds. 8And David said to Ahimelech, “And is there no spear or sword at your disposal here? For I took neither my sword nor my equipment in my hand, for it was an urgent matter of the king's.” 9Then the priest said, “Here is the sword of Goliath the Philistine whom you struck down in the Valley of Elah, wrapped in a garment behind the ephod. If you want to take it for yourself, take it, for there is nothing other than that here.” And David said, “There is nothing like it. Give it to me.” 10So David arose and fled from Saul on that day. Then he went to Achish king of Gath. 11And Achish's servants said to him, “Isn't this David, the king of the land? Wasn't it to him that they sang in turns with dancing and said,

‘Saul struck his thousands,

But David his tens of thousands.’ ”

12And David laid these things to heart, and he was very afraid of Achish king of Gath. 13And he changed his character in their sight, and he pretended to be mad under their charge, and he scratched on the doors of the gate, and he let his spittle run down onto his beard. 14And Achish said to his servants, “Look, you can see that the man is mad. Why are you bringing him to me? 15Do I lack madmen, so that you should bring this one to behave madly with me? Shall this man come into my house?”

1 Samuel Chapter 22 

1So David departed from there and escaped to the cave of Adullam, and his brothers and all his father's household heard it, and they went down to him there. 2And everyone who was distressed, and everyone who had a debt, and everyone who was embittered gathered around him, and he became a prince over them, and they were with him – about four hundred men. 3And David went from there to Mizpeh in Moab, and he said to the king of Moab, “Please let my father and my mother come out to be with you, until I know what God is going to do with me.” 4And he led them into the presence of the king of Moab, and they dwelt with him all the days while David was in the citadel. 5Then the prophet Gad said to David, “You shall not dwell in the citadel. Go and betake yourself to the land of Judah.” So David departed, and he came to the forest of Hereth. 6And Saul heard about it, because David had been informed on, including the men who were with him, while Saul was sitting in Gibeah under the tamarisk tree in Ramah. And his spear was in his hand, and all his servants were standing around him. 7And Saul said to his servants who were standing around him, “Now listen, you Benjaminites. Will the son of Jesse really give all of you the fields and vineyards? Will he make you all commanders of a thousand and commanders of a hundred? 8For you have all conspired against me, and no-one informed me about my son allying himself with the son of Jesse, and none of you is grieving for me or has been informing me that my son has incited my servant against me, setting an ambush on this day.” 9And Doeg the Edomite, who had been appointed over Saul's servants, answered and said, “I have seen the son of Jesse going to Nob, to Ahimelech the son of Ahitub. 10And Ahimelech inquired of him from the Lord, and he gave him provisions, and he gave him the sword of Goliath the Philistine.” 11Then the king sent an envoy to call for Ahimelech the son of Ahitub, the priest, and all his father's household – the priests who were in Nob – and they all came to the king. 12And Saul said, “Now listen, son of Ahitub.” And he said, “Here I am, my lord.” 13And Saul said to him, “Why have you conspired against me, you and the son of Jesse, by you giving him bread and a sword, and in inquiring for him of God, for him to rise up against me, ambushing me on this day?” 14And Ahimelech answered the king and said, “Rather, who among all your servants is faithful like David, who is the king's son-in-law, who goes at your bidding and is honoured in your house? 15Is it today that I began to inquire of God for him? Far be it from me. May the king not lay anything to the charge of his servant or of anyone of my father's house, for your servant is not aware of any of this, in a big or small way.” 16Then the king said, “You shall surely die, Ahimelech, you and all the house of your father.” 17Then the king said to the runners who were standing around him, “Turn on them and kill the Lord's priests, for their hand is also with David, and because they knew that he had fled, but they did not inform me.” But the king's servants were not willing to stretch out their hand to attack the Lord's priests. 18Then the king said to Doeg, “You turn on them and attack the priests.” Then Doeg the Edomite turned on them, and he attacked the priests, and on that day he killed eighty-five men bearing an ephod of fine linen. 19And he struck Nob, the city of the priests, with the edge of the sword, both men and women, both children and babies, and oxen and donkeys and sheep, with the edge of the sword. 20But one of the sons of Ahimelech the son of Ahitub escaped, whose name was Abiathar, and he fled to join David. 21And Abiathar told David that Saul had killed the Lord's priests. 22Then David said to Abiathar, “I knew on that day when Doeg the Edomite was there that he would certainly tell Saul. I have been involved in all the loss of life in your father's house. 23Stay with me, do not fear, for he who seeks my life seeks your life, so that you are a guard with me.”

1 Samuel Chapter 23 

1And they reported to David and said, “Look, the Philistines are fighting in Keilah, and they are plundering the threshing floors.” 2Then David inquired of the Lord and said, “Should I go and strike these Philistines?” And the Lord said to David, “Go and strike the Philistines and save Keilah.” 3Then David's men said to him, “Look, we here in Judah are afraid, and how much more so if we go to Keilah, to the ranks of the Philistines.” 4So David inquired again of the Lord, and the Lord answered him and said, “Arise, go down to Keilah, for I am delivering the Philistines into your hand.” 5Then David and his men went to Keilah and fought the Philistines, and he carried their cattle away, and he struck a great blow on them. So David saved the inhabitants of Keilah. 6Now it had come to pass when Abiathar the son of Ahimelech fled to David in Keilah, that he came down with the ephod in his hand. 7And it was reported to Saul that David had arrived in Keilah, and Saul said, “God has consigned him to my hand, for he has shut himself in by entering a town with gates and a bolt.” 8And Saul called all the people up to war, to go down to Keilah, to besiege David and his men. 9Now David knew that Saul was devising evil against him, and he said to Abiathar the priest, “Bring the ephod here.” 10And David said, “O Lord God of Israel, your servant has reliably heard that Saul is attempting to come to Keilah to destroy the city on account of me. 11Will the inhabitants of Keilah deliver me up into his hand? Will Saul come down as your servant has heard? O Lord God of Israel, do tell your servant.” And the Lord said, “He will come down.” 12Then David said, “Will the inhabitants of Keilah deliver me and my men up into Saul's hand.” And the Lord said, “They will deliver you up.” 13So David arose, as did his men – about six hundred men – and they went out of Keilah and wandered around wherever they could wander around. And it was reported to Saul that David had escaped from Keilah. So he stopped going out. 14Meanwhile David stayed in the desert, in strongholds, and he stayed in the mountain in the Desert of Ziph, while Saul sought him all the time, but God did not deliver him into his hand. 15And David saw that Saul had come out to seek his life, while David was in the Desert of Ziph in a wood. 16And Jonathan, Saul's son, arose and went to David, to the wood, and he encouraged him in God. 17And he said to him, “Do not be afraid, for the hand of Saul my father will not find you, and you will reign over Israel, and I will be second to you. And Saul my father knows this.” 18And the two of them made a covenant before the Lord, and David stayed in the wood, but Jonathan went to his home. 19Then some Ziphites came up to Saul, to Gibeah, and they said, “Isn't David hiding with us in the fortresses in the wood, in the hill of Hachilah, which is to the south of Jeshimon? 20So now, in accordance with all your heart's desire, O king, to come down, do come down, and it will be up to us to deliver him into the king's hand.” 21At this Saul said, “Blessed are you to the Lord, for you have had compassion on me. 22Go now and keep preparing, and find out and observe his whereabouts and where he treks, and who has seen him there, for I have been told that he acts very craftily. 23So observe and find out about all the hiding places where he hides, and come back to me with confirmation, and I will go with you, and it will come to pass, if he is in the land, that I will seek him among all the thousands of Judah.” 24So they arose and went to Ziph in front of Saul, whereas David and his men were in the Desert of Maon, in the arid tract to the south of Jeshimon. 25And Saul and his men went to search for him, and it was reported to David, who then went down to the rock and stayed in the Desert of Maon. And Saul heard of it, and he pursued David in the Desert of Maon. 26And Saul went to one side of the mountain, whereas David and his men were on the other side of the mountain. Then David became alarmed, intending to move away from Saul, while Saul and his men were surrounding David and his men, in order to capture them. 27Then a messenger came to Saul and said, “Hurry and go, for the Philistines have invaded the land.” 28So Saul returned from pursuing David, and he went to confront the Philistines, which is why they call that place Sela-Hammahlekoth. 29Then David went up from there and stayed in the strongholds of En-Gedi.

1 Samuel Chapter 24 

1And it came to pass, when Saul returned from pursuing the Philistines, that they reported to him and said, “Look, David is in the Desert of En-Gedi.” 2Then Saul took three thousand men, chosen from the whole of Israel, and he went to seek David and his men in the area of the rocks of the mountain goats. 3And they came to the sheepfolds on the way, and there was a cave there, and Saul went in to cover his feet. Now David and his men were stationed at the sides of the cave. 4And David's men said to him, “Behold the day about which the Lord told you, when he said, ‘Behold, I am giving you your enemy in your hand, and you can do to him as is good in your sight.’ ” Then David arose and cut the hem of Saul's coat in secret. 5And it came to pass after that, that David's heart pained him, because he had cut the hem of Saul's coat. 6And he said to his men, “Far be it from me with the Lord that I should do this thing to my lord, to the Lord's anointed, to lay my hand on him, for he is the Lord's anointed.” 7And David restrained his men with these words, and he did not allow them to rise up against Saul. And Saul arose from the cave and went on his way. 8Then David arose after that, and he came out of the cave, and he called after Saul and said, “My lord the king.” Then Saul looked behind him and David bowed face down to the ground and prostrated himself. 9And David said to Saul, “Why do you listen to the words of a man who says, ‘Look, David is trying to harm you’? 10Look, this day your eyes have seen that the Lord handed you over to me this day in the cave, and one would have said to kill you, but my eye spared you, and I said, ‘I will not lay my hand on my lord, for he is the Lord's anointed.’ 11And, my father, just look, and see the hem of your coat in my hand, for when I cut the hem of your coat, I did not kill you. Know and see that there is no evil or transgression in my hand, and that I have not sinned against you, yet you hunt me down to take my life. 12May the Lord judge between me and you, and may the Lord avenge me on you, but my hand will not be on you. 13As the proverb of the ancients says, ‘Wickedness proceeds from the wicked’, but my hand will not be on you. 14After whom has the king of Israel gone out? Whom are you pursuing? A dead dog? A single flea? 15And may the Lord be a judge, and may he judge between me and you, and may he see and contend my case and acquit me from your charge.” 16And it came to pass, when David had finished speaking these words to Saul, that Saul said, “Is this your voice, my son David?” And Saul raised his voice and wept. 17And he said to David, “You are more righteous than I am, for you have repaid me good, whereas I repaid you evil. 18And you have shown me today that you have done good to me – that when the Lord delivered me up into your hand, you did not kill me. 19For if a man finds his enemy, will he let him cheerily go on his way? So may the Lord repay you with goodness, because of what you did with me on this day. 20And now, look, I know that you will certainly reign and that the kingdom of Israel will be established under your authority. 21So now, swear to me by the Lord that you will not cut my seed off after me, and that you will not obliterate my name from the house of my father.” 22Then David swore to Saul, and Saul went to his house, and David and his men went up to the stronghold.

1 Samuel Chapter 25 

1When Samuel died, the whole of Israel gathered and mourned for him, and they buried him in his house in Ramah. And David arose and went down to the Desert of Paran. 2Now a man in Maon, whose business was at Carmel, a man who was very wealthy, who had three thousand sheep and one thousand goats, was busy with the shearing of his sheep at Carmel. 3And the man's name was Nabal, and the name of his wife was Abigail, and the woman was very intelligent and attractive in appearance, but the man was harsh and evil in his actions, and he was a Calebite. 4Now David heard in the desert that Nabal was shearing his sheep, 5and David sent ten servant-lads, and David said to the servant-lads, “Go up to Carmel and go to Nabal, and ask him how he is in my name. 6And say this to the man who lives well: ‘Peace to you and peace to your household, and peace to all of yours. 7Well now, I have heard that you have shearers, and now as for your shepherds who were with us, we have not put them to shame, and they didn't lack anything all the time they were at Carmel. 8Ask your servant-lads, and they will tell you, and may the servant-lads find favour in your sight, for we have come on a good day. Please give what you can afford to your servants and to your son David.’ ” 9So David's servant-lads went there, and they spoke to Nabal in line with all these words in David's name, then they paused. 10Then Nabal answered David's servants and said, “Who is David, and who is the son of Jesse? Nowadays there are many servants who break away from their master. 11So should I take my bread and my water, and my meat which I have slaughtered for my shearers, and give it to men when I don't know where they are from?” 12Then David's servant-lads turned back to their way and returned, and when they had arrived, they told him about all these things. 13At this David said to his men, “Let each man gird on his sword.” And each man girded on his sword, and David also girded on his sword, and about four hundred men went up behind David, and two hundred remained with the equipment. 14But one of the servant-lads told Abigail, Nabal's wife, and he said, “Look, David sent messengers from the desert to bless our lord, but he reacted aggressively to them. 15But the men were very good to us, and we were not treated contemptuously, and we did not miss anything all the time we associated with them, when we were in the countryside. 16They were a wall to us, both night and day, all the time when we were with them tending the sheep. 17So now, decide and see what you will do, for evil has been resolved against our lord and on all his house, and he is too useless to speak to.” 18Then Abigail acted quickly, and she took two hundred loaves and two wineskins of wine, and five prepared sheep, and five seahs of parched grain, and one hundred measures of raisins, and two hundred cakes of pressed figs, and she put them on the donkeys. 19And she said to her servant-lads, “Go across in front of me, and you will see me coming behind you.” But she did not tell Nabal her husband. 20And it came to pass as she was riding on a donkey that she came down to the hiding place in the hill, and along came David and his men, coming down towards her, and she met them. 21And David said, “Surely it was in vain that I kept everything of this man's in the desert – and nothing of his went missing – but he requited me with evil for good. 22May God do such to David's enemies and add more if I leave anyone, of all who belong to him, who urinates against a wall, alive until morning.” 23Then when Abigail saw David, she quickly dismounted from the donkey and fell face down before David and bowed to the ground. 24And she fell at his feet and said, “My lord, let the iniquity be on me, and let your handmaid speak a word in your ear, and listen to the words of your handmaid. 25May my lord not pay attention to this useless man, to Nabal, for as his name is, so is he. Nabal is his name, and folly accompanies him, and I am your handmaid who did not see my lord's servant-lads whom you sent. 26So now, my lord, as the Lord lives, and as your being lives, since the Lord has prevented you from embarking on bloodshed, and from your own ability giving you victory, so now may your enemies and those who are seeking my lord's harm be as Nabal. 27And now, may this gift, which your handmaid has brought for my lord, be given to the servant-lads who are following at my lord's feet. 28Please forgive your handmaid's transgression, for the Lord will certainly make my lord a secure house, for my lord is fighting the Lord's wars, and evil has not been found in you in all your days. 29But a man has arisen to pursue you and to seek your life, but my lord's life is wrapped up in the bundle of life with the Lord your God, but as for the life of your enemies, he will sling it out as from the cradle of a sling. 30And it will come to pass that the Lord will do for my lord all the good he has spoken about concerning you, and he will appoint you as leader over Israel. 31And don't let this be an unsettling matter to you, or a disconcerting affair to my lord, whether it is about shedding blood for no reason, or my lord giving himself victory, and may the Lord do good to my lord, and may you remember your handmaid.” 32Then David said to Abigail, “Blessed be the Lord God of Israel who has sent you to me today. 33And blessed is your conduct and blessed are you, in that you have stopped me on this day from embarking on bloodshed, and from my own ability giving me victory. 34But as the Lord God of Israel lives, who has prevented me from harming you, for unless you had hastened in coming to me, Nabal would certainly not have had anyone who urinates against a wall left to him by morning light.” 35And David took what she had brought him from her hand, and he said to her, “Go up to your house in peace. Look I have heeded you, and I have granted your request.” 36Then Abigail went to Nabal, and she saw that he was holding a banquet in his house like the king's banquet, and Nabal's heart was merry, and he was very drunk, and she didn't tell him anything great or small until morning light. 37Then it came to pass in the morning, when the effects of the wine had gone from Nabal, that when his wife told him these things, his heart died within him, and he became like stone. 38And it came to pass after ten days that the Lord struck Nabal, and he died. 39And David heard that Nabal had died, and he said, “Blessed be the Lord, who has vindicated me who was held in contempt from Nabal's stand, and who has saved his servant from harm, and the Lord has turned Nabal's harm back on his head.” Then David sent men to tell Abigail that he would take her to be his wife. 40And David's servants came to Abigail at Carmel, and they spoke to her and said, “David has sent us to you to take you to be his wife.” 41Then she arose and bowed with her face to the ground, and she said, “Here I am as your handmaid, as a servant-girl to wash the feet of my lord's servants.” 42Then Abigail made haste and arose and rode on a donkey, with her five servant-girls walking in her tracks, and she followed David's messengers, and she became his wife. 43And David took Ahinoam from Jezreel, and both of them became his wives. 44And Saul gave Michal his daughter, David's wife, to Palti the son of Laish who was from Gallim.

1 Samuel Chapter 26 

1Then the Ziphites came to Saul in Gibeah and said, “Isn't David hiding in the hill of Hachilah opposite Jeshimon?” 2And Saul arose and went down to the Desert of Ziph, and with him were three thousand men – young men of Israel – to seek David in the Desert of Ziph. 3And Saul encamped at the hill of Hachilah, which is opposite Jeshimon on the way there. Now David was living in the desert, and he saw that Saul had come after him in the desert. 4So David sent spies, and he found out that Saul had indeed come. 5Then David arose and went to the place where Saul had encamped, and David saw the place where Saul was stationed, with Abner the son of Ner, the commander of his army, with Saul located in a circular barricade of wagons, with the people encamped around him. 6And David reacted and spoke to Ahimelech the Hittite and to Abishai the son of Zeruiah, the brother of Joab, and he said, “Who will go down with me, to Saul, to the camp?” And Abishai said, “I will go down with you.” 7So David and Abishai went to the people by night, and they saw Saul lying asleep in the circular barricade of wagons, with his spear stuck in the ground at his head-end and Abner and the people lying around him. 8Then Abishai said to David, “God has delivered your enemy into your hand today, so now I will strike him, if I may, with a spear to the ground, in one go, and I will not need to do it to him a second time.” 9But David said to Abishai, “Do not dispatch him, for who can lay his hand on the Lord's anointed and be held guiltless?” 10And David said, “As the Lord lives, let rather the Lord strike him, or let his day come when he dies, or let him go down to battle and perish. 11Far be it from me with the Lord that I should lay my hand on the Lord's anointed, so now, take, would you, the spear which is at his head-end, and the water-flask, and let us go our way.” 12So David took the spear and the water-flask from Saul's head-end, and they went their way, and no-one saw, and no-one knew, and no-one woke up, for they were all asleep, for a deep sleep from the Lord had fallen on them. 13Then David crossed to the opposite side and stood on the peak of the mountain at a distance, the distance between them being large. 14And David called out to the people and to Abner the son of Ner and said, “Do you not answer, Abner?” And Abner answered and said, “Who are you who have called out to the king?” 15And David said to Abner, “Are you not a man? And who is like you in Israel? So why have you not kept guard over your lord the king? For one of the people came to dispatch your lord the king. 16This thing that you have done is not right – as the Lord lives – for you deserve death, in that you did not keep guard over your lord, over the Lord's anointed. So now, look for the king's spear and water-flask which were at his head-end.” 17And Saul recognized David's voice, and he said, “Is this your voice, my son David?” And David said, “It is my voice, my lord the king.” 18Then he said, “Why is it that my lord pursues his servant, because what have I done, and what wrong is to my charge? 19So now, let my lord the king hear the words of his servant. If the Lord has stirred you up against me, let him smell an offering. But if the incitement is from the sons of men, they are accursed before the Lord, for they drove me out today from joining the Lord's inheritance, and they said, ‘Go and serve other gods.’ 20So now, don't let my blood fall to the ground in the presence of the Lord, for the king of Israel came out to seek a single flea, like one chasing a partridge in the mountains.” 21Then Saul said, “I have sinned. Return, my son David, for I will not harm you any more, because my life was valued in your sight this day. Look, I have acted foolishly, and I have erred very greatly.” 22Then David answered and said, “Here is the spear, O king. Now let one of the lads come across and fetch it. 23And the Lord will render to each his righteousness and his faithfulness, in that the Lord delivered you into my hand today, but I was not willing to lay my hand on the Lord's anointed. 24And look, just as your life was valued in my sight this day, so may my life be valued in the Lord's sight, and may he deliver me from all adversity.” 25Then Saul said to David, “Blessed are you, my son David. You will both accomplish much and prevail strongly.” Then David went his way, and Saul returned to his place.

1 Samuel Chapter 27 

1And David said in his heart, “One of these days I will be eliminated by Saul. There is nothing better for me than to cleanly escape to the land of the Philistines, then Saul will desist from searching for me any more in every territory of Israel, and I will escape from his clutches.” 2So David arose, and he crossed over, as did the six hundred men who were with him, to Achish the son of Maoch, the king of Gath. 3And David resided with Achish in Gath, he and his men, each with his household, David and his two wives, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess and Abigail the former wife of Nabal, the Carmelitess. 4And it was reported to Saul that David had fled to Gath, and he did not search for him any more. 5And David said to Achish, “Would you, if I have found grace in your eyes, let me be given a place in one of the country towns, and I will stay there, for why should your servant stay in the royal city with you?” 6And Achish gave him Ziklag on that day, which is why Ziklag belongs to the kings of Judah as it is up to this day. 7And the number of days that David stayed in the country of the Philistines was for a year and four months. 8Then David and his men went up and invaded the Geshurites and the Gizrites, and the Amalekites, for they from ancient times had been the inhabitants of the land as you go to Shur as far as the land of Egypt. 9And David attacked the land, and he did not leave a man or a woman alive, and he took sheep and oxen and donkeys and camels and clothes, then he returned and went to Achish. 10And Achish said, “Whom did you raid today?” And David said, “The south of Judah and the south of the Jerahmeelites, and the south of the Kenites.” 11And David did not leave a man or a woman alive to bring a report to Gath, and he said, “It is in order that they do not report on us and say, ‘This is what David did, and this has been his custom all the days that he has been living in the countryside of the Philistines.’ ” 12And Achish believed David, and he said, “He has acted utterly odiously with his own people – with Israel – and he will become my servant perpetually.”

1 Samuel Chapter 28 

1And it came to pass in those days that the Philistines assembled their battalions for battle, to fight against Israel, and Achish said to David, “You will be well aware that you will be going out with me in the battalion, you and your men.” 2And David said to Achish, “Yes, for you are aware of what your servant will do.” And Achish said to David, “That is why I will make you my bodyguard permanently.” 3Now Samuel was dead, and the whole of Israel mourned for him, and they buried him in Ramah – so in his own city. Now Saul had removed the necromancers and the wizards from the land. 4And the Philistines assembled and came and encamped at Shunem, while Saul assembled the whole of Israel, and they encamped at Gilboa. 5And Saul saw the Philistines' camp, and he became afraid and his heart trembled a lot. 6So Saul inquired of the Lord, but the Lord did not answer him, either in dreams, or by the Urim, or by the prophets. 7And Saul said to his servants, “Find me a woman necromancer, and I will go to her, and I will inquire of her.” Then his servants said to him, “There is a woman necromancer in En-Dor.” 8So Saul disguised himself, and he put other clothes on, and he set off – he and two men with him – and they came to the woman by night. And he said, “Divine for me by necromancy, please, and bring up for me him whom I say to you.” 9And the woman said to him, “Look, you know what Saul did when he cut the necromancers and the wizards off from the land, so why are you laying a snare to my life, to have me killed?” 10Then Saul swore to her by the Lord and said, “As the Lord lives, no incrimination will be made against you in this matter.” 11And the woman said, “Whom shall I bring up for you?” And he said, “Bring Samuel up for me.” 12Then when the woman saw Samuel, she shouted in a loud voice, and the woman spoke to Saul and said, “Why have you deceived me, for you are Saul.” 13And the king said to her, “Don't be afraid, but what did you see?” And the woman said to Saul, “I saw gods ascending from the earth.” 14And he said to her, “What was its form?” And she said, “An old man came up, and he was enveloped in a robe.” And Saul knew that it was Samuel, and he bowed face down to the ground and prostrated himself. 15Then Samuel said to Saul, “Why have you stirred me up to make me come up?” And Saul said, “I am very much in a strait, for the Philistines are fighting me, and God has departed from me, and he no longer answers me, either by the intermediacy of the prophets or in dreams, so I called you up to inform me about what I should do.” 16Then Samuel said, “But why should you ask me, when the Lord has departed from you, and he has become your enemy? 17And the Lord did for his part as he had said through my intermediacy, and the Lord tore the kingdom from your hand and gave it to your compatriot David. 18As you did not obey the voice of the Lord, and you did not execute the fury of his anger on Amalek, the Lord has done this thing to you this day. 19And the Lord has also delivered Israel with you into the hand of the Philistines, and tomorrow you and your sons will be with me, and the Lord will also deliver Israel's camp into the hand of the Philistines.” 20Then Saul quickly fell down at full length to the ground, and he was very afraid at Samuel's words. Moreover there was no strength in him, for he had not eaten bread all day and all night. 21And the woman came up to Saul, and she saw that he was very alarmed, and she said to him, “Look, your maidservant has obeyed you, and I put my life in my hand, and I heeded your words which you spoke to me. 22So now, please will you comply with your maidservant, and I will place before you a piece of bread, and eat so you have strength when you go on your way.” 23But he refused and said, “I will not eat”, but his servants and also the woman urged him, and he complied with them and got up from the ground and sat on the couch. 24Now the woman had a fatted calf at the house, and she went quickly and sacrificed it, and she took flour and kneaded it and baked it into unleavened bread. 25And she served it to Saul and his servants, and they ate, and they arose then departed on that night.

1 Samuel Chapter 29 

1And the Philistines assembled all their battalions in Aphek while Israel was encamping at the fount which is in Jezreel. 2And the barons of the Philistines crossed over in hundreds and in thousands, and David and his men crossed over at the rear with Achish. 3And the commanders of the Philistines said, “What are these Hebrews doing here?” And Achish said to the commanders of the Philistines, “Is this not David, the servant of Saul king of Israel, who has been with me all these days or all these years, in whom I have not found anything amiss from the day when he arrived up to this day.” 4But the commanders of the Philistines were angry with him, and the commanders of the Philistines said to him, “Send the man back so he returns to his place where you appointed him to be, so he does not go down to battle with us and will not be an adversary of ours in the battle. And on what grounds should this man ingratiate himself to his master? Is he not one of the heads of those men? 5Is this not David, whom they eulogized with dances, saying,

‘Saul struck down his thousands,

But David his tens of thousands.’ ”

6Then Achish called for David, and he said to him, “As the Lord lives, you are surely upright, and it was good in my sight that you should associate with me in the battalion, for I have found no fault in you from the day you came to me up to this day, but you are unwelcome in the sight of the barons. 7So now, return and go in peace, and do not do what is wrong in the sight of the barons of the Philistines.” 8Then David said to Achish, “Well what have I done and what have you found in your servant from the day that I was first in your presence up to this day, that I should not go and fight against the enemies of my lord the king?” 9And Achish answered and said to David, “I know that you are good – in my sight like an angel of God. But the commanders of the Philistines have said, ‘He shall not go up with us into the battle.’ 10So now, get up early in the morning with your lord's servants who came with you, and when you have got up early in the morning, and you have light, depart.” 11So David got up early – he and his men – to depart in the morning, so as to return to the land of the Philistines, and the Philistines went up to Jezreel.

1 Samuel Chapter 30 

1Then it came to pass, as David and his men were going to Ziklag on the third day, that the Amalekites invaded the south and Ziklag, and they attacked Ziklag and burned it with fire. 2And they took the women who were in it captive, both small and great. They did not kill anyone, but they drove them along as they went their way. 3And David and his men came to the city, and what they saw was that it had been burned with fire, and their women and their sons and their daughters had been taken captive. 4And David and the people who were with him raised their voices and wept until they didn't have any strength to weep. 5Now David's two wives had been taken captive, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess and Abigail who had been the wife of Nabal the Carmelite, 6and David was very distressed, for the people intended to stone him, for all the people were inwardly bitter – each man about his son and about his daughters – but David gathered strength through the Lord his God. 7And David said to Abiathar the priest, the son of Ahimelech, “Please bring the ephod up to me”, and Abiathar brought the ephod up to David. 8And David inquired of the Lord and said, “Should I pursue this troop? Will I catch up with them?” And he said to him, “Pursue, for you will certainly catch up with them and certainly bring deliverance.” 9So David and the six hundred men who were with him set out and came to the Besor stream, whereas the rest stayed behind. 10And David was in pursuit, he and four hundred men, whereas two hundred men who had become too exhausted to cross the Besor stream stayed behind. 11And they found an Egyptian man in the field, and they took him to David, and they gave him bread, and he ate, and they gave him water to drink. 12And they gave him a slice of a cake of dried figs and two raisin cakes, and he ate, and his spirit returned to him, for he had not eaten bread and he had not drunk water for three days and three nights. 13And David said to him, “To whom do you belong? And where are you from?” And he said, “I am an Egyptian youth, the servant of an Amalekite man, but my master left me, because I became sick three days ago. 14We raided the south of the Cherethites' territory, and Judah's territory, and the south of Caleb's territory, and we burned Ziklag with fire.” 15And David said to him, “Will you lead me down to this troop?” And he said, “Swear to me by God that you definitely will not kill me, and that you definitely will not deliver me up into the hand of my master, and I will lead you down to this troop.” 16So he led him down, and he saw that there were people scattered over the whole expanse of the land, eating and drinking and celebrating all the great spoil which they had taken from the land of the Philistines and from the land of Judah. 17And David attacked them from dawn to evening the day after, and no-one escaped from them except four hundred young men who rode on camels and fled. 18So David recovered everything that the Amalekites had taken, and David recovered his two wives. 19And no-one whether small or great was missing from them, neither sons nor daughters, nor any spoil, nor anything which they had taken away. David recovered everything. 20And David took all the sheep and oxen. They drove them in front of the other livestock, and they said, “This is David's spoil.” 21Then David went to the two hundred men who had become too exhausted to follow David, whom they had stationed at the Besor stream. And they went out to meet David and to meet the people with him, and David approached the people and asked them how they were. 22And every evil or good-for-nothing man from the men who went with David answered and said, “Since they did not go with me, we will not give them any of the spoil which we have recovered, except for each man's wife and his sons, for them to take away and depart.” 23But David said, “You shall not do this, my brothers, with what the Lord has given us, for he protected us, and he delivered the troop which came against us into our hands. 24And who will heed you in this matter? For the share of him who went down to battle will be as the share of him who stayed with the equipment. They will share it out together.” 25And it came to pass from that day on that he made it a statute and a regulation for Israel, as it is up to this day. 26Then David came to Ziklag, and he sent some of the spoil to the elders of Judah, to his neighbour, and he said, “Here is a gift for you from the spoil of the Lord's enemies.” 27He sent it to those in Beth-El, and to those in Ramoth of the south, and to those in Jattir, 28and to those in Aroer, and to those in Siphmoth, and to those in Eshtemoa, 29and to those in Rachal, and to those in the cities of the Jerahmeelites, and to those in the cities of the Kenites, 30and to those in Hormah, and to those in Bor-Ashan, and to those in Athach, 31and to those in Hebron, and to all the places which David frequented – he and his men.

1 Samuel Chapter 31 

1Then the Philistines fought against Israel, and the men of Israel fled from the Philistines, and they fell as casualties on Mount Gilboa. 2And the Philistines hotly pursued Saul and his sons, and the Philistines struck down Jonathan and Abinadab and Malchi-Shua, Saul's sons. 3And the war went heavily against Saul, and the archers – men of the bow – hit him, and he was severely wounded by the archers. 4And Saul said to his arms-bearer, “Draw your sword and thrust me through with it, so that these uncircumcised men do not come and thrust me through or ill-treat me.” But his arms-bearer was not willing to do so, because he was very afraid. So Saul took his sword and fell on it. 5Then when his arms-bearer saw that Saul had died, he too fell on his sword and died with him. 6So Saul and his three sons died, as did his arms-bearer, and all his men together on that day. 7And when the men of Israel who were on the other side of the valley and on the other side of the Jordan saw that the men of Israel had fled, and that Saul and his sons had died, they left the cities and fled, and the Philistines came and lived in them. 8And it came to pass, on the next day when the Philistines came to strip the fallen, that they found Saul and his three sons lying fallen at Mount Gilboa. 9And they cut his head off and stripped his weaponry, and they sent messengers into the land of the Philistines round about to bring the good news to the house of their idols and to the people. 10And they put his weaponry in the house of images of Astarte, and they fastened his corpse to the wall of Beth-Shan. 11And when the inhabitants of Jabesh-Gilead heard of it – of what the Philistines had done to Saul – 12every valiant man arose and went all night and took down Saul's corpse and his sons' corpses from the wall of Beth-Shan, and they went to Jabesh and burnt them there. 13And they took their bones and buried them under the tamarisk tree in Jabesh. And they fasted for seven days.

2 Samuel  

2 Samuel Chapter 1 

1And it came to pass after Saul's death that David returned from attacking the Amalekites, and David stayed in Ziklag for two days. 2And it came to pass on the third day that there was a man who had come from Saul's camp, whose clothes were torn, and there was soil on his head, and when he came to David, he fell to the ground and prostrated himself. 3And David said to him, “Where have you come from?” And he said to him, “I have escaped from Israel's camp.” 4Then David asked him, “What happened? Do please tell me.” And he said that the people had fled from the battle and that many of the people had fallen and died, and that Saul and Jonathan his son had also died. 5Then David asked the lad who had told him, “How did you come to know that Saul and Jonathan his son died?” 6And the lad who was informing him said, “Completely by chance I was on Mount Gilboa when I saw Saul leaning on his spear, while the chariot fleet and the horsemen were hotly pursuing him. 7And he turned round and saw me, and he called for me, and I said, ‘Here I am.’ 8Then he said to me, ‘Who are you?’ And I said to him, ‘I am an Amalekite.’ 9Then he said to me, ‘Come up to me please and kill me, for a seizure has taken hold of me, although my life is still in me.’ 10So I went up to him and killed him, for I knew that he would not live after his incident, and I took the crown which was on his head and the bangle which was on his arm, and I have brought them to my lord here.” 11Then David took hold of his clothes and tore them, as did all the men who were with him. 12And they mourned and wept and fasted until the evening, for Saul and Jonathan his son, and for the Lord's people, and for the house of Israel, for they had fallen by the sword. 13Then David asked the lad who was informing him, “Where are you from?” And he said, “I am the son of a foreigner, an Amalekite.” 14And David said to him, “How come you did not fear to stretch out your hand to dispatch the Lord's anointed?” 15And David called one of the lads and said, “Come up and strike him.” And he struck him, and he died. 16Then David said to him, “May your blood be on your head, for your mouth testified against you, when you said, ‘I have killed the Lord's anointed.’ ” 17And David lamented with this lamentation over Saul and over Jonathan his son, 18and he gave the order to teach the sons of Judah archery – look, it is written in the Book of the Upright –

19“The gazelle – Israel – lies slain on your heights.

How the mighty have fallen!

20Do not report it in Gath,

Do not proclaim it in the open places of Ashkelon,

Lest the daughters of the Philistines should rejoice,

Lest the daughters of the uncircumcised should exult.

21May there be no dew on the mountains of Gilboa,

And may there be no rain on you,

Nor on the fields for heave-offerings,

For there the shield of heroes was abandoned

– The shield of Saul without the one anointed with oil.

22From the blood of the slain,

From the fat of the heroes,

Jonathan's bow did not shrink,

And Saul's sword did not return empty.

23Saul and Jonathan were loved and were delightful in their lives,

And they did not part in their death.

They were swifter than eagles;

They were stronger than lions.

24O daughters of Israel, weep for Saul,

Who clothed you in scarlet with delights,

Who set ornaments of gold on your clothing.

25How the heroes have fallen in the midst of the battle!

Jonathan was slain on your heights.

26I am distressed about you, my brother Jonathan.

You were very much a source of pleasure to me.

Your love for me was more wondrous

Than the love of women.

27How the heroes have fallen

And the weapons of war have perished!”

2 Samuel Chapter 2 

1Then it came to pass after that, that David inquired of the Lord and asked, “Should I go up into one of the cities of Judah?” And the Lord said to him, “Go up.” Then David said, “Where should I go up to?” And he said, “To Hebron.” 2So David went up there, as did his two wives Ahinoam the Jezreelitess and Abigail who had been the wife of Nabal the Carmelite. 3And David brought up his men who were with him, each one and his household, and they lived in the cities of Hebron. 4And the men of Judah came, and they anointed David as king over the house of Judah. And they gave a report to David, and they said, “It is the men of Jabesh-Gilead who buried Saul.” 5Then David sent messengers to the men of Jabesh-Gilead, and he said to them, “Blessed are you to the Lord, because you did this kind act with your lord, with Saul, when you buried him. 6So now, may the Lord act kindly and in truth with you, and I too will recompense you this good deed, because you did this thing. 7And now, may your hands be strengthened, and may you become valiant men, for your lord, Saul, is dead, and moreover the house of Judah has anointed me as king over them.” 8But Abner the son of Ner, the commander of Saul's army, took Ish-Bosheth, Saul's son, and he brought him across to Mahanaim. 9And they made him king of Gilead, and of the Ashurites and of Jezreel, and of Ephraim and of Benjamin and of all of Israel. 10Ish-Bosheth, Saul's son, was forty years old when he reigned over Israel, and he reigned for two years, but the house of Judah was behind David. 11And the number of days that David was king over the house of Judah in Hebron was seven years and six months. 12And Abner the son of Ner went out, as did the servants of Ish-Bosheth, Saul's son, from Mahanaim to Gibeon. 13And Joab the son of Zeruiah and David's servants went out, and they met them at the pool of Gibeon so that they were all together, and they sat with one group on one side of the pool and one group on the other side of the pool. 14And Abner said to Joab, “Let the lads get up and make sport for us.” And Joab said, “Let them get up.” 15So the twelve in number of Benjamin and Ish-Bosheth, Saul's son, arose and crossed over, as did twelve of David's servants. 16And each took hold of his neighbour's head and thrust his sword into his neighbour's side, and they fell down together, and that place is called Helkath-Hazzurim, which is in Gibeon. 17And the war was very severe on that day, and Abner was defeated, as were the men of Israel, by David's servants. 18And the three sons of Zeruiah were there, Joab and Abishai and Asahel. Now Asahel was swift-footed like one of the gazelles in the field. 19And Asahel pursued Abner, and he did not turn aside to go to the right or to the left in going after Abner. 20Then Abner turned round, and he said, “Is that you, Asahel?” And he said, “I am.” 21And Abner said to him, “Turn aside to your right or to your left, and take hold of one of the lads and take his spoil.” But Asahel was not willing to deviate from going after him. 22And Abner went on to say to Asahel, “Give up coming after me. Why should I strike you to the ground, and how would I face Joab your brother?” 23But he refused to give up, and Abner struck him with a backward-pointing spear in the abdomen, and the spear came out behind him, and he fell there and died on the spot. And it came to pass that everyone who came to the place where Asahel fell and died stood still. 24And Joab and Abishai pursued Abner, and the sun was setting when they came to the hill of Ammah which faces Giah on the way to the Desert of Gibeon. 25And the Benjaminites assembled themselves behind Abner and became one battalion, and they stood on the top of a certain hill. 26And Abner called to Joab and said, “Will the sword devour forever? Do you not know that it will be bitter in the end? So how much longer will you not tell the people to stop going after their brothers?” 27And Joab said, “As God lives, if you had not spoken, then the people would have been led up from this morning onwards, each one pursuing his brother.” 28Then Joab sounded the ramshorn, and all the people stood still, and they didn't pursue Israel any longer, and they didn't continue fighting any longer. 29Then Abner and his men walked through the arid tract all that night, and they crossed the Jordan, and they walked through all of Bithron, and they arrived in Mahanaim. 30And Joab returned from going after Abner, and he assembled all the people. Now nineteen men of David's servants were missing, as was Asahel. 31But David's servants had struck the Benjaminites and Abner's men, and three hundred and sixty men had died. 32And they carried Asahel away and buried him in his father's sepulchre, which is in Bethlehem. And Joab and his men walked all night, then dawn broke on them in Hebron.

2 Samuel Chapter 3 

1And the war between the house of Saul and the house of David was long, but David became stronger and stronger, whereas Saul's house became weaker and weaker. 2And various sons were born to David in Hebron, and his eldest was Amnon, by Ahinoam the Jezreelitess. 3And his second eldest was Chilab, by Abigail the former wife of Nabal the Carmelite. And the third was Absalom the son of Maachah the daughter of Talmai king of Geshur. 4And the fourth was Adonijah the son of Haggith, and the fifth was Shephatiah the son of Abital. 5And the sixth was Ithream, by Eglah David's wife. These were born to David in Hebron. 6Then it came to pass, while the war was going on being between the house of Saul and the house of David, that Abner was becoming stronger in the house of Saul. 7Now Saul had had a concubine, and her name was Rizpah the daughter of Aiah. And Ish-Bosheth said to Abner, “Why have you gone in to my father's concubine?” 8And Abner became very angry about Ish-Bosheth's words, and he said, “Am I a dog's head, who is for Judah? Today I will show kindness to the house of Saul your father, towards his brothers and towards his friends, and I won't deliver you up into the hand of David, although you have charged me with an iniquity against the woman today. 9May God so do to Abner if I am guilty, and may he so add to him, for as the Lord has sworn to David, so I will do for him, 10in transferring the kingdom from the house of Saul and in setting up the throne of David over Israel and over Judah, from Dan's territory up to Beersheba.” 11And he could not answer Abner a word any more, for fear of him. 12And Abner sent messengers to David on his behalf to say, “Whose is the land?” and to say, “Make your covenant with me, and you will see that my hand is with you, to round up the whole of Israel to you.” 13And David said, “Good, I will make a covenant with you, but I will ask one thing of you, namely, ‘You shall not see my face unless and until you bring Michal, Saul's daughter, when you come to see my face.’ ” 14So David sent messengers to Ish-Bosheth, Saul's son, to say, “Give me my wife Michal whom I betrothed to myself for one hundred foreskins of the Philistines.” 15And Ish-Bosheth sent men, and he had her taken from her husband Paltiel the son of Laish. 16And her husband went with her, weeping as he went, following her to Bahurim. But Abner said to him, “Depart; go back.” So he went back. 17And Abner's position was under consideration with the elders of Israel as he had said, “In times past you were requesting David as king over you. 18So now, act, for the Lord has spoken to David and said, ‘By the hand of my servant David I will save my people Israel from the hand of the Philistines and from the hand of all their enemies.’ ” 19And Abner also spoke privately to the tribe of Benjamin, and Abner also went to speak privately to David in Hebron everything that was right in the sight of Israel and in the sight of the whole house of Benjamin. 20So Abner came to David in Hebron, and twenty men were with him, and David held a feast for Abner and for the men who were with him. 21And Abner said to David, “Let me get up and go and gather the whole of Israel to my lord the king, and they will make a covenant with you, and you will reign over everyone your heart desires.” And David let Abner go, and he went in peace. 22Then along came the servants of David and Joab from the troop, and they brought much spoil with them, and Abner was not with David in Hebron, for he had let him go, and he had gone in peace. 23Then when Joab and the whole army which was with him had arrived, they spoke to Joab and said, “Abner the son of Ner came to the king, and he let him go, and he went in peace.” 24Then Joab went to the king and said, “What have you done? Look, Abner came to you. Why is it that you have let him go, and he has simply gone? 25You know Abner the son of Ner – that he came to deceive you and to get to know your comings and goings and to get to know everything you are doing.” 26And Joab left David's company, and he sent messengers after Abner, and they brought him back from the cistern of Sirah, without David knowing. 27So Abner returned to Hebron, and Joab took him aside inside the gate to speak to him quietly, and he struck him there in the abdomen, and he died for the blood of Asahel Joab's brother. 28And afterwards, David heard about it, and he said, “I and my kingdom are age-abidingly innocent before the Lord of the blood of Abner the son of Ner. 29May it fall on Joab's head and on all his father's house, and may there not fail to be one with a pathological discharge, or a leper, or one holding a staff, or falling by the sword, or lacking bread in the house of Joab.” 30So Joab and Abishai his brother killed Abner, because he had killed Asahel their brother in Gibeon in the war. 31And David said to Joab and to all the people who were with him, “Tear your clothes and gird on sackcloth, and mourn for Abner.” And King David walked behind the funeral bier. 32And they buried Abner in Hebron, and the king raised his voice and wept at Abner's grave, and all the people wept. 33So the king lamented over Abner, and he said,

“Did Abner die as a fool dies?

34Your hands were not bound,

And your feet were not fettered.

You fell as one falls before the iniquitous.”

And all the people wept for him again. 35And all the people came to give David bread while it was still day, but David swore and said, “May God so do to me and more besides if I taste bread or anything else before the sun sets.” 36And all the people showed respect, and it was right in their eyes. Everything that the king did was right in the eyes of all the people. 37And all the people and all Israel knew on that day that it was not an initiative from the king to kill Abner the son of Ner. 38And the king said to his servants, “Do you not know that a commander and a great man has fallen on this day in Israel? 39And I am faint today, although anointed king, and these men – the sons of Zeruiah – are too harsh for me. May the Lord requite him who commits wickedness according to his wickedness.”

2 Samuel Chapter 4 

1When Saul's son heard that Abner had died in Hebron, his hands sank, and all Israel was agitated. 2Now Saul's son had two men who were commanders of troops. The name of one was Baanah and the name of the other was Rechab – the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, of the sons of Benjamin, for Beeroth was also reckoned to Benjamin. 3And the Beerothites fled to Gittaim and dwelt there, as they are up to this day. 4And Jonathan, Saul's son, had a son who was lame in his legs. He was five years old when the report of Saul and Jonathan came from Jezreel, and his foster mother took him away and fled, and it came to pass in her haste to flee that he fell and became lame. And his name was Mephibosheth. 5And the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite – Rechab and Baanah – departed, and they arrived as the day was becoming hot, at the house of Ish-Bosheth, and he was lying on a bed at midday. 6And they went into the house as if they were customers for wheat, and they struck him in the abdomen, and Rechab and Baanah his brother escaped. 7For they went into the house while he was lying on his bed in his bedroom, and they struck him and killed him, and they removed his head, and they took his head and departed through the arid tract all night. 8And they brought Ish-Bosheth's head to David in Hebron, and they said to the king, “Here is the head of Ish-Bosheth, the son of Saul your enemy who sought your life, and the Lord avenged my lord the king on this day on Saul and his seed.” 9But David answered Rechab and Baanah his brother, the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, and he said to them, “As the Lord lives, who redeemed my life from all adversity, 10when the one reporting to me said, ‘Look, Saul is dead’ – when he was bringing good news in his eyes – I seized him and killed him in Ziklag, which was me giving him good news. 11How much more is it like that when wicked men have killed a righteous man in his house on his bed? So now, should I not require his blood from yourselves and eradicate you from the land?” 12Then David commanded his servant-lads, and they killed them, and they cut off their hands and feet, and they hanged them over the pool in Hebron, and they took Ish-Bosheth's head and buried it in Abner's sepulchre in Hebron.

2 Samuel Chapter 5 

1And all of the tribes of Israel came to David, in Hebron, and they spoke and said, “Here we are; we are your bone and your flesh. 2Throughout the past when Saul was king over us, it was you who brought Israel out and led it in. And the Lord said to you, ‘You will shepherd my people Israel, and you will be a leader over Israel.’ ” 3And all the elders of Israel came to the king in Hebron, and King David made a covenant with them in Hebron before the Lord, and they anointed David as king over Israel. 4David was thirty years old when he started to reign, and he reigned for forty years. 5In Hebron he reigned over Judah for seven years and six months, and in Jerusalem he reigned for thirty-three years over all Israel and Judah. 6Then the king and his men went to Jerusalem, to the Jebusites, who were inhabiting the land, and they spoke to David and said, “You shall not come here unless you can remove the blind and the lame”, and they said, “David shall not come here.” 7But David captured the stronghold of Zion, which is the City of David. 8And on that day, David said, “Whoever strikes a Jebusite and gets to the waterfall and strikes the lame and the blind – who hate David's existence – ...” For this reason they say, “The blind and the lame shall not enter the house.” 9And David resided in the citadel, and he called it the City of David. And David built around it, from the Millo inwards. 10And David continued to become greater, and the Lord God of hosts was with him. 11And Hiram king of Tyre sent envoys to David, and cedar wood and carpenters and stonemasons, and they built a house for David. 12And David knew that the Lord had established him as king over Israel, and that he had exalted his kingdom for the sake of his people Israel. 13Then David took some more concubines and wives from Jerusalem, after he had arrived there from Hebron, and more sons and daughters were born to David. 14And these are the names of those born to him in Jerusalem: Shammua and Shobab and Nathan and Solomon, 15and Ibhar and Elishua and Nepheg and Japhia, 16and Elishama and Eliada and Eliphelet. 17And when the Philistines heard that they had anointed David as king over Israel, all the Philistines came up to seek David, but David heard about it, and he went down into the citadel. 18And the Philistines came and spread themselves out in the Valley of the Rephaim. 19And David asked the Lord and said, “Should I go up against the Philistines? Will you deliver them into my hand?” And the Lord said to David, “Go up, for I will certainly deliver the Philistines into your hand.” 20So David went to Baal-Perazim, and David struck them there, and he said, “The Lord has dispersed my enemies before me, like an outpouring of water”, which is why he called that place Baal-Perazim. 21And they abandoned their idols there, and David and his men removed them. 22But the Philistines came up yet again, and they spread themselves out in the Valley of the Rephaim. 23And David inquired of the Lord. And he said, “You shall not go up. Surround them at their rear and advance on them from opposite the balsam trees. 24And it will come to pass, when you hear the sound of marching in the crowns of the balsam trees, that you will then act decisively, for then the Lord will go out before you to strike the Philistines' camp.” 25And David did this as the Lord had commanded him, and he struck the Philistines from Geba to the approach to Gezer.

2 Samuel Chapter 6 

1And David again gathered every young man in Israel – thirty thousand of them. 2And David arose and proceeded, with all the people who were with him from Baale-Judah, to bring the ark of God up from there, where a name – the name of the Lord of hosts who resides between cherubim on it – is called on. 3And they loaded the ark of God onto a new wagon, and they removed it from Abinadab's house, which was in Gibeah. Now Uzza and Ahio, Abinadab's sons, were driving the new wagon, 4and they removed it from Abinadab's house which was in Gibeah, travelling with the ark of God, with Ahio walking in front of the ark. 5Now David and the whole house of Israel were playing music before the Lord on all kinds of instruments of cypress wood, and on harps and on lutes and with drums and with sistrums and with cymbals, 6when they came to Nachon's threshing floor, and Uzza stretched out his hand to the ark of God, and he held on to it, because the oxen were destabilizing it. 7At this the Lord's anger was kindled against Uzza, and God struck him down there for his nonchalance, and he died there with the ark of God. 8And it grieved David that the Lord had burst out against Uzza, and he called that place Perez-Uzza, as it is up to this day. 9And David feared the Lord on that day, and he said, “How will the ark of the Lord come to me?” 10And David was not willing to have the ark of the Lord brought to him at the City of David, and David had it diverted to the house of Obed-Edom the Gittite. 11So the ark of the Lord remained in the house of Obed-Edom the Gittite for three months, and the Lord blessed Obed-Edom and all his household. 12And it was reported to King David with the words, “The Lord has blessed the household of Obed-Edom, and everything he has, on account of the ark of God.” So David went and brought the ark of God up from the house of Obed-Edom to the City of David with joy. 13And it came to pass, when the bearers of the ark of the Lord had taken six steps, that he sacrificed an ox and a fatted calf. 14And David leapt with all his might before the Lord, and David was girded with an ephod of fine linen. 15So David and the whole house of Israel brought the ark of the Lord up with shouting and with the sound of the ramshorn. 16And as the ark of the Lord was arriving in the City of David, Michal, Saul's daughter, was peering out of the window, and she saw King David leaping and bounding before the Lord, and she despised him in her heart. 17And they brought the ark of the Lord, and they put it in its place inside the tent which David had pitched for it, and David offered burnt offerings and peace-offerings before the Lord. 18And when David had finished offering the burnt offering and the peace-offerings, he blessed the people in the name of the Lord of hosts. 19And he distributed to all the people and the whole multitude of Israel, to both men and women – to each one – a loaf of bread and a portion of roast beef and raisin cake. Then all the people went home. 20Then when David returned to bless his household, Michal, Saul's daughter, came out to meet David, and she said, “How dignified the king of Israel was today, who exposed himself today in the sight of the maidservants of his menservants, like an empty-headed person deliberately exposing himself.” 21And David said to Michal, “I did it before the Lord, who chose me rather than your father and rather than all his house in appointing me a leader over the people of the Lord – over Israel – and I will play before the Lord. 22And I will be more contemptible than this, and I will be lowly in my own eyes, but with the maidservants with whom you spoke I shall be honoured.” 23And Michal, Saul's daughter, did not have a child up to the day of her death.

2 Samuel Chapter 7 

1And it came to pass when the king was sitting in his house, and the Lord had given him rest on all sides from all his enemies, 2that the king said to Nathan the prophet, “See now, I am sitting in a house of cedars, but the ark of God is residing behind a sheet.” 3And Nathan said to the king, “Whatever is in your heart, go and do, for the Lord is with you.” 4And it came to pass on that night that the word of the Lord came to Nathan and said, 5“Go and say to my servant David, ‘This is what the Lord says: «Will you build me a house for me to dwell in? 6For I have not dwelt in a house from the day when I brought the sons of Israel up out of Egypt, up to this day, and I have been going about in a tent and in a tabernacle. 7Everywhere where I have gone about among all the sons of Israel, have I spoken a word with the one of the tribes of Israel which I commanded to shepherd my people Israel, saying, ‹Why have you not built me a house of cedar?›?» ’ 8So now, this is what you will say to my servant, to David: ‘This is what the Lord of hosts says: «I took you out of the pasture, from looking after the sheep, to be a leader over my people, over Israel. 9And I was with you everywhere you went, and I cut off all your enemies at your advance, and I made your name great, like the name of the great men who are on the earth. 10And I will appoint a place for my people – for Israel – and I will plant them there, and they will dwell right there, and they will no longer shudder, and the unrighteous will no longer afflict them as at first. 11And ever since the day when I appointed judges over my people Israel, I have given you rest from all your enemies. And the Lord has told you that the Lord will make a house for you. 12When your days are fulfilled, and you lie with your fathers, I will raise up your seed after you, who will come from your loins, and I will establish his kingdom. 13He will build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom age-abidingly. 14I will be a father to him, and he will be a son to me. When he acts iniquitously, I will chasten him with the rod of men and with the beatings of the sons of Adam. 15But my kindness will not depart from him, as when I withdrew it from Saul, whom I removed from you. 16And your house and your kingdom will be immutable age-abidingly before you. Your throne will be confirmed age-abidingly.» ’ ” 17According to all these words, and according to all of this vision, so Nathan spoke to David. 18Then King David came and sat before the Lord and said, “Who am I, my Lord the Lord, and who constitutes my house, that you should have brought me here? 19And was this just a small matter in your sight, my Lord the Lord? And moreover you spoke to the house of your servant from afar, and is this man's right, my Lord the Lord? 20And what more can David say to you? For you know your servant, my Lord the Lord. 21It was for the sake of your word and according to your heart that you performed all this great thing, in making it known to your servant, 22which is why you are great, my Lord the Lord, for there is none like you, and there is no God except for you in anything which we have heard with our ears. 23And who is like your people, like Israel, one nation on the earth, which God proceeded to redeem to himself as a people, and to establish a name for himself, and to perform for you a great deed and awesome things, for your land, on account of your people whom you redeemed to yourself from Egypt – the nations and their gods? 24And you have established your people for yourself, Israel as your people age-abidingly. And you, O Lord, have become their God. 25So now, O Lord God, establish the word which you spoke concerning your servant and concerning his household age-abidingly, and act as you have spoken. 26And may your name be magnified age-abidingly, by people saying, ‘O Lord of hosts, God over Israel’, and may the house of your servant David be established before you. 27For you, O Lord of hosts, God of Israel, have informed your servant, saying, ‘I will build you a house’, which is why your servant has found it in his heart to pray this prayer to you. 28So now, my Lord the Lord, you are God and your words will come true, and you have spoken this good thing to your servant. 29So now, be willing to bless the house of your servant, for it to be before you age-abidingly, because you, my Lord the Lord, have spoken, and from your blessing the house of your servant will be blessed age-abidingly.”

Reference(s) in Chapter 7: v.12 ↔ Acts 2:30 ● v.14 ↔ 2 Corinthians 6:18, Hebrews 1:5.

2 Samuel Chapter 8 

1And it came to pass after that, that David attacked the Philistines and subdued them, and David took the metropolis from the Philistines' control. 2And he attacked Moab, and he allotted them in a line, making them lie down on the ground, and he allotted two groups, one to be put to death and one numerous group to be preserved alive. So Moab became David's servants and tribute-bearers. 3And David attacked Hadadezer, the son of Rehob, the king of Zobah, when he went to regain control of the river. 4And David captured from him one thousand seven hundred horsemen and twenty thousand infantrymen. And David hamstrung all the horses of the chariot fleet, but he allowed one hundred of its chariots to remain. 5Then Aramaea of Damascus came to help Hadadezer king of Zobah, but David struck down twenty-two thousand men in Aramaea. 6And David stationed garrisons in Aramaea of Damascus, and Aramaea became David's servants and tribute-bearers. And the Lord sustained David everywhere he went. 7And David took the golden shields which Hadadezer's servants had, and he brought them to Jerusalem. 8And King David took a very great quantity of copper from Betah and from Berothai, Hadadezer's cities. 9And when Toi king of Hamath heard that David had defeated the whole of Hadadezer's army, 10Toi sent Joram his son to King David to ask him for peace and to bless him, because he had fought against Hadadezer and defeated him, for Hadadezer had been a man at war with Toi. And in his hand were items of silver and items of gold and items of copper. 11Them too King David consecrated to the Lord with the silver and the gold which he had consecrated from all the nations which he had conquered, 12from Aramaea, and from Moab, and from the sons of Ammon, and from the Philistines, and from Amalek, and from the booty of Hadadezer the son of Rehob, the king of Zobah. 13And David gained a reputation when he returned from defeating Aramaea in the Valley of Salt – eighteen thousand men. 14And he stationed garrisons in Edom – in the whole of Edom he stationed garrisons – and all of Edom became David's servants. And the Lord sustained David everywhere he went. 15So David reigned over all of Israel, and David would execute judgment and justice to all his people. 16And Joab the son of Zeruiah was in charge of the army, and Jehoshaphat the son of Ahilud was state secretary. 17And Zadok the son of Ahitub and Ahimelech the son of Abiathar were priests, and Seraiah was the scribe. 18And Benaiah the son of Jehoiada and the Cherethites and the Pelethites and the sons of David were priests.

2 Samuel Chapter 9 

1And David said, “Is there still anyone who remains of the house of Saul, so I can show kindness to him on account of Jonathan?” 2Now there was a servant of the house of Saul, and his name was Ziba, and they summoned him to David. And the king asked him, “Are you Ziba?” And he said, “Your servant.” 3And the king said, “Is there no longer a man of the house of Saul, so that I may show the kindness of God to him?” And Ziba said to the king, “There is still Jonathan's son, who is lame in the feet.” 4And the king said to him, “Where is he?” And Ziba said to the king, “Well now, he is in the house of Machir the son of Ammiel in Lo-Debar.” 5And King David sent for him, and he took him from the house of Machir the son of Ammiel, from Lo-Debar. 6So Mephibosheth the son of Jonathan the son of Saul came to David, and he fell face down and prostrated himself. And David said, “Mephibosheth.” And he said, “Here is your servant.” 7And David said to him, “Don't be afraid, for I will certainly show you kindness, on account of Jonathan your father. And I will restore to you all of the field of Saul your father, and you will always eat bread at my table.” 8And Mephibosheth prostrated himself and said, “What is your servant, that you should turn to a dead dog such as me?” 9And the king called for Ziba, Saul's servant-lad, and he said to him, “Everything which was Saul's or of any of his house, I have given to your master's son. 10And you will till the ground for him, you and your sons and your servants, and you will bring the produce in. So your master's son will have bread, and he will eat it, and Mephibosheth your master's son will always eat bread at my table.” Now Ziba had fifteen sons and twenty servants. 11And Ziba said to the king, “Everything that my lord the king commands his servant, your servant will do.” Then David added, “So Mephibosheth will eat at my table like one of the king's sons.” 12And Mephibosheth had a small son whose name was Micah. And the whole household of Ziba were servants to Mephibosheth. 13And Mephibosheth lived in Jerusalem, because he always ate at the king's table. And he was lame in both his feet.

2 Samuel Chapter 10 

1And it came to pass after this, that the king of the sons of Ammon died, and Hanun his son reigned in his place. 2And David said, “I will show kindness to Hanun the son of Nahash in the way his father showed me kindness.” And David sent word to comfort him through his servants about his father. And David's servants arrived in the land of the sons of Ammon. 3But the officials of the sons of Ammon said to Hanun their lord, “Does David honour your father, in your opinion? For he has sent consolers to you. Is it not to investigate the city and to spy on it, and to overthrow it, that David has sent his servants to you?” 4And Hanun seized David's servants, and he shaved off half of their beards, and he cut their garments down the middle as far as their buttocks, and he sent them away. 5Then when David was told, he sent servants to meet them, for the men had been very much put to shame. And the king said, “Stay in Jericho until your beards grow, and then return.” 6Then when the sons of Ammon saw that they had become odious to David, the sons of Ammon contacted and hired the Aramaeans of Beth-Rehob, and the Aramaeans of Zoba – twenty thousand infantry – and one thousand men from King Maachah, and twelve thousand men from Ish-Tob. 7And when David heard of it, he sent Joab and the whole army of warriors. 8And the sons of Ammon came out and drew up in battle order at the gate entrance, and the Aramaeans of Zoba and Rehob, and Ish-Tob and Maachah were in the field by themselves. 9And when Joab saw that there was a battlefront against him, ahead of him and behind, he made a selection from all the young men in Israel, and he drew them up to confront the Aramaeans. 10And he placed the remainder of the people in the hand of Abishai his brother, who drew up to confront the sons of Ammon. 11And he said, “If the Aramaeans are too strong for me, then you will come to my rescue, and if the sons of Ammon are too strong for you, then I will go to rescue you. 12Be strong and let us be strengthened for our people and for the cities of our God, and may the Lord do what is right in his sight.” 13Then Joab and the people who were with him advanced to the battle against the Aramaeans, who fled from his presence. 14Then when the sons of Ammon saw that the Aramaeans had fled, they fled from Abishai, and they went to the city, and Joab returned from the sons of Ammon, and he went to Jerusalem. 15But when the Aramaeans saw that they had been defeated by Israel, they gathered themselves together. 16And Hadadezer sent messengers, and they brought out the Aramaeans who were on the far side of the river. So their forces came, with Shobach the commander of Hadadezer's army at their head. 17And it was reported to David, and he gathered the whole of Israel, and he crossed the Jordan and went to Helam. And the Aramaeans drew up their forces to confront David, and they fought against him. 18And the Aramaeans fled from Israel, and of the Aramaeans David killed seven hundred chariot crew, and forty thousand horsemen, and he struck Shobach the commander of his army, and he died there. 19And when all the kings – servants of Hadadezer – saw that they had been defeated by Israel, they made peace with Israel and served them, and the Aramaeans were afraid of coming to the rescue of the sons of Ammon any more.

2 Samuel Chapter 11 

1And it came to pass in the new year, at the time when the messengers go out, that David sent out Joab and his servants with him and all Israel, and they ravaged the sons of Ammon, and they besieged Rabbah. But David remained in Jerusalem. 2And it came to pass one evening that David arose from his bed and walked around on the roof of the king's house, and from the roof he saw a woman bathing, and the woman was very good-looking. 3And David sent a servant and inquired about the woman. And the servant said, “Is this not Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite?” 4And David sent messengers, and he took her, and she came to him, and he lay with her. Then she purified herself from her uncleanness and returned to her house. 5And the woman conceived, and she sent word, and she told David and said, “I am pregnant.” 6Then David sent word to Joab and said, “Send Uriah the Hittite to me.” So Joab sent Uriah to David. 7And Uriah came to him, and David asked about Joab's welfare and the welfare of the people, and the course of the war. 8And David said to Uriah, “Go down to your house and wash your feet.” So Uriah went out of the king's house, and a meal from the king went out after him. 9But Uriah lay at the entrance to the king's house with all his master's servants, and he did not go down to his house. 10And they reported it to David as follows: “Uriah has not gone down to his house.” Then David said to Uriah, “Have you not come from a journey? Why have you not gone down to your house?” 11And Uriah said to David, “The ark and Israel and Judah remain in booths, and my master Joab and my master's servants are encamped in the open field, so should I go to my house and eat and drink and lie with my wife? Not on your life or on the life of your being will I do this thing.” 12And David said to Uriah, “Stay here to-day as well, and tomorrow I will send you off.” So Uriah stayed in Jerusalem on that day and on the next day. 13Then David called him, and he ate in his presence, and he drank, and he made him drunk, but he went out in the evening to lie on his couch with his master's servants, and he did not go down to his house. 14And it came to pass in the morning that David wrote a letter to Joab, and he sent it by the hand of Uriah. 15And he wrote in the letter as follows: “Place Uriah in the front line of the fiercest battle, and withdraw behind him so that he is struck and dies.” 16And it came to pass, when Joab was keeping watch over the city, that he put Uriah in the place where he knew that the most valiant warriors were. 17And the men of the city came out and fought Joab, and some of the company of David's servants fell, and Uriah the Hittite also died. 18And Joab sent word and reported all the events of the war to David. 19And he commanded the messenger as follows: “When you have finished telling the king all the events of the war, 20and if it should come to pass that the king's anger is aroused, and he says to you, ‘Why did you approach the city to fight? Did you not know that they would shoot from the wall? 21Who struck Abimelech the son of Jerubbesheth? Didn't a woman drop an upper millstone on him from the wall, and did he not die in Thebez? Why did you approach the wall?’ – then you will say, ‘Your servant Uriah the Hittite is also dead.’ ” 22And the messenger departed and arrived and told David everything that Joab had sent him for. 23And the messenger said to David, “The men prevailed over us and came out against us in the field when we were up against them at the gate entrance. 24And the archers shot at your servant from the wall, and some of the king's servants died, and your servant Uriah the Hittite is also dead.” 25Then David said to the messenger, “This is what you will say to Joab: ‘Don't let this matter be hurtful in your eyes, for the sword consumes this way and that way. Intensify your battle against the city and demolish it.’ And bid him strength.” 26And Uriah's wife heard that Uriah her husband had died, and she lamented for her husband. 27And when the period of mourning had passed, David sent for her, and he added her to his household, and she became his wife, and she bore him a son. But the thing that David had done was evil in the Lord's sight.

2 Samuel Chapter 12 

1Then the Lord sent Nathan to David, and he came to him, and he said to him, “There were two men in a certain city, one rich and one poor. 2The rich man had very many sheep and cattle, 3but the poor man didn't have anything except one small lamb which he had bought and reared, and it grew up together with him and with his sons. It ate from his plate and drank from his cup, and it lay in his bosom, and it became like a daughter to him. 4And a traveller came to the rich man, but he spared taking anything from his own flock and herd, and preparing it for the guest who had come to him, and he took the poor man's lamb and prepared it for the man who had come to him.” 5And David's anger was greatly kindled against the man, and he said to Nathan, “As the Lord lives, the man who did this is deserving of death. 6And he will repay the lamb fourfold, since he did this thing and because he did not show pity.” 7Then Nathan said to David, “You are the man. This is what the Lord God of Israel says: ‘I anointed you king over Israel, and I delivered you from Saul's hand. 8And I gave your lord's house and your lord's wives into your bosom, and I gave you the house of Israel and Judah. And if you had little of anything, I increased it for you left, right and centre. 9Why have you despised the word of the Lord in doing evil in his sight? You have struck Uriah the Hittite down with the sword, and you have taken his wife to be your wife. And you killed him by the sword of the sons of Ammon. 10So now, the sword will not depart from your house age-abidingly, because you have despised me and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife.’ 11This is what the Lord says: ‘I am about to stir up evil against you from your own house, and I will take your wives before your eyes, and I will give them to your neighbour, and he will lie with your wives in the sight of this sun. 12For you acted in secret, but I will do this thing in the presence of all Israel and in the presence of the sun.’ ” 13Then David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the Lord.” And Nathan said to David, “However, the Lord has transferred your sin; you will not die for it, 14except that because you have thoroughly mocked the Lord in this matter, the son born to you will certainly die.” 15Then Nathan went to his house, and the Lord struck the child whom Uriah's wife had borne to David, and he became ill. 16And David pleaded with God about the boy, and David fasted, then he went indoors and spent the night lying on the ground. 17And the elders of his house got up and went to him to lift him up from the ground, but he was not willing, and he did not eat bread with them. 18Then it came to pass on the seventh day that the child died, but David's servants were afraid to tell him that the child had died, because they said, “Look, when the child was alive, we spoke to him, but he did not heed us, so how can we say to him, ‘The child has died’? He would then do something wrong.” 19But David saw that his servants were whispering to each other, and David realized that the child had died, and David asked his servants, “Has the child died?” And they said, “He has died.” 20Then David arose from the ground and washed and anointed himself, and he changed his robe, and he went to the house of the Lord and worshipped. Then he went to his house and asked for bread, and they served it to him, and he ate. 21And his servants said to him, “What is this thing that you have done? While the child was alive, you fasted and wept, but when the child died, you got up and ate bread.” 22And he said, “When the child was still alive, I fasted and wept, for I said, ‘Who knows whether the Lord will have compassion on me, and the child will live?’ 23But 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.” 24And David comforted Bathsheba his wife, and he went to her and lay with her, and she bore a son, and he called him Solomon. And the Lord loved him. 25And David sent word through the intermediacy of Nathan the prophet, and he called him Jedidiah, because of the Lord. 26And Joab fought in Rabbah of the sons of Ammon, and he captured the royal city. 27And Joab sent messengers to David, and he said, “I have fought in Rabbah, and moreover I have captured the City of Water. 28So now, gather the rest of the people and encamp against the city and capture it, so that it is not me who captures the city and it becomes called after my name.” 29And David gathered all the people, and he went to Rabbah, and he fought against it, and he captured it. 30And he took their king's crown from his head, and its weight was a talent of gold with a precious gemstone, and it was placed on David's head. He also brought out a great deal of the city's spoil, 31and he brought out the people who were in it, and he assigned them to work with the saw, and with iron threshing boards and with iron axes, and he moved them to a brickworks. And he did likewise to all the cities of the sons of Ammon. Then David and all the people returned to Jerusalem.

2 Samuel Chapter 13 

1And it came to pass after that, that Absalom, David's son, had a beautiful sister, whose name was Tamar, and Amnon, David's son, loved her. 2And Amnon was stressed to the point of making himself ill on account of Tamar his sister, for she was a virgin, but it seemed difficult in Amnon's sight to do anything with her. 3But Amnon had a friend whose name was Jonadab the son of Shimah, David's brother, and Jonadab was a very clever man. 4And he said to him, “Why are you so dejected, O son of the king, every morning? Will you not tell me?” And Amnon said to him, “I love Tamar, my brother Absalom's sister.” 5Then Jehonadab said to him, “Lie on your bed and pretend to be ill, and when your father comes to see you, say to him, ‘Could Tamar my sister come and give me bread to eat and prepare the food in my sight, so that I may see it and eat from her hand.’ ” 6So Amnon lay down and pretended to be ill, and the king came to see him, and Amnon said to the king, “Could Tamar my sister come in and make two pancakes before my eyes, and I will eat from her hand.” 7So David sent servants to Tamar's home who said, “Please go to the home of Amnon your brother and make him a meal.” 8So Tamar went to the home of Amnon her brother, and he was laid up, and she took the dough and kneaded it, and she made pancakes in his presence and cooked the pancakes. 9And she took the frying pan, and she poured them out in his presence, but he refused to eat, and Amnon said, “Send every man away from me.” So every man went out away from him. 10Then Amnon said to Tamar, “Bring the food into the room, and I will eat from your hand.” So Tamar took the pancakes which she had made and brought them to Amnon her brother in the room. 11But when she served them for him to eat, he took hold of her and said to her, “Come and lie with me, my sister.” 12But she said to him, “No, my brother, do not violate me, for such a thing is not done in Israel. Do not do this dishonourable thing. 13For where would I rid myself of my shame? And you would be like one of the dishonoured in Israel. So now, please, speak to the king, for he will not hold me back from you.” 14But he would not heed her, and he was stronger than her, and he violated her and lay with her. 15Then Amnon hated her with a very great hatred, for his hatred with which he hated her was greater than the love with which he had loved her, and Amnon said to her, “Get up and go.” 16And she said to him, “There is no reason to do this wicked thing, in sending me away, which is greater than the other thing which you did to me.” But he would not listen to her. 17And he called for his servant-lad, who served him, and he said, “Send this woman away from me, outside, and bolt the door after her.” 18Now she was wearing a long striped tunic, for that was the kind of robe which the king's virgin daughters wore. And his servant took her outside and bolted the door after her. 19And Tamar took ash and put it on her head, and she tore the long striped tunic which she was wearing, and she put her hand on her head, and she went around wailing. 20And Absalom her brother asked her, “Has Aminon your brother been with you? Well now, my sister, keep quiet about it; he is your brother. Do not take this matter to heart.” But Tamar remained devastated in the house of Absalom her brother. 21And King David heard all these things, and it greatly infuriated him. 22And Absalom did not speak with Amnon on bad or good terms, because Absalom hated Amnon, because of the fact that he had violated Tamar his sister. 23Then it came to pass after two full years, when they were shearing for Absalom in Baal-Hazor, which is Ephraim's, that Absalom invited all the king's sons round. 24And Absalom went to the king and said, “Look now, they are shearing for your servant. Please let the king and his servants come along with your servant.” 25But the king said to Absalom, “No, my son, let's not all go, so that we are not burdensome to you.” Then Absalom pressed him. However, the king was not willing to go, but he blessed him. 26And Absalom said, “Not you then. But do let Amnon my brother go with us.” But the king said to him, “Why should he go with you?” 27But Absalom pressed him, and he let Amnon go with him, and all the king's sons. 28And Absalom commanded his servant-lads and said, “Now watch for when Amnon is light-hearted with wine, and when I say to you, ‘Strike Amnon’, you will kill him. Do not be afraid; have I not commanded you? Be strong and be bold.” 29And Absalom's servant-lads did to Amnon as Absalom had commanded. Then all the king's sons arose, and each rode on his mule, and they fled. 30And it came to pass, while they were on the road, that the rumour came to David as follows: “Absalom has struck down all the king's sons, and not one of them remains.” 31And the king arose and tore his clothes and lay on the ground, and all his servants stood with torn clothes. 32But Jonadab, the son of Shimah David's brother, reacted and said, “Don't let my lord say that they have killed all the lads who are the king's sons, for only Amnon is dead, for this was plotted by Absalom from the day when Amnon violated Tamar his sister. 33So now, don't let my lord the king take anything to heart, saying, ‘All the king's sons have died’, for only Amnon is dead.” 34And Absalom fled, and the young lad who kept watch lifted up his eyes and saw that there was a large number of people following him on the road at the side of the mountain. 35And Jonadab said to the king, “Look, the king's sons have come. It is according to your servant's word.” 36And it came to pass, when he had finished speaking, that indeed the king's sons came, and they raised their voices and wept, and the king and all his servants also wept very profusely. 37And Absalom fled and went to Talmai the son of Ammihud king of Geshur. And David mourned for his son every day. 38So Absalom fled and went to Geshur, and he was there for three years. 39And David the king's whole being resolved to go out to Absalom, because he had been consoled about Amnon, for he was dead.

2 Samuel Chapter 14 

1And Joab the son of Zeruiah became aware that the king's heart was against Absalom. 2And Joab sent messengers to Tekoa, and he brought a wise woman from there, and he said to her, “Pretend to mourn, would you, and dress in mourning clothes, and do not anoint yourself with oil, so that you are like a woman who has been mourning for one deceased for many days now. 3And go to the king and speak to him with these words ...” And Joab put the words in her mouth. 4And the Tekoan woman spoke to the king, and she fell face down to the ground, and she prostrated herself, and she said, “O king, help.” 5And the king said to her, “What is the matter?” And she said, “I am truly a widow and my husband has died. 6And your maidservant had two sons, and the two of them argued in the field, and there was no-one to separate them, and one struck the other and killed him. 7And look what happened: the whole family rose up against your maidservant and said, ‘Give us the one who struck his brother down, so we can put him to death for the life of his brother whom he killed, and we will also destroy the heir.’ And so they would extinguish the burning coal which remains to me, so not establishing a name or a remnant to my husband on the face of the earth.” 8Then the king said to the woman, “Go to your house, and I will issue commands concerning you.” 9Then the Tekoan woman said to the king, “O my lord the king, let the iniquity be on me and my father's house, and let the king and his throne be guiltless.” 10And the king said, “If anyone speaks to you, then have him brought to me, and he shall no longer unsettle you.” 11And she said, “Do let the king remember the Lord your God by not giving free rein to the avenger of blood to destroy, so that they do not destroy my son.” And he said, “As the Lord lives, not a hair of your son will fall to the ground.” 12And the woman said, “Do let your maidservant speak a word to my lord the king.” And he said, “Speak.” 13And the woman said, “Now why did you scheme like this against the people of God, and with the king not speaking on this matter he is guilty, in that the king has not brought his banished son back. 14For we will certainly die, and we are like water being poured onto the ground, which cannot be gathered up, and God is not partial, but he designs ways by which he who is banished is not banished from him. 15But now that I have come to speak these words to my lord the king – for the people frighten me – your maidservant said to herself, ‘Let me then speak to the king; perhaps the king will act on the case of his maidservant. 16For the king will hear me, so delivering his maidservant from the hand of the man intent on eliminating me and my son together from an inheritance from God.’ 17Then your maidservant said, ‘Let the words of my lord the king be settled, for my lord the king is like an angel of God in assessing good and evil.’ And may the Lord your God be with you.” 18Then the king answered and said to the woman, “Please do not conceal anything from me which I am asking you about.” And the woman said, “Let my lord the king speak.” 19And the king said, “Is Joab's hand with you in all this?” And the woman answered and said, “By your own life, my lord the king, no-one can possibly deviate to the right or to the left from anything that my lord the king has said, for your servant Joab did command me, and he put all these words in the mouth of your maidservant. 20Your servant Joab did this thing so as to raise the issue in a roundabout way, and my lord is wise as if with the wisdom of an angel of God in knowing everything on earth.” 21Then the king said to Joab, “Here you are, I have settled this matter, so go and bring the lad, Absalom, back.” 22At this Joab fell face down to the ground and prostrated himself, and he blessed the king, and Joab said, “Today your servant knows that I have found favour in your sight, O my lord the king, in that the king has acted on the concern of his servant.” 23Then Joab arose and went to Geshur and brought Absalom to Jerusalem. 24And the king said, “Let him wend his way to his house, but don't let him see my face.” So Absalom wended his way to his house, but he did not see the king's face. 25Now in all Israel there wasn't a man so highly celebrated for his good looks as Absalom – there was no blemish on him from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head, 26and when he shaved his head – and it was at the end of each year that he would shave it, for it was heavy on him, so he shaved it – he weighed the hair of his head: two hundred shekels according to the king's weight. 27And three sons were born to Absalom, and one daughter whose name was Tamar. She was a woman of beautiful appearance. 28And Absalom resided in Jerusalem for two full years, and he did not see the king's face. 29And Absalom contacted Joab in order that he might send Joab to the king, but he was not willing to come to him. So he contacted him again – a second time – but he was not willing to come. 30So he said to his servants, “Look, there is an estate of Joab's next to mine, where he has barley. Go and set it on fire.” So Absalom's servants set the estate on fire. 31At this Joab arose and went to Absalom at his house, and he said to him, “Why have your servants set my estate on fire?” 32And Absalom said to Joab, “Look, I contacted you and said, ‘Come here and let me send you to the king with the words, «Why have I come from Geshur? It would have been better for me to still be there.» ’ So now, let me see the king's face, and if there is any iniquity in me, let him put me to death.” 33Then Joab went to the king and told him this. Then the king called for Absalom, and he came to the king, and he prostrated himself to him face down to the ground before the king. And the king kissed Absalom.

2 Samuel Chapter 15 

1And it came to pass after that, that Absalom acquired chariots and horses and fifty men who ran before him. 2And Absalom rose early and stood at the side of the road at the gate. And whenever any man who had a dispute was about to go to the king for a verdict, Absalom would call to him and ask, “From which city are you?” And he would reply, “Your servant is from one of the tribes of Israel.” 3And Absalom would say to him, “Look, your contentions are right and proper, but you do not have anyone from the king to hear you.” 4And Absalom would say, “If only I were appointed a judge in the land! Then everyone who has a dispute or a lawsuit would come to me, and I would do him justice.” 5And it would come to pass, when a man approached to prostrate himself to him, that he would stretch out his hand and take hold of him and kiss him. 6And Absalom acted in this way towards all of Israel that came to the king for judgment, and Absalom stole the heart of the men of Israel. 7And it came to pass after forty years that Absalom said to the king, “Please let me go to pay my vow in Hebron which I made to the Lord. 8For your servant made a vow when I lived in Geshur in Aramaea and said, ‘If the Lord decidedly brings me back to Jerusalem, then I will serve the Lord.’ ” 9And the king said to him, “Go in peace.” So he arose and went to Hebron. 10Then Absalom sent spies among all the tribes of Israel and said, “When you hear the sound of the ramshorn, you will say, ‘Absalom reigns in Hebron.’ ” 11And with Absalom went two hundred men from Jerusalem, who were called up, but who went in their naivety, and who didn't know anything. 12And Absalom sent Ahithophel the Gilonite, an adviser to David, from his city – from Giloh – while he offered sacrifices. And the conspiracy was powerful, and the people who were with Absalom became more and more numerous. 13Then an informant came to David and said, “The heart of the men of Israel is behind Absalom.” 14At this David said to all his servants who were with him in Jerusalem, “Get up and let us flee, for we won't be left with a survivor in confronting Absalom. Get going quickly or he will quickly catch up with us and bring disaster on us and strike the city with the blade of the sword.” 15And the king's servants said to the king, “Whatever my lord the king chooses to do, here we are as your servants.” 16And the king departed, and all his household went in his footsteps, and the king left the ten concubine ladies to keep the house. 17So the king departed with all the people in his footsteps, and they stopped at a remote house. 18And all his servants crossed over next to him, as did all the Cherethites, and all the Pelethites, and all the Gittites. Six hundred men who had followed in his footsteps from Gath crossed over alongside the king. 19And the king said to Ittai the Gittite, “Why are you too going with us? Go back and stay with the king, for you are a foreigner and an exile from your place. 20You arrived yesterday, so should I cause you to wander around today in going with us? For I am going wherever I may go. Go back and take your brothers back. May kindness and truth be with you.” 21But Ittai answered the king and said, “As the Lord lives and by the life of my lord the king, wherever my lord the king may be – whether in death or in life – there your servant will certainly be.” 22But David said to Ittai, “Go and cross back over.” So Ittai the Gittite crossed back over, with all his men and all the children who were with him. 23And the whole land wept with a loud voice, and all the people crossed over, and the king crossed over at the Kidron Brook, and all the people crossed over along the road through the desert. 24And there were also Zadok and all the Levites with him, carrying the ark of the covenant of God, and they put the ark of God down, and Abiathar offered burnt offerings, until all the people from the city had finished crossing over. 25And the king said to Zadok, “Take the ark of God back to the city. If I find grace in the Lord's eyes, he will bring me back and show me it and his dwelling place. 26But if he says this: ‘I do not take pleasure in you’, then here I am; let him do to me whatever is right in his sight.” 27And the king said to Zadok the priest, “Are you a seer? Go back to the city in peace with Ahimaaz your son and Jonathan Abiathar's son – your two sons with you. 28Look, I will wait at the crossings in the desert until word comes from you to inform me.” 29So Zadok and Abiathar brought the ark of God back to Jerusalem, and they stayed there. 30And David went up by the ascent of the Olives, weeping as he went up, with his head covered, and he went barefoot. And of all the people who were with him, each one covered his head, and they went up weeping as they did so. 31Then David received a report which said, “Ahithophel is among the conspirators with Absalom.” And David said, “O Lord, please frustrate Ahithophel's plan.” 32Then when David was going to the summit where he worshipped God, it so happened that Hushai the Archite came towards him with his tunic torn and soil on his head. 33And David said to him, “If you come over with me, you will be a burden to me. 34But if you go back to the city and say to Absalom, ‘O king, I will be your servant; I was your father's servant, and as I was then, so now I am your servant’, then you will frustrate Ahithophel's plan for me. 35For will not Zadok and Abiathar the priests be there with you? And it will come to pass that you will tell Zadok and Abiathar the priests everything you hear from the king's house. 36Moreover their two sons are there with them – Ahimaaz Zadok's and Jonathan Abiathar's – and you will send word to me through their intermediacy of everything you hear.” 37So Hushai David's friend went to the city, and Absalom arrived in Jerusalem.

2 Samuel Chapter 16 

1Then when David had moved on a little from the summit, he saw Ziba, Mephibosheth's servant-lad coming towards him, and a pair of donkeys pack-saddled with two hundred loaves of bread on them and one hundred cakes of raisins and one hundred summer fruits and a skin-bottle of wine. 2And the king said to Ziba, “What are these things of yours?” And Ziba said, “The donkeys are for the king's household to ride on, and the bread, and the summer fruits are for the lads to eat, and the wine is for anyone weary in the desert to drink.” 3Then the king said, “And where is your master's son?” And Ziba said to the king, “Well now, he is staying in Jerusalem, for he said, ‘Today the house of Israel will restore my father's kingdom to me.’ ” 4And the king said to Ziba, “Look, everything which was Mephibosheth's is yours.” And Ziba said, “I am humbled in that I find grace in your sight, my lord the king.” 5Then when King David was approaching Bahurim, he saw a man of the family of the house of Saul coming out from there, whose name was Shimei the son of Gera, cursing incessantly as he came out. 6And he threw stones at David and all King David's servants, and at all the people, and at all the warriors, to the right and to the left. 7And this is what Shimei said in his cursing: “Come out, come out, you man of blood and useless man. 8The Lord has requited you all the blood of the house of Saul in whose place you have reigned, but the Lord has put the kingdom in the house of Absalom your son, and here you are in your plight, because you are a man of blood.” 9At this Abishai the son of Zeruiah said to the king, “Why should this dead dog curse my lord the king? Please let me go over and remove his head.” 10But the king said, “What does it matter to me and to you, you sons of Zeruiah, if he curses and if the Lord has said to him, ‘Curse David’? So who can say, ‘Why have you done this?’?” 11And David said to Abishai and to all his servants, “Look, my son who came out of my inward parts is seeking my life. So now, how much more may this Benjaminite? Leave him to curse, for so the Lord has said to him. 12It may be that the Lord will look with his eye, and that the Lord will render me good for that man's cursing this day.” 13And David and his men went on their way, while Shimei went on the mountain flank opposite him, cursing as he went and throwing stones at him, and throwing soil. 14And the king and all the people who were with him arrived tired, and he refreshed himself there. 15And Absalom and all the people – men of Israel – arrived in Jerusalem, and Ahithophel was with him. 16And it came to pass when Hushai the Archite, David's friend, went to Absalom, that Hushai said to Absalom, “May the king live, may the king live.” 17And Absalom said to Hushai, “That is your gracious courtesy with your friend. Why have you not gone with your friend?” 18And Hushai said to Absalom, “No, for my loyalty is to whomever the Lord chooses, and this people, and every man of Israel. I will be for him, and I will stay with him. 19And secondly, whom should I serve? Should it not be in the presence of his son? As I have served in the presence of your father, so I will be in your presence.” 20Then Absalom said to Ahithophel, “Give your advice as to what we should do.” 21And Ahithophel said to Absalom, “Go in to your father's concubines whom he has left to keep the house, and all Israel will hear that you have become abhorrent to your father, and the hands of all those who are with you will be strengthened.” 22Then they pitched a tent for Absalom on the roof, and Absalom went in to his father's concubines in the sight of the whole of Israel. 23And Ahithophel's advice which he gave in those days was as when a man asks for the word of God. So was all Ahithophel's advice, both to David and to Absalom.

2 Samuel Chapter 17 

1And Ahithophel said to Absalom, “Let me select twelve thousand men, and I will arise and pursue David tonight. 2And I will come upon him when he is tired and weak in the hands, and I will frighten him, and all the people who are with him will flee. But I will strike the king only. 3And I will cause all the people to return to you. The man whose life you seek is key to everyone returning. All the people will be at peace.” 4And the proposal was sound in Absalom's eyes and the eyes of all the elders of Israel. 5Then Absalom said, “Please also call Hushai the Archite, and let us hear what he has to say as well.” 6And when Hushai came to Absalom, Absalom spoke to him and said, “Ahithophel put this proposal forward. Should we carry out his proposal? If not, you speak up.” 7At this, Hushai said to Absalom, “The advice which Ahithophel gave is not good on this occasion.” 8And Hushai said, “You know your father and his men – how valiant they are, and how embittered they are in spirit, like a bear bereaved of young in the wild, and your father is a man of war, and he will not pass the night with the people. 9Look, he is now hidden in one of the pits or in one of the hiding places, and it would come to pass, when some of those among them fell at the start, that one hearing it would say, ‘There was a massacre among the people who were following Absalom.’ 10And even he who is a soldier, whose heart is like the heart of a lion, would utterly melt, for all Israel knows that your father is valiant, as are the soldiers who are with him. 11So I advise that all Israel be solidly gathered around you, from Dan to Beersheba, like the sand which is by the sea in abundance, and that you go to battle in person. 12And we will come upon him in one of the places where he is found, and we will descend on him as the dew falls on the ground, and not even one of all the men who are with him will remain. 13And if he is concentrated in a city, then all Israel will bring ropes against that city, and we will drag it to the brook until not so much as a grain is found there.” 14At this Absalom and every man of Israel said, “The advice of Hushai the Archite is better than the advice of Ahithophel.” So the Lord ordained to frustrate the good advice of Ahithophel in order that the Lord should bring demise on Absalom. 15And Hushai said to Zadok and to Abiathar the priests, “Ahithophel advised Absalom and the elders of Israel such and such, and I myself advised such and such. 16So now, send word quickly for them to tell David and say, ‘Do not spend the night tonight in the arid tracts of the desert, but rather cross right over so that the king and all the people who are with him are not swallowed up.’ ” 17Now Jonathan and Ahimaaz were stationed in En-Rogel, and a servant-girl came and told them, and they proceeded to tell King David, because the others could not be seen going to the city. 18But a lad saw them, and he told Absalom, so the two of them went on quickly and came to the house of a man in Bahurim, who had a well in his courtyard, and they went down into it. 19And the woman took and spread a cover over the top of the well, and she strewed crushed grain over it, and nothing was made known. 20And when Absalom's servants came to the woman at the house, they said, “Where are Ahimaaz and Jonathan?” And the woman said to them, “They have crossed the brook.” Then they searched, but they did not find anyone, and they returned to Jerusalem. 21And it came to pass, after they were gone, that they came up out of the well, and they departed and reported to King David, and they said to David, “Get up and cross the water quickly, for Ahithophel gave advice against you in such and such a way.” 22So David got up, as did all the people with him, and they crossed the Jordan. By morning light not as much as one had failed to cross the Jordan. 23Then when Ahithophel saw that his advice had not been carried out, he saddled his donkey and arose and went to his house – to his city – and gave instructions to his household, and he strangled himself and died, and he was buried in his father's grave. 24Then David went to Mahanaim, and Absalom crossed the Jordan – he and every man of Israel with him. 25And Absalom appointed Amasa in charge of the army as Joab's counterpart. Now Amasa was the son of a man whose name was Ithra, the Israelite who went in to Abigail the daughter of Nahash, the sister of Zeruiah, the mother of Joab. 26And Israel and Absalom encamped in the land of Gilead. 27And it came to pass when David arrived in Mahanaim that Shobi the son of Nahash from Rabbah of the sons of Ammon, and Machir the son of Ammiel from Lo-Debar, and Barzillai the Gileadite from Rogelim, 28all brought bedding and trays and crockery and wheat and barley and flour and roasted corn and beans and lentils and roasted lentils, 29and honey and buttermilk, and sheep, and cows' cheese, to David and the people who were with him, for sustenance, for they had said, “The people are hungry and weary and thirsty in the desert.”

2 Samuel Chapter 18 

1And David took stock of the people who were with him, and he appointed commanders of a thousand and commanders of a hundred over them. 2And David sent out one third of the people under Joab's charge, and one third under the charge of Abishai the son of Zeruiah, Joab's brother, and one third under the charge of Ittai the Gittite. And the king said to the people, “I too will certainly go out with you.” 3But the people said, “You will not go out, for if we have to flee, they will not pay attention to us, and if half of us die, they will not pay attention to us, but you are now like ten thousand of us, and you are better placed now if you are available to us to help from the city.” 4And the king said to them, “I will do whatever is right in your eyes.” And the king stood next to the gate, while all the people went out in hundreds and in thousands. 5And the king ordered Joab and Abishai and Ittai and said, “Deal gently with the young man Absalom for me.” And all the people heard when the king gave orders to all the commanders about Absalom. 6And the people went out into the country to confront Israel, and the battle took place in the forest of Ephraim. 7And the people of Israel were defeated there by David's servants, and there was a great massacre on that day – twenty thousand dead. 8And the battle there was spread out over the face of all the land, and the forest consumed the people in greater numbers than the sword consumed on that day. 9And Absalom happened to be confronted by David's servants, and Absalom was riding on a mule, and the mule went under a thicket of large terebinth trees, and his head became stuck in a terebinth tree, and he was lodged between the sky and the ground, while the mule which was under him passed on. 10And a certain man saw him, and he told Joab, and he said, “Look, I have seen Absalom hanging in a terebinth tree.” 11And Joab said to the man who told him, “Well, if you saw him, then why did you not strike him down on the spot to the ground? And I would have been obliged to give you ten pieces of silver and a girdle.” 12Then the man said to Joab, “Even if I were to feel the weight of one thousand pieces of silver in my hand, I would not stretch out my hand against the king's son, because the king gave commandment, with us hearing, to you and Abishai and Ittai, when he said, ‘Be on your guard – let no-one harm the lad Absalom.’ 13Otherwise, I would have committed a dishonesty against his very self, and nothing can be concealed from the king, and you would have taken a stand against me.” 14Then Joab said, “I can't wait around with you like this”, and he took three spears in his hand, and he drove them into Absalom's heart while he was still alive in the heart of the terebinth tree. 15And the ten youths who bore Joab's equipment surrounded Absalom and struck him and killed him. 16Then Joab sounded the ramshorn, and the people stopped pursuing Israel, for Joab spared the people. 17And they took Absalom and threw him in a large pit in the forest, and they erected a very large pile of stones over him, and all Israel fled, each to his tent. 18For in his life Absalom had taken and erected for himself the pillar which is in the King's Valley, for he said, “I do not have a son to remember my name.” And he called the pillar after his name, and it is called the Memorial of Absalom up to this day. 19Then Ahimaaz the son of Zadok said, “Let me run and bring the good news to the king, for the Lord has done him justice by delivering him from the hand of his enemy.” 20But Joab said to him, “You will not be a bringer of good news today, but you will bring the good news another day. So today you will not bring good news, because the king's son is dead.” 21Then Joab said to Cushi, “Go and tell the king what you have seen.” And Cushi prostrated himself to Joab and ran. 22Then Ahimaaz the son of Zadok spoke again to Joab and said, “However it may be, do let me run as well after Cushi.” And Joab said, “Why should you run, my son, when you will have no good news coming in?” 23He replied, “However it may be, I will certainly run.” And he said to him, “Run.” Then Ahimaaz ran by the route of the adjacent tract, and he overtook Cushi. 24Now David was sitting between the two gates when the look-out went onto the gate roof above the wall, and he lifted up his eyes and looked, and what he saw was a man running on his own. 25And the look-out called out and told the king. And the king said, “If he is on his own, there will be good news in his mouth.” And he came nearer and nearer. 26Then the look-out saw another man running, and the look-out called to the gatekeeper and said, “There is another man running on his own.” And the king said, “He too is bringing good news.” 27Then the look-out said, “I make out the gait of the first one to be the gait of Ahimaaz the son of Zadok.” And the king said, “He is a good man, and he will come with good news.” 28And Ahimaaz called out and said to the king, “Peace”, and he prostrated himself to the king with his face to the ground. And he said, “Blessed be the Lord your God, who has delivered up the men who lifted up their hand against my lord the king.” 29At this the king asked, “Is the lad Absalom all right?” And Ahimaaz said, “When Joab was on the point of sending the king's servant and your servant, I saw a great commotion, but I did not know what it was.” 30Then the king said, “Stand aside here.” So he stood aside. 31And it was then that Cushi came, and Cushi said, “Let my lord the king receive good tidings, for the Lord has done you justice today delivering you from the hand of all those who rose up against you.” 32Then the king said to Cushi, “How is the lad Absalom?” And Cushi said, “May the enemies of my lord the king and all those who rise up against you to do harm, be as the lad is.” 33And the king was upset, and he went up into the attic room of the gate and wept. And this is what he said as he walked around: “My son Absalom, my son, my son Absalom! If only I had died instead of you! Absalom my son, my son.”

2 Samuel Chapter 19 

1And it was reported to Joab as follows: “Look, the king is weeping and mourning for Absalom.” 2So the victory on that day became mourning to all the people, for the people heard what was said on that day: “The king is grieved about his son.” 3And on that day the people were stealthy in coming to the city, as a people who are put to shame are stealthy when they flee in battle. 4And the king covered his face, and the king would cry out in a loud voice, “My son Absalom, Absalom, my son, my son!” 5Then Joab came to the king at home and said, “You have put shame on the faces of all your servants today, who saved your life today, and the lives of your sons and your daughters, and the lives of your wives and the lives of your concubines, 6through love for those who hate you, and by hating those who love you, for you declared today that your commanders and servants mean nothing to you. For I learnt today that if Absalom had lived, and we had all died today, then that would have been all right in your sight. 7So now, arise and go out, and speak encouragingly to your servants, for I swear by the Lord that if you do not go out, not a single man will pass the night in association with you tonight. And that would be worse for you than all the evil which has come on you from your youth up to now.” 8So the king arose and sat at the gate, and they reported it to all the people and said, “Look, the king is sitting at the gate.” And all the people came before the king, but Israel had fled – each man to his tent. 9And all the people were at strife among all the tribes of Israel, saying, “The king saved us from the hand of our enemies, and he delivered us from the hand of the Philistines, but now he has fled from the land away from Absalom. 10But Absalom whom we anointed over us has died in battle, so now, why are you silent about bringing the king back?” 11Then King David sent word to Zadok and Abiathar the priests as follows: “Ask the elders of Judah this, ‘Why are you the last to bring the king back to his house, whereas the talk of all Israel has come to the king – to his house? 12You are my brothers – you are my bone and my flesh, so why are you the last to bring the king back?’ 13And to Amasa you will say, ‘Aren't you my bone and my flesh? May God do this to me and add more if you are not the commander of the army before me all the time instead of Joab.’ ” 14And he turned the heart of every man of Judah unanimously, and they sent word to the king, “Come back, you and all your servants.” 15So the king came back, and when he had come as far as the Jordan, Judah went to Gilgal, to go to meet the king, to conduct the king over the Jordan. 16And Shimei the son of Gera, a Benjaminite, who was from Bahurim, quickly went down with the men of Judah to meet King David. 17And a thousand Benjaminite men were with him, as was Ziba, the servant-lad of Saul's household, and his fifteen sons and his twenty servants with him, and they proceeded across the Jordan before the king. 18And a ferry crossed over to take the king's household across, and to do what was right in his sight. And Shimei the son of Gera fell down before the king when he crossed the Jordan. 19And he said to the king, “My lord, do not impute iniquity to me, and do not recollect how your servant acted iniquitously on the day when my lord the king departed from Jerusalem, with the king taking it to heart. 20For your servant knows that I have sinned, but look, I have been the first to come of the whole house of Joseph, in coming down to meet my lord the king.” 21But Abishai the son of Zeruiah answered and said, “Will Shimei not be put to death for this, for he cursed the Lord's anointed?” 22However, David said, “What concern is it to me or to you, you sons of Zeruiah, that you should be an adversary of mine today? Will any man in Israel be put to death today? For am I not aware that today I am king over Israel?” 23Then the king said to Shimei, “You will not die.” And the king swore it to him. 24Then Mephibosheth, Saul's son, went down to meet the king, not having attended to his feet, and not having attended to his beard, and not having washed his clothes from the day the king departed until the day when he came back in peace. 25And it came to pass, when he went to Jerusalem to meet the king, that the king said to him, “Why did you not go with me, Mephibosheth?” 26And he answered, “My lord the king, my servant dealt treacherously with me. So your servant said, ‘I will saddle the donkey for myself, and I will ride on it, and I will go with the king’, for your servant is lame. 27And he went around slandering your servant to my lord the king. But my lord the king is like an angel of God, so do what is right in your sight. 28For all my father's household was nothing but men deserving death before my lord the king, but you placed your servant among the diners at your table, so what more do I have by way of justification or in crying out any more to the king?” 29Then the king said to him, “Why are you still talking about your affairs? I have said, ‘You and Ziba share the estate.’ ” 30Then Mephibosheth said to the king, “Let him even take it all, now that my lord the king has come to his house in peace.” 31Now Barzillai the Gileadite was one who had gone down from Rogelim and crossed the Jordan with the king, so as to escort him across the Jordan. 32And Barzillai was very old – eighty years old – and he had sustained the king during his stay in Mahanaim, for he was a very great man. 33And the king had said to Barzillai, “You cross over with me, and I will sustain you with me in Jerusalem.” 34But Barzillai said to the king, “How many are the days of the years of my life? For am I to go up with the king to Jerusalem? 35I am eighty years old today. Can I distinguish between what is good and bad? Or can your servant taste what I eat and what I drink? Or can I still hear the sound of men singing and women singing? So why should your servant be any further burden to my lord the king? 36Let your servant cross over the Jordan with the king for a short distance, but why should the king recompense me with this recompense? 37Do let your servant return so that I die in my city with the grave of my father and my mother. And look, here is your servant Chimham. Let him cross over with my lord the king, and do for him what is right in your sight.” 38Then the king said, “Chimham will cross over with me, and I will do what is right in your sight for him, and I will do for you whatever you request of me.” 39So all the people crossed the Jordan, and the king crossed over, and the king kissed Barzillai and blessed him. Then Barzillai returned to his place. 40And the king crossed over to Gilgal, and Chimham crossed over with him, and all the people of Judah conducted the king across, as did half the people of Israel also. 41And it so happened that all the men of Israel came to the king, and they said to the king, “Why have our brothers – the men of Judah – stolen you and conducted the king and his household over the Jordan, and all David's men with him?” 42And every man of Judah would answer the Israelite and say, “The king is closely related to me, so why should this matter anger you? Have we in any way eaten at the king's expense, or has he favoured us in any way?” 43And the Israelite would answer the man of Judah and say, “I constitute ten of the king's limbs, and so I am more associated with David than you are, so why did you despise me? And wasn't it my first concern to bring my king back?” So the words of the man of Judah were harder than the words of the Israelite.

2 Samuel Chapter 20 

1And there happened to be a good-for-nothing man there, whose name was Sheba the son of Bichri, a Benjaminite, and he blew the ramshorn, and he said,

“We have no part in David,

And we have no inheritance in the son of Jesse.

Each man to his tent, O Israel!”

2And every Israelite went up after Sheba the son of Bichri, turning away from David. But each man of Judah clung to his king, from the Jordan to Jerusalem. 3And David arrived at his house in Jerusalem, and the king took the ten concubine women whom he had left to keep the house, and he put them in a guarded house and sustained them, but he did not go in to them, and they were confined until the day of their death, in lifelong widowhood. 4And the king said to Amasa, “Call up the men of Judah for me, within three days, then you present yourself here.” 5So Amasa went to call Judah up, but he took longer than the time that David had appointed him. 6Then David said to Abishai, “Now Sheba the son of Bichri will do us more harm than Absalom. You take your lord's servants and pursue him so that he does not find fortified cities for himself and elude us.” 7So Joab's men and the Cherethites and the Pelethites and all the valiant warriors went out after him, and they departed from Jerusalem to pursue Sheba the son of Bichri. 8They were at the great stone which is in Gibeon, and Amasa went in front of them. And Joab was girded up; his clothing was his livery, and on him was a girdle for a sword, fastened at his waist in its sheath. But as he went forwards, the sword fell out. 9And Joab said to Amasa, “How are you, my brother?” And Joab's right hand took hold of Amasa's beard, so as to kiss him. 10But Amasa did not advert to the sword which was in Joab's hand, and he struck him with it in the abdomen, and he spilt his innards onto the ground. And Joab did not repeat the strike on him, and he died. Then Joab and Abishai his brother pursued Sheba the son of Bichri. 11And one of Joab's servant-lads was standing in his vicinity, and he said, “Whoever is content with Joab and whoever is for David, follow Joab!” 12Then while Amasa was rolling in blood in the middle of the road, the man saw that all the people were stopping, so he moved Amasa from the road to the field, and he threw a garment over him when he saw that everyone coming to him was stopping. 13When he had removed him from the road, every man passed by, following Joab, to pursue Sheba the son of Bichri. 14And he passed through all the tribes of Israel, to Abel and Beth-Maachah, and all the Berites. And they were assembled, and they went after him all the more keenly. 15And when they arrived and besieged Sheba in Abel in Beth-Maachah, they raised up a rampart against the city, and it stood against the fortification, and all the people who were with Joab worked on breaking up the wall to bring it down. 16Then a wise woman called out from the city, “Listen, listen. Please say to Joab, ‘Come up here, and I will speak to you.’ ” 17And he came up to her, and the woman asked, “Are you Joab?” And he said, “I am.” Then she said to him, “Listen to the words of your maidservant.” And he said, “I am listening.” 18And she spoke and said, “They used to have a saying in the past, and they said, ‘They will set store on asking in Abel’, and that is how they concluded the matter. 19I am one of those of Israel who are peaceable and faithful. You are attempting to massacre a city – and a metropolis – in Israel. Why should you swallow up the Lord's inheritance?” 20And Joab answered and said, “Far, far be it from me that I should swallow it up or that I should destroy it. 21The matter is not like that, but a man from Mount Ephraim – Sheba the son of Bichri is his name – has set himself against the king – against David. Hand just him over, and I will depart from the city.” And the woman said to Joab, “Behold, his head is to be thrown over the wall to you.” 22Then the woman went to all the people in her wisdom, and they cut off the head of Sheba the son of Bichri and threw it to Joab. And he sounded the ramshorn, and they dispersed from the city – each to his tent – and Joab returned to Jerusalem, to the king. 23And Joab was in charge of the whole army of Israel, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada was in charge of the Cherethites and of the Pelethites. 24And Adoram was in charge of the taxes, and Jehoshaphat the son of Ahilud was the secretary of state. 25And Sheva was the scribe, and Zadok and Abiathar were the priests. 26And also Ira the Jairite was a priest of David's.

2 Samuel Chapter 21 

1Then there was a famine in David's days for three years, year after year, and David appealed to the Lord. And the Lord said, “It is on account of Saul and on account of the house of blood, because he killed the Gibeonites.” 2So the king called the Gibeonites and spoke to them. Now the Gibeonites were not the sons of Israel, but the remainder of the Amorites, and the sons of Israel had sworn peace to them, but Saul had tried to strike them down in his zeal for the sons of Israel and Judah. 3And David asked the Gibeonites, “What should I do for you, and by what means can I make atonement so that you bless the Lord's inheritance?” 4Then the Gibeonites said to him, “I do not have a demand for silver or gold with Saul or with his house, nor do we have a demand to kill any man in Israel.” And he said, “Whatever you say, I will do for you.” 5And they said to the king, “The man who was exterminating us and who schemed against us, that we should be destroyed, so as not to have a place in any of the territory of Israel – 6let seven men from his sons be given to us, and we will impale them to the Lord in Gibeah of Saul, the Lord's chosen one.” And the king said, “I will give you them.” 7But the king spared Mephibosheth the son of Jonathan the son of Saul, on account of the Lord's oath which was between them – between David and Jonathan the son of Saul. 8So the king took the two sons of Rizpah the daughter of Aiah, whom she bore to Saul, Armoni and Mephibosheth; and the five sons of the sister of Michal, Saul's daughter, whom she bore to Adriel the son of Barzillai the Meholathite. 9And he handed them over to the Gibeonites, and they impaled them on the mountain before the Lord, and the seven of them fell together, and they were put to death in the days of the harvest, at its start, at the beginning of the barley harvest. 10And Rizpah the daughter of Aiah took some sackcloth and spread it out for herself at the rock at the beginning of the harvest, until water from the sky flowed over them, and she did not let the birds of the sky rest on them by day, or the wild animals by night. 11And it was reported to David – what Rizpah the daughter of Aiah, Saul's concubine did. 12And David went to get Saul's bones and the bones of Jonathan his son from the inhabitants of Jabesh-Gilead, who had stolen them from the square of Beth-Shan, where the Philistines had hanged them on the day when the Philistines struck Saul down in Gilboa. 13And he brought Saul's bones up from there, and the bones of Jonathan his son, and they gathered the bones of those who were impaled. 14And they buried the bones of Saul and Jonathan his son in Benjamin's land, in Zela, in the grave of Kish his father. And they did everything that the king commanded. And God was prevailed on for the land after that. 15Then the Philistines had another war with Israel, and David went down, as did his servants with him, and he fought the Philistines, and David became fatigued. 16And Ishbo-Benob, who was among the offspring of Rapha, the weight of whose spear was three hundred copper weights, and who was newly girded up, stated his intention to strike David. 17But Abishai the son of Zeruiah helped him, and he struck the Philistine and killed him. Then David's men swore to him and said, “You shall no longer come out with us to battle, so that you do not snuff out Israel's lamp.” 18And it came to pass after this, that there was another war in Gob with the Philistines, when Sibbechai the Hushathite struck down Saph, who was among the offspring of Rapha. 19Then there was another war in Gob with the Philistines, and Elhanan the son of Jaare-Oregim, a Bethlehemite, struck the brother of Goliath the Gittite, the shaft of whose spear was like a weaver's beam. 20And there was another war in Gath, and there was a man of great stature, the fingers of whose hands and the toes of whose feet were six apiece – twenty-four in number – and he too had been born to Rapha. 21And when he showed contempt for Israel, Jonathan the son of Shimah, David's brother, struck him down. 22These four were born to Rapha in Gath, and they fell at the hand of David and at the hand of his servants.

2 Samuel Chapter 22 

1And David spoke the words of this song to the Lord on the day when the Lord delivered him from the hand of all his enemies, and from Saul's hand. 2And he said,

“The Lord is my rock and my fortress,

And my deliverer,

3The God of my rock;

I will put my trust in him

– My shield and the horn of my salvation,

My high stronghold and my refuge,

My saviour.

You save me from violence.

4I will call on the praiseworthy Lord,

And I will be saved from my enemies.

5For the breaker-waves of death surrounded me,

And the onslaughts of the reprobate alarmed me,

6The tightening grip of the grave encompassed me;

Deadly snares confronted me.

7When I was in a strait,

I called on the Lord,

And I called to my God,

And he heard my voice from his temple,

And my cry reached his ears.

8And the earth shook and trembled;

The foundations of heaven quaked and shook,

Because he was furious.

9Smoke went up in his nostrils,

And fire from his mouth came devouring;

Coals were kindled by him.

10And he stretched out the heavens and descended,

And thick darkness was under his feet.

11And he rode on a cherub and flew

And was seen on the wings of the wind.

12And he set darkness around him as canopies;

There were accumulations of water

And the thick clouds of the upper skies.

13At the brightness ahead of him

Were fiery coals blazing away.

14The Lord thunders from heaven,

And the Most High sounds his voice.

15And he sent his arrows,

And he scattered them,

And lightning,

And he routed them.

16Then channels of the sea appeared;

The foundations of the world were revealed

At the Lord's rebuke

– At the blast of the wind from his nostrils.

17He sent help from on high,

And he took hold of me;

He drew me out of great waters.

18He delivered me from my strong enemy

– From those who hate me –

For they were stronger than I was.

19They confronted me on my day of distress,

But the Lord became a support for me,

20And he brought me out into a wide place;

He delivered me

Because he delighted in me.

21The Lord recompensed me

According to my righteousness;

According to the cleanness of my hands

He rewarded me.

22For I have kept the ways of the Lord,

And I have not committed wickedness against my God.

23For all his injunctions were before me,

And I did not depart from any of his statutes.

24And I was perfect towards him,

And I kept myself from iniquity.

25And the Lord rewarded me according to my righteousness

– According to my cleanness

Before his eyes.

26With the kind, you will act kindly;

With the perfect warrior, you will act in perfection.

27With the pure, you will act in purity,

But with the perverse, you will act in a convoluted way.

28And you will save an afflicted people,

But your eyes are against those who are haughty;

You bring them low.

29For you, O Lord, are my lamp,

And the Lord brightens my darkness.

30For through you, I can run through a battalion;

Through my God I can leap over a wall.

31As for God, his way is perfect.

The word of the Lord has been refined.

He is a shield to all who trust in him.

32For who is God

Apart from the Lord?

And who is a rock

Apart from our God?

33God is my mighty fortress,

Who directs my perfect way,

34Who makes my feet like those of hinds,

And stands me on my heights;

35Who teaches my hands the skills of war,

So a copper bow can be drawn by my arms.

36And you gave me the shield of your salvation,

Whilst your action makes me great.

37You enlarged my step under me,

And my ankles did not slip.

38I pursued my enemies

And destroyed them,

And I did not return

Until I had made an end of them.

39And I consumed them, and I crushed them,

So that they could not get up,

And they fell under my feet.

40And you girded me with valour for war;

You brought down my opponents under me.

41And you gave me the neck of my enemies

– Those who hate me –

And I cut them down.

42They looked,

But there was no saviour;

They looked to the Lord,

But he did not answer them.

43And I pulverized them like the dust of the ground,

I ground them fine like the filth of the streets;

I trod them under foot.

44And you delivered me from the contentions of my people;

You kept me at the head of nations.

A people that I did not know

Will serve me.

45Foreigners will feign obedience to me.

At bidding coming to their ears,

They will be obedient to me.

46Foreigners will fade away;

They will be wrenched out of their confines.

47How the Lord lives,

And my rock is blessed,

And the God of the rock of my salvation is exalted

48– The God who gives me vengeance,

And who subjugates various peoples under me,

49And who extricates me from my enemies.

You also raise me up above those who rise up against me;

You rescue me from the man of violence.

50That is why I will praise you,

O Lord, among the nations,

And I will sing psalms to your name.

51He magnifies acts of salvation of his king,

Also showing kindness to his anointed

– To David and to his seed,

Age-abidingly.”

Reference(s) in Chapter 22: v.3 ↔ Hebrews 2:13 ● v.32 ↔ Mark 12:32 ● v.50 ↔ Romans 15:9.

2 Samuel Chapter 23 

1Now these are the last words of David,

The utterance of David the son of Jesse,

And the utterance of the man raised up high,

The anointed of the God of Jacob,

Which are the pleasantness of the songs of Israel.

2“The spirit of the Lord spoke through me,

And its word was on my tongue.

3The God of Israel said

– The rock of Israel spoke to me –

‘A ruler over men shall be just;

A ruler shall have fear of God.

4And he will shine like morning light

When the sun rises,

On a morning without clouds,

At the brilliance after rain

On the grass shooting up out of the ground.’

5For is not my house like that with God?

For he has appointed an age-abiding covenant for me,

Ordered in all matters and secure,

For it is all my salvation and all my desire.

For shall he not make it spring up?

6But the good-for-nothing is like a thorn bush;

All of them are cast out,

For they are not taken up in a hand.

7But if a man touches them,

Let him be furnished with iron

And the shaft of a spear.

And they will be utterly burned up

By the fire on the spot.”

8These are the names of David's warriors: Josheb Bashshebeth the Tahchemonite, a head of the third rank – he is Adino the Eznite, famed for the eight hundred who were struck down by him at one time. 9And after him came Eleazar the son of Dodo the Ahohite among the three warriors with David when they defied the Philistines who had assembled there for war, when the men of Israel had gone up to battle. 10He arose and struck the Philistines until his hand was weary, and his hand stuck to the sword. And the Lord effected a great salvation on that day, and the people came back after him only to collect spoil. 11And after him came Shammah the son of Agee the Hararite. And the Philistines assembled into a battalion, and there was a parcel of land there in a field full of lentils, and the people fled from the presence of the Philistines. 12But he took his stand in the middle of the parcel of land, and he saved it, and he struck the Philistines, and the Lord brought about a great salvation. 13And three of the thirty heads went down and came at harvest time to David at the cave of Adullam, while the battalion of the Philistines encamped in the Valley of the Rephaim. 14And David was then in the stronghold, whereas the garrison of the Philistines was at that time in Bethlehem. 15And David had a longing, and he said, “Who will give me a drink of water from the cistern in Bethlehem, which is at the gate?” 16And the three warriors broke through into the Philistines' camp and drew water from the cistern in Bethlehem, which is at the gate, and they carried it and brought it to David, but he was not willing to drink it, and he poured it out to the Lord. 17And he said, “Far be it from me, O Lord, that I should do this. Is this not the blood of the men who went at the risk of their lives?” So he was not willing to drink it. The three warriors did these things. 18And Abishai the brother of Joab the son of Zeruiah was the head of the three, and he raised his spear against three hundred who were struck down by him, and he had fame among the three. 19Was he more honoured than the three? Now he became their commander, but he did not equal the three. 20And there was Benaiah, the son of Jehoiada, the son of a valiant man, of many exploits, from Kabzeel. He struck down two men of Ariel of Moab, and he went down and struck a lion inside a pit on a snowy day. 21And he struck down an Egyptian man, who was of fine appearance, and in the Egyptian's hand was a spear, and he went down against him with a staff, and he wrenched the spear from the Egyptian's hand and killed him with his spear. 22Benaiah the son of Jehoiada did these things, and he had fame among the three warriors. 23He was more honoured than the thirty, but he was not equal to the three, and David appointed him to his council. 24Asahel the brother of Joab was among the thirty, as were Elhanan the son of Dodo of Bethlehem, 25Shammah the Harodite, Elika the Harodite, 26Helez the Paltite, Ira the son of Ikkesh the Tekoite, 27Abiezer the Anathothite, Mebunnai the Hushathite, 28Zalmon the Ahohite, Mahrai the Netophathite, 29Heleb the son of Baanah the Netophathite, Ittai the son of Ribai from Gibeah, of the sons of Benjamin, 30Benaiah the Pirathonite, Hiddai of the brooks of Gaash, 31Abi-Albon the Arbathite, Azmaveth the Barhumite, 32Eliahba the Shaalbonite, the sons of Jashen, Jonathan, 33Shammah the Hararite, Ahiam the son of Sharar the Ararite, 34Eliphelet the son of Ahasbai the son of the Maachathite, Eliam the son of Ahithophel the Gilonite, 35Hezro the Carmelite, Paarai the Arbite, 36Igal the son of Nathan of Zobah, Bani the Gadite, 37Zelek the Ammonite, Nahrai the Beerothite, arms-bearers of Joab the son of Zeruiah, 38Ira the Ithrite, Gareb the Ithrite, 39Uriah the Hittite – all thirty-seven of them.

2 Samuel Chapter 24 

1And the Lord's anger was again kindled against Israel, and he stirred David up against them and said, “Go and count Israel and Judah.” 2And the king said to Joab, the commander of the army, who was with him, “Go and cover the ground of all the tribes of Israel from Dan to Beersheba, and count the people, so that I know the number of the people.” 3But Joab said to the king, “Now may the Lord your God add to the people, some here and some there, a hundred times over, with the eyes of my lord the king observing it. But why does my lord the king delight in this matter?” 4But the king's decision was firm towards Joab and towards the commanders of the army, so Joab and the commanders of the army went out before the king to count the people – Israel. 5And they crossed the Jordan and encamped at Aroer, to the right of the city, this being in the middle of the ravine of Gad and towards Jazer. 6And they came to Gilead and to the land of Tahtim-Hodshi. Then they came to Dan-Jaan and round towards Sidon. 7And they came to the fortification of Tyre and all the cities of the Hivites and the Canaanites, and they went out towards the south of Judah to Beersheba. 8And they went up and down in all the land, and after nine months and twenty days they came to Jerusalem. 9And Joab gave the number of the census of the people to the king, and Israel consisted of eight hundred thousand soldiers who drew the sword, and Judah consisted of five hundred thousand men. 10Then David's heart cut him up after he had counted the people, and David said to the Lord, “I have sinned greatly in that I did this. So now, O Lord, please remit the iniquity of your servant, for I have acted very foolishly.” 11And when David arose in the morning, the word of the Lord came to Gad the prophet, David's seer, as follows: 12“Go and say to David, ‘This is what the Lord says: «I have three things to impose on you. Choose one of them, and I will do it to you.» ’ ” 13So Gad went to David and told him and said to him, “Shall seven years of famine come in your land, or three months of you fleeing from your adversaries as they pursue you, or should there be three days of pestilence in your land? Now be aware of them and consider what answer I should give to him who sent me.” 14Then David said to Gad, “I am very much in a strait. Let us, then, fall into the hand of the Lord, for his mercies are great, and don't let me fall into the hand of man.” 15So the Lord caused a pestilence in Israel, from the morning to the appointed time. And from Dan to Beersheba seventy thousand of the people died. 16But when the angel stretched out his hand over Jerusalem to destroy it, the Lord grieved over the harm, and he said to the angel who was to destroy the people, “Enough now; stay your hand.” And the angel of the Lord was at the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite. 17Then when David saw the angel who struck the people, he spoke to the Lord and said, “I see that I have sinned and that I have been iniquitous, but as for these sheep, what have they done? Let your hand, then, be against me and the house of my father.” 18And Gad came to David on that day, and he said to him, “Go up and set up an altar to the Lord at the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.” 19So David went up according to Gad's words, as the Lord had commanded. 20And when Araunah looked out and saw the king and his servants coming across to him, Araunah went out and prostrated himself to the king face down. 21And Araunah said, “Why has my lord the king come to his servant?” And David said, “To purchase the threshing floor from you, to build an altar to the Lord, so that the plague on the people stops.” 22Then Araunah said to David, “Let my lord the king take and offer up whatever is right in his sight. See the oxen for the burnt offering and the threshing boards and equipment to go with the oxen for wood.” 23Araunah gave it all to the king – the king – and Araunah said to the king, “May the Lord your God accept you graciously.” 24Then the king said to Araunah, “No, for I insist on buying it from you for its value, and I will not offer burnt offerings to the Lord my God at no cost.” And David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver. 25And David built an altar to the Lord there, and he offered burnt offerings and peace-offerings, and the Lord was prevailed upon for the land, and the plague on Israel stopped.

1 Kings  

1 Kings Chapter 1 

1Now when King David was old, becoming advanced in years, they covered him with clothes, but he didn't become warm, 2and his servants said to him, “Let us seek for my lord the king a girl, a virgin, who will stand before the king and be a companion to him, and who will lie in your bosom, and my lord the king will become warm.” 3So they sought a pretty girl in all the territory of Israel, and they found Abishag the Shunammitess, and they brought her to the king. 4And the girl was very pretty, and she became a companion to the king, and she attended to him, but the king did not know her. 5Then Adonijah the son of Haggith exalted himself and said, “I will reign”, and he organized for himself a chariot and horsemen and fifty men to run before him. 6And his father never criticized him, saying, “Why have you done this?” Moreover he was very handsome in appearance. Now Haggith had borne him after Absalom. 7And there were dealings with Joab the son of Zeruiah and with Abiathar the priest, and they supported Adonijah. 8But Zadok the priest and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada and Nathan the prophet and Shimei and Rei and the warriors who were attached to David were not with Adonijah. 9And Adonijah sacrificed sheep and cattle and fatted calves at the Crawling Stone which is by En-Rogel, and he invited all his brothers – the king's sons – and all men of Judah who were the king's servants. 10But he did not invite Nathan the prophet or Benaiah or the warriors or Solomon his brother. 11And Nathan spoke to Bathsheba, Solomon's mother, and he said, “Have you not heard that Adonijah the son of Haggith is reigning, and David our lord does not realize it? 12So now, depart and please let me give you some advice, and save your life and your son Solomon's life. 13Depart and go to King David and say to him, ‘Did you not, my lord the king, swear to your maidservant and say, «Solomon your son will reign after me, and he will sit on my throne?» So how come Adonijah is reigning?’ 14While you are still speaking there with the king, you will see that I will come after you and complement your words.” 15So Bathsheba went to the king, to the room where he was, and the king was very old, and Abishag the Shunammitess was attending to the king. 16And Bathsheba bowed and prostrated herself to the king, and the king said, “What do you want?” 17And she said to him, “My lord, you swore by the Lord your God to your maidservant and said, ‘Solomon your son will reign after me, and he will sit on my throne.’ 18But now look, Adonijah is reigning, although, my lord the king, you do not now realize it. 19And he has sacrificed oxen and fatted calves and sheep in abundance, and he invited all the king's sons, and Abiathar the priest, and Joab the commander of the army, but he did not invite Solomon your servant. 20And now, my lord the king, the eyes of the whole of Israel are on you, for you to tell them who will sit on the throne of my lord the king after him. 21Otherwise, it will be the case that when my lord the king lies with his fathers that I and my son Solomon will be seen as failures.” 22And behold, while she was still speaking with the king, Nathan the prophet arrived. 23And they told the king, and they said, “Here is Nathan the prophet.” And he came before the king and prostrated himself to the king face down to the ground. 24And Nathan said, “My lord the king, have you said, ‘Adonijah will reign after me, and he will sit on my throne?’ 25For he came down today and sacrificed oxen and fatted calves and sheep in abundance, and he invited all the king's sons and the commanders of the army, and Abiathar the priest, and there they are eating and drinking in his presence, and they said, ‘May Adonijah the king live!’ 26But he did not invite me, your selfsame servant, or Zadok the priest, or Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, or Solomon your servant. 27Was this event instigated by my lord the king, yet without you informing your servants who would sit on the throne of my lord the king after him?” 28Then King David answered and said, “Call for Bathsheba to come to me.” And she came before the king, and before the king she stood. 29And the king swore and said, “As the Lord lives, who redeemed my person from all adversity, 30for just as I swore to you by the Lord God of Israel and said, ‘Solomon your son will reign after me, and he will sit on my throne instead of me’, so I will perform it this day.” 31At this Bathsheba bowed face down to the ground and prostrated herself to the king and said, “May the lord King David live age-abidingly.” 32And King David said, “Summon Zadok the priest to me, and Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada.” And they came before the king. 33And the king said to them, “Take your lord's servants with you, and mount Solomon my son on my she-mule, and take him down to Gihon, 34and Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet will anoint him there as king over Israel, and you will sound the ramshorn and say, ‘May King Solomon live!’ 35Then you will go up after him, and he will come and sit on my throne, and he will reign instead of me, for I have appointed him to be a leader over Israel and over Judah.” 36And Benaiah the son of Jehoiada answered the king and said, “Amen. May the Lord God of my lord the king say likewise. 37As the Lord has been with my lord the king, may he so be with Solomon, and may he make his throne greater than the throne of my lord King David.” 38So Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and the Cherethites and the Pelethites went down and mounted Solomon on King David's she-mule, and they led him to Gihon. 39Then Zadok the priest took the horn of oil from the tent, and he anointed Solomon, and they sounded the ramshorn, and all the people said, “May King Solomon live!” 40And all the people went up after him, and the people played pipes and rejoiced greatly, so that the earth was sundered at the sound of them. 41And Adonijah heard about it, as did all his guests who were with him, and when they had finished eating, and Joab heard the sound of the ramshorn, he asked, “Why is the town in an uproar?” 42While he was still speaking, they saw Jonathan the son of Abiathar the priest come. And Adonijah said, “Come in, for you are a valiant man, and bring good news.” 43And Jonathan answered and said to Adonijah, “Actually, our lord King David has made Solomon king. 44And the king has sent Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada and the Cherethites and the Pelethites with him, and they mounted him on the king's she-mule. 45And Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet have anointed him as king in Gihon, and they went up from there rejoicing, and the town became boisterous – that is the sound which you heard. 46And moreover Solomon has sat on the royal throne. 47And also the king's servants have come to bless our lord King David, saying, ‘May your God favour Solomon's name more than your name, and may he make his throne greater than your throne.’ Then the king bowed on his couch. 48And the king also said this: ‘Blessed be the Lord God of Israel who has provided one to sit on my throne while my eyes see it.’ ” 49And all Adonijah's guests were afraid, and they arose, and each went his own way. 50And Adonijah feared Solomon, and he arose and departed, and he took hold of the horns of the altar. 51And it was reported to Solomon as follows: “Look, Adonijah fears King Solomon, and in fact he has taken hold of the horns of the altar, saying, ‘May King Solomon swear to me today that he certainly will not put his servant to death by the sword.’ ” 52Then Solomon said, “If he will be a man of integrity, not a hair will fall to the ground, but if malignity is found in him, he will die.” 53Then King Solomon sent a company, and they brought him down from the altar, and he came and bowed to King Solomon, and Solomon said to him, “Go to your home.”

1 Kings Chapter 2 

1And the days of David approached when he would die, and he commanded Solomon his son and said, 2“I am going the way of the whole earth, so be resolute and be manly. 3And keep the charge of the Lord your God, by walking in his ways and keeping his statutes, his commandments and his regulations and his testimonies, as it is written in the law of Moses, in order that you may act wisely in everything you do and everywhere you turn, 4in order that the Lord may establish his word which he spoke to me when he said, ‘If your sons keep their way in walking before me in truth with all their heart and with all their soul’ – as he said – ‘not a man of yours shall be cut off from the throne of Israel.’ 5And you also know what Joab the son of Zeruiah did to me – what he did to the two commanders of the armies of Israel, to Abner the son of Ner and to Amasa the son of Jether – whom he killed, and he adopted a course of warlike bloodshed in peacetime, and he applied the blood of war to his girdle around his waist and to his shoes on his feet. 6And you must act according to your wisdom, and do not let his grey hair go down to the grave in peace. 7But show kindness to the sons of Barzillai the Gileadite and let them be present among those who eat at your table, for they similarly came up to me when I fled from Absalom your brother. 8And look, Shimei the son of Gera the Benjaminite from Bahurim is with you, who cursed me with a pernicious curse on the day when I went to Mahanaim, but he came down to meet me at the Jordan, and I swore to him by the Lord and said, ‘I will definitely not put you to death by the sword.’ 9But now, do not acquit him, for you are a wise man, and you know what you will do to him, but bring his grey hair down to the grave with blood.” 10And David lay with his fathers, and he was buried in the City of David. 11And the days for which David reigned over Israel amounted to forty years. In Hebron he reigned for seven years, and in Jerusalem he reigned for thirty-three years. 12And Solomon sat on the throne of David his father, and his kingdom became very well-established. 13Then Adonijah the son of Haggith went to Bathsheba, Solomon's mother. And she said, “Is your visit in peace?” And he said, “Yes, in peace.” 14And he said, “I have a matter to discuss with you.” And she said, “Tell me.” 15And he said, “You know that the kingdom was mine, and that all Israel had me in view to reign, but the kingdom took a turn and fell to my brother, for it was his from the Lord. 16And now, I have one request which I am asking of you. Do not turn me away.” And she said to him, “Carry on.” 17And he said, “Please ask King Solomon not to turn you away, and to give me Abishag the Shunammitess as my wife.” 18And Bathsheba said, “Very well, I will speak on your behalf to the king.” 19So Bathsheba went to King Solomon to speak to him on behalf of Adonijah, and the king got up to meet her, and he bowed to her, then he sat on his throne, and he had a seat placed for the king's mother, and she sat on his right hand side. 20And she said, “I am asking you for a small request. Do not turn me away.” And the king said to her, “Ask it, my mother, for I will not turn you away.” 21And she said, “Let Abishag the Shunammitess be given to Adonijah your brother as his wife.” 22And King Solomon answered and said to his mother, “And why are you asking for Abishag the Shunammitess for Adonijah? Then ask for the kingdom for him, for he is my elder brother, both for him and for Abiathar the priest, and for Joab the son of Zeruiah.” 23And King Solomon swore by the Lord and said, “May God do this to me and add more, if Adonijah has not spoken these words at the expense of his life. 24And now, as the Lord lives, who established me and seated me on the throne of David my father, and who made me a house as he said he would, so Adonijah will be put to death today.” 25And King Solomon sent a force under the authority of Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and he fell on him, and he died. 26And the king said to Abiathar the priest, “Go to Anathoth, to your estate, for you deserve to die, but on this day I will not have you killed, because you have carried the ark of my Lord the Lord before David my father, and because you have been afflicted by everything that my father was afflicted by.” 27So Solomon ousted Abiathar from being a priest to the Lord, so fulfilling the word of the Lord which he spoke at the house of Eli in Shiloh. 28And the report came to Joab, for Joab had gravitated towards Adonijah, although he had not gravitated towards Absalom, and Joab fled to the tent of the Lord and held on to the horns of the altar. 29And it was reported to King Solomon that Joab had fled to the tent of the Lord, and there he was at the altar. Then Solomon sent Benaiah the son of Jehoiada and said, “Go and fall on him.” 30When Benaiah arrived at the tent of the Lord, he said to him, “This is what the king says: ‘Come out.’ ” But he said, “No, for I will die here.” Then Benaiah reported back to the king and said, “Joab said this, and he answered me this way.” 31Then the king said to him, “Do as he said, and fall on him, and bury him, and requite the innocent blood which Joab shed of my house and my father's house. 32And the Lord will requite his blood on his head, because he fell on two men more righteous and better than he is, and he killed them by the sword, but my father David was not aware of it, namely Abner the son of Ner, commander of the army of Israel, and Amasa the son of Jether, commander of the army of Judah. 33And their blood will rebound onto Joab's head and onto the head of his seed age-abidingly, whereas David and his seed and his house and his throne will have peace age-abidingly from the Lord.” 34So Benaiah the son of Jehoiada went up and fell on him, and he killed him, and he was buried at his house in the desert. 35Then the king appointed Benaiah the son of Jehoiada instead of him over the army, and the king appointed Zadok the priest instead of Abiathar. 36And the king sent word and called for Shimei, and he said to him, “Build yourself a house in Jerusalem and live there, and do not go out from there, moving around. 37For know without doubt that it will be the case that on the day when you go out and cross the Kidron Brook you will certainly die – your blood will be on your head.” 38And Shimei said to the king, “The arrangement is good. As my lord the king has spoken, so your servant will do.” And Shimei lived in Jerusalem for many days. 39But it came to pass after three years that two of Shimei's servants fled to Achish the son of Maachah, the king of Gath. And they reported it to Shimei and said, “Look, your servants are in Gath.” 40Then Shimei arose and saddled his donkey and went to Gath, to Achish, to seek his servants. So Shimei set off, and he fetched his servants from Gath. 41And it was reported to Solomon that Shimei had gone from Jerusalem to Gath and had returned. 42So the king sent men and called for Shimei and said to him, “Did I not adjure you by the Lord and testify to you and say, ‘Know without doubt that on the day when you go out and move around that you will certainly die’, and you said to me, ‘The arrangement which I have heard is good.’ 43So why did you not heed the oath to the Lord and the commandment which I gave you?” 44And the king said to Shimei, “You know all the evil which your heart is conscious of, which you did to David my father. And the Lord has requited your evil on your head. 45And King Solomon is blessed, and the throne of David will be established before the Lord age-abidingly.” 46And the king commanded Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and he went out and fell on him, and he died, and the kingdom became established through the authority of Solomon.

1 Kings Chapter 3 

1Then Solomon contracted intermarriage with Pharaoh king of Egypt, and he took Pharaoh's daughter and brought her to the City of David, until he had finished building his house, and the house of the Lord and the wall around Jerusalem. 2Nevertheless, the people would sacrifice on idolatrous raised sites, because a house to the name of the Lord had not been built until those days. 3But Solomon loved the Lord, walking in the statutes of David his father, except that he would sacrifice and burn incense on the idolatrous raised sites. 4And the king went to Gibeon to sacrifice there, for that was the great idolatrous raised site. Solomon offered a thousand burnt offerings on that altar. 5And in Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream at night, and God said, “Ask what you want me to give you.” 6And Solomon said, “You acted with much kindness towards your servant my father David when he walked before you in truth and in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart with you, and you maintained this great kindness towards him, and you have given him a son who is sitting on his throne on this very day. 7So now, O Lord my God, you have made your servant king instead of David my father, but I am a small child and I do not know comings and goings. 8And your servant is in the midst of your people whom you chose, a numerous people who can not be numbered or counted for abundance. 9So give your servant a heart fit to hear cases at law in judging your people, to discern good from evil, for who is able to judge this substantial people?” 10And the words were approved of in the sight of the Lord*, in that Solomon had asked for this thing. 11And God said to him, “Since you have asked for this thing, and you did not ask for a long life, and you did not ask for riches, and you did not ask for the life of your enemies, but you asked for understanding in hearing cases at law, 12look, I have done according to your words – look, I have given you a wise and astute heart, such as never was before you, and such as never will arise after you. 13And I have also given you what you didn't ask for, both riches and honour, whereby no man among kings will be like you all your days. 14And if you walk in my ways, by keeping my statutes and my commandments, as David your father did, then I will prolong your days.” 15Then Solomon woke up and realized that it was a dream, and he went to Jerusalem and stood before the ark of the covenant of the Lord*, and he made burnt offerings, and he made peace-offerings, and he held a feast for all his servants. 16Then two prostitutes came to the king and stood before him. 17And one woman said, “Oh my lord, I and this woman live in the same house, and I gave birth, with her in the house. 18And it so happened on the third day after me giving birth, that this woman also gave birth, and we were together; there is no-one else with us in the house – just the two of us in the house. 19But this woman's son died at night because she lay on top of him. 20And she got up in the middle of the night and took my son from me while your maidservant was asleep, and she laid him in her bosom, while she laid her dead son in my bosom. 21And when I arose in the morning to breastfeed my son, I realized that the child was dead, but I examined him in the morning and saw that he was not my son, whom I had given birth to.” 22Then the other woman said, “No, for it is my son who is alive and your son who is dead.” And the former said, “No, for it is your son who is dead, and my son who is alive.” And so they spoke before the king. 23Then the king said, “One says, ‘This is my son who is alive, and your son is dead’, whereas the other says, ‘No, for it is your son who is dead, and my son who is alive.’ ” 24Then the king said, “Fetch me a sword.” So they brought a sword before the king. 25Then the king said, “Divide the living child into two, and give half to one woman and half to the other.” 26At this the woman whose son was the one who was alive spoke to the king, for her tender affections flared up for her son, and she said, “Please, my lord, give her the baby who is alive, and don't kill him at any event.” But the other was saying, “Neither I nor you will have him; divide him up.” 27Then the king answered and said, “Give the baby who is alive to her, and do not kill him under any circumstances. She is his mother.” 28And all Israel heard of the judgment which the king had given, and they feared the king, for they saw that the wisdom of God was in him to execute justice.

1 Kings Chapter 4 

1So King Solomon was king over all Israel. 2And these are the ministers whom he had: Azariah the son of Zadok the priest; 3Elihoreph and Ahiah the sons of Shisha, who were scribes; Jehoshaphat the son of Ahilud the secretary of state, 4and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, who was over the army, and Zadok and Abiathar who were priests, 5and Azariah the son of Nathan who was in charge of the officials, and Zabud the son of Nathan who was priest and friend to the king, 6and Ahishar who was in charge of the household, and Adoniram the son of Abda who was in charge of taxation. 7And Solomon had twelve officials over all Israel, who sustained the king and his household. Each had to sustain him for one month per year. 8And these are their names: Ben-Hur in Mount Ephraim, 9Ben-Deker in Makaz and in Shaalbim and Beth-Shemesh and Elon-Beth-Hanan, 10Ben-Hesed in Arubboth, who had Sochoh and all the land of Hepher, 11Ben-Abinadab in all the heights of Dor, whose wife was Taphath Solomon's daughter, 12Baana the son of Ahilud who had Taanach and Megiddo and all Beth-Shean, which is by Zarethan beneath Jezreel, from Beth-Shean to Abel-Meholah, and to beyond Jokmoam, 13Ben-Geber in Ramoth-Gilead, who had the villages of Jair the son of Manasseh, which are in Gilead, having the district of Argob, which is in Bashan – sixty large cities with a wall and copper bolt, 14Ahinadab the son of Iddo in Mahanaim, 15Ahimaaz in Naphtali, who also took a daughter of Solomon's as his wife, Bosmath, 16Baanah the son of Hushai in Asher and in Aloth, 17Jehoshaphat the son of Paruah in Issachar, 18Shimei the son of Elah in Benjamin, 19Geber the son of Uri in the land of Gilead, the country of Sihon king of the Amorites, and Og king of Bashan, and he was the only official who was in the land. 20Judah and Israel were many – like the sand which is by the sea in multitude – eating and drinking and rejoicing. 21And Solomon was ruler over all the kingdoms in the land of the Philistines from the river up to the border with Egypt. They brought tribute and served Solomon all the days of his life. 22And Solomon's revenue per day was thirty cors of fine flour and sixty cors of barley flour, 23ten fatted oxen and twenty herding oxen and one hundred sheep, apart from deer and gazelles and fallow deer and fatted poultry. 24For he had control of all this side of the river, from Tiphsah to Gaza, of all the kings on this side of the river. And he had peace in all quarters round about. 25And Judah and Israel lived securely, each man under his vine and under his fig tree, from Dan to Beersheba, all Solomon's days. 26And Solomon had forty thousand horse stables for his chariot fleet, and twelve thousand horsemen. 27These officials sustained King Solomon and everyone who came to King Solomon's table – each official in his month – and they did not neglect anything. 28And they brought barley and straw for the farm horses and for the swift horses, to the place where these were, each according to his duty. 29And God gave wisdom to Solomon, and very great insight and broad understanding, like the sand which is on the sea-shore. 30And Solomon's wisdom increased beyond the wisdom of all the eastern people and beyond all the wisdom of Egypt. 31And he became wiser than any man, than Ethan the Ezrahite and Heman, and Chalcol and Darda the sons of Mahol, and his fame was present in all the nations round about. 32And he spoke three thousand proverbs, and his songs amounted to one thousand and five. 33And he spoke about trees, from the cedar which is in Lebanon to the hyssop which comes out of a wall, and he spoke about cattle and about birds and about reptiles and about fish. 34And people came from all the nations to hear Solomon's wisdom – from all the kings of the earth who had heard of his wisdom.

1 Kings Chapter 5 

1And Hiram king of Tyre sent his servants to Solomon, for he had heard that they had anointed him king in place of his father, because Hiram was friendly to David at all times. 2And Solomon sent word to Hiram and said, 3“You know how my father David could not build a house to the name of the Lord his God, because of the wars which surrounded him until the Lord put them under the soles of his feet. 4And now the Lord my God has given me rest round about; there is no adversary, and there is no harmful conflict. 5And look, I intend to build a house to the name of the Lord my God, as the Lord spoke to David my father when he said, ‘It is your son, whom I will put on your throne in place of you, who will build the house to my name.’ 6So now, command that they cut cedars from Lebanon for me, and my servants will be with your servants, and I will give you the wages of your servants according to whatever you specify, for you know that among us there is no man who knows how to cut trees like the Sidonians.” 7And it came to pass when Hiram heard Solomon's words that he was very pleased, and he said, “Blessed be the Lord today who has given David a wise son over this great people.” 8And Hiram sent word to Solomon and said, “I have heard what you sent me. I will carry out all your wishes concerning cedar trees and cypress trees. 9My servants will bring them down from Lebanon to the sea, and I will have them laid on rafts to go by sea to the place you notify me of, and I will unload them there, and you will take them away, and you will carry out my wish by giving bread to my household.” 10So Hiram gave Solomon cedar wood and cypress wood – as much as he wanted. 11And Solomon gave Hiram twenty thousand cors of wheat as food for his household, and twenty cors of beaten oil. This is what Solomon gave Hiram year by year. 12And the Lord gave Solomon wisdom, as he had said to him, and there was peace between Hiram and Solomon, and the two of them made a covenant. 13And King Solomon raised a workforce with a levy on all Israel, and the workforce consisted of thirty thousand men. 14And he sent them to Lebanon – ten thousand for a month in shifts. For a month they were in Lebanon and for two months at home. And Adoniram was in charge of the workforce. 15And Solomon had seventy thousand burden bearers and eighty thousand hewers at the mountain, 16besides Solomon's appointed officials who were over the craftsmanship – three thousand three hundred of them – who had authority over the people who carried out the artisanry. 17And the king gave commandment, and they quarried large stones, and costly stones, so as to lay the foundation of the house with hewn stones. 18And Solomon's builders and Hiram's builders and the Giblites carved and prepared the wood and the stones to build the house.

1 Kings Chapter 6 

1And it came to pass, in the four hundred and eightieth year after the exodus of the sons of Israel from the land of Egypt, in the fourth year, in the month of Ziv, which is the second month, of Solomon's reign over Israel, that he built the house of the Lord. 2And the house which King Solomon built to the Lord was sixty cubits in length and twenty cubits in width and thirty cubits in height. 3And the portico in front of the temple of the house was twenty cubits in length across the width of the house, and its width was ten cubits in front of the house. 4And he made overhanging sealed windows for the house. 5And he built a side-structure against the wall of the house around it alongside the walls of the house round about, belonging to the temple and the place of address. And he built rows of side-rooms round about. 6The lowest storey was five cubits in width and the middle one was six cubits in width and the third one was seven cubits in width, for he made the house with overhanging storeys round about on the outside, so that they would not join flush to the walls of the house. 7Now the construction of the house was with whole stones, pre-fashioned for transport, so no hammers or axe or any iron implement was heard in the house during its construction. 8The door to the middle row of side-rooms was on the right hand side of the house, and one went up by spiral steps to the middle storey and from the middle storey to the third one. 9So he built the house and completed it, and he panelled the house with boards, including the suites of rooms, with cedar. 10And he built the side-structure against all the house. Its height was five cubits, and it was joined to the house by beams of cedar. 11And the word of the Lord came to Solomon, as follows: 12As regards this house which you are building, if you walk in my statutes and execute my judgments and keep all my commandments by walking in them, then I will establish my word with you which I spoke to David your father, 13and I will dwell among the sons of Israel, and I will not leave my people Israel.” 14And Solomon built the house and completed it. 15And he built the walls of the house on the inside with cedar panelling. From the ground level of the house up to ceiling height he overlaid the walls with wood on the inside, and he overlaid the floor of the house with panels of cypress. 16And he built twenty cubits of the sides of the house with panels of cedar from ground level up as far as the walls, and he built them for it on the inside, for the place of address – the holy of holies. 17And the house was forty cubits in length – that is the temple in front. 18And the cedar of the house inside was carved into hemispheres and blossoming flowers. Everything was cedar – there was no stone to be seen. 19And he prepared the place of address inside the house, on the inside, for putting the ark of the covenant of the Lord there. 20And in front of the place of address was a space of twenty cubits in length and twenty cubits in width and twenty cubits in height, and he overlaid it with seamless gold, and he overlaid the altar of cedar. 21And Solomon overlaid the house inside with seamless gold, and he fixed golden chains in front of the place of address, which he had overlaid with gold. 22And he overlaid the whole house with gold, so that the whole house was completed, and he overlaid with gold the whole altar which is for the place of address. 23And in the place of address he made two cherubim of olive tree wood, which were ten cubits tall. 24And the size of one wing of a cherub was five cubits, and the size of the other wing of a cherub was five cubits – ten cubits from one end of its wings to the other end of its wings. 25And the second cherub was ten cubits across; the two cherubim had the same size and the same shape. 26The height of one cherub was ten cubits, and so was the other cherub. 27And he placed the cherubim in the inner house, and they spread the wings of the cherubim out, and the wing of one touched the wall, and the wing of the other cherub touched the other wall, and their wings in the centre of the house touched wing against wing. 28And he overlaid the cherubim with gold. 29And on all the walls of the house round about he made carved figures of cherubim and palm trees and blossoming flowers, on the inside and on the outside. 30And he overlaid the floor of the house with gold on the inside and on the outside. 31And he made the entrance to the place of address with doors of olive tree wood, as well as the lintel and doorposts, making the set of five parts. 32So the two doors were of olive tree wood, and he made carvings on them of cherubim and palm trees and blossoming flowers, and he overlaid them with gold, and he overlaid the cherubim and the palm trees with gold. 33And similarly he made the entrance to the temple – the doorposts, from olive tree wood, a set of four parts – 34and the two doors were of cypress wood. The two leaves of the first door were hinged and the two leaves of the second door were hinged. 35And he carved the cherubim and the palm trees and blossoming of flowers, and he overlaid them with gold which was applied over what was carved. 36And he built the inner courtyard with three rows of hewn stone and a row of hewn cedar beams. 37In the fourth year the house of the Lord was founded, in the month of Ziv. 38And in the eleventh year, in the month of Bul – that is the eighth month – the house was completed in all its aspects and with all its features. So he built it in seven years.

1 Kings Chapter 7 

1And Solomon built his own house in thirteen years, and he completed all of his house. 2And he built the house of the Forest of Lebanon. Its length was one hundred cubits, and its width was fifty cubits, and its height was thirty cubits, on four rows of cedar columns, and there were hewn beams of cedar on the columns. 3And it was panelled with cedar above on the sides which rested on the forty-five columns – fifteen per row. 4And there were three rows of overhanging windows, with window light paired with window light three times over. 5And all the entrances and doorposts were square and protruding, and at the front was window light paired with window light three times over. 6And he made a colonnaded portico. Its length was fifty cubits, and its width was thirty cubits. And another portico was in the front of it, with columns and steps in front of it. 7Then he made a hall for the throne where he judged – the hall of judgment. And it was installed with cedar on the floor from wall to wall. 8And his house where he stayed had another court inside the hall, which was of similar design. And he made a house like this hall for Pharaoh's daughter whom Solomon took as his wife. 9All of these were of expensive stone, according to the required dimensions of hewn stone, sawn with a saw, for the inside and the outside, and they were from the foundation to the coping stones, and on the outside up to the great court. 10So it was founded in expensive and large stones – stones of ten cubits and stones of eight cubits. 11And above were expensive stones – hewn stones and cedar according to the required dimensions. 12And the great surrounding court was of three rows of hewn stone, and a row of hewn beams of cedar, and so it was both for the inner court of the house of the Lord and for the hall of the house. 13And King Solomon sent men to bring Hiram from Tyre. 14He was the son of a widow, of the tribe of Naphtali, and his father was a man of Tyre, a coppersmith, and he was filled with wisdom and skill and knowledge in making all kinds of artisanry in copper. And he came to King Solomon, and he made all his artisanry. 15And he fashioned the two copper columns, and the height of the first column was eighteen cubits, and a thread of twelve cubits would go around the second column. 16And he made two capitals to go on top of the columns, cast in copper. The height of one capital was five cubits, and the height of the other capital was five cubits. 17And he made trellises – lattice work with tassels – a work in chains for the capitals which were on top of the columns – seven for one capital and seven for the other capital. 18And he made the columns, and two rows around one trellis to cover the capitals which were on top of the pomegranates, and he did likewise for the second capital. 19And the capitals which were on top of the columns were made in the fashion of the lilies in the hall – four cubits of them, 20as were the capitals of the two columns – both above and opposite the protrusion which was in front of the trellis – and there were two hundred pomegranates in rows all around on the second capital. 21And he erected the columns for the hall of the temple, and when he had erected the right hand column, he called it Jachin, and when he had erected the left hand column, he called it Boaz. 22And on top of the columns was the lily work. And the column work was completed. 23And he made the cast artificial sea, ten cubits in diameter, circular all round, and its height was five cubits, and a cord of thirty cubits would fit round it. 24And below its rim encircling it all around were hemispheres, ten to the cubit, encircling the artificial sea. There were two rows of hemispheres, cast integrally. 25It stood on twelve oxen – three facing northwards, and three facing westwards, and three facing southwards, and three facing eastwards. And the artificial sea rested on them, above, and all their posteriors were facing inwards. 26And its thickness was a handbreadth, and its rim was in the style of the rim of the bud of a lily flower. It held two thousand baths in volume. 27And he made ten copper stands. Each stand was four cubits in length and four cubits in width, and three cubits in height. 28And this was the style of the stand. They had borders, and borders between sections. 29And on the borders which were between the sections were lions and oxen and cherubim, and on the sections was an upward facing support. And the space under it was for lions and oxen, with wreaths, work facing down. 30And each stand had four copper wheels, and copper axles, and its four units of axle bearing surfaces for them, below the laver. The bearing surfaces were cast and were opposite each wreath. 31And its aperture on the inside of the capital and what was above it was one cubit, and the aperture was round, like the base work, a cubit and a half, and also at its aperture were carvings and unrounded square borders. 32And the four wheels below the borders, and the axles of the wheels, supported the stand, and the height of each wheel was one and a half cubits. 33And the construction of the wheels was like the construction of a wagon wheel: their axles and their rims and their spokes and their hubs were all cast. 34And the four axle bearing surfaces were at the four corners of each stand. Its bearing surfaces were integral to the stand itself. 35And at the top of the stand was a cylinder half a cubit high, all the way around, and on top of the stand were its handles and its borders which were integral to it. 36And he engraved cherubim, lions and palm trees on the tablets, on its handles and on its borders, according to the space on each, and wreaths around it. 37In this way he made ten stands, all of them being identical in casting and size and form. 38And he made ten copper lavers. Each laver held forty baths. Each laver was four cubits long. There was one laver on each of the ten stands. 39And he put five of the stands on the right hand side of the house and five on the left hand side of the house, and he put the artificial sea on the right hand side of the house in the southern part of the eastern side. 40And Hiram made the lavers and the shovels and the sprinkling basins. And Hiram finished making all the artisanry which he made for King Solomon for the house of the Lord: 41the two columns and the bowls at their capitals, which are at the top of the two columns, and the two trellises to cover the two bowls of the capitals which were on top of the columns, 42and the four hundred pomegranates for the two trellises – two rows of pomegranates to each trellis, to cover the two bowls of the capitals which were on top of the columns, 43and the ten stands and the ten lavers on the stands, 44and the single artificial sea and the twelve oxen under the artificial sea, 45and the pans and the shovels and the sprinkling basins, and all this equipment which Hiram made for King Solomon for the house of the Lord in polished copper. 46The king cast them in the tract of the Jordan, in the thickly overgrown land between Succoth and Zarethan. 47And Solomon stowed all the equipment away, because of its very great abundance, and the weight of the copper was not investigated. 48And Solomon made all the equipment which was for the house of the Lord: the golden altar and the golden table on which the showbread is put, 49and the five lampstands on the right, and the five on the left, in front of the place of address – they were of seamless gold – and the flowers and the lamps and the golden snuffing-tongs, 50and the drain pans and the snuffers, and the sprinkling basins and the ladles and the firepans – of seamless gold – and the hinges for the doors of the inner house, to the holy of holies, and for the doors of the temple building – again of gold. 51All the artisanry which King Solomon made for the house of the Lord was completed, and Solomon brought in the holy articles of David his father, and he put the silver and the gold and the equipment in the treasuries of the house of the Lord.

1 Kings Chapter 8 

1Then Solomon convened the elders of Israel – all the heads of the tribes, the leaders of the paternal families of the sons of Israel – to King Solomon in Jerusalem, to bring up the ark of the covenant of the Lord from the City of David, which is Zion. 2So every head man of Israel was convened to King Solomon in the month of Ethanim at the festival time – that is in the seventh month. 3So all the elders of Israel came, and the priests carried the ark. 4And they brought the ark of the Lord up, and the tent of contact, and all the holy equipment which was in the tent. And it was the priests and Levites who brought it up. 5Then King Solomon, and the whole congregation of Israel which was assembled with him, sacrificed with him before the ark sheep and oxen which could not be numbered and could not be counted for abundance. 6And the priests brought the ark of the covenant of the Lord to its place – to the place of address of the house, to the holy of holies – under the wings of the cherubim, 7for the cherubim stretch out their wings towards the place of the ark, and the cherubim cover the ark and its staves from above. 8And they extended the staves such that the ends of the staves were visible from the sanctuary in front of the place of address, but they were not visible outside. And they have been there up to this day. 9There was nothing in the ark except the two stone tablets which Moses deposited there at Horeb, when the Lord made a covenant with the sons of Israel when they came out of the land of Egypt. 10Then it came to pass when the priests came out of the sanctuary that a cloud filled the house of the Lord. 11And the priests could not stand to serve because of the cloud, because the glory of the Lord filled the house of the Lord. 12Then Solomon said,

“The Lord said that he would dwell

In thick clouds.

13I have conscientiously built

A dwelling place for you

– An age-abiding abode

For you to reside in.”

14Then the king turned round and blessed the whole convocation of Israel, and the whole convocation of Israel was standing 15as he said, “Blessed be the Lord God of Israel who spoke by his own mouth with David my father, and who accomplished it, when he said, 16‘From the day when I brought my people Israel out of Egypt, I did not select a city from any of the tribes of Israel to build a house for my name to be there, but I chose David to be over my people Israel.’ 17And it was in the heart of David my father to build a house for the name of the Lord God of Israel. 18But the Lord said to David my father, ‘Inasmuch as it was in your heart to build a house for my name, you did well, for it was in your heart. 19However, it is not you who will build the house, but rather your son who will come from your loins who will build the house for my name.’ 20And the Lord fulfilled his word which he had spoken, and I arose in the place of David my father, and I sat on the throne of Israel, as the Lord had said, and I built the house for the name of the Lord God of Israel. 21And I laid out a place for the ark there, where the covenant of the Lord is, which he made with our fathers when he brought them out of the land of Egypt.” 22And Solomon stood before the Lord's altar opposite the whole convocation of Israel, and he stretched out his hands towards heaven, 23and he said, “O Lord God of Israel, there is no God like you, in heaven above or on the earth below – you who keep the covenant and kindness with your servants who walk before you with all their heart – 24in that what you said to your servant – David my father – you kept for him, for you spoke with your mouth, and you have accomplished it, as it is today. 25So now, O Lord God of Israel, keep for your servant David my father what you said to him when you said, ‘No-one of your line sitting on the throne of Israel will be cut off before me, provided your sons keep their way by walking before me, as you have walked before me.’ 26And now, O God of Israel, please may your words which you spoke to your servant David my father be upheld. 27For will God truly dwell on earth? Behold, heaven and the heaven of heavens cannot contain you, so how much less this house which I have built? 28But you have considered the prayer of your servant and his supplication, O Lord my God, in hearing the shout and the prayer which your servant is praying before you today, 29that your eyes may be open night and day to this house – to this place of which you said, ‘My name will be there’ – so as to hear the prayer which your servant will pray facing this place. 30And do hear the supplication of your servant and your people Israel, who will pray facing this place, and do hear in the place where you are seated, in the heavens, so do hear and forgive. 31Whenever a man sins against his neighbour, and an oath is imposed on him, so as to adjure him, and the oath comes before your altar in this house, 32then hear in heaven and take action, and judge your servants, in condemning the wicked, in bringing his way back on his head, and in justifying the righteous, in rewarding him according to his righteousness. 33When your people Israel are struck down in confrontation with an enemy because they have sinned against you, and they return to you and confess your name, and they pray and make supplications to you in this house, 34then do hear in heaven and forgive the sin of your people Israel, and bring them back into the land which you gave to their fathers. 35When the heavens are shut, and there is no rain, because they have sinned against you, then they will pray facing this place, and they will confess your name, and they will turn back from their sin when you oppress them. 36And do hear in heaven, and do forgive the sin of your servants and your people Israel, then do teach them the right way in which they should walk, and do give rain on your land which you have given to your people as an inheritance. 37If there is a famine in the land, if there is a pestilence, if there is a blight or mildew, swarming locusts or consuming locusts, if their enemy besieges them in the land at their gates, if there is any affliction or any sickness, 38then for every prayer and every supplication which any man, or the whole of your people Israel may have – because each man will know the reason for the affliction of his heart – he will stretch his hands towards this house. 39Then do hear in heaven, the abode where you reside, and do forgive and take action and repay each man according to all his ways, whose heart you know, for you alone know the heart of all the sons of Adam, 40so that they may fear you for all the days that they live on the surface of the land which you have given to our fathers. 41And also concerning the foreigner who is not of your people Israel, but who has come from a distant land for the sake of your name 42(for they will hear of your great name and your strong hand, and your outstretched arm): he will come and pray facing this house. 43Do hear in heaven, the abode where you reside, and act according to everything that the foreigner calls on you about, so that all the various peoples of the earth may know your name – to fear you – as your people Israel does, and to know that your name is called on at this house which I have built. 44When your people go out to war against their enemy by the way which you send them, they will pray to the Lord in the direction of the city which you have chosen, and of the house which I have built for your name. 45And do hear in heaven their prayer and their supplication, and do execute judgment for them. 46When they sin against you – for there is no man who does not sin – and you are angry with them, and you deliver them to the enemy, and their captors take them captive to the land of the enemy, be it far or near, 47then when they have a change of heart in the land in which they have been taken captive, and they repent, and they make supplications to you in the land of their captors and say, ‘We have sinned and committed iniquity and behaved wickedly’, 48and they return to you with all their heart and with all their soul, in the land of their enemies who took them captive, and they pray to you in the direction of their land which you gave their fathers – the city which you have chosen, and of the house which I have built for your name, 49then do hear in heaven – the abode where you reside – their prayer and their supplication, and do execute judgment for them. 50And do forgive your people who have sinned against you, and all their transgressions with which they have transgressed against you, and do grant them compassion in the presence of their captors, so that they have compassion on them. 51For they are your people and your inheritance whom you brought out of Egypt, out of the middle of an iron furnace, 52so that your eyes should be open to the supplication of your servant and to the supplication of your people Israel in hearing them whenever they call out to you. 53For you have separated them to yourself as an inheritance from all the various peoples of the earth, as you said through the intermediacy of Moses your servant, when you brought our fathers out of Egypt, O my Lord the Lord.” 54And it came to pass, when Solomon had finished praying all this prayer and supplication to the Lord, that he arose from his position before the Lord's altar, from kneeling, and he held his hands stretched out to heaven. 55And he stood and blessed the whole convocation of Israel in a loud voice and said, 56“Blessed be the Lord, who has given rest to his people Israel in accordance with everything he has spoken. Not one thing has failed from all his good words which he spoke through the intermediacy of Moses his servant. 57May the Lord our God be with us as he was with our fathers. May he not leave us and may he not forsake us, 58while we incline our heart to him, so that we walk in all his ways and keep his commandments and his statutes and his regulations which he commanded our fathers. 59And may these words of mine with which I have made supplications before the Lord be close to the Lord our God day and night, so that he executes the justice of his servant and the justice of his people Israel as a daily matter, 60to the intent that all the various peoples of the earth should know that the Lord is God; there is no other. 61And may your heart be sincere with the Lord our God in walking in his statutes and in keeping his commandments, as on this day.” 62And the king and all of Israel with him offered a sacrifice before the Lord. 63And Solomon offered the peace-sacrifice, which he offered to the Lord – twenty-two thousand oxen and one hundred and twenty thousand sheep. And the king and all the sons of Israel dedicated the house of the Lord. 64On that day the king sanctified the inside of the court which was in front of the house of the Lord, for it is there that he made the burnt offering and the meal-offering and offered the fat of the peace-offerings, because the copper altar which was before the Lord was too small to hold the burnt offering and the meal-offering and the fat of the peace-offerings. 65And at that time Solomon and all Israel with him celebrated the festival – a large convocation, from the approach to Hamath to the Brook of Egypt – before the Lord our God, for seven days and seven days, that is, for fourteen days. 66On the eighth day he dismissed the people, and they blessed the king, and they went to their tents happy and in good spirits because of all the good which the Lord had done to David his servant and to Israel his people.

Reference(s) in Chapter 8: v.10 ↔ Revelation 15:8.

1 Kings Chapter 9 

1And it came to pass when Solomon had finished building the house of the Lord and the king's house, and all Solomon's wishes which he took delight in doing, 2that the Lord appeared to Solomon a second time – as when he appeared to him in Gibeon. 3And the Lord said to him, “I have heard your prayer and your supplication which you made before me. I have sanctified this house which you have built to establish my name there age-abidingly, and my eyes and my heart will be there continually. 4And as for you, if you walk before me as your father David walked, wholeheartedly and in integrity, in doing everything that I have commanded you, and if you keep my statutes and my regulations, 5then I will establish the throne of your kingdom over Israel age-abidingly, as I expounded to your father David when I said, ‘Not a man of your line shall be cut off from the throne of Israel.’ 6But if you turn away from me at all, you or your sons, and you do not keep my commandments and my statutes which I have set before you, and you go your way and serve other gods and worship them, 7then I will cut Israel off from the face of the land which I have given them, and I will cast the house which I have sanctified for my name out of my sight, and Israel will be the subject of taunting and jeering among all the nations. 8And this house will have been exalted, but everyone passing by it will be astonished and will whistle, and they will say, ‘Why has the Lord done this to this land and to this house?’ 9And they will say, ‘Because they forsook the Lord their God, who brought their fathers out of the land of Egypt, and they adhered to other gods and worshipped them and served them – that is why the Lord has brought all this trouble on them.’ ” 10And it came to pass after twenty years, when Solomon had built the two houses – the house of the Lord and the king's house – 11with Hiram king of Tyre having assisted Solomon with cedar trees and with cypress trees and with gold, having met all his desire, that King Solomon then gave Hiram twenty cities in the land of Galilee. 12And Hiram departed from Tyre to see the cities which Solomon had given him, but they were not pleasing to him. 13And he said, “What are these cities which you have given me, my brother?” And he called them the land of Cabul, as they are called up to this day. 14And Hiram sent one hundred and twenty talents of gold to the king. 15And this was the reason for the tax which King Solomon raised: in order to build the house of the Lord and his own house and the Millo, and the wall of Jerusalem, and Hazor and Megiddo and Gezer. 16Pharaoh king of Egypt had gone up and captured Gezer, and he had burnt it with fire, and he had killed the Canaanites who lived in the city, and he had given it as a dowry to his daughter, Solomon's wife. 17Then Solomon rebuilt Gezer and Lower Beth-Horon, 18and Baalath and Tamar in the desert, in the land, 19and all the storehouse cities which Solomon had, and the cities with chariot fleets, and the cities with horsemen, and the ambitions of Solomon which he aspired to build in Jerusalem and Lebanon and in every land under his rule. 20On all the people who remained from the Amorites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Hivites and the Jebusites, who were not of the sons of Israel, 21on their sons who remained after them in the land, whom the sons of Israel were not able to obliterate, Solomon imposed tribute service, which is in force up to this day. 22But Solomon did not make any of the sons of Israel bondmen, for they were warriors, and his servants, and his ministers, and his officers, and the commanders of his charioteers and his horsemen. 23These were the senior officials of those appointed over Solomon's operations: five hundred and fifty who managed the people who were engaged in the work. 24But Pharaoh's daughter came up from the City of David to her house which he had built for her, and only then did he build the Millo. 25And Solomon offered burnt offerings and peace-offerings three times in the year, on the altar which he had built to the Lord, and he burned incense with them, and it was before the Lord, and he completed the house. 26And King Solomon built a fleet of ships in Ezion-Geber, which is joint with Eloth on the coast of the Red Sea in the land of Edom. 27And Hiram sent his servants by ship – seafarers who knew the sea – with Solomon's servants, 28and they arrived in Ophir, and they took gold from there – four hundred and twenty talents of it – and they brought it to King Solomon.

1 Kings Chapter 10 

1And when the queen of Sheba heard the report of Solomon – what he had done for the name of the Lord – she came to test him with riddles. 2And she came to Jerusalem with a very large retinue of camels bearing fragrances, and a very large quantity of gold, and precious stones. And she came to Solomon, and she told him everything that was on her heart. 3And Solomon answered all her points raised – nothing was inexplicable to the king, which he could not tell her. 4So the queen of Sheba saw all Solomon's wisdom, and the house which he had built, 5and the food at his table, and the seated assembly of his servants, and the standing assembly of his attendants, and their apparel, and his butlers, and his ascent by which he went up to the house of the Lord. And it took her breath away. 6And she said to the king, “The report which I heard in my country about your affairs and your wisdom was true. 7But I did not believe those things until I came and my eyes saw them, and it turns out that half was not told me, and you have exceeded the wisdom and prosperity which I heard of in the report. 8Blessed are your men, blessed are these servants of yours who stand before you continually, who hear your wisdom. 9Blessed be the Lord your God, who has been favourably disposed to you in setting you on the throne of Israel, in the Lord's age-abiding love for Israel, who has appointed you as king to execute justice and righteousness.” 10And she gave the king one hundred and twenty talents of gold, and very many fragrances and precious stones, and such fragrance as the queen of Sheba gave to King Solomon never arrived again for its abundance. 11And also Hiram's fleet, which transported gold from Ophir, brought from Ophir a very large quantity of almug wood and precious stones. 12And the king made from the almug wood auxiliary equipment for the house of the Lord and for the king's house, and harps and lutes for the singers. Never again did such almug wood arrive, nor has it been seen, up to this day. 13And King Solomon gave the queen of Sheba all her desire which she asked for, in addition to what he gave her according to the means of King Solomon. Then she took her leave and went back to her country with her servants. 14And the weight of the gold which accrued to Solomon in one year was six hundred and sixty-six talents of gold, 15apart from what he obtained from travelling folk and trade with merchants and all the kings of Arabia and the potentates of the land. 16And King Solomon made two hundred shields of alloyed gold. Six hundred shekels of gold went in each shield, 17and he made three hundred bucklers of alloyed gold. Three manehs of gold went in each buckler, and the king put them in the house of the Forest of Lebanon. 18And the king made a large ivory throne, and he overlaid it with pure gold. 19There were six steps up to the throne, and the throne had a round canopy extending from its back, and armrests on each side of the seat, and two lions stood beside the armrests. 20And twelve lions stood there on the six steps – six on each side. Nothing had been made like it in any of the kingdoms. 21And all King Solomon's tableware for drinking was of gold, and all the articles of the house of the Forest of Lebanon were of seamless gold. Nothing was of silver – it was not regarded in Solomon's days as anything special. 22But the king had the fleet of Tarshish on the sea with Hiram's fleet. Once every three years the Tarshish fleet came transporting gold and silver, ivory and monkeys and peacocks. 23And King Solomon became greater than all the kings of the earth, in riches and in wisdom. 24And all the earth would seek an audience with Solomon, so as to hear his wisdom which God had put in his heart. 25And they each brought their gift – articles of silver and articles of gold, and garments, and weaponry and fragrances, horses and mules – an event which took place year in year out. 26And Solomon assembled a chariot fleet and horsemen, and he had one thousand four hundred chariots and twelve thousand horsemen, and he led them into the chariot cities, whereas some were with the king in Jerusalem. 27And the king made silver commonplace in Jerusalem like stones in their abundance, and he made cedars like sycamores which are in the lowlands in abundance. 28And the origin of Solomon's horses was that they were from Egypt, and the company of the king's merchants obtained the company of animals at a price. 29And a chariot went up and departed from Egypt for six hundred shekels of silver, and a horse for one hundred and fifty, and so they dispatched them through their agency to all the kings of the Hittites and to the kings of Aramaea.

1 Kings Chapter 11 

1Now King Solomon loved many foreign women, including Pharaoh's daughter, Moabite-, Ammonite-, Edomite-, Sidonian- and Hittite women, 2from the nations about which the Lord had said to the sons of Israel, “Do not have intercourse with them, and they shall not have intercourse with you. They will surely dispose your heart towards their gods.” Yet Solomon cleaved to them in love. 3And he had seven hundred wives who were princesses, and three hundred concubines, and his wives turned his heart aside. 4So it came to pass in the time of Solomon's old age, that his wives turned his heart towards other gods, and his heart was not sincere with the Lord his God, as the heart of David his father was. 5And Solomon went after Astarte, the goddess of the Sidonians, and after Milcom, the abomination of the Ammonites. 6And Solomon did evil in the sight of the Lord, and he did not fully follow the Lord as David his father did. 7Then Solomon built an idolatrous raised site to Chemosh, the abomination of Moab, at the mountain which faces Jerusalem, and to Molech, the abomination of the sons of Ammon. 8And he did this for all his foreign wives, who burned incense and offered sacrifices to their gods. 9And the Lord became angry with Solomon, for he had turned his heart away from being with the Lord God of Israel who had appeared to him twice. 10For he had commanded him concerning this matter, not to go after other gods. But he did not keep what the Lord had commanded him. 11And the Lord said to Solomon, “Since this is the way with you, and you have not kept my covenant or my statutes which I commanded you, I will tear your kingdom asunder from you, and I will give it to your servant. 12But in your days I will not do it, for the sake of your father David. It is from the hand of your son that I will tear it apart. 13Nevertheless, I will not tear all your kingdom away. 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.” 14And the Lord incited as an adversary against Solomon, Hadad the Edomite, who was of the seed of the king in Edom. 15For it had come to pass, when David was in Edom, when Joab the commander of the army came up to bury the fallen, that he struck down every male in Edom. 16For Joab remained there for six months, as did the whole of Israel, until he had cut off every male in Edom. 17And Hadad had fled – he and some Edomite men from his father's servants with him – and they had headed for Egypt, when Hadad was a small boy. 18And they went up from Midian, and they came to Paran, and they took some men from Paran with them, and they went to Egypt, to Pharaoh king of Egypt, and he gave him a house, and he ordered food for him, and he gave him land. 19And Hadad found much grace in Pharaoh's eyes, and he gave him his wife's sister as his wife, the sister of Tahpenes the queen consort. 20And Tahpenes' sister bore him Genubath his son, and Tahpenes weaned him in Pharaoh's house, and Genubath was in Pharaoh's house among Pharaoh's sons. 21Then when Hadad heard in Egypt that David had lain with his fathers, and that Joab the commander of the army had died, Hadad said to Pharaoh, “Let me go, and I will go to my country.” 22But Pharaoh said to him, “But what do you lack with me that you should be here requesting to go to your country?” And he replied, “Nothing, but let me go anyway.” 23God also incited as an adversary against him Rezon the son of Eliada, who had fled from Hadadezer his master, the king of Zobah. 24And he recruited some men. Now he had been commander of a troop when David killed them. Then they went to Damascus and stayed in it, and they reigned in Damascus. 25And he was an adversary of Israel all Solomon's days, alongside the harm which Hadad did, and he detested Israel, and he reigned over Aramaea. 26And Jeroboam the son of Nebat, an Ephrathite from Zeredah, a servant of Solomon's, whose mother's name was Zeruah, a widow, revolted against the king. 27And this is the reason why he revolted against the king: Solomon had built the Millo and closed the breach in the City of David his father. 28Now the man Jeroboam was a valiant warrior, and Solomon had seen that the young man was resourceful, and he had appointed him to every duty in the house of Joseph. 29And it came to pass at that time that Jeroboam departed from Jerusalem, and Ahijah the Shilonite prophet found him on his journey, and he had put a new cloak on, and the two of them were alone in the countryside, 30and Ahijah seized the new coat which was on him and tore it into twelve shreds. 31And he said to Jeroboam, “You keep ten shreds, for this is what the Lord God of Israel says: ‘Behold, I am about to tear the kingdom from Solomon's hand and give to you the ten tribes. 32And one tribe will be for him, for the sake of my servant David and for the sake of Jerusalem, the city which I chose out of all the tribes of Israel, 33because they have deserted me and have worshipped Astarte, the goddess of the Sidonians, Chemosh the god of Moab, and Milcom the god of the sons of Ammon, and they have not walked in my ways when they should have observed what is right in my sight – both my statutes and my regulations – as David his father did. 34But I will not take the whole kingdom from his control, for I will appoint him as a prince all the days of his life, for the sake of my servant David whom I chose, who kept my commandments and my statutes. 35So I will take the kingdom from his son's control and give you it – the ten tribes. 36But I will give one tribe to his son, so that my servant David may continually have a lamp before me in Jerusalem, the city which I chose for myself to place my name there. 37And I will take you, and you will reign over everyone whom your heart desires, and you will be king over Israel. 38And it shall come to pass, if you heed everything that I command you, and you walk in my ways, and you do what is right in my eyes, in keeping my statutes and my commandments, as my servant David did, then I will be with you, and I will build you a steadfast house as I built for David, and I will give you Israel. 39But because of this I will afflict David's seed, but not incessantly.’ ” 40Then Solomon looked for a way to kill Jeroboam, and Jeroboam arose and fled to Egypt, to Shishak king of Egypt, and he was in Egypt until Solomon's death. 41And as for the rest of Solomon's affairs, and everything he did, and his wisdom, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of Solomon? 42And the period for which Solomon reigned in Jerusalem over the whole of Israel was forty years. 43And Solomon lay with his fathers and was buried in the City of David his father. And Rehoboam his son reigned in place of him.

1 Kings Chapter 12 

1And Rehoboam went to Shechem, for all Israel went to Shechem to make him king. 2And it came to pass, when Jeroboam the son of Nebat heard it, when he was still in Egypt, where he had fled from King Solomon – so Jeroboam was living in Egypt – 3that they sent messengers and called for him. And Jeroboam came, as did the whole convocation of Israel, and they spoke to Rehoboam and said, 4“Your father made our yoke heavy, but lighten now the hard work imposed by your father, and his heavy yoke which he put on us, and we will serve you.” 5And he said to them, “Go, and come back to me in three days' time.” So the people went away. 6Then King Rehoboam consulted with the elders who had stood in the presence of Solomon his father when he was alive, and he said, “How do you advise me to reply to this people?” 7And they spoke to him and said, “If today you will be a servant to this people and will serve them and answer them and speak pleasing words to them, then they will be your servants all the time.” 8But he ignored the advice of the elders who had advised him, and he consulted the children who had grown up with him, who stood in his presence. 9And he said to them, “What do you advise that we reply to this people who spoke to me and said, ‘Lighten the yoke which your father put on us’?” 10And the children who had grown up with him spoke to him and said, “Say this to this people who spoke to you and said, ‘Your father made our yoke heavy, but you lighten it on us’ – say this to them – : ‘My little finger is thicker than my father's waist. 11And now, my father burdened you with a heavy yoke, but I will add to your yoke. My father chastened you with whips, but I will chasten you with scorpions.’ ” 12Then Jeroboam came to Rehoboam, as did all the people, on the third day, as the king had spoken when he said, “Come back to me on the third day.” 13And the king answered the people harshly, and he ignored the advice of the elders who had advised him. 14And he spoke to them according to the advice of the children and said, “My father made your yoke heavy, but I will add to your yoke. My father chastened you with whips, but I will chasten you with scorpions.” 15And the king did not listen to the people, because it was a turn of events from the Lord, in order to establish his word which the Lord had spoken through the intermediacy of Ahijah the Shilonite to Jeroboam the son of Nebat. 16And the whole of Israel saw that the king had not heeded them, and the people replied to the king and said,

“What part have we with David?”

And, “There is no inheritance in the son of Jesse.

Off to your tents, O Israel.

Now you see to your own house, David.”

Then Israel went off to their tents. 17But as for the sons of Israel who lived in the cities of Judah, Rehoboam reigned over them. 18Then when King Rehoboam sent Adoram who was in charge of the tax, all Israel stoned him, and he died. And King Rehoboam scrambled to board a carriage to flee to Jerusalem. 19So Israel revolted against the house of David, as it is up to this day. 20Then it came to pass, when all Israel heard that Jeroboam had returned, that they sent messengers and called him to the congregation, and they made him king over all Israel. There was no-one in favour of the house of David, except for the tribe of Judah alone. 21Then when Rehoboam arrived in Jerusalem, he convened the whole house of Judah and the tribe of Benjamin – one hundred and eighty thousand young men – who were about to wage war, to fight against the house of Israel, so as to restore the kingdom to Rehoboam the son of Solomon. 22And the word of God came to Shemaiah, a man of God, and it said, 23“Speak to Rehoboam the son of Solomon, the king of Judah, and to the whole house of Judah and Benjamin and the rest of the people, and say, 24‘This is what the Lord says: «Do not go up and do not fight against your brothers, the sons of Israel. Go back, each one to his house, because this matter has been brought about by me.» ’ ” And they heeded the word of the Lord and turned back, so going according to the word of the Lord. 25Meanwhile Jeroboam built Shechem on Mount Ephraim, and he resided in it, and he went out from there and built Penuel. 26But Jeroboam said in his heart, “The kingdom will return now to the house of David. 27If this people goes up to make sacrifices in the house of the Lord in Jerusalem, then the people's heart will return to their lord – to Rehoboam king of Judah – and they will kill me and return to Rehoboam king of Judah.” 28Then the king consulted, and he made two golden calves, and he said to the people, “It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem. Behold your gods, O Israel, which brought you up out of the land of Egypt.” 29And he put one in Beth-El, and he placed the other in Dan. 30And this matter became a source of sin, and the people went into the presence of one of themthe one in Dan. 31And he made an elevated idolatrous temple, and he appointed priests from the common people who were not the sons of Levi. 32And Jeroboam instituted a festival in the eighth month on the fifteenth day of the month, like the festival which is in Judah, and he made a burnt offering on the altar. This is what he did in Beth-El in sacrificing to the calves which he had made, and he appointed in Beth-El priests of the idolatrous raised sites which he had made. 33So he made burnt offerings on the altar which he had made in Beth-El on the fifteenth day of the eighth month, in the month when he devised on his own initiative that he should institute a festival for the sons of Israel. So he made burnt offerings on the altar with burning of incense.

1 Kings Chapter 13 

1Then it so happened that a man of God came from Judah with the word of the Lord to Beth-El, while Jeroboam was standing at the altar about to burn incense. 2And he called out at the altar with the word of the Lord and said, “O altar, O altar, this is what the Lord says: ‘Behold, a son is to be born in the house of David, and his name will be Josiah, and he will sacrifice on you the priests of the idolatrous raised sites who now burn incense on you, and man's bones will burn on you.’ ” 3And on that day he performed a miracle and said, “This is the miracle which the Lord has pronounced. Behold, the altar will split apart and the ashes on it will be poured out.” 4And it came to pass, when the king heard the word of the man of God, who had called out at the altar of Beth-El, that Jeroboam stretched out his hand over the altar and said, “Seize him.” But his hand which he had stretched out over it withered, and he was not able to retract it. 5And the altar was split, and the ash was poured out from the altar, as a miracle which the man of God performed with the word of the Lord. 6Then the king reacted and said to the man of God, “Plead with the Lord your God, please, and pray for me that my hand may be restored to me.” And the man of God pleaded with the Lord, and the king's hand was restored to him, and it became as it was at first. 7And the king said to the man of God, “Come home with me and dine, and I will give you a gift.” 8But the man of God said to the king, “Even if you were to give me half of your house, I would not go with you, and I would not eat bread or drink water in this place. 9For that is what the Lord commanded me by his word when he said, ‘You shall not eat bread, and you shall not drink water, and you shall not return by the way you came.’ ” 10So he went by another way, and he did not return by the way by which he came to Beth-El. 11Now a certain elderly prophet lived in Beth-El, and his son came and told him the whole proceeding which the man of God had carried out on that day in Beth-El – the words which he spoke to the king – and they told them to their father. 12Then their father said to them, “Which way did he go?” For his sons had seen which way the man of God, who had come from Judah, went. 13And he said to his sons, “Saddle the donkey for me.” So they saddled the donkey for him, and he rode on it. 14And he went after the man of God, and he found him sitting under a terebinth tree, and he said to him, “Are you the man of God who has come from Judah?” And he said, “I am.” 15Then he said to him, “Come home with me and eat bread.” 16But he said, “I am not able to return with you and to go with you, and I shall not eat bread, and I shall not drink water with you in this place. 17For the word to me, by the word of the Lord, was, ‘You shall not eat bread, and you shall not drink water there. You shall not return by going back by the way you came.’ ” 18Then he said to him, “I too am a prophet like you, and an angel has spoken to me by the word of the Lord and has said, ‘Bring him back with you to your house, and he will eat bread and drink water.’ ” But he was lying to him. 19And he returned with him and ate bread in his house and drank water. 20Then it came to pass while they were sitting at the table that the word of the Lord came to the prophet who had brought him back, 21and he called out to the man of God who had come from Judah and said, “This is what the Lord says: ‘Since you have been disobedient to the utterance of the Lord, and you have not kept the commandment which the Lord your God commanded, 22but you went back, and you have eaten bread and drunk water in a place for which he said to you, «Do not eat bread and do not drink water there», your corpse will not enter into the sepulchre of your fathers.’ ” 23And it came to pass, after he had eaten bread and after he had drunk, that he saddled the donkey for him – for the prophet whom he had brought back. 24And as he was travelling, a lion came across him on the way and killed him, and his corpse was discarded on the road, but the donkey stood next to it, and the lion stood next to the corpse. 25Then it so happened that some men were passing by, and they saw the corpse discarded on the road and the lion standing next to the corpse, and they went away and reported it in the city in which the elderly prophet lived. 26And the prophet who had brought him back when he was on his way heard it, and he said, “It is the man of God who was disobedient to the utterance of the Lord, and the Lord gave him over to the lion, and it tore him to pieces and killed him, according to the word of the Lord, who had spoken to him.” 27Then he spoke to his sons and said, “Saddle the donkey for me.” So they saddled it. 28Then he set out and found his corpse which had been discarded on the road, with the donkey and the lion standing beside the corpse. The lion did not eat the corpse, and it did not tear at the donkey. 29Then the prophet took the corpse of the man of God, and he placed him on the donkey and brought him back, and the elderly prophet went to the city to mourn for him and to bury him. 30And he placed his corpse in his grave, and they mourned for him, saying, “Alas, my brother.” 31Then it came to pass, after he had buried him, that he spoke to his sons and said, “On my death, bury me in the grave in which the man of God is buried. Place my bones next to his bones. 32For the words will surely come to pass which he called out by the word of the Lord at the altar which was in Beth-El and in all the temples of the idolatrous raised sites which were in the cities of Samaria.” 33After this affair Jeroboam did not turn back from his evil way, and he again appointed priests for the idolatrous raised sites from the common people. He installed whoever wished it, who then became priests of the idolatrous raised sites. 34And this affair became the sin of the house of Jeroboam, and it was cause to destroy it and to obliterate it from the face of the earth.

1 Kings Chapter 14 

1At that time Abijah the son of Jeroboam fell ill. 2And Jeroboam said to his wife, “Arise, please, and disguise yourself so that they won't know that you are Jeroboam's wife, and go to Shiloh. You will see that Ahijah the prophet is there. He is the one who told me that I would become king over this people. 3And take with you ten loaves, and cakes and a jar of honey, and go to him. He will tell you what will become of the child.” 4And Jeroboam's wife did so, and she arose and went to Shiloh, and she went to Ahijah's house, but Ahijah could not see because his eyes were unable to focus because of his old age. 5But the Lord said to Ahijah, “Look, Jeroboam's wife is coming to ask you for an oracle about her son, because he is ill. You will say this and that to her, and it will be the case that when she comes, she will be concealing her identity.” 6And it came to pass, when Ahijah heard the sound of her feet as she came in at the door, that he said, “Come in, O wife of Jeroboam. Why are you concealing your identity? But I have been commissioned with something severe for you. 7Go and say to Jeroboam, ‘This is what the Lord God of Israel says: «Seeing that I exalted you from among the people, and I appointed you a prince over my people Israel, 8and I split the kingdom from the house of David, and I gave it to you, but seeing that you were not like my servant David who kept my commandments and who walked after me with all his heart in doing only what is right in my sight, 9and seeing that you acted more wickedly than all who were before you, and you went on to make yourself other gods and castings, so provoking me to anger, and seeing that you cast me behind your back, 10so I for my part am about to bring evil on the house of Jeroboam, and I will cut off from Jeroboam everyone who urinates against a wall, leaving it shut off and abandoned in Israel, and I will clear the house of Jeroboam out, as one clears dung out until it has gone. 11Dogs will eat him of Jeroboam's house who dies in the city, and the birds of the sky will eat him who dies in the field, for the Lord has spoken.» ’ 12So you arise and go to your home. As your feet enter the city, the child will die. 13And all Israel will mourn for him, and they will bury him, but only he of Jeroboam's house will go to the grave, because a good thing has been found in him towards the Lord God of Israel in the house of Jeroboam. 14But the Lord will raise up a king for himself over Israel, who will cast off the house of Jeroboam on this very day. And what is more – right now. 15So the Lord will strike Israel, as a reed is driven about in the water, and he will drive Israel out from this good land which he gave to their fathers, and he will scatter them on the other side of the river, because they have constructed their phallic parks, provoking the Lord to anger. 16And he will deliver up Israel on account of Jeroboam's sins which he committed, and because he caused Israel to sin.” 17Then Jeroboam's wife arose and departed and went to Tirzah. And as she went in over the threshold of the house, the child died. 18And they buried him, and all Israel mourned for him, according to the word of the Lord which he had spoken through the intermediacy of his servant Ahijah the prophet. 19And as for the rest of the affairs of Jeroboam, who waged war and who reigned, they are written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel. 20And the period for which Jeroboam reigned was twenty-two years, and he lay with his fathers. And Nadab his son reigned in place of him. 21Meanwhile Rehoboam the son of Solomon reigned in Judah. Rehoboam was forty-one years old when he started to reign, and he reigned for seventeen years in Jerusalem, the city which the Lord chose out of all the tribes of Israel to establish his name there. And his mother's name was Naamah the Ammonitess. 22And Judah did evil in the Lord's sight, and they provoked him to jealousy more than anything that their fathers did, in their sins which they committed. 23And they too constructed for themselves idolatrous raised sites and idolatrous statues and phallic parks on every high hill and under every luxuriant tree. 24And there were also male prostitutes in the land. They committed all the abominations of the Gentiles whom the Lord had driven out before the sons of Israel. 25And it came to pass in the fifth year of King Rehoboam that Shishak king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem. 26And he took away the treasures of the house of the Lord and the treasures of the king's house. And he took everything away, and he took away all the golden shields which Solomon had made. 27Then King Rehoboam made shields of copper instead of them, and he committed them to the care of the captains of the couriers who guarded the entrance to the king's house. 28And it was the case that every time the king went to the house of the Lord, the couriers carried them there, and then brought them back to the repository of the couriers. 29And as for the rest of the affairs of Rehoboam, and everything he did – are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah? 30And there was war between Rehoboam and Jeroboam all the time. 31And Rehoboam lay with his fathers, and he was buried with his fathers in the City of David. And his mother's name was Naamah the Ammonitess. And Abijam his son reigned in his place.

1 Kings Chapter 15 

1Now in the eighteenth year of King Jeroboam the son of Nebat, Abijam started to reign over Judah. 2He reigned for three years in Jerusalem. And the name of his mother was Maachah, the daughter of Abishalom. 3And he walked in all the sins of his father which he did before him, and his heart was not sincere with the Lord his God, as the heart of David his father was. 4For it was for David's sake that the Lord his God gave him a lamp in Jerusalem in raising up his son after him and to establish Jerusalem, 5because David did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, and he did not depart from anything that he commanded him all the days of his life, except in the incident of Uriah the Hittite. 6And there was war between Rehoboam and Jeroboam all the days of his life. 7And as for the rest of the affairs of Abijam, and everything he did – are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah? And there was war between Abijam and Jeroboam. 8And Abijam lay with his fathers, and they buried him in the City of David, and Asa his son reigned in his place. 9And in the twentieth year of Jeroboam king of Israel, Asa reigned as king of Judah. 10And he reigned in Jerusalem for forty-one years, and his mother's name was Maachah, the daughter of Abishalom. 11Now Asa did what was right in the Lord's sight, as David his father did. 12And he ejected the male prostitutes from the land, and he removed all the idols which his father had made. 13And as for Maachah his mother too, he excluded her from being queen mother, because she had made a monstrosity for the phallic park. And Asa cut her monstrosity down and burnt it at the Kidron Brook. 14But the idolatrous raised sites were not removed, yet Asa's heart was sincere with the Lord all his days. 15And he fetched his father's holy articles, and the holy articles of the house of the Lord – silver and gold and equipment. 16And there was war between Asa and Baasha king of Israel all their days. 17And Baasha king of Israel went up against Judah, and he built Ramah, in order to prevent traffic to and from Asa king of Judah. 18And Asa took all the silver and the gold which remained in the treasuries of the house of the Lord and the treasuries of the king's house, and he committed them to the care of his servants. And King Asa sent them to Ben-Hadad, the son of Tabrimon, the son of Hezion, the king of Aramaea, who was living in Damascus, and he said, 19There is a covenant between me and you as there was between my father and your father. Look, I have sent you a gift – silver and gold. Go and break your covenant with Baasha king of Israel so that I am rid of him.” 20And Ben-Hadad heeded King Asa, and he sent the commanders of his forces against the cities of Israel, and he attacked Ijon and Dan and Abel-Beth-Maachah, and all of Kinnereth over all the land of Naphtali. 21And when Baasha heard about it, he discontinued building Ramah, and he lived in Tirzah. 22And King Asa made a proclamation to the whole of Judah – no-one was exempt – and they carried away the stones of Ramah and its timbers, with which Baasha had been building it. And King Asa built Geba of Benjamin and Mizpah with them. 23And the rest of all the affairs of Asa, and all his bravery, and everything he did, and the cities which he built – are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah? Except that in the time of his old age, he had a disorder in his feet. 24And Asa lay with his fathers, and he was buried with his fathers in the City of David his father, and Jehoshaphat his son reigned in his place. 25And Nadab the son of Jeroboam became king over Israel in the second year of Asa king of Judah, and he reigned over Israel for two years. 26And he did evil in the sight of the Lord, and he walked in the way of his father, and in his sin, in that he caused Israel to sin. 27And Baasha the son of Ahijah of the house of Issachar conspired against him, and Baasha attacked him in Gibbethon, which the Philistines had held. So Nadab and the whole of Israel besieged Gibbethon. 28And Baasha killed Nadab in the third year of Asa king of Judah, and he reigned in his place. 29And it came to pass while he reigned that he struck the whole house of Jeroboam down until he had eradicated it – he did not leave anyone of Jeroboam's family with breath remaining – according to the word of the Lord which he spoke through the intermediacy of his servant Ahijah the Shilonite, 30because of the sins of Jeroboam which he committed, and because he caused Israel to sin by his provocative behaviour by which he provoked the Lord God of Israel. 31And the rest of the affairs of Nadab, and everything that he did, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel? 32And there was war between Asa and Baasha king of Israel all the time. 33In the third year of Asa king of Judah, Baasha the son of Ahijah became king over the whole of Israel in Tirzah, and he reigned for twenty-four years. 34And he did evil in the sight of the Lord, and he walked in the way of Jeroboam and his sin by which he caused Israel to sin.

1 Kings Chapter 16 

1Then the word of the Lord came to Jehu the son of Hanani against Baasha, saying, 2“Since I raised you up from the dust and made you a prince over my people Israel, yet you walked in the way of Jeroboam and caused my people Israel to sin, so provoking me to anger with their sins, 3I am now about to eject Baasha and his house and make your house like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat. 4Dogs will eat whoever of Baasha's house dies in the city, and the birds of the sky will eat whoever of his house dies in the field.” 5And the rest of the affairs of Baasha and what he did, and his bravery, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel? 6And Baasha lay with his fathers, and he was buried in Tirzah, and Elah his son reigned in his place. 7So the word of the Lord through the intermediacy of Jehu the son of Hanani the prophet duly came about against Baasha, and against his house, both for all the evil which he did in the sight of the Lord – in provoking him to anger, in the undertakings of his hands, in being like the house of Jeroboam – and because he struck that house down. 8In twenty-sixth year of Asa king of Judah, Elah the son of Baasha became king over Israel in Tirzah, for two years. 9And his servant Zimri, commander of half of his chariot fleet, conspired against him, when he was in Tirzah drinking himself drunk in the house of Arza who was in charge of the house in Tirzah. 10And Zimri came and struck him and killed him in the twenty-seventh year of Asa king of Judah, and he reigned in his place. 11And it came to pass when he started to reign, as soon as he sat on his throne, that he struck the whole house of Baasha down – he did not leave him anyone who urinates against a wall, neither his kinsmen-redeemers nor his entourage. 12So Zimri eliminated the whole house of Baasha according to the word of the Lord which he spoke to Baasha through the intermediacy of Jehu the prophet, 13for all the sins of Baasha, and the sins of Elah his son, which they committed and because they caused Israel to sin, by provoking the Lord God of Israel to anger with their idols. 14And the rest of the affairs of Elah, and everything he did, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel? 15In the twenty-seventh year of Asa king of Judah, Zimri reigned for seven days in Tirzah, and the people encamped against Gibbethon, which the Philistines had held. 16And the people who were encamped heard reports saying, “Zimri has conspired and even struck the king down.” And all Israel made Omri, who was an army commander, king of Israel on that day in the encampment. 17Then Omri and all Israel with him went up from Gibbethon, and they besieged Tirzah. 18And it came to pass, when Zimri saw that the city had been captured, that he went to the palace of the king's house and burned the kings house down with fire, on top of himself, and he died 19for his sin which he committed by doing evil in the sight of the Lord, by walking in the way of Jeroboam and in his sin, which he committed by causing Israel to sin. 20And the rest of the affairs of Zimri, and his conspiracy which he made, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel? 21Then the people of Israel were divided in two – half of the people were in favour of making Tibni the son of Ginath king, and half were in favour of Omri. 22And the people who were in favour of Omri prevailed over the people who were in favour of Tibni the son of Ginath, and Tibni died, and Omri reigned. 23In the thirty-first year of Asa king of Judah, Omri became king over Israel for twelve years. He reigned for six years in Tirzah. 24And he purchased Mount Samaria from Shemer for two talents of silver, and he built on the mountain, and he called the city which he had built after Shemer, the lord of Mount Samaria. 25And Omri did evil in the Lord's sight, and he was worse than all those who were before him. 26And he walked in every way of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and in his sins with which he caused Israel to sin, by provoking the Lord God of Israel to anger with their idols. 27And the rest of the exploits of Omri which he undertook, and his brave acts which he did, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel? 28And Omri lay with his fathers, and he was buried in Samaria, and Ahab his son reigned in his place. 29And Ahab the son of Omri became king over Israel in the thirty-eighth year of Asa king of Judah, and Ahab the son of Omri reigned over Israel in Samaria for twenty-two years. 30And Ahab the son of Omri did evil in the sight of the Lord – more than everyone who was before him. 31For it really was insufficient for him to walk in the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and he took as his wife Jezebel, the daughter of Ethbaal king of the Sidonians, and he went his way and served Baal, and he worshipped him. 32And he set up an altar to Baal in the house of Baal which he built in Samaria. 33And Ahab made the phallic park, and Ahab did more to provoke the Lord God of Israel than all the kings of Israel who were before him. 34In his days Hiel, a Beth-Elite, built Jericho. He founded it paid for by Abiram his firstborn, and he set up its gates paid for by Segub his younger son, according to the word of the Lord which he had spoken through the intermediacy of Joshua the son of Nun.

Reference(s) in Chapter 16: v.31 ↔ Revelation 2:20.

1 Kings Chapter 17 

1And Elijah the Tishbite, an inhabitant of Gilead, said to Ahab, “As the Lord God of Israel lives, before whom I stand, there certainly will not be any dew or rain for the coming years, but it will be according to my word.” 2And the word of the Lord came to him and said, 3“Depart from here and turn to the east, and hide at Cherith Brook which is alongside the Jordan. 4And it will come to pass that you will drink from the brook, and I have commanded the ravens to sustain you there.” 5So he departed according to the word of the Lord, and he went away and stayed at the Cherith Brook which is alongside the Jordan. 6And the ravens would bring him bread and meat in the morning, and bread and meat in the evening, and he drank from the brook. 7And it came to pass after several days that the brook dried up, for there had been no rain in the land. 8And the word of the Lord came to him and said, 9“Arise and go to Zarephath, which is subservient to Sidon, and stay there. Look, I have instructed a widow there to sustain you.” 10So he arose and went to Zarephath, and he arrived at the entrance to the city, and what he saw was a widow there gathering wood, and he called out to her and said, “Please get me a little water in a cup for me to drink.” 11Then as she went to get it, he called out to her, “Please bring a piece of bread for me with you.” 12And she said, “As the Lord your God lives, I certainly do not have any cake, except a handful of flour in a jar, and a little oil in a jug, and you see that I am gathering a couple of sticks, so that I can go and prepare it for myself and for my son, so we can eat it and die.” 13Then Elijah said to her, “Do not be afraid. Go off and do what you have said, but make me a small cake from it first, and bring it out to me, and afterwards make something for yourself and your son. 14For this is what the Lord God of Israel says: ‘The jar of flour will not become exhausted, and the jug of oil will not run out, before the Lord gives rain over the ground.’ ” 15Then she went and did according to Elijah's words, and she and he and her household ate from it for many days. 16The jar of flour did not become exhausted, and the jug of oil did not run out, according with the word of the Lord which he spoke through the intermediacy of Elijah. 17Then it came to pass after these things that the son of the woman who was the mistress of the household became ill, and his illness was so serious that there was no breath left in him. 18And she said to Elijah, “What have I got to do with you, O man of God? Have you come to bring my iniquity to remembrance and to kill my son?” 19And he said to her, “Give me your son.” And he took him from her bosom, and he took him up to the upstairs room where he stayed, and he laid him on his bed. 20And he called on the Lord and said, “O Lord my God, have you really done harm to the widow with whom I am lodging, by killing her son?” 21And he stretched out over the child three times, and he called out to the Lord and said, “O Lord my God, please may the life of this child return within him.” 22And the Lord heeded Elijah, and the child's life returned within him, and he lived. 23Then Elijah took hold of the child and brought him down from the upstairs room into the main house, and he gave him to his mother. And Elijah said, “Look, your son is alive.” 24And the woman said to Elijah, “Now I really know that you are a man of God, and the word of the Lord in your mouth is true.”

Reference(s) in Chapter 17: v.1 ↔ Revelation 11:6 ● v.9 ↔ Luke 4:26.

1 Kings Chapter 18 

1And it came to pass after many days that the word of the Lord came to Elijah, in the third year, saying, “Go and show yourself to Ahab, and I will give rain over the ground.” 2So Elijah went to show himself to Ahab. Now the famine was severe in Samaria. 3And Ahab called for Obadiah who was in charge of the house. And Obadiah feared the Lord greatly. 4And it came to pass, when Jezebel cut the Lord's prophets off, that Obadiah took a hundred prophets and hid them – fifty men to a cave – and sustained them with food and water. 5And Ahab said to Obadiah, “Go into the land, to all the sources of water, and to all the brooks. Maybe we will find pasture, and we will be able to revive our horses and mules, and we won't have to cull our cattle.” 6Then they divided up the land, so as to cover it. Ahab went by one road on his own, while Obadiah went by another road on his own. 7And it came to pass while Obadiah was on the road that, as it happened, Elijah came towards him, and he recognized him, and he fell face down and said, “Is it really you, my lord Elijah?” 8And he said to him, “I am. Go and say to your lord, ‘Behold, Elijah is here.’ ” 9And he said, “In what way have I sinned that you should hand your servant over to Ahab, so as to put me to death? 10As the Lord your God lives, there is certainly no nation or kingdom to which my lord has not sent scouts to search for you, and they have said, ‘He is not there.’ And he made the kingdom or the nation swear that they had not found you. 11And now you say, ‘Go and say to your lord, «Behold, Elijah is here.» ’ 12And it will come to pass, when I depart from you, while the spirit of the Lord takes you to somewhere I don't know, while I have gone to tell Ahab, and when he doesn't find you, that he will kill me. And your servant has feared the Lord from my youth. 13Was it not reported to my lord, what I did when Jezebel killed the Lord's prophets, when I hid one hundred men of the Lord's prophets, in groups of fifty men to a cave, and I sustained them with food and water? 14Yet now you say, ‘Go and say to your lord, «Behold, Elijah is here» ’, and he will kill me.” 15Then Elijah said, “As the Lord of hosts lives, in whose presence I stand, I will certainly show myself to him today.” 16Then Obadiah went to meet Ahab, and he told him, and Ahab went to meet Elijah. 17And it came to pass, when Ahab saw Elijah, that Ahab said to him, “Are you the one who is causing sorrow to Israel?” 18And he said, “I have not caused Israel sorrow, but rather you have, and the house of your father, in that you have forsaken the Lord's commandments and have walked after the idols of Baal. 19So now, send men to gather the whole of Israel to me at Mount Carmel, including Baal's prophets – four hundred and fifty of them – and the prophets of the phallic park – four hundred of them – who eat at Jezebel's table.” 20And Ahab sent men to all the sons of Israel, and he gathered the prophets at Mount Carmel. 21Then Elijah approached all the people and said, “How long will you flit between two positions? If the Lord is God, follow him. And if Baal is, follow him.” And the people didn't answer him anything. 22Then Elijah said to the people, “I alone have remained a prophet to the Lord, but the prophets of Baal are four hundred and fifty in number. 23So let them give us two bulls, and they can choose one bull and divide it in pieces and put it on wood, but they will not apply fire, and I will attend to the other bull, and I will put it on the wood, but I will not apply fire. 24And you will call on the name of your god, and I will call on the name of the Lord, and it will be the case that the god who answers with fire is God.” And all the people answered and said, “The proposal is good.” 25Then Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, “Choose the first bull and attend to it first, for you are many, and call on the name of your god, but do not apply fire.” 26So they took the bull which they selected, and they attended to it, and they called on the name of Baal from morning to noon, saying, “O Baal, answer us”, but there was no voice and no-one answering. And they leapt over the altar which had been made. 27And it came to pass at noon that Elijah mocked them and said, “Call out in a loud voice, for he is a god. Either he is in conversation, or he is in seclusion, he is on a journey, or perhaps he is asleep and will wake up.” 28So they called out in a loud voice, and they made incisions on themselves according to their custom, with swords and with spears, until they had shed blood over themselves. 29Then it came to pass, when noon had passed, that they prophesied until the time of the meal-offering, but there was no voice, and no-one answering, and no attention paid. 30Then Elijah said to all the people, “Come near to me.” And all the people came near to him, and he repaired the altar of the Lord which had been demolished. 31And Elijah took twelve stones, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, to whom the word of the Lord had come, saying, “Your name will be Israel.” 32And he fashioned the stones into an altar in the name of the Lord, and he dug a trench around the altar with the capacity of about two seahs of seed. 33And he arranged the wood, and he divided the bull in pieces, and he put them on the wood. 34Then he said, “Fill four jars with water, and pour it on the burnt offering and on the wood.” And he said, “Do it again.” And they did it again. Then he said, “Do it a third time.” And they did it a third time. 35And the water ran around the altar, and he also filled the trench with water. 36And it came to pass, when the meal-offering was offered, that Elijah the prophet came near and said, “Lord God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, let it be known today that you are God in Israel, and that I am your servant, and that it will be by your words that I will have done all these things. 37Answer me, O Lord, answer me, so that this people may know that you are the Lord God and that it is you who will have turned their heart back.” 38Then the Lord's fire fell down and consumed the burnt offering, and the wood and the stones and the dust, and it licked up the water which was in the trench. 39And all the people saw it, and they fell face down and said, “The Lord is God; the Lord is God.” 40And Elijah said to them, “Seize the prophets of Baal. Do not let any of them escape.” So they seized them, and Elijah brought them down to the Kishon Brook, and he slaughtered them there. 41And Elijah said to Ahab, “Go up and eat and drink, for there is the sound of a large quantity of rain.” 42So Ahab went up to eat and drink, and Elijah went up to the peak of Carmel, and he bent down facing the ground and put his head between his knees. 43And he said to his servant-lad, “Go up now and look in the direction of the sea.” So he went up, and he looked, and he said, “There is nothing there.” Then he said, “Do it again, seven times.” 44And it came to pass on the seventh time that he said, “There is a small cloud like a man's palm arising out of the sea.” And he said, “Go up and say to Ahab, ‘Harness your chariot and go down, and may the rain not stop you.’ ” 45And it came to pass meanwhile that the sky darkened with clouds, and there was wind, and there was heavy rain. And Ahab was riding, and going to Jezreel. 46And the hand of the Lord was on Elijah, and he girded up his loins and ran before Ahab to where one enters Jezreel.

1 Kings Chapter 19 

1And Ahab told Jezebel everything that Elijah had done, and everything about how he had killed all the prophets by the sword. 2Then Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah to say, “May the gods do this to me and add to it if at this time tomorrow I don't make your life like one of their lives.” 3Then when he saw the message, he arose and fled for his life, and he arrived in Beersheba, which belongs to Judah. And he left his servant-lad there, 4while he went into the desert – a day's journey – and he came and sat under a broom shrub. And he asked for his life to end, and he said, “It is enough now, O Lord. Take my life, for I am no better than my fathers.” 5Then he lay down and fell asleep under a broom shrub, and what then happened was that an angel touched him and said to him, “Get up and eat.” 6And he looked, and there was at his head-end a stone-baked cake and a jug of water. And he ate and drank, then he lay down again. 7And the angel of the Lord touched him a second time and said, “Get up and eat, for otherwise the journey will be too much for you.” 8So he got up and ate and drank and proceeded in the strength of that food for forty days and forty nights to Horeb, the mountain of God. 9And he went to the cave there and spent the night there, and what happened was that the word of the Lord came to him, and he said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” 10And he said, “I have been extremely zealous for the Lord God of hosts, but the sons of Israel have forsaken your covenant. They have demolished your altars, and they have killed your prophets by the sword, and I remain on my own, and they are trying to take my life.” 11And he said, “Go out and stand at the mountain before the Lord.” And what happened next was that the Lord passed by, and a strong and powerful wind chipped away at the mountains and shattered rocks before the Lord. But the Lord was not in the wind. And after the wind there was an earthquake. But the Lord was not in the earthquake. 12And after the earthquake came fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a quiet, faint voice. 13And it came to pass, when Elijah heard it, that he covered his face with his cloak and went out and stood at the entrance to the cave, and what happened was that a voice came to him and said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” 14And he said, “I have been extremely zealous for the Lord God of hosts, but the sons of Israel have forsaken your covenant. They have demolished your altars and killed your prophets by the sword, and I remain on my own, and they are trying to take my life.15Then the Lord said to him, “Go and return to your way – to the Desert of Damascus – and when you arrive, anoint Hazael as king over Aramaea. 16And anoint Jehu the son of Nimshi as king over Israel, and anoint Elisha the son of Shaphat from Abel-Meholah as a prophet in your place. 17And it will happen that Jehu will kill him who escapes from Hazael's sword, and that Elisha will kill him who escapes Jehu's sword. 18But I have retained seven thousand in Israel – all the knees which did not bow to Baal, and every mouth which did not kiss him.” 19So he departed from there, and he found Elisha the son of Shaphat, while he was ploughing with twelve pairs of oxen in front of him, he being with the twelfth, and Elijah crossed over to him and cast his cloak over him. 20And he left the oxen and ran after Elijah and said, “Please let me kiss my father and my mother, then I will follow you.” Then he said to him, “Go, and come back. For what have I done to you?” 21So Elisha went back, leaving him behind, and he took the pair of oxen, and he sacrificed them, and he cooked their meat over the equipment to go with the oxen. And he gave some to the people, and they ate. Then he arose and followed Elijah, and he served him.

Reference(s) in Chapter 19: v.10 ↔ Romans 11:3 ● v.14 ↔ Romans 11:3 ● v.18 ↔ Romans 11:4.

1 Kings Chapter 20 

1And Ben-Hadad king of Aramaea assembled all his forces, and there were thirty-two kings with him, and cavalry and a chariot fleet, and he went up and besieged Samaria and waged war against it. 2And he sent messengers to Ahab king of Israel, to the city, 3and he said to him, “This is what Ben-Hadad says: ‘Your silver and your gold is mine, and your wives and your fair sons are mine.’ ” 4At this the king of Israel replied and said, “As you say, my lord the king. I and everything I have are yours.” 5Then the messengers returned and said, “This is what Ben-Hadad says: ‘Although I sent messengers to you to say, «You shall give me your silver and your gold and your wives and your sons», 6nevertheless, at this time tomorrow I will send my servants to you, and they will search your house and the houses of your servants, and they will lay their hands on every object of yours that is pleasing to the eye and take it away.’ ” 7Then the king of Israel called for all the elders of the land and said, “Kindly be aware and observe how this man is seeking a pretext for aggression, for he has sent to me for my wives and my sons and my silver and my gold, and I did not withhold them from him.” 8Then all the elders and all the people said to him, “Do not heed him and do not comply.” 9So he said to Ben-Hadad's messengers, “Say to my lord the king, ‘I will do everything that you charged your servant to do the first time, but I cannot do this thing.’ ” Then the messengers departed and reported back to him. 10Then Ben-Hadad sent word to him and said, “May the gods do this to me and add more if the dust of Samaria is sufficient for all the people following in my footsteps to have a handful of it.” 11At this the king of Israel replied and said, “Say, ‘Don't let him who girds himself boast like him who ungirds himself.’ ” 12And it came to pass when he heard these words, while he was drinking – he and the kings in the out-houses – that he said to his servants, “Fall into rank.” So they fell into rank against the city. 13Now it so happened that a certain prophet approached Ahab king of Israel and said, “This is what the Lord says: ‘Have you seen all this large mass of people? I am about to deliver them into your hand today, and you will know that I am the Lord.’ ” 14Then Ahab said, “By means of whom?” And he said, “This is what the Lord says: ‘By means of the youths serving the governors of the provinces.’ ” Then he said, “Who will start the war?” And he said, “You will.” 15Then he counted the youths serving the governors of the provinces, and there were two hundred and thirty-two of them, and after them he counted all the people – all the sons of Israel – and it came to seven thousand. 16Then they went out at noon, while Ben-Hadad was drinking himself drunk in the out-houses, he and the kings – thirty-two kings helping him. 17So the youths serving the governors of the provinces went out first, and Ben-Hadad sent scouts, and they reported back to him and said, “Some men have come out from Samaria.” 18And he said, “If they have come out for peace, take them alive, or if they have come out for war, take them alive.” 19So these youths serving the governors of the provinces went out of the city, with the army which was behind them. 20And each man struck down his opposite man, and the Aramaeans fled, and Israel pursued them, but Ben-Hadad king of Aramaea escaped on a horse with horsemen. 21And the king of Israel went out and attacked the cavalry and the chariot fleet, and he dealt Aramaea a severe blow. 22Then the prophet approached the king of Israel and said to him, “Go and be encouraged, but be wary and watch out with what you do, for in the new year the king of Aramaea will come up against you.” 23And the servants of the king of Aramaea said to him, “Their god is a god of the hills, which is why they were stronger than us, but if we fight them on the plain, we will certainly be stronger than them. 24And do this thing: remove each king from his position and appoint governors in their place. 25And recruit an army for yourself like the army which fell away from you, with a horse for a horse and a chariot for a chariot, and let us fight them on the plain, and we will certainly be stronger than them.” And he heeded their proposal and did so. 26And it came to pass at the new year that Ben-Hadad mobilized the Aramaeans, and he went up to Aphek for the war with Israel. 27And the sons of Israel were mobilized and given supplies, and they went to confront them, and the sons of Israel encamped opposite them, like two little flocks of goats, whereas the Aramaeans filled the land. 28Then the man of God approached and spoke to the king of Israel and said, “This is what the Lord says: ‘Since the Aramaeans have said, «The Lord is a god of the hills, and he is not a god of the valleys», I will deliver all this large mass of people into your hand, and you will know that I am the Lord.’ ” 29And they encamped opposite each other for seven days, then it came to pass on the seventh day that the war broke out, and the sons of Israel struck the Aramaeans down – one hundred thousand foot soldiers in one day. 30And the remainder fled to Aphek, to the city, and the wall fell on the remaining twenty-seven thousand men, and Ben-Hadad fled, and he went to the city in an inner room. 31And his servants said to him, “Look now, we have heard that the kings of the house of Israel are merciful kings. So let's put sackcloth round our waist and cords on our head and go out to the king of Israel – perhaps he will let you live.” 32So they girded themselves with sackcloth around their waist, and cords on their heads, and they went to the king of Israel and said, “Your servant Ben-Hadad says, ‘Please let me live.’ ” And he said, “Is he still alive? He is my brother.” 33At this the men were enchanted and were quick to confirm what was asked about him, and they said, “Your brother Ben-Hadad is alive.” And Ahab said, “Go and fetch him.” Then Ben-Hadad came out to him, and Ahab had him go up into the chariot. 34Then Ben-Hadad said to him, “I will restore to you the cities which my father captured from your father, and you will be able to establish suburbs for yourself in Damascus, as my father did in Samaria.” Then Ahab said, “I will send you off with a covenant.” And he made a covenant with him and sent him off. 35Then a certain man from the sons of the prophets said to a colleague of his by the word of the Lord, “Please strike me.” But the man refused to strike him. 36Then he said to him, “Since you have not heeded the voice of the Lord, it will transpire that when you depart from me, a lion will strike you.” And when he left his company, a lion found him and struck him. 37Subsequently, he found another man, and he said, “Please strike me.” And the man struck him and wounded him in the process. 38Then the prophet departed and stood in the street waiting for the king, having disguised himself with a head-band around his eyes. 39And it came to pass as the king was passing by that he shouted out to the king and said, “Your servant went out to the heart of the battle, and it so happened that a man turned aside and brought a man to me and said, ‘Guard this man. If he in any way goes missing, then your life will be forfeited for his life, or else you will weigh me out a talent of silver.’ 40And the way things went, your servant was busy here and there, and the captive was gone.” Then the king of Israel said to him, “Your sentence will be as you yourself have specified.” 41Then he quickly removed the head-band from his eyes, and the king of Israel recognized him, for he was one of the prophets. 42And he said to him, “This is what the Lord says: ‘Since you let the man go out of your hand, whom I had condemned, your life will be forfeited for his life, and your people for his people.’ ” 43Then the king of Israel went to his house, sullen and resentful. And he went to Samaria.

1 Kings Chapter 21 

1And it came to pass after these things that Naboth the Jezreelite had a vineyard which was in Jezreel, next to the palace of Ahab king of Samaria, 2and Ahab spoke to Naboth and said, “Give me your vineyard, so it can be my vegetable garden, for it is nearby my house, and I will give you a better vineyard than it in exchange for it. Or if it meets with your approval, I will give you its value in money.” 3But Naboth said to Ahab, “Far be it from the Lord for me to give you the inheritance of my fathers.” 4At this Ahab went to his house sullen and resentful on account of the words which Naboth the Jezreelite had spoken to him, when he said, “I will not give you the inheritance of my fathers”, and he lay on his bed, and he turned his face away, and he did not eat any bread. 5But Jezebel his wife came to him and said to him, “What is this sullen spirit you have? And you aren't eating any bread.” 6And he said to her, “It is because I was speaking to Naboth the Jezreelite, and I said to him, ‘Give me your vineyard for money, or if you prefer, I will give you a vineyard in exchange for it.’ But he said, ‘I will not give you my vineyard.’ ” 7At this Jezebel his wife said to him, “Do you exercise kingship over Israel or not? Get up and eat bread and cheer up. I will give you the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite.” 8And she wrote communiqués in Ahab's name and sealed them with his seal, and she sent the communiqués to the elders and to the nobles who were in his city, who lived alongside Naboth. 9And she wrote the communiqués as follows: “Call for a fast, and seat Naboth in front of the people. 10And seat two good-for-nothing men opposite him, who will testify against him and say, ‘You have cursed God and the king’, and carry him out and stone him, and he will die.” 11And the men of his city – the elders and the nobles who lived in his city – did according to what Jezebel sent to them, according to what was written in the communiqués which she had sent to them. 12They called for a fast and seated Naboth in front of the people. 13And the two good-for-nothing men came and sat opposite him, and the good-for-nothing men testified against him – Naboth – in the presence of the people and said, “Naboth cursed God and the king.” Then they brought him outside the city and stoned him, and he died. 14Then they sent word to Jezebel and said, “Naboth has been stoned and has died.” 15And it came to pass, when Jezebel heard that Naboth had been stoned and had died, that Jezebel said to Ahab, “Arise, inherit the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite who refused to give it to you for money, for Naboth is not alive, but dead.” 16And it came to pass, when Ahab heard that Naboth was dead, that Ahab arose to go down to the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite to inherit it. 17And the word of the Lord came to Elijah the Tishbite and said, 18“Arise and go down to meet Ahab king of Israel, who is in Samaria. Look, he is in Naboth's vineyard, where he has gone down to inherit it, 19and speak to him and say, ‘This is what the Lord says: «Have you committed murder, and have you also received the inheritance?» ’ And you will speak to him and say, ‘This is what the Lord says: «In the place where the dogs licked Naboth's blood, the dogs will lick your blood – yours too.» ’ ” 20Then Ahab said to Elijah, “Have you found me, my enemy?” And he said, “I have found you, because you have sold yourself, in doing evil in the sight of the Lord. 21Now I am about to bring evil on you, and to eradicate you, and I will cut off from Ahab whoever urinates against a wall, leaving him shut off and abandoned in Israel. 22And I will make your house like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and like the house of Baasha the son of Ahijah, because of the anger to which you have provoked me and because you have caused Israel to sin.” 23And the Lord also spoke to Jezebel and said, “The dogs will eat Jezebel at the fortification of Jezreel. 24Dogs will eat whoever of Ahab's house dies in the city, and birds of the sky will eat whoever dies in the field.” 25There was no-one anything like Ahab, whom Jezebel his wife incited, who sold himself in doing evil in the sight of the Lord. 26And he acted most abominably in walking after the idols, like everything which the Amorites did, whom the Lord dispossessed before the sons of Israel. 27And it came to pass, when Ahab heard these things, that he tore his clothes and put sackcloth on his flesh and fasted, and he lay in sackcloth, and he went around slowly. 28The word of the Lord came to Elijah the Tishbite and said, 29“Have you seen how Ahab has humbled himself before me? Since he has humbled himself before me, I will not bring the evil in his days. In his son's days, I will bring the evil on his house.”

1 Kings Chapter 22 

1And they spent three years without a war between Aramaea and Israel. 2Then it came to pass in the third year that Jehoshaphat king of Judah came down to the king of Israel, 3and the king of Israel said to his servants, “Do you know that Ramoth in Gilead is ours, and we have been keeping quiet, refraining from taking it from the hand of the king of Aramaea?” 4And he said to Jehoshaphat, “Will you go to war with me to Ramoth-Gilead?” And Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, “I am as you are, my people are as your people; my horses are as your horses.” 5And Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, “Please consult the word of the Lord today.” 6And the king of Israel gathered the prophets – about four hundred men – and he asked them, “Should I go to war against Ramoth-Gilead or should I refrain?” And they said, “Go up, and the Lord* will deliver it into the king's hand.” 7And Jehoshaphat said, “Is there no other prophet of the Lord here for us to inquire of him?” 8And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “There is one more man from whom one can consult the Lord, but I hate him, because he does not prophesy good about me, but evil: Micaiah the son of Imlah.” And Jehoshaphat said, “Let the king not say suchlike.” 9Then the king of Israel called for a certain eunuch, and he said, “Bring Micaiah the son of Imlah quickly.” 10And the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat king of Judah were each sitting on his throne, dressed in royal clothes in a threshing hall at the entrance of the Gate of Samaria, and all the prophets were prophesying in their presence. 11And Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah had made himself some iron horns, and he said, “This is what the Lord says: ‘With these you will butt the Aramaeans until you have finished them off.’ ” 12And all the prophets prophesied likewise and said, “Go up to Ramoth-Gilead, and have success, and the Lord will deliver it into the king's hand.” 13Then the messenger who had gone to fetch Micaiah spoke to him and said, “These are, then, the unanimously favourable words of the prophets to the king. Now may your words be similar to the pronouncement of any of them, and speak favourably.” 14But Micaiah said, “As the Lord lives, rather, it is what the Lord says to me that I will speak.” 15And when he went to the king, the king said to him, “Micaiah, should we go up to Ramoth-Gilead to war, or should we refrain?” And he said, “Go up and have success, and the Lord will deliver it into the king's hand.” 16Then the king said to him, “How many times must I adjure you not to tell me anything except the truth in the name of the Lord?” 17Then he said, “I saw all Israel scattered on the mountains like sheep which do not have a shepherd, and the Lord said, ‘These do not have a master. Let them all return to their homes in peace.’ ” 18At this the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “Didn't I tell you that he wouldn't prophesy good about me, but evil?” 19And Micaiah said, “So hear the word of the Lord. I saw the Lord sitting on his throne, with the whole host of heaven standing in attendance to him on his right and on his left. 20And the Lord said, ‘Who will entice Ahab to go up and attack Ramoth-Gilead?’ And one said this, and another said that. 21And a spirit went out and stood before the Lord, and it said, ‘I will entice him.’ And the Lord said to it, ‘By what means?’ 22And it said, ‘I will go out, and I will be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets.’ And he said, ‘You may entice him, and indeed you will be able to. Go out and do so.’ 23So now you see that the Lord has put a lying spirit in the mouth of all these prophets of yours, and the Lord has pronounced evil concerning you.” 24Then Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah approached and struck Micaiah on the cheek and said, “Which way did the spirit of the Lord pass from me when I spoke to you?” 25And Micaiah said, “You will see just that on that day when you go into an inner room to hide.” 26And the king of Israel said, “Seize Micaiah and take him back to Amon the governor of the city, and to Joash the king's son, 27and say, ‘This is what the king says: «Put this man in prison and feed him on baneful bread and water until I come in peace.» ’ ” 28Then Micaiah said, “Whether you will come back at all in peace, the Lord has not pronounced on through me.” And he said, “Pay heed, all you various peoples.” 29Then the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat king of Judah went up to Ramoth-Gilead. 30And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “It is time to disguise oneself and go into the battle, but you wear your royal clothes.” And the king of Israel disguised himself and went into battle. 31And the king of Aramaea instructed his chariot fleet commanders – thirty-two of them – and said, “Do not fight with small or with great, but rather with the king of Israel only.” 32Then it came to pass, when the chariot fleet commanders saw Jehoshaphat, that they said, “Surely he is the king of Israel”, and they turned aside towards him to do battle. But Jehoshaphat shouted out, 33and it came to pass, when the commanders of the chariot fleet saw that he was not the king of Israel, that they stopped pursuing him. 34Meanwhile a man drew his bow in his innocence, and he hit the king of Israel through the joints between the armour plates. And he said to his chariot driver, “Steer and get me out of the battle theatre, for I have been wounded.” 35And the battle intensified on that day, and the king was propped up in the chariot in front of the Aramaeans, and he died in the evening, and blood from the wound poured out over the inside of the chariot. 36And the outcry spread in the camp at sunset as follows: “Every man to his city and every man to his land!” 37So the king died, and he arrived in Samaria, and they buried the king in Samaria. 38And the chariot was washed out at the pool of Samaria, and the dogs licked his blood, and the prostitutes washed there, according to the word of the Lord which he spoke. 39And the rest of the affairs of Ahab, and everything he did, and the ivory house which he built, and all the cities which he built, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel? 40And Ahab lay with his fathers, and Ahaziah his son reigned in his place. 41And Jehoshapat the son of Asa became king over Judah in the fourth year of Ahab king of Israel. 42And Jehoshaphat was thirty-five years old when he started to reign, and he reigned in Jerusalem for twenty-five years. And the name of his mother was Azubah, the daughter of Shilhi. 43aAnd he walked in every way of Asa his father; he did not deviate from it, in doing what was right in the Lord's sight. 43bBut the idolatrous raised sites were not removed. The people were still sacrificing and burning incense on the idolatrous raised sites. 44And Jehoshaphat made peace with the king of Israel. 45And as for the rest of the affairs of Jehoshaphat, and his bravery which he showed, and how he fought – are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah? 46And he eradicated from the land the rest of the male prostitutes who remained in the days of Asa. 47And there was no king in Edom – no-one was appointed as king. 48And Jehoshaphat built ships of Tarshish to go to Ophir for gold, but they did not go, because the ships were broken up in Ezion-Geber. 49Then Ahaziah the son of Ahab said to Jehoshaphat, “Let my servants go with your servants in the ships.” But Jehoshaphat declined the offer. 50And Jehoshaphat lay with his fathers, and with his fathers he was buried, in the City of David his father, and Jehoram his son reigned in his place. 51And Ahaziah the son of Ahab became king over Israel in Samaria in the seventeenth year of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, and he reigned over Israel for two years. 52And he did evil in the Lord's sight, and he walked in the way of his father and in the way of his mother and in the way of Jeroboam the son of Nebat who caused Israel to sin. 53And he served Baal and worshipped him, and he provoked the Lord God of Israel to anger, as it was with everything his father did.

2 Kings  

2 Kings Chapter 1 

1Now Moab rebelled against Israel after the death of Ahab. 2And Ahaziah fell through the window in his upper room in Samaria and was wounded, and he sent messengers and said to them, “Go and inquire of Baal-Zebub the god of Ekron whether I will survive this injury.” 3Then the angel of the Lord said to Elijah the Tishbite, “Arise and go up to meet the king of Samaria's messengers, and say to them, ‘Is it for want of God in Israel that you are going to consult with Baal-Zebub the god of Ekron? 4So this is what the Lord says: «You shall not come down from the bed onto which you have gone up, but you shall surely die.» ’ ” And Elijah departed. 5Then when the messengers returned to Ahaziah, he said to them, “What have you returned for?” 6And they said to him, “A man came up to meet us, and he said to us, ‘Go, return to the king who sent you and say to him, «This is what the Lord says: ‹Is it for want of God in Israel that you are sending messengers to inquire of Baal-Zebub the god of Ekron? That is why you shall not come down from the bed which you went up into, but you shall surely die.› » ’ ” 7Then he said to them, “What were the characteristics of the man who came up to meet you and told you these things?” 8And they said to him, “A hairy man, girded with a leather belt round his waist.” And he said, “He is Elijah the Tishbite.” 9Then he sent a commander of fifty to him, with his fifty men, and he went up to Elijah, and there he was sitting on the top of the mountain. And he said to him, “You man of God, the king says, ‘Come down.’ ” 10To this Elijah answered and said to the commander of fifty, “If I am a man of God, let fire come down from heaven and consume you and your fifty.” And fire came down from heaven and consumed him and his fifty. 11Then Ahaziah sent to him again – another commander of fifty and his fifty men – and he addressed Elijah and said to him, “You man of God, this is what the king says: ‘Come down quickly.’ ” 12To this Elijah answered and said to them, “If I am a man of God, let fire come down from heaven and consume you and your fifty.” And fire of God came down from heaven and consumed him and his fifty. 13Then he sent again – a commander of a third fifty with his fifty men – and the third commander of fifty went up and arrived there, and he knelt down opposite Elijah and appealed to him and said to him, “O man of God, please let my life and the life of these fifty servants of yours be considered valuable in your sight. 14Look, fire came down from heaven and consumed the first two commanders of fifty and their fifty men each, so now, let my life be considered valuable in your sight.” 15Then the angel of the Lord said to Elijah, “Go down with him; do not be afraid of him.” So he arose and went down with him to the king. 16And he said to the king, “This is what the Lord says: ‘It is because you sent messengers to consult Baal-Zebub the god of Ekron, as if for want of God in Israel, to consult his word, that you will not come down from your bed onto which you have gone up, but you will surely die.’ ” 17And he did die, according to the word of the Lord which Elijah spoke, and Jehoram reigned in his place, in the second year of Jehoram the son of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, because Ahaziah did not have a son. 18And the rest of the exploits of Ahaziah which he undertook, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel?

2 Kings Chapter 2 

1And it came to pass, when the Lord would take Elijah up to heaven in a storm, that Elijah was walking with Elisha from Gilgal. 2And Elijah said to Elisha, “Stay here please, for the Lord has sent me to Beth-El.” But Elisha said, “As the Lord lives, and as you yourself live, I certainly will not leave you.” So they both went down to Beth-El. 3And the sons of the prophets who were in Beth-El came out to Elisha and said to him, “Are you aware that the Lord is about to take your master away from your company today?” And he said, “I am well aware of it; you keep quiet.” 4Then Elijah said to him, “Elisha, stay here, please, for the Lord has sent me to Jericho.” But he said, “As the Lord lives, and as you yourself live, I certainly will not leave you.” So they both went to Jericho. 5And the sons of the prophets who were in Jericho approached Elisha and said to him, “Are you aware that the Lord is about to take your master away from your company today?” And he said, “I am well aware of it; you keep quiet.” 6Then Elijah said to him, “Stay here, please, for the Lord has sent me to the Jordan.” But he said, “As the Lord lives, and as you yourself live, I certainly will not leave you.” So they both went there. 7And fifty men from the sons of the prophets went out and stood opposite them from a distance, while the two of them stood at the Jordan. 8Then Elijah took his cloak and folded it up and struck the water with it, and it parted this way and that way, and the two of them crossed on dry land. 9And it came to pass, as they were crossing, that Elijah said to Elisha, “Ask what I should do for you before I am taken away from you.” And Elisha said, “Please let there be twice your spirit in me.” 10Then he said, “You have made a weighty request. If you see me being taken away from you, it will be so for you. But if not, it will not come to pass.” 11And it came to pass as they were walking and talking that a chariot of fire and horses of fire appeared, and they divided the two of them, and Elijah ascended to heaven in the storm. 12And Elisha was watching, and shouting, “My father, my father, the chariot of Israel and its horsemen” when he no longer saw him. And he took hold of his clothes and tore them in half. 13And he picked up Elijah's cloak which fell off him, and he returned and stood on the bank of the Jordan. 14And he took Elijah's cloak which had fallen off him, and he struck the water, and he said, “Where is the Lord God of Elijah? And the man himself?” And he struck the water, and it parted this way and that way, and Elisha crossed over. 15And the sons of the prophets who were in Jericho, opposite, saw him and said, “The spirit of Elijah has rested on Elisha.” Then they came to meet him, and they prostrated themselves to him on the ground. 16And they said to him, “Look now, with your servants there are fifty men – soldiers. Please let them go and seek your master, in case some wind from the Lord has carried him away and deposited him on one of the mountains or in one of the valleys.” And he said, “Do not send them.” 17But they pressed him to an embarrassing extent, and he said, “Send them.” So they sent fifty men, and they searched for three days, but they did not find him. 18And when they returned to him, he was staying in Jericho, and he said to them, “Did I not say to you, ‘Don't go’?” 19Then the men of the city said to Elisha, “Now you see that the housing in the city is good, as my lord can see, but the water is bad, and the ground is barren.” 20And he said, “Fetch me a new plate, and put salt in it.” So they fetched him that. 21Then he went out to the water-source, and he cast the salt there and said, “This is what the Lord says: ‘I will make this water wholesome – there will no longer be death and barren ground from it.’ ” 22And the water was made wholesome, as it has been up to this day, according to the words of Elisha which he spoke. 23Then he went up from there to Beth-El, and as he was going up on the road, some small boys came out of the city and mocked him and said to him, “Up you go, bald man, up you go, bald man.” 24And he turned round, and he saw them, and he cursed them in the name of the Lord, and two bears came out of the wood and tore them apart – forty-two children. 25And he went from there to Mount Carmel, and from there he returned to Samaria.

2 Kings Chapter 3 

1And Jehoram the son of Ahab became king over Israel in Samaria in the eighteenth year of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, and he reigned for twelve years. 2And he did evil in the Lord's sight, but not like his father or like his mother, and he removed the statue of Baal which his father had made. 3But he clung to the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who caused Israel to sin – he did not depart from them. 4Now Mesha king of Moab was a herdsman, and he handed over to the king of Israel one hundred thousand fatted lambs, and one hundred thousand rams for wool. 5But it came to pass when Ahab died that the king of Moab rebelled against the king of Israel. 6And King Jehoram went out from Samaria on that day, and he counted all of Israel. 7And he went along and sent messengers to Jehoshaphat king of Judah and said, “The king of Moab has rebelled against me. Will you go to war against Moab with me?” And he said, “I will go up. I am as you are, and my people are as your people, and my horses are as your horses.” 8And he said, “Which way shall we go up?” And he said, “By the way of the Desert of Edom.” 9So the king of Israel and the king of Judah and the king of Edom moved, and they circled round for seven days, but there wasn't any water for the camp or for the beasts of burden which followed in their footsteps. 10And the king of Israel said, “Alas, for the Lord has called out these three kings to deliver them into the hand of Moab.” 11But Jehoshaphat said, “Is there no prophet of the Lord here, so we can consult the Lord through him?” Then one of the king of Israel's servants replied and said, “Elisha the son of Shaphat, who poured water on Elijah's hands, is here.” 12Then Jehoshaphat said, “He has the word of the Lord.” So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat and the king of Edom went down to him. 13And Elisha said to the king of Israel, “What have I got to do with you? Go to your father's prophets and to your mother's prophets.” But the king of Israel said to him, “No, for the Lord has called out these three kings to deliver them into the hand of Moab.” 14Then Elisha said, “As the Lord of hosts lives, before whom I stand, if it were not that I respect Jehoshaphat king of Judah, I certainly would not look at you or glance at you. 15But as it is, bring me a musician, and it will come to pass that as the musician is playing music, the hand of the Lord will be on him.” 16And he said, “This is what the Lord says: ‘Make many cisterns which feed off this watercourse’, 17for this is what the Lord says: ‘You will not see wind, and you will not see rain, yet that watercourse will be filled with water, and you will drink, as will your cattle and your beasts of burden.’ 18And this is easy in the Lord's sight, and he will deliver Moab into your hands. 19And you will attack every fortified city and every strategic city, and you will fell every good tree, and you will block all sources of water, and you will ravage every fine plot of land with stones.” 20And it came to pass in the morning when the meal-offering was made, that there was water coming from the direction of Edom, and the land was filled with the water. 21And all of Moab heard that the kings had come up to wage war against them, and people were called up from all who could gird themselves and of higher rank, and they stood at the border. 22And they got up early in the morning as the sun was rising over the water, and the Moabites saw water on the opposite side, as red as blood. 23And they said, “It is blood. The kings must have been cut to pieces, and they must have struck each other down. And now, Moab, off to the spoil!” 24And they went to Israel's camp, but Israel arose and attacked the Moabites, and they fled from their presence, and the Israelites attacked them, and they attacked Moab itself. 25And they demolished the cities, and each man hurled his stone at every fine plot of land, and they filled it in, and they blocked every source of water, and they felled every good tree, until they had only left the stones at Kir-Hareseth. But the slingers surrounded it and attacked it. 26Then when the king of Moab saw that the war was too strongly against him, he took seven hundred men with him who drew the sword, to break through to the king of Edom, but they could not do it. 27Then he took his firstborn son who would have reigned in his place, and he offered him as a burnt offering on the wall. And there was great wrath against Israel, and they departed from him and returned to the land.

2 Kings Chapter 4 

1And a certain woman from the wives of the sons of the prophets cried out to Elisha and said, “Your servant my husband has died, and you know that your servant feared the Lord, but a creditor has come to take my two children to be his slaves.” 2Then Elisha said to her, “What should I do for you? Tell me what you have in the house.” And she said, “Your maidservant does not have anything in the house except a flask of oil.” 3And he said, “Go and ask for crockery from those round about – from every neighbour of yours – empty pots and pans, and do not ask for a few. 4And when you come back in, close the door after you and after your sons, and pour your oil out into all those pots and pans, and put that which is full away.” 5And after she had departed from him and had closed the door after her, and after her sons, they brought the pots and pans to her, and she did the pouring. 6And it came to pass, when the pots and pans had been filled, that she said to her son, “Bring another pot to me.” But he said to her, “There aren't any more pots.” And the oil held out. 7Then she came and told the man of God, and he said, “Go and sell the oil and pay your debt, and you and your sons live from the rest.” 8And it came to pass, on the day when Elisha crossed over to Shunem, where a high-ranking woman was, that she urged him to eat bread, and it was the case that every time he passed by, he turned aside there to eat bread. 9And she said to her husband, “Look, please, I know that he is a holy man of God, who is always calling in on us. 10Let us make a small walled upper room and put a bed and table and chair and lampstand for him there, so that when he comes to us, he can turn in there.” 11And it came to pass, on a day when he came there, that he turned in to the upper room, and he lay there, 12and he said to Gehazi his servant-lad, “Call this Shunammitess.” So he called her, and she stood before him. 13And Elisha said to Gehazi, “Now say to her, ‘Look, you have taken all this care over us. What can we do for you? Is there a reason to speak to the king on your behalf? Or to the commander of the army?’ ” And she said, “I live among my people.” 14And Elisha said, “What can we do for her?” And Gehazi said, “Truly, she does not have a son, and her husband is old.” 15And he said, “Call her.” So he called her, and she stood at the entrance. 16And he said, “At this time next year, you will be embracing a son.” But she said, “No, my lord, O man of God, don't deceive your maidservant.” 17And the woman conceived and bore a son, at that time in the next year, which was what Elisha had said to her. 18And the child grew up, and the day came when he went out to his father – to the reapers. 19And he said to his father, “My head, my head!” And he said to the servant-lad, “Take him to his mother.” 20So he took him and brought him to his mother, and he sat on her knees until noon, then he died. 21Then she went up and laid him on the bed of the man of God, and she shut the door on him and went out. 22And she called her husband and said, “Would you please send for one of the servant-lads for me, and one of the donkeys, and I will hasten to the man of God and return.” 23And he said, “Why are you going to him today? It isn't a new month and it isn't a Sabbath.” And she said, “It is for our welfare.” 24So she saddled the donkey and said to her servant-lad, “Drive it and get going. Don't stop riding for me unless I tell you.” 25So off she went, and she came to the man of God at Mount Carmel, and it came to pass, when the man of God saw her approaching, that he said to Gehazi his servant-lad, “Look, it is that Shunammitess. 26Now run to meet her and ask her, ‘Are you well, and is your husband well, and is the child well?’ ” And she said, “We are well.” 27Then she came to the man of God at the mountain, and she held onto his feet, and Gehazi approached to thrust her away, but the man of God said, “Leave her alone, for she is feeling very bitter, but the Lord has hidden the matter from me and has not told me about it.” 28Then she said, “Did I ask my lord for a son? Didn't I say, ‘Don't deceive me’?” 29Then Elisha said to Gehazi, “Gird up your loins and take my staff in your hand and go. If you come across a man, do not greet him, and if a man greets you, do not answer him. Then lay my staff on the child's face.” 30Then the boy's mother said, “As the Lord lives and as you yourself live, I certainly will not leave you.” And he arose and followed her. 31So Gehazi crossed over before them, and he laid the staff on the boy's face, but there was no sound and no responsiveness. So he went back to meet Elisha, and he reported to him and said, “The boy did not awaken.” 32Then Elisha went to the house, and it was clear that the boy was dead, laid out on his bed. 33And he went in, and he closed the door behind both of them, and he prayed to the Lord. 34Then he went up and lay on the child and positioned his own mouth to his mouth, and his own eyes to his eyes, and his own hands to his hands, and he leant over him, and the child's flesh warmed up. 35Then he returned and paced up and down in the house, and he went up and leant over him. Then the child sneezed seven times, and the child opened his eyes. 36Then he called Gehazi and said, “Call this Shunammitess.” So he called her, and she came to him. And he said, “Lift your son up.” 37And she went in and fell at his feet and bowed face down to the ground. Then she lifted her son up and went out. 38Then Elisha returned to Gilgal, and there was a famine in the land, and the sons of the prophets were sitting in front of him. And he said to his servant-lad, “Put the large pot on the fire and cook a stew for the sons of the prophets.” 39And one of them went out into the countryside to gather some herbs, and he came across a desert gourd, and he gathered its fruit, filling his pockets. And he came back and sliced them into the pot of stew, but they did not know about it. 40And when they had poured it out for the men to eat, it came to pass that when they ate the stew, they shouted and said, “There is death in the pot, O man of God.” And they could not eat it. 41Then he said, “Then bring flour.” And he threw it into the pot and said, “Pour it out for the people so that they can eat.” And there was nothing unsavoury in the pot. 42Subsequently, a man came from Baal-Shalishah, who brought for the man of God bread from the firstfruits – twenty barley loaves and some produce of his best field – in his bag. And Elisha said, “Give them to the people so that they may eat.” 43But his attendant said, “What? Am I to serve this to a hundred people?” And Elisha said, “Serve it to the people so that they may eat, for this is what the Lord says: ‘They will eat and have some left over.’ ” 44Then he served it to them, and they ate, and they had some left over, according to the word of the Lord.

2 Kings Chapter 5 

1Now Naaman, a commander of the army of the king of Aramaea, was an important man before his master, and high-ranking, because through him the Lord had given victory to Aramaea. And the man was a valiant warrior, but a leper. 2And the Aramaeans had gone out in troops, and they had taken a young girl from the land of Israel captive, and she was in the presence of Naaman's wife. 3And she said to her mistress, “If only my master was in the presence of the prophet who is in Samaria. Then he would relieve him of his leprosy.” 4And someone came and told his master and said, “The girl from the land of Israel said such and such.” 5At this the king of Aramaea said, “Get going, get moving, for I will send a communiqué to the king of Israel.” And he went away and took in his hand ten talents of silver, and six thousand pieces of gold, and ten sets of clothes. 6And he brought the communiqué to the king of Israel, which said, “Now when this communiqué comes to you, you will see that I have sent my servant Naaman to you for you to relieve him of his leprosy.” 7Then it came to pass, when the king of Israel read the communiqué, that he tore his clothes and said, “Am I God, able to kill and make alive? For this man is instructing me to relieve a man of his leprosy. Well be aware then, and see how he is looking for a pretext against me.” 8But it came to pass, when Elisha the man of God heard that the king of Israel had torn his clothes, that he sent word to the king to say, “Why did you tear your clothes? Kindly let him come to me, and he will know that there is a prophet in Israel.” 9So Naaman came by horse and chariot and stood at the entrance to Elisha's house. 10And Elisha sent a messenger to him, who said, “Go and wash seven times in the Jordan, and your flesh will be restored to you, and become clean.” 11But Naaman became angry and went off and said, “Look, I said to myself, ‘Surely he will come out and stand and call on the name of the Lord his God, and he will wave his hand over the place, and he will relieve the leper. 12Are not the Abana and Parpar – rivers of Damascus – better than all the water of Israel? Can I not wash in them and become clean?’ ” And he turned and went off in fury. 13But his servants approached him and spoke to him and said, “My father, if the prophet had spoken some great thing to you, would you not have done it? So how much more should you because he said to you, ‘Wash and become clean’?” 14So he went down and dipped himself in the Jordan seven times, according to the word of the man of God, and his flesh was restored like the flesh of a small boy, and he became clean. 15And he went back to the man of God – he and all his entourage – and he came and stood before him and said, “Look, then, I know that there is no God in the whole world except in Israel. So now, please accept a gift from your servant.” 16But Elisha said, “As the Lord lives, before whom I stand, I certainly will not accept anything.” And although he pressed him to accept it, he refused. 17Then Naaman said, “So can't just a burden's worth of soil as borne by a pair of mules be given to your servant? For your servant will no longer make a burnt offering or sacrifice to other gods – only to the Lord. 18May the Lord forgive your servant in this matter, when my master goes into the house of Rimmon to bow down there, and he leans on my arm, and I bow in the house of Rimmon. When I bow in the house of Rimmon, may the Lord please forgive your servant in this matter.” 19And Elisha said to him, “Go in peace.” Then when he had gone short distance away from him, 20Gehazi, the servant-lad of Elisha the man of God said, “Look, my master has declined that from Naaman this Aramaean we should receive from his hand what he brought. As the Lord lives, I will run after him and obtain something from him.” 21So Gehazi pursued Naaman, and when Naaman saw him running after him, he alighted from his chariot, so as to meet him, and he said, “Is all well?” 22And he said, “All is well. My master has sent me to say, ‘Look, just now, two young men from Mount Ephraim came to me, from the sons of the prophets. Would you give them a talent of silver and two sets of clothes?’ ” 23And Naaman said, “Willingly; take two talents.” So he pressed him, and Naaman bound up two talents of silver in two bags, and two sets of clothing, and he gave them to two of his servant-lads, and they carried them before him. 24Then when Gehazi arrived in the Ophel, he received it all from their hand, and he laid it up in his house. Then he saw the men off, and they departed. 25But when he came and stood before his master, Elisha said to him, “Where have you come from, Gehazi?” And he said, “Your servant did not go anywhere in particular.” 26But he said to him, “Did not my heart sink when the man turned round in his chariot to meet you? Is it a time to receive money and to receive clothes, or olive groves or vineyards or sheep or cattle or menservants or maidservants? 27Now Naaman's leprosy will cling to you and to your seed age-abidingly.” And he departed from his presence leprous like snow.

2 Kings Chapter 6 

1And the sons of the prophets said to Elisha, “Just look, the place where we live in your company is too confined for us. 2So please let us go to the Jordan, and let us each take from there a tree, and let us make ourselves a place to live there.” And he said, “Go.” 3And one said, “Would you be willing to go with your servants?” And he said, “I will go with you.” 4So he went with them, and they came to the Jordan, and they cut the trees down. 5And it came to pass, when one was felling a tree, that the axe-head fell into the water. And he shouted out and said, “Oh no, my lord, and it was borrowed.” 6Then the man of God said, “Where did it fall?” And he showed him the place. Then he cut off some wood and threw it there, and he caused the axe-head to float. 7And he said, “Pick it up.” So he stretched out his hand and took hold of it. 8Then when the king of Aramaea was waging war against Israel, he consulted with his servants and said, “My encampment is to be in such and such a place.” 9And the man of God sent word to the king of Israel as follows: “Beware of passing by this place, for that is where the Aramaeans are coming down.” 10Then the king of Israel sent spies to the place which the man of God had told him of, and had warned him about, and where he had been cautious, not just once or twice. 11And the king of Aramaea's heart was disturbed about this matter, and he called his servants and said to them, “Can you not tell me who it is among us who is collaborating with the king of Israel?” 12Then one of his servants said, “It's not that, my lord the king, but Elisha the prophet who is in Israel tells the king of Israel the things which you speak in your bedroom.” 13To this he said, “Go and see where he is, and I will send men to capture him.” And it was reported back to him as follows: “Look, he is in Dothan.” 14Then he sent horses and chariots and a large force there, and they came by night and surrounded the city. 15And when a servant of the man of God arose early, he went out, and what he saw was that a force was surrounding the city – both cavalry and chariots – and his attendant said to him, “Alas, my lord. How do we act now?” 16But he said, “Do not fear, for there are more with us than with them.” 17And Elisha prayed and said, “O Lord, please open his eyes so that he may see.” And the Lord opened the lad's eyes so that he might see, and what he saw was the mountain brimming with horses, and chariots of fire around Elisha. 18And when they had come down to him, Elisha prayed to the Lord and said, “Please strike this people with blindness.” And he struck them with blindness according to Elisha's word. 19Then Elisha said to them, “This is not the right way and this is not the right city. Follow me, and I will lead you to the man whom you are seeking.” Then he led them to Samaria. 20And it came to pass when they arrived in Samaria that Elisha said, “O Lord, open the eyes of these people so that they may see.” And the Lord opened their eyes so that they might see, and what they saw was that they were in Samaria. 21Then the king of Israel said to Elisha when he saw them, “Should I attack them? Should I attack them, my father?” 22And he said, “You shall not attack. Should you attack those whom you have taken captive by your sword and by your bow? Serve them bread and water so that they may eat and drink, and let them go to their master.” 23So he gave them a grand feast, and they ate and drank, and he sent them off, and they went back to their master. And the Aramaean troops did not come into the land of Israel again. 24And it came to pass after that, that Ben-Hadad king of Aramaea gathered all of his camp and went up, and he besieged Samaria. 25And there was a severe famine in Samaria, and there they were besieging it, until a donkey's head was worth eighty pieces of silver, and a quarter cab of dove's dung was worth five pieces of silver. 26And it came to pass that when the king of Israel went across on the wall, a woman shouted out to him and said, “Save us, my lord the king!” 27And he said, “If the Lord will not save you, from where am I to save you? Is it from the threshing floor or from the wine vat?” 28And the king said to her, “What is the matter?” And she said, “This woman said to me, ‘Give us your son to eat today, and we will eat my son tomorrow.’ 29So we cooked my son and ate him. Then I said to her on another day, ‘Give us your son for us to eat’, but she has hidden her son.” 30And it came to pass, when the king heard the woman's words, that he tore his clothes, and he crossed over the wall, and the people looked, and they saw sackcloth on his body as an undergarment. 31And he said, “May God so do to me and more besides if the head of Elisha the son of Shaphat remains on him today.” 32Now Elisha was sitting in his house, and the elders were sitting with him, when the king sent a man away, and before the messenger had come to him, he said to the elders, “Have you seen how this son of a murderer has sent someone to remove my head? Look, when the messenger comes, shut the door and pin him to the door. Is not the sound of his master's feet right behind him?” 33While he was still speaking with them, it so happened that the messenger came down to him and said, “Just see this evil from the Lord! Why should I wait for the Lord any longer?”

2 Kings Chapter 7 

1But Elisha said, “Hear the word of the Lord. This is what the Lord says: ‘At about this time tomorrow, a seah of fine flour will be sold for a shekel, and two seahs of barley for a shekel at the Gate of Samaria.’ ” 2Then the king's adjutant, with the king leaning on his arm, answered the man of God and said, “Even if the Lord were to make hatches in the sky, would this pronouncement come to pass?” But he said, “Behold, you are about to see it with your own eyes, but you will not eat any of it.” 3Now there were four lepers at the entrance to the gate, and they said to each other, “Why are we sitting here until we die? 4If we say, ‘Let us go to the city’, and there is a famine in the city, then we will die there. But if we sit here, then we will also die. So now, let's fall away to the Aramaean camp. If they let us live, we will live, and if they kill us, we will die.” 5And they arose in the darkness to go to the Aramaean camp, and to the perimeter of the Aramaean camp they came, and what should they see but there was no-one there. 6For the Lord* had caused the Aramaeans' camp to hear the sound of chariots and the sound of cavalry, and the sound of a large force, and they said to each other, “Look, the king of Israel has hired the kings of the Hittites and the kings of Egypt against us, to come against us.” 7And they arose and fled in the darkness, and they abandoned their tents and their horses and their donkeys. The camp was left as it was, and they fled for their lives. 8So these lepers arrived at the perimeter of the camp, and they went into a certain tent, and they ate and drank and took silver and gold from there, and clothes, and they went away and hid them, then they came back and went to another tent, and they took things from there, then they went away and hid them. 9And they said to each other, “It's not honest what we are doing. This day is a day of good news, and we are keeping quiet. If we wait until the light of the morning, we will meet with a charge against us. So now, come on, let's go and tell the king's house.” 10And they went, and they called for the city gatekeeping staff, and they reported to them and said, “We went to the Aramaeans' camp, and what should we see but that there was no-one there, or the sound of a man, except for a bound horse and a bound donkey, and tents left as they were.” 11Then the gatekeeping staff called for and told the people inside the king's house. 12And the king got up in the night and said to his servants, “Let me tell you what the Aramaeans have done to us. They know that we are starving, and they have gone out of the camp to hide in the countryside, and they have said, ‘When they come out of the city, we will take them alive and go into the city.’ ” 13To this one of his servants answered and said, “Let them take five of the horses which remain – which remain in the city. Here they are just like the whole population – Israel – which has remained in the city. Here they are just like the whole population of Israel who are perishing. Let us send them and see what happens.” 14So they took two chariots and their horses, and the king sent them to the Aramaeans' camp, and he said, “Go and see.” 15And they went after them as far as the Jordan, and what they saw was that the whole road was full of clothes and weapons which the Aramaeans had discarded in their haste. Then the messengers returned and reported to the king. 16Then the people went out and plundered the Aramaeans' camp, and it came to pass that a seah of fine flour was sold for a shekel, and two seahs of barley for a shekel, according to the word of the Lord. 17Then the king appointed the adjutant on whose arm he leant to be in charge of the gate, but the people trampled on him at the gate, and he died, as the man of God had said, who had spoken when the king came down to him. 18So it came to pass as the man of God had said to the king, when he said, “There will be two seahs of barley sold for a shekel, and a seah of fine flour for a shekel at about this time tomorrow at the Gate of Samaria”, 19when the adjutant responded to the man of God and said, “Even if the Lord were to make hatches in the sky, would such a pronouncement come to pass?” and when Elisha said, “Behold, you will see it with your own eyes, but you will not eat any of it there.” 20And that is what happened to the adjutant, and the people trampled on him at the gate, and he died.

2 Kings Chapter 8 

1Then Elisha spoke to the woman whose son he had revived, and he said, “Arise and go, you and your household, and live wherever you can, for the Lord has called a famine, and moreover it is coming to the land for seven years.” 2So the woman arose and acted according to the words of the man of God, and she and her household departed, and she lived in the land of the Philistines for seven years. 3And it came to pass after seven years that the woman returned from the land of the Philistines and set off to appeal to the king about her house and her field. 4Meanwhile the king was speaking to Gehazi the servant-lad of the man of God, saying, “Please tell me all the great deeds which Elisha has performed.” 5And it came to pass, as he was relating to the king the fact that he had revived the dead, that along came the woman whose son he had revived, appealing to the king about her house and her field. And Gehazi said, “My lord the king, this is the woman and this is her son whom Elisha revived.” 6And the king questioned the woman, and she recounted it to him. And the king gave her a eunuch official and said, “Restore to her everything that is hers, and all the produce of her field, from the day she left the country up to now.” 7Subsequently, Elisha went to Damascus, and Ben-Hadad king of Aramaea was ill, and it was reported to him as follows: “The man of God has come here.” 8Then the king said to Hazael, “Take a gift in your hand and go to the man of God, and inquire of the Lord through him, and ask whether I will survive this illness.” 9So Hazael went to meet him, and he took a gift in his hand, and all the best produce of Damascus – the burden of forty camels – and he arrived and stood before him and said, “Your son Ben-Hadad king of Aramaea has sent me to you asking, ‘Will I survive this illness?’ ” 10And Elisha said to him, “Go and say, to him, ‘You will certainly survive.’ But the Lord has shown me that he will certainly die.” 11And he stared inscrutably, and he did so for an embarrassingly long time, and the man of God wept. 12Then Hazael said, “Why is my lord weeping?” And he said, “Because I know what harm you will do to the sons of Israel. You will consign their fortifications to fire, you will kill their young men by the sword, you will dash their children to the ground, you will split their pregnant women open.” 13To this Hazael said, “Then what is your servant – a dog, that he should do this formidable thing?” And Elisha said, “The Lord has shown me that you will be king over Aramaea.” 14Then he departed from Elisha and went to his master. And the king said to him, “What did Elisha say to you?” And he said to him, “He said to me, ‘You will certainly survive.’ ” 15And it came to pass on the next day that he took a coarse cloth and dipped it in water and stretched it out over his face, and he died. And Hazael reigned in his place. 16In the fifth year of Joram the son of Ahab, the king of Israel, when Jehoshaphat was king of Judah, Jehoram the son of Jehoshaphat started to reign as king of Judah. 17He was thirty-two years old when he started to reign, and he reigned for eight years in Jerusalem. 18And he walked in the way of the kings of Israel, as the house of Ahab did, for his wife was Ahab's daughter, and he did what was wrong in the eyes of the Lord. 19But the Lord was not willing to bring ruin on Judah, for the sake of David his servant, according to how he had told him that he would give him a lamp to his sons continually. 20In his days Edom rebelled against Judah's control, and they appointed a king over themselves. 21And Joram crossed over to Zair, and with him was the whole chariot fleet, and it came to pass that he arose in the night and attacked Edom which was surrounding him, and the chariot commanders. And the people fled to their tents. 22So Edom rebelled against Judah's control, as it is up to this day. Then Libnah rebelled, at that time. 23And the rest of the affairs of Joram, and everything he did, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah? 24So Joram lay with his fathers, and with his fathers he was buried, in the City of David, and Ahaziah his son reigned in his place. 25In the twelfth year of Joram the son of Ahab, the king of Israel, Ahaziah the son of Jehoram, the king of Judah, started to reign. 26Ahaziah was twenty-two years old when he started to reign, and he reigned for one year in Jerusalem. And the name of his mother was Athaliah, the daughter of Omri king of Israel. 27And he walked in the way of the house of Ahab, and he did what was wrong in the eyes of the Lord, like the house of Ahab, for he was the son-in-law of the house of Ahab. 28And he went to war with Joram the son of Ahab against Hazael king of Aramaea in Ramoth-Gilead, and the Aramaeans struck Joram. 29And King Joram returned to recover in Jezreel from the blows which the Aramaeans dealt him in Ramah when he fought Hazael king of Aramaea. And Ahaziah the son of Jehoram, the king of Judah, went down to see Joram the son of Ahab in Jezreel because he was ill.

2 Kings Chapter 9 

1And Elisha the prophet called one of the sons of the prophets and said to him, “Gird up your loins and take this flask of oil in your hand, and go to Ramoth-Gilead. 2And when you arrive there, visit Jehu the son of Jehoshaphat the son of Nimshi there, and go in and appoint him from among his brothers, and take him to an inner room. 3And take the flask of oil, and pour it on his head and say, ‘This is what the Lord says: «I have anointed you as king over Israel» ’, then open the door and flee and do not wait around.” 4So the young man – the young prophet – went to Ramoth-Gilead. 5And when he arrived, what he saw was the commanders of the army in session, and he said, “I have a matter for you, commander.” And Jehu said, “For whom, out of all of us?” And he said, “For you, commander.” 6Then he got up and went inside, and he poured the oil on his head, and he said to him, “This is what the Lord God of Israel says: ‘I have anointed you as king over the people of the Lord – over Israel. 7And you will attack the house of Ahab your master, so that I am avenged of the blood of my servants the prophets and the blood of all the Lord's servants at the hand of Jezebel. 8And the whole house of Ahab will perish, and I will cut off everyone of Ahab's house who urinates against a wall, leaving him shut off and abandoned in Israel. 9And I will make the house of Ahab like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and like the house of Baasha the son of Ahijah. 10And dogs will eat Jezebel in a plot of land in Jezreel, and there will be no-one to bury her.’ ” Then he opened the door and fled. 11But Jehu came out to his master's servants, and one said to him, “Are you all right? Why did this madman come to you?” And he said to them, “You know the man and his oratory.” 12But they said, “Nonsense! Kindly tell us properly.” So he said, “He said such and such to me and said, ‘This is what the Lord says: «I have anointed you as king over Israel.» ’ ” 13Then they acted quickly, and each one took his cloak and laid it to be under him on the flight of steps, and they sounded the ramshorn and said, “Jehu has become king.” 14And Jehu, the son of Jehoshaphat, the son of Nimshi, conspired against Joram. Now Joram had been on guard in Ramoth-Gilead – he himself and all Israel – against Hazael king of Aramaea. 15But King Jehoram had returned to recover in Jezreel from the blows which the Aramaeans dealt him when he fought against Hazael king of Aramaea. And Jehu said, “As long as you are alive, do not let anyone escape from the town to go to report it in Jezreel.” 16Then Jehu went by chariot to Jezreel, for Joram was lodging there. And Ahaziah king of Judah had gone down to see Joram. 17Now the look-out was standing on the tower in Jezreel, and he saw Jehu's large company as he came, and he said, “I can see a large company.” And Jehoram said, “Take a rider and send him to meet them, and say, ‘Do we have peace?’ ” 18So the horserider went to meet him, and he said, “This is what the king says: ‘Do we have peace?’ ” And Jehu said, “What have you got to do with peace? Get behind me.” And the look-out gave a report and said, “The messenger went to them but did not come back.” 19Then he sent a second horserider, and he went to them and said, “This is what the king says: ‘Peace.’ ” But Jehu said, “What have you got to do with peace? Get behind me.” 20And the look-out reported it and said, “He went up to them, but he did not come back. And as for their driving – the driving of Jehu the son of Nimshi – he is driving madly.” 21Then Jehoram said, “Harness it.” So they harnessed his chariot, and Jehoram king of Israel and Ahaziah king of Judah went out, each in his chariot, and they went out to confront Jehu, and they encountered him in the grounds of Naboth the Jezreelite. 22And it came to pass, when Jehoram saw Jehu, that he said, “Do we have peace, Jehu?” And he said, “What peace is there as long as there are the harlotries of Jezebel your mother and her many sorceries?” 23At this Jehoram changed course and fled, and he said to Ahaziah, “This is treason, Ahaziah.” 24Then Jehu took up the bow and hit Jehoram between his arms, and the arrow came out from his heart, and he collapsed in his chariot. 25Then Jehu said to Bidkar his adjutant, “Pick him up and throw him down in the grounds of Naboth the Jezreelite, for remember how you and I were riding alongside each other in pursuit of Ahab his father, and how the Lord laid this burden on him, 26when he said, ‘I most certainly saw the blood of Naboth and the blood of his sons last night, the Lord says, and I will requite you in these grounds, the Lord says.’ So now, pick him up and throw him down on these grounds, according to the word of the Lord.” 27When Ahaziah king of Judah saw it, he fled by the garden house road. And Jehu pursued him, and he said, “Strike him down too in the chariot.” This was at the ascent to Gur, which is contiguous with Ibleam. Then he fled to Megiddo and died there. 28Then his servants brought him by chariot to Jerusalem, and they buried him in his tomb with his fathers in the City of David. 29And it was in the eleventh year of Joram the son of Ahab that Ahaziah became king over Judah. 30Then Jehu went to Jezreel, and when Jezebel heard it, she applied eye-shadow to her eyes and styled her head of hair and peered through the window. 31And when Jehu arrived at the gate, she said, “Did Zimri, who killed his master, have peace?” 32And he raised his face to the window and said, “Who is with me? Who?” And two or three eunuchs peered at him. 33Then he said, “Dispatch her.” And they dispatched her, and some of her blood was spattered on the wall and on the horses, and he trampled on her. 34And he went in and ate and drank, and he said, “Please dispose of this cursed woman and bury her, for she is the daughter of a king.” 35So they went away to bury her, but they found nothing of her except her skull and the feet and the palms of her hands. 36When they went back and told him, he said, “It is the word of the Lord which he spoke through the intermediacy of his servant Elijah the Tishbite when he said, ‘Dogs will eat Jezebel's flesh on the plot of land in Jezreel. 37And Jezebel's corpse will be like dung on the surface of the field in the plot of land in Jezreel, so that people won't be able to say, «This is Jezebel.» ’ ”

Reference(s) in Chapter 9: v.7 ↔ Revelation 2:20.

2 Kings Chapter 10 

1Now Ahab had seventy sons in Samaria, and Jehu wrote communiqués and sent them to Samaria, to the elder officials of Jezreel, and to the foster parents of Ahab's family, reading as follows: 2“And now, when this communiqué reaches you, your master's sons being with you, and who have got chariots and horses, and a fortified city and weaponry, 3select the best and most eligible of your master's sons and set him on his father's throne, and fight for your master's house.” 4At this they were very, very afraid, and they said, “Look, two kings didn't withstand him, so how are we to withstand him?” 5And he who was in charge of the house, and he who was in charge of the city, and the elders, and the foster parents, sent word to Jehu and said, “We are your servants, and we will do everything you say to us. We will not appoint anyone king. Do what is right in your sight.” 6Then he sent a communiqué a second time, which said, “If you are for me and will comply with me, take the heads of the men who are the sons of your master, and come to me at this time tomorrow in Jezreel.” Now the king's sons were seventy in number, being with high-ranking men of the city who were bringing them up. 7And it came to pass, when the communiqué reached them, that they took the king's sons and killed the seventy men, and they put their heads in baskets and sent them to him in Jezreel. 8And the messenger arrived and reported it to him and said, “We have brought the heads of the king's sons.” And he said, “Leave them in two heaps at the entrance to the gate until morning.” 9And it came to pass in the morning that he went out and stood and said to all the people, “You are righteous. Admittedly, I conspired against my master and killed him, but who killed all these? 10Be aware, therefore, that nothing of the word of the Lord which the Lord spoke about the house of Ahab will fall to the ground, and that the Lord has done what he said through the intermediacy of his servant Elijah.” 11So Jehu struck down all those of the house of Ahab in Jezreel who remained, and all his high-ranking men, and his acquaintances, and his priests, until no survivor was left to him. 12Then Jehu arose and departed, and he went to Samaria. And on the way he was at a shepherd's shearing house. 13And Jehu came across the brothers of Ahaziah king of Judah, and he said, “Who are you?” And they said, “We are Ahaziah's brothers, and we have come down to greet the sons of the king and the sons of the queen consort.” 14Then he said, “Take them alive.” So they took them alive and slaughtered them in the pit at the shearing house – forty-two men – and he didn't leave any of them remaining. 15Then he departed from there and came across Jehonadab the son of Rechab coming towards him, and he greeted him and said to him, “Are your intentions good, just as I am well-disposed to you?” And Jehonadab said, “They are.” Then Jehu said, “If they are, give me your hand.” And he gave him his hand, and he hauled him into the chariot with him. 16And he said, “Come with me and see my zeal for the Lord.” So they transported him in his chariot. 17And he arrived in Samaria, and he struck down all those of Ahab's house who remained in Samaria, until he had destroyed it, according to the word of the Lord which he had spoken to Elijah. 18Then Jehu gathered all the people and said to them, “Ahab served Baal a little, but Jehu will serve him much more. 19So now, tell all the prophets of Baal, and all his servants, and all his priests, to come to me. No-one must be absent, for I have a great sacrifice to Baal. Anyone who is absent shall not live.” But Jehu did this as a ploy in order to eliminate Baal's servants. 20Then Jehu said, “Announce a solemn assembly to Baal.” So they proclaimed it. 21And Jehu sent word throughout all Israel, and all those who served Baal came, and there was no-one left behind who did not come. So they came to the house of Baal, and the house of Baal was filled cheek by jowl. 22And he said to the outfitter, “Bring out vesture for all the servants of Baal.” So he brought out vesture for them. 23Then Jehu and Jehonadab the son of Rechab went into the house of Baal, and he said to the servants of Baal, “Search, and see if there are any of the servants of the Lord with you here, rather than servants of Baal only.” 24Then when they went to offer sacrifices and burnt offerings, Jehu stationed eighty men outside and said, “For any man who escapes from the men whom I am about to bring into your hands, it will be a life for a life.” 25And it came to pass, when he had finished making the burnt offering, that Jehu said to the infantrymen and the brigadiers, “Go in and strike them down. Let no-one come out.” So they struck them down with the blade of the sword. Then the infantrymen and the brigadiers disposed of them and went down to the citadel of the house of Baal. 26And they brought out the statues of the house of Baal and burned them. 27And they demolished the statue of Baal, and they demolished the house of Baal, and they made it a cess-pool as it has been up to today. 28So Jehu destroyed Baal in Israel, 29except that Jehu did not turn away from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who caused Israel to sin, from the golden calves which were in Beth-El and in Dan. 30And the Lord said to Jehu, “Since you have acted well in doing what is right in my sight, since you have done to the house of Ahab everything that was in my heart, your descendants of the fourth generation will sit on the throne of Israel.” 31But Jehu did not observe walking in the law of the Lord God of Israel with all his heart. He did not turn away from the sins of Jeroboam who caused Israel to sin. 32In those days the Lord began to chip away at Israel, and Hazael attacked them at every border of Israel, 33from the Jordan in the east – all the land of Gilead, the Gadites and the Reubenites and the Manassites – from Aroer which is on the Arnon Brook, and Gilead and Bashan. 34And the rest of the affairs of Jehu, and everything he did, and all his bravery, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel? 35And Jehu lay with his fathers, and they buried him in Samaria, and Jehoahaz his son became king in his place. 36And the days for which Jehu reigned over Israel amounted to twenty-eight years in Samaria.

2 Kings Chapter 11 

1But Athaliah, Ahaziah's mother, when she saw that her son was dead, she arose and destroyed all the royal seed, 2but Jehosheba the daughter of King Joram, the sister of Ahaziah, had taken Joash the son of Ahaziah and had stolen him away from the king's sons who were killed – him and his nurse – to the bedroom, and they had hidden him from Athaliah, so he was not killed. 3And he was with her in the house of the Lord, hidden for six years, while Athaliah reigned over the land. 4Then in the seventh year Jehoiada sent for the commanders of a hundred over the special guard and over the infantry, and he took them along, and he convened them in the house of the Lord, and he made a covenant with them, and he made them swear an oath in the house of the Lord. Then he showed them the king's son. 5And he instructed them and said, “This is the operation which you will carry out. One third of you will come on the Sabbath and keep guard at the king's house. 6And one third will be at the Sur Gate, and one third will be at the gate behind the infantry, and you will keep guard of the house from any abduction. 7And you will be in two divisions. All who go out on the Sabbath will keep guard of the house of the Lord, defending the king. 8And you will form a circle round the king, each man having his weapons in his hand, and anyone coming into the ranks will be put to death. And accompany the king as he goes out and comes in.” 9And the commanders of a hundred did everything that Jehoiada the priest commanded, and each one took his men – those who were to come on the Sabbath with those who were to go out on the Sabbath – and they went to Jehoiada the priest. 10And the priest gave the commanders of a hundred the spears and shields which had belonged to King David, which were in the house of the Lord. 11And the infantrymen stood, each with his weapons in his hand, from the right hand side of the house to the left hand side of the house, and around the altar and the house in defence of the king. 12Then he brought the king's son out, and he put the crown on him, and he gave him the testimony, and they made him king and anointed him, and they clapped their hands and said, “May the king live.” 13And when Athaliah heard the sound of the infantry and the people, she went to the people and to the house of the Lord. 14And she looked, and what she saw was the king standing at a column, according to the custom, with officials and trumpet-players in attendance to the king, and all the people of the land rejoicing and blowing trumpets. At this Athaliah tore her clothes and shouted, “A conspiracy, a conspiracy!” 15Then Jehoiada the priest instructed the commanders of a hundred who were in charge of the army, and he said to them, “Take her away but within the ranks, and kill anyone who follows her with the sword.” For the priest had said, “Don't let her be put to death in the house of the Lord.” 16So they laid hands on her as she went in the direction of the horse entrance to the king's house, and she was put to death there. 17And Jehoiada made a covenant between the Lord and the king and the people, to be a people to the Lord, and between the king and the people. 18And all the people of the land went to the house of Baal and demolished it. They smashed up his altars and his images, and they killed Mattan, Baal's priest, in front of the altars. Then the priest appointed duties over the house of the Lord. 19And he took the commanders of a hundred and the special guard, and the infantry, and all the people of the land, and they brought the king down from the house of the Lord, and they went by the route of the Gate of the Infantry to the king's house, and he sat on the kings' throne. 20And all the people of the land rejoiced, and the city was undisturbed. So they killed Athaliah by the sword at the king's house. 21Joash was seven years old when he started to reign.

2 Kings Chapter 12 

1In the seventh year of Jehu, Joash started to reign, and he reigned for forty years in Jerusalem. And the name of his mother was Zibiah from Beersheba. 2And Joash did what was right in the sight of the Lord all his days in which Jehoiada the priest taught him, 3except that the idolatrous raised sites were not removed. The people would still sacrifice and burn incense on the idolatrous raised sites. 4And Joash said to the priests, “All the money from the sacred donations which is brought into the house of the Lord is money passing under the counting rod. And each person brings a voluntary amount of money according to his valuation or whatever sum arises in the heart of a man to bring to the house of the Lord. 5Let the priests take money, each one from his acquaintances, and let them repair the breaches in the house – all of them – wherever a breach is found.” 6But it came to pass in the twenty-third year of king Joash, when the priests had not repaired the breach in the house, 7that King Joash called for Jehoiada the priest and the other priests, and he said to them, “Why are you not repairing the breach in the house? So now, do not take money from your acquaintances for yourselves, but spend it on the breach in the house.” 8Then the priests agreed not to accumulate money from the people, and so failing to repair the breach in the house. 9And Jehoiada the priest took a chest and bored a hole in its lid, and he put it next to the altar, on the right as one enters the house of the Lord. And the priests who kept the door put all the money which had been brought into the house of the Lord there. 10And it came to pass, when they saw that the amount of money in the chest was large, that the king's scribe and the high priest went up and put it in bags, and they counted the money which was present in the house of the Lord. 11And they paid the money which had been weighed out to those who carried out the work, who had been appointed over the house of the Lord, and they spent it on carpenters and builders who worked on the house of the Lord, 12and on wall-builders and hewers of stone, and to buy wood and hewn stones, so as to repair the breach in the house of the Lord, and on everyone who went out for the sake of the house, to repair it. 13But no silver drain pans, snuffers, sprinkling basins, trumpets, or any utensils of gold or any utensils of silver were made for the house of the Lord from the money which was brought to the house of the Lord, 14because they gave it to those doing the work, and they repaired the house of the Lord by means of it. 15And they did not hold the men to account to whom they handed the money, to give to those doing the work, because they acted faithfully. 16No money as a guilt-offering or money as a sin-offering was brought into the house of the Lord; that was for the priests. 17Then Hazael king of Aramaea went up and waged war against Gath and captured it. And Hazael resolved to go up against Jerusalem. 18At this Joash king of Judah took all the holy articles which Jehoshaphat and Jehoram and Ahaziah his fathers, kings of Judah, had sanctified, and his own holy articles, and all the gold present in the treasuries of the house of the Lord and in the house of the king, and he sent it all to Hazael king of Aramaea. Then he went up away from Jerusalem. 19And the rest of the affairs of Joash, and everything he did, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah? 20And his servants arose and made a conspiracy, and they struck Joash down at the house of Millo, which extends down to Silla. 21And Jozabad the son of Shimath and Jehozabad the son of Shomer, his servants, struck him down, and he died. And they buried him with his fathers in the City of David, and Amaziah his son reigned in his place.

2 Kings Chapter 13 

1In the twenty-third year of Joash the son of Ahaziah king of Judah, Jehoahaz the son of Jehu started to reign over Israel in Samaria, and he did so for seventeen years. 2But he did evil in the sight of the Lord, and he followed the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who caused Israel to sin. He did not depart from it. 3And the Lord's anger was kindled against Israel, and he delivered them into the hand of Hazael king of Aramaea, and into the hand of Ben-Hadad the son of Hazael all the time. 4And Jehoahaz supplicated the Lord, and the Lord heard him, for he saw the oppression Israel was under, because the king of Aramaea was oppressing them. 5And the Lord gave Israel a saviour, and they escaped the hegemony of Aramaea, and the sons of Israel dwelt in their tents as they had done previously. 6But they did not depart from the sins of the house of Jeroboam who caused Israel to sin. He walked that way. And moreover the phallic park remained standing in Samaria. 7For he did not leave a people to Jehoahaz except for fifty horsemen and ten chariots and ten thousand foot soldiers, because the king of Aramaea had destroyed them and had made them like dust to tread on. 8And the rest of the affairs of Jehoahaz and everything he did, and his bravery, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel? 9And Jehoahaz lay with his fathers, and they buried him in Samaria, and Joash his son reigned in his place. 10In the thirty-seventh year of Joash king of Judah, Joash the son of Jehoahaz started to reign over Israel in Samaria and he did so for sixteen years. 11And he did evil in the eyes of the Lord; he did not depart from any of the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who caused Israel to sin – he walked that way. 12And the rest of the affairs of Joash, and everything he did, and his bravery with which he fought against Amaziah king of Judah, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel? 13And Joash lay with his fathers, and Jeroboam sat on his throne, and Joash was buried in Samaria with the kings of Israel. 14And Elisha became ill with an illness of his, of which he would die. And Joash king of Israel went down to him and wept beside him and said, “My father, my father, the chariot of Israel and its horsemen.” 15And Elisha said to him, “Fetch a bow and arrows.” So he fetched him a bow and arrows. 16Then he said to the king of Israel, “Place your hand on the bow.” So he placed his hand there, and Elisha put his hands on the king's hands. 17Then he said, “Open the window to the east.” So he opened it. Then Elisha said, “Shoot.” So he shot. Then he said, “It is an arrow of the Lord's salvation, and an arrow of salvation from Aramaea, and you will strike the Aramaeans down in Aphek, until you have annihilated them.” 18Then he said, “Take the arrows.” So he took them. Then he said to the king of Israel, “Strike the ground.” So he struck it three times, then he stopped. 19Then the man of God became angry with him, having told him to strike it five or six times. And he said, “If you had done what I said, then you would have struck the Aramaeans down until you had annihilated them. But now you will strike the Aramaeans just three times.” 20Elisha then died, and they buried him. But the troops of Moab were to come into the land with the arrival of the new year. 21Then it came to pass as they were burying a man that, as it happened, they saw the troop, and they deposited the man in Elisha's tomb, and as he went in, the man touched Elisha's bones, and he revived and arose to his feet. 22And Hazael king of Aramaea oppressed Israel all the days of Jehoahaz. 23But the Lord was gracious to them, and he showed them mercy, and he turned to them for the sake of his covenant with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and he was unwilling to bring ruin on them. So he has not banished them from his presence up to now. 24And Hazael king of Aramaea died, and Ben-Hadad his son reigned in his place. 25Then Joash the son of Jehoahaz retook the cities from the grip of Ben-Hadad the son of Hazael, who had taken them from the control of Jehoahaz his father in the war. Joash attacked him three times and regained the cities of Israel.

2 Kings Chapter 14 

1In the second year of Joash the son of Jehoahaz, the king of Israel, Amaziah reigned, the son of Joash the king of Judah. 2He was twenty-five years old when he started to reign, and he reigned for twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. And the name of his mother was Jehoaddin from Jerusalem. 3And he did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, but not like David his father. He acted in a similar way to everything his father Joash did. 4However, the idolatrous raised sites were not removed. The people were still sacrificing and burning incense on the idolatrous raised sites. 5And it came to pass, as the kingdom became stronger under his control, that he struck down those servants of his who had struck down the king who was his father. 6But he did not kill the sons of those who struck him down, as it stands written in the book of the law of Moses, whom the Lord commanded and said, “Fathers shall not be put to death on account of their sons, and sons shall not be put to death on account of their fathers, but each person shall die for his own sin.” 7He attacked Edom in the Valley of Salt, defeating ten thousand men, and he captured Sela in the war, and he called it Joktheel, as it is up to this day. 8Then Amaziah sent messengers to Joash, the son of Jehoahaz, the son of Jehu, the king of Israel, to say, “Come, let us see each other face to face.” 9Then Joash king of Israel sent a reply to Amaziah king of Judah and said, “The thistle which was in Lebanon has sent word to the cedar which was in Lebanon and said, ‘Give your daughter to be my son's wife’, and a wild animal which was in Lebanon passed by and trampled on the thistle. 10You have thoroughly defeated Edom, but your heart has exalted you. Be honoured and stay at home, for why should you embroil yourself in trouble and fall in war, you and Judah with you?” 11But Amaziah did not heed it, and Joash king of Israel went up, and they looked at each other face to face – he and Amaziah king of Judah – in Beth-Shemesh which belongs to Judah. 12And Judah was defeated in confrontation with Israel, and each man fled to his tent. 13And Joash king of Israel seized Amaziah king of Judah, the son of Joash, the son of Ahaziah, in Beth-Shemesh, and they went to Jerusalem. And he demolished the wall of Jerusalem at the Gate of Ephraim as far as the Corner Gate – four hundred cubits of wall. 14And he took all the gold and the silver and all the equipment which were present in the house of the Lord, and in the treasuries of the king's house. And he took hostages and returned to Samaria. 15And the rest of the exploits of Joash which he undertook, and his bravery, and the fact that he fought against Amaziah king of Judah, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel? 16And Joash lay with his fathers, and he was buried in Samaria with the kings of Israel, and Jeroboam his son reigned in his place. 17And Amaziah the son of Joash, the king of Judah, lived for fifteen years after the death of Joash the son of Jehoahaz, the king of Israel. 18And the rest of the affairs of Amaziah, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah? 19But they made a conspiracy against him in Jerusalem, and he fled to Lachish. But they sent forces after him to Lachish, and they killed him there. 20And they bore him on horses, and he was buried in Jerusalem with his fathers in the City of David. 21And all the people of Judah took Azariah, who was sixteen years old, and they made him king in place of his father Amaziah. 22He built Elath, and he restored it to Judah after the previous king had lain with his fathers. 23In the fifteenth year of Amaziah the son of Joash, the king of Judah, Jeroboam the son of Joash, the king of Israel, became king in Samaria and was so for forty-one years. 24And he did evil in the Lord's sight, and he did not depart from any of the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who caused Israel to sin. 25He restored the border of Israel from the access to Hamath to the Dead Sea according to the word of the Lord God of Israel, which he spoke through the intermediacy of his servant Jonah the son of Amittai, the prophet who was from Gath-Hepher. 26For the Lord had seen that the affliction of Israel was very bitter, unceasingly and unremittingly, and there was no-one helping Israel. 27And the Lord had not said that he would wipe the name of Israel out from under heaven, and he saved them through the agency of Jeroboam the son of Joash. 28And the rest of the affairs of Jeroboam, and everything he did, and his bravery with which he fought, and the fact that he restored Damascus and Hamath of Judah to Israel, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel? 29And Jeroboam lay with his fathers, with the kings of Israel, and Zechariah his son reigned in place of him.

2 Kings Chapter 15 

1In the twenty-seventh year of Jeroboam king of Israel, Azariah the son of Amaziah, the king of Judah, started to reign. 2He was sixteen years old when he started to reign, and he reigned in Jerusalem for fifty-two years. And his mother's name was Jecholiah from Jerusalem. 3And he did what was right in the sight of the Lord, like everything that Amaziah his father did. 4However, the idolatrous raised sites were not removed. The people were still sacrificing and burning incense on the idolatrous raised sites. 5And the Lord struck the king, and he became a leper up to the day of his death, and he stayed in the infirmary, and Jotham the king's son was in charge of the house, judging the people of the land. 6And the rest of the affairs of Azariah, and everything he did, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah? 7And Azariah lay with his fathers, and with his fathers in the City of David they buried him. And Jotham his son reigned in his place. 8In the thirty-eighth year of Azariah king of Judah, Zechariah the son of Jeroboam started to reign over Israel in Samaria, and he did so for six months. 9And he did evil in the sight of the Lord, as his fathers did. He did not depart from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who caused Israel to sin. 10And Shallum the son of Jabesh conspired against him and struck him down in public and killed him, and he reigned in place of him. 11And as for the rest of the affairs of Zechariah, they are to be seen written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel. 12That was the word of the Lord which he spoke to Jehu when he said, “Your descendants to the fourth generation will sit on the throne of Israel.” And it was so. 13Shallum the son of Jabesh started to reign in the thirty-ninth year of Uzziah king of Judah, and he reigned for a full month in Samaria. 14Then Menahem the son of Gadi from Tirzah went up and came to Samaria and struck Shallum the son of Jabesh down in Samaria, and he killed him, and he reigned in place of him. 15And as for the rest of the affairs of Shallum, and his conspiracy which he made, they are to be seen written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel. 16Then Menahem attacked Tiphsah and everyone in it, and its territories by Tirzah. Because it did not open up, he attacked it, and he ripped all its pregnant women open. 17In the thirty-ninth year of Azariah king of Judah, Menahem the son of Gadi started to reign over Israel, and he did so for ten years in Samaria. 18And he did evil in the sight of the Lord, and he did not depart from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat who caused Israel to sin, all his days. 19Pul king of Assyria came to the land, and Menahem gave Pul a thousand talents of silver, so that he would have the support to strengthen his grip on the kingdom. 20And Menahem raised the money with a levy on Israel, on all valiant warriors, to give it to the king of Assyria – fifty shekels of silver per person – then the king of Assyria returned and did not stay there in the land. 21And the rest of the affairs of Menahem, and everything he did, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel? 22And Menahem lay with his fathers, and Pekahiah his son reigned in his place. 23In the fiftieth year of Azariah king of Judah, Pekahiah the son of Menahem started to reign over Israel in Samaria, and he did so for two years. 24And he did evil in the eyes of the Lord. He did not depart from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who caused Israel to sin. 25And Pekah the son of Remaliah, an adjutant of his, conspired against him and struck him down in Samaria, in the palace of the king's residence, with Argob and with Arieh, and with him fifty men from the sons of the Gileadites. And he killed him, and he reigned in place of him. 26And as for the rest of the affairs of Pekahiah, and everything he did, they are to be seen written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel. 27In the fifty-second year of Azariah king of Judah, Pekah the son of Remaliah started to reign over Israel in Samaria, and he did so for twenty years. 28And he did evil in the sight of the Lord. He did not depart from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who caused Israel to sin. 29In the days of Pekah king of Israel, Tiglath-Pileser king of Assyria came and captured Ijon and Abel-Beth-Maachah and Janoah and Kedesh and Hazor and Gilead and Galilee – all the land of Naphtali – and he deported them to Assyria. 30Then Hoshea the son of Elah made a conspiracy against Pekah the son of Remaliah, and he struck him down and killed him, and he reigned in his place, in the twentieth year of Jotham the son of Uzziah. 31And as for the rest of the affairs of Pekah, and everything he did, they are to be seen written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel. 32In the second year of Pekah the son of Remaliah, the king of Israel, Jotham the son of Uzziah started to reign as the king of Judah. 33He was twenty-five years old when he started to reign, and he reigned in Jerusalem for sixteen years. And his mother's name was Jerusha, the daughter of Zadok. 34And he did what was right in the sight of the Lord. He acted according to everything that Uzziah his father did. 35However, the idolatrous raised sites were not removed. The people were still sacrificing and burning incense on the idolatrous raised sites. He built the upper gate to the house of the Lord. 36And the rest of the exploits of Jotham which he undertook, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah? 37In those days the Lord started sending Rezin king of Aramaea, and Pekah the son of Remaliah, against Judah. 38And Jotham lay with his fathers, and with his fathers he was buried, in the City of David his father, and Ahaz his son reigned in his place.

2 Kings Chapter 16 

1In the seventeenth year of Pekah the son of Remaliah, Ahaz the son of Jotham started to reign as the king of Judah. 2Ahaz was twenty years old when he started to reign, and he reigned for sixteen years in Jerusalem. But he did not do what was right in the eyes of the Lord his God like David his father. 3And he walked in the way of the kings of Israel, and he made even his own son pass over fire, like the abominations of the Gentiles whom the Lord dispossessed before the sons of Israel. 4And he sacrificed and burned incense on the idolatrous raised sites and on the hills and under every luxuriant tree. 5Then Rezin king of Aramaea and Pekah the son of Remaliah, the king of Israel, went up to Jerusalem to war, and they besieged Ahaz, but they could not do battle. 6At that time Rezin king of Aramaea restored Elath to Aramaea, and he drove the Jews out of Eloth, and Aramaeans came to Elath and lived there, as they do up to this day. 7And Ahaz sent messengers to Tiglath-Pileser king of Assyria and said, “I am your servant and your son. Come up and save me from the grip of the king of Aramaea, and from the grip of the king of Israel, who are rising up against me.” 8And Ahaz took the silver and the gold which were present in the house of the Lord and in the treasuries of the king's house, and he sent a bribe to the king of Assyria. 9And the king of Assyria heeded him, and the king of Assyria went up to Damascus and took possession of it, and he exiled the population to Kir, and he killed Rezin. 10Then King Ahaz went to meet Tiglath-Pileser king of Assyria in Damascus, and he saw the altar which was in Damascus, and King Ahaz sent Uriah the priest a drawing of the altar and its design in all its detail. 11And Uriah the priest built the altar. According to everything that King Ahaz had sent from Damascus, so Uriah the priest made it, ready for when King Ahaz would come from Damascus. 12And when the king came back from Damascus, the king saw the altar, and the king went up to the altar and made a burnt offering on it. 13And he made his burnt offering and his meal-offering, and he poured out his libation, and he sprinkled the blood of his peace-offerings on the altar. 14And he brought the copper altar which is before the Lord from the front of the house between the altar and the house of the Lord, and he put it to the side of the altar to the north. 15And King Ahaz commanded him – Uriah the priest – and said, “Burn the morning burnt offering and the evening meal-offering and the king's burnt offering, and his meal-offering, and the burnt offering for all the people of the land, and their meal-offering, and their libations, on the big altar, and sprinkle all the blood of the burnt offering, and all the blood of the sacrifice on it. And the copper altar will be for me to consider.” 16And Uriah the priest acted according to everything that King Ahaz commanded him. 17And King Ahaz cut the borders of the bases off and removed them from them, and he took down both the laver and the artificial sea from the copper oxen which were under it, and he put it on the stone paving. 18And he altered the veranda for the Sabbath, which they had built adjoining the house and the king's outer entrance to go to the house of the Lord on account of the king of Assyria. 19And the rest of the exploits of Ahaz which he undertook, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah? 20And Ahaz lay with his fathers, and with his fathers he was buried, in the City of David. And Hezekiah his son reigned in place of him.

2 Kings Chapter 17 

1In the twelfth year of Ahaz king of Judah, Hoshea the son of Elah started to reign over Israel in Samaria, and he did so for nine years. 2And he did evil in the sight of the Lord, but not like the kings of Israel who were before him. 3Shalmaneser king of Assyria came up against him, and Hoshea became his servant, and he brought him a gift. 4And the king of Assyria discovered a conspiracy by Hoshea, because he had sent messengers to So king of Egypt, and he had not brought a present up to the king of Assyria, as was the custom year by year, so the king of Assyria detained him and bound him in prison. 5Then the king of Assyria went up throughout all the land, and he went up to Samaria and besieged it for three years. 6In the ninth year of Hoshea, the king of Assyria captured Samaria and deported Israel to Assyria, and he relocated them in Halah and in Habor by the River Gozan and the cities of Media. 7And it came to pass that the sons of Israel sinned against the Lord their God, who brought them up out of the land of Egypt – from being under the control of Pharaoh king of Egypt – and they had feared other gods, 8and they had walked in the statutes of the nations which the Lord had dispossessed before the sons of Israel, and the statutes of the kings of Israel which they had instituted. 9And the sons of Israel did things secretly, things which were dishonest, against the Lord their God, and they built themselves idolatrous raised sites in all their cities, from the watchman's tower to the fortified city. 10And they set up idolatrous images and phallic parks on every high hill and under every luxuriant tree. 11And they burned incense there on all the idolatrous raised sites, like the Gentiles, whom the Lord had driven into exile at their advance, and they did evil things, so that they provoked the Lord to anger. 12And they served idols concerning which the Lord had said to them, “You shall not do this thing.” 13And the Lord testified to Israel and to Judah through the intermediacy of every prophet of his – every seer – and said, “Come back from your evil ways and keep my commandments and my statutes according to all the law which I commanded your fathers, and which I sent you through the intermediacy of my servants the prophets.” 14But they did not heed it, but they stiffened their necks like the necks of their fathers who did not believe in the Lord their God. 15And they rejected his statutes and his covenant which he made with their fathers, and his testimonies which he testified against them, and they went after idolatry, and they became idolatrous, and they went after the Gentiles who were around them, concerning whom the Lord had commanded them not to act like them. 16And they forsook all the commandments of the Lord their God, and they made themselves cast imagery – two calves. And they made a phallic park, and they worshipped every celestial body, and they served Baal. 17And they made their sons and their daughters pass through fire, and they made divinations, and they used enchantment, and they gave themselves over to do evil in the sight of the Lord, so that they provoked him to anger. 18And the Lord became very irate with Israel, and he removed them from his presence. None remained except the tribe of Judah alone. 19But neither did Judah keep the commandments of the Lord their God, and they walked in the statutes of Israel which they had instituted. 20And the Lord rejected all the seed of Israel, and he afflicted them, and he delivered them into the hand of plunderers, until he had banished them from his presence. 21For he had torn Israel away from the house of David, and they made Jeroboam the son of Nebat king, and Jeroboam directed Israel away from following the Lord, and he caused them to commit a great sin. 22And the sons of Israel walked in all the sins of Jeroboam which he committed, and they did not depart from it, 23to such an extent that the Lord removed Israel from his presence, as he had said through the intermediacy of all his servants the prophets, and Israel was deported from its land to Assyria, as it is up to this day. 24And the king of Assyria brought people from Babylon and from Cuthah and from Ava and from Hamath and Sepharvaim, and he relocated them in the cities of Samaria instead of the sons of Israel, and they took possession of Samaria and lived in its cities. 25And it came to pass, at the start of when they lived there, that they did not fear the Lord, and the Lord sent lions against them which would kill them. 26Then they spoke to the king of Assyria and said, “The Gentiles whom you have deported and relocated in the cities of Samaria do not know the custom of the God of the land, and he has sent lions against them, and there they are killing them, because they do not know the custom of the God of the land.” 27Then the king of Assyria gave a command and said, “Take one of the priests there, whom you deported from there, and let them go and live there, and let him teach them the custom of the God of the land.” 28So one of the priests whom they had deported from Samaria came and stayed in Beth-El, and he would teach them how they should fear the Lord. 29But each nation would make its own gods and place them in the house on the idolatrous raised sites which the Samaritans had made. Each nation would do this in their cities where they were living. 30And the men from Babylon made Succoth-Benoth, and the men from Cuth made Nergal, and the men from Hamath made Ashima. 31And the Avites made Nibhaz and Tartak, and the Sepharvites burnt their sons in fire to Adrammelech and Anammelech the god of the Sepharvaim. 32But they feared the Lord, yet they made themselves priests of the idolatrous raised sites from their common people, and they officiated for them in the house on the idolatrous raised sites. 33They feared the Lord, yet they served their own gods in the manner of the nations from where the Assyrians had deported them. 34Up to this day they have been acting according to their original customs. They do not fear the Lord and they do not act according to their statutes and according to their customs, or according to the law, or according to the commandment which the Lord commanded the sons of Jacob to whom he gave the name Israel. 35For the Lord had made a covenant with them and commanded them and said, “You shall not fear other gods, and you shall not worship them, and you shall not serve them, and you shall not sacrifice to them, 36but rather it is the Lord who brought you up out of the land of Egypt, with great power and with an outstretched arm, whom you shall fear, and it is him whom you shall worship, and it is to him that you shall sacrifice. 37And it is the statutes and the principles and the law and the body of commandments which he wrote for you which you shall keep by observing them every day, and you shall not fear other gods. 38And you shall not forget the covenant which I made with you, and you shall not fear other gods, 39but rather it is the Lord your God whom you shall fear, and he will deliver you from the grip of all your enemies.” 40But they did not heed it, but rather acted according to their former customs. 41And these nations feared the Lord, but they served their carved images, as did both their sons and their grandsons. They acted as their fathers did, and do so up to this day.

2 Kings Chapter 18 

1And it was in the third year of Hoshea the son of Elah, the king of Israel, that Hezekiah the son of Ahaz started to reign as the king of Judah. 2He was twenty-five years old when he started to reign, and he reigned for twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. And his mother's name was Abi the daughter of Zechariah. 3And he did what was right in the sight of the Lord, like everything that David his father did. 4He removed the idolatrous raised sites, and he smashed up the standing images, and he cut down the phallic park, and he crushed the copper serpent which Moses had made, for up to those days the sons of Israel had been burning incense to it, and he called it the Copper Serpent. 5He trusted in the Lord God of Israel, and there was no-one after him like him among all the kings of Judah, nor among those who were before him. 6And he clung to the Lord; he did not turn away from him, and he kept his commandments which the Lord had commanded Moses. 7And the Lord was with him. In whatever he set out to do, he was prudent, and he rebelled against the king of Assyria and did not serve him. 8He attacked the Philistines as far as Gaza and its territories, from the watchmen's tower to the fortified city. 9And it came to pass in the fourth year of King Hezekiah – that is the seventh year of Hoshea the son of Elah, the king of Israel – that Shalmaneser king of Assyria came up against Samaria and besieged it. 10And they captured it after three years. In the sixth year of Hezekiah – that is the ninth year of Hoshea king of Israel – Samaria was captured. 11And the king of Assyria deported Israel to Assyria, and he conducted them to Halah and Habor by the River Gozan and in the cities of Media, 12because they did not give heed to the Lord their God, and they transgressed his covenant – everything that Moses the Lord's servant commanded – and did not give heed and did not do it. 13Then in the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah, Sennacherib king of Assyria went up against all the fortified cities of Judah and seized them. 14And Hezekiah king of Judah sent a messenger to the king of Assyria in Lachish to say, “I have been wrong. Leave me; I will bear whatever you impose on me.” And the king of Assyria imposed on Hezekiah king of Judah three hundred talents of silver and thirty talents of gold. 15And Hezekiah gave all the silver which was present in the house of the Lord and in the treasuries of the king's house. 16At that time Hezekiah stripped the doors of the Lord's temple and the lintels which Hezekiah king of Judah had overlaid, and he gave the proceeds to the king of Assyria. 17And the king of Assyria sent Tartan and the chief eunuch and the chief butler from Lachish to King Hezekiah with a sizeable army to Jerusalem, and they went up and arrived in Jerusalem, and when they had gone up and arrived, they stood at the conduit at the upper pool, which is at the aqueduct to the washer's site. 18And they called out to the king, and Eliakim, Hilkiah's son, who was in charge of the house, came out to them, as did Shebna the scribe and Joah the son of Asaph, the state secretary. 19And the chief butler said to them, “Kindly say to Hezekiah, ‘This is what the great king, the king of Assyria, says: «What is this object of trust in which you trust? 20You have said – but it is vain talk – ‹I have counsel and wherewithal for war.› Now in whom have you trusted? For you have rebelled against me. 21Now look, you have put your trust in this buckled reed staff – in Egypt – and if a man leans on it, it slips into his hand and pierces it. Such is Pharaoh king of Egypt to all who trust in him. 22And if you say to me, ‹We trust in the Lord our God›, is that not he whose raised sites and whose altars Hezekiah removed, when he said to Judah and to Jerusalem, ‹It is before this altar that you will worship in Jerusalem›?» ’ 23So now, please enter into a contract with my lord the king of Assyria, and I will give you two thousand horses if you are able to provide yourself with riders on them. 24And how can you decline the offer of a governor among the least of my lord's servants and entrust yourself to Egypt for chariots and for horsemen? 25Now did I come up without the Lord against this place, to bring it to ruin? The Lord said to me, ‘Go up against this land and bring it to ruin.’ ” 26Then Eliakim the son of Hilkiah and Shebna and Joah said to the chief butler, “Please speak to your servants in Aramaic, for we understand it, and do not speak to us in Judaean, it being intelligible to the people who are on the wall.” 27Then the chief butler said to them, “Is it to your master and to you that my lord has sent me to speak these words? Is it not to the people sitting on the wall, in that they will have to eat their excrement and drink their urine with you?” 28Then the chief butler stood up and called out in a loud voice in Judaean, and he spoke and said, “Hear the word of the great king, the king of Assyria. 29This is what the king says: ‘Do not let Hezekiah deceive you, for he will not be able to deliver you from Sennacherib's grip. 30And do not let Hezekiah persuade you to trust in the Lord, saying, «The Lord will certainly deliver us, and this city will not be delivered into the hand of the king of Assyria.» ’ 31Do not listen to Hezekiah, for this is what the king of Assyria says: ‘Make things a blessing in partnership with me, and come out to me, then let each man eat from his vine, and each man from his fig tree, and let each man drink water from his cistern, 32until I come to take you to a land like your own land – a land of corn and new wine, a land of bread and vineyards, and a land of fresh olive oil and honey – and live and do not die, and do not listen to Hezekiah, for he will entice you, saying, «The Lord will deliver us.» 33Have the gods of the nations ever delivered anyone's land from the grip of the king of Assyria? 34Where are the gods of Hamath and Arpad? Where are the gods of Sepharvaim, Hena and Ivvah? Now have they delivered Samaria from my grip? 35Who are there among all the gods of the various countries who have delivered their country from my grip? So will the Lord deliver Jerusalem from my grip?’ ” 36And the people became silent and did not answer him a word, for the king's commandment was, “Do not answer him.” 37Then Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, who was in charge of the household, and Shebna the scribe, and Joah the son of Asaph, the state secretary, went to Hezekiah with their clothes torn, and they told him the chief butler's words.

2 Kings Chapter 19 

1And it came to pass, when King Hezekiah heard it, that he tore his clothes and covered himself in sackcloth, and he went to the house of the Lord. 2And he sent Eliakim, who was in charge of the household, and Shebna the scribe, and the elders of the priests – having covered themselves in sackcloth – to Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz. 3And they said to him, “This is what Hezekiah says: ‘This day is a day of anguish and chastening and indignity, for the sons have arrived at the stage of breaking out of the womb, but there isn't the strength to give birth. 4Perhaps the Lord your God will have heard all the words of the chief butler, whom the king of Assyria, his master, sent to defy the living God, and he will condemn the words which the Lord your God has heard, so you will take up a prayer for the remnant which is found.’ ” 5And when King Hezekiah's servants came to Isaiah, 6Isaiah said to them, “This is what you will say to your master: ‘This is what the Lord says: «Do not be afraid of the words which you have heard, because the servants of the king of Assyria have vilified me. 7I am about to put in him a certain spirit, and he will hear a rumour, and he will return to his country, and I will bring him down by the sword in his own country.» ’ ” 8Then the chief butler returned and found the king of Assyria at war with Libnah, for he had heard that he had moved from Lachish. 9And when he heard about Tirhakah king of Ethiopia, when informants said, “Look, he has gone out to wage war with you”, he sent messengers again to Hezekiah to say, 10“This is what you will say to Hezekiah king of Judah. Say, ‘Do not let your God in whom you trust deceive you, when he says, «Jerusalem will not be delivered into the hand of the king of Assyria.» 11Look, you have heard what the kings of Assyria have done to all the countries, in obliterating them. So will you be delivered? 12Have the gods of the nations delivered them – nations which my fathers brought to ruin: Gozan and Haran and Rezeph and the sons of Eden who were in Telassar? 13Where is the king of Hamath or the king of Arpad or the king of the city of Sepharvaim, Hena or Ivvah?’ ” 14And Hezekiah took the communiqué from the hand of the messengers and read it, and he went up to the house of the Lord, and Hezekiah spread it before the Lord. 15And Hezekiah prayed before the Lord and said, “O Lord God of Israel, you who dwell between the cherubim, you alone are the God of all the kingdoms of the earth. You made heaven and the earth. 16Incline, O Lord, your ear and hear; open, O Lord, your eyes and see, and hear the words of Sennacherib who sent him to defy the living God. 17Indeed, O Lord, the kings of Assyria have laid the nations and their land waste, 18and they have put their gods in a fire – although they are not gods, but the product of man's hands, wood and stone – and they have destroyed them. 19So now, O Lord our God, please save us from his grip, so that all the kingdoms of the earth will know that you are the Lord God, and only you.” 20Then Isaiah the son of Amoz sent word to Hezekiah as follows: “This is what the Lord God of Israel says: ‘I have heard what you have prayed to me against Sennacherib king of Assyria.’ 21These are the words which the Lord spoke concerning him:

‘The virgin daughter of Zion despises you,

Derides you;

The daughter of Jerusalem

Shakes her head at you.

22Whom have you defied and vilified,

And against whom have you raised your voice?

Well, you have lifted your eyes haughtily

Against the holy one of Israel.

23Through your messengers you have defied the Lord*

And said, «By the chariots of my chariot fleet

I have ascended to the heights of mountains

In the remote parts of Lebanon,

And I will cut down the tallest of its cedars

And the choice of its cypresses,

And I will come to its remotest abode

In its Carmel forest.

24I have dug wells and drunk foreign water,

And by my expeditions

I have caused all the channels to places under siege

To dry up.»

25Have you not heard from long ago

That I made this?

– That in ancient days, I formed it?

I have brought it about now,

And it is so that you should reduce fortified cities

To desolate heaps of stones.

26And their inhabitants were powerless.

They were afraid and were put to shame;

They were wild vegetation and grassy verdure

– Wild grass on rooftops,

And blight on standing corn.

27Now I have known your way of life

And your coming and going,

And your rage against me.

28Because your rage against me and your wantonness

Have come up to my ears,

I will put my hook in your nose

And my bridle in your lips,

And I will turn you back to the road

By which you came.’

29‘And this will be a sign to you:

This year you will eat the produce of spilt grain,

And in the second year the produce of self-sown grain,

But in the third year,

Sow and reap and plant vineyards,

And eat their fruit.

30And the remnant of the house of Judah which remains

Will again strike root downward

And yield fruit upward.

31For the remainder will go out from Jerusalem,

As will a remnant from Mount Zion.

The zeal of the Lord

Will perform this.’

32Therefore this is what the Lord says concerning the king of Assyria:

‘He shall not come to this city,

And he shall not shoot an arrow there,

And he shall not advance on it with a shield,

And he shall not raise an earthwork against it.

33He will return by the road on which he comes,

And he shall not come to the city,

Says the Lord,

34And I will defend this city,

So as to save it,

For my own sake

And for the sake of David my servant.’ ”

35And it came to pass on that night that the angel of the Lord went out and struck down one hundred and eighty-five thousand men in the Assyrians' camp, and when people arose in the morning, they saw that they were all dead – corpses. 36So Sennacherib king of Assyria moved off and departed, and he returned and stayed in Nineveh. 37And it came to pass, while he was worshipping in the house of Nisroch his god, that Adrammelech and Sarezer struck him down with the sword, and they escaped to the land of Ararat. And Esarhaddon his son reigned in his place.

2 Kings Chapter 20 

1In those days Hezekiah became mortally ill, and Isaiah the son of Amoz, the prophet, came to him and said to him, “This is what the Lord says: ‘Give your last orders to your household, for you are going to die, and you will not live.’ ” 2Then he turned his face to the wall and prayed to the Lord and said, 3“I implore you, O Lord, do remember how I have walked before you in truth, and with a sincere heart, and how I have done what is right in your sight.” And Hezekiah wept with great weeping. 4And it came to pass when Isaiah had not yet gone out of the city centre that the word of the Lord came to him as follows: 5“Go back and say to Hezekiah the leader of my people, ‘This is what the Lord God of David your father says: «I have heard your prayer; I have seen your tears. I am about to cure you. On the third day, go up to the house of the Lord. 6And I will add fifteen years to your days, and I will deliver you and this city from the grip of the king of Assyria, and I will defend this city, for my own sake and for the sake of David my servant.» ’ ” 7And Isaiah said, “Take a cake of pressed figs.” And they took one, and they put it on the inflammation, and he recovered. 8Then Hezekiah said to Isaiah, “What is the sign that the Lord will cure me, and that I will go up to the house of the Lord on the third day?” 9And Isaiah said, “This is your sign from the Lord, for the Lord will perform the pronouncement which he spoke. Shall the sundial shadow go forwards ten degrees or go back ten degrees?” 10And Hezekiah said, “It is easy for the shadow to advance ten degrees, but not that the shadow should go back ten degrees.” 11Then Isaiah the prophet called out to the Lord. And he made the shadow of the sundial go back, the shadow which was cast by Ahaz's sundial – ten degrees backwards. 12At that time Berodach-Baladan the son of Baladan, the king of Babylon, sent letters and a gift to Hezekiah, because he had heard that Hezekiah had become ill. 13And Hezekiah attended to them and showed them all his spice house, the silver and the gold and the fragrances, and the good quality oil, and his armoury, and everything that was present in his treasuries. There was nothing that Hezekiah did not show them in his house and in all his realm. 14Then Isaiah the prophet came to King Hezekiah and said to him, “What did these men say, and where have they come to you from?” And Hezekiah said, “They have come from a distant land, from Babylon.” 15And he said, “What did they see in your house?” And Hezekiah said, “They saw everything in my house. There is nothing which I didn't show them in my treasuries.” 16Then Isaiah said to Hezekiah, “Hear the word of the Lord. 17‘Behold, the days are coming when everything in your house, and which your fathers have treasured up, up to this day, will be carried away to Babylon. Nothing will remain, says the Lord, 18and he will take away some of your sons who will descend from you, whom you will beget, and they will be eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon.’ ” 19Then Hezekiah said to Isaiah, “The word of the Lord which you have spoken is right.” And he said, “Isn't that the case, if there will be peace and truth in my days?” 20And as for the rest of the affairs of Hezekiah, and all his bravery, and the fact that he made the pool and the conduit and brought water to the city, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah? 21And Hezekiah lay with his fathers, and Manasseh his son reigned in place of him.

2 Kings Chapter 21 

1Manasseh was twelve years old when he started to reign, and he reigned in Jerusalem for fifty-five years. And his mother's name was Hephzi-Bah. 2And he did what was wrong in the sight of the Lord, like the abominations of the nations which the Lord dispossessed before the sons of Israel. 3And he rebuilt the idolatrous raised sites which Hezekiah his father had destroyed, and he set up altars to Baal, and he made a phallic park like what Ahab king of Israel had made, and he worshipped every celestial body and served them. 4And he built altars in the house of the Lord, where the Lord had said, “I will establish my name in Jerusalem.” 5And he built altars to every celestial body in the two courtyards of the house of the Lord. 6And he made his son pass through fire, and he divined by clouds and used enchantment, and he engaged in necromancy and wizardry. He was profuse in doing evil in the sight of the Lord, so that he provoked him to anger. 7And he set up the phallic carved image which he had made, in the house concerning which the Lord had said to David and to Solomon his son, “I will set up my name age-abidingly in this house, and in Jerusalem, which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel. 8And I will not chase Israel around again from the land which I gave their fathers, but only if they take care to do everything which I have commanded them, and to act in accordance with all the law which my servant Moses commanded them.” 9But they did not take heed, and Manasseh led them astray, to act worse than the nations which the Lord had destroyed before the sons of Israel. 10Then the Lord spoke through the intermediacy of his servants the prophets and said, 11“Since Manasseh king of Judah has committed these abominations and has done more evil than everything the Amorites did before him, and also caused Judah to sin through his idols, 12this is what the Lord God of Israel says: ‘I am about to bring evil on Jerusalem and Judah, such that the two ears of all who hear it will tingle. 13And I will stretch the measuring line of Samaria, and the plummet of the house of Ahab over Jerusalem, and I will wipe Jerusalem out as one wipes a dish – one wipes it and turns it upside down. 14And I will abandon the remainder of my inheritance, and I will deliver them into the hand of their enemies, and they will be spoil and plunder to all their enemies, 15because they have done evil in my sight, and they have been provoking me to anger, from the day when their fathers came out of Egypt up to this day.’ ” 16And Manasseh also shed very much innocent blood, until he had filled Jerusalem from one end to the other, apart from his sin whereby he caused Judah to sin by doing evil in the sight of the Lord. 17And as for the rest of the affairs of Manasseh, and everything he did, and his sin which he committed, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah? 18And Manasseh lay with his fathers, and he was buried in the garden of his house, in the garden of Uzza, and Amon his son reigned in his place. 19Amon was twenty-two years old when he started to reign, and he reigned for two years in Jerusalem, and his mother's name was Meshullemeth the daughter of Haruz from Jotbah. 20And he did what was wrong in the sight of the Lord, like what his father Manasseh did. 21And he walked in the whole way in which his father walked, and he served the idols which his father had served, and he worshipped them. 22And he abandoned the Lord God of his fathers, and he did not walk in the way of the Lord. 23And Amon's servants conspired against him, and they killed the king in his home. 24Then the people of the land struck down all the conspirators against King Amon, and the people of the land made Josiah his son king in his place. 25And the rest of the exploits of Amon which he undertook, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah? 26And they buried him in his grave in the garden of Uzza, and Josiah his son reigned in his place.

2 Kings Chapter 22 

1Josiah was eight years old when he started to reign, and he reigned for thirty-one years in Jerusalem. And the name of his mother was Jedidah, the daughter of Adaiah from Bozkath. 2And he did what was right in the sight of the Lord, and he walked in every way of David his father, and he did not deviate to the right or left. 3And it came to pass, in the eighteenth year of King Josiah, that the king sent Shaphan, the son of Azaliah, the son of Meshullam, the scribe, to the house of the Lord, and he said, 4“Go up to Hilkiah the high priest and have him count the money which has been brought to the house of the Lord, which the doorkeepers have collected from the people. 5And let them pay it to those doing the work – those charged with the house of the Lord – and let them give it to those doing the work on the house of the Lord, to repair the breach in the house 6– to the craftsmen and the builders and the wall-builders – and to buy wood and hewn stone, to refurbish the house. 7But don't let the money which they are paid be a matter of them being held to account, because they are acting faithfully.” 8And Hilkiah the high priest said to Shaphan the scribe, “I have found the book of the law in the house of the Lord.” And Hilkiah gave the book to Shaphan, and he read it. 9Then Shaphan the scribe went to the king and reported to the king and said, “Your servants have poured out the money which was present in the house, and they have paid it to those doing the work who were charged with the house of the Lord.” 10And Shaphan the scribe explained to the king and said, “Hilkiah the priest gave me a book.” And Shaphan read it in the king's presence. 11And it came to pass, when the king heard the words of the book of the law, that he tore his clothes. 12And the king gave orders to Hilkiah the priest, and Ahikam the son of Shaphan, and Achbor the son of Micaiah, and Shaphan the scribe, and Asaiah the king's servant, and he said, 13“Go and consult the Lord on behalf of me and on behalf of the people and on behalf of all Judah concerning the words of this book which was found, for the fury of the Lord which has been kindled against us is great, because our fathers did not heed the words of this book, that we should do everything written concerning us.” 14So Hilkiah the priest and Ahikam and Achbor and Shaphan and Asaiah went to Huldah the prophetess, the wife of Shallum, the son of Tikvah, the son of Harhas the vestry keeper, and she was resident in Jerusalem in the second quarter, and they spoke to her. 15And she said to them, “This is what the Lord God of Israel says: ‘Say to the man who sent you to me, 16«This is what the Lord says: ‹I am about to bring evil on this place and on its inhabitants – all the words of the book which the king of Judah read – 17because they have forsaken me, and they have burned incense to other gods, so as to provoke me to anger with every work of their hands, and my fury has been kindled against this place, and it will not be extinguished.› » 18And to the king of Judah who sent you to consult the Lord, this is what you shall say: «This is what the Lord God of Israel says: ‹As for the things which you have heard, 19on account of your contrition and the fact that you have humbled yourself before the Lord, in that you have heard what I have spoken in relation to this place and in relation to its inhabitants, that it will be a desolation and a curse, and that you have torn your clothes and wept before me, so I for my part have heard you›, the Lord says, 20‹which is why I am about to gather you to your fathers, and you will be gathered to your grave in peace, and your eyes will not see all the evil which I am bringing on this place.› » ’ ” And they reported it to the king.

2 Kings Chapter 23 

1Then the king sent word, and they assembled all the elders of Judah and Jerusalem before him. 2And the king went up to the house of the Lord, as did every man of Judah and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem with him, and the priests and the prophets and all the people, both small and great, and he read, with them hearing, all the words of the book of the covenant which was found in the house of the Lord. 3And the king stood at the column, and he made a covenant before the Lord, to walk after the Lord and to keep his commandments and his testimonies and his statutes with all his heart and with all his soul – to uphold the words of this covenant, which were written in this book. And all the people committed themselves to the covenant. 4And the king commanded Hilkiah the high priest and the second rank priests and the doorkeepers to bring out of the temple of the Lord all the equipment made for Baal and for the phallic park and for every celestial body, and he burnt them outside Jerusalem in the cornfields of Kidron, and he took their ashes to Beth-El. 5And he put an end to the idolatrous priests whom the kings of Judah had appointed, and he burned incense on the idolatrous raised sites in the cities of Judah and the vicinity of Jerusalem, and he put an end to those who burned incense to Baal, to the sun and to the moon and to the constellations of the zodiac and to every celestial body. 6And he brought the phallic image out of the house of the Lord, to outside Jerusalem, to the Kidron Brook, and he burnt it at the Kidron Brook, and he ground it to dust, and he threw its dust on the graves of the common people. 7And he demolished the houses of the male prostitutes which were in the precinct of the house of the Lord, where the women would weave canopies for the phallic image. 8And he brought all the priests from the cities of Judah, and he defiled the idolatrous raised sites where the priests burned incense, from Geba to Beersheba. And he demolished the idolatrous raised sites at the gates which were at the entrance of the Gate of Joshua the governor of the city, which was on a man's left at the city gate. 9But the priests of the idolatrous raised sites did not go up to the Lord's altar in Jerusalem, for instead they ate unleavened bread among their brothers. 10And he defiled Topheth, which is in the Valley of the Sons of Hinnom, so that no-one could make his son or his daughter pass through fire for Molech. 11And he removed the horses which the kings of Judah had furnished for the sun, from the entrance to the house of the Lord to the office of Nathan-Melech the eunuch, which is in the suburbs, and he burnt the chariots of the sun with fire. 12And the king demolished the altars which were on the roof, by the upper room of Ahaz, which the kings of Judah had made, and the altars which Manasseh had made in the two courtyards of the house of the Lord. Then he ran from there and threw their ashes on the Kidron Brook. 13And the king defiled the idolatrous raised sites which were facing Jerusalem, which are to the right of the Mount of Ruination, which Solomon king of Israel built to Astarte, the abomination of the Sidonians, and to Chemosh, the abomination of Moab, and to Milcom, the abomination of the sons of Ammon. 14And he smashed the idolatrous statues, and he cut down the phallic parks, and he filled their place with men's bones. 15And he also demolished the altar which was in Beth-El, the idolatrous raised site which Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who caused Israel to sin had made – both that altar and the raised site. And he burned the idolatrous raised site and ground it to dust, and he burned the phallic park. 16Then Josiah turned and saw the graves which were there in the mountain, and he sent a workforce and took the bones from the graves and burned them on the altar, and he defiled it, according to the word of the Lord which the man of God read – the man who read these things. 17And at one point he said, “What is this monument I see?” And the men of the city said to him, “The grave of the man of God who came from Judah and read these things which you have done concerning the altar of Beth-El.” 18And he said, “Leave him alone; let no man touch his bones.” So they spared his bones – the bones of the prophet who came from Samaria. 19And Josiah also removed all the houses of the idolatrous raised sites which were in the cities of Samaria, which the kings of Israel had made, so as to cause provocation, and he dealt with them in the same way as all the operations which he carried out in Beth-El. 20And on the altars he sacrificed all the priests of the idolatrous raised sites which were there, and he burned the human bones on them. Then he returned to Jerusalem. 21Then the king commanded all the people and said, “Celebrate the Passover to the Lord your God, as it is written in the book of this covenant.” 22For Passover had not been celebrated like this since the days of the judges who judged Israel, not in all the days of the kings of Israel and the kings of Judah. 23But in the eighteenth year of King Josiah this Passover was celebrated to the Lord in Jerusalem. 24And Josiah also eradicated the necromancers and the wizards and the amulets and the idols and all the abominations which had appeared in the land of Judah and in Jerusalem, in order to establish the words of the law which were written in the book which Hilkiah the priest had found in the house of the Lord. 25And there had not been any king like him before him, who returned to the Lord with all his heart and with all his soul and with all his might, according to all the law of Moses, and after him there arose no-one like him. 26But the Lord did not relent from his great and furious anger, because his anger had been kindled against Judah on account of all the provocations with which Manasseh had provoked him. 27And the Lord said, “I will also remove Judah from my presence, as I removed Israel, and I will reject this city which I chose – Jerusalem – and the house of which I said, ‘My name will be there.’ ” 28And the rest of the affairs of Josiah, and everything he did, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah? 29In his days, Pharaoh-Nechoh king of Egypt came up against the king of Assyria at the River Euphrates, and King Josiah went to confront him, but the king of Egypt killed Josiah in Megiddo when he saw him. 30And his servants conveyed him by chariot, dead, from Megiddo, and they brought him to Jerusalem and buried him in his tomb. And the people of the land took Jehoahaz the son of Josiah, and they anointed him and made him king in place of his father. 31Jehoahaz was twenty-three years old when he started to reign, and he reigned in Jerusalem for three months. And the name of his mother was Hamutal, the daughter of Jeremiah from Libnah. 32And he did evil in the sight of the Lord, like everything that his fathers did. 33And Pharaoh-Nechoh put him in bonds in Riblah, in the land of Hamath when he was reigning in Jerusalem. And he imposed a tax on the land of one hundred talents of silver and a talent of gold. 34Then Pharaoh-Nechoh made Eliakim the son of Josiah king, in the place of Josiah his father, and he changed his name to Jehoiakim, and he took Jehoahaz, and he went to Egypt, and he died there. 35And Jehoiakim gave the silver and the gold to Pharaoh, and he assessed the land so as to give the money according to Pharaoh's command. He exacted silver and gold from each man according to his assessment, from the people of the land, to give it to Pharaoh-Nechoh. 36Jehoiakim was twenty-five years old when he started to reign, and he reigned for eleven years in Jerusalem. And his mother's name was Zebidah the daughter of Pedaiah from Rumah. 37And he did what was wrong in the sight of the Lord, like everything that his fathers did.

2 Kings Chapter 24 

1In his days Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon campaigned, and Jehoiakim became his servant for three years, then he turned away and rebelled against him. 2Then the Lord sent Chaldean troops against him, and troops of the Aramaeans, and troops of Moab, and troops of the sons of Ammon, and he sent them against Judah to destroy it, according to the word of the Lord which he spoke through the intermediacy of his servants the prophets. 3Indeed this came on Judah according to the command of the Lord, to remove it from his presence, on account of Manasseh's sins, according to everything he did. 4And in particular the innocent blood which he shed – how he filled Jerusalem with innocent blood – which the Lord was not willing to forgive. 5And as for the rest of the affairs of Jehoiakim, and everything he did, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah? 6And Jehoiakim lay with his fathers, and Jehoiachin his son reigned in his place. 7And the king of Egypt did not come out of his land any more, because the king of Babylon had captured territory from the Brook of Egypt up to the River Euphrates – everything that used to belong to the king of Egypt. 8Jehoiachin was eighteen years old when he started to reign, and he reigned for three months in Jerusalem. And the name of his mother was Nehushta, the daughter of Elnathan from Jerusalem. 9And he did what was wrong in the sight of the Lord, like everything his father did. 10At that time the servants of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon campaigned against Jerusalem, and the city came under siege. 11And Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came against the city, and his servants besieged it. 12Then Jehoiachin king of Judah went out in subjection to the king of Babylon, he and his mother and his servants and his officials and his eunuchs, and the king of Babylon took him in the eighth year of his reign. 13And he brought out of there all the treasures of the house of the Lord, and the treasures of the king's house, and he cut up all the golden equipment which Solomon king of Israel had made to go in the temple of the Lord, according to the word of the Lord. 14And he deported the whole of Jerusalem, and all the officials and all the valiant warriors – ten thousand deportees – and every craftsman and blacksmith. No-one remained except the poor of the people of the land. 15And he deported Jehoiachin to Babylon, and he led the king's mother and the king's wives and his eunuchs and the princes of the land into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon. 16And he deported all the soldiers – seven thousand of them – and craftsmen and blacksmiths – a thousand of them. All were warriors and professionals in war, and the king of Babylon took them in exile to Babylon. 17And the king of Babylon made Mattaniah his uncle king instead of him, and he changed his name to Zedekiah. 18Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he started to reign, and he reigned in Jerusalem for eleven years. And the name of his mother was Hamutal, the daughter of Jeremiah from Libnah. 19And he did what was wrong in the sight of the Lord, like everything that Jehoiakim did. 20For it was on account of the wrath of the Lord that this happened in Jerusalem and Judah, until he had banished them from his presence. Now Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon.

2 Kings Chapter 25 

1And it came to pass in the ninth year of his reign, in the tenth month, on the tenth day of the month, that Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon – he himself and all his army – came against Jerusalem, and he encamped against it, and they built a wall of circumvallation around it. 2And the city came under siege until the eleventh year of King Zedekiah. 3On the ninth day of the month, the famine in the city became severe, and there was no bread for the people of the land. 4And the city was breached, and all the warriors fled at night through the gate between the two walls which were alongside the king's garden, while the Chaldeans were alongside the city around it. And the king went by the road through the arid tract. 5Then the Chaldean army pursued the king, and they caught up with him in the arid tracts of Jericho, and all his army dispersed themselves away from him. 6And they caught the king, and they brought him up to the king of Babylon in Riblah, and they passed sentence on him. 7And they slaughtered Zedekiah's sons in his sight, and he blinded Zedekiah's eyes, and he bound him in fetters, and he brought him to Babylon. 8And in the fifth month, on the seventh day of the month, that is the nineteenth year of King Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, Nebuzaradan the chief guard, a servant of the king of Babylon, came to Jerusalem, 9and he burnt the house of the Lord and the king's house, and all the houses of Jerusalem, and he burnt every high-ranking person's house with fire. 10And the whole army of the Chaldeans, who were under the chief guard, demolished the walls of Jerusalem surrounding it. 11And Nebuzaradan the chief guard deported the rest of the people who remained in the city, and the defectors who had defected to the king of Babylon, and the rest of the population. 12But the chief guard left some of the poor of the land to be vine-growers and ploughmen. 13And the Chaldeans broke up the copper columns of the house of the Lord, and the plinths, and the copper artificial sea which was in the house of the Lord, and they carried the copper taken from them to Babylon. 14And they took the pans and the shovels and the snuffers and the ladles and all the copper equipment with which they served. 15And the chief guard took the firepans and the sprinkling basins which were of solid gold and which were of solid silver. 16As for the two columns, the one artificial sea, and the plinths which Solomon had made for the house of the Lord, the copper of all this equipment was of inestimable weight. 17The height of the first column was eighteen cubits, and the capital on it was of copper, and the height of the capital was three cubits, and the trellis and pomegranates on the capital around it were all of copper, and the second column had the same features in regard to the trellis work. 18And the chief guard took Seraiah the head priest, and Zephaniah the second most senior priest, and the three doorkeepers, 19and from the city he took one eunuch who was in charge of the warriors, and five men from those who attended to the king, who were present in the city, and the scribe who was commander of the army, who mobilized the people of the land, and sixty men from the people of the land who were present in the city. 20And Nebuzaradan the chief guard took them and led them to the king of Babylon in Riblah. 21Then the king of Babylon struck them down and killed them in Riblah in the land of Hamath. And Judah was deported from its land. 22And as for the people who remained in the land of Judah, whom Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon left, he appointed Gedaliah, the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, over them. 23Then when all the officers of the forces – they and the men – heard that the king of Babylon had appointed Gedaliah, they went to Gedaliah in Mizpah, as did Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, and Johanan the son of Kareah, and Seraiah the son of Tanhumeth the Netophathite, and Jaazaniah the son of the Maachathite – they and their men. 24And Gedaliah swore to them and to their men, and he said to them, “Do not be afraid of the servants of the Chaldeans. Stay in the land, and serve the king of Babylon, and things will go well for you.” 25But it came to pass in the seventh month that Ishmael, the son of Nethaniah, the son of Elishama, of the royal seed came, with ten men accompanying him, struck Gedaliah down, and he died, and likewise the Jews and the Chaldeans who were with him in Mizpah. 26Then all the people, both small and great, including officers of the forces, arose and went to Egypt, because they were afraid of the Chaldeans. 27And it came to pass in the thirty-seventh year of the deportation of Jehoiachin king of Judah, in the twelfth month, on the twenty-seventh day of the month, that Evil-Merodach king of Babylon, in the year when he started to reign, gave Jehoiachin king of Judah his liberty from being in prison. 28And he spoke some welcome words to him, and he appointed his throne above the thrones of the kings who were with him in Babylon. 29And he changed his prison clothes, and he ate food regularly in his presence all the days of his life. 30And as for his meals, a regular meal was given to him by the king as a day-to-day matter all the days of his life.

1 Chronicles  

1 Chronicles Chapter 1 

1Adam, Seth, Enos, 2Cainan, Mahalalel, Jared, 3Enoch, Methuselah, Lamech, 4Noah, Shem, Ham, Japheth. 5The sons of Japheth were Gomer and Magog and Madai and Javan and Tubal and Meshech and Tiras. 6And the sons of Gomer were Ashkenaz and Diphath and Togarmah. 7And the sons of Javan were Elishah and Tarshish, Kittim and Rodanim. 8And the sons of Ham were Cush and Mizraim and Put and Canaan. 9And the sons of Cush were Seba and Havilah and Sabtah and Raamah and Sabtechah. And the sons of Raamah were Sheba and Dedan. 10And Cush begot Nimrod. He started to become mighty in the land. 11And Mizraim begot Ludim and Anamim and Lehabim and Naphtuhim, 12and Pathrusim, and Casluhim from whom the Philistines emerged, and the Caphtorites. 13And Canaan begot Sidon his firstborn and Heth, 14and the Jebusite and the Amorite and the Girgashite, 15and the Hivite and the Arkite and the Sinite, 16and the Arvadite and the Zemarite and the Hamathite. 17The sons of Shem were Elam and Ashshur and Arphaxad and Lud and Aram and Uz and Hul and Gether and Meshech. 18And Arphaxad begot Shelah, and Shelah begot Eber. 19And by Eber two sons were begotten. The name of one was Peleg, for in his days the earth became divided, and the name of his brother was Joktan. 20And Joktan begot Almodad and Sheleph and Hazarmaveth and Jerah, 21and Hadoram and Uzal and Diklah, 22and Ebal and Abimael and Sheba, 23and Ophir and Havilah and Jobab. All of these were the sons of Joktan. 24Shem, Arphaxad, Shelah, 25Eber, Peleg, Reu, 26Serug, Nahor, Terah, 27Abram, who is Abraham. 28The sons of Abraham were Isaac and Ishmael. 29This is their genealogy: the firstborn of Ishmael was Nebaioth, then Kedar and Adbeel and Mibsam, 30and Mishma and Dumah, Massa, Hadar and Tema, 31Jetur, Naphish and Kedemah. These were the sons of Ishmael. 32And as for the sons of Keturah, Abraham's concubine, she bore Zimran and Jokshan and Medan and Midian and Ishbak and Shuah. And the sons of Jokshan were Sheba and Dedan. 33And the sons of Midian were Ephah and Epher and Hanoch and Abida and Eldaah. All these were the sons of Keturah. 34And Abraham begot Isaac. The sons of Isaac were Esau and Israel. 35The sons of Esau were Eliphaz, Reuel and Jeush and Jaalam and Korah. 36The sons of Eliphaz were Teman and Omar, Zephi and Gatam, Kenaz and Timna and Amalek. 37And the sons of Reuel were Nahath and Zerah, Shammah and Mizzah. 38And the sons of Seir were Lotan and Shobal and Zibeon and Anah and Dishon and Ezer and Dishan. 39And Lotan's sons were Hori and Homam, and Lotan's sister was Timna. 40The sons of Shobal were Alian and Manahath and Ebal, Shephi and Onam. And the sons of Zibeon were Ajah and Anah. 41The sons of Anah were Dishon and his line. And the sons of Dishon were Hamran and Eshban and Ithran and Cheran. 42The sons of Ezer were Bilhan and Zaavan and Jaakan. The sons of Dishon were Uz and Aran. 43And these were the kings who reigned in the land of Edom before any king reigned over the sons of Israel: Bela the son of Beor. And the name of his city was Dinhabah. 44Then Bela died, and Jobab the son of Zerah from Bozrah reigned in place of him. 45Then Jobab died, and Husham from the land of the Temanites reigned in place of him. 46Then Husham died, and Hadad the son of Bedad, who struck Midian down in the countryside of Moab, reigned in place of him, and the name of his city was Avith. 47Then Hadad died, and Samlah from Masrekah reigned in place of him. 48Then Samlah died, and Saul from Rehoboth-upon-the-River reigned in place of him. 49Then Saul died, and Baal-Hanan the son of Achbor reigned in place of him. 50Then Baal-Hanan died, and Hadad reigned in place of him, and the name of his city was Pai, and the name of his wife was Mehetabel, the daughter of Matred, the daughter of Me-Zahab. 51Then Hadad died, and there arose chieftains of Edom: Chieftain Timna, Chieftain Alvah, Chieftain Jetheth, 52Chieftain Aholibamah, Chieftain Elah, Chieftain Pinon, 53Chieftain Kenaz, Chieftain Teman, Chieftain Mibzar, 54Chieftain Magdiel, Chieftain Iram. These were the chieftains of Edom.

1 Chronicles Chapter 2 

1These were the sons of Israel: Reuben, Simeon, Levi and Judah, Issachar and Zebulun, 2Dan, Joseph and Benjamin, Naphtali, Gad and Asher. 3The sons of Judah were Er and Onan and Shelah. Three were born to him by the daughter of Shua the Canaanitess. And Er, Judah's firstborn was evil in the Lord's sight, and he killed him. 4Then Tamar, his daughter-in-law bore him Perez and Zerah. Judah's sons were five in total. 5The sons of Perez were Hezron and Hamul. 6And the sons of Zerah were Zimri and Ethan and Heman and Calcol and Dara – five of them in total. 7And the sons of Carmi were Achar the plague of Israel who acted treacherously with the condemned spoils. 8And the sons of Ethan were Azariah and his line. 9And the sons of Hezron who were born to him were Jerahmeel and Ram and Chelubai. 10And Ram begot Amminadab, and Amminadab begot Nahshon, the leader of the sons of Judah. 11And Nahshon begot Salma, and Salma begot Boaz. 12And Boaz begot Obed, and Obed begot Jesse, 13and Jesse begot his firstborn, Eliab, and Abinadab the second son, and Shimah the third, 14and Nethaneel the fourth, Raddai the fifth, 15Ozem the sixth, and David the seventh. 16And their sisters were Zeruiah and Abigail. And Zeruiah's sons were Abishai and Joab and Asahel – three of them. 17And Abigail bore Amasa, and the father of Amasa was Jether the Ishmaelite. 18And Caleb the son of Hezron begot offspring by Azubah his wife and by Jerioth, and these were their sons: Jesher and Shobab and Ardon. 19Then when Azubah died, Caleb took Ephrath as his wife, and she bore him Hur. 20And Hur begot Uri, and Uri begot Bezalel. 21And afterwards Hezron went in to the daughter of Machir the father of Gilead. And when he took her as wife, he was sixty years old, and she bore him Segub. 22And Segub bore Jair, who had twenty-three cities in the land of Gilead. 23And he took Geshur and Aram with the villages of Jair from them, with Kenath and its satellites – sixty towns. All these fell to the sons of Machir the father of Gilead. 24And after the death of Hezron in Caleb-Ephrathah, Hezron's wife Abijah bore him Ashhur the father of Tekoa. 25And the sons of Jerahmeel the firstborn of Hezron were Ram the firstborn and Bunah and Oren and Ozem and Ahijah. 26And Jerahmeel had another wife, whose name was Atarah. She was the mother of Onam. 27And the sons of Ram, the firstborn of Jerahmeel, were Maaz and Jamin and Eker. 28And the sons of Onam were Shammai and Jada. And the sons of Shammai were Nadab and Abishur. 29And the name of Abishur's wife was Abihail, and she bore him Ahban and Molid. 30And the sons of Nadab were Seled and Appaim. But Seled died without sons. 31And the sons of Appaim were Ishi and his line. And the sons of Ishi were Sheshan and his line. And the sons of Sheshan were Ahlai and his line. 32And the sons of Jada the brother of Shammai were Jether and Jonathan. But Jether died without sons. 33And the sons of Jonathan were Peleth and Zaza. These were the sons of Jerahmeel. 34Now Sheshan did not have any sons, but daughters, and Sheshan had an Egyptian servant whose name was Jarha. 35And Sheshan gave his daughter to Jarha his servant as a wife, and she bore him Attai. 36And Attai begot Nathan, and Nathan begot Zabad, 37and Zabad begot Ephlal, and Ephlal begot Obed, 38and Obed begot Jehu, and Jehu begot Azariah, 39and Azariah begot Helez, and Helez begot Elasah, 40and Elasah begot Sismai, and Sismai begot Shallum, 41and Shallum begot Jekamiah, and Jekamiah begot Elishama. 42And the sons of Caleb, the brother of Jerahmeel were Mesha his firstborn and his line. He is the father of Ziph, and the forefather of the sons of Mareshah the father of Hebron. 43And the sons of Hebron were Korah and Tappuah and Rekem and Shema, 44and Shema begot Raham, the father of Jorkoam, and Rekem begot Shammai. 45And the son of Shammai was Maon. And Maon was the father of Beth-Zur. 46And Ephah, Caleb's concubine, bore Haran and Moza and Gazez. And Haran begot Gazez. 47And the sons of Johdai were Regem and Jotham and Geshan and Pelet and Ephah and Shaaph. 48Caleb's concubine Maachah bore Sheber and Tirhanah. 49And she bore Shaaph the father of Madmannah, Sheva the father of Machbenah, and the father of Gibea. And Caleb's daughter was Achsah. 50These were the sons of Caleb the son of Hur, the firstborn of Ephrathah: Shobal the father of Kiriath-Jearim, 51Salma the father of Bethlehem, and Hareph the father of Beth-Gader. 52And Shobal the father of Kiriath-Jearim had sons: Haroeh and half of the Manahethites. 53And the families of Kiriath-Jearim were the Ithrites and the Puthites and the Shumathites and the Mishraites. From these the Zorathites and the Eshtaulites descended. 54The sons of Salma were Bethlehem and the Netophathites, Ataroth the house of Joab, and half of the Manahethites, the Zorites. 55And the families of the scribes – the inhabitants of Jabez – were the Tirathites, the Shimathites and the Suchathites. These were the Kenites who came from Hamath, the father of the house of Rechab.

1 Chronicles Chapter 3 

1And these were the sons of David who were born to him in Hebron. The firstborn was Amnon by Ahinoam the Jezreelitess; the second was Daniel, by Abigail the Carmelitess; 2the third was Absalom, the son of Maachah, the daughter of Talmai king of Geshur; the fourth was Adonijah the son of Haggith; 3the fifth was Shephatiah by Abital; the sixth was Ithream by Eglah his wife. 4Six were born to him in Hebron, and he reigned there for seven years and six months, then he reigned in Jerusalem for thirty-three years. 5And these were born to him in Jerusalem: Shimah and Shobab and Nathan and Solomon – four by Bath-Shua the daughter of Ammiel – 6and Ibhar and Elishama and Eliphelet, 7and Nogah and Nepheg and Japhia, 8and Elishama and Eliada and Eliphelet – nine of them. 9These were all the sons of David, apart from the sons of his concubines, and Tamar was their sister. 10And Solomon's son was Rehoboam, whose son was Abijah, whose son was Asa, whose son was Jehoshaphat, 11whose son was Joram, whose son was Ahaziah, whose son was Joash, 12whose son was Amaziah, whose son was Azariah, whose son was Jotham, 13whose son was Ahaz, whose son was Hezekiah, whose son was Manasseh, 14whose son was Amon, whose son was Josiah. 15And the sons of Josiah were Johanan the firstborn, Jehoiakim the second son, Zedekiah the third, Shallum the fourth. 16And the sons of Jehoiakim were Jeconiah his son, and Zedekiah his son. 17And the sons of Jeconiah were Assir, Shealtiel his son, 18and Malchiram and Pedaiah and Shenazar, Jecamiah, Hoshama and Nedabiah. 19And the sons of Pedaiah were Zerubbabel and Shimei. And the sons of Zerubbabel were Meshullam and Hananiah, and Shelomith their sister, 20and Hashubah and Ohel and Berechiah and Hasadiah and Jushab-Hesed – five of them. 21And the sons of Hananiah were Pelatiah and Isaiah, the sons of Rephaiah, the sons of Arnan, the sons of Obadiah, the sons of Shechaniah. 22And the sons of Shechaniah were Shemaiah and his line. And the sons of Shemaiah were Hattush and Igeal and Bariah and Neariah and Shaphat – six of them. 23And the sons of Neariah were Elioenai and Hezekiah and Azrikam – three of them. 24And the sons of Elioenai were Hodaviah and Eliashib and Pelaiah and Akkub and Johanan and Delaiah and Anani – seven of them.

1 Chronicles Chapter 4 

1The sons of Judah were Perez and Hezron and Carmi and Hur and Shobal. 2And Reaiah the son of Shobal bore Jahath, and Jahath begot Ahumai and Lahad. These were the families of the Zorathites. 3And these were the fathers of Etam: Jezreel and Ishma and Idbash. And the name of their sister was Hazlelponi. 4And Penuel was the father of Gedor, and Ezer was the father of Hushah. These were the sons of Hur the firstborn of Ephrathah, the father of Bethlehem. 5And Ashhur the father of Tekoa had two wives, Helah and Naarah. 6And Naarah bore him Ahuzam and Hepher and Temeni and Haahashtari. These were the sons of Naarah. 7And the sons of Helah were Zereth, Izhar, and Ethnan. 8And Coz begot Anub and Hazzobebah and the families of Aharhel the son of Harum. 9Now Jabez was more honoured than his brothers, and his mother called him Jabez and said, “It is because I bore him in sorrow.” 10And Jabez called on the God of Israel and said, “If only you would make a point of blessing me, and increase my territory, and your hand would be with me, and you would act keeping me from harm so that I may not have sorrow!” And God brought about what he had asked. 11And Chelub the brother of Shuhah begot Mehir – he was the father of Eshton. 12And Eshton begot Beth-Rapha and Paseah and Tehinnah the father of Ir-Nahash. These were the men of Rechah. 13And the sons of Kenaz were Othniel and Seraiah. And the sons of Othniel were Hathath and his line. 14And Meonothai begot Ophrah. And Seraiah begot Joab the father of the Valley of Harashim, for they were craftsmen. 15And the sons of Caleb the son of Jephunneh were Iru, Elah and Naam. And the sons of Elah were Kenaz and his line. 16And the sons of Jehalelel were Ziph and Ziphah, Tiria and Asarel. 17And the sons of Ezrah were Jether and Mered and Epher and Jalon. And she bore Miriam and Shammai and Ishbah the father of Eshtemoa. 18And his wife Jehudijah bore Jered the father of Gedor, and Heber the father of Sochoh, and Jekuthiel the father of Zanoah. And these were the sons of Bithiah, Pharaoh's daughter, whom Mered took. 19And the sons of the wife of Hodijah, the sister of Naham, were the father of Keilah the Garmite, and Eshtemoa the Maachathite. 20And the sons of Shimon were Amnon and Rinnah, Ben-Hanan and Tilon. And the sons of Ishi were Zoheth and Ben-Zoheth. 21The sons of Shelah the son of Judah were Er the father of Lecah, and Laadah the father of Mareshah, and the families of the house of fine linen work, of the house of Ashbea, 22and Jokim and the men of Chozeba, and Joash and Saraph who ruled over Moab and Jashubi-Lehem. And the records are ancient. 23These were the potters and the inhabitants of Netaim and Gederah. They accompanied the king in his work, and they lived there. 24The sons of Simeon were Nemuel and Jamin, Jarib, Zerah, Saul, 25Shallum his son, Mibsam his son, Mishma his son. 26And the sons of Mishma were Hamuel his son, Zaccur his son, Shimei his son. 27And Shimei had sixteen sons and six daughters, but his brothers did not have many sons, and their family as a whole did not multiply to the extent the sons of Judah did. 28And they lived in Beersheba and Moladah and Hazar-Shual, 29and in Bilhah and in Ezem and in Tolad, 30and in Bethuel and in Hormah and in Ziklag, 31and in Beth-Marcaboth and in Hazar-Susim and in Beth-Birei and in Shaaraim. These were their cities until David reigned. 32And their villages were Etam and Ain, Rimmon and Tochen and Ashan – five cities. 33And all their villages in the areas surrounding these cities extended as far as Baal. This was their homeland and their place of genealogical registration which they had. 34And as for Meshobab and Jamlech and Joshah the son of Amaziah, 35and Joel and Jehu the son of Joshibiah, the son of Seraiah, the son of Asiel, 36and Elioenai and Jaakobah and Jeshohaiah and Asaiah and Adiel and Jesimiel and Benaiah, 37and Ziza the son of Shiphi, the son of Allon, the son of Jedaiah, the son of Shimri, the son of Shemaiah, 38these are those who came in high standing – leaders among their families – and the house of their fathers expanded profusely. 39And they went to the approach of Gedor, as far as the east of the valley, to look for pasture for their sheep. 40And they found rich and good quality pasture, and the land was wide on both sides, and quiet and calm, for the inhabitants there had for a long time been those descended from Ham. 41And those who were registered by their names in the days of Hezekiah king of Judah came and attacked their tents and the dwelling places which were found there, and they obliterated them, as they are up to this day. And they lived there in place of them, for there was pasture for their sheep there. 42And some of them from the sons of Simeon went to Mount Seir – five hundred men – and Pelatiah and Neariah and Rephaiah and Uzziel the sons of Ishi were at their head. 43And they struck down the escaped remnant of the Amalekites, and they have been living there up to this day.

1 Chronicles Chapter 5 

1And concerning the sons of Reuben, Israel's firstborn, although he was the firstborn, by his violation of his father's bed, his firstborn status was given to the sons of Joseph the son of Israel, and he was not registered as having firstborn status. 2For Judah became strong among his brothers, and he was destined for a leader to stem from him, but the firstborn status was Joseph's. 3The sons of Reuben, Israel's firstborn, were Hanoch and Pallu and Hezron and Carmi. 4The sons of Joel were Shemaiah his son, Gog his son, Shimei his son, 5Micah his son, Reaiah his son, Baal his son, 6Beerah his son whom Tilgath-Pilneser king of Assyria deported. He was a leader of the Reubenites. 7And his brothers according to their families, according to the registration of their genealogy were Jeiel the head and Zechariah, 8and Bela, the son of Azaz, the son of Shema, the son of Joel. He dwelt in Aroer, and as far as Nebo and Baal-Meon. 9And in the east he dwelt as far as the way into the desert, up to the River Euphrates, because their cattle had increased in the land of Gilead. 10And in the days of Saul they waged war against the Hagarites, who fell into their hand. And they lived in their tents, over the whole landscape of the east of Gilead. 11And the sons of Gad lived opposite them in the land of Bashan, as far as Salcah. 12And Joel was the head, and Shapham was second, then there were Jaanai and Shaphat in Bashan. 13And their brothers according to their paternal house were Michael and Meshullam and Sheba and Jorai and Jacan and Zia and Eber – seven of them. 14These were the sons of Abihail, the 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. 15Ahi, the son of Abdiel, the son of Guni, was the head of their paternal house. 16And they lived in Gilead in Bashan and its satellite towns and in all the pasture lands of Sharon in their most distant parts. 17They were all registered genealogically in the days of Jotham king of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam king of Israel. 18The sons of Reuben and the Gadites and half of the tribe of Manasseh, with some of the soldiers – men who bore a shield and sword and drew a bow and who were skilled in war – were forty-four thousand seven hundred and sixty in number who went out to war. 19And they waged war against the Hagarites and Jetur and Naphish and Nodab. 20And they were helped in fighting against them, and the Hagarites were delivered into their hand, as were all who were with them, for they cried out to God in the war, and he acceded to them, because they had put their trust in him. 21And they captured their cattle – fifty thousand of their camels and two hundred and fifty thousand of their sheep and two thousand donkeys – and one hundred thousand men, alive. 22For many fell defeated, for the war was from God, and they lived there instead of them until the deportation. 23And the sons of the half-tribe of Manasseh lived in the land. They increased from Bashan to Baal-Hermon and Senir and Mount Hermon. 24And these are the heads of their paternal house: both Epher and Ishi, and Eliel and Azriel and Jeremiah and Hodaviah and Jahdiel – men who were valiant warriors, men of renown, heads of their paternal house. 25But they acted perversely with the God of their fathers, and they acted promiscuously in going after the gods of the various peoples of the land whom God had destroyed before them. 26And the God of Israel aroused the spirit of Pul king of Assyria, and the spirit of Tilgath-Pilneser king of Assyria, and he deported them – that is the Reubenites and the Gadites and half of the tribe of Manasseh – and he brought them to Halah, and Habor, and Hara and the River Gozan, as it is up to this day.

1 Chronicles Chapter 6 

1The sons of Levi were Gershon, Kohath and Merari. 2And the sons of Kohath were Amram, Izhar and Hebron and Uzziel. 3And the sons of Amram were Aaron and Moses, and Miriam. And the sons of Aaron were Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar. 4Eleazar begot Phinehas, Phinehas begot Abishua, 5and Abishua begot Bukki, and Bukki begot Uzzi, 6and Uzzi begot Zerahiah, and Zerahiah begot Meraioth. 7Meraioth begot Amariah, and Amariah begot Ahitub, 8and Ahitub begot Zadok, and Zadok begot Ahimaaz, 9and Ahimaaz begot Azariah, and Azariah begot Johanan, 10and Johanan begot Azariah – it is he who officiated as priest in the house which Solomon built in Jerusalem – 11and Azariah begot Amariah, and Amariah begot Ahitub, 12and Ahitub begot Zadok, and Zadok begot Shallum, 13and Shallum begot Hilkiah, and Hilkiah begot Azariah, 14and Azariah begot Seraiah, and Seraiah begot Jehozadak. 15And Jehozadak was moved out when the Lord deported Judah and Jerusalem by the agency of Nebuchadnezzar. 16The sons of Levi were Gershom Kohath and Merari. 17And these are the names of the sons of Gershom: Libni and Shimei. 18And the sons of Kohath were Amram and Izhar and Hebron and Uzziel. 19The sons of Merari were Mahli and Mushi. And these were the families of the Levites according to their fathers: 20of Gershom, Libni his son, Jahath his son, Zimmah his son, 21Joah his son, Iddo his son, Zerah his son, Jeatherai his son. 22The sons of Kohath were Amminadab his son, Korah his son, Assir his son, 23Elkanah his son and Ebiasaph his son and Assir his son, 24Tahath his son, Uriel his son, Uzziah his son and Saul his son. 25And the sons of Elkanah were Amasai and Ahimoth. 26As for Elkanah, the sons of Elkanah were Zophai his son, Nahath his son, 27Eliab his son, Jeroham his son, Elkanah his son. 28And the sons of Samuel were the firstborn Vashni, and Abijah. 29The sons of Merari were Mahli, Libni his son, Shimei his son, Uzza his son, 30Shimah his son, Haggiah his son, Asaiah his son. 31And these are they whom David set up to attend to singing in the house of the Lord after the resting of the ark. 32And they served before the tabernacle of the tent of contact with song until Solomon had built the house of the Lord in Jerusalem. And they stood according to their schedule at their work. 33And these are those who stood, as did their sons. Those of the Kohathites: Heman the singer, the son of Joel, the son of Samuel, 34the son of Elkanah, the son of Jeroham, the son of Eliel, the son of Toah, 35the son of Ziph, the son of Elkanah, the son of Mahath, the son of Amasai, 36the son of Elkanah, the son of Joel, the son of Azariah, the son of Zephaniah, 37the son of Tahath, the son of Assir, the son of Ebiasaph, the son of Korah, 38the son of Izhar, the son of Kohath, the son of Levi, the son of Israel, 39and his brother Asaph who stands on his right hand side, Asaph being the son of Berechiah, the son of Shima, 40the son of Michael, the son of Baaseiah, the son of Malchijah, 41the son of Ethni, the son of Zerah, the son of Adaiah, 42the son of Ethan, the son of Zimmah, the son of Shimei, 43the son of Jahath, the son of Gershom, the son of Levi, 44and the sons of Merari, their brothers who stand on the left hand side, were Ethan the son of Kishi, the son of Abdi, the son of Malluch, 45the son of Hashabiah, the son of Amaziah, the son of Hilkiah, 46the son of Amzi, the son of Bani, the son of Shemer, 47the son of Mahli, the son of Mushi, the son of Merari, the son of Levi. 48And there were their brothers, the Levites, who were appointed to all the work of the tabernacle of the house of God. 49And Aaron and his sons burned incense on the altar for the burnt offering, and on the altar for incense, and they were appointed for all service concerning the holy of holies, and to atone for Israel according to everything that Moses the servant of God commanded. 50And these were the sons of Aaron: Eleazar his son, Phinehas his son, Abishua his son, 51Bukki his son, Uzzi his son, Zerahiah his son, 52Meraioth his son, Amariah his son, Ahitub his son, 53Zadok his son, Ahimaaz his son. 54And these are their places of abode, concerning their castles in their territory, belonging to the sons of Aaron, to the Kohathite family, for they had this lot, 55that they were given Hebron in the land of Judah, and its pasture lands around it, 56but the fields of the city and its courtyards were given to Caleb the son of Jephunneh. 57So they gave the sons of Aaron the cities of refuge: Hebron and Libnah and its pasture lands, and Jattir and Eshtemoa and its pasture lands, 58and Hilez and its pasture lands, Debir and its pasture lands, 59and Ashan and its pasture lands, and Beth-Shemesh and its pasture lands. 60And from the tribe of Benjamin they were given Geba and its pasture lands, and Alemeth and its pasture lands, and Anathoth and its pasture lands. In total their cities came to thirteen cities among their families. 61And to the sons of Kohath who remained of the family of the tribe were given – from a half-tribe, the half-tribe of Manasseh – ten cities by lot. 62And to the sons of Gershom, according to their families were given – from the tribe of Issachar and from the tribe of Asher and from the tribe of Naphtali, and from the tribe of Manasseh in Bashan – thirteen cities. 63To the sons of Merari, according to their families were given – from the tribe of Reuben and from the tribe of Gad and from the tribe of Zebulun – twelve cities by lot. 64So the sons of Israel gave the cities with their pasture lands to the Levites. 65And from the tribe of the sons of Judah, and from the tribe of the sons of Simeon, and from the tribe of the sons of Benjamin, they gave by lot these cities which they specified by name. 66And as for a certain part of the families of the sons of Kohath, the cities of their territory were from the tribe of Ephraim. 67And they gave them the cities of refuge: Shechem and its pasture lands at Mount Ephraim, and Gezer and its pasture lands, 68and Jokmeam and its pasture lands, and Beth-Horon and its pasture lands, 69and Aijalon and its pasture lands, and Gath-Rimmon and its pasture lands, 70and from the half-tribe of Manasseh: Aner and its pasture lands, Bilam and its pasture lands, given to the family of the sons of Kohath who remained. 71To the sons of Gershom, from the family of the half-tribe of Manasseh, they gave Golan in Bashan and its pasture lands, and Ashtaroth and its pasture lands, 72and from the tribe of Issachar: Kedesh and its pasture lands, and Daberath and its pasture lands, 73and Ramoth and its pasture lands, and Anem and its pasture lands, 74and from the tribe of Asher: Mashal and its pasture lands, and Abdon and its pasture lands, 75and Hukok and its pasture lands, and Rehob and its pasture lands, 76and from the tribe of Naphtali: Kedesh in Galilee and its pasture lands, and Hammon and its pasture lands, and Kiriathaim and its pasture lands. 77To the remaining sons of Merari were given: from the tribe of Zebulun, Rimmono and its pasture lands, and Tabor and its pasture lands, 78and on the other side of the Jordan, Jericho, to the east of the Jordan; from the tribe of Reuben, Bezer in the desert and its pasture lands, and Jahzah and its pasture lands, 79and Kedemoth and its pasture lands, and Mephaath and its pasture lands; 80and from the tribe of Gad, Ramoth in Gilead and its pasture lands, and Mahanaim and its pasture lands, 81and Heshbon and its pasture lands and Jazer and its pasture lands.

1 Chronicles Chapter 7 

1And as for the sons of Issachar, they were Tola and Puah, Jashub and Shimron – four of them. 2And the sons of Tola were Uzzi and Rephaiah and Jeriel and Jahmai and Jibsam and Samuel – heads of their paternal house. To Tola valiant warriors were recorded in their genealogies. Their number in David's days was twenty-two thousand six hundred. 3And the sons of Uzzi were Izrahiah and his line. And the sons of Izrahiah were Michael and Obadiah and Joel and Ishiah – five of them – all heads in rank. 4And alongside them according to their genealogies, according to their paternal house, were the troops of the army for war – thirty-six thousand men – for they had many wives and sons. 5And their brothers according to all the families of Issachar were valiant soldiers – eighty-seven thousand of them in total according to their registration by their genealogy. 6The sons of Benjamin were Bela and Becher and Jediael – three of them. 7And the sons of Bela were Ezbon and Uzzi and Uzziel and Jerimoth and Iri – five of them – heads of the paternal house, valiant soldiers – and they were twenty-two thousand and thirty-four in number in their registration by their genealogy. 8And the sons of Becher were Zemira and Joash and Eliezer and Elioenai and Omri and Jeremoth and Abijah and Anathoth and Alemeth. All these were the sons of Becher. 9And their registration according to their genealogy was as heads of their paternal house – as valiant warriors – twenty thousand two hundred in number. 10And the sons of Jediael were Bilhan and his line. And the sons of Bilhan were Jeush and Benjamin and Ehud and Chenaanah and Zethan and Tarshish and Ahishahar. 11All these were the sons of Jediael according to the paternal heads – valiant soldiers – seventeen thousand two hundred in number who would go out to battle in the army. 12And Shuppim and Huppim were the sons of Ir, and there was Hushim, of the sons of someone else. 13The sons of Naphtali were Jahziel and Guni and Jezer and Shallum, being the sons of Bilhah. 14The sons of Manasseh were Asriel to whom his wife gave birth. His Aramaean concubine gave birth to Machir the father of Gilead. 15And Machir took as wife the sister of Huppim and Shuppim, and the name of his sister was Maachah. And the name of the second son was Zelophehad, and Zelophehad had daughters. 16And Maachah the wife of Machir gave birth to a son, and she called him Peresh, and the name of his brother was Sheresh, and his sons were Ulam and Rekem. 17And the sons of Ulam were Bedan and his line. These were the sons of Gilead, the son of Machir, the son of Manasseh. 18And his sister Hammolecheth gave birth to Ishhod and Abiezer and Mahlah. 19And the sons of Shemida were Ahian and Shechem and Likhi and Aniam. 20And the sons of Ephraim were Shuthelah, and Bered his son, and Tahath his son, and Eladah his son and Tahath his son, 21and Zabad his son, and Shuthelah his son, and Ezer and Elad, but the men of Gath who were born in the land killed them, because they came down to take their cattle. 22And Ephraim their father mourned for many days, and his brothers came to console him. 23And after he had gone in to his wife, she conceived and bore a son, and he called him Beriah, because it was troublesome in his house. 24And his daughter was Sheerah, and she built Lower and Upper Beth-Horon and Uzzen-Sheerah. 25And Rephah was his son, as were Resheph, and Telah his son, and Tahan his son, 26Ladan his son, Ammihud his son, Elishama his son, 27Non his son and Joshua his son. 28And their estate and place of residence was Beth-El and its satellite villages. And to the east it was Naaran, and to the west it was Gezer and its satellite villages, and Shechem and its satellite villages, as far as Ajah and its satellite villages. 29And next to the sons of Manasseh were Beth-Shean and its satellite villages, Taanach and its satellite villages, Megiddo and its satellite villages, and Dor and its satellite villages. It is in these that the sons of Joseph the son of Israel lived. 30The sons of Asher were Jimnah and Jishvah and Jishvi and Beriah, and Serah was their sister. 31And the sons of Beriah were Heber and Malchiel – he was the father of Birzoth. 32And Heber begot Japhlet and Shomer and Hotham and Shua their sister. 33And the sons of Japhlet were Pasach and Bimhal and Ashvath. These were the sons of Japhlet. 34And the sons of Shemer were Ahi and Rohgah and Jahbah and Aram. 35And the sons of Helem his brother were Zophah and Imna and Shelesh and Amal. 36And the sons of Zophah were Suah and Harnepher and Shual and Beri and Imrah, 37Bezer and Hod and Shammah and Shilshah and Ithran and Beera. 38And the sons of Jether were Jephunneh and Pispah and Ara. 39And the sons of Ulla were Arah and Hanniel and Rizia. 40All of these were the sons of Asher – heads of the paternal house, elite men, valiant soldiers, top ranking leaders – and their genealogical registration was in the army for warfare. They were twenty-six thousand men in number.

1 Chronicles Chapter 8 

1And Benjamin begot Bela his firstborn, Ashbel the second son and Ahrah the third, 2Nohah the fourth, and Rapha the fifth. 3And Bela's sons were Addar and Gera and Abihud, 4and Abishua and Naaman and Ahoah, 5and Gera and Shephuphan and Huram. 6And these were the sons of Ehud – these were the paternal heads over the inhabitants of Geba – but they were deported to Manahath – : 7both Naaman and Ahiah, and Gera who deported them and begot Uzza and Ahihud. 8And Shaharaim begot offspring in rural Moab after he had sent away Hushim and Baara his wives. 9And he begot, by Hodesh his wife, Jobab and Zibia and Mesha and Malcam, 10and Jeuz and Sachiah and Mirmah. These were his sons – paternal heads. 11And by Hushim he begot Abitub and Elpaal. 12And the sons of Elpaal were Eber and Misham and Shemed – he built Ono and Lod and its satellite villages – 13and Beriah and Shema – paternal heads of the inhabitants of Aijalon; they drove the inhabitants of Gath out – 14and Ahio, Shashak and Jeremoth, 15and Zebadiah and Arad and Eder. 16And Michael and Ishpah and Joha, who were the sons of Beriah, were also paternal heads, 17as were Zebadiah and Meshullam and Hezeki and Heber, 18and Ishmerai and Jizliah and Jobab, the sons of Elpaal, 19as were Jakim and Zichri and Zabdi, 20and Elienai and Zillethai and Eliel, 21and Adaiah and Beraiah and Shimrath the sons of Shimei, 22and Ishpan and Eber and Eliel, 23and Abdon and Zichri and Hanan, 24and Hananiah and Elam and Anthothijah, 25and Iphdeiah and Penuel, the sons of Shashak, 26and Shamsherai and Shehariah and Athaliah, 27and Jaareshiah and Eliah and Zichri, the sons of Jeroham. 28These were the paternal heads according to their genealogies as heads. These lived in Jerusalem. 29And in Gibeon there lived the father of Gibeon, and the name of his wife was Maachah. 30And his firstborn son was Abdon, then Zur and Kish and Baal and Nadab, 31and Gedor and Ahio and Zecher. 32And Mikloth begot Shimah. And these also lived opposite their brothers in Jerusalem, with their brothers. 33And Ner begot Kish, and Kish begot Saul, and Saul begot Jonathan and Malchi-Shua and Abinadab and Eshbaal. 34And the son of Jonathan was Merib-Baal, and Merib-Baal begot Micah. 35And the sons of Micah were Pithon and Melech and Tarea and Ahaz. 36And Ahaz begot Jehoaddah, and Jehoaddah begot Alemeth and Azmaveth and Zimri. And Zimri begot Moza. 37And Moza begot Bina. Rapha was his son, Elasa was his son, and Azel was his son. 38And Azel had six sons, and these are their names: Azrikam, Bocheru and Ishmael and Sheariah and Obadiah and Hanan. All these were the sons of Azel. 39And the sons of Eshek his brother were Ulam his firstborn, Jeush the second son, and Eliphelet the third. 40And sons of Ulam were men who were valiant warriors, who drew the bow, who had many sons and grandsons – one hundred and fifty of them. All these were from the sons of Benjamin.

1 Chronicles Chapter 9 

1And all Israel was registered by genealogy, and they were written in the Book of the Kings of Israel, but Judah was deported to Babylon because of their treachery. 2And the first inhabitants who were back in their possession in their cities were Israel, the priests, the Levites and the temple-servants. 3And in Jerusalem there lived some of the sons of Judah and some of the sons of Benjamin, and some of the sons of Ephraim and Manasseh: 4Uthai the son of Ammihud, the son of Omri, the son of Imri, the son of Bani, one of the sons of Perez, the son of Judah; 5and from the Shilonites, Asaiah the firstborn and his sons; 6and from the sons of Zerah, Jeuel and their brothers – six hundred and ninety of them; 7and from the sons of Benjamin, Sallu the son of Meshullam, the son of Hodaviah, the son of Hassenuah, 8and Ibneiah the son of Jeroham, and Elah the son of Uzzi the son of Michri, and Meshullam the son of Shephatiah, the son of Reuel, the son of Ibnijah; 9and their brothers according to their genealogies – nine hundred and fifty-six of them. All these were men who were paternal heads over the house of their fathers. 10And in Jerusalem there lived: from the priests, Jedaiah and Jehoiarib and Jachin, 11and Azariah the son of Hilkiah, the son of Meshullam, the son of Zadok, the son of Meraioth, the son of Ahitub – the leader in the house of God – 12and Adaiah the son of Jeroham, the son of Pashhur, the son of Malchijah, and Maasai the son of Adiel, the son of Jahzerah, the son of Meshullam, the son of Meshillemith, the son of Immer, 13and their brothers, heads of their paternal house – one thousand seven hundred and sixty of them – valiant heroes in the execution of the work of the house of God; 14and from the Levites, Shemaiah the son of Hashshub, the son of Azrikam, the son of Hashabiah, from the sons of Merari, 15and Bakbakkar, Heresh and Galal and Mattaniah the son of Micah, the son of Zichri, the son of Asaph, 16and Obadiah the son of Shemaiah, the son of Galal the son of Jeduthun, and Berechiah the son of Asa, the son of Elkanah, who lived in the villages of the Netophathites; 17and the gatekeepers, Shallum and Akkub and Talmon and Ahiman, and their brother – Shallum being the head – 18who are the ones who have been gatekeeping at the king's gate in the east up to now, as companies of the sons of Levi. 19And Shallum the son of Kore, the son of Ebiasaph, the son of Korah, and his brothers of his paternal house, the Korhites, were in charge of the execution of the work, they being the doorkeepers of the tent. And their fathers had been in charge of the Lord's precinct as keepers of the entrance. 20And Phinehas the son of Eleazar had been an overseer in charge of them, previously, the Lord being with him. 21Zechariah the son of Meshelemiah was gatekeeper at the entrance to the tent of contact. 22All of them who were elite in gatekeeping at the thresholds came to two hundred and twelve. Their registration by their genealogy was in their villages. They are whom David and Samuel the seer installed on account of their faithfulness. 23And they and their sons were in charge of the gates of the house of the Lord – the house of the tent – in guard shifts. 24The gatekeepers were in their four quarters: east, to the west, to the north and to the south. 25And their brothers in their villages were charged to come for seven days from time to time, with these. 26For it was on account of their faithfulness that they were there – the four valiant gatekeepers. They were Levites, and they were in charge of the office rooms and in charge of the treasuries of the house of God. 27And they lodged in the vicinity of the house of God, because the duty of guarding had been committed to them, and they had charge of the key every morning. 28And some of them were in charge of the equipment for the service, for they would bring it in with a tally and bring it out with a tally. 29And some of them were appointed over the equipment and over all the holy equipment, and over the fine flour and the wine and the oil and the frankincense and the fragrances. 30And some of the sons of the priests were preparers of the ointment for the fragrances. 31And Mattithiah from the Levites – he was the firstborn of Shallum the Korhite – was faithfully in charge of the work with the pans. 32And some of the sons of the Kohathites, taken from their brothers, were in charge of the showbread, to prepare it every Sabbath. 33And these were the singers, paternal heads of the Levites in the annexes; they were there when discharged between shifts, for they were charged with their function day and night. 34These were the paternal heads of the Levites in their genealogies as heads, and they lived in Jerusalem, 35and the father of Gibeon, Jeiel, lived in Gibeon, and his wife's name was Maachah, 36and there was his firstborn son Abdon, and Zur and Kish and Baal and Ner and Nadab, 37and Gedor and Ahio and Zechariah and Mikloth. 38And Mikloth begot Shimam. And they also lived opposite their brothers in Jerusalem, with their brothers. 39And Ner begot Kish, and Kish begot Saul, and Saul begot Jonathan and Malchi-Shua and Abinadab and Eshbaal. 40And the son of Jonathan was Merib-Baal, and Meri-Baal begot Micah. 41And the sons of Micah were Pithon and Melech and Tahrea. 42And Ahaz begot Jarah, and Jarah begot Alemeth and Azmaveth and Zimri, and Zimri begot Moza. 43And Moza begot Bina and Rephaiah his son, Elasah his son and Azel his son. 44And Azel had six sons, and these are their names: Azrikam, Bocheru and Ishmael and Sheariah and Obadiah and Hanan. These were Azel's sons.

1 Chronicles Chapter 10 

1And the Philistines fought against Israel, and the men of Israel fled from the Philistines, and they fell as casualties on Mount Gilboa. 2And the Philistines hotly pursued Saul and his sons, and the Philistines struck down Jonathan and Abinadab and Malchi-Shua, Saul's sons. 3And the war went heavily against Saul, and the archers hit him, and he was wounded by the archers. 4And Saul said to his arms-bearer, “Draw your sword and thrust me through with it, so that these uncircumcised men do not come and ill-treat me.” But his arms-bearer was not willing to do so, because he was very afraid. So Saul took his sword and fell on it. 5Then when his arms-bearer saw that Saul had died, he too fell on his sword and died. 6So Saul and his three sons died, and all his household died together. 7And when every man of Israel who was in the valley saw that they had fled, and that Saul and his sons had died, they left their cities and fled, and the Philistines came and lived in them. 8And it came to pass on the next day, when the Philistines came to strip the fallen, that they found Saul and his sons lying fallen at Mount Gilboa. 9And they stripped him and removed his head, and his weaponry, and they sent messengers into the land of the Philistines round about to bring the good news to their idols and to the people. 10And they put his weaponry in the house of their gods, and they mounted his skull in the house of Dagon. 11And when all of Jabesh-Gilead heard everything that the Philistines had done to Saul, 12every valiant man arose and removed Saul's corpse and his sons' corpses and brought them to Jabesh, and they buried their bones under the terebinth tree in Jabesh. And they fasted for seven days. 13So Saul died for his treachery which he committed against the Lord, against the word of the Lord, which he did not keep, and also for consulting with a necromancer to make an inquiry. 14But he did not inquire of the Lord, so he killed him, and he directed the kingdom to David the son of Jesse.

1 Chronicles Chapter 11 

1And all Israel converged on David, in Hebron, and they said, “Here we are; we are your bone and your flesh. 2Throughout the past when Saul was king, it was you who brought Israel out and led it in. And the Lord your God said to you, ‘You will shepherd my people Israel, and you will be a leader over my people Israel.’ ” 3And all the elders of Israel came to the king in Hebron, and David made a covenant with them in Hebron before the Lord, and they anointed David as king over Israel, according to the word of the Lord through the intermediacy of Samuel. 4And David and the whole of Israel went to Jerusalem, which is Jebus, and the Jebusites were there, inhabiting the land. 5And the inhabitants of Jebus said to David, “You shall not come here.” But David captured the stronghold of Zion, which is the City of David. 6And David said, “Whoever strikes a Jebusite first will be a head and a commander.” And Joab the son of Zeruiah went up first, and he became head. 7And David resided in the citadel, which is why they called it the City of David. 8And he built the city round about, from the Millo to the surrounding area. And Joab fortified the remainder of the city. 9And David continued to become greater, and the Lord of hosts was with him. 10And these were the heads of the warriors whom David had, who showed themselves strong with him in his kingdom with all Israel, in making him king according to the word of the Lord concerning Israel. 11And these are the number of the warriors whom David had: Jashobam a member of the Hachmonites, a head of thirty. He raised his spear against three hundred who were struck down by him on one occasion. 12And after him came Eleazar the son of Dodo the Ahohite. He was among the three warriors. 13He was with David in Pas-Dammim, where the Philistines had assembled for war, and where there was a parcel of land in the field full of barley, and the people fled from the presence of the Philistines. 14But they took a stand in the middle of the parcel of land, and they saved it, and they struck the Philistines, and the Lord brought about a great salvation. 15And three of the thirty heads went down to the rock, to David, to the cave of Adullam, while the Philistines' camp was pitched in the Valley of the Rephaim. 16And David was then in the stronghold, whereas the garrison of the Philistines was at that time in Bethlehem. 17And David had a longing and said, “Who will give me a drink of water from the cistern in Bethlehem, which is at the gate?” 18And the three broke through into the Philistines' camp and drew water from the cistern in Bethlehem, which is at the gate, and they carried it, and they brought it to David, but David was not willing to drink it, and he poured it out to the Lord. 19And he said, “Far be it from me, O God of mine, that I should do this. Shall I drink the blood of these men who went at the risk of their lives? For they brought it at the risk of their lives.” So he was not willing to drink it. The three warriors did these things. 20And Abishai the brother of Joab was the head of the three, and he raised his spear against three hundred who were struck down by him, and he had fame among the three. 21Of the three he was more honoured than the two, and he became their commander, but he did not equal the three. 22There was Benaiah, the son of Jehoiada, the son of a valiant man, of many exploits, from Kabzeel. He struck down two men of Ariel of Moab, and he went down and struck a lion inside a pit on a snowy day. 23And he struck down an Egyptian man, a man of five cubits in height, and in the Egyptian's hand was a spear like a weaver's beam, and he went down against him with a staff, and he wrenched the spear from the Egyptian's hand and killed him with his spear. 24Benaiah the son of Jehoiada did these things, and he had fame among the three warriors. 25You see how he was the most honoured of the thirty, but he did not equal the three, and David appointed him to his council. 26And the valiant warriors were Asahel the brother of Joab, Elhanan the son of Dodo from Bethlehem, 27Shammoth the Harorite, Helez the Pelonite, 28Ira the son of Ikkesh the Tekoite, Abiezer the Anathothite, 29Sibbecai the Hushathite, Ilai the Ahohite, 30Mahrai the Netophathite, Heled the son of Baanah the Netophathite, 31Ithai the son of Ribai from Gibeah of the sons of Benjamin, Benaiah the Pirathonite, 32Hurai of the brooks of Gaash, Abiel the Arbathite, 33Azmaveth the Baharumite, Eliahba the Shaalbonite, 34the sons of Hashem the Gizonite, Jonathan the son of Shageh the Hararite, 35Ahiam the son of Sacar the Hararite, Eliphal the son of Ur, 36Hepher the Mecherathite, Ahijah the Pelonite, 37Hezro the Carmelite, Naarai the son of Ezbai, 38Joel the brother of Nathan, Mibhar the son of Hagri, 39Zelek the Ammonite, Nahrai the Berothite, the arms-bearer of Joab the son of Zeruiah, 40Ira the Ithrite, Gareb the Ithrite, 41Uriah the Hittite, Zabad the son of Ahlai, 42Adina the son of Shiza the Reubenite, a head of the Reubenites, with thirty alongside him, 43Hanan the son of Maachah and Joshaphat the Mithnite, 44Uzia the Ashterathite, Shama and Jeiel the sons of Hotham the Aroerite, 45Jediael the son of Shimri, and Joha his brother the Tizite, 46Eliel of the Mahavites and Jeribai and Joshaviah the sons of Elnaam, and Ithmah the Moabite, 47Eliel and Obed, and Jasiel the Mezobaite.

1 Chronicles Chapter 12 

1And these were those who came to David in Ziklag while he was still being constrained because of Saul the son of Kish, and they were among the warriors who were helpers in the war, 2armed with a bow, right and left handed with stones, and arrows from the bow, from Saul's brothers, from Benjamin. 3The head was Ahiezer, as were Joash, the sons of Shemaah the Gibeathite, and Jeziel and Pelet the sons of Azmaveth, and Berachah, and Jehu the Anathothite, 4aand Ishmaiah the Gibeonite, a warrior among thirty, and in charge of the thirty, 4band Jeremiah and Jahaziel and Johanan and Jozabad the Gederathite, 5Eluzai and Jerimoth and Bealiah and Shemariah and Shephatiah the Haruphite, 6Elkanah and Jishshiah and Azarel and Joezer and Jashobam, the Korhites, 7and Joelah and Zebadiah the sons of Jeroham from Gedor. 8And from the Gadites men detached themselves to David in the fortification in the desert, men who were valiant warriors, men of the army of warfare, handling shield and spear, whose faces were like a lion's face, and who were like gazelles on the mountain in speed: 9Ezer the head, Obadiah the second, Eliab the third, 10Mishmannah the fourth, Jeremiah the fifth, 11Attai the sixth, Eliel the seventh, 12Johanan the eighth, Elzabad the ninth, 13Jeremiah the tenth, Machbannai the eleventh. 14These, who were of the sons of Gad, were heads of the army – a junior one over a hundred and a senior one over a thousand. 15These are they who crossed the Jordan in the first month, when it flooded all its banks, and they put all the inhabitants of the valleys to flight eastwards and westwards. 16And some of the sons of Benjamin and Judah came up to David's fortification. 17And David went out to confront them, and he addressed them and said to them, “If you have come to me in peace to assist me, my heart will be united with you, but if you have come to betray me to my adversaries – with there being no violence on my part – may the God of my fathers see it and convict it.” 18Then a spirit invested Amasai, a head of thirty, and it said,

We are for you, David,

And with you, son of Jesse.

Peace, peace be to you,

And peace to your helpers,

For your God has helped you.”

Then David accepted them and appointed them among the heads of the troop. 19And some men of Manasseh defected to David when he came with Philistines against Saul in the war, but they did not help them, for the barons of the Philistines sent him away by counsel and said, “He will defect to his master Saul at the cost of our heads.” 20When he went to Ziklag, these defected to him from Manasseh: Adnah and Jozabad and Jediael and Michael and Jozabad and Elihu and Zillethai – heads of thousands who were from Manasseh. 21And they helped David against the hostile troop, for they were all valiant warriors, and they became commanders in the army. 22For at that time day by day they would come to David to help him until it became a great camp, like a camp of God. 23And these are the numbers of the heads of the army's armed soldiery. They came to David in Hebron to direct Saul's kingdom to him, according to the pronouncement of the Lord: 24the sons of Judah who bore a shield and spear, six thousand eight hundred armed soldiers; 25from the sons of Simeon, valiant warriors in the army, seven thousand one hundred; 26from the sons of Levi, four thousand six hundred; 27and Jehoiada the leader of the sons of Aaron, and with him three thousand seven hundred men; 28and Zadok, a lad, a valiant warrior; and his paternal house, twenty-two commanders; 29and from the sons of Benjamin, Saul's kin, three thousand – up to this point the majority of them having been guards in the guard duty of Saul's house; 30and from the sons of Ephraim, twenty thousand eight hundred valiant warriors, men of fame of their paternal house; 31and from half of the tribe of Manasseh, eighteen thousand men who were specified by name to go and make David king; 32and from the sons of Issachar, who were knowledgeable in timely tactics, so as to know what Israel should do, their heads who were two hundred in number and all of whose brothers were at their command; 33from Zebulun, those who went out in the army, equipped for war with every weapon of war, fifty thousand men, fit to take up position without wavering; 34and from Naphtali, a thousand commanders, and with them, with shield and spear, thirty-seven thousand; 35and from the Danites, those equipped for war, twenty-eight thousand six hundred; 36and from Asher, those who went out in the army, equipped for war, forty thousand; 37and from the other side of the Jordan, from the Reubenites and the Gadites and half of the tribe of Manasseh, with all weaponry of the army of warfare, one hundred and twenty thousand. 38All these warfaring men, who took up position in battle formation, went wholeheartedly to Hebron to make David king over all Israel, and also all the rest of Israel was unanimous in making David king. 39And they were there with David for three days, eating and drinking, for their brothers had prepared it for them. 40And also those who were related to them – to Issachar and Zebulun and Naphtali – brought bread on donkeys and on camels and on mules and on oxen: food, flour, pressed fig cake, raisin cake, wine and oil, and oxen and small cattle in abundance, for there was joy in Israel.

1 Chronicles Chapter 13 

1And David took counsel with the commanders of a thousand and of a hundred and with every leader, 2and David said to the whole convocation of Israel, “If it is right in your opinion and if it is from the Lord our God, let us spread out and send companies to our brothers who remain in all the lands of Israel, and let us send with them the priests and the Levites into the cities of their pasture lands, so that they gather themselves to us. 3And let us recover to the ark of our God, because we did not inquire with it in Saul's days.” 4And the whole convocation agreed to do this, for the matter was right in the eyes of all the people. 5Then David convened the whole of Israel from Shihor in Egypt to the approach to Hamath, to bring the ark of God from Kiriath-Jearim. 6And David and all Israel went up to Baalah, to Kiriath-Jearim, which belongs to Judah, so as to bring up from there the ark of God – of the Lord, who resides between the cherubim – where his name is called on. 7And they loaded the ark of God onto a new wagon obtained from the house of Abinadab, and Uzza and Ahio were driving the wagon. 8Now David and all Israel were playing music before God with all their strength, both with singing and on harps and on lutes, and with drums and with cymbals, and with trumpets, 9when they came to Chidon's threshing floor, and Uzza stretched out his hand to hold the ark, because the oxen were destabilizing it. 10At this the anger of the Lord was kindled against Uzza, and he struck him down because he had stretched out his hand on the ark, and he died there before God. 11And it grieved David that the Lord had burst out against Uzza, and he called that place Perez-Uzza, as it is up to this day. 12And David feared God* on that day, and he said, “How will I have the ark of God* brought to me?” 13So David did not have the ark brought to him in the City of David, and he had it diverted to the house of Obed-Edom the Gittite. 14So the ark of God remained with the house of Obed-Edom, in his house for three months, and the Lord blessed the house of Obed-Edom and all who belonged to him.

1 Chronicles Chapter 14 

1And Huram king of Tyre sent envoys to David, and cedar wood and wall masons and carpenters, to build him a house. 2And David knew that the Lord had established him as king over Israel, because his kingdom was highly exalted, for the sake of his people Israel. 3And David took some more wives in Jerusalem, and David begot more sons and daughters. 4And these are the names of those born, whom he had in Jerusalem: Shammua and Shobab, Nathan and Solomon, 5and Ibhar and Elishua and Elpelet, 6and Nogah and Nepheg and Japhia, 7and Elishama and Beeliada and Eliphelet. 8And when the Philistines heard that David had been anointed as king over all Israel, all the Philistines came up to seek David, but David heard about it, and he went out to confront them. 9And the Philistines came and spread themselves out in the Valley of the Rephaim. 10And David asked God* and said, “Should I go up against the Philistines, and will you deliver them into my hand?” And the Lord said to him, “Go up, and I will deliver them into your hand.” 11So they went up to Baal-Perazim, and David struck them there. And David said, “God* has dispersed my enemies by means of myself, like an outpouring of water”, which is why they called that place Baal-Perazim. 12And they abandoned their gods there, and David gave the commandment that they were to be burned with fire. 13But the Philistines spread themselves out again in the valley. 14And David inquired of God* again, and God* said to him, “You shall not go up after them. Go round away from them and advance on them from opposite the balsam trees. 15And it will come to pass, when you hear the sound of marching in the crowns of the balsam trees, that then you will go out to war, for God will go out before you to strike the Philistines' camp.” 16And David did as God* had commanded him, and they struck the Philistines' camp from Gibeon to Gezer. 17And David's fame spread throughout all the lands, and the Lord put fear of him on all the nations.

1 Chronicles Chapter 15 

1And he made himself houses in the City of David, and he prepared a place for the ark of God, and he pitched a tent for it. 2Then David commanded that no-one should bear the ark of God except the Levites, for the Lord had chosen them to bear the ark of the Lord, and to serve him age-abidingly. 3And David convened all of Israel to Jerusalem for the bringing up of the ark of the Lord to its place which he had prepared for it. 4And David gathered the sons of Aaron and the Levites: 5of the sons of Kohath, Uriel the principal one and his brothers – one hundred and twenty of them; 6of the sons of Merari, Asaiah the principal one and his brothers – two hundred and twenty of them; 7of the sons of Gershom, Joel the principal one and his brothers – one hundred and thirty of them; 8of the sons of Elizaphan, Shemaiah the principal one and his brothers – two hundred of them; 9of the sons of Hebron, Eliel the principal one and his brothers – eighty of them; 10of the sons of Uzziel, Amminadab the principal one and his brothers – one hundred and twelve of them. 11And David called for Zadok and Abiathar the priests, and for the Levites, for Uriel, Asaiah and Joel, Shemaiah and Eliel and Amminadab, 12and he said to them, “You are the paternal heads of the Levites. Sanctify yourselves, you and your brothers, and bring the ark of the Lord God of Israel up to where I have prepared for it. 13Since it wasn't you bringing it up on the first occasion, the Lord our God broke in on us – because we did not seek him according to the ordinance.” 14So the priests and the Levites sanctified themselves to bring up the ark of the Lord God of Israel. 15And the sons of the Levites bore the ark of God, as Moses had commanded, according to the word of the Lord, with the poles extending onto their shoulders. 16And David told the senior Levites to appoint their brothers as the singers with instruments of song: lutes and harps and timbrels, producing sounds and with raising of the voice in joy. 17So the Levites appointed Heman the son of Joel, and from his brothers, Asaph the son of Berechiah, and from the sons of Merari – their brothers – Ethan the son of Kushaiah. 18And with them were their brothers the juniors in rank: Zechariah, Ben and Jaaziel and Shemiramoth and Jehiel and Unni, Eliab and Benaiah and Maaseiah, and Mattithiah and Elipheleh and Mikneiah and Obed-Edom and Jeiel, the gatekeepers; 19and the singers, Heman, Asaph and Ethan to produce sound with copper timbrels; 20and Zechariah and Aziel and Shemiramoth and Jehiel and Unni and Eliab and Maaseiah and Benaiah, with lutes accompanying the maiden's choir; 21and Mattithiah and Elipheleh and Mikneiah and Obed-Edom and Jeiel and Azaziah, with harps accompanying the eighth day division choir, to lead in music; 22and Chenaniah, a senior Levite who was engaged in the singing – he instructed the singing because he was knowledgeable; 23and Berechiah and Elkanah, gatekeepers for the ark; 24and Shebaniah and Jehoshaphat and Nethaneel and Amasai and Zechariah and Benaiah and Eliezer, the priests who blew the trumpets before the ark of God; and Obed-Edom and Jehiah who were gatekeepers of the ark. 25So it was David and the elders of Israel and the commanders of a thousand who went to bring the ark of the covenant of the Lord up from the house of Obed-Edom with joy, 26and it came to pass, when God helped the Levites who were carrying the ark of the covenant of the Lord, that they sacrificed seven bulls and seven rams. 27And David was attired in a byssus robe, as were all the Levites who were carrying the ark, and the singers, and Chenaniah the master of the choir of the singers. And on David was an ephod of fine linen. 28So all Israel brought up the ark of the covenant of the Lord, with shouting and with the sound of the ramshorn and with trumpets and with timbrels, making sounds with lutes and harps. 29And it came to pass, as the ark of the covenant of the Lord was arriving in the City of David, that Michal, Saul's daughter, was peering out of the window, and she saw King David dancing and cavorting, and she despised him in her heart.

1 Chronicles Chapter 16 

1And they brought the ark of God*, and they put it inside the tent which David had pitched for it, and they made burnt offerings and peace-offerings before God*. 2And when David had finished offering the burnt offering and the peace-offerings, he blessed the people in the name of the Lord. 3And he distributed to every person of Israel, both men and women – to each one – a loaf of bread and a portion of roast beef and raisin cake. 4And in the presence of the ark of the Lord, he appointed some of the Levites who performed service, both to remember and to give thanks and to praise the Lord God of Israel: 5Asaph the head, and his adjunct Zechariah, and Jeiel and Shemiramoth and Jehiel and Mattithiah and Eliab and Benaiah and Obed-Edom and Jeiel, with lutes and with harps, whereas Asaph produced sound with timbrels, 6and Benaiah and Jahaziel the priests with trumpets, continually before the ark of the covenant of God. 7Then on that day at the start David handed these words over to Asaph and his brothers, to give thanks to the Lord:

8Give thanks to the Lord,

Call on his name;

Make his deeds known

Among the various peoples.

9Sing to him,

Make psalm melody to him;

Meditate on all his wonders.

10Boast in his holy name.

Let the heart of those who seek the Lord rejoice.

11Search for the Lord and his strength;

Seek his presence continually.

12Remember his wonders

Which he has performed

– His miracles

And the judgments of his mouth.

13The seed of Israel his servant

– The sons of Jacob –

Are his chosen ones.

14He is the Lord our God;

His principles of justice

Are in the whole land.

15Remember his covenant age-abidingly

– The word he commanded to a thousand generations,

16The covenant which he made with Abraham –

And his oath to Isaac,

17Which he established as a statute to Jacob,

And as an age-abiding covenant to Israel,

18When he said,

“To you I will give the land of Canaan,

The allocation of your inheritance”,

19When you were a small company

– Few, but residents in it.

20And they went round from nation to nation,

And from one kingdom to another people.

21He did not permit man to oppress them,

And he reproved kings concerning them,

22Saying, “Do not touch my anointed ones,

And do not harm my prophets.”

23Sing to the Lord, all the earth;

Proclaim his salvation

From one day to the next.

24Tell of his glory among the Gentiles,

And of his wondrous deeds,

Among all the various peoples.

25For the Lord is great

And much to be praised;

He is awesome

Above all gods.

26For all the gods of the nations are idols,

But the Lord made the heavens.

27Majesty and splendour are before him;

Strength and joy are in his place.

28Ascribe to the Lord,

You families of nations,

Ascribe glory and strength

To the Lord.

29Ascribe the glory of his name to the Lord;

Make a meal-offering

And enter in before him.

Worship the Lord

In the splendour of holiness.

30Tremble in his presence,

All the earth;

Indeed the world will be established

Such that it will not totter.

31Let the heavens rejoice

And the earth be glad,

And let them say among the nations,

“The Lord reigns.”

32Let the sea roar

With its fulness;

Let the field exult,

And everything in it.

33Then let the trees of the forest shout for joy,

Before the Lord

When he comes to judge the earth.

34Give thanks to the Lord,

For he is good,

For his kindness is age-abiding.

35And say,

“Save us, O God of our salvation,

And gather us,

And save us from the Gentiles,

To give thanks to your holy name

And to exult in praise of you.

36Blessed be the Lord God of Israel

From age to age.”

And all the people said, “Amen”, and they praised the Lord. 37Then he left Asaph and his brothers there in the presence of the ark of the covenant of the Lord, to serve in the presence of the ark continually as a daily matter, 38and Obed-Edom and their brothers – sixty-eight of them – and Obed-Edom the son of Jeduthun, and Hosah, as gatekeepers, 39and Zadok the priest, and his brothers the priests, in the presence of the tabernacle of the Lord in the raised site which is in Gibeon, 40namely to offer burnt offerings to the Lord on the altar for the burnt offering perpetually in the morning and in the evening, and to carry out everything written in the law of the Lord, which he commanded Israel. 41And with them were Heman and Jeduthun, and the rest – the elite who were specified by name – to give thanks to the Lord, for his kindness is age-abiding. 42And with them were Heman and Jeduthun, and trumpets and timbrels for those who produced sounds with them, and musical instruments of God. And the sons of Jeduthun attended to the gate. 43Then all the people departed – each to his home – and David returned to bless his household.

Reference(s) in Chapter 16: v.31 ↔ Revelation 12:12.

1 Chronicles Chapter 17 

1And it came to pass, when David was sitting in his house, that David said to Nathan the prophet, “Look, I am sitting in a house of cedars, but the ark of the covenant of the Lord is under sheets.” 2And Nathan said to David, “Whatever is in your heart, do, for God is with you.” 3And it came to pass on that night that the word of God came to Nathan and said, 4“Go and say to my servant David, ‘This is what the Lord says: «It is not you who will build a house for me to dwell in, 5for I have not dwelt in a house from the day when I brought Israel up, up to this day, and I have been going from tent to tent and from tabernacle to tabernacle. 6Everywhere where I have gone about among all Israel, have I spoken a word with one of the judges of Israel whom I commanded to shepherd my people, saying, ‹Why have you not built me a house of cedar?›?» ’ 7So now, this is what you will say to my servant, to David: ‘This is what the Lord of hosts says: «I took you out of the pasture, from looking after the sheep, to be a leader over my people, Israel. 8And I was with you everywhere you went, and I cut off all your enemies at your advance, and I made a name for you, like the name of the great men who are on the earth. 9And I will appoint a place for my people – Israel – and I will plant them there, and they will dwell right there, and they will no longer shudder, and the unrighteous will no longer wear them out as at first. 10And ever since the days when I appointed judges over my people Israel, I have subdued all your enemies. And I have told you that the Lord will build you a house. 11And it will come to pass that your days will be fulfilled for you to go to your fathers, but I will raise up your seed after you, who will be one of your sons, and I will establish his kingdom. 12He will build me a house, and I will establish his throne age-abidingly. 13I will be a father to him, and he will be a son to me, and I will not withdraw my kindness from him, as I withdrew it from him who was before you. 14And I will establish him in my house, and in my kingdom, age-abidingly, and his throne will be confirmed age-abidingly.» ’ ” 15According to all these words, and according to all of this vision, so Nathan spoke to David. 16Then King David came and sat before the Lord and said, “Who am I, O Lord God, and who constitutes my house, that you should have brought me here? 17And was this just a small matter in your sight, O God? For you spoke concerning the house of your servant from afar, yet you have considered me according to an exceeding privilege for a man, O Lord God. 18What more can David say to you in this honouring of your servant? For you know your servant. 19O Lord, for your servant's sake and according to your heart, you performed all of this great thing in making all great things known. 20O Lord, there is none like you, and there is no God except for you in anything which we have heard with our ears. 21And who is like your people Israel, one nation on the earth, which God proceeded to redeem to himself as a people, and to establish a name for yourself by great and awesome deeds in driving out nations before your people whom you redeemed in Egypt? 22And you have appointed your people Israel as your people age-abidingly, and you, O Lord, have become their God. 23So now, O Lord, may the word which you spoke concerning your servant and concerning his house be upheld age-abidingly, and act as you have spoken. 24And may your name be upheld, and may it be magnified age-abidingly, by people saying, ‘O Lord of hosts, O God of Israel, a God to Israel’, and may the house of David your servant be established before you. 25For you, O God of mine, have informed your servant that you will build him a house, which is why your servant has found it in his heart to pray before you. 26So now, O Lord, you are God, and you have pronounced this good thing concerning your servant. 27And now, you have been willing to bless the house of your servant, for it to be before you age-abidingly, because you, O Lord, have blessed and are blessed age-abidingly.”

Reference(s) in Chapter 17: v.11 ↔ Acts 2:30 ● v.13 ↔ 2 Corinthians 6:18, Hebrews 1:5.

1 Chronicles Chapter 18 

1And it came to pass after that, that David attacked the Philistines and subdued them. And he took Gath and its satellite villages from the Philistines' control. 2And he attacked Moab, and Moab became David's servants and tribute-bearers. 3And David attacked Hadadezer king of Zobah, on his way to Hamath, when he went to establish his authority at the River Euphrates. 4And David captured from him a thousand chariots and seven thousand horsemen and twenty thousand infantrymen. And David hamstrung all the horses of the chariot fleet, but he allowed one hundred of its chariots to remain. 5Then Aramaea of Damascus came to help Hadadezer king of Zobah, and David struck down twenty-two thousand men in Aramaea. 6And David stationed garrisons in Aramaea of Damascus, and Aramaea became David's servants and tribute-bearers. And the Lord sustained David everywhere he went. 7And David took the golden shields which were on Hadadezer's servants, and he brought them to Jerusalem. 8And David took a very great quantity of copper from Tibhath and from Chun, Hadadezer's cities, with which Solomon made the copper artificial sea and the columns and the copper equipment. 9And when Tou king of Hamath heard that David had defeated the whole army of Hadadezer king of Zobah, 10he sent Hadoram his son to King David to ask him for peace and to bless him, because he had fought against Hadadezer and defeated him, for Hadadezer had been a man of war with Tou. Tou sent Hadoram with all kinds of instruments of gold and silver and copper. 11Them too King David consecrated to the Lord with the silver and the gold which he had brought from all the nations – from Edom and from Moab and from the sons of Ammon, and from the Philistines and from Amalek. 12And Abishai the son of Zeruiah defeated Edom in the Valley of Salt – eighteen thousand men. 13And he stationed garrisons in Edom, and all of Edom became David's servants. And the Lord sustained David everywhere he went. 14So David reigned over all of Israel, and he would execute judgment and justice to all his people. 15And Joab the son of Zeruiah was in charge of the army, and Jehoshaphat the son of Ahilud was state secretary. 16And Zadok the son of Ahitub and Abimelech the son of Abiathar were priests, and Shavsha was the scribe. 17And Benaiah the son of Jehoiada was in charge of the Cherethites and the Pelethites, and the first sons of David were at the king's side.

1 Chronicles Chapter 19 

1And it came to pass after this, that Nahash the king of the sons of Ammon died, and his son reigned in his place. 2And David said, “I will show kindness to Hanun the son of Nahash, because his father showed me kindness.” And David sent messengers to comfort him about his father, and David's servants went to the land of the sons of Ammon to Hanun to comfort him. 3But the officials of the sons of Ammon said to Hanun, “Does David honour your father, in your opinion? For he has sent consolers to you. Is it not to investigate and overthrow and spy on the land that his servants have come to you?” 4And Hanun seized David's servants, and he shaved them, and he cut their garments down the middle as far as their buttocks, and he sent them away. 5So they departed, then when David was told about the men, he sent servants to meet them, for the men had been very much put to shame. And the king said, “Stay in Jericho until your beards grow, and then return.” 6Then when the sons of Ammon saw that they had become odious to David, Hanun and the sons of Ammon sent one thousand talents of silver to hire chariots and horsemen from Mesopotamia and from Aramaea-Maachah and from Zobah. 7And they hired thirty-two thousand chariots, and the king of Maachah and his people, and they came and encamped before Medeba. And the sons of Ammon gathered from their cities and went to war. 8And when David heard of it, he sent Joab and the whole army of warriors. 9And the sons of Ammon came out and drew up in battle order at the city entrance, and the kings who had come were in the field by themselves. 10And when Joab saw that there was a battlefront against him, ahead of him and behind, he made a selection from all the young men in Israel, and he drew them up to confront the Aramaeans. 11And he placed the remainder of the people in the hand of Abishai his brother, and they drew up to confront the sons of Ammon. 12And he said, “If the Aramaeans are too strong for me, then you will come to my rescue, and if the sons of Ammon are too strong for you, then I will rescue you. 13Be strong and let us be strengthened for our people and for the cities of our God, and may the Lord do what is right in his sight.” 14Then Joab and the people who were with him advanced to the battle against the Aramaeans, who fled from his presence. 15Then when the sons of Ammon saw that the Aramaeans had fled, they also fled from Abishai his brother, and they went to the city, and Joab went to Jerusalem. 16But when the Aramaeans saw that they had been defeated by Israel, they sent messengers, and they brought out the Aramaeans who were on the far side of the river, with Shophach the commander of Hadadezer's army at their head. 17And it was reported to David, and he gathered the whole of Israel, and he crossed the Jordan and went to them, and he drew up to them. So David drew his forces up to confront the Aramaeans for battle and fought against them. 18And the Aramaeans fled from Israel. And of the Aramaeans David killed seven thousand chariot crew and forty thousand infantrymen, and he killed Shophach the commander of the army. 19And when Hadadezer's servants saw that they had been defeated by Israel, they made peace with David and served him, and the Aramaeans weren't willing to come to the rescue of the sons of Ammon any more.

1 Chronicles Chapter 20 

1And it came to pass in the new year, at the time when kings go out, that Joab led the forces of the army, and he ravaged the land of the sons of Ammon, and he went to besiege Rabbah. But David remained in Jerusalem. And Joab attacked Rabbah and demolished it. 2And David took their king's crown from his head, and he found it to have a weight of a talent of gold, and in it was a precious gemstone, and it was placed on David's head. He also brought a great deal of the city's spoil, 3and he brought out the people who were in it, and he assigned them to work with the saw and with iron threshing boards and with axes. And David did likewise to all the cities of the sons of Ammon. Then David and all the people returned to Jerusalem. 4And it came to pass after this, that a war arose in Gezer with the Philistines, when Sibbechai the Hushathite struck down Sippai, who was one of the offspring of the Rephaim. And they were subdued. 5Then there was another war with the Philistines, and Elhanan the son of Jair struck down Lahmi, the brother of Goliath the Gittite, the shaft of whose spear was like a weaver's beam. 6And there was another war in Gath, and there was a man of great stature whose fingers and toes were six apiece – twenty-four in all – and he too was born to Rapha. 7And when he showed contempt for Israel, Jonathan the son of Shimah, David's brother, struck him down. 8These were born to Rapha in Gath, and they fell at the hand of David and at the hand of his servants.

1 Chronicles Chapter 21 

1And Satan made a stand against Israel, and he stirred up David to count Israel. 2And David said to Joab and to the commanders of the people, “Go and count Israel from Beersheba to Dan, and report back to me so that I know the number of them.” 3But Joab said, “May the Lord add to his people as they are a hundred times over, but are they not, my lord the king, all my lord's servants? Why does my lord require this? Why should Israel incur this guilt?” 4But the king's decision was firmly against Joab, so Joab went out, and he went up and down all of Israel and came back to Jerusalem. 5And Joab gave the number of the census of the people to David, and the whole of Israel consisted of one million one hundred thousand men who drew the sword, and Judah consisted of four hundred and seventy thousand men who drew the sword. 6But he did not count Benjamin and Levi among them, for the king's word was repugnant to Joab. 7Now this matter was wrong in God's sight, and he struck Israel. 8And David said to God, “I have greatly sinned in that I did this thing. So now, please remit the iniquity of your servant, for I have acted very foolishly.” 9Then the Lord spoke to Gad, David's seer, as follows: 10“Go and speak to David and say, ‘This is what the Lord says: «I am offering you three things. Choose one of them, and I will do it to you.» ’ ” 11So Gad went to David and said to him: “This is what the Lord says: ‘Choose, 12either three years of famine, or three months of being harassed by your adversaries with the sword of your enemies advancing on you, or three days of the sword of the Lord and pestilence in the land, and the angel of the Lord ravaging in every region of Israel.’ So now, consider what answer I should give to him who sent me.” 13Then David said to Gad, “I am very much in a strait. Let me, then, fall into the hand of the Lord, for his mercies are very great, so I won't fall into the hand of man.” 14So the Lord caused a pestilence in Israel, and seventy thousand men of Israel fell. 15And God sent an angel to Jerusalem to destroy it, but during the destruction, the Lord looked on and grieved over the harm, and he said to the destroying angel, “Enough now; stay your hand.” And the angel of the Lord was standing at the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite. 16And David raised his eyes and saw the angel of the Lord standing between the earth and heaven, with his sword drawn in his hand, stretched out over Jerusalem. And David and the elders, who were covered in sackcloth, fell face down. 17And David said to God, “Was it not I who said I would count the people? So I am the one who has sinned, and I have caused this terrible harm, but as for these sheep – what have they done? O Lord my God, may your hand be against me and the house of my father, and not against your people with an attack.” 18Then the angel of the Lord told Gad to say to David, that David should go up to set up an altar to the Lord at the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite. 19So David went up according to the words of Gad who had spoken in the name of the Lord. 20And Ornan returned and saw the angel, and his four sons with him hid themselves. Now Ornan threshed wheat. 21And David came up to Ornan, and Ornan looked and saw David, and he went out of the threshing floor and prostrated himself to David face down. 22And David said to Ornan, “Give me the site of the threshing floor so that I can build an altar to the Lord in it. Give it to me for the full price so that the plague on the people stops.” 23And Ornan said to David, “Take it, and let my lord the king do what is right in his sight. Look, I have given you the oxen for the burnt offerings and the threshing boards for wood, and the wheat for the meal-offering. I have given it all.” 24Then King David said to Ornan, “No, for I insist on buying it for the full price, for I will not take what is yours for the Lord and offer a burnt offering at no cost.” 25And David gave Ornan by weight six hundred shekels of gold for the site. 26And David built an altar to the Lord there, and he offered burnt offerings and peace-offerings, and he called on the Lord. And he answered him with fire from heaven on the altar for the burnt offering. 27And the Lord spoke to the angel, and he returned his sword to its sheath. 28At that time, when David saw that the Lord had answered him on the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite, he sacrificed there. 29And the tabernacle of the Lord which Moses had made in the desert, and the altar for the burnt offering, were at that time at the idolatrous raised site in Gibeon. 30But David could not go before it to inquire of God, for he was terrified because of the sword of the angel of the Lord.

1 Chronicles Chapter 22 

1And David said, “This is the house of the Lord God, and this is the altar for the burnt offering for Israel.” 2And David gave word to gather the foreigners who were in the land of Israel, and he appointed hewers to hew stone, to build the house of God. 3And David prepared iron in abundance for the nails for the doors of the gates, and for the cramp irons, and copper in abundance beyond weighing, 4and innumerable cedar trees, for the Sidonians and the Tyrians brought cedar trees in abundance to David. 5And David said, “Solomon my son is just a lad and is tender, but the house which is to be built for the Lord is to be sublimely great, for fame and splendour in all the lands. Let me then make preparations for it.” So David made preparations in abundance before his death. 6And he called for Solomon his son, and he ordered him to build a house for the Lord God of Israel. 7And David said to Solomon his son, “As for me, it was in my heart to build a house for the name of the Lord my God. 8But the word of the Lord came to me and said, ‘You have shed blood in abundance and waged great wars. You shall not build a house for my name, because you have shed much blood on the earth before me. 9Look, a son is to be born to you. He will be a man of rest, and I will give him rest from all his enemies round about. For Solomon will be his name, and I will grant peace and quiet over Israel in his days. 10He will build a house for my name, and he will be a son to me, and I a father to him. And I will establish the throne of his kingdom over Israel age-abidingly.’ 11So now, my son, may the Lord be with you, and may you prosper, and build the house of the Lord your God as he has spoken concerning you. 12But may the Lord give you intelligence and understanding, and may he put you in charge of Israel, and charge you to keep the law of the Lord your God. 13Then you will prosper – if you take heed to observe the statutes and the ordinances which the Lord commanded Moses concerning Israel. Be strong and courageous; do not fear and do not be dismayed. 14And look, in my affliction I have prepared for the house of the Lord one hundred thousand talents of gold, and one million talents of silver, and copper and iron beyond weighing, for it was present in abundance, and I have prepared wood and stone to which you can add. 15And there are craftsmen with you in abundance – hewers and artisans in stone and wood, and every kind of skilled person in every kind of artisanry – 16and they are innumerable, artisans in gold, in silver, in copper and in iron. Arise and act, and may the Lord be with you.” 17Then David commanded all the senior officials of Israel to assist Solomon his son. 18And he said, “Is not the Lord your God with you, and hasn't he given you rest all around? For he delivered the inhabitants of the land into my hand, and the land was conquered before the Lord and before his people. 19Now apply your hearts and souls to seeking the Lord your God, and arise and build the sanctuary of the Lord God, for bringing the ark of the covenant of the Lord and the holy equipment of God to the house which is to be built for the name of the Lord.”

1 Chronicles Chapter 23 

1Then when David was old and with his fill of days, he made Solomon his son king over Israel. 2And he gathered all the officials of Israel, and the priests and the Levites. 3And the Levites were counted, from thirty years old and above, and their number by headcount was thirty-eight thousand men. 4Of these, twenty-four thousand were to superintend the work of the house of the Lord, whereas six thousand were overseers and judges. 5And there were four thousand gatekeepers and four thousand who praised the Lord with instruments, “Which”, David said, “I made for praising.” 6And David assigned them in divisions, according with the sons of Levi – Gershon, Kohath and Merari. 7According with the Gershonites were Ladan and Shimei. 8The sons of Ladan were Jehiel the head, and Zetham and Joel – three of them. 9The sons of Shimei were Shelomith and Haziel and Haran – three of them. These were the paternal heads belonging to Ladan. 10The sons of Shimei were Jahath, Zina and Jeush and Beriah. These sons of Shimei were four in number. 11And Jahath was the head, and Zizah the second, but Jeush and Beriah did not have many sons, and they became the paternal house of one appointed line. 12The sons of Kohath were Amram, Izhar, Hebron and Uzziel – four of them. 13The sons of Amram were Aaron and Moses. And Aaron was separated so as to consecrate him for the holy of holies – he and his sons age-abidingly – to burn incense before the Lord, to serve him and to bless in his name age-abidingly. 14And as Moses was a man of God, his sons were called after the tribe of Levi. 15The sons of Moses were Gershom and Eliezer. 16The sons of Gershom were Shebuel the head and his line. 17And the sons of Eliezer were Rehabiah the head and his line. Now Eliezer did not have any other sons, but the sons of Rehabiah were ever so many. 18The sons of Izhar were Shelomith the head and his line. 19The sons of Hebron were Jeriah the head, Amariah the second, Jahaziel the third, and Jekamam the fourth. 20The sons of Uzziel were Micah the head and Jishshiah the second. 21The sons of Merari were Mahli and Mushi. The sons of Mahli were Eleazar and Kish. 22But Eleazar died, and he didn't have any sons, but daughters, and the sons of Kish their brothers took them as wives. 23The sons of Mushi were Mahli and Eder and Jeremoth – three of them. 24These were the sons of Levi according to the house of their fathers – the paternal heads by their appointed lines – with the number of names corresponding to their headcount, performing service in the work of the house of the Lord, from twenty years old upwards. 25For David had said, “The Lord God of Israel has given rest to his people, and he will dwell in Jerusalem age-abidingly, 26and also to the Levites because there will be no need to transport the tabernacle and all the equipment for its service.” 27For in the last words of David, the number of the sons of Levi is reckoned from twenty years old and above, 28because their position was as an accessory to the sons of Aaron in the work of the house of the Lord concerning the courtyards and the offices and the purity of all holy equipment, and the work of the service of the house of God, 29including the showbread and the fine flour for the meal-offering, and the thin cakes of unleavened bread, and the baking dish and the stirrer, and for every measure and quantity, 30and to stand every morning to give thanks to and to praise the Lord, and similarly in the evening, 31and to stand for all the offering of burnt offerings to the Lord, on the Sabbaths, the new moons, the festival days, in number according to the ordinance imposed on them, continually before the Lord. 32And they kept guard of the tent of contact and guard of the sanctuary and guard of the sons of Aaron, their brothers, in the work of the house of the Lord.

1 Chronicles Chapter 24 

1And the sons of Aaron had their divisions. The sons of Aaron were Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar. 2But Nadab and Abihu died before their father, and they did not have any sons. So Eleazar and Ithamar officiated as priests. 3And David assigned them in divisions, both Zadok from the sons of Eleazar and Ahimelech from the sons of Ithamar, according to their assignment in their work. 4And the sons of Eleazar were found to be more numerous as heads of the warriors than the sons of Ithamar, and they divided them into sixteen sons of Eleazar as heads of the paternal house, and eight sons of Ithamar as their paternal house. 5And they divided them by lot, into groups, for there were masters of the sanctuary, and masters of things pertaining to God, from the sons of Eleazar and among the sons of Ithamar. 6And Shemaiah the son of Nethaneel the scribe registered them, he being of the Levites who officiated before the king and the officials: both Zadok the priest and Ahimelech the son of Abiathar, and the paternal heads, as priests and Levites, registering them with one paternal house being taken for Eleazar and another being taken for Ithamar. 7And the first lot fell to Jehoiarib; the second to Jedaiah; 8the third to Harim; the fourth to Seorim; 9the fifth to Malchijah; the sixth to Mijamin; 10the seventh to Hakkoz; the eighth to Abijah; 11the ninth to Jeshua; the tenth to Shecaniah; 12the eleventh to Eliashib; the twelfth to Jakim; 13the thirteenth to Huppah; the fourteenth to Jeshebab; 14the fifteenth to Bilgah; the sixteenth to Immer; 15the seventeenth to Hezir; the eighteenth to Happizzez; 16the nineteenth to Pethahiah; the twentieth to Ezekiel; 17the twenty-first to Jachin; the twenty-second to Gamul; 18the twenty-third to Delaiah; the twenty-fourth to Maaziah. 19These were their assignments in their work: to come to the house of the Lord, according to their ordinance, in the authority of Aaron their father, as the Lord God of Israel had commanded him. 20And the remaining sons of Levi were: of the sons of Amram, Shubael; of the sons of Shubael, Jehdeiah; 21of Rehabiah, of the sons of Rehabiah, the head, Jishshiah; 22of the Izharites, Shelomith; of the sons of Shelomith, Jahath; 23and my sons, Jeriah, Amariah the second, Jahaziel the third, Jekamam the fourth; 24of the sons of Uzziel, Micah; of the sons of Micah, Shamir; 25of the brother of Micah, Jishshiah; of the sons of Jishshiah, Zechariah. 26The sons of Merari were Mahli and Mushi; the sons of Jaaziah were Beno and his line; 27the sons of Merari – those to Jaaziah – were Beno and Shoham and Zaccur and Ibri; 28of Mahli, Eleazar, but he did not have any sons; 29of Kish, the sons of Kish were Jerahmeel and his line; 30and the sons of Mushi were Mahli and Eder and Jerimoth. These were the sons of the Levites according to their paternal house. 31And these also cast lots in the same way as their brothers, the sons of Aaron, in the presence of King David and Zadok and Ahimelech and the paternal heads of the priests and of the Levites – the fathers at the head in the same way as their younger brother.

1 Chronicles Chapter 25 

1And David and the commanders of the army separated some of the sons of Asaph, and Heman and Jeduthun for the work – the prophets with harps and lutes and timbrels. And the enumeration of them – men skilled for their work – was as follows: 2of the sons of Asaph, Zaccur and Joseph and Nethaniah and Asarelah, the sons of Asaph, under the auspices of Asaph the prophet, under the auspices of the king; 3of Jeduthun, the sons of Jeduthun were Gedaliah and Zeri and Isaiah, Hashabiah and Mattithiah – six of them, under the auspices of their father Jeduthun, who prophesied with the harp to give thanks and to praise the Lord; 4of Heman, the sons of Heman were Bukkiah, Mattaniah, Uzziel, Shebuel and Jerimoth, Hananiah, Hanani, Eliathah, Giddalti and Romamti-Ezer, Joshbekashah, Mallothi, Hothir and Mahazioth. 5All these were the sons of Heman, the king's seer in the words of God, to enhance his prestige, and God gave Heman fourteen sons and three daughters. 6All these were under the auspices of their father, in song at the house of the Lord with timbrels, lutes and harps for the work of the house of God, under the auspices of the king, they being the lines of Asaph, Jeduthun and Heman. 7So the number of them with their brothers who were trained in singing to the Lord – everyone who was skilled – was two hundred and eighty-eight. 8And they cast lots for the guardianship, small and great in the same way, the skillful with the learner. 9And Asaph's first lot fell on Joseph; the second on Gedaliah. He and his brothers and his sons were twelve in number. 10The third fell on Zaccur; he and his sons and his brothers were twelve in number. 11The fourth fell on Izri; he and his sons and his brothers were twelve in number. 12The fifth fell on Nethaniah; he and his sons and his brothers were twelve in number. 13The sixth fell on Bukkiah; he and his sons and his brothers were twelve in number. 14The seventh fell on Jesarelah; he and his sons and his brothers were twelve in number. 15The eighth fell on Isaiah; he and his sons and his brothers were twelve in number. 16The ninth fell on Mattaniah; he and his sons and his brothers were twelve in number. 17The tenth fell on Shimei; he and his sons and his brothers were twelve in number. 18The eleventh fell on Azarel; he and his sons and his brothers were twelve in number. 19The twelfth fell on Hashabiah; he and his sons and his brothers were twelve in number. 20As for the thirteenth, it fell on Shubael; he and his sons and his brothers were twelve in number. 21As for the fourteenth, it fell on Mattithiah; he and his sons and his brothers were twelve in number. 22As for the fifteenth, it fell on Jeremoth; he and his sons and his brothers were twelve in number. 23As for the sixteenth, it fell on Hananiah; he and his sons and his brothers were twelve in number. 24As for the seventeenth, it fell on Joshbekashah; he and his sons and his brothers were twelve in number. 25As for the eighteenth, it fell on Hanani; he and his sons and his brothers were twelve in number. 26As for the nineteenth, it fell on Mallothi; he and his sons and his brothers were twelve in number. 27As for the twentieth, it fell on Eliathah; he and his sons and his brothers were twelve in number. 28As for twenty-first, it fell on Hothir; he and his sons and his brothers were twelve in number. 29As for the twenty-second, it fell on Giddalti; he and his sons and his brothers were twelve in number. 30As for the twenty-third, it fell on Mahazioth; he and his sons and his brothers were twelve in number. 31As for the twenty-fourth it fell on Romamti-Ezer; he and his sons and his brothers were twelve in number.

1 Chronicles Chapter 26 

1For the divisions of the gatekeepers, the lot fell to the Korhites. Meshelemiah was the son of Kore, from the sons of Asaph, 2and the sons of Meshelemiah were Zechariah the firstborn, Jediael the second, Zebadiah the third, Jathniel the fourth, 3Elam the fifth, Jehohanan the sixth, Eliehoenai the seventh. 4And the sons of Obed-Edom were Shemaiah the firstborn, Jehozabad the second, Joah the third and Sacar the fourth and Nethaneel the fifth, 5Ammiel the sixth, Issachar the seventh, and Peullethai the eighth, for God blessed him. 6And to Shemaiah his son several sons were born who were rulers in their paternal house, for they were valiant warriors. 7The sons of Shemaiah were Othni and Rephael and Obed-Elzebad, whose brothers were valiant men: Elihu and Semachiah. 8All these were of the sons of Obed-Edom. They and their sons and their brothers, valiant men with strength for the work, were sixty-two in number, of Obed-Edom's line. 9And Meshelemiah had sons and brothers – men of valour – eighteen in number. 10And Hosah, of the sons of Merari, had sons: Shimri the head, for although he was not the firstborn, his father appointed him as head; 11Hilkiah the second, Tebaliah the third, Zechariah the fourth. All the sons and brothers of Hosah were thirteen in number. 12To these the divisions of the gatekeepers were assigned, that is to the heads of the men who were assigned guard duties in the same way as their brothers, in serving in the house of the Lord. 13And they cast lots, in the same way for the small as for the great, in their paternal house, for each gate. 14And the lot for the east fell to Shelemiah. Then they cast lots for Zechariah his son, a prudent counsellor, and his lot fell on the north. 15To Obed-Edom the lot was in the south, and to his sons the lot was for the storehouses. 16To Shuppim and Hosah the lot was for the west with the Shallecheth Gate at the embankment for the ascent, with guard post adjoining guard post. 17For the east there were six Levites; for the north there were four, for the day; for the south four, for the day; and for the storehouses, two each. 18In the suburbs to the west, there were four for the embankment and two for the suburbs. 19These were the divisions of the gatekeepers assigned to the sons of the Korhites and to the sons of Merari. 20And to the Levites the lot was for Ahijah to be over the treasuries of the house of God and the treasuries of the holy places. 21The sons of Ladan, the sons of the Gershonite, of Ladan – the paternal heads of Ladan the Gershonite – were Jehieli and his line, 22and the sons of Jehieli were Zetham and Joel his brother, who were appointed to be over the treasuries of the house of the Lord. 23Alongside the Amramites, the Izharites, the Hebronites, the Uzzielites, 24there was Shebuel the son of Gershom, the son of Moses, who was the overseer of the treasuries, 25and there were his brothers the sons of Eliezer who were Rehabiah his son and Isaiah his son and Joram his son and Zichri his son and Shelomith his son. 26He is Shelomith who with his brothers was appointed over all the treasuries of the holy places which King David and the paternal heads of the commanders of a thousand and the commanders of a hundred, who were commanders of the army, had consecrated. 27They consecrated things from the wars and from spoil for the enhancement of the house of the Lord. 28And everything that Samuel the seer had consecrated, or Saul the son of Kish, or Abner the son of Ner, or Joab the son of Zeruiah, or from anyone who consecrated anythingit was under the protection of Shelomith and his brothers. 29The lot for the Izharites, Chenaniah and his sons, was for the external work concerning Israel, for officials and for judges. 30The lot for the Hebronites, Hashabiah and his brothers – valiant men, one thousand seven hundred of them according to the census of Israel – was on the side of the Jordan to the west, for all craftsmanship for the Lord and for the king's work. 31The lot was for the Hebronites, with Jerijah the head, for the Hebronite according to his paternal lineage. In the fortieth year of David's reign the lineage was consulted, and there were found among them valiant warriors in Jazer-Gilead. 32And his brothers – valiant men – were two thousand seven hundred paternal heads, and King David appointed them over the Reubenites and the Gadites and half of the tribe of Manasseh, in every matter of God, and concern of the king.

1 Chronicles Chapter 27 

1And of the sons of Israel, regarding their number of paternal heads and commanders of a thousand and commanders of a hundred and their officials who serve the king in every matter of divisions for rotating duty – the one coming in and the one going out, month by month for all the months of the year – each division was twenty-four thousand strong. 2In charge of the first division, for the first month, was Jashobam the son of Zabdiel, and in his division were twenty-four thousand men. 3One of the sons of Perez was the head of all the commanders of the armies of the first month. 4And in charge of the division for the second month was Dodai the Ahohite, with his division. And Mikloth was the leader, and in his division were twenty-four thousand men. 5The third commander of the army, for the third month, was Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, the head priest, and in his division were twenty-four thousand men. 6He is the Benaiah who was a warrior of the thirty and in charge of the thirty, and in his division was Ammizabad his son. 7The fourth commander, for the fourth month, was Asahel, Joab's brother, and Zebadiah his son after him, and in his division were twenty-four thousand men. 8The fifth commander, for the fifth month, was commander Shamhuth the Izrahite, and in his division were twenty-four thousand men. 9The sixth commander, for the sixth month, was Ira the son of Ikkesh the Tekoite, and in his division were twenty-four thousand men. 10The seventh commander, for the seventh month, was Helez the Pelonite, one of the sons of Ephraim, and in his division were twenty-four thousand men. 11The eighth commander, for the eighth month, was Sibbecai the Hushathite, in the line of the Zarhites, and in his division were twenty-four thousand men. 12The ninth commander, for the ninth month, was Abiezer the Anathothite, a Benjaminite, and in his division were twenty-four thousand men. 13The tenth commander, for the tenth month, was Mahrai the Netophathite, in the line of the Zarhites, and in his division were twenty-four thousand men. 14The eleventh commander for the eleventh month, was Benaiah the Pirathonite, one of the sons of Ephraim, and in his division were twenty-four thousand men. 15The twelfth commander, for the twelfth month, was Heldai the Netophathite, in the line of Othniel, and in his division were twenty-four thousand men. 16And over the tribes of Israel, the leader of the Reubenites was Eliezer the son of Zichri; of the Simeonites it was Shephatiah the son of Maachah; 17of the Levites it was Hashabiah the son of Kemuel; of the Aaronites it was Zadok; 18of Judah it was Elihu, one of David's brothers; of Issachar it was Omri the son of Michael; 19of Zebulun it was Ishmaiah the son of Obadiah; of Naphtali it was Jerimoth the son of Azriel; 20of the sons of Ephraim it was Hoshea the son of Azaziah; of half of the tribe of Manasseh across the Jordan to the west it was Joel the son of Pedaiah; 21of half of the tribe of Manasseh in Gilead it was Iddo the son of Zechariah; of Benjamin it was Jaasiel the son of Abner; 22of Dan it was Azarel the son of Jeroham. These were the commanders of the tribes of Israel. 23But David did not count those from twenty years old and under, for the Lord had said that he would make Israel as numerous as the stars of the sky. 24Joab the son of Zeruiah began to count the people, but he did not finish, and wrath came over Israel because of this, and the number did not enter into the records of numbers in the Chronicles of King David. 25And in charge of the king's treasuries was Azmaveth the son of Adiel, and in charge of the storehouses in the countryside, in the cities and in the villages and in the towers, was Jonathan the son of Uzziah. 26And in charge of those who did agricultural work – cultivation of the ground – was Ezri the son of Chelub. 27And in charge of the vineyards was Shimei the Ramathite, and in charge of the buildings in the vineyards serving as storehouses for the wine was Zabdi the Shiphmite. 28And in charge of the olive groves and the sycamore fig trees which were in the lowlands was Baal-Hanan the Gederite, and in charge of the storehouses for oil was Joash. 29And in charge of the cattle grazing in Sharon was Shitrai the Sharonite, and in charge of the cattle in the valleys was Shaphat the son of Adlai. 30And in charge of the camels was Obil the Ishmaelite, and in charge of the donkeys was Jehdeiah the Meronothite. 31And in charge of the sheep was Jaziz the Hagrite. All these were officials of the property which King David owned. 32And Jonathan David's cousin was an adviser; he was an intelligent man and a scribe. And Jehiel the son of Hachmoni was with the king's sons. 33And Ahithophel was the king's adviser, and Hushai the Archite was the king's friend. 34And after Ahithophel was Jehoiada the son of Benaiah, and Abiathar. And the commander of the king's army was Joab.

1 Chronicles Chapter 28 

1And David convened all the officials of Israel – the officials of the tribes and the officials of the divisions who served the king, and the commanders of a thousand and the commanders of a hundred, and the officials over all the property and cattle of the king and his sons – together with the eunuchs and the warriors and every valiant warrior, in Jerusalem. 2Then King David got up on his feet and said, “Listen to me, my brothers and my people. It was in my heart to build a house of rest for the ark of the covenant of the Lord, and as a footstool for the feet of our God, and I made preparations for building, 3but God said to me, ‘You shall not build a house for my name, for you are a man of warfare, and you have shed blood.’ 4And the Lord God of Israel chose me from the whole house of my father to be king over Israel age-abidingly, for he chose Judah to be a leader, and in the house of Judah – the house of my father and among my father's sons – he was pleased to make me king over all of Israel. 5And of all my sons – for the Lord has given me many sons – he chose my son Solomon to sit on the throne of the kingdom of the Lord over Israel. 6And he said to me, ‘It is Solomon your son who will build my house and my courtyards, for I have chosen him to be a son to me, and I will be a father to him. 7And I will establish his kingdom age-abidingly, providing he is steadfast in carrying out my commandments and my ordinances, as he is today.’ 8So now, in the sight of the whole of Israel – the convocation of the Lord – and with our God hearing, keep and apply yourself to all the commandments of the Lord your God, in order that you may inherit the good land and bequeath it to your sons after you age-abidingly. 9And you, Solomon my son, know the God of your father and serve him wholeheartedly, and with a willing mind, for the Lord searches all hearts, and he understands every thought which presents itself. If you seek him, he will be found by you, but if you desert him, he will reject you throughout the age. 10Now observe that the Lord has chosen you to build a house as a sanctuary. Be strong and act.” 11Then David gave to Solomon his son the design of the portico and its houses and its treasuries and its upper rooms and its inner rooms and the house of the atonement cover, 12and the design of everything that had come to him by the spirit, of the courtyards of the house of the Lord, and of all the offices round about, of the treasuries of the house of God, and of the treasuries of the holy places, 13and the scheme of the divisions of the priests and the Levites for all the execution of the work of the house of the Lord, and for all the equipment for the work of the house of the Lord, 14and the design of the golden equipment with the weight of gold needed, of all equipment for all kinds of service, and of all silver equipment with its weight, for all equipment for all kinds of service, 15including the weight of the golden lampstands and their golden lamps, with the weight of each lampstand and its lamps, and the design of the silver lampstands, with the weight of the lampstand and its lamps, according to the service of each lampstand, 16and he specified the weight of gold for the showbread tables for each table, and of the silver for the silver tables, 17and gold for the forks and basins and bowls of pure gold, and for the golden cups by weight for each cup, and for the silver cups by weight for each cup, 18and for the incense altar of refined gold he specified its weight, and the design of the carriage, and the golden cherubim who spread their wings and cover the ark of the covenant of the Lord. 19David said, “Everything is in writing from the hand of the Lord to me, to give instruction in all the intricacies of the design.” 20And David said to Solomon his son, “Be strong and be of good courage and act. Do not fear and do not be afraid, for the Lord God – my God – is with you. He will not forsake you, and he will not desert you during the completion of the execution of all the work of the house of the Lord. 21And there are divisions of the priests and the Levites for every item of work on the house of God, and they are with you in all the craftsmanship, with every willing man, in wisdom, for all the work, and the officials and all the people are available at every word of yours.”

Reference(s) in Chapter 28: v.9 ↔ Revelation 2:23.

1 Chronicles Chapter 29 

1And King David said to the whole convocation, “Solomon my son, the one whom God has chosen, is just a lad and is tender, but the work is great, for the temple is not for man, but for the Lord God. 2And I have with all my might prepared for the house of my God, with gold for what will be made of gold, and silver for what will be made of silver, and copper for what will be made of copper, and iron for what will be made of iron, and wood for what will be made of wood, and onyx gems and gemstones to be set, and antimony gemstones and a range of colours, and every kind of valuable stone, and marble in abundance. 3Moreover, in my delight in the house of my God, I have a special possession of gold and silver which I give to the house of my God over and above everything which I have prepared for the holy house: 4three thousand talents of gold – of gold from Ophir – and seven thousand talents of refined silver to overlay the walls of the houses, 5the gold for what will be in gold, and the silver for what will be in silver, and for all artisanry in the hands of the artisans. Now who volunteers to take on work today for the Lord?” 6And the officials in the line of the fathers, and the officials of the tribes of Israel, and the commanders of a thousand and the commanders of a hundred, and the officials in the king's operations volunteered. 7And they gave for the work of the house of God five thousand talents of gold and ten thousand darics, and ten thousand talents of silver, and eighteen thousand talents of copper, and one hundred thousand talents of iron. 8And whoever found that they had gemstones, they gave them to the treasury of the house of the Lord through the administration of Jehiel the Gershonite. 9And the people rejoiced at their generosity, because they offered voluntarily to the Lord wholeheartedly, and King David also rejoiced with great joy. 10And David blessed the Lord in the sight of all the convocation, and David said,

“Blessed have you been,

O Lord God of Israel our father,

From age to age.

11Yours, O Lord, is the greatness

And the might and the splendour

And the pre-eminence and the majesty,

For everything in heaven and on earth is yours, O Lord,

As is the kingdom,

And you are exalted as head over all.

12Riches and honour proceed from you,

And you rule over all,

And in your hand is power and might,

And it is in your hand

To make great and to make strong

In every respect.

13So now, O God of ours,

We thank you

And we praise your splendid name.

14And who am I, and who are my people, that we should withhold any of our substance in giving voluntary offerings like this? For everything is from you, and what we give you is from your hand. 15For we are foreigners before you, and temporary residents like all our fathers. Our days on earth are like a shadow, and there is no hope. 16O Lord our God, all this abundance of resources which we have prepared to build a house for you – for your holy name – is from your hand, and all is yours. 17And I know, O God of mine, that you test the heart and take pleasure in uprightness, and as for me, I have done all these things willingly, with a sincere heart, and now I see with joy your people who are present here voluntarily for you. 18O Lord God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel our fathers, keep this attitude age-abidingly in the predisposition of the thoughts of the hearts of your people, and direct their hearts towards yourself. 19And give a sincere heart to Solomon my son to keep your commandments, your testimonies and your statutes, and to do them all, and to build the temple which I have made preparations for.” 20Then David said to the whole convocation, “Now bless the Lord your God.” And the whole convocation blessed the Lord God of their fathers, and they bowed down and prostrated themselves before the Lord and before the king. 21Then they offered sacrifices to the Lord and made burnt offerings to the Lord on the day after that day – a thousand bulls, a thousand rams, a thousand lambs, and the accompanying libations – and sacrifices in abundance for the whole of Israel. 22And they ate and drank before the Lord on that day with great joy, and they made Solomon the son of David king for the second time, and they anointed him as belonging to the Lord, as a leader, and also Zadok as priest. 23And Solomon sat on the throne of the Lord as king in place of David his father, and he prospered, and all Israel heeded him. 24And all the commanders and the warriors, and also all the sons of King David gave the hand of allegiance under King Solomon. 25And the Lord exalted Solomon highly in the eyes of the whole of Israel, and he bestowed on him royal majesty such as there had never been on any king over Israel before him. 26So David the son of Jesse reigned over all Israel. 27And the days for which he reigned over Israel amounted to forty years. In Hebron he reigned for seven years and in Jerusalem he reigned for thirty-three. 28And he died in ripe old age, full of days, wealth and honour, and Solomon his son reigned in his place. 29And as for the affairs of King David, from the first to the last, they are to be seen written in the Chronicles of Samuel the seer, and in the Chronicles of Nathan the prophet, and in the Chronicles of Gad the beholder of visions, 30with all his royal dignity and bravery, and the times which passed over him and over Israel and over all the kingdoms of the various countries.

Reference(s) in Chapter 29: v.15 ↔ Hebrews 11:13 ● v.17 ↔ Revelation 2:23.


2 Chronicles  

2 Chronicles Chapter 1 

1And Solomon the son of David gained strength over his kingdom, and the Lord his God was with him, and he exalted him highly. 2And Solomon spoke to the whole of Israel – to the commanders of a thousand and the commanders of a hundred, and to the judges and to every leading person in the whole of Israel – the paternal heads. 3And Solomon and the whole convocation with him went to the idolatrous raised site which was in Gibeon, for in that place was the tent of contact of God which Moses the servant of the Lord had made in the desert. 4But it was David who brought the ark of God up from Kiriath-Jearim to where David had prepared for it, for he had pitched a tent for it in Jerusalem. 5And he put the copper altar, which Bezalel, the son of Uri, the son of Hur, had made, before the tabernacle of the Lord, and Solomon and the convocation consulted the Lord there. 6And Solomon made offerings there on the copper altar before the Lord, it being in front of the tent of contact, and he made a thousand burnt offerings on it. 7On that night God appeared to Solomon and said to him, “Ask what you want me to give you.” 8And Solomon said to God, “You acted with much kindness towards my father David, and you made me king in his place. 9Now, O Lord God, may your word in connection with my father David be upheld, for you have made me king over a people as numerous as the particles of dust of the earth. 10So now, give me wisdom and knowledge, so that I can conduct myself in the presence of this people, for who can judge this numerous people of yours?” 11Then God said to Solomon, “Since this was in your heart, and you did not ask for wealth and treasures and honour, or the life of those who hate you, and you did not ask for long life either, but you have asked for wisdom and knowledge with which you can judge my people, over whom I have made you king, 12the wisdom and knowledge are given to you, and I will give you wealth and treasures and honour such as no kings have had before you and will not have after you.” 13And Solomon went to the idolatrous raised site which was in Gibeon and back to Jerusalem, opposite the tent of contact. And he reigned over Israel. 14And Solomon assembled a chariot fleet and horsemen, and he had one thousand four hundred chariots and twelve thousand horsemen, and he stationed them in the chariot cities, whereas some were with the king in Jerusalem. 15And the king made silver and gold commonplace in Jerusalem like stones in their abundance, and he made cedars like the sycamores which are in the lowlands in abundance. 16And the origin of Solomon's horses was that they were from Egypt, and the company of the king's merchants obtained the company of animals at a price. 17And they brought up and exported from Egypt a chariot for six hundred shekels of silver, and a horse for one hundred and fifty, and so they dispatched them through their agency to all the kings of the Hittites and to the kings of Aramaea.

2 Chronicles Chapter 2 

1And Solomon gave instructions to build a house for the name of the Lord and a house for his kingdom. 2And Solomon counted seventy thousand burden bearers, and eighty thousand men to hew in the mountain, and three thousand six hundred superintendents over them. 3And Solomon sent word to Huram king of Tyre and said, “As you did with David my father and sent him cedars to build himself a house to live in, 4so I for my part am about to build a house to the name of the Lord my God, to consecrate it to him and to burn aromatic incense before him, and for showbread perpetually, and for burnt offerings in the morning and in the evening, for Sabbaths and for new moons and for festival times of the Lord our God, this being enjoined age-abidingly on Israel. 5And the house which I am building is great, because our God is greater than all the gods. 6But who retains strength to build him a house? For heaven and the heaven of heavens cannot contain him, so who am I that I should build him a house, except to burn incense before him? 7So now, send me a man skilled in working with gold and with silver and with copper and with iron and with purple and with crimson and with cerulean blue dyes, and who knows how to engrave engravings, to work with skilled men who are with me in Judah and Jerusalem, whom David my father appointed. 8And send me cedar and cypress and almug wood from Lebanon, for I know that your servants know how to fell the trees of Lebanon. And look, my servants will be with your servants, 9in order to prepare wood for me in abundance, because the house which I am building will be great, and wondrously so. 10And look, I will give to the hewers and to the lumberjacks – to your servants – twenty thousand cors of threshed wheat and twenty thousand cors of barley, and twenty thousand baths of wine, and twenty thousand baths of oil.” 11And Huram king of Tyre stated in writing and sent the following to Solomon: “In the Lord's love for his people, he has appointed you king over them.” 12Then Huram said, “Blessed be the Lord God of Israel who made heaven and the earth, who has given to King David a wise son who has prudence and intelligence, who will build a house to the Lord, and a house for his kingdom. 13So now, I have sent a skilled man who has intelligence, who belonged to Huram my father, 14the son of a woman who is one of the daughters of Dan, whose father is a Tyrian, who knows how to work with gold and with silver, with copper and with iron, with stone and with wood, with purple and with cerulean blue dye, and with byssus and with crimson, and how to engrave every kind of engraving, and to devise every kind of device which is presented to him, with your skilled men, and the skilled men of my lord David your father. 15And now what my lord specified may he send to his servants – the wheat and the barley and the oil and the wine – 16and we will fell trees in Lebanon according to all your needs, and we will bring them to you as rafts by sea to Joppa, whereupon you can bring them up to Jerusalem.” 17And Solomon counted all the foreigners who were in the land of Israel after the census when David his father counted them, and they were found to be one hundred and fifty-three thousand and six hundred in number. 18And of them he made seventy thousand burden bearers and eighty thousand hewers on the mountain, and three thousand six hundred superintendents to put the people to work.

2 Chronicles Chapter 3 

1So Solomon began to build the house of the Lord in Jerusalem on Mount Moriah, where the Lord had appeared to David his father, who had made preparations on David's site at the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite. 2And he began to build in the second month, on the second day, in the fourth year of his reign. 3So by these things Solomon was moved to initiate building the house of God. The length in cubits by the former system was sixty cubits, and the width was twenty cubits. 4And the portico which was in front had a length across the width of the house – twenty cubits. And its height was one hundred and twenty cubits. And he overlaid it on the inside with pure gold. 5And he panelled the great house with cypress wood, and he overlaid it with fine gold, and he set palm tree figures and chains on it. 6And he overlaid the house with expensive stone for its splendour. And the gold was Parvaim gold. 7And he overlaid the house – the beams and the thresholds and its walls and its doors with gold, and he engraved cherubim on the walls. 8And he made the room of the holy of holies, whose length was in accordance with the width of the house – twenty cubits – and its width was twenty cubits, and he overlaid it with fine gold, amounting to six hundred talents. 9And the weight of the nails was equal to that of fifty shekels of gold. And he overlaid the upper rooms with gold. 10And in the room of the holy of holies he made two cherubim – carved work – and the gilders overlaid them with gold. 11As for the wings of the cherubim, their length was twenty cubits. One wing had a length of five cubits, touching the wall of the room, while the other wing of five cubits touched the wing of the other cherub. 12And the wing of the other cherub was five cubits in length, touching the wall of the room, and the other wing was five cubits, adjoining the wing of the other cherub. 13The wings of these cherubim extended to twenty cubits, and they stood on their feet with their faces directed inwards. 14And he made the veil of cerulean blue and purple and crimson material, and byssus, and he set up cherubim on it. 15And in front of the house he made two columns, thirty-five cubits in height, and the capital which was on top of them was five cubits high. 16And he made a work in chains in the place of address, and he put it on top of the columns, and he made one hundred pomegranates and put them on the work in chains. 17And he erected the columns alongside the temple, one on the right and one on the left, and he called the right hand one Jachin, and the left hand one Boaz.

2 Chronicles Chapter 4 

1And he made a copper altar whose length was twenty cubits and whose width was twenty cubits and whose height was ten cubits. 2And he made the cast artificial sea, ten cubits in diameter, circular all round, whose height was five cubits, and a line of thirty cubits would fit round it. 3And below it, encircling it all around was an image of oxen, ten to the cubit, encircling the artificial sea. There were two rows of oxen cast integrally. 4It stood on twelve oxen – three facing northwards, and three facing westwards, and three facing southwards, and three facing eastwards. And the artificial sea rested on them, above, and all their posteriors were facing inwards. 5And its thickness was a handbreadth, and its rim was in the style of the rim of the bud of a lily flower. It held three thousand baths in volume. 6And he made ten lavers, and he put five of them on the right hand side and five on the left hand side, to wash in them. They washed in them the things to do with the burnt offering, whereas the artificial sea was for the priests to wash. 7And he made ten golden lampstands in the prescribed way for them, and he put them in the temple – five on the right and five on the left. 8And he made ten tables, and he placed them in the temple – five on the right and five on the left. And he made one hundred golden sprinkling basins. 9And he made the priests' courtyard and the great enclosure, and doors for the enclosure, and he overlaid their doors with copper. 10And he put the artificial sea on the right hand side, in the southern part of the eastern side. 11And Huram made the pans and the shovels and the sprinkling basins, and Huram finished making the artisanry which he made for King Solomon to go in the house of God: 12the two columns with bowls and capitals on top of both columns, and the two trellises to cover the two bowls of the capitals which were on top of the columns, 13and four hundred pomegranates for the two trellises – two rows of pomegranates to each trellis to cover the two bowls of the capitals which were on top of the columns. 14And he made the stands, and he made the lavers on the stands, 15and the single artificial sea, and the twelve oxen under it. 16And Huram his father made the pans and the shovels and the forks and all the equipment for King Solomon for the house of the Lord, in polished copper. 17The king cast them in the tract of the Jordan, in the thickly overgrown land between Succoth and Zeredath. 18So Solomon made all this equipment, which was in great abundance, for the weight of copper was not investigated. 19So Solomon made all the equipment which was for the house of God, including the golden altar and the tables, on which the showbread is put, 20and the lampstands and their lamps, for them to burn in the prescribed way before the place of address, of seamless gold, 21and the flowers and the lamps and the golden snuffing-tongs, immaculate in gold, 22and the snuffers and the sprinkling basins and the ladles and the firepans – of seamless gold – and at the entrance to the house, its inner doors to the holy of holies, and the doors to the temple building – again of gold.

2 Chronicles Chapter 5 

1And all the artisanry which Solomon made for the house of the Lord was completed, and Solomon brought the holy articles of David his father, and he put the silver and the gold and all the equipment in the treasuries of the house of God. 2Then Solomon convened the elders of Israel and all the heads of the tribes, the leaders of the paternal families of the sons of Israel, in Jerusalem, to bring up the ark of the covenant of the Lord from the City of David, which is Zion. 3So every head man of Israel was convened to the king at the festival time – that is in the seventh month. 4So all the elders of Israel came, and the Levites carried the ark. 5And they brought the ark up, and the tent of contact, and all the holy equipment which was in the tent. And it was the Levite priests who brought it up. 6Then King Solomon, and the whole congregation of Israel which was assembled with him before the ark, sacrificed sheep and oxen, which could not be numbered and could not be counted for abundance. 7And the priests brought the ark of the covenant of the Lord to its place – to the place of address of the house, to the holy of holies – under the wings of the cherubim. 8And the cherubim stretched out their wings over the place of the ark, and the cherubim covered the ark and its staves from above. 9And they extended the staves such that the ends of the staves of the ark were visible in front of the place of address, but they were not visible outside. And it has been there up to this day. 10There was nothing in the ark except the two tablets which Moses put in it at Horeb, when the Lord made a covenant with the sons of Israel when they came out of Egypt. 11Then it came to pass, when the priests came out of the sanctuary, that all the priests who were present had sanctified themselves. They were not on duty according to their divisions. 12And the Levites who sang – all of Asaph's choirs, of Heman's, of Jeduthun's, and those of their sons and their brothers, clothed in byssus – with timbrels and lutes and harps, stood to the east of the altar, and with them were one hundred and twenty priests blowing trumpets. 13And it came to pass, as the trumpeters and the singers were in unison in producing a harmonious sound, in praising and giving thanks to the Lord, and in raising their voice with trumpets and timbrels and musical instruments and in praising the Lord that he is good, that his kindness is age-abiding, that the building – the house of the Lord – filled with a cloud. 14And the priests could not stand to serve because of the cloud, because the glory of the Lord filled the house of God.

Reference(s) in Chapter 5: v.13 ↔ Revelation 15:8.

2 Chronicles Chapter 6 

1Then Solomon said,

“The Lord said that he would dwell

In thick clouds.

2And I have built

A dwelling place for you

And an age-abiding abode

For you to reside in.”

3Then the king turned round and blessed the whole convocation of Israel, and the whole convocation of Israel was standing 4as he said, “Blessed be the Lord God of Israel who spoke by his own mouth with David my father, and who accomplished it, when he said, 5‘From the day when I brought my people out of the land of Egypt, I did not select a city from any of the tribes of Israel to build a house for my name to be there, and I did not choose a man to be a leader over my people Israel, 6then I chose Jerusalem for my name to be there, and I chose David to be over my people Israel.’ 7And it was in the heart of David my father to build a house for the name of the Lord God of Israel. 8But the Lord said to David my father, ‘Inasmuch as it was in your heart to build a house for my name, you did well, for it was in your heart. 9However, it is not you who will build the house, but it is your son who will come from your loins who will build the house for my name.’ 10And the Lord fulfilled his word which he had spoken, and I arose in the place of David my father, and I sat on the throne of Israel, as the Lord had said, and I built the house for the name of the Lord God of Israel. 11And I set up the ark there, where the covenant of the Lord is, which he made with the sons of Israel.” 12And he stood before the Lord's altar opposite the whole convocation of Israel, and he stretched out his hands. 13For Solomon had made a copper laver, and he had put it in the enclosure, and its length was five cubits, and its width was five cubits, and its height was three cubits. And he stood on it and knelt down in the presence of the whole convocation of Israel, and he stretched out his hands towards heaven, 14and he said, “O Lord God of Israel, there is no God like you in heaven or on the earth – you who keep the covenant and kindness with your servants who walk before you with all their heart – 15in that what you said to your servant – David my father – you kept for him, for you spoke with your mouth, and you have accomplished it, as it is today. 16So now, O Lord God of Israel, keep for your servant David my father what you said to him when you said, ‘No-one of your line sitting on the throne of Israel will be cut off before me, provided your sons keep their way by walking in my law, as you have walked before me.’ 17And now, O Lord God of Israel, may your word which you spoke to your servant – to David – be upheld. 18For will God truly dwell with man on earth? Behold, heavens and the heaven of heavens cannot contain you, so how much less this house which I have built. 19But you have considered the prayer of your servant and his supplication, O Lord my God, in hearing the shout and the prayer which your servant is praying before you, 20that your eyes may be open by day and night to this house – to the place of which you said to set up your name there – so as to hear the prayer which your servant will pray facing this place. 21And do hear the supplications of your servant and your people Israel, who will pray facing this place, and do hear from the place where you are seated – from the heavens – so do hear and forgive. 22If a man sins against his neighbour, and an oath is imposed on him, so as to adjure him, and the oath comes before your altar in this house, 23then hear from heaven and take action, and judge your servants in requiting the wicked, in bringing his way back on his head, and in justifying the righteous, in rewarding him according to his righteousness. 24And if your people Israel are struck down in confrontation with an enemy because they have sinned against you, and they repent and confess your name, and they pray and make supplications before you in this house, 25then do hear from heaven and forgive the sin of your people Israel, and bring them back to the land which you gave to them and to their fathers. 26When the heavens are shut, and there is no rain, because they have sinned against you, then they will pray facing this place, and they will confess your name, and they will turn back from their sin when you oppress them. 27And do hear in heaven, and do forgive the sin of your servants and your people Israel, then do teach them the right way in which they should walk, and do give rain on your land which you have given to your people as an inheritance. 28If there is a famine in the land, if there is a pestilence, if there is a blight or mildew, swarming locusts or consuming locusts, if their enemy besieges them in the land at their gates, if there is any affliction or any sickness, 29then for every prayer and every supplication which any man, or the whole of your people Israel may have – because each man will know the reason for his affliction and his grief – he will stretch out his hands towards this house. 30Then do hear from heaven, the abode where you reside, and do forgive, and repay each man according to all his ways, whose heart you know, for you alone know the heart of the sons of Adam, 31so that they may fear you in walking in your ways, for all the days that they live on the surface of the land which you have given to our fathers. 32And also concerning the foreigner who is not of your people Israel, but who has come from a distant land for the sake of your great name and your strong hand and your outstretched arm, when they come and pray facing this house, 33then do hear from heaven, the abode where you reside, and act according to everything that the foreigner calls on you about, so that all the various peoples of the earth may know your name, and know to fear you, as your people Israel does, and to know that your name is called on at this house which I have built. 34When your people go out to war against their enemies by the way which you send them, they will pray to you in the direction of this city which you have chosen, and of the house which I have built for your name. 35And do hear from heaven their prayer and their supplication, and do execute judgment for them. 36When they sin against you – for there is no man who does not sin – and you are angry with them, and you deliver them to the enemy, and their captors take them captive to a land, be it far or near, 37then when they have a change of heart in the land in which they have been taken captive, and repent, and they make supplication to you in the land of their captivity, and they say, ‘We have sinned and committed iniquity and behaved wickedly’, 38and they return to you with all their heart and with all their soul, in the land of their captivity where they have taken them captive, and they pray in the direction of their land which you gave their fathers, and the city which you have chosen, and towards the house which I have built for your name, 39then do hear from heaven – from the abode where you reside – their prayer and their supplications, and do execute judgment for them, and do forgive your people who sinned against you. 40Now, O God of mine, may your eyes be open and your ears be attentive to the prayer of this place.

41So now, O Lord God,

Arise to your resting place

– You and the ark of your strength.

Let your priests, O Lord God,

Be clothed with salvation,

So that those of yours under your grace

May rejoice in goodness.

42O Lord God,

Do not turn the face of your anointed away;

Remember the acts of kindness

Shown to David your servant.”

2 Chronicles Chapter 7 

1And when Solomon had finished praying, a fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices, and the glory of the Lord filled the house. 2And the priests could not enter the house of the Lord, because the glory of the Lord filled the house of the Lord. 3And all the sons of Israel saw when the fire came down and the glory of the Lord was over the house, and they bowed face down to the ground on the pavement, and they worshipped and gave thanks to the Lord, saying,

“For he is good,

For his kindness is age-abiding.”

4And the king and all the people offered a sacrifice before the Lord. 5And King Solomon offered a sacrifice of twenty-two thousand oxen and one hundred and twenty thousand sheep. And the king and all the people dedicated the house of God. 6And the priests were standing at their guard posts, and the Levites were standing with instruments of music to the Lord which King David had made, to give thanks to the Lord, for his kindness is age-abiding, when David gave praise by means of them, and the priests blew trumpets before them, and all Israel stood. 7And Solomon sanctified the inside of the court which was in front of the house of the Lord, for it is there that he made the burnt offerings and offered the fat of the peace-offerings, because the copper altar which Solomon had made could not hold the burnt offering and the meal-offering and the fat-offerings. 8And Solomon celebrated the festival at that time for seven days, as did all Israel with him – a very large convocation from the approach to Hamath to the Brook of Egypt. 9And on the eighth day he held a solemn assembly, for they had conducted the dedication of the altar for seven days, and the festival had been for seven days. 10And on the twenty-third day of the seventh month, he sent the people to their tents, happy and in good spirits because of the good which the Lord had done to David and to Solomon and to Israel his people. 11So Solomon completed the house of the Lord and the king's house, and he was successful with everything that came into Solomon's heart to do in the house of the Lord and in his own house. 12And the Lord appeared to Solomon in the night, and he said to him, “I have heard your prayer, and I have chosen this place for myself to be a house of sacrifice. 13If I shut heaven so that there is no rain, or if I command the grasshopper to consume the land, or if I send a pestilence on my people, 14and my people on whom my name is called humble themselves, and they pray, and they seek my face, and they turn back from their evil ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin, and I will heal their land. 15Now my eyes will be open and my ears attentive to a prayer from this place. 16And now I have chosen and I have sanctified this house for my name to be there age-abidingly, and my eyes and my heart will be there continually. 17And as for you, if you walk before me as David your father walked, in doing everything that I have commanded you, and if you keep my statutes and my regulations, 18then I will establish the throne of your kingdom, as I covenanted with David your father when I said, ‘No man of your line ruling in Israel will be cut off.’ 19But if you turn away and abandon my statutes and my commandments which I have set before you, and you go your way and serve other gods and worship them, 20then I will pluck them up from my land which I have given them, and I will cast this house which I have sanctified for my name out of my sight, and I will make it the subject of taunting and jeering among all the nations. 21And this house which will have been exalted, will be a cause of astonishment to everyone passing by it, and a man will say, ‘Why has the Lord done this to this land and to this house?’ 22And they will say, ‘Because they forsook the Lord God of their fathers who brought them out of the land of Egypt, and they adhered to other gods and worshipped them and served them – that is why he has brought all this trouble on them.’ ”

2 Chronicles Chapter 8 

1And it came to pass after twenty years, when Solomon had built the house of the Lord and his own house, 2and Solomon had built up the cities which Huram had given to Solomon, and he had settled the sons of Israel there, 3that Solomon went to Hamath-Zobah and overpowered it, 4and he built Tadmor in the desert, and all the storehouse cities which he built in Hamath. 5And he built Upper Beth-Horon, and Lower Beth-Horon – cities with fortifications, walls, doors and bolts – 6and Baalath and all the storehouse cities which Solomon had, and all the cities with chariot fleets, and the cities with horsemen, and all the ambitions of Solomon which he aspired to build in Jerusalem and in Lebanon and in all the land under his rule. 7On all the people who remained from the Hittites and the Amorites and the Perizzites and the Hivites and the Jebusites, who were not of Israel 8those of their sons who remained after them in the land, whom the sons of Israel did not exterminate – Solomon imposed tribute tax, which is in force up to this day. 9But Solomon did not make any of the sons of Israel bondmen for his work, because they were warriors and commanders of his officers, and commanders of his charioteers and his horsemen. 10And these were the senior officials of King Solomon's overseers: two hundred and fifty who ruled over the people. 11And Solomon brought Pharaoh's daughter up from the City of David to the house which he had built for her, for he had said, “No wife of mine will live in any house of David king of Israel, because they are holy, where the ark of the Lord has come.” 12And Solomon offered burnt offerings to the Lord on the altar of the Lord which he had built in front of the portico, 13and in the duty of the day on its day, to offer according to the commandment of Moses, for there to be Sabbaths and observance of new moons, and festival days three times in the year, at the Festival of the Unleavened Bread and at the Festival of Weeks and at the Festival of Tabernacles. 14And he set up, according to the prescribed way of David his father, the divisions of the priests by their work, and the Levites by their duties of observance to praise and to serve before the priests as the duty of the day on its day, and the gatekeepers in their divisions, for each individual gate, for such was the commandment of David, the man of God. 15And they did not turn away from the king's commandment concerning the priests and the Levites in any matter or in relation to the treasuries. 16And all Solomon's work was prepared for the day of laying the foundations of the house of the Lord up to it being finished – the complete house of the Lord. 17Then Solomon went to Ezion-Geber and to Eloth on the sea coast in the land of Edom. 18And through the agency of his servants, Huram sent him ships and servants, who knew the sea, and they went with Solomon's servants to Ophir, and they took from there four hundred and fifty talents of gold, and they brought it to King Solomon.

2 Chronicles Chapter 9 

1And when the queen of Sheba heard the report of Solomon, she came to test Solomon with riddles in Jerusalem, and she came with a very large retinue, with camels bearing fragrances and gold in abundance, and precious stones. And she came to Solomon and spoke with him about everything that was on her heart. 2And Solomon answered all her points raised and nothing was inexplicable to Solomon, which he could not tell her. 3So the queen of Sheba saw Solomon's wisdom, and the house which he had built, 4and the food at his table, and the seated assembly of his servants, and the standing assembly of his attendants and their apparel, and his butlers and their apparel, and his ascent by which he went up to the house of the Lord. And it took her breath away. 5And she said to the king, “The report which I heard in my country about your affairs and your wisdom was true. 6But I did not believe those things until I came and my eyes saw them, and it turns out that half the greatness of your wisdom was not told me. You have exceeded the report which I heard. 7Blessed are your men, and blessed are these servants of yours who stand before you continually, and who hear your wisdom. 8Blessed be the Lord your God, who has been favourably disposed to you in setting you on his throne as king for the Lord your God, in the love of your God for Israel, by establishing it age-abidingly. And he has appointed you as king over them, to execute justice and righteousness.” 9And she gave the king one hundred and twenty talents of gold, and very many fragrances and precious stones, and there never was fragrance like this which the queen of Sheba gave to King Solomon. 10And Huram's servants, and Solomon's servants – those who had brought gold from Ophir – also brought almug wood and precious stones. 11And the king made from the almug wood terraces for the house of the Lord and for the king's house, and harps and lutes for the singers. Never had anything like them been seen before in the land of Judah. 12And King Solomon gave the queen of Sheba all her desire which she asked for, in addition to what she had brought to the king. And she turned and went back to her country with her servants. 13And the weight of gold which accrued to Solomon in one year was six hundred and sixty-six talents of gold, 14apart from what travelling people and merchants brought. And all the kings of Arabia and the potentates of the land brought gold and silver to Solomon. 15And King Solomon made two hundred shields of alloyed gold. Six hundred shekels of alloyed gold went in each shield, 16and he made three hundred bucklers of alloyed gold. Three hundred shekels of alloyed gold went into each buckler, and the king put them in the house of the Forest of Lebanon. 17And the king made a large ivory throne, and he overlaid it with pure gold. 18And there were six steps up to the throne, and the throne had a footstool in gold, which were all attached, and armrests on each side of the seat. And two lions stood beside the armrests. 19And twelve lions stood there on six steps – six on each side. Nothing had been made like it in any kingdom. 20And all King Solomon's tableware for drinking was of gold, and all the articles of the house of the Forest of Lebanon were of seamless gold. Silver was not regarded in Solomon's days as anything special. 21But the king had ships which went to Tarshish with Huram's servants. Once every three years the ships of Tarshish came transporting gold and silver, ivory and monkeys and peacocks. 22And King Solomon became greater than all the kings of the earth, in riches and wisdom. 23And all the kings of the earth would seek an audience with Solomon, so as to hear his wisdom which God had put in his heart. 24And they each brought their gift – articles of silver and articles of gold, and garments, and weaponry and fragrances, horses and mules – an event which took place year in year out. 25And Solomon had four thousand stables for horses, and chariots, and twelve thousand horsemen, and he located them in the cities of the chariots, and with the king in Jerusalem. 26And he was a ruler over all the kings from the river up to the land of the Philistines and up to the border with Egypt. 27And the king made silver commonplace in Jerusalem like stones in their abundance, and he made cedars like the sycamores which are in the lowlands in abundance. 28And they brought horses to Solomon from Egypt, and from all countries. 29And as for the rest of Solomon's affairs – the first and the last – are they not written in the Chronicles of Nathan the prophet and in the Prophecy of Ahijah the Shilonite, and in the Visions of Iddo the seer against Jeroboam the son of Nebat? 30And Solomon reigned in Jerusalem over the whole of Israel for forty years. 31And Solomon lay with his fathers, and they buried him in the City of David his father. And Rehoboam his son reigned in place of him.

2 Chronicles Chapter 10 

1And Rehoboam went to Shechem, for all Israel went to Shechem to make him king. 2And it came to pass, when Jeroboam the son of Nebat heard it, when he was in Egypt, where he had fled from King Solomon, that Jeroboam returned from Egypt. 3For they sent messengers and called for him. And Jeroboam came, as did all Israel, and they spoke to Rehoboam and said, 4“Your father made our yoke heavy, but lighten now the hard work imposed by your father, and his heavy yoke which he put on us, and we will serve you.” 5And he said to them, “In three days' time come back to me.” So the people went away. 6Then King Rehoboam consulted with the elders who had stood before Solomon his father when he was alive, and he said, “How do you advise me to reply to this people?” 7And they spoke to him and said, “If you will be for the good of this people and be favourable to them and speak pleasing words to them, then they will be your servants all the time.” 8But he ignored the advice of the elders who had advised him, and he consulted the children who had grown up with him, who stood in his presence. 9And he said to them, “What do you advise that we reply to this people who spoke to me and said, ‘Lighten the yoke which your father put on us’?” 10And the children who had grown up with him spoke to him and said, “Say this to the people who spoke to you and said, ‘Your father made our yoke heavy, but you lighten it on us’ – say this to them – : ‘My little finger is thicker than my father's waist. 11And now, my father burdened you with a heavy yoke, but I will add to your yoke. My father chastened you with whips, but I will chasten you with scorpions.’ ” 12Then Jeroboam came to Rehoboam, as did all the people, on the third day, as the king had spoken when he said, “Come back to me on the third day.” 13And the king answered them harshly, and King Rehoboam ignored the advice of the elders. 14And he spoke to them according to the advice of the children and said, “I will make your yoke heavy, and I will add to it. My father chastened you with whips, but I will chasten you with scorpions.” 15And the king did not listen to the people, because it was a turn of events from God, in order for the Lord to establish his word which he had spoken through the agency of Ahijah the Shilonite to Jeroboam the son of Nebat. 16And the whole of Israel realized that the king had not heeded them, and the people replied to the king and said,

“What part have we with David?”

And, “There is no inheritance in the son of Jesse.

Everyone to your tents, O Israel.

Now you see to your own house, David.”

Then all Israel went to their tents. 17But as for the sons of Israel who lived in the cities of Judah, Rehoboam reigned over them. 18Then when King Rehoboam sent Hadoram who was in charge of the tax, the sons of Israel stoned him, and he died, and King Rehoboam scrambled to board a carriage to flee to Jerusalem. 19So Israel revolted against the house of David, as it is up to this day.

2 Chronicles Chapter 11 

1Then when Rehoboam arrived in Jerusalem, he convened the house of Judah and Benjamin – one hundred and eighty thousand young men – who were about to wage war, so as to fight against Israel, so as to restore the kingdom to Rehoboam. 2And the word of the Lord came to Shemaiah, a man of God, and it said, 3“Speak to Rehoboam the son of Solomon, the king of Judah, and to the whole of Israel in Judah and Benjamin, and say, 4‘This is what the Lord says: «Do not go up, and do not fight against your brothers. Go back, each one to his house, because this matter has been brought about by me.» ’ ” And they heeded the words of the Lord and turned back from going against Jeroboam. 5And Rehoboam lived in Jerusalem, and he built cities as fortification in Judah. 6And he built up Bethlehem and Etam and Tekoa, 7and Beth-Zur and Sochoh and Adullam, 8and Gath and Mareshah and Ziph, 9and Adoraim and Lachish and Azekah, 10and Zorah and Aijalon and Hebron, which are in Judah and Benjamin – cities with fortifications. 11And he strengthened the fortifications, and he put overseers in them, and storehouses for food and oil and wine. 12And in every individual city he put shields and spears, and he strengthened them to a very great extent. So Judah and Benjamin belonged to him. 13And the priests and the Levites who were in all Israel stationed themselves beside him, coming from all their territories. 14For the Levites left their pasture lands and their estates, and they went to Judah and to Jerusalem, because Jeroboam had rejected them, as had his sons, stopping them from officiating as priests to the Lord. 15But he had appointed himself priests for the idolatrous raised sites and for the satyrs and the calves which he had made. 16Then after them there came from all the tribes of Israel those who gave their hearts to seeking the Lord God of Israel, to Jerusalem to sacrifice to the Lord God of their fathers. 17And they strengthened the kingdom of Judah, and they gave strength to Rehoboam the son of Solomon, for three years, for they walked in the way of David and Solomon for three years. 18And Rehoboam took a wife – Mahalath the daughter of Jerimoth the son of David, and Abihail, the daughter of Eliab, the son of Jesse. 19And she bore him sons: Jeush and Shemariah and Zaham. 20And after her he took Maachah, Absalom's daughter, and she bore him Abijah and Attai and Ziza and Shelomith. 21And Rehoboam loved Maachah the daughter of Absalom the most of all his wives and concubines, for he took eighteen wives and sixty concubines, and he begot twenty-eight sons and sixty daughters. 22And Rehoboam appointed Abijah the son of Maachah as head – as leader among his brothers – for it was to make him king. 23And he was astute, and he dispersed all his sons to all the districts of Judah and Benjamin, to all the cities with fortifications, and he gave them food in abundance. And he asked for many wives.

2 Chronicles Chapter 12 

1And it came to pass at the establishing of Rehoboam's kingdom, and when he had strengthened himself, that he forsook the law of the Lord, as did all Israel with him. 2And it came to pass in the fifth year of King Rehoboam that Shishak king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem, because they had acted perversely against the Lord, 3with one thousand two hundred chariots and with sixty thousand horsemen and with innumerable people who came with him from Egypt – Libyans, Sukkiim and Ethiopians – 4and he took the fortified cities which belonged to Judah, and he came to Jerusalem. 5Then Shemaiah the prophet came to Rehoboam and the senior officials of Judah who had gathered in Jerusalem because of Shishak, and he said to them, “This is what the Lord says: ‘You have left me, and I for my part have left you in the hands of Shishak.’ ” 6At this the senior officials of Israel and the king humbled themselves, and they said, “The Lord is righteous.” 7And when the Lord saw that they had humbled themselves, the word of the Lord came to Shemaiah and said, “They have humbled themselves; I will not ruin them, but I will soon make them like an escaped group, and my wrath will not be poured out on Jerusalem by means of Shishak. 8But they will be his servants, and they will know what it means to serve me and to serve the kingdoms of the various countries.” 9Then Shishak king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem, and he took the treasures of the house of the Lord and the treasures of the king's house. He took everything away, and he took away the golden shields which Solomon had made. 10Then King Rehoboam made shields of copper instead of them, and he committed them to the care of the captains of the couriers who guarded the entrance to the king's house. 11And it was the case that every time the king went to the house of the Lord, the couriers came and carried them there and then brought them back to the repository of the couriers. 12And at him humbling himself, the Lord's anger subsided, and he did not completely ruin him, and also in Judah there were good reports. 13And King Rehoboam strengthened himself in Jerusalem, and he reigned, for Rehoboam was forty-one years old when he started to reign, and he reigned for seventeen years in Jerusalem, the city which the Lord chose out of all the tribes of Israel to establish his name there. And his mother's name was Naamah the Ammonitess. 14Then he did evil, for he did not resolve to seek the Lord. 15And the affairs of Rehoboam – the first and the last – are they not written in the Chronicles of Shemaiah the prophet and Iddo the seer, as registered according to genealogies? And there were wars between Rehoboam and Jeroboam all the time. 16And Rehoboam lay with his fathers, and he was buried in the City of David, and Abijah his son reigned in his place.

2 Chronicles Chapter 13 

1In the eighteenth year of King Jeroboam, Abijah started to reign over Judah. 2He reigned for three years in Jerusalem. And the name of his mother was Micaiah, the daughter of Uriel from Gibeah. And there was war between Abijah and Jeroboam. 3And Abijah gave battle with a force of warriors, of four hundred thousand elite men, while Jeroboam drew up battle lines against him with eight hundred thousand elite men – valiant warriors. 4And Abijah stood up on Mount Zemaraim, which is at Mount Ephraim, and he said, “Listen to me, Jeroboam and all Israel. 5Is it not given to you to know that the Lord God of Israel gave a kingdom to David, over Israel age-abidingly, to him and his sons, in a covenant of salt? 6But Jeroboam the son of Nebat, a servant of Solomon the son of David, rose up and rebelled against his master. 7And idle men joined him – good-for-nothing lads – and they emboldened themselves against Rehoboam the son of Solomon, when Rehoboam was a tender-hearted youth and could not gather strength to confront them. 8But now you say that you will gain strength to confront the Lord's kingdom, which is under the authority of the sons of David, and that you are a great multitude, and that with you are golden calves which Jeroboam made for you as gods. 9Have you not thrust out the Lord's priests – the sons of Aaron and the Levites – and created for yourselves priests like the nations of the various countries? Everyone who comes to commission himself with a bull-calf and seven rams becomes a priest of non-gods. 10But as for us, the Lord is our God, and we have not forsaken him, and the priests who serve the Lord are the sons of Aaron, and the Levites are engaged in the work, 11and they make burnt offerings to the Lord with incense every morning and every evening, and incense from fragrances, and see to the arrangement of the showbread on the pure table, and the golden lampstand and its candles so that they burn every evening. For we keep the duty of observance of the Lord our God, but you have forsaken him. 12And look, with us at the head is God, and his priests and the trumpets, the sounding of them being to raise an alarm to you. You sons of Israel, do not fight against the Lord God of your fathers, for you will not succeed.” 13But Jeroboam wheeled an ambush round so as to get behind them, so that they – Jeroboam's men – were facing Judah, whereas his ambush was behind them. 14Then when Judah turned round, they became aware that they faced battle in front and behind, and they cried out to the Lord, and the priests blew the trumpets. 15And the men of Judah raised the alarm, and it came to pass, when the men of Judah raised the alarm, that God struck Jeroboam and all Israel in the presence of Abijah and Judah. 16And the sons of Israel fled before Judah, and God delivered them into their hand. 17And Abijah and his people dealt them a severe blow, and five hundred thousand elite men of Israel fell as casualties. 18So the sons of Israel were brought low at that time, whereas the sons of Judah displayed strength, because they relied on the Lord God of their fathers. 19And Abijah pursued Jeroboam, and he captured cities from him – Beth-El and its satellite villages, and Jeshanah and its satellite villages, and Ephron and its satellite villages. 20And Jeroboam did not regain strength in the days of Abijah, and the Lord struck him down, and he died. 21But Abijah became stronger, and he took fourteen wives, and he begot twenty-two sons and sixteen daughters. 22And the rest of the affairs of Abijah, both his ways and his affairs, are written in the Commentary of the Prophet Iddo.

2 Chronicles Chapter 14 

1And Abijah lay with his fathers, and they buried him in the City of David, and Asa his son reigned in his place. In his days the land enjoyed rest for ten years. 2Now Asa did what was good and right in the eyes of the Lord his God, 3and he removed the foreign altars and the idolatrous raised sites, and he broke the idolatrous statues up, and he cut the phallic parks down. 4Then he told Judah to seek the Lord God of their fathers, and to observe the law and the commandments. 5And he removed from all the cities of Judah the idolatrous raised sites, and the sun-images. And the kingdom enjoyed rest before him. 6And he built fortified cities in Judah, although the land enjoyed rest and he did not have war in those years, because the Lord gave him rest. 7And he said to Judah, “We will build these cities, and we will encircle them with a wall and towers and doors and bolts, while the land is still before us, for we have sought the Lord our God; we sought him, and he has given us rest all round.” So they built and prospered. 8And Asa had an army bearing shield and spear from Judah, three hundred thousand strong, and from Benjamin bearing the buckler and drawing the bow, two hundred and eighty thousand strong, all these being valiant warriors. 9Then Zerah the Ethiopian went out against them with a force of one million, and three hundred chariots, and he arrived in Mareshah. 10So Asa went out to confront him, and they drew up for battle in the Valley of Zephathah in Mareshah. 11And Asa called on the Lord his God and said, “O Lord, it is nothing to you to help, whether a large number or whether those without strength. Help us, O Lord our God, because we have relied on you, and in your name we have come against this multitude. O Lord, you are our God; do not let man obstruct you.” 12And the Lord struck the Ethiopians before Asa and before Judah, and the Ethiopians fled. 13And Asa and the people who were with him pursued them as far as Gerar, and so many of the Ethiopians fell that they had no sign of life, for they were crushed before the Lord and before his battalion. And they carried away a very large quantity of spoil. 14And they attacked all the cities around Gerar, for the fear of the Lord was on them. And they spoiled all the cities, for there was much spoil in them. 15And they also attacked the tents of cattle, and they captured sheep in abundance, and camels, and they returned to Jerusalem.

2 Chronicles Chapter 15 

1And the spirit of God came on Azariah the son of Oded. 2And he went out to see Asa, and he said to him, “Hear me, Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin. The Lord is with you when you are with him, and if you seek him, he will be found by you, but if you forsake him, he will forsake you. 3Now for a long time Israel was without the true God, and without a priestly teacher, and without the law, 4but when they were in straits, they returned to the Lord God of Israel, and they sought him, and he was found by them. 5But in those times there was no peace to anyone going about their business because there was much turmoil over all the inhabitants of the various countries. 6And nation was routed by nation, and city by city, for God so motivated them with all adversity. 7So you be strong, and do not let your hands droop, because there is a reward for your labour.” 8And when Asa heard these words and the prophecy – Oded being the prophet – he took courage and removed the abominations from the whole land of Judah and Benjamin, and from the cities which he had taken in the mountainous country of Ephraim, and he renewed the altar of the Lord which was in front of the Lord's portico. 9And he gathered the whole of Judah and Benjamin and those temporarily resident with them from Ephraim and Manasseh, and from Simeon, for they flocked to him from Israel in abundance when they saw that the Lord his God was with him. 10And they gathered in Jerusalem in the third month in the fifteenth year of Asa's reign. 11And they sacrificed to the Lord on that day – they brought from the spoil seven hundred oxen and seven thousand sheep. 12And they entered into a covenant to seek the Lord God of their fathers with all their heart and with all their soul. 13And everyone who would not seek the Lord God of Israel would be put to death, whether small or great, whether man or woman. 14And they swore to the Lord in a loud voice, and with a shout, and with trumpets and with ramshorns. 15And all Judah rejoiced at the oath, because they swore wholeheartedly, and they sought him with all their will, and he was found by them, and the Lord gave them rest all round. 16And as for Maachah too, King Asa's mother, he excluded her from being queen mother, because she had made a monstrosity for the phallic park. And Asa cut her monstrosity down and pulverized it and burnt it at the Kidron Brook. 17But the idolatrous raised sites were not removed from Israel, yet Asa's heart was sincere all his days. 18And he brought his father's holy articles, and his own holy articles, to the house of God – silver and gold and equipment. 19And there was no war until the thirty-fifth year of Asa's reign.

2 Chronicles Chapter 16 

1In the thirty-sixth year of Asa's reign, Baasha king of Israel went up against Judah, and he built Ramah, to prevent traffic to and from Asa king of Judah. 2And Asa brought silver and gold from the treasuries of the house of the Lord and the king's house, and he sent it to Ben-Hadad king of Aramaea, who was living in Damascus, and he said, 3There is a covenant between me and you, as there was between my father and your father. Look, I have sent you silver and gold. Go and break your covenant with Baasha king of Israel so that I am rid of him.” 4And Ben-Hadad heeded King Asa, and he sent the commanders of his forces to the cities of Israel, and they attacked Ijon and Dan and Abel-Maim, and all the storehouses in the cities of Naphtali. 5And when Baasha heard about it, he discontinued building Ramah, and he put a stop to his work. 6And King Asa took all of Judah, and they carried away the stones of Ramah and its timbers, with which Baasha had been building it, and he built Geba and Mizpah with them. 7And at that time, Hanani the seer came to Asa king of Judah and said to him, “Because you have relied on the king of Aramaea, and you have not relied on the Lord your God, the forces of the king of Aramaea have escaped from your control. 8Had not the Ethiopians and the Libyans become a numerous force, with chariots and horsemen in very great numbers? Yet when you relied on the Lord, he delivered them into your hand. 9For the eyes of the Lord scour the whole land, so that he may show his strength to those whose heart is sincere with him, but you have acted foolishly in this respect, so from now on you will have wars.” 10At this Asa became angry with the seer, and he put him in prison, for he was in a rage with him about this. And Asa oppressed some of the people at that time. 11And as for the affairs of Asa – the first and the last – they are to be seen written in the Book of the Kings of Judah and Israel. 12Now Asa became diseased in his feet in the thirty-ninth year of his reign. His disease was in an advanced stage, but even with his disease he did not seek the Lord, but the doctors. 13And Asa lay with his fathers, and he died in the forty-first year of his reign. 14And they buried him in his own grave which he had had dug for himself in the City of David, and they laid him on a bed which he had filled with fragrances and suchlike, composed as a professional preparation, and they lit a very great fire for him indeed.

2 Chronicles Chapter 17 

1And Jehoshaphat his son reigned in his place, and he strengthened himself against Israel. 2And he put forces in all the fortified cities of Judah, and he put garrisons in the land of Judah and in the cities of Ephraim which Asa his father had captured. 3And the Lord was with Jehoshaphat, because he walked in the first ways of David his father, and he did not seek the Baalim, 4for he sought the God of his father, and he walked in his commandments, and not like the practice of Israel. 5And the Lord established the kingdom in his hand, and all Judah gave gifts to Jehoshaphat, and he had wealth and honour in abundance. 6And his heart was exuberant in the ways of the Lord, and furthermore he removed the idolatrous raised sites and the phallic parks from Judah. 7And in the third year of his reign, he sent teachers to his senior officials, to Ben-Hail and to Obadiah and to Zechariah and to Nethaneel and to Micaiah, to teach in the cities of Judah. 8And with them were the Levites, Shemaiah and Nethaniah and Zebadiah and Asahel and Shemiramoth and Jonathan and Adonijah and Tobiah and Tob-Adonijah – the Levites – and with them were Elishama and Jehoram the priests. 9And they taught in Judah, and with them was the book of the law of the Lord. And they went round all the cities of Judah, and they taught among the people. 10And the fear of the Lord came over all the kingdoms of the countries around Judah, and they did not fight against Jehoshaphat. 11And some of the Philistines brought gifts to Jehoshaphat, and silver as tribute. Also, the Arabs brought him sheep – seven thousand seven hundred rams and seven thousand seven hundred he-goats. 12And Jehoshaphat became greater and greater in the extreme, and he built palaces and storehouse cities in Judah. 13And he had a lot of business in the cities of Judah, whereas the men of war – the valiant warriors – were in Jerusalem. 14And these were their offices according to their paternal house. For Judah, the commanders of a thousand were Adnah the commander, with whom were three hundred thousand valiant warriors, 15and next in line to him was Jehohanan the commander, with whom were two hundred and eighty thousand men, 16and next in line to him was Amasiah the son of Zichri, who volunteered for the Lord, with whom were two hundred thousand valiant warriors. 17And from Benjamin was the valiant warrior Eliada, with whom were those armed with bow and buckler – two hundred thousand men, 18and next in line to him was Jehozabad, with whom were one hundred and eighty thousand armed soldiers. 19These were those who served the king, apart from those whom the king put in the fortified cities all over Judah.

2 Chronicles Chapter 18 

1And Jehoshaphat had riches and honour in abundance, and he contracted an in-law relationship with the family of Ahab. 2And after a number of years he went down to Ahab, to Samaria, and Ahab sacrificed sheep and oxen for him in abundance, and for the people with him, and he induced him to go up to Ramoth-Gilead. 3And Ahab king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat king of Judah, “Will you go with me to Ramoth-Gilead?” And he said to him, “I am as you are, and my people are as your people, and I am with you in the war.” 4And Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, “Please consult the word of the Lord today.” 5And the king of Israel gathered the prophets – four hundred men – and he asked them, “Should we go to war against Ramoth-Gilead or should I refrain?” And they said, “Go up, and God will deliver it into the king's hand.” 6And Jehoshaphat said, “Is there no other prophet of the Lord here for us to inquire of him.” 7And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “There is one more man from whom one can consult the Lord, but I hate him, because he does not prophesy good about me, but all the time evil. He is Micaiah the son of Imla.” And Jehoshaphat said, “Let the king not say suchlike.” 8And the king of Israel called for a certain eunuch and said, “Bring Micaiah the son of Imla quickly.” 9And the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat the king of Judah were each sitting on his throne, dressed in royal clothes, and they were sitting in a threshing hall at the entrance of the Gate of Samaria, and all the prophets were prophesying in their presence. 10And Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah had made himself some iron horns, and he said, “This is what the Lord says: ‘With these you will butt the Aramaeans until you have finished them off.’ ” 11And all the prophets prophesied likewise and said, “Go up to Ramoth-Gilead and have success, and the Lord will deliver it into the king's hand.” 12Then the messenger who had gone to fetch Micaiah spoke to him and said, “These are the unanimously favourable words of the prophets to the king. Now may your word be similar to any one of them, and speak favourably.” 13But Micaiah said, “As the Lord lives, rather, it is what my God says that I will speak.” 14And when he went to the king, the king said to him, “Micaiah, should we go to Ramoth-Gilead to war, or should I refrain?” And he said, “Go up and have success, and they will be delivered into your hand.” 15Then the king said to him, “How many times must I adjure you not to tell me anything except the truth in the name of the Lord?” 16Then he said, “I saw all Israel scattered on the mountains like sheep which do not have a shepherd, and the Lord said, ‘These do not have a master. Let them all return to their homes in peace.’ ” 17At this the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “Didn't I tell you that he wouldn't prophesy good about me, but evil?” 18And Micaiah said, “So hear the word of the Lord. I saw the Lord sitting on his throne, with the whole host of heaven standing in attendance to him on his right and on his left. 19And the Lord said, ‘Who will entice Ahab king of Israel to go up and attack Ramoth-Gilead?’ And he said, ‘One says this, and another says that.’ 20And a spirit went out and stood before the Lord, and it said, ‘I will entice him.’ And the Lord said to it, ‘By what means?’ 21And it said, ‘I will go out, and I will be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets.’ And he said, ‘You may entice him, and indeed you will be able to. Go out and do so.’ 22So now you see that the Lord has put a lying spirit in the mouth of these prophets of yours, and the Lord has pronounced evil concerning you.” 23Then Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah approached and struck Micaiah on the cheek and said, “Which way did the spirit of the Lord pass from me when I spoke to you?” 24And Micaiah said, “You will see just that on that day when you go into an inner room to hide.” 25And the king of Israel said, “Seize Micaiah and take him back to Amon the governor of the city, and to Joash the king's son, 26and say, ‘This is what the king says: «Put this man in prison and feed him on baneful bread and water until I return in peace.» ’ ” 27Then Micaiah said, “Whether you will come back at all in peace, the Lord hasn't pronounced on through me.” And he said, “Pay heed, all you various peoples.” 28Then the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat king of Judah went up to Ramoth-Gilead. 29And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “It is time to disguise oneself and go into the battle, but you wear your royal clothes.” And the king of Israel disguised himself, and they went into battle. 30And the king of Aramaea instructed his chariot fleet commanders and said, “Do not fight with small or with great, but rather with the king of Israel only.” 31Then it came to pass, when the chariot fleet commanders saw Jehoshaphat, that they said, “He is the king of Israel.” And they turned towards him to do battle, but Jehoshaphat shouted out, and the Lord helped him, and God induced them to leave him. 32And it came to pass, when the commanders of the chariot fleet saw that he was not the king of Israel, that they stopped pursuing him. 33Meanwhile a man drew his bow in his innocence, and he hit the king of Israel through the joints between the armour plates. And he said to the chariot driver, “Steer and get me out of the battle theatre, for I have been wounded.” 34And the battle intensified on that day, and the king of Israel was propping himself up in the chariot in front of the Aramaeans until the evening, and he died at the time of sunset.

2 Chronicles Chapter 19 

1Then Jehoshaphat king of Judah returned to his house in Jerusalem in peace. 2And Jehu the son of Hanani the seer went out to confront him, and he said to King Jehoshaphat, “Is it right to help the wicked, and will you love those who hate the Lord? And for this reason there is anger from the Lord on you. 3But some good things have been found in you, for you have burned the phallic parks in the land, and you have prepared your heart to seek God.” 4And Jehoshaphat lived in Jerusalem, and he went out again among the people from Beersheba to Mount Ephraim, and he brought them back to the Lord God of their fathers. 5And he set up judges in the land – in all the fortified cities of Judah – city by city. 6And he said to the judges, “Watch what you do, for you will not be judging for man, but for the Lord, and may he be with you in the matter of judgment. 7And now, may the fear of the Lord be upon you. Be on your guard and act, for with the Lord our God there is no injustice or partiality or taking bribes.” 8Also in Jerusalem Jehoshaphat appointed men from the Levites and the priests, and from the paternal heads of Israel, for the Lord's judgment and for disputes. So they returned to Jerusalem. 9And he gave commandment concerning them and said, “This is what you will do in the fear of the Lord, in faith, and with a sincere heart, 10with every dispute which comes before you from your brothers who live in your cities, between blood relations, whether about law or commandment or statutes or judgments: you will warn them not to transgress against the Lord, or wrath will come over you and over your brothers. You shall do this, and you shall not transgress. 11And look, Amariah the high priest is over you in every matter concerning the Lord, as is Zebadiah the son of Ishmael, the leader of the house of Judah, for every matter concerning the king, and as magistrates there are the Levites at your disposal. Take courage and act and may the Lord be with what is good.”

2 Chronicles Chapter 20 

1And it came to pass after this, that the sons of Moab and the sons of Ammon, and with them some of the Ammonites, went to war against Jehoshaphat. 2And informers came and told Jehoshaphat and said, “A large multitude is coming against you from across the sea – from Aramaea – and they are already in Hazezon-Tamar, which is En-Gedi.” 3And Jehoshaphat was afraid, and he resolved to seek the Lord, and he proclaimed a fast over all of Judah. 4So Judah gathered to seek instructions from the Lord, and people also came from all the cities of Judah to seek the Lord. 5And Jehoshaphat stood in the convocation of Judah and Jerusalem in the house of the Lord, in front of the new court. 6And he said, “O Lord God of our fathers, are you not God in heaven and ruler over all the kingdoms of the nations? And in your hand is power and might, and there is no-one who can match you. 7Are you not our God, who disinherited the inhabitants of this land in the presence of your people Israel and gave it to the seed of Abraham your friend age-abidingly? 8And they lived in it, and they built a holy place for your name in it for you, and they said, 9‘If evil comes upon us – the sword, judgment, or pestilence, or famine – we will stand before this house and before you, for your name is in this house, and we will cry out to you because of our distress, then do hear us and save us.’ 10And now, look at the sons of Ammon and Moab and Mount Seir, whom you did not allow Israel to attack when they came from the land of Egypt, so they kept away from them and did not destroy them. 11And here they are requiting us by coming to drive us out of your inheritance which you legated to us. 12O God of ours, will you not pass judgment on them, for we do not have the strength in the face of this large multitude which is coming against us, and we do not know what we should do, but our eyes are directed to you.” 13And all of Judah was standing before the Lord, including their little ones, their wives and their sons. 14Then the spirit of the Lord came on Jahaziel, the son of Zechariah, the son of Benaiah, the son of Jeiel, the son of Mattaniah the Levite, of the sons of Asaph, in the midst of the convocation, 15and he said, “Listen, all Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem, and King Jehoshaphat. This is what the Lord says to you: ‘Don't you be afraid and do not fear this large multitude, for it is not with you that the war is, but with God. 16Go down against them tomorrow. Look, they are coming up by the Ascent of Ziz, and you will find them at the end of the brook facing the Desert of Jeruel. 17It is not up to you to fight this matter. Station yourselves and stand and watch the salvation of the Lord, who is with you, O Judah and Jerusalem. Do not be afraid and do not fear. Go out tomorrow to confront them, and the Lord will be with you.’ ” 18And Jehoshaphat bowed down face to the ground, and all of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem fell down before the Lord in worshipping the Lord. 19And the Levites of the sons of the Kohathites, and of the sons of the Korhites, arose to praise the Lord God of Israel, raising a loud voice. 20And they arose early in the morning and went out to the Desert of Tekoa, and as they went out, Jehoshaphat stood and said, “Listen to me, O Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem. Believe in the Lord your God and be faithful. Believe his prophets and prosper.” 21And he took counsel together with the people, and he stationed singers to the Lord, and psalm-singers, to the splendour of the holy event – when they went out to confront the armed body – as they said,

“Praise the Lord,

For his kindness is age-abiding.”

22And at that time when they began the joyful singing and praise, the Lord placed ambushers against the sons of Ammon, Moab and Mount Seir who were coming to Judah, and they were struck down. 23And the sons of Ammon and Moab stood against the inhabitants of Mount Seir, to obliterate and destroy them, and when they had exterminated the inhabitants of Seir, each one helped to bring his neighbour's downfall. 24Then when Judah came to the watchtower overlooking the desert, they cast their eyes on the large multitude, and what they saw was that they were corpses, having fallen to the ground, and that there was no escaped remnant. 25And when Jehoshaphat and his people came to take spoil from them, they found among them in abundance both valuables and corpses and desirable objects, and they stripped them for themselves to the point of being unable to carry them, and they spent three days taking the spoil, for it was great. 26And on the fourth day they assembled in the Valley of Berachah, for they blessed the Lord there, which is why they call that place the Valley of Berachah, as it is up to this day. 27And every man of Judah and Jerusalem returned, with Jehoshaphat at their head, so as to return to Jerusalem with joy, because the Lord had made them rejoice over their enemies. 28And they arrived in Jerusalem with lutes and with harps and with trumpets at the house of the Lord. 29And the fear of God came on all the kingdoms of the various countries when they heard that the Lord had fought against the enemies of Israel. 30And Jehoshaphat's kingdom was quiet, and his God gave him rest all round. 31And Jehoshaphat reigned over Judah. He was thirty-five years old when he started to reign, and he reigned in Jerusalem for twenty-five years. And the name of his mother was Azubah, the daughter of Shilhi. 32And he walked in the way of his father Asa, and he did not deviate from it, in doing what was right in the eyes of the Lord. 33But the idolatrous raised sites were not removed, and the people still had not prepared their hearts for the God of their fathers. 34And as for the rest of the affairs of Jehoshaphat – the first and the last – they are to be seen written in the Chronicles of Jehu the Son of Hanani, who is recorded in the Book of the Kings of Israel. 35And after that Jehoshaphat the king of Judah allied himself with Ahaziah the king of Israel. He acted wrongly in doing this. 36And he allied himself to him to make ships to go to Tarshish, and they made ships in Ezion-Geber. 37Then Eliezer the son of Dodavah of Mareshah prophesied against Jehoshaphat and said, “Because of you allying yourself with Ahaziah, the Lord has thwarted your affairs.” And the ships were broken, and they were not able to go to Tarshish.

Reference(s) in Chapter 20: v.7 ↔ James 2:23.

2 Chronicles Chapter 21 

1And Jehoshaphat lay with his fathers, and with his fathers he was buried, in the City of David, and Jehoram his son reigned in his place. 2And he had brothers – the sons of Jehoshaphat – Azariah and Jehiel and Zechariah and Azariah and Michael and Shephatiah. All these were the sons of Jehoshaphat king of Israel. 3And their father gave them many gifts of silver and of gold, and valuable items, with fortified cities in Judah, but he gave the kingdom to Jehoram, because he was the firstborn. 4And when Jehoram had become established in his father's kingdom, he emboldened himself and killed all his brothers with the sword, and also some of the senior officials of Israel. 5Jehoram was thirty-two years old when he started to reign, and he reigned for eight years in Jerusalem. 6And he walked in the way of the kings of Israel, as the house of Ahab did, for his wife was Ahab's daughter, and he did what was wrong in the eyes of the Lord. 7But the Lord was not willing to bring ruin on the house of David, for the sake of the covenant which he had made for David, and according to how he had said he would give him and his sons a lamp continually. 8In his days Edom rebelled against Judah's control, and they appointed a king over themselves. 9And Jehoram crossed over with his commanders, and with him was the whole chariot fleet, and it came to pass that he arose in the night and attacked Edom which was surrounding him, and the chariot commanders. 10So Edom rebelled against Judah's control, as it is up to this day. Then Libnah rebelled, at that time, against his control, because he had forsaken the Lord God of his fathers. 11He also made idolatrous raised sites in the mountains of Judah, and he caused the inhabitants of Jerusalem to engage in prostitution, and he induced Judah to do so. 12But a letter came to him from Elijah the prophet, which said, “This is what the Lord God of David your father says: ‘As you have not walked in the ways of Jehoshaphat your father, and in the ways of Asa king of Judah, 13and you have walked in the ways of the kings of Israel, and you have caused Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem to engage in prostitution, like the way the house of Ahab promoted prostitution, and also you have killed your brothers of the house of your father, who were better than you, 14look, the Lord is about to inflict a severe plague on your people and on your sons and on your wives and on all your property. 15And you will be severely ill with a disorder of your intestines, until your intestines come out because of the disorder continuing day after day.’ ” 16And the Lord stirred up against Jehoram the spirit of the Philistines and the Arabs who were next to the Ethiopians. 17And they came up into Judah and split it. And they captured all the property which was present in the king's house, and also his sons and his wives, and there was not a son of his remaining except Jehoahaz the youngest of his sons. 18And after all this the Lord struck him in his intestines with an incurable disorder. 19And it came to pass in the course of time that at the time of the year's close, after two full years, his intestines came out, because of his disorder, and he died of severe ailments. And his people did not make a fire for him, like the fire for his fathers. 20He was thirty-two years old when he started to reign, and he reigned in Jerusalem for eight years, and he departed in an unpleasant way, and they buried him in the City of David, but not in the tombs of the kings.

2 Chronicles Chapter 22 

1And the inhabitants of Jerusalem made Ahaziah his youngest son king in his place, because the troop which came with the Arabians into the camp had killed all the older ones, so Ahaziah the son of Jehoram, the king of Judah, started to reign. 2Ahaziah was forty-two years old when he started to reign, and he reigned for one year in Jerusalem. And the name of his mother was Athaliah, the daughter of Omri. 3He also walked in the ways of the house of Ahab, because his mother would advise him to do wrong. 4So he did what was wrong in the eyes of the Lord, like the house of Ahab, for they would advise him, after the death of his father, with things to his detriment. 5So he walked in their advice, and he went to war with Jehoram the son of Ahab, the king of Israel, against Hazael king of Aramaea in Ramoth-Gilead. And the Aramaeans struck Joram. 6And he returned to recover in Jezreel, because of the blows which they dealt him in Ramah when he fought Hazael the king of Aramaea. And Azariah the son of Jehoram, the king of Judah, went down to see Jehoram the son of Ahab in Jezreel, because he was ill. 7Now the downfall of Ahaziah was from God, for going to Joram, and when he had gone, he came out with Jehoram against Jehu the son of Nimshi, whom the Lord had anointed to cut the house of Ahab off. 8And it came to pass, while Jehu was contending with the house of Ahab, that he found the senior officials of the house of Judah and the sons of Ahaziah's brothers who served Ahaziah, and he killed them. 9And he sought Ahaziah, and they captured him while he was hiding in Samaria, and they brought him to Jehu, and they killed him and buried him, for they said, “He is the son of Jehoshaphat who sought the Lord with all his heart.” And there was no-one of the house of Ahaziah to retain power over the kingdom. 10But when Athaliah, Ahaziah's mother, saw that her son was dead, she arose and eradicated all the royal seed of the house of Judah, 11but Jehoshabath the king's daughter had taken Joash the son of Ahaziah and had stolen him away from the king's sons who were killed, and he had put him and his nurse in the bedroom. And Jehoshabath the daughter of King Jehoram, the wife of Jehoiada the priest – for she was the sister of Ahaziah – hid him from Athaliah, and she did not kill him. 12And he was with them in the house of God, hidden for six years, while Athaliah reigned over the land.

2 Chronicles Chapter 23 

1Then in the seventh year Jehoiada took courage, and he took the commanders of a hundred with him in a covenant: Azariah the son of Jeroham, and Ishmael the son of Jehohanan, and Azariah the son of Obed, and Maaseiah the son of Adaiah, and Elishaphat the son of Zichri. 2And they went round Judah, and they gathered the Levites from all the cities of Judah, and the paternal heads of Israel, and they came to Jerusalem. 3And the whole convocation made a covenant in the house of God with the king. And he said to them, “Behold, the king's son shall reign as the Lord has spoken, concerning the sons of David. 4This is the operation which you will carry out. One third of you will come on the Sabbath: you of the priests and the Levites, as gatekeepers at the entrance thresholds. 5And one third will be at the king's house, and one third will be at the Foundation Gate, and all the people will be in the courtyards of the house of the Lord. 6But do not let anyone go into the house of the Lord, except for the priests, and those who serve, who belong to the Levites – they shall go in, for they are holy. But all the people will keep the Lord's guard. 7And the Levites will form a circle around the king, each man having his weapons in his hand, and anyone going inside the circle will be put to death. And accompany the king as he goes out and comes in.” 8And the Levites and all of Judah did everything which Jehoiada the priest commanded, and each one took his men – those who were to come on the Sabbath with those who were to go out on the Sabbath – for Jehoiada the priest did not exempt the divisions. 9And Jehoiada the priest gave to the commanders of a hundred the spears and the bucklers and the shields which had belonged to King David, which were in the house of God. 10And he stationed all the people, each with his weapon in his hand, from the right hand side of the house to the left hand side of the house, and around the altar and the house, in defence of the king. 11Then they brought the king's son out, and they put the crown on him, and they gave him the testimony, and they made him king. And Jehoiada and his sons anointed him and said, “May the king live.” 12And when Athaliah heard the sound of the people running and those praising the king, she went to the people and to the house of the Lord. 13And she looked, and what she saw was the king standing at his column at the entrance with officials and trumpet-players in attendance to the king, and all the people of the land rejoicing and blowing trumpets, with the singers with musical instruments and directors of praise. At this Athaliah tore her clothes and said, “A conspiracy, a conspiracy!” 14Then Jehoiada the priest brought out the commanders of a hundred who were in charge of the army, and he said to them, “Take her away but within the ranks, and anyone who follows her will be put to death by the sword.” For the priest had said, “You shall not put her to death in the house of the Lord.” 15So they laid hands on her as she went to the entrance of the Horse Gate of the king's house, and they put her to death there. 16And Jehoiada made a covenant between himself and all the people and the king, to be a people to the Lord. 17And all the people went to the house of Baal and demolished it, and they shattered his altars and his images, and they killed Mattan, Baal's priest, in front of the altars. 18And Jehoiada appointed duties in the house of the Lord to be fulfilled by the Levite priests whom David had assigned over the house of the Lord, to offer the Lord's burnt offerings, as it is written in the law of Moses, with rejoicing and with singing, as set up by David. 19And he appointed gatekeepers at the gates to the house of the Lord, so that no unclean person should approach anything. 20And he took the commanders of a hundred and the nobles and those in authority over the people, and all the people of the land, and he brought the king down from the house of the Lord, and they went in at the upper gate to the king's house, and they seated the king on the throne of the kingdom. 21And all the people of the land rejoiced, and the city was undisturbed. So they killed Athaliah by the sword.

2 Chronicles Chapter 24 

1Joash was seven years old when he started to reign, and he reigned for forty years in Jerusalem. And the name of his mother was Zibiah from Beersheba. 2And Joash did what was right in the sight of the Lord all the days of Jehoiada the priest. 3And Jehoiada took two wives, and he begot sons and daughters. 4And it came to pass after that, that Joash had it in his heart to renovate the house of the Lord. 5And he gathered the priests and the Levites, and he said to them, “Go out into the cities of Judah and collect money from all of Israel to keep the house of your God in good repair year by year. So expedite the matter.” But the Levites did not expedite it. 6And the king called for Jehoiada the head priest, and he said to him, “Why have you not required the Levites to bring from Judah and from Jerusalem the contribution enjoined by Moses the servant of the Lord, and from the convocation of Israel, for the tent of the testimony?” 7For the sons of Athaliah, the wicked woman, had broken into the house of God, and moreover they had refashioned all the holy things of the house of the Lord for the Baalim. 8So the king spoke, and they made a chest, and they put it at the gate of the house of the Lord on the outside. 9And they issued an appeal in Judah and in Jerusalem to bring to the Lord the contribution enjoined by Moses the servant of God on Israel in the desert. 10And all the officials and all the people rejoiced, and they brought it, and they deposited it in the chest until all was done. 11And it came to pass, at the time when he had the chest brought at the king's behest by the agency of the Levites, and when they saw that the amount of money was large, that the king's scribe came, and the head priest's officer, and they emptied the chest and carried it, and they returned it to its place. They did this daily, and they collected money in abundance. 12And the king and Jehoiada gave it to those who carried out the work of craftsmanship for the house of the Lord, and they hired hewers and artisans to renovate the house of the Lord, and also blacksmiths and coppersmiths to refurbish the house of the Lord. 13And those engaged in the work did the work, and the restoration of the artisanry progressed in their hands, and they restored the house of God to its elegant form, and they reinforced it. 14And when they had finished it, they brought the rest of the money to the king and Jehoiada, and they used it for equipment for the house of the Lord – equipment for serving and for making offerings, and spoons, and items of gold and silver. And they would make burnt offerings in the house of the Lord continually, in all the days of Jehoiada. 15And when Jehoiada grew old, he was replete with days, and he died. He was one hundred and thirty years old at his death. 16And they buried him in the City of David with the kings, because he did good in Israel, and with God, and his house. 17And after the death of Jehoiada, the officials of Judah came and prostrated themselves to the king, and then the king listened to them. 18Then they forsook the house of the Lord God of their fathers, and they served the phallic parks and the idols, and there was anger over Judah and Jerusalem because of this trespass of theirs. 19And he sent prophets among them to bring them back to the Lord, and they testified against them, but they would not listen. 20Then the spirit of God invested Zechariah the son of Jehoiada the priest, and he stood above the people, and he said to them, “This is what God says: ‘Why are you transgressing the Lord's commandments, so not prospering? Now because you have forsaken the Lord, he has forsaken you.’ ” 21But they conspired against him, and they stoned him at the king's command, in the courtyard of the house of the Lord. 22So Joash the king did not remember the kindness which Jehoiada Zechariah's father had shown him, but he killed his son, who, as he died, said, “Let the Lord see and requite it.” 23And it came to pass at the close of the year that the forces of Aramaea came up against him, and they came to Judah and Jerusalem, and they eliminated all the officials of the people from the people themselves, and they sent all their spoil to the king of Damascus. 24For the forces of Aramaea came with a small number of men, but the Lord delivered a very large force into their hand, because they had forsaken the Lord God of their fathers. So they executed judgment on Joash. 25And when they had departed from him – but they left him with many ailments – his servants conspired against him for the blood of the sons of Jehoiada the priest, and they killed him on his bed, and he died, and they buried him in the City of David, but they did not bury him in the tombs of the kings. 26And these were the conspirators against him: Zabad the son of Shimath the Ammonitess, and Jehozabad the son of Shimrith the Moabitess. 27And as for his sons, and the greatness of the burden on him, and the re-establishment of the house of God, they are to be seen written in the Commentary of the Book of the Kings. And Amaziah his son reigned in his place.

2 Chronicles Chapter 25 

1Amaziah was twenty-five years old when he started to reign, and he reigned for twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. And the name of his mother was Jehoaddan from Jerusalem. 2And he did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, except that it was not wholeheartedly. 3And it came to pass, as the kingdom became stronger under him, that he killed those servants of his who had struck down the king who was his father. 4But he did not kill their sons, for as it stands written in the law, in the book of Moses whom the Lord commanded and said, “Fathers shall not die because of their sons, and sons shall not die because of their fathers, for each person shall die because of his own sin.” 5And Amaziah gathered Judah together and appointed them by their paternal house as commanders of a thousand and commanders of a hundred throughout all Judah and Benjamin. And he counted them from twenty years of age and above, and he found them to be three hundred thousand elite men who went out to war, holding spear and shield. 6And he hired one hundred thousand valiant warriors from Israel for one hundred talents of silver. 7Then 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 sons of Ephraim. 8But if you are determined to go, act and show strength for battle. But God can make you stumble before the enemy, for God has power to help and to make stumble.” 9Then Amaziah said to the man of God, “Then what am I to do about the one hundred talents which I gave the troop of Israel?” And the man of God said, “The Lord has the ability to give you more than this.” 10Then Amaziah set them aside – the troop which had come to him from Ephraim – to go back to their place. And their anger was greatly kindled against Judah, and they returned to their place in furious anger. 11Then Amaziah took courage and led his people, and he went to the Valley of Salt, and he struck down the sons of Seir – ten thousand of them – 12and the sons of Judah took ten thousand alive captive, and they brought them to the peak of the outcrop, and they threw them from the peak of the outcrop, and they were all dashed to pieces. 13But the members of the troop which Amaziah sent back instead of going to war with him raided the cities of Judah from Samaria to Beth-Horon, and they struck down three thousand men from them, and they took much spoil. 14And it came to pass, after Amaziah had come back from attacking the Edomites, that he brought back the gods of the sons of Seir, and he set them up for himself as gods, and he bowed down before them and burned incense to them. 15And the Lord's anger was kindled against Amaziah, and he sent a prophet to him, and he said to him, “Why do you cultivate the gods of the people – gods who did not deliver their people from your hand?” 16And it came to pass, when he had spoken to him, that the king said to him, “Have you been appointed as an adviser to the king? Stop. Why should you be struck down?” Then the prophet stopped, but he said, “I know that God has decided to destroy you, because you have done this and have not listened to my advice.” 17Then Amaziah king of Judah took counsel, and he sent messengers to Joash, the son of Jehoahaz, the son of Jehu, the king of Israel, to say, “Come, let us see each other face to face.” 18Then Joash king of Israel sent a reply to Amaziah king of Judah and said, “The thistle which was in Lebanon has sent word to the cedar which was in Lebanon and said, ‘Give your daughter to be my son's wife’, and a wild animal which was in Lebanon passed by and trampled on the thistle. 19You have told me to see how you have defeated Edom, and your heart has given you a high-minded complacency. Stay at home now. Why should you embroil yourself in trouble and fall in war, you and Judah with you?” 20But Amaziah did not heed it, for the course of events was from God, so as to deliver them into the hand of the king of Israel, because they had cultivated the gods of Edom. 21And Joash king of Israel went up, and they looked at each other face to face – he and Amaziah king of Judah – in Beth-Shemesh which belongs to Judah. 22And Judah was defeated in confrontation with Israel, and each man fled to his tent. 23And Joash king of Israel seized Amaziah king of Judah, the son of Joash, the son of Jehoahaz, in Beth-Shemesh, and he brought him to Jerusalem. And he demolished the wall of Jerusalem from the Gate of Ephraim to the Turning Gate – four hundred cubits of wall. 24And he raided all the gold and the silver and all the equipment which were present in the house of God, with Obed-Edom gatekeeping, and in the treasuries of the king's house. And he took hostages and returned to Samaria. 25And Amaziah the son of Joash, the king of Judah, lived for fifteen years after the death of Joash the son of Jehoahaz, the king of Israel. 26And the rest of the affairs of Amaziah – the first and the last – are they not to be seen written in the Book of the Kings of Judah and Israel? 27And from the time when Amaziah departed from following the Lord, they made a conspiracy against him in Jerusalem, and he fled to Lachish. But they sent forces after him to Lachish, and they killed him there. 28And they bore him on horses and buried him with his fathers in the City of Judah.

2 Chronicles Chapter 26 

1And all the people of Judah took Uzziah, who was sixteen years old, and they made him king in place of his father Amaziah. 2He built Eloth, and he restored it to Judah after the previous king had lain with his fathers. 3Uzziah was sixteen years old when he started to reign, and he reigned in Jerusalem for fifty-two years. And his mother's name was Jecholiah from Jerusalem. 4And he did what was right in the sight of the Lord, like everything that Amaziah his father did. 5And he would seek God in the days of Zechariah, who had understanding in perceiving God. And in the days when he sought the Lord, God made him prosper. 6And he went out and fought the Philistines, and he breached the wall of Gath and the wall of Jabneh, and the wall of Ashdod, and then he built cities in the Ashdod area and among the Philistines. 7And God helped him against the Philistines and against the Arabians who lived in Gur-Baal, and the Meunim. 8Then the Ammonites gave Uzziah tribute money, and his fame spread as far as the approach to Egypt, for he strengthened himself in the extreme. 9And Uzziah built towers in Jerusalem at the Corner Gate and at the Valley Gate and at the Angle, and he fortified them. 10And he built towers in the desert, and he hewed out many cisterns, for he had much cattle, both in the lowlands and on the plain, and farmers and vine cultivators in the mountains and in Carmel, for he was fond of the land. 11And Uzziah had forces waging war, soldiers going out as a battalion, according to the number from when they were counted by Jeiel the scribe and Maaseiah the superintendent under the authority of Hananiah, one of the king's officials. 12The total number of the paternal heads of the valiant warriors was two thousand six hundred. 13And under their authority was a military force of three hundred and seven thousand five hundred soldiers in a powerful force to uphold the king against the enemy. 14And Uzziah equipped them – the whole army – with shields and spears and helmets and coats of mail and bows and equipment for stone slinging. 15And he had war engines made in Jerusalem, feats of engineering designed by engineers, to be deployed on the towers, and on the corners, to shoot arrows and large stones. And his fame spread far and wide, for he was helped in a wonderful way until he became strong. 16But when he became strong, his heart became haughty to the extent of ruining him, and he acted perversely towards the Lord his God, and he went to the temple of the Lord to burn incense on the incense altar. 17At this Azariah the priest came after him, and with him were priests to the Lord – eighty valiant men. 18And they confronted King Uzziah and said to him, “It is not permitted for you, Uzziah, to burn incense to the Lord, for it is reserved for the priests, the sons of Aaron, who have been sanctified to burn incense. Go out of the sanctuary, for you have acted perversely, and it is not your lot to be for the glory of the Lord God.” 19And Uzziah became enraged while the censer for burning incense was in his hand, and while he was enraged with the priests, leprosy arose on his forehead in the presence of the priests in the house of the Lord, as he stood beside the incense altar. 20And Azariah the head priest and all the priests turned their eyes to him, and what they saw was that he was leprous on his forehead, and they quickly ejected him from there, and he also hastened to get out, for the Lord had struck him. 21So King Uzziah was leprous until the day of his death, and he stayed in the infirmary as a leper, because he was excluded from the house of the Lord, and Jotham his son was in charge of the king's house, judging the people of the land. 22And Isaiah the son of Amoz, the prophet, wrote the rest of the affairs of Uzziah – the first and the last. 23And Uzziah lay with his fathers, and with his fathers they buried him, in the burial field which is for the kings, for they said, “He was a leper.” And Jotham his son reigned in his place.

2 Chronicles Chapter 27 

1Jotham was twenty-five years old when he started to reign, and he reigned in Jerusalem for sixteen years. And the name of his mother was Jerushah, the daughter of Zadok. 2And he did what was right in the sight of the Lord, like everything which Uzziah his father did, except that he did not go to the temple of the Lord. And the people were still acting in a corrupt way. 3He built the upper gate to the house of the Lord, and at the wall of the Ophel he built profusely. 4And he built the cities in the mountain ranges of Judah, and in the woods he built fortresses and towers. 5And he fought against the king of the Ammonites, and he prevailed over them, and the Ammonites gave him one hundred talents of silver and ten thousand cors of wheat, and ten thousand of barley in that year. That is what the Ammonites remitted to him, also in the second year and the third. 6And Jotham gained strength, for he established his ways before the Lord his God. 7And as for the rest of the exploits of Jotham, and all his wars and his ways, they are to be seen written in the Book of the Kings of Israel and Judah. 8He was twenty-five years old when he started to reign, and he reigned for sixteen years in Jerusalem. 9And Jotham lay with his fathers, and they buried him in the City of David, and Ahaz his son reigned in his place.

2 Chronicles Chapter 28 

1Ahaz was twenty years old when he started to reign, and he reigned for sixteen years in Jerusalem. But he did not do what was right in the eyes of the Lord like David his father. 2And he walked in the ways of the kings of Israel, and he also made castings to the Baalim. 3And he burned incense in the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, and he set his sons on fire like the abominations of the Gentiles whom the Lord dispossessed before the sons of Israel. 4And he sacrificed and burned incense on the idolatrous raised sites and on the hills and under every luxuriant tree. 5And the Lord his God delivered him into the hand of the king of Aramaea, and they struck him and took a large body of his men captive, and they brought them to Damascus. And he was also delivered into the hand of the king of Israel, who struck him with a great blow. 6And Pekah the son of Remaliah killed one hundred and twenty thousand people in Judah in one day – all valiant men – because of them forsaking the Lord God of their fathers. 7And Zichri, a warrior of Ephraim, killed Maaseiah the king's son, and Azrikam the superintendent of the house, and Elkanah the king's deputy. 8And the sons of Israel took from their brothers two hundred thousand women, sons and daughters captive, and they also stripped much spoil from them, and they brought the spoil to Samaria. 9But there was a prophet of the Lord there whose name was Oded, and he went out before the army which had come back to Samaria, and he said to them, “You see how in the fury of the Lord God of your fathers with Judah, he delivered them into your hand, and you have killed them in a rage, and it has reached heaven. 10And now as for the sons of Judah and Jerusalem, you say that you will subjugate them as slaves and maidservants for yourselves. Is it not precisely the case that you are with guilt towards the Lord your God? 11So now, hear me, and rescind the captivity with which you have made captives of your brothers, for the furious anger of the Lord is on you.” 12Then some men from the heads of the sons of Ephraim arose – Azariah the son of Jehohanan, Berechiah the son of Meshillemoth, and Hezekiah the son of Shallum, and Amasa the son of Hadlai – against those coming back from the war. 13And they said to them, “You shall not bring the body of captives here, for what you are propounding would entail a guilty verdict from the Lord against us, in adding to our sins and to our guilt, for our guilt is great, and there is furious anger on Israel.” 14At this the army relinquished possession of the body of captives and the spoil in the presence of the officials and the whole convocation. 15And those men who were specified by name arose and refreshed the body of captives, and they clothed all the naked among them from the spoil, and they clothed them and shod them, and they fed them and gave them drink, and they anointed them and brought everyone who was flagging on donkeys, and they brought them to Jericho, the City of Palm Trees, in company with their brothers. Then they returned to Samaria. 16At that time King Ahaz sent a request to the kings of Assyria to help him. 17And the Edomites came again and attacked Judah and took captives. 18And the Philistines raided the cities of the lowlands and the south of Judah, and they captured Beth-Shemesh and Aijalon and Gederoth and Sochoh and its satellite villages, and Timnah and its satellite villages, and Gimzo and its satellite villages, and they lived there. 19For the Lord humbled Judah on account of Ahaz king of Israel, because he had caused disorder in Judah and had acted thoroughly perversely against the Lord. 20And Tilgath-Pilneser king of Assyria came to him, and Ahaz was in distress, but Tilgath-Pilneser did not strengthen him. 21For Ahaz had raided the house of the Lord and the house of the king and of the officials, and he had given the proceeds to the king of Assyria, but he wasn't any help to him. 22Yet at the time he was in straits, he acted perversely towards the Lord again – he being King Ahaz. 23And he sacrificed to the gods of Damascus which were beleaguering him, and he said, “Since the gods of the kings of Aramaea help them, I will sacrifice to them, and they will help me.” But they were the cause of him stumbling, and of all Israel. 24And Ahaz collected the equipment of the house of God and cut up the equipment of the house of God, and he shut the doors of the house of the Lord, and he made altars for himself in every corner in Jerusalem. 25And in every single city of Judah he made idolatrous raised sites on which to burn incense to other gods, and he provoked the Lord God of his fathers to anger. 26And the rest of his exploits and all his ways – the first and the last – they are to be seen written in the Book of the Kings of Judah and Israel. 27And Ahaz lay with his fathers, and they buried him in the city in Jerusalem, for they did not bring him to the tombs of the kings of Israel. And Hezekiah his son reigned in his place.

2 Chronicles Chapter 29 

1Hezekiah started to reign when he was twenty-five years old, and he reigned in Jerusalem for twenty-nine years. And the name of his mother was Abijah, the daughter of Zechariah. 2And he did what was right in the sight of the Lord, like everything that his father David did. 3It was he who in the first year of his reign, in the first month, opened the doors of the house of the Lord and repaired them. 4And he brought the priests and the Levites in, and he assembled them in the East Square. 5And he said to them, “Listen to me, you Levites. Sanctify yourselves now, and sanctify the house of the Lord God of your fathers, and remove the uncleanness from the sanctuary. 6For our fathers acted perversely and did what was wrong in the eyes of the Lord our God, and they forsook him, and they turned their faces away from the Lord's tabernacle and showed him the back of the neck. 7They also shut the doors of the hall, and they extinguished the candles, and they did not burn incense, nor did they make any burnt offerings in the holy place to the God of Israel. 8And the anger of the Lord came on Judah and Jerusalem, and he made them a horror and a desolation and an object of jeering, as you see with your eyes. 9And the result was that our fathers fell by the sword, and our sons and our daughters and our wives went into captivity for this. 10It is now in my heart to make a covenant with the Lord God of Israel, so that the fury of his wrath may turn away from us. 11My sons, do not now be lax, for the Lord has chosen you to stand before him to serve him and to be his servants and incense-burners.” 12And the Levites arose: Mahath the son of Amasai, and Joel the son of Azariah, of the sons of the Kohathites; and from the sons of Merari, Kish the son of Abdi and Azariah the son of Jehalelel; and from the Gershonites, Joah the son of Zimmah and Eden the son of Joah; 13and from the sons of Elizaphan, Shimri and Jeiel; and from the sons of Asaph, Zechariah and Mattaniah; 14and from the sons of Heman, Jehiel and Shimei; and from the sons of Jeduthun, Shemaiah and Uzziel. 15And they gathered their brothers and sanctified themselves, and they came in, according to the king's commandment, on the Lord's business – to cleanse the house of the Lord. 16So the priests came into the interior of the house of the Lord to cleanse it, and they took all the defilement which they found in the Lord's temple out to the courtyard of the house of the Lord, and the Levites took charge of it, to take it outside to the Kidron Brook. 17And they began on the first day of the first month to do the sanctification, and on the eighth day of the month they entered the hall of the Lord, and they sanctified the house of the Lord for eight days, and on the sixteenth day of the first month, they finished. 18And they went inside to Hezekiah the king and said, “We have cleansed the whole house of the Lord, the burnt offering altar and all its equipment and the showbread table, and all its equipment. 19And we have prepared and sanctified all the equipment which King Ahaz abused in his reign in his perverseness. And they are before the Lord's altar.” 20Then King Hezekiah rose early and gathered the officials of the city, and he went up to the house of the Lord. 21And they brought seven bulls and seven rams and seven lambs and seven he-goats as a sin-offering for the kingdom and for the sanctuary and for Judah, and he told the sons of Aaron – the priests – to make the offering on the Lord's altar. 22So they slaughtered the bulls, and the priests collected the blood and sprinkled it on the altar, and they slaughtered the rams and sprinkled the blood on the altar, and they slaughtered the lambs and sprinkled the blood on the altar. 23And they brought the goats for the sin-offering before the king and the convocation, and they laid their hands on them, 24and the priests slaughtered them and offered their blood as a sin-offering on the altar to make atonement for all Israel, for the king had said to make a burnt offering and a sin-offering for the whole of Israel. 25And he marshalled the Levites to the house of the Lord with their timbrels and lutes and harps in accordance with the commandment of David, and Gad the king's seer, and Nathan the prophet, for the commandment was given by the Lord through the intermediacy of his prophets. 26So the Levites stood with the instruments specified by David, as did the priests with trumpets. 27And Hezekiah told them to make the burnt offering on the altar. And at the time when the burnt offering began, the song of the Lord began, with the trumpets, and in accompaniment were the instruments specified by David king of Israel. 28And the whole convocation was worshipping, and the choir was singing, and the trumpet-players were playing the trumpet. All this went on until the burnt offering was completed. 29And when they had completed making the burnt offering, the king and all those present with him bowed and worshipped. 30And Hezekiah the king and the officials told the Levites to praise the Lord with the words of David and Asaph the seer. So they praised him with rejoicing, and they bowed down and worshipped. 31Then Hezekiah reacted and said, “You have taken up your responsibility to the Lord. Approach and bring sacrifices and thank-offerings to the house of the Lord.” So the convocation brought sacrifices and thank-offerings, and all those of a willing heart brought burnt offerings. 32And the number of burnt offerings which the convocation brought was seventy bulls, one hundred rams, and two hundred lambs. All these were for a burnt offering to the Lord. 33And the consecrated cattle consisted of six hundred bulls and three thousand sheep. 34But the priests were few, and they were not able to skin all the burnt offerings, and their brothers the Levites assisted them until the completion of the work and until the priests had sanctified themselves, for the Levites were more upright in heart to sanctify themselves than the priests. 35But the burnt offerings were nevertheless in abundance, with the fat of the peace-offerings and the libations to the burnt offerings. And the work of the house of the Lord was established. 36And Hezekiah rejoiced, as did all the people, at what God had prepared for the people, for the thing happened suddenly.

2 Chronicles Chapter 30 

1And Hezekiah sent word to all of Israel and Judah, and he also wrote letters to Ephraim and Manasseh, to come to the house of the Lord in Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover of the Lord God of Israel. 2For the king had been counselled, with his officials and all the convocation in Jerusalem, to celebrate the Passover in the second month. 3For they were not able to celebrate it at that time, because the priests had not sanctified themselves sufficiently and the people had not been gathered in Jerusalem. 4And the matter was right in the eyes of the king and in the eyes of the whole convocation. 5So they established the matter, to proclaim the announcement throughout all Israel, from Beersheba to Dan, to come to celebrate the Passover to the Lord God of Israel in Jerusalem, because for a long time they had not done what is written. 6And the couriers went with the letters handed to them by the king and his officials, through all Israel and Judah, and in accordance with the king's commandment, saying, “You sons of Israel, return to the Lord God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, in order that he may return to the remnant of yours who escaped from the grip of the kings of Assyria. 7And do not be like your fathers and like your brothers who acted perversely against the Lord God of their fathers, when he made them a desolation, as you see. 8Do not now be stiff-necked like your fathers; offer the hand of obedience to the Lord and come to his sanctuary which he has sanctified age-abidingly, and serve the Lord your God, so that the fury of his anger is turned away from you. 9For in returning to the Lord, your brothers and your sons will find compassion from their captors, so that they can return to this land, for the Lord your God is merciful and compassionate, and he will not turn his face away from you, if you return to him.” 10And the couriers would cross from city to city in the land of Ephraim and Manasseh, and as far as Zebulun, but the people would mock them and scorn them. 11But men from Asher and Manasseh and from Zebulun humbled themselves and came to Jerusalem. 12Also in Judah there was the hand of God to give them unanimity to carry out the commandment of the king and the officials on the Lord's business. 13So a large number of people assembled in Jerusalem to celebrate the Festival of Unleavened Bread in the second month – a very large convocation. 14And they arose and removed the altars which were in Jerusalem, and they removed all the incense altars, and they threw them in the Kidron Brook. 15And they slaughtered the Passover lamb on the fourteenth day of the second month, and the priests and the Levites felt shame, and they sanctified themselves, and they brought burnt offerings to the house of the Lord. 16And they stood in their post according to their custom, in accordance with the law of Moses, the man of God, whereas the priests sprinkled the blood which was handed to them by the Levites. 17For there were many in the convocation who had not sanctified themselves, and the Levites were in charge of the slaughter of the Passover lambs for all who were not clean, to sanctify them to the Lord. 18For a large number of the people, many from Ephraim and Manasseh, Issachar and Zebulun, had not purified themselves, for they had eaten the Passover lamb in a way not as written, but Hezekiah prayed for them and said, “May the good Lord forgive this for 19everyone who has prepared his heart to seek God – the Lord God of his fathers – but is not clean according to the standards of holy cleanness.” 20And the Lord heard Hezekiah, and he healed the people. 21And the sons of Israel who were present in Jerusalem celebrated the Festival of the Unleavened Bread for seven days with great joy, and the Levites and the priests praised the Lord each day accompanied by powerful instruments played to the Lord. 22And Hezekiah spoke warmheartedly to all the Levites who officiated with great skill towards the Lord, and they ate the sacrificed animal of the occasion for seven days, as they sacrificed peace-offerings and made confession to the Lord God of their fathers. 23And the whole convocation decided to celebrate another seven days, and they celebrated those seven days with joy. 24For Hezekiah king of Judah contributed one thousand bulls and seven thousand sheep to the convocation, while the officials contributed one thousand bulls and ten thousand sheep to the convocation, and the priests sanctified themselves in abundance. 25And the whole convocation of Judah rejoiced, as did the priests and the Levites, and the whole convocation which came from Israel, and the temporary residents who came from the land of Israel, and those who lived in Judah. 26So there was great rejoicing in Jerusalem, for since the days of Solomon, the son of David, the king of Israel, there had not been anything like this in Jerusalem. 27Then the Levite priests arose and blessed the people and their voice was heard, and their prayer came to his holy dwelling place in the heavens.

2 Chronicles Chapter 31 

1Then when all this was finished, all of Israel who were present went out to the cities of Judah, and they smashed the idolatrous statues, and they cut down the phallic parks, and they demolished the idolatrous raised sites and the altars in all Judah and Benjamin, and in Ephraim and Manasseh, until they had eliminated them, and all the sons of Israel returned, each to his estate in their cities. 2And Hezekiah set up the divisions of the priests and the Levites, for them to be in their divisions, each according to his work, as assigned to the priests and the Levites, for the burnt offerings and the peace-offerings, so as to serve and give thanks and to praise at the gates of the Lord's encampment. 3And the part of the king was that there should be provided from his property animals for the burnt offerings – for the burnt offerings for the morning and for the evening, and the burnt offerings for the Sabbaths and the new moons, and for the festival days, as it is written in the law of the Lord. 4And he told the people – the inhabitants of Jerusalem – to give a portion to the priests and the Levites, so that they might be invigorated by the law of the Lord. 5And as the word spread, the sons of Israel brought much firstfruit of corn, new wine and fresh oil, and honey and all kinds of produce of the field, and they brought a tenth of everything in abundance. 6And as for the sons of Israel and Judah who lived in the cities of Judah, they too brought a tenth of the oxen and sheep, and a tenth of the holy things which were consecrated to the Lord their God, and they put them in heap after heap. 7In the third month they began to form the heaps, and in the seventh month they finished them. 8And Hezekiah and the officials came and saw the heaps, and they blessed the Lord and his people Israel. 9And Hezekiah inquired of the priests and the Levites about the heaps. 10And Azariah the head priest of the house of Zadok, spoke to him and said, “Since the start of bringing the offerings to the house of the Lord, there has been enough to eat with a great surplus, for the Lord has blessed his people, and what remains is this large quantity.” 11Then Hezekiah told them to prepare rooms in the house of the Lord. And they prepared them. 12And they brought the offering and the tithe and the holy things in faith, and in charge of them as leader was Conaniah the Levite with Shimei his brother as second in charge. 13And Jehiel and Azaziah and Nahath and Asahel and Jerimoth and Jozabad and Eliel and Ismachiah and Mahath and Benaiah were overseers under the direction of Conaniah and Shimei his brother, under the authority of Hezekiah the king, and Azariah the person in charge of the house of God. 14And Kore the son of Imnah the Levite, the gatekeeper on the east, was in charge of the freewill-offerings to God, in allocating the contributions made to the Lord, and the holies of holies. 15And next to him were Eden and Miniamin and Jeshua and Shemaiah, Amariah and Shecaniah in the cities of the priests, acting in faith, giving produce to their brothers in the divisions, to great and small alike, 16apart from them seeing to it that males from three years old and above were registered by genealogy for all who entered the house of the Lord, as a daily duty – as their work in their duties of observance according to their divisions – 17and performing the registering by genealogy of the priests by their paternal house, and of the Levites, from twenty years old and above, in their duties of observance in their divisions, 18and for all their little ones, their wives and their sons and their daughters, in the whole convocation, to be registered by their genealogy, for they sanctified themselves in holiness in their faith. 19And the sons of Aaron who were the priests in the pasture fields of all their individual cities included men who were specified by name to give portions to every male among the priests and to everyone who was registered by genealogy among the Levites. 20And Hezekiah did this in the whole of Judah, and he did what was good and right and truthful before the Lord his God. 21And in every undertaking which he embarked on in the work on the house of God, and in the law and in the commandment, in seeking his God, he did it with his whole heart, and he prospered.

2 Chronicles Chapter 32 

1After these things and this fidelity shown, Sennacherib king of Assyria came and entered Judah, and he encamped against the fortified cities, intending to split them open and take them for himself. 2And when Hezekiah saw that Sennacherib had come, and that he was intent on war against Jerusalem, 3he consulted with his officials and his warriors about blocking the water of the sources which were outside the city, and they helped him. 4And a large number of people gathered together and blocked all the water-sources and the brook which flowed through the middle of the land, and they said, “Why should the kings of Assyria come and find abundant water?” 5And he showed himself strong, and he repaired all the wall which had been breached, and he erected another wall, up to the towers and on the outside, and he restored the Millo in the City of David, and he had missiles made in abundance, and shields. 6And he appointed army commanders over the people, and he gathered them to himself in the square at the city gate, and he spoke to them warmheartedly and said, 7“Be strong and be courageous; do not fear and do not be afraid of the king of Assyria and of all the crowd which is with him, for there is a mightier one with us than the one with him. 8With him there is an arm of flesh, but with us is the Lord our God to help us and to fight our wars.” And the people trusted the words of Hezekiah king of Judah. 9After this, Sennacherib king of Assyria sent his servants to Jerusalem – while he and all his realm with him went against Lachish – to Hezekiah king of Judah, and to all the population of Judah which was in Jerusalem, and he said, 10“This is what Sennacherib king of Assyria says: ‘In what are you putting your trust, since you are living under siege in Jerusalem? 11Isn't Hezekiah misleading you, so as to deliver you up to die of hunger and of thirst, saying, «The Lord our God will deliver us from the grip of the king of Assyria»? 12Was it not Hezekiah who removed his raised sites and his altars, when he spoke to Judah and Jerusalem and said, «You shall worship before one altar, and on it you shall burn incense»? 13Don't you know what I and my fathers have done to all the various peoples of the countries at large? Could the gods of the countries possibly deliver their land from my grip? 14Who is there among all the gods of these nations whom my fathers obliterated, who can deliver his people from my grip? So will your God be able to deliver you from my grip? 15So now, do not let Hezekiah deceive you or mislead you like this, and do not believe him, for no god of any nation or kingdom will be able to deliver his people from my grip or from the grip of my fathers, so how much less will your gods deliver you from my grip?’ ” 16And his servants spoke more against the Lord God and against Hezekiah his servant. 17And he wrote a communiqué scorning the Lord God of Israel, and speaking against him, saying, “Just as the gods of the countries are which did not deliver their people from my grip, so the God of Hezekiah will not deliver his people from my grip.” 18And they called out in a loud voice in Judaean to the people of Jerusalem who were on the wall, to frighten them and alarm them, in order to capture the city. 19And they spoke against the God of Jerusalem, as they did against the gods of the nations of the land – the product of man's hands. 20And King Hezekiah and the prophet Isaiah the son of Amoz prayed about this, and they cried out to heaven. 21And the Lord sent an angel, and he obliterated every valiant warrior and leader and commander in the camp of the king of Assyria, and he returned to his land shamefacedly, and when he went to the house of his gods, his own offspring struck him down there by the sword. 22So the Lord delivered Hezekiah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem from the grip of Sennacherib king of Assyria, and from the grip of all, and he led them around. 23And many would bring a gift to the Lord, to Jerusalem, and valuable items to Hezekiah king of Judah, and he was exalted in the eyes of all the nations after that. 24In those days Hezekiah became mortally ill, and he prayed to the Lord, who spoke to him, and who performed a miracle for him. 25But Hezekiah did not reciprocate according to what had been shown to him, for his heart was proud, and anger came on him and on Judah and Jerusalem. 26Then Hezekiah humbled himself in regard to his pride – he and the inhabitants of Jerusalem – and the Lord's anger did not come on them in the days of Hezekiah. 27And Hezekiah had very great wealth and honour, and he made himself treasuries for silver and for gold, and for precious stone, and for fragrances, and for shields, and for all kinds of desirable items, 28and storehouses for the crop of grain and new wine and fresh oil, and stalls for all kinds of cattle, and he acquired herds for the stalls. 29And he acquired cities and sheep and oxen livestock in abundance, for God gave him very great possessions. 30And it was Hezekiah who blocked the upper water-source of Gihon, and who brought the water straight down to the west of the City of David, and Hezekiah was successful in all his undertakings. 31But actually, with the interpreters of the officials from Babylon having come, whom they had sent to him to inquire about the miracle which had taken place in the land, God left him, so as to test him – to know everything in his heart. 32And as for the rest of the affairs of Hezekiah, and his kind deeds, they are to be seen written in the vision of Isaiah, the son of Amoz, the prophet, in the Book of the Kings of Judah and Israel. 33And Hezekiah lay with his fathers, and they buried him at the rise of the tombs of the sons of David, and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem paid honour to him in his death. And Manasseh his son reigned in his place.

2 Chronicles Chapter 33 

1Manasseh was twelve years old when he started to reign, and he reigned in Jerusalem for fifty-five years. 2And he did what was wrong in the sight of the Lord, like the abominations of the nations which the Lord dispossessed before the sons of Israel. 3And he rebuilt the idolatrous raised sites which Hezekiah his father had demolished, and he set up altars to the Baalim, and he made phallic parks, and he worshipped every celestial body, and he served them. 4And he built altars in the house of the Lord, where the Lord had said, “My name will be in Jerusalem age-abidingly.” 5And he built altars to every celestial body in the two courtyards of the house of the Lord. 6And he made his sons pass through the fire in the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, and he divined by clouds and used enchantment and sorcery, and he engaged in necromancy and wizardry. He was profuse in doing evil in the sight of the Lord, so that he provoked him to anger. 7And he set up the carved image – the statue which he had made – in the house of God, concerning which God had said to David and to Solomon his son, “I will set up my name age-abidingly in this house and in Jerusalem, which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel. 8And I will not chase Israel around again from the land which I appointed for your fathers, but only if they take care to do everything which I have commanded them, and to act in accordance with all the law and the statutes and the regulations given through the intermediacy of Moses.” 9But Manasseh led Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem astray, to act worse than the nations which the Lord had destroyed before the sons of Israel. 10And the Lord spoke to Manasseh and his people, but they did not listen. 11So the Lord brought the commanders of the king of Assyria's army against them, and they caught Manasseh and restrained him with hooks, and they bound him in fetters and led him away to Babylon. 12And as he was in straits, he pleaded with the Lord his God, and he humbled himself greatly before the God of his fathers. 13And he prayed to him, and God was entreated by him, and he heard his supplication, and he brought him back to Jerusalem and to his kingdom. So Manasseh knew that the Lord was God. 14And after that he built an outer wall to the City of David to the west of Gihon, at the watercourse, and at the approach to the Fish Gate and going round the Ophel, and he made it very high, and he appointed army officers in all the fortified cities in Judah. 15And he removed the foreign gods and the statue from the house of the Lord, and all the altars which he had built on the mount of the house of the Lord and in Jerusalem, and he discarded them outside the city. 16And he restored the altar of the Lord, and he sacrificed peace- and thank-offerings on it, and he told Judah to serve the Lord God of Israel. 17But the people were still sacrificing on the idolatrous raised sites, except that it was to the Lord their God. 18And as for the rest of the affairs of Manasseh, and his prayer to his God, and the words of the seers who spoke to him in the name of the Lord God of Israel, they are to be seen in the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel. 19And his prayer with which God was entreated by him, and all his sin and perverseness, and the places in which he built idolatrous raised sites and set up phallic parks and the carved images, before his being humbled – they are to be seen written in the accounts of, God says, “My seers.” 20And Manasseh lay with his fathers, and they buried him in his house, and Amon his son reigned in his place. 21Amon was twenty-two years old when he started to reign, and he reigned for two years in Jerusalem. 22And he did what was wrong in the sight of the Lord, like what his father Manasseh did, and Amon sacrificed to all the images which Manasseh his father had made, and he served them. 23And he didn't humble himself before the Lord, as Manasseh his father humbled himself, for this was Amon who was profuse in wrongdoing. 24And his servants conspired against him, and they killed him in his home. 25Then the people of the land struck down all the conspirators against King Amon, and the people of the land made Josiah his son king in his place.

2 Chronicles Chapter 34 

1Josiah was eight years old when he started to reign, and he reigned for thirty-one years in Jerusalem. 2And he did what was right in the sight of the Lord, and he walked in the ways of David his father, and he did not deviate to the right or left. 3And after eight years in his reign, when he was still a lad, he began to seek the God of David his father, and in the twelfth year he began to cleanse Judah and Jerusalem of the idolatrous raised sites and the phallic parks and the carved images and cast images. 4And they demolished the altars of the Baalim in his presence, and he cut down the sun-images which were high up above them, and he smashed up and ground small the phallic parks and the carved images and the cast images, and he scattered them on the graves of those who had sacrificed to them. 5And he burnt the bones of the priests on the two altars, and he cleansed Judah and Jerusalem, 6and he did likewise in the cities of Manasseh and Ephraim and Simeon, and as far as Naphtali, using their mattocks all around. 7And when he had demolished the altars, and broken up and ground fine the phallic parks and the carved images, and had cut down all the sun-images, in all the land of Israel, he returned to Jerusalem. 8And in the eighteenth year of his reign, in cleansing the land and the house, he sent Shaphan the son of Azaliah and Maaseiah the governor of the city, and Joah the son of Jehoahaz, the state secretary, to refurbish the house of the Lord his God. 9And when they had come to Hilkiah the high priest, they gave him the money which had been brought to the house of God, which the Levite doorkeepers had collected from the hand of Manasseh and Ephraim, and from all the rest of Israel and from all of Judah and Benjamin and the inhabitants of Jerusalem. 10And they paid those doing the work – those charged with the house of the Lord – and they gave it to those doing the work, who worked on the house of the Lord, in repairing and restoring the house. 11And they gave it to the craftsmen and the builders, to buy hewn stone, and wood for the beams, and to provide a roof for the buildings which the kings of Judah had brought to ruin. 12And the men acted faithfully in the work, and those appointed over them were Jahath and Obadiah the Levites of the sons of Merari, and Zechariah and Meshullam of the sons of the Kohathites, to superintend. And the Levites included all who were knowledgeable about musical instruments. 13And they were in charge of the burden bearers, and they superintended all who carried out the craftsmanship, whatever the work. And from the Levites were scribes and officers and gatekeepers. 14And when they brought the money out which had been brought into the house of the Lord, Hilkiah the priest found the book of the law of the Lord, written through the intermediacy of Moses. 15And Hilkiah reacted and said to Shaphan the scribe, “I have found the book of the law in the house of the Lord.” And Hilkiah gave the book to Shaphan. 16Then Shaphan brought the book to the king, and he reported again to the king and said, “Everything which was committed to your servants, they are carrying out.” 17And they poured out the money which was found in the house of the Lord, and they paid it to those who were in charge and to those who carried out the work. 18And Shaphan the scribe explained to the king and said, “Hilkiah the priest gave me a book.” And Shaphan read from it in the king's presence. 19And it came to pass, when the king heard the words of the law, that he tore his clothes. 20And the king gave orders to Hilkiah and Ahikam the son of Shaphan, and Abdon the son of Micah, and Shaphan the scribe, and Asaiah the king's servant, and he said, 21“Go and consult the Lord on behalf of me and on behalf of the remainder in Israel and in Judah concerning the book which was found, for the fury of the Lord which has been poured out on us is great, because our fathers did not keep the word of the Lord, that we should do everything written in this book.” 22So Hilkiah and those whom the king had commanded went to Huldah the prophetess, the wife of Shallum the son of Tokhath, the son of Hasrah the vestry keeper, and she was resident in Jerusalem in the second quarter, and they spoke to her about it. 23And she said to them, “This is what the Lord God of Israel says: ‘Say to the man who sent you to me, 24«This is what the Lord says: ‹I am about to bring evil on this place and on its inhabitants – all the curses which are written in the book, which they read in the presence of the king of Judah – 25because they have forsaken me and have burned incense to other gods, so as to provoke me to anger with every work of their hands, and my fury will be poured out on this place, and it will not be extinguished.› » 26And to the king of Judah who sent you to consult the Lord, this is what you shall say, «This is what the Lord God of Israel says: ‹As for the things which you have heard, 27on account of your contrition and the fact that you have humbled yourself before God, in that you have heard his words in relation to this place and in relation to its inhabitants, and you have humbled yourself before me, and that you have torn your clothes and wept before me, so I for my part have heard you›, the Lord says, 28And I am about to gather you to your fathers, and you will be gathered to your grave in peace, and your eyes will not see all the evil which I am bringing on this place and on its inhabitants.› » ’ ” And they reported it to the king. 29Then the king sent word, and he assembled all the elders of Judah and Jerusalem. 30And the king went up to the house of the Lord, as did every man of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and the priests and the Levites and all the people, both great and small, and he read, with them hearing, all the words of the book of the covenant which was found in the house of the Lord. 31And the king stood on his rostrum, and he made a covenant before the Lord, to walk after the Lord and to keep his commandments and his testimonies and his statutes with all his heart and with all his soul – to do the words of the covenant which were written in this book. 32And he made all who were present in Jerusalem and Benjamin party to it. And the inhabitants of Jerusalem acted in accordance with the covenant of God – the God of their fathers. 33And Josiah removed all the abominations from all the lands which belonged to the sons of Israel, and he made everyone who was present in Israel serve, that is serve the Lord their God. In all his days they did not depart from following the Lord God of their fathers.

2 Chronicles Chapter 35 

1And Josiah celebrated Passover to the Lord in Jerusalem, and they slaughtered the Passover lamb on the fourteenth day of the first month. 2And he appointed the priests in their duties, and he encouraged them in the work of the house of the Lord. 3And he said to the Levites who explained the holy things of the Lord to all Israel, “Put the holy ark in the house which Solomon, the son of David, the king of Israel, built. It is not a burden to you on the shoulder. Now serve the Lord your God and his people Israel. 4And prepare yourselves in your paternal house according to your divisions, as specified in the writings of David king of Israel and in the documents of Solomon his son. 5And stand in the holy place according to the divisions of the paternal houses of your brothers – the people at large – and the category of the paternal house of the Levites. 6And slaughter the Passover lamb, and sanctify yourselves, and prepare your brothers to celebrate according to the word of the Lord, given through the intermediacy of Moses.” 7And Josiah contributed to the people at large small cattle – lambs and goat kids – all as Passover offerings for everyone who was present, thirty thousand offerings in number, and three thousand oxen, these being from the king's possessions. 8And his officials contributed generously to the people and to the priests and to the Levites. Hilkiah and Zechariah and Jehiel, the leaders of the house of God, gave to the priests as Passover animals two thousand six hundred small cattle animals and three hundred oxen. 9And Conaniah and Shemaiah and Nethaneel his brothers, and Hashabiah and Jeiel and Jozabad, Levite officials, contributed to the Levites as Passover animals five thousand small cattle animals and five hundred oxen. 10And the work was organized, and the priests stood in their post, and the Levites in their divisions, according to the king's commandment. 11And they slaughtered the Passover lamb, and the priests sprinkled the blood with their hands, and the Levites flayed it. 12Then they removed the burnt offering so as to allow the people at large, in sections according to their paternal house, to offer to the Lord as it is written in the book of Moses, and likewise with the oxen. 13And they cooked the Passover lamb on the fire according to the injunction, and they cooked the holy sacrificed animals in pots and cauldrons and bowls, and they quickly brought that to all the people at large. 14And afterwards they prepared it for themselves and for the priests, for the priests were the sons of Aaron, occupied with offering the burnt offering and the fat-offerings until night. So the Levites prepared it for themselves and for the priests – the sons of Aaron. 15And the singers – the sons of Asaph – were at their post according to the commandment of David, as were Asaph and Heman and Jeduthun the king's seer, and the gatekeepers at each gate. They were not to leave their work, so their brothers the Levites made the various preparations for them. 16So all the Lord's work was prepared on that day – to celebrate the Passover and to make burnt offerings on the Lord's altar, according to the commandment of King Josiah. 17So the sons of Israel who were present celebrated the Passover at that time, and the Festival of the Unleavened Bread, for seven days. 18And the Passover had not been celebrated like it in Israel since the days of Samuel the prophet, and none of the kings of Israel had celebrated it like the Passover which Josiah celebrated, with the priests and the Levites and all Judah and Israel which was present, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem. 19It was in the eighteenth year of Josiah's reign that this Passover was celebrated. 20After all this when Josiah had prepared the house, Necho king of Egypt came up to fight in Carchemish at the Euphrates, and Josiah went out to confront him. 21And Necho sent messengers to him, who said, “What have I got to do with you, you king of Judah? It is not against you that I have come today, but against a house with which I am at war. And God has told me to hasten. Stop interfering with God, who is with me, so that he does not bring you to ruin.” 22But Josiah did not turn away from him; on the contrary he had disguised himself so as to fight him. And he did not heed the words of Necho from the mouth of God, and he went to fight in the Valley of Megiddo. 23And archers shot at King Josiah, and the king said to his servants, “Move me, for I have been severely wounded.” 24So his servants transferred him from the chariot, and they put him on board in the second chariot which he had, and they conducted him to Jerusalem. And he died and was buried in the tombs of his fathers. And all of Judah and Jerusalem mourned for Josiah. 25And Jeremiah lamented for Josiah, and all the men and women singers have been speaking of Josiah in their lamentations up to today, and they made them a statute in Israel, and they are to be seen written in the Lamentations. 26And the rest of the affairs of Josiah and his kind deeds were in accordance with what is written in the law of the Lord. 27And his exploits – the first and the last – are to be seen written in the Book of the Kings of Israel and Judah.

2 Chronicles Chapter 36 

1And the people of the land took Jehoahaz the son of Josiah, and they made him king in place of his father in Jerusalem. 2Jehoahaz was twenty-three years old when he started to reign, and he reigned in Jerusalem for three months. 3Then the king of Egypt removed him in Jerusalem and imposed a tax on the land of one hundred talents of silver and a talent of gold. 4And the king of Egypt made Eliakim his brother king over Judah and Jerusalem, and he changed his name to Jehoiakim. And Necho took Jehoahaz his brother and brought him to Egypt. 5Jehoiakim was twenty-five years old when he started to reign, and he reigned for eleven years in Jerusalem, and he did what was wrong in the sight of the Lord his God. 6Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon campaigned against him and bound him in fetters so as to lead him to Babylon. 7And Nebuchadnezzar brought some of the equipment of the house of the Lord to Babylon, and he put it in his palace in Babylon. 8And as for the rest of the affairs of Jehoiakim, and his abominations which he made, and what was found against him, they are to be seen written in the Book of the Kings of Israel and Judah. And Jehoiachin his son reigned in his place. 9Jehoiachin was eight years old when he started to reign, and he reigned for three months and ten days in Jerusalem, and he did what was wrong in the sight of the Lord. 10And towards the end of the year, King Nebuchadnezzar sent orders and had him brought to Babylon with the desirable objects of the house of the Lord, and he made Zedekiah his brother king over Judah and Jerusalem. 11Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he started to reign, and he reigned in Jerusalem for eleven years. 12And he did what was wrong in the sight of the Lord his God, and he did not humble himself before Jeremiah the prophet who spoke the pronouncement of the Lord. 13And he also rebelled against King Nebuchadnezzar who had made him swear by God, and he was stiff-necked, and he hardened his heart against returning to the Lord God of Israel. 14Also all the senior priests and the people transgressed all the more, like all the abominations of the Gentiles, and they defiled the house of the Lord which he had sanctified in Jerusalem. 15And the Lord God of their fathers sent word to them through the intermediacy of messengers, rising early and sending word, because he had pity on his people and on his dwelling. 16But they kept ridiculing God's messengers and despising his words and mocking his prophets, until the Lord's fury arose against his people to the point of there being no remedy. 17And he brought the king of the Chaldeans up against them, and he killed their young men with the sword in their temple, and he did not spare young men or virgins, old men or anyone elderly – he delivered everyone into his hand. 18And as for all the equipment of the house of God – large items and small items, and the treasuries of the house of the Lord and the treasuries of the king and his officials – he brought everything to Babylon. 19And they burnt the house of God, and they demolished the wall of Jerusalem, and they burnt all its palaces with fire, and they brought all its valuable furnishings to ruin. 20And he deported the survivors of the sword to Babylon, and they became servants to him and to his sons, until the kingdom of Persia became a royal power, 21to fulfil the word of the Lord communicated through Jeremiah, until the land had enjoyed its Sabbaths. For all the days that it was in desolation, it kept the Sabbath, fulfilling seventy years. 22Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, in fulfilling the word of the Lord by the speech of Jeremiah, the Lord aroused the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, and he had a proclamation made throughout his kingdom, and also by a letter, saying, 23“This is what Cyrus king of Persia says: ‘The Lord God of heaven has given me all the kingdoms of the world, and he has charged me to build him a house in Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Who is there among you from all his people to participate? May the Lord his God be with him, and let him go up.’ ”

Ezra  

Ezra Chapter 1 

1Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, in fulfilling the word of the Lord from the speech of Jeremiah, the Lord aroused the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, so that he had a proclamation made throughout his kingdom, and also by a letter, saying, 2“This is what Cyrus king of Persia says: ‘The Lord God of heaven has given me all the kingdoms of the world, and he has charged me to build him a house in Jerusalem, which is in Judah. 3Who is there among you from all his people to participate? May his God be with him, and let him go up to Jerusalem, which is in Judah, and let him build the house of the Lord God of Israel – of the God who is in Jerusalem. 4And as for anyone who is not able to move about in any place where he lives, let the men of his home town transport him with his silver and gold and with his property and with his cattle, with his freewill-offering, to the house of God which is in Jerusalem.’ ” 5And the paternal heads of Judah and Benjamin arose, as did the priests and the Levites. God aroused the spirit of all of them to go up and to build the house of the Lord which is in Jerusalem. 6And all those around them supplemented their resources with articles of silver, of gold, with possessions and with cattle and with valuables, besides everything given as a freewill-offering. 7And King Cyrus brought the equipment of the house of the Lord out which Nebuchadnezzar had brought out of Jerusalem and had put in the house of his gods. 8So Cyrus king of Persia brought them out under the direction of Mithredath the treasurer, and he registered them with Sheshbazzar the leading person of Judah. 9And these are their quantities: thirty golden basins, one thousand silver basins, twenty-nine slaughtering knives, 10thirty golden bowls, four hundred and ten silver bowls of second quality, and one thousand other items. 11All the items of gold and silver amounted to five thousand four hundred. Sheshbazzar brought them all up along with the deportees being brought up from Babylon to Jerusalem.

Ezra Chapter 2 

1And the following are the fraternity of the province who came back up from the displaced body of deportees, whom Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon deported to Babylon, and who returned to Jerusalem and Judah, each to his own city. 2Those who came with Zerubbabel were Jeshua, Nehemiah, Seraiah, Reelaiah, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispar, Bigvai, Rehum and Baanah. The number of the men of the people of Israel was as follows: 3the fraternity of Parosh numbered two thousand one hundred and seventy-two; 4the fraternity of Shephatiah numbered three hundred and seventy-two; 5the fraternity of Arah numbered seven hundred and seventy-five; 6the fraternity of Pahath-Moab, of the line of the sons of Jeshua-Joab, numbered two thousand eight hundred and twelve; 7the fraternity of Elam numbered one thousand two hundred and fifty-four; 8the fraternity of Zattu numbered nine hundred and forty-five; 9the fraternity of Zaccai numbered seven hundred and sixty; 10the fraternity of Bani numbered six hundred and forty-two; 11the fraternity of Bebai numbered six hundred and twenty-three; 12the fraternity of Azgad numbered one thousand two hundred and twenty-two; 13the fraternity of Adonikam numbered six hundred and sixty-six; 14the fraternity of Bigvai numbered two thousand and fifty-six; 15the fraternity of Adin numbered four hundred and fifty-four; 16the fraternity of Ater, of Hezekiah's line, numbered ninety-eight; 17the fraternity of Bezai numbered three hundred and twenty-three; 18the fraternity of Jorah numbered one hundred and twelve; 19the fraternity of Hashum numbered two hundred and twenty-three; 20the fraternity of Gibbar numbered ninety-five; 21the fraternity of Bethlehem numbered one hundred and twenty-three; 22the men of Netophah numbered fifty-six; 23the men of Anathoth numbered one hundred and twenty-eight; 24the fraternity of Azmaveth numbered forty-two; 25the fraternity of Kiriath-Arim, Chephirah and Beeroth numbered seven hundred and forty-three; 26the fraternity of Ramah and Geba numbered six hundred and twenty-one; 27the men of Michmas numbered one hundred and twenty-two; 28the men of Beth-El and Ai numbered two hundred and twenty-three; 29the fraternity of Nebo numbered fifty-two; 30the fraternity of Magbish numbered one hundred and fifty-six; 31the fraternity of the other Elam numbered one thousand two hundred and fifty-four; 32the fraternity of Harim numbered three hundred and twenty; 33the fraternity of Lod, Hadid and Ono numbered seven hundred and twenty-five; 34the fraternity of Jericho numbered three hundred and forty-five; 35the fraternity of Senaah numbered three thousand six hundred and thirty; 36the priests who were the sons of Jedaiah, of the house of Jeshua, numbered nine hundred and seventy-three; 37the fraternity of Immer numbered one thousand and fifty-two; 38the fraternity of Pashhur numbered one thousand two hundred and forty-seven; 39the fraternity of Harim numbered one thousand and seventeen; 40the Levites, the sons of Jeshua and Kadmiel, of the sons of Hodaviah, numbered seventy-four; 41the singers, the sons of Asaph, numbered one hundred and twenty-eight; 42the sons of the gatekeepers – the sons of Shallum, the sons of Ater, the sons of Talmon, the sons of Akkub, the sons of Hatita, and the sons of Shobai – numbered in total one hundred and thirty-nine. 43The temple-servants, the sons of Ziha, the sons of Hasupha, the sons of Tabbaoth, 44the sons of Keros, the sons of Siaha, the sons of Padon, 45the sons of Lebanah, the sons of Hagabah, the sons of Akkub, 46the sons of Hagab, the sons of Shalmai, the sons of Hanan, 47the sons of Giddel, the sons of Gahar, the sons of Reaiah, 48the sons of Rezin, the sons of Nekoda, the sons of Gazzam, 49the sons of Uzza, the sons of Paseah, the sons of Besai, 50the sons of Asnah, the sons of Meunim, the sons of Nephusim, 51the sons of Bakbuk, the sons of Hakupha, the sons of Harhur, 52the sons of Bazluth, the sons of Mehida, the sons of Harsha, 53the sons of Barkos, the sons of Sisera, the sons of Tamah, 54the sons of Neziah, the sons of Hatipha, 55the sons of Solomon's servants, the sons of Sotai, the sons of Sophereth, the sons of Peruda, 56the sons of Jaalah, the sons of Darkon, the sons of Giddel, 57the sons of Shephatiah, the sons of Hattil, the sons of Pochereth of the Zebaim, the sons of Ami – 58all the temple-servants and the sons of Solomon's servants numbered three hundred and ninety-two. 59And the following are those who went up from Tel-Melah, Tel-Harsha, Cherub, Addan and Immer, but they could not specify their paternal house or their family line – whether they were of Israel – : 60the sons of Delaiah, the sons of Tobiah and the sons of Nekoda, who numbered six hundred and fifty-two, 61and those of the sons of the priests who were the sons of Hobaiah, the sons of Hakkoz, and the sons of Barzillai who took a wife from the daughters of Barzillai the Gileadite, and he was named after them. 62These looked for their registration among those registered by genealogy, but they were not found, so they were disqualified from the priesthood as extraneous. 63And the governor told them that they were not to eat anything from the holy of holies until a priest should stand with Urim and Thummim. 64The whole convocation together numbered forty-two thousand three hundred and sixty people, 65apart from these menservants and maidservants of theirs – seven thousand three hundred and thirty-seven of them. And they also had two hundred male and female singers. 66Their horses numbered seven hundred and thirty-six; their mules, two hundred and forty-five; 67their camels, four hundred and thirty-five; the donkeys, six thousand seven hundred and twenty. 68And when some of the paternal heads came to the house of the Lord which is in Jerusalem, they gave freewill-offerings for the house of God, to set it on its foundation. 69They contributed according to their means to the treasury for the work: sixty-one thousand darics of gold, five thousand manehs of silver, and one hundred priests' gowns. 70And the priests and the Levites, and some of the people, and the singers and the gatekeepers and the temple-servants lived in their cities, as did all Israel in their cities.

Ezra Chapter 3 

1And by the time the seventh month came, the sons of Israel were in their cities, and the people gathered in unison in Jerusalem. 2And Jeshua the son of Jozadak arose, as did his brothers the priests, and Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel and his brothers, and they built the altar of the God of Israel, to make burnt offerings on it, as it is written in the law of Moses, the man of God. 3And they set up the altar on its base, because in a dread which had come over them because of the peoples of the various countries, they made burnt offerings to the Lord on it – burnt offerings of the morning and of the evening. 4And they celebrated the Festival of Tabernacles as it is written, and they made burnt offerings daily, in the right quantity, according to the ordinance of the daily proceeding. 5And after that was the recurrent burnt offering, both for the new moons and for all the Lord's sanctified festival times, and a freewill-offering from everyone who freely offered it to the Lord. 6From the first day of the seventh month, they began to make burnt offerings to the Lord, although the Lord's temple had not yet had its foundations laid. 7And they gave money to the stonemasons and to the craftsmen, as well as food and drink and oil, and to the Sidonians and the Tyrians, for bringing cedar wood from Lebanon to the sea of Joppa, according to the authorization given to them by Cyrus king of Persia. 8And in the second year after their coming to the house of God in Jerusalem, in the second month, Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel and Jeshua the son of Jozadak and the rest of their brothers – the priests and the Levites – and all those who came back from captivity to Jerusalem, began to appoint the Levites from twenty years old and above to superintend the work of the house of the Lord. 9And Jeshua, his sons and his brothers, and Kadmiel and his sons – the sons of Judah – stood in unison to superintend those doing the work in the house of God, with the sons of Henadad, and their sons and their brothers, the Levites. 10And the builders laid the foundations of the Lord's temple, and they appointed priests in full dress, with trumpets, and also Levites – sons of Asaph – with cymbals, to praise the Lord according to the instructions of David king of Israel. 11And they sang to the Lord in praise and thanksgiving – that

He is good,

For his kindness to Israel is age-abiding.

And all the people shouted with loud shouting in praising the Lord for the fact that the foundations of the house of the Lord had been laid. 12And many of the priests and the Levites and the elderly paternal heads who had seen the first house, when this house had its foundations laid before their eyes, wept with a loud voice, and many raised their voice in shouting for joy. 13And the people could not distinguish between the sound of shouting for joy and the sound of weeping of the people, because the people were raising a loud shout, and the sound was heard a long way off.

Ezra Chapter 4 

1But when the adversaries of Judah and Benjamin heard that the deportees were building a temple to the Lord God of Israel, 2they went up to Zerubbabel and the paternal fathers, and they said to them, “Let us build with you, because, like you, we will seek your God, and we have been sacrificing to him since the days of Esarhaddon king of Assyria, who brought us up here.” 3But Zerubbabel and Jeshua and the rest of the paternal heads of Israel said to them, “You have nothing to do with us in building the house for our God, for we alone will build to the Lord God of Israel, as King Cyrus king of Persia commanded us.” 4And the people of the land impeded the people of Judah, and they harassed them in building. 5And they contracted advisers to work against them, to frustrate their plan for all the days of Cyrus king of Persia, and up to the reign of Darius king of Persia. 6And in the reign of Ahasuerus, at the start of his reign, they wrote an accusation against the inhabitants of Judah and Jerusalem. 7And in the days of Artaxerxes, Bishlam, Mithredath, Tabeel and the rest of his associates wrote to Artaxerxes king of Persia. And the content of the communiqué was written in Aramaic, and on reception it was translated from Aramaic. 8Rehum the chief minister and Shimshai the scribe wrote a letter to Artaxerxes the king against Jerusalem accordingly. 9At that time Rehum the chief minister and Shimshai the scribe wrote, along with the rest of their associates, judges and magistrates, Tripolitans, Persians, Urukites, Babylonians, Shushanites (that is, Elamites), 10and the rest of the various peoples whom the great and honourable Osnappar deported and settled in the towns of Samaria, and the rest of the region on the far side of the river etcetera. 11This is a transcript of the letter which they sent to him – to Artaxerxes the king. “From your servants, men from the far side of the river etcetera, 12let it be known to the king that the Jews who came up from where you are to us have come to Jerusalem, and they are rebuilding the rebellious and wicked city, and they have completed the walls, and they have laid the foundations. 13Let it now be known to the king that if that city is rebuilt, and the walls are completed, they will not pay the levy of tax and excise, and in the end it will harm the interests of the monarchy. 14Now since our salaries are paid by the palace, and it would not be proper for us to see any ingloriousness of the king, we have sent word and informed the king about this, 15so that it may be investigated in the chronicles of your fathers, and you may find it in the chronicles and know that this city is a rebellious city which damages kings and provinces, and that they have been perpetrating an insurrection inside it since days of old, on account of which this city was destroyed. 16We hereby inform the king that if this city is rebuilt, and its walls are completed, as a result of it you will not have revenue from the far side of the river.” 17The king sent the following message to Rehum the chief minister and Shimshai the scribe and the rest of their associates who were living in Samaria, and the rest who were on the far side of the river: “Peace etcetera. 18The communiqué which you sent us has been translated and read before me, 19and a decree has been issued by me, and a search has been carried out, and it was found that this city since days of old has been rising up against kings, and that rebellion and insurrection have been perpetrated in it, 20and that powerful kings have ruled over Jerusalem, as have rulers in all regions on the far side of the river, and the levy of tax and excise was paid to them. 21Issue a decree now to stop those men, and that that city is not to be rebuilt, until the decree is issued by me. 22And be warned against being negligent in this, so that the damage does not increase in harming the monarchy.” 23Then as soon as a transcript of King Artaxerxes' communiqué was read before Rehum and Shimshai the scribe, and their associates, they hastily went to Jerusalem, to the Jews, and they stopped them with might and force. 24Then the work on the house of God which is in Jerusalem stopped. And it was stopped until the second year of the reign of Darius king of Persia.

Ezra Chapter 5 

1Then Haggai the prophet prophesied, as did Zechariah the son of Iddo – the prophets to the Jews who were in Judah and in Jerusalem – to them in the name of the God of Israel. 2Then Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel and Jeshua the son of Jozadak arose, and they began to build the house of God which is in Jerusalem, and with them were God's prophets helping them. 3At that very moment Tatnai the governor of the region on the far side of the river came to them, with Shethar-Bozenai and their associates, and they said this to them: “Who gave you authorization to build this house and to complete this wall?” 4Then we accordingly told them what the names of the men were who were building this building. 5But the eye of their God was on the elders of the Jews, and they could not make them stop the work, and at length the matter came to Darius, when a communiqué about this was handed over. 6There follows a transcript of the letter which Tatnai the governor of the regions on the far side of the river, and Shethar-Bozenai and his associates, and the magistrates who were on the far side of the river, sent to Darius the king. 7They sent the message to him, in which the following was written: “To Darius the king, complete peace. 8Let it be known to the king that we went to the province of Judah, to the house of the great God, and it is being built of hewn stone, and wood is being placed on the walls, and this work is being carried out with precision, and it is progressing well in their hands. 9Then we questioned those elders. This is what we said to them: ‘Who gave you authorization to build this house and to complete this wall?’ 10And we also asked them to make their names known to you, so that we could write down the names of the men who are their head people. 11But this is the response which they gave us, saying, ‘We are the servants of the God of heaven and earth, and we are rebuilding the house which was built many years ago when a great king of Israel built it and completed it. 12But because our fathers provoked the God of heaven to anger, he delivered them into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, the Chaldean, and he tore down this house and deported the people to Babylon. 13But in the first year of Cyrus king of Babylon, Cyrus the king issued a decree to build this house of God. 14And also, as for the articles of gold and silver of the house of God, which Nebuchadnezzar took out of the temple in Jerusalem and brought to the temple in Babylon, Cyrus the king brought them out of the temple in Babylon, and they were given to a certain Sheshbazzar by name, whom he had appointed governor, 15and he said to him, «Take these articles and go and deposit them in the temple in Jerusalem, and let the house of God be built on its site.» 16Then this Sheshbazzar came and laid the foundations of the house of God in Jerusalem, and from then up to now it has been built, but it is not finished.’ 17So now, if the king approves, let a search be made where the king's treasure house is in Babylon, as to whether it is a fact that a decree was issued by Cyrus the king to build this house of God in Jerusalem, and let the king send his wishes to us concerning this matter.”

Ezra Chapter 6 

1Then Darius the king issued a decree, and they searched in the library where they deposit treasures in Babylon. 2And a scroll was found in Ecbatana, in the fortress which is in the province of Media, and this is what was written on it – a memorandum – : 3“In the first year of Cyrus the king, Cyrus the king issued a decree. Regarding the house of God in Jerusalem, let the house be built as a place where sacrifices are offered. Now its foundations are load-bearing; its height is sixty cubits and its breadth is sixty cubits, 4with three storeys of hewn stone and one storey of wood. And let the expenses be paid from the king's house. 5And also, as for the articles of gold and silver of the house of God which Nebuchadnezzar took out of the temple in Jerusalem and brought to Babylon, let them be returned and let them go to the temple in Jerusalem, to their rightful place, and deposit them in the house of God.” 6Darius wrote, “So Tatnai, governor of the region on the far side of the river, and Shethar-Bozenai and your associates, the magistrates who are on the far side of the river, stay away from there. 7Leave the work on this house of God alone; let the governor of the Jews and of the elders of the Jews build this house of God on its site. 8And a decree is hereby issued by me as to what you shall do with these elders of the Jews – regarding the building of this house of God – that from the king's resources which are from the tax on the region on the far side of the river, the expenses of these men shall be rigorously paid and that they are not to be hindered. 9And let whatever they need – bull-calves and rams and lambs for burnt offerings to the God of heaven, wheat, salt, wine and oil, according to the specification of the priests of Jerusalem – be given to them on a daily basis without fail, 10so that they may offer sweet fragrances to the God of heaven and pray for the life of the king and his sons. 11And a decree is hereby issued by me that as for any man who changes this pronouncement, the wood be torn out of his house, and let him be vertically affixed to it, and let his house be made a dung heap for this. 12And may the God who causes his name to dwell there overthrow any king or people who stretches out his hand to change or damage this house of God which is in Jerusalem. I, Darius, have issued a decree; let it be carried out diligently.” 13At this Tatnai the governor of the region on the far side of the river, Shethar-Bozenai, and their associates, pursuant to Darius the king sending this, carried it out diligently. 14And the elders of the Jews built and made good progress with the prophecy of Haggai the prophet and Zechariah the son of Iddo being fulfilled, and they built and completed it, by the decree of the God of Israel, and by the decree of Cyrus and Darius, and Artaxerxes king of Persia. 15This house was completed on the third day of the month of Adar, and it was in the sixth year of the reign of Darius the king. 16And the sons of Israel – the priests and the Levites and the rest of the deportees – celebrated the dedication of this house of God with joy. 17And for the dedication of this house of God they offered one hundred bulls, two hundred rams, four hundred lambs, and twelve he-goats, to offer as a sin-offering for all Israel – for the number of the tribes of Israel. 18And the priests were appointed in their sections, and Levites in their divisions, for God's work in Jerusalem, according to the stipulation in the book of Moses. 19And the deportees celebrated the Passover on the fourteenth day of the first month. 20So the priests and the Levites purified themselves as a unity – all of them were pure, and they slaughtered the Passover lamb for all the deportees and for their brothers the priests and for themselves. 21And the sons of Israel who had returned from the deportation ate, as did all who had set themselves aside from the uncleanness of the nations of the earth and had come to them, in seeking the Lord God of Israel. 22And they celebrated the Festival of the Unleavened Bread for seven days with joy, for the Lord had given them joy, and he had turned the heart of the king of Assyria towards them, in empowering them in the work of the house of God – the God of Israel.

Ezra Chapter 7 

1And after these things, in the reign of Artaxerxes king of Persia, came Ezra, the son of Seraiah, the son of Azariah, the son of Hilkiah, 2the son of Shallum, the son of Zadok, the son of Ahitub, 3the son of Amariah, the son of Azariah, the son of Meraioth, 4the son of Zerahiah, the son of Uzzi, the son of Bukki, 5the son of Abishua, the son of Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the head priest. 6This Ezra came up from Babylon, and he was a scribe astute in the law of Moses, whom the Lord God of Israel had appointed, and to whom the king had granted every request of his, according to the hand of the Lord his God on him. 7And in the seventh year of Artaxerxes the king, some of the sons of Israel and some priests and Levites went up to Jerusalem, as did the singers and the gatekeepers and the temple-servants. 8And he came to Jerusalem in the fifth month, and it was in the king's seventh year. 9For it was on the first day of the first month that the start of the coming back up from Babylon took place, and on the first day of the fifth month he arrived in Jerusalem, with the good hand of his God on him. 10For Ezra had resolved to seek the law of the Lord, and to observe it, and to teach statute and judgment in Israel. 11And this is a transcript of the communiqué which King Artaxerxes gave to Ezra the priest and scribe – the scribe of the words of the Lord's commandments, and his statutes imposed on Israel: 12From Artaxerxes, king of kings, to Ezra the priest, scribe in the law of the God of heaven, greetings etcetera. 13A decree is hereby issued by me that everyone of the people of Israel in my kingdom – including its priests and the Levites – who wishes to go to Jerusalem, may go with you, 14it being so that you are sent from the king and his seven advisers to carry out investigations concerning Judah and Jerusalem in the law of your God, which is in your hand, 15and to take the silver and gold which the king and his advisers have voluntarily given to the God of Israel, whose abode is in Jerusalem, 16and all silver and gold which you find in the entire province of Babylon, given by the free will of the people and the priests, who freely give for the house of their God in Jerusalem. 17Pursuant to this, you shall diligently buy bulls and rams and lambs with this money, and their meal-offerings and their libations, and you will offer them on the altar of the house of your God in Jerusalem. 18And whatever seems right to you and your brothers to do with the rest of the silver and gold, do according to the good pleasure of your God. 19And restore in the presence of the God of Jerusalem the articles which are given to you for worship in the house of your God. 20And pay for the remaining needs of the house of your God which you incur as expenses from the king's treasury. 21And a decree is hereby issued by me, Artaxerxes the king, to all treasurers of the region on the far side of the river, that whatever Ezra – the priest, the scribe of the law of the God of heaven – asks of you, it be done forthwith, 22up to one hundred talents of silver, and up to one hundred cors of wheat, and up to one hundred baths of wine, and up to one hundred baths of oil, and salt without bookkeeping. 23Let everything which is by decree of the God of heaven be done diligently for the house of the God of heaven lest anger come upon the kingdom of the king or his sons. 24And we make it known to you that for all the priests and the Levites and the singers and the gatekeepers and the temple-servants and the worshippers in this house of God, it is not authorized to impose the levy of tax and excise on them. 25And you, Ezra, in accordance with the wisdom of your God, which is in your hand, appoint judges and magistrates who will judge all the people on the far side of the river – all those who know the laws of your God. And teach those who do not know them. 26And as for anyone who does not observe the law of your God and the law of the king, let justice be rigorously done with him, whether death or exile or confiscation of property or imprisonment.” 27Blessed be the Lord God of our fathers who put this in the heart of the king, to adorn the house of the Lord which is in Jerusalem. 28And he showed me kindness in the presence of the king and his advisers, and all the king's valiant commanders, and I was strengthened according to the hand of the Lord my God on me, and I gathered head men from Israel to go up with me.

Ezra Chapter 8 

1Now these are their paternal heads and the registration by genealogy of those who went up with me from Babylon in the reign of Artaxerxes the king: 2of the sons of Phinehas, Gershom; of the sons of Ithamar, Daniel; of the sons of David, Hattush; 3of the sons of Shechaniah, of the sons of Parosh, Zechariah, and with him one hundred and fifty males were registered by genealogy; 4of the sons of Pahath-Moab, Eliehoenai the son of Zerahiah, and with him two hundred males; 5of the sons of Shechaniah, the son of Jahaziel, and with him three hundred males; 6and of the sons of Adin, Ebed the son of Jonathan, and with him were fifty males; 7and of the sons of Elam, Isaiah the son of Athaliah, and with him were seventy males; 8and of the sons of Shephatiah, Zebadiah the son of Michael, and with him were eighty males; 9and of the sons of Joab, Obadiah the son of Jehiel, and with him were two hundred and eighteen males; 10and of the sons of Shelomith, the son of Josiphiah, and with him one hundred and sixty males; 11and of the sons of Bebai, Zechariah the son of Bebai, and with him twenty-eight males; 12and of the sons of Azgad, Johanan the son of Hakkatan, and with him one hundred and ten males; 13and of the last sons of Adonikam – these are their names – Eliphelet, Jeiel and Shemaiah, and with them sixty males; 14and of the sons of Bigvai, Uthai and Zaccur, and with them were seventy males. 15And I gathered them at the river which goes to Ahava, where we encamped for three days, and I took stock of the people and of the priests, and I did not find any sons of Levi there. 16So I sent for Eliezer, Ariel, Shemaiah and Elnathan and Jarib and Elnathan and Nathan and Zechariah and Meshullam – head men – and for Joiarib and Elnathan – intelligent men. 17And I sent them out to Iddo the head man in Casiphia-the-Resort, and I put words in their mouth to say to Iddo and his brother, the temple-servants in Casiphia-the-Resort, to bring us servants for the house of our God. 18And with the good care of our God over us, they brought us a sensible man, one of the sons of Mahli the son of Levi the son of Israel, and Sherebiah and his sons and his brothers – eighteen of them, 19and Hashabiah, and with him Isaiah one of the sons of Merari, his brothers and their sons – twenty of them, 20and of the temple-servants whom David and the officials appointed for the work of the Levites – two hundred and twenty temple-servants – all of them specified by their names. 21And I called a fast there, at the River Ahava, to afflict ourselves before our God, and to seek the right way from him, for us and for our little ones and all that belong to us. 22For I was ashamed to ask for soldiers and horsemen from the king to help protect us from an enemy on the way, for we had spoken to the king and said, “The hand of our God is favourably on all who seek him, but his vehemence and anger are on all who desert him.” 23So we fasted and asked our God about this, and he was entreated by us. 24Then I separated twelve of the high-ranking priests, Sherebiah, Hashabiah and ten of their brothers with them. 25And I weighed out to them the silver and the gold and the articles – the gifts for the house of our God which the king and his advisers and his officials and all Israel who were present had donated. 26And I weighed out into their hands six hundred and fifty talents of silver, and silver articles to the value of one hundred talents, and one hundred talents of gold, 27and twenty golden bowls, to the value of one thousand darics, and two articles of high quality gold-coloured copper, as sought after as gold. 28And I said to them, “You are holy to the Lord, and the articles are holy, and the silver and the gold are a freewill-offering to the Lord God of your fathers. 29Watch over it and guard it until you weigh it before the high-ranking priests and the Levites and the paternal officials of Israel in Jerusalem, in the offices of the house of the Lord.” 30So the priests and the Levites took the weighed-out amount of silver and gold and the articles, to bring them to Jerusalem, to the house of our God. 31Then we set off from the River Ahava on the twelfth day of the first month, to go to Jerusalem. And the hand of our God was on us, and he delivered us from the hand of the enemy and the ambusher along the road. 32And we arrived in Jerusalem, and we stayed there for three days. 33Then on the fourth day, the silver and the gold and the articles were weighed in the house of our God by Meremoth the son of Uriah the priest, and with him was Eleazar the son of Phinehas, and with them were Jozabad the son of Jeshua and Noadiah the son of Binnui, the Levites. 34Everything was done by number and by weight, and the entire weight was written down at that time. 35Those who came back from captivity – the deportees – made burnt offerings to the God of Israel: twelve bulls for all Israel, ninety-six rams, seventy-seven lambs and twelve goats as a sin-offering. Everything was a burnt offering to the Lord. 36And the king's edicts were delivered to the king's satraps and the governors of the region on the far side of the river, and they supported the people and the house of God.

Ezra Chapter 9 

1And when these had discharged their duties, the officials approached me and said, “The people of Israel and the priests and the Levites have not separated themselves from the peoples of the various countries, with their abominations – those of the Canaanite, the Hittite, the Perizzite, the Jebusite, the Ammonite, the Moabite, the Egyptian and the Amorite. 2For they have taken some of their daughters as wives for themselves and for their sons, and they have mixed holy seed with the peoples of the various countries. And the involvement of the officials and the administrators was first in this perverseness.” 3And when I heard this matter, I tore my clothes and my coat, and I pulled the hair out of my head and my chin, and I sat down devastated. 4Then all who trembled at the words of the God of Israel concerning the perverseness of the deportees gathered around me as I sat devastated, until the evening offering. 5At the evening offering I arose from my humbled state, and having torn my clothes and my coat, I bowed down on my knees and stretched my hands out to the Lord my God. 6And I said, “O God of mine, I am ashamed and unworthy to lift up, O God of mine, my face to you, for our iniquities have risen above our head, and our guilt extends to heaven. 7We have been highly guilty from the days of our fathers up to this day, and for our iniquities we – our kings and our priests – have been delivered into the hands of the kings of the various countries, by the sword and in captivity and through spoil and with shamefacedness, as on this day. 8But now, in a short moment, grace has come from the Lord our God in leaving us an escaped remnant, and in giving us a tent-peg hold in his holy place, and in our God enlightening our eyes and in reanimating us a little in our enslavement. 9For we are slaves, but our God has not abandoned us in our enslavement, and he has shown us kindness from the kings of Persia in reanimating us to raise up the house of our God, and to restore it from its ruins, and in giving us a wall in Judah and Jerusalem. 10And now, what can we say, O God of ours, after this, for we have abandoned your commandments 11which you gave through the intermediacy of your servants the prophets, saying, ‘The land into which you are coming, to inherit it, is a filthy land with the filth of the peoples of the various countries, with their abominations with which they have filled it from end to end in their uncleanness. 12So now, do not give your daughters to their sons, and do not take their daughters for your sons, and do not seek their peace or their welfare, throughout the age, in order that you may prevail and eat the good produce of the land, and bequeath it to your sons age-abidingly.’ 13And after everything that has come over us for our evil works and for our great guilt, since you, our God, have been lenient with our iniquities and have given us this very escaped remnant, 14how could we go back and break your commandments by intermarrying with the various peoples of these abominations? Would you not be incensed at us to the extent of finishing us off without remainder or escaped remnant? 15O Lord God of Israel, you are righteous, for we remain an escaped remnant on this very day. Here we are before you in our guilt, for there are no grounds for standing before you on account of this.”

Ezra Chapter 10 

1And as Ezra was praying, and as he was confessing, weeping, and prostrating himself before the house of God, a very large convocation of men and women and children of Israel gathered around him. For the people wept with many tears. 2And Shechaniah the son of Jehiel, one of the sons of Elam, started to speak and said to Ezra, “We have acted treacherously against our God, and we have brought foreign women from the various countries into our homes, but now there is hope for Israel despite this. 3So now, let us make a covenant with our God to remove all the women and those born by them, in line with the advice of the Lord* and those who tremble at the commandment of our God, and let it be done according to the law. 4Get up, for the matter is your responsibility. And we are with you. Be strong and act.” 5And Ezra got up and adjured the high-ranking priests, the Levites, and all Israel, to act according to these words. And they swore. 6Then Ezra got up from his position before the house of God, and he went to the office of Jehohanan the son of Eliashib. Having arrived there, he did not eat bread and he did not drink water, because he was mourning over the perverseness of the deportees. 7And they had it proclaimed in Judah and Jerusalem for all the deportees to be gathered in Jerusalem. 8And that as for anyone who did not come within three days according to the advice of the officials and elders, all his property would be confiscated, and he would be excluded from the convocation of the deportees. 9At this all the men of Judah and Benjamin gathered in Jerusalem within three days. It was the ninth month, on the twentieth day of the month, and all the people sat in the open at the house of God, trembling at the matter and because of the rain. 10Then Ezra the priest arose and said to them, “You have acted perversely and brought foreign women into your homes, so adding to Israel's guilt. 11So now, make a confession to the Lord God of your fathers and do his will, and separate yourselves from the various peoples of the land, and from foreign women.” 12And the whole convocation answered and said in a loud voice, “We must indeed act according to your words. 13But the people are many and it is the season of rain, and we do not have the fortitude to endure outside, and the operation is not a matter of one day, nor is it of two, for we have transgressed greatly in this matter. 14Please let our officials of the whole convocation superintend, and let everyone who has brought foreign women into his home in our cities come at appointed times, and with them the elders of each city, with its judges, until the fury of our God's anger is averted from us – until this matter is over.” 15And indeed it was Jonathan the son of Asahel and Jahziah the son of Tikvah who superintended this, while Meshullam and Shabbethai the Levite helped them. 16So the deportees did this. And Ezra the priest, and men who were paternal heads of their paternal house were all separated by name, and they sat on the first day of the tenth month to investigate the matter. 17And they finished investigating all the men who had brought foreign women into their homes by the first day of the first month. 18And among the sons of the priests who had brought foreign women into their homes, the following were found: of the sons of Jeshua the son of Jozadak, and the sons of his brothers were Maaseiah and Eliezer and Jarib and Gedaliah, 19and they pledged to remove their wives, and being guilty, they offered a ram of the flock for their guilt. 20And among the sons of Immer were Hanani and Zebadiah; 21and among the sons of Harim were Maaseiah and Elijah and Shemaiah and Jehiel and Uzziah; 22and among the sons of Pashhur were Elioenai, Maaseiah, Ishmael, Nethaneel, Jozabad and Elasah; 23and among the Levites were Jozabad and Shimei and Kelaiah (he is Kelita), Pethahiah, Judah and Eliezer; 24and among the singers was Eliashib; and among the gatekeepers were Shallum and Telem and Uri; 25and among Israel, among the sons of Parosh were Ramiah and Jiziah and Malchijah and Miamin and Eleazar and Malchijah and Benaiah; 26and among the sons of Elam were Mattaniah, Zechariah and Jehiel and Abdi and Jeremoth and Eliah; 27and among the sons of Zattu were Elioenai, Eliashib, Mattaniah and Jeremoth and Zabad and Aziza; 28and among the sons of Bebai were Jehohanan, Hananiah, Zabbai and Athlai; 29and among the sons of Bani were Meshullam, Malluch and Adaiah, Jashub and Sheal and Jeremoth; 30and among the sons of Pahath-Moab were Adna and Chelal, Benaiah, Maaseiah, Mattaniah, Bezalel and Binnui and Manasseh; 31and among the sons of Harim were Eliezer, Ishijah, Malchijah, Shemaiah, Shimon, 32Benjamin, Malluch and Shemariah; 33among the sons of Hashum were Mattenai, Mattattah, Zabad, Eliphelet, Jeremai, Manasseh and Shimei; 34among the sons of Bani were Maadai, Amram and Uel, 35Benaiah, Bedeiah, Chelahai, 36Vaniah, Meremoth, Eliashib, 37Mattaniah, Mattenai and Jaasai, 38and Bani and Binnui and Shimei, 39and Shelemiah and Nathan and Adaiah, 40Machnadebai, Shashai, Sharai, 41Azarel, and Shelemiah, Shemariah, 42Shallum, Amariah and Joseph. 43Among the sons of Nebo were Jeiel, Mattithiah, Zabad, Zebina, Jaddai and Joel and Benaiah. 44All these married foreign women, and there are among them women by whom they begot sons.

Nehemiah  

Nehemiah Chapter 1 

1The words of Nehemiah the son of Hachaliah. And it came to pass, in the month of Kislev, in the twentieth year, that I was in the citadel of Shushan, 2and Hanani, who is one of my brothers, and some men from Judah came, and I asked them about the escaped remnant of Jews who were left behind avoiding the captivity, and about Jerusalem. 3And they said to me, “Those remaining, who were left behind avoiding the captivity, there in the province, are in a very bad state and in disrepute, and the wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates have been burned down with fire.” 4And it came to pass when I heard these things that I sat down and wept, and I mourned for a number of days, and I fasted and prayed before the God of heaven. 5And I said, “Please, Lord God of heaven, O great and awesome God, who keeps the covenant and kindness to those who love him and to those who keep his commandments, 6may your ear be attentive and your eyes open to hear the prayer of your servant which I am praying before you today, day and night, concerning the sons of Israel, your servants. And I confess the sins of the sons of Israel which we have committed against you, and that I and the house of my father have sinned. 7We have offended you badly, and we have not kept the commandments and the statutes and the ordinances which you commanded Moses your servant. 8Do remember the words which you commanded your servant Moses when you said, ‘If you act perversely, I will scatter you among the nations, 9but if you return to me and keep my commandments and carry them out, even if any of you were to be driven out to the end of heaven, I would gather them from there and bring them to the place where I have chosen to set up my name.’ 10And they are your servants and your people whom you have redeemed by your great power and with your strong hand. 11Please, Lord*, may your ear be attentive to the prayer of your servant and to the prayer of your servants who delight in fearing your name. And do be propitious to your servant today, and show him compassion in the presence of this man, for I have become the king's butler.”

Nehemiah Chapter 2 

1And it came to pass in the month of Nisan, in the twentieth year of Artaxerxes the king, that there was wine available for him, and I bore the wine and gave some to the king. Now I was not normally sorrowful in his presence, 2and the king said to me, “Why is your expression sorrowful, although you are not ill? Is this nothing other than a sorrowful heart?” And I was very much afraid. 3And I said to the king, “May the king live age-abidingly. Why should my expression not be sorrowful when the city of the graveyards of my fathers is desolate, and its gates have been consumed by fire?” 4At this the king said to me, “What is it that you are requesting?” Then I prayed to the God of heaven. 5And I said to the king, “If it is acceptable to the king, and if your servant is approved of in your sight, it is that you should send me to Judah, to the city of the tombs of my fathers, and that I should rebuild it.” 6And the king said to me, with the queen sitting next to him, “How long would your journey take and when would you return?” And it was acceptable to the king, and he let me go, and I gave him a timescale. 7And I said to the king, “If it is acceptable to the king, let letters be given to me for the governors of the region on the far side of the river, so that I am given passage until I arrive in Judah, 8and a letter to Asaph the keeper of the king's park, for him to give me wood to put a roof over the gates of the citadel which belongs to the house, and for the city wall, and for the house to which I am going.” And the king gave me these, according to the good hand of my God on me. 9And I came to the governors of the region on the far side of the river, and I gave them the king's letters. Now the king had sent army commanders with me, and horsemen. 10But when Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite servant heard it, it grieved them very greatly that a man should have come to seek the welfare of the sons of Israel. 11And I arrived in Jerusalem, and I was there for three days. 12Then I got up at night – I and a few men with me – but I did not tell anyone what my God had put in my heart to do for Jerusalem. And I did not have any animals with me except the animal I rode on. 13And I went out through the Valley Gate by night and came up to the Crocodile Fount and to the Dung Gate, and I examined the walls of Jerusalem which were broken down, and its gates which had been consumed by fire. 14And I crossed over to the Fount Gate and to the king's pool, but there was no place for the animal under me to pass. 15Then I went up by the way of the brook by night, and I examined the wall, and I returned and went in by the Valley Gate, then I came back. 16And the administrators did not know where I had gone or what I was doing, and up to this time I had not told the Jews or the priests or the nobles or the administrators or the rest who were doing the work. 17And I said to them, “You see the plight which we are in – that Jerusalem is desolate, and its gates here have been burnt with fire. Come, and let's build the wall of Jerusalem so that we are no longer a reproach.” 18And I told them that the hand of my God had been good on me, and also the king's words which he spoke to me. Then they said, “We will arise and build.” And they encouraged themselves for the good work. 19But when Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite servant and Geshem the Arabian heard about it, they mocked us and despised us, and they said, “What is this thing you are doing? Are you rebelling against the king?” 20And I replied to them, and I said to them, “The God of heaven will give us success, and we, his servants, will arise and build, but you have no part or right or remembrance in Jerusalem.”

Nehemiah Chapter 3 

1And Eliashib the high priest arose, as did his brothers – the priests – and they built the Sheep Gate. They sanctified it and installed its doors. And they sanctified it as far as the Tower of the Hundred, and as far as the Tower of Hananel. 2And alongside it men from Jericho did building work, and alongside that Zaccur the son of Imri did building work. 3And the sons of Hassenaah built the Fish Gate. They put a roof over it and installed its doors, its bars and its bolts. 4And alongside them Meremoth, the son of Uriah, the son of Hakkoz, did repair work. Also alongside them Meshullam, the son of Berechiah, the son of Meshezabel, did repair work. Also alongside them Zadok, the son of Baana, did repair work. 5And alongside them the Tekoites did repair work, but their nobles did not put their backs into the work of their Lord. 6And Jehoiada the son of Paseah and Meshullam the son of Besodeiah repaired the Old Gate. They put a roof over it and installed its doors and bars and bolts. 7And alongside them Melatiah the Gibeonite and Jadon the Meronothite – men of Gibeon and Mizpah – did repair work for the seat of office of the governor of the region on the far side of the river. 8Alongside him Uzziel the son of Harhaiah, one of the refiners, did repair work, and alongside him Hananiah the son of the pharmacists did repair work, and they restored Jerusalem up to the Broad Wall. 9And alongside them Rephaiah the son of Hur, an official in charge of half of the district of Jerusalem, did repair work. 10And alongside them Jedaiah the son of Harumaph did repair work, opposite his own house, and alongside him Hattush the son of Hashabniah did repair work. 11Malchijah the son of Harim and Hashshub the son of Pahath-Moab repaired another section, and the Tower of Furnaces. 12And alongside him Shallum the son of Halohesh, an official in charge of half of the district of Jerusalem, did repair work – he and his daughters. 13Hanun and the inhabitants of Zanoah repaired the Valley Gate. They built it and installed its doors, its bars and its bolts, and a thousand cubits of the wall – as far as the Dung Gate. 14And Malchijah the son of Rechab, the official in charge of the district of Beth-Haccerem, repaired the Dung Gate. He would build it and would install its doors, its bars and its bolts. 15And Shallun the son of Col-Hozeh, the official in charge of the district of Mizpah, repaired the Fount Gate. He would build it and would roof it, and he would install its doors, its bars and its bolts, and the wall of the Pool of Siloam for the king's garden as far as the steps which go down from the City of David. 16After him Nehemiah the son of Azbuk, an official in charge of half the district of Beth-Zur, made repairs as far as opposite the tombs of David, and as far as the pool which had been made, and as far as the Warriors' House. 17After him the Levites made repairs. Rehum the son of Bani, and alongside him Hashabiah, an official in charge of half the district of Keilah, made repairs in his district. 18After him their brothers made repairs: Bavai the son of Henadad, an official in charge of half of the district of Keilah, 19and alongside him, Ezer the son of Jeshua, the official in charge of Mizpah, repaired a further section, opposite the ascent to the armoury at the corner buttress; 20after him Baruch the son of Zaccai was zealous to repair a further section from the corner buttress to the entrance of the house of Eliashib the high priest; 21after him Meremoth, the son of Uriah, the son of Hakkoz, repaired a further section from the entrance to Eliashib's house to the end of Eliashib's house. 22And after him the priests, men of the adjoining tract, made repairs. 23After him Benjamin, with Hashshub, made repairs opposite their house. After him Azariah, the son of Maaseiah, the son of Ananiah, made repairs by his house. 24After him Binnui the son of Henadad repaired a further section from Azariah's house to the corner buttress and to the battlement. 25Palal the son of Uzai repaired from opposite the corner buttress and the tower which protrudes from the king's lofty house towards the prison court. After him came Pedaiah the son of Parosh. 26And the temple-servants were living in the Ophel, as far as opposite the Water Gate to the east, and the protruding tower. 27After him the Tekoites repaired a further section, from opposite the Great Tower which protrudes, as far as the wall of the Ophel. 28The priests made repairs above the Horse Gate, each opposite his house. 29After them Zadok the son of Immer made repairs opposite his house, and after him Shemaiah the son of Shechaniah the keeper of the Eastern Gate made repairs. 30After him Hananiah the son of Shelemiah made repairs, and Hanun the sixth son of Zalaph repaired a further section. After him Meshullam the son of Berechiah made repairs opposite his office. 31After him Malchijah the son of the refiner made repairs as far as the house of the temple-servants and the traders, opposite the Muster Gate, and as far as the corner ascent. 32And between the corner ascent and the Sheep Gate, the refiners and the traders made repairs.

Nehemiah Chapter 4 

1And it came to pass that when Sanballat heard that we were building the wall, it infuriated him, and he became very angry, and he mocked the Jews, 2and he spoke in the presence of his brothers and the forces of Samaria, and he said, “What are these feeble Jews doing? Can they re-establish themselves? Can they offer sacrifices? Can they finish in a day? Can they revive the stones from heaps of dust, which have been burned?” 3And Tobiah the Ammonite was with him, and he said, “Even what they are building – if a fox were to climb onto it, it would cause their wall of stones to collapse.” 4“Hear, O God of ours, how we have become an object of contempt, and turn their reproach onto their heads, and make them into a spoil in a land where they are in captivity. 5And do not pardon their iniquity and do not let their sin be blotted out before you, for they have been provocative towards the builders.” 6And we built the wall, and all the wall was joined up for half its length, and the people had a heart to work on it. 7Then it came to pass when Sanballat and Tobiah and the Arabians and the Ammonites and the Ashdodites heard that the repairs to the walls of Jerusalem had progressed, and that the breaches had begun to be closed up, it infuriated them greatly. 8And they all conspired together to go and fight against Jerusalem and to do harm to it. 9So we prayed to our God, and we set up a look-out for them by day and night because of them. 10But the people of Judah said, “The strength of those who carry a load has failed them, and there is much dust, and we will not be able to build the wall.” 11And our adversaries said, “They will not know, and they will not see anything until we have come among them, and we kill them and put a stop to the work.” 12And it came to pass, when the Jews who lived among them came, that they said to us ten times, “From all the places to which you might turn, they will be upon us.” 13So I set up defences in the lower parts of the place behind the wall in the dry places, and I stationed the people according to their families with their swords, their spears, and their bows. 14And I observed, and I arose, and I said to the nobles and the administrators and to the rest of the people, “Do not be afraid of them. Remember the great and awesome Lord*, and fight for your brothers, your sons and your daughters, your wives and your houses.” 15And it came to pass, when our enemies heard that it was known to us that God had frustrated their plan, that we all returned to the wall – each man to his work. 16And it was from that day that half of my servant-lads were engaged in the work, and half of them held spears and shields and bows and wore armour. And the commanders were behind the whole house of Judah. 17Those building the wall and those carrying a load or loading it would do the work with one hand, while the other would hold the weapon. 18And each of the builders had his sword fastened at his waist while they built. And he who blew the ramshorn was next to me. 19And I said to the nobles, and to the administrators, and to the rest of the people, “The work is immense and extensive, and we are widely separated from each other along the wall. 20In a place where you hear the sound of the ramshorn, gather round us there. Our God will fight for us.” 21So we were engaged in the work, and half of them held spears from the rise of dawn until the appearance of the stars. 22Also at that time I said to the people, “Let every man and his servant-lad lodge inside Jerusalem, and they will be our watch at night, and the day will be for work.” 23And neither I nor my brothers nor my servant-lads, nor the men of the guard who were behind me – none of us – took off our clothes. Each man had his weapon and water.

Nehemiah Chapter 5 

1Then there was a great outcry from the people and their wives to their brothers the Jews. 2And there were some who said, “We, our sons and our daughters, are many, and we need to get corn and eat to survive.” 3And there were some who said, “We are mortgaging our fields and our vineyards and our houses, so that we can get corn in the famine.” 4And there were some who said, “We have borrowed money for the king's tax on our fields and our vineyards. 5And although our flesh is like the flesh of our brothers, and our sons are like their sons, yet see how we are reducing our sons and our daughters to slavery, and there are some of our daughters so reduced, and it is out of our control, and others have our fields and our vineyards.” 6And it infuriated me greatly when I heard their cry and these things. 7And my heart commended itself to me, and I took issue with the nobles and the administrators, and I said to them, “Each of you is bringing his brother into debt.” And I presented a large assembly against them. 8And I said to them, “We have redeemed our brothers the Jews who were sold to the Gentiles as much as we could. Now would you even sell your brothers, so that they are sold back to us?” And they were silent and did not find a word to say. 9And I said, “The thing you are doing is not right. Should you not walk in the fear of our God, rather than the reproachful way of the nations which are our enemies? 10But I too, my brothers, and my servant-lads have been lending them money and corn on interest, but let us please discontinue this lending on interest. 11Do restore to them today their fields, their vineyards, their olive groves and their houses, and the one per cent monthly interest on their money and corn and new wine and fresh oil which you have been lending them on interest.” 12And they said, “We will restore them, and we will not require anything of them. As you have said, so we shall do.” Then I called the priests, and I had them swear to do this undertaking. 13I also shook the breast fold of my garment, and I said, “So shall God shake every man who does not fulfil this undertaking, out of his house and out of his livelihood, and so he will be shaken out and empty.” And the whole convocation said, “Amen.” And they praised the Lord, and the people acted according to this proceeding. 14Moreover from the day when I was appointed to be their governor in the land of Judah, from the twentieth year to the thirty-second year of Artaxerxes the king – twelve years – neither I nor my brothers ate the governor's fare. 15But the previous governors who were before me had weighed down heavily on the people, and they had taken bread and wine from them to the value of forty shekels. Even their servants lorded it over the people, but I did not act like that, because of the fear of God. 16And I also persevered in the work of this wall, and we did not buy a field, and all my servant-lads were gathered there for the work. 17And the Jews and the administrators – one hundred and fifty men – and those who came to us from the nations around us, were at my table. 18And this is what was prepared for one day: one ox, six choice sheep; and poultry was prepared for me, and at ten day intervals all sorts of wine in abundance. But nevertheless, I did not require the governor's fare, because the work was a heavy load on this people. 19Remember me, O God of mine, favourably, for everything I have done concerning this people.

Nehemiah Chapter 6 

1And it came to pass, when it came to the ear of Sanballat and Tobiah, and Geshem the Arabian, and the rest of our enemies, that I had built the wall, and that there was not a single breach remaining in it, even though at that time I had not installed doors in the gates, 2that Sanballat and Geshem sent word to me and said, “Come and let us meet together in the villages in the plain of Ono.” But they were plotting to do me harm. 3So I sent messengers to them, and I said, “I am carrying out a major work, and I will not be able to come down. Why should the work stop, while I leave it and go down to you?” 4Then they sent word to me in the same way four times, and I replied to them in the same way. 5Then Sanballat sent his servant to me in the same way for a fifth time, with the letter open in his hand. 6In it was written, “Among the nations it is reported, and Gashmu states, that you and the Jews are planning to rebel, which is why you are building the wall, and that you will be their king, in accordance with these things. 7And you have also appointed prophets to make proclamation about you in Jerusalem, saying, ‘The king is in Judah.’ So now, let it be reported to the king, in accordance with these things. Or come now, and let us take counsel together.” 8At this I sent word to him and said, “No such thing as what you say has happened, for you are devising them in your own heart.” 9For they were all intimidating us, saying, “The strength of their hands for the work will ebb away, and it will not be done.” “But now, strengthen my hands.” 10Then I went to the house of Shemaiah, the son of Delaiah, the son of Mehetabel, who was confined there, and he said, “Let us meet at the house of God, inside the temple, and let us close the doors of the temple, for they are coming to kill you, and it is tonight that they are coming to kill you.” 11But I said, “Will a man such as myself flee? And who such as I would go into the temple for his life? I shall not go.” 12And I became aware that God had not sent him, but that he had spoken the prophecy against me, and that Tobiah and Sanballat had hired him. 13He was hired for a purpose – so that I should be afraid and do that, and so sin, and they would have an ill report with which to reproach me. 14“Remember, O God of mine, Tobiah and Sanballat, according to these works of theirs, and also Noadiah the prophetess, and the rest of the prophets who were intimidating me.” 15And the wall was completed on the twenty-fifth of Elul, in fifty-two days. 16And it came to pass, when all our enemies heard this, that all the nations around us feared and were very downcast, and they knew that this work had been done by inducement from our God. 17Also in those days the nobles of Judah wrote many letters which went to Tobiah, and those of Tobiah came to them. 18For there were many in Judah who had sworn allegiance to him, because he was the son-in-law of Shechaniah the son of Arah, and Jehohanan his son had taken the daughter of Meshullam the son of Berechiah as his wife. 19They also recounted his good news to me, and my words were expounded to him, but Tobiah sent letters to intimidate me.

Nehemiah Chapter 7 

1And it came to pass when the wall was built that I installed the doors, and the gatekeepers and the singers and the Levites were appointed. 2And I assigned Hanani my brother, and Hananiah the official in charge of the citadel, to be in charge of Jerusalem, for the latter was very much a man of truth, and he feared God more than many. 3And I said to them, “The gates of Jerusalem shall not be opened until the heat of the sun, and while the gatekeepers are standing by, let them shut the doors and fasten them.” And I set up watches from the inhabitants of Jerusalem – each man in his watch, and each man opposite his house. 4Now the city was very wide and large, but the people in it were few, and there were no houses built. 5Then my God put it in my heart that I should assemble the nobles and the administrators and the people to be registered by genealogy, and I found the book of genealogy of those who had come up previously, and I found this written in it: 6“The following are the fraternity of the province who came back up from the displaced body of deportees whom Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon deported, and who returned to Jerusalem and Judah, each to his own city. 7Those who came with Zerubbabel were Jeshua, Nehemiah, Azariah, Raamiah, Nahamani, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispereth, Bigvai, Nehum and Baanah. The number of men of the people of Israel was as follows: 8the fraternity of Parosh numbered two thousand one hundred and seventy-two; 9the fraternity of Shephatiah numbered three hundred and seventy-two; 10the fraternity of Arah numbered six hundred and fifty-two; 11the fraternity of Pahath-Moab, of the line of the fraternity of Jeshua-Joab, numbered two thousand eight hundred and eighteen; 12the fraternity of Elam numbered one thousand two hundred and fifty-four; 13the fraternity of Zattu numbered eight hundred and forty-five; 14the fraternity of Zaccai numbered seven hundred and sixty; 15the fraternity of Binnui numbered six hundred and forty-eight; 16the fraternity of Bebai numbered six hundred and twenty-eight; 17the fraternity of Azgad numbered two thousand three hundred and twenty-two; 18the fraternity of Adonikam numbered six hundred and sixty-seven; 19the fraternity of Bigvai numbered two thousand and sixty-seven; 20the fraternity of Adin numbered six hundred and fifty-five; 21the fraternity of Ater, of Hezekiah's line, numbered ninety-eight; 22the fraternity of Hashum numbered three hundred and twenty-eight; 23the fraternity of Bezai numbered three hundred and twenty-four; 24the fraternity of Hariph numbered one hundred and twelve; 25the fraternity of Gibeon numbered ninety-five; 26the men of Bethlehem and Netophah numbered one hundred and eighty-eight; 27the men of Anathoth numbered one hundred and twenty-eight; 28the men of Beth-Azmaveth numbered forty-two; 29the men of Kiriath-Jearim, Chephirah and Beeroth numbered seven hundred and forty-three; 30the men of Ramah and Geba numbered six hundred and twenty-one; 31the men of Michmas numbered one hundred and twenty-two; 32the men of Beth-El and Ai numbered one hundred and twenty-three; 33the men of the other Nebo numbered fifty-two; 34the fraternity of the other Elam numbered one thousand two hundred and fifty-four; 35the fraternity of Harim numbered three hundred and twenty; 36the fraternity of Jericho numbered three hundred and forty-five; 37the fraternity of Lod, Hadid and Ono numbered seven hundred and twenty-one; 38the fraternity of Senaah numbered three thousand nine hundred and thirty; 39the priests who were the sons of Jedaiah, of the house of Jeshua, numbered nine hundred and seventy-three; 40the fraternity of Immer numbered one thousand and fifty-two; 41the fraternity of Pashhur numbered one thousand two hundred and forty-seven; 42the fraternity of Harim numbered one thousand and seventeen; 43the Levites, the sons of Jeshua, of Kadmiel, and of the sons of Hodevah, numbered seventy-four; 44the singers, the sons of Asaph, numbered one hundred and forty-eight; 45the gatekeepers, the sons of Shallum, the sons of Ater, the sons of Talmon, the sons of Akkub, the sons of Hatita, and the sons of Shobai, numbered one hundred and thirty-eight. 46The temple-servants, the sons of Ziha, the sons of Hasupha, the sons of Tabbaoth, 47the sons of Keros, the sons of Sia, the sons of Padon, 48the sons of Lebanah, the sons of Hagabah, the sons of Shalmai, 49the sons of Hanan, the sons of Giddel, the sons of Gahar, 50the sons of Reaiah, the sons of Rezin, the sons of Nekoda, 51the sons of Gazzam, the sons of Uzza, the sons of Paseah, 52the sons of Besai, the sons of Meunim, the sons of Nephishesim, 53the sons of Bakbuk, the sons of Hakupha, the sons of Harhur, 54the sons of Bazlith, the sons of Mehida, the sons of Harsha, 55the sons of Barkos, the sons of Sisera, the sons of Tamah, 56the sons of Neziah, the sons of Hatipha, 57the sons of Solomon's servants, the sons of Sotai, the sons of Sophereth, the sons of Perida, 58the sons of Jaala, the sons of Darkon, the sons of Giddel, 59the sons of Shephatiah, the sons of Hattil, the sons of Pochereth of the Zebaim, the sons of Amon – 60all the temple-servants and the sons of Solomon's servants numbered three hundred and ninety-two. 61And the following are those who came up from Tel-Melah, Tel-Harsha, Cherub, Addon and Immer, but they could not specify their paternal house or their family line – whether they were of Israel – : 62the sons of Delaiah, the sons of Tobiah, and the sons of Nekoda, who numbered six hundred and forty-two, 63and those of the priests who were the sons of Hobaiah, the sons of Hakkoz, and the sons of Barzillai who took a wife from the daughters of Barzillai the Gileadite, and he was named after them. 64These looked for their registration among those registered by genealogy, but it wasn't found, and they were disqualified from the priesthood as extraneous. 65And the governor told them that they were not to eat anything from the holy of holies until the priest should stand with Urim and Thummim. 66The whole convocation together numbered forty-two thousand three hundred and sixty people, 67apart from these menservants and maidservants of theirs – seven thousand three hundred and thirty-seven of them. And they also had two hundred and forty-five male and female singers. 68<No Hebrew in WLC for this AV verse> 69There were four hundred and thirty-five camels and six thousand seven hundred and twenty donkeys. 70And some of the paternal heads contributed to the work. The governor gave one thousand darics of gold to the treasury, fifty bowls and five hundred and thirty priests' gowns. 71And some of the paternal heads gave twenty thousand darics of gold and two thousand two hundred manehs of silver to the treasury of the work. 72And this is what the rest of the people gave: twenty thousand darics of gold, and two thousand manehs of silver, and sixty-seven priests' gowns.” 73And the priests and the Levites, and the gatekeepers and the singers, and some of the people, and the temple-servants and all Israel lived in their cities, and by the time the seventh month came, the sons of Israel were in their cities.

Nehemiah Chapter 8 

1And all the people gathered in unison in the square which was opposite the Water Gate, and they told Ezra the scribe to bring the book of the law of Moses, which the Lord had commanded Israel to observe. 2And Ezra the priest presented the law to the convocation, to both men and women, and everyone who would understand on hearing it, on the first day of the seventh month. 3And he read from it facing the square which was opposite the Water Gate, from first light until midday, in the presence of the men and the women and those who understood. And the ears of all the people were riveted to the book of the law. 4And Ezra the scribe stood on a wooden tower which they had made for the occasion, and next to him stood Mattithiah and Shema and Anaiah and Uriah and Hilkiah and Maaseiah on his right, and on his left were Pedaiah and Mishael and Malchijah and Hashum and Hashbaddanah, Zechariah and Meshullam. 5And Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people, for he was higher up than all the people, and when he opened it, all the people stood up. 6And Ezra blessed the great Lord God, and all the people answered, “Amen, amen”, with their arms raised, then they bowed to and worshipped the Lord face down to the ground. 7And Jeshua and Bani and Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodijah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan, Pelaiah and the Levites expounded the law to the people, and the people stood glued to their place. 8And they read from the book of the law of God distinctly, and they gave insight, and they enabled them to understand the reading. 9And Nehemiah, who was the governor, and Ezra the priest, the scribe, and the Levites who expounded to the people, said to all the people, “This day is holy to the Lord your God. Do not mourn and do not weep.” For all the people wept when they heard the words of the law. 10And he said to them, “Go and eat rich food, and drink sweet drinks, and send portions to him who has nothing prepared for him, for the day is holy to our Lord. And do not be grieved, for the joy of the Lord is your stronghold.” 11And the Levites made all the people be quiet, and they said, “Be quiet, for this day is holy, and do not be grieved.” 12Then all the people went to eat and to drink and to send portions and to celebrate with great joy, for they understood the words which had been made known to them. 13And on the second day, the paternal heads of all the people, and the priests and the Levites, gathered around Ezra the scribe, and it was to gain insight into the words of the law. 14And they found written in the law which the Lord had commanded through the intermediacy of Moses, that the sons of Israel should live in tabernacles during the festival in the seventh month, 15and that they should proclaim and publish an announcement in all their cities and in Jerusalem, saying, “Go out to the mountain and bring back olive foliage, and wild olive foliage, and myrtle foliage, and palm foliage, and foliage from bushy trees, to make tabernacles, as it is written.” 16So the people went out and brought them, and they made themselves tabernacles, each one on his roof and in their courtyards and in the courtyards of the house of God, and in the square of the Water Gate and in the square of the Gate of Ephraim. 17And the whole convocation of those who returned from captivity made tabernacles, and they lived in the tabernacles, which the sons of Israel had not done like this since the days of Jeshua the son of Nun up to this day, and there was very great joy. 18And he read from the book of the law of God day by day, from the first day to the last day, and they celebrated the festival for seven days, and on the eighth day there was a solemn assembly according to the ordinance.

Nehemiah Chapter 9 

1Then on the twenty-fourth day of this month, the sons of Israel assembled, fasting and in sackcloth and with soil on them. 2And the seed of Israel were separated from all the foreigners, and they stood and confessed their sins and the iniquities of their fathers. 3And they stood up in their place, and they read from the book of the law of the Lord their God for a quarter of a day, and for another quarter they confessed and worshipped the Lord their God. 4Then Jeshua and Bani, Kadmiel, Shebaniah, Bunni, Sherebiah, Bani and Chenani arose on the Levites' platform and cried out in a loud voice to the Lord their God. 5And the Levites, Jeshua and Kadmiel, Bani, Hashabniah, Sherebiah, Hodijah, Shebaniah and Pethahiah said,

“Arise and bless the Lord your God

From age to age.”

“And may your glorious name be blessed,

Which is exalted above all blessing and praise.

6You alone are the Lord.

You made heaven,

The heaven of heavens and all their array,

The earth and everything on it,

The seas and everything in them,

And you give them all life.

And the array of heaven worships you.

7You are the Lord God

Who chose Abram

And brought him out of Ur of the Chaldees

And appointed his name as Abraham.

8And you found his heart to be faithful before you,

And you made a covenant with him

To give the land of the Canaanite, the Hittite, the Amorite

And the Perizzite and the Jebusite and the Girgashite

– To give it to his seed –

And you fulfilled your words,

For you are righteous.

9And you saw the affliction of our fathers in Egypt,

And you heard their cry at the Red Sea.

10And you performed signs and miracles against Pharaoh

And against all his servants

And against all the people of his land,

For you know that they acted presumptuously against them,

And you made yourself a name,

As it is today.

11And you divided the sea in front of them,

And they crossed in the middle of the sea on dry land,

But you cast those chasing them into the depths,

Like a stone in fierce waters.

12And by day you led them with a column of cloud,

And by night with a pillar of fire,

To light up for them the way

By which they were to go.

13And you came down onto Mount Sinai,

And you spoke with them from heaven,

And you gave them upright judgments

And truthful laws

And good statutes and commandments.

14And you made your holy Sabbath known to them,

And you gave them commandments and statutes and law

Through the intermediacy of Moses your servant.

15And you gave them bread from heaven

When they were hungry,

And you brought water out of a rock for them

When they were thirsty,

And you instructed them to come and inherit the land

Concerning which you took an oath

To give it to them.

16But they and our fathers acted presumptuously,

And they became stiff-necked

And did not heed your commandments.

17And they refused to hear,

And they did not remember your wonders

Which you performed with them,

And they became stiff-necked,

And they appointed a head man

So as to return to their slavery in their rebellion.

But you are a God of forgiveness,

Gracious and compassionate,

Forbearing and of great kindness,

And you did not desert them.

18Even when they made themselves a cast calf

And said, ‘This is your God

Who brought you up out of Egypt’,

And they committed gross blasphemies,

19You still in your many mercies

Did not abandon them in the desert.

The column of cloud did not go away from them by day,

It being to lead them on the way,

Nor did the pillar of fire by night,

It being to give them light

And to light up the way which they were to go.

20And you gave your good spirit to enlighten them,

And you did not withhold your manna from their mouth,

And you gave them water for their thirst.

21And you sustained them for forty years in the desert;

They did not lack anything.

Their clothes did not wear out,

And their feet did not swell.

22And you gave them kingdoms and peoples,

And you apportioned them territory,

And they inherited the land of Sihon

And the land of the king of Heshbon

And the land of Og king of Bashan.

23And you increased the number of their sons like the stars of the sky,

And you brought them to the land

Which you told their fathers to come into

And inherit.

24And the sons came and inherited the land,

And you subdued the inhabitants of the land

– The Canaanites – at their advance,

And you delivered them into their hand,

Including their kings and the various peoples of the land,

To do what they wanted with them.

25And they captured fortified cities and fertile land,

And they inherited houses full of all good accessories

– Hewn cisterns, vineyards and olive groves

And orchard trees in abundance –

And they ate and were satisfied and became fat,

And they lived luxuriously in your great goodness.

26But they became contentious

And they rebelled against you,

And they cast your law behind their back,

And they killed your prophets,

Who testified against them

To turn them back to you,

And they committed gross blasphemies.

27Then you delivered them into the hand of their adversaries,

Who maltreated them.

Then in the time of their distress they cried out to you,

And you heard them from heaven.

And according to your many mercies, you gave them saviours

Who saved them from the hand of their adversaries.

28But when they had quiet,

They again did what was wrong before you,

And you abandoned them in the hand of their enemies,

Who trod them down.

Then they cried out to you again,

And you heard from heaven,

And you saved them according to your mercies many times.

29And you testified against them,

So as to bring them back to your law,

But they acted presumptuously

And did not heed your commandments.

And as for your judicial principles, they sinned against them

Principles which a man shall observe and live by –

And they shrugged their wayward shoulders

And stiffened their necks

And did not heed them.

30And you endured them for many years,

And you testified against them by your spirit

Through the intermediacy of your prophets,

But they did not listen,

And you delivered them into the hand of the nations of the various countries.

31But in your many mercies,

You did not finish with them,

And you did not abandon them,

For you are a gracious and compassionate God.

32And now, O God of ours,

The great and mighty and awesome God

Who keeps the covenant and maintains kindness,

Do not let all the weariness be considered little before you,

Which has come over us,

Over our kings, our officials,

And our priests and our prophets,

And our fathers, and all your people,

From the days of the kings of Assyria to this day.

33But you are righteous

Concerning everything which has come over us,

For you have acted truthfully,

Whereas we have acted wickedly,

34And our kings, our officials,

Our priests and our fathers

Did not observe your law

And did not heed your commandments or your testimonies

Which you testified against them.

35And they – in their kingdom

And despite your great generosity which you showed them,

And in the broad and fertile land which you gave them in their presence –

Did not serve you

And did not turn away from their wicked deeds.

36Behold, we are servants today,

And as for the land which you gave to our fathers,

To eat its fruit and its good produce,

Behold, we are servants on it.

37And its produce is abundant,

Destined for kings

Whom you have set over us for our sins,

And they rule over our bodies and our cattle as they wish,

And we are in great distress.

38And because of all this, we are making a treaty

And putting it in writing,

And the parties participating in sealing it

Are our officials, Levites and priests.”

Nehemiah Chapter 10 

1Now the individuals participating in sealing it were Nehemiah the governor – the son of Hachaliah – and Zedekiah, 2Seraiah, Azariah, Jeremiah, 3Pashhur, Amariah, Malchijah, 4Hattush, Shebaniah, Malluch, 5Harim, Meremoth, Obadiah, 6Daniel, Ginnethon, Baruch, 7Meshullam, Abijah, Mijamin, 8Maaziah, Bilgai and Shemaiah. These were the priests. 9And the Levites were Jeshua the son of Azaniah, Binnui, who was one of the sons of Henadad, Kadmiel, 10and their brothers, Shebaniah, Hodijah, Kelita, Pelaiah, Hanan, 11Micah, Rehob, Hashabiah, 12Zaccur, Sherebiah, Shebaniah, 13Hodijah, Bani and Beninu. 14The heads of the people were Parosh, Pahath-Moab, Elam, Zattu, Bani, 15Bunni, Azgad, Bebai, 16Adonijah, Bigvai, Adin, 17Ater, Hezekiah, Azzur, 18Hodijah, Hashum, Bezai, 19Hariph, Anathoth, Nebai, 20Magpiash, Meshullam, Hezir, 21Meshezabel, Zadok, Jaddua, 22Pelatiah, Hanan, Anaiah, 23Hoshea, Hananiah, Hashshub, 24Hallohesh, Pilha, Shobek, 25Rehum, Hashabnah, Maaseiah, 26and Ahijah, Hanan, Anan, 27Malluch, Harim and Baanah. 28And the rest of the people, that is the priests, the Levites, the gatekeepers, the singers, the temple-servants and everyone who had separated himself from the peoples of the various lands to the law of God, and their wives, their sons and their daughters – all who knew and understood – 29joined up with their brothers, their nobles, and they entered into a curse and an oath, to walk in the law of God, which was given through the intermediacy of Moses the servant of God, and to keep and do all the commandments of the Lord our Lord, and his ordinances and his statutes, 30and that we would not give our daughters to the various peoples of the land, and that we would not take their daughters for our sons. 31And that as for the various peoples of the land who brought merchandise and any grain to sell on the Sabbath day, we would not accept anything from them on the Sabbath or on a holy day, and that we would leave the seventh year fallow, and waive the debt owed by every claimant. 32And we instituted obligations on ourselves to be obliged to give a third of a shekel per year for the work of the house of our God, 33for the showbread and the perpetual meal-offering and the perpetual burnt offering, and the Sabbaths, and the new moons, for the festivals and for holy things, and for sin-offerings, to atone for Israel, and all the work of the house of our God. 34And we – the priests, the Levites and the people – cast lots for the offering of wood, to bring it to the house of our God, to the house of our fathers, at appointed times, year by year, to burn on the altar of the Lord our God, as it is written in the law, 35and to bring the firstfruits of our land, and the firstfruits of all the fruit of every tree, year by year, to the house of the Lord. 36And to bring the firstborn of our sons and our livestock, as it is written in the law (so the firstborn of our oxen and our sheep), to the house of our God, to the priests who serve in the house of our God. 37And that we should bring the firstfruits of our grain, and our heave-offering, and the fruit of every tree, new wine and new oil, to the priests at the offices of the house of our God, and the tithes of our ground to the Levites, who are the very Levites who take tithes in all the cities where we work. 38And that the priest – a son of Aaron – would be with the Levites when the Levites take tithes, and that the Levites should bring a tenth of the tithes up to the house of our God, to the offices of the treasury. 39For the sons of Israel and the sons of Levi will bring the heave-offering of the corn, the new wine and the new oil, to the offices where the equipment of the sanctuary is, and where the priests who serve and the gatekeepers and the singers are. And we will not neglect the house of our God.

Nehemiah Chapter 11 

1And the officials among the people lived in Jerusalem, but the rest of the people cast lots for bringing one in ten to live in Jerusalem – the holy city – whereas nine out of ten would be in the cities. 2And the people blessed all the men who were willing to live in Jerusalem. 3And these were the heads of the province who lived in Jerusalem, whereas in the cities of Judah, each man lived on his estate in their cities, these people being Israel, the priests and the Levites and the temple-servants and the sons of Solomon's servants. 4And in Jerusalem there lived some of the sons of Judah and some of the sons of Benjamin. Of the sons of Judah were Athaiah the son of Uzziah, the son of Zechariah, the son of Amariah, the son of Shephatiah, the son of Mahalalel, he being of the sons of Perez, 5and Maaseiah, the son of Baruch, the son of Col-Hozeh, the son of Hazaiah, the son of Adaiah, the son of Joiarib, the son of Zechariah, the son of Shiloni. 6All the sons of Perez who lived in Jerusalem amounted to four hundred and sixty-eight valiant men. 7And these were the sons of Benjamin: Sallu the 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 Isaiah, 8and after him, Gabbai and Sallai – nine hundred and twenty-eight in all. 9And Joel the son of Zichri was superintendent over them, and Judah the son of Hassenuah was second in charge of the city. 10From the priests were Jedaiah the son of Joiarib, Jachin, 11Seraiah the son of Hilkiah, the son of Meshullam, the son of Zadok, the son of Meraioth, the son of Ahitub – the leader in the house of God – 12with their brothers who carried out the work on the house who were eight hundred and twenty-two in number, and Adaiah the son of Jeroham, the son of Pelaliah, the son of Amzi, the son of Zechariah, the son of Pashhur, the son of Malchijah, 13and his brothers the paternal heads – two hundred and forty-two in number – and Amashsai, the son of Azarel, the son of Ahzai, the son of Meshillemoth, the son of Immer, 14and their brothers – valiant warriors – one hundred and twenty-eight in number. And the superintendent over them was Zabdiel, a son of the great ones. 15And from the Levites was Shemaiah the son of Hashshub, the son of Azrikam, the son of Hashabiah, the son of Bunni. 16And Shabbethai and Jozabad from the heads of the Levites were in charge of the exterior work on the house of God. 17And Mattaniah the son of Micah, the son of Zabdi, the son of Asaph, was head – at the start he would give thanks in prayer – and Bakbukiah was assistant head among his brothers, with Abda the son of Shammua, the son of Galal, the son of Jeduthun. 18All the Levites in the holy city were two hundred and eighty-four in number. 19And the gatekeepers, Akkub and Talmon and their brothers who guarded the gates were one hundred and seventy-two in number. 20And the rest of Israel and the Levite priests were in all the cities of Judah, each in his inheritance. 21And the temple-servants lived in the Ophel, and Ziha and Gishpa were in charge of the temple-servants. 22And the superintendent of the Levites in Jerusalem was Uzzi the son of Bani, the son of Hashabiah, the son of Mattaniah, the son of Micah. The singers were from the sons of Asaph, appointed for the work of the house of God. 23For a commandment from the king had been imposed on them, as had an obligation on the singers as a daily undertaking. 24And Pethahiah the son of Meshezabel from the sons of Zerah the son of Judah was at the king's side in every matter of the people. 25And some of the sons of Judah lived in the outlying areas in their countryside, in Kiriath-Arba and its satellite villages, and in Dibon and its satellite villages, and in Jekabzeel and its outlying areas, 26and in Jeshua and in Moladah and in Beth-Pelet, 27and in Hazar-Shual and in Beersheba and its satellite villages, 28and in Ziklag and in Mekonah and its satellite villages, 29and in En-Rimmon and in Zareah and in Jarmuth, 30Zanoah, Adullam and their outlying areas, Lachish and its countryside, and Azekah and its satellite villages. And they encamped in places from Beersheba to the Valley of Hinnom. 31And the sons of Benjamin from Geba lived in Michmas and Aijah and Beth-El and its satellite villages, 32and in Anathoth, Nob, Ananiah, 33Hazor, Ramah, Gittaim, 34Hadid, Zeboim, Neballat, 35Lod and Ono and the Valley of the Craftsmen. 36And among the Levites were divisions of Judah assigned to Benjamin.

Nehemiah Chapter 12 

1And these are the priests and the Levites who went up with Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and Jeshua: Seraiah, Jeremiah, Ezra, 2Amariah, Malluch, Hattush, 3Shechaniah, Rehum, Meremoth, 4Iddo, Ginnethoi, Abijah, 5Miamin, Maadiah, Bilgah, 6Shemaiah and Joiarib, Jedaiah, 7Sallu, Amok, Hilkiah and Jedaiah. These were the heads of the priests and their brothers in the days of Jeshua. 8And the Levites were Jeshua, Binnui, Kadmiel, Sherebiah, Judah, and Mattaniah who was in charge of songs of praise – he and his brothers – 9and Bakbukiah and Unni, their brothers, corresponding to them in guard duties. 10Now Jeshua begot Joiakim, and Joiakim begot Eliashib, and Eliashib begot Joiada, 11and Joiada begot Jonathan, and Jonathan begot Jaddua. 12And in the days of Joiakim, the priests – the paternal heads – were: in Seraiah's line, Meraiah; in Jeremiah's line, Hananiah; 13in Ezra's line, Meshullam; in Amariah's line, Jehohanan; 14in Melicu's line, Jonathan; in Shebaniah's line, Joseph; 15in Harim's line, Adna; in Meraioth's line, Helkai; 16in Iddo's line, Zechariah; in Ginnethon's line, Meshullam; 17in Abijah's line, Zichri; in Miniamin's line, in Moadiah's line, Piltai; 18in Bilgah's line, Shammua; in Shemaiah's line, Jonathan; 19in Joiarib's line, Mattenai; in Jedaiah's line, Uzzi; 20in Sallai's line, Kallai; in Amok's line, Eber; 21in Hilkiah's line, Hashabiah; and in Jedaiah's line, Nethaneel. 22In the days of Eliashib, Joiada and Johanan and Jaddua, the Levites were registered as paternal heads, and the priests were registered in the kingdom of Darius the Persian. 23The sons of Levi – the paternal heads – were written in the Book of Chronicles, up to the days of Johanan the son of Eliashib. 24And the heads of the Levites were: Hashabiah, Sherebiah and Jeshua the son of Kadmiel, and their brothers corresponding to them to praise and to give thanks in fulfilment of the commandment of David the man of God, one duty alongside another. 25Mattaniah and Bakbukiah, Obadiah, Meshullam, Talmon and Akkub were guards gatekeeping, in a watch at the gate storehouses. 26These were in the days of Joiakim, the son of Jeshua, the son of Jozadak, and in the days of Nehemiah the governor, and Ezra the priest and scribe. 27At the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem, they looked for the Levites in all their places, so as to bring them to Jerusalem, to celebrate the dedication and festivity, with both thanksgiving and song, with timbrels and lutes and with harps. 28And the sons of the singers were gathered, both from the adjoining tract around Jerusalem, and from the outlying villages of Netophathi, 29and from the house of Gilgal and from the fields of Geba and Azmaveth, for the singers had built themselves outlying villages around Jerusalem. 30And the priests and the Levites purified themselves, and they purified the people, and the gates, and the wall. 31And I brought the officials of Judah up above the wall, and I organized two great thanksgiving processions, and processions to the right above the wall towards the Dung Gate. 32And after them came Hoshaiah and half the officials of Judah, 33and Azariah, Ezra and Meshullam, 34Judah and Benjamin and Shemaiah and Jeremiah, 35and some of the sons of the priests, with trumpets, namely Zechariah, the son of Jonathan, the son of Shemaiah, the son of Mattaniah, the son of Micaiah, the son of Zaccur, the son of Asaph, 36and his brothers, Shemaiah and Azarel, Milalai, Gilalai, Maai, Nethaneel and Judah and Hanani, with the musical instruments of David the man of God. And Ezra the scribe went before them. 37And at the Fount Gate, which was opposite them, they went up the steps of the City of David, at the ascent of the wall above David's house, up to the Water Gate to the east. 38And the second thanksgiving procession went in the opposite direction, and I followed it. And half the people were above the wall, above the Tower of Furnaces, as far as the Broad Wall, 39and above the Gate of Ephraim, and on the Old Gate, and on the Fish Gate, and the Tower of Hananel and the Tower of the Hundred, and as far as the Sheep Gate, and they stood at the Prison Gate. 40And the two thanksgiving processions stopped at the house of God, as did I and the half of the administrators who were with me, 41and the priests, namely Eliakim, Maaseiah, Miniamin, Micaiah, Elioenai, Zechariah and Hananiah, with trumpets, 42and Maaseiah and Shemaiah and Eleazar and Uzzi and Jehohanan and Malchijah and Elam and Ezer. And the singers made themselves heard, and Jizrahiah was the choirmaster. 43And on that day they offered great sacrifices and rejoiced, for God gave them great joy, and the women and children also rejoiced, and the rejoicing in Jerusalem was heard at a distance. 44And on that day men were appointed over the treasury office rooms for the heave-offerings, for the firstfruits, and for the tithes, to collect through them the contributions of the outlying fields of the cities specified in the law, for the priests and the Levites. For it was Judah's joy for the priests and the Levites who stood serving. 45And both the singers and the gatekeepers kept the observance of their God and the observance of purification, according to the commandment of David and Solomon his son. 46For back in the former days of David and Asaph there was a head over the singers, and singing in praise and thanksgiving to God. 47And all Israel in the days of Zerubbabel and in the days of Nehemiah would give contributions for the singers and the gatekeepers, as a daily undertaking, and they consecrated the contributions to the Levites, and the Levites consecrated them to the sons of Aaron.

Nehemiah Chapter 13 

1On that day there was a reading from the book of Moses with the people hearing, and there was found written in it that no Ammonite or Moabite should ever come into the convocation of God. 2For they did not meet the sons of Israel with bread and water, and they hired Balaam against them to curse them, but our God turned the curse into a blessing. 3And it came to pass when they heard the law that they separated all the mixed camp followers from Israel. 4Now before this, Eliashib the priest had been given an appointment in an office of the house of our God. He was related to Tobiah, 5and he had acquired for him a large office where people had previously given the meal-offering, the frankincense and various articles and the tithe of the corn, the new wine and the new oil – a commandment for the Levites and the singers and the gatekeepers – and the heave-offering for the priests. 6But during all this I was not in Jerusalem, for in the thirty-second year of Artaxerxes king of Babylon, I had gone to the king, and after some days I asked the king for leave, 7and I came to Jerusalem, and I became aware of the wrong which Eliashib had done for the benefit of Tobiah in acquiring an office for him in the courtyards of the house of God. 8And it was very hurtful to me, and I threw all Tobiah's household articles out of the office. 9And I gave instruction, and they cleansed the offices, and I restored the equipment of the house of God there, and the meal-offering, and the frankincense. 10And I knew that the contributions for the Levites had not been given, and that the Levites and the singers who did the work had fled – each to his own field. 11And I argued with the administrators, and I said, “Why has the house of God been abandoned?” And I gathered them together and stationed them in their positions. 12And all Judah brought the tithe of the corn and the new wine and the new oil to the treasuries. 13And I appointed treasurers over the treasuries: Shelemiah the priest and Zadok the scribe, and Pedaiah from the Levites, and alongside them was Hanan, the son of Zaccur, the son of Mattaniah, for they were considered faithful, and it was incumbent on them to apportion the revenue to their brothers. 14Remember me, O God of mine, for this, and do not blot out the kind deeds which I have done in the house of my God and its observances. 15In those days I saw in Judah men treading in wine presses on the Sabbath, and bringing grain in in heaps, and loading it on donkeys – and also wine, grapes and figs and all kinds of burden – and bringing them to Jerusalem on the Sabbath day. And I testified against them on the day when they sold the produce. 16And Tyrians lived in the place, and they brought fish and all kinds of merchandise and sold it on the Sabbath to the sons of Judah and in Jerusalem. 17And I argued with the nobles of Judah, and I said to them, “What is this evil thing that you are doing, seeing you are profaning the Sabbath day? 18Did not your fathers do likewise, so that our God brought all this trouble on us and on this city, yet you are adding fury on Israel by profaning the Sabbath.” 19And it came to pass, when the gates of Jerusalem were becoming overshadowed before the Sabbath, that I ordered that the doors be shut, and I ordered that they should not be open until after the Sabbath. And I stationed some of my servant-lads at the gates so that no burden should enter on the Sabbath day. 20Then the traders and sellers of all kinds of merchandise lodged outside Jerusalem once or twice. 21But I testified against them, and I said to them, “Why do you lodge opposite the wall? If you do it again I will lay hands on you.” From that time they did not come on the Sabbath. 22And I instructed the Levites that they should purify themselves and come and guard the gates to sanctify the Sabbath day. Remember this too on my account, O God of mine, and have pity on me, according to the abundance of your kindness. 23Also in those days I saw the Jews bringing Ashdodite, Ammonite and Moabite women into their homes, 24and their sons spoke half Ashdodian, and they were not familiar with speaking the Judaean language, but they spoke in the tongue of the various peoples. 25And I argued with them, and I cursed them, and I struck some of the men, and I plucked out their hair, and I adjured them by God and said, “Do not give your daughters to their sons and do not take any of their daughters for your sons or for yourselves at all. 26Did not Solomon king of Israel sin similarly? Yet among the numerous nations there was no king like him, and he was loved by his God, and God appointed him king over all Israel. But the foreign women induced even him to sin. 27So shall we consent to you doing all this great evil, in acting perversely against our God, in taking foreign women into our homes?” 28And one of the sons of Joiada the son of Eliashib the high priest was the son-in-law of Sanballat the Horonite, and I chased him away from me. 29Remember them, O God of mine, for the stains they brought on the priesthood and the covenant of the priesthood and the Levites. 30And I cleansed them from all foreignness, and I instituted duties for the priests and Levites – each in his own work – 31and for the offering of wood at appointed times, and for the firstfruits. Remember me favourably, O God of mine.

Esther  

Esther Chapter 1 

1And it came to pass in the days of Ahasuerus – that is Ahasuerus who was reigning from India to Ethiopia, over one hundred and twenty-seven provinces – 2in those days, when King Ahasuerus was sitting on the throne of his kingdom, which was in the citadel of Shushan, 3in the third year of his reign, that he held a banquet for all his officials and his servants – from the forces in Persia and Media, the nobles and the officials of the provinces – in his presence, 4when he exhibited the riches of his glorious kingdom, and the extravagance of his majestic magnificence, for many days – for one hundred and eighty days. 5And at the conclusion of those days, the king held a feast for all the people present in the citadel of Shushan, for both great and small, for seven days, in the court of the garden of the king's palace, 6where there was linen and fine cotton and blue material, fastened with byssus cords, and purple material on silver rings, and columns of white marble, and beds of gold and silver on a pavement of porphyry and marble, with pearl and black marble, 7and where they served drink in vessels of gold, the vessels differing from one another, with royal wine in abundance according to the means of the king. 8And drinking was according to the law: no-one compelled anyone, for so the king had decreed to every dignitary of his house, so that everyone should do as he pleased. 9Vashti the queen also held a banquet for the women in King Ahasuerus's royal house. 10On the seventh day, when the king's heart was merry with wine, he told Mehuman, Bizzetha, Harbona, Bigtha and Abagtha, Zethar and Carcas – seven eunuchs serving in the presence of King Ahasuerus – 11to bring Vashti the queen before the king, with the royal diadem, to show the various peoples and the officers her beauty, for she was fair in appearance. 12But Vashti the queen refused to come at the king's bidding, which was conveyed by his eunuchs, and the king became very angry and his fury burned in him. 13And the king said to the wise men, who knew the times, for so was the word of the king before all those that knew the law and judicial system, 14with those near him being Carshena, Shethar, Admatha, Tarshish, Meres, Marsena and Memucan, seven officials of Persia and Media, who saw the king's face, and who were pre-eminent in the kingdom, 15“According to law, what should be done with Vashti the queen, for not doing the bidding of King Ahasuerus conveyed by his eunuchs?” 16And Memucan said in the presence of the king and the officials, “Vashti the queen has not done wrong to the king alone, but to all the officials and all the various peoples who are in all the provinces of King Ahasuerus. 17For the matter of the queen will go out to all the women, inducing them to despise their husbands in their eyes, when it is said, ‘King Ahasuerus gave orders to bring Vashti the queen before him, but she did not come.’ 18And on this day, the official consorts of Persia and Media who hear the matter of the queen will say likewise to all the king's officials, and there will be plenty of contempt and anger. 19If the king approves, let a royal decree go out from him, and let it be written in the laws of Persia and Media, which shall not lapse, that Vashti should not come before King Ahasuerus, and that the king shall give her royal estate to another better than she. 20And the king's decree which he will make will be heard in all the kingdom, for it is great, that all wives should give honour to their husbands, to both great and small.” 21And the wording pleased the king and the officials, and the king acted according to the word of Memucan. 22And he sent letters to all the king's provinces, to each individual province according to its script, and to each individual people according to their language, that every man should rule in his house, so declaring it in each language of his people.

Esther Chapter 2 

1After these things, when King Ahasuerus's anger had abated, he remembered Vashti and what she had done, and what had been decreed against her. 2Then the king's servants who ministered to him said, “Let virgin girls of fair appearance be sought for the king. 3And let the king appoint overseers in all the provinces of his kingdom, and let them gather every virgin girl of fair appearance, to the citadel of Shushan, to the women's quarters, under the care of Hegai the king's eunuch who is keeper of the women. And let them be given their toiletries for purification. 4And let the girl who pleases the king reign instead of Vashti.” And the matter pleased the king, and he did so. 5There was a certain Jew in the citadel of Shushan, and his name was Mordecai the son of Jair, the son of Shimei, the son of Kish, a Benjaminite, 6who had been deported from Jerusalem with the deportees who were deported with Jeconiah king of Judah, whom Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had deported. 7And he brought up Hadassah, that is Esther, the daughter of his uncle, for she had no father or mother. And the girl was beautiful in figure and fair in appearance, and when her father and mother died, Mordecai took charge of her as a daughter. 8And it came to pass, when the matter of the king and his decree were heard, and when many girls were gathered in the citadel of Shushan, in the care of Hegai, that Esther was taken to the king's house under the care of Hegai, the keeper of the women. 9And the girl pleased the king, and she won his favour, and he hastened to give her toiletries for her purification, and her personal goods, and to give her seven distinguished servant-girls from the king's house. And he transferred her and her servant-girls to the best place in the women's quarters. 10Esther did not declare her nationality or her race, for Mordecai had charged her not to declare them. 11And every day Mordecai walked around in front of the court of the women's quarters, in order to know how Esther was and what was happening to her. 12And when the turn came for each girl to go to King Ahasuerus at the end of her twelve months, as was the custom of women, for so were the days of their purification fulfilled – six months with oil of myrrh and six months with fragrances and toiletries for purification of women – 13the girl would then go to the king. Everything she said would be given to her to go with her from the women's quarters to the king's house. 14In the evening she would go, and in the morning she would return to the second women's quarters, in the care of Shaashgaz the king's eunuch who kept the concubines. She would not go again to the king unless the king was pleased with her, and she was called by name. 15And when the turn came for Esther, the daughter of Abihail, Mordecai's uncle, whom he had taken as a daughter, to go to the king, she did not request anything except what Hegai the king's eunuch, the keeper of the women, had said. And Esther obtained favour in the eyes of all who beheld her. 16And Esther was taken to King Ahasuerus, to his royal house, in the tenth month – that is the month of Tevet – in the seventh year of his reign. 17And the king loved Esther more than all the other women, and she obtained more grace and favour in his presence than all the other virgins, and he placed the crown of the kingdom on her head, and he made her queen instead of Vashti. 18And the king held a great banquet for all his officials and servants, the banquet of Esther, and he made a holiday for the provinces, and he gave a gift according to the means of the king. 19And while the virgins were being collected the second time, Mordecai was sitting at the king's gate. 20Esther did not declare her race or her nationality, as Mordecai had charged her, and Esther carried out Mordecai's instruction, as when she was being brought up by him. 21In those days while Mordecai was sitting at the king's gate, Bigthan and Teresh, two of the king's eunuchs who guarded the threshold, became angry, and they tried to lay their hands on King Ahasuerus. 22And the matter became known to Mordecai, and he told Esther the queen, and Esther told the king in Mordecai's name. 23And the matter was investigated, and it was exposed, and the two of them were hanged on gallows, and it was written in the chronicles in the king's presence.

Esther Chapter 3 

1After these things, King Ahasuerus promoted Haman the son of Hammedatha the Agagite, and he elevated him, and he made his seat above all the officials who were with him. 2And all the king's servants who were at the king's gate, would bow and prostrate themselves to Haman, for so the king had commanded concerning him, but Mordecai did not bow or prostrate himself. 3And the king's servants who were at the king's gate asked Mordecai, “Why do you transgress the king's command?” 4And it happened that when they instructed him each day, he didn't take notice of them, and they told Haman, to see whether Mordecai's behaviour would stand, for he had told them that he was a Jew. 5And when Haman saw that Mordecai was not bowing and prostrating himself to him, Haman was filled with fury. 6But he considered it contemptible to lay hands on Mordecai alone, for they had told him Mordecai's nationality, and Haman looked for a way to destroy all the Jews who were in the whole kingdom of Ahasuerus – Mordecai's people. 7In the first month, that is the month of Nisan, in the twelfth year of King Ahasuerus, they cast Pur – that is a lot – in the presence of Haman day by day and month by month, up to the twelfth month – that is the month of Adar. 8And Haman said to King Ahasuerus, “There is one people, scattered and separated among the various peoples in every province of your kingdom, and their laws are different from the laws of every other people, and they do not comply with the king's laws, and it is not fitting for the king to suffer them. 9If the king sees fit, let it be written to destroy them, and I will weigh ten thousand talents of silver to be paid to those who do the job, to be brought to the king's treasuries.” 10And the king removed his ring from his hand and gave it to Haman the son of Hammedatha the Agagite, the enemy of the Jews. 11And the king said to Haman, “The money is given to you, and it is for you to do to the people what is right in your sight.” 12And the king's scribes were called in the first month, on the thirteenth day of it, and it was written according to everything that Haman commanded the king's satraps and the governors who were in charge of every province, and the officials of every people – every province according to their script, and every people according to their language. In the name of King Ahasuerus it was written, and it was sealed with the king's ring. 13And the letters were sent by runners to all the king's provinces, to destroy, to kill and to cause to perish all the Jews, from the child to the old man, little children and women, in one day, on the thirteenth day of the twelfth month – that is the month of Adar – and to plunder their spoil. 14A transcript of the writing was to be issued as a decree in every single province, published to all the various peoples, for them to be ready on this day. 15The runners went out with haste at the king's word, and the decree was issued in the citadel of Shushan, and the king and Haman sat down to drink, while the city of Shushan was in confusion.

Esther Chapter 4 

1Now Mordecai knew everything that had been done, and Mordecai tore his clothes and put on sackcloth and ashes, and he went out to the middle of the city, and he cried out with a great and bitter cry. 2And he went in front of the king's gate, for it was not permitted to go in to the king's gate in sackcloth clothing. 3And in every single province, wherever the word of the king and his decree arrived, there was great mourning among the Jews, and there was fasting and weeping and bewailing. Sackcloth was worn and ashes were strewn by many. 4And when Esther's servant-girls and her eunuchs came and told her, the queen was very grieved, and she sent clothing to clothe Mordecai and to have him remove his sackcloth, but he did not accept it. 5And Esther called for Hathach, one of the king's eunuchs whom he had appointed to be in her presence, and she commanded him concerning Mordecai, to find out what this was and why this was. 6And Hathach went out to Mordecai, to the street of the city which was in front of the king's gate. 7And Mordecai told him everything that had befallen him, and the specification of the sum of money which Haman had said that he would weigh to go into the king's treasuries in an act against the Jews, to destroy them. 8And he gave him a transcript of the text of the decree which was issued in Shushan, to destroy them, to show Esther and to tell her, and to command her to go to the king and to supplicate him and to plead before him concerning her people. 9And Hathach went back and told Esther Mordecai's words. 10And Esther spoke to Hathach, and she commanded him to go to Mordecai and say, 11“All the king's servants and the people of the king's provinces know that for every man or woman who goes to the king, to the inner court, who has not been called, that there is one law about this, to kill the person unless the king extends the golden sceptre to him, so that he should live. I have not been called to go to the king for thirty days now.” 12And they told Mordecai Esther's words. 13And Mordecai said to report back to Esther, “Do not think to yourself that you will escape in the king's house any more than all Jews will. 14For if you are completely silent at this time, relief and deliverance will be set up for the Jews from another place, but you and the house of your father will perish. And who knows whether it was for a time like this that you came into the kingdom?” 15And Esther said to report to Mordecai as follows: 16“Go and assemble all the Jews who are present in Shushan and fast for me, and do not eat or drink for three days, night and day. I too and my servant-girls will fast likewise, and then I will go to the king in the way not according to the law, and if I perish, I perish.” 17And Mordecai moved on and acted according to everything that Esther had commanded him.

Esther Chapter 5 

1And it came to pass on the third day that Esther put on her royal dress and stood in the inner court of the king's house, opposite the king's house, while the king was sitting on his royal throne in the royal house opposite the door of the house. 2And it came to pass when the king saw Esther the queen standing in the court that she obtained favour in his sight, and the king extended to Esther the golden sceptre which was in his hand. And Esther approached, and she touched the top of the sceptre. 3And the king said to her, “What is the matter, Queen Esther? And what is your request? Ask for up to half of the kingdom, and it shall be given to you.” 4And Esther said, “If it has the king's approval, let the king and Haman come to the banquet today which I have prepared for him.” 5And the king said, “Tell Haman to make haste to do what Esther said.” And the king and Haman came to the banquet which Esther had prepared. 6And the king said to Esther at the banquet of wine, “What is your petition? Ask, and it will be given to you. And what is your request? Ask for up to half of the kingdom, and it will be done.” 7And Esther answered and said, “My petition and request is: 8if I have found favour with the king, and if the king approves, to accede to my petition and to carry out my request, let the king and Haman come to my banquet which I will hold for them, and tomorrow I will do according to the king's word.” 9And Haman went out on that day rejoicing, and glad in his heart, but when Haman saw Mordecai at the king's gate, and that he did not rise or move on account of him, Haman was filled with fury about Mordecai. 10But Haman restrained himself and went to his house, and he sent for and invited his friends and Zeresh his wife. 11And Haman told them about the glory of his riches and the multitude of his sons, and everything with which the king had made him great, and that he had elevated him above officials and the king's servants. 12And Haman said, “Also, Esther the queen did not invite anyone with the king to the banquet which she held but me, and also tomorrow I have been invited to her with the king. 13Yet all this does not satisfy me, all the time I see Mordecai the Jew sitting at the king's gate.” 14And Zeresh his wife and all his friends said to him, “Let them make gallows, fifty cubits high, and in the morning, tell the king and let them hang Mordecai on it, and go with the king to the banquet a happy man.” And the matter had Haman's approval, and he made the gallows.

Esther Chapter 6 

1On that night, the king's sleep deserted him, and he commanded to bring the book of the records – the chronicles – and they were read before the king. 2And it was found written that Mordecai told about Bigthana and Teresh, two of the king's eunuchs, of those guarding the threshold, who tried to lay hands on King Ahasuerus. 3And the king said, “What has been done by way of honour and greatness for Mordecai concerning this?” And the king's servants who ministered to him, said, “Nothing has been done for him.” 4And the king said, “Who is in the court?” Now Haman had come to the outer court of the king's house, to say to the king to hang Mordecai on the gallows which he had prepared for him. 5And the king's servants said to him, “Look, Haman is standing in the court.” And the king said, “Let him come in.” 6So Haman came in, and the king said to him, “What should be done for the man whom the king is pleased to honour?” And Haman said in his heart, “On whom is the king pleased to bestow honour more than on me?” 7And Haman said to the king, “For the man whom the king is pleased to honour, 8let royal clothing be brought which the king wears, and a horse upon which the king rides, and the royal crown which is put on his head. 9And put the clothing and the horse in the care of a man, one of the king's most noble officials, and let them clothe the man whom the king is pleased to honour, and have them let him ride on the horse in the main street of the city, and they will call out before him, ‘This is how it is done for the man whom the king is pleased to honour.’ ” 10Then the king said to Haman, “Hasten and get the clothing and the horse, according to what you said, and let it be done to Mordecai the Jew who sits at the king's gate. Let no aspect of anything you have said fail.” 11So Haman took the clothing and the horse, and he clothed Mordecai, and let him ride through the main street of the city, and he called out before him, “This is how it is done for the man whom the king is pleased to honour.” 12And Mordecai returned to the king's gate, but Haman hastened to his house mourning and with his face covered. 13And Haman told Zeresh his wife, and all his friends, everything that had befallen him. And his wise men and Zeresh his wife said to him, “If Mordecai, before whom you have begun to fall, is of Jewish seed, you will not prevail against him, but you will certainly fall before him.” 14Then while they were still speaking with him, the king's eunuchs arrived and hastened to bring Haman to the banquet which Esther was holding.

Esther Chapter 7 

1And the king and Haman came to banquet with Esther the queen. 2And the king said to Esther, on the second day at the wine banquet as well, “What is your petition, Queen Esther? Ask, and it will be given to you, and what is your request? Ask for up to half of the kingdom, and it will be done.” 3And Esther the queen answered and said, “If I have found favour in your sight, O king, and if the king approves, let my life be given to me at my petition, and that of my people at my request. 4For we have been sold – I and my people – to be destroyed, to be killed and to be eliminated. But if we had been sold as slaves and servant-girls, I would have remained silent, for the distress would not be suitable grounds for disturbing the king.” 5And King Ahasuerus spoke and said to Esther the queen, “Who is this, and where is he, whose heart has emboldened him to act this way?” 6And Esther said, “An adversarial and hostile man – this wicked Haman.” And Haman was terrified in the presence of the king and the queen. 7And the king rose in his fury from the wine banquet, and he went to the palace garden, while Haman stood to plead for his life with Esther the queen, for he saw that evil was determined against him by the king. 8And the king returned from the palace garden to the house of the wine banquet, and Haman fell onto the couch on which Esther was, and the king said, “Are you also going to assault the queen at home with me?” And the word went out from the king's mouth, and they covered Haman's face. 9And Harbonah, one of the eunuchs in the presence of the king, said, “Look at the gallows as well, which Haman made for Mordecai who had given good information concerning the king, standing at Haman's house, fifty cubits high.” And the king said, “Hang him on it.” 10And they hanged Haman on the gallows which he had prepared for Mordecai, and the king's fury abated.

Esther Chapter 8 

1On that day, King Ahasuerus gave the house of Haman, the enemy of the Jews, to Esther the queen. And Mordecai came before the king, for Esther had told him what relation he was to her. 2And the king removed his ring which he had taken away from Haman, and he gave it to Mordecai. And Esther appointed Mordecai over Haman's house. 3And Esther spoke again before the king, and she fell at his feet, and she wept and implored him to revoke the evil of Haman the Agagite, and his plan which he had plotted against the Jews. 4And the king extended his golden sceptre to Esther, and Esther arose and stood before the king. 5And she said, “If the king approves, and if I have found favour in his sight, and the matter is fitting to the king, and if I am agreeable in his sight, let it be written to rescind the letters of the plot of Haman the son of Hammedatha the Agagite, which he wrote, to destroy the Jews who are in all the king's provinces. 6For how could I endure and see the evil which would come upon my people, and how could I endure and see the elimination of my kin?” 7And King Ahasuerus said to Esther the queen and to Mordecai the Jew, “Look, I have given the house of Haman to Esther, and they have hanged him on the gallows, because he laid his hands on the Jews. 8Write to the Jews as seems right in your sight, in the name of the king, and seal it with the king's ring, for any writing which is written in the name of the king and is sealed with the king's seal cannot be rescinded.” 9And the king's scribes were called at that time, in the third month – that is the month of Sivan – on the twenty-third day in it, and it was written according to everything that Mordecai commanded the Jews and the satraps and the governors and the officials of the provinces which are from India to Ethiopia – one hundred and twenty-seven provinces – to each individual province according to its script, and to each individual people according to their language, and to the Jews according to their script and according to their language. 10And he wrote in the name of King Ahasuerus, and he sealed it with the king's seal, and he sent the letters by the agency of couriers on horses – or rather riders of royal mule stallions, being the offspring of royal mares – 11that the king allowed the Jews who were in each individual city to be gathered and to take a stand for their lives, and to destroy and to kill and to eliminate every army of a people or province hostile to them, children and women, and to plunder their spoil, 12on one day, in all the provinces of King Ahasuerus, on the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, that is the month of Adar. 13A transcript of the writing was to be issued as a decree in every individual province, published to all the various peoples, and for the Jews to be prepared for that day, to avenge themselves of their enemies. 14The couriers riding on royal mule stallions went out hastening and pressing on at the king's word, and the decree was issued at the citadel of Shushan. 15And Mordecai went out from the presence of the king in royal clothing, in blue material, and white linen, and a large golden crown, and a robe of fine linen, and purple material. And the city of Shushan rejoiced and was glad. 16The Jews had prosperity and joy and happiness and honour. 17And in every individual province, and in every individual city – every place where the word of the king and his decree arrived – the Jews had joy and happiness. They held a feast and a holiday, and many of the people of the land became Jews, for the fear of the Jews had fallen on them.

Esther Chapter 9 

1And in the twelfth month – that is the month of Adar – on the thirteenth day of it, when the king's word and his decree were reaching the point of being carried out, on the day when the enemies of the Jews hoped to have dominion over them, this was inverted, so that it was the Jews who had dominion over those that hated them. 2The Jews assembled in their cities in all the provinces of King Ahasuerus, to lay their hands on those who sought to harm them, and no man stood before them, for the fear of them fell upon all the various peoples. 3And all the officials of the provinces, and the satraps and the governors, and those who carried out the king's work, assisted the Jews, for fear of Mordecai had fallen on them. 4For Mordecai was great in the king's house, and his reputation went to all the provinces, for the man Mordecai became greater and greater. 5And the Jews struck all their enemies with the blow of the sword, and slaughter and destruction. And they did what they pleased to those who hated them. 6And in the citadel of Shushan the Jews killed and eliminated five hundred men, 7and Parshandatha and Dalphon and Aspatha, 8and Poratha and Adalia and Aridatha, 9and Parmashta and Arisai and Aridai and Vajezatha. 10They killed the ten sons of Haman the son of Hammedatha the enemy of the Jews, but they did not lay their hands on the spoil. 11On that day the report of the number of those killed in the citadel of Shushan came before the king. 12And the king said to Esther the queen, “In the citadel of Shushan the Jews have killed and eliminated five hundred men and Haman's ten sons. In the remainder of the provinces of the king, what have they done and what else is your petition, and it will be given to you, and what is your request, and it will be done?” 13And Esther said, “If the king approves, let the Jews who are in Shushan do according to today's decree tomorrow as well, and let them hang Haman's ten sons on the gallows.” 14And the king commanded this to be done, and the decree was issued in Shushan, and they hanged Haman's ten sons. 15And the Jews who were in Shushan assembled also on the fourteenth day of the month of Adar, and they killed in Shushan three hundred men, but they did not lay their hands on the spoil. 16And the remainder of the Jews, who were in the king's provinces, assembled and took a stand for their lives, and for rest from their enemies, and they killed seventy-five thousand of those who hated them, but they did not lay their hands on the spoil. 17This was on the thirteenth day of the month of Adar, and there was rest on the fourteenth day of it, and they made it a day of festivity and gladness. 18And the Jews who were in Shushan assembled on the thirteenth day of it, and on the fourteenth day of it. And there was rest on the fifteenth day of it, and they made it a day of festivity and gladness. 19Therefore the Jews in the villages, who dwelt in unwalled towns, made the fourteenth day of the month of Adar a day of gladness and festivity, and a holiday, and of sending each other presents. 20And Mordecai wrote these things, and he sent letters to all the Jews who were in all the provinces of King Ahasuerus, near and far, 21to establish among them that they should celebrate the fourteenth day of the month of Adar, and the fifteenth day of it, each year, 22as the days on which the Jews rested from their enemies, and as the month when it was turned for them from sorrow to gladness, and from mourning to a holiday, to make them days of festivity and gladness, and sending of presents to one another, and gifts to the poor. 23And the Jews undertook that which they had begun to do, and that which Mordecai had written to them. 24For Haman the son of Hammedatha the Agagite, the enemy of all the Jews, plotted against the Jews to eliminate them, and he cast Pur – that is a lot – to defeat them and to eliminate them, 25but when she came before the king, he commanded with a letter that his evil plot which he plotted against the Jews should rebound on him, and they hanged him and his sons on the gallows. 26Therefore they call these days Purim, according to the name Pur, for this reason, because of all the words of this letter, and because of what they saw of this matter, and because of what had come upon them. 27The Jews established and took it upon themselves and upon their seed and upon all those who joined them, that it would not pass into disuse, to celebrate these two days according to their description and according to their time each year. 28And these days are remembered and celebrated in every generation, in every family, in every province and in every city. And these days of Purim will not pass into disuse among the Jews, and their memory will not come to an end among their seed. 29And Queen Esther, the daughter of Abihail, and Mordecai the Jew, wrote with all authority to confirm this second letter of Purim. 30And he sent letters to all the Jews – to the one hundred and twenty-seven provinces – of the kingdom of Ahasuerus, with words of peace and truth, 31to establish these days of Purim at their times, as Mordecai the Jew had established them among them, as had Esther the queen, and as they had established matters of fasts and their outcry for their lives and for their seed. 32And Esther's commandment established these matters of Purim, and it was written in the book.

Esther Chapter 10 

1And King Ahasuerus levied a tax on the land and the islands. 2And every act of his authority and his power, and the account of the greatness of Mordecai whom the king made great, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Media and Persia? 3For Mordecai the Jew was second to King Ahasuerus, and he was great among the Jews, and he was well-received among the multitude of his brothers, seeking good for his people, and speaking peace to all his seed.

Job  

Job Chapter 1 

1There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job. And that man was integrous and upright, who feared God and departed from evil. 2And there were born to him seven sons and three daughters. 3And his possessions consisted of seven thousand sheep and three thousand camels, and five hundred yoke of oxen, and five hundred she-asses, and he had a very great body of servants. And this man was greater than all other men of the east. 4And his sons organized a feast at home, each on his own day, and they sent messengers and invited their three sisters to come and eat and drink with them. 5And it came to pass, when the days of the feast came round, that Job sent instructions and sanctified them, and he rose early in the morning and offered burnt offerings according to the number of all of them, for Job said, “Perhaps my sons have sinned and cursed God in their heart.” Job did this every day. 6Now the day came when the sons of God came to stand before the Lord, and Satan also came among them. 7And the Lord said to Satan, “Where have you come from?” And Satan answered the Lord and said, “From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking up and down on it.” 8And the Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job, for there is no-one like him on the earth – an integrous and upright man fearing God and departing from evil.” 9Then Satan answered the Lord and said, “Is it for nothing that Job fears God? 10Have you not hedged him in with his household, and everything he has, all around? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land. 11But now, just put out your hand and strike everything he has, and he will certainly curse you to your face.” 12Then the Lord said to Satan, “Behold, everything he has is in your hand, only do not put your hand out to him.” And Satan went out from the presence of the Lord. 13And the day came, while his sons and his daughters were eating and drinking wine at the house of their firstborn brother, 14when a messenger came to Job, who said, “The oxen were ploughing, and the she-asses were feeding next to them, 15when the Sabaeans attacked them and took them and struck the servant-lads with the blade of the sword, and only I escaped to tell you.” 16While this man was still speaking, another came and said, “A very great fire fell from heaven and burned up the sheep and the servant-lads, and it consumed them, and only I escaped to tell you.” 17While this man was still speaking, another came and said, “The Chaldeans formed three contingents, and they raided the camels and took them, and they struck the servant-lads with the blade of the sword, and only I escaped to tell you.” 18While this man was still speaking, another came and said, “Your sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine in the house of their firstborn brother, 19when a great wind came from across the desert and struck the four corners of the house, and it fell on the lads, and they died, and only I have escaped to tell you.” 20Then Job rose and tore his coat and shaved his head, and he fell to the ground and worshipped, 21and he said,

“Naked I came out of my mother's womb,

And naked I will return there.

The Lord has given,

And the Lord has taken;

Blessed be the name of the Lord.”

22Despite all this, Job did not sin, and he did not charge God with foolishness.

Job Chapter 2 

1And the day came when the sons of God came to stand before the Lord, and Satan came too among them to stand before the Lord. 2And the Lord said to Satan, “Where have you come from?” And Satan answered the Lord and said, “From going to and fro on the earth and walking up and down on it.” 3Then the Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job, for there is no-one like him on the earth, an integrous and upright man, fearing God and departing from evil, and still maintaining his integrity? But you have moved me against him, to swallow him up for no reason.” 4At this Satan answered the Lord and said, “Skin for skin, and everything a man has, he will give for his life. 5But just put out your hand and strike his bones and his flesh, and he will certainly curse you to your face.” 6Then the Lord said to Satan, “Behold, he is in your hand, but guard his life.” 7And Satan went out from the presence of the Lord, and he struck Job with sore ulcers, from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head. 8And Job took an earthenware shard with which to scrape himself, and he sat in ashes. 9And his wife said to him, “Do you still hold on to your integrity? Curse God and die.” 10And he said to her, “You are talking the way one of the irreverent women would. Shall we receive good from God, and not also receive evil?” Despite all this, Job did not sin with his lips. 11Then when three of Job's friends heard of all this evil that had come upon him, they came, each one from his place: Eliphaz the Temanite, and Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite. And they agreed together to go and console him and comfort him. 12And they lifted up their eyes from a distance, and they did not recognize him, and they raised their voices and wept, and each one tore his coat, and they sprinkled dust on their heads, throwing it towards the sky. 13And they sat with him on the ground for seven days and seven nights, and no-one said anything to him, for they saw that his grief was very great.

Job Chapter 3 

1After this, Job opened his mouth and cursed his day. 2And Job began to speak and said,

3“May the day on which I was born perish,

And the night when it was said,

‘A man has been fathered.’

4May that day be darkness,

May God not care for it above,

And may no light shine on it.

5May darkness and the shadow of death stain it,

May a cloud rest on it;

Let daytime darkenings overwhelm it.

6May gloom take that night,

May it not be included in the days of the year;

May it not enter into the number of the months.

7Behold, may that night be barren;

May no rejoicing enter into it.

8May those who curse a day denounce it

– Those who are prepared to arouse Leviathan.

9May its twilight stars be darkened;

May it wait for light and there not be any,

And may it not see the aura of dawn.

10For it did not shut the gates of my mother's womb,

Nor did it hide sorrow from my eyes.

11Why did I not die in the womb?

Why did I not come out of the belly and expire?

12Why did knees prepare for me?

And why were there breasts for me to suck?

13For then I would now be lying down and be undisturbed;

For then I would be asleep and at rest,

14With kings and counsellors of the earth

Who built monuments now ruins for themselves,

15Or with princes who had gold,

Who filled their houses with silver,

16Or as a miscarriage that needs to be buried,

So that I would not now exist,

Like infants who never saw light.

17There, the wicked cease raging,

And there, those wearied by effort find rest,

18Together with prisoners who are at ease;

They do not hear the voice of the taskmaster.

19Whether small or great, there he is,

And the servant, free from his master.

20Why does he give light to the wretched,

And life to those who are melancholic?

21– Who are waiting for death

But it does not come?

– Who search for it more earnestly than for hidden treasures?

22– Who are happy, exultant even,

As they rejoice when they find the grave?

23Why does he give light to a man whose way is hidden,

Around whom God has put a hedge?

24For my sighing comes to the forefront more than my bread,

And my groaning is uttered voluminously.

25For the thing which I greatly feared has befallen me,

And that which I was afraid of has come upon me.

26I am not in comfort

And not in quietude

And not at rest,

For trouble has come.”

Job Chapter 4 

1Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered and said,

2“If we offer you some words,

Will you take offence?

For to withhold words

– Who can do it?

3Look, you have instructed many

And strengthened weak hands.

4Your words have lifted up him who was stumbling,

And you have strengthened failing knees.

5But now it has come upon you,

And you take offence;

It has touched you,

And you are agitated.

6Is not your godly fear your confidence?

And is not the integrity of your ways your hope?

7Remember, please, who being innocent ever perished?

And where were the innocent ever annihilated?

8According to what I have seen,

Those who plough falsehood and sow iniquity

Reap it again.

9By the breath of God they perish,

And by the blast of his nostrils they are destroyed.

10The roaring of the lion

And the sound of the fierce lion

And the teeth of the young lions

Are knocked out.

11The old lion perishes for want of prey,

And the whelps of the strong lion are scattered.

12And a word has come furtively to me,

And my ear has picked up a whisper of it,

13In the thoughts from the visions of the night,

When slumber falls on men.

14Dread came upon me, and trembling,

And filled the bulk of my bones with foreboding.

15And a spirit passed by my face,

And the hair on my flesh bristled up.

16It stood still,

But I could not recognize its appearance;

It was an image before my eyes.

There was silence,

Then I heard a voice, which said,

17Can man be more righteous than God?

Or can a man be more pure than his maker?’

18Behold, he does not put trust in his servants,

And he charges his angels with folly.

19How much less does he trust dwellers in houses of mortar,

Whose foundation is in the dust?

They could be crushed more easily than a moth.

20From morning to evening they could be pounded

Without anyone ever caring

That they had perished.

21Would their illustriousness not be removed?

They would die,

And not in wisdom.

Job Chapter 5 

1Call now and see if there is anyone who answers you.

And to which of the holy ones will you turn?

2For wrath kills the foolish man,

And jealousy causes the simple-minded man to die.

3I have seen the foolish taking root,

But I suddenly realized how his home would be.

4His sons are far from salvation

And are crushed at the gate,

And there is no-one to deliver them,

5Whose harvest the hungry will eat,

Which they will take from among the thorns,

As destruction swallows up their wealth.

6Although sorrow does not come out of the soil,

And wretchedness does not sprout from the ground,

7Yet man is born to face toil,

As surely as sparks fly upward.

8But I would seek God,

And with God I would set out my case.

9He performs great deeds

Of which there is no searching out

– Wonders of which there is no limit.

10He provides rain on the surface of the earth,

And he sends water onto the surface of the open places.

11He sets the lowly on high,

So that those who mourn are exalted in salvation,

12Frustrating the thoughts of the crafty,

So that their hands cannot perform with competence,

13Taking the wise in their own cunning,

So that the counsel of the deceitful is forestalled.

14By day they meet with darkness,

And as at night, so they grope at noon.

15But he saves the poor from the sword

– From their blade –

And from the hand of the strong,

16So that the lowly have hope,

And injustice shuts its mouth.

17Behold, blessed is the man whom God reproves,

So do not reject the correction of the Almighty,

18For he causes pain,

But he binds up again;

He bruises,

But his hands heal again.

19He will deliver you from six adversities,

And in seven no harm will touch you.

20In famine he will save you from death,

And in war, from the power of the sword.

21You will be hidden from the scourge of slander,

And you will not fear devastation

If it comes.

22You will laugh at devastation and starvation,

And you will not be afraid of the beasts of the earth.

23For you will have a covenant with the stones of the field,

And the wild beasts will be at peace with you.

24And you will know that your tent is at peace,

And when you check your tent,

You will not miss anything.

25And you will know that your seed is many,

And your offspring is as the grass of the earth.

26You will go to the grave in ripe old age,

Like the gathering in of a stack of corn in its season.

27Behold this account;

We have searched it out

– It is so.

Hear it and know it,

For your own sake.”

Reference(s) in Chapter 5: v.13 ↔ 1 Corinthians 3:19.

Job Chapter 6 

1Then Job answered and said,

2“If only my grief were thoroughly weighed

And my hardship were laid in the scales together with it.

3For now it is heavier than the sand of the sea,

Which is why my words are wild.

4For the Almighty's arrows are in me

– My spirit has to drink their payload;

The terrors of God are arrayed against me.

5Does the wild ass bray over grass,

Or does the ox low over its fodder?

6Is bland food eaten without salt,

Or is there any taste in the white of an egg?

7I have no appetite for such things;

They are my uninviting food.

8If only my request might be considered,

And that God would grant my wish.

9If God were to be pleased to crush me,

To loosen his grip

And to cut me off,

10It would nevertheless be comfort to me,

And I would endure in writhing,

Which he would not spare,

For I have not concealed the holy one's words.

11What strength do I have,

That I should have hope?

And what is my final condition,

That I should prolong my life?

12Is my strength the strength of stones?

Is my flesh brazen?

13Is it not the case that I have no help in my own resources?

– And that competence has been driven away from me?

14To him who is in low spirits,

Kindness is due from his friend,

Even if he has abandoned fear of the Almighty.

15But my brothers have acted treacherously

Like a torrent,

Then like torrent tributaries,

They vanished.

16They are inhospitable, because of ice,

And in them snow is hidden.

17When they are exposed to scorching conditions,

They vanish;

In the heat,

They dry up on the spot.

18Their course is brought to a standstill;

They evaporate and are lost.

19The travelling companies of Tema looked on;

The caravans of Sheba put hope in them,

20But they were put to shame

For where each put his trust.

They arrived there

And were confounded.

21For now you are no comfort;

You see a terrible thing

And are afraid.

22Did I say, ‘Give me support’?

Or, ‘Offer me some of your wealth’?

23Or, ‘Deliver me from the clutches of adversity’?

Or, ‘Redeem me from the grip of fierce men’?

24Teach me,

And I will be silent,

And cause me to understand

In what way I have erred.

25How forcible words of uprightness are,

And how strongly reproving your reproof is!

26Do you think you have reproved my words?

Or scattered to the wind the words of one in despair?

27Indeed, you cast down orphans

And undermine your neighbour.

28So now, be willing to turn to me,

And it will be evident to you

If I lie.

29Reconsider, I pray,

Let there be no more injustice.

And reconsider also

Whether I am right about this.

30Is there any injustice in my tongue?

Can my palate not discern perverse things?”

Job Chapter 7 

1“Does man not have warfare here on earth?

And are not his days like the days of a hired labourer?

2As a servant pants for shade,

And as a hired labourer awaits the wages of his work,

3So I am made to endure months of calamity,

And nights of sorrow are appointed to me.

4Whenever I lie down, I say,

‘When will it be time for me to get up,

And the night be over?’

For I am full of restlessness

Until the morning twilight.

5My flesh is clothed in worms and clods of earth;

My skin breaks up and wastes away.

6My days pass more swiftly than a weaver's shuttle,

And they are spent without any hope.

7Remember that my life is but wind;

My eye shall not see goodness again.

8The eye of him who sees me will behold me no more,

But your eyes will be on me,

Though I will be no more.

9As the cloud dissipates and vanishes,

So he who goes down to the grave

Does not ascend again.

10He does not return again to his house,

And his home place will not welcome him again.

11But I too will not hold back my mouth,

I will speak in the distress of my spirit;

I will lament in the bitterness of my feelings.

12Am I the sea, or a sea-monster,

So that you should set a watch over me?

13For I have said,

‘My bed will comfort me;

My couch will ease my complaint’,

14But you terrify me in dreams

And frighten me with visions.

15My being would prefer suffocation;

It would prefer death to my intact body.

16I reject life;

I will not live on.

Leave me,

For my days are pointless.

17What is man,

That you should make him great?

– Or that you should set your heart on him?

18But you visit him every morning

And test him every moment.

19How long will you ignore me

And persist with me

Until I swallow my spittle?

20I have sinned

– What can I do to you, O guardian of man?

Why have you made me an object of confrontation with you,

So that I am a burden to you?

21And why do you not pardon my transgression

And forgive my iniquity?

For now I shall lie down on the dust,

And you will seek me diligently,

But I will not be there.”

Job Chapter 8 

1Then Bildad the Shuhite began to speak and said,

2“How long will you declaim these things?

And the words of your mouth are a great wind.

3Does God pervert justice?

Or does the Almighty pervert righteousness?

4What if your sons sinned against him,

And he has cast them out for their transgressions?

5If you would seek God diligently,

And make supplication to the Almighty,

6If you were pure and upright,

Then he would now bestir himself for you

And keep your righteous dwelling place safe.

7And however much your beginning may have been a small matter,

Yet your final situation would become very great.

8For inquire, I pray you, of a former generation,

And establish it by investigation of their fathers.

9For we are of yesterday,

And we do not know much at all,

For our days are just a shadow on the earth.

10Will they not teach you

And speak to you

And bring out words from their heart?

11Do papyrus plants grow without a swamp?

Does bulrush grow without water?

12While it is still in tender greenness,

It is not plucked away.

But it dries up quicker than any other kind of grass.

13So are the paths of all who forget God,

And the hope of the profane comes to nothing.

14Their hope is cut off,

And their object of trust turns out to be a spider's cobweb.

15When he leans on his house,

It will not stand;

He will hold it fast,

But it will not stand firm.

16As a tree which is moist in the sun,

Whose young shoot sprouts in its garden,

17Whose roots are intertwined at the water-source,

Which looks down on a house of stone,

18If anyone uproots it from its place,

The place will disown the tree, and say,

‘I do not care for you.’

19Behold, that would be the end of its joyful course,

And other plants would grow from its soil.

20Behold, God does not reject those of integrity,

And he does not hold the hand of evildoers.

21If you would seek God diligently,

God would not rest

Until he fills your mouth with laughter,

And your lips with a shout for joy.

22Those who hate you would be clothed in shame,

And the tent of the wicked would no longer exist.”

Job Chapter 9 

1Then Job replied and said,

2“Indeed I know it is so,

But how can a man be just with God?

3If he were to be pleased to contend with him,

The man could not answer one question out of a thousand.

4Who, however wise of heart and mighty in strength,

Ever hardened himself against him

And came off well?

5He removes mountains,

But they are unaware of it,

And he overturns them in his anger.

6He shakes the earth out of its place,

So that its pillars tremble.

7He commands the sun

And it does not rise,

And he sets a seal around the stars.

8He stretches out the heavens on his own,

And he treads on the heights of the sea.

9He made the Great Bear and Orion,

And the Pleiades and the constellations of the south.

10He performs great deeds

Which are beyond searching out,

And wonders which are without number.

11Behold, he passes me by,

But I do not see him.

He goes past,

But I do not perceive him.

12Behold, when he seizes something,

Who can make him return it?

Who can say to him,

‘What are you doing?’

13If God does not avert his anger,

Minions of pride must stoop before him.

14How much less can I answer him?

How could I choose my words in dispute with him?

15– When even if I were just,

I would not answer;

I would make my supplication to my judge.

16Even if I called him, and he answered me,

I would not believe that he had heard my voice.

17He could crush me with a storm

And multiply my wounds without a cause.

18He would not allow me to recover my breath,

For he would fill me with bitter things.

19If it is a matter of strength,

Behold, he is mighty.

And if of justice,

Who will appoint me a hearing?

20If I were to say, ‘I am justified’,

My mouth would be condemning me.

If I were to say, ‘I have integrity’,

It would convict me of perverseness.

21If I were to say, ‘I have integrity’,

I would not recognize myself;

I would loathe my life.

22It is all the same.

That is why I claim,

‘He makes an end of the integrous and wicked alike.’

23If a scourge suddenly kills,

It makes a mockery of the trial of the innocent.

24The earth has been delivered into the hand of the wicked one;

He has put a veil over the faces of its judges.

If it is not so,

Who, then, is he who is responsible?”

25“Now my days pass more swiftly than a runner.

They fly past;

They do not see goodness.

26They pass with the speed of papyrus boats,

As an eagle swoops after prey.

27If I were to say,

‘I will forget my complaint;

I will ignore my situation

And be cheerful’,

28I would be fearful with all my sorrows;

I would know

That you still wouldn't pronounce me innocent.

29Let me be considered wicked.

Why, then, do I go on struggling in vain?

30If I were to wash myself in snow

And purify my hands with soap,

31Then you would still plunge me into the pit,

And even my garments would abhor me.”

32“For he is not a man like me,

That I should be able to answer him, and say,

‘Let us go together to the court of justice.’

33There is no arbiter between us,

Who could put his hand on us both.

34Let him take away his rod from me,

And let him not frighten me with his terror.

35Then I would speak and not fear him,

But it is not so for me in my situation.

Job Chapter 10 

1My being is weary of my life.

I will consign my complaint to myself.

I will speak in the bitterness of my feelings.

2I will say to God,

‘Do not condemn me.

Tell me what you are contending with me about.

3Is it good in your sight that you should oppress?

– That you should reject the work of your hands?

– And that you should shine on the counsel of the wicked?

4Have you got eyes of flesh?

Do you see as man sees?

5Are your days like the days of mankind?

Are your years like the days of a man,

6When you seek my iniquity

And search for my sin?

7You know that I do not act wickedly,

But there is no-one to deliver me out of your hand.

8Your hands took pains to fashion me,

Yet all around, you swallow me up.

9Remember, I pray, that you fashioned me as with clay,

And that you will return me to the dust.

10Did you not pour me out like milk

And solidify me like cheese?

11You clothed me in skin and flesh

And wove me together with bones and sinews.

12You have granted me life and shown me kindness,

And your watchfulness has guarded my spirit,

13Yet you have hidden these things in your heart.

I know that this was your intention.

14If I were to sin,

You would observe me,

And you would not acquit me from my iniquity.

15If I have acted wickedly,

Woe is me.

If I have been righteous,

I will not lift my head.

I am full of ingloriousness;

Just look at my affliction.

16For it is increasing;

You hunt me like a fierce lion

And again use wondrous powers against me.

17You renew your testimonies against me

And increase your anger with me.

And a succession of forces is against me.

18And why did you bring me out of the womb?

I could have expired,

And no eye would have seen me.

19I would be as though I had not existed;

I would have been led from the womb to the grave.’

20Are not my days few?

If only he would desist and turn away from me,

Then I would be a little more cheerful

21Before I go (and do not return)

To the land of darkness and the shadow of death

22– A land of weariness like deep darkness,

And of the shadow of death,

Where no order reigns,

And where it shines deep darkness.”

Job Chapter 11 

1Then Zophar the Naamathite answered and said,

2“Shall a profusion of words not be answered?

And is a loquacious man necessarily right?

3Will your lies silence men?

Or will you mock,

With no-one putting you to shame?

4For you have said,

‘My doctrine is pure’,

And, ‘I have been clean in your eyes.’

5But if only God would speak

And open his lips with you

6And tell you the secrets of wisdom,

For they double the value of insight.

And know that God exacts retribution for your iniquity.

7Can you find God with an investigation?

Or can you find the Almighty with complete knowledge?

8What can you undertake concerning the heights of heaven?

What can you know about what is deeper than the underworld?

9Its dimensions are longer than the earth

And wider than the sea.

10If he passes by,

And confines and gathers people up,

Who can make him withdraw it?

11For he knows who the vain men are,

And he sees their wickedness

Although he does not appear attentive.

12But a witless man can become wise,

For a man is born like a wild ass.

13If you prepare your heart,

Then you can stretch out your hands to him.

14If there is vanity in your hands,

Remove it,

And do not let iniquity dwell in your tents.

15For then you will be able to hold your head high spotlessly,

And you will be steadfast,

And you will not need to fear.

16For then you will forget your sorrow

And remember it as you do water that passes by.

17A time will come brighter than noon.

You will soar;

You will be like the morning.

18You will trust,

For you will have hope,

And you will search matters out

And rest with confidence.

19And you will lie down

With nothing to cause alarm,

And many will seek your favour.

20But the eyes of the wicked will fail,

And flight will not be available to them,

And their hope will be as a puff of breath.”

Job Chapter 12 

1Then Job answered and said,

2“Truly, you constitute a people.

But your wisdom will die with you.

3But I also have intellect like you;

I am not inferior to you.

And who is not familiar with such things?

4I am an object of scorn to my neighbour

– One calling to God for him to answer him.

A just and integrous man is an object of scorn.

5A lamp is an object of contempt to the thoughts of him who is at ease,

Although it is prepared for those who are liable to stumble.

6The tents of the plunderers are at ease,

And those who provoke God have confidence

In what God brings in his hand.

7But ask, I pray, the beasts,

And each will teach you,

And the birds of the sky,

And they will inform you.

8Or speak to the earth

And it will teach you,

And the fish of the sea will recount it to you.

9Who does not know by means of all these

That the hand of the Lord has done this?

10– In whose hand the existence of every living being is,

And the spirit of all human flesh.

11Does not the ear discern the sense of words,

And the palate taste food?

12In the elderly is wisdom,

And in great age is understanding.

13With him there is wisdom and mastery;

He has counsel and understanding.

14Behold, he demolishes a building

So that it cannot be built up.

He shuts off a way to a man,

And it cannot be opened again.

15Behold, he shuts off water,

And it dries up,

And when he sends it again,

It overturns the earth.

16He has strength and insight;

He has dominion over him who goes astray

And him who leads astray.

17He leads counsellors stripped of honour,

And he makes a fool of judges.

18He dissolves the punishment inflicted by kings,

And he binds a girdle around their waist.

19He leads priests stripped of office,

And he overthrows the mighty.

20He removes the eloquence of the confident orator,

And he deposes the discernment of the elders.

21He pours contempt on dignitaries,

And he loosens the girdle of the mighty.

22He uncovers deep things from darkness,

And he brings the shadow of death into the light.

23He makes nations great

Then brings them to ruin;

He lets nations expand

Then leads them back.

24He removes reason from the chiefs of the various peoples of the earth

And causes them to wander in desolation,

Where there is no thoroughfare.

25They grope in the dark,

Where there is no light,

And he causes them to wander

Like a drunkard.

Reference(s) in Chapter 12: v.14 ↔ Revelation 3:7.

Job Chapter 13 

1Behold, my eye has seen everything;

My ear has heard it

And understood it.

2What you know,

I know too.

I am not inferior to you.

3But I would like to speak to the Almighty,

And I desire to reason with God.

4But you are fabricators of falsehood;

You are all physicians of no value.

5If only you would altogether keep silence;

For it would be wisdom to you.

6Hear, I pray, my reasoning,

And hearken to the contentions of my lips.

7Will you speak iniquitously to God ?

And speak deceitfully to him?

8Will you show partiality with him?

Or contend with God?

9Is it right that he should investigate you?

Or will you mock him as one mocks a man?

10He will certainly reprove you

If you secretly show partiality.

11Will not his exalted position alarm you

And his fear fall upon you?

12Your weighty sayings are proverbs of ashes;

Your defences are defences of clay.

13Stop talking to me,

And I will speak.

Then let come what may

Come on me.

14Why do I take my flesh in my teeth

And put my life in my hands?

15 Look, I do not expect him to kill me,

But I will contend for my ways before him.

16He is also my salvation,

For no profane person can come into his presence.

17Hear my words attentively,

And heed my arguments in your ears.

18Look, I pray, I have set out my case;

I know I shall be justified.”

19“Who is it who would contend with me?

For if I now keep silence,

I will expire.

20But avoid doing two things to me,

Then I need not be hidden from your presence.

21Remove your hand from me,

And do not alarm me with your foreboding.

22Then call, and I will answer,

Or I will speak, and you can answer me.

23How many iniquities and sins have I committed?

Make my transgression and my sin known to me.

24Why do you hide your face

And consider me to be your enemy?

25Will you put fear into a leaf

That is driven about?

Or will you pursue dry chaff?

26For you indict me with bitter things,

And you load on me the iniquities of my youth,

27Putting my feet in the stocks,

And watching all my paths closely,

And imprinting a mark on the soles of my feet,

28Each of which wastes away like rot,

As a moth eats a garment.

Job Chapter 14 

1Man, born of woman, is of few days,

And has his fill of trouble.

2He is as a flower that comes out

Then is cut off.

And he flees as a shadow

And does not stand in place.

3Nevertheless, you open your eyes on such a one

And bring me to judgment with you.

4Who can make a clean thing

From an unclean one?

– No-one.

5If his days are determined,

If the number of his months is your decision,

If you have appointed his limit,

Then he cannot exceed them.

6Regard him with favour,

Rather than being against him,

So that he may rest

– So that he may take pleasure in his day,

As a hired man does.

7For a tree has hope,

If it is cut down,

That it may sprout again

And that its sucker will not fail,

8Even if its root in the ground has grown old,

And its felled trunk dies on the ground.

9From the smell of water it blossoms

And produces a harvest like a new plant.

10But a man dies and loses vitality;

A human being expires,

Then where is he?

11As the water from the sea recedes,

And a river becomes desolate and dry,

12So a man lies down

And does not rise again

Until the heavens are no more.

They do not awaken,

And they do not rise from their sleep.

13If only you would hide me in the underworld

And conceal me until your anger abates

And appoint me a time

And then remember me.

14If a man dies,

Will he live again?

I will wait all the days of my struggle

For my revival to come.

15You will call,

And I will answer you.

You will yearn for the work of your hands.

16For now you can count my steps.

Are you not on guard concerning my sin?

17My transgression is sealed in a bag,

And you have sewn up my iniquity.

18But even a mountain can fall

And become waste,

And a rock can be removed from its place.

19Water wears down stones;

You sweep away with a flood the soil of the land,

And you destroy the hope of mortal man.

20You overpower him for perpetuity,

And he passes away.

You change his appearance

And dismiss him.

21His sons may acquire honour,

But he would not know,

Or they could be disparaged,

But he would not be aware of their situation.

22But meanwhile his flesh on him suffers pain,

And his inner self is in mourning.”

Job Chapter 15 

1Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered and said,

2“Does a wise man answer with knowledge which is nothing but hot air?

– Or does he fill his belly with the east wind?

3Does one argue with a word that is of no avail?

– Or with speeches in which there is no benefit?

4But you would even nullify fear

And minimize the dignity of colloquy with God.

5For your mouth spells out your iniquity,

And you choose crafty language.

6Your mouth condemns you

– Not I;

And your lips testify against you.

7Are you the first man to be born?

Were you brought forth before the hills?

8Have you heard the secret counsel of God?

Do you reserve wisdom to yourself?

9What do you know

That we don't know?

What do you understand

That we are not aware of?

10Amongst us are the elderly and aged,

Older than your father in days.

11Are the consolations of God too small a matter for you?

And are you indifferent to the matter?

12How come your heart is carrying you away?

How come your eyes are winking?

13For you are turning your spirit against God

When you bring such words out of your mouth.

14What is man

That he should be pure,

And that he who is born of a woman

Should be just?

15Behold, he does not put trust in his holy ones,

And the heavens are not pure in his sight.

16How much less a man abhorred and corrupt

– A man who drinks iniquity like water.

17I will explain it to you;

Listen to me,

And I will declare

What I have seen

18Things which wise men have told of

And have not hidden,

Handed down from their forefathers.

19To them alone the land was given,

And no stranger crossed through their midst.

20A wicked person writhes in discomfort all his days,

And the number of years of a violent man is hidden.

21A fearful sound is in his ears;

In a peaceful time the plunderer will come upon him.

22He does not believe he will return from darkness,

And he expects

To be destined for the sword.

23He wanders around looking for where there is food;

He knows that the day of darkness is at hand.

24Adversity and distress terrify him;

They prevail over him like a king ready for battle.

25For he stretches out his hand against God,

And he behaves insolently against the Almighty.

26He runs headlong against him

With thick bosses on his shields.

27For he has covered his face with fatness

And put on flab around his waist.

28So he will dwell in desolate cities,

Where houses are uninhabitable

– Which are on the point of becoming heaps of ruins.

29He will not become rich,

And his wealth will not endure.

So riches of such will not increase on earth.

30He does not depart from darkness.

A flame dries up his sucker,

And by the breath of his mouth he is removed.

31Let him who has been deceived not trust in vanity,

For vanity will be his recompense.

32His time will be fulfilled before it is due,

And his branch will not be green.

33He will be as a vine that shakes off its unripened grapes

And as an olive tree that casts off its blossom,

34For the congregation of the profane is fruitless,

And fire will consume the tents of the corrupt.

35They conceive sorrow

And give birth to worthlessness,

And their inner workings prepare deceit.”

Job Chapter 16 

1Then Job answered and said,

2“I have heard many arguments like these;

You are all wearisome comforters.

3Is there an end to vain words?

Or what has stimulated you to answer like that?

4I too could speak like you,

If only your well-being was in place of my predicament.

I could heap up words against you,

And I could shake my head at you.

5Or I could strengthen you with my speech,

Or the utterance of my lips could give you relief.

6But when I speak,

My pain is not relieved,

And if I forbear,

In what way does my pain go away?”

7“But even now it is distressing me.

You have desolated all my family circle.

8And you have made my face wrinkly;

It is a witness.

And the fact that I have become very lean

Testifies to my face.”

9In his wrath he tears me to pieces

And persecutes me.

He gnashes his teeth against me;

My adversary sharpens his eyes against me.

10People gape at me with their mouths;

They strike my cheek in reproach.

They act completely wantonly.

11God has delivered me to the evil one,

And he has thrown me into the hands of the wicked.

12I was at ease,

But he shook me to pieces,

And he took me by the scruff of the neck

And dashed me to smithereens

And set me up as his target.

13His archers surround me;

He cleaves my kidneys apart

And does not spare.

He sheds my gall on the ground.

14He breaks me with rupture upon rupture;

He runs at me like a warrior.

15I have sewn sackcloth around my skin;

I have to roll my dignity in the dust.

16My face has become inflamed with weeping,

And the shadow of death is on my eyelids,

17Not for any violence on my hands,

And my prayer was pure.

18O earth, do not cover my blood,

And let there be no room for my cry.

19Even now, behold, my witness is in the heavens,

And he who testifies for me is in the high places.

20Those who mock me are my friends;

My eye sheds tears to God

21That someone would plead on behalf of man with God,

As a son of Adam pleads on behalf of his friend.

22For when a few years have come,

I shall go the way

From which I will not return.”

Job Chapter 17 

1“My spirit is broken,

My days are extinguished;

The graves await me.

2There are certainly mockers all around me,

And my eye has to endure their provocation.

3Arrange an agreement, I pray;

Pledge yourself on my behalf.

Who else is there

Who will shake hands with me?

4For you have hidden understanding from their heart;

It being so, you will not exalt them.”

5“When a person betrays his friends for a share of spoils,

Even his sons' eyes fail in astonishment.

6But he has made me a byword of various nations,

And I have become one who is spat on.

7And my eye has grown dim with grief,

And all my limbs are as a shadow.

8The upright will be astonished at this,

And the innocent man will be stirred up against the profane.

9But the righteous will hold to his way,

And he who is of clean hands will increase in strength.

10But to all of them I say,

‘Return, and come, I pray,

For I do not find a single wise man among you.’

11My days are passing;

My plans are dashed,

As are the thoughts of my heart.

12They appoint me night for day;

The light is short-lived because of darkness.

13If I have a hope,

The underworld is my home.

In darkness I will spread my bed.

14I call out to bodily decay,

‘You are my father’,

And to the worm,

You are my mother and my sister.’

15So where then is my hope?

And as for my hope, who will see it?

16You will descend by the litter-poles of the underworld

When with you I find rest in the dust.”

Job Chapter 18 

1Then Bildad the Shuhite answered and said,

2“How long will it be

Before you make an end of such words?

First gain understanding,

And afterwards, we will speak.

3Why are we counted as cattle?

Why are we defiled in your eyes?

4You are the one who tears himself apart in his anger.

Should the earth be forsaken for your sake?

– Or a rock be removed from its place?

5Truly, the light of the wicked will be extinguished,

And no flame of such a one's fire will shine.

6Light will become darkness in his tent,

And his lamp will be extinguished over him.

7His iniquitous steps will be repressed,

And his own counsel will cast him down.

8For he is hurled into a net by his own feet,

And he will walk into an entanglement.

9A snare will seize him by the heel;

A noose around him will hold him fast.

10The tripwire for him is hidden on the ground,

As is a trap for him on the pathway.

11Terrors frighten him round about

And chase him around at his feet.

12Let his strength be exhausted

And destruction be prepared at his side.

13It will consume the fabric of his skin;

The firstborn of death will consume his members.

14His confidence will be plucked away from his tent,

And you will march him up to the king of terrors.

15Terror will dwell in his tent

Without him being able to do anything about it.

Sulphur will be scattered on his home.

16His roots will dry up below,

And his branches will be cut off above.

17The memory of him will perish from the land,

And he will have no reputation abroad.

18He will be driven from light to darkness;

He will be chased out of the world.

19He will have no posterity or progeny among his people,

And no survivor in his dwellings.

20Those who come afterwards

Will be astonished at his fate,

Just as those who come before it

Will have taken fright at it.

21But these are the dwellings of the unjust,

And this is the place of him

Who does not know God.”

Job Chapter 19 

1Then Job answered and said,

2“How long will you afflict my being

And crush me with your words?

3You have put me to shame these ten times

And are still not ashamed

That you alienate me like this.

4But even if it were true that I have erred,

My sense of error would remain with me.

5If you really will act proudly against me,

And argue against me on the grounds of my reproachful state,

6Know that God has overthrown me

And has cast his net around me.

7Behold, I call out,

It is wrong’,

But I am not answered.

I cry out,

But there is no process of judgment.

8He has fenced in my way

So that I cannot pass across,

And he has put darkness on my paths.

9He has stripped me of my honour,

And he has removed the crown from my head.

10He has demolished me all around,

And I have melted,

And he has removed my hope like a tree.

11And he has kindled his wrath against me,

And he has considered me as one of his adversaries.

12His troops come together

And raise up their highway against me

And encamp around my tent.

13He has removed my brothers from me,

And my acquaintances are thoroughly estranged from me.

14My relatives have disowned me,

And my colleagues have forgotten me.

15Those who dwell in my house and my handmaids

Consider me a stranger;

I have become a foreigner in their sight.

16I call my servant,

But he does not answer;

I implore him with my instructions.

17My breath is loathsome to my wife,

And I am abominable to the sons of my loins.

18Even young children reject me;

When I appear,

They jeer at me.

19All the members of my secret counsel abhor me,

And they whom I loved have turned against me.

20My bones cleave to my skin and flesh,

And I survive by the skin of my teeth.

21Have pity on me,

Have pity on me, my friends,

For the hand of God has struck me.

22Why do you persecute me like God,

And why are you not satisfied with the state of my flesh?

23If only my words could be written down now;

If only they could be inscribed in a book.

24If only they could be engraved in rock in perpetuity,

With an iron stylus, and lead filled.

25But I know that my redeemer lives,

And that in the end time he will appear on earth,

26And that after my skin has been destroyed like this,

I will in my flesh yet behold God,

27Whom I shall behold for myself,

And my eyes will see one

Who is not a stranger,

For whom my heart pines deeply.

28For will you say,

‘Why did we persecute him?’

Is the root of the matter to be found in me?

29Fear the sword,

For the punishments of the sword are full of fury,

In order that you may know that there is justice.”

Job Chapter 20 

1Then Zophar the Naamathite answered and said,

2“This is why my thoughts prompt me to answer,

And why I am hasty in doing so.

3I hear correction of my supposedly shameful stance,

And my discerning spirit gives me an answer.

4Do you not know this,

Known of olden time,

Since man was placed on the earth,

5That the rejoicing of the wicked is of short duration,

And the happiness of the profane is but for a moment?

6Even if his exaltation goes up to heaven,

And his head reaches to the clouds,

7He will perish in perpetuity like his dung.

Those who have seen him will say,

‘Where is he?’

8He will fly away like a dream

And will not be found,

And he will be driven away like a nightly vision.

9An eye may have seen him,

But it will do so no more,

And his home place will no longer welcome him.

10His sons will satisfy the poor,

And his own hands will repay his wealth.

11While his bones are still full of youthful vigour,

Each will lie down in the dust with him.

12Although wickedness is sweet in the mouth,

And he keeps it hidden under his tongue,

13Keeping it and not letting it go,

And retaining it in his mouth,

14His food will change in his bowels;

There will be adders' venom in his innards.

15He has swallowed down riches

And will vomit them up again;

God will drive them out of his stomach.

16He will suck adders' poison;

The tongue of the viper will kill him.

17May he not see streams

– The rivers and brooks of honey and butter.

18He will repay what is owed for his toil

And will not swallow it up.

According to his wealth, his debt of restitution will be,

And he will not rejoice in it,

19Because he crushed and abandoned the poor;

He seized a house

Which he did not build,

20And because he was never content inwardly,

Nor did he ever let a desirable object escape him.

21There is nothing that escapes his voracity,

Which is why his well-being will not last.

22In satisfying his greed,

He enters into straits.

Every distressing force shall come upon him.

23When he is about to fill his belly,

God will send his furious anger on him,

And he will rain it on him during his meal.

24He may flee from iron weaponry,

But the copper bow will pierce him through.

25And if one extract the arrow,

And it comes out of his back,

Or the blade comes out from his entrails,

Then terrors still await him.

26All darkness is reserved for his hidden treasures;

A fire not blown with bellows will devour him.

Any survivor in his tent will fare badly.

27The heavens will reveal his iniquity,

And the earth will rise up against him.

28The produce of his household will be taken away,

And various things will be poured out

On the day of his wrath.

29This is the fate of the wicked man from God,

And his appointed inheritance from God.”

Job Chapter 21 

1Then Job answered and said,

2“Listen carefully to my words,

And let this be your consolation.

3Bear with me, and I will speak,

And after my words, you can mock.

4Is my complaint made to man?

And if so, why should I not be impatient?

5Turn towards me and be astonished,

And put your hand over your mouth.

6If I remember it,

I am terrified,

And fear takes hold of my body.

7Why do the wicked live

And grow old,

And even increase their power?

8Their seed is established with them in their presence,

And their progeny in their sight.

9Their houses are free of fear,

But there is no rule of God over them.

10His ox procreates

And is not infertile;

His cow calves

And does not miscarry.

11They let their little ones frolic like lambs,

And their children dance around.

12They lift up their spirits with drum and harp,

And they rejoice to the sound of the flute.

13They spend their days in well-being,

But in a moment they descend to the underworld.

14Yet they say to God,

‘Depart from us’,

And, ‘We do not take pleasure in knowledge of your ways.

15Who is the Almighty,

That we should serve him,

And in what way are we profited,

That we entreat him?’

16Behold, their well-being is not under their control.

The conduct of the wicked is far from me.

17But you say,

‘How often the lamp of the wicked is extinguished,

And how often their downfall comes upon them!

He apportions them agony in his anger.

18They will be as straw in the wind,

And as chaff which the storm carries away.

19God reserves his punishment for the man's iniquity for his sons;

He retributes him,

And he knows it.

20His eyes will see his demise,

And he will drink from the wrath of the Almighty.

21For what pleasure does he leave in his house after him

When the number of his months is cut in half?’

22Can anyone teach God knowledge?

Or will he judge those on high?

23One dies in the prime of his strength

When he is entirely at ease and comfortable.

24His bottles are full of milk,

And the marrow of his bones is well-nourished.

25Another dies with bitter feelings

And does not partake of the goodness.

26Together in the dust they lie

And the worm covers them both.

27Behold, I know your thoughts

And your devices,

Which do violence to me.

28For you say,

‘Where is the noble's house?’

And, ‘Where is the tent of the dwellings of the wicked?’

29Have you not asked the passers-by?

Do you not recognize their writing?

30They say,

‘For the wicked man is reserved to the day of calamity;

They will be led to the day of wrath.’

31Who will tell him his way to his face?

And who will repay him for what he has done?

32So he will be led to the burial places,

And he will take his place in his sepulchral mound.

33The covering of turf from the brook will be sweet to him.

And every man after him will face the same fate,

As have countless before him,

34So how can you comfort me with vanity,

And with answers in which treachery remains?”

Job Chapter 22 

1Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered and said,

2“Is a man profitable to God?

For a prudent man is profitable to himself.

3Is it a matter of delight to the Almighty

If you are righteous?

Or is it gain to him

That you act with integrity in your ways?

4Will he contend with you for fear of you?

Will he enter with you into a judicial process?

5Is not your wickedness great?

And is there no end to your iniquities?

6– Whether you bind your brothers by a pledge gratuitously,

Or strip off the clothes of those you leave naked,

7Or you don't give the weary water to drink,

Or you withhold bread from the hungry?

8Or you may be of those who say,

‘The earth belongs to the powerful man’,

And, ‘Let him who is of elevated station dwell in it.’

9You may have sent away widows empty-handed

And stood by when the arms of orphans were crushed.

10That is why there are snares all around you,

And fear suddenly grips you,

11Or darkness so that you can't see anything,

Or a flood of water which will cover you.

12Is not God in the height of the heavens?

For see how high the foremost stars are.

13And you may have said,

‘What does God know?

Can he judge through dark clouds?

14Thick clouds are his secret covering,

And he cannot see,

And he walks round in the circuit of heaven.’

15Have you observed the age-old path

Which vain men have trodden?

16They become wrinkly before their time;

A river is spilled over their foundation.

17They say to God,

‘Depart from us’,

And ask how the Almighty can profit them.

18Yet he filled their houses with good things.

So the counsel of the wicked is far from me.

19The righteous will see their downfall and rejoice,

And the innocent man will mock them

20And say,

‘Our adversary will certainly be obliterated,

And fire will consume their remnant.’

21Become familiar, I pray, with him,

And be at peace with them,

And your future will be good.

22Receive, I pray, the law from what he says,

And put his declarations in your heart.

23If you return to the Almighty,

You will be built up.

So remove iniquity from your tent,

24And cast your fine gold on the dust,

And your Ophir gold on a torrent boulder,

25And the Almighty will be your fine gold

And your silver treasure.

26For then you will delight in the Almighty,

And you will lift up your face to God.

27You will entreat him,

And he will hear you,

And you will fulfil your vows.

28And you will make a declaration

Which will hold good for you,

And light will shine on your ways.

29When others are brought low,

You will say,

Such is the consequence of pride,

But he saves the humble.’

30He delivers the estate of the innocent,

And deliverance comes through the cleanness of your hands.”

Job Chapter 23 

1Then Job answered and said,

2“Today, too, my complaint is bitter;

My vitality has become listless with all my sighing.

3If only I knew where I could find him,

I would go to his judgment seat.

4I would set out my case before him

And fill my mouth with arguments.

5I would acknowledge the words

Which he would answer me,

And I would understand

What he would say to me.

6Would he contend with me with great power?

No; he would certainly consider me.

7There, the upright disputes with him,

And I would be delivered in perpetuity from my judge.

8If I go forwards,

He is not there,

And if backwards,

I do not discern him,

9Or to the left where he is at work,

I do not behold him;

If he envelops himself on the right,

I do not see him.

10However, he knows the way I take.

When he examines me,

I will come out as gold.

11My foot takes hold of his step;

I keep his way

And do not turn aside.

12As for his commandment which he has uttered,

I have not drawn back from what was appointed me.

I have treasured up the words which he has pronounced.

13But he is of one mind,

And who can make him go back on it?

His will desires a thing,

And he performs it.

14For he will carry out

What has been appointed for me,

And many such things

He has in store.

15That is why I will fear his presence.

When I consider the matter,

I am fearful of him.

16But God makes my heart faint,

And the Almighty causes me alarm,

17For I have not been cut off in the face of darkness,

Nor has he put a covering of gloom over my face.

Job Chapter 24 

1Why, seeing that the times are not hidden from the Almighty,

And they are known,

Do they not see his dealings?

2They move boundaries,

And they snatch away a flock

And pasture it.

3They drive away an orphan's donkey;

They take away a widow's ox as security.

4They turn the poor aside from the way;

The poor of the earth are driven into hiding together.

5See how as wild asses in the desert they go out

In their business of diligently seeking food.

An arid tract is feeding ground

For each and for their young.

6In the field they reap their food,

And they glean the vineyard of a wicked man.

7They spend the night naked for lack of clothing,

And they have no covering in the cold.

8They become wet with mountain rainstorms,

And for lack of shelter they embrace a rock.

9They tear away the orphan for gain,

And they enslave the poor with debt.

10They cause him to go naked for lack of clothing,

And they take away the sheaf from the hungry.

11Within their walls they press out new oil;

They tread the wine vats,

Yet are thirsty.

12From the city, men groan,

And the inward being of the wounded cries out,

Yet God does not impute them their depravity.

13These people are those who rebel against the light;

They do not recognize his ways,

And they do not remain in his paths.

14At first light the murderer rises

And kills the poor and needy,

And at night he is a thief.

15The eye of the adulterer observes darkness,

Saying, ‘No eye shall behold me’,

And he puts a covering on his face.

16He breaks into houses in the darkness,

Which in the daytime they mark out for themselves.

They do not know the light.

17For the morning for them is altogether the shadow of death,

For each knows the terrors of the shadow of death,

18Which is swift upon the surface of the water;

Their portion is cursed upon the earth.

He will not return to the way of the vineyards.

19As drought and heat snatch away the snowy waters,

So the grave snatches those who have sinned.

20The womb will disown him;

The worm will feed sweetly on him.

He will no longer be remembered,

And iniquity will be shivered like a tree.

21He devours the barren,

Who has not given birth,

And to the widow he does not do good.

22He drags away the mighty by his strength;

He rises,

And no-one is sure of his life.

23God grants him security,

And he relies on it,

But his eyes are on their ways.

24They are exalted for a little while,

Then they are gone,

And they waste away.

Like all others, they are gathered into the grave.

And like the top of a stem of corn,

They are cut off.

25And if it is not so, who will convict me of falsehood

And make my speech null and void?”

Job Chapter 25 

1Then Bildad the Shuhite answered and said,

2“Dominion and fear are with him

The one who makes peace in his high places.

3Do his troops have a number?

And upon whom does his light not rise?

4And how can man be justified with God?

And how can he who is born of a woman be pure?

5Behold, even the moon

(But it does not shine,)

And the stars

Are not pure in his sight.

6How much less man,

Destined for worms,

And the son of Adam,

Destined for maggots.”

Job Chapter 26 

1Then Job answered and said,

2“How have you have helped him

Who is without power,

And saved him

Whose arm is without strength?

3How have you given counsel to him

Who is without wisdom?

And how have you taught insight

To the multitude?

4To whom have you declared words,

And whose inspiration came from you?

5Do the Rephaim give birth under the water,

Or do those who lie there with them?

6The grave is naked before him,

And there is no covering for the place of destruction.

7He stretches out the north over desolation,

And hangs the earth on nothing,

8Binding up waters on his thick clouds,

While the cloud below them is not laid open.

9He takes hold of the front of his throne

And spreads his cloud on it.

10He circumscribes a bound round the surface of the water

At the terminator between light and dark.

11The pillars of heaven are shaken

And are astonished at his rebuke.

12By his power the sea roars,

And by his understanding

He dashes pride.

13By his spirit the heavens are beautifully made;

His hand formed the constellation of the fleeing serpent.

14Behold, these are the outlines of his ways,

For only a whisper of the matter is heard,

But who can understand the thunder of his power?”

Job Chapter 27 

1Then Job went further in expounding his argument and said,

2As God lives,

Who has taken my justice away,

And the Almighty,

Who has embittered my feelings,

3As long as my breath is in me,

And the spirit of God is in my nostrils,

4My lips shall certainly not speak wickedness,

And my tongue shall certainly not utter deceit.

5Far be it from me to justify you.

I will not renounce my integrity

Before I expire.

6I have held on to my righteousness,

And I will not relent on it.

My heart shall not reproach me

In all my days.

7Let my enemy be declared wicked,

And my opponent unjust.

8For what is the hope of the profane

If he has made unjust gain,

If God is indifferent to his life?

9Will God hear his cry

When adversity comes upon him?

10Will he delight in the Almighty?

Will he call on God at all times?”

11“I will teach you by the hand of God;

I will not hide that which is with the Almighty.

12Behold, all of you have seen it.

Why then do you act so very vainly?

13This is the portion of the wicked man with God,

And the inheritance which tyrants receive from the Almighty.

14If his sons become numerous,

They will be destined for the sword,

And his offspring will not be satisfied with bread.

15Those who survive him will be buried in death,

And his widowed daughters-in-law will not weep.

16If he heaps up silver like dust

And prepares luxury clothing like clay,

17He may prepare it,

But the righteous man will wear it,

And the innocent will divide the silver.

18He builds a house like the moth,

And as a booth which a guard makes.

19The rich man lies down

But is not reunited with his forefathers;

He opens his eyes,

And his wealth has gone.

20Every terror will overtake him like water;

At night a whirlwind will steal him away.

21The east wind will bear him away,

And away he will go,

And a storm will sweep him from his place.

22For he will cast terrors on him,

And he will not spare.

He will certainly want to flee from his hand.

23He will clap his hands at him

And hiss him away from his place.

Job Chapter 28 

1Now for silver there is a vein,

And there is a place where they refine gold.

2Iron is obtained from ore,

And mineral is cast into copper.

3The miner discounts darkness,

And in every direction he searches for minerals,

In thick darkness and the shadow of death.

4He sinks a shaft with a migrant workforce,

Who do not use their feet.

They are lowered down;

They move about unnaturally.

5As for the land, from it comes bread,

But underneath it,

It is like fire swirling around.

6Amongst its stones is a place of sapphire;

It includes gold-bearing ore.

7This is a path which the bird of prey does not know,

And the eye of the kite has not seen.

8The lion's whelps have not trodden it,

And the fierce lion has not passed along it.

9At the flint he applies his hand;

He overturns mountains at their roots.

10He cuts out galleries in the rocks,

And his eye sees every kind of precious gemstone.

11He blocks underground rivers from gushing,

And he brings a hidden thing to light.

12But from where is wisdom obtained?

And where is the place of understanding?

13Man does not know its value,

Nor is it found in the land of the living.

14The ocean says,

‘It is not in me’,

And the sea says,

It is not with me.’

15Gold cannot be given in exchange for it,

And silver cannot be weighed out as its price.

16It cannot be piled in the scales against fine gold from Ophir

Or valuable onyx or sapphire.

17Gold and crystal cannot match its value,

Nor is its exchange value an object of purified gold.

18Precious gems and crystal are not worth a mention,

But the acquisition of wisdom is worth more than red corals.

19Ethiopian topaz cannot match its value,

Nor can it be piled in the scales against pure gold.

20But as for wisdom – where does it come from?

And where is the place of understanding?

21Well, it is concealed from the eyes of every living being,

And it is hidden from the birds of the sky.

22Destruction and death say,

‘We have heard of its reputation with our ears.’

23God understands its way,

And he knows its place.

24For he looks to the ends of the earth;

He sees what is under all the heavens.

25It was to give weight to the wind

When he weighed water accurately,

26And when he issued a statute to the rain,

And a way for lightning and thunderclaps.

27Then he saw it

And declared it.

He established it

And searched it out.

28And he said to man,

‘Behold, the fear of the Lord* is wisdom,

And to depart from evil is understanding.’ ”

Job Chapter 29 

1Then Job again delivered a discourse on his part and said,

2“If only I were as in months past,

As in the days when God protected me,

3When he shone his light on my head,

When I walked by his light in darkness,

4When I was in my autumnal days,

With the secret counsel of God in my tent,

5When the Almighty was still with me,

When my children were round about me,

6When my steps were washed with buttermilk

And the rock poured out streams of oil for me,

7When I went out to the gate of the city,

And when I prepared my seat in the street.

8Young men would see me and make way for me,

And old men would rise and stand.

9Princes would hold back their words

And put their hand to their mouth.

10The voice of the governors would be hushed,

And their tongue would cleave to their palate.

11For the ear that heard me would bless me,

And the eye that saw me would bear witness to me.

12For I delivered the poor who cried out,

And the orphan who had no-one to help him.

13The blessing for him who was dying would fall to me,

And I would cause the heart of the widow to rejoice.

14I put on righteousness,

And it clothed me;

My justice was as a coat and turban.

15I was eyes to the blind,

And I was feet to the lame.

16I was a father to the poor,

And if there was a dispute

Which I did not know the details of,

I would investigate it.

17And I broke the incisors of the unjust,

And I plucked the spoil out of his teeth.

18And I said,

‘I will expire when my home does,

And multiply my days like the sand.’

19My root spread out to the water,

And dew lodged on my branch.

20The honour I had was fresh,

And my bow in my hand was full of vitality.

21Men would listen to me and wait;

They would be silent for my advice.

22After my words they did not differ with me,

And my words condensed on them.

23And they waited for me as for rain,

And they would open their mouth as for the latter rain.

24They had the certainty that I would not laugh at them,

And they would never depress my cheerfulness.

25I chose their course of action for them,

And I sat as chief,

And I dwelt like a king among his troops,

And as one who comforts those who mourn.

Job Chapter 30 

1But now those who are younger than me in days laugh at me,

Whose fathers I would have declined to appoint in charge of my sheepdogs.

2Moreover, what use would their strong hands have been to me,

Considering they lacked maturity?

3Through want and hunger they were unproductive;

They were gnawing scraps in a drought-plagued land

Which was in former time desolate and desolated.

4They would pluck mallow among the shrubs,

And their food was the root of broom.

5They were driven out of the community;

People sounded an alarm at them as at a thief,

6So that they lived in dangerous gullies

In holes in the ground and in rocks.

7They brayed among the shrubs;

They gathered together under the thorn bushes.

8They are the sons of the foolish

– Verily, the sons of those of no repute.

They were forcibly driven from the land.

9And now I have become their song,

And I have become their byword.

10They abhor me;

They keep their distance from me,

And they do not refrain from spitting in my face.

11For he has loosed my cord and oppressed me,

And they have behaved in an unbridled way towards me.

12On the right, a rabble rises up;

They trip up my feet

And set up against me their destructive ways.

13They ravage my path,

They take advantage of my plight;

They do it gratuitously.

14As through a wide breach they come;

Accompanied by destruction, they roll on.

15Terrors are turned on me,

Which pursue my dignity like the wind,

And my salvation has passed away like a cloud.

16And now my heart is poured out on me;

Days of affliction have taken their hold on me.

17At night my bones give me shooting pain;

My gnawing nerves do not rest.

18With great tightness my covering of skin is like a disguise;

Like the collar of my tunic, it girds me.

19He has cast me into the mire,

And I have become like dust and ashes.”

20“I cry out to you,

But you do not answer me.

I endure the time

For you to attend to me.

21You have become fierce to me;

You persecute me with your strong hand.

22You bear me away,

You cause me to ride on the wind;

You dissolve my wealth.

23For I know that you will return me to death,

And to the house appointed for all the living.”

24“But he does not stretch out his hand to a mound of stones,

Even at their cry in one's demise.

25I most certainly wept for him who was in difficult times;

My inner being mourned for the needy.

26For I waited for good,

But evil came,

And I expected light,

But thick darkness arrived.

27My inward parts are agitated,

And they will not be silent;

The days of affliction are in front of me.

28I go about downcast,

With no bright spirit.

I stand,

And in the convocation I cry for help.

29I have become a brother to jackals,

And a neighbour to ostriches.

30My skin has turned black on me

As my bones burn as from dry heat.

31And my harp has become a lamentation,

And my flute the sound of those weeping.

Job Chapter 31 

1I have made a covenant concerning my eyes;

Now why should I pay attention to a virgin?

2And what is one's portion from God above,

And one's inheritance from the Almighty in the heights?

3Is it not calamity to the unjust man,

And alienation to the perpetrators of iniquity?

4Does he not see my ways

And count all my steps?

5And know whether I have walked with vanity,

And whether my foot has hastened to deceit?

6Let him weigh me with just balances

So that God may know my integrity

7– Whether my step has turned aside from the way,

And whether my heart has followed my eyes,

And whether any spot has cleaved to my hands.

8If so, then let me sow,

And another eat,

And let my offspring be eradicated.

9If my heart has been seduced by a woman,

Or if I have lain in wait at the door of my neighbour,

10Then let my wife grind flour for another,

And let other servants bow to her as mistress.

11For such behaviour would be depravity,

And that is a judicial offence.

12For such a fire would consume me to destruction,

And it would root out all my produce.

13If I have rejected the justice of my manservant or my maidservant

In their dispute with me,

14Then what should I do if God rises up,

And if he deals with the case?

What should I answer him?

15Did not he who made me in the womb

Also make the other?

Did not he form us

In one kind of womb?

16I have certainly not withheld my support from the poor,

Or caused the eye of the widow to languish,

17Nor eaten my morsel on my own,

With the orphan not partaking of it.

18For from my youth the orphan grew up while I was as a father,

And from my mother's womb I guided the widow.

19If I saw anyone perishing for want of clothing,

Or if the poor had no covering,

20His loins certainly were grateful to me

As he warmed himself in fleece from my lambs.

21If I have lifted up my hand against the orphan

When I saw at the gate a need for my help,

22May my shoulder fall from the shoulder blade,

And my arm be broken from the arm socket.

23For fear was upon me

Of a downfall from God,

For I cannot prevail against his exalted position.

24If I have made gold my hope

And said to fine gold,

You are my ground of reliance’;

25If I have delighted because my wealth was great,

Or because my hand had found abundance,

26Or if I saw sunlight when it shone,

Or the moon making its course in honour,

27And my heart was deceived in secret,

And my hand kissed my mouth,

28This too would have been a judicial offence,

For I would have acted falsely towards God above,

29Or if I have rejoiced

At the demise of him who hates me,

And I have been uplifted

When evil befell him.

30I have not allowed the roof of my mouth to sin

By asking for a curse on his life.

31It is the men of my household who certainly said,

‘If only we had a part of his flesh;

We are not satisfied.’

32The foreigner has not had to lodge out in the open;

I have opened my doors to the traveller.

33If I have covered my transgressions like Adam,

By hiding my iniquity in my bosom,

34Then may I fear a great multitude,

And the contempt of families intimidating me,

So that I become silent

And do not go out of doors.

35If only I had someone who would listen to me.

If only the Almighty would answer me with a written charge for me,

And the one who is contending with me

Would write out the case against me in a book.

36I would certainly bear it on my shoulder

And bind it to myself like crowns.

37I would declare the number of my steps;

Like a prince I would approach him.

38If my ground cries out against me,

And if its furrows weep together,

39If I have eaten the produce of it without paying,

If I have caused the inner selves of those entitled to it to gasp,

40Then let thistles come up instead of wheat,

And weeds instead of barley.

The words of Job are complete.”

Job Chapter 32 

1Then these three men ceased answering Job, because he was righteous in his own eyes. 2But the anger of Elihu the son of Barachel the Buzite, of the family of Ram, was kindled against Job. His anger was kindled because he justified himself rather than God. 3And his anger was kindled against his three friends, because they did not find an answer, and they condemned God. 4Now Elihu had waited for Job in his discourse, because they were older than him in days. 5When Elihu saw that there was no answer in the mouth of the three men, his anger was kindled. 6And Elihu the son of Barachel the Buzite answered and said,

“I am young in days,

But you are aged,

So I was diffident and fearful about declaring my opinion to you.

7I said to myself,

‘Let days speak,

And let years of life make wisdom known.’

8Surely there is a spirit in man,

But it is the breath of the Almighty

Which enlightens them.

9It is not the great who are wise,

Or elders who understand justice.

10So I said,

‘Listen to me;

I also will give my opinion.’

11Behold, I have waited for your discourse;

I gave ear to your expositions

Until you had searched out all your arguments.

12So I gave heed to you,

But look, Job does not have anyone who has convicted him among you,

Giving a proper answer to his words.

13I speak lest you should say,

‘We have found wisdom;

It is God who is demolishing him,

Not man.’

14He did not marshal his arguments against me,

And neither shall I answer him with your orations.”

15“They were confounded

And they did not answer any more.

Words failed them.

16And I waited,

But they did not speak,

For they stood,

Without answering any more.”

17“I too will answer my part;

I too will declare my opinion.

18For I am full of words;

The spirit of my inmost part constrains me.

19Behold, my belly is like unopened wine;

Like new leather bottles,

It is on the point of bursting.

20I will speak

And it will give me relief;

I will open my lips

And answer.

21Let me not, I pray, show partiality,

And let me not call any man by a title.

22For I do not know how to call by titles.

If I did,

My maker would soon take me away.

Job Chapter 33 

1And so Job, please listen to my address,

And give ear to all my words.

2Behold, I pray, I have opened my mouth;

My tongue has spoken in my oral cavity.

3My words are from the uprightness of my heart,

And my lips speak knowledge clearly.

4The spirit of God made me,

And the breath of the Almighty gave me life.

5If you can, answer me,

Set out your arguments before me;

Take your stand.

6You see, I am here,

As you asked,

On behalf of God.

I too was formed from clay.

7Behold, the shock of me need not frighten you,

Nor will my demands weigh down on you.

8You certainly spoke in my ears,

And I heard the sound of your words,

When, Job, you said,

9‘I am pure, without transgression;

I am faultless,

And there is no iniquity in me.

10See how he finds a pretext against me;

He considers me as his enemy.

11He places my feet in fetters;

He watches all my paths.’

12Behold, in this argumentation you are not just,

I answer you,

For God is greater than man.

13Why do you strive against him,

In that he does not answer you

Concerning any of his affairs?

14For on one occasion God may speak,

And on a second occasion he may not attend to the matter.

15In a dream, a nightly vision,

When sleep falls on men,

In slumber on the bed,

16He then opens up the ears of men,

And in correcting them,

He seals them,

17To remove man from his dealings

And to put pride out of sight of men.

18He spares his body from the pit,

And his life from the piercing of a missile.

19He is corrected with pain on his bed,

And with mighty conflict in his bones,

20So that his condition in life makes him lose appetite for food,

And it makes his being reject exquisite fare.

21His flesh is consumed so as not to be visible,

And his bones stick out, which previously would not be seen.

22And his being draws nearer to the pit,

And his life to the killers.

23If there is an interpreting angel by his side

– One out of a thousand –

To declare to a man whether he is upright,

24Then he will be merciful to him and will say,

‘Deliver him from going down into the pit;

I have found a ransom.’

25His flesh will be made fresher than that of his youth;

He will return to the days of his young adulthood.

26He will make supplication to God,

And he will accept him,

And he will see his face with a shout for joy,

And he will render to man his righteousness.

27He will look upon man,

And if a man says,

‘I have sinned and perverted what is upright,

And it did not satisfy me’,

28He will deliver his being from passing into the pit,

And his life will see light.

29See how God performs all these things,

Twice or three times with man,

30To bring back his life from the pit,

And to be enlightened in the light of life.

31Hearken, Job,

And listen to me;

Be silent,

And I will speak.

32If you have words,

Answer me.

Speak,

For I wish to justify you.

33If not, listen to me;

Be silent,

And I will teach you wisdom.”

Job Chapter 34 

1Furthermore Elihu continued speaking and said,

2You who are wise,

Hear my words,

And you who are knowledgeable,

Give ear to me.

3For the ear puts words to the test,

As the palate tastes that which is to be eaten.

4Let us choose justice for ourselves;

Let us find out among ourselves what is good.

5For Job has said,

‘I am just,

But God has taken away my justice.

6Do I lie concerning my justice?

The arrow with which I have been struck is grievous,

Though I am without transgression.’

7What man is like Job?

He drinks mockery like water,

8And he travels in the company of perpetrators of iniquity,

And he walks with wicked men.

9For he has said,

‘It does not profit a man

To take delight in God.’

10Therefore listen to me, you men of understanding.

Far be God from wickedness,

And the Almighty from iniquity.

11For he repays a man his work,

And according to the way of a man,

So he requites him.

12It is indeed certain that God does not act wickedly,

And that the Almighty does not pervert justice.

13Who gave him charge over the earth?

And who appointed him over the whole world?

14If he were to consider only himself,

And to gather to himself his spirit and his breath,

15All flesh would expire together,

And man would return to dust.

16Now if you have understanding,

Listen to this.

Give ear to the sound of my words.

17Can one who hates justice make binding laws?

Or will you condemn the great just one?

18Is it fitting to say to a king,

You are useless’,

Or to princes,

You are wicked’?

19How much less to him who does not show partiality to nobles,

And who does not favour the opulent above the poor?

For all of them are the work of his hands.

20In a moment, they die,

And in the middle of the night a people is shaken,

And they pass away.

A mighty people is removed,

But not by hand.

21For his eyes are on the ways of man,

And he sees all his steps.

22There is no darkness,

And there is no shadow of death,

For the perpetrators of iniquity to hide there.

23For he no longer makes charges against man

For him to enter into a judicial process with God;

24He breaks the mighty in an unsearchable way

And sets up others in their place.

25So then, he recognizes their works

And overturns them at night,

And they are broken in pieces.

26He strikes them on account of their wicked deeds

In a place where people can see it,

27Because they turned away from following him,

And they did not prudently attend to any of his ways,

28So bringing the cry of the poor to him,

So that he heard the cry of the needy.

29When he imposes quietness,

Who can act wickedly?

And when he hides his face,

Who can see him?

And whether it is against a people or whether against a man,

It is the same.

30He acts so that the profane man cannot reign,

Giving protection from snares targeting the people.

31For does one say to God,

‘I have suffered punishment;

I will no longer act perversely.

32Teach me what I do not see;

If I have committed iniquity,

I will do so no more.’

33Should he repay you for it on your terms,

And say,

It does not matter if you reject one thing or choose another,

And I have no say?

So say what you know.’

34Let men of understanding speak to me,

And let the wise man listen to me.

35Job has not spoken knowledgeably,

And his words were not prudent.

36My desire is that Job should be tested to the limit,

Because his answers were in line with those of iniquitous men.

37For he has added transgression to his sin;

He has clapped his hands in our company

And spoken at length against God.”

Job Chapter 35 

1Furthermore Elihu continued speaking and said,

2“Did you think it was justice when you said,

‘My righteousness is greater than that of God’?

3For you asked what benefit you had,

And you said,

‘What advantage is there to me in desisting from my sin?’

4I will reply to you with words

And to your companions with you.

5Look at the heavens and see,

And behold the clouds which are higher than you.

6If you sin,

What impact do you have on him?

And if your transgressions are many,

What effect do you have on him?

7If you are righteous,

What will you give him?

Or what will he accept from your hand?

8Your wicked deed is one thing to a man like yourself,

As is your righteousness to a son of Adam.

9Men may cry out on account of a multitude of oppressions;

They may shout out because of the power of the mighty,

10But no-one says,

‘Where is God my maker,

Who gives songs in dark times,

11Who is our teacher of things beyond the cattle of the earth,

And who makes us wise in matters deeper than the birds of the sky?’

12There, they cry out,

But he does not answer them,

Because of the pride of evil men.

13Surely God does not hearken to vanity,

And the Almighty does not see it favourably.

14How much less when you would say to him,

‘You do not see it favourably.’

When judgment is taking place before him,

Wait for him.

15And now, you say that it is not in anger

That he visits men,

And that he does not acknowledge great excess.

16So Job has opened his mouth in vain,

And he has uttered many words without knowledge.”

Job Chapter 36 

1Then Elihu continued and said,

2“Stay around me a little while,

And I will declare more to you,

For God still has words to come.

3I will take the sum of my knowledge

Which comes from afar

And ascribe righteousness to my maker.

4For truly, my words are not false;

He who is omniscient is with you.

5Behold, God is mighty,

And he does not reject anyone;

He is mighty in depth of character.

6He does not preserve the wicked man alive,

But gives justice to the poor.

7He will not withdraw his eyes from the righteous,

For he seats them with kings on the throne,

And he accommodates them in perpetuity,

And they are exalted.

8And if any are bound in fetters,

If they are taken by the cords of affliction,

9Then he tells them their work,

Including their transgressions,

When they behaved insolently.

10And he opens their ears to correction,

And tells them that they must renounce iniquity.

11If they hearken and serve him,

They will complete their days in prosperity,

And their years in pleasantness.

12But if they do not hearken,

They will perish by the missile,

And they will expire in ignorance.

13And the profane-minded lay up wrath;

They cannot cry out,

For he binds them.

14They die in youth,

And their life ends among male prostitutes.

15He delivers the afflicted in his affliction,

And he opens their ears in their oppression.

16And indeed he would draw you away from the jaws of straitness

To a broad place

So that there is no distress in the vicinity,

And that which is set on your table

Would be full of fatness.

17But you are full of judgment belonging to the wicked;

Judgment and justice are taking hold of you.

18When there is fury,

Beware lest he draw you away at a stroke,

To where no great ransom can lead you back.

19Will he respect your riches,

You who are not in straitness?

No, nor will he respect any exercise of power.

20Do not desire the night,

When whole peoples are upheaved on the spot.

21Beware and do not turn to iniquity,

For you have chosen this way

Rather than the way of affliction.

22You see how God exalts by his power.

Who is a teacher like him?

23Who appointed him his way?

And who can say,

‘You have committed iniquity’?

24Remember this when you extol his work,

Which men gaze upon.

25All men have seen it;

Mortal man beholds it from afar.

26Behold, God is exalted,

And we do not know the number of his years,

And there is no way of searching them out.

27For he draws off particles of water

Which condense as rain in his mist

28And distil as fine clouds;

They precipitate on man abundantly.

29Can anyone really understand the spreading out of clouds

Or the rumblings of his abode?

30Behold, he spreads his light out over it

And covers the sea bed.

31Yet by these weather phenomena he judges nations

And gives food abundantly.

32With his hands he grasps the lightning

And commands it where to strike.

33Its noise warns of it;

Cattle do so too,

Of what is arising.

Job Chapter 37 

1Moreover, at this my heart trembles,

And it is unsettled.

2Listen diligently to the raging of his voice,

And the rumbling which proceeds from his mouth.

3He directs it under all the heavens,

And his light extends to the extremities of the earth.

4After it, the sound roars.

He causes thunder with his majestic sound,

And no-one can trace these things

When his voice is heard.

5God thunders with his voice wondrously,

Performing great deeds

Which we do not know about.

6For to the snow he says,

‘Be on the earth’,

And similarly to the showery rain

And to his strong heavy downpours.

7He puts an end to the work of every man,

So that all men may know of his workmanship.

8Then the wild animal comes to its lair,

And dwells in its den.

9From the south comes the whirlwind,

And from the north comes the cold.

10From God's breath, he makes ice,

And the expanse of water is changed to solid.

11Also with moisture he gives the thick cloud a payload,

But his sunlight dissipates a dense haze.

12Each turns round and round

According to his direction for them to act.

They do everything he commands them

On the face of the inhabited regions on earth.

13He brings it about,

Whether as chastisement

Or for his land

Or as mercy.

14Hearken to this, Job;

Stand still and contemplate God's wonders.

15Do you know how God directs them

Or causes his lightning to flash?

16Do you know about the technicalities of the cloud?

Or the wondrous works of the omniscient one?

17Or how it is that your clothing is warm

When he quietens the land with wind from the south?

18Can you stretch out the skies with him,

Firmly, like a cast mirror?

19Teach us what we should say to him,

For we cannot marshal our arguments,

Because we are in darkness.

20Does it need to be reported to him

When I speak?

If a man speaks perniciously,

Will it not follow that he will be swallowed up?

21And now men do not see the light.

It is bright in the upper sky

When the wind has passed through and cleaned it.

22Golden light comes from the north;

Upon God is awesome splendour.

23We cannot find the Almighty.

He is great in power and justice,

And abundant in righteousness.

He does not afflict.

24Therefore men fear him;

None of the wise in heart can see him.”

Job Chapter 38 

1Then the Lord answered Job from a whirlwind and said,

2“Who is this who darkens counsel

With words without knowledge?

3Gird up your waist like a man,

And I will question you,

And you can answer me.

4Where were you when I founded the earth?

Declare it, if you have understanding.

5Who sets its dimensions?

Tell me, if you know.

Or who stretched out a measuring line over it?

6On what are its foundations sunk?

Or who laid its cornerstone?

7– When the morning stars sang out together,

And all the sons of God shouted for joy?

8– And when he enclosed the sea with doors,

When it broke out?

When it came out of the womb?

9– When I appointed the cloud to be its clothing,

And the dark cloud to be its swaddling clothes?

10– And when I imposed my limit on it

And appointed bolts and doors?

11– And said,

‘You come this far and no further’,

And there the rising up of your waves was blocked?

12Have you in all your days ever commanded the morning?

Or have you informed the dawn of its place?

13Do you know how to take hold of the extremities of the earth

So that the wicked are shaken out of it?

14Or how the earth is changed like clay under a seal?

Or how morning and dawn stand out as an adornment?

15– And how their light is withheld from the wicked,

And an uplifted arm is broken?

16Have you been to the founts of the sea?

Or have you walked about in the deep for investigations?

17Have the gates of death been revealed to you?

Or have you seen the portals of the shadow of death?

18Do you have understanding of the wide places of the earth?

Tell me, if you know all this.

19Where is the way to where light dwells?

And as for darkness, where is its place?

20Did you take it to its boundary,

And do you understand the paths to its abode?

21Do you know this?

For if you did,

You would have to have been born at that time,

And your days would be very many.

22Have you been to the treasuries of snow?

Or have you seen the repositories of hail,

23Which I have reserved for the time of adversity

– For the day of battle and war?

24In what way does light divide itself?

In what way does the east wind spread out over the earth?

25Who cut out a channel for a deluge?

– Or a route for lightning in a thunderstorm?

26– To cause it to rain on an earth where no man is,

On a desert in which no person lives?

27– To satiate desolate ground and desolated tracts

So as to cause the growth of sprouting grass?

28Does rain have a father?

Or who begot the dewdrops?

29Out of whose womb does ice come?

And who gives birth to heaven's hoarfrost?

30Like a stone, the water becomes hidden,

And the surface of the deep solidifies.

31Can you bind the delights of the Pleiades?

Or can you loose the cords of Orion?

32Can you bring out each sign of the zodiac in its season?

Or can you guide Arcturus with his sons?

33Do you know the physical laws of the sky?

Can you appoint their dominion over the earth?

34Can you lift up your voice to the clouds,

Commanding them that plenteous water should cover you?

35Can you send lightning strikes,

So that they go and say to you,

‘Here we are’?

36Who put wisdom in the inward parts?

Or who gave understanding to the mind?

37Who can count the clouds in wisdom?

And who can stop up heaven's bottles?

38– When dust is cast into a solid,

And clods of earth cleave together?

39Can you hunt for prey for the lion?

And can you feed the lion cubs?

40For they crouch in their den;

They lie in wait in the thicket.

41Who prepares feed for the raven?

– When its young cry out to God?

When they are perishing for lack of food?

Job Chapter 39 

1Do you know the time

When the mountain goats give birth?

Or do you keep watch over the time

When the hinds calve?

2Can you count the months for which they gestate?

And do you know the time when they give birth?

3They crouch,

They deliver their young;

They cast off their labour pangs.

4Their young grow strong;

They grow up in the open field.

They go out

And do not return.

5Who set the wild ass free?

And who loosed the bonds of the wild donkey?

6– Whose home territory I appointed to be the arid tracts,

And whose dwelling places to be salt land?

7He derides the urban crowd

And does not hear the clamour of the taskmaster.

8The forageable area of the mountains is his pasture,

And he searches for every green plant.

9Does the buffalo love to work for you?

And does it lodge in your stall?

10Can you bind the buffalo to his harness

For ploughing a furrow?

Or will he harrow the valleys behind you?

11Do you put your trust in him?

For his strength is great.

And do you leave your toil to him?

12Will you put your trust in him,

That he will make a return on your seed,

And gather it in your threshing hall?

13Are you responsible for it when the wing of the ostrich is celebrated,

Or the wing feather of the stork and its plumage?

14For she commits her eggs to the ground

And hatches them on soil,

15And she forgets that a foot may crush them,

And that a wild animal may trample on them.

16She treats her young harshly,

As if not her own.

Her labour is in vain and without fear.

17For God causes her to forget wisdom,

And he has not apportioned her with understanding.

18In due time she rises on high

And looks down on the horse and on its rider.

19Did you give the horse his strength?

Did you clothe his neck with a mane?

20Did you give him the ability to jump like a locust?

The dignity of his snorting is awesome.

21He paws in the valley

And rejoices in his strength

And engages in battle.

22He derides fear

And is not afraid

And does not turn back from the sword.

23Alongside him the quiver rattles,

And the blade of the spear and the lance.

24With noise and raging, he stamps the earth

And does not stand in place when the sound of the ramshorn is heard.

25Whenever the ramshorn is heard,

He says, ‘Aha!’,

And smells war from a distance

– The thunder of generals and the sound of alarm.

26Is it by your wisdom that the hawk soars

And stretches its wings to the south?

27Or is it according to your command that the eagle soars,

And that it makes its nest high up?

28It dwells and lodges on a rock,

On a crag and citadel.

29For there it seeks prey;

Its eyes see it from a distance.

30And its young suck up blood,

And wherever the slain are,

There it is.”

Job Chapter 40 

1And the Lord answered Job further and said,

2“Will he who contends with the Almighty

Instruct him?

Let the reprover of God answer it.”

3Then Job answered the Lord and said,

4“Behold, I am base.

How can I answer you?

I put my hand to my mouth.

5I spoke once,

But I cannot answer for it,

And a second time,

But I will not do so any more.”

6Then the Lord answered Job from the whirlwind and said,

7“Gird up your waist like a man.

I will ask you,

And you can answer me.

8Will you declare my judgment void?

Will you condemn me,

So that you are righteous?

9Now do you have an arm like God,

And can you thunder with a voice like his?

10Kindly deck yourself with excellence and majesty,

And clothe yourself with glory and splendour.

11Distribute the outbursts of your anger,

And see everyone who is proud,

And bring him low.

12See everyone who is proud,

And bring him down,

And tread on the wicked on the spot.

13Hide them in the dust together;

Bind them in a hidden place.

14Then I myself will confess to you,

That your right hand can save you.

15Behold, please, Behemoth,

Which I made with you.

It eats grass like an ox.

16Look at its strength in its loins,

And its might in the muscles of its rump.

17It swings its tail like a cedar,

And its fearful sinews are interwoven.

18Its bones are tubes of copper,

And its frame is like bars of iron.

19It is the pre-eminence of God's ways;

Only he who made it

Can bring his sword against it.

20For the mountains yield produce for it,

Where all the wild beasts play.

21It lies under lotus bushes,

Secretly, in reeds and swamp land.

22The lotus bushes cover it with their shade;

The willows of the brook surround it.

23What if the river bears down on it?

It is not alarmed.

It is confident,

Even when the Jordan gushes into its mouth.

24Can anyone capture it by its eyes?

Can anyone hook its nose with snares?

Job Chapter 41 

1Can you haul in Leviathan with a hook?

Or can you tie his tongue down with a cord?

2Can you place a cauldron over his snout?

Or can you bore through his jaw with a hook?

3Will he make many supplications to you?

Or will he speak to you softly?

4Will he make a covenant with you?

Or can you domesticate him?

5Can you play with him, as with a bird?

Or cage him for your maidservants?

6Or will wholesalers buy him up,

And divide him among retailers?

7Can you fill his skin with spears?

– Or his head with fishing harpoons?

8Put your hand on him.

Remember that it will be battle,

And you will not do it again.

9See how one's hope is proved false.

Is it not so, that even at the sight of him

One loses heart?

10No-one is so bold that he dares awaken him,

So who is it who can stand before me.

11Who existed before me?

Tell me, and I will pay what is due.

Everything under the whole of heaven is mine.

12I will not be silent about his limbs,

For his figure is a matter of might and gracefulness.

13Who has uncovered his outer clothing?

Who can approach his double row of teeth?

14Who can open the gates of his face?

The surroundings of his teeth are terrifying.

15The central ridges of his scales are his pride.

Each one is closed making a tight seal.

16One is so close to another

That no air can come between them.

17One cleaves to the one next to it;

They interlock and do not come apart.

18His sneezings cause light to flash,

And his eyes are like the eyelids of dawn.

19From his mouth flames go out;

Sparks of fire are released.

20Smoke is emitted from his nostrils,

Like a fanned brazier and a cauldron.

21His breath kindles coals,

And flame is emitted from his mouth.

22His neck is a source of strength,

And faint-heartedness beats a hasty retreat at his advance.

23Even the softer parts of his flesh cleave to him tightly

And are firm on him so as not to shake.

24His heart is firm like stone

And is as hard as a lower millstone.

25The mighty are afraid of him being roused;

They are at their wits' end because of his ravaging.

26The sword of anyone who engages him will not hold out,

Nor spear, nor projectile, nor coat of mail.

27He regards iron as straw,

And copper as rotten wood.

28The arrow does not cause him to flee,

And stones of the sling are regarded as stubble by him.

29He considers a club as stubble,

And he laughs at the rattling of lances.

30He has sharp points under him;

He splays sharp appendages in the mire.

31He makes the deep boil like a pot;

He makes the sea like a pot of ointment.

32He causes a path to light up behind him,

So that one would think the deep had acquired silver hair.

33There is not the like of him on the earth,

Who is made without fear.

34He looks dauntlessly on every high thing;

He is king of all proud creatures.”

Reference(s) in Chapter 41: v.11 ↔ Romans 11:35.

Job Chapter 42 

1Then Job answered the Lord and said,

2“I know that you can do everything,

And no plan of action is inaccessible to you.

3You asked,

‘Who is this who hides counsel

Without knowledge?’

Because I gave an exposition,

But I do not have understanding.

These things are too wondrous for me,

And I do not know about them.

4Hear me, I pray,

And I will speak.

You said,

‘I will ask you,

And you can answer me.’

5I heard you by hearing of the ear,

But now my eye has seen you.

6For this reason I despise myself,

And I repent in dust and ashes.”

7And it came to pass, after the Lord had spoken these words to Job, that the Lord said to Eliphaz the Temanite, “My anger is kindled against you, and against your two companions, for you have not spoken what is right about me, like my servant Job. 8And now, take for yourselves seven bulls, and seven rams, and go to my servant Job, and offer them as a burnt offering for yourselves, and my servant Job will pray for you. For contrariwise I will accept him, so that I do not deal with you according to your folly, for you have not spoken about me what is right, as my servant Job has.” 9So Eliphaz the Temanite and Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar the Naamathite departed and acted according to what the Lord had told them, and the Lord restored Job. 10And the Lord restored the fortunes of Job when he prayed for his friend, and the Lord restored everything of Job's – double. 11And all his brothers and all his sisters and all his previous acquaintances came to him, and they ate bread with him in his house, and they consoled him and comforted him over all the calamity that the Lord had brought on him, and each gave him one kesitah coin, and each gave one golden earring. 12And the Lord blessed the latter days of Job more than his former days, and he had fourteen thousand sheep, and six thousand camels, and one thousand yoke of oxen, and one thousand she-asses. 13And he had seven sons and three daughters. 14And he called one Jemima, and the second one Keziah, and he called the third Keren-Happuch. 15And no women were found as beautiful as Job's daughters in all the land, and their father gave them an inheritance among their brothers. 16And after this Job lived one hundred and forty years, and he saw his sons and his grandsons, to four generations. 17And Job died old and full of days.

Psalms  

Psalms Chapter 1 

1Happy is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked,

And who does not stand on the way of sinners,

And who does not sit in the seat of mockers,

2But whose delight is in the Lord's law,

And in whose law he meditates day and night.

3And he will be like a tree planted at brooks of water,

Which yields its fruit in its season,

And whose leaves will not wither,

For everything that he does will prosper.

4Not so the wicked;

They are on the contrary like chaff

Which the wind drives about.

5That is why the wicked will not be able to stand at the judgment,

Nor will sinners in the congregation of the righteous.

6For the Lord knows the way of the righteous,

But the way of the wicked will cease.

Psalms Chapter 2 

1Why do the Gentiles rage,

And the nations contemplate a vain thing?

2The kings of the earth take their stand,

And the potentates plot together against the Lord

And against his messiah,

3And say, “Let us break their bonds apart

And cast their cords off us.”

4He who dwells in the heavens will laugh;

The Lord* will deride them.

5Then he will speak to them in his anger,

And in his fury he will terrify them.

6But I have anointed my king,

On Zion, my holy mountain.

7I will relate the Lord's statute.

He has said to me,

“You are my son;

Today I begot you.

8Ask me,

And I will give nations as your inheritance

And the ends of the earth as your possession.

9You will break them with a rod of iron;

You will dash them to pieces like a potter's jar.”

10So now, you kings, act wisely;

Be admonished, you judges of the earth.

11Serve the Lord with fear,

And rejoice in awe.

12Kiss the son

Lest he becomes angry

And you perish on the way,

When his anger is kindled but a little.

Happy are all those who trust in him.

Reference(s) in Chapter 2: v.1 ↔ Acts 4:25 ● v.2 ↔ Acts 4:26 ● v.7 ↔ Acts 13:33, Hebrews 1:5, Hebrews 5:5 ● v.8 ↔ Revelation 2:26 ● v.9 ↔ Revelation 2:27, Revelation 12:5, Revelation 19:15.

Psalms Chapter 3 

1aA Psalm of David when he was fleeing from Absalom his son.

1bO Lord, how my adversaries have increased!

Many are rising up against me.

2Many say about myself,

There is no salvation in God for him.”

Selah.

3But you, O Lord, are a shield around me

– My glory,

And the one who lifts up my head.

4I call out to the Lord with my voice,

And he answers me from his holy mountain.

Selah.

5I lay down and fell asleep.

Then I awoke,

For the Lord sustained me.

6I will not be afraid of the tens of thousands of people

Who have ranged themselves against me.

7Rise up, O Lord;

Save me, O God of mine,

For you have struck all my enemies on the cheek;

You have broken the teeth of the wicked.

8Salvation is of the Lord;

Your blessing is on your people.

Selah.

Psalms Chapter 4 

1aTo the choirmaster, in singing set to stringed music.↑

A Psalm of David.

1bWhen I call out,

Answer me, O God of my righteousness.

You have relieved me in adversity;

Have mercy on me,

And hear my prayer.

2You sons of man, how long will you put my glory to shame?

You love vanity;

You seek falsehood.

Selah.

3So know that the Lord has set apart a sacred one for himself;

The Lord will hear when I call out to him.

4Be overawed and do not sin,

Speaking in your heart on your bed,

And be silent.

Selah.

5Offer righteous sacrifices,

And put your trust in the Lord.

6Many say, “Who will show us goodness?”

Raise the light of your presence on us, O Lord.

7You have put gladness in my heart

– More so than at the time

When their corn and new wine became abundant.

8I can lie down and sleep at the same time in peace,

For you alone, O Lord, can let me dwell in safety.

Reference(s) in Chapter 4: v.4 ↔ Ephesians 4:26.

Psalms Chapter 5 

1aTo the choirmaster in singing set to wind instruments.↑

A Psalm of David.

1bO Lord, listen to my words;

Consider my meditation.

2Hearken to my call of crying out,

O my king and my God,

For to you I pray.

3O Lord, you hear my voice in the morning;

In the morning I will marshal my thoughts to you

And keep watch.

4For you are not a God who takes pleasure in wickedness;

No evil dwells in you.

5Those who boast shall not stand in your sight;

You hate all who are engaged in iniquity.

6You will destroy those who speak falsehood;

The Lord abhors the man of blood and deceit.

7But as for me, I will go to your house in the abundance of your kindness;

I will worship facing your holy temple

In fear of you.

8Lead me, O Lord, in your righteousness

On account of my adversaries;

Make your way straight ahead of me.

9For there is no rectitude in his mouth;

Their inner heart consists of lusts.

Their throat is an open sepulchre;

They flatter with their tongue.

10Condemn them, O God,

Let them fall by their own plans.

Drive them out for the multitude of their transgressions,

For they have rebelled against you.

11Then all who put their trust in you will rejoice;

They will shout for joy age-abidingly,

And you will protect them,

And those who love your name

Will exult in you.

12For you, O Lord, will bless the righteous man;

You will surround him with delight like a shield.

Reference(s) in Chapter 5: v.9 ↔ Romans 3:13.

Psalms Chapter 6 

1aTo the choirmaster in singing set to stringed music, concerning the eighth day division choir.↑

A Psalm of David.

1bO Lord, do not rebuke me in your anger,

And do not chasten me in your fury.

2Have mercy on me, O Lord,

For I am languishing.

Heal me, O Lord,

For my bones are agitated,

3And my inner being is very agitated.

And you, O Lord,

How long before you act?

4Return, O Lord;

Save my life

And deliver me,

For your kindness' sake.

5For in death there is no remembrance of you;

In the grave, who can give thanks to you?

6I am weary with my sighing;

All night I cause my bed to swim.

I dissolve my mattress with my tears.

7My eye has been ravaged with grief;

It has aged because of all my adversaries.

8Depart from me, all you who are engaged in iniquity,

For the Lord has heard the sound of my weeping.

9The Lord has heard my supplication;

The Lord will accept my prayer.

10Let all my enemies be ashamed

And be most frightened;

Let them desist

And become ashamed in an instant.

Reference(s) in Chapter 6: v.8 ↔ Luke 13:27.

Psalms Chapter 7 

1aA Psalm of David of pre-eminence, which he sang to the Lord about the words of Cush the Benjaminite.

1bO Lord my God, I have put my trust in you.

Save me from all those who pursue me,

And deliver me,

2Lest he, like a lion, tears my body in pieces,

Crushing me,

With no-one to deliver me.

3O Lord my God,

If I have done this,

If there is any injustice in my hands,

4If I have requited evil to anyone at peace with me,

Or if I have spoiled my adversary gratuitously,

5Then let my enemy pursue me to the death

And catch up with me

And trample on my life on the ground

And place my honour in the dust.

Selah.

6Arise, O Lord, in your anger;

Raise yourself at the haughtiness of my adversaries,

And rouse yourself for me by executing the justice

Which you have commanded.

7When the congregation of the various peoples surrounds you,

Return on high above them.

8The Lord will judge various peoples;

Judge me, O Lord,

According to my righteousness

And my personal integrity.

9Please may the evil of the wicked come to an end,

And may you establish the just,

When the righteous God tests hearts and kidneys.

10My shield is by means of trust in God,

Who saves the upright in heart.

11God judges the just man,

But God is indignant every day.

12He certainly will return

And sharpen his sword.

He draws his bow

And aims it.

13He has also prepared his deadly weapons;

He has fashioned his arrows into burning ones.

14Look how my enemy is giving birth to iniquity

And has conceived vice

And borne falsehood.

15He has dug a hole

And hollowed it out,

But he has fallen into the pit

Which he made.

16His vice will return on his head,

And his violence will descend on his crown.

17I will praise the Lord according to his righteousness,

And I will sing psalms to the name of the Most High, the Lord.

Psalms Chapter 8 

1aTo the choirmaster in singing set to percussion instruments.↑

A Psalm of David.

1bO Lord our Lord,

How excellent your name is in the whole earth!

So set your majesty over the heavens.

2You have decreed strength from the mouth of infants and babies,

Because of your adversaries,

To silence the enemy and avenger.

3When I see your heavens,

The work of your fingers

– The moon and the stars which you have established –

4I ask, “What is man,

That you should remember him?

Or the son of Adam,

That you should visit him?”

5For you made him a little lower than God,

But you have crowned him with honour and majesty.

6You put him in charge of the works of your hands;

You placed everything under his feet:

7Sheep and oxen, all of them,

And also the beasts of the field,

8Birds of the sky

And fish of the sea

And whatever crosses the paths of the seas.

9O Lord our Lord,

How excellent your name is on the whole earth!

Reference(s) in Chapter 8: v.2 ↔ Matthew 21:16 ● v.4 ↔ Hebrews 2:6 ● v.5 ↔ Hebrews 2:7 ● v.6 ↔ 1 Corinthians 15:25, 1 Corinthians 15:27, Ephesians 1:22, Hebrews 2:7TR, Hebrews 2:8.

Psalms Chapter 9 

1aTo the choirmaster. The secret of the son.↑

A Psalm of David.

1bI will praise the Lord with all my heart;

I will tell of all your wondrous deeds.

2I will rejoice and exult in you;

I will sing psalms of your most high name.

3When my enemies retreat back,

They will stumble and perish at your presence.

4For you will deal with my case and my right;

You will sit on the throne

Judging righteously.

5You will rebuke nations

And put an end to the wicked one.

You will eradicate their name

For the age and in perpetuity.

6O enemy, devastations will come to an end in perpetuity,

But as for the cities which you have destroyed,

The memory of them has perished.

7But the Lord is seated age-abidingly;

He will establish his throne of justice.

8And he will judge the world justly;

He will arbitrate between peoples equitably.

9And the Lord will be a refuge to the oppressed

– A refuge in times of affliction.

10And those who know your name will trust in you,

For you have not forsaken those who seek you,

O Lord.

11Sing psalms to the Lord,

Who is seated in Zion;

Relate his deeds

Among the various peoples.

12For he who requites bloodshed

Remembers them.

He does not forget

The crying of the afflicted.

13Have mercy on me, O Lord;

Observe my affliction by those who hate me,

You who lift me up from the gates of death,

14So that I can relate all your psalms of praise

At the gates of the daughter of Zion,

And rejoice in your salvation.

15The nations will sink in the pit which they have made;

In the very net which they hid,

Their leg will be trapped.

16The Lord is known

By the justice which he executes;

The wicked man is ensnared

By the work of his own hands.

A meditation. Selah.

17The wicked will return to the grave,

As will all the nations forgetful of God.

18For the poor will not be forgotten in perpetuity,

Nor will the hope of the meek perish for eternity.

19Arise, O Lord,

Do not let man prevail;

Let the nations be judged

In your presence.

20O Lord, put fear in them,

That the nations may know

That they are but man.

Selah.

Psalms Chapter 10 

1Why, O Lord, do you stand at a distance?

Why do you hide in times of affliction?

2The wicked man in his pride

Ardently pursues the needy,

But they will be caught by the very devices

Which they contrived.

3For the wicked man boasts in his personal pleasure-seeking,

And the defrauder blasphemes

– He blasphemes the Lord.

4The wicked, in his arrogant pride,

Does not seek divine guidance;

God does not come into any of his machinations.

5They pervert his way all the time.

Your judgments are high up, aloof from him;

He rails at all his adversaries.

6He says in his heart,

“I will not falter,

Because from generation to generation

I will not be in difficulty.”

7His mouth is full of cursing and deceit and vehemence;

Under his tongue are vice and iniquity.

8He lies in ambush in enclosed areas,

He kills the innocent in hiding places;

His eyes lie hidden,

Fixed on the downcast.

9He lies in ambush in the hiding place,

Like a lion in a thicket.

He lies in an ambush

Ready to pounce on the poor;

He pounces on the poor

As he draws him into his net.

10 And he crouches and keeps low,

And by his dominance

The strength of the downcast fails.

11He says in his heart,

God forgets,

He is hiding his face;

He will never look.”

12Arise, O Lord;

O God lift up your hand.

Do not forget the afflicted.

13Why does the wicked blaspheme God?

He says in his heart,

“He will not investigate it.”

14You have looked,

For you have seen sorrow and grief,

So as to requite it with your hand.

The downcast commits himself to you;

You are a helper to the orphan.

15Break the arm of the wicked and evil one;

Investigate his wickedness

Which he thinks you will not find.

16The Lord is king for the age and in perpetuity;

The nations are eliminated from his land.

17You have heard the desire of the meek, O Lord,

You will establish their heart;

Your ear has hearkened to it,

18So as to provide justice to the orphan and the afflicted.

The man from the earth

Will not cause terror any more.

Reference(s) in Chapter 10: v.7 ↔ Romans 3:14.

Psalms Chapter 11 

1To the choirmaster.↑

A Psalm of David.

I have put my trust in the Lord.

How can you say to my inner being,

“Flee to your mountain

Like a bird”?

2For behold, the wicked draw the bow;

They attach their arrow to the string,

Ready to shoot under cover of darkness

At the upright of heart.

3If the foundations are demolished,

What can the righteous man do?

4The Lord is in his holy temple;

The Lord's throne is in heaven.

His eyes are looking;

His eyelids are testing the sons of Adam.

5The Lord tests the righteous,

But his being hates the wicked

And him who loves violence.

6He will rain burning coals, fire and sulphur on the wicked,

And a scorching wind will be the portion of their cup.

7For the righteous Lord loves righteousness,

And the upright will see his face.

Psalms Chapter 12 

1aTo the choirmaster concerning the eighth day division choir.↑

A Psalm of David.

1bSave, O Lord,

For the benevolent man has come to an end,

For faithfulness has ceased

Among the sons of Adam.

2Each man speaks falsehood to his neighbour;

They speak with flattering lips

And with an equivocal heart.

3The Lord will cut off all flattering lips,

And the tongue that speaks bombastic words

4Those who say,

“We will be great with our tongue;

Our lips are with us.

Who is lord over us?”

5“Because of the oppression of the poor,

Because of the groaning of the needy,

I will now rise up,

Says the Lord;

I will place him who is railed at

In safety.”

6The words of the Lord are pure words;

They are silver,

Refined in a crucible for the earth,

Purified seven times.

7You, O Lord, will guard them;

You will preserve him from this generation age-abidingly.

8All around, the wicked walk about,

Whilst the basest of the sons of Adam are exalted.

Psalms Chapter 13 

1aTo the choirmaster.↑

A Psalm of David.

1bHow long, O Lord, will you forget me entirely?

How long will you hide your face from me?

2How long must I consult within myself?

Sorrow is in my heart by day.

How long will my enemy be raised up against me?

3Look and answer me,

O Lord my God;

Light up my eyes

So that I do not sleep the sleep of death,

4Lest my enemy should say,

“I have prevailed over him”,

And my adversaries should rejoice

Because I totter.

5But I trust in your kindness;

My heart rejoices in your salvation.

6I will sing to the Lord,

For he has dealt favourably with me.

Psalms Chapter 14 

1To the choirmaster.↑

A Psalm of David.

The fool has said in his heart,

There is no God*.”

They have acted corruptly;

They have acted abominably in deed.

There is no-one who does good.

2The Lord peered down from heaven

At the sons of Adam,

To see if there was anyone who was prudent

Anyone who was seeking God*.

3The whole has departed,

They have become corrupt together;

There is no-one who does good

There is not even one.

4Do all those engaged in iniquity not know?

– Those who devour my people

In the same way as they devour bread?

They do not call on the Lord.

5There, they had a great fear,

For God* was with a righteous generation.

6You have put the plans of the poor man to shame,

For the Lord is his refuge.

7Oh for the salvation of Israel from Zion!

When the Lord reverses the captivity of his people,

Jacob will rejoice

– Israel will be glad.

Reference(s) in Chapter 14: v.1 ↔ Romans 3:10 ● v.2 ↔ Romans 3:11 ● v.3 ↔ Romans 3:12.

Psalms Chapter 15 

1A Psalm of David.

O Lord, who will dwell in your tent?

Who can reside on your holy mountain?

2He who walks perfectly,

And does what is righteous,

And speaks the truth in his heart.

3He does not slander with his tongue;

He does not do wrong to his neighbour,

And he does not utter a reproach against his kin.

4Anyone despised in his eyes is rejected,

But he honours those who fear the Lord.

If he swears an oath and it becomes to his detriment,

He does not alter it.

5He does not put his money out with interest,

And he does not accept a bribe against an innocent person.

He who behaves this way

Will never be shaken.

Psalms Chapter 16 

1A Golden Psalm of David.

Keep guard over me, O God,

For I have put my trust in you.

2I have said to the Lord,

“You are the Lord*,

My source of goodness.

There is nothing above you.”

3As for the holy people who are in the land,

And the noble ones,

All my delight is in them.

4May the sorrows of those who hasten after another be multiplied.

I will not pour out their libations of blood,

And I will not take their names to my lips.

5The Lord is the portion of my allotment

And my cup.

You will appoint my lot.

6The lines have fallen to me in pleasant places;

Indeed, the inheritance has been delightful for me.

7I will bless the Lord

Who instructs me.

Moreover, by night

My kidneys discipline me.

8I have continually placed the Lord before me,

For with him at my right hand,

I will not falter.

9That is why my heart is glad

And my mind rejoices;

My flesh also dwells in security.

10For you will not leave my being in the grave,

Nor will you allow your holy one to see decay.

11You have made the way of life known to me.

There is an abundance of joys in your presence,

And there are pleasant things in perpetuity at your right hand.

Reference(s) in Chapter 16: v.8 ↔ Acts 2:25 ● v.9 ↔ Acts 2:26 ● v.10 ↔ Acts 2:27, Acts 2:31, Acts 13:35 ● v.11 ↔ Acts 2:28.

Psalms Chapter 17 

1A Prayer of David.

Hear, O Lord, in righteousness,

Hearken to my cry;

Listen to my prayer,

Which is not with deceitful lips.

2May my justice come from your presence;

May your eyes see things that are upright.

3You have tested my heart,

You have paid a visit by night;

You have refined me and found no dross.

I have resolved that my mouth shall not transgress.

4As for the works of man,

By the word of your lips

I have been on guard

Against the ways of the violent man.

5Keep my steps on your paths,

So my steps do not falter.

6I have called on you,

For you answer me, O God.

Turn your ear to me;

Hear my oration.

7Show your wondrous kindness,

You who by your right hand save

Those who put their trust in you,

From those who rise up against them.

8Keep me as the apple of your eye;

Hide me in the shadow of your wings,

9From the wicked ones who treat me with violence

From my mortal enemies who surround me.

10With their fatness they have closed themselves off;

With their mouth they speak haughtily.

11Having followed our steps,

They have surrounded me now;

They have set their eyes

Ready to be devious on the ground.

12Here is a simile for this:

Like a lion that is eager to tear in pieces,

Like a young lion that crouches in hiding places.

13Arise, O Lord,

Confront him,

Bring him low;

Deliver my life from the wicked one

With your sword.

14Deliver me from men by your power, O Lord,

From men of the world,

Whose portion in life

Is that you fill their belly with your hidden treasure,

And their sons are satisfied,

And they leave their surplus to their children.

15As for me, I will see your face in righteousness;

I will be satisfied when I awake in your likeness.

Psalms Chapter 18 

1aTo the choirmaster.↑

A Psalm of the servant of the Lord, of David who spoke the words of this song to the Lord on the day when the Lord delivered him from the hand of all his enemies and from Saul's hand. 1bAnd he said,

“I will cherish you,

O Lord, my strength.

2The Lord is my rock and my fortress

And my deliverer,

My God and my firm ground.

I will put my trust in him

– My shield and the horn of my salvation

And my high stronghold.

3I will call on the praiseworthy Lord,

And I will be saved from my enemies.

4The tightening grip of death surrounded me,

And the onslaughts of the reprobate alarmed me.

5The tightening grip of the grave encompassed me;

Deadly snares confronted me.

6When I was in a strait,

I called on the Lord,

And I cried out to my God.

He heard my voice from his temple,

And my cry came before him to his ears.

7And the earth shook and trembled,

And the foundations of mountains quaked and shook,

Because he was furious.

8Smoke went up in his nostrils,

And fire from his mouth came devouring;

Coals were kindled by him.

9And he stretched out the heavens and descended,

And thick darkness was under his feet.

10And he rode on a cherub and flew

And swooped down on the wings of the wind.

11He made darkness his hiding place;

Around him as his booth

Was the darkness of water

And the thick clouds of the upper skies.

12At the brightness ahead of him

His thick clouds pass along

With their hail and fiery coals.

13And the Lord thundered in the heavens,

And the Most High sounded his voice

With hail and fiery coals.

14And he sent his arrows

And scattered them,

And he shot lightning bolts

And routed them.

15Then channels of water appeared,

And the foundations of the world were revealed

At your rebuke, O Lord

– At the blast of the wind from your nostrils.

16He sent help from on high,

And he took hold of me;

He drew me out of great waters.

17He delivered me from my strong enemy

And from those who hate me,

For they were stronger than I was.

18They confronted me on my day of distress,

But the Lord became a support for me,

19And he brought me out to a wide place;

He delivered me,

Because he delighted in me.

20The Lord recompensed me

According to my righteousness;

According to the cleanness of my hands

He rewarded me.

21For I have kept the ways of the Lord,

And I have not committed wickedness against my God.

22For all his injunctions were before me,

And I have not neglected his statutes.

23And I was perfect with him,

And I kept myself from iniquity,

24And the Lord rewarded me according to my righteousness

– According to the cleanness of my hands

Before his eyes.

25With the kind, you will act kindly;

With the perfect man, you will act in perfection.

26With the pure, you will act in purity,

But with the perverse, you will act in a convoluted way.

27For you will save an afflicted people,

And you will bring haughty eyes low.

28For you light up my lamp;

The Lord my God brightens my darkness.

29For through you I can run through a battalion,

And through my God I can leap over a wall.

30As for God, his way is perfect.

The word of the Lord has been refined.

He is a shield to all who trust in him.

31For who is God

Apart from the Lord?

And who is a rock,

Except for our God?

32It is God who girds me with valour,

Who makes my way perfect,

33Who makes my feet like those of hinds

And stands me on my heights,

34Who teaches my hands the skills of war

So a copper bow can be drawn by my arms.

35And you gave me the shield of your salvation,

While your right hand gives me support,

And your meekness makes me great.

36You enlarged my step under me,

And my ankles did not slip.

37I pursued my enemies

And caught up with them,

And I did not return

Until I had made an end of them.

38I crushed them

So that they could not get up.

They fell under my feet.

39And you girded me with valour for war;

You brought down my opponents under me,

40And you gave me the neck of my enemies.

And as for those who hate me,

I cut them down.

41They cried out,

But there was no saviour;

They looked to the Lord,

But he did not answer them.

42And I pulverized them like the dust,

Carried along by the wind.

I disposed of them

Like the filth of the streets.

43You delivered me from the contentions of a people;

You set me at the head of nations.

A people that I did not know

Will serve me.

44At bidding coming to their ears,

They will obey me.

Foreigners will feign obedience to me.

45Foreigners will fade away;

They will be wrenched out of their confines.

46How the Lord lives,

And my rock is blessed,

And the God of my salvation is exalted

47– The God who gives me vengeance,

And who subdues peoples under me,

48Who delivers me from my enemies.

You also raise me up above those who rise up against me;

You rescue me from the man of violence.

49That is why I will praise you

Among the nations, O Lord,

And I will sing psalms to your name.

50He magnifies acts of salvation of his king,

Also showing kindness to his anointed

– To David and to his seed

Age-abidingly.”

Reference(s) in Chapter 18: v.2 ↔ Hebrews 2:13 ● v.31 ↔ Mark 12:32 ● v.49 ↔ Romans 15:9.

Psalms Chapter 19 

1aTo the choirmaster.↑

A Psalm of David.

1bThe heavens speak of the glory of God,

And the firmament tells of the work of his hands.

2Each day utters speech,

And each night declares knowledge.

3They have no speech and they have no words;

Their sound is not something heard.

4Their signification goes out into the whole earth,

And their statements to the end of the world.

Throughout the seasons he has assigned an abode for the sun.

5And as a bridegroom, the sun comes out of its bridal canopy

And exults as a valiant man about to run a course.

6Its rising is from one end of the heavens,

And its circuit is to the other end of them.

And there is nothing hidden from its heat.

7The law of the Lord is perfect

In restoring a person.

The testimony of the Lord is faithful,

Making the simple-minded wise.

8The precepts of the Lord are upright;

They gladden the heart.

The commandment of the Lord is pure;

It enlightens the eyes.

9Fear of the Lord is salutary;

It endures perpetually.

The judgments of the Lord are truth;

They are altogether righteous.

10They are more to be desired than gold,

Or than a vast amount of refined gold.

And they are sweeter than honey

And honey-syrup from honeycombs.

11Your servant also is warned by them;

There is great reward in keeping them.

12Who understands errors?

Oh acquit me from things hidden.

13From presumptuous sins, too, preserve your servant;

Do not let them rule over me.

Then I shall be perfect

And acquitted from great transgression.

14May the sayings of my mouth be acceptable,

And the meditation of my heart before you,

O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.

Reference(s) in Chapter 19: v.4 ↔ Romans 10:18.

Psalms Chapter 20 

1aTo the choirmaster.↑

A Psalm of David.

1bThe Lord will answer you on the day of straitness;

The name of the God of Jacob will set you on high.

2He will send you help from the sanctuary,

And he will support you from Zion.

3He will remember all your meal-offerings

And regard your burnt offering as fat.

Selah.

4He will give to you according to your heart's desire

And fulfil all your ambitions.

5Let us shout for joy in your salvation

And set up a banner in the name of our God.

The Lord will fulfil all your requests.

6Now I know that the Lord saves his messiah;

He will answer him from his holy heavens,

By the mighty acts of salvation of his right hand.

7Some bring chariots to remembrance,

And others horses,

But we the name of the Lord our God.

8They collapse and fall down,

But we arise

And are kept firmly upright.

9O Lord, save;

The king will answer us

On the day when we call.

Psalms Chapter 21 

1aTo the choirmaster.↑

A Psalm of David.

1bO Lord, the king will take pleasure in your strength,

And how greatly he shall rejoice in your salvation!

2You have given him his heart's desire,

And you have not withheld the request of his lips.

Selah.

3For you have gone in front of him,

With blessings of goodness;

You have put a crown of pure gold on his head.

4He asked you for life;

You gave him it

– Length of days,

Age-long and in perpetuity.

5His glory is great through your salvation;

You bestow majesty and splendour on him.

6For you have appointed him everlasting blessings;

You have gladdened him with happiness at your presence.

7For the king trusts in the Lord,

And through kindness of the Most High,

He shall not falter.

8Your hand will find all your enemies;

Your right hand will discover those who hate you.

9You will appoint them a fiery furnace

At the time of your presence.

The Lord will swallow them up in his wrath,

And fire will consume them.

10You will eliminate their fruit from the earth,

And their seed from among the sons of Adam.

11For they have tendered you wickedness;

They have devised machinations,

But they will not prevail.

12For you have appointed them to flight;

With your bowstring you aim at their face.

13Be exalted, O Lord, in your strength;

Let us sing

And sing psalms of your might.

Psalms Chapter 22 

1aTo the choirmaster at Aijeleth Shahar.↑

A Psalm of David.

1bMy God, my God, why have you forsaken me?

Why are you far from my salvation at my roaring words?

2O God of mine, I call by day,

But you do not answer,

And at night,

But I have no quietness.

3But you are holy,

You who dwell in the places of praise of Israel.

4In you our fathers trusted;

They trusted,

And you rescued them.

5They cried out to you,

And they were delivered.

They trusted in you

And were not ashamed.

6But I am a worm,

And not a man

– The reproach of men

And despised by the people.

7All those who see me, mock me.

They open their lips;

They shake their head,

And say,

8“He relied on the Lord

That he would rescue him.

Let him save him,

If he has pleasure in him.”

9For you brought me out of the womb;

From my mother's belly you caused me to trust in my mother's breasts.

10I was cast on you from the womb;

From my mother's belly

You have been my God.

11Do not be far from me,

For adversity is nearby.

For there is no-one to help.

12Many bulls have surrounded me;

Strong bulls of Bashan have encircled me.

13They gape at me,

Like a lion that tears and roars.

14I have been poured out like water,

And all my bones are out of joint.

My heart has become like wax;

It is melting in my inward parts.

15My strength has dried up like a shard,

And my tongue cleaves to my jaws.

You are about to reduce me to death's dust.

16For dogs have surrounded me;

The congregation of evildoers has hemmed me in,

Like a lion pinning down my hands and my feet.

17I can count all my bones.

They look on,

And stare at me.

18They share out my clothes among themselves

And cast a lot for my garment.

19But do not you, O Lord, be far off.

Hasten, O my strength, as my help.

20Deliver my life from the sword

– My most dear from the power of the dog.

21Save me from the mouth of the lion

And from the horns of buffaloes.

You have answered me.

22I will declare your name to my brothers;

In the midst of the convocation

I will praise you.

23Praise him, you who fear the Lord;

Honour him, all you seed of Jacob,

And revere him,

All you seed of Israel.

24For he does not disdain or loathe the affliction of the afflicted man,

And he does not hide his face from him.

And when such a one cries out to him,

He hears it.

25My praise is on account of you in a great convocation.

I will fulfil my vows

In the presence of those who fear him.

26The meek will eat and be satisfied;

Those who seek him will praise the Lord.

May your heart live in perpetuity.

27And all the ends of the land will remember

And return to the Lord,

And all the families of the Gentiles

Will worship before you.

28For the kingdom is the Lord's,

And he is ruler over the Gentiles.

29All the opulent of the earth will eat and worship;

All those who go down to the dust will bow down before him.

But he did not keep himself alive.

30A seed will serve him;

It will be related concerning the Lord* to a generation.

31They will come and declare his righteousness

To a people reborn,

For he will have accomplished this.

Reference(s) in Chapter 22: v.1b ↔ Matthew 27:46, Mark 15:34 ● v.17 ↔ John 19:36 ● v.18 ↔ Matthew 27:35, John 19:24 ● v.22 ↔ Hebrews 2:12.

Psalms Chapter 23 

1A Psalm of David.

The Lord is my shepherd;

I shall not lack anything.

2He has me lie down in grassy pastures;

He leads me to restful waters.

3He refreshes my inner being;

He conducts me along righteous paths

For his name's sake.

4Even if I walk in the Valley of the Shadow of Death,

I shall not fear evil,

For you are with me.

It is your sceptre and staff that comfort me.

5You have set a table before me

In the presence of my adversaries.

You have anointed my head with oil;

My cup abounds.

6Surely goodness and kindness will pursue me

All the days of my life,

And I will dwell in the house of the Lord

In the length of days.

Psalms Chapter 24 

1A Psalm of David.

The earth is the Lord's and the fulness of it

– The world and those who live in it.

2He founded it on the seas,

And he prepared it on running waters.

3Who can go up to the Lord's mountain,

And who can rise at his holy place?

4He who is of innocent hands

And pure in heart,

Who has not shown me vain impertinence

And has not sworn deceitfully.

5He will receive blessing from the Lord

And righteousness from the God of his salvation.

6This is the generation that seeks him

– Those who look for your presence, O Jacob.

Selah.

7Lift up your heads, O gates,

And be lifted up, O age-abiding doors,

And the king of glory will come in.

8Who is this king of glory?

The Lord, strong and mighty,

The Lord, mighty in battle.

9Lift up your heads, O gates,

And lift yourselves up, O age-abiding doors,

And the king of glory will come in.

10Who is this king of glory?

The Lord of hosts is the king of glory.

Selah.

Reference(s) in Chapter 24: v.1 ↔ 1 Corinthians 10:26, 1 Corinthians 10:28.

Psalms Chapter 25 

1A Psalm of David.

To you, O Lord,

I direct my sentiments.

2O God of mine, in you I have trusted.

May I not be ashamed;

May my enemies not gloat over me.

3May none of those who put their hope in you be ashamed either;

Let those who act treacherously without cause be ashamed.

4O Lord, make your ways known to me;

Teach me your paths.

5Guide my steps in your truth,

And teach me,

For you are the God of my salvation.

I put my hope in you all day long.

6Remember your compassion and kindness, O Lord,

For they have existed since ancient time.

7Do not remember the sins of my youth

Nor my transgressions.

In accordance with your kindness,

Do remember me

For the sake of your goodness, O Lord.

8The Lord is good and upright,

On account of which he instructs sinners on the way.

9He guides the steps of the meek in justice,

And he teaches the meek his way.

10All the ways of the Lord are kindness and truth

To those who keep his covenant and his testimonies.

11For your name's sake, O Lord,

Forgive my iniquity,

For it is great.

12Who is this man who fears the Lord?

He will instruct him in the way he is to choose.

13His very self will abide in well-being,

And his seed will inherit the earth.

14The Lord's private plan is for those who fear him,

And his covenant is to instruct them.

15My eyes are continually to the Lord,

For he will extricate my feet from the net.

16Turn to me and have mercy on me,

For I am solitary and afflicted.

17They have increased the anguish of my heart.

Deliver me out of my distress.

18See my affliction and my suffering,

And forgive all my sins.

19See how my enemies have increased,

And how they have hated me with a violent hatred.

20Guard my life and deliver me;

Do not let me be ashamed,

For I have put my trust in you.

21Let integrity and uprightness preserve me,

For I have put my hope in you.

22Deliver Israel, O God,

From all his adversities.

Psalms Chapter 26 

1A Psalm of David.

Judge me, O Lord,

For I have walked in my integrity,

And I have trusted in the Lord;

I shall not stumble.

2Examine me, O Lord,

And test me.

Refine my kidneys and my heart,

3For your kindness is in front of my eyes,

And I have walked in your truth.

4I have not sat in collusion with vain people,

Nor will I concur with the secretive.

5I have hated the convocation of wrongdoers,

And I will not sit with the wicked.

6I will wash my hands in innocence,

So let me go round your altar, O Lord,

7To make declaration with a thankful voice

And to recount all your wondrous acts.

8O Lord, I have loved the refuge of your house

And the place of your glorious tabernacle.

9Do not gather my being with sinners

Nor my life with men of blood,

10In whose hands is scheming,

And whose right hand is full of bribery.

11So I will walk in my integrity.

Redeem me and have mercy on me.

12My foot stands in uprightness,

And I will bless the Lord in the various convocations.

Psalms Chapter 27 

1A Psalm of David.

The Lord is my light and my salvation;

Whom shall I fear?

The Lord is the stronghold of my life;

Of whom shall I be afraid?

2When evildoers approach me,

To devour my flesh

– My adversaries and my enemies –

They shall stumble and fall.

3Even if a battalion encamps against me,

My heart will not fear.

Even if a war should arise against me,

I will be confident in the situation.

4One thing I have requested from the Lord,

Which I seek,

Is that I should dwell in the house of the Lord

All the days of my life,

To see the Lord's pleasantness

And to contemplate his temple.

5For he will hide me in a booth;

On the evil day

He will conceal me in the secrecy of his tent.

He will raise me up on a rock.

6And now my head will be raised

Against my enemies round about me,

And I will offer in his tent the sacrifices of the battle-cry;

I will sing

And make psalm melody to the Lord.

7Hear me, O Lord,

As I call with my voice,

And have mercy on me,

And answer me.

8My heart has spoken to you.

You have said to us, “Seek my face”;

Your face, O Lord, I shall seek.

9Do not hide your face from me;

Do not turn your servant away in anger.

You have been my help;

Do not forsake me and do not abandon me,

O God of my salvation.

10If my father and my mother forsake me,

Then the Lord will gather me up.

11Teach me, O Lord, your way,

And lead me along an equitable path,

On account of my adversaries.

12Do not deliver me to the will of my adversaries,

For false witnesses have risen up against me

Who breathe out violence.

13I have believed that I will see the Lord's goodness

In the land of the living.

14Put your hope in the Lord,

Be strong,

And may he strengthen your heart,

And put your hope in the Lord.

Psalms Chapter 28 

1A Psalm of David.

I will call on you, O Lord, my rock.

Do not turn a deaf ear to me,

Lest in being silent to me,

I should become like those

Who go down to the pit.

2Oh hear my supplications being uttered

When I shout out to you

– When I lift up my hands to your holy place of address.

3Do not draw me along with the wicked

Or perpetrators of iniquity,

Who speak peace with their neighbour,

While evil is in their heart.

4Render them according to their work

And according to the evil of their acts.

Render them according to the deeds of their hands;

Requite them their due.

5For they do not discern the works of the Lord

Nor the deeds of his hands.

He will demolish them

And not build them up.

6Blessed is the Lord,

For he has heard my supplications uttered.

7The Lord is my strength and my shield;

My heart has put its trust in him.

And I have been helped,

So my heart rejoiced,

And I will praise him with my song.

8The Lord is their strength,

And the stronghold of salvation is his messiah.

9Oh save your people,

And bless your inheritance,

And be a shepherd to them and exalt them

Age-abidingly.

Psalms Chapter 29 

1A Psalm of David.

Ascribe what is due to the Lord,

You mighty ones

– Ascribe glory and strength to the Lord.

2Ascribe the glory of his name to the Lord;

Worship the Lord in holy splendour.

3The voice of the Lord is over the waters,

The God of glory causes thunder;

The Lord is over great waters.

4The voice of the Lord is with power;

The voice of the Lord is with splendour.

5The voice of the Lord breaks cedars;

Indeed the Lord shatters the cedars of Lebanon.

6And he makes them leap like a calf

– Lebanon and Sirion like the young of a buffalo.

7The voice of the Lord cleaves apart

With a fiery flame.

8The voice of the Lord shakes the desert;

The Lord shakes the desert of Kadesh.

9The voice of the Lord causes hinds to calve

And strips woodland bare.

And in his temple,

All of it speaks of glory.

10The Lord abode the flood,

And the Lord abides as age-abiding king.

11The Lord will give strength to his people;

The Lord will bless his people with peace.

Psalms Chapter 30 

1aA Psalm. A song for the dedication of the house of David.

1bI will extol you, O Lord,

For you have liberated me,

And you have not given my enemies cause for joy over me.

2O Lord my God,

I cried out to you,

And you restored me.

3O Lord, you have brought my being up from the grave;

You have preserved me alive

From me going down to the pit.

4Sing psalms to the Lord,

You sanctified ones of his,

And give thanks at holy remembrance of him.

5For although there is a moment in his anger,

There is life in his good pleasure.

In the evening, weeping is prevalent,

But in the morning there is rejoicing.

6And I have said in my prosperity,

“I will never falter.”

7O Lord, in your goodwill

You established my strong mountain,

But when you hid your face,

I was terrified.

8O Lord, I call out to you,

And it is with the Lord* that I plead.

9What profit is there in my blood

If I go down into the pit?

Does the dust give you thanks?

Does it proclaim your truth?

10Hear, O Lord,

And have mercy on me.

O Lord, be a helper to me.

11You have turned my mourning into dancing for me;

You have untied my sackcloth

And girded me with joy,

12So that one may sing psalms of glory to you

And not be silent.

O Lord my God,

I will give you thanks age-abidingly.

Psalms Chapter 31 

1aTo the choirmaster.↑

A Psalm of David.

1bIn you, O Lord, I have put my trust.

Do not let me ever be ashamed;

Deliver me in your righteousness.

2Extend your ear to me;

Rescue me speedily.

Be a rock-founded stronghold to me

– A fortified building to save me.

3For you are my rock and my stronghold,

So for your name's sake,

Conduct me and lead me.

4Extricate me from the net

Which they have hidden for me,

For you are my fortress.

5I commit my spirit into your hand.

You have redeemed me,

O Lord God of truth.

6I have hated those who keep false idols,

And I have trusted in the Lord.

7I will rejoice and be happy in your kindness,

In that you have looked at my affliction;

You have known my inner self in adversities.

8And you have not consigned me to the hand of the enemy;

You have stood my feet in a safe place.

9Have mercy on me, O Lord,

For I am in straits;

My eye is ravaged with grief,

As are my mind and my body.

10For my life has been worn down with distress,

And my years with sighing.

My strength falters in my iniquity,

And my bones have wasted away.

11I have been a reproach to all my adversaries,

And very much so to my neighbours,

And frightening to my acquaintances.

Those who saw me in the open

Fled from me.

12I have been forgotten like one deceased

– Out of mind.

I have become like an article going to waste.

13For I have heard the slander of many;

There was fear all round

When they plotted together against me

When they contrived to take my life.

14But I put my trust in you, O Lord;

I have said,

“You are my God.”

15My times are in your hand.

Oh rescue me from the hand of my enemies

And those who pursue me.

16Shine your face on your servant;

Save me in your kindness.

17O Lord, do not let me be ashamed,

For I have called on you.

Let the wicked be ashamed;

Let them be silent at the grave.

18Let false-speaking lips be dumbfounded,

Which speak insolently against the righteous

In arrogance and in contempt.

19How great your goodness is

Which you have hidden away

For those who fear you,

Which you have produced for those who trust in you

In the presence of the sons of Adam!

20You will hide them in the secrecy of your face;

You will conceal them in a booth from the brusque ways of man

And from hostile talk.

21Blessed be the Lord,

For he has shown his wonderful kindness to me

In a fortified city.

22But I said in my haste,

“I have been cut off from the presence of your eyes.”

Truly, you have heard my supplications uttered

When I cried out to you.

23Love the Lord, all you people of his grace.

The Lord is a guardian of the faithful,

And an abundant retributer

Of him who behaves proudly.

24Be strong and may he encourage your heart,

All you who are awaiting the Lord.

Psalms Chapter 32 

1An Instructive Psalm of David.

Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven

Whose sin is covered over.

2Blessed is the man

To whom the Lord will not impute iniquity

And in whose spirit is no deceit.

3When I was silent,

My bones wasted away

– When I roared all day long.

4Because day and night your hand was heavy on me,

My moisture turned into summer drought.

Selah.

5I acknowledge my sin to you,

And I do not hide my iniquity.

I have said,

“I will make confession concerning my transgression to the Lord”,

And you have forgiven the iniquity of my sin.

Selah.

6On account of this, every man of grace will pray to you

At a time when you may be found.

Surely in the flood of great waters,

They will not be able to reach him.

7You are my hiding place.

You keep me from adversity;

You surround me with shouts of deliverance.

Selah.

8“I will instruct you,

And I will teach you the way by which you will go.

I will counsel you with my eye.

9Do not be like the horse or like the mule,

Which cannot be made to understand,

With a bit and bridle as their trappings to control them,

Otherwise they will not come close to you.”

10The wicked will have many pains,

But as for him who trusts in the Lord,

Kindness will surround him.

11Be glad in the Lord and rejoice,

You righteous,

And shout for joy,

All you upright in heart.

Reference(s) in Chapter 32: v.1 ↔ Romans 4:7 ● v.2 ↔ Romans 4:8.

Psalms Chapter 33 

1Shout for joy, you righteous because of the Lord;

Praise is becoming to the upright.

2Give thanks to the Lord with the harp;

Make psalm melody with the ten-stringed lute.

3Sing a new song to him;

Strike up skilfully with jubilation.

4For the word of the Lord is upright,

And all his dealings are performed faithfully.

5He loves righteousness and justice;

The earth is full of the Lord's kindness.

6By the word of the Lord,

The heavens were made,

And by the spirit of his mouth,

All their array.

7He gathers up the waters of the sea into an accumulation;

He puts the depths in treasuries.

8Let all the earth fear the Lord;

Let all the inhabitants of the world be afraid of him.

9For he spoke, and it came to pass;

He commanded, and it stood firm.

10The Lord frustrates the counsel of the nations;

He thwarts the designs of the various peoples.

11The counsel of the Lord stands age-abidingly;

The designs of his heart are from generation to generation.

12Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord

– The people whom he has chosen as his inheritance.

13The Lord looks on from heaven;

He sees all the sons of Adam.

14From his place of residence he observes

All the inhabitants of the earth

15That is he who formed their hearts all together

And who discerns all their works.

16No king is saved by greatness of military force;

A warrior is not delivered by greatness of strength.

17A horse is a fallacious means of safety,

And it does not provide deliverance by its great strength.

18Behold, the eye of the Lord is on those who fear him

– On those who are waiting for his kindness,

19For their own salvation from death

And for their preservation in famine.

20“Our being is waiting for the Lord;

He is our help and our shield.

21For in him our heart rejoices,

For we trust in his holy name.

22O Lord, may your kindness be upon us,

According to how we have waited for you.”

Reference(s) in Chapter 33: v.6 ↔ Revelation 14:7.

Psalms Chapter 34 

1aA Psalm of David when he changed his behaviour in the presence of Abimelech, so that he drove him out and he went away.

1bI will bless the Lord at all times;

Praise of him is constantly in my mouth.

2My being will be praised because of the Lord;

The meek will hear it and rejoice.

3Extol the Lord with me,

And let us exalt his name together.

4When I sought the Lord,

He answered me,

And he delivered me from all my fears.

5They looked to him and brightened up,

And their faces were not ashamed.

6There was a certain poor man

Who called out,

And the Lord heard him

And saved him from all his adversities.

7The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him,

And he delivers them.

8Taste, and see that the Lord is good;

Happy is the man who trusts in him.

9Fear the Lord, you holy ones of his,

For those who fear him have no lack of anything.

10Lion cubs are reduced,

And they hunger,

But those who seek the Lord

Will not suffer lack of any good thing.

11Come, you sons, and listen to me;

I will teach you the fear of the Lord.

12Who is the man who delights in life?

– Who loves days so as to see good?

13Keep your tongue from evil

And your lips from speaking deceit.

14Depart from evil

And do good;

Seek peace

And pursue it.

15The eyes of the Lord are directed to the righteous,

And his ears to their crying out.

16The face of the Lord is against those who do evil,

To cut off the memory of them from the earth.

17They call out,

And the Lord hears,

And he delivers them from all their adversities.

18The Lord is near to the brokenhearted,

And he saves those of contrite spirit.

19Many are the woes of the righteous man,

But the Lord delivers him from all of them.

20He keeps all his bones;

Not one of them becomes broken.

21Evil will slay the wicked,

And those who hate the righteous will be held guilty.

22The Lord redeems the life of his servants,

And none of those who trust in him

Shall be held guilty.

Reference(s) in Chapter 34: v.8 ↔ 1 Peter 2:3 ● v.12 ↔ 1 Peter 3:10 ● v.13 ↔ 1 Peter 3:10 ● v.14 ↔ 1 Peter 3:11 ● v.15 ↔ 1 Peter 3:12 ● v.16 ↔ 1 Peter 3:12 ● v.20 ↔ John 19:36.

Psalms Chapter 35 

1A Psalm of David.

O Lord, contend with my adversaries;

Do battle with those who do battle with me.

2Take hold of buckler and shield,

And rise up to my assistance.

3And draw out the spear,

And close in on those who pursue me.

Say to my being,

“I am your salvation.”

4Let those who seek my life

Be ashamed and suffer ignominy;

Let those who devise my harm

Be driven back and be disgraced.

5Let them be like chaff before the wind,

With the angel of the Lord driving them.

6Let their way consist of darkness and slippery places,

With the angel of the Lord pursuing them.

7For they secretly prepared without cause

A pit with their net for me.

Without cause they dug it for my life.

8Let destruction come upon him,

Which he will be unaware of,

And let his net which he hid

Catch him.

Let him fall into it

To his destruction.

9Then my being will rejoice in the Lord;

It will exult in his salvation.

10All my bones say,

“O Lord, who is like you?

– Delivering the afflicted

From him who is stronger than he,

And the afflicted and poor

From him who exploits them.”

11False witnesses rise up

And interrogate me concerning things

Which I do not know about.

12They repay me evil for good,

Leaving me destitute.

13Whilst I, when they were sick,

Wore sackcloth for my clothing.

I afflicted myself with fasting,

But my prayer returned to my own bosom.

14I conducted myself as to a friend or as to a brother of mine;

I was downcast in melancholy,

As one mourning for his mother.

15When I keeled over,

They rejoiced,

And slanderers gathered themselves against me more and more.

And I did not recognize their accusations

As they tore at me without stopping,

16With profane cake mockers,

Who gnash their teeth at me instead.

17O Lord*, how long will you look on?

Rescue my life from their devastations;

Rescue my most dear from the lion cubs.

18I will give you thanks in a great convocation;

I will praise you among a numerous people.

19Do not let my enemies rejoice over me on the basis of falsehood,

Nor let those who hate me without cause gloat over me.

20For they do not speak peace,

But they conceive deceitful words

Against those who are quiet in the land.

21And they have railed at me;

They have said,

“Ha, ha! Our eye has seen it.”

22You have seen it, O Lord;

Do not be silent.

O Lord*, do not be far from me.

23Rouse yourself

And awaken to my case,

O God of mine and my Lord

– For my cause.

24Judge me according to your righteousness,

O Lord my God,

And do not let them rejoice over me.

25Do not let them say in their heart,

“Ha, we have our desire.”

Do not let them say,

“We have swallowed him up.”

26Let those who rejoice in me being harmed

Be completely put to shame and disgraced.

And let those who triumph over me

Be clothed in shame and ignominy.

27Let those who delight in my justice

Shout for joy and rejoice

And continually say,

“Let the Lord, who delights in his servant's peace,

Be magnified.”

28And my tongue will utter your righteousness

And your praise, all day long.

Reference(s) in Chapter 35: v.19 ↔ John 15:25.

Psalms Chapter 36 

1aTo the choirmaster.↑

A Psalm of David the servant of the Lord.

1bThe transgressive speech of the wicked man is,

“In my heart there is no fear of God before his eyes.”

2For he flatters himself in his own sight,

Indifferent to finding iniquity in himself

Indifferent to being hateful.

3The words of his mouth are vanity and deceit.

He has ceased acting wisely

And doing what is good.

4He devises vanity on his couch;

He takes his stand on a way that is not good.

He does not reject evil.

5O Lord, your kindness is in heaven;

Your faithfulness reaches to the skies.

6Your righteousness is like tremendous mountains;

Your justice is like a great deep.

O Lord, you save man and beast.

7How precious your kindness is, O God,

As the sons of Adam shelter in the shade of your wings.

8They will be satiated with the fat of your house,

And you will give them drink

With your pleasurable brook.

9For the fountain of life is with you;

In your light, we will see light.

10Continue your kindness

With those who know you,

And your righteousness

With the upright in heart.

11Do not let a proud foot come upon me,

And do not let the hand of the wicked drive me off course.

12That is where perpetrators of iniquity have fallen;

They have been thrust down,

And they cannot get up.

Reference(s) in Chapter 36: v.1b ↔ Romans 3:18.

Psalms Chapter 37 

1A Psalm of David.

Do not be infuriated by evildoers;

Do not be envious of perpetrators of injustice.

2For they will quickly be cut down like wild herbage

And will wither like green grass.

3Trust in the Lord and do good;

Dwell in the land

And feed on faithfulness.

4And delight in the Lord,

And he will grant you the requests of your heart.

5Entrust your way to the Lord,

And trust in him,

And he will perform it.

6And he will bring out your righteousness like light,

And your justice like midday.

7Be still before the Lord,

And wait for him.

Do not be infuriated by him who makes his way a success

– By a man who engages in intrigues.

8Cease from anger

And abandon fury;

Do not be infuriated,

Which just leads to acting wickedly.

9For those who act wickedly will be cut off,

But those who await the Lord

Will inherit the earth.

10And in just a little while,

There will not be any wicked.

As soon as you have taken stock of his position,

He will not be there.

11But the meek shall inherit the earth

And delight in great peace.

12The wicked man schemes against the righteous man

And gnashes his teeth at him.

13The Lord* will laugh at him,

For he has seen that his day will come.

14The wicked unsheathe a sword

And draw their bow,

In order to fell the poor and the needy,

And to slaughter those of an upright way.

15Their sword will go into their own heart,

And their bows will be broken up.

16The little that the righteous man has

Is better than the much of the many wicked.

17For the arms of the wicked will be broken,

But the Lord upholds the righteous.

18The Lord knows the days of those with integrity,

Whose inheritance will be age-abiding.

19They shall not be ashamed at an evil time,

And in days of famine, they will be satiated.

20For the wicked will perish,

And the enemies of the Lord are like the prime part of fatted lambs.

They will be consumed;

In smoke they will be consumed.

21The wicked man borrows and does not repay,

But the righteous man shows compassion and gives.

22For those blessed by him will inherit the earth,

But those cursed by him will be cut off.

23Man's steps are made firm by the Lord,

And he delights in his way.

24If he falls,

He will not be cast out,

For the Lord supports his hand.

25I was once a young man,

But now I am old,

And I have not seen a righteous man forsaken,

Nor seen his seed seeking bread.

26He is compassionate and lends all day,

And his seed is a blessing.

27Depart from evil and do good,

And so dwell age-abidingly.

28For the Lord loves justice,

And he does not forsake those of his grace.

They are kept safe age-abidingly,

But the seed of the wicked is cut off.

29The righteous will inherit the earth

And will dwell on it perpetually.

30The mouth of the righteous utters wisdom,

And his tongue speaks justice.

31The law of his God is in his heart;

None of his steps stumbles.

32The wicked watches for the righteous

And endeavours to kill him.

33The Lord will not leave him in his hand,

Nor will he condemn him when he is judged.

34Wait for the Lord,

And guard his way,

And he will exalt you in inheriting the earth.

When the wicked are cut off,

You will see it.

35I have seen a wicked, violent man

Spreading himself like a luxuriant native tree.

36Then he passes away,

And behold, he is not there,

And although I might seek him,

He is not to be found.

37Maintain integrity

And see to being upright,

For the final state of man is peace.

38But transgressors will be completely destroyed;

The final state of the wicked is to be cut off.

39But the salvation of the righteous is from the Lord;

He is their stronghold in the time of tribulation.

40And the Lord will help them and deliver them;

He will deliver them from the wicked ones

And save them,

For they have trusted in him.

Reference(s) in Chapter 37: v.11 ↔ Matthew 5:5.

Psalms Chapter 38 

1aA Psalm of David to bring to remembrance.

1bO Lord, do not rebuke me in your anger,

Nor chasten me in your fury.

2For your arrows rain down on me,

And your hand descends onto me.

3There is nothing unscathed in my flesh

On account of your indignation;

There is no peace in my bones

On account of my sin.

4For my iniquities extend beyond my head;

They weigh down like a burden too heavy for me.

5My scars are loathsome;

They are a flux because of my folly.

6I am buckled,

I have been brought low in the extreme;

I go mourning all day long.

7For my loins are full of inflammation,

And there is nothing unscathed in my flesh.

8I have become languid,

And I have been crushed in the extreme.

I roar with the growling of my heart.

9O Lord*, all my yearning is set before you,

And my sighing is not concealed from you.

10My heart palpitates;

My strength has deserted me,

And the light of my eyes is not with me either.

11Those who love me, and my friends, stand back at my plight,

And my acquaintances station themselves at a distance,

12While those who seek my life lay snares,

And those intent on harming me

Speak pernicious things

And contemplate deceitful plots all day long.

13But I, like a deaf person, do not hear it,

And like a mute person,

Who does not open his mouth.

14And I was like a man who did not hear it,

In whose mouth were no reproofs.

15For I have waited for you, O Lord.

You will answer, O Lord* my God.

16For I have said,

“So that they do not rejoice over me,

Or triumph over me when my foot falters.”

17For I am on the point of keeling over,

And my grief is in front of me all the time.

18For I will confess my iniquity;

I am anxious about my sin.

19Meanwhile my enemies are alive

And have become strong.

And those who hate me on false grounds

Have become numerous.

20And those who requite evil instead of good

Oppose me for my pursuit of good.

21Do not abandon me, O Lord;

O God of mine, do not be far from me.

22Hasten to help me,

O Lord* of my salvation.

Psalms Chapter 39 

1aTo the choirmaster – to Jeduthun.↑

A Psalm of David.

1bI have resolved that I will keep my ways,

Not sinning with my tongue;

I will restrain my mouth with a muzzle

As long as the wicked one is still before me.

2I was mute – in silence.

I was quiet because of my good situation,

Then sorrow came upon me.

3My heart was hot within me,

A fire was burning in my contemplation;

I spoke with my tongue.

4O Lord, make my end known to me,

And what the measure of my days is,

So that I may know how transient I am.

5Look, you have appointed my days to be as handbreadths,

And my lifespan is as nothing before you.

Surely all mankind is appointed to nothing but vanity.

Selah.

6Surely man walks around in a shadow;

Surely men are in a commotion in vanity.

He heaps things up

But does not know who will collect them.

7And now, O Lord*, what have I hoped for?

My hope is pinned on you.

8Deliver me from all my transgressions;

Do not make me a fool's reproach.

9I was silent;

I did not open my mouth,

For you acted.

10Do stop dealing me blows,

For I am consumed by the castigation of your hand.

11You chasten a man on account of iniquity with punishments,

And you dissolve away his elegance like a moth.

Surely all mankind is vanity.

Selah.

12Hear my prayer, O Lord,

And listen to my crying out.

Do not be indifferent to my tears,

For I am a foreigner with you

– A temporary resident, like all my fathers.

13Allow me respite,

And let me be cheerful,

Before I go

And am no more.

Reference(s) in Chapter 39: v.12 ↔ Hebrews 11:13.

Psalms Chapter 40 

1aTo the choirmaster.↑

A Psalm of David.

1bI fervently put hope in the Lord,

And he turned to me

And heard my crying out.

2And he brought me up out of a deadly pit,

Out of the miry mud,

And he raised my feet onto a rock,

And he directed my steps.

3And he put a new song in my mouth

– A psalm to our God.

Many will see and fear

And trust in the Lord.

4Happy is the man

Who has made the Lord the object of his trust

And who has not turned to the insolent,

Nor to those who turn aside to dishonesty.

5O Lord my God,

Your wondrous works which you have performed

Are many,

And your thoughts to us are beyond compare.

I will announce them and speak of them,

Although they are too great to relate.

6You do not desire sacrifice or offering;

You have opened my ears.

You have not asked for burnt offering or sin-offering.

7Then I said,

“Behold, I have come.

In the scroll of the book it stands written concerning me:

8‘I delight to do your will,

O God of mine,

And your law is in my inner parts.’ ”

9I have brought good tidings of righteousness,

In a great convocation;

Look, I have not held my lips back.

O Lord, you know.

10I have not concealed your righteousness inside my heart,

I have spoken of your faithfulness and your salvation;

I have not hidden away your kindness or your truth

From a great convocation.

11O Lord, you do not hold back your mercies from me;

Your kindness and your truth always guard me.

12For innumerable evils have surrounded me.

My iniquities have caught up with me,

So that I am unable to see.

They are more numerous than the hairs of my head,

And my heart has deserted me.

13Be willing, O Lord, to deliver me;

O Lord, hasten to my assistance.

14May those who seek to destroy my life

Be completely ashamed and disgraced.

May those who delight in my harm

Be driven back

And be made ignominious.

15May those who say to me, “Ha, ha”

Be devastated on account of their shame.

16May all those who seek you exult

And rejoice in you.

May those who love your salvation always say,

“Let the Lord be magnified.”

17But I am poor and needy,

Yet the Lord* considers me.

You are my helper and my deliverer.

O God of mine, do not delay.

Reference(s) in Chapter 40: v.6 ↔ Hebrews 10:5, Hebrews 10:6, Hebrews 10:8 ● v.7 ↔ Hebrews 10:7, Hebrews 10:9 ● v.8 ↔ Hebrews 10:9.

Psalms Chapter 41 

1aTo the choirmaster.↑

A Psalm of David.

1bHappy is he who attends to the poor;

On the evil day,

The Lord will deliver him.

2The Lord will protect him

And preserve him alive.

And he will be pronounced happy on the earth,

And you will not deliver him to the will of his enemies.

3The Lord will support him on his sickbed;

You will overturn all causes of him being bedridden in his illness.

4I have said,

“O Lord have mercy on me,

Heal me inwardly,

For I have sinned against you.”

5My enemies speak an evil thing of me:

“When will he die,

And his name perish?”

6And if anyone comes to see what false thing he can say,

His heart accumulates iniquity;

He goes out into the open

And says it.

7All those who hate me

Whisper among themselves against me;

They conceive evil for me.

8A mischievous deed has taken shape in their plan,

Whereby, “When he lies down,

He will not rise again.”

9Even a man at peace with me,

In whom I trusted

One who partook of my bread –

Has lifted up his heel against me.

10But you, O Lord, have mercy on me,

And raise me up,

So that I can repay them.

11By this I know that you have pleasure in me:

My enemy will not gloat over me.

12As for me, you take hold of me in my integrity,

And you place me before yourself age-abidingly.

13Blessed be the Lord God of Israel

From age to age.

Amen and amen.

Reference(s) in Chapter 41: v.9 ↔ John 13:18.

Psalms Chapter 42 

1aTo the choirmaster.↑

For the sons of Korah, an Instructive Psalm.

1bAs a roebuck longs for brooks of water,

So my being longs for you, O God.

2My being thirsts for God

– For the living God.

When will I come

And see the face of God?

3A tear was my daily and nightly bread

When they said to me all day,

“Where is your God?”

4I will remember these things,

And I will pour out my soul over myself,

For I will pass through the crowd;

I will proceed softly with them to the house of God

With a joyful voice and thanksgiving,

As a multitude celebrates a festival.

5How you have been brought low, my spirit,

And have agitated me!

Await God,

For I will still praise him,

For his acts of salvation performed in his own presence.

6O God of mine, my spirit has been brought down low on me,

So I will remember you from the land of Jordan,

And the Hermons, from Mount Mizar.

7The deep calls to the deep

At the call of your water-surges;

All your breakers and waves have passed over me.

8By day the Lord will command his kindness,

And by night a song is with me

– A prayer to the God of my life.

9Let me say to God, my rock,

“Why have you forgotten me?

Why should I go about melancholically,

In the oppression of the enemy?”

10My adversaries reproach me with the crushing of my bones,

As they say to me all day long,

“Where is your God?”

11How you have been brought low, my spirit,

And how you have agitated me!

Await God,

For I will still praise him,

For the acts of salvation before me,

And for being my God.

Psalms Chapter 43 

1Judge me, O God,

And defend my case against a graceless people.

Deliver me from the deceitful and unjust man.

2But you, O God, who are my stronghold,

Why are you averse to me?

Why do I go about dejectedly

In the oppression of the enemy?

3Send your light and your truth.

They will lead me;

Let them bring me to your holy mountain

And to your dwelling places,

4And I will go to the altar of God,

To the God of my joyous happiness.

And I will praise you with the harp,

O God my God.

5How you have been brought low, my spirit.

And have agitated me!

Await God,

For I will still praise him,

For the acts of salvation before me

And for being my God.

Psalms Chapter 44 

1aTo the choirmaster.↑

For the sons of Korah, an Instructive Psalm.

1bO God, we have heard with our ears

– Our fathers told us –

Of the work you performed

In days of old.

2You disinherited nations with your hand

And planted them.

You did harm to various peoples

And cast them out.

3For they did not take possession of the land by their sword,

Nor did their own arm save them.

Rather, your right hand did,

And your arm,

And the light of your presence,

For you had pleasure in them.

4You are my king, O God;

Command the salvations of Jacob.

5Through you we will butt our adversaries;

Through your name, we will trample down

Those who rise up against us.

6For I do not put trust in my bow,

And my sword will not save me.

7For you have saved us from our adversaries

And have put those who hate us to shame.

8We have praised God throughout the day,

And we will be thankful to your name age-abidingly.

Selah.

9But you are averse to us,

And you have put us to shame,

And you do not go out in our armies.

10You drive us back from the adversary,

And those who hate us

Plunder away.

11You make us like sheep for food,

And you have scattered us among the Gentiles.

12You have sold your people at no value,

And you did not bid up their price.

13You make us a reproach to our neighbours

– A mockery and derision to those round about us.

14You make us a byword among the Gentiles

– A shaking of the head among the various peoples.

15All day long my ignominy is before me,

And the shame of my face covers me

16At the sound of the reproacher and the reviler

– At the presence of the enemy and the avenger.

17All this has come upon us,

But we have not forgotten you,

And we have not violated your covenant.

18Our heart has not withdrawn,

Nor do our steps deviate from your path,

19Although you have crushed us in a place of jackals,

And you have covered us with a shadow of death.

20If we have forgotten the name of our God

Or spread our hands to a strange god,

21Will not God search this out?

For he knows the hidden things of the heart.

22Indeed for your sake we are killed all day long;

We are considered as sheep for slaughter.

23Awake, why do you sleep, O Lord*?

Arise, do not be averse for all time.

24Why do you hide your face

And forget our affliction and our oppression?

25For our spirit is sinking into the dust;

Our belly is stuck to the earth.

26Arise and be our help,

And redeem us

For your kindness' sake.

Reference(s) in Chapter 44: v.22 ↔ Romans 8:36.

Psalms Chapter 45 

1aTo the choirmaster on Shoshannim.↑

For the sons of Korah, an Instructive Psalm. A song of love.

1bMy heart is bubbling up with a good thing,

I speak of my works for the king;

My tongue is the pen of a ready writer.

2You are very much more comely than the sons of Adam;

Grace is poured out on your lips,

Because God has blessed you age-abidingly.

3Gird your sword onto your thigh, O warrior,

For your splendour and your majesty.

4And as for your majesty,

Prosper and ride

On the principle of truth and righteous meekness,

And your right hand will show you awesome things.

5Your arrows are sharpened;

Various peoples will fall under you

Those at the heart of the king's enemies.

6Your throne, O God, is age-abiding and in perpetuity;

The sceptre of your kingdom is an upright sceptre.

7You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness,

Which is why God, your God,

Has anointed you with the oil of gladness

More than your companions.

8All your clothes have been scented with myrrh and aloes and cassia,

From ivory palaces,

Because they gladden you.

9The daughters of kings are among your maids-of-honour,

And a queen stands on your right in gold from Ophir.

10Listen, O daughter, and look,

And incline your ear,

And forget your people,

And your father's house,

11While the king longs for your beauty,

For he is your Lord,

So worship him.

12And, O daughter of Tyre,

The rich of the people will seek your favour with a gift.

13The king's daughter is entirely glorious indoors,

And her clothing is of intricately woven gold.

14She will be brought to the king in embroidery;

Her virgin attendants following are brought to you.

15They will be brought with gladness and rejoicing,

They will come to the king's palace.

16In the place of your fathers

Will be your sons.

You will appoint them as princes

Over all the land.

17I will bring your name to remembrance

From every generation to generation,

Which is why the various peoples will praise you,

Age-abidingly and in perpetuity.

Reference(s) in Chapter 45: v.6 ↔ Hebrews 1:8 ● v.7 ↔ Hebrews 1:9.

Psalms Chapter 46 

1aTo the choirmaster, for the sons of Korah concerning maidens.↑

A Song.

1bGod is our refuge and strength

– A help in adversities.

He is readily found.

2That is why we will not fear

When the earth undergoes change,

Or the mountains tumble into the heart of the seas.

3His waters roar and swell;

Mountains shake at his grandeur.

Selah.

4A river and its streams give joy to the City of God

– To the holy dwelling places of the Most High.

5God is at its centre;

It will not be shaken.

God will help it

At the approach of the morning.

6The Gentiles are in a commotion,

And kingdoms topple.

When he gives utterance with his voice,

The earth melts.

7The Lord of hosts is with us;

The God of Jacob is a high stronghold to us.

Selah.

8Come and see the works of the Lord,

Who has brought about desolations on the earth.

9He stops wars up to the end of the earth,

He breaks the bow and snaps the spear;

He burns chariots in fire.

10Be still, and know that I am God.

I will be exalted among the Gentiles;

I will be exalted on the earth.

11The Lord of hosts is with us;

The God of Jacob is a high stronghold to us.

Selah.

Psalms Chapter 47 

1aTo the choirmaster.↑

For the sons of Korah – a Psalm.

1bClap the hands, all you various peoples;

Shout out to God with a joyful cry.

2For the Lord Most High is to be feared

– A great king over the whole earth.

3May he subdue peoples under us,

And nations under our feet.

4May he choose our inheritance for us

– The excellence of Jacob whom he loved.

Selah.

5God ascended with a shout

– The Lord, with the sound of the ramshorn.

6Sing psalms to God,

Sing psalms,

Sing psalms to our king;

Sing psalms.

7For God is king of all the earth.

Sing psalms of instruction.

8God reigns over the Gentiles;

God sits on his holy throne.

9The dignitaries of the various peoples have gathered

– The people of the God of Abraham –

For the shields of the earth belong to God;

He is highly exalted.

Psalms Chapter 48 

1aA Song. A Psalm for the sons of Korah.

1bThe Lord is great

And is much to be praised

In the city of our God

– His holy mount.

2Fair in elevation,

The joy of all the land

Is Mount Zion,

As are its northern sides

– The city of the great king.

3God is known as a high fort

In its palaces.

4For behold, the kings held a meeting;

They passed across together.

5They saw it and were duly astonished;

They were startled and they fled in alarm.

6Trembling seized them there

– Writhing like a woman giving birth.

7With an east wind,

You shatter the ships of Tarshish.

8As we have heard, so we have seen,

In the city of the Lord of hosts.

In the city of our God,

Which God will establish age-abidingly.

Selah.

9We have contemplated your kindness, O God,

In the midst of your temple.

10As your name is, O God,

So is your praise at the ends of the earth.

Your right hand is full of righteousness.

11Let Mount Zion rejoice;

Let the daughters of Judah be glad

On account of your judgments.

12Go round Zion

And circle round it.

Count its towers.

13Set your heart on its might.

Consider its palaces,

So that you can relate it to the generation following,

14For this God is our God,

Age-abidingly and in perpetuity.

He will guide us at death.

Psalms Chapter 49 

1aTo the choirmaster.↑

A Psalm for the sons of Korah.

1bHear this, all you various peoples;

Listen, all who dwell in the world

2– Indeed, you sons of Adam,

Indeed, you sons of man

– Rich and poor together.

3My mouth will speak wisdom,

And the meditation of my heart will be intelligent words.

4I will turn my ear to a proverb;

I will strike up my riddle on the harp.

5Why should I fear in the days of evil?

The iniquity of those who would supplant me

Surrounds me

6Of those who trust in their own wealth

And boast in the abundance of their riches.

7A man cannot redeem his brother at all,

He cannot give God his ransom,

8For the redemption of their life is precious;

He will always fail,

9In redemption such that one should live on in perpetuity

And not see decay.

10For he sees how wise men die,

In the same way that the foolish and the coarse perish

And leave their wealth to others.

11Their inward thought is that their houses are age-abiding

That their dwellings will be from generation to generation.

They call their estates after their own names.

12But man will not remain in splendour;

He resembles cattle that are cut off.

13This way of theirs is their folly,

But those who come after them

Are pleased with their sayings.

Selah.

14They are put in a grave like sheep;

Death has dominion over them.

Now the upright will rule over them in the morning,

But their condition will decay in the grave

More than it did in their dwelling.

15Surely God will redeem my life

From the power of the grave,

For he will take me up.

Selah.

16Do not fear when a man becomes rich,

When the prestige of his house is increased.

17For he does not take anything with him at his death,

Nor does his honour follow him down.

18For he blesses himself in his lifetime,

And men praise you

When you do well for yourself.

19You will go to the generation of his fathers,

Who will never see light.

20A man in splendour,

But who does not understand,

Resembles cattle

That are cut off.

Psalms Chapter 50 

1A Psalm of Asaph.

God, God, the Lord has spoken

And called to the earth

From the rising of the sun

To its setting.

2God has shone from Zion

As the perfection of beauty.

3Our God will come and will not be silent.

A fire before him will consume away,

And around him it will be very tempestuous.

4He will call out to the heavens above,

And to the earth,

To judge his people.

5Gather my men of grace up to me

– Those who have carried out my covenant by sacrifice.

6And the heavens will declare his righteousness,

For God is the judge.

Selah.

7Listen, my people,

And I will speak, O Israel,

And I will testify against you.

I am God – your God.

8I will not reprove you about your sacrifices,

Nor your burnt offerings

Which are continually before me.

9I will not take a bull-calf from your house,

Nor he-goats from your folds,

10For all the wild animals of the forest are mine,

As are the cattle on a thousand mountains.

11I know all the birds of the mountains,

And the wildlife of the countryside is with me.

12If I were to be hungry,

I would not tell you,

For the world and its fulness are mine.

13Would I eat beef of strong bulls,

Or drink the blood of he-goats?

14Give a sacrifice of a thank-offering to God,

And fulfil your vows to the Most High.

15And call on me on the day of anguish,

And I will deliver you,

And you will glorify me.

16But to the wicked, God has said,

“What concern is it to you to relate my statutes,

And for you to take up my covenant in your mouth,

17Seeing you hate correction,

And you cast my words behind you?

18If you saw a thief,

You delighted in being with him,

And you participated with adulterers.

19You let your mouth loose with evil,

And you yoke your tongue to deceit.

20You sit and speak against your brother,

You publish defamation of your mother's son;

21You have done these things,

And I have been silent.

Did you think

That I would in any way be like you?

I will reprove you

And make the comparison in your sight.

22Now understand this,

You who forget God,

Lest I tear you apart,

And there will be no-one to deliver you.

23He who offers a thank-offering

Honours me,

And as for him who lays the way to heart,

I will show him the salvation of God.”

Psalms Chapter 51 

1aTo the choirmaster.↑

A Psalm of David, 1bwhen Nathan the prophet came to him, because he had gone in to Bathsheba.

1cHave mercy on me, O God,

According to your kindness;

Wipe out my transgressions

According to the greatness of your compassion.

2Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity,

And cleanse me from my sin.

3For I acknowledge my transgressions,

And my sin is continually before me.

4Against you, you only, I have sinned,

And I have done what is wrong in your sight,

So you are righteous when you speak,

And you are pure when you judge.

5Behold, I was born in iniquity,

And in sin my mother conceived me.

6Behold, you delight in truth in the inward parts,

And you make wisdom known to me

In the part which is concealed.

7Expiate my sin with hyssop

So that I become clean;

Wash me

So that I become whiter than snow.

8Give me gladness and joy to hear;

Let the bones you crushed rejoice.

9Hide your face from my sins,

And wipe out all my iniquities.

10Create me a clean heart, O God,

And make a new right-minded spirit in my inner self.

11Do not cast me out of your presence,

And do not take your holy spirit away from me.

12Restore the happiness of your salvation to me,

And may a willing spirit sustain me.

13I will teach transgressors your ways,

So sinners will return to you.

14Deliver me from guilt of bloodshed, O God,

O God of my salvation.

Let my tongue shout out your righteousness.

15O Lord*, open my lips

So that my mouth may declare your praise.

16For you do not take pleasure in sacrifice

Which I would give,

Nor do you desire a burnt offering.

17The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit;

A heart that is broken and contrite

God will not despise.

18Do good in your delight in Zion;

May you build the walls of Jerusalem.

19Then you will take pleasure in sacrifices of righteousness

– A standard burnt offering and a complete burnt offering.

Then they will offer bulls on your altar.

Reference(s) in Chapter 51: v.4 ↔ Romans 3:4.

Psalms Chapter 52 

1aTo the choirmaster.↑

An Instructive Psalm of David, 1bwhen Doeg the Edomite came and reported to Saul and said to him, “David has gone to Ahimelech's house.”

1cHow you boast in wickedness, O mighty man,

Whilst the kindness of God is present all day long.

2Your tongue devises calamitous things

– As a sharpened razor perpetrating deceit.

3You have loved evil more than good,

And falsehood more than speaking righteousness.

Selah.

4You have loved all kinds of predatory words,

You deceitful tongue.

5God for his part will tear you down for perpetuity;

He will take hold of you

And sweep you away from your tent

And root you out of the land of the living.

Selah.

6And the righteous will look on and fear

And laugh at him.

7Behold the man who does not make God his stronghold,

But trusts in the abundance of his wealth

And is strong in his calamitous way!

8But I am like a flourishing olive tree in the house of God;

I have trusted in the kindness of God

Age-abidingly and in perpetuity.

9I will praise you age-abidingly,

For you have taken action,

And I will put hope in your name,

For you are good towards those under your grace.

Psalms Chapter 53 

1aTo the choirmaster on Mahalath.↑

An Instructive Psalm of David.

1bThe fool has said in his heart,

There is no God*.”

And they have acted corruptly;

They have committed abominable iniquity.

There is no-one who does good.

2God* peered down from heaven

At the sons of Adam

To see if there was anyone who was prudent

Anyone who was seeking God.

3They have all slidden back;

They have become corrupt together.

There is no-one who does good

There is not even one.

4Do those engaged in iniquity not know?

– Those who devour my people

In the same way as they devour bread?

They do not call on God*.

5There they had a great fear,

But there was no reason for fear,

For God* has scattered the bones

Of him who encamps against you.

You have put them to shame,

Because God* has rejected them.

6Oh for the salvation of Israel from Zion!

When God reverses the captivity of his people,

Jacob will rejoice

– Israel will be glad.

Reference(s) in Chapter 53: v.1b ↔ Romans 3:10 ● v.2 ↔ Romans 3:11 ● v.3 ↔ Romans 3:12.

Psalms Chapter 54 

1aTo the choirmaster in singing set to stringed music.↑

An Instructive Psalm of David, 1bwhen the Ziphites came and said to Saul, “Is not David hiding with us?”

1cO God, save me in your name,

And judge me by your might.

2O God, hear my prayer;

Listen to the words of my mouth.

3For strangers have risen up against me,

And fierce men seek my life.

They have not put God before them.

Selah.

4Behold, God is my helper;

The Lord* is among those

Who sustain my life.

5He will turn the evil onto my adversaries.

Cut them off by your truth!

6I will willingly sacrifice to you;

I will praise your name, O Lord,

For it is good.

7For you have delivered me from all adversity,

And my eye has looked on my enemies with satisfaction.

Psalms Chapter 55 

1aTo the choirmaster in singing set to stringed music.↑

An Instructive Psalm of David.

1bListen, O God, to my prayer,

And do not hide from my supplication.

2Hearken to me, and answer me.

I wander in my speech,

And I am in turmoil,

3At the sound of the enemy

– In the face of oppression of the wicked –

For they caused havoc to rain down on me,

And they beleaguer me in anger.

4My heart reels inside me,

And the dread of death has fallen on me.

5Fear and trembling come upon me,

And fright has enveloped me.

6Then I said,

“If only I had flight feathers like a dove,

I would fly away and come to rest.

7Behold, I would fly far away;

I would lodge in the desert.

Selah.

8I would be quick with my escape,

From the sweeping wind

– From the storm.”

9O Lord*, swallow them up;

Divide their tongue,

For I have seen violence and strife in the city.

10Day and night they go around it on its walls,

Whilst iniquity and vice are inside it.

11Inside it are perversities,

Whilst violence and deceit do not depart from its streets.

12For it is not an enemy that reproaches me,

Which I could have borne;

It is not one who hates me who defies me,

From whom I could have hidden,

13But you – a man of my own standing –

My friend and my acquaintance,

14With whom we sweetly took joint counsel.

We went to the house of God in a bustling crowd.

15May death suddenly come upon them;

May they go down to the grave alive,

For there are wicked things in their dwellings,

And in their midst.

16As for me, I will call to God

That the Lord may save me.

17Evening and morning, and at noon,

I will lament and sigh,

And he will hear my voice.

18He has redeemed my life in peace,

From my battle,

For there were many of them in conflict with me.

19God will hear them and answer them,

For he has been abiding from ancient time.

Selah.

Since they have no change of mind,

They do not fear God.

20He shot out his hands

Against those at peace with him;

He violated his covenant.

21The buttered words of his mouth were flattery,

Whilst battle was in his heart.

His words were softer than oil,

Whilst they were with daggers drawn.

22Cast your burden on the Lord,

And he will sustain you.

He will not allow the righteous to totter for ever.

23But you, O God, will bring them down to the pit of decay;

Men of blood and deceit will not have half their days.

But I will trust in you.

Psalms Chapter 56 

1aTo the choirmaster on Jonath-Elem-Rechokim.↑

A Golden Psalm of David when the Philistines seized him in Gath.

1bHave mercy on me, O God,

For man thirsts for me;

All day long he oppresses me with fighting.

2My adversaries thirst for me all day long,

For many are they

Who haughtily do battle against me.

3On the day when I am afraid,

I will trust in you.

4Through God I will praise his word;

In God I trust and do not fear.

What can flesh do to me?

5All day long they do violence to my words;

All their thoughts are aimed at my harm.

6They meet and hide;

They keep watch over my footsteps,

As they lie in wait for my life.

7Deliver them into a void;

Bring down the various peoples in anger, O God.

8You can count my wanderings

And put my tears in your bottle.

Are they not in your book?

9Presently my enemies will turn back

– On the day when I call.

I know this,

For God is for me.

10Through God I will praise the word;

Through the Lord I will praise the word.

11In God I trust;

I shall not fear.

What can man do to me?

12O God, my vows to you are incumbent on me;

I will fulfil thank-offerings to you.

13For you have rescued me from death.

Is it not my feet you have saved from stumbling,

So I can walk before God in the light of the living?

Reference(s) in Chapter 56: v.4 ↔ Hebrews 13:6.

Psalms Chapter 57 

1aTo the choirmaster, Al-tashcheth.↑

A Golden Psalm of David when he fled from Saul into the cave.

1bHave mercy on me, O God,

Have mercy on me.

For my being trusts in you,

And I will trust in the shadow of your wings

Until the dangers have passed.

2I will cry out to God the Most High

– To God who does the accomplishing for me.

3He will send help out from heaven and save me.

He reproached him who thirsts for me.

Selah.

God will send his kindness and his truth.

4My being is among lions;

I lie among incensed men

– Sons of men whose teeth are a spear and arrows,

Whose tongue is a sharp sword.

5May you be exalted over the heavens, O God;

May your glory be over all the earth.

6They have prepared a net for my steps.

My being is despondent.

They have dug a pit in front of me,

But they have fallen into it themselves.

Selah.

7My heart is resolved, O God,

My heart is resolved.

Let me sing

And make psalm melody.

8Awake, my glory,

Awake, O lute and harp;

Let me awake at dawn.

9I will give thanks to you among the various peoples, O Lord*;

I will make psalm melody to you among the nations.

10For your kindness is great,

Reaching up to heaven,

As is your truth,

Reaching up to the sky.

11May you be exalted above the heavens, O God;

May your glory be over all the earth.

Psalms Chapter 58 

1aTo the choirmaster, Al-tashcheth.↑

A Golden Psalm of David.

1bIs there indeed silence

When you should speak righteously?

Do you judge uprightly,

O sons of Adam?

2Indeed, in your heart you commit iniquitous things,

And you mete out the violence of your hands on the earth.

3The wicked have been estranged since their time in the womb;

They have erred since their time in the belly,

Speaking falsehood.

4They have venom like serpents' venom;

They are like a deaf viper

That shuts its ear,

5That does not listen to the voice of charmers,

Nor the sagacious spellbinder.

6O God, break their teeth in their mouth;

Wrench out the incisors of lions, O Lord.

7May they melt away as water flows its way.

As soon as one attaches his arrow to his bow,

May they be like those who are cut off.

8Like a snail which melts as it goes;

Like a woman's miscarriage,

May they not see the sun.

9Before your pots are aware of the blackthorn fire,

As one minute living, another minute over a fire,

He will sweep them away.

10The righteous man will rejoice;

When he has seen vengeance,

He will wash his feet in the blood of the wicked.

11And a man will say,

There is indeed fruit for the righteous.

There is indeed a God

Judging on the earth.”

Psalms Chapter 59 

1aTo the choirmaster, Al-tashcheth.↑

A Golden Psalm of David when Saul sent men to watch his house and to kill him.

1bDeliver me from my enemies, O God of mine;

Set me on high ground

Against those who rise up against me.

2Deliver me from perpetrators of iniquity,

And save me from men of blood.

3For behold, they lie in wait for my life.

Cruel men are in league against me,

Not for my transgression and not for my sin,

O Lord.

4Without iniquity on my part,

They run and prepare themselves.

Arise to meet me and see.

5But you, O Lord God of hosts,

God of Israel,

Awake to visit all the Gentiles.

Do not show mercy

To any who treacherously deal in iniquity.

Selah.

6They return in the evening;

They growl like a dog

And go around the city.

7Look, they babble with their mouth.

Swords are on their lips,

But who is listening?

8But you, O Lord, will laugh at them;

You will mock all the Gentiles.

9As for his strength,

I will keep to you,

For God is my high stronghold.

10The God of kindness to me will precede me;

God will show me satisfaction over my adversaries.

11Do not kill them,

Lest my people forget.

Make them wander about by your power,

And bring them down,

O Lord* our shield.

12As for the sin of their mouth

– The word of their lips –

They will be taken in their pride,

And for the cursing and falsehood

Which they speak.

13Consume them in fury,

Consume them so that they are no more.

And they will know that God rules in Jacob

And to the ends of the earth.

Selah.

14And they will return in the evening

And growl like a dog,

And go around the city.

15They will wander around for food.

If they are not satiated,

They will complain.

16But I will sing of your strength

And celebrate your kindness in the morning,

For you have been a high stronghold to me

And a place of refuge on the day when I was in a strait.

17I will make psalm melody to you,

O my strength,

For God is my high stronghold

– The God of kindness to me.

Psalms Chapter 60 

1aTo the choirmaster in Shushan-Eduth.↑

A Golden Psalm of David to teach, 1bwhen he contended with Mesopotamia, and Aramaea-Zobah, when Joab returned and attacked Edom in the Valley of Salt – when he killed twelve thousand.

1cO God, you are averse to us;

You have broken us up.

You have been angry;

Oh restore matters for us.

2You have shaken the land;

You have ruptured it.

Oh heal its fractures,

For it is faltering.

3You have shown your people harshness;

You have given us wine to drink causing reeling.

4You have given to those that fear you

A standard to rally around,

On account of the truth.

Selah.

5In order that your beloved ones may be delivered,

Oh save with your right hand,

And answer us.

6God has said in his holiness,

“I will rejoice,

I will apportion Shechem;

I will allot the Valley of Succoth.

7Gilead is mine,

And Manasseh is mine,

And Ephraim is the stronghold of my head.

Judah is my lawgiver.

8Moab is my washing basin,

At Edom I will cast my shoe;

Philistia, you shall suffer harm on my account.”

9Who will bring me to a fortified city?

Who will lead me to Edom?

10Have you not, O God,

Been averse to us?

And will you not, O God,

Go out with our armies?

11Oh give us help in adversity,

For man's salvation is false.

12Let us act valiantly through God,

And he will trample on our adversaries.

Psalms Chapter 61 

1aTo the choirmaster, in singing set to stringed music.↑

A Psalm of David.

1bHear, O God, my crying out;

Hearken to my prayer.

2From the end of the earth I will call to you,

When my heart is faint.

Lead me by a rock

That is higher than I.

3For you have become a refuge to me

– A strong tower in the presence of the enemy.

4I will dwell in your age-abiding tent;

I will trust in the secrecy of your wings.

Selah.

5For you, O God, have heard my vows;

You have given me the inheritance

Of those who fear your name.

6You will add days to the king's days,

And to his years as generation on generation.

7He will remain age-abidingly before God;

Appoint kindness and truth to watch over him.

8I will therefore make psalm melody to your name in perpetuity,

So as to fulfil my vows daily.

Psalms Chapter 62 

1aTo the choirmaster on Jeduthun.↑

A Psalm of David.

1bSurely my being enjoys quietness towards God;

From him is my salvation.

2Surely he is my rock and my salvation;

My high stronghold

Where I will not falter, with great assurance.

3How long will you men beleaguer a man?

You will all be killed.

You are like a leaning wall

And like a buckling fence.

4Surely they take counsel

As to how to thrust a man out of his exalted position.

They take pleasure in falsehood;

With the mouth they bless,

But inwardly they curse.

Selah.

5Surely I must be inwardly quiet towards God,

For from him is my hope.

6Surely he is my rock and my salvation

– My high stronghold where I will not be shaken.

7On God rests my salvation and my glory

On the rock of my strength.

My refuge is in God.

8Trust in him at all times, O people;

Pour out your heart before him.

God is a refuge for us.

Selah.

9Surely the sons of Adam are vanity

– The sons of man are false.

In the balance they rise;

They are altogether constituted from vanity.

10Do not trust in the proceeds of oppression,

And do not act vainly for plunder.

If wealth increases,

Do not set your heart on it.

11Once God spoke;

This second time I heard it,

That strength belongs to God.

12And kindness belongs to you, O Lord*,

For you will repay man according to his works.

Reference(s) in Chapter 62: v.12 ↔ Romans 2:6, Revelation 2:23, Revelation 18:6, Revelation 20:12, Revelation 20:13, Revelation 22:12.

Psalms Chapter 63 

1aA Psalm of David when he was in the Judaean Desert.

1bO God, you are my God;

I will seek you diligently.

My being thirsts for you;

My flesh longs for you,

In an arid and weary land without water.

2In that way I have beheld you in the sanctuary,

Having seen your strength and your glory.

3Since your kindness is better than life,

My lips will commend you.

4Thus will I bless you in my life;

At your name I will lift up my hands.

5My being will be satiated as if with fat and oil,

And my mouth will give praise with rejoicing lips.

6When I remember you on my bed,

In the night-watches,

I meditate on you.

7For you have become my help,

And I will be jubilant in the shadow of your wings.

8My being will cling behind you;

Your right hand will uphold me.

9But those who seek my life for its destruction

Will go to the lower regions of the earth.

10He will be poured out

By means of the sword.

They will be the portion for foxes.

11But the king will rejoice in God.

Everyone who swears by him will glory,

But the mouth of those who speak falsehood

Will have been stopped.

Psalms Chapter 64 

1aTo the choirmaster.↑

A Psalm of David.

1bHear, O God, my voice in my oration.

Guard my life at a time of fear of the enemy.

2Hide me from the plotting of wrongdoers

– From the rage of perpetrators of iniquity,

3Who have sharpened their tongue like a sword,

And who have drawn their arrow

– A bitter word –

4To shoot at a man of integrity in secret.

They shoot at him suddenly

And do not fear anything.

5They strengthen their resolve in an evil matter,

They speak about hiding snares;

They say, “Who will see them?”

6They look for ways to commit injustices;

They say, “We have completed a thorough search.”

And that is the inward thought of a man and his deep heart.

7But God will suddenly shoot an arrow at them;

They will be in a plight of their own.

8They will be the cause of the matter collapsing;

Their tongue will be against them,

And everyone who sees them will flee.

9And every man will be in fear,

And they will relate the work of God,

And they will learn prudence from his action.

10The righteous will rejoice in the Lord

And trust in him,

And all who are upright in heart will glory.

Psalms Chapter 65 

1aTo the choirmaster.↑

A Psalm of David. A Song.

1bTo you belong quietness and praise,

O God, in Zion,

And a vow will be fulfilled to you.

2You who hear prayer,

All flesh will come to you.

3Iniquitous words have increased against me.

As for our transgressions,

You will expiate them.

4Happy is he whom you choose and bring near;

He will dwell in your courts.

We will be satisfied by the goodness of your house

– Your holy temple.

5You answer us with awe-inspiring things in righteousness,

O God of our salvation,

Who are the confidence of all the distant ends of the earth and the sea,

6Who prepares the mountains by his power,

Being girded with might,

7Who calms the raging of the seas

– The raging of their waves –

And the agitation of the various peoples.

8And the inhabitants of the most distant regions

Will be in fear at your signs,

And you will give cause for rejoicing

To the break of the morning

And to the onset of the evening.

9You have visited the earth and made it overflow;

You have greatly enriched it with a brook of God full of water.

You prepare their corn,

For so you have prepared it.

10Satiate its furrows,

Level its ridges,

Soften it with showers;

Bless its shoots.

11You have crowned the year of your goodness,

And your paths distil fatness.

12They distil to desert pastures,

And hills gird themselves with joy.

13The pastures are clothed with flocks,

And the valleys are covered with corn.

They shout for joy;

They sing too.

Psalms Chapter 66 

1To the choirmaster.↑

A Song. A Psalm.

Shout joyfully to God,

All the earth.

2Make psalm melody of the glory of his name;

Bestow glory on his praiseworthiness.

3Say to God, “How awesome are your works!”

At the greatness of your strength,

Your enemies will feign obedience to you.

4All the earth will worship you

And will make psalm melody to you;

They will make psalm melody to your name.

Selah.

5Come and see the works of God.

He is awesome in deed to the sons of Adam.

6He turned the sea into dry land;

They crossed the river over on foot.

We rejoiced in him there.

7He rules by his might age-abidingly;

His eyes are watching the Gentiles.

Do not let the rebellious vaunt themselves.

Selah.

8O you various peoples,

Bless our God,

And cause the sound of his praise to be heard.

9He is the one who appoints our being to life

And does not consign our feet to faltering.

10For you have examined us, O God;

You have refined us,

Like the refining of silver.

11You have brought us into a net;

You have placed an oppressive burden on our loins.

12You caused men to ride over our heads.

We have gone through fire and through water,

But you have brought us out

Into a place of abundance.

13I will go to your house with burnt offerings;

I will fulfil my vows to you,

14Which my lips uttered,

And my mouth spoke,

When I was in a strait.

15I will offer fat burnt offerings to you

– Rams with incense;

I will offer bulls with he-goats.

Selah.

16Come, all you who fear God and hear,

And I will relate

What he has done for my being.

17I cried out to him with my mouth,

And he was extolled under my tongue.

18If I have an eye to iniquity in my heart,

The Lord* will not hear me.

19Truly, God has heard me;

He has hearkened to the sound of my prayer.

20Blessed be God,

Who has not set my prayer aside

Or withdrawn his kindness from me.

Psalms Chapter 67 

1aTo the choirmaster, in singing set to stringed music.↑

A Psalm. A Song.

1bMay God be merciful to us

And bless us.

May he let his face shine on us

– Selah –

2For knowledge of your ways on the earth,

And of your salvation amongst all nations.

3May the various peoples praise you, O God,

May the various peoples praise you

– All of them.

4Nations will rejoice and shout for joy,

For you will judge the various peoples equitably,

And you will guide nations on the earth.

Selah.

5May the various peoples praise you, O God,

May the various peoples praise you

– All of them.

6The earth yields its produce;

God, our God, will bless us.

7God will bless us,

And all the ends of the earth will fear him.

Psalms Chapter 68 

1aTo the choirmaster.↑

A Psalm of David. A Song.

1bGod will arise,

And his enemies will be scattered.

Those who hate him will flee from his presence.

2As smoke is driven away,

You will drive them away.

As wax melts in the presence of fire,

The wicked will perish in the presence of God,

3But the righteous will rejoice and exult before God,

And they will be glad with joy.

4Sing to God;

Make psalm melody to his name.

Raise up a highway

For him who rides through the arid tracts

In his name, the Lord,

And exult before him.

5A father to orphans,

One who provides justice to widows:

That is God in his holy dwelling.

6God accommodates in a household those who are alone;

He brings prisoners out into prosperity,

But the rebellious will dwell in a parched place.

7O God, when you went out before your people,

When you marched through desolate land

– Selah –

8The earth trembled

And the sky condensed precipitation

At the presence of God

– There at Sinai at the presence of God,

The God of Israel.

9O God, you sprinkled liberal showers;

When your inheritance was weary,

You invigorated it.

10Your flock dwelt in it;

You made provision through your goodness

For the afflicted, O God.

11The Lord* gave the word;

Those who brought good tidings

Were a great host.

12The kings of armies flee at every turn,

While the household at home shares out the spoil.

13Even if you lie between the sheepfolds,

You will be like the wings of a dove overlaid with silver,

With its flight feathers overlaid with yellow gold.

14When the Almighty scatters kings in it,

It will be snow-white as in Salmon.

15O mountain of God,

O mountain of Bashan,

O mountain range of many peaks,

O mountain of Bashan,

16Why do you look on with envy,

You mountain peaks,

At the mountain which God desires,

For him to live in?

Indeed the Lord will dwell there in perpetuity.

17The chariots of God are twenty thousand

– Thousands upon thousands.

The Lord* is among them,

As at Sinai, in the sanctuary.

18You have ascended high up,

You have taken captivity captive;

You have accepted gifts among men

– Indeed the rebellious –

So that the Lord God may take up a dwelling.

19Blessed is the Lord*;

Daily God bears our salvation for us.

Selah.

20Our God is a God of acts of salvation,

And the Lord my Lord has the escape routes from death.

21Surely God will dash the head of his enemies in pieces

– The hairy crown of him who walks in his guilty ways.

22The Lord* said,

“I will retrieve them from Bashan;

I will retrieve them from the depths of the sea

23So that you may plunge your foot in blood,

And your dogs' tongues may lick it up

From the enemies as their portion.”

24They have seen your ways, O God,

The ways of my God

– My king in the sanctuary.

25The singers went first,

Then afterwards, the stringed instrument players,

In the midst of maidens playing drums.

26In your convocations, bless God

– The Lord –

You who are from the source of Israel.

27There is Benjamin,

Who is small, ruling them,

And the princes of Judah with their entourage,

And the princes of Zebulun

And the princes of Naphtali.

28Your God has commanded your strength.

Show strength, O God,

In what you will do for us.

29On account of your temple in Jerusalem,

Kings will bring you a gift.

30Rebuke the beasts of the reed marshland,

And the company of strong bulls against the calves of the people.

Let each submit himself with silver coins.

He will scatter the various peoples

Who take pleasure in battles.

31Nobles will come from Egypt;

Ethiopia will hasten to stretch out its hands to God.

32Sing to God, you kingdoms of the earth;

Make psalm melody to the Lord*.

Selah.

33Sing to him who has been riding on the heavens of heavens

Since ancient time.

Behold, he sounds his voice

– A mighty voice.

34Ascribe strength to God;

His majesty is over Israel,

And his might is in the skies.

35O God, you are awesome,

Proceeding from your sanctuaries.

It is the God of Israel

Who gives strength and power to the people.

Blessed be God.

Reference(s) in Chapter 68: v.18 ↔ Ephesians 4:8.

Psalms Chapter 69 

1aTo the choirmaster on Shoshannim.↑

A Psalm of David.

1bSave me, O God,

For waters have come to the point of threatening my life.

2I am sinking in deep mire,

And there is no foothold.

I have come into depths of water,

And the swell is engulfing me.

3I am weary with crying out;

My throat is parched,

And my eyes are exhausted,

As I wait for my God.

4They that hate me for no reason

Are more numerous than the hairs of my head.

Those who would kill me

– My enemies on false grounds –

Are mighty,

But I have not exploited them,

Otherwise I would restore it.

5O God, you know my foolishness,

And my misdeeds are not hidden from you.

6Do not let those who put hope in you

Be ashamed on my account, O my Lord the Lord of hosts.

Do not let those who seek you

Be discredited on account of me,

O God of Israel.

7For I have uttered a reproach against you;

Ignominy covers my face.

8I became estranged from my brothers,

And a foreigner to my mother's sons.

9For the zeal of your house has consumed me,

And the reproaches of those who reproach you

Have fallen on me.

10And I wept subjecting myself to fasting,

But it became a reproach against me.

11And I put sackcloth on as my clothing,

And I became a byword to them.

12Those who sit at the gate speak against me,

And those who drink strong wine

Make me the subject of their songs.

13But as for me, my prayer is to you, O Lord,

At an acceptable time, O God.

In your great kindness,

Answer me with your saving truth.

14Deliver me from the mire,

And do not let me sink.

Let me be delivered from those who hate me,

And from the watery depths.

15Do not let the swell of water engulf me,

And do not let the deep swallow me up,

And do not let the pit close its mouth over me.

16Answer me, O Lord,

For your kindness is good;

Turn to me in accordance with the abundance of your mercy.

17And do not hide your face from your servant,

For I am in a strait.

Make haste in answering me.

18Draw near to my being

And redeem it;

Ransom me on account of my enemies.

19For you know my reproach,

And my shame and my ignominy.

All my adversaries are before you.

20Reproach broke my heart,

And I became ill,

And I hoped to be consoled,

But there was no-one,

And I hoped for comforters,

But I did not find any.

21And they gave me hemlock for my food,

And for my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink.

22May their table in front of them become a snare,

And things pertinent to their welfare, a trap.

23May their eyes become too dark to see,

And make their hips falter continually.

24Pour out your indignation over them,

And may the fury of your anger overtake them.

25May their castle become desolate;

Let there be no inhabitant in their tents.

26For they pursue those whom you have struck,

And they talk to the grief of those you have wounded.

27Add iniquity to their iniquity,

And let them not come into your righteousness.

28May they be blotted out of the book of the living,

And not be written with the righteous.

29But I am afflicted and pained.

May your salvation, O God, lift me up.

30I will praise the name of God in song,

And I will magnify him with thanksgiving.

31And may it be pleasing to the Lord

More than an ox or bull-calf,

Which have horns and divide the hoof.

32The meek will see and be glad

– Those who seek God –

And your heart will live.

33For the Lord listens to the poor,

And he does not despise those of his in bondage.

34Let heaven and earth praise him,

And the seas,

And everything that moves in them.

35For God will save Zion,

And he will build the cities of Judah,

And they will dwell there

And take possession of it.

36And the seed of his servants will inherit it,

And those who love his name will dwell in it.

Reference(s) in Chapter 69: v.4 ↔ John 15:25 ● v.9 ↔ John 2:17, Romans 15:3 ● v.21 ↔ John 19:28, John 19:29 ● v.22 ↔ Romans 11:9 ● v.23 ↔ Romans 11:10 ● v.25 ↔ Acts 1:20 ● v.28 ↔ Philippians 4:3, Revelation 3:5, Revelation 13:8, Revelation 17:8, Revelation 20:12, Revelation 20:15, Revelation 21:27.

Psalms Chapter 70 

1aTo the choirmaster.↑

A Psalm of David for remembrance.

1bO God, hasten to deliver me;

O Lord, hasten to my assistance.

2May those who seek my life

Be ashamed and disgraced.

May those who delight in my harm

Be driven back

And be made ignominious.

3May those who say, “Ha, ha”

Go back on account of their shame.

4May all who seek you exult

And rejoice in you,

And may those who love your salvation always say,

“Let God be magnified.”

5But I am poor and needy.

O God, hasten to me;

You are my help and my deliverer.

O Lord, do not delay.

Psalms Chapter 71 

1In you, O Lord, I have put my trust;

Do not let me ever be put to shame.

2Rescue me and extricate me in your righteousness;

Incline your ear to me

And save me.

3Be to me a rock-strong dwelling place,

To go to at all times.

You have given commandment to save me,

For you are my rock and my fortress.

4O God of mine, rescue me from the hand of the wicked man

– From the palm of the iniquitous and violent one,

5For you are my hope, my Lord the Lord,

And my security from my youth.

6I have been dependent on you since the womb

– Since my mother's belly from which you cut me loose.

My praise has always been on your account.

7I became a marvel to many,

And you were my strong refuge.

8May my mouth be full of your praise

And of your splendour all day long.

9Do not cast me off in the time of my old age.

When my strength has become exhausted,

Do not abandon me.

10For my enemies have spoken against me,

And those watching out for a chance to take my life

Have taken counsel together,

11And have said, “God has forsaken him.

Pursue and seize him,

For there is no-one to deliver him.”

12O God, do not be far from me.

O God of mine, hasten to my assistance.

13May those who take a stand against my life

Be put to shame and consumed.

May those who seek my harm

Be covered in reproach and ignominy.

14But I will always wait,

And I will add to all your praise.

15My mouth will relate your righteousness

And your salvation, all day long.

I do not know the number of such deeds.

16I will come in the might of my Lord the Lord;

I will bring your righteousness to remembrance

– Yours only.

17O God you have taught me from my youth,

And I have been telling of your wondrous deeds up to now.

18Now also at old age and grey hair,

Do not forsake me, O God,

Before I have told of your strength

To this generation,

And I have told of your might

To all who are to come.

19And your righteousness, O God, is sublime,

In that you have performed great deeds.

O God, who is like you?

20Although you have shown us many adversities and troubles,

You will restore us to life again,

And lift me up again from the depths of the earth.

21You will increase my greatness

And surround and comfort me.

22I too will give you thanks on the lute;

I will make psalm melody of your truth to you,

O God of mine,

With the harp,

O holy one of Israel.

23My lips will rejoice

When I make psalm melody to you,

As will my being

Which you have redeemed.

24My tongue, too, will utter your righteousness all day long,

Because those who seek my harm have become ashamed

– Because they have become disgraced.

Psalms Chapter 72 

1A Psalm of Solomon.

O God, give your judicial principles to the king,

And your righteous standard to the king's son.

2He will judge your people righteously,

And those of yours who are poor, justly.

3The mountains will bring peace to the people,

As will the hills, in righteousness.

4He will judge those of the people who are poor;

He will save the sons of the needy

And crush the oppressor.

5They will fear you

When they are in the company of the sun,

And when they are in the presence of the moon,

For generation upon generation.

6He will come down like rain on mown grass

– Like showers that drench the earth.

7The righteous man will blossom in his days,

As will an abundance of peace,

Until the moon is no more.

8And he will have dominion from sea to sea,

And from the river to the ends of the earth.

9The inhabitants of the desert will bow down before him,

And his enemies will lick the dust.

10The kings of Tarshish and the coastlands will bring an offering;

The kings of Sheba and Seba will offer a gift.

11And all the kings will prostrate themselves before him;

All nations will serve him.

12For he will deliver the poor man who cries out,

And the needy who has no-one to help him.

13He will have pity on the destitute and poor,

And he will save the lives of the poor.

14He will redeem their lives from oppression and violence,

And their blood will be precious in his eyes.

15May he live,

And may they give him gold of Sheba,

And may they pray for him constantly

And bless him all day long.

16May there be an abundance of grain in the land;

May his fruit sway on the mountain summits as in Lebanon,

And may plants of the city bloom like the vegetation of the earth.

17May his name be age-abiding;

May his name in the presence of the sun give rise to posterity,

And may they be blessed through him.

May all nations call him blessed.

18Blessed be the Lord God

– The God of Israel –

Who works wondrous deeds on his own.

19And blessed be his glorious name age-abidingly,

And may the whole earth be filled with his glory.

Amen and amen.

20The prayers of David the son of Jesse are completed.

Psalms Chapter 73 

1A Psalm of Asaph.

Surely God is good to Israel

– To the pure in heart.

2But as for me, my feet were almost reduced to nothing;

My steps were exhausted.

3For I was jealous of the boasters,

When I saw the prosperity of the wicked.

4For they have no concerns about their death,

Whilst their body is healthy.

5They are not subject to man's toiling,

Nor are they plagued in common with man.

6That is why pride bedecks them,

And the garment which covers them

Is their violence.

7Their eyes bulge from fatness;

The imaginings of their heart pass beyond all bounds.

8They mock,

They speak wickedly, plotting oppression;

They speak haughtily.

9They have set their mouth against heaven,

While their tongue traverses the earth.

10Therefore he will bring his people back here,

And water will be wrung out to them in full.

11But they say,

“How does God know?”

And, “Does the Most High have any knowledge of it?”

12Behold, these are the wicked,

And those at ease in the age,

Who have increased in riches.

13Surely I cleansed my heart in vain,

When I washed my hands in innocence,

14For I was plagued all day long,

And I suffered castigation each morning.

15If I had said,

“Let me speak like that”,

I would have misled a generation of your sons.

16I pondered so as to know this matter

– It was to my sorrow in my sight –

17Until I went into the sanctuary of God

And understood their final state.

18Surely you will put them in slippery places;

You will make them fall into ruin.

19How they will become a desolation in a moment!

How they will perish and meet their end in terrors!

20As in waking up from a dream, O Lord*,

On awakening, you will despise their illusion.

21For my heart was embittered,

And I was pierced in my kidneys.

22But I was an imbecile

And did not know;

I was like the beasts with you.

23Yet I am always with you;

You have taken hold of my right hand.

24You will lead me in accordance with your purpose,

And afterwards, you will receive me in glory.

25Whom do I have in the heavens?

I delight just to be with you;

I have not delighted in the earth.

26My flesh has come to an end,

But as for my heart,

The rock of my heart and my portion

Is God age-abidingly.

27For behold, those departing from you will perish;

You have cut off

Everyone who commits whoredom against you.

28But as for me,

Closeness to God is good for me.

I have put my trust in my Lord the Lord

So as to tell of all your works.

Psalms Chapter 74 

1An Instructive Psalm of Asaph.

Why, O God, have you utterly rejected us?

Why does your anger fume over the sheep of your pasture?

2Remember your congregation,

Which you acquired in ancient time.

You redeemed the sceptre of your inheritance

– Mount Zion in which you dwelt.

3Speed up your strides towards the complete ruins

– All the harm the enemy has done in the sanctuary.

4Your adversaries roar in the midst of your assembly;

They have set up their ensigns as portents.

5A man used to be known

By how he could wield axes in a thick wood,

6But now it is wholly its engravings

That they hack at with hatchets and mallets.

7They have set your sanctuary on fire;

They have desecrated your renowned tabernacle,

Bringing it down to the ground.

8They have resolved and said,

“Let us ravage them completely.”

They have burnt all the places of assembly of God

Down to the ground.

9We have not seen our signs;

There is no prophet any more,

And no-one among us knows for how long.

10How long, O God, will the adversary reproach us?

How long will the enemy utterly despise your name?

11Why do you withdraw your hand

– Indeed your right hand –

From the midst of your bosom so completely?

12But God is my king,

Being from ancient time,

Carrying out acts of salvation

In the midst of the land.

13You split the sea in your strength;

You broke the heads of crocodiles in the waters.

14You crushed the heads of Leviathan;

You gave it as food for the inhabitants of the desert.

15You carved out fount and brook;

You dried up powerful rivers.

16Yours is the day;

Yours is the night also.

You prepared the night luminary

And the sun.

17You set all the boundaries of the earth.

As for summer and winter,

You fashioned them.

18Remember this:

An enemy has reproached the Lord,

And a foolish people have despised your name.

19Do not deliver the life of your turtle-dove

To the wild animals.

Do not completely forget

Your poor population.

20Observe the covenant,

For the dark places of the earth

Are full of nests of violence.

21Do not let the ill-treated return ashamed;

May the poor and needy praise your name.

22Arise, O God,

And contend your case;

Remember the reproach on you

From the fool all day long.

23Do not forget the noise of your adversaries;

The tumult of those who rise up against you

Ascends continually.

Psalms Chapter 75 

1aTo the choirmaster, Al-tashcheth.↑

A Psalm of Asaph. A Song.

1bWe give thanks to you, O God;

We give thanks that your name is near.

People relate your wondrous deeds.

2“For I will receive the assembly;

I myself will judge the upright.

3The earth and all its inhabitants are dissolving away;

I am the one who fixed its pillars in place.

Selah.

4I have said to the boasters,

‘Do not boast’,

And to the wicked,

‘Do not raise up your horn.

5Do not raise your horn high up,

Nor speak with a stiff neck.’ ”

6For exaltation does not come from the east or from the west,

Nor from the south,

7For God is the judge.

One he brings low;

Another he elevates.

8For in the hand of the Lord is a cup

With a fermented wine

– A full mixture.

On one side he pours it out,

But all the wicked of the earth

Will drain and drink its sediment.

9And I will relate it age-abidingly;

I will make psalm melody

To the God of Jacob.

10And I will break off all the horns of the wicked.

But the horns of the righteous man will be exalted.

Psalms Chapter 76 

1aTo the choirmaster in singing set to stringed music.↑

A Psalm of Asaph. A Song.

1bGod is known in Judah;

His name is great in Israel.

2And in Salem is his booth,

And his dwelling is in Zion.

3There, he broke the bolts of the bow,

The shield and the sword and the battle.

Selah.

4You are more illustrious and excellent

Than the mountains with their prey.

5The stout-hearted have been spoiled;

They have slumbered in their sleep.

And none of their valiant men have found their grip.

6At your rebuke, O God of Jacob,

Both chariot and horse sink down stupefied.

7You yourself are fearsome,

And who can stand before you

From the moment of your anger?

8You have proclaimed judgment from heaven;

The earth feared and was silent.

9When you rose up for judgment, O God,

It was to save all the meek of the earth.

Selah.

10For the fury of man will be to your praise

When you suppress the remaining fury.

11Make vows to the Lord your God,

And fulfil them.

Let all who are round about him

Bring a gift to the fearsome one.

12He will cut the spirit of leaders off;

He is fearsome to the kings of the earth.

Psalms Chapter 77 

1aTo the choirmaster on Jeduthun.↑

A Psalm of Asaph.

1bMy voice is directed to God,

And I cry out.

My voice is directed to God,

And he listens to me.

2On the day of my adversity, I sought the Lord*.

My hand was spread out at night,

And it did not become weary.

My inner being refused to be comforted.

3I remember God,

But I am agitated;

I commune,

But my spirit faints.

Selah.

4You have taken hold of my eyelids;

I am disturbed

And cannot speak.

5I have considered days of antiquity

And years of ancient times.

6I remember my song at night;

I commune with my heart,

And my spirit searches matters.

7Will the Lord* reject us throughout the ages

And not take pleasure in us any more?

8Will his kindness come to a complete end?

Has his communication,

Which was for generation after generation,

Ceased?

9Has God forgotten to be gracious?

Has he shut off his mercies in anger?

Selah.

10Then I said, “This is me underrating

The years of the right hand of the Most High.

11I will make mention of the works of the Lord,

For I remember your wonder of ancient time.”

12So I meditated on all your work,

And I spoke of your deeds.

13O God, your way is to be found in the sanctuary.

Who is a great God like God?

14You are the God who works wondrously;

You have made your might known among the various peoples.

15By your arm you have redeemed your people

– The sons of Jacob and Joseph.

Selah.

16The waters see you, O God;

The waters see you and swirl.

The oceans rage as well.

17The clouds pour down water;

The skies emit a noise,

And your flashes fork off all around.

18There is the sound of your rolling thunder,

Lightning flashes illuminate the world;

The earth rages and shakes.

19In the sea there is your way,

And your paths are in great waters,

But your tracks are not known.

20You have led your people like sheep,

Through the intermediacy of Moses and Aaron.

Psalms Chapter 78 

1An Instructive Psalm of Asaph.

Listen, my people, to my law;

Incline your ears to the words of my mouth.

2I will open my mouth with a proverb;

I will utter riddles of ancient time,

3Which we have heard,

And we know them,

For our fathers related them to us.

4We will not hide them from their sons.

Up to the last generation we will relate the praiseworthy things of the Lord,

As well as his strength and his wondrous deeds

Which he has performed.

5Indeed, he has established a testimony in Jacob,

And he has set up a law in Israel,

Which he commanded our fathers

To make known to their sons,

6So that the last generation may know.

Sons that are to be born must rise up,

And tell their sons in turn.

7And they must put their hope in God

And not forget the works of God,

And they must keep his commandments.

8Furthermore they must not be like their fathers

– A refractory and rebellious generation,

A generation who did not prepare their heart,

And whose spirit was not faithful to God.

9The sons of Ephraim

– Armed archers –

Turned back on the day of battle.

10They did not keep God's covenant,

And they refused to walk in his law.

11And they forgot his works and his wonders

Which he had shown them.

12He worked marvels in the sight of their fathers,

In the land of Egypt

In the countryside of Zoan.

13He divided the sea and ushered them across;

He made the water stand like a mound,

14And he led them in the cloud by day,

And all night long by a fiery light.

15And he split rocks in the desert

So as to give drink as from a great depth.

16And he brought a stream out of hard terrain,

And he made waters flow down like rivers.

17But they still sinned against him again,

In rebelling against the Most High

In an arid land.

18And they tested God in their heart,

By asking for food for their appetite.

19So they spoke against God and they said,

“Can God lay a table in the desert?”

20Behold, he struck a rock,

And water flowed,

And streams overflowed.

“Is he able to provide bread too?

Can he prepare meat for his people?”

21So when the Lord heard it,

He became irate,

And a fire was kindled against Jacob,

And anger with Israel arose too.

22For they did not believe in God,

And they did not have faith in his salvation.

23Then he commanded the skies above,

And he opened the gates of the heavens.

24And he rained manna on them to eat,

And he gave them heavenly grain.

25Man ate the food of the mighty ones;

He sent them provisions to satiety.

26He set an east wind in motion in the sky,

And he drove a south wind by his strength.

27Then he rained meat on them like dust,

And winged fowl like the sand of the sea.

28And he made it fall in the middle of his encampment,

All around his tent sites.

29So they ate and were very much satiated,

For he had brought them what they desired.

30They were not averse to their desire.

When, with their food still in their mouths,

31God's anger arose over them,

He killed those of their company who were fat,

And he brought down the youths of Israel.

32In spite of all this they still sinned,

And they did not have faith in his wonders.

33So he ended their days in vacuity,

And their years in fear.

34When he was killing them,

They sought him,

And they diligently searched for God again.

35And they remembered that God was their rock,

And that the Most High God was their redeemer.

36Yet they dealt with him deceitfully with their mouths,

And they dealt with him dishonestly with their tongues.

37And their heart was not right with him,

And they were not faithful to his covenant.

38Yet he is merciful;

He expiates iniquity,

And he did not bring them to ruin.

And he went to great lengths in averting his anger,

And he did not arouse all his fury.

39For he remembered that they were flesh

– A wind that goes and does not return.

40How often they rebelled against him in the desert

And grieved him in the wasteland!

41Then they tempted God again;

They limited the holy one of Israel.

42They did not remember his intervention

– The day when he redeemed them from adversity,

43When he performed his signs in Egypt

And his miracles in the countryside of Zoan,

44When he changed their rivers to blood

So that they could not drink their liquids.

45He sent the gadfly on them to devour them,

And frogs to molest them.

46Then he gave their produce to the consuming locust,

And the results of their toil to the swarming locust.

47He destroyed their vines with hail,

And their sycamore fig trees with frost.

48And he consigned their cattle to hail,

And their livestock to bolts of lightning.

49He sent the fury of his anger on them

– Wrath and indignation and opposition,

And a deputation of harmful angels.

50Then he considered the course of his anger.

He did not spare their very selves from death,

And he consigned their life to pestilence.

51Then he struck down every firstborn in Egypt

– The prime of their strength in the tents of Ham.

52Then he moved his people like sheep,

And he led them like a flock in the desert.

53And he conducted them safely

So that they did not fear anything,

But the sea covered their enemies.

54And he brought them to the border of his sanctuary

– The mountain which his right hand had acquired.

55Then he drove out nations before them,

And he assigned them an inheritance by apportionment,

And he installed the tribes of Israel in their tents.

56But they tempted and rebelled against the Most High God,

And they did not keep his testimonies.

57And they slid back,

And they dealt treacherously like their fathers,

And they changed direction like a crooked bow shot.

58And they provoked him to anger with their idolatrous raised sites,

And they stirred him to jealousy with their carved images.

59God heard and became irate,

And he greatly disdained Israel.

60And he forsook the tabernacle of Shiloh

– The tent he installed among men.

61And he delivered his strength into captivity,

And his splendour into the hand of an adversary.

62And he consigned his people to the sword,

Whilst he became irate over his inheritance.

63Fire consumed his young men,

And his virgins had no celebration.

64His priests fell by the sword,

And his widows did not lament.

65Then the Lord* awoke

As if from being asleep,

Like a warrior rejoicing from wine.

66And he beat his adversaries back;

He gave them age-abiding reproach.

67And he rejected the tent of Joseph,

And he did not choose the tribe of Ephraim,

68But he chose the tribe of Judah,

And Mount Zion which he loves.

69And he built his sanctuary as an elevation,

Like the earth which he founded age-abidingly.

70Then he chose David his servant,

And he took him from the sheepfolds.

71He brought him from looking after dairy cattle

To tending Jacob his people

And Israel his inheritance.

72And he tended them wholeheartedly,

And he led them in his wise care.

Reference(s) in Chapter 78: v.2 ↔ Matthew 13:35 ● v.24 ↔ John 6:31.

Psalms Chapter 79 

1A Psalm of Asaph.

O God, the Gentiles have come into your inheritance,

They have defiled your holy temple;

They have made Jerusalem heaps of ruins.

2They have given the corpses of your servants

As food for the birds of the sky,

And the flesh of those under your grace

To the beasts of the earth.

3They have shed their blood like water around Jerusalem,

And there is no-one to bury them.

4We were a reproach to our neighbours

– Derision and ridicule to those around us.

5How long, O Lord, will you constantly be angry,

And will your zeal burn like fire?

6Pour out your wrath on the Gentiles

Who have not known you,

And on the kingdoms

Which have not called on your name.

7For he has devoured Jacob,

And they have devastated his abode.

8Do not call former iniquities to remembrance to our account.

May your mercies go swiftly in front of us,

For we have been very much weakened.

9Help us, O God of our salvation,

For the sake of the glory of your name,

And deliver us and atone for our sins,

For your name's sake.

10Why should the Gentiles say,

“Where is their God?”

Let him be known among the Gentiles in our sight

By vengeance for the blood of your servants

Which has been shed.

11May the prisoner's groan come before you.

According to the greatness of your power,

Preserve those condemned to die.

12Pay our neighbours back sevenfold in their bosom

The reproach with which they have reproached you, O Lord*.

13But we, your people and the sheep of your pasture,

Will thank you age-abidingly;

From generation to generation

We will relate your praise.

Psalms Chapter 80 

1aTo the choirmaster in Shoshannim-Eduth.↑

A Psalm of Asaph.

1bDo listen, O shepherd of Israel,

You who lead Joseph like sheep,

And shine forth,

You who dwell between the cherubim,

2Do rouse your valour before Ephraim and Benjamin and Manasseh,

And come to our salvation.

3O God, restore us,

And let your face shine,

And let us be saved.

4O Lord God of hosts,

How long will you be fuming

At the prayer of your people?

5You have fed them with bread of tears;

You have given them a third measure of tears to drink.

6You make us an object of contention with our neighbours,

And our enemies poke fun.

7O God of hosts, restore us,

And let your face shine,

And let us be saved.

8You removed a vine from Egypt;

You drove out Gentiles and planted it.

9You made preparations for it,

And it took root,

And it filled the land.

10The mountains were covered by its shade,

And the mighty cedars by its boughs.

11It sent its branches as far as the sea,

And its suckers to the river.

12Why have you broken down its fences,

So that everyone passing through that way plucks it?

13The boar from the forest devours it,

And the wildlife of the countryside feeds on it.

14O God of hosts, do return;

Oh look from heaven and see,

And visit this vine,

15And the stock which your right hand planted,

And the offshoot which you invigorated for yourself.

16It has been burned with fire;

It has been cut off.

They will be annihilated at the rebuke of your face.

17May your hand be on the man of your right hand

– On the son of Adam whom you invigorated for yourself –

18Then we will not slide back from you.

Revitalize us, and we will call on your name.

19O Lord God of hosts,

Restore us,

And let your face shine,

And let us be saved.

Psalms Chapter 81 

1aTo the choirmaster in singing set to percussion instruments.↑

A Psalm of Asaph.

1bSing for joy to God our strength;

Shout out to the God of Jacob.

2Raise a melody and play the drum

And the pleasant harp with the lute.

3Blow the ramshorn at the new month

– At the new moon

And on the day of our festival.

4For it is a statute for Israel

– An injunction of the God of Jacob.

5He appointed it as a testimony in Joseph

When he came out in the face of the land of Egypt,

When I heard a language

Which I did not know.

6“I relieved his shoulder of a burden;

His hands were perishing from the brick-basket.

7You cried out in adversity,

And I delivered you;

I answered you with thunder secretly.

I tested you at the waters of Meribah.

Selah.

8Hear, O my people,

And I will testify to you.

O Israel, if you will hear me,

9Do not let there be any strange god among you,

And do not worship any foreign god.

10I am the Lord your God,

Who brought you up out of the land of Egypt.

Open your mouth wide

And I will fill it.

11But my people did not heed me,

And Israel did not want me.

12Then I let them go in the stubbornness of their heart,

And they walked in their own counsels.

13If only my people would listen to me,

And Israel would walk in my ways!

14I would soon have subdued their enemies

And have turned my hand against their adversaries.

15Those who hate the Lord

Would have feigned obedience to him.

And their time would have been age-abiding.

16And he would have fed them with the best of the wheat,

And I would have satisfied you with honey from a rock.”

Psalms Chapter 82 

1A Psalm of Asaph.

God stands in a mighty congregation;

He judges in the midst of gods.

2How long will you judge iniquitously

And show partiality to the wicked?

Selah.

3Judge the case of the destitute and the orphan,

And give justice to the needy and the impoverished.

4Deliver the destitute and the poor;

Rescue them from the hand of the wicked.

5They do not know,

And they do not understand.

They walk around in darkness;

All the foundations of the earth are shaken.

6I have said,

“You are gods

And you are all sons of the Most High.”

7But you will die like man

And fall like any of the princes.

8Arise, O God;

Judge the earth,

For you will inherit all the Gentiles.

Reference(s) in Chapter 82: v.6 ↔ John 10:34.

Psalms Chapter 83 

1aA Song. A Psalm of Asaph.

1bO God, do not be silent.

Do not be quiet,

And do not be still,

O God.

2For look,

Your enemies are in a commotion,

And those who hate you

Have raised their head.

3They are being crafty in their counsel against your people,

And they are plotting

Against those treasured up by you.

4They have said,

“Come, let us obliterate them

So that they aren't a people,

And the name of Israel is no longer remembered.”

5For they have deliberated unanimously;

They have made a covenant against you

6– The tents of Edom and the Ishmaelites,

Moab and the Hagrites,

7Gebal and Ammon and Amalek,

Philistia with the inhabitants of Tyre.

8Assyria has also joined up with them;

They have become an arm to the sons of Lot.

Selah.

9Do to them as with Midian

– As to Sisera, as to Jabin,

At the Brook of Kishon.

10They were destroyed in En-Dor;

They became dung for the ground.

11Make their nobles like Oreb and like Zeeb,

And all their princes like Zebah and Zalmunna,

12Who said,

“Let us take possession of God's dwellings for ourselves.”

13O God of mine, make them like chaff

– Like straw residue before the wind;

14Like fire that burns a forest

And like a flame that sets mountains on fire.

15So you will pursue them with your tempest

And terrify them with your whirlwind.

16Fill their faces with dishonour,

And let them seek your name, O Lord.

17Let them be ashamed and terrified in all perpetuity,

And be disgraced and perish.

18And they will know that you

– Only your name is the Lord –

Are the Most High over all the earth.

Psalms Chapter 84 

1aTo the choirmaster in singing set to percussion instruments.↑

For the sons of Korah, a Psalm.

1bHow pleasant your tabernacles are,

O Lord of hosts!

2My being longs for,

And even pines for,

The courtyards of the Lord.

My heart and flesh shout out

To the living God.

3Even the bird has found a home,

And the swallow a nest for herself,

Where she lays her brood.

I long for your altars, O Lord of hosts

– My king and my God.

4Happy are those who dwell in your house;

They will repeatedly praise you.

Selah.

5Happy is the man

Whose strength is in you.

There are highways in their hearts.

6Those who pass through the Valley of Baca

Make it a water-source,

Just as the early rain covers it in blessings.

7They go from strength to strength;

He appears before God in Zion.

8O Lord God of hosts, hear my prayer;

Listen, O God of Jacob.

Selah.

9See our shield, O God,

And look at the face of your messiah.

10For a day in your courtyards is better than a thousand elsewhere.

I would choose to stand as a doorkeeper at the house of my God

Rather than to dwell in the tents of wickedness.

11For the Lord God is a sun and a shield,

The Lord gives grace and honour;

He does not withhold what is good

From those who walk in integrity.

12O Lord of hosts,

Happy is the man

Who trusts in you.

Psalms Chapter 85 

1aTo the choirmaster.↑

For the sons of Korah, a Psalm.

1bO Lord, you have taken pleasure in your land;

You have reversed the captivity of Jacob.

2You have forgiven the iniquity of your people;

You have pardoned all their sins.

Selah.

3You have retracted all your ire;

You have drawn back from the fury of your anger.

4Turn us around, O God of our salvation;

Set aside your displeasure with us.

5Will you be age-abidingly angry with us?

Will you draw out your anger from generation to generation?

6Will you not revive us again

So that your people rejoice in you?

7Show us, O Lord, your kindness,

And do give us your salvation.

8I will hear what God the Lord says,

For he speaks peace to his people and those of his grace,

And may they not return to foolishness.

9Surely his salvation is near to those who fear him

– For glory to dwell in our land.

10Kindness and truth have met each other;

Righteousness and peace have kissed each other.

11Truth has sprung up from the earth,

And righteousness has peered out from heaven.

12Indeed the Lord gives that which is good,

And our land will give its produce.

13Righteousness will go in front of him,

And he will designate his steps as the way.

Psalms Chapter 86 

1A prayer of David.

Incline, O Lord, your ear,

And answer me,

For I am poor and needy.

2Guard my soul,

For I am under your grace.

You who are my God,

Save your servant

Who trusts in you.

3Have mercy on me, O Lord*,

For I cry out to you all day long.

4Gladden the heart of your servant,

For to you, O Lord*,

I lift up my being.

5For you, O Lord*, are good and forgiving,

And abundant in kindness to all who call on you.

6Listen, O Lord, to my prayer,

And hearken to the sound of my supplications.

7On the day of my adversity,

I will call on you,

For you will answer me.

8There is none like you among the gods, O Lord*,

And there is nothing like your works.

9All the nations which you made

Will come and worship before you, O Lord*,

And they will glorify your name.

10For you are great,

And you perform wonders.

You alone are God.

11Teach me, O Lord, your way;

I will walk in your truth.

Unite my heart to fear your name.

12I will praise you, O Lord* my God, with all my heart,

And I will glorify your name age-abidingly.

13For your kindness towards me is great,

And you have delivered my being from the lowest underworld.

14O God, the insolent have risen up against me,

And the congregation of the violent seek my life,

And they have not placed you before them.

15But you, O Lord*, are a God of mercy and grace,

Forbearing, and abundant in kindness and truth.

16Turn to me and be merciful to me;

Give your strength to your servant,

And save the son of your maidservant.

17Give me a favourable sign,

So that those who hate me

May see it and be ashamed,

Because you are the Lord

Who helped me and comforted me.

Reference(s) in Chapter 86: v.9 ↔ Revelation 15:3 ● v.10 ↔ Revelation 15:3 ● v.11 ↔ Revelation 15:3.

Psalms Chapter 87 

1For the sons of Korah, a Psalm. A Song.

His foundation is on the holy mountains.

2The Lord loves the gates of Zion

More than all the tent sites of Jacob.

3Glorious things are spoken of you,

O City of God.

Selah.

4I will make mention of Rahab and Babylon to those who know me.

Behold, to Philistia and Tyre, with Ethiopia,

It will be said, “This one was born there.”

5And to Zion it will be said,

One man and another man were born in it,

And he who will establish it is the Most High.”

6The Lord will count

When registering the various peoples,

And say, “This one was born there.”

Selah.

7And singers and dancers likewise

– All my founts –

Are in it.

Psalms Chapter 88 

1aA Song. A Psalm to the sons of Korah. To the choirmaster with dancing and singing in response.↑

An Instructive Psalm of Heman the Ezrahite.

1bO Lord God of my salvation,

By day I have cried out;

By night my cry is before you.

2May my prayer come before you;

Incline your ear to my outcry.

3For my being is saturated with evils,

And my life is touching the grave.

4I am considered as being among those

Going down to the pit.

I am like a man without strength,

5Among the dead, free,

Like the slain who lie in a grave,

Whom you no longer remember,

As they are cut off from your hand.

6You have put me in the pit,

In the lowest regions,

In the dark places

– In the depths.

7Your fury bears down on me;

You have afflicted me with all your breakers.

Selah.

8You have removed my acquaintances from me;

You have made me an abomination to them.

I am hemmed in

And I can't come out.

9My eye languishes from affliction.

I have called on you, O Lord, daily;

I have opened out my hands to you.

10Do you perform a wonder for the dead?

Do the Rephaim rise and praise you?

Selah.

11Is your kindness recounted in the grave?

– Or your faithfulness in the place of decease?

12Is your wondrous power known in the darkness?

– Or your righteousness in the land of oblivion?

13But I have cried out to you, O Lord,

And my prayer went to you early in the morning.

14Why, O Lord, are you averse to my being?

Why do you hide your face from me?

15I am afflicted,

And I have been expiring since my youth.

I have borne your terrors,

And I am bewildered.

16Your outpourings of fury have come over onto me;

Alarming things of yours have cut me down.

17They surround me like water all day long;

They encircle me in unison.

18You have removed lover and friend from me,

And my acquaintances, to darkness.

Psalms Chapter 89 

1aAn Instructive Psalm of Ethan the Ezrahite.

1bI will sing the Lord's acts of kindness age-abidingly;

From generation to generation I will make your faithfulness known

By the word of my mouth.

2For I have said,

“Kindness will be built up for the age.”

As for the heavens,

You will prepare your faithfulness in them.

3“I have made a covenant with my chosen one,

I have sworn to David my servant,

4‘I will establish your seed age-abidingly,

And I will build up your throne

From generation to generation.’ ”

Selah.

5And the heavens will praise your wondrous power, O Lord,

As also your faithfulness in the convocation of the holy ones.

6For who in the sky is comparable to the Lord?

Who can be likened to the Lord

Among the mighty ones?

7– A most formidable God in the council of the holy ones,

And fearsome to all around him?

8O Lord God of hosts,

Who is strong like you, O Lord,

With your faithfulness around you?

9You rule over the haughtiness of the sea;

When the waves arise,

You calm them.

10You have crushed Rahab like the slain;

With your strong arm

You have scattered your enemies.

11Yours are the heavens;

Yours also is the earth.

As for the world and its fulness,

You founded them.

12North and south – you created them.

Tabor and Hermon – they rejoice in your name.

13You have a valiant arm,

Your hand is strong;

Your right hand is exalted.

14Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne;

Kindness and truth go before you.

15Happy is the people that knows the sound;

O Lord, they will walk in the light of your presence.

16They will rejoice in your name all day long,

And they will be exalted in your righteousness.

17For you are the splendour of their strength,

And by your goodwill,

Our horn will be exalted.

18For the Lord is the possessor of our shield,

And the holy one of Israel is the possessor of our king.

19At that time you spoke in a vision to those under your grace and said,

“I have bestowed help on the warrior;

I have exalted a chosen one out of the people.

20I have found David my servant;

I have anointed him with my holy oil,

21With whom my hand will be established,

To whom also my arm will give courage.

22The enemy will not come upon him,

Nor will the unjust man afflict him.

23And I will beat his adversaries down before him

And strike down those who hate him.

24And my faithfulness and my kindness will be with him,

And his horn will be exalted in my name.

25And I will put his hand in the sea

And his right hand in the rivers.

26He will call out to me,

‘You are my father,

My God, and the rock of my salvation.’

27I will also place him as the firstborn

– The highest of the kings of the earth.

28I will maintain my kindness to him age-abidingly,

And my covenant will remain faithful to him.

29And I will appoint his seed in perpetuity,

And his throne as the days of heaven.

30If his sons forsake my law,

Or do not walk in my judicial pronouncements,

31Or if they violate my statutes,

Or do not keep my commandments,

32Then I will visit their transgression with a rod,

And their iniquity with beatings.

33But I will not lay aside my kindness with him,

And I will not default on my faithfulness.

34I will not break my covenant,

And I will not change the utterance of my lips.

35I have sworn by my holiness once;

I will certainly not lie to David.

36His seed will abide for the age,

And his throne like the sun before me,

37Just as the moon is established for the age,

And is a faithful witness in the sky.”

Selah.

38But you have turned away and rejected

– And become irate with –

Your anointed.

39You have detested your servant's covenant;

You have rendered his crown powerless on the ground.

40You have broken through all his fences;

You have made his fortifications a ruin.

41All kinds of travellers have plundered him;

He has become a reproach to his neighbours.

42You have raised the right hand of his adversaries;

You have brought joy to all his enemies.

43Also you have driven back the blade of his sword,

And you have not upheld him in battle.

44You have put an end to his splendour,

And you have cast his throne down to the ground.

45You have curtailed the days of his youth;

You have covered him with shame.

Selah.

46How long, O Lord, will you be constantly hidden?

How long will your fury burn like fire?

47Remember what kind of a lifetime I have.

– To what kind of vain end

You have created all the sons of Adam.

48What man will live and will not see death?

What man can deliver his life from the power of the grave?

Selah.

49Where are your former acts of kindness, O Lord*,

Which you swore to David in your faithfulness?

50Remember, O Lord*, the reproach of your servants

– Me bearing it in my bosom –

From all kinds of mighty peoples,

51In that your enemies have made reproaches, O Lord,

In that they have reproached the footsteps of your anointed.

52Blessed be the Lord age-abidingly.

Amen and amen.

Reference(s) in Chapter 89: v.20 ↔ Acts 13:22 ● v.29 ↔ John 7:42 ● v.36 ↔ John 12:34, Acts 2:30.

Psalms Chapter 90 

1A prayer of Moses, the man of God.

O Lord*, you have been a refuge to us

In generation after generation.

2Before the hills were born

– For you gave birth to the earth and world –

You have been God,

And from age to age.

3You reduce men to dust,

And you say,

“Return, O sons of Adam.”

4For a thousand years in your eyes

Are as a day,

Like yesterday that has passed,

And a watch in the night.

5You have swept them away;

They have become like sleep.

In the morning they are like vegetation that flourishes;

6In the morning it flowers and flourishes,

But in the evening it fades and dries up.

7For we waste away at your anger,

And we are terrified at your fury.

8For you have set our iniquities out before you

– Our secret in the light of your presence.

9For all our days face your ire;

We finish our years dolefully.

10The days of our years amount to seventy years,

And if strength permits, eighty years,

But their pride is toil and vanity,

For it hastily passes over,

And we fly away.

11Who knows the intensity of your anger?

For as your fearfulness is,

So is your ire.

12So teach us to count our days

So that we may bring a wise heart.

13Return, O Lord.

How long will it be?

And have compassion on your servants.

14Satiate us in the morning with your kindness,

And let us shout for joy and rejoice

On all our days.

15Bring us joy

Matching the days that you afflicted us

– The years when we saw evil.

16Let your work appear to your servants,

And your splendour to their sons.

17Let the beauty of the Lord* our God be upon us,

And direct the work of our hands in our interest.

So do direct the work of our hands.

Reference(s) in Chapter 90: v.4 ↔ 2 Peter 3:8.

Psalms Chapter 91 

1“He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High

Resides in the shadow of the Almighty.”

2“I will say to the Lord,

‘My refuge and my fortress

– My God – ’

I will trust in him.”

3“For he will deliver you from the fowler's snare,

And from any harmful plague.

4He will cover you with his wing feathers,

And you will have shelter under his wings.

His truth is your shield and buckler.

5Do not be afraid of any terror of the night,

Nor of an arrow that might fly by day,

6Nor of the plague that is prevalent in the darkness,

Nor of pestilence that ravages at noon.

7A thousand will fall at your side,

And ten thousand on your right hand side.

No-one will be able to approach you.

8You will only have to look with your eyes,

And you will see retribution on the wicked.”

9“For you, O Lord, are my refuge.

O Most High, you have appointed your dwelling place.”

10“No harm will befall you,

And no blow will come near your tent.

11For he will command his angels concerning you

To protect you in all your ways.

12They will bear you upon their hands

Lest you strike your foot on a stone.

13You will tread on the fierce lion and the viper,

And you will trample on the young lion and the crocodile.”

14“For he has set his affection on me,

And I will extricate him.

I will exalt him

Because he knows my name.

15He will call on me,

And I will answer him.

I will be with him in adversity;

I will deliver him and glorify him.

16I will satiate him with length of days,

And I will show him my salvation.”

Reference(s) in Chapter 91: v.11 ↔ Matthew 4:6, Luke 4:10 ● v.12 ↔ Matthew 4:6, Luke 4:11.

Psalms Chapter 92 

1aA Psalm. A Song for the Sabbath day.

1bIt is good to thank the Lord,

And to make psalm melody to your name, O Most High,

2And to tell of your kindness in the morning

And of your faithfulness in the night,

3On the ten-stringed kithara and the lute,

With a meditation on the harp.

4For you have given me joy, O Lord,

Through your work.

I shout for joy

Because of the works of your hands.

5How great your works are, O Lord,

And how very deep your thoughts are!

6The undiscerning man does not know,

And the fool does not understand this.

7As the wicked shoot up like grass,

So all those who commit iniquity flourish,

But only for them to be destroyed in all perpetuity.

8And you are age-abidingly on high,

O Lord.

9For here are your enemies, O Lord,

For here are your enemies, who will perish;

All those who commit iniquity will be scattered.

10And you have exalted my horn like that of a rhinoceros;

I have been suffused with fresh oil.

11And my eye has beheld those who watched for me;

When evildoers rose up against me,

My ears heard it.

12The righteous man will flourish like a palm tree;

He will become great like a cedar of Lebanon.

13Being planted in the house of the Lord

– In the courtyards of our God –

They will flourish.

14They will still be putting forth shoots in old age;

They will be sap-rich and fresh,

15So as to tell that the Lord is upright

– My rock –

And that there is no injustice in him.

Psalms Chapter 93 

1The Lord reigns;

He is clothed in majesty.

The Lord being clothed in strength

Has girded himself.

The world also will be established

So that it will not totter.

2Your throne has been established since former time;

You have ruled since an ancient age.

3The rivers have raised, O Lord

– The rivers have raised their voice;

The rivers have risen up with their dashings.

4The Lord on high is more mighty

Than the sounds of mighty waters,

Or than the mighty breakers of the sea.

5Your testimonies are exceedingly faithful;

Holiness is becoming to your house, O Lord,

In the length of days.

Psalms Chapter 94 

1O Lord God of vengeance,

O God of vengeance,

Shine forth.

2Be exalted, O judge of the earth;

Bring retribution to the proud.

3How long, O Lord, will the wicked ...

– How long will the wicked exult?

4They babble and speak insolently;

All those who commit iniquity are boasting.

5O Lord, they crush your people,

And they afflict your inheritance.

6They kill the widow and the foreigner,

And they murder orphans.

7And they have said,

“The Lord will not see”,

And, “The God of Jacob will not take notice.”

8Understand, you unscrupulous ones among the people;

And you fools,

When will you become wise?

9He who planted the ear

Can he not hear?

Or he who formed the eye

Can he not see?

10He who chastises the Gentiles

– Will he who teaches man knowledge

Not reprove?

11The Lord knows the thoughts of man

– That they are vacuous.

12Happy is the man whom you, O Lord, chastise,

And whom you teach from your law,

13So as to give him rest from evil days,

Until a pit is dug for the wicked.

14For the Lord will not desert his people,

And he will not forsake his inheritance.

15For judgment will again become justice,

And all upright in heart will follow it.

16Who will rise up for me against the evildoers?

Who will take a stand for me

Against those who commit iniquity?

17If the Lord had not been a help to me,

My being would soon have dwelt in silence.

18Whenever I said,

“My foot is slipping”,

Your kindness, O Lord, supported me.

19In the profusion of perplexities within me,

Your consolations delighted my being.

20Is the throne of cupidity associated with you

As it fashions vice by statute?

21They press down on the life of the righteous

And condemn innocent blood.

22But the Lord became a high stronghold to me,

And my God the rock of my refuge.

23And he requited them with their iniquity,

And he will cut them off in their wickedness;

The Lord our God will cut them off.

Reference(s) in Chapter 94: v.11 ↔ 1 Corinthians 3:20 ● v.14 ↔ Romans 11:2.

Psalms Chapter 95 

1Come, let us cry out to the Lord for joy;

Let us sing in jubilation to the rock of our salvation.

2Let us meet in his presence in good time with thanksgiving;

Let us sing out to him with psalm melodies.

3For the Lord is a great God

And a great king above all gods.

4For the depths of the earth are in his hand,

And the treasures of the mountains are his.

5For the sea is his,

And he made it,

And his hands formed the dry land.

6Come, let us worship and bow down;

Let us kneel before the Lord our maker.

7For he is our God,

And we are the people of his pasture

And the sheep of his hand.

Today, if you will heed his voice,

8Do not harden your heart,

As in the contention

– As on the day of testing in the desert –

9When your fathers tested me.

They put me to the proof,

Then they duly saw my works.

10For forty years I abhorred that generation,

And I said,

“They are a people who are erring in their heart,

And they do not know my ways.”

11So I swore in my anger

That they certainly would not enter into my resting place.

Reference(s) in Chapter 95: v.7 ↔ Hebrews 3:7, Hebrews 3:15, Hebrews 4:7 ● v.8 ↔ Hebrews 3:8, Hebrews 3:15, Hebrews 4:7 ● v.9 ↔ Hebrews 3:9 ● v.10 ↔ Hebrews 3:9, Hebrews 3:10 ● v.11 ↔ Hebrews 3:11, Hebrews 4:3, Hebrews 4:5.

Psalms Chapter 96 

1Sing a new song to the Lord,

Sing to the Lord,

All the earth,

2Sing to the Lord,

Bless his name;

Proclaim his salvation

From one day to the next.

3Tell of his glory among the Gentiles

And of his wondrous deeds among all the various peoples.

4For the Lord is great

And much to be praised;

He is awesome

Above all gods.

5For all the gods of the nations are idols,

But the Lord made the heavens.

6Majesty and splendour are before him;

Strength and magnificence are in his sanctuary.

7Ascribe to the Lord,

You families of nations,

Ascribe glory and strength

To the Lord.

8Ascribe the glory of his name to the Lord;

Make a meal-offering,

And enter into his courtyards.

9Worship the Lord

In the splendour of holiness.

Tremble in his presence,

All the earth.

10Say among the Gentiles,

“The Lord reigns.”

Indeed the world will be established

Such that it will not totter,

And he will judge nations equitably.

11Let the heavens rejoice

And the earth be glad;

Let the sea roar

With its fulness.

12Let the field exult,

And everything in it.

Then let all the trees of the forest shout for joy,

13Before the Lord

When he comes.

When he comes to judge the earth,

He will judge the world in righteousness,

And the various peoples according to his faithfulness.

Reference(s) in Chapter 96: v.11 ↔ Revelation 12:12.

Psalms Chapter 97 

1The Lord reigns.

Let the earth be glad;

Let the many coastlands rejoice.

2A cloud and gloom are around him;

Righteousness and justice are the foundation of his throne.

3Fire goes in front of him

And sets his adversaries on fire all around.

4His lightning flashes light up the world;

The earth sees and trembles.

5Mountains melt like wax before the Lord

– Before the Lord of all the earth.

6The heavens tell of his righteousness,

And all the nations see his glory.

7All who serve carved images will be ashamed

– Those who boast in idols.

Worship him, all you gods.

8Zion heard and rejoiced,

And the daughters of Judah were glad,

On account of your judgments, O Lord.

9For you, O Lord, are the Most High,

Over all the earth.

You are exalted

Far above all gods.

10You who love the Lord, hate evil.

He watches over the lives of those under his grace;

He delivers them from the hand of the wicked.

11Light is sown to the righteous,

And joy to the upright in heart.

12Rejoice in the Lord, you righteous,

And give thanks at the mention of his holiness.

Reference(s) in Chapter 97: v.7 ↔ Hebrews 1:6.

Psalms Chapter 98 

1A Psalm.

Sing a new song to the Lord,

For he has done wondrous things.

His right hand and his holy arm

Have brought him salvation.

2The Lord has made his salvation known;

He has revealed his righteousness in the sight of the Gentiles.

3He remembered his kindness and his faithfulness to the house of Israel;

All the ends of the earth saw the salvation of our God.

4Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth;

Break out in singing,

And cry out for joy,

And make psalm melody.

5Make psalm melody to the Lord with the harp,

With the harp and the sound of psalm-singing.

6With trumpets and the sound of the ramshorn,

Shout for joy before the king, the Lord.

7The sea roars, and its fulness

– The world, and those who inhabit it.

8The rivers clap their hands;

The mountains shout for joy together,

9In the presence of the Lord,

For he is coming to judge the world.

He will judge the world in righteousness,

And the various peoples in uprightness.

Psalms Chapter 99 

1The Lord reigns,

The nations tremble,

He dwells between the cherubim;

The earth will be shaken.

2The Lord in Zion is great,

And he is high above all the nations.

3Let them praise your great and awesome name;

He is holy.

4Now the king's power loves justice.

You have established uprightness,

And you have exercised judgment and justice in Jacob.

5Extol the Lord our God,

And worship at his footstool;

He is holy.

6Moses and Aaron were among his priests,

And Samuel was among those calling on his name.

They would call to the Lord,

And he would answer them.

7He spoke to them in a column of cloud;

They kept his testimonies

And the statute which he gave them.

8O Lord our God, you answered them;

You were a forgiving God to them,

Also taking vengeance for their deeds.

9Extol the Lord our God,

And worship at his holy mountain,

For the Lord our God is holy.

Psalms Chapter 100 

1A Psalm of Thanksgiving.

Sing out to the Lord,

All the earth!

2Serve the Lord in joy;

Come before him in joyful singing.

3Know that the Lord is God;

He made us and not we ourselves,

Being his people and the sheep of his pasture.

4Come to his gates with thanksgiving

And to his courtyards with praise.

Praise him,

And bless his name.

5For the Lord is good,

His kindness is age-abiding,

And his faithfulness is to generation after generation.

Psalms Chapter 101 

1A Psalm of David.

I will sing of kindness and justice;

I will make psalm melody to you, O Lord.

2I will act wisely in a sincere way.

When will you come to me?

I will walk in the sincerity of my heart

Inside my house.

3I will not put any worthless thing in my sights.

I have hated

What those who turn aside do;

It will not have any attraction to me.

4May a perverse heart depart from me;

I will not know the wicked.

5I will destroy

Him who slanders his neighbour privately;

I will not endure

Him who is of haughty eyes

Or a puffed up heart.

6My eyes are on the faithful of the land,

For them to dwell with me.

He who walks in a sincere way

Will serve me.

7He who commits deceit

Will not dwell in my house.

He who speaks falsehood

Will not be established in my sight.

8In the mornings I will destroy all the wicked of the land

So as to cut off all those who commit iniquity

From the City of the Lord.

Psalms Chapter 102 

1aA prayer for the afflicted man who is languishing, and who pours out his case before the Lord.

1bO Lord, hear my prayer,

And let my crying out come to you.

2Do not hide your face from me;

On the day when I am in a strait,

Incline your ear to me.

On the day when I call,

Do answer me quickly.

3For my days are ending in smoke,

And my bones are burning up like a firebrand.

4My heart is aggrieved

And dried up like grass,

So that I forget to eat my bread.

5With the sound of my sighing,

My bones cleave to my flesh.

6I have come to resemble the desert pelican;

I have become like the owl of the wastelands.

7I have been sleepless,

And I have become like a solitary bird on a rooftop.

8My enemies reproach me all day long;

Those who make me look foolish

Have taken oaths against me.

9For I have eaten ashes like bread

And mixed my drink with weeping,

10On account of your indignation and your wrath,

For you have lifted me up

And thrown me down.

11My days are like a declining shadow,

And I am drying out like grass.

12But you, O Lord, dwell age-abidingly,

And remembrance of you is from generation to generation.

13You will rise up and have mercy on Zion

When it is time to show it grace

– When the season has come.

14For your servants delight in its stones

And are well-disposed to its dust.

15And the Gentiles will fear the name of the Lord,

As will all the kings of the earth your glory.

16When the Lord has built Zion,

He will appear in his glory.

17He turns to the prayer of the destitute,

And does not despise their prayer.

18This will be written for the last generation,

And a recreated people will praise the Lord.

19For he has peered down from his holy heights;

The Lord has looked down from heaven to the earth,

20To hear the groaning of the prisoner,

To unbind those condemned to death,

21To declare the name of the Lord in Zion,

And his praiseworthiness in Jerusalem,

22When nations gather together,

And kingdoms too,

To serve the Lord.

23 He has oppressed my strength on the way;

He has shortened my days,

24So that I say,

“O God of mine, do not take me up at half of my days.

Your years are throughout generation and generation.

25In past time you founded the earth,

And the heavens are the work of your hands.

26They shall perish,

But you will remain,

And they will all wear out like a garment.

You will change them like clothing,

And they will undergo change.

27But you are the same,

And your years will not come to an end.

28Your servants' sons will be settled,

And their seed will be established before you.”

Reference(s) in Chapter 102: v.25 ↔ Hebrews 1:10 ● v.26 ↔ Hebrews 1:11, Hebrews 1:12 ● v.27 ↔ Hebrews 1:12.

Psalms Chapter 103 

1A Psalm of David.

Bless the Lord, O my being,

And his holy name, O all my inward parts.

2Bless the Lord, O my being,

And do not forget any of the recompenses of him

3Who forgives all my iniquity,

Who cures all my diseases,

4Who redeems my life from the pit,

Who crowns me with kindness and mercy,

5And who satiates my years with goodness;

My youth is renewed like an eagle.

6The Lord performs righteous acts,

And acts of justice for all the oppressed.

7He makes his way known to Moses

And his deeds to the sons of Israel.

8The Lord is merciful and gracious,

Forbearing and rich in kindness.

9He will not contend in perpetuity,

And he will not retain his anger age-abidingly.

10He has not dealt with us according to our sins,

Nor has he retributed us according to our iniquities.

11For as the heavens are high above the earth,

So his kindness prevails over those who fear him.

12As the east is remote from the west,

So he has removed our transgressions from us.

13As a father has compassion on his sons,

So the Lord has compassion on those who fear him.

14For he knows our condition;

He remembers that we are dust.

15As for man, his days are like grass;

Like the wild flowers, so he blossoms,

16Then the wind passes over him,

And he is no more,

And his place no longer recognizes him.

17But the Lord's kindness is of ancient time

And is age-abiding to those who fear him.

And his righteousness is directed to the sons of sons,

18To those who keep his covenant,

And those who remember his precepts

– To carry them out.

19The Lord has established his throne in the heavens,

And his kingdom rules over all.

20Bless the Lord, you angels of his,

You who are mighty in power,

Who carry out his word,

By heeding the utterance of his word.

21Bless the Lord, all you hosts of his,

You who serve him and do his will.

22Bless the Lord, all his works,

In all places of his rule.

Bless the Lord, O my being,

Psalms Chapter 104 

1Bless the Lord, O my being;

O Lord my God, you are very great.

You are clothed in majesty and splendour.

2You put on a covering of light like a garment;

You stretch out the heavens like a curtain.

3He who carpenters his upper rooms in the waters,

Who makes thick clouds his chariot,

Who moves around on the wings of the wind,

4Who makes his angels spirits,

And his servants a flaming fire

5Is he who founded the earth on its bases

So that it will not totter,

Age-abidingly and in perpetuity.

6As for the deep, you have covered it as with a garment;

Waters stand over mountains.

7They flee at your rebuke;

At the sound of your thunder,

They hasten away.

8They go up mountains;

They go down valleys,

To the place where you laid a foundation for them.

9You have set a boundary

Which they shall not cross;

They will not again cover the earth.

10You send source water into streams

Which run between the mountains.

11They provide drink for all wildlife;

Wild donkeys quench their thirst.

12Due to them,

The birds of the sky have a habitat;

They utter their call from among the branches.

13He waters the mountains from his upper rooms;

The earth is satiated with the fruit of your works.

14He makes grass grow for cattle,

And herbage for the benefit of man,

So that he can extract food from the earth,

15And wine which cheers the heart of men,

And products from oil to make the face shine,

And food which supports man's heart.

16The Lord's trees are satiated

– The cedars of Lebanon which he planted,

17Where the birds nestle.

As for the stork,

The cypresses are its home.

18The high mountains are home to the mountain goats;

The rocks are a refuge to the rock hyrax.

19He made the moon for the purpose of set times;

The sun knows its time to set.

20You appoint darkness

And it becomes night-time.

In it all the life of the forest crawls around.

21Lions roar for prey

And in seeking their food from God.

22When the sun rises,

They withdraw

And lie down in their dens.

23Man goes out to his work

And to his occupation until evening.

24How great are your deeds, O Lord!

You have performed them all in wisdom.

The earth is full of your property.

25This is the sea,

Great, and as wide as outstretched arms.

In it there is immeasurable creeping life

– Animals great and small.

26There, ships make voyages;

Leviathan is there,

Which you fashioned to play in it.

27They all look to you

To give them their food in its time.

28You provide for them,

And they glean it.

You open your hand,

And they become satiated with goodness.

29When you hide your face,

They are alarmed.

When you gather up their spirit,

They expire

And return to their dust.

30When you send out your spirit,

They are created,

And you renew the face of the ground.

31May the glory of the Lord be age-abiding;

The Lord rejoices in his works.

32When he looks at the earth,

It trembles;

When he strikes mountains,

They emit smoke.

33I will sing to the Lord

While I live;

I will make psalm melody to my God

As long as I exist.

34My meditation about him will be pleasant;

I will rejoice in the Lord.

35Sinners will be eliminated from the land,

And as for the wicked,

There will no longer be any of them.

O my being, bless the Lord.

Praise the Lord.

Reference(s) in Chapter 104: v.4 ↔ Hebrews 1:7.

Psalms Chapter 105 

1Give thanks to the Lord,

Call on his name;

Make his deeds known

Among the various peoples.

2Sing to him,

Make psalm melody to him;

Meditate on all his wonders.

3Boast in his holy name.

Let the heart of those who seek the Lord rejoice.

4Search for the Lord and his strength;

Seek his presence continually.

5Remember his wonders

Which he has performed

– His miracles

And the judgments of his mouth.

6The seed of Abraham his servant

– The sons of Jacob –

Are his chosen ones.

7He is the Lord our God;

His principles of justice

Are in the whole land.

8He remembers his covenant age-abidingly

– The word he commanded to a thousand generations,

9The covenant which he made with Abraham –

And his oath to Isaac

10Which he established as a statute to Jacob,

And as an age-abiding covenant to Israel,

11When he said,

“To you I will give the land of Canaan,

The allocation of your inheritance”,

12When they were a small company

– Few, but residents in it.

13And they went round from nation to nation

– From one kingdom to another people.

14He did not permit man to oppress them,

And he reproved kings concerning them,

15Saying, “Do not touch my anointed ones,

And do not harm my prophets.”

16Then he called a famine on the land;

He broke every supply of bread.

17He sent a man before them,

One sold as a servant – Joseph.

18They afflicted his feet with fetters;

His being went into iron shackles

19Until the time when his word came.

The utterance of the Lord verified him.

20The king sent orders and released him

– The ruler of nations – who unshackled him.

21He appointed him as master of his house

And ruler over all his possessions,

22With authority to bind his nobles at his will

And to instruct his elders in wisdom.

23Then Israel came to Egypt,

And Jacob dwelt in the land of Ham.

24And he made his people very fruitful,

And he made them stronger than their adversaries.

25He changed their heart to hate his people

– To plot against his servants.

26He sent Moses his servant

And Aaron whom he had chosen.

27They performed the matters of his signs among them

And the miracles in the land of Ham.

28He sent darkness and made it dark,

And they did not rebel against his word.

29He turned their water to blood

And caused their fish to die.

30Their land swarmed with frogs

Which came into the rooms of their kings.

31He spoke, and the gadfly came,

And lice in all of their country.

32He transformed their rain into hail,

And there was blazing fire in their land.

33And he struck their vines and their fig trees

And broke the trees of their territory.

34He spoke, and the swarming locusts came,

And the devouring locusts,

Which were countless in number.

35And they ate all the herbage in their land,

And they consumed the fruit of their ground.

36Then he struck every firstborn in their land

– The prime of all their strength.

37And he brought them out with silver and gold,

And there was no-one in their tribes who faltered.

38Egypt was pleased at their departure,

For a feeling of dread of them had fallen upon them.

39He spread out a cloud as a covering,

And a fire to give light by night.

40The people asked, and he brought quails,

And he satiated them with bread of heaven.

41He opened a rock, and water flowed;

It ran like a river in an arid place.

42For he remembered his holy word

And Abraham his servant.

43And he brought out his people with rejoicing

– His elect with singing for joy.

44And he gave them lands of the Gentiles,

And they inherited the labours of various peoples,

45So that they might keep his statutes

And maintain his laws.

Praise the Lord.

Psalms Chapter 106 

1Praise the Lord;

Give thanks to the Lord,

For he is good,

For his kindness is age-abiding.

2Who can put the Lord's mighty deeds into words

Or express all his praiseworthiness?

3Happy are those who maintain justice,

And he who acts righteously at all times.

4Remember me, O Lord,

In good pleasure towards your people;

Visit me with your salvation

5So as to see the goodness towards your elect,

To rejoice in the joy of your nation

And to boast with your inheritance.

6We have sinned,

Along with our fathers.

We have committed iniquity;

We have acted wickedly.

7Our fathers in Egypt did not profit from the instruction of your wonders.

They did not remember the abundance of your kind deeds,

And they rebelled at the sea

– At the Red Sea.

8But he saved them for his name's sake,

To make his might known.

9So he rebuked the Red Sea,

And it dried up,

And he led them through the depths

As though through the desert.

10Then he saved them from the hand of him who hated them,

And he redeemed them from the grip of the enemy.

11But the water covered their adversaries;

Not one of them remained.

12Then they believed his words,

And they sang his praise.

13But they quickly forgot his works,

And they did not wait for his counsel.

14And they had a great longing in the desert,

And they tempted God in the wasteland.

15Then he granted them their request.

Then he sent leanness to their condition.

16At this they envied Moses in the camp,

And Aaron the Lord's holy man.

17The earth opened and swallowed Dathan,

And it smothered the confederacy of Abiram.

18And a fire burned in their confederacy;

A flame set the wicked on fire.

19They made a calf at Horeb,

And they worshipped a cast image.

20And they exchanged my glory

For the likeness of an ox that eats grass.

21They forgot God their saviour,

Who performed great deeds in Egypt,

22Wonders in the land of Ham

And awesome deeds at the Red Sea.

23Then he declared that he would have destroyed them,

If Moses his chosen one had not stood at the breach before him

To turn away his fury

From ravaging them.

24And they rejected the pleasant land;

They did not believe his word.

25And they grumbled in their tents;

They did not listen to the voice of the Lord.

26Then he raised his hand against them

To strike them down in the desert,

27And to strike their seed down among the Gentiles,

And to scatter them among the various countries.

28Then they yoked themselves to Baal-Peor,

And they ate sacrifices offered to the dead.

29And they provoked him to anger by their deeds,

So that a plague broke out among them.

30But Phinehas stood up and acted as judge,

So the plague was arrested.

31And it was accounted to him as righteousness

For generation after generation age-abidingly.

32Then they angered him at the waters of Meribah,

And it was hurtful to Moses because of them,

33For they resisted his spirit.

Then he spoke rashly with his lips.

34They did not destroy the peoples

Which the Lord had told them to.

35Then they mingled with the Gentiles,

And they learned their practices,

36And they served their idols,

Which became a snare to them.

37Then they sacrificed their sons and their daughters to demons.

38So they shed innocent blood

– The blood of their sons and their daughters

Whom they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan –

And the land was defiled with blood.

39So they became unclean through their practices,

And they prostituted themselves through their actions.

40And the anger of the Lord was kindled against his people,

And he loathed his own inheritance.

41And he delivered them into the hands of Gentiles,

And those who hated them

Ruled over them.

42And their enemies oppressed them,

And they were brought low under their power.

43Many were the times that he delivered them,

But they rebelled in their counsel,

And they degenerated in their iniquity.

44But he had an eye to their adversity

When he heard their crying out.

45He remembered his covenant which they had,

And he had compassion

According to the abundance of his kindness.

46Then he made them objects of mercy

Before all those who had held them in captivity.

47Save us, O Lord our God,

And gather us out of the Gentiles

To give thanks to your holy name

And to exult in praise of you.

48Blessed be the Lord God of Israel

From age to age,

And let all the people say,

“Amen, praise the Lord.”

Psalms Chapter 107 

1Praise the Lord,

For he is good,

For his kindness is age-abiding.

2Let the Lord's redeemed speak out

Those whom he redeemed from the grip of the adversary

3And gathered from the various countries,

From the east and from the west,

And from the north and from the south.

4They wandered in the desert

– A journey through wasteland.

They did not find an inhabitable city.

5Hungry and thirsty too,

Their willpower in them flagged.

6Then they cried out to the Lord in their adversity.

He delivered them from their predicament,

7And he guided their steps

On a way that was right,

So as to arrive at an inhabitable city.

8Let them give thanks to the Lord for his kindness

And for his wonders to the sons of Adam,

9For he satiates a person pacing up and down

And fills a hungry person with goodness.

10As for those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death

– Prisoners in affliction and irons –

11Because they rebelled against the words of God

And despised the counsel of the Most High,

12He brought their heart down with toil.

They stumbled,

And there was no-one to help.

13When they shouted out to the Lord in their adversity,

He saved them from their predicament.

14He brought them out from darkness and the shadow of death,

And he unfastened their bonds.

15Let them give thanks to the Lord for his kindness

And for his wonders to the sons of Adam.

16For he has shivered copper doors in pieces

And shattered iron bolts.

17Fools, because of their transgression,

And because of their iniquities,

Suffer affliction.

18Their very being abhors all food,

And they have reached the gates of death.

19When they shouted out to the Lord in their adversity,

He saved them from their predicament.

20He sends his word and heals them,

And delivers them from their demise.

21Let them give thanks to the Lord for his kindness

And for his wonders to the sons of Adam.

22And let them offer sacrifices of thanksgiving,

And let them relate his deeds

With shouting for joy.

23Those who go down to the sea in ships

To do business across great waters

24Are who have seen the Lord's works

And his wonders in the deep.

25For he spoke and set up a stormwind,

And it lifted up its waves.

26They rise to heaven,

They descend to the depths;

Their mind despairs in trouble.

27They reel and they stagger like a drunkard;

All their wisdom evaporates.

28Then they cried out to the Lord in their adversity,

And he delivered them from their predicament.

29He brought the storm to a standstill,

And its waves became quiet.

30Then they were pleased that they had abated,

And he conducted them to the harbour of their choice.

31Let them give thanks to the Lord for his kindness

And for his wonders to the sons of Adam.

32And may they exalt him in the convocation of the people

And praise him in the session of the elders.

33He turns rivers into a desert,

And water-sources into thirsty land,

34And fruitful land into a salty landscape,

On account of the evil of those who dwell in it.

35He makes the desert a pool of water,

And the arid land sources of water.

36Then he housed those who were hungry there,

And they established an inhabitable city.

37Then they sowed the fields and planted vineyards,

Which yielded a fruitful crop.

38Then he blessed them, and they increased greatly,

And he did not let their cattle become few.

39But they decreased and were brought low,

Owing to oppression, harm and grief.

40He poured out contempt on nobles,

And he made them wander in a desolate place

Where there is no trail.

41But he lifted the poor man out of his affliction,

And he appointed him families like a flock.

42The upright will see it and rejoice,

And all injustice will shut its mouth.

43Whoever is wise will keep these things,

And they will have understanding of the Lord's kindness.

Psalms Chapter 108 

1aA Song. A Psalm of David.

1bMy heart is resolved, O God;

Let me sing

And make psalm melody,

And that in my glorying.

2Awake, O lute and harp;

Let me awake at dawn.

3I will give thanks to you among the various peoples, O Lord;

I will make psalm melody to you among the nations.

4For your kindness from high above the heavens is great,

As is your truth reaching up to the sky.

5May you be exalted over the heavens, O God;

May your glory be over all the earth.

6In order that your beloved ones may be delivered,

Oh save with your right hand,

And answer me.

7God has said in his holiness,

“I will rejoice,

I will apportion Shechem;

I will allot the Valley of Succoth.

8Gilead is mine,

Manasseh is mine,

And Ephraim is the stronghold of my head;

Judah is my lawgiver.

9Moab is my washing basin,

At Edom I will cast my shoe;

Over Philistia, I will shout in triumph.”

10Who will bring me to a fortified city?

Who will lead me to Edom?

11Have you not, O God,

Been averse to us?

And will you not, O God,

Go out with our armies?

12Oh give us help in adversity,

For man's salvation is false.

13Let us act valiantly through God,

And he will trample on our adversaries.

Psalms Chapter 109 

1To the choirmaster.↑

A Psalm of David.

O God of my praise,

Do not be silent.

2For a wicked mouth

And a deceitful mouth

Have opened against me.

They have spoken against me

With a lying tongue.

3And words of hatred surround me,

And they battle against me gratuitously.

4In return for my love they oppose me,

And I am all prayer.

5And they have plotted wickedness against me in return for goodness,

And hatred in return for my love.

6Appoint a wicked one over him,

So that Satan stands at his right hand.

7When he is judged,

Let condemnation be pronounced,

And let his prayer become sin.

8May his days be few;

Let another person take his office.

9May his sons become orphans,

And his wife a widow.

10May his sons wander about unremittingly

And beg,

And seek their needs from their desolate places.

11May the creditor ensnare everything he has,

And may foreigners plunder his hard-earned wealth.

12May there not be anyone who extends him kindness,

And let there not be anyone showing compassion to his orphans.

13May his posterity be destined to be cut off;

May their name be obliterated in the next generation.

14May the iniquity of his fathers be remembered by the Lord,

And may the sin of his mother not be wiped out.

15May they be before the Lord continually,

And may he cut off memory of them from the earth,

16Because he did not remember to show kindness,

And he pursued a poor and needy man,

And one of dejected heart,

To have him put to death.

17Now he loved cursing,

So let it come over him,

And he did not take delight in a blessing,

So let it be far from him.

18And he clothed himself in cursing as in his vesture,

So let it come like water into his innards,

And like oil into his bones.

19Let it be to him

Like a garment that covers him,

And like a girdle

So that he constantly girds himself with it.

20These are the wages from the Lord

Of those who oppose me

And of those who speak evil

About my character.

21But you, O Lord my Lord,

Act with me for your name's sake,

For your kindness is good,

And deliver me,

22For I am poor and needy,

And my heart is wounded inside me.

23I am passing away

Like a shadow when it becomes long.

I am thrown about

Like a locust.

24My knees are languid from fasting,

And my flesh is wasting away losing fatness.

25And I have become a reproach to them;

They see me,

And they shake their head.

26Help me, O Lord my God;

Save me according to your kindness,

27So that they may know that this is your hand at work

That you the Lord brought it about.

28They may curse,

But you bless.

When they rise up,

Let them be ashamed,

But let your servant be glad.

29May those who oppose me

Be clothed in ignominy

And be covered in their shame

Like a robe.

30I will give great thanks to the Lord with my mouth,

And in the midst of many,

I will praise him.

31For he will stand on the right hand side of the poor

To save him from those who judge the capital case against him.

Reference(s) in Chapter 109: v.8 ↔ Acts 1:20.

Psalms Chapter 110 

1A Psalm of David.

The Lord said to my Lord,

“Sit on my right hand side

Until I make your enemies your footstool.”

2The Lord will send your strong sceptre out from Zion;

Rule in the midst of your enemies.

3Your people will themselves be freewill-offerings

On your mighty day.

In holy splendours from dawn's womb,

You have had the dew of your youth.

4The Lord has sworn

And will not recant,

“You are an age-abiding priest

According to the order of Melchizedek.”

5The Lord* on your right hand side

Will strike through kings on the day of his anger.

6He will judge among the Gentiles,

He will fulfil this with dead bodies;

He will crush the head of one over a great land.

7He will drink from the brook on the way,

Which is why he will raise his head.

Reference(s) in Chapter 110: v.1 ↔ Matthew 22:44, Matthew 26:64, Mark 12:36, Luke 20:42-43, Acts 2:34-35, Hebrews 1:13 ● v.4 ↔ Hebrews 5:6, Hebrews 7:17, Hebrews 7:21.

Psalms Chapter 111 

1Praise the Lord.

I will give thanks to the Lord with all my heart

In the conclave of the upright

And in the congregation.

2Great are the works of the Lord,

Sought after for all their delights.

3Splendour and majesty characterize his work,

And his righteousness stands in perpetuity.

4He has made a memorial to his wonders.

The Lord is gracious and merciful.

5He gives provision

To those who fear him;

He will remember his covenant

Age-abidingly.

6He has told his people of the power of his works,

That he will give them the inheritance of the Gentiles.

7The works of his hands are truth and judgment;

All his precepts are dependable,

8Upheld perpetually

– Age-abidingly –

And made in truth and uprightness.

9He sent deliverance to his people;

He has decreed his age-abiding covenant.

Holy and awesome is his name.

10The beginning of wisdom is fear of the Lord;

All those who act in accordance have good understanding.

His praiseworthiness stands fast in perpetuity.

Psalms Chapter 112 

1Praise the Lord.

Happy is the man who fears the Lord

Who delights very much in his commandments.

2His seed will be valiant on the earth;

A generation of upright people will be blessed.

3Wealth and riches will be in his house,

And his righteousness stands in perpetuity.

4Light arises in the darkness to the upright;

He is gracious and merciful and righteous.

5A man who is gracious and lends is good;

He will maintain his affairs judiciously.

6For he will never be shaken;

The righteous man will be an age-abiding memorial.

7He does not fear bad tidings;

His heart is steadfast,

Having been entrusted to the Lord.

8His heart rests assured;

He will not be afraid

Up to when he looks on his adversaries with satisfaction.

9He has made distributions;

He has given to the poor.

His righteousness stands perpetually;

His horn will be raised in glory.

10The wicked man will see it

And become angry.

He will gnash his teeth

And melt away.

The aspiration of the wicked will come to an end.

Reference(s) in Chapter 112: v.9 ↔ 2 Corinthians 9:9.

Psalms Chapter 113 

1Praise the Lord,

Give praise, you servants of the Lord;

Praise the name of the Lord.

2Let the name of the Lord be blessed,

From now on and age-abidingly.

3From the rising of the sun to its setting,

Let the name of the Lord be praised.

4The Lord is high above all nations;

His glory is over the heavens.

5Who is like the Lord our God?

– Who goes high to dwell,

6Who comes low to take a look

In heaven and on earth,

7Who raises the destitute man out of the dust,

Who raises the needy out of the dunghill,

8To house them with nobles,

With the nobles of his people,

9Who installs the barren with a household,

As the joyful mother of sons.

Praise the Lord.

Psalms Chapter 114 

1When Israel came out of Egypt

– The house of Jacob from a people who spoke a foreign language –

2Judah became his sanctuary,

And Israel his great dominion.

3The sea saw it and retreated;

The Jordan turned back.

4The mountains danced like rams,

And the hills like the young of sheep.

5What was the matter with you, O sea,

That you should retreat,

And that you, O Jordan,

Should turn back?

6That you mountains should dance like rams,

And you hills like the young of sheep?

7O earth, writhe in the presence of the Lord

– In the presence of the God of Jacob,

8Who turned the rock into a pool of water

– Flint into a water-source.

Psalms Chapter 115 

1Not to us, O Lord, not to us,

But to your name give glory,

On account of your kindness

And on account of your truth.

2Why should the Gentiles say,

“So where is their God?”

3But our God is in heaven;

He does whatever he pleases.

4Their idols are of silver and gold;

They are the work of the hands of men.

5They have a mouth,

But they cannot speak;

They have eyes,

But they cannot see.

6They have ears,

But they cannot hear;

They have a nose,

But they cannot smell.

7They have hands,

But they cannot feel;

They have legs,

But they cannot walk.

They cannot articulate in their throat.

8Those who make them

Will become like them,

As will everyone who trusts in them.

9O Israel, trust in the Lord.

He is their help and their shield.

10O house of Aaron, trust in the Lord.

He is their help and their shield.

11You who fear the Lord,

Trust in the Lord.

He is their help and their shield.

12The Lord has remembered us.

He will bless

– He will bless the house of Israel;

He will bless the house of Aaron.

13He will bless those who fear the Lord

– The small and the great.

14The Lord will increase you

– You and your sons.

15Blessed are you with the Lord

– The maker of heaven and earth.

16The heavens are the Lord's heavens,

And he has given the earth to the sons of Adam.

17It is not the dead who praise the Lord,

Nor any who descend to silence.

18But we will bless the Lord,

From now on and age-abidingly.

Praise the Lord.

Reference(s) in Chapter 115: v.4 ↔ Revelation 9:20 ● v.5 ↔ Revelation 9:20 ● v.7 ↔ Revelation 9:20.

Psalms Chapter 116 

1I have loved him,

Because the Lord has heard my voice

– My supplications.

2For he inclined his ear to me,

And I call to him on all my days.

3The pains of death have surrounded me,

And the straits of the grave have reached me.

I have encountered adversity and grief.

4I will call on the name of the Lord.

Oh please, Lord, save my life.

5The Lord is gracious and righteous,

And our God is merciful.

6The Lord watches over the simple-minded.

When I was at a low ebb,

He saved me.

7O my being, return to your restful places,

For the Lord has recompensed you.

8You have delivered my being from death,

My eye from tears

And my foot from stumbling.

9I will walk before the Lord

In the lands of the living.

10I have believed,

Therefore I speak.

I have been very much afflicted.

11I have said in my perplexity,

“All of mankind speaks lies.”

12What can I give back to the Lord

For all his generosity to me?

13I will raise the cup of great salvation,

And I will call on the name of the Lord.

14I will fulfil my vows to the Lord;

May it be in the presence of all his people.

15Precious in the eyes of the Lord

Is the death of those under his grace.

16Thank-you, O Lord,

For I am your servant;

I am your servant

– The son of your maidservant.

You have unbound my bonds.

17I will offer the sacrifice of thank-offering to you,

And I will call on the name of the Lord.

18I will fulfil my vows to the Lord;

May it be in the presence of all his people,

19In the courtyards of the house of the Lord

– In your midst, O Jerusalem.

Praise the Lord.

Reference(s) in Chapter 116: v.10 ↔ 2 Corinthians 4:13.

Psalms Chapter 117 

1Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles;

Laud him, all you peoples.

2For his kindness has been mighty towards us,

And the Lord's truth is age-abiding.

Praise the Lord.

Reference(s) in Chapter 117: v.1 ↔ Romans 15:11.

Psalms Chapter 118 

1Give thanks to the Lord,

For he is good,

For his kindness is age-abiding.

2Oh do let Israel say

That his kindness is age-abiding.

3Oh do let the house of Aaron say

That his kindness is age-abiding.

4Oh do let those who fear the Lord say

That his kindness is age-abiding.

5From straits I was in,

I called on the Lord;

He answered me with the Lord's relief.

6The Lord is for me;

I will not fear.

What can man do to me?

7The Lord is for me,

Among those who help me,

So I shall look with satisfaction on those who hate me.

8It is better to seek refuge in the Lord

Than to trust in man.

9It is better to seek refuge in the Lord

Than to trust in nobles.

10All the Gentiles have surrounded me;

It is in the name of the Lord

That I will cut them off.

11They are around me,

Indeed, they have surrounded me;

It is in the name of the Lord

That I will cut them off.

12They surrounded me like bees;

They were extinguished like a fire of thorn bushes.

It is in the name of the Lord

That I will cut them off.

13You have pushed hard at me

To the point of me falling,

But the Lord has helped me.

14My strength and melody is the Lord,

And he has become my salvation.

15There is the sound of shouting for joy, and salvation,

In the tents of the righteous;

The Lord's right hand is acting mightily.

16The Lord's right hand is exalted;

The Lord's right hand is acting mightily.

17I will not die,

For I will live,

And I will relate the works of the Lord.

18The Lord has disciplined me severely,

But he has not given me over to death.

19Open to me the gates of righteousness;

I will go through them.

I will give thanks to the Lord.

20This is the gate to the Lord;

The righteous will enter through it.

21I will give thanks to you,

For you have answered me

And have become my salvation.

22The stone which the builders rejected

Has become the keystone.

23This came about from the Lord;

It is wondrous in our eyes.

24This is the day which the Lord has made;

Let us be glad and rejoice on it.

25Please, O Lord, please save;

Please, O Lord, make us prosperous.

26Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.

We bless you from the house of the Lord.

27The Lord is God,

And he has given us light.

Bind the festival-day animal

With cords on the horns of the altar.

28You are my God,

And I will give you thanks;

You are my God,

And I will exalt you.

29Give thanks to the Lord,

For he is good,

For his kindness is age-abiding.

Reference(s) in Chapter 118: v.6 ↔ Hebrews 13:6 ● v.22 ↔ Matthew 21:42, Mark 12:10, Luke 20:17, Acts 4:11, Ephesians 2:20, 1 Peter 2:7, Romans 9:33 ● v.23 ↔ Matthew 21:42, Mark 12:11 ● v.25 ↔ Matthew 21:9, Matthew 21:15, Mark 11:9, Mark 11:10, John 12:13 ● v.26 ↔ Matthew 21:9, Matthew 23:39, Mark 11:9, Luke 13:35, Luke 19:38, John 12:13.

Psalms Chapter 119 

1Happy are those with integrity on the way,

Who walk in the law of the Lord.

2Happy are those who keep his testimonies;

They seek him with all their heart.

3Indeed they do not commit iniquity;

They walk in his ways.

4You have given commandment regarding your precepts,

As matters to keep scrupulously.

5If only my ways may be established

So as to keep your statutes!

6Then I would not be ashamed

When I look at all your commandments.

7I will give you thanks in uprightness of heart

As I learn your righteous judgments.

8I will keep your statutes;

Do not forsake me in the slightest.

9By what means can a youth mend his way?

– By keeping your word.

10I have sought you with all my heart;

Do not let me err from your commandments.

11I have treasured up your saying in my heart

So that I do not sin against you.

12Blessed are you, O Lord;

Teach me your statutes.

13With my lips I have related

All the judgments you have pronounced.

14I have rejoiced in the way of your testimonies,

As in all riches.

15I will meditate on your precepts,

And I will look to your paths.

16I will take delight in your statutes;

I will not forget your word.

17Recompense your servant so that I may live

And may keep your word.

18Unveil my eyes so that I may see

The wonders of your law.

19I am a foreigner on the earth;

Do not hide your commandments from me.

20My inner being is crushed in yearning

For your judgments at all times.

21You have rebuked the accursed insolent,

Who err from your commandments.

22Remove reproach and despising from me,

For I have kept your testimonies.

23Indeed, princes have been in session.

They have spoken together against me,

While your servant meditated on your statutes.

24Also, your testimonies are my delight;

They are my counsellors.

25My being cleaves to the dust;

Preserve me alive according to your word.

26I have related my ways,

And you have answered me.

Oh teach me your statutes.

27Instruct me in the way of your precepts,

And let me meditate on your wonders.

28My inner self weeps from grief;

Oh strengthen me according to your word.

29Remove any false way from me,

And graciously bestow your law on me.

30I have chosen the way of faithfulness;

I have put your judgments before me.

31I have cleaved to your testimonies.

O Lord, do not put me to shame.

32I will run the way of your commandments,

For you will encourage me.

33Educate me, O Lord,

In the way of your statutes,

And I will keep it to the end.

34Instruct me, and I will keep your law

And guard it wholeheartedly.

35Guide my steps on the path of your commandments,

For in that I delight.

36Incline my heart to your testimonies,

And not to unjust gain.

37Prevent my eyes from looking at falsity;

Preserve me alive in your way.

38Confirm your saying to your servant,

Who serves in fear of you.

39Remove my reproach of which I am afraid,

For your judgments are good.

40You see how I have longed for your precepts;

Preserve me alive in your righteousness.

41And may your kindnesses come over me, O Lord,

And your salvation according to your saying.

42Then I will be able to answer him who reproaches me,

For I will have trusted in your word.

43And do not take away the word of truth from my mouth at all,

For I have awaited your judgment.

44And may I keep your law always,

Age-abidingly and perpetually.

45And may I walk openly,

For I have sought your precepts.

46And may I speak about your testimonies before kings

And not be ashamed.

47And may I delight in your commandments,

Which I love.

48And may I lift up my hands to your commandments,

Which I love,

And meditate on your statutes.

49Mention the word to your servant

Concerning which you have had me wait.

50This is my comfort in my affliction,

For your saying has preserved me alive.

51The insolent have mocked me exceedingly,

But I have not turned aside from your law.

52I have remembered your ancient judgments, O Lord,

And I have been comforted.

53A scorching wind has seized me,

Coming from the wicked

– Those who forsake your law.

54I have melodies

– Your statutes –

In the house where I stay.

55I have remembered your name at night, O Lord,

And I have kept your law.

56This became my part,

For I have kept your precepts.

57I have said,

“My part is the Lord”,

By keeping your words.

58I have entreated you wholeheartedly;

Oh show me grace according to your saying.

59I have considered my ways

And retraced my steps to your testimonies.

60I have hastened and not delayed

In keeping your commandments.

61The snares of the wicked have surrounded me,

But I have not forgotten your law.

62I will get up at midnight to give you thanks

For your righteous judgments.

63I am a companion to all who fear you

And to those who keep your precepts.

64The earth, O Lord, is full of your kindness;

Oh teach me your statutes.

65You have done good to your servant, O Lord,

In accordance with your word.

66Teach me keen discernment and knowledge,

For I have put faith in your commandments.

67Before I was afflicted, I erred,

But now I keep your saying.

68You are good and you do good;

Oh teach me your statutes.

69The insolent have devised subterfuge against me,

But I will wholeheartedly keep your precepts.

70Their heart has become stolid like fat,

But I delight in your law.

71It was good for me that I was afflicted,

In order that I should learn your statutes.

72The law from your mouth is better for me

Than thousands of gold and silver coins.

73Your hands made me and established me;

Instruct me and let me learn your commandments.

74Those who fear you will see me and rejoice,

For I have awaited your word.

75I know, O Lord,

That your judgments are righteous,

And that you have afflicted me in faithfulness.

76Do let your kindness be comfort to me

According to your saying to your servant.

77May your compassion come over me,

So that I live,

For your law is my delight.

78May the insolent be ashamed,

For they have crookedly devised subterfuge against me.

I will meditate on your precepts.

79May those who fear you return to me

So that they may know your testimonies.

80May my heart be with integrity regarding your statutes

So that I will not be ashamed.

81My soul pines for your salvation;

I have awaited your word.

82My eyes pine for your saying, and they say,

“When will you comfort me?”

83For I have been like a wineskin in incense-smoke,

But I have not forgotten your statutes.

84How many are the days of your servant?

When will you execute judgment on those who pursue me?

85The insolent have dug pits for me,

Not being in accordance with your law.

86All your commandments are faithful.

They pursue me on false grounds;

Oh do help me.

87They have almost finished me off on the earth,

But I have not forsaken your precepts.

88Preserve me alive according to your mercy,

And may I keep the testimony of your pronouncement.

89Your word, O Lord, is age-abiding;

It stands in heaven.

90Your faithfulness is from generation to generation;

You have established the earth,

And it stands.

91They stand today according to your judgments,

For all things are your servants.

92If your law were not my delight,

Then I would have perished in my affliction.

93I will never forget your precepts,

For through them you have preserved me alive.

94I am yours;

Oh do save me,

For I have sought your precepts.

95As for me, the wicked hoped to destroy me,

But I will give attention to your testimonies.

96I have seen an end to every accomplishment,

But your commandment is very far-reaching.

97How I love your law;

All day long it is my meditation.

98You have given me more wisdom through your commandments than my enemies,

For it is age-abiding to me.

99I have acquired more skill than all my teachers,

For your testimonies are my meditation.

100I am gaining more understanding than elders,

For I keep your precepts.

101I have kept my feet away from every evil path

In order that I may keep to your word.

102I have not departed from your judgments,

For you have instructed me.

103How smooth your saying is to my palate

– More so than honey to my mouth.

104I am gaining understanding from your precepts,

Which is why I hate every false path.

105Your word is a lamp to my feet

And a light to my path.

106I have sworn, and I will uphold it,

To keep your righteous judgments.

107I have been afflicted very much.

O Lord, preserve me alive according to your word.

108O Lord, do accept the freewill-offerings of my mouth,

And teach me your judgments.

109My life is continually in the palm of my hand,

But I have not forgotten your law.

110The wicked have set a trap for me,

But I have not strayed from your precepts.

111I have inherited your testimonies age-abidingly,

For they are a joy to my heart.

112I have disposed my heart to perform your statutes,

Age-abidingly, and to the end.

113I have hated the doubters,

But I have loved your law.

114You are my hiding place and my shield;

I have awaited your word.

115Depart from me, you evildoers,

While I keep the commandments of my God.

116Support me according to your saying

So that I may live

And do not put me to shame in my expectation.

117Uphold me, and I will be saved,

And I will look to your statutes continually.

118You carry away all those who stray from your statutes,

For their deceit is a false thing.

119You put an end to dross

– All the wicked of the earth.

For that reason I love your testimonies.

120My flesh shudders in awe of you,

And I fear your judgments.

121I have executed justice and righteousness;

Do not abandon me to those who oppress me.

122Pledge good for your servant;

Do not let the insolent oppress me.

123My eyes pine for your salvation

And for your righteous saying.

124Treat your servant according to your kindness,

And teach me your statutes.

125I am your servant;

Oh give me understanding

So that I may know your testimonies.

126It is time for the Lord to act.

They have violated your law.

127That is why I love your commandments

More than gold and than fine gold.

128That is why I consider all your universal precepts to be right,

Whilst I hate every false path.

129Your testimonies are wondrous,

Which is why my being has kept them.

130The opening up of your words gives enlightenment;

It gives understanding to the simple-minded.

131I have opened my mouth wide

And drawn breath,

For I have longed for your commandments.

132Turn to me and be gracious to me,

According to the judgment for those who love your name.

133Establish my steps by your saying,

And do not let any iniquity have dominion over me.

134Deliver me from man's oppression,

And may I keep your precepts.

135Let your face shine on your servant,

And teach me your statutes.

136Streams of water run down my eyes,

Because they do not keep your law.

137You, O Lord, are righteous,

And your judgments are upright.

138You have commanded the righteousness of your testimonies

And much faithfulness.

139My zeal has eaten me up,

For my adversaries have forgotten your words.

140Your saying is highly refined,

And your servant loves it.

141I am lowly and despised,

But I have not forgotten your precepts.

142Your righteousness is age-abiding righteousness,

And your law is truth.

143Adversity and distress have encountered me,

But your commandments are my delight.

144The righteousness of your testimonies is age-abiding.

Give me understanding, and I will live.

145I have called out with all my heart;

Oh answer me, O Lord.

Let me keep your statutes.

146I have called on you;

Oh save me,

And let me keep your testimonies.

147I have been up earlier than the morning twilight

And cried out;

I have awaited your words.

148My eyes have been open earlier than night-watches

To meditate on your saying.

149Oh hear my voice according to your kindness, O Lord;

Preserve me alive according to your judgment.

150Those who pursue deceit have drawn near,

And they are far from your law.

151You are near, O Lord,

And all your commandments are truth.

152I have known from your testimonies from long ago

That you founded them age-abidingly.

153Oh see my affliction and deliver me,

For I have not forgotten your law.

154Plead my case and redeem me,

And preserve me alive according to your saying.

155Salvation is far from the wicked,

For they have not sought your statutes.

156Your mercies are great, O Lord;

Oh preserve me alive according to your judgments.

157Many are those who pursue me and my adversaries,

But I have not turned away from your testimonies.

158I have seen those who deal treacherously

And loathed them

Those who have not kept your saying.

159See how I love your precepts;

O Lord, do preserve me alive according to your kindness.

160The principle of your word is truth,

And all your righteous judgment is age-abiding.

161Princes have pursued me gratuitously,

But my heart is in awe at your words.

162I rejoice at your saying,

Like someone finding great spoil.

163I hate falsehood, and I abominate it,

But I love your law.

164I praise you seven times per day

For your righteous judgments.

165Those who love your law have great peace,

And they have no occasion to stumble.

166I have awaited your salvation, O Lord,

And I have carried out your commandments.

167My being has kept your testimonies,

And I love them very much.

168I have kept your precepts and your testimonies,

For all my ways are before you.

169Let my shouting draw near to your presence, O Lord,

And give me understanding according to your word.

170May my supplication come before you;

Oh deliver me according to your saying.

171My lips will effuse praise,

For you will teach me your statutes.

172May my tongue answer with your saying,

For all your commandments are righteous.

173May your hand be to help me,

For I have chosen your precepts.

174I have longed for your salvation, O Lord,

And your law is my delight.

175May my being live and praise you,

And may your judgment help me.

176I have strayed like a sheep getting lost;

Oh seek your servant,

For I have not forgotten your commandments.

Psalms Chapter 120 

1A song of the sundial degree markings.

When I was in adversity

I called out to the Lord,

And he answered me.

2O Lord, deliver my life from a false lip,

And from a deceitful tongue.

3What will he give you,

Or what else will he give you,

O deceitful tongue?

4– The sharpened warrior's arrows

With blazing broom attached.

5Alas for me, for I am staying in Meshech

And dwelling with the tents of Kedar.

6My being dwelt there for a long time

With one who hates peace.

7I am for peace,

But when I speak,

They are for war.

Psalms Chapter 121 

1A song of the sundial degree markings.

I will lift up my eyes to the hills;

Oh where will my help come from?

2My help comes from the Lord,

Who made heaven and earth.

3May he not allow your foot to falter;

May he who watches over you not slumber.

4Behold, the protector of Israel does not slumber,

Nor does he sleep.

5The Lord is your protector;

The Lord is your shade

At your right hand.

6By day the sun will not strike you,

Nor the moon by night.

7The Lord will protect you from all evil;

He will protect your life.

8The Lord will protect your day-to-day affairs

From now on and age-abidingly.

Psalms Chapter 122 

1A song of David of the sundial degree markings.

I rejoiced when they said to me,

“Let us go to the house of the Lord.”

2Our feet are standing

At your gates, O Jerusalem

3– Jerusalem which is built

Like a city which is wholly joined up,

4To where the tribes go up

– The tribes of the Lord –

As a testimony to Israel,

To give thanks to the name of the Lord.

5For thrones of judgment are located there

– Thrones of the house of David.

6Ask for the peace of Jerusalem;

May those who love you be free of cares.

7May there be peace in your building stock

And well-being in your palaces.

8For the sake of my brothers and friends,

Do let me say,

“Peace within you.”

9For the sake of the house of the Lord our God,

I will seek your welfare.

Psalms Chapter 123 

1A song of the sundial degree markings.

To you I have lifted up my eyes,

You who dwell in the heavens.

2Behold, 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 look to the Lord our God

Until he has mercy on us.

3Have mercy on us, O Lord,

Have mercy on us,

For we have had our fill of contempt in great measure.

4Our being has had its fill in great measure,

With mockery from the wanton

And contempt from the proud.

Psalms Chapter 124 

1A song of David of the sundial degree markings.

If the Lord were not for us

– Do let Israel say –

2If the Lord were not for us

When man rose up against us,

3Then they would have swallowed us alive

When their anger was kindled against us.

4Then, water would have overwhelmed us;

A torrent would have overrun our corporate existence

5– Then impudent water would have overrun our corporate existence.

6Blessed is the Lord,

Who did not give us up

As a prey to their teeth.

7Our sensation is like that of a bird that has escaped from the fowlers' snare;

The snare has been broken,

And we have escaped.

8Our help is in the name of the Lord,

The maker of heaven and earth.

Reference(s) in Chapter 124: v.8 ↔ Revelation 14:7.

Psalms Chapter 125 

1A song of the sundial degree markings.

Those who trust in the Lord

Are like Mount Zion,

Which will not totter,

But which remains age-abidingly.

2Jerusalem has mountains round about it,

And the Lord is round about his people,

From now on and age-abidingly.

3For the sceptre of wickedness will not rest on the lot of the righteous,

In order that the righteous should not stretch out their hands to iniquity.

4Do good, O Lord, to the good

And to the upright in their hearts.

5But as for those who turn aside to perversity,

The Lord will lead them away

With those who commit iniquity.

Peace be on Israel.

Psalms Chapter 126 

1A song of the sundial degree markings.

When the Lord reversed the captivity of Zion,

We were like those who dream.

2Then our mouth was filled with laughter,

And our tongue with shouting for joy.

Then they said among the Gentiles,

“The Lord has done a great thing with these people.”

3The Lord acted in a great way with us,

And we became joyful.

4O Lord, reverse our captivity,

As torrents are restored in the south.

5Those who sow in tears

Will reap in joyful shouting.

6Just as he will go out weeping,

Carrying the seed to be scattered,

So he will certainly come back in joyful shouting,

Carrying his sheaves.

Psalms Chapter 127 

1A song of Solomon of the sundial degree markings.

If the Lord does not build the house,

Those building it toil in vain.

If the Lord does not guard a city,

The guard stands in watch in vain.

2It is in vain that you rise early

And stay up late,

Eating bread of sorrows.

That is why he gives his beloved one sleep.

3Behold, the inheritance of the Lord is sons;

The recompense is the fruit of the womb.

4As arrows in the hand of a warrior,

So are the sons of one's youth.

5Happy is the man

Who fills his quiver with them.

They will not be ashamed,

For they will speak with the enemies at the gate.

Psalms Chapter 128 

1A song of the sundial degree markings.

Happy is everyone who fears the Lord,

Who walks in his ways,

2For you will eat from the toil of your hands.

Happy are you,

And may goodness be yours.

3Your wife will be like a fruitful vine

At the sides of your house.

Your sons will be like shoots of olive trees

Round about your table.

4Behold, for so is the man blessed

Who fears the Lord.

5May the Lord bless you from Zion,

So that you see the goodness to Jerusalem

All the days of your life.

6And you will see your grandsons too.

Peace be on Israel.

Psalms Chapter 129 

1A song of the sundial degree markings.

Many a time they have distressed me

Since my youth.

Do let Israel say,

2“Many a time they have distressed me

Since my youth.

Nevertheless, they have not prevailed over me.”

3The ploughmen have ploughed on my back;

They have made their furrows long.

4The Lord is righteous;

He has cut the cord of the wicked in pieces.

5They will be ashamed,

And they will be driven back

– All those who hate Zion.

6They will be like vegetation on roofs,

Which becomes dry before it is plucked up,

7Which does not fill the hand of the reaper

Or the bosom of the sheaf binder.

8For those passing through do not say,

“The blessing of the Lord to you;

We bless you in the name of the Lord.”

Psalms Chapter 130 

1A song of the sundial degree markings.

I have called on you, O Lord,

From the depths.

2O Lord*, hear my voice.

May your ears be attentive

To the sound of my supplications.

3If the Lord were to keep a record of iniquities,

O Lord*, who could stand?

4For forgiveness is with you

In order that you should be feared.

5I have put hope in the Lord;

My being has hope,

And I await his word.

6My being awaits the Lord*

More keenly than men on watch for the morning

– Watchmen waiting for the morning.

7O Israel, await the Lord,

For with the Lord there is kindness,

And with him there is much redemption.

8And he will redeem Israel

From all its iniquities.

Psalms Chapter 131 

1A song of David of the sundial degree markings.

O Lord, my heart is not arrogant,

And my eyes are not haughty,

And I have not walked ostentatiously

Or in ways too grandiose for me.

2I have certainly been even-handed,

And I have been quiet inwardly.

Like a child weaned off his mother,

My very being is as if it has been weaned off me.

3O Israel, await the Lord,

From now on and age-abidingly.

Psalms Chapter 132 

1A song of the sundial degree markings.

Remember, O Lord, David

– All his affliction suffered.

2It is he who swore to the Lord,

Who vowed to the mighty one of Jacob,

3“I most certainly will not go to the tent

Which is my house,

I most certainly will not go up to the couch

Which is my bed;

4I most certainly will not give my eyes sleep

Or my eyelids slumber

5Until I find a place for the Lord

– A site for the mighty one of Jacob.”

6Behold, we heard it in Ephrathah;

We found it in the woodland countryside.

7Let us go to his temple site;

Let us worship at his footstool.

8Arise, O Lord, to your resting place,

You and your strong ark.

9Your priests will be clothed in righteousness,

And those under your grace will shout for joy.

10For the sake of David your servant,

Do not turn the face of your anointed away.

11The Lord has sworn to David in truth;

He will not go back on it,

“From the fruit of your loins

I will appoint your throne.

12If your sons keep my covenant

And this testimony of mine which I am teaching them,

Then their sons will also sit on your throne

In all perpetuity.”

13For the Lord has chosen Zion;

He has longed for it as a dwelling place for himself.

14This is my resting place in all perpetuity;

I will dwell here,

For I have longed for it.

15I will certainly bless its food supply;

I will satiate its poor with bread.

16And I will clothe its priests in salvation,

And those in it under grace will certainly shout for joy.

17I will make the horn of David spring up there;

I have prepared a lamp for my anointed.

18I will clothe his enemies in shame,

But on him a diadem will glitter.

Reference(s) in Chapter 132: v.11 ↔ John 7:42.

Psalms Chapter 133 

1A song of David of the sundial degree markings.

See how good and how pleasant it is

For brothers to dwell quite together.

2It is like good oil on the head

When it runs down onto the beard,

As with Aaron's beard

And when it ran down onto the opening of his robes.

3It is like the dew of Hermon,

Which comes down onto the mountains of Zion,

For that is where the Lord commanded the blessing

– Age-abiding life.

Psalms Chapter 134 

1A song of the sundial degree markings.

Behold, bless the Lord,

All you servants of the Lord

Who stand at the house of the Lord by night.

2Lift up your hands in holiness,

And bless the Lord.

3May the Lord,

The maker of heaven and earth,

Bless you from Zion.

Psalms Chapter 135 

1Praise the Lord,

Praise the name of the Lord;

Give praise, you servants of the Lord

2Who stand at the house of the Lord,

At the courtyards of the house of our God.

3Praise the Lord,

For the Lord is good.

Make psalm melody to his name,

For it is pleasant.

4For it is Jacob

Whom the Lord chose for himself

– Israel, to be his special acquisition.

5For I know that the Lord is great,

And our Lord is greater than all gods.

6Everything that the Lord was pleased to do,

He did in heaven and on earth,

In the seas and in all the oceans.

7He makes vapours rise from the end of the earth,

He produces lightning with the rain;

He brings wind out of his storehouses.

8It is he who struck down the firstborn of Egypt

– Of both man and beast.

9He sent signs and miracles,

Into your midst, O Egypt,

To Pharaoh and to all his servants.

10It is he who struck down great nations

And killed powerful kings:

11Sihon king of the Amorites

And Og king of Bashan

And all the kingdoms of Canaan.

12And he gave their land as an inheritance

– An inheritance to Israel his people.

13O Lord, your name is age-abiding,

O Lord, remembrance of you is from generation to generation.

14For the Lord will judge his people,

And he will have compassion on his servants.

15The idols of the Gentiles are of silver and gold;

They are the works of the hands of man.

16They have a mouth,

But they cannot speak;

They have eyes,

But they cannot see.

17They have ears,

But they cannot listen;

Moreover, there isn't any breath in their mouth.

18Those who make them

Will become like them,

As will everyone who trusts in them.

19O house of Israel, bless the Lord,

O house of Aaron, bless the Lord,

20O house of Levi, bless the Lord;

You who fear the Lord,

Bless the Lord.

21Blessed be the Lord from Zion

– He who dwells in Jerusalem.

Praise the Lord.

Reference(s) in Chapter 135: v.15 ↔ Revelation 9:20 ● v.16 ↔ Revelation 9:20.

Psalms Chapter 136 

1Give thanks to the Lord,

For he is good,

For his kindness is age-abiding.

2Give thanks to the God of gods,

For his kindness is age-abiding.

3Give thanks to the Lord of lords,

For his kindness is age-abiding,

4To him who alone performed great wonders,

For his kindness is age-abiding,

5To him who is maker of heaven with competence,

For his kindness is age-abiding,

6To him who stretched out the earth over the waters,

For his kindness is age-abiding,

7To him who made great lights,

For his kindness is age-abiding

8– The sun as ruler in the daytime,

For his kindness is age-abiding

9– The moon and stars as rulers by night,

For his kindness is age-abiding,

10To him who struck Egypt in their firstborn,

For his kindness is age-abiding,

11When he brought Israel out of their midst,

For his kindness is age-abiding,

12With a strong hand and an outstretched arm,

For his kindness is age-abiding,

13To him who divided the Red Sea into two parts,

For his kindness is age-abiding,

14When he brought Israel across through the middle of it,

For his kindness is age-abiding,

15When he shook off Pharaoh and his forces in the Red Sea,

For his kindness is age-abiding,

16To him who led his people in the desert,

For his kindness is age-abiding,

17To him who struck down great kings,

For his kindness is age-abiding,

18When he killed mighty kings,

For his kindness is age-abiding

19– Sihon king of the Amorites,

For his kindness is age-abiding

20– And Og king of Bashan,

For his kindness is age-abiding,

21When he gave their land as an inheritance,

For his kindness is age-abiding,

22As an inheritance to Israel his servant,

For his kindness is age-abiding,

23In that he remembered us in our low condition,

For his kindness is age-abiding,

24And tore us away from our adversaries,

For his kindness is age-abiding.

25He gives bread to all flesh,

For his kindness is age-abiding.

26Oh give thanks to the God of the heavens,

For his kindness is age-abiding.

Psalms Chapter 137 

1At the rivers of Babylon,

There we sat,

And we wept too,

When we remembered Zion.

2On the willows in its midst,

We hung our harps.

3For there our captors asked us for the words of a song,

And those who had brought us to lamentation

Asked us for rejoicing and said,

“Sing to us

Verses from a song of Zion.”

4How can we sing the Lord's song

On foreign soil?

5If I forget you, O Jerusalem,

May my right hand forget me.

6May my tongue cleave to my palate

If I do not remember you

– If I do not exalt Jerusalem

At the foremost of my joy.

7Remember, O Lord, the sons of Edom,

On the day of Jerusalem

– Those who said, “Strip it,

Strip it to its foundation.”

8“O daughter of Babylon,

Which will be destroyed,

Blessed is he who will requite you,

With retribution on you

For what you did to us.

9Happy is he who seizes and dashes your children

Against the rock.”

Psalms Chapter 138 

1A Psalm of David.

I will give you thanks with all my heart;

I will make psalm melody to you in the presence of God.

2I will worship in your holy temple,

And I will give thanks to your name,

For your kindness and for your truth,

For you have made your saying great

For the sake of nothing but your name.

3I called by day,

And you answered me;

You emboldened me with strength in my mind.

4Let all the kings of the earth give thanks to you, O Lord,

When they hear the sayings you pronounce.

5And let them sing of the ways of the Lord,

For great is the glory of the Lord.

6Although the Lord is high,

He looks to the interests of the lowly,

But he knows the haughty from a distance.

7If I go into deep adversity,

You will preserve me alive

Against the anger of my enemies;

You will stretch out your hand,

And your right hand will save me.

8The Lord will conclude matters for me.

O Lord, your kindness is age-abiding.

Do not discontinue the works of your hands.

Psalms Chapter 139 

1To the choirmaster.↑

A Psalm of David.

O Lord, you have searched me,

And you know.

2You know my sitting down

And my rising up.

You discern my mind from a distance.

3You discern my travelling and my resting,

And you are acquainted with all my ways.

4For there is no word on my tongue

But behold, O Lord, you know all of it.

5You confine me behind and in front,

And you put the palms of your hands on me.

6Such knowledge is too wondrous for me

– It is elevated –

I cannot master it.

7Where can I go from your spirit,

And where can I flee from your presence?

8If I ascend to heaven,

You are there;

Or if I make my bed in the underworld,

Behold, you are there.

9Or if I take up the wings of dawn,

To dwell at the extremity of the sea,

10There your hand leads me too,

And your right hand takes hold of me.

11And if I say,

“Surely darkness will envelop me”,

Yet even at night light will shine around me.

12Even darkness cannot be too darkening for you,

And night can shine like day.

As is darkness, so is light.

13For you have taken possession of my kidneys;

You wove me together in my mother's womb.

14I will give you thanks

Because I have been awesomely wonderfully made.

Your works are wondrous,

As my being is very much aware.

15My frame is not hidden from you,

Although I was made in secret

– I was embroidered in the lowest parts of the earth.

16Your eyes have seen my embryo,

And in your book all my days are written,

Which were formed

When not one of them had yet come to pass.

17How precious your thoughts are to me, O God;

How powerful are the things they head up!

18If I were to count them,

They would be more numerous than grains of sand.

When I awake,

I am still with you.

19Surely, O God, you will kill the wicked man,

And say, “You men of blood, depart from me”,

20Because they speak against you in deceit;

Your enemies utter falsehood.

21Do I not hate, O Lord,

Those who hate you?

And do I not loathe

Those who rise up against you?

22I have hated them with perfect hatred;

They have become enemies of mine.

23Search me, O God, and know my heart;

Examine me, and know my thoughts,

24And see whether there is any idolatrous way in me,

And lead me along the age-abiding way.

Reference(s) in Chapter 139: v.13 ↔ Revelation 2:23 ● v.21 ↔ Matthew 5:43 ● v.22 ↔ Matthew 5:43.

Psalms Chapter 140 

1aTo the choirmaster.↑

A Psalm of David.

1bDeliver me, O Lord, from the evil man,

And protect me from the man of violence

2Those who have devised evil in their heart.

Every day they convene for wars.

3They have sharpened their tongue like a serpent;

Vipers' venom is under their lips.

Selah.

4Keep me, O Lord, from the hands of the wicked;

Protect me from the man of violence,

For they have planned to overturn my steps.

5The proud have hidden a trap for me, and cords,

They have spread out a net to the side of the path;

They have set snares for me.

Selah.

6I have said to the Lord,

“You are my God.”

Listen, O Lord,

To the utterance of my supplications.

7O Lord my Lord, the strength of my salvation,

You protected my head on the day of battle.

8O Lord, do not grant the wicked man his desires;

Do not further his scheming

By which such men become exalted.

Selah.

9As for the head men of those who surround me,

May the invective of their lips overwhelm them.

10May burning coals tumble down on them,

May he cause them to fall into the fire;

May they not rise from the floods.

11Do not let a slanderer be established in the land,

Nor an evil man of violence.

May he hunt him to destruction.

12 I know that the Lord will defend the interest of the poor

And the justice of the needy.

13Surely the righteous will give thanks to your name,

And the upright will dwell in your presence.

Reference(s) in Chapter 140: v.3 ↔ Romans 3:13.

Psalms Chapter 141 

1A Psalm of David.

O Lord, I have called out to you.

Do hasten to me.

Listen to my voice

When I call out to you.

2Let my prayer be considered as incense in your presence,

And the lifting up of hands

As the evening meal-offering.

3O Lord, put a guard on my mouth;

Watch over the door of my lips.

4Do not incline my heart to any evil thing,

To engage in wicked practices

With men who commit iniquity.

And may I not eat their delicacies.

5Let the righteous man beat me with kindness,

And let him reprove me with oil for the head.

And do not let him withhold it from my head,

For my prayer is still against their wicked deeds.

6Their judges will be thrown down at the sides of a rock,

But they will hear my sayings,

For they are pleasant.

7As with one who cleaves and splits rocks on earth,

So our bones are scattered at the mouth of the grave.

8For my eyes look towards you,

O Lord my Lord.

I have put my trust in you;

Do not drain my energy.

9Keep me from the grip of the snare

Which they have set for me,

And from the traps of those who commit iniquity.

10May the wicked fall into their own nets

Until I have completely passed by.

Reference(s) in Chapter 141: v.2 ↔ Revelation 5:8, Revelation 8:4.

Psalms Chapter 142 

1aAn Instructive Psalm of David when he was in the cave. A Prayer.

1bI cried out to the Lord with my voice;

With my voice I made supplication to the Lord.

2I poured out my grievance before him;

I told him in his presence of my distress

3When my spirit fainted within me,

But you knew my path,

On the way along which I went

When they had laid a snare for me.

4Look to the right and see

That I have no-one who recognizes me.

I have lost the opportunity for a refuge;

There is no-one who cares for my life.

5I cried out to you, O Lord.

I said, “You are my refuge

– My portion in the land of the living.”

6Hearken to my cry,

For I am very much reduced.

Deliver me from those who pursue me,

For they are stronger than I.

7Do get me alive out of confinement

So as to give thanks to your name.

The righteous will surround me,

For you have recompensed me.

Psalms Chapter 143 

1A Psalm of David.

O Lord, hear my prayer.

Listen to my supplications;

Answer me in your faithfulness and in your righteousness.

2And do not enter into judgment with your servant,

For no living person will be justified in your presence.

3For the enemy has pursued me for my life;

He has pounded my liveliness into the ground.

He has made me dwell in darkness,

Like those long dead.

4And my spirit is fainting within me.

Inside me, my heart is being devastated.

5I remember the days of old;

I meditate on all your deeds.

I am contemplating the work of your hands.

6I stretch out my hands to you;

My being looks to you,

Like an exhausted land.

Selah.

7O Lord, answer me quickly;

My spirit is spent.

Do not hide your face from me,

So that I am not like those

Who go down into the pit.

8Proclaim your kindness to me in the morning,

For I have trusted in you.

Show me the way I should go,

For I have lifted up my inner being to you.

9Deliver me from my enemies, O Lord;

I look for cover in you.

10Teach me to do your will,

For you are my God.

Your spirit is good;

Lead me into an upright land.

11For the sake of your name, O Lord,

Preserve me alive.

Bring my being out of adversity

In your righteousness.

12And cut off my enemies

In your kindness,

And destroy all those who are hostile to my being,

For I am your servant.

Psalms Chapter 144 

1A Psalm of David.

Blessed be the Lord my rock,

Who teaches my hands battle,

And my fingers war

2– My kindness, my fortress, my high stronghold,

And my deliverer, my shield,

In whom I trust,

Who subdues my people under me.

3O Lord, what is man,

That you should know him?

– The son of man,

That you should consider him?

4Man resembles vapour;

His days are like a shadow passing by.

5O Lord, take leave of your heavens,

And come down;

Strike the mountains,

And they will smoke.

6Flash lightning and scatter them;

Send your arrows and rout them.

7Send your hands from above;

Snatch me away,

And deliver me from great waters

– From the hand of foreigners,

8Whose mouths speak a lie,

And whose right hand is a right hand of falsehood.

9O God, I will sing a new song to you;

With the ten-stringed lute I will make psalm melody to you.

10It is he who gives salvation to kings;

It is he who snatches David his servant away from an evil sword.

11Snatch me away and deliver me from the hand of foreigners,

Whose mouths speak a lie,

And whose right hand is a right hand of falsehood.

12It is he through whom our sons may be like plants raised in their youth,

And our daughters like cornerstones

Hewn in a form fit for a palace,

13And through whom our granaries may be full,

Supplying all kinds of needs,

And through whom our flocks may bear thousands,

And tens of thousands in our open places,

14And through whom our cattle may be with young,

And that there may be no invasion or deportation

Or cry of sorrow in our open places.

15Happy is the people who have such a situation;

Happy is the people whose God is the Lord.

Reference(s) in Chapter 144: v.3 ↔ Hebrews 2:6.

Psalms Chapter 145 

1A Psalm of Praise of David.

I will exalt you, my God the king,

And I will bless your name

Age-abidingly and perpetually.

2I will bless you every day,

And I will praise your name

Age-abidingly and perpetually.

3Great is the Lord,

And very much worthy of praise.

And of his greatness there is no searching out.

4One generation will praise your works to the next generation,

And they will relate your mighty deeds.

5I will speak of the splendour of your majestic glory

And the details of your wonders.

6And they shall speak of the power of your awesome deeds,

Whilst I will recount your great acts.

7They will utter remembrance of your great goodness,

And they will sing out of your righteousness.

8The Lord is gracious and merciful,

Forbearing and of great kindness.

9The Lord is good to all,

And his mercies are with all his works.

10All your works give cause for praising you, O Lord,

And those under your grace will bless you.

11They will speak of the glory of your kingdom

And talk of your might,

12To make his mighty deeds known to the sons of Adam,

And the illustrious glory of his kingdom.

13Your kingdom is a kingdom of all ages,

And your rule is over each and every generation.

14The Lord supports all who fall,

And he straightens up all who are bent double.

15The eyes of all look to you,

And you give them their food in due time.

16You open your hand

And satisfy the appetite of every living being.

17The Lord is righteous in all his ways

And benevolent in all his works.

18The Lord is near to all those calling on him

– To all who call on him in truth.

19He will bring about the desire of those who fear him,

And he will hear their crying out,

And he will save them.

20The Lord keeps all those who love him,

But he will destroy all the wicked.

21My mouth will speak the Lord's praise,

And all flesh will bless his holy name

Age-abidingly and perpetually.

Reference(s) in Chapter 145: v.17 ↔ Revelation 15:3.

Psalms Chapter 146 

1Praise the Lord.

O my being, praise the Lord.

2I will praise the Lord in my life;

I will make psalm melody to my God

As long as I exist.

3Do not trust in nobles,

Nor in a son of man,

Who does not have salvation.

4His spirit goes out;

He returns to the ground.

On that day, his purposes cease to exist.

5Happy is he whose help is the God of Jacob,

Whose expectation is in the Lord his God,

6The maker of heaven and earth,

And the sea, and everything in them,

Who keeps truth age-abidingly,

7Who executes judgment for those who are oppressed,

Who gives bread to the hungry

– The Lord who releases captives,

8The Lord who opens the eyes of the blind,

The Lord who straightens up those bent double,

The Lord who loves the righteous.

9The Lord keeps foreigners safe;

He supports the orphan and the widow,

But he overturns the way of the wicked.

10The Lord will reign age-abidingly;

Your God, O Zion, is from generation to generation.

Praise the Lord.

Reference(s) in Chapter 146: v.10 ↔ Revelation 11:15.

Psalms Chapter 147 

1Praise the Lord,

For it is good to make psalm melody to our God,

For it is pleasant,

And praise is becoming.

2The Lord is the builder of Jerusalem;

He will gather those driven out of Israel.

3He is the healer of the brokenhearted,

And he binds up their sorrows.

4He counts the number of the stars;

He calls all of them by their names.

5Great is our Lord,

And very powerful;

His understanding is limitless.

6The Lord supports the meek;

He brings the wicked down to the ground.

7Sing with thanks to the Lord;

Make psalm melody with the harp to our God,

8Who covers the heavens with thick clouds,

Who prepares rain for the earth,

Who makes vegetation sprout up on mountains,

9Who gives animals their food,

And to the young ravens

Which cry out for it.

10He does not delight in the strength of the horse;

He does not take pleasure in the legs of man.

11The Lord takes pleasure in those who fear him

– In those who await his kindness.

12O Jerusalem, praise the Lord;

Praise your God, O Zion.

13For he has strengthened the bolts of your gates;

He has blessed your sons inside you.

14He makes your border peace

And satiates you with the finest wheat.

15He sends his communication to the earth;

His word runs with speed.

16He gives snow like wool;

He scatters hoarfrost like ashes.

17He deposits his ice in pieces;

Who can stand in the presence of his cold?

18He sends his word and melts them;

He makes his wind blow,

And the waters flow.

19He proclaimed his word to Jacob

– His statutes and his judicial pronouncements to Israel.

20He did not act like this to every nation,

And as for his judicial pronouncements,

They do not know them.

Praise the Lord.

Psalms Chapter 148 

1Praise the Lord,

Praise the Lord from heaven;

Praise him in the heights.

2Praise him, all you angels of his;

Praise him, all you of his host.

3Praise him, sun and moon;

Praise him, all you stars of light.

4Praise him, you heavens of heavens,

And you waters above the heavens.

5Let them praise the name of the Lord,

For he commanded it,

And they were created.

6And he set them up perpetually for the age;

He gave a statute,

And it will not pass away.

7Praise the Lord from the earth,

You sea-monsters and all depths,

8Fire and hail,

Snow and vapour,

Stormwind carrying out his word,

9You mountains and all you hills,

You fruit-bearing trees and all cedars,

10You animals and all cattle,

You reptiles and winged birds,

11You kings of the earth and all peoples,

You princes and all the earth's judges,

12You young men, and virgins too,

You old men, together with youths.

13Let them praise the name of the Lord,

For exalted is his name alone;

His majesty is above earth and heavens.

14And he has raised a horn to his people;

A matter of praise to all those under his grace

– To the sons of Israel,

A people he is near.

Praise the Lord.

Psalms Chapter 149 

1Praise the Lord,

Sing a new song to the Lord,

And his praise

In the convocation of those under his grace.

2Let Israel rejoice in their maker;

Let the sons of Zion rejoice in their king.

3Let them praise his name with dancing;

Let them make psalm melody to him with the drum and the harp.

4For the Lord delights in his people;

He will adorn the meek with salvation.

5Let those under his grace exult in glory;

Let them shout out on their couches.

6Let there be extollings of God in their larynx,

And a two-edged sword in their hand,

7To carry out vengeance on the nations,

And punishment of the various peoples,

8To bind their kings in chains,

And their honourable men in iron fetters

9– To execute on them the judgment written.

This is splendour redounding on all those under his grace.

Praise the Lord.

Psalms Chapter 150 

1Praise the Lord,

Praise God in his sanctuary;

Praise him in his strong expanse.

2Praise him for his mighty deeds;

Praise him according to the magnitude of his greatness.

3Praise him with the blast of a ramshorn;

Praise him with the lute and harp.

4Praise him with the drum and dancing;

Praise him with stringed instruments and the flute.

5Praise him with resounding cymbals;

Praise him with cymbals that ring out.

6Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.

Praise the Lord.


Proverbs  

Proverbs Chapter 1 

1The proverbs of Solomon the son of David, the king of Israel,

2For discerning wisdom and instruction,

For understanding perspicacious sayings,

3For acquiring instruction in prudence,

Righteousness, and judgment and uprightness,

4To give shrewdness to the gullible,

And knowledge and thoughtfulness to the young man.

5The wise man will hear,

And he will add to his learning,

And the astute will acquire guidance,

6In understanding a proverb or an enigma

– The words of the wise and their riddles.

7Fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge,

But fools despise wisdom and instruction.

8My son, hear the correction of your father,

And do not forsake the instruction of your mother,

9For they are a garland of grace for your head

And a necklace around your neck.

10My son, if sinners entice you,

Do not comply.

11If they say,

“Come with us,

Let's ambush for blood;

Let's without moral concern lie hidden for the innocent.

12Let's swallow them up

Like a grave for the living,

And whole,

Like those who go down into the pit.

13We will find all sorts of valuable goods

– We will fill our houses with booty.

14Cast your lot in with us;

We will all have one purse”,

15Then, my son, do not go that way with them.

Keep your foot from their path,

16For their feet are running towards wrongdoing,

And they are hastening to shed blood,

17For the net is spread without suspicion

In the eyes of all fowl,

18But they lie in wait for their own blood

– They hide so as to take their own lives.

19Such are the paths of everyone who engages in robbery

– It costs him his own life.

20Wisdom cries out in the open;

In the streets it raises its voice.

21It calls out at the centre of public life;

At the city's gate entrance, it delivers its discourse

And says,

22“How long, you gullible people, will you love gullibility?

And the mockers have made mockery their delight,

While fools detest knowledge.

23Return to my reproof.

Look, let me pour out my spirit on you;

Let me make my arguments known to you,

24Because I have called out,

But you have refused.

I have extended my hand,

But no-one has paid attention,

25And you have neglected all my advice,

And you have declined my reproof.

26I for my part will laugh at your downfall;

I will mock

When fear due to you arrives.

27When fear on you arrives like a tempest,

And your downfall comes like a whirlwind

– When distress and trouble come over you –

28Then they will call on me,

But I will not answer;

They will seek me diligently,

But they will not find me,

29Because they detested knowledge,

And they did not choose fear of the Lord.

30They did not want my advice;

They despised all my reproof.

31So they will eat the fruit of their way

And be satiated with their own counsels,

32For the apostasy of the gullible will kill them,

And the disregard of fools will destroy them.

33But he who hears me will dwell in security

And will be sheltered from fear of harm.”

Proverbs Chapter 2 

1My son, if you accept my sayings,

And treasure up my commandments with you,

2By your ear paying heed to wisdom,

And if you incline your heart to understanding

3– Indeed, if you call out for discernment,

And if you devote your voice to asking for understanding,

4If you seek it like silver,

And search for it like hidden treasure,

5Then you will understand the fear of the Lord

And find knowledge of God.

6For the Lord will give wisdom;

Knowledge and understanding come from his mouth.

7 And he will store up resourcefulness for the upright.

He is a shield to those who walk in integrity,

8By maintaining paths of justice;

He keeps the way of those under his grace.

9And then you will understand righteousness and justice,

And uprightness – every good path.

10For wisdom will enter your heart,

And knowledge will be a delight to your being.

11Thoughtfulness will guard you;

Understanding will protect you,

12In saving you from the way of the wicked

– From the man speaking subversive things

13From those who leave upright paths

To walk in paths of darkness

14From those who take pleasure in doing evil,

And rejoice in the subversive ways of evil,

15Whose ways are perverse,

And who are devious in their paths,

16And by saving you from the stranger-woman

– From the foreign lady who flatters with her talk,

17Who leaves the mentor of her youth

And forgets the covenant of her God,

18For she has sunk into what brings the death of her household,

And her paths lead to the Rephaim.

19None who come to her return,

And they do not attain to the paths of life.

20My sayings are so that you may walk in the way of the good,

And keep to the paths of the righteous,

21For the upright will dwell in the land,

And those with integrity will remain in it,

22But the wicked will be cut off from the land,

And the treacherous will be wrenched out of it.

Proverbs Chapter 3 

1My son, do not forget my instruction,

And let your heart keep my commandments,

2For they will add length of days

And years of life

And peace to you.

3Do not let kindness and truth leave you.

Bind them around your neck;

Write them on the tablet of your heart,

4And find grace and recognition of sound intellect

In the eyes of God and man.

5Trust in the Lord with all your heart,

And do not rely on your own understanding.

6In all your ways acknowledge him,

And he will direct your paths.

7Do not be wise in your own eyes;

Fear the Lord,

And depart from evil.

8Let healing come to your sinews,

And refreshment to your bones.

9Honour the Lord with a portion of your wealth,

And with the firstfruits of all your produce,

10And your storehouses will be filled in abundance

So that your wine vats will overflow with new wine.

11My son, do not reject the Lord's correction,

And do not be averse to his reproof,

12For the Lord reproves those he loves,

Just as a father does with a son in whom he delights.

13Happy is the man who has found wisdom,

And the man who obtains understanding,

14For its value is greater than the value of silver,

And its yield is greater than that of gold.

15It is more precious than red corals,

And none of your material desires can be compared to it.

16Length of days is in its right hand,

And in its left hand are wealth and honour.

17Its ways are pleasant ways,

And all its paths are peaceable.

18It is a tree of life to those who take hold of it,

And each of those who obtain it is content.

19The Lord founded the earth in wisdom;

He established the heavens with competence.

20By his knowledge, the oceans were split open,

And the skies now distil dew.

21My son, do not let them go out of your sight;

Guard resourcefulness and thoughtfulness,

22And your being will have life,

And your neck will have grace.

23Then you will walk in your way safely,

And your foot will not strike anything.

24When you lie down, you will not fear.

So you will lie down, and your sleep will be sweet.

25Do not be afraid of a sudden terror

Or of the destructive action of the wicked

When it comes about.

26For the Lord will be in your inward parts,

And he will keep your foot from becoming caught.

27Do not deny what is good

To those to whom it is appropriate,

When it is within your means to do it.

28Do not say to your neighbour,

“Go, and come back,

And tomorrow I will give you something”,

When you have the means.

29Do not devise evil against your neighbour

Who lives safely alongside you.

30Do not contend with a man gratuitously,

If he has not caused you any harm.

31Do not be envious of a man of violence,

And do not choose any of his ways,

32For the devious man is an abomination to the Lord,

But his secret is with the upright.

33The Lord's curse is on the house of the wicked,

But he blesses the abode of the righteous.

34Whereas he will mock the mockers,

He will give grace to the meek.

35The wise will inherit honour,

But contempt will show up fools.

Reference(s) in Chapter 3: v.4 ↔ Romans 12:17 ● v.7 ↔ Romans 12:16 ● v.11 ↔ Hebrews 12:5 ● v.12 ↔ Hebrews 12:6, Revelation 3:19 ● v.34 ↔ 1 Peter 5:5, James 4:6.

Proverbs Chapter 4 

1You sons, hear the father's correction,

And pay attention to knowing understanding,

2For I give you good learning.

Do not forsake my instruction,

3For I was a son to my father,

And tender and special in my mother's eyes.

4And he taught me, and he said to me,

“Let your heart take hold of my words;

Keep my commandments and live.

5Acquire wisdom, acquire understanding;

Do not forget,

And do not turn aside from the sayings

Which I utter.

6Do not forsake it,

And it will keep you;

Love it,

And it will guard you.

7The prime thing is wisdom.

Acquire wisdom,

And among all your acquisitions,

Acquire understanding.

8Extol it,

And it will exalt you;

It will honour you

If you embrace it.

9It will give a garland of grace to your head;

It will endow you with a crown of glory.”

10Hear, my son, and receive my sayings,

And your years of life will be many.

11I have instructed you in the way of wisdom;

I have guided you onto straight paths.

12As you walk,

Your step will not be in a strait,

And if you run,

You will not stumble.

13Take hold of correction;

Do not let go of it.

Guard it,

For it is your life.

14Do not go onto the path of the wicked,

And do not proceed on the way of the evil.

15Avoid it,

Do not cross over to it;

Turn aside from it,

And pass by.

16For they cannot sleep

Unless they act wickedly.

And their sleep eludes them

Unless they cause others to stumble.

17For they eat bread of wickedness

And drink wine of violence.

18But the way of the righteous is like a shining light;

It shines more and more

Until reaching its zenith.

19The way of the wicked is like thick darkness;

They don't know what they are stumbling on.

20My son, pay attention to my words;

Incline your ear to my sayings.

21Do not let them go out of your sight;

Keep them inside your heart.

22For they are life to those who find them

And healing to all one's flesh.

23Guard your heart most rigorously,

For from it are the ways out to life.

24Rid yourself of perverse speech,

And distance yourself from wayward talk.

25Let your eyes look straight on,

And let your eyelids point straight in front of you.

26Weigh up the path of your feet,

And let all your ways be steadfast.

27Do not deviate to the right or left;

Move your feet away from evil.

Proverbs Chapter 5 

1My son, pay attention to my wisdom;

Incline your ear to my understanding,

2In observing thoughtfulness,

So that your lips are in keeping with knowledge.

3For the lips of a stranger-woman will drip honey,

And the savour of her is smoother than oil.

4But her end is as bitter as wormwood

And as sharp as a two-edged sword.

5Her feet descend to death;

Her steps conduct her to the grave.

6Beware of even considering her way of life;

Her ways are changeable in a way you cannot predict.

7So now, my sons, hear me,

And do not depart from the sayings I have uttered.

8Keep your ways well clear of her,

And do not approach the door of her house

9In case you give your high standing to others

And your years to the cruel one

10– In case strangers satiate themselves with your wealth,

And your hard work goes to a foreigner's house,

11And in your last days you groan,

As your flesh and your body are consumed,

12And you say,

“How I have hated correction,

And how my heart has despised reproof.

13And I have not heeded the appeal of my teachers,

And I have not inclined my ear to my instructors.

14I soon came into all kinds of trouble

In the midst of the convocation and the congregation.”

15Drink water from your own cistern,

And liquid from your own well.

16Your water-sources could spread outside

– Streams of water in the open areas –

17But let them be for you alone,

And not for the strangers who are with you.

18May your water-source be blessed,

And rejoice in the wife of your youth

19– The lovable hind

Or the graceful wild she-goat,

Whose breasts will delight you at all times,

In whose love you will always indulge yourself.

20So why, my son, should you indulge yourself in a stranger-woman

And embrace a foreign lady's bosom?

21For the ways of a man are before the eyes of the Lord,

And he weighs up all of a man's paths.

22The iniquities of the wicked man will catch him,

And he will be caught up in the strands of his sin.

23He will die not having accepted instruction,

And he will go astray in the great extent of his foolishness.

Proverbs Chapter 6 

1My son, if you provide security for your neighbour,

If you strike a deal with a stranger,

2If you are ensnared with the sayings you utter,

If by the sayings you utter you are caught,

3Then do this, my son, to extricate yourself:

When you have come into your neighbour's grip,

Go and humble yourself,

And act firmly with your neighbour.

4Do not allow your eyes to sleep,

Or your eyelids to slumber.

5Free yourself like a gazelle from the grip of the predator,

And like a bird from the hand of the fowler.

6Go to the ant,

You who are lazy;

Observe its ways,

And become wise.

7It does not have a superintendent,

Or overseer, or ruler,

8As it stocks up its food in the summer

And stores its provisions in the harvest season.

9How long, you who are lazy,

Will you lie down?

When will you get up from your sleep?

10After a little sleep,

A little slumber,

A little folding the arms

To lie down,

11Poverty comes on you like a vagrant,

And shortage like a man with a shield.

12An iniquitous person is a worthless man;

He walks with perverse speech.

13He winks with his eyes,

He speaks with his feet;

He points with his fingers.

14Subversive things are in his heart;

He devises evil all the time.

He sows discord,

15Which is why his downfall will suddenly come;

Suddenly he will be broken without remedy.

16The Lord hates these six things,

And seven are an abomination to his being:

17Haughty eyes, a lying tongue,

And hands which shed innocent blood;

18A heart which devises vain thoughts,

Feet which are quick to run to wrongdoing,

19A false witness who belches out lies,

And he who sows discord among brothers.

20My son, keep your father's commandment,

And do not forsake your mother's instruction.

21Bind them onto your heart at all times;

Tie them round your neck.

22As you walk around,

Let it lead you;

When you lie down,

It will guard you.

When you awaken,

It will commune with you.

23For the commandment is a lamp,

And the law is light,

And the reproofs in correction are the way of life,

24In keeping you from an evil woman

– From the flattery of an exotic tongue.

25Do not desire her beauty in your heart,

And do not let her captivate you with her eyelids,

26Because going after a prostitute

Will lead to forfeiture of everything up to a loaf of bread,

And another man's wife will hunt one's precious life.

27Can a man gather up fire in his bosom

Without his clothes being burnt?

28Can a man walk on burning coals

And his feet not be seared?

29Such is he who goes to his neighbour's wife;

No-one who touches her will be held guiltless.

30A thief may not be despised if he steals

To fill himself when he is hungry,

31But if he is caught,

He shall repay seven times over

– He may have to give all the assets of his household.

32He who commits adultery with a woman is weak-minded;

He who does it ruins himself.

33He will encounter adversity and shame,

And his reproach will not be wiped out,

34For a man's fury derives from jealousy,

And he will not show pity on the day of vengeance.

35He will not accept any payment of damages;

He will not become amenable

Even if you make the gift large.

Proverbs Chapter 7 

1My son, keep my sayings,

And treasure up my commandments with you.

2Keep my commandments and live,

And my instruction like the apple of your eye.

3Bind them to your fingers;

Write them on the tablet of your heart.

4Say to wisdom,

“You are my sister”,

And call understanding your acquaintance,

5To guard you from a stranger-woman

– From a foreign lady who flatters with her talk.

6For at the window of my house,

Through the lattice window, I peered out,

7And I looked among the gullible,

And I discerned among the sons a weak-minded young man,

8Crossing the street at her corner,

And striding down the way to her house.

9In the darkness at the end of the day,

In the dead of night and thick darkness,

10There was a woman meeting him,

In a prostitute's attire,

Whose intention was well guarded.

11She is restive and unruly;

Her feet do not stay in her house.

12One moment she is out in the open;

Another moment she is on the streets,

And she lurks at every corner.

13And she took hold of him and kissed him;

With brazen face, she said to him,

14“I have got peace-sacrifices with me;

Today I fulfilled my vows,

15Which is why I have come out to meet you,

To seek your company diligently,

And I have found you.

16I have made up my bed with drapery

And with carvings and linen from Egypt.

17I have sprinkled myrrh on my bed,

And aloes aroma and cinnamon.

18Come let us luxuriate in passion until the morning.

Let us revel in love,

19Because my husband is not at home;

He has gone on a distant journey.

20He has taken a bag of money in his hand;

On the day of the new moon he will come back home.”

21She seduces him with the abundance of her captivating talk;

With her flattering lips she entices him.

22Suddenly he goes after her,

As an ox goes to slaughter,

And as a miscreant goes to fetters for correction,

23When an arrow cuts his liver in pieces,

Like a bird hastening towards a snare,

Not knowing that it is for its life.

24So now, sons, hear me;

Pay attention to the sayings I utter.

25Do not let your heart turn aside to her ways;

Do not stray onto her paths,

26For she has caused many to fall as casualties,

And there are mighty men among all her slain.

27Her home lodges the ways of the grave,

Which go down to chambers of death.

Proverbs Chapter 8 

1Does not wisdom call out?

And does not understanding raise its voice?

2On the most prominent position on the road,

At the crossroads, there it stands;

3At the side of the gates,

At the way into the city

At the entrance doors –

There it cries out.

4You men, to you I call out,

And to you sons of Adam, I direct my voice.

5You gullible ones, understand shrewdness,

And you fools, understand strength of character.

6Hear, for I will speak of noble things,

While opening my lips with upright matters.

7For my palate savours the truth,

But wickedness is an abomination to my lips.

8All the sayings of my mouth are in righteousness;

There is nothing crooked or perverse in them.

9They are all straightforward to him who understands,

And upright to those who find knowledge.

10Accept my correction, and not silver,

And knowledge rather than choice gold.

11For wisdom is better than red corals,

And no material desires can be compared to it.

12I, wisdom, abide in shrewdness,

And I acquire the faculty of thoughtfulness.

13The fear of the Lord is to hate evil,

Pride, and arrogance and an evil way.

And I hate a mouth speaking subversive things.

14I have counsel and resourcefulness.

I am understanding.

I have valour.

15By me, kings reign,

And potentates legislate justice.

16By me princes rule, and leaders

– All those who administer justice.

17I love those who love me.

And those who seek me diligently

Will find me.

18Riches and honour accompany me

– Resplendent wealth and righteousness.

19My fruit is better than a gold nugget or a fine gold ingot,

And my produce is better than choice silver.

20I walk in the way of righteousness

– Within the paths of justice,

21By bestowing wealth on those who love me,

As I fill their treasuries.

22The Lord acquired me at the beginning of his way,

Before his works since then

23– Before the age came about.

I was appointed in advance,

Before the things preceding the earth.

24When there were no deep waters,

I was brought forth

– When there were no sources well endowed with water.

25Before the mountains were settled in place,

Before the hills existed,

I was brought forth.

26Before he had made the earth and the open spaces,

When the particles of the earth were the starting point,

27When he prepared the heavens,

I was there.

And when he determined a sphere over the surface of the deep,

28When he made the skies above firm,

When he gave strength to the fountains of the deep,

29When he issued his statute to the sea

That the waters should not exceed his dictum,

When he decreed the foundations of the earth,

30I was with him constantly,

And I was his delight day by day,

Rejoicing in his presence all the time,

31Rejoicing in the inhabitants of his earth,

And my delights were with the sons of Adam.

32So now, you sons, hear me,

For happy are they who keep my ways.

33Hear correction,

And become wise,

And do not reject it.

34Happy is the man who hears me,

So that he watches at my doors daily,

Guarding at the posts of my doors,

35For he who finds me has found life,

And he obtains favour from the Lord.

36But he who sins against me,

Does violence to himself;

All who hate me love death.”

Proverbs Chapter 9 

1Wisdom has built its house;

It has hewn out its seven pillars.

2It has slaughtered its animal for the slaughter,

It has blended its wine;

It has also laid its table.

3It has sent out its maidservants;

It will call out on the city hilltops,

4“Whoever is gullible,

Let him turn this way.”

As for the weak-minded, it says to him,

5“Come and partake of my bread,

And drink the wine I have blended.

6Leave the gullible and live,

And proceed on the way of understanding.

7He who admonishes a mocker

Reaps contempt,

And he who reproves a wicked man,

Becomes tarnished.

8Do not reprove a mocker

In case he hates you for it;

Reprove a wise man,

And he will love you for it.

9Give wisdom to the wise man,

And he will become wiser still;

Inform the righteous,

And he will increase in learning.

10The beginning of wisdom is the fear of the Lord,

And understanding is knowledge of holy matters.

11For it is by me that your days are multiplied,

And years of life are added to you.

12If you gain wisdom,

You gain wisdom for yourself,

But if you mock,

You will bear it on your own.”

13A foolish wife is restive,

Gullible, and she does not know anything.

14And she sits at the door of her house

Or on a chair in the prominent places of the city,

15To call out to those passing by on the road,

Who are going straight on their way,

16To whoever is gullible,

That he should turn aside there.

And she says to the weak-minded,

17“Stolen waters are sweet,

And secret bread is delightful.”

18But he doesn't know that the Rephaim are there;

Those she has called out

Are in the depths of the grave.

Proverbs Chapter 10 

1The proverbs of Solomon.

A wise son pleases his father;

A foolish son is his mother's grief.

2The lucre from wrongdoing is of no profit,

But righteousness delivers from death.

3The Lord will not let a righteous person go hungry,

But he repudiates the ambition of the wicked.

4A negligent hand makes one impoverished,

But the hand of the industrious enriches.

5He who gathers store in the harvest time is an intelligent son;

He who falls asleep in the harvest time is a shameful son.

6Blessings come onto the head of the righteous man,

But violence envelops the mouth of the wicked.

7The memory of the righteous is a blessing,

But the name of the wicked will rot.

8The wise in heart accepts commandments,

But the loquacious fool will flounder.

9He who walks with integrity walks securely,

But he who perverts his ways will be identified.

10He who winks with the eye causes sorrow,

And the loquacious fool will flounder.

11The mouth of a righteous man is the source of life,

But the mouth of the wicked conceals violence.

12Hatred arouses strife,

But love covers all transgressions.

13In the lips of the astute man, wisdom is found,

But a rod is applicable to the back of the weak-minded.

14The wise treasure up knowledge,

But ruin is close to the mouth of the fool.

15The wealth of the rich is his strong city;

The ruination of the poor is their poverty.

16The recompense of the righteous is life,

But the product of the wicked is sin.

17He who retains instruction has the way of life,

But he who forsakes reproof leads astray.

18He who conceals hatred with lying lips,

Or he who spreads slander,

Is a fool.

19In the abundance of words,

Transgression does not cease,

But he who is sparing with his lips

Is intelligent.

20The tongue of the righteous man is choice silver;

The heart of the wicked is hardly so.

21The lips of the righteous act as a shepherd to many,

But fools will die in weak-mindedness.

22The blessing of the Lord enriches,

And he does not add sorrow to it.

23It is like a sport to a fool

To devise fraud,

But a man of understanding has wisdom.

24What the wicked man fears will come upon him,

But he will grant the wish of the righteous.

25When the whirlwind passes over,

There will not be any wicked,

But the righteous man is an age-abiding foundation.

26As vinegar to the teeth and as smoke to the eyes,

So is the lazy man to those who send him on an assignment.

27Fear of the Lord adds to one's days,

But the years of the wicked will be curtailed.

28The expectation of the righteous is happiness,

But the hope of the wicked will perish.

29The way of the Lord is a fortress to the man with integrity,

But ruination to those who perpetrate iniquity.

30The righteous man will never falter,

But the wicked will not inhabit the earth.

31The mouth of the righteous produces wisdom,

But a subversive tongue will be cut off.

32The lips of the righteous know what is pleasing,

But the mouth of the wicked only knows subversive things.

Reference(s) in Chapter 10: v.12 ↔ 1 Peter 4:8.

Proverbs Chapter 11 

1False scales are an abomination to the Lord,

But a full weight is to his liking.

2When haughtiness comes,

Then so does humiliation,

But wisdom is with the modest.

3The integrity of the upright will lead them,

But the perverseness of the treacherous will ravage them.

4Wealth will not be of benefit on the day of wrath,

But righteousness will deliver from death.

5The righteousness of the integrous man will direct his way,

But the wicked will fall by his wickedness.

6The righteousness of the upright will save them,

But the treacherous will be caught in their intrigue.

7When a wicked man dies,

His hope perishes,

And the expectation of the iniquitous

Comes to nothing.

8The righteous man is delivered from adversity,

But the wicked man enters into it instead of him.

9A profane person brings ruin on his neighbour with his mouth,

But the righteous will be delivered by knowledge.

10A city rejoices in the goodness of the righteous,

And there is jubilation at the demise of the wicked.

11By the blessing of the upright,

The city is exalted,

But by the mouth of the wicked,

It is demolished.

12The weak-minded man despises his neighbour,

But a man of understanding keeps silence.

13He who goes about gossiping reveals a secret,

But he of a dependable spirit

Conceals a matter.

14Without guidance a people will fall,

But safety is found

In taking much counsel.

15He who becomes security for a stranger

Will surely suffer evil,

But he who hates striking deals

Is secure.

16A gracious wife acquires honour,

And the mighty acquire riches.

17A kind man benefits his own self,

But a cruel man causes grief to his own body.

18An evil man engages in fraudulent activity,

But he who sows righteousness

Has a durable reward.

19As righteousness is to one's life,

So is the pursuit of evil to one's death.

20The perverse in heart are an abomination to the Lord,

But those of integrity in their way are his delight.

21Whomever the wicked shakes hands with,

He will not be acquitted,

But the seed of the righteous man will escape.

22A beautiful woman who lacks discernment

Is a golden ring in the nose of a pig.

23The yearning of the righteous is only for what is right;

The prospect of the wicked is wrath.

24One distributes liberally,

And more is added to him,

But he who withholds more than what is fair

Will surely become in need.

25A generous person will be richly satisfied,

And he who gives plenty to drink

Will in return receive much rain.

26As for him who withholds corn,

The people will curse him,

But he who trades it

Has a blessing on his head.

27He who diligently seeks good

Seeks what is acceptable,

But as for him who is intent on evil,

It will come on him.

28He who trusts in his riches will fall,

But the righteous will thrive like foliage.

29He who causes his household trouble

Will inherit thin air,

And a fool will be a servant to the wise of heart.

30The fruit of the righteous is the tree of life,

And he who takes care of spiritual needs is wise.

31Behold, the righteous in the land will be recompensed.

How much the other way with the wicked and sinner!

Proverbs Chapter 12 

1He who loves correction loves knowledge,

But he who hates reproof is ill-bred.

2A good man will obtain the Lord's goodwill,

But he will condemn a scheming man.

3A man is not established by wickedness,

But the root of the righteous will not be shaken.

4A virtuous wife is the crown of her husband,

But she who causes shame is like rot in his bones.

5The thoughts of the righteous are concerned with justice,

But the contrivances of the wicked are with deceit.

6The words of the wicked concern ambushing for blood,

But the mouth of the upright will deliver them.

7The wicked are overthrown,

And they are gone,

But the house of the righteous will stand.

8A man is given praise according to his intelligence,

But the false-hearted will be held up to contempt.

9One who is of low estate,

But has a servant,

Is better than one who vaunts himself,

But lacks bread.

10The righteous man recognizes the feelings of his cattle,

But the mercies of the wicked are cruel.

11He who cultivates his land

Will have plenty of bread,

But he who pursues vain things

Is weak-minded.

12The wicked man delights in the hunting net of evil men,

But the root of the righteous will bear fruit.

13There is a snare to an evil man in the impropriety of his lips,

But the righteous man will come out of adversity.

14A man will be satiated with good things by the fruit of his mouth,

And he will bestow the reward of a man's labour on him.

15A fool's way is upright in his own eyes,

But he who listens to advice is wise.

16The anger of the fool becomes known in due course,

But he who conceals an ignominious situation is prudent.

17He who utters faithful things declares justice,

But a false witness, deceit.

18There is one who speaks recklessly like the piercings of a sword,

But the tongue of the wise brings healing.

19A truthful lip is established in perpetuity,

But a lying tongue only endures until I act all of a sudden.

20There is deceit in the heart of those who devise evil,

But those who counsel peace will have joy.

21No adversity will befall the righteous man,

But the wicked will be full of trouble.

22Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord,

But they who act faithfully are his delight.

23A prudent man withholds information,

But a foolish heart makes proclamations without discretion.

24The hand of the diligent will rule,

But remissness will become tribute-bearing.

25Anxiety in a man's heart brings it low,

But a good word makes it rejoice.

26The righteous man is a better guide than his neighbour,

But the way of the wicked leads them astray.

27The remiss will not catch his prey,

But a man's wealth is precious

If diligently obtained.

28In the way of righteousness is life,

And the way of this path is to immortality.

Proverbs Chapter 13 

1A wise son hears the correction of his father,

But a scoffer does not hear rebuke.

2A man shall eat what is good by the fruit of his mouth,

But the appetite of the treacherous will be slaked by violence.

3He who guards his mouth keeps his life;

He who opens his lips wide will have ruin.

4The lazy person longs for a thing,

But it comes to nothing,

Whilst the appetite of the industrious

Will be richly satisfied.

5The righteous man hates a false word,

But a wicked man acts despicably

And is disgraced.

6Righteousness will guard an integrous man on his way,

But lawlessness will subvert the sin-offering.

7There is the one who enriches himself,

But does not have anything,

And the one who impoverishes himself,

But has great wealth.

8The ransom for a man's life is his wealth,

But the poor man does not hear rebuke.

9The light of the righteous shines cheerfully,

But the lamp of the wicked will be extinguished.

10Haughtiness just engenders contention,

But wisdom is with those

Who have been given advice.

11Wealth obtained from vain pursuits will decline,

But that of him who gathers through labour will increase.

12Protracted expectation grieves the heart,

But the coming delight is a tree of life.

13If a person despises a word,

It will be his destruction,

But he who fears the commandment

Will be recompensed.

14The law of the wise man is a source of life,

By departing from deadly snares.

15Good insight gives grace,

But the way of the treacherous is austere.

16Every prudent man acts in an informed way,

But a fool spreads nonsense.

17An unjust messenger will fall into harm,

But a faithful envoy brings healing.

18Poverty and contempt await him who disregards correction,

But he who takes heed of reproof will be honoured.

19A longing fulfilled is sweet to one's spirit,

But it is an abomination to fools to depart from evil.

20He who walks with the wise

Will become wise,

But he who associates with fools

Will suffer evil.

21Trouble will pursue sinners,

But he will recompense the righteous with good.

22A good man leaves an inheritance to his sons' sons,

Whereas the wealth of the sinner

Is hidden away for the righteous.

23The agricultural work of the poor brings abundance of food,

But there is the one who perishes without justice.

24He who spares his rod hates his son,

But he who loves him

Is alert to give him correction.

25The righteous eats to his heart's content,

But the stomach of the wicked will suffer lack.

Proverbs Chapter 14 

1The wisdom of women is what builds up their household,

But foolishness in their hands demolishes it.

2He who walks in his uprightness fears the Lord,

But he who is devious in his ways despises him.

3In the mouth of the fool is a sceptre of pride,

But the lips of the wise will guard them.

4For want of oxen, the stall is empty,

But abundance of produce is by the strength of the ox.

5A faithful witness does not lie,

But a false witness utters lies.

6The scoffer seeks wisdom,

But does not find any,

Whilst knowledge is easily come by to the judicious.

7Go away from the foolish man,

In whom you have not detected knowledgeable speaking.

8The wisdom of the prudent is to understand his way,

But the senselessness of fools is deceit.

9As for fools, each ridicules the guilt-offering,

But among the upright is goodwill.

10The heart knows its own bitterness,

And a stranger does not interfere with its joy.

11The house of the wicked will be destroyed,

But the tent of the upright will flourish.

12There is a way which seems right from man's perspective,

But its end is the ways of death.

13Also in jesting there will be heartache,

And the result of it is that the fun will become grief.

14A backslider in heart will be satiated with his ways,

And over against this, so will the good man!

15The gullible man believes every word,

But the prudent understands his course.

16A wise man is fearful

And departs from evil,

But a fool behaves wantonly

And has confidence.

17He who is impatient will act foolishly,

And a scheming man will be hated.

18The gullible inherit foolishness,

But the prudent are crowned with knowledge.

19The bad will submit to the good,

And the wicked will be at the gates of the righteous one.

20The poor is hated even by his neighbour,

But there are many who love a rich man.

21A sinner despises his neighbour,

But happy is he who is merciful to the poor.

22Will not those who perpetrate evil perish,

Whereas kindness and truth will accompany those who perform good?

23In all hard work there will be abundance,

But talking at length only leads to shortage.

24The crown of the wise is their wealth,

But the stupidity of fools remains stupidity.

25A true witness saves lives,

But a deceitful witness utters lies.

26In the fear of the Lord is strong security,

And his sons will have a refuge.

27The fear of the Lord is the source of life,

So as to avoid deadly snares.

28The splendour of a king is in a large population,

And lack of people is ruinous demise.

29He who is patient is of great understanding,

But he who is impatient extols foolishness.

30A healthy heart is life in the flesh,

But envy is rotting of the bones.

31He who oppresses the poor reproaches his maker,

But he who honours him is gracious to the needy.

32A wicked man will be abased by his evil,

But the righteous has confidence at his death.

33Wisdom will rest in a judicious heart,

And it will be made known among fools.

34Righteousness will exalt a people,

But sin is a reproach to nations.

35A king's delight is in a sensible servant,

But his wrath will be directed at him who causes shame.

Proverbs Chapter 15 

1A gentle answer turns wrath away,

But a grievous word arouses anger.

2The tongue of the wise makes good use of knowledge,

But the mouth of fools utters stupidity.

3The eyes of the Lord are in every place,

Observing the bad and the good.

4A calming tongue is a tree of life,

But perverseness with the tongue is spiritual shipwreck.

5A fool scorns his father's correction,

But he who respects reproof will act prudently.

6The house of the righteous man is great wealth,

But the income of the wicked man will bring trouble.

7The lips of the wise broadcast knowledge,

But the heart of fools is dishonest.

8The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord,

But the prayer of the upright is his delight.

9The way of the wicked man is an abomination to the Lord,

But he loves him who pursues righteousness.

10Correction is baneful to him who leaves the way,

And he who hates reproof will die.

11The grave and destruction are before the Lord;

How much more the hearts of the sons of Adam!

12The mocker does not love him who reproves him;

He does not go to the wise.

13A joyful heart makes the face cheerful,

But in a sorrowful heart is a dejected spirit.

14An astute mind seeks knowledge,

But a fool's face feeds on nonsense.

15All the days of a poor man are bad,

But he of a good heart has a continual banquet.

16It is better to have little,

With fear of the Lord,

Than great treasure,

But turmoil with it.

17A meal of vegetables

Where there is love

Is better than a fatted ox

Where there is hatred.

18A bad-tempered man will stir up strife,

But forbearance quietens a quarrel.

19The way of the lazy is a hedge of thorns,

But the path of the upright is a highway.

20A wise son brings joy to the father,

But a foolish man despises his mother.

21Foolishness is joy to the weak-minded,

But a man of understanding walks in uprightness.

22Projects fail for lack of consultation,

But you will prosper if you have plenty of counsellors.

23A man's joy comes from the aptness of his speech,

And how good a word in season is!

24The way of life to the sensible is upwards,

So as to avoid the grave below.

25The Lord will pluck the house of the proud away,

But he will appoint an estate for the widow.

26The thoughts of the evil man are an abomination to the Lord,

But pleasant words are pure.

27He who engages in robbery

Brings trouble on his household,

But he who hates bribes

Will live.

28A righteous heart meditates on how to give an answer,

But the mouth of the wicked exudes evil things.

29The Lord is far away from the wicked,

But he hears the prayer of the righteous.

30The light of the eyes makes the heart glad,

And a good report heard nourishes a person.

31An ear that hears reproof which gives life

Will dwell in the company of the wise.

32He who disregards correction

Rejects his own self,

But he who heeds reproof

Acquires inward understanding.

33The fear of the Lord yields wise reproof,

And before honour can come,

Meekness is warranted.

Proverbs Chapter 16 

1Man has resolutions,

But from the Lord comes the spoken answer.

2All man's ways are pure in his own eyes,

But the Lord assesses the nature of spirits.

3Commit your deeds to the Lord,

And your thoughts will be well-grounded.

4The Lord has made everything for his own purpose,

Including even the wicked one for the day of evil.

5Everyone of a haughty heart is an abomination to the Lord,

And he who colludes with them will not be held innocent.

6Iniquity is atoned for by kindness and truth,

And by fear of the Lord,

So as to depart from evil.

7When a man's ways are pleasing to the Lord,

He will cause even that man's enemies to be at peace with him.

8A little obtained righteously is better

Than abundance of produce obtained unjustly.

9A man's heart plans his course,

But it is the Lord who directs his steps.

10When there is an oracle on the lips of a king,

His pronouncement will not be perverse in jurisdiction.

11The Lord has a just balance and scales;

All the weights of the bag are his work.

12It is an abomination to kings to act wickedly,

For his throne is established on the basis of righteousness.

13Just pronouncements are the delight of kings,

And he loves him who speaks uprightly.

14The wrath of a king is like angels of death,

But a wise man will appease it.

15In the light of the appearance of the king is life,

And acceptance by him is like a cloud of latter rain.

16How much better it is to acquire wisdom than pure gold,

And how preferable to acquire understanding than silver!

17The course of the upright is to depart from evil;

He who guards his way keeps his life safe.

18Pride comes before a disaster,

And a haughty spirit before ruin.

19It is better to be of a lowly spirit with the meek

Than to share spoil with the proud.

20He who acts sensibly in a matter will find good,

And happy is he who trusts in the Lord.

21The wise in heart will be called astute,

And sweet lips add to learning.

22Insight is a source of life to those who possess it,

But correction by fools

Is simply foolishness.

23A wise heart instructs one's mouth,

And adds learning to one's lips.

24Pleasant words are a honeycomb

– Sweet to one's sentiments,

And healing to the body.

25There is a way which seems right from man's perspective,

But its end is the ways of death.

26A person who toils

Toils for himself,

For his aspirations urge him on.

27A useless man plots evil,

And what is on his lips is like a scorching fire.

28A subversive man launches into contention,

And a gossipmonger separates friends.

29A malevolent man deceives his neighbour

And leads him on a way which is not good.

30He who shuts his eyes

So as to contemplate subversion

Seals his lips

And concludes evil intent.

31Grey hairs constitute a crown of splendour

If it is acquired on the righteous way.

32A man of forbearance is better than a warrior,

And one who can control his spirit

Is better than one who can capture a city.

33One's lot is cast into the lap,

But from the Lord comes all his judgment.

Proverbs Chapter 17 

1A dry morsel when there is calm with it

Is better than a house full of meat with strife.

2An intelligent servant will rule over a son who causes shame,

And he will have a share of the inheritance among the brothers.

3The crucible is for silver,

And the furnace for gold,

But it is the Lord who tests hearts.

4An evildoer heeds unprofitable lips,

And a lie feeds a perverse tongue.

5He who mocks the poor

Reproaches his maker;

He who rejoices in another's calamity

Will not be absolved.

6Grandchildren are the crown of old men,

And the glory of sons is their fathers.

7Verbosity is not becoming to an irreverent man;

How much less lying lips to a well-bred man!

8A gift is a beautiful gemstone in the eyes of its owner;

Wherever he turns,

He considers it.

9He who pardons a transgression

Seeks love,

But he who is fickle in a matter

Alienates friends.

10A rebuke is more effective

With one who has understanding

Than a hundred beatings

With a fool.

11Surely rebellion invites trouble,

And a cruel emissary will be sent against it.

12May a bereaved bear meet a man

Rather than that a fool in his stupidity should meet him.

13As for him who requites evil for good,

Evil will not retreat from his house.

14The beginning of strife is like when one lets water escape,

So abandon the quarrel before it becomes heated.

15He who justifies a wicked man,

And he who condemns a righteous man

Are both an abomination to the Lord.

16Why, then, is there a payment in a fool's hand to buy wisdom

When he has no heart to receive it?

17A friend shows love at all times,

And a brother is born for adversity.

18A weak-minded man strikes a deal

And offers security in the presence of his neighbour.

19He who loves transgression

Loves a quarrel,

And he who has a high door

Courts disaster.

20He who is of a perverse heart

Will not find good,

And he who is subversive with his tongue

Will fall into evil.

21If one begets a fool,

It will be sorrow for him,

And the father of an irreverent son

Does not have joy.

22A joyful heart brings good healing,

But a dejected spirit parches the human frame.

23A wicked man takes a bribe out of the lap

To pervert the course of justice.

24Wisdom is in prospect to him who understands,

But the eyes of a fool are fixed on the end of the earth.

25A foolish son is a frustration to his father

And an exasperation to her who gave birth to him.

26It is not right at all to punish the righteous,

Or to beat the noble-minded for their uprightness.

27He who possesses knowledge is sparing with his speeches,

And a man of understanding is of a highly prized spirit.

28Even a fool who is silent

Is considered wise,

And he who seals his lips,

Astute.

Proverbs Chapter 18 

1A recluse seeks to fulfil his yearning,

And despite all his resourcefulness,

He flares up.

2A fool does not take delight in understanding,

But in laying open his heart.

3When a wicked man comes,

Contempt comes too,

And with shame comes reproach.

4The words of a man's mouth are deep waters,

And the source of wisdom is a gushing stream.

5To show partiality to the wicked is not good,

Nor is it to pervert the course of justice of the righteous man.

6The lips of the fool enter into a quarrel,

And his mouth calls out for beatings.

7The fool's mouth is his ruin,

And his lips are a trap for his life.

8The words of a gossipmonger are like delicacies,

Which go down to the inner parts of the belly.

9Also he who is slack in his work

Is a brother to a ruinous man.

10The name of the Lord is a tower of strength.

To him the righteous man runs

And is set on high.

11A rich man's wealth is his strong town,

And it is like a high wall in his imagination.

12A man's heart is haughty before a disaster,

But meekness is warranted before honour.

13When one gives an answer before he has heard,

It is foolishness and ignominy to his account.

14The spirit of a man sustains him in his infirmity,

But as for a dejected spirit,

Who can endure it?

15An understanding heart acquires knowledge,

And it is knowledge that the ear of the wise seeks.

16A gift from a man provides relief for him

And leads him to the presence of the great.

17The first to state his case seems right in his lawsuit,

But when his neighbour comes,

He investigates him.

18The lot as determined puts an end to disputes,

And it parts great men.

19An offended brother is more difficult to win over

Than a strong town,

As are arguments

Than a castle gate bolt.

20By the fruit of a man's mouth

His stomach will be satisfied,

And by the produce of his lips

He will be satiated.

21Life and death are in the power of the tongue,

And those who love it

Will eat its fruit.

22He who has found a wife

Has found something good

And has received goodwill from the Lord.

23He who is impoverished utters supplications,

But a rich man answers with harsh words.

24A man may have friends

Who bring him to breaking point,

But there is one who loves him

And is attached to him more than a brother.

Proverbs Chapter 19 

1An impoverished man who walks in his integrity

Is better than one who is of perverse lips

And who is a fool.

2Also it is not good

That a person should be without knowledge,

And he who hastens impetuously

Sins.

3The foolishness of a man perverts his way,

And his heart becomes dispirited with the Lord.

4Wealth makes many extra friends,

But a poor man becomes separated from his friend.

5A false witness will not be held guiltless,

And he who belches out lies will not escape.

6Many appeal to the noble-minded,

And everyone is the friend of a generous man.

7All the brothers of an impoverished man hate him;

How much more do his friends distance themselves from him!

He accosts them eloquently, but they are not obliging.

8He who acquires a right heart

Loves his life,

As he nurtures understanding

So as to find what is good.

9A false witness will not be held guiltless,

And he who belches out lies will perish.

10Luxury is not befitting for a fool;

How much less is it befitting for a servant to rule over princes!

11A man's insight stems his anger,

And it is to his credit

To pass over a transgression.

12The anger of a king is like the growling of a young lion,

But his goodwill is like dew on grass.

13A foolish son is a calamity to his father,

And the contentions of a wife are like a continual drip.

14The inheritance of one's fathers is a house and wealth,

But a sensible wife is from the Lord.

15Laziness makes one fall into deep sleep,

And an indolent person will suffer hunger.

16He who keeps the commandment

Keeps his life,

But he who shows contempt for his ways

Will die.

17He who is gracious to a poor man

Is a lender to the Lord,

Who will repay him a recompense.

18Discipline your son while there is hope,

And do not forbear,

Which would lead to him losing his life.

19 A wrathful lot bears punishment,

And unless you put it away,

You will bear it again.

20Hear advice and accept correction

So that you become wise in the latter time of your life.

21Many are the thoughts in a man's heart,

But it is the Lord's counsel

Which will stand firm.

22The longing of a man is for his kindness,

And a poor man is better than a liar.

23The fear of the Lord leads to life,

And he who is steeped in it will lodge

Where harm will not be encountered.

24A lazy man dips his hand in the bowl,

Yet he will not bring it back to his mouth.

25Hit the scoffer

And the gullible will become wary,

And reprove the astute

So that he will acquire all the more knowledge.

26He who preys on his father

Or causes his mother to flee,

Is a son who causes shame and disgrace.

27My son, to stop listening to correction

Is to stray from instructive sayings.

28A rogue witness mocks justice,

And the mouths of the wicked feast on iniquity.

29Judgments have been prepared for the mockers,

And beatings for the backs of fools.

Proverbs Chapter 20 

1Wine is a mocker,

And strong drink is riotous,

And none who go astray with it

Become wise.

2Fear of a king is like the growling of a young lion;

He who takes liberties with him

Sins against himself.

3Honour to the man who ceases from strife,

But every fool flares up.

4From autumn on, the lazy man will not plough,

Then at harvest time he begs

And has nothing.

5Counsel in a man's heart is like deep water,

And a man of understanding draws on it.

6The majority of men will proclaim their own generosity,

But as for a faithful man,

Who can find him?

7The righteous man walks in his integrity;

Happy are his sons after him.

8A king sitting in his judgment seat

Winnows out everything that in his eyes is evil.

9Who can say,

“I have purified my heart;

I am clear of my sin”?

10One weight for one,

And another weight for another,

One ephah for one,

And another ephah for another

– They are both an abomination to the Lord.

11Even a boy is known by his deeds

– Whether his behaviour is pure

And whether it is upright.

12A hearing ear and a seeing eye

– The Lord assuredly made both of them.

13Do not love sleep,

So that you do not become destitute.

Open your eyes

And be satiated with bread.

14It is poor quality, poor quality”,

Says the buyer.

And then he goes his way,

And then boasts about it.

15Gold and an abundance of red corals have a place,

But knowledgeable lips are a precious instrument.

16“Take his clothing,

For he became security to a stranger,

And bind him up,

For pledging to foreigners.”

17Dishonestly obtained bread is sweet to a man,

But afterwards his mouth becomes full of gravel.

18Plans undertaken with counsel will be established,

So wage war with shrewd deliberations.

19He who goes around gossiping

Reveals a secret,

So do not involve yourself

With one of wide open lips.

20As for him who curses his father or mother,

His lamp will go out in pitch black darkness.

21An inheritance may be avariciously obtained at first,

But then its final state will not be blessed.

22Do not say,

“I will repay evil.”

Put your hope in the Lord,

And he will save you.

23One weight for one, and another weight for another,

Is an abomination to the Lord,

And false scales are not good.

24Man's steps are received from the Lord.

But as for man,

What does he understand of his way?

25It is a snare to a man

To rashly say anything holy,

And after the vows,

To reconsider.

26A wise king winnows out the wicked,

And drives the threshing wheel back over them.

27The spirit of man is the Lord's lamp,

Searching all the inner parts of the belly.

28Kindness and truth protect the king,

And it is with kindness

That he sustains his throne.

29The glory of young men is their strength,

And the dignity of the old is their grey hair.

30Weals from wounding are a cleansing,

In a baneful way,

And beatings cleanse the inner parts of the belly.

Reference(s) in Chapter 20: v.22 ↔ Romans 12:19.

Proverbs Chapter 21 

1A king's heart is like sources of water in the Lord's hand;

He inclines it to whatever he wishes.

2Every way of man is right in his own eyes,

But it is the Lord who tests hearts.

3To do righteousness and justice

Is preferable with the Lord to sacrifice.

4Haughty eyes and arrogance

– The field of work of the wicked –

Are preferable to them than a sin-offering.

5The thoughts of a diligent man assuredly lead to plentifulness,

But as for everyone who is hasty,

His actions assuredly lead to lack.

6Acquiring treasure by a lying tongue

Is mist blown around

By those who seek death.

7The rapacity of the wicked drags them away,

For they refuse to act justly.

8The way of man is crooked and outlandish,

But as for the pure man,

His work is upright.

9It is better to live in a corner of a roof

Than in a mansion,

But with a contentious wife.

10A wicked person craves wrongdoing;

His neighbour does not find favour in his eyes.

11By the punishment of the mocker,

The naive man becomes wise,

And by the instruction to the wise man,

He obtains knowledge.

12The righteous one is prudent with the house of the wicked;

He overthrows the wicked to their detriment.

13He who shuts his ear to the cry of the poor

Will in turn call out,

But he will not be answered.

14A gift given in private appeases anger,

And a present put into the lap assuages strong fury.

15It is joy to the righteous to act justly,

But a dreadful thing to those who commit iniquity.

16A man who strays from a prudent way

Comes to rest in the company of the Rephaim.

17He who loves merrymaking

Will be a man in penury;

He who loves wine and fine food

Will not become rich.

18The wicked will be a ransom for the righteous,

And the traitor in the place of the upright.

19It is better to live in a desert land

Than with a contentious and bad-tempered wife.

20There is delightful treasure and oil

In the abode of the wise,

But a foolish man dissipates it.

21He who pursues righteousness and kindness

Will find life, righteousness and honour.

22The wise man can ascend into a city of warriors,

And shatter its great confidence.

23He who guards his mouth and his tongue

Guards himself from adversities.

24As for the arrogant and haughty man,

His name is Mocker;

He deals in insolent presumption.

25The inclination of the lazy man will kill him,

For his hands refuse to work.

26All day long he craves what his heart desires,

But a just man gives and does not spare.

27The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination

– All the more so

When he brings it in deceit.

28A false witness will perish,

But a man who listens

Will speak steadfast words.

29The wicked man puts on a bold front,

But the upright man prepares his ways.

30There is no wisdom and there is no expertise,

And there is no counsel

Which can prevail against the Lord.

31The horse may be prepared for the day of war,

But salvation belongs to the Lord.

Proverbs Chapter 22 

1A good reputation is preferable to great wealth;

Good grace is preferable to silver and gold.

2Rich and poor meet each other;

The maker of all of them is the Lord.

3The prudent man sees evil and hides,

But the gullible cross over to it,

And pay the penalty.

4It is by meekness and fear of the Lord

That riches and honour and life are obtained.

5Thorns and snares lie on the way of the perverse;

He who guards his life

Distances himself from them.

6Initiate a youth along his way,

Then even when he grows old,

He will not depart from it.

7The rich man will rule over the poor,

And he who borrows is servant to the man who lends.

8He who sows injustice

Will reap iniquity,

And his offensive regime

Will come to an end.

9He who is generous will be blessed,

For he gives some of his bread to the poor.

10Drive out the mocker,

And contention will depart,

And strife and shame will cease.

11As for him who loves the pure in heart,

His lips are graceful;

The king is his friend.

12The eyes of the Lord preserve knowledge,

But he has overthrown the words of the treacherous man.

13The lazy man says,

There is a lion in the open;

I will be killed on the streets.”

14The mouths of the foreign women are a deep pit;

He with whom the Lord is angry

Will fall there.

15Foolishness is bound to the heart of a boy,

But the rod of correction will put him at a distance from it.

16He who oppresses the poor to enrich himself

And he who gives to the rich man

Will surely be in need.

17Incline your ear

And hear the words of the wise,

And direct your heart to my knowledge.

18For it is pleasant if you keep them inwardly;

Together they are ready to be on your lips

19So that your trust should be in the Lord.

Today it is to you that I have made it known

To your very self.

20 Have I not written thirty times to you

With pieces of advice and knowledge?

21– To make known to you the veracity of truthful sayings

So that it is with truthful sayings that you can answer

Those who send for you.

22Do not rob a poor man,

For he is poor,

And do not tread a needy man down at the gate.

23For the Lord will defend their interest,

And he will despoil the livelihood

Of those who despoiled them.

24Do not associate with a bad-tempered man,

And you shall not go with a man prone to fury,

25In case you learn his ways,

And you pick up a snare for your life.

26Do not be among those who strike a deal

– Among those who are surety for debts.

27If you do not have the means to pay,

Why let anyone take your bed from under you?

28Do not move an age-old boundary marker

Which your fathers put in place.

29Have you seen a man going about his work efficiently?

He will stand before kings;

He will not stand before the low-bred.

Reference(s) in Chapter 22: v.9 ↔ 2 Corinthians 9:7.

Proverbs Chapter 23 

1When you sit down to dine with a ruler,

Be well aware of who it is before you,

2And put a knife to your throat

If you have a keen appetite.

3Do not be desirous of his delicacies,

For they are beguiling food.

4Do not exhaust yourself to become rich;

Cease from your own understanding.

5Do you fix your eye on a thing,

Then it is gone?

For it easily gives itself wings,

And like an eagle, it flies off into the sky.

6Do not eat food from a malevolent person,

And do not be desirous of his delicacies.

7For as he assesses a matter inwardly,

So he is.

“Eat and drink”,

He will say to you,

But his heart will not be with you.

8The morsel which you have eaten,

You will vomit out,

And you will spoil your pleasant conversation.

9Do not speak to the ears of a fool,

For he will despise the insightfulness of your words.

10Do not move an age-old boundary marker,

And do not go into the fields of orphans,

11For their redeemer is strong;

He will defend their case against you.

12Dispose your heart to instruction,

And your ears to learned sayings.

13Do not withhold correction from a youth;

When you beat him with a rod,

He will not die.

14You may be beating him with a rod,

But you will be saving him from the grave.

15My son, if your heart becomes wise,

My heart will rejoice – it really will –

16And my kidneys will exult,

As your lips speak upright words.

17Do not let your heart be envious of sinners,

But rather let it be zealous of fear of the Lord

All day long.

18For there is a final state,

And your hope will not be cut off.

19Do hear, my son, and become wise,

And direct your heart on the way.

20Do not be among those who become drunk on wine,

Or who take to guzzling meat.

21For the drunkard and guzzler will be dispossessed,

And slumber will clothe them with rags.

22Listen to your father

Who begot you,

And do not despise your mother

When she is old.

23Acquire truth,

And do not sell it,

As with wisdom and instruction and understanding.

24The father of a righteous son will greatly rejoice,

And he who begets a wise son

Will delight in him.

25Your father and your mother will take delight,

And she who bore you will rejoice.

26My son, give your heart to me,

And may your eyes welcome my ways.

27For a prostitute is a deep abyss,

And a foreign woman is a narrow pit.

28Indeed she lies in wait like a predator

And adds to the traitors among men.

29Who has “woe”,

Who has “alas” on his lips?

Who has contentions,

Who has a grievance,

Who has gratuitous wounds?

Who has reddened eyes?

30It is those who linger at wine

– Those who come to sample blended liquor.

31Do not care for wine

– When it exhibits its red colour,

When it gives its sparkle in a goblet,

And when it flows smoothly.

32Its effect is that it bites like a serpent

And puts one in torment like a viper.

33Your eyes will see women who are strangers,

And your heart will speak subversive things,

34And you will be like one who lies at the bottom of the sea,

Or one who lies at the top of a mast.

35“They beat me,

But I did not feel pain;

They struck me,

But I was not conscious of it.

When will I wake up?

I will seek this pleasure yet again.”

Proverbs Chapter 24 

1Do not be envious of evil men,

And do not long to be with them.

2For their heart meditates on violence,

And their lips speak of ill-treatment.

3A house is built with skill,

And it is established with expertise,

4And rooms are filled with knowledge

And all kinds of precious and delightful belongings.

5A wise man disposes over strength,

And a knowledgeable man increases his power,

6For it is with strategy that you can wage a war,

And success comes through taking much counsel.

7Wisdom to a fool is too lofty;

At the gate he does not open his mouth.

8As for him who plots doing evil,

They will call him a schemer.

9The scheming of a fool is a sin,

And a mocker is an abomination to men.

10If you flag on an adverse day,

Your strength is feeble.

11If you refrain from delivering those

Who are being taken away to death,

Or who are on the verge of being killed,

12If you say,

“Look, we did not know this”,

Does not he who examines hearts discern the matter?

And will he who guards your life not know,

And will he not requite a man according to his deed?

13My son, eat honey,

Because it is good,

And honey from the honeycomb,

Which is sweet on your palate.

14So get to know wisdom.

It is for your life if you have found it,

And it has an effect,

And your hope will not be dashed.

15Do not wickedly hold an ambush at the dwelling of a righteous man,

And do not lay his place of rest waste.

16For a righteous man may fall seven times

And get up again,

But the wicked will stumble into trouble.

17Do not rejoice when your enemy falls,

And do not let your heart exult at his stumbling,

18Lest the Lord sees,

And it is wrong in his sight,

And he turns his anger from him against you.

19Do not be infuriated at evildoers;

Do not be envious of the wicked,

20For the evil man will not have any posterity

– The lamp of the wicked will be extinguished.

21My son, fear the Lord and the king;

Do not involve yourself with the fickle,

22For suddenly their downfall arises,

And who knows

The demise of them both?

23These things too belong to the wise.

It is not right to show partiality in judgment,

24Saying to the wicked man,

“You are righteous.”

Peoples will vilify him;

Nations will be indignant at him.

25But to those who rebuke a man showing partiality,

It will be a delight,

And a good blessing will come on them.

26May one compliment the lips

When a man replies with straightforward words.

27Prepare your exterior work,

And make it ready for yourself on your site,

Then afterwards you can build your house.

28Do not be a gratuitous witness against your neighbour,

And would you deceive with your lips?

29Do not say,

“As he has done to me,

So I will do to him.

I will requite the man according to his deed.”

30I passed by the field of a lazy man,

And by the vineyard of a weak-minded person,

31And what I saw was

That thistles had overgrown it all,

And that its surface was covered in nettles,

And that the stone wall was dilapidated.

32So I took note and laid it to heart;

I looked and received instruction.

33A little more sleep,

A little more slumbering,

A little more folding the arms to lie down,

34And along will come your impoverishment

And your penury,

Like a man with a shield.

Reference(s) in Chapter 24: v.29 ↔ Romans 12:19.

Proverbs Chapter 25 

1These too are Solomon's proverbs which Hezekiah king of Judah's men transcribed.

2It is God's glory to conceal a matter,

And the glory of kings to investigate a matter.

3Heaven for height

And the earth for depth,

But there is no searching the heart of kings.

4Remove the dross from the silver,

And let the refiner's silverware be produced.

5Remove the wicked man from the king's presence,

And his throne will be established in righteousness.

6Do not vaunt yourself in the presence of the king,

And do not stand in the place of high-ranking men,

7For it is better that someone says to you,

“Come up here”,

Than that he humiliates you in the presence of a noble

Whom your eyes have seen.

8Do not go out to litigate precipitously,

In case of what you might need to do as a consequence of it

When your neighbour puts you to shame.

9Contend your case with your neighbour,

But do not divulge a secret to another person,

10In case one who is out to discredit you hears,

And the consequences of your slander don't go away.

11A word spoken in season

Is like golden apple-shaped beads in silver showpieces.

12To a hearing ear,

A wise reprover is like a golden earring

Or an ornament of fine gold.

13A faithful messenger is to those who send him

Like the cooling effect of snow on a day in the harvest season,

And he refreshes the spirit of his masters.

14A man who boasts in a dishonest gift

Is like mists and wind, but no rain.

15A senior official is persuaded by much persistence,

And a gentle tongue can break bones.

16If you find honey

Only eat what is sufficient for you,

Lest you become satiated with it

And vomit it out.

17Make yourself scarce in your neighbour's house

Lest he has enough of you,

And takes a disliking to you.

18A man who testifies against his neighbour with a false testimony

Is a club and a sword and a sharp arrow.

19Putting trust in a traitor

In a time of tribulation

Is like a bad tooth

Or a sprained foot.

20He who removes a person's garment on a cold day

Is like vinegar on soda,

Or one who sings songs to a grieving heart.

21If he who hates you is hungry,

Give him food;

And if he is thirsty,

Give him water to drink,

22For then you are heaping burning coals on his head,

And the Lord will repay you.

23A northern wind brings forth rain,

And a resentful face an uncommunicative tongue.

24It is better to live in the corner of a roof,

Than in a mansion,

But with a contentious wife.

25As cold water is to a weary person,

So is a good report from a distant land.

26A righteous man tottering before a wicked one

Is like a turbid spring and a sullied water-source.

27It is not good to eat much honey,

But investigation of what has glory

Is itself glory.

28A man who has no restraint of his spirit

Is like a breached city which has no wall.

Reference(s) in Chapter 25: v.21 ↔ Romans 12:20 ● v.22 ↔ Romans 12:19, Romans 12:20.

Proverbs Chapter 26 

1As snow in summer

And as rain in the harvest,

So it is not becoming

For a fool to have honour.

2As a bird takes flight,

As a swallow flies away,

So shall a gratuitous curse

Not come to pass.

3A whip for the horse,

A bridle for the donkey,

And a rod for the back of fools.

4Do not answer a fool according to his own foolishness,

In case you yourself come to resemble him.

5Do answer a fool according to his own foolishness,

So that he does not become wise in his own eyes.

6He who sends a message by the agency of a fool

Cuts off the feet and drinks injury.

7You could amputate the legs of a lame man

And a proverb in the mouth of a fool.

8As a grain of grit in a heap of boulders,

So is he who gives a fool honour.

9A thorn gets stuck in the hand of a drunkard,

And a proverb in the mouths of fools.

10A great man produces all kinds of things,

But he who hires a fool

Also hires those who are remiss.

11Like a dog which returns to its own vomit,

Is a fool who repeats his stupidity.

12Have you seen a man wise in his own eyes?

A fool has more hope than him.

13A lazy man says,

There is a lion in the road

– A fierce lion among the streets.”

14A door turns on its hinge,

And a lazy man on his bed.

15A lazy man dips his hand in the bowl,

But can't be bothered to bring it back to his mouth.

16A lazy man is wise in his own eyes

More so than seven men can give a reason for.

17He who crosses over and interferes in a dispute

Which doesn't belong to him,

Is like one who seizes a dog's ears.

18Like a madman who shoots darts, arrows and death,

19So is a man who deceives his neighbour and says,

I was only jesting, wasn't I?”

20When there are no more logs,

The fire goes out,

And when there is no gossipmonger,

Contention abates.

21Coal for the embers,

And wood for the fire,

And a contentious man

To incite an argument.

22The words of a gossipmonger are like delicacies,

Which descend into the inner parts of the belly.

23Ardent lips but an evil heart

Are like silver dross overlaid on a shard.

24He who hates

Puts up a pretence with his lips

And harbours deceit inwardly.

25When he sounds gracious,

Do not believe him,

For there are seven abominations in his heart.

26Hatred is concealed by deception,

But his evil will be discovered in the convocation.

27He who digs a pit will fall into it,

And as for him who rolls a stone,

It will come back upon him.

28A lying tongue hates those whom it has oppressed,

And a flattering mouth brings about ruin.

Reference(s) in Chapter 26: v.11 ↔ 2 Peter 2:22.

Proverbs Chapter 27 

1Do not boast about tomorrow,

For you do not know what the day will bring.

2Let an outsider praise you,

And not your own mouth

– A foreigner,

And not your own lips.

3There is the weight of a stone

And the burden of sand,

But a fool's anger is more burdensome than either of them.

4There are cruelty and fury,

And the eruption of anger,

But who can stand

In the face of envy?

5Open reproof is better

Than secret love.

6Wounds from a friend

Are bearable,

But the kisses of one who hates

Are glib.

7One with a satisfied appetite will trample a honeycomb under foot,

But to one with a ravenous appetite,

Even anything bitter is sweet.

8As a bird which flies away from its nest,

So is a man who migrates from his place.

9Oil and incense please the heart,

As does a friend's generosity

With vitally important advice.

10Do not forsake your own friend,

Or a friend of your father,

And do not enter your brother's house in the event of your downfall.

A nearby neighbour

Is better than a distant brother.

11My son, become wise and please my heart

So that I can answer him who reproaches me.

12A prudent man sees evil and hides,

But the gullible cross over to it

And pay the penalty.

13“Take his clothing,

For he became security to a stranger,

And bind him up,

For pledging to a foreign lady.”

14As for him who rises early in the morning

And blesses his neighbour with a loud voice,

It will be considered a curse to him.

15The steady dripping on a day of persistent rain

Is what a contentious wife is comparable to.

16He who would restrain her

Might as well restrain the wind,

And call for ointment to soothe his right hand.

17Iron is sharpened by iron,

And a man sharpens the intellect of his neighbour.

18He who keeps a fig tree

Will eat of its fruit,

And he who heeds his master

Will be honoured.

19Just as water reflects a face back to a face,

So a man's heart reflects the man.

20The grave and destruction are never satisfied,

And never satisfied are the eyes of man.

21The crucible is for silver,

And the furnace for gold,

But a man is assessed

According to how he is commended.

22Even if you were to grind the fool in a mortar

Among the crushed grain, with a pestle,

His stupidity would not depart from him.

23Make a point of knowing the condition of your sheep,

And pay attention to the flocks,

24For riches do not endure for ever

Nor does a crown from generation to generation.

25The hay is taken away,

The fresh grass appears,

And the vegetation of the mountains is gathered.

26Lambs are for your clothing,

And goats pay for the price of their field,

27And you will have sufficient goats' milk for your own food,

And for the food of your household

And sustenance for your maidservants.

Proverbs Chapter 28 

1The wicked flee when there is no pursuer,

But the righteous have confidence like a lion.

2For the misrule of a country,

It has many rulers,

But with a man who understands and is knowledgeable,

Its basis will last long.

3An impoverished man who oppresses the poor

Is like sweeping rain

And no food.

4Those who forsake the law

Praise the wicked man,

But those who keep the law

Are offended by them.

5Evil men do not understand justice,

But those who seek the Lord

Will understand everything.

6An impoverished man who walks in his integrity

Is better than one who perverts his ways,

But who is rich.

7He who keeps the law

Is an understanding son,

But he who associates with the debauched

Puts his father to shame.

8He who increases his wealth by charging interest,

And by exacting a financial return,

Accumulates it

For him who will be gracious to the poor.

9As for him who turns a deaf ear to the law,

His prayer is an abomination in addition.

10He who leads the upright astray into a bad way

Will fall into his own pit,

Whereas those with integrity

Will inherit what is good.

11A rich man is wise in his own eyes,

But a poor man who has understanding

Will examine him.

12When the righteous rejoice,

There is great glory,

But when the wicked rise,

A man will be in hiding.

13He who covers up his transgressions

Will not be successful,

But he who confesses them and renounces them

Will be shown mercy.

14Happy is the man who always fears,

But he who hardens his heart

Will land in trouble.

15An evil ruler over a powerless people

Is a growling lion and a prowling bear.

16A leader who lacks understanding

And a great oppressor

What of him?

But he who hates plunder

Will prolong his days.

17A man under pressure by having shed the blood of a person

Will flee until he goes to the grave.

May he not be given support.

18He who walks with integrity

Will be saved,

But he who is perverse in his ways

Will fall on one of them.

19He who cultivates his land

Will have plenty of food,

But he who pursues vain things

Will have plenty of scarcity.

20A faithful man will have many blessings,

But he who hastens to enrich himself

Will not be held guiltless.

21It is not good to show partiality,

Yet for a piece of bread

A man will transgress.

22A man with a covetous eye hastens to riches,

But he does not know

That scarcity will come upon him.

23He who reproves a man

Will find more goodwill afterwards

Than he who flatters with his tongue.

24As for him who robs his father and his mother,

Saying that it isn't wrong,

He is an accomplice

To a ruinous man.

25He of an overbearing manner

Arouses strife,

But he who trusts in the Lord

Will be richly satisfied.

26He who trusts his own heart

Is a fool,

But he who walks in wisdom

Will be delivered.

27He who gives to the poor

Does not suffer lack,

But he who turns his eyes away

Incurs an abundance of curses.

28When the wicked rise up,

A man will go into hiding,

But when they perish

The righteous will be numerous.

Proverbs Chapter 29 

1A man who has been reproved many times

Becomes stiff-necked

And will suddenly suffer a downfall

With no remedy.

2When the righteous have power,

The people are joyful,

But when a wicked man rules,

The people sigh.

3A man who loves wisdom

Pleases his father,

But he who associates with prostitutes

Dissipates wealth.

4A king reigning judiciously

Establishes a country,

But a man open to bribes

Demolishes it.

5A man who flatters his neighbour

Spreads a net at his steps.

6An evil man is a snare with his transgression,

But a righteous man shouts for joy

And rejoices.

7A righteous man recognizes the legal rights of the poor,

But a wicked man does not care to acknowledge them.

8Scornful men incite a town,

But the wise avert anger.

9As for a wise man litigating with a fool,

Whether he rages or laughs,

There is no rest.

10Bloodthirsty men hate an integrous man,

But the upright seek to preserve his life.

11A fool gives vent to all his temperament,

But a wise man keeps it quiet in the background.

12If a ruler heeds lying words,

All his servants will be recruited from the wicked.

13When a poor man and a violent man meet,

The Lord enlightens the eyes of both of them.

14If a king judges the poor truthfully,

His throne will be established in perpetuity.

15The rod and reproof yield wisdom,

But a child excused

Brings shame on his mother.

16When the wicked increase,

Transgression increases too,

But the righteous will see their downfall.

17Correct your son,

And he will give you rest,

And he will give your being great pleasure.

18When there is no vision,

The people will behave wildly,

But as for him who keeps the law,

Blessed is he.

19A servant will not be corrected by words;

Even if he understands,

There will not be a response.

20Have you seen a man

Who was rash with his words?

There is more hope for a fool than him.

21When one spoils one's servant from his youth,

The result of it will be ingratitude.

22A bad-tempered man stirs up strife,

And a man prone to fury

Is in great transgression.

23A man's pride will bring him low,

But he of humble spirit will acquire honour.

24He who shares spoil with a thief

Hates himself;

He hears an oath,

But he does not tell anyone.

25A man's disquiet constitutes a snare,

But he who trusts in the Lord

Will be placed in security.

26Many seek an audience with a ruler,

But a man's justice will come from the Lord.

27An iniquitous man is an abomination to the righteous,

Whereas he who is upright in his way

Is an abomination to the wicked man.

Proverbs Chapter 30 

1The words of Agur the son of Jakeh. The burden which the man spoke to Ithiel, to Ithiel and Ucal.

2Now I am more unrefined than any individual,

And I do not have a man's erudition,

3And I have not learned wisdom,

But I do have knowledge of holy things.

4Who has ascended to heaven and descended?

Who gathers the wind in his cupped hands?

Who has bound up the waters in a garment?

Who established all the ends of the earth?

What is his name,

And what is his son's name,

If you know?

5Every saying of God has been refined;

It is a shield to those who take refuge in him.

6Do not add to his words,

Lest he reprove you,

And you are proved false.

7I have asked two things from you;

Do not withhold them from me

Before I die.

8Keep falsity and lying words away from me,

Do not give me poverty or riches;

Feed me on the food appointed for me,

9Lest I should become excessively provided for,

And disavow, and say,

“Who is the Lord?”

And lest I should become impoverished and steal,

And use the name of my God irreverently.

10Do not speak slanderously of a servant to his master,

Lest he should curse you,

And you incur guilt.

11A generation curses their father

And does not bless their mother.

12A generation is pure in its own eyes,

But it is not washed clean of its excrement.

13How a generation's eyes are haughty

And its eyelids lifted up!

14– A generation whose teeth are swords

And whose incisors are knives

For devouring the poor of the land

And the needy among mankind.

15A leech had two daughters,

Who said, “Give, give.”

When there were three of them,

They were not satisfied,

And when they were four, they did not say,

That is plenty.”

16They are the grave,

A closed womb,

Land not satisfied with water,

And a fire which does not say,

That is plenty.”

17As for an eye which mocks his father

And scorns obedience to his mother,

The ravens of the brook will peck at it,

And the young of the eagle will consume it.

18There are three things too wonderful for me,

And four which I do not comprehend:

19The way of the eagle in the sky,

The way of the serpent on a rock,

The way of a ship in the middle of the sea

And the way of a man with a maiden.

20Such is the way of an adulterous woman;

She eats and wipes her mouth,

And says,

“I haven't done anything wrong.”

21At three things the earth is agitated,

And four it is not able to bear:

22A servant who reigns,

And a fool when he has had his fill of food,

23A detestable woman if she marries,

And a maidservant who dispossesses her mistress.

24There are four creatures

Which are small on the earth,

But they are wise,

Most wise:

25The ants are not a strong people,

But in summer they make provision for their food;

26The rock hyraxes which are not a powerful people,

But they make their home in a rock;

27The locust which does not have a king,

Yet they go out in a pincer movement;

28The lizard which holds on with its arms

And is found in royal palaces.

29There are three creatures

Which are good in their motion,

And four which are good in their movement:

30The lion is mighty among animals

– It does not back away from anything;

31The zebra girded around the loins,

And the he-goat,

And the king against whom there is no insurrection.

32If you have acted foolishly in exalting yourself,

Or if you have been devious,

Put your hand to your mouth.

33For the churning of milk produces butter,

But the churning of wrath produces bloodshed,

And the churning of anger produces contention.

Reference(s) in Chapter 30: v.6 ↔ Revelation 22:18.

Proverbs Chapter 31 

1The words of Lemuel the king – the burden which his mother taught him.

2What, my son?

And what, O son of my womb?

And what, O son of my vows?

3Do not give your strength to women,

Or engage on ways

Liable to wipe out kings.

4It is not fitting for kings, Lemuel,

It is not fitting for kings to drink wine,

Nor for princes to drink any strong liquor,

5Lest he should drink and forget what is decreed,

And he subverts the justice of any of the afflicted.

6Give strong liquor to him who is perishing,

And wine to the inwardly bitter.

7Let him drink and forget his poverty,

And no longer remember his sorrow.

8Open your mouth to the mute

And for the justice of all those passing away.

9Open your mouth,

Judge righteously,

And defend the poor and needy.

10Who can find a virtuous wife,

Whose value is far above red corals?

11Her husband's heart will put trust in her,

And gain will not be lacking.

12She will bestow good on him, and not evil,

All the days of her life.

13She asks for wool and flax,

And works with her hands with pleasure.

14She is like a merchant's ships;

She brings her food in from a long way off.

15And she arises while it is still night

And gives food to her household

And instructions to her maidservants.

16She considers a field

And acquires it;

By the fruitful work of her hands

A vineyard is planted.

17She girds her loins with strength

And puts energy into her arms.

18She verifies that her merchandise is good,

And her lamp does not go out at night.

19She applies her arm to the distaff,

And her hand holds the spindle.

20Her hand distributes to the poor,

And she extends her arms to the needy.

21She does not fear snow in her house,

For all her household are clothed in scarlet.

22She makes herself drapery;

Fine linen and purple are her attire.

23Her husband is known at the gates

When he sits with the elders of the land.

24She makes linen and sells it,

And she supplies the merchant with girdles.

25Strength and dignity are her attire,

And she will laugh on the last day.

26She opens her mouth with wisdom,

And the law of kindness is on her tongue.

27She watches the proceedings of her household closely,

And she does not eat the bread of laziness.

28Her sons arise and call her blessed,

As does her husband,

And he praises her.

29Many daughters have conducted themselves virtuously,

But you have surpassed them all.

30Elegance is a delusion,

And beauty is a vain thing,

But it is a woman who fears the Lord

Who will be praised.

31Give her the fruit of her hands,

And may her deeds occasion her praise at the gates.


Ecclesiastes  

Ecclesiastes Chapter 1 

1The words of the convener, the son of David, the king in Jerusalem.

2“Vanity of vanities,”

Says the convener,

“Vanity of vanities;

All is vanity.

3What is the benefit to a man

Of all his toil which he toils at

Under the sun?

4A generation goes and a generation comes,

But the world stands age-abidingly.

5And the sun rises, and the sun sets,

Then it draws towards its place

Where it rises again.

6It goes to the south, and it turns to the north;

Turning and turning, the wind goes,

And by its round trips

The wind returns.

7All the streams go to the sea,

But the sea is not full.

To the place where the streams flow,

There they return to flow again.

8Everything is wearisome;

No-one can utter it.

The eye is not satisfied with seeing,

And the ear is not filled with hearing.

9What has been is what will be,

And what has been done is what will be done,

And there is nothing new under the sun.

10Is there anything of which it can be said,

‘Look, this is new’?

It was already in existence in ancient times

Something which existed before us.

11There is no remembrance of the former things,

Nor will there be any remembrance of the latter things which will be,

With those who will be in existence

In the latter time.

12I, the convener, became king over Israel in Jerusalem, 13and I decided to seek and investigate by means of wisdom everything that has been done under heaven. It is a troublesome matter that God has given the sons of Adam to be afflicted by. 14I have seen all the works which are done under the sun, and look, everything is vanity and idle pursuit.

15That which is crooked

Cannot be made straight,

And that which is lacking

Cannot be counted.

16I spoke to myself deep down and said, ‘Here I am; I have become great, and I have increased in wisdom more than everyone who was before me in Jerusalem, and my heart has seen much wisdom and knowledge.’ 17And I devoted my heart to knowing wisdom, and to knowledge of folly and foolishness, and I came to know that this too is idle pursuit.

18For in much wisdom there is much annoyance,

And he who increases knowledge

Increases sorrow.

Ecclesiastes Chapter 2 

1I said in my heart, ‘Go now; I will test you with joy. And discern what is good.’ But behold, this is also vanity. 2To laughter I said, ‘It is foolish’, and to joy, ‘What is it doing?’ 3I purposed in my heart to invigorate my body with wine, yet familiarizing my heart with wisdom, and to lay hold of foolishness until I had seen what was good for the sons of Adam, for them to do under heaven for the number of the days of their life. 4I was great in my works – I built myself houses; I planted myself vineyards. 5I made gardens for myself, and parks, and I planted all kinds of fruit trees in them. 6I made pools of water for myself, with which to irrigate the orchard where the trees were growing. 7I acquired menservants and maidservants, and I had servants born in the household; I also had much livestock – oxen and sheep – more than anything there had been in Jerusalem before me. 8I also collected for myself silver and gold and what is particular to kings and states. I acquired for myself men singers and women singers and the delights of the sons of Adam, and mistresses one after another. 9And I became great and surpassed everyone who was before me in Jerusalem, and my wisdom stood me in good stead.

10And I did not deny my eyes anything they asked for;

I did not refuse my heart any pleasure,

For my heart obtained joy from all my toil,

And this was my portion of all my toil.

11And I turned to all my works

Which my hands had made,

And to the toil which I had toiled at by working,

And behold, it was all vanity and idle pursuit,

And there was no benefit under the sun.

12And I turned to look into wisdom,

And folly and foolishness,

For what will the man who comes after the king do?

Something that they have already done.

13And I saw that wisdom has more benefit than foolishness,

As light has more benefit than darkness.

14The wise man has his eyes in his head,

But the fool walks in darkness.

And I myself know that one event

Takes place with all of them.

15And I said in my heart,

‘As is the event with the fool,

So it will happen to me too.

So why then should I become wiser still?’

And I concluded

That this too was vanity.

16For there is no age-abiding remembrance of the wise

Any more than of the fool,

In that the days are already coming

When everything will be forgotten.

And how will the wise man die?

With the fool.

17And I hated life. For the matter which was done under the sun was baneful to me, because everything is vanity and idle pursuit. 18And I hated all my toil which I had toiled at under the sun, which I will leave to the man who comes after me. 19And who knows whether he will be a wise man or a fool when he rules over all my toil which I have toiled at, and which I was wise in under the sun? This too is vanity. 20Then I had reason to let my heart despair of all the toil which I had toiled at under the sun. 21For there is one man whose toil is in wisdom and knowledge and skill, but to another who has not toiled in this way he will legate a share. This too is vanity and a great evil. 22For what accrues to a man in all his toil and in his pursuit of his heart's desire at which he toils under the sun? 23For all his days are sorrows, and his affairs are an irritation. Moreover his heart does not rest at night. This too is vanity. 24There is nothing good in the fact that a man eats and drinks and provides himself with good things in his toil. I have seen this too – that it is from the hand of God. 25For who eats and who experiences pleasure more than me? 26For he gives a man who is good in his sight wisdom and knowledge and joy, but to the sinner he gives a task of gathering and collecting things, to give to a good man before God. This too is vanity and idle pursuit.

Ecclesiastes Chapter 3 

1There is a time for everything,

And a season for every concern under heaven.

2A time to bear children,

And a time to die;

A time to plant,

And a time to uproot that which has been planted;

3A time to kill,

And a time to heal;

A time to demolish,

And a time to build;

4A time to weep,

And a time to laugh;

A time to mourn,

And a time to dance;

5A time to throw stones,

And a time to gather stones;

A time to embrace,

And a time to be far from embracing;

6A time to demand,

And a time to forego;

A time to keep,

And a time to throw away;

7A time to tear,

And a time to sew;

A time to be silent,

And a time to speak;

8A time to love,

And a time to hate;

A time for war,

And a time for peace.

9What is the benefit to the maker of what he toils at? 10I have seen the task which God has given to the sons of Adam to be exercised by. 11He has made everything beautiful in its season; he has also put the world into their heart, because of man's failure to find the work which God has done from the beginning to the end. 12I know that there is no good in them, except to rejoice and to do good in one's life, 13and also for every man to eat and drink and to see the good in all his toil – it is the gift of God. 14I know that everything that God does will be age-abiding. There is nothing to add to it, and there is nothing to take away from it, and God made it so that men should fear in his presence.

15That which has been is still here,

And that which is to be has already been.

And God demands an account

Of what has been pursued.

16And I saw more under the sun,

In the place of justice,

There there was wickedness,

And in the place of righteousness,

There there was wickedness.

17I said in my heart,

‘God will judge the righteous and the wicked.

For there is a time for every concern,

And then for every work.’

18I said in my heart, ‘It is because of the behaviour of the sons of Adam, that God will examine them and see whether they are beasts towards each other.’ 19Because the sons of Adam are subject to an event, and cattle are subject to an event, and they share one event. As is the death of one, so is the death of the other, and all have one breath, and there is no superiority of man over the cattle, for everything is vanity. 20All go to one place, all came from the dust and all return to the dust. 21Who knows the spirit of the sons of Adam, which goes up, and the spirit of cattle which goes down to the earth? 22And I saw that there is nothing better than that man should rejoice in his works, for that is his apportionment. For who can bring him to look at what will take place after him?

Ecclesiastes Chapter 4 

1So I returned, and I saw all the oppressions which are perpetrated under the sun.

And what I saw was the tear of the oppressed,

Who have no comforter,

While from the hand of those who oppress them comes force.

And they have no comforter.

2Then I praised the dead,

Who have already died,

More than the living,

Who are still alive.

3Yet better than both is he

Who has not yet come into being,

Who has not seen the wicked work

Which has been done under the sun.

4And I saw all the toil and all the skill applied to the work, for it is a man's rivalry with his neighbour. This too is vanity and idle pursuit.

5The fool folds his arms

And eats his own flesh.

6A handful in quiet is better

Than two fistfuls in toil and idle pursuit.

7Then I returned and saw vanity under the sun.

8There is a certain man,

And there is no-one in his company,

Neither does he have son or brother,

And there is no end to all his toil,

Nor is his eye satisfied with riches.

And he says, ‘For whom do I toil,

And deprive myself of goodness?’

This too is vanity,

And it is a bad state of affairs.

9Two are better than one,

In that they have good wages for their toil.

10For if they fall,

One will get his colleague up.

But alas for one on his own who falls

When there is no other to get him up.

11Also if two lie down together

Then they have warmth.

But how will one on his own

Become warm?

12If anyone would overpower the one,

Two will stand against him.

And a triple thread

Is not quickly broken.

13It is better to be a poor but wise child

Than an old and foolish king

Who no longer knows how to receive admonition.

14For he comes out of prison to reign,

But also in his kingdom

A poor man is born.

15I have seen all who are alive,

Walking under the sun,

With the heir apparent

Who will succeed him.

16There is no end to all the people

– To all who were before them –

Neither will the latter ones rejoice in him,

For this too is vanity and idle pursuit.

Ecclesiastes Chapter 5 

1Mind your feet when you go into the house of God, and be near so as to hear, rather than to let fools give a sacrifice, for they do not know anything other than doing wrong.

2Do not be rash with your mouth,

And do not let your heart be hasty in uttering a word in God's presence,

For God is in heaven,

But you are on the earth,

So let your words be few.

3For a dream comes with much to occupy one,

But the voice of the fool

Comes with many words.

4When you make a vow to God,

Do not be late in fulfilling it,

For there is no pleasure in fools.

What you have vowed, fulfil!

5It is better for you not to make a vow

Than to vow but not fulfil.

6Do not let your mouth cause you to commit carnal sin, and do not say in the presence of an angel that it was a sin through ignorance. Why should God become angry at your utterance and destroy the work of your hands? 7For in many dreams there are many vain things, as in many words. But fear God. 8If you see oppression of the impoverished, and wresting of justice and righteousness in a state, do not be surprised at the matter, for there is high rank watching over high rank, and higher ranks above them. 9And the benefit of the earth is for all. The king is served by the field.

10He who loves money

Will never be satisfied with money,

Nor will he who loves wealth be satisfied with profit.

This too is vanity.

11With an increase in good things

Comes an increase in those that eat them,

So what is the advantage to their owner

Except a sight for his eyes?

12The workman's sleep is sweet

Whether he eats little or much,

But the abundance of the rich man

Does not permit him to sleep.

13There is a grievous injustice

That I have seen under the sun:

Riches kept by their owner

To his detriment.

14Then those riches are lost

In a calamitous affair,

And he begets a son

But has nothing in his hand.

15As when he came out of his mother's womb

– Naked – so he will return,

Going as he came,

And he will not take any of his toil with him

Which he might take in his hand.

16And this too is a grievous injustice:

In exactly the same way that he comes, so he goes.

So what benefit does he have

By toiling for the wind?

17Moreover all his days he eats in darkness

And is much grieved

And is sick and angry.

18Behold what I have seen. It is right that it is pleasant to eat and drink and to see goodness in all one's toil which one toils at under the sun for the number of days of one's life which God gives him, for that is his apportionment. 19Also as regards every man to whom God has given riches and property and has allowed him to eat from them, and to take his portion, and to rejoice in his toil – this is a gift of God. 20For one will not remember the days of his life much, for it is God who causes a response in the joy of his heart.

Ecclesiastes Chapter 6 

1There is an injustice which I have seen under the sun, and it is severe among mankind, 2about a man to whom God has given riches and property and honour, and whose heart does not lack anything he could wish for, but God does not allow him to eat from it, but a foreigner eats it. This is vanity and a grievous injustice. 3If a man begets a hundred children and lives for many years, and many are the days of his years, but his heart is not satisfied with the goodness, and also if he does not have a burial, I say that a miscarriage would have been better than that. 4For he arrives in vanity and departs in darkness, and in darkness his name is covered. 5And he did not see the sun or know about it. This one has more rest than the former. 6And even if he were to live a thousand years twice over but did not see goodness, is it not still the case that all go to the same place?

7All man's toil is for his mouth,

But his heart is nevertheless not fulfilled.

8For what does a wise man have

More than a fool?

And what advantage does a poor man have,

Knowing how to walk before the living?

9A sight seen by the eyes is better

Than a wandering mind.

This too is vanity and idle pursuit.

10What has taken place

Has already been called by its name.

And it is known that it is Adam,

And that he cannot contend

With him who is more powerful than he.

11For there are many things that increase vanity,

But what is the advantage to man?

12For who knows what is good for man in life in the number of the days of his vain life which he spends like a shadow? Who can tell a man what will take place after him under the sun?

Ecclesiastes Chapter 7 

1A reputation is better than fine oil,

And the day of death than the day of one's birth.

2It is better to go to the house of mourning

Than to go to a house of banqueting,

For that is the end of every man.

And may he who is alive lay it to his heart.

3Grief is better than laughter,

For in a sad expression the heart is benefited.

4The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning,

Whereas the heart of fools

Is in the house of rejoicing.

5It is better to hear the rebuke of a wise man

Than for a man to hear the song of fools.

6For as is the sound of the thorns under the pot,

So is the laughter of the fool.

And this too is vanity.

7For unjust gain shames the wise,

And a bribe makes the heart stray.

8The end of a matter is better than its beginning,

And longsuffering is better than arrogance.

9Do not be quick in your spirit to become angry,

For anger lodges in the bosom of fools.

10Do not say, ‘What has taken place?

Because the first days were better than these’,

For you would not be asking wisely about this.

11Wisdom with an inheritance is good,

And is advantageous to those who see the sun.

12For one may be under the protection of wisdom,

Or under the protection of money,

But the advantage of knowledge

Is that wisdom gives life to its owners.

13Look at the work of God,

For who can straighten

That which he has made bent?

14On a day of prosperity enjoy the success,

But on a day of adversity, observe:

God has made both one thing and another

In order that man should not find out

About anything coming after him.

15I have seen everything in my vain days.

There is a righteous man who perishes in his righteousness,

And there is a wicked man

Who lives a long time in his wickedness.

16Do not be over-righteous,

And do not make yourself too wise.

Why should you destroy yourself?

17Do not do much wrong,

And do not be foolish.

Why should you die

When it is not your time?

18It is good if you hold on to this,

And do not let your hands drop this either,

For he who fears God

Will leave with everyone else.

19Wisdom will strengthen the wise man

More than ten rulers

Who are in the city.

20For there is not a just man on the earth

Who does good and does not sin.

21Moreover do not concern yourself

With all the words spoken,

So that you do not hear

Your servant cursing you.

22For also your heart knows

That you have also cursed others

Many times.

23I have tested all this with wisdom.

I said, ‘I will be wise’,

But it was far from me.

24Who can find what is distant

And very deep?

25Then I applied my heart

To know and to investigate and to seek wisdom,

And an explanation of things,

And to know the wickedness of foolhardiness,

And foolishness and folly.

26And I found more bitter than death

The woman who is out to catch,

And whose heart is set on enticements,

Whose hands are bonds.

It is good in God's sight that one should escape from her,

But the sinner will be caught by her.

27‘See what I have found’,

Says the convener,

Putting one thing and another together

To find the result.’

28So my mind is still seeking

And I have not found it.

I have found one man in a thousand,

But I have not found such a woman among all these.

29Just look at this that I have found,

That God made man upright,

Yet they seek all sorts of schemes.

Reference(s) in Chapter 7: v.20 ↔ Romans 3:10.

Ecclesiastes Chapter 8 

1Who is like the wise man?

And who knows the interpretation of a matter?

A man's wisdom enlightens his face,

And the harshness of his face is changed.”

2I say, “Keep the king's commandment, and do so on account of God's oath. 3Do not hasten away from his presence, but walk. Do not defend an evil matter, for he will do whatever he pleases.

4Where the word of the king is,

There is authority.

And who will say to him,

‘What are you doing?’

5He who keeps the commandment

Will not experience any harmful thing,

And a wise heart will know

Both time and custom,

6Because for every matter there is a time and a custom,

For the wickedness of man

Is heavily against him.

7For he does not know what will come to pass,

For who can tell him when it will come to pass?

8There is no man with power over the wind

To restrain the wind,

And no-one has power over the day of death.

And there is no leave of absence in war,

Nor will wickedness save those who practise it.

9I have seen all this, and I have applied my heart to every kind of occupation which is practised under the sun. It is a time when one man rules over another man to his detriment. 10And so I looked at the wicked who were buried, who had come to, and who had departed from, the holy place, and who were forgotten in the city where they had done this. This too is vanity. 11Where sentence is not executed, the work of the wicked is prompt, which is why the heart of the sons of men is full of boldness in them to do evil. 12Even if a sinner does wrong a hundred times, and lives long, yet I also know that it will go well with those who fear God, who fear in his presence. 13But it will not go well with the wicked man, and he will not live long, being as a shadow, because he does not fear in God's presence. 14There is a vanity which is committed on the earth, whereby there are righteous men upon whom the consequences of the work of the wicked comes, and there are wicked men upon whom the consequences of the work of the righteous comes. I say that this also is vanity. 15And I praised joy, because man has nothing good under the sun other than to eat and drink and be merry, and that will accompany him in his toil for the days of his life which God has given him under the sun. 16When I applied my heart to know wisdom and to look into the matter which is being done on the earth – for it neither by day nor by night sees sleep in its eyes – 17I saw the whole of God's work. For man cannot discover the work which is done under the sun, because man toils to seek it out, but he does not discover it, and even if a wise man says he knows it, he cannot discover it.

Ecclesiastes Chapter 9 

1For I applied my heart to all this, to examine all this – the fact that the righteous and the wise and their works are in the hand of God. Mankind does not know whether either love or hatred will come – everything lies in front of them. 2Everything happens similarly to everyone. There is one result for the righteous and for the wicked, for the good and for the clean and for the unclean, and for him who sacrifices and for him who does not sacrifice.

As for the good,

So for the sinner,

As for him who swears an oath,

So for him who fears an oath.

3This is an evil thing among everything that has been done under the sun, for there is one result for all, and also the heart of the sons of Adam is full of evil. And folly is in their heart during their life, and afterwards they proceed to the dead. 4For whoever is joined to all the living has confidence. For

A living dog is better than a dead lion.

5Yet the living know that they will die,

But the dead don't know anything,

Nor do they have a reward any more,

For memory of them is forgotten.

6Also their love and their hatred

And their jealousy have already passed away.

And they age-abidingly no longer have a portion

In anything that has been done under the sun.

7Go and eat your bread with joy,

And drink your wine with a merry heart,

For God has already accepted your works.

8Let your clothes be white at all times,

And let not oil be lacking on your head.

9Spend life with the woman you love all the days of your vain life which he has given you under the sun – all the days of your vanity – for that is your portion in life and in your toil at which you toil under the sun. 10Do with your strength whatever your hand finds to do, for there is no occupation or explanation or knowledge or wisdom in the underworld to which you are going. 11I again saw under the sun that

The race is not for the swift,

And war is not for the valiant,

Nor is bread for the wise,

Nor is wealth for the prudent,

Nor is grace for those who have knowledge,

For an occasion and an incident befall them all.

12For man does not know his time either;

He is like a fish caught in a nasty net,

Or like birds caught in a snare.

The sons of Adam are ensnared like them,

In an evil hour,

When it suddenly falls on them.

13I have also seen this wisdom under the sun, and it seems to me to be great: 14there was a small town, with few people in it, and a great king came against it and surrounded it, and he built great siegeworks against it. 15But in it was found a poor man, but wise, and he delivered the city by his wisdom. Yet no man remembered that poor man.” 16And I said,

“Wisdom is better than valour,

But the wisdom of the poor man is despised,

And his words are not heard.

17The words of the wise are heard in quiet

More than the shout of a ruler among fools.

18Wisdom is better than equipment for battle,

But one sinner can ruin much good.

Ecclesiastes Chapter 10 

1As deadly flies make the pharmacist's oil stink and go putrid,

So does a little foolishness with him who is esteemed with wisdom and with honour.

2The heart of a wise man

Is on his right,

But the heart of a fool

Is on his left.

3And also when a fool is walking along a road,

His heart fails him,

And he says to everyone

That he is a fool.

4If the spirit of the ruler rises against you,

Do not leave your place,

For calmness bears with great sins.

5There is an evil thing which I have seen under the sun:

A sin through ignorance,

Which proceeds from the ruler.

6Foolishness is instituted in many high places,

But the rich will sit in a low place.

7I have seen servants on horses,

And princes walking like servants on the ground.

8He who digs a pit will fall into it,

And as for him who demolishes a wall,

A serpent will bite him.

9He who quarries stones

Will be hurt by them,

And he who chops wood

Will be endangered by it.

10If the iron implement is blunt,

And he does not sharpen its edge,

Then he must use more force.

But wisdom has the benefit of bringing success.

11If a serpent bites,

It is because it has not been charmed,

So the talkative man has nothing illustrious.

12The words of a wise man's mouth are gracious,

But the lips of a fool will swallow him up.

13The beginning of the words of his mouth is foolishness,

And the end of his speech is calamitous folly.

14And the fool is very talkative.

But man does not know what will come to pass,

And who can tell him

What will come to pass after him?

15The fool's toil will weary him

Because he does not know how to go to the city.

16Woe to you, O land,

Where your king is a boy,

And your princes dine in the morning.

17Blessed are you, O land,

Where your king is a nobleman,

And your princes eat in season,

In valour and not in drinking.

18Through slackness the rafter-work decays,

And through idleness in maintenance the house leaks.

19A meal is made for entertainment,

And wine makes life merry,

But money answers everything.

20And do not curse the king in your mind,

And do not curse the rich in your bedrooms,

For a bird of the sky will carry your voice,

And the winged one will divulge the matter.

Ecclesiastes Chapter 11 

1Cast seed for your bread alongside water,

For then after many days

You will find it.

2Give a part to seven,

And also to eight,

For you do not know

What will become a calamity on the earth.

3If the thick clouds are full of rain,

They will empty it on the land,

And whether a tree falls to the south or to the north,

In the place where the tree falls,

There it remains.

4He who takes note of the wind will not sow,

And he who observes the clouds will not reap.

5Just as you do not know the route of the wind,

Nor the way of the bones in the womb of her that is pregnant,

So you do not know the work of God,

Who makes everything.

6Sow your seed in the morning,

And do not rest your hand in the evening,

Because you do not know what will give success

– This or that –

Or whether both alike will be good.

7Light is sweet,

And it is also good for the eyes to see the sunlight.

8For if a man lives for many years,

May he rejoice in them all,

But may he remember the days of darkness,

For they will be many.

Everything that comes is vanity.

9Rejoice, O young man, in your youth,

And let your heart make you cheerful in your youthful days,

And walk in the ways of your heart

And the sight of your eyes,

But know that concerning all these things

God will bring you into judgment.

10Put away anger from your heart,

And remove evil from your flesh,

For childhood and tender age are vanity.

Ecclesiastes Chapter 12 

1And remember your creator in the days of your youth,

While the bad days have not yet come,

Nor have the years arrived of which you will say,

‘I have no pleasure in them’,

2While the sun has not gone dark,

Nor the light, nor the moon and the stars,

Nor have the thick clouds returned after the rain,

3On the day when the guardians of the house shake,

And the strong men have become bowed,

And the grinders have become unserviceable,

Because they are few,

And the lookers out of the windows have become dark,

4And the doors have closed in the street,

When the sound of the mill is low,

And one rises at the sound of a bird,

And all the daughters of song are faint,

5When also they are afraid of heights,

With trepidation on the road,

And the almond tree sheds its blossom,

And the grasshopper is a burden,

And the caperberry fails,

For man goes to his age-abiding house,

And mourners circulate in the street.

6For a while the silver cord is not constrained,

And the golden bowl is not crushed,

And the pitcher is not fractured at the fountain,

And the wheel is not broken at the cistern,

7Then dust returns onto the earth,

As it was,

And the spirit returns to God

Who gave it.”

8“Vanity of vanities,”

Says the convener,

“Everything is vanity.”

9And the more that the convener was wise, the more he taught the people knowledge, and he weighed it up, and he sought it out, and he composed many proverbs. 10The convener set out to find pleasing words, and honest writing – words of truth. 11The words of the wise are like goads and like nails driven in. They are masters of gatherings, given by one shepherd. 12And, my son, be warned of anything more than these. There is no end of making many books, and much study is weariness to the flesh. 13We will hear the whole conclusion of the matter:

Fear God and keep his commandments,

For this is the whole duty of man.

14For God will bring every deed into judgment,

With every hidden thing,

Whether good or bad.


Song of Solomon  

Song of Solomon Chapter 1 

1Solomon's Song of Songs.

2“May he kiss me with kisses of his mouth,

For your love is better than wine.

3At the fragrance of your good oils,

Your name is as oil poured out,

Which is why the virgins love you.

4Draw me after you; we will run away.

The king has brought me to his rooms.”

“We will rejoice and be glad with you;

We will remember your love more than wine.

Those who are upright love you.”

5“I am swarthy and comely,

You daughters of Jerusalem,

Like the tents of Kedar,

Like Solomon's curtains.

6Do not look at me, because I am swarthy

– Because the sun has given me a tan.

The sons of my mother have become angry with me.

They appointed me as a guardian of their vineyards;

I have not guarded my own vineyard.

7Tell me, you whom my being loves,

Where are you tending your flock?

Where do you make them lie down at noon?

For why should I be languishing

Alongside the flocks of your fellow shepherds?”

8“If you do not know,

O most beautiful among women,

Then go out along the tracks of the flock

And tend your goat-kids

By the tabernacles of the shepherds.”

9“I have compared you to my mare

Among Pharaoh's chariots, my beloved.

10How beautiful would be your cheeks

With rows of beads,

And your neck with strings of pearls!

11We will make you rows of golden beads

With studs of silver.”

12“While the king is on his couch,

My spikenard emits its fragrance.

13My lover is a bundle of myrrh to me.

He shall pass the night between my breasts.

14My lover is a bunch of henna flowers to me,

In the vineyards of En-Gedi.”

15“Behold how beautiful you are, my beloved;

Behold how beautiful you are

With your eyes of a dove.”

16“Behold how handsome you are my lover

– Indeed delightful –

Moreover our couch is fresh.”

17“The joists of our house are cedars,

And our wainscoting is of cypress.”

Song of Solomon Chapter 2 

1“I am a lily of Sharon

And a lily of the valley.”

2“Like a lily among the brambles,

So is my beloved among the daughters.”

3“Like an apple tree among the trees of the forest,

So is my lover among the sons.

In his shadow I delight and sit,

And his fruit is sweet to my taste.

4He brought me to the house of wine,

And the ensign over me was love.

5Sustain me with raisin cake,

Refresh me with apples,

For I am lovesick.

6His left hand will be under my head,

And his right hand will embrace me.

7I adjure you, O daughters of Jerusalem,

By the wild gazelles and deer hinds,

Do not by any means awaken or arouse love,

Until it is willing.

8The voice of my lover

– Behold, he is coming –

Leaping over the mountains

And bounding over the hills.

9My lover is like a gazelle or a deer fawn.

See how he is standing behind our wall,

Gazing from the windows,

Glancing from the grille.

10My lover answered and said to me,

‘Get yourself up, my beloved, my beauty,

And get going.

11For behold, the winter has passed,

The rain has passed on

And gone its way.

12The blossoms have appeared in the land,

The time of pruning has arrived,

And the sound of the turtle-dove

Is heard in our land.

13The fig tree has ripened its unripe figs,

And the vines with vine blossom have produced a fragrance.

Arise, come my beloved, my beauty,

And get moving.

14O dove of mine in the clefts of the rock,

In the shelter of the precipice,

Show me what you look like,

And let me hear your voice,

For your voice is mellow

And your appearance is becoming.’

15‘Catch the foxes for us,

The little foxes which spoil the vineyards,

For our vineyards are in blossom.’

16My lover is mine,

And I am his

– The shepherd among the lilies.

17Before the day grows cool,

And the shadows flee,

Return, my beloved;

Be like a gazelle or a deer fawn

On the mountains of Bether.

Song of Solomon Chapter 3 

1On my couch at night I sought him

Whom my whole being loves;

I sought him,

But I did not find him.

2Let me get up, then,

And I will go around the city;

In the squares and the streets,

I will seek him

Whom my whole being loves.

I sought him,

But I did not find him.

3The watchmen who patrol the city found me.

I asked, ‘Have you seen the one

Whom my whole being loves?’

4I had hardly passed on from them

When I found him

Whom my whole being loves.

I held on to him

And would not let him go

Until I had brought him to my mother's house,

And to the room of her who conceived me.

5I adjure you, O daughters of Jerusalem,

By the wild gazelles and deer hinds,

Do not by any means awaken or arouse love,

Until it is willing.”

6“Who is this coming up from the desert,

Like pillars of smoke,

Perfumed with myrrh and frankincense,

With all the aromatic powder of the merchant?”

7“Behold Solomon's bed.

There are sixty warriors around it

From the warriors of Israel.

8They are all wielding a sword

And are trained in warfare.

Each has his sword on his thigh

Because of fear at night.”

9“King Solomon has made himself a litter

From the wood of Lebanon.

10He made its posts of silver

And its backing of gold

And its seat of purple material.

Its inside is a mosaic of love themes

From the daughters of Jerusalem.”

11“Come out, O daughters of Zion,

And look at King Solomon,

With the crown with which his mother crowned him

On his wedding day,

And on the day of joy in his heart.”

Song of Solomon Chapter 4 

1“How beautiful you are, my beloved,

How beautiful you are!

Your eyes are those of doves through your veil.

Your hair is like a flock of goats

Which shine from Mount Gilead.

2Your teeth are like a flock

Which has been shorn,

Which has come up from the washing place,

Which are all paired

And among which none is bereft of young.

3Your lips are like a scarlet thread,

And your speech is delightful.

Your cheek is like the segment of a pomegranate

Through your veil.

4Your neck is like the Tower of David,

Built as an armoury.

A thousand bucklers hang from it

– All the shields of warriors.

5Your two breasts are like two deer fawn twins

Of the gazelle hind,

Grazing among the lilies.”

6“Before the day grows cool,

And the shadows flee,

I will betake myself

To the mountain of myrrh

And to the hill of frankincense.”

7“You are beautiful all over, my beloved,

And there is no blemish on you.

8Come with me from Lebanon, my bride,

With me from Lebanon.

Look from the peak of Amana,

From the peak of Senir and Hermon,

From the dens of lions

And from the mountains of leopards.

9You have given me heart, my sister, my bride,

You have given me heart

With one of your eyes,

With one necklace of your necklace stack.

10How beautiful your love is, my sister, my bride!

How your love is better than wine,

And the fragrance of your oils than all the perfumes!

11Your lips distil honey from the honeycomb, my bride.

Honey and milk are under your tongue,

And the fragrance of your clothes

Is like the fragrance of Lebanon.

12My sister – my bride – is a locked garden,

A blocked spring, a sealed water-source.

13Your shoots are a park of pomegranates,

With exquisite fruit,

Henna flowers with spikenard plants,

14Spikenard and saffron,

Sweet cane and cinnamon,

With all kinds of frankincense trees,

Myrrh and aloes,

With all the prime sorts of perfumes,

15A source for gardens,

A well of living water,

And distillations from Lebanon.

16Awake, O North,

And come, O South,

Blow on my garden and let its perfumes distil.”

“Let my lover come to his garden,

And eat its exquisite fruit.”

Song of Solomon Chapter 5 

1“I have come to my garden, my sister, my bride;

I have gathered my myrrh with my perfume,

I have eaten my honeycomb with my honey,

I have drunk my wine with my milk.”

“Eat, friends,

Drink, and imbibe strong drink,

You lovers.”

2“I was asleep,

But my heart was awake;

The voice of my lover was knocking,

‘Open to me, my sister,

My beloved, my dove, my undefiled,

For my head is full of dew,

As are my locks of hair

With dewdrops of the night.

3I have taken my tunic off;

How can I put it on again?

I have washed my feet;

How can I soil them again?’

4My lover stretched out his hand by the lock hole,

And I was moved inwardly because of him.

5I arose to open to my lover,

And my hands exuded drops of myrrh,

And my fingers liquid myrrh

On the handles of the lock.

6I opened to my lover,

But my lover withdrew and vanished.

My heart went out to him when he spoke.

I sought him,

But I did not find him;

I called to him,

But he did not answer me.

7The watchmen who patrol in the city found me.

They struck me, they wounded me;

The guardians of the walls lifted my veil off me.

8I adjure you, O daughters of Jerusalem,

If you find my lover,

That you tell him

That I am lovesick.”

9In what way is your lover different

From any other lover,

O beautiful one among women?

In what way is your lover different

From any other lover,

That you should adjure us like this?”

10“My lover is bright and red,

Conspicuous among ten thousand.

11His head is pure gold;

His locks of hair are swaying palm fronds,

And they are black like a raven.

12His eyes are like a dove's

By the torrents of water

Eyes washed in milk,

Set like a gemstone in a bezel.

13His cheeks are like a raised garden of balsam plants

– Raised beds of aromatic herbs;

His lips are like lilies,

Exuding liquid myrrh.

14His forearms are cylinders of gold

Set with Tarshish gemstones;

His midriff is polished ivory,

Covered with sapphires.

15His legs are pillars of marble,

Founded on socles of pure gold.

His appearance is as Lebanon;

He is a young man like the cedars.

16His mouth is most sweet.

And all of him is most desirable.

This is my lover

And this is my beloved,

O daughters of Jerusalem.”

Song of Solomon Chapter 6 

1“Where has your lover gone,

O most beautiful among women?

Which way has your lover turned?

Then let us look for him with you.”

2“My lover went down to his garden,

To the raised beds of balsam

To graze in the gardens

And to gather lilies.

3I belong to my lover,

And my lover belongs to me,

The one grazing among the lilies.”

4“You are beautiful, my beloved, like Tirzah,

As delightful as Jerusalem,

As awe-inspiring as a display of banners.

5Turn your eyes away from me,

For they have excited me.

Your hair is like a flock of goats

Which shine from Gilead.

6Your teeth are like a flock of ewes

Which have come up from the washing-place,

Which are all paired,

And among which none is bereft of young.

7Your cheek is like the segment of a pomegranate

Through your veil.

8There are sixty queens and eighty mistresses,

And virgins without number.

9But there is just one of my dove,

My undefiled.

She is the only one of her mother's;

She is the favourite of her who bore her.

The daughters saw her and blessed her,

And the queens and mistresses praised her

And said,

10‘Who is this peeping out like the dawn,

As beautiful as the moon,

As clear as the sun,

As awesome as a display of banners?’ ”

11“I went down to the nut garden

To see the plant life of the valley,

To see if the vine was blossoming

If the pomegranates were blooming.

12I don't know how I landed myself

In the chariots of my noble people.”

13“Come back, come back, O Shulamite, come back.

Come back, and let us look at you.”

“What do you see in the Shulamite?”

You are like the dance of Mahanaim.

Song of Solomon Chapter 7 

1How beautiful your feet are in your shoes,

O daughter of a noble.

Your figure at your thighs is like necklaces

– Craftsmanship in the hands of an artisan.

2Your navel is like a round bowl;

Let it not lack spiced wine.

Your stomach is a pile of wheat

Enclosed by lilies.

3Your two breasts are like two deer fawn

– Twins of the gazelle hind.

4Your neck is like a tower of ivory.

Your eyes are pools in Heshbon

At the Gate of Bath-Rabbim.

Your nose is like the Tower of Lebanon,

Which looks out towards Damascus.

5Your head rests on you like Carmel,

And the locks of your head are like purple material;

The king is captivated by the shocks of hair.

6How beautiful you are and how delightful you are,

O love among the pleasures!

7This stature of yours is like a date palm,

And your breasts are like bunches of grapes.

8I said, ‘I will go up to the date palm;

I will take hold of its palm-branches.’

And now may your breasts become like bunches of grapes of the vine,

And the smell of your nose like apples.

9And your mouth is like good wine

Going straight to my beloved,

Flowing past the lips of the sleepy.”

10“I am my lover's,

And his desire is for me.

11Come, my lover, let us go out into the countryside;

Let us lodge in the villages.

12Let us get up early to go to the vineyards;

Let us see whether the vine is blossoming,

Whether the vine blossom has opened,

Whether the pomegranates have flourished.

There I will give you my love.

13The mandrakes give a fragrance,

And at our gates are all kinds of exquisite fruit,

Both new and old, my lover,

Which I have stowed away for you.

Song of Solomon Chapter 8 

1If only you were as my brother,

Who sucked my mother's breasts.

I would find you outdoors;

I would kiss you,

And I would not be despised.

2I would lead you

And bring you to my mother's house.

She would teach me.

I would give you some spiced wine to drink

Made from my pomegranate must.

3Let his left hand be under my head,

And his right hand embrace me.

4I adjure you, O daughters of Jerusalem,

Why awaken or why arouse love

Before it is willing?”

5“Who is this coming up from the desert,

Leaning on her lover?”

“I aroused you under the apple tree.

Your mother bore you there.

She who gave birth to you

Bore you there.

6Place me like a seal on your heart,

Like a seal on your arm,

For love is as strong as death

And jealousy is as harsh as the grave;

Its flames are fiery flames

– An intense blaze.

7Even much water cannot quench love,

Nor can rivers wash it away.

If a man were to give all the wealth of his household for love,

It would be utterly contemptible of him.”

8“We have a little sister,

Who does not yet have breasts.

What should we do with our sister

On the day when she is proposed to?”

9“If she is a wall,

We will build silver castellations on her.

And if she is a door,

We will enclose her with panels of cedar.”

10“I am a wall,

And my breasts are like towers.

Then I was the one

Who found peace in his sight.

11Solomon had a vineyard in Baal-Hamon.

He let the vineyard out to tenants.

Each one was to bring one thousand pieces of silver

For his fruit.

12My own vineyard is in front of me.

You can have your thousand, Solomon,

And you who keep its fruit, your two hundred.”

13“You garden-dweller,

My companions can hear your voice.

Let me hear it too.”

14“Hasten, my lover,

And be like a gazelle or a fawn of the deer

On the mountains of balsam.”


Isaiah  

Isaiah Chapter 1 

1The vision of Isaiah the son of Amoz which he saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah, kings of Judah.

2Hear, O heavens, and listen, O earth,

For the Lord has spoken.

“I have raised sons and brought them up,

But they have rebelled against me.

3The ox knows his owner,

And the donkey his master's stall,

But Israel does not know

– My people do not understand.

4Alas, a sinful nation,

A people laden with iniquity,

A seed acting wickedly,

Sons acting corruptly.

They have deserted the Lord,

They have despised the holy one of Israel;

They have drawn back.

5Why should you be struck any more?

You would add to the apostasy.

Every head is ailing,

And every heart is faint.

6From the sole of the foot to the head

There is no health in it,

But bruising and scars and raw wounds.

They have not been bathed,

And they have not been bound up,

And they have not been dressed with oil.

7Your land is a desolation,

Your cities have been burned with fire;

As for your land in front of you,

Foreigners are devouring it,

And it is a desolation,

As overthrown by foreigners.

8And the daughter of Zion is left like a shed in a vineyard,

Like a shack in a cucumber field,

Like a besieged city.”

9If the Lord of hosts had not left us a very small remnant,

We would be like Sodom;

We would resemble Gomorrah.

10Hear the word of the Lord,

You leaders of Sodom;

Listen to the word of our God,

You people of Gomorrah.

11“To what end is the abundance of your sacrifices to me?

Says the Lord.

I am replete with burnt offerings of rams

And the fat of fatted calves,

And I do not take pleasure in the blood of bulls

And lambs and he-goats.

12When you come to see my face,

I will ask, ‘Who requested this on your part

To trample over my courtyards?’

13Do not bring a vain meal-offering any more;

Incense is an abomination to me.

I cannot bear the new moon and the Sabbath

Or the convening of a convocation.

They are iniquity,

As is the solemn assembly.

14My being hates your new moons and your festivals;

They are a burden on me,

Which I am weary of bearing.

15And when you stretch out your hands,

I will hide my eyes from you.

Even if you make much prayer,

I will not hear it.

Your hands are full of blood.

16Wash, cleanse yourselves,

Banish evil from your works in my sight;

Cease doing wrong.

17Learn to do good,

Seek justice,

Succour the oppressed,

Give the orphan justice;

Defend the case of the widow.

18Come now, and let us come to a settlement,

Says the Lord,

Even if your sins are as scarlet,

They will become as white as snow.

Even if they are as red as the cochineal worm,

They will become like wool.

19If you are willing, and you are heedful,

You will eat the goodness of the land.

20But if you refuse and rebel,

You will be consumed by the sword,

For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”

21How did the faithful city become a prostitute?

She was full of justice,

Righteousness used to dwell in her,

But now – murderers.

22Your silver has become dross;

Your liquor has been adulterated

With water.

23Your officials are recalcitrant

And are friends of thieves.

Each one loves bribes

And pursues corrupt payments.

They do not give the orphan justice,

And the case of the widow does not reach them.

24“That is why,

Says the Lord

– The Lord of hosts,

The mighty one of Israel –

Alas, I will rid myself of my adversaries,

And I will avenge myself on my enemies.

25And I will draw my hand over you

And refine your dross,

As is done with potash,

And I will remove all your tin.

26And I will restore your judges as in the beginning,

And your counsellors as at the start.

After that you will be called

The City of Righteousness,

The Faithful Town.

27Zion will be redeemed justly,

As will those returning to her, righteously.

28And it will be the demise of transgressors and sinners together,

Whilst those who abandon the Lord

Will be annihilated.

29For they will be ashamed of the terebinths

Which you delighted in,

And you will be ashamed of the parks

Which you were partial to.

30For they will be like a terebinth

Whose leaves are withering,

And like a park

Which has no water.

31And he who is strong

Will be like hemp fibres,

And his work will be tinder to a spark,

And both will burn together,

And there will be no-one to put them out.”

Reference(s) in Chapter 1: v.9 ↔ Romans 9:29 ● v.11 ↔ Mark 12:33.

Isaiah Chapter 2 

1The word which Isaiah the son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem.

2And it will come to pass in the last days

That the mountain of the house of the Lord will be established

As the foremost of the mountains.

And it will be exalted above the hills,

And all the Gentiles will flock to it.

3And many peoples will go,

And they will say,

“Come, let's go up to the mountain of the Lord

– To the house of the God of Jacob –

And he will instruct us concerning his ways,

And let us walk in his paths.”

For the law will go out from Zion,

And the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.

4And he will judge among nations

And convict many peoples.

And they will beat their swords into ploughshares

And their spears into pruning shears.

Nation will not lift up sword against nation,

And they will no longer learn warfare.

5O house of Jacob,

Come, and let us walk in the light of the Lord.

6For you have forsaken your people

– The house of Jacob –

For they are full of eastern practices,

And they divine by clouds like the Philistines,

And they make alliances with foreigners.

7And his land has been filled with silver and gold,

And there is no end to his treasure stores.

And his land has been filled with horses,

And there is no end to his chariots.

8And his land has been filled with idols.

They worship the work of their hands

– What their fingers have made.

9Then when a man is made low,

And a person is humbled,

Do not lift them up.

10Go into the rock,

And hide in the dust,

For fear of the Lord

And because of the splendour of his majesty.

11A man's arrogant eyes will be humbled,

And the haughtiness of the people will be brought low,

And the Lord alone will be exalted

On that day.

12For the day of the Lord of hosts

Is against all the proud and haughty,

And against everyone exalted,

And each one will be humbled,

13And against all the cedars of Lebanon,

Which are high and exalted,

And against all the oaks of Bashan,

14And against all the high mountains,

And against all the exalted hills,

15And against every tall tower,

And against every fortified wall,

16And against all the ships of Tarshish,

And against all attractive sights.

17And the arrogance of man will be brought low,

And the haughtiness of people will be humbled,

And the Lord alone will be exalted

On that day.

18And the idols will vanish in their entirety.

19And they will go into the caves in the rocks

And the caverns of the ground,

For fear of the Lord

And because of the splendour of his majesty

When he arises to terrify the earth.

20On that day

Man will throw his silver idols

And his golden idols,

Which were made for him to worship,

To the moles and bats,

21As he goes into the clefts in the rocks,

And into the cracks in the outcrops,

For fear of the Lord

And because of the splendour of his majesty

When he arises to terrify the earth.

22Renounce your ties with man,

Whose breath is in his nose,

For what is he considered worth?

Reference(s) in Chapter 2: v.12 ↔ Revelation 1:10 ● v.19 ↔ Revelation 6:15.

Isaiah Chapter 3 

1For behold, the Lord – the Lord of hosts –

Is removing supplies and provisions from Jerusalem and from Judah –

All supplies of bread

And all supplies of water,

2Affecting the warrior and soldier,

Judge and prophet and diviner,

And old man,

3Commander of fifty and dignitary,

And counsellor and skilled craftsman,

And the initiate in incantations.

4And I will appoint youngsters as their officials,

And children will rule over them.

5And the people will be oppressed,

One man by another,

And one man by his neighbour.

And a young man will be insolent to an old man,

As will a common man to an honourable man.

6For a man will take hold of his brother in his father's house,

And he will say, “You have a coat;

You shall be our leader,

And these ruins will be under your direction.”

7He will take an oath

On that day, and he will say,

“I will not be the one who remedies this

While there is no food and no coat in my house.

Do not make me a leader of the people.”

8For Jerusalem has toppled over,

And Judah has fallen down,

For their tongue and their deeds were directed against the Lord,

In grieving his majestic gaze.

9The expression on their faces testifies against them,

And they betray their sin like Sodom;

They do not conceal it.

Woe to their very selves,

For they are recompensed with evil.

10Say to the righteous man that this is pleasing:

That men will eat the fruit of their works.

11Woe to the evil wicked man!

For the just deserts of his hands

Will be repaid him.

12As for my people, their taskmasters are juvenile,

And women rule over them.

My people, those guiding you are leading you astray,

And they have subverted the way of your paths.

13The Lord is poised to take issue,

And he is taking a stand in judging various peoples.

14The Lord will enter into a judicial process

With the elders of his people and their officials,

For you have consumed the vineyard,

And the plunder taken from the poor is in your houses.

15“What concern has it been to you

Who tread my people down

And grind down the dignity of the poor?”

Says the Lord,

The Lord of hosts.

16And the Lord said,

“Since the daughters of Zion have been haughty

And have walked vaunting their throats

And flirting with their eyes,

Mincing along as they walk,

And wearing anklets on their feet,

17The Lord* will make the hair of the crown of the head of the daughters of Zion fall out,

And the Lord will expose their nakedness.

18On that day the Lord* will remove the adornment of anklets,

And the sun-disks,

And the moon-bangles,

19The pendants, and the bracelets,

And the veils,

20The headdresses and the ankle-chains and the waistbands,

And the perfume boxes,

And the amulets,

21The rings on fingers and the noserings,

22The mantles and the fine coats,

And the cloaks,

And the purses,

23And the mirrors,

And the linen underwear,

And the turbans

And the scarves.

24And it will come to pass

That instead of perfume there will be rottenness,

And instead of a girdle, a cord,

And instead of hairstyling, baldness,

And instead of an overcoat, a wrapping of sackcloth;

Burn marks instead of beauty.

25Your men will fall by the sword,

As will your military might in war.

26And her gates will sigh and mourn,

And she will be vacated

And remain on the ground.”

Isaiah Chapter 4 

1And on that day,

Seven women will take hold of one man

And will say,

“We will eat our own bread,

And we will wear our own clothing,

Only let us be called by your name

To remove our reproach.”

2On that day the Lord's branch will be

The source of beauty and of honour,

And the fruit of the land

Will demonstrate excellence and splendour

To the escaped remnant of Israel.

3And it will come to pass that he who is left in Zion, and he who remains in Jerusalem, will be declared holy to him – everyone in Jerusalem who is written as destined for life, 4when the Lord* washes away the excrement of the daughters of Zion and purges the blood of Jerusalem from its confines, with a spirit of judgment and with a spirit of burning. 5And the Lord will create over every dwelling place in Mount Zion, and over its assemblies, a cloud by day, and smoke, and a flaming fiery glow by night, for all glory will have a canopy over it. 6But there will be a booth as a shade from the heat, and as a shelter and refuge from storm and rain.

Isaiah Chapter 5 

1Let me now sing to my lover

The song of my loved one about his vineyard.

My lover had a vineyard

On a fertile hilltop.

2And he dug it and cleared it of stones,

And he planted it with a choice vine,

And he built a tower in the middle of it,

And he also hewed out a wine vat in it.

And he expected it to produce good grapes,

But it produced blighted ones.

3So now, O inhabitant of Jerusalem,

And men of Judah,

Please judge between me and my vineyard.

4What more was there to do to my vineyard

That I didn't do in it?

How is it that I expected it to produce good grapes,

But it produced blighted ones?

5So now let me make known to you what I am about to do to my vineyard.

I will remove its hedge,

And it will be consigned to burning;

And I will tear down its wall,

And it will become a place trodden down.

6And I will make it a desolate place,

Where it is not pruned or hoed,

And the briar and thorn will come up.

And I will command the rainclouds

Not to precipitate rain on it.

7For the vineyard of the Lord of hosts

Is the house of Israel,

And the men of Judah

Are his delightful plantation.

And he expected justice

But what came was bloodshed;

And righteousness,

But what came was crying out.

8Woe to those who join house to house,

And who adjoin field to field,

Until there is no room,

And you are housed on your own,

In the middle of the land.

9In my ear, the Lord of hosts said,

“Many houses will certainly become a desolation

– Large ones and good ones –

For want of an occupant.

10For ten times what a yoke of oxen plough in a day in a vineyard

Will yield one bath,

And seed for a homer

Will yield one ephah.”

11Woe to those who get up early in the morning

And go looking for strong drink;

They stay up until late in the night,

While wine inflames them.

12And there will be at their banquets

The harp and the lute,

The drum and the pipe, and wine,

But they do not have respect for the Lord's deeds,

And they do not regard the work of his hands,

13Which is why my people have gone into captivity,

For want of knowledge.

And what was its glory

Is now hungry men,

And what was its populousness

Is now thirsty dryness.

14That is why the grave has opened itself wide

And distended its mouth without limit,

And their glory and their many people, and their bustling,

And he who is joyful

Will descend into it.

15A man is made low,

And a person is humbled,

And the eyes of the arrogant will be brought down,

16But the Lord of hosts is exalted by justice,

And holy God is sanctified by righteousness.

17And lambs will feed according to what pasture they have,

And foreigners will eat from the desolate places of the well-fed.

18Woe to those who pull iniquity along

With cords of vanity,

And sinfulness,

As if with a cart-rope,

19Who say, “Let his work come quickly,

Let it hasten so we can see it,

And let the counsel of the holy one of Israel draw near and arrive

So we can acknowledge it.”

20Woe to those who call bad good,

And good bad,

Substituting darkness for light,

And light for darkness,

Substituting bitter for sweet,

And sweet for bitter.

21Woe to the wise in their own eyes,

And the intelligent in their own opinion.

22Woe to the champions in drinking liquor,

And the masters in mixing strong drink,

23And those who justify the wicked for a bribe,

But as for the justice of the righteous,

They deny him it.

24That is why as a tongue of fire consumes the stubble,

And the hay collapses before the flame.

Their root will be rotten,

And their blossoms will appear like dust,

For they have rejected the law of the Lord of hosts,

And they have despised the words of the holy one of Israel.

25This is why the Lord's anger is kindled against his people,

And why he stretched out his hand against them and struck them,

And the mountains stood in awe,

And their corpses were like the filth in the middle of the open places.

Yet for all this,

His anger is not receding,

And his hand is still stretched out.

26And he will raise a banner to the Gentiles from afar off,

And he will whistle for them from the end of the earth,

And behold, they will come

With haste and speed.

27There is no-one weary, and no-one stumbles among them;

They do not slumber and do not sleep,

And the girdle around their waist does not come loose,

And the fastening of their shoes does not come undone.

28And their arrows are sharp,

And all their bows are drawn,

And the hoofs of their horses are considered as flint,

And their chariot wheels are like a hurricane.

29They have a roar like a lion,

And they roar like lion cubs,

And they growl and seize prey,

And they make off with it,

And there is no-one to rescue it.

30But he will roar at them on that day,

Like the roaring of the sea.

And if one looks at the earth,

There will be darkness and distress,

And the light will be made dark

By its overclouding.

Isaiah Chapter 6 

1In the year of the death of King Uzziah, I saw the Lord* sitting on a throne, high and exalted, and his robe-train filled the temple. 2Seraphim were standing around him, each having six wings. With two each covered his face, and with two each covered his feet, and with two each flew. 3And one called to another and said,

“Holy, holy, holy,

Is the Lord of hosts.

His glory is the fulness

Of all the earth.”

4And the bases of the thresholds moved at the sound of the one calling, and the house became filled with smoke. 5Then I said,

“Woe is me,

For I am reduced to silence,

For I am a man of unclean lips,

And I live among a people of unclean lips,

For my eyes have seen the king

– The Lord of hosts.”

6And one of the Seraphim flew towards me, in whose hand was a hot coal in tongs, which he had taken from the altar. 7And he brought it in contact with my mouth, and he said,

“Look, this has touched your lips,

And your iniquity has departed,

And your sin has been expiated.”

8And I heard the voice of the Lord*, who said,

“Whom shall I send,

And who will go on our behalf?”

And I said, “Here I am; send me.” 9And he said,

“Go and say to this people,

‘You will definitely hear

But certainly not understand,

And you will definitely see

But certainly not discern.

10Make the heart of this people obtuse,

And make their ears dull,

And cover their eyes,

Lest they should see with their eyes,

Or hear with their ears,

And their heart would understand,

And they would come back,

And it would heal them.’ ”

11Then I said, “For how long is it, Lord*?” And he said,

“Until the cities have become desolate,

For want of an inhabitant,

And houses, for want of a man,

And the ground will be laid waste in desolation.

12And the Lord will put man at a distance,

And the abandonment within the land will be great.

13But there will still be a tenth in it,

For that tenth will return,

But it will be ravaged.

Yet just as the terebinth and the oak

After felling retain a stump,

So shall the holy seed be, as its stump.”

Reference(s) in Chapter 6: v.3 ↔ Revelation 4:8 ● v.4 ↔ Revelation 15:8 ● v.9 ↔ Matthew 13:14, Mark 4:12, Luke 8:10, John 12:40, Acts 28:26, Romans 11:8 ● v.10 ↔ Matthew 13:15, Mark 4:12, Luke 8:10, John 12:40, Acts 28:27.

Isaiah Chapter 7 

1And it came to pass in the days of Ahaz, the son of Jotham, the son of Uzziah, the king of Judah, that Rezin the king of Aramaea, with Pekah the son of Remaliah, the king of Israel, went up to Jerusalem in a war against it, but he could not prevail against it. 2And it was reported to the house of David as follows: “Aramaea has taken up a position in Ephraim.” And his heart and the heart of his people were moved, like the movement of the trees of the forest by the wind. 3And the Lord said to Isaiah, “Go out now to meet Ahaz, you and Shear-Jashub your son, at the end of the conduit at the upper pool, to the road of the fuller's field, 4and say to him, ‘Take care, and keep quiet. Do not fear and do not become faint-hearted at these two tails of smoking firebrands, at the burning anger of Rezin and Aramaea and the son of Remaliah, 5in that Aramaea has taken evil counsel against you, with Ephraim and the son of Remaliah, saying, 6«Let us go up into Judah and besiege it and divide it among ourselves and appoint a king in it – the son of Tabeal.» 7This is what my Lord the Lord, says:

«It will not arise

And it will not come to pass.

8For the head of Aramaea is Damascus,

And the head of Damascus is Rezin,

And in sixty-five years' time,

Ephraim will be severed from being a people.

9And the head of Ephraim is Samaria,

And the head of Samaria is the son of Remaliah.

If your faith does not hold up,

You will not be upheld.» ’ ”

10Then the Lord spoke to Ahaz again and said, 11“Ask for a sign for yourself from the Lord your God. Make the request profound or make it soaringly high.” 12But Ahaz said, “I will not ask, and I will not test the Lord.” 13Then Isaiah said, “Listen now, O house of David. Is it a small matter to you to weary men? For you are also wearying my God. 14Therefore the Lord* himself will give you a sign. Behold, a virgin will conceive and bear a son, and she will call him Immanuel. 15He will eat curds and honey, for him to know to reject evil and to choose good. 16For before the boy knows to reject evil and choose good, the land which you loathe will be deserted by its two kings. 17The Lord will bring on you and on your people and on the house of your father days which have not come before, since the day when Ephraim departed from Judah allying himself with the king of Assyria.

18And it will come to pass on that day

That the Lord will whistle for the fly

Which is at the far end of the River of Egypt,

And for the bee

Which is in the land of Assyria.

19And they will all come and settle

In the watercourses of the ravines,

And the fissures in the rocks,

And in all the thorn bushes

And in all the pasture lands.

20On that day, the Lord* will shave with a razor

With the hired company on the far side of the river –

With the king of Assyria,

Shaving the head and the hair on the feet,

And it will also remove the beard.

21And it will come to pass on that day

That a man will keep a heifer and two sheep,

22And it will come to pass,

From the high yield of the production of milk,

That he will eat curds.

For everyone who remains in the land

Will eat curds and honey.

23And it will come to pass on that day

That in every place where there were a thousand vineyards for a thousand pieces of silver,

It will be consigned to briars and thorns.

24With arrows and the bow one will go there,

For all the land will be briars and thorns.

25And as for all the mountains which had been hoed with a hoe,

You shall not go there,

For fear of briars and thorns.

And it will be a place to drive oxen to,

And for sheep to tread down.”

Reference(s) in Chapter 7: v.14 ↔ Matthew 1:23.

Isaiah Chapter 8 

1And the Lord said to me, “Get yourself a large tablet, and write on it with a stylus of a common man, for Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz.” 2And I took faithful witnesses to be witnesses for me: Uriah the priest and Zechariah the son of Jeberechiah. 3And I approached the prophetess, and she conceived and bore a son, and the Lord said to me, “Call him Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz. 4For before the boy knows how to shout, ‘My father’, or, ‘My mother’, an army will carry away the wealth of Damascus and the plunder of Samaria in the presence of the king of Assyria.” 5The Lord spoke to me yet again and said,

6“Since this people rejects the waters of Shiloah,

Which flow gently,

And rejoices in Rezin and the son of Remaliah,

7You will see the Lord* bringing up over them

The mighty and massive waters of the river

– The king of Assyria and all his glory –

And he will come up through all his channels

And overflow all his banks.

8And he will pass through Judah,

Inundating and crossing through,

Coming up to the neck.

And he will spread his wings

Over the full width of your land, Immanuel.

9Do harm, you various peoples,

And come to harm.

So listen, all you distant parts of the earth,

Gird yourselves,

And come to harm,

Gird yourselves,

And come to harm.

10Take counsel,

But it will be frustrated.

Speak a word,

But it will not stand,

For God is with us.”

11For this is what the Lord said to me, as a shot in the arm, and he warned me against walking in the way of this people and said,

12“You shall not say, ‘A conspiracy’,

To everything where the people say, ‘A conspiracy.’

And do not fear their fearsomeness,

And do not be afraid.

13Sanctify the Lord of hosts himself,

For he is to be your fearfulness,

And he is to be your trepidation.

14And he will become a sanctuary,

But a stumbling block and a rock of offence

To the two houses of Israel,

And a trap and a snare

To the inhabitants of Jerusalem.

15And many will stumble at them,

And they will fall and be broken,

And be ensnared and be caught.

16Bind up the testimony;

Seal the law among those who learn from me.”

17And I will wait for the Lord,

Who is hiding his face from the house of Jacob,

And I will confide in him.

18Here am I,

And the children whom the Lord has given me,

As signs and as miracles in Israel

From the Lord of hosts,

Who dwells in Mount Zion.

19“Now when they say to you, ‘Seek the necromancers and the wizards, who whisper and who mutter’, and say, ‘Should not a people seek their God? Does one really turn to the dead for the benefit of the living?’ 20If they do not speak in accordance with the law and the testimony – so these words – it is because they do not have a glimmer of reason. 21And one will pass through the land suffering hardship, and hungry, and it will come to pass when he is hungry that he will become angry and curse his king and his God, and he will turn to things above, 22and he will look to the earth, and he will find adversity, and darkness and oppressive gloom, and repulsive murkiness.

Reference(s) in Chapter 8: v.12 ↔ 1 Peter 3:14 ● v.13 ↔ 1 Peter 3:15 ● v.14 ↔ Romans 9:33, 1 Peter 2:8 ● v.15 ↔ Matthew 24:10 ● v.18 ↔ Hebrews 2:13.

Isaiah Chapter 9 

1For it will not be faint, as regards the land's straitness, as on the first occasion when he brought the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali into contempt, and later made it more grievous, on the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, in Galilee of the Gentiles.

2The people who walked in darkness

Have seen a great light,

And on those who dwelt in the land of the shadow of death

A light has shone.

3You have multiplied the nation,

You have increased its joy;

They rejoice before you

As they do with joy at harvest time,

Or as when they delight

As they share the spoil.

4For you have broken their burdensome yoke

And their shoulder bar

– The rod which was used to drive them on –

As on the day of Midian.

5For every boot treading in the tumult

And shirt rolled in blood

Will be fit for burning,

As fuel for fire.

6For a child is to be born for us,

A son is to be given to us,

And he will shoulder government,

And he will be called Wonderful, Counsellor,

Mighty God, Father of Perpetuity,

Prince of Peace.

7There will be no end to the great extent of government,

Or to peace on the throne of David and over his kingdom,

In setting it up and in perpetuating it in justice and in righteousness,

From that time and age-abidingly.

The zeal of the Lord of hosts will accomplish this.

8The Lord* sent a word through Jacob,

And it alighted on Israel.

9And the entire people will know

– Ephraim and the inhabitants of Samaria –

Those who in the arrogance

And haughtiness of their heart said,

10“The bricks have fallen,

But we will build with hewn stone;

The sycamores have been cut down,

But we will replace them with cedars.”

11But the Lord will strengthen the adversaries of Rezin against the people,

And he will incite their enemies –

12Aramaea from the east

And the Philistines from the west –

And they will consume Israel with a voracious appetite.

Yet for all this, his anger will not recede,

And his hand will still be stretched out.

13But the people are not returning

To him who is striking them,

And they have not sought the Lord of hosts.

14And the Lord will cut off from Israel

Head and tail,

Palm-branch and bulrush,

In one day.

15The elder and dignitary

Is who the head is,

And the prophet who teaches lies

Is who the tail is.

16And those guiding this people

Have led it astray,

And those guided by them

Have been swallowed up.

17This is why the Lord* will not rejoice over their young men

And will not have compassion on their orphans and their widows,

For they are all profane and wrongdoing,

And every mouth speaks foolishness.

Despite all this, his anger will not recede,

And his hand will still be stretched out.

18For wickedness burns like fire;

It consumes briars and thorns,

And it kindles fire in the thickets of the forest,

And they will swell up

Like the billowing of smoke.

19In the wrath of the Lord of hosts,

The land will be burned,

And the people will be like fuel for the fire.

A man will not spare his brother.

20And he will divide a portion on the right hand side,

Yet be hungry,

And eat on the left hand side.

But they will not be satisfied.

Each will eat the flesh of his own arm.

21Manasseh will eat Ephraim,

And Ephraim Manasseh.

Together they will be against Judah.

Despite all this, his anger will not recede,

And his hand will still be stretched out.

Reference(s) in Chapter 9: v.1 ↔ Matthew 4:15 ● v.2 ↔ Matthew 4:16 ● v.6 ↔ Luke 2:11.

Isaiah Chapter 10 

1Woe to those who issue vain decrees,

And the state secretaries who draw up iniquitous edicts,

2In denying the needy a legal process,

In robbing the poor among my people of justice,

With widows being their spoil,

And who plunder orphans.

3What will you do on the day of punishment,

And in the destruction which will come from far away?

To whom will you flee for help,

And where will you leave your honour?

4How will one not collapse in imprisonment,

Or what if they fall to join those killed?

Despite all this, his anger will not recede,

And his hand will still be stretched out.

5O Assyria, the rod of my anger,

The stick in whose hand is my indignation!

6I will send against them a profane nation,

And I will command them to go against the people with whom I am angry,

To take spoil and to seize plunder,

And to make them a trodden down phenomenon

Like the mire of the streets.

7However, they will not be conscious of this purpose,

And their heart will not so reason,

For it will just be in their heart

To destroy and cut off

Not a few nations.

8For he will say,

“Are not my officials a collection of kings?

9Is Calno not like Carchemish?

Or is Hamath not like Arpad?

Or is Samaria not like Damascus?

10When my hand finds idolatrous kingdoms,

And their carved images,

Surpassing those of Jerusalem and Samaria,

11Will I not do to Jerusalem and its images

What I did to Samaria and its idols?”

12And it will come to pass, when the Lord* has carried out all his work in Mount Zion and Jerusalem, that I will inflict punishment for the result of the high-mindedness of the king of Assyria and for the glorying of his haughty eyes. 13For he said,

“I acted in the strength of my hand,

And in my own wisdom,

For I am astute,

And I remove national borders,

And I plunder their lucre,

And I overthrow populations,

Like a mighty man.

14And my hand found the riches of various peoples like a nest.

And as one collects eggs that are abandoned,

So I collected the whole earth,

And there was no-one that fluttered a wing

Or opened his mouth and whispered.”

15Will the axe vaunt itself over him who hews with it?

Or will the saw make itself greater than him who handles it?

Likewise, can a rod lift the very ones who raise it?

Similarly, can a stick raise him who is not wood?

16This is why my Lord the Lord of hosts

Will send leanness into his fat places,

And instead of his glory,

There will be burning, as a fire burns.

17And the light of Israel will become fire,

And its holy one a flame,

And it will blaze and consume

Its briars and its thorns

In one day.

18And he will lay the glory of his forest and his orchard waste,

Both spiritually and physically,

And it will become like the exhausted state

Of one wasting away.

19And the remainder of the trees of his forest will be few in number,

And a boy will be able to set them down in writing.

20And it will come to pass on that day

That the remainder of Israel

And the escaped remnant of the house of Jacob

Will no longer rely on the one who struck them,

And they will rely on the Lord

– The holy one of Israel –

In truth.

21The remainder will return

– The remainder of Jacob –

To the mighty God.

22Even if your people Israel

Are like the sand of the sea,

A remainder of them will return,

And the conclusion determined

Will overflow with righteousness.

23For my Lord the Lord of hosts

Will bring about the conclusion

And what has been determined

In the precincts of the whole land.

24Therefore my Lord the Lord of hosts says this:

“My people who live in Zion,

Do not be afraid of Assyria.

They will strike you with a rod,

And lift their stick up against you,

In the way Egypt did,

25But in a very short time,

The indignation will be concluded,

As will my anger,

At the time of their destruction.”

26And the Lord of hosts will stir up a scourge over them,

Like the attack in Midian at the rock of Oreb.

And as his rod was on the sea,

So he will raise it,

In the same way as in Egypt.

27And it will come to pass on that day

That his burden will be removed from your shoulder,

And his yoke from your neck.

And the yoke will be destroyed in front of the anointing oil.

28He has come to Aiath,

He has crossed over to Migron;

He has deposited his equipment in Michmas.

29They have crossed the pass;

They have taken up quarters in Geba.

Ramah is trembling;

Gibeah of Saul has fled.

30Shout out, O daughter of Gallim,

Listen, O Laish,

O poor Anathoth.

31Madmenah has moved away;

The inhabitants of Gebim have secured their effects.

32On the very day when he stands in Nob,

He will shake his fist

At the mountain of the daughter of Zion

– The hill of Jerusalem.

33Behold, the Lord, the Lord of hosts,

Will cut off a bough with terror,

And those of high stature will be cut down,

And the haughty will be humbled.

34And he will cut down the thickets of the forest with iron,

And Lebanon will be felled by a mighty one.

Reference(s) in Chapter 10: v.22 ↔ Romans 9:27, Romans 9:28 ● v.23 ↔ Romans 9:28.

Isaiah Chapter 11 

1And a shoot will come out of the stem of Jesse,

And a branch from his roots will become fruitful.

2And the spirit of the Lord will rest on him

– The spirit of wisdom and understanding,

The spirit of counsel and valour,

The spirit of knowledge and fear of the Lord.

3He will delight in him

Through his fear of the Lord,

And he will not judge by appearance to the eyes,

Nor will he arbitrate by what his ears hear,

4But he will judge the poor righteously,

And he will arbitrate for the meek of the land equitably,

And he will strike the land with the rod of his mouth,

And he will kill the wicked by the breath of his lips.

5And righteousness will be the girdle around his waist,

And faithfulness the girdle around his loins.

6And the wolf will dwell with the lamb,

And the leopard will lie down with the goat,

And the calf and the young lion and the fatted calf will be together,

And a small boy will lead them.

7And the cow and the bear will graze,

And their young will lie down together,

And the lion will eat straw like the ox.

8And a baby will play at a vipers' den,

And an infant will put his hand on an adder's hole.

9They will not do harm

And they will not cause damage

Anywhere in my holy mountain,

For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the Lord,

As the waters cover the sea.

10And it will come to pass on that day

That the Gentiles will seek the root of Jesse,

Which will stand as a sign to the nations.

And rest in him will be glorious.

11And it will come to pass on that day

That the Lord* will extend his hand a second time

To acquire the remainder of his people, who remain,

From Assyria and from Egypt,

And from Pathros and from Ethiopia,

And from Elam and from Shinar,

And from Hamath and from the coastlands of the sea.

12And he will raise a sign to the Gentiles,

And he will gather those driven out of Israel,

And he will collect up those of Judah who are dispersed,

From the four corners of the earth.

13And Ephraim's envy will fade away,

And the adversaries of Judah will be cut off.

Ephraim will not envy Judah,

And Judah will not be hostile to Ephraim.

14They will attack the Philistines on the slopes to the west;

Together they will spoil the inhabitants of the east.

Edom and Moab will be for them to lay their hands on,

And the Ammonites will be in subjection to them.

15And the Lord will lay the gulf of the Egyptian sea waste,

And he will lift his hand against the river with the ardour of his breath,

And he will strike it into seven streams,

And he will enable them to cross wearing shoes.

16And there will be a highway for the rest of his people who remain,

To come from Assyria,

As there was for Israel

When they came up from the land of Egypt.

Reference(s) in Chapter 11: v.1 ↔ John 7:42, Matthew 2:23 ● v.10 ↔ Matthew 12:21, Romans 15:12, John 7:42, Revelation 5:5, Revelation 22:16.

Isaiah Chapter 12 

1And on that day you will say,

“I will praise you, O Lord.

Although you were angry with me,

Your anger has receded,

And you have comforted me.

2Behold, O God of my salvation,

I will trust and not be afraid,

For the Lord, the Lord

Is my strength and my song of praise,

And he has become my salvation.”

3And you will draw water with joy,

From the springs of this salvation.

4And on that day, you will say,

“Praise the Lord,

Call on his name,

Make his deeds known among the nations;

Bring to mind that his name is exalted.

5Sing praises to the Lord,

For he has acted illustriously.

Let this be known over all the earth.

6Shout out and sing for joy,

O inhabitant of Zion,

For great among you

Is the holy one of Israel.”

Reference(s) in Chapter 12: v.3 ↔ John 7:38.

Isaiah Chapter 13 

1The burden of Babylon which Isaiah the son of Amoz saw.

2Set up a banner on a conspicuous mountain,

Raise a voice to them,

Lift up a hand,

So that they may come to the gates of the willing.

3I have commanded my sanctified ones;

I have also summoned my warriors

In service of my anger,

Who exult in my exaltation.

4The sound of a crowd in the mountains,

The image of a numerous people,

The tumultuous sound of kingdoms of Gentiles who have gathered

– The Lord of hosts is mobilizing an army for war.

5They are coming from a distant land,

From the end of the horizon

– The Lord and instruments of his indignation –

To lay the whole land waste.

6Howl, for the day of the Lord is near.

It will come as devastation from the Almighty.

7For that reason, all hands will become limp,

And every human heart will melt.

8And they will be terrified;

Writhings and pains will seize them;

They will writhe like a woman giving birth.

Every man will be astonished at his neighbour;

Their faces will be ablaze in appearance.

9Behold, the day of the Lord is coming,

Cruel in wrath and furious anger,

To make the land a desolation,

And he will obliterate its sinners from it.

10For the stars of heaven and their constellations

Will not shine their light;

The sun will become dark as it rises,

And the moon will not beam its radiance.

11And I will inflict punishment on the world for its evil,

And on the wicked for their iniquity,

And I will put an end to the pride of the insolent,

And I will humble the haughtiness of the fierce.

12I will make a man more precious than pure gold,

And a human being more precious than fine gold from Ophir.

13For this reason I will shake the heavens,

And the earth will be wrenched from its place,

In the wrath of the Lord of hosts,

And on the day of his furious anger.

14And it will be like a chased gazelle,

And like a sheep with no-one to gather it.

Every man will turn to his own people,

And each one will flee to his own country.

15Everyone who is found

Will be thrust through,

And everyone who has withdrawn

Will fall by the sword.

16And their children will be dashed before their eyes,

And their houses will be plundered,

And their women will be raped.

17I am about to stir Media up against them,

Medians who do not care for silver,

And who do not delight in gold.

18And bows will strike boys to the ground,

And they will not have mercy on the fruit of the womb

– Their eyes will not spare sons.

19And Babylon, the splendour of the kingdoms,

The proud grandeur of the Chaldeans,

Will be as God's overthrow of Sodom and Gomorrah.

20It will never be inhabited,

And it will not be dwelt in from generation to generation,

Nor will the Arabian pitch a tent there,

Nor will shepherds tend their sheep there.

21But desert creatures will rest there,

And their houses will be full of howling animals.

And ostriches will dwell there,

And demons will dance there.

22And jackals will howl in its desolate places,

And wild dogs in the luxurious palaces.

And its time is near to coming,

And its days will not be prolonged.

Reference(s) in Chapter 13: v.6 ↔ Revelation 1:10 ● v.9 ↔ Revelation 1:10 ● v.10 ↔ Matthew 24:29, Mark 13:24, Mark 13:25 ● v.21 ↔ Revelation 18:2.

Isaiah Chapter 14 

1When the Lord has mercy on Jacob, and he chooses Israel again, and he puts them in their land, the foreigner will join them, and they will be associated with the house of Jacob. 2And various nations will take them and bring them to their place, and the house of Israel will possess them on the Lord's land, and they will be menservants and maidservants, and the house of Israel will take their captors captive, and they will subdue those who oppressed them. 3And it will come to pass on the day when the Lord gives you rest from your grief and from your disquiet, and from the hard labour which was imposed on you, 4that you will quote this parable about the king of Babylon and say,

“How the oppressor has come to a stop!

How the golden city has come to a standstill!

5The Lord has broken the rod of the wicked,

And the sceptre of rulers.

6He strikes nations in wrath

With unremitting beating;

He subdues peoples in anger,

In a relentless pursuit.

7All the earth is at rest and is quiet;

They break out into jubilation.

8Even the fir trees rejoice for you,

And the cedars of Lebanon,

Saying, ‘Since you have been brought down low,

The lumberjack has not come up against us.’

9The grave below stands in awe on account of you;

At the approach of your coming,

It arouses the Rephaim because of you

– All the he-goats of the earth.

It raises all the kings of the nations from their thrones.

10They will all break silence and say to you,

‘Have you also become weak like us?

Have you come to resemble us?’

11Your pride has been brought down to the grave

With the sound of your lutes.

Under you the worms have embedded themselves,

And maggots cover you.

12How you have fallen from heaven, Lucifer,

Son of the dawn!

You have been struck down to the earth,

You who overthrew nations.

13And you have said in your heart,

‘I will ascend to heaven;

Above the stars of God,

I will set up my throne,

And I will sit at the mount of the assembly

In the remote parts of the north.

14I will ascend on the heights of a cloud;

I will be like the Most High.’

15But you will be brought down to the grave,

To the remote parts of the pit.

16Those who see you will gaze at you,

And contemplate and say,

Is this the man who held the earth in thrall

Who shook kingdoms?

17Who made the world like a desert

And demolished its cities,

Who did not release his captive population,

For them to go home?’

18All the kings of the nations

– All of them –

Lie in state,

Each one in his royal house,

19But you have been cast down

Instead of having your tomb,

Like a repugnant branch of a tree,

Being clothed like those killed,

Like those struck through with the sword,

Who descend to the stones of the pit,

Like a carcase trodden under foot.

20You will not be united with them in burial,

Because you devastated your land,

And you killed your people.

The seed of those who do evil

Will never be spoken well of.

21Prepare slaughter for his sons,

For the iniquity of their fathers.

They shall not rise or inherit the land,

Or fill the surface of the world with cities.”

22“And I will rise against them,

Says the Lord of hosts,

And I will cut off Babylon's fame

And remnant and posterity and progeny,

Says the Lord.

23And I will make it a habitat of the porcupine,

And pools of water,

And I will sweep it with the broom of destruction,

Says the Lord of hosts.”

24The Lord of hosts has sworn and said,

“It will certainly come to pass just as I intended.

And as I have purposed it,

So it will be established,

25Namely that I will break the Assyrian in my land,

And I will trample on him on my mountains,

And his yoke will be removed from them,

And his burden will be removed from his shoulder.

26This is the course of action decided on

In relation to the whole world,

And this is the hand which is stretched out

Over all the nations.

27For the Lord of hosts has decided,

And who can frustrate it?

And his hand is stretched out,

And who can push it back?”

28In the year of the death of King Ahaz, there was this burden:

29Do not rejoice, Philistia – the whole of you –

On the basis that the rod which struck you has broken,

Because from a serpent's stock comes an adder,

And its fruit is a flying fiery serpent.

30And the very poorest will be nourished,

And the needy will lie down in safety,

But I will bring death to your root with a famine,

And it will kill your remnant.

31Howl, O gate!

Cry out, O city!

Philistia – the whole of you – has melted down,

For smoke has come from the north,

And there is not a solitary person at his festivals.

32And what will the messengers of the Gentiles report back?

That the Lord has established Zion.

And the poor of his people will put their trust in it.

Isaiah Chapter 15 

1The burden of Moab.

For in a night

Ar-Moab will be laid waste

And reduced to silence,

For in a night

Kir-Moab will be laid waste

And reduced to silence.

2The royal house and Dibon have gone up

To the idolatrous raised sites to weep.

Moab will wail over Nebo and over Medeba.

On all their heads will be baldness,

And every beard will be removed.

3In its outlying areas,

They will gird themselves with sackcloth,

And on its roofs and in its streets

All will wail.

Tears will run down with weeping.

4And Heshbon will cry out,

As will Elealeh.

Their voice will be heard as far as Jahaz,

Which is why the armed men of Moab will shout out.

His inner being will alarm him.

5My heart will cry out for Moab,

Its fugitives will flee to Zoar

– A heifer three years old.

For he will climb the ascent of Luhith with weeping,

For they will raise a cry of destruction

On the road to Horonaim.

6For the waters of Nimrim will become desolations,

For the pastures will dry up.

Grass will shrivel;

There will be no greenery.

7This is why they will carry the wealth which they gained,

And their store,

To the brook of the willows.

8For the cry has gone around the border of Moab;

Its wailing has reached Eglaim,

And its lamentation has come to Beer-Elim.

9For the waters of Dimon will be full of blood,

For I will appoint additional things concerning Dimon:

The lion for the escapees of Moab

And the remainder of the territory.

Isaiah Chapter 16 

1Send a tribute-lamb to the ruler of the land,

From Sela to the desert,

To the mountain of the daughter of Zion.

2And it will come to pass

That the daughters of Moab will be like a wandering bird,

From a rejected nest

At the Arnon fords.

3Obtain advice,

Execute justice,

Cast your shadow like the night at noon,

Hide those driven out;

Do not betray the wanderer.

4Let those of mine who have been driven out

Dwell with you.

Moab, be a shelter from the plunderer for them.

For the oppressor will come to nothing;

Plundering will come to an end,

And they who tread down

Will be obliterated from the land.

5And a throne will be established in kindness,

And he will sit on it

In truth in David's tent,

Judging and seeking justice,

And being quick with righteousness.

6And we have heard of the pride of Moab

He is very proud –

With his haughtiness and his pride and his presumptuousness.

His lies are groundless.

7This is why Moab will wail.

Each one will wail for all Moab;

You will lament the foundations of Kir-Hareseth,

Seeing how much they have been battered.

8For the cornfields of Heshbon languish,

As does the vine of Sibmah.

The Gentile rulers have struck its tendrils;

They have reached Jazer;

Those struck wander in the desert.

Its shoots have been forsaken;

Those forsaken have crossed the sea.

9That is why I will tearfully weep

For Jazer and the vine of Sibmah.

I will saturate you with my tears,

Heshbon and Elealeh,

For a war cry has fallen against your summer fruit

And against your harvest.

10And joy and rejoicing will be taken away from the orchard,

And in the vineyards there will be neither shouting for joy nor jubilation.

The treader will not tread wine in the wine vats;

I have put a stop to shouting.

11That is why my inward parts are humming for Moab,

Like a harp,

And my inside

For Kir-Hares.

12And it will come to pass

That it will be seen

That Moab is weary on the idolatrous raised site,

And it will go to its sanctuary to pray,

But it will not gain strength.

13This is the word which the Lord spoke to Moab at that time. 14But the Lord has spoken now and said, “In three years according to the contractual years of a hired worker, the glory of Moab will be made light of, despite all its vast multitude. And the remnant will be few – minute – and by no means great.”

Isaiah Chapter 17 

1The burden of Damascus.

“Behold, Damascus will be deprived of its existence as a city,

And it will become a heap of ruins.

2The cities of Aroer will be abandoned;

They will be for flocks,

Which will lie down,

And there will be no-one to cause fear.

3Fortifications will cease to exist in Ephraim,

As will the kingdom in Damascus and the rest of Aramaea.

They will be like the glory of the sons of Israel,

Says the Lord of hosts.

4And it will come to pass on that day

That the glory of Jacob will be brought low,

And his complexion will become leaner,

5And it will come to pass,

When the reaper gathers the corn,

And his arm reaps the ears of corn,

That he will be like a gleaner of ears of corn

In the Valley of the Rephaim.

6But there will remain gleanings in it,

And at the beating of the olive tree

There will fall two or three fruits on the topmost bough,

And four or five on its fruit-bearing branches,

Says the Lord God of Israel.

7On that day a man will behold his maker,

And his eyes will see the holy one of Israel.

8And he will not behold the altars which are the work of his hands,

And he will not look at what his fingers have made –

Neither the phallic parks

Nor the sun-images.

9On that day his fortified cities

Will be like the wilderness of a copse or a thicket,

Which they have abandoned because of the sons of Israel,

And they will become a desolation.

10For you have forgotten the God of your salvation,

And you have not remembered the rock of your stronghold,

Which is why you will plant pleasant plants,

But you will graft foreign branches on it.

11On the day you plant it,

You cause it to grow,

And on the morning you sow it,

You make it thrive,

But the harvest will be a worthless heap

On a day of sickness and grievous pain.

12Woe to the multitude of many nations,

Who are in a tumult like the turbulence of the seas,

And the uproar of peoples

– Like the roaring sound

When mighty waters roar.

13The peoples roar

Like the roaring sound when mighty waters roar.

But he will rebuke them and they will flee far away,

And they will be chased like chaff of the mountains before the wind,

And like swirling debris in a whirlwind.

14At evening time there will be terror,

And before the morning they will not be there.

This is the part of those who spoil us,

And the fate of those who plunder us.

Isaiah Chapter 18 

1Woe to the land of rustling wings,

Which is beyond the rivers of Ethiopia,

2Which sends ambassadors by sea

In papyrus vessels over the water,

To say, ‘Go, you swift messengers,

To a people under strain

And plucked bald,

To a people fearsome ever since when they first existed

– A nation of strong rule but trodden down,

Whose land the rivers have devastated.’

3All you inhabitants of the world

And dwellers of the earth:

At the raising of an ensign on the mountains,

Observe it,

And at the sounding of the ramshorn,

Listen.

4For this is what the Lord has said to me:

‘I will be quiet,

And I will look at my abode,

Like a serene heat in daylight,

And like a cloud of dew

In the heat of the harvest.’

5For before the harvest when the blossom has come to an end,

And unripe grapes become mature from the flower,

He will cut the branches with pruning shears

And cut and remove the shoots.

6They will be left together

To the birds of prey of the mountains

And the wild animals.

And the birds of prey will prey on them in the summer,

While all the wild animals will be the predators in the winter.

7At that time a gift will be brought to the Lord of hosts

By a people under strain

And plucked bald,

And from a people fearsome ever since when they first existed,

A nation of strong rule but trodden down,

Whose land the rivers have devastated –

Brought to the place of the name of the Lord of hosts:

Mount Zion.”

Isaiah Chapter 19 

1The burden of Egypt.

“Behold, the Lord is riding on a swift cloud,

And is coming to Egypt.

Then the idols of Egypt will reel at his presence,

And Egypt's heart will melt inside it.

2And I will incite Egypt against Egypt,

And a man will fight his brother,

And a man his neighbour,

And a city a city,

And a kingdom a kingdom.

3And the spirit of Egypt will drain away inside them,

And I will overthrow their counsel,

And they will seek the idols and the necromancers,

And the soothsayers and the wizards.

4And I will deliver Egypt up into the hand of a harsh master,

And a fierce king will rule over them,

Says the Lord,

The Lord of hosts.

5And the waters of the sea will dry up,

And the river will become parched and arid.

6And the rivers will stink,

And the canals for fortifications will run low and will dry up;

The reed and the sedge will wither.

7The pastures by the river

And in the river estuary,

And every crop dependent on the river

Will dry up and be driven about,

And it will be gone.

8And the fishermen will sigh and mourn;

All who cast a hook into the river,

And those who stretch a net over the water

Will languish.

9And the workers in combed flax will be at a loss,

As will the weavers of white linen.

10And its foundations will be broken in pieces

– All who earn wages from lakes

Harbouring aquatic life.

11What fools the officials of Zoan are

– The wise men who give Pharaoh dim-witted advice!

How can you say to Pharaoh,

‘I am a son of the wise;

I am a son of the eastern kings’?

12Where are they?

Where are your wise men?

And may they tell you, and may they discern

What the Lord of hosts has decreed

Concerning Egypt.

13The officials of Zoan have become foolish;

The officials of Noph have been deceived.

They – the elite of its tribes –

Have led Egypt astray.

14The Lord has infused a spirit of misdirection in its precincts,

And they have led Egypt astray in all its dealings,

As a drunk strays off in his vomit.

15And Egypt will not have any work,

Which the head or tail,

Palm-branch or bulrush

Might do.

16On that day, Egypt will be like women, and it will tremble and be fearful of the Lord of hosts raising his hand which he raises over them. 17And the land of Judah will be an object of dread to Egypt. Everyone who mentions it will fear for himself, because of the decision of the Lord of hosts which he has taken concerning it. 18On that day there will be five cities in the land of Egypt speaking the language of Canaan, and who swear to the Lord of hosts. One will be called the City of Destruction. 19On that day there will be an altar to the Lord in the middle of the land of Egypt, and a monument to the Lord at its border. 20And it will be as a sign and a testimony to the Lord of hosts in the land of Egypt, for they will cry out to the Lord because of oppressors, and he will send them a saviour who will be great and who will save them. 21And the Lord will be known to Egypt, and Egypt will know the Lord on that day, and they will make sacrifices and meal-offerings, and they will make vows to the Lord and fulfil them. 22And the Lord will strike Egypt – strike and heal – and they will return to the Lord, and he will accede to their entreaty and heal them. 23On that day there will be a highway from Egypt to Assyria, and Assyria will come to Egypt, and Egypt to Assyria, and Egypt will serve with Assyria. 24On that day, Israel will be a joint third with Egypt and Assyria, as a blessing in the middle of the land, 25because the Lord of hosts will bless it and say, ‘Blessed is my people Egypt, and the work of my hands Assyria, and my inheritance Israel.’ ”

Reference(s) in Chapter 19: v.2 ↔ Matthew 24:7, Mark 13:8, Luke 21:10.

Isaiah Chapter 20 

1In the year when Tartan came to Ashdod, when Sargon king of Assyria sent him, he fought against Ashdod and captured it. 2At that time the Lord spoke through Isaiah the son of Amoz and said, “Go and unbind the sackcloth around your waist, and remove your shoes from your feet.” And he did so and went around naked and barefoot. 3And the Lord said, “Just as my servant Isaiah is walking around naked and barefoot for three years as a sign and a portent concerning Egypt and Ethiopia, 4so the king of Assyria will lead the captives of Egypt and the deportees of Ethiopia – children and the elderly – naked and barefoot and with exposed buttocks, to Egypt's shame. 5And they will fear and be ashamed of Ethiopia, the object of their expectation, and of Egypt the object of their glorying. 6And the inhabitant of this coastland will say on that day, ‘Just look at the object of our expectation to whom we fled for help, to be delivered from the king of Assyria! And how will we escape?’ ”

Isaiah Chapter 21 

1The burden of the Desert of the Sea.

Like the passing of whirlwinds in the south,

It is coming from the desert

– From a fearsome country.

2A harsh vision has been shown to me:

The traitor betraying, and the plunderer plundering.

Go up, Elam! Besiege, Media!

I have put a stop to all sighing.

3This is why my waist is in pain:

Writhings have seized me,

Like the writhings of a woman giving birth.

I am bent with pain at hearing it;

I am terrified at seeing it.

4My heart is distraught.

Something horrible has terrified me;

It has made my pleasant night

My time of trepidation.

5Prepare the table,

Let the watch keep watch,

Eat and drink,

Arise, you commanders;

Anoint the shield.

6For this is what the Lord* says to me:

“Go and appoint a watchman

Who will report what he sees.”

7And he saw a chariot fleet

– Horsemen in pairs,

A chariot fleet with donkeys,

A chariot fleet with camels –

And he listened attentively,

Very attentively.

8And he called out, “A lion.

O Lord*.

I stand continually on the watchtower by day,

And I am stationed at my guard post every night.

9And here is what is coming:

A manned chariot fleet and horsemen in pairs.”

And he answered and said,

Babylon has fallen; it has fallen.

And he has torn all the carved images of its gods

Down to the ground.”

10O threshed people of mine,

And my product of the threshing floor,

I have reported to you

What I have heard from the Lord of hosts

– The God of Israel.

11The burden of Idumea.

He is calling out to me from Seir,

“Watchman, what is there to report from the night?

Watchman, what is there to report from the night?”

12The watchman said,

“The morning is coming,

And also the night.

If you will inquire,

Do inquire.

Return and come.”

13The burden in Arabia.

You will lodge in the forest in Arabia,

You Dedanite travelling companies.

14The inhabitants of the land of Tema

Brought water to him who is thirsty;

They met the fugitive

With food for him.

15For they flee from swords,

From the drawn sword

And from the drawn bow,

And from the violence of war.

16For this is what the Lord* said to me:

“In another year

According to the contractual years of a hired worker,

All the glory of Kedar

Will come to an end.

17And the number of archers remaining

– The warriors from among the sons of Kedar –

Will become few,

For the Lord God of Israel has spoken.”

Reference(s) in Chapter 21: v.9 ↔ Revelation 14:8, Revelation 18:2.

Isaiah Chapter 22 

1The burden of the Valley of Vision.

What is the matter with you, then?

For you have all gone up to the roofs.

2You bustling city,

Full of noise,

Joyful town,

Your casualties are not casualties of the sword,

And are not dead from war.

3All your officers have fled together;

They have been brought into bondage by the bow.

All those present have been brought into bondage together;

They have fled far away.

4This is why I said,

“Look away from me;

I will weep bitterly.

Do not hasten to comfort me

About the devastation of the daughter of my people.”

5For it is a day of tumult and treading down and confusion of the Lord

– The Lord of hosts –

In the Valley of Vision,

Of undermining walls,

And crying out to the mountain.

6And Elam has borne the quiver,

With a manned chariot fleet and horsemen,

And Kir has bared the shield.

7And it came to pass that your choice valleys were full of chariots,

And the horsemen drew themselves up with vigour at the gate,

8And they removed Judah's covering,

And you saw on that day

The weaponry of the house of the Forest.

9And you have seen how numerous the breaches in the City of David are,

And you have collected the water of the lower pool.

10And you have counted the houses in Jerusalem,

And you have pulled down houses

To fortify the wall.

11And you made a reservoir between the two walls

For the water of the old pool,

But you have not had respect to its maker

Or had regard for him who formed it long ago.

12And on that day,

My Lord the Lord of hosts proclaimed

Weeping and mourning and baldness

And girding up with sackcloth.

13But what he saw was

Rejoicing and merrymaking,

Killing the ox and slaughtering the sheep,

Eating meat and drinking wine, saying,

Eat and drink,

For tomorrow we die.

14And this was revealed in my ears

By the Lord of hosts:

“This iniquity of yours will certainly not be expiated

Until you die,

Says the Lord,

The Lord of hosts.”

15This is what my Lord the Lord of hosts says:

“Depart and go to this steward,

To Shebna, who is in charge of the house,

16And say, ‘What business do you have here?

And just who are you here,

That you should have hewn yourself a tomb here,

Like someone hewing his tomb high up,

Carving out an abode for himself in the rock?

17Look, the Lord is about to hurl you away with a mighty fling,

And to completely envelop you.

18He will wrap a wrapping right around you

And throw you like a ball into a very wide country,

And there you will die,

And there the chariots representing your glory

Will be to the shame of the house of your master.

19And I will thrust you from your station,

And he will pull you down from your high standing.

20And it will come to pass on that day

That I will call for my servant Eliakim the son of Hilkiah.

21And I will clothe him with your gown,

And I will strengthen him with your girdle,

And I will put your dominion in his hand,

And he will become a father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem

And to the house of Judah.

22And I will put the key to the house of David on his shoulder,

And he will open and no-one will shut,

And he will shut, and no-one will open.

23And I will secure him like a peg in a secure place,

And he will become the occupier of the glorious throne

Of the house of his father.

24And they will bestow on him

All the honour of his father's house,

The offspring and the offshoots

– All vessels of small capacity,

From vessels of the bowl kind

To all vessels of the jar kind.’

25On that day, says the Lord of hosts,

The peg which was secured in a faithful place

Will be removed, and it will be cut down,

And it will fall,

And the burden on it will be withdrawn,

For the Lord has spoken.”

Reference(s) in Chapter 22: v.13 ↔ 1 Corinthians 15:32 ● v.22 ↔ Revelation 3:7.

Isaiah Chapter 23 

1The burden of Tyre.

Wail, O ships of Tarshish,

For it has been plundered,

Not leaving a house or a way in.

This was revealed to them

From the land of Chittim.

2Be silent, you inhabitants of the coastland,

You whom the merchants of Sidon,

Who cross the sea,

Have stocked up,

3Bringing over the high seas

Seed from Shihor.

The harvest from the river

Is Tyre's source of income,

So that it became the emporium of the nations.

4Sidon, be ashamed,

For the sea

– The stronghold that the sea is –

Has said, “I have not been in the pains of childbirth,

Nor have I given birth,

Nor have I raised young lads,

Nor have I brought chaste maidens up.”

5As at the report of Egypt,

So shall they writhe

At the report of Tyre.

6Cross over to Tarshish and wail,

You inhabitants of the coastland.

7Was this your joy,

Whose origin dates from ancient times?

Its feet will bring it

Somewhere far away to dwell.

8Who decided this against Tyre

Tyre who confers crowns,

Whose merchants are princes,

Whose traders are the dignitaries of the land?

9The Lord of hosts decided it,

To defame the pride in all the splendour;

To bring all the dignitaries of the land into contempt.

10Cross your country like a river,

O daughter of Tarshish,

There is no longer any girding yourself up.

11He stretched out his hand over the sea;

He shocked kingdoms.

The Lord has given commandment against Canaan

To destroy its strongholds.

12And he said,

“You will no longer exult,

You oppressed virgin daughter of Sidon.

Arise and cross over to Chittim,

But you will not be at rest there either.”

13Look at the land of the Chaldeans:

This people did not exist previously.

Assyria founded it for the inhabitants of the desert.

The attackers erected their watchtowers,

They demolished its palaces,

And he made it ruins.

14Wail, you ships of Tarshish,

For your stronghold has been laid waste.

15And it will come to pass on that day that Tyre will be forgotten for seventy years, according to the days of one king, then after seventy years Tyre will very much have a prostitute's song to sing.

16Take the harp,

Go around the city,

You forgotten prostitute.

Play music well,

Do much singing,

In order that you may be remembered.

17And after seventy years, it will come to pass that the Lord will visit Tyre, and it will return to its earnings from prostitution, and it will engage in prostitution with all the kingdoms of the world over the face of the earth. 18But its profit and its earnings from prostitution will be holy to the Lord, and they will not be treasured up or hoarded away, for its profit will be for those who live before the Lord, so as to eat to satiety, and to have good quality clothing.

Isaiah Chapter 24 

1Behold, the Lord is about to depopulate the land

And empty it,

And he will overturn the face of it

And scatter its inhabitants.

2And it will come to pass that

As the people at large are,

So the priest will be;

As the manservant is,

So his master will be;

As the maidservant is,

So her mistress will be;

As the buyer is,

So the seller will be;

As the lender is,

So the borrower will be;

As the creditor is,

So his debtor will be.

3The land will certainly be depopulated,

And it will certainly be plundered,

For the Lord has spoken these words.

4The land will mourn and fade,

The world will languish and fade;

The haughty among the people of the land will languish.

5And the land has been defiled by its inhabitants,

For they have transgressed the laws.

They have disregarded the statute;

They have violated the age-abiding covenant,

6Which is why a curse has devoured the land,

And those who inhabit it bear the guilt.

It is why the inhabitants of the land are fuming,

And very few men remain.

7The new wine is mourning,

The vine is languishing;

All those of joyful heart

Are now sighing.

8The rejoicing of drums has ceased,

The tumult of those exulting has stopped;

The rejoicing of the harp has ceased.

9They shall not drink wine with singing;

The liquor will become bitter

To those who drink it.

10The town of desolation has been broken up;

Every house is shut up,

Preventing entering.

11There is a cry for wine in the streets;

All joy has drawn to a close,

And the rejoicing in the land has passed away.

12What remains in the city is desolation,

And the gate has been pounded to ruins.

13For so it will be on the earth among the nations,

As when the olive tree has been beaten,

Like the gleanings when the grape harvest has finished.

14They will raise their voices;

They will be jubilant.

They will shout for joy from across the sea

Because of the majesty of the Lord.

15For this reason, glorify the Lord with lights

– The name of the Lord God of Israel –

In the coastlands of the sea.

16From the extremities of the earth we have heard singing

To the illustriousness of the righteous one,

But I said,

“Woe is me, woe is me, alas for me,

Traitors have betrayed me,

And the traitors have committed a betrayal.”

17Fear, and a pitfall, and a snare

Are looming over you,

You inhabitants of the earth.

18And it will come to pass

That he who flees at a fearful sound

Will fall into the pit,

And he who comes up out of the pit

Will be caught in the snare,

For the floodgates on high will open,

And the foundations of the earth will shake.

19The earth will be utterly broken into pieces,

The earth will be thoroughly torn apart;

The earth will totter perilously.

20The earth will stagger precariously like a drunkard,

And it will sway like a shack,

And its transgression will weigh heavily on it,

And it will fall

And not rise again.

21And it will come to pass on that day

That the Lord will visit the higher powers

In a high place,

And the kings of the earth

On the earth.

22And they will be gathered up,

Like the herding of prisoners into the pit,

And they will be shut up in confinement,

Then after many days they will be visited.

23And the moon will blush,

And the sun will be at a loss,

When the Lord of hosts reigns on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem,

With glory in the presence of his appointed elders.

Isaiah Chapter 25 

1O Lord, you are my God.

I will exalt you;

I will praise your name,

For you have acted wonderfully,

With counsel from the distant past,

In sure faithfulness.

2For you turn a city into a heap of rubble,

And a fortified town into ruins,

And a foreign citadel into what is not a city,

Which will never be rebuilt.

3This is why a fierce people will glorify you,

And a violent Gentile town will fear you.

4For you are a refuge for the weak,

A refuge for the poor when he is in distress,

A shelter from a downpour,

Shade from heat,

For the onslaught of the violent

Is like a downpour against a wall.

5You will bring down the bustle of foreigners,

Which is like heat on parched land.

As heat is shielded by a cloud,

So the singing of the violent

Will be dispirited.

6And the Lord of hosts will hold for all nations,

At this mountain,

A rich feast, a feast of settled wine,

Of rich marrowy meat

And of racked wine.

7And on this mountain,

He will remove the veil

Which shrouds all the nations,

And the covering

Which is spread over all the Gentiles.

8He will swallow up death for ever,

And my Lord the Lord

Will wipe away the tears from every face,

And he will remove the reproach on his people

From the whole world,

For the Lord has spoken.

9And on that day, people will say,

“Behold this God of ours;

We waited for him, and he has saved us.

This is the Lord for whom we waited.

Let us rejoice and delight in his salvation.”

10For the hand of the Lord will rest on this mountain,

And Moab will be trodden down under him,

As straw is trodden down

In Madmenah.

11And he will spread out his arms in their midst,

As a swimmer spreads his arms to swim,

And he will bring their haughtiness down

Together with the proceeds of the fraudulence of their hands.

12And as for the fortification

– The high fort of your walls –

He will bring it down;

He will demolish it

And raze it to the ground as dust.

Reference(s) in Chapter 25: v.8 ↔ 1 Corinthians 15:54, Revelation 7:17, Revelation 21:4.

Isaiah Chapter 26 

1On that day, this song will be sung in the land of Judah:

We have a strong city;

He will provide salvation

Like walls and fortifications.

2Open the gates,

And let a righteous nation enter,

One which keeps to what is faithful.

3You will keep him in deep peace

Whose thoughts are to rely on you,

For it is in you that he trusts.

4Trust in the Lord in all perpetuity,

For the rock of the ages

Is found in the Lord, the Lord.

5For he brings down those who dwell in a high place

In a town at high elevation.

He will raze it,

He will raze it to the ground;

He will bring it to the dust.

6A foot – the feet of the poor –

Will trample on it,

As will the steps of the needy.

7The way of the righteous is straight;

You make the path of the righteous

Straight and level.

8Indeed, O Lord, we have waited for you

In the way of your judgments.

The longing of our inner being

Is for your name

And for remembrance of you.

9My inner being longs for you at night,

My spirit also inside me seeks you at dawn.

For when your judgments are given on the earth,

The inhabitants of the world learn righteousness.

10Although the wicked man may be shown favour,

He does not learn righteousness.

In an upright land, he acts iniquitously,

And he will not see the majesty of the Lord.

11O Lord, your hand is high;

They do not see it,

But they will see the zeal of the people

And be ashamed.

Indeed, fire will consume your adversaries.

12O Lord, you arrange peace for us,

For you are even the one at work in all our deeds for us.

13O Lord our God,

Various masters other than you have had dominion over us,

But yours is the only name that we make mention of.

14They are dead,

They shall not live,

The Rephaim shall not rise,

Which is why you have visited them and destroyed them

And have obliterated all memory of them.

15You have enlarged the nation, O Lord,

You have increased the nation.

You are glorified;

You have extended all the boundaries of the land.

16In distress they appealed to you, O Lord;

They poured out whispering

When they were receiving your discipline.

17As a pregnant woman who is about to give birth,

Who writhes and shouts in her birth pangs,

So were we before you, O Lord.

18We have conceived,

We have been through birth pangs,

But it is as if we have given birth to wind,

Not to salvation which we were to bring to the earth,

Nor did any inhabitants of the earth come out of the womb.

19Your dead, and my dead body,

Will live and rise.

Awake, and sing for joy,

You who lie in the dust,

For your dew is resplendent dew,

But the earth will bring down the Rephaim.

20Go, my people,

Enter your rooms,

Close your doors after you;

Hide for a very little while

Until the indignation has passed.

21For behold, the Lord is about to come out of his place

To requite the iniquity of the inhabitants of the land.

And the earth will reveal its blood,

And it will no longer cover up

Those killed which it holds.

Isaiah Chapter 27 

1On that day the Lord will requite

With his firm and large and strong sword

Leviathan the fugitive serpent,

And Leviathan the crooked serpent,

And he will kill the monster in the sea.

2On that day,

Sing to her of a delightful vineyard.

3I am the Lord who guards it;

I water it from time to time.

So that no-one encroaches on it,

I guard it night and day.

4I am not furious;

Who would assign me to briars and thorns in war?

I would march against them;

I would set them on fire

In one go.

5Or who would seize my stronghold?

Let him make peace with me;

Let it be peace that he makes with me.

6When they come,

Jacob will strike root,

Israel will flower and flourish,

And the face of the world will be full of fruit.

7Has he attacked him

Like the attack of the one attacking him?

Or has he been killed

In a way like the killing of those killed by him?

8In moderation, when you sent them away,

You disputed with them.

He expelled them by means of his harsh wind,

On the day of the east wind.

9So by this means,

Jacob's iniquity will be atoned for,

And this is all the fruit of removing his sin,

When he makes all the stones of the altar

Like chalk stones which are dashed to pieces.

The phallic parks and the sun-images

Shall not stand.

10For a fortified city will be forlorn;

A dwelling place will be forsaken

And abandoned like the desert.

There the calf will graze,

And there it will lie down,

And eat from its branches.

11When its harvest is dried up,

They will be broken.

Women will come to set it on fire,

For it is not a people of understanding,

Which is why their maker

Will not show them compassion,

And he who formed them

Will not show them mercy.

12And it will come to pass on that day

That the Lord will thresh you out,

From the rising of the river

To the Brook of Egypt,

And you will be gleaned up one by one,

You sons of Israel.

13And it will come to pass on that day

That the great ramshorn will be sounded,

And those who were about to perish in the land of Assyria will come,

As will those driven out in the land of Egypt,

And they will worship the Lord

In the holy mountain in Jerusalem.

Reference(s) in Chapter 27: v.9 ↔ Romans 11:27.

Isaiah Chapter 28 

1Woe to the crown of pride,

To the drunkards of Ephraim,

Whose magnificent splendour

Is a fading flower

Which is in the best fertile valley

You who are impaired by wine.

2Behold, the Lord* has what is strong and powerful,

Such as a deluge of hail

– A destructive storm –

Such as a deluge of torrential water,

Causing flooding,

Which he sends down to earth with his hand.

3The crown of pride,

The drunkards of Ephraim,

Will be trodden under foot.

4And the magnificent splendour,

Which is in the best fertile valley,

Will be a fading flower,

Like its early fruit before the summer,

Which, when the observer sees it,

He swallows down

While it is still in his hand.

5On that day the Lord of hosts

Will be a crown of splendour

And a diadem of magnificence

To the remainder of his people,

6And a spirit of justice to him who sits in judgment,

And a spirit of valour to them

Who repulse the assault on the gate.

7So these too have erred because of wine

And have gone astray because of liquor.

Priest and prophet have erred because of liquor;

They have been swallowed up by the wine.

They have gone astray because of the liquor,

They have erred in the vision;

They have floundered in the administration of justice.

8For all the tables are full of vomit and excrement

Without a clean space.

9To whom will he impart knowledge?

And to whom will he disclose information?

– Those who have been weaned from milk,

And who have grown out of breastfeeding.

10For it is commandment upon commandment,

Commandment upon commandment,

Rule upon rule,

Rule upon rule;

A little here, a little there.

11For he will speak to this people

In jabbering foreign speech,

And in a different language

12To this people to whom he said,

“This is the rest;

Give the weary rest”,

And, “This is the tranquillity.”

But they were unwilling to hear.

13And the word of the Lord to them was

Commandment upon commandment,

Commandment upon commandment,

Rule upon rule,

Rule upon rule,

A little here, a little there,

So that they might proceed.

But they staggered backwards

And were crippled

And ensnared and caught.

14So then, hear the word of the Lord,

You scornful men,

You rulers of this people

Who are in Jerusalem.

15For you have said,

“We have made a covenant with death,

And we have made a contract with the grave,

That when the overwhelming scourge passes through,

It will not come on us,

For we have made the lie our refuge,

And we have hidden in falsehood.”

16This is why my Lord the Lord says,

“Behold, I am about to lay as a foundation

A stone in Zion,

A stone for testing,

A cornerstone, precious as a well-founded foundation,

And he who believes in it will not blunder.

17And I will establish justice according to a straight line,

And righteousness according to a plummet.

And hail will sweep away the covering of the lie,

And water will flush secrecy out.

18And your covenant with death will be abolished,

And your contract with the grave will not stand.

When the overwhelming scourge passes through,

You will be an object for it to tread down.

19Every time when it passes through

It will take you,

For morning by morning it will pass through,

By day and by night.

And it will be a shocking thing

Just to contemplate hearing about.

20For the bed will be too short

To stretch oneself in,

And the blanket too narrow,

To wrap oneself up in.

21For the Lord will arise as at Mount Perazim;

He will be stirred up as in the Valley of Gibeon,

To carry out his business

– His peculiar business –

And to accomplish his work

– His strange work.”

22So now, don't behave like mockers,

So that your fetters are not tightened,

For I have heard of a conclusion

From the Lord

– The Lord of hosts –

Which has been determined over all the earth.

23Listen and hear my voice;

Attend and hear what I have to say.

24Does the ploughman plough all day

In order to sow?

Does he open up and harrow his ground?

25Does he not,

When he has levelled its surface,

Scatter black caraway

And strew cumin?

And put wheat in a row,

And is barley not marked off,

And is spelt not sown

In its allocated area?

26And there is one who instructs him in justice:

His God teaches him.

27For black caraway is not threshed with a threshing board,

Nor is a wagon wheel turned on cumin,

For black caraway is beaten with a stick,

And cumin with a rod.

28Is flour ground fine?

For he will not thresh away at it for ever,

Nor will he drive the wheel of his wagon,

Nor will his horsemen grind it fine.

29This too originates

From the Lord of hosts.

He has made a wonderful decision;

He has shown magnificent sound wisdom.

Reference(s) in Chapter 28: v.11 ↔ 1 Corinthians 14:21 ● v.12 ↔ 1 Corinthians 14:21 ● v.16 ↔ Romans 9:33, Romans 10:11, 1 Peter 2:6.

Isaiah Chapter 29 

1Woe to Ariel, to Ariel,

The town where David encamped.

Let the years mount up,

Let the festivals come round,

2But I will distress Ariel,

And there will be sighing and sorrow,

And it will be to me

A veritable lion of God.

3And I will encamp against you in a circle,

And I will besiege you with a garrison,

And I will raise siege works against you.

4And you will be low,

And you will speak from the ground,

And being weighed down,

Your speech will be from the dust,

And your voice will be like that of a necromancer,

Coming out of the ground,

And your articulation will be whispering from the dust.

5And there will be a horde of people foreign to you,

Like fine dust,

And a horde of violent men,

Like chaff passing by,

And it will happen all of a sudden.

6You will be visited by the Lord of hosts

With thunder and with an earthquake and a loud noise,

A whirlwind and a storm,

And a flame of devouring fire,

7And a horde from all the nations which are at war with Ariel.

And all those attacking it and its citadel,

And those who distress it

Will be like a bad dream

– A vision in the night.

8And it will come to pass

That just as when a hungry man dreams that he is eating,

But when he wakes up,

His belly is empty,

And as when a thirsty man dreams that he is drinking,

But when he wakes up,

He finds that he is weary,

And his being craves water,

So the horde of all the nations waging war against Mount Zion will be.

9Rest and be astonished;

Indulge yourself and be dazzled:

They are drunk, but not with wine;

They stagger, but not with strong liquor.

10For the Lord has poured a spirit of deep sleep over you,

And he has closed your eyes.

He has covered over the prophets,

And your leaders, the seers.

11And the vision of all this will be to you like the words of a sealed book which they give to a literate man, saying, “Please read this”, but he says, “I am not able to, for it is sealed.” 12Or like a book which is given to someone who does not know how to read, while they say, “Do read this”, and he says, “I do not know how to read.” 13And the Lord* said,

“Since this people approaches with their mouth,

And with their lips they honour me,

But they have put their heart far from me,

And their fear of me is a commandment of men

Which has been taught them,

14Watch out for me doing more wonders with this people

– Doing wondrous wonders –

As the wisdom of their wise men comes to nothing,

And the intelligence of their intellectuals

Goes into hiding.”

15Woe to those who lay deep designs

Away from the Lord,

So hiding their purpose,

And whose works are in darkness,

And who say, “Who can see us?”

And, “Who knows us?”

16Such is your perverseness.

Will the potter be considered as clay?

For will the product say of its maker,

“He didn't make me”?

Or will the artefact say of its fashioner,

He doesn't have any understanding”?

17Is it not in a very little while

That Lebanon will be restored as well-cultivated ground,

And that the well-cultivated ground

Will be considered a forest?

18And on that day,

The deaf will hear the words of the book,

And the eyes of the blind,

Which were in obscurity and darkness,

Will see.

19And the meek will increase their joy in the Lord,

And the poor among men

Will exult in the holy one of Israel.

20For the violent one will come to nothing,

And the mocker will come to an end,

And all those who lie in wait iniquitously

Will be cut off

21– Those who make a man sin with a word,

And ensnare one who reproves at the gate,

And lead a righteous man astray with confusion.

22This is why the Lord, who redeemed Abraham, says this to the house of Jacob:

It is not now that Jacob will be ashamed,

And it is not now that his face will turn pale,

23But when he sees his children,

The work of my hands.

In his company,

They will sanctify my name,

And they will sanctify the holy one of Jacob,

And they will fear the God of Israel.

24And those who were erring in spirit

Will have understanding,

And those who were rebellious

Will learn lessons.”

Reference(s) in Chapter 29: v.10 ↔ Romans 11:8 ● v.13 ↔ Matthew 15:8, Matthew 15:9, Mark 7:6, Mark 7:7 ● v.14 ↔ 1 Corinthians 1:19 ● v.16 ↔ Romans 9:20.

Isaiah Chapter 30 

1“Woe to the recalcitrant sons,

Says the Lord,

Who take counsel, but not from me,

And pour out a libation,

But not with my spirit,

So as to add sin upon sin,

2Who are setting out to go down to Egypt,

But they did not ask for my oracle,

Having decided to be strong in the stronghold of Pharaoh,

And to put trust in the shadow of Egypt.

3But Pharaoh's stronghold

Will be something you will be ashamed of,

And your trust in the shadow of Egypt

Will be to your disgrace.

4For his officers were in Zoan,

And his envoys arrived in Hanes.

5Everyone became ashamed because of a people

Who did not benefit them.

They were neither a help nor a benefit,

But rather a matter of shame

And ignominy as well.”

6The burden of the animals of the south.

In a distressed and troubled land,

Among them being the great lion and the old lion,

The viper and the fiery flying serpent,

They will transport their wealth on the shoulder of ass-colts,

And their treasure on the humps of camels,

To a people who will not benefit them.

7And Egypt will help

In a vacuous and empty way,

Which is why I have called it,

“Rahab sits still.”

8So now, go and write it on a tablet, with them present,

And inscribe it in a book,

So that it is there for the last day,

And in age-abiding perpetuity.

9For it is a rebellious people,

Dishonest sons,

Sons who are unwilling

To heed the law of the Lord,

10Who say to the seers,

“Don't see”,

And to those who see visions,

“Don't see righteous visions for us.

Speak flatteries to us,

See delusory visions,

11Depart from the way,

Turn off from the path;

Remove the holy one of Israel

From our presence.”

12That is why this is what the holy one of Israel says:

“Since you have rejected these words

And trusted in oppression and deviousness

And relied on it,

13This iniquity will be ascribed to you,

Like a breach about to fall,

Bulging out in a high wall,

Whose collapse comes all of a sudden.

14And he will break it,

Like the breaking of a shattered potter's jar.

He will not show mercy,

And in his act of shattering,

Not a shard will be found

Which will be any use for taking fire from a burning mass,

Or drawing water from a cistern.”

15For this is what my Lord the Lord, the holy one of Israel, says:

“You will be saved with a return and rest.

Your valour will be with quietness and confidence.

But you were unwilling,

16And you said,

‘No, but rather we will flee on horseback.’

That is why you will flee.

And you said,

‘We will ride on swift horses.’

That is why those who pursue you will be swift.

17One thousand will flee at the rebuke of one;

At the rebuke of five, you will flee,

Until you remain like a mast on the summit of a mountain,

Or like an ensign on a hill.”

18And this is why the Lord will wait:

So as to be gracious to you.

And this is why he will arise to have compassion on you:

For the Lord is a God of justice.

Blessed are all those who wait for him.

19For the people will dwell in Zion in Jerusalem,

And you will certainly not weep.

He will be very gracious at the sound of your crying out;

When he hears it,

He will answer you.

20And the Lord* will give you bread of adversity,

And water of oppression,

But your teachers will no longer be kept at a distance,

And your eyes will see your teachers.

21And your ears will hear words behind you,

Saying, “This is the way;

Walk in it”,

Whenever you go off to the right

Or go off to the left.

22And you will defile the silver overlay of your idols,

And the costume of your golden cast image.

You will dispose of them like the discharge of a menstruating woman.

“Away with you”,

You will say to it.

23And he will give rain for your seed,

Which you sow on the ground,

And as for food

– The produce of the land –

It will be rich and fat.

Your cattle will graze on that day

On broad pasture land.

24And the oxen and the donkeys which till the ground

Will eat wholesome fodder,

Which has been winnowed with a winnowing fan

Or a winnowing shovel.

25And there will be on every high mountain,

And on every lofty hill,

Streams – brooks of water –

On the day of great slaughter,

When towers fall.

26And the light of the moon

Will be like the light of the sun,

And the light of the sun will be seven times stronger,

Like seven days' light,

On the day when the Lord binds up

The fracture of his people,

And heals

The bruise of their blow.

27Behold, the name of the Lord is coming from afar;

His anger is burning,

And the burden is heavy.

His lips are full of indignation,

And his tongue is like a consuming fire.

28And his breath is like an overflowing stream,

Whose level comes up to the neck,

To sift the nations with a sieve to separate the worthless,

And a bridle in the jaws of the peoples,

Causing them to go astray.

29You will have a song

As on the night of sanctifying a festival,

And joy in the heart,

As when a person goes with a pipe

To come to the mount of the Lord

– To the rock of Israel.

30And the Lord will have his majestic voice heard,

And he will show how his arm comes down

In raging anger

And in the flame of a consuming fire

In a violent flood and a downpour

And hailstones.

31For at the Lord's voice,

Assyria will slump;

He will strike them with a rod.

32And every passage of the rod as decreed,

Which the Lord will lay on them,

Will be with drums and with harps,

And he will fight against them

In tumultuous wars.

33For Topheth was set up in the former time;

It was even prepared for the king.

He has made it deep;

He has made it wide.

It is a pyre of fire and much wood;

The breath of the Lord,

Like a stream of sulphur,

Burns in it.

Isaiah Chapter 31 

1Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help.

They rely on horses,

And they trust in chariots,

For there are many;

And in horsemen,

For they are very numerous.

But they do not look to the holy one of Israel,

And they do not seek the Lord.

2However, he is wise,

And he will bring harm,

And he will not revoke his words,

And he will rise against the house of the evildoers,

And against the accomplices of workers of iniquity.

3For the Egyptians are men and not God,

And their horses are flesh and not spirit,

And the Lord will stretch out his hand,

And he who helps will stumble,

And he who is helped will fall,

And all of them will come to an end together.

4For this is what the Lord says to me:

“As when the lion or the young lion

Growls over his prey,

When a large group of shepherds are called out against it,

And it is not terrified by their voices,

And it is not deterred by their sound,

So the Lord of hosts will descend

To fight for Mount Zion

And for its hill.

5Like birds flying,

So the Lord of hosts will defend Jerusalem.

He will defend and deliver

And act as in the Passover,

And rescue.

6Return to him,

From whom you have made a deep departure,

You sons of Israel.

7For on that day

A man will reject his silver idols,

And his golden idols,

Which your sinful hands have made for yourselves.

8And Assyria will fall by the sword,

But not that of a man.

And a sword,

But not that of a human,

Will consume them.

And they will take flight from the sword,

And their young men will become tribute-bearing.

9And their rock of refuge will vanish for fear,

And their officials will be terrified at the banner”,

Says the Lord,

Who has a fire in Zion

And a furnace in Jerusalem.

Isaiah Chapter 32 

1Behold, a king will reign in righteousness,

And men will rule as officials for justice.

2And a man will be like a shelter from the wind,

And a refuge from a downpour;

Like springs of water in a dry region,

Like the shadow of a massive rock

In a weary land.

3And the eyes of those who see

Will not look away,

And the ears of those who hear

Will be attentive.

4And the heart of the hasty

Will understand the importance of having knowledge,

And the tongue of the stammerers

Will be fluent in speaking clearly.

5The fool will no longer be called noble,

And the miser will not be said to be generous.

6For the fool will speak folly,

And his heart will occupy itself with vanity

In perpetrating profanity,

In speaking error to the Lord,

In draining the energy of the hungry,

And causing the drink of the thirsty

To be lacking.

7And the methods of the miser are wicked.

He decides on schemings

To take advantage of the poor

With deceitful talk,

Whereas when the needy man speaks,

It is for justice.

8And the generous man decides on generosity,

And by generosity he will stand.

9You women who are at ease,

Arise and hear my voice;

You confident daughters,

Listen to my discourse.

10For many days annually,

You will be agitated,

You confident women,

For the grape harvest will fail

– The ingathering will not come.

11Tremble, you women at ease,

Be awestruck, you confident women;

Strip off and be naked,

Then gird up your waist.

12Babes lament for the breasts;

Parents for the delightful fields

– For the fruitful vine.

13On the land of my people

The thistle and the briar will come up,

For they will be over all joyous households,

In the delightful town.

14For the castle will be abandoned,

The liveliness of the city will disappear;

The raised ground and the watchtower will become dens age-abidingly

– The joy of wild asses,

And pasture for flocks –

15Until a spirit is poured out on us from above,

And the desert becomes a well-cultivated plain,

And the well-cultivated plain

Is considered a forest.

16And justice will prevail

In the desert,

And righteousness will be prevalent

In the well-cultivated plain.

17And the accomplishment of righteousness

Will be peace,

And the work of rectitude

Will be quietness and security age-abidingly.

18And my people will dwell

In a peaceful abode,

And in secure dwelling places,

And in quiet resting places.

19And when hail comes down in the forest,

The city will lie low in the lowland.

20Blessed are you who sow

Wherever there is water,

And who drive the ox and the donkey.

Isaiah Chapter 33 

1Woe to the plunderer,

You who were not plundered,

And to the traitor,

Him whom no-one betrayed.

When you stop plundering,

You will be plundered,

When you finish betraying,

You will be betrayed.

2O Lord, be gracious to us;

We have put our hope in you.

Be their strong arm in the mornings,

And also our salvation

In a time of adversity.

3At the sound of a multitude,

The various peoples will flee;

At your exaltation,

The nations will be scattered.

4And your plunder will be gathered

Like a swarm of consuming locusts;

They will be greedy for it,

Like the greed of desert locusts.

5The Lord is exalted,

For he inhabits the heights;

He will fill Zion

With justice and righteousness.

6And the abundance of acts of salvation, wisdom and knowledge

Will be the mainstay of your times,

And fear of the Lord

Will be his treasure.

7Behold, their heroes will cry out in the open;

The messengers of peace will weep bitterly.

8The highways will be devastated;

The wayfarer will cease to be found.

He will break the covenant,

He will show contempt for the cities;

He will not consider man.

9The earth mourns and is languishing,

And Lebanon is ashamed and is withering.

Sharon has become like an arid tract,

And Bashan and Carmel

Have cast off their foliage.

10“Now I will arise”,

The Lord will say,

“Now I will be exalted;

Now I will be extolled.

11You will conceive stubble;

You will give birth to chaff.

Your own fiery breath will consume you.

12And nations will be like the burning of lime;

They will be set on fire,

Like thorn plants that have been cut down.

13Hear, you who are far away,

What I have done,

And know, you who are nearby, my might.”

14The sinners in Zion will be afraid;

Trembling will seize the profane.

Who among us can withstand a consuming fire?

Who among us can withstand

Age-abiding burning?

15As for him who walks righteously

And speaks uprightly,

Rejecting unjust gain

From fraudulent practices,

Dismissing with a wave of his hands

Any offer of a bribe,

Shutting his ear

So as not to hear plots of bloodshed,

And closing his eyes

So as not to see plans for evil,

16He will dwell high up;

His high fort is a citadel of rock.

His food is provided for;

His water supply is reliable.

17Your eyes will see the king in his magnificence;

They will see a far-stretching land.

18Your heart will be taken up with dread.

Where is the scribe?

Where is the weigher?

Where is he who counts the towers?

19You will not see a fierce people,

Nor a people of unintelligible speech,

Jabbering in a tongue

Not understood.

20Behold Zion,

Town of our festival times.

Your eyes will see Jerusalem,

A dwelling place at ease,

A tent which does not move around,

Whose pegs do not for ever journey,

And none of whose guylines are detached.

21For the mighty Lord will be there,

As our place of rivers

– Watercourses – very wide ones.

No galley will go into it,

And no mighty ship will pass through it.

22For the Lord is our judge,

The Lord is our legislator,

The Lord is our king;

He will save us.

23Your rigging has been loosened,

They have not strengthened the base of their mast;

They have not unfurled a sail.

Then the booty of much spoil is divided;

The lame grab the plunder.

24And the inhabitant will not say,

“I am ill.”

The people who live in it

Are forgiven their iniquity.

Isaiah Chapter 34 

1Approach you nations, to hear,

And listen, you peoples.

Let earth and its fulness hear

– The world and all its offspring.

2For the Lord is angry with all the nations,

And is wrathful over all their armies.

He will obliterate them;

He will deliver them to slaughter.

3And their casualties will be dumped,

And from their corpses their stench will come,

And mountains will melt

From their blood.

4And all the array of heaven will dissolve,

And the heavens will be rolled up like a scroll,

And all their array will fall away,

Like the falling off of foliage from a vine,

Or like a fig falling from a fig tree.

5For my sword will be satiated in the heavens,

And behold, it will descend on Edom,

And on a people I have condemned in judgment.

6The Lord's sword is full of blood;

It is besmeared with fat

From the blood of fatted lambs and he-goats

And with the fat from the kidneys of rams,

For the Lord has a sacrifice in Bozrah,

And great slaughter in the land of Edom.

7And the buffaloes will be brought down with them,

And oxen with strong bulls,

And their land will be saturated with blood,

And their dust will be made greasy with fat.

8For it is the day of the Lord's vengeance

– The year of retribution –

For the controversy over Zion.

9And its streams will be turned into pitch,

And its dust into sulphur,

And its land will become burning pitch.

10Night and day it will not be extinguished;

Its smoke will rise up age-abidingly.

From generation to generation it will be desolate;

In all perpetuity

No-one will pass through it.

11And the pelican and the hedgehog will inherit it,

And the owl and the crow will inhabit it,

And it is delineated as desolate,

And it is marked off as forlorn.

12As for their nobles,

There will be nothing there

Which they can proclaim as a kingdom,

And all its officials

Will be no more.

13And thorns will come up in its palaces,

And nettles and thistles in its fortifications,

And it will be an abode of jackals,

And pasture for ostriches.

14And the desert animals will meet the jackals,

And the goat will call to its fellow.

Indeed the screech-owl will settle quietly there

And will find itself a resting place.

15The eagle-owl will make its nest there

And lay its eggs and hatch them

And brood over them in its shadow.

Vultures will also gather there

– The female and her mate.

16Seek in the book of the Lord,

And read.

Not one of these females will be left behind.

No female will lack its mate,

For it is my mouth which has commanded it,

And it is his spirit which will gather them.

17And he has cast their lot,

And his hand has allocated them an area marked off by a measuring line.

They will inherit it age-abidingly;

From generation to generation

They will dwell in it.

Reference(s) in Chapter 34: v.4 ↔ Matthew 24:29, Mark 13:25, Hebrews 1:12, Revelation 6:13-14 ● v.10 ↔ Revelation 14:11, Revelation 19:3 ● v.11 ↔ Revelation 18:2.

Isaiah Chapter 35 

1The desert and the dry place will take delight in them,

And the arid tract will rejoice

And blossom like a lily.

2It will blossom beautifully and rejoice;

It will rejoice and exult all the more.

The glory of Lebanon will be given to it

– The splendour of Carmel and Sharon.

They will see the glory of the Lord

– The splendour of our God.

3Strengthen weak hands,

And embolden faltering knees.

4Say to those of a panic-stricken heart,

“Be strong and do not fear.

Behold, your God will come with vengeance

With God's retribution.

He will come and save you.”

5Then the eyes of the blind will be opened,

And opened will be the ears of the deaf.

6Then the lame will leap like the deer,

And the tongue of the mute will shout for joy,

At a time when water will be laid open in the desert,

As will streams in the arid tracts.

7And the parched ground will become a lake,

And the thirsty land springs of water.

In the jackals' den where they lie down

Will be pasture with reeds and papyrus.

8And there will be a highway and a road there,

And it will be called the holy road.

No-one unclean will pass over it,

And it will be for him who walks in the way,

And the impious will not stray onto it.

9There will not be any lions there,

And rapacious animals will not come up to it,

Nor be found there,

But the redeemed will walk on it.

10And the Lord's redeemed will return

And come to Zion in jubilation,

With age-abiding joy on their heads.

They will obtain happiness and joy,

Whereas sorrow and sighing will flee.

Reference(s) in Chapter 35: v.3 ↔ Hebrews 12:12 ● v.5 ↔ Matthew 15:31, Luke 4:18; Matthew 11:5 ● v.6 ↔ Matthew 11:5, Matthew 15:31.

Isaiah Chapter 36 

1And it came to pass in the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah that Sennacherib king of Assyria went up against all the fortified cities of Judah and seized them. 2And the king of Assyria sent the chief butler from Lachish to Jerusalem, to King Hezekiah, with a sizeable army, and they stood at the conduit at the upper pool, which is at the aqueduct to the washer's site. 3And Eliakim, Hilkiah's son, who was in charge of the house, came out to him, as did Shebna the scribe, and Joah the son of Asaph, the state secretary. 4And the chief butler said to them, “Kindly say to Hezekiah, ‘This is what the great king, the king of Assyria, says: «What is this object of trust in which you trust? 5I quote you – but it is vain talk – ‹I have counsel and wherewithal for war.› Now in whom have you trusted? For you have rebelled against me. 6Look, you have put trust in this buckled reed staff – in Egypt – and if a man leans on it, it slips into his hand and pierces it. Such is Pharaoh king of Egypt to all who trust in him. 7And if you say to me, ‹We trust in the Lord our God›, is that not he whose raised sites and whose altars Hezekiah removed, when he said to Judah and to Jerusalem, ‹It is before this altar that you will worship›?» ’ 8So now, please, enter into a contract with my lord the king of Assyria, and I will give you two thousand horses if you are able to provide yourself with riders on them. 9And how can you decline the offer of a governor among the least of my lord's servants, and entrust yourself to Egypt for chariots and for horsemen? 10Now did I come up without the Lord against this land, to bring it to ruin? The Lord said to me, ‘Go up against this land and bring it to ruin.’ ” 11Then Eliakim and Shebna and Joah said to the chief butler, “Please speak to your servants in Aramaic, for we understand it, and do not speak to us in Judaean, it being intelligible to the people who are on the wall.” 12Then the chief butler said, “Is it to your master and to you that my lord has sent me to speak these words? Is it not to the people sitting on the wall, that they will have to eat their excrement and drink their urine with you?” 13Then the chief butler stood up and called out in a loud voice in Judaean and said, “Hear the words of the great king, the king of Assyria. 14This is what the king says: ‘Do not let Hezekiah deceive you, for he will not be able to deliver you. 15And do not let Hezekiah persuade you to trust in the Lord, saying, «The Lord will certainly deliver us, and this city will not be delivered into the hand of the king of Assyria.» ’ 16Do not listen to Hezekiah, for this is what the king of Assyria says: ‘Make things a blessing in partnership with me, and come out to me, then let each man eat from his vine, and each man from his fig tree, and let each man drink water from his cistern, 17until I come and take you to a land like your own land – a land of corn and new wine, a land of bread and vineyards. 18And don't let Hezekiah entice you, saying, «The Lord will deliver us.» Have the gods of the nations delivered anyone's land from the grip of the king of Assyria? 19Where are the gods of Hamath and Arpad? Where are the gods of Sepharvaim? And have they, then, delivered Samaria from my grip? 20Who are there among all the gods of these countries who have delivered their country from my grip? So will the Lord deliver Jerusalem from my grip?’ ” 21And they fell silent, and they did not answer him a word, for the king's commandment was, “Do not answer him.” 22Then Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, who was in charge of the household, and Shebna the scribe, and Joah the son of Asaph, the state secretary, went to Hezekiah with their clothes torn, and they told him the chief butler's words.

Isaiah Chapter 37 

1And it came to pass, when King Hezekiah heard it, that he tore his clothes and covered himself in sackcloth, and he went to the house of the Lord. 2And he sent Eliakim, who was in charge of the household, and Shebna the scribe, and the elders of the priests – having covered themselves in sackcloth – to Isaiah, the son of Amoz, the prophet. 3And they said to him, “This is what Hezekiah says: ‘This day is a day of anguish and chastening and indignity, for the sons have arrived at the stage of breaking out of the womb, but there isn't the strength to give birth. 4Perhaps the Lord your God will have heard the words of the chief butler, whom the king of Assyria, his master, sent to defy the living God, and he will condemn the words which the Lord your God has heard, so you will take up a prayer for the remnant which is found.’ ” 5And when King Hezekiah's servants came to Isaiah, 6Isaiah said to them, “This is what you will say to your master: ‘This is what the Lord says: «Do not be afraid of the words which you have heard, because the servants of the king of Assyria have vilified me. 7I am about to put in him a certain spirit, and he will hear a rumour, and he will return to his country, and I will bring him down by the sword in his own country.» ’ ” 8Then the chief butler returned and found the king of Assyria at war with Libnah, for he had heard that he had moved from Lachish. 9And he heard about Tirhakah king of Ethiopia, when informants said, “He has gone out to wage war with you.” And when he heard about it, he sent messengers to Hezekiah to say, 10“This is what you will say to Hezekiah king of Judah. Say, ‘Do not let your God in whom you trust deceive you when he says, «Jerusalem will not be delivered into the hand of the king of Assyria.» 11Look, you have heard what the kings of Assyria have done to all the countries, in obliterating them. So will you be delivered? 12Have the gods of the nations delivered them – nations which my fathers brought to ruin: Gozan and Haran and Rezeph and the sons of Eden who were in Telassar? 13Where is the king of Hamath or the king of Arpad or the king of the city of Sepharvaim, Hena or Ivvah?’ ” 14And Hezekiah took the communiqué from the hand of the messengers and read it, and he went up to the house of the Lord, and Hezekiah spread it before the Lord. 15And Hezekiah prayed to the Lord and said, 16“O Lord of hosts, God of Israel, you who dwell between the cherubim, you alone are the God of all the kingdoms of the earth. You made heaven and the earth. 17Incline, O Lord, your ear and hear; open, O Lord, your eyes and see, and hear all the words of Sennacherib who sent a messenger to defy the living God. 18Indeed, O Lord, the kings of Assyria have laid all the nations and their land waste, 19and they have put their gods in a fire – although they are not gods, but the product of man's hands, wood and stone – and they have destroyed them. 20So now, O Lord our God, save us from his grip, so that all the kingdoms of the earth will know that you are the Lord, and only you.” 21Then Isaiah the son of Amoz sent word to Hezekiah as follows: “This is what the Lord God of Israel says: ‘Because you have prayed to me against Sennacherib king of Assyria’, 22these are the words which the Lord spoke concerning him,

‘The virgin daughter of Zion despises you,

Derides you;

The daughter of Jerusalem

Shakes her head at you.

23Whom have you defied and vilified,

And against whom have you raised your voice?

Well, you have lifted your eyes haughtily

Against the holy one of Israel.

24Through your servants you have defied the Lord*

And said, «By the numerical weight of my chariot fleet

I have ascended to the heights of mountains

In the remote parts of Lebanon.

And I will cut down the tallest of its cedars

And the choice of its cypresses,

And I will come to its ultimate height

In its Carmel forest.

25I have dug wells and drunk water,

And by my expeditions

I have caused all the channels to places under siege

To dry up.»

26Have you not heard from long ago

That I made this?

– That in ancient days I formed it?

I have brought it about now,

And it was so that you should reduce fortified cities

To desolate heaps of stones.

27And their inhabitants were powerless,

They were afraid and were put to shame;

They were wild vegetation and grassy verdure

– Wild grass on rooftops,

And blight on standing corn.

28Now I have known your way of life,

And your coming and going,

And your rage against me.

29Because your rage against me and your wantonness

Have come up to my ears,

I will put my hook in your nose,

And my bridle in your lips,

And I will turn you back to the road

By which you came.’

30‘And this will be a sign to you:

This year you will eat the produce of spilt grain,

And in the second year the produce of self-sown grain,

But in the third year,

Sow and reap and plant vineyards

And eat their fruit.

31And the remnant of the house of Judah which remains

Will again strike root downward

And yield fruit upward.

32For the remainder will go out from Jerusalem,

As will the remnant from Mount Zion.

The zeal of the Lord of hosts

Will perform this.’

33Therefore this is what the Lord says concerning the king of Assyria:

‘He shall not come to this city,

And he shall not shoot an arrow there,

And he shall not advance on it with a shield,

And he shall not raise an earthwork against it.

34He will return by the road on which he came,

And he shall not come to this city,

Says the Lord.

35And I will defend this city,

So as to save it,

For my own sake,

And for the sake of David my servant.’ ”

36And the angel of the Lord went out and struck down one hundred and eighty-five thousand men in the Assyrians' camp, and when people arose in the morning, they saw that they were all dead – corpses. 37So Sennacherib king of Assyria moved off and departed, and he returned and stayed in Nineveh. 38And it came to pass, while he was worshipping in the house of Nisroch his god, that Adrammelech and Sarezer his sons struck him down with the sword, and they escaped to the land of Ararat. And Esarhaddon his son reigned in his place.

Isaiah Chapter 38 

1In those days Hezekiah became mortally ill, and Isaiah the son of Amoz, the prophet, came to him and said to him, “This is what the Lord says: ‘Give your last orders to your household, for you are going to die, and you will not live.’ ” 2Then Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the Lord, 3and he said, “I implore you, O Lord, do remember how I have walked before you in truth, and with a sincere heart, and how I have done what is right in your sight.” And Hezekiah wept with great weeping. 4And the word of the Lord came to Isaiah as follows: 5“Go and say to Hezekiah, ‘This is what the Lord God of David your father says: «I have heard your prayer; I have seen your tears. I am about to add fifteen years to your days. 6I will deliver you and this city from the grip of the king of Assyria, and I will defend this city. 7And this is your sign from the Lord, for the Lord will perform this pronouncement which he spoke: 8I am about to make the shadow of the sundial go back, the shadow which was cast by Ahaz's sundial in the sun – ten degrees backwards.» ’ ” And the sun went back ten degrees on the sundial by which it was cast. 9The writing of Hezekiah king of Judah when he was ill and recovered from his sickness: 10I said,

“In the quiet period of my life,

I was to go to the gates of the grave;

I was to be left without the rest of my years.”

11I said, “I shall not see the Lord,

The Lord in the land of the living.

I shall no longer see a man

Among the inhabitants of the transitory world.

12My span of life has been torn away,

And it has been carried away from me

Like a shepherd's tent.

I have severed off my life;

Like a weaver cutting yarn,

He will cut me off.

From day to night

You were to bring me to an end.

13I waited expectantly until the morning.

As a lion tears apart,

So he would break all my bones,

And from day to night I waited

For you to make an end of me.

14Like a swallow or a crane,

So I chirped;

I cooed like a dove.

My eyes are weak with looking upward.

O Lord*, I am oppressed;

Become my security.

15What shall I say,

In that he has spoken to me,

And he has acted?

I will proceed softly for all my years

On account of inward grief.

16O Lord*, by these things men live,

And in all of them is my spiritual life,

And you are restoring me to health

And reviving me.

17But it was for peace

That I had great bitterness,

But you were pleased to deliver my being

From the pit of destruction,

For you have cast all my sins behind your back.

18For the grave does not praise you,

Nor does death laud you.

Those who go down to the pit

Do not await your truth.

19It is the living, the living who praise you,

As I do today.

A father will make your truth known

To his sons.

20The Lord was there to save me,

And we will play my music on string instruments,

All the days of our life,

At the house of the Lord.”

21And Isaiah said, “Let them take a cake of pressed figs and rub it on the inflammation, and he will recover.” 22Then Hezekiah said, “What is the sign that I shall go up to the house of the Lord?”

Isaiah Chapter 39 

1At that time Merodach-Baladan the son of Baladan, the king of Babylon, sent letters and a gift to Hezekiah, having heard that he had become ill and had recovered. 2And Hezekiah was pleased with them, and he showed them the spice house, the silver and the gold, and the fragrances, and the good quality oil, and all his armoury, and everything that was present in his treasuries. There was nothing which Hezekiah did not show them in his house and in all his realm. 3Then Isaiah the prophet came to King Hezekiah and said to him, “What did these men say, and where have they come to you from?” And Hezekiah said, “They have come to me from a distant land, from Babylon.” 4And he said, “What did they see in your house?” And Hezekiah said, “They saw everything in my house. There is nothing which I didn't show them in my treasuries.” 5Then Isaiah said to Hezekiah, “Hear the word of the Lord of hosts. 6‘Behold, the days are coming when everything in your house, and which your fathers have treasured up, up to this day, will be carried away to Babylon. Nothing will remain, says the Lord. 7And they will take away some of your sons who will descend from you, whom you will beget, and they will be eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon.’ ” 8Then Hezekiah said to Isaiah, “The word of the Lord, which you have spoken, is right.” And he said, “For there will be peace and truth in my days.”

Isaiah Chapter 40 

1“Take comfort, take comfort, my people”,

Says your God.

2“Speak kindly to Jerusalem,

And proclaim to her

That her warfare has been concluded,

That her iniquity has been propitiated;

That she has received double at the hand of the Lord

For all her sins.”

3A voice calling in the desert,

“Clear the way of the Lord;

Make a straight highway in the arid land

For our God.

4Every valley will be raised,

And every mountain and hill will be lowered,

And what is steep will become level,

And the rugged places a low plain.

5And the glory of the Lord will be revealed,

And all flesh will see it together,

For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”

6A voice said,

“Make a proclamation.”

And he said,

“What shall I proclaim?”

“All flesh is grass,

And all its grace

Is like a wild flower.

7The grass dries up,

And the flower fades,

For the spirit of the Lord blows on it.

Truly,

The people are grass.

8The grass dries up,

And the flower fades,

But the word of our God

Will stand age-abidingly.”

9Get up onto a high mountain,

Zion, which announces good news.

Raise your voice strongly,

Jerusalem, which announces good news.

Raise it; do not fear.

Say to the cities of Judah,

“Behold your God.”

10Behold, my Lord the Lord

Will come with strength,

And his arm will rule for him.

Behold, his reward is with him,

And his recompense is before him.

11He will tend his flock like a shepherd

And gather lambs in his arm,

And he will carry them in his bosom

And lead dairy cattle along.

12Who has measured the waters in the palm of his hand

Or sized up the heavens by the span?

Or calculated the volume of the dust of the earth

With a third-ephah container

Or weighed in a balance the mountains,

And the hills in scales?

13Who has assessed the spirit of the Lord,

And what man has imparted knowledge to him

With his counsel?

14With whom does he confer who can instruct him

And teach him in the way of justice,

And teach him knowledge

And indicate to him the way of understanding?

15Look, the nations are like a drop from a bucket,

And they are counted as dust in the balance.

Look, he can lift up the coastlands

Like fine powder.

16Even Lebanon isn't enough to burn,

And its animals aren't enough as a burnt offering.

17All the nations are like nothing before him;

They are considered less than nothing and desolation by him.

18So to whom will you liken God,

And with what comparison

Will you draw a parallel with him?

19The artisan casts an idol,

And refines gold and overlays it,

And refines silver for chains.

20As for the heave-offering of the impoverished,

He selects some wood which will not rot,

And finds himself a skilled artisan

To prepare an idol

Which will not be shaken.

21Have you not known,

Have you not heard,

Has it not been told you from the beginning?

Have you not understood

The foundations of the earth?

22It is he who sits above the earth's sphere,

Whose inhabitants are like grasshoppers;

It is he who stretches out the heavens like fine cloth,

And spans them like a tent to dwell in,

23Who reduces princes to nothing,

And makes the judges of the world desolate.

24They certainly won't be planted,

They simply won't be sown;

Their main stem just will not strike root.

Also a wind will blow on them

And they will dry up,

And a storm will carry them away

Like chaff.

25“So to whom will you liken me,

So that I will be comparable?”

Says the holy one.

26“Raise your eyes and look.

Who created these things?

He who produced the array of them by number

– He calls them all by name –

By great strength and mighty power;

Not one is missing.

27Jacob, why do you say,

And Israel, why do you declare,

‘My way is hidden from the Lord,

And my just deserts

Will be overlooked by my God?’

28Have you not known,

Or have you not heard,

That the age-abiding God

– The Lord,

The creator of the ends of the earth –

Does not become exhausted

And does not become weary,

And that there is no fathoming

Of his understanding?

29He gives the exhausted strength,

And he increases the vigour

Of those who have no energy.

30But youths will become exhausted and weary,

And young men will surely stumble.

31But those who confide in the Lord

Will revive in strength;

They will soar in flight like eagles.

They will run

And not grow weary,

They will proceed

And not become exhausted.

Reference(s) in Chapter 40: v.3 ↔ Matthew 3:3, Mark 1:2, Mark 1:3, Luke 3:4, John 1:23 ● v.4 ↔ Luke 3:5 ● v.5 ↔ Luke 3:6 ● v.6 ↔ 1 Peter 1:24 ● v.7 ↔ 1 Peter 1:24 ● v.8 ↔ 1 Peter 1:24, 1 Peter 1:25 ● v.13 ↔ Romans 11:34, 1 Corinthians 2:16.

Isaiah Chapter 41 

1Be silent towards me, you coastlands,

And may the nations revive their strength.

Let them approach at that time,

And let them speak;

Let us draw near together

For judgment.

2Whom did he raise up from the east?

He called him to righteousness in his footsteps;

He set nations before him,

And he had him subdue kings.

He made them like dust with his sword

– Like chaff driven about with his bow.

3He pursued them;

He came through in safety

Along a way which he had not taken on foot.

4Who has performed it and accomplished it,

Calling generations from the beginning?

I, the Lord,

The first and with the last;

I am he.

5The coastlands have seen it,

And they feared.

The ends of the earth trembled;

They approached and came.

6They helped each other,

And each said to his brother,

‘Take courage.’

7And the artisan encouraged the refiner,

And he who hammers thin encouraged him who strikes on the anvil,

As he said, ‘It is right for soldering.’

And he fastened it with rivets

Which would not come loose.

8But you, Israel, are my servant,

And Jacob, you whom I chose,

Are the seed of my friend Abraham,

9And I took you from the ends of the earth,

And I called you from its remote parts.

And I said to you,

‘You are my servant;

I have chosen you,

And I have not rejected you.

10Do not fear, for I am with you.

Do not be dismayed, for I am your God.

I will strengthen you,

And I will help you,

And I will support you

With my righteous right hand.’

11Behold, they will be put to shame,

And they will be disgraced.

All who were furious with you will be as nothing,

And the men who contended with you will perish.

12You will seek them,

But you will not find them.

The men who strove with you

Will be as nothing,

And the men who fought you

Will be as a void.

13For I am the Lord your God,

Who will hold your right hand,

Who says to you,

‘Do not fear;

I will help you.’

14‘Do not fear, Jacob,

Worm that you are

You men of Israel –

I will help you’,

Says the Lord your redeemer

– The holy one of Israel.

15Behold, I have made you into a threshing board,

Sharp and new,

With many cutting edges.

You will thresh mountains

And grind them small,

And you will make hills like chaff.

16You will winnow them,

And the wind will carry them away,

And a storm will scatter them.

And you will rejoice in the Lord;

You will boast in the holy one of Israel.

17The poor and the needy seek water,

But there isn't any.

Their tongue has dried up from thirst.

I, the Lord, will answer them;

The God of Israel will not desert them.

18I will open up rivers on high ground,

And springs in the middle of valleys.

I will make the desert a pool of water,

And arid land a fountain of water.

19I will put in the desert

Cedar and acacia,

And myrtle and oil-yielding trees.

I will place in the arid regions

Cypress, elm and box trees together,

20In order that they may see,

And know, and take note,

And act wisely together,

For the hand of the Lord has done this,

And the holy one of Israel has brought it about.

21Advance your arguments,

Says the Lord;

Bring forward your strong reasoning,

Says the king of Jacob.

22Let them produce it

And tell us what things are going to take place,

And what the first things were.

Tell us, and we will pay attention,

So that we may know their end result,

Or make known to us

Things to come.

23Tell us the things

Which are going to happen in the future,

So that we may know,

For you are gods,

And also do good or do evil,

So we can be overawed

And fear together.

24Look, you are less than nothing,

And your practices are less than vacuous.

And he who chooses you

Is an abomination.

25I have raised one up from the north,

And he shall come.

From the rising of the sun,

He will proclaim my name,

And he will cut through administrators like loam,

And as a potter treads clay.

26Who has told it in advance,

So that we may know?

And beforehand,

So that we may say,

Quite right’?”

There just isn't anyone who tells it,

There just isn't anyone who proclaims it;

How much less is there

Anyone hearing your proclamations!

27First, I will say to Zion,

‘Look, here they are’,

Then I will give to Jerusalem

Someone who brings good news.

28And I looked,

But there was no-one,

And I sought among them,

But there was no counsellor.

Nor when I questioned them

Were there any who could answer.

29Behold, they are all vanity,

Their works are without substance;

Their cast images

Are wind and wreckage.

Reference(s) in Chapter 41: v.4 ↔ Revelation 1:8, Revelation 1:17, Revelation 2:8, Revelation 21:6, Revelation 22:13;, Revelation 1:11 ● v.8 ↔ Matthew 12:18, James 2:23 ● v.23 ↔ John 10:34.

Isaiah Chapter 42 

1Behold my servant whom I will sustain

– My chosen one in whom my being delights.

I have cast my spirit over him;

He will bring justice

To the Gentiles.

2He will not shout, and he will not act high-handedly,

Nor make his voice heard in the street.

3He will not break a buckled reed,

And he will not extinguish a smouldering wick.

He will bring justice

In accordance with truth.

4He will not grow faint,

And he will not buckle

Before he has set up justice on the earth,

And the coastlands will await his law.”

5This is what God, the Lord

Who created the heavens and stretched them out,

Who pitched the earth and what it brings forth,

Who gives breath to the people upon it,

And spirit to those who walk on it – says:

6“I, the Lord, have called you in righteousness,

And I will hold your hand,

And I will guard you,

And I will make you into a covenant people

A light of the Gentiles –

7To open blind eyes,

To take prisoners out of confinement

And those who dwell in darkness out of their prison.

8I am the Lord;

That is my name,

And I will not give my honour to another,

Nor my praiseworthiness to idols.

9As for the former things,

You see that they have come about,

And as for the new things,

I declare them.

Before they arise,

I will proclaim them to you.

10Sing a new song to the Lord

– His praiseworthiness from the end of the earth –

You who go down to the sea and its fulness,

You coastlands

And you who live in them.

11Let the desert and its cities raise their voices,

And the courtyards which Kedar inhabits.

Let the inhabitants of the rock be jubilant,

Let them shout from the peak of the mountains,

12Let them give glory to the Lord,

And let them proclaim his praiseworthiness

In the coastlands.

13The Lord will come out as a warrior,

He will arouse zeal as a man of war;

He will cry out and shout

And overcome his enemies.

14I have been silent for a long time;

I have been quiet and restrained myself.

But I will scream like a woman giving birth;

I will puff and pant at the same time.

15I will lay mountains and hills waste,

And I will dry up all their herbaceous vegetation.

I will make rivers into coastlands,

And I will dry up lakes.

16And I will enable the blind to walk along a way they haven't known,

And I will enable them to tread paths they have not been familiar with.

I will make the darkness in front of them light

And the impracticable ways level.

These are the words;

I will carry them out

And not renounce them.

17As for those who trust in an idol,

Who say to cast imagery,

‘You are our gods’,

They have drawn back;

They will be put to great shame.

18You deaf ones, hear!

You blind ones,

Look up so as to see!

19Who is blind, but my servant?

Or deaf, like my messenger whom I sent?

Who is blind like the one who has been preserved?

Or blind, like the servant of the Lord?

20For you have seen many things,

But you do not take note of them;

You have pricked up the ears

But no-one takes heed.”

21The Lord takes delight for the sake of his own righteousness;

He magnifies the law

And gives it honour.

22But it is a people plundered and preyed on,

By those ensnaring them all in pits,

While they hide in confinement.

They have been a target of plunder,

With no-one delivering them

– A prey, with no-one saying,

“Give it back.”

23Who among you will attend to this?

Who will listen and heed it afterwards?

24Who made Jacob a target of spoil

And delivered Israel to the plunderers?

Was it not the Lord,

Against whom we have sinned?

For they did not want to walk in his ways,

And they did not heed his law.

25And he poured out fury – his wrath – over him,

And the force of war,

And it set him on fire round about,

But he did not discern anything,

And it burned him,

But he did not lay it to heart.

Reference(s) in Chapter 42: v.1 ↔ Matthew 12:18 ● v.2 ↔ Matthew 12:19 ● v.3 ↔ Matthew 12:20 ● v.6 ↔ Luke 2:32.

Isaiah Chapter 43 

1And now, this is what the Lord,

Your creator, O Jacob,

And your fashioner, O Israel,

Says:

“Do not fear, for I have redeemed you.

I have called you by your name;

You are mine.

2When you cross over water,

I will be with you,

And when you traverse rivers,

They will not overwhelm you.

When you go through fire,

You will not be scorched,

And not a flame will burn you.

3For I am the Lord your God,

The holy one of Israel,

Your saviour.

I have given Egypt as a ransom for you,

And Ethiopia and Seba on behalf of you,

4Because you are precious in my eyes;

You are honoured, and I love you,

And I will give a man for you,

And nations for your existence.

5Do not fear, for I am with you.

I will bring your seed from the east,

And I will gather you from the west.

6I will say to the north,

‘Give them up’,

And to the south,

‘Do not shut them in.’

Bring my sons from afar,

And my daughters from the end of the earth.

7I created everyone who is called by my name,

And it is for my glory.

I fashioned him;

Indeed, I made him.

8Bring out the blind people

Who nevertheless have eyes,

And the deaf,

Who nevertheless have ears.

9All the Gentiles will be gathered together,

And the nations will be assembled.

Who among them can recount this,

And proclaim to us the former things?

Let them produce their witnesses,

And be justified.

Or let them hear, and let them say,

It is the truth.’

10You are my witnesses,

Says the Lord,

And my servant whom I have chosen,

So that you may know and believe me,

And understand that I am he.

Before me no God was fashioned

Nor will there be after me.

11I, I am the Lord,

And there is no saviour besides me.

12I have declared it,

And I have saved,

And I have proclaimed it,

While among you there is nothing extraneous,

And you are my witnesses,

Says the Lord,

And I am God.

13Indeed, since the existence of a day,

I am he,

And there is no-one who delivers from my hand.

I act,

And who can avert it?”

14This is what the Lord, your redeemer,

The holy one of Israel, says:

“For your sake I have sent a force to Babylon,

And I have brought down all the fugitives,

And the Chaldeans are in outcry in their ships.

15I am the Lord your holy one,

The creator of Israel,

Your king.”

16This is what the Lord

– Who makes a passage in the sea,

And a route in raging water,

17Who brings out chariot and horse,

An army and a force – says:

“They will lie down together,

They will not get up,

They will be extinguished;

They will be snuffed out like a wick.

18Do not remember the former things,

And do not consider ancient matters.

19I am about to make something new

– It will spring up now.

Do you not know it?

Indeed, I will build a road in the desert

And establish rivers in the wasteland.

20The wildlife will glorify me

– The jackals and the ostriches –

Because I will have given them water in the desert

And rivers in the wasteland,

To give drink to my chosen people

21– A people whom I fashioned for myself,

Who will relate my praiseworthiness.

22And it is not that you called me, O Jacob,

For you have grown weary of me,

O Israel.

23You have not brought me the sheep

For your burnt offerings,

And you have not honoured me with your sacrifices.

I have not overburdened you with the meal-offering,

And I have not wearied you with incense.

24You have not bought me sweet cane with money,

And you have not satiated me with the fat of your sacrifices,

But you have overburdened me with your sins

And wearied me with your iniquities.

25I, I am he

Who wipes out your trespasses

For my own sake,

And I will not remember your sins.

26Bring me to remembrance;

Let us appeal to law together.

Put your case

So that you may be justified.

27Your first father sinned,

And your mediators have transgressed against me.

28So I have profaned the holy officiators,

And I have consigned Jacob to condemnation,

And Israel to reproaches.

Reference(s) in Chapter 43: v.19 ↔ Revelation 21:5.

Isaiah Chapter 44 

1But now, hear, O Jacob my servant,

And Israel, whom I have chosen.

2This is what the Lord

– Your maker and your fashioner from the womb,

Who will help you – says:

Do not fear, Jacob, my servant,

And Jeshurun

Whom I have chosen.

3For I will pour water on him who is thirsty,

And precipitation on dry land.

I will pour my spirit on your seed,

And my blessing on your descendants,

4And they will sprout up among the vegetation

Like willows by streams of water.

5One will say, ‘I belong to the Lord’,

And another will call out in the name of Jacob,

While another will write by hand,

‘Of the Lord’,

And he will designate himself

By the name Israel.”

6This is what the Lord

– The king of Israel,

And his kinsman redeemer,

The Lord of hosts – says:

“I am the first

And I am the last,

And besides me there is no God.

7And who, being like me,

Has been able to proclaim and describe it,

And arrange it for me,

Since I appointed an age-abiding people?

And let them describe to them

The things to come

And those which will arrive.

8Do not fear and do not be afraid.

Have I not informed you previously

And described it,

While you are my witnesses?

Is there a God besides me?

Indeed there is no rock;

I do not know of any.

9As for the fashioners of an idol,

They are all a cause of ruin,

And their sought-after objects

Are of no benefit.

And they are their own witnesses

– They do not see, and they do not know.

So they will be ashamed.

10Who is it who forms a god

Or casts an idol

– Which is to no avail?

11You will see that all his colleagues will be put to shame

– Those who are artisans from among men.

Let them all assemble,

Let them take a stand,

But they will fear

And all be put to shame together.

12The blacksmith with a chisel,

As he works at burning coal,

Fashions it with a hammer,

And works at it with his strong arm,

Even if he is hungry

And has no strength

And has not drunk water

And has become weary.

13The woodcarver applies a straight edge,

And delineates it with a stylus,

And processes the wood with a plane,

And marks it out with a pair of compasses,

And makes it in the shape of a man,

In the elegance of a human,

To stand in a house.

14He chops down some cedars for himself

And takes some holm-oak and oak

And encourages himself with the trees of the forest,

And he plants mountain ash,

And the rain makes them grow.

15And the wood becomes something for a man to burn,

And he takes some of the logs and warms himself,

And he also fires up an oven and bakes bread,

Yet he also fashions a god

And worships it;

He makes it into an idol

And prostrates himself to it.

16He burns half of it in a fire,

He eats meat cooked on half of it,

And roasts a joint,

And has his fill,

And also warms himself and says,

‘Ah, I have become warm;

I have provided myself with a fire.’

17Then he turns the rest of it into a god

– Into his idol –

And prostrates himself to it

And worships it

And prays to it and says,

‘Save me,

For you are my god.’

18They do not know,

And they do not understand,

For he has covered over their eyes

So that they do not see,

And their hearts

So that they do not perceive.

19And no-one lays it to heart,

And there is no knowledge and no understanding,

Whereby they would say,

‘I have burned part in a fire,

And I have also used some for baking bread on its hot embers;

I have roasted meat and eaten it,

So shall I make the rest an abomination,

And prostrate myself to a wooden product?’

20He feeds on ash;

A deluded heart has misguided him,

And he cannot save his life,

And he cannot say,

Isn't there something false

In my right hand?’

21Remember these things, O Jacob,

And Israel, that you are my servant.

I fashioned you;

You are my servant.

Israel, you will not be forgotten by me.

22I have wiped out your transgressions

Like a thick cloud,

And your sins

Like a raincloud.

Come back to me,

For I have redeemed you.

23Be jubilant, O heavens,

For the Lord has taken action.

Shout out, you lower parts of the earth;

Break out into jubilation, you mountains,

You forest and all the trees within,

For the Lord has redeemed Jacob,

And glorifies himself in Israel.

24This is what the Lord

– Your redeemer and your fashioner from the womb –

Says:

I am the Lord,

Who is the maker of everything,

Who stretches out the heavens on my own,

Who pitched the earth – who did so with me? –

25Who obstructs false signs,

And who puts magicians to shame,

Who refutes the wise,

And who shows the fallacy of their knowledge,

26Who brings to pass the word of his servant

And fulfils the counsel committed to his messengers,

Who says to Jerusalem,

‘You will be inhabited’,

And to the cities of Judah,

‘You will be rebuilt’,

For I will restore her desolate places,

27I who say to the deep,

‘Become dry’,

And I dry your rivers up,

28I who say to Cyrus,

‘My shepherd.’

And he will fulfil all my desire

And say to Jerusalem,

‘You will be rebuilt’,

And to the temple,

‘You will be founded.’

Reference(s) in Chapter 44: v.6 ↔ Revelation 1:8, Revelation 1:17, Revelation 2:8, Revelation 21:6, Revelation 22:13;, Revelation 1:11.

Isaiah Chapter 45 

1This is what the Lord says to his anointed one,

To Cyrus whose right hand I have taken hold of,

To subdue nations before him,

As I slacken the loins of kings,

And to open double doors in front of him,

And to see to it that gates will not be closed:

2‘I will walk before you,

And I will straighten twisting places;

I will shatter copper doors,

And I will break iron bolts in pieces.

3And I will give you dark treasures,

And valuables hidden in secret places,

In order that you may know that I am the Lord

Who is calling you by your name,

And that I am the God of Israel.

4It is for the sake of my servant Jacob,

And Israel my chosen one,

That I have called you by your name.

I have given you a title,

But you have not known me.

5I am the Lord,

And there is no other;

There is no God apart from me.

I gird you up,

But you haven't known me.

6This is so that they may know,

From the rising of the sun to the west,

That there is no-one apart from me.

I am the Lord,

And there is no other.

7I form light and create darkness,

I make peace and create harm;

I am the Lord

Who does all these things.

8Distil dew, O heavens above,

And let the skies drip down righteousness.

Let the earth open,

And let them be fruitful with salvation,

And let righteousness spring up together with them.

I am the Lord;

I created it.

9Woe to him who quarrels with the one who fashioned him,

In the way a potsherd quarrels with the potsherds of the ground.

Shall the clay say to its fashioner,

«What are you making?»?

Or shall your work say,

«He has no hands»?

10Woe to him who says to his father,

«What have you begotten?»

Or to a woman,

«What have you given birth to?» ’ ”

11This is what the Lord,

The holy one of Israel,

And their maker, says:

“Ask me about things to come;

Command me concerning my sons,

And about the work of my hands.

12I made the earth,

And I created man on it;

It was my hands which stretched out the heavens,

And it was me who set out all their array.

13I have raised him up in righteousness,

And I will direct all his ways.

He will rebuild my city

And let my captives go,

Without them paying a price or bribe,

Says the Lord of hosts.”

14This is what the Lord says:

“The hard-earned wealth of Egypt

And the merchandise of Ethiopia and of the Sabaeans

– Men of tall stature –

Will cross over to you and will be yours.

They will walk behind you

And cross over in fetters,

And they will prostrate themselves to you

And implore you, and say,

God is definitely among you,

And there is no-one other than God.’ ”

15Truly, you are a God who hides himself,

O God of Israel,

The saviour.

16The fashioners of images will all be put to shame;

They will walk in ignominy together.

17But Israel will be saved by the Lord,

With an age-abiding salvation.

You will not be ashamed,

Nor will you suffer ignominy

Throughout the ages of all time.

18For this is what the Lord says,

The creator of the heavens,

Who is God,

The fashioner of the earth

And the maker of it,

Who prepared it

– He did not create it desolate;

He formed it to be inhabited – :

“I am the Lord,

And there is no other.

19I have not spoken in secret,

In a dark place of the earth;

I have not said to the seed of Jacob,

‘Seek me in a desolate place.’

I, the Lord, speak righteousness,

Stating things which are sound.

20Gather and come, approach together,

You Gentile escapees.

Those who set up their wooden idols

Do not know,

And they pray to a god

Who cannot save.

21Report and bring them near;

Let them even consult together.

Who has announced this in advance

– Reported it ever since ancient times?

Is it not I, the Lord?

And there is no other God apart from me,

A just God and a saviour.

There is none besides me.

22Turn to me and be saved,

All you ends of the earth,

For I am God,

And there is no other.

23I have sworn by myself

– The utterance has gone out of my mouth righteously

And will not be revoked –

For every knee will bow to me,

And every tongue will swear.

24A person will say,

‘Surely in the Lord

I have righteous things and strength.’

To him he will come,

But all who are angry with him

Will be put to shame.

25It is by the action of the Lord

That all the seed of Israel

Will be justified and will glory.

Reference(s) in Chapter 45: v.5 ↔ Mark 12:32 ● v.9 ↔ Romans 9:20 ● v.23 ↔ Romans 14:11, Philippians 2:10, Philippians 2:11.

Isaiah Chapter 46 

1Bel has collapsed, Nebo is buckling;

They were their idols,

Modelled on wild animals and cattle,

Things you carried as burdens

– A wearisome load.

2They have buckled and collapsed together;

They could not save the carried load,

And they themselves have gone into captivity.

3Hear me, house of Jacob,

And all the remainder of the house of Israel,

Who have been sustained from the time of the belly,

Who have been nurtured since the womb.

4Up to your old age,

I am he,

And I will support you up to advanced years.

I act and I nurture,

And I support and deliver.

5To whom will you compare me

And make me equal?

Or liken me,

So that we may be similar?

6They shake out gold from a bag

And weigh silver by the beam of a balance.

They hire a metalworker,

And he makes it into a god.

Then they prostrate themselves,

And indeed they worship.

7They lift it up;

They carry it on the shoulder

And put it down in its place,

And it stands there.

It does not move away from its place.

Moreover, if one cries out to it,

It does not answer.

It cannot save a person from his distress.

8Remember this

And show yourselves men;

Lay this, you transgressors,

To heart again.

9Remember the former things of old,

For I am God,

And there is no other.

I am God,

And there is no-one like me,

10Who tells from the start the final state,

And from old time things which have not been done,

Who says,

‘My counsel will stand firm,

And I will carry out all of my will.’

11I call a bird of prey from the east

– The man on whom I have decided –

From a distant country.

I have spoken,

And I will bring it to pass;

I have designed it,

And I will also carry it out.

12Listen to me,

You stout-hearted men,

Who are far from righteousness.

13I have brought my righteousness near;

It is not far away,

And my salvation will not be long coming.

And I have appointed salvation in Zion for Israel my splendour.

Isaiah Chapter 47 

1Come down and sit on the dust,

You virgin daughter of Babylon;

Sit on the ground where there is no chair,

You daughter of the Chaldeans,

For you will no longer have them calling you

Tender and delicate.

2Take the millstones and grind flour,

Uncover your veil,

Lift the train of your robe,

Uncover the calf of your leg;

Cross the rivers.

3Let your nakedness be revealed;

Let also your ignominy be seen.

I will take revenge;

I will not regard a man with favour.

4As for our redeemer,

His name is the Lord of hosts

– The holy one of Israel.

5Sit in silence and go into darkness,

You daughter of the Chaldeans,

For you will no longer have them calling you

The Lady of Kingdoms.

6I have been angry with my people;

I have profaned my inheritance

And delivered them into your hand.

You did not show them mercy;

You made your yoke on an old man

Very heavy.

7And you have said,

‘I will be the lady age-abidingly.’

But during all this time you have not laid these things to heart,

Nor have you called her final state to mind.

8And now, hear this, you delicate one,

Who sits in security,

Who says in her heart,

‘I am the one,

And there is no-one besides me.

I shall not sit as a widow,

And I shall not know bereavement of children.’

9But these two things will come over you,

In a moment, on one day,

Bereavement of children, and widowhood.

In their entirety they will come over you,

For the abundance of your sorceries,

For the great profusion of your incantations.

10And you trusted in your wickedness;

You said, ‘There is no-one who can see me.’

It is your wisdom and your knowledge which have turned you away,

And you say in your heart,

‘I am the one,

And there is no-one besides me.’

11And evil will come over you,

And you will not know its origin,

And calamity will befall you,

Which you will not be able to avert,

And destruction will come over you suddenly,

When you are unaware.

12Stand firm in your incantations, then,

And in the profusion of your sorceries,

With which you have exhausted yourself from your youth.

Maybe you can benefit;

Maybe you will instil fear.

13You weary yourself with the large number of your consultations.

So let the astrologers who foresee by the stars

And make things known by new moons

Stand up and save you

From what will come over you.

14Look, they are like stubble;

Fire will burn them up.

They cannot save themselves

From the reach of the flame.

It will not be burning coals to warm oneself,

Or a fire to sit around.

15This is what will become

Of what you have wearied yourself with.

Those merchants of yours from your youth

Have each gone astray in his own direction.

You do not have a saviour.

Reference(s) in Chapter 47: v.8 ↔ Revelation 18:7.

Isaiah Chapter 48 

1Hear this, house of Jacob,

Who are called by the name of Israel,

And who came out of the waters of Judah,

Who swear by the name of the Lord,

And who make mention of the God of Israel,

But not in truth

And not in righteousness.

2For they are called a people from the holy city,

Who trust in the God of Israel

– The Lord of hosts is his name.

3I have foretold the first things,

And they proceeded from my mouth,

And I proclaimed them.

Then suddenly I perform them,

And they come to pass,

4Because I know that you are stubborn,

And that your neck has an iron sinew,

And that you have a brazen forehead.

5And I have told you beforehand

– Before it came about,

I proclaimed it to you –

So that you cannot say,

‘My idol performed those things’,

Or, ‘My carved image and my cast figure commanded them.’

6You have heard, ‘Look at all this.’

And will you not announce it?

I have proclaimed to you new things, recently,

And secret things

Which you have not known.

7They are being created now

– And not in the past,

Before the day,

Before you had heard –

So that you cannot say,

‘Look, I knew these things.’

8You neither heard it nor knew it,

Nor has your ear been open since then,

For I knew that you would take to dealing treacherously.

So you have been called

A transgressor from the womb.

9For the sake of my name I will defer my anger,

And for my praiseworthiness I will restrain myself from you,

So as not to cut you off.

10Behold, I have refined you,

But not for money;

I have chosen you

In the furnace of affliction.

11It is for my sake, it is for my sake,

That I will act,

For how could that be profaned?

And I shall not give my glory to another.

12Hear me, Jacob,

And Israel, my called out people:

I am he.

I am the first;

I am also the last.

13Indeed, my hand founded the earth,

And my right hand spread the heavens out.

I call out to them,

And they take up position together.

14Gather together, all of you, and hear.

Who among them has told of these things?

The Lord loved him;

He will do his will in Babylon,

With his arm among the Chaldeans.

15I, I have spoken,

And I have called him too;

I have brought him onto the scene,

And he will make his way prosperous.

16Come close to me and hear this:

From the start I have not spoken in secret.

From the start of time

There I have been.”

And now my Lord the Lord has sent me,

With his spirit.

17This is what the Lord, your redeemer,

The holy one of Israel, says:

“I am the Lord your God,

Your teacher in how to be benefited,

Your guide in the way you should go.

18If only you had heeded my commandments!

Then your peace would have been like a river,

And your righteousness like the waves of the sea.

19And your seed would have been like sand,

And the offspring of your loins like fine gravel.

Their name will not be cut off,

And they will not be destroyed before me.

20Go out of Babylon;

Flee from the Chaldeans with a jubilant voice.

Announce this, proclaim this,

Utter it as far as the end of the earth.

Say, ‘The Lord has redeemed his servant Jacob.’

21They did not thirst

When he led them in desolate places;

He made water gush from a rock for them

When he split the rock

And the water flowed.

22There is no peace,

Says the Lord,

For the wicked.”

Reference(s) in Chapter 48: v.12 ↔ Revelation 22:13 ● v.20 ↔ Revelation 18:4.

Isaiah Chapter 49 

1“Hear me, you coastlands,

And listen, you distant peoples.

The Lord has called me from the womb;

From my mother's belly

He had made mention of my name.

2And he has made my mouth like a sharp sword;

He has hidden me in the shadow of his hand,

He has made me as a perfected arrow,

And he has hidden me in his quiver.

3And he said to me,

‘You are my servant

– Israel, in whom I will be glorified.’

4But I said,

‘I have toiled in vain,

I have expended my energy on a wasteful thing,

And a futile matter,

Yet my vindication is with the Lord,

And my recompense

Is with my God.’ ”

5And now, says the Lord,

Who formed me from the womb

To be his servant,

To bring Jacob back to him,

So that Israel shall be gathered to him,

I will be glorified in the eyes of the Lord,

And my God will be my strength.

6And he said,

“Is it a trivial matter to be my servant,

To establish the tribes of Jacob,

And to restore those preserved of Israel?

And I will make you a light of the Gentiles

To be my salvation

As far as the end of the earth.

7This is what the Lord,

Israel's redeemer,

Their holy one, says:

“Kings will see and arise,

And princes,

And these will prostrate themselves

To him who was considered despicable,

To a nation regarded as an abomination,

To one subservient to rulers,

This being for the sake of the Lord,

Who is faithful

– The holy one of Israel –

Who has chosen you.”

8This is what the Lord says:

“At an acceptable time, I answered you,

And on the day of salvation, I helped you,

And I will preserve you and make you a covenant people,

To establish the earth,

By giving desolate places an inheritance,

9As you say to prisoners,

‘Come out’;

To those in darkness,

‘Come into the open.’

They will feed along the ways,

And their pasture will be in all high places.

10They will not hunger, and they will not thirst,

And neither a dry heat wave nor the sun will harm them,

For as he has mercy on them,

He will guide them,

And he will lead them to springs of water.

11And I will turn all my mountains into a road,

And my highways will be raised up.

12Behold, these things will come from far away,

And you will see some coming from the north,

And from the west,

And some from the land of China.”

13Be jubilant, O heavens,

And rejoice, O earth.

And break out into jubilation, O mountains,

For the Lord has comforted his people,

And has mercy on his needy.

14Yet Zion said,

“The Lord has deserted me,

And the Lord* has forgotten me.”

15Can a woman forget her breastfeeding child,

So as not to have compassion on her son from her own womb?

Even if these women were to forget,

Yet I will not forget you.

16Behold, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands;

Your walls are always before me.

17Your sons have been hasty,

But those who demolished you and laid you waste

Will depart from you.

18Lift up your eyes round about, and see:

All of them have gathered and come to you.

As I live, says the Lord,

You will surely clothe yourself with them all like an ornament,

And bind them onto yourself,

Adorning yourself like a bride.

19For your wastelands and your desolate places,

And your devastated land

Are such that now you are too hard pressed for anyone to inhabit you,

But those who are swallowing you up

Will be removed.

20Your sons who have been bereaved of children

Will yet have a word to say in your ear,

‘The place is too hostile to me.’

‘Come near to me,

So that I can live there.’

21Then you will say in your heart,

‘Who bore me these,

As I have been bereaved and am barren,

Captive and deported?

So who brought these up?

Look, I have remained on my own.

As for these,

Where are they from?’ ”

22This is what my Lord the Lord says:

“Behold I will raise my hand to the Gentiles,

And I will raise my banner to the nations,

And they will bring your sons in their bosom,

And your daughters will be carried on their shoulders.

23And kings will be your foster fathers,

And their princesses will be your nurses.

They will prostrate themselves to you with the face to the ground,

And they will lick the dust of your feet,

And you will know that I am the Lord,

And that those who await me

Will not be put to shame.”

24Can spoil be taken from a warrior?

Or can a righteous captive be delivered?

25But this is what the Lord says:

“Even the warrior's captive will be taken back,

And the spoil of the fierce will be recovered.

And I will contend with him who contends with you,

And I will save your sons.

26And I will feed those who dispossess you with their own flesh,

And they will become drunk with their own blood,

As with new wine,

And all flesh will know

That I am the Lord,

Your saviour and your redeemer

– The mighty one of Jacob.”

Reference(s) in Chapter 49: v.2 ↔ Revelation 1:16, Revelation 2:16, Revelation 19:15 ● v.6 ↔ Luke 2:32, Acts 13:47 ● v.8 ↔ 2 Corinthians 6:2 ● v.10 ↔ Revelation 7:16, Revelation 7:17 ● v.13 ↔ Revelation 12:12.

Isaiah Chapter 50 

1This is what the Lord says:

“Where is the bill of divorce of your mother,

Whom I have sent away?

Or who of my creditors is it to whom I have sold you?

Look, it is for your iniquities that you were sold,

And for your transgressions

That your mother was sent away.

2Why is it that when I came,

There was not a single man?

That when I called,

There was no-one who answered?

Am I really incapable of redeeming?

Or do I not have the power to save?

Look, at my rebuke I dry up the sea;

I make rivers a desert,

And their fish stink for lack of water

And die of thirst.

3I can clothe the heavens in obscurity

And make sackcloth their covering.”

4“My Lord the Lord has given me a learned tongue,

To know how to help the weary with a word.

He awakens me from morning to morning;

He awakens my ear

To hear like the learned.

5My Lord the Lord has opened my ear,

And I have not rebelled;

I have not slid back.

6I have given my back to those who beat it,

And my cheeks to those who pluck the beard;

I have not hidden my face from ignominious treatment

And spittle.

7And my Lord the Lord will help me,

Which is why I will not be held in contempt,

And why I have been resolute like flint,

And I know that I shall not be ashamed.

8My justifier is near;

Who will contend with me?

Let us stand together.

Who is my prosecutor?

Let him approach me.

9Behold, my Lord the Lord will help me.

Who is it who can condemn me?

You will see that they will all become worn out like a garment;

A moth will consume them.

10Who among you fears the Lord,

In obeying his servant,

Who walks in darkness and has no light?

Let him trust in the name of the Lord

And rely on his God.

11Behold, all of you who kindle a fire,

Who arm yourselves with fiery darts,

Go into the glow of your fire,

And into the fiery darts you have ignited.

This came from my hand to you;

You will lie down in sorrow.”

Isaiah Chapter 51 

1“Listen to me,

You who pursue justice,

You who seek the Lord.

Look at the rock from which you have been hewn,

And at the hollow of the pit

From which you have been quarried.

2Look at Abraham your father,

And Sarah who gave birth to you,

For I called him as the only one,

And I will bless him and multiply him.

3For the Lord will comfort Zion;

He will comfort all her desolate places,

And he will make her desert like Eden,

And her arid tract like the Lord's garden.

Rejoicing and happiness will be found in her,

And thanksgiving and the sound of singing.

4Listen to me, my people,

And hear me, my nation,

For the law will go out from me,

And I will make my judicature rest

As a light for the nations.

5My justice is near,

My salvation has gone out,

And my arms will judge nations.

The coastlands will put their hope in me,

And confide in my arm.

6Lift up your eyes to the heavens,

And look at the earth below,

For the heavens will pass away like smoke,

And the earth will wear out like a garment,

And its inhabitants will die in a similar way,

But my salvation will be age-abiding,

And my justice will not be thwarted.

7Listen to me, you who know righteousness

You who are a people with my law in your heart –

Do not fear the reproach of man,

And do not be dismayed at their vilifications.

8For the moth will consume them like a garment,

And the larva will consume them like wool,

But my justice will be age-abiding,

As will my salvation

From generation to generation.

9Wake up, wake up,

Put on strength,

O arm of the Lord.

Wake up as in former days,

In generations of past ages.

Was it not you who cut Rahab in pieces

Who wounded the land of crocodile?

10Was it not you who dried up the sea

– The water of the mighty deep –

Who made the depths of the sea

A way for those ransomed to cross over?

11And the Lord's redeemed will return

And come to Zion in jubilation,

With age-abiding joy on their heads.

They will obtain happiness and joy,

Whereas sorrow and sighing will flee.

12I, I myself am the one who comforts you.

Who are you to be afraid of mortal man,

Or of a son of Adam

Who will be laid under the grass?

13But you are forgetting the Lord your maker,

Who stretched out the heavens,

And who laid the foundations of the earth,

And you have been afraid continually,

All day long,

Of the fury of the oppressor,

Of one as he prepares to bring ruination.

But where is the fury of the oppressor?

14The exile hastens to be released

And not to die in the pit,

And not to have lack of food.

15But I am the Lord your God,

Who stirs up the sea

So that its waves roar

– The Lord of hosts is his name.

16And I will put my words in your mouth;

I will cover you with the shadow of my hand

So as to plant the heavens

And to found the earth,

And to say to Zion,

‘You are my people.’

17Rouse yourself, rouse yourself, arise, Jerusalem,

You who have drunk from the hand of the Lord

The cup of his fury.

You have drunk;

You have wrung out the goblet

– The cup of reeling.

18There is no-one from all the sons she has borne

Leading her,

And there is no-one out of all the sons she has brought up

Holding her hand.

19There are two things which call out to you:

Who will console you?

Regarding the devastation, the ruination, the hunger and the sword,

Who says, ‘I will comfort you’?

20Your sons have fainted;

They lie at the head of all the streets,

Like an oryx in a trap.

They are full of the Lord's fury

– A rebuke from your God.

21So then, do hear this,

You afflicted one

– Drunk,

But not from wine.”

22This is what your Lord the Lord and your God,

Who will contend for his people, says:

“Look, I have taken from your hand the cup of reeling,

The goblet – the cup of my fury.

You will not drink it any more.

23And I will put it in the hand

Of those who afflict you,

Who have said to you personally,

‘Bow down so that we may pass.’

And you positioned your back like the ground,

And like the street for passers-by to walk on.”

Isaiah Chapter 52 

1Wake up, wake up,

Put on your strength, O Zion;

Put on your splendid clothes, O Jerusalem,

You holy city,

For the uncircumcised and the unclean

Will no longer come into you.

2Shake the dust off yourself,

Arise and sit, O Jerusalem;

Loose yourself from the bonds around your neck,

O captive daughter of Zion.

3For this is what the Lord says:

“You were sold for nothing,

And you will be redeemed

Without money.”

4For this is what my Lord the Lord says:

“In time past,

My people went down to Egypt

To live there,

And Assyria oppressed them for no reason,

5And now who do I have here?

Says the Lord,

For my people were taken undeservedly.

Those ruling them make them howl,

Says the Lord,

And my name is continuously despised

All day long.

6This is why my people will know my name;

This is why they will know on that day

That I am he who speaks and says,

‘Here I am.’ ”

7How becoming on the mountains

Are the feet of him who brings good news,

Who proclaims peace,

Who brings good news of well-being,

Who proclaims salvation,

Who says to Zion,

“Your God reigns.”

8There is the voice of your watchmen.

They raise their voice;

They are jubilant together,

For they will see face to face

When the Lord returns to Zion.

9Break out into singing,

Be jubilant together,

You desolate areas of Jerusalem,

For the Lord has comforted his people;

He has redeemed Jerusalem.

10The Lord has made his holy arm bare

In the sight of all the nations,

And all the ends of the earth will see

The salvation of our God.

11Depart, depart,

Get out of there;

Do not touch any unclean thing.

Go away from her,

Be purified,

You who carry the Lord's equipment.

12For you will not go out in haste,

And you will not go in flight,

For the Lord will go before you,

And the God of Israel will gather you up at the rear.

13Behold, my servant will act prudently;

He will be exalted

And extolled,

And he will be very high.

14Just as many were astonished at you

– Such was the disfigurement of his appearance,

More than that of any man,

And of his looks,

More than that of any of the sons of Adam –

15So he will sprinkle many nations;

Kings will shut their mouths at him,

For they will see what was never told them,

And they will contemplate

What they had never heard before.

Reference(s) in Chapter 52: v.5 ↔ Romans 2:24 ● v.7 ↔ Romans 10:15 ● v.11 ↔ 2 Corinthians 6:17, Revelation 18:4 ● v.15 ↔ Romans 15:21.

Isaiah Chapter 53 

1Who has believed our account,

And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?

2For he grew up before him like a shoot,

And like a root from arid ground.

He had no handsome form or splendour,

And when we saw him,

It was not a sight

That we should desire him.

3He was despised and repudiated by men

– A man of sorrows and acquainted with affliction –

While we were like a person hiding his face from him.

He was despised,

And we did not esteem him.

4Surely he has borne our ailments

And taken the weight of our sorrows,

But we considered him stricken

– Struck by God and afflicted.

5He was wounded for our transgressions;

He was bruised for our iniquities.

The punishment for our peace was on him,

And by his weals

Our healing came.

6We like sheep have all gone astray;

We have each turned our own way.

But the Lord has laid on him

The iniquity of us all.

7He was oppressed, and he was afflicted,

But he did not open his mouth.

He was led like a lamb to the slaughter,

And as a ewe before its shearers is silent

He did not open his mouth.

8He was taken under compulsion and by sentencing,

And who can describe what his posterity is?

For he was cut off from the land of the living;

For the transgression of my people

He was struck down.

9And his grave was appointed with the wicked,

But with a rich man in his death,

Because he did no violence,

And there was no deceit in his mouth.

10Yet the Lord was pleased to bruise him,

And to ravage him.

When his life makes a guilt-offering,

He will see his seed,

He will prolong his days,

And the pleasure of the Lord

Will prosper in his hand.

11He will see the result of his inward toil;

He will be satisfied.

My righteous servant will justify many by his knowledge,

And he will bear their iniquities.

12That is why I will apportion him among the great,

And he will share spoil with the mighty,

Because he poured out his being to death,

And he was counted with the transgressors,

And he bore the sin of many,

And he pleaded for the transgressors.

Reference(s) in Chapter 53: v.1 ↔ John 12:38, Romans 10:16 ● v.4 ↔ Matthew 8:17, 1 Peter 2:24 ● v.5 ↔ 1 Peter 2:24 ● v.6 ↔ 1 Peter 2:25 ● v.7 ↔ Acts 8:32, 1 Peter 2:23 ● v.8 ↔ Acts 8:33 ● v.9 ↔ 1 Peter 2:22 ● v.12 ↔ Mark 15:28, Luke 22:37.

Isaiah Chapter 54 

1“Be jubilant, you who are barren

And have not given birth.

Break out into jubilation,

And shout for joy,

You who have not been through labour,

For the sons of her who was desolate will be more

Than the sons of her who is married,

Says the Lord.

2Make a wide open space in your tent,

And let the curtains of your abodes be stretched.

Do not hold back;

Lengthen your guylines

And strengthen your pegs.

3For you will spread out to the right and to the left,

And your seed will dispossess nations,

And they will make desolate places habitable.

4Do not fear, for you will not be ashamed,

And you will not suffer ignominy,

For you will not come into disrepute,

And you will forget the shame of your youth,

And you will no longer remember

The reproach of your widowhood.

5For your husband is your maker

– The Lord of hosts is his name –

And your redeemer is the holy one of Israel.

He will be called

The God of all the earth.

6For the Lord has called you

As a woman who has been deserted,

And who is grieved in spirit,

And as a youthful wife

– For you were rejected,

Says your God.

7For a short while I left you,

But I will gather you

With great tender affection.

8In a surge of wrath

I hid my face from you for a while,

But I will have compassion on you

With age-abiding kindness,

Says your redeemer,

The Lord.

9For this is like Noah's waters to me,

About which I swore

That Noah's waters would no longer pass over the earth.

Likewise, I have sworn

Not to be angry with you

Nor to rebuke you.

10For the mountains will retreat,

And the hills will totter,

But my kindness will not retreat from you,

And my covenant of peace will not totter,

Says the Lord,

Who has mercy on you.

11Poor, tossed about,

And not comforted as you are,

I am about to set your stones,

In dark surround,

And I will give you foundations of sapphires.

12And I will make your windows of rubies,

And your gates of garnet,

And all your border

Of attractive gemstones.

13And all your sons will be the Lord's disciples,

And the peace of your sons

Will be great.

14You will be established in righteousness;

You will certainly be far from oppression,

For you will not fear,

And you will be far from terror,

For it will not come near you.

15Behold, no-one at all will dwell with you

Unless it is authorized by my sign;

He who has dwelt with you

Would attack you.

16Behold, I created the craftsman,

Who puffs on the coal fire

And produces an instrument for his work.

And I created the ruiner

To lay waste.

17No weapon produced against you will be successful,

And you will condemn every tongue which confronts you in law.

This is the inheritance of the Lord's servants,

Whose righteousness comes from me”,

Says the Lord.

Reference(s) in Chapter 54: v.1 ↔ Galatians 4:27 ● v.13 ↔ John 6:45.

Isaiah Chapter 55 

1“Hey, everyone who is thirsty,

Come to the water,

Including him who has no money.

Come and buy something, and eat,

And come and buy wine and milk,

Without money and without a price.

2Why do you weigh out money

For what is not bread,

And your hard-earned wealth

For what does not satisfy?

Listen carefully to me,

And eat what is good,

And let your being delight itself

In fatness.

3Incline your ears and come to me.

Listen, and let yourself live,

And I will make an age-abiding covenant for you

The faithful kindnesses of David.

4Behold, I have made him

A witness to the nations

– A leader and a commander

For the nations.

5Behold, you will call on a nation

Which you did not know,

And a nation which did not know you

Will run to you

For the sake of the Lord your God,

And for the holy one of Israel,

For he has adorned you.

6Seek the Lord

While he is to be found;

Call upon him

While he is near.

7Let the wicked abandon his way,

And the iniquitous man his designs,

And let him return to the Lord,

Who will show him mercy,

And to our God,

For he is very forward to forgive.

8For my thoughts are not your thoughts,

And your ways are not my ways,

Says the Lord.

9For as the heavens are higher than the earth,

So my ways are higher than your ways,

And my thoughts than your thoughts.

10For as the rain and the snow fall from the heavens

And do not return there,

But saturate the land

And cause it to be fertile,

And give growth and yield seed for the sower,

And bread for him who eats,

11So my word which proceeds from my mouth is;

It will not return to me in vain,

But rather it will do what I have willed,

And it will be successful

Where I have sent it.

12For you will go out with joy,

And you will be led in peace;

The mountains and the hills will break out in jubilation before you,

And all the trees of the countryside

Will clap their hands.

13Instead of the thorn bush,

The cypress will come up;

Instead of the briar

The myrtle will come up,

And it will be for the Lord's fame,

As an age-abiding sign

Which will not be cut off.”

Reference(s) in Chapter 55: v.1 ↔ Revelation 21:6, Revelation 22:17; John 7:38 ● v.3 ↔ Acts 13:34 ● v.10 ↔ 2 Corinthians 9:10.

Isaiah Chapter 56 

1This is what the Lord says:

“Maintain justice and act righteously,

For my salvation is drawing near,

As is my righteousness

Which is to be revealed.

2Blessed is the man who does this,

And the son of Adam who holds on to it,

Who keeps the Sabbath so as not to profane it

And keeps his hand away

From committing any evil.

3And do not let the foreigner

Who is joined to the Lord say,

‘The Lord will surely separate me from his people’,

And do not let the eunuch say,

‘Look, I am dry wood.’ ”

4For this is what the Lord says

To the eunuchs who keep my Sabbaths,

And choose what I delight in,

And keep my covenant:

5“Now I will give them

A memorial and a name

In my house and within my walls,

Better than sons and daughters.

I will give him an age-abiding name

Which will not be cut off.

6And I will allow the foreigners

Who are joined to the Lord

In serving him

And in loving the name of the Lord

To be his servants

– Everyone who keeps the Sabbath

By not profaning it,

And all who keep my covenant.

7And I will bring them to my holy mountain,

And I will make them joyful in my house of prayer.

Their burnt offerings and their sacrifices

Will be a delight on my altar,

And my house will be called

A house of prayer for all the nations.”

8My Lord the Lord,

Who gathers those who were driven out of Israel, says,

“I will yet gather them there,

With those of his company

Who have been gathered.

9All you wild animals,

Come to eat

– All you wild animals of the forest.

10His watchmen are all blind;

They do not know anything.

They are all mute dogs;

They are not able to bark.

They are dreamers, lying down,

Who love to slumber.

11But the dogs have a ferocious appetite

– They do not know satiety –

And they are shepherds who do not know how to discern.

They have all turned their own way

– Each one to his own gain

From his own retreat.

12‘Come on’, they say,

‘For I will get wine,

And let us imbibe liquor,

And tomorrow will be like this,

Great and most excellent.’

Reference(s) in Chapter 56: v.7 ↔ Matthew 21:13, Mark 11:17, Luke 19:46.

Isaiah Chapter 57 

1The righteous man is no more,

And there is no man who lays it to heart,

And kind men have been taken away,

With no-one understanding

That it is because of evil

That the righteous man has been taken away.

2He will enter into peace;

They will rest on their couches,

Each who walks in his uprightness.

3But as for you, draw near here,

You sons of the diviner by clouds,

And seed of the adulterer and the prostitute.

4Against whom do you make sport for yourselves?

Whom do you smirk at?

Whom do you poke the tongue at?

Are you not transgressive children

– A false seed?

5You who are inflamed by idols

Under every luxuriant tree,

Slaughtering children at the streams

Under the fissures in the rocks?

6Your lot is in the bare reaches of a stream;

They are what your fate is.

To them also you poured out a libation

And raised an offering.

Should I be comforted by these?

7You have made your bed

On a high and lofty mountain;

There too you went up

To offer sacrifice.

8And you have left your memorial

Behind the door and doorpost,

For you have uncovered yourself

To someone other than me,

And you have gone up,

And you have made your bed widely available,

And you have made yourself a covenant

With some of them.

You have loved their bed;

You have seen their male member.

9And you went to the king with oil,

And you took many fragrances,

And you sent your ambassadors far and wide,

And you brought people down to the grave.

10You exhaust yourself with your grand way.

You have not said,

It is desperate.’

You have found vitality in your reach,

Which is why you have not flagged.

11And about whom have you been anxious,

And whom do you fear?

For you are dealing dishonestly,

And you have not remembered me;

You have not laid it to your heart.

Have I not been silent ever since age-old time,

While you have not been fearing me?

12I can tell of your righteousness

And your works,

But they will not profit you.

13When you cry out,

Let your troops deliver you,

But the wind will carry them all away

– A puff of breath will take them away.

But he who trusts in me

Will inherit the land

And will come into possession

Of my holy mountain.

14And he will say,

‘Raise an embankment, raise an embankment,

Clear a way;

Remove any obstacle

From my people's road.’

15For this is what the one

Who is high and exalted,

Who lives permanently,

And whose name is holy,

Says:

I will dwell on high,

And holily,

And with the contrite and humble in spirit,

To revive the spirit of the lowly,

And to revitalize the heart

Of those ground down.

16For I will not contend age-abidingly,

And I will not be angry in perpetuity,

For a spirit could succumb before me,

As would living beings

Which I have made.

17I was angry at the iniquity of his unjust gain,

And I struck him.

I hide myself and I show anger,

But he walks rebelliously

In the way of his heart.

18I have seen his ways

But I will heal him and lead him,

And I will restore comfort to him

And to those of his company who mourn.

19I create the fruit of the lips:

Peace, peace to him who is far off

And to him who is near,

Says the Lord,

And I will heal him.

20But the wicked are like a raging sea,

For it cannot be calm,

And its waters cast up mud and mire.

21There is no peace”,

Says my God,

“For the wicked.”

Reference(s) in Chapter 57: v.19 ↔ Ephesians 2:17.

Isaiah Chapter 58 

1“Call out at the top of your voice,

Do not hold back,

Raise your voice like the ramshorn,

And tell my people their transgression,

And the house of Jacob their sins,

2So that they seek me daily,

And delight in knowledge of my ways,

Like a nation which acts righteously,

And does not forsake the justice of their God,

So that they ask for righteous judgments,

And delight in drawing near to God.

3‘Why have we fasted,

But you have not seen it?

We have afflicted ourselves,

But you have not been aware of it.’

It is because on the day when you fast,

You take pleasure,

And you act as an oppressor

In all the labour you impose.

4It is because you fast in contention and quarrel,

And with striking with a wicked fist.

You cannot fast as you do today

In order to make your voice heard on high.

5Do I approve of a fast like this?

A day when a man afflicts himself?

Is it to bend the head down like a bulrush,

And to spread sackcloth and ashes?

Is it for that that you call a fast

And a day of delight for the Lord?

6Is not this the fast that I approve of:

To loosen tight bonds of wickedness,

To unfasten the straps of the yoke,

And to send the oppressed away free,

And that you detach every yoke?

7Is it not to distribute your bread to the hungry,

And that you bring poor wanderers to a house?

– That when you see someone naked,

You clothe him,

And you do not ignore

Those of your own family?

8Then your light will break through like the dawn,

And your revitalization will spring up speedily,

And your righteousness will go before you,

And the glory of the Lord,

Will gather you up.

9Then you will call out,

And the Lord will answer;

You will cry out,

And he will say,

‘Here I am.’

If you remove the yoke from your company

– Pointing the finger

And speaking vanity –

10And stir yourself for the hungry,

And satisfy an afflicted person,

Then your light will arise in the dark,

And what was your gloom

Will become like midday light.

11And the Lord will always lead you,

And he will satisfy your appetite in dry places,

And make your joints pliant,

And you will become like a well-watered garden,

And like a fount of water

Whose water does not fail.

12And those to issue from you

Will rebuild the age-old desolate places;

You will re-establish the foundations of generation upon generation,

And you will be called

The Sealer of the Breach

– The Restorer of Paths to Inhabit.

13If you restrain yourself from trampling on the Sabbath,

From indulging your desires on my holy day,

And you call the Sabbath, Delight,

The Holy Occasion of the Lord,

And Honourable,

And you honour it

By not indulging your own ways,

By not finding your own entertainment

Or speaking your own words,

14Then you will be delighted with the Lord,

And I will make you ride on the high places of the land,

And I will feed you

With the inheritance of Jacob your father,

For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”

Reference(s) in Chapter 58: v.6 ↔ Luke 4:18 ● v.11 ↔ John 7:38.

Isaiah Chapter 59 

1Behold, the arm of the Lord

Is not too short to save,

Nor is his ear

Too dull to hear.

2For your iniquities were separating you

From your God,

And your sins made him hide his face from you

So as not to hear.

3For your hands are stained with blood,

And your fingers with iniquity.

Your lips have spoken lies,

And your tongue has uttered injustice.

4There is no-one giving verdicts in righteousness,

And no-one is judged faithfully,

As they trust in a vain thing,

And speak lies,

Engendering sorrow

And conceiving iniquity.

5They hatch the eggs of a viper,

And weave a spider's web.

He who eats their eggs will die,

And if one is cracked open,

A viper emerges.

6Their webs will not become a garment,

And they will not cover themselves with their deeds.

Their deeds are vain deeds,

And a violent act is on their hands.

7Their feet run to evil,

And they are quick to shed innocent blood.

Their thoughts are vain thoughts;

Oppression and wreckage

Are in their ways.

8They have not known the way of peace,

And there is no justice in their paths.

They have made a perverse course for themselves;

No-one who follows it

Will know peace.

9That is why justice is far from us,

And righteousness has not reached us.

We await light,

But what we get is darkness.

We await shining brightness,

But walk in obscurity.

10We feel for a wall like the blind,

And we grope like one without eyes.

We have stumbled at midday as if it were darkness,

Well-nourished,

But like the dead.

11We all growl like bears,

And we coo and coo like doves;

We await justice,

But there is none;

We await salvation

But it is far from us.

12For our transgressions against you are many,

And our sins testify against us,

For our transgressions are with us,

And we know our iniquities,

13In transgressing and acting deceitfully with the Lord,

And in sliding away from our God;

In speaking extortion and apostasy,

And in conceiving and devising false words

From the heart.

14And justice has been driven back,

And righteousness stands at a distance,

For truth has stumbled in the street,

And straightforwardness is unable to come.

15And truth has become lacking,

And he who departs from evil becomes a prey,

And the Lord has seen it,

And it is evil in his eyes,

For there is no justice.

16And he has seen that there is no man,

And he is astonished that there is no-one pleading the case.

But his arm has brought about salvation for him,

And it is his righteousness which has supported him.

17For he wore righteousness as armour,

And he had a helmet of salvation on his head,

And he wore garments of vengeance as his clothing,

And he wrapped himself in zeal as a coat.

18As it is with retribution,

So he will repay fury to his adversaries

– Retribution to his enemies.

He will repay retribution to the coastlands.

19And they will fear the name of the Lord in the west,

And his glory in the east.

When the adversary comes like a river,

The spirit of the Lord will put him to flight.

20“And the redeemer will come to Zion,

And to those among Jacob

Who are to turn away from transgression”,

Says the Lord.

21“And as for me,

This is my covenant with them,

Says the Lord:

My spirit which is upon you,

And my words which I have put in your mouth

Will not depart from your mouth,

Or from the mouth of your seed,

Or from the mouth of your seed's seed,

Says the Lord,

From now and age-abidingly.”

Reference(s) in Chapter 59: v.7 ↔ Romans 3:15, Romans 3:16 ● v.8 ↔ Romans 3:17 ● v.17 ↔ Ephesians 6:17 ● v.20 ↔ Romans 11:26 ● v.21 ↔ Romans 11:27.

Isaiah Chapter 60 

1“Arise, shine,

For your light has come,

And the glory of the Lord has risen over you.

2For behold,

Darkness will cover the earth,

And thick clouds the various peoples,

But over you the Lord will rise,

And his glory will be seen upon you.

3And Gentiles will go to your light,

And kings to your bright rising.

4Lift up your eyes round about and see:

They have all gathered

And have come to you.

Your sons will come from afar,

And your daughters will be carried alongside.

5Then you will see and be bright,

And your heart will be moved and open wide,

For the mass of seafarers will turn to you,

And a host of Gentiles will come to you.

6A great herd of camels will cover you

– Young camels from Midian and Ephah.

All of those from Sheba will come;

They will bear gold and frankincense,

And they will proclaim praises of the Lord.

7All the small cattle of Kedar will be gathered to you;

The rams of Nebaioth will serve you.

They will go up in acceptance onto my altar,

And I will adorn my magnificent house.

8Who are these who fly like a cloud,

And are like doves flying to their dovecotes?

9For it is me whom the coastlands await,

With the ships of Tarshish in the forefront,

To bring your sons from far away,

And their silver and their gold with them,

For the name of the Lord your God,

And for the holy one of Israel,

For he will glorify you.

10And foreigners will build your walls,

And their kings will serve you,

For I struck you in my anger,

But I will have mercy on you in my goodwill.

11And your gates will always be open;

They will not be closed by day or night,

So as to allow a host of Gentiles to be brought to you,

With their kings being led.

12For the nation and the kingdom which will not serve you will perish,

And such nations will be utterly wasted.

13The glory of Lebanon will come to you

– The cypress, the elm and the box tree together –

To adorn the place of my sanctuary,

And I will glorify the place of my feet.

14And the sons of those who afflicted you

Will go to you in submission,

And all those who despised you

Will bow down at the soles of your feet,

And they will call you the City of the Lord,

Zion, the Holy Place of Israel.

15Instead of you being forsaken and hated,

With no-one passing through,

I will make you the magnificence of the age

– A joy for generation upon generation.

16And you will suck the milk of the Gentiles,

And you will suck the breast of kings,

And you will know that I am the Lord your saviour,

And your redeemer

– The mighty one of Jacob.

17Instead of copper I will bring gold,

And instead of iron, I will bring silver,

And instead of the wood, copper,

And instead of the stones, iron.

And I will appoint you peaceable oversight,

And your tax gatherers in righteousness.

18Violence will no longer be heard in your land,

Nor devastation or ruin within your borders,

And you will call your walls, Salvation,

And your gates, Praise.

19You will no longer have the sun for light by day,

And the moon will not illuminate you by shining,

But the Lord will be your age-abiding light,

And your God will be your majesty.

20Your sun will no longer set,

And your moon will not wane,

For the Lord will be your age-abiding light,

And the days of your mourning will have been fulfilled.

21And your people will all be righteous.

They will inherit the land age-abidingly,

As a shoot in my plantations

– The work of my hands for glorification.

22He who is small will become a thousand,

And he who is little, a mighty nation.

I, the Lord, will hasten it in its time.”

Reference(s) in Chapter 60: v.1 ↔ Ephesians 5:14 ● v.2 ↔ Ephesians 5:14 ● v.3 ↔ Revelation 21:24 ● v.11 ↔ Revelation 21:25 ● v.19 ↔ Revelation 21:23, Revelation 22:5.

Isaiah Chapter 61 

1The spirit of my Lord the Lord is upon me,

Because the Lord has anointed me

To declare good news to the meek.

He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,

To proclaim freedom to captives,

And release to prisoners,

2To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord,

And the day of vengeance of our God,

To comfort all who mourn,

3To re-appoint the mourners of Zion,

To give them a turban instead of ashes,

Oil of gladness instead of mourning

– A mantle of praise instead of a melancholic spirit.

And they will be called oaks of righteousness

– The Lord's plantation for glorification.

4And they will rebuild the age-old desolate places,

And they will re-establish the first devastations

And renew the desolate cities

– The desolations which were of generation after generation.

5And strangers will stand in service

And tend your sheep,

And foreigners will be your farmers

And your vinedressers,

6Whereas you will be called priests of the Lord

– You will be spoken of as the servants of our God.

You will eat from the resources of the Gentiles,

And you will obtain their glory by way of exchange.

7Instead of your shame will be a double portion,

And instead of ignominy,

They will rejoice over their lot,

Which is why they will inherit double in their land,

And they will have age-abiding joy.

8For I, the Lord, love justice;

I hate robbery at the burnt offering.

But I will make their deeds truthful,

And I will make an age-abiding covenant for them.

9And their seed will be known among the Gentiles,

And their descendants among the various peoples.

All who see them will acknowledge them,

For they are the seed

Which the Lord has blessed.

10I will greatly rejoice in the Lord;

My being will be glad in my God,

For he will have clothed me in garments of salvation.

He will have wrapped me in a mantle of righteousness,

As a bridegroom decks himself out with a turban,

And the bride adorns herself with her ornaments.

11For as the earth produces its vegetation,

And as a garden gives growth to what is sown in it,

So my Lord the Lord

Will give growth to righteousness

And praise before all the nations.

Reference(s) in Chapter 61: v.1 ↔ Luke 4:18, Matthew 11:5 ● v.2 ↔ Luke 4:19, Luke 21:22 ● v.6 ↔ Revelation 1:6, Revelation 5:10, Revelation 20:6.

Isaiah Chapter 62 

1For the sake of Zion,

I will not be silent,

And for the sake of Jerusalem

I will not be quiet,

Until its righteousness goes forth

Like a brilliance,

And its salvation

Like a blazing torch.

2And the nations will see your righteousness,

And all kings your glory,

And you will be called by a new name

Which the mouth of the Lord will specify.

3And you will be a crown of splendour

In the Lord's hand,

And a royal turban

In the hand of your God.

4You will no longer be said to be forsaken,

And your land will no longer be said to be a desolation,

For you will be called Hephzi-Bah,

And your land, Beulah,

When the Lord delights in you,

And when your land is married.

5For as a young man marries a virgin,

So your sons will marry you,

And as is the joy of the bridegroom over his bride,

So your God will rejoice over you.

6I will appoint watchmen on your walls

All day and all night constantly,

O Jerusalem;

They will not be silent.

You who make mention of the Lord,

Do not keep silence.

7And do not present him with silence

Until he has established and appointed

Jerusalem a praise on the earth.

8The Lord has sworn by his right hand,

And by his strong arm,

“I will certainly not give your corn

As food to your enemies any more,

And foreigners certainly will not drink your new wine

Which you have toiled over.

9For those who gather it in

Will eat it,

And they will praise the Lord,

And those who collect it

Will drink it,

In my holy courtyards.”

10Pass through, pass through the gates;

Prepare a way for the people.

Raise up, raise up a highway,

Clear it of stones;

Raise a banner

For the sake of the various peoples.

11Behold, the Lord has made a proclamation

To the end of the earth:

“Say to the daughter of Zion,

‘Behold, your salvation is coming;

Behold, his reward is with him,

And his recompense for his work is before him.’ ”

12And they will call them

The holy people

– The Lord's redeemed.

And you will be called

Sought After

– A city not forsaken.

Isaiah Chapter 63 

1Who is this

Who has come from Edom,

In reddened clothes from Bozrah?

– He who is adorned in his attire?

He strides in his great might.

It is I who speak in righteousness,

Powerful to save.”

2Why are your clothes red,

And why are your garments

Like those of one who treads the wine press?

3I have trodden the wine press on my own,

And there was no man from the various peoples with me.

And I trod them in my anger,

And I trampled on them in my fury,

And their juice was spattered on my garments,

And I stained all my articles of clothing.

4For the day of vengeance is in my heart,

And the year of my redeemed has come.

5And I looked,

And there was no helper,

And I was astonished

That there was no-one supporting.

But my arm worked salvation for me,

And it was my fury

Which supported me.

6And I will trample various peoples in my anger,

And I will make them drunk in my fury,

And I will bring their juice down to the ground.”

7I will make mention of the Lord's kindnesses

– The Lord's praiseworthy acts –

According to everything that the Lord has recompensed us with,

And the great goodness towards the house of Israel

Which he recompensed them with,

According to his mercy

And according to his many kind deeds.

8For he said,

“Indeed, they are my people,

Sons who will not act falsely.”

And he became their saviour.

9In all their adversity

He suffered adversity,

And the angel of his presence saved them,

And in his love and in his compassion

He redeemed them

And took them up

And raised them up,

All the days of the age.

10But they rebelled

And grieved his holy spirit,

And he turned into their enemy,

And he fought against them.

11But he remembered the age-old days

– Moses and his people – and said,

“Where is he who brought them up out of the sea,

With the shepherds of his flock?

Where is he

Who put his holy spirit inside them?

12Where is he who led them by Moses' right hand,

By his magnificent arm,

Dividing water in front of them,

So making for himself an age-abiding name,

13As he led them through the depths,

Like a horse through the desert,

So that they should not flounder?”

14As cattle go down into the valley,

So the spirit of the Lord settled them down;

So you led your people

To make for yourself a magnificent name.

15Look from heaven,

And see from your holy magnificent dwelling place.

Where are your zeal and your mighty deeds?

Are your many sympathies

And your compassion towards me

Restrained?

16For you are our father,

For Abraham did not know us,

And Israel did not acknowledge us.

You, O Lord, are our father,

Our redeemer;

Your name is age-old.

17Why, O Lord,

Are you leading us astray from your paths,

And why are you hardening our heart from fearing you?

Return for the sake of your servants

– The tribes of your inheritance.

18For a while they took possession of your holy people

– Our adversaries who trod down your sanctuary.

19We have been from age-old time,

But you have not had rule over them.

They have not been called after your name.

Reference(s) in Chapter 63: v.1 ↔ Revelation 19:13 ● v.3 ↔ Revelation 14:20, Revelation 19:13, Revelation 19:15 ● v.4 ↔ Luke 21:22.

Isaiah Chapter 64 

1 If only you would split the heavens open

And come down,

And that mountains would be shaken at your presence.

2As fire burns brushwood,

And fire boils water,

So it will be

In making your name known to your adversaries

When the nations tremble at your presence,

3When you do fearful things

Which we do not expect,

Such as when you came down,

And when mountains were shaken at your presence.

4For they have never heard,

Nor have they given ear,

Nor has an eye seen,

O God, except you,

What he will do

For him who awaits him.

5You met with him who rejoices

And does righteousness;

They will remember you by your ways.

Look, you have been angry,

And we have sinned against them throughout the age,

But we will be saved.

6And we have all been like an unclean thing;

All our righteous deeds are like a menstruous cloth,

And we have all faded like a leaf,

And our iniquities have carried us away like the wind.

7And there is no-one calling on your name,

Arousing himself to take hold of you,

For you have hidden your face from us,

And you have caused us to melt

On account of our iniquities.

8And now, O Lord,

You are our father;

We are the clay,

And you are our potter,

And we are all the work of your hand.

9O Lord,

Do not be extremely angry,

And do not remember iniquity in perpetuity.

Behold, do look,

We are all your people.

10Your holy cities have become a desert;

Zion has become a desert,

Jerusalem – a desolation.

11Our holy and majestic house,

In which our fathers praised you,

Has become a burnt-out conflagration,

And all our delightful objects

Have become a desolation.

12Will you restrain yourself

Concerning these things,

O Lord?

Or will you be silent

And afflict us in the extreme?

Reference(s) in Chapter 64: v.4 ↔ 1 Corinthians 2:9.

Isaiah Chapter 65 

1“I have been consulted

By those who did not ask for me;

I have been found

By those who did not seek me.

I said, ‘Here I am, here I am

To a nation

Which was not called by my name.

2I have stretched out my hands all day long

To a recalcitrant people

Who walk in a way which is not good,

After their own thoughts.

3A people who provoke me to anger to my face

All the time,

Sacrificing in the gardens

And burning incense on the bricks,

4Who live in sepulchres

And dwell in secret spaces,

Who eat pork,

And whose pans contain soup made from abominable things,

5Who say, ‘Keep yourself to yourself;

Do not approach me,

For I am holier than you.’

These things are smoke in my nose

– A fire burning all day long.

6Behold, it is written before me;

I will not be silent,

But I will repay,

And I will repay

Into their bosom.

7As for your iniquities,

And the iniquities of your fathers together,

Says the Lord

Your fathers who burned incense on the mountains

And showed me contempt on the hills –

I will mete out their first undertaking

Into their bosom.”

8This is what the Lord says:

“As the new wine is found in the bunch of grapes,

And someone says,

‘Do not ruin it,

For there is a blessing in it’,

So I will do for the sake of my servants

So as not to bring all to ruin.

9And I will bring a seed out of Jacob,

And out of Judah an inheritor of my mountains,

And my chosen ones will inherit this,

And my servants will dwell there.

10And Sharon will be a pasture for sheep,

And the Valley of Achor a place for oxen to lie down

– For my people who have sought me.

11But you are forsakers of the Lord,

Who forget my holy mountain,

Who prepare a table for Gad,

And who fill the vial with spiced wine

For Meni,

12So I will destine you for the sword,

And you will all stoop for slaughter,

Because I called,

But you did not answer;

I spoke,

But you did not listen,

And you did what is evil in my sight,

And you chose

What I dislike.”

13Therefore this is what my Lord the Lord says:

“Behold, my servants will eat,

But you will hunger;

Behold, my servants will drink,

But you will thirst;

Behold, my servants will rejoice,

But you will be ashamed.

14Behold, my servants will be jubilant from a cheerful heart,

But you will cry out from a painful heart,

And you will wail from a broken spirit.

15And you will leave your name

As a curse to my chosen ones,

And my Lord the Lord will put you to death,

And he will call his servants by another name,

16So that he who is blessed on earth

Will be blessed by the God of truth,

And he who swears on earth

Will swear by the God of truth,

Because the former adversities will be forgotten,

And because they will be hidden from my eyes.

17For I am about to create new heavens and a new earth,

And the former things will not be remembered,

And they will not arise in the heart.

18But rejoice and exult in all perpetuity,

In what I am about to create,

For I am about to create Jerusalem

– A joy –

And her people will be a delight.

19And I will rejoice in Jerusalem

And exult in my people.

And the sound of weeping

And the sound of outcry

Will no longer be heard in it.

20There will no longer be from there

A child a few days old,

Or an old man,

Whose days are not fulfilled.

For a child will die at one hundred years old,

And a sinner aged one hundred years will be accursed.

21And they will build houses and live in them,

And they will plant vineyards

And eat their fruit.

22They will not build and another will live there;

They will not plant and another will eat,

For the days of my people

Will be like the days of a tree,

And my chosen ones

Will enjoy the work of their hands.

23They will not toil in vain,

And they will not give birth in prospect of terror,

For they will be a seed blessed by the Lord,

As will their offspring with them.

24And it will come to pass

That before they call out,

I will answer,

And while they are still speaking,

I will heed them.

25The wolf and the lamb will feed together,

And the lion like the ox will eat straw,

But as for the serpent,

His food will be dust.

They will not do harm,

And they will not cause damage

Anywhere in my holy mountain”,

Says the Lord.

Reference(s) in Chapter 65: v.1 ↔ Romans 10:20 ● v.2 ↔ Romans 10:21 ● v.17 ↔ 2 Peter 3:13, Revelation 21:1.

Isaiah Chapter 66 

1This is what the Lord says:

Heaven is my throne,

And the earth is my footstool.

What house is it which you will build me,

And what resting place of mine will you build?

2For my hand made all these things,

And all these things have come to pass,

Says the Lord,

But here are those whom I will watch over:

The poor, and the contrite,

And him who trembles at my word.

3But he who slaughters an ox as if he is striking a man,

He who sacrifices a lamb as if he is breaking a dog's neck,

He who makes a meal-offering as if it is the blood of a pig,

He who makes a memorial with incense as if he is blessing an idol

– These also have chosen their ways,

And their being has delighted in their abominations.

4I too will choose their depravity,

And I will bring their fears upon them,

Because I called,

But there was no-one who answered;

I spoke,

But they did not listen;

And they did what is wrong in my sight,

And they chose what I dislike.

5Hear the word of the Lord,

You who tremble at his word.

Your brothers who hate you,

And who thrust you out for my name's sake, said,

‘Let the Lord be glorified.’

When he appears, to your joy,

They will be ashamed.

6A sound of tumult from the city,

A sound from the temple,

The voice of the Lord

Giving retribution to his enemies

Will be heard.

7Before she was in labour,

She gave birth.

Before her throes of childbearing came upon her,

She was delivered of a male child.

8Who has heard of anything like this?

Who has seen things like these?

Can the earth be given birth to in one day?

Or can a nation be born in one moment?

For Zion has been in labour

And has given birth to her sons.

9Will I cause the breakthrough

But not the childbirth?

– Says the Lord.

Or shall I, who cause the childbirth,

Hold it back?

– Says your God.

10Be glad with Jerusalem,

And exult in her,

All you who love her.

Rejoice with her in joy,

All you who mourn over her,

11In order that you may suck and be satisfied

From her comforting breast,

And in order that you may imbibe

And delight yourself

In the abundance of her glory.”

12For this is what the Lord says:

“I am about to extend peace to her

Like a river,

And the glory of the Gentiles

Like an overflowing brook

For you to suck.

You will be carried alongside

And you will be indulged in her lap.

13As a man whose mother comforts him,

So I will comfort you,

And you will be comforted

In Jerusalem.

14And when you see it,

Your heart will rejoice,

And your bones will thrive like grass,

And the hand of the Lord will be known among his servants,

But indignation among his enemies.

15For behold, the Lord will come with fire,

And his chariots will be like a whirlwind,

To satisfy his anger in fury,

And his rebuke in fiery flames.

16For the Lord will contend with all flesh

With fire and with his sword,

And those defeated by the Lord

Will be numerous.

17Those who sanctify themselves and purify themselves in the gardens,

Behind one thing in the middle,

And those who eat pork,

And the abomination, and the mouse,

Will come to an end together”,

Says the Lord.

18“And as for me,

And their deeds and their thoughts,

The time will come

To gather all the nations and the languages,

And they will come

And see my glory.

19And I will place a sign among them,

And I will send to the Gentiles those of them who escape,

To Tarshish, Pul and Lud,

To those who draw the bow,

To Tubal and Javan,

And to distant maritime countries

Who have not heard my fame,

And who have not seen my glory.

And they will tell of my glory among the Gentiles.

20And they shall bring all your brothers from all the nations

With an offering to the Lord,

By horse and by chariot

And by covered wagon

And by mule and by dromedary,

To my holy mountain in Jerusalem,

Says the Lord,

When the sons of Israel bring the offering in clean equipment

To the house of the Lord.

21And I will take a portion from them

For the Levite priests”,

Says the Lord.

22“For as the new heavens and the new earth,

Which I will make,

Shall stand before me,

Says the Lord,

So your seed and your name will stand.

23And it will come to pass

That at every new moon and every Sabbath,

All flesh will come to worship before me”,

Says the Lord.

24“And they will go out

And see the carcases of the men who have transgressed against me,

For their worm will not die,

And their fire will not be extinguished,

And they will be an abhorrence

To all flesh.”

Reference(s) in Chapter 66: v.1 ↔ Matthew 5:34, Matthew 5:35, Acts 7:49 ● v.2 ↔ Acts 7:50 ● v.22 ↔ 2 Peter 3:13, Revelation 21:1 ● v.24 ↔ Mark 9:44, Mark 9:46, Mark 9:48.


Jeremiah  

Jeremiah Chapter 1 

1The words of Jeremiah the son of Hilkiah, one of the priests who are in Anathoth in the land of Benjamin, 2To whom the word of the Lord came in the days of Josiah the son of Amon, the king of Judah, in the thirteenth year of his reign. 3And this came to pass in the days of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, the king of Judah, up to the end of the eleventh year of Zedekiah the son of Josiah, the king of Judah – up to the deportation of Jerusalem in the fifth month. 4And the word of the Lord came to me and said,

5“Before I formed you in the belly,

I knew you,

And before you came out of the womb,

I sanctified you.

I have appointed you

As a prophet to the nations.”

6Then I said,

“Oh, my Lord the Lord,

Look, I do not know how to speak,

For I am just a lad.”

7But the Lord said to me,

“Do not say,

‘I am just a lad’,

For you shall go everywhere I send you,

And you shall speak everything I command you.

8Do not fear their presence;

I am with you to deliver you”,

Says the Lord.

9Then the Lord stretched out his hand and touched my mouth, at which the Lord said to me,

“Look, I have put my words in your mouth.

10See, I have appointed you today

Over the nations and over the kingdoms,

To tear down and to demolish

And to destroy and to devastate,

To build and to plant.”

11Then the word of the Lord came to me and said, “What do you see, Jeremiah?” And I said, “I see a rod of almond tree wood.” 12And the Lord said to me, “You have seen well, for I will watch over my word, to carry it out.” 13And the word of the Lord came to me a second time, and he said, “What do you see?” And I said, “I see a boiling pot, and its face is turned from the north.” 14And the Lord said to me,

“Evil will break out from the north

Over all the inhabitants of the land.

15For I am about to call

All the families of the kingdoms of the north,

Says the Lord,

And they will come,

And each king will direct his throne

To the entrance of the gates of Jerusalem,

And against all its walls round about,

And against all the cities of Judah.

16And I will pronounce my judgments on them,

Concerning all their evil,

In that they have forsaken me

And burned incense to other gods

And have worshipped the works of their hands.

17But you gird up your loins and arise,

And tell them everything that I command you.

Do not be afraid of them,

So that I do not cause you dismay in their presence.

18And as for my part,

Look, I have made you today

A fortified city and an iron column,

And copper walls, all over the land,

To the kings of Judah, to its officers, to its priests,

And to the people of the land.

19And they will fight against you,

But they will not prevail over you,

For I am with you,

Says the Lord,

To deliver you.”

Jeremiah Chapter 2 

1And the word of the Lord came to me and said, 2“Go and proclaim in Jerusalem's ears and say, ‘This is what the Lord says:

«I remember your kindness in your youth,

Your love in your bridal state

The fact that you walked after me in the desert,

In an uncultivated land.

3Israel is holy to the Lord,

As are the firstfruits of its produce.

All who eat it will be guilty.

Evil will come upon them,

Says the Lord.» ’ ”

4Hear the word of the Lord,

O house of Jacob,

And all you families

Of the house of Israel.

5This is what the Lord says:

“What iniquity did your fathers find in me?

For they have distanced themselves from me

And have followed vanity

And have acted vainly.

6And they did not say,

‘Where is the Lord

Who brought us up out of the land of Egypt?

– Who led us in the desert,

In an arid and sunken land,

In a land of drought

And a shadow of death,

Through a land through which no man crosses

And where no man dwells.’

7And I brought you into a cultivable land,

To eat its fruit and its good produce,

But you came and defiled my land,

And you made my inheritance an abomination.

8The priests did not say,

‘Where is the Lord?’

Those who administered the law did not know me,

And the pastors have transgressed against me,

And the prophets have prophesied through Baal,

And they have walked after things

Which do not benefit anyone.

9That is why I will still contend with you,

Says the Lord,

And I will contend with your sons' sons.

10For pass through the coastlands of Chittim and see,

And send men to Kedar to observe well,

And see whether it is like this.

11Does a nation change its gods?

But they are not gods.

Yet my people have exchanged my honour

For what will not benefit anyone.

12O heavens, be astonished at this,

And shudder and be very astounded,

Says the Lord.

13For my people have committed two evil acts;

They have forsaken me

– The source of living water –

For hewing cisterns out for themselves,

Broken cisterns

Which will not hold the water.

14Is Israel a servant?

Or is he a homeborn slave?

Why has he become a target of spoil?

15Young lions roar at him;

They made their sound,

And they laid his land waste.

His cities were burned down,

Leaving no inhabitant.

16Also the sons of Noph and Tahpanhes

Have shaved your scalp.

17Are you not doing this to yourself

By your forsaking the Lord your God,

At the time when he is leading you on the way?

18So now, what do you have to do with Egypt's way,

With drinking the waters of Shihor?

And what do you have to do with Assyria's way,

With drinking the waters of the river?

19Your wickedness will discipline you,

And your acts of apostasy will reprove you,

So know and see that your forsaking the Lord your God

Is evil and bitter,

And there is no fear of me in you,

Says the Lord, the Lord of hosts.

20For I broke your yoke long ago,

And I detached your fetters,

But you said, ‘I will not serve you’,

For you wander around committing prostitution

On every high hill

And under every luxuriant tree.

21Yet I planted you as a choice vine,

All of it being a true seed,

But how you have turned against me,

You who turn aside to become a foreign vine.

22Even if you wash with soda ash,

And you apply much soap to yourself,

Your iniquity is a stain before me,

Says the Lord, the Lord.

23How can you say,

‘I am not defiled;

I have not gone after the Baalim’?

Look at your way in the valley,

And know what you have done.

You are a swift young she-camel,

Devious in her ways.

24A wild donkey is accustomed to the desert;

In her feeling of desire

She draws in breath.

As for her passion,

Who can turn it back?

None who seek her become weary;

In her mating season they find her.

25Keep your feet from being barefoot

And your throat from thirst.

But you said, ‘It is desperate.

No, for I love foreigners,

And I will go after them.’

26Like the shame of a thief when he is caught,

So will the house of Israel be ashamed

– They, their kings, their officials,

And their priests and their prophets,

27Who say to the wood,

‘You are my father’,

And to the stone,

‘You gave birth to me.’

For they have turned their back on me,

And not their face,

But in their time of trouble, they say,

‘Arise and save us.’

28Now where are your gods

Which you have made for yourself?

Let them arise

If they can save you in your time of trouble,

For your gods are as the number of your cities,

O Judah.

29Why do you contend with me?

You have all transgressed against me,

Says the Lord.

30I have struck your sons in vain;

They do not take discipline.

Your sword has devoured your prophets,

Like a rampaging lion.

31O generation,

See the word of the Lord.

Have I been a desert to Israel?

Or a land of great darkness?

Why do my people say,

‘We rove around;

We will not come to you any more’?

32Can a virgin forget her ornaments?

Or a bride her girdles?

But my people have forgotten me

For innumerable days.

33How well you go your way in seeking love!

That is why you have also taught bad women your ways.

34Also on your skirts is found

The blood of the lives of the innocent poor.

I did not find it by dint of an investigation,

For it is abundantly evident on all these skirts.

35But you say,

‘As I am innocent,

Surely his anger will recede from me.’

But I am about to contend with you about your saying,

‘I have not sinned.’

36How you exhaust yourself changing your way!

You will also be put to shame by Egypt,

As you were put to shame by Assyria.

37You will also come out of this

With your hands on your head.

For the Lord has rejected your trusted allies,

And you will not succeed with them.

Jeremiah Chapter 3 

1It is said,

‘If a man sends his wife away,

And she departs from him

And becomes another man's,

Can he return to her again?

Would that land not be badly defiled?’

But you have been promiscuous with many lovers.

Yet return to me,

Says the Lord.

2Lift up your eyes to the heights and see:

Where have you not had someone to lie with you?

You have sat for them by the roadside,

Like an Arabian in the desert,

And you have defiled the land

With your acts of prostitution

And with your wickedness.

3So the showers of rain were withheld,

And there was no latter rain,

And you have had the effrontery

Of a woman who is a prostitute;

You have refused to feel ashamed.

4Will you not from now on call out to me,

‘My father,

You are the family head of my youth.’

5Will he keep his anger age-abidingly?

Or will he retain it in perpetuity?

Look, you have spoken

And done evil things,

And you have won the day.”

6And the Lord said to me in the days of Josiah the king, “Have you seen what apostate Israel has done, going to every high hill and under every luxuriant tree, committing sexual immorality there? 7But after she had done all these things, I said, ‘Return to me.’ But she did not return. And her treacherous sister Judah saw it. 8And I saw it, then on all the grounds that apostate Israel had committed adultery, I sent her away and gave her bill of divorce to her, but treacherous Judah her sister did not fear, and she also went and committed sexual immorality. 9And it came to pass, because of the frivolity of her sexual immorality, that she defiled the land and committed adultery with stone and wood. 10And even despite all this, neither did her treacherous sister Judah return to me with all her heart, but falsely so, says the Lord.” 11And the Lord said to me, “Apostate Israel has justified herself more than treacherous Judah. 12Go and proclaim these things in the north, and say,

‘Return, apostate Israel,

Says the Lord.

I will not rage at you,

For I am kind,

Says the Lord;

I will not keep my anger age-abidingly.

13But admit your iniquity,

For you have transgressed against the Lord your God,

And you have gone in all directions to foreigners,

Under every luxuriant tree,

But you have not heeded my voice,

Says the Lord.

14Return, you rebellious sons, says the Lord, for I have married you, and I have taken hold of you – one from a city, and two from a family – and I will bring you to Zion. 15And I will give you shepherds according to my heart, and they will feed you with knowledge and insight. 16And it will come to pass, when you multiply and are fruitful on the earth in those days, says the Lord, that they will no longer say, «The ark of the covenant of the Lord.» It will no longer come to mind, nor will they mention it, nor will they go to see it, nor will it be made any more. 17At that time they will call Jerusalem the throne of the Lord, and all the Gentiles will gather in it, to the name of the Lord, to Jerusalem, and they will not walk after the evil obstinacy of their heart any more. 18In those days the house of Judah will go to the house of Israel, and they will come together out of the land of the north to the land which I have given to your fathers as an inheritance. 19But I said,

«How shall I place you among the sons,

And give you a pleasant land,

An inheritance which is the splendour of splendours of the nations?»

And I said,

«You will call me, ‹My father›,

And you will not turn back from following me.»

20Surely, as a wife is unfaithful to her husband,

So you have been unfaithful to me,

O house of Israel,

Says the Lord.

21A sound is heard on the heights,

Weeping and supplications of the sons of Israel,

For they have taken a crooked path;

They have forgotten the Lord their God.

22Return, you rebellious sons.

I will heal your apostatizings.’ ”

Here we are;

We have come to you,

For you are the Lord our God.

23Truly, salvation is in vain

From hills and many mountains;

Truly, the salvation of Israel

Is in the Lord our God.

24And shame has devoured

The hard work of our fathers from our youth

– Their sheep and their oxen,

Their sons and their daughters.

25Let us lie in our shame,

And let our ignominy cover us,

For we have sinned against the Lord our God

– We and our fathers

From our youth up to this day.

And we have not heeded

The voice of the Lord our God.

Jeremiah Chapter 4 

1“If you will return, O Israel,

Says the Lord,

Return to me,

And if you will remove your abominations from my presence,

And you will not be erratic,

2And you swear that the Lord lives,

In truth, in justice, in righteousness,

Then the nations will be blessed through him

And will boast in him.”

3For this is what the Lord says

To the men of Judah and to Jerusalem:

“Till yourselves some fallow land,

And do not sow in the thorns.

4Circumcise yourselves to the Lord,

And remove the foreskin of your heart,

You men of Judah and you inhabitants of Jerusalem,

So that my fury does not go forth like fire,

And burn,

With no-one to quench it,

For the evil of your actions.

5Tell of it in Judah,

And announce it in Jerusalem,

And say, ‘Sound the ramshorn in the land.’

Proclaim it aloud and say,

‘Assemble and let us go to the fortified cities.

6Raise a standard in Zion,

Bring your household to safety;

Do not stand still.’

For I will bring evil from the north,

And great destruction.

7A lion came up from its thicket,

And the one who brings ruin in nations

Has set off and left his place

To make your land a desolation.

Your cities will be laid waste

Without an inhabitant.

8Because of this, gird yourselves with sackcloth,

Mourn and howl,

For the furious anger of the Lord

Has not receded from us.

9And it will come to pass on that day,

Says the Lord,

That the king will lose heart,

As will the officials,

And the priests will be astonished,

And the prophets will be astounded.”

10Then I said,

“Alas, my Lord the Lord,

You have truly really deceived this people and Jerusalem,

Saying, ‘You will have peace’,

But the sword has struck to the quick.”

11At that time, it will be said to this people and to Jerusalem,

There is a dry wind from the heights in the desert,

On its way to the daughter of my people,

Not for winnowing

And not for purifying.

12A full wind from these places will come to me,

And now I too will pronounce judgment on them.”

13Behold, he will come up as clouds,

And his chariots will be like a whirlwind.

His horses are swifter than eagles.

Woe is us,

For we are to be devastated.

14“Cleanse your heart from evil, Jerusalem,

So that you may be saved.

How long will your vain thoughts remain within you?

15For a voice is making an announcement from Dan,

And proclaiming vanity from Mount Ephraim.

16Remind the nations,

Look, proclaim to Jerusalem,

Watchmen are coming from a distant land,

And they have raised their voices

Against the cities of Judah.

17They are against her like guards around a field,

Because she has rebelled against me,

Says the Lord.

18Your way and your deeds have done these things to you

– This wickedness of yours,

For it is bitter,

Because it strikes at your heart.”

19My anguish, my anguish;

I writhe at the sides of my heart.

My heart is agitated in me;

I cannot be quiet,

For my inner being has heard the sound of the ramshorn

– The sound of war.

20Destruction upon destruction is reported,

For all the land has been spoiled;

My tents were suddenly spoiled

– My encampment in a moment.

21How long will I see a standard?

How long will I hear the sound of a ramshorn?

22“For my people are fools;

They do not know me.

They are witless sons,

And they are not sensible.

They are wise in doing wrong,

But they do not know how to do what is right.”

23I have seen the land

And seen that it is desolate and deserted.

And concerning the heavens,

Their light is absent.

24I have seen the hills

And seen that they were trembling,

And that all the hills have shaken.

25I looked and saw that there was no man,

And that all the birds of the sky

Had flown away.

26I looked and saw the well-cultivated plain

Looking like the desert,

And that all its cities had been demolished

Because of the Lord

– Because of the fury of his anger.

27For this is what the Lord says:

“All the land will be a desolation,

But I will not bring it to a complete end.

28On account of this the land will mourn,

And the heavens above will be melancholic,

For I have spoken;

I have purposed it,

And I do not repent,

And I will not revoke it.

29At the sound of the horseman and the archer,

All the city will flee;

They will go to the thickets

And go up into the rocks.

The whole city will be abandoned,

And there will be no man inhabiting any of them.

30And when you have been devastated,

What will you do?

Even if you dress in scarlet,

If you adorn yourself with golden ornaments,

If you make your eyes stand out with eye shadow,

You will beautify yourself in vain.

Your lovers will reject you;

They will seek your life.

31For I have heard a sound

Like a woman giving birth

– Distress like one bearing her firstborn –

The sound of the daughter of Zion,

Gasping and spreading her hands,

Saying, ‘Oh woe is me,

For my being is weary

With those who kill.’

Jeremiah Chapter 5 

1Traverse the open places of Jerusalem,

And take a look and ascertain and find out

Whether you can find a man in her streets,

Whether there is anyone acting justly,

Seeking faithfulness,

And I will pardon the city.

2But if they say,

As the Lord lives’,

It will be

Because they are swearing falsely.”

3O Lord, are not your eyes for seeing faithfulness?

You have struck them without them feeling pain.

You have caused them to languish,

But they have refused to accept correction.

They have hardened themselves more than rock;

They have refused to return.

4So I said, “Certainly they are weak;

They have acted foolishly,

For they do not know the way of the Lord,

Or the justice of their God.

5I will betake myself to great men;

I will speak to them,

For they know the way of the Lord

– The justice of their God.

But they have altogether broken the yoke;

They have unshackled the bonds.

6That is why a lion from the forest will strike them,

And a wolf from the arid tracts will prey on them.

A leopard will lie in wait in their cities,

And everyone who goes out from them will be torn to pieces,

For their transgressions are many,

And their apostasies are immense.”

7“On what account should I pardon you?

Your sons have forsaken me

And have sworn by what are not gods.

And when I filled them with food,

They committed adultery

And converged on the house of a prostitute.

8They were like ruttish horses,

Wandering about lusting,

Each neighing after his neighbour's wife.

9Shall I not visit on account of these things?

Says the Lord,

And shall my being not be avenged

On a nation such as this?

10‘Go up onto her walls and demolish it,

But do not bring it to a complete end.

Remove its bulwarks

For they are not for the Lord.

11For the house of Israel and the house of Judah

Have treacherously betrayed me’,

Says the Lord.

12They have acted deceitfully with the Lord and said,

‘He is not concerned.

No harm will come over us,

And we will not see sword or famine.’

13And the prophets are becoming wind,

And the word is not present among them.

So it shall be done to them.”

14That is why this is what the Lord God of hosts says:

“Because you have said these words,

I am about to make my words in your mouth fire,

And this people wood,

And it will consume them.

15I am about to bring a people over you from afar,

O house of Israel,

Says the Lord.

It is a strong nation,

It is an age-old nation

– A nation whose tongue you do not know,

And you will not understand what they say.

16Their quiver is like an open grave;

They are all warriors.

17And they will eat your harvest and your bread,

They will eat your sons and your daughters,

They will eat your sheep and your oxen,

They will eat your vine and your fig tree;

They will emaciate your fortified cities

In which you trust, with the sword.

18But neither in those days,

Says the Lord,

Will I bring you to a complete end.

19And it will come to pass that you will say,

‘In return for what

Has the Lord our God done all these things to us?’

And you will say to them,

Just as you forsook me

And served foreign gods in your land,

So you will serve foreigners in a land not yours.’

20Report this in the house of Jacob,

And announce it in Judah,

And say,

21‘Now hear this, you foolish people,

And without a heart,

Who have eyes,

But will not see;

Who have ears,

But will not hear,

22Do you not fear me?

Says the Lord.

Do you not tremble at the presence of me

Who have set sand as a border to the sea

– An age-abiding statute –

So that it will not pass over it?

And although its waves are turbulent,

They do not prevail,

And although they rage,

They do not pass over it.

23But this people has a recalcitrant and rebellious heart.

They turn aside

And go their way.

24And they have not said in their heart,

«Let us now fear the Lord our God

Who gives rain

– Both early rain and latter rain in its time.

He keeps statutory weeks and harvest-time for us.»

25Your iniquities have caused these things to depart,

And your sins have held goodness back from you.

26For among my people wicked men are found;

They lie in wait like the couching down

Of those who trap birds.

They set a trap;

They catch men.

27Like a cage full of birds,

So their houses are full of deceit,

Which is how they become important

And become rich.

28They become fat,

They have a shining complexion;

They have even transgressed in matters of the wicked one.

They do not execute justice

– Justice of the orphan –

And they become prosperous.

They do not do justice to the poor.

29Shall I not visit on account of these things?

Says the Lord,

And shall my being not be avenged

On a nation such as this?

30An astonishing and horrendous thing

Has taken place in the land.

31The prophets have prophesied falsely,

And the priests march hand in hand with them,

And my people love it like that.

So what will you do at its conclusion?’ ”

Reference(s) in Chapter 5: v.21 ↔ Mark 8:18.

Jeremiah Chapter 6 

1Bring your household to safety,

You sons of Benjamin,

From the heart of Jerusalem.

And sound the ramshorn in Tekoa,

And light a signal fire in Beth-Haccerem,

For trouble is impending from the north,

And a great catastrophe.

2I have likened the daughter of Zion

To a fair and delicate woman.

3Shepherds will come to her with their flocks,

They will pitch their tents near her round about;

Each one will pasture in his place.

4“Sanctify a war against her;

Arise, we will go up at midday.”

Woe to us, for the day has advanced,

For the evening shadows are lengthening.

5“Arise, and let us go up in the night,

And destroy her palaces.”

6For this is what the Lord of hosts says:

“Cut down wood,

And throw up a rampart against Jerusalem.

She is the city which will be visited.

There is nothing but oppression inside her.

7As a cistern keeps its water cool,

So she has kept her wickedness cool.

Violence and plundering are heard within her;

Before me are sickness and wounding continually.

8Be chastised, Jerusalem,

So that I myself do not become alienated from you,

So that I do not make you a desolation

– An uninhabited land.”

9This is what the Lord of hosts says:

“They will certainly glean out the remnant of Israel,

As with a vine.

Saying, ‘Draw your hand back to the baskets,

As a vine reaper does.’

10To whom can I speak and testify,

And they will hear?

Look, their ears are uncircumcised,

And they are unable to listen.

Look, the word of the Lord came to them as a reproach;

They did not delight in it.

11And I am full of the fury of the Lord;

I am weary of enduring it.

‘Heap it up

On a child out of doors,

And on a secret meeting of young men together’,

For even a man and wife will be taken,

And an old man with him who is full of days.

12And their houses will be transferred to others

– Fields and wives together –

For I will stretch out my hand over the inhabitants of the land,

Says the Lord.

13For from the least of them to the greatest of them,

Every one of them defrauds for unjust gain,

And among both prophet and priest

Every one acts falsely.

14And they had an easy way

Of healing the demise of my people,

Saying, ‘Peace, peace’,

When there was no peace.

15Were they ashamed when they committed an abomination?

They were not ashamed at all,

Nor did they have a sense of ignominy,

Which is why they will be among those who fall.

At the time when I visit them,

They will stumble,

Says the Lord.”

16This is what the Lord says:

“Stand on the ways and see,

And ask for the age-old paths;

Ask which way is the right one,

And walk on it,

And find rest for yourselves.

But they said,

‘We will not walk there.’

17And I set up watchmen over you,

Who said,

‘Listen to the sound of the ramshorn’,

But they said,

‘We will not listen.’

18Therefore hear, O nations,

And know, O congregation,

What is to happen among them.

19Hear O earth,

I am about to bring trouble to this people

– The fruit of their thoughts –

For they have not listened to my words,

And as for my law,

They have rejected it.

20What is this to me that frankincense should come from Sheba?

And fine cinnamon from a distant country?

Your burnt offerings are not a delight,

And your sacrifices do not please me.”

21That is why this is what the Lord says:

“I am about to put stumbling blocks before this people,

And fathers and sons will stumble at them together;

A neighbour and his friend will perish.”

22This is what the Lord says:

“Look, a people is coming from the land of the north,

And a great nation will be awakened

From the remote parts of the earth.

23They will wield bow and spear;

They are cruel

And they will not show mercy.

Their voice roars like the sea,

And they ride on horses.

They are mobilized as men ready for war against you,

O daughter of Zion.”

24We have heard of their fame,

Our hands have become limp,

And adversity has taken hold of us,

As has writhing like a woman giving birth.

25Do not go out into the field,

And do not walk on the road,

For the enemy has a sword,

And there is fear all round.

26O daughter of my people,

Gird yourself with sackcloth,

And roll in ashes.

Occupy yourself with mourning as for an only son

– With bitter lamentation –

For the destroyer will come upon us suddenly.

27“I have made you an assayer

And a fortification among my people,

So that you may know and examine their way.

28They are all inveterate rebels,

Who go about slandering.

They are copper and iron;

They are all ruinous people.

29There is burning with bellows;

In the fire, lead is consumed.

The refiner refines in vain,

And the wicked are not drawn off.

30They will be called rejected silver,

For the Lord has rejected them.”

Jeremiah Chapter 7 

1The word which came to Jeremiah from the Lord, to say, 2“Stand at the gate of the house of the Lord and proclaim there these words, and say, ‘Hear the word of the Lord, all of Judah who enter at these gates to worship the Lord. 3This is what the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel says: «Mend your ways and your deeds, and I will install you in this place. 4Do not put your trust in lying words, which say, ‹These are the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord.› 5For if you mend your ways and your deeds properly, if you conscientiously execute justice between a man and his neighbour, 6and do not oppress the foreigner, the orphan or the widow, and do not shed innocent blood in this place, and do not go after other gods to your detriment, 7then I will install you in this place, in the land which I have given your fathers from age to age. 8Look, you are putting your trust in lying words, which are to no avail. 9Will you steal and murder and commit adultery and swear falsely and burn incense to Baal, and go after other gods which you have not known, 10and then come and stand in my presence in this house at which my name is called on, and say, ‹We have been delivered in order to commit all these abominations›? 11Has this house, at which my name is called on in your sight, become a den of thieves? Look, I for my part have seen it, says the Lord. 12For just go to my place which is in Shiloh, where I installed my name at first, and see what I did to it because of the wickedness of my people Israel. 13And now, on account of your doing all these deeds, says the Lord, I arose early to speak to you, but when I spoke, you did not listen, and when I called you, you did not respond. 14And I will do to the house at which my name is called on, which you trust in, and to the place which I gave to you and to your fathers, as I did to Shiloh. 15And I will banish you from my presence, as I banished all your brothers – all the seed of Ephraim.» ’ 16And as for you, do not pray for this people, and do not raise a cry for help or a prayer for them, and do not entreat me, for I will not hear you. 17Do you not see what they are doing in the cities of Judah and in the open areas of Jerusalem? 18The sons gather wood, and the fathers light the fire, and the women knead dough to make sacrificial cakes for the queen of heaven, and they pour libations to other gods, so provoking me to anger. 19Is it me that they provoke to anger? says the Lord. Is it not themselves, with the consequence of them being shamefaced? 20That is why this is what the Lord, the Lord, says: ‘My anger and my fury are about to be poured out on this place, on man and on the cattle, and on the wood of the countryside and on the fruit of the ground, and it will burn and not be extinguished.’ 21This is what the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, says: ‘Add your burnt offerings to your sacrifices, and eat meat. 22For I did not speak to your fathers and I did not command them when I brought them out of the land of Egypt concerning matters of burnt offering and sacrifice, 23except that I commanded them this thing and said, «Heed my voice, and I will be God to you, and you will be a people to me, and walk in all the way which I command you, in order that it shall go well with you.» ’ 24But they did not take heed, and they did not incline their ears, and they walked in various devices and the obstinacy of their evil heart, and they became backward moving, and not forward moving, 25from the day when your fathers came out of the land of Egypt up to this day, yet I sent all my servants the prophets to them, rising early daily and sending them. 26But they did not listen to me, and they did not incline their ears, but they stiffened their necks, and they acted more wickedly than their fathers. 27And when you speak all these things to them, they do not listen to you, and when you call out to them, they do not answer you. 28Now you will say to them, ‘This is the nation which did not heed the voice of the Lord their God, and which did not accept correction. Faithfulness has been lost, and it has been cast away from their mouth. 29Shave off your long hair and cast it away, and take up a lamentation on your high places, for the Lord has rejected and abandoned the generation of his wrath. 30For the sons of Judah have done what is wrong in my sight, says the Lord. They have put their abominations in the house at which my name is called on, so as to defile it. 31And they have built the idolatrous raised sites to Topheth, which is in the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, to burn their sons and their daughters in the fire, which I did not command and which did not enter my mind. 32Therefore behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, when it will no longer be called Topheth and the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, but the Valley of Killing, and they will bury people in Topheth until there is no room. 33And the corpses of this people will be food for the birds of the sky and the animals of the land, and there will be no-one to frighten them away. 34And in the cities of Judah and the open places of Jerusalem I will put a stop to the sound of rejoicing and the sound of happiness, the sound of a bridegroom and the sound of a bride, for the land will become a desolation.

Reference(s) in Chapter 7: v.11 ↔ Matthew 21:13, Mark 11:17, Luke 19:46 ● v.34 ↔ Revelation 18:23.

Jeremiah Chapter 8 

1At that time, says the Lord, they will bring out the bones of the kings of Judah and the bones of their officials, and the bones of the priests, and the bones of the prophets, and the bones of the inhabitants of Jerusalem, from their graves. 2And they will spread them out to the sun and to the moon and to the whole host of the heavens which they loved and which they served, and after which they went, and which they inquired of, and which they worshipped. They will not be gathered, and they will not be buried, but they will be dung on the surface of the land. 3And death will be chosen rather than life, by all the remnant of this evil family who remain, in all the places which remain, to which I have driven them, says the Lord of hosts.’ 4And you will say to them, ‘This is what the Lord says:

«Will they fall,

And not arise?

Will one turn away from me,

And not turn back to me?

5Why is this people

– Apostate Jerusalem –

Constantly rebellious?

They have persisted in deceit;

They have refused to return.

6I listened and I heard,

But they did not speak honestly.

There is no man

Who has repented of his evil,

Who says,

‹What have I done?›

They have all turned away in their impetuousness,

Like a horse charging into battle.

7Even the stork in the sky

Knows its set times,

And the turtle-dove and swallow and the crane

Keep the time of their arrival,

But my people

Do not know the justice of the Lord.

8How can you say,

‹We are wise,

And the law of the Lord is with us?›

Truly, look, he made it in vain;

The scribes' pen is in vain.

9The wise men have been put to shame.

They are terrified, and they have been caught.

Look, they have rejected the word of the Lord,

And what wisdom do they have?

10That is why I will give their wives to others,

And their fields to those who take possession of them,

Because from small to great,

They have all relentlessly made unjust gain;

Among both prophet and priest

They all deal falsely.

11And they had an easy way of healing the demise of my people,

Saying, ‹Peace, peace›,

When there was no peace.

12Were they ashamed when they committed an abomination?

They were not ashamed at all,

Nor did they have a sense of ignominy,

Which is why they will be among those who fall.

At the time of their visitation,

They will stumble,

Says the Lord.

13I will certainly make an end of them,

Says the Lord.

There are no grapes on the vine,

And no figs on the fig tree,

And the foliage is withering.

And what I have given them,

They transgress.» ’ ”

14Why are we sitting down?

Gather yourselves,

And let us go to the fortified cities

And be silent there,

For the Lord our God has silenced us,

And he has given us hemlock water to drink,

For we have sinned against the Lord.

15We waited for peace,

But there was nothing good,

For a time of healing,

But what came was terror.

16From Dan the snorting of his horses was heard.

At the sound of neighing of his mighty animals,

All the earth trembled.

And they came, and they devoured the land and its fulness,

And the city and those living in it.

17“For I am about to send serpents and vipers against you,

Which cannot be charmed,

And they will bite you,

Says the Lord.”

18My cheerfulness has turned into sorrow;

My heart is faint within me.

19Just hear the sound of the crying out

Of the daughter of my people,

From a distant land.

Is the Lord not at Zion?

Or is her king not in her?

“Why have they provoked me to anger with their carved images

– With their foreign idols?”

20The harvest has passed away;

The summer has ended,

But we have not been saved.

21I am distressed at the distress

Of the daughter of my people.

I am dejected;

Astonishment has taken hold of me.

22Is there no balsam in Gilead?

Or is there no doctor there?

So why has the health of the daughter of my people not blossomed?

Jeremiah Chapter 9 

1If only I had a head full of water

– For my eye is a source of tears –

Then I would weep day and night

For the casualties of the daughter of my people.

2If only I had in the desert a traveller's lodging place

So that I could leave my people

And go away from them,

“For they are all adulterers

– An assembly of traitors.

3And they have spoken deceitfully,

Their bow is false,

And they have not become strong in the land

In a faithful way,

For they have gone from one bad thing to another,

And they have not known me,

Says the Lord.

4Let each man beware of his neighbour,

And do not trust any brother,

For every brother will defraud and defraud,

And every neighbour will go about slandering.

5And each man will deceive his neighbour,

And they will not speak the truth.

They have taught their tongue to speak lies;

They have exerted themselves in acting iniquitously.

6You are seated in the midst of deceit;

It is through deceit

That they refuse to know me,

Says the Lord.”

7That is why this is what the Lord of hosts says:

“I am about to refine them,

And I will test them,

For how else should I act

In view of the daughter of my people?

8Their tongue is a deadly arrow;

It speaks deceit.

With his mouth a man speaks peaceably with his neighbour,

But inwardly he plans his plot.

9Shall I not visit them on account of these things,

Says the Lord,

And shall my being not be avenged

On a nation such as this?

10I will bring forth weeping and lamentation for the hills,

And a dirge for the pastures in the desert,

For they have been burned,

So that no man passes through,

And no sound of cattle has been heard.

Both birds of the sky and cattle have migrated

And have gone away.

11And I will turn Jerusalem into heaps of stones

– An abode for jackals –

And I will make the cities of Judah a desolation

Without any inhabitant.

12Who is the wise man who understands this, and to whom the mouth of the Lord has spoken, so that he may proclaim it? Why should the land perish, being burned up like a desert, with no-one passing through?” 13And the Lord said, “Because of them deserting my law, which I gave in their presence, but they did not heed my voice, and they did not walk in it, 14and they walked according to the obstinacy of their heart, and after the Baalim, which their fathers taught them, 15– because of that – this is what the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, says: ‘I am about to feed wormwood to this people, and to give them hemlock water to drink. 16And I will scatter them among nations which neither they nor their fathers knew, and I will send the sword after them until I have made an end of them.’ ” 17This is what the Lord of hosts, says:

“Take note

And call for the women who lament,

So that they come,

And send for women skilled in the art

So that they come.

18And let them hasten to recite a lamentation on our account,

So that our eyes run with tears,

And our eyelids flow with water.

19For the sound of lamentation is heard,

Coming from Zion,

‘How we have been plundered;

We have been very much put to shame,

For we have abandoned the land,

For our tent sites have been overthrown.’ ”

20But, you women,

Hear the word of the Lord,

And let your ears accept the word of his mouth,

And teach your daughters lamentation,

And let each teach her neighbour a dirge.

21For death has come through our windows;

It has entered our castles

To cut down the infant outside

And the youth in the streets.

22Say, “This is what the Lord says:

‘And a man's dead body will fall

Like dung on the surface of a field,

And like sheaves behind the reaper,

With no-one gathering them up.’

23This is what the Lord says:

‘Do not let the wise man boast of his wisdom,

And do not let the valiant warrior boast of his valiance,

And do not let the wealthy man boast of his wealth,

24But rather let the boaster boast in this:

Being instructed and knowing me,

For I, the Lord,

Act with kindness, justice and righteousness in the land,

For it is in these that I delight,

Says the Lord.

25Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will visit everyone who is circumcised but in uncircumcision 26– Egypt, and Judah, and Edom, and the sons of Ammon, and Moab, and all who have had their sidelocks cut, those who live in the desert – for all the Gentiles are uncircumcised, and all the house of Israel are uncircumcised of heart.’ ”

Reference(s) in Chapter 9: v.24 ↔ 1 Corinthians 1:31, 2 Corinthians 10:17.

Jeremiah Chapter 10 

1Hear the word which the Lord has spoken to you, O house of Israel. 2“This is what the Lord says:

‘Do not learn the ways of the Gentiles,

And do not be afraid of signs in the sky,

For the Gentiles are afraid of them.

3For the customs of the various peoples are vain,

For it is a tree of the forest which a person cuts down,

And it becomes the work of the hands of a craftsman with a chisel.

4He beautifies it with silver and with gold,

And they strengthen it with nails and with hammers

So that it is not fragile.

5They are like a rigid post,

And they do not speak.

They need to be carried

Because they cannot walk.

Do not fear them,

For they cannot do harm,

And neither can they do any good.’ ”

6Seeing that there is no-one like you, O Lord,

You are great,

And your name is great in might.

7Who does not fear you,

O king of the nations?

For it is fitting for you,

In that among all the wise men of the nations

And in all their kingdoms,

There is no-one like you.

8They are at the same time vulgar and foolish;

For instruction in vain things,

They have a piece of wood.

9Beaten silver is brought from Tarshish,

And gold from Uphaz.

The work of the craftsman and the hands of the refiner,

The blue and the purple material for their clothing

– They are all the work of skilled men.

10But the Lord God is truthful;

He is the living God

And the age-abiding king.

At his anger, the earth trembles;

The nations cannot endure his indignation.

11You shall say this to them: “The gods which did not make the heavens and the earth will perish from the earth and from below these heavens.

12He is the maker of the earth by his power

– The preparer of the world by his wisdom –

Who stretched out the heavens

With his understanding.

13When he sounds his voice,

There is roaring of water in the sky,

And he makes vapours rise from the ends of the earth.

He produces lightning with the rain,

And he brings wind out of his storehouses.

14Every man has become deficient in knowledge;

Every metalsmith has become ashamed of the idol,

For his cast figure is a false thing,

And there is no spirit in them.

15They are vanity

– A work based on delusions.

At the time of their visitation,

They will perish.

16Such is not the portion of Jacob;

Rather, it is he who is the fashioner of everything,

And of Israel, the sceptre of his inheritance

– The Lord of hosts is his name.”

17Collect up your belongings

And take them away from the land,

You who dwell in the fortification.

18For this is what the Lord says:

“I am about to sling out the inhabitants of the land at this time,

And I will cause them distress

In order that they may encounter it.”

19Woe is me for my demise;

My wound is morbid,

And I have said,

“This really is a calamity

Which I shall bear.”

20My tent has been plundered,

And all my guylines have been detached.

My sons have gone away from me,

And they are not to be found,

And there is no-one pitching my tent any more

Or setting up my encampment.

21For the shepherds have become callous,

And they have not sought the Lord,

Which is why they have not acted prudently,

And all their flock has been scattered.

22You will find that a report of a rumour is coming,

And a great tumult from the land of the north,

To make the cities of Judah a desolation

– A dwelling place for jackals.

23I know, O Lord,

That it is not for man to determine his way;

It is not for man when walking

To direct his own steps.

24Discipline me, O Lord,

But with justice;

Not in your anger,

So that you do not diminish me.

25Pour out your wrath on the Gentiles

Who have not known you,

And on the families

Who have not called on your name,

For they have devoured Jacob

And devoured him more,

And they have made an end of him,

And they have devastated his abode.

Reference(s) in Chapter 10: v.7 ↔ Revelation 15:4.

Jeremiah Chapter 11 

1The word which came to Jeremiah from the Lord and said, 2“Hear the words of this covenant, and speak them to the men of Judah and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, 3and say to them, ‘This is what the Lord God of Israel says: «Cursed is the man who will not hear the words of this covenant, 4which I commanded your fathers on the day when I brought them out of the land of Egypt – from the iron furnace – when I said, ‹Heed my voice and do these things according to everything that I command you, and you will be a people to me, and I will be God to you, 5in order to fulfil the oath which I swore to your fathers, that I would give them a land flowing with milk and honey, as on this day.› » ’ ” And I answered and said, “Amen, O Lord.” 6And the Lord said to me, “Proclaim all these words in the cities of Judah and in the open areas of Jerusalem, and say, ‘Hear the words of this covenant, and do them. 7For I have been giving a solemn testimony to your fathers, both on the day when I brought them up out of the land of Egypt, and up to this day, rising early and giving testimony, saying, «Heed my voice.» 8But they did not heed, and they did not incline their ears. And each went in the obstinacy of his evil heart, and I brought on them all the words of this covenant which I commanded them to do, but they did not do them.’ ” 9And the Lord said to me, “A conspiracy has been found among the men of Judah and among the inhabitants of Jerusalem. 10They have returned to the former iniquities of their fathers who refused to hear my words, and they have walked after other gods, to serve them. The house of Israel and the house of Judah have broken my covenant which I made with their fathers. 11That is why this is what the Lord says: ‘I am about to bring trouble on them, which they will not be able to get out of, and they will cry out to me, but I will not heed them. 12And the cities of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem will proceed to cry out to the gods to which they burn incense, but they will not save them in the slightest in the time of their trouble. 13«For the number of your gods was the number of your cities, O Judah. And to the tune of the number of open spaces of Jerusalem, you have set up altars to what is shameful – altars to burn incense to Baal.» 14So don't you pray for this people, and do not raise a cry for help or a prayer for them, for I will not hear them at the time when they cry out to me because of their trouble.

15What entitlement does my beloved have to be in my house,

With so many making the place a place of intrigue?

And they neglect the holy flesh of the sacrifices which are due to you.

When they neglect harming you, O Jerusalem,

Then you will rejoice.

16The Lord has called you a flourishing olive tree

– The beauty of a fine fruit.

At the sound of a great tumult,

He lit a fire in her,

And its branches were broken.

17And the Lord of hosts, who planted you, has pronounced evil on you, on account of the evil of the house of Israel, and the house of Judah, which they undertook, so as to provoke me to anger, by burning incense to Baal.’ ” 18And the Lord made it known to me, and I came to know it. It was then that you showed me their works. 19But I am like a tame lamb led to the slaughter, and I did not know that they had devised plots against me and had said,

“Let us destroy the tree at its nourishment,

And let us cut him off from the land of the living,

So that his name is no longer remembered.”

20But, O Lord of hosts,

You who judge righteously,

You who test kidneys and heart,

I will see your vengeance on them,

For I have revealed my contention to you.

21That is why this is what the Lord says to the men of Anathoth, who seek your life, who say, “You shall not prophesy in the name of the Lord, so that you do not die by our hand.” 22That is why this is what the Lord of hosts says: “I am about to visit them. The young men will die by the sword; their sons and their daughters will die of hunger. 23And there will be no remainder of them, for I will bring harm on the men of Anathoth, in the year of their visitation.”

Reference(s) in Chapter 11: v.20 ↔ Revelation 2:23.

Jeremiah Chapter 12 

1You are righteous, O Lord,

When I take issue with you,

But I will contend a legal issue with you.

Why does the way of the wicked prosper?

All those who act treacherously are at ease.

2You planted them,

And they for their part have taken root;

They sprout up and also produce fruit.

You are near in their mouth

But far away in their inward feelings.

3But you, O Lord, know me;

You see me, and you test my heart's attitude to you.

Draw them off like sheep for the slaughter,

And devote them to the day of killing.

4How long will the land mourn,

And the herbaceous vegetation of the whole countryside dry up?

On account of the evil of those who inhabit it,

It is causing cattle and fowl to die out,

Because they said,

“He will not see our end result.”

5“If when you run with the foot soldiers,

They tire you out,

How can you compete with the horses?

And if you were confident only in a land at peace,

What will you do at the rising of the Jordan?

6For even your brothers,

And also those of your father's house,

Have betrayed you.

Even they called after you loudly;

Do not believe them

When they speak of good things to you.

7I have forsaken my house,

I have abandoned my inheritance;

I have delivered my dear love

Into the hand of her enemies.

8My inheritance has become like a lion in the forest.

It has decried me,

Which is why I have come to hate it.

9Is my inheritance a coloured bird of prey to me?

Is the bird of prey circling round about it?

Come and gather all the wild animals;

Bring them to eat.

10Many shepherds have ruined my vineyard,

They have trodden down what I have apportioned;

They have made my pleasant apportionment into a desert of desolation.

11He has made it a desolation;

A desolate land mourns to me.

The whole land has been made desolate,

For there is no-one who gives his mind to it.

12The despoilers have come to all the high places in the desert,

For the sword of the Lord has devoured

From one end of the land

To the other end of the land.

There is no peace for any flesh.

13They have sown wheat,

But they have reaped thorns;

They have exhausted themselves

But are not benefited by it.

So be put to shame by your produce,

Because of the furious anger of the Lord.”

14This is what the Lord says to all my evil neighbours who touch the inheritance which I have given as an inheritance to my people Israel: “I am about to pluck them out of their land, and I will pluck the house of Judah up from where they are. 15And it will come to pass, after I have plucked them up, that I will relent, and I will have compassion on them, and I will bring them back, each to his inheritance, and each to his land. 16And it will come to pass, if they will diligently learn the ways of my people, to swear by my name – as the Lord lives – just as they used to teach my people to swear by Baal, then they will be built up among my people. 17But if they will not heed it, I will eradicate that people, eradicating and annihilating, says the Lord.”

Jeremiah Chapter 13 

1This is what the Lord said to me: “Go and get yourself a flax belt and put it around your waist, and do not put it in water.” 2So I got the belt according to the word of the Lord, and I put it around my waist. 3Then the word of the Lord came to me a second time and said, 4“Take the belt which you have got, which is around your waist, and get up and go to the Euphrates, and hide it there in a cleft in the rock.” 5So I went and I hid it in the Euphrates region, as the Lord had commanded me. 6And it came to pass after many days that the Lord said to me, “Get up and go to the Euphrates, and take from there the belt which I commanded you to hide there.” 7So I went to the Euphrates, and I dug up and took the belt out from the place where I had hidden it, and I saw that the belt was ruined; it was not fit for anything. 8Then the word of the Lord came to me and said, 9“This is what the Lord says: ‘Similarly, I will ruin the pride of Judah, and the great pride of Jerusalem. 10This evil people which refuses to heed my words, who walk in the obstinacy of their heart and who walk after other gods, to serve them and to worship them, will be like this belt, which is not fit for anything. 11For as a belt clings to a man's waist, so I have caused the whole house of Israel and the whole house of Judah to cling to me, says the Lord, to be a people to me, and for fame and a reason for praise and for splendour, but they did not pay heed.’ 12Now you will say these words to them: ‘This is what the Lord God of Israel says: «Every skin-bottle will be filled with wine.» ’ And they will say to you, ‘Do we not know full well that every skin-bottle will be filled with wine?’ 13Then you will say to them, ‘This is what the Lord says: «I am about to fill all the inhabitants of this land, and the kings in the line of David who have sat on his throne, and the priests and the prophets and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, with intoxication. 14And I will dash them – a man against his brother, and fathers and sons together – says the Lord; I will not have compassion, and I will not spare, and I will not show mercy in bringing them to ruin.» ’ ”

15Hear and listen;

Do not be high-minded,

For the Lord has spoken.

16Give the Lord your God honour

Before he brings darkness,

And before your feet strike the mountains in the darkness,

And, when you await light,

He makes it a shadow of death,

And he turns it into sombre gloom.

17And if you do not heed it,

My inner being will weep in secret places

Because of your arrogance.

My eye will weep bitterly

And run with tears,

For the Lord's flock will have been taken captive.

18Say to the king and to the queen consort,

“Take a lower seat,

For your head-end has come down

– The crown of your splendour.

19The cities of the south will be shut,

And there will be no-one opening them up.

All of Judah will be exiled;

It will be completely exiled.

20Lift up your eyes

And see those coming from the north.

Where is the flock which was given to you?

– Your splendid sheep?

21What will you say when he visits you?

For you taught them,

And they will be over you as masters,

And they will become your head.

Will not birth pangs seize you,

As of a woman in labour?

22And if you say in your heart,

‘Why have these things happened to me?’

It is for your great iniquity

That the train of your skirt is uncovered,

And your heels are violated.

23Can an Ethiopian change his skin,

Or a leopard his spots?

If so then you too can do good,

You who are accustomed to doing evil.

24And I will scatter them

Like chaff passing by in a wind from the desert.

25This is your lot,

A portion from me to be meted out to you,

Says the Lord,

Because you have forgotten me,

And you have trusted in a lie.

26So I for my part

Will uncover the train of your skirt

Up to your face

So that your shame is seen.

27I have seen your adulteries and your neighings,

And the depravity of your prostitution on hills in the countryside

– Your abominations.

Woe to you, Jerusalem!

Will you not become clean?

After how long, still?”

Jeremiah Chapter 14 

1This is the word of the Lord which came to Jeremiah concerning the droughts:

2“Judah is mourning,

And her gates are languishing

And lamenting for the land,

While Jerusalem's cry has gone up.

3And their nobles have sent their young children for water,

And they came to the cisterns,

But they did not find any water.

They returned with their vessels empty;

They were put to shame

And were made ignominious,

And they covered their heads.

4For the land is cracked,

For there has been no rain in the land.

The farmers have been put to shame;

They have covered their heads.

5For even the hind in the field has given birth

And abandoned the fawn,

For there was no grass.

6And wild donkeys stand on the heights

And draw breath like jackals.

Their eyes are wasted

Because there is no herbaceous vegetation.”

7Although our iniquities testify against us,

O Lord,

Act for the sake of your name,

For our apostasies are many;

We have sinned against you.

8O hope of Israel,

His saviour in a time of distress,

Why are you like a foreigner in the land,

And like a wayfarer who turns in

To lodge for the night?

9Why should you be like a startled man?

– Like a warrior unable to save?

But you are in our midst, O Lord,

And we are called after your name.

Do not abandon us!

10This is what the Lord says to this people:

“This is how they have loved to wander about:

They have not restrained their feet,

And the Lord has not had delight in them.

Now he will remember their iniquity

And visit their sins.”

11And the Lord said to me, “Do not pray for this people favourably. 12When they fast, I will not hear their cry, and when they offer a burnt offering and a meal-offering, I will not delight in them, for I will make an end of them with the sword and by famine, and by pestilence.” 13Then I said, “Alas, my Lord the Lord, what is happening is that the prophets are saying to them, ‘You will not see the sword, and you will not have a famine, for I will give you true peace in this place.’ ” 14Then the Lord said to me, “The prophets are prophesying lies in my name. I did not send them, and I did not command them, and I did not speak to them. They are prophesying to you a false vision and divination – the vanity and deceit of their heart – 15which is why this is what the Lord says to the prophets who prophesy in my name when I did not send them, and who say, ‘There will be no sword or famine in this land’ – those prophets will come to an end by the sword and famine. 16And the people to whom they prophesy will be consigned to the outlying areas of Jerusalem on account of the famine and the sword. And there will be no-one to bury them – them, their wives, or their sons or their daughters. And I will pour their own evil on them. 17And you will say these words to them:

‘My eyes will run with tears night and day,

And they will not cease,

For the virgin daughter of my people

Has been broken up by a great disaster

– A very debilitating blow.

18If I go out into the field,

What I see is casualties of the sword,

And if I go into the city,

What I see is people suffering from famine,

For both prophet and priest travel around in a country

Which they do not care for.’ ”

19Have you really rejected Judah?

Or has your inner self loathed Zion?

Why have you struck us

To the extent that we are beyond healing?

We hoped for peace

But there is nothing good,

And for a time of healing,

But what came was terror.

20We know, O Lord,

Our wickedness and the iniquity of our fathers,

For we have sinned against you.

21Do not despise us,

For the sake of your name.

Do not disdain your glorious throne.

Remember, and do not break

Your covenant with us.

22Are there any among the idols of the Gentiles

Who cause rain?

Or do the heavens produce showers?

Is it not you who do,

O Lord our God?

And we put hope in you,

Because it is you

Who have made all these things.

Jeremiah Chapter 15 

1And the Lord said to me, “Even if Moses and Samuel were to stand before me, my inclination would not be towards this people. Send them away from me and let them depart. 2And it will come to pass, if they say to you, ‘Where are we to depart to?’ that you will say to them, ‘This is what the Lord says:

«He who is destined for death,

To death;

And he who is destined for the sword,

To the sword;

And he who is destined for famine,

To famine;

And he who is destined for captivity,

To captivity.» ’

3And I will visit them in four ways, says the Lord, with the sword to kill, and with dogs to drag them away, and with birds of the sky and with wild animals to devour and ravage. 4And I will make them a target of terror to all the kingdoms of the world, on account of Manasseh the son of Hezekiah, the king of Judah, for what he did in Jerusalem.

5For who will have compassion on you, Jerusalem,

And who will console you,

And who will turn aside

To ask how you are?

6You have forsaken me,

Says the Lord,

You are going backwards,

And I will stretch my hand out over you,

And I will ravage you.

I am weary of showing compassion.

7And I will winnow them with a winnowing fan.

At the gates of the land,

I will bereave them of children;

I will cause my people to perish.

They have not turned back from their ways.

8Their widows are more numerous,

Let me tell you,

Than the sand of the seas.

I have brought to them

– Against the mother of a young man –

A plunderer at noon.

I have made fear and terrors descend on her suddenly.

9One who has given birth to seven is languishing;

She has breathed her last.

Her sun has set

While it is still day.

She has been put to shame

And has been put to the blush.

And I will deliver the rest of them to the sword before their enemies,

Says the Lord.”

10Woe is me, my mother,

Because you gave birth to me,

A man of contention and a man of dispute with the whole of the land.

I have not lent at interest,

Nor have others lent at interest to me.

Yet they all curse me.

11The Lord said,

“I will certainly set you free

For what is right;

I will certainly make the enemy plead with you

In a time of trouble

And in a time of distress.

12Does iron break iron,

From the north?

Or copper?

13I will make your wealth and your treasures spoil without a price,

And this for all your sins

And in all your territories.

14And I will cause your enemies to pass through a land

Which you are not acquainted with,

For a fire has been kindled in my anger;

It will burn against you.”

15You know, O Lord;

Remember me and visit me and avenge me

Of those who pursue me.

Do not take me in persistence of your anger;

Be aware that I have borne reproach for your sake.

16Your words were found,

And I absorbed them,

And your word was a joy to me

And gladness to my heart,

For I am called after your name,

O Lord God of hosts.

17I have not sat in the company of the merry-makers and exulted.

I have sat alone because of your hand,

For you have filled me with indignation.

18Why is my pain perpetual

And my wound incurable?

It refuses to heal.

Will it really be a delusion of mine

Like untrustworthy waters?

19That is why this is what the Lord says:

“If you return,

I will restore you,

And you will stand before me.

And if you utter honoured words

Rather than base ones,

You will be like my mouth

– They will return to you.

But do not you go back on them.

20And I will make you a reinforced wall of copper to this people,

And when men fight against you,

They will not prevail over you,

For I am with you to save you

And to deliver you,

Says the Lord.

21And I will deliver you from the hand of the wicked,

And I will redeem you from the grip of the violent.”

Jeremiah Chapter 16 

1And the word of the Lord came to me and said, 2“You shall not take a wife, and you will not have sons or daughters in this place. 3For this is what the Lord says concerning the sons and concerning the daughters who are born in this place, and concerning their mothers who bore them, and concerning their fathers who begot them in this land: 4‘They will die disease-ridden deaths. They will not be mourned for, and they will not be buried. They will be dung on the surface of the ground, and they will be consumed by the sword and by famine, and their corpses will be food for the birds of the sky and for the animals of the land.’ 5For this is what the Lord says: ‘Do not go to the house of wailing, and do not go to lament, and do not bemoan them, for I have taken my peace away from this people – says the Lordboth kindness and mercy. 6And great and small in this land will die. They will not be buried and they will not be lamented, and no-one will make incisions on himself or be made bald for them. 7And bread will not be broken for them in mourning to comfort anyone for the dead, and they will not give them a cup of condolence to drink, for one's father or one's mother. 8And you will not go to the banqueting house to sit with them to eat and to drink. 9For this is what the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel says: «I am about to put an end to this place before your eyes and in your days – the sound of joy and the sound of happiness and the sound of the bridegroom and the sound of the bride.» ’ 10And it will come to pass, when you tell this people all these things, that they will say to you, ‘Why did the Lord pronounce all this great trouble over us, and what is our iniquity, and what is our sin by which we have sinned against the Lord our God?’ 11And you will say to them, ‘Because your fathers forsook me, says the Lord, and they walked after other gods and served them and worshipped them, and they forsook me, and they did not keep my law. 12But you have acted worse than your fathers, and here you are each walking after the obstinacy of his evil heart, so as not to listen to me. 13So I will cast you out of this land, to a land which you have not known – neither you nor your fathers. And there you will serve other gods day and night, for I will not show you grace. 14Therefore behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, when it will no longer be said, «As the Lord lives, who brought the sons of Israel up out of the land of Egypt», 15but rather, «As the Lord lives, who brought the sons of Israel up from the land of the north, and from all the lands into which he had driven them.» For I will bring them back to their land which I gave to their fathers. 16I am about to send many fishermen, says the Lord, and they will fish them, and after that I will send many hunters, and they will hunt them from every mountain, and from every hill, and from the clefts in the rocks. 17For my eyes are on all their ways – they are not hidden from me, and their iniquity is not concealed from my eyes. 18And I will first requite their iniquity and their sin double for their defiling of my land with the corpses of their abominations and their abhorrences which have filled my inheritance.’ ”

19The Lord is my strength and my stronghold,

And my refuge on a day of distress.

To you the Gentiles will come from the ends of the earth,

And they will say,

“Our fathers inherited nothing but lies

– Vanity –

And there was nothing profitable in them.”

20“Will a man make himself some gods?

But they are not gods.

21That is why I am about to reveal something to them.

This time, I will reveal to them

My hand and my might,

And they will know

That my name is the Lord.

Reference(s) in Chapter 16: v.9 ↔ Revelation 18:23.

Jeremiah Chapter 17 

1Judah's sin has been written with an iron stylus,

With a diamond point,

Engraved on the tablet of their heart,

And on the horns of your altars,

2While their sons remember their own altars,

And their phallic parks,

With luxuriant trees on the high hills.

3O mountain of mine in the countryside,

I will make your riches

– All your treasures –

Spoil.

Your idolatrous raised sites are in sin in all your territories.

4And you

– And this because of you –

Will be removed from your inheritance

Which I have given you,

And I will make you serve your enemies

In a land which you have not known,

For you have kindled a fire in my anger,

Which will burn age-abidingly.”

5This is what the Lord says:

“Cursed is the man who trusts in man,

Who makes flesh his strong arm,

And whose heart departs from the Lord.

6And he will be most destitute

In an arid tract,

And he will not see it when prosperity comes,

And he will live in parched places in the desert,

In a salty land,

And not inhabited.

7Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord,

Whose reliance is the Lord.

8And he will be like a tree planted by water,

Which sends its roots into a river,

Which will not fear when heat comes,

Whose foliage will be luxuriant,

Which will not be concerned in a year of drought,

And which will not fail to produce fruit.

9The heart is more deceitful than anything,

And it is incurable

– Who can discern it?

10I, the Lord, search the heart

And examine the kidneys,

So as to give to a man according to his way,

And according to the fruit of his works.

11Like a partridge brooding over what it has not begotten,

So is he who gains wealth but not legitimately.

At half of his days it leaves him,

And in his later life he becomes a fool.”

12The place of our sanctuary is a glorious throne;

It has been an exalted place from the beginning.

13The hope of Israel is the Lord;

All who desert you will be put to shame.

And those who depart from me

Will be written on the ground,

Because they have deserted the source of living water

– The Lord.”

14Heal me, O Lord,

So that I am healed.

Save me

So that I am saved,

For you are my focus of praise.

15See how they say to me,

“Where is the word of the Lord?

Let it come, then.”

16But I have not hastened away

From being a shepherd in following you,

Nor have I longed for the sorrowful day.

You know the utterance of my lips

Which was in your presence.

17Do not be a terror to me;

You are my refuge on the evil day.

18Let those who pursue me be put to shame,

But do not let me be put to shame.

Let them fear,

But do not let me fear.

Bring on them the evil day,

And break them in pieces,

With double breaking force.

19This is what the Lord said to me, “Go and stand at the gate of the sons of the people, by which the kings of Judah enter, and by which they exit, and at all the gates of Jerusalem. 20And you will say to them, ‘Hear the word of the Lord, you kings of Judah, and all Judah, and all you inhabitants of Jerusalem who enter by these gates. 21This is what the Lord says: «Watch out for your lives, and do not carry a burden on the Sabbath day, nor bring anything through the gates of Jerusalem. 22And you shall not take a burden out of your houses on the Sabbath day, and you shall not do any work, and you shall sanctify the Sabbath day, as I commanded your fathers.» ’ ” 23But they did not hear, and they did not incline their ears, but they stiffened their necks so as not to hear, and so as not to accept discipline. 24“But if you will make a point of heeding me, says the Lord, by not bringing a burden in through the gates of this city on the Sabbath day, and by sanctifying the Sabbath day, by not doing any work on it, 25then there will enter by the gates of this city kings and princes sitting on the throne of David, riding in chariots, and on horses – they and their princes, men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem – and this city will be inhabited age-abidingly. 26And they will come from the cities of Judah and from the neighbouring areas of Jerusalem, and from the land of Benjamin and from the lowland, and from the mountains, and from the south, bringing a burnt offering and a sacrifice, and a meal-offering, and frankincense, and bringing a thank-offering to the house of the Lord. 27But if you will not heed me concerning sanctifying the Sabbath day, and not carrying a burden, or coming in through the gates of Jerusalem laden on the Sabbath day, then I will kindle a fire at its gates, and it will consume the palaces of Jerusalem, and it will not be extinguished.”

Reference(s) in Chapter 17: v.9 ↔ James 4:5 ● v.10 ↔ Romans 2:6, Romans 8:27, Revelation 2:23, Revelation 18:6, Revelation 20:12, Revelation 20:13, Revelation 22:12.

Jeremiah Chapter 18 

1The word which came to Jeremiah from the Lord and said, 2“Get up and go down to the potter's house, and I will inform you of my words there.” 3So I went down to the potter's house, and there he was, making artisanry at the turntable. 4But the article which he was making from clay became spoiled in the hand of the potter, and he started again, and he made it into another article, as was the right thing to do in the eyes of the potter. 5Then the word of the Lord came to me and said, 6“Am I not able to do with you as this potter has done, O house of Israel? says the Lord. Look, as the clay is in the hand of the potter, so you are in my hand, O house of Israel. 7Now for one moment I will speak about a nation and about a kingdom, about plucking up and tearing down and destroying. 8But if that nation turns away from its evil which I have spoken about concerning it, then I will repent of the evil which I had intended to do to it. 9And for another moment I will speak about a nation and about a kingdom, about building and planting. 10But if it does evil in my eyes, by not heeding my voice, then I will repent of the good which I had said that I would do to it. 11So now, kindly speak to the men of Judah and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and say, ‘This is what the Lord says: «I am about to craft evil on you, and to devise a design against you. Do turn away – each from his own evil way – and make your ways and your deeds good.» ’ ” 12But they said, “It is desperate, for we will walk after our own thoughts, and we will each act according to the obstinacy of his evil heart.” 13That is why this is what the Lord says:

“Just ask among the nations

Who has heard such things.

The virgin of Israel has done

A very horrible thing.

14Does the snow of Lebanon

Desert the rock in the plain?

Or will the flowing foreign cold water

Be withdrawn?

15But my people have forgotten me;

They burn incense in vain.

And they have caused themselves to stumble in their ways.

They have forsaken the age-old paths

By walking in the tracks of a road not raised up,

16So making their land a desolation

– An age-long object of jeering.

Everyone who passes over it is astonished

And shakes his head.

17Like an east wind,

I will scatter them before the enemy.

I will show them the back of the neck

And not the face

On the day of their downfall.”

18Then they said, “Come and let us devise designs against Jeremiah, for a pronouncement from a priest will not fail, nor counsel from a wise man, nor a word from a prophet. Come, and let us strike him with the tongue, and let us not heed any of his words.”

19O Lord, heed me,

And hear the voice

Of those who take issue with me.

20Will evil be recompensed for good?

For they have dug a lethal pit for me.

Remember me standing before you

To speak a good thing concerning them,

To turn your fury away from them.

21Therefore deliver their sons to famine,

And give them over to the blade of the sword,

And let their wives be bereaved of children

And be widows,

And let their men be put to death,

And let their young men be struck by the sword in battle.

22Let their shout be heard from their houses

When you suddenly bring a troop on them,

For they have dug a pit to trap me,

And they have hidden snares for my feet.

23But you, O Lord,

Know all their deadly plans against me.

Do not pardon their iniquity,

And do not blot out their sin from your presence,

And let them be made to stumble before you.

At the time of your anger,

Deal with them.

Jeremiah Chapter 19 

1This is what the Lord says: “Go and get a potter's earthenware pitcher, and some of the elders of the people, and some of the elders of the priests, 2and go out to the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, which is at the entrance of the Pottery Gate, and proclaim there the words which I will speak to you. 3And you will say, ‘Hear the word of the Lord, you kings of Judah, and you inhabitants of Jerusalem. This is what the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, says: «I am about to bring trouble to this place, and the ears of everyone who hears it will tingle. 4For they have forsaken me and alienated this place, and they have burned incense in it to other gods whom they did not know, neither they, nor their fathers, nor the kings of Judah, and they have filled this place with the blood of the innocent. 5And they have built the idolatrous raised sites of Baal, to burn their sons in fire as burnt offerings to Baal, which I did not command and I did not speak of, and which did not arise in my heart. 6Therefore be aware that the days are coming, says the Lord, when this place will no longer be called Topheth, and the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, but the Valley of Killing. 7And I will deprive Judah and Jerusalem of counsel in this place, and I will cause them to fall by the sword before their enemies, and by the hand of those who seek their lives, and I will make their corpses food for the birds of the sky and the animals of the land. 8And I will make this city a desolation and an object of jeering; everyone who passes over it will be astonished and will hiss at all its wrecked places. 9And I will feed them with the flesh of their sons and with the flesh of their daughters, and a man will eat the flesh of his neighbour, in a siege and in distress with which their enemies and those who seek their lives will oppress them.» ’ 10And you will break the pitcher in the sight of the men who are walking with you. 11And you will say to them, ‘This is what the Lord of hosts says: «Likewise, I will break this people and this city, as a man breaks a potter's article which cannot be mended again, and they will bury people in Topheth for lack of room to bury them elsewhere. 12That is what I will do to this place, says the Lord, and to its inhabitants, to make this city like Topheth. 13And the houses of Jerusalem and the houses of the kings of Judah will be unclean, like the place of Topheth, because of all the households which burned incense on their roofs to the whole array of the heavens, and which poured libations to other gods.» ’ ” 14Then Jeremiah came back from Topheth where the Lord had sent him to prophesy, and he stood in the courtyard of the house of the Lord and said to all the people, 15“This is what the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, says: ‘I am about to bring to this city and on all the land's cities all the evil which I spoke against it, for they have stiffened their necks, so as not to hear my words.’ ”

Jeremiah Chapter 20 

1And Pashhur the son of Immer the priest, who was a leading superintendent in the house of the Lord, heard Jeremiah prophesying these things. 2And Pashhur struck Jeremiah the prophet and put him in the prison which is at the Upper Gate of Benjamin, which is at the house of the Lord. 3And it came to pass on the next day that Pashhur brought Jeremiah out of the prison, and Jeremiah said to him, “The Lord does not call you Pashhur, but Magor-Missabib. 4For this is what the Lord says: ‘I am about to deliver you to fear – you and all your friends – and they will fall by the sword of their enemies, and your eyes will see it. And I will deliver the whole of Judah into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he will deport them to Babylon and strike them with the sword. 5And I will deliver all the wealth of this city, and all its hard-earned substance, and all its precious articles, and I will deliver all the treasures of the kings of Judah, into the hand of their enemies, and they will plunder them, and they will take them and bring them to Babylon. 6And you, Pashhur, and all who live in your house, will go into captivity, and you will go to Babylon, and it is there that you will die, and it is there that you will be buried – you and all your friends to whom you prophesied falsely.’ ”

7O Lord, you have induced me into this,

And I have been induced into it.

You are stronger than I,

And you have prevailed.

I have become a laughing stock

All day long.

Everyone mocks me.

8For whenever I speak, I shout.

I cry out,

“Violence and oppression!”

For the word of the Lord

Was reproach and derision for me

All day long.

9And I said,

“I will not mention him,

And I will not speak in his name any more.”

But it was in my heart like burning fire,

Shut up in my bones,

And I became weary enduring it,

And I was not able to do so.

10For I have heard the slander of many;

There is fear all round.

“Report it, and we will report him”, they say.

Every man I have been well-disposed towards,

Who would stand by me,

Says, “Perhaps he will be enticed,

And we will get the better of him,

And take our revenge on him.”

11But the Lord is with me as a mighty warrior,

Which is why those who pursue me will stumble

And will not prevail.

They will be very ashamed,

Because they have not acted prudently.

They will have age-abiding ignominy

Which will not be forgotten.

12But the Lord of hosts tests the righteous

And sees the kidneys and the heart.

I will see your vengeance on them,

For I have disclosed my contention to you.

13Sing to the Lord;

Praise the Lord,

For he has delivered the livelihood of the poor

From the grip of evildoers.

14Cursed be the day on which I was born

– The day when my mother bore me.

Let it not be blessed.

15Cursed be the man who brought the news to my father

And said, “A son, a male, has been born to you”,

Making him rejoice greatly.

16And let that man be like the cities which the Lord has overturned

And did not show compassion on,

And let him hear an outcry in the morning

And shouting at noon time,

17Because he did not kill me in the womb,

So that my mother would be my grave,

And her womb would be age-abidingly pregnant.

18Why is it that I came out of the womb

To see toil and sorrow,

And that my days should end in shame?

Reference(s) in Chapter 20: v.12 ↔ Romans 8:27, Revelation 2:23.

Jeremiah Chapter 21 

1The word which came to Jeremiah from the Lord when King Zedekiah sent him Pashhur the son of Malchijah and Zephaniah the son of Maaseiah the priest and said, 2“Inquire of the Lord concerning us, for Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon is fighting against us. It may be that the Lord will deal with us according to all his wonders, and he will raise the siege from us.” 3But Jeremiah said to them, “This is what you will say to Zedekiah: 4‘This is what the Lord God of Israel says: «I am about to overturn the weapons of war which are in your hand, with which you are fighting the king of Babylon and the Chaldeans who are besieging you outside the wall, and I will gather them into this city. 5And I myself will fight you with an outstretched hand and with a strong arm, and with anger, and with fury, and with great wrath. 6And I will strike the inhabitants of this city, both man and beast. They will die in a great plague. 7And after that, says the Lord, I will deliver Zedekiah king of Judah and his servants, and the people, and those remaining in this city after the plague, after the sword, and after the famine, into the hand of Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon, into the hand of their enemies and into the hand of those seeking their life, and he will strike them with the edge of the sword. He will not spare them, and he will not pity, and he will not show compassion.» ’ 8And you will say to this people, ‘This is what the Lord says: «I am about to place before you the way of life and the way of death. 9He who remains in this city will die by the sword and by famine and by the plague, but he who goes out and falls into the hands of the Chaldeans who are besieging you will live, and his life will be his spoil. 10For I have set my face against this city with a view to its detriment and not to its benefit, says the Lord. It will be delivered into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he will burn it with fire.» ’ 11And as for the house of the king of Judah, hear the word of the Lord. 12‘O house of David, this is what the Lord says:

«Administer justice in the morning,

And deliver him who has been plundered from the oppressor,

So that my fury does not go forth like fire

And burn with no-one to extinguish it,

Because of the evil of their deeds.

13I am here against you,

You who inhabit the valley

And the rock of the plain,

Says the Lord

Against you who say,

‹Who can descend on us,

And who will come to our dwelling places?›

14But I will visit you according to the fruit of your deeds,

Says the Lord,

And I will light a fire in her forest,

And it will consume all her surrounding area.» ’ ”

Jeremiah Chapter 22 

1This is what the Lord says: “Go down to the house of the king of Judah, and speak these words there, 2and say, ‘Hear the word of the Lord, O king of Judah, you who sit on the throne of David, you and your servants and your people who come through these gates. 3This is what the Lord says: «Administer justice and righteousness, and deliver him who has been plundered from the hand of the oppressor, and do not drive out or do violence to the foreigner, orphan, or widow. And do not shed innocent blood in this place. 4For if you diligently do this thing, then kings will enter through the gates of this house, sitting on the throne of David, riding in chariots and on horses, each and his servants, and his people. 5But if you do not heed these things, I have sworn by myself, says the Lord, that this house will become a ruin.» 6For this is what the Lord says to the house of the king of Judah:

«You are Gilead to me

– The summit of Lebanon –

But I will certainly make you a desert

– Cities which are not inhabited.

7And I will consecrate destroyers against you

– Each one and his weapons –

And they will cut your choice cedars down

And consign them to the fire.

8Many nations will pass by this city, and they will say to one another, ‹Why has the Lord done this to this great city?› 9And they will say, ‹Because they forsook the covenant of the Lord their God, and they worshipped other gods and served them.›

10Do not weep for him who is dead,

And do not bemoan him;

Weep profusely rather

For him who goes away,

For he will not return again

Or see his native land.»

11For this is what the Lord says to Shallum the son of Josiah, the king of Judah, who was reigning in place of Josiah his father, who went out of this place: «He will not return there any more. 12For the place to which they deport him is where he will die, and he will no longer see this country.

13Woe to him who builds his house on an unrighteous basis,

And his upper rooms in an unjust way,

With his neighbour working for nothing,

And not giving him his wages,

14Who says,

‹I will build myself a vast house,

And spacious upper rooms.›

And he cuts himself out windows,

And it is panelled with cedar,

And it is painted with red ochre.

15Will you reign

Because you are zealous about cedar?

Did your father not eat and drink

And administer justice and righteousness,

And then things went well with him?

16He defended the interest of the poor and the needy,

Then it went well with him.

Is this not knowing me?

Says the Lord.

17For your eyes and your heart

Are set on nothing but personal profit

And on shedding the blood of the innocent

And on oppression and on inflicting ill-treatment.»

18That is why this is what the Lord says concerning Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, the king of Judah:

«They shall not mourn for him, saying,

‹Alas, my brother›,

And, ‹Alas, sister.›

They shall not mourn for him saying,

‹Alas, lord›,

Or, ‹Alas for his illustriousness.›

19He will be buried with the burial of a donkey,

Which they drag and cast down

Beyond the gates of Jerusalem.

20Go up to Lebanon and cry out,

And raise your voice in Bashan,

And cry out from Abarim,

For all your lovers have been routed.

21I spoke to you in your time at ease,

But you said, ‹I will not hear.›

This has been your way since your youth,

For you have not heeded my voice.

22The wind will consume all your shepherds,

And your lovers will go into captivity,

For then you will be put to shame,

And you will suffer ignominy

Because of all your wickedness.

23You who live in Lebanon,

Who have had your nest built in the cedars,

How pitiable you are

When the pangs come upon you

– The throes as of a woman giving birth.

24As I live, says the Lord, even if Coniah the son of Jehoiakim, the king of Judah, were a signet on my right hand, I would still pluck you off it. 25And I will deliver you into the hand of those who seek your life, and into the hand of those whose presence you fear, and into the hand of Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon, and into the hand of the Chaldeans. 26And I will cast you out, and your mother who gave birth to you, to another land where you were not born, and you will die there. 27And to a land where they will set their heart on returning, but they will not return to it.

28Is this man Coniah not a despicable smashed piece of earthenware?

Or a vessel which has nothing attractive about it?

Why have he and his seed been cast out

And ejected into a land

Which they have not known?»

29O earth, earth, earth,

Hear the word of the Lord.

30This is what the Lord says:

«Record this man as childless

– A man who will not prosper in his days –

For none of his seed will prosper,

Neither as a man sitting on the throne of David,

Nor a ruler in Judah any more.» ’ ”

Jeremiah Chapter 23 

1“Woe to the shepherds who are destroying and scattering the sheep of my flock, says the Lord.” 2That is why this is what the Lord God of Israel says against the shepherds who shepherd my people: “You have scattered my sheep and driven them out, and you have not taken care of them. I am about to appoint over you the evil of your deeds, says the Lord. 3And I will gather the remainder of my sheep from all the countries into which I have driven them, and I will bring them back to their pasture, and they will be fruitful and multiply. 4And I will set up shepherds over them, and they will shepherd them. And they will no longer fear, and they will not be afraid, and they will not be missing, says the Lord.

5Behold, the days are coming,

Says the Lord,

When I will raise a righteous branch to David,

And he will reign as king,

And he will act wisely

And administer justice and righteousness in the land.

6In 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.

7Therefore behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, when they will no longer say, ‘As the Lord lives, who brought the sons of Israel up out of the land of Egypt’, 8but rather, ‘As the Lord lives, who brought up and who brought in the seed of the house of Israel from the land of the north, and from all the lands into which I had driven them, and they will dwell on their own land.’ ”

9As for the prophets, my heart inside me is broken;

All my bones tremble.

I am like a drunkard

And like a man whom wine has overcome,

Because of the Lord

And because of his holy words.

10For the land is full of adulterers,

For on account of a curse,

The land is mourning.

The places of pasturage in the desert have dried up.

And their oppression is evil,

And their boldness is out of place.

11“For both prophet and priest have become profaned.

Even in my house I have found their evil,

Says the Lord,

12Which is why their way will be like slippery places for them in pitch dark.

They will be pushed down

And will fall in it.

For I will bring trouble on them

– The year of their visitation –

Says the Lord.

13And among the prophets of Samaria,

I have seen superstition.

They have prophesied by Baal;

They have misled my people Israel.

14And among the prophets of Jerusalem,

I have seen a horrible thing.

They commit adultery and walk in falsehood,

And they strengthen the hands of those who do wrong,

So that no-one turns away from his evil.

They are all like Sodom,

And its inhabitants are like Gomorrah to me.

15That is why this is what the Lord of hosts says against the prophets:

‘I am about to feed them with wormwood

And to give them hemlock water to drink,

For profanity from the prophets of Jerusalem

Has pervaded the whole of the land.’ ”

16This is what the Lord of hosts says:

“Do not listen to the words of the prophets who prophesy to you.

They are causing you to act vainly;

They speak the vision of their own heart,

Not from the mouth of the Lord.

17They gravely say to those who despise me,

‘The Lord has said,

«You will have peace.» ’

And to everyone who walks in the obstinacy of his heart, they say,

‘No harm will come over you.’ ”

18For who has stood in consultation with the Lord

And seen and heard his word?

Who has listened to his word

And heard it?

19Behold the Lord's storm.

Fury has gone out,

And a storm is breaking out;

It will rage on the head of the wicked.

20The Lord's anger will not relent

Until he has carried out and until he has set up

The purposes of his heart.

In the last days

You will consider it assiduously.

21“I did not send these prophets,

But they ran.

I did not speak to them,

But they prophesied.

22But if they had stood in consultation with me,

Then they would have proclaimed my words to my people

And turned them away from their evil way

And from the wickedness of their deeds.

23Am I a God who is nearby,

Says the Lord,

And not a God who is far away?

24If a man hides in secret places,

Will I not see him?

Says the Lord.

Do I not fill the heavens

And the earth?

Says the Lord.”

25“I have heard what the prophets have said, who prophesied falsely in my name and said, ‘I have had a dream, I have had a dream.’ 26How long will this be in the heart of the prophets who prophesy falsely, and of the prophets of the deceit of their heart? 27– who think to cause my people to forget my name, by their dreams which each relates to his neighbour, just as their fathers forgot my name in favour of Baal.

28Let the prophet who has a dream

Relate the dream,

And let him who has my word

Relate my word faithfully.

What has straw

Got to do with the grain?

Says the Lord.

29Is my word not therefore like fire?

Says the Lord,

And like a hammer

Which can shatter rock?

30That is why I am quite against the prophets, says the Lord, who steal my words, each one from his neighbour. 31I am quite against the prophets, says the Lord, who wrest their tongue and declare, ‘He says.’ 32I am quite against those who prophesy false dreams, says the Lord, and who relate them and mislead my people with their lies and their pretension, when I did not send them and did not command them, and they have not benefited this people at all, says the Lord. 33And if this people, or the prophet, or a priest, should ask you, ‘What is the oracle of the Lord’, then you will say to them, ‘What oracle? That I will forsake you’, says the Lord.” 34“And as for the prophet and the priest and the people who say, ‘The oracle of the Lord’, I will visit that man and his household. 35This is what you will be saying one to another, and a man to his brother: ‘What has the Lord answered?’ and, ‘What has the Lord said?’ 36And you will no longer call the oracle of the Lord to mind, for the oracle will be each man's own word, for you have overturned the words of the living God – the Lord of hosts our God. 37This is what you will say to the prophet: ‘What has the Lord answered you?’, and, ‘What has the Lord said?’ 38And if you folk say, ‘The oracle of the Lord’, then this is what the Lord will say: ‘Because of you saying these words: «The oracle of the Lord», when I had word sent to you and had said, «You shall not say, ‹The oracle of the Lord› », 39because of that, look, I will utterly forget you, and I will forsake you and the city which I gave you and your fathers, leaving you out of my presence. 40And I will set over you an age-abiding reproach, and age-abiding ignominy, which will not be forgotten.’ ”

Reference(s) in Chapter 23: v.5 ↔ John 7:42.

Jeremiah Chapter 24 

1The Lord showed me a vision, and there were two baskets of figs placed before the temple of the Lord after Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon had deported Jeconiah the son of Jehoiakim, the king of Judah, and the officers of Judah, and the craftsmen, and the blacksmiths, from Jerusalem, and he had brought them to Babylon. 2One basket was of very good figs, like early figs, but the other basket was of very bad figs, which could not be eaten because of their putridity. 3And the Lord said to me, “What do you see, Jeremiah?” And I said, “Figs. The good figs are very good, and the bad ones are very bad, and they cannot be eaten because of their putridity.” 4And the word of the Lord came to me and said, 5“This is what the Lord God of Israel says: ‘As these good figs are, so I will take ownership of the deportation of Judah, whom I will have sent out from this place to the land of the Chaldeans, for their own good. 6And I will direct my eye to them for their own good, and I will bring them back to this land, and I will build them up, and not break them down, and I will plant them and not pluck them up. 7And I will give them a heart to know me, for I am the Lord, and they will be a people to me, and I will be God to them, when they return to me with all their heart. 8And as the bad figs are, which could not be eaten because of their putridity, contrariwise this is what the Lord says: «So I will hand over Zedekiah king of Judah and his officers and the remainder of Jerusalem, and those who remain in this land, and those who are living in the land of Egypt, 9and I will make them a target of terror to their detriment, in all the kingdoms of the earth, as a reproach and a byword, and an object of taunting and of cursing, in all the places to which I will drive them. 10And I will send against them the sword, famine, and a plague, until they are consumed off the land which I gave to them and to their fathers.» ’ ”

Jeremiah Chapter 25 

1The word which came to Jeremiah concerning the whole people of Judah in the fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, the king of Judah – that is the first year of Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon – 2which Jeremiah the prophet spoke to all the people of Judah, and to all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, when he said, 3“From the thirteenth year of Josiah the son of Amon, the king of Judah, up to this day, this twenty-third year, the word of the Lord has been coming to me, and I have spoken to you, rising early to speak, but you have not listened. 4And the Lord sent all his servants the prophets to you, rising early and sending them, but you did not listen, and you did not incline your ears to hear, 5while they said, ‘Do turn back, each one from his evil way, and from the evil of your deeds, and live on the land which the Lord gave to you and to your fathers, from age to age. 6And do not walk after other gods, to serve them and to worship them, and do not provoke me to anger with the work of your hands, so that I do not bring trouble on you. 7You did not listen to me, says the Lord, so provoking me to anger with the work of your hands, to your detriment.’ ” 8Therefore this is what the Lord of hosts says: “Since you did not heed my words, 9I am about to send orders and take all the families of the north, says the Lord, and to send orders to Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon, my servant, and I will bring them against this land and against its inhabitants, and against all these peoples round about. And I will destroy them and make them a desolation and an object of jeering and age-abiding wastelands. 10And I will remove from them the sound of joy and the sound of happiness, and the sound of a bridegroom and the sound of a bride, and the sound of millstones and the light of a lamp. 11And the whole of this land will be a ruin and a devastation, and those nations will serve the king of Babylon for seventy years. 12And it will come to pass, when seventy years have been fulfilled, that I will visit the king of Babylon and that nation, says the Lord, for their iniquity, and the land of the Chaldeans, and I will make it age-abiding desolations. 13And I will bring on that land all my words which I spoke against it – everything written in this book which Jeremiah prophesied against all the nations. 14For also many nations and great kings will themselves impose servitude on them, and I will requite them according to their deeds and according to the work of their hands.” 15For this is what the Lord God of Israel says to me: “Take this wine cup of fury from my hand and give it to drink to all the nations to which I send you. 16And they will drink it and reel from it, and they will be driven mad because of the sword which I am about to send among them.” 17Then I took the cup from the hand of the Lord, and I made all the nations to which the Lord had sent me drink it – 18Jerusalem and the cities of Judah, and its kings and its officials, in making them a ruin, a desolation, an object of jeering and a curse, as it is on this day, 19and Pharaoh king of Egypt, and his servants and his officials, and all his people, 20and the whole mixed population, and all the kings of the land of Uz, and all the kings of the land of the Philistines, and Ashkelon, and Gaza and Ekron, and the remainder of Ashdod, 21Edom and Moab and the sons of Ammon, 22and all the kings of Tyre, and all the kings of Sidon, and the kings of the coastland which is facing the sea, 23and Dedan and Tema and Buz, and all who have had their sidelocks cut, 24and all the kings of Arabia, and all the kings of the mixed population who live in the desert, 25and all the kings of Zimri, and all the kings of Elam, and all the kings of Media, 26and all the kings of the north, those near and those far away, one beside another, and all the kingdoms of the earth which are on the face of the land. And the king of Babylon will drink it after them. 27“And you will say to them, ‘This is what the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, says: «Drink and become intoxicated and vomit, and fall and do not get up, because of the sword which I am about to send among you.» ’ 28And it will come to pass, if they refuse to take the cup from your hand, to drink it, that you will say to them, ‘This is what the Lord of hosts says: «You will certainly drink it. 29For in this city in which my name is called, I am about to start bringing harm. And will you by any means be held guiltless? You will not be held guiltless, for I am calling for a sword against all the inhabitants of the land, says the Lord of hosts.» ’ 30And you will prophesy all these words to them, and you will say to them,

‘The Lord will roar from the heights,

And from his holy dwelling place he will vociferate.

He will roar loudly about his fold;

He will utter a shout like those who tread grapes,

To all the inhabitants of the land.

31A tumult is coming

As far as the end of the earth,

For the Lord has a dispute with the nations.

He will contend with all flesh.

As for the wicked,

He will consign them to the sword,

Says the Lord.’ ”

32This is what the Lord of hosts says:

“Behold, trouble is spreading from nation to nation,

And a great storm will be stirred up

From the uttermost parts of the earth,

33And there will be the Lord's fallen on that day,

From one end of the earth

To the other end of the earth.

They will not be lamented,

And they will not be gathered in,

And they will not be buried.

They will become dung on the face of the land.

34Howl, you shepherds, and cry out.

Roll in the dust, you dignitaries of the flock,

For your days of slaughtering have been fulfilled,

As have your migratings of the flock,

And you will fall like a precious article.

35And flight will cease to be available to the shepherds,

As will escape to the dignitaries of the flock.

36There will be the sound of the outcry of the shepherds

And the howling of the dignitaries of the flock,

For the Lord will lay their feeding ground waste.

37And the peaceful pastures will be cut off

On account of the furious anger of the Lord.

38He will abandon them as a young lion does its den,

For their land will become a desolation,

Because of the fury of the oppressor,

And because of his furious anger.”

Reference(s) in Chapter 25: v.10 ↔ Revelation 18:22 ● v.15 ↔ Revelation 16:19.

Jeremiah Chapter 26 

1At the start of the reign of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, the king of Judah, this word came from the Lord as follows: 2“This is what the Lord says: ‘Stand in the courtyard of the house of the Lord and speak against all the cities of Judah which come to worship in the house of the Lord, and speak all the words which I have commanded you to speak to them. Do not withhold a word. 3Perhaps they will listen and will turn back, each from his evil way, and I will renounce the evil which I am considering to do to them because of the wickedness of their deeds. 4And you will say to them, «This is what the Lord says: ‹If you do not heed me, that you are to walk in my law which I have set before you, 5to heed the words of my servants the prophets whom I send you, rising early and sending them, but you don't listen, 6then I will make this house like Shiloh, and I will make this city a curse to all the nations of the earth.› » ’ ” 7And the priests and the prophets and all the people heard Jeremiah speaking these words in the house of the Lord. 8And it came to pass, when Jeremiah had finished speaking everything that the Lord had commanded him to speak to all the people, that the priests and the prophets and all the people seized him and said, “You will certainly die. 9Why have you prophesied in the name of the Lord, saying, ‘This house will be like Shiloh, and this city will be brought to ruin without leaving an inhabitant?’ ” And all the people were assembled against Jeremiah in the house of the Lord. 10And when the officials of Judah heard these words, they went up from the king's house to the house of the Lord, and they sat at the entrance of the New Gate of the house of the Lord. 11And the priests and the prophets spoke to the officials and to all the people and said, “We pronounce a death penalty on this man, because he has prophesied against this city, as you have heard with your ears.” 12Then Jeremiah spoke to all the officials and to all the people and said, “The Lord has sent me to prophesy against this house and against this city all these words which you have heard. 13So now, mend your ways and correct your deeds and heed the voice of the Lord your God, and the Lord will renounce the harm which he has spoken against you. 14And as for me, here I am in your hands. Do to me what is right and proper in your eyes. 15But be well aware that if you put me to death, then you will be putting innocent blood on yourselves and on this city and on its inhabitants, because the Lord has truly sent me to you to speak all these words in your hearing.” 16Then the officials and all the people said to the priests and to the prophets, “This man is not deserving of a death penalty, for he has spoken to us in the name of the Lord our God.” 17And men from the elders of the land stood up and spoke to the whole convocation of the people and said, 18“Micah the Morashtite used to prophesy in the days of Hezekiah king of Judah, and he spoke to all the people of Judah and said, ‘This is what the Lord of hosts says:

«Zion will be ploughed like a field,

And Jerusalem will become heaps of stones,

And the mountain of the house

Will become the heights of a forest.» ’

19Did Hezekiah king of Judah and all of Judah go ahead and put him to death? Did he not fear the Lord and entreat the Lord so that the Lord renounced the harm which he had spoken against them? Now we are committing a great evil against ourselves. 20And there was also a man who prophesied in the name of the Lord: Uriah the son of Shemaiah from Kiriath-Jearim, and he prophesied against this city and against this land similarly to all the words of Jeremiah. 21But when King Jehoiakim and all his warriors and all the officials heard his words, the king looked for a way to put him to death. But when Uriah heard about it, he was afraid, and he fled and went to Egypt. 22Then King Jehoiakim sent men to Egypt: Elnathan the son of Achbor, and men with him, to Egypt. 23And they brought Uriah out of Egypt, and they brought him to Jehoiakim the king, who struck him with the sword and cast his corpse into the graves of the ordinary people.” 24And the hand of Ahikam the son of Shaphan was with Jeremiah, so that he was not delivered into the hand of the people for them to put him to death.

Jeremiah Chapter 27 

1At the start of the reign of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, the king of Judah, this word came to Jeremiah from the Lord, as follows 2– this is what the Lord said to me – : “Make yourself fetters and yoke beams, and put them on your neck. 3And send them to the king of Edom, and to the king of Moab, and to the king of the sons of Ammon, and to the king of Tyre, and to the king of Sidon, by the agency of the messengers who come to Jerusalem to Zedekiah king of Judah. 4And command them to say to their masters, ‘This is what the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel says.’ This is what you shall say to your masters: 5‘I made the earth, man, and the fauna which are on the surface of the earth, by my great power and my outstretched arm, and I have given the land to him who is upright in my sight. 6And now I have delivered all these lands into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, my servant, and I have also given the wildlife to him, so as to serve him. 7And all the nations will serve him, and his son, and his grandson, until the time of his own country comes – even his – when many nations will impose servitude on him, including great kings. 8And it will come to pass for any nation or kingdom which will not serve him – Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon – and for anyone who will not put his neck into the king of Babylon's yoke, that I will visit that nation with the sword and with famine and with a plague, says the Lord, until I have annihilated them by his hand. 9So don't you listen to your prophets or to your diviners or to your dreams, or to your fortune-tellers from clouds, or your magicians, who speak to you and say, «You will not serve the king of Babylon.» 10For they prophesy a lie to you, so as to remove you from your land, so that I should drive you out, and you should perish. 11But as for any nation which brings its neck into the king of Babylon's yoke and serves him, I will let it remain on its land, says the Lord, and they will till it and remain on it.’ ” 12And I spoke to Zedekiah king of Judah according to all these words and said, “Bring your necks to the king of Babylon's yoke, and serve him and his people, and live. 13Why should you and your people die by the sword, by famine and by a plague, as the Lord has pronounced against any people which will not serve the king of Babylon? 14And do not listen to the words of the prophets, who speak to you and say, ‘You will not serve the king of Babylon’, for they are prophesying a lie to you. 15‘For I did not send them, says the Lord, and they are prophesying in my name falsely, so that I will drive you out, and you will perish – you and the prophets who are prophesying to you.’ ” 16And I spoke to the priests and to the whole of this people and said, “This is what the Lord says: ‘Do not listen to the words of your prophets who are prophesying to you, saying, «Look, the articles of the house of the Lord will soon be quickly brought back from Babylon», for they are prophesying a lie to you. 17Do not listen to them; serve the king of Babylon and live. Why should this city become a desolation?’ 18And if they are prophets, and if the word of the Lord is with them, let them then entreat the Lord of hosts that the remaining articles in the house of the Lord and in the house of the king of Judah, and in Jerusalem, should not go to Babylon. 19For this is what the Lord of hosts says concerning the columns and concerning the artificial sea and concerning the plinths and concerning the rest of the equipment which remains in this city, 20which Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon did not take when he deported Jeconiah the son of Jehoiakim, the king of Judah, from Jerusalem to Babylon, and all the nobles of Judah and Jerusalem 21– indeed this is what the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, says concerning the equipment which remains in the house of the Lord and in the house of the king of Judah and in Jerusalem – : 22‘They will be brought to Babylon, and there they will be until the day when I visit them, says the Lord, and I bring them up and bring them back to this place.’ ”

Jeremiah Chapter 28 

1And it came to pass in that year, at the start of the reign of Zedekiah king of Judah, in the fourth year, in the fifth month, that Hananiah the son of Azzur, the prophet, who is from Gibeon, spoke to me in the house of the Lord in the sight of the priests and all the people and said, 2“This is what the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, has spoken. He said, ‘I have broken the king of Babylon's yoke. 3In another two years' time I will bring back to this place all the equipment of the house of the Lord which Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon took from this place and took to Babylon. 4And I will bring Jeconiah the son of Jehoiakim, the king of Judah, and all the deportees of Judah who went to Babylon, back to this place, says the Lord, for I will break the king of Babylon's yoke.’ ” 5Then Jeremiah the prophet spoke to Hananiah the prophet in the sight of the priests and in the sight of all the people who were standing in the house of the Lord, 6and Jeremiah the prophet said, “Indeed the Lord will do this – the Lord will fulfil your words which you prophesied – by bringing back the equipment of the house of the Lord and all the deportees from Babylon to this place. 7But do hear this pronouncement which I speak in your hearing and in the hearing of all the people. 8As for the prophets who were before me and before you from ancient times, they prophesied to many countries and against great kingdoms, of war and of trouble and of plagues. 9Regarding any prophet who prophesies peace, when the word of the prophet comes about, then the prophet can be acknowledged, in that the Lord truly sent him.” 10Then Hananiah the prophet took the yoke beam off the neck of Jeremiah the prophet and broke it. 11And Hananiah spoke in the sight of all the people and said, “This is what the Lord says: ‘In this way I will break the yoke of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon off the neck of all nations in another two years' time.’ ” And Jeremiah the prophet went his way. 12Then the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah after Hananiah the prophet had broken the yoke beam off the neck of Jeremiah the prophet, and it said, 13“Go and speak to Hananiah and say, ‘This is what the Lord says: «You have broken yoke beams of wood, but you will make yoke beams of iron instead of them. 14For 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 serve Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and they will serve him, and I have also given him the wild animals.› » ’ ” 15Then Jeremiah the prophet said to Hananiah the prophet, “Listen now, Hananiah. The Lord did not send you, and you have persuaded this people to trust a lie, 16which is why this is what the Lord says: ‘I am about to cast you off the face of the earth. This year you will die, for you have spoken deviously concerning the Lord.’ ” 17And Hananiah the prophet died in that year in the seventh month.

Jeremiah Chapter 29 

1And these are the words of the letter which Jeremiah the prophet sent from Jerusalem to the rest of the elders of the deportees, and to the priests and to the prophets and to all the people whom Nebuchadnezzar had deported from Jerusalem to Babylon, 2after the departure of Jeconiah the king, and the queen consort and the eunuchs, and the officials of Judah and Jerusalem, and the craftsmen and the blacksmiths from Jerusalem, 3sent by the hand of Elasah the son of Shaphan and Gemariah the son of Hilkiah, whom Zedekiah king of Judah sent to Babylon, to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon. And it said, 4“This is what the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, says to all the deportees whom I deported from Jerusalem to Babylon: 5‘Build houses and dwell in them, and plant gardens, and eat their fruit. 6Take wives and beget sons and daughters, and take wives for your sons, and give your daughters to men, and let them bear sons and daughters, and increase there, and do not decrease. 7And strive for the welfare of the city to which I have deported you, and pray for it to the Lord. For in its welfare will be your welfare.’ 8For this is what the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, says: ‘Do not let your prophets who are in your midst or your diviners deceive you, and do not heed your dreams which you have. 9For they prophesy in my name falsely to you. I did not send them, says the Lord.’ 10For this is what the Lord says: ‘It is according to Babylon's fulfilment of seventy years that I will visit you and establish my good word with you, to bring you back to this place. 11For I know the thoughts which I have concerning you, says the Lord, thoughts of welfare and not of trouble, to give you posterity and hope. 12And you will call on me, and you will go and pray to me, and I will hear you, 13and you will look for me and find me, for you will seek me with all your heart. 14And I will be found by you, says the Lord, and I will reverse your captivity, and I will gather you from all the nations and from all the places to which I drove you out, says the Lord, and I will bring you back to the place from which I deported you. 15For you have said, «The Lord has raised up prophets for us in Babylon.» ’ 16For this is what the Lord says to the king who sits on the throne of David, and to all the people who live in this city, your brothers who did not go out with you in the deportation 17– this is what the Lord of hosts says – : ‘I am about to send on them the sword, famine and a plague, and I will make them like blighted figs which cannot be eaten because of their putridity. 18And I will pursue them with the sword and with famine and with a plague, and I will make them a target of terror to all the kingdoms of the earth, a curse and a desolation, and a laughing stock and an object of contempt among all the nations where I drove them out, 19because they did not heed my words, says the Lord, who sent my servants to them – the prophets – rising early and sending them, but you did not heed them, says the Lord. 20So hear the word of the Lord, you people, all you deportees whom I sent from Jerusalem to Babylon. 21This is what the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, says concerning Ahab the son of Kolaiah and concerning Zedekiah the son of Maaseiah, who prophesy falsely to you in my name: «I am about to deliver them into the hand of Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon, and he will strike them down in your sight. 22And a curse formula will be taken from their example by all the deportees of Judah who are in Babylon, when they say, ‹May the Lord make you like Zedekiah and like Ahab, whom the king of Babylon roasted on a fire› » ’, 23because they committed impiety in Israel, and they committed adultery with the wives of their neighbours, and they spoke a false pronouncement in my name, which I did not command them. And I know, and I am a witness, says the Lord. 24And you shall speak to Shemaiah the Nehelamite and say, 25‘This is what the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel has spoken. He has said, «Since you have sent letters in your name to all the people who are in Jerusalem, and to Zephaniah the son of Maaseiah the priest, and to all the priests, saying, 26‹The Lord has appointed you a priest instead of Jehoiada the priest, so that you should be superintendents in the house of the Lord, looking out for everyone behaving like a madman or a man acting like a prophet, so that you put him in prison and in fetters, 27accordingly now, why have you not rebuked Jeremiah the Anathothite, who was acting like a prophet to you? 28For this is how he sent word to us in Babylon, saying, "It will be long. Build houses and live in them, and plant gardens and eat their fruit." › » ’ ” 29And Zephaniah the priest read this letter in the hearing of Jeremiah the prophet. 30Then the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah and said, 31“Send word to all the deportees and say, ‘This is what the Lord says to Shemaiah the Nehelamite: «Since Shemaiah has prophesied to you when I did not send him, and he caused you to trust in a lie, 32this is what the Lord says: ‹I am about to visit Shemaiah the Nehelamite and his seed. He will not have a man left dwelling among this people, and he will not see the good which I will be doing for my people, says the Lord, for he has spoken deviously against the Lord.› » ’ ”

Jeremiah Chapter 30 

1The word which came to Jeremiah from the Lord and said, 2“This is what the Lord God of Israel has spoken. He says, ‘Write all the words which I have spoken to you in a book. 3For behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will reverse the captivity of my people Israel and Judah, says the Lord, and I will bring them back to the land which I gave to their fathers, and they will inherit it.’ ” 4And these are the words which the Lord spoke to Israel and to Judah, 5for this is what the Lord says:

“We have heard the sound of trembling,

Fear, and absence of peace.

6Just ask and see

– Does a male give birth?

Why do I see every man with his hands on his waist,

Like a woman giving birth,

And every face turned pallid?

7Alas, for great is that day,

With nothing like it,

And it is a time of distress for Jacob,

But he will be saved from it.

8And it will come to pass on that day,

Says the Lord of hosts,

That I will break his yoke off your neck,

And I will undo your fetters,

And foreigners will no longer impose servitude on him.

9And they will serve the Lord their God,

And David their king,

Whom I will raise up to them.

10But don't you fear, Jacob my servant,

Says the Lord,

And do not be afraid, Israel,

For I am about to save you from a distance,

And your seed from the land of their captivity,

And Jacob will return,

And he will be quiet and undisturbed,

With no-one causing fear.

11For I am with you,

Says the Lord,

To save you,

For I will make an end of all the nations

To which I have scattered you,

But I will not make an end of you,

But I will discipline you judicially,

And I will certainly not acquit you.

12For this is what the Lord says:

‘Your demise is incurable;

Your blow is grievous.

13There is no-one pleading your case,

For you to be bandaged up.

You do not have medicines for recovery.

14All your lovers have forgotten you;

They do not seek you.

For I have struck you with an enemy's blow

– A cruel chastisement –

For the great extent of your iniquity,

And for how your sins have become immense.

15Why do you cry out about your demise?

Your grievous situation is incurable.

It is because of the great extent of your iniquity

Because your sins have become immense –

That I have done these things to you.

16On this account all those who devour you

Will themselves be devoured,

And as for all your adversaries,

They will all go into captivity,

And those who plunder you

Will become an object of plundering,

And I will make all who spoil you

An object of spoil.

17For I will bring restoration to you,

And I will heal your wounds,

Says the Lord,

For they called you Cast Out,

And they said, «This is Zion;

She has no-one seeking her.» ’ ”

18This is what the Lord says:

“I am about to reverse the captivity of the tents of Jacob,

And I will have mercy on his dwelling places,

And a city will be built on its heap of ruins,

And a citadel will stand

Where it has that right.

19And from them,

Thanksgiving and the sound of people rejoicing will go out,

And I will increase them,

And they will not be few,

And I will glorify them,

And they will not be belittled.

20And his sons will be as in former time,

And his congregation will be established before me,

And I will visit all who oppress him.

21And his illustrious one will come from his own self,

And his ruler will issue from his inward parts,

And I will have him come near,

And he will approach me.

For who is this

Who has pledged his heart to approach me?

Says the Lord.

22And you will be a people to me,

And I will be God to you.

23And behold, the Lord's storm

– Fury – will go out;

A sweeping storm.

It will whirl on the head of the wicked.

24The fury of the Lord's anger will not relent

Until he has carried out and established

The purposes of his heart.

In the last days, you will contemplate it.

Reference(s) in Chapter 30: v.22 ↔ 2 Corinthians 6:16.

Jeremiah Chapter 31 

1At that time, says the Lord, I will be God to all the families of Israel, and they will be a people to me.” 2This is what the Lord says:

“The people who escaped the sword

Have found grace in the desert,

Through me taking steps to give them rest

– Israel, that is.”

3Long ago, the Lord appeared to me and said,

“With age-abiding love I have loved you,

Which is why I have drawn you close in kindness.

4I will build you up again,

And you will be built up,

O virgin of Israel;

You will again adorn yourself with your timbrels,

And go out into the dance of those who rejoice.

5You will again plant vineyards

In the mountains of Samaria.

The planters will plant them

And gather the vintage.

6For there is a day

When watchmen will proclaim on Mount Ephraim,

‘Arise and let us go up to Zion,

To the Lord our God.’ ”

7For this is what the Lord says:

“Shout for joy to Jacob,

And burst out in exultation at the head of the nations.

Proclaim and praise and say,

‘O Lord save your people,

The remnant of Israel.’

8I am about to bring them from the land of the north,

And I will gather them from the remotest parts of the earth.

Among them will be the blind and the lame,

The pregnant and her who is giving birth together.

A great convocation will return here.

9They will come with weeping,

And I will lead them with their supplications;

I will conduct them to brooks of water

By a straight way on which they will not stumble,

For I will be a father to Israel,

And Ephraim is my firstborn.

10Hear the word of the Lord, you nations,

And announce it among the coastlands far away,

And say,

‘He who scattered Israel

Will gather him,

And he will keep him,

As a shepherd does his flock.’

11For the Lord has ransomed Jacob

And redeemed him from a hand stronger than he was.

12So they will come and shout for joy on the heights of Zion,

And they will flock to the goodness of the Lord,

To grain and to new wine and to fresh oil,

And to young flock animals and oxen.

And their spiritual condition will be like a well-watered garden,

And they will no longer languish.

13Then the virgin will rejoice with a dance,

As will both young men and old together,

And I will change their mourning into joy,

And I will show them compassion,

And I will make them happy,

Released from their grief.

14And I will saturate the sentiments of the priests with fat,

And my people will be satiated with my goodness,

Says the Lord.”

15This is what the Lord says:

“A sound is heard in Ramah

– Lamentation and very bitter weeping –

Rachel grieving for her sons.

She refuses to be comforted for her sons,

For they are no more.”

16This is what the Lord says:

“Restrain your voice from weeping,

And your eyes from tears,

For there is recompense in what is performed for you,

Says the Lord,

And they will return from the land of the enemy.

17And there is hope for your posterity,

Says the Lord,

And the sons will return to their territory.

18I have of course heard how Ephraim is becoming agitated,

Saying, ‘He has chastised me,

And I was chastised like an untrained calf.

Bring me back so that I go back,

For you are the Lord my God.

19For after my return, I was comforted,

And after it was made known to me,

I struck my thigh.

I was ashamed and also suffered ignominy,

For I bore the reproach of my youth.’

20Is Ephraim a dear son to me?

Or a most delightful child?

For whenever I speak concerning him,

I intensely remember him still,

Which is why my mind is disquieted for him.

I will certainly show him mercy,

Says the Lord.

21Erect your waymarks,

Set up your signposts;

Set your heart on the highway

– The road on which you have walked.

Return, O virgin of Israel;

Return to these cities of yours.

22How long will you keep being elusive,

O rebellious daughter?

For the Lord has created a new thing in the land

– A woman will court a man.”

23This is what the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, says: “People will yet say these words in the land of Judah and in its cities, when I reverse their captivity:

‘May the Lord bless you,

O dwelling place of righteousness,

And mountain of holiness.’

24And farmers will live there – in Judah and all its cities together – and they will move around among the flock.

25For I have refreshed the weary person,

And I have restored every grieving individual.”

26At this I awoke and looked, and my sleep had been sweet to me. 27“Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will sow the house of Israel and the house of Judah with the seed of man and the seed of cattle. 28And it will come to pass, that just as I watched over them to pluck up and to tear down and to demolish and to destroy and to do harm, so I will watch over them to build and to plant, says the Lord. 29In those days they will no longer say,

‘The fathers have eaten sour grapes,

And the sons' teeth are on edge.’

30For rather, each man will die for his iniquity; every person who eats sour grapes will have his own teeth set on edge. 31Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah. 32Not like the covenant which I made with their fathers on the day when I held them by their hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt – my covenant which they broke, although I had been a husband to them – says the Lord. 33For this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: ‘I will put my law in their inner parts, and I will write it on their heart, and I will be God to them, and they will be a people to me. 34And no longer will each teach his neighbour, and each his brother, saying, «Know the Lord», for they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest of them, says the Lord, for I will pardon their iniquity, and I will no longer remember their sins.’ ”

35This is what the Lord says:

The Lord, who gives the sun for light by day,

And the statutes of the moon and stars for light by night,

Stirring up the sea

So that its waves rage

– The Lord of hosts is his name – says,

36‘If these statutes depart from me,

Says the Lord,

Then the seed of Israel will also cease to be a nation before me,

For all days to come.’ ”

37This is what the Lord says:

“If heaven above can be measured,

And the foundations of the earth below can be searched out,

Then I too will reject all the seed of Israel,

For everything they have done,

Says the Lord.

38Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, when the city will be built for the Lord, from the Tower of Hananel to the Corner Gate. 39And the measuring line will yet go out opposite it at Gareb Hill and go round to Goath. 40And all the valley, with the corpses and the ashes, and all the fields up to the Kidron Brook, up to the corner of the Horse Gate to the east, will be holy to the Lord. It will not be plucked up, and it will never be pulled down again.”

Reference(s) in Chapter 31: v.1 ↔ 2 Corinthians 6:16 ● v.9 ↔ Revelation 7:17 ● v.15 ↔ Matthew 2:18 ● v.31 ↔ Hebrews 8:8 ● v.32 ↔ Hebrews 8:9 ● v.33 ↔ John 6:45, Hebrews 8:10, Hebrews 10:16, 1 John 2:20 ● v.34 ↔ John 6:45, Hebrews 8:11, Hebrews 8:12, Hebrews 10:17, 1 John 2:10, 1 John 2:27.

Jeremiah Chapter 32 

1The word which came to Jeremiah from the Lord in the tenth year of Zedekiah king of Judah – that is the eighteenth year of Nebuchadrezzar. 2It was then that the forces of the king of Babylon were besieging Jerusalem, and Jeremiah the prophet was confined in the courtyard of the prison which belonged to the king of Judah's house, 3because Zedekiah king of Judah had imprisoned him, saying, “Why do you prophesy, saying, ‘This is what the Lord says: «I am about to deliver this city into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he will capture it. 4And Zedekiah king of Judah shall not escape from the hand of the Chaldeans, but he will certainly be delivered into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he will speak face to face, and they will see each other's eyes. 5And he will lead Zedekiah to Babylon, and that is where he will be until I visit him, says the Lord. If you fight the Chaldeans, you will not succeed.» ’?” 6Then Jeremiah said, “The word of the Lord came to me and said, 7‘Look, Hanamel the son of Shallum your uncle is coming to you to say, «Buy my field, which is in Anathoth, for you have the right of redemption to buy it.» ’ ” 8And Hanamel my uncle's son came to me, according to the word of the Lord, to the prison courtyard, and he said to me, “Please buy my field which is in Anathoth, which is in the land of Benjamin, for you have the right of inheritance, and you have the right of redemption. Buy it for yourself.” And I knew that it was the word of the Lord. 9So I bought the field from Hanamel, my uncle's son, who was in Anathoth, and I weighed the money out to him – seventeen shekels was the weight of silver. 10And I signed the deeds and put my seal on them, and I had witnesses witness it, and I weighed out the silver in a balance. 11And I took the deeds of the purchase, those which were sealed according to the regulation and the statutes, and those which were public, 12and I gave the purchase deeds to Baruch, the son of Neriah, the son of Mahseiah, in the sight of Hanamel my cousin and in the sight of the witnesses who wrote in the purchase deed, in the sight of all the Jews who sat in the prison courtyard. 13And I gave instruction to Baruch in their sight and said, 14“This is what the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, says: ‘Take these deeds – the deeds of this purchase and what is sealed, and this public document, and put them in an earthenware container so that they will keep for many days.’ 15For this is what the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, says: ‘Houses and fields and vineyards will yet be acquired in this land.’ ” 16Then I prayed to the Lord, after I had given the purchase deeds to Baruch the son of Neriah, and I said, 17“Alas, my Lord the Lord, look, you made the heavens and the earth by your great power and by your outstretched arm. Nothing is too difficult for you, 18as you show kindness to thousands, and you requite the iniquity of the fathers into the bosom of their sons after them. The great mighty God – the Lord of hosts is his name. 19You are great in counsel and mighty in deed, whose eyes are alert to all the ways of the sons of Adam, to render to a man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his works, 20you who have been performing signs and wonders in the land of Egypt up to this day, both in Israel and among mankind, and you make yourself a name as it is on this day. 21And you brought your people Israel out of the land of Egypt, with signs and with miracles and with a strong hand and with an outstretched arm and with great awe. 22And you gave them this land which you promised their fathers that you would give it to them – a land flowing with milk and honey. 23And they came, and they inherited it, but they did not heed your voice, and they did not walk in your laws; they did not do everything which you commanded them to do, and you caused all this trouble to happen to them. 24Look, ramparts have come up to the city, to capture it, and the city is being delivered into the hand of the Chaldeans who are fighting against it, as it contends in the face of the sword and famine and disease. And what you said has come about. And look, you see it. 25And you have said to me, my Lord the Lord, ‘Buy yourself the field for silver, and have witnesses witness it’, and the city has been delivered into the hands of the Chaldeans.” 26And the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah and said, 27“Behold, I am the Lord God of all flesh. Is anything too difficult for me? 28So this is what the Lord says: ‘I am about to deliver this city into the hand of the Chaldeans and into the hand of Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon, and he will capture it. 29And the Chaldeans who are fighting against this city will come, and they will set this city on fire, and they will burn it, including the houses on whose roofs they have burned incense to Baal, and where they have poured libations to other gods, so as to provoke me to anger. 30For the sons of Israel and the sons of Judah would do nothing but what is wrong in my sight from their youth on, for the sons of Israel have only provoked me to anger with the work of their hands, says the Lord. 31For this city has been to me a cause of my anger and my fury, from the day when they built it, up to this day – a cause for me to remove it from my sight, 32because of all the evil of the sons of Israel, and the sons of Judah who have acted to provoke me to anger – they, their kings, their officials, their priests and their prophets, and the men of Judah, and those living in Jerusalem. 33And they turned their backs on me, and not the face, although I taught them, rising early and teaching, but they did not listen, to receive correction. 34And they put their abominations in the house at which my name is called on, so as to profane it. 35And they built the idolatrous raised sites to Baal, which are in the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, to make their sons and their daughters pass through fire to Molech, which I did not command them and which did not arise in my heart – to commit this abomination, so as to cause Judah to sin. 36And now, therefore, this is what the Lord God of Israel says to this city which you are saying will be delivered into the hand of the king of Babylon by the sword and famine and disease: 37«I am going to gather them out of all the countries to which I have driven them out in my anger and in my fury and in great wrath, and I will bring them back to this place, and I will settle them in security. 38And they will be my people, and I will be their God. 39And I will give them one heart and one way, to fear me all the time for their welfare and for that of their sons after them. 40And I will make an age-abiding covenant for them, whereby I will not turn away from being behind them, for me to do good to them, and I will put fear of me in their heart, so that they do not depart from me. 41And I will rejoice over them in doing them good, and I will plant them in this land firmly with all my heart and with all my soul.» 42For this is what the Lord says: «Just as I brought all this great trouble on this people, so I am going to bring all this good on them, which I am declaring to them. 43And a field will be bought in this land, of which you say, ‹It is a desolation, without man or beast; it has been delivered into the hand of the Chaldeans.› 44They will buy fields for silver, and write in the deeds and seal it, and have witnesses witness it, in the land of Benjamin and in the surrounding areas of Jerusalem, and in the cities of Judah and in the cities in the mountain range, and in the cities of the lowlands, and in the cities of the south, for I will reverse their captivity, says the Lord.» ’ ”

Reference(s) in Chapter 32: v.19 ↔ Romans 2:6, Revelation 2:23, Revelation 18:6, Revelation 20:12, Revelation 20:13, Revelation 22:12 ● v.25 ↔ Matthew 27:9 ● v.38 ↔ 2 Corinthians 6:16 ● v.44 ↔ Matthew 27:9.

Jeremiah Chapter 33 

1And the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah a second time while he was still confined in the prison courtyard, and it said, 2“This is what the Lord, the maker of it, the Lord, the fashioner of it to prepare it – the Lord is his name – says: 3‘Call out to me, and I will answer you, and I will tell you great things and recondite matters which you did not know. 4For this is what the Lord God of Israel says concerning the houses of this city and concerning the houses of the kings of Judah which have been demolished, concerning the ramparts and concerning the sword: 5«They have been brought to combat the Chaldeans, but it will be to fill them with the corpses of men whom I will strike down in my anger and in my fury, and those because of whom I have hidden my face from this city, on account of all their wickedness. 6I am about to bring the city restoration and healing, and I will heal them, and I will reveal an abundance of welfare and truth to them, 7and I will reverse the captivity of Judah and the captivity of Israel, and I will build them up as in the beginning. 8And I will cleanse them from all their iniquity with which they have sinned against me, and I will pardon all their iniquities with which they have sinned against me, and with which they have transgressed against me. 9And it will be to me a name of rejoicing, a cause for praise, and a show of splendour to all the nations of the earth who will hear of all the good which I will be doing to them, and they will fear and stand in awe at all the good and at all the welfare which I will be doing to it.» 10This is what the Lord says: «There will yet be heard in this place of which you say, ‹It is desolate without leaving a man and without leaving a beast, in the cities of Judah and in the outlying areas of Jerusalem which have been devastated without leaving a man and without leaving an inhabitant and without leaving a beast›, 11the sound of rejoicing and the sound of happiness, the sound of the bridegroom and the sound of the bride, the sound of those who say,

‹Praise the Lord of hosts,

For the Lord is good,

For his kindness is age-abiding›,

who bring a thank-offering to the house of the Lord, for I will reverse the captivity of the land to as it was at the beginning, says the Lord12This is what the Lord of hosts says: «There will yet be in this desolate place without man or beast, and in all its cities, a pasture for shepherds, to allow the sheep to recline. 13In the cities in the mountains, in the cities in the lowlands, and in the cities of the south, and in the land of Benjamin, and in the surrounding areas of Jerusalem, and in the cities of Judah, the sheep will yet pass through at the hands of the one who counts them, says the Lord.

14Behold, the days are coming,

Says the Lord,

When I will establish the good thing

Which I have spoken to the house of Israel

And to the house of Judah.

15In those days and at that time,

I will cause a righteous branch to spring up to David,

And he will execute justice and righteousness in the land.

16In those days Judah will be saved,

And Jerusalem will dwell securely,

And this is what one will call it:

The Lord our Righteousness.»

17For this is what the Lord says: «Not a man will be cut off from David to sit on the throne of the house of Israel. 18And not a man will be cut off before me of the Levite priests to make the burnt offering and to burn the meal-offering and to offer sacrifices all the time.» ’ ” 19And the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah and said, 20“This is what the Lord says: ‘If you can break my covenant of the day and my covenant of the night so that there are not day and night in their time, 21then my covenant with David my servant can be broken, so that he does not have a son reigning on his throne, and my covenant with the priestly Levites my officiators. 22As the host of the heavens cannot be counted, and the sand of the sea cannot be measured, so will I increase the seed of David my servant and the Levites who officiate for me.’ ” 23And the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah, saying, 24“Have you not seen what this people has spoken, when they said, ‘There are two families which the Lord chose, but he has rejected them.’ And they have considered my people too contemptible to be a nation in their sight any longer. 25This is what the Lord says: ‘If I have not set up my covenant of day and night – not the statutes of heaven and earth – 26then I will also reject the seed of Jacob and David my servant, not taking his seed as rulers over the seed of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. For I will reverse their captivity, and I will have compassion on them.’ ”

Reference(s) in Chapter 33: v.15 ↔ John 7:42.

Jeremiah Chapter 34 

1The word which came to Jeremiah from the Lord when Nebuchadrezzar was king of Babylon, and all his forces and all the kingdoms of the land under the rule of his hand and all the various peoples were fighting against Jerusalem and against all its cities. It said, 2“This is what the Lord God of Israel says: ‘Go and speak to Zedekiah king of Judah, and say to him, «This is what the Lord says: ‹I am about to deliver this city into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he will burn it with fire. 3And you will not escape from his grip, for you will certainly be seized and delivered into his hand, and your eyes will see the king of Babylon, and he will speak to you face to face, and you will go to Babylon. 4But hear the word of the Lord, Zedekiah, king of Judah.› This is what the Lord says to you: ‹You will not die by the sword. 5You will die in peace and according to the aromatic burning for your fathers – the former kings who were before you. That is how they will burn for you, and they will mourn for you saying, "Alas, lord." For I have spoken the word, says the Lord.› » ’ ” 6So Jeremiah the prophet spoke all these words in Jerusalem to Zedekiah king of Judah, 7while the king of Babylon's forces were fighting against Jerusalem and against all the cities of Judah which remained – against Lachish and against Azekah, for they remained among the cities of Judah, being fortified cities. 8This is the word which came to Jeremiah from the Lord after King Zedekiah had made a covenant with all the people who were in Jerusalem, to proclaim liberty to them, 9that every man should set his manservant and his maidservant free – the Hebrew man and the Hebrew woman – so as not to impose servitude on them, on any Jew, his brother, 10a covenant which all the officials heard, as well as all the people who had entered into the covenant for each man to set his manservant free, and each his maidservant, so that they would not impose servitude on them any more. And they heeded it and set them free. 11But after that they went back on it, and they made the menservants and maidservants, whom they had set free, return, and forcibly made them menservants and maidservants again. 12Then the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah, from the Lord, saying, 13“This is what the Lord God of Israel says: ‘I made a covenant with your fathers on the day when I brought them out of the land of Egypt, from a house of slaves, when I said, 14«After seven years every man will release his Hebrew brother who was sold to you, and who has served you for six years, and you will let him go away from you free.» But your fathers did not heed me and did not incline their ears. 15Then you returned today, and you did what is right in my sight, by each man proclaiming liberty to his neighbour, and you made a covenant in my presence in the house at which my name is called on. 16Then you turned away and profaned my name, and each man brought his manservant and his maidservant back, whom you had set free for their comfort, and you forced them to be your menservants and maidservants. 17Therefore this is what the Lord says: «You have not heeded me requiring you to proclaim liberty, each man to his brother and each man to his neighbour. I am about to proclaim liberty to you, says the Lord, to the sword, to pestilence and to famine, and I will deliver you to what will be horrific – to all the kingdoms of the earth. 18And I will deliver the men who transgressed my covenant – who did not fulfil the words of the covenant which they made in my presence, at the calf which they cut in two, and at which they passed between its parts 19– the officials of Judah and the officials of Jerusalem, the eunuchs and the priests and all the people of the land who passed through between the parts of the calf – 20and I will deliver them into the hand of their enemies, and into the hand of those who seek their life. And their corpses will be food for the birds of the sky and the animals of the land. 21And I will deliver Zedekiah king of Judah and his officials into the hand of their enemies, and into the hand of those who seek their lives and into the hand of the forces of the king of Babylon, which are departing from you. 22I am about to give command, says the Lord, and I will bring them back to this city, and they will fight against it and capture it and burn it with fire, and I will make the cities of Judah a desolation without leaving an inhabitant.» ’ ”

Jeremiah Chapter 35 

1The word which came to Jeremiah from the Lord in the days of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, the king of Judah, saying, 2“Go to the house of the Rechabites and speak to them and bring them to the house of the Lord, to one of the reception rooms, and give them wine to drink.” 3Then I took Jaazaniah, the son of Jeremiah, the son of Habazziniah, and his brothers and all his sons, and the whole house of the Rechabites, 4and I brought them to the house of the Lord, to the reception room of the sons of Hanan the son of Igdaliah, the man of God, to the room which was to the side of the office of the officials, which was above the office of Maaseiah the son of Shallum the doorkeeper. 5And I set before the sons of the house of the Rechabites pitchers full of wine, and cups, and I said to them, “Drink some wine.” 6But they said, “We will not drink any wine, because Jonadab the son of Rechab our father commanded us and said, ‘You shall not drink wine, neither you, nor your sons, ever. 7And you will not build a house, and you will not sow seed, and you will not plant a vineyard, and you will not have one, for you will live in tents all your days, in order that you may live for many days on the face of the land where you take up residence.’ 8And we have obeyed Jehonadab the son of Rechab our father in everything he commanded us, not to drink wine for all our days – us, our wives, our sons and our daughters – 9and not to build houses for us to live in, and that we should not have vineyard or field or sown crops. 10And we have dwelt in tents, and we have obeyed, and we have done everything that Jonadab our father commanded us. 11And it came to pass, when Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon came up to the land, that we said, ‘Come, let us go to Jerusalem, away from the forces of the Chaldeans and away from the forces of Aramaea.’ So we lived in Jerusalem.” 12Then the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah, saying, 13“This is what the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, says: ‘Go and say to the men of Judah and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, «Will you not take correction and listen to my words, says the Lord? 14The words of Jehonadab, the son of Rechab, have been fulfilled, which he commanded his sons, not to drink wine, and they have not drunk it up to this day, for they obeyed the commandment of their father. But I have spoken to you, rising early and speaking, but you have not obeyed me. 15And I sent you all my servants, the prophets, rising early and sending them, to say, ‹Turn back, please, each man from his evil way, and see to it that your deeds are good, and do not go after other gods to serve them, and dwell on the land which I have given you and your fathers.› But you have not inclined your ears, and you have not heeded me. 16For the sons of Jehonadab the son of Rechab fulfilled their father's commandment which he commanded them, but this people has not obeyed me, 17which is why this is what the Lord God of hosts, the God of Israel, says: ‹I am about to bring on Judah and on all the inhabitants of Jerusalem all the trouble which I spoke to them, because I spoke to them but they did not heed it, and I called to them, but they did not answer.› » ’ ” 18And 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 commandment of Jehonadab your father, and you have kept all his commandments, and you have done everything that he commanded you, 19because of that, this is what the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, says: «There will not be a man cut off from Jonadab the son of Rechab to stand before me at any time.» ’ ”

Jeremiah Chapter 36 

1Now it came to pass in the fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, the king of Judah, that this word came to Jeremiah from the Lord, saying, 2“Get yourself a book scroll and write in it all the words which I have spoken to you concerning Israel and concerning Judah, and concerning all the nations, from the day when I spoke to you, in the days of Josiah up to this day. 3Perhaps the house of Judah will pay heed to all the trouble which I am considering to do to them, in order that they turn back, each from his evil way, so that I pardon their iniquity and their sin.” 4At this Jeremiah called for Baruch the son of Neriah, and Baruch wrote on the book scroll from Jeremiah's dictation all the words of the Lord which he had spoken to him. 5And Jeremiah commanded Baruch and said, “I am under arrest; I cannot go to the house of the Lord. 6So you go and read from the scroll which you have written from my dictation; read the words of the Lord in the hearing of the people in the house of the Lord, on a day of fasting, and also read them in the hearing of all of Judah who come from their cities. 7Perhaps their supplication will fall before the Lord, and they will turn back, each man from his evil way, for great is the anger and fury which the Lord has pronounced on this people.” 8And Baruch the son of Neriah did everything that Jeremiah the prophet commanded him – to read the words of the Lord from the book in the house of the Lord. 9And it came to pass in the fifth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, the king of Judah, in the ninth month, that all the people in Jerusalem, and all the people who had come from the cities of Judah to Jerusalem, proclaimed a fast before the Lord. 10And Baruch read from the book the words of Jeremiah, in the house of the Lord, in the office of Gemariah the son of Shaphan the scribe, in the upper courtyard at the entrance of the New Gate of the house of the Lord, in the hearing of all the people. 11And when Micaiah, the son of Gemariah, the son of Shaphan, heard all the words of the Lord from the book, 12he went down to the king's house, to the scribe's office, and he found all the officials sitting there – Elishama the scribe and Delaiah the son of Shemaiah, and Elnathan the son of Achbor, and Gemariah the son of Shaphan, and Zedekiah the son of Hananiah, and all the officials. 13And Micaiah told them all the words which he had heard when Baruch read from the book in the hearing of the people. 14And all the officials sent Jehudi, the son of Nethaniah, the son of Shelemiah, the son of Cushi, to Baruch to say, “Take in your hand the scroll from which you read in the hearing of the people, and come here with it.” So Baruch the son of Neriah took the scroll in his hand and came to them. 15And they said to him, “Please sit down and read it in our hearing.” So Baruch read it in their hearing. 16And it came to pass, when they heard all the words, that each was afraid, staring at his neighbour, and they said to Baruch, “We will certainly tell the king all these words.” 17And they inquired of Baruch and said, “Please tell us how it was that you came to write all these words at his dictation.” 18And Baruch said to them, “He dictated all these words to me, while I wrote them in the book in ink.” 19Then the officials said to Baruch, “Go and hide yourself, you and Jeremiah, and let no man know where you are.” 20And they went to the king in the courtyard, but they deposited the scroll in the office of Elishama the scribe, and they related all the words in the king's hearing. 21Then the king sent Jehudi to fetch the scroll, and he fetched it from the office of Elishama the scribe, and Jehudi read it in the king's hearing and in the hearing of all the officials who were standing around the king. 22Now the king was sitting in the winter house in the ninth month, and the fire in the hearth in front of him was burning. 23And it came to pass, when Jehudi had read three or four columns, that the king cut it up with the scribe's penknife, and he threw it into the fire which was in the hearth, until the whole scroll was consumed in the fire which was in the hearth. 24And they were not afraid, and they did not tear their clothes – neither the king nor any of his servants who heard all these words. 25But Elnathan, and Delaiah and Gemariah as well appealed to the king not to burn the scroll, but he did not heed them. 26And the king commanded Jerahmeel the king's son, and Seraiah the son of Azriel, and Shelemiah the son of Abdeel, to seize Baruch the scribe and Jeremiah the prophet. But the Lord had hidden them. 27And the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah after the king had burnt the scroll and the words which Baruch had written at Jeremiah's dictation, and it said, 28Act again, get yourself another scroll and write on it all the former words which were on the first scroll, which Jehoiakim king of Judah burnt. 29And you will say to Jehoiakim king of Judah, ‘This is what the Lord says: «You burnt this scroll and said, ‹Why have you written on it, saying, "The king of Babylon will certainly come and bring this land to ruin, and he will remove man and beast from it"?› » 30Therefore this is what the Lord says concerning Jehoiakim king of Judah: «He will not have anyone sitting on the throne of David, and his corpse will be thrown to the heat by day, and to the icy cold by night. 31And I will visit him and his seed, and his servants, for their iniquity, and I will bring on them and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem and on the men of Judah all the trouble which I spoke to them but which they would not hear.» ’ ” 32So Jeremiah took another scroll and gave it to Baruch the son of Neriah, the scribe, and he wrote on it at Jeremiah's dictation all the words of the book which Jehoiakim king of Judah had burnt in the fire. And there were added to them many more words like those.

Jeremiah Chapter 37 

1And King Zedekiah, the son of Josiah, reigned instead of Coniah the son of Jehoiakim, whom Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon had made king in the land of Judah. 2But neither he nor his servants nor the people of the land heeded the words of the Lord which he spoke through the intermediacy of Jeremiah the prophet. 3And King Zedekiah sent Jehucal the son of Shelemiah, and Zephaniah the son of Maaseiah the priest to Jeremiah the prophet to say, “Please pray to the Lord our God for us.” 4Meanwhile Jeremiah was going in and out among the people, for they had not put him in prison. 5And Pharaoh's forces came out from Egypt, and when the Chaldeans who were besieging Jerusalem heard the report about them, they raised the siege on Jerusalem. 6Then the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah the prophet, saying, 7“This is what the Lord God of Israel says: ‘This is what you will say to the king of Judah who sent you to me to inquire of me: «Look, Pharaoh's forces which came out as help for you will return to their land, Egypt, 8and the Chaldeans will return, and they will fight against this city, and they will capture it and burn it with fire. 9This is what the Lord says: ‹Do not deceive yourselves, saying, "The Chaldeans will certainly go away from us", for they will not go. 10For even if you were to strike down all the forces of the Chaldeans who are fighting you, and there remained among them men thrusted through, each one in his tent would arise and burn this city with fire.› » ’ ” 11And it came to pass, when the Chaldeans raised the siege on Jerusalem, because of Pharaoh's forces, 12that Jeremiah went out of Jerusalem to go to the land of Benjamin to have land apportioned to him there among the people. 13And it came to pass, when he was at Benjamin's Gate, that an officer of the guard was there, whose name was Irijah, the son of Shelemiah, the son of Hananiah, and he seized Jeremiah the prophet and said, “You are a defector to the Chaldeans.” 14And Jeremiah said, “That is false. I am not a defector to the Chaldeans.” But Irijah did not take any notice of him, and he seized Jeremiah and brought him to the officials. 15And the officials were angry with Jeremiah, and they beat him and put him in prison in the house of Jonathan the scribe, for they had made that the prison. 16So Jeremiah went into the dungeon, and into the vaults. And Jeremiah remained there for many days. 17Then King Zedekiah sent for him and took him out, and the king questioned him in his house in secret and asked, “Is there any word from the Lord?” And Jeremiah said, “There is.” And he said, “You will be delivered into the hand of the king of Babylon.” 18Then Jeremiah said to King Zedekiah, “In what way have I sinned against you, or against your servants, or against this people, that you should have put me in prison? 19And where are your prophets who prophesied to you and said, ‘The king of Babylon will not come against you or against this land’? 20So now, my lord the king, please listen; do let my appeal be welcomed, and do not send me back to the house of Jonathan the scribe, so that I do not die there.” 21But King Zedekiah gave command that they consign Jeremiah to the prison enclosure and give him a round loaf of bread per day from the bakers' street until all the bread in the city was used up. So Jeremiah remained in the prison enclosure.

Jeremiah Chapter 38 

1Now Shephatiah the son of Mattan, and Gedaliah the son of Pashhur, and Jucal the son of Shelemiah, and Pashhur the son of Malchijah heard the words which Jeremiah spoke to all the people, when he said, 2“This is what the Lord says: ‘He who remains in this city will die by the sword, by famine, and by pestilence. But he who goes out to the Chaldeans will live, and his life will be his spoil, and he will live.’ 3This is what the Lord says: ‘This city will certainly be delivered into the hand of the forces of the king of Babylon, and he will capture it.’ ” 4At this the officials said to the king, “Do have this man put to death, for in this way he is weakening the resolve of the warriors who remain in this city, and the resolve of all the people by speaking such words to them, for this man does not seek the welfare of this people, but their detriment.” 5Then King Zedekiah said, “Look, he is in your hands, for the king will not impose anything on you.” 6And they took Jeremiah, and they threw him into the pit of Malchijah the king's son, which is in the prison courtyard, and they let Jeremiah down with ropes. Now there wasn't water in the pit, but mud, and Jeremiah sank in the mud. 7Then when Ebed-Melech the Ethiopian, a eunuch in the king's house, heard that they had put Jeremiah in the pit, while the king was sitting at Benjamin's Gate, 8Ebed-Melech went out of the king's house and spoke to the king and said, 9“My lord the king, these men have done wrong with everything they have done to Jeremiah the prophet, in that they have thrown him into the pit, and he will die where he is because of the famine, for there is no bread in the city any more.” 10Then the king commanded Ebed-Melech the Ethiopian and said, “Take under your authority from here thirty men, and lift Jeremiah the prophet out of the pit before he dies.” 11So Ebed-Melech took the men under his authority and went to the king's house under the treasury, and he took from there worn-out threadbare clothes and worn-out decayed garments, and he let them down by ropes into the pit to Jeremiah. 12And Ebed-Melech the Ethiopian said to Jeremiah, “Please put these worn-out threadbare and decayed clothes under your armpits, under the ropes.” And Jeremiah did so. 13And they pulled Jeremiah up by the cords and lifted him out of the pit. And Jeremiah remained in the prison courtyard. 14Then King Zedekiah sent men and had Jeremiah the prophet come to him, at the third entrance to the house of the Lord, and the king said to Jeremiah, “I am about to ask you something. Do not conceal anything from me.” 15And Jeremiah said to Zedekiah, “If I tell you, will you not make a point of putting me to death? And if I advise you, you won't heed me.” 16At this, King Zedekiah swore in secret to Jeremiah and said, “As the Lord lives, who gave this life, I certainly will not put you to death or deliver you into the hand of these men who seek your life.” 17Then Jeremiah said to Zedekiah, “This is what the Lord God of hosts, the God of Israel, says: ‘If you single-mindedly go out to the officials of the king of Babylon, then you yourself will live, and this city will not be burned by fire, and you and your household will live. 18But if you do not go out to the officials of the king of Babylon, then this city will be delivered into the hands of the Chaldeans, and they will burn it with fire, and you will not escape from their hands.’ ” 19Then King Zedekiah said to Jeremiah, “I am uneasy about the Jews who have defected to the Chaldeans – that they will deliver me into their hands, and that they will maltreat me.” 20And Jeremiah said, “They will not deliver you. Please listen to the voice of the Lord which I am speaking to you, for things to go well with you, and so that you yourself will live. 21But if you refuse to go out, this is the scenario which the Lord has shown me, 22as follows: all the women who remained in the king of Judah's house were brought out to the officials of the king of Babylon, and there the women were, saying,

‘The men who were well-disposed to you

Misled you and won you over,

And your feet have sunk in the mire.

They have slidden back.’

23And the men were bringing out all your wives and your sons to the Chaldeans. So you will not escape from their hands, for you will be seized by the hand of the king of Babylon, and you will, in effect, burn this city with fire.” 24Then Zedekiah said to Jeremiah, “Let no man know about these words, and you will not die. 25But if the officials hear that I have spoken with you, or they come to you and say to you, ‘Please tell us what you have said to the king. Do not withhold anything from us, and we will not put you to death, and tell us what the king has said to you’, 26then you will say to them, ‘I made supplication before the king that he should not send me back to Jonathan's house to die there.’ ” 27And all the officials came to Jeremiah and questioned him, and he told them all these words which the king had commanded him, and they desisted from him, for the matter was not adverted to. 28And Jeremiah remained in the enclosure of the prison until the day when Jerusalem was captured, and he was there when Jerusalem was captured.

Jeremiah Chapter 39 

1In the ninth year of Zedekiah king of Judah, in the tenth month, Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon came with all his forces to Jerusalem, and they besieged it. 2In the eleventh year of Zedekiah, in the fourth month, on the ninth day of the month, the city was breached. 3And all the king of Babylon's officials came and sat at the Middle Gate: Nergal-Sarezer, Samgar-Nebo, Sar-Sechim the chief eunuch, Nergal-Sarezer the chief magus and all the rest of the king of Babylon's officials. 4And it came to pass, when Zedekiah king of Judah and all the warriors saw them, that they fled and departed from the city by night, by the way through the king's garden at the gate between the pair of walls, and he went out by the way of the arid tract. 5But the forces of the Chaldeans pursued them, and they caught up with Zedekiah in the arid tracts of Jericho, and they captured him, and they brought him up to Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon in Riblah, in the land of Hamath, and he pronounced judgment on him. 6And the king of Babylon slaughtered Zedekiah's sons in Riblah before his eyes, and the king of Babylon slaughtered all the nobles of Judah. 7And he blinded Zedekiah's eyes, and he bound him in fetters, to bring him to Babylon. 8And the Chaldeans burnt the king's house and the houses of the people with fire, and they pulled down the walls of Jerusalem. 9And Nebuzaradan the chief guard deported the rest of the people who remained in the city, and the defectors who had defected to him, and the rest of the people who remained, to Babylon. 10But Nebuzaradan the chief guard let the poor among the people, who had nothing, remain in the land of Judah, and he gave them vineyards and fields on that day. 11And Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon gave commandment concerning Jeremiah through Nebuzaradan the chief guard, which said, 12“Take him and look after him, and do not do him any harm, but rather deal with him according to how he speaks to you.” 13And Nebuzaradan the chief guard, and Nebushazban the chief eunuch, and Nergal-Sarezer the chief magus and all the dignitaries of the king of Babylon sent orders, 14and they sent men, and they took Jeremiah from the prison courtyard, and they assigned him to Gedaliah, the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, for him to bring him out and take him home. And he dwelt among the people. 15Now the word of the Lord had come to Jeremiah when he was imprisoned in the prison courtyard, saying, 16“Go and speak to Ebed-Melech the Ethiopian and say, ‘This is what the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel says: «I am about to bring my words to fulfilment on this city, to its detriment and not to its benefit, and they will take place in front of you on that day. 17But I will deliver you on that day, says the Lord, and you will not be delivered into the hands of the people of whom you are afraid, 18for I will certainly have you escape, and you will not fall by the sword, and your own life will be your spoil, for you have trusted me, says the Lord.» ’ ”

Jeremiah Chapter 40 

1The word which came to Jeremiah from the Lord after Nebuzaradan the chief guard had released him from Ramah, having taken him when he was bound in fetters among the whole company of deportees from Jerusalem and Judah who were being deported to Babylon. 2And the chief guard took Jeremiah and said to him, “The Lord your God pronounced this trouble on this place. 3And the Lord has brought it about, and he has done as he said, because you have sinned against the Lord and not obeyed him, so this thing has come on you. 4And now, look, I have unbound you today from the fetters on your hands. If it is right in your sight to come with me to Babylon, come and I will look after you, but if it is wrong in your sight to come with me to Babylon, then decline the offer. Look, all the land is before you. Go to wherever it is right and proper in your sight to go.” 5And while he still had not gone back, the chief guard said, “Or go back to Gedaliah, the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, whom the king of Babylon had appointed in the cities of Judah, and remain with him among the people, or go to wherever it is right in your sight to go.” And the chief guard gave him provisions and a gift and released him. 6Then Jeremiah went to Gedaliah the son of Ahikam in Mizpah, and he stayed with him among the people who remained in the land. 7And when all the officers of the forces who were in the open country and their men heard that the king of Babylon had appointed Gedaliah the son of Ahikam in the land, and that he had appointed him over men and women and children and some of the poor of the land, from those who were not deported to Babylon, 8they went to Gedaliah in Mizpah, as did Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, and Johanan and Jonathan the sons of Kareah, and Seraiah the son of Tanhumeth, and the sons of Ephai the Netophathite, and Jezaniah the son of the Maachathite – they and their men. 9And Gedaliah, the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, swore to them and to their men, and he said, “Do not be afraid of serving the Chaldeans. Stay in the land and serve the king of Babylon and things will go well for you. 10And as for me, you see that I am living in Mizpah, to stand in service before the Chaldeans who will come to us. And as for you, gather the wine harvest and the summer fruits and the olive oil, and put it in your containers, and dwell in your cities which you have laid hold of.” 11And all the Jews who were in Moab and among the sons of Ammon and in Edom, and who were in all the countries, also heard that the king of Babylon had allowed there to be a remnant in Judah, and that he had appointed Gedaliah, the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, over them. 12And when all the Jews from all the places where they had been driven returned, they came to the land of Judah, to Gedaliah in Mizpah, and they gathered the wine harvest and the summer fruits – a very large quantity. 13And Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the officers of the forces who were in the open country, came to Gedaliah in Mizpah. 14And they said to him, “Are you at all aware that Baalis the king of the sons of Ammon has sent Ishmael the son of Nethaniah to dispatch you?” But Gedaliah the son of Ahikam did not believe them. 15Then Johanan the son of Kareah spoke to Gedaliah in secret in Mizpah and said, “Do let me go and strike Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, and no-one will know about it. Why should he dispatch you, and all Judah who have been gathered to you be scattered, and the remnant of Judah perish?” 16But Gedaliah the son of Ahikam said to Johanan the son of Kareah, “Do not do this thing, for you are speaking an untruth concerning Ishmael.”

Jeremiah Chapter 41 

1But it came to pass in the seventh month that Ishmael, the son of Nethaniah, the son of Elishama, of royal seed, came, with the king's dignitaries and another ten men accompanying him, to Gedaliah the son of Ahikam in Mizpah, and they ate a meal there together in Mizpah. 2And Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, and the ten men who were with him arose, and they struck Gedaliah, the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, with the sword, and he killed him, whom the king of Babylon had appointed in the land. 3And Ishmael struck down all the Jews who were with him, with Gedaliah in Mizpah, and also the Chaldeans who were present there – the warriors. 4And it came to pass on the second day of the killing of Gedaliah, while no-one knew about it, 5that eighty men came, men from Shechem, from Shiloh and from Samaria, with their beards shaven off and their clothes torn, and having made incisions on themselves, and with a meal-offering and incense in their hands, to bring to the house of the Lord. 6And Ishmael the son of Nethaniah went out from Mizpah to meet them, weeping continuously as he went, and it came to pass, when he met them, that he said to them, “Come to Gedaliah the son of Ahikam.” 7Then it came to pass, when they had come inside the city, that Ishmael the son of Nethaniah – he and the men who were with him – slaughtered them and put them in the pit. 8But ten men were present among them who said to Ishmael, “Do not kill us, for we have hidden treasures in the field – wheat and barley and oil and honey.” And he did not do it, and he did not kill them among their brothers. 9And the pit into which Ishmael threw all the corpses of the men whom he had struck down with Gedaliah is the one which King Asa made when confronting Baasha king of Israel. And Ishmael the son of Nethaniah filled it with those killed. 10Then Ishmael took captive all the remainder of the people who were in Mizpah – the king's daughters and all the people who remained in Mizpah – over whom Nebuzaradan the chief guard had appointed Gedaliah the son of Ahikam. And Ishmael the son of Nethaniah took them captive and set off to cross over to the sons of Ammon. 11And when Johanan the son of Kareah and all the officers of the forces which were with him heard all the evil which Ishmael the son of Nethaniah had done, 12they took all the men and went to fight against Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, and they found him at the water-rich area which is in Gibeon. 13And it came to pass when all the people who were with Ishmael saw Johanan the son of Kareah and all the officers of the forces who were with him, they rejoiced, 14and all the people whom Ishmael had taken captive from Mizpah turned round and returned and went to Johanan the son of Kareah. 15And Ishmael the son of Nethaniah escaped with eight men from the encounter confronting Johanan, and he went to the sons of Ammon. 16And Johanan the son of Kareah and all the officers of the forces which were with him, with all the remainder of the people whom he had recovered from Ishmael the son of Nethaniah from Mizpah after he had struck down Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, took men, warriors and women and children, and eunuchs, whom he had recovered from Gibeon, 17and they set off, and they stayed in the lodging place of Chimham, which is beside Bethlehem, on their way to go to Egypt, 18because of the Chaldeans, because they were afraid of them, because Ishmael the son of Nethaniah had struck down Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, whom the king of Babylon had appointed in the land.

Jeremiah Chapter 42 

1Then all the officers of the forces, and Johanan the son of Kareah and Jezaniah the son of Hoshaiah, and all the people both small and great, approached, 2and they said to Jeremiah the prophet, “May our plea be admitted before you, and pray to the Lord your God for us, for all this remnant, for we are left with few, from being many, as your eyes see us. 3And may the Lord your God tell us the way by which we should go and the things which we should do.” 4And Jeremiah the prophet said to them, “I have heard you. I am about to pray to the Lord your God according to your words, and it will come to pass that I will tell you every word which the Lord answers you. I will not withhold anything from you.” 5Then they said to Jeremiah, “May the Lord be a true and faithful witness among us. We will certainly do everything that the Lord your God sends word of to you concerning us. 6Whether it is good or bad news, we will obey the Lord our God to whom we send you, in order that it may go well with us, for we will obey the Lord our God.” 7And it came to pass after ten days that the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah, 8and he summoned Johanan the son of Kareah and all the officers of the forces which were with him, and all the people both small and great, 9and he said to them, “This is what the Lord God of Israel, to whom you sent me, to present your plea before him, says: 10‘If you are resolved to live in this land, I will build you up, and I will not pull you down, and I will plant you, and I will not pluck you up, for I will have a change of heart concerning the harm which I have done to you. 11Do not be afraid of the king of Babylon, of whose presence you are fearful. Do not fear him, says the Lord, for I am with you to save you and to deliver you from his hand. 12And I will show you compassion, so that he is compassionate towards you, and he brings you back to your land. 13But if you say, «We will not live in this land», so not obeying the Lord your God, 14saying, «No, instead we will go to the land of Egypt, where we will not see war, and we will not hear the sound of the ramshorn, and we will not have a famine of bread, and it is there that we will live», 15then hear now the word of the Lord, you remnant of Judah. This is what the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel says: «If you are determinedly resolved to go to Egypt, and you go to take up residence there, 16then the sword will come, which you fear. It will catch up with you there in the land of Egypt, and the famine which you are concerned about will cling to you there in Egypt, and there you will die. 17And all the people who resolved to go to Egypt to take up residence there will be the ones who die by the sword and by famine and by a plague, and they will have no-one either escaped or delivered from the harm which I will bring on them. 18For this is what the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, says: ‹When my anger and my fury are poured out on the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so will my fury be poured out on you, if you go to Egypt, and you will be an object of cursing and astonishment and vilification and reproach, and you will no longer see this place.› » ’ 19The Lord has spoken to you, you remnant of Judah. Do not go to Egypt. Know with certainty that I have testified against you today. 20For you have erred in your sentiments, for you sent me to the Lord your God saying, ‘Pray to the Lord our God for us, and whatever the Lord our God says, tell us, and we will do it.’ 21And I have told you today, but you did not obey the Lord your God, nor anything with which he sent me to you. 22So now, know with certainty that you will die by the sword and by a famine and by a plague in the place where you wish to go to take up residence.”

Jeremiah Chapter 43 

1And it came to pass, when Jeremiah, whom the Lord their God had sent to them, had finished speaking to all the people all the words of the Lord their God – all these words – 2that Azariah the son of Hoshaiah and Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the impertinent men spoke and said to Jeremiah, “You are speaking lies. The Lord our God did not send you to say, ‘You shall not go to Egypt to take up residence there.’ 3For Baruch the son of Neriah is inciting you against us, in order to deliver us into the hands of the Chaldeans, for them to kill us and to deport us to Babylon.” 4And neither Johanan the son of Kareah nor any of the officers of the forces, nor any of the people, obeyed the Lord, that they should remain in the land of Judah. 5And Johanan the son of Kareah and all the officers of the forces took all the remainder of Judah which had returned to live in the land of Judah from all the nations into which they had been driven 6– the men and the women and the children and the king's daughters and every person whom Nebuzaradan the chief guard had let remain with Gedaliah, the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, and with Jeremiah the prophet, and with Baruch, the son of Neriah – 7and they went to the land of Egypt, for they did not obey the Lord, and they came to Tahpanhes. 8And the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah in Tahpanhes and said, 9“Take some large stones in your hand and conceal them in the mortar in the mastaba which is at the entrance to Pharaoh's house in Tahpanhes, in the sight of some Jewish men, 10and say to them, ‘This is what the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, says: «I am about to send a spiritual force, and I will take Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon, my servant, and I will put his throne above these stones, which I have hidden, and he will stretch his royal canopy out over them. 11And he will come, and he will attack the land of Egypt. He who is destined for death will go to death, and he who is destined for captivity will go into captivity, and he who is destined for the sword will go to the sword. 12And I will kindle a fire in the houses of the gods of Egypt, and he will burn them and take them captive, and he will clothe himself with the spoils of the land of Egypt, as a shepherd clothes himself in his garment, and he will depart from there in peace. 13And he will break down the images in Beth-Shemesh, which is in the land of Egypt, and he will burn the houses of the gods of Egypt with fire.» ’ ”

Jeremiah Chapter 44 

1This is the word which came to Jeremiah concerning all the Jews who were living in the land of Egypt, who lived in Migdol and in Tahpanhes and in Noph and in the land of Pathros. And it said, 2“This is what the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, says: ‘You see all the harm which I have brought on Jerusalem and on all the cities of Judah, and there they are, a desolation on this day, and there is no inhabitant in them, 3because of their evil which they have done, so as to provoke me to anger, by going to burn incense, and by serving other gods whom they had not known, neither they, nor you, nor your fathers. 4Yet I sent to them all my servants the prophets, rising early and sending them, to say, «Please do not do this abominable thing, which I hate.» 5But they did not listen, and they did not incline their ears, by turning away from their evil – by not burning incense to other gods. 6So my fury with my anger was poured out, and it burned in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem, which became a ruin and a desolation, as on this day. 7So now, this is what the Lord God of hosts, the God of Israel, says: «Why are you committing a great evil against yourselves, by going and cutting off from Judah man and woman, child and infant, not leaving yourselves a remnant, 8so as to provoke me to anger with the works of your hands, by burning incense to other gods in the land of Egypt, where you went to take up residence, cutting yourselves off, and so becoming an object of cursing and reproach among all the nations of the earth? 9Have you forgotten the evil deeds of your fathers, and the evil deeds of the kings of Judah, and the evil deeds of their wives, and your own evil deeds, and the evil deeds of your wives which they committed in the land of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem? 10They have not been contrite up to this day, and they have not shown fear, and they have not walked in my law, nor in my statutes which I set before you and before your fathers. 11That is why this is what the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, says: ‹I am about to take a firm stand against you, to your detriment, and to cut the whole of Judah off. 12And I will take the residue of Judah who took a firm stand to go to the land of Egypt, to take up residence there. And all of them in the land of Egypt will come to an end. They will fall by the sword and by famine. They will come to an end, both small and great. They will die by the sword and by famine, and they will be an object of cursing and of astonishment and of vilification and of reproach. 13And I will visit those who dwell in the land of Egypt, as I visited Jerusalem, with the sword, with famine and with a plague. 14And there will be no-one either escaped or surviving from the residue of Judah who go to take up residence there in the land of Egypt, and to return to the land of Judah which they have set their heart on to return to, and to dwell there, for they will not return, except for escapees.› » ’ ” 15Then all the men who knew that their wives burned incense to other gods, and all the women who stood in a large convocation, and all the people who inhabited the land of Egypt in Pathros, answered Jeremiah and said, 16As for the words which you have spoken to us in the name of the Lord, we are not going to heed you. 17For we insist on doing everything that left our mouth, to burn incense to the queen of heaven, and to pour out libations to her, as we and our fathers, our kings and our officials did in the cities of Judah and on the streets of Jerusalem. And we had plenty of food, and we were prosperous, and we did not see trouble. 18But since we stopped burning incense to the queen of heaven, and pouring libations out to her, we have had a shortage of everything, and we have been perishing by the sword and by famine. 19And when we were burning incense to the queen of heaven and pouring libations out to her, was it without our men that we made for her sacrificial cakes to worship her, and that we poured out libations to her?” 20Then Jeremiah spoke to all the people, against the men and against the women and against all the people who had given him that answer, and he said, 21“Has the Lord not remembered the burning of incense which you burned in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem – you and your fathers, your kings and your officials, and the people of the land – and has it not come to his mind? 22And the Lord can no longer endure the evil of your deeds – the abominations which you have committed – so your land has become a ruin and a desolation and an object of cursing, without an inhabitant, as it is this day, 23because you burned incense and because you sinned against the Lord, and you did not obey the Lord, and you did not walk in his law or in his statutes or in his testimonies, which is why this trouble has befallen you, as it is this day.” 24Then Jeremiah said to all the people including all the women, “Hear the word of the Lord, all you of Judah who are in the land of Egypt. 25This is what the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, says: ‘You and your wives have spoken vociferously, and you have confirmed it for your part, saying, «We will certainly fulfil our vows which we have made, to burn incense to the queen of heaven and to pour out libations to her.» You will certainly carry out your vows, and your vows you will certainly perform. 26Therefore hear the word of the Lord, all you of Judah who are living in the land of Egypt. Behold, I have sworn by my great name, says the Lord, that my name will certainly not be called on in the mouth of any man of Judah, saying, «As my Lord the Lord lives», in all the land of Egypt. 27I am about to watch over them to their detriment and not to their benefit, and every man of Judah who is in the land of Egypt will come to an end by the sword and by famine until they have been annihilated. 28But some who escape the sword will return from the land of Egypt to the land of Judah – a few men – and the whole residue of Judah who went to the land of Egypt to take up residence there will know whose word will be established, mine or theirs. 29And this is a sign to you, says the Lord, that I am going to visit you in this place, so that you will know that my words concerning you to your detriment will certainly be established. 30This is what the Lord says: «I am about to deliver Pharaoh Hophra king of Egypt into the hand of his enemies, and into the hand of those who seek his life, as I delivered Zedekiah king of Judah into the hand of Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon – his enemy, and one who sought his life.» ’ ”

Jeremiah Chapter 45 

1The words which Jeremiah the prophet spoke to Baruch the son of Neriah, when he wrote these words in a book at Jeremiah's dictation in the fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, the king of Judah, and he said, 2“This is what the Lord God of Israel says to you, Baruch: 3‘You have said, «Oh woe is me, for the Lord has added grief to my sorrow. I have toiled in my sighing, and I have not found rest.» ’ 4This is what you will say to him: ‘This is what the Lord says: «Behold, what I have built, I will demolish, and what I have planted, I will pluck up, so doing to all that land. 5Now will you ask for great things for yourself? Do not ask for them, for I am about to bring harm on all flesh, says the Lord, but I will give you your life as spoil in all the places you go to.» ’ ”

Jeremiah Chapter 46 

1The word of the Lord which came to Jeremiah the prophet concerning the nations, 2about Egypt, concerning the forces of Pharaoh Necho king of Egypt, which were at the River Euphrates in Carchemish, which Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon attacked in the fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, the king of Judah.

3“Take up the buckler and the shield,

And give battle.

4Harness the horses,

And mount them, you horsemen,

And take your stand in helmets.

Polish the spears;

Put the coat of mail on.

5Why have I seen them in a state of fear,

In retreat,

With their warriors routed,

And fleeing hastily,

Not turning round,

With fear all around?

Says the Lord.

6Don't let the light foot soldiers flee,

And don't let the warrior take flight;

They will falter and fall in the north

By the side of the River Euphrates.

7Who is this who is arising like the Nile,

Whose water rages as with fast-flowing rivers?

8Egypt is rising like the Nile,

Whose water rages as with fast-flowing rivers,

And it has said,

‘I will rise up and cover the land.

I will destroy the city

And the inhabitants in it.’

9Rise up, you horses,

And move madly, you chariots,

And let the warriors set out

– Ethiopians and Libyans

Who wield the shield,

And the Lydians

Who wield and draw the bow.

10For that day is for the Lord

– The Lord of hosts –

A day of vengeance,

For him to be avenged on his adversaries.

And the sword will consume and be satiated,

And be bathed in their blood,

For the Lord – the Lord of hosts – will have a sacrifice

In the northern land at the River Euphrates.

11O virgin daughter of Egypt,

Go up to Gilead

And fetch balsam resin.

You have increased your medications in vain,

And you shall not make a recovery.

12The nations have heard of your shame,

And your outcry has filled the earth,

For warrior has stumbled against warrior,

And the two of them have fallen together.”

13The word which the Lord spoke to Jeremiah the prophet, on the occasion of Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon coming to attack the land of Egypt.

14“Announce it in Egypt,

And proclaim it in Migdol,

And proclaim it in Noph and in Tahpanhes.

Say, ‘Take your stand and prepare yourself,

For the sword will consume around you.’

15Why have your mighty men been swept away?

They did not stand firm,

For the Lord repulsed them.

16He made many stumble;

Indeed, one fell on another,

So that they said,

‘Get up and let us return to our people,

And to our native land,

Because of the ravaging sword.’

17They called out there,

‘Pharaoh king of Egypt is in a tumult;

He has let the set time pass by.’

18As I live, says the king,

The Lord of hosts is his name,

As Tabor is among the mountains,

And Carmel is by the sea,

He will come.

19Make yourself articles for your deportation,

O resident daughter of Egypt,

For Noph will become a desolation,

And it will be burned without leaving an inhabitant.

20Egypt is a very beautiful calf,

But destruction will come from the north

– It will come.

21Her hired soldiers in her precincts

Are also like fatted calves,

For they too have turned back

And fled together and did not stand,

For the day of their downfall has come over them

– The time of their visitation.

22Her voice will give utterance like a serpent,

For they will advance with an army,

And they will come against her with axes,

Like hewers of wood.

23They will cut her forest down,

Says the Lord,

Although it cannot be searched out,

For they are more numerous than locusts

– Countless they are.

24The daughter of Egypt will be ashamed;

She will be delivered into the hand of the people of the north.”

25The Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, says, “I am about to visit Amon of No, and Pharaoh, and Egypt, and its gods, and its kings – both Pharaoh and those who put their trust in him. 26And I will deliver them into the hand of those who seek their lives, both into the hand of Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon and into the hand of his servants. And after that it will be inhabited as in former days, says the Lord.

27But don't you fear, Jacob my servant,

And do not be afraid, Israel,

For I am about to save you from a distance,

And your seed from the land of their captivity,

And Jacob will return,

And he will be quiet and undisturbed,

With no-one causing fear.

28Don't you fear, my servant Jacob,

Says the Lord,

For I am with you,

For I will make an end of all the nations

To which I have driven you,

But I will not make an end of you,

But I will discipline you judicially

And I will certainly not acquit you.”

Jeremiah Chapter 47 

1The word of the Lord which came to Jeremiah the prophet concerning the Philistines, before Pharaoh attacked Gaza.

2“This is what the Lord says:

‘Behold water rising up from the north,

Which will become an overflowing torrent,

And which will inundate the land and its fulness,

And the city and those inhabiting it.

And the men will shout out,

And every inhabitant of the land will howl.

3At the sound of the stamping of the hoofs of his strong horses,

At the rattling of his chariot fleet

– The clatter of its wheels –

The fathers will not turn their attention to their sons,

From their lack of strength,

4Because of the day which is coming,

To plunder all the Philistines,

To cut off every remnant

Who assists Tyre and Sidon,

For the Lord will plunder the Philistines,

And the remnant of the island of Caphtor.

5Baldness has come on Gaza;

Ashkelon is reduced to silence,

As is the rest of their valley.

How long will you make incisions on yourself?

6Alas!

O sword of the Lord,

How long will you not be at rest?

Be put back in your sheath;

Rest and be quiet.

7How can you be at rest?

Because the Lord has commanded it in Ashkelon

And at the sea coast

– He has appointed it there.’ ”

Jeremiah Chapter 48 

1To Moab, this is what the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, says:

“Woe to Nebo,

For it has been devastated.

Kiriathaim has been put to shame and captured.

Misgab has been put to shame

And is in disarray.

2There is no more praising of Moab.

In Heshbon they have plotted harm against it, saying,

‘Come, let us cut it off from being a nation.’

City of Madmen, you will also be reduced to silence;

The sword will come after you.

3There is a sound of shouting from Horonaim,

Of violence and large scale wreckage.

4Moab has collapsed;

Her young ones have uttered a shout.

5For in the ascent of Luhith,

Weeping upon weeping will arise.

For at the descent of Horonaim,

The distressing shout of destruction was heard.

6Take flight,

Save your life,

And be like a leafless tree

In the desert.

7For since your trust is in your works and your treasures,

You too will be captured,

And Chemosh will go into exile

– Its priests and its officials together.

8The plunderer will go to every city,

And no city will escape,

And the valley will be lost,

And the plain will be laid waste,

According to what the Lord says.

9Give Moab plumage,

For it urgently needs to take flight,

And its cities will be a desolation,

Without any inhabitant left in them.

10Cursed is he who does the Lord's work remissly,

And cursed is he who withholds his sword from blood.

11Moab has been at ease since its youth,

And it has been resting on its lees

And has not been emptied from jar to jar

And has not gone into exile,

Which is why its original taste remains,

And its smell is unchanged.

12Therefore behold, the days are coming,

Says the Lord,

When I will send tilters who will tilt it

And empty its jars

And burst their wineskins.

13And Moab will be ashamed of Chemosh,

As the house of Israel was ashamed of Beth-El,

Their object of confidence.

14How can you say,

‘We are valiant men

And warriors ready for war’?

15Moab has been plundered,

And its cities have gone up in flames,

And the elite of its youths have gone down to face slaughter,

Says the king

– The Lord of hosts is his name.

16The downfall of Moab is close to coming,

And its demise is hastening fast.

17Bewail it,

All who are around it,

And all who know its name.

Say, ‘How the strong sceptre has been broken

– The magnificent staff.’

18Come down from glory,

And dwell in thirst,

You daughter who dwells in Dibon,

For the despoiler of Moab has come up against you

And will sack your fortresses.

19Stand on the road and keep watch,

You inhabitant of Aroer.

Ask a fugitive and one who has escaped,

And say, ‘What has happened?’

20Moab has been put to shame,

For it is in disarray;

Wail and cry out

And report in Arnon

That Moab has been despoiled.

21And judgment has come on the level country,

On Holon, and on Jahzah,

And on Mephaath,

22And on Dibon, and on Nebo,

And on Beth-Diblathaim,

23And on Kiriathaim, and on Beth-Gamul,

And on Beth-Meon,

24And on Kerioth, and on Bozrah,

And on all the cities of the land of Moab

– Those far off

And those nearby.

25The horn of Moab has been cut off,

And its arm has been broken,

Says the Lord.

26Make it drunk,

For it has exalted itself against the Lord.

But Moab will wallow in its own vomit,

And it too will become a laughing stock.

27And was not Israel a laughing stock to you?

Was it found among thieves?

For every time you speak against it,

You convulse with laughter.

28Leave the cities and dwell in the rock,

You inhabitants of Moab,

And be like a dove;

It builds its nest at the sides of the mouth of a pit.

29We have heard of the pride of Moab

He is very proud –

His arrogance and his pride and his haughtiness,

And the exaltation of his heart.

30I know,

Says the Lord,

His presumptuousness,

But he is dishonest;

His lies deal dishonestly.

31Which is why I will wail for Moab,

And for all Moab I will cry out,

And for the men of Kir-Heres he will lament.

32O vine of Sibmah,

I will weep for you

With more than the weeping of Jazer.

Your shoots have crossed the sea;

They have reached the sea of Jazer.

The plunderer has attacked your summer harvest and your grape harvest.

33And joy and rejoicing have been taken away

From the cultivated land and from the land of Moab.

And I have put a stop to wine from the wine vats;

They will not tread wine with shouting

– The shouting will be different shouting.

34Because of the crying out in Heshbon to Elealeh,

And to Jahaz,

They have raised their voice,

And from Zoar to Horonaim

– A heifer three years old –

For the waters of Nimrim will also become desolations.

35And I will put a stop,

Says the Lord,

To anyone in Moab going up to an idolatrous raised site,

And burning incense to his gods.

36This is why my heart is humming for Moab

Like pipe music for a dirge,

And my heart is humming for the men of Kir-Heres

Like pipe music:

Because the wealth which they had accumulated

Has gone to waste.

37For every head will be bald,

And every beard removed.

On all hands will be incisions,

And around the waist,

Sackcloth.

38On all the roofs of Moab and in its streets

There will be mourning all round,

For I will have broken Moab

Like an article in which there is no satisfaction,

Says the Lord.

39‘How it is in disarray’,

They will howl,

‘How Moab has turned its back in shame.’

And Moab will be a laughing stock

And a cause of trepidation

To all those around it.

40For this is what the Lord says:

‘Look, he will swoop like an eagle

And spread his wings over Moab.

41Kerioth will be captured,

And the strongholds will be taken,

And the hearts of the warriors of Moab on that day

Will be like the heart of a woman in labour pains.

42And Moab will be cut off from being a people,

For it has exalted itself against the Lord.

43Fear, and a pitfall, and a snare

Are looming over you,

You inhabitants of Moab,

Says the Lord.

44And the fugitive from the fear

Will fall into the pit,

And he who comes up out of the pit

Will be caught in the snare,

For I will bring on it

– On Moab –

The year of their visitation,

Says the Lord.

45Those who flee from the invading force

Will stand in the shadow of Heshbon,

But a fire will come out of Heshbon,

And a flame from the midst of Sihon,

And it will consume the sideboards of Moab

And the crown of the head of the tumultuous warriors.

46Woe to you, Moab.

The people of Chemosh have been ruined,

For your sons have been taken into captivity,

And your daughters into deportation.

47But I will reverse the captivity of Moab

In the latter days,

Says the Lord.’ ”

That was the judgment on Moab.

Jeremiah Chapter 49 

1To the sons of Ammon, this is what the Lord says:

“Does Israel not have sons?

Does it not have an heir?

Why has their king dispossessed Gad,

So that his people live in his cities?

2Behold, that is why the days are coming,

Says the Lord,

When I will cause a battle-cry to be heard in Rabbah of the sons of Ammon,

And it will become a desolate heap of ruins,

And its satellite villages will be burned with fire,

And Israel will inherit those who dispossessed it,

Says the Lord.

3Howl, Heshbon,

For Ai has been sacked.

Cry out, you satellite villages of Rabbah.

Bind on sackcloth, mourn;

Run to and fro in the fenced places,

For their king will go into exile,

Together with his priests and his officials.

4Why do you boast of the valleys,

O flowing valley of yours?

– O rebellious daughter,

Who trust in your treasures,

Thinking, ‘Who can come against me?’

5I am about to bring fear on you,

Says the Lord,

The Lord of hosts,

Of all those around you.

And you will be driven out,

Each at his advance,

And there will be no-one gathering up him who flees.

6But afterwards I will reverse the captivity of the sons of Ammon,

Says the Lord.”

7To Edom, this is what the Lord of hosts says:

Is there no longer wisdom in Teman?

Has counsel deserted those who should have understanding?

Has their wisdom been spilt?

8Flee, turn;

Make where you live deep down,

You inhabitants of Dedan,

For I will bring the downfall of Esau on it

When I visit it.

9If those who pick grapes come to you,

They will not leave anything to glean.

If thieves come in the night,

They will plunder as much as they want.

10For I have laid Esau bare;

I have revealed his secret places,

And he cannot hide.

His seed has been despoiled,

As have his brothers and his neighbours,

And he is not to be found.

11Leave your orphans;

I will sustain them,

And your widows will trust in me.

12For this is what the Lord says: ‘Behold, those whose judgment was not to drink the cup have certainly drunk it, so will you be the one who is completely absolved? You will not be absolved, but you will certainly drink it. 13For I have sworn by myself, says the Lord, that Bozrah will be a desolation, an object of reproach, a desert and an object of cursing. And all its cities will become age-abiding desert places.’ ”

14I have heard a report from the Lord,

And an envoy sent among the nations,

Saying, “Assemble and come against it,

And rise up for war.

15For look,

I will make you small among the nations

– Despised among men.

16Your monstrous idol has deceived you

By the presumption of your heart,

You who dwell in the fissures of the rock

You who hold the summit of the hill.

Even if you make your nest as high as an eagle,

I will bring you down from there,

Says the Lord.

17And Edom will become a desolation.

Everyone who passes through it

Will be astonished

And will jeer at all its wrecked places,

18As at the overthrow of Sodom and Gomorrah and its neighbours,

Says the Lord.

Not a man will dwell there,

And not a son of Adam will reside in it.

19Behold, he will come up like a lion

From the splendour of the Jordan,

To the residence of the strong one,

For I will act all of a sudden

And make it run from the place.

And who is chosen

So that I may appoint him over it?

For who is like me,

And who can arraign me?

And who is this shepherd

Who will stand before me?

20So hear the counsel of the Lord

With which he gave counsel concerning Edom,

And his purposes which he has conceived

Regarding the inhabitants of Teman.

Men will certainly drag away the young of the sheep;

He will certainly devastate their dwelling places,

To their cost.

21At the sound of their fall,

The earth will shake.

As for the outcry,

The sound of it will be heard at the Red Sea.

22Look, he will rise like an eagle

And swoop and spread his wings over Bozrah,

And the hearts of the warriors of Edom on that day

Will be like the heart of a woman in labour pains.”

23To Damascus:

“Hamath has been put to shame,

As has Arpad,

For they have heard a calamitous report.

They are melting away.

In the sea there is anxiety;

It cannot be at rest.

24Damascus has become feeble;

It has taken to flight,

And trembling has seized it.

Distress and pains have seized it,

As a woman in childbirth.

25How the praised city is unrestored

– My joyful town!

26That is why its young men will fall in its streets,

And all the warriors will be cut down,

On that day,

Says the Lord of hosts.

27And I will light a fire at the wall of Damascus,

And it will consume the palaces of Ben-Hadad.”

28To Kedar and to the kingdoms of Hazor which Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon attacked. This is what the Lord says:

“Arise, go up to Kedar,

And plunder the easterners.

29Let them take their tents and their sheep;

Let them transport their curtains and all their equipment and their camels,

So that they shout to them,

There is terror all around.’

30Flee, take flight urgently;

Live in a deep place,

You inhabitants of Hazor,

Says the Lord,

For Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon has decided on a course of action against you,

And he has devised a stratagem opposing you.

31Arise, go up to a nation at ease

And dwelling in confidence,

Says the Lord,

Without doors and not having a bolt.

They each dwell in a solitary way.

32And their camels will be a spoil,

And the large quantity of their cattle will be plunder,

And I will scatter them to every wind

– Those who have had their sidelocks cut –

And I will bring about their downfall

From every side of it,

Says the Lord.

33And Hazor will become a den of jackals

– An age-abiding desolation.

No man will live there,

And no son of Adam will reside in it.”

34The word of the Lord which came to Jeremiah the prophet concerning Elam, at the start of the reign of Zedekiah king of Judah, which said,

35“This is what the Lord of hosts says:

‘I am about to break Elam's bow

– The principal source of their strength.

36And I will bring the four winds

From the four ends of the skies on Elam,

And I will scatter them by all these winds,

And there will be no nation

Where those driven out of Elam do not go.

37And I will terrify Elam

When they face their enemies,

And when they face those who seek their life.

And I will bring trouble on them

– The fury of my wrath –

Says the Lord,

And I will send the sword after them

Until I have finished them off.

38And I will place my throne in Elam,

And I will eradicate the king and officials from there,

Says the Lord.

39But it will come to pass in the latter days

That I will reverse the captivity of Elam,

Says the Lord.’ ”

Jeremiah Chapter 50 

1The word which the Lord spoke concerning Babylon – concerning the land of the Chaldeans – through the intermediacy of Jeremiah the prophet.

2“Tell it to the nations,

And proclaim it,

And raise a banner.

Proclaim it;

Do not conceal it.

Say, ‘Babylon has been captured,

Bel has been put to shame;

Merodach has been thrown into disarray.

Its images have been put to shame;

Its idols have been thrown into disarray.

3For a nation from the north has come up against it;

It will make its land a desolation,

And there will not be anyone inhabiting it.

Both man and beast will flee and depart.’

4In those days, and at that time,

Says the Lord,

The sons of Israel and the sons of Judah

Will come together.

They will go about weeping profusely,

And they will seek the Lord their God.

5They will ask for Zion

– That destination is their goal –

And say, ‘Come, and let us be joined to the Lord

In an age-abiding covenant

Which will not be forgotten.’

6My people were sheep going astray,

For their shepherds caused them to stray.

The mountains have turned them aside,

They have gone from mountain to hill;

They have forgotten their resting place.

7All who find them will devour them,

And their adversaries will say,

‘We will not incur guilt,

Because they have sinned against the Lord

– The home of righteousness,

The hope of their fathers,

The Lord.’

8Flee from Babylon

And from the Chaldeans.

Depart

And be like goats in the company of sheep.

9For I am about to arouse and bring up against Babylon a contingent of great nations

From the land of the north,

And they will draw up against it,

And from there it will be captured.

Its arrows will be like a warrior causing bereavement,

Who does not return empty-handed.

10And Chaldea will be a spoil,

And all who despoil it will be satisfied,

Says the Lord.

11For you were glad,

For you exulted,

You plunderers of my inheritance,

For you feasted yourselves like a threshing calf,

And you bellowed like strong bulls.

12Your mother will be put to great shame;

She who gave birth to you will be put to the blush.

Behold, the final state of the nations

Will be desert, parched ground,

And an arid land.

13Because of the Lord's wrath,

It will not be inhabited,

But all of it will become a desolation.

Everyone who passes by Babylon will be astonished

And will jeer at all its wrecked places.

14Draw up against Babylon around it,

All you who draw the bow.

Shoot at it;

Do not spare an arrow,

For it has sinned against the Lord.

15Shout at it all around.

It has surrendered,

Its foundations have fallen;

Its walls have been demolished,

For it is the Lord's vengeance.

Take vengeance on it;

Do to it as it has done.

16Cut off the sower from Babylon

And him who wields the sickle in the harvest season.

At the presence of the oppressing sword,

Let each man turn to his people,

And let each man flee to his own country.

17Israel is a scattered flock of sheep;

Lions have driven them out.

First the king of Assyria consumed them,

And just recently Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon has broken their bones,

18Which is why this is what the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, says:

‘I am about to visit the king of Babylon and his land,

As I visited the king of Assyria.

19And I will bring Israel back to their home,

And they will feed on Carmel and Bashan,

And their appetite will be satisfied

On Mount Ephraim and in Gilead.

20In those days and at that time,

Says the Lord,

Israel's iniquity will be sought,

But it will not be there,

And Judah's sins,

But they will not be found,

For I will pardon those

Whom I leave remaining.

21Go up against it

– Against the land of Merathaim

And against the inhabitants of Pekod.

Make them desolate and obliterate them,

Says the Lord,

And do everything I command you.

22There is the sound of war in the land,

And of extensive destruction.

23How the hammer of the whole earth is cut off and broken!

How Babylon has become an object of astonishment

Among the nations!

24I set a trap for you,

And you were duly caught, Babylon,

And you were not aware of it.

You were found and duly caught,

For you contended with the Lord.

25The Lord opened his storehouse

And brought out instruments of his indignation,

For this is the work of the Lord, the Lord of hosts

In the land of the Chaldeans.

26Go to it from the furthest point,

Open its granaries;

Cast it up into heaps,

And obliterate it.

Don't let it have any remnant.

27Dispatch all its bulls;

Let them go to the slaughter.

Woe to them,

For their day has come

– The time of their visitation.

28There will be the sound of those who flee,

And those who escape from the land of Babylon,

To report in Zion

The vengeance of the Lord our God

– The avenging of his temple.

29Call up the archers to go to Babylon

– All who draw the bow.

Encamp against it all around;

Do not let it have anyone who escapes.

Requite it according to its own course of action;

Do to it according to everything which it did,

For it has acted defiantly against the Lord

– Against the holy one of Israel,

30Which is why its youths will fall in its streets,

And all its warriors will be cut down on that day,

Says the Lord.

31I will soon be against you, Defiance,

Says the Lord, the Lord of hosts,

For your day is coming

– The time when I will visit you.

32And Defiance will stumble and fall;

It will have no-one to raise it up.

And I will light a fire in its cities,

Which will consume all its surrounding areas.’

33This is what the Lord of hosts says:

‘The sons of Israel and the sons of Judah have been oppressed together,

And all those who took them captive

Have held on to them;

They have refused to let them go.

34Their redeemer is strong;

The Lord of hosts is his name.

He will certainly defend their cause

So as to bring calm to the land

And to bring disquiet

To the inhabitants of Babylon.

35The sword against the Chaldeans!

Says the Lord,

And against the inhabitants of Babylon,

And against its officials,

And against its wise men.

36The sword against those who falsify,

And they will be seen to have been foolish.

The sword against its valiant men,

And they will be terrified.

37The sword against his horses,

And against his chariot fleet,

And against all the mixed foreigners who are in it,

So that they become women.

The sword against its treasuries,

So that they are plundered.

38A drought on its waters,

So that they dry up,

For it is a land of carved images,

And so that they are driven mad by their monstrosities.

39So the desert creatures will live

With the animals of the coastlands,

And ostriches will live in it.

And it will never be inhabited any more,

And it will not be dwelt in from generation to generation.

40As in God's overthrow of Sodom and Gomorrah and its neighbours,

Says the Lord,

No man will live there,

And no son of Adam will reside there.

41Behold, a people is coming from the north,

And a great nation and many kings.

They will be stirred up

From the remote parts of the earth.

42They will wield bow and spear.

They are cruel,

And they will not show compassion.

The sound of them is as when the sea rages,

And they ride on horses.

Each will be drawn up as a man of war against you,

O daughter of Babylon.

43The king of Babylon has heard the report about them,

And his hands have become limp.

Anguish has seized him,

As has pain

As of a woman giving birth.

44Behold, he will come up like a lion

From the splendour of the Jordan

To the residence of the strong one,

For I will act all of a sudden

And make them run away from the place.

And who is chosen

So that I may appoint him over it?

For who is like me,

And who can arraign me?

And who is this shepherd

Who will stand before me?

45So hear the counsel of the Lord

With which he gave counsel concerning Babylon,

And his purposes which he has conceived

Regarding the land of the Chaldeans.

Men will certainly drag away the young of the sheep,

And he will certainly devastate their dwelling place

To their cost.

46At the sound when Babylon is captured,

The earth will shake,

And an outcry will be heard among the nations.’ ”

Reference(s) in Chapter 50: v.39 ↔ Revelation 18:2.

Jeremiah Chapter 51 

1This is what the Lord says:

“I am about to stir up a destructive wind against Babylon

And against the inhabitants of the Chaldees.

2And I will send foreigners to Babylon,

Who will winnow it and empty its land,

For they will be against it all around on the baneful day,

3 Against the archer who draws his bow,

And against him who exalts himself in his coat of mail.

And do not spare its young men;

Obliterate all of its army.

4And casualties will fall in the land of the Chaldeans

With men pierced through in its streets.

5For Israel has not been widowed,

Nor Judah, from their God

– From the Lord of hosts –

Although their land is full of guilt

Against the holy one of Israel.

6Flee from Babylon,

And let each save his life.

Do not be cut down in its iniquity,

For it is the time of the Lord's vengeance,

When he requites it with retribution.

7Babylon was a golden cup in the Lord's hand

A cup which made the whole earth drunk.

Nations drank its wine,

Which is why the nations are acting in a mad way.

8Babylon will fall suddenly,

And it will collapse.

Wail for it,

Fetch balsam for its wounds;

Maybe it can be healed.

9We applied healing to Babylon,

But it did not become healed.

Leave it and let each of us go to his own country,

For its case in law has reached the heavens,

And it has been raised to the skies.

10The Lord has vindicated us.

Come, let us report in Zion

What the Lord our God has done.

11Polish the arrows;

Take up the shields.

The Lord has stirred up the spirit of the kings of Media,

For his purpose is against Babylon,

To bring ruin on it,

For it is the Lord's vengeance

– The avenging of his temple.

12Raise a standard at Babylon's walls,

Make the watch strong,

Set up guards,

Prepare ambushes,

For the Lord has both purposed and will do

What he has declared

To the inhabitants of Babylon.

13You dwell by much water,

You are rich in treasures,

But your end has come

– The just deserts of your plundering.

14The Lord of hosts has sworn by himself and said,

‘I will certainly fill you with men, like devouring locusts,

And they will raise a shout against you.’

15He is the maker of the earth by his power

– The preparer of the world by his wisdom –

Who stretched out the heavens with his understanding.

16When he sounds his voice,

There is roaring of water in the sky,

And he makes vapours rise from the end of the earth.

He produces lightning with the rain,

And he brings wind out of his storehouses.

17Every man has become deficient in knowledge;

Every metalsmith has become ashamed of the idol,

For his cast figure is a false thing,

And there is no spirit in them.

18They are vanity

– A work based on delusions.

At the time of their visitation,

They will perish.

19Such is not the portion of Jacob;

Rather, it is he who is the fashioner of everything,

And of the sceptre of his inheritance

– The Lord of hosts is his name.

20You are my hammer

– Instruments of war –

And I will crush nations with you,

And I will bring ruin on kingdoms with you.

21And I will crush a horse and its rider with you,

And I will crush a chariot and its rider with you,

22And I will crush man and woman with you,

And I will crush old and young with you,

And I will crush the young man and the virgin girl with you,

23And I will crush shepherd and his flock with you,

And I will crush farmer and his yoke of oxen with you,

And I will crush governors and administrators with you.

24And I will requite Babylon

And all the inhabitants of the Chaldees

For all the harm they have done to Zion before your eyes,

Says the Lord.

25I am here against you,

You mountain which bring ruin,

Says the Lord,

You who bring ruin on the whole earth,

And I have stretched out my hand against you,

And I will roll you down from the rocks,

And I will make you a blazing mountain.

26And they will not take from you stone for a cornerstone,

Or stone for foundations,

For you will be an age-abiding desolate area,

Says the Lord.

27Raise a standard in the land,

Sound the ramshorn among the nations,

Consecrate nations against it;

Summon against it the kingdoms of Ararat, Minni, and Ashkenaz.

Appoint a general against it;

Bring up horses like the bristly devouring locust.

28Consecrate nations against it

– The kings of Media,

Their governors and all their administrators,

And the whole land under its rule.

29And the land will shake and tremble,

For the purposes of the Lord will be established against Babylon

So as to make the land of Babylon a desolation

Without an inhabitant.

30The warriors of Babylon have stopped fighting;

They have remained in the fortresses.

Their valour has ebbed away,

They have become women,

Its homes have been burned;

Its bolts have been broken.

31One runner is running towards another,

And one messenger towards another,

To tell the king of Babylon

That his city has been captured

From end to end.

32And the fords have been captured,

And the reedy places have been burned with fire,

And the combatants have become terrified.

33For this is what the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, says:

‘The daughter of Babylon is like a threshing floor

At the time for it to be trodden.

In a little while,

The time of harvesting it will come.’ ”

34“Nebuchadrezzar the king of Babylon has devoured me,

He has routed me,

He has presented me as an empty vessel,

He has swallowed me as a crocodile does,

He has filled his belly with my delightful things;

He has driven me out.

35The violence I have suffered

And that of my kin

Be on Babylon”,

The inhabitant of Zion will say.

“And may my blood be on the inhabitants of the Chaldees”,

Jerusalem will say.

36Therefore this is what the Lord says:

“I am about to plead your case,

And I will take your revenge,

And I will dry up its sea,

And I will cause failure of its water-source.

37And Babylon will become heaps of stones,

A den of jackals,

A desolation and a laughing stock,

Without an inhabitant.

38They will roar together like lion cubs;

They will growl like the whelp of lionesses.

39When they are in a state of arousal,

I will lay on a banquet for them,

And I will make them drunk

So that they exult

And sleep an age-abiding sleep

And do not wake up,

Says the Lord.

40I will bring them down

Like fatted lambs to the slaughter,

Like rams with he-goats.

41How Babylon has been captured!

And how the object of praise of the whole earth has been seized!

How Babylon has become an object of astonishment among the nations.

42The sea came up to Babylon;

It was covered by the vast quantity of its waves.

43Its towns became a desolation

– A land of drought and aridity.

A land in whose towns no man can live,

And through which no son of Adam will pass.

44And I will visit Bel in Babylon,

And I will eject from his mouth what he has swallowed,

And the nations will no longer stream to him.

Indeed, Babylon's wall will fall.

45Come out of it, my people,

And let each man save himself

From the furious anger of the Lord.

46And so that your heart does not become faint,

And you become afraid at the report heard in the land,

When a report comes in one year,

And after it a report in the next year,

And there is violence in the land

– With ruler against ruler –

47Behold, the days are coming

When I will visit the carved images of Babylon,

And all its land will be put to shame,

And all its casualties will fall within its precincts.

48And heaven and earth and all who are in them will be jubilant about Babylon,

For the plunderers will come against it from the north,

Says the Lord.

49Babylon was both the cause of Israel's casualties falling,

And it was because of Babylon

That the casualties of the whole earth fell.

50You who have escaped the sword,

Go away; do not stand still.

Remember the Lord when you are far away,

And let Jerusalem come to mind.

51We were ashamed when we heard the reproach;

Ignominy covered our faces,

For foreigners had arrived at the sanctuaries of the house of the Lord.

52That is why, behold, the days are coming,

Says the Lord,

When I will visit its idols,

And throughout all its land

The wounded will groan.

53Even if Babylon rises to the skies,

Or if it fortifies itself to the height of its strength,

Plunderers will go to it

At my instigation,

Says the Lord.

54Hear a sound of an outcry from Babylon,

And of widescale destruction

From the land of the Chaldeans.

55For the Lord is ravaging Babylon,

And he has silenced its loud voice,

As their waves rage like mighty waters,

As their tumultuous sound rings out.

56For the plunderer has come against it

– Against Babylon –

And its warriors will be captured,

And their bows will each be broken in pieces,

For the Lord is a God of retributions;

He will certainly requite them.

57And I will make its officers and its wise men,

And its governors and its administrators and its warriors,

Drunk,

And they will sleep an age-abiding sleep,

And they will not wake up,

Says the king

– The Lord of hosts is his name.”

58This is what the Lord of hosts says:

“The wide walls of Babylon will certainly be demolished,

And its tall gates will be burned with fire,

And various peoples will toil quite in vain,

And nations will become weary,

With so much fire.”

59The words with which Jeremiah the prophet commanded Seraiah, the son of Neriah, the son of Mahseiah, when he went with Zedekiah king of Judah to Babylon, in the fourth year of his reign, when Seraiah was the officer for security, 60for Jeremiah wrote in a book all the trouble which would come over Babylon – all those things which have been written concerning Babylon. 61And Jeremiah said to Seraiah, “When you arrive in Babylon, then look and read all these words. 62And say, ‘Lord, you have spoken against this place, that you will cut it off so that it has no inhabitant, neither man nor beast, for it will be an age-abiding desolation.’ 63And it will come to pass, when you have finished reading this book, that you will bind a stone to it, and you will cast it into the Euphrates. 64And you will say, ‘This is how Babylon will sink and will not rise, because of the trouble which I am bringing on it, and they will become weary.’ ” Those were the words of Jeremiah.

Reference(s) in Chapter 51: v.6 ↔ Revelation 18:4 ● v.8 ↔ Revelation 14:8, Revelation 18:2 ● v.61 ↔ Revelation 18:21 ● v.62 ↔ Revelation 18:21 ● v.63 ↔ Revelation 18:21 ● v.64 ↔ Revelation 18:21.

Jeremiah Chapter 52 

1Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he started to reign, and he reigned in Jerusalem for eleven years. And the name of his mother was Hamutal the daughter of Jeremiah from Libnah. 2And he did what was wrong in the sight of the Lord, like everything that Jehoiakim did. 3For it was on account of the wrath of the Lord that this happened in Jerusalem and Judah, until he had banished them from his presence. Now Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon. 4And it came to pass in the ninth year of his reign, in the tenth month, on the tenth day of the month, that Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon – he himself and all his army – came against Jerusalem, and they encamped against it, and they built a wall of circumvallation around it. 5And the city came under siege until the eleventh year of King Zedekiah. 6In the fourth month, on the ninth day of the month, the famine in the city became severe, and there was no bread for the people of the land. 7And the city was breached, and all the warriors fled and departed from the city at night, through the gate between the two walls which were alongside the king's garden, while the Chaldeans were alongside the city around it. And the warriors went by the road through the arid tract. 8Then the Chaldean army pursued the king, and they caught up with Zedekiah in the arid tracts of Jericho, and all his army dispersed themselves away from him. 9And they caught the king, and they brought him up to the king of Babylon in Riblah in the land of Hamath, and sentence was passed on him. 10And the king of Babylon slaughtered Zedekiah's sons in his sight, and he also slaughtered all the officials of Judah in Riblah. 11He also blinded Zedekiah's eyes, and he bound him in fetters, and the king of Babylon brought him to Babylon, and he kept him in prison until the day of his death. 12And in the fifth month, on the tenth day of the month, that is the nineteenth year of King Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon, Nebuzaradan the chief guard came, who stood before the king of Babylon in Jerusalem, 13and he burnt the house of the Lord and the king's house, and all the houses of Jerusalem, and he burnt every high-ranking person's house with fire. 14And the whole army of the Chaldeans, who were under the chief guard, demolished all the walls of Jerusalem surrounding it. 15And Nebuzaradan the chief guard deported some of the poor among the people, and the rest of the people who remained in the city, and the defectors who had defected to the king of Babylon, and the rest of the population. 16But Nebuzaradan the chief guard left some of the poor of the land to be vine-growers and ploughmen. 17And the Chaldeans broke up the copper columns of the house of the Lord, and the plinths, and the copper artificial sea which was in the house of the Lord, and they carried all the copper taken from them to Babylon. 18And they took the pans and the shovels and the snuffers and the sprinkling basins and the ladles and all the copper equipment with which they served. 19And the chief guard took the dishes and the firepans and the sprinkling basins and the pans and the lampstands and the ladles and the vials which were of solid gold, and which were of solid silver. 20As for the two columns, the one artificial sea, and the twelve copper oxen which were beneath its bottom, which King Solomon had made for the house of the Lord, the copper of all this equipment was of inestimable weight. 21And regarding the columns, eighteen cubits was the height of each column, and a cord of twelve cubits went round it, and its thickness was four fingers, and it was hollow. 22And the capital on it was of copper, and the height of the first capital was five cubits, and the trellis and pomegranates on the capital around it were all of copper, and the second column had the same features and pomegranates. 23And the pomegranates were ninety-six in number on the exposed sides. The total number of pomegranates on the trellis was one hundred around it. 24And the chief guard took Seraiah the head priest, and Zephaniah the second most senior priest, and the three doorkeepers, 25and from the city he took one eunuch who was in charge of the warriors, and seven men from those who attended to the king, who were present in the city, and the scribe who was a commander of the army, who mobilized the people of the land, and sixty men from the people of the land who were present inside the city, 26and Nebuzaradan the chief guard took them and led them to the king of Babylon in Riblah. 27Then the king of Babylon struck them down and killed them in Riblah in the land of Hamath. And Judah was deported from its land. 28This is the number of people whom Nebuchadrezzar deported. In the seventh year, three thousand and twenty-three Jews; 29in the eighteenth year of Nebuchadrezzar, eight hundred and thirty-two people from Jerusalem. 30In the twenty-third year of Nebuchadrezzar, Nebuzaradan the chief guard deported seven hundred and forty-five Jewish persons. And the total number of people was four thousand and six hundred. 31And it came to pass in the thirty-seventh year of the deportation of Jehoiachin king of Judah, in the twelfth month, on the twenty-fifth day of the month, that Evil-Merodach king of Babylon, in the year when he started to reign, gave Jehoiachin king of Judah his liberty, and he brought him out of the prison. 32And he spoke welcome words to him, and he appointed his throne above the thrones of the kings who were with him in Babylon. 33And he changed his prison clothes, and he ate food regularly in his presence all the days of his life. 34And as for his meals, a regular meal was given to him by the king of Babylon as a day-to-day matter until the day of his death, all the days of his life.

Lamentations  

Lamentations Chapter 1 

1How the city which was so populous

Remains alone and has become like a widow!

She who was great among the nations

– A princess among the states –

Has become tribute-paying.

2She weeps and weeps at night,

And her tears are on her cheeks.

She has no-one comforting her among all her lovers.

All her friends have betrayed her;

They have become her enemies.

3Judah has gone into exile

In affliction and in severe enslavement.

She dwells among the Gentiles;

She has not found rest.

All those who pursue her have caught up with her,

Putting her in straits.

4The roads of Zion mourn

For want of any coming to the festival.

All her gates are desolate,

Her priests sigh,

Her virgins grieve

– And it is bitter to her.

5Her adversaries have become the head;

Her enemies prosper,

For the Lord has afflicted her

Because of the large number of her transgressions.

Her young children have gone into captivity

In front of the adversary.

6And all her splendour has departed from the daughter of Zion,

And her princes, who were like deer,

Did not find pasture,

And they went powerlessly in front of the pursuer.

7Jerusalem remembered in the days of her affliction and her wanderings

All her valuable objects

Which she had in the old days,

When her people fell into the hand of the adversary,

And there was no-one to help her.

The adversaries saw her

And mocked her demise.

8Jerusalem has committed a sin,

Which is why she has become displaced.

All those who honoured her disparage her,

For they have seen her nakedness,

As she herself sighs and turns back.

9Her uncleanness is in her skirts;

She is not mindful of her final state,

And she has plummeted astonishingly.

There is no-one comforting her.

O Lord, look at my affliction,

For the enemy has become powerful.

10The adversary has spread his hand over all her valuable objects,

For she has seen how the Gentiles have entered her sanctuary,

Whereas you commanded

That they should not come into your convocation.

11All her people sigh and seek bread.

They have given their desirable objects in exchange for food

To refresh themselves.

O Lord, look and see,

For I have become contemptible.

12Is it not of concern to you,

All you who pass by the way?

Look and see if there is any grief like my grief

Which has been dealt out to me,

Because the Lord has afflicted me

On the day of his furious anger.

13He has sent fire into my bones from above,

And it has subdued them.

He has spread a net for my feet,

He has turned me back;

He has made me desolate,

And ailing all day long.

14The yoke of my transgressions has been fastened by his hand.

They are intertwined,

They have come on my neck;

He has made my strength falter.

The Lord* has delivered me into the hands

Of those from whom I cannot get up.

15The Lord* has removed all my valiant men within my confines.

He has called an assembly against me

To crush my youths.

The Lord* has trodden the wine press,

Which is the virgin daughter of Judah.

16Over these things I weep.

My eye, my eye is running with water,

For the comforter is far from me,

Who would refresh my being.

My sons have become devastated,

For the enemy has prevailed.

17Zion has spread out her hands;

She has no comforter.

The Lord has commanded concerning Jacob,

“Let his adversaries be round about him”,

And Jerusalem has become an unclean woman among them.

18The Lord is righteous,

For I have rebelled against his word.

Hear now, all you nations,

And look at my grief –

My virgins and my young men have gone into captivity.

19I called on my lovers,

But they have been treacherous to me.

My priests and my elders in the city expired

When they sought food for themselves

To revive themselves.

20O Lord, see how I am in straits.

My innards are turbulent;

My heart is overturned inside me,

For I have rebelled badly.

Outside the sword has bereaved me;

Inside it is deathly.

21They have heard that I am sighing

That I have no comforter.

All my enemies have heard of my misfortune;

They rejoice because you have done this,

But you will bring about the day which you have proclaimed,

And they will become like me.

22Let all their wickedness come before you,

And treat them severely as you have treated me severely

For all my transgressions.

For my sighs are many,

And my heart is ailing.

Lamentations Chapter 2 

1How the Lord* has covered the daughter of Zion in darkness in his anger.

He has cast the splendour of Israel

Down from heaven to the earth.

And he did not remember his footstool

On the day of his anger.

2The Lord* has swallowed up all the settlements of Jacob

And has not had compassion.

In his ire he has demolished the fortifications of the daughter of Judah.

He has cast them to the ground;

He has profaned the kingdom and its princes.

3In his furious anger

He has cut every horn of Israel off;

He has drawn his right hand back from the presence of the enemy,

And he has burned in Jacob as if with blazing fire,

Which has consumed the land all around.

4He drew his bow like an enemy;

His right hand stood like an adversary,

And he killed all who were pleasing to the eye

In the tent of the daughter of Zion.

He poured out his fury like fire.

5The Lord* was like an enemy,

He swallowed up Israel,

He swallowed up all her palaces;

He brought her fortifications to ruin

And he increased mourning and lamentation

In the daughter of Judah.

6And he did violence to his booth like a garden;

He ravaged his assembly.

The Lord has caused the assembly and the Sabbath to be forgotten in Zion,

And he has rejected king and priest

In his angry indignation.

7The Lord* has repudiated his altar;

He has abhorred his sanctuary.

He has delivered the walls of her palaces into the hand of the enemy.

They have uttered a sound in the house of the Lord

As on a day of the assembly.

8The Lord decided to bring the wall of the daughter of Zion to ruin.

He has stretched out a line;

He did not withdraw his hand from swallowing it up,

And he has brought mourning on fortification and wall

– They languish together.

9Her gates have sunk into the ground;

He has wrecked and shattered her bolts.

Her king and her princes are among the Gentiles.

There is no book of the law;

Her prophets do not find any vision from the Lord either.

10The elders of the daughter of Zion are sitting on the ground;

They are silent.

They have put dust on their heads,

They have girded themselves with sackcloth;

The virgins of Jerusalem have lowered their heads to the ground.

11My eyes are exhausted with tears;

My innards are turbulent.

My liver is poured out on the ground

Over the devastation of the daughter of my people,

At the fainting of the child and baby

In the streets of the city.

12To their mothers they say,

“Where is the corn and the wine?”

As they faint like a wounded soldier in the streets of the city,

As their life is poured out

In their mothers' bosom.

13What can I testify to you?

To what can I liken you, O daughter of Jerusalem?

To what can I compare you,

So as to comfort you, O virgin daughter of Zion?

For your devastation is as great as the sea.

Who can heal you?

14Your prophets had visions for you

Which were false and deluded,

And they did not reveal your iniquity,

Which would have restored you from your captivity,

But they have had visions for you

Of false prophecies and seductions.

15All who pass by the way

Clap their hands at you.

They whistle and shake their head

At the daughter of Jerusalem,

And say, “Is this the city of which they say,

It is the perfection of beauty

– The joy of all the earth’?”

16All your enemies gape at you;

They whistle and gnash their teeth.

They say, “We have swallowed her up.

Indeed this is the very day which we have hoped for.

We have arrived at it, we have seen it.”

17The Lord has done what he devised;

He has carried out his word

Which he appointed in days of old.

He has demolished

And did not show pity.

And he has given the enemy reason to rejoice over you;

He has raised the horn of your adversaries.

18Their heart cried out to the Lord*.

O wall of the daughter of Zion,

Let tears run down like a torrent day and night,

Do not give yourself respite;

Do not let the pupil of your eye rest.

19Arise, shout out in the night at the start of the watches,

Pour out your heart like water in the presence of the Lord*;

Lift up your hands to him for the life of your small children

Who are fainting with hunger

At the head of all the streets.

20Look, O Lord, and see to whom you have done this.

Will women eat their own fruit

– Infants who are nursed?

Will priest and prophet be killed

In the sanctuary of the Lord*?

21The youth and the old man lie on the ground on the streets.

My virgins and my young men have fallen by the sword.

You have killed them on the day of your anger;

You have slaughtered them

And not shown pity.

22You have publicized my fears round about,

As on the day of an assembly.

But on the day of the Lord's anger

There was no-one who had escaped or survived.

Those whom I nursed and brought up,

My enemy has finished off.

Lamentations Chapter 3 

1I am the man who has seen affliction

By the rod of his wrath.

2He has driven me and removed me

Into darkness, and not light.

3Surely he has turned against me;

His hand is adverse to me all day long.

4He has caused my flesh and my skin to waste away;

He has shattered my bones.

5He has built the case against me

And surrounded me with noxiousness and weariness.

6He has made me sit in darkness,

Like the age-abidingly dead.

7He has fenced me in

And I cannot go out.

He has made my fetter heavy.

8Although I cry out and shout,

He shuts out my prayer.

9He has blocked my ways with hewn stones;

He has overturned my paths.

10He is a bear in ambush to me

– A lion in a covert place.

11He has deflected me from my ways

And torn me to pieces;

He has made me desolate.

12He has drawn his bow

And set me as a target for the arrow.

13He has shot the contents of his quiver into my kidneys.

14I have become a laughing stock to all my people,

In their song all day long.

15He has filled me with bitter herbs;

He has given me wormwood to drink.

16And he has crushed my teeth with gravel;

He has covered me with ash.

17And you have been averse to my well-being;

I have forgotten what goodness is.

18And I said, “My endurance and my hope in the Lord

Have faded away.”

19Remember my affliction and wandering,

The wormwood and the venom.

20Oh do remember,

And may your soul sink down onto me.

21I will lay this to heart;

This is why I will be in expectation:

22The Lord's kind deeds are such

That we are not finished

– That his mercies have not come to an end.

23The mornings bring these anew;

Great is your faithfulness.

24“My portion is the Lord,”

My inner being has said,

“Which is why I will await him.”

25The Lord is good to those who put their hope in him

– To the person who seeks him.

26It is good to be in expectation and quiet for the Lord's salvation.

27It is good for a man

That he bears his yoke in his youth.

28He sits alone and is silent,

For he laid it on him.

29He puts his mouth in the dust

And says,

“Perhaps there is hope.”

30He gives his cheek to him who strikes him;

He is steeped in reproach.

31For the Lord* will not repudiate us age-abidingly.

32Although he causes grief,

Yet he shows mercy

According to the abundance of his kindness.

33For he does not afflict wholeheartedly

Nor so grieve the sons of men.

34Neither on crushing all the prisoners of the earth under one's feet,

35Nor on perverting the course of justice of a man

Against the intention of the Most High,

36Nor on doing violence to a man's contention

Does the Lord* look favourably.

37Who is it who spoke, and it came to pass,

If the Lord* did not command it?

38Do not bad things and good

Issue from the mouth of the Most High?

39How a man who is alive complains!

– A man confronted by his sin.

40Let us search our ways and investigate

And return to the Lord.

41Let us lift up our hearts on our hands

To God in the heavens.

42We have transgressed and rebelled,

And you have not forgiven us.

43You have covered us with anger and pursued us;

You have killed us and not shown pity.

44You have covered yourself with a cloud,

So that a prayer cannot pass through.

45You have made us an offscouring

And a reject in the company of the nations.

46All our enemies gape at us.

47Fear and ruin are our lot

With desolation and devastation.

48Streams of water run down my eye

At the devastation of the daughter of my people.

49My eye is flowing and will not become quiet,

With no respite,

50Until the Lord peers down

And looks from heaven.

51My eye is wearing on my spiritual condition

Because of all the daughters of the city.

52My enemies have relentlessly hunted me,

Gratuitously, like a bird.

53They have knocked my life down into the pit,

And they have thrown stones at me.

54Waters overwhelmed me above my head.

I said, “I have been cut off.”

55I called on your name, O Lord,

From the lowest pit.

56You have heard my voice.

Do not turn a deaf ear to relieving me at my cry.

57You drew near on the day

When I called on you,

And you said,

“Do not fear.”

58You, O Lord*, have defended the indictments against my person,

You have redeemed my life.

59O Lord, you have seen my oppression;

Do defend my case.

60You have seen all their vengeance

– All their thoughts concerning me.

61You have heard their reproach,

O Lord – all their thoughts against me.

62The lips of those who rise up against me

And their meditation

Are against me all day long.

63Observe their sitting down and their rising up;

I am their derisive song.

64Bring retribution on them, O Lord,

According to the work of their hands.

65Give them a veiled heart

– Your curse on them.

66Pursue them in anger,

And destroy them,

Under the heavens of the Lord.

Lamentations Chapter 4 

1How gold has become dull,

And the good fine gold has changed!

The holy gemstones are poured out

At the head of all the streets.

2As for the precious sons of Zion

Who were weighed against fine gold,

How they are considered as earthen jars

– The work of the hands of the potter!

3Even the jackals present a breast;

They suckle their cubs.

The daughter of my people is prey to the cruel one,

Like the ostriches in the desert.

4The baby's tongue cleaves to the roof of his mouth with thirst.

Children ask for bread,

But there is no-one to break any for them.

5Those who used to eat delicacies

Have become desolate in the streets.

Those brought up in scarlet

Embrace the rubbish dumps.

6And the punishment for the iniquity of the daughter of my people

Is greater than the punishment for the sin of Sodom,

Which was overthrown in a moment,

And no hands in it endured.

7Her Nazarites were purer than snow,

They were brighter than milk,

They were redder in body than red corals;

Their features were as of a sapphire.

8Their appearance has become darker than blackness,

They are not recognized in the streets;

Their skin cleaves to their bones

– It has become dry like wood.

9Those who fell by the sword were better off

Than those who died of hunger,

For they bled to death when pierced,

Rather than dying for lack of the produce of the field.

10The hands of compassionate women

Have cooked their own children.

They were food to them

In the devastation of the daughter of my people.

11The Lord has discharged his wrath;

He has poured out his furious anger,

And he has kindled a fire in Zion,

And it has consumed its foundations.

12The kings of the earth

And all the inhabitants of the world

Did not believe that an adversary and an enemy

Would enter the gates of Jerusalem.

13Because of the sins of her prophets,

And the iniquities of her priests

Who shed the blood of the righteous

In her precincts,

14They stagger along in blindness in the streets;

They are stained with blood.

In their powerlessness

They strike their clothes.

15“Go away, you unclean person”,

They call out to them,

“Go away, go away. Do not touch.”

For they fled and wandered.

Among the Gentiles they said,

“They will not dwell there any more.”

16The presence of the Lord has divided them;

He no longer watches over them.

They did not show the priests respect,

Nor did they show the elders compassion.

17Our eyes still fail us

At the worthlessness of the help we had,

When in our expectation we awaited a people,

But they could not save us.

18They hounded us at our steps,

So that we could not walk on our streets.

Our end came near;

Our days were fulfilled,

For our end had come.

19Our pursuers were swifter than eagles of the sky;

They ardently pursued us on the mountains

– In the desert they ambushed us.

20The breath of our nostrils

– The Lord's anointed –

Was caught in their snares,

Of whom we said,

“We will live in his shadow among the Gentiles.”

21Exult and be joyful, O daughter of Edom,

You who live in the land of Uz.

The cup will pass over you too,

And you will become drunk

And make yourself naked.

22Your iniquity has come to its culmination,

O daughter of Zion;

He will not send you into exile any more.

He will punish your iniquity,

O daughter of Edom;

He will expose your sins.

Lamentations Chapter 5 

1Remember, O Lord,

What has come upon us.

Look and see our reproach.

2Our inheritance has been turned over to strangers

– Our houses to foreigners.

3We have become orphans;

We have no father.

Our mothers are like widows.

4We have drunk our water against payment;

Our wood comes at a price.

5We are pursued at our necks,

We are weary;

We are not given rest.

6We offered the hand to Egypt;

We gave Assyria bread with which to be satiated.

7Our fathers have sinned;

They are not here.

We are suffering for their iniquities.

8Servants have ruled over us;

No-one breaks away from their grip.

9We fetch our bread at the risk of our lives

Because of the sword in the desert.

10Our skin is as black as an oven

Because of the scorching famine.

11They raped the women in Zion

And the virgins of the cities of Judah.

12Princes were hanged at their behest;

The standing of the elderly was not respected.

13They took young men to do grinding,

And youths staggered with wood.

14Old men cease to be at the gate,

And young men playing music.

15The joy of our heart has ceased;

Our dancing has turned into mourning.

16The crown on our head has fallen off.

Oh woe to us,

For we have sinned!

17For this reason our heart has become sick;

On these grounds our eyes have become dark.

18On Mount Zion,

Which is desolate,

Foxes roam.

19You, O Lord, remain age-abidingly;

Your throne is from generation to generation.

20Why should you forget us forever

– Abandon us for the length of days?

21Restore us, O Lord, to yourself,

And we will return.

Renew our days

As of old.

22For you have utterly rejected us,

You have been angry with us

In great measure.


Ezekiel  

Ezekiel Chapter 1 

1Now it came to pass in the thirtieth year, in the fourth month, on the fifth day of the month, when I was among the deportees at the River Chebar, that the heavens opened and I saw visions from God. 2On the fifth day of the month, which was in the fifth year of the deportation of King Jehoiachin, 3the word of the Lord explicitly came to Ezekiel the son of Buzi, the priest, in the land of the Chaldeans, at the River Chebar, and the hand of the Lord came on him there. 4And I looked, and what I saw was a stormy wind coming from the north – a large cloud and a self-perpetuating fire which had a glare around it, and in the middle of it was a kind of amber, in the middle of the fire. 5And in the middle of it was an apparition of four beings, and their appearance was like this: they had a similarity to a man, 6but each had four faces, and they each had four wings. 7And their legs were straight, and the sole of their feet was like the sole of calf's foot, and they glittered like the gleam of untarnished copper. 8And they had the hands of a man under their wings on their four sides, and the four of them had faces and wings. 9Their wings were joined one to another, and they did not turn round as they moved. Each one moved straight forwards. 10And the appearance of their faces was the face of a man, and the four of them had the face of a lion on the right, and the four of them had the face of an ox on the left, and the four of them had the face of an eagle. 11Both their faces and their wings pointed upwards. Each had two wings joined to each other, and two wings covering their bodies. 12And each moved straight forwards. They went wherever the spirit was about to go. They did not turn round as they moved. 13And as for a characterization of the beings, their appearance was like burning fiery coals; it was like the appearance of torches, moving about between the beings, and the fire had a glow, and lightning came out of the fire. 14And the beings ran back and forth, in the likeness of lightning. 15And I looked at the beings, and what I saw was a wheel on the ground next to the beings which had four faces. 16The appearance of the wheels and their nature was like the sparkling of a Tarshish gem, and the four of them had the same appearance. And their form and fashion was as a wheel inside a wheel is. 17When they moved, they went in the direction of their four sides; they did not turn round as they moved. 18And they had high wheel rims, and they were fearsome, and their rims were full of eyes around them – for all four of them. 19As the beings moved, the wheels moved alongside them, and as the beings were lifted above the ground, the wheels were lifted too. 20They went wherever the spirit would be going – to where the spirit was to go. And the wheels were lifted up in concert with them, for the spirit of the being was in the wheels. 21When they moved, these moved, and when they stopped, these stopped, and when they were lifted above the ground, the wheels were lifted up in concert with them, for the spirit of the being was in the wheels. 22And the appearance of what was above the heads of the beings was an expanse, like the sparkle of an awesome sheet of ice, spread out over their heads high up. 23And under the expanse were their straight wings, facing each other. Each being had two covering their bodies on one side, and each had two covering on the other side. 24And I heard the sound of their wings, like the sound of much running water, like the sound of the Almighty, as they moved – a tumultuous noise like the sound of a military encampment. When they stood still, they let their wings down. 25And there was a sound above the expanse which was over their heads. When they stood still, they let their wings down. 26And above the expanse which was over their heads was something with the appearance of a sapphire gemstone, as an apparition of a throne, and on the apparition of the throne was an apparition with the appearance of a man on it high up. 27And I saw the lustre of amber, like the appearance of fire inside it all around, from the appearance of his waist and upwards. And as for the appearance of his waist and downwards, I saw something with the appearance of fire which had a glow all around. 28As is the appearance of a rainbow, which is present in a cloud on a rainy day, so was the appearance of the glow all around. It was the appearance of the manifestation of the glory of the Lord, and when I saw it, I fell face down and heard a voice speaking.

Ezekiel Chapter 2 

1And he said to me, “Son of Adam, stand on your feet, and I will speak with you.” 2And the spirit came into me as he spoke to me, and it stood me up on my feet, and I heard him who was speaking to me. 3And he said to me, “Son of Adam, I am sending you to the sons of Israel, to the nations which are rebelling, which have rebelled against me. They and their fathers have been transgressing against me, up to this very day. 4And their sons are brazen-faced and stubborn. I am sending you to them, and you will say to them, ‘This is what my Lord the Lord says.’ 5And whether they heed it, or whether they decline to – for they are a rebellious house – they will know that a prophet was among them. 6And you, son of Adam, do not fear them, and do not fear their words, even though you will be among briars and thorns, and you will be living among scorpions. Do not be afraid of their words, and do not fear them, although they are a rebellious house. 7And you will speak my words to them, whether they heed them or whether they decline to, for they are rebellious. 8But you, son of Adam, hear what I am speaking to you. Do not be rebellious like the rebellious house. Open your mouth and consume what I give you.” 9And I looked, and what I saw was a hand stretched out towards me, and there was a book-scroll in it. 10And he spread it out in front of me, and it was written on, on the inside and on the back. And lamentations and grieving and mourning were written on it.

Reference(s) in Chapter 2: v.9 ↔ Revelation 5:1 ● v.10 ↔ Revelation 5:1.

Ezekiel Chapter 3 

1And he said to me, “Son of Adam, eat what you find; eat this scroll, then go and speak to the house of Israel.” 2So I opened my mouth, and he fed me that scroll. 3Then he said to me, “Son of Adam, feed your stomach and fill your bowels with this scroll which I am giving you.” So I ate it, and it was like honey in my mouth because of its sweetness. 4And he said to me, “Son of Adam, depart; go to the house of Israel, and speak to them with my words. 5For you are not being sent to a people of an unintelligible language or of a difficult tongue, but to the house of Israel 6– not to many nations of an unintelligible language or a difficult tongue whose words you would not understand. But it is certain that if I had sent you to them, they would have heeded you. 7But the house of Israel will not be willing to heed you, for they are not willing to heed me, for the whole house of Israel is impudent and obstinate. 8Look, I have made you firm in resolve against their resolve, and you strong in determination against their determination. 9As diamond is harder than flint, so I have made your determination. Do not be afraid of them and do not fear them, although they are a rebellious house.” 10And he said to me, “Son of Adam, take to your heart all the words which I speak to you, and hear with your ears. 11And depart and go to the deportees, to the sons of your people, and speak to them, and say to them, ‘This is what my Lord the Lord says’, whether they heed it, or whether they decline to do so.” 12Then the spirit took me up, and I heard the sound of a loud rushing noise behind me, saying, “Blessed be the glory of the Lord in its own place.” 13And I heard the sound of the wings of the beings touching each other, and the sound of the wheels in concert with them, and a loud rushing sound. 14And the spirit lifted me up and took me along, and I went feeling bitter in my exasperation, but the strong hand of the Lord was on me. 15And I went to the deportees in Tel-Abib, who lived at the River Chebar, and I sat where they sat for seven days in astonishment among them. 16And it came to pass after seven days that the word of the Lord came to me and said, 17“Son of Adam, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel, and you will hear the word from my mouth, and you will give them warning on my behalf. 18When I say to the wicked man, ‘You will certainly die’, but when you haven't warned him, and you haven't spoken so as to warn the wicked man to turn from his wicked way, so as to preserve his life, that wicked man will die in his iniquity, and I will require his blood from your hand. 19But if you do warn the wicked man, yet he does not turn away from his wickedness and from his evil way, he will die in his iniquity, but you will have saved your life. 20And if a righteous man turns away from his righteousness and commits injustice, and I put a stumbling block before him, he will die. If you have not warned him, he will die in his sin, and his righteous deeds which he did will not be remembered, and I will require his blood at your hand. 21But if you do warn the righteous that the righteous must not sin, and he does not sin, he will certainly live because he was warned, and you will have saved your life.” 22And the hand of the Lord was on me there, and he said to me, “Arise, go out to the valley, and I will speak with you there.” 23So I arose and went out to the valley, and what I saw was the glory of the Lord standing there, like the glory which I saw at the River Chebar, and I fell face down. 24Then the spirit entered me and stood me up on my feet and spoke with me and said to me, “Go and shut yourself up inside your house. 25And you, son of Adam, be aware that they will put you in bonds and bind you with them so that you will not be able to go out among those people. 26And I will make your tongue stick to your palate, and you will become mute, and they will not have anyone to convict them, for they are a rebellious house. 27Then when I speak with you, I will open your mouth, and you will say to them, ‘This is what my Lord the Lord says: «Let him who hears, hear, and let him who declines to, decline» ’, for they are a rebellious house.

Reference(s) in Chapter 3: v.1 ↔ Revelation 10:9 ● v.3 ↔ Revelation 10:9.

Ezekiel Chapter 4 

1But you, son of Adam, get yourself a tile, and place it in front of you, and engrave on it a city – Jerusalem. 2And lay a siege to it, and build a wall of circumvallation against it, and throw up a rampart against it, and put encampments against it, and place battering rams against it all round. 3And get yourself an iron baking dish, and place it as an iron wall between yourself and the city, and be resolute against it, and it will come under siege, and you will besiege it. It is a sign to the house of Israel. 4And lie on your left hand side, and put the iniquity of the house of Israel on it. You will bear their iniquity according to the number of days you lie on it. 5And I will impose on you the years of their iniquity according to the number of days – three hundred and ninety days. So you will bear the iniquity of the house of Israel. 6And you will complete these days. Then you will lie a second time, on your right hand side, and you will bear the iniquity of the house of Judah for forty days. A day for a year, a day for a year is what I have appointed you. 7So be resolute with the siege of Jerusalem, and have your arm exposed when you prophesy against it. 8And look, I will put bonds on you, and you will not turn over from side to side until you have completed the days of your siege. 9And get yourself some wheat and barley and beans and lentils and millet and spelt, and put them in a receptacle, and make them into bread for yourself, according to the number of days for which you will be lying on your side. You will eat it for three hundred and ninety days. 10And your portion which you will eat will be twenty shekels in weight per day. From time to time you shall eat it. 11And you will drink water by measure – a sixth of a hin. From time to time you will drink. 12And you will eat barley cake, and you will bake it in their sight using stools of human excrement.” 13Then the Lord said, “That is how the sons of Israel will eat their unclean bread among the nations to which I will drive them.” 14Then I said, “Alas, my Lord the Lord, look I myself have not been defiled, and I have not eaten a corpse or anything preyed on from my youth up to now, and no abominable flesh has come to my mouth.” 15Then he said to me, “Look, I will allow you ox dung instead of human stools, and you will make your bread over that.” 16And he said to me, “Son of Adam, I am about to break the supply of bread in Jerusalem, and they will eat bread in weighed out amounts, and with anxiety, and they will drink water in measured amounts and in bewilderment, 17because they will lack bread and water, and they will be astonished at one another, and they will waste away in their iniquity.

Ezekiel Chapter 5 

1And you, son of Adam, get yourself a sharp sword; get yourself a barber's razor, and pass it over your head and over your chin, and get yourself some scales for weighing, and divide the hair. 2Burn one third in a fire in the middle of the city when the days of the siege have been completed, and take one third and strike with the sword around it, and scatter one third in the wind, for I will draw out a sword after them. 3Then take a small number of them, and bind them to the hems of your cloak. 4And take some more of them, and cast them into the fire, and burn them in the fire. A fire will come out from this to the whole house of Israel.” 5This is what my Lord the Lord says: “This is Jerusalem. I have placed it in the middle of the nations and the countries around it. 6But it has turned against my justice for wickedness worse than that of the nations, and it has changed my statutes for what is worse than those of the countries which are around it, for they have rejected my judicial pronouncements, and as for my statutes, they have not walked in them.” 7That is why this is what my Lord the Lord says: “Since you are raging more than the nations which are around you, and you do not walk in my statutes, and you do not carry out my judicial pronouncements, and you have not carried out the judicial pronouncements of the nations which are around you” 8– so says my Lord the Lord – “I, indeed I, am against you, and I will carry out judgments in your midst, in the eyes of the nations. 9And I will do with you what I have never done, and what I will not do the like of again, on account of all your abominations. 10That is why fathers will eat their sons in your midst, and sons will eat their fathers, and I will carry out judgments in you, and I will scatter all your remnant to every wind. 11That is why, as I live” – says my Lord the Lord – “it is most certainly because you have defiled my sanctuary with all your abhorrent things, and with all your abominations, that I for my part will bring about a dearth, and my eye will not pity, nor will I spare. 12One third of you will die in the plague, and they will come to an end in the famine in your midst, and one third will fall by the sword all around you, and I will scatter one third to every wind, and I will draw out the sword after them. 13And my anger will be expended, and I will bring my fury down on them, and I will be consoled, and they will know that I, the Lord, have spoken in my zeal when I expend my fury on them. 14And I will make you a ruin and an object of reproach among the nations which are around you, in the eyes of every one passing through. 15And it will become an object of reproach and revilement, of admonition and astonishment to the nations which are around you, when I execute justice against you in anger and in fury and in furious castigation. I, the Lord, have spoken. 16When I send the baneful arrows of famine against them, which will bring ruin, which I will send to bring ruin on you, I will increase the famine on you, and I will break the supply of your bread. 17So I will send a famine over you, and wild animals, and they will bereave you. And pestilence and bloodshed will pass through you, and I will bring the sword against you. I, the Lord, have spoken.”

Ezekiel Chapter 6 

1And the word of the Lord came to me and said, 2“Son of Adam, direct yourself towards the mountains of Israel, and prophesy to them, 3and say, ‘You mountains of Israel, hear the word of my Lord the Lord. This is what my Lord the Lord says to the mountains and to the hills, to the torrents and to the valleys: «I am about to bring the sword against you, and I will destroy your idolatrous raised sites. 4And your altars will be devastated, and your sun-images will be broken down, and I will cause your casualties to fall in the presence of your idols. 5And I will place the corpses of the sons of Israel in front of their idols, and I will scatter your bones around your altars. 6In all your inhabited regions, the cities will be devastated, and the idolatrous raised sites will be made desolate, so that your altars are devastated and are laid waste, and your idols are broken and put an end to, and your sun-images are broken apart, and your works are obliterated. 7And he who is a casualty will fall in your midst, and you will know that I am the Lord. 8But I will leave some remaining so that you have some who escape the sword among the nations, when you are scattered in the various countries. 9And those of your company who escape will remember me among the nations where they have been taken prisoner, because I have been afflicted with their licentious heart, which has departed from me, and with their eyes lusting after their idols. And they will abhor themselves for the evil which they have done with all their abominations. 10And they will know that I, the Lord, have not spoken in vain that I would do this harm to them.» ’ 11This is what my Lord the Lord says: ‘Strike with your hand and stamp with your foot, and say, «Alas for all the evil abominations, O house of Israel, for the people will fall by the sword and in the famine and by the pestilence. 12He who is far off will die in the pestilence, and he who is nearby will fall by the sword, and he who remains and survives those will die in the famine. So I will expend my fury on them. 13And you will know that I am the Lord when their casualties are among their idols around their altars, on every high hill and on all the summits of the mountains and under every luxuriant tree and under every bushy terebinth, in the place where they presented a sweet fragrance to all their idols. 14And I will stretch my hand out against them, and I will make the land a desolation, indeed more desolate than the Desert of Diblath, throughout all their inhabited regions, and they will know that I am the Lord.» ’ ”

Ezekiel Chapter 7 

1Then the word of the Lord came to me and said, 2“Now as for you, son of Adam, this is what the Lord, the Lord, says:

‘The ground of Israel is at an end.

The end is coming over the four corners of the land.

3Now the end has come over you,

And I will send my anger against you,

And I will judge you according to your ways,

And I will lay on you all your abominations.

4My eye will not have pity on you,

And I will not show compassion,

But I will lay your ways on you,

And your abominations will be in your midst,

And you will know

That I am the Lord.’

5This is what the Lord, the Lord, says:

‘A calamity – one calamity –

Behold,

It is coming.

6An end is coming,

The end is coming;

It is looming over you.

Behold,

It is coming.

7The turning point has come to you,

You inhabitant of the land.

The time has come,

The day is near;

There is tumult,

And not joyous shouting

In the mountains.

8Now I will shortly pour out my fury over you,

And I will expend my anger against you,

And I will judge you according to your ways,

And I will lay on you all your abominations.

9My eye will not have pity,

And I will not show compassion.

As your ways are,

So I will lay them on you,

And your abominations will be in your midst,

And you will know that it is I, the Lord,

Who am doing the striking.

10Behold the day;

Behold, it is coming.

The turning point has arisen.

The sceptre has flourished;

The insolence has blossomed.

11Violence has arisen as a rod for wickedness,

Not from them or from their own population,

And not from a single one of them.

And there will be no lamentation for them.

12The time has come;

The day has arrived.

Don't let the buyer rejoice,

And don't let the seller mourn,

For there is fury over all its population.

13For the seller will not return to what is sold

As long as they still live,

For the vision is about the whole of its population,

Which will not return,

And no-one will establish himself in his life

By his iniquity.

14They have blown the trumpet

And they have prepared everything,

But there is no-one going to battle,

For over the whole of its population is my fury.

15There is the sword outside

And pestilence and famine inside.

He who is in the field will die by the sword,

And as for him who is in the city,

Famine and pestilence will consume him.

16But there will be some of them who escape,

And they will be on the mountains like the doves of the valleys,

All cooing,

Each for his own iniquity.

17All hands will become feeble,

And all knees will melt like water.

18And they will gird themselves with sackcloth,

And terror will cover them,

And there will be shame on every face,

And baldness on all their heads.

19They will discard their silver in the streets,

And their gold will become menstrual uncleanness.

Their silver and their gold will not be able to save them

On the day of the Lord's wrath.

They do not satisfy their desires,

And they do not fulfil their yearnings,

For it has become a stumbling block

Resulting from their iniquity.

20And as for his ornamental splendour,

He set it in his pre-eminent place,

But they made their abominable and obscene images in it,

Which is why I have made it

A menstrually unclean thing to them.

21And I will deliver it into the hand of foreigners as spoil

And to the wicked of the earth as plunder,

And they will defile it.

22And I will turn my face away from them,

And my hidden treasure will be defiled

When raiders come to it

And defile it.

23Make a chain,

For the land is full of judicial cases of bloodshed,

And the city is full of violence.

24And I will bring wicked men from the Gentiles,

Who will inherit their houses.

And I will put a stop to the arrogance of the powerful,

And their sanctifiers will pass on the inheritance.

25Wreckage is coming,

And they will seek peace,

But there won't be any.

26Calamity upon calamity will come,

And there will be rumour upon rumour,

And they will seek a vision from a prophet,

But the priest will be devoid of the law,

And the elders will be devoid of counsel.

27The king will mourn,

And the prince will wear clothes displaying desolation,

And the hands of the people of the land will be made to tremble.

I will do to them

According to their way,

And I will judge them

With their own judgments,

And they will know

That I am the Lord.’ ”

Ezekiel Chapter 8 

1Then it came to pass in the sixth year, in the sixth month, on the fifth day of the month, as I was sitting in my house, and the elders of Judah were sitting in front of me, that the hand of my Lord the Lord fell on me there. 2And I looked, and what I saw was an apparition like fire in appearance, and from its waist downwards it was like fire in appearance, and from its waist upwards it was of a brightness like the gleam of amber in appearance. 3And it stretched out the form of a hand, and it took me by a lock of the hair of my head, and the spirit lifted up me between the earth and the heavens, and it brought me to Jerusalem in the visions of God, to the entrance of the inner gate which faces north, where there is the site of the figure of jealousy, which provokes to jealousy. 4And behold, there was there the glory of the God of Israel, like the vision which I saw in the valley. 5And he said to me, “Son of Adam, please lift up your eyes towards the north.” So I lifted up my eyes towards the north, and what I saw in the north at the Altar Gate was this figure of jealousy at the entrance. 6And he said to me, “Son of Adam, do you see what they are making – gross abominations which the house of Israel is making here, far from what should be my sanctuary? But look once again at the gross abominations.” 7And he brought me to the entrance of the courtyard, and I looked, and what I saw was a hole in the wall. 8And he said to me, “Son of Adam, please hack through the wall.” So I hacked through the wall, and what I saw was a door. 9Then he said to me, “Come and see the evil abominations which they are making here.” 10So I went and looked, and what I saw was every species of reptile and animal – an abomination. And all the idols of the house of Israel were engraved on a wall all around. 11And there were seventy men from the elders of the house of Israel standing before them, with Jaazaniah the son of Shaphan standing among them, and each had his censer in his hand, and a profuse cloud of incense-smoke was rising. 12And he said to me, “Have you seen, son of Adam, what the elders of the house of Israel do in darkness – each in his galleries with showpieces? For they say, ‘The Lord does not see us; the Lord has left the earth.’ ” 13Then he said to me, “Look once again at the gross abominations which they are perpetrating.” 14Then he brought me to the entrance of the gate of the house of the Lord, which is on the north side, and what I saw there was women sitting and bewailing Tammuz. 15And he said to me, “Have you seen it, son of Adam? Look once again and see abominations which are more gross than those.” 16Then he brought me to the inner court of the house of the Lord, and what I saw at the door to the temple of the Lord between the portico and the altar was about twenty-five men with their behinds pointing towards the temple of the Lord, and their faces to the east, and they were prostrating themselves eastwards, to the sun. 17And he said to me, “Have you seen, son of Adam? Is it a light thing for the house of Judah to commit the abominations which they are perpetrating here? For they have filled the land with violence, and they have again provoked me to anger, and there they are stretching out a phallic branch to my nose. 18So I for my part will act in fury. My eye will not have pity, and I will not show compassion, and although they may cry out in my ears with a loud voice, I will not hear them.”

Ezekiel Chapter 9 

1Then he exclaimed in my ears in a loud voice and said, “Draw up the city's body of officers, with each man having his weapon of destruction in his hand.” 2And it so happened that six men were coming from the direction of the Upper Gate, which faces northwards, each with his weapon for bludgeoning in his hand, and one man among them dressed in fine linen, with a scribe's inkhorn at his waist, and they came and stood alongside the copper altar. 3And the glory of the God of Israel was removed from the cherub on which it was, to the threshold of the house. And he called out to the man who was dressed in fine linen, who had a scribe's inkhorn at his waist, 4and the Lord said to him, “Pass through the middle of the city – through the middle of Jerusalem – and put a mark on the foreheads of those men who are sighing and groaning about all the abominations which are being committed in its midst.” 5And to these he said in my hearing, “Pass through the city after him, and strike. Do not let your eye have pity, and do not show compassion. 6You shall kill, giving no quarter, the old, the young man and the virgin, and children and women, but do not approach any person who has the mark on him, and start from my sanctuary.” So they started with the elders who were in front of the house. 7And he said to them, “Defile the house and fill the courts with those killed. Out you go.” So they went out and struck in the city. 8And it came to pass, as they were striking, that I was left, and I fell face down, and I cried out, and I said, “Alas, my Lord the Lord, are you destroying the whole remainder of Israel, as you pour out your fury over Jerusalem?” 9And he said to me, “The iniquity of the house of Israel and Judah is very, very great, and the land has been filled with bloodshed, and the city is full of wresting of justice, for they have said, ‘The Lord has left the earth’, and, ‘The Lord is not looking.’ 10So for my part, my eye will not have pity, and I will not show compassion. I will put their way on their head.” 11And then the man dressed in fine linen, who had the inkhorn at his waist, reported back and said, “I have done what you commanded.”

Reference(s) in Chapter 9: v.4 ↔ Revelation 7:3, Revelation 9:4.

Ezekiel Chapter 10 

1And I looked, and what I saw on the expanse which was over the heads of the cherubim was a kind of sapphire gemstone, with the appearance of a figure of a throne, appearing above them. 2And he spoke to the man dressed in fine linen, and he said, “Come between the wheels, under the cherub, and fill your fist with fiery burning coals from between the cherubim, and scatter them over the city.” And he came in my sight. 3Now the cherubim were standing on the right hand side of the house as the man went in, and the cloud filled the inner court. 4And the glory of the Lord was lifted up from the cherub, and it was placed on the threshold of the house, and the house was filled with the cloud, and the court was filled with the glow of the glory of the Lord. 5And the sound of the cherubim's wings was heard as far as the outer court, like the sound of God Almighty when he speaks. 6Then it came to pass, when he had commanded the man who was dressed in fine linen, saying, “Take fire from between the wheels, from between the cherubim”, that he went and stood beside the wheel. 7Then the cherub stretched out his hand between the cherubim into the fire which was between the cherubim and lifted some up and put it in the fists of the one dressed in fine linen, which he took and went out. 8And the shape of a man's hand appeared to the cherubim under their wings. 9And I looked, and what I saw was four wheels alongside the cherubim. One wheel was alongside one cherub, and one wheel was alongside another cherub, and the appearance of the wheels was like the gleam of a Tarshish gemstone. 10And as for their appearances, the four of them had one profile, as a wheel within a wheel. 11When they moved, they went in the direction of their four sides. They did not turn as they moved, but whatever the direction was in which their head was pointing, they followed it. They did not turn when they moved. 12And their whole body and their backs and their hands and their wings and the wheels were full of eyes all around, the four of them having their wheels. 13Their wheels were called, as I heard it, the roller. 14And each one had four faces. One face was the face of a cherub, and the second face was the face of a man, and the third was the face of a lion, and the fourth was the face of an eagle. 15Then the cherubim were lifted up. That was the being which I saw at the River Chebar. 16And as the cherubim moved, the wheels moved alongside them. And when the cherubim lifted their wings to raise themselves above the ground, the wheels did not turn, even though they were alongside them. 17When they stopped, these stopped, and when they were lifted, these were lifted with them, for the spirit of the being was in them. 18And the glory of the Lord departed from the threshold of the house and remained over the cherubim. 19Then the cherubim raised their wings and lifted themselves up from the earth in my sight as they departed, and the wheels were in concert with them, and each stood at the entrance of the Eastern Gate of the house of the Lord, and the glory of the God of Israel was over them coming from above. 20This was the being which I saw under the God of Israel at the River Chebar, and I knew that they were the cherubim. 21Each one had four faces, and each one had four wings, and there was a likeness of the hands of a man under their wings. 22And as for the form of their faces, they were the faces which I saw at the River Chebar, in appearance and identity. Each one moved straight forward.

Ezekiel Chapter 11 

1Then the spirit lifted me up and brought me to the Eastern Gate of the house of the Lord, which faces eastwards, and what I saw at the entrance of the gate was twenty-five men, and among them I saw Jaazaniah the son of Azzur, and Pelatiah the son of Benaiah, public officials. 2And he said to me, “Son of Adam, these are the men who are devising subterfuge, and who are planning evil schemes in this city, 3who say, ‘Do not build houses in the near future. It is the pot, and we are the meat.’ 4So prophesy against them; prophesy, son of Adam.” 5Then the spirit of the Lord fell on me, and he said to me, “Say, ‘This is what the Lord says: «You have spoken in this way, O house of Israel, and I know what arises in your mind. 6You are responsible for many casualties in this city, and you have filled the outlying areas with casualties. 7That is why this is what my Lord the Lord says: ‹It is your casualties, whom you have put in the middle of it, who are the meat, and this is the pot, but I will take you out of it. 8You fear the sword, and it is the sword that I will bring on you, says the Lord, the Lord. 9And I will take you out of it and deliver you into the hand of foreigners, and I will execute judgments among you. 10You will fall by the sword; I will judge you at the border of Israel, and you will know that I am the Lord. 11It will not be a pot to you, although you are meat in it. I will judge you at the border of Israel. 12And you will know that I am the Lord in whose statutes you have not walked, whose judgments you have not administered, but you have acted according to the judgments of the nations which are around you.› » ’ ” 13And it came to pass, as I prophesied, that Pelatiah the son of Benaiah died. And I fell face down, and I cried out in a loud voice, and I said, “Alas, my Lord the Lord, you are making an end of the remnant of Israel.” 14Then the word of the Lord came to me and said, 15“Son of Adam, there are your brothers, your brothers, men who are of your wider family, and the whole house of Israel in its entirety, to whom the inhabitants of Jerusalem have said, ‘Distance yourselves from the Lord; this land has been given to us as a possession.’ 16So say, ‘This is what my Lord the Lord says: «Although I have removed them to the Gentiles, and although I have scattered them among the various countries, I have nevertheless been a sanctuary to a certain extent in the countries to which they have gone.» ’ 17So say, ‘This is what my Lord the Lord says: «I will both gather you from the various peoples and collect you from the various countries in which you have been scattered, and I will give you the land of Israel. 18And they will come there, and they will remove all its obscenities and all its abominations from it. 19And I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit in your inner parts, and I will remove the heart of stone from their flesh, and I will give them a heart of flesh, 20in order for them to walk in my statutes, and to keep my judicial ways, and to carry them out. And they will be my people, and I will be their God. 21But to those whose heart is set on their obscenities, and whose heart walks after their abominations, I will place their way on their head, says the Lord, the Lord.» ’ ” 22Then the cherubim lifted up their wings, with the wheels in concert with them, and the glory of the God of Israel was over them coming from above. 23And the glory of the Lord went up from the middle of the city, and it stood over the mountain which is to the east of the city. 24Then the spirit lifted me up and brought me to Chaldea, to the deportees, in a vision by the spirit of God, then the vision which I had seen went up away from me. 25And I described to the deportees all the things of the Lord which he had shown me.

Ezekiel Chapter 12 

1Then the word of the Lord came to me and said, 2“Son of Adam, you are living among a rebellious house – those who have eyes to see but do not see, and who have ears to hear but do not hear, for they are a rebellious house. 3But you, son of Adam, make yourself articles for your deportation, and deport yourself by day in their sight, and deport yourself from your place to another place in their sight. Perhaps they will see, although they are a rebellious house. 4And you will bring out your articles – articles for your deportation – by day in their sight, then you will come out in the evening in their sight, like people being deported. 5In their sight, hack your way through the wall and bring your articles out through it. 6Carry them on your shoulder in their sight. Bring them out after sunset. Cover your face, and do not look at the land, for I have made you a sign to the house of Israel.” 7So I did so, as I had been commanded. I brought out my articles – namely articles for my deportation – by day, and in the evening I hacked my way through the wall by hand and after sunset I brought them out on my shoulder, and I carried them in their sight. 8Then the word of the Lord came to me in the morning and said, 9“Son of Adam, did the house of Israel, the rebellious house, say to you, ‘What are you doing?’? 10Say to them, ‘This is what my Lord the Lord says: «This oracle is about the prince in Jerusalem and the whole house of Israel among whom they are.» ’ 11Say, ‘I am your sign. As I have done, so shall it be done to them in deportation. They will go into captivity. 12And the prince who is among them will carry his articles on his shoulder, after sunset, and he will go out. They will hack through the wall to bring their articles out through it. He will hide his face, because he will not see what is before his eyes – the land.’ 13And I will spread my net over him, and he will be caught in my netting, and I will bring him to Babylon – the land of the Chaldeans – but he will not see it, and he will die there. 14And I will scatter all who are around him – his support and all his governmental departments – to every wind, and I will draw out the sword after them. 15And they will know that I am the Lord when I disperse them among the Gentiles, when I scatter them in the various countries. 16But I will leave over a small number of their men, remaining from the sword and from famine and from disease, in order that they may describe all their abominations among the Gentiles where they go, and they will know that I am the Lord.” 17Then the word of the Lord came to me and said, 18“Son of Adam, you will eat your bread with trembling, and you will drink your water with trepidation and with anxiety. 19And you shall say to the people of the land, ‘This is what my Lord the Lord says to the inhabitants of Jerusalem and concerning the land of Israel: «They will eat their bread with anxiety, and they will drink their water with bewilderment, because its land will be stripped of its fulness, owing to the violence of all the inhabitants in it. 20For the inhabited cities will become waste, and the land will become a desolation, and you will know that I am the Lord.» ’ ” 21Then the word of the Lord came to me and said, 22“Son of Adam, what does this saying of yours concerning the land of Israel mean, which says, ‘The days are taking their time and every vision has failed’? 23Well say to them, ‘This is what my Lord the Lord says: «I will put a stop to this saying, and they will not quote it any more in Israel» ’, but say rather to them, ‘The days are approaching with the reality of every vision.’ 24For there will no longer be any false vision or flattering divination within the house of Israel. 25For I am the Lord. I will speak the word which I will speak, and it will be carried out. It will not be delayed any longer, for in your days, you rebellious house, I will speak the word, and I will carry it out, says the Lord, the Lord.” 26And the word of the Lord came to me and said, 27“Son of Adam, be aware that the house of Israel are saying, ‘The vision which he was seeing is for many days in the future, and he is prophesying for remote times.’ 28So say to them, ‘This is what my Lord the Lord says: «None of my words will be delayed any longer. The word which I speak will be carried out, says the Lord, the Lord.» ’ ”

Reference(s) in Chapter 12: v.2 ↔ Romans 11:8.

Ezekiel Chapter 13 

1And the word of the Lord came to me and said, 2“Son of Adam, prophesy to the prophets of Israel who prophesy, and say to those who prophesy from their own heart, ‘Hear the word of the Lord. 3This is what my Lord the Lord says: «Woe to impious prophets, who walk after their own spirit and according to things which they have not seen. 4It is like foxes in wastelands that your prophets are, O Israel. 5You have not gone up to the breaches, nor have you made a fence around the house of Israel so as to stand in battle on the day of the Lord. 6They have seen visions of what is false, and of deceitful divination, those who say, ‹The Lord says›, when the Lord did not send them, but men expect a matter to be fulfilled. 7Have you not seen a false vision and spoken deceitful divination and been saying, ‹The Lord says›, when I have not spoken?» 8Therefore this is what my Lord the Lord says: «Since you have spoken falsely and have seen visions deceitfully, I for my part am against you, says the Lord, the Lord. 9And my hand will be against the prophets who see false visions, and those who divine deceitfully. They will not be in the secret council of my people, and they will not be written in the record of the house of Israel, and they will not enter the territory of Israel, and you will know that I am the Lord, the Lord, 10for the very reason that they have caused my people to stray, by saying, ‹Peace›, when there is no peace, and when someone builds a partition-strength wall, you see them plastering it with lime. 11Say to those who plaster it with lime that it will fall. There will be overwhelming rain, and gigantic hailstones will fall, and a stormy wind will tear it apart. 12And look, when the wall has fallen, will it not be said to you, ‹Where is the plaster with which you plastered it?› » 13Therefore this is what my Lord the Lord says: «So I will tear it apart with a stormy wind in my fury, and there will be overwhelming rain in my anger, and gigantic hailstones in fury for its destruction. 14And I will demolish the wall which you have plastered with lime, and I will raze it to the ground, and its foundation will be exposed, and the city will fall, and you will come to an end inside it, and you will know that I am the Lord. 15And I will expend my fury on the wall, and on those who have plastered it with lime, and I will say to you, ‹The wall no longer exists, nor do those who plastered it – 16the prophets of Israel who prophesied to Jerusalem, and those who had a vision of peace for it, but there is no peace, says the Lord, the Lord.› » ’ 17And you, son of Adam, take a firm stand with the daughters of your people who are prophesying from their own hearts, and prophesy against them, 18and say, ‘This is what my Lord the Lord says: «Woe to those who sew coverings on all the joints of my hands, and who make screens over the heads of every tall figure so as to ensnare people. Will you ensnare the people of my nation, and preserve yourselves alive? 19And you have profaned me in relation to my people for handfuls of barley and for pieces of bread, putting people to death who should not die, and preserving people alive who should not live, by your lying to my people who hear the lying, 20which is why this is what my Lord the Lord says: ‹I am here against your coverings where you ensnare the people rabidly, and I will tear them off your arms, and I will let the people go – people whom you hunt rabidly. 21And I will tear off your screens, and I will deliver my people from your hands, and they will no longer be in your hands as a prey, and you will know that I am the Lord, 22because with lying you have caused the heart of the righteous man to despond, but I have not caused him grief. And you have strengthened the hands of the wicked man, so that he does not return from his evil way and preserve his life. 23Therefore you will no longer see false visions, nor will you perform divinations, for I will deliver my people from your hands, and you will know that I am the Lord.› » ’ ”

Reference(s) in Chapter 13: v.5 ↔ Revelation 1:10.

Ezekiel Chapter 14 

1Then some men from the elders of Israel came to me and sat in front of me. 2And the word of the Lord came to me and said, 3“Son of Adam, those men have set up their idols in their hearts, and they have put the stumbling block of their iniquity right in front of themselves. Should I be open to consultation at all by them? 4So speak to them and say to them, ‘This is what my Lord the Lord says: «When any man of the house of Israel sets up his idols in his heart, and he places the stumbling block of his iniquity right in front of himself, and he comes to the prophet, I, the Lord, will be induced to answer him about it in response to the multitude of his idols, 5so that I catch the house of Israel by their own heart with which they have all alienated themselves from me with their idols.» ’ 6Therefore say to the house of Israel, ‘This is what my Lord the Lord says: «Turn away and restore yourselves from your idols, and turn your attention away from all your abominations. 7For every man of the house of Israel and foreigner who resides in Israel has alienated himself from me and has set up his idols in his heart, and he has placed the stumbling block of his iniquity right in front of himself, and when he comes to the prophet to inquire from him of me, I, the Lord, will be induced to answer him by myself. 8And I will take issue with that man, and I will make him a sign and a subject of sayings, and I will cut him off from my people, and you will know that I am the Lord. 9And if a prophet is deceived when he utters words, I, the Lord, will deceive that prophet, and I will stretch out my hand against him, and I will obliterate him from my people Israel. 10And they will bear the penalty for their iniquity. As the penalty for the iniquity is for the one who consults, so the penalty for the iniquity will be for the prophet, 11in order that they should no longer lead the house of Israel astray, away from following me, and that they should no longer defile themselves with all their transgressions, but that they should be my people, and I should be their God, says the Lord, the Lord.» ’ ” 12Then the word of the Lord came to me and said, 13“Son of Adam, if a land sins against me by acting perversely, then I will stretch my hand against it and break its supply of bread, and I will send a famine to it, and I will cut man and beast off from it. 14And even if these three men were somewhere in it: Noah, Daniel and Job, they by their righteousness would only save their own lives, says the Lord, the Lord. 15If I were to cause wild animals to pass through the land and bereave it, and it were to become desolate for want of a passer-by, because of the wild animals, 16those three men somewhere in it – as I live, says the Lord, the Lord – would certainly not save sons or daughters. They alone would be saved, and the land would become a desolation. 17Or if I were to bring the sword on that land and to say, ‘Let the sword pass through the land’, so that I should cut man and beast off from it, 18then these three men somewhere in it – as I live, says the Lord, the Lord – would not save sons or daughters, but they would only save themselves. 19Or if I were to send a pestilence to that land, and I were to pour my fury out over it in bloodshed, so as to cut man and beast off from it, 20and Noah, Daniel and Job were somewhere inside it – as I live, says the Lord, the Lord – they certainly would not save son or daughter. They would only save their own lives by their righteousness. 21For this is what the Lord, the Lord, says: ‘Even if I send my four harmful judgments – the sword and famine and wild animals and a pestilence to Jerusalem, so as to cut man and beast off from it, 22yet it will be the case that a remnant will remain in it, who will be brought out – sons and daughters. There they will be coming out to you, and you will see their way and their deeds, and you will be comforted concerning the harm which I brought over Jerusalem, with everything I brought over it. 23And they will comfort you when you see their way and their deeds, and you will know that it was not for nothing that I did everything that I did in it, says the Lord, the Lord.’ ”

Ezekiel Chapter 15 

1And the word of the Lord came to me and said, 2“Son of Adam, in what way is a vine tree more than any other tree? Or its branch, which is among the trees of the forest? 3Is wood taken from it to make artisanry? Or does one use it for a peg, to hang all sorts of items on it? 4Look, it is put in the fire as fuel, and the fire consumes both its ends, and its centre is also burned. Is it fit for craftsmanship? 5Look, when it was in its natural state, it was not used for craftsmanship, so how much less when fire has consumed it, and it has been burned? Will it still be used for craftsmanship? 6So this is what the Lord, the Lord, says: ‘As the vine tree is among the trees of the forest which I have consigned to fire as fuel, so I have consigned the inhabitants of Jerusalem. 7And I will take issue with them; they will come out of the fire, but the fire will devour them, and you will know that I am the Lord when I take issue with them. 8And I will make the land a desolation, because they have acted perversely, says the Lord, the Lord.’ ”

Ezekiel Chapter 16 

1And the word of the Lord came to me and said, 2“Son of Adam, make Jerusalem's abominations known to her, 3and say, ‘This is what my Lord the Lord says to Jerusalem: «Your conception and your birth are from the land of the Canaanites. Your father was an Amorite and your mother was a Hittite. 4And as for your birth, on the day when you were born, your umbilical cord was not cut, and you were not washed clean in water, and you were not cleansed with salty water at all, nor were you wrapped in swaddling clothes at all. 5Not an eye had pity on you, by doing just one of these things to you, to have compassion on you, and you were cast into the open field because of your loathsomeness on the day when you were given birth. 6When I passed through you, I saw you trodden under foot in your own blood, and I said to you in your own blood, ‹Live›, and again I said to you in your own blood, ‹Live.› 7I made you ten thousand inhabitants strong like the wild vegetation, and you increased and become great, and you proceeded to the height of ornamentation. Your breasts matured, and your hair grew, whereas you were naked and destitute. 8When I passed through you, I looked at you, and behold, your time was the time of love, and I spread my wing over you, and I covered your nakedness, and I swore to you, and I entered into a covenant with you, says the Lord, the Lord, and you became mine. 9And I washed you with water, and I rinsed your blood off you, and I anointed you with oil. 10And I clothed you with embroidery, and I shod you with badger skin, and I girded you with fine linen, and I covered you with silk. 11And I adorned you with ornaments, and I put bracelets on your hands, and a chain round your neck. 12And I put a nosering on your nose, and earrings on your ears, and a magnificent crown on your head. 13And you adorned yourself with gold and silver, and your apparel was fine linen and silk and embroidery, and you ate fine flour products and honey and oil, and you became beautiful in the extreme, and you became a prosperous kingdom. 14And your fame went out among the nations for your beauty, for it was perfect, a testimony to my majesty which I placed on you, says the Lord, the Lord. 15But you put trust in your beauty, and you prostituted yourself with your fame, and you poured your prostitution on every passer-by; it became his. 16And you took some of your garments, and you made yourself draped idolatrous high places, and you committed prostitution at them, saying, ‹They will not come, and it will not be.› 17And you took your magnificent articles, made from my gold and my silver which I gave you, and you made yourself images of the male organ, and you committed prostitution with them. 18And you have taken your embroidered garments, and you have covered them, and you have placed my oil and my incense in front of them. 19And there is my food which I gave you – fine flour and oil and honey with which I fed you, but you set it before them as sweet fragrance, and that is what it became, says the Lord, the Lord. 20And you took your sons and your daughters whom you bore me, and you sacrificed them to the images, to be consumed. Is it a small matter among your prostitutions 21that you have slaughtered my sons and surrendered them, to have them pass over fire for the images? 22And with all your abominations and prostitutions you have not remembered the days of your youth when you were naked and destitute – when you were trodden under foot in your own blood. 23And it came to pass after all your wrongdoing – woe, woe to you, says the Lord, the Lord – 24that you built yourself an idolatrous mound, and you made yourself a high place in every street. 25You have built your high place at the head of every road, and you have made your beauty an abomination, and you have opened your legs to every passer-by, and you have been profuse in your prostitution. 26And you have engaged in prostitution with the Egyptians your neighbours, who are very lustful, and you have been profuse in your prostitution, so as to provoke me to anger. 27So look, I have stretched my hand out over you, and I have diminished your privileged position, and I have delivered you to the will of those who hate you – the daughters of the Philistines, who are ashamed of your lewd way. 28And you have engaged in prostitution with the Assyrians because of your insatiability, and you have been promiscuous with them, and indeed were not satiated. 29And you have increased your prostitution in the land of Canaan the Chaldean way, and also in this you were not satiated. 30How weak-willed your heart is, says the Lord, the Lord, in that you do all these things. It is the practice of a self-willed prostitute. 31In your satellite villages is your idolatrous mound, at the head of every road, and you have built your high place in every street, but you have not been like a prostitute, in that you have been scornful of taking immoral earnings. 32You are an adulterous woman who takes strangers instead of her husband. 33To all prostitutes one gives fees, but you have given your gratuities to all your lovers, and you have bribed them to come to you from all around in your prostitutions. 34So it has been with you in your prostitutions the opposite to what other women do, in that sexual favour has not been sought from you, and in that you have given a gratuity, and no gratuity was given to you. So you have been the opposite.» 35Therefore, you prostitute, hear the word of the Lord. 36This is what my Lord the Lord says: «Because of the squandering of your copper money, and because your nakedness has been revealed in your prostitutions with your lovers and with all your abominable idols, and by the blood of your sons whom you gave to them, 37I am about to gather up all your lovers with whom you have been familiar, and all whom you have loved, with all whom you have hated, and I will gather them up against you from round about, and I will reveal your nakedness to them, and they will see all your nakedness. 38And I will judge you with the judgments for women who commit adultery and who shed blood, and I will deliver you up to furious bloodshed and jealousy. 39And I will deliver you into their hand, and they will flatten your idolatrous mound and demolish your high places, and they will strip you of your clothes, and they will take your magnificent articles and leave you naked and destitute. 40And they will bring a contingent up against you, and they will stone you with boulders, and they will cut you to pieces with their swords. 41And they will burn your houses with fire, and they will pass judgments on you in the sight of many women. So I will stop you from being a prostitute, and also you will no longer give a gratuity for services. 42But I will give rest to my anger on you, and my jealousy will depart from you, and I will have rest and will no longer be angry. 43Since you have not remembered the days of your youth, but you have been stirred up against me with all these things, now look, I for my part will put your way on your head, says the Lord, the Lord, and you will not commit this lewdness with all your abominations. 44Look, everyone who speaks in proverbs will speak a proverb against you and say, ‹As the mother is, so is her daughter.› 45You are your mother's daughter who loathes her husband and her sons, and you are the sister of your sisters who loathed their husbands and their sons. Your mother was a Hittite and your father an Amorite. 46Now your elder sister is Samaria – she and her daughters – and she is situated to your left. And the sister of yours who is younger than you, who is situated to your right, is Sodom and her daughters. 47And you didn't walk in their ways, or commit their abominations. But in just a short time, you became more perverse than them in all your ways. 48As I live, says the Lord, the Lord, Sodom your sister – she and her daughters – have certainly not done what you and your daughters have done. 49Look, this is what the iniquity of Sodom your sister was: that she and her daughters had pride, immoderation with food, and nonchalant ease, and she did not improve the circumstances of the poor and needy. 50And they were arrogant, and they committed an abomination before me, so I removed them because of what I saw. 51And Samaria has not committed half of your sins, but you have multiplied your abominations more than them, and you have justified your sister with all your abominations which you have committed. 52You too, bear your ignominy, you who have charged your sister with your own sins by which you have acted more abominably than them. They are more righteous than you, so you for your part be ashamed and bear your ignominy in your justifying your sister. 53But I will reverse their deportation – the deportation of Sodom and her daughters, and the deportation of Samaria and her daughters, and the deportation of your body of deportees among them – 54so that you bear your ignominy, and you suffer ignominy for everything you did when you gave them comfort. 55And your sisters Sodom and her daughters will return to their former state, and Samaria and her daughters will return to their former state, and you and your daughters will return to your former state. 56For your sister Sodom did not get a mention by you, at the time when you were behaving arrogantly, 57before your wrongdoing was exposed, as it was at the time of the reproach of the daughters of Aramaea and all its surrounding areas – of the daughters of the Philistines round about who despise you. 58You will bear your lewdness and your abominations, says the Lord59For this is what my Lord the Lord says: «I will yet deal with you as you have dealt, in that you have despised an oath, in breaking a covenant. 60But I will remember my covenant with you in the days of your youth, and I will establish an age-abiding covenant for you. 61Then you will remember your ways, and you will feel ashamed when you take back your sisters, those older than you as well as those younger than you, when I give them to you as daughters, but not by your covenant. 62But I will establish my covenant with you, and you will know that I am the Lord, 63so that you remember and are ashamed and no longer open your mouth, because of your ignominy when I pardon everything you have done, says the Lord, the Lord.» ’ ”

Ezekiel Chapter 17 

1And the word of the Lord came to me and said, 2“Son of Adam, propound a riddle and tell the house of Israel a parable, 3and say, ‘This is what my Lord the Lord says:

«The great eagle, with large wings, with long flight-feathers,

With full plumage, which has various colours,

Has gone to Lebanon

And has taken the top of the cedar tree.

4He has plucked its topmost shoots off

And brought it all to the land of the merchant

And placed it in a city of traders.

5He took some of the seed of the land

And put it in a field ready to be sown.

He took it to a water-rich place

And set it out like willow trees.

6And it grew and became a vine

Which spread out at a low height,

And it turned its branches towards him,

And its roots were under him.

So it became a vine,

And it produced tendrils and sent out shoots.

7And there was another great eagle,

With large wings and copious plumage,

And look, this vine stretched its roots hungrily towards him

And sent its branches from the terrace on which it was planted

To him for him to water it.

8It was planted in a good field,

With much water,

To produce branches and to bear fruit,

To become a magnificent vine.» ’

9Say, ‘This is what my Lord the Lord says:

«Will it thrive?

Will he not uproot it

And cut its fruit off

So that it withers?

All the foliage of its growth will wither,

But not by a powerful arm,

Or by a mighty people coming to pluck it up by its roots.

10So look, will it, having been planted, thrive?

When the east wind hits it,

Will it not completely wither?

It will wither on the terraces

Where it is cultivated.» ’ ”

11And the word of the Lord came to me and said, 12“Please say to the rebellious house, ‘Do you not know what these things represent?’ Say, ‘Look, the king of Babylon has come to Jerusalem, and he has captured its king and its officials, and he has brought them to his place in Babylon. 13And he has taken some of the royal seed and has made a covenant with him and has made him take an oath, and he has taken the high-ranking people of the land 14so that the kingdom might be lowly, so that it should not exalt itself, so that it should keep his covenant for it to stand. 15But he rebelled against him by sending his envoys to Egypt, asking Pharaoh to give him horses and a large body of men. Will he who does these things either be successful or escape? Or if he breaks the covenant, will he escape? 16As I live, says my Lord the Lord, he will certainly die in the location of the king who made him king, because he despised his oath and because he broke his covenant. He will die with him in the precincts of Babylon. 17And Pharaoh will not attend to him with a large army or a vast contingent in war, in casting up ramparts or in building a wall of circumvallation or in cutting down many people. 18Since he has despised the oath in breaking the covenant, and he has made an agreement and done all these things, he will not escape. 19Therefore this is what my Lord the Lord says: «As I live, it is certainly my oath which he has despised, and my covenant which he has broken, and I will requite it on his head. 20And I will spread my net over him, and he will be caught in my netting, and I will bring him to Babylon, and I will contend with him there for his perversity with which he has acted towards me. 21And all his men who flee in all his governmental departments will fall by the sword, and those who remain will be scattered to every wind, and you will know that I, the Lord, have spoken.» 22This is what my Lord the Lord says: «So I for my part will take a piece of the top of the tall cedar tree and set it; I will pluck from the prime of his shoots a tender one, and I myself will plant it on a high and lofty mountain. 23I will plant it on a mountain in the heights of Israel, and it will produce a branch and bear fruit, and it will become a noble cedar, and under it every bird of every kind will dwell – they will dwell in the shadow of its foliage. 24And all the wild trees will know that I, the Lord, have brought down a tall tree and have exalted a lowly tree, and that I have caused a fresh tree to dry up and have made a dry tree blossom. I, the Lord, have spoken, and I will do it.» ’ ”

Ezekiel Chapter 18 

1And the word of the Lord came to me and said, 2“What are you up to, you who quote this saying about the land of Israel, saying,

‘The fathers have eaten sour grapes,

And the sons' teeth are on edge’?

3As I live, says the Lord, the Lord, you certainly will not have occasion to quote this saying any more in Israel.

4Look, all individuals are mine.

As the individuality of the father is,

So is the individuality of the son

– They are mine.

The individual who sins will die.

5But a man who is just,

And who observes justice and equity,

6Who has not eaten on the mountains,

And who has not raised his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel,

And who has not defiled his neighbour's wife,

And who has not approached a woman during her menstruation,

7And who does not oppress anyone,

Who returns what was given as security for a loan,

Who does not commit robbery,

Who gives his food to the hungry

And covers the naked with clothing,

8Who does not lend on interest,

And who does not take a financial return,

Who withdraws his hand from iniquity,

Who practices true justice

Between one man and another,

9Who walks in my statutes

And keeps my judicial pronouncements,

By doing what is true

– Such a man is just

And will certainly live,

Says the Lord, the Lord.

10If a man begets an unruly son

Who sheds blood,

And who does anything resembling any one of these things,

11Although the father himself does not do any of these things,

But the son for his part eats on the mountains

And defiles his neighbour's wife,

12Oppresses the poor and needy,

Commits robbery,

Does not return what was given as security

And raises his eyes to the idols,

Commits an abomination,

13Lends on interest

And takes a financial return

– Will the son live?

He shall not live;

He has committed all these abominations.

He shall surely be put to death;

His blood will be upon him.

14But if on the other hand a man begets a son,

And he sees all his father's sins

Which he has committed,

And he is discerning

And does not do anything like them –

15He does not eat on the mountains,

And he does not raise his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel,

And he does not defile his neighbour's wife,

16And he does not oppress anyone,

He does not withhold what is taken as security,

He does not commit robbery,

He gives his food to the hungry,

And he covers the naked with clothing,

17He withdraws his hand from demanding payment from the poor,

He does not take interest and financial return,

He observes my judicial pronouncements,

And he walks in my statutes,

Then he will not die in the iniquity of his father;

The son will certainly live.

18As for his father,

Since he engaged in oppression

And committed robbery of his brother

And did what is not right among his people,

The result is that he will die in his iniquity.

19But you will say, ‘Why does the son not bear the iniquity of the father?’ If the son executes justice and righteousness and keeps all my statutes, and he does them, he will surely live. 20The person who sins will die. The son will not bear the iniquity of the father, and the father will not bear the iniquity of the son. The righteousness of the righteous man will be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked man will be upon him. 21And as for the wicked man, if he turns away from all his sin which he has committed, and he keeps all my statutes, and he observes justice and righteousness, he will certainly live; he shall not die. 22None of his transgressions which he has committed will be made mention of against him. He will live in his righteousness which he has done. 23Do I have any pleasure at all in the death of a wicked man? says my Lord the Lord. Is it not rather in him turning away from his ways, so that he lives? 24But when a righteous man turns away from his righteousness and commits injustice such as all the abominations which the wicked man does, will he live? None of his righteousness which he did will be made mention of. It is in his perverseness which he has displayed and in his sins by which he has sinned that he will die. 25But you say, ‘The way of the Lord* is not fair.’ Well, hear, O house of Israel. Is my way not fair? Is it not your ways which are not fair? 26When a righteous man turns away from his righteousness and displays perverseness and dies in these things, he will die in his perverseness which he displayed. 27And when a wicked man turns away from his wickedness which he has committed, and he observes justice and righteousness, he will preserve his life, 28for he has reviewed things and turned away from all his transgressions which he committed. He will certainly live; he shall not die. 29But the house of Israel says, ‘The way of the Lord* is not fair.’ Are my ways not fair, O house of Israel? Are not your ways unfair? 30So I will judge you according to each one's ways, O house of Israel, says the Lord, the Lord. Turn away and withdraw from all your transgressions, so that iniquity will not be a stumbling block to you. 31Cast all your transgressions by which you have transgressed away from you, and make yourselves a new heart and a new spirit, for why should you die, O house of Israel? 32For I do not take pleasure in the death of him who dies, says the Lord, the Lord. So turn back and live.

Ezekiel Chapter 19 

1And as for you, deliver a lamentation to the leading men of Israel, 2and say,

‘What is your mother?

A lioness which lies down among the lions

And brings up her cubs among the young lions.

3And she brought up one of her cubs;

It became a young lion

And learned to catch prey.

It ate a man.

4The nations heard of it;

It was caught in their pit,

And they brought it with hooks to the land of Egypt.

5And the lioness realized after waiting

That her hope was lost,

And she took another of her cubs

And made it a young lion.

6So it walked around among the lions

And became a young lion,

And it learned to catch prey.

It ate a man.

7And it knew its desolate haunts,

And it laid their cities waste,

And the land and its fulness were devastated

By the sound of its roaring.

8Then the nations took action against it,

Round about from various countries.

And they spread their net against it.

It was caught in their pit,

9And they put it in a cage using hooks,

And they brought it to the king of Babylon.

They brought it in nets

So that its voice would no longer be heard

On the mountains of Israel.

10Your mother is like a vine

Planted in your blood by water.

She became fruitful and full of branches

Due to the abundant water.

11And she had strong branches

For the sceptres of rulers,

And its height became great

Among the thick branch growth,

And it appeared in its height

With the abundance of its branches.

12But she was plucked up in fury;

She was cast down to the ground,

And the east wind dried her fruit up.

Her strong branches broke apart and dried up,

And a fire consumed it.

13And now she has been planted in the desert,

In an arid and thirsty land.

14And fire spread from the stem of her branches;

It consumed her fruit,

And there was no strong branch in her

No sceptre for ruling.

This is a lamentation,

And a lamentation it has become.’ ”

Ezekiel Chapter 20 

1Then it came to pass in the seventh year, in the fifth month, on the tenth day of the month, that some of the elders of Israel came to consult the Lord, and they sat before me. 2And the word of the Lord came to me and said, 3“Son of Adam, speak with the elders of Israel and say to them, ‘This is what my Lord the Lord says: «Have you come to consult me? As I live, I will certainly not be consulted by you, says the Lord, the Lord.» ’ 4Will you judge them, will you be the judge, son of Adam? Have them know the abominations of their fathers, 5and say to them, ‘This is what my Lord the Lord says: «On the day when I chose Israel, I both raised my hand to the seed of the house of Jacob, and I made myself known to them in the land of Egypt. And I raised my hand to them and said, ‹I am the Lord your God.› 6On that day I raised my hand to them that I would bring them out of the land of Egypt to a land which I have destined for them, flowing with milk and honey. It is a beacon of splendour to all the various countries. 7And I said to them, ‹Let each man cast away his abominable-looking things, and do not defile yourselves with the idols of Egypt. I am the Lord your God.› 8But they rebelled against me and were not willing to heed me. They did not each cast away their abominable-looking things, and they did not abandon the idols of Egypt. And I said I would pour my wrath out over them, to expend my anger on them, within the land of Egypt. 9But I acted for the sake of my name, so that it should not be profaned in the eyes of the nations which are among them, in whose sight I have been made known to them by bringing them out of the land of Egypt. 10So I brought them out of the land of Egypt, and I brought them to the desert, 11and I gave them my statutes, and I made my judicial principles known to them, which a man shall observe and live by. 12And I also gave them my Sabbaths, to be a sign between me and them, for them to know that I, the Lord, sanctify them. 13But the house of Israel rebelled against me in the desert. They did not walk in my statutes, and they rejected my judicial principles, which a man shall observe and live by, and they profaned my Sabbaths a lot. So I said I would pour my fury out over them in the desert, to make an end of them. 14And I acted for the sake of my name, so that it should not be profaned in the eyes of the nations in whose sight I brought them out. 15And I also raised my hand to them in the desert that I would not bring them to the land which I have given them – flowing with milk and honey, a beacon of splendour to all the various countries – 16because they rejected my judicial principles and did not walk in my statutes and profaned my Sabbaths, for their heart would go after their idols, 17but my eye spared them from me destroying them, and I did not make an end of them in the desert. 18And I said to their sons in the desert, ‹Do not walk in the statutes of your fathers, and do not keep their judicial principles, and do not defile yourselves with their idols. 19I am the Lord your God. Walk in my statutes, and keep my judicial principles, and observe them. 20And sanctify my Sabbaths, so that they are a sign between me and you, for you to know that I am the Lord your God.› 21But the sons rebelled against me. They did not walk in my statutes, and they did not keep my judicial principles, observing them, which a man shall observe and live by. They profaned my Sabbaths, and I said I would pour my fury out over them, to expend my anger on them in the desert. 22But I withdrew my hand, and I acted for the sake of my name, so as not to be profaned in the eyes of the Gentiles in whose sight I brought them out. 23I also raised my hand to them in the desert that I would scatter them among the Gentiles, and to disperse them in the various countries, 24because they did not observe my judicial principles, and they rejected my statutes, and they profaned my Sabbaths, and their eyes were after the idols of their fathers. 25And I also gave them statutes for what is not good, and judicial principles by which they should not live. 26So I defiled them by their own gifts when they caused all who open the womb to pass through fire, so that I should lay them waste, so that they might know that I am the Lord.» ’ 27Therefore, son of Adam, speak to the house of Israel and say to them, ‘This is what my Lord the Lord says: «Your fathers snubbed me even in this way: when they displayed perverseness against me. 28When I brought them into the land concerning which I had raised my hand to give it to them, they saw every high hill and every dense tree, and they offered their sacrifices there, and there they aroused anger because of their oblations, and they produced their sweet fragrances there, and they poured their libations out there. 29And I said to them, ‹What is that idolatrous raised site over there which you are going to?› And it is called Bamah up to this day.» ’ 30So say to the house of Israel, ‘This is what my Lord the Lord says: «Are you making yourselves unclean in the way of your fathers, and are you engaging in prostitution, copying their abominations? 31For when you raise your offerings, when you make your sons pass through fire, you defile yourselves with all your idolatrous practices, as you have been doing up to this day. So shall I be consulted by you, O house of Israel? As I live, says the Lord, the Lord, I will certainly not be consulted by you. 32And as for what springs to your mind, it certainly will not come to pass, when you say, ‹We will be like the Gentiles, like the families of the various countries, serving wood and stone.› 33As I live, says the Lord, the Lord, I will certainly reign over you with a strong hand and with an outstretched arm, and with fury poured out. 34And I will bring you out of the various peoples, and I will gather you from the various countries in which you have been scattered, with a strong hand and with an outstretched arm and with fury poured out. 35And I will bring you to the place of discourse of the various peoples, and I will contend with you there face to face. 36As I contended with your fathers in the desert of the land of Egypt, so I will contend with you, says the Lord, the Lord. 37And I will make sure you pass under the rod, and I will bring you into the terms of the covenant. 38And I will purge from you those who are rebellious and those who transgress against me. I will remove them from the land of their residence, and they shall not come into the land of Israel, and you will know that I am the Lord39And as for you, O house of Israel, this is what my Lord the Lord says: «Let each man go and serve his idols, and afterwards if you will not heed me. But do not profane my holy name any more with your gifts and with your idols. 40For in my holy mountain, in the mountain of the height of Israel, says the Lord, the Lord, there the whole house of Israel will serve me, all of it in the land. There I will delight in them, and there I will require your heave-offerings and your prime gifts, in all your holy dealings. 41With a fragrant scent I will delight in you, when I bring you out of the various peoples, and I gather you from the countries in which you have been scattered. And I will be sanctified in you in the sight of the Gentiles. 42And you will know that I am the Lord when I bring you to the ground of Israel, to the land for which I raised my hand to give it to your fathers. 43And there you will remember your ways and all your deeds by which you defiled yourselves, and you will loathe yourselves in facing up to yourselves for all your wicked things which you have done. 44And you will know that I am the Lord when I take action with you for my name's sake, not according to your bad ways or according to your corrupted deeds, O house of Israel, says the Lord, the Lord.» ’ ” 45And the word of the Lord came to me and said, 46“Son of Adam, face towards the south, and prophesy to the south, and prophesy to the forest of the field in the south. 47And say to the forest in the south, ‘Hear the word of the Lord. This is what my Lord the Lord says: «I am about to light a fire against you, and it will consume every moist tree and every dry tree in your precincts. The blazing flame will not be extinguished, and all faces from the south to the north will be scorched by it. 48All flesh will see that I, the Lord, burnt it. It will not be extinguished.» ’ ” 49Then I said, “Alas, my Lord the Lord, they are saying of me, ‘Is he not speaking proverbially?’ ”

Ezekiel Chapter 21 

1Then the word of the Lord came to me and said, 2“Son of Adam, face towards Jerusalem and prophesy to the sanctuary, and prophesy to the ground of Israel, 3and say to the ground of Israel, ‘This is what the Lord says: «I am here against you, and I will draw out my sword from its sheath, and I will cut the righteous and the wicked off from you. 4Since I will cut the righteous and the wicked off from you, my sword will come out of its sheath against all flesh from the south to the north. 5And all flesh will know that I, the Lord, have drawn my sword out from its sheath. It will no longer return.» ’ 6And you, son of Adam, give a sigh. Sigh before their eyes, with churning of your stomach and in bitterness. 7And it will come to pass, when they say to you, ‘What are you sighing for?’, that you will say, ‘Concerning the report, for it is coming, when every heart will sink, and all hands will droop, and every mood will be dejected, and all knees will dissolve like water. Behold, it is coming, and it will be brought to pass, says my Lord the Lord.’ ” 8And the word of the Lord came to me and said, 9“Son of Adam, prophesy and say, ‘This is what the Lord* says.’ Say,

‘A sword, a sword has been sharpened

And also polished.

10It has been sharpened to carry out slaughter.

And it is so that it may have a glitter to it

That it has been polished.

Or should we rejoice in the sceptre of my son?

The sword despises all wood.

11And he has committed it to polishing,

To be held in the hand.

It is a sword which has been sharpened,

And it has been polished,

For it to be placed in the hand of the killer.’

12Cry out and howl,

Son of Adam,

For it will be against my people.

It will be against all the officials of Israel.

My people will be delivered to the sword,

So slap your thigh.

13For it is a trial.

For what will happen when even the sceptre,

Which the sword despises,

Is not in existence?

Says the Lord, the Lord.

14And you, son of Adam, prophesy,

And strike hand against hand,

And let the sword do double work

Or triple work.

It is a sword for making casualties,

A sword for great loss of life,

Closing in on them.

15It is in order that the heart may melt,

With many troubles at all their gates,

That I have appointed the threatening sword.

Oh, it has been made to glitter;

It has been drawn for slaughter.

16O sword, be sharp,

Strike to the right,

Take notice,

Strike to the left

– Wherever your face is pointing.

17Then I too will strike my hand against my hand,

And give my fury rest.

I, the Lord, have spoken.”

18And the word of the Lord came to me and said, 19“Now you, son of Adam, lay out for yourself two roads, for the king of Babylon's sword to come by. The two of them will issue from one country. Carve out a signpost at the head of the road to the city; carve it out. 20Lay out a road for the sword to come to Rabbath of the Ammonites, and to Judah, at fortified Jerusalem. 21For the king of Babylon will stand at the fork in the road, at the head of two roads, using divination. He will shake arrows, he will inquire of household gods; he will inspect the liver. 22On his right will be divination concerning Jerusalem, to set up battering rams, to open up a way in for slaughter, to raise a voice in a battle-cry, to set up battering rams against the gates, to throw up a rampart; to build a wall of circumvallation. 23But it will be like a false divination in their sight – that is, to those who have sworn oaths to the king's officials – and he will make mention of the iniquity, for them to be caught. 24So this is what the Lord, the Lord, says: ‘Since you have brought your iniquity into remembrance, by your transgressions being revealed, by your sins being made manifest, with all your deeds – on account of your being brought into remembrance – you will be caught by the hand. 25And as for you, you profane and wicked leader of Israel, whose day has come, at the time of the final iniquity, 26this is what the Lord, the Lord, says:

«Remove the turban

And take the crown away.

What was won't be any more.

Exalt the lowly

And humble the exalted.

27I will overturn, overturn, overturn it.

Moreover this will not happen

Until the coming of him who has the right,

Which I will give him.» ’

28And you, son of Adam, prophesy and say, ‘This is what my Lord the Lord says to the sons of Ammon and concerning their reproach.’ So say,

‘The sword, the sword is unsheathed,

Polished for slaughter,

To cause devouring,

The reason for its glitter,

29When they see false visions concerning you,

When they divine concerning you falsely,

Putting you with the necks of those to be executed for their crimes,

Whose day will come in the final iniquity.

30Return it to its sheath.

I will judge you

In the place where you were created,

In your native land.

31And I will pour out my indignation over you;

I will blow on my angry fire against you,

And I will deliver you into the hand of savage men,

Forgers of destruction.

32You will be fuel for the fire;

Your blood will be in the midst of the land.

You will not be remembered,

For I, the Lord, have spoken.’ ”

Ezekiel Chapter 22 

1And the word of the Lord came to me and said, 2As for you, son of Adam, will you judge, will you judge the City of Blood, and will you make all its abominations known to it? 3So you will say, ‘This is what my Lord the Lord says: «As for the city which sheds blood in its own precincts, its time is about to come, for it has made idols to defile itself. 4You have become guilty of your blood which you have shed, and you have become unclean by your idols which you have made, and you have brought your days near, and you have come to your years, which is why I have made you an object of reproach to the nations and an object of scorn to all the various countries. 5Those near and far from you will mock you, you who are of sullied name and great turmoil. 6Look, you officials of Israel. Each one in you, Jerusalem, had it in his power to shed blood. 7Those in you have despised their father and mother; in your precincts people have dealt with the foreigner with extortion, and in you they have oppressed the orphan and the widow. 8You have despised my holy things, and you have profaned my Sabbaths. 9In you were slanderers, so as to shed blood, and in you some ate on the mountains. In your precincts they are engaged in intrigue. 10In you one has uncovered his father's nakedness; in you they have violated her who was unclean by reason of menstruation. 11And a man has committed an abomination with his neighbour's wife, and a man has defiled his daughter-in-law through depravity, and a man in you has violated his sister – his father's daughter. 12In you some have accepted a bribe for the purpose of shedding blood. You have taken interest and financial gain, and you have defrauded your neighbours with extortion, and me you have forgotten, says the Lord, the Lord. 13And look, I have struck my hand at your unjust gain which you have made, and at your blood which has been in your confines. 14Will your heart stand firm, and will your hands hold out in the days when I deal with you? I, the Lord, have spoken, and I will do it. 15And I will scatter you among the Gentiles, and I will disperse you among the various countries, and I will purge your uncleanness from you. 16And you will be profaned by your own self in the eyes of the Gentiles, and you will know that I am the Lord.» ’ ” 17Then the word of the Lord came to me and said, 18“Son of Adam, the house of Israel has become dross to me. They are all copper and tin and iron and lead in the furnace. They have become the dross of silver. 19So this is what the Lord, the Lord, says: ‘Because you have all become dross, I am about to gather you into Jerusalem. 20Like a mixture of silver and copper and iron and lead and tin inside a furnace, to have fire blown on it to melt it, so I will gather you in my anger and in my fury, and I will keep you in place and melt you. 21And I will gather you, and I will blow on you with my irate fire, and you will be melted in it. 22As is the smelting of silver in the furnace, so you will be smelted in it, and you will know that I, the Lord, have poured out my fury on you.’ ” 23Then the word of the Lord came to me and said, 24“Son of Adam, say to her, ‘You are a land which has not been cleansed, which had no rain on the day of indignation. 25There is a conspiracy of her prophets within her, like a roaring lion tearing at prey. They devour people, they take riches and valuables; they have increased the number of widows she has within her confines. 26Her priests have done violence to my law, and they have profaned my holy things. They have not made a distinction between holy and profane, and they have not made the difference known between unclean and clean, and they have hidden their eyes from my Sabbaths, so I have been profaned in their midst. 27Her officials at her centre are like wolves tearing at prey, shedding blood, destroying people in order to make unjust gain. 28And her prophets have plastered over these things with lime, seeing false visions and divining falsely to them, saying, «This is what my Lord the Lord says», when the Lord has not spoken. 29The people of the land have committed extortion, and they have snatched away plunder and oppressed the poor and needy, and they have maltreated the foreigner without justice. 30And I sought from them a man who would build a wall, and who would stand at the breach before me, for the sake of the land, to prevent its destruction, but I didn't find anyone. 31So I have poured out my indignation over them. I have made an end of them in my irate fire. I have put their way on their head, says my Lord the Lord.’ ”

Ezekiel Chapter 23 

1And the word of the Lord came to me and said,

2“Son of Adam, there were two women,

Daughters of the same mother.

3And they engaged in prostitution in Egypt

It was in their youth that they engaged in prostitution.

There their breasts were fondled,

And there their virgin nipples were caressed.

4And their names were Aholah the elder one

And Aholibah her sister.

And they were mine,

And they gave birth to sons and daughters,

Whose names were Samaria-Aholah

And Jerusalem-Aholibah.

5And Aholah acted promiscuously beneath me,

And she made love to her lovers,

With the Assyrians who were near,

6Dressed in blue

– Governors and administrators,

All of them attractive young men –

Horsemen riding on horses.

7And she gave her immoral favours to them,

All of them being choice sons of Assyria,

And she became unclean by all with whom she made love,

Through all their idols.

8And she did not abandon her immoral practices

Brought back from Egypt,

For they lay with her in her youth,

And they caressed her virgin nipples,

And they poured out their immorality on her.

9Therefore I have delivered her into the hand of her lovers,

Into the hand of the Assyrians,

With whom she made love.

10They revealed her nakedness;

They took her sons and her daughters,

And they killed her with the sword,

And she became notorious among women,

For judgment had been passed on her.

11And her sister Aholibah saw it,

And she was more perverse than her in her lovemaking,

And she was more profuse in her promiscuous acts than her sister

In her immoral ways.

12She made love to the Assyrians,

Governors and administrators who were near,

Dressed immaculately,

Horsemen riding on horses

– All attractive young men.

13And I saw that she had become unclean.

The two of them had the same conduct.

14And she added to her promiscuous deeds

When she saw an engraving of men on a wall

– Images of Chaldeans

Engraved in red ochre –

15Wearing a belt around their waist,

Wearing loose hanging dyed turbans on their heads,

All in the style of brigadiers,

With imagery of the sons of Babylon

– Chaldeans –

And their native land.

16And she lusted after them when her eyes saw them,

And she sent messengers to them in Chaldea.

17Then the Babylonians came to her

To lie making love,

And they defiled her with their promiscuity,

And she was defiled by them.

Then her sentiments became alienated from them.

18When she had revealed her promiscuous acts

And had revealed her nakedness,

My sentiments became alienated from her,

As my sentiments had become alienated from her sister.

19And she did more promiscuous acts,

Remembering the days of her youth

When she was promiscuous in the land of Egypt.

20And she lusted after their lovers,

Whose flesh was the flesh of donkeys,

And whose emission was the emission of horses.

21And you have looked about

For the unchaste way of your youth,

With caressing of your nipples,

As was done in Egypt on account of your youthful breasts.

22Therefore, Aholibah, this is what the Lord, the Lord, says:

‘I am about to stir your lovers up against you,

Those from whom your sentiments have become alienated,

And I will bring them against you all around,

23The sons of Babylon and all the Chaldeans:

Pekod and Shoa and Koa,

And all the sons of Assyria with them

– All of them attractive young men,

Governors and administrators,

Brigadiers and celebrities,

All of them horseriders.

24And a battalion will come against you,

Chariots and vehicles,

With a contingent of various peoples,

Who will beset you all around,

With shield and buckler and helmet.

And I will allow judgment to take place before them,

And they will judge you with their own legal processes.

25And I will set my zeal against you,

And they will deal with you in fury.

They will remove your nose and your ears,

And your posterity will fall by the sword.

They will capture your sons and your daughters,

And your posterity will be consumed by fire.

26And they will strip your clothes off

And take your magnificent articles away.

27And I will put an end to your unchaste way

And your promiscuity which came from the land of Egypt,

And you will not raise your eyes to them,

And you will no longer remember Egypt.

28For this is what the Lord, the Lord, says: «I am about to deliver you into the hand of those you hate – into the hand of those from whom your sentiments have become alienated. 29And they will deal with you with hatred, and they will take all your hard-earned possessions and leave you naked and destitute. And the nakedness of your promiscuous acts and your unchaste behaviour and your immoral ways will be revealed. 30They will do these things to you, because you have gone whoring after the Gentiles, whereby you have become unclean with their idols. 31You have gone the way of your sister, and I will put her cup in your hand.» 32This is what the Lord, the Lord, says:

«You will drink your sister's deep and wide cup.

It will be an occasion of derision and mocking

– A lot to stomach.

33You will be filled with drunkenness and sorrow

With the cup of astonishment and desolation

– The cup of your sister Samaria.

34And you will drink it and drain it,

And you will gnaw its broken pieces,

And you will tear your breasts away,

For I have spoken,

Says the Lord, the Lord».

35Therefore this is what the Lord, the Lord, says:

«Because you have forgotten me,

And you have cast me behind your back,

You too must bear your unchaste behaviour

And immoral ways.» ’ ”

36Then the Lord said to me, “Son of Adam, will you judge Aholah and Aholibah, and tell them their abominations? 37For they have committed adultery, and there is blood on their hands, and it is with their idols that they have committed adultery, and also with their sons whom they have borne to me, whom they have made pass through fire, consuming them. 38They have also done this to me: they defiled my sanctuary on that day, and they have profaned my Sabbaths. 39And when they slaughtered their sons to their idols, they came to my sanctuary on the same day to profane it, and so you see what they have done inside my house. 40‘And moreover you have sent for men to come from far away, to whom a messenger was sent, and look, they have come – they for whom you washed yourself and put eye-shadow on and decked yourself with ornaments. 41And you reclined on a magnificent bed, with a table laid in front of it, and you put my incense and my oil on it. 42And there was the sound of a carefree crowd in it, and these were men from the common masses, Sabaeans brought from the desert, who put bracelets on their wrists and a magnificent crown on their heads.’ 43And I said concerning her who is worn out with adulteries, ‘Will they now behave immorally with her in her prostitution, with the way she is?’ 44And they went to her as one goes to a prostitute. So they went to Aholah and Aholibah, the unchaste women. 45And it is righteous men who will judge them by the law of adulteresses and the law of those who shed blood, for they are adulteresses, and there is blood on their hands. 46For this is what the Lord, the Lord, says: ‘Bring a contingent up against them, and consign them to atrocity and to being plundered. 47And the contingent will stone them and cut them down with their swords. They will kill their sons and their daughters and burn their houses with fire. 48And I will banish unchaste behaviour from the land, and all the women will be admonished, and they will not behave in your unchaste way. 49And your unchaste way will be requited upon you, and you will bear the sins committed with your idols, and you will know that I am the Lord, the Lord.’ ”

Ezekiel Chapter 24 

1And the word of the Lord came to me in the ninth year, in the tenth month, on the tenth day of the month and said, 2“Son of Adam, write down today's date – this very day. The king of Babylon has drawn near to Jerusalem on this very day. 3And tell the rebellious house a proverb, and say to them, ‘This is what my Lord the Lord says:

«Put the pot on;

Put it on,

And pour water into it too.

4Add its ingredients to it

– Every fine piece of thigh and shoulder;

Fill it with choice joints.

5Take the choice of the small cattle,

And also burn the bones under it,

And boil it thoroughly,

And also cook its bones with it.»

6Therefore this is what my Lord the Lord says:

«Woe, City of Blood,

Pot which has scum in it,

Which the scum does not come out of.

Bring it out piece by piece.

No lot shall be cast for it.

7For her blood is within her confines;

She has put it on a dry surface of a rock.

She did not put it on the ground,

So having it covered with dust.

8It is to arouse fury

– To exact vengeance –

That I have put her blood on a dry surface of a rock,

To prevent it being covered over.»

9Therefore this is what my Lord the Lord says:

«Woe to the City of Blood.

I for my part will make the bonfire large.

10Increase the amount of wood,

Light the fire,

Prepare the flesh;

Spice the ointment,

And let the bones be burned.

11And stand it empty on its burning coals

So that it becomes hot,

And its copper burns,

And its uncleanness melts inside it,

And its scum is consumed.

12She has caused weariness with vain actions,

And the large quantity of her scum has not come out of her.

In the fire with her scum!

13In your uncleanness is your unchaste way,

Because I cleansed you,

But you did not become clean.

You will not be cleansed of your uncleanness any more

Until I have laid my fury on you.

14I, the Lord, have spoken.

It will come,

And I will do it.

I will not relent,

Nor will I have pity,

Nor will I show compassion.

They will judge you according to your ways

And according to your deeds,

Says the Lord, the Lord.» ’ ”

15And the word of the Lord came to me and said, 16“Son of Adam, I am about to take the delight of your eye away from you with a plague, but you shall not mourn, and you shall not weep, and your tears shall not come. 17Silence any groaning, do not mourn for the dead; put your turban on, and put your shoes on your feet, and do not cover your moustache, and do not eat bread brought by other people.” 18So I spoke to people in the morning, and my wife died in the evening. Then I acted in the morning as I had been commanded. 19Then the people said to me, “Will you not tell us what these things which you are doing mean to us?” 20So I said to them, “The word of the Lord came to me and said, 21‘Say to the house of Israel, «This is what my Lord the Lord says: ‹I am about to profane my sanctuary, the magnificence of your strength, the delight of your eyes and the object of your tender affection. And your sons and your daughters whom you have left behind will fall by the sword. 22And you shall do what I have done. You shall not cover your moustache, and you shall not eat bread brought by other people. 23And wear your turbans on your heads and your shoes on your feet. You shall not mourn, and you shall not weep. And you will waste away in your iniquities, and you will groan to each other. 24And Ezekiel will be a sign to you. Do according to everything he has done. When it comes to you, you will know that I am the Lord, the Lord.› » 25And as for you, son of Adam, will it not be on the day when I take their stronghold from them, their magnificent object of joy, the delight of their eyes and what is dear to their heart – their sons and their daughters – 26on that day, will it not be that an escapee will come to you to give information. 27On that day your mouth will be opened with the escapee, and you will speak, for you will no longer be mute, and you will be a sign to them, and they will know that I am the Lord.’ ”

Ezekiel Chapter 25 

1Then the word of the Lord came to me and said, 2“Son of Adam, direct your attention to the Ammonites and prophesy against them, 3and say to the Ammonites, ‘Hear the word of my Lord the Lord. This is what my Lord the Lord says: «Because you said, ‹Ha!› concerning my sanctuary when it was profaned, and concerning the ground of Israel when it was devastated, and concerning the house of Judah when they were deported, 4I am about to deliver you to the easterners as a possession, and they will station their encampments among you, and they will locate their tent sites among you. They will devour your fruit, and they will drink your milk. 5And I will make Rabbah a pasture for camels, and the Ammonite territory a place for sheep to lie down, and you will know that I am the Lord. 6For this is what the Lord, the Lord, says: ‹Because you have clapped your hands and stamped with your feet and have rejoiced inwardly with all your contempt for the ground of Israel, 7I for my part have stretched out my hand over you, and I will make you a spoil for the Gentiles, and I will cut you off from being one of the various peoples, and I will eliminate you from the various countries. I will destroy you, and you will know that I am the Lord.› » ’ 8This is what the Lord, the Lord, says: ‘Because Moab and Seir say, «Look, the house of Judah is like all the Gentiles», 9I am about to open up the side of Moab, from the cities, from its cities at its border – the magnificence of the land of Beth-Jeshimoth, Baal-Meon and as far as Kiriathaim – 10to the easterners, together with the Ammonites. And I will give it as a possession, so that the Ammonites may no longer be remembered among the nations. 11And I will administer judgments in Moab, and they will know that I am the Lord.’ 12This is what the Lord, the Lord, says: ‘Because Edom has acted by taking vengeance on the house of Judah, and they have incurred great guilt and avenged themselves on them, 13this is what the Lord, the Lord, says: «I will stretch out my hand over Edom, and I will cut off from her man and beast, and I will make her more of a wasteland than Teman, and the Dedanites will fall by the sword. 14And I will appoint my vengeance on Edom through the agency of my people Israel, and they will deal with Edom according to my anger and according to my fury, and they will know my vengeance, says the Lord, the Lord.» ’ 15This is what the Lord, the Lord, says: ‘Because the Philistines have dealt in vengeance and have taken vengeance with inward contempt to settle a longstanding enmity, 16this is what the Lord, the Lord, says: «I am about to stretch my hand out over the Philistines, and I will cut the Cherethites off, and I will destroy the remainder of the sea coast. 17And I will exact great vengeance on them with furious punishments, and they will know that I am the Lord when I bring my vengeance on them.» ’ ”

Ezekiel Chapter 26 

1And it came to pass in the eleventh year, on the first day of the month, that the word of the Lord came to me and said, 2“Son of Adam, because Tyre has said concerning Jerusalem, ‘Ha! She who was the gateway of the various peoples is broken. She has been diverted to me. I will be filled; she has been laid waste’, 3this is what the Lord, the Lord, says: ‘I am here against you, Tyre, and I will bring many nations up against you, as the sea brings its waves up, 4and they will pull down the walls of Tyre and demolish her towers. Then I will sweep her dust away from her, and I will make her a dry rock. 5It will be a place for spreading out nets in the middle of the sea, for I have spoken, says the Lord, the Lord, and it will be spoil to the nations. 6And her daughters in the countryside will be killed by the sword, and they will know that I am the Lord. 7For this is what the Lord, the Lord, says: «I am about to bring to Tyre Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon, from the north, the king of kings, with cavalry and with chariots and with horsemen, and a contingent, and many people. 8He will kill your daughters in the field by the sword, and he will place a wall of circumvallation against you. And he will cast up a rampart against you, and he will raise the buckler against you. 9And he will use battering rams on your walls, and he will demolish your towers with his axes. 10Because of the large number of his horses, their dust will cover you; your walls will shake at the sound of horsemen and wheels and chariots, when he comes to your gates, as the influx into a breached city. 11He will trample on all your outlying areas with the hooves of his horses; he will kill your people by the sword, and your strong idolatrous statues will fall to the ground. 12And they will plunder your wealth and take your merchandise as spoil, and they will demolish your walls and pull down your delightful houses, and they will put your stones and your timbers and your dust in the water. 13And I will put a stop to the sound of your songs, and the tones of your harps will not be heard any more. 14And I will make you a dry rock; you will be a place for spreading nets. You will not be built any more, for I, the Lord, have spoken, says the Lord, the Lord15This is what the Lord, the Lord, says to Tyre: «Will not the coastlands tremble at the sound of your fall, at the groaning of the casualties, at the killing taking place within your precincts? 16And all the princely seafarers will come down from their thrones and remove their robes, and they will take their embroidered clothing off. They will put on tremblings, they will sit on the ground, they will tremble all the time and they will be astonished at you. 17And they will deliver a lamentation for you, and they will say to you,

‹How you have perished,

You who were inhabited by virtue of maritime activity,

The renowned city which was strong on the sea

– She and her inhabitants –

Where fear is instilled in all her inhabitants.

18Now the maritime countries will tremble,

On the day of your fall.

And the island countries which are in the sea

Will be terrified at your demise.›

19For this is what the Lord, the Lord, says: ‹When I make you a desolate city like the cities which are not inhabited, when I bring the ocean over you, and abundant waters cover you, 20I will bring you down with those who go down into the pit, to the people of a past age, and I will install you in the underworld – indeed the desolate places of a past age – with those who descend into the pit, so that you will not be inhabited, and I will display splendour in the land of the living. 21I will appoint you terrors, and you will be no more, and you will be sought but not found any more, age-abidingly, says the Lord, the Lord.› » ’ ”

Reference(s) in Chapter 26: v.13 ↔ Revelation 18:22.

Ezekiel Chapter 27 

1And the word of the Lord came to me and said, 2“And you, son of Adam, deliver a lamentation for Tyre, 3And say to Tyre,

You who dwell at the entrance routes from the sea,

The merchant of the various peoples,

Trading with many maritime countries,

This is what my Lord the Lord says:

«Tyre, you have said,

‹I am the perfection of beauty.›

4Your borders are in the heart of the seas;

Your builders have perfected your beauty.

5They have constructed all your hull planks from cypress from Senir;

They have taken cedar from Lebanon to make a mast for you.

6They made your oars from terebinths from Bashan.

The daughters of the Assyrians made your benches with ivory from the islands of Chittim.

7Your material to be made into your sail

Was fine linen with embroidery from Egypt;

Your dress

Was blue and purple from the islands of Elishah.

8The inhabitants of Sidon and Arvad were your rowers.

Your skilled men, O Tyre,

Were present in your precincts;

They were your ships' captains.

9The elders of Gebal and its skilled men were present in your precincts,

Sealing your ships' leaks.

All the ships of the sea and their sailors were present in your confines

To trade your wares.

10Men from Persia and Lud and Put were in your forces

– Your men of war.

They hung shield and helmet on display in you;

They gave you your dignity.

11The sons of Arvad and your forces were stationed on your walls round about,

And there were bold warriors on your towers.

They hung their shields on your walls round about;

They perfected your beauty.

12Tarshish was your trading partner, because of the abundance of all kinds of wealth. They traded for your merchandise with silver, iron, tin and lead. 13Javan, Tubal, and Meshech were your trading partners, trading in people, and they traded articles of copper for your wares. 14Those from the house of Togarmah traded horses and horsemen and mules for your merchandise. 15The sons of Dedan were trading partners of yours; many maritime countries traded the merchandise you deal in. They offered horns of ivory, and ebony as a gift to you. 16Aramaea was your trading partner, because of the abundance of your products, in chrysoprase, purple material and embroidery and fine linen and precious things and rubies, which they traded for your merchandise. 17Judah and the land of Israel were trading partners of yours; they traded with you in wheat from Minnith and Pannag, and honey and oil and balsam resin for your wares. 18Damascus was your trading partner in the abundance of your products, because of all the wealth in the wine of Helbon and the brilliant white wool. 19And Dan and Javan traded spun products for your merchandise. Forged iron, cassia and calamus were among your wares. 20Dedan was your trading partner in elegant clothes for riding. 21Arabia and all the princes of Kedar were trading partners in your produce, for lambs and rams and he-goats. In these things they were your trading partners. 22The merchants from Sheba and Raamah were your trading partners, foremost in all balsam resin and all gemstones and gold. They traded in your market places. 23Haran and Canneh and Eden, the traders of Sheba, Assyria and Chilmad were your trading partners. 24They were your trading partners in luxury items, in mantles made from blue material, and embroidery and in chests of multi-coloured cloth, bound in cords and made secure, in your market.

25The ships of Tarshish were your transportation with your wares,

And you were accomplished

And very honoured in the heart of the seas.

26Those who rowed you

Have brought you to tempestuous water.

The east wind has broken you in the heart of the seas.

27Your wealth and your merchandise and your wares

And your sailors and your ships' captains,

Those who repair your leaks,

And your negotiators in trading,

And all your men of war who are in your confines,

And people throughout your community

Who are within your precincts

Will fall in the heart of the seas

On the day of your demise.

28At the sound of the cry of your ships' captains,

The open areas will shake.

29All who handle the oar,

Sailors and all ships' captains on the sea,

Will disembark from their ships.

They will stand on land,

30And they will vociferate against you

And shout bitterly,

And they will throw dust up over their heads;

They will roll around in ash.

31And they will make themselves bald for you,

And they will bind sackcloth on,

And they will weep for you with bitter feelings

And bitter mourning.

32And they will deliver in their lamenting over you

A dirge,

And they will lament over you,

And say, ‹Who is like Tyre,

Like desolation

In the middle of the sea?›

33When your merchandise went out by sea,

You satisfied many peoples with the abundance of your wealth and wares;

You enriched the kings of the earth.

34It is the time when you are broken off from the seas

With their depths of water.

Your trade

And the whole of the community in your confines

Will collapse.

35All the inhabitants of the maritime countries will be astounded at you,

When their kings shudder in horror

And their faces palpitate.

36Traders among the various peoples will whistle at you.

You will be a dreadful scene,

And you will be no more,

Age-abidingly.» ’ ”

Reference(s) in Chapter 27: v.13 ↔ Revelation 18:13.

Ezekiel Chapter 28 

1Then the word of the Lord came to me and said, 2“Son of Adam, say to the prince of Tyre, ‘This is what my Lord the Lord says:

«Because your heart has been proud,

You have said, ‹I am God;

I sit in the seat of God

In the heart of the seas.›

But you are a man and not God,

And you have inclined your heart

To be as if God's heart.

3Look, you are wiser than Daniel.

No secret is hidden from you.

4In your wisdom and your understanding,

You have acquired riches,

And you have acquired gold and silver in your treasuries.

5By the greatness of your wisdom,

By your trade,

You have increased your wealth,

And your heart has become proud with your wealth.

6That is why this is what the Lord, the Lord, says:

‹Because you have disposed your heart

To be as if God's heart,

7Therefore I am about to bring foreigners against you

– Fierce ones from the Gentiles –

And they will draw their swords against the excellence of your wisdom,

And they will spoil your splendour.

8They will bring you down into the pit,

And you will die the death of him who is struck through,

In the heart of the seas.

9Will you really say,

"I am God"

Before him who will kill you,

When you are a man and not God,

In the hands of those who will strike you through?

10You will die the death of the uncircumcised,

By the hand of foreigners,

For I have spoken it,

Says the Lord, the Lord.› » ’ ”

11Then the word of the Lord came to me and said, 12“Son of Adam, deliver a lamentation to the king of Tyre, and say to him, ‘This is what my Lord the Lord says:

«You seal perfection in form.

You are full of wisdom

And are of absolute beauty.

13You were in Eden, the garden of God;

Every precious gemstone was your covering:

Ruby, topaz, and diamond,

Chrysolite, onyx, jasper

Sapphire, chrysoprase, emerald,

And gold.

The workmanship of your drums and your bezels was with you;

They were prepared on the day when you were created.

14You are the anointed cherub

Who acts as a covering,

And I appointed you.

You have been on the holy mountain of God;

You have walked around among the fiery stones.

15You were perfect in your ways

From the day you were created

Until unrighteousness was found in you.

16With the large amount of your trade

They have filled your precincts with violence,

And you have sinned,

And I have removed you as profaned from the mountain of God,

And I will eradicate you,

You who act as a covering cherub,

From among the fiery stones.

17Your heart has become proud

Because of your beauty.

You have spoilt your wisdom on account of your splendour.

I will cast you down to the earth;

I will place you before kings,

For them to look at you.

18With the abundance of your iniquity,

With the unrighteousness in your trade,

You have profaned your sanctuaries.

So I will produce fire from within you;

It will consume you,

And I will make you ash on the earth

In the sight of all who see you.

19All among the various nations who know you

Will be astonished at you.

You will be a terrible scene,

And you will be no more

Age-abidingly.» ’ ”

20Then the word of the Lord came to me and said, 21“Son of Adam, direct your attention to Sidon and prophesy against it. 22And you will say, ‘This is what my Lord the Lord says:

«Here I am against you, Sidon,

And I will become glorified within your confines.

And they will know that I am the Lord

When I execute judgments in it.

And I will be sanctified in it.

23And I will send a plague to it

And blood in its streets,

And he who is struck will fall in its precincts

By the sword against its all around,

And they will know that I am the Lord.

24And the house of Israel will no longer have a stinging barb or painful thorn from any around them who despise them, and they will know that I am the Lord, the Lord25This is what my Lord the Lord says: «When I gather the house of Israel from the nations among which they have been scattered, and I have been sanctified through them in the eyes of the Gentiles, they will live on their land which I have given to my servant – to Jacob. 26And they will live on it in security, and they will build houses and plant vineyards, and they will live in security, when I execute judgments on all those who despise them from round about them, and they will know that I am the Lord their God.» ’ ”

Ezekiel Chapter 29 

1In the tenth year, in the tenth month, on the twelfth day of the month, the word of the Lord came to me and said, 2“Son of Adam, direct your attention to Pharaoh king of Egypt, and prophesy against him and against all Egypt. 3Speak and say, ‘This is what my Lord the Lord says:

«I am here against you,

Pharaoh king of Egypt,

You great serpent who lie in your rivers,

Who have said,

‹My river is mine,

And I made it for myself.›

4But I will put hooks in your jaws,

And I will make the fish of your rivers stick in your scales,

And I will bring you up from your rivers

With all the fish of your rivers

Which will stick in your scales.

5And I will leave you in the desert

– You and all the fish of your rivers.

You will fall on the open countryside.

You will not be collected up,

And you will not be gathered.

I have appointed you as food for the wild animals

And for the birds of the sky.

6And all the inhabitants of Egypt will know

That I am the Lord,

Because they were a reed staff of support to the house of Israel.

7When they held on to you by your hand,

You collapsed,

And you split all their shoulders.

And when they leant on you,

You buckled,

And you brought all their loins to a standstill.»

8So this is what my Lord the Lord says: «I am about to bring the sword over you, and I will cut man and beast off from you. 9And the land of Egypt will be a desolation and a ruin, and they will know that I am the Lord, because he said, ‹The river is mine, and I made it.› 10So I am here against you and against your rivers, and I will make the land of Egypt ruins – a desolate ruin – from Migdol Syene to the border of Ethiopia. 11No foot of man will pass through it, nor will the feet of cattle pass through it, and it will not be inhabited for forty years. 12And I will make the land of Egypt a desolation among desolated countries, and its cities will be a desolation among ruined cities, for forty years. And I will scatter the Egyptians among the Gentiles; I will disperse them among the various countries.» 13For this is what my Lord the Lord says: «After forty years, I will gather the Egyptians from the various peoples where they have been scattered. 14And I will reverse the displacement of the Egyptians, and I will bring them back to the land of Pathros, to their native country, and they will be a low kingdom there. 15It will be the lowest of kingdoms, and it will no longer exalt itself over the nations, and I will make them few in number so that they cannot rule over the nations. 16And it will no longer be for the house of Israel a trusted ally, as they bring iniquity to mind as they appeal to them, and they will know that I am the Lord, the Lord.» ’ ” 17Then it came to pass in the twenty-seventh year, in the first month, on the first day of the month, that the word of the Lord came to me and said, 18“Son of Adam, Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon has engaged his forces on a major campaign against Tyre. Every head has been made bald, and every shoulder has become raw, but he has had no payoff, nor have his forces, from Tyre, for the campaign which he undertook against it. 19Therefore this is what the Lord, the Lord, says: ‘I am about to give the land of Egypt to Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon, and he will carry off its wealth, and he will plunder it for its plunder and spoil it for its spoil, and it will be pay for his forces. 20In his campaign which he has undertaken against it, I have delivered the land of Egypt to him, because they have acted for me, says the Lord, the Lord. 21On that day I will cause a horn to spring up in the house of Israel, and I will give you ability to speak up in their midst, and they will know that I am the Lord.’ ”

Ezekiel Chapter 30 

1And the word of the Lord came to me and said, 2“Son of Adam, prophesy and say, ‘This is what my Lord the Lord says:

«Howl, woe be to the day!

3For the day is near,

Yes, the day of the Lord is near.

It will be a day of cloud,

A time of the Gentiles.

4And the sword will come to Egypt,

And there will be trembling in Ethiopia

When a casualty falls in Egypt,

And they take its wealth,

And its foundations are demolished.

5Ethiopia and Libya and Lud, and all the mixed population, and Chub, and the sons of the land of the covenant will fall by the sword with them.» 6This is what the Lord says:

«So those who support Egypt will fall,

And the pride of its strength will decline.

From Migdol Syene they will fall in it by the sword,

Says the Lord, the Lord.

7And they will be desolate inside desolated countries,

And each one's cities will be reckoned among the ruined cities.

8And they will know that I am the Lord,

When I produce fire in Egypt,

And all those who help her are routed.

9On that day, messengers will go out from my presence in ships

To instil fear in confident Ethiopia,

And there will be trembling among them on the day of Egypt.

For behold, it is coming.»

10This is what the Lord, the Lord, says:

«I will put a stop to the affluence of Egypt,

By the hand of Nebuchadrezzar

King of Babylon.

11He and his people with him

– Fierce people from the Gentiles –

Will be brought to bring the land to ruin,

And they will draw their swords against Egypt,

And they will fill the land with the fallen.

12And I will make the rivers dry land,

And I will sell the land into the hand of the wicked,

And I will make the land and its fulness desolate by the hand of foreigners.

I, the Lord, have spoken.»

13This is what my Lord the Lord says:

«And I will destroy the idols,

And I will put a stop to the false gods from Noph,

And there will not be a prince from the land of Egypt any more,

And I will put fear in the land of Egypt,

14And I will devastate Pathros,

And I will produce fire in Zoan,

And I will execute judgments in No,

15And I will pour out my fury on Sin,

The fortress of Egypt,

And I will cut the horde of No off.

16And I will produce fire in Egypt;

The city of Sin will writhe painfully,

And No will be broken into,

And Noph will have tribulations by day.

17The young men of Aven and Pi-Beseth will fall by the sword

And the women will go into captivity.

18And in Tahpanhes the day will hold itself back

When I break the yoke beams of Egypt there,

And its pride in its strength ceases.

A cloud will cover it,

And its daughters will go into captivity.

19And I will execute judgments in Egypt,

And they will know that I am the Lord.» ’ ”

20Then it came to pass in the eleventh year, in the first month, on the seventh day of the month, that the word of the Lord came to me and said, 21“Son of Adam, I have broken the arm of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and look, it will not be bound up, to let it heal, with a bandage applied to bind it, to strengthen it, so that it could wield a sword. 22Therefore this is what the Lord, the Lord, says: ‘Here I am against Pharaoh king of Egypt, and I will break his arms – the strong one and the broken one – and I will cause the sword to fall from his hand. 23And I will scatter the Egyptians among the nations, and I will disperse them among the various countries. 24And I will strengthen the arms of the king of Babylon, and I will put my sword in his hand, but I will break Pharaoh's arms, and he will groan before him with the groanings of one struck through. 25And I will strengthen the king of Babylon's arms, but Pharaoh's arms will fall down. And they will know that I am the Lord when I put my sword in the hand of the king of Babylon, and he directs it towards the land of Egypt. 26So I will scatter the Egyptians among the nations, and I will disperse them among the various countries, and they will know that I am the Lord.’ ”

Reference(s) in Chapter 30: v.3 ↔ Revelation 1:10.

Ezekiel Chapter 31 

1Then it came to pass in the eleventh year, in the third month, on the first day of the month, that the word of the Lord came to me and said, 2“Son of Adam, say to Pharaoh king of Egypt, and to his horde,

‘Whom do you resemble in your greatness?

3Behold, Assyria was a cedar in Lebanon,

With beautiful boughs

And having foliage giving shade.

And it was of great height,

And between its branches was its crest.

4Water made him great;

The deep water elevated him,

With its rivers flowing around its plantations.

And it has put out its channels

To all the trees of the countryside.

5That is why its standing was higher

Than any tree of the countryside,

And its boughs were numerous

And its foliage was extensive

– Because of the large amount of water present

When it put out shoots.

6All the birds of the sky built their nests on its boughs,

And all the wild animals gave birth under its foliage,

And all kinds of great nations dwelt in its shade.

7And it became beautiful as it grew,

Through the length of its branches,

For its root was at much water.

8Cedars did not conceal it in the garden of God;

Cypresses were not similar to it in its boughs,

And plane trees were not like it in its foliage.

No tree in the garden of God was like it in its beauty.

9I made it beautiful with its many branches,

And all the trees of Eden

Which were in the garden of God

Were jealous of it.

10Therefore this is what my Lord the Lord says: «Because you have made yourself of high standing, and he has put his crest among the boughs, and his heart is lifted up in his self-exaltation, 11I will deliver him into the hand of the mighty one of the nations. They will certainly engage him. I will drive him out according to his wickedness. 12And fierce people from the Gentiles will cut him off and abandon him. His branches will fall off onto the mountains and in all the valleys, and his foliage will be broken up in all the gullies of the land, and all the various peoples of the earth will come down from his shade and abandon him. 13All kinds of birds of the sky will live in its ruins, and all kinds of wild animals will be in its foliage, 14because no aquatic trees will exalt themselves in their height, nor will they put out their crest among their boughs, nor will the mighty ones among them stand having great height – all which drink water – for they are all consigned to death, to the underworld, among the sons of Adam, to those who go down into the pit.» 15This is what my Lord the Lord says: «On the day when he went down into the grave, I caused mourning, I covered him with the deep, and I held back its rivers, and much water was restrained, and I caused Lebanon to mourn gloomily over him, and all the trees of the countryside were languid. 16At the sound of his fall I made nations tremble. When I brought him down to the grave with those who go down to the pit, all the trees of Eden were consoled in the underworld – the choice and best of Lebanon, all those which drink water. 17They also went down to the grave with him, to those struck through by the sword, including his arm – those who lived in his shade among the nations. 18Whom do you resemble in honour and greatness among the trees of Eden? Yet you will be brought down with the trees of Eden to the underworld. You will lie among the uncircumcised with those struck through by the sword. This is Pharaoh and all of his horde, says my Lord the Lord.» ’ ”

Ezekiel Chapter 32 

1Then it came to pass in the twelfth year, in the twelfth month, on the first day of the month, that the word of the Lord came to me and said, 2“Son of Adam, deliver a lamentation for Pharaoh king of Egypt, and say to him,

‘You resemble a lion cub among the nations,

And you are like a serpent in the seas,

And you have broken through into your rivers,

And you have made the water turbid with your feet,

And you have stirred up mud in their rivers.’

3This is what my Lord the Lord says:

‘So I will spread my net over you

With an assembly of many peoples,

And they will bring you up in my netting.

4And I will abandon you in the land;

I will dump you in the open country,

And I will cause all kinds of birds of the sky to settle on you,

And I will satisfy the animals of all the land with you.

5And I will put your flesh on the mountains,

And I will fill the valleys with your lofty person.

6And I will give drink to the land

Which will flow with you

– With your blood –

On the mountains.

And the channels will be filled with you.

7And I will veil the sky

When I extinguish you

And I obscure its stars.

I will cover the sun with a cloud,

And the moon will not shine its light.

8I will obscure all sources of light in the sky over you,

And I will put darkness over your land,

Says the Lord, the Lord.

9And I will provoke the heart of many nations to anger,

When I bring your demise about

Among the nations in the countries

Which you have not known.

10And I will make many nations astonished at you,

And their kings will shudder in horror at you

When I brandish my sword in front of them.

And they will tremble all the time

– Each man for his life –

On the day of your demise.

11For this is what the Lord, the Lord, says: «The king of Babylon's sword will come to you.

12I will cause the fall of your horde by the swords of warriors

– All of them being fierce people from the Gentiles –

And they will plunder the splendour of Egypt,

And all its horde will be destroyed.

13And I will obliterate all its cattle from places at much water,

And no man's foot will make it turbid any more,

Nor will hooves of cattle make it turbid.

14Then I will make their water subside,

And I will make their rivers flow like oil

– Says the Lord, the Lord –

15When I make the land of Egypt a desolation,

And the land is made devoid of its fulness,

When I strike all those who live in it.

And they will know that I am the Lord.

16That is the lamentation

With which they shall lament it;

The daughters of the nations will lament it.

They will lament it

– Egypt and all its horde –

Says the Lord, the Lord.» ’ ”

17Then it came to pass in the twelfth year, on the fifteenth day of the month, that the word of the Lord came to me and said,

18“Son of Adam, bewail the horde of Egypt,

And lament its descent

– It and the daughters of the noble nations –

To the underworld,

With those who go down to the pit.

19Who is there,

That you are more of a delight than they?

Descend and be laid down with the uncircumcised.

20They will fall among those struck through by the sword.

It has been delivered to the sword.

Drag it and all its hordes away.

21The mighty among the warriors will speak to him

From inside the grave with his helpers.

They have descended;

They lie uncircumcised,

Struck through by the sword.

22Assyria is there

With all its assembled people.

Around him are his graves.

All of them are those struck through,

Who fell by the sword.

23And its sepulchres were made at the sides of the pit,

And its assembled people are around its burial place.

They are all those who were struck through,

Who fell by the sword,

Who struck terror in the land of the living.

24Elam is there

With all its horde around its burial place.

They were all struck through,

Who fell by the sword,

Who descended uncircumcised to the underworld,

Who struck terror in the land of the living,

But they bore their ignominy

With those who descend into the pit.

25Its bed was appointed among those struck through,

Among all its horde.

Around it are its graves.

They are all uncircumcised,

Struck through by the sword,

For they struck terror in the land of the living,

But they bore their ignominy with those who descend into the pit.

He is consigned to the company of those struck through.

26Meshech, Tubal, and all its horde are there.

Around him are its sepulchres.

They are all uncircumcised,

Struck through by the sword,

For they struck terror in the land of the living.

27And they will not lie with the warriors who fell

– Those of the uncircumcised

Who have descended to the grave with their weapons of war.

For their swords were put under their heads,

But their iniquities are in their bones,

For they were the terror of warriors in the land of the living.

28And as for you, you will be overthrown among the uncircumcised,

And you will lie with those struck through by the sword.

29Edom is there,

As are its kings and all its princes

Who for their valour have been placed

With those struck through by the sword.

They will lie with the uncircumcised

And with those who descend into the pit.

30All the princes of the north are there

And all the Sidonians

Who descended with those struck through.

On account of their campaign of terror,

They are ashamed of their show of strength,

And they will lie uncircumcised

With those struck through by the sword.

And they will bear their ignominy

With those who descend into the pit.

31Pharaoh will see them,

And he will be comforted over all his horde

– Those struck through with the sword,

Pharaoh and all his forces –

Says the Lord, the Lord.

32For I have put my terror in the land of the living,

And he will be laid among the uncircumcised,

With those struck through by the sword

– Pharaoh and all his horde –

Says the Lord, the Lord.”

Ezekiel Chapter 33 

1Then the word of the Lord came to me and said, 2“Son of Adam, speak to the sons of your people and say to them, ‘When I bring a sword over a land, if the people of the land take one man from their borders and appoint him as their watchman, 3and he sees the sword coming over the land, and he blows the ramshorn and warns the people, 4if a person hears the sound of the ramshorn but does not take heed, and the sword comes and takes him, his blood will be on his head; 5he heard the sound of the ramshorn, but he did not take heed. His blood will be upon him. But he who takes heed will save his life. 6And if the watchman sees the sword coming, but he does not sound the ramshorn, and the people are not warned when the sword comes, it will take a person's life from them. That person will be taken in his iniquity, but I will require his blood from the hand of the watchman.’ 7And as for you, son of Adam, I have appointed you as a watchman for the house of Israel. When you hear anything from my mouth, you shall give them warning from me. 8When I say to the wicked man, ‘You wicked man, you shall surely die’, but you don't speak to warn the wicked man about his way, that wicked man will die in his iniquity, but I will require his blood from your hand. 9But if you warn the wicked man about his way, for him to turn back from it, and he does not turn back from his way, he will die in his iniquity, but you will have saved your life. 10And you, son of Adam, say to the house of Israel, ‘You have spoken like this and said, «If our transgressions and our sins are on us, and we are wasting away in them, then how can we live?» ’ 11Say to them, ‘As I live, says my Lord the Lord, I certainly do not take pleasure in the death of the wicked man, but in a wicked man turning back from his way and living. Turn back, turn back from your wicked ways, for why should you die, O house of Israel?’ 12And you, son of Adam, say to the sons of your people, ‘The righteousness of the righteous man will not save him on the day of his transgression, and the wickedness of the wicked man is not something he will stumble in on the day of his turning away from his wickedness, whereas a righteous man cannot live by it on the day of his sin. 13When I say of the righteous man, «He will certainly live», and he trusts in his righteousness, but he commits injustice, none of his righteousness will be remembered, but it will be in his injustice which he has committed that he will die. 14And when I say to the wicked man, «You will certainly die», but he turns back from his sin and does justice and righteousness, 15and the wicked man restores what was given as security, and he repays what he has misappropriated, and he walks in the statutes of life, not committing injustice, he will certainly live; he shall not die. 16None of his sins which he has committed will be remembered regarding him. He has done justice and righteousness; he shall certainly live.’ 17Yet the sons of your people have said, ‘The way of the Lord* is not fair.’ But it is their way which is not fair. 18If a righteous man turns away from his righteousness and commits injustice, then he will die in those things. 19And if a wicked man turns away from his wickedness and does justice and righteousness, he will live on account of them. 20But you say, ‘The way of the Lord* is not fair.’ But I will judge you each according to his ways, O house of Israel.” 21Then it came to pass in the twelfth year of our deportation, in the tenth month, on the fifth day of the month, that an escapee came to me from Jerusalem and said, “The city has been attacked.” 22And the hand of the Lord had been on me in the evening before the escapee came, and he opened my mouth before he came to me in the morning, so my mouth was opened, and I was no longer mute. 23Then the word of the Lord came to me and said, 24“Son of Adam, the inhabitants of these wastelands, on the territory of Israel, are talking and saying, ‘Abraham was one man, and he inherited the land, whereas we are many, and the land has been given to us as an inheritance.’ 25So say to them, ‘This is what my Lord the Lord says: «You have been eating with blood, and lifting your eyes up to your idols and shedding blood. So will you inherit the land? 26You have confided in your swords, you have committed an abomination, and each has defiled his neighbour's wife. So will you inherit the land?» ’ 27Say this to them: ‘This is what my Lord the Lord says: «As I live, they who are in the wastelands will certainly fall by the sword, and him who is in the open countryside I will give to the animals for them to eat, and those in fortresses or caves will die of a plague. 28And I will make the land a desolation and a wasteland, and its pride in its strength will cease, and the mountains of Israel will become desolate, with no-one passing through. 29And they will know that I am the Lord when I make the land a desolation and a wasteland on account of all their abominations which they committed.» ’ 30And as for you, son of Adam, the sons of your people are talking about you at the walls and at the doors of the houses, and they speak to each other, each to his brother, saying, ‘Come now, and hear what the word is which proceeds from the Lord.’ 31And they will come to you as an influx of people, and my people will sit before you, and they will hear your words, but they will not do them, for they show love in their speech, but their heart goes after unjust gain. 32And here you are like a lovely song to them, nice vocally, and a good musician. So they will hear your words, but they will not do them. 33And when this comes to pass – behold, it is coming – they will know that there was a prophet among them.”

Ezekiel Chapter 34 

1Then the word of the Lord came to me and said, 2“Son of Adam, prophesy to the shepherds of Israel; prophesy and say to these shepherds, ‘This is what my Lord the Lord says: «Woe to the shepherds of Israel, who have been tending themselves. Is it not the flock that shepherds tend? 3You eat the fatness, and you clothe yourselves with the wool. You sacrifice the fattened animal, but you do not tend the flock. 4You have not strengthened the ailing, nor have you nursed the sick, nor have you bound up the crushed, nor have you brought back her who was driven out, nor have you sought that which was getting lost. But you have ruled over them with force and with rigour. 5And they were scattered for want of a shepherd, and they were food for all kinds of wild animals, so they were scattered. 6My flock has gone astray in all the mountains and on every high hill, and my flock has been scattered all over the surface of the earth, with no-one seeking them and no-one searching for them. 7So, you shepherds, hear the word of the Lord. 8As I live, says the Lord, the Lord, since it is most definitely the case that my flock is a prey, and my flock has been food for all kinds of wild animals, for want of a shepherd, and my shepherds did not seek my flock, but the shepherds tended themselves and did not tend my flock. 9So, you shepherds, hear the word of the Lord10This is what my Lord the Lord says: «I am here against the shepherds, and I will demand my flock back from their charge, and I will stop them from tending the flock, and the shepherds will no longer tend them, and I will rescue my flock from their mouth, and they will not be food for them any longer11For this is what my Lord the Lord says: «Here I am, my very self, and I will seek my flock and search for them, 12and as a shepherd tending his flock searches when he is among his flock when they are scattered, so I will search for my flock, and I will rescue them from all the places where they were scattered on a cloudy and gloomy day. 13And I will bring them out from the nations, and I will gather them from the various countries, and I will bring them to their own country, and I will tend them on the mountains of Israel, at the watercourses and at all inhabitable places in the land. 14I will tend them on good pasture land, and their fold will be on the mountains of the heights of Israel. There they will lie in a good fold, and they will feed on rich pasture on the mountains of Israel. 15I will tend my flock, and I will give them somewhere to lie down, says the Lord, the Lord. 16I will seek that which is getting lost, and I will bring back what is being driven out, and I will bind up what is crushed, and I will give strength to the sick. But I will destroy the fat and the strong. I will tend them with justice.» ’ 17And as for you, my flock, this is what the Lord, the Lord, says: ‘I am about to judge between flock animal and flock animal, between rams and he-goats. 18Is it a small matter to you that you feed yourselves on good pasture, but you trample on the rest of your pastures with your feet? And that you yourselves drink from a pool of water, but you stir up the rest of the water with your feet? 19So my flock have to feed on the pasture trampled by your feet, and drink from the water stirred up by your feet. 20Therefore this is what the Lord, the Lord, says to them: «I myself am here, and I will judge between fatted flock animals and lean flock animals, 21because you have pushed with your side and your shoulder, and you have butted all the ailing with your horns until you had scattered them widely. 22And I will save my flock, and they will no longer be a prey, and I will judge between flock animal and flock animal. 23And I will set up one shepherd over them, and he will tend them – my servant David. He will tend them, and he will be their shepherd. 24And I, the Lord, will be their God, and my servant David will be a leader among them. I, the Lord, have spoken. 25And I will make a covenant of peace with them, and I will banish beasts of prey from the land, and they will live in the desert in security and sleep in the forests. 26And I will make them and the vicinity of my hill a blessing, and I will bring rain in its season – there will be rains of blessing. 27And the wild tree will yield its fruit, and the earth will yield its produce, and they will be on their land in security, and they will know that I am the Lord when I break their yoke beams and save them from the grip of those who exploit them. 28And they will no longer be a prey to the Gentiles, nor will the animals of the land devour them, but they will live in security, with none to make them afraid. 29And I will establish a plantation for them of renown, and they will no longer be gathered to their fathers through famine in the land, and they will no longer bear the reproach of the Gentiles. 30And they will know that I, the Lord their God, am with them, and they will be my people, the house of Israel, says the Lord, the Lord. 31And you, my flock, the flock of my pasture, are Adamic seed, and I am your God, says the Lord, the Lord.» ’ ”

Ezekiel Chapter 35 

1Then the word of the Lord came to me and said, 2“Son of Adam, direct your attention to Mount Seir, and prophesy against it, 3and say to it, ‘This is what my Lord the Lord says:

«Here I am against you, O Mount Seir,

And I have stretched out my hand against you,

And I have appointed you to desolation and devastation.

4I will make your cities a ruin,

And you will be a desolation.

And you will know that I am the Lord,

5Because you have had an age-old hostility,

And you delivered the sons of Israel to the edges of the sword

At the time of their calamity,

At the time of the final iniquity.

6Therefore, as I live, says the Lord, the Lord, I will destine you for blood, and blood will pursue you. You have certainly hated in a bloody way, and blood will pursue you. 7And I will make Mount Seir a desolation and a devastation, and I will cut it off for anyone passing by or coming back. 8And I will fill its mountains with its men struck through. On your hills and in your valleys and all your watercourses, victims of the sword will fall. 9I will make you into age-abiding desolations, and your cities will not be inhabited, and you will know that I am the Lord. 10Because you said, ‹The two nations and the two countries will be mine, and we will inherit it›, when the Lord was present there. 11As I live, says the Lord, the Lord, I will act according to your anger and your envy which you have shown, because of your hatred of them. And I will have become known among them when I judge you. 12And you will know that I am the Lord. I have heard all your insults which you have uttered against the mountains of Israel, saying, ‹It has become desolate; they have been delivered to us as prey.› 13And you have acted presumptuously against me with your mouth, and you have been profuse with your words against me. I have heard them14This is what my Lord the Lord says: «When the whole of the land is joyful, I will make you a desolation. 15As was your rejoicing at the fate of the house of Israel, because it had become desolate, so I will do to you. Mount Seir, you will become a desolation, as will all of Edom in its entirety, and they will know that I am the Lord.» ’ ”

Ezekiel Chapter 36 

1“And you, son of Adam, prophesy to the mountains of Israel and say, ‘You mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord. 2This is what my Lord the Lord says: «Because the enemy has said against you, ‹Ha! So the age-abiding raised sites will come into our possession› » ’, 3prophesy and say, ‘This is what my Lord the Lord says: «Because and for the very reason that they have made you mountains of Israel desolate, and they have swallowed you up all around, so that you became a possession to the remainder of the nations, and you were incorporated into the gossip and slander of the people, 4you mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord, the Lord.» This is what my Lord the Lord says to the mountains and to the hills, to the watercourses and to the valleys, and to the desolated ruins and to the abandoned cities which are a spoil and a laughing stock to the remainder of the nations which are round about, 5so this is what my Lord the Lord says: «I have most definitely spoken in the ardour of my zeal against the remainder of the nations, and against all of Edom, who gave my land to themselves as a possession, with wholehearted joy and inward contempt in plundering it as a spoil.» ’ 6Therefore prophesy concerning the land of Israel and say to the mountains and to the hills, to the watercourses and to the valleys, ‘This is what my Lord the Lord says: «Behold, in my zeal and in my fury I have spoken, because you are bearing the ignominy shown by the Gentiles.» 7Therefore this is what my Lord the Lord says: «I have raised my hand; the Gentiles whom you have round about you will certainly bear their ignominy. 8But you, you mountains of Israel, will put out your branches and bear your fruit for my people Israel, for they will soon be coming, 9for I am here for you, and I have turned to you, so that you will be cultivated and sown. 10And I will increase the number of people on you – the whole house of Israel in its entirety – and the cities will be inhabited, and the ruins will be rebuilt. 11So I will increase the number of people and cattle, and they will be numerous and will be fruitful, and I will install you as in your previous state, and I will do more good to you than in your earlier times, and you will know that I am the Lord. 12And I will lead people in to you – my people Israel – and they will inherit you, you mountains of Israel, and you will be an inheritance to them, and you will no longer bereave them of children.» 13This is what my Lord the Lord says: «Because they say to you, ‹You devour people, and you have been bereaving your nation›, 14you will no longer devour people, and you will no longer bereave your nation, says the Lord, the Lord. 15And I will no longer let the contempt of the Gentiles directed at you be heard, and you will no longer bear the reproach of the nations, and you will no longer bereave your own nation, says the Lord, the Lord.» ’ ” 16Then the word of the Lord came to me and said, 17“Son of Adam, when the house of Israel was living on their own land, they defiled it with their way and their deeds. Their way before me was like the uncleanness of menstruation. 18So I poured my fury out over them, because of the blood which they had shed on the land which they had defiled with their idols. 19Then I scattered them among the nations, and they were dispersed in the various countries. I judged them according to their way and according to their deeds. 20And when it had come to the Gentiles, where they went, the Gentiles profaned my holy name, when they said of them, ‘These are the Lord's people, but they have come out of his land.’ 21Then I had pity on my holy name which the house of Israel had profaned among the Gentiles to whom they went. 22So say to the house of Israel, ‘This is what my Lord the Lord says: «I am not acting for your sake, O house of Israel, but for the sake of my holy name which you have profaned among the Gentiles to whom you have gone. 23And I will sanctify my great name, which has been profaned among the Gentiles, which you profaned among them, and the Gentiles will know that I am the Lord, says the Lord, the Lord, when I am sanctified among them in their sight. 24Then I will take you from the Gentiles, and I will gather you from all the various countries, and I will bring you to your land. 25And I will sprinkle clean water over you, and you will become clean from all your unclean ways, and I will cleanse you from all your idols. 26And I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit inside you, and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh, and I will give you a heart of flesh. 27And I will put my spirit inside you, and I will make you walk in my statutes, and you will observe my judgments and execute them. 28And you will live in the land which I gave to your fathers, and you will be my people, and I will be your God. 29And I will save you from all your unclean ways, and I will call on the corn and increase it, and I will not bring famine over you. 30And I will increase the fruit of the tree and the produce of the field, so that you will no longer incur the reproach of a famine among the Gentiles. 31But you will remember your evil ways and your deeds which were not right, and you will loathe yourselves in your view on account of your iniquities and on account of your abominations. 32Be it known to you that it is not for your sakes that I am acting, says the Lord, the Lord. Be ashamed and disgraced with your ways, O house of Israel.» 33This is what my Lord the Lord says: «On the day when I cleanse you from all your iniquities, I will populate the cities with you and the ruins will be rebuilt. 34And the land which was desolate will be cultivated instead of it being a desolation in the sight of everyone passing through. 35And they will say, ‹This land which was desolate has become like the garden of Eden, and the cities which were ruined and devastated and demolished are fortified and are inhabited.› 36And the Gentiles who remain round about you will know that I am the Lordthat I have built what was demolished and that I have planted what was desolate. I, the Lord, have spoken, and I will do it37This is what my Lord the Lord says: «I will yet be asked by the house of Israel to act for them. I will increase the people like a flock. 38As a flock of holy people, as the flock of Jerusalem on its festival days, so the ruined cities will be, full of the human flock, and they will know that I am the Lord.» ’ ”

Reference(s) in Chapter 36: v.20 ↔ Romans 2:24 ● v.21 ↔ Romans 2:24 ● v.23 ↔ Romans 2:24.

Ezekiel Chapter 37 

1The hand of the Lord was on me, and he led me out in the spirit of the Lord, and he set me down in the middle of a valley which was full of bones. 2And he conducted me to them all around, and I saw that they were very numerous over the surface of the valley, and I saw that they were very dry. 3And he said to me, “Son of Adam, can these bones live?” And I said, “My Lord the Lord, you know.” 4And he said to me, “Prophesy about these bones, and say to them, ‘Dry bones, hear the word of the Lord. 5This is what my Lord the Lord says to these bones: «I am about to bring spirit into you, and you will live. 6And I will put sinews on you, and I will make flesh arise over you, and I will cover you with skin, and I will put spirit in you, and you will live, and you will know that I am the Lord.» ’ ” 7So I prophesied as I had been commanded. And there was a sound as I prophesied, and it was actually an earth tremor, and the bones came close to each other. 8And I looked and what I saw was sinews and flesh arise, and skin covering them from above, but there was no spirit in them. 9Then he said to me, “Prophesy to the spirit, prophesy, son of Adam, and say to the spirit, ‘This is what my Lord the Lord says: «Come, spirit, from the four winds, and breathe into these who have been killed, so that they live.» ’ ” 10So I prophesied as he commanded me, and the spirit came over them, and they revived, and they stood on their feet, as a very large host indeed. 11Then he said to me, “Son of Adam, these bones are the whole house of Israel. Look, they are saying, ‘Our bones are dry, our hope is lost; we have got ourselves cut off.’ 12Therefore prophesy and say to them, ‘This is what my Lord the Lord says: «I am about to open your graves, and I will bring you up out of your graves, my people, and I will bring you to the land of Israel. 13And you will know that I am the Lord, when I open your graves and when I bring you up out of your graves, my people. 14And I will put my spirit in you, and you will live, and I will set you down on your land, and you will know that I, the Lord, have spoken and acted, says the Lord.» ’ ” 15Then the word of the Lord came to me and said, 16“And you, son of Adam, get yourself a piece of wood, and write on it, ‘For Judah and for the sons of Israel – those associated with him’, and take another piece of wood, and write on it, ‘For Joseph, Ephraim's piece of wood, and the whole house of Israel – those associated with him.’ 17And just join them one to another, into one piece of wood, so that they become a unity in your hand. 18And when the sons of your people speak to you and say, ‘Will you not tell us what these actions of yours mean?’, 19say to them, ‘This is what my Lord the Lord says: «I am about to take Joseph's piece of wood, which is in Ephraim's hand, and the tribes of Israel – those associated with him – and put them with this: with Judah's piece of wood, and I will make them into one piece of wood, and they will be one in my hand.» ’ 20And the pieces of wood on which you write shall be held in your hand in their sight. 21Say to them, ‘This is what my Lord the Lord says: «I am about to take the sons of Israel from among the Gentiles where they went, and I will gather them from round about, and I will bring them to their land. 22And I will make them into one nation in the land, in the mountains of Israel, and they will all have one king as king, and they will no longer be two nations, and they will no longer be divided into two kingdoms any more. 23And they will no longer defile themselves with their idols and with their abominations and with all their transgressions, and I will save them from all their places of abode in which they have sinned, and I will cleanse them, and they will be my people, and I will be their God. 24And my servant David will be king over them, and there will be one shepherd for all of them, and they will walk in my judicial ways, and they will keep my statutes, and do them. 25And they will live on the land which I gave to my servant Jacob, on which your fathers lived, and they and their sons and their sons' sons will live on it age-abidingly, and David my servant will be their prince age-abidingly. 26And I will make a covenant of peace with them. It will be an age-abiding covenant with them, and I will settle them, and I will multiply them, and I will put my sanctuary in their midst age-abidingly. 27And my tabernacle will be with them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people. 28And the Gentiles will know that I am the Lord who sanctifies Israel when my sanctuary is among them age-abidingly.» ’ ”

Reference(s) in Chapter 37: v.27 ↔ 2 Corinthians 6:16.

Ezekiel Chapter 38 

1The word of the Lord came to me and said, 2“Son of Adam, direct your attention to Gog, the land of Magog, the foremost prince of Meshech and Tubal, and prophesy against him, 3and say, ‘This is what my Lord the Lord says: «Here I am against you, Gog, foremost prince of Meshech and Tubal. 4And I will turn you back and put hooks in your jaws. But I will draw you out, with all your forces, horses and horsemen, all fully fitted out – a large contingent – all of them with shield and buckler, wielding swords. 5Persia, Ethiopia and Libya will be with them, all of them with buckler and helmet, 6with Gomer and all its battalions, with the house of Togarmah, the remote parts of the north and all their battalions – many nations with you. 7Be prepared and prepare yourself, you and all your contingents which have been assembled around you, and be a guard to them. 8After many days you will be visited. In the last years you will come to the land which was brought back from destruction by the sword, a land with a population gathered from many nations, to the mountains of Israel which were continuously a ruin. But the inhabitants will have been brought out from the nations, and they will all be living there in safety. 9And you will go up and arrive like a tempest; you will be like a cloud set to cover the land – you and all your battalions, and many nations with you.» 10This is what my Lord the Lord says: «It will also come to pass on that day that matters will come to your mind, and you will think an evil thought. 11And you will say, ‹I will go up to the land of unwalled villages; I will come to those who are at rest – all of them living in safety, living without a wall, not having bolt or doors – 12to seize plunder, and to take spoil›, in turning your hand against the reinhabited ruins and against a people gathered from the nations, who are acquiring cattle and property, who live at the hub of the land. 13Sheba and Dedan and the merchants of Tarshish and all its villages will say to you, ‹Is it to seize plunder that you have come? Is it to take spoil that you have assembled your contingent, to carry off silver and gold, to take cattle and property and to seize much plunder?› » ’ 14Therefore prophesy, son of Adam, and say to Gog, ‘This is what my Lord the Lord says: «On that day, when my people Israel dwell in safety, will you not know what is happening? 15And you will come from your place, from the remote parts of the north – you and many nations with you – all horseriders, a large contingent and a great army. 16And you will come up to my people Israel like a cloud set to cover the land. It will be in the last days, and I will bring you against my land in order that the Gentiles may know me when I am sanctified through you in their sight, Gog.» 17This is what my Lord the Lord says: «Is it you of whom I spoke in the former days, by the intermediacy of my servants the prophets of Israel, who prophesied in those days for years that I would bring you up against them? 18So it will come to pass on that day when Gog comes against the land of Israel – says the Lord, the Lord – that my fury will mount up in my anger. 19And in my zeal, in my fiery ire, I have spoken. On that day there will certainly be a great earthquake over the land of Israel. 20And the fish of the sea and the birds of the sky and the wild animals and every reptile that crawls over the ground and all men who are on the surface of the ground will tremble at my presence, and the mountains will be demolished, and the steep places will fall down, and every wall in the land will collapse. 21And I will call the sword against him on all my mountains, says the Lord, the Lord. The sword of every man will be against his brother. 22And I will contend with him by plague and by blood, and I will rain overwhelming rain and hailstones and fire and sulphur on him and on his battalions and on many nations which are with him. 23And I will have myself magnified and sanctified, and I will be acknowledged in the sight of many nations, and they will know that I am the Lord.» ’

Reference(s) in Chapter 38: v.2 ↔ Revelation 20:8.

Ezekiel Chapter 39 

1And you, son of Adam, prophesy against Gog, and say, ‘This is what my Lord the Lord says: «Here I am against you, Gog, foremost prince of Meshech and Tubal. 2And I will steer you and lead you, and I will bring you up from the remote parts of the north, and I will bring you to the mountains of Israel. 3Then I will strike your bow out of your left hand, and I will knock your arrows out of your right hand. 4You will fall on the mountains of Israel, you and all your battalions, as will the nations which are with you. I will make you food for birds of prey of every kind and the wild animals. 5You will fall in the open country, for I have spoken, says the Lord, the Lord. 6And I will send fire onto Magog, and onto those who live confidently in the coastlands, and they will know that I am the Lord. 7And I will make my holy name known among my people Israel, and I will not have my holy name profaned any more, and the Gentiles will know that I am the Lord, the holy one in Israel. 8Behold, it is coming, and it will be brought to pass, says the Lord, the Lord. That is the day which I have spoken of. 9And the inhabitants of the cities of Israel will go out and start a fire, and they will set weapons and bucklers and shields and bows and arrows and javelins and spears alight, and they will burn them in a fire for seven years. 10And they will no longer carry away wood from the countryside, nor will they hew it from the forests, for they will burn weapons in a fire, and they will plunder those who plundered them, and they will spoil those who spoiled them, says the Lord, the Lord. 11And it will come to pass on that day that I will give Gog a place there – a grave in Israel – in the valley of those who pass through, east of the sea, and it will block those who would pass through, for they will bury Gog and all his horde there, and they will call it the Valley of Hamon-Gog. 12And the house of Israel will be burying them for seven months, so as to cleanse the land. 13And all the people of the land will do the burying, and it will be to their renown – the day when I am glorified – says the Lord, the Lord. 14And men with an ongoing task will be selected to pass through the land, burying, with others passing through, those who remain on the face of the land, to cleanse it. And after seven months, they will investigate, 15and of those who pass through the land, if anyone sees a man's bone, he will build a way-mark next to it, to be there until the buriers have buried it, in the Valley of Hamon-Gog. 16And also the name of the city will be Hamonah. So they will cleanse the land.» ’ 17And as for you, son of Adam, this is what the Lord, the Lord, says: ‘Say to the birds of every kind and to all the wild animals,

«Gather and come,

And congregate round about at my sacrifice

Which I am making for you

A great sacrifice on the mountains of Israel –

And you will eat flesh and drink blood.

18You shall eat the flesh of warriors

And drink the blood of the princes of the earth.

They are all as rams and fatted lambs and goats and bulls

– The fatted animals of Bashan.

19And you will eat fat to the full,

And you will drink blood until you are drunk from my sacrifice

Which I have made for you.

20And you will be satisfied at my table,

With horses and chariots

And warriors and all kinds of men of war,

Says my Lord the Lord.

21And I will present my glory among the Gentiles, and all the Gentiles will see my judgment which I executed, and my hand which I laid on them. 22And the house of Israel will know that I am the Lord their God from that day on. 23And the Gentiles will know that the house of Israel was deported for their iniquity, because they acted treacherously against me, so I hid my face from them, and I delivered them into the hands of their adversaries, and they all fell by the sword. 24I dealt with them according to their uncleanness and according to their transgressions, and I hid my face from them.» ’ 25Therefore this is what the Lord, the Lord, says: ‘Now I will reverse the captivity of Jacob, and I will have compassion on the whole house of Israel, and I will be zealous for my holy name. 26And they will have borne their shame and all their treachery which they engaged in against me when they lived on their land in security, with no-one making them afraid, 27when I bring them back from the various peoples, and I gather them from the countries of their enemies, and I am sanctified among them in the sight of many nations. 28And they will know that I am the Lord their God, who deported them to the Gentiles. And I will collect them on their land; I will not leave any of them there any longer. 29And I will no longer hide my face from them when I have poured out my spirit on the house of Israel, says the Lord, the Lord.’ ”

Reference(s) in Chapter 39: v.17 ↔ Revelation 19:17, Revelation 19:18.

Ezekiel Chapter 40 

1In the twenty-fifth year of our deportation, at the beginning of the year, on the tenth day of the month, in the fourteenth year after the city was attacked, on this very day, the hand of the Lord was on me, and he brought me there. 2In the visions of God, he brought me to the land of Israel, and he set me down on a very high mountain, on which was a kind of structure of a city on the south side. 3And he brought me there, and what I saw was a man. His appearance was like the appearance of copper, and he had a cord of flax in his hand, and a measuring rod, and he stood at the gate. 4And the man said to me, “Son of Adam, see with your eyes, and hear with your ears, and take note of everything I show you, for it is in order to show you that you have been brought here. Tell the house of Israel everything that you see.” 5And what I saw was a wall outside the house all around, and in the man's hand was the measuring rod, six cubits long as determined by forearm and handbreadth. And he measured the width of the structure: it was one rod-length, and its height was one rod-length. 6And he went to the gate which faces east, and he went up its steps, and he measured the threshold of the gate: its width was one rod-length. And he measured the other threshold: one rod-length in width. 7As for the side-room, its length was one rod-length, and its width was one rod-length, and the distance between the side-rooms was five cubits. And the threshold of the gate to the portico at the gate in front of the house was one rod-length long. 8Then he measured the portico at the gate in front of the house: it was one rod-length. 9Then he measured the portico at the gate: it was eight cubits. And its turrets measured two cubits. And the portico at the gate was in front of the house. 10And the side-rooms of the gate on the east were three in number on one side and three in number on the other side. All three of them were of the same size, and the turrets on each side were of one size. 11Then he measured the width of the door to the gate: it was ten cubits. The length of the gate was thirteen cubits. 12And the gap in front of the side-rooms was one cubit, and there was a gap of one cubit to the side. And the side-room itself measured six cubits by six cubits. 13Then he measured the gate from the roof of a side-room to another's roof: the width was twenty-five cubits from door to door. 14Then he measured the turrets: they were sixty cubits, this being to a turret in the courtyard, all around the gate. 15And from the front of the gate of the entrance to the front of the portico of the inner gate it was fifty cubits. 16And the side-rooms and their turrets had shuttered windows on the sides inside the gate all around, and similarly the porticos. These were the windows all around on the inside. And each turret had palm tree motifs. 17Then he brought me to the outer court, and what I saw was annexes and a tiled floor, made for the court all around. There were thirty annexes on the tiled floor. 18And the tiled floor was to the side of the gates. All along the length of the gates was the lower tiled floor. 19And he measured the width from in front of the lower gate to the front of the inner court on the outside. It was one hundred cubits going east and going north. 20And he measured the length and width of the gate of the outer court which faces north. 21And the side-rooms to it were three on one side and three on the other side, and its turrets and porticos were according to the measurements of the first gate. Its length was fifty cubits, and its width was twenty-five cubits. 22And its windows and its porticos and its palm tree motifs were according to the measurements of the gate which faces east. And one ascends to it by seven steps, and its porticos were in front of them. 23And the gate of the inner court was opposite the gate to the north and to the east. And he measured from gate to gate: one hundred cubits. 24Then he led me to the south, and what I saw was the gate to the south, and he measured its turrets and its porticos, and they were as the previous measurements. 25And it had windows, as did its porticos all around like the previous windows. The length was fifty cubits and the width was twenty-five cubits. 26And there were seven steps in its flight of steps, and its portico was in front of them, and its palm tree motifs were the same on one side as on the other side, on its turrets. 27And as for the gate to the inner court to the south, he measured from gate to gate in the south, and it was one hundred cubits. 28Then he brought me to the inner court at the south gate, and he measured the south gate which had the same measurements. 29And its side-rooms and its turrets and its porticos had the same measurements as previously, and it had windows, as did its porticos all around. It was fifty cubits in length, and its width was twenty-five cubits. 30And its porticos all around were twenty-five cubits in length, and their width was five cubits. 31And its porticos were facing the outer court, and its turrets had palm tree motifs, and there were eight steps to its staircase. 32Then he brought me to the inner court, to the east, and he measured the gate. It had the same measurements as the previous ones. 33And its side-rooms and its turrets and its porticos had the same measurements as the previous ones, and it had windows, as did its porticos all around. Its length was fifty cubits, and its width was twenty-five cubits. 34And its porticos were facing the outer court, and its turrets had palm tree motifs on both sides, and there were eight steps to its staircase. 35Then he brought me to the north gate, and he measured it as having the previous measurements. 36As for its side-rooms, its turrets and its porticos and its windows all around, its length was fifty cubits, and its width was twenty-five cubits. 37And its turrets were facing the outer court, and its turrets had palm tree motifs on both sides, and there were eight steps to its staircase. 38And there was an annex with its entrance by the turrets at the gates. There they washed the burnt offering. 39And in the portico of the gate were two tables on one side and two tables on the other side, on which to slaughter the burnt offering and the sin-offering and the guilt-offering. 40And on one side facing outside, as one goes up to the entrance of the northern gate, were two tables, and on the other side which belongs to the portico of the gate were two tables. 41There were four tables on one side and four tables on the other side, to the sides of the gate – eight tables on which they did the slaughtering. 42And four tables for the burnt offering were made of hewn stone. The length was one and a half cubits, and the width was one and a half cubits, and the height was one cubit. They placed on them the utensils with which they slaughtered the burnt offering and the sacrifice. 43And the hooks were one handbreadth wide, held up in their slots all around. And on the tables was the flesh of the oblation. 44And outside the inner gate were the annexes for the singers in the inner court, which was at the side of the north gate, and they faced south, with one to the side of the eastern gate facing north. 45And he said to me, “This is the annex which faces south for the priests who keep guard of the house. 46And the annex which faces north is for the priests who keep guard of the altar. They are the sons of Zadok, descended from the sons of Levi, who approach the Lord, to serve him.” 47And he measured the courtyard. Its length was one hundred cubits, and its width was one hundred cubits; it was square. And the altar was in front of the house. 48Then he brought me to the portico of the house, and he measured the turrets of the portico: five cubits on one side and five cubits on the other side. And the width of the gate was three cubits on one side and three cubits on the other side. 49The length of the portico was twenty cubits, and the width was eleven cubits, and at the steps by which one goes up to it there were columns by the turrets on each side.

Ezekiel Chapter 41 

1Then he brought me to the temple, and he measured the turrets as being six cubits in width on one side and six cubits in width on the other side, which was the width of the tent. 2And the width of the entrance was ten cubits, and the sides of the entrance were five cubits on one side and five cubits on the other side. And he measured its length: it was forty cubits, and its width was twenty cubits. 3And he went inside and measured the turret of the entrance: it was two cubits high. And the entrance was six cubits high, and the width of the entrance was seven cubits. 4And he measured its length: it was twenty cubits. And its width was twenty cubits in front of the temple. Then he said to me, “This is the holy of holies.” 5Then he measured the wall of the house: it was six cubits. And the width of the side-chamber was four cubits all around the house. 6And the side-chambers were arranged as side-chamber on side-chamber in three storeys, repeated thirty times. And they were recessed in the wall which was for the house, for the side-chambers all around to be as if gripped in, but they were not actually gripped in by the wall of the house. 7And the edifice of the side-chambers became wider and curved as it went up and up, for the edifice was arc-shaped as it went up and up and round and round the house, so that there was more width higher up, as one goes up from the ground floor to the top storey via the middle level. 8And I saw the height of the house all around. The foundations of the side-chambers were, as measured by a full rod, six cubits to the join. 9The thickness of the wall which was adjoined to the side-chamber on the outside was five cubits. And the remaining part of the structure of the side-chambers was what was inside the wall. 10And between the annexes was a gap of twenty cubits all around the structure. 11As for the entrance of the side-chamber to the remaining part, there was one entrance to the north and one entrance to the south. And the width of the remaining part was five cubits all around. 12And as for the building which was beside the passageway in the western corner, its width was seventy cubits, and the wall of the building was five cubits thick all round, and its length was ninety cubits. 13And he measured the house. Its length was one hundred cubits, and the passageway and the building and its walls were one hundred cubits in length. 14And the width of the sides of the house and the passageway to the east was one hundred cubits. 15Then he measured the length of the building beside the passageway which was behind it, and its colonnade on each side. It was one hundred cubits, and there was an inner temple, and there were the porticos of the court. 16And there were thresholds and shuttered windows and interior colonnades, all three of them going round about, opposite the main threshold. There was panelling in wood all around from the ground to the windows – but the windows were excepted – 17to above the entrance, and up to the inner house, and on the outside, and on every wall all around, on the inside and on the outside, according to their measurements. 18And it was fashioned with cherubim and palm tree motifs, and there was a palm tree between the cherubim, and each cherub had two faces. 19So there was the face of a man facing a palm tree on one side, and the face of a lion cub facing a palm tree on the other side. It was fashioned like this on the whole house all around. 20From the ground to above the entrance, cherubim and palm trees were fashioned, including on the wall of the temple. 21As for the temple, its doorpost was square, and as for the façade of the sanctuary, its appearance was similar. 22And there was an altar of wood, whose height was three cubits and whose length was two cubits, and whose corners and length and walls were of wood. And he said to me, “This is the table which stands before the Lord.” 23And there were two doors to the temple and to the sanctuary. 24And the doors had two leaves – two swinging leaves – two to one door and two leaves to the other. 25And the cherubim and the palm trees were fashioned on them – on the doors of the temple – like those fashioned on the walls. And there were wooden steps in front of the portico on the outside. 26And there were shuttered windows and palm tree motifs on each side, on the sides of the portico and on the sides of the house and the steps.

Ezekiel Chapter 42 

1Then he led me out to the outer courtyard by the avenue in the direction of the north, and he brought me to the annex which was opposite the passageway and opposite the building to the north. 2At the head of a length of one hundred cubits was the north entrance, and the width was fifty cubits. 3Opposite the twenty cubits of the inner court, and opposite the tiled floor of the outer court was a colonnade facing a colonnade, in three storeys. 4And in front of the annexes was a walkway ten cubits wide, leading to an inner way, a way one cubit wide. And their entrances were to the north. 5And the upper annexes were shorter, because the colonnades took space from them, making them shorter than the lowest storey, and than the middle storey of the building. 6For they were on the third storey, and they did not have pillars like the pillars of the courtyards, which is why they were indented with respect to the lower storey rooms and the middle storey rooms rising from the ground. 7And there was a wall which passed outside, opposite the annexes, through the outer court in front of the annexes. Its length was fifty cubits. 8For the length of the annexes which belonged to the outer court was fifty cubits, but in contrast those in front of the temple were one hundred cubits in length. 9And under these annexes was the entrance to the east as one comes to them from the outer court. 10And in the width of the wall of the court in the eastern direction in front of the passageway and in front of the building were annexes. 11And the avenue in front of them had the same appearance as the annexes which were in the avenue to the north. They had the same length and breadth, and at all their exits, their designs and their entrances were the same. 12And like the entrances to the annexes which were on the southern avenue was the entrance at the head of the avenue, the avenue in front of the fence of the garden, and the avenue to the east, serving as ways in. 13Then he said to me, “The annexes of the north and the annexes of the south which are in front of the passageway are the holy annexes where the priests who come close to the Lord eat holy of holies. There they deposit the holy of holies and the meal-offering and the sin-offering and the guilt-offering, for the place is holy. 14When the priests go in, they shall not come straight out of the sanctuary to the outer court, for it is there that they shall deposit their clothes in which they serve, for the clothes are holy. They shall wear different clothes when they approach whatever is accessible to the people.” 15When he had finished the measurements of the inner house, he brought me out through the gate which faces east, and he measured it all around. 16He measured the eastern quarter with the measuring rod. It was five hundred rod-lengths by the measuring rod going around. 17He measured the northern quarter. It was five hundred rod-lengths by the measuring rod going around. 18He measured the southern quarter. It was five hundred rod-lengths by the measuring rod. 19He turned to the western quarter and measured five hundred rod-lengths by the measuring rod. 20He measured it at the four quarters. It had a wall all around. The length was five hundred rod-lengths, and the width was five hundred rod-lengths, to separate what is holy from what is profane.

Ezekiel Chapter 43 

1Then he led me to the gate, the gate which faces east. 2And behold, the glory of the God of Israel came from the east, and the sound of it was like the sound of fast-flowing water. And the land lit up with his glory. 3And the appearance in the vision which I saw was as in the vision which I saw when I came to bring the city to ruin, and the visions were like the vision which I saw at the River Chebar. And I fell face down. 4And the glory of the Lord came to the house through the gate which faces east. 5Then the spirit carried me and brought me to the inner courtyard, and I saw that the glory of the Lord filled the house. 6And I heard him speaking to me from the house while a man was standing next to me. 7And he said to me, “Son of Adam, observe the place of my throne and the place for the soles of my feet, where I will dwell among the sons of Israel age-abidingly. And the house of Israel will no longer defile my holy name, neither they, nor their kings with their prostitution, nor by the corpses of their kings and their idolatrous raised sites, 8which they did when they put their threshold with my threshold, and their doorpost alongside my doorpost, and the wall between me and them, and they defiled my holy name with their abominations which they committed, so that I made an end of them in my anger. 9Now they will remove their prostitution and the corpses of their kings from me, and I will dwell in their midst age-abidingly. 10You, son of Adam, describe the house to the house of Israel, so that they are put to shame because of their iniquities, and let them measure the layout. 11And when they are ashamed of everything they have done, make known to them the procedures of the house, and its layout within, and its exits and its entrances and all its procedures, and all its statutes and all its procedures, and all its laws, and write them down in their sight, so that they observe all its procedures and all its statutes, and do them. 12This is the law of the house. On the summit of the mountain, the whole of its site all around is a holy of holies. Look, this is the law of the house. 13These are the dimensions of the altar in cubits, a cubit here being a cubit and a handbreadth. Now the plinth ledge is a cubit deep and a cubit in width, and its border at its edge all around is one span high. And that is the plinth of the altar. 14And from the plinth ledge at the bottom up to the mid-level ledge is two cubits, and the width is one cubit, and from the mid-level ledge up to the high-level ledge is four cubits, and the width is one cubit. 15And the hearth is four cubits higher, and from the hearth rising up, there are the four horns. 16And the hearth is twelve cubits in length by twelve cubits in width. It is square in its four corners. 17And the hearth ledge is fourteen cubits long by fourteen cubits wide, measured to its four corners, and the border around it is half a cubit high, and its ledge is one cubit wide all around, and its steps face east.” 18Then he said to me, “Son of Adam, this is what the Lord, the Lord, says: ‘These are the statutes of the altar on the day when it is made, namely to offer a burnt offering on it and to sprinkle blood on it. 19And you will give the Levite priests who are of the seed of Zadok – who are near to me, says the Lord, the Lord, to serve me – a bull-calf of the oxen as a sin-offering. 20And you will take some of its blood and put it on the altar's four horns and on the four corners of the ledge, and on the rim all around, and you will offer it as a sin-offering and make atonement with it. 21And you will take the bull which is the sin-offering, and he will burn it in the appointed place of the house outside the sanctuary. 22And on the second day, you will offer a perfect buck of the goats as a sin-offering, and the priests will make the altar a sin-offering, as they make the sin-offering with the bull. 23And when you have finished offering for sin, you shall offer a perfect bull-calf of the oxen and a perfect ram from the sheep. 24And you will offer them before the Lord, and the priests will throw salt over them, and they will offer them as a burnt offering to the Lord. 25For seven days you shall carry out the sacrifice of the goat as a sin-offering each day, and they shall perform the sacrifice of a bull-calf of the oxen and a ram from the sheep, both being perfect. 26For seven days they shall make the altar an atonement and cleanse it, and they shall inaugurate it. 27And they will see the days through, and it will come to pass on the eighth day and further that the priests will perform your burnt offerings and your peace-offerings on the altar, and I will be pleased with you, says the Lord, the Lord.’ ”

Reference(s) in Chapter 43: v.7 ↔ Revelation 21:3.

Ezekiel Chapter 44 

1Then he brought me back through the gate of the outer sanctuary, which faces east, and it was shut. 2And the Lord said to me, “This gate will be shut. It shall not be opened, and no man shall enter by it, for the Lord God of Israel enters by it, so it shall be shut. 3But as for the prince, it is the prince who will sit in it to eat bread before the Lord. He will come in through the portico of the gate, and he will go out through it.” 4Then he brought me through the northern gate to the front of the house, and I looked, and I saw that the glory of the Lord filled the house of the Lord, and I fell face down. 5Then the Lord said to me, “Son of Adam, take note, and see with your eyes, and hear with your ears everything that I am saying to you concerning all the statutes of the house of the Lord and its whole law, and take note of the entrance to the house, with all the exits of the sanctuary. 6And you shall say to the rebels – to the house of Israel – ‘This is what my Lord the Lord says: «You have committed more than enough abominations, O house of Israel, 7because you have brought foreigners in, uncircumcised in heart and uncircumcised in the flesh, for them to be in my sanctuary, profaning it, namely my house, when you offered my bread, fat and blood. So they broke my covenant with all your abominations. 8And you have not kept the charge of my holy things, but you have put the keepers of my charge in my sanctuary for your own ends9This is what my Lord the Lord says: «No foreigner, uncircumcised in heart or uncircumcised in the flesh shall enter into my sanctuary – none of all the foreigners who are among the sons of Israel, 10but it is rather the Levites, who have become distant from me, with Israel going astray when they strayed from me, going after their idols. And they will bear their iniquity. 11But they will be ministering in my sanctuary, having been given charge of the gates of the house, and serving the house. They will slaughter the burnt offering and the sacrifice for the people, and they will stand before them, to minister to them, 12because they ministered to them before their idols, and they were an iniquitous stumbling block to the house of Israel, which is why I have raised my hand against them, says the Lord, the Lord, and they will bear their iniquity. 13But they shall not come near to me to officiate as a priest to me, nor to come near to any of my holy things in the holy of holies, and they will bear their shame and their abominations which they have committed. 14But I will appoint them as keepers of the charge of the house in all its operations, and everything that is done in it. 15But the Levite priests who are the sons of Zadok, who kept the charge of my sanctuary when the sons of Israel strayed from me – will come near to me to serve me, and they will stand before me to offer fat and blood to me, says the Lord, the Lord. 16They shall come into my sanctuary, and they shall come near to my table to serve me, and they will keep my charge. 17And it will come to pass, when they come to the gates of the inner court, that they will wear linen clothes, and no wool will come on them when they minister at the gates of the inner court and inside. 18They shall have linen turbans on their heads, and they shall have linen trousers around their waist. They shall not gird themselves with anything causing sweat. 19And when they go out to the outer court – to the outer court to where the people are – they shall take off the clothes in which they minister and put them in the holy annexes, and they shall wear different clothes, and they shall not sanctify the people in their ordinary clothes. 20And they shall not shave their heads, but they shall not let the locks of their hair hang down. They shall certainly trim the hair on their heads. 21And no priest shall drink wine when they go into inner court. 22And they shall not take a widow or a divorcee as their wives, but rather a virgin of the seed of the house of Israel, but they can take a widow who is a priest's widow. 23And they shall instruct my people in the difference between holy and profane, and they shall make known to them the difference between unclean and clean. 24And in a dispute they shall stand to judge according to my judicial pronouncements, and they shall judge the matter, and they shall keep my laws and my statutes in all my set times, and they shall sanctify my Sabbaths. 25No-one shall go to a dead person, so becoming unclean, except that they may defile themselves for their father, or for their mother, or for their son, or for their daughter, for their brother or for their sister who does not have a husband. 26Then after his cleansing, they shall count out seven days for him, 27then on the day when he goes into the sanctuary – into the inner court to serve in the sanctuary – he shall make his sin-offering, says the Lord, the Lord. 28And this will be their inheritance: I am their inheritance. And you will not give them any territory in Israel: I am their territory. 29And they shall eat the meal-offering, and the sin-offering, and the guilt-offering. And every dedicated thing in Israel shall be theirs. 30And the first harvest of all firstfruits of everything, and every heave-offering, of everything from all your heave-offerings, will be for the priests. And you will give the first batch of your dough to the priest so as to cause a blessing to rest on your house. 31The priests shall not eat any carcase, or anything preyed on, of poultry or of cattle.

Ezekiel Chapter 45 

1And when you assign the land as an inheritance, you shall make an offering to the Lord, a holy part of the land, a strip of twenty-five thousand units in length, and ten thousand in width. It will be a holy place in all its extent round about. 2Of this, there will be for the sanctuary five hundred by five hundred cubits square all around, and it will have fifty cubits of pasture around it. 3So according to this measured-out area, you shall measure a length of twenty-five thousand units and a width of ten thousand units, and in it will be the sanctuary – the holy of holies. 4It is a holy part of the land; it shall be for the priests, the servants of the sanctuary who come near to serve the Lord. And it will be their place for houses, and a sanctuary for the sanctuary. 5So it will be twenty-five thousand units in length and ten thousand units in width. And it will be for the Levites, the servants of the house – theirs as a territory with twenty annexes. 6And you shall assign the territory of the city to be five thousand units in width and a length of twenty-five thousand units, opposite the place of the holy heave-offering. It shall be for the whole house of Israel. 7And for the prince there will be land on each side of the holy heave-offering, and of the grounds of the city, opposite the place of the holy heave-offering and opposite the grounds of the city, from the western side to the west, and from the eastern side eastwards, and the length will be all along one of the apportionments, from the western border to the eastern border. 8In the land it will be his territory in Israel, and my princes will no longer oppress my people, and the land will be given to the house of Israel according to their tribes.» 9This is what my Lord the Lord says: «You princes of Israel, enough of your injustice! Renounce violence and oppression, and execute justice and righteousness. Desist from your banishments imposed on my people, says the Lord, the Lord. 10You shall have just balances and a just ephah and a just bath. 11The ephah and the bath shall be of equal volume, so that a bath may have a volume of one tenth of a homer, and an ephah one tenth of a homer. The derivative measures shall be from the homer. 12And the shekel shall be twenty gerahs. Twenty shekels, twenty-five shekels, fifteen shekels will amount to your maneh. 13This is the heave-offering which you shall make: a sixth of an ephah from a homer of wheat. You shall also give a sixth part of an ephah from a homer of barley. 14And as for the statute concerning oil, it is a bath of oil. A bath is a tenth of a cor, which is ten baths, which is a homer, for there are ten baths in a homer. 15And you shall offer one lamb from the flock, out of two hundred, from the well-watered country of Israel, as a gift-offering and a burnt offering, and as peace-offerings, to atone for them, says my Lord the Lord. 16All the people in the land will be linked to this heave-offering for the prince in Israel. 17And it will be up to the prince to make the burnt offerings and the meal-offering and the libation at the festivals and on the new moons and on the Sabbaths – on all the festival days of the house of Israel. He will offer the sin-offering and the meal-offering and the burnt offering and the peace-offerings to atone for the house of Israel.» 18This is what my Lord the Lord says: «In the first month, on the first day of the month, you shall take a perfect bull-calf of the oxen, and you will expiate the sanctuary from sin. 19And the priest will take some of the blood of the sin-offering and put it on the doorposts of the house, and on the four corners of the ledge of the altar, and on the posts of the gate of the inner court. 20And you will do likewise on the seventh day of the month, for anyone sinning through ignorance or through folly, and you will atone for the house. 21In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month, you will celebrate the Passover, a festival of a week of days. Unleavened bread will be eaten. 22And the prince will offer on that day for himself and for all the people of the land, a bull as a sin-offering. 23And for the seven days of the festival, he will make a burnt offering to the Lord – seven bulls and seven rams per day, perfect ones, for the seven days, and as a sin-offering, a buck of the goats per day, 24and he will offer a meal-offering of an ephah per bull, and an ephah per ram, and a hin of oil per ephah. 25In the seventh month, on the fifteenth day of the month, at the festival, he will offer similarly for seven days – likewise with the sin-offering, likewise with the burnt offering and likewise with the meal-offering and likewise with the oil.»

Ezekiel Chapter 46 

1This is what my Lord the Lord says: «The gate of the inner court facing east will be shut for the six working days, then on the Sabbath day it will be opened, and on the day of the new moon it will be opened. 2And the prince will come through the portico of the outer gate, and he will stand at the gatepost, and the priests will offer his burnt offering and his peace-offerings, and he will worship at the threshold of the gate, then he will go out. But the gate will not be shut until the evening. 3And the people of the land will worship at the entrance of that gate on Sabbaths and on days of the new moon, before the Lord. 4And the burnt offering which the prince shall offer to the Lord on the day of the Sabbath is six perfect lambs and a perfect ram, 5and a meal-offering of an ephah per ram, and with the lambs he will offer a meal-offering as a gift according to his means, and a hin of oil per ephah. 6And on the day of the new moon he will offer a perfect bull-calf of the oxen and six lambs and a ram. They shall be perfect. 7And he will offer an ephah per bull and an ephah per ram, as a meal-offering, and for the lambs according to his means, and a hin of oil per ephah. 8When the prince comes, he shall come through the portico of the gate, and he shall go out through it. 9But when the people of the land come before the Lord on the festival days, he who comes in through the northern gate to worship shall go out through the southern gate, and he who comes in through the southern gate shall go out through the northern gate. He shall not return through the gate by which he came, for they shall leave opposite it. 10And the prince who is among them will go in when they go in, and when they go out, he shall go out with them. 11And at festivals and appointed times, the meal-offering will consist of an ephah per bull and an ephah per ram, and for the lambs, a gift according to his means, and oil – a hin per ephah. 12And when the prince makes a voluntary burnt offering or voluntary peace-offerings to the Lord, and he has opened the east-facing gate for himself, he shall make his burnt offering and his peace-offerings in the same way as when he makes them on the Sabbath day, and he will go out and close the gate after he has gone out. 13And you shall offer a perfect one-year-old lamb per day as a burnt offering to the Lord. You shall offer it every morning. 14And you shall make a meal-offering with it every morning, a sixth of an ephah, and a third of a hin of oil to moisten the fine flour. It is a meal-offering to the Lord; they are age-abiding statutes continually. 15So they shall offer the lamb, and the meal-offering, and the oil, every morning as a continual burnt offering.» 16This is what my Lord the Lord says: «If the prince gives a gift to any of his sons, it will be the inheritance of his sons. It will be their territory by inheritance. 17But if he gives a gift from his inheritance to one of his servants, it will be his until the year of liberty when it returns to the prince. But when his inheritance is given to his sons, it shall be theirs. 18Now the prince shall not take any of the people's inheritance, in dispossessing them of their territory. He may give his sons some of his territory as an inheritance, so that my people are not scattered – each from his territory.» ’ ” 19Then he brought me through the entrance which was at the side of the gate to the holy annexes for the priests, which face north, and what I saw was a place there in the furthest part to the west. 20And he said to me, “This is the place where the priests cook the guilt-offering and the sin-offering, and where they bake the meal-offering, so that they do not bring them out into the outer court, so sanctifying the people.” 21Then he brought me out to the outer court, and he brought me across to the four corners of the court. And what I saw was a court in each corner of the court. 22In the four corners of the court were adjoining courts forty cubits long and thirty cubits wide. All four of them, set in the corners, had the same dimensions. 23And there was a circle of buildings in them, all around in the four of them, and it was constructed with kitchens under the ring of buildings. 24Then he said to me, “These constitute the cooks' house where the servants of the house cook the sacrifice for the people.”

Ezekiel Chapter 47 

1Then he brought me back to the entrance of the house, and what I saw was water coming out from under the threshold of the house towards the east, for the house faces east. And the water ran down from under the right hand side of the house, to the south of the altar. 2Then he brought me out through the north gate, and he took me round along the outside road to the outer gate, to the road going east. And what I saw was water flowing out from the right hand side. 3When the man came out to the east, with a line in his hand, he measured one thousand cubits, and he brought me across in the water – water up to the ankles. 4Then he measured a thousand cubits further away, and he brought me across in the water – water up to the knees. Then he measured a thousand cubits further and brought me to water up to the waist. 5Then he measured a thousand cubits further, and it was a brook which I could not cross, because the water had risen high – it was water to swim in – a torrent which could not be crossed on foot. 6And he said to me, “Have you seen it, son of Adam?” Then he led me and brought me back to the bank of the brook. 7And when I had returned, what I saw was a very great abundance of trees on the banks of the brook, on each side. 8And he said to me, “This water is coming out to the eastern region, and it is going down to the arid land. Then it goes into the sea, and when it has been brought to the sea, the water is healed. 9And it shall come to pass that every living creature which teems everywhere the brook goes, shall live, and the fish will be very abundant, because this water has gone there, and they are healed, and everywhere where the brook goes comes to life. 10And it will come to pass that fishermen will stand in it from En-Gedi to En-Eglaim. It will be a place for casting nets. Its fish will be of various kinds, like the fish of the Great Sea, in very great abundance. 11But its swamps and marshes shall not be healed. They will be given over to salt. 12And along the brook on its banks on each side, every kind of fruit tree will arise. Its foliage will not wither and its fruit will not come to an end. According to its months, it will bear early fruit, because its water comes out of the sanctuary. And its fruit will be for food and its leaves for healing. 13This is what the Lord, the Lord, says: ‘This is the border of what you will inherit as the land for the twelve tribes of Israel. Joseph will inherit two apportionments. 14And you shall inherit it – each as his brother – that which I raised my hand to give to your fathers, and this land will fall to you as an inheritance. 15And this is the border of the land on the northern side, from the Great Sea by the way to Hethlon, as one goes to Zedad: 16Hamath, Berothah, Sibraim, which is between the border at Damascus and the border at Hamath, Hazer-Hatticon, which is at the border of Havran. 17And the border will be from the sea to Hazar-Enan, the border at Damascus. And as for the north, to the north the border is at Hamath. So this is the north side. 18And as for the eastern side, you shall allocate territory from between Havran and Damascus, and between Gilead and the land of Israel at the Jordan, from the border at the eastern sea. So this is the eastern side. 19And the southern side, to the south, is from Tamar to the water at Meriboth of Kadesh, to the torrent going to the Great Sea. So this is the south side, to the south. 20And the western side is the Great Sea from the border to opposite the approach to Hamath. This is the western side. 21And you will divide this land of yours for the tribes of Israel. 22And it will come to pass that you will cast lots for it coming into your inheritance, and that of foreigners who reside among you, who have begotten sons among you, who will be to you as native citizens among the sons of Israel. They will obtain an inheritance with you among the tribes of Israel. 23And it will come to pass that in whatever tribe where the foreigner is resident with them, there you will give him his inheritance, says the Lord, the Lord.

Reference(s) in Chapter 47: v.1 ↔ John 7:38, Revelation 22:1.

Ezekiel Chapter 48 

1And these are the names of the tribes, from the northern extremity at the course of the road to Hethlon, at the approach to Hamath and to Hazar-Enan and to the border of Damascus in the north, to the side of Hamath. Now Dan will have – from east to west – one section. 2And at the border with Dan, from the eastern side to the western side, there is one section for Asher. 3And at the border with Asher, from the eastern side to the western side, there is one section for Naphtali. 4And at the border with Naphtali, from the eastern side to the western side, there is one section for Manasseh. 5And at the border with Manasseh, from the eastern side to the western side, there is one section for Ephraim. 6And at the border with Ephraim, from the eastern side to the western side, there is one section for Reuben. 7And at the border with Reuben, from the eastern side to the western side, there is one section for Judah. 8And at the border with Judah, from the eastern side to the western side, there will be the section for the heave-offering which you shall make. It is twenty-five thousand units in width, and its length is the same as each of the sections from the eastern side to the western side, and the sanctuary will be in the middle of it. 9The heave-offering section which you shall make to the Lord is of length twenty-five thousand units, and its width is ten thousand units. 10And it is for these that the holy heave-offering section is: the priests. To the north it is twenty-five thousand units long, and to the west its width is ten thousand units, and to the east its width is ten thousand units, and to the south its length is twenty-five thousand units, and the sanctuary of the Lord shall be in the middle of it. 11It is for the priests, who are sanctified, from the sons of Zadok, who kept my charge, who did not go astray when the sons of Israel went astray, as when the Levites went astray. 12And they will have the heave-offering section on account of the heave-offering of the land as a holy of holies, extending to the border of the Levites. 13And the Levites will be adjoining the border of the priests in a region twenty-five thousand units in length and ten thousand units in width. The whole length is twenty-five thousand units and the width is ten thousand units. 14And they shall not sell any of it, nor exchange it, nor shall anyone remove the firstfruits of the land, for they are holy to the Lord. 15And the five thousand units which remain in the width out of the twenty-five thousand units is to be secular for the city, as a residential area and as common land, and the city will be in the middle of it. 16And these are the dimensions of the city. The northern side is four thousand five hundred units long, and the southern side is four thousand five hundred units long, and on the eastern side it is four thousand five hundred units wide, and the western side is four thousand five hundred units wide. 17And there will be common land belonging to the city to the north, two hundred and fifty units long, and to the south, two hundred and fifty units long, and to the east, two hundred and fifty units wide, and to the west, two hundred and fifty units wide. 18And the rest of the length appertaining to the holy heave-offering section is ten thousand units to the east, and ten thousand units to the west, and it appertains to the holy heave-offering section. And its produce shall be food for the workers in the city. 19And as for the workers in the city, they shall be from every tribe of Israel doing work in it. 20The whole heave-offering section is twenty-five thousand units long by twenty-five thousand units. You shall offer the holy heave-offering in a square within the territory of the city. 21And the remainder is for the prince, on each side of the holy heave-offering section. And as for the territory of the city, alongside the twenty-five thousand units width of the heave-offering section to the border on the east, and to the west, alongside the twenty-five thousand units width to the border on the west, it appertains to the prince's apportionments. So it will be a holy heave-offering section, and the sanctuary of the house will be in the middle of it. 22So part of the territory of the Levites and part of the territory of the city will be enclosed by what belongs to the prince. The remainder of the section between the border with Judah and the border with Benjamin will be for the prince. 23As for the rest of the tribes, from the eastern side to the western side, there is one section for Benjamin. 24And at the border with Benjamin, from the eastern side to the western side, there is one section for Simeon. 25And at the border with Simeon, from the eastern side to the western side, there is one section for Issachar. 26And at the border with Issachar, from the eastern side to the western side, there is one section for Zebulun. 27And at the border with Zebulun, from the eastern side to the western side, there is one section for Gad. 28And as for the border with Gad, on the southern side, the border shall be from Tamar to the water of Meribah of Kadesh, and to the torrent going to the Great Sea. 29This is the land which you will allocate by lot to the tribes of Israel according to their inheritance, and these are their apportionments, says the Lord, the Lord. 30And these are the city exits. Along the north side, which is four thousand five hundred units in length 31– for the gates of the city are according to the names of the tribes of Israel – three gates in the north: one gate of Reuben, one gate of Judah, one gate of Levi; 32and on the eastern side, which is four thousand five hundred units in width, with three gates: with one gate of Joseph, one gate of Benjamin, one gate of Dan; 33and on southern side, which is four thousand five hundred units in length, with three gates: one gate of Simeon, one gate of Issachar, one gate of Zebulun; 34and on the western side, which is four thousand five hundred units in width, three gates: one gate of Gad, one gate of Asher, one gate of Naphtali. 35The perimeter is eighteen thousand units, and the name of the city from that day shall be The Lord Is There.’ ”

Daniel  

Daniel Chapter 1 

1In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it. 2And the Lord* delivered Jehoiakim king of Judah and some of the equipment of the house of God into his hand, and he brought it to the land of Shinar, to the house of his gods, and he brought the equipment to the treasury of his gods. 3And the king commanded Ashpenaz the head of his eunuchs to bring some of the sons of Israel and some of the royal seed, and some seed of the high-ranking officials, 4children in whom was no blemish, and who were good-looking and insightful in all wisdom, and who were knowledgeable and who understood science, and who had the mettle to stand in the king's palace. And he gave commandment to teach them the literature and language of the Chaldeans. 5And the king appointed them daily servings from the king's fare, and some wine as used for his drink, and he gave instructions to educate them for three years, and at the end of that, they would stand before the king. 6And among them were, of the sons of Judah, Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah. 7And the officer in charge of the eunuchs assigned them names. And he assigned to Daniel, Belteshazzar; and to Hananiah, Shadrach; and to Mishael, Meshach; and to Azariah, Abed-Nego. 8Now Daniel resolved that he would not defile himself with the king's fare or with the wine as used for his drink, and he requested from the officer in charge of the eunuchs that he should not defile himself. 9And God gave Daniel kind and compassionate treatment before the officer in charge of the eunuchs. 10And the officer in charge of the eunuchs said to Daniel. “I am fearful of my lord the king who appointed your food and your drink, because why should he see your faces more pallid than those of the other children of your age, and why should you all cost me my head with the king?” 11Then Daniel said to the head steward whom the head of the eunuchs had appointed over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah, 12“Please do a trial with your servants for ten days, and let them give us some vegetables to eat and water to drink. 13Then our appearance and that of the children who eat the king's fare will be seen in your presence, and then deal with your servants according to what you see.” 14And he heeded them in this matter, and he gave them a trial for ten days. 15And at the end of ten days, their appearance was better and more healthy than that of all the children who ate the king's fare. 16Then the head steward took away their fare and wine for their drink and gave them vegetables. 17And God gave these four children intellect and insight in all literature and wisdom, and Daniel had understanding of every vision and all dreams. 18And after the days which the king had specified as to when to bring them in, the head of the eunuchs brought them before Nebuchadnezzar. 19And the king spoke with them. And of all of them, no-one was found like Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah, and they stood before the king. 20And in every matter of wisdom in discernment which the king asked them, he found them ten times superior to all the magi and enchanters who were in all his kingdom. 21And Daniel was there until the first year of Cyrus the king.

Daniel Chapter 2 

1And in the second year of Nebuchadnezzar's reign, Nebuchadnezzar had dreams, and his spirit was disturbed, and his sleep eluded him. 2And the king summoned the magi and the enchanters and the magicians and the Chaldeans to give the king the interpretation of his dreams, and they came and stood before the king. 3And the king said to them, “I have had a dream and my spirit is anxious to know the meaning of the dream.” 4And the Chaldeans said to the king in Aramaic, “O king, live age-abidingly. Tell your servants the dream, and we will give the interpretation.” 5The king answered and said to the Chaldeans, “The matter escapes me. If you do not make the dream and its interpretation known to me, you will be dismembered and your houses will be made a dunghill. 6But if you expound the dream and its interpretation, you will receive gifts and a reward and great honour from me. So expound the dream and its interpretation to me.” 7They answered again and said, “Let the king tell his servants the dream, and we will expound the interpretation.” 8The king replied and said, “I definitely know that you are buying time, because you see that the matter escapes me, 9so if you do not make the dream known to me, then the judgment against you is conclusive, and you have conspired in speaking false and fabricated words to me, biding your time. Otherwise, tell me the dream, and I will know that you can explain its interpretation.” 10The Chaldeans answered the king and said, “There does not exist a man on dry land who can expound the king's matter, and for this reason no great king or ruler has ever asked any magus or enchanter or Chaldean a question like this. 11And the matter which the king is asking is difficult, and there is no-one else who can expound it to the king, except the gods, whose abode is not with flesh.” 12On account of this, the king became enraged and very angry, and he gave an order to execute all the wise men of Babylon. 13And the decree went out, and the wise men started to be killed. And they searched for Daniel and his colleagues for them to be killed. 14Then Daniel responded with caution and discernment to Arioch the king's chief executioner, who had gone out to kill the wise men of Babylon. 15He answered and said to Arioch the king's commissioner, “Why is the decree from the king so urgent?” Then Arioch informed Daniel of the matter. 16And Daniel went in and requested from the king that he give him time, so that he could expound the interpretation to the king. 17Then Daniel went to his house and informed Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah his colleagues about the matter, 18and to ask for mercy from the God of heaven about this secret, so that Daniel and his colleagues should not perish with the rest of the wise men of Babylon. 19Then in a vision of the night the secret was revealed to Daniel, whereupon Daniel blessed the God of heaven. 20Daniel responded and said,

“Blessed be the name of God from age to age,

Because wisdom and might are his.

21And he changes seasons and times;

He removes kings, and he establishes kings.

He gives wisdom to the wise

And knowledge to those who have understanding.

22He reveals deep things and hidden things;

He knows what is in darkness,

But with him dwells light.

23You, O God of my fathers,

I celebrate and praise,

For you have given me wisdom and power,

And now you have made known to me

What we requested from you,

For you have made the king's subject matter known to us.”

24On account of this, Daniel went into the presence of Arioch, whom the king had appointed for the execution of the wise men of Babylon. He went and said this to him: “Do not execute the wise men of Babylon. Bring me into the presence of the king, and I will expound the interpretation to the king.” 25At this Arioch brought Daniel hastily into the presence of the king, and he said this to him: “I have found a man among the deportees of Judah who will make the interpretation known to the king.” 26The king responded and said to Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, “Is it true that you are able to make known to me the dream which I saw, and its interpretation?” 27Daniel answered in the presence of the king and said, “Are not the wise men and enchanters and magi and diviners able to expound to the king the secret which the king is asking about? 28But there is a God in heaven who reveals secrets and who has made known to King Nebuchadnezzar what will take place in the latter days. Your dream and the visions in your head on your bed are as follows. 29As for you, O king, there arose in your cogitations on your bed what will take place after this, and he who reveals secrets has made known to you what will take place. 30And as for me, this secret has not been revealed to me by there being more wisdom in me than in anyone living, but to the intent that the interpretation should be made known to the king, and that you should know the cogitations of your heart. 31You, O king, were having a vision, and you beheld a great image. That image was large, and its splendour was prodigious, standing in front of you, and its appearance was fearful. 32The image was like this: its head was of good quality gold, its breast and its arms were of silver, its midriff and its thighs were of copper, 33its legs were of iron; its feet were partly of iron and partly of clay. 34You were having the vision until a stone was cut out, which was not done with hands, and which struck the image on the feet of iron and clay and shattered them. 35Then the iron and the clay, copper, silver and gold were shattered together, and they became like chaff from the summer threshing floors, and the wind carried them away, and no place was found for them, but the stone which struck the image became a great mountain, and it filled the whole earth. 36That was the dream, and we will give its interpretation in the presence of the king. 37You, O king, are king of kings, to whom the God of heaven gave the kingdom, the power, and the authority and the honour. 38And everywhere where the sons of man, wild animals and the birds of the sky dwell, he has delivered them all into your hand and given you power over them all. The head of gold represents you. 39And after you, another kingdom, inferior to yours, will arise, and a third kingdom – another one – which will be of copper, which will rule over all the earth. 40And a fourth kingdom: it will be as strong as iron, for iron shatters and smashes everything, and as iron which crushes all these, so it will shatter and break. 41And as regards the fact that you saw the feet and the toes, partly of potter's clay and partly of iron, it will be a divided kingdom, and there will be some of the firmness of iron in it, inasmuch as you saw iron mixed with clay earthenware. 42And as for the toes, partly of iron and partly of clay, part of the kingdom will be strong and part of it will be fragile. 43And as regards the fact that you saw iron mixed with clay earthenware, they will be mixed in with the seed of mankind, but they will not stick to each other, just as iron does not blend with clay. 44And in the days of those kings, the God of heaven will set up an age-abiding kingdom which will not be destroyed, nor will the kingdom be left to another people. It will shatter and put an end to all these kingdoms, and it will stand age-abidingly. 45In view of the fact that you saw that a stone was cut out of the mountain, which was not done with hands, and it shattered the iron, the copper, the clay, the silver and the gold, the great God has made known to the king what will take place after the present time. Now the dream is certain, and its interpretation is trustworthy.” 46At this King Nebuchadnezzar fell face down, and he prostrated himself to Daniel, and he said he would pour out a meal-offering and fragrances to him. 47The king responded to Daniel and said, “It is true that your God is the God of gods, and the Lord of kings and a revealer of secrets, in that you were able to reveal this secret.” 48Then the king exalted Daniel, and he gave him many great gifts, and he put him in charge of the whole province of Babylon, and he made him the administrator over all the wise men of Babylon. 49And Daniel made requests to the king, and he appointed Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-Nego over the administration of the province of Babylon. And Daniel was in the king's royal court.

Reference(s) in Chapter 2: v.35 ↔ Revelation 12:8.

Daniel Chapter 3 

1Nebuchadnezzar the king made an image of gold. Its height was sixty cubits and its breadth was six cubits. He set it up in the lowland of Dura in the province of Babylon. 2And Nebuchadnezzar the king sent word to assemble the satraps, the administrators and the governors, the high court judges, the treasurers, the legislators, the security officials and all the rulers of the provinces, for them to come to the dedication of the image which King Nebuchadnezzar had set up. 3At this the satraps, the administrators and the governors, the high court judges, the treasurers, the legislators, the security officials and all the rulers of the provinces assembled for the dedication of the image which Nebuchadnezzar the king set up, and they stood facing the image which Nebuchadnezzar had set up. 4And the herald proclaimed loudly, “We command you, O peoples and nations and languages, 5that at the moment when you hear the sound of the horn, the flute, the harp, the sambuke, the psaltery, the bagpipes, and all the kinds of music, you shall fall down and prostrate yourselves to the image of gold which Nebuchadnezzar the king set up. 6And whoever does not fall down and prostrate himself will at that time be thrown into a furnace of blazing fire.” 7In accordance with this, at the very moment when all the peoples heard the sound of the horn, the flute, the harp, the sambuke, the psaltery, and all the kinds of music, all the peoples, nations and languages would fall down and prostrate themselves to the image of gold which Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up. 8Pursuant to this, at that very time some Chaldean men came along and slandered the Jews. 9They broached the subject and said to King Nebuchadnezzar, “O king, live age-abidingly. 10O king, you issued a decree that every man who hears the sound of the horn, the flute, the harp, the sambuke, the psaltery and the bagpipes, and all the kinds of music, shall fall down and prostrate themselves to the image of gold, 11and whoever does not fall down and worship shall be thrown into a furnace of blazing fire. 12There are Jewish men whom you appointed over the administration of the province of Babylon, Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-Nego. These men, O king, have not heeded you; they do not worship your gods, nor do they prostrate themselves to the image of gold which you set up.” 13At this Nebuchadnezzar, in rage and fury, gave commandment to bring Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-Nego in. So these men were brought before the king. 14Nebuchadnezzar addressed them and said to them, “Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-Nego, do you really not worship my gods, nor prostrate yourselves to the image of gold which I set up? 15Now then, if you are willing at the time when you hear the sound of the horn, the flute, the harp, the sambuke, the psaltery and the bagpipes, and all kinds of music, to fall down and prostrate yourselves to the image which I made, fine. But if you do not prostrate yourselves, at that very time you will be thrown into a furnace of blazing fire, and what god is there who can deliver you from my hands?” 16Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-Nego answered and said to the king, “Nebuchadnezzar, we are not obliged to reply to you in this matter. 17Nevertheless, our God, whom we worship, is able to save us from the furnace of blazing fire. And from your hand, O king, he will save us. 18And even if he does not, let it be known to you, O king, that we do not worship your gods, and we will not prostrate ourselves to the image of gold which you have set up.” 19At this Nebuchadnezzar became full of fury, and the complexion of his face changed, in opposition to Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-Nego. He responded and gave commandment to heat the furnace seven times more than it was customary to heat it. 20And he commanded men, valiant warriors who were in his army, to bind Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-Nego, and to throw them into the furnace of blazing fire. 21So these men were bound in their trousers, their shirts and their hats and their garments, and they were thrown into the furnace of blazing fire. 22As a result of this, considering that the king's word was pressing, and the furnace was heated in the extreme, the flame of the fire killed those men who took Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-Nego up. 23And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-Nego fell into the furnace of blazing fire, bound. 24Then Nebuchadnezzar the king was astonished, and he arose in haste and reacted and said to his attendants, “Did we not throw three men into the fire, bound?” They answered and said to the king, “Certainly, O king.” 25He replied and said, “Look, I see four men, loose, walking around in the fire, and there is no harm being done to them. And the appearance of the fourth is like a son of God.” 26Then Nebuchadnezzar approached the door of the furnace of blazing fire and addressed them and said, “Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-Nego, servants of the Most High God, come out and come here.” Then Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-Nego came out of the fire. 27And the satraps, administrators and governors and attendants to the king gathered together and saw these men over whose bodies the fire had no power, and whose hair of their head was not singed, and whose trousers were not affected, and on whom the smell of fire did not pass. 28Nebuchadnezzar spoke up and said, “Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-Nego, who sent his angel and saved his servants who put their trust in him and defied the king's word, and who gave up their bodies so that they should not worship or prostrate themselves to any god except their God. 29And a decree is hereby issued by me, that every people and nation and language which speaks disrespectfully about the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-Nego will be dismembered and their house will be made a dunghill, because there is no other god who can bring deliverance like this.” 30Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-Nego in the province of Babylon.

Daniel Chapter 4 

1From Nebuchadnezzar the king to all peoples and nations and languages who dwell in all the earth, may your peace increase. 2It gives me pleasure to communicate the signs and wonders which the Most High God has done in connection with me.

3How great his signs are!

And how powerful his wonders are!

His kingdom is an age-abiding kingdom,

And his rule is with generation after generation.

4I, Nebuchadnezzar, was at ease in my house and thriving in my palace. 5I had a dream, and it frightened me, and my thoughts on my bed and the visions in my head disturbed me. 6And a decree was issued by me to bring in before me all the wise men of Babylon, for them to make the interpretation of the dream known to me. 7At this the magi, the enchanters, the Chaldeans and the diviners came in, and I described the dream in their presence, but they did not make its interpretation known to me. 8And last of all Daniel came in to my presence, whose name is Belteshazzar after the name of my god, and in whom is the spirit of holy gods, and I described the dream to him as follows: 9‘Belteshazzar, head of the magi, in whom I know that the spirit of the holy gods is, and no mystery is too difficult for you. Set out the visions of my dream which I had, and its interpretation. 10Now I saw the visions of my head on my bed,

And there was a tree in the middle of the earth,

And its height was great.

11The tree grew and became strong,

And in height it reached the sky,

And it was visible at the ends of the whole world.

12Its foliage was beautiful

And its fruit was plentiful,

And there was food for everything in it.

Under it wild animals could find shade,

And in its branches the birds of the sky could dwell,

And from it all flesh could be nourished.

13I saw things in the visions of my head on my bed, and there was an angel – indeed a holy one – descending from heaven. 14He proclaimed loudly and said this:

«Cut the tree down,

And chop its branches off;

Strip its foliage off,

And scatter its fruit.

Let the animals under it flee,

And also the birds from its branches.

15But leave the stump with its roots in the ground,

And do that with iron and copper bonds

Pegged in the wild grass,

And let it be moistened with the dew from the sky,

And let its portion be with the animals

In the vegetation of the earth.

16Let his heart be changed from that of a man,

And let the heart of an animal be given to him,

And let seven timespans pass over him.

17The matter is by the decree of angels,

And the proceeding is by the edict of the holy ones,

So that the living may know

That the Most High is the ruler in the kingdom of man,

And that he may give it to whomever he wishes,

And that he may set the lowest of men over it.»

18I, King Nebuchadnezzar, saw this dream. Now you, Belteshazzar, give the interpretation, because none of the wise men of my kingdom are able to make the interpretation known to me, but you are able to, because the spirit of the holy gods is in you.’ 19At this Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, was stupefied for about one hour, and his thoughts disturbed him. The king reacted and said, ‘Belteshazzar, do not let the dream and the interpretation disturb you.’ Belteshazzar replied and said, ‘My lord, may the dream apply to those who hate you, and its interpretation to your adversaries. 20The tree which you saw, which grew and became strong, and which in height reached the sky, and which was visible over the whole world, 21and whose foliage was beautiful, and whose fruit was plentiful, with there being food for everything in it, with wild animals able to dwell under it, and in whose branches the birds of the sky could settle, 22represents you, O king, who have grown and become strong, and whose greatness has increased and reached the sky, and whose rule extends to the end of the world. 23And concerning the fact that the king saw an angel – indeed a holy one – descending from heaven saying, «Cut the tree down and destroy it, but leave the stump with its roots in the ground, and do that with iron and copper bonds pegged in the wild grass, and let it be moistened by the dew from the sky, and let its portion be with the wild animals until seven timespans pass over it», 24this is the interpretation, O king, and it is the decree of the Most High which has come upon my lord the king. 25Now you will be driven out from human society, and your habitat will be with the wild animals, and you will be fed on grass like oxen, and you will obtain drink from the dew of the sky. And seven timespans will pass over you in order that you may know that the Most High is the ruler in the kingdom of man, and that he can give it to whomever he wishes. 26And concerning the fact that it was enjoined to leave the stump with the roots of the tree, your kingdom will remain yours after you have come to know that heaven is the ruler. 27So, O king, let my counsel be commended to you, desist from your sins in favour of righteousness, and from your iniquity in favour of being compassionate to the poor, and it may be that your prosperity will have long duration.’ ” 28All this came upon Nebuchadnezzar the king. 29Twelve months later as he was walking in the palace of the kingdom of Babylon, 30the king ventured to speak and said, “Is this not Babylon the Great, which I built as a royal house by the strength of my power, and to the honour of my glory?” 31While the words were still in the king's mouth, a voice came down from heaven and said, “You are hereby informed, O King Nebuchadnezzar, that the kingdom has retreated from you. 32And you are hereby driven out from human society, and your habitat is with wild animals. You will be fed grass like oxen, and seven timespans will pass over you in order that you may know that the Most High is the ruler in the kingdom of man, and that he can give it to whomever he wishes.” 33At that very moment the pronouncement was fulfilled on Nebuchadnezzar, and he was driven out from human society, and he ate grass like oxen, and his body obtained drink from the dew of the sky, until his hair had grown like eagle's plumage, and his nails were like birds' claws. 34“And at the end of the days, I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted up my eyes up to heaven, and my sanity returned to me, and I blessed the Most High, and I praised and gave glory to him who lives age-abidingly,

Whose dominion is an age-abiding dominion,

And whose kingdom is with every generation.

35And all the inhabitants of the earth are considered nothing,

And as he wishes, so he acts,

With the might of heaven.

And as for the inhabitants of the earth,

Well there is no-one who can ward his hand off,

Or say to him,

‘What are you doing?’

36At that very time my sanity returned to me. And to the honour of my kingdom, my glory and my splendour returned to me, and my attendants and my high-ranking officials sought me, and I was restored over my kingdom, and exceeding greatness was added to me. 37So now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and exalt and glorify the king of heaven, all of whose works are truth, and whose ways are justice, and who is able to humble those who walk in arrogance.”

Reference(s) in Chapter 4: v.1 ↔ 1 Peter 1:2.

Daniel Chapter 5 

1Belshazzar the king held a grand banquet for one thousand of his senior ranking officials, and he drank wine in the presence of the thousand. 2Belshazzar, while tasting the wine, gave an order to bring the gold and silver articles which Nebuchadnezzar his father had taken out of the temple which is in Jerusalem, for the king and his high-ranking officials, his consorts and his concubines, to drink from. 3So they brought the golden articles which they had taken out of the temple of the house of God, which is in Jerusalem, and the king and his high-ranking officials and his consorts and his concubines drank from them. 4They drank the wine and praised the gods of gold and silver, copper, iron, wood and stone. 5At that very moment the fingers of a man's hand appeared and started writing opposite the lampstand on the plaster of the wall of the king's palace. And the king saw the palm of the hand which was writing. 6At this the king's radiant complexion changed, and his thoughts alarmed him, and his hip joints became loose, and his knees knocked against each other. 7The king called out loudly to bring in the enchanters, the Chaldeans and the diviners. The king addressed them and said to the wise men of Babylon, “Any man who can read this writing and expound its interpretation to me will be clothed in purple and have a golden chain around his neck, and he will rule as the third in command in the kingdom.” 8So all the king's wise men came in, but they were not able to read the writing or to make the interpretation known to the king. 9Then King Belshazzar became exceedingly alarmed, and his radiance changed, and his high-ranking officials were perplexed. 10On account of the words of the king and his high-ranking officials, the queen came into the banqueting house. The queen spoke out and said, “O king, live age-abidingly. Do not let your thoughts alarm you and do not let your radiance change. 11There is a man in your kingdom in whom there is the spirit of holy gods, and in the days of your father, enlightenment and intelligence and wisdom like the wisdom of the gods were found in him. And as for King Nebuchadnezzar your father, your father the king appointed him head of the magi, enchanters, Chaldeans and diviners, 12because a prodigious spirit and knowledge and intelligence in interpreting dreams and cracking riddles and solving problems were found in him – in Daniel – whom the king named Belteshazzar. Now then, let Daniel be called and let him give the interpretation.” 13So Daniel was brought in before the king. The king started to speak and said to Daniel, “Are you Daniel, who is one of the deportees from Judah, whom my father the king brought from Judah? 14For I have heard concerning you that the spirit of gods is in you, and that enlightenment and intelligence and prodigious wisdom have been found in you. 15And now the wise men and the enchanters were brought into my presence to read this writing and to make its interpretation known to me, but they were not able to expound the meaning of the text. 16And I have heard concerning you that you are able to give interpretations and to solve problems. Now if you can read the writing and make its interpretation known to me, you will be clothed in purple, and you will have a golden chain around your neck, and you will rule as the third in command in the kingdom.” 17At this Daniel responded and said in the presence of the king, “Let your gifts be for yourself, and give your rewards to another, but I will read the writing to the king, and I will make the interpretation known to him. 18You are the king, but it is the Most High God who gave the kingdom and the magnificence and the honour and the glory to Nebuchadnezzar your father. 19And on account of the magnificence which he gave him, all the peoples and nations and languages trembled and feared before him. Whom he wished, he killed, and whom he wished, he preserved alive. Whom he wished, he exalted, and whom he wished, he brought low. 20But when his heart became haughty, and his spirit became obdurate to the point of him acting impertinently, he was taken down from his royal throne, and his honour was removed from him. 21And he was driven out from human society, and his heart was made like that of animals, and his habitat was with wild asses, and he was fed on grass like oxen, and his body was moistened from the dew of the sky, until he acknowledged that the Most High God is the ruler in the kingdom of man, and that whom he wishes, he appoints over it. 22And you are his son Belshazzar. You have not humbled your heart, yet you knew all this. 23And you have exalted yourself over the Lord of heaven, and the articles of his house were brought in before you, and you and your high-ranking officials, your consorts and your concubines have drunk wine from them, and you have praised gods of silver and gold, copper and iron, wood and stone, which do not see and do not hear and do not perceive, but you have not glorified the God in whose hand your breath is and to whom all your ways are answerable. 24So the palm of a hand was sent from him, and this writing was inscribed. 25And this is the writing which was inscribed:

‘Mene, mene, tekel, upharsin.’

26This is the interpretation of the words: mene – God has summed up your kingdom, and he has brought it to an end; 27tekel – you have been weighed in the balance and found wanting; 28peres – your kingdom is divided and is to be given to Media and Persia.” 29Then Belshazzar gave commandment, and they clothed Daniel in purple, and he put a chain of gold around his neck, and he made proclamation concerning him that he was to be the third in command in the kingdom. 30That very night Belshazzar the Chaldean king was killed. 31Darius the Mede received the kingdom when he was sixty-two years old.

Daniel Chapter 6 

1It pleased Darius to appoint one hundred and twenty satraps over the kingdom, who were to be distributed throughout all the kingdom, 2and over them three ministers, of whom Daniel was one, to whom these satraps would give a report, so that the king would not be in danger. 3Then this Daniel distinguished himself more than the other ministers and satraps, because there was a prodigious spirit in him, and the king proposed to appoint him over the whole kingdom. 4At this the ministers and satraps tried to find a pretext against Daniel from the standpoint of the kingdom, but they could not find any pretext or corrupt practice, because he was faithful, and no negligence or corrupt practice was found concerning him. 5So these men said, “We shall not find any pretext against this Daniel, except when we find something against him in the formalities of his God.” 6Then these ministers and satraps assembled with the king and spoke as follows to him: “O King Darius, live age-abidingly. 7All the ministers of the kingdom, the administrators and the satraps, the attendants and the governors have taken counsel together to establish a statute, O king, and to issue a prohibition, that anyone who prays for a request from any god or man for thirty days except from you, O king, will be thrown into the lions' den. 8Now then, O king, ratify the prohibition, and draw up the document which is immutable according to the law of Media and Persia, so that it does not lapse.” 9On account of this, King Darius drew up the document and the prohibition. 10Then when Daniel came to know that the document had been drawn up, he went into his house with his windows open in his upper room facing Jerusalem, and three times a day he knelt down on his knees and prayed and gave praise before his God, just as he used to do before this. 11Then these men assembled and found Daniel praying and seeking mercy before his God. 12At this they went up to the king and said in his presence concerning the king's prohibition, “Did you not draw up a prohibition that anyone who prays for a request from any god or man for thirty days except from you, O king, would be thrown into the lions' den?” The king answered and said, “The words are fixed according to the law of Media and Persia which does not lapse.” 13To this they replied and said in the king's presence, “Daniel, who is one of the deportees from Judah, has not heeded you, O king, or the prohibition which you drew up, and he prays for his request three times a day.” 14Then when the king heard the words, it grieved him greatly. And concerning Daniel, he applied his mind to deliver him, and up to sunset he made efforts to save him. 15Then these men assembled to the king and said to the king, “Be aware, O king, that the law of Media and Persia is such that no prohibition or statute which the king establishes is open to change.” 16So the king gave commandment, and they brought Daniel and threw him into the lions' den. The king addressed him and said to Daniel, “Your God, whom you constantly worship, will save you.” 17And a stone was brought, and it was placed on the entrance to the den, and the king sealed it with his seal ring and with the seal ring of his high-ranking officials, so that the plot against Daniel should not change. 18Then the king went to his palace and spent the night fasting, and he did not have entertainment come before him, and his sleep evaded him. 19Then at dawn the king arose, at first light, and he went hastily to the lions' den. 20And as he approached the den, he called out in a sad voice to Daniel, and the king spoke and said to Daniel, “Daniel, servant of the living God, was your God, whom you worship continually, able to save you from the lions?” 21Then Daniel said to the king, “O king, live age-abidingly. 22My God has sent his angel and closed the lions' mouths, and they have not harmed me, because I was found to be innocent before him, and I haven't done anything injurious before you either, O king.” 23At this the king was very pleased about him, and he gave commandment to bring Daniel up out of the den. So Daniel was brought up out of the den, and no harm was found on him, because he had put trust in his God. 24And the king gave commandment, and they brought those men who had slandered Daniel, and they threw them, their sons, and their wives into the lions' den. And they had not landed at the bottom of the den before the lions overpowered them, and they crushed all their bones. 25Then Darius the king wrote to all the peoples, nations and languages who lived in the whole earth, “May your peace increase. 26A decree is hereby issued by me that in every administrative region of my kingdom, they tremble and fear before Daniel's God,

For he is the living God,

Who endures throughout the ages,

Whose kingdom will not be destroyed,

And whose dominion is up to the end.

27He saves and rescues

And performs signs and wonders

In heaven and on earth,

For he saved Daniel

From the reach of the lions.”

28And this Daniel prospered in the kingdom of Darius and in the kingdom of Cyrus the Persian.

Reference(s) in Chapter 6: v.25 ↔ 1 Peter 1:2.

Daniel Chapter 7 

1In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon, Daniel had a dream, and there were visions in his head while on his bed. Then he wrote the dream down and set out the essentials of the subject matter. 2Daniel elucidated and said, “I saw things in a vision of mine in the night. Now there were the four winds of heaven stirring the great sea, 3and four large animals arising out of the sea, differing one from another. 4The first one was like a lion, and it had an eagle's wings. I continued looking until its wings were plucked, and it was lifted up from the earth and was made to stand on legs as a man does, and the heart of a man was given to it. 5And there was another animal – a second one – like a bear, and it was made to stand up on one side, and it had three ribs in its mouth between its teeth. And this is what was said to it: ‘Arise, and devour much flesh.’ 6After this I continued to see, and there was another, like a leopard, and it had four bird's wings on its back, and the animal had four heads, and it was given rule. 7After this I continued to see a vision in the visions of the night, and there was a fourth animal, frightful and terrifying, and exceedingly strong. And its many teeth were of iron, and it devoured and crushed, and it trampled on the rest with its feet. Moreover it was different from all the animals which were before it, and it had ten horns. 8I looked at its horns, and I saw another small horn arise among them. And three of the first horns were uprooted before it. And what I saw was eyes in this horn like the eyes of a man, and a mouth speaking presumptuous words.

9I continued seeing,

And then the thrones were set up,

And the Ancient of Days sat down.

His clothing was like white snow,

And the hair on his head was like pure wool.

His throne was flames of fire,

And its wheels were burning fire.

10A river of fire flowed and issued from him;

A million served him,

And a hundred million arose in his presence.

The court sat, and the books were opened.

11I continued seeing, and then from a voice there came presumptuous words which the horn spoke. I continued seeing and then the animal was killed, and its body was destroyed and consigned to the burning of a fire. 12And as for the remaining animals, their rule was taken away, but a prolongation of their life was granted to them for a time and a season.

13And I continued seeing in the visions of the night,

And what I saw was,

With clouds of the sky,

One like a son of man coming,

And he went up to the Ancient of Days,

And he was brought near him.

14And to him rule was given,

And honour, and a kingdom,

And all peoples and nations and languages worshipped him.

His rule was an age-abiding rule

Which would never pass away,

And his kingdom was one

Which will not be destroyed.

15My spirit was grieved – that of me, Daniel, in my being – and the visions in my head disturbed me. 16I approached one of those standing, and I inquired of him the reality of all this, and he told me, and he made the interpretation of the words known to me. 17These large animals, of which there were four, represent four kings who will arise from the earth. 18But the holy ones of the Most High will receive the kingdom, and they will possess the kingdom age-abidingly, and throughout the durations of the ages. 19Then I wished to know precisely about the fourth animal, which was different from all the others, being exceedingly frightful. Its teeth were of iron, and its claws were of copper. It devoured and crushed, and it trampled on the rest with its feet. 20And concerning the ten horns on its head, and the other one which arose, and before which the three fell, now that horn had eyes and a mouth speaking presumptuous words, and its appearance was more imposing than that of those accompanying it. 21I continued seeing, and that horn waged a war on the holy ones, and it prevailed over them, 22until the Ancient of Days came, and justice was given to the holy ones of the Most High, and the time arrived when the holy ones took possession of the kingdom. 23He said this: ‘The fourth animal will be the fourth kingdom on the earth, which will be different from all the other kingdoms, and it will devour the whole earth and pound it and crush it. 24And the ten horns which constitute the kingdom represent ten kings who will arise, and another will arise after them, and he will be different from the preceding ones, and he will bring three kings down. 25And he will speak words against the Most High, and he will wear out the holy ones of the Most High, and he will contrive to change times and the law. And they will be delivered into his hand until a time, times, and half a time have passed. 26And the court will sit, and his rule will be removed, by destroying and eliminating it until its end. 27And the kingdom and the rule and the greatness of the kingdoms under all heaven will be given to the people – the holy ones of the Most High. His kingdom is an age-abiding kingdom, and all administrative regions will worship him and obey him.’ 28That is it up to the end of the matter. As for me, Daniel, my thoughts disturbed me very much, and my radiance changed. But I kept the matter in my heart.”

Reference(s) in Chapter 7: v.10 ↔ Revelation 5:11 ● v.11 ↔ Revelation 19:20, Revelation 20:10, Revelation 20:14, Revelation 20:15 ● v.13 ↔ Matthew 24:30, Matthew 26:64, Mark 13:26, Hebrews 10:37, Revelation 1:7, Revelation 1:13, Revelation 14:14 ● v.19 ↔ Revelation 12:3, Revelation 13:1, Revelation 17:3, Revelation 17:7 ● v.20 ↔ Revelation 12:3, Revelation 13:1, Revelation 17:3, Revelation 17:7, Revelation 17:12, Revelation 17:16 ● v.21 ↔ Revelation 11:7, Revelation 13:7 ● v.25 ↔ Revelation 11:2, Revelation 11:3, Revelation 12:6, Revelation 12:14, Revelation 13:5.

Daniel Chapter 8 

1In the third year of the reign of Belshazzar the king, a vision appeared to me – to me Daniel – after what had appeared to me at first, 2and I saw in the vision, and it came to pass as I saw that I was at the citadel of Shushan, which is in the province of Elam. Then I saw in the vision that I was at the Ulai Canal. 3And I lifted up my eyes and looked, and there was a ram standing before the canal, and it had two horns, and the two horns were high, but one was higher than the other, and the higher one arose later. 4I saw the ram butting westwards and northwards and southwards, and no animal could stand against it, and there was no-one who delivered anyone from its grip, and it did as it wished, and it became great. 5And as I was contemplating this, what I saw was a goat buck come from the west over the expanse of the whole land, not touching the ground, and the goat buck had a conspicuous horn between its eyes. 6And it came to the ram which had the two horns, which I saw standing at the canal, and it ran to it in its intense fury. 7And I saw it come up to the ram, and it acted ferociously against it, and it struck the ram and shattered its two horns, and there was no strength in the ram to stand against it. And it cast the ram down onto the ground and trampled on it, and there was no-one who delivered the ram from its grip. 8And the goat buck became very great, but just as it was displaying strength, the large horn broke, and four others arose conspicuously in its place, facing the four winds of heaven. 9And from one of them a very small horn came out, but it became exceedingly great southwards and eastwards and towards the Splendid Land. 10And it became great – as great as the host of the sky – and it brought some of the host and some of the stars down to the ground and trampled on them. 11And it magnified itself to the heights of the prince of the host, and the perpetual sacrifice was removed from him, and the place of his sanctuary was overthrown, 12so that the host would be delivered up at the place of the perpetual sacrifice in transgression, and truth could be cast to the ground. And it did this and prospered. 13And I heard a holy one speak, and a holy one said to the particular one speaking, “How long is the vision of the perpetual sacrifice and the devastating transgression – the delivering up of both the holy place and the host to being trampled on?” 14And he said to me, “Until two thousand three hundred evenings and mornings. Then the sanctuary will be purified.” 15And it came to pass as I, Daniel, saw the vision, that I sought understanding. And what I saw was that there stood before me an apparition of a man. 16And I heard the voice of a man in the middle of the Ulai, and he called out and said, “Gabriel, explain the vision to this man.” 17And he came to my station, and as he came, I was terrified and I fell face down. But he said to me, “Understand, son of Adam, that the vision is for the end time.” 18And as he spoke to me, I slumped down to the ground face down, and he touched me, and he stood me up at my station. 19And he said, “I am here making known to you what will take place at the end of the indignation, for it is for the end time period. 20The ram which you saw, having two horns, represents the kings of Media and Persia. 21And the hairy goat represents the king of Greece, and the large horn which is between its eyes is the first king. 22And as for the horn which was broken, and the four which stood in its place, these are four kingdoms out of a people which will stand up, but not in its own strength. 23And at the end of their kingdom, when transgressors reach their conclusion, a king of fierce appearance, and shrewd in dealing with problems, will stand up. 24And his power will be mighty, but it will not be in his own power, and he will spoil in an astounding way, and he will prosper and be active, and he will spoil mighty people including the holy people. 25And through his expertise he will prosper, with deceit under his control, and in his heart he will magnify himself, and in calmness he will spoil many, and he will take a stand against the prince of princes. Then without human power he will be broken. 26Now the vision of the evening and the morning which was declared is true, but you close the vision, for it is for many days from now.” 27And I, Daniel, became ill for a number of days. Then I arose and did the king's work, but I was astounded at the vision, and there was no-one who understood it.

Reference(s) in Chapter 8: v.26 ↔ Revelation 10:4, Revelation 22:10.

Daniel Chapter 9 

1In the first year of Darius the son of Ahasuerus, of Median seed, who had been made king over the kingdom of the Chaldeans, 2in the first year of his reign, I, Daniel – because the word of the Lord had come to Jeremiah the prophet – came to understand through books the number of years to fulfil the desolations of Jerusalem: seventy years. 3And I turned my attention to the Lord* God, in seeking intercession and making supplications, with fasting and sackcloth and ashes. 4And I prayed to the Lord my God, and I confessed and said, “Please, Lord*, O great and awesome God, who keeps the covenant, and shows kindness to those who love him and keep his commandments, 5we have sinned and been iniquitous, we have acted wickedly and rebelled, and we have departed from your commandments and your regulations, 6and we did not heed your servants the prophets, who spoke in your name to our kings, our high-ranking officials, and our fathers, and to all the people of the land. 7Yours, O Lord*, is justice, and ours is shamefacedness on this day – on the men of Judah and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and on all Israel, those near and those far away in all the lands to which you have driven them out – because of their perverseness with which they have acted perversely with you. 8O Lord, ours is shame to our faces, to our kings, to our high-ranking officials and to our fathers, because we have sinned against you. 9Mercy and forgiveness are of the Lord* our God, yet we have rebelled against him. 10And we have not obeyed the Lord our God telling us to walk in his laws which he has set before us, through the intermediacy of his servants the prophets. 11And all Israel has transgressed your law and turned aside in not obeying you, and the curse has been poured out on us, and the oath, which are written in the law of Moses, the servant of God, for we have sinned against him. 12And he has fulfilled his words which he spoke against us and against our judges who judged us, by bringing a great calamity on us, which has not been done under all of heaven as it has been done in Jerusalem. 13As it is written in the law of Moses, all this calamity has come upon us, and we have not pleaded with the Lord our God, by turning away from our iniquities and acting prudently in your truth. 14And the Lord watched over the calamity and brought it on us, for the Lord our God is righteous in all his dealings which he does, but we did not obey him. 15And now, O Lord* our God, who brought your people out of the land of Egypt with a strong hand and acquired fame for yourself as on this day, with us having sinned and acted wickedly, 16O Lord*, according to all your righteousness, do let your anger and your fury turn away from your city, Jerusalem, your holy mountain, for it is because of our sins and because of the iniquities of our fathers that Jerusalem and your people are a reproach to all those around us. 17So now, hear, O God of ours, the prayer of your servant and his supplications, and be propitious to your sanctuary, which is desolate, for the sake of the Lord*. 18O God of mine, incline your ear and hear, open your eyes and see our desolate conditions and the city over which your name is called, for it is not on account of our righteousness that we lay our supplications before you, but on account of your many mercies. 19O Lord*, do hear, O Lord*, do forgive, O Lord*, do listen and act. Do not delay, for your sake, O God of mine, for your name is called upon over your city and over your people.” 20And as I was still speaking and praying and confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel and laying my supplication before the Lord my God on the holy mountain of my God, 21indeed while I was still speaking in prayer, the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision at first, being propelled into a rapid flight, touched me, at about the time of the evening meal-offering, 22and he explained and spoke with me and said, “Daniel, I have come out now to impart understanding to you. 23At the start of your supplications, a pronouncement went out, and I have come to report that you are greatly loved. So understand the matter and discern the vision. 24Seventy year-weeks have been determined concerning your people and concerning your holy city, to put an end to transgression and to seal up sins, and to atone for iniquity, and to bring in age-abiding righteousness, and to seal the vision and prophet, and to anoint the holy of holies. 25And know and understand that from the issuing of the order to restore and rebuild Jerusalem up to messiah the leader, there are seven year-weeks and sixty-two year-weeks, and street and ditch will be built again, but in distressful times. 26And after the sixty-two year-weeks, messiah will be cut off, but not for himself, and the people of the coming leader will spoil the city and the sanctuary, and his end will be with a flood. And until the end of the war, desolations are determined. 27And he will confirm a covenant with many for one year-week, and after half of the year-week he will put a stop to sacrifice and meal-offering, and he who makes desolate will stand on the pinnacle of abominations, and this will be until the conclusion. Then what is determined will be poured out on the desolator.”

Reference(s) in Chapter 9: v.27 ↔ Matthew 24:15, Mark 13:14.

Daniel Chapter 10 

1In the third year of Cyrus king of Persia, a matter was revealed to Daniel, who was called Belteshazzar, and the matter is true. Now there was intense warfare, and he understood the matter, and he had understanding in the vision. 2In those days I, Daniel, was mourning for three full weeks; 3I did not eat appetizing food, and neither meat nor wine came to my mouth, and I did not anoint myself at all until three full weeks had elapsed. 4And on the twenty-fourth day of the first month, when I was on the side of the great river, that is the Hiddekel, 5I lifted up my eyes, and I looked, and what I saw was a man clothed in fine linen, whose waist was girded with fine gold from Uphaz. 6And his body was like the Tarshish gemstone, and his face had the appearance of lightning, and his eyes were like torches of fire, and his arms and his feet had the gleam of polished copper, and the sound of his speech was like the sound of a crowd. 7And I, Daniel, on my own, saw the vision, but the men who were with me did not see the vision, but a great fear fell on them, and they fled so as to hide. 8And I remained on my own, and I saw this great vision, but I didn't have any strength left, and my radiance turned into pallor, and I didn't retain any strength. 9But I heard the sound of his speech, and when I heard the sound of his speech while I was in a deep sleep on my face, with my face to the ground, 10it so happened that a hand touched me and made my knees and hands tremble. 11And he said to me, “Daniel, greatly beloved man, understand the words which I am speaking to you, and stand at your station, for I have been sent to you now.” And as he spoke these words to me, I stood up trembling. 12And he said to me, “Do not fear, Daniel, for ever since the first day when you set your heart on understanding things and submitting yourself before your God, your words have been heard, and I have come in answer to your words. 13But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me for twenty-one days. Then what happened was that Michael, one of the foremost princes, came to help me, and I remained there with the kings of Persia. 14Now I have come to explain to you what will happen to your people in the last days, for the vision was for many days yet.” 15And as he spoke with me about these things, I faced the ground and became mute, 16and behold, someone in the likeness of the sons of Adam touched my lips, and I opened my mouth, and I spoke and said to the one standing opposite me, “My lord, at the vision pangs of pain came over me, and I did not retain any strength. 17For how can a servant of my lord here speak with my lord here, when for my part, from that moment, no strength has remained in me, and no breath has been left in me.” 18Then the one in the likeness of a man touched me again and strengthened me, 19and he said to me, “Do not fear, greatly beloved man. Peace to you. Become stronger and stronger.” And as he spoke with me, I gained strength, and I said, “Let my lord speak, for you have strengthened me.” 20And he said, “Do you know why I have come to you? And now I will return to fight against the prince of Persia, and as I go, look, the prince of Greece will come. 21But I will tell you what is recorded in the scripture of truth, and there is not one gathering strength with me concerning these things, except Michael your prince.

Daniel Chapter 11 

1And I, in the first year of Darius the Mede, was at my station as his strengthener and stronghold. 2And now I will relate the truth to you. Behold, three kings are still to arise in Persia. And the fourth will accumulate greater wealth than any, and just as he will become strong in his riches, so he will stir everyone up against the kingdom of Greece. 3And a mighty king will arise, and he will rule over a great empire, and he will do as he wishes. 4And when he arises, his kingdom will be broken, and it will be divided into the four winds of heaven, but not for his posterity, and not according to his manner of rule by which he ruled, for his kingdom will be plucked up and be for others – other than these. 5And the king of the south will become strong, but one of his princes will become stronger than him, and he will rule. His rule will be a great empire. 6And 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 make a compact, but she will not retain a strong arm, and he will not stand, nor will his arm, and she will be delivered up, as will those who brought her, and he who begot her, and he who strengthened her in those times. 7But one from a branch of her roots will assume his role, and he will turn to the army, and he will go to the fortress of the king of the north, and he will engage them and prevail. 8And he will also take back to Egypt their gods with their cast images, with their valuable articles of silver and gold which were captured, and he will stand for more years than the king of the north. 9So the king of the south will come into a kingdom then return to his territory. 10And his sons will be provoked, and they will gather a large quantity of powerful forces, and they will come with determination, and they will inundate the place and pass through, then they will return. Then they will be provoked at the fortress. 11And the king of the south will become bitter, and he will go out to wage war against him – against the king of the north – and he will recruit a large multitude, but the multitude will be delivered into his hand. 12And he will carry the multitude away; his heart will be exalted, and he will cut down tens of thousands, but he will not gain strength. 13Then the king of the north will again recruit a multitude, larger than the first one, and after many vicissitudes and years, he will come with determination, with a great army and with much military equipment. 14And in those times, many will defend the king of the south, and the violent members of your people will exalt themselves in establishing the vision, but they will fail. 15And the king of the north will come, and he will cast up a rampart and capture a highly fortified city, and the arms of the south will not stand, nor will his elite people, and they will not have strength to stand. 16And the one who is coming will do as he wishes, and no-one will stand against him, and he will stand in the Splendid Land, and destructive power will be at his disposal. 17And he will resolve to come with the might of all his kingdom, and he will settle with equitable terms with him, and he will give him the fairest daughter among women to spoil her, but she will not brook it, and she will not be his. 18And he will turn his attention to the islands, and he will capture many of them, and a commander will put an end to his reproach for him. Then with no reproach of his, he will turn his attention to him. 19Then he will turn his attention to the strongholds of his own country, but he will fail and fall, and he will be nowhere to be found. 20Then an oppressor will take on his role, and he will pass through the glorious kingdom. But in a few days he will be crushed, but not by anger and not by war. 21Then the despicable one will take on his role, but he will not be invested with the majesty of the kingdom. And he will come calmly, and he will take hold of the kingdom by flatteries. 22And people will be swept away before him in the arms of a flood, and they will be crushed, as also the leader of the covenant. 23And he will act deceitfully towards those in league with him, and he will rise and become strong with a small people. 24Calmly and in the fertile parts of the province, he will come and do what neither his fathers nor his father's fathers ever did. He will lavishly distribute booty and spoil and property to them, and he will devise plots against fortifications, which will be for a time. 25Then he will stir up his power and his heart against the king of the south, with a large force. And the king of the south will be provoked into war, with a force large and mighty in the extreme, but he will not prevail, because they will devise plots against him. 26And those who dine with him will cut him to pieces, and his army will swirl around, and many will fall as casualties. 27And the hearts of both kings will be set on wrongdoing, and they will tell lies at one table, but the proceeding will not be successful, for the end will still come in due course. 28Then he will return to his own land with much property, and his heart will be against the holy covenant. Then he will take action and then return to his land. 29In due course he will return and go to the south, but it will not be like the first occasion or the last. 30And ships from Chittim will come against him, and he will be despondent, and he will return, and he will be indignant over the holy covenant, and he will take action. Then he will return and act shrewdly with those who forsake the holy covenant. 31And brigades from him will arise and desecrate the sanctuary – the place of strength – and they will put a stop to the perpetual sacrifice, and they will set up the desolating abomination. 32And he will entice violators of the covenant to profanity with flatteries, but a people who know their God will remain steadfast and take action. 33And those of the people with insight will explain to many, but they will be brought down by the sword and by the flame, by captivity and by being plundered, for a number of days. 34And as they are brought down, they will be afforded a little help, but many will associate with them with flatteries. 35And some of those enlightened will be brought down, to refine them, and to purify and to whiten them up to the end time. For it is still a designated time away. 36And the king will do as he wishes, and he will exalt himself and present himself as great – above every god – and he will speak awesomely against the God of gods, and he will prosper until the indignation is ended, for what has been determined will be accomplished. 37And he will not give consideration to the God of his fathers, nor will he give consideration to attraction to women, or give consideration to any god, because he will present himself as greater than all. 38But he will honour the god of strongholds in his role. So he will honour a god whom his fathers did not know, with gold and with silver and with precious gemstones and with valuable items. 39And he will organize fortified strongholds in connection with a foreign god, and whoever has acknowledged him, he will greatly honour, and he will give them rule over many, and he will apportion land at a price. 40And at the end time, the king of the south will skirmish with him, and the king of the north will rage against him with chariots and with cavalry and with many ships, and he will enter those countries and will inundate them and pass on. 41Then he will enter the Splendid Land, and many countries will be brought down, but these will escape from his hand: Edom and Moab and the principal part of the sons of Ammon. 42And he will stretch out his hand in various countries, and the land of Egypt will not have deliverance. 43And he will rule over treasures of gold and silver, and over all the valuable items of Egypt. And Libyans and Ethiopians will follow in his footsteps. 44But rumours from the east and from the north will alarm him, and he will set off in great fury to destroy and obliterate many. 45And he will pitch the palatial tents between the seas in the holy Splendid Mount, and he will come to his end, with no-one helping him.

Reference(s) in Chapter 11: v.31 ↔ Matthew 24:15, Mark 13:14.

Daniel Chapter 12 

1And at that time Michael will stand up – the great prince who stands for the sons of your people – and there will be a time of tribulation such as there never has been since the coming into existence of a nation up to that time, and at that time your people will be delivered – everyone who is found written in the book. 2And many of those sleeping in the dusty ground will awaken, some to age-abiding life, and some to age-abiding reproach and abhorrence. 3And those who have insight will shine like the brilliance of the firmament, and those who make many righteous will shine like the stars, age-abidingly and throughout time. 4But you, Daniel, close up the words and seal up the book, until the end time. Many will run to and fro, and knowledge will increase.” 5Then I, Daniel, saw a vision, and there were two others standing, one on one side of the river and one on the other side of the river. 6And he said to the man clothed in fine linen who was above the water of the river, “How long is it to the end of the wonders?” 7And I heard the man clothed in fine linen who was above the water of the river. And he raised his right hand and his left hand towards heaven, and he swore by him who lives age-abidingly, that it was for a time, times and a half, and he swore that at the completion of the crushing of the strength of the holy people, all these things would come to an end. 8And although I heard, I did not understand, and I said, “My lord, what is the end result of these things?” 9And he said, “Go your way Daniel, for the words are closed up and sealed until the end time. 10Many will be purified and whitened and refined, but the wicked will act wickedly, and none of the wicked will understand, but those with insight will understand. 11And from the time when the perpetual sacrifice is removed and when the desolating abomination is installed, there are one thousand two hundred and ninety days. 12Blessed is he who waits and comes to one thousand three hundred and thirty-five days. 13But you proceed to the end, and you shall rest. Then you shall stand in your lot at the end of days.”

Reference(s) in Chapter 12: v.1 ↔ Matthew 24:21, Mark 13:19; Philippians 4:3, Revelation 3:5, Revelation 13:8, Revelation 17:8, Revelation 20:12, Revelation 20:15, Revelation 21:27 ● v.4 ↔ Revelation 10:4, Revelation 22:10 ● v.7 ↔ Revelation 10:5, Revelation 11:2, Revelation 11:3, Revelation 12:6, Revelation 12:14, Revelation 13:5 ● v.11 ↔ Matthew 24:15, Mark 13:14.


Hosea  

Hosea Chapter 1 

1This is the word of the Lord which came to Hosea the son of Beeri, in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam the son of Joash, the king of Israel. 2This is the beginning of the word of the Lord through Hosea. And the Lord said to Hosea, “Go, take a wife of prostitution and children of prostitution, for the land has thoroughly committed prostitution in departing from following the Lord.” 3So he went and took Gomer, the daughter of Diblaim. And she conceived and bore him a son. 4And the Lord said to him, “Call him Jezreel, for in just a little while, I will visit the blood of Jezreel on the house of Jehu, and I will put an end to the kingdom of the house of Israel. 5And it will come to pass on that day that I will break the bow of Israel in the Valley of Jezreel.” 6Then she conceived again and bore a daughter, and he said to him, “Call her Lo-Ruhamah, for I will not have compassion any more on the house of Israel, for I will utterly carry them away. 7But on the house of Judah I will have compassion, and I will deliver them through the Lord their God, but I will not deliver them through the bow or sword or war, or through horses or through horsemen.” 8And she weaned Lo-Ruhamah, then she conceived and bore a son. 9And he said, “Call him Lo-Ammi, because you will not be my people, and I will not belong to you. 10And the number of the sons of Israel will be as the sand of the sea, which cannot be measured and cannot be counted, and it will come to pass that in the place where it was said to them, ‘You are not my people’, it will be said to them, ‘You are the sons of the living God.’ 11And the sons of Judah and the sons of Israel will be gathered together, and they will appoint for themselves one head, and they will come up from the land, for great will be the day of Jezreel.

Reference(s) in Chapter 1: v.6 ↔ 1 Peter 2:10 ● v.9 ↔ Romans 9:25 ● v.10 ↔ Romans 9:25, Romans 9:26, 1 Peter 2:10, Revelation 21:3.

Hosea Chapter 2 

1Say to your brothers, ‘Ammi’, and to your sisters, ‘Ruhamah.’

2Contend with your mother, contend with her,

For she is not my wife,

And I am not her husband.

And let her put her prostitution away,

And her adulteries from between her breasts,

3Lest I strip her naked

And make her like the day she was born,

And I make her like a desert,

And I make her like a dry land,

And I kill her through thirst,

4And I do not have compassion on her sons,

Because they are the sons of prostitution,

5For their mother has committed prostitution.

She acted shamefully when she conceived them,

For she said, ‘I will go after my lovers,

Who give me my bread and my water,

My wool and my flax,

My oil and my drink.’

6Therefore I am about to hedge your way in with thorns

And put up her walling,

And she will not find her paths.

7And she will pursue her lovers,

But she will not catch up with them,

And she will seek them

But will not find them,

And she will say, ‘Let me go,

And I will return to my first husband,

For it was better with me then than now.’

8For she did not know that it was I

Who gave her her corn and new wine and new oil,

And who increased her silver and gold,

Which they fashioned for Baal.

9That is why I will take my corn back again on its day,

And my new wine in its season,

And I will recall my wool and my flax,

Which were used to cover her nakedness.

10And now I will reveal her obscenity

In the eyes of her lovers,

And no-one will be able to deliver her from my hand.

11And I will put a stop to all her rejoicing,

Her celebration of feasts,

Her new moons, and her Sabbaths,

And all her festivals.

12And I will lay her vines and her fig trees waste,

Of which she said,

‘They are my reward which my lovers gave me.’

And I will make them a woodland,

And the beasts of the field will devour them.

13And I will visit on her the days of the Baalim,

When she burnt incense to them

And adorned herself with her earring and her necklace

And went after her lovers,

But she forgot me,

Says the Lord.

14So look, I will allure her

And make her go to the desert

Where I will speak kindly to her.

15And I will give her back her vineyards

When she comes from there,

And the Valley of Achor as a door of hope.

And she will sing there, as in the days of her youth,

And as on the day when she came up out of the land of Egypt.

16And it will come to pass on that day,

Says the Lord,

That you will call me, ‘My husband’,

And you will no longer call me, ‘My Baal’.

17And I will remove the names of the Baalim from her mouth,

And they will no longer be remembered by their name.

18I will make a covenant with them on that day,

With the wild animals and with the birds of the sky,

And the creeping things of the ground,

And I will break the bow and sword, and war from the land,

And I will enable them to lie down in security.

19And I will betroth you to myself for an age-abiding marriage,

And I will betroth you to myself in righteousness and in judgment,

And in kindness and in compassion.

20And I will betroth you to myself in faithfulness,

And you will know the Lord.

21And it will come to pass on that day

That I will answer,

Says the Lord.

I will answer the heavens,

And they will answer the earth.

22And the earth will answer the corn,

And the new wine and the new oil,

And they will answer Jezreel.

23And I will sow her to myself in the land,

And I will have compassion on Lo-Ruhamah,

And I will say to Lo-Ammi,

‘You are my people’,

And he will say,

You are my God.’ ”

Reference(s) in Chapter 2: v.1 ↔ 1 Peter 2:10 ● v.23 ↔ Romans 9:26, 2 Corinthians 6:16.

Hosea Chapter 3 

1Then the Lord said to me, “Go again and make love to a woman who is loved by a friend, but who is adulterous, just as the Lord loves the sons of Israel, but they are turning to other gods, and they love cakes of raisins.” 2So I bought her for fifteen pieces of silver and a homer of barley and a lethek of barley. 3And I said to her, “Remain with me for many days, and do not commit prostitution. So do not have a relationship with any man, because after all, I myself will be for you.” 4For the sons of Israel will remain many days with no king and no prince, and no sacrifice and no pillar and no ephod or household gods. 5But afterwards the sons of Israel will return and seek the Lord their God and David their king, and they will fear the Lord and his goodness in the latter days.

Hosea Chapter 4 

1Hear the word of the Lord,

You sons of Israel,

For the Lord has a quarrel

With the inhabitants of the land.

For there is no truth,

And there is no mercy,

And there is no knowledge of God in the land.

2They burst out in cursing and lying

And murder and stealing and adultery,

And they strike with bloodshed upon bloodshed.

3That is why the earth will mourn,

And every inhabitant of it will languish,

Among the wild animals

And among the birds of the sky.

And also the fish of the sea will perish.

4But let no-one quarrel

And no-one contend,

For your people are like those who contend with the priest.

5So you will stumble in the daytime,

And the prophet will stumble too with you at night,

And I will reduce your mother to silence.

6My people are reduced to silence for want of knowledge,

For you have rejected knowledge,

And I have rejected you from officiating as a priest to me.

Since you have forgotten the law of your God,

I for my part will forget your sons.

7As they increased,

They sinned against me.

They have exchanged my honour

For dishonour.

8They eat the sin-offering of my people,

And they set their affections on iniquity.

9And the people and the priest acted in the same way,

So I will visit their ways on them,

And I will requite them with their own deeds.

10And they will eat,

But not be satisfied,

And they will commit prostitution

But not abound,

For they have forsaken the Lord

And the keeping of his law.

11Prostitution and wine and new wine

Have taken hold of their heart.

12My people inquires at its wooden idol,

And its stick answers them,

For a spirit of prostitution has led them astray,

And they commit prostitution

Under the eyes of their God.

13On the tops of mountains they offer sacrifices,

And on the hills they burn incense,

Under the oak tree, the white poplar and the terebinth,

For its shade is pleasant,

Which is why your daughters commit prostitution,

And your brides commit adultery.

14I will not punish your daughters

When they commit prostitution,

Or your daughters-in-law

When they commit adultery,

For the men go aside with prostitutes,

And they sacrifice with the harlots.

So the people who do not understand will stumble.

15Although you engage in prostitution, O Israel,

Don't let Judah become guilty.

And do not go to Gilgal,

And do not go up to Beth-Aven,

And do not swear, “The Lord lives.”

16For Israel is recalcitrant like a recalcitrant heifer,

And now the Lord will put them to pasture,

Like a lamb in a wide open place.

17Ephraim is joined to idols;

Leave him to it.

18Their drinking bout has gone,

They have loved committing abundant prostitution;

Give them their way.

Her princes are a dishonour.

19The wind has tied her up in her wings,

And they will be ashamed of their sacrifices.

Hosea Chapter 5 

1Hear this, you priests,

And hearken, O house of Israel,

And give ear, O royal house,

For judgment on you is impending,

Because you were a snare to Mizpah

And a net spread out over Tabor.

2The backsliders had deep designs to slaughter,

While I passed censure on all of them.

3I know Ephraim,

And Israel is not hidden from me,

For now you, Ephraim have committed prostitution,

And Israel has become unclean.

4They do not make their works fit for returning to their God,

For a spirit of prostitution is in their midst,

And they do not know the Lord.

5And the pride of Israel will testify to its face,

And Israel and Ephraim will stumble in their iniquity,

And Judah will stumble too with them.

6They will go and seek the Lord among their sheep and their cattle,

But they will not find him.

He will have withdrawn from them.

7They have dealt treacherously with the Lord,

For they have borne sons who are strangers,

And now they will be devoured in a month along with their apportioned regions.

8Blow the ramshorn in Gibeah

And the trumpet in Ramah.

Sound the alarm in Beth-Aven.

Look behind you, Benjamin.

9Ephraim will become a desolation on the day of rebuke.

Among the tribes of Israel,

I have made it known faithfully.

10The princes of Judah were like those who moved the boundary.

I will pour out my anger on them like water.

11Ephraim is oppressed,

Justice has been perverted,

For he willingly followed the commandment.

12So I will be like the moth to Ephraim

And like rot to the house of Judah.

13When Ephraim saw his sickness

And Judah saw his wound,

Ephraim went to Assyria

And sent envoys to King Jareb.

But he was not able to cure you,

And he did not heal your wound.

14For I will be like a lion to Ephraim

And as a young lion to the house of Judah.

I myself will tear to pieces

And go, and carry off,

And there will be no-one to deliver him.

15I will go and return to my place

Until they acknowledge their guilt

And seek my face.

When they are in straits,

They will diligently seek me.

Hosea Chapter 6 

1“Come, let us return to the Lord,

For he tore apart,

But he will heal us.

He struck,

But he will bind us up.

2He will make us alive after two days;

On the third day he will raise us up,

And we will live in his presence.

3And we will know, saying,

‘Let us follow so as to know the Lord.

His rising is like the steady dawn,

And he will come like rain on us,

Like the late and early rain on the land.’ ”

4What shall I do to you, Ephraim?

What shall I do to you, Judah?

For the compassion you show

Is just as a cloud in the morning,

And like the early dew,

Which goes away.

5That is why I have hewn into the prophets;

I have killed them by the words of my mouth,

And my judgments on you go forth like light.

6For I desired mercy

And not sacrifice,

And knowledge of God

Rather than burnt offerings.

7But they like Adam have transgressed the covenant;

There, they dealt treacherously with me.

8Gilead is a town of workers of iniquity

A town stained with blood.

9And as gangs wait for a man,

So is a company of priests.

On the road to Shechem they commit murder,

For they perpetrate wickedness.

10In the house of Israel I have seen a horrible thing.

In that place there is the prostitution of Ephraim.

Israel is defiled.

11For you also, Judah,

He has appointed a reaping time,

When I reverse the captivity of my people.

Reference(s) in Chapter 6: v.6 ↔ Matthew 9:13, Matthew 12:7.

Hosea Chapter 7 

1When I heal Israel,

The iniquity of Ephraim will be revealed,

As will the evil deeds of Samaria.

For they have acted falsely,

And the thief comes in,

And a gang commits robbery in the open.

2And they don't consider

That I have remembered all their wrongdoing.

Their deeds surround them now;

They are before me.

3With their evil deeds they pleased the king,

And with their falsehood, princes.

4They are all adulterers,

Like a baker's burning oven.

Will he stop stoking it,

Or kneading the dough before it is leavened?

5On the festival day of our king,

The princes made him weak with the intoxication of wine.

He stretched out his hand with the scoffers.

6For in their plotting they bring their hearts near to an oven.

All night their baker sleeps,

But in the morning, it burns like a blazing fire.

7They are all as hot as a furnace,

And they have devoured their judges.

All their kings have fallen;

There is no-one among them who calls to me.

8Ephraim is mixing with the Gentiles;

Ephraim is like a cake which wasn't turned over.

9Strangers have devoured his strength,

And he does not realize it.

Also grey hair is strewn over him,

But he is not aware of it.

10And the pride of Israel testifies to his face,

Yet they do not return to the Lord their God,

And for all this they do not seek him.

11And Ephraim has become like an unsuspecting dove,

Without mettle.

They call out to Egypt;

They go to Assyria.

12As they go,

I will spread my net over them;

I will bring them down like the birds of the sky.

I will chasten them according to the report of their congregation.

13Woe to them,

For they have wandered away from me.

Devastation be upon them,

For they have transgressed against me.

Although I redeemed them,

They nevertheless speak lies about me.

14And they did not call out to me in their heart,

For they howled on their couches,

Where they congregate for their food and wine.

They have departed from me.

15And I chastened them,

And I strengthened their arms,

Yet they devise wickedness against me.

16They return,

But not to the Most High.

They are like an untrustworthy bow.

Their princes fall by the sword

Because of the insolence of their tongue.

This is the cause of them suffering derision in the land of Egypt.

Hosea Chapter 8 

1Put the ramshorn to your mouth;

War is coming like an eagle against the house of the Lord,

Because they have transgressed my covenant

And violated my law.

2To me they will cry,

“We – Israel – know you,

O God of mine.”

3Israel has cast off that which is good;

The enemy will pursue him.

4They have appointed kings,

But not from me;

They have appointed princes,

But I did not acknowledge it.

With their silver and their gold

They have made themselves idols,

Which is why they will be cut off.

5He has rejected your calf, Samaria.

My anger is kindled against them.

How long will they fail to attain to innocence?

6For the artificer who made it was from Israel

A man, who is not God.

For Samaria's calf will become splinters.

7For they have sown wind,

But they will reap a hurricane.

It has no standing corn;

It is a shoot without yielding anything

By which one can make flour.

If perchance it does yield anything,

Strangers will swallow it up.

8Israel is swallowed up.

Now they are among the Gentiles,

Like an item in which there is no pleasure.

9For they went to Assyria,

Like a wild donkey on its own.

And Ephraim hired lovers.

10Even though they have hired lovers among the Gentiles,

Now I will gather them,

But they will profane themselves for a while,

Under the burden of the king of princes.

11For Ephraim has increased the number of altars

With which to sin.

They have become altars

For him to sin.

12I have written down for him

The great things in my law,

But they were considered

Something strange.

13They offer the sacrifices which are gifts to me,

And they eat the flesh,

But the Lord does not accept them.

Now he will remember their iniquity,

And he will visit their sins.

They will return to Egypt.

14And Israel has forgotten its maker

And has built temples,

And Judah has increased its fortified cities.

So I shall send fire into its cities,

Which will devour her palaces.

Hosea Chapter 9 

1Do not be pleased, Israel,

With rejoicing as the Gentiles do,

For you have committed prostitution against your God.

You have loved the wages of prostitution

On every floor for threshing corn.

2The threshing floor and the wine vat will not feed them,

And the new wine in the land will fail.

3They will not dwell in the Lord's land,

And Ephraim will return to Egypt,

And he will eat unclean food in Assyria.

4They will not pour out wine offerings to the Lord,

And they will not be pleasing to him.

Their sacrifices will be like mourners' food to them;

All who eat it will be defiled.

For their bread for their life

Will not come into the house of the Lord.

5What will you do on the festival day,

And on a day of the feast of the Lord?

6For look, they have departed on account of the devastation.

Egypt will gather them,

And Memphis will bury them.

As for their delightful silver items,

Nettles will inherit them,

As will thorn bushes in their tents.

7The days of visitation are coming,

The days of retribution are coming,

And Israel will know it.

The prophet is a fool;

The spiritual man is mad,

Because of the abundance of your iniquity

And the great enmity.

8Ephraim was a watchman with my God.

As for the prophet,

The fowler's trap is set on all his ways.

There is enmity in the house of his God.

9They have deeply corrupted their ways,

As in the days of Gibeah.

He will remember their iniquity;

He will visit their sins.

10I found Israel like bunches of grapes in the desert;

I saw your fathers like early fruit on the fig tree in its early days.

But they went to Baal-Peor;

They consecrated themselves to a shameful thing

And became abominations with their acts of love.

11Ephraim is like a bird;

Their glory has flown away.

They are deprived of birth,

Of pregnancy, and of conception.

12Although they bring up their sons,

I will bereave them,

Depriving them of a man.

For woe indeed to them

When I depart from them.

13Ephraim, as what I have seen in Tyre,

Was planted in a pasture.

But Ephraim is on the point of bringing its sons to the slayer.

14O Lord, give them ...

– What will you give them?

Give them a miscarrying womb and dried up breasts.

15All the wickedness was in Gilgal,

For there I hated them,

Because of the wickedness of their deeds.

I will drive them out of my house,

I will no longer love them;

All their princes are refractory.

16Ephraim has been struck,

Their root is dried up,

And they do not produce fruit.

Even if they do bear children,

I will kill the delights of their womb.

17My God has rejected them,

For they have not heard him,

And they have become wanderers among the Gentiles.

Reference(s) in Chapter 9: v.7 ↔ Luke 21:22.

Hosea Chapter 10 

1Israel is a luxuriant vine;

It yields its fruit.

But in proportion to the abundance of its fruit,

It has increased its altars.

In proportion to the goodness of its land,

They have been good at erecting idolatrous statues.

2Their heart is divided;

Now they will bear their guilt.

He will break the necks of their altars;

He will devastate their idolatrous statues.

3For they will now say,

“We have no king,

For we have not feared the Lord”,

And, “What would a king do for us?”

4They have spoken words,

Swearing falsely,

Making a covenant,

So that judgment flourishes like hemlock in the furrows of the field.

5The inhabitants of Samaria will fear for the calves of Beth-Aven,

For its people shall mourn for it,

As will the idolatrous priests who rejoiced over it

– Over its glory,

Which has departed from it.

6This too will be carried to Assyria,

As a present for King Jareb.

Ephraim will receive shame,

And Israel will be ashamed because of his counsel.

7Samaria with her king is reduced to silence,

Like foam on the surface of the sea.

8And the idolatrous raised sites of Aven will be destroyed.

They are Israel's sin.

Thorns and brambles will come up on their altars.

And they will say to the mountains,

Cover us”,

And to the hills,

Fall on us.

9From the days of Gibeah

You have sinned, O Israel.

There they took a stand.

Did not battle befall them in Gibeah

Because of the wicked men?

10In my longing I would chastise them

When nations were gathered against them,

When they joined battle at their two fountains.

11But Ephraim is a trained calf,

Which likes to tread corn,

And I passed over the beauty of her neck.

I will cause Ephraim to be ridden,

And Judah will plough,

And Jacob will harrow for him.

12Sow righteousness for yourselves,

Reap in proportion to your mercy,

And break up fallow land for yourselves,

For it is time to be seeking the Lord

Until he comes

And rains righteousness on you.

13You have ploughed injustice,

You have reaped iniquity,

You have eaten the fruit of falsehood,

For you put trust in your own way

– In the greatness of your warriors.

14And a tumult will arise among your people,

And all your fortified cities will be plundered,

As when Shalman plundered Beth-Arbel on the day of battle,

When a mother was dashed to pieces with her sons.

15So shall Beth-El do to you,

Because of your great wickedness;

At dawn, the king of Israel will be utterly reduced to silence.

Reference(s) in Chapter 10: v.8 ↔ Luke 23:30, Revelation 6:16.

Hosea Chapter 11 

1When Israel was a child,

I loved him,

And I called my son from Egypt.

2As they called them,

So they departed from their presence.

They sacrificed to the Baalim,

And they burnt incense to carved images.

3And I taught Ephraim to walk,

Taking them by their arms,

But they did not know that I had healed them.

4I drew them with human cords,

With strings of love,

And I was to them like those who lift off the yoke on their jaws.

And I stretched my hand out to them

And fed them.

5He shall not return to the land of Egypt,

Or go to Assyria, which was his king

When they refused to repent.

6And the sword was wielded in his cities,

And it wasted his officials,

And it devoured them,

Because of their counsels.

7But my people are bent on backsliding from me.

Although they call upon him

– To the Most High –

They collectively do not exalt him.

8How could I give you up, Ephraim,

Or deliver you up, Israel?

How could I give you up, like Admah,

Or make you like Zeboim?

My heart has turned within me;

My consolations are altogether kindled.

9I will not execute the fury of my anger;

I will not ruin Ephraim again,

For I am God, and not man

– The holy one in your midst –

And I will not come in anger.

10They shall walk after the Lord;

He shall roar like a lion.

When he roars,

Sons of men tremble more than they do from a roaring sea.

11They will tremble like a bird from Egypt

Or a dove from the land of Assyria.

Then I will settle them in their houses,

Says the Lord.

12Ephraim has surrounded me with falsehood,

And the house of Israel with deceit,

But Judah still walks with God,

And is faithful with the holy ones.

Reference(s) in Chapter 11: v.1 ↔ Matthew 2:15.

Hosea Chapter 12 

1Ephraim is feeding on wind

And is pursuing the eastern blast.

All day long he does more fraud and plundering,

And they have made a covenant with Assyria,

And oil is brought to Egypt.

2And the Lord has a quarrel with Judah,

And a reason to visit Jacob according to his ways.

He will recompense him according to his works.

3In the womb he supplanted his brother,

And in his strength he wrestled with God.

4And he contended with the angel,

And he prevailed.

He wept and entreated him.

In Beth-El he found him,

And there he spoke with us.

5And the Lord is the God of hosts;

The Lord is his memorial name.

6And you will return to your God.

Keep mercy and judgment,

And wait for your God, always.

7He is a merchant.

In his hand are false balances;

He loves to defraud.

8And Ephraim said,

“Surely I have become rich;

I have found wealth for myself.

In all my labours they will not find in me any wrongdoing,

Which would be sin.”

9But I am the Lord your God

From the land of Egypt.

I will yet have you dwell in tents,

As on the days of the festival.

10And I have spoken through the prophets,

And I have increased the number of visions,

And I have given metaphors through the intermediacy of the prophets.

11Is Gilead vanity?

Surely they are falsehood.

They sacrifice oxen in Gilgal,

And their altars are like heaps of stones in the furrows of the field.

12And Jacob fled to the country of Aramaea,

And Israel served there for a wife,

And for a wife he kept sheep.

13And by a prophet

The Lord brought Israel up out of Egypt,

And by a prophet

He was guarded.

14Ephraim provoked the Lord bitterly,

And he will leave his acts of bloodshed on him,

And his Lord will requite him his reproach.

Hosea Chapter 13 

1When Ephraim spoke of trembling,

He carried weight in Israel,

But he became guilty with Baal

And died.

2And now they are sinning more,

And they have made a cast image for themselves from their silver

According to their understanding

– Idols, all of it the work of artificers.

To them they say,

“Let those who sacrifice men kiss the calves.”

3Therefore they shall be like the cloud in the morning,

And like the early dew which evaporates;

Like chaff blown away from the threshing floor,

And like smoke from a chimney.

4But I am the Lord your God,

From the land of Egypt.

And you will know no gods besides me,

And that there is no saviour except me.

5I knew you in the desert,

In the land of drought.

6Such was their pasture,

That they were satisfied.

They were satisfied,

And their heart was lifted.

That is why they forgot me.

7And I was to them like a lion,

I watched like a leopard by the wayside;

8I came against them like a bear bereaved of cubs,

And I will tear the enclosure of their heart,

And I will devour them there like a lion;

A wild animal will tear them in pieces.

9It has ruined you, Israel,

For you are against me

– Against your helper.

10I will be your king.

Where is he who can save you in all your cities,

And your rulers regarding whom you said,

“Give me a king and princes”?

11I gave you a king in my anger,

And I took one away in my wrath.

12The iniquity of Ephraim is stowed away;

His sin is hidden away.

13The birth pangs of one bearing a child will come upon him.

He is not a wise son,

For time will not stand still

When it comes to the sons breaking out of the womb.

14I will deliver them from the power of the grave;

I will redeem them from death.

O death, I will be a plague on you;

O grave, I will be your destruction.

Repentance will be hidden from my eyes.

15For he will be fruitful among his brothers,

But then an east wind will come

– An almighty wind will come up from the desert.

And his fount will become dry,

And his spring will dry up.

He shall plunder the treasury of every precious object.

16Samaria will bear her guilt,

For she has rebelled against her God.

They will fall by the sword.

Their children will be torn apart,

And his pregnant women will be ripped open.

Reference(s) in Chapter 13: v.14 ↔ 1 Corinthians 15:55.

Hosea Chapter 14 

1Return Israel, to the Lord your God,

For you have stumbled in your iniquity.

2Take with you words,

And return to the Lord,

And say to him,

“Take away all our iniquity,

Receive us favourably,

And we will repay with the calves of our lips.

3Assyria will not save us;

Let us not ride on horses,

And let us no longer say, ‘Our gods’ to the work of our hands.

Let it be that through you

The orphan receives compassion.”

4“I will heal their apostasy,

I will love them freely,

For my anger will have turned from him.

5I will be like dew to Israel,

And he will flourish like a lily,

And he will strike root

As trees do in Lebanon.

6His shoots will spread,

And his splendour will be like an olive tree,

And he will have a scent

As aromatic trees do in Lebanon.

7And they who dwell in his shadow will return,

And they will revive like corn

And flourish like the vine.

Their memorial will be like the wine of Lebanon.

8Ephraim will say,

‘What have I to do with idols any more?’

And I will answer and regard him.

I will be like a green cypress;

And from me your fruit will be found.

9Let him who is wise understand these things,

And let him who is intelligent know them,

For the ways of the Lord are upright,

And the righteous will walk in them,

But the transgressors will stumble in them.”


Joel  

Joel Chapter 1 

1The word of the Lord which came to Joel the son of Pethuel.

2Listen to this, you elders,

And give ear, all you dwellers of the land.

Was there ever anything like this in your days,

Or in the days of your fathers?

3Tell your sons about it,

And have your sons tell their sons,

And have their sons tell another generation.

4What was left by the gnawing locust,

The swarming locust has eaten.

What was left by the swarming locust,

The devouring locust has eaten.

And what was left by the devouring locust,

The consuming locust has eaten.

5Wake up, drunkards, and weep;

And all drinkers of wine,

Wail over the new wine,

For it is cut off from your mouth.

6For a nation has gone up onto my land

– A powerful and innumerable one.

Its teeth are the teeth of a lion,

And it has the incisors of a great lion.

7It has made my vine a desolation

And my fig tree splinters.

It has stripped it bare

And cast it away;

Its branches have turned white.

8Lament like a virgin girded in sackcloth

For the husband of her youth.

9The meal-offering and the libation

Have been cut off from the house of the Lord.

The priests – the Lord's servants – are in mourning.

10The countryside is wasted,

The ground mourns,

For the corn is wasted.

The new wine has dried up;

The new oil is languishing.

11The farmers have been put to shame.

The vinedressers are howling,

Also for the wheat and for the barley,

Because the harvest of the field has failed.

12The vine has dried up,

The fig tree is languishing

– The pomegranate and the date and the apple too.

All the trees of the field have dried up,

For joy has dried up from the sons of Adam.

13Gird yourselves and mourn, you priests,

Howl, you servants of the altar.

Come and pass the night in sackcloth,

You servants of my God,

For the meal-offering and the libation have been withheld from the house of your God.

14Hold a holy fast;

Proclaim a solemn assembly.

Gather the elders and all the inhabitants of the land to the house of the Lord your God,

And cry out to the Lord.

15Alas for the day!

For the day of the Lord is near,

And it will come as devastation from the Almighty.

16Is not food cut off in front of our eyes?

Are not happiness and rejoicing cut off from the house of our God?

17The seeds decay under their covering soil,

The storehouses have been laid waste,

The garners have been demolished,

For the corn supply has dried up.

18How the cattle sigh,

How the herds of oxen are perplexed,

For there is no pasture for them,

And the flocks of sheep are perishing.

19On you, O Lord, I will call,

For fire has devoured the pastures of the desert,

And a flame has set all the trees of the field ablaze.

20The beasts of the field also bleat to you,

For the brooks of water have dried up,

And fire has devoured the pastures of the desert.

Reference(s) in Chapter 1: v.15 ↔ Revelation 1:10.

Joel Chapter 2 

1Blow the ramshorn in Zion,

And sound the alarm on my holy mountain.

Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble,

For the day of the Lord is coming,

For it is near.

2It is a day of darkness and dimness,

A day of cloud and gloom,

Like blackness spreading over the mountains,

Consisting of a numerous and strong people.

There has not been anything like it from ancient time,

Nor will there again be after it,

In the years of generation after generation.

3Fire will consume in front of them,

And behind them a flame will spread a conflagration.

The land in front of them is like the garden of Eden,

But behind them is a desolate desert,

And they will not have anyone who escapes it.

4Their appearance is as the appearance of horses,

And they run like horsemen.

5They rattle along over the tops of hills

With the noise of chariots

And with a sound like a flame devouring stubble.

They are a powerful people,

Equipped for war.

6In their presence nations will writhe;

All faces will lose their shine.

7Like warriors they run;

Like men of war, they climb a wall.

And each one marches in his file,

And they do not break ranks.

8And no-one jostles his neighbour;

Each man walks on his path.

And when they fall, hit by a missile,

They do not break up the formation.

9In the city, they scurry to and fro,

And they run on the wall.

They climb into houses;

They come through windows like a thief.

10In front of them the earth will tremble,

And the heavens will shake.

The sun and moon will be darkened,

And the stars will withdraw their brightness.

11And the Lord will sound his voice before his army

(For his camp is very mighty),

And he who gives his word is powerful.

For great is the day of the Lord,

And quite terrible,

And who can endure it?

12And even now,

Says the Lord,

Return to me with your whole heart,

And with fasting and with weeping

And with mourning.

13And tear your heart,

And not your clothes,

And return to the Lord your God,

For he is gracious and merciful,

Longsuffering and of great kindness,

Who repents of doing harm.

14Who knows if they will return and repent,

And leave a gift behind

– A meal-offering and a libation

To the Lord your God?

15Sound the ramshorn in Zion,

Hold a holy fast;

Proclaim a solemn assembly.

16Gather the people,

Proclaim a holy convocation,

Assemble the elders,

Gather the children,

And those who are breastfed.

Let the bridegroom go out of his room,

And the bride go out of her bridal chamber.

17Between the portico and the altar,

Let the priests – the servants of the Lord – weep,

And let them say,

“Take pity, O Lord on your people,

And do not allow your inheritance to become a reproach,

By which the Gentiles would have a proverb against them.

Why should those among the Gentiles say,

‘Where is their God?’ ”

18And the Lord will be zealous for his land,

And he will spare his people.

19And the Lord will answer

And will say to his people,

“Look, I am sending you corn and new wine and new oil,

And you will be satisfied with it,

And I will no longer make you a reproach among the Gentiles.

20And I will remove the northerner from you,

And I will drive him out into a dry and desolate land,

With his face towards the eastern sea,

And his rear towards the western sea,

And his stench will go up,

And his foul smell will rise,

For he acted presumptuously in what he did.

21Do not fear, O land;

Rejoice and be happy,

For the Lord has presumed to act.

22Do not fear, you wild animals,

For the pastures of the desert will sprout grass,

For the tree will bear its fruit;

The fig tree and the vine will yield their richness.

23So, you sons of Zion,

Be glad and rejoice in the Lord your God,

For he has given you the teacher of righteousness,

And he has brought down rain upon you,

Early rain and late rain, as aforetime.

24And the threshing floors will be full of grain,

And the vats will overflow with new wine and new oil.

25And I will restore to you the years

Which the swarming locust devoured,

And the devouring locust, and the consuming locust and the gnawing locust

– My great army which I sent against you.

26And you will eat freely and be satisfied,

And you will praise the name of the Lord your God,

Who dealt wondrously with you,

And my people will never be ashamed.

27And you will know that I am in the midst of Israel,

And that I am the Lord your God,

And that there is no other.

And my people will never be ashamed.”

28“And it will come to pass after that,

That I will pour out my spirit on all flesh,

And your sons and your daughters will prophesy,

And your old people will have dreams,

And your young men will see visions.

29And I will also pour out my spirit

On menservants and maidservants in those days.

30And I will show wonders in the sky and on the earth

– Blood and fire,

And pillars of smoke.

31The sun will be turned to darkness,

And the moon to blood,

Before the great and terrible day of the Lord comes.

32And it shall come to pass

That everyone who calls on the name of the Lord

Will be delivered,

For on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there will be deliverance,

As the Lord has said,

And for the remnants whom the Lord calls.

Reference(s) in Chapter 2: v.1 ↔ Revelation 1:10 ● v.11 ↔ Revelation 1:10 ● v.28 ↔ Acts 2:17 ● v.29 ↔ Acts 2:18 ● v.30 ↔ Acts 2:19 ● v.31 ↔ Acts 2:20, Revelation 6:12 ● v.32 ↔ Acts 2:21, Romans 10:13.

Joel Chapter 3 

1For look,

In those days and at that time,

When I reverse the captivity of Judah and Jerusalem,

2I will gather all the Gentiles,

And I will bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat,

And I will litigate with them there,

Concerning my people and my inheritance Israel,

Whom they have scattered among the nations,

And as to why they have divided up my land.

3For they have cast lots for my people,

And they have given boys for prostitutes,

And they have sold girls for wine

And have drunk it.

4And also, what have you to do with me,

Tyre and Sidon and all the regions of Philistia?

Will you repay me with retribution?

Well if you retribute me,

I will swiftly and rapidly return your retribution onto your head.

5For you have taken my silver and my gold,

And you have brought my fine precious objects into your temples.

6And you have sold the sons of Judah and the sons of Jerusalem to the sons of the Greeks,

So removing them from their territory.

7Look, I am stirring them up

To move them from the place where you sold them,

And I will bring back your recompense onto your head.

8And I will sell your sons and your daughters

Into the hand of the sons of Judah,

Who will sell them to the Sabaeans

– To a distant nation –

For the Lord has spoken.

9Announce this among the nations,

Proclaim a holy war,

Arouse the warriors,

Let all men of war approach

And go up.

10Beat your ploughshares into swords

And your pruning shears into spears.

Let him who is weak say,

‘I am a warrior.’

11Make haste and come,

All you nations round about,

And be gathered there.

O Lord,

Bring down your warriors.

12Let the nations be aroused

And go up to the Valley of Jehoshaphat,

For there I will sit to judge all the nations round about.

13Send in the sickle,

For the harvest is ripe;

Come and tread,

For the wine press is full.

The wine vats are overflowing,

For great is their wickedness.

14There are multitudes, multitudes,

In the Valley of Decision,

For the day of the Lord is near,

In the Valley of Decision.

15The sun and moon will be darkened,

And the stars will withdraw their brightness.

16And the Lord will roar from Zion;

He will sound his voice from Jerusalem,

And heaven and earth will tremble.

But the Lord will be a refuge for his people,

And a stronghold to the sons of Israel.

17And you will know that I am the Lord your God,

Dwelling in Zion, my holy mountain.

And Jerusalem will be holy,

And strangers will no longer pass through her.

18And it will come to pass on that day

That the mountains will distil new wine,

And the hills will run with milk,

And all the brooks of Judah will run with water,

And a spring will come out at the house of the Lord,

And it will feed the stream of Shittim.

19Egypt will become a desolation,

And Edom will become a desolate desert,

Because of the violence done to the sons of Judah,

In that they shed innocent blood in their land.

20But Judah will remain age-abidingly,

And Jerusalem from generation to generation,

21And I will cleanse their blood that I have not cleansed,

And the Lord will dwell in Zion.”

Reference(s) in Chapter 3: v.13 ↔ Revelation 14:15 ● v.15 ↔ Acts 2:20, Revelation 6:12 ● v.18 ↔ John 7:38.


Amos  

Amos Chapter 1 

1The words of Amos, who was among the herdsmen from Tekoa, describing what he saw concerning Israel, in the days of Uzziah king of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam the son of Joash, the king of Israel, two years before the earthquake.

2And he said,

“The Lord will roar from Zion,

And he will sound his voice from Jerusalem,

And the pastures of the shepherds will mourn,

And the summit of Carmel will dry up.”

3This is what the Lord says:

“For three transgressions of Damascus,

And for four,

I will not avert it,

Because of their threshing of Gilead

With iron threshing sledges.

4So I will send fire on the house of Hazael,

Which will consume the palaces of Ben-Hadad.

5And I will break the gate-bar of Damascus,

And I will cut off the inhabitant from the lowland of Aven,

And him who wields the sceptre of Beth-Eden.

And the people of Aramaea will go into captivity in Kir,

Says the Lord.”

6This is what the Lord says:

“For three transgressions of Gaza,

And for four,

I will not avert it,

Because of their act of taking a people entirely captive,

To deliver them to Edom.

7And I will send fire onto the wall of Gaza,

Which will consume her palaces.

8And I will cut off the inhabitant from Ashdod,

And him who wields the sceptre from Ashkelon.

And I will turn my hand against Ekron,

And the remnants of the Philistines will perish,

Says the Lord, the Lord.”

9This is what the Lord says:

“For three transgressions of Tyre,

And for four,

I will not avert it,

Because they delivered them up with a complete captivity to Edom,

And they did not remember the brotherly covenant.

10And I will send fire onto the wall of Tyre,

Which will consume her palaces.”

11This is what the Lord says:

“For three transgressions of Edom,

And for four,

I will not avert it,

Because they pursued their brother with the sword,

And forswore compassion,

And their anger was perpetually tearing them to pieces,

And they retained their wrath unremittingly.

12And I will send fire on Teman,

Which will consume the palaces of Bozrah.”

13This is what the Lord says:

“For three transgressions of the sons of Ammon,

And for four,

I will not avert it,

Because of them ripping open the pregnant women of Gilead

In order to widen their territory.

14And I will light a fire on the wall of Rabbah,

Which will consume her palaces,

With an alarm sound on the day of war,

With a storm on the day of the whirlwind.

15And their king will go into captivity,

He together with his princes,

Says the Lord.”

Amos Chapter 2 

1This is what the Lord says:

“For three transgressions of Moab,

And for four,

I will not avert it,

Because he burnt the bones of the king of Edom to lime.

2And I will send fire to Moab,

Which will consume the palaces of Kerioth,

And Moab will die in a tumult,

In an alarm sound

– At the sound of the ramshorn.

3And I will cut off the judge from their midst,

And I will kill all their princes with him,

Says the Lord.”

4This is what the Lord says:

“For three transgressions of Judah,

And for four,

I will not avert it,

Because of them rejecting the law of the Lord,

When they did not keep his statutes,

And their lies led them astray

Lies which their fathers walked in.

5And I will send fire to Judah,

Which will consume the palaces of Jerusalem.”

6This is what the Lord says:

“For three transgressions of Israel,

And for four,

I will not avert it,

Because they sold the righteous for silver,

And the poor in return for a pair of sandals.

7They crush the head of the poor in the dust of the earth,

And they pervert the way of the meek,

And a man and his father go to a girl

To profane my holy name.

8And they recline in clothes taken in pledge,

Next to every altar,

And they drink confiscated wine

In the house of their God.

9Yet I destroyed the Amorite before them,

Whose height was as the height of cedars,

And who was as strong as oak trees.

And I destroyed his fruit above,

And his roots below the ground.

10And I brought you up out of the land of Egypt,

And I led you in the desert for forty years,

To inherit the land of the Amorite.

11And I raised up some of your sons to be prophets,

And some of your youths to be Nazarites.

Is this not so,

O sons of Israel?

Says the Lord,

12But you gave the Nazarites wine to drink,

And you commanded the prophets, saying,

‘Do not prophesy.’

13Look, I am burdened by you,

As a cart full of sheaves is burdened.

14So refuge will be unavailable to the swift,

And the strong will not be able to build up his force,

And the warrior will not be able to save his life.

15And the archer will not stand,

And he who is swift on his feet will not escape,

And he who rides on a horse will not save his life.

16And he who is courageous among warriors

Will flee naked on that day,

Says the Lord.”

Amos Chapter 3 

1Hear this word which the Lord has spoken concerning you, you sons of Israel, concerning all the family which I brought up from the land of Egypt, saying,

2“Only you have I known,

Of all the families of the earth,

Which is why I will visit on you

All your iniquities.

3Can two walk together,

Unless they have met by appointment?

4Does the lion roar in the forest

When it has no prey?

Does the young lion sound its voice from its den

If it has not caught anything?

5Does a bird fall into a snare on the ground

When there is no bait set for it?

Does the snare snap up from the ground

When it has trapped nothing at all?

6Is the ramshorn ever sounded in the city

Without the people fearing?

Is there ever calamity in the city

Which the Lord did not cause?

7For the Lord, the Lord, does not do anything,

Except after he has revealed his secret

To his servants, the prophets.

8When the lion roars,

Who will not fear?

And when the Lord, the Lord, speaks,

Who will not prophesy?

9Proclaim it to the palaces in Ashdod,

And to the palaces in the land of Egypt,

And say,

‘Be gathered on the mountains of Samaria,

And see the great consternation within it,

And the oppressed in its midst.’

10For they do not know how to do what is right,

Says the Lord

– Those who treasure up violence and spoil in their palaces.

11Therefore this is what the Lord, the Lord, says:

There will be an adversary,

And he will be around the land,

And he will sap your strength from you,

And your palaces will be plundered.’

12This is what the Lord says:

‘As the shepherd saves two legs or a piece of an ear

From the mouth of the lion,

So the sons of Israel will be saved

– Those dwelling in Samaria,

In the corner of a bed

Or on a damask couch.

13Hear and testify in the house of Jacob,

Says the Lord, the Lord God of hosts.

14For on the day when I visit the transgressions of Israel on them,

I will also visit the altars of Beth-El,

And the horns of the altars will be cut off,

And they will fall to the ground.

15And I will strike the winter house against the summer house,

And the ivory houses will cease to exist,

And many other houses will come to an end,

Says the Lord.

Amos Chapter 4 

1Hear this word, you heifers of Bashan,

Who are in the mountain of Samaria,

Who oppress the poor,

Who crush the needy,

Who say to their lords,

«Bring wine,

And let us drink.»

2The Lord, the Lord, has sworn by his holiness,

For look, the days are coming on you,

When he will take you away by hooks,

And your posterity by fishing tackle.

3And you will go out in waves, one opposite another,

And you will throw the hooks at the palace,

Says the Lord.

4Go to Beth-El and transgress,

And to Gilgal and transgress more.

And bring your sacrifices in the morning,

And within three days bring your tithes.

5And burn your thank-offering with leavened bread,

And call for the freewill-offerings.

Proclaim them,

For that is what you love,

You sons of Israel,

Says the Lord, the Lord.

6Now I myself have given you clean teeth in all your cities,

And shortage of bread in all your places,

Yet you have not returned to me,

Says the Lord.

7And I have also withheld rain from you,

With three months to go before the harvest,

And I brought rain to one city,

But I did not bring rain to another city.

One parcel of land was rained on,

But the parcel of land where I brought no rain

Dried up.

8So the inhabitants of two or three cities had to travel to one city and back

To drink water,

And they were not satiated,

Yet you did not return to me,

Says the Lord.

9And I struck you with much blight and mildew

In your gardens and vineyards,

And the gnawing locust ate your fig trees and olive trees,

Yet you did not return to me,

Says the Lord.

10I sent a plague to you,

Egyptian style.

I killed your youths with the sword,

With capture of your horses,

And I caused the stench of your camps to go up into your nostrils,

Yet you did not return to me,

Says the Lord.

11I have caused overthrowings among you,

Like the overthrow of God of Sodom and Gomorrah,

And you became like a firebrand rescued from the fire,

Yet you did not return to me,

Says the Lord.

12So I will deal with you this way,

O Israel.

Now because this is what I will do to you,

Prepare to meet your God,

O Israel.

13For look, he who forms the mountains,

And creates the wind,

And tells man what his purpose is,

Makes dawn darkness,

And treads on the idolatrous raised sites of the land

– The Lord God of hosts is his name.

Amos Chapter 5 

1Hear this word which I am relating against you as a lamentation, O house of Israel.

2The virgin of Israel has fallen;

She cannot get up again.

She has been left on the ground;

There is no-one to lift her up.’

3For this is what the Lord, the Lord, says:

‘The city that goes out with a thousand

Will be left with a hundred,

And the city that goes out with a hundred

Will be left with ten

Remaining to the house of Israel.’

4For this is what the Lord says to the house of Israel:

‘Seek me and live.

5But do not seek Beth-El,

And do not go to Gilgal,

And do not cross to Beersheba,

For Gilgal will certainly go into exile,

And Beth-El will be annihilated.

6Seek the Lord and live

Lest he advances like a fire over the house of Joseph,

And it consumes it,

And there is no-one to extinguish it in Beth-El,

7You who turn judgment to wormwood,

And who lay righteousness down on the ground.

8He who makes the Pleiades and Orion,

And turns the shadow of death into morning,

And darkens day into night,

Who calls the water of the sea

And pours it onto the face of the earth

– The Lord is his name –

9Who brings sudden destruction on the strong,

And destruction which will come upon the fortification.

10They have hated him who rebuked at the gate,

And they have loathed him who speaks that which is upright.

11Therefore, because you have trampled on the poor

And taken a cart-load of grain from him,

Although you have built houses of hewn stone,

You will not live in them,

And although you have planted attractive vineyards,

You will not drink their wine.

12For I know that your transgressions are many,

And that your sins are enormous.

They are oppressors of the righteous,

And takers of bribes,

And they pervert the justice of the poor at the gate.

13Therefore let him who is prudent

Be silent at that time,

For it is an evil time.

14Seek good and not evil,

In order that you may live,

And it will be the case

That the Lord God of hosts will be with you,

As you have said.

15Hate evil and love good,

And install justice at the gate;

Maybe the Lord God of hosts will be merciful

To the remnant of Joseph.’

16Therefore this is what the Lord God of hosts

– The Lord* – says:

There will be mourning in all streets,

And in all open places they will say,

«Woe, Woe»,

And they will call the farmer to lamentation,

And those who know wailing, to mourning.

17And there will be mourning in all the vineyards,

For I will pass through your precincts,

Says the Lord.

18Woe to those who long for the day of the Lord.

What is it to you?

The day of the Lord is darkness

And not light.

19It is like a man fleeing from the lion,

When a bear meets him,

Or when he comes home,

When he rests his arm on a wall,

A serpent bites him.

20Is not the day of the Lord darkness and not light?

And is it not gloomy

With no brightness in it?

21I hate, I reject your feasts,

And I do not fragrantly smell your solemn assemblies.

22Although you offer burnt offerings and your meal-offerings to me,

I will not receive them,

And I will not take pleasure in the peace-offering of your fatted calves.

23Remove from me the noise of your songs,

For I will not hear the music of your lutes.

24Let judgment roll on like water,

And righteousness like a constant stream.

25For forty years you offered me sacrifices and meal-offerings in the desert,

O house of Israel.

26But you raised up the shrine of your king,

And Saturn, your images and the star of your gods

Which you made for yourselves.

27So I will deport you to beyond Damascus,

Says the Lord

– The God of hosts is his name.

Reference(s) in Chapter 5: v.18 ↔ Revelation 1:10 ● v.20 ↔ Revelation 1:10 ● v.25 ↔ Acts 7:42 ● v.26 ↔ Acts 7:43 ● v.27 ↔ Acts 7:43.

Amos Chapter 6 

1Woe to those at ease in Zion,

And those who trust in the mountain of Samaria

– Those who are designated the foremost of the nations –

To whom the house of Israel came.

2Cross to Calneh and look,

And go from there to Greater Hamath,

And go down to Gath of the Philistines.

Are they better than these kingdoms,

And is their border greater than your border?

3You who push back the evil day,

But bring forward the seat of violence,

4You who lie on ivory beds

And stretch out on their couches

And eat the fatted lambs of the flock and calves from the stall,

5Who chant to the sound of the lute,

Who like David invent for themselves musical instruments,

6Who drink from sacrificial wine dishes

And anoint themselves with prime oils,

And who are not grieved by the break-up of Joseph.

7That is why they will now go into captivity,

At the head of the body of captives.

And the merrymaking of those reclining will be gone.’

8The Lord, the Lord, has sworn by himself,

Says the Lord God of hosts,

‘I abhor the pride of Jacob,

And I hate his palaces,

So I will deliver up the city and its fulness.’

9And it will come to pass, if ten men remain in one house, that they will die. 10And a man's uncle will take him aside, as will his cremator, to take the bones out from the house, and he will say to anyone who is at the sides of the house, ‘Are there any more with you?’ And he will say, ‘None.’ And he will say, ‘Keep quiet, for it is not the time to make mention of the name of the Lord.’

11For look, the Lord commands

And strikes a large house into fragments,

And a small house into split stone.

12Do horses run on a rock,

Or does anyone plough it with oxen?

For you have turned justice into hemlock,

And the fruit of righteousness into wormwood.

13You rejoice in a thing of no substance,

Saying, ‘Did we not acquire our prestigious position through our own strength?’

14For look, I am about to raise a nation up against you,

O house of Israel,

Says the Lord God of hosts,

And they will oppress you,

So that you cannot go to Hamath

Or anywhere up to the brook of the arid tract.”

Amos Chapter 7 

1This is what my Lord the Lord showed me, and what I saw was him fashioning the locust at the start of when the latter growth springs up, and then I saw the latter growth after the king's reapings. 2And it came to pass, when the locust had finished eating the grass of the land, that I said, “My Lord the Lord, please forgive the question. Who will endure it? Will Jacob? For he is small.” 3And the Lord repented over this. “It will not come to pass”, said the Lord. 4This is what my Lord the Lord showed me, and what I saw was my Lord the Lord calling for a contention by fire, and it consumed the Great Ocean, and it consumed a portion of land. 5And I said, “My Lord the Lord, please stop. Who will endure it? Will Jacob? For he is small.” 6And the Lord repented over this. “This will not come to pass either”, my Lord the Lord said. 7This is what he showed me, and what I saw was the Lord* standing on a vertical wall, and in his hand was a plumbline. 8And the Lord said to me, “What do you see, Amos?” And I said, “A plumbline.” And the Lord* said,

“I am about to place a plumbline

In the midst of my people Israel.

I will not forgive them any more.

9And the high places of Isaac will become desolate,

And the sanctuaries of Israel will be devastated.

And I will rise up against the house of Jeroboam with the sword.”

10Then Amaziah the priest of Beth-El sent word to Jeroboam the king of Israel and said, “Amos has conspired against you in the midst of the house of Israel. The land is not able to endure any of his words. 11For this is what Amos says:

‘Jeroboam will die by the sword,

And Israel will certainly go into captivity,

Away from its land.’ ”

12And Amaziah said to Amos, “Go, you seer. Flee to the land of Judah, and eat bread there, and prophesy there. 13And do not prophesy any more in Beth-El, for it is the king's sanctuary, and it is the royal residence.” 14Then Amos answered and said to Amaziah, “I am not a prophet, and I am not a prophet's son, for I am a herdsman and a picker of sycamore fig fruit.” 15But the Lord took me from looking after the flock, and the Lord said to me, “Go and prophesy to my people Israel, and say, 16‘And now, hear the word of the Lord, you who are saying,

«Do not prophesy against Israel,

And do not distil prognostications against the house of Isaac.»

17Because of that, this is what the Lord says:

«Your wife will commit whoredom in the city,

And your sons and daughters will fall by the sword,

And your land will be divided up with the measuring line,

And you will die on unclean land,

And Israel will certainly go into captivity

Away from its land.» ’ ”

Amos Chapter 8 

1This is what my Lord the Lord showed me, and what I saw was a basket of summer fruit. 2And he said, “What do you see, Amos?” And I said, “A basket of summer fruit.” And the Lord said to me,

“The end has come to my people Israel;

I will not forgive them any more.

3And the songs of the temple will be howlings on that day,

Says the Lord, the Lord.

Corpses will be numerous everywhere.

Men will say, ‘He has cast it off.

Keep silence.’

4Hear this, you who swallow up the needy

And in so doing, put a stop

To the livelihood of the poor of the land,

5Saying, ‘When will the new moon be over,

So we can sell corn?

And the Sabbath,

So we can open the grain stores,

Selling a short ephah,

And in so doing, make more shekels,

And swindle with false balances;

6So we can buy the poverty-stricken for silver,

And the needy for a pair of sandals’,

And saying, ‘Let us sell the refuse of the grain.’

7The Lord has sworn by the excellency of Jacob,

‘I will certainly never forget any of their works.’

8Will the land not tremble for this,

And every inhabitant on it mourn?

And will it not all rise like a river

And be driven about

And be submerged like the River of Egypt?

9And it will happen on that day,

Says the Lord, the Lord,

That I will make the sun set at noon,

And I will make the earth dark on a day in broad daylight.

10And I will turn your feasts into mourning

And all your songs into a dirge,

And I will cause you to put sackcloth round every waist,

And there will be baldness on every head,

And I will make the land like mourning for an only son,

And its final condition will be a bitter day.

11Behold, the days are coming,

Says the Lord, the Lord,

When I will send a famine to the land,

But not a famine of bread,

And not thirst for water,

But one of hearing the words of the Lord.

12And they will wander from sea to sea,

And from the north to the east,

And they will run to and fro

To seek the word of the Lord,

But they will not find it.

13On that day, the beautiful virgins will faint,

As will the young men, from thirst,

14Who swear by the guilt of Samaria,

And say, ‘As your God lives, Dan’,

And, ‘As the way of Beersheba lives.’

So they will fall,

And not rise again.”

Amos Chapter 9 

1I saw the Lord* standing on the altar,

And he said, “Strike the capital of the pillar

So that the lintels shake,

And make them all crash onto their heads,

And I will kill the last of them with the sword.

None of them fleeing will get away,

And no fugitive among them will escape.

2Even if they dig through to the underworld,

My hand will take them from there,

And even if they ascend to heaven,

I will bring them down from there.

3And if they hide on the top of Carmel,

I will search and take them from there,

And if they conceal themselves from my eyes on the sea bed,

I will command the serpent

And it will bite them,

Ousting them from there.

4And if they go into exile before their enemies,

There I will command the sword,

And it will kill them.

And I will set my eye against them,

For their harm and not for their good.

5And it is the Lord, the Lord of hosts,

Who strikes the earth

So that it melts,

So that all its inhabitants mourn,

And it all rises like a river,

And it is submerged like the River of Egypt;

6Who builds his high residences in the heavens,

And as for his vault of the heavens above the earth,

He founded it.

He calls to the water of the sea,

And pours it out on the surface of the earth

– The Lord is his name.

7Are you not to me like the sons of Ethiopians,

O sons of Israel?

Says the Lord.

Did I not bring Israel up out of the land of Egypt?

And the Philistines from Caphtor,

And the Aramaean from Kir?

8Look, the eyes of the Lord, the Lord, are against the sinful kingdom,

And I will cut it off from the face of the earth,

Except that I will not utterly destroy the house of Jacob,

Says the Lord.

9For behold, I am about to command

And cause the house of Israel to wander among all the nations,

As corn is shaken around in a sieve,

But no grain falls to the ground.

10All sinners among my people will die by the sword,

Who say,

‘No evil will approach and come upon us.’

11On that day I will raise up the tabernacle of David,

Which has fallen down,

And I will wall up their breaches,

And I will raise up its ruins,

And I will build her up

As in days of old,

12In order that they who are called after my name

May inherit the remnant of Edom

And all the Gentiles,

Says the Lord

Who is doing this.

13Look, the days are coming,

Says the Lord,

When the ploughman will be close behind the reaper,

And the grape-treader the seed-sower,

And the mountains will distil new wine,

And all the hills will melt.

14And I will reverse the captivity of my people Israel,

And they will rebuild the desolate cities

And they will dwell in them,

And they will plant vineyards

And they will drink their wine,

And they will make gardens

And they will eat their fruit.

15And I will plant them on their land,

And they will not be plucked up any more from their land

Which I have given to them,

Says the Lord your God.”

Reference(s) in Chapter 9: v.11 ↔ Acts 15:16 ● v.12 ↔ Acts 15:17, James 2:7.


Obadiah  

Obadiah Chapter 1 

1The vision of Obadiah. This is what my Lord the Lord says to Edom:

“We have heard a report from the Lord,

And an envoy sent among the nations,

Saying, ‘Rise and let us rise against her in war.’

2Look,

I have made you small among the nations;

You are greatly despised.

3The insolence of your heart has deceived you,

You who dwell in the fissures of the rock.

He who has a high dwelling place

Says in his heart,

‘Who can bring me down to earth?’

4Even if you exalt yourself like the eagle,

And even if you make your nest among the stars,

I will bring you down from there,

Says the Lord.

5If thieves were to come to you,

Or burglars in the night,

How you would be ruined!

Would they not steal as much as they want?

If grape-harvest raiders come to you,

Will they not just leave gleanings?

6How the affairs of Esau are investigated,

And how his hidden designs are searched out!

7All your allies have sent you to the border;

They have deceived you.

Those who were well-disposed to you have outwitted you;

They place your bread in a hunter's net under you,

But you have no understanding about it at all.

8Will I not destroy the wise men of Edom on that day,

Says the Lord,

And remove understanding from the mount of Esau?

9And your warriors of Teman will be afraid

Of each man being cut off

From the mount of Esau,

And they will be afraid of slaughter.

10For the violence done against your brother Jacob,

Shame will cover you,

And you will be cut off age-abidingly.

11On the day when you stood opposite Jacob,

On the day when strangers took his army captive,

And foreigners came to his gate

And cast lots over Jerusalem,

You too were one of them.

12But do not look with satisfaction

On the day of your brother,

On the day of his loss of sovereignty.

And do not rejoice over the sons of Judah

On the day when they perish,

And do not gloat

On the day of their adversity.

13Do not go to the gate of my people

On the day of their calamity,

And do not look upon their suffering

On the day of their calamity,

And do not send forces against their forces

On the day of their calamity.

14And do not stand at the road junction,

To cut off their escapees,

And do not close off their fugitives

On the day of adversity.

15For the day of the Lord is near,

Coming upon all nations.

As you have done,

So it shall be done to you;

Your recompense will return onto your head.

16For as you have drunk on my holy mountain,

So all the nations will drink continually.

And they will drink and swallow,

And they will be as if they had never existed.

17And on Mount Zion there will be deliverance,

And it will be holy,

And the house of Jacob will receive their inheritances.

18And the house of Jacob will become fire,

And the house of Joseph a flame,

But the house of Esau will become stubble.

So they will be burned and consumed,

And there will not be any escapee of the house of Esau,

For the Lord has spoken.

19And the south will inherit the mount of Esau,

And the lowlands will inherit the Philistines,

And they will inherit the territory of Ephraim,

And the territory of Samaria.

And Benjamin will inherit Gilead.

20And the captives of these forces of the sons of Israel

Who are scattered among the Canaanites

Will inherit territory as far as Zarephath.

And the captives of Jerusalem

Who are in Sepharad

Will inherit the cities of the south.

21And saviours will go to Mount Zion,

To judge the mount of Esau,

And the kingdom will be the Lord's.”

Reference(s) in Chapter 1: v.15 ↔ Revelation 1:10.


Jonah  

Jonah Chapter 1 

1And the word of the Lord came to Jonah the son of Amittai and said, 2“Get up and go to Nineveh, the great city, and call out to it that their wickedness has come up into my presence.” 3But Jonah got up to flee to Tarshish, away from the presence of the Lord, and he went down to Joppa, and he found a ship going to Tarshish, and he paid the fare for this, and he went down into it, to go with them to Tarshish, away from the presence of the Lord. 4But the Lord sent out a great wind to the sea, and there was a great storm on the sea, and the ship was on the point of being broken. 5And the sailors were afraid, and each one called to his god, and they jettisoned the cargo which was in the ship into the sea in order to lighten the vessel from it, but Jonah had gone down into the cabins of the vessel and had lain down, and he was in deep sleep. 6And the captain approached him and said to him, “What are you doing sleeping? Get up and call on your God. It may be that God will consider us, and we will not perish.” 7And each man said to his neighbour, “Come and let us cast lots, so we know on account of whom this misfortune of ours has come.” And they cast lots, and the lot fell on Jonah. 8And they said to him, “Please tell us on account of what this misfortune of ours is, and what your business is, and where you come from, and what your country is, and of which people you are.” 9And he said to them, “I am a Hebrew, and I fear the Lord God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land.” 10And the men were afraid with a great fear, and the men said to him, “What is this that you have done?” For the men knew that he was fleeing from the Lord, for he had told them. 11And they said to him, “What should we do to you, so that the sea will calm down for us? For the sea is becoming more and more tempestuous.” 12And he said to them, “Lift me up and throw me into the sea, and the sea will calm down for you, for I know that it is on account of me that this great storm has come on you.” 13Then the men rowed in order to return to dry land, but they could not do it, because the sea was becoming more and more tempestuous on them. 14So they called to the Lord and said, “We beseech you, Lord, please do not let us perish because of this man's life, and do not lay innocent blood on us, for you, O Lord, do what you please.” 15So they lifted Jonah up and threw him in the sea. And the sea stopped its raging. 16And the men feared the Lord with a great fear, and they offered a sacrifice to the Lord, and they made vows. 17Then the Lord appointed a large fish to swallow Jonah. And Jonah was in the inner parts of the fish for three days and three nights.

Reference(s) in Chapter 1: v.17 ↔ Matthew 12:40.

Jonah Chapter 2 

1And Jonah prayed to the Lord his God from the inner parts of the fish. 2And he said,

“I called on account of my predicament to the Lord,

And he answered me.

I cried out from the belly of the underworld,

And you heard my voice.

3And you cast me into the deep,

In the heart of the seas,

And the tide surrounded me.

All your breakers and your waves passed over me.

4And I said,

‘I have been driven out of your sight,

But I will look again at your holy temple.’

5Water has surrounded me,

Threatening my life.

The deep has encompassed me;

Sea-weed is bound around my head.

6I descended to the roots of the mountains;

The earth with its bars were closing in after me for age-long time,

But you rescued my life from the pit,

O Lord my God.

7When my life was draining away from me,

I remembered the Lord,

And my prayer came to you

– To your holy temple.

8Those who pay respect to vain idols

Abandon themselves to their tender mercies,

9But I will sacrifice to you with a voice of thanksgiving;

That which I vowed,

I will fulfil,

For salvation is of the Lord.”

10Then the Lord spoke to the fish, and it ejected Jonah onto the dry land.

Jonah Chapter 3 

1And the word of the Lord came to Jonah a second time and said, 2Arise and go to Nineveh, the great city, and proclaim to it the proclamation which I am speaking to you. 3So Jonah got up and went to Nineveh according to the word of the Lord. Now Nineveh was an exceedingly great city, it being three days' journey round its perimeter. 4And Jonah began to go into the city, making a day's journey, and he made a proclamation and said, “There are forty days to go, then Nineveh will be overturned.” 5And the men of Nineveh believed God, and they called a fast, and they put on sackcloth, both great and small. 6And the matter reached the king of Nineveh, and he rose up from his throne and removed his robe and covered himself with sackcloth and sat in ashes. 7And he made a pronouncement and announced in Nineveh by decree of the king and his nobles and said, “Let man, and cattle, and oxen, and sheep not taste anything, nor feed, and let them not drink water. 8But let man and cattle be covered in sackcloth, and let them call out to God in strength of mind, and let each man turn from his wicked way and from the violence which is in their hands. 9Who knows whether God will turn and repent and turn from the fury of his anger, so that we do not perish.” 10And God saw their deeds – that they had turned from their evil way – and God repented of the harm which he had said he would do to them, and he did not do it.

Jonah Chapter 4 

1But it greatly displeased Jonah, and it infuriated him. 2And he prayed to the Lord and said, “O Lord I beseech you, was not this result my concern, up to the time that I was in my land? – the reason I was quick to flee to Tarshish? For I knew that you were a compassionate and merciful God, longsuffering and of great kindness, and repentant of that which is bad. 3And now, O Lord, take, I beseech you, my life from me, for it is better for me to die than to live.” 4But the Lord said, “Is it good that you should be infuriated?” 5Then Jonah went out of the city and sat to the east of the city, and he made a booth for himself there, and he sat under it in the shade, until he should see what would happen in the city. 6And the Lord God appointed a castor oil plant, and he caused it to go up over Jonah, to be a shade over his head, to deliver him from his distress. And Jonah was very pleased about the castor oil plant. 7But God appointed a worm at the rising of dawn on the next day, and it struck the castor oil plant, and it withered. 8And it came to pass at sunrise that God appointed a sultry east wind, and the sun struck Jonah's head, and he became faint, and he asked in his heart to die, and he said, “It is better for me to die than to live.” 9But God said to Jonah, “Is it good that you should be infuriated about the castor oil plant?” And he said, “It is good that I should be infuriated, to the extent of wanting death.” 10But the Lord said, “You pitied the castor oil plant, which you did not toil over and did not cultivate, which came in a night and perished in a night. 11Should I not pity the great city of Nineveh in which there are more than one hundred and twenty thousand people, who do not know the difference between their right hand and their left, and also much cattle?”

Micah  

Micah Chapter 1 

1The word of the Lord which came to Micah the Morashtite in the days of Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, which he saw concerning Samaria and Jerusalem.

2Hear, all you people,

And hearken, O earth and your fulness,

And let my Lord the Lord be a witness against you

That is the Lord*

From his holy temple.

3For look, the Lord is coming out of his place,

And he will descend and step

Onto the idolatrous raised sites of the earth.

4Then the mountains will melt under him,

And the valleys will be split;

They will be like wax in front of a fire,

And like water pouring down a gully.

5All this is for the transgression of Jacob,

And for the sins of the house of Israel.

What is the transgression of Jacob?

Is it not Samaria?

And what are the idolatrous raised sites of Judah?

Are they not in Jerusalem?

6“And I will make Samaria a ruin of the countryside

– Vineyard plantation sites.

And I will pour her stones out into the valley,

And I will expose her foundations.

7And all her carved images will be beaten in pieces,

And all her wages of prostitution will be burnt in fire.

And I will make all her idols a desolation,

For she gathered them from the wages of prostitution,

And to the wages of prostitution they shall return.”

8For this I will mourn and howl;

I will walk as one who has been stripped and is naked.

I will undertake mourning like jackals,

And lamentation like ostriches.

9For her wounds are incurable,

For this has come to Judah;

He has reached the gate of my people

– Jerusalem.

10Do not relate this in Gath;

Do not weep at all.

In the house of Aphrah,

Roll in the dust.

11Transgress as you will,

O inhabitants of Shaphir,

In nakedness and shame.

The inhabitant of Zaanan did not come out

At the mourning of Beth-Ezel;

He will take his support away from you.

12For the inhabitants of Maroth waited for good times,

When bad times came down from the Lord,

At the gate of Jerusalem.

13Hitch the steed to the chariot,

O inhabitants of Lachish.

It is the beginning of sin for the daughter of Zion,

For the transgressions of Israel have been found in you.

14Therefore give a bill of divorce in Moresheth-Gath.

The houses of Achzib are deceit to the kings of Israel.

15I am still going to bring the dispossessor to you,

O inhabitants of Mareshah.

The glory of Israel will come to Adullam.

16Make yourself bald and shave yourself,

For the sake of your delightful sons.

Make your baldness wide like the eagle,

For they will be deported away from you.

Micah Chapter 2 

1Woe to those who devise vain things,

And those who engage in evil on their couches.

At morning light they perform it,

For it is in the power of their hand.

2And they covet fields,

And they seize them,

And they covet houses,

And they expropriate them,

And they oppress a fellow and his household,

And a man and his inheritance.

3Therefore this is what the Lord says:

“Look, I am devising evil on this family

A yoke from which you will not be able to move your necks –

And you will not walk haughtily,

For it will be a time of evil.

4On that day a proverb will be uttered against you,

And a mournful lamentation will be delivered,

Which will say,

‘We have been completely plundered;

He has changed the portion of my people.

How he has removed what was mine,

By overturning our fields

And dividing them up.’ ”

5Therefore you will not have anyone drawing a boundary by lot,

In the convocation of the Lord.

6“Do not prophesy”, they prophesy.

So they do not prophesy to these people.

No-one withdraws from the shame he incurs.

7“Are you called the house of Jacob?

Has the Lord become impatient?

Or are these things his works?

Are not my works good

With him who walks uprightly?

8And recently my people would rise as if against an enemy.

Encountering a garment,

You would strip off the mantle

From passers-by, confidently

– Those returning from battle.

9You drive out the women of my people,

Each from her pleasant home.

You have taken away my honour from her children age-abidingly.

10Rise and go,

For this is not rest,

Because of uncleanness,

And it is destructive with a pernicious destruction.

11If a man walks in a spirit of falsehood,

And he lies,

Saying, ‘I will prophesy to you of wine and strong drink’,

Then he will be accepted as a prophet of this people.

12I will certainly gather all of you, Jacob,

I will certainly collect the remainder of Israel

And put him together like the sheep of Bozrah,

Like a flock in the middle of its pasture.

The women will bustle with so many people.

13The demolisher has gone out.

They break what is in front of them,

And they cross the gate and come out through it.

Their king crosses in front of them,

And the Lord is at their head.”

Micah Chapter 3 

1And I said,

“Hear, I beseech you, O heads of Jacob,

And leaders of the house of Israel.

Is it not incumbent upon you to know judgment?

2You are haters of good

And lovers of evil.

You flay their skin off them

And remove their flesh off their bones.”

3And what they eat is the flesh of my people,

And they flay their skin off them

And break their bones,

And they chop them up for cooking in a pot,

Or as meat for stewing in a cauldron.

4Then they will cry out to the Lord,

But he will not answer them,

And he will hide his face from them at that time,

According to how they have done wrong in their works.

5This is what the Lord says

Concerning the prophets who are leading my people astray,

Biting with their teeth,

And who call, “Peace”,

(And whoever does not deliver according to their speech,

They prepare a holy war against him):

6“Therefore you will have a night blackout from visions,

And darkness from divining,

And the sun will set on the prophets,

And daylight will grow dim on them.

7And the seers will be ashamed,

And the diviners will blush,

And they will all cover their mouth,

For there will be no answer from God.”

8But truly, I am full of power

With the spirit of the Lord,

And of judgment and of courage

To tell Jacob of his transgression

And Israel of his sin.

9Hear this, I beseech you,

You heads of the house of Jacob,

And you leaders of the house of Israel,

Who exercise judgment abominably,

And pervert everything that is upright,

10And you who build Zion with blood,

And Jerusalem with iniquity.

11Its leaders judge by bribery,

And its priests teach for a fee,

And its prophets divine for money.

Yet they lean on the Lord, saying,

“Is not the Lord among us?

No evil shall come upon us.”

12Therefore, on your account,

Zion will be ploughed to a field,

And Jerusalem will become ruins,

And the Temple Mount will become woodland heights.

Micah Chapter 4 

1And it will come to pass in the last days

That the mountain of the house of the Lord will be established

As the foremost of the mountains,

And it will be exalted above the hills,

And the various peoples will flow to it.

2And many Gentile nations will go,

And they will say,

“Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord,

And to the house of the God of Jacob,

And he will instruct us concerning his ways,

And let us walk in his paths.”

For the law will go out from Zion,

And the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.

3And he will judge among many peoples,

And he will convict mighty nations,

However far away.

And they will beat their swords into ploughshares

And their spears into pruning shears.

Nation will not lift up the sword against nation,

And they will no longer learn warfare.

4And each man will sit under his vine

And under his fig tree.

And there will be no-one making them afraid,

For the mouth of the Lord of hosts has spoken.

5For all the various peoples will walk each in the name of his god,

But we will walk in the name of the Lord our God,

For the age and in perpetuity.

6On that day, says the Lord,

I will gather the lame women,

And collect her who has been cast out,

And those I have afflicted.

7And I will make the lame women a remnant,

And her who has been cast out a great nation,

And the Lord will reign over them,

On Mount Zion,

From that time and age-abidingly.

8And as for you, O tower of the flock,

Citadel of the daughter of Zion,

To you it will betake itself and come

– The first dominion,

The kingdom of the daughter of Jerusalem.

9Now why do you shout noisily?

Is there no king among you?

Or has your adviser ceased to exist?

For a writhing has seized you

Like a woman giving birth.

10Writhe and go into labour,

O daughter of Zion,

Like a woman giving birth.

For now you will go out of the town,

And dwell in the countryside,

And you will go to Babylon,

But there you will be rescued;

There the Lord will redeem you

From the grip of your enemies.

11And now, many nations will be gathered against you,

Saying, “Let her be profaned”,

And, “Let our eyes see Zion.”

12But they do not know the thoughts of the Lord,

And they do not understand his counsel,

For he will gather them,

Like a sheaf taken to the threshing floor.

13“Rise and thresh,

O daughter of Zion,

For I will make your horn of iron,

And I will make your hooves of copper,

And you will grind many peoples small”,

And I will consecrate their unjust gain to the Lord,

And their wealth to the Lord of the whole earth.

Micah Chapter 5 

1Now gather in troops,

O daughter of the troop.

He has placed a siege against us.

They will strike the judge of Israel

With a rod against the cheek.

2“But as for you, Bethlehem Ephrathah,

Although you are small among the thousands of Judah,

From you he who is mine will come out,

To be a ruler in Israel,

Yet his goings are of age-old time.

3Therefore he will suffer them

Until the time when she who is giving birth

Has given birth,

Then the rest of his brothers will return to the sons of Israel.

4And he will stand and tend them

In the strength of the Lord,

In the excellence of the name of the Lord his God,

And they will remain secure,

For then he will have become great up to the ends of the earth.

5And this man will be peace.

When Assyria comes to our land,

And when he treads in our palaces,

We will raise up against him seven shepherds

And eight princely men.

6And they will rule the land of Assyria with the sword,

And the land of Nimrod at its gates.

And he will deliver us from Assyria,

When he comes into our land,

And when he steps into our territory.

7And the remainder of Jacob will be in the midst of many peoples,

Like dew from the Lord,

Like showers on the grass.

And he will not put hope in man,

Nor will he put expectation in the sons of Adam.

8And the remainder of Jacob will be among the Gentiles,

In the midst of many peoples,

Like a lion among the beasts of the forest,

Like a young lion among the flocks of sheep,

Which, if it comes across them,

It tramples and tears them to pieces,

And there is no-one to deliver them.

9Let your hand be raised against your adversaries,

And may all your enemies be cut off.

10And it will come to pass on that day,

Says the Lord,

That I will cut off your horses from your midst,

And I will destroy your chariots.

11And I will cut off the cities of your land,

And I will demolish all your fortresses.

12And I will cut off sorceries from your reach,

And you will have no diviners by clouds.

13And I will cut off your carved images,

And your pillars from your midst,

And you will no longer worship the works of your hands.

14And I will pull down your phallic parks from your precincts,

And I will destroy your cities.

15And I will take vengeance in anger and in fury

On the Gentiles who have not listened.”

Reference(s) in Chapter 5: v.2 ↔ Matthew 2:6, John 7:42.

Micah Chapter 6 

1Do listen to what the Lord is saying:

“Rise and contend with the mountains,

And let the hills hear your voice.

2Hear, O mountains, the Lord's contention,

And you firm foundations of the earth,

For the Lord has a contention with his people,

And he will argue with Israel.

3My people, what have I done to you?

And in what way have I wearied you?

Testify the case against me.

4For I brought you out of the land of Egypt,

And I redeemed you from a house of slavery,

When I sent Moses, Aaron and Miriam before you.

5My people, do remember how Balak king of Moab took counsel,

And how Balaam the son of Beor answered him,

From Shittim to Gilgal,

In order to know the righteous ways of the Lord.”

6With what shall I come before the Lord,

And bow to God on high?

Shall I come before him with burnt offerings,

With one-year-old calves?

7Is the Lord pleased with thousands of rams?

Or with tens of thousands of streams of oil?

Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression

– The fruit of my belly –

For my personal sins?

8He has told you, O man,

What is good,

And what the Lord requires from you,

Which is rather to exercise justice,

And to love kindness,

And to walk humbly with your God.

9The voice of the Lord calls to the city,

And your name provides wisdom:

“Hear the rod of chastisement.

And who appointed the matter?

10Are there still in the house of the wicked

Treasures obtained by wickedness?

And a short-measured ephah

Causing indignation?

11Will I be found pure with dishonest balances?

Or will I be found with the bag of false weights?

12For her rich men are full of violence,

And her inhabitants speak falsely,

And their tongue is deceitful in their mouth.

13I will also afflict you,

By striking you and making you desolate

For your sins.

14You will eat,

But not be satisfied,

And you will have dissatisfaction inside you.

And should you take hold of something,

You will not carry it away safely.

And whoever would escape

I will give up to the sword.

15You will sow,

But you will not reap.

You will tread the olive,

But you will not anoint yourself with its oil,

And you will prepare must,

But you will not drink the wine.

16So let a man beware

Of the statutes of Omri

And all the works of the house of Ahab

– For you have walked in their counsels –

Lest I make you a desolation,

And its inhabitants an object of jeering,

And they bear the reproach of my people.”

Micah Chapter 7 

1Alas for me,

For I am like those doing the summer ingathering and the vintage gleaning.

But there is no bunch of grapes to eat

Or early fruit which my being longs for.

2The kind have disappeared from the earth,

And there is no-one upright among men;

They all lie in wait for blood,

And a man hunts his brother with a net.

3Their hands are intent on prospering through evil.

The prince asks for favours,

And the judge asks for a bribe,

And the important man speaks of his personal wishes,

And they pervert the case.

4Their goodness is like a briar,

Their uprightness is thornier than a thorn-hedge.

The day your watchmen are looking out for

The day of your visitation – is coming.

At that time they will be in confusion.

5Do not put faith in a neighbour;

Do not put trust in the local leader

Any more than in her who lies in your bosom.

Guard the portals of your mouth.

6For the son despises his father,

And the daughter rises up against her mother,

And the daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law.

A man's enemies are the men of his household.

7But I will watch for the Lord;

I will wait for the God of my salvation.

My God will hear me.

8Do not rejoice,

You enemy of mine.

If I fall,

I will rise,

And if I sit in darkness,

The Lord is my light.

9I will bear the anger of the Lord,

For I have sinned against him,

Until he pleads my case,

And he passes judgment concerning me.

He will bring me out into the light,

And I will see his righteousness.

10Then my enemy will see it,

And shame will cover her

Who said to me,

“Where is the Lord your God?”

My eyes will see her.

Now she will be trodden down,

Like the mud of the out-fields.

11It is a day of building your walls.

On that day,

The boundary will be pushed back.

12On that day,

He will come to you from Assyria,

And from fortified cities,

And from the fortification to the river,

And from sea to sea,

And from mountain to mountain.

13And the land shall be a desolation on its inhabitants

On account of the fruit of their works.

14Feed your people with your sceptre

– The sheep of your inheritance –

Dwelling solitarily in the forest in the midst of Carmel.

Let them feed in Bashan and Gilead,

As in days of age-old time.

15As in the days when you came out of the land of Egypt,

I will show him wonders.

16The Gentiles will see

And be ashamed of all their might.

They will put their hand to their mouth;

Their ears will be deaf.

17They will lick the dust like the snake;

Like the crawling things of the earth,

They will come trembling out of their confined spaces.

They will fear the Lord our God

And be afraid because of you.

18Who is a God like you,

Forgiving iniquity and pardoning transgressions

For the remnant of his inheritance?

He will not retain his anger in perpetuity,

For he delights in kindness.

19He will again have mercy on us;

He will trample our iniquities underfoot.

And you will cast all their sins into the depths of the sea.

20You will impart truth to Jacob,

And kindness to Abraham,

Which you swore to our fathers

In days of old.

Reference(s) in Chapter 7: v.6 ↔ Matthew 10:35, Matthew 10:36, Mark 13:12, Luke 12:53.


Nahum  

Nahum Chapter 1 

1The burden of Nineveh. The book of the vision of Nahum the Elkoshite.

2God is jealous

And the Lord is vengeful.

The Lord is vengeful,

And he is a person of fury.

The Lord takes vengeance on his adversaries,

And he reserves judgment on his enemies.

3The Lord is longsuffering and great in power,

And he will certainly not acquit the guilty.

The Lord's way is in a whirlwind and in a storm,

And the clouds are the fine dust of his feet.

4He rebukes the sea and makes it dry,

And he dries up all the rivers.

Bashan languishes, and Carmel too,

And the flower of Lebanon languishes as well.

5Mountains tremble before him,

And hills melt,

And the land is upheaved in his presence,

As is the world and all its inhabitants.

6Who can stand before his indignation,

And who can endure the fury of his anger?

His wrath is poured out like fire,

And the rocks are demolished by him.

7The Lord is good;

He is a stronghold on the day of adversity,

And he knows those

Who trust in him.

8And with a flood passing over,

He will make an end of its site;

Darkness will pursue his enemies.

9What do you imagine against the Lord?

He will make an end;

Adversity will not rise up a second time.

10For the end will come to the entwined thorns,

And this will happen when they are drunk from their drinking bout.

They will be consumed like chaff fully dry.

11From you one will come out

Imagining evil against the Lord

– A worthless counsellor.

12This is what the Lord says:

Even if they are in full number,

And ever so numerous,

Nevertheless, they will be cut down,

And the event will pass.

Although I have afflicted you,

I will not afflict you any more.

13And now I will break his yoke off you,

And I will undo your bonds.

14And the Lord will give commandment concerning you;

No-one of your name will be propagated any more.

I will cut off the carved image and the cast image from the house of your gods;

I will appoint your grave,

For you are despised.

15Behold on the mountains

The feet of him who brings good tidings,

Who proclaims peace.

Celebrate your feasts, Judah,

And fulfil your vows,

For the worthless one will no longer pass through you;

He will have been completely cut off.

Nahum Chapter 2 

1The scatterer has gone up in confrontation with you.

Guard the rampart,

Watch the highway,

Firm up your loins;

Build up your strength greatly.

2For the Lord will restore the splendour of Jacob

As the splendour of Israel,

For the emptiers have emptied them

And have brought ruin on their branches.

3His warriors' shield is stained red,

The valiant men are dyed scarlet,

The chariots are with fiery steel

On the day which he has prepared,

And the cypresses are shaken by it.

4Chariots drive in a frenzy in the open places,

They run up and down the streets,

Their appearance is as flares;

They run swiftly like lightning flashes.

5He will remember his dignitaries;

They will stumble as they go.

They will return to its wall,

And the defence will be prepared.

6The sluices of the rivers will be opened,

And the palace will be dissolved.

7And it has been determined:

Nineveh will go into captivity,

She will be made to go up,

And her maidservants will lament like the sound of doves,

Beating their hearts.

8Now Nineveh has been like a pool of water

Since the days of its existence,

But they flee.

They will say, ‘Make a stand, make a stand!’

But there will be none turning back.

9‘Take silver as spoil;

Take gold as spoil’,

And there is no end to the store,

And abundance of every precious object.

10It will be empty and emptied

And laid waste,

And its heart will melt,

And its knees will totter,

And it will be in trepidation in all its loins,

And all their faces will lose their shine.

11Where is the den of the lions,

And the feeding ground of the young lions?

Where the lion goes,

The great lion is there,

And the lion's whelp,

And there is nothing to make them afraid.

12The lion tears in pieces enough for his whelps,

And crushes for his lionesses,

And fills his lairs with prey,

And his den with what has been preyed on.

13Look, I am against you,

Says the Lord of hosts,

And I will set its chariots on fire with smoke,

And the sword will devour your lion cubs,

And I will cut your prey off from the land,

And the voice of your messengers will no longer be heard.

Nahum Chapter 3 

1Alas for the City of Blood;

All of it is full of deceit and violence.

The predation does not stop.

2There will be the sound of the whip,

And the sound of the rattling of a wheel,

And of a prancing horse

And a jolting chariot.

3The horseman raises both a glaring sword and a glittering spear,

And there are many casualties,

And an abundance of corpses,

And there is no end to dead bodies;

They stumble on their dead bodies.

4Because of the great extent of prostitution by the prostitute,

And because the mistress of sorceries is in good favour,

Who sells nations through her prostitution,

And families through her sorceries,

5Behold, I am against you,

Says the Lord of hosts,

And I will uncover your skirt in front of you,

And I will show nations your nakedness,

And kingdoms your shame.

6And I will cast abominations on you,

And I will despise you,

And I will make a spectacle of you.

7And it will come to pass

That all who see you

Will flee from you

And will say,

‘Nineveh has been laid waste;

Who will console her?’

From where can I seek comforters for you?

8Are you better than No-Amon,

Which is situated among the rivers,

With water round about it,

Whose fortification is the sea,

And whose wall consists of the sea?

9Ethiopia is your strength,

As is Egypt,

To which there is no end.

Put and Libya were among your allies.

10It will duly go into exile,

Into captivity,

And its children will be dashed to the ground at the head of all open spaces.

And they will cast lots for its honoured men,

And all its pre-eminent men will be bound in fetters.

11You too will become drunk,

You will be hidden;

You too will seek a stronghold

Away from your enemy.

12All your fortifications will be like fig trees with firstfruits.

If they are shaken,

They fall to the mouth of the eater.

13Look, your people are women in your midst.

The gates of your land are completely open to your enemies;

Fire will consume your bars.

14Draw water for yourself ready for a siege,

Strengthen your fortifications,

Go to the mud,

And tread on the clay;

Renovate the brick-kiln.

15There, fire will consume you,

The sword will cut you off;

It will consume you like the devouring locust.

Abound like the devouring locust,

Abound like the swarming locust!

16You have increased your number of merchants

More than the stars of heaven.

The devouring locust will strip you

And fly off.

17Your princes are like swarming locusts,

And your generals are like teeming locusts,

Which settle in walled places,

On a cold day,

But when the sun rises,

They flee,

And the place where they are is not known.

18Your shepherds slumber,

O king of Assyria;

Your dignitaries are at rest.

Your people have been scattered to the mountains,

And there is no-one to gather them.

19There is no alleviation of your break-up;

The blow on you is grievous.

All who hear a report about you

Clap their hands over you,

For over whom has your wickedness not passed continually?”


Habakkuk  

Habakkuk Chapter 1 

1The burden which Habakkuk the prophet saw.

2How long, O Lord, will I cry out,

But you won't hear?

I shout out to you about violence,

But you don't save.

3Why do you show me iniquity,

And have me see toil?

Oppression and violence are facing me,

And there is contention,

And strife raises its head.

4This is how the law is inoperative,

And justice never takes place.

For the wicked surround the righteous,

Which is how a perverted justice takes place.

5“Look among the Gentiles and see,

And be amazingly amazed.

For there is one carrying out a work in your days

Which you will not believe

When it is told you.

6For I am about to rouse the Chaldeans

– The bitter and hasty nation,

Who go to the wide outposts of the earth

In order to inherit habitable territory

Which is not theirs.

7They are terrible and fearful.

Their own concept of justice and dignity applies.

8And their horses are swifter than leopards,

And they are more fierce than the wolves of the evening.

Their horsemen spread out,

And their horsemen come from afar,

And they fly like an eagle that hastens to eat.

9They all come for violence;

The objective of their mission is to advance,

And they gather captives like sand.

10They also mock kings,

And princes are objects of derision to them.

They laugh at every fortification;

They heap up mounds of ground

And capture it.

11But then his attitude will change;

When he is in transgression,

He will realize his guilt

He who attributes this power of his to his god.”

12Are you not of old, O Lord,

My God, my holy one

– You who do not die?

O Lord, you have appointed them to judgment,

And you, the rock, have destined them to condemnation.

13You are too pure of eyes to see evil,

And you are not able to look on injustice.

Why do you look on traitors and remain silent?

– On the wicked man swallowing up someone more righteous than he?

14And you make man like the fish of the sea,

Like the reptiles,

Which have no ruler over them.

15They lift everyone with a hook,

And they drag them away in their net,

And they gather them in their dragnet,

Which is why they rejoice and exult.

16That is why they sacrifice to their net,

And burn incense to their dragnet,

For by these things their portion is fat,

And their food rich.

17Will they therefore empty their net?

Indeed they will not spare their continual destruction of nations.

Reference(s) in Chapter 1: v.5 ↔ Acts 13:41.

Habakkuk Chapter 2 

1I will stand at my watch,

And position myself at the bulwark,

And I will watch to see what he says to me,

And how I answer his rebuke of me.

2And the Lord answered me and said,

“Write the vision

And engrave it on tablets,

So that he who reads it

May run.

3For there is still a vision for the appointed time,

And he will inspire it for the end time,

And he will not lie.

If it delays, wait for it,

For it will certainly come;

It will not linger.

4Behold someone whose mind in him is puffed up;

It is not upright,

But the just shall live by his faith.

5And furthermore, wine deals treacherously,

Making a man proud,

And not dwelling quietly

One who increases his appetite like the grave,

And who, like death, cannot be satisfied,

Who gathers to himself all the nations,

And collects to himself all the peoples.

6Will not all these utter a proverb against him,

So that he is an object of satire and riddles?

And say, ‘Woe to him who increases what is not his!

How long can he continue to weigh himself down with accumulated debts?’

7Will not your creditors suddenly rise up,

And will not those who agitate you awaken?

And you will be a prey to them.

8Since you have plundered many nations,

The whole remainder of nations will plunder you,

Because of the bloodshed of man

And the violence in the land,

In the town,

And among all those inhabiting it.

9Woe to him who makes wicked unjust gain for his household,

To place his nest on high,

In order to be delivered from an evil hand.

10You have counselled a shameful course of action to your house

– The cutting off of many nations,

So sinning against yourself.

11For a stone will cry out from the wall,

And a rafter of wood will answer it.

12Woe to him who builds a wall by bloodshed

And establishes a town by iniquity.

13Look, is it not of the Lord of hosts

That the nations tire themselves for things that are fit for fire,

And the various peoples weary themselves for things that are vain.

14For the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord,

As the waters cover the sea.

15Woe to him who gives his neighbour drink,

You who pour out your wrath,

And also make drunk,

In order to see their nakedness.

16You are saturated with shame rather than glory.

You too must drink and show yourself uncircumcised.

The cup of the right hand of the Lord will hem you in,

And utter ignominy will come over your honour.

17For the violence of Lebanon will cover you,

And the destruction by beasts will terrify them,

Because of the bloodshed of man

And the violence of the land,

In a town and on all its inhabitants.

18In what way is a carved image profitable?

For the fashioner of it carved it;

Or a cast image, or a teacher of falsehood?

For the artisan trusts his artefact as benefiting him,

And he is occupied making mute idols.

19Woe to him who says to a piece of wood,

‘Awake’,

And to mute stone,

‘Arise.’

This is his teacher!

Look, it is set in gold and silver,

And there isn't any spirit inside it.”

20But the Lord is in his holy temple.

Be silent in his presence,

All the earth.

Reference(s) in Chapter 2: v.3 ↔ Hebrews 10:37 ● v.4 ↔ Romans 1:17, Galatians 3:11, Hebrews 10:38.

Habakkuk Chapter 3 

1A prayer of Habakkuk the prophet concerning pre-eminence.

2Lord, I have heard your report;

I have feared, O Lord, your work.

Revive it in the course of years

– In the course of years make it known.

In raging,

Remember to be merciful.

3May God come from Teman,

And the holy one from Mount Paran.

Selah.

His glory covers the heavens,

And his praise fills the earth.

4And his splendour is as a light;

He has beams of light emanating from his hand,

Where his power is concealed.

5Pestilence goes before him,

And lightning emanates at his feet.

6He stood and measured out the earth;

He looked and shook up the nations,

And the perpetual mountains were scattered,

And age-abiding hills were brought low.

His ways are age-abiding.

7I saw the tents of Cushan in adversity,

And the awnings of the land of Midian shake.

8Was the Lord furious with the rivers?

Or was your anger with the rivers?

Or was your wrath with the sea?

For you will ride on your horses,

Drawing your chariots of salvation.

9Your bow will be made completely bare,

According to the oaths made to the tribes

Your declaration to them.

Selah.

You divide the earth with rivers.

10The mountains saw you,

And they writhed.

A watery downpour brought overflow,

The deep sounded its voice;

It lifted its hands up high.

11The sun and moon stood still in their residence;

At the light of your arrows they proceed

– At the brightness of the glittering of your spear.

12In indignation you step through the earth;

In anger you tread on nations.

13You have gone out for the salvation of your people,

For the salvation of your anointed nation;

You have shattered the head in the house of the wicked

In making it bare from the foundation to the neck.

Selah.

14You have bored through the head of their ruler with his sceptres.

They rage like a storm in order to scatter me;

Their exultation is as if to consume the poor in secret.

15You made your way through the sea with your horses,

Through great foaming water.

16I heard it,

And my stomach trembled;

At the sound, my lips quivered.

A loathsome feeling comes on my bones,

And I shake on the spot,

Wishing that I may rest on the day of adversity.

At the advance towards the people,

He will attack them.

17For a fig tree will not blossom,

And there will be no produce on the vines,

And the crop of the olive tree will fail,

And the cornfields will not yield food,

And the sheep will be cut off from the fold,

And there will be no cattle in the stalls.

18But I will exult in the Lord;

I will rejoice in the God of my salvation.

19The Lord my Lord is my strength,

And he makes my feet like those of the deer,

And he makes me walk on my raised sites.

To the choirmaster,

For accompaniment by my stringed instruments.


Zephaniah  

Zephaniah Chapter 1 

1The word of the Lord which came to Zephaniah, the son of Cushi, the son of Gedaliah, the son of Amariah, the son of Hezekiah, in the days of Josiah, the son of Amon, the king of Judah.

2“I will certainly gather everything up

From the face of the earth,

Says the Lord.

3I will gather up man and cattle;

I will gather up the birds of the sky

And the fish of the sea,

And the causes of offence

– The wicked.

So I will cut off man from the face of the earth,

Says the Lord.

4And I will stretch my hand out over Judah,

And over all the inhabitants of Jerusalem,

And I will cut off the residue of Baal from this place

– The name of the idolatrous priests,

With the apostate Levitical priests,

5And the worshippers of the host of heaven on the rooftops,

And the worshippers who swear to the Lord,

And those swearing by Malcam,

6And those who apostatize from the Lord

And those who have not sought the Lord

And have not inquired of him.

7Be silent before the Lord, the Lord,

For the day of the Lord is near,

For the Lord has prepared a sacrifice;

He has sanctified those he has invited.

8And it will come to pass on the day of the Lord's sacrifice

That I will visit the officials,

And the sons of the king,

And all those who are clothed in foreign clothing.

9And I will visit all those who leap over the threshold,

On that day,

Who fill their masters' houses with violence and deceit.

10And on that day,

Says the Lord,

There will be the sound of crying out from the Fish Gate,

And howling from the Second Gate,

And a great crash from the hills.

11Howl, you inhabitants of Maktesh,

For all the merchant people have been silenced,

And all those who are laden with silver have been cut off.

12And it will come to pass at that time

That I will seek Jerusalem with lamps,

And I will visit the men

Who rest coolly indifferent on their oars,

Who say in their heart,

‘The Lord will not do good or bad.’

13And their wealth will become a prey,

And their houses a desolation.

And they will build houses,

But not inhabit them,

And plant vineyards,

But not drink their wine.

14The great day of the Lord is near,

It is near,

And it is very hasty.

At the sound of the day of the Lord,

The warrior will shout out there bitterly.

15That day is a day of wrath,

A day of distress and anguish,

A day of annihilation and obliteration,

A day of darkness and obscurity,

A day of cloud and gloom,

16A day of the ramshorn and alarm,

At the fortified cities,

And at the high corner towers.

17And I will oppress man,

And they will walk as the blind,

For they have sinned against the Lord,

And their blood will be poured out like dust,

And their flesh like dung.

18Neither their silver nor their gold will be able to save them,

On the day of the Lord's wrath,

And all the earth will be consumed in his jealous fire,

For he will make an end

– A most terrifying one –

Of all the inhabitants of the earth.

Reference(s) in Chapter 1: v.7 ↔ Revelation 1:10 ● v.14 ↔ Revelation 1:10.

Zephaniah Chapter 2 

1Assemble yourselves, and gather,

O undesirable nation.

2Before the issuing of the statute,

The days will pass like chaff,

Until the day of the fury of the Lord's anger comes on you,

Until the day of the Lord's anger comes on you.

3Seek the Lord, all you meek of the earth,

Who have acted in accordance with his justice.

Seek righteousness,

Seek meekness;

Perhaps you will be hidden

On the day of the Lord's anger.

4For Gaza will be forsaken,

And Ashkelon will be a desolation.

They will drive out Ashdod at midday,

And Ekron will be eradicated.

5Woe to the inhabitants of the tract by the sea

– The nation of Cherethites!

The word of the Lord is against you, Canaan,

Land of the Philistines,

And I will destroy you

Without leaving an inhabitant.

6And the tract by the sea will be dwelling places,

And wells, for shepherds,

And walled folds for sheep.

7And the tract will be for the remnant of the house of Judah.

They will feed on it;

They will lie down in the houses of Ashkelon in the evening,

For the Lord their God will visit them

And reverse their captivity.

8I have heard the reproach of Moab,

And the vilifications of the sons of Ammon,

Who reproach my people,

And who make themselves great on their territory.

9Therefore, as I live,

Says the Lord of hosts

– The God of Israel –

Moab will be like Sodom,

And the sons of Ammon like Gomorrah:

A domain of nettles and a pit of salt,

And an age-abiding desolation.

The remnant of my people will take them as spoil,

And the remainder of my nation will inherit them.

10This is what they will have in place of their pride,

For they reproached and acted proudly

Against the people of the Lord of hosts.

11The Lord will be terrible to them,

For he will cause all the gods of the land to waste away.

And they will worship him,

Each man in his place,

Over all the coastlands of the Gentiles.

12You Ethiopians too,

They are those to be struck by my sword.

13He will stretch his hand out to the north

And will destroy Assyria,

And he will make Nineveh a desolation

– A dry land like the desert.

14And the flocks will lie in its midst

– All the Gentiles' animals.

Also the pelican and the hedgehog will lodge in the capitals of the fallen columns,

And there will be the sound of a bird singing from the window.

There will be desolation at the threshold,

For he will expose the cedar panelling.

15This is the joyful city,

Dwelling in supposed security,

Saying in its heart,

‘I am and there is none besides me.’

How it has become a desolation

– A place for animals to lie down in.

Everyone passing through it will hiss at it,

And wave it aside with the hand.

Zephaniah Chapter 3 

1Woe to the rebellious and polluted and oppressing city.

2It did not listen to the voice,

It did not accept correction,

It did not trust in the Lord;

It did not draw near to its God.

3Its officials in its society are roaring lions,

Its judges are evening wolves;

They leave nothing to gnaw in the morning.

4Its prophets are acting recklessly;

They are treacherous men.

Its priests have profaned the holy place;

They have done violence to the law.

5But the righteous Lord is in its midst;

He does not act iniquitously.

Each morning he gives his judgment as a light.

It is not lacking.

But the unjust knows no shame.

6I have cut off nations;

Their cornerstones have been made desolate.

I have laid their streets waste,

So that there is no-one passing by.

Their cities have been made desolate,

So that there is no man

– No inhabitant – in them.

7I said, ‘Surely you will fear me,

And take correction,

And its dwelling will not be cut off’,

Considering every way in which I had visited it.

But truly, they rose early

And caused ruin in all their works.

8Therefore wait for me,

Says the Lord,

Wait for the day of me rising for the raid,

For my judgment is to gather nations,

For me to collect kingdoms,

To pour out over them my indignation

– All the fury of my anger.

For in the fire of my jealousy

All the earth will be consumed.

9For then I will bring change to the people

– A pure lip –

That they may all call on the name of the Lord,

To serve him standing shoulder to shoulder.

10Beyond the rivers of Ethiopia,

Those who entreat me

– She who is in my diaspora –

Will bring my offering.

11On that day, you will not be ashamed of any of your works

With which you transgressed against me,

For then I will have removed from your midst

Those rejoicing in your pride,

And you will no longer be haughty on my holy mountain.

12And I will leave in your midst an afflicted and poor people,

And they will trust in the name of the Lord.

13The remnant of Israel will not commit iniquity

And will not speak lies,

And there will not be found in their mouth a deceitful tongue,

For they will pasture and lie down,

And there will be no-one to make them afraid.

14Sing for joy, O daughter of Zion,

Shout aloud, Israel,

Be glad and exult with all your heart,

O daughter of Jerusalem.

15The Lord has taken away the judgments against you;

He has removed your enemy.

The king of Israel – the Lordis in your midst,

And you will fear evil no more.

16On that day, it will be said to Jerusalem,

‘Do not fear’,

And to Zion,

‘Don't let your hands droop.’

17The Lord your God is in your midst,

A mighty one who will save.

He will rejoice over you with gladness,

He will be quiet in his love;

He will exult over you with singing.

18I will gather those grieved

By the cessation of the festival.

They were your inhabitants;

The burden upon her was a reproach.

19I will deal with all your oppressors at that time,

And I will save her who is limping.

I will gather her who has been cast out,

And make them a recipient of praise and renown

In all the land where their shame was.

20At that time I will bring you home,

At the time when I gather you,

For I will give you renown and praise

Among all the various peoples of the earth,

When I reverse your captivity in front of your eyes,

Says the Lord.”

Reference(s) in Chapter 3: v.13 ↔ Revelation 14:5.


Haggai  

Haggai Chapter 1 

1In the second year of Darius the king, in the sixth month, on the first day of the month, the word of the Lord came through the intermediacy of Haggai the prophet, with a prophecy for Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, the governor of Judah, and for Joshua the son of Jozadak, the high priest, and it said, 2“This is what the Lord of hosts says: ‘This people has said, «The time has not come, the time for the house of the Lord to be built.» ’ ” 3And the word of the Lord came through the intermediacy of Haggai the prophet and said, 4Is it the time for you to dwell in your panelled houses, while this house is lying desolate? 5So now, this is what the Lord of hosts says: ‘Consider your ways.

6You have sown much,

But brought little in;

Eaten,

But not to satisfaction;

Drunk,

But not to the full;

Clothed yourselves,

But not enough to warm yourselves.

And the hired man hires himself out

For wages going into a purse with holes.’

7This is what the Lord of hosts says: ‘Consider your ways. 8Go up to the mountain and bring wood, and build the house, and I will accept it. And I will be honoured by it, says the Lord. 9You turned your attention to much gain, but look, it came to little, and when you brought it home, I blew on it. Why? says the Lord of hosts. Because of my house, in that it is desolate, but you run, each man to his own house. 10That is why heaven is shut on you, so that there is no dew, and the land has held back its produce. 11For I called a drought on the land and on the mountains, and on the corn, and on the new wine, and on the new oil, and on that which the ground produces, and on man and on the cattle, and on all manual toil.’ ” 12Then Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and Joshua the son of Jozadak, the high priest, and all the remainder of the people, heeded the Lord their God, and the words of Haggai the prophet, according as the Lord their God sent him, and the people feared the Lord. 13And Haggai the Lord's messenger spoke with the Lord's message to the people and said, “I am with you, says the Lord.” 14And the Lord roused the spirit of Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, the governor of Judah, and the spirit of Joshua the son of Jozadak, the high priest, and the spirit of all the remainder of the people, and they came, and they carried out the work in the house of the Lord of hosts their God, 15on the twenty-fourth day of the month, in the sixth month, in the second year of Darius the king.

Haggai Chapter 2 

1In the seventh month, on the twenty-first day of the month, the word of the Lord came through the intermediacy of Haggai the prophet and said, 2“Please speak to Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, the governor of Judah, and to Joshua the son of Jozadak, the high priest, and the remainder of the people, and say, 3‘Who is there remaining among you who has seen this house in its former glory? And how do you see it now? Is it not in your sight nothing compared to what it was? 4So now, be strong, Zerubbabel, says the Lord, and be strong Joshua, son of Jozadak, high priest, and be strong all of you people of the land, says the Lord, and start work, for I am with you, says the Lord of hosts. 5I uphold the word which I covenanted with you when you came out of Egypt, and my spirit remains in your midst; do not fear. 6For this is what the Lord of hosts says: «Just once more, and it will be in a little while, and I will shake heaven and the earth, both the sea and the dry land, 7and I will shake all the nations. Then the desire of all the nations will come, and I will fill this house with glory, says the Lord of hosts. 8The silver is mine and the gold is mine, says the Lord of hosts. 9The glory of this latter house will be greater than that of the first, says the Lord of hosts, and I will give peace in this place, says the Lord of hosts.» ’ ” 10On the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, in the second year of Darius, the word of the Lord came to Haggai the prophet and said, 11“This is what the Lord of hosts says: ‘Please ask the priests about the law, and say, 12«If a man carries holy meat in the fold of his garment, and it touches in his fold bread, or boiled food, or wine or oil or any food, is it still holy?» ’ ” And the priests answered and said, “No.” 13Then Haggai said, “If a man who is unclean touches any of these, does it become unclean?” And the priests answered and said, “It becomes unclean.” 14Then Haggai reacted and said, “So it is with this people, and so it is with this nation, before me, says the Lord, and so is all the work of their hands. And that which they offer there is unclean. 15So now, please consider from this day on, how from before a stone was put on a stone in the Lord's temple, 16that ever since they came into existence, if anyone came to a heap of twenty measures of grain, it turned out to be ten. If he came to the wine vat to draw off fifty measures from the wine press, it turned out to contain twenty. 17I have struck you with blight and mildew and with hail, on all the work of your hands, but you have not come to me, says the Lord. 18Just consider from this day on, from the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, from the day when the temple of the Lord was founded. Consider it. 19Is there still any seed in the granary? And also the vine and the fig tree and the pomegranate and the olive tree have not borne fruit. But from this day, I will bless.” 20And the word of the Lord came a second time to Haggai, on the twenty-fourth day of the month and said, 21“Speak to Zerubbabel the governor of Judah, and say, ‘I will shake heaven and the earth. 22And I will overturn the throne of kingdoms, and I will destroy the strength of the kingdoms of the nations, and I will overturn the chariot fleet and its riders, and horses and their riders will fall, each one by his brother's sword. 23On that day, says the Lord of hosts, I will take you, Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, my servant, says the Lord, and I will make you like a seal, for I have chosen you, says the Lord of hosts.’ ”

Reference(s) in Chapter 2: v.6 ↔ Hebrews 12:26, Hebrews 12:27 ● v.7 ↔ Hebrews 10:37.


Zechariah  

Zechariah Chapter 1 

1In the eighth month, in the second year of Darius, the word of the Lord came to Zechariah, the son of Berechiah, the son of Iddo, the prophet and said, 2“The Lord is very angry with your fathers, 3so you will say to them, ‘This is what the Lord of hosts says: «Return to me, says the Lord of hosts, and I will return to you, says the Lord of hosts. 4Do not be like your fathers to whom the first prophets called and said, ‹This is what the Lord of hosts says: "Return now from your wicked ways and your wicked works" ›, but who did not heed it and who did not hearken to me, says the Lord. 5Where are your fathers? And do the prophets live age-abidingly? 6But regarding my words and my statutes with which I commanded my servants the prophets, have they not overtaken your fathers? Then they repented and said, ‹According to how the Lord of hosts purposed to deal with us, according to our ways and our deeds, so he has dealt with us.› » ’ ” 7On the twenty-fourth day of the eleventh month, that is the month of Shvat, in the second year of Darius, the word of the Lord came to Zechariah, the son of Berechiah, the son of Iddo, the prophet, as follows: 8I saw a vision at night, and there was a man riding on a red horse, who stood between the myrtles which were in the deep vale, and after him came red horses, bay ones, and white ones. 9And I said, “What are these, my Lord?” And the angel speaking to me said to me, “I will show you what these are.” 10And the man standing between the myrtles answered and said, “These are what the Lord has sent, to walk up and down on the earth.” 11And they answered the angel of the Lord, who was standing between the myrtles, and they said, “We have walked up and down the earth, and what we saw was that the whole earth was dwelling undisturbed and was quiet.” 12And the angel of the Lord replied and said, “O Lord of hosts, how long will you not have compassion on Jerusalem and the cities of Judah, over which you have been indignant for seventy years now?” 13And the Lord answered the angel speaking to me, with good words, comforting words. 14And the angel speaking to me said, “Call out and say, ‘This is what the Lord of hosts says:

«I am jealous for Jerusalem and Zion with a great jealousy.

15And I am angry with a great anger,

With the nations which are at ease,

For I was a little angry,

But they have exacerbated the evil.»

16Therefore this is what the Lord says:

«I will return to Jerusalem with compassion;

My house will be built in it,

Says the Lord of hosts,

And a cord will be stretched out over Jerusalem.» ’

17Call out again and say, ‘This is what the Lord of hosts says:

«My cities will yet overflow with goodness,

And the Lord will yet have mercy on Zion,

And he will yet choose Jerusalem.» ’ ”

18Then I lifted up my eyes and looked, and what I saw was four horns. 19And I said to the angel who was speaking to me, “What are these?” And he said to me, “These are the horns which scattered Judah, Israel and Jerusalem.” 20And the Lord showed me four craftsmen. 21And I said, “What are these coming to do?” And he spoke and said, “Those are the horns which scattered Judah, so that no man could lift his head, but these have come to terrify them, to throw out the horns of the Gentiles who are lifting up a horn against the land of Judah, to scatter it.”

Zechariah Chapter 2 

1And I lifted up my eyes and looked, and what I saw was a man, and in his hand was a measuring cord. 2And I said, “Where are you going?” And he said to me, “To measure Jerusalem, to see what its width is and what its length is.” 3Then what I saw was the angel who had been speaking to me going out, and another angel coming out to meet him. 4And he said to him, “Run, speak to this young man and say, ‘Jerusalem will be inhabited as open villages, because of the large number of men and cattle inside it. 5And I will be to it a wall of fire round about, says the Lord, and I will be there for glory in its precincts. 6Hey, hey! Now flee from the northern land, says the Lord, for I am the one who scattered you like the four winds of heaven, says the Lord. 7Hey, Zion, make your escape, you who dwell as a dependency of Babylon. 8For this is what the Lord of hosts says: «He has sent me after glory, to the Gentiles who spoil you, for he who touches you, touches the apple of my eye. 9For I am about to wave my hand at them, and they will become a spoil to their servants, and you will know that the Lord of hosts has sent me. 10Shout for joy and rejoice, daughter of Zion, for behold, I am coming, and I will dwell in your midst, says the Lord. 11And many nations will be joined to the Lord on that day, and they will be a people to me, and I will dwell in your midst, and you will know that the Lord of hosts has sent me to you. 12And the Lord will inherit Judah his portion, on holy ground, and he will still choose Jerusalem. 13Be silent, all flesh, before the Lord, for he has been roused from his holy dwelling place.» ’ ”

Reference(s) in Chapter 2: v.1 ↔ Revelation 21:15.

Zechariah Chapter 3 

1And he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the Lord, and Satan was standing on his right hand side to oppose him. 2And the Lord said to Satan, “May the Lord rebuke you, Satan, may the Lord, who chooses Jerusalem, rebuke you. Isn't this man a firebrand rescued from the fire?” 3Now Joshua was clothed in filthy garments, and he was standing before the angel. 4And the angel reacted and spoke to those standing before him and said, “Take the filthy clothes off him.” And he said to Joshua, “Look, I have remitted your iniquity, and I have clothed you in costly dress.” 5Then I said, “Put a clean turban on his head.” And they put a clean turban on his head and clothed him in garments, while the angel of the Lord stood by. 6Then the angel of the Lord testified to Joshua and said, 7“This is what the Lord of hosts says: ‘If you walk in my paths, and if you keep my charge, then you too will govern my house, and you will guard my courts, and I will give you right of way between these who are standing by. 8Now listen, Joshua the high priest, you and your colleagues sitting before you, for they are significant men. For I am about to bring in my servant the Branch. 9For here is the stone which I have put before Joshua. There will be seven eyes on one stone. I am about to incise its engraving, says the Lord of hosts, and I will remove the iniquity of this land in one day. 10On that day, says the Lord of hosts, each of you will call to his neighbour, under the vine and under the fig tree.’ ”

Reference(s) in Chapter 3: v.9 ↔ Revelation 5:6.

Zechariah Chapter 4 

1And the angel who was speaking to me came back and woke me up, as a man who is woken from his sleep. 2And he said to me, “What do you see?” And I said, “I looked, and what I saw was a lampstand, all of gold, with its bowl above it, with its seven lamps on it, and seven pipes for the seven lamps which were above it. 3And there were two olive trees on it – one to the right of the bowl and one to its left.” 4Then I inquired and spoke to the angel who was speaking to me, and I said, “What are these, my lord?” 5And the angel who was speaking to me answered and said to me, “Do you not know what these are?” And I answered, “No, my lord.” 6And he answered and spoke to me and said, “This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel. ‘It is not by force and not by strength, but by my spirit, says the Lord of hosts. 7Who are you, you great mountain? Before Zerubbabel, you become a plain, and he will bring out the head-stone. There will be shoutings of «Grace, grace» to it.’ ” 8And the word of the Lord came to me and said, 9“The hands of Zerubbabel founded this house, and his hands will complete it, and you will know that the Lord of hosts sent me to you. 10For who despises the day of small matters? For they will rejoice and see the plummet in the hand of Zerubbabel. These seven are the eyes of the Lord, scrutinizing the whole world.” 11Then I inquired and said to him, “What are these two olive trees to the right of the lampstand, and to its left?” 12And I inquired a second time and said to him, “What are the two branches of the olive trees, which by means of two golden tubes empty the golden bowl above them?” 13Then he spoke to me and said, “Do you not know what these are?” And I said, “No, my Lord.” 14And he said, “These are the two anointed ones who stand by the Lord of all the earth.”

Reference(s) in Chapter 4: v.3 ↔ Revelation 11:4 ● v.10 ↔ Revelation 5:6.

Zechariah Chapter 5 

1Then I lifted up my eyes again and looked, and what I saw was a flying scroll. 2And he said to me, “What do you see?” And I said, “I see a flying scroll. Its length is twenty cubits, and its width is ten cubits.” 3And he said to me, “This is the curse which is going out over the face of the whole earth. For everyone who steals, as in the prohibition of one side, is being acquitted, and everyone who swears, as in the prohibition of the other side, is being acquitted. 4I will send it out, says the Lord of hosts, and it will go to the house of the thief, and the house of the one who swears by my name falsely, and it will lodge inside his house, and it will consume it, both its timbers and its stones.” 5And the angel who was speaking to me came up and said to me, “Lift up your eyes and see what this is that is setting out.” 6And I said, “What is it?” And he said, “This is the ephah which is setting out.” And he said, “This is their appearance all over the earth.” 7And what I saw was a talent of lead being lifted up. And this is a woman sitting inside the ephah. 8And he said, “This is wickedness.” And he cast her into the ephah, and he cast the block of lead over its opening. 9Then I lifted up my eyes and looked, and what I saw was two women coming out, and there was wind in their wings, for they had wings like the wings of a stork, and they lifted up the ephah between the earth and the sky. 10And I said to the angel who was speaking to me, “Where are they taking the ephah to?” 11And he said to me, “To build for her a house in the land of Shinar. It will be established and set down there on its base.”

Zechariah Chapter 6 

1And I lifted up my eyes again and looked, and what I saw was four chariots coming out between two mountains, and the mountains were mountains of copper. 2In the first chariot were red horses, and in the second chariot were black horses. 3And in the third chariot were white horses, and in the fourth chariot were vigorous dappled horses. 4Then I inquired and said to the angel who was speaking to me, “What are these, my lord?” 5And the angel answered and said to me, “These are the four spirits of heaven, going out from standing by the Lord of all the earth. 6The black horses in it are going out to the land of the north, and the white ones are going out after them, and the dappled ones are going out to the land of Teman. 7Then when the vigorous ones went out, they asked to go and patrol the earth.” And he said, “Go and patrol the earth.” So they patrolled the earth. 8And he cried out to me and spoke to me and said, “See those which are going out to the land of the north; they have set my spirit down in the land of the north. 9And the word of the Lord came to me and said, 10Take some of the deportees: those of Heldai, those of Tobiah, and those of Jedaiah, and go on that day, and go to the house of Josiah the son of Zephaniah, with those who came from Babylon. 11And take silver and gold, and make crowns, and put them on the head of Joshua the son of Jozadak, the high priest. 12And speak to him, and say, ‘This is what the Lord of hosts says: «Behold the man – The Branch is his name – and under his protection he will grow up, and he will build the house of the Lord. 13And he will build the temple of the Lord, and he will bear majesty, and he will sit and rule on his throne, and he will be a priest on his throne, and there will be the counsel of peace between the two offices. 14And Helem and Tobiah and Jedaiah will have the crowns, as will Hen the son of Zephaniah, as a memorial in the temple of the Lord. 15And people from far away will come and build in the temple of the Lord, and you will know that the Lord of hosts sent me to you. And it will come to pass if you make a point of heeding the Lord your God.» ’ ”

Zechariah Chapter 7 

1And it came to pass in the fourth year of Darius the king that the word of the Lord came to Zechariah on the fourth day of the ninth month, that is Kislev. 2And Sar-Ezer and Regem-Melech and his men sent envoys to Beth-El to entreat the Lord, 3to say to the priests who were at the house of the Lord of hosts and to the prophets, “Shall I weep in the fifth month, separating myself, as I have done for so many years now?” 4And the word of the Lord of hosts came to me and said, 5“Speak to all the people of the land and to the priests, and say, ‘When you fasted and mourned in the fifth and seventh month for the last seventy years, did you really fast for me? 6And when you ate and when you drank, were you not eating for yourselves and drinking for yourselves? 7Have you not considered the words which the Lord proclaimed through the intermediacy of the former prophets when Jerusalem was inhabited and prosperous, and her cities around her and the south and the plain were also inhabited?’ ” 8And the word of the Lord came to Zechariah and said, 9“This is what the Lord of hosts says: ‘Judge with true justice and show kindness and compassion, each man to his brother. 10Do not oppress the widow or the orphan, the foreigner or the poor, and do not devise wickedness in your hearts, one against his brother.’ ” 11But they refused to listen, and they gave a rebellious shoulder, and they made their ears too dull to hear. 12And they made their hearts as hard as diamond, preventing them from hearing the law and the words which the Lord of hosts sent by his spirit, through the intermediacy of the former prophets, and there came great anger from the Lord of hosts. 13“And it has come to pass, that just as he cried out, and they did not listen, so they will cry out, and I will not listen, says the Lord of hosts. 14So I have driven them like a storm into all nations which they did not know of, and the land has become waste after them, so that there was no-one passing through or returning, and they made the pleasant land a desolation.”

Zechariah Chapter 8 

1And the word of the Lord of hosts came and said, 2“This is what the Lord of hosts says:

‘I am jealous for Zion with a great jealousy,

And with great fury I am jealous for her.’

3This is what the Lord says: ‘I will return to Zion, and I will dwell in the midst of Jerusalem, and Jerusalem will be called the City of Truth, and the mountain of the Lord of hosts, the Holy Mountain.’ 4This is what the Lord of hosts says: ‘Elderly men and women will yet dwell in the streets of Jerusalem, each with his staff in his hand because of their advanced age. 5And the streets of the city will be full of boys and girls playing in its streets.’ 6This is what the Lord of hosts says: ‘If it is marvellous in the sight of the remnant of this people, in those days, will it also be marvellous in my sight? says the Lord of hosts.’ 7This is what the Lord of hosts says: ‘I am about to save my people from the land of the east and from the land of the west. 8And I will bring them, and they will dwell in the precincts of Jerusalem, and they will be a people to me, and I will be God to them, in truth and righteousness.’ 9This is what the Lord of hosts says: ‘May you be of good courage, you who hear in these days these words from the mouth of the prophets who were present on the day when the house of the Lord of hosts was founded, when the temple was to be built. 10For before those days, a man had no wages, and there were no wages for keeping cattle, and there was no peace for him who went about his business, because of affliction. And I sent every man against his neighbour. 11But now, I will not be as in the former days to the remnant of this people, says the Lord of hosts. 12For it will be a seed enjoying peace. The vine will yield its fruit, and the land will yield its produce, and the heavens will give their dew. And I will give all these things as a possession to the remnant of this people. 13And it will come to pass, that just as you were an object of cursing among the Gentiles, O house of Judah and house of Israel, so I will save you, and you will be a blessing. Do not fear; be of good courage.’ 14For this is what the Lord of hosts says: ‘Just as I purposed to bring harm to you when your fathers provoked me to anger, says the Lord of hosts, and I did not repent, 15so I have again purposed in these days to do good to Jerusalem and to the house of Judah; do not fear. 16These are the things which you are to do: speak the truth, each one with his neighbour, and judge in your courts with truth and sound judgment. 17And don't let any of you plot harm in your hearts against his neighbour, and do not love a false oath, for all these things are what I hate, says the Lord.’ ” 18And the word of the Lord of hosts came to me and said, 19“This is what the Lord of hosts says: ‘The fast of the fourth month, and the fast of the fifth, and the fast of the seventh, and the fast of the tenth will be to the house of Judah for rejoicing, and for gladness, and for good festival times, so love truth and peace.’ 20This is what the Lord of hosts says: ‘It will yet be that various peoples will come, and inhabitants of many cities, 21and the inhabitants of one city will go to another and say, «Let us without fail go to entreat the Lord and seek the Lord of hosts. I too will go.» 22And many peoples will come, and powerful nations, to seek the Lord of hosts in Jerusalem, and to entreat the Lord.’ 23This is what the Lord of hosts says: ‘In those days what will happen is that ten men of all the languages of the Gentiles will take hold, namely they will take hold of the hem of the garment of a Jewish man and say, «Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you.» ’ ”

Reference(s) in Chapter 8: v.8 ↔ 2 Corinthians 6:16, Revelation 21:7 ● v.16 ↔ Ephesians 4:25.

Zechariah Chapter 9 

1The burden of the word of the Lord in the land of Hadrach

And Damascus its resting place,

For the Lord has an eye on mankind

And on all the tribes of Israel,

2And Hamath also, which borders on it,

And Tyre, and Sidon,

For it is very wise.

3And Tyre built itself a fortification,

And it heaped up silver like dust,

And fine gold like the mud of the streets.

4The Lord* will take possession of it

And cast its wealth into the sea,

And it will be consumed by fire.

5And Ashkelon will see and be afraid,

And Gaza will tremble greatly,

And Ekron, for its expectation will be put to shame,

And Gaza will lose its kingship,

And Ashkelon will not be inhabited.

6And he who is of mixed race will dwell in Ashdod,

And I will cut off the pride of the Philistines.

7And I will remove their blood sacrifices from their mouth,

And their abominations from between their teeth,

And he who remains will also belong to our God

And will be like a chief in Judah,

And Ekron will be as the Jebusite.

8And I will encamp my house at its station,

Preventing anyone from passing through or returning,

And the taskmaster will no longer pass through against them,

For now I have seen with my eyes.

9Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion,

Shout out, O daughter of Jerusalem.

Behold, your king is coming to you;

He is righteous and saved.

He is lowly,

And riding on a donkey,

And on a colt

– The foal of an ass.

10And I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim,

And the horse from Jerusalem,

And the bow of war will be cut off.

And he will speak peace to the Gentiles,

And his dominion will be from sea to sea,

And from the river to the ends of the earth.

11As for you too,

By the blood of your covenant,

I have released your captives from the pit

Which had no water in it.

12O captives of hope,

Return to the fortress,

For this very day I declare

That I will restore double to you.

13For I have drawn Judah as my bow,

And I have filled it with Ephraim.

And I have awakened your sons, O Zion,

Against your sons, O Greece,

And I have made you like a warrior's sword.

14And the Lord will be seen against them,

And his arrow will go out like lightning,

And my Lord the Lord will sound the ramshorn,

And he will go out in the tempests of the south.

15The Lord of hosts will protect them,

And they will consume and subdue the sling stones,

And they will drink and be boisterous as with wine,

And they will be full, like a sacrificial bowl

And as the corners of the altar.

16And the Lord their God will save them on that day,

As the flock of his people,

For the gemstones of the diadem will be lifted up,

As an ensign over his land.

17For how great is his goodness and his beauty!

Corn will make the youths flourish,

And new wine the virgins.

Reference(s) in Chapter 9: v.9 ↔ Matthew 21:5, John 12:15.

Zechariah Chapter 10 

1Ask for rain from the Lord

In the time of the latter rain.

The Lord makes lightning strikes

And appoints them pouring rain

For vegetables in the field for each person.

2For the household gods speak vanity,

And the diviners see lying visions

And tell false dreams.

They give empty comfort.

That is why they move around like sheep

And are afflicted,

Because there is no shepherd.

3“My anger was kindled against the shepherds,

And I will visit the he-goats,

For the Lord of hosts will visit his flock

– The house of Judah –

And he will make them like his majestic horse in war.

4From him comes the cornerstone,

From him comes the peg,

From him comes the bow of war;

From him every role of taskmaster converges together.

5And they will be as warriors,

Treading down in the mire of the streets in war,

And they will fight,

For the Lord will be with them,

And they will put horseriders to shame.

6And I will make the house of Judah strong,

And I will save the house of Joseph,

And I will give them a dwelling place.

For I will have mercy on them,

And they will be as if I had never thrust them away,

For I am the Lord their God,

And I will answer them.

7And Ephraim will be like a warrior,

And their heart will be glad, as with wine,

And their sons will see and be glad;

Their heart will rejoice in the Lord.

8And I will whistle to them

And gather them,

For I will redeem them,

And they will increase

As they have previously increased.

9And I will sow them among the nations,

And in remote places they will remember me,

And they will live with their sons,

And they will return.

10And I will bring them from the land of Egypt,

And from Assyria I will gather them,

And I will bring them to Gilead and Lebanon,

But the necessary room will not be found for them.

11And with adversity he will pass over the sea,

And he will strike the waves on the sea,

And all the deep places of the river will become dry,

And the pride of Assyria will be brought down,

And the sceptre of Egypt will depart.

12And I will make them strong in the Lord,

And they will walk about in his name,

Says the Lord.”

Zechariah Chapter 11 

1Open your doors, O Lebanon,

And let fire devour your cedars.

2Howl, O cypress tree,

For the cedar has fallen,

For the mighty ones have been spoiled.

Howl, O oaks of Bashan,

For the inaccessible forest has come down.

3Hear the voice of howling of the shepherds,

For their magnificence has been spoiled.

Hear the voice of roaring of lions,

For the excellency of the Jordan has been spoiled.

4This is what the Lord my God says: “Tend the flock of slaughter, 5whose owners slaughter them, but they do not bear the guilt. And each of those who sell them says, ‘Blessed is the Lord, for I have gained riches.’ And their shepherds do not have compassion on them. 6For I will no longer have compassion on the inhabitants of the land, says the Lord, and I am about to deliver up each man into the hand of his neighbour, and into the hand of his king. And enemies will strike the land, but I will not save them from their grip. 7And I tended the flock of slaughter, which is why, O oppressed ones of the flock, I took two rods. One I called Beauty, and the other I called Binders, and I tended the flock. 8And I obliterated three shepherds in one month, for I was impatient with them, and also their whole being loathed me. 9And I said, ‘I will not tend you. Let her that is dying, die, and her that is being obliterated, be obliterated. And as for those who remain, let them eat each other's flesh.’ 10And I took my staff, Beauty, and I broke it asunder, to break my covenant which I made with all the nations. 11And it was broken on that day, and the oppressed of the flock who had regard for me knew this, for it was the word of the Lord. 12And I said to them, ‘If it is good in your sight, give me my wages, and if not, then decline. And they weighed out my wages: thirty silver coins.’ ” 13And the Lord said to me, “Throw it to the potter, the grand sum of the valuation at which I was valued by them.” So I took the thirty silver coins, and I threw them to the potter in the house of the Lord. 14Then I broke my second staff, Binders, to break the brotherhood between Judah and Israel. 15And the Lord said to me, “Get yourself a foolish shepherd's implement again. 16For I am about to raise up a shepherd in the land. He will not take care of those who are being obliterated, he will not seek out that which has been driven out, he will not heal what is broken, he will not sustain what is still standing, but he will eat the meat of fatted calves and tear their hooves apart.

17Woe to the vain shepherd,

Who abandons the flock.

Let a sword be against his arm

And against his right eye.

His arm will completely waste away,

And his right eye will become utterly dim.”

Reference(s) in Chapter 11: v.12 ↔ Matthew 27:9 ● v.13 ↔ Matthew 27:9-10.

Zechariah Chapter 12 

1The burden of the word of the Lord concerning Israel, says the Lord, who stretches out the heavens and is the founder of the earth, and who forms the spirit of man inside him. 2“I am about to make Jerusalem a cup of reeling to all the various peoples round about, and it will also be so concerning Judah, in the siege against Jerusalem. 3And it will come to pass on that day that I will make Jerusalem a burdensome stone to all the various peoples. All who lift it will be utterly cut in pieces, even if all the nations of the earth are gathered against it. 4On that day, says the Lord, I will strike every horse with astonishment, and its rider with madness, and I will open my eyes on the house of Judah, and I will strike every horse of the Gentiles with blindness. 5And the governors of Judah will say in their hearts, ‘The inhabitants of Jerusalem are my strength, through the Lord of hosts their God.’ 6On that day I will make the governors of Judah like a brazier of fire with wood, and as a torch of fire in a sheaf, and they will consume to the right and to the left all the various peoples round about, and Jerusalem will yet be inhabited in its place, in Jerusalem. 7And the Lord will save the tents of Judah first, in order that the splendour of the house of David, and the splendour of the inhabitants of Jerusalem, should not become greater than that of Judah. 8On that day, the Lord will defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and even he among them who stumbles will be on that day like David, and the house of David will be like God, like the angel of the Lord in front of them. 9And it will come to pass on that day that I will strive to destroy all the nations which come against Jerusalem. 10And I will pour out on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and supplications, and they will look on me whom they pierced, and they will mourn for him as the mourning for an only son, and they will weep bitterly over him, as one weeps bitterly for a firstborn son. 11On that day the mourning in Jerusalem will be great, as the mourning of Hadad-Rimmon, in the Valley of Megiddon. 12And the land will mourn, each family apart – the family of the house of David apart, and their wives apart, and the family of the house of Nathan apart, and their wives apart, 13the family of the house of Levi apart, and their wives apart, the family of Shimei apart, and their wives apart, 14and all the families that remain, each family apart, and their wives apart.

Reference(s) in Chapter 12: v.10 ↔ John 19:37, Revelation 1:7 ● v.12 ↔ Matthew 24:30.

Zechariah Chapter 13 

1On that day a fountain will be opened for the house of David, and for the inhabitants of Jerusalem, for sin and for uncleanness. 2And it will come to pass on that day, says the Lord of hosts, that I will cut off the names of the idols from the land, and they will not be remembered any more. And I will also remove the prophets and the unclean spirit from the land. 3And it will come to pass, if a man still prophesies, that his father and his mother who gave him birth will say to him, ‘You shall not live, because you have spoken falsely in the name of the Lord.’ And his father and his mother who gave him birth will thrust him through when he prophesies. 4And it will come to pass on that day that the prophets will be put to shame, each one because of his vision when he prophesies, and they will not wear a hairy cloak in order to deceive. 5And he will say, ‘I am not a prophet; I am a tiller of the ground, for a man has employed me for this from my youth.’ 6Now someone will say to him, ‘What are these wounds on your hands?’ And he will say, ‘They are those with which I was struck by the house of my friends.’

7O sword, awake against my shepherd

And against the man who is my colleague,

Says the Lord of hosts.

Strike the shepherd,

And let the sheep be scattered,

And I will turn my hand to those who are little.

8And it will come to pass in the whole land,

Says the Lord,

That two thirds of it will be cut off and die,

And the third part will remain in it.

9And I will bring the third part into the fire,

And I will refine them as a refiner of silver,

And I will assay them as in assaying 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 my God.’

Reference(s) in Chapter 13: v.1 ↔ John 7:38 ● v.7 ↔ Matthew 26:31, Mark 14:27.

Zechariah Chapter 14 

1Behold, the day of the Lord is coming, and your spoil will be divided in your midst. 2And I will gather all the nations to Jerusalem to war, and the city will be captured, and the houses will be plundered, and the women raped. And half of the city will be deported, but the rest of the people will not be cut off from the city. 3Then the Lord will go out and fight against those nations, as on the day when he fought – on the day of battle. 4And on that day his feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem to the east, and the Mount of Olives will be split in half, eastwards and westwards, and there will be a very big valley, and half of the mountain will move northwards, and half of it southwards. 5And you will flee to the valley of my mountains, for the valley of the mountains will reach Azal, and you will flee as you fled from the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah, and the Lord my God will come. All the holy ones will be with you. 6And it will come to pass on that day that there will be no light; the prized lights will wane. 7And it will come to pass on a certain day – it is known to the Lord that there will be no day and no night. Then it will come to pass in the evening that there will be light. 8And it will come to pass on that day that living water will go out from Jerusalem, half of it to the eastern sea and half of it to the western sea. This will be in summer and in winter. 9And the Lord will be king over all the earth; on that day, the Lord will be one, and his name one. 10All the land will be changed to like the arid tract from Geba to Rimmon, south of Jerusalem. Then it will be lifted up high, and it will be inhabited in its place, from Benjamin's Gate to the place of the first gate – to the Corner Gate – and from the Tower of Hananel to the king's wine vats. 11And they will dwell in it, and there will be no more destruction, and Jerusalem will be inhabited securely. 12And this will be the way of striking in which the Lord will strike all the various peoples who made war against Jerusalem: he will cause their flesh to melt away while they are standing on their feet, and their eyes will melt in their sockets, and their tongue will melt away in their mouth. 13And it will come to pass on that day that there will be a great commotion among them from the Lord, and each one will seize the hand of his neighbour, and his hand will rise against the hand of his neighbour. 14And Judah will also fight in Jerusalem, and the wealth of all the Gentiles round about will be gathered – gold and silver and clothes, in great abundance. 15And that is the way that the striking of the horse, the mule, the camel and the donkey, and all cattle will be, which will be in those camps: it will be according to that way of striking. 16And it will come to pass that all the remainder of all the Gentiles who came against Jerusalem will go up from year to year, to worship the king, the Lord of hosts, and to celebrate the Festival of Tabernacles. 17And it will come to pass that concerning any representative from the families of the earth who does not go up to Jerusalem to worship the king, the Lord of hosts, there will be no rain on them. 18And if the family of Egypt does not go up, and it does not come, then there will be no rain on them; that will be the way of striking with which the Lord will strike the Gentiles who do not go up to celebrate the Festival of Tabernacles. 19That will be the punishment for the sin of Egypt, and the punishment for the sin of all the Gentiles who do not go up to celebrate the Festival of Tabernacles. 20On that day there will be written on the bells of a horse, ‘Holiness to the Lord’. And the pans in the house of the Lord will be as basins before the altar. 21And every pan in Jerusalem and in Judah will be holy to the Lord of hosts, and all those who sacrifice will come and will take some of them, and they will cook in them. And there will not be any Canaanite any longer in the house of the Lord of hosts, on that day.”

Reference(s) in Chapter 14: v.1 ↔ Revelation 1:10 ● v.7 ↔ Revelation 1:10 ● v.8 ↔ John 7:38, Revelation 22:1.


Malachi  

Malachi Chapter 1 

1The burden of the word of the Lord to Israel through the intermediacy of Malachi. 2“I have loved you, says the Lord, but you say, ‘In what way have you loved us?’ Was not Esau Jacob's brother? says the Lord, and I loved Jacob, 3but I hated Esau, and I have made his mountains a desolation, and I have given his inheritance to the desert jackals. 4For Edom says, ‘We have been broken in pieces, but we will build up the waste places again.’ This is what the Lord of hosts says: ‘They may build, but I will pull down, and they will call them the Wicked Territory, and the People with whom the Lord has an Age-abiding Indignation. 5And your eyes will see, and you will say, «May the Lord be magnified above the territory of Israel.» 6A son honours his father, and a servant his master, so if I am a father, where is my honour? And if I am a master, where is my fear? The Lord of hosts says to you, «The priests despise my name.» Yet you say, «In what way do we despise your name?» 7You offer polluted bread on the altar, but you say, «In what way do we pollute you?» In that you say, «The table of the Lord is despicable.» 8And when you offer a blind animal to be sacrificed, is it not wrong? And when you offer a lame or sick animal, is it not wrong? Offer it now to your governor and see if he is pleased with you, or if he commends you, says the Lord of hosts.’ ” 9And now, entreat God, I pray you, that he be gracious to us. This has come about because of your deeds. “Will he commend any of you? says the Lord of hosts. 10Who among you would close the doors? And you do not kindle my altar freely. I have no pleasure in you, says the Lord of hosts, and I will not accept an offering from your hands. 11For my name is great among the Gentiles from the rising of the sun to where it sets, and in every place incense is burnt and offered to my name, and a pure offering, for my name is great among the Gentiles, says the Lord of hosts. 12But you profane it when you say, ‘The table of the Lord* is polluted, and its produce, its fruit, is despicable.’ 13And you said, ‘Look how wearisome it is’, and you disparaged me, says the Lord of hosts, and you brought snatched animals, and lame ones, and sick ones, and you brought them as an offering. Should I be pleased with that from your hand? says the Lord. 14But cursed be he who fraudulently withholds, when there is a male in his flock, and he vows, and he sacrifices a spoiled animal to the Lord*, for I am a great king, says the Lord of hosts, and my name is feared among the Gentiles.

Reference(s) in Chapter 1: v.2 ↔ Romans 9:13 ● v.3 ↔ Romans 9:13.

Malachi Chapter 2 

1And now, this commandment is for you, O priests. 2And if you do not listen, and if you do not lay it to heart, to give honour to my name, says the Lord of hosts, then I will send the curse on you, and I will curse your blessings. And indeed, I have already cursed them, for you are not laying this to heart. 3I am about to rebuke your seed, and I will spread dung on your faces – the dung of your feasts – and you will be taken away to it. 4And you will know that I have sent this commandment to you, that my covenant may be with Levi, says the Lord of hosts. 5My covenant was with him, life and peace, and I gave them to him as a matter of fear, so that he would fear me, and so that he would be put in awe, on account of my name. 6There was a law of truth in his mouth, and injustice was not found on his lips. He walked with me in peace and equity, and he recovered many from iniquity. 7For the lips of a priest should guard knowledge, and they should seek the law from his pronouncements, for he is the messenger from the Lord of hosts. 8But you have departed from the way, you have caused many to stumble in the law, and you have perverted the covenant of Levi, says the Lord of hosts. 9So I too will make you despised and lowly regarded by all the people, according as you do not guard my ways, and you show partiality in administering the law. 10Do we not all have one father? Did not one God create us? Why do we deal faithlessly one to his brother, so violating the covenant of our fathers? 11Judah has been treacherous, and an abomination has been perpetrated in Israel and in Jerusalem, for Judah has profaned the Lord's holiness, in that he loved and married the daughter of a strange god. 12May the Lord cut off any man who does this, whether on guard or whether answering a watchword challenge from the tents of Jacob, even if he brings an offering to the Lord of hosts. 13And this second thing you do (while covering the Lord's altar with tears, with weeping and groaning), so that he no longer respects the offering, to receive it with delight from your hands. 14And yet you say, ‘Why?’ Because the Lord testifies the case between you and the wife of your youth, that you dealt treacherously with her, but she was your companion, and your wife by your covenant. 15And did he not make you one? And he has the residue of the spirit. And why one? He is seeking a seed of God, so you must be on guard in your spirit, and do not deal faithlessly with the wife of your youth. 16For the Lord God of Israel says that he hates divorce, as one covers up violence with one's clothes, says the Lord of hosts, so be on your guard in your spirit, and do not deal faithlessly. 17You have wearied the Lord with your words, yet you say, ‘In what way have we wearied him?’ In that you say, ‘Everyone who does wrong is good in the eyes of the Lord, and he is pleased with them’, or, ‘Where is the God of judgment?’

Malachi Chapter 3 

1I am about to send my messenger, and he will prepare a way before me. Then the Lord, whom you seek, will suddenly come to his temple, and the messenger of the covenant in whom you delight. Behold, he is coming, says the Lord of hosts. 2And

Who can endure the day of his coming?

And who can stand at his appearing?

For he is like a refiner's fire,

And like fullers' lye.

3And he will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and he will purify the sons of Levi, and he will refine them like gold and silver, and they will become offerers of the meal-offering to the Lord in righteousness. 4And the offering of Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasing to the Lord, as in the days of an age past, and as in former years. 5And I will draw near to you for justice, and I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers and against adulterers, and against those who swear falsely, and against those who defraud the hired labourer of his wages, the widow and the orphan, and those who pervert the case of the foreigner, and who do not fear me, says the Lord of hosts. 6For I am the Lord; I do not change, and you sons of Jacob have not perished. 7Since the days of your fathers, you have departed from my statutes and have not kept them. Return to me, and I will return to you, says the Lord of hosts. But you say, ‘In what way should we return?’ 8Can a man defraud God? For you are defrauding me. But you say, ‘In what way do we defraud you?’ In tithing and in the heave-offering. 9You curse with a curse, and you are defrauding me – all the nation. 10Bring all of the tithe to the treasury, so that there is provision in my house. And test me, please, in this matter, says the Lord of hosts, whether or not I will open for you the windows of heaven and empty out an abundant blessing on you. 11And I will rebuke the consuming locust for you, and it will not ruin your fruit of the ground, and it will not cause the vine in the field to be unfruitful, says the Lord of hosts. 12And all the nations will call you blessed, for you will be a delightful land, says the Lord of hosts. 13Your words have been obstinate against me, says the Lord, yet you say, ‘In what way have we spoken together against you?’ 14You say, ‘It is vain to serve God, and what profit is there that we keep his charge, and that we walk mournfully before the Lord of hosts? 15And so now we call those who are presumptuous blessed, and who also claim that those who act wickedly are firmly established, and even that those who put God to the test escape without consequence.’ ” 16Then those who feared the Lord spoke together, one to another, and the Lord hearkened and heard, and a book of remembrance was written before him, of those who feared the Lord and those who respected his name. 17“And they will be mine, says the Lord of hosts, on the day when I make them a special possession. And I will have compassion on them, as a man has compassion on his son who serves him. 18And you will return, and you will see the difference between the righteous and the wicked, and between him who serves God and him who does not serve him.

Reference(s) in Chapter 3: v.1 ↔ Matthew 11:10, Mark 1:2, Luke 1:17, Luke 7:27 ● v.2 ↔ Revelation 6:17.

Malachi Chapter 4 

1For behold, the day is coming, burning like a furnace, and all the presumptuous, and all those who act wickedly will be like chaff. And that coming day will set them on fire, says the Lord of hosts, who will not leave them root or branch. 2And the sun of righteousness will rise on you who fear my name, and healing will be in its wings, and you will go out and thrive like fatted calves of the stall. 3And you will tread down the wicked, for they will be as ashes under the soles of your feet, on the day when I do this, says the Lord of hosts. 4Remember the law of Moses my servant, whom I commanded at Horeb, concerning all Israel, with statutes and judicature. 5Behold, I am going to send you Elijah the prophet, before the coming of the great and terrible day of the Lord, 6and he will turn the hearts of the fathers to the sons, and the hearts of the sons to their fathers, lest I come and strike the earth with sacred destruction.”

Reference(s) in Chapter 4: v.5 ↔ Luke 1:17, Revelation 1:10 ● v.6 ↔ Luke 1:17.