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God called the light “day,” and the darkness he called “night.” There was an evening, and there was a morning: one day.
So God made the expanse and separated the water under the expanse from the water above the expanse. And it was so.
Then God said, “Let the water swarm with[fn] living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the expanse of the sky.”
Then the LORD God formed the man out of the dust from the ground and breathed the breath of life into his nostrils, and the man became a living being.
The LORD God caused to grow out of the ground every tree pleasing in appearance and good for food, including the tree of life in the middle of the garden, as well as the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden at the time of the evening breeze,[fn] and they hid from the LORD God among the trees of the garden.
Cain said to his brother Abel, “Let's go out to the field.”[fn] And while they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him.
“So now you are cursed, alienated from the ground that opened its mouth to receive your brother's blood you have shed.[fn]
A son was born to Seth also, and he named him Enosh. At that time people began to call on the name of the LORD.
he created them male and female. When they were created, he blessed them and called them mankind.[fn]
Adam was 130 years old when he fathered a son in his likeness, according to his image, and named him Seth.
Adam lived 800 years after he fathered Seth, and he fathered other sons and daughters.
Seth lived 807 years after he fathered Enosh, and he fathered other sons and daughters.
Enosh lived 815 years after he fathered Kenan, and he fathered other sons and daughters.
Kenan lived 840 years after he fathered Mahalalel, and he fathered other sons and daughters.
Mahalalel lived 830 years after he fathered Jared, and he fathered other sons and daughters.
Jared lived 800 years after he fathered Enoch, and he fathered other sons and daughters.
And after he fathered Methuselah, Enoch walked with God 300 years and fathered other sons and daughters.
Methuselah lived 782 years after he fathered Lamech, and he fathered other sons and daughters.
And he named him Noah,[fn] saying, “This one will bring us relief from the agonizing labor of our hands, caused by the ground the LORD has cursed.”
Lamech lived 595 years after he fathered Noah, and he fathered other sons and daughters.
“This is how you are to make it: The ark will be 450 feet long, 75 feet wide, and 45 feet high.[fn]
So Noah, his sons, his wife, and his sons' wives entered the ark because of the floodwaters.
and he sent out a raven. It went back and forth until the water had dried up from the earth.
When the dove came to him at evening, there was a plucked olive leaf in its beak. So Noah knew that the water on the earth's surface had gone down.
Then Noah built an altar to the LORD. He took some of every kind of clean animal and every kind of clean bird and offered burnt offerings on the altar.
“I have placed my bow in the clouds, and it will be a sign of the covenant between me and the earth.
Then Shem and Japheth took a cloak and placed it over both their shoulders, and walking backward, they covered their father's nakedness. Their faces were turned away, and they did not see their father naked.
After he fathered Arpachshad, Shem lived 500 years and fathered other sons and daughters.
After he fathered Shelah, Arpachshad lived 403 years and fathered other sons and daughters.
After he fathered Eber, Shelah lived 403 years and fathered other sons and daughters.
After he fathered Peleg, Eber lived 430 years and fathered other sons and daughters.
After he fathered Nahor, Serug lived 200 years and fathered other sons and daughters.
After he fathered Terah, Nahor lived 119 years and fathered other sons and daughters.
I will make you into a great nation,
I will bless you,
I will make your name great,
and you will be a blessing.
Abram passed through the land to the site of Shechem, at the oak of Moreh. (At that time the Canaanites were in the land.)
From there he moved on to the hill country east of Bethel and pitched his tent, with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east. He built an altar to the LORD there, and he called on the name of the LORD.
He went by stages from the Negev to Bethel, to the place between Bethel and Ai where his tent had formerly been,
to the site where he had built the altar. And Abram called on the name of the LORD there.
After Lot had separated from him, the LORD said to Abram, “Look from the place where you are. Look north and south, east and west,
“I will make your offspring like the dust of the earth, so that if anyone could count the dust of the earth, then your offspring could be counted.
“Get up and walk around the land, through its length and width, for I will give it to you.”
After Abram returned from defeating Chedorlaomer and the kings who were with him, the king of Sodom went out to meet him in the Shaveh Valley (that is, the King's Valley).
“However, I will judge the nation they serve, and afterward they will go out with many possessions.
The angel of the LORD said to her, “I will greatly multiply your offspring, and they will be too many to count.”
The angel of the LORD said to her, “You have conceived and will have a son. You will name him Ishmael,[fn] for the LORD has heard your cry of affliction.
So Hagar gave birth to Abram's son, and Abram named his son (whom Hagar bore) Ishmael.
But God said, “No. Your wife Sarah will bear you a son, and you will name him Isaac.[fn] I will confirm my covenant with him as a permanent covenant for his future offspring.
“Let a little water be brought, that you may wash your feet and rest yourselves under the tree.
“You could not possibly do such a thing: to kill the righteous with the wicked, treating the righteous and the wicked alike. You could not possibly do that! Won't the Judge of the whole earth do what is just? ”
As soon as the angels got them outside, one of them[fn] said, “Run for your lives! Don't look back and don't stop anywhere on the plain! Run to the mountains, or you will be swept away! ”
“Your servant has indeed found favor with you, and you have shown me great kindness by saving my life. But I can't run to the mountains; the disaster will overtake me, and I will die.
“Hurry up! Run to it, for I cannot do anything until you get there.” Therefore the name of the city is Zoar.[fn]
The firstborn gave birth to a son and named him Moab.[fn] He is the father of the Moabites of today.
The younger also gave birth to a son, and she named him Ben-ammi.[fn] He is the father of the Ammonites of today.
Early in the morning Abimelech got up, called all his servants together, and personally[fn] told them all these things, and the men were terrified.
Sarah became pregnant and bore a son to Abraham in his old age, at the appointed time God had told him.
Early in the morning Abraham got up, took bread and a waterskin, put them on Hagar's shoulders, and sent her and the boy away. She left and wandered in the Wilderness of Beer-sheba.
Then God opened her eyes, and she saw a well. So she went and filled the waterskin and gave the boy a drink.
“Swear to me by God here and now, that you will not break an agreement with me or with my children and descendants. As I have been loyal to you, so you will be loyal to me and to the country where you are a resident alien.”
Abimelech replied, “I don't know who did this thing. You didn't report anything to me, so I hadn't heard about it until today.”
He replied, “You are to accept the seven ewe lambs from me so that this act[fn] will serve as my witness that I dug this well.”
Therefore that place was called Beer-sheba[fn] because it was there that the two of them swore an oath.
Abraham planted a tamarisk tree in Beer-sheba, and there he called on the name of the LORD, the Everlasting God.
So Abraham got up early in the morning, saddled his donkey, and took with him two of his young men and his son Isaac. He split wood for a burnt offering and set out to go to the place God had told him about.
Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and laid it on his son Isaac. In his hand he took the fire and the knife, and the two of them walked on together.
Then Isaac spoke to his father Abraham and said, “My father.”
And he replied, “Here I am, my son.”
Isaac said, “The fire and the wood are here, but where is the lamb for the burnt offering? ”
When they arrived at the place that God had told him about, Abraham built the altar there and arranged the wood. He bound his son Isaac[fn] and placed him on the altar on top of the wood.
Then he said, “Do not lay a hand on the boy or do anything to him. For now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your only son from me.”
and said, “By myself I have sworn,” this is the LORD's declaration: “Because you have done this thing and have not withheld your only son,
“I will indeed bless you and make your offspring as numerous as the stars of the sky and the sand on the seashore. Your offspring will possess the city gates of their[fn] enemies.
Abraham went back to his young men, and they got up and went together to Beer-sheba. And Abraham settled in Beer-sheba.
“to give me the cave of Machpelah that belongs to him; it is at the end of his field. Let him give it to me in your presence, for the full price, as burial property.”
“No, my lord. Listen to me. I give you the field, and I give you the cave that is in it. I give it to you in the sight[fn] of my people. Bury your dead.”
and said to Ephron in the hearing of the people of the land, “Listen to me, if you please. Let me pay the price of the field. Accept it from me, and let me bury my dead there.”
Abraham agreed with Ephron, and Abraham weighed out to Ephron the silver that he had agreed to in the hearing of the Hethites: four hundred standard shekels[fn] of silver.
At evening, the time when women went out to draw water, he made the camels kneel beside a well outside the town.
She quickly emptied her jug into the trough and hurried to the well again to draw water. She drew water for all his camels
“Sarah, my master's wife, bore a son to my master in her[fn] old age, and he has given him everything he owns.
Now Isaac was returning from Beer-lahai-roi,[fn] for he was living in the Negev region.
In the early evening Isaac went out to walk[fn] in the field, and looking up he saw camels coming.
and asked the servant, “Who is that man in the field coming to meet us? ”
The servant answered, “It is my master.” So she took her veil and covered herself.
His sons Isaac and Ishmael buried him in the cave of Machpelah near Mamre, in the field of Ephron son of Zohar the Hethite.
This was the field that Abraham bought from the Hethites. Abraham was buried there with his wife Sarah.
This is the length[fn] of Ishmael's life: 137 years. He took his last breath and died, and was gathered to his people.
After this, his brother came out grasping Esau's heel with his hand. So he was named Jacob.[fn] Isaac was sixty years old when they were born.
“I will make your offspring as numerous as the stars of the sky, I will give your offspring all these lands, and all the nations of the earth will be blessed[fn] by your offspring,
Isaac reopened the wells that had been dug in the days of his father Abraham and that the Philistines had stopped up after Abraham died. He gave them the same names his father had given them.
But the herdsmen of Gerar quarreled with Isaac's herdsmen and said, “The water is ours! ” So he named the well Esek[fn] because they argued with him.
Then they dug another well and quarreled over that one also, so he named it Sitnah.[fn]
He moved from there and dug another, and they did not quarrel over it. He named it Rehoboth[fn] and said, “For now the LORD has made space for us, and we will be fruitful in the land.”
and the LORD appeared to him that night and said, “I am the God of your father Abraham. Do not be afraid, for I am with you. I will bless you and multiply your offspring because of my servant Abraham.”
So he built an altar there, called on the name of the LORD, and pitched his tent there. Isaac's servants also dug a well there.
They got up early in the morning and swore an oath to each other.[fn] Isaac sent them on their way, and they left him in peace.
When Isaac was old and his eyes were so weak that he could not see, he called his older son Esau and said to him, “My son.”
And he answered, “Here I am.”
“So now take your hunting gear, your quiver and bow, and go out in the field to hunt some game for me.
Now Rebekah was listening to what Isaac said to his son Esau. So while Esau went to the field to hunt some game to bring in,
As soon as Isaac had finished blessing Jacob and Jacob had left the presence of his father Isaac, his brother Esau arrived from his hunting.
Early in the morning Jacob took the stone that was near his head and set it up as a marker. He poured oil on top of it
The shepherds would roll the stone from the opening of the well and water the sheep when all the flocks[fn] were gathered there. Then they would return the stone to its place over the well's opening.
When Laban heard the news about his sister's son Jacob, he ran to meet him, hugged him, and kissed him. Then he took him to his house, and Jacob told him all that had happened.
So Jacob worked seven years for Rachel, and they seemed like only a few days to him because of his love for her.
Leah conceived, gave birth to a son, and named him Reuben,[fn] for she said, “The LORD has seen my affliction; surely my husband will love me now.”
She conceived again, gave birth to a son, and said, “The LORD heard that I am neglected and has given me this son also.” So she named him Simeon.[fn]
She conceived again, gave birth to a son, and said, “At last, my husband will become attached to me because I have borne three sons for him.” Therefore he was named Levi.[fn]
And she conceived again, gave birth to a son, and said, “This time I will praise the LORD.” Therefore she named him Judah.[fn] Then Leah stopped having children.
Rachel said, “God has vindicated me; yes, he has heard me and given me a son,” so she named him Dan.[fn]
Leah said, “God has rewarded me for giving my slave to my husband,” and she named him Issachar.[fn]
“God has given me a good gift,” Leah said. “This time my husband will honor me because I have borne six sons for him,” and she named him Zebulun.[fn]
Laban asked, “What should I give you? ”
And Jacob said, “You don't need to give me anything. If you do this one thing for me, I will continue to shepherd and keep your flock.
Jacob then took branches of fresh poplar, almond, and plane wood, and peeled the bark, exposing white stripes on the branches.
He set the peeled branches in the troughs in front of the sheep — in the water channels where the sheep came to drink. And the sheep bred when they came to drink.
And Jacob saw from Laban's face that his attitude toward him was not the same as before.
He said to them, “I can see from your father's face that his attitude toward me is not the same as before, but the God of my father has been with me.
“Are we not regarded by him as outsiders? For he has sold us and has certainly spent our purchase price.
He fled with all his possessions, crossed the Euphrates, and headed for[fn] the hill country of Gilead.
Laban got up early in the morning, kissed his grandchildren and daughters, and blessed them. Then Laban left to return home.
When he saw them, Jacob said, “This is God's camp.” So he called that place Mahanaim.[fn]
He thought, “If Esau comes to one camp and attacks it, the remaining one can escape.”
“You have said, ‘I will cause you to prosper, and I will make your offspring like the sand of the sea, too numerous to be counted.' ”
He also told the second one, the third, and everyone who was walking behind the animals, “Say the same thing to Esau when you find him.
“You are also to say, ‘Look, your servant Jacob is right behind us.' ” For he thought, “I want to appease Esau with the gift that is going ahead of me. After that, I can face him, and perhaps he will forgive me.”
When the man saw that he could not defeat him, he struck Jacob's hip socket as they wrestled and dislocated his hip.
Then Jacob asked him, “Please tell me your name.”
But he answered, “Why do you ask my name? ” And he blessed him there.
Jacob then named the place Peniel,[fn] “For I have seen God face to face,” he said, “yet my life has been spared.”
That is why, still today, the Israelites don't eat the thigh muscle that is at the hip socket: because he struck Jacob's hip socket at the thigh muscle.[fn]
But Jacob said, “No, please! If I have found favor with you, take this gift from me. For indeed, I have seen your face, and it is like seeing God's face, since you have accepted me.
but Jacob went to Succoth. He built a house for himself and shelters for his livestock; that is why the place was called Succoth.[fn]
“We cannot do this thing,” they said to them. “Giving our sister to an uncircumcised man is a disgrace to us.
The young man did not delay doing this, because he was delighted with Jacob's daughter. Now he was the most important in all his father's family.
Jacob built an altar there and called the place El-bethel[fn] because it was there that God had revealed himself to him when he was fleeing from his brother.
He took his last breath and died, and was gathered to his people, old and full of days. His sons Esau and Jacob buried him.
“There we were, binding sheaves of grain in the field. Suddenly my sheaf stood up, and your sheaves gathered around it and bowed down to my sheaf.”
Judah said to his brothers, “What do we gain if we kill our brother and cover up his blood?
But then he pulled his hand back, out came his brother, and she said, “What a breakout you have made for yourself! ” So he was named Perez.[fn]
Then his brother, who had the scarlet thread tied to his hand, came out, and was named Zerah.[fn]
From the time that he put him in charge of his household and of all that he owned, the LORD blessed the Egyptian's house because of Joseph. The LORD's blessing was on all that he owned, in his house and in his fields.
“No one in this house is greater than I am. He has withheld nothing from me except you, because you are his wife. So how could I do this immense evil, and how could I sin against God? ”
and had him thrown into prison, where the king's prisoners were confined. So Joseph was there in prison.
The warden put all the prisoners who were in the prison under Joseph's authority,[fn] and he was responsible for everything that was done there.
The warden did not bother with anything under Joseph's authority,[fn] because the LORD was with him, and the LORD made everything that he did successful.
and put them in custody in the house of the captain of the guards in the prison where Joseph was confined.
So the chief cupbearer told his dream to Joseph: “In my dream there was a vine in front of me.
“Pharaoh's cup was in my hand, and I took the grapes, squeezed them into Pharaoh's cup, and placed the cup in Pharaoh's hand.”
“In just three days Pharaoh will lift up your head and restore you to your position. You will put Pharaoh's cup in his hand the way you used to when you were his cupbearer.
Pharaoh restored the chief cupbearer to his position as cupbearer, and he placed the cup in Pharaoh's hand.
After them, seven other cows, sickly and thin, came up from the Nile and stood beside those cows along the bank of the Nile.
He fell asleep and dreamed a second time: Seven heads of grain, plump and good, came up on one stalk.
When morning came, he was troubled, so he summoned all the magicians of Egypt and all its wise men. Pharaoh told them his dreams, but no one could interpret them for him.
“I am not able to,” Joseph answered Pharaoh. “It is God who will give Pharaoh a favorable answer.”[fn]
“Since the dream was given twice to Pharaoh, it means that the matter has been determined by God, and he will carry it out soon.
He had Joseph ride in his second chariot, and servants called out before him, “Make way! ”[fn] So he placed him over all the land of Egypt.
Joseph named the firstborn Manasseh[fn] and said, “God has made me forget all my hardship and my whole family.”
And the second son he named Ephraim[fn] and said, “God has made me fruitful in the land of my affliction.”
But Reuben replied, “Didn't I tell you not to harm the boy? But you wouldn't listen. Now we must account for his blood! ”[fn]
Joseph then gave orders to fill their containers with grain, return each man's silver to his sack, and give them provisions for their journey. This order was carried out.
But Jacob answered, “My son will not go down with you, for his brother is dead and he alone is left. If anything happens to him on your journey, you will bring my gray hairs down to Sheol in sorrow.”
But Judah said to him, “The man specifically warned us, ‘You will not see me again unless your brother is with you.'
“But if you will not send him, we will not go, for the man said to us, ‘You will not see me again unless your brother is with you.' ”
Then Judah said to his father Israel, “Send the boy with me. We will be on our way so that we may live and not die — neither we, nor you, nor our dependents.
“Take twice as much silver with you. Return the silver that was returned to you in the top of your bags. Perhaps it was a mistake.
The men took this gift, double the amount of silver, and Benjamin. They immediately went down to Egypt and stood before Joseph.
But the men were afraid because they were taken to Joseph's house. They said, “We have been brought here because of the silver that was returned in our bags the first time. They intend to overpower us, seize us, make us slaves, and take our donkeys.”
“When we came to the place where we lodged for the night and opened our bags of grain, each one's silver was at the top of his bag! It was the full amount of our silver, and we have brought it back with us.
“We have brought additional silver with us to buy food. We don't know who put our silver in the bags.”
Then the steward said, “May you be well. Don't be afraid. Your God and the God of your father must have put treasure in your bags. I received your silver.” Then he brought Simeon out to them.
Joseph hurried out because he was overcome with emotion for his brother, and he was about to weep. He went into an inner room and wept there.
Then he washed his face and came out. Regaining his composure, he said, “Serve the meal.”
Joseph commanded his steward, “Fill the men's bags with as much food as they can carry, and put each one's silver at the top of his bag.
“Put my cup, the silver one, at the top of the youngest one's bag, along with the silver for his grain.” So he did as Joseph told him.
“Isn't this the cup that my master drinks from and uses for divination? What you have done is wrong! ' ”
They said to him, “Why does my lord say these things? Your servants could not possibly do such a thing.
“We even brought back to you from the land of Canaan the silver we found at the top of our bags. How could we steal silver or gold from your master's house?
The steward searched, beginning with the oldest and ending with the youngest, and the cup was found in Benjamin's sack.
Then Joseph said, “I swear that I will not do this. The man in whose possession the cup was found will be my slave. The rest of you can go in peace to your father.”
“Then you said to your servants, ‘If your younger brother does not come down with you, you will not see me again.'
“We told him, ‘We cannot go down unless our younger brother goes with us. If our younger brother isn't with us, we cannot see the man.'
“If you also take this one from me and anything happens to him, you will bring my gray hairs down to Sheol in sorrow.'
“So if I come to your servant my father and the boy is not with us — his life is wrapped up with the boy's life —
“when he sees that the boy is not with us, he will die. Then your servants will have brought the gray hairs of your servant our father down to Sheol in sorrow.
“Your servant became accountable to my father for the boy, saying, ‘If I do not return him to you, I will always bear the guilt for sinning against you, my father.'
Israel set out with all that he had and came to Beer-sheba, and he offered sacrifices to the God of his father Isaac.
His sons and grandsons, his daughters and granddaughters, indeed all his offspring, he brought with him to Egypt.
Then Israel said to Joseph, “I'm ready to die now because I have seen your face and you are still alive! ”
Joseph collected all the silver to be found in the land of Egypt and the land of Canaan in exchange for the grain they were purchasing, and he brought the silver to Pharaoh's palace.
“At harvest, you are to give a fifth of it to Pharaoh, and four-fifths will be yours as seed for the field and as food for yourselves, your households, and your dependents.”
“When I rest with my ancestors, carry me away from Egypt and bury me in their burial place.”
Joseph answered, “I will do what you have asked.”
And Jacob said, “Swear to me.” So Joseph swore to him. Then Israel bowed in thanks at the head of his bed.[fn]
Israel said to Joseph, “I never expected to see your face again, but now God has even let me see your offspring.”
“He saw that his resting place was good
and that the land was pleasant,
so he leaned his shoulder to bear a load
and became a forced laborer.
“Benjamin is a wolf; he tears his prey.
In the morning he devours the prey,
and in the evening he divides the plunder.”
“The cave is in the field of Machpelah near Mamre, in the land of Canaan. This is the field Abraham purchased from Ephron the Hethite as burial property.
When they reached the threshing floor of Atad, which is across the Jordan, they lamented and wept loudly, and Joseph mourned seven days for his father.
When the Canaanite inhabitants of the land saw the mourning at the threshing floor of Atad, they said, “This is a solemn mourning on the part of the Egyptians.” Therefore the place is named Abel-mizraim.[fn] It is across the Jordan.
They carried him to the land of Canaan and buried him in the cave at Machpelah in the field near Mamre, which Abraham had purchased as burial property from Ephron the Hethite.
So the king of Egypt summoned the midwives and asked them, “Why have you done this and let the boys live? ”
But when she could no longer hide him, she got a papyrus basket for him and coated it with asphalt and pitch. She placed the child in it and set it among the reeds by the bank of the Nile.
Then his sister said to Pharaoh's daughter, “Should I go and call a Hebrew woman who is nursing to nurse the boy for you? ”
Then Pharaoh's daughter said to her, “Take this child and nurse him for me, and I will pay your wages.” So the woman took the boy and nursed him.
When the child grew older, she brought him to Pharaoh's daughter, and he became her son. She named him Moses,[fn] “Because,” she said, “I drew him out of the water.”
When Pharaoh heard about this, he tried to kill Moses. But Moses fled from Pharaoh and went to live in the land of Midian, and sat down by a well.
She gave birth to a son whom he named Gershom,[fn] for he said, “I have been a resident alien in a foreign land.”
So Moses thought, “I must go over and look at this remarkable sight. Why isn't the bush burning up? ”
“Do not come closer,” he said. “Remove the sandals from your feet, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.”
Then he continued, “I am the God of your father,[fn] the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” Moses hid his face because he was afraid to look at God.
“And if they don't believe even these two signs or listen to what you say, take some water from the Nile and pour it on the dry ground. The water you take from the Nile will become blood on the ground.”
“You will speak with him and tell him what to say. I will help both you and him to speak[fn] and will teach you both what to do.
The overseers insisted, “Finish your assigned work each day, just as you did when straw was provided.”
Then the Israelite foremen, whom Pharaoh's slave drivers had set over the people, were beaten and asked, “Why haven't you finished making your prescribed number of bricks yesterday or today, as you did before? ”
The Israelite foremen saw that they were in trouble when they were told, “You cannot reduce your daily quota of bricks.”
“I appeared to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob as God Almighty, but I was not known to them by my name ‘the LORD.'[fn]
“Go to Pharaoh in the morning. When you see him walking out to the water, stand ready to meet him by the bank of the Nile. Take in your hand the staff that turned into a snake.
“This is what the LORD says: Here is how you will know that I am the LORD. Watch. I am about to strike the water in the Nile with the staff in my hand, and it will turn to blood.
Moses and Aaron did just as the LORD had commanded; in the sight of Pharaoh and his officials, he raised the staff and struck the water in the Nile, and all the water in the Nile was turned to blood.
Then the LORD said to Moses, “Tell Aaron: Stretch out your staff and strike the dust of the land, and it will become gnats[fn] throughout the land of Egypt.”
And they did this. Aaron stretched out his hand with his staff, and when he struck the dust of the land, gnats were on people and animals. All the dust of the land became gnats throughout the land of Egypt.
The LORD said to Moses, “Get up early in the morning and present yourself to Pharaoh when you see him going out to the water. Tell him: This is what the LORD says: Let my people go, so that they may worship[fn] me.
The LORD did this the next day. All the Egyptian livestock died, but none among the Israelite livestock died.
Then the LORD said to Moses, “Get up early in the morning and present yourself to Pharaoh. Tell him: This is what the LORD, the God of the Hebrews says: Let my people go, so that they may worship me.
“However, I have let you live for this purpose: to show you my power and to make my name known on the whole earth.
Those among Pharaoh's officials who feared the word of the LORD made their servants and livestock flee to shelters,
but those who didn't take to heart the LORD's word left their servants and livestock in the field.
So Moses stretched out his staff toward heaven, and the LORD sent thunder and hail. Lightning struck the land, and the LORD rained hail on the land of Egypt.
Pharaoh sent for Moses and Aaron. “I have sinned this time,” he said to them. “The LORD is the righteous one, and I and my people are the guilty ones.
The flax and the barley were destroyed because the barley was ripe[fn] and the flax was budding,
“They will cover the surface of the land so that no one will be able to see the land. They will eat the remainder left to you that escaped the hail; they will eat every tree you have growing in the fields.
Pharaoh said to him, “Leave me! Make sure you never see my face again, for on the day you see my face, you will die.”
“If the household is too small for a whole animal, that person and the neighbor nearest his house are to select one based on the combined number of people; you should apportion the animal according to what each will eat.
“You are to keep it until the fourteenth day of this month; then the whole assembly of the community of Israel will slaughter the animals at twilight.
“The blood on the houses where you are staying will be a distinguishing mark for you; when I see the blood, I will pass over you. No plague will be among you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt.
Then Moses summoned all the elders of Israel and said to them, “Go, select an animal from the flock according to your families, and slaughter the Passover animal.
“When the LORD passes through to strike Egypt and sees the blood on the lintel and the two doorposts, he will pass over the door and not let the destroyer enter your houses to strike you.
So the people took their dough before it was leavened, with their kneading bowls wrapped up in their clothes on their shoulders.
The people baked the dough they had brought out of Egypt into unleavened loaves, since it had no yeast; for when they were driven out of Egypt, they could not delay and had not prepared provisions for themselves.
“If an alien resides among you and wants to observe the LORD's Passover, every male in his household must be circumcised, and then he may participate;[fn] he will become like a native of the land. But no uncircumcised person may eat it.
They said to Moses, “Is it because there are no graves in Egypt that you have taken us away to die in the wilderness? What have you done to us by bringing us out of Egypt?
“As for you, lift up your staff, stretch out your hand over the sea, and divide it so that the Israelites can go through the sea on dry ground.
and the Israelites went through the sea on dry ground, with the waters like a wall to them on their right and their left.
So Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and at daybreak the sea returned to its normal depth. While the Egyptians were trying to escape from it, the LORD threw them into the sea.
That day the LORD saved Israel from the power of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the seashore.
But you blew with your breath,
and the sea covered them.
They sank like lead
in the mighty waters.
When Pharaoh's horses with his chariots and horsemen went into the sea, the LORD brought the water of the sea back over them. But the Israelites walked through the sea on dry ground.
Then the prophetess Miriam, Aaron's sister, took a tambourine in her hand, and all the women came out following her with tambourines and dancing.
So he cried out to the LORD, and the LORD showed him a tree. When he threw it into the water, the water became drinkable.
The LORD made a statute and ordinance for them at Marah, and he tested them there.
Then the LORD said to Moses, “I am going to rain bread from heaven for you. The people are to go out each day and gather enough for that day. This way I will test them to see whether or not they will follow my instructions.
“On the sixth day, when they prepare what they bring in, it will be twice as much as they gather on other days.”[fn]
Moses continued, “The LORD will give you meat to eat this evening and all the bread you want in the morning, for he has heard the complaints that you are raising against him. Who are we? Your complaints are not against us but against the LORD.”
“I have heard the complaints of the Israelites. Tell them: At twilight you will eat meat, and in the morning you will eat bread until you are full. Then you will know that I am the LORD your God.”
So at evening quail came and covered the camp. In the morning there was a layer of dew all around the camp.
When they measured it by quarts,[fn] the person who gathered a lot had no surplus, and the person who gathered a little had no shortage. Each gathered as much as he needed to eat.
But they didn't listen to Moses; some people left part of it until morning, and it bred worms and stank. Therefore Moses was angry with them.
They gathered it every morning. Each gathered as much as he needed to eat, but when the sun grew hot, it melted.
He told them, “This is what the LORD has said: ‘Tomorrow is a day of complete rest, a holy Sabbath to the LORD. Bake what you want to bake, and boil what you want to boil, and set aside everything left over to be kept until morning.' ”
So they set it aside until morning as Moses commanded, and it didn't stink or have maggots in it.
The house of Israel named the substance manna.[fn] It resembled coriander seed, was white, and tasted like wafers made with honey.
Moses said, “This is what the LORD has commanded: ‘Two quarts[fn] of it are to be preserved throughout your generations, so that they may see the bread I fed you in the wilderness when I brought you out of the land of Egypt.' ”
Moses told Aaron, “Take a container and put two quarts[fn] of manna in it. Then place it before the LORD to be preserved throughout your generations.”
The Israelites ate manna for forty years, until they came to an inhabited land. They ate manna until they reached the border of the land of Canaan.
The LORD then said to Moses, “Write this down on a scroll as a reminder and recite it to Joshua: I will completely blot out the memory of Amalek under heaven.”
and the other Eliezer (because he had said, “The God of my father was my helper and rescued me from Pharaoh's sword”).[fn]
“They should judge the people at all times. Then they can bring you every major case but judge every minor case themselves. In this way you will lighten your load,[fn] and they will bear it with you.
“If you do this, and God so directs you, you will be able to endure, and also all these people will be able to go home satisfied.”[fn]
Moses went up the mountain to God, and the LORD called to him from the mountain: “This is what you must say to the house of Jacob and explain to the Israelites:
“and be prepared by the third day, for on the third day the LORD will come down on Mount Sinai in the sight of all the people.
“Put boundaries for the people all around the mountain and say: Be careful that you don't go up on the mountain or touch its base. Anyone who touches the mountain must be put to death.
“No hand may touch him;[fn] instead he will be stoned or shot with arrows and not live, whether animal or human. When the ram's horn sounds a long blast, they may go up the mountain.”
Then Moses brought the people out of the camp to meet God, and they stood at the foot of the mountain.
Mount Sinai was completely enveloped in smoke because the LORD came down on it in fire. Its smoke went up like the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mountain shook violently.
The LORD came down on Mount Sinai at the top of the mountain. Then the LORD summoned Moses to the top of the mountain, and he went up.
Moses responded to the LORD, “The people cannot come up Mount Sinai, since you warned us: Put a boundary around the mountain and consecrate it.”
Do not misuse the name of the LORD your God, because the LORD will not leave anyone unpunished who misuses his name.
“Make an earthen altar for me, and sacrifice on it your burnt offerings and fellowship offerings, your flocks and herds. I will come to you and bless you in every place where I cause my name to be remembered.
“If you make a stone altar for me, do not build it out of cut stones. If you use your chisel on it, you will defile it.
“his master is to bring him to the judges[fn] and then bring him to the door or doorpost. His master will pierce his ear with an awl, and he will serve his master for life.
“Or if he chooses her for his son, he must deal with her according to the customary treatment of daughters.
“If it gores a son or a daughter, he is to be dealt with according to this same law.
“When a man's ox injures his neighbor's ox and it dies, they must sell the live ox and divide its proceeds; they must also divide the dead animal.
“When a man lets a field or vineyard be grazed in, and then allows his animals to go and graze in someone else's field, he must repay[fn] with the best of his own field or vineyard.
“When a fire gets out of control, spreads to thornbushes, and consumes stacks of cut grain, standing grain, or a field, the one who started the fire must make full restitution for what was burned.
“If you ever take your neighbor's cloak as collateral, return it to him before sunset.
“Do the same with your cattle and your flock. Let them stay with their mothers for seven days, but on the eighth day you are to give them to me.
“If you see the donkey of someone who hates you lying helpless under its load, and you want to refrain from helping it, you must help with it.[fn]
“Serve the LORD your God, and he[fn] will bless your bread and your water. I will remove illnesses from you.
And Moses wrote down all the words of the LORD. He rose early the next morning and set up an altar and twelve pillars for the twelve tribes of Israel at the base of the mountain.
Moses took half the blood and set it in basins; the other half of the blood he splattered on the altar.
He then took the covenant scroll and read it aloud to the people. They responded, “We will do and obey all that the LORD has commanded.”
Moses took the blood, splattered it on the people, and said, “This is the blood of the covenant that the LORD has made with you concerning all these words.”
The LORD said to Moses, “Come up to me on the mountain and stay there so that I may give you the stone tablets with the law and commandments I have written for their instruction.”
The glory of the LORD settled on Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it for six days. On the seventh day he called to Moses from the cloud.
Moses entered the cloud as he went up the mountain, and he remained on the mountain forty days and forty nights.
“You must make it according to all that I show you — the pattern of the tabernacle as well as the pattern of all its furnishings.
“They are to make an ark of acacia wood, forty-five inches long, twenty-seven inches wide, and twenty-seven inches high.[fn]
“Cast four gold rings for it and place them on its four feet, two rings on one side and two rings on the other side.
“Make a mercy seat of pure gold, forty-five inches long and twenty-seven inches wide.[fn]
“The cherubim are to have wings spread out above, covering the mercy seat with their wings, and are to face one another. The faces of the cherubim should be toward the mercy seat.
“Set the mercy seat on top of the ark and put the tablets of the testimony that I will give you into the ark.
“You are to construct a table of acacia wood, thirty-six inches long, eighteen inches wide, and twenty-seven inches high.[fn]
“Join five of the curtains by themselves, and the other six curtains by themselves. Then fold the sixth curtain double at the front of the tent.
“As for the flap that remains from the tent curtains, the leftover half curtain is to hang over the back of the tabernacle.
“They are to be paired at the bottom, and joined together[fn] at the top in a single ring. So it should be for both of them; they will serve as the two corners.
“The central crossbar is to run through the middle of the supports from one end to the other.
“You are to set up the tabernacle according to the plan for it that you have been shown on the mountain.
“Hang the curtain under the clasps[fn] and bring the ark of the testimony there behind the curtain, so the curtain will make a separation for you between the holy place and the most holy place.
“Place the table outside the curtain and the lampstand on the south side of the tabernacle, opposite the table; put the table on the north side.
“Make its pots for removing ashes, and its shovels, basins, meat forks, and firepans; make all its utensils of bronze.
“Construct the altar with boards so that it is hollow. They are to make it just as it was shown to you on the mountain.
“You are to make the courtyard for the tabernacle. Make hangings for the south side of the courtyard out of finely spun linen, 150 feet[fn] long on that side
“For the width of the courtyard, make hangings 75 feet[fn] long for the west side, including their ten posts and their ten bases.
“make hangings 22½ feet[fn] long for one side of the gate, including their three posts and their three bases.
“And make hangings 22½ feet long for the other side, including their three posts and their three bases.
“The courtyard is to be 150 feet long, 75 feet wide at each end, and 7½ feet high,[fn] all of it made of finely spun linen. The bases of the posts are to be bronze.
“You are to instruct all the skilled artisans,[fn] whom I have filled with a spirit of wisdom, to make Aaron's garments for consecrating him to serve me as priest.
“These are the garments that they must make: a breastpiece, an ephod, a robe, a specially woven tunic,[fn] a turban, and a sash. They are to make holy garments for your brother Aaron and his sons so that they may serve me as priests.
“The twelve stones are to correspond to the names of Israel's sons. Each stone must be engraved like a seal, with one of the names of the twelve tribes.
“Whenever he enters the sanctuary, Aaron is to carry the names of Israel's sons over his heart on the breastpiece for decisions, as a continual reminder before the LORD.
“Place the Urim and Thummim in the breastpiece for decisions, so that they will also be over Aaron's heart whenever he comes before the LORD. Aaron will continually carry the means of decisions for the Israelites over his heart before the LORD.
“Make pomegranates of blue, purple, and scarlet yarn on its lower hem and all around it. Put gold bells between them all the way around,
“The robe will be worn by Aaron whenever he ministers, and its sound will be heard when he enters the sanctuary before the LORD and when he exits, so that he does not die.
“These must be worn by Aaron and his sons whenever they enter the tent of meeting or approach the altar to minister in the sanctuary area, so that they do not incur guilt and die. This is to be a permanent statute for Aaron and for his future descendants.
“put them in a basket, and bring them in the basket, along with the bull and two rams.
“Then take the garments and clothe Aaron with the tunic, the robe for the ephod, the ephod itself, and the breastpiece; fasten the ephod on him with its woven waistband.
“Take some of the bull's blood and apply it to the horns of the altar with your finger; then pour out all the rest of the blood at the base of the altar.
“Take all the fat that covers the entrails, the fatty lobe of the liver, and the two kidneys with the fat on them, and burn them on the altar.
“But burn the bull's flesh, its hide, and its waste outside the camp; it is a sin offering.
“You are to slaughter the ram, take its blood, and splatter it on all sides of the altar.
“Then burn the whole ram on the altar; it is a burnt offering to the LORD. It is a pleasing aroma, a food offering to the LORD.
“Slaughter the ram, take some of its blood, and put it on Aaron's right earlobe, on his sons' right earlobes, on the thumbs of their right hands, and on the big toes of their right feet. Splatter the remaining blood on all sides of the altar.
“Take some of the blood that is on the altar and some of the anointing oil, and sprinkle them on Aaron and his garments, as well as on his sons and their garments. So he and his garments will be holy, as well as his sons and their garments.
“Take the fat from the ram, the fat tail, the fat covering the entrails, the fatty lobe of the liver, the two kidneys and the fat on them, and the right thigh (since this is a ram for ordination[fn]);
“Take them from their hands and burn them on the altar on top of the burnt offering, as a pleasing aroma before the LORD; it is a food offering to the LORD.
“Take the breast from the ram of Aaron's ordination and present it as a presentation offering before the LORD; it is to be your portion.
“Consecrate for Aaron and his sons the breast of the presentation offering that is presented and the thigh of the contribution that is lifted up from the ram of ordination.
“Sacrifice a bull as a sin offering each day for atonement. Purify[fn] the altar when you make atonement for it, and anoint it in order to consecrate it.
“For seven days you must make atonement for the altar and consecrate it. The altar will be especially holy. Whatever touches the altar will be consecrated.
“This is what you are to offer regularly on the altar every day: two year-old lambs.
“You are to offer the second lamb at twilight. Offer a grain offering and a drink offering with it, like the one in the morning, as a pleasing aroma, a food offering to the LORD.
“I will consecrate the tent of meeting and the altar; I will also consecrate Aaron and his sons to serve me as priests.
“Aaron must burn fragrant incense on it; he must burn it every morning when he tends the lamps.
“Everyone who is registered must pay half a shekel[fn] according to the sanctuary shekel (twenty gerahs to the shekel). This half shekel is a contribution to the LORD.
“Take the atonement price[fn] from the Israelites and use it for the service of the tent of meeting. It will serve as a reminder for the Israelites before the LORD to atone for your lives.”
“Whenever they enter the tent of meeting or approach the altar to minister by burning a food offering to the LORD, they must wash with water so that they will not die.
“the table with all its utensils, the lampstand with its utensils, the altar of incense,
“the tent of meeting, the ark of the testimony, the mercy seat that is on top of it, and all the other furnishings of the tent —
“the anointing oil, and the fragrant incense for the sanctuary. They must make them according to all that I have commanded you.”
The LORD spoke to Moses: “Go down at once! For your people you brought up from the land of Egypt have acted corruptly.
“Remember your servants Abraham, Isaac, and Israel — you swore to them by yourself and declared, ‘I will make your offspring as numerous as the stars of the sky and will give your offspring all this land that I have promised, and they will inherit it forever.' ”
As he approached the camp and saw the calf and the dancing, Moses became enraged and threw the tablets out of his hands, smashing them at the base of the mountain.
He took the calf they had made, burned it up, and ground it to powder. He scattered the powder over the surface of the water and forced the Israelites to drink the water.
“Don't be enraged, my lord,” Aaron replied. “You yourself know that the people are intent on evil.
“So I said to them, ‘Whoever has gold, take it off,' and they gave it to me. When I threw it into the fire, out came this calf! ”
“Go up to a land flowing with milk and honey. But I will not go up with you because you are a stiff-necked people; otherwise, I might destroy you on the way.”
“Then I will take my hand away, and you will see my back, but my face will not be seen.”
The LORD said to Moses, “Cut two stone tablets like the first ones, and I will write on them the words that were on the first tablets, which you broke.
“Be prepared by morning. Come up Mount Sinai in the morning and stand before me on the mountaintop.
Moses cut two stone tablets like the first ones. He got up early in the morning, and taking the two stone tablets in his hand, he climbed Mount Sinai, just as the LORD had commanded him.
“Do not present[fn] the blood for my sacrifice with anything leavened. The sacrifice of the Passover Festival must not remain until morning.
But whenever Moses went before the LORD to speak with him, he would remove the veil until he came out. After he came out, he would tell the Israelites what he had been commanded,
and the Israelites would see that Moses's face[fn] was radiant. Then Moses would put the veil over his face again until he went to speak with the LORD.
“the altar of burnt offering with its bronze grate, its poles, and all its utensils; the basin with its stand;
“the hangings of the courtyard, its posts and bases, and the screen for the gate of the courtyard;
“and the specially woven[fn] garments for ministering in the sanctuary — the holy garments for the priest Aaron and the garments for his sons to serve as priests.”
Every skilled[fn] woman spun yarn with her hands and brought it: blue, purple, and scarlet yarn, and fine linen.
as well as the spice and oil for the light, for the anointing oil, and for the fragrant incense.
They took from Moses's presence all the contributions that the Israelites had brought for the task of making the sanctuary. Meanwhile, the people continued to bring freewill offerings morning after morning.
Then all the artisans who were doing all the work for the sanctuary came one by one from the work they were doing
He overlaid them with gold and made their rings out of gold as holders for the crossbars. He also overlaid the crossbars with gold.
Then he made the curtain with blue, purple, and scarlet yarn, and finely spun linen. He made it with a design of cherubim worked into it.
He made a screen embroidered[fn] with blue, purple, and scarlet yarn, and finely spun linen for the entrance to the tent,
He cast four gold rings for it, for its four feet, two rings on one side and two rings on the other side.
He made a mercy seat of pure gold, forty-five inches long and twenty-seven inches wide.[fn]
one cherub at one end and one cherub at the other end. At each end, he made a cherub of one piece with the mercy seat.
They had wings spread out. They faced each other and covered the mercy seat with their wings. The faces of the cherubim were looking toward the mercy seat.
For the six branches that extended from it, a bud was under the first pair of branches from it, a bud under the second pair of branches from it, and a bud under the third pair of branches from it.
He also made the holy anointing oil and the pure, fragrant, and expertly blended incense.
He made all the altar's utensils: the pots, shovels, basins, meat forks, and firepans; he made all its utensils of bronze.
He constructed for the altar a grate of bronze mesh under its ledge,[fn] halfway up from the bottom.
The hangings on the north side were also 150 feet long, including their twenty posts and twenty bronze bases. The hooks and bands of the posts were silver.
The hangings on the west side were 75 feet[fn] long, including their ten posts and their ten bases, with silver hooks and silver bands for the posts.
the bases for the surrounding courtyard, the bases for the gate of the courtyard, all the tent pegs for the tabernacle, and all the tent pegs for the surrounding courtyard.
He also made the embroidered[fn] breastpiece with the same workmanship as the ephod of gold, of blue, purple, and scarlet yarn, and of finely spun linen.
They made the breastpiece square and folded double, nine inches long and nine inches wide.[fn]
They made two other gold rings and put them at the two other corners of the breastpiece on the edge that is next to the inner border of the ephod.
Then they tied the breastpiece from its rings to the rings of the ephod with a cord of blue yarn, so that the breastpiece was above the ephod's waistband and did not come loose from the ephod. They did just as the LORD had commanded Moses.
There was an opening in the center of the robe like that of body armor[fn] with a collar around the opening so that it would not tear.
They made bells of pure gold and attached the bells between the pomegranates, all around the hem of the robe between the pomegranates,
a bell and a pomegranate alternating all around the lower hem of the robe[fn] to be worn for ministry. They made it just as the LORD had commanded Moses.
They made a medallion, the holy diadem, out of pure gold and wrote on it an inscription like the engraving on a seal: Holy to the LORD.
So all the work for the tabernacle, the tent of meeting, was finished. The Israelites did everything just as the LORD had commanded Moses.
the pure gold lampstand, with its lamps arranged and all its utensils, as well as the oil for the light;
the gold altar; the anointing oil; the fragrant incense; the screen for the entrance to the tent;
“Place the gold altar for incense in front of the ark of the testimony. Put up the screen for the entrance to the tabernacle.
“Position the altar of burnt offering in front of the entrance to the tabernacle, the tent of meeting.
“Take the anointing oil and anoint the tabernacle and everything in it; consecrate it along with all its furnishings so that it will be holy.
“Anoint the altar of burnt offering and all its utensils; consecrate the altar so that it will be especially holy.
Then he spread the tent over the tabernacle and put the covering of the tent on top of it, just as the LORD had commanded Moses.
He brought the ark into the tabernacle, put up the curtain for the screen, and screened off the ark of the testimony, just as the LORD had commanded him.
Moses placed the table in the tent of meeting on the north side of the tabernacle, outside the curtain.
He put the lampstand in the tent of meeting opposite the table on the south side of the tabernacle
He placed the altar of burnt offering at the entrance to the tabernacle, the tent of meeting, and offered the burnt offering and the grain offering on it, just as the LORD had commanded him.
He set the basin between the tent of meeting and the altar and put water in it for washing.
“He is to slaughter the bull before the LORD; Aaron's sons the priests are to present the blood and splatter it on all sides of the altar that is at the entrance to the tent of meeting.
“The sons of Aaron the priest will prepare a fire on the altar and arrange wood on the fire.
“Aaron's sons the priests are to arrange the pieces, the head, and the fat on top of the burning wood on the altar.
“The offerer is to wash its entrails and legs with water. Then the priest will burn all of it on the altar as a burnt offering, a food offering, a pleasing aroma to the LORD.
“He will slaughter it on the north side of the altar before the LORD. Aaron's sons the priests will splatter its blood against the altar on all sides.
“He will cut the animal into pieces with its head and its fat, and the priest will arrange them on top of the burning wood on the altar.
“But he is to wash the entrails and legs with water. The priest will then present all of it and burn it on the altar; it is a burnt offering, a food offering, a pleasing aroma to the LORD.
“If his offering to the LORD is a burnt offering of birds, he is to present his offering from the turtledoves or young pigeons.[fn]
“Then the priest is to bring it to the altar, and will twist off its head and burn it on the altar; its blood should be drained at the side of the altar.
“He will remove its digestive tract,[fn] cutting off the tail feathers, and throw it on the east side of the altar at the place for ashes.
“He will tear it open by its wings without dividing the bird. Then the priest is to burn it on the altar on top of the burning wood. It is a burnt offering, a food offering, a pleasing aroma to the LORD.
“and bring it to Aaron's sons the priests. The priest will take a handful of fine flour and oil from it, along with all its frankincense, and will burn this memorial portion of it on the altar, a food offering, a pleasing aroma to the LORD.
“When you bring to the LORD the grain offering made in any of these ways, it is to be presented to the priest, and he will take it to the altar.
“The priest will remove the memorial portion[fn] from the grain offering and burn it on the altar, a food offering, a pleasing aroma to the LORD.
“You may present them to the LORD as an offering of firstfruits, but they are not to be offered on the altar as a pleasing aroma.
“The priest will then burn some of its crushed kernels and oil with all its frankincense as a food offering to the LORD.
“He is to lay his hand on the head of his offering and slaughter it at the entrance to the tent of meeting. Then Aaron's sons the priests will splatter the blood on all sides of the altar.
“He will present part of the fellowship sacrifice as a food offering to the LORD: the fat surrounding the entrails, all the fat that is on the entrails,
“and the two kidneys with the fat on them at the loins; he will also remove the fatty lobe of the liver with the kidneys.
“Aaron's sons will burn it on the altar along with the burnt offering that is on the burning wood, a food offering, a pleasing aroma to the LORD.
“He must lay his hand on the head of his offering, then slaughter it before the tent of meeting. Aaron's sons will splatter its blood on all sides of the altar.
“He will then present part of the fellowship sacrifice as a food offering to the LORD consisting of its fat and the entire fat tail, which he is to remove close to the backbone. He will also remove the fat surrounding the entrails, all the fat on the entrails,
“the two kidneys with the fat on them at the loins, and the fatty lobe of the liver above the kidneys.
“He must lay his hand on its head and slaughter it before the tent of meeting. Aaron's sons will splatter[fn] its blood on all sides of the altar.
“He will present part of his offering as a food offering to the LORD: the fat surrounding the entrails, all the fat that is on the entrails,
“and the two kidneys with the fat on them at the loins; he will also remove the fatty lobe of the liver with the kidneys.
“Then the priest will burn the food on the altar, as a food offering for a pleasing aroma.[fn]
“All fat belongs to the LORD.
“The priest is to dip his finger in the blood and sprinkle some of it seven times before the LORD in front of the curtain of the sanctuary.
“The priest is to apply some of the blood to the horns of the altar of fragrant incense that is before the LORD in the tent of meeting. He must pour out the rest of the bull's blood at the base of the altar of burnt offering that is at the entrance to the tent of meeting.
“He is to remove all the fat from the bull of the sin offering: the fat surrounding the entrails, all the fat that is on the entrails,
“and the two kidneys with the fat on them at the loins. He will also remove the fatty lobe of the liver with the kidneys,
“just as the fat is removed from the ox of the fellowship sacrifice. The priest is to burn them on the altar of burnt offering.
“But the hide of the bull and all its flesh, with its head and legs, and its entrails and waste —
“He is to apply some of the blood to the horns of the altar that is before the LORD in the tent of meeting. He will pour out the rest of the blood at the base of the altar of burnt offering that is at the entrance to the tent of meeting.
“or someone informs him about the sin he has committed, he is to bring an unblemished male goat as his offering.
“Then the priest is to take some of the blood from the sin offering with his finger and apply it to the horns of the altar of burnt offering. The rest of its blood he is to pour out at the base of the altar of burnt offering.
“He must burn all its fat on the altar, like the fat of the fellowship sacrifice. In this way the priest will make atonement on his behalf for that person's sin, and he will be forgiven.
“Then the priest is to take some of its blood with his finger and apply it to the horns of the altar of burnt offering. He is to pour out the rest of its blood at the base of the altar.
“He is to remove all its fat just as the fat is removed from the fellowship sacrifice. The priest is to burn it on the altar as a pleasing aroma to the LORD. In this way the priest will make atonement on his behalf, and he will be forgiven.
“Or if the offering that he brings as a sin offering is a lamb, he is to bring an unblemished female.
“Then the priest is to take some of the blood of the sin offering with his finger and apply it to the horns of the altar of burnt offering. He is to pour out the rest of its blood at the base of the altar.
“He is to remove all its fat just as the fat of the lamb is removed from the fellowship sacrifice. The priest will burn it on the altar along with the food offerings to the LORD. In this way the priest will make atonement on his behalf for the sin he has committed, and he will be forgiven.
“But if he cannot afford an animal from the flock, then he may bring to the LORD two turtledoves or two young pigeons as penalty for guilt for his sin — one as a sin offering and the other as a burnt offering.
“He is to bring them to the priest, who will first present the one for the sin offering. He is to twist its head at the back of the neck without severing it.
“Then he will sprinkle some of the blood of the sin offering on the side of the altar, while the rest of the blood is to be drained out at the base of the altar; it is a sin offering.
“He will prepare the second bird as a burnt offering according to the regulation. In this way the priest will make atonement on his behalf for the sin he has committed, and he will be forgiven.
“He is to bring it to the priest, who will take a handful from it as its memorial portion and burn it on the altar along with the food offerings to the LORD; it is a sin offering.
“He is to make restitution for his sin regarding any holy thing, adding a fifth of its value to it, and give it to the priest. Then the priest will make atonement on his behalf with the ram of the guilt offering, and he will be forgiven.
“once he has sinned and acknowledged his guilt — he must return what he stole or defrauded, or the deposit entrusted to him, or the lost item he found,
“or anything else about which he swore falsely. He will make full restitution for it and add a fifth of its value to it. He is to pay it to its owner on the day he acknowledges his guilt.
“Command Aaron and his sons: This is the law of the burnt offering; the burnt offering itself must remain on the altar's hearth all night until morning, while the fire of the altar is kept burning on it.
“The priest is to put on his linen robe and linen undergarments.[fn] He is to remove the ashes of the burnt offering the fire has consumed on the altar, and place them beside the altar.
“The fire on the altar is to be kept burning; it must not go out. Every morning the priest will burn wood on the fire. He is to arrange the burnt offering on the fire and burn the fat portions from the fellowship offerings on it.
“The priest is to remove a handful of fine flour and olive oil from the grain offering, with all the frankincense that is on the offering, and burn its memorial portion on the altar as a pleasing aroma to the LORD.
“Aaron and his sons may eat the rest of it. It is to be eaten in the form of unleavened bread in a holy place; they are to eat it in the courtyard of the tent of meeting.
“This is the offering that Aaron and his sons are to present to the LORD on the day that he is anointed: two quarts[fn] of fine flour as a regular grain offering, half of it in the morning and half in the evening.
“Tell Aaron and his sons: This is the law of the sin offering. The sin offering is most holy and must be slaughtered before the LORD at the place where the burnt offering is slaughtered.
“Anything that touches its flesh will become holy, and if any of its blood spatters on a garment, then you must wash that garment[fn] in a holy place.
“The guilt offering is to be slaughtered at the place where the burnt offering is slaughtered, and the priest is to splatter its blood on all sides of the altar.
“The offerer is to present all the fat from it: the fat tail, the fat surrounding the entrails,[fn]
“and the two kidneys with the fat on them at the loins; he will also remove the fatty lobe of the liver with the kidneys.
“The priest will burn them on the altar as a food offering to the LORD; it is a guilt offering.
“From the cakes he is to present one portion of each offering as a contribution to the LORD. It will belong to the priest who splatters the blood of the fellowship offering; it is his.
“The meat of his thanksgiving sacrifice of fellowship must be eaten on the day he offers it; he may not leave any of it until morning.
“If the sacrifice he offers is a vow or a freewill offering, it is to be eaten on the day he presents his sacrifice, and what is left over may be eaten on the next day.
“Tell the Israelites: The one who presents a fellowship sacrifice to the LORD is to bring an offering to the LORD from his sacrifice.
“His own hands will bring the food offerings to the LORD. He will bring the fat together with the breast. The breast is to be presented as a presentation offering before the LORD.
“The priest is to burn the fat on the altar, but the breast belongs to Aaron and his sons.
“The son of Aaron who presents the blood of the fellowship offering and the fat will have the right thigh as a portion.
“I have taken from the Israelites the breast of the presentation offering and the thigh of the contribution from their fellowship sacrifices, and have assigned them to the priest Aaron and to his sons as a permanent portion[fn] from the Israelites.”
“Take Aaron, his sons with him, the garments, the anointing oil, the bull of the sin[fn] offering, the two rams, and the basket of unleavened bread,
Then he put the breastpiece on him and placed the Urim and Thummim into the breastpiece.
He also put the turban on his head and placed the gold medallion, the holy diadem, on the front of the turban, as the LORD had commanded Moses.
He sprinkled some of the oil on the altar seven times, anointing the altar with all its utensils, and the basin with its stand, to consecrate them.
Moses took all the fat that was on the entrails, the fatty lobe of the liver, and the two kidneys with their fat, and he burned them on the altar.
but he washed the entrails and legs with water. He then burned the entire ram on the altar. It was a burnt offering for a pleasing aroma, a food offering to the LORD as he had commanded Moses.
Moses slaughtered it,[fn] took some of its blood, and put it on Aaron's right earlobe, on the thumb of his right hand, and on the big toe of his right foot.
Moses also presented Aaron's sons and put some of the blood on their right earlobes, on the thumbs of their right hands, and on the big toes of their right feet. Then Moses splattered the blood on all sides of the altar.
He took the fat — the fat tail, all the fat that was on the entrails, the fatty lobe of the liver, and the two kidneys with their fat — as well as the right thigh.
From the basket of unleavened bread that was before the LORD he took one cake of unleavened bread, one cake of bread made with oil, and one wafer, and placed them on the fat portions and the right thigh.
Then Moses took them from their hands and burned them on the altar with the burnt offering. This was an ordination offering for a pleasing aroma, a food offering to the LORD.
He also took the breast and presented it before the LORD as a presentation offering; it was Moses's portion of the ordination ram as the LORD had commanded him.
Then Moses said to Aaron, “Approach the altar and sacrifice your sin offering and your burnt offering; make atonement for yourself and the people.[fn] Sacrifice the people's offering and make atonement for them, as the LORD commanded.”
Aaron's sons brought the blood to him, and he dipped his finger in the blood and applied it to the horns of the altar. He poured out the blood at the base of the altar.
He burned the fat, the kidneys, and the fatty lobe of the liver from the sin offering on the altar, as the LORD had commanded Moses.
Then he slaughtered the burnt offering. Aaron's sons brought him the blood, and he splattered it on all sides of the altar.
They brought him the burnt offering piece by piece, along with the head, and he burned them on the altar.
He washed the entrails and the legs and burned them with the burnt offering on the altar.
Aaron presented the people's offering. He took the male goat for the people's sin offering, slaughtered it, and made a sin offering with it as he did before.
Next he presented the grain offering, took a handful of it, and burned it on the altar in addition to the morning burnt offering.
Finally, he slaughtered the ox and the ram as the people's fellowship sacrifice. Aaron's sons brought him the blood, and he splattered it on all sides of the altar.
They also brought the fat portions from the ox and the ram — the fat tail, the fat surrounding the entrails, the kidneys, and the fatty lobe of the liver —
but he presented the breasts and the right thigh as a presentation offering before the LORD, as Moses had commanded.[fn]
Aaron lifted up his hands toward the people and blessed them. He came down after sacrificing the sin offering, the burnt offering, and the fellowship offering.
Aaron's sons Nadab and Abihu each took his own firepan, put fire in it, placed incense on it, and presented unauthorized fire before the LORD, which he had not commanded them to do.
“You must not go outside the entrance to the tent of meeting or you will die, for the LORD's anointing oil is on you.” So they did as Moses said.
“You and your sons are not to drink wine or beer when you enter the tent of meeting, or else you will die; this is a permanent statute throughout your generations.
Moses spoke to Aaron and his remaining sons, Eleazar and Ithamar: “Take the grain offering that is left over from the food offerings to the LORD, and eat it prepared without yeast beside the altar, because it is especially holy.
“But you and your sons and your daughters may eat the breast of the presentation offering and the thigh of the contribution in any ceremonially clean place, because these portions have been assigned to you and your children from the Israelites' fellowship sacrifices.
“They are to bring the thigh of the contribution and the breast of the presentation offering, together with the food offerings of the fat portions, to present as a presentation offering before the LORD. It will belong permanently to you and your children, as the LORD commanded.”
“Why didn't you eat the sin offering in the sanctuary area? For it is especially holy, and he has assigned it to you to take away the guilt of the community and make atonement for them before the LORD.
“Since its blood was not brought inside the sanctuary, you should have eaten it in the sanctuary area, as I commanded.”
“She will continue in purification from her bleeding for thirty-three days. She must not touch any holy thing or go into the sanctuary until completing her days of purification.
“But if she doesn't have sufficient means[fn] for a sheep, she may take two turtledoves or two young pigeons, one for a burnt offering and the other for a sin offering. Then the priest will make atonement on her behalf, and she will be clean.”
“The priest will then reexamine him on the seventh day. If he sees that the sore remains unchanged and has not spread on the skin, the priest will quarantine him for another seven days.
“The priest will examine him again on the seventh day. If the sore has faded and has not spread on the skin, the priest is to pronounce him clean; it is a scab. The person is to wash his clothes and will become clean.
“But if the scab spreads further on his skin after he has presented himself to the priest for his cleansing, he is to present himself again to the priest.
“But if the skin disease breaks out all over the skin so that it covers all the skin of the stricken person from his head to his feet so far as the priest can see,
“the priest will look, and if the skin disease has covered his entire body, he is to pronounce the stricken person clean. Since he has turned totally white, he is clean.
“The priest will examine him, and if the sore has turned white, the priest must pronounce the stricken person clean; he is clean.
“the priest is to examine it. If the hair in the spot has turned white and the spot appears to be deeper than the skin, it is a serious skin disease that has broken out in the burn. The priest must pronounce him unclean; it is a serious skin disease.
“the person is to shave himself but not shave the scaly area. Then the priest will quarantine the person who has the scaly outbreak for another seven days.
“The priest will examine the scaly outbreak on the seventh day, and if it has not spread on the skin and does not appear to be deeper than the skin, the priest is to pronounce the person clean. He is to wash his clothes, and he will be clean.
“The person who has a case of serious skin disease is to have his clothes torn and his hair hanging loose, and he must cover his mouth and cry out, ‘Unclean, unclean! '
“He is to burn the fabric, the warp or weft in wool or linen, or any leather article, which is contaminated. Since it is harmful mildew it must be burned.
“the priest is to order whatever is contaminated to be washed and quarantined for another seven days.
“After it has been washed, the priest is to reexamine the contamination. If the appearance of the contaminated article has not changed, it is unclean. Even though the contamination has not spread, you must burn the fabric. It is a fungus[fn] on the front or back of the fabric.
“If the priest examines it, and the contamination has faded after it has been washed, he is to cut the contaminated section out of the fabric, the leather, or the warp or weft.
“But if the contamination disappears from the fabric, the warp or weft, or any leather article, which have been washed, it is to be washed again, and it will be clean.
“This is the law concerning a mildew contamination in wool or linen fabric, warp or weft, or any leather article, in order to pronounce it clean or unclean.”
“Then the priest will order that one of the birds be slaughtered over fresh water in a clay pot.
“He is to take the live bird together with the cedar wood, scarlet yarn, and hyssop, and dip them all into the blood of the bird that was slaughtered over the fresh water.
“He will then sprinkle the blood seven times on the one who is to be cleansed from the skin disease. He is to pronounce him clean and release the live bird over the open countryside.
“He is to shave off all his hair again on the seventh day: his head, his beard, his eyebrows, and the rest of his hair. He is to wash his clothes and bathe himself with water; he is clean.
“The priest is to take some of the blood from the guilt offering and put it on the lobe of the right ear of the one to be cleansed, on the thumb of his right hand, and on the big toe of his right foot.
“From the oil remaining in his palm the priest will put some on the lobe of the right ear of the one to be cleansed, on the thumb of his right hand, and on the big toe of his right foot, on top of the blood of the guilt offering.
“What is left of the oil in the priest's palm he is to put on the head of the one to be cleansed. In this way the priest will make atonement for him before the LORD.
“The priest is to sacrifice the sin offering and make atonement for the one to be cleansed from his uncleanness. Afterward he will slaughter the burnt offering.
“The priest is to offer the burnt offering and the grain offering on the altar. The priest will make atonement for him, and he will be clean.
“On the eighth day he is to bring these things for his cleansing to the priest at the entrance to the tent of meeting before the LORD.
“After he slaughters the male lamb for the guilt offering, the priest is to take some of the blood of the guilt offering and put it on the right earlobe of the one to be cleansed, on the thumb of his right hand, and on the big toe of his right foot.
“The priest will also put some of the oil in his palm on the right earlobe of the one to be cleansed, on the thumb of his right hand, and on the big toe of his right foot, on the same place as the blood of the guilt offering.
“What is left of the oil in the priest's palm he is to put on the head of the one to be cleansed to make atonement for him before the LORD.
“If the contamination reappears in the house after the stones have been pulled out, and after the house has been scraped and replastered,
“But when the priest comes and examines it, if the contamination has not spread in the house after it was replastered, he is to pronounce the house clean because the contamination has disappeared.[fn]
“He will take the cedar wood, the hyssop, the scarlet yarn, and the live bird, dip them in the blood of the slaughtered bird and the fresh water, and sprinkle the house seven times.
“Then he is to release the live bird into the open countryside outside the city. In this way he will make atonement for the house, and it will be clean.
“If the man with the discharge touches anyone without first rinsing his hands in water, the person who was touched is to wash his clothes and bathe with water, and he will remain unclean until evening.
“When the man with the discharge has been cured of it, he is to count seven days for his cleansing, wash his clothes, and bathe his body in fresh water; he will be clean.
“When a man has an emission of semen, he is to bathe himself completely with water, and he will remain unclean until evening.
“Everyone who touches her bed is to wash his clothes and bathe with water, and he will remain unclean until evening.
“Everyone who touches them will be unclean; he must wash his clothes and bathe with water, and he will remain unclean until evening.
The LORD spoke to Moses after the death of two of Aaron's sons when they approached the presence of[fn] the LORD and died.
The LORD said to Moses, “Tell your brother Aaron that he may not come whenever he wants into the holy place behind the curtain in front of the mercy seat on the ark or else he will die, because I appear in the cloud above the mercy seat.
“Aaron is to enter the most holy place in this way: with a young bull for a sin offering and a ram for a burnt offering.
“He is to wear a holy linen tunic, and linen undergarments are to be on his body. He is to tie a linen sash around him and wrap his head with a linen turban. These are holy garments; he must bathe his body with water before he wears them.
“Then he is to take a firepan full of blazing coals from the altar before the LORD and two handfuls of finely ground fragrant incense, and bring them inside the curtain.
“He is to put the incense on the fire before the LORD, so that the cloud of incense covers the mercy seat that is over the testimony, or else he will die.
“He is to take some of the bull's blood and sprinkle it with his finger against the east side of the mercy seat; then he will sprinkle some of the blood with his finger before the mercy seat seven times.
“When he slaughters the male goat for the people's sin offering and brings its blood inside the curtain, he will do the same with its blood as he did with the bull's blood: He is to sprinkle it against the mercy seat and in front of it.
“He will make atonement for the most holy place in this way for all their sins because of the Israelites' impurities and rebellious acts. He will do the same for the tent of meeting that remains among them, because it is surrounded by their impurities.
“Then he will go out to the altar that is before the LORD and make atonement for it. He is to take some of the bull's blood and some of the goat's blood and put it on the horns on all sides of the altar.
“When he has finished making atonement for the most holy place, the tent of meeting, and the altar, he is to present the live male goat.
“Then Aaron is to enter the tent of meeting, take off the linen garments he wore when he entered the most holy place, and leave them there.
“He will bathe his body with water in a holy place and put on his clothes. Then he must go out and sacrifice his burnt offering and the people's burnt offering; he will make atonement for himself and for the people.
“The man who released the goat for an uninhabitable place is to wash his clothes and bathe his body with water; afterward he may reenter the camp.
“The one who burns them is to wash his clothes and bathe himself with water; afterward he may reenter the camp.
“and make atonement for the most holy place. He will make atonement for the tent of meeting and the altar and will make atonement for the priests and all the people of the assembly.
“The priest will then splatter the blood on the LORD's altar at the entrance to the tent of meeting and burn the fat as a pleasing aroma to the LORD.
“Anyone from the house of Israel or from the aliens who reside among them who eats any blood, I will turn[fn] against that person who eats blood and cut him off from his people.
“Any Israelite or alien residing among them, who hunts down a wild animal or bird that may be eaten must drain its blood and cover it with dirt.
“You are not to sacrifice any of your children in the fire[fn] to Molech. Do not profane the name of your God; I am the LORD.
“I will turn[fn] against that man and cut him off from his people, because he gave his offspring to Molech, defiling my sanctuary and profaning my holy name.
“then I will turn against that man and his family, and cut off from their people both him and all who follow[fn] him in prostituting themselves with Molech.
“If a man has sexual intercourse with[fn] an animal, he must be put to death; you are also to kill the animal.
“If a woman approaches any animal and mates with it, you are to kill the woman and the animal. They must be put to death; their death is their own fault.
“They are to be holy to their God and not profane the name of their God. For they present the food offerings to the LORD, the food of their God, and they must be holy.
“If a priest's daughter defiles herself by promiscuity,[fn] she defiles her father; she must be burned to death.
“He must not leave the sanctuary or he will desecrate the sanctuary of his God, for the consecration of the anointing oil of his God is on him; I am the LORD.
“so that he does not corrupt his bloodline[fn] among his people, for I am the LORD who sets him apart.”
“But because he has a defect, he must not go near the curtain or approach the altar. He is not to desecrate my holy places, for I am the LORD who sets them apart.”
“Tell Aaron and his sons to deal respectfully with the holy offerings of the Israelites that they have consecrated to me, so they do not profane my holy name; I am the LORD.
“the man who touches any of these will remain unclean until evening and is not to eat from the holy offerings unless he has bathed his body with water.
“If anyone eats a holy offering in error, he is to add a fifth to its value and give the holy offering to the priest.
“You are not to present any animal to the LORD that is blind, injured, maimed, or has a running sore, festering rash, or scabs; you may not put any of them on the altar as a food offering to the LORD.
“It is to be eaten on the same day. Do not let any of it remain until morning; I am the LORD.
“You must not profane my holy name; I must be treated as holy among the Israelites. I am the LORD who sets you apart,
“He will present the sheaf before the LORD so that you may be accepted; the priest is to present it on the day after the Sabbath.
“On the day you present the sheaf, you are to offer a year-old male lamb[fn] without blemish as a burnt offering to the LORD.
“When you reap the harvest of your land, you are not to reap all the way to the edge of your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest. Leave them for the poor and the resident alien; I am the LORD your God.”
“These are the LORD's appointed times that you are to proclaim as sacred assemblies for presenting food offerings to the LORD, burnt offerings and grain offerings, sacrifices and drink offerings, each on its designated day.
“He must continually tend the lamps on the pure gold lampstand in the LORD's presence.
“Place pure frankincense near each row, so that it may serve as a memorial portion for the bread and a food offering to the LORD.
Her son cursed and blasphemed the Name, and they brought him to Moses. (His mother's name was Shelomith, a daughter of Dibri of the tribe of Dan.)
“Whoever blasphemes the name of the LORD must be put to death; the whole community is to stone him. If he blasphemes the Name, he is to be put to death, whether the resident alien or the native.
“You are to consecrate the fiftieth year and proclaim freedom in the land for all its inhabitants. It will be your Jubilee, when each of you is to return to his property and each of you to his clan.
“When you sow in the eighth year, you will be eating from the previous harvest. You will be eating this until the ninth year when its harvest comes in.
“But if he cannot obtain enough to repay him, what he sold will remain in the possession of its purchaser until the Year of Jubilee. It is to be released at the Jubilee, so that he may return to his property.
“You are not to lend him your silver with interest or sell him your food for profit.
“he has the right of redemption after he has been sold. One of his brothers may redeem him.
“I will turn[fn] against you, so that you will be defeated by your enemies. Those who hate you will rule over you, and you will flee even though no one is pursuing you.
“If the one who brought it decides to redeem it, he must add a fifth to the[fn] assessed value.
“But if the one who consecrated his house redeems it, he must add a fifth to the assessed value, and it will be his.
“But if he consecrates his field after the Jubilee, the priest will calculate the price for him in proportion to the years left until the next Year of Jubilee, so that your assessment will be reduced.
“If the one who consecrated the field decides to redeem it, he must add a fifth to the assessed value, and the field will transfer back to him.
“then the priest will calculate for him the amount of the assessment up to the Year of Jubilee, and the person will pay the assessed value on that day as a holy offering to the LORD.
“If it is one of the unclean livestock, it can be ransomed according to your assessment by adding a fifth of its value to it. If it is not redeemed, it can be sold according to your assessment.
“If a man decides to redeem any part of this tenth, he must add a fifth to its value.
“collect five shekels for each person, according to the standard sanctuary shekel — twenty gerahs to the shekel.[fn]
“Give the silver to Aaron and his sons as the redemption price for those who are in excess among the Israelites.”
So Moses collected the redemption amount from those in excess of the ones redeemed by the Levites.
He collected the silver from the firstborn Israelites: 1,365 shekels[fn] measured by the standard sanctuary shekel.
“Among the Levites, take a census of the Kohathites by their clans and their ancestral families,[fn]
“Whenever the camp is about to move on, Aaron and his sons are to go in, take down the screening curtain, and cover the ark of the testimony with it.
“They are to spread a blue cloth over the gold altar, cover it with a covering made of fine leather, and insert its poles.
“They are to transport the tabernacle curtains, the tent of meeting with its covering and the covering made of fine leather on top of it, the screen for the entrance to the tent of meeting,
“This is what they are responsible to carry as the whole of their service at the tent of meeting: the supports of the tabernacle, with its crossbars, pillars, and bases,
from thirty years old to fifty years old, everyone who was qualified to do the work of serving at the tent of meeting and transporting it.
“The person is to confess the sin he has committed. He is to pay full compensation, add a fifth of its value to it, and give it to the individual he has wronged.
“But if that individual has no relative to receive compensation, the compensation goes to the LORD for the priest, along with the atonement ram by which the priest will make atonement for the guilty person.
“then the man is to bring his wife to the priest. He is also to bring an offering for her of two quarts[fn] of barley flour. He is not to pour oil over it or put frankincense on it because it is a grain offering of jealousy, a grain offering for remembrance to draw attention to guilt.
“Then the priest is to take holy water in a clay bowl, take some of the dust from the tabernacle floor, and put it in the water.
“After the priest has the woman stand before the LORD, he is to let down her hair[fn] and place in her hands the grain offering for remembrance, which is the grain offering of jealousy. The priest is to hold the bitter water that brings a curse.
“May this water that brings a curse enter your stomach, causing your belly to swell and your womb to shrivel.'
“And the woman will reply, ‘Amen, Amen.'
“Then the priest is to write these curses on a scroll and wash them off into the bitter water.
“He will require the woman to drink the bitter water that brings a curse, and it will enter her to cause bitter suffering.
“The priest is to take the grain offering of jealousy from the woman, present the offering before the LORD, and bring it to the altar.
“The priest is to take a handful of the grain offering as a memorial portion and burn it on the altar. Afterward, he will require the woman to drink the water.
“When he makes her drink the water, if she has defiled herself and been unfaithful to her husband, the water that brings a curse will enter her to cause bitter suffering; her belly will swell, and her womb will shrivel. She will become a curse among her people.
“He is to present an offering to the LORD of one unblemished year-old male lamb as a burnt offering, one unblemished year-old female lamb as a sin offering, one unblemished ram as a fellowship offering,
“The priest is to present these before the LORD and sacrifice the Nazirite's sin offering and burnt offering.
“The Nazirite is to shave his consecrated head at the entrance to the tent of meeting, take the hair from his head, and put it on the fire under the fellowship sacrifice.
“The priest is to take the boiled shoulder from the ram, one unleavened cake from the basket, and one unleavened wafer, and put them into the hands of the Nazirite after he has shaved his consecrated head.
“Tell Aaron and his sons, ‘This is how you are to bless the Israelites. You should say to them,
On the day Moses finished setting up the tabernacle, he anointed and consecrated it and all its furnishings, along with the altar and all its utensils. After he anointed and consecrated these things,
The one who presented his offering on the first day was Nahshon son of Amminadab from the tribe of Judah.
As his offering, he presented one silver dish weighing 3¼ pounds and one silver basin weighing 1¾ pounds, measured by the standard sanctuary shekel, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering;
His offering was one silver dish weighing 3¼ pounds and one silver basin weighing 1¾ pounds, measured by the standard sanctuary shekel, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering;
His offering was one silver dish weighing 3¼ pounds and one silver basin weighing 1¾ pounds, measured by the standard sanctuary shekel, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering;
His offering was one silver dish weighing 3¼ pounds and one silver basin weighing 1¾ pounds, measured by the standard sanctuary shekel, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering;
His offering was one silver dish weighing 3¼ pounds and one silver basin weighing 1¾ pounds, measured by the standard sanctuary shekel, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering;
His offering was one silver dish weighing 3¼ pounds and one silver basin weighing 1¾ pounds, measured by the standard sanctuary shekel, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering;
His offering was one silver dish weighing 3¼ pounds and one silver basin weighing 1¾ pounds, measured by the standard sanctuary shekel, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering;
His offering was one silver dish weighing 3¼ pounds and one silver basin weighing 1¾ pounds, measured by the standard sanctuary shekel, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering;
His offering was one silver dish weighing 3¼ pounds and one silver basin weighing 1¾ pounds, measured by the standard sanctuary shekel, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering;
His offering was one silver dish weighing 3¼ pounds and one silver basin weighing 1¾ pounds, measured by the standard sanctuary shekel, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering;
His offering was one silver dish weighing 3¼ pounds and one silver basin weighing 1¾ pounds, measured by the standard sanctuary shekel, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering;
All the livestock for the fellowship sacrifice totaled twenty-four bulls, sixty rams, sixty male goats, and sixty male lambs a year old. This was the dedication gift for the altar after it was anointed.
This is the way the lampstand was made: it was a hammered work of gold, hammered from its base to its flower petals. The lampstand was made according to the pattern the LORD had shown Moses.
“Do this to them for their purification: Sprinkle them with the purification water. Have them shave their entire bodies and wash their clothes, and so purify themselves.
But there were some men who were unclean because of a human corpse, so they could not observe the Passover on that day. These men came before Moses and Aaron the same day
and said to him, “We are unclean because of a human corpse. Why should we be excluded from presenting the LORD's offering at its appointed time with the other Israelites? ”
“Tell the Israelites: When any one of you or your descendants is unclean because of a corpse or is on a distant journey, he may still observe the Passover to the LORD.
“Such people are to observe it in the second month, on the fourteenth day at twilight. They are to eat the animal with unleavened bread and bitter herbs;
“they may not leave any of it until morning or break any of its bones. They must observe the Passover according to all its statutes.
“But the man who is ceremonially clean, is not on a journey, and yet fails to observe the Passover is to be cut off from his people, because he did not present the LORD's offering at its appointed time. That man will bear the consequences of his sin.
“If an alien resides with you and wants to observe the Passover to the LORD, he is to do it according to the Passover statute and its ordinances. You are to apply the same statute to both the resident alien and the native of the land.”
On the day the tabernacle was set up, the cloud covered the tabernacle, the tent of the testimony, and it appeared like fire above the tabernacle from evening until morning.
Sometimes the cloud remained only from evening until morning; when the cloud lifted in the morning, they set out. Or if it remained a day and a night, they moved out when the cloud lifted.
Then the people cried out to Moses, and he prayed to the LORD, and the fire died down.
Then the LORD descended in the cloud and spoke to him. He took some of the Spirit who was on Moses and placed the Spirit on the seventy elders. As the Spirit rested on them, they prophesied, but they never did it again.
But Moses asked him, “Are you jealous on my account? If only all the LORD's people were prophets and the LORD would place his Spirit on them! ”
So they named that place Kibroth-hattaavah,[fn] because there they buried the people who had craved the meat.
“Please don't let her be like a dead baby[fn] whose flesh is half eaten away when he comes out of his mother's womb.”
The LORD answered Moses, “If her father had merely spit in her face, wouldn't she remain in disgrace for seven days? Let her be confined outside the camp for seven days; after that she may be brought back in.”
When Moses sent them to scout out the land of Canaan, he told them, “Go up this way to the Negev, then go up into the hill country.
But the men who had gone up with him responded, “We can't attack the people because they are stronger than we are! ”
“If you kill this people with a single blow,[fn] the nations that have heard of your fame will declare,
“‘Since the LORD wasn't able to bring this people into the land he swore to give them, he has slaughtered them in the wilderness.'
“Please pardon the iniquity of this people, in keeping with the greatness of your faithful love, just as you have forgiven them from Egypt until now.”
“But since my servant Caleb has a different spirit and has remained loyal to me, I will bring him into the land where he has gone, and his descendants will inherit it.
They got up early the next morning and went up the ridge of the hill country, saying, “Let's go to the place the LORD promised, for we were wrong.”
But Moses responded, “Why are you going against the LORD's command? It won't succeed.
“Prepare a quart of wine as a drink offering with the burnt offering or sacrifice of each lamb.
“Also present a third of a gallon of wine for a drink offering as a pleasing aroma to the LORD.
“Also present two quarts of wine as a drink offering. It is a food offering, a pleasing aroma to the LORD.
“The priest will then make atonement for the entire Israelite community so that they may be forgiven, for the sin was unintentional. They are to bring their offering, a food offering to the LORD, and their sin offering before the LORD for their unintentional sin.
“He will certainly be cut off, because he has despised the LORD's word and broken his command; his guilt remains on him.”
“Each of you is to take his firepan, place incense on it, and present his firepan before the LORD — 250 firepans. You and Aaron are each to present your firepan also.”
Each man took his firepan, placed fire in it, put incense on it, and stood at the entrance to the tent of meeting along with Moses and Aaron.
“But if the LORD brings about something unprecedented, and the ground opens its mouth and swallows them along with all that belongs to them so that they go down alive into Sheol, then you will know that these men have despised the LORD.”
Fire also came out from the LORD and consumed the 250 men who were presenting the incense.
“Tell Eleazar son of Aaron the priest to remove the firepans from the burning debris, because they are holy, and scatter the fire far away.
Then Moses told Aaron, “Take your firepan, place fire from the altar in it, and add incense. Go quickly to the community and make atonement for them, because wrath has come from the LORD; the plague has begun.”
So Aaron took his firepan as Moses had ordered, ran into the middle of the assembly, and saw that the plague had begun among the people. After he added incense, he made atonement for the people.
“Write Aaron's name on Levi's staff, because there is to be one staff for the head of each tribe.
“They are to perform duties for you and for the whole tent. They must not come near the sanctuary equipment or the altar; otherwise, both they and you will die.
“But you and your sons will carry out your priestly responsibilities for everything concerning the altar and for what is inside the curtain, and you will do that work. I am giving you the work of the priesthood as a gift,[fn] but an unauthorized person who comes near the sanctuary will be put to death.”
“However, you must not redeem the firstborn of an ox, a sheep, or a goat; they are holy. You are to splatter their blood on the altar and burn their fat as a food offering for a pleasing aroma to the LORD.
“Speak to the Levites and tell them: When you receive from the Israelites the tenth that I have given you as your inheritance, you are to present part of it as an offering to the LORD — a tenth of the tenth.
“You must present the entire offering due the LORD from all your gifts. The best part of the tenth is to be consecrated.
“The cow is to be burned in his sight. Its hide, flesh, and blood are to be burned along with its waste.
“Then the priest must wash his clothes and bathe his body in water; after that he may enter the camp, but he will remain ceremonially unclean until evening.
“The one who burned the cow must also wash his clothes and bathe his body in water, and he will remain unclean until evening.
“A person who is clean is to take hyssop, dip it in the water, and sprinkle the tent, all the furnishings, and the people who were there. He is also to sprinkle the one who touched a bone, a grave, a corpse, or a person who had been killed.
“We will go on the main road,” the Israelites replied to them, “and if we or our herds drink your water, we will pay its price. There will be no problem; only let us travel through on foot.”
So Moses did as the LORD commanded, and they climbed Mount Hor in the sight of the whole community.
The LORD listened to Israel's request and handed the Canaanites over to them, and Israel completely destroyed them and their cities. So they named the place Hormah.[fn]
They set out from there and camped on the other side of the Arnon River, in the wilderness that extends from the Amorite border, because the Arnon was the Moabite border between Moab and the Amorites.
from Bamoth to the valley in the territory of Moab near the Pisgah highlands that overlook the wasteland.[fn]
Heshbon was the city of King Sihon of the Amorites, who had fought against the former king of Moab and had taken control of all his land as far as the Arnon.
So Balaam got up the next morning and said to Balak's officials, “Go back to your land, because the LORD has refused to let me go with you.”
But Balaam responded to the servants of Balak, “If Balak were to give me his house full of silver and gold, I could not go against the command of the LORD my God to do anything small or great.
God came to Balaam at night and said to him, “Since these men have come to summon you, get up and go with them, but you must only do what I tell you.”
When he got up in the morning, Balaam saddled his donkey and went with the officials of Moab.
When the donkey saw the angel of the LORD standing on the path with a drawn sword in his hand, she turned off the path and went into the field. So Balaam hit her to return her to the path.
Then the LORD opened the donkey's mouth, and she asked Balaam, “What have I done to you that you have beaten me these three times? ”
Then the angel of the LORD said to Balaam, “Go with the men, but you are to say only what I tell you.” So Balaam went with Balak's officials.
Balaam said to him, “Look, I have come to you, but can I say anything I want? I must speak only the message God puts in my mouth.”
Then the LORD put a message in Balaam's mouth and said, “Return to Balak and say what I tell you.”
Who has counted the dust of Jacob
or numbered even one-fourth of Israel?
Let me die the death of the upright;
let the end of my life be like theirs.
The LORD met with Balaam and put a message in his mouth. Then he said, “Return to Balak and say what I tell you.”
Since Balaam saw that it pleased the LORD to bless Israel, he did not go to seek omens as on previous occasions, but turned[fn] toward the wilderness.
“If Balak were to give me his house full of silver and gold, I could not go against the LORD's command, to do anything good or bad of my own will? I will say whatever the LORD says.
Then Balaam saw Amalek and proclaimed his poem:
Amalek was first among the nations,
but his future is destruction.
The earth opened its mouth and swallowed them with Korah, when his followers died and the fire consumed 250 men. They serve as a warning sign.
“Why should the name of our father be taken away from his clan? Since he had no son, give us property among our father's brothers.”
Then the LORD said to Moses, “Go up this mountain of the Abarim range[fn] and see the land that I have given the Israelites.
“When the community quarreled in the Wilderness of Zin, both of you rebelled against my command to demonstrate my holiness in their sight at the waters.” Those were the Waters of Meribah-kadesh[fn] in the Wilderness of Zin.
“The drink offering is to be a quart with each lamb. Pour out the offering of beer to the LORD in the sanctuary area.
“Offer the second lamb at twilight, along with the same kind of grain offering and drink offering as in the morning. It is a food offering, a pleasing aroma to the LORD.
“Offer one male goat for a sin offering. The regular burnt offering with its grain offering and drink offerings are in addition to the sin offering of atonement.
“When a man makes a vow to the LORD or swears an oath to put himself under an obligation, he must not break his word; he must do whatever he has promised.
“Yet they are the ones who, at Balaam's advice, incited the Israelites to unfaithfulness against the LORD in the Peor incident, so that the plague came against the LORD's community.
“You, the priest Eleazar, and the family heads of the community are to take a count of what was captured, people and animals.
Moses gave the tribute to the priest Eleazar as a contribution for the LORD, as the LORD had commanded Moses.
Moses took one out of every fifty, selected from the people and the livestock of the Israelites' half. He gave them to the Levites who perform the duties of the LORD's tabernacle, as the LORD had commanded him.
and told him, “Your servants have taken a census of the fighting men under our command, and not one of us is missing.
“So we have presented to the LORD an offering of the gold articles each man found — armlets, bracelets, rings, earrings, and necklaces — to make atonement for ourselves before the LORD.”
Moses and the priest Eleazar received the gold from the commanders of thousands and of hundreds and brought it into the tent of meeting as a memorial for the Israelites before the LORD.
“‘Because they did not remain loyal to me, none of the men twenty years old or more who came up from Egypt will see the land I swore to give Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob —
Moses replied to them, “If you do this — if you arm yourselves for battle before the LORD,
“Build cities for your dependents and pens for your flocks, but do what you have promised.”
They traveled from Marah and came to Elim. There were twelve springs and seventy date palms at Elim, so they camped there.
“This will be your northern border: From the Mediterranean Sea draw a line to Mount Hor;
“from Mount Hor draw a line to the entrance of Hamath,[fn] and the border will reach Zedad.
“Measure a thousand yards[fn] outside the city for the east side, a thousand yards for the south side, a thousand yards for the west side, and a thousand yards for the north side, with the city in the center. This will belong to them as pasturelands for the cities.
“You will have the cities as a refuge from the avenger, so that the one who kills someone will not die until he stands trial before the assembly.
“The avenger of blood himself is to kill the murderer; when he finds him, he is to kill him.
“or if in hostility he strikes him with his hand and he dies, the one who struck him must be put to death; he is a murderer. The avenger of blood is to kill the murderer when he finds him.
“the assembly is to judge between the person who kills someone and the avenger of blood according to these ordinances.
“The assembly is to protect the one who kills someone from the avenger of blood. Then the assembly will return him to the city of refuge he fled to, and he must live there until the death of the high priest who was anointed with the holy oil.
“and the avenger of blood finds him outside the border of his city of refuge and kills him, the avenger will not be guilty of bloodshed,
“for the one who killed a person was supposed to live in his city of refuge until the death of the high priest. Only after the death of the high priest may the one who has killed a person return to the land he possesses.
“This is what the LORD has commanded concerning Zelophehad's daughters: They may marry anyone they like provided they marry within a clan of their ancestral tribe.
This was after he had defeated King Sihon of the Amorites, who lived in Heshbon, and King Og of Bashan, who lived in Ashtaroth, at Edrei.
“They left and went up into the hill country and came to Eshcol Valley, scouting the land.
“You grumbled in your tents and said, ‘The LORD brought us out of the land of Egypt to hand us over to the Amorites in order to destroy us, because he hates us.
“except Caleb the son of Jephunneh. He will see it, and I will give him and his descendants the land on which he has set foot, because he remained loyal to the LORD.'
“You answered me, ‘We have sinned against the LORD. We will go up and fight just as the LORD our God commanded us.' Then each of you put on his weapons of war and thought it would be easy to go up into the hill country.
“So I spoke to you, but you didn't listen. You rebelled against the LORD's command and defiantly went up into the hill country.
“Then we turned back and headed for the wilderness by way of the Red Sea, as the LORD had told me, and we traveled around the hill country of Seir for many days.
“Don't provoke them, for I will not give you any of their land, not even a foot of it,[fn] because I have given Esau the hill country of Seir as his possession.
This too used to be regarded as the land of the Rephaim. The Rephaim lived there previously, though the Ammonites called them Zamzummim,
“Today I will begin to put the fear and dread of you on the peoples everywhere under heaven. They will hear the report about you, tremble, and be in anguish because of you.'
“But King Sihon of Heshbon would not let us travel through his land, for the LORD your God had made his spirit stubborn and his heart obstinate in order to hand him over to you, as has now taken place.
“There was no city that was inaccessible to[fn] us, from Aroer on the rim of the Arnon Valley, along with the city in the valley, even as far as Gilead. The LORD our God gave everything to us.
“At that time we took possession of this land. I gave to the Reubenites and Gadites the area extending from Aroer by the Arnon Valley, and half the hill country of Gilead along with its cities.
“I gave to half the tribe of Manasseh the rest of Gilead and all Bashan, the kingdom of Og. The entire region of Argob, the whole territory of Bashan, used to be called the land of the Rephaim.
“Please let me cross over and see the beautiful land on the other side of the Jordan, that good hill country and Lebanon.
“You must not add anything to what I command you or take anything away from it, so that you may keep the commands of the LORD your God I am giving you.
“You came near and stood at the base of the mountain, a mountain blazing with fire into the heavens and enveloped in a totally black cloud.
“Indeed, ask about the earlier days that preceded you, from the day God created mankind[fn] on the earth and from one end of the heavens to the other: Has anything like this great event ever happened, or has anything like it been heard of?
“He let you hear his voice from heaven to instruct you. He showed you his great fire on earth, and you heard his words from the fire.
“Because he loved your ancestors, he chose their descendants after them and brought you out of Egypt by his presence and great power,
“At that time I was standing between the LORD and you to report the word[fn] of the LORD to you, because you were afraid of the fire and did not go up the mountain. And he said:
“Do not misuse the name of the LORD your God, because the LORD will not leave anyone unpunished who misuses his name.
“Do what is right and good in the LORD's sight, so that you may prosper and so that you may enter and possess the good land the LORD your God swore to give your ancestors,
“because they will turn your sons away from me to worship other gods. Then the LORD's anger will burn against you, and he will swiftly destroy you.
“But because the LORD loved you and kept the oath he swore to your ancestors, he brought you out with a strong hand and redeemed you from the place of slavery, from the power of Pharaoh king of Egypt.
“If you listen to and are careful to keep these ordinances, the LORD your God will keep his covenant loyalty with you, as he swore to your ancestors.
“He will love you, bless you, and multiply you. He will bless your offspring,[fn] and the produce of your land — your grain, new wine, and fresh oil — the young of your herds, and the newborn of your flocks, in the land he swore to your ancestors that he would give you.
“The LORD your God will drive out these nations before you little by little. You will not be able to destroy them all at once; otherwise, the wild animals will become too numerous for you.
“He will hand their kings over to you, and you will wipe out their names under heaven. No one will be able to stand against you; you will annihilate them.
“He humbled you by letting you go hungry; then he gave you manna to eat, which you and your ancestors had not known, so that you might learn that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD.
“He fed you in the wilderness with manna, which your ancestors had not known, in order to humble and test you, so that in the end he might cause you to prosper.
“When I went up the mountain to receive the stone tablets, the tablets of the covenant the LORD made with you, I stayed on the mountain forty days and forty nights. I did not eat food or drink water.
“The LORD said to me, ‘Get up and go down immediately from here. For your people whom you brought out of Egypt have acted corruptly. They have quickly turned from the way that I commanded them; they have made a cast image for themselves.'
“Leave me alone, and I will destroy them and blot out their name under heaven. Then I will make you into a nation stronger and more numerous than they.'
“I fell down like the first time in the presence of the LORD for forty days and forty nights; I did not eat food or drink water because of all the sin you committed, doing what was evil in the LORD's sight and angering him.
“Otherwise, those in the land you brought us from will say, ‘Because the LORD wasn't able to bring them into the land he had promised them, and because he hated them, he brought them out to kill them in the wilderness.'
“The LORD said to me at that time, ‘Cut two stone tablets like the first ones and come to me on the mountain and make a wooden ark.
“So I made an ark of acacia wood, cut two stone tablets like the first ones, and climbed the mountain with the two tablets in my hand.
“Yet the LORD had his heart set on your ancestors and loved them. He chose their descendants after them — he chose you out of all the peoples, as it is today.
“what he did to Egypt's army, its horses and chariots, when he made the water of the Red Sea flow over them as they pursued you, and he destroyed them completely;[fn]
“and what he did to Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab the Reubenite, when in the middle of the whole Israelite camp the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them, their households, their tents, and every living thing with them.
“I[fn] will provide rain for your land in the proper time, the autumn and spring rains, and you will harvest your grain, new wine, and fresh oil.
“Instead, turn to the place the LORD your God chooses from all your tribes to put his name for his dwelling and go there.
“You are not to do as we are doing here today; everyone is doing whatever seems right in his own sight.
“then the LORD your God will choose the place to have his name dwell. Bring there everything I command you: your burnt offerings, sacrifices, offerings of the tenth, personal contributions,[fn] and all your choice offerings you vow to the LORD.
“But whenever you want, you may slaughter and eat meat within any of your city gates, according to the blessing the LORD your God has given you. Those who are clean or unclean may eat it, as they would a gazelle or deer,
“Within your city gates you may not eat the tenth of your grain, new wine, or fresh oil; the firstborn of your herd or flock; any of your vow offerings that you pledge; your freewill offerings; or your personal contributions.[fn]
“If the place where the LORD your God chooses to put his name is too far from you, you may slaughter any of your herd or flock he has given you, as I have commanded you, and you may eat it within your city gates whenever you want.
“Do not eat it, so that you and your children after you will prosper, because you will be doing what is right in the LORD's sight.
“But you are to take the holy offerings you have and your vow offerings and go to the place the LORD chooses.
“Present the meat and blood of your burnt offerings on the altar of the LORD your God. The blood of your other sacrifices is to be poured out beside the altar of the LORD your God, but you may eat the meat.
“Be careful to obey all these things I command you, so that you and your children after you may prosper forever, because you will be doing what is good and right in the sight of the LORD your God.
“be careful not to be ensnared by their ways after they have been destroyed before you. Do not inquire about their gods, asking, ‘How did these nations worship their gods? I'll also do the same.'
“do not listen to that prophet's words or to that dreamer. For the LORD your God is testing you to know whether you love the LORD your God with all your heart and all your soul.
“That prophet or dreamer must be put to death, because he has urged rebellion against the LORD your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt and redeemed you from the place of slavery, to turn you from the way the LORD your God has commanded you to walk. You must purge the evil from you.
“All Israel will hear and be afraid, and they will no longer do anything evil like this among you.
“This will occur if you obey the LORD your God, keeping all his commands I am giving you today, doing what is right in the sight of the LORD your God.
“You are to eat a tenth of your grain, new wine, and fresh oil, and the firstborn of your herd and flock, in the presence of the LORD your God at the place where he chooses to have his name dwell, so that you will always learn to fear the LORD your God.
“But if the distance is too great for you to carry it, since the place where the LORD your God chooses to put his name is too far away from you and since the LORD your God has blessed you,
“then exchange it for silver, take the silver in your hand, and go to the place the LORD your God chooses.
“You may spend the silver on anything you want: cattle, sheep, goats, wine, beer, or anything you desire. You are to feast there in the presence of the LORD your God and rejoice with your family.
“At the end of every three years, bring a tenth of all your produce for that year and store it within your city gates.
“For there will never cease to be poor people in the land; that is why I am commanding you, ‘Open your hand willingly to your poor and needy brother in your land.'
“Remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt and the LORD your God redeemed you; that is why I am giving you this command today.
“take an awl and pierce through his ear into the door, and he will become your slave for life. Also treat your female slave the same way.
“Consecrate to the LORD your God every firstborn male produced by your herd and flock. You are not to put the firstborn of your oxen to work or shear the firstborn of your flock.
“Set aside the month of Abib[fn] and observe the Passover to the LORD your God, because the LORD your God brought you out of Egypt by night in the month of Abib.
“Sacrifice to the LORD your God a Passover animal from the herd or flock in the place where the LORD chooses to have his name dwell.
“No yeast is to be found anywhere in your territory for seven days, and none of the meat you sacrifice in the evening of the first day is to remain until morning.
“You are not to sacrifice the Passover animal in any of the towns the LORD your God is giving you.
“Sacrifice the Passover animal only at the place where the LORD your God chooses to have his name dwell. Do this in the evening as the sun sets at the same time of day you departed from Egypt.
“You are to cook and eat it in the place the LORD your God chooses, and you are to return to your tents in the morning.
“Rejoice before the LORD your God in the place where he chooses to have his name dwell — you, your son and daughter, your male and female slave, the Levite within your city gates, as well as the resident alien, the fatherless, and the widow among you.
“Pursue justice and justice alone, so that you will live and possess the land the LORD your God is giving you.
“Do not set up an Asherah of any kind of wood next to the altar you will build for the LORD your God,
“If a man or woman among you in one of your towns that the LORD your God will give you is discovered doing evil in the sight of the LORD your God and violating his covenant
“and if you are told or hear about it, then investigate it thoroughly. If the report turns out to be true that this detestable act has been done in Israel,
“If a case is too difficult for you — concerning bloodshed, lawsuits, or assaults — cases disputed at your city gates, then go up to the place the LORD your God chooses.
“You must abide by the verdict they give you at the place the LORD chooses. Be careful to do exactly as they instruct you.
“When he is seated on his royal throne, he is to write a copy of this instruction for himself on a scroll in the presence of the Levitical priests.
“This is the priests' share from the people who offer a sacrifice, whether it is an ox, a sheep, or a goat; the priests are to be given the shoulder, jaws, and stomach.
“This is what you requested from the LORD your God at Horeb on the day of the assembly when you said, ‘Let us not continue to hear the voice of the LORD our God or see this great fire any longer, so that we will not die! '
“I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brothers. I will put my words in his mouth, and he will tell them everything I command him.
“You may say to yourself, ‘How can we recognize a message the LORD has not spoken? '
“When a prophet speaks in the LORD's name, and the message does not come true or is not fulfilled, that is a message the LORD has not spoken. The prophet has spoken it presumptuously. Do not be afraid of him.
“Here is the law concerning a case of someone who kills a person and flees there to save his life, having killed his neighbor accidentally without previously hating him:
“If, for example, he goes into the forest with his neighbor to cut timber, and his hand swings the ax to chop down a tree, but the blade flies off the handle and strikes his neighbor so that he dies, that person may flee to one of these cities and live.
“Do not look on him with pity but purge from Israel the guilt of shedding innocent blood, and you will prosper.
“Then everyone else will hear and be afraid, and they will never again do anything evil like this among you.
“When you lay siege to a city for a long time, fighting against it in order to capture it, do not destroy its trees by putting an ax to them, because you can get food from them. Do not cut them down. Are trees of the field human, to come under siege by you?
“You must purge from yourselves the guilt of shedding innocent blood, for you will be doing what is right in the LORD's sight.
“you are not to leave his corpse on the tree overnight but are to bury him that day, for anyone hung on a tree is under God's curse. You must not defile the land the LORD your God is giving you as an inheritance.
“If you see your brother Israelite's ox or sheep straying, do not ignore it; make sure you return it to your brother.
“Do the same for his donkey, his garment, or anything your brother has lost and you have found. You must not ignore it.
“Do not plant your vineyard with two types of seed; otherwise, the entire harvest, both the crop you plant and the produce of the vineyard, will be defiled.
“He has accused her of shameful conduct, saying, “I didn't find any evidence of your daughter's virginity,” but here is the evidence of my daughter's virginity.' They will spread out the cloth before the city elders.
“Do nothing to the young woman, because she is not guilty of an offense deserving death. This case is just like one in which a man attacks his neighbor and murders him.
“This is because they did not meet you with food and water on the journey after you came out of Egypt, and because Balaam son of Beor from Pethor in Aram-naharaim was hired to curse you.
“When evening approaches, he is to wash with water, and when the sun sets he may come inside the camp.
“the first husband who sent her away may not marry her again after she has been defiled, because that would be detestable to the LORD. You must not bring guilt on the land the LORD your God is giving you as an inheritance.
“When you make a loan of any kind to your neighbor, do not enter his house to collect what he offers as security.
“Stand outside while the man you are making the loan to brings the security out to you.
“Be sure to return it[fn] to him at sunset. Then he will sleep in it and bless you, and this will be counted as righteousness to you before the LORD your God.
“Remember that you were a slave in Egypt, and the LORD your God redeemed you from there. Therefore I am commanding you to do this.
“When you knock down the fruit from your olive tree, do not go over the branches again. What remains will be for the resident alien, the fatherless, and the widow.
“Remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt. Therefore I am commanding you to do this.
“When brothers live on the same property[fn] and one of them dies without a son, the wife of the dead man may not marry a stranger outside the family. Her brother-in-law is to take her as his wife, have sexual relations with her, and perform the duty of a brother-in-law for her.
“The first son she bears will carry on the name of the dead brother, so his name will not be blotted out from Israel.
“But if the man doesn't want to marry his sister-in-law, she is to go to the elders at the city gate and say, ‘My brother-in-law refuses to preserve his brother's name in Israel. He isn't willing to perform the duty of a brother-in-law for me.'
“then his sister-in-law will go up to him in the sight of the elders, remove his sandal from his foot, and spit in his face. Then she will declare, ‘This is what is done to a man who will not build up his brother's house.'
“And his family name in Israel will be ‘The house of the man whose sandal was removed.'
“If two men are fighting with each other, and the wife of one steps in to rescue her husband from the one striking him, and she puts out her hand and grabs his genitals,
“When the LORD your God gives you rest from all the enemies around you in the land the LORD your God is giving you to possess as an inheritance, blot out the memory of Amalek under heaven. Do not forget.
“take some of the first of all the land's produce that you harvest from the land the LORD your God is giving you and put it in a basket. Then go to the place where the LORD your God chooses to have his name dwell.
“When you have finished paying all the tenth of your produce in the third year, the year of the tenth, you are to give it to the Levites, resident aliens, fatherless children, and widows, so that they may eat in your towns and be satisfied.
“You will sow much seed in the field but harvest little, because locusts will devour it.
“Because you didn't serve the LORD your God with joy and a cheerful heart, even though you had an abundance of everything,
“refusing to share with any of them his children's flesh that he will eat because he has nothing left during the siege and hardship your enemy imposes on you in all your towns.
“the afterbirth that comes out from between her legs and the children she bears, because she will secretly eat them for lack of anything else during the siege and hardship your enemy imposes on you within your city gates.
“If you are not careful to obey all the words of this law, which are written in this scroll, by fearing this glorious and awe-inspiring name — the LORD, your God —
“In the morning you will say, ‘If only it were evening! ' and in the evening you will say, ‘If only it were morning! ' — because of the dread you will have in your heart and because of what you will see.
“The LORD will not be willing to forgive him. Instead, his anger and jealousy will burn against that person, and every curse written in this scroll will descend on him. The LORD will blot out his name under heaven,
“And it is not across the sea so that you have to ask, ‘Who will cross the sea, get it for us, and proclaim it to us so that we may follow it? '
“My anger will burn against them on that day; I will abandon them and hide my face from them so that they will become easy prey. Many troubles and afflictions will come to them. On that day they will say, ‘Haven't these troubles come to us because our God is no longer with us? '
“I will certainly hide my face on that day because of all the evil they have done by turning to other gods.
“Therefore write down this song for yourselves and teach it to the Israelites; have them sing it,[fn] so that this song may be a witness for me against the Israelites.
“Take this book of the law and place it beside the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God so that it may remain there as a witness against you.
“For I know that after my death you will become completely corrupt and turn from the path I have commanded you. Disaster will come to you in the future, because you will do what is evil in the LORD's sight, angering him with what your hands have made.”
He said, “I will hide my face from them;
I will see what will become of them,
for they are a perverse generation —
unfaithful children.
“I would have said: I will cut them to pieces[fn]
and blot out the memory of them from mankind,
“Who ate the fat of their sacrifices
and drank the wine of their drink offerings?
Let them rise up and help you;
let it[fn] be a shelter for you.
“Go up Mount Nebo in the Abarim range in the land of Moab, across from Jericho, and view the land of Canaan I am giving the Israelites as a possession.
They will teach your ordinances to Jacob
and your instruction to Israel;
they will set incense before you
and whole burnt offerings on your altar.
Then Moses went up from the plains of Moab to Mount Nebo, to the top of Pisgah, which faces Jericho, and the LORD showed him all the land: Gilead as far as Dan,
“Remember what Moses the LORD's servant commanded you when he said, ‘The LORD your God will give you rest, and he will give you this land.'
“until the LORD gives your brothers rest, as he has given you, and they too possess the land the LORD your God is giving them. You may then return to the land of your inheritance and take possession of what Moses the LORD's servant gave you on the east side of the Jordan.”
But she had taken them up to the roof and hidden them among the stalks of flax that she had arranged on the roof.
“unless, when we enter the land, you tie this scarlet cord to the window through which you let us down. Bring your father, mother, brothers, and all your father's family into your house.
“Let it be as you say,” she replied, and she sent them away. After they had gone, she tied the scarlet cord to the window.
Joshua started early the next morning and left the Acacia Grove[fn] with all the Israelites. They went as far as the Jordan and stayed there before crossing.
Then Joshua told the Israelites, “Come closer and listen to the words of the LORD your God.”
and the water flowing downstream stood still, rising up in a mass that extended as far as[fn] Adam, a city next to Zarethan. The water flowing downstream into the Sea of the Arabah — the Dead Sea — was completely cut off, and the people crossed opposite Jericho.
The people came up from the Jordan on the tenth day of the first month, and camped at Gilgal on the eastern limits of Jericho.
“For the LORD your God dried up the water of the Jordan before you until you had crossed over, just as the LORD your God did to the Red Sea, which he dried up before us until we had crossed over.
He raised up their sons in their place; it was these Joshua circumcised. They were still uncircumcised, since they had not been circumcised along the way.
The LORD then said to Joshua, “Today I have rolled away the disgrace of Egypt from you.” Therefore, that place is still called Gilgal[fn] today.
While the Israelites camped at Gilgal on the plains of Jericho, they observed the Passover on the evening of the fourteenth day of the month.
And the day after they ate from the produce of the land, the manna ceased. Since there was no more manna for the Israelites, they ate from the crops of the land of Canaan that year.
The commander of the LORD's army said to Joshua, “Remove the sandals from your feet, for the place where you are standing is holy.” And Joshua did that.
“When the Canaanites and all who live in the land hear about this, they will surround us and wipe out our name from the earth. Then what will you do about your great name? ”
“This is why the Israelites cannot stand against their enemies. They will turn their backs and run from their enemies, because they have been set apart for destruction. I will no longer be with you unless you remove from among you what is set apart.
“Go and consecrate the people. Tell them to consecrate themselves for tomorrow, for this is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: There are things that are set apart among you, Israel. You will not be able to stand against your enemies until you remove what is set apart.
“In the morning, present yourselves tribe by tribe. The tribe the LORD selects is to come forward clan by clan. The clan the LORD selects is to come forward family by family. The family the LORD selects is to come forward man by man.
“After taking the city, set it on fire. Follow the LORD's command — see that you do as I have ordered you.”
Joshua started early the next morning and mobilized them. Then he and the elders of Israel led the people up to Ai.
There on the stones, Joshua copied the law of Moses, which he had written in the presence of the Israelites.
They replied to him, “Your servants have come from a faraway land because of the reputation of the LORD your God. For we have heard of his fame, and all that he did in Egypt,
Three days after making the treaty with them, they heard that the Gibeonites were their neighbors, living among them.
The Gibeonites answered him, “It was clearly communicated to your servants that the LORD your God had commanded his servant Moses to give you all the land and to destroy all the inhabitants of the land before you. We greatly feared for our lives because of you, and that is why we did this.
Then the men of Gibeon sent word to Joshua in the camp at Gilgal: “Don't give up on your servants. Come quickly and save us! Help us, for all the Amorite kings living in the hill country have joined forces against us.”
There has been no day like it before or since, when the LORD listened to a man, because the LORD fought for Israel.
Joshua said, “Roll large stones against the mouth of the cave, and station men by it to guard the kings.
Then Joshua said, “Open the mouth of the cave, and bring those five kings to me out of there.”
At sunset Joshua commanded that they be taken down from the trees and thrown into the cave where they had hidden. Then large stones were placed against the mouth of the cave, and the stones are still there today.
All these kings joined forces; they came and camped together at the Waters of Merom to attack Israel.
So Joshua and all his troops surprised them at the Waters of Merom and attacked them.
So Joshua took all this land — the hill country, all the Negev, all the land of Goshen, the foothills, the Arabah, and the hill country of Israel with its foothills —
from Mount Halak, which ascends to Seir, as far as Baal-gad in the Valley of Lebanon at the foot of Mount Hermon. He captured all their kings and struck them down, putting them to death.
King Sihon of the Amorites lived in Heshbon. He ruled from Aroer on the rim of the Arnon River, along the middle of the valley, and half of Gilead up to the Jabbok River (the border of the Ammonites),
He ruled over Mount Hermon, Salecah, all Bashan up to the Geshurite and Maacathite border, and half of Gilead to the border of King Sihon of Heshbon.
“the land of the Gebalites; and all Lebanon east from Baal-gad below Mount Hermon to the entrance of Hamath[fn] —
But half of Gilead, and Og's royal cities in Bashan — Ashtaroth and Edrei — are for the descendants of Machir son of Manasseh (that is, half the descendants of Machir by their clans).
The descendants of Judah approached Joshua at Gilgal, and Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite said to him, “You know what the LORD promised Moses the man of God at Kadesh-barnea about you and me.
“As you see, the LORD has kept me alive these forty-five years as he promised, since the LORD spoke this word to Moses while Israel was journeying in the wilderness. Here I am today, eighty-five years old.
“Now give me this hill country the LORD promised me on that day, because you heard then that the Anakim are there, as well as large fortified cities. Perhaps the LORD will be with me and I will drive them out as the LORD promised.”
Therefore, Hebron still belongs to Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite as an inheritance today because he followed the LORD, the God of Israel, completely.
Hebron's name used to be Kiriath-arba; Arba was the greatest man among the Anakim. After this, the land had rest from war.
Then the border ascended to Debir from the Valley of Achor, turning north to the Gilgal that is opposite the Ascent of Adummim, which is south of the ravine. The border proceeded to the Waters of En-shemesh and ended at En-rogel.
From the top of the hill the border curved to the spring of the Waters of Nephtoah, went to the cities of Mount Ephron, and then curved to Baalah (that is, Kiriath-jearim).
From there he marched against the inhabitants of Debir, which used to be called Kiriath-sepher,
Within Issachar and Asher, Manasseh had Beth-shean, Ibleam, and the inhabitants of Dor with their surrounding villages; the inhabitants of En-dor, Taanach, and Megiddo — the three cities of[fn] Naphath — with their surrounding villages.
Their border on the north side began at the Jordan, ascended to the slope of Jericho on the north, through the hill country westward, and ended at the wilderness around Beth-aven.
On the west side, from the hill facing Beth-horon on the south, the border curved, turning southward, and ended at Kiriath-baal (that is, Kiriath-jearim), a city of the descendants of Judah. This was the west side of their border.
When the territory of the descendants of Dan slipped out of their control, they went up and fought against Leshem, captured it, and struck it down with the sword. So they took possession of it, lived there, and renamed Leshem after their ancestor Dan.
This was the inheritance of the tribe of Dan's descendants by their clans, these cities with their settlements.
When they had finished distributing the land into its territories, the Israelites gave Joshua son of Nun an inheritance among them.
“so that a person who kills someone unintentionally or accidentally may flee there. These will be your refuge from the avenger of blood.
These are the cities appointed for all the Israelites and the aliens residing among them, so that anyone who kills a person unintentionally may flee there and not die at the hand of the avenger of blood until he stands before the assembly.
From the tribe of Reuben they gave:
Bezer with its pasturelands, Jahzah[fn] with its pasturelands,
From the tribe of Gad they gave:
Ramoth in Gilead, the city of refuge for the one who commits manslaughter, with its pasturelands, Mahanaim with its pasturelands,
The Israelites sent Phinehas son of Eleazar the priest to the Reubenites, Gadites, and half the tribe of Manasseh, in the land of Gilead.
“But if the land you possess is defiled, cross over to the land the LORD possesses where the LORD's tabernacle stands, and take possession of it among us. But don't rebel against the LORD or against us by building for yourselves an altar other than the altar of the LORD our God.
A long time after the LORD had given Israel rest from all the enemies around them, Joshua was old, advanced in age.
Joshua said to all the people, “This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: ‘Long ago your ancestors, including Terah, the father of Abraham and Nahor, lived beyond the Euphrates River and worshiped other gods.
“and to Isaac I gave Jacob and Esau. I gave the hill country of Seir to Esau as a possession.
“ ‘Jacob and his sons, however, went down to Egypt.
They buried him in his allotted territory at Timnath-serah, in the hill country of Ephraim north of Mount Gaash.
Judah went with his brother Simeon, struck the Canaanites who were living in Zephath, and completely destroyed the town. So they named the town Hormah.
Judah captured Gaza and its territory, Ashkelon and its territory, and Ekron and its territory.
The LORD was with Judah and enabled them to take possession of the hill country, but they could not drive out the people who were living in the plain because those people had iron chariots.
Then the man went to the land of the Hittites, built a town, and named it Luz. That is its name still today.
The Amorites forced the Danites into the hill country and did not allow them to go down into the valley.
The people worshiped the LORD throughout Joshua's lifetime and during the lifetimes of the elders who outlived Joshua. They had seen all the LORD's great works he had done for Israel.
That whole generation was also gathered to their ancestors. After them another generation rose up who did not know the LORD or the works he had done for Israel.
The LORD left these nations and did not drive them out immediately. He did not hand them over to Joshua.
The Israelites did what was evil in the LORD's sight; they forgot the LORD their God and worshiped the Baals and the Asherahs.
The Israelites again did what was evil in the LORD's sight. He gave King Eglon of Moab power over Israel, because they had done what was evil in the LORD's sight.
Even the handle went in after the blade, and Eglon's fat closed in over it, so that Ehud did not withdraw the sword from his belly. And the waste came out.[fn]
“Then I will lure Sisera commander of Jabin's army, his chariots, and his infantry at the Wadi Kishon to fight against you, and I will hand him over to you.' ”
He said to her, “Please give me a little water to drink for I am thirsty.” She opened a container of milk, gave him a drink, and covered him again.
The Israelites did what was evil in the sight of the LORD. So the LORD handed them over to Midian seven years,
So Gideon went and prepared a young goat and unleavened bread from a half bushel[fn] of flour. He placed the meat in a basket and the broth in a pot. He brought them out and offered them to him under the oak.
The angel of the LORD extended the tip of the staff that was in his hand and touched the meat and the unleavened bread. Fire came up from the rock and consumed the meat and the unleavened bread. Then the angel of the LORD vanished from his sight.
On that very night the LORD said to him, “Take your father's young bull and a second bull seven years old. Then tear down the altar of Baal that belongs to your father and cut down the Asherah pole beside it.
When the men of the city got up in the morning, they found Baal's altar torn down, the Asherah pole beside it cut down, and the second bull offered up on the altar that had been built.
They said to each other, “Who did this? ” After they made a thorough investigation, they said, “Gideon son of Joash did it.”
Then the men of the city said to Joash, “Bring out your son. He must die, because he tore down Baal's altar and cut down the Asherah pole beside it.”
But Joash said to all who stood against him, “Would you plead Baal's case for him? Would you save him? Whoever pleads his case will be put to death by morning! If he is a god, let him plead his own case because someone tore down his altar.”
That day Gideon was called Jerubbaal, since Joash said, “Let Baal contend with him,” because he tore down his altar.
All the Midianites, Amalekites, and people of the east gathered together, crossed over the Jordan, and camped in the Jezreel Valley.
Then the LORD said to Gideon, “There are still too many troops. Take them down to the water, and I will test them for you there. If I say to you, ‘This one can go with you,' he can go. But if I say about anyone, ‘This one cannot go with you,' he cannot go.”
So he brought the troops down to the water, and the LORD said to Gideon, “Separate everyone who laps water with his tongue like a dog. Do the same with everyone who kneels to drink.”
So Gideon sent all the Israelites to their tents but kept the three hundred troops, who took the provisions and their rams' horns. The camp of Midian was below him in the valley.
That night the LORD said to him, “Get up and attack the camp, for I have handed it over to you.
Now the Midianites, Amalekites, and all the people of the east had settled down in the valley like a swarm of locusts, and their camels were as innumerable as the sand on the seashore.
When Gideon arrived, there was a man telling his friend about a dream. He said, “Listen, I had a dream: a loaf of barley bread came tumbling into the Midianite camp, struck a tent, and it fell. The loaf turned the tent upside down so that it collapsed.”
Gideon sent messengers throughout the hill country of Ephraim with this message: “Come down to intercept the Midianites and take control of the watercourses ahead of them as far as Beth-barah and the Jordan.” So all the men of Ephraim were called out, and they took control of the watercourses as far as Beth-barah and the Jordan.
The men of Ephraim said to him, “Why have you done this to us, not calling us when you went to fight against the Midianites? ” And they argued with him violently.
They said, “We agree to give them.” So they spread out a cloak, and everyone threw an earring from his plunder on it.
But the fig tree said to them,
“Should I stop giving
my sweetness and my good fruit,
and rule over trees? ”
“Now if you have acted faithfully and honestly in making Abimelech king, if you have done well by Jerubbaal and his family, and if you have rewarded him appropriately for what he did —
so that the crime against the seventy sons of Jerubbaal might come to justice and their blood would be avenged on their brother Abimelech, who killed them, and on the citizens of Shechem, who had helped him kill his brothers.
“Then get up early, and at sunrise attack the city. When he and the troops who are with him come out against you, do to him whatever you can.”
The next day when the people of Shechem[fn] went into the countryside, this was reported to Abimelech.
Each of the troops also cut his own branch and followed Abimelech. They put the branches against the inner chamber and set it on fire; about a thousand men and women died, including all the men of the Tower of Shechem.
There was a strong tower inside the city, and all the men, women, and citizens of the city fled there. They locked themselves in and went up to the roof of the tower.
But a woman threw the upper portion of a millstone on Abimelech's head and fractured his skull.
He quickly called his armor-bearer and said to him, “Draw your sword and kill me, or they'll say about me, ‘A woman killed him.' ” So his armor-bearer ran him through, and he died.
Then the Israelites again did what was evil in the sight of the LORD. They worshiped the Baals and the Ashtoreths, the gods of Aram, Sidon, and Moab, and the gods of the Ammonites and the Philistines. They abandoned the LORD and did not worship him.
The elders of Gilead said to Jephthah, “The LORD is our witness if we don't do as you say.”
“Then they traveled through the wilderness and around the lands of Edom and Moab. They came to the east side of the land of Moab and camped on the other side of the Arnon but did not enter into the territory of Moab, for the Arnon was the boundary of Moab.
“They took possession of all the territory of the Amorites from the Arnon to the Jabbok and from the wilderness to the Jordan.
The Spirit of the LORD came on Jephthah, who traveled through Gilead and Manasseh, and then through Mizpah of Gilead. He crossed over to the Ammonites from Mizpah of Gilead.
When he saw her, he tore his clothes and said, “No! Not my daughter! You have devastated me! You have brought great misery on me.[fn] I have given my word to the LORD and cannot take it back.”
Then she said to him, “My father, you have given your word to the LORD. Do to me as you have said, for the LORD brought vengeance on your enemies, the Ammonites.”
She also said to her father, “Let me do this one thing: Let me wander two months through the mountains with my friends and mourn my virginity.”
The Israelites again did what was evil in the LORD's sight, so the LORD handed them over to the Philistines forty years.
Then the woman went and told her husband, “A man of God came to me. He looked like the awe-inspiring angel of God. I didn't ask him where he came from, and he didn't tell me his name.
“Why do you ask my name,” the angel of the LORD asked him, “since it is beyond understanding?”
So the woman gave birth to a son and named him Samson. The boy grew, and the LORD blessed him.
After some time, when he returned to marry her, he left the road to see the lion's carcass, and there was a swarm of bees with honey in the carcass.
He scooped some honey into his hands and ate it as he went along. When he came to his father and mother, he gave some to them and they ate it. But he did not tell them that he had scooped the honey from the lion's carcass.
“Let me tell you a riddle,” Samson said to them. “If you can explain it to me during the seven days of the feast and figure it out, I will give you thirty linen garments and thirty changes of clothes.
“But if you can't explain it to me, you must give me thirty linen garments and thirty changes of clothes.”
“Tell us your riddle,” they replied.[fn] “Let's hear it.”
So he said to them:
Out of the eater came something to eat,
and out of the strong came something sweet.
After three days, they were unable to explain the riddle.
On the fourth[fn] day they said to Samson's wife, “Persuade your husband to explain the riddle to us, or we will burn you and your father's family to death. Did you invite us here to rob us? ”
So Samson's wife came to him, weeping, and said, “You hate me and don't love me! You told my people the riddle, but haven't explained it to me.”
“Look,” he said,[fn] “I haven't even explained it to my father or mother, so why should I explain it to you? ”
On the seventh day, before sunset, the men of the city said to him:
What is sweeter than honey?
What is stronger than a lion?
So he said to them:
If you hadn't plowed with my young cow,
you wouldn't know my riddle now!
The Spirit of the LORD came powerfully on him, and he went down to Ashkelon and killed thirty of their men. He stripped them and gave their clothes to those who had explained the riddle. In a rage, Samson returned to his father's house,
So God split a hollow place in the ground at Lehi, and water came out of it. After Samson drank, his strength returned, and he revived. That is why he named it Hakkore Spring,[fn] which is still in Lehi today.
But Samson stayed in bed only until midnight. Then he got up, took hold of the doors of the city gate along with the two gateposts, and pulled them out, bar and all. He put them on his shoulders and took them to the top of the mountain overlooking Hebron.
While the men in ambush were waiting in her room, she called out to him, “Samson, the Philistines are here! ”[fn] But he snapped the bowstrings as a strand of yarn snaps when it touches fire. The secret of his strength remained unknown.
She fastened the braids with a pin and called to him, “Samson, the Philistines are here! ” He awoke from his sleep and pulled out the pin, with the loom and the web.
When Delilah realized that he had told her the whole truth, she sent this message to the Philistine leaders: “Come one more time, for he has told me the whole truth.” The Philistine leaders came to her and brought the silver with them.
Samson said to the young man who was leading him by the hand, “Lead me where I can feel the pillars supporting the temple, so I can lean against them.”
He called out to the LORD, “Lord GOD, please remember me. Strengthen me, God, just once more. With one act of vengeance, let me pay back the Philistines for my two eyes.”
He said to his mother, “The 1,100 pieces of silver taken from you, and that I heard you place a curse on — here's the silver. I took it.”
Then his mother said, “My son, may you be blessed by the LORD! ”
He returned the 1,100 pieces of silver to his mother, and his mother said, “I personally consecrate the silver to the LORD for my son's benefit to make a carved image and a silver idol.[fn] I will give it back to you.”
So he returned the silver to his mother, and she took five pounds of silver and gave it to a silversmith. He made it into a carved image and a silver idol, and it was in Micah's house.
In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did whatever seemed right to him.
Micah replied,[fn] “Stay with me and be my father and priest, and I will give you four ounces of silver a year, along with your clothing and provisions.” So the Levite went in
They answered, “Come on, let's attack them, for we have seen the land, and it is very good. Why wait? Don't hesitate to go and invade and take possession of the land!
Then the five men who had gone to scout out the land went in and took the carved image, the ephod, the household idols, and the silver idol,[fn] while the priest was standing by the entrance of the city gate with the six hundred men armed with weapons of war.
When they entered Micah's house and took the carved image, the ephod, the household idols, and the silver idol, the priest said to them, “What are you doing? ”
They told him, “Be quiet. Keep your mouth shut.[fn] Come with us and be a father and a priest to us. Is it better for you to be a priest for the house of one person or for you to be a priest for a tribe and family in Israel? ”
So the priest was pleased and took the ephod, household idols, and carved image, and went with the people.
He said, “You took the gods I had made and the priest, and went away. What do I have left? How can you say to me, ‘What's the matter with you? ' ”
They named the city Dan, after the name of their ancestor Dan, who was born to Israel. The city was formerly named Laish.
The Danites set up the carved image for themselves. Jonathan son of Gershom, son of Moses,[fn] and his sons were priests for the Danite tribe until the time of the exile from the land.
So they set up for themselves Micah's carved image that he had made, and it was there as long as the house of God was in Shiloh.
On the fourth day, they got up early in the morning and prepared to go, but the girl's father said to his son-in-law, “Have something to eat to keep up your strength and then you can go.”
So they sat down and the two of them ate and drank together. Then the girl's father said to the man, “Please agree to stay overnight and enjoy yourself.”
He got up early in the morning of the fifth day to leave, but the girl's father said to him, “Please keep up your strength.” So they waited until late afternoon and the two of them ate.
The man got up to go with his concubine and his servant, when his father-in-law, the girl's father, said to him, “Look, night is coming. Please spend the night. See, the day is almost over. Spend the night here, enjoy yourself, then you can get up early tomorrow for your journey and go home.”
The owner of the house went out and said to them, “Please don't do this evil, my brothers. After all, this man has come into my house. Don't commit this horrible outrage.
“Here, let me bring out my virgin daughter and the man's concubine now. Abuse them and do whatever you want to them. But don't commit this outrageous thing against this man.”
But the men would not listen to him, so the man seized his concubine and took her outside to them. They raped her and abused her all night until morning. At daybreak they let her go.
Early that morning, the woman made her way back, and as it was getting light, she collapsed at the doorway of the man's house where her master was.
When her master got up in the morning, opened the doors of the house, and went out to leave on his journey, there was the woman, his concubine, collapsed near the doorway of the house with her hands on the threshold.
“Get up,” he told her. “Let's go.” But there was no response. So the man put her on his donkey and set out for home.
Everyone who saw it said, “Nothing like this has ever happened or has been seen since the day the Israelites came out of the land of Egypt until now.[fn] Think it over, discuss it, and speak up! ”
Then all the people stood united and said, “None of us will go to his tent or return to his house.
Then the Benjaminites realized they had been defeated.
The men of Israel had retreated before Benjamin, because they were confident in the ambush they had set against Gibeah.
The men of Israel had a prearranged signal with the men in ambush: when they sent up a great cloud of smoke from the city,
In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did whatever seemed right to him.
Boaz answered her, “Everything you have done for your mother-in-law since your husband's death has been fully reported to me: how you left your father and mother and your native land, and how you came to a people you didn't previously know.
Her mother-in-law said to her, “Where did you gather barley today, and where did you work? May the LORD bless the man who noticed you.”
Ruth told her mother-in-law whom she had worked with and said, “The name of the man I worked with today is Boaz.”
Then Naomi said to her daughter-in-law, “May the LORD bless him because he has not abandoned his kindness to the living or the dead.” Naomi continued, “The man is a close relative. He is one of our family redeemers.”
So he asked, “Who are you? ”
“I am Ruth, your servant,” she replied. “Take me under your wing,[fn] for you are a family redeemer.”
Then he said, “May the LORD bless you, my daughter. You have shown more kindness now than before,[fn] because you have not pursued younger men, whether rich or poor.
And he told Ruth, “Bring the shawl you're wearing and hold it out.” When she held it out, he shoveled six measures of barley into her shawl, and she[fn] went into the town.
“I thought I should inform you: Buy it back in the presence of those seated here and in the presence of the elders of my people. If you want to redeem it, do it. But if you do[fn] not want to redeem it, tell me so that I will know, because there isn't anyone other than you to redeem it, and I am next after you.”
“I want to redeem it,” he answered.
At an earlier period in Israel, a man removed his sandal and gave it to the other party in order to make any matter legally binding concerning the right of redemption or the exchange of property. This was the method of legally binding a transaction in Israel.
So the redeemer removed his sandal and said to Boaz, “Buy back the property yourself.”
“I have also acquired Ruth the Moabitess, Mahlon's widow, as my wife, to perpetuate the deceased man's name on his property, so that his name will not disappear among his relatives or from the gate of his hometown. You are witnesses today.”
The neighbor women said, “A son has been born to Naomi,” and they named him Obed. He was the father of Jesse, the father of David.
On one occasion, Hannah got up after they ate and drank at Shiloh.[fn] The priest Eli was sitting on a chair by the doorpost of the LORD's temple.
“May your servant find favor with you,” she replied. Then Hannah went on her way; she ate and no longer looked despondent.[fn]
The next morning Elkanah and Hannah got up early to worship before the LORD. Afterward, they returned home to Ramah. Then Elkanah was intimate with his wife Hannah, and the LORD remembered her.
Hannah did not go and explained to her husband, “After the child is weaned, I'll take him to appear in the LORD's presence and to stay there permanently.”
Her husband, Elkanah, replied, “Do what you think is best, and stay here until you've weaned him. May the LORD confirm your[fn] word.” So Hannah stayed there and nursed her son until she weaned him.
or the priests' share of the sacrifices from the people. When anyone offered a sacrifice, the priest's servant would come with a three-pronged meat fork while the meat was boiling
and plunge it into the container, kettle, cauldron, or cooking pot. The priest would claim for himself whatever the meat fork brought up. This is the way they treated all the Israelites who came there to Shiloh.
Even before the fat was burned, the priest's servant would come and say to the one who was sacrificing, “Give the priest some meat to roast, because he won't accept boiled meat from you — only raw.”
If that person said to him, “The fat must be burned first; then you can take whatever you want for yourself,” the servant would reply, “No, I insist that you hand it over right now. If you don't, I'll take it by force! ”
He said to them, “Why are you doing these things? I have heard about your evil actions from all these people.
“Why, then, do all of you despise my sacrifices and offerings that I require at the place of worship? You have honored your sons more than me, by making yourselves fat with the best part of all of the offerings of my people Israel.'
“Look, the days are coming when I will cut off your strength and the strength of your forefather's family, so that none in your family will reach old age.
Once again the LORD called, “Samuel! ”
Samuel got up, went to Eli, and said, “Here I am; you called me.”
“I didn't call, my son,” he replied. “Go back and lie down.”
Once again, for the third time, the LORD called Samuel. He got up, went to Eli, and said, “Here I am; you called me.”
Then Eli understood that the LORD was calling the boy.
“What was the message he gave you? ” Eli asked. “Don't hide it from me. May God punish you and do so severely if you hide anything from me that he told you.”
So Samuel told him everything and did not hide anything from him. Eli responded, “He is the LORD. Let him do what he thinks is good.”
The man said to Eli, “I'm the one who came from the battle.[fn] I fled from there today.”
“What happened, my son? ” Eli asked.
She named the boy Ichabod,[fn] saying, “The glory has departed from Israel,” referring to the capture of the ark of God and to the deaths of her father-in-law and her husband.
But when they got up early the next morning, there was Dagon, fallen with his face to the ground before the ark of the LORD. This time, Dagon's head and both of his hands were broken off and lying on the threshold. Only Dagon's torso remained.[fn]
After they had moved it, the LORD's hand was against the city of Gath, causing a great panic. He afflicted the people of the city, from the youngest to the oldest, with an outbreak of tumors.
They asked, “What guilt offering should we send back to him? ”
And they answered, “Five gold tumors and five gold mice corresponding to the number of Philistine rulers, since there was one plague for both you[fn] and your rulers.
Then they put the ark of the LORD on the cart, along with the box containing the gold mice and the images of their tumors.
The Levites removed the ark of the LORD, along with the box containing the gold objects, and placed them on the large rock. That day the people of Beth-shemesh offered burnt offerings and made sacrifices to the LORD.
Afterward, Samuel took a stone and set it upright between Mizpah and Shen. He named it Ebenezer,[fn] explaining, “The LORD has helped us to this point.”
The cities from Ekron to Gath, which they had taken from Israel, were restored; Israel even rescued their surrounding territories from Philistine control. There was also peace between Israel and the Amorites.
When they said, “Give us a king to judge us,” Samuel considered their demand wrong, so he prayed to the LORD.
“Listen to them, but solemnly warn them and tell them about the customary rights of the king who will reign over them.”
He said, “These are the rights of the king who will reign over you: He will take your sons and put them to his use in his chariots, on his horses, or running in front of his chariots.
“Suppose we do go,” Saul said to his servant, “what do we take the man? The food from our packs is gone, and there's no gift to take to the man of God. What do we have? ”
“Good,” Saul replied to his servant. “Come on, let's go.” So they went to the city where the man of God was.
Saul responded, “Am I not a Benjaminite from the smallest of Israel's tribes and isn't my clan the least important of all the clans of the Benjaminite tribe? So why have you said something like this to me? ”
Samuel took Saul and his servant, brought them to the banquet hall, and gave them a place at the head of the thirty[fn] or so men who had been invited.
Samuel took the flask of oil, poured it out on Saul's head, kissed him, and said, “Hasn't the LORD anointed you ruler over his inheritance?[fn]
“Today when you leave me, you'll find two men at Rachel's Grave at Zelzah in the territory of Benjamin. They will say to you, ‘The donkeys you went looking for have been found, and now your father has stopped being concerned about the donkeys and is worried about you, asking: What should I do about my son? '
“After that you will come to Gibeah of God where there are Philistine garrisons.[fn] When you arrive at the city, you will meet a group of prophets coming down from the high place prophesying. They will be preceded by harps, tambourines, flutes, and lyres.
Everyone who knew him previously and saw him prophesy with the prophets asked each other, “What has happened to the son of Kish? Is Saul also among the prophets? ”
Saul's uncle asked him and his servant, “Where did you go? ”
“To look for the donkeys,” Saul answered. “When we saw they weren't there, we went to Samuel.”
Saul told him, “He assured us the donkeys had been found.” However, Saul did not tell him what Samuel had said about the matter of kingship.
Samuel proclaimed to the people the rights of kingship. He wrote them on a scroll, which he placed in the presence of the LORD. Then Samuel sent all the people home.
Just then Saul was coming in from the field behind his oxen. “What's the matter with the people? Why are they weeping? ” Saul inquired, and they repeated to him the words of the men from Jabesh.
Then the men of Jabesh said to Nahash, “Tomorrow we will come out, and you can do whatever you want to us.”
The next day Saul organized the troops into three divisions. During the morning watch, they invaded the Ammonite camp and slaughtered them until the heat of the day. There were survivors, but they were so scattered that no two of them were left together.
“Now, therefore, present yourselves and see this great thing that the LORD will do before your eyes.
“The LORD will not abandon his people, because of his great name and because he has determined to make you his own people.
He chose three thousand men from Israel for himself: two thousand were with Saul at Michmash and in Bethel's hill country, and one thousand were with Jonathan in Gibeah of Benjamin. He sent the rest of the troops away, each to his own tent.
So all the Israelites went to the Philistines to sharpen their plows, mattocks, axes, and sickles.[fn]
Jonathan said to the attendant who carried his weapons, “Come on, let's cross over to the garrison of these uncircumcised men. Perhaps the LORD will help us. Nothing can keep the LORD from saving, whether by many or by few.”
Saul told Ahijah, “Bring the ark of God,” for it was with the Israelites[fn] at that time.
When the troops entered the forest, they saw the flow of honey, but none of them ate any of it[fn] because they feared the oath.
He then said, “Go among the troops and say to them, ‘Let each man bring me his ox or his sheep. Do the slaughtering here and then you can eat. Don't sin against the LORD by eating meat with the blood in it.' ” So every one of the troops brought his ox that night and slaughtered it there.
Saul said, “Let's go down after the Philistines tonight and plunder them until morning. Don't let even one remain! ”
“Do whatever you want,” the troops replied.
But the priest said, “Let's approach God here.”
So he said to all Israel, “You will be on one side, and I and my son Jonathan will be on the other side.”
And the troops replied, “Do whatever you want.”
Then Saul said, “Cast the lot between me and my son Jonathan,” and Jonathan was selected.
Early in the morning Samuel got up to confront Saul, but it was reported to Samuel, “Saul went to Carmel where he set up a monument for himself. Then he turned around and went down to Gilgal.”
“So why didn't you obey the LORD? Why did you rush on the plunder and do what was evil in the LORD's sight? ”
“But I did obey the LORD! ” Saul answered.[fn] “I went on the mission the LORD gave me: I brought back King Agag of Amalek, and I completely destroyed the Amalekites.
Then Samuel said:
Does the LORD take pleasure in burnt offerings and sacrifices
as much as in obeying the LORD?
Look: to obey is better than sacrifice,
to pay attention is better than the fat of rams.
For rebellion is like the sin of divination,
and defiance is like wickedness and idolatry.
Because you have rejected the word of the LORD,
he has rejected you as king.
Saul answered Samuel, “I have sinned. I have transgressed the LORD's command and your words. Because I was afraid of the people, I obeyed them.
“Now therefore, please forgive my sin and return with me so I can worship the LORD.”
Samuel replied to Saul, “I will not return with you. Because you rejected the word of the LORD, the LORD has rejected you from being king over Israel.”
The LORD said to Samuel, “How long are you going to mourn for Saul, since I have rejected him as king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil and go. I am sending you to Jesse of Bethlehem because I have selected for myself a king from his sons.”
So Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the presence of his brothers, and the Spirit of the LORD came powerfully on David from that day forward. Then Samuel set out and went to Ramah.
David put his hand in the bag, took out a stone, slung it, and hit the Philistine on his forehead. The stone sank into his forehead, and he fell facedown to the ground.
Saul was furious and resented this song. “They credited tens of thousands to David,” he complained, “but they only credited me with thousands. What more can he have but the kingdom? ”
and Saul tried to pin David to the wall with the spear. As the spear struck the wall, David eluded Saul, ran away, and escaped that night.
David fled from Naioth in Ramah and came to Jonathan and asked, “What have I done? What did I do wrong? How have I sinned against your father so that he wants to take my life? ”
Jonathan said to him, “No, you won't die. Listen, my father doesn't do anything, great or small, without telling me. So why would he hide this matter from me? This can't be true.”
“If my father intends to bring evil on you, may the LORD punish Jonathan and do so severely if I do not tell you and send you away so you may leave safely. May the LORD be with you, just as he was with my father.
Then Jonathan made a covenant with the house of David, saying, “May the LORD hold David's enemies accountable.”[fn]
“The following day hurry down and go to the place where you hid on the day this incident began and stay beside the rock Ezel.
“Then I will send a servant and say, ‘Go and find the arrows! ' Now, if I expressly say to the servant, ‘Look, the arrows are on this side of you — get them,' then come, because as the LORD lives, it is safe for you and there is no problem.
“As for the matter you and I have spoken about, the LORD will be a witness[fn] between you and me forever.”
Then Saul threw his spear at Jonathan to kill him, so he knew that his father was determined to kill David.
In the morning Jonathan went out to the countryside for the appointed meeting with David. A young servant was with him.
Then Jonathan gave his equipment to the servant who was with him and said, “Go, take it back to the city.”
David answered the priest Ahimelech, “The king gave me a mission, but he told me, ‘Don't let anyone know anything about the mission I'm sending you on or what I have ordered you to do.' I have stationed my young men at a certain place.
“Now what do you have on hand? Give me five loaves of bread or whatever can be found.”
David said to Ahimelech, “Do you have a spear or sword on hand? I didn't even bring my sword or my weapons since the king's mission was urgent.”
So David left Gath and took refuge in the cave of Adullam. When David's brothers and his father's whole family heard, they went down and joined him there.
So he left them in the care of the king of Moab, and they stayed with him the whole time David was in the stronghold.
“That's why all of you have conspired against me! Nobody tells me when my own son makes a covenant with Jesse's son. None of you cares about me or tells me that my son has stirred up my own servant to wait in ambush for me, as is the case today.”
Then the king ordered the guards standing by him, “Turn and kill the priests of the LORD because they sided with David. For they knew he was fleeing, but they didn't tell me.” But the king's servants would not lift a hand to execute the priests of the LORD.
When David learned that Saul was plotting evil against him, he said to the priest Abiathar, “Bring the ephod.”
“So now, whenever the king wants to come down, let him come down. As for us, we will be glad to hand him over to the king.”
so they said to him, “Look, this is the day the LORD told you about: ‘I will hand your enemy over to you so you can do to him whatever you desire.' ” Then David got up and secretly cut off the corner of Saul's robe.
He said to his men, “As the LORD is my witness, I would never do such a thing to my lord, the LORD's anointed. I will never lift my hand against him, since he is the LORD's anointed.”
“Look, my father! Look at the corner of your robe in my hand, for I cut it off, but I didn't kill you. Recognize[fn] that I've committed no crime or rebellion. I haven't sinned against you even though you are hunting me down to take my life.
“Therefore swear to me by the LORD that you will not cut off my descendants or wipe out my name from my father's family.”
A man in Maon had a business in Carmel; he was a very rich man with three thousand sheep and one thousand goats and was shearing his sheep in Carmel.
“They were a wall around us, both day and night, the entire time we were with them herding the sheep.
“Please forgive your servant's offense, for the LORD is certain to make a lasting dynasty for my lord because he fights the LORD's battles. Throughout your life, may evil[fn] not be found in you.
Then David accepted what she had brought him and said, “Go home in peace. See, I have heard what you said and have granted your request.”
That night, David and Abishai came to the troops, and Saul was lying there asleep in the inner circle of the camp with his spear stuck in the ground by his head. Abner and the troops were lying around him.
“However, as the LORD is my witness, I will never lift my hand against the LORD's anointed. Instead, take the spear and the water jug by his head, and let's go.”
So David took the spear and the water jug by Saul's head, and they went their way. No one saw them, no one knew, and no one woke up; they all remained asleep because a deep sleep from the LORD came over them.
David crossed to the other side and stood on top of the mountain at a distance; there was a considerable space between them.
“What you have done is not good. As the LORD lives, all of you deserve to die[fn] since you didn't protect your lord, the LORD's anointed. Now look around; where are the king's spear and water jug that were by his head? ”
“Now, may my lord the king please hear the words of his servant: If it is the LORD who has incited you against me, then may he accept an offering. But if it is people, may they be cursed in the presence of the LORD, for today they have banished me from sharing in the inheritance of the LORD, saying, ‘Go and worship other gods.'
“So don't let my blood fall to the ground far from the LORD's presence, for the king of Israel has come out to search for a single flea, like one who pursues a partridge in the mountains.”
David answered, “Here is the king's spear; have one of the young men come over and get it.
David did not let a man or woman live to be brought to Gath, for he said, “Or they will inform on us and say, ‘This is what David did.' ” This was David's custom during the whole time he stayed in the Philistine territory.
“You did not obey the LORD and did not carry out his burning anger against Amalek; therefore the LORD has done this to you today.
“So get up early in the morning, you and your masters' servants who came with you.[fn] When you've all gotten up early, go as soon as it's light.”
David said to the priest Abiathar son of Ahimelech, “Bring me the ephod.” So Abiathar brought it to him,
Then they gave him some pressed figs and two clusters of raisins. After he ate he revived, for he hadn't eaten food or drunk water for three days and three nights.
David then asked him, “Will you lead me to these raiders? ”
He said, “Swear to me by God that you won't kill me or turn me over to my master, and I will lead you to them.”
But David said, “My brothers, you must not do this with what the LORD has given us. He protected us and handed over to us the raiders who came against us.
“Who can agree to your proposal? The share of the one who goes into battle is to be the same as the share of the one who remains with the supplies. They will share equally.”
So on that day, Saul died together with his three sons, his armor-bearer, and all his men.
Then they put his armor in the temple of the Ashtoreths and hung his body on the wall of Beth-shan.
all their brave men set out, journeyed all night, and retrieved the body of Saul and the bodies of his sons from the wall of Beth-shan. When they arrived at Jabesh, they burned the bodies there.
After the death of Saul, David returned from defeating the Amalekites and stayed at Ziklag two days.
“I happened to be on Mount Gilboa,” he replied, “and there was Saul, leaning on his spear. At that very moment the chariots and the cavalry were closing in on him.
“So I stood over him and killed him because I knew that after he had fallen he couldn't survive. I took the crown that was on his head and the armband that was on his arm, and I've brought them here to my lord.”
David sent messengers to the men of Jabesh-gilead and said to them, “The LORD bless you because you have shown this kindness to Saul your lord when you buried him.
“Now, may the LORD show kindness and faithfulness to you, and I will also show the same goodness to you because you have done this deed.
So Joab son of Zeruiah and David's soldiers marched out and met them by the pool of Gibeon. The two groups took up positions on opposite sides of the pool.
Then each man grabbed his opponent by the head and thrust his sword into his opponent's side so that they all died together. So this place, which is in Gibeon, is named Field of Blades.[fn]
Once again, Abner warned Asahel, “Stop chasing me. Why should I strike you to the ground? How could I ever look your brother Joab in the face? ”
But Asahel refused to turn away, so Abner hit him in the stomach with the butt of his spear. The spear went through his body, and he fell and died right there. As they all came to the place where Asahel had fallen and died, they stopped,
David replied, “Good, I will make a covenant with you. However, there's one thing I require of you: You will not see my face unless you first bring Saul's daughter Michal when you come to see me.”
“How much more when wicked men kill a righteous man in his own house on his own bed! So now, should I not require his blood from you and purge you from the earth? ”
After he arrived from Hebron, David took more concubines and wives from Jerusalem, and more sons and daughters were born to him.
“I have been with you wherever you have gone, and I have destroyed all your enemies before you. I will make a great name for you like that of the greatest on the earth.
“When your time comes and you rest with your ancestors, I will raise up after you your descendant, who will come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom.
“But my faithful love will never leave him as it did when I removed it from Saul, whom I removed from before you.
Now, LORD God, fulfill the promise forever that you have made to your servant and his house. Do as you have promised,
since you, LORD of Armies, God of Israel, have revealed this to your servant when you said, “I will build a house for you.” Therefore, your servant has found the courage to pray this prayer to you.
Then the king summoned Saul's attendant Ziba and said to him, “I have given to your master's grandson all that belonged to Saul and his family.
the Ammonite leaders said to Hanun their lord, “Just because David has sent men with condolences for you, do you really believe he's showing respect for your father? Instead, hasn't David sent his emissaries in order to scout out the city, spy on it, and demolish it? ”
He placed the rest of the forces under the command of his brother Abishai. They lined up in formation to engage the Ammonites.
“Be strong! Let's prove ourselves strong for our people and for the cities of our God. May the LORD's will be done.”[fn]
Uriah answered David, “The ark, Israel, and Judah are dwelling in tents, and my master Joab and his soldiers[fn] are camping in the open field. How can I enter my house to eat and drink and sleep with my wife? As surely as you live and by your life, I will not do this! ”
Then the messenger left.
When he arrived, he reported to David all that Joab had sent him to tell.
David told the messenger, “Say this to Joab: ‘Don't let this matter upset you because the sword devours all alike. Intensify your fight against the city and demolish it.' Encourage him.”
When the time of mourning ended, David had her brought to his house. She became his wife and bore him a son. However, the LORD considered what David had done to be evil.
but the poor man had nothing except one small ewe lamb that he had bought. He raised her, and she grew up with him and with his children. From his meager food she would eat, from his cup she would drink, and in his arms she would sleep. She was like a daughter to him.
“Because he has done this thing and shown no pity, he must pay four lambs for that lamb.”
“Why then have you despised the LORD's command by doing what I consider[fn] evil? You struck down Uriah the Hethite with the sword and took his wife as your own wife — you murdered him with the Ammonite's sword.
“You acted in secret, but I will do this before all Israel and in broad daylight.' ”[fn]
David responded to Nathan, “I have sinned against the LORD.”
Then Nathan replied to David, “And the LORD has taken away your sin; you will not die.
Then Nathan went home.
The LORD struck the baby that Uriah's wife had borne to David, and he became deathly ill.
On the seventh day the baby died. But David's servants were afraid to tell him the baby was dead. They said, “Look, while the baby was alive, we spoke to him, and he wouldn't listen to us. So how can we tell him the baby is dead? He may do something desperate.”
When David saw that his servants were whispering to each other, he guessed that the baby was dead. So he asked his servants, “Is the baby dead? ”
“He is dead,” they replied.
His servants asked him, “Why have you done this? While the baby was alive, you fasted and wept, but when he died, you got up and ate food.”
He answered, “While the baby was alive, I fasted and wept because I thought, ‘Who knows? The LORD may be gracious to me and let him live.'
“Now therefore, assemble the rest of the troops, lay siege to the city, and capture it. Otherwise I will be the one to capture the city, and it will be named after me.”
and he asked Amnon, “Why are you, the king's son, so miserable every morning? Won't you tell me? ”
Amnon replied, “I'm in love with Tamar, my brother Absalom's sister.”
Then Tamar went to his house while Amnon was lying down. She took dough, kneaded it, made cakes in his presence, and baked them.
She brought the pan and set it down in front of him, but he refused to eat. Amnon said, “Everyone leave me! ” And everyone left him.
“Bring the meal to the bedroom,” Amnon told Tamar, “so I can eat from your hand.” Tamar took the cakes she had made and went to her brother Amnon's bedroom.
“Where could I ever go with my humiliation? And you — you would be like one of the outrageous fools in Israel! Please, speak to the king, for he won't keep me from you.”
So Amnon hated Tamar with such intensity that the hatred he hated her with was greater than the love he had loved her with. “Get out of here! ” he said.
Instead, he called to the servant who waited on him, “Get this away from me, throw her out, and bolt the door behind her! ”
Her brother Absalom said to her, “Has your brother Amnon been with you? Be quiet for now, my sister. He is your brother. Don't take this thing to heart.” So Tamar lived as a desolate woman in the house of her brother Absalom.
Meanwhile, Absalom had fled. When the young man who was standing watch looked up, there were many people coming from the road west of him from the side of the mountain.[fn]
King David[fn] longed to go to Absalom, for David had finished grieving over Amnon's death.
“Go to the king and speak these words to him.” Then Joab told her exactly what to say.[fn]
“We will certainly die and be like water poured out on the ground, which can't be recovered. But God would not take away a life; he would devise plans so that the one banished from him does not remain banished.
“Now therefore, I've come to present this matter to my lord the king because the people have made me afraid. Your servant thought: I must speak to the king. Perhaps the king will grant his servant's request.
“Your servant thought: May the word of my lord the king bring relief, for my lord the king is able to discern the good and the bad like the angel of God. May the LORD your God be with you.”
“Joab your servant has done this to address the issue indirectly,[fn] but my lord has wisdom like the wisdom of the angel of God, knowing everything on earth.”
Then the king said to Joab, “I hereby grant this request. Go, bring back the young man Absalom.”
However, the king added, “He may return to his house, but he may not see my face.” So Absalom returned to his house, but he did not see the king.[fn]
“Look,” Absalom explained to Joab, “I sent for you and said, ‘Come here. I want to send you to the king to ask: Why have I come back from Geshur? I'd be better off if I were still there.' So now, let me see the king. If I am guilty, let him kill me.”
Absalom did this to all the Israelites who came to the king for a settlement. So Absalom stole the hearts of the men of Israel.
“However, if he should say, ‘I do not delight in you,' then here I am — he can do with me whatever pleases him.”[fn]
“Furthermore, whom will I serve if not his son? As I served in your father's presence, I will also serve in yours.”
So they pitched a tent for Absalom on the roof, and he slept with his father's concubines in the sight of all Israel.
So Hushai came to Absalom, and Absalom told him, “Ahithophel offered this proposal. Should we carry out his proposal? If not, what do you say? ”
Then his wife took the cover, placed it over the mouth of the well, and scattered grain on it so nobody would know anything.
After they had gone, Ahimaaz and Jonathan climbed out of the well and went and informed King David. They told him, “Get up and immediately ford the river, for Ahithophel has given this advice against you.”
He then sent out the troops, a third under Joab, a third under Joab's brother Abishai son of Zeruiah, and a third under Ittai of Gath. The king said to the troops, “I must also march out with you.”
“You must not go! ” the people pleaded. “If we have to flee, they will not pay any attention to us. Even if half of us die, they will not pay any attention to us because you are worth[fn] ten thousand of us. Therefore, it is better if you support us from the city.”
Absalom was riding on his mule when he happened to meet David's soldiers. When the mule went under the tangled branches of a large oak tree, Absalom's head was caught fast in the tree. The mule under him kept going, so he was suspended in midair.[fn]
They took Absalom, threw him into a large pit in the forest, and raised up a huge mound of stones over him. And all Israel fled, each to his tent.
When he was alive, Absalom had taken a pillar and raised it up for himself in the King's Valley, since he thought, “I have no son to preserve the memory of my name.” So he named the pillar after himself. It is still called Absalom's Monument today.
David was sitting between the city gates when the watchman went up to the roof of the city gate and over to the wall. The watchman looked out and saw a man running alone.
The king asked, “Is the young man Absalom all right? ”
Ahimaaz replied, “When Joab sent the king's servant and your servant, I saw a big disturbance, but I don't know what it was.”
The king asked the Cushite, “Is the young man Absalom all right? ”
The Cushite replied, “I wish that the enemies of my lord the king, along with all who rise up against you with evil intent, would become like that young man.”
The king was deeply moved and went up to the chamber above the city gate and wept. As he walked, he cried, “My son Absalom! My son, my son Absalom! If only I had died instead of you, Absalom, my son, my son! ”
But the king covered his face and cried loudly, “My son Absalom! Absalom, my son, my son! ”
Then Joab went into the house to the king and said, “Today you have shamed all your soldiers — those who saved your life as well as your sons, your wives, and your concubines —
“by loving your enemies and hating those who love you! Today you have made it clear that the commanders and soldiers mean nothing to you. In fact, today I know that if Absalom were alive and all of us were dead, it would be fine with you![fn]
“Now get up! Go out and encourage[fn] your soldiers, for I swear by the LORD that if you don't go out, not a man will remain with you tonight. This will be worse for you than all the trouble that has come to you from your youth until now! ”
They forded the Jordan to bring the king's household across and do whatever the king desired.[fn]
When Shimei son of Gera crossed the Jordan, he fell facedown before the king
“Ziba slandered your servant to my lord the king. But my lord the king is like the angel of God, so do whatever you think best.[fn]
Mephibosheth said to the king, “Instead, since my lord the king has come to his palace safely, let Ziba take it all! ”
The king said to Barzillai, “Cross over with me, and I'll provide for you[fn] at my side in Jerusalem.”
“Please let your servant return so that I may die in my own city near the tomb of my father and mother. But here is your servant Chimham; let him cross over with my lord the king. Do for him what seems good to you.”[fn]
The king replied, “Chimham will cross over with me, and I will do for him what seems good to you, and whatever you desire from me I will do for you.”
They were at the great stone in Gibeon when Amasa joined them. Joab was wearing his uniform and over it was a belt around his waist with a sword in its sheath. As he approached, the sword fell out.
Joab's troops came and besieged Sheba in Abel of Beth-maacah. They built a siege ramp against the outer wall of the city. While all the troops with Joab were battering the wall to make it collapse,
During David's reign there was a famine for three successive years, so David inquired[fn] of the LORD. The LORD answered, “It is due to Saul and to his bloody family, because he killed the Gibeonites.”
“is like the morning light when the sun rises
on a cloudless morning,
the glisten of rain on sprouting grass.”
Three of the thirty leading warriors went down at harvest time and came to David at the cave of Adullam, while a company of Philistines was camping in Rephaim Valley.
Abishai, Joab's brother and son of Zeruiah, was leader of the Three.[fn] He wielded his spear against three hundred men and killed them, gaining a reputation among the Three.
He also killed an Egyptian, an impressive man. Even though the Egyptian had a spear in his hand, Benaiah went down to him with a staff, snatched the spear out of the Egyptian's hand, and then killed him with his own spear.
David's conscience troubled him after he had taken a census of the troops. He said to the LORD, “I have sinned greatly in what I've done. Now, LORD, because I've been very foolish, please take away your servant's guilt.”
When David got up in the morning, the word of the LORD had come to the prophet Gad, David's seer:
Araunah said to David, “My lord the king may take whatever he wants[fn] and offer it. Here are the oxen for a burnt offering and the threshing sledges and ox yokes for the wood.
He built an altar to the LORD there and offered burnt offerings and fellowship offerings. Then the LORD was receptive to prayer for the land, and the plague on Israel ended.
So Bathsheba went to the king in his bedroom. Since the king was very old, Abishag the Shunammite was attending to him.
“I'm certain my lord the king would not have let this happen without letting your servant[fn] know who will sit on my lord the king's throne after him.”
The priest Zadok took the horn of oil from the tabernacle and anointed Solomon. Then they blew the ram's horn, and all the people proclaimed, “Long live King Solomon! ”
“The king's servants have also gone to congratulate our lord King David, saying, ‘May your God make the name of Solomon more well known than your name, and may he make his throne greater than your throne.' Then the king bowed in worship on his bed.
“You know the kingship was mine,” he said. “All Israel expected me to be king, but then the kingship was turned over to my brother, for the LORD gave it to him.
“So now I have just one request of you; don't turn me down.”[fn]
She said to him, “Go on.”
He replied, “Please speak to King Solomon since he won't turn you down. Let him give me Abishag the Shunammite as a wife.”
Then she said, “I have just one small request of you. Don't turn me down.”
“Go ahead and ask, mother,” the king replied, “for I won't turn you down.”
So Solomon banished Abiathar from being the LORD's priest, and it fulfilled the LORD's prophecy he had spoken at Shiloh against Eli's family.
The news reached Joab. Since he had supported Adonijah but not Absalom, Joab fled to the LORD's tabernacle and took hold of the horns of the altar.
It was reported to King Solomon, “Joab has fled to the LORD's tabernacle and is now beside the altar.”
Then Solomon sent[fn] Benaiah son of Jehoiada and told him, “Go and strike him down! ”
The king said to him, “Do just as he says. Strike him down and bury him in order to remove from me and from my father's family the blood that Joab shed without just cause.
“The LORD will bring back his own blood on his head because he struck down two men more righteous and better than he, without my father David's knowledge. With his sword, Joab murdered Abner son of Ner, commander of Israel's army, and Amasa son of Jether, commander of Judah's army.
Shimei said to the king, “The sentence is fair; your servant will do as my lord the king has spoken.” And Shimei lived in Jerusalem for a long time.
The king went to Gibeon to sacrifice there because it was the most famous high place. He offered a thousand burnt offerings on that altar.
And Solomon replied, “You have shown great and faithful love to your servant, my father David, because he walked before you in faithfulness, righteousness, and integrity.[fn] You have continued this great and faithful love for him by giving him a son to sit on his throne, as it is today.
“I will therefore do what you have asked. I will give you a wise and understanding heart, so that there has never been anyone like you before and never will be again.
“On the third day after I gave birth, she also had a baby and we were alone. No one else[fn] was with us in the house; just the two of us were there.
“When I got up in the morning to nurse my son, I discovered he was dead. That morning, when I looked closely at him I realized that he was not the son I gave birth to.”
And the king said, “Cut the living boy in two and give half to one and half to the other.”
The woman whose son was alive spoke to the king because she felt great compassion[fn] for her son. “My lord, give her the living baby,” she said, “but please don't have him killed! ”
But the other one said, “He will not be mine or yours. Cut him in two! ”
The king responded, “Give the living baby to the first woman, and don't kill him. She is his mother.”
All Israel heard about the judgment the king had given, and they stood in awe of the king because they saw that God's wisdom was in him to carry out justice.
Each of those deputies for a month in turn provided food for King Solomon and for everyone who came to King Solomon's table. They neglected nothing.
Emissaries of all peoples, sent by every king on earth who had heard of his wisdom, came to listen to Solomon's wisdom.
“My servants will bring the logs down from Lebanon to the sea, and I will make them into rafts to go by sea to the place you indicate. I will break them apart there, and you can take them away. You then can meet my needs by providing my household with food.”
The portico in front of the temple sanctuary was thirty feet long extending across the temple's width, and fifteen feet deep[fn] in front of the temple.
he paneled the interior temple walls with cedar boards; from the temple floor to the surface of the ceiling he overlaid the interior with wood. He also overlaid the floor with cypress boards.
Then he lined thirty feet of the rear of the temple with cedar boards from the floor to the surface of the ceiling,[fn] and he built the interior as an inner sanctuary, the most holy place.
The interior of the sanctuary was thirty feet long, thirty feet wide, and thirty feet high; he overlaid it with pure gold. He also overlaid the cedar altar.
One wing of the first cherub was 7½ feet long, and the other wing was 7½ feet long. The wingspan was 15 feet from tip to tip.
The two doors were made of olive wood. He carved cherubim, palm trees, and flower blossoms on them and overlaid them with gold, hammering gold over the cherubim and palm trees.
He made the hall of pillars seventy-five feet long and forty-five feet wide. A portico was in front of the pillars, and a canopy with pillars[fn] was in front of them.
He made the Hall of the Throne where he would judge — the Hall of Judgment. It was paneled with cedar from the floor to the rafters.[fn]
Solomon's own palace where he would live, in the other courtyard behind the hall, was of similar construction. And he made a house like this hall for Pharaoh's daughter, his wife.[fn]
The capitals on top of the pillars had gratings of latticework, wreaths[fn] made of chainwork — seven for the first capital and seven for the second.
And the capitals on top of the pillars in the portico were shaped like lilies, six feet[fn] high.
The capitals on the two pillars were also immediately above the rounded surface next to the grating, and two hundred pomegranates were in rows encircling each[fn] capital.
Solomon also made all the equipment in the LORD's temple: the gold altar; the gold table that the Bread of the Presence was placed on;
So all the work King Solomon did in the LORD's temple was completed. Then Solomon brought in the consecrated things of his father David — the silver, the gold, and the utensils — and put them in the treasuries of the LORD's temple.
The priests and the Levites brought the ark of the LORD, the tent of meeting, and the holy utensils that were in the tent.
The priests brought the ark of the LORD's covenant to its place, into the inner sanctuary of the temple, to the most holy place beneath the wings of the cherubim.
The king turned around and blessed the entire congregation of Israel while they were standing.
“Since the day I brought my people Israel out of Egypt,
I have not chosen a city to build a temple in
among any of the tribes of Israel,
so that my name would be there.
But I have chosen David to rule my people Israel.”
The LORD has fulfilled what he promised.
I have taken the place of my father David,
and I sit on the throne of Israel, as the LORD promised.
I have built the temple for the name of the LORD, the God of Israel.
may you hear in heaven, your dwelling place,
and do according to all the foreigner asks.
Then all peoples of earth will know your name,
to fear you as your people Israel do
and to know that this temple I have built
bears your name.
“May my words with which I have made my petition before the LORD be near the LORD our God day and night. May he uphold his servant's cause and the cause of his people Israel, as each day requires.
On the same day, the king consecrated the middle of the courtyard that was in front of the LORD's temple because that was where he offered the burnt offering, the grain offering, and the fat of the fellowship offerings, since the bronze altar before the LORD was too small to accommodate the burnt offerings, the grain offerings, and the fat of the fellowship offerings.
The LORD said to him:
I have heard your prayer and petition you have made before me. I have consecrated this temple you have built, to put[fn] my name there forever; my eyes and my heart will be there at all times.
This is the account of the forced labor that King Solomon had imposed to build the LORD's temple, his own palace, the supporting terraces, the wall of Jerusalem, and Hazor, Megiddo, and Gezer.
The queen of Sheba heard about Solomon's fame connected with the name of the LORD and came to test him with difficult questions.
“But I didn't believe the reports until I came and saw with my own eyes. Indeed, I was not even told half. Your wisdom and prosperity far exceed the report I heard.
“Blessed be the LORD your God! He delighted in you and put you on the throne of Israel, because of the LORD's eternal love for Israel. He has made you king to carry out justice and righteousness.”
In addition, Hiram's fleet that carried gold from Ophir brought from Ophir a large quantity of almug[fn] wood and precious stones.
King Solomon made two hundred large shields of hammered gold; fifteen pounds[fn] of gold went into each shield.
He made three hundred small shields of hammered gold; nearly four pounds[fn] of gold went into each shield. The king put them in the House of the Forest of Lebanon.
The whole world wanted an audience with Solomon to hear the wisdom that God had put in his heart.
The king made silver as common in Jerusalem as stones, and he made cedar as abundant as sycamore in the Judean foothills.
Solomon did what was evil in the LORD's sight, and unlike his father David, he did not remain loyal to the LORD.
He had commanded him about this, so that he would not follow other gods, but Solomon did not do what the LORD had commanded.
and this is the reason he rebelled against the king: Solomon had built the supporting terraces and repaired the opening in the wall of the city of his father David.
Now the man Jeroboam was capable, and Solomon noticed the young man because he was getting things done. So he appointed him over the entire labor force of the house of Joseph.
“For they have abandoned me; they have bowed down to Ashtoreth, the goddess of the Sidonians, to Chemosh, the god of Moab, and to Milcom, the god of the Ammonites. They have not walked in my ways to do what is right in my sight and to carry out my statutes and my judgments as his father David did.
“ ‘After that, if you obey all I command you, walk in my ways, and do what is right in my sight in order to keep my statutes and my commands as my servant David did, I will be with you. I will build you a lasting dynasty just as I built for David, and I will give you Israel.
The king did not listen to the people, because this turn of events came from the LORD to carry out his word, which the LORD had spoken through Ahijah the Shilonite to Jeroboam son of Nebat.
“‘This is what the LORD says: You are not to march up and fight against your brothers, the Israelites. Each of you return home, for this situation is from me.' ”
So they listened to the word of the LORD and went back according to the word of the LORD.
Jeroboam made a festival in the eighth month on the fifteenth day of the month, like the festival in Judah. He offered sacrifices on the altar; he made this offering in Bethel to sacrifice to the calves he had made. He also stationed the priests in Bethel for the high places he had made.
He offered sacrifices on[fn] the altar he had set up in Bethel on the fifteenth day of the eighth month. He chose this month on his own. He made a festival for the Israelites, offered sacrifices on the altar, and burned incense.
A man of God came, however, from Judah to Bethel by the word of the LORD while Jeroboam was standing beside the altar to burn incense.
The man of God cried out against the altar by the word of the LORD: “Altar, altar, this is what the LORD says, ‘A son will be born to the house of David, named Josiah, and he will sacrifice on you the priests of the high places who are burning incense on you. Human bones will be burned on you.' ”
He gave a sign that day. He said, “This is the sign that the LORD has spoken: ‘The altar will now be ripped apart, and the ashes that are on it will be poured out.' ”
When the king heard the message that the man of God had cried out against the altar at Bethel, Jeroboam stretched out his hand from the altar and said, “Arrest him! ” But the hand he stretched out against him withered, and he could not pull it back to himself.
The altar was ripped apart, and the ashes poured from the altar, according to the sign that the man of God had given by the word of the LORD.
Then the king responded to the man of God, “Plead for the favor of the LORD your God and pray for me so that my hand may be restored to me.” So the man of God pleaded for the favor of the LORD, and the king's hand was restored to him and became as it had been at first.
But the man of God replied, “If you were to give me half your house, I still wouldn't go with you, and I wouldn't eat food or drink water in this place,
Now a certain old prophet was living in Bethel. His son[fn] came and told him all the deeds that the man of God had done that day in Bethel. His sons also told their father the words that he had spoken to the king.
and the prophet cried out to the man of God who had come from Judah, “This is what the LORD says: ‘Because you rebelled against the LORD's command and did not keep the command that the LORD your God commanded you —
“but you went back and ate food and drank water in the place that he said to you, “Do not eat food and do not drink water” — your corpse will never reach the grave of your ancestors.' ”
So after he had eaten food and after he had drunk, the old prophet saddled the donkey for the prophet he had brought back.
There were men passing by who saw the corpse thrown on the road and the lion standing beside it, and they went and spoke about it in the city where the old prophet lived.
When the prophet who had brought him back from his way heard about it, he said, “He is the man of God who disobeyed the LORD's command. The LORD has given him to the lion, and it has mauled and killed him, according to the word of the LORD that he spoke to him.”
and he went and found the corpse thrown on the road with the donkey and the lion standing beside the corpse. The lion had not eaten the corpse or mauled the donkey.
So the prophet lifted the corpse of the man of God and laid it on the donkey and brought it back. The old prophet came into the city to mourn and to bury him.
After he had buried him, he said to his sons, “When I die, bury me in the grave where the man of God is buried; lay my bones beside his bones,
Even after this, Jeroboam did not repent of his evil way but again made priests for the high places from the ranks of the people. He ordained whoever so desired it, and they became priests of the high places.
Now Rehoboam, Solomon's son, reigned in Judah. Rehoboam was forty-one years old when he became king; he reigned seventeen years in Jerusalem, the city where the LORD had chosen from all the tribes of Israel to put his name. Rehoboam's mother's name was Naamah the Ammonite.
Judah did what was evil in the LORD's sight. They provoked him to jealous anger more than all that their ancestors had done with the sins they committed.
Whenever the king entered the LORD's temple, the guards would carry the shields, then they would take them back to the armory.[fn]
For David did what was right in the LORD's sight, and he did not turn aside from anything he had commanded him all the days of his life, except in the matter of Uriah the Hethite.
So Asa withdrew all the silver and gold that remained in the treasuries of the LORD's temple and the treasuries of the royal palace and gave it to his servants. Then King Asa sent them to Ben-hadad son of Tabrimmon son of Hezion king of Aram who lived in Damascus, saying,
Nadab did what was evil in the LORD's sight and walked in the ways of his father and the sin he had caused Israel to commit.
When Baasha became king, he struck down the entire house of Jeroboam. He did not leave Jeroboam any survivors but[fn] destroyed his family according to the word of the LORD he had spoken through his servant Ahijah the Shilonite.
He did what was evil in the LORD's sight and walked in the ways of Jeroboam and the sin he had caused Israel to commit.
So Zimri destroyed the entire house of Baasha, according to the word of the LORD he had spoken against Baasha through the prophet Jehu.
because of the sin he committed by doing what was evil in the LORD's sight and by walking in the ways of Jeroboam and the sin he caused Israel to commit.
Omri did what was evil in the LORD's sight; he did more evil than all who were before him.
Omri rested with his ancestors and was buried in Samaria. His son Ahab became king in his place.
But Ahab son of Omri did what was evil in the LORD's sight more than all who were before him.
During his reign, Hiel the Bethelite built Jericho. At the cost of Abiram his firstborn, he laid its foundation, and at the cost of Segub his youngest, he finished its gates, according to the word of the LORD he had spoken through Joshua son of Nun.
So he proceeded to do what the LORD commanded. Elijah left and lived at the Wadi Cherith where it enters the Jordan.
The ravens kept bringing him bread and meat in the morning and in the evening, and he would drink from the wadi.
Then Elijah said to her, “Don't be afraid; go and do as you have said. But first make me a small loaf from it and bring it out to me. Afterward, you may make some for yourself and your son,
The flour jar did not become empty, and the oil jug did not run dry, according to the word of the LORD he had spoken through[fn] Elijah.
But Elijah said to her, “Give me your son.” So he took him from her arms, brought him up to the upstairs room where he was staying, and laid him on his own bed.
“Now summon all Israel to meet me at Mount Carmel, along with the 450 prophets of Baal and the 400 prophets of Asherah who eat at Jezebel's table.”
All afternoon they kept on raving until the offering of the evening sacrifice, but there was no sound; no one answered, no one paid attention.
Next, he arranged the wood, cut up the bull, and placed it on the wood. He said, “Fill four water pots with water and pour it on the offering to be burned and on the wood.”
Then he said, “A second time! ” and they did it a second time. And then he said, “A third time! ” and they did it a third time.
Then the LORD's fire fell and consumed the burnt offering, the wood, the stones, and the dust, and it licked up the water that was in the trench.
So Ahab went to eat and drink, but Elijah went up to the summit of Carmel. He bent down on the ground and put his face between his knees.
On the seventh time, he reported, “There's a cloud as small as a man's hand coming up from the sea.”
Then Elijah said, “Go and tell Ahab, ‘Get your chariot ready and go down so the rain doesn't stop you.' ”
He entered a cave there and spent the night.
Suddenly, the word of the LORD came to him, and he said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah? ”
Then he said, “Go out and stand on the mountain in the LORD's presence.”
At that moment, the LORD passed by. A great and mighty wind was tearing at the mountains and was shattering cliffs before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake.
After the earthquake there was a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire there was a voice, a soft whisper.
When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave.
Suddenly, a voice came to him and said, “What are you doing here, Elijah? ”
The messengers then returned and said, “This is what Ben-hadad says: ‘I have sent messengers to you, saying, “You are to give me your silver, your gold, your wives, and your children.”
Then the king of Israel called for all the elders of the land and said, “Recognize[fn] that this one is only looking for trouble, for he demanded my wives, my children, my silver, and my gold, and I didn't turn him down.”
So he said to Ben-hadad's messengers, “Say to my lord the king, ‘Everything you demanded of your servant the first time, I will do, but this thing I cannot do.' ” So the messengers left and took word back to him.
“Also do this: remove each king from his position and appoint captains in their place.
The ones who remained fled into the city of Aphek, and the wall fell on those twenty-seven thousand remaining men.
Ben-hadad also fled and went into an inner room in the city.
Now the men were looking for a sign of hope, so they quickly picked up on this[fn] and responded, “Yes, it is your brother Ben-hadad.”
Then he said, “Go and bring him.”
So Ben-hadad came out to him, and Ahab had him come up into the chariot.
So Ahab went to his palace resentful and angry because of what Naboth the Jezreelite had told him. He had said, “I will not give you my ancestors' inheritance.” He lay down on his bed, turned his face away, and didn't eat any food.
So she wrote letters in Ahab's name and sealed them with his seal. She sent the letters to the elders and nobles who lived with Naboth in his city.
“Tell him, ‘This is what the LORD says: Have you murdered and also taken possession? ' Then tell him, ‘This is what the LORD says: In the place where the dogs licked up Naboth's blood, the dogs will also lick up your blood! ' ”
Ahab said to Elijah, “So, my enemy, you've found me, have you? ”
He replied, “I have found you because you devoted yourself to do what is evil in the LORD's sight.
Still, there was no one like Ahab, who devoted himself to do what was evil in the LORD's sight, because his wife Jezebel incited him.
When Ahab heard these words, he tore his clothes, put sackcloth over his body, and fasted. He lay down in sackcloth and walked around subdued.
Then Zedekiah son of Chenaanah came up, hit Micaiah on the cheek, and demanded, “Did[fn] the Spirit of the LORD leave me to speak to you? ”
But a man drew his bow without taking special aim and struck the king of Israel through the joints of his armor. So he said to his charioteer, “Turn around and take me out of the battle,[fn] for I am badly wounded! ”
The battle raged throughout that day, and the king was propped up in his chariot facing the Arameans. He died that evening, and blood from his wound flowed into the bottom of the chariot.
Then someone washed the chariot at the pool of Samaria. The dogs licked up his blood, and the prostitutes bathed in it, according to the word of the LORD that he had spoken.
He walked in all the ways of his father Asa; he did not turn away from them but did what was right in the LORD's sight. However, the high places were not taken away;[fn] the people still sacrificed and burned incense on the high places.
He did what was evil in the LORD's sight. He walked in the ways of his father, in the ways of his mother, and in the ways of Jeroboam son of Nebat, who had caused Israel to sin.
But the angel of the LORD said to Elijah the Tishbite, “Go and meet the messengers of the king of Samaria and say to them, ‘Is it because there is no God in Israel that you are going to inquire of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron?
They replied, “A man came to meet us and said, ‘Go back to the king who sent you and declare to him, “This is what the LORD says: Is it because there is no God in Israel that you're sending these men to inquire of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron? Therefore, you will not get up from your sickbed; you will certainly die.” ' ”
The rest of the events of Ahaziah's reign, along with his accomplishments, are written in the Historical Record of Israel's Kings.[fn]
Elijah took his mantle, rolled it up, and struck the water, which parted to the right and left. Then the two of them crossed over on dry ground.
He took the mantle Elijah had dropped, and he struck the water. “Where is the LORD God of Elijah? ” he asked. He struck the water himself, and it parted to the right and the left, and Elisha crossed over.
When the sons of the prophets from Jericho who were observing saw him, they said, “The spirit of Elijah rests on Elisha.” They came to meet him and bowed down to the ground in front of him.
Therefore, the water still remains healthy today according to the word that Elisha spoke.
He did what was evil in the LORD's sight, but not like his father and mother, for he removed the sacred pillar of Baal his father had made.
About the time for the grain offering the next morning, water suddenly came from the direction of Edom and filled the land.
When they got up early in the morning, the sun was shining on the water, and the Moabites saw that the water across from them was red like blood.
“Then go in and shut the door behind you and your sons, and pour oil into all these containers. Set the full ones to one side.”
When they were full, she said to her son, “Bring me another container.”
But he replied, “There aren't any more.” Then the oil stopped.
She went and told the man of God, and he said, “Go sell the oil and pay your debt; you and your sons can live on the rest.”
He ordered his attendant Gehazi, “Call this Shunammite woman.” So he called her and she stood before him.
So he asked, “Then what should be done for her? ”
Gehazi answered, “Well, she has no son, and her husband is old.”
Then she saddled the donkey and said to her servant, “Go fast; don't slow the pace for me unless I tell you.”
So she came to the man of God at Mount Carmel.
When the man of God saw her at a distance, he said to his attendant Gehazi, “Look, there's the Shunammite woman.
When she came up to the man of God at the mountain, she clung to his feet. Gehazi came to push her away, but the man of God said, “Leave her alone — she is in severe anguish, and the LORD has hidden it from me. He hasn't told me.”
Then he went up and lay on the boy: he put mouth to mouth, eye to eye, hand to hand. While he bent down over him, the boy's flesh became warm.
Elisha got up, went into the house, and paced back and forth. Then he went up and bent down over him again. The boy sneezed seven times and opened his eyes.
One went out to the field to gather herbs and found a wild vine from which he gathered as many wild gourds as his garment would hold. Then he came back and cut them up into the pot of stew, but they were unaware of what they were.[fn]
Then Elisha said, “Get some flour.” He threw it into the pot and said, “Serve it for the people to eat.” And there was nothing bad in the pot.
So he set it before them, and as the LORD had promised, they ate and had some left over.
He brought the letter to the king of Israel, and it read:
When this letter comes to you, note that I have sent you my servant Naaman for you to cure him of his skin disease.
When the king of Israel read the letter, he tore his clothes and asked, “Am I God, killing and giving life, that this man expects me to cure a man of his skin disease? Recognize[fn] that he is only picking a fight with me.”
But Naaman got angry and left, saying, “I was telling myself: He will surely come out, stand and call on the name of the LORD his God, and wave his hand over the place and cure the skin disease.
So Naaman went down and dipped himself in the Jordan seven times, according to the command of the man of God. Then his skin was restored and became like the skin of a small boy, and he was clean.
Gehazi, the attendant of Elisha the man of God, thought, “My master has let this Aramean Naaman off lightly by not accepting from him what he brought. As the LORD lives, I will run after him and get something from him.”
When Gehazi came to the hill,[fn] he took the gifts from them and deposited them in the house. Then he dismissed the men, and they left.
“And my heart didn't go[fn] when the man got down from his chariot to meet you,” Elisha said. “Is this a time to accept silver and clothing, olive orchards and vineyards, flocks and herds, and male and female slaves?
As one of them was cutting down a tree, the iron ax head fell into the water, and he cried out, “Oh, my master, it was borrowed! ”
Then the man of God asked, “Where did it fall? ”
When he showed him the place, the man of God cut a piece of wood, threw it there, and made the iron float.
Then Elisha prayed, “LORD, please open his eyes and let him see.” So the LORD opened the servant's eyes, and he saw that the mountain was covered with horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.
When the Arameans came against him, Elisha prayed to the LORD, “Please strike this nation with blindness.”[fn] So he struck them with blindness, according to Elisha's word.
Then the captain, the king's right-hand man,[fn] responded to the man of God, “Look, even if the LORD were to make windows in heaven, could this really happen? ”
Elisha announced, “You will in fact see it with your own eyes, but you won't eat any of it.”
But one of his servants responded, “Please, let messengers take five of the horses that are left in the city. Their fate is like the entire Israelite community who will die,[fn] so let's send them and see.”
Then the people went out and plundered the Aramean camp. It was then that six quarts of fine flour sold for a half ounce of silver and twelve quarts of barley sold for a half ounce of silver, according to the word of the LORD.
this captain had answered the man of God, “Look, even if the LORD were to make windows in heaven, could this really happen? ” Elisha had said, “You will in fact see it with your own eyes, but you won't eat any of it.”
So the woman got ready and did what the man of God said. She and her household lived as resident aliens in the land of the Philistines for seven years.
When the woman returned from the land of the Philistines at the end of seven years, she went to appeal to the king for her house and field.
The king had been speaking to Gehazi, the attendant of the man of God, saying, “Tell me all the great things Elisha has done.”
Hazael said, “How could your servant, a mere dog, do such a mighty deed? ”
Elisha answered, “The LORD has shown me that you will be king over Aram.”
The next day Hazael took a heavy cloth, dipped it in water, and spread it over the king's face. Ben-hadad died, and Hazael reigned in his place.
He walked in the ways of the kings of Israel, as the house of Ahab had done, for Ahab's daughter was his wife. He did what was evil in the LORD's sight.
He walked in the ways of the house of Ahab and did what was evil in the LORD's sight like the house of Ahab, for his father had married into[fn] the house of Ahab.
“When you get there, look for Jehu son of Jehoshaphat, son of Nimshi. Go in, get him away from his colleagues, and take him to an inner room.
So Jehu got up and went into the house. The young prophet poured the oil on his head and said, “This is what the LORD God of Israel says: ‘I anoint you king over the LORD's people, Israel.
Each man quickly took his garment and put it under Jehu on the bare steps.[fn] They blew the ram's horn and proclaimed, “Jehu is king! ”
Then Jehu drew his bow and shot Joram between the shoulders. The arrow went through his heart, and he slumped down in his chariot.
Jehu said to Bidkar his aide, “Pick him up and throw him on the plot of ground belonging to Naboth the Jezreelite. For remember when you and I were riding side by side behind his father Ahab, and the LORD uttered this pronouncement against him:
“‘As surely as I saw the blood of Naboth and the blood of his sons yesterday' — this is the LORD's declaration — ‘so will I repay you on this plot of land' — this is the LORD's declaration. So now, according to the word of the LORD, pick him up and throw him on the plot of land.”
Then his servants carried him to Jerusalem in a chariot and buried him in his ancestors' tomb in the city of David.
He looked up toward the window and said, “Who is on my side? Who? ” Two or three eunuchs looked down at him,
But when they went out to bury her, they did not find anything but the skull, the feet, and the hands.
“Jezebel's corpse will be like manure on the surface of the ground in the plot of land at Jezreel so that no one will be able to say: This is Jezebel.' ”
Your master's sons are with you, and you have chariots, horses, a fortified city, and weaponry, so when this letter arrives
So the overseer of the palace, the overseer of the city, the elders, and the guardians sent a message to Jehu: “We are your servants, and we will do whatever you tell us. We will not make anyone king. Do whatever you think is right.”[fn]
When Jehu came to Samaria, he struck down all who remained from the house of Ahab in Samaria until he had annihilated his house, according to the word of the LORD spoken to Elijah.
Nevertheless, the LORD said to Jehu, “Because you have done well in carrying out what is right in my sight and have done to the house of Ahab all that was in my heart, four generations of your sons will sit on the throne of Israel.”
When Athaliah, Ahaziah's mother, saw that her son was dead, she proceeded to annihilate all the royal heirs.
and commanded them, “This is what you are to do: A third of you who come on duty on the Sabbath are to provide protection for the king's palace.
“Your two divisions that go off duty on the Sabbath are to provide the king protection at the LORD's temple.
“Completely surround the king with weapons in hand. Anyone who approaches the ranks is to be put to death. Be with the king in all his daily tasks.”[fn]
So the commanders of hundreds did everything the priest Jehoiada commanded. They each brought their men — those coming on duty on the Sabbath and those going off duty — and came to the priest Jehoiada.
Then the guards stood with their weapons in hand surrounding the king — from the right side of the temple to the left side, by the altar and by the temple.
Jehoiada brought out the king's son, put the crown on him, gave him the testimony,[fn] and made him king. They anointed him and clapped their hands and cried, “Long live the king! ”
She looked, and there was the king standing by the pillar according to the custom. The commanders and the trumpeters were by the king, and all the people of the land were rejoicing and blowing trumpets. Athaliah tore her clothes and screamed “Treason! Treason! ”
Throughout the time the priest Jehoiada instructed him, Joash did what was right in the LORD's sight.
Then Joash said to the priests, “All the dedicated silver brought to the LORD's temple, census silver, silver from vows, and all silver voluntarily given for the LORD's temple —
But by the twenty-third year of the reign of King Joash, the priests had not repaired the damage[fn] to the temple.
So King Joash called the priest Jehoiada and the other priests and asked, “Why haven't you repaired the temple's damage? Since you haven't, don't take any silver from your assessors; instead, hand it over for the repair of the temple.”
So the priests agreed that they would receive no silver from the people and would not be the ones to repair the temple's damage.
Then the priest Jehoiada took a chest, bored a hole in its lid, and set it beside the altar on the right side as one enters the LORD's temple; the priests who guarded the threshold put into the chest all the silver that was brought to the LORD's temple.
Whenever they saw there was a large amount of silver in the chest, the king's secretary and the high priest would go bag up and tally the silver found in the LORD's temple.
Then they would give the weighed silver to those doing the work — those who oversaw the LORD's temple. They in turn would pay it out to those working on the LORD's temple — the carpenters, the builders,
the masons, and the stonecutters — and would use it to buy timber and quarried stone to repair the damage to the LORD's temple and for all expenses for temple repairs.
No accounting was required from the men who received the silver to pay those doing the work, since they worked with integrity.
At that time King Hazael of Aram marched up and fought against Gath and captured it. Then he planned to attack Jerusalem.
So King Joash of Judah took all the items consecrated by himself and by his ancestors — Judah's kings Jehoshaphat, Jehoram, and Ahaziah — as well as all the gold found in the treasuries of the LORD's temple and in the king's palace, and he sent them to King Hazael of Aram. Then Hazael withdrew from Jerusalem.
He did what was evil in the LORD's sight and followed the sins that Jeroboam son of Nebat had caused Israel to commit; he did not turn away from them.
He did what was evil in the LORD's sight. He did not turn away from all the sins that Jeroboam son of Nebat had caused Israel to commit, but he continued them.
Then Elisha said to the king of Israel, “Grasp the bow.” So the king grasped it, and Elisha put his hands on the king's hands.
He did what was right in the LORD's sight, but not like his ancestor David. He did everything his father Joash had done.
Amaziah killed ten thousand Edomites in Salt Valley. He took Sela in battle and called it Joktheel, which is still its name today.
He took all the gold and silver, all the articles found in the LORD's temple and in the treasuries of the king's palace, and some hostages. Then he returned to Samaria.
Judah's King Amaziah son of Joash lived fifteen years after the death of Israel's King Jehoash son of Jehoahaz.
After Amaziah the king rested with his ancestors, Azariah rebuilt Elath[fn] and restored it to Judah.
He did what was evil in the LORD's sight. He did not turn away from all the sins Jeroboam son of Nebat had caused Israel to commit.
He restored Israel's border from Lebo-hamath as far as the Sea of the Arabah, according to the word the LORD, the God of Israel, had spoken through his servant, the prophet Jonah son of Amittai from Gath-hepher.
The LORD had not said he would blot out the name of Israel under heaven, so he delivered them by the hand of Jeroboam son of Jehoash.
He did what was evil in the LORD's sight as his predecessors had done. He did not turn away from the sins Jeroboam son of Nebat had caused Israel to commit.
He did what was evil in the LORD's sight. Throughout his reign, he did not turn away from the sins Jeroboam son of Nebat had caused Israel to commit.
Then Menahem exacted twenty ounces[fn] of silver from each of the prominent men of Israel to give to the king of Assyria. So the king of Assyria withdrew and did not stay there in the land.
He did what was evil in the LORD's sight and did not turn away from the sins Jeroboam son of Nebat had caused Israel to commit.
He did what was evil in the LORD's sight. He did not turn away from the sins Jeroboam son of Nebat had caused Israel to commit.
Ahaz was twenty years old when he became king, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem. He did not do what was right in the sight of the LORD his God like his ancestor David
Ahaz also took the silver and gold found in the LORD's temple and in the treasuries of the king's palace and sent them to the king of Assyria as a bribe.
King Ahaz went to Damascus to meet King Tiglath-pileser of Assyria. When he saw the altar that was in Damascus, King Ahaz sent a model of the altar and complete plans for its construction to the priest Uriah.
Uriah built the altar according to all the instructions King Ahaz sent from Damascus. Therefore, by the time King Ahaz came back from Damascus, the priest Uriah had completed it.
When the king came back from Damascus, he saw the altar. Then he approached the altar and ascended it.[fn]
He offered his burnt offering and his grain offering, poured out his drink offering, and splattered the blood of his fellowship offerings on the altar.
He took the bronze altar that was before the LORD in front of the temple between his altar and the LORD's temple, and put it on the north side of his altar.
Then King Ahaz commanded the priest Uriah, “Offer on the great altar the morning burnt offering, the evening grain offering, and the king's burnt offering and his grain offering. Also offer the burnt offering of all the people of the land, their grain offering, and their drink offerings. Splatter on the altar all the blood of the burnt offering and all the blood of sacrifice. The bronze altar will be for me to seek guidance.”[fn]
He did what was evil in the LORD's sight, but not like the kings of Israel who preceded him.
They sacrificed their sons and daughters in the fire[fn] and practiced divination and interpreted omens. They devoted themselves to do what was evil in the LORD's sight and angered him.
The settlers said to the king of Assyria, “The nations that you have deported and placed in the cities of Samaria do not know the requirements of the god of the land. Therefore he has sent lions among them that are killing them because the people don't know the requirements of the god of the land.”
Then the king of Assyria issued a command: “Send back one of the priests you deported. Have him go and live there so he can teach them the requirements of the god of the land.”
They feared the LORD, but they also worshiped their own gods according to the practice of the nations from which they had been deported.
They are still observing the former practices to this day. None of them fear the LORD or observe the statutes and ordinances, the law and commandments that the LORD had commanded the descendants of Jacob, whom he had given the name Israel.
So Hezekiah gave him all the silver found in the LORD's temple and in the treasuries of the king's palace.
“How then can you drive back a single officer among the least of my master's servants? How can you rely on Egypt for chariots and for horsemen?
But the royal spokesman said to them, “Has my master sent me to speak these words only to your master and to you? Hasn't he also sent me to the men who sit on the wall, destined with you to eat their own excrement and drink their own urine? ”
Listen closely, LORD, and hear; open your eyes, LORD, and see. Hear the words that Sennacherib has sent to mock the living God.
They have thrown their gods into the fire, for they were not gods but made by human hands — wood and stone. So they have destroyed them.
“Because your raging against me
and your arrogance have reached my ears,
I will put my hook in your nose
and my bit in your mouth;
I will make you go back
the way you came.
“The surviving remnant of the house of Judah will again take root downward and bear fruit upward.
That night the angel of the LORD went out and struck down one hundred eighty-five thousand in the camp of the Assyrians. When the people got up the next morning — there were all the dead bodies!
“Please, LORD, remember how I have walked before you faithfully and wholeheartedly and have done what pleases you.”[fn] And Hezekiah wept bitterly.
Then Isaiah said, “Bring a lump of pressed figs.” So they brought it and applied it to his infected skin, and he recovered.
Hezekiah had asked Isaiah, “What is the sign that the LORD will heal me and that I will go up to the LORD's temple on the third day? ”
Hezekiah listened to the letters and showed the envoys his whole treasure house — the silver, the gold, the spices, and the precious oil — and his armory, and everything that was found in his treasuries. There was nothing in his palace and in all his realm that Hezekiah did not show them.
The rest of the events of Hezekiah's reign, along with all his might and how he made the pool and the tunnel and brought water into the city, are written in the Historical Record of Judah's Kings.
He did what was evil in the LORD's sight, imitating the detestable practices of the nations that the LORD had dispossessed before the Israelites.
He built altars in the LORD's temple, where the LORD had said, “Jerusalem is where I will put my name.”
He sacrificed his son in the fire,[fn] practiced witchcraft and divination, and consulted mediums and spiritists. He did a huge amount of evil in the LORD's sight, angering him.
Manasseh set up the carved image of Asherah, which he made, in the temple that the LORD had spoken about to David and his son Solomon: “I will establish my name forever in this temple and in Jerusalem, which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel.
But they did not listen; Manasseh caused them to stray so that they did worse evil than the nations the LORD had destroyed before the Israelites.
“I will stretch over Jerusalem the measuring line used on Samaria and the mason's level used on the house of Ahab, and I will wipe Jerusalem clean as one wipes a bowl — wiping it and turning it upside down.
“I will abandon the remnant of my inheritance and hand them over to their enemies. They will become plunder and spoil to all their enemies,
“because they have done what is evil in my sight and have angered me from the day their ancestors came out of Egypt until today.' ”
Manasseh also shed so much innocent blood that he filled Jerusalem with it from one end to another. This was in addition to his sin that he caused Judah to commit, so that they did what was evil in the LORD's sight.
He did what was right in the LORD's sight and walked in all the ways of his ancestor David; he did not turn to the right or the left.
“Go up to the high priest Hilkiah so that he may total up the silver brought into the LORD's temple — the silver the doorkeepers have collected from the people.
“It is to be given to those doing the work — those who oversee the LORD's temple. They in turn are to give it to the workmen in the LORD's temple to repair the damage.
“They are to give it to the carpenters, builders, and masons to buy timber and quarried stone to repair the temple.
“But no accounting is to be required from them for the silver given to them since they work with integrity.”
The high priest Hilkiah told the court secretary Shaphan, “I have found the book of the law in the LORD's temple,” and he gave the book to Shaphan, who read it.
Then the court secretary Shaphan went to the king and reported,[fn] “Your servants have emptied out the silver that was found in the temple and have given it to those doing the work — those who oversee the LORD's temple.”
“‘Therefore, I will indeed gather you to your ancestors, and you will be gathered to your grave in peace. Your eyes will not see all the disaster that I am bringing on this place.' ”
Then they reported[fn] to the king.
Next, the king stood by the pillar[fn] and made a covenant in the LORD's presence to follow the LORD and to keep his commands, his decrees, and his statutes with all his heart and with all his soul in order to carry out the words of this covenant that were written in this book; all the people agreed to[fn] the covenant.
He brought out the Asherah pole from the LORD's temple to the Kidron Valley outside Jerusalem. He burned it at the Kidron Valley, beat it to dust, and threw its dust on the graves of the common people.[fn]
The priests of the high places, however, did not come up to the altar of the LORD in Jerusalem; instead, they ate unleavened bread with their fellow priests.
He did away with the horses that the kings of Judah had dedicated to the sun. They had been at the entrance of the LORD's temple in the precincts by the chamber of Nathan-melech, the eunuch. He also burned the chariots of the sun.
He even tore down the altar at Bethel and the high place that had been made by Jeroboam son of Nebat, who caused Israel to sin. He burned the high place, crushed it to dust, and burned the Asherah.
As Josiah turned, he saw the tombs there on the mountain. He sent someone to take the bones out of the tombs, and he burned them on the altar. He defiled it according to the word of the LORD proclaimed by the man of God[fn] who proclaimed these things.
Then he said, “What is this monument I see? ”
The men of the city told him, “It is the tomb of the man of God who came from Judah and proclaimed these things that you have done to the altar at Bethel.”
The king commanded all the people, “Observe the Passover of the LORD your God as written in the book of the covenant.”
Then Pharaoh Neco made Eliakim son of Josiah king in place of his father Josiah and changed Eliakim's name to Jehoiakim. But Neco took Jehoahaz and went to Egypt, and he died there.
So Jehoiakim gave the silver and the gold to Pharaoh, but at Pharaoh's command he taxed the land to give it. He exacted the silver and the gold from the common people, each according to his assessment, to give it to Pharaoh Neco.
He also carried off from there all the treasures of the LORD's temple and the treasures of the king's palace, and he cut into pieces all the gold articles that King Solomon of Israel had made for the LORD's sanctuary, just as the LORD had predicted.
And the king of Babylon made Mattaniah, Jehoiachin's[fn] uncle, king in his place and changed his name to Zedekiah.
Nebuzaradan, the captain of the guards, deported the rest of the people who remained in the city, the deserters who had defected to the king of Babylon, and the rest of the population.
From the city he took a court official[fn] who had been appointed over the warriors; five trusted royal aides[fn] found in the city; the secretary of the commander of the army, who enlisted the people of the land for military duty; and sixty men from the common people[fn] who were found within the city.
Carmi's son: Achar,[fn] who brought trouble on Israel when he was unfaithful by taking the things set apart for destruction.
After Hezron's death in Caleb-ephrathah, his wife Abijah bore[fn] Ashhur to him. He was the father of Tekoa.
Jabez[fn] was more honored than his brothers. His mother named him Jabez and said, “I gave birth to him in pain.”
So the God of Israel roused the spirit of King Pul (that is, Tiglath-pileser[fn]) of Assyria, and he took the Reubenites, Gadites, and half the tribe of Manasseh into exile. He took them to Halah, Habor, Hara, and Gozan's river, where they are until today.
But Aaron and his sons did all the work of the most holy place. They presented the offerings on the altar of burnt offerings and on the altar of incense to make atonement for Israel according to all that Moses the servant of God had commanded.
Machir's wife Maacah gave birth to a son, and she named him Peresh. His brother was named Sheresh, and his sons were Ulam and Rekem.
He slept with his wife, and she conceived and gave birth to a son. So he named him Beriah, because there had been misfortune in his home.[fn]
Shaharaim had sons in the territory of Moab after he had divorced his wives Hushim and Baara.
They spent the night in the vicinity of God's temple, because they had guard duty and were in charge of opening it every morning.
all their brave men set out and retrieved the body of Saul and the bodies of his sons and brought them to Jabesh. They buried their bones under the oak[fn] in Jabesh and fasted seven days.
Three of the thirty chief men went down to David, to the rock at the cave of Adullam, while the Philistine army was encamped in Rephaim Valley.
David said, “I would never do such a thing in the presence of my God! How can I drink the blood of these men who risked their lives? ” For they brought it at the risk of their lives. So he would not drink it. Such were the exploits of the three warriors.
He also killed an Egyptian who was seven and a half feet tall.[fn] Even though the Egyptian had a spear in his hand like a weaver's beam, Benaiah went down to him with a staff, snatched the spear out of the Egyptian's hand, and then killed him with his own spear.
From the Benjaminites, the relatives of Saul: 3,000 (up to that time the majority of the Benjaminites maintained their allegiance to the house of Saul).
Then the LORD's anger burned against Uzzah, and he struck him dead because he had reached out to the ark. So he died there in the presence of God.
So the Israelites went up to Baal-perazim, and David defeated the Philistines there. Then David said, “Like a bursting flood, God has used me to burst out against my enemies.” Therefore, they named that place The Lord Bursts Out.[fn]
And say, “Save us, God of our salvation;
gather us and rescue us from the nations
so that we may give thanks to your holy name
and rejoice in your praise.
So David left Asaph and his relatives there before the ark of the LORD's covenant to minister regularly before the ark according to the daily requirements.
to offer burnt offerings regularly, morning and evening, to the LORD on the altar of burnt offerings and to do everything that was written in the law of the LORD, which he had commanded Israel to keep.
“I have been with you wherever you have gone, and I have destroyed all your enemies before you. I will make a name for you like that of the greatest on the earth.
“When your time comes to be with your ancestors, I will raise up after you your descendant, who is one of your own sons, and I will establish his kingdom.
Since you, my God, have revealed to[fn] your servant that you will build him a house, your servant has found courage to pray in your presence.
So Hanun took David's emissaries, shaved them, cut their clothes in half at the hips, and sent them away.
They hired thirty-two thousand chariots and the king of Maacah with his army, who came and camped near Medeba. The Ammonites also came together from their cities for the battle.
He placed the rest of the forces under the command of his brother Abishai. They lined up in formation to engage the Ammonites.
“Be strong! Let's prove ourselves strong for our people and for the cities of our God. May the LORD's will be done.”[fn]
David said to God, “I have sinned greatly because I have done this thing. Now, please take away your servant's guilt, for I've been very foolish.”
Ornan said to David, “Take it! My lord the king may do whatever he wants.[fn] See, I give the oxen for the burnt offerings, the threshing sledges for the wood, and the wheat for the grain offering — I give it all.”
He built an altar to the LORD there and offered burnt offerings and fellowship offerings. He called on the LORD, and he answered him with fire from heaven on the altar of burnt offering.
“They are also to stand every morning to give thanks and praise to the LORD, and likewise in the evening.
There were six Levites each day[fn] on the east, four each day on the north, four each day on the south, and two pair at the storehouses.
David assembled all the leaders of Israel in Jerusalem: the leaders of the tribes, the leaders of the divisions in the king's service, the commanders of thousands and the commanders of hundreds, and the officials in charge of all the property and cattle of the king and his sons, along with the court officials, the fighting men, and all the best soldiers.
“but God said to me, ‘You are not to build a house for my name because you are a man of war and have shed blood.'
“Yet the LORD God of Israel chose me out of all my father's family to be king over Israel forever. For he chose Judah as leader, and from the house of Judah, my father's family, and from my father's sons, he was pleased to make me king over all Israel.
Then David gave his son Solomon the plans for the portico of the temple and its buildings, treasuries, upstairs rooms, inner rooms, and a room for the mercy seat.
The plans contained everything he had in mind[fn] for the courts of the LORD's house, all the surrounding chambers, the treasuries of God's house, and the treasuries for what is dedicated.
the weight of refined gold for the altar of incense; and the plans for the chariot of[fn] the gold cherubim that spread out their wings and cover the ark of the LORD's covenant.
LORD our God, all this wealth that we've provided for building you a house for your holy name comes from your hand; everything belongs to you.
Solomon offered sacrifices there in the LORD's presence on the bronze altar at the tent of meeting; he offered a thousand burnt offerings on it.
The king made silver and gold as common in Jerusalem as stones, and he made cedar as abundant as sycamore in the Judean foothills.
Now I am building a temple for the name of the LORD my God in order to dedicate it to him for burning fragrant incense before him, for displaying the rows of the Bread of the Presence continuously, and for sacrificing burnt offerings for the morning and the evening, the Sabbaths and the New Moons, and the appointed festivals of the LORD our God. This is ordained for Israel permanently.
The weight of the nails was twenty ounces[fn] of gold, and he overlaid the ceiling with gold.
He made the curtain of blue, purple, and crimson yarn and fine linen, and he wove cherubim into it.
In front of the temple he made two pillars, each 27 feet[fn] high. The capital on top of each was 7½ feet high.
He made ten basins for washing and he put five on the right and five on the left. The parts of the burnt offering were rinsed in them, but the basin was used by the priests for washing.
He made the ten gold lampstands according to their specifications and put them in the sanctuary, five on the right and five on the left.
Solomon also made all the equipment in God's temple: the gold altar; the tables on which to put the Bread of the Presence;
the lampstands and their lamps of pure gold to burn in front of the inner sanctuary according to specifications;
So all the work Solomon did for the LORD's temple was completed. Then Solomon brought the consecrated things of his father David — the silver, the gold, and all the utensils — and put them in the treasuries of God's temple.
The priests brought the ark of the LORD's covenant to its place, into the inner sanctuary of the temple, to the most holy place, beneath the wings of the cherubim.
The trumpeters and singers joined together to praise and thank the LORD with one voice. They raised their voices, accompanied by trumpets, cymbals, and musical instruments, in praise to the LORD:
For he is good;
his faithful love endures forever.
The temple, the LORD's temple, was filled with a cloud.
Then the king turned and blessed the entire congregation of Israel while they were standing.
“But I have chosen Jerusalem
so that my name will be there,
and I have chosen David
to be over my people Israel.”
so that your eyes watch over this temple
day and night,
toward the place where you said
you would put your name;
and so that you may hear the prayer
your servant prays toward this place.
When the skies are shut and there is no rain
because they have sinned against you,
and they pray toward this place
and praise your name,
and they turn from their sins
because you are afflicting[fn] them,
Even for the foreigner who is not of your people Israel
but has come from a distant land
because of your great name
and your strong hand and outstretched arm:
when he comes and prays toward this temple,
may you hear in heaven in your dwelling place,
and do all the foreigner asks you.
Then all the peoples of the earth will know your name,
to fear you as your people Israel do
and know that this temple I have built
bears your name.
LORD God, do not reject your anointed one;[fn]
remember your servant David's acts of faithful love.
When Solomon finished praying, fire descended from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices, and the glory of the LORD filled the temple.
All the Israelites were watching when the fire descended and the glory of the LORD came on the temple. They bowed down on the pavement with their faces to the ground. They worshiped and praised the LORD:
For he is good,
for his faithful love endures forever.
Since the bronze altar that Solomon had made could not accommodate the burnt offering, the grain offering, and the fat of the fellowship offerings, Solomon first consecrated the middle of the courtyard that was in front of the LORD's temple and then offered the burnt offerings and the fat of the fellowship offerings there.
If I shut the sky so there is no rain, or if I command the grasshopper to consume the land, or if I send pestilence on my people,
and my people, who bear my name, humble themselves, pray and seek my face, and turn from their evil ways, then I will hear from heaven, forgive their sin, and heal their land.
At that time Solomon offered burnt offerings to the LORD on the LORD's altar he had made in front of the portico.
The queen of Sheba heard of Solomon's fame, so she came to test Solomon with difficult questions at Jerusalem with a very large entourage, with camels bearing spices, gold in abundance, and precious stones. She came to Solomon and spoke with him about everything that was on her mind.
All the kings of the world wanted an audience with Solomon to hear the wisdom God had put in his heart.
The king made silver as common in Jerusalem as stones, and he made cedar as abundant as sycamore in the Judean foothills.
Then King Rehoboam sent Hadoram,[fn] who was in charge of the forced labor, but the Israelites stoned him to death. However, King Rehoboam managed to get into his chariot to flee to Jerusalem.
King Rehoboam established his royal power in Jerusalem. Rehoboam was forty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned seventeen years in Jerusalem, the city the LORD had chosen from all the tribes of Israel to put his name. Rehoboam's mother's name was Naamah the Ammonite.
Rehoboam did what was evil, because he did not determine in his heart to seek the LORD.
Now Jeroboam had sent an ambush around to advance from behind them. So they were in front of Judah, and the ambush was behind them.
Then Asa cried out to the LORD his God, “LORD, there is no one besides you to help the mighty and those without strength. Help us, LORD our God, for we depend on you, and in your name we have come against this large army. LORD, you are our God. Do not let a mere mortal hinder you.”
When Asa heard these words and the prophecy of Azariah son of Oded the prophet, he took courage and removed the abhorrent idols from the whole land of Judah and Benjamin and from the cities he had captured in the hill country of Ephraim. He renovated the altar of the LORD that was in front of the portico of the LORD's temple.
King Asa also removed Maacah, his grandmother,[fn] from being queen mother because she had made an obscene image of Asherah. Asa chopped down her obscene image, then crushed it and burned it in the Kidron Valley.
Jehoshaphat was afraid, and he resolved to seek the LORD. Then he proclaimed a fast for all Judah,
Our God, will you not judge them? For we are powerless before this vast number that comes to fight against us. We do not know what to do, but we look to you.[fn]
When Judah came to a place overlooking the wilderness, they looked for the large army, but there were only corpses lying on the ground; nobody had escaped.
They assembled in the Valley of Beracah[fn] on the fourth day, for there they blessed the LORD. Therefore, that place is still called the Valley of Beracah today.
He walked in the ways of Asa his father; he did not turn away from it but did what was right in the LORD's sight.
Then Eliezer son of Dodavahu of Mareshah prophesied against Jehoshaphat, saying, “Because you formed an alliance with Ahaziah, the LORD has broken up what you have made.” So the ships were wrecked and were not able to go to Tarshish.
He walked in the ways of the kings of Israel, as the house of Ahab had done, for Ahab's daughter was his wife. He did what was evil in the LORD's sight,
So he did what was evil in the LORD's sight like the house of Ahab, for they were his advisers after the death of his father, to his destruction.
When Athaliah, Ahaziah's mother, saw that her son was dead, she proceeded to annihilate all the royal heirs[fn] of the house of Judah.
“This is what you are to do: a third of you, priests and Levites who are coming on duty on the Sabbath, are to be gatekeepers.
“A third are to be at the king's palace, and a third are to be at the Foundation Gate, and all the troops will be in the courtyards of the LORD's temple.
They brought out the king's son, put the crown on him, gave him the testimony, and made him king. Jehoiada and his sons anointed him and cried, “Long live the king! ”
Throughout the time of the priest Jehoiada, Joash did what was right in the LORD's sight.
So the king called Jehoiada the high priest and said, “Why haven't you required the Levites to bring from Judah and Jerusalem the tax imposed by the LORD's servant Moses and the assembly of Israel for the tent of the testimony?
All the leaders and all the people rejoiced, brought the tax, and put it in the chest until it was full.
Whenever the chest was brought by the Levites to the king's overseers, and when they saw that there was a large amount of silver, the king's secretary and the high priest's deputy came and emptied the chest, picked it up, and returned it to its place. They did this daily and gathered the silver in abundance.
When they finished, they presented the rest of the silver to the king and Jehoiada, who made articles for the LORD's temple with it — articles for ministry and for making burnt offerings, and ladles[fn] and articles of gold and silver. They regularly offered burnt offerings in the LORD's temple throughout Jehoiada's life.
When the Arameans saw that Joash had many wounds, they left him. His servants conspired against him, and killed him on his bed, because he had shed the blood of the sons of the priest Jehoiada. So he died, and they buried him in the city of David, but they did not bury him in the tombs of the kings.
and the Judahites captured ten thousand alive. They took them to the top of a cliff where they threw them off, and all of them were dashed to pieces.
After Amaziah came from the attack on the Edomites, he brought the gods of the Seirites and set them up as his gods. He worshiped before them and burned incense to them.
He took all the gold, silver, all the utensils that were found with Obed-edom in God's temple, the treasures of the king's palace, and the hostages. Then he returned to Samaria.
Judah's King Amaziah son of Joash lived fifteen years after the death of Israel's King Jehoash son of Jehoahaz.
After Amaziah the king rested with his ancestors, Uzziah rebuilt Eloth[fn] and restored it to Judah.
The Ammonites[fn] paid tribute to Uzziah, and his fame spread as far as the entrance of Egypt, for God made him very powerful.
But when he became strong, he grew arrogant, and it led to his own destruction. He acted unfaithfully against the LORD his God by going into the LORD's sanctuary to burn incense on the incense altar.
Uzziah, with a firepan in his hand to offer incense, was enraged. But when he became enraged with the priests, in the presence of the priests in the LORD's temple beside the altar of incense, a skin disease broke out on his forehead.
He did what was right in the LORD's sight just as his father Uzziah had done. In addition, he didn't enter the LORD's sanctuary, but the people still behaved corruptly.
Ahaz was twenty years old when he became king, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem. He did not do what was right in the LORD's sight like his ancestor David,
They said to them, “You must not bring the captives here, for you plan to bring guilt on us from the LORD to add to our sins and our guilt. For we have much guilt, and burning anger is on Israel.”
Then he brought in the priests and Levites and gathered them in the eastern public square.
“For our ancestors were unfaithful and did what is evil in the sight of the LORD our God. They abandoned him, turned their faces away from the LORD's dwelling place, and turned their backs on him.[fn]
Then they went inside to King Hezekiah and said, “We have cleansed the whole temple of the LORD, the altar of burnt offering and all its utensils, and the table for the rows of the Bread of the Presence and all its utensils.
They brought seven bulls, seven rams, seven lambs, and seven male goats as a sin offering for the kingdom, for the sanctuary, and for Judah. Then he told the descendants of Aaron, the priests, to offer them on the altar of the LORD.
So they slaughtered the bulls, and the priests received the blood and splattered it on the altar. They slaughtered the rams and splattered the blood on the altar. They slaughtered the lambs and splattered the blood on the altar.
The priests slaughtered the goats and put their blood on the altar for a sin offering, to make atonement for all Israel, for the king said that the burnt offering and sin offering were for all Israel.
Hezekiah stationed the Levites in the LORD's temple with cymbals, harps, and lyres according to the command of David, Gad the king's seer, and the prophet Nathan. For the command was from the LORD through his prophets.
Then Hezekiah ordered that the burnt offering be offered on the altar. When the burnt offerings began, the song of the LORD and the trumpets began, accompanied by the instruments of King David of Israel.
However, since there were not enough priests, they weren't able to skin all the burnt offerings, so their Levite brothers helped them until the work was finished and until the priests consecrated themselves. For the Levites were more conscientious[fn] to consecrate themselves than the priests were.
Furthermore, the burnt offerings were abundant, along with the fat of the fellowship offerings and with the drink offerings for the burnt offering.
So the service of the LORD's temple was established.
Then Hezekiah and all the people rejoiced over how God had prepared the people, for it had come about suddenly.
Then Hezekiah sent word throughout all Israel and Judah, and he also wrote letters to Ephraim and Manasseh to come to the LORD's temple in Jerusalem to observe the Passover of the LORD, the God of Israel.
For the king and his officials and the entire congregation in Jerusalem decided to observe the Passover of the LORD in the second month,
So the couriers went throughout Israel and Judah with letters from the hand of the king and his officials, and according to the king's command, saying, “Israelites, return to the LORD, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel so that he may return to those of you who remain, who have escaped the grasp of the kings of Assyria.
“for when you return to the LORD, your brothers and your sons will receive mercy in the presence of their captors and will return to this land. For the LORD your God is gracious and merciful; he will not turn his face away from you if you return to him.”
Also, the power of God was at work in Judah to unite them[fn] to carry out the command of the king and his officials by the word of the LORD.
They slaughtered the Passover lamb on the fourteenth day of the second month. The priests and Levites were ashamed, and they consecrated themselves and brought burnt offerings to the LORD's temple.
They stood at their prescribed posts, according to the law of Moses, the man of God. The priests splattered the blood received from the Levites,
for there were many in the assembly who had not consecrated themselves, and so the Levites were in charge of slaughtering the Passover lambs for every unclean person to consecrate the lambs to the LORD.
A large number of the people — many from Ephraim, Manasseh, Issachar, and Zebulun — were ritually unclean, yet they had eaten the Passover contrary to what was written. But Hezekiah had interceded for them, saying, “May the good LORD provide atonement on behalf of
Then the priests and the Levites stood to bless the people, and God heard them, and their prayer came into his holy dwelling place in heaven.
The chief priest Azariah, of the household of Zadok, answered him, “Since they began bringing the offering to the LORD's temple, we have been eating and are satisfied and there is plenty left over because the LORD has blessed his people; this abundance is what is left over.”
to those registered by genealogy — with all their dependents, wives, sons, and daughters — of the whole assembly (for they had faithfully consecrated themselves as holy);
Hezekiah did this throughout all Judah. He did what was good and upright and true before the LORD his God.
Then Hezekiah strengthened his position by rebuilding the entire broken-down wall and heightening the towers and the other outside wall. He repaired the supporting terraces of the city of David, and made an abundance of weapons and shields.
However, because his heart was proud, Hezekiah didn't respond according to the benefit that had come to him. So there was wrath on him, Judah, and Jerusalem.
This same Hezekiah blocked the upper outlet of the water from the Gihon Spring and channeled it smoothly downward and westward to the city of David. Hezekiah succeeded in everything he did.
When the ambassadors of Babylon's rulers were sent[fn] to him to inquire about the miraculous sign that happened in the land, God left him to test him and discover what was in his heart.
He did what was evil in the LORD's sight, imitating the detestable practices of the nations that the LORD had dispossessed before the Israelites.
He passed his sons through the fire in Ben Hinnom Valley. He practiced witchcraft, divination, and sorcery, and consulted mediums and spiritists. He did a huge amount of evil in the LORD's sight, angering him.
Manasseh set up a carved image of the idol, which he had made, in God's temple that God had spoken about to David and his son Solomon: “I will establish my name forever[fn] in this temple and in Jerusalem, which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel.
So Manasseh caused Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem to stray so that they did worse evil than the nations the LORD had destroyed before the Israelites.
When he was in distress, he sought the favor of the LORD his God and earnestly humbled himself before the God of his ancestors.
After this, he built the outer wall of the city of David from west of Gihon in the valley to the entrance of the Fish Gate; he brought it around Ophel, and he heightened it considerably. He also placed military commanders in all the fortified cities of Judah.
He removed the foreign gods and the idol from the LORD's temple, along with all the altars that he had built on the mountain of the LORD's temple and in Jerusalem, and he threw them outside the city.
He built[fn] the altar of the LORD and offered fellowship and thanksgiving sacrifices on it. Then he told Judah to serve the LORD, the God of Israel.
He did what was evil in the LORD's sight, just as his father Manasseh had done. Amon sacrificed to all the carved images that his father Manasseh had made, and he served them.
He did what was right in the LORD's sight and walked in the ways of his ancestor David; he did not turn aside to the right or the left.
So they went to the high priest Hilkiah and gave him the silver brought into God's temple. The Levites and the doorkeepers had collected it from Manasseh, Ephraim, and from the entire remnant of Israel, and from all Judah, Benjamin, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem.
When they brought out the silver that had been deposited in the LORD's temple, the priest Hilkiah found the book of the law of the LORD written by the hand of Moses.
Consequently, Hilkiah told the court secretary Shaphan, “I have found the book of the law in the LORD's temple,” and he gave the book to Shaphan.
Shaphan took the book to the king, and also reported, “Your servants are doing all that was placed in their hands.
“They have emptied out the silver that was found in the LORD's temple and have given it to the overseers and to those doing the work.”
Josiah observed the LORD's Passover and slaughtered the Passover lambs on the fourteenth day of the first month.
“Slaughter the Passover lambs, consecrate yourselves, and make preparations for your brothers to carry out the word of the LORD through Moses.”
Then Josiah donated thirty thousand sheep, lambs, and young goats, plus three thousand cattle from his own possessions, for the Passover sacrifices for all the lay people who were present.
His officials also donated willingly for the people, the priests, and the Levites. Hilkiah, Zechariah, and Jehiel, chief officials of God's temple, gave twenty-six hundred Passover sacrifices and three hundred cattle for the priests.
Conaniah and his brothers Shemaiah and Nethanel, and Hashabiah, Jeiel, and Jozabad, officers of the Levites, donated five thousand Passover sacrifices for the Levites, plus five hundred cattle.
They removed the burnt offerings so that they might be given to the groupings of the ancestral families[fn] of the lay people to offer to the LORD, according to what is written in the book of Moses; they did the same with the cattle.
They roasted the Passover lambs with fire according to regulation. They boiled the holy sacrifices in pots, kettles, and bowls; and they quickly brought them to the lay people.
Afterward, they made preparations for themselves and for the priests, since the priests, the descendants of Aaron, were busy offering up burnt offerings and fat until night. So the Levites made preparations for themselves and for the priests, the descendants of Aaron.
So all the service of the LORD was established that day for observing the Passover and for offering burnt offerings on the altar of the LORD, according to the command of King Josiah.
The Israelites who were present in Judah also observed the Passover at that time and the Festival of Unleavened Bread for seven days.
No Passover had been observed like it in Israel since the days of the prophet Samuel. None of the kings of Israel ever observed a Passover like the one that Josiah observed with the priests, the Levites, all Judah, the Israelites who were present in Judah, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem.
But Josiah did not turn away from him; instead, in order to fight with him he disguised himself.[fn] He did not listen to Neco's words from the mouth of God, but went to the Valley of Megiddo to fight.
So his servants took him out of the war chariot, carried him in his second chariot, and brought him to Jerusalem. Then he died, and they buried him in the tomb of his ancestors. All Judah and Jerusalem mourned for Josiah.
Jehoahaz[fn] was twenty-three years old when he became king, and he reigned three months in Jerusalem.
Then King Neco of Egypt made Jehoahaz's brother Eliakim king over Judah and Jerusalem and changed Eliakim's name to Jehoiakim. But Neco took his brother Jehoahaz and brought him to Egypt.
Jehoiakim was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. He did what was evil in the sight of the LORD his God.
Jehoiachin was eighteen[fn] years old when he became king, and he reigned three months and ten days in Jerusalem. He did what was evil in the LORD's sight.
He did what was evil in the sight of the LORD his God and did not humble himself before the prophet Jeremiah at the LORD's command.
Then the Chaldeans burned God's temple. They tore down Jerusalem's wall, burned all its palaces, and destroyed all its valuable articles.
In the first year of King Cyrus of Persia, in order to fulfill the word of the LORD spoken through[fn] Jeremiah, the LORD roused the spirit of King Cyrus of Persia to issue a proclamation throughout his entire kingdom and also to put it in writing:
In the first year of King Cyrus of Persia, in order to fulfill the word of the LORD spoken through Jeremiah, the LORD roused the spirit of King Cyrus to issue a proclamation throughout his entire kingdom and to put it in writing:
So the family heads of Judah and Benjamin, along with the priests and Levites — everyone whose spirit God had roused — prepared to go up and rebuild the LORD's house in Jerusalem.
Jeshua son of Jozadak and his brothers the priests along with Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel and his brothers began to build the altar of Israel's God in order to offer burnt offerings on it, as it is written in the law of Moses, the man of God.
They set up the altar on its foundation and offered burnt offerings for the morning and evening on it to the LORD even though they feared the surrounding peoples.
They celebrated the Festival of Shelters as prescribed, and offered burnt offerings each day, based on the number specified by ordinance for each festival day.
But Zerubbabel, Jeshua, and the other heads of Israel's families answered them, “You may have no part with us in building a house for our God, since we alone will build it for the LORD, the God of Israel, as King Cyrus, the king of Persia has commanded us.”
and the rest of the peoples whom the great and illustrious Ashurbanipal[fn] deported and settled in the cities of Samaria and the region west of the Euphrates River.
Leave the construction of the house of God alone. Let the governor and elders of the Jews rebuild this house of God on its original site.
I hereby issue a decree concerning what you are to do, so that the elders of the Jews can rebuild the house of God:
The cost is to be paid in full to these men out of the royal revenues from the taxes of the region west of the Euphrates River, so that the work will not stop.
Whatever is needed — young bulls, rams, and lambs for burnt offerings to the God of the heavens, or wheat, salt, wine, and oil, as requested by the priests in Jerusalem — let it be given to them every day without fail,
I also issue a decree concerning any man who interferes with this directive:
Let a beam be torn from his house and raised up; he will be impaled on it, and his house will be made into a garbage dump because of this offense.
All of the priests and Levites were ceremonially clean, because they had purified themselves. They killed the Passover lamb for themselves, their priestly brothers, and all the exiles.
The Israelites who had returned from exile ate it, together with all who had separated themselves from the uncleanness of the Gentiles of the land[fn] in order to worship the LORD, the God of Israel.
I weighed out to them the silver, the gold, and the articles — the contribution for the house of our God that the king, his counselors, his leaders, and all the Israelites who were present had offered.
Then I said to them, “You are holy to the LORD, and the articles are holy. The silver and gold are a freewill offering to the LORD God of your ancestors.
On the fourth day the silver, the gold, and the articles were weighed out in the house of our God into the care of the priest Meremoth son of Uriah. Eleazar son of Phinehas was with him. The Levites Jozabad son of Jeshua and Noadiah son of Binnui were also with them.
They also delivered the king's edicts to the royal satraps and governors of the region west of the Euphrates, so that they would support the people and the house of God.
And I said:
My God, I am ashamed and embarrassed to lift my face toward you, my God, because our iniquities are higher than our heads and our guilt is as high as the heavens.
After all that has happened to us because of our evil deeds and terrible guilt — though you, our God, have punished us less than our iniquities deserve and have allowed us to survive[fn] —
“Get up, for this matter is your responsibility, and we support you. Be strong and take action! ”
Then Ezra got up and made the leading priests, Levites, and all Israel take an oath to do what had been said; so they took the oath.
“Therefore, make a confession to the LORD, the God of your ancestors, and do his will. Separate yourselves from the surrounding peoples and your foreign wives.”
“But there are many people, and it is the rainy season. We don't have the stamina to stay out in the open. This isn't something that can be done in a day or two, for we have rebelled terribly in this matter.
I said,
LORD, the God of the heavens, the great and awe-inspiring God who keeps his gracious covenant with those who love him and keep his commands,
“But if you return to me and carefully observe my commands, even though your exiles were banished to the farthest horizon,[fn] I will gather them from there and bring them to the place where I chose to have my name dwell.”
Please, Lord, let your ear be attentive to the prayer of your servant and to that of your servants who delight to revere your name. Give your servant success today, and grant him compassion in the presence of this man.[fn]
At the time, I was the king's cupbearer.
“And let me have a letter written to Asaph, keeper of the king's forest, so that he will give me timber to rebuild the gates of the temple's fortress, the city wall, and the home where I will live.”[fn] The king granted my requests, for the gracious hand of my God was on me.
So I said to them, “You see the trouble we are in. Jerusalem lies in ruins and its gates have been burned. Come, let's rebuild Jerusalem's wall, so that we will no longer be a disgrace.”
Shallun[fn] son of Col-hozeh, ruler of the district of Mizpah, repaired the Fountain Gate. He rebuilt it and roofed it. Then he installed its doors, bolts, and bars. He also made repairs to the wall of the Pool of Shelah near the king's garden, as far as the stairs that descend from the city of David.
When Sanballat heard that we were rebuilding the wall, he became furious. He mocked the Jews
Then Tobiah the Ammonite, who was beside him, said, “Indeed, even if a fox climbed up what they are building, he would break down their stone wall! ”
They all plotted together to come and fight against Jerusalem and throw it into confusion.
And our enemies said, “They won't realize it[fn] until we're among them and can kill them and stop the work.”
When our enemies heard that we knew their scheme and that God had frustrated it, every one of us returned to his own work on the wall.
From that day on, half of my men did the work while the other half held spears, shields, bows, and armor. The officers supported all the people of Judah,
who were rebuilding the wall. The laborers who carried the loads worked with one hand and held a weapon with the other.
So we continued the work, while half of the men were holding spears from daybreak until the stars came out.
“Return their fields, vineyards, olive groves, and houses to them immediately, along with the percentage[fn] of the money, grain, new wine, and fresh oil that you have been assessing them.”
They responded, “We will return these things and require nothing more from them. We will do as you say.”
So I summoned the priests and made everyone take an oath to do this.
I also shook the folds of my robe and said, “May God likewise shake from his house and property everyone who doesn't keep this promise. May he be shaken out and have nothing! ”
The whole assembly said, “Amen,” and they praised the LORD. Then the people did as they had promised.
Instead, I devoted myself to the construction of this wall, and all my subordinates were gathered there for the work. We didn't buy any land.
When Sanballat, Tobiah, Geshem the Arab, and the rest of our enemies heard that I had rebuilt the wall and that no gap was left in it — though at that time I had not installed the doors in the city gates —
Sanballat and Geshem sent me a message: “Come, let's meet together in the villages of[fn] the Ono Valley.” They were planning to harm me.
In it was written:
It is reported among the nations — and Geshem[fn] agrees — that you and the Jews plan to rebel. This is the reason you are building the wall. According to these reports, you are to become their king
and have even set up the prophets in Jerusalem to proclaim on your behalf, “There is a king in Judah.” These rumors will be heard by the king. So come, let's confer together.
When all our enemies heard this, all the surrounding nations were intimidated and lost their confidence,[fn] for they realized that this task had been accomplished by our God.
Some of the family heads contributed to the project. The governor gave 1,000 gold coins,[fn] 50 bowls, and 530 priestly garments to the treasury.
all the people gathered together at the square in front of the Water Gate. They asked the scribe Ezra to bring the book of the law of Moses that the LORD had given Israel.
While he was facing the square in front of the Water Gate, he read out of it from daybreak until noon before the men, the women, and those who could understand. All the people listened attentively[fn] to the book of the law.
Ezra opened the book in full view of all the people, since he was elevated above everyone. As he opened it, all the people stood up.
So they proclaimed and spread this news throughout their towns and in Jerusalem, saying, “Go out to the hill country and bring back branches of olive, wild olive, myrtle, palm, and other leafy trees to make shelters, just as it is written.”
Ezra[fn] read out of the book of the law of God every day, from the first day to the last. The Israelites celebrated the festival for seven days, and on the eighth day there was a solemn assembly, according to the ordinance.
You revealed your holy Sabbath to them,
and gave them commands, statutes, and instruction
through your servant Moses.
You sent your good Spirit to instruct them.
You did not withhold your manna from their mouths,
and you gave them water for their thirst.
But as soon as they had relief,
they again did what was evil in your sight.
So you abandoned them to the power of their enemies,
who dominated them.
When they cried out to you again,
you heard from heaven and rescued them
many times in your compassion.
So now, our God — the great, mighty,
and awe-inspiring God who keeps his gracious covenant —
do not view lightly all the hardships that have afflicted us,
our kings and leaders,
our priests and prophets,
our ancestors and all your people,
from the days of the Assyrian kings until today.
When the surrounding peoples bring merchandise or any kind of grain to sell on the Sabbath day, we will not buy from them on the Sabbath or a holy day. We will also leave the land uncultivated in the seventh year and will cancel every debt.
We have cast lots among the priests, Levites, and people for the donation of wood by our ancestral families[fn] at the appointed times each year. They are to bring the wood to our God's house to burn on the altar of the LORD our God, as it is written in the law.
and their relatives who did the work at the temple: 822. Adaiah son of Jeroham, son of Pelaliah, son of Amzi, son of Zechariah, son of Pashhur, son of Malchijah
After the priests and Levites had purified themselves, they purified the people, the city gates, and the wall.
The second thanksgiving procession went to the left, and I followed it with half the people along the top of the wall, past the Tower of the Ovens to the Broad Wall,
The two thanksgiving processions stood in the house of God. So did I and half of the officials accompanying me,
I also found out that because the portions for the Levites had not been given, each of the Levites and the singers performing the service had gone back to his own field.
“Didn't your ancestors do the same, so that our God brought all this disaster on us and on this city? And now you are rekindling his anger against Israel by profaning the Sabbath! ”
Then I instructed the Levites to purify themselves and guard the city gates in order to keep the Sabbath day holy.
Remember me for this also, my God, and look on me with compassion according to the abundance of your faithful love.
So I purified them from everything foreign and assigned specific duties to each of the priests and Levites.
I also arranged for the donation of wood at the appointed times and for the firstfruits.
Remember me, my God, with favor.
He displayed the glorious wealth of his kingdom and the magnificent splendor of his greatness for a total of 180 days.
The drinking was according to royal decree: “There are no restrictions.” The king had ordered every wine steward in his household to serve whatever each person wanted.
to bring Queen Vashti before him with her royal crown. He wanted to show off her beauty to the people and the officials, because she was very beautiful.
The young woman pleased him and gained his favor so that he accelerated the process of the beauty treatments and the special diet that she received. He assigned seven hand-picked female servants to her from the palace and transferred her and her servants to the harem's best quarters.
Esther did not reveal her ethnicity or her family background, because Mordecai had ordered her not to make them known.
The king loved Esther more than all the other women. She won more favor and approval from him than did any of the other virgins. He placed the royal crown on her head and made her queen in place of Vashti.
In the first month, the month of Nisan, in King Ahasuerus's twelfth year, the pur — that is, the lot — was cast before Haman for each day in each month, and it fell on the twelfth month, the month Adar.
“If the king approves, let an order be drawn up authorizing their destruction, and I will pay 375 tons of silver to[fn] the officials for deposit in the royal treasury.”
Then the king told Haman, “The money and people are given to you to do with as you see fit.”
Letters were sent by couriers to each of the royal provinces telling the officials to destroy, kill, and annihilate all the Jewish people — young and old, women and children — and plunder their possessions on a single day, the thirteenth day of Adar, the twelfth month.[fn]
When Mordecai learned all that had occurred, he tore his clothes, put on sackcloth and ashes, went into the middle of the city, and cried loudly and bitterly.
Esther's female servants and her eunuchs came and reported the news to her, and the queen was overcome with fear. She sent clothes for Mordecai to wear so that he would take off his sackcloth, but he did not accept them.
Esther summoned Hathach, one of the king's eunuchs who attended her, and dispatched him to Mordecai to learn what he was doing and why.[fn]
Mordecai told him everything that had happened as well as the exact amount of money Haman had promised to pay the royal treasury for the slaughter of the Jews.
Mordecai also gave him a copy of the written decree issued in Susa ordering their destruction, so that Hathach might show it to Esther, explain it to her, and command her to approach the king, implore his favor, and plead with him personally for her people.
On the third day, Esther dressed in her royal clothing and stood in the inner courtyard of the palace facing it. The king was sitting on his royal throne in the royal courtroom,[fn] facing its entrance.
King Ahasuerus spoke up and asked Queen Esther, “Who is this, and where is the one who would devise such a scheme? ”[fn]
Whenever a round of banqueting was over, Job would send for his children and purify them, rising early in the morning to offer burnt offerings for[fn] all of them. For Job thought, “Perhaps my children have sinned, having cursed God in their hearts.” This was Job's regular practice.
His wife said to him, “Are you still holding on to your integrity? Curse God and die! ”
The strong lion dies if it catches no prey,
and the cubs of the lioness are scattered.
They are smashed to pieces from dawn to dusk;
they perish forever while no one notices.
Surely the arrows of the Almighty have pierced[fn] me;
my spirit drinks their poison.
God's terrors are arrayed against me.
So this is what you have now become to me.[fn]
When you see something dreadful, you are afraid.
then you will hold your head high, free from fault.
You will be firmly established and unafraid.
When he withholds water, everything dries up,
and when he releases it, it destroys the land.
You completely overpower him, and he passes on;
you change his appearance and send him away.
He will not escape from the darkness;
flames will wither his shoots,
and by the breath of God's mouth, he will depart.
If I speak, my suffering is not relieved,
and if I hold back, does any of it leave me?
If you return to the Almighty, you will be renewed.
If you banish injustice from your tent
Then an upright man could reason with him,
and I would escape from my Judge[fn] forever.
Yet he knows the way I have taken;[fn]
when he has tested me, I will emerge as pure gold.
For the morning is like darkness to them.
Surely they are familiar with the terrors of darkness!
He said to mankind,
“The fear of the Lord — that is wisdom.
And to turn from evil is understanding.”
My clothing is distorted with great force;
he chokes me by the neck of my garment.[fn]
and to be gracious to him and say,
“Spare him from going down to the Pit;
I have found a ransom,”
Therefore listen to me, you men of understanding.
It is impossible for God to do wrong,
and for the Almighty to act unjustly.
They die suddenly in the middle of the night;
people shudder, then pass away.
Even the mighty are removed without effort.
Now no one can even look at the sun
after a wind has swept through and cleared the sky.
Would you really challenge my justice?
Would you declare me guilty to justify yourself?
Though the river rages, Behemoth is unafraid;
he remains confident, even if the Jordan surges up to his mouth.
After the LORD had finished speaking[fn] to Job, he said to Eliphaz the Temanite, “I am angry with you and your two friends, for you have not spoken the truth about me, as my servant Job has.
The kings of the earth take their stand,
and the rulers conspire together
against the LORD and his Anointed One:[fn]
I will declare the LORD's decree.
He said to me, “You are my Son;[fn]
today I have become your Father.
Answer me when I call,
God, who vindicates me.[fn]
You freed me from affliction;
be gracious to me and hear my prayer.
In the morning, LORD, you hear my voice;
in the morning I plead my case to you and watch expectantly.
Punish them, God;
let them fall by their own schemes.
Drive them out because of their many crimes,
for they rebel against you.
But let all who take refuge in you rejoice;
let them shout for joy forever.
May you shelter them,
and may those who love your name boast about you.
If anyone does not repent,
he will sharpen his sword;
he has strung his bow and made it ready.
LORD, our Lord,
how magnificent is your name throughout the earth!
You have covered the heavens with your majesty.[fn]
You have rebuked the nations:
You have destroyed the wicked;
you have erased their name forever and ever.
Those who know your name trust in you
because you have not abandoned
those who seek you, LORD.
In all his scheming,
the wicked person arrogantly thinks,[fn]
“There's no accountability,
since there's no God.”
Cursing, deceit, and violence fill his mouth;
trouble and malice are under his tongue.
LORD, you have heard the desire of the humble;
you will strengthen their hearts.
You will listen carefully,
Help, LORD, for no faithful one remains;
the loyal have disappeared from the human race.[fn]
The fool says in his heart, “There's no God.”
They are corrupt; they do vile deeds.
There is no one who does good.
Oh, that Israel's deliverance would come from Zion!
When the LORD restores the fortunes of his people,[fn]
let Jacob rejoice, let Israel be glad.
who does not lend his silver at interest
or take a bribe against the innocent —
the one who does these things will never be shaken.
The heavens declare the glory of God,
and the expanse proclaims the work of his hands.
Their message[fn] has gone out to the whole earth,
and their words to the ends of the world.
In the heavens he has pitched a tent for the sun.
The fear of the LORD is pure,
enduring forever;
the ordinances of the LORD are reliable
and altogether righteous.
You will wipe their progeny from the earth
and their offspring from the human race.[fn]
Instead, you will put them to flight
when you ready your bowstrings to shoot at them.
My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?
Why are you so far from my deliverance
and from my words of groaning?
I will proclaim your name to my brothers and sisters;
I will praise you in the assembly.
For he has not despised or abhorred
the torment of the oppressed.
He did not hide his face from him
but listened when he cried to him for help.
Such is the generation of those who inquire of him,
who seek the face of the God of Jacob.[fn]Selah
Do not remember the sins of my youth
or my acts of rebellion;
in keeping with your faithful love, remember me
because of your goodness, LORD.
Do not hide your face from me;
do not turn your servant away in anger.
You have been my helper;
do not leave me or abandon me,
God of my salvation.
Repay them according to what they have done —
according to the evil of their deeds.
Repay them according to the work of their hands;
give them back what they deserve.
I will exalt you, LORD,
because you have lifted me up
and have not allowed my enemies
to triumph over me.
For his anger lasts only a moment,
but his favor, a lifetime.
Weeping may stay overnight,
but there is joy in the morning.
LORD, when you showed your favor,
you made me stand like a strong mountain;
when you hid your face, I was terrified.
Listen closely to me; rescue me quickly.
Be a rock of refuge for me,
a mountain fortress to save me.
You are my hiding place;
you protect me from trouble.
You surround me with joyful shouts of deliverance.Selah
But look, the LORD keeps his eye on those who fear him —
those who depend on his faithful love
The face of the LORD is set
against those who do what is evil,
to remove[fn] all memory of them from the earth.
An oracle within my heart
concerning the transgression of the wicked person:
Dread of God has no effect on him.[fn]
Spread your faithful love over those who know you,
and your righteousness over the upright in heart.
I have been young and now I am old,
yet I have not seen the righteous abandoned
or his children begging for bread.
But transgressors will all be eliminated;
the future of the wicked will be destroyed.
I am like a deaf person; I do not hear.
I am like a speechless person
who does not open his mouth.
I said, “I will guard my ways
so that I may not sin with my tongue;
I will guard my mouth with a muzzle
as long as the wicked are in my presence.”
I was speechless and quiet;
I kept silent, even from speaking good,
and my pain intensified.
“LORD, make me aware of my end
and the number of my days
so that I will know how short-lived I am.
He put a new song in my mouth,
a hymn of praise to our God.
Many will see and fear,
and they will trust in the LORD.
I did not hide your righteousness in my heart;
I spoke about your faithfulness and salvation;
I did not conceal your constant love and truth
from the great assembly.
Let all who seek you rejoice and be glad in you;
let those who love your salvation continually say,
“The LORD is great! ”
Happy is one who is considerate of the poor;
the LORD will save him in a day of adversity.
The LORD will send his faithful love by day;
his song will be with me in the night —
a prayer to the God of my life.
Send your light and your truth; let them lead me.
Let them bring me to your holy mountain,
to your dwelling place.
Then I will come to the altar of God,
to God, my greatest joy.
I will praise you with the lyre,
God, my God.
God, we have heard with our ears —
our ancestors have told us —
the work you accomplished in their days,
in days long ago:
My heart is moved by a noble theme
as I recite my verses to the king;
my tongue is the pen of a skillful writer.
Listen, daughter, pay attention and consider:
Forget your people and your father's house,
There is a river —
its streams delight the city of God,
the holy dwelling place of the Most High.
Like your name, God, so your praise
reaches to the ends of the earth;
your right hand is filled with justice.
For one can see that the wise die;
the foolish and stupid also pass away.
Then they leave their wealth to others.
Like sheep they are headed for Sheol;
Death will shepherd them.
The upright will rule over them in the morning,
and their form will waste away in Sheol,[fn]
far from their lofty abode.
“Whoever offers a thanksgiving sacrifice honors me,
and whoever orders his conduct,
I will show him the salvation of God.”
Be gracious to me, God,
according to your faithful love;
according to your abundant compassion,
blot out my rebellion.
Against you — you alone — I have sinned
and done this evil in your sight.
So you are right when you pass sentence;
you are blameless when you judge.
Then you will delight in righteous sacrifices,
whole burnt offerings;
then bulls will be offered on your altar.
This is why God will bring you down forever.
He will take you, ripping you out of your tent;
he will uproot you from the land of the living.Selah
“Here is the man
who would not make God his refuge,
but trusted in the abundance of his riches,
taking refuge in his destructive behavior.”
But I am like a flourishing olive tree
in the house of God;
I trust in God's faithful love forever and ever.
I will praise you forever for what you have done.
In the presence of your faithful people,
I will put my hope in your name, for it is good.
The fool says in his heart, “There's no God.”
They are corrupt, and they do vile deeds.
There is no one who does good.
Oh, that Israel's deliverance would come from Zion!
When God restores the fortunes of his people,[fn]
let Jacob rejoice, let Israel be glad.
Be gracious to me, God, for a man is trampling me;
he fights and oppresses me all day long.
Be gracious to me, God, be gracious to me,
for I take refuge in you.
I will seek refuge in the shadow of your wings
until danger passes.
He reaches down from heaven and saves me,
challenging the one who tramples me.Selah
God sends his faithful love and truth.
But I will sing of your strength
and will joyfully proclaim
your faithful love in the morning.
For you have been a stronghold for me,
a refuge in my day of trouble.
Common people are only a vapor;
important people, an illusion.
Together on a scale,
they weigh less than[fn] a vapor.
God, hear my voice when I am in anguish.
Protect my life from the terror of the enemy.
You silence the roar of the seas,
the roar of their waves,
and the tumult of the nations.
Answer me, LORD,
for your faithful love is good.
In keeping with your abundant compassion,
turn to me.
Instead, they gave me gall for my food,
and for my thirst
they gave me vinegar to drink.
The descendants of his servants will inherit it,
and those who love his name will live in it.
Let all who seek you rejoice and be glad in you;
let those who love your salvation
continually say, “God is great! ”
But as for me, God's presence is my good.
I have made the Lord GOD my refuge,
so I can tell about all you do.
They said in their hearts,
“Let's oppress them relentlessly.”
They burned every place throughout the land
where God met with us.[fn]
Remember this: the enemy has mocked the LORD,
and a foolish people has insulted your name.
Do not let the oppressed turn away in shame;
let the poor and needy praise your name.
We give thanks to you, God;
we give thanks to you, for your name is near.
People tell about your wondrous works.
Then they would not be like their ancestors,
a stubborn and rebellious generation,
a generation whose heart was not loyal
and whose spirit was not faithful to God.
They poured out their blood
like water all around Jerusalem,
and there was no one to bury them.
Pour out your wrath on the nations
that don't acknowledge you,
on the kingdoms that don't call on your name,
Listen, Shepherd of Israel,
who leads Joseph like a flock;
you who sit enthroned between the cherubim,
shine
Restore us, LORD, God of Armies;
make your face shine on us, so that we may be saved.
“I am the LORD your God,
who brought you up from the land of Egypt.
Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it.
They say, “Come, let's wipe them out as a nation
so that Israel's name will no longer be remembered.”
All the nations you have made
will come and bow down before you, Lord,
and will honor your name.
Teach me your way, LORD,
and I will live by your truth.
Give me an undivided mind to fear your name.
Turn to me and be gracious to me.
Give your strength to your servant;
save the son of your female servant.
“‘I will establish your offspring forever
and build up your throne for all generations.' ”Selah
The heavens are yours; the earth also is yours.
The world and everything in it — you founded them.
“My faithfulness and love will be with him,
and through my name
his horn will be exalted.
“I will always preserve my faithful love for him,
and my covenant with him will endure.
You have repudiated the covenant with your servant;
you have completely dishonored his crown.[fn]
how your enemies have ridiculed, LORD,
how they have ridiculed every step of your anointed.
Who understands the power of your anger?
Your wrath matches the fear that is due you.
Satisfy us in the morning with your faithful love
so that we may shout with joy and be glad all our days.
Because he has his heart set on me,
I will deliver him;
I will protect him because he knows my name.
Let the heavens be glad and the earth rejoice;
let the sea and all that fills it resound.
The LORD has made his victory known;
he has revealed his righteousness
in the sight of the nations.
He has remembered his love
and faithfulness to the house of Israel;
all the ends of the earth
have seen our God's victory.
Moses and Aaron were among his priests;
Samuel also was among those calling on his name.
They called to the LORD and he answered them.
Enter his gates with thanksgiving
and his courts with praise.
Give thanks to him and bless his name.
Do not hide your face from me in my day of trouble.
Listen closely to me;
answer me quickly when I call.
Then the nations will fear the name of the LORD,
and all the kings of the earth your glory,
For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
so great is his faithful love
toward those who fear him.
When you hide your face,
they are terrified;
when you take away their breath,
they die and return to the dust.
remembered his covenant with them,
and relented according to the abundance
of his faithful love.
He distributes freely to the poor;
his righteousness endures forever.
His horn will be exalted in honor.
I have sought your favor with all my heart;
be gracious to me according to your promise.
My eyes grow weary
looking for what you have promised;
I ask, “When will you comfort me? ”
Give me life in accordance with your faithful love,
and I will obey the decree you have spoken.
Turn to me and be gracious to me,
as is your practice toward those who love your name.
In keeping with your faithful love, hear my voice.
LORD, give me life in keeping with your justice.
In vain you get up early and stay up late,
working hard to have enough food —
yes, he gives sleep to the one he loves.[fn]
Israel, put your hope in the LORD.
For there is faithful love with the LORD,
and with him is redemption in abundance.
Instead, I have calmed and quieted my soul
like a weaned child with its mother;
my soul is like a weaned child.
“I will clothe his enemies with shame,
but the crown he wears[fn] will be glorious.”
It is like fine oil on the head,
running down on the beard,
running down Aaron's beard
onto his robes.
Daughter Babylon, doomed to destruction,
happy is the one who pays you back
what you have done to us.
I will bow down toward your holy temple
and give thanks to your name
for your constant love and truth.
You have exalted your name
and your promise above everything else.[fn]
even the darkness is not dark to you.
The night shines like the day;
darkness and light are alike to you.
My bones were not hidden from you
when I was made in secret,
when I was formed in the depths of the earth.
Your eyes saw me when I was formless;
all my days were written in your book and planned
before a single one of them began.
Although my spirit is weak within me,
you know my way.
Along this path I travel
they have hidden a trap for me.
Answer me quickly, LORD;
my spirit fails.
Don't hide your face from me,
or I will be like those
going down to the Pit.
Let me experience
your faithful love in the morning,
for I trust in you.
Reveal to me the way I should go
because I appeal to you.
Teach me to do your will,
for you are my God.
May your gracious Spirit
lead me on level ground.
My mouth will declare the LORD's praise;
let every living thing
bless his holy name forever and ever.
Let them praise the name of the LORD,
for his name alone is exalted.
His majesty covers heaven and earth.
Let them praise his name with dancing
and make music to him with tambourine and lyre.
until an arrow pierces its[fn] liver,
like a bird darting into a snare —
he doesn't know it will cost him his life.
But he doesn't know that the departed spirits are there,
that her guests are in the depths of Sheol.
The one who guards his mouth protects his life;
the one who opens his lips invites his own ruin.
Kindness to the poor is a loan to the LORD,
and he will give a reward to the lender.[fn]
It is a trap for anyone to dedicate something rashly
and later to reconsider his vows.
A wise person went up against a city of warriors
and brought down its secure fortress.
As soon as your eyes fly to it, it disappears,
for it makes wings for itself
and flies like an eagle to the sky.
If you find honey, eat only what you need;
otherwise, you'll get sick from it and vomit.
Take his garment,
for he has put up security for a stranger;
get collateral if it is for foreigners.[fn]
If one blesses his neighbor
with a loud voice early in the morning,
it will be counted as a curse to him.
Otherwise, I might have too much
and deny you, saying, “Who is the LORD? ”
or I might have nothing and steal,
profaning[fn] the name of my God.
I explored with my mind the pull of wine on my body — my mind still guiding me with wisdom — and how to grasp folly, until I could see what is good for people to do under heaven[fn] during the few days of their lives.
And I realized that there is an advantage to wisdom over folly, like the advantage of light over darkness.
For the fate of the children of Adam and the fate of animals is the same. As one dies, so dies the other; they all have the same breath. People have no advantage over animals since everything is futile.
But better than either of them is the one who has not yet existed, who has not seen the evil activity that is done under the sun.
Do not let your mouth bring guilt on you, and do not say in the presence of the messenger that it was a mistake. Why should God be angry with your words and destroy the work of your hands?
Furthermore, everyone to whom God has given riches and wealth, he has also allowed him to enjoy them, take his reward, and rejoice in his labor. This is a gift of God,
No one has authority over the wind[fn] to restrain it, and there is no authority over the day of death; no one is discharged during battle, and wickedness will not allow those who practice it to escape.
Because the sentence against an evil act is not carried out quickly, the heart of people is filled with the desire to commit evil.
Although a sinner does evil a hundred times and prolongs his life, I also know that it will go well with God-fearing people, for they are reverent before him.
I observed all the work of God and concluded that a person is unable to discover the work that is done under the sun. Even though a person labors hard to explore it, he cannot find it; even if a wise person claims to know it, he is unable to discover it.
yet the fool multiplies words.
No one knows what will happen,
and who can tell anyone what will happen after him?
In the morning sow your seed,
and at evening do not let your hand rest,
because you don't know which will succeed,
whether one or the other,
or if both of them will be equally good.
For God will bring every act to judgment, including every hidden thing, whether good or evil.
Take me with you — let's hurry.
Oh, that the king would bring[fn] me to his chambers.
We will rejoice and be glad in you;
we will celebrate your caresses more than wine.
It is only right that they adore you.
Until the day breaks[fn]
and the shadows flee,
I will make my way to the mountain of myrrh
and the hill of frankincense.
The guards who go about the city found me.
They beat and wounded me;
they took my cloak[fn] from me —
the guardians of the walls.
“But if you refuse and rebel,
you will be devoured by the sword.”
For the mouth of the LORD has spoken.
“I will restore your judges to what they were at first,
and your advisers to what they were at the start.
Afterward you will be called the Righteous City,
a Faithful Town.”
In the last days
the mountain of the LORD's house will be established
at the top of the mountains
and will be raised above the hills.
All nations will stream to it,
and many peoples will come and say,
“Come, let's go up to the mountain of the LORD,
to the house of the God of Jacob.
He will teach us about his ways
so that we may walk in his paths.”
For instruction will go out of Zion
and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.
The people will oppress one another,
man against man, neighbor against neighbor;
the young will act arrogantly toward the old,
and the worthless toward the honorable.
A man will even seize his brother
in his father's house, saying,
“You have a cloak — you be our leader!
This heap of rubble will be under your control.”
“Why do you crush my people
and grind the faces of the poor? ”
This is the declaration
of the Lord GOD of Armies.
the Lord will put scabs on the heads
of the daughters of Zion,
and the LORD will shave their foreheads bare.
On that day seven women
will seize one man, saying,
“We will eat our own bread
and provide our own clothing.
Just let us bear your name.
Take away our disgrace.”
On that day the Branch[fn] of the LORD will be beautiful and glorious, and the fruit of the land will be the pride and glory of Israel's survivors.
Whoever remains in Zion and whoever is left in Jerusalem will be called holy — all in Jerusalem written in the book of life[fn] —
when the Lord has washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion and cleansed the bloodguilt from the heart of Jerusalem by a spirit of judgment and a spirit of burning.
Woe to those who rise early in the morning
in pursuit of beer,
who linger into the evening,
inflamed by wine.
Therefore my people will go into exile
because they lack knowledge;
her[fn] dignitaries are starving,
and her masses are parched with thirst.
Therefore Sheol enlarges its throat
and opens wide its enormous jaws,
and down go Zion's dignitaries, her masses,
her crowds, and those who celebrate in her!
to those who say,
“Let him hurry up and do his work quickly
so that we can see it!
Let the plan of the Holy One of Israel take place
so that we can know it! ”
Woe to those who call evil good
and good evil,
who substitute darkness for light
and light for darkness,
who substitute bitter for sweet
and sweet for bitter.
Therefore, as a tongue of fire consumes straw
and as dry grass shrivels in the flame,
so their roots will become like something rotten
and their blossoms will blow away like dust,
for they have rejected
the instruction of the LORD of Armies,
and they have despised
the word of the Holy One of Israel.
Seraphim[fn] were standing above him; they each had six wings: with two they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they flew.
The foundations of the doorways shook at the sound of their voices, and the temple was filled with smoke.
Then I said, “Until when, Lord? ” And he replied:
Until cities lie in ruins without inhabitants,
houses are without people,
the land is ruined and desolate,
Though a tenth will remain in the land,
it will be burned again.
Like the terebinth or the oak
that leaves a stump when felled,
the holy seed is the stump.
“By the time he learns to reject what is bad and choose what is good, he will be eating curds[fn] and honey.
“For before the boy knows to reject what is bad and choose what is good, the land of the two kings you dread will be abandoned.
I was then intimate with the prophetess, and she conceived and gave birth to a son. The LORD said to me, “Name him Maher-shalal-hash-baz,
“for before the boy knows how to call ‘Father,' or ‘Mother,' the wealth of Damascus and the spoils of Samaria will be carried off to the king of Assyria.”
Because these people rejected
the slowly flowing water of Shiloah
and rejoiced with[fn] Rezin
and the son of Remaliah,
the Lord will certainly bring against them
the mighty rushing water of the Euphrates River —
the king of Assyria and all his glory.
It will overflow its channels
and spill over all its banks.
It will pour into Judah,
flood over it, and sweep through,
reaching up to the neck;
and its flooded banks[fn]
will fill your entire land, Immanuel!
I will wait for the LORD,
who is hiding his face from the house of Jacob.
I will wait for him.
Go to God's instruction and testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, there will be no dawn for them.
You have enlarged the nation
and increased its joy.[fn]
The people have rejoiced before you
as they rejoice at harvest time
and as they rejoice when dividing spoils.
For a child will be born for us,
a son will be given to us,
and the government will be on his shoulders.
He will be named
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.
But when the Lord finishes all his work against Mount Zion and Jerusalem, he will say, “I[fn] will punish the king of Assyria for his arrogant acts and the proud look in his eyes.”
On that day the remnant of Israel and the survivors of the house of Jacob will no longer depend on the one who struck them, but they will faithfully depend on the LORD, the Holy One of Israel.
Israel, even if your people were as numerous
as the sand of the sea,
only a remnant of them will return.
Destruction has been decreed;
justice overflows.
Today the Assyrians will stand at Nob,
shaking their fists at the mountain of Daughter Zion,
the hill of Jerusalem.
They will not harm or destroy each other
on my entire holy mountain,
for the land will be as full
of the knowledge of the LORD
as the sea is filled with water.
On that day the Lord will extend his hand a second time to recover the remnant of his people who survive — from Assyria, Egypt, Pathros, Cush, Elam, Shinar, Hamath, and the coasts and islands of the west.
and on that day you will say,
“Give thanks to the LORD; proclaim his name!
Make his works known among the peoples.
Declare that his name is exalted.
“Sing to the LORD, for he has done glorious things.
Let this be known throughout the earth.
They will be horrified;
pain and agony will seize them;
they will be in anguish like a woman in labor.
They will look at each other,
their faces flushed with fear.
Indeed, the stars of the sky and its constellations[fn]
will not give their light.
The sun will be dark when it rises,
and the moon will not shine.
I will make a human more scarce than fine gold,
and mankind more rare than the gold of Ophir.
“Your splendor has been brought down to Sheol,
along with the music of your harps.
Maggots are spread out under you,
and worms cover you.”
Then the firstborn of the poor will be well fed,
and the impoverished will lie down in safety,
but I will kill your root with hunger,
and your remnant will be slain.
A pronouncement concerning Moab:
Ar in Moab is devastated,
destroyed in a night.
Kir in Moab is devastated,
destroyed in a night.
For their cry echoes
throughout the territory of Moab.
Their wailing reaches Eglaim;
their wailing reaches Beer-elim.
The Waters of Dibon[fn] are full of blood,
but I will bring on Dibon even more than this —
a lion for those who escape from Moab,
and for the survivors in the land.
When Moab appears
and tires himself out on the high place
and comes to his sanctuary to pray,
it will do him no good.
On the day that you plant,
you will help them to grow,
and in the morning
you will help your seed to sprout,
but the harvest will vanish
on the day of disease and incurable pain.
At that time a gift will be brought to the LORD of Armies from[fn] a people tall and smooth-skinned, a people feared far and near, a powerful nation with a strange language, whose land is divided by rivers — to Mount Zion, the place of the name of the LORD of Armies.
The reeds by the Nile, by the mouth of the river,
and all the cultivated areas of the Nile
will wither, blow away, and vanish.
Those who work with flax will be dismayed;
those combing it and weaving linen will turn pale.[fn]
On that day there will be an altar to the LORD in the center of the land of Egypt and a pillar to the LORD near her border.
A troubling vision is declared to me:
“The treacherous one acts treacherously,
and the destroyer destroys.
Advance, Elam! Lay siege, you Medes!
I will put an end to all the groaning.”
Therefore I am[fn] filled with anguish.
Pain grips me, like the pain of a woman in labor.
I am too perplexed to hear,
too dismayed to see.
A pronouncement concerning Dumah:[fn]
One calls to me from Seir,
“Watchman, what is left of the night?
Watchman, what is left of the night? ”
The watchman said,
“Morning has come, and also night.
If you want to ask, ask!
Come back again.”
For they have fled from swords,
from the drawn sword,
from the bow that is strung,
and from the stress of battle.
Therefore I said,
“Look away from me! Let me weep bitterly!
Do not try to comfort me
about the destruction of my dear[fn] people.”
You saw that there were many breaches in the walls of the city of David. You collected water from the lower pool.
The Lord GOD of Armies said, “Go to Shebna, that steward who is in charge of the palace, and say to him:
“wind you up into a ball, and sling you into a wide land.[fn] There you will die, and there your glorious chariots will be — a disgrace to the house of your lord.
“I will clothe him with your robe and tie your sash around him. I will hand your authority over to him, and he will be like a father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem and to the house of Judah.
And at the end of the seventy years, the LORD will restore Tyre and she will go back into business, prostituting herself with all the kingdoms of the world throughout the earth.
Look, the LORD is stripping the earth bare
and making it desolate.
He will twist its surface and scatter its inhabitants:
LORD, you are my God;
I will exalt you. I will praise your name,
for you have accomplished wonders,
plans formed long ago, with perfect faithfulness.
When he has swallowed up death once and for all,
the Lord GOD will wipe away the tears
from every face
and remove his people's disgrace
from the whole earth,
for the LORD has spoken.
For the LORD's power will rest on this mountain.
But Moab will be trampled in his place[fn]
as straw is trampled in a dung pile.
On that day this song will be sung in the land of Judah:
We have a strong city.
Salvation is established as walls and ramparts.
LORD our God, lords other than you have owned[fn] us,
but we remember your name alone.
For look, the LORD is coming from his place
to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity.
The earth will reveal the blood shed on it
and will no longer conceal her slain.
I am the LORD, who watches over it
to water it regularly.
So that no one disturbs it,
I watch over it night and day.
When its branches dry out, they will be broken off.
Women will come and make fires with them,
for they are not a people with understanding.
Therefore their Maker will not have compassion on them,
and their Creator will not be gracious to them.
On that day
a great ram's horn will be blown,
and those lost in the land of Assyria will come,
as well as those dispersed in the land of Egypt;
and they will worship the LORD
at Jerusalem on the holy mountain.
Even these stagger because of wine
and stumble under the influence of beer:
Priest and prophet stagger because of beer.
They are confused by wine.
They stumble because of beer.
They are muddled in their visions.
They stumble in their judgments.
When he has leveled its surface,
does he not then scatter black cumin and sow cumin?
He plants wheat in rows and barley in plots,
with spelt as their border.
Certainly black cumin is not threshed
with a threshing board,
and a cart wheel is not rolled over the cumin.
But black cumin is beaten out with a stick,
and cumin with a rod.
You will be brought down;
you will speak from the ground,
and your words will come from low in the dust.
Your voice will be like that of a spirit from the ground;
your speech will whisper from the dust.
It will be like a hungry one who dreams he is eating,
then wakes and is still hungry;
and like a thirsty one who dreams he is drinking,
then wakes and is still thirsty, longing for water.
So it will be for all the many nations
who go to battle against Mount Zion.
Isn't it true that in just a little while
Lebanon will become an orchard,
and the orchard will seem like a forest?
Therefore, the LORD who redeemed Abraham says this about the house of Jacob:
Jacob will no longer be ashamed,
and his face will no longer be pale.
For when he sees his children,
the work of my hands within his nation,
they will honor my name,
they will honor the Holy One of Jacob
and stand in awe of the God of Israel.
The moonlight will be as bright as the sunlight, and the sunlight will be seven times brighter — like the light of seven days — on the day that the LORD bandages his people's injuries and heals the wounds he inflicted.
Your singing will be like that
on the night of a holy festival,
and your heart will rejoice
like one who walks to the music of a flute,
going up to the mountain of the LORD,
to the Rock of Israel.
For this is what the LORD said to me:
As a lion or young lion growls over its prey
when a band of shepherds is called out against it,
and it is not terrified by their shouting
or subdued by their noise,
so the LORD of Armies will come down
to fight on Mount Zion
and on its hill.
Search and read the scroll of the LORD:
Not one of them will be missing,
none will be lacking its mate,
because he has ordered it by my[fn] mouth,
and he will gather them by his Spirit.
It will blossom abundantly
and will also rejoice with joy and singing.
The glory of Lebanon will be given to it,
the splendor of Carmel and Sharon.
They will see the glory of the LORD,
the splendor of our God.
But they kept silent; they didn't say anything, for the king's command was, “Don't answer him.”
Hezekiah took the letter from the messengers' hands, read it, then went up to the LORD's temple and spread it out before the LORD.
They have thrown their gods into the fire, for they were not gods but made from wood and stone by human hands. So they have destroyed them.
“You have mocked the Lord through your servants.
You have said, “With my many chariots
I have gone up to the heights of the mountains,
to the far recesses of Lebanon.
I cut down its tallest cedars,
its choice cypress trees.
I came to its distant heights,
its densest forest.
“ ‘This will be the sign for you: This year you will eat what grows on its own, and in the second year what grows from that. But in the third year sow and reap, plant vineyards and eat their fruit.
Then the angel of the LORD went out and struck down one hundred eighty-five thousand in the camp of the Assyrians. When the people got up the next morning, there were all the dead bodies!
I said: I will never see the LORD,
the LORD in the land of the living;
I will not look on humanity any longer
with the inhabitants of what is passing away.[fn]
My dwelling is plucked up and removed from me
like a shepherd's tent.
I have rolled up my life like a weaver;
he cuts me off from the loom.
By nightfall[fn] you make an end of me.
I chirp like a swallow or a crane;
I moan like a dove.
My eyes grow weak looking upward.
Lord, I am oppressed; support me.
And the glory of the LORD will appear,
and all humanity[fn] together will see it,
for the mouth of the LORD has spoken.
He protects his flock like a shepherd;
he gathers the lambs in his arms
and carries them in the fold of his garment.
He gently leads those that are nursing.
Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand
or marked off the heavens with the span of his hand?
Who has gathered the dust of the earth in a measure
or weighed the mountains on a balance
and the hills on the scales?
“This is my servant; I strengthen him,
this is my chosen one; I delight in him.
I have put my Spirit on him;
he will bring justice[fn] to the nations.
Sing a new song to the LORD;
sing his praise from the ends of the earth,
you who go down to the sea with all that fills it,
you coasts and islands with your[fn] inhabitants.
“I will lead the blind by a way they did not know;
I will guide them on paths they have not known.
I will turn darkness to light in front of them
and rough places into level ground.
This is what I will do for them,
and I will not abandon them.
Now this is what the LORD says —
the one who created you, Jacob,
and the one who formed you, Israel —
“Do not fear, for I have redeemed you;
I have called you by your name; you are mine.
“Do not fear, for I am with you;
I will bring your descendants from the east,
and gather you from the west.
“Wild animals —
jackals and ostriches — will honor me,
because I provide water in the wilderness,
and rivers in the desert,
to give drink to my chosen people.
“You have not bought me aromatic cane with silver,
or satisfied me with the fat of your sacrifices.
But you have burdened me with your sins;
you have wearied me with your iniquities.
“For I will pour water on the thirsty land
and streams on the dry ground;
I will pour out my Spirit on your descendants
and my blessing on your offspring.
A person can use it for fuel.
He takes some of it and warms himself;
also he kindles a fire and bakes bread;
he even makes it into a god and worships it;
he makes an idol from it and bows down to it.
He burns half of it in a fire,
and he roasts meat on that half.
He eats the roast and is satisfied.
He warms himself and says, “Ah!
I am warm, I see the blaze.”
He makes a god or his idol with the rest of it.
He bows down to it and worships;
he prays to it, “Save me, for you are my god.”
No one comes to his senses;[fn]
no one has the perception or insight to say,
“I burned half of it in the fire,
I also baked bread on its coals,
I roasted meat and ate.
Should I make something detestable with the rest of it?
Should I bow down to a block of wood? ”
“I will give you the treasures of darkness
and riches from secret places,
so that you may know that I am the LORD.
I am the God of Israel, who calls you by your name.
“Come, gather together,
and approach, you fugitives of the nations.
Those who carry their wooden idols
and pray to a god who cannot save
have no knowledge.
“Go down and sit in the dust,
Virgin Daughter Babylon.
Sit on the ground without a throne,
Daughter Chaldea!
For you will no longer be called pampered and spoiled.
“Take millstones and grind flour;
remove your veil,
strip off your skirt, bare your thigh,
wade through the streams.
“Your nakedness will be uncovered,
and your disgrace will be exposed.
I will take vengeance;
I will spare no one.”[fn]
“Daughter Chaldea,
sit in silence and go into darkness.
For you will no longer be called mistress of kingdoms.
Coasts and islands,[fn] listen to me;
distant peoples, pay attention.
The LORD called me before I was born.
He named me while I was in my mother's womb.
He made my words like a sharp sword;
he hid me in the shadow of his hand.
He made me like a sharpened arrow;
he hid me in his quiver.
“I will make your oppressors eat their own flesh,
and they will be drunk with their own blood
as with sweet wine.
Then all humanity will know
that I, the LORD, am your Savior,
and your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob.”
I gave my back to those who beat me,
and my cheeks to those who tore out my beard.
I did not hide my face from scorn and spitting.
The Lord GOD will help me;
therefore I have not been humiliated;
therefore I have set my face like flint,
and I know I will not be put to shame.
Listen to me, you who pursue righteousness,
you who seek the LORD:
Look to the rock from which you were cut,
and to the quarry from which you were dug.
But you have forgotten the LORD, your Maker,
who stretched out the heavens
and laid the foundations of the earth.
You are in constant dread all day long
because of the fury of the oppressor,
who has set himself to destroy.
But where is the fury of the oppressor?
I have put my words in your mouth,
and covered you in the shadow of my hand,
in order to plant[fn] the heavens,
to found the earth,
and to say to Zion, “You are my people.”
Wake yourself, wake yourself up!
Stand up, Jerusalem,
you who have drunk the cup of his fury
from the LORD's hand;
you who have drunk the goblet to the dregs —
the cup that causes people to stagger.
This is what your Lord says —
the LORD, even your God,
who defends his people —
“Look, I have removed from your hand
the cup that causes staggering;
that goblet, the cup of my fury.
You will never drink it again.
For this is what the Lord GOD says:
“At first my people went down to Egypt to reside there,
then Assyria oppressed them without cause.[fn]
“So now what have I here” —
this is the LORD's declaration —
“that my people are taken away for nothing?
Its rulers wail” —
this is the LORD's declaration —
“and my name is continually blasphemed all day long.
“Therefore my people will know my name;
therefore they will know on that day
that I am he who says,
‘Here I am.' ”
so he will sprinkle many nations.[fn]
Kings will shut their mouths because of him,
for they will see what had not been told them,
and they will understand what they had not heard.
He was despised and rejected by men,
a man of suffering who knew what sickness was.
He was like someone people turned away from;[fn]
he was despised, and we didn't value him.
He was oppressed and afflicted,
yet he did not open his mouth.
Like a lamb led to the slaughter
and like a sheep silent before her shearers,
he did not open his mouth.
“In a surge of anger
I hid my face from you for a moment,
but I will have compassion on you
with everlasting love,”
says the LORD your Redeemer.
This is what the LORD says:
Preserve justice and do what is right,
for my salvation is coming soon,
and my righteousness will be revealed.
“As for the foreigners who join themselves to the LORD
to minister to him, to love the name of the LORD,
and to become his servants —
all who keep the Sabbath without desecrating it
and who hold firmly to my covenant —
“I will bring them to my holy mountain
and let them rejoice in my house of prayer.
Their burnt offerings and sacrifices
will be acceptable on my altar,
for my house will be called a house of prayer
for all nations.”
These dogs have fierce appetites;
they never have enough.
And they are shepherds
who have no discernment;
all of them turn to their own way,
every last one for his own profit.
Who are you mocking?
Who are you opening your mouth
and sticking out your tongue at?
Isn't it you, you rebellious children,
you offspring of liars,
When you cry out,
let your collection of idols rescue you!
The wind will carry all of them off,
a breath will take them away.
But whoever takes refuge in me
will inherit the land
and possess my holy mountain.
“Because of his sinful greed I was angry,
so I struck him; I was angry and hid;
but he went on turning back to the desires of his heart.
“Then your light will appear like the dawn,
and your recovery will come quickly.
Your righteousness will go before you,
and the LORD's glory will be your rear guard.
“and if you offer yourself[fn] to the hungry,
and satisfy the afflicted one,
then your light will shine in the darkness,
and your night will be like noonday.
But your iniquities are separating you
from your God,
and your sins have hidden his face from you
so that he does not listen.
He put on righteousness as body armor,
and a helmet of salvation on his head;
he put on garments of vengeance for clothing,
and he wrapped himself in zeal as in a cloak.
They will fear the name of the LORD in the west
and his glory in the east;[fn]
for he will come like a rushing stream
driven by the wind of the LORD.
“As for me, this is my covenant with them,” says the LORD: “My Spirit who is on you, and my words that I have put in your mouth, will not depart from your mouth, or from the mouths of your children, or from the mouths of your children's children, from now on and forever,” says the LORD.
Caravans of camels will cover your land[fn] —
young camels of Midian and Ephah —
all of them will come from Sheba.
They will carry gold and frankincense
and proclaim the praises of the LORD.
All the flocks of Kedar will be gathered to you;
the rams of Nebaioth will serve you
and go up on my altar as an acceptable sacrifice.
I will glorify my beautiful house.
Yes, the coasts and islands will wait for me
with the ships of Tarshish in the lead,
to bring your children from far away,
their silver and gold with them,
for the honor of the LORD your God,
the Holy One of Israel,
who has glorified you.
Instead of your being deserted and hated,
with no one passing through,
I will make you an object of eternal pride,
a joy from age to age.
All your people will be righteous;
they will possess the land forever;
they are the branch I planted,
the work of my[fn] hands,
so that I may be glorified.
Nations will see your righteousness
and all kings, your glory.
You will be given a new name
that the LORD's mouth will announce.
Look, the LORD has proclaimed
to the ends of the earth,
“Say to Daughter Zion:
Look, your salvation is coming,
his wages are with him,
and his reward accompanies him.”
I trampled the winepress alone,
and no one from the nations was with me.
I trampled them in my anger
and ground them underfoot in my fury;
their blood spattered my garments,
and all my clothes were stained.
I crushed nations in my anger;
I made them drunk with my wrath
and poured out their blood on the ground.
I will make known the LORD's faithful love
and the LORD's praiseworthy acts,
because of all the LORD has done for us —
even the many good things
he has done for the house of Israel,
which he did for them based on his compassion
and the abundance of his faithful love.
In all their suffering, he suffered,[fn]
and the angel of his presence saved them.
He redeemed them
because of his love and compassion;
he lifted them up and carried them
all the days of the past.
But they rebelled
and grieved his Holy Spirit.
So he became their enemy
and fought against them.
Look down from heaven and see
from your lofty home — holy and beautiful.
Where is your zeal and your might?
Your yearning[fn] and your compassion
are withheld from me.
Your holy people had a possession[fn]
for a little while,
but our enemies have trampled down
your sanctuary.
You welcome the one who joyfully does what is right;
they remember you in your ways.
But we have sinned, and you were angry.
How can we be saved if we remain in our sins?[fn]
“I was sought by those who did not ask;
I was found by those who did not seek me.
I said, ‘Here I am, here I am,'
to a nation that did not call on[fn] my name.
“I will produce descendants from Jacob,
and heirs to my mountains from Judah;
my chosen ones will possess it,
and my servants will dwell there.
“But you who abandon the LORD,
who forget my holy mountain,
who prepare a table for Fortune
and fill bowls of mixed wine for Destiny,[fn]
“I will destine you for the sword,
and all of you will kneel down to be slaughtered,
because I called and you did not answer,
I spoke and you did not hear;
you did what was evil in my sight
and chose what I did not delight in.”
“You will leave your name behind
as a curse for my chosen ones,
and the Lord GOD will kill you;
but he will give his servants another name.
So I will choose their punishment,
and I will bring on them what they dread
because I called and no one answered;
I spoke and they did not listen;
they did what was evil in my sight
and chose what I did not delight in.
You who tremble at his word,
hear the word of the LORD:
“Your brothers who hate and exclude you
for my name's sake have said,
‘Let the LORD be glorified
so that we can see your joy! '
But they will be put to shame.”
“I will establish a sign among them, and I will send survivors from them to the nations — to Tarshish, Put,[fn] Lud (who are archers), Tubal, Javan, and the coasts and islands far away — who have not heard about me or seen my glory. And they will proclaim my glory among the nations.
Then the LORD reached out his hand, touched my mouth, and told me:
I have now filled your mouth with my words.
The young lions have roared at him;
they have roared loudly.
They have laid waste his land.
His cities are in ruins, without inhabitants.
Have you not brought this on yourself
by abandoning the LORD your God
while he was leading you along the way?
“I thought, ‘After she has done all these things, she will return to me.' But she didn't return, and her treacherous sister Judah saw it.
“Indifferent to[fn] her prostitution, she defiled the land and committed adultery with stones and trees.
“Go, proclaim these words to the north, and say,
‘Return, unfaithful Israel.
This is the LORD's declaration.
I will not look on you with anger,[fn]
for I am unfailing in my love.
This is the LORD's declaration.
I will not be angry forever.
In those days the house of Judah will join with the house of Israel, and they will come together from the land of the north to the land I have given your ancestors to inherit.' ”
A lion has gone up from his thicket;
a destroyer of nations has set out.
He has left his lair
to make your land a waste.
Your cities will be reduced to uninhabited ruins.
“For my people are fools;
they do not know me.
They are foolish children,
without understanding.
They are skilled in doing what is evil,
but they do not know how to do what is good.”
Therefore, this is what the Lord GOD of Armies says:
Because you have spoken this word,
I am going to make my words
become fire in your mouth.
These people are the wood,
and the fire will consume them.
Their houses will be turned over to others,
their fields and wives as well,
for I will stretch out my hand
against the inhabitants of the land.
This is the LORD's declaration.
They have treated my people's brokenness superficially,
claiming, “Peace, peace,”
when there is no peace.
“Do not trust deceitful words, chanting, “This is the temple of the LORD, the temple of the LORD, the temple of the LORD.”
Has this house, which bears my name, become a den of robbers in your view? Yes, I too have seen it.
This is the LORD's declaration.
“ ‘But return to my place that was at Shiloh, where I made my name dwell at first. See what I did to it because of the evil of my people Israel.
“I will banish you from my presence, just as I banished all of your brothers, all the descendants of Ephraim.'
“However, I did give them this command: ‘Obey me, and then I will be your God, and you will be my people. Follow every way I command you so that it may go well with you.'
“Yet they didn't listen or pay attention but followed their own advice and their own stubborn, evil heart. They went backward and not forward.
“However, my people wouldn't listen to me or pay attention but became obstinate; they did more evil than their ancestors.
“For the Judeans have done what is evil in my sight.” This is the LORD's declaration. “They have set up their abhorrent things in the house that bears my name in order to defile it.
“Therefore, look, the days are coming” — the LORD's declaration — “when this place will no longer be called Topheth and Ben Hinnom Valley, but Slaughter Valley. Topheth will become a cemetery,[fn] because there will be no other burial place.
From Dan, the snorting of horses is heard.
At the sound of the neighing of mighty steeds,
the whole land quakes.
They come to devour the land and everything in it,
the city and all its residents.
I will raise weeping and a lament
over the mountains,
a dirge over the wilderness grazing land,
for they have been so scorched
that no one passes through.
The sound of cattle is no longer heard.
From the birds of the sky to the animals,
everything has fled — they have gone away.
I will make Jerusalem a heap of rubble,
a jackals' den.
I will make the cities of Judah a desolation,
an uninhabited place.
Who is the person wise enough to understand this? Who has the LORD spoken to, that he may explain it? Why is the land destroyed and scorched like a wilderness, so no one can pass through?
The LORD said, “It is because they abandoned my instruction, which I set before them, and did not obey my voice or walk according to it.
Pour out your wrath on the nations
that don't recognize you
and on the families
that don't call on your name,
for they have consumed Jacob;
they have consumed him and finished him off
and made his homeland desolate.
“The LORD named you
a flourishing olive tree,
beautiful with well-formed fruit.
He has set fire to it,
and its branches are consumed[fn]
with the sound of a mighty tumult.
But, LORD of Armies, who judges righteously,
who tests heart[fn] and mind,
let me see your vengeance on them,
for I have presented my case to you.
“After I have uprooted them, I will once again have compassion on them and return each one to his inheritance and to his land.
“However, if they will not obey, then I will uproot and destroy that nation.”
This is the LORD's declaration.
A long time later the LORD said to me, “Go at once to the Euphrates and get the underwear that I commanded you to hide there.”
So I went to the Euphrates and dug up the underwear and got it from the place where I had hidden it, but it was ruined — of no use at all.
But if you will not listen,
my innermost being will weep in secret
because of your pride.
My eyes will overflow with tears,
for the LORD's flock has been taken captive.
And when you ask yourself,
“Why have these things happened to me? ”
it is because of your great guilt
that your skirts have been stripped off,
your body exposed.[fn]
Can the Cushite change his skin,
or a leopard his spots?
If so, you might be able to do what is good,
you who are instructed in evil.
If I go out to the field,
look — those slain by the sword!
If I enter the city,
look — those ill from famine!
For both prophet and priest
travel to a land they do not know.
For your name's sake, don't despise us.
Don't disdain your glorious throne.
Remember your covenant with us;
do not break it.
“Do not carry a load out of your houses on the Sabbath day or do any work, but keep the Sabbath day holy, just as I commanded your ancestors.
But the jar that he was making from the clay became flawed in the potter's hand, so he made it into another jar, as it seemed right for him to do.
“and go out to Ben Hinnom Valley near the entrance of the Potsherd Gate. Proclaim there the words I speak to you.
The next day, when Pashhur released Jeremiah from the stocks, Jeremiah said to him, “The LORD does not call you Pashhur, but Terror Is on Every Side,[fn]
I say, “I won't mention him
or speak any longer in his name.”
But his message becomes a fire burning in my heart,
shut up in my bones.
I become tired of holding it in,
and I cannot prevail.
Let that man be like the cities
the LORD demolished without compassion.
Let him hear an outcry in the morning
and a war cry at noontime
“‘This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: I am about to repel the weapons of war in your hands, those you are using to fight the king of Babylon and the Chaldeans[fn] who are besieging you outside the wall, and I will bring them into the center of this city.
“For I have set my face against this city to bring disaster and not good — this is the LORD's declaration. It will be handed over to the king of Babylon, who will burn it.'
“House of David, this is what the LORD says:
Administer justice every morning,
and rescue the victim of robbery
from his oppressor,
or my anger will flare up like fire
and burn unquenchably
because of your evil deeds.
“Beware! I am against you,
you who sit above the valley,
you atop the rocky plateau —
this is the LORD's declaration —
you who say, “Who can come down against us?
Who can enter our hiding places? ”
“I will set apart destroyers against you,
each with his weapons.
They will cut down the choicest of your cedars
and throw them into the fire.
But you have eyes and a heart for nothing
except your own dishonest profit,
shedding innocent blood
and committing extortion and oppression.
Go up to Lebanon and cry out;
raise your voice in Bashan;
cry out from Abarim,
for all your lovers[fn] have been crushed.
“but, ‘As the LORD lives, who brought and led the descendants of the house of Israel from the land of the north and from all the other countries where I[fn] had banished them.' They will dwell once more in their own land.”
“The prophet who has only a dream should recount the dream, but the one who has my word should speak my word truthfully, for what is straw compared to grain? ” — this is the LORD's declaration.
After King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon had deported Jeconiah[fn] son of Jehoiakim king of Judah, the officials of Judah, and the craftsmen and metalsmiths from Jerusalem and had brought them to Babylon, the LORD showed me two baskets of figs placed in front of the temple of the LORD.
“But as for the bad figs, so bad they are inedible, this is what the LORD says: In this way I will deal with King Zedekiah of Judah, his officials, and the remnant of Jerusalem — those remaining in this land or living in the land of Egypt.
“When the seventy years are completed, I will punish the king of Babylon and that nation' — this is the LORD's declaration — ‘the land of the Chaldeans, for their iniquity, and I will make it a ruin forever.
This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, said to me: “Take this cup of the wine of wrath from my hand and make all the nations to whom I am sending you drink from it.
So I took the cup from the LORD's hand and made all the nations to whom the LORD sent me drink from it.
and all the mixed peoples;
all the kings of the land of Uz;
all the kings of the land of the Philistines — Ashkelon, Gaza, Ekron, and the remnant of Ashdod;
“If[fn] they refuse to accept the cup from your hand and drink, you are to say to them, ‘This is what the LORD of Armies says: You must drink!
“For I am already bringing disaster on the city that bears my name, so how could you possibly go unpunished? You will not go unpunished, for I am summoning a sword against all the inhabitants of the earth. This is the declaration of the LORD of Armies.'
“Micah the Moreshite prophesied in the days of King Hezekiah of Judah and said to all the people of Judah, ‘This is what the LORD of Armies says:
Zion will be plowed like a field,
Jerusalem will become ruins,
and the temple's mountain will be a high thicket.'
They brought Uriah out of Egypt and took him to King Jehoiakim, who executed him with the sword and threw his corpse into the burial place of the common people.[fn]
“ ‘ “As for the nation or kingdom that does not serve King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon and does not place its neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon, that nation I will punish by sword, famine, and plague — this is the LORD's declaration — until through him I have destroyed it.
“They are prophesying a lie to you so that you will be removed from your land. I will banish you, and you will perish.
“But as for the nation that will put its neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon and serve him, I will leave it in its own land, and that nation will cultivate[fn] it and reside in it. This is the LORD's declaration.” ' ”
“‘I have not sent them' — this is the LORD's declaration — ‘and they are prophesying falsely in my name; therefore, I will banish you, and you will perish — you and the prophets who are prophesying to you.' ”
After the prophet Hananiah had broken the yoke bar from the neck of the prophet Jeremiah, the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah:
“‘The LORD has appointed you priest in place of the priest Jehoiada to be the chief officer in the temple of the LORD, responsible for every madman who acts like a prophet. You must confine him in the stocks and an iron collar.
“this is what the LORD says: I am about to punish Shemaiah the Nehelamite and his descendants. There will not be even one of his descendants living among these people, nor will any ever see the good that I will bring to my people — this is the LORD's declaration — for he has preached rebellion against the LORD.' ”
But I will bring you health
and will heal you of your wounds —
this is the LORD's declaration —
for they call you Outcast,
Zion whom no one cares about.
This is what the LORD says:
I will certainly restore the fortunes[fn] of Jacob's tents
and show compassion on his dwellings.
Every city will be rebuilt on its mound;
every citadel will stand on its proper site.
His children will be as in past days;
his congregation will be established in my presence.
I will punish all his oppressors.
For this is what the LORD says:
Sing with joy for Jacob;
shout for the foremost of the nations!
Proclaim, praise, and say,
“LORD, save your people,
the remnant of Israel! ”
Nations, hear the word of the LORD,
and tell it among the far off coasts and islands!
Say, “The one who scattered Israel will gather him.
He will watch over him as a shepherd guards his flock,
Then the young women will rejoice with dancing,
while young and old men rejoice together.
I will turn their mourning into joy,
give them consolation,
and bring happiness out of grief.
This is what the LORD of Armies, the God of Israel, says: “When I restore their fortunes,[fn] they will once again speak this word in the land of Judah and in its cities: ‘May the LORD bless you, righteous settlement, holy mountain.'
“If this fixed order departs from before me —
this is the LORD's declaration —
only then will Israel's descendants cease
to be a nation before me forever.
“This is what the LORD says:
Only if the heavens above can be measured
and the foundations of the earth below explored,
will I reject all of Israel's descendants
because of all they have done —
this is the LORD's declaration.
“I recorded it on a scroll, sealed it, called in witnesses, and weighed out the silver on the scales.
“I took the purchase agreement — the sealed copy with its terms and conditions and the open copy —
“‘This is what the LORD of Armies, the God of Israel, says: Take these scrolls — this purchase agreement with the sealed copy and this open copy — and put them in an earthen storage jar so they will last a long time.
“After I had given the purchase agreement to Baruch, son of Neriah, I prayed to the LORD:
“The Chaldeans who are fighting against this city will come and set this city on fire. They will burn it, including the houses where incense has been burned to Baal on their rooftops and where drink offerings have been poured out to other gods to anger me.
“From their youth, the Israelites and Judeans have done nothing but what is evil in my sight! They have done nothing but anger me by the work of their hands” — this is the LORD's declaration —
“They have placed their abhorrent things in the house that bears my name and have defiled it.
“I will make a permanent covenant with them: I will never turn away from doing good to them, and I will put fear of me in their hearts so they will never again turn away from me.
“The people coming to fight the Chaldeans will fill the houses with the corpses of their own men that I strike down in my wrath and fury. I have hidden my face from this city because of all their evil.
“I will restore the fortunes[fn] of Judah and of Israel and will rebuild them as in former times.
“This is what the LORD says: In this place, which you say is a ruin, without people or animals — that is, in Judah's cities and Jerusalem's streets that are a desolation without people, without inhabitants, and without animals — there will be heard again
“a sound of joy and gladness, the voice of the groom and the bride, and the voice of those saying,
Give thanks to the LORD of Armies,
for the LORD is good;
his faithful love endures forever
as they bring thanksgiving sacrifices to the temple of the LORD. For I will restore the fortunes of the land as in former times, says the LORD.
“This is what the LORD of Armies says: In this desolate place — without people or animals — and in all its cities there will once more be a grazing land where shepherds may rest flocks.
This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD after King Zedekiah made a covenant with all the people who were in Jerusalem to proclaim freedom to them.
As a result, each was to let his male and female Hebrew slaves go free, and no one was to enslave his fellow Judean.
“‘At the end of seven years, each of you must let his fellow Hebrew who sold himself[fn] to you go. He may serve you six years, but then you must let him go free from your service.' But your ancestors did not obey me or pay any attention.
“Today you repented and did what pleased me, each of you proclaiming freedom for his neighbor. You made a covenant before me at the house that bears my name.
“But you have changed your minds and profaned my name. Each has taken back his male and female slaves who had been set free to go wherever they wanted, and you have again forced them to be your slaves.
and I brought them into the temple of the LORD to a chamber occupied by the sons of Hanan son of Igdaliah, a man of God, who had a chamber near the officials' chamber, which was above the chamber of Maaseiah son of Shallum the doorkeeper.
“We have obeyed Jonadab, son of our ancestor Rechab, in all he commanded us. So we haven't drunk wine our whole life — we, our wives, our sons, and our daughters.
“The words of Jonadab, son of Rechab, have been carried out. He commanded his descendants not to drink wine, and they have not drunk to this day because they have obeyed their ancestor's command. But I have spoken to you time and time again,[fn] and you have not obeyed me!
Then all the officials sent word to Baruch through Jehudi son of Nethaniah, son of Shelemiah, son of Cushi, saying, “Bring the scroll that you read in the hearing of the people, and come.” So Baruch son of Neriah took the scroll and went to them.
Then, after depositing the scroll in the chamber of Elishama the scribe, the officials came to the king at the courtyard and reported everything in the hearing of the king.
The king sent Jehudi to get the scroll, and he took it from the chamber of Elishama the scribe. Jehudi then read it in the hearing of the king and all the officials who were standing by the king.
As soon as Jehudi would read three or four columns, Jehoiakim would cut the scroll[fn] with a scribe's knife and throw the columns into the fire in the hearth until the entire scroll was consumed by the fire in the hearth.
Even though Elnathan, Delaiah, and Gemariah had urged the king not to burn the scroll, he did not listen to them.
After the king had burned the scroll and the words Baruch had written at Jeremiah's dictation,[fn] the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah:
“You are to proclaim concerning King Jehoiakim of Judah, ‘This is what the LORD says: You have burned the scroll, asking, “Why have you written on it that the king of Babylon will certainly come and destroy this land and cause it to be without people or animals? ”
I will punish him, his descendants, and his officers for their iniquity. I will bring on them, on the residents of Jerusalem, and on the people of Judah all the disaster, which I warned them about but they did not listen.' ”
“If they do, tell them, ‘I was bringing before the king my petition that he not return me to the house of Jonathan to die there.' ”
This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD after Nebuzaradan, captain of the guards, released him at Ramah. When he found him, he was bound in chains with all the exiles of Jerusalem and Judah who were being exiled to Babylon.
But Gedaliah son of Ahikam responded to Johanan son of Kareah, “Don't do that! What you're saying about Ishmael is a lie.”
But when they came into the city, Ishmael son of Nethaniah and the men with him slaughtered them and threw them into[fn] a cistern.
Now the cistern where Ishmael had thrown all the corpses of the men he had struck down was a large one[fn] that King Asa had made in the encounter with King Baasha of Israel. Ishmael son of Nethaniah filled it with the slain.
Then Ishmael took captive all the rest of the people of Mizpah including the daughters of the king — all those who remained in Mizpah over whom Nebuzaradan, captain of the guards, had appointed Gedaliah son of Ahikam. Ishmael son of Nethaniah took them captive and set off to cross over to the Ammonites.
they took all their men and went to fight with Ishmael son of Nethaniah. They found him by the great pool in Gibeon.
the prophet Jeremiah and said, “May our petition come before you; pray to the LORD your God on our behalf, on behalf of this entire remnant (for few of us remain out of the many, as you can see with your own eyes),
“But if you say, ‘We will not stay in this land,' in order to disobey the LORD your God,
“then hear the word of the LORD, remnant of Judah! This is what the LORD of Armies, the God of Israel, says: ‘If you are firmly resolved to go to Egypt and stay there for a while,
“All who resolve to go to Egypt to stay there for a while will die by the sword, famine, and plague. They will have no survivor or fugitive from the disaster I will bring on them.'
“So I sent you all my servants the prophets time and time again,[fn] saying, ‘Don't commit this detestable action that I hate.'
“But they did not listen or pay attention; they did not turn from their evil or stop burning incense to other gods.
“So now, this is what the LORD, the God of Armies, the God of Israel, says: Why are you doing such terrible harm to yourselves? You are cutting off man and woman, infant and nursing baby from Judah, leaving yourselves without a remnant.
“Therefore, this is what the LORD of Armies, the God of Israel, says: I am about to set my face against you to bring disaster, to cut off all Judah.
The nations have heard of your dishonor,
and your cries fill the earth,
because warrior stumbles against warrior
and together both of them have fallen.
There they will cry out,
“Pharaoh king of Egypt was all noise;
he let the opportune moment pass.”
Get your bags ready for exile,
inhabitant of Daughter Egypt!
For Memphis will become a desolation,
uninhabited ruins.
But you, my servant Jacob, do not be afraid,
and do not be discouraged, Israel,
for without fail I will save you from far away,
and your descendants from the land of their captivity!
Jacob will return and have calm and quiet
with no one to frighten him.
This is what the LORD says:
Look, water is rising from the north
and becoming an overflowing wadi.
It will overflow the land and everything in it,
the cities and their inhabitants.
The people will cry out,
and every inhabitant of the land will wail.
For this is what the LORD says: “If those who do not deserve to drink the cup must drink it, can you possibly remain unpunished? You will not remain unpunished, for you must drink it too.
This is what the LORD of Armies says:
I am about to shatter Elam's bow,
the source[fn] of their might.
In those days and at that time —
this is the LORD's declaration —
the Israelites and Judeans will come together,
weeping as they come,
and will seek the LORD their God.
They will ask about Zion,
turning their faces to this road.
They will come and join themselves[fn] to the LORD
in a permanent covenant that will never be forgotten.
Raise a war cry against her on every side!
She has thrown up her hands in surrender;
her defense towers have fallen;
her walls are demolished.
Since this is the LORD's vengeance,
take your vengeance on her;
as she has done, do the same to her.
Don't let the archer string his bow;
don't let him put on[fn] his armor.
Don't spare her young men;
completely destroy her entire army!
We tried to heal Babylon,
but she could not be healed.
Abandon her!
Let each of us go to his own land,
for her judgment extends to the sky
and reaches as far as the clouds.
The LORD has brought about our vindication;
come, let's tell in Zion
what the LORD our God has accomplished.
Sharpen the arrows!
Fill the quivers![fn]
The LORD has roused the spirit
of the kings of the Medes
because his plan is aimed at Babylon
to destroy her,
for it is the LORD's vengeance,
vengeance for his temple.
With you I will smash the shepherd and his flock;
with you I will smash the farmer and his ox-team.[fn]
With you I will smash governors and officials.
Look, I am against you, devastating mountain.
This is the LORD's declaration.
You devastate the whole earth.
I will stretch out my hand against you,
roll you down from the cliffs,
and turn you into a charred mountain.
“Let the violence done to me and my family be done to Babylon,”
says the inhabitant of Zion.
“Let my blood be on the inhabitants of Chaldea,”
says Jerusalem.
How Sheshak[fn] has been captured,
the praise of the whole earth seized.
What a horror Babylon has become
among the nations!
We are ashamed
because we have heard insults.
Humiliation covers our faces
because foreigners have entered
the holy places of the LORD's temple.
for a destroyer is coming against her,
against Babylon.
Her warriors will be captured,
their bows shattered,
for the LORD is a God of retribution;
he will certainly repay.
“When you have finished reading this scroll, tie a stone to it and throw it into the middle of the Euphrates River.
and had a bronze capital on top of it. One capital, encircled by bronze grating and pomegranates, stood 7½ feet[fn] high. The second pillar was the same, with pomegranates.
Each capital had ninety-six pomegranates all around it. All the pomegranates around the grating numbered one hundred.
How[fn] she sits alone,
the city once crowded with people!
She who was great among the nations
has become like a widow.
The princess among the provinces
has been put to forced labor.
The roads to Zion mourn,
for no one comes to the appointed festivals.
All her gates are deserted;
her priests groan,
her young women grieve,
and she herself is bitter.
Her adversaries have become her masters;
her enemies are at ease,
for the LORD has made her suffer
because of her many transgressions.
Her children have gone away
as captives before the adversary.
The adversary has seized
all her precious belongings.
She has even seen the nations
enter her sanctuary —
those you had forbidden
to enter your assembly.
Is this nothing to you, all you who pass by?
Look and see!
Is there any pain like mine,
which was dealt out to me,
which the LORD made me suffer
on the day of his burning anger?
The LORD is just,
for I have rebelled against his command.
Listen, all you people;
look at my pain.
My young women and young men
have gone into captivity.
The LORD determined to destroy
the wall of Daughter Zion.
He stretched out a measuring line
and did not restrain himself from destroying.
He made the ramparts and walls grieve;
together they waste away.
My eyes are worn out from weeping;
I am churning within.
My heart is poured out in grief[fn]
because of the destruction of my dear people,
because infants and nursing babies faint
in the streets of the city.
Even if he causes suffering,
he will show compassion
according to the abundance of his faithful love.
How the gold has become tarnished,
the fine gold become dull!
The stones of the temple[fn] lie scattered
at the head of every street.
So rejoice and be glad, Daughter Edom,
you resident of the land of Uz!
Yet the cup will pass to you as well;
you will get drunk and expose yourself.
From what seemed to be his waist up, I saw a gleam like amber, with what looked like fire enclosing it all around. From what seemed to be his waist down, I also saw what looked like fire. There was a brilliant light all around him.
“And you, son of man, listen to what I tell you: Do not be rebellious like that rebellious house. Open your mouth and eat what I am giving you.”
“Look, I have made your face as hard as their faces and your forehead as hard as their foreheads.
“Now if a righteous person turns from his righteousness and acts unjustly, and I put a stumbling block in front of him, he will die. If you did not warn him, he will die because of his sin, and the righteous acts he did will not be remembered. Yet I will hold you responsible for his blood.
The hand of the LORD was on me there, and he said to me, “Get up, go out to the plain, and I will speak with you there.”
So I got up and went out to the plain. The LORD's glory was present there, like the glory I had seen by the Chebar Canal, and I fell facedown.
“But when I speak with you, I will open your mouth, and you will say to them, ‘This is what the Lord GOD says.' Let the one who listens, listen, and let the one who refuses, refuse — for they are a rebellious house.
“Take an iron plate and set it up as an iron wall between yourself and the city. Face it so that it is under siege, and besiege it. This will be a sign for the house of Israel.
“Then lie down on your left side and place the iniquity[fn] of the house of Israel on it. You will bear their iniquity for the number of days you lie on your side.
“When you have completed these days, lie down again, but on your right side, and bear the iniquity of the house of Judah. I have assigned you forty days, a day for each year.
“Be aware that I will put cords on you so you cannot turn from side to side until you have finished the days of your siege.
“You will also drink a ration of water, a sixth of a gallon,[fn] which you will drink at set times.
But I said, “Oh, Lord GOD, I have never been defiled. From my youth until now I have not eaten anything that died naturally or was mauled by wild beasts. And impure meat has never entered my mouth.”
“You are to burn a third of it in the city when the days of the siege have ended; you are to take a third and slash it with the sword all around the city; and you are to scatter a third to the wind, for I will draw a sword to chase after them.
“A third of your people will die by plague and be consumed by famine within you; a third will fall by the sword all around you; and I will scatter a third to every direction of the wind, and I will draw a sword to chase after them.
I will turn my face from them
as they profane my treasured place.
Violent men will enter it and profane it.
So I will bring the most evil of nations
to take possession of their houses.
I will put an end to the pride of the strong,
and their sacred places will be profaned.
Then the glory of the God of Israel rose from above the cherub where it had been, to the threshold of the temple. He called to the man clothed in linen and carrying writing equipment.
“Pass throughout the city of Jerusalem,” the LORD said to him, “and put a mark on the foreheads of the men who sigh and groan over all the detestable practices committed in it.”
The LORD spoke to the man clothed in linen and said, “Go inside the wheelwork beneath the cherubim. Fill your hands with blazing coals from among the cherubim and scatter them over the city.” So he went in as I watched.
Then the glory of the LORD rose from above the cherub to the threshold of the temple. The temple was filled with the cloud, and the court was filled with the brightness of the LORD's glory.
“The prince who is among them will lift his bags to his shoulder in the dark and go out. They[fn] will dig through the wall to bring him out through it. He will cover his face so he cannot see the land with his eyes.
“But I will spread my net over him, and he will be caught in my snare. I will bring him to Babylon, the land of the Chaldeans, yet he will not see it, and he will die there.
“Son of man, eat your bread with trembling and drink your water with anxious shaking.
“Then say to the people of the land, ‘This is what the Lord GOD says about the residents of Jerusalem in the land of Israel: They will eat their bread with anxiety and drink their water in dread, for their[fn][fn] land will be stripped of everything in it because of the violence of all who live there.
“This is what the Lord GOD says: Woe to the foolish prophets who follow their own spirit and have seen nothing.
“Now you, son of man, face[fn] the women among your people who prophesy out of their own imagination, and prophesy against them.
“Because you have disheartened the righteous person with lies (when I intended no distress), and because you have supported[fn] the wicked person so that he does not turn from his evil way to save his life,
“I will turn against that one and make him a sign and a proverb; I will cut him off from among my people. Then you will know that I am the LORD.
“They will bear their punishment — the punishment of the one who inquires will be the same as that of the prophet —
“I will turn against them. They may have escaped from the fire, but it will still consume them. And you will know that I am the LORD when I turn against them.
“Then you took your embroidered clothing to cover them and set my oil and incense before them.
“You built your elevated place at the head of every street and turned your beauty into a detestable thing. You spread your legs to everyone who passed by and increased your prostitution.
“building your mound at the head of every street and making your elevated place in every square. But you were unlike a prostitute because you scorned payment.
“I will hand you over to them, and they will demolish your mounds and tear down your elevated places. They will strip off your clothes, take your beautiful jewelry, and leave you stark naked.
“Now this was the iniquity of your sister Sodom: She and her daughters had pride, plenty of food, and comfortable security, but didn't support[fn] the poor and needy.
“so that when I make atonement for all you have done, you will remember and be ashamed, and never open your mouth again because of your disgrace. This is the declaration of the Lord GOD.' ”
“You are to say, ‘This is what the Lord GOD says: A huge eagle with powerful wings, long feathers, and full plumage of many colors came to Lebanon and took the top of the cedar.
“Then he took some of the land's seed and put it in a fertile field; he set it like a willow, a plant[fn] by abundant water.
“so that the kingdom would be humble and not exalt itself but would keep his covenant in order to endure.
“I will spread my net over him, and he will be caught in my snare. I will bring him to Babylon and execute judgment on him there for the treachery he committed against me.
“He doesn't lend at interest or for profit but keeps his hand from injustice and carries out true justice between men.
“Do I take any pleasure in the death of the wicked? ” This is the declaration of the Lord GOD. “Instead, don't I take pleasure when he turns from his ways and lives?
“He devastated their strongholds[fn]
and destroyed their cities.
The land and everything in it shuddered
at the sound of his roaring.
“It had strong branches, fit for the scepters of rulers;
its height towered among the clouds.[fn]
So it was conspicuous for its height
as well as its many branches.
“But I acted for the sake of my name, so that it would not be profaned in the eyes of the nations they were living among, in whose sight I had made myself known to Israel by bringing them out of Egypt.
“But I acted for the sake of my name, so that it would not be profaned in the eyes of the nations in whose sight I had brought them out.
“However, I swore to them in the wilderness that I would not bring them into the land I had given them — the most beautiful of all lands, flowing with milk and honey —
“But I withheld my hand and acted for the sake of my name, so that it would not be profaned in the eyes of the nations in whose sight I brought them out.
“So I asked them, “What is this high place you are going to? ” And it is still called Bamah[fn] today.'
“When you offer your gifts, sacrificing your children in the fire,[fn] you still continue to defile yourselves with all your idols today. So should I let you inquire of me, house of Israel? As I live — this is the declaration of the Lord GOD — I will not let you inquire of me!
“ ‘As for you, house of Israel, this is what the Lord GOD says: Go and serve your idols, each of you. But afterward you will surely listen to me, and you will no longer defile my holy name with your gifts and idols.
“You will know that I am the LORD, house of Israel, when I have dealt with you for the sake of my name rather than according to your evil ways and corrupt acts. This is the declaration of the Lord GOD.' ”
“Son of man, face the south and preach against it. Prophesy against the forest land in the Negev,
“Son of man, face Jerusalem and preach against the sanctuaries. Prophesy against the land of Israel,
“and say to it, ‘This is what the LORD says: I am against you. I will draw my sword from its sheath and cut off from you both the righteous and the wicked.
“So all humanity will know that I, the LORD, have taken my sword from its sheath — it will not be sheathed again.'
“This is what the Lord GOD says:
Remove the turban, and take off the crown.
Things will not remain as they are;[fn]
exalt the lowly and bring down the exalted.
This is what the Lord GOD says:
“You will drink your sister's cup,
which is deep and wide.
You will be an object of[fn] ridicule and scorn,
for it holds so much.
“You sat on a luxurious couch with a table spread before it, on which you had set my incense and oil.
“In order to stir up wrath and take vengeance,
I have put her blood on the bare rock,
so that it would not be covered.
I spoke to the people in the morning, and my wife died in the evening. The next morning I did just as I was commanded.
“I will put an end to the noise of your songs, and the sound of your lyres will no longer be heard.
“Men of Arvad and Helech
were stationed on your walls all around,
and Gammadites were in your towers.
They hung their shields[fn] all around your walls;
they perfected your beauty.
“All the inhabitants of the coasts and islands
are appalled at you.
Their kings shudder with fear;
their faces are contorted.
“I am about to bring strangers against you,
ruthless men from the nations.
They will draw their swords
against your magnificent wisdom
and will pierce your splendor.
“You profaned your sanctuaries
by the magnitude of your iniquities
in your dishonest trade.
So I made fire come from within you,
and it consumed you.
I reduced you to ashes on the ground
in the sight of everyone watching you.
“Son of man, face Pharaoh king of Egypt and prophesy against him and against all of Egypt.
“I will make the streams dry
and sell the land to evil men.
I will bring desolation
on the land and everything in it
by the hands of foreigners.
I, the LORD, have spoken.
“I will pour out my wrath on Pelusium,
the stronghold of Egypt,
and will wipe out the hordes of Thebes.
“It was beautiful in its size,
in the length of its limbs,
for its roots extended to abundant water.
“I made it beautiful with its many limbs,
and all the trees of Eden,
which were in God's garden, envied it.
“ ‘When I snuff you out,
I will cover the heavens
and darken their stars.
I will cover the sun with a cloud,
and the moon will not give its light.
“Son of man, wail over the hordes of Egypt and bring Egypt and the daughters of mighty nations down to the underworld,[fn] to be with those who descend to the Pit:
“Then, if anyone hears the sound of the ram's horn but ignores the warning, and the sword comes and takes him away, his death will be his own fault.[fn]
“However, suppose the watchman sees the sword coming but doesn't blow the ram's horn, so that the people aren't warned, and the sword comes and takes away their lives. Then they have been taken away because of their iniquity, but I will hold the watchman accountable for their blood.'
“If I say to the wicked, ‘Wicked one, you will surely die,' but you do not speak out to warn him about his way, that wicked person will die for his iniquity, yet I will hold you responsible for his blood.
Tell them, ‘As I live — this is the declaration of the Lord GOD — I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that the wicked person should turn from his way and live. Repent, repent of your evil ways! Why will you die, house of Israel? '
Now the hand of the LORD had been on me the evening before the fugitive arrived, and he opened my mouth before the man came to me in the morning. So my mouth was opened and I was no longer mute.
“I will make the land a desolate waste, and its proud strength will come to an end. The mountains of Israel will become desolate, with no one passing through.
“You eat the fat, wear the wool, and butcher the fattened animals, but you do not tend the flock.
“You have not strengthened the weak, healed the sick, bandaged the injured, brought back the strays, or sought the lost. Instead, you have ruled them with violence and cruelty.
“They were scattered for lack of a shepherd; they became food for all the wild animals when they were scattered.
“As I live — this is the declaration of the Lord GOD — because my flock, lacking a shepherd, has become prey and food for every wild animal, and because my shepherds do not search for my flock, and because the shepherds feed themselves rather than my flock,
“As a shepherd looks for his sheep on the day he is among his scattered flock, so I will look for my flock. I will rescue them from all the places where they have been scattered on a day of clouds and total darkness.
“I will seek the lost, bring back the strays, bandage the injured, and strengthen the weak, but I will destroy[fn] the fat and the strong. I will shepherd them with justice.
“Isn't it enough for you to feed on the good pasture? Must you also trample the rest of the pasture with your feet? Or isn't it enough that you drink the clear water? Must you also muddy the rest with your feet?
“Yet my flock has to feed on what your feet have trampled, and drink what your feet have muddied.
“Since you have pushed with flank and shoulder and butted all the weak ones with your horns until you scattered them all over,
“I will make Mount Seir a desolate waste and will cut off from it those who come and go.
“ ‘Because you said, “These two nations and two lands will be mine, and we will possess them” — though the LORD was there —
“I will fill you with people and animals, and they will increase and be fruitful. I will make you inhabited as you once were and make you better off than you were before. Then you will know that I am the LORD.
therefore, you will no longer devour people and deprive your nation of children.[fn] This is the declaration of the Lord GOD.
“When they came to the nations where they went, they profaned my holy name, because it was said about them, ‘These are the people of the LORD, yet they had to leave his land in exile.'
“Then I had concern for my holy name, which the house of Israel profaned among the nations where they went.
“Therefore, say to the house of Israel, ‘This is what the Lord GOD says: It is not for your sake that I will act, house of Israel, but for my holy name, which you profaned among the nations where you went.
“I will honor the holiness of my great name, which has been profaned among the nations — the name you have profaned among them. The nations will know that I am the LORD — this is the declaration of the Lord GOD — when I demonstrate my holiness through you in their sight.
“I will place my Spirit within you and cause you to follow my statutes and carefully observe my ordinances.
He said to me, “Prophesy to the breath,[fn] prophesy, son of man. Say to it: This is what the Lord GOD says: Breath, come from the four winds and breathe into these slain so that they may live! ”
“I will put my Spirit in you, and you will live, and I will settle you in your own land. Then you will know that I am the LORD. I have spoken, and I will do it. This is the declaration of the LORD.' ”
“Son of man, face Gog, of the land of Magog, the chief prince of[fn] Meshech and Tubal. Prophesy against him
“Then I will knock your bow from your left hand and make your arrows drop from your right hand.
“When they pass through the land and one of them sees a human bone, he will set up a marker next to it until the buriers have buried it in Hordes of Gog Valley.
“And the nations will know that the house of Israel went into exile on account of their iniquity, because they dealt unfaithfully with me. Therefore, I hid my face from them and handed them over to their enemies, so that they all fell by the sword.
“I dealt with them according to their uncleanness and transgressions, and I hid my face from them.
“So this is what the Lord GOD says: Now I will restore the fortunes of Jacob and have compassion on the whole house of Israel, and I will be jealous for my holy name.
“I will no longer hide my face from them, for I will pour out my Spirit on the house of Israel.” This is the declaration of the Lord GOD.
In the twenty-fifth year of our exile, at the beginning of the year, on the tenth day of the month in the fourteenth year after Jerusalem had been captured, on that very day the LORD's hand was on me, and he brought me there.
Then he came to the gate that faced east and climbed its steps. He measured the threshold of the gate; it was 10½ feet deep — one threshold was 10½ feet deep.
Each recess was 10½ feet long and 10½ feet deep, and there was a space of 8¾ feet[fn] between the recesses. The inner threshold of the gate on the temple side next to the gate's portico was 10½ feet.
The distance from the front of the gate at the entrance to the front of the gate's portico on the inside was 87½ feet.[fn]
The recesses and their jambs had beveled windows all around the inside of the gate. The porticoes also had windows all around on the inside. Each jamb was decorated with palm trees.
which flanked the courtyard's gates and corresponded to the length of the gates; this was the lower pavement.
Then he measured the distance from the front of the lower gate to the exterior front of the inner court; it was 175 feet.[fn] This was the east; next the north is described.
Its three recesses on each side, its jambs, and its portico had the same measurements as the first gate: 87½ feet long and 43¾ feet wide.
Both the gate and its portico had windows all around, like the other windows. It was 87½ feet long and 43¾ feet wide.
The inner court had a gate on the south. He measured from gate to gate on the south; it was 175 feet.
Its recesses, jambs, and portico had the same measurements as the others. Both it and its portico had windows all around. It was 87½ feet long and 43¾ feet wide.
There were also four tables of cut stone for the burnt offering, each 31½ inches[fn] long, 31½ inches wide, and 21 inches high. The utensils used to slaughter the burnt offerings and other sacrifices were placed on them.
Next he measured the court. It was square, 175 feet long and 175 feet wide. The altar was in front of the temple.
He then measured the length of the room adjacent to the great hall, 35 feet, and the width, 35 feet. And he said to me, “This is the most holy place.”
Then he measured the wall of the temple; it was 10½ feet thick. The width of the side rooms all around the temple was 7 feet.[fn]
The side rooms were arranged one above another in three stories of thirty rooms each.[fn] There were ledges on the wall of the temple all around to serve as supports for the side rooms, so that the supports would not be in the temple wall itself.
The side rooms surrounding the temple widened at each successive story, for the structure surrounding the temple went up by stages. This was the reason for the temple's broadness as it rose. And so, one would go up from the lowest story to the highest by means of the middle one.[fn]
I saw that the temple had a raised platform surrounding it; this foundation for the side rooms was 10½ feet high.[fn]
The side rooms opened into the free space, one entrance toward the north and another to the south. The area of free space was 8¾ feet wide all around.
The width of the front of the temple along with the temple yard to the east was 175 feet.
Next he measured the length of the building facing the temple yard to the west, with its galleries[fn] on each side; it was 175 feet.
The interior of the great hall and the porticoes of the court —
the thresholds, the beveled windows, and the balconies all around with their three levels opposite the threshold — were overlaid with wood on all sides. They were paneled from the ground to the windows (but the windows were covered),
The upper chambers were narrower because the galleries took away more space from them than from the lower and middle stories of the building.
In the thickness of the wall of the court toward the south,[fn] there were chambers facing the temple yard and the western building,
with a passageway in front of them, just like the chambers that faced north. Their length and width, as well as all their exits, measurements, and entrances, were identical.
When he finished measuring inside the temple complex, he led me out by way of the gate that faced east and measured all around the complex.
He said to me, “Son of man, this is the place of my throne and the place for the soles of my feet, where I will dwell among the Israelites forever. The house of Israel and their kings will no longer defile my holy name by their religious prostitution and by the corpses[fn] of their kings at their high places.[fn]
“Whenever they placed their threshold next to my threshold and their doorposts beside my doorposts, with only a wall between me and them, they were defiling my holy name by the detestable acts they committed. So I destroyed them in my anger.
“The altar hearth[fn] is 7 feet high, and four horns project upward from the hearth.
“On the second day you are to present an unblemished male goat as a sin offering. They will purify the altar just as they did with the bull.
“When you have finished the purification, you are to present a young, unblemished bull and an unblemished ram from the flock.
“For seven days the priests are to make atonement for the altar and cleanse it. In this way they will consecrate it[fn]
“and complete the days of purification. Then on the eighth day and afterward, the priests will offer your burnt offerings and fellowship offerings on the altar, and I will accept you.” This is the declaration of the Lord GOD.
“And the prince will have the area on each side of the holy donation of land and the city's property, adjacent to the holy donation and the city's property, stretching to the west on the west side and to the east on the east side. Its length will correspond to one of the tribal portions from the western boundary to the eastern boundary.
“This is what the Lord GOD says: In the first month, on the first day of the month, you are to take a young, unblemished bull and purify the sanctuary.
“The priest is to take some of the blood from the sin offering and apply it to the temple doorposts, the four corners of the altar's ledge, and the doorposts of the gate of the inner court.
“At the festival that begins on the fifteenth day of the seventh month,[fn] he will provide the same things for seven days — the same sin offerings, burnt offerings, grain offerings, and oil.
“He will provide a grain offering of half a bushel with the bull, half a bushel with the ram, and whatever he can afford with the lambs, together with a gallon of oil for every half bushel.
“At the festivals and appointed times, the grain offering will be half a bushel with the bull, half a bushel with the ram, and whatever he wants to give with the lambs, along with a gallon of oil for every half bushel.
“When the prince makes a freewill offering, whether a burnt offering or a fellowship offering as a freewill offering to the LORD, the gate that faces east is to be opened for him. He is to offer his burnt offering or fellowship offering just as he does on the Sabbath day. Then he will go out, and the gate is to be closed after he leaves.
“They will offer the lamb, the grain offering, and the oil every morning as a regular burnt offering.
He said to me, “This is the place where the priests will boil the guilt offering and the sin offering, and where they will bake the grain offering, so that they do not bring them into the outer court and transmit holiness to the people.”
Next he brought me into the outer court and led me past its four corners. There was a separate court in each of its corners.
Then he brought me back to the entrance of the temple and there was water flowing from under the threshold of the temple toward the east, for the temple faced east. The water was coming down from under the south side of the threshold of the temple, south of the altar.
He asked me, “Do you see this, son of man? ” Then he led me back to the bank of the river.
“Now these are the names of the tribes:
From the northern end, along the road of Hethlon, to Lebo-hamath as far as Hazar-enon, at the northern border of Damascus, alongside Hamath and extending from the eastern side to the sea, will be Dan — one portion.
“This holy donation will be set apart for the priests alone. It will be 8⅓ miles long on the northern side, 3⅓ miles wide on the western side, 3⅓ miles wide on the eastern side, and 8⅓ miles long on the southern side. The LORD's sanctuary will be in the middle of it.
“The remaining area on both sides of the holy donation and the city property will belong to the prince. He will own the land adjacent to the tribal portions, next to the 8⅓ miles of the donation as far as the eastern border and[fn] next to the 8⅓ miles of the donation as far as the western border. The holy donation and the sanctuary of the temple will be in the middle of it.
“The perimeter of the city will be six miles,[fn] and the name of the city from that day on will be The LORD Is There.”
The king assigned them daily provisions from the royal food and from the wine that he drank. They were to be trained for three years, and at the end of that time they were to attend the king.[fn]
At the end of ten days they looked better and healthier[fn] than all the young men who were eating the king's food.
So the guard continued to remove their food and the wine they were to drink and gave them vegetables.
At the end of the time that the king had said to present them, the chief eunuch presented them to Nebuchadnezzar.
The Chaldeans spoke to the king (Aramaic[fn] begins here): “May the king live forever. Tell your servants the dream, and we will give the interpretation.”
The king replied to the Chaldeans, “My word is final: If you don't tell me the dream and its interpretation, you will be torn limb from limb,[fn] and your houses will be made a garbage dump.
“But if you make the dream and its interpretation known to me, you'll receive gifts, a reward, and great honor from me. So make the dream and its interpretation known to me.”
They answered a second time, “May the king tell the dream to his servants, and we will make known the interpretation.”
“If you don't tell me the dream, there is one decree for you. You have conspired to tell me something false or fraudulent until the situation changes. So tell me the dream and I will know you can give me its interpretation.”
The Chaldeans answered the king, “No one on earth can make known what the king requests. Consequently, no king, however great and powerful, has ever asked anything like this of any magician, medium, or Chaldean.
He asked Arioch, the king's officer, “Why is the decree from the king so harsh? ”[fn] Then Arioch explained the situation to Daniel.
Then Daniel went to his house and told his friends Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah about the matter,
I offer thanks and praise to you,
God of my ancestors,
because you have given me
wisdom and power.
And now you have let me know
what we asked of you,
for you have let us know
the king's mystery.[fn]
Then Arioch quickly brought Daniel before the king and said to him, “I have found a man among the Judean exiles who can let the king know the interpretation.”
The king said in reply to Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, “Are you able to tell me the dream I had and its interpretation? ”
“You saw a stone break off from the mountain without a hand touching it,[fn] and it crushed the iron, bronze, fired clay, silver, and gold. The great God has told the king what will happen in the future. The dream is certain, and its interpretation reliable.”
The king said to Daniel, “Your God is indeed God of gods, Lord of kings, and a revealer of mysteries, since you were able to reveal this mystery.”
Nebuchadnezzar exclaimed, “Praise to the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego! He sent his angel[fn] and rescued his servants who trusted in him. They violated the king's command and risked their lives rather than serve or worship any god except their own God.
When the magicians, mediums, Chaldeans, and diviners came in, I told them the dream, but they could not make its interpretation known to me.
Finally Daniel, named Belteshazzar after the name of my god — and a spirit of the holy gods is in him — came before me. I told him the dream:
“He called out loudly:
Cut down the tree and chop off its branches;
strip off its leaves and scatter its fruit.
Let the animals flee from under it,
and the birds from its branches.
“This is the dream that I, King Nebuchadnezzar, had. Now, Belteshazzar, tell me the interpretation, because none of the wise men of my kingdom can make the interpretation known to me. But you can, because you have a spirit of the holy gods.”
“The king saw a watcher, a holy one, coming down from heaven and saying, ‘Cut down the tree and destroy it, but leave the stump with its roots in the ground and with a band of iron and bronze around it in the tender grass of the field. Let him be drenched with dew from the sky and share food with the wild animals for seven periods of time.'
But at the end of those days, I, Nebuchadnezzar, looked up to heaven, and my sanity returned to me. Then I praised the Most High and honored and glorified him who lives forever:
For his dominion is an everlasting dominion,
and his kingdom is from generation to generation.
All the inhabitants of the earth are counted as nothing,
and he does what he wants with the army of heaven
and the inhabitants of the earth.
There is no one who can block his hand
or say to him, “What have you done? ”
At that moment the fingers of a man's hand appeared and began writing on the plaster of the king's palace wall next to the lampstand. As the king watched the hand[fn] that was writing,
As soon as the king heard this, he was very displeased; he set his mind on rescuing Daniel and made every effort until sundown to deliver him.
A stone was brought and placed over the mouth of the den. The king sealed it with his own signet ring and with the signet rings of his nobles, so that nothing in regard to Daniel could be changed.
The king then gave the command, and those men who had maliciously accused Daniel[fn] were brought and thrown into the lions' den — they, their children, and their wives. They had not reached the bottom of the den before the lions overpowered them and crushed all their bones.
In the first year of King Belshazzar of Babylon, Daniel had a dream with visions in his mind as he was lying in his bed. He wrote down the dream, and here is the summary[fn] of his account.
“until the Ancient of Days arrived and a judgment was given in favor of the holy ones of the Most High, for the time had come, and the holy ones took possession of the kingdom.
“This is the end of the account. As for me, Daniel, my thoughts terrified me greatly, and my face turned pale,[fn] but I kept the matter to myself.”
I saw the ram charging to the west, the north, and the south. No animal could stand against him, and there was no rescue from his power. He did whatever he wanted and became great.
So I turned my attention to the Lord God to seek him by prayer and petitions, with fasting, sackcloth, and ashes.
I prayed to the LORD my God and confessed:
Ah, Lord — the great and awe-inspiring God who keeps his gracious covenant with those who love him and keep his commands —
Therefore, our God, hear the prayer and the petitions of your servant. Make your face shine on your desolate sanctuary for the Lord's sake.
Listen closely,[fn] my God, and hear. Open your eyes and see our desolations and the city that bears your name. For we are not presenting our petitions before you based on our righteous acts, but based on your abundant compassion.
I didn't eat any rich food, no meat or wine entered my mouth, and I didn't put any oil on my body until the three weeks were over.
While he was saying these words to me, I turned my face toward the ground and was speechless.
Suddenly one with human likeness touched my lips. I opened my mouth and said to the one standing in front of me, “My lord, because of the vision, anguish overwhelms me and I am powerless.
“However, I will tell you what is recorded in the book of truth. (No one has the courage to support me against those princes except Michael, your prince.
Now I will tell you the truth.
“Three more kings will arise in Persia, and the fourth will be far richer than the others. By the power he gains through his riches, he will stir up everyone against the kingdom of Greece.
“The king of the North will again raise a multitude larger than the first. After some years[fn] he will advance with a great army and many supplies.
“The king of the North who comes against him will do whatever he wants, and no one can oppose him. He will establish himself in the beautiful land[fn] with total destruction in his hand.
“Then he will turn his attention to the coasts and islands[fn] and capture many. But a commander will put an end to his taunting; instead, he will turn his taunts against him.
“He will turn his attention back to the fortresses of his own land, but he will stumble, fall, and be no more.
“His forces will rise up and desecrate the temple fortress. They will abolish the regular sacrifice and set up the abomination of desolation.
“Then the king will do whatever he wants. He will exalt and magnify himself above every god, and he will say outrageous things against the God of gods. He will be successful until the time of wrath is completed, because what has been decreed will be accomplished.
“But you, Daniel, keep these words secret and seal the book until the time of the end. Many will roam about, and knowledge will increase.”[fn]
Then the LORD said to him:
Name him Jezreel,[fn] for in a little while
I will bring the bloodshed of Jezreel
on the house of Jehu
and put an end to the kingdom of the house of Israel.
She conceived again and gave birth to a daughter, and the LORD said to him:
Name her Lo-ruhamah,[fn]
for I will no longer have compassion
on the house of Israel.
I will certainly take them away.
And the Judeans and the Israelites
will be gathered together.
They will appoint for themselves a single ruler
and go up from[fn] the land.
For the day of Jezreel will be great.
Yes, their mother is promiscuous;
she conceived them and acted shamefully.
For she thought, “I will follow my lovers,
the men who give me my food and water,
my wool and flax, my oil and drink.”
She does not recognize
that it is I who gave her the grain,
the new wine, and the fresh oil.
I lavished silver and gold on her,
which they used for Baal.
The earth will respond to the grain,
the new wine, and the fresh oil,
and they will respond to Jezreel.
Hear this, priests!
Pay attention, house of Israel!
Listen, royal house!
For the judgment applies to you
because you have been a snare at Mizpah
and a net spread out on Tabor.
The princes of Judah are like those
who move boundary markers;
I will pour out my fury on them like water.
I will depart and return to my place
until they recognize their guilt and seek my face;
they will search for me in their distress.
As they are going, I will spread my net over them;
I will bring them down like birds of the sky.
I will discipline them in accordance
with the news that reaches[fn] their assembly.
They have installed kings,
but not through me.
They have appointed leaders,
but without my approval.
They make their silver and gold
into idols for themselves
for their own destruction.[fn]
For even if they flee from devastation,
Egypt will gather them, and Memphis will bury them.
Thistles will take possession of their precious silver;
thorns will invade their tents.
Israel is a lush[fn] vine;
it yields fruit for itself.
The more his fruit increased,
the more he increased the altars.
The better his land produced,
the better they made the sacred pillars.
Ephraim is a well-trained calf
that loves to thresh,
but I will place a yoke on[fn] her fine neck.
I will harness Ephraim;
Judah will plow;
Jacob will do the final plowing.
The earth quakes before them;
the sky shakes.
The sun and moon grow dark,
and the stars cease their shining.
The LORD answered his people:
Look, I am about to send you
grain, new wine, and fresh oil.
You will be satiated with them,
and I will no longer make you
a disgrace among the nations.
I will drive the northerner far from you
and banish him to a dry and desolate land,
his front ranks into the Dead Sea,
and his rear guard into the Mediterranean Sea.
His stench will rise;
yes, his rotten smell will rise,
for he has done astonishing things.
You will have plenty to eat and be satisfied.
You will praise the name of the LORD your God,
who has dealt wondrously with you.
My people will never again be put to shame.
Then everyone who calls
on the name of the LORD will be saved,
for there will be an escape
for those on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem,
as the LORD promised,
among the survivors the LORD calls.
And also: Tyre, Sidon, and all the territories of Philistia — what are you to me? Are you paying me back or trying to get even with me? I will quickly bring retribution on your heads.
Look, I am about to rouse them up from the place where you sold them; I will bring retribution on your heads.
The LORD says:
I will not relent from punishing Edom
for three crimes, even four,
because he pursued his brother with the sword.
He stifled his compassion,
his anger tore at him continually,
and he harbored his rage incessantly.
They trample the heads of the poor
on the dust of the ground
and obstruct the path of the needy.
A man and his father have sexual relations
with the same girl,
profaning my holy name.
Proclaim on the citadels in Ashdod
and on the citadels in the land of Egypt:
Assemble on the mountains of Samaria,
and see the great turmoil in the city
and the acts of oppression within it.
You will go through breaches in the wall,
each woman straight ahead,
and you will be driven along toward Harmon.
This is the LORD's declaration.
Come to Bethel and rebel;
rebel even more at Gilgal!
Bring your sacrifices every morning,
your tenths every three days.
Do not seek Bethel
or go to Gilgal
or journey to Beer-sheba,
for Gilgal will certainly go into exile,
and Bethel will come to nothing.
The one who made the Pleiades and Orion,
who turns darkness[fn] into dawn
and darkens day into night,
who summons the water of the sea
and pours it out over the surface of the earth —
the LORD is his name.
Pursue good and not evil
so that you may live,
and the LORD, the God of Armies,
will be with you
as you have claimed.
Woe to those who are at ease in Zion
and to those who feel secure on the hill of Samaria —
the notable people in this first of the nations,
those the house of Israel comes to.
And in that day —
this is the declaration of the Lord GOD —
I will make the sun go down at noon;
I will darken the land in the daytime.
I saw the Lord standing beside the altar, and he said:
Strike the capitals of the pillars
so that the thresholds shake;
knock them down on the heads of all the people.
Then I will kill the rest of them with the sword.
None of those who flee will get away;
none of the fugitives will escape.
He builds his upper chambers
in the heavens
and lays the foundation of his vault
on the earth.
He summons the water of the sea
and pours it out over the surface of the earth.
The LORD is his name.
As you have drunk on my holy mountain,
so all the nations will drink continually.
They will drink and gulp down
and be as though they had never been.
People from the Negev will possess
the hill country of Esau;
those from the Judean foothills will possess
the land of the Philistines.
They[fn] will possess
the territories of Ephraim and Samaria,
while Benjamin will possess Gilead.
Saviors[fn] will ascend Mount Zion
to rule over the hill country of Esau,
and the kingdom will be the LORD's.
Jonah got up to flee to Tarshish from the LORD's presence. He went down to Joppa and found a ship going to Tarshish. He paid the fare and went down into it to go with them to Tarshish from the LORD's presence.
I will indeed gather all of you, Jacob;
I will collect the remnant of Israel.
I will bring them together like sheep in a pen,
like a flock in the middle of its pasture.
It will be noisy with people.
Then I said, “Now listen, leaders of Jacob,
you rulers of the house of Israel.
Aren't you supposed to know what is just?
Then they will cry out to the LORD,
but he will not answer them.
He will hide his face from them at that time
because of the crimes they have committed.
This is what the LORD says
concerning the prophets
who lead my people astray,
who proclaim peace
when they have food to sink their teeth into
but declare war against the one
who puts nothing in their mouths.
and many nations will come and say,
“Come, let's go up to the mountain of the LORD,
to the house of the God of Jacob.
He will teach us about his ways
so we may walk in his paths.”
For instruction will go out of Zion
and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.
Rise and thresh, Daughter Zion,
for I will make your horns iron
and your hooves bronze
so you can crush many peoples.
Then you[fn] will set apart their plunder
for the LORD,
their wealth for the Lord of the whole earth.
He will stand and shepherd them
in the strength of the LORD,
in the majestic name of the LORD his God.
They will live securely,
for then his greatness will extend
to the ends of the earth.
Both hands are good at accomplishing evil:
the official and the judge demand a bribe;
when the powerful man communicates his evil desire,
they plot it together.
Because I have sinned against him,
I must endure the LORD's fury
until he champions my cause
and establishes justice for me.
He will bring me into the light;
I will see his salvation.[fn]
Nations will see and be ashamed
of[fn] all their power.
They will put their hands over their mouths,
and their ears will become deaf.
Whatever you[fn] plot against the LORD,
he will bring it to complete destruction;
oppression will not rise up a second time.
“Plunder the silver! Plunder the gold! ”
There is no end to the treasure,
an abundance of every precious thing.
Desolation, decimation, devastation!
Hearts melt,
knees tremble,
insides churn,
every face grows pale!
The lion mauled whatever its cubs needed
and strangled prey for its lionesses.
It filled up its dens with the kill,
and its lairs with mauled prey.
I am against you.
This is the declaration of the LORD of Armies.
I will lift your skirts over your face
and display your nakedness to nations,
your shame to kingdoms.
Look! I am raising up the Chaldeans,[fn]
that bitter, impetuous nation
that marches across the earth's open spaces
to seize territories not its own.
Their horses are swifter than leopards
and more fierce[fn] than wolves of the night.
Their horsemen charge ahead;
their horsemen come from distant lands.
They fly like eagles, swooping to devour.
What use is a carved idol
after its craftsman carves it?
It is only a cast image, a teacher of lies.
For the one who crafts its shape trusts in it
and makes worthless idols that cannot speak.
I will bring distress on mankind,
and they will walk like the blind
because they have sinned against the LORD.
Their blood will be poured out like dust
and their flesh like dung.
Their silver and their gold
will be unable to rescue them
on the day of the LORD's wrath.
The whole earth will be consumed
by the fire of his jealousy,
for he will make a complete,
yes, a horrifying end
of all the inhabitants of the earth.
Woe, inhabitants of the seacoast,
nation of the Cherethites![fn]
The word of the LORD is against you,
Canaan, land of the Philistines:
I will destroy you until there is no one left.
I have cut off nations;
their corner towers are destroyed.
I have laid waste their streets,
with no one to pass through.
Their cities lie devastated,
without a person, without an inhabitant.
Therefore, wait for me —
this is the LORD's declaration —
until the day I rise up for plunder.[fn]
For my decision is to gather nations,
to assemble kingdoms,
in order to pour out my indignation on them,
all my burning anger;
for the whole earth will be consumed
by the fire of my jealousy.
For I will then restore
pure speech to the peoples
so that all of them may call
on the name of the LORD
and serve him with a single purpose.[fn]
On that day you[fn] will not be put to shame
because of everything you have done
in rebelling against me.
For then I will remove
from among you your jubilant, arrogant people,
and you will never again be haughty
on my holy mountain.
“Go up into the hills, bring down lumber, and build the house; and I will be pleased with it and be glorified,” says the LORD.
“I have summoned a drought
on the fields and the hills,
on the grain, new wine, fresh oil,
and whatever the ground yields,
on people and animals,
and on all that your hands produce.”
The LORD roused the spirit of Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, the spirit of the high priest Joshua son of Jehozadak, and the spirit of all the remnant of the people. They began work on the house of the LORD of Armies, their God,
“what state were you in?[fn] When someone came to a grain heap of twenty measures, it only amounted to ten; when one came to the winepress to dip fifty measures from the vat, it only amounted to twenty.
I asked, “Where are you going? ”
He answered me, “To measure Jerusalem to determine its width and length.”
Then the angel who was speaking with me came forward and told me, “Look up and see what this is that is approaching.”
“This is Wickedness,” he said. He shoved her down into the basket and pushed the lead weight over its opening.
Then I looked up and saw two women approaching with the wind in their wings. Their wings were like those of a stork, and they lifted up the basket between earth and sky.
“the residents of one city will go to another, saying: Let's go at once to plead for the LORD's favor and to seek the LORD of Armies. I am also going.
“Many peoples and strong nations will come to seek the LORD of Armies in Jerusalem and to plead for the LORD's favor.”
I will remove the blood from their mouths
and the abhorrent things
from between their teeth.
Then they too will become a remnant for our God;
they will become like a clan in Judah
and Ekron like the Jebusites.
My anger burns against the shepherds,
so I will punish the leaders.[fn]
For the LORD of Armies has tended his flock,
the house of Judah;
he will make them like his majestic steed in battle.
Listen to the wail of the shepherds,
for their glory is destroyed.
Listen to the roar of young lions,
for the thickets of the Jordan are[fn] destroyed.
Then I cut in two my second staff, Union, annulling the brotherhood between Judah and Israel.
“On that day” — this is the declaration of the LORD of Armies — “I will remove the names of the idols from the land, and they will no longer be remembered. I will banish the prophets[fn] and the unclean spirit from the land.
“I will put this third through the fire;
I will refine them as silver is refined
and test them as gold is tested.
They will call on my name,
and I will answer them.
I will say, ‘They are my people,'
and they will say, ‘The LORD is our God.' ”
On that day his feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, which faces Jerusalem on the east. The Mount of Olives will be split in half from east to west, forming a huge valley, so that half the mountain will move to the north and half to the south.
“A son honors his father, and a servant his master. But if I am a father, where is my honor? And if I am a master, where is your fear of me? says the LORD of Armies to you priests, who despise my name.”
Yet you ask, “How have we despised your name? ”
“By presenting defiled food on my altar.”
“How have we defiled you? ” you ask.
When you say, “The LORD's table is contemptible.”
“And now plead for God's favor. Will he be gracious to us? Since this has come from your hands, will he show any of you favor? ” asks the LORD of Armies.
“I wish one of you would shut the temple doors, so that you would no longer kindle a useless fire on my altar! I am not pleased with you,” says the LORD of Armies, “and I will accept no offering from your hands.
“The deceiver is cursed who has an acceptable male in his flock and makes a vow but sacrifices a defective animal to the Lord. For I am a great King,” says the LORD of Armies, “and my name will be feared among the nations.
“Look, I am going to rebuke your descendants, and I will spread animal waste[fn] over your faces, the waste from your festival sacrifices, and you will be taken away with it.
This is another thing you do. You are covering the LORD's altar with tears, with weeping and groaning, because he no longer respects your offerings or receives them gladly from your hands.
He will be like a refiner and purifier of silver; he will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver. Then they will present offerings to the LORD in righteousness.
“You are suffering under a curse, yet[fn] you — the whole nation — are still robbing me.
At that time those who feared the LORD spoke to one another. The LORD took notice and listened. So a book of remembrance was written before him for those who feared the LORD and had high regard for his name.
Then God said, “Let the water under the sky be gathered into one place, and let the dry land appear.” And it was so.
Then God said, “Let the earth produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and fruit trees on the earth bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds.” And it was so.
The earth produced vegetation: seed-bearing plants according to their kinds and trees bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good.
The LORD God caused to grow out of the ground every tree pleasing in appearance and good for food, including the tree of life in the middle of the garden, as well as the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
The name of the first is Pishon, which flows through the entire land of Havilah,[fn] where there is gold.
The woman saw that the tree was good for food and delightful to look at, and that it was desirable for obtaining wisdom. So she took some of its fruit and ate it; she also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it.
The flood continued for forty days on the earth; the water increased and lifted up the ark so that it rose above the earth.
The water surged and increased greatly on the earth, and the ark floated on the surface of the water.
Then the water surged even higher on the earth, and all the high mountains under the whole sky were covered.
He wiped out every living thing that was on the face of the earth, from mankind to livestock, to creatures that crawl, to the birds of the sky, and they were wiped off the earth. Only Noah was left, and those that were with him in the ark.
God remembered Noah, as well as all the wildlife and all the livestock that were with him in the ark. God caused a wind to pass over the earth, and the water began to subside.
The water steadily receded from the earth, and by the end of 150 days the water had decreased significantly.
The water continued to recede until the tenth month; in the tenth month, on the first day of the month, the tops of the mountains were visible.
and he sent out a raven. It went back and forth until the water had dried up from the earth.
Then he sent out a dove to see whether the water on the earth's surface had gone down,
When the dove came to him at evening, there was a plucked olive leaf in its beak. So Noah knew that the water on the earth's surface had gone down.
In the six hundred first year,[fn] in the first month, on the first day of the month, the water that had covered the earth was dried up. Then Noah removed the ark's cover and saw that the surface of the ground was drying.
“And I will require a penalty for your lifeblood;[fn] I will require it from any animal and from any human; if someone murders a fellow human, I will require that person's life.
And God said, “This is the sign of the covenant I am making between me and you and every living creature with you, a covenant for all future generations:
“I will remember my covenant between me and you and all the living creatures: water will never again become a flood to destroy every creature.
“The bow will be in the clouds, and I will look at it and remember the permanent covenant between God and all the living creatures on earth.”
God said to Noah, “This is the sign of the covenant that I have established between me and every creature on earth.”
“I will make your offspring like the dust of the earth, so that if anyone could count the dust of the earth, then your offspring could be counted.
After Abram returned from defeating Chedorlaomer and the kings who were with him, the king of Sodom went out to meet him in the Shaveh Valley (that is, the King's Valley).
He took him outside and said, “Look at the sky and count the stars, if you are able to count them.” Then he said to him, “Your offspring will be that numerous.”
Then the LORD said to Abram, “Know this for certain: Your offspring will be resident aliens for four hundred years in a land that does not belong to them and will be enslaved and oppressed.[fn]
God also said to Abraham, “As for you, you and your offspring after you throughout their generations are to keep my covenant.
God said to Abraham, “As for your wife Sarai, do not call her Sarai, for Sarah[fn] will be her name.
The child grew and was weaned, and Abraham held a great feast on the day Isaac was weaned.
But God said to Abraham, “Do not be distressed[fn] about the boy and about your slave. Whatever Sarah says to you, listen to her, because your offspring will be traced through Isaac,
and went and sat at a distance, about a bowshot away, for she said, “I can't bear to watch the boy die! ” While she sat at a distance, she[fn] wept loudly.
Then Abraham said to his young men, “Stay here with the donkey. The boy and I will go over there to worship; then we'll come back to you.”
Then Isaac spoke to his father Abraham and said, “My father.”
And he replied, “Here I am, my son.”
Isaac said, “The fire and the wood are here, but where is the lamb for the burnt offering? ”
“I will indeed bless you and make your offspring as numerous as the stars of the sky and the sand on the seashore. Your offspring will possess the city gates of their[fn] enemies.
So Ephron's field at Machpelah near Mamre — the field with its cave and all the trees anywhere within the boundaries of the field — became
Laban and Bethuel answered, “This is from the LORD; we have no choice in the matter.[fn]
They blessed Rebekah, saying to her:
Our sister, may you become
thousands upon ten thousands.
May your offspring possess
the city gates of their[fn] enemies.
He said to Jacob, “Let me eat some of that red stuff, because I'm exhausted.” That is why he was also named Edom.[fn]
So he said, “Isn't he rightly named Jacob?[fn] For he has cheated me twice now. He took my birthright, and look, now he has taken my blessing.” Then he asked, “Haven't you saved a blessing for me? ”
“Your offspring will be like the dust of the earth, and you will spread out toward the west, the east, the north, and the south. All the peoples on earth will be blessed through you and your offspring.
Jacob then took branches of fresh poplar, almond, and plane wood, and peeled the bark, exposing white stripes on the branches.
She said to her father, “Don't be angry, my lord, that I cannot stand up in your presence; I am having my period.” So Laban searched, but could not find the household idols.
Then Jacob became incensed and brought charges against Laban. “What is my crime? ” he said to Laban. “What is my sin, that you have pursued me?
Then Laban said, “This mound is a witness between you and me today.” Therefore the place was called Galeed
“Your name will no longer be Jacob,” he said. “It will be Israel[fn] because you have struggled with God and with men and have prevailed.”
God said to him, “Your name is Jacob; you will no longer be named Jacob, but your name will be Israel.” So he named him Israel.
“There we were, binding sheaves of grain in the field. Suddenly my sheaf stood up, and your sheaves gathered around it and bowed down to my sheaf.”
He told his father and brothers, and his father rebuked him. “What kind of dream is this that you have had? ” he said. “Am I and your mother and your brothers really going to come and bow down to the ground before you? ”
He went back to his brothers and said, “The boy is gone! What am I going to do? ”[fn]
But Onan knew that the offspring would not be his, so whenever he slept with his brother's wife, he released his semen on the ground so that he would not produce offspring for his brother.
Then his brother, who had the scarlet thread tied to his hand, came out, and was named Zerah.[fn]
“Pharaoh's cup was in my hand, and I took the grapes, squeezed them into Pharaoh's cup, and placed the cup in Pharaoh's hand.”
Then Joseph said to Pharaoh, “Pharaoh's dreams mean the same thing. God has revealed to Pharaoh what he is about to do.
“The seven good cows are seven years, and the seven good heads are seven years. The dreams mean the same thing.
“Since the dream was given twice to Pharaoh, it means that the matter has been determined by God, and he will carry it out soon.
But Reuben replied, “Didn't I tell you not to harm the boy? But you wouldn't listen. Now we must account for his blood! ”[fn]
He said to his brothers, “My silver has been returned! It's here in my bag.” Their hearts sank. Trembling, they turned to one another and said, “What has God done to us? ”
“When we came to the place where we lodged for the night and opened our bags of grain, each one's silver was at the top of his bag! It was the full amount of our silver, and we have brought it back with us.
“If it is found with one of us, your servants, he must die, and the rest of us will become my lord's slaves.”
The steward replied, “What you have said is right, but only the one who is found to have it will be my slave, and the rest of you will be blameless.”
“What have you done? ” Joseph said to them. “Didn't you know that a man like me could uncover the truth by divination? ”
“What can we say to my lord? ” Judah replied. “How can we plead? How can we justify ourselves? God has exposed your servants' iniquity. We are now my lord's slaves — both we and the one in whose possession the cup was found.”
Then Joseph said, “I swear that I will not do this. The man in whose possession the cup was found will be my slave. The rest of you can go in peace to your father.”
“But we said to my lord, ‘The boy cannot leave his father. If he were to leave, his father would die.'
“Now please let your servant remain here as my lord's slave, in place of the boy. Let him go back with his brothers.
Look! Your eyes and the eyes of my brother Benjamin can see that I'm[fn] the one speaking to you.
But when they told Jacob all that Joseph had said to them, and when he saw the wagons that Joseph had sent to transport him, the spirit of their father Jacob revived.
They also took their cattle and possessions they had acquired in the land of Canaan. Then Jacob and all his offspring with him came to Egypt.
And Pharaoh asked his brothers, “What is your occupation? ”
They said to Pharaoh, “Your servants, both we and our ancestors, are shepherds.”
When the silver from the land of Egypt and the land of Canaan was gone, all the Egyptians came to Joseph and said, “Give us food. Why should we die here in front of you? The silver is gone! ”
But Joseph said, “Give me your livestock. Since the silver is gone, I will give you food in exchange for your livestock.”
When that year was over, they came the next year and said to him, “We cannot hide from our lord that the silver is gone and that all our livestock belongs to our lord. There is nothing left for our lord except our bodies and our land.
the angel who has redeemed me from all harm —
may he bless these boys.
And may they be called by my name
and the names of my fathers Abraham and Isaac,
and may they grow to be numerous within the land.
He said to his people, “Look, the Israelite people are more numerous and powerful than we are.
The king of Egypt said to the Hebrew midwives — the first, whose name was Shiphrah, and the second, whose name was Puah —
“Who made you a commander and judge over us? ” the man replied. “Are you planning to kill me as you killed the Egyptian? ”
Then Moses became afraid and thought, “What I did is certainly known.”
He answered, “I will certainly be with you, and this will be the sign to you that I am the one who sent you: when you bring the people out of Egypt, you will all worship[fn] God at this mountain.”
“And if they don't believe even these two signs or listen to what you say, take some water from the Nile and pour it on the dry ground. The water you take from the Nile will become blood on the ground.”
So Zipporah took a flint, cut off her son's foreskin, threw it at Moses's feet, and said, “You are a bridegroom of blood to me! ”
So he let him alone. At that time she said, “You are a bridegroom of blood,” referring to the circumcision.
“Now get to work. No straw will be given to you, but you must produce the same quantity of bricks.”
Moses and Aaron did just as the LORD had commanded; in the sight of Pharaoh and his officials, he raised the staff and struck the water in the Nile, and all the water in the Nile was turned to blood.
The fish in the Nile died, and the river smelled so bad the Egyptians could not drink water from it. There was blood throughout the land of Egypt.
“I will make a distinction[fn] between my people and your people. This sign will take place tomorrow.”
The hail, with lightning flashing through it, was so severe that nothing like it had occurred in the land of Egypt since it had become a nation.
So Moses stretched out his staff over the land of Egypt, and the LORD sent an east wind over the land all that day and through the night. By morning the east wind had brought in the locusts.
“The blood on the houses where you are staying will be a distinguishing mark for you; when I see the blood, I will pass over you. No plague will be among you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt.
“you are to reply, ‘It is the Passover sacrifice to the LORD, for he passed over the houses of the Israelites in Egypt when he struck the Egyptians, and he spared our homes.' ” So the people knelt low and worshiped.
“Isn't this what we told you in Egypt: Leave us alone so that we may serve the Egyptians? It would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness.”
Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea. The LORD drove the sea back with a powerful east wind all that night and turned the sea into dry land. So the waters were divided,
and the Israelites went through the sea on dry ground, with the waters like a wall to them on their right and their left.
Then the LORD said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand over the sea so that the water may come back on the Egyptians, on their chariots and horsemen.”
So Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and at daybreak the sea returned to its normal depth. While the Egyptians were trying to escape from it, the LORD threw them into the sea.
The water came back and covered the chariots and horsemen, plus the entire army of Pharaoh that had gone after them into the sea. Not even one of them survived.
But the Israelites had walked through the sea on dry ground, with the waters like a wall to them on their right and their left.
The water heaped up at the blast from your nostrils;
the currents stood firm like a dam.
The watery depths congealed in the heart of the sea.
They came to Marah, but they could not drink the water at Marah because it was bitter — that is why it was named Marah.[fn]
So he cried out to the LORD, and the LORD showed him a tree. When he threw it into the water, the water became drinkable.
The LORD made a statute and ordinance for them at Marah, and he tested them there.
“This is what the LORD has commanded: ‘Gather as much of it as each person needs to eat. You may take two quarts[fn] per individual, according to the number of people each of you has in his tent.' ”
He told them, “This is what the LORD has said: ‘Tomorrow is a day of complete rest, a holy Sabbath to the LORD. Bake what you want to bake, and boil what you want to boil, and set aside everything left over to be kept until morning.' ”
The house of Israel named the substance manna.[fn] It resembled coriander seed, was white, and tasted like wafers made with honey.
Moses said, “This is what the LORD has commanded: ‘Two quarts[fn] of it are to be preserved throughout your generations, so that they may see the bread I fed you in the wilderness when I brought you out of the land of Egypt.' ”
“You will certainly wear out both yourself and these people who are with you, because the task is too heavy for you. You can't do it alone.
Mount Sinai was completely enveloped in smoke because the LORD came down on it in fire. Its smoke went up like the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mountain shook violently.
but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. You must not do any work — you, your son or daughter, your male or female servant, your livestock, or the resident alien who is within your city gates.
“When men get in a fight and hit a pregnant woman so that her children are born prematurely but there is no injury, the one who hit her must be fined as the woman's husband demands from him, and he must pay according to judicial assessment.
“the owner of the pit must give compensation; he must pay to its owner, but the dead animal will become his.
“If what was stolen — whether ox, donkey, or sheep — is actually found alive in his possession, he must repay double.
“For it is his only covering; it is the clothing for his body.[fn] What will he sleep in? And if he cries out to me, I will listen because I am gracious.
“Do your work for six days but rest on the seventh day so that your ox and your donkey may rest, and the son of your female slave as well as the resident alien may be refreshed.
“Be attentive to him and listen to him. Do not defy him, because he will not forgive your acts of rebellion, for my name is in him.
The appearance of the LORD's glory to the Israelites was like a consuming fire on the mountaintop.
“Each curtain should be forty-five feet[fn] long and six feet wide. All eleven curtains are to have the same measurements.
“There should be an opening at its top in the center of it. Around the opening, there should be a woven collar with an opening like that of body armor[fn] so that it does not tear.
“For seven days you must make atonement for the altar and consecrate it. The altar will be especially holy. Whatever touches the altar will be consecrated.
“Everyone who is registered must pay half a shekel[fn] according to the sanctuary shekel (twenty gerahs to the shekel). This half shekel is a contribution to the LORD.
“Now if I have indeed found favor with you, please teach me your ways, and I will know you, so that I may find favor with you. Now consider that this nation is your people.”
Then Moses said to the entire Israelite community, “This is what the LORD has commanded:
the hangings on one side of the gate were 22½ feet,[fn] including their three posts and their three bases.
All the gold of the presentation offering that was used for the project in all the work on the sanctuary, was 2,193 pounds,[fn] according to the sanctuary shekel.
one-fifth of an ounce[fn] per man, that is, half a shekel according to the sanctuary shekel, from everyone twenty years old or more who had crossed over to the registered group, 603,550 men.
Then they tied the breastpiece from its rings to the rings of the ephod with a cord of blue yarn, so that the breastpiece was above the ephod's waistband and did not come loose from the ephod. They did just as the LORD had commanded Moses.
There was an opening in the center of the robe like that of body armor[fn] with a collar around the opening so that it would not tear.
“If his offering is a burnt offering from the herd, he is to bring an unblemished male. He will bring it to the entrance to the tent of meeting so that he[fn] may be accepted by the LORD.
“But if his offering for a burnt offering is from the flock, from sheep or goats, he is to present an unblemished male.
“When anyone presents a grain offering as an offering to the LORD, it is to consist of fine flour. He is to pour olive oil on it, put frankincense on it,
“But the rest of the grain offering will belong to Aaron and his sons; it is the holiest part of the food offerings to the LORD.
“If your offering is a grain offering prepared on a griddle, it is to be unleavened bread made of fine flour mixed with oil.
“If your offering is a grain offering prepared in a pan, it is to be made of fine flour with oil.
“But the rest of the grain offering will belong to Aaron and his sons; it is the holiest part of the food offerings to the LORD.
“If his offering is a fellowship sacrifice, and he is presenting an animal from the herd, whether male or female, he is to present one without blemish before the LORD.
“If his offering as a fellowship sacrifice to the LORD is from the flock, he is to present a male or female without blemish.
“Then the priest will burn the food on the altar, as a food offering for a pleasing aroma.[fn]
“All fat belongs to the LORD.
“In this way the priest will make atonement on his behalf concerning the sin he has committed in any of these cases, and he will be forgiven. The rest will belong to the priest, like the grain offering.”
“Command Aaron and his sons: This is the law of the burnt offering; the burnt offering itself must remain on the altar's hearth all night until morning, while the fire of the altar is kept burning on it.
“The priest is to put on his linen robe and linen undergarments.[fn] He is to remove the ashes of the burnt offering the fire has consumed on the altar, and place them beside the altar.
“The priest is to remove a handful of fine flour and olive oil from the grain offering, with all the frankincense that is on the offering, and burn its memorial portion on the altar as a pleasing aroma to the LORD.
“It must not be baked with yeast; I have assigned it as their portion from my food offerings. It is especially holy, like the sin offering and the guilt offering.
“This is the offering that Aaron and his sons are to present to the LORD on the day that he is anointed: two quarts[fn] of fine flour as a regular grain offering, half of it in the morning and half in the evening.
“The guilt offering is like the sin offering; the law is the same for both. It belongs to the priest who makes atonement with it.
“As for the priest who presents someone's burnt offering, the hide of the burnt offering he has presented belongs to him; it is the priest's.
“But any grain offering, whether dry or mixed with oil, belongs equally to all of Aaron's sons.
“The priest is to burn the fat on the altar, but the breast belongs to Aaron and his sons.
Moses said, “This is what the LORD commanded you to do, that the glory of the LORD may appear to you.”
“You must not go outside the entrance to the tent of meeting or you will die, for the LORD's anointing oil is on you.” So they did as Moses said.
“But if the spot remains where it is and does not spread, it is only the scar from the boil. The priest is to pronounce him clean.
“When there is a burn on the skin of one's body produced by fire, and the patch made raw by the burn becomes reddish-white or white,
“But if the spot has remained where it was and has not spread on the skin but is faded, it is the swelling from the burn. The priest is to pronounce him clean, for it is only the scar from the burn.
“The priest will reexamine the condition on the seventh day. If the scaly outbreak has not spread and there is no yellow hair in it and it does not appear to be deeper than the skin,
“the person is to shave himself but not shave the scaly area. Then the priest will quarantine the person who has the scaly outbreak for another seven days.
“The priest will examine the scaly outbreak on the seventh day, and if it has not spread on the skin and does not appear to be deeper than the skin, the priest is to pronounce the person clean. He is to wash his clothes, and he will be clean.
“the priest is to examine the person. If the scaly outbreak has spread on the skin, the priest does not need to look for yellow hair; the person is unclean.
“But if as far as he can see, the scaly outbreak remains unchanged and black hair has grown in it, then it has healed; he is clean. The priest is to pronounce the person clean.
“But if the contamination disappears from the fabric, the warp or weft, or any leather article, which have been washed, it is to be washed again, and it will be clean.
“He is to slaughter the male lamb at the place in the sanctuary area where the sin offering and burnt offering are slaughtered, for like the sin offering, the guilt offering belongs to the priest; it is especially holy.
“This is uncleanness of his discharge: Whether his member secretes the discharge or retains it, he is unclean. All the days that his member secretes or retains anything because of his discharge,[fn] he is unclean.
“The bull for the sin offering and the goat for the sin offering, whose blood was brought into the most holy place to make atonement, must be brought outside the camp and their hide, flesh, and waste burned.
“Speak to Aaron, his sons, and all the Israelites and tell them: This is what the LORD has commanded:
“For the life of a creature is in the blood, and I have appointed it to you to make atonement on the altar for[fn] your lives, since it is the lifeblood that makes atonement.
“Say to the Israelites: Any Israelite or alien residing in Israel who gives any of his children to Molech must be put to death; the people of the country are to stone him.
“He must not leave the sanctuary or he will desecrate the sanctuary of his God, for the consecration of the anointing oil of his God is on him; I am the LORD.
Her son cursed and blasphemed the Name, and they brought him to Moses. (His mother's name was Shelomith, a daughter of Dibri of the tribe of Dan.)
“All of its growth may serve as food for your livestock and the wild animals in your land.
“The fiftieth year will be your Jubilee; you are not to sow, reap what grows by itself, or harvest its untended vines.
“When you sow in the eighth year, you will be eating from the previous harvest. You will be eating this until the ninth year when its harvest comes in.
“If a man has no family redeemer, but he prospers[fn] and obtains enough to redeem his land,
“The one who purchased him is to calculate the time from the year he sold himself to him until the Year of Jubilee. The price of his sale will be determined by the number of years. It will be set for him like the daily wages of a hired worker.
“and your strength will be used up for nothing. Your land will not yield its produce, and the trees of the land will not bear their fruit.
“He may not replace it or make a substitution for it, either good for bad, or bad for good. But if he does substitute one animal for another, both that animal and its substitute will be holy.
“If the vow involves any of the unclean animals that may not be brought as an offering to the LORD, the animal must be presented before the priest.
“All your assessed values will be measured by the standard sanctuary shekel,[fn] twenty gerahs to the shekel.
“Every tenth animal from the herd or flock, which passes under the shepherd's rod, will be holy to the LORD.
“He is not to inspect whether it is good or bad, and he is not to make a substitution for it. But if he does make a substitution, both the animal and its substitute will be holy; they cannot be redeemed.”
The Gershonites' duties at the tent of meeting involved the tabernacle, the tent, its covering, the screen for the entrance to the tent of meeting,
the hangings of the courtyard, the screen for the entrance to the courtyard that surrounds the tabernacle and the altar, and the tent ropes — all the work relating to these.
Their duties involved the ark, the table, the lampstand, the altars, the sanctuary utensils that were used with these, and the screen[fn] — and all the work relating to them.
“Eleazar, son of Aaron the priest, has oversight of the lamp oil, the fragrant incense, the daily grain offering, and the anointing oil. He has oversight of the entire tabernacle and everything in it, the holy objects and their utensils.”[fn]
and two bulls, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs a year old, for the fellowship sacrifice. This was the offering of Nahshon son of Amminadab.
and two bulls, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs a year old, for the fellowship sacrifice. This was the offering of Nethanel son of Zuar.
and two bulls, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs a year old, for the fellowship sacrifice. This was the offering of Eliab son of Helon.
and two bulls, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs a year old, for the fellowship sacrifice. This was the offering of Elizur son of Shedeur.
and two bulls, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs a year old, for the fellowship sacrifice. This was the offering of Shelumiel son of Zurishaddai.
and two bulls, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs a year old, for the fellowship sacrifice. This was the offering of Eliasaph son of Deuel.[fn]
and two bulls, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs a year old, for the fellowship sacrifice. This was the offering of Elishama son of Ammihud.
and two bulls, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs a year old, for the fellowship sacrifice. This was the offering of Gamaliel son of Pedahzur.
and two bulls, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs a year old, for the fellowship sacrifice. This was the offering of Abidan son of Gideoni.
and two bulls, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs a year old, for the fellowship sacrifice. This was the offering of Ahiezer son of Ammishaddai.
and two bulls, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs a year old, for the fellowship sacrifice. This was the offering of Pagiel son of Ochran.
and two bulls, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs a year old, for the fellowship sacrifice. This was the offering of Ahira son of Enan.
The twelve gold bowls full of incense each weighed four ounces measured by the standard sanctuary shekel. The total weight of the gold bowls was 3 pounds.[fn]
“In regard to the Levites: From twenty-five years old or more, a man enters the service in the work at the tent of meeting.
The manna resembled coriander seed, and its appearance was like that of bdellium.[fn]
“If flocks and herds were slaughtered for them, would they have enough? Or if all the fish in the sea were caught for them, would they have enough? ”
Two men had remained in the camp, one named Eldad and the other Medad; the Spirit rested on them — they were among those listed, but had not gone out to the tent — and they prophesied in the camp.
“However, the people living in the land are strong, and the cities are large and fortified. We also saw the descendants of Anak there.
“But their meat belongs to you. It belongs to you like the breast of the presentation offering and the right thigh.
“We will go on the main road,” the Israelites replied to them, “and if we or our herds drink your water, we will pay its price. There will be no problem; only let us travel through on foot.”
From there they went to Beer,[fn] the well the LORD told Moses about, “Gather the people so I may give them water.”
We threw them down;
Heshbon has been destroyed as far as Dibon.
We caused desolation as far as Nophah,
which reaches as far as Medeba.
The name of the slain Israelite man, who was struck dead with the Midianite woman, was Zimri son of Salu, the leader of a Simeonite family.[fn]
The earth opened its mouth and swallowed them with Korah, when his followers died and the fire consumed 250 men. They serve as a warning sign.
The name of Amram's wife was Jochebed, a descendant of Levi, born to Levi in Egypt. She bore to Amram: Aaron, Moses, and their sister Miriam.
“These are in addition to the monthly and regular burnt offerings with their prescribed grain offerings and drink offerings. They are a pleasing aroma, a food offering to the LORD.
Moses told the leaders of the Israelite tribes, “This is what the LORD has commanded:
Then the priest Eleazar said to the soldiers who had gone to battle, “This is the legal statute the LORD commanded Moses:
The captives remaining from the plunder the army had taken totaled:
675,000 sheep and goats,
All the gold of the contribution they offered to the LORD, from the commanders of thousands and of hundreds, was 420 pounds.[fn]
“You are to receive the land as an inheritance by lot according to your clans. Increase the inheritance for a large clan and decrease it for a small one. Whatever place the lot indicates for someone will be his. You will receive an inheritance according to your ancestral tribes.
“Your southern side will be from the Wilderness of Zin along the boundary of Edom. Your southern border on the east will begin at the east end of the Dead Sea.
“For the tribe of Reuben's descendants and the tribe of Gad's descendants have received their inheritance according to their ancestral families,[fn] and half the tribe of Manasseh has received its inheritance.
“Do not defile the land where you live, for bloodshed defiles the land, and there can be no atonement for the land because of the blood that is shed on it, except by the blood of the person who shed it.
“Do not show partiality when deciding a case; listen to small and great alike. Do not be intimidated by anyone, for judgment belongs to God. Bring me any case too difficult for you, and I will hear it.
“The plan seemed good to me, so I selected twelve men from among you, one man for each tribe.
“Carefully follow them, for this will show your wisdom and understanding in the eyes of the peoples. When they hear about all these statutes, they will say, ‘This great nation is indeed a wise and understanding people.'
“You came near and stood at the base of the mountain, a mountain blazing with fire into the heavens and enveloped in a totally black cloud.
“but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. Do not do any work — you, your son or daughter, your male or female slave, your ox or donkey, any of your livestock, or the resident alien who lives within your city gates, so that your male and female slaves may rest as you do.
“All of you approached me with your tribal leaders and elders when you heard the voice from the darkness and while the mountain was blazing with fire.
“But now, why should we die? This great fire will consume us and we will die if we hear the voice of the LORD our God any longer.
“If you say to yourself, ‘These nations are greater than I; how can I drive them out? '
“You may say to yourself, ‘My power and my own ability have gained this wealth for me,'
“So I went back down the mountain, while it was blazing with fire, and the two tablets of the covenant were in my hands.
“Every place the sole of your foot treads will be yours. Your territory will extend from the wilderness to Lebanon and from the Euphrates River[fn] to the Mediterranean Sea.
“Aren't these mountains across the Jordan, beyond the western road in the land of the Canaanites, who live in the Arabah, opposite Gilgal, near the oaks[fn] of Moreh?
“Tear down their altars, smash their sacred pillars, burn their Asherah poles, cut down the carved images of their gods, and wipe out their names from every[fn] place.
“But don't eat the blood, since the blood is the life, and you must not eat the life with the meat.
“and that sign or wonder he has promised you comes about, but he says, ‘Let's follow other gods,' which you have not known, ‘and let's worship them,'
“you are to inquire, investigate, and interrogate thoroughly. If the report turns out to be true that this detestable act has been done among you,
“This is how to cancel debt: Every creditor[fn] is to cancel what he has lent his neighbor. He is not to collect anything from his neighbor or brother, because the LORD's release of debts has been proclaimed.
“Be careful that there isn't this wicked thought in your heart, ‘The seventh year, the year of canceling debts, is near,' and you are stingy toward your poor brother and give him nothing. He will cry out to the LORD against you, and you will be guilty.
“and if you are told or hear about it, then investigate it thoroughly. If the report turns out to be true that this detestable act has been done in Israel,
“When a prophet speaks in the LORD's name, and the message does not come true or is not fulfilled, that is a message the LORD has not spoken. The prophet has spoken it presumptuously. Do not be afraid of him.
“Stand outside while the man you are making the loan to brings the security out to you.
“And his family name in Israel will be ‘The house of the man whose sandal was removed.'
“Then all the peoples of the earth will see that you bear the LORD's name, and they will stand in awe of you.
“But the message is very near you, in your mouth and in your heart, so that you may follow it.
“I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you today that I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Choose life so that you and your descendants may live,
Let my teaching fall like rain
and my word settle like dew,
like gentle rain on new grass
and showers on tender plants.
May the bolts of your gate be iron and bronze,
and your strength last as long as you live.
“When the feet[fn] of the priests who carry the ark of the LORD, the Lord of the whole earth, come to rest in the Jordan's water, its water will be cut off. The water flowing downstream will stand up in a mass.”
and the water flowing downstream stood still, rising up in a mass that extended as far as[fn] Adam, a city next to Zarethan. The water flowing downstream into the Sea of the Arabah — the Dead Sea — was completely cut off, and the people crossed opposite Jericho.
When the priests carrying the ark of the LORD's covenant came up from the middle of the Jordan, and their feet[fn] stepped out on solid ground, the water of the Jordan resumed its course, flowing over all the banks as before.
And the day after they ate from the produce of the land, the manna ceased. Since there was no more manna for the Israelites, they ate from the crops of the land of Canaan that year.
So the troops shouted, and the rams' horns sounded. When they heard the blast of the ram's horn, the troops gave a great shout, and the wall collapsed. The troops advanced into the city, each man straight ahead, and they captured the city.
“Go and consecrate the people. Tell them to consecrate themselves for tomorrow, for this is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: There are things that are set apart among you, Israel. You will not be able to stand against your enemies until you remove what is set apart.
So Joshua sent messengers who ran to the tent, and there was the cloak, concealed in his tent, with the silver underneath.
At that time Joshua turned back, captured Hazor, and struck down its king with the sword, because Hazor had formerly been the leader of all these kingdoms.
this as their territory:
Jazer and all the cities of Gilead, and half the land of the Ammonites to Aroer, near Rabbah;
Hebron's name used to be Kiriath-arba; Arba was the greatest man among the Anakim. After this, the land had rest from war.
From the top of the hill the border curved to the spring of the Waters of Nephtoah, went to the cities of Mount Ephron, and then curved to Baalah (that is, Kiriath-jearim).
Then the border reached to the slope north of Ekron, curved to Shikkeron, proceeded to Mount Baalah, went to Jabneel, and ended at the Mediterranean Sea.
From there he marched against the inhabitants of Debir, which used to be called Kiriath-sepher,
“If you have so many people,” Joshua replied to them, “go to the forest and clear an area for yourselves there in the land of the Perizzites and the Rephaim, because Ephraim's hill country is too small for you.”
But the descendants of Joseph said, “The hill country is not enough for us, and all the Canaanites who inhabit the valley area have iron chariots, both at Beth-shean with its surrounding villages and in the Jezreel Valley.”
“But the Levites among you do not get a portion, because their inheritance is the priesthood of the LORD. Gad, Reuben, and half the tribe of Manasseh have taken their inheritance beyond the Jordan to the east, which Moses the LORD's servant gave them.”
On the west side, from the hill facing Beth-horon on the south, the border curved, turning southward, and ended at Kiriath-baal (that is, Kiriath-jearim), a city of the descendants of Judah. This was the west side of their border.
The south side began at the edge of Kiriath-jearim, and the border extended westward; it went to the spring at the Waters of Nephtoah.
The Reubenites, Gadites, and half the tribe of Manasseh left the Israelites at Shiloh in the land of Canaan to return to their own land of Gilead, which they took possession of according to the LORD's command through Moses.
When they came to the region of[fn] the Jordan in the land of Canaan, the Reubenites, Gadites, and half the tribe of Manasseh built a large, impressive altar there by the Jordan.
Then the Israelites heard it said, “Look, the Reubenites, Gadites, and half the tribe of Manasseh have built an altar on the frontier of the land of Canaan at the region of[fn] the Jordan, on the Israelite side.”
“Wasn't the iniquity of Peor, which brought a plague on the LORD's community, enough for us? We have not cleansed ourselves from it even to this day,
The Reubenites, Gadites, and half the tribe of Manasseh answered the heads of the Israelite clans,
When the priest Phinehas and the community leaders, the heads of Israel's clans who were with him, heard what the descendants of Reuben, Gad, and Manasseh had to say, they were pleased.
Judah also marched against the Canaanites who were living in Hebron (Hebron was formerly named Kiriath-arba). They struck down Sheshai, Ahiman, and Talmai.
From there they marched against the residents of Debir (Debir was formerly named Kiriath-sepher).
The territory of the Amorites extended from the Scorpions' Ascent, that is from Sela upward.
The LORD's anger burned against Israel, and he declared, “Because this nation has violated my covenant that I made with their ancestors and disobeyed me,
Ehud made himself a double-edged sword eighteen inches long.[fn] He strapped it to his right thigh under his clothes
“I will gladly go with you,” she said, “but you will receive no honor on the road you are about to take, because the LORD will sell Sisera to a woman.” So Deborah got up and went with Barak to Kedesh.
Sisera's mother looked through the window;
she peered through the lattice, crying out:
“Why is his chariot so long in coming?
Why don't I hear the hoofbeats of his horses? ”[fn]
When the men of the city got up in the morning, they found Baal's altar torn down, the Asherah pole beside it cut down, and the second bull offered up on the altar that had been built.
“Listen to what they say, and then you will be encouraged to attack the camp.” So he went down with Purah his servant to the outpost of the troops[fn] who were in the camp.
“God handed over to you Oreb and Zeeb, the two princes of Midian. What was I able to do compared to you? ” When he said this, their anger against him subsided.
Then he said to Jether, his firstborn, “Get up and kill them.” The youth did not draw his sword, for he was afraid because he was still a youth.
“Please speak in the hearing of all the citizens of Shechem, ‘Is it better for you that seventy men, all the sons of Jerubbaal, rule over you or that one man rule over you? ' Remember that I am your own flesh and blood.”[fn]
Zebul replied, “What do you have to say now? You said, ‘Who is Abimelech that we should serve him? ' Aren't these the troops you despised? Now go and fight them! ”
He quickly called his armor-bearer and said to him, “Draw your sword and kill me, or they'll say about me, ‘A woman killed him.' ” So his armor-bearer ran him through, and he died.
“for indeed, you will conceive and give birth to a son. You must never cut his hair,[fn] because the boy will be a Nazirite to God from birth, and he will begin to save Israel from the power of the Philistines.”
“He said to me, ‘You will conceive and give birth to a son. Therefore, do not drink wine or beer, and do not eat anything unclean, because the boy will be a Nazirite to God from birth until the day of his death.' ”
Then Manoah asked, “When your words come true, what will be the boy's responsibilities and work? ”
Then Manoah said to him, “What is your name, so that we may honor you when your words come true? ”
So the woman gave birth to a son and named him Samson. The boy grew, and the LORD blessed him.
So God split a hollow place in the ground at Lehi, and water came out of it. After Samson drank, his strength returned, and he revived. That is why he named it Hakkore Spring,[fn] which is still in Lehi today.
Delilah took new ropes, tied him up with them, and shouted, “Samson, the Philistines are here! ” But while the men in ambush were waiting in her room, he snapped the ropes off his arms like a thread.
Micah consecrated the Levite, and the young man became his priest and lived in Micah's house.
Then her husband got up and followed her to speak kindly to her and bring her back. He had his servant with him and a pair of donkeys. So she brought him to her father's house, and when the girl's father saw him, he gladly welcomed him.
The man got up to go with his concubine and his servant, when his father-in-law, the girl's father, said to him, “Look, night is coming. Please spend the night. See, the day is almost over. Spend the night here, enjoy yourself, then you can get up early tomorrow for your journey and go home.”
When they were near Jebus and the day was almost gone, the servant said to his master, “Please, why not let us stop at this Jebusite city and spend the night here? ”
“Welcome! ” said the old man. “I'll take care of everything you need. Only don't spend the night in the square.”
The leaders of all the people and of all the tribes of Israel presented themselves in the assembly of God's people: four hundred thousand armed foot soldiers.
So all the men of Israel got up from their places and took their battle positions at Baal-tamar, while the Israelites in ambush charged out of their places west of[fn] Geba.
The men in ambush had rushed quickly against Gibeah; they advanced and put the whole city to the sword.
The servant answered, “She is the young Moabite woman who returned with Naomi from the territory of Moab.
“Stay here tonight, and in the morning, if he wants to redeem you, that's good. Let him redeem you. But if he doesn't want to redeem you, as the LORD lives, I will. Now lie down until morning.”
Naomi said, “My daughter, wait until you find out how things go, for he won't rest unless he resolves this today.”
At an earlier period in Israel, a man removed his sandal and gave it to the other party in order to make any matter legally binding concerning the right of redemption or the exchange of property. This was the method of legally binding a transaction in Israel.
“I have also acquired Ruth the Moabitess, Mahlon's widow, as my wife, to perpetuate the deceased man's name on his property, so that his name will not disappear among his relatives or from the gate of his hometown. You are witnesses today.”
The women said to Naomi, “Blessed be the LORD, who has not left you without a family redeemer today. May his name become well known in Israel.
Hannah prayed:
My heart rejoices in the LORD;
my horn is lifted up by the LORD.
My mouth boasts over my enemies,
because I rejoice in your salvation.
Elkanah went home to Ramah, but the boy served the LORD in the presence of the priest Eli.
Even before the fat was burned, the priest's servant would come and say to the one who was sacrificing, “Give the priest some meat to roast, because he won't accept boiled meat from you — only raw.”
The LORD paid attention to Hannah's need, and she conceived and gave birth to three sons and two daughters. Meanwhile, the boy Samuel grew up in the presence of the LORD.
By contrast, the boy Samuel grew in stature and in favor with the LORD and with people.
“This will be the sign that will come to you concerning your two sons Hophni and Phinehas: both of them will die on the same day.
The boy Samuel served the LORD in Eli's presence. In those days the word of the LORD was rare and prophetic visions were not widespread.
Samuel lay down until the morning; then he opened the doors of the LORD's house. He was afraid to tell Eli the vision,
The messenger answered, “Israel has fled from the Philistines, and also there was a great slaughter among the people. Your two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, are both dead, and the ark of God has been captured.”
“Look,” the servant said, “there's a man of God in this city who is highly respected; everything he says is sure to come true. Let's go there now. Maybe he'll tell us which way we should go.”
The servant answered Saul, “Here, I have a little[fn] silver. I'll give it to the man of God, and he will tell us which way we should go.”
Then Samuel went[fn] from Gilgal to Gibeah in Benjamin. Saul registered the troops who were with him, about six hundred men.
“But if they say, ‘Come on up,' then we'll go up, because the LORD has handed them over to us — that will be our sign.”
Whenever the spirit from God came on Saul, David would pick up his lyre and play, and Saul would then be relieved, feel better, and the evil spirit would leave him.
He said to the servant, “Run and find the arrows I'm shooting.” As the servant ran, Jonathan shot an arrow beyond him.
He came to the location of the arrow that Jonathan had shot, but Jonathan called to him and said, “The arrow is beyond you, isn't it? ”
Then Jonathan called to him, “Hurry up and don't stop! ” Jonathan's servant picked up the arrow and returned to his master.
When the servant had gone, David got up from the south side of the stone Ezel, fell facedown to the ground, and paid homage three times. Then he and Jonathan kissed each other and wept with each other, though David wept more.
Saul heard that David and his men had been discovered. At that time Saul was in Gibeah, sitting under the tamarisk tree at the high place. His spear was in his hand, and all his servants were standing around him.
“Look, my father! Look at the corner of your robe in my hand, for I cut it off, but I didn't kill you. Recognize[fn] that I've committed no crime or rebellion. I haven't sinned against you even though you are hunting me down to take my life.
“What you have done is not good. As the LORD lives, all of you deserve to die[fn] since you didn't protect your lord, the LORD's anointed. Now look around; where are the king's spear and water jug that were by his head? ”
Then David said to him, “Who do you belong to? Where are you from? ”
“I'm an Egyptian, the slave of an Amalekite man,” he said. “My master abandoned me when I got sick three days ago.
“I happened to be on Mount Gilboa,” he replied, “and there was Saul, leaning on his spear. At that very moment the chariots and the cavalry were closing in on him.
For David had said to the Amalekite, “Your blood is on your own head because your own mouth testified against you by saying, ‘I killed the LORD's anointed.' ”
So David went to Baal-perazim and defeated them there and said, “Like a bursting flood, the LORD has burst out against my enemies before me.” Therefore, he named that place The Lord Bursts Out.[fn]
He and all his troops set out to bring the ark of God from Baale-judah.[fn] The ark bears the Name, the name of the LORD of Armies who is enthroned between the cherubim.
so that your name will be exalted forever, when it is said, “The LORD of Armies is God over Israel.” The house of your servant David will be established before you
“We will certainly die and be like water poured out on the ground, which can't be recovered. But God would not take away a life; he would devise plans so that the one banished from him does not remain banished.
When David had gone a little beyond the summit,[fn] Ziba, Mephibosheth's servant, was right there to meet him. He had a pair of saddled donkeys loaded with two hundred loaves of bread, one hundred clusters of raisins, one hundred bunches of summer fruit, and a clay jar of wine.
“Is this your loyalty to your friend? ” Absalom asked Hushai. “Why didn't you go with your friend? ”
“Instead, I advise that all Israel from Dan to Beer-sheba — as numerous as the sand by the sea — be gathered to you and that you personally go into battle.
“But Absalom, the man we anointed over us, has died in battle. So why do you say nothing about restoring the king? ”
There were a thousand men from Benjamin with him. Ziba, an attendant from the house of Saul, with his fifteen sons and twenty servants also rushed down to the Jordan ahead of the king.
The king went on to Gilgal, and Chimham went with him. All the troops of Judah and half of Israel's escorted the king.
Once again there was a battle with the Philistines at Gob, and Elhanan son of Jaare-oregim the Bethlehemite killed[fn] Goliath of Gath. The shaft of his spear was like a weaver's beam.
God — his way is perfect;
the word of the LORD is pure.
He is a shield to all who take refuge in him.
At that time David was in the stronghold, and a Philistine garrison was at Bethlehem.
David was extremely thirsty[fn] and said, “If only someone would bring me water to drink from the well at the city gate of Bethlehem! ”
“On the day you do leave and cross the Kidron Valley, know for sure that you will certainly die. Your blood will be on your own head.”
The portico in front of the temple sanctuary was thirty feet long extending across the temple's width, and fifteen feet deep[fn] in front of the temple.
He built the chambers along the entire temple, joined to the temple with cedar beams; each story was 7½ feet high.
He also made two capitals of cast bronze to set on top of the pillars; 7½ feet[fn] was the height of the first capital, and 7½ feet was also the height of the second capital.
This was the design of the carts: They had frames; the frames were between the cross-pieces,
There were four wheels under the frames, and the wheel axles were part of the water cart; each wheel was twenty-seven inches[fn] tall.
The wheels' design was similar to that of chariot wheels: their axles, rims, spokes, and hubs were all of cast metal.
so that your eyes may watch over this temple night and day,
toward the place where you said,
“My name will be there,”
and so that you may hear the prayer
that your servant prays toward this place.
On the same day, the king consecrated the middle of the courtyard that was in front of the LORD's temple because that was where he offered the burnt offering, the grain offering, and the fat of the fellowship offerings, since the bronze altar before the LORD was too small to accommodate the burnt offerings, the grain offerings, and the fat of the fellowship offerings.
“‘This is what the LORD says: You are not to march up and fight against your brothers, the Israelites. Each of you return home, for this situation is from me.' ”
So they listened to the word of the LORD and went back according to the word of the LORD.
He gave a sign that day. He said, “This is the sign that the LORD has spoken: ‘The altar will now be ripped apart, and the ashes that are on it will be poured out.' ”
The altar was ripped apart, and the ashes poured from the altar, according to the sign that the man of God had given by the word of the LORD.
“for the message that he cried out by the word of the LORD against the altar in Bethel and against all the shrines of the high places in the cities of Samaria is certain to happen.”
This was the sin that caused the house of Jeroboam to be cut off and obliterated from the face of the earth.
At that time the people of Israel were divided: half the people followed Tibni son of Ginath, to make him king, and half followed Omri.
So the LORD listened to Elijah, and the boy's life came into him again, and he lived.
“Then you call on the name of your god, and I will call on the name of the LORD. The God who answers with fire, he is God.”
All the people answered, “That's fine.”
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, “Israel will be your name” —
Then he said to his servant, “Go up and look toward the sea.”
So he went up, looked, and said, “There's nothing.”
Seven times Elijah said, “Go back.”
Then Elijah became afraid[fn] and immediately ran for his life. When he came to Beer-sheba that belonged to Judah, he left his servant there,
“‘Your silver and your gold are mine! And your best wives and children are mine as well! ' ”
The ones who remained fled into the city of Aphek, and the wall fell on those twenty-seven thousand remaining men.
Ben-hadad also fled and went into an inner room in the city.
So Ahab went to his palace resentful and angry because of what Naboth the Jezreelite had told him. He had said, “I will not give you my ancestors' inheritance.” He lay down on his bed, turned his face away, and didn't eat any food.
Then his wife Jezebel came to him and said to him, “Why are you so upset that you refuse to eat? ”
Gehazi went ahead of them and placed the staff on the boy's face, but there was no sound or sign of life, so he went back to meet Elisha and told him, “The boy didn't wake up.”
Elisha got up, went into the house, and paced back and forth. Then he went up and bent down over him again. The boy sneezed seven times and opened his eyes.
When the servant of the man of God got up early and went out, he discovered an army with horses and chariots surrounding the city. So he asked Elisha, “Oh, my master, what are we to do? ”
Your master's sons are with you, and you have chariots, horses, a fortified city, and weaponry, so when this letter arrives
When the letter came to them, they took the king's sons and slaughtered all seventy, put their heads in baskets, and sent them to Jehu at Jezreel.
Then the priest Jehoiada took a chest, bored a hole in its lid, and set it beside the altar on the right side as one enters the LORD's temple; the priests who guarded the threshold put into the chest all the silver that was brought to the LORD's temple.
Whenever they saw there was a large amount of silver in the chest, the king's secretary and the high priest would go bag up and tally the silver found in the LORD's temple.
So King Joash of Judah took all the items consecrated by himself and by his ancestors — Judah's kings Jehoshaphat, Jehoram, and Ahaziah — as well as all the gold found in the treasuries of the LORD's temple and in the king's palace, and he sent them to King Hazael of Aram. Then Hazael withdrew from Jerusalem.
but they didn't turn away from the sins that the house of Jeroboam had caused Israel to commit. Jehoahaz continued them, and the Asherah pole also remained standing in Samaria.
So Hezekiah gave him all the silver found in the LORD's temple and in the treasuries of the king's palace.
“This will be the sign for you: This year you will eat what grows on its own, and in the second year what grows from that. But in the third year sow and reap, plant vineyards and eat their fruit.
“The surviving remnant of the house of Judah will again take root downward and bear fruit upward.
Isaiah said, “This is the sign to you from the LORD that he will do what he has promised: Should the shadow go ahead ten steps or go back ten steps? ”
Then he said, “What is this monument I see? ”
The men of the city told him, “It is the tomb of the man of God who came from Judah and proclaimed these things that you have done to the altar at Bethel.”
No such Passover had ever been observed from the time of the judges who judged Israel through the entire time of the kings of Israel and Judah.
But in the eighteenth year of King Josiah, the LORD's Passover was observed in Jerusalem.
For the LORD had said, “I will also remove Judah from my presence just as I have removed Israel. I will reject this city Jerusalem, that I have chosen, and the temple about which I said, ‘My name will be there.' ”
At that time David was in the stronghold, and a Philistine garrison was at Bethlehem.
With them were Heman, Jeduthun, and the rest who were chosen and designated by name to give thanks to the LORD — for his faithful love endures forever.
“I will be his father, and he will be my son. I will not remove my faithful love from him as I removed it from the one who was before you.
Yet the king's order prevailed over Joab. So Joab left and traveled throughout Israel and then returned to Jerusalem.
Then David said, “This is the house of the LORD God, and this is the altar of burnt offering for Israel.”
Then King David said to all the assembly, “My son Solomon — God has chosen him alone — is young and inexperienced. The task is great because the building will not be built for a human but for the LORD God.
Yours, LORD, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the splendor and the majesty, for everything in the heavens and on earth belongs to you. Yours, LORD, is the kingdom, and you are exalted as head over all.
Then he made the most holy place; its length corresponded to the width of the temple, 30 feet, and its width was 30 feet. He overlaid it with forty-five thousand pounds[fn] of fine gold.
The overall length of the wings of the cherubim was 30 feet: the wing of one was 7½ feet,[fn] touching the wall of the room; its other wing was 7½ feet, touching the wing of the other cherub.
He said:
LORD God of Israel,
there is no God like you
in heaven or on earth,
who keeps his gracious covenant
with your servants who walk before you
with all their heart.
may you hear in heaven in your dwelling place,
and do all the foreigner asks you.
Then all the peoples of the earth will know your name,
to fear you as your people Israel do
and know that this temple I have built
bears your name.
All the Israelites were watching when the fire descended and the glory of the LORD came on the temple. They bowed down on the pavement with their faces to the ground. They worshiped and praised the LORD:
For he is good,
for his faithful love endures forever.
The priests and the Levites were standing at their stations. The Levites had the musical instruments of the LORD, which King David had made to give thanks to the LORD — “for his faithful love endures forever” — when he offered praise with them. Across from the Levites, the priests were blowing trumpets, and all the people were standing.
“‘This is what the LORD says: You are not to march up and fight against your brothers. Each of you return home, for this incident has come from me.' ”
So they listened to what the LORD said and turned back from going against Jeroboam.
“Then a spirit came forward, stood before the LORD, and said, ‘I will entice him.'
“The LORD asked him, ‘How? '
“If disaster comes on us — sword or judgment, pestilence or famine — we will stand before this temple and before you, for your name is in this temple. We will cry out to you because of our distress, and you will hear and deliver.”
Then he consulted with the people and appointed some to sing for the LORD and some to praise the splendor of his holiness. When they went out in front of the armed forces, they kept singing:[fn]
Give thanks to the LORD,
for his faithful love endures forever.
Then the inhabitants of Jerusalem made Ahaziah, his youngest son, king in his place, because the troops that had come with the Arabs to the camp had killed all the older sons.[fn] So Ahaziah son of Jehoram became king of Judah.
Whenever the chest was brought by the Levites to the king's overseers, and when they saw that there was a large amount of silver, the king's secretary and the high priest's deputy came and emptied the chest, picked it up, and returned it to its place. They did this daily and gathered the silver in abundance.
As for the rest of the events of Hezekiah's reign and his deeds of faithful love, note that they are written in the Visions of the Prophet Isaiah son of Amoz, and in the Book of the Kings of Judah and Israel.
He built altars in the LORD's temple, where the LORD had said, “Jerusalem is where my name will remain forever.”
They sang with praise and thanksgiving to the LORD: “For he is good; his faithful love to Israel endures forever.” Then all the people gave a great shout of praise to the LORD because the foundation of the LORD's house had been laid.
Now the construction of God's house in Jerusalem had stopped and remained at a standstill until the second year of the reign of King Darius of Persia.
Let it be known to the king that we went to the house of the great God in the province of Judah. It is being built with cut[fn] stones, and its beams are being set in the walls. This work is being done diligently and succeeding through the people's efforts.
May the God who caused his name to dwell there overthrow any king or people who dares[fn] to harm or interfere with this house of God in Jerusalem. I, Darius, have issued the decree. Let it be carried out diligently.
Anyone who does not keep the law of your God and the law of the king, let the appropriate judgment be executed against him, whether death, banishment, confiscation of property, or imprisonment.
who was of Shecaniah's descendants;
Zechariah, from Parosh's descendants,
and 150 men[fn] with him who were registered by genealogy;
Then I said to them, “You are holy to the LORD, and the articles are holy. The silver and gold are a freewill offering to the LORD God of your ancestors.
let your eyes be open and your ears be attentive to hear your servant's prayer that I now pray to you day and night for your servants, the Israelites. I confess the sins[fn] we have committed against you. Both I and my father's family have sinned.
Please, Lord, let your ear be attentive to the prayer of your servant and to that of your servants who delight to revere your name. Give your servant success today, and grant him compassion in the presence of this man.[fn]
At the time, I was the king's cupbearer.
so the king said to me, “Why do you look so sad, when you aren't sick? This is nothing but sadness of heart.”
I was overwhelmed with fear
and replied to the king, “May the king live forever! Why should I[fn] not be sad when the city where my ancestors are buried lies in ruins and its gates have been destroyed by fire? ”
I got up at night and took a few men with me. I didn't tell anyone what my God had laid on my heart to do for Jerusalem. The only animal I took[fn] was the one I was riding.
When Sanballat the Horonite, Tobiah the Ammonite official, and Geshem the Arab heard about this, they mocked and despised us, and said, “What is this you're doing? Are you rebelling against the king? ”
So I sent messengers to them, saying, “I am doing important work and cannot come down. Why should the work cease while I leave it and go down to you? ”
When the wall had been rebuilt and I had the doors installed, the gatekeepers, singers, and Levites were appointed.
“Then the young woman who pleases the king will become queen instead of Vashti.” This suggestion pleased the king, and he did accordingly.
Mordecai was the legal guardian of his cousin[fn] Hadassah (that is, Esther), because she had no father or mother. The young woman had a beautiful figure and was extremely good-looking. When her father and mother died, Mordecai had adopted her as his own daughter.
When the king's command and edict became public knowledge and when many young women were gathered at the fortress of Susa under Hegai's supervision, Esther was taken to the palace, into the supervision of Hegai, keeper of the women.
The young woman pleased him and gained his favor so that he accelerated the process of the beauty treatments and the special diet that she received. He assigned seven hand-picked female servants to her from the palace and transferred her and her servants to the harem's best quarters.
The couriers left, spurred on by royal command, and the law was issued in the fortress of Susa. The king and Haman sat down to drink, while the city of Susa was in confusion.
On the third day, Esther dressed in her royal clothing and stood in the inner courtyard of the palace facing it. The king was sitting on his royal throne in the royal courtroom,[fn] facing its entrance.
As soon as the king saw Queen Esther standing in the courtyard, she gained favor with him. The king extended the gold scepter in his hand toward Esther, and she approached and touched the tip of the scepter.
“What is it, Queen Esther? ” the king asked her. “Whatever you want, even to half the kingdom, will be given to you.”
His wife Zeresh and all his friends told him, “Have them build a gallows seventy-five feet[fn] tall. Ask the king in the morning to hang Mordecai on it. Then go to the banquet with the king and enjoy yourself.” The advice pleased Haman, so he had the gallows constructed.
Once again, on the second day while drinking wine, the king asked Esther, “Queen Esther, whatever you ask will be given to you. Whatever you seek, even to half the kingdom, will be done.”
The couriers rode out in haste on their royal horses at the king's urgent command. The law was also issued in the fortress of Susa.
In every province and every city where the king's command and edict reached, gladness and joy took place among the Jews. There was a celebration and a holiday.[fn] And many of the ethnic groups of the land professed themselves to be Jews because fear of the Jews had overcome them.
For Mordecai exercised great power in the palace, and his fame spread throughout the provinces as he became more and more powerful.
These days are remembered and celebrated by every generation, family, province, and city, so that these days of Purim will not lose their significance in Jewish life[fn] and their memory will not fade from their descendants.
saying:
Naked I came from my mother's womb,
and naked I will leave this life.[fn]
The LORD gives, and the LORD takes away.
Blessed be the name of the LORD.
His wife said to him, “Are you still holding on to your integrity? Curse God and die! ”
You will also know that your offspring will be many
and your descendants like the grass of the earth.
Even if I were in the right, my own mouth would condemn me;
if I were blameless, my mouth would declare me guilty.
He will not escape from the darkness;
flames will wither his shoots,
and by the breath of God's mouth, he will depart.
You have shriveled me up[fn] — it has become a witness;
my frailty rises up against me and testifies to my face.
They are exalted for a moment, then gone;
they are brought low and shrivel up like everything else.[fn]
They wither like heads of grain.
Gold and glass do not compare with it,
and articles of fine gold cannot be exchanged for it.
Instead, his delight is in the LORD's instruction,
and he meditates on it day and night.
He is like a tree planted beside flowing streams[fn]
that bears its fruit in its season,
and its leaf does not wither.
Whatever he does prospers.
Many are asking, “Who can show us anything good? ”
Let the light of your face shine on us, LORD.
LORD, our Lord,
how magnificent is your name throughout the earth!
You have covered the heavens with your majesty.[fn]
The enemy has come to eternal ruin;
you have uprooted the cities,
and the very memory of them has perished.
All have turned away;
all alike have become corrupt.
There is no one who does good,
not even one.
Concerning what people do:
by the words from your lips
I have avoided the ways of the violent.
The heavens declare the glory of God,
and the expanse proclaims the work of his hands.
It rises from one end of the heavens
and circles to their other end;
nothing is hidden from its heat.
You who fear the LORD, praise him!
All you descendants of Jacob, honor him!
All you descendants of Israel, revere him!
You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies;
you anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
The secret counsel of the LORD
is for those who fear him,
and he reveals his covenant to them.
How great is your goodness,
which you have stored up for those who fear you.
In the presence of everyone[fn] you have acted
for those who take refuge in you.
Blessed be the LORD,
for he has wondrously shown his faithful love to me
in a city under siege.
Happy is the nation whose God is the LORD —
the people he has chosen to be his own possession!
How priceless your faithful love is, God!
People take refuge in the shadow of your wings.
How happy is anyone
who has put his trust in the LORD
and has not turned to the proud
or to those who run after lies!
LORD, you do not[fn] withhold your compassion from me.
Your constant love and truth will always guard me.
For your faithful love is as high as the heavens;
your faithfulness reaches the clouds.
My faithful God[fn] will come to meet me;
God will let me look down on my adversaries.
Why gaze with envy, you mountain peaks,
at the mountain God desired for his abode?
The LORD will dwell there forever!
God's chariots are tens of thousands,
thousands and thousands;
the Lord is among them in the sanctuary[fn]
as he was at Sinai.
Don't let the floodwaters sweep over me
or the deep swallow me up;
don't let the Pit close its mouth over me.
Answer me, LORD,
for your faithful love is good.
In keeping with your abundant compassion,
turn to me.
The descendants of his servants will inherit it,
and those who love his name will live in it.
My mouth will tell about your righteousness
and your salvation all day long,
though I cannot sum them up.
May his name endure forever;
as long as the sun shines,
may his fame increase.
May all nations be blessed by him
and call him blessed.
Blessed be his glorious name forever;
the whole earth is filled with his glory.
Amen and amen.
For your faithful love for me is great,
and you rescue my life from the depths of Sheol.
“My faithfulness and love will be with him,
and through my name
his horn will be exalted.
For the LORD is good, and his faithful love endures forever;
his faithfulness, through all generations.
“Your servants' children will dwell securely,
and their offspring will be established before you.”
For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
so great is his faithful love
toward those who fear him.
But from eternity to eternity
the LORD's faithful love is toward those who fear him,
and his righteousness toward the grandchildren
You covered it with the deep
as if it were a garment;
the water stood above the mountains.
When you hide your face,
they are terrified;
when you take away their breath,
they die and return to the dust.
Hallelujah!
Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good;
his faithful love endures forever.
For your faithful love is higher than the heavens,
and your faithfulness reaches to the clouds.
Let the line of his descendants be cut off;
let their name be blotted out in the next generation.
But you, LORD, my Lord,
deal kindly with me for your name's sake;
because your faithful love is good, rescue me.
He has sent redemption to his people.
He has ordained his covenant forever.
His name is holy and awe-inspiring.
His descendants will be powerful in the land;
the generation of the upright will be blessed.
For his faithful love to us is great;
the LORD's faithfulness endures forever.
Hallelujah!
Our mouths were filled with laughter then,
and our tongues with shouts of joy.
Then they said among the nations,
“The LORD has done great things for them.”
but hurled Pharaoh and his army into the Red Sea.
His faithful love endures forever.
The LORD will fulfill his purpose for me.
LORD, your faithful love endures forever;
do not abandon the work of your hands.
Answer me quickly, LORD;
my spirit fails.
Don't hide your face from me,
or I will be like those
going down to the Pit.
Teach me to do your will,
for you are my God.
May your gracious Spirit
lead me on level ground.
Set me free and rescue me
from foreigners
whose mouths speak lies,
whose right hands are deceptive.
My mouth will declare the LORD's praise;
let every living thing
bless his holy name forever and ever.
“The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom,
and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.
When a person's ways please the LORD,
he makes even his enemies to be at peace with him.
God's verdict is on the lips of a king;[fn]
his mouth should not give an unfair judgment.
for it is better for him to say to you, “Come up here! ”
than to demote you in plain view of a noble.[fn]
Gusting to the south,
turning to the north,
turning, turning, goes the wind,
and the wind returns in its cycles.
What has been is what will be,
and what has been done is what will be done;
there is nothing new under the sun.
Therefore, I hated life because the work that was done under the sun was distressing to me. For everything is futile and a pursuit of the wind.
Whatever is, has already been, and whatever will be, already is. However, God seeks justice for the persecuted.[fn]
And if someone overpowers one person, two can resist him. A cord of three strands is not easily broken.
A man may father a hundred children and live many years. No matter how long he lives,[fn] if he is not satisfied by good things and does not even have a proper burial, I say that a stillborn child is better off than he.
It is better to listen to rebuke from a wise person
than to listen to the song of fools,
It is good that you grasp the one and do not let the other slip from your hand. For the one who fears God will end up with both of them.
If the ax is dull, and one does not sharpen its edge,
then one must exert more strength;
however, the advantage of wisdom is that it brings success.
If the clouds are full, they will pour out rain on the earth;
whether a tree falls to the south or the north,
the place where the tree falls, there it will lie.
In the morning sow your seed,
and at evening do not let your hand rest,
because you don't know which will succeed,
whether one or the other,
or if both of them will be equally good.
Indeed, if someone lives many years,
let him rejoice in them all,
and let him remember the days of darkness, since they will be many.
All that comes is futile.
before the sun and the light are darkened,
and the moon and the stars,
and the clouds return after[fn] the rain;
Also, they are afraid of heights and dangers on the road;
the almond tree blossoms,
the grasshopper loses its spring,[fn]
and the caper berry has no effect;
for the mere mortal is headed to his eternal home,
and mourners will walk around in the street;
and the dust returns to the earth as it once was,
and the spirit returns to God who gave it.
When all has been heard, the conclusion of the matter is this: fear God and keep his commands, because this is for all[fn] humanity.
For you have abandoned your people,
the house of Jacob,
because they are full of divination from the East
and of fortune-tellers like the Philistines.
They are in league[fn] with foreigners.
The pride of mankind[fn] will be humbled,
and human loftiness will be brought low;
the LORD alone will be exalted on that day.
Israel's Light will become a fire,
and its Holy One, a flame.
In one day it will burn and consume Assyria's thorns and thistles.
and on that day you will say,
“Give thanks to the LORD; proclaim his name!
Make his works known among the peoples.
Declare that his name is exalted.
I will break Assyria in my land;
I will tread him down on my mountain.
Then his yoke will be taken from them,
and his burden will be removed from their shoulders.
The Waters of Nimrim are desolate;
the grass is withered, the foliage is gone,
and the vegetation has vanished.
The Waters of Dibon[fn] are full of blood,
but I will bring on Dibon even more than this —
a lion for those who escape from Moab,
and for the survivors in the land.
Send lambs to the ruler of the land,
from Sela in the desert
to the mountain of Daughter Zion.
A pronouncement concerning Damascus:
Look, Damascus is no longer a city.
It has become a ruined heap.
The fortress disappears from Ephraim,
and a kingdom from Damascus.
The remnant of Aram will be
like the splendor of the Israelites.
This is the declaration of the LORD of Armies.
Egypt's spirit will be disturbed within it,
and I will frustrate its plans.
Then they will inquire of worthless idols, ghosts,
mediums, and spiritists.
A pronouncement concerning the desert by the sea:
Like storms that pass over the Negev,
it comes from the desert, from the land of terror.
“The remaining Kedarite archers will be few in number.” For the LORD, the God of Israel, has spoken.
A pronouncement concerning the Valley of Vision:
What's the matter with you?
Why have all of you gone up to the rooftops?
A pronouncement concerning Tyre:
Wail, ships of Tarshish,
for your haven has been destroyed.
Word has reached them from the land of Cyprus.[fn]
The earth will be stripped completely bare
and will be totally plundered,
for the LORD has spoken this message.
They raise their voices, they sing out;
they proclaim in the west
the majesty of the LORD.
Therefore, in the east honor the LORD!
In the coasts and islands of the west
honor the name of the LORD,
the God of Israel.
The moon will be put to shame
and the sun disgraced,
because the LORD of Armies will reign as king
on Mount Zion in Jerusalem,
and he will display his glory
in the presence of his elders.
When he has swallowed up death once and for all,
the Lord GOD will wipe away the tears
from every face
and remove his people's disgrace
from the whole earth,
for the LORD has spoken.
I long for you in the night;
yes, my spirit within me diligently seeks you,
for when your judgments are in the land,
the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness.
For the fortified city will be desolate,
pastures deserted and abandoned like a wilderness.
Calves will graze there,
and there they will spread out and strip its branches.
Woe to the majestic crown of Ephraim's drunkards,
and to the fading flower of its beautiful splendor,
which is on the summit above the rich valley.
Woe to those overcome with wine.
The fading flower of his beautiful splendor,
which is on the summit above the rich valley,
will be like a ripe fig before the summer harvest.
Whoever sees it will swallow it
while it is still in his hand.
He had said to them,
“This is the place of rest;
let the weary rest;
this is the place of repose.”
But they would not listen.
The word of the LORD will come to them:
“Law after law, law after law,
line after line, line after line,
a little here, a little there,”
so they go stumbling backward,
to be broken, trapped, and captured.
I will oppress Ariel,
and there will be mourning and crying,
and she will be to me like an Ariel.
It will be like a hungry one who dreams he is eating,
then wakes and is still hungry;
and like a thirsty one who dreams he is drinking,
then wakes and is still thirsty, longing for water.
So it will be for all the many nations
who go to battle against Mount Zion.
And if the document is given to one who cannot read and he is asked to read it,[fn] he will say, “I can't read.”
You have turned things around,
as if the potter were the same as the clay.
How can what is made say about its maker,
“He didn't make me”?
How can what is formed
say about the one who formed it,
“He doesn't understand what he's doing”?
Isn't it true that in just a little while
Lebanon will become an orchard,
and the orchard will seem like a forest?
“this iniquity of yours will be
like a crumbling gap,
a bulge in a high wall
whose collapse will come in an instant — suddenly!
“Its collapse will be like the shattering
of a potter's jar, crushed to pieces,
so that not even a fragment of pottery
will be found among its shattered remains —
no fragment large enough to take fire from a hearth
or scoop water from a cistern.”
The moonlight will be as bright as the sunlight, and the sunlight will be seven times brighter — like the light of seven days — on the day that the LORD bandages his people's injuries and heals the wounds he inflicted.
Look! The name of the LORD is coming from far away,
his anger burning and heavy with smoke.[fn]
His lips are full of fury,
and his tongue is like a consuming fire.
His breath is like an overflowing torrent
that rises to the neck.
He comes to sift the nations in a sieve of destruction
and to put a bridle on the jaws of the peoples
to lead them astray.
LORD, be gracious to us! We wait for you.
Be our strength every morning
and our salvation in time of trouble.
he will dwell on the heights;
his refuge will be the rocky fortresses,
his food provided, his water assured.
Look at Zion, the city of our festival times.
Your eyes will see Jerusalem,
a peaceful pasture, a tent that does not wander;
its tent pegs will not be pulled up
nor will any of its cords be loosened.
For the majestic one, our LORD, will be there,
a place of rivers and broad streams
where ships that are rowed will not go,
and majestic vessels will not pass.
See, the Lord GOD comes with strength,
and his power establishes his rule.
His wages are with him,
and his reward accompanies him.
“I am the LORD. That is my name,
and I will not give my glory to another
or my praise to idols.
“Listen to me, house of Jacob,
all the remnant of the house of Israel,
who have been sustained from the womb,
carried along since birth.
“I will act for my own sake, indeed, my own,
for how can I[fn] be defiled?
I will not give my glory to another.
“Approach me and listen to this.
From the beginning I have not spoken in secret;
from the time anything existed, I was there.”
And now the Lord GOD
has sent me and his Spirit.
Your descendants would have been as countless as the sand,
and the offspring of your body like its grains;
their name would not be cut off
or eliminated from my presence.
This is what the LORD says:
Where is your mother's divorce certificate
that I used to send her away?
Or to which of my creditors did I sell you?
Look, you were sold for your iniquities,
and your mother was sent away
because of your transgressions.
My righteousness is near,
my salvation appears,
and my arms will bring justice to the nations.
The coasts and islands will put their hope in me,
and they will look to my strength.[fn]
Look up to the heavens,
and look at the earth beneath;
for the heavens will vanish like smoke,
the earth will wear out like a garment,
and its inhabitants will die like gnats.[fn]
But my salvation will last forever,
and my righteousness will never be shattered.
For moths will devour them like a garment,
and worms will eat them like wool.
But my righteousness will last forever,
and my salvation for all generations.
Just as many were appalled at you[fn] —
his appearance was so disfigured
that he did not look like a man,
and his form did not resemble a human being —
He was despised and rejected by men,
a man of suffering who knew what sickness was.
He was like someone people turned away from;[fn]
he was despised, and we didn't value him.
“For you will spread out to the right and to the left,
and your descendants will dispossess nations
and inhabit the desolate cities.
“Though the mountains move
and the hills shake,
my love will not be removed from you
and my covenant of peace will not be shaken,”
says your compassionate LORD.
“so my word that comes from my mouth
will not return to me empty,
but it will accomplish what I please
and will prosper in what I send it to do.”
“and if you offer yourself[fn] to the hungry,
and satisfy the afflicted one,
then your light will shine in the darkness,
and your night will be like noonday.
“then you will delight in the LORD,
and I will make you ride over the heights of the land,
and let you enjoy the heritage of your father Jacob.”
For the mouth of the LORD has spoken.
“As for me, this is my covenant with them,” says the LORD: “My Spirit who is on you, and my words that I have put in your mouth, will not depart from your mouth, or from the mouths of your children, or from the mouths of your children's children, from now on and forever,” says the LORD.
Their descendants will be known among the nations,
and their posterity among the peoples.
All who see them will recognize
that they are a people the LORD has blessed.
For as the earth produces its growth,
and as a garden enables what is sown to spring up,
so the Lord GOD will cause righteousness and praise
to spring up before all the nations.
I will not keep silent because of Zion,
and I will not keep still because of Jerusalem,
until her righteousness shines like a bright light
and her salvation, like a flaming torch.
Yet you are our Father,
even though Abraham does not know us
and Israel doesn't recognize us.
You, LORD, are our Father;
your name is Our Redeemer
from Ancient Times.
just as fire kindles brushwood,
and fire boils water —
to make your name known to your enemies,
so that nations would tremble at your presence!
Our holy and beautiful[fn] temple,
where our ancestors praised you,
has been burned down,
and all that was dear to us lies in ruins.
You who tremble at his word,
hear the word of the LORD:
“Your brothers who hate and exclude you
for my name's sake have said,
‘Let the LORD be glorified
so that we can see your joy! '
But they will be put to shame.”
“For just as the new heavens and the new earth,
which I will make,
will remain before me” —
this is the LORD's declaration —
“so your offspring and your name will remain.
“As they leave, they will see the dead bodies of those who have rebelled against me; for their worm will never die, their fire will never go out, and they will be a horror to all humanity.”
The words of Jeremiah, the son of Hilkiah, one of the priests living in Anathoth in the territory of Benjamin.
Again the word of the LORD came to me asking, “What do you see? ”
And I replied, “I see a boiling pot, its lip tilted from the north to the south.”
Your own evil will discipline you;
your own apostasies will reprimand you.
Recognize[fn] how evil and bitter it is
for you to abandon the LORD your God
and to have no fear of me.
This is the declaration
of the Lord GOD of Armies.
“Then do you come and stand before me in this house that bears my name and say, “We are rescued, so we can continue doing all these detestable acts”?
“what I did to Shiloh I will do to the house that bears my name, the house in which you trust, the place that I gave you and your ancestors.
“When you speak all these things to them, they will not listen to you. When you call to them, they will not answer you.
“For the Judeans have done what is evil in my sight.” This is the LORD's declaration. “They have set up their abhorrent things in the house that bears my name in order to defile it.
“But the one who boasts should boast in this:
that he understands and knows me —
that I am the LORD, showing faithful love,
justice, and righteousness on the earth,
for I delight in these things.
This is the LORD's declaration.
Woe to me because of my brokenness —
I am severely wounded!
I exclaimed, “This is my intense suffering,
but I must bear it.”
“These evil people, who refuse to listen to me, who follow the stubbornness of their own hearts, and who have followed other gods to serve and bow in worship — they will be like this underwear, of no use at all.
“Just as underwear clings to one's waist, so I fastened the whole house of Israel and of Judah to me” — this is the LORD's declaration — “so that they might be my people for my fame, praise, and glory, but they would not obey.
Look up and see
those coming from the north.
Where is the flock entrusted to you,
the sheep that were your pride?
Why are you like a helpless man,
like a warrior unable to save?
Yet you are among us, LORD,
and we bear your name.
Don't leave us!
Your words were found, and I ate them.
Your words became a delight to me
and the joy of my heart,
for I bear your name,
LORD God of Armies.
“However, if that nation about which I have made the announcement turns from its evil, I will relent concerning the disaster I had planned to do to it.
He took up the case of the poor and needy;
then it went well.
Is this not what it means to know me?
This is the LORD's declaration.
“In his days Judah will be saved,
and Israel will dwell securely.
This is the name he will be called:
The LORD Is Our Righteousness.[fn]
“The prophet who has only a dream should recount the dream, but the one who has my word should speak my word truthfully, for what is straw compared to grain? ” — this is the LORD's declaration.
“Now when these people or a prophet or a priest asks you, ‘What is the burden[fn] of the LORD? ' you will respond to them, ‘What is the burden? I will throw you away! This is the LORD's declaration.'
“But no longer refer to[fn] the burden of the LORD, for each man's word becomes his burden and you pervert the words of the living God, the LORD of Armies, our God.
“a sound of joy and gladness, the voice of the groom and the bride, and the voice of those saying,
Give thanks to the LORD of Armies,
for the LORD is good;
his faithful love endures forever
as they bring thanksgiving sacrifices to the temple of the LORD. For I will restore the fortunes of the land as in former times, says the LORD.
This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD when King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon, his whole army, all the kingdoms of the lands under his control, and all other peoples were fighting against Jerusalem and all its surrounding cities:
“As for you, you will not escape from him but are certain to be captured and handed over to him. You will meet the king of Babylon eye to eye and speak face to face;[fn] you will go to Babylon.
“Today you repented and did what pleased me, each of you proclaiming freedom for his neighbor. You made a covenant before me at the house that bears my name.
Therefore, this is what the LORD says concerning King Jehoiakim of Judah: He will have no one to sit on David's throne, and his corpse will be thrown out to be exposed to the heat of day and the frost of night.
“So now please listen, my lord the king. May my petition come before you. Don't send me back to the house of Jonathan the scribe, or I will die there.”
This will be a sign to you' — this is the LORD's declaration — ‘that I will punish you in this place, so you may know that my words of disaster concerning you will certainly come to pass.
He continues to stumble.
Indeed, each falls over the other.
They say, “Get up! Let's return to our people
and to our native land,
away from the oppressor's sword.”
As I live —
this is the King's declaration;
the LORD of Armies is his name —
the king of Babylon[fn] will come like Tabor among the mountains
and like Carmel by the sea.
“There is a cry from Heshbon to Elealeh; they make their voices heard as far as Jahaz — from Zoar to Horonaim and Eglath-shelishiyah — because even the Waters of Nimrim have become desolate.
You who reside by abundant water,
rich in treasures,
your end has come,
your life thread is cut.
Her dignitaries were brighter than snow,
whiter than milk;
their bodies[fn] were more ruddy than coral,
their appearance like lapis lazuli.
Now they appear darker than soot;
they are not recognized in the streets.
Their skin has shriveled on their bones;
it has become dry like wood.
On the fifth day of the month — it was the fifth year of King Jehoiachin's exile —
Each creature went straight ahead. Wherever the Spirit[fn] wanted to go, they went without turning as they moved.
The appearance of the wheels and their craftsmanship was like the gleam of beryl, and all four had the same likeness. Their appearance and craftsmanship was like a wheel within a wheel.
Wherever the Spirit wanted to go, the creatures went in the direction the Spirit was moving. The wheels rose alongside them, for the spirit of the living creatures was in the wheels.
“Son of man,” he said to me, “feed your stomach and fill your belly with this scroll I am giving you.” So I ate it, and it was as sweet as honey in my mouth.
The Spirit lifted me up and took me away. I left in bitterness and in an angry spirit, and the LORD's hand was on me powerfully.
“If I say to the wicked person, ‘You will surely die,' but you do not warn him — you don't speak out to warn him about his wicked way in order to save his life — that wicked person will die for his iniquity. Yet I will hold you responsible for his blood.
“A third of your people will die by plague and be consumed by famine within you; a third will fall by the sword all around you; and I will scatter a third to every direction of the wind, and I will draw a sword to chase after them.
“Son of man, this is what the Lord GOD says to the land of Israel:
An end! The end has come
on the four corners of the earth.
“The end is now upon you;
I will send my anger against you
and judge you according to your ways.
I will punish you for all your detestable practices.
Here is the day! Here it comes!
Doom is on its way.
The rod has blossomed;
arrogance has bloomed.
They will throw their silver into the streets,
and their gold will seem like something filthy.
Their silver and gold will be unable to save them
in the day of the LORD's wrath.
They will not satisfy their appetites
or fill their stomachs,
for these were the stumbling blocks
that brought about their iniquity.
“Slaughter the old men, the young men and women, as well as the children and older women, but do not come near anyone who has the mark. Begin at my sanctuary.” So they began with the elders who were in front of the temple.
The cherubim ascended; these were the living creatures I had seen by the Chebar Canal.
These were the living creatures I had seen beneath the God of Israel by the Chebar Canal, and I recognized that they were cherubim.
“And while they look on, lift the bags to your shoulder and take them out in the dark; cover your face so that you cannot see the land. For I have made you a sign to the house of Israel.”
“Son of man, how does the wood of the vine, that branch among the trees of the forest, compare to any other wood?
“In fact, it is put into the fire as fuel. The fire devours both of its ends, and the middle is charred. Can it be useful for anything?
Therefore, this is what the Lord GOD says, “Like the wood of the vine among the trees of the forest, which I have given to the fire as fuel, so I will give up the residents of Jerusalem.
“and lends at interest or for profit, will he live? He will not live! Since he has committed all these detestable acts, he will certainly die. His death will be his own fault.[fn]
“Since I will cut off[fn] both the righteous and the wicked, my sword will therefore come out of its sheath against all humanity from the south to the north.
“You will be fuel for the fire.
Your blood will be spilled within the land.
You will not be remembered,
for I, the LORD, have spoken.' ”
“You will be filled with drunkenness and grief,
with a cup of devastation and desolation,
the cup of your sister Samaria.
“Groan quietly; do not observe mourning rites for the dead. Put on your turban and strap your sandals on your feet; do not cover your mustache or eat the bread of mourners.”[fn]
“On that day your mouth will be opened to talk with him; you will speak and no longer be mute. So you will be a sign for them, and they will know that I am the LORD.”
“Your rowers have brought you
onto the high seas,
but the east wind has wrecked you
in the heart of the sea.
“Through the abundance of your trade,
you were filled with violence, and you sinned.
So I expelled you in disgrace
from the mountain of God,
and banished you, guardian cherub,[fn]
from among the fiery stones.
“Therefore the cedar became greater in height
than all the trees of the field.
Its branches multiplied,
and its boughs grew long
as it spread them out
because of the abundant water.
“ ‘Who then are you like in glory and greatness among Eden's trees? You also will be brought down to the underworld to be with the trees of Eden. You will lie among the uncircumcised with those slain by the sword. This is Pharaoh and all his hordes. This is the declaration of the Lord GOD.' ”
“For I will spread my[fn] terror
in the land of the living,
so Pharaoh and all his hordes
will be laid to rest among the uncircumcised,
with those slain by the sword.”
This is the declaration of the Lord GOD.
“Since he heard the sound of the ram's horn but ignored the warning, his death is his own fault.[fn] If he had taken warning, he would have saved his life.
Now the hand of the LORD had been on me the evening before the fugitive arrived, and he opened my mouth before the man came to me in the morning. So my mouth was opened and I was no longer mute.
So I prophesied as he commanded me; the breath entered them, and they came to life and stood on their feet, a vast army.
“So I will make my holy name known among my people Israel and will no longer allow it to be profaned. Then the nations will know that I am the LORD, the Holy One in Israel.
He then measured the length of the room adjacent to the great hall, 35 feet, and the width, 35 feet. And he said to me, “This is the most holy place.”
The doorposts of the great hall were square, and the front of the sanctuary had the same appearance.
The upper chambers were narrower because the galleries took away more space from them than from the lower and middle stories of the building.
For the chambers on the outer court were 87½ feet long, while those facing the great hall were 175 feet long.
He said to me, “Son of man, this is the place of my throne and the place for the soles of my feet, where I will dwell among the Israelites forever. The house of Israel and their kings will no longer defile my holy name by their religious prostitution and by the corpses[fn] of their kings at their high places.[fn]
“In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month, you are to celebrate the Passover, a festival of seven days during which unleavened bread will be eaten.
Then he brought me back to the entrance of the temple and there was water flowing from under the threshold of the temple toward the east, for the temple faced east. The water was coming down from under the south side of the threshold of the temple, south of the altar.
Next he brought me out by way of the north gate and led me around the outside to the outer gate that faced east; there the water was trickling from the south side.
Again he measured off a third of a mile, and it was a river that I could not cross on foot. For the water had risen; it was deep enough to swim in, a river that could not be crossed on foot.
“Every kind of living creature that swarms will live wherever the river flows,[fn] and there will be a huge number of fish because this water goes there. Since the water will become fresh, there will be life everywhere the river goes.
“On the south side it will run from Tamar to the Waters of Meribath-kadesh,[fn] and on to the Brook of Egypt as far as the Mediterranean Sea. This will be the southern side.
“On the west side the Mediterranean Sea will be the border, from the southern border up to a point opposite Lebo-hamath. This will be the western side.
“Next to the territory of Judah, from the east side to the west, will be the portion you donate to the LORD, 8⅓ miles[fn] wide, and as long as one of the tribal portions from the east side to the west. The sanctuary will be in the middle of it.
“Next to the territory of the priests, the Levites will have an area 8⅓ miles long and 3⅓ miles wide. The total length will be 8⅓ miles and the width 3⅓ miles.
“The remainder of the length alongside the holy donation will be 3⅓ miles to the east and 3⅓ miles to the west. It will run alongside the holy donation. Its produce will be food for the workers of the city.
“The remaining area on both sides of the holy donation and the city property will belong to the prince. He will own the land adjacent to the tribal portions, next to the 8⅓ miles of the donation as far as the eastern border and[fn] next to the 8⅓ miles of the donation as far as the western border. The holy donation and the sanctuary of the temple will be in the middle of it.
“As for the rest of the tribes:
From the east side to the west, will be Benjamin — one portion.
“The perimeter of the city will be six miles,[fn] and the name of the city from that day on will be The LORD Is There.”
In the second year of his reign, Nebuchadnezzar had dreams that troubled him, and sleep deserted him.
The king replied, “I know for certain you are trying to gain some time, because you see that my word is final.
The decree was issued that the wise men were to be executed, and they searched for Daniel and his friends, to execute them.
The mystery was then revealed to Daniel in a vision at night, and Daniel praised the God of the heavens
and declared:
May the name of God
be praised forever and ever,
for wisdom and power belong to him.
He reveals the deep and hidden things;
he knows what is in the darkness,
and light dwells with him.
The king said in reply to Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, “Are you able to tell me the dream I had and its interpretation? ”
Daniel answered the king, “No wise man, medium, magician, or diviner is able to make known to the king the mystery he asked about.
“But there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries, and he has let King Nebuchadnezzar know what will happen in the last days. Your dream and the visions that came into your mind as you lay in bed were these:
“As for me, this mystery has been revealed to me, not because I have more wisdom than anyone living, but in order that the interpretation might be made known to the king, and that you may understand the thoughts of your mind.
“The head of the statue was pure gold, its chest and arms were silver, its stomach and thighs were bronze,
“Then the iron, the fired clay, the bronze, the silver, and the gold were shattered and became like chaff from the summer threshing floors. The wind carried them away, and not a trace of them could be found. But the stone that struck the statue became a great mountain and filled the whole earth.
“You saw a stone break off from the mountain without a hand touching it,[fn] and it crushed the iron, bronze, fired clay, silver, and gold. The great God has told the king what will happen in the future. The dream is certain, and its interpretation reliable.”
When the satraps, prefects, governors, and the king's advisers gathered around, they saw that the fire had no effect on[fn] the bodies of these men: not a hair of their heads was singed, their robes were unaffected, and there was no smell of fire on them.
Finally Daniel, named Belteshazzar after the name of my god — and a spirit of the holy gods is in him — came before me. I told him the dream:
“In the visions of my mind as I was lying in bed, I saw this:
There was a tree in the middle of the earth,
and it was very tall.
“The tree grew large and strong;
its top reached to the sky,
and it was visible to the ends of the[fn] earth.
“This word is by decree of the watchers,
and the decision is by command from the holy ones.
This is so that the living will know
that the Most High is ruler
over human kingdoms.
He gives them to anyone he wants
and sets the lowliest of people over them.
“This is the dream that I, King Nebuchadnezzar, had. Now, Belteshazzar, tell me the interpretation, because none of the wise men of my kingdom can make the interpretation known to me. But you can, because you have a spirit of the holy gods.”
Then Daniel, whose name is Belteshazzar, was stunned for a moment, and his thoughts alarmed him. The king said, “Belteshazzar, don't let the dream or its interpretation alarm you.”
Belteshazzar answered, “My lord, may the dream apply to those who hate you, and its interpretation to your enemies!
“The tree you saw, which grew large and strong, whose top reached to the sky and was visible to the whole earth,
At that moment the message against Nebuchadnezzar was fulfilled. He was driven away from people. He ate grass like cattle, and his body was drenched with dew from the sky, until his hair grew like eagles' feathers and his nails like birds' claws.
“But when his heart was exalted and his spirit became arrogant, he was deposed from his royal throne and his glory was taken from him.
“He was driven away from people, his mind was like an animal's, he lived with the wild donkeys, he was fed grass like cattle, and his body was drenched with dew from the sky until he acknowledged that the Most High God is ruler over human kingdoms and sets anyone he wants over them.
“Therefore, Your Majesty, establish the edict and sign the document so that, as a law of the Medes and Persians, it is irrevocable and cannot be changed.”
When Daniel learned that the document had been signed, he went into his house. The windows in its upstairs room opened toward Jerusalem, and three times a day he got down on his knees, prayed, and gave thanks to his God, just as he had done before.
So they approached the king and asked about his edict: “Didn't you sign an edict that for thirty days any person who petitions any god or man except you, the king, will be thrown into the lions' den? ”
The king answered, “As a law of the Medes and Persians, the order stands[fn] and is irrevocable.”
“The first was like a lion but had eagle's wings. I continued watching until its wings were torn off. It was lifted up from the ground, set on its feet like a man, and given a human mind.
“As I kept watching,
thrones were set in place,
and the Ancient of Days took his seat.
His clothing was white like snow,
and the hair of his head like whitest wool.
His throne was flaming fire;
its wheels were blazing fire.
“I watched, then, because of the sound of the arrogant words the horn was speaking. As I continued watching, the beast was killed and its body destroyed and given over to the burning fire.
“As for me, Daniel, my spirit was deeply distressed within me,[fn] and the visions in my mind terrified me.
“As I was watching, this horn waged war against the holy ones and was prevailing over them
“This is what he said: ‘The fourth beast will be a fourth kingdom on the earth, different from all the other kingdoms. It will devour the whole earth, trample it down, and crush it.
“But the court will convene, and his dominion will be taken away, to be completely destroyed forever.
“This is the end of the account. As for me, Daniel, my thoughts terrified me greatly, and my face turned pale,[fn] but I kept the matter to myself.”
I looked up,[fn] and there was a ram standing beside the canal. He had two horns. The two horns were long, but one was longer than the other, and the longer one came up last.
Then the male goat acted even more arrogantly, but when he became powerful, the large horn was broken. Four conspicuous horns came up in its place, pointing toward the four winds of heaven.
It acted arrogantly even against the Prince of the heavenly army; it revoked his regular sacrifice and overthrew the place of his sanctuary.
Then I heard a holy one speaking, and another holy one said to the speaker, “How long will the events of this vision last — the regular sacrifice, the rebellion that makes desolate, and the giving over of the sanctuary and of the army to be trampled? ”
He said to me,[fn] “For 2,300 evenings and mornings; then the sanctuary will be restored.”
“The shaggy goat represents the king of Greece, and the large horn between his eyes represents the first king.[fn]
Listen closely,[fn] my God, and hear. Open your eyes and see our desolations and the city that bears your name. For we are not presenting our petitions before you based on our righteous acts, but based on your abundant compassion.
Lord, hear! Lord, forgive! Lord, listen and act! My God, for your own sake, do not delay, because your city and your people bear your name.
In the third year of King Cyrus of Persia, a message was revealed to Daniel, who was named Belteshazzar. The message was true and was about a great conflict. He understood the message and had understanding of the vision.
His body was like beryl,[fn] his face like the brilliance of lightning, his eyes like flaming torches, his arms and feet like the gleam of polished bronze, and the sound of his words like the sound of a multitude.
I heard the words he said, and when I heard them I fell into a deep sleep,[fn] with my face to the ground.
“After some years they will form an alliance, and the daughter of the king of the South will go to the king of the North to seal the agreement. She will not retain power, and his strength will not endure. She will be given up, together with her entourage, her father,[fn] and the one who supported her during those times.
One of them said to the man dressed in linen, who was above the water of the river, “How long until the end of these wondrous things? ”
What am I going to do with you, Ephraim?
What am I going to do with you, Judah?
Your love is like the morning mist
and like the early dew that vanishes.
Ephraim has provoked bitter anger,
so his Lord will leave his bloodguilt on him
and repay him for his contempt.
I will ransom them from the power of Sheol.
I will redeem[fn] them from death.
Death, where are your barbs?
Sheol, where is your sting?
Compassion is hidden from my eyes.
The people will return and live beneath his shade.
They will grow grain
and blossom like the vine.
His renown will be like the wine of Lebanon.
Yet I destroyed the Amorite as Israel advanced;
his height was like the cedars,
and he was as sturdy as the oaks;
I destroyed his fruit above and his roots beneath.
He asked me, “What do you see, Amos? ”
I replied, “A basket of summer fruit.”[fn]
The LORD said to me, “The end has come for my people Israel; I will no longer spare them.
so that they may possess
the remnant of Edom
and all the nations
that bear my name[fn] —
this is the declaration of the LORD; he will do this.
For the day of the LORD is near,
against all the nations.
As you have done, it will be done to you;
what you deserve will return on your own head.
But the LORD threw a great wind onto the sea, and such a great storm arose on the sea that the ship threatened to break apart.
Therefore, because of you,
Zion will be plowed like a field,
Jerusalem will become ruins,
and the temple's mountain
will be a high thicket.
In the last days
the mountain of the LORD's house
will be established
at the top of the mountains
and will be raised above the hills.
Peoples will stream to it,
But each person will sit under his grapevine
and under his fig tree
with no one to frighten him.
For the mouth of the LORD of Armies
has spoken.
Then the remnant of Jacob
will be among many peoples
like dew from the LORD,
like showers on the grass,
which do not wait for anyone
or linger for mankind.
Then the remnant of Jacob
will be among the nations, among many peoples,
like a lion among animals of the forest,
like a young lion among flocks of sheep,
which tramples and tears as it passes through,
and there is no one to rescue them.
Where is the lions' lair,
or the feeding ground of the young lions,
where the lion and lioness prowled,
and the lion's cub,
with nothing to frighten them away?
This is why the law is ineffective
and justice never emerges.
For the wicked restrict the righteous;
therefore, justice comes out perverted.
They are fierce and terrifying;
their views of justice and sovereignty
stem from themselves.
Are you angry at the rivers, LORD?
Is your wrath against the rivers?
Or is your fury against the sea
when you ride on your horses,
your victorious chariot?
The coastland will belong
to the remnant of the house of Judah;
they will find pasture there.
They will lie down in the evening
among the houses of Ashkelon,
for the LORD their God will return to them
and restore their fortunes.
“This is the promise I made to you when you came out of Egypt, and my Spirit is present among you; don't be afraid.' ”
“If a man is carrying consecrated meat in the fold of his garment, and it touches bread, stew, wine, oil, or any other food, does it become holy? ”
The priests answered, “No.”
Then Haggai replied, “So is this people, and so is this nation before me — this is the LORD's declaration. And so is every work of their hands; even what they offer there is defiled.
I asked, “Where are you going? ”
He answered me, “To measure Jerusalem to determine its width and length.”
He asked me, “What do you see? ”
I replied, “I see a solid gold lampstand with a bowl at the top. The lampstand also has seven lamps at the top with seven spouts for each of[fn] the lamps.
“‘What are you, great mountain? Before Zerubbabel you will become a plain. And he will bring out the capstone accompanied by shouts of: Grace, grace to it! ' ”
by asking the priests who were at the house of the LORD of Armies as well as the prophets, “Should we mourn and fast in the fifth month as we have done these many years? ”
The LORD says this: “I will return to Zion and live in Jerusalem. Then Jerusalem will be called the Faithful City; the mountain of the LORD of Armies will be called the Holy Mountain.”
Then I said, “I will no longer shepherd you. Let what is dying die, and let what is perishing perish; let the rest devour each other's flesh.”
“In the whole land —
this is the LORD's declaration —
two-thirds[fn] will be cut off and die,
but a third will be left in it.
“I will put this third through the fire;
I will refine them as silver is refined
and test them as gold is tested.
They will call on my name,
and I will answer them.
I will say, ‘They are my people,'
and they will say, ‘The LORD is our God.' ”
I will gather all the nations against Jerusalem for battle. The city will be captured, the houses looted, and the women raped. Half the city will go into exile, but the rest of the people will not be removed from the city.
On that day his feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, which faces Jerusalem on the east. The Mount of Olives will be split in half from east to west, forming a huge valley, so that half the mountain will move to the north and half to the south.
On that day the LORD will become King over the whole earth — the LORD alone, and his name alone.
On that day, the words Holy to the LORD will be on the bells of the horses. The pots in the house of the LORD will be like the sprinkling basins before the altar.
Translations available: King James Version, New King James Version, New Living Translation, New International Version, English Standard Version, Christian Standard Bible, New American Standard Bible 2020, New American Standard Bible 1995, Legacy Standard Bible 2021, New English Translation, Revised Standard Version, American Standard Version, Young's Literal Translation, Darby Translation, Webster's Bible, Hebrew Names Version, Reina-Valera 1960, Latin Vulgate, Westminster Leningrad Codex, Septuagint, Morphological Greek New Testament, and Textus Receptus.
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