LXX Concordance for γῆς

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.

Then God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the sky to separate the day from the night. They will serve as signs for seasons[fn] and for days and years.

God placed them in the expanse of the sky to provide light on the earth,

Then God said, “Let the water swarm with[fn] living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the expanse of the sky.”

God blessed them: “Be fruitful, multiply, and fill the waters of the seas, and let the birds multiply on the earth.”

Then God said, “Let the earth produce living creatures according to their kinds: livestock, creatures that crawl, and the wildlife of the earth according to their kinds.” And it was so.

God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth, and subdue it. Rule the fish of the sea, the birds of the sky, and every creature that crawls on the earth.”

These are the records of the heavens and the earth, concerning their creation. At the time[fn] that the LORD God made the earth and the heavens,

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.

Gold from that land is pure;[fn] bdellium[fn] and onyx[fn] are also there.

The LORD God formed out of the ground every wild animal and every bird of the sky, and brought each to the man to see what he would call it. And whatever the man called a living creature, that was its name.

Now the serpent was the most cunning of all the wild animals that the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You can't eat from any tree in the garden'? ”

So the LORD God said to the serpent:

Because you have done this,

you are cursed more than any livestock

and more than any wild animal.

You will move on your belly

and eat dust all the days of your life.

In the course of time Cain presented some of the land's produce as an offering to the LORD.

Then he said, “What have you done? Your brother's blood cries out to me from the ground!

“Since you are banishing me today from the face of the earth, and I must hide from your presence and become a restless wanderer on the earth, whoever finds me will kill me.”

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.”

When mankind began to multiply on the earth and daughters were born to them,

The Nephilim[fn] were on the earth both in those days and afterward, when the sons of God came to the daughters of mankind, who bore children to them. They were the powerful men of old, the famous men.

God saw how corrupt the earth was, for every creature had corrupted its way on the earth.

“Understand that I am bringing a flood ​— ​floodwaters on the earth to destroy every creature under heaven with the breath of life in it. Everything on earth will perish.

“Two of everything ​— ​from the birds according to their kinds, from the livestock according to their kinds, and from the animals that crawl on the ground according to their kinds ​— ​will come to you so that you can keep them alive.

“Seven days from now I will make it rain on the earth forty days and forty nights, and every living thing I have made I will wipe off the face of the earth.”

Noah was six hundred years old when the flood came and water covered the earth.

From the animals that are clean, and from the animals that are not clean, and from the birds and every creature that crawls on the ground,

Seven days later the floodwaters came on the earth.

and the rain fell on the earth forty days and forty nights.

They entered it with all the wildlife according to their kinds, all livestock according to their kinds, all the creatures that crawl on the earth according to their kinds, every flying creature ​— ​all the birds and every winged creature ​— ​according to their kinds.

The flood continued for forty days on the earth; the water increased and lifted up the ark so that it rose above the earth.

Every creature perished ​— ​those that crawl on the earth, birds, livestock, wildlife, and those that swarm on the earth, as well as all mankind.

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.

The water steadily receded from the earth, and by the end of 150 days the water had decreased significantly.

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.

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.

“Bring out all the living creatures that are with you ​— ​birds, livestock, those that crawl on the earth ​— ​and they will spread over the earth and be fruitful and multiply on the earth.”

All the animals, all the creatures that crawl, and all the flying creatures ​— ​everything that moves on the earth ​— ​came out of the ark by their families.

“As long as the earth endures,

seedtime and harvest, cold and heat,

summer and winter, and day and night

will not cease.”

“The fear and terror of you will be in every living creature on the earth, every bird of the sky, every creature that crawls on the ground, and all the fish of the sea. They are placed under your authority.

“and with every living creature that is with you ​— ​birds, livestock, and all wildlife of the earth that are with you ​— ​all the animals of the earth that came out of the ark.

“I have placed my bow in the clouds, and it will be a sign of the covenant between me and the earth.

“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.”

Noah, as a man of the soil, began by planting[fn] a vineyard.

Cush fathered Nimrod, who began to be powerful in the land.

From that land he went to Assyria and built Nineveh, Rehoboth-ir, Calah,

These are the clans of Noah's sons, according to their family records, in their nations. The nations on earth spread out from these after the flood.

And they said, “Come, let's build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the sky. Let's make a name for ourselves; otherwise, we will be scattered throughout the earth.”

So from there the LORD scattered them throughout the earth, and they stopped building the city.

The LORD said to Abram:

Go from your land,

your relatives,

and your father's house

to the land that I will show you.

I will bless those who bless you,

I will curse anyone who treats you with contempt,

and all the peoples on earth

will be blessed[fn] through you.[fn]

There was a famine in the land, so Abram went down to Egypt to stay there for a while because the famine in the land was severe.

“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.

“Abraham is to become a great and powerful nation, and all the nations of the earth will be blessed through him.

He demolished these cities, the entire plain, all the inhabitants of the cities, and whatever grew on the ground.

He looked down toward Sodom and Gomorrah and all the land of the plain, and he saw that smoke was going up from the land like the smoke of a furnace.

Then the firstborn said to the younger, “Our father is old, and there is no man in the land to sleep with us as is the custom of all the land.

He settled in the Wilderness of Paran, and his mother got a wife for him from the land of Egypt.

“And all the nations of the earth will be blessed[fn] by your offspring because you have obeyed my command.”

Then Abraham rose and bowed down to the Hethites, the people of the land.

Abraham bowed down to the people of the land

“and I will have you swear by the LORD, God of heaven and God of earth, that you will not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites among whom I live,

“The LORD, the God of heaven, who took me from my father's house and from my native land, who spoke to me and swore to me, ‘I will give this land to your offspring'[fn] ​— ​he will send his angel before you, and you can take a wife for my son from there.

There was another famine in the land in addition to the one that had occurred in Abraham's time. And Isaac went to Abimelech, king of the Philistines, at Gerar.

“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,

Philistines stopped up all the wells that his father's servants had dug in the days of his father Abraham, filling them with dirt.

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.”

May God give to you —

from the dew of the sky

and from the richness of the land —

an abundance of grain and new wine.

His father Isaac answered him,

Look, your dwelling place will be

away from the richness of the land,

away from the dew of the sky above.

So Rebekah said to Isaac, “I'm sick of my life because of these Hethite girls. If Jacob marries someone from around here,[fn] like these Hethite girls, what good is my life? ”

“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.

“I am the God of Bethel, where you poured oil on the stone marker and made a solemn vow to me. Get up, leave this land, and return to your native land.' ”

When Shechem ​— ​son of Hamor the Hivite, who was the region's chieftain ​— ​saw her, he took her and raped her.

“These men are peaceful toward us,” they said. “Let them live in our land and move about in it, for indeed, the region is large enough for them. Let's take their daughters as our wives and give our daughters to them.

Esau took his wives, sons, daughters, and all the people of his household, as well as his herds, all his livestock, and all the property he had acquired in Canaan; he went to a land away from his brother Jacob.

When Jobab died, Husham from the land of the Temanites reigned in his place.

“For I was kidnapped from the land of the Hebrews, and even here I have done nothing that they should put me in the dungeon.”[fn]

“The abundance in the land will not be remembered because of the famine that follows it, for the famine will be very severe.

“So now, let Pharaoh look for a discerning and wise man and set him over the land of Egypt.

Pharaoh also said to Joseph, “See, I am placing you over all the land of Egypt.”

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.

Now the famine had spread across the whole region, so Joseph opened all the storehouses and sold grain to the Egyptians, for the famine was severe in the land of Egypt.

Joseph was in charge of the country; he sold grain to all its people. His brothers came and bowed down before him with their faces to the ground.

“No,” he said to them. “You have come to see the weakness of the land.”

“The man who is the lord of the country spoke harshly to us and accused us of spying on the country.

“The man who is the lord of the country said to us, ‘This is how I will know if you are honest: Leave one brother with me, take food to relieve the hunger of your households, and go.

Now the famine in the land was severe.

Then their father Israel said to them, “If it must be so, then do this: Put some of the best products of the land in your packs and take them down to the man as a gift ​— ​a little balsam and a little honey, aromatic gum and resin, pistachios and almonds.

“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?

“For the famine has been in the land these two years, and there will be five more years without plowing or harvesting.

“Get your father and your families, and come back to me. I will give you the best of the land of Egypt, and you can eat from the richness of the land.'

They said, “Joseph is still alive, and he is ruler over all the land of Egypt! ” Jacob was stunned,[fn] for he did not believe them.

So Joseph went and informed Pharaoh: “My father and my brothers, with their flocks and herds and all that they own, have come from the land of Canaan and are now in the land of Goshen.”

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! ”

The only land he did not acquire belonged to the priests, for they had an allowance from Pharaoh. They ate from their allowance that Pharaoh gave them; therefore they did not sell their land.

So Joseph made it a law, still in effect today in the land of Egypt, that a fifth of the produce belongs to Pharaoh. Only the priests' land does not belong to Pharaoh.

“When I was returning from Paddan, to my sorrow Rachel died along the way, some distance from Ephrath in the land of Canaan. I buried her there along the way to Ephrath” (that is, Bethlehem).

Then Joseph took them from his father's knees and bowed with his face to the ground.

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.

“by the God of your father who helps you,

and by the Almighty who blesses you

with blessings of the heavens above,

blessings of the deep that lies below,

and blessings of the breasts and the womb.

Then Joseph went to bury his father, and all Pharaoh's servants, the elders of his household, and all the elders of the land of Egypt went with him,

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.

Joseph said to his brothers, “I am about to die, but God will certainly come to your aid and bring you up from this land to the land he swore to give to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.”

“Come, let's deal shrewdly with them; otherwise they will multiply further, and when war breaks out, they will join our enemies, fight against us, and leave the country.”

“and I have come down to rescue them from the power of the Egyptians and to bring them from that land to a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey ​— ​the territory of the Canaanites, Hethites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites.

“therefore, go. I am sending you to Pharaoh so that you may lead my people, the Israelites, out of Egypt.”

But the LORD replied to Moses, “Now you will see what I will do to Pharaoh: because of a strong hand he will let them go, and because of a strong hand he will drive them from his land.”

“Go and tell Pharaoh king of Egypt to let the Israelites go from his land.”

Then the LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron and gave them commands concerning both the Israelites and Pharaoh king of Egypt to bring the Israelites out of the land of Egypt.

It was this Aaron and Moses whom the LORD told, “Bring the Israelites out of the land of Egypt according to their military divisions.”

“You must say whatever I command you; then Aaron your brother must declare it to Pharaoh so that he will let the Israelites go from his land.

“Pharaoh will not listen to you, but I will put my hand into Egypt and bring the military divisions of my people the Israelites out of the land of Egypt by great acts of judgment.

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.”

“But on that day I will give special treatment to the land of Goshen, where my people are living; no flies will be there. This way you will know that I, the LORD, am in the land.

And the LORD set a time, saying, “Tomorrow the LORD will do this thing in the land.”

“By now I could have stretched out my hand and struck you and your people with a plague, and you would have been obliterated from the earth.

Then the LORD said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand toward heaven and let there be hail throughout the land of Egypt ​— ​on people and animals and every plant of the field in the land of Egypt.”

“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.

The LORD then said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand over the land of Egypt, and the locusts will come up over it and eat every plant in the land, everything that the hail left.”

They covered the surface of the whole land so that the land was black, and they consumed all the plants on the ground and all the fruit on the trees that the hail had left. Nothing green was left on the trees or the plants in the field throughout the land of Egypt.

Moses and Aaron did all these wonders before Pharaoh, but the LORD hardened Pharaoh's heart, and he would not let the Israelites go out of his land.

“You are to observe the Festival of Unleavened Bread because on this very day I brought your military divisions out of the land of Egypt. You must observe this day throughout your generations as a permanent statute.

“Yeast must not be found in your houses for seven days. If anyone eats something leavened, that person, whether a resident alien or native of the land, must be cut off from the community of Israel.

Now the Egyptians pressured the people in order to send them quickly out of the country, for they said, “We're all going to die! ”

At the end of 430 years, on that same day, all the LORD's military divisions went out from the land of Egypt.

“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.

On that same day the LORD brought the Israelites out of the land of Egypt according to their military divisions.

Then Moses said to the people, “Remember this day when you came out of Egypt, out of the place of slavery, for the LORD brought you out of here by the strength of his hand. Nothing leavened may be eaten.

“In the future, when your son asks you, ‘What does this mean? ' say to him, ‘By the strength of his hand the LORD brought us out of Egypt, out of the place of slavery.

When Pharaoh let the people go, God did not lead them along the road to the land of the Philistines, even though it was nearby; for God said, “The people will change their minds and return to Egypt if they face war.”

The entire Israelite community departed from Elim and came to the Wilderness of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after they had left the land of Egypt.

So Moses and Aaron said to all the Israelites, “This evening you will know that it was the LORD who brought you out of the land of Egypt,

When the layer of dew evaporated, there were fine flakes on the desert surface, as fine as frost on the ground.

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.' ”

In the third month from the very day the Israelites left the land of Egypt, they came to the Sinai Wilderness.

I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the place of slavery.

Do not make an idol for yourself, whether in the shape of anything in the heavens above or on the earth below or in the waters under the earth.

Honor your father and your mother so that you may have a long life in the land that the LORD your God is giving you.

“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.

“Bring the best of the firstfruits of your land to the house of the LORD your God.

“You must not boil a young goat in its mother's milk.

“No woman will miscarry or be childless in your land. I will give you the full number of your days.

“I will not drive them out ahead of you in a single year; otherwise, the land would become desolate, and wild animals would multiply against you.

“And they will know that I am the LORD their God, who brought them out of the land of Egypt, so that I might dwell among them. I am the LORD their God.

He took the gold from them, fashioned it with an engraving tool, and made it into an image of a calf.

Then they said, “Israel, these are your gods,[fn] who brought you up from the land of Egypt! ”

The LORD spoke to Moses: “Go down at once! For your people you brought up from the land of Egypt have acted corruptly.

But Moses sought the favor of the LORD his God: “LORD, why does your anger burn against your people you brought out of the land of Egypt with great power and a strong hand?

The LORD spoke to Moses: “Go up from here, you and the people you brought up from the land of Egypt, to the land I promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, saying: I will give it to your offspring.

“How will it be known that I and your people have found favor with you unless you go with us? I and your people will be distinguished by this from all the other people on the face of the earth.”

“Be careful not to make a treaty with the inhabitants of the land that you are going to enter; otherwise, they will become a snare among you.

“Do not make a treaty with the inhabitants of the land, or else when they prostitute themselves with their gods and sacrifice to their gods, they will invite you, and you will eat their sacrifices.

“For I will drive out nations before you and enlarge your territory. No one will covet your land when you go up three times a year to appear before the LORD your God.

“Bring the best firstfruits of your land to the house of the LORD your God.

“You must not boil a young goat in its mother's milk.”

“Now if any of the common people[fn] sins unintentionally by violating one of the LORD's commands, does what is prohibited, and incurs guilt,

“Tell the Israelites: You may eat all these kinds of land animals.

“But you may eat these kinds of all the winged insects that walk on all fours: those that have jointed legs above their feet for hopping on the ground.

“These creatures that swarm on the ground are unclean for you:

weasels,[fn] mice,

any kind of large lizard,[fn]

“These are unclean for you among all the swarming creatures. Whoever touches them when they are dead will be unclean until evening.

“All the creatures that swarm on the earth are abhorrent; they must not be eaten.

“When you enter the land of Canaan that I am giving you as a possession, and I place a mildew contamination in a house in the land you possess,[fn]

“Do not follow the practices of the land of Egypt, where you used to live, or follow the practices of the land of Canaan, where I am bringing you. You must not follow their customs.

“For the people who were in the land prior to you have committed all these detestable acts, and the land has become defiled.

“When you reap the harvest of your land, you are not to reap to the very edge of your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest.

“You are to have honest balances, honest weights, an honest dry measure,[fn] and an honest liquid measure;[fn] I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt.

“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.

“But if the people of the country look the other way when that man[fn] gives any of his children to Molech, and do not put him to death,

“Therefore you are to distinguish the clean animal from the unclean one, and the unclean bird from the clean one. Do not become contaminated by any land animal, bird, or whatever crawls on the ground; I have set these apart as unclean for you.

“You are not to present to the LORD anything that has bruised, crushed, torn, or severed testicles; you must not sacrifice them in your land.

“the one who brought you out of the land of Egypt to be your God; I am 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.”

“You are to celebrate the LORD's festival on the fifteenth day of the seventh month for seven days after you have gathered the produce of the land. There will be complete rest on the first day and complete rest on the eighth day.

“so that your generations may know that I made the Israelites live in shelters when I brought them out of the land of Egypt; I am the LORD your God.”

“Whatever the land produces during the Sabbath year can be food for you ​— ​for yourself, your male or female slave, and the hired worker or alien who resides with you.

“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.

“You are to keep my statutes and ordinances and carefully observe them, so that you may live securely in the land.

“You are to allow the redemption of any land you occupy.

“But houses in settlements that have no walls around them are to be classified as open fields. The right to redeem such houses stays in effect, and they are to be released at the Jubilee.

“I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt to give you the land of Canaan and to be your God.

“They are not to be sold as slaves,[fn] because they are my servants[fn] that I brought out of the land of Egypt.

“For the Israelites are my servants. They are my servants that I brought out of the land of Egypt; I am the LORD your God.

“Your threshing will continue until grape harvest, and the grape harvest will continue until sowing time; you will have plenty of food to eat and live securely in your land.

“I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, so that you would no longer be their slaves. I broke the bars of your yoke and enabled you to live in freedom.[fn]

“I will send wild animals against you that will deprive you of your children, ravage your livestock, and reduce your numbers until your roads are deserted.

“then I will remember my covenant with Jacob. I will also remember my covenant with Isaac and my covenant with Abraham, and I will remember the land.

“For their sake I will remember the covenant with their ancestors, whom I brought out of the land of Egypt in the sight of the nations to be their God; I am the LORD.”

“In the Year of Jubilee the field will return to the one he bought it from, the original owner.

“Every tenth of the land's produce, grain from the soil or fruit from the trees, belongs to the LORD; it is holy to the LORD.

The LORD spoke to Moses in the tent of meeting in the Wilderness of Sinai, on the first day of the second month of the second year after Israel's departure from the land of Egypt:

“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.

In the first month of the second year after their departure from the land of Egypt, the LORD told Moses in the Wilderness of Sinai,

“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.”

A wind sent by the LORD came up and blew quail in from the sea; it dropped them all around the camp. They were flying three feet[fn] off[fn] the ground for about a day's journey in every direction.

Moses was a very humble man, more so than anyone on the face of the earth.

“Is the land fertile or unproductive? Are there trees in it or not? Be courageous. Bring back some fruit from the land.” It was the season for the first ripe grapes.

The men went back to Moses, Aaron, and the entire Israelite community in the Wilderness of Paran at Kadesh. They brought back a report for them and the whole community, and they showed them the fruit of the land.

So they gave a negative report to the Israelites about the land they had scouted: “The land we passed through to explore is one that devours its inhabitants, and all the people we saw in it are men of great size.

“Only don't rebel against the LORD, and don't be afraid of the people of the land, for we will devour them. Their protection has been removed from them, and the LORD is with us. Don't be afraid of them! ”

“They will tell it to the inhabitants of this land. They have heard that you, LORD, are among these people, how you, LORD, are seen face to face, how your cloud stands over them, and how you go before them in a pillar of cloud by day and in a pillar of fire by night.

So the men Moses sent to scout out the land, and who returned and incited the entire community to complain about him by spreading a negative report about the land ​— ​

“you are to offer a contribution to the LORD when you eat from the food of the land.

“I am the LORD your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt to be your God; I am the LORD your God.”

“Is it not enough that you brought us up from a land flowing with milk and honey to kill us in the wilderness? Do you also have to appoint yourself as ruler over us?

“Please let us travel through your land. We won't travel through any field or vineyard, or drink any well water. We will travel the King's Highway; we won't turn to the right or the left until we have traveled through your territory.' ”

The LORD said to Moses and Aaron at Mount Hor on the border of the land of Edom,

“Let us travel through your land. We won't go into the fields or vineyards. We won't drink any well water. We will travel the King's Highway until we have traveled through your territory.”

Israel struck him with the sword and took possession of his land from the Arnon to the Jabbok, but only up to the Ammonite border, because it was fortified.[fn]

he sent messengers to Balaam son of Beor at Pethor, which is by the Euphrates in the land of his people.[fn][fn] Balak said to him, “Look, a people has come out of Egypt; they cover the surface of the land and are living right across from me.

“‘Look, a people has come out of Egypt, and they cover the surface of the land. Now come and put a curse on them for me. I may be able to fight against them and drive them away.' ”

Moses told them, “If the Gadites and Reubenites cross the Jordan with you, every man in battle formation before the LORD, and the land is subdued before you, you are to give them the land of Gilead as a possession.

So Moses gave them ​— ​the Gadites, Reubenites, and half the tribe of Manasseh son of Joseph ​— ​the kingdom of King Sihon of the Amorites and the kingdom of King Og of Bashan, the land including its cities with the territories surrounding them.

These were the stages of the Israelites' journey when they went out of the land of Egypt by their military divisions under the leadership of Moses and Aaron.

They traveled from Kadesh and camped at Mount Hor on the edge of the land of Edom.

“But if you don't drive out the inhabitants of the land before you, those you allow to remain will become barbs for your eyes and thorns for your sides; they will harass you in the land where you will live.

“Neither should you accept a ransom for the person who flees to his city of refuge, allowing him to return and live in the land before the death of the high priest.

“They took some of the fruit from the land in their hands, carried it down to us, and brought us back a report: ‘The land the LORD our God is giving us is good.'

“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.

“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.

“The LORD said to me, ‘Show no hostility toward Moab, and do not provoke them to battle, for I will not give you any of their land as a possession, since I have given Ar as a possession to the descendants of Lot.' ”

“When you get close to the Ammonites, don't show any hostility to them or provoke them, for I will not give you any of the Ammonites' land as a possession; I have given it as a possession to the descendants of Lot.' ”

“‘Let us travel through your land; we will keep strictly to the highway. We will not turn to the right or the left.

“Lord GOD, you have begun to show your greatness and your strong hand to your servant, for what god is there in heaven or on earth who can perform deeds and mighty acts like yours?

“The day you stood before the LORD your God at Horeb, the LORD said to me, ‘Assemble the people before me, and I will let them hear my words, so that they may learn to fear me all the days they live on the earth and may instruct their children.'

“At that time the LORD commanded me to teach you statutes and ordinances for you to follow in the land you are about to cross into and possess.

“or the form of any animal on the earth, any winged creature that flies in the sky,

“When you have children and grandchildren and have been in the land a long time, and if you act corruptly, make an idol in the form of anything, and do what is evil in the sight of the LORD your God, angering him,

“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.

“Today, recognize and keep in mind that the LORD is God in heaven above and on earth below; there is no other.

These are the decrees, statutes, and ordinances Moses proclaimed to them after they came out of Egypt,

“I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the place of slavery.

“Do not make an idol for yourself in the shape of anything in the heavens above or on the earth below or in the waters under the earth.

“Honor your father and your mother, as the LORD your God has commanded you, so that you may live long and so that you may prosper in the land the LORD your God is giving you.

“Follow the whole instruction the LORD your God has commanded you, so that you may live, prosper, and have a long life in the land you will possess.

“Listen, Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one.[fn]

“be careful not to forget the LORD who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the place of slavery.

“for the LORD your God, who is among you, is a jealous God. Otherwise, the LORD your God will become angry with you and obliterate you from the face of the earth.

“For you are a holy people belonging to the LORD your God. The LORD your God has chosen you to be his own possession out of all the peoples on the face of the earth.

“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.

“When you eat and are full, you will bless the LORD your God for the good land he has given you.

“be careful that your heart doesn't become proud and you forget the LORD your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the place of slavery.

“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.'

“I prayed to the LORD:

Lord GOD, do not annihilate your people, your inheritance, whom you redeemed through your greatness and brought out of Egypt with a strong hand.

“But they are your people, your inheritance, whom you brought out by your great power and outstretched arm.

“and so that you may live long in the land the LORD swore to your ancestors to give them and their descendants, a land flowing with milk and honey.

“Then the LORD's anger will burn against you. He will shut the sky, and there will be no rain; the land will not yield its produce, and you will perish quickly from the good land the LORD is giving you.

“so that as long as the heavens are above the earth, your days and those of your children may be many in the land the LORD swore to give your ancestors.

“No one will be able to stand against you; the LORD your God will put fear and dread of you in all the land where you set foot, as he has promised you.

“Be careful to follow these statutes and ordinances in the land that the LORD, the God of your ancestors, has given you to possess all the days you live on the earth.

“When you cross the Jordan and live in the land the LORD your God is giving you to inherit, and he gives you rest from all the enemies around you and you live in security,

“and be careful not to neglect the Levite, as long as you live in your land.

“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.

“any of the gods of the peoples around you, near you or far from you, from one end of the earth to the other ​— ​

“Stone him to death for trying to turn you away from the LORD your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the place of slavery.

“for you are a holy people belonging to the LORD your God. The LORD has chosen you to be his own possession out of all the peoples on the face of the earth.

“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.'

“Do not eat leavened bread with it. For seven days you are to eat unleavened bread with it, the bread of hardship ​— ​because you left the land of Egypt in a hurry ​— ​so that you may remember for the rest of your life the day you left the land of Egypt.

“you are to set apart three cities for yourselves within the land the LORD your God is giving you to possess.

“When you go out to war against your enemies and see horses, chariots, and an army larger than yours, do not be afraid of them, for the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, is with you.

“LORD, wipe away the guilt of your people Israel whom you redeemed, and do not hold the shedding of innocent blood against them.' Then the responsibility for bloodshed will be wiped away from them.

“If you come across a bird's nest with chicks or eggs, either in a tree or on the ground along the road, and the mother is sitting on the chicks or eggs, do not take the mother along with the young.

“You may charge a foreigner interest, but you must not charge your brother Israelite interest, so that the LORD your God may bless you in everything you do[fn] in the land you are entering to possess.

“You must have a full and honest weight, a full and honest dry measure, so that you may live long in the land the LORD your God is giving you.

“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.

“I have now brought the first of the land's produce that you, LORD, have given me.

You will then place the container before the LORD your God and bow down to him.

“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.

“Now if you faithfully obey the LORD your God and are careful to follow all his commands I am giving you today, the LORD your God will put you far above all the nations of the earth.

“Your offspring[fn] will be blessed,

and your land's produce,

and the offspring of your livestock,

including the young of your herds

and the newborn of your flocks.

“The LORD will grant you a blessing on your barns and on everything you do;[fn] he will bless you in the land the LORD your God is giving you.

“Then all the peoples of the earth will see that you bear the LORD's name, and they will stand in awe of you.

“Your offspring will be cursed,

and your land's produce,

the young of your herds,

and the newborn of your flocks.

“The LORD will make pestilence cling to you until he has exterminated you from the land you are entering to possess.

“The LORD will cause you to be defeated before your enemies. You will march out against them from one direction but flee from them in seven directions. You will be an object of horror to all the kingdoms of the earth.

“A people you don't know will eat your land's produce and everything you have labored for. You will only be oppressed and crushed continually.

“Buzzing insects will take possession of all your trees and your land's produce.

“The LORD will bring a nation from far away, from the ends of the earth, to swoop down on you like an eagle, a nation whose language you won't understand,

“They will eat the offspring of your livestock and your land's produce until you are destroyed. They will leave you no grain, new wine, fresh oil, young of your herds, or newborn of your flocks until they cause you to perish.

“The most sensitive and refined woman among you, who would not venture to set the sole of her foot on the ground because of her refinement and sensitivity, will begrudge the husband she embraces, her son, and her daughter,

“Just as the LORD was glad to cause you to prosper and to multiply you, so he will also be glad to cause you to perish and to destroy you. You will be ripped out of the land you are entering to possess.

“Future generations of your children who follow you and the foreigner who comes from a distant country will see the plagues of that land and the sicknesses the LORD has inflicted on it.

“Then people will answer, ‘It is because they abandoned the covenant of the LORD, the God of their ancestors, which he had made with them when he brought them out of the land of Egypt.

“The LORD uprooted them from their land in his anger, rage, and intense wrath, and threw them into another land where they are today.'

“The LORD your God will make you prosper abundantly in all the work of your hands, your offspring,[fn] the offspring of your livestock, and the produce of your land. Indeed, the LORD will again delight in your prosperity, as he delighted in that of your ancestors,

“I tell you today that you will certainly perish and will not prolong your days in the land you are entering to possess across the Jordan.

“love the LORD your God, obey him, and remain faithful[fn] to him. For he is your life, and he will prolong your days as you live in the land the LORD swore to give to your ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.”

“Then their children who do not know the law will listen and learn to fear the LORD your God as long as you live in the land you are crossing the Jordan to possess.”

The LORD said to Moses, “You are about to rest with your ancestors, and these people will soon prostitute themselves with the foreign gods of the land they are entering. They will abandon me and break the covenant I have made with them.

He made him ride on the heights of the land

and eat the produce of the field.

He nourished him with honey from the rock

and oil from flinty rock,

“They will be weak from hunger,

ravaged by pestilence and bitter plague;

I will unleash on them wild beasts with fangs,

as well as venomous snakes that slither in the dust.

“For they are not meaningless words to you but they are your life, and by them you will live long in the land you are crossing the Jordan to possess.”

with the choice gifts of the land

and everything in it;

and with the favor of him

who appeared[fn] in the burning bush.

May these rest on the head of Joseph,

on the brow of the prince of his brothers.

So Israel dwells securely;

Jacob lives untroubled[fn]

in a land of grain and new wine;

even his skies drip with dew.

“For we have heard how the LORD dried up the water of the Red Sea before you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to Sihon and Og, the two Amorite kings you completely destroyed across the Jordan.

“when the ark of the covenant of the Lord of the whole earth goes ahead of you into the Jordan.

“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.”

“you should tell them, ‘The water of the Jordan was cut off in front of the ark of the LORD's covenant. When it crossed the Jordan, the Jordan's water was cut off.' Therefore these stones will always be a memorial for the Israelites.”

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.

“This is so that all the peoples of the earth may know that the LORD's hand is strong, and so that you may always fear the LORD your God.”

For the Israelites wandered in the wilderness forty years until all the nation's men of war who came out of Egypt had died off because they did not obey the LORD. So the LORD vowed never to let them see the land he had sworn to their ancestors to give us, a land flowing with milk and honey.

The day after Passover they ate unleavened bread and roasted grain from the produce of the land.

“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? ”

They went to Joshua in the camp at Gilgal and said to him and the men of Israel, “We have come from a distant land. Please make a treaty with us.”

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,

The Israelites struck down the following kings of the land and took possession of their land beyond the Jordan to the east and from the Arnon River to Mount Hermon, including all the Arabah eastward:

this as their territory:

Jazer and all the cities of Gilead, and half the land of the Ammonites to Aroer, near Rabbah;

From there the border ascended Ben Hinnom Valley to the southern Jebusite slope (that is, Jerusalem) and ascended to the top of the hill that faces Hinnom Valley on the west, at the northern end of Rephaim Valley.

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.”

Then the priest Phinehas son of Eleazar and the leaders returned from the Reubenites and Gadites in the land of Gilead to the Israelites in the land of Canaan and brought back a report to them.

“know for certain that the LORD your God will not continue to drive these nations out before you. They will become a snare and a trap for you, a sharp stick[fn] for your sides and thorns in your eyes, until you disappear from this good land the LORD your God has given you.

“But if it doesn't please you to worship the LORD, choose for yourselves today: Which will you worship ​— ​the gods your ancestors worshiped beyond the Euphrates River or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living? As for me and my family, we will worship the LORD.”

and abandoned the LORD, the God of their ancestors, who had brought them out of Egypt. They followed other gods from the surrounding peoples and bowed down to them. They angered the LORD,

They encamped against them and destroyed the produce of the land, even as far as Gaza. They left nothing for Israel to eat, as well as no sheep, ox, or donkey.

Then Gaal spoke again, “Look, troops are coming down from the central part of the land, and one unit is coming from the direction of the Diviners' Oak.”

“Israel sent messengers to the king of Edom, saying, ‘Please let us travel through your land,' but the king of Edom would not listen. They also sent messengers to the king of Moab, but he refused. So Israel stayed in Kadesh.

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.

When Elkanah and all his household went up to make the annual sacrifice and his vow offering to the LORD,

He raises the poor from the dust

and lifts the needy from the trash heap.

He seats them with noblemen

and gives them a throne of honor.[fn]

For the foundations of the earth are the LORD's;

he has set the world on them.

Those who oppose the LORD will be shattered;[fn]

he will thunder in the heavens against them.

The LORD will judge the ends of the earth.

He will give power to his king;

he will lift up the horn of his anointed.[fn]

The LORD continued to appear in Shiloh, because there he revealed himself to Samuel by his word.

“Make images of your tumors and of your mice that are destroying the land. Give glory to Israel's God, and perhaps he will stop oppressing you,[fn] your gods, and your land.

Saul and his servant went through the hill country of Ephraim and then through the region of Shalishah, but they didn't find them. They went through the region of Shaalim ​— ​nothing. Then they went through the Benjaminite region but still didn't find them.

“At this time tomorrow I will send you a man from the land of Benjamin. Anoint him ruler over my people Israel. He will save them from the Philistines because I have seen the affliction of my people, for their cry has come to me.”

“Come here,” the Philistine called to David, “and I'll give your flesh to the birds of the sky and the wild beasts! ”

“Today, the LORD will hand you over to me. Today, I'll strike you down, remove your head, and give the corpses[fn] of the Philistine camp to the birds of the sky and the wild creatures of the earth. Then all the world will know that Israel has a God,

“don't ever withdraw your kindness from my household ​— ​not even when the LORD cuts off every one of David's enemies from the face of the earth.”

“Every day Jesse's son lives on earth you and your kingship are not secure. Now send for him and bring him to me ​— ​he must die! ”

But Achish's servants said to him, “Isn't this David, the king of the land? Don't they sing about him during their dances:

Saul has killed his thousands,

but David his tens of thousands? ”

“Investigate[fn] all the places where he hides. Then come back to me with accurate information, and I'll go with you. If it turns out he really is in the region, I'll search for him among all the clans[fn] of Judah.”

David and his men went up and raided the Geshurites, the Girzites,[fn] and the Amalekites. From ancient times they had been the inhabitants of the region through Shur as far as the land of Egypt.

By this time Samuel had died, all Israel had mourned for him and buried him in Ramah, his city, and Saul had removed the mediums and spiritists from the land.

But the woman said to him, “You surely know what Saul has done, how he has cut off the mediums and spiritists from the land. Why are you setting a trap for me to get me killed? ”

But the king said to her, “Don't be afraid. What do you see? ”

“I see a spirit form[fn] coming up out of the earth,” the woman answered.

He refused, saying, “I won't eat,” but when his servants and the woman urged him, he listened to them. He got up off the ground and sat on the bed.

So he led him, and there were the Amalekites, spread out over the entire area, eating, drinking, and celebrating because of the great amount of plunder they had taken from the land of the Philistines and the land of Judah.

“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? ”

So David did exactly as the LORD commanded him, and he struck down the Philistines all the way from Geba to Gezer.

“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.

from Edom,[fn] Moab, the Ammonites, the Philistines, the Amalekites, and the spoil of Hadadezer son of Rehob, king of Zobah.

David pleaded with God for the boy. He fasted, went home, and spent the night lying on the ground.

Then David got up from the ground. He washed, anointed himself, changed his clothes, went to the LORD's house, and worshiped. Then he went home and requested something to eat. So they served him food, and he ate.

“Now the whole clan has risen up against your servant and said, ‘Hand over the one who killed his brother so we may put him to death for the life of the brother he murdered. We will eliminate the heir! ' They would extinguish my one remaining ember by not preserving my husband's name or posterity on earth.”

“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.

The battle spread over the entire area, and that day the forest claimed more people than the sword.

People throughout all the tribes of Israel were arguing among themselves, saying, “The king rescued us from the grasp of our enemies, and he saved us from the grasp of the Philistines, but now he has fled from the land because of Absalom.

I pulverize them like dust of the earth;

I crush them and trample them like mud in the streets.

“is like the morning light when the sun rises

on a cloudless morning,

the glisten of rain on sprouting grass.”

“As for me, I am going the way of all of the earth. Be strong and be a man,

Emissaries of all peoples, sent by every king on earth who had heard of his wisdom, came to listen to Solomon's wisdom.

The king had them cast in clay molds in the Jordan Valley between Succoth and Zarethan.

Nothing was in the ark except the two stone tablets that Moses had put there at Horeb,[fn] where the LORD made a covenant with the Israelites when they came out of the land of Egypt.

I have provided a place there for the ark,

where the LORD's covenant is

that he made with our ancestors

when he brought them out of the land of Egypt.

He said:

LORD God of Israel,

there is no God like you

in heaven above or on earth below,

who keeps the gracious covenant

with your servants who walk before you

with all their heart.

But will God indeed live on earth?

Even heaven, the highest heaven, cannot contain you,

much less this temple I have built.

so that they may fear you

all the days they live on the land

you gave our ancestors.

and when they return to you with all their heart and all their soul

in the land of their enemies who took them captive,

and when they pray to you in the direction of their land

that you gave their ancestors,

the city you have chosen,

and the temple I have built for your name,

For they are your people and your inheritance;

you brought them out of Egypt,

out of the middle of an iron furnace.

For you, Lord GOD, have set them apart as your inheritance

from all peoples of the earth,

as you spoke through your servant Moses

when you brought our ancestors out of Egypt.

“May all the peoples of the earth know that the LORD is God. There is no other!

I will cut off Israel from the land I gave them, and I will reject[fn] the temple I have sanctified for my name. Israel will become an object of scorn and ridicule among all the peoples.

The king made the almug wood into steps for the LORD's temple and the king's palace and into lyres and harps for the singers. Never before did such almug wood arrive, and the like has not been seen again.

besides what came from merchants, traders' merchandise, and all the Arabian kings and governors of the land.

King Solomon surpassed all the kings of the world in riches and in wisdom.

Solomon accumulated 1,400 chariots and 12,000 horsemen and stationed them in the chariot cities and with the king in Jerusalem.

So the king sought advice.

Then he made two golden calves, and he said to the people, “Going to Jerusalem is too difficult for you. Israel, here are your gods[fn] who brought you up from the land of Egypt.”

This was the sin that caused the house of Jeroboam to be cut off and obliterated from the face of the earth.

He banished the male cult prostitutes from the land and removed all of the idols that his ancestors had made.

Ben-hadad listened to King Asa and sent the commanders of his armies against the cities of Israel. He attacked Ijon, Dan, Abel-beth-maacah, all Chinnereth, and the whole land of Naphtali.

“Because I raised you up from the dust and made you ruler over my people Israel, but you have walked in the ways of Jeroboam and have caused my people Israel to sin, angering me with their sins,

Omri rested with his ancestors and was buried in Samaria. His son Ahab became king in his place.

After a while, the wadi dried up because there had been no rain in the land.

“for this is what the LORD God of Israel says, ‘The flour jar will not become empty and the oil jug will not run dry until the day the LORD sends rain on the surface of the land.' ”

After a long time, the word of the LORD came to Elijah in the third year: “Go and present yourself to Ahab. I will send rain on the surface of the land.”

Aram had gone on raids and brought back from the land of Israel a young girl who served Naaman's wife.

So Naaman went and told his master what the girl from the land of Israel had said.

Naaman responded, “If not, please let your servant be given as much soil as a pair of mules can carry, for your servant will no longer offer a burnt offering or a sacrifice to any other god but the LORD.

So he said to him, “Go in peace.”

After Naaman had traveled a short distance from Elisha,

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.

Joash was in hiding with her in the LORD's temple six years while Athaliah reigned over the land.

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! ”

So all the people of the land went to the temple of Baal and tore it down. They smashed its altars and images to pieces, and they killed Mattan, the priest of Baal, at the altars.

Then Jehoiada the priest appointed guards for the LORD's temple.

The LORD afflicted the king, and he had a serious skin disease until the day of his death. He lived in quarantine,[fn] while Jotham, the king's son, was over the household governing the people of the land.

This disaster happened because the people of Israel sinned against the LORD their God who had brought them out of the land of Egypt from the power of Pharaoh king of Egypt and because they worshiped[fn] other gods.

Finally, the LORD removed Israel from his presence just as he had declared through all his servants the prophets. So Israel has been exiled to Assyria from their homeland to this very day.

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.”

“Instead fear the LORD, who brought you up from the land of Egypt with great power and an outstretched arm. You are to bow down to him, and you are to sacrifice to him.

Then Hezekiah prayed before the LORD:

LORD God of Israel, enthroned between the cherubim, you are God ​— ​you alone ​— ​of all the kingdoms of the earth. You made the heavens and the earth.

Now, LORD our God, please save us from his power so that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that you, LORD, are God ​— ​you alone.

Then the prophet Isaiah came to King Hezekiah and asked him, “Where did these men come from and what did they say to you? ”

Hezekiah replied, “They came from a distant country, from Babylon.”

“I will never again cause the feet of the Israelites to wander from the land I gave to their ancestors if only they will be careful to do all I have commanded them ​— ​the whole law that my servant Moses commanded them.”

The common people[fn] killed all who had conspired against King Amon, and they made his son Josiah king in his place.

From Megiddo his servants carried his dead body in a chariot, brought him into Jerusalem, and buried him in his own tomb. Then the common people[fn] took Jehoahaz son of Josiah, anointed him, and made him king in place of his father.

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.

Now the king of Egypt did not march out of his land again, for the king of Babylon took everything that had belonged to the king of Egypt, from the Brook of Egypt to the Euphrates River.

He deported all Jerusalem and all the commanders and all the best soldiers ​— ​ten thousand captives including all the craftsmen and metalsmiths. Except for the poorest people of the land, no one remained.

By the ninth day of the fourth month the famine was so severe in the city that the common people had no food.

But the captain of the guards left some of the poorest of the land to be vinedressers and farmers.

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.

The king of Babylon put them to death at Riblah in the land of Hamath. So Judah went into exile from its land.

Cush fathered Nimrod, who was the first to become a great warrior on earth.

When Jobab died, Husham from the land of the Temanites reigned in his place.

But they were unfaithful to the God of their ancestors. They prostituted themselves with the gods of the nations[fn] God had destroyed before them.

“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.

And who is like your people Israel? God, you came to one nation on earth to redeem a people for yourself, to make a name for yourself through great and awesome works by driving out nations before your people you redeemed from Egypt.

When David looked up and saw the angel of the LORD standing between earth and heaven, with his drawn sword in his hand stretched out over Jerusalem, David and the elders, covered in sackcloth, fell facedown.

“but the word of the LORD came to me: ‘You have shed much blood and waged great wars. You are not to build a house for my name because you have shed so much blood on the ground before me.

The ninth, for the ninth month, was Abiezer the Anathothite, a Benjaminite; 24,000 were in his division.

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.

For we are aliens and temporary residents in your presence as were all our ancestors. Our days on earth are like a shadow, without hope.

along with all his reign, his might, and the incidents that affected him and Israel and all the kingdoms of the surrounding lands.

“LORD God, let your promise to my father David now come true. For you have made me king over a people as numerous as the dust of the earth.

The king had them cast in clay molds in the Jordan Valley between Succoth and Zeredah.

Nothing was in the ark except the two tablets that Moses had put in it at Horeb,[fn] where the LORD had made a covenant with the Israelites when they came out of Egypt.

“Since the day I brought my people Israel

out of the land 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,

and I have not chosen a man

to be ruler over my people Israel.

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.

But will God indeed live on earth with humans?

Even heaven, the highest heaven, cannot contain you,

much less this temple I have built.

When there is famine in the land,

when there is pestilence,

when there is blight or mildew, locust or grasshopper,

when their enemies besiege them

in the land and its cities,[fn][fn]

when there is any plague or illness,

so that they may fear you

and walk in your ways

all the days they live on the land

you gave our ancestors.

and when they return to you with all their mind and all their heart

in the land of their captivity where they were taken captive,

and when they pray in the direction of their land

that you gave their ancestors,

and the city you have chosen,

and toward the temple I have built for your name,

then I will uproot Israel from the soil that I gave them, and this temple that I have sanctified for my name I will banish from my presence; I will make it an object of scorn and ridicule among all the peoples.

Then they will say, “Because they abandoned the LORD God of their ancestors who brought them out of the land of Egypt. They clung to other gods and bowed in worship to them and served them. Because of this, he brought all this ruin on them.”

besides what was brought by the merchants and traders. All the Arabian kings and governors of the land also brought gold and silver to Solomon.

All the kings of the world wanted an audience with Solomon to hear the wisdom God had put in his heart.

He ruled over all the kings from the Euphrates River to the land of the Philistines and as far as the border of Egypt.

They were bringing horses for Solomon from Egypt and from all the countries.

“However, they will become his servants so that they may recognize the difference between serving me and serving the kingdoms of other lands.”

“Didn't you banish the priests of the LORD, the descendants of Aaron and the Levites, and make your own priests like the peoples of other lands do? Whoever comes to ordain himself with a young bull and seven rams may become a priest of what are not gods.

So he said to the people of Judah, “Let's build these cities and surround them with walls and towers, with doors and bars. The land is still ours because we sought the LORD our God. We sought him and he gave us rest on every side.” So they built and succeeded.

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.

He took great pride in the LORD's ways, and he again removed the high places and Asherah poles from Judah.

The terror of the LORD was on all the kingdoms of the lands that surrounded Judah, so they didn't fight against Jehoshaphat.

“However, some good is found in you, for you have eradicated the Asherah poles from the land and have determined in your heart to seek God.”

Now here are the Ammonites, Moabites, and the inhabitants of Mount Seir. You did not let Israel invade them when Israel came out of the land of Egypt, but Israel turned away from them and did not destroy them.

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.