LXX Concordance for αὐτούς

So God created man in his own image;

he created him in the image of God;

he created them male and female.

The LORD God made clothing from skins for the man and his wife, and he clothed them.

he created them male and female. When they were created, he blessed them and called them mankind.[fn]

Then the LORD said, “I will wipe mankind, whom I created, off the face of the earth, together with the animals, creatures that crawl, and birds of the sky ​— ​for I regret that I made them.”

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.”

And all the men of his household ​— ​whether born in his household or purchased from a foreigner ​— ​were circumcised with him.

The men got up from there and looked out over Sodom, and Abraham was walking with them to see them off.

“What if there are fifty righteous people in the city? Will you really sweep it away instead of sparing the place for the sake of the fifty righteous people who are in it?

The LORD said, “If I find fifty righteous people in the city of Sodom, I will spare the whole place for their sake.”

But he urged them so strongly that they followed him and went into his house. He prepared a feast and baked unleavened bread for them, and they ate.

He said, “Don't do this evil, my brothers.

But Lot said to them, “No, my lords[fn] ​— ​please.

But he responded to them, “Do not delay me, since the LORD has made my journey a success. Send me away so that I may go to my master.”

“If you find your gods with anyone here, he will not live! Before our relatives, point out anything that is yours and take it.” Jacob did not know that Rachel had stolen the idols.

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]

Jacob heard that Shechem had defiled his daughter Dinah, but since his sons were with his livestock in the field, he remained silent until they returned.

Israel said to Joseph, “Your brothers, you know, are pasturing the flocks at Shechem. Get ready. I'm sending you to them.”

“I'm ready,” Joseph replied.

She gave birth to another son and named him Shelah. It was at Chezib that[fn][fn] she gave birth to him.

The captain of the guards assigned Joseph to them as their personal attendant, and they were in custody for some time.[fn]

When Joseph came to them in the morning, he saw that they looked distraught.

After them, seven heads of grain, thin and scorched by the east wind, sprouted up.

He asked if they were well, and he said, “How is your elderly father that you told me about? Is he still alive? ”

Portions were served to them from Joseph's table, and Benjamin's portion was five times larger than any of theirs. They drank and became drunk with Joseph.

And Joseph said to his father, “They are my sons God has given me here.”

So Israel said, “Bring them to me and I will bless them.”

These are the tribes of Israel, twelve in all, and this is what their father said to them. He blessed them, and he blessed each one with a suitable blessing.

But the Israelites were fruitful, increased rapidly, multiplied, and became extremely numerous so that the land was filled with them.

“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.”

“So because the Israelites' cry for help has come to me, and I have also seen the way the Egyptians are oppressing them,

Then Moses asked God, “If I go to the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your ancestors has sent me to you,' and they ask me, ‘What is his name? ' what should I tell them? ”

“Go and assemble the elders of Israel and say to them: The LORD, the God of your ancestors, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, has appeared to me and said: I have paid close attention to you and to what has been done to you in Egypt.

Moses answered, “What if they won't believe me and will not obey me but say, ‘The LORD did not appear to you'? ”

“I told you: Let my son go so that he may worship me, but you refused to let him go. Look, I am about to kill your firstborn son! ”

“Furthermore, I have heard the groaning of the Israelites, whom the Egyptians are forcing to work as slaves, and I have remembered my covenant.

“You are still acting arrogantly against[fn] my people by not letting them go.

Then the LORD said to Moses, “Go to Pharaoh, for I have hardened his heart and the hearts of his officials so that I may do these miraculous signs of mine among them,[fn]

He said to them, “The LORD would have to be with you if I would ever let you and your families go! Look out ​— ​you're heading for trouble.

But the LORD hardened Pharaoh's heart, and he was unwilling to let them go.

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.

Then all the Israelites did this; they did just as the LORD had commanded Moses and Aaron.

The floods covered them;

they sank to the depths like a stone.

When the Israelites saw it, they asked one another, “What is it? ” because they didn't know what it was.

Moses told them, “It is the bread the LORD has given you to eat.

Moses said to them, “No one is to let any of it remain until morning.”

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.' ”

Then Moses came down from the mountain to the people and consecrated them, and they washed their clothes.

“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.

“Whoever has sexual intercourse with an animal must be put to death.

“For my angel will go before you and bring you to the land of the Amorites, Hethites, Perizzites, Canaanites, Hivites, and Jebusites, and I will wipe them out.

“I will cause the people ahead of you to feel terror[fn] and will throw into confusion all the nations you come to. I will make all your enemies turn their backs to you in retreat.[fn]

“Put these on your brother Aaron and his sons; then anoint, ordain,[fn] and consecrate them, so that they may serve me as priests.

“This is what you are to do for them to consecrate them to serve me as priests. Take a young bull and two unblemished rams,

“They must eat those things by which atonement was made at the time of their ordination[fn] and consecration. An unauthorized person must not eat them, for these things are holy.

When Moses had finished speaking with them, he put a veil over his face.

Moses assembled the entire Israelite community and said to them, “These are the things that the LORD has commanded you to do:

With the remaining 44 pounds[fn] he made the hooks for the posts, overlaid their tops, and supplied bands for them.

“Anoint them just as you anointed their father, so that they may also serve me as priests. Their anointing will serve to inaugurate a permanent priesthood for them throughout their generations.”

“Speak to the Israelites and tell them: When any of you brings an offering to the LORD from the livestock, you may bring your offering from the herd or the flock.

The LORD commanded this to be given to them by the Israelites on the day he anointed them. It is a permanent portion throughout their generations.

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.

Then fire came from the LORD and consumed them, and they died before the LORD.

“Tell the Israelites: When a woman becomes pregnant and gives birth to a male child, she will be unclean seven days, as she is during the days of her menstrual impurity.

“Speak to Aaron, his sons, and all the Israelites and tell them: This is what the LORD has commanded:

“Say to them: Anyone from the house of Israel or from the aliens who reside among them who offers a burnt offering or a sacrifice

“Speak to the Israelites and tell them: I am the LORD your God.

“Speak to the entire Israelite community and tell them: Be holy because I, the LORD your God, am holy.

“You must not follow the statutes of the nations I am driving out before you, for they did all these things, and I abhorred them.

“A man or a woman who is[fn] a medium or a spiritist must be put to death. They are to be stoned; their death is their own fault.”

The LORD said to Moses, “Speak to Aaron's sons, the priests, and tell them: A priest is not to make himself ceremonially unclean for a dead person among his relatives,

“You are to consider him holy since he presents the food of your God. He will be holy to you because I, the LORD who sets you apart, am holy.

“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.”

“They must keep my instruction, or they will be guilty and die because they profane it; I am the LORD who sets them apart.

“by letting the people eat their holy offerings and having them bear the penalty of restitution. For I am the LORD who sets them apart.”

“Speak to Aaron, his sons, and all the Israelites and tell them: Any man of the house of Israel or of the resident aliens in Israel who presents his offering ​— ​whether they present payment of vows or freewill gifts to the LORD as burnt offerings ​— ​

“Speak to the Israelites and tell them: These are my appointed times, the times of the LORD that you will proclaim as sacred assemblies.

“Speak to the Israelites and tell them: When you enter the land I am giving you and reap its harvest,[fn] you are to bring the first sheaf of your harvest to the priest.

“And tell the Israelites: If anyone curses his God, he will bear the consequences of his sin.

“Speak to the Israelites and tell them: When you enter the land I am giving you, the land will observe a Sabbath to the LORD.

“For the land abandoned by them will make up for its Sabbaths by lying desolate without the people, while they make amends for their iniquity, because they rejected my ordinances and abhorred my statutes.

“You and Aaron are to register those who are twenty years old or more by their military divisions ​— ​everyone who can serve in Israel's army.[fn]

“Register the Levites by their ancestral families[fn] and their clans. You are to register every male one month old or more.”

“Register men from thirty years old to fifty years old, everyone who is qualified to perform service, to do work at the tent of meeting.

“As for the Merarites, you are to register them by their clans and their ancestral families.

“Speak to the Israelites and tell them: If any man's wife goes astray, is unfaithful to him,

“Speak to the Israelites and tell them: When a man or woman makes a special vow, a Nazirite vow, to consecrate himself to the LORD,

“Tell Aaron and his sons, ‘This is how you are to bless the Israelites. You should say to them,

“Take the Levites from among the Israelites and ceremonially cleanse them.

The Levites purified themselves and washed their clothes; then Aaron presented[fn] them before the LORD as a presentation offering. Aaron also made atonement for them to cleanse them ceremonially.

“Did I conceive all these people? Did I give them birth so you should tell me, ‘Carry them at your breast, as a nursing mother carries a baby,' to the land that you swore to give their ancestors?

“Then I will come down and speak with you there. I will take some of the Spirit who is on you and put the Spirit on them. They will help you bear the burden of the people, so that you do not have to bear it by yourself.

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.

Joshua son of Nun, assistant to Moses since his youth,[fn] responded, “Moses, my lord, stop them! ”

he said:

“Listen to what I say:

If there is a prophet among you from the LORD,

I make myself known to him in a vision;

I speak with him in a dream.

“Send men to scout out the land of Canaan I am giving to the Israelites. Send one man who is a leader among them from each of their ancestral tribes.”

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.

Then Caleb quieted the people in the presence of Moses and said, “Let's go up now and take possession of the land because we can certainly conquer it! ”

“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! ”

“Speak to the Israelites and tell them: When you enter the land I am giving you to settle in,

“Speak to the Israelites and tell them: After you enter the land where I am bringing you,

“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.

“Tell them further: Once you have presented the best part of the tenth, and it is credited to you Levites as the produce of the threshing floor or the winepress,

Then Moses and Aaron went from the presence of the assembly to the doorway of the tent of meeting. They fell facedown, and the glory of the LORD appeared to them.

Moses and Aaron summoned the assembly in front of the rock, and Moses said to them, “Listen, you rebels! Must we bring water out of this rock for you? ”

He said to them, “Spend the night here, and I will give you the answer the LORD tells me.” So the officials of Moab stayed with Balaam.

“Attack the Midianites and strike them dead.

“who will go out before them and come back in before them, and who will bring them out and bring them in, so that the LORD's community won't be like sheep without a shepherd.”

“And say to them: This is the food offering you are to present to the LORD:

“Each day present two unblemished year-old male lambs as a regular burnt offering.

“Tell the Israelites: When you cross the Jordan into the land of Canaan,

“And what I had planned to do to them, I will do to you.”

“Command the Israelites and say to them: When you enter the land of Canaan, it will be allotted to you as an inheritance[fn] with these borders:

“Speak to the Israelites and tell them: When you cross the Jordan into the land of Canaan,

In the fortieth year, in the eleventh month, on the first of the month, Moses told the Israelites everything the LORD had commanded him to say to them.

“See, I have set the land before you. Enter and take possession of the land the LORD swore to give to your ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and their future descendants.'

“We completely destroyed them, as we had done to King Sihon of Heshbon, destroying the men, women, and children of every city.

Moses summoned all Israel and said to them, “Israel, listen to the statutes and ordinances I am proclaiming as you hear them today. Learn and follow them carefully.

“But you stand here with me, and I will tell you every command ​— ​the statutes and ordinances ​— ​you are to teach them, so that they may follow them in the land I am giving them to possess.'

“and when the LORD your God delivers them over to you and you defeat them, you must completely destroy them. Make no treaty with them and show them no mercy.

“But he directly pays back[fn] and destroys those who hate him. He will not hesitate to pay back directly[fn] the one who hates him.

“If you say to yourself, ‘These nations are greater than I; how can I drive them out? '

“The LORD your God will also send hornets against them until all the survivors and those hiding from you perish.

“The LORD your God will give them over to you and throw them into great confusion until they are destroyed.

“But understand that today the LORD your God will cross over ahead of you as a consuming fire; he will devastate and subdue them before you. You will drive them out and destroy them swiftly, as the LORD has told you.

“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.'

“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.

“Destroy completely all the places where the nations that you are driving out worship their gods ​— ​on the high mountains, on the hills, and under every green tree.

“Though these nations you are about to drive out listen to fortune-tellers and diviners, the LORD your God has not permitted you to do this.

“He is to say to them, ‘Listen, Israel: Today you are about to engage in battle with your enemies. Do not be cowardly. Do not be afraid, alarmed, or terrified because of them.

“You must completely destroy them ​— ​the Hethite, Amorite, Canaanite, Perizzite, Hivite, and Jebusite ​— ​as the LORD your God has commanded you,

“If you see your brother's donkey or ox fallen down on the road, do not ignore it; help him lift it up.

“‘Anyone who does not put the words of this law into practice is cursed.'

And all the people will say, ‘Amen! '

Moses summoned all Israel and said to them, “You have seen with your own eyes everything the LORD did in Egypt to Pharaoh, to all his officials, and to his entire land.

saying, “I am now 120 years old; I can no longer act as your leader.[fn] The LORD has told me, ‘You will not cross the Jordan.'

The LORD alone led him,

with no help from a foreign god.

“They have provoked my jealousy

with what is not a god;[fn]

they have enraged me with their worthless idols.

So I will provoke their jealousy

with what is not a people;[fn]

I will enrage them with a foolish nation.

“I will pile disasters on them;

I will use up my arrows against them.

“I would have said: I will cut them to pieces[fn]

and blot out the memory of them from mankind,

How could one pursue a thousand,

or two put ten thousand to flight,

unless their Rock had sold them,

unless the LORD had given them up?

he said to them, “Take to heart all these words I am giving as a warning to you today, so that you may command your children to follow all the words of this law carefully.

“At nightfall, when the city gate was about to close, the men went out, and I don't know where they were going. Chase after them quickly, and you can catch up with them! ”

Before the men fell asleep, she went up on the roof

“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.

When all the Amorite kings across the Jordan to the west and all the Canaanite kings near the sea heard how the LORD had dried up the water of the Jordan before the Israelites until they had crossed over, they lost heart and their courage failed because of the Israelites.

“Israel has sinned. They have violated my covenant that I appointed for them. They have taken some of what was set apart. They have stolen, deceived, and put those things with their own belongings.

“So our elders and all the inhabitants of our land told us, ‘Take provisions with you for the journey; go and meet them and say, “We are your servants. Please make a treaty with us.” '

So Joshua established peace with them and made a treaty to let them live, and the leaders of the community swore an oath to them.

“This is how we will treat them: we will let them live, so that no wrath will fall on us because of the oath we swore to them.”

This is what Joshua did to them: he rescued them from the Israelites, and they did not kill them.

The LORD said to Joshua, “Do not be afraid of them, for I have handed them over to you. Not one of them will be able to stand against you.”

Joshua said, “Roll large stones against the mouth of the cave, and station men by it to guard the kings.

Joshua said to them, “Do not be afraid or discouraged. Be strong and courageous, for the LORD will do this to all the enemies you fight.”

Joshua captured all these kings and their cities and struck them down with the sword. He completely destroyed them, as Moses the LORD's servant had commanded.

The Israelites plundered all the spoils and cattle of these cities for themselves. But they struck down every person with the sword until they had annihilated them, leaving no one alive.

Moses the LORD's servant and the Israelites struck them down. And Moses the LORD's servant gave their land as an inheritance to the Reubenites, Gadites, and half the tribe of Manasseh.

“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.”

But the descendants of Judah could not drive out the Jebusites who lived in Jerusalem. So the Jebusites still live in Jerusalem among the descendants of Judah today.

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.

Joshua blessed them and sent them on their way, and they went to their homes.

When the Israelites heard this, the entire Israelite community assembled at Shiloh to go to war against them.

So Joshua summoned all Israel, including its elders, leaders, judges, and officers, and said to them, “I am old, advanced in age,

“Your ancestors cried out to the LORD, so he put darkness between you and the Egyptians, and brought the sea over them, engulfing them. Your own eyes saw what I did to Egypt. After that, you lived in the wilderness a long time.

“but I would not listen to Balaam. Instead, he repeatedly blessed you, and I rescued you from him.

The angel of the LORD went up from Gilgal to Bochim and said, “I brought you out of Egypt and led you into the land I had promised to your ancestors. I also said: I will never break my covenant with you.

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's anger burned against Israel, and he handed them over to marauders who raided them. He sold them to the enemies around them, and they could no longer resist their enemies.

The LORD raised up judges, who saved them from the power of their marauders,

Whenever the LORD raised up a judge for the Israelites, the LORD was with him and saved the people from the power of their enemies while the judge was still alive. The LORD was moved to pity whenever they groaned because of those who were oppressing and afflicting them.

The Israelites cried out to the LORD. So the LORD raised up Othniel son of Kenaz, Caleb's youngest brother, as a deliverer to save the Israelites.

He told them, “Follow me, because the LORD has handed over your enemies, the Moabites, to you.” So they followed him, captured the fords of the Jordan leading to Moab, and did not allow anyone to cross over.

The river Kishon swept them away,

the ancient river, the river Kishon.

March on, my soul, in strength!

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.”

“Watch me,” he said to them, “and do what I do. When I come to the outpost of the camp, do as I do.

So he said to them, “What have I done now compared to you? Is not the gleaning of Ephraim better than the grape harvest of Abiezer?

So he said, “They were my brothers, the sons of my mother! As the LORD lives, if you had let them live, I would not kill you.”

He took the troops, divided them into three companies, and waited in ambush in the countryside. He looked, and the people were coming out of the city, so he arose against them and struck them down.

“Then the LORD God of Israel handed over Sihon and all his troops to Israel, and they defeated them. So Israel took possession of the entire land of the Amorites who lived in that country.

Jephthah crossed over to the Ammonites to fight against them, and the LORD handed them over to him.

Then Samson said:

With the jawbone of a donkey

I have piled them in heaps.

With the jawbone of a donkey

I have killed a thousand men.

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.”

So the Danites sent out five brave men from all their clans, from Zorah and Eshtaol, to scout out the land and explore it. They told them, “Go and explore the land.”

They came to the hill country of Ephraim as far as the home of Micah and spent the night there.

He told them, “This is what Micah has done for me: He has hired me, and I became his priest.”

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!

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.

“When their fathers or brothers come to us and protest, we will tell them, ‘Show favor to them, since we did not get enough wives for each of them in the battle. You didn't actually give the women to them, so[fn] you are not guilty of breaking your oath.' ”

“If one person sins against another, God can intercede for him, but if a person sins against the LORD, who can intercede for him? ” But they would not listen to their father, since the LORD intended to kill them.

“Show some courage and be men, Philistines! Otherwise, you'll serve the Hebrews just as they served you. Now be men and fight! ”

“Why harden your hearts as the Egyptians and Pharaoh hardened theirs? When he afflicted them, didn't they send Israel away, and Israel left?

“Listen to them, but solemnly warn them and tell them about the customary rights of the king who will reign over them.”

Afterward, the people said to Samuel, “Who said that Saul should not[fn] reign over us? Give us those men so we can kill them! ”

“All right,” Jonathan replied, “we'll cross over to the men and then let them see us.

Jonathan climbed up using his hands and feet, with his armor-bearer behind him. Jonathan cut them down, and his armor-bearer followed and finished them off.

“and then sent you on a mission and said, ‘Go and completely destroy the sinful Amalekites. Fight against them until you have annihilated them.'

So the priest gave him the consecrated bread, for there was no bread there except the Bread of the Presence that had been removed from the presence of the LORD. When the bread was removed, it had been replaced with warm bread.

Saul went along one side of the mountain and David and his men went along the other side. Even though David was hurrying to get away from Saul, Saul and his men were closing in on David and his men to capture them.

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.

and David asked the LORD, “Should I pursue these raiders? Will I overtake them? ”

The LORD replied to him, “Pursue them, for you will certainly overtake them and rescue the people.”

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.

“When you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the balsam trees, act decisively, for then the LORD will have gone out ahead of you to strike down the army of the Philistines.”

After this, David defeated the Philistines, subdued them, and took Metheg-ammah[fn] from Philistine control.[fn]

“You, your sons, and your servants are to work the ground for him, and you are to bring in the crops so your master's grandson will have food to eat. But Mephibosheth, your master's grandson, is always to eat at my table.” Now Ziba had fifteen sons and twenty servants.

So Hanun took David's emissaries, shaved off half their beards, cut their clothes in half at the hips, and sent them away.

The Gibeonites were not Israelites but rather a remnant of the Amorites. The Israelites had taken an oath concerning them, but Saul had tried to kill them in his zeal for the Israelites and Judah. So David summoned the Gibeonites and spoke to them.

He shot arrows and scattered them;

he hurled lightning bolts and routed them.

I pursue my enemies and destroy them;

I do not turn back until they are wiped out.

You have made my enemies retreat before me;[fn]

I annihilate those who hate me.

I pulverize them like dust of the earth;

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

Solomon began to build the temple for the LORD in the four hundred eightieth year after the Israelites came out of the land of Egypt, in the fourth year of his reign over Israel, in the month of Ziv, which is the second month.[fn]

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 them,

When your people go out to fight against their enemies,[fn]

wherever you send them,

and they pray to the LORD

in the direction of the city you have chosen

and the temple I have built for your name,

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,

May you forgive your people

who sinned against you

and all their rebellions[fn] against you,

and may you grant them compassion

before their captors,

so that they may treat them compassionately.

As for all the peoples who remained of the Amorites, Hethites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites, who were not Israelites ​— ​

from the nations about which the LORD had told the Israelites, “You must not intermarry with them, and they must not intermarry with you, because they will turn your heart away to follow their gods.” To these women Solomon was deeply attached[fn] in love.

Rehoboam replied, “Go away for three days and then return to me.” So the people left.

The young men who had grown up with him told him, “This is what you should say to this people who said to you, ‘Your father made our yoke heavy, but you, make it lighter on us! ' This is what you should tell them: ‘My little finger is thicker than my father's waist!

They shouted loudly, and cut themselves with knives and spears, according to their custom, until blood gushed over them.

Then Elijah ordered them, “Seize the prophets of Baal! Do not let even one of them escape.” So they seized them, and Elijah brought them down to the Wadi Kishon and slaughtered them there.

So he said, “If they have marched out in peace, take them alive, and if they have marched out for battle, take them alive.”

Now the king of Aram's servants said to him, “Their gods are gods of the hill country. That's why they were stronger than we were. Instead, we should fight with them on the plain; then we will certainly be stronger than they are.

“Raise another army for yourself like the army you lost ​— ​horse for horse, chariot for chariot ​— ​and let's fight with them on the plain; and we will certainly be stronger than they are.” The king listened to them and did it.

The men of his city, the elders and nobles who lived in his city, did as Jezebel had sent word to them, just as it was written in the letters she had sent them.

Ahaziah had fallen through the latticed window of his upstairs room in Samaria and was injured. So he sent messengers, instructing them, “Go inquire of Baal-zebub,[fn] the god of Ekron, whether I will recover from this injury.”

All Moab had heard that the kings had come up to fight against them. So all who could bear arms, from the youngest to the oldest, were summoned and took their stand at the border.

The king of Aram was enraged because of this matter, and he called his servants and demanded of them, “Tell me, which one of us is for the king of Israel? ”

When the king of Israel saw them, he said to Elisha, “Should I kill them, should I kill them, my father? ”

So he prepared a big feast for them. When they had eaten and drunk, he sent them away, and they went to their master. The Aramean raiders did not come into Israel's land again.

So they followed them as far as the Jordan. They saw that the whole way was littered with clothes and equipment the Arameans had thrown off in their haste. The messengers returned and told the king.

But they replied, “That's a lie! Tell us! ”

So Jehu said, “He talked to me about this and that and said, ‘This is what the LORD says: I anoint you king over Israel.' ”

“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.' ”

Then Jehu wrote them a second letter, saying:

If you are on my side, and if you will obey me, bring me the heads of your master's sons[fn] at this time tomorrow at Jezreel.

All seventy of the king's sons were being cared for by the city's prominent men.

Then Jehu brought all the people together and said to them, “Ahab served Baal a little, but Jehu will serve him a lot.

When he finished offering the burnt offering, Jehu said to the guards and officers, “Go in and kill them. Don't let anyone out.” So they struck them down with the sword. Then the guards and officers threw the bodies out and went into the inner room of the temple of Baal.

Then the priest Jehoiada ordered the commanders of hundreds in charge of the army, “Take her out between the ranks, and put to death by the sword anyone who follows her,” for the priest had said, “She is not to be put to death in the LORD's 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 LORD rejected all the descendants of Israel, punished them, and handed them over to plunderers until he had banished them from his presence.

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.”

“So now, make a bargain with my master the king of Assyria. I'll give you two thousand horses if you're able to supply riders for them!

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.

Then the Levites carried the ark of God the way Moses had commanded according to the word of the LORD: on their shoulders with the poles.

So Hanun took David's emissaries, shaved them, cut their clothes in half at the hips, and sent them away.

When this was reported to David, he gathered all Israel and crossed the Jordan. He came up to the Arameans and lined up against them. When David lined up to engage them, they fought against him.

Since more leaders were found among Eleazar's descendants than Ithamar's, they were divided accordingly: sixteen heads of ancestral families[fn] were from Eleazar's descendants, and eight heads of ancestral families were from Ithamar's.

It stood on twelve oxen, three facing north, three facing west, three facing south, and three facing east. The basin was on top of them and all their hindquarters were toward the center.

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,

When your people go out to fight against their enemies,

wherever you send them,

and they pray to you

in the direction of this city you have chosen

and the temple that I have built for your name,

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.

When the LORD saw that they had humbled themselves, the LORD's message came to Shemaiah: “They have humbled themselves; I will not destroy them but will grant them a little deliverance. My wrath will not be poured out on Jerusalem through Shishak.

Then they attacked all the cities around Gerar because the terror of the LORD was on them. They also plundered all the cities, since there was a great deal of plunder in them.

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.

“Tomorrow, go down against them. You will see them coming up the Ascent of Ziz, and you will find them at the end of the valley facing the Wilderness of Jeruel.

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.

So when Jehu executed judgment on the house of Ahab, he found the rulers of Judah and the sons of Ahaziah's brothers who were serving Ahaziah, and he killed them.

He sacrificed to the gods of Damascus which had defeated him; he said, “Since the gods of the kings of Aram are helping them, I will sacrifice to them so that they will help me.” But they were the downfall of him and of all Israel.

Then they brought the goats for the sin offering right into the presence of the king and the congregation, who laid their hands on them.

“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.”

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.

They gave money to the stonecutters and artisans, and gave food, drink, and oil to the people of Sidon and Tyre, so they would bring cedar wood from Lebanon to Joppa by sea, according to the authorization given them by King Cyrus of Persia.

But when the prophets Haggai and Zechariah son of Iddo prophesied to the Jews who were in Judah and Jerusalem, in the name of the God of Israel who was over them,

But God was watching[fn] over the Jewish elders. These men wouldn't stop them until a report was sent to Darius, so that they could receive written instructions about this matter.

Be advised that you do not have authority to impose tribute, duty, and land tax on any priests, Levites, singers, doorkeepers, temple servants, or other servants of this house of God.

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.

Then the priest Ezra stood up and said to them, “You have been unfaithful by marrying foreign women, adding to Israel's guilt.

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.”

Then I replied to him, “There is nothing to these rumors you are spreading; you are inventing them in your own mind.”

During those days, the nobles of Judah sent many letters to Tobiah, and Tobiah's letters came to them.

You performed signs and wonders against Pharaoh,

all his officials, and all the people of his land,

for you knew how arrogantly they treated our ancestors.

You made a name for yourself

that endures to this day.

They refused to listen

and did not remember your wonders

you performed among them.

They became stiff-necked and appointed a leader

to return to their slavery in Egypt.[fn]

But you are a forgiving God,

gracious and compassionate,

slow to anger and abounding in faithful love,

and you did not abandon them.

So you handed them over to their enemies,

who oppressed them.

In their time of distress, they cried out to you,

and you heard from heaven.

In your abundant compassion

you gave them deliverers, who rescued them

from the power of their enemies.

However, in your abundant compassion,

you did not destroy them or abandon them,

for you are a gracious and compassionate God.

Joel son of Zichri was the officer over them, and Judah son of Hassenuah was second in command over the city.

There was, in fact, a command of the king regarding them, and an ordinance regulating the singers' daily tasks.

but I warned them, “Why are you camping in front of the wall? If you do it again, I'll use force[fn] against you.” After that they did not come again on the Sabbath.

When the report was investigated and verified, both men were hanged on the gallows. This event was recorded in the Historical Record in the king's presence.

Then Haman informed King Ahasuerus, “There is one ethnic group, scattered throughout the peoples in every province of your kingdom, keeping themselves separate. Their laws are different from everyone else's and they do not obey the king's laws. It is not in the king's best interest to tolerate them.

In each of King Ahasuerus's provinces the Jews assembled in their cities to attack those who intended to harm them.[fn] Not a single person could withstand them; fear of them fell on every nationality.

For Haman son of Hammedatha the Agagite, the enemy of all the Jews, had plotted against the Jews to destroy them. He cast the pur ​— ​that is, the lot ​— ​to crush and destroy them.

to whom alone the land was given

when no foreigner passed among them.

You have closed their minds to understanding,

therefore you will not honor them.

This is a wicked man's lot from God,

the inheritance the ruthless receive from the Almighty.

If I smiled at them, they couldn't believe it;

they were thrilled at[fn] the light of my countenance.

Those who have a godless heart harbor anger;

even when God binds them, they do not cry for help.

Then there comes a roaring sound;

God thunders with his majestic voice.

He does not restrain the lightning

when his rumbling voice is heard.

The one enthroned[fn] in heaven laughs;

the Lord ridicules them.

“You will break them with an iron scepter;

you will shatter them like pottery.”

Punish them, God;

let them fall by their own schemes.

Drive them out because of their many crimes,

for they rebel against you.

Put terror in them, LORD;

let the nations know they are only humans.Selah

Rise up, LORD!

Confront him; bring him down.

With your sword, save me from the wicked.

He shot his arrows and scattered them;

he hurled[fn] lightning bolts and routed them.

I crush them, and they cannot get up;

they fall beneath my feet.

I pulverize them like dust before the wind;

I trample them[fn] like mud in the streets.

You will make them burn

like a fiery furnace when you appear;

the LORD will engulf them in his wrath,

and fire will devour them.

Our ancestors trusted in you;

they trusted, and you rescued them.

Because they do not consider

what the LORD has done

or the work of his hands,

he will tear them down and not rebuild them.

The angel of the LORD encamps

around those who fear him, and rescues them.

The righteous[fn] cry out, and the LORD hears,

and rescues them from all their troubles.

One who is righteous has many adversities,

but the LORD rescues him from them all.

Let them be like chaff in the wind,

with the angel of the LORD driving them away.

Let ruin come on him unexpectedly,

and let the net that he hid ensnare him;

let him fall into it ​— ​to his ruin.

They are filled from the abundance of your house.

You let them drink from your refreshing stream.

The LORD helps and delivers them;

he will deliver them from the wicked and will save them

because they take refuge in him.

My adversaries taunt me,

as if crushing my bones,

while all day long they say to me,

“Where is your God? ”

In order to plant them,

you displaced the nations by your hand;

in order to settle them,

you brought disaster on the peoples.

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.

Then they will be filled with dread —

dread like no other —

because God will scatter

the bones of those who besiege you.

You will put them to shame,

for God has rejected them.

He will repay my adversaries for their evil.

Because of your faithfulness, annihilate them.

Let death take them by surprise;

let them go down to Sheol alive,

because evil is in their homes and within them.

God, the one enthroned from long ago,

will hear and will humiliate themSelah

because they do not change

and do not fear God.

Will they escape in spite of such sin?

God, bring down the nations in wrath.

But you laugh at them, LORD;

you ridicule all the nations.

Do not kill them; otherwise, my people will forget.

By your power, make them homeless wanderers

and bring them down,

Lord, our shield.

They adopt[fn] an evil plan;

they talk about hiding traps and say,

“Who will see them? ”[fn]

They will be made to stumble;

their own tongues work against them.

All who see them will shake their heads.

Pour out your rage on them,

and let your burning anger overtake them.

He split the sea and brought them across;

the water stood firm like a wall.

When he killed some of them,

the rest began to seek him;

they repented and searched for God.

He sent among them swarms of flies,

which fed on them,

and frogs, which devastated them.

He shepherded them with a pure heart

and guided them with his skillful hands.

But he would feed Israel[fn] with the best wheat.

“I would satisfy you with honey from the rock.”

so pursue them with your tempest

and terrify them with your storm.

You who love the LORD, hate evil!

He protects the lives of his faithful ones;

he rescues them from the power of the wicked.

He spoke to them in a pillar of cloud;

they kept his decrees and the statutes he gave them.

“They will perish, but you will endure;

all of them will wear out like clothing.

You will change them like a garment,

and they will pass away.

May sinners vanish from the earth

and wicked people be no more.

My soul, bless the LORD!

Hallelujah!

Egypt was glad when they left,

for the dread of Israel[fn] had fallen on them.

They asked, and he brought quail

and satisfied them with bread from heaven.

Water covered their foes;

not one of them remained.

They forgot God their Savior,

who did great things in Egypt,

So he said he would have destroyed them —

if Moses his chosen one

had not stood before him in the breach

to turn his wrath away from destroying them.

They angered the LORD at the Waters of Meribah,

and Moses suffered[fn] because of them,

He handed them over to the nations;

those who hated them ruled over them.

He rescued them many times,

but they continued to rebel deliberately

and were beaten down by their iniquity.

He caused them to be pitied

before all their captors.

Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble;

he rescued them from their distress.

Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble;

he saved them from their distress.

Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble;

he saved them from their distress.

Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble,

and he brought them out of their distress.

He blesses them, and they multiply greatly;

he does not let their livestock decrease.

All the nations surrounded me;

in the name of the LORD I destroyed them.

The righteousness of the upright rescues them,

but the treacherous are trapped by their own desires.

The words of the wicked are a deadly ambush,

but the speech of the upright rescues them.

A righteous person is careful in dealing with his neighbor,[fn]

but the ways of the wicked lead them astray.

The proud speech of a fool brings a rod of discipline,[fn]

but the lips of the wise protect them.

If you see oppression of the poor and perversion of justice and righteousness in the province, don't be astonished at the situation, because one official protects another official, and higher officials protect them.

The struggles of fools weary them,

for they don't know how to go to the city.

I have taken off my clothing.

How can I put it back on?

I have washed my feet.

How can I get them dirty?

So humanity is brought low,

and each person is humbled.

Do not forgive them!

Therefore the LORD's anger burned against his people.

He raised his hand against them and struck them;

the mountains quaked,

and their corpses were like garbage in the streets.

In all this, his anger has not turned away,

and his hand is still raised to strike.

Their roaring is like a lion's;

they roar like young lions;

they growl and seize their prey

and carry it off,

and no one can rescue it.

Make the minds[fn] of these people dull;

deafen their ears and blind their eyes;

otherwise they might see with their eyes

and hear with their ears,

understand with their minds,

turn back, and be healed.

The leaders of the people mislead them,

and those they mislead are swallowed up.[fn]

The remaining trees of its forest

will be so few in number

that a child could count them.

The wolf will dwell with the lamb,

and the leopard will lie down with the goat.

The calf, the young lion, and the fattened calf will be together,

and a child will lead them.

I have commanded my consecrated ones;

yes, I have called my warriors,

who celebrate my triumph,

to execute my wrath.

The nations will escort Israel and bring it to its homeland. Then the house of Israel will possess them as male and female slaves in the LORD's land. They will make captives of their captors and will rule over their oppressors.

It will be a sign and witness to the LORD of Armies in the land of Egypt. When they cry out to the LORD because of their oppressors, he will send them a savior and leader, and he will rescue them.

The LORD will strike Egypt, striking and healing. Then they will turn to the LORD, and he will be receptive to their prayers and heal them.

For this is how it will be on earth

among the nations:

like a harvested olive tree,

like a gleaning after a grape harvest.

For you have been a stronghold for the poor person,

a stronghold for the needy in his distress,

a refuge from storms and a shade from heat.

When the breath of the violent

is like a storm against a wall,

You disputed with Israel

by banishing and driving her away.[fn]

He removed her with his severe storm

on the day of the east wind.

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.

Assyria will be shattered by the voice of the LORD.

He will strike with a rod.

Egyptians are men, not God;

their horses are flesh, not spirit.

When the LORD raises his hand to strike,

the helper will stumble

and the one who is helped will fall;

both will perish together.

and the ransomed of the LORD will return

and come to Zion with singing,

crowned with unending joy.

Joy and gladness will overtake them,

and sorrow and sighing will flee.

“Now make a deal with my master, the king of Assyria. I'll give you two thousand horses if you're able to supply riders for them!

But the royal spokesman replied, “Has my master sent me to speak these words to your master and to you, and not to the men who are sitting on the wall, who are destined with you to eat their own excrement and drink their own urine? ”

They are barely planted, barely sown,

their stem hardly takes root in the ground

when he blows on them and they wither,

and a whirlwind carries them away like stubble.

You will winnow them

and a wind will carry them away,

a whirlwind will scatter them.

But you will rejoice in the LORD;

you will boast in the Holy One of Israel.

“When I look, there is no one;

there is no counselor among them;

when I ask them, they have nothing to say.

“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.

But this is a people plundered and looted,

all of them trapped in holes

or imprisoned in dungeons.

They have become plunder

with no one to rescue them

and loot, with no one saying, “Give it back! ”

All who make idols are nothing,

and what they treasure benefits no one.

Their witnesses do not see or know anything,

so they will be put to shame.

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.

“Look, they are like stubble;

fire burns them.

They cannot rescue themselves

from the power of the flame.

This is not a coal for warming themselves,

or a fire to sit beside!

“My own hand founded the earth,

and my right hand spread out the heavens;

when I summoned them,

they stood up together.

They did not thirst

when he led them through the deserts;

he made water flow from the rock for them;

he split the rock, and water gushed out.

They will not hunger or thirst,

the scorching heat or sun will not strike them;

for their compassionate one will guide them,

and lead them to springs.

And the ransomed of the LORD will return

and come to Zion with singing,

crowned with unending joy.

Joy and gladness will overtake them,

and sorrow and sighing will flee.

“creating words of praise.”[fn]

The LORD says,

“Peace, peace to the one who is far or near,

and I will heal him.

The least will become a thousand,

the smallest a mighty nation.

I am the LORD;

I will accomplish it quickly in its time.

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.

But they rebelled

and grieved his Holy Spirit.

So he became their enemy

and fought against them.

Like cattle that go down into the valley,

the Spirit of the LORD gave them[fn] rest.

You led your people this way

to make a glorious name for yourself.

The LORD said to me, “You have seen correctly, for I watch over[fn] my word to accomplish it.”

“Israel was holy to the LORD,

the firstfruits of his harvest.

All who ate of it found themselves guilty;

disaster came on them.”

This is the LORD's declaration.

Moreover, your skirts are stained

with the blood of the innocent poor.

You did not catch them breaking and entering.

But in spite of all these things

“a wind too strong for this comes at my call.[fn] Now I will also pronounce judgments against them.' ”

LORD, don't your eyes look for faithfulness?

You have struck them, but they felt no pain.

You finished them off,

but they refused to accept discipline.

They made their faces harder than rock,

and they refused to return.

Therefore, a lion from the forest will strike them down.

A wolf from arid plains will ravage them.

A leopard stalks their cities.

Anyone who leaves them will be torn to pieces

because their rebellious acts are many,

their unfaithful deeds numerous.

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.

But I am full of the LORD's wrath;

I am tired of holding it back.

Pour it out on the children in the street,

on the gathering of young men as well.

For both husband and wife will be captured,

the old with the very old.[fn]

They are called rejected silver,

for the LORD has rejected them.

Therefore, this is what the LORD of Armies says:

I am about to refine them and test them,

for what else can I do

because of my dear[fn] people?[fn]

“Tell them, ‘This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: “Let a curse be on the man who does not obey the words of this covenant,

The LORD said to me, “Proclaim all these words in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem: ‘Obey the words of this covenant and carry them out.'

Therefore, this is what the LORD of Armies says: “I am about to punish them. The young men will die by the sword; their sons and daughters will die by famine.

They have sown wheat but harvested thorns.

They have exhausted themselves but have no profit.

Be put to shame by your harvests

because of the LORD's burning anger.

“And you will say to them, ‘This is what the LORD says: I am about to fill all who live in this land ​— ​the kings who reign for David on his throne, the priests, the prophets, and all the residents of Jerusalem ​— ​with drunkenness.

“If they fast, I will not hear their cry of despair. If they offer burnt offering and grain offering, I will not accept them. Rather, I will finish them off by sword, famine, and plague.”

But the LORD said to me, “These prophets are prophesying a lie in my name. I did not send them, nor did I command them or speak to them. They are prophesying to you a false vision, worthless divination, the deceit of their own minds.

Then the LORD said to me, “Even if Moses and Samuel should stand before me, my compassions would not reach out to these people. Send them from my presence, and let them go.

“You have left me.”

This is the LORD's declaration.

“You have turned your back,

so I have stretched out my hand against you

and destroyed you.

I am tired of showing compassion.

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.

Therefore, this is what the LORD says:

If you return, I will take you back;

you will stand in my presence.

And if you speak noble words,

rather than worthless ones,

you will be my spokesman.

It is they who must return to you;

you must not return to them.

“For this is what the LORD says: Don't enter a house where a mourning feast is taking place.[fn] Don't go to lament or sympathize with them, for I have removed my peace from these people as well as my faithful love and compassion.” This is the LORD's declaration.

“I am about to send for many fishermen” ​— ​this is the LORD's declaration ​— ​“and they will fish for them. Then I will send for many hunters, and they will hunt them down on every mountain and hill and out of the clefts of the rocks,

Let my persecutors be put to shame,

but don't let me be put to shame.

Let them be terrified, but don't let me be terrified.

Bring on them the day of disaster;

shatter them with total[fn] destruction.

“Announce to them, ‘Hear the word of the LORD, kings of Judah, all Judah, and all the residents of Jerusalem who enter through these gates.

“Afterward ​— ​this is the LORD's declaration ​— ​King Zedekiah of Judah, his officers, and the people ​— ​those in this city who survive the plague, the sword, and the famine ​— ​I will hand over to King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon, to their enemies, yes, to those who intend to take their lives. He will put them to the sword; he won't spare them or show pity or compassion.'

“I will raise up shepherds over them who will tend them. They will no longer be afraid or discouraged, nor will any be missing.” This is the LORD's declaration.

I did not send out these prophets,

yet they ran.

I did not speak to them,

yet they prophesied.

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.

“Did King Hezekiah of Judah and all the people of Judah put him to death? Did not the king fear the LORD and plead for the LORD's favor,[fn] and did not the LORD relent concerning the disaster he had pronounced against them? We are about to bring a terrible disaster on ourselves! ”

“ ‘ “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.

“‘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.' ”

The prophet Hananiah then took the yoke bar from the neck of the prophet Jeremiah and broke it.

“for they are prophesying falsely to you in my name. I have not sent them.” This is the LORD's declaration.

Thanksgiving will come out of them,

a sound of rejoicing.

I will multiply them, and they will not decrease;

I will honor them, and they will not be insignificant.

“Instead, this is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after those days” ​— ​the LORD's declaration. “I will put my teaching within them and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people.

“You show faithful love to thousands but lay the fathers' iniquity on their sons' laps after them, great and mighty God whose name is the LORD of Armies,

“I will give them integrity of heart and action[fn] so that they will fear me always, for their good and for the good of their descendants after them.

“For this is what the LORD says: Just as I have brought all this terrible disaster on these people, so am I about to bring on them all the good I am promising them.

Therefore, this is what the LORD, the God of Armies, the God of Israel, says: I will certainly bring on Judah and on all the residents of Jerusalem all the disaster I have pronounced against them because I have spoken to them, but they have not obeyed, and I have called to them, but they did not answer.' ”

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.

King Zedekiah said, “Here he is; he's in your hands since the king can't do anything against you.”

“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.'

When Jeremiah had finished speaking to all the people all the words of the LORD their God ​— ​all these words the LORD their God had sent him to give them ​— ​

I will devastate Elam before their enemies,

before those who intend to take their lives.

I will bring disaster on them,

my burning anger.

This is the LORD's declaration.

I will send the sword after them

until I finish them off.

My people were lost sheep;

their shepherds led them astray,

guiding them the wrong way in the mountains.

They wandered from mountain to hill;

they forgot their resting place.

This is what the LORD of Armies says:

Israelites and Judeans alike have been oppressed.

All their captors hold them fast;

they refuse to release them.

While they are flushed with heat, I will serve them a feast,

and I will make them drunk so that they celebrate.[fn]

Then they will fall asleep forever

and never wake up.

This is the LORD's declaration.

“Stay away! Unclean! ” people shouted at them.

“Away, away! Don't touch us! ”

So they wandered aimlessly.

It was said among the nations,

“They can stay here no longer.”

“The descendants are obstinate[fn] and hardhearted. I am sending you to them, and you must say to them, ‘This is what the Lord GOD says.'

“Speak my words to them whether they listen or refuse to listen, for they are rebellious.

Then he said to me, “Son of man, go to the house of Israel and speak my words to them.

“Go to your people, the exiles, and speak to them. Tell them, ‘This is what the Lord GOD says,' whether they listen or refuse to listen.”

“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.

“Now you, son of man, take a sharp sword, use it as you would a barber's razor, and shave your head and beard. Then take a set of scales and divide the hair.

“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.

“The one who is far off will die by plague; the one who is near will fall by the sword; and the one who remains and is spared[fn] will die of famine. In this way I will exhaust my wrath on them.

They will put on sackcloth,

and horror will overwhelm them.

Shame will cover all their faces,

and all their heads will be bald.

The king will mourn;

the prince will be clothed in grief;

and the hands of the people of the land will tremble.

I will deal with them according to their own conduct,

and I will judge them by their own standards.

Then they will know that I am the LORD.

Then he said to them, “Defile the temple and fill the courts with the slain. Go! ” So they went out killing people in the city.

“Therefore, prophesy against them. Prophesy, son of man! ”

“Say to them, ‘This is what the Lord GOD says: This pronouncement concerns the prince[fn] in Jerusalem and the whole house of Israel living there.'[fn]

“Therefore say to them, ‘This is what the Lord GOD says: I will put a stop to this proverb, and they will not use it again in Israel.' But say to them, ‘The days have arrived, as well as the fulfillment of every vision.

“Therefore say to them, ‘This is what the Lord GOD says: None of my words will be delayed any longer. The message I speak will be fulfilled. This is the declaration of the Lord GOD.' ”