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Unlocked Literal Bible

The Holy Bible in English, Unlocked Literal Bible translation

copyright © 2017 Door43 World Missions Community
Language: English
Translation by: Door43 World Missions Community
Contributor: 'Alrick G. Headley, M.Div., Th.M.', 'Adam W. Nagelvoort, M.Div. Academic Ministries, Columbia International University', 'Dave Statezni, BA Orig langs., M.Div. Fuller Theological Seminary', 'Bram van den Heuvel, M.A.', 'C. Harry Harriss, M.Div.', 'David Trombold, M. Div.', 'Elizabeth Oakes, BA in Religious Studies, Linguistics', 'George "Drew" Curley, M.Div., PhD, Professor of Biblical Languages', Hendrik "Henry" de Vries, 'Henry Whitney, BA Linguistics', 'Jesse Griffin, BA Biblical Studies, MA Biblical Languages', 'James N. Pohlig, M.Div., MA in Linguistics, D. Litt. in Biblical Languages', 'Larry T Brooks, M.Div., Assemblies of God Theological Seminary', 'Larry Sallee, D.Min.', 'Paul M Fahnestock, M.Div. Reformed Theological Seminary, D. Min. Pittsburgh Theological Seminary', 'Perry Oakes, PhD in Old Testament, MA in Linguistics', 'Peter Smircich, BA Philosophy', 'Susan Quigley, MA in Linguistics', 'Thomas Warren, M.Div., Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, D.Min, Reformed Theological Seminary', 'Timothy Neu, Ph.D. Biblical Studies', 'Ward Pyles, M.Div., Western Baptist Theological Seminary', David Trombold, Dean Ropp, Gene Mullen, James Vigen, Leonard Smith, Nicholas Alsop, Michael Francis

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2020-12-04

ePub generated by Haiola 21 Feb 2024 from source files dated 31 Aug 2023
eBible.org certified

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Genesis

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Genesis

1

1 In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. 2 The earth was without form and empty. Darkness was upon the surface of the deep. The Spirit of God was moving above the surface of the waters. 3 God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. 4 God saw the light, that it was good. He divided the light from the darkness. 5 God called the light “day,” and the darkness he called “night.” This was evening and morning, the first day.

6 God said, “Let there be an expanse between the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.” 7 God made the expanse and divided the waters which were under the expanse from the waters which were above the expanse. It was so. 8 God called the expanse “sky.” This was evening and morning, the second day.

9 God said, “Let the waters under the sky be gathered together to one place, and let the dry land appear.” It was so. 10 God called the dry land “earth,” and the gathered waters he called “seas.” He saw that it was good. 11 God said, “Let the earth sprout vegetation: plants yielding seed and fruit trees bearing fruit whose seed is in the fruit, each according to its own kind.” It was so. 12 The earth produced vegetation, plants producing seed after their kind, and trees bearing fruit whose seed was in it, after their kind. God saw that it was good. 13 This was evening and morning, the third day.

14 God said, “Let there be lights in the sky to divide the day from the night and let them be as signs, for seasons, for days and years. 15 Let them be lights in the sky to give light upon the earth.” It was so. 16 God made the two great lights, the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night. He made the stars also. 17 God set them in the sky to give light upon the earth, 18 to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness. God saw that it was good. 19 This was evening and morning, the fourth day.

20 God said, “Let the waters be filled with great numbers of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth in the expanse of the sky.” 21 God created the great sea creatures, as well as every living creature after its kind, creatures that move and which fill the waters everywhere, and every winged bird after its kind. God saw that it was good. 22 God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas. Let birds multiply on the earth.” 23 This was evening and morning, the fifth day.

24 God said, “Let the earth produce living creatures, each according to its own kind, livestock, creeping things, and beasts of the earth, each according to its own kind.” It was so. 25 God made the beasts of the earth after their kind, the livestock after their kinds, and everything that creeps upon the ground after its kind. He saw that it was good. 26 God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. Let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the sky, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” * 27 God created man in his own image. In his own image he created him. Male and female he created them. 28 God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful, and multiply. Fill the earth, and subdue it. Have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the sky, and over every living thing that moves upon the earth.” 29 God said, “See, I have given you every plant yielding seed which is upon the surface of all the earth, and every tree with fruit which has seed in it. They will be food to you. 30 To every beast of the earth, to every bird of the heavens, and to everything that creeps upon the earth, and to every creature that has the breath of life I have given every green plant for food.” It was so. 31 God saw everything that he had made. Behold, it was very good. This was evening and morning, the sixth day.

2

1 Then the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the living things that filled them. 2 On the seventh day God came to the end of his work which he had done, and so he rested on the seventh day from all his work. 3 God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it he rested from all his work which he had done in his creation.

4 These were the events concerning the heavens and the earth, when they were created, on the day that Yahweh God made the earth and the heavens. 5 No bush of the field was yet in the earth, and no plant of the field had yet sprouted, for Yahweh God had not caused it to rain upon the earth, and there was no man to cultivate the ground. 6 But a mist went up from the earth and watered the whole surface of the ground. 7 Yahweh God formed man from the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living being. 8 Yahweh God planted a garden eastward, in Eden, and there he put the man whom he had formed. 9 Out of the ground Yahweh God made every tree to grow that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. This included the tree of life that was in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. 10 A river went out of Eden to water the garden. From there it divided and became four rivers. 11 The name of the first is Pishon. It is the one which flows throughout the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold. 12 The gold of that land is good. There are also bdellium and the onyx stone. 13 The name of the second river is Gihon. This one flows throughout the whole land of Cush. 14 The name of the third river is Tigris, which flows east of Ashur. The fourth river is the Euphrates. 15 Yahweh God took the man and put him into the garden of Eden to work it and to maintain it. 16 Yahweh God commanded the man, saying, “From every tree in the garden you may freely eat. 17 But from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you may not eat, for on the day that you eat from it, you will surely die.”

18 Then Yahweh God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone. I will make him a helper suitable for him.” 19 Out of the ground Yahweh God formed every animal of the field and every bird of the sky. Then he brought them to the man to see what he would call them. Whatever the man called each living creature, that was its name. 20 The man gave names to all the livestock, to all the birds of the sky, and to every beast of the field. But for the man himself there was found no helper suitable for him. 21 Yahweh God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, so the man slept. Yahweh God took one of his ribs and closed up the flesh where he took the rib. 22 With the rib that Yahweh God had taken from the man, he made a woman and brought her to the man. 23 The man said,

“This time, this one is bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh.

She will be called 'woman,' because she was taken out of man.”

24 Therefore a man will leave his father and his mother, he will be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh. 25 They were both naked, the man and his wife, but were not ashamed.

3

1 Now the serpent was more shrewd than any other beast of the field which Yahweh God had made. He said to the woman, “Has God really said, 'You must not eat from any tree of the garden'?” 2 The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat the fruit from the trees of the garden, 3 but concerning the fruit of the tree which is in the middle of the garden, God said, 'You may not eat it, nor may you touch it, or you will die.'” 4 The serpent said to the woman, “You will surely not die. 5 For God knows that the day you eat it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” 6 When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was desirable to make one wise, she took some of its fruit and ate it. Then she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate it. 7 The eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked. They sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves. 8 They heard the sound of Yahweh God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, so the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of Yahweh God among the trees of the garden.

9 Yahweh God called to the man and said to him, “Where are you?” 10 The man said, “I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked. So I hid myself.” 11 God said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?” 12 The man said, “The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit from the tree, and I ate it.” 13 Yahweh God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent lied to me, and I ate.”

14 Yahweh God said to the serpent,

“Because you have done this,

cursed are you alone among all the livestock

and all the beasts of the field.

It is on your stomach that you will go,

and it is dust that you will eat all the days of your life.

15 I will put hostility between you and the woman,

and between your seed and her seed.

He will bruise your head, and you will bruise his heel.”

16 To the woman he said,

“I will greatly multiply your pain in having children;

it is in pain that you will give birth to children.

Your desire will be for your husband, but he will rule over you.”

17 To Adam he said,

“Because you have listened to the voice of your wife,

and have eaten from the tree, concerning which I commanded you,

saying, 'You may not eat from it,'

cursed is the ground because of you;

through painful work you will eat from it all the days of your life.

18 It will produce thorns and thistles for you,

and you will eat the plants of the field.

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

until you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken.

For dust you are, and to dust you will return.”

20 The man called his wife's name Eve because she was the mother of all the living. 21 Yahweh God made for Adam and for his wife garments of skins and clothed them.

22 Yahweh God said, “Now the man has become like one of us, knowing good and evil. So now he must not be allowed to reach out with his hand, take from the tree of life, eat it, and live forever.” 23 Therefore Yahweh God sent him out from the garden of Eden, to cultivate the ground from which he had been taken. 24 So God drove the man out of the garden, and he placed cherubim at the east of the garden of Eden, and a flaming sword that turned every way, in order to guard the way to the tree of life.

4

1 The man slept with Eve his wife. She conceived and gave birth to Cain. She said, “I have produced a man with Yahweh's help.” 2 Then she gave birth to his brother Abel. Now Abel became a shepherd, but Cain cultivated the soil. 3 It came about that in the course of time Cain brought some of the fruit of the ground as an offering to Yahweh. 4 As for Abel, he brought some of the firstborn of his flock and some of the fat. Yahweh accepted Abel and his offering, 5 but Cain and his offering he did not accept. So Cain was very angry, and he scowled. 6 Yahweh said to Cain, “Why are you angry and why are you scowling? 7 If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin crouches at the door and desires to control you, but you must rule over it.” 8 Cain spoke to Abel his brother. It came about that while they were in the fields, Cain rose up against Abel his brother and killed him. *

9 Then Yahweh said to Cain, “Where is Abel your brother?” He said, “I do not know. Am I my brother's keeper?” 10 Yahweh said, “What have you done? Your brother's blood is calling out to me from the ground. 11 Now cursed are you from the ground, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother's blood from your hand. 12 When you cultivate the ground, from now on it will not yield to you its strength. A fugitive and a wanderer you will be in the earth.” 13 Cain said to Yahweh, “My punishment is greater than I can bear. 14 Indeed, you have driven me out this day from this ground, and I will be hidden from your face. I will be a fugitive and a wanderer in the earth, and whoever finds me will kill me.” 15 Yahweh said to him, “If anyone kills Cain, vengeance will be taken on him sevenfold.” Then Yahweh put a mark on Cain, so that if anyone found him, that person would not attack him.

16 So Cain went out from the presence of Yahweh and lived in the land of Nod, on the east of Eden. 17 Cain slept with his wife and she conceived. She gave birth to Enoch. He built a city and named it after his son Enoch. 18 To Enoch was born Irad. Irad became the father of Mehujael. Mehujael became the father of Methushael. Methushael became the father of Lamech. 19 Lamech took for himself two wives. The name of the one was Adah, and the name of the other was Zillah. 20 Adah gave birth to Jabal. He was the father of those who lived in tents who have livestock. 21 His brother's name was Jubal. He was the father of those who play the harp and pipe. 22 As for Zillah, she bore Tubal-Cain, the forger of tools of bronze and iron. The sister of Tubal-Cain was Naamah. 23 Lamech said to his wives,

“Adah and Zillah, listen to my voice; you wives of Lamech, listen to what I say.

For I have killed a man for wounding me, a young man for bruising me.

24 If Cain is avenged seven times, then Lamech will be avenged seventy-seven times.”

25 Adam slept with his wife again, and she bore another son. She called his name Seth and said, “God has given me another son in the place of Abel, for Cain killed him.” 26 A son was born to Seth and he called his name Enosh. At that time people began to call on the name of Yahweh.

5

1 This is the record of the descendants of Adam. On the day that God created mankind, he made them in his own likeness. 2 Male and female he created them. He blessed them and named them mankind when they were created. 3 When Adam had lived 130 years, he became the father of a son in his own likeness, after his image, and he called his name Seth. 4 After Adam became the father of Seth, he lived eight hundred years. He became the father of more sons and daughters. 5 Adam lived 930 years, and then he died.

6 When Seth had lived 105 years, he became the father of Enosh. 7 After he became the father of Enosh, he lived 807 years and became the father of more sons and daughters. 8 Seth lived 912 years, and then he died.

9 When Enosh had lived ninety years, he became the father of Kenan. 10 After he became the father of Kenan, Enosh lived 815 years. He became the father of more sons and daughters. 11 Enosh lived 905 years, and then he died.

12 When Kenan had lived seventy years, he became the father of Mahalalel. 13 After he became the father of Mahalalel, Kenan lived 840 years. He became the father of more sons and daughters. 14 Kenan lived 910 years, and then he died.

15 When Mahalalel had lived sixty-five years, he became the father of Jared. 16 After he became the father of Jared, Mahalalel lived 830 years. He became the father of more sons and daughters. 17 Mahalalel lived 895 years, and then he died.

18 When Jared had lived 162 years, he became the father of Enoch. 19 After he became the father of Enoch, Jared lived eight hundred years. He became the father of more sons and daughters. 20 Jared lived 962 years, and then he died.

21 When Enoch had lived sixty-five years, he became the father of Methuselah. 22 Enoch walked with God three hundred years after he became the father of Methuselah. He became the father of more sons and daughters. 23 Enoch lived 365 years. 24 Enoch walked with God, and then he was gone, for God took him.

25 When Methuselah had lived 187 years, he became the father of Lamech. 26 After he became the father of Lamech, Methuselah lived 782 years. He became the father of more sons and daughters. 27 Methuselah lived 969 years. Then he died.

28 When Lamech had lived 182 years, he became the father of a son. 29 He called his name Noah, saying, “This one will give us rest from our work and from the painful labor of our hands, which we must do because of the ground that Yahweh has cursed.” 30 Lamech lived 595 years after he became the father of Noah. He became the father of more sons and daughters. 31 Lamech lived 777 years. Then he died.

32 After Noah had lived five hundred years, he became the father of Shem, Ham, and Japheth.

6

1 It came about when mankind began to multiply on the earth and daughters were born to them, 2 that the sons of God saw that the daughters of mankind were attractive. They took for themselves wives, any of them that they chose. 3 Yahweh said, “My spirit will not remain in mankind forever, for they are flesh. They will live 120 years.” 4 Giants were on the earth in those days, and also afterward. This happened when the sons of God married daughters of men, and they had children with them. These were the mighty men of old, men of renown.

5 Yahweh saw that the wickedness of mankind was great in the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of their hearts was only evil continually. 6 Yahweh regretted that he had made mankind on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart. 7 So Yahweh said, “I will wipe away mankind whom I have created from the surface of the earth; both mankind and the larger animals, and creeping things and birds of the heavens, for I am sorry that I have made them.” 8 But Noah found favor in the eyes of Yahweh.

9 These were the events concerning Noah. Noah was a righteous man, and blameless among the people of his time. Noah walked with God. 10 Noah became the father of three sons: Shem, Ham, and Japheth. 11 The earth was corrupt before God, and it was filled with violence. 12 God saw the earth; behold, it was corrupt, for all flesh had corrupted their way upon the earth.

13 God said to Noah, “I can see that it is time to put an end to all flesh, for the earth is filled with violence through them. Indeed, I will destroy them with the earth. 14 Make for yourself an ark of cypress wood. Make rooms in the ark, and cover it with pitch within and without. 15 This is how you will make it: The length of the ark is to be three hundred cubits; the breadth of it is to be fifty cubits, and the height of it is to be thirty cubits. 16 Make a roof for the ark, and finish it at a cubit from the top of the side. Place a door in the side of the ark and make a lower, a second, and a third deck. 17 Listen, I am about to bring the flood of waters upon the earth, to destroy all flesh that has in it the breath of life from under heaven. Everything that is on the earth will die. 18 But I will establish my covenant with you. You will come into the ark, you, and your sons, and your wife, and your sons' wives with you. 19 Of every living creature of all flesh, two of every kind you must bring into the ark, to keep them alive with you, both male and female. 20 Of the birds after their kind, and of the larger animals after their kind, of every creeping thing of the ground after its kind, two of every sort will come to you, to keep them alive. 21 Gather for yourself every kind of food that is eaten and store it, so that it will be food for you and for them.” 22 So Noah did this. According to all that God commanded him, so he did.

7

1 Yahweh said to Noah, “Come, you and all your household, into the ark, for I have seen that you are righteous before me in this generation. 2 Of every clean animal you will bring with you seven males and seven females. From the animals that are not clean, of them bring two, the male and his mate. 3 Also of the birds of the sky, bring seven males and seven females, to preserve their offspring upon the surface of all the earth. 4 For in seven days I will cause it to rain upon the earth for forty days and forty nights. I will destroy from off the surface of the ground every living thing that I have made.” 5 Noah did all that Yahweh commanded him.

6 Noah was six hundred years old when the flood came upon the earth. 7 Noah, his sons, his wife, and his sons' wives went into the ark together because of the waters of the flood. 8 Clean animals and unclean animals, birds, and everything that creeps upon the ground, 9 two by two, male and female, came to Noah and went into the ark, just as God had commanded Noah. 10 It came about that after the seven days, the waters of the flood came upon the earth. 11 In the six hundredth year of Noah's life, in the second month, on the seventeenth day of the month, on the same day, all the fountains of the great deep burst open, and the windows of heaven were opened. 12 The rain began and fell on the earth for forty days and forty nights.

13 On that very same day Noah and his sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth, and Noah's wife, and the three wives of his sons with them, entered into the ark. 14 They entered along with each wild animal according to its kind, and each sort of livestock according to its kind, and each creeping thing that creeps upon the earth according to its kind, and every sort of bird according to its kind, each kind of creature with wings. 15 Two of all flesh in which was the breath of life came to Noah and entered into the ark. 16 The animals that went in were male and female of all flesh; they entered in just as God had commanded him. Then Yahweh shut the door after them. 17 Then the flood came upon the earth for forty days, and the water increased and lifted the ark and raised it above the earth. 18 The waters completely covered over the earth, and the ark floated upon the surface of the water. 19 The waters rose greatly on the earth so that all the high mountains that were under the entire sky were covered. 20 The waters rose fifteen cubits above the tops of the mountains. 21 All living beings that moved upon the earth died—birds, livestock, wild animals, all the living creatures that lived in great numbers upon the earth, and all mankind. 22 All living creatures who lived on the land, who breathed the breath of life through their noses, died. 23 So every living thing that was on the surface of the earth was wiped out, from mankind to the larger animals, to creeping things, and to birds of the sky. They were all destroyed from the earth. Only Noah and those with him in the ark were left. 24 The waters stayed upon the earth for a hundred and fifty days.

8

1 God considered Noah, all the wild animals, and all the livestock that were with him in the ark. God made a wind blow over the earth, and the waters started going down. 2 The fountains of the deep and the windows of heaven were closed, and it stopped raining. 3 The flood waters went down slowly from the earth, and after the end of a hundred and fifty days the waters had gone down. 4 The ark came to rest in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the month, upon the mountains of Ararat. 5 The waters continued to go down until the tenth month. On the first day of the month, the tops of the mountains appeared.

6 It came about after forty days that Noah opened the window of the ark which he had made. 7 He sent out a raven and it flew back and forth until the waters were dried up from the earth. 8 Then he sent out a dove to see if the waters had gone down from the surface of the earth, 9 but the dove found no place to rest her foot, and she returned to him in the ark, for the waters were still covering the whole earth. He reached out with his hand, and took and brought her into the ark with him. 10 He waited another seven days and again he sent out the dove from the ark. 11 The dove returned to him in the evening. Look! In her mouth was a freshly plucked olive leaf. So Noah knew that the waters had gone down from the earth. 12 He waited another seven days, and sent out the dove again. She did not return again to him.

13 It came about in the six hundred and first year, in the first month, on the first day of the month, that the waters were dried up from off the earth. Noah removed the covering of the ark, looked out, and saw that, behold, the surface of the ground was dry. 14 In the second month, on the twenty-seventh day of the month, the earth was dry. 15 God said to Noah, 16 “Go out of the ark, you, your wife, your sons, and your sons' wives with you. 17 Take out with you every living creature of all flesh that is with you—the birds, the animals, and every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth—so that they may grow unto very large numbers of living creatures throughout the earth, be fruitful, and multiply upon the earth.” 18 So Noah went out with his sons, his wife, and his sons' wives with him. 19 Every living creature, every creeping thing, and every bird, everything that moves on the earth, according to their families, left the ark.

20 Noah built an altar to Yahweh. He took some of the clean animals and some of the clean birds, and offered burnt offerings on the altar. 21 Yahweh smelled the pleasing aroma and said in his heart, “I will not again curse the ground because of mankind, even though the intentions of their hearts is evil from childhood. Nor will I again destroy everything living, as I have done.

22 While the earth remains, seed time and harvest, cold and heat,

summer and winter, and day and night will not cease.”

9

1 Then God blessed Noah and his sons, and said to them, “Be fruitful, multiply, and fill the earth. 2 The fear of you and the dread of you will be upon every living animal on the earth, upon every bird of the sky, upon everything that goes low on the ground, and upon all the fish of the sea. They are given into your hand. 3 Every moving thing that lives will be food for you. Just as I gave you the green plants, I now give you everything. 4 But you must not eat meat with its life—that is its blood—in it. 5 But for your blood, the life that is in your blood, I will require payment. From the hand of every animal I will require it. From the hand of any man, that is, from the hand of one who has murdered his brother, I will require an accounting for the life of that man.

6 Whoever sheds man's blood, by man will his blood be shed,

for it was in the image of God that he made man.

7 As for you, be fruitful and multiply, spread throughout the earth and multiply on it.”

8 Then God spoke to Noah and to his sons with him, saying, 9 “As for me, listen! I am going to confirm my covenant with you and with your descendants after you, 10 and with every living creature that is with you, with the birds, the livestock, and every creature of the earth with you, from all that came out of the ark, to every living creature on the earth. 11 I hereby confirm my covenant with you, that never again will all flesh be destroyed by the waters of a flood. Never again will there be a flood to destroy the earth.”

12 God said, “This is the sign of the covenant which I am making between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for all future generations: 13 I have set my rainbow in the cloud, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth. 14 It will come about when I bring a cloud over the earth and the rainbow is seen in the cloud, 15 then I will call to mind my covenant, which is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh. The waters will never again become a flood to destroy all flesh. 16 The rainbow will be in the clouds and I will see it, in order to remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth.”

17 Then God said to Noah, “This is the sign of the covenant that I have confirmed between me and all flesh that is on the earth.”

18 The sons of Noah that came out of the ark were Shem, Ham, and Japheth. Ham was the father of Canaan. 19 These three were the sons of Noah, and from these the whole earth was populated.

20 Noah began to be a farmer, and he planted a vineyard. 21 He drank some of the wine and became drunk. He was lying uncovered in his tent. 22 Then Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father and told his two brothers outside. 23 So Shem and Japheth took a robe and laid it upon both their shoulders, and walked backwards and covered the nakedness of their father. Their faces were turned the other way, so they did not see their father's nakedness. 24 When Noah awoke from his wine, he learned what his youngest son had done to him. 25 So he said,

“Cursed be Canaan.

May he be a servant to his brothers' servants.” 26 He also said,

“May Yahweh, the God of Shem, be blessed,

and may Canaan be his servant.

27 May God extend the territory of Japheth,

and let him make his home in the tents of Shem.

May Canaan be his servant.”

28 After the flood, Noah lived three hundred fifty years. 29 All the days of Noah were nine hundred fifty years, and then he died.

10

1 These were the descendants of the sons of Noah, that is, Shem, Ham, and Japheth. Sons were born to them after the flood.

2 The sons of Japheth were Gomer, Magog, Madai, Javan, Tubal, Meshech, and Tiras. 3 The sons of Gomer were Ashkenaz, Riphath, and Togarmah. 4 The sons of Javan were Elishah, Tarshish, Kittim, and Dodanim. 5 From these the coastland peoples separated and went into their lands, every one with its own language, according to their clans, by their nations.

6 The sons of Ham were Cush, Mizraim, Put, and Canaan. 7 The sons of Cush were Seba, Havilah, Sabtah, Raamah, and Sabteka. The sons of Raamah were Sheba and Dedan. 8 Cush became the father of Nimrod, who was the first conqueror on the earth. 9 He was a mighty hunter before Yahweh. That is why it is said, “Like Nimrod, a mighty hunter before Yahweh.” 10 The first centers of his kingdom were Babel, Erech, Akkad, and Kalneh, in the land of Shinar. 11 Out of that land he went to Assyria and built Nineveh, Rehoboth Ir, Calah, 12 and Resen, which was between Nineveh and Calah. It was a large city.

13 Mizraim became the father of the Ludites, the Anamites, the Lehabites, the Naphtuhites, 14 the Pathrusites, the Kasluhites (from whom the Philistines came), and the Caphtorites.

15 Canaan became the father of Sidon, his firstborn, and of Heth, 16 also of the Jebusites, the Amorites, the Girgashites, 17 the Hivites, the Arkites, the Sinites, 18 the Arvadites, the Zemarites, and the Hamathites. Afterward the clans of the Canaanites spread out. 19 The border of the Canaanites was from Sidon, in the direction of Gerar, as far as Gaza, and as one goes toward Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, and Zeboyim, as far as Lasha. 20 These were the sons of Ham, by their clans, by their languages, in their lands, and in their nations.

21 Sons also were born to Shem, the older brother of Japheth. Shem was also the ancestor of all the people of Eber. 22 The sons of Shem were Elam, Ashur, Arphaxad, Lud, and Aram. 23 The sons of Aram were Uz, Hul, Gether, and Meshech. 24 Arphaxad became the father of Shelah, and Shelah became the father of Eber. 25 Eber had two sons. The name of the one was Peleg, for in his days the earth was divided. His brother's name was Joktan. 26 Joktan became the father of Almodad, Sheleph, Hazarmaveth, Jerah, 27 Hadoram, Uzal, Diklah, 28 Obal, Abimael, Sheba, 29 Ophir, Havilah, and Jobab. All these were the sons of Joktan. 30 Their territory was from Mesha, all the way to Sephar, the mountain of the east. 31 These were the sons of Shem, according to their clans and their languages, in their lands, according to their nations.

32 These were the clans of the sons of Noah, according to their genealogies, by their nations. From these the nations separated and went over the earth after the flood.

11

1 Now the whole earth used one language and had the same words. 2 As they journeyed in the east, they found a plain in the land of Shinar and they settled there. 3 They said to one another, “Come, let us make bricks and bake them thoroughly.” They had brick instead of stone and tar as mortar. 4 They said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city and a tower whose top will reach to the sky, and let us make a name for ourselves. If we do not, we will be scattered across the surface of the whole earth.” 5 So Yahweh came down to see the city and the tower which the descendants of Adam had built. 6 Yahweh said, “Look, they are one people with the same language, and they are beginning to do this! Soon nothing that they intend to do will be impossible for them. 7 Come, let us go down and confuse their language there, so that they may not understand each other.” 8 So Yahweh scattered them from there across the surface of all the earth and they stopped building the city. 9 Therefore, its name was called Babel, because there Yahweh confused the language of the whole earth and from there Yahweh scattered them abroad over the surface of all the earth.

10 These were the descendants of Shem. Shem was a hundred years old, and he became the father of Arphaxad two years after the flood. 11 Shem lived five hundred years after he became the father of Arphaxad. He also became the father of other sons and daughters.

12 When Arphaxad had lived thirty-five years, he became the father of Shelah. 13 Arphaxad lived 403 years after he became the father of Shelah. He also became the father of other sons and daughters.

14 When Shelah had lived thirty years, he became the father of Eber. 15 Shelah lived 403 years after he became the father of Eber. He also became the father of other sons and daughters.

16 When Eber had lived thirty-four years, he became the father of Peleg. 17 Eber lived 430 years after he became the father of Peleg. He also became the father of other sons and daughters.

18 When Peleg had lived thirty years, he became the father of Reu. 19 Peleg lived 209 years after he became the father of Reu. He also became the father of other sons and daughters.

20 When Reu had lived thirty-two years, he became the father of Serug. 21 Reu lived 207 years after he became the father of Serug. He also became the father of other sons and daughters.

22 When Serug had lived thirty years, he became the father of Nahor. 23 Serug lived two hundred years after he became the father of Nahor. He also became the father of other sons and daughters.

24 When Nahor had live twenty-nine years, he became the father of Terah. 25 Nahor lived 119 years after he became the father of Terah. He also became the father of other sons and daughters.

26 After Terah had lived seventy years, he became the father of Abram, Nahor, and Haran.

27 Now these were the descendants of Terah. Terah became the father of Abram, Nahor, and Haran, and Haran became the father of Lot. 28 Haran died in the presence of his father Terah in the land of his birth, in Ur of the Chaldeans. 29 Abram and Nahor took wives. The name of Abram's wife was Sarai and the name of Nahor's wife was Milkah, a daughter of Haran, who was the father of Milkah and Iskah. 30 Now Sarai was barren; she had no child.

31 Terah took Abram his son, Lot the son of his son Haran, and Sarai his daughter-in-law, his son Abram's wife, and together they left Ur of the Chaldeans, to go into the land of Canaan. But they came to Haran and stayed there. 32 Terah lived 205 years and then died in Haran.

12

1 Now Yahweh said to Abram, “Go from your country, and from your relatives, and from your father's household, to the land that I will show you. 2 I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great, and you will be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, but whoever dishonors you I will curse. Through you will all the families of the earth be blessed.” 4 So Abram went, as Yahweh had told him to do, and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he left Haran. 5 Abram took Sarai, his wife, Lot, his brother's son, all their possessions that they had accumulated, and the people that they had acquired in Haran. They left to go into the land of Canaan, and came to the land of Canaan. 6 Abram passed through the land as far as Shechem, to the oak of Moreh. At that time the Canaanites lived in the land. 7 Yahweh appeared to Abram, and said, “To your descendants I will give this land.” So there Abram built an altar to Yahweh, who had appeared to him. 8 From there he moved to the hill country to the east of Bethel, where he pitched his tent, with Bethel to the west and Ai to the east. There he built an altar to Yahweh and called on the name of Yahweh. 9 Then Abram continued journeying, going toward the Negev.

10 There was a famine in the land, so Abram went down into Egypt to stay, for the famine was severe in the land. 11 When he was about to enter into Egypt, he said to Sarai his wife, “See here, I know that you are a beautiful woman. 12 When the Egyptians see you they will say, 'This is his wife,' and they will kill me, but they will keep you alive. 13 Say that you are my sister, so that it may be well with me because of you, and so that my life will be spared because of you.” 14 It came about that when Abram entered into Egypt, the Egyptians saw that Sarai was very beautiful. 15 The princes of Pharaoh saw her, and praised her to Pharaoh, and the woman was taken into Pharaoh's household. 16 Pharaoh treated Abram well for her sake, and gave him sheep, oxen, male donkeys, male servants, female servants, female donkeys, and camels. 17 Then Yahweh afflicted Pharaoh and his house with great plagues because of Sarai, Abram's wife. 18 Pharaoh summoned Abram, and said, “What is this that you have done to me? Why did you not tell me that she was your wife? 19 Why did you say, 'She is my sister,' so that I took her to be my wife? Now therefore, here is your wife. Take her, and go your way.” 20 Then Pharaoh gave orders to his men concerning him, and they sent him away, along with his wife and all that he had.

13

1 So Abram went up from Egypt and went into the Negev, he, his wife, and all that he had. Lot also went with them. 2 Now Abram was very rich in animals, in silver, and in gold. 3 He continued on his journey from the Negev to Bethel, to the place where his tent had been before, between Bethel and Ai. 4 He went to the place where the altar was that he had built previously. Here he called on the name of Yahweh. 5 Now Lot, who was traveling with Abram, also had flocks, herds, and tents. 6 The land was not able to support them both living close together, because their possessions were very many, so that they could not stay together. 7 Also, there was a dispute between the herdsmen of Abram's animals and the herdsmen of Lot's animals. The Canaanites and the Perizzites were living in the land at that time. 8 So Abram said to Lot, “Let there be no strife between you and me, and between your herdsmen and my herdsmen; after all, we are family. 9 Is not the whole land before you? Go ahead and separate yourself from me. If you go to the left, then I will go to the right. Or if you go to the right, then I will go to the left.” 10 So Lot looked around, and saw that the whole plain of the Jordan was well watered everywhere all the way to Zoar, like the garden of Yahweh, like the land of Egypt. This was before Yahweh destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah. 11 So Lot chose for himself all the plain of the Jordan and traveled east, and the relatives separated from each other. 12 Abram lived in the land of Canaan, and Lot lived among the cities of the plain. He set up his tents as far away as Sodom. 13 Now the men of Sodom were very wicked sinners against Yahweh.

14 Yahweh said to Abram after Lot had departed from him, “Look from the place where you are standing to the north, south, east, and west. 15 All this land which you see, I will give to you and to your descendants forever. 16 I will make your descendants as abundant as the dust of the earth, so that if a man could count the dust of the earth, then your descendants could also be counted. 17 Arise, walk through the length and breadth of the land, for I will give it to you.” 18 So Abram picked up his tent, and came and lived by the oaks of Mamre, which are in Hebron, and there built an altar to Yahweh.

14

1 It came about in the days of Amraphel, king of Shinar, Arioch, king of Ellasar, Kedorlaomer, king of Elam, and Tidal, king of Goiim, 2 that they made war against Bera, king of Sodom, Birsha, king of Gomorrah, Shinab, king of Admah, Shemeber, king of Zeboyim, and the king of Bela (also called Zoar). 3 These latter five kings joined together in the Valley of Siddim (also called the Salt Sea). 4 Twelve years they had served Kedorlaomer, but in the thirteenth year they rebelled. 5 Then in the fourteenth year, Kedorlaomer and the kings who were with him came and attacked the Rephaim in Ashteroth Karnaim, the Zuzites in Ham, the Emites in Shaveh Kiriathaim, 6 and the Horites in their hill country of Seir, as far as El Paran, which is near the desert. 7 Then they turned and came to En Mishpat (also called Kadesh), and defeated all the country of the Amalekites, and also the Amorites who lived in Hazezon Tamar.

8 Then the king of Sodom, the king of Gomorrah, the king of Admah, the king of Zeboyim, and the king of Bela (also called Zoar) went out and prepared for battle in the Valley of Siddim 9 against Kedorlaomer, king of Elam, Tidal, king of Goiim, Amraphel, king of Shinar, Arioch, king of Ellasar; four kings against the five. 10 Now the Valley of Siddim was full of tar pits, and as the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled, they fell in there. Those who were left fled to the mountains. 11 So the kings took all the goods of Sodom and Gomorrah and all their provisions, and went their way. 12 When they went, they also took Lot, Abram's brother's son, who was living in Sodom, along with all his possessions.

13 One who had escaped came and told Abram the Hebrew. He was living by the oaks that belonged to Mamre, the Amorite, who was the brother of Eshkol and Aner, who were all allies of Abram. 14 Now when Abram heard that enemies had captured his relative, he led out his 318 trained men who had been born in his house, and he pursued them as far as Dan. 15 He divided his men against them at night and attacked them, and pursued them as far as Hobah, which is north of Damascus. 16 Then he brought back all the possessions, and also brought back his relative Lot and his goods, as well as the women and the other people.

17 After Abram returned from defeating Kedorlaomer and the kings who were with him, the king of Sodom went out to meet him at the Valley of Shaveh (also called the King's Valley). 18 Melchizedek, king of Salem, brought out bread and wine. He was priest of God Most High. 19 He blessed him saying,

“Blessed be Abram by God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth.

20 Blessed be God Most High, who has given your enemies into your hand.”

Then Abram gave him a tenth of everything. 21 The king of Sodom said to Abram, “Give me the people, and take the goods for yourself.” 22 Abram said to the king of Sodom, “I have lifted up my hand to Yahweh, God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth, 23 that I will not take a thread, a sandal strap, or anything that is yours, so that you can never say, 'I have made Abram rich.' 24 I will take nothing except what the young men have eaten and the share of the men that went with me. Let Aner, Eshkol, and Mamre take their portion.”

15

1 After these things the word of Yahweh came to Abram in a vision, saying, “Fear not, Abram! I am your shield and your very great reward.” 2 Abram said, “Lord Yahweh, what will you give me, since I continue childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?” 3 Abram said, “Since you have given me no descendant, see, the steward of my house is my heir.” 4 Then, behold, the word of Yahweh came to him, saying, “This man will not be your heir; but rather the one who will come from your own body will be your heir.” 5 Then he brought him outside, and said, “Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them.” Then he said to him, “So will your descendants be.” 6 He believed Yahweh, and he counted it to him as righteousness. 7 He said to him, “I am Yahweh, who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldeans, to give you this land to inherit it.” 8 He said, “Lord Yahweh, how will I know that I will inherit it?” 9 Then he said to him, “Bring me a heifer three years old, a female goat three years old, a ram three years old, a dove, and a young pigeon.” 10 He brought him all these, and cut them in two, and placed each half opposite the other, but he did not divide the birds. 11 When the birds of prey came down upon the carcasses, Abram drove them away.

12 Then when the sun was going down, Abram fell sound asleep and, behold, a deep and terrifying darkness overwhelmed him. 13 Then Yahweh said to Abram, “Know for certain that your descendants will be strangers in a land that is not theirs, and will be enslaved and oppressed for four hundred years. 14 I will judge that nation that they will serve, and afterward they will come out with abundant possessions. 15 But you will go to your fathers in peace, and you will be buried in a good old age. 16 In the fourth generation they will come here again, for the iniquity of the Amorites has not yet reached its limit.” 17 When the sun had gone down and it was dark, behold, a smoking fire pot and a flaming torch passed between the pieces. 18 On that day Yahweh made a covenant with Abram, saying, “To your descendants I hereby give this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the Euphrates— 19 the Kenites, the Kenizzites, the Kadmonites, 20 the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Rephaites, 21 the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Girgashites, and the Jebusites.”

16

1 Now Sarai, Abram's wife, had not borne any children for him, but she had a female servant, an Egyptian, whose name was Hagar. 2 So Sarai said to Abram, “See, Yahweh has kept me from having children. Go sleep with my servant. It may be that I will have children by her.” Abram listened to the voice of Sarai. 3 It was after Abram had lived ten years in the land of Canaan that Sarai, Abram's wife, gave Hagar, her Egyptian servant, to her husband as a wife. 4 So he had relations with Hagar, and she conceived. When she saw that she had conceived, she looked with contempt on her mistress. 5 Then Sarai said to Abram, “This wrong on me is because of you. I gave my servant woman into your embrace, and when she saw that she had conceived, I was despised in her eyes. Let Yahweh judge between me and you.” 6 But Abram said to Sarai, “See here, your servant woman is in your power, do to her what you think best.” So Sarai dealt harshly with her, and she fled from her.

7 The angel of Yahweh found her by a spring of water in the wilderness, the spring that is on the way to Shur. 8 He said, “Hagar, Sarai's servant, where did you come from and where are you going?” Then she said, “I am fleeing from my mistress Sarai.” 9 The angel of Yahweh said to her, “Return to your mistress, and submit yourself to her authority.” 10 Then the angel of Yahweh said to her, “I will greatly multiply your descendants, so that they will be too numerous to count.” 11 The angel of Yahweh also said to her,

“Behold, you are pregnant and will bear a son,

and you will call his name Ishmael,

because Yahweh has heard your affliction.

12 He will be a wild donkey of a man.

He will be hostile against every man,

and every man will be hostile to him,

and he will live apart from all his brothers.” 13 Then she gave this name to Yahweh who spoke to her, “You are the God who sees me,” for she said, “Do I really continue to see, even after he has seen me?” 14 Therefore the well was called Beer Lahai Roi; behold, it is between Kadesh and Bered.

15 Hagar gave birth to Abram's son, and Abram named his son, whom Hagar bore, Ishmael. 16 Abram was eighty-six years old when Hagar bore Ishmael to Abram.

17

1 When Abram was ninety-nine years old, Yahweh appeared to Abram and said to him, “I am God Almighty. Walk before me, and be blameless. 2 Then I will confirm my covenant between me and you, and will multiply you exceedingly.” 3 Abram bowed low with his face to the ground and God talked with him, saying, 4 “As for me, behold, my covenant is with you. You will be the father of a multitude of nations. 5 No longer will your name be Abram, but your name will be Abraham—for I appoint you to be the father of a multitude of nations. 6 I will make you exceedingly fruitful, and I will make nations of you, and kings will descend from you. 7 I will establish my covenant between me and you and your descendants after you, throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your descendants after you. 8 I will give to you, and to your descendants after you, the land where you have been living, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession, and I will be their God.”

9 Then God said to Abraham, “As for you, you must keep my covenant, you and your descendants after you throughout their generations. 10 This is my covenant, which you must keep, between me and you and your descendants after you: Every male among you must be circumcised. 11 You must be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskin, and this will be the sign of the covenant between me and you. 12 Every male among you that is eight days old must be circumcised, throughout your people's generations. This includes him who is born into your household and him who is bought with money from any foreigner who is not one of your descendants. 13 He who is born into your household and he who is bought with your money must be circumcised. Thus my covenant will be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant. 14 Any uncircumcised male who is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin will be cut off from his people. He has broken my covenant.”

15 God said to Abraham, “As for Sarai your wife, do not call her Sarai any more. Instead, her name will be Sarah. 16 I will bless her, and I will give you a son by her. I will bless her, and she will become the mother of nations. Kings of peoples will come from her.” 17 Then Abraham bowed low with his face to the ground, and laughed, and said in his heart, “Can a child be born to a man who is a hundred years old? How can Sarah, who is ninety years old, bear a son?” 18 Abraham said to God, “Oh that Ishmael might live before you!” 19 God said, “No, but Sarah your wife will bear you a son, and you must name him Isaac. I will establish my covenant with him as an everlasting covenant with his descendants after him. 20 As for Ishmael, I have heard you. Behold, I hereby bless him, and will make him fruitful, and will multiply him abundantly. He will be the father of twelve leaders of tribes, and I will make him become a great nation. 21 But my covenant I will establish with Isaac, whom Sarah will bear to you at this time in the next year.”

22 When he had finished talking with him, God went up from Abraham. 23 Then Abraham took Ishmael his son, and all those who were born into his household, and all those who were bought with his money, every male among the men of Abraham's household, and circumcised the flesh of their foreskin in that same day, as God had said to him. 24 Abraham was ninety-nine years old when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin. 25 Ishmael his son was thirteen years old when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin. 26 On the very same day Abraham and Ishmael his son were both circumcised. 27 All the men of his household were circumcised with him, including those born into the household and those bought with money from a foreigner.

18

1 Yahweh appeared to Abraham by the oaks of Mamre, as he sat in the tent doorway in the heat of the day. 2 He looked up and, behold, he saw three men standing across from him. When he saw them, he ran to meet them from the tent door and bowed low to the ground. 3 He said, “Lord, if I have found favor in your eyes, do not pass by and leave your servant. 4 Let a little water be brought, wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree. 5 Let me bring a little food, so that you may refresh yourselves. Afterwards you can go your way, since you have come to your servant.” They replied, “Do as you have said.” 6 Then Abraham quickly went into the tent to Sarah, and said, “Hurry, get three seahs of fine flour, knead it, and make bread.” 7 Then Abraham ran to the herd, and took a calf that was tender and good, and gave it to the servant, and he hurried to prepare it. 8 He took curds and milk, and the calf that had been prepared, and placed the food before them, and he stood by them under the tree while they ate.

9 They said to him, “Where is Sarah your wife?” He replied, “There, in the tent.” 10 He said, “I will certainly return to you in the springtime, and see, Sarah your wife will have a son.” Sarah was listening in the tent doorway, which was behind him. 11 Now Abraham and Sarah were old, very advanced in age, and Sarah had passed the age when women could bear children. 12 So Sarah laughed to herself, saying to herself, “After I am worn-out and my master is old, will I now have this pleasure?” 13 Yahweh said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh and say, 'Will I really bear a child, when I am old'? 14 Is anything too hard for Yahweh? At the time appointed by me, in the spring, I will return to you. About this time next year Sarah will have a son.” 15 Then Sarah denied it and said, “I did not laugh,” for she was afraid. He replied, “No, you did laugh.”

16 Then the men arose to leave and looked down toward Sodom. Abraham went with them to see them on their way. 17 But Yahweh said, “Should I hide from Abraham what I am about to do, 18 since Abraham will indeed become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth will be blessed in him? 19 For I have chosen him so that he may instruct his children and his household after him to keep the way of Yahweh, to do righteousness and justice, so that Yahweh may bring upon Abraham what he has said to him.” 20 Then Yahweh said, “Because the outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is so great, and because their sin is so serious, 21 I will now go down there and see the outcry against her that has come to me, whether they have really done it. If not, I will know.”

22 So the men turned from there, and went toward Sodom, but Abraham remained standing before Yahweh. 23 Then Abraham approached and said, “Will you sweep away the righteous with the wicked? 24 Perhaps there are fifty righteous within the city. Will you sweep it away and not spare the place for the sake of the fifty righteous that are there? 25 Far be it from you to do such a thing, killing the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous should be treated the same as the wicked. Far be it from you! Will not the Judge of all the earth do what is just?” 26 Yahweh said, “If I find in Sodom fifty righteous within the city, then I will spare the whole place for their sake.” 27 Abraham answered and said, “Look, I have undertaken to speak to my Lord, even though I am only dust and ashes! 28 What if there are five less than fifty righteous? Will you destroy the whole city for lack of five?” Then he said, “I will not destroy it, if I find there forty-five.” 29 He spoke to him yet again, and said, “What if there are forty found there?” He replied, “I will not do it for the forty's sake.” 30 He said, “Please do not be angry, Lord, so I may speak. Perhaps thirty will be found there.” He replied, “I will not do it, if I find thirty there.” 31 He said, “Look, I have undertaken to speak to my Lord! Perhaps twenty will be found there.” He replied, “I will not destroy it for the twenty's sake.” 32 He said, “Please do not be angry, Lord, and I will speak this one last time. Perhaps ten will be found there.” Then he said, “I will not destroy it for the ten's sake.” 33 Yahweh went on his way as soon as he had finished talking with Abraham, and Abraham returned home.

19

1 The two angels came to Sodom in the evening, while Lot was sitting at the gate of Sodom. Lot saw them, arose to meet them, and bowed down with his face to the ground. 2 He said, “Please my masters, I urge you to turn aside into your servant's house, stay for the night, and wash your feet. Then you can rise up early and go on your way.” They replied, “No, we will spend the night in the town square.” 3 But he urged them strongly, so they went with him, and entered into his house. He prepared a meal and baked unleavened bread, and they ate. 4 But before they lay down, the men of the city, the men of Sodom, surrounded the house, both young and old, all the men from every part of the city. 5 They called to Lot, and said to him, “Where are the men that came in to you tonight? Bring them out to us, that we may sleep with them.” 6 So Lot went out the door to them and shut the door after himself. 7 He said, “I beg you, my brothers, do not act so wickedly. 8 Look, I have two daughters who have not slept with any man. Let me, I beg you, bring them out to you, and you do to them whatever is good in your eyes. Only do nothing to these men, because they have come under the shadow of my roof.” 9 They said, “Stand back!” They also said, “This one came here to live as a foreigner, and now he has become our judge! Now we will deal worse with you than with them.” They pressed hard against the man, against Lot, and came near to break down the door. 10 But the men reached out their hands and brought Lot into the house with them and shut the door. 11 Then Lot's visitors struck with blindness the men who were outside the door of the house, both young and old, so that they became exhausted when they were trying to find the door.

12 Then the men said to Lot, “Do you have anyone else here? Any sons-in-law, your sons and your daughters, and whoever you have in the city, get them out of here. 13 For we are about to destroy this place, because the accusations against it before Yahweh have become so loud that he has sent us to destroy it.” 14 Lot went out and spoke to his sons-in-law, the men who had promised to marry his daughters, and said, “Quick, get out of this place, for Yahweh is about to destroy the city.” But to his sons-in-law he seemed to be joking. 15 When the morning dawned, the angels urged Lot, saying, “Get going, take your wife and your two daughters that are here, so you are not swept away in the punishment of the city.” 16 But he lingered. So the men grabbed his hand, and the hand of his wife, and the hands of his two daughters, because Yahweh was merciful to him. They brought them out, and set them outside the city. 17 When they had brought them out, one of the men said, “Run for your lives! Do not look back, or stay anywhere on the plain. Escape to the mountains so you are not swept away.” 18 Lot said to them, “No, please, my masters! 19 Your servant has found favor in your eyes, and you have shown me great kindness in saving my life, but I cannot escape to the mountains, because the disaster will overtake me, and I will die. 20 Look, that city over there is near enough to flee to, and it is a little one. Please, let me escape there (is it not a little one?), and my life will be saved.” 21 He said to him, “Alright, I am granting this request also, that I will not destroy the city which you have mentioned. 22 Hurry! Escape there, for I cannot do anything until you arrive there.” Therefore the city was called Zoar.

23 The sun had risen upon the earth when Lot reached Zoar. 24 Then Yahweh rained down upon Sodom and Gomorrah sulfur and fire from Yahweh out of the sky. 25 He destroyed those cities, and all the plain, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and the plants that grew on the ground. 26 But Lot's wife, who was behind him, looked back, and she became a pillar of salt.

27 Abraham got up early in the morning and went to the place where he had stood before Yahweh. 28 He looked down toward Sodom and Gomorrah and toward all the land of the plain. He looked and behold, smoke was rising from the land like the smoke of a furnace.

29 So when God destroyed the cities of the plain, God called Abraham to mind. He sent Lot out of the midst of the destruction when he destroyed the cities in which Lot had lived.

30 But Lot went up from Zoar to live in the mountains with his two daughters, because he was afraid to live in Zoar. So he lived in a cave, he and his two daughters. 31 The firstborn said to the younger, “Our father is old, and there is no man anywhere to sleep with us according to the way of all the world. 32 Come, let us make our father drink wine, and we will sleep with him, so that we may extend our father's line.” 33 So they made their father drink wine that night. Then the firstborn went in and slept with her father; he did not know when she lay down, nor when she arose. 34 The next day the firstborn said to the younger, “Listen, last night I slept with my father. Let us make him drink wine tonight also, and you should go in and sleep with him, so that we may extend our father's line.” 35 So they made their father drink wine that night also, and the younger went and slept with him. He did not know when she lay down, nor when she arose. 36 So both the daughters of Lot were pregnant by their father. 37 The firstborn gave birth to a son, and named him Moab. He became the ancestor of the Moabites of today. 38 As for the younger daughter, she also gave birth to a son, and named him Ben-Ammi. He became the ancestor of the people of Ammon of today.

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1 Abraham journeyed from there toward the land of the Negev, and lived between Kadesh and Shur. He was a foreigner living in Gerar. 2 Abraham said concerning Sarah his wife, “She is my sister.” So Abimelech king of Gerar sent for Sarah and took her. 3 But God came to Abimelech in a dream in the night, and said to him, “Behold, you are a dead man because of the woman whom you have taken, for she is a man's wife.” 4 Now Abimelech had not come near her and he said, “Lord, would you kill even a righteous nation? 5 Did he not himself say to me, 'She is my sister?' Even she herself said, 'He is my brother.' I have done this in the integrity of my heart and the innocence of my hands.” 6 Then God said to him in the dream, “Yes, I also know that in the integrity of your heart you did this, and I also kept you from sinning against me. Therefore I did not allow you to touch her. 7 Therefore, return the man's wife, for he is a prophet. He will pray for you, and you will live. But if you do not restore her, know that you and all who are yours will surely die.”

8 Abimelech rose early in the morning and called all of his servants to himself. He told all these things to them, and the men were very afraid. 9 Then Abimelech called for Abraham and said to him, “What have you done to us? How have I sinned against you, that you have brought on me and on my kingdom a great sin? You have done to me that which ought not to be done.” 10 Abimelech said to Abraham, “What prompted you to do this thing?” 11 Abraham said, “Because I thought, 'Surely there is no fear of God in this place, and they will kill me because of my wife.' 12 Besides, she is indeed my sister, the daughter of my father, but not the daughter of my mother; and she became my wife. 13 When God caused me to leave my father's house and travel from place to place, I said to her, 'You must show me this faithfulness as my wife: At every place where we go, say about me, “He is my brother.”'” 14 Then Abimelech took sheep and oxen, and male and female slaves, and gave them to Abraham. Then he returned Sarah, Abraham's wife, to him. 15 Abimelech said, “Look, my land is before you. Settle wherever it pleases you.” 16 To Sarah he said, “Look, I have given your brother a thousand pieces of silver. It is to cover any offense against you in the eyes of all that are with you, and before everyone, you are completely made right.” 17 Then Abraham prayed to God, and God healed Abimelech, his wife, and his female slaves so that they were able to have children. 18 For Yahweh had caused all the women of the household of Abimelech to be completely infertile, because of Sarah, Abraham's wife.

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1 Yahweh paid attention to Sarah as he had said he would, and Yahweh did for Sarah just as he had promised. 2 Sarah conceived and bore a son to Abraham in his old age, at the set time of which God had spoken to him. 3 Abraham named his son, the one who had been born to him, whom Sarah bore to him, Isaac. 4 Abraham circumcised his son Isaac when he was eight days old, just as God had commanded him. 5 Abraham was one hundred years old when his son Isaac was born to him. 6 Sarah said, “God has made me laugh; every one who hears will laugh with me.” 7 She also said, “Who would have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse children, and yet I have borne him a son in his old age!”

8 The child grew and was weaned, and Abraham made a great feast on the day that Isaac was weaned. 9 Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, whom she had borne to Abraham, mocking. 10 So she said to Abraham, “Drive out this slave woman and her son, for the son of this slave woman will not be heir with my son, with Isaac.” 11 This thing was very grievous to Abraham because of his son. 12 But God said to Abraham, “Do not be grieved because of the lad, and because of your servant woman. Listen to her words in all she says to you about this matter, because it is through Isaac that your descendants will be named. 13 I will also make the son of the servant woman into a nation, because he is your descendant.” 14 Abraham rose up early in the morning, took bread and a skin of water, and gave it to Hagar, putting it on her shoulder. He gave her the boy and sent her away. She departed and wandered in the wilderness of Beersheba. 15 When the water in the waterskin was gone, she abandoned the child under one of the bushes. 16 Then she went, and sat down a short distance from him, about the distance of a bowshot away, for she said, “Let me not look upon the death of the child.” As she sat there across from him, she lifted up her voice and wept. 17 God heard the voice of the lad, and the angel of God called to Hagar out of heaven, and said to her, “What troubles you, Hagar? Do not be afraid, for God has heard the voice of the lad where he is. 18 Get up, raise up the lad, and encourage him; for I will make him into a great nation.” 19 Then God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water. She went and filled the skin with water, and gave the lad a drink. 20 God was with the lad, and he grew. He lived in the wilderness and became an archer. 21 He lived in the wilderness of Paran, and his mother got a wife for him from the land of Egypt.

22 It came about at that time that Abimelech and Phicol the captain of his army spoke to Abraham, saying, “God is with you in all that you do. 23 Now therefore swear to me here by God that you will not deal falsely with me, nor with my offspring, nor with my descendants. Show to me and to the land in which you have been staying the same covenant faithfulness that I have shown to you.” 24 Abraham said, “I swear.” 25 Abraham also complained to Abimelech concerning a well of water that Abimelech's servants had seized from him. 26 Abimelech said, “I do not know who has done this thing. You did not tell me before now; I have not heard of it until today.” 27 So Abraham took sheep and oxen and gave them to Abimelech, and the two men made a covenant. 28 Then Abraham set seven female lambs of the flock by themselves. 29 Abimelech said to Abraham, “What is the meaning of these seven female lambs that you have set by themselves?” 30 He replied, “These seven female lambs you will receive from my hand, so that it may be a witness for me, that I dug this well.” 31 So he called that place Beersheba, because there they both swore an oath. 32 They made a covenant at Beersheba, and then Abimelech and Phicol, the captain of his army, returned to the land of the Philistines. 33 Abraham planted a tamarisk tree in Beersheba. There he worshiped Yahweh, the eternal God. 34 Abraham remained as a foreigner in the land of the Philistines many days.

22

1 It came about after these things that God tested Abraham. He said to him, “Abraham!” Abraham said, “Here I am.” 2 Then God said, “Take your son, your only son, whom you love, Isaac, and go to the land of Moriah. Offer him there as a burnt offering upon one of the mountains there, which I will tell you about.” 3 So Abraham rose early in the morning, saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him, along with Isaac his son. He cut the wood for the burnt offering, then set out on his journey to the place that God had told him about. 4 On the third day Abraham looked up and saw the place afar off. 5 Abraham said to his young men, “Stay here with the donkey, and I and the lad will go over there. We will worship and come again to you.” 6 Then Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and put it on Isaac his son. He took in his own hand the fire and the knife; and they went both of them together. 7 Isaac spoke to Abraham his father and said, “My father,” and he said, “Here I am, my son.” He said, “See, here is the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?” 8 Abraham said, “God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.” So they went on, both of them together.

9 When they came to the place that God had told him about, Abraham built an altar there and laid the wood on it. Then he bound Isaac his son, and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. 10 Abraham reached out with his hand and took up the knife to kill his son. 11 Then the angel of Yahweh called to him from heaven and said, “Abraham, Abraham!” and he said, “Here I am.” 12 He said, “Do not lay your hand upon the lad, nor do anything to harm him, for now I know that you fear God, seeing that you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me.” 13 Abraham looked up and behold, behind him was a ram caught in the bushes by his horns. Abraham went and took the ram and offered him up as a burnt offering instead of his son. 14 So Abraham called that place, “Yahweh will provide,” and it is said to this day, “On the mountain of Yahweh it will be provided.” 15 The angel of Yahweh called to Abraham a second time from heaven 16 and said—this is Yahweh's declaration—by myself I have sworn that because you have done this thing, and have not withheld your son, your only son, 17 I will surely bless you and I will greatly multiply your descendants as the stars of the heavens, and as the sand which is upon the seashore; and your descendants will possess the gate of their enemies. 18 Through your offspring all the nations of the earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed my voice.” 19 So Abraham returned to his young men, and they departed and went together to Beersheba, and he lived at Beersheba.

20 It came about after these things that Abraham was told, “Milkah has borne children, as well, to your brother Nahor.” 21 They were Uz his firstborn, Buz his brother, Kemuel the father of Aram, 22 Kesed, Hazo, Pildash, Jidlaph, and Bethuel. 23 Bethuel became the father of Rebekah. These were the eight children that Milkah bore to Nahor, Abraham's brother. 24 His concubine, whose name was Reumah, also bore Tebah, Gaham, Tahash, and Maacah.

23

1 Sarah lived a hundred and twenty-seven years. These were the years of the life of Sarah. 2 Sarah died in Kiriath Arba, that is, Hebron, in the land of Canaan. Abraham mourned and wept for Sarah. 3 Then Abraham rose up and went from his dead wife, and spoke to the sons of Heth, saying, 4 “I am a foreigner among you. Please grant me a property for a burial place among you, so that I may bury my dead.” 5 The sons of Heth answered Abraham, saying, 6 “Listen to us, my master. You are a prince of God among us. Bury your dead in the choicest of our tombs. None of us will refuse you his tomb, so that you may bury your dead.” 7 Abraham arose and bowed down to the people of the land, to the sons of Heth. 8 He spoke to them, saying, “If you agree that I should bury my dead, then hear me and plead with Ephron son of Zohar, for me. 9 Ask him to sell me the cave of Machpelah, which he owns, which is at the end of his field. For the full price let him sell it to me publicly as a property for a burial place.” 10 Now Ephron was sitting among the sons of Heth, and Ephron the Hittite answered Abraham in the hearing of the sons of Heth, of all those who had come into the gate of his city, saying, 11 “No, my master, hear me. I give you the field, and the cave that is in it. I give it to you in the presence of the sons of my people. I give it to you to bury your dead.” 12 Then Abraham bowed himself down before the people of the land. 13 He spoke to Ephron in the hearing of the people of the land, saying, “But if you are willing, please hear me. I will pay for the field. Take the money from me, and I will bury my dead there.” 14 Ephron answered Abraham, saying, 15 “Please, my master, listen to me. A piece of land worth four hundred shekels of silver, what is that between me and you? Bury your dead.” 16 Abraham listened to Ephron and Abraham weighed out to Ephron the amount of silver that he had spoken in the hearing of the sons of Heth, four hundred shekels of silver, according to the standard measurement of the merchants.

17 So the field of Ephron, which was in Machpelah, which was next to Mamre, that is, the field, the cave that was in it, and all the trees that were in the field and all around its border, passed 18 to Abraham by purchase in the presence of the sons of Heth, before all those who had come into the gate of his city. 19 After this, Abraham buried Sarah his wife in the cave of the field of Machpelah, which is next to Mamre, that is, Hebron, in the land of Canaan. 20 So the field and the cave in it passed to Abraham as a property for a burial place from the sons of Heth.

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1 Now Abraham was very old and Yahweh had blessed Abraham in all things. 2 Abraham said to his servant, the one who was the oldest of his household and who was in charge of all that he had, “Put your hand under my thigh 3 and I will make you swear by Yahweh, the God of heaven and the God of the earth, that you will not get a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I make my home. 4 But you will go to my country, and to my relatives, and get a wife for my son Isaac.” 5 The servant said to him, “What if the woman will not be willing to follow me to this land? Must I take your son back to the land from which you came?” 6 Abraham said to him, “Make sure that you do not take my son back there! 7 Yahweh, the God of heaven, who took me from my father's house and from the land of my relatives, and who promised me with a solemn oath saying, 'To your offspring I will give this land,' he will send his angel before you, and you will get a wife for my son from there. 8 But if the woman is not willing to follow you, then you will be free from this oath of mine. Only you are not to take my son back there.” 9 So the servant put his hand under the thigh of Abraham his master, and swore to him concerning this matter.

10 The servant took ten of his master's camels and departed. He also took with him all kinds of gifts from his master. He departed and went to the region of Aram Naharaim, to the city of Nahor. 11 He made the camels kneel down outside the city by the well of water. It was evening, the time that women go out to draw water. 12 Then he said, “Yahweh, God of my master Abraham, grant me success today and show covenant faithfulness to my master Abraham. 13 Look, here I am standing by the spring of water, and the daughters of the men of the city are coming out to draw water. 14 Let it happen like this. When I say to a young woman, 'Please lower your pitcher so that I may drink,' and she says to me, 'Drink, and I will water your camels too,' then let her be the one that you have appointed for your servant Isaac. By this I will know that you have shown covenant faithfulness to my master.” 15 It came about that even before he had finished speaking, behold, Rebekah came out with her water pitcher on her shoulder. Rebekah was born to Bethuel son of Milkah, the wife of Nahor, Abraham's brother. 16 The young woman was very beautiful and a virgin. No man had slept with her. She went down to the spring and filled her pitcher, and came up. 17 Then the servant ran to meet her and said, “Please give me a little drink of water from your pitcher.” 18 She said, “Drink, my master,” and she quickly let down her pitcher on her hand, and gave him a drink. 19 When she had finished giving him a drink, she said, “I will draw water for your camels also, until they have finished drinking.” 20 So she hurried and emptied her pitcher into the trough, then ran again to the well to draw water, and drew water for all his camels. 21 The man watched her in silence to see whether Yahweh had prospered his journey or not. 22 As the camels finished drinking, the man brought out a gold nose ring weighing half a shekel, and two gold bracelets for her arms weighing ten shekels, 23 and asked, “Whose daughter are you? Tell me please, is there room in your father's house for us to spend the night?” 24 She said to him, “I am the daughter of Bethuel son of Milkah, whom she bore to Nahor.” 25 She also said to him, “We have plenty of both straw and feed, and also room for you to spend the night.” 26 Then the man bowed down and worshiped Yahweh. 27 He said, “Blessed be Yahweh, the God of my master Abraham, who has not forsaken his covenant faithfulness and his trustworthiness toward my master. As for me, Yahweh has led me directly to the house of my master's relatives.”

28 Then the young woman ran and told her mother's household about all of these things. 29 Now Rebekah had a brother, and his name was Laban. Laban ran to the man who was out at the road by the spring. 30 When he had seen the nose ring and the bracelets on his sister's arms, and when he had heard the words of Rebekah his sister, “This is what the man said to me,” he went to the man, and, behold, he was standing by the camels at the spring. 31 Then Laban said, “Come, you blessed of Yahweh. Why are you standing outside? I have prepared the house, and a place for the camels.” 32 So the man came to the house and he unloaded the camels. The camels were given straw and feed, and water was provided to wash his feet and the feet of the men who were with him. 33 They set food before him to eat, but he said, “I will not eat until I have said what I have to say.” So Laban said, “Speak on.” 34 He said, “I am Abraham's servant. 35 Yahweh has blessed my master very much and he has become great. He has given him flocks and herds, silver and gold, male servants and female servants, and camels and donkeys. 36 Sarah, my master's wife, bore a son to my master when she was old, and he has given everything that he owns to him. 37 My master made me swear, saying, 'You must not get a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, in whose land I make my home. 38 Instead, you must go to my father's family, and to my relatives, and get a wife for my son.' 39 I said to my master, 'Perhaps the woman will not follow me.' 40 But he said to me, 'Yahweh, before whom I walk, will send his angel with you and he will prosper your way, so that you will get a wife for my son from among my relatives and from my father's family line. 41 But you will be free from my oath if you come to my relatives and they will not give her to you. Then you will be free from my oath.' 42 So I arrived today at the spring, and said, 'O Yahweh, God of my master Abraham, please, if you do indeed intend to make my journey successful— 43 here I am, standing by the spring of water—let the young woman who comes out to draw water, the woman to whom I say, “Please give me a little water from your pitcher to drink,” 44 the woman who says to me, “Drink, and I will also draw water for your camels”—let her be the woman whom you, Yahweh, have chosen for my master's son.' 45 Even before I had finished speaking in my heart, behold, Rebekah came out with her pitcher on her shoulder and she went down to the spring and drew water. So I said to her, 'Please give me a drink.' 46 She quickly lowered her pitcher from her shoulder and said, 'Drink, and I will give your camels water also.' So I drank, and she watered the camels also. 47 I asked her and said, 'Whose daughter are you?' She said, 'The daughter of Bethuel, Nahor's son, whom Milkah bore to him.' Then I put the ring in her nose and the bracelets on her arms. 48 Then I bowed down and worshiped Yahweh, and blessed Yahweh, the God of my master Abraham, who had led me by the right way to find the daughter of my master's relative for his son. 49 Now therefore, if you are prepared to show covenant faithfulness and trustworthiness to my master, tell me. But if not, tell me, so that I may turn to the right hand or to the left.”

50 Then Laban and Bethuel answered and said, “The thing has come from Yahweh; we cannot speak to you either bad or good. 51 Look, Rebekah is before you. Take her and go, so she may be the wife of your master's son, as Yahweh has spoken.” 52 When Abraham's servant heard their words, he bowed himself down to the ground to Yahweh. 53 The servant brought out articles of silver and articles of gold, and clothing, and gave them to Rebekah. He also gave precious gifts to her brother and to her mother. 54 Then he and the men who were with him ate and drank. They stayed there overnight, and when they arose in the morning, he said, “Send me away to my master.” 55 Her brother and her mother said, “Let the young woman stay with us for a few more days, at least ten. After that she may go.” 56 But he said to them, “Do not hinder me, since Yahweh has prospered my way. Send me on my way so that I may go to my master.” 57 They said, “We will call the young woman and ask her.” 58 So they called Rebekah and asked her, “Will you go with this man?” She replied, “I will go.” 59 So they sent their sister Rebekah, along with her female servant, on her journey with Abraham's servant and his men. 60 They blessed Rebekah, and said to her,

“Our sister, may you be the mother of thousands of ten thousands,

and may your descendants possess the gate of those who hate them.”

61 Then Rebekah arose, and she and her servant girls mounted the camels, and followed the man. Thus the servant took Rebekah, and went his way.

62 Now Isaac was living in the Negev, and had just returned from Beer Lahai Roi. 63 Isaac went out to meditate in the field in the evening. When he looked up and saw, behold, there were camels coming! 64 Rebekah looked, and when she saw Isaac, she jumped down from the camel. 65 She said to the servant, “Who is that man who is walking in the field to meet us?” The servant said, “It is my master.” So she took her veil, and covered herself. 66 The servant recounted to Isaac all the things that he had done. 67 Then Isaac brought her into his mother Sarah's tent and took Rebekah, and she became his wife, and he loved her. So Isaac was comforted after his mother's death.

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1 Abraham took another wife; her name was Keturah. 2 She bore him Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak, and Shuah. 3 Jokshan became the father of Sheba and Dedan. The descendants of Dedan were the Assyrian people, the Letush people, and the Leum people. 4 Midian's sons were Ephah, Epher, Hanok, Abida, and Eldaah. All these were Keturah's descendants. 5 Abraham gave all that he owned to Isaac. 6 However, while he was still living, he gave gifts to the sons of his concubines and sent them to the land of the east, away from Isaac, his son. 7 These were the days of the years of Abraham's life which he lived, 175 years. 8 Abraham breathed his last and died at a good old age, an old man with a full life, and he was gathered to his people. 9 Isaac and Ishmael, his sons, buried him in the cave of Machpelah, in the field of Ephron son of Zohar the Hittite, which is near Mamre. 10 This field Abraham had bought from the sons of Heth. Abraham was buried there with Sarah his wife. 11 After the death of Abraham, God blessed Isaac his son, and Isaac lived near Beer Lahai Roi.

12 Now these were the descendants of Ishmael, Abraham's son, whom Hagar the Egyptian, Sarah's servant, bore to Abraham. 13 These were the names of Ishmael's sons, according to their birth order: Nebaioth—the firstborn of Ishmael, Kedar, Adbeel, Mibsam, 14 Mishma, Dumah, Massa, 15 Hadad, Tema, Jetur, Naphish, and Kedemah. 16 These were Ishmael's sons, and these were their names, by their villages, and by their encampments; twelve princes according to their tribes. 17 These were the years of the life of Ishmael, 137 years. He breathed his last and died, and was gathered to his people. 18 They lived from Havilah to Ashhur, which is near Egypt, as one goes toward Assyria. They lived in hostility with each other.

19 These were the events concerning Isaac, Abraham's son. Abraham became the father of Isaac. 20 Isaac was forty years old when he took as his wife Rebekah, the daughter of Bethuel the Aramean of Paddan Aram, the sister of Laban the Aramean. 21 Isaac prayed to Yahweh for his wife because she was childless, and Yahweh answered his prayer, and Rebekah his wife conceived. 22 The children struggled together within her, and she said, “Why is this happening to me?” She went to ask Yahweh about this. 23 Yahweh said to her,

“Two nations are in your womb, and two peoples will be separated from within you.

One people will be stronger than the other, and the older will serve the younger.”

24 When it was time for her to give birth, behold, there were twins in her womb. 25 The first child came out red all over like a hairy garment. They called his name Esau. 26 After that, his brother came out. His hand was grasping Esau's heel. He was called Jacob. Isaac was sixty years old when his wife bore them.

27 The boys grew up, and Esau became a skillful hunter, a man of the field; but Jacob was a quiet man, who spent his time in the tents. 28 Now Isaac loved Esau because he ate the animals that he had hunted, but Rebekah loved Jacob. 29 Jacob cooked some stew. Esau came in from the field, and he was weak from hunger. 30 Esau said to Jacob, “Feed me with that red stew. Please, I am exhausted!” That is why his name was called Edom. 31 Jacob said, “First sell me your birthright.” 32 Esau said, “Look, I am about to die. What good is the birthright to me?” 33 Jacob said, “First swear to me,” so Esau swore an oath and in that way he sold his birthright to Jacob. 34 Jacob gave Esau bread and stew of lentils. He ate and drank, then got up and went on his way. In this manner Esau despised his birthright.

26

1 Now a famine happened in the land, besides the first famine that had been in the days of Abraham. Isaac went to Abimelech, king of the Philistines at Gerar. 2 Now Yahweh appeared to him and said, “Do not go down to Egypt; live in the land that I tell you to live in. 3 Stay in this very land, and I will be with you and will bless you; for to you and to your descendants, I will give all these lands, and I will fulfill the oath that I swore to Abraham your father. 4 I will multiply your descendants like the stars of heaven, and will give to your descendants all these lands. Through your descendants all the nations of the earth will be blessed. 5 I will do this because Abraham obeyed my voice and kept my instructions, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws.” 6 So Isaac settled in Gerar. 7 When the men of the place asked him about his wife, he said, “She is my sister.” He feared to say, “She is my wife,” because he thought, “The men of this place will kill me to get Rebekah, because she is so beautiful.” 8 After Isaac had been there a long time, Abimelech king of the Philistines happened to look out of a window. He saw, behold, Isaac was caressing Rebekah, his wife. 9 Abimelech called Isaac to him and said, “Look, certainly she is your wife. Why did you say, 'She is my sister'?” Isaac said to him, “Because I thought someone might kill me to get her.” 10 Abimelech said, “What is this you have done to us? One of the people might easily have slept with your wife, and you would have brought guilt upon us.” 11 So Abimelech warned all the people and said, “Whoever touches this man or his wife will surely be put to death.”

12 Isaac planted crops in that land and reaped in the same year a hundredfold, because Yahweh blessed him. 13 The man became rich, and grew more and more until he became very great. 14 He had many sheep and cattle, and a large household. The Philistines envied him. 15 Now all the wells that his father's servants had dug in the days of Abraham his father, the Philistines stopped them up by filling them with earth. 16 Abimelech said to Isaac, “Go away from us, for you are much mightier than we.” 17 So Isaac departed from there and settled in the Valley of Gerar, and lived there.

18 Once again Isaac dug out the wells of water, which they had dug in the days of Abraham his father. The Philistines had stopped them up after Abraham's death. Isaac called the wells by the same names that his father had called them. 19 When Isaac's servants dug in the valley, they found there a well of flowing water. 20 The herdsmen of Gerar quarreled with Isaac's herdsmen, and said, “This water is ours.” So Isaac called that well “Esek,” because they had quarreled with him. 21 Then they dug another well, and they quarreled over that, too, so he gave it the name of “Sitnah.” 22 He left there and dug yet another well, but they did not quarrel over that one. So he called it Rehoboth, and he said, “Now Yahweh has made room for us, and we will prosper in the land.”

23 Then Isaac went up from there to Beersheba. 24 Yahweh appeared to him that same night and said, “I am the God of Abraham your father. Do not fear, for I am with you and will bless you and multiply your descendants, for my servant Abraham's sake.” 25 Isaac built an altar there and called on the name of Yahweh. There he pitched his tent, and his servants dug a well.

26 Then Abimelech went to him from Gerar, with Ahuzzath, his friend, and Phicol, the captain of his army. 27 Isaac said to them, “Why are you coming to me, since you hate me and have sent me away from you?” 28 Then they said, “We have clearly seen that Yahweh has been with you. So we decided that there should be an oath between us, yes, between us and you. So let us make a covenant with you, 29 that you will do us no harm, just as we have not harmed you, and as we have treated you well and have sent you away in peace. Indeed, you are blessed by Yahweh.” 30 So Isaac made a feast for them, and they ate and drank. 31 They rose early in the morning and swore an oath with each other. Then Isaac sent them away, and they left him in peace. 32 That same day Isaac's servants came and told him about the well that they had dug. They said, “We have found water.” 33 He called the well Shibah, so the name of that city is Beersheba to this day.

34 When Esau was forty years old, he took a wife, Judith the daughter of Beeri the Hittite, and also Basemath the daughter of Elon the Hittite. 35 They brought sorrow to Isaac and Rebekah.

27

1 When Isaac was old and his eyes were dim so that he could not see, he called Esau, his older son, and said to him, “My son.” He said to him, “Here I am.” 2 He said, “See here, I am old. I do not know the day of my death. 3 Therefore take your weapons, your quiver and your bow, and go out to the field and hunt game for me. 4 Make delicious food for me, the sort that I love, and bring it to me so I can eat it and bless you before I die.”

5 Now Rebekah heard it when Isaac spoke to Esau his son. Esau went to the field to hunt for game and bring it back. 6 Rebekah spoke to Jacob her son and said, “See here, I heard your father speak to Esau your brother. He said, 7 'Bring me game and make me delicious food, that I may eat it and bless you in the presence of Yahweh before my death.' 8 Now therefore, my son, obey my voice as I command you. 9 Go to the flock, and bring me two good young goats; and I will make delicious food from them for your father, just like he loves. 10 You will take it to your father, so that he may eat it, so that he may bless you before his death.” 11 Jacob said to Rebekah his mother, “See, Esau my brother is a hairy man, and I am a smooth man. 12 Perhaps my father will touch me, and I will seem to him as a deceiver. I will bring a curse upon me and not a blessing.” 13 His mother said to him, “My son, let any curse fall on me. Just obey my voice, and go, bring them to me.” 14 So Jacob went and got the young goats and brought them to his mother, and his mother made delicious food, just like his father loved. 15 Rebekah took the best clothes of Esau, her older son, which were with her in the house, and put them on Jacob, her younger son. 16 She put the skins of the young goats on his hands and on the smooth part of his neck. 17 She put the delicious food and the bread that she had prepared into the hand of her son Jacob.

18 Jacob went to his father and said, “My father.” He said, “Here I am; who are you, my son?” 19 Jacob said to his father, “I am Esau your firstborn; I have done as you said to me. Now sit up and eat some of my game, that you may bless me.” 20 Isaac said to his son, “How is it that you have found it so quickly, my son?” He said, “Because Yahweh your God brought it to me.” 21 Isaac said to Jacob, “Come near me, so I may touch you, my son, and learn whether you are my true son Esau or not.” 22 Jacob went over to Isaac his father; and Isaac touched him and said, “The voice is Jacob's voice, but the hands are the hands of Esau.” 23 Isaac did not recognize him, because his hands were hairy, like his brother Esau's hands, so Isaac blessed him. 24 He said, “Are you really my son Esau?” He replied, “I am.” 25 Isaac said, “Bring the food to me, and I will eat of your game, so that I may bless you.” Jacob brought the food to him. Isaac ate, and Jacob brought him wine, and he drank. 26 Then his father Isaac said to him, “Come near now and kiss me, my son.” 27 Jacob came near and kissed him, and he smelled the smell of his clothes and blessed him. He said,

“See, the smell of my son is like the smell of a field that Yahweh has blessed.

28 May God give you a portion of the dew of heaven,

a portion of the fatness of the earth,

and plenty of grain and new wine.

29 May peoples serve you and nations bow down to you.

Be master over your brothers,

and may your mother's sons bow down to you.

May every one who curses you be cursed;

may every one who blesses you be blessed.”

30 As soon as Isaac had finished blessing Jacob, and Jacob had scarcely gone out from the presence of Isaac his father, Esau his brother came in from his hunting. 31 He also made delicious food and brought it to his father. He said to his father, “Father, get up and eat some of your son's game, so that you may bless me.” 32 Isaac his father said to him, “Who are you?” He said, “I am your son, your firstborn, Esau.” 33 Isaac trembled very much and said, “Who was it that hunted this game and brought it to me? I ate it all before you came, and I have blessed him. Indeed, he will be blessed.” 34 When Esau heard the words of his father, he cried with a very great and bitter cry, and said to his father, “Bless me, me also, my father.” 35 Isaac said, “Your brother came here deceitfully and has taken away your blessing.” 36 Esau said, “Is he not rightly named Jacob? For he has cheated me these two times. He took away my birthright, and, see, now he has taken away my blessing.” Then he said, “Have you not reserved a blessing for me?” 37 Isaac answered and said to Esau, “Look, I have made him your master, and I have given to him all his brothers as servants, and I have given him grain and new wine. What more can I do for you, my son?” 38 Esau said to his father, “Have you not even one blessing for me, my father? Bless me, even me too, my father.” Esau wept loudly. 39 Isaac his father answered and said to him,

“Look, the place where you live will be far from the richness of the earth,

away from the dew of the sky above.

40 By your sword you will live, and you will serve your brother.

But when you rebel, you will shake his yoke from off your neck.”

41 Esau hated Jacob because of the blessing that his father had given him. Esau said in his heart, “The days of mourning for my father are near; after that I will kill my brother Jacob.” 42 The words of Esau her older son were told to Rebekah. So she sent and called Jacob her younger son and said to him, “See, your brother Esau is consoling himself about you by planning to kill you. 43 Now therefore, my son, obey me and flee to Laban, my brother, in Haran. 44 Stay with him for a while, until your brother's fury subsides, 45 until your brother's anger turns away from you, and he forgets what you have done to him. Then I will send and bring you back from there. Why should I lose you both in one day?

46 Rebekah said to Isaac, “I am weary of life because of the daughters of Heth. If Jacob takes one of the daughters of Heth as a wife, like these women, some of the daughters of the land, what good will my life be to me?”

28

1 Isaac called Jacob, blessed him, and commanded him, “You must not take a wife from the Canaanite women. 2 Arise, go to Paddan Aram, to the house of Bethuel your mother's father, and take a wife from there, one of the daughters of Laban, your mother's brother. 3 May God Almighty bless you, make you fruitful and multiply you, so that you may become a multitude of peoples. 4 May he give you the blessing of Abraham, to you, and to your descendants after you, that you may inherit the land where you have been living, which God gave to Abraham.” 5 So Isaac sent Jacob away. Jacob went to Paddan Aram, to Laban son of Bethuel the Aramean, the brother of Rebekah, Jacob's and Esau's mother.

6 Now Esau saw that Isaac had blessed Jacob and sent him away to Paddan Aram, to take a wife from there. He also saw that Isaac had blessed him and given him a command, saying, “You must not take a wife from the women of Canaan.” 7 Esau also saw that Jacob had obeyed his father and his mother, and had gone to Paddan Aram. 8 Esau saw that the women of Canaan did not please Isaac his father. 9 So he went to Ishmael, and took, besides the wives that he had, Mahalath the daughter of Ishmael, Abraham's son, the sister of Nebaioth, to be his wife.

10 Jacob left Beersheba and went toward Haran. 11 He came to a certain place and stayed there all night, because the sun had set. He took one of the stones in that place, put it under his head, and lay down in that place to sleep. 12 He dreamed and saw a stairway set up on the earth. Its top reached to heaven and the angels of God were ascending and descending on it. 13 Behold, Yahweh stood above it and said, “I am Yahweh, the God of Abraham your father, and the God of Isaac. The land on which you are lying, I will give to you and to your descendants. 14 Your descendants will be like the dust of the earth, and you will spread far out to the west, to the east, to the north, and to the south. Through you and through your descendants will all the families of the earth be blessed. 15 Behold, I am with you, and I will keep you wherever you go. I will bring you into this land again; for I will not leave you. I will do all that I have promised to you.” 16 Jacob awoke out of his sleep, and he said, “Surely Yahweh is in this place, and I did not know it.” 17 He was afraid and said, “How terrifying is this place! This is none other than the house of God. This is the gate of heaven.”

18 Jacob arose early in the morning and took the stone that he had put under his head. He set it up as a pillar and poured oil upon the top of it. 19 He called the name of that place Bethel, but the name of the city originally was Luz. 20 Jacob vowed a vow, saying, “If God will be with me and will protect me on this road on which I am walking, and will give me bread to eat, and clothes to wear, 21 so that I return safely to my father's house, then Yahweh will be my God. 22 Then this stone that I have set up as a pillar will be a sacred stone. From everything that you give me, I will surely give a tenth back to you.”

29

1 Then Jacob went on his journey and came to the land of the people of the east. 2 As he looked, he saw a well in the field, and, behold, three flocks of sheep were lying there by it. For out of that well they would water the flocks, and the stone over the well's mouth was large. 3 When all the flocks had gathered there, the shepherds would roll the stone from the well's mouth and water the sheep, and then put the stone again over the well's mouth, back in its place. 4 Jacob said to them, “My brothers, where are you from?” They replied, “We are from Haran.” 5 He said to them, “Do you know Laban son of Nahor?” They said, “We know him.” 6 He said to them, “Is he well?” They said, “He is well, and, look there, Rachel his daughter is coming with the sheep.” 7 Jacob said, “See, it is the middle of the day. It is not the time for the flocks to be gathered together. You should water the sheep and then go and let them graze.” 8 They said, “We cannot water them until all the flocks are gathered together. The men will then roll the stone from the well's mouth, and we will water the sheep.” 9 While Jacob was still speaking with them, Rachel came with her father's sheep, for she was tending them. 10 When Jacob saw Rachel, the daughter of Laban, his mother's brother, and the sheep of Laban, his mother's brother, Jacob came over, rolled the stone from the well's mouth, and watered the flock of Laban, his mother's brother. 11 Jacob kissed Rachel and wept loudly. 12 Jacob told Rachel that he was her father's relative, and that he was Rebekah's son. Then she ran and told her father.

13 When Laban heard the news about Jacob his sister's son, he ran to meet him, embraced him, kissed him, and brought him to his house. Jacob told Laban all these things. 14 Laban said to him, “You are indeed my bone and my flesh.” Then Jacob stayed with him for about one month. 15 Then Laban said to Jacob, “Should you serve me for nothing because you are my relative? Tell me, what will your wages be?” 16 Now Laban had two daughters. The name of the older was Leah, and the name of the younger was Rachel. 17 Leah's eyes were tender, but Rachel was beautiful in form and appearance. 18 Jacob loved Rachel, so he said, “I will serve you seven years for Rachel, your younger daughter.” 19 Laban said, “It is better that I give her to you, than that I should give her to another man. Stay with me.” 20 So Jacob served seven years for Rachel; and they seemed to him only a few days, for the love he had for her.

21 Then Jacob said to Laban, “Give me my wife, for my days have been completed—so that I may marry her!” 22 So Laban gathered together all the men of the place and made a feast. 23 In the evening, Laban took Leah his daughter and brought her to Jacob, who slept with her. 24 Laban gave his female servant Zilpah to his daughter Leah, to be her servant. 25 In the morning, behold, it was Leah! Jacob said to Laban, “What is this you have done to me? Did I not serve you for Rachel? Why then have you tricked me?” 26 Laban said, “It is not our custom to give the younger daughter before the firstborn. 27 Complete the bridal week of this daughter, and we will give you the other also in return for serving me another seven years.” 28 Jacob did so, and completed Leah's week. Then Laban gave him Rachel his daughter as his wife also. 29 Laban also gave Bilhah to his daughter Rachel, to be her servant. 30 So Jacob slept with Rachel, too, but he loved Rachel more than Leah. So Jacob served Laban for seven more years.

31 Yahweh saw that Leah was not loved, so he opened her womb, but Rachel was childless. 32 Leah conceived and bore a son, and she called his name Reuben. For she said, “Because Yahweh has looked upon my affliction; surely now my husband will love me.” 33 Then she conceived again and bore a son. She said, “Because Yahweh has heard that I am unloved, he has therefore given me this son also,” and she called his name Simeon. 34 Then she conceived again and bore a son. She said, “Now this time will my husband be attached to me, because I have borne him three sons.” Therefore his name was called Levi. 35 She conceived again and bore a son. She said, “This time I will praise Yahweh.” Therefore she called his name Judah; then she stopped having children.

30

1 When Rachel saw that she bore Jacob no children, Rachel envied her sister. She said to Jacob, “Give me children, or I will die.” 2 Jacob's anger burned against Rachel. He said, “Am I in the place of God, who has kept you from having children?” 3 She said, “See, there is my servant Bilhah. Sleep with her, so she might give birth to children on my knees, and I will have children by her.” 4 So she gave him her servant Bilhah as a wife, and Jacob slept with her. 5 Bilhah conceived and bore Jacob a son. 6 Then Rachel said, “God has vindicated me, and he has heard my voice and given me a son.” For this reason she called his name Dan. 7 Bilhah, Rachel's servant, conceived again and bore Jacob a second son. 8 Rachel said, “With mighty wrestlings have I wrestled with my sister and have prevailed.” She called his name Naphtali.

9 When Leah saw that she had stopped having children, she took Zilpah, her servant, and gave her to Jacob as a wife. 10 Zilpah, Leah's servant, bore Jacob a son. 11 Leah said, “This is fortunate!” so she called his name Gad. 12 Then Zilpah, Leah's servant, bore Jacob a second son. 13 Leah said, “I am happy! For the daughters will call me happy.” So she called his name Asher.

14 Reuben went in the days of wheat harvest and found mandrakes in the field. He brought them to his mother Leah. Then Rachel said to Leah, “Give me some of your son's mandrakes.” 15 Leah said to her, “Is it a small matter to you, that you have taken away my husband? Do you now want to take away my son's mandrakes, too?” Rachel said, “Then he will sleep with you tonight, in exchange for your son's mandrakes.” 16 Jacob came from the field in the evening. Leah went out to meet him and said, “You must sleep with me tonight, for I have hired you with my son's mandrakes.” So Jacob slept with Leah that night. 17 God listened to Leah, and she conceived and bore Jacob a fifth son. 18 Leah said, “God has given me my wages, because I gave my servant woman to my husband.” She called his name Issachar. 19 Leah conceived again and bore a sixth son to Jacob. 20 Leah said, “God has given me a good gift. Now my husband will honor me, because I have borne him six sons.” She called his name Zebulun. 21 Afterwards she bore a daughter and called her name Dinah. 22 God called Rachel to mind and listened to her. He caused her to become pregnant. 23 She conceived and bore a son. She said, “God has taken away my shame.” 24 She called his name Joseph, saying, “Yahweh has added to me another son.”

25 After Rachel had borne Joseph, Jacob said to Laban, “Send me away, so that I may go to my own home and to my country. 26 Give me my wives and my children for whom I have served you, and let me go, for you know the service I have given you.” 27 Laban said to him, “If now I have found favor in your eyes, wait, because I have learned by using divination that Yahweh has blessed me for your sake.” 28 Then he said, “Name your wages, and I will pay them.” 29 Jacob said to him, “You know how I have served you, and how your livestock have fared with me. 30 For you had little before I came, and it has increased abundantly. Yahweh has blessed you wherever I worked. Now when will I provide for my own household also?” 31 So Laban said, “What will I pay you?” Jacob said, “You will not give me anything. If you will do this thing for me, I will again feed your flock and keep it. 32 Let me walk through all your flock today, removing from it every speckled and spotted sheep, and every black one among the sheep, and the spotted and speckled among the goats. These will be my wages. 33 My integrity will testify for me later on, when you come to check on my wages. Every one that is not speckled and spotted among the goats, and black among the sheep, if any are found with me, will be considered to be stolen.” 34 Laban said, “Agreed. Let it be according to your word.” 35 That day Laban removed the male goats that were striped and spotted, and all the female goats that were speckled and spotted, every one that had white in it, and all the black ones among the sheep, and gave them into the hand of his sons. 36 Laban also put three days' journey between himself and Jacob. So Jacob kept tending the rest of Laban's flocks.

37 Jacob took fresh cut branches of fresh poplar, and of the almond and of the plane tree, and peeled white streaks in them, and made the white inner wood appear that was in the sticks. 38 Then he set the sticks that he had peeled in front of the flocks, in front of the watering troughs where they came to drink. They conceived when they came to drink. 39 The flocks bred in front of the sticks; and the flocks produced striped, speckled, and spotted young. 40 Jacob separated out these lambs, but made the rest of them face toward the striped animals and all the black sheep in the flock of Laban. Then he separated out his flocks for himself alone and did not put them together with Laban's flocks. 41 Whenever the stronger sheep in the flock were breeding, then Jacob would lay the sticks in the watering troughs before the eyes of the flock, so that they might conceive among the sticks. 42 But when the feebler animals in the flock came, he did not put the sticks in front of them. So the feebler animals were Laban's, and the stronger were Jacob's. 43 The man became very prosperous. He had large flocks, female servants and male servants, and camels and donkeys.

31

1 Now Jacob heard the words of Laban's sons, that they said, “Jacob has taken away all that was our father's, and it is from our father's possessions that he has gotten all this wealth.” 2 Jacob saw the look on Laban's face. He saw that his attitude toward him had changed. 3 Then Yahweh said to Jacob, “Return to the land of your fathers and to your relatives, and I will be with you.” 4 Jacob sent and called Rachel and Leah to the field to his flock 5 and said to them, “I see your father's attitude toward me has changed, but the God of my father has been with me. 6 You know that it is with all my strength that I have served your father. 7 Your father has deceived me and changed my wages ten times, but God has not permitted him to hurt me. 8 If he said, 'The speckled animals will be your wages,' then all the flock bore speckled young. If he said, 'The striped will be your wages,' then the whole flock bore striped young. 9 In this way God has taken away the livestock of your father and given them to me. 10 Once at the time of breeding season, I saw in a dream the male goats that were mating with the flock. The male goats were striped, speckled, and spotted. 11 The angel of God said to me in the dream, 'Jacob.' I said, 'Here I am.' 12 He said, 'Lift up your eyes and see all the male goats that are breeding with the flock. They are striped, speckled, and spotted, for I have seen everything that Laban is doing to you. 13 I am the God of Bethel, where you anointed a pillar, where you made a vow to me. Now rise up and leave this land and return to the land of your birth.'” 14 Rachel and Leah answered and said to him, “Is there any portion or inheritance for us in our father's house? 15 Are we not treated by him as foreigners? For he has sold us and has also completely devoured our money. 16 For all the riches that God has taken away from our father are now ours and our children's. Now then, whatever God has said to you, do it.”

17 Then Jacob arose and placed his sons and his wives upon the camels. 18 He drove all his livestock ahead of him, along with all his property, including the livestock he had acquired in Paddan Aram. Then he set out to go to his father Isaac in the land of Canaan. 19 When Laban had gone to shear his sheep, Rachel stole her father's household gods. 20 Jacob also deceived Laban the Aramean, by not telling him that he was leaving. 21 So he fled with all that he had and quickly passed over the River, and headed toward the hill country of Gilead.

22 On the third day Laban was told that Jacob had fled. 23 So he took his relatives with him and pursued him for a seven days' journey. He overtook him in the hill country of Gilead. 24 Now God came to Laban the Aramean in a dream at night and said to him, “Be careful that you speak to Jacob neither good nor bad.” 25 Laban overtook Jacob. Now Jacob had pitched his tent in the hill country. Laban also camped with his relatives in the hill country of Gilead. * 26 Laban said to Jacob, “What have you done, that you deceived me and carried away my daughters like prisoners of war? 27 Why did you flee secretly and trick me and did not tell me? I would have sent you away with celebration and with songs, with tambourine and with harps. 28 You did not allow me to kiss my grandsons and my daughters good bye. Now you have done foolishly. 29 It is in my power to do you harm, but the God of your father spoke to me last night and said, 'Be careful that you speak to Jacob neither good nor bad.' 30 Now you have gone away because you longed to return to your father's house. But why did you steal my gods?” 31 Jacob answered and said to Laban, “Because I was afraid and thought that you would take your daughters from me by force I left secretly. 32 Whoever has stolen your gods will not continue to live. In the presence of our relatives, identify whatever with me is yours and take it.” For Jacob did not know that Rachel had stolen them.

33 Laban went into Jacob's tent, into Leah's tent, and into the tent of the two female servants, but he did not find them. He went out of Leah's tent and entered into Rachel's tent. 34 Now Rachel had taken the household gods, put them in a camel's saddle, and sat upon them. Laban searched the whole tent, but did not find them. 35 She said to her father, “Do not be angry, my master, that I cannot stand up before you, for I am having my period.” So he searched but did not find his household gods.

36 Jacob was angry and argued with Laban. He said to him, “What is my offense? What is my sin, that you have hotly pursued after me? 37 For you have searched all my possessions. What have you found of all your household goods? Set them here before our relatives, so that they may judge between us two. 38 For twenty years I have been with you. Your ewes and your female goats have not miscarried, nor have I eaten any rams from your flocks. 39 What was torn by beasts I did not bring to you. Instead, I bore the loss of it. You always made me pay for every missing animal, whether stolen by day or stolen by night. 40 There I was; in the day the heat consumed me, and the frost by night; and I went without sleep. 41 These twenty years I have been in your household. I worked for you fourteen years for your two daughters, and six years for your flock. You have changed my wages ten times. 42 Unless the God of my father, the God of Abraham, and the one Isaac fears, had been with me, surely now you would have sent me away empty-handed. God has seen my oppression and how hard I worked, and he rebuked you last night.”

43 Laban answered and said to Jacob, “The daughters are my daughters, the grandchildren are my grandchildren, and the flocks are my flocks. All that you see is mine. But what can I do today to these my daughters, or to their children whom they have borne? 44 So now, let us make a covenant, you and I, and let it be for a witness between you and me.” 45 So Jacob took a stone and set it up as a pillar. 46 Jacob said to his relatives, “Gather stones.” So they took stones and made a pile. Then they ate there by the pile. 47 Laban called it Jegar Saha Dutha, but Jacob called it Galeed. 48 Laban said, “This pile is a witness between me and you today.” Therefore its name was called Galeed. 49 It is also called Mizpah, because Laban said, “May Yahweh watch between you and me, when we are out of sight one from another. 50 If you mistreat my daughters, or if you take any wives besides my daughters, although no one else is with us, see, God is witness between you and me.” 51 Laban said to Jacob, “Look at this pile, and look at the pillar, which I have set between you and me. 52 This pile is a witness, and the pillar is a witness, that I will not pass beyond this pile to you, and that you will not pass beyond this pile and this pillar to me, to do harm. 53 May the God of Abraham, and the god of Nahor, the gods of their father, judge between us.” Jacob swore by the Fear of his father Isaac. 54 Jacob offered a sacrifice on the mountain and called his relatives to eat a meal. They ate and spent the entire night on the mountain. 55 Early in the morning Laban got up, kissed his grandsons and his daughters and blessed them. Then Laban left and returned home.

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1 Jacob also went on his way, and the angels of God met him. 2 When Jacob saw them, he said, “This is God's camp,” so he called the name of that place Mahanaim.

3 Jacob sent messengers on ahead of him to his brother Esau in the land of Seir, in the region of Edom. 4 He commanded them, saying, “This is what you will say to my master Esau: This is what your servant Jacob says: 'I have been staying with Laban, and have delayed my return until now. 5 I have oxen, donkeys, and flocks, male servants, and female servants. I have sent this message to my master, so that I may find favor in your eyes.'” 6 The messengers returned to Jacob and said, “We went to your brother Esau. He is coming to meet you, and four hundred men are with him.” 7 Then Jacob was very afraid and upset. So he divided the people who were with him into two camps, and also the flocks, the herds, and the camels. 8 He said, “If Esau comes to one camp and attacks it, then the camp that is left will escape.” 9 Jacob said, “God of my father Abraham, and God of my father Isaac, Yahweh, who said to me, 'Return to your country and to your kindred, and I will prosper you,' 10 I am not worthy of all your acts of covenant faithfulness and of all the trustworthiness that you have done for your servant. For with only my staff I passed over this Jordan, and now I have become two camps. 11 Please rescue me from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau, for I am afraid of him, that he will come and attack me and the mothers with the children. 12 But you said, 'I will certainly make you prosper. I will make your descendants like the sand of the sea, which cannot be numbered for their number.'”

13 Jacob stayed there that night. He took some of what he had with him as a gift for Esau, his brother: 14 two hundred female goats and twenty male goats, two hundred ewes and twenty rams, 15 thirty milking camels and their colts, forty cows and ten bulls, twenty female donkeys and ten male donkeys. 16 These he gave these into the hand of his servants, every herd by itself. He said to his servants, “Go on ahead of me and put a space between each of the herds.” 17 He instructed the first servant, saying, “When Esau my brother meets you and asks you, saying, 'To whom do you belong? Where are you going? Whose animals are these that are in front of you?' 18 Then you will say, 'They are your servant Jacob's. They are a gift sent to my master Esau. See, he is also coming after us.'” 19 Jacob also gave instructions to the second group, the third, and all the men who followed the herds. He said, “You will say the same thing to Esau when you meet him. 20 You must also say, 'Your servant Jacob is coming after us.'” For he thought, “I will appease him with the gifts that I am sending ahead of me. Then later, when I will see him, perhaps he will receive me.” 21 So the gifts went on ahead of him. He himself stayed that night in the camp.

22 Jacob got up during the night, and he took his two wives, his two women servants, and his eleven sons. He sent them across the ford of the Jabbok. 23 In this way he sent them across the stream along with all his possessions. 24 Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him until daybreak. 25 When the man saw that he could not defeat him, he struck Jacob's hip. Jacob's hip was dislocated as he wrestled with him. 26 The man said, “Let me go, for the dawn is breaking.” Jacob said, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.” 27 The man said to him, “What is your name?” Jacob said, “Jacob.” 28 The man said, “Your name will no longer be called Jacob, but Israel. For you have struggled with God and with men and have prevailed.” 29 Jacob asked him, “Please tell me your name.” He said, “Why is it that you ask my name?” Then he blessed him there. 30 Jacob called the name of the place Peniel for he said, “I have seen God face to face, and my life is delivered.” 31 The sun rose on Jacob as he passed Peniel. He was limping because of his hip. 32 That is why to this day the people of Israel do not eat the ligaments of the hip which are at the hip joint, because the man injured those ligaments while dislocating Jacob's hip.

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1 Jacob looked up and, behold, Esau was coming, and with him were four hundred men. Jacob divided the children among Leah, Rachel, and the two female servants. 2 Then he put the female servants and their children in front, followed by Leah and her children, and followed by Rachel and Joseph last of all. 3 He himself went on ahead of them. He bowed toward the ground seven times, until he came near to his brother. 4 Esau ran to meet him, embraced him, hugged his neck, and kissed him. Then they wept. 5 When Esau looked up, he saw the women and the children. He said, “Who are these people with you?” Jacob said, “The children whom God has graciously given your servant.” 6 Then the female servants came forward with their children, and they bowed down. 7 Next Leah also and her children came forward and bowed down. Finally Joseph and Rachel came forward and bowed down. 8 Esau said, “What do you mean by all these groups that I met?” Jacob said, “To find favor in the sight of my master.” 9 Esau said, “I have enough, my brother. Keep what you have for yourself.” 10 Jacob said, “No, please, if I have found favor in your eyes, then accept my gift from my hand, for indeed, I have seen your face, and it is like seeing the face of God, and you have accepted me. 11 Please accept my gift that was brought to you, because God has dealt graciously with me, and because I have enough.” Thus Jacob urged him, and Esau accepted it. 12 Then Esau said, “Let us be on our way. I will go before you.” 13 Jacob said to him, “My master knows that the children are young, and that the sheep and the cattle are nursing their young. If they are driven hard even one day, all the animals will die. 14 Please let my master go on ahead of his servant. I will travel more slowly, at the pace of the livestock that are before me, and at the pace of the children, until I come to my master in Seir.” 15 Esau said, “Let me leave with you some of my men who are with me.” But Jacob said, “Why do that? Let me find favor in the sight of my lord.” 16 So Esau that day started on his way back to Seir. 17 Jacob traveled to Succoth, built himself a house, and made shelters for his livestock. Therefore the name of the place is called Succoth.

18 When Jacob came from Paddan Aram, he arrived safely at the city of Shechem, which is in the land of Canaan. He camped near the city. 19 Then he bought the piece of ground where he had pitched his tent from the sons of Hamor, Shechem's father, for a hundred pieces of silver. 20 There he set up an altar and called it El Elohe Israel.

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1 Now Dinah, Leah's daughter whom she bore to Jacob, went out to meet the young women of the land. 2 Shechem son of Hamor the Hivite, the prince of the land, saw her and he grabbed her, assaulted her, and slept with her. 3 He was drawn to Dinah, the daughter of Jacob. He loved the young woman and spoke tenderly to her. 4 Shechem spoke to his father Hamor, saying, “Get this young woman for me as a wife.” 5 Now Jacob heard that he had defiled Dinah his daughter. His sons were with his livestock in the field, so Jacob held his peace until they came. 6 Hamor the father of Shechem went out to Jacob to speak with him. 7 The sons of Jacob came in from the field when they heard of the matter. The men were offended. They were very angry because he had disgraced Israel by forcing himself on Jacob's daughter, for such a thing should not have been done. 8 Hamor spoke with them, saying, “My son Shechem loves your daughter. Please give her to him as a wife. 9 Intermarry with us, give your daughters to us, and take our daughters for yourselves. 10 You will live with us, and the land will be open to you to live and trade in, and to acquire property.” 11 Shechem said to her father and to her brothers, “Let me find favor in your eyes, and whatever you tell me I will give. 12 Ask me for as great a bride price and gift as you will, and I will give whatever you say to me, but give me the young woman as a wife.” 13 The sons of Jacob answered Shechem and Hamor his father with deceit, because Shechem had defiled Dinah their sister. 14 They said to them, “We cannot do this thing, to give our sister to anyone who is uncircumcised; for that would be a disgrace to us. 15 Only on this condition will we agree with you: If you will become circumcised as we are, if every male among you is circumcised. 16 Then will we give our daughters to you, and we will take your daughters to ourselves, and we will live with you and become one people. 17 But if you do not listen to us and become circumcised, then we will take our sister and we will leave.”

18 Their words pleased Hamor and his son Shechem. 19 The young man did not delay to do what they said, because he delighted in Jacob's daughter, and because he was the most honored person in all his father's household. 20 Hamor and Shechem his son went to the gate of their city and spoke with the men of their city, saying, 21 “These men are at peace with us, so let them live in the land and trade in it for, really, the land is large enough for them. Let us take their daughters as wives, and let us give them our daughters. 22 Only on this condition will the men agree to live with us and become one people: If every male among us is circumcised, as they are circumcised. 23 Will not their livestock and their property—all their animals be ours? So let us agree with them, and they will live among us.” 24 All the men of the city listened to Hamor and Shechem, his son. Every male was circumcised. 25 On the third day, when they were still in pain, two of the sons of Jacob (Simeon and Levi, Dinah's brothers), each took his sword and they attacked the city that was certain of its security, and they killed all the males. 26 They killed Hamor and his son Shechem with the edge of the sword. They took Dinah from Shechem's house and went away. 27 The other sons of Jacob came to the dead bodies and looted the city, because the people had defiled their sister. 28 They took their flocks, their herds, their donkeys, and everything in the city and in the surrounding fields with 29 all their wealth. All their children and their wives, they captured. They even took everything that was in the houses. 30 Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, “You have brought trouble on me, to make me stink to the inhabitants of the land, the Canaanites and the Perizzites. I am few in number. If they gather themselves together against me and attack me, then I will be destroyed, I and my household.” 31 But Simeon and Levi said, “Should Shechem have dealt with our sister as with a prostitute?”

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1 God said to Jacob, “Arise, go up to Bethel, and stay there. Build an altar there to God, who appeared to you when you fled from Esau your brother.” 2 Then Jacob said to his household and to all who were with him, “Put away the foreign gods that are among you, purify yourselves, and change your clothes. 3 Then let us depart and go up to Bethel. I will build an altar there to God, who answered me in the day of my distress, and has been with me wherever I have gone.” 4 So they gave to Jacob all the foreign gods that were in their hand, and the rings that were in their ears. Jacob buried them under the oak that was near Shechem. 5 As they traveled, God made panic to fall on the cities that were around them, so those people did not pursue the sons of Jacob. 6 So Jacob arrived at Luz (that is, Bethel), which is in the land of Canaan, he and all the people who were with him. 7 He built an altar there and called the place El Bethel, because there God had revealed himself to him, when he was fleeing from his brother. 8 Deborah, Rebekah's nurse, died. She was buried down from Bethel under the oak tree, so it was called Allon Bakuth.

9 When Jacob came from Paddan Aram, God appeared to him again and blessed him. 10 God said to him, “Your name is Jacob, but your name will no longer be called Jacob. Your name will be Israel.” So God called his name Israel. 11 God said to him, “I am God Almighty. Be fruitful and multiply. A nation and a company of nations will come from you, and kings will be among your descendants. 12 The land that I gave to Abraham and Isaac, I will give to you. To your descendants after you I also give the land.” 13 God went up from him in the place where he spoke with him. 14 Jacob set up a pillar in the place where God had spoken to him, a pillar of stone. He poured out a drink offering over it and poured oil on it. 15 Jacob called the name of the place where God spoke with him, Bethel.

16 They journeyed on from Bethel. While they were still some distance from Ephrath, Rachel went into labor. She had hard labor. 17 While she was in hardest labor, the midwife said to her, “Do not be afraid, for now you will have another son.” 18 As she was dying, with her dying breath she named him Ben-Oni, but his father called him Benjamin. 19 Rachel died and was buried on the way to Ephrath (that is, Bethlehem). 20 Jacob set up a pillar upon her grave. It is the marker of Rachel's grave to this day. 21 Israel traveled on and pitched his tent beyond the watchtower of the flock. 22 While Israel was living in that land, Reuben slept with Bilhah his father's concubine, and Israel heard of it.

Now Jacob had twelve sons. 23 His sons by Leah were Reuben, Jacob's firstborn, and Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun. 24 His sons by Rachel were Joseph and Benjamin. 25 His sons by Bilhah, Rachel's female servant, were Dan and Naphtali. 26 The sons of Zilpah, Leah's female servant, were Gad and Asher. All these were the sons of Jacob who were born to him in Paddan Aram. 27 Jacob came to Isaac, his father, in Mamre in Kiriath Arba (the same as Hebron), where Abraham and Isaac had lived.

28 Isaac lived for one hundred eighty years. 29 Isaac breathed his last and died, and was gathered to his ancestors, an old man full of days. Esau and Jacob, his sons, buried him.

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1 These were the descendants of Esau (also called Edom). 2 Esau took his wives from the Canaanites. These were his wives: Adah the daughter of Elon the Hittite; Oholibamah the daughter of Anah, the granddaughter of Zibeon the Hivite; 3 and Basemath, Ishmael's daughter, sister of Nebaioth. 4 Adah bore Eliphaz to Esau, and Basemath bore Reuel. 5 Oholibamah bore Jeush, Jalam, and Korah. These were the sons of Esau who were born to him in the land of Canaan. 6 Esau took his wives, his sons, his daughters, and all the members of his household, his livestock—all his animals, and all his possessions, which he had gathered in the land of Canaan, and went into a land away from his brother Jacob. 7 He did this because their possessions were too many for them to stay together. The land where they had settled could not support them because of their livestock. 8 So Esau, also known as Edom, settled in the hill country of Seir.

9 These were the descendants of Esau, the ancestor of the Edomites in the hill country of Seir. 10 These were the names of Esau's sons: Eliphaz son of Adah, the wife of Esau; Reuel son of Basemath, the wife of Esau. 11 The sons of Eliphaz were Teman, Omar, Zepho, Gatam, and Kenaz. 12 Timna, a concubine of Eliphaz, Esau's son, bore Amalek. These were the grandsons of Adah, Esau's wife. 13 These were the sons of Reuel: Nahath, Zerah, Shammah, and Mizzah. These were the grandsons of Basemath, Esau's wife. 14 These were the sons of Oholibamah, Esau's wife, who was the daughter of Anah and the granddaughter of Zibeon. She bore to Esau Jeush, Jalam, and Korah.

15 These were the clans among Esau's descendants: the descendants of Eliphaz, the firstborn of Esau: Teman, Omar, Zepho, Kenaz, 16 Korah, Gatam, and Amalek. These were the clans descended from Eliphaz in the land of Edom. They were the grandsons of Adah. 17 These were the clans from Reuel, Esau's son: Nahath, Zerah, Shammah, Mizzah. These were the clans descended from Reuel in the land of Edom. They were the grandsons of Basemath, Esau's wife. 18 These were the clans of Oholibamah, Esau's wife: Jeush, Jalam, Korah. These are the clans that descended from Esau's wife Oholibamah, daughter of Anah. 19 These were the sons of Esau (who was known as Edom), and these were their chiefs.

20 These were the sons of Seir the Horite, the inhabitants of the land: Lotan, Shobal, Zibeon, Anah, 21 Dishon, Ezer, and Dishan. These were the clans of the Horites, the inhabitants of Seir in the land of Edom. 22 The sons of Lotan were Hori and Heman, and Timna was Lotan's sister. 23 These were the sons of Shobal: Alvan, Manahath, Ebal, Shepho, and Onam. 24 These were the sons of Zibeon: Aiah and Anah. This is Anah who found the hot springs in the wilderness, as he was pasturing donkeys of Zibeon his father. 25 These were the children of Anah: Dishon and Oholibamah, the daughter of Anah. 26 These were the sons of Dishon: Hemdan, Eshban, Ithran, and Keran. 27 These were the sons of Ezer: Bilhan, Zaavan, and Akan. 28 These were the sons of Dishan: Uz and Aran. 29 These were the clans of the Horites: Lotan, Shobal, Zibeon, and Anah, 30 Dishon, Ezer, Dishan: These were clans of the Horites, according to their clan lists in the land of Seir.

31 These were the kings who reigned in the land of Edom before any king reigned over the Israelites: 32 Bela son of Beor, reigned in Edom, and the name of his city was Dinhabah. 33 When Bela died, then Jobab son of Zerah of Bozrah, reigned in his place. 34 When Jobab died, Husham who was of the land of the Temanites, reigned in his place. 35 When Husham died, Hadad son of Bedad who defeated the Midianites in the land of Moab, reigned in his place. The name of his city was Avith. 36 When Hadad died, then Samlah of Masrekah reigned in his place. 37 When Samlah died, then Shaul of Rehoboth by the river reigned in his place. 38 When Shaul died, then Baal-Hanan son of Akbor reigned in his place. 39 When Baal-Hanan son of Akbor, died, then Hadar reigned in his place. The name of his city was Pau. His wife's name was Mehetabel, the daughter of Matred, the granddaughter of Me Zahab.

40 These were the names of the heads of clans from Esau's descendants, according to their clans and their regions, by their names: Timna, Alvah, Jetheth, 41 Oholibamah, Elah, Pinon, 42 Kenaz, Teman, Mibzar, 43 Magdiel, and Iram. These were the clan heads of Edom, according to their settlements in the land they possessed. This was Esau, the father of the Edomites.

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1 Jacob lived in the land where his father was staying, in the land of Canaan. 2 These were the events concerning Jacob. Joseph, who was a young man seventeen years old, was guarding the flock with his brothers. He was with the sons of Bilhah and with the sons of Zilpah, his father's wives. Joseph brought an unfavorable report about them to their father. 3 Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his sons because he was the son of his old age. He made him a beautiful garment. 4 His brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers. They hated him and would not speak kindly to him.

5 Joseph dreamed a dream, and he told his brothers about it. They hated him even more. 6 He said to them, “Please listen to this dream which I dreamed. 7 Behold, we were tying bundles of grain in the field and behold, my bundle rose and stood upright, and behold, your bundles came around and bowed down to my bundle.” 8 His brothers said to him, “Will you really reign over us? Will you actually rule over us?” They hated him even more for his dreams and for his words. 9 He dreamed another dream and told it to his brothers. He said, “Look, I have dreamed another dream: The sun and the moon and eleven stars bowed down to me.” 10 He told it to his father just as to his brothers, and his father rebuked him. He said to him, “What is this dream that you have dreamed? Will your mother and I and your brothers actually come to bow down to the ground to you?” 11 His brothers were jealous of him, but his father kept the matter in mind.

12 His brothers went to tend their father's flock in Shechem. 13 Israel said to Joseph, “Are not your brothers tending the flock in Shechem? Come, and I will send you to them.” Joseph said to him, “I am ready.” 14 He said to him, “Go now, see whether it is well with your brothers and well with the flock, and bring me word.” So Jacob sent him out of the Valley of Hebron, and Joseph went to Shechem. 15 A certain man found Joseph. Behold, Joseph was wandering in a field. The man asked him, “What do you seek?” 16 Joseph said, “I am seeking my brothers. Tell me, please, where they are tending the flock.” 17 The man said, “They left this place, for I heard them say, 'Let us go to Dothan.'” Joseph went after his brothers and found them at Dothan.

18 They saw him from a distance, and before he came near to them, they plotted against him to kill him. 19 His brothers said to one another, “Look, this dreamer is approaching. 20 Come now, therefore, let us kill him and cast him into one of the pits. We will say, 'A wild animal has devoured him.' We will see what will become of his dreams.” 21 Reuben heard it and rescued him from their hand. He said, “Let us not take his life.” 22 Reuben said to them, “Shed no blood. Throw him into this pit that is in the wilderness, but lay no hand upon him”—that he might rescue him out of their hand to bring him back to his father. 23 It came about that when Joseph reached his brothers, they stripped him of his beautiful garment. 24 They took him and threw him into the pit. The pit was empty with no water in it.

25 They sat down to eat bread. They lifted up their eyes and looked, and, behold, a caravan of Ishmaelites was coming from Gilead, with their camels bearing spices and balm and myrrh. They were traveling to carry them down to Egypt. 26 Judah said to his brothers, “What profit is it if we kill our brother and cover up his blood? 27 Come, and let us sell him to the Ishmaelites and not lay our hands upon him. For he is our brother, our flesh.” His brothers listened to him. 28 The Midianite merchants passed by. His brothers drew Joseph up and lifted him up out of the pit. They sold Joseph to the Ishmaelites for twenty pieces of silver. The Ishmaelites carried Joseph into Egypt.

29 Reuben returned to the pit, and, behold, Joseph was not in the pit. He tore his clothes. 30 He returned to his brothers and said, “The boy is not there! And I, where can I go?” 31 They slaughtered a goat and then took Joseph's garment and dipped it into the blood. 32 Then they brought it to their father and said, “We found this. Please see whether it is your son's clothing or not.” 33 Jacob recognized it and said, “It is my son's clothing. A wild animal has devoured him. Joseph has certainly been torn to pieces.” 34 Jacob tore his garments and put sackcloth upon his loins. He mourned for his son many days. 35 All his sons and daughters rose up to comfort him, but he refused to be comforted. He said, “Indeed I will go down to Sheol mourning for my son.” His father wept for him. 36 The Midianites sold him in Egypt to Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, the captain of the bodyguard.

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1 It came about at that time that Judah left his brothers and stayed with a certain Adullamite, whose name was Hirah. 2 He met there a daughter of a Canaanite man whose name was Shua. He married her and slept with her. 3 She became pregnant and had a son. He was named Er. 4 She became pregnant again and had a son. She called his name Onan. 5 She again had a son and called his name Shelah. It was at Kezib where she gave birth to him. 6 Judah found a wife for Er, his firstborn. Her name was Tamar. 7 Er, Judah's firstborn, was wicked in the sight of Yahweh. Yahweh killed him. 8 Judah said to Onan, “Sleep with your brother's wife. Do the duty of a brother-in-law to her, and raise up a child for your brother.” 9 Onan knew that the child would not be his. Whenever he slept with his brother's wife, he spilled the semen on the ground so he would not have a child for his brother. 10 What he did was evil in the sight of Yahweh. Yahweh killed him also. 11 Then Judah said to Tamar, his daughter-in-law, “Remain a widow in your father's house until Shelah, my son, grows up.” For he feared, “He might also die, just like his brothers.” Tamar left and lived in her father's house.

12 After a long time, Shua's daughter, the wife of Judah, died. Judah was comforted and went up to his sheepshearers at Timnah, he and his friend Hirah the Adullamite. 13 Tamar was told, “Look, your father-in-law is going up to Timnah to shear his sheep.” 14 She took off the clothing of her widowhood and covered herself with her veil and wrapped herself. She sat in the gate of Enaim, which is by the road to Timnah. For she saw that Shelah had grown up but she had not been given to him as a wife. 15 When Judah saw her he thought that she was a prostitute because she had covered her face. 16 He went to her by the road and said, “Come, please let me sleep with you”—for he did not know that she was his daughter-in-law—and she said, “What will you give me so you can sleep with me?” 17 He said, “I will send you a young goat from the flock.” She said, “Will you give me a pledge until you send it?” 18 He said, “What pledge can I give you?” She replied, “Your seal and cord, and the staff that is in your hand.” He gave them to her and slept with her, and she became pregnant by him. 19 She got up and went away. She took off her veil and put on the clothing of her widowhood. 20 Judah sent the young goat by his friend the Adullamite in order that he might receive the pledge back from the woman's hand, but he did not find her. 21 Then the Adullamite asked the men of the place, “Where is the cultic prostitute who was at Enaim by the road?” They said, “There has not been a cultic prostitute here.” 22 He returned to Judah and said, “I did not find her. Also, the men of the place said, 'There has not been a cultic prostitute here.'” 23 Judah said, “Let her keep the things, that we not be put to shame. Indeed, I sent this young goat, but you did not find her.”

24 It came about after about three months that it was told to Judah, “Tamar your daughter-in-law has committed prostitution, and indeed, she is pregnant by it.” Judah said, “Bring her here and let her be burned.” 25 When she was brought out, she sent to her father-in-law a message, “By the man who owns these I am pregnant.” She said, “Determine please whose these are, the seal and cords and staff.” 26 Judah recognized them and said, “She is more righteous than I am, since I did not give her as a wife to Shelah, my son.” He did not sleep with her again. 27 It came about at the time for her to give birth that, behold, twins were in her womb. 28 It came about as she was giving birth one put out a hand, and the midwife took a scarlet thread and tied it on his hand and said, “This one came out first.” 29 But then he drew back his hand, and, behold, his brother came out first. The midwife said, “How you have broken out!” So he was named Perez. 30 Then his brother came out, who had the scarlet thread upon his hand, and he was named Zerah.

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1 Joseph was brought down to Egypt. Potiphar, an official of Pharaoh who was captain of the guard and an Egyptian, bought him from the Ishmaelites, who had brought him down there. 2 Yahweh was with Joseph and he became a prosperous man. He lived in the house of his Egyptian master. 3 His master saw that Yahweh was with him and that Yahweh prospered everything that he did. 4 Joseph found favor in his sight. He served Potiphar. Potiphar made Joseph manager over his house, and everything that he possessed, he put under his care. 5 It came about from the time that he made him manager over his house and over everything he possessed, that Yahweh blessed the Egyptian's house because of Joseph. The blessing of Yahweh was on everything that Potiphar had in the house and in the field. 6 Potiphar put everything that he had under Joseph's care. He did not have to think about anything except the food that he ate. Now Joseph was handsome and attractive. 7 It came about after this that his master's wife lusted for Joseph. She said, “Sleep with me.” 8 But he refused and said to his master's wife, “Look, my master does not pay attention to what I do in the house, and he has put everything that he owns under my care. 9 No one is greater in this house than I am. He has not kept back anything from me but you, because you are his wife. How then can I do this great wickedness and sin against God?” 10 She spoke to Joseph day after day, but he refused to sleep with her or to be with her. 11 It came about one day that he went into the house to do his work. None of the men of the house were there in the house. 12 She caught him by his clothes and said, “Sleep with me.” He left his clothing in her hand, fled, and went outside. 13 It came about, when she saw that he had left his clothing in her hand and had fled outside, 14 that she called to the men of her house and told them, “See, Potiphar has brought in a Hebrew to mock us. He came in to me to sleep with me, and I screamed. 15 It came about when he heard me scream, that he left his clothing with me, fled, and went outside.” 16 She set his clothing next to her until his master came home. 17 She told him this explanation, “The Hebrew servant whom you brought to us, came in to mock me. 18 It came about that when I screamed, he left his clothing with me and fled outside.”

19 It came about that, when his master heard the explanation his wife told him, “This is what your servant did to me,” he became very angry. 20 Joseph's master took him and put him in prison, the place where the king's prisoners were confined. He was there in the prison. 21 But Yahweh was with Joseph and showed covenant faithfulness to him. He gave him favor in the sight of the prison warden. 22 The prison warden gave into Joseph's hand all the prisoners who were in the prison. Whatever they did there, Joseph was in charge of it. 23 The prison warden did not worry about anything that was in his hand, because Yahweh was with him. Whatever he did, Yahweh prospered.

40

1 It came about that after these things, the cupbearer of the king of Egypt and king's baker offended their master, the king of Egypt. 2 Pharaoh was angry with his two officials, the chief of the cupbearers and the chief of the bakers. 3 He put them in custody in the house of the captain of the guard, in the same prison where Joseph was confined. 4 The captain of the guard assigned Joseph to them, and he served them. They remained in custody for some time. 5 Both of them dreamed a dream—the cupbearer and the baker of the king of Egypt who were confined in the prison—each man had his own dream in the same night, and each dream had its own interpretation. 6 Joseph came to them in the morning and saw them. Behold, they were sad. 7 He asked Pharaoh's officials who were with him in custody in his master's house, saying, “Why do you look so sad today?” 8 They said to him, “We have both dreamed a dream and no one can interpret it.” Joseph said to them, “Do not interpretations belong to God? Tell me, please.”

9 The chief of the cupbearers told his dream to Joseph. He said to him, “In my dream, behold, a vine was in front of me. 10 In the vine were three branches. As it budded, its blossoms came out and the clusters of grapes ripened. 11 Pharaoh's cup was in my hand. I took the grapes and squeezed them into Pharaoh's cup, and I placed the cup into Pharaoh's hand.” 12 Joseph said to him, “This is the interpretation of it. The three branches are three days. 13 Within three days Pharaoh will lift up your head and restore you to your office. You will put Pharaoh's cup into his hand, just as when you were his cupbearer. 14 But think of me when it goes well with you, and please show kindness to me. Mention me to Pharaoh and bring me out of this prison. 15 For indeed I was abducted out of the land of the Hebrews. Here also have I done nothing that they should put me in this dungeon.”

16 When the chief of the bakers saw that the interpretation was favorable, he said to Joseph, “I also had a dream, and, behold, three baskets of bread were on my head. 17 In the top basket there were all kinds of baked goods for Pharaoh, but the birds ate them out of the basket on my head.” 18 Joseph answered and said, “This is the interpretation. The three baskets are three days. 19 Within three days Pharaoh will lift up your head from you and will hang you on a tree. The birds will eat your flesh off you.” 20 It came about on the third day that it was Pharaoh's birthday. He made a feast for all his servants. He lifted up the head of the chief of the cupbearers and the head of the chief of the bakers, among his servants. 21 He restored the chief of the cupbearers to his responsibility, and he put the cup into Pharaoh's hand again. 22 But he hanged the chief of the bakers, just as Joseph had interpreted to them. 23 Yet the chief cupbearer did not remember Joseph, but forgot about him.

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1 It came about at the end of two full years that Pharaoh had a dream. Behold, he stood by the Nile. 2 Behold, seven cows came up out of the Nile, desirable and fat, and they grazed in the reeds. 3 Behold, seven other cows came up after them out of the Nile, undesirable and thin. They stood by the other cows on the bank of the river. 4 Then the undesirable and thin cows ate the seven desirable and fat cows. Then Pharaoh woke up. 5 Then he slept and dreamed a second time. Behold, seven heads of grain came up on one stalk, wholesome and good. 6 Behold, seven heads, thin and scorched by the east wind, sprouted up after them. 7 The thin heads swallowed up the seven wholesome and full heads. Pharaoh woke up, and, behold, it was a dream. 8 It came about in the morning that his spirit was troubled. He sent and called for all the magicians and wise men of Egypt. Pharaoh told them his dreams, but there was no one who could interpret them to Pharaoh.

9 Then the chief cupbearer said to Pharaoh, “Today I am thinking about my offenses. 10 Pharaoh was angry with his servants, and put me in custody in the house of the captain of the guard, the chief baker and me. 11 We dreamed a dream the same night, he and I. We dreamed each man according to the interpretation of his dream. 12 There was with us there a young Hebrew man, a servant of the captain of the guard. We told him and he interpreted for us our dreams. He interpreted for each of us according to his dream. 13 It came about as he interpreted for us, so it happened. Pharaoh restored me to my post, but the other one he hanged.”

14 Then Pharaoh sent and called for Joseph. They quickly took him out of the dungeon. He shaved himself, changed his clothes, and came in to Pharaoh. 15 Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I had a dream, but there is no interpreter for it. But I have heard about you, that when you hear a dream you can interpret it.” 16 Joseph answered Pharaoh, saying, “It is not in me. God will answer Pharaoh with favor.” 17 Pharaoh spoke to Joseph, “In my dream, behold, I stood on the bank of the Nile. 18 Behold, seven cows came up out of the Nile, fat and desirable, and they grazed among the reeds. 19 Behold, seven other cows came up after them, weak, very undesirable, and thin. I never saw in all the land of Egypt such undesirableness like them. 20 The thin and undesirable cows ate up the first seven fat cows. 21 When they had eaten them up, it could not be known that they had eaten them, for they were still as undesirable as before. Then I awoke. 22 I looked in my dream, and, behold, seven heads came up upon one stalk, full and good. 23 Behold, seven more heads—withered, thin, and scorched by the east wind—sprang up after them. 24 The thin heads swallowed up the seven good heads. I told these dreams to the magicians, but there was none that could explain it to me.”

25 Joseph said to Pharaoh, “The dreams of Pharaoh are the same. What God is about to do, he has declared to Pharaoh. 26 The seven good cows are seven years, and the seven good heads are seven years. The dreams are the same. 27 The seven thin and undesirable cows that came up after them are seven years, and also the seven thin heads scorched by the east wind will be seven years of famine. 28 That is the thing which I spoke to Pharaoh. What God is about to do he has revealed to Pharaoh. 29 Look, seven years of great abundance will come throughout all the land of Egypt. 30 Seven years of famine will come after them, and all the abundance will be forgotten in the land of Egypt, and the famine will devastate the land. 31 The abundance will not be remembered in the land because of the famine that will follow, for it will be very severe. 32 That the dream was repeated to Pharaoh is because the matter has been established by God, and God will soon do it. 33 Now let Pharaoh look for a man discerning and wise, and put him over the land of Egypt. 34 Let Pharaoh appoint officials over the land, and let them take a fifth of the crops of Egypt in the seven abundant years. 35 Let them gather all the food of these good years that are coming and store up grain under the authority of Pharaoh, for food to be used in the cities. They should preserve it. 36 The food will be a supply for the land for the seven years of famine which will be in the land of Egypt. In this way the land will not be devastated by the famine.”

37 This advice was good in the eyes of Pharaoh and in the eyes of all his servants. 38 Pharaoh said to his servants, “Can we find such a man as this, in whom is the Spirit of God?” 39 So Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Since God has shown you all this, there is none so discerning and wise as you. 40 You will be over my house, and according to your word will all my people be ruled. Only in the throne will I be greater than you.” 41 Pharaoh said to Joseph, “See, I have put you over all the land of Egypt.” 42 Pharaoh took off his signet ring from his hand and put it upon Joseph's hand. He clothed him with clothes of fine linen, and put a gold chain on his neck. 43 He had him ride in the second chariot which he possessed. Men shouted before him, “Bend the knee.” Pharaoh put him over all the land of Egypt. 44 Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I am Pharaoh, and apart from you, no man will lift his hand or his foot in all the land of Egypt.” 45 Pharaoh called Joseph's name “Zaphenath-Paneah.” He gave him Asenath, the daughter of Potiphera priest of On, as a wife. Joseph went out over the land of Egypt.

46 Joseph was thirty years old when he stood before Pharaoh, king of Egypt. Joseph went out from the presence of Pharaoh, and went throughout all the land of Egypt. 47 In the seven bountiful years the land produced abundantly. 48 He gathered up all the food of the seven years that was in the land of Egypt and put the food in the cities. He put into each city the food from the fields that surrounded it. 49 Joseph stored up grain like the sand of the sea, so much that he stopped counting, because it was beyond counting. 50 Joseph had two sons before the years of famine came, whom Asenath, the daughter of Potiphera priest of On, bore to him. 51 Joseph called the name of his firstborn Manasseh, for he said, “God has made me forget all my trouble and all my father's household.” 52 He called the name of the second son Ephraim, for he said, “God has made me fruitful in the land of my affliction.” 53 The seven years of abundance that was in the land of Egypt came to an end. 54 The seven years of famine began, as Joseph had said. There was famine in all lands, but in all the land of Egypt there was food. 55 When all the land of Egypt was famished, the people loudly called on Pharaoh for food. Pharaoh said to all the Egyptians, “Go to Joseph and do what he says.” 56 The famine was over all the face of the whole land. Joseph opened all the storehouses and sold to the Egyptians. The famine was severe in the land of Egypt. 57 All the earth was coming to Egypt to buy grain from Joseph, because the famine was severe in all the earth.

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1 Now Jacob became aware that there was grain in Egypt. He said to his sons, “Why do you look at one another?” 2 He said, “See here, I have heard that there is grain in Egypt. Go down there and buy for us from there so we may live and not die.” 3 Joseph's ten brothers went down to buy grain from Egypt. 4 But Benjamin, Joseph's brother, Jacob did not send with his brothers, for he feared that harm might come to him. 5 The sons of Israel came to buy among those who came, for the famine was in the land of Canaan. 6 Now Joseph was the governor over the land. He was the one who sold to all the people of the land. Joseph's brothers came and bowed down to him with their faces to the ground. 7 Joseph saw his brothers and recognized them, but he disguised himself to them and spoke harshly with them. He said to them, “Where have you come from?” They said, “From the land of Canaan to buy food.” 8 Joseph recognized his brothers, but they did not recognize him. 9 Then Joseph remembered the dreams he had dreamed about them, and he said to them, “You are spies! You have come to see the undefended parts of the land.” 10 They said to him, “No, my master. Your servants have come to buy food. 11 We are all one man's sons. We are honest men. Your servants are not spies.” 12 He said to them, “No, you have come to see the undefended parts of the land.” 13 They said, “We your servants are twelve brothers, the sons of one man in the land of Canaan. See, the youngest is this day with our father, and one brother is no longer alive.” 14 Joseph said to them, “It is what I said to you; you are spies. 15 By this you will be tested. By the life of Pharaoh, you will not leave here, unless your youngest brother comes here. 16 Send one of yourselves and let him get your brother. You will remain in prison, that your words may be tested, whether there is truth in you.” 17 He put them all in custody for three days.

18 Joseph said to them on the third day, “Do this and live, for I fear God. 19 If you are honest men, let one of your brothers be confined in this prison, but you go, carry grain for the famine of your houses. 20 Bring your youngest brother to me so your words will be verified and you will not die.” So they did so. 21 They said to one another, “We are truly guilty concerning our brother in that we saw the distress of his soul when he pleaded with us and we would not listen. Therefore this distress has come upon us.” 22 Reuben answered them, “Did I not tell you, 'Do not sin against the boy,' but you would not listen? Now, see, his blood is required of us.” 23 They did not know that Joseph understood them, for there was an interpreter between them. 24 He turned from them and wept. He returned to them and spoke to them. He took Simeon from among them and bound him before their eyes. 25 Then Joseph commanded his servants to fill his brothers' bags with grain, and to put every man's money back into his sack, and to give them provisions for the journey. It was done for them.

26 The brothers loaded their donkeys with their grain and departed from there. 27 As one of them opened his sack to give his donkey feed in the lodging place, he saw his money. Behold, it was in the opening of his sack. 28 He said to his brothers, “My money has been put back. Look at it; it is in my sack.” Their hearts sank and they turned trembling to one another, saying, “What is this that God has done to us?” 29 They went to Jacob, their father in the land of Canaan and told him all that had happened to them. They said, 30 “The man, the lord of the land, spoke roughly with us and thought that we were spies in the land. 31 We said to him, 'We are honest men. We are not spies. 32 We are twelve brothers, sons of our father. One is no longer alive, and the youngest is this day with our father in the land of Canaan.' 33 The man, the lord of the land, said to us, 'By this I will know that you are honest men. Leave one of your brothers with me, take grain for the famine in your houses, and go your way. 34 Bring your youngest brother to me. Then I will know that you are not spies, but that you are honest men. Then I will release your brother to you, and you will trade in the land.'”

35 It came about as they emptied their sacks, that, behold, every man's bag of silver was in his sack. When they and their father saw their bags of silver, they were afraid. 36 Jacob their father said to them, “You have bereaved me of my children. Joseph is no longer alive, Simeon is gone, and you will take Benjamin away. All these things are against me.” 37 Reuben spoke to his father, saying, “You may kill my two sons if I do not bring Benjamin back to you. Put him in my hands, and I will bring him to you again.” 38 Jacob said, “My son will not go down with you. For his brother is dead and he alone is left. If harm comes to him on the road in which you go, then you will bring down my gray hair with sorrow to Sheol.”

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1 The famine was severe in the land. 2 It came about when they had eaten the grain that they had brought out of Egypt, their father said to them, “Go again; buy us some food.” 3 Judah told him, “The man solemnly warned us, 'You will not see my face unless your brother is with you.' 4 If you send our brother with us, we will go down and buy you food. 5 But if you do not send him, we will not go down. For the man said to us, 'You will not see my face unless your brother is with you.'” 6 Israel said, “Why did you treat me so badly by telling the man that you had another brother?” 7 They said, “The man asked details about us and our family. He said, 'Is your father still alive? Do you have another brother?' We answered him according to these questions. How could we have known that he would say, 'Bring your brother down?'” 8 Judah said to Israel his father, “Send the boy with me. We will rise and go that we may live and not die, both we, you, and also our children. 9 I will be a guarantee for him. You will hold me responsible. If I do not bring him back to you and set him before you, then let me bear the blame forever. 10 For if we had not delayed, surely by now we would have come back here a second time.” 11 Their father Israel said to them, “If it be so, now do this. Take some of the best products of the land in your bags. Carry down to the man a gift—some balm and honey, spices and myrrh, pistachio nuts and almonds. 12 Take double money in your hand. The money that was returned in the opening of your sacks, carry again in your hand. Perhaps it was a mistake. 13 Take also your brother. Rise and go again to the man. 14 May God Almighty give you mercy before the man, so that he may release to you your other brother and Benjamin. If I am bereaved of my children, I am bereaved.” 15 The men took this gift, and in their hand they took double the amount of money, along with Benjamin. They got up and went down to Egypt and stood before Joseph.

16 When Joseph saw Benjamin with them, he said to the steward of his house, “Bring the men into the house, slaughter an animal and prepare it, for the men will eat with me at noon.” 17 The steward did as Joseph said. He brought the men to Joseph's house. 18 The men were afraid because they were brought to Joseph's house. They said, “It is because of the money that was returned in our sacks the first time we were brought in, that he may seek an opportunity against us. He might arrest us and take us as slaves, and take our donkeys.” 19 They approached the steward of Joseph's house, and they spoke to him at the door of the house, 20 saying, “My master, we came down the first time to buy food. 21 It came about, when we reached the lodging place, that we opened our sacks, and, behold, every man's money was in the opening of his sack, our money in full weight. We have brought it back in our hands. 22 Other money we have also brought down in our hand to buy food. We do not know who put our money in our sacks.” 23 The steward said, “Peace be to you, do not fear. Your God and the God of your father must have put your money in your sacks. I received your money.” The steward then brought Simeon out to them. 24 The steward took the men into Joseph's house. He gave them water, and they washed their feet. He gave feed to their donkeys. 25 They prepared the gifts for Joseph's coming at noon, for they had heard that they would eat there.

26 When Joseph came home, they brought the gifts which were in their hand into the house, and bowed down before him to the ground. 27 He asked them about their welfare and said, “Is your father well, the old man of whom you spoke? Is he still alive?” 28 They said, “Your servant our father is well. He is still alive.” They prostrated themselves and bowed down. 29 When he lifted up his eyes he saw Benjamin his brother, his mother's son, and he said, “Is this your youngest brother of whom you spoke to me?” Then he said, “May God be gracious to you, my son.” 30 Joseph hurried to go out of the room, for he was deeply moved about his brother. He sought somewhere to weep. He went to his room and wept there. 31 He washed his face and came out. He controlled himself, saying, “Serve the food.” 32 The servants served Joseph by himself and the brothers by themselves. The Egyptians there ate with him by themselves because the Egyptians could not eat bread with the Hebrews, for that is detestable to the Egyptians. 33 The brothers sat before him, the firstborn according to his birthright, and the youngest according to his youth. The men were astonished together. 34 Joseph sent portions to them from the food in front of him. But Benjamin's portion was five times as much as any of his brothers. They drank and were merry with him.

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1 Joseph commanded the steward of his house, saying, “Fill the men's sacks with food, as much as they can carry, and put every man's money in his sack's opening. 2 Put my cup, the silver cup, in the sack's opening of the youngest, and also his money for the grain.” The steward did as Joseph had said. 3 The morning dawned, and the men were sent away, they and their donkeys. 4 When they were out of the city but were not yet far off, Joseph said to his steward, “Get up, follow after the men, and when you overtake them, say to them, 'Why have you returned evil for good? 5 Is this not the cup from which my master drinks, and the cup that he uses for divination? You have done evil, this thing that you have done.'” 6 The steward overtook them and spoke these words to them. 7 They said to him, “Why does my master speak such words as these? Far be it from your servants that they would do such a thing. 8 Look, the money that we found in our sacks' openings, we brought again to you out of the land of Canaan. How then could we steal out of your master's house silver or gold? 9 With whomever of your servants it is found, let him die, and we also will be my master's slaves.” 10 The steward said, “Now also let it be according to your words. He with whom the cup is found will be my slave, and you others will be innocent.” 11 Then each man hurried and brought his sack down to the ground, and each man opened his sack. 12 The steward searched. He began with the oldest and finished with the youngest, and the cup was found in Benjamin's sack. 13 Then they tore their clothes. Each man loaded his donkey and returned to the city.

14 Judah and his brothers came to Joseph's house. He was still there, and they bowed before him to the ground. 15 Joseph said to them, “What is this that you have done? Do you not know that a man like me practices divination?” 16 Judah said, “What can we say to my master? What can we speak? Or how can we justify ourselves? God has found out the iniquity of your servants. Look, we are my master's slaves, both we and he also in whose hand the cup was found.” 17 Joseph said, “Far be it from me that I should do so. The man in whose hand the cup was found, that person will be my slave, but as for you others, go up in peace to your father.”

18 Then Judah came near to him and said, “My master, please let your servant speak a word in my master's ears, and do let your anger burn against your servant, for you are just like Pharaoh. 19 My master asked his servants, saying, 'Do you have a father or a brother?' 20 We said to my master, 'We have a father, an old man, and a child of his old age, a little one. But his brother is dead, and he alone is left of his mother, and his father loves him.' 21 Then you said to your servants, 'Bring him down to me that I may see him.' 22 After that, we said to my master, 'The boy cannot leave his father. For if he should leave his father his father would die.' 23 Then you said to your servants, 'Unless your youngest brother comes down with you, you will not see my face again.' 24 Then it came about when we went up to your servant my father, we told him the words of my master. 25 Our father said, 'Go again, buy us some food.' 26 Then we said, 'We cannot go down. If our youngest brother is with us, then will we go down, for we will not be able to see the man's face unless our youngest brother is with us.' 27 Your servant my father said to us, 'You know that my wife bore me two sons. 28 One of them went out from me and I said, “Surely he is torn in pieces, and I have not seen him since.” 29 Now if you also take this one from me, and harm comes to him, you will bring down my gray hair with sorrow to Sheol.' 30 Now, therefore, when I come to your servant my father, and the lad is not with us, since his life is bound up in the boy's life, 31 it will come about, when he sees the boy is not with us, he will die. Your servants will bring down the gray hair of your servant our father with sorrow to Sheol. 32 For your servant became a guarantee for the boy to my father and said, 'If I do not bring him to you, then I will bear the guilt to my father forever.' 33 Now therefore, please let your servant stay instead of the boy as slave to my master, and let the boy go up with his brothers. 34 For how can I go up to my father if the boy is not with me? I am afraid to see the evil that would come on my father.”

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1 Then Joseph could not control himself before all the servants who stood by him. He said loudly, “Everyone must leave me.” So no servant stood by him when Joseph made himself known to his brothers. 2 He wept loudly, the Egyptians heard it, and the house of Pharaoh heard of it. 3 Joseph said to his brothers, “I am Joseph. Is my father still alive?” His brothers could not answer him, for they were shocked in his presence. 4 Then Joseph said to his brothers, “Come near to me, please.” They came near. He said, “I am Joseph your brother, whom you sold into Egypt. 5 Do not be grieved or angry with yourselves that you sold me here, for God sent me ahead of you to preserve life. 6 For these two years the famine has been in the land, and there are still five years in which there will be neither plowing nor harvest. 7 God sent me ahead of you to preserve you as a remnant in the earth, and to keep you alive by a great deliverance. 8 So now it was not you who sent me here but God, and he has made me a father to Pharaoh, master of all his house, and ruler of all the land of Egypt. 9 Hurry and go up to my father and say to him, 'This is what your son Joseph says, “God has made me master of all Egypt. Come down to me, do not delay. 10 You will live in the land of Goshen, and you will be near me, you and your children and your children's children, and your flocks and your herds, and all that you have. 11 I will provide for you there, for there are still five years of famine, so that you do not come to poverty, you, your household, and all that you have.”' 12 Look, your eyes see, and the eyes of my brother Benjamin, that it is my mouth that speaks to you. 13 You will tell my father about all my honor in Egypt and of all that you have seen. You will hurry and bring my father down here.” 14 He hugged his brother Benjamin's neck and wept, and Benjamin wept on his neck. 15 He kissed all his brothers and wept over them. After that his brothers talked with him.

16 The news of the matter was told in Pharaoh's house: “Joseph's brothers have come.” It pleased Pharaoh and his servants very much. 17 Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Say to your brothers, 'Do this: Load your animals and go to the land of Canaan. 18 Get your father and your households and come to me. I will give you the good of the land of Egypt, and you will eat the fat of the land.' 19 Now you are commanded, 'Do this, take carts out of the land of Egypt for your children and for your wives. Get your father and come. 20 Do not be concerned about your possessions, for the good of all the land of Egypt is yours.'”

21 The sons of Israel did so. Joseph gave them carts, according to the command of Pharaoh, and gave them provisions for the journey. 22 To all of them he gave each man changes of clothing, but to Benjamin he gave three hundred pieces of silver and five changes of clothing. 23 For his father he sent this: ten donkeys loaded with the good things of Egypt; and ten female donkeys loaded with grain, bread, and other supplies for his father for the journey. 24 So he sent his brothers away and they left. He said to them, “See that you do not quarrel on the journey.” 25 They went up out of Egypt and came to the land of Canaan, to Jacob their father. 26 They told him saying “Joseph is still alive, and he is ruler over all the land of Egypt.” His heart was astonished, for he could not believe what they told him. 27 They told him all the words of Joseph that he had said to them. When Jacob saw the carts that Joseph had sent to carry him, the spirit of Jacob their father revived. 28 Israel said, “It is enough. Joseph my son is still alive. I will go and see him before I die.”

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1 Israel made his journey with all that he had and went to Beersheba. There he offered sacrifices to the God of his father Isaac. 2 God spoke to Israel in a vision at night, saying, “Jacob, Jacob.” He said, “Here I am.” 3 He said, “I am God, the God of your father. Do not fear to go down to Egypt, for there I will make you a great nation. 4 I will go down with you into Egypt, and I will surely bring you up again and Joseph will close your eyes with his own hand.” 5 Jacob rose up from Beersheba. The sons of Israel transported Jacob their father, their children, and their wives, in the carts that Pharaoh had sent to carry him. 6 They took their livestock and their possessions that they had accumulated in the land of Canaan. They came into Egypt, Jacob and all his descendants with him. 7 He brought with him to Egypt his sons and his sons' sons, his daughters and his sons' daughters, and all his descendants.

8 These were the names of the children of Israel who came to Egypt: Jacob and his sons, Reuben, Jacob's firstborn; 9 the sons of Reuben, Hanok, Pallu, Hezron, and Karmi; 10 the sons of Simeon, Jemuel, Jamin, Ohad, Jakin, Zohar, and Shaul, the son of a Canaanite woman; 11 and the sons of Levi, Gershon, Kohath, and Merari. 12 The sons of Judah were Er, Onan, Shelah, Perez, and Zerah, (but Er and Onan had died in the land of Canaan). The sons of Perez were Hezron and Hamul. 13 The sons of Issachar were Tola, Puah, Lob, and Shimron; 14 The sons of Zebulun were Sered, Elon, and Jahleel 15 These were the sons of Leah whom she bore to Jacob in Paddan Aram, along with his daughter Dinah. His sons and his daughters numbered thirty-three. 16 The sons of Gad were Zephon, Haggi, Shuni, Ezbon, Eri, Arodi, and Areli. 17 The sons of Asher were Imnah, Ishvah, Ishvi, and Beriah; and Serah was their sister. The sons of Beriah were Heber and Malkiel 18 These were the sons of Zilpah, whom Laban had given to Leah his daughter. These sons she bore to Jacob—sixteen in all. 19 The sons of Jacob's wife Rachel were Joseph and Benjamin. 20 In Egypt Manasseh and Ephraim were born to Joseph by Asenath, the daughter of Potiphera priest of On. 21 The sons of Benjamin were Bela, Beker, Ashbel, Gera, Naaman, Ehi, Rosh, Muppim, Huppim, and Ard. 22 These were the sons of Rachel who were born to Jacob—fourteen in all. 23 The son of Dan was Hushim. 24 The sons of Naphtali were Jahziel, Guni, Jezer, and Shillem. 25 These were the sons born to Jacob by Bilhah, whom Laban gave to Rachel his daughter—seven in all. 26 All those who went to Egypt with Jacob, who were his descendants, not counting Jacob's sons' wives, were sixty-six in all. 27 With the two sons of Joseph who were born to him in Egypt, the members of his family who went to Egypt were seventy in all.

28 Jacob sent Judah ahead of him to Joseph to show the way before him to Goshen, and they came to the land of Goshen. 29 Joseph prepared his chariot and went up to meet Israel his father in Goshen. He saw him, hugged his neck, and wept on his neck a long time. 30 Israel said to Joseph, “Now let me die, since I have seen your face, that you are still alive.” 31 Joseph said to his brothers and to his father's house, “I will go up and tell Pharaoh, saying, 'My brothers and my father's house, who were in the land of Canaan, have come to me. 32 The men are shepherds, for they have been keepers of livestock. They have brought their flocks, their herds, and all that they have.' 33 It will come about, when Pharaoh calls you and asks, 'What is your occupation?' 34 that you should say, 'Your servants have been keepers of livestock from our youth until now, both we, and our forefathers.' Do this so that you may live in the land of Goshen, for every shepherd is an abomination to the Egyptians.”

47

1 Then Joseph went in and told Pharaoh, “My father and my brothers, their flocks, their herds, and all that they own, have arrived from the land of Canaan. See, they are in the land of Goshen.” 2 He took five of his brothers and introduced them to Pharaoh. 3 Pharaoh said to his brothers, “What is your occupation?” They said to Pharaoh, “Your servants are shepherds, as our ancestors.” 4 Then they said to Pharaoh, “We come as temporary residents in the land. There is no pasture for your servants' flocks, because the famine is severe in the land of Canaan. So now, please let your servants live in the land of Goshen.” 5 Then Pharaoh spoke to Joseph, saying, “Your father and your brothers have come to you. 6 The land of Egypt is before you. Settle your father and your brothers in the best region, the land of Goshen. If you know any capable men among them, put them in charge of my livestock.” 7 Then Joseph brought in Jacob his father and presented him to Pharaoh. Jacob blessed Pharaoh. 8 Pharaoh said to Jacob, “How long have you lived?” 9 Jacob said to Pharaoh, “The years of my travels are a hundred and thirty. The years of my life have been few and painful. They have not been as long as those of my ancestors.” 10 Then Jacob blessed Pharaoh and went out from his presence. 11 Then Joseph settled his father and his brothers. He gave them a territory in the land of Egypt, the best of the land, in the land of Rameses, as Pharaoh had commanded. 12 Joseph provided food for his father, his brothers, and all his father's household, according the number of their dependents.

13 Now there was no food in all the land; for the famine was severe. The land of Egypt and the land of Canaan wasted away because of the famine. 14 Joseph gathered all the money that was in the land of Egypt and in the land of Canaan, by selling grain to the inhabitants. Then Joseph brought the money to Pharaoh's palace. 15 When all the money of the lands of Egypt and Canaan was spent, all the Egyptians came to Joseph saying, “Give us food! Why should we die in your presence because our money is gone?” 16 Joseph said, “If your money is gone, bring your livestock and I will give you food in exchange for your livestock.” 17 So they brought their livestock to Joseph. Joseph gave them food in exchange for the horses, for the flocks, for the herds, and for the donkeys. He fed them with bread in exchange for all their livestock that year. 18 When that year was ended, they came to him the next year and said to him, “We will not hide from my master that our money is all gone, and the herds of cattle are my master's. There is nothing left in the sight of my master, except our bodies and our land. 19 Why should we die before your eyes, both we and our land? Buy us and our land in exchange for food, and we and our land will be servants to Pharaoh. Give us seed that we may live and not die, and that the land may not become desolate.”

20 So Joseph bought all the land of Egypt for Pharaoh. For every Egyptian sold his field, because the famine was very severe. In this way, the land became Pharaoh's. 21 As for the people, he made them slaves from one end of Egypt's border to the other end. 22 It was only the land of the priests that Joseph did not buy, because the priests were given an allowance. They ate from the allotment which Pharaoh gave them. Therefore they did not sell their land. 23 Then Joseph said to the people, “See, I have bought you and your land today for Pharaoh. Now here is seed for you, and you will plant the land. 24 At the harvest, you must give a fifth to Pharaoh, and four parts will be your own, for seed of the field and for food for your households and your children.” 25 They said, “You have saved our lives. May we find favor in your eyes. We will be Pharaoh's servants.” 26 So Joseph made it a statute which is in effect in the land of Egypt to this day, that one-fifth belongs to Pharaoh. Only the land of the priests did not become Pharaoh's.

27 So Israel lived in the land of Egypt, in the land of Goshen. His people gained possessions there. They were fruitful and multiplied greatly. 28 Jacob lived in the land of Egypt seventeen years, so the years of Jacob's life were one hundred forty-seven years. 29 When the time approached for Israel to die, he called his son Joseph and said to him, “If now I have found favor in your eyes, put your hand under my thigh, and show me faithfulness and trustworthiness. Please do not bury me in Egypt. 30 When I sleep with my fathers, you will carry me out of Egypt and bury me in my forefathers' burial place.” Joseph said, “I will do as you have said.” 31 Israel said, “Swear to me,” and Joseph swore to him. Then Israel bowed down at the head of his bed.

48

1 It came about after these things, that one said to Joseph, “Look, your father is sick.” So he took with him his two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim. 2 When Jacob was told, “Look, your son Joseph has arrived to see you,” Israel gathered strength and sat up in bed. 3 Jacob said to Joseph, “God Almighty appeared to me at Luz in the land of Canaan. He blessed me 4 and said to me, 'Behold, I will make you fruitful, and multiply you. I will make of you an assembly of nations. I will give this land to your descendants as an everlasting possession.' 5 Now your two sons, who were born to you in the land of Egypt before I came to you into Egypt, they are mine. Ephraim and Manasseh will be mine, just as Reuben and Simeon are mine. 6 The children you have after them will be yours; they will be listed under the names of their brothers in their inheritance. 7 But as for me, when I came from Paddan, to my sorrow Rachel died in the land of Canaan on the way, while there was still some distance to go to Ephrath. I buried her there on the way to Ephrath” (that is, Bethlehem).

8 When Israel saw Joseph's sons, he said, “Whose are these?” 9 Joseph said to his father, “They are my sons, whom God has given me here.” Israel said, “Bring them to me, that I may bless them.” 10 Now Israel's eyes were failing because of his age, so he could not see. So Joseph brought them near to him, and he kissed them and embraced them. 11 Israel said to Joseph, “I never expected to see your face again, but God has even allowed me to see your children.” 12 Joseph brought them out from between Israel's knees, and then he bowed with his face to the earth. 13 Joseph took them both, Ephraim in his right hand toward Israel's left hand, and Manasseh in his left hand toward Israel's right hand, and brought them close to him. 14 Israel reached out with his right hand and laid it upon Ephraim's head, who was the younger, and his left hand upon Manasseh's head. He crossed his hands, for Manasseh was the firstborn. 15 Israel blessed Joseph, saying,

“The God before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked,

the God who has cared for me to this day,

16 the angel who has protected me from all harm, may he bless these boys.

May my name be named in them, and the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac.

May they grow into a multitude on the earth.”

17 When Joseph saw his father place his right hand upon the head of Ephraim, it displeased him. He took his father's hand to move it from Ephraim's head to Manasseh's head. 18 Joseph said to his father, “Not so, my father; for this is the firstborn. Put your right hand upon his head.” 19 His father refused and said, “I know, my son, I know. He also will become a people, and he also will be great. Yet his younger brother will be greater than he, and his descendants will become a multitude of nations.” 20 Israel blessed them that day with these words,

“The people of Israel will pronounce blessings by your names saying,

'May God make you like Ephraim and like Manasseh'.”

In this way, Israel put Ephraim before Manasseh. 21 Israel said to Joseph, “See, I am about to die, but God will be with you, and will bring you back to the land of your fathers. 22 To you, as one who is above your brothers, I give to you the mountain slope that I took from the Amorites with my sword and my bow.”

49

1 Then Jacob called for his sons, and said:

“Gather yourselves together,

that I may tell you what will happen to you in the future.

2 Assemble yourselves and listen, you sons of Jacob.

Listen to Israel, your father.

3 Reuben, you are my firstborn, my might,

and the beginning of my strength,

outstanding in dignity, and outstanding in power.

4 Uncontrollable as rushing water,

you will not have the preeminence,

because you went up to your father's bed.

Then you defiled it; you went up to my couch.

5 Simeon and Levi are brothers.

Weapons of violence are their swords.

6 O my soul, do not come into their council;

do not join in their meetings,

for my heart has too much honor for that.

For in their anger they killed men.

It was for pleasure that they hamstrung oxen.

7 May their anger be cursed,

for it was fierce—and their fury, for it was cruel.

I will divide them in Jacob and scatter them in Israel.

8 Judah, your brothers will praise you.

Your hand will be on the neck of your enemies.

Your father's sons will bow down before you.

9 Judah is a lion's cub. My son,

you have gone up from your victims.

He stooped down, he crouched like a lion, like a lioness.

Who would dare to awaken him?

10 The scepter will not depart from Judah,

nor the ruler's staff from between his feet,

until Shiloh comes. The nations will obey him.

11 Binding his donkey to the vine,

and his donkey's colt to the choice vine,

he has washed his garments in wine,

and his robe in the blood of grapes.

12 His eyes will be as dark as wine,

and his teeth as white as milk.

13 Zebulun will live by the shore of the sea.

He will be a harbor for ships,

and his border will extend to Sidon.

14 Issachar is a strong donkey,

lying down between the sheepfolds.

15 He sees a good resting place and the pleasant land.

He will bend his shoulder to the burden

and become a servant for the task.

16 Dan will judge his people

as one of the tribes of Israel.

17 Dan will be a snake beside the road,

a poisonous snake in the path

that bites the horse's heels,

so that his rider falls backward.

18 I wait for your salvation, Yahweh.

19 Gad—raiders will attack him,

but he will attack them at their heels.

20 Asher's food will be rich,

and he will provide royal delicacies.

21 Naphtali is a doe let loose;

he will have beautiful fawns.

22 Joseph is a fruitful bough,

a fruitful bough near a spring,

whose branches climb over the wall.

23 The archers will attack him

and shoot at him and harass him.

24 But his bow will remain steady,

and his hands will be skillful

because of the hands of the Mighty One of Jacob,

because of the name of the Shepherd, the Rock of Israel.

25 The God of your father will help you

and the Almighty God will bless you

with blessings of the sky above,

blessings of the deep that lies beneath,

and blessings of the breasts and womb.

26 The blessings of your father

are greater than the blessings of the ancient mountains

or the desirable things of the ancient hills.

May they be on the head of Joseph,

even upon the crown of the head of the prince of his brothers.

27 Benjamin is a hungry wolf.

In the morning he will devour the prey,

and in the evening he will divide the plunder.”

28 These are the twelve tribes of Israel. This is what their father said to them when he blessed them. Each one he blessed with an appropriate blessing. 29 Then he instructed them and said to them, “I am about to go to my people. Bury me with my forefathers in the cave that is in the field of Ephron the Hittite, 30 in the cave that is in the field of Machpelah, which is near Mamre in the land of Canaan, the field that Abraham bought for a burial place from Ephron the Hittite. 31 There they buried Abraham and Sarah his wife; there they buried Isaac and Rebekah his wife; and there I buried Leah. 32 The field and the cave that is in it were purchased from the people of Heth.” 33 When Jacob finished these instructions to his sons, he pulled his feet into the bed, breathed his last, and went to his people.

50

1 Then Joseph was so distressed that he collapsed on the face of his father, and he wept over him, and he kissed him. 2 Joseph commanded his servants the physicians to embalm his father. So the physicians embalmed Israel. 3 They took forty days, for that was the full time for embalming. The Egyptians wept for him seventy days.

4 When the days of weeping were over, Joseph spoke to the house of Pharaoh, saying, “If now I have found favor in your eyes, please speak to Pharaoh, saying, 5 'My father made me swear, saying, “See, I am about to die. Bury me in my tomb that I dug for myself in the land of Canaan. There you will bury me.” Now let me go up and bury my father, and then I will return.'” 6 Pharaoh answered, “Go and bury your father, as he made you swear.” 7 Joseph went up to bury his father. All the officials of Pharaoh went with him—the elders of his household, all the senior officials of the land of Egypt, 8 with all Joseph's household and his brothers, and his father's household. But their children, their flocks, and their herds were left in the land of Goshen. 9 Chariots and horsemen also went with him. It was a very large group of people. 10 When they came to the threshing floor of Atad on the other side of the Jordan, they mourned with very great and grievous sorrow. There Joseph made a seven-day mourning for his father. 11 When the inhabitants of the land, the Canaanites, saw the mourning in the floor of Atad, they said, “This is a very sad occasion for the Egyptians.” That is why the place was called Abel Mizraim, which is beyond the Jordan. 12 So his sons did for Jacob just as he had instructed them. 13 His sons carried him to the land of Canaan and buried him in the cave in the field of Machpelah, near Mamre. Abraham had bought the cave with the field for a burial place. He had bought it from Ephron the Hittite. 14 After he had buried his father, Joseph returned into Egypt, he, along with his brothers, and all who had accompanied him to bury his father.

15 When Joseph's brothers saw that their father was dead, they said, “What if Joseph holds on to anger against us and wants to repay us in full for all the evil we did to him?” 16 So they commanded the presence of Joseph, saying, “Your father gave instructions before he died, saying, 17 'Tell Joseph this, “Please forgive the transgression of your brothers and their sin when they did evil to you.”' Now please forgive the servants of the God of your father.” Joseph wept when they spoke to him. 18 His brothers also went and lay facedown before him. They said, “See, we are your servants.” 19 But Joseph answered them, “Do not be afraid. Am I in the place of God? 20 As for you, you meant to harm me, but God meant it for good, to preserve the lives of many people, as you see today. 21 So now do not be afraid. I will provide for you and your little children.” He comforted them in this way and spoke kindly to their hearts.

22 Joseph lived in Egypt, together with his father's family. He lived one hundred ten years. 23 Joseph saw Ephraim's children to the third generation. He also saw the children of Machir son of Manasseh, who were placed on the knees of Joseph. 24 Joseph said to his brothers, “I am about to die; but God will surely come to you and lead you up out of this land to the land which he swore to give to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.” 25 Then Joseph made the people of Israel swear an oath. He said, “God will surely come to you. At that time you must carry up my bones from here.” 26 So Joseph died, 110 years old. They embalmed him and he was placed in a coffin in Egypt.

* 1:26 Some ancient copies have: ... Over the livestock, over all the animals of the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth .

* 4:8 The best ancient copies read in this way. However, some old translations and some modern translations read, Cain said to Abel his brother, “Let us go into the fields.” It came about that while they were in the fields, Cain rose up against Abel his brother and killed him .

* 31:25 Some modern versions have: Laban also camped in the hill country of Gilead .

Exodus

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Exodus

1

1 These are the names of the sons of Israel who came into Egypt with Jacob, each with his household: 2 Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah, 3 Issachar, Zebulun, and Benjamin, 4 Dan, Naphtali, Gad, and Asher. 5 All the people who were descendants of Jacob were seventy in number. Joseph was already in Egypt. 6 Then Joseph, all his brothers, and all that generation died. 7 The Israelites were fruitful, increased greatly in numbers, and became very strong; the land was filled with them.

8 Now then a new king arose over Egypt, one who did not know about Joseph. 9 He said to his people, “Look, the Israelites are more numerous and stronger than we are. 10 Come, let us deal with them wisely, otherwise they will continue to grow in numbers, and if war breaks out, they will join our enemies, fight against us, and leave the land.” 11 So they put taskmasters over them to oppress them with hard labor. The Israelites built store cities for Pharaoh: Pithom and Rameses. 12 But the more the Egyptians oppressed them, the more the Israelites increased in numbers and spread. So the Egyptians began to dread the Israelites. 13 The Egyptians made the Israelites work rigorously. 14 They made their lives bitter with hard service with mortar and brick, and with all kinds of work in the fields. All their required work was hard.

15 Then the king of Egypt spoke to the Hebrew midwives; the name of the one was Shiphrah, and the other Puah. 16 He said, “When you assist the Hebrew women on the birthstool, observe when they give birth. If it is a son, then you must kill him; but if it is a daughter, then she may live.” 17 But the midwives feared God and did not do as the king of Egypt ordered them; instead, they let the baby boys live. 18 The king of Egypt summoned the midwives and said to them, “Why have you done this, and let the baby boys live?” 19 The midwives answered Pharaoh, “The Hebrew women are not like the Egyptian women. They are vigorous and have finished giving birth before a midwife comes to them.” 20 God protected these midwives. The people increased in numbers and became very strong. 21 Because the midwives feared God, he gave them families. 22 Pharaoh ordered all his people, “You must throw every son that is born into the river, but every daughter you will let live.”

2

1 Now a man of the tribe of Levi married a woman of Levi. 2 The woman became pregnant and gave birth to a son. When she saw that he was a healthy boy, she hid him for three months. 3 But when she could no longer hide him, she took a papyrus basket and sealed it with bitumen and pitch. Then she put the child in it and placed it among the reeds in the water along the side of the river. 4 His sister stood at a distance to see what would happen to him. 5 Pharaoh's daughter came down to bathe at the river while her attendants walked along by the riverside. She saw the basket among the reeds and sent her attendant to get it. 6 When she opened it, she saw the child. Behold, the baby was crying. She had compassion on him and said, “This is certainly one of the Hebrews' children.” 7 Then the baby's sister said to Pharaoh's daughter, “Should I go and find you a Hebrew woman to nurse the child for you?” 8 Pharaoh's daughter said to her, “Go.” So the young girl went and got the child's mother. 9 Pharaoh's daughter said to the baby's mother, “Take this child and nurse him for me, and I will pay you wages.” So the woman took the child and nursed him. 10 When the child grew older, she brought him to Pharaoh's daughter, and he became her son. She named him Moses and said, “Because I drew him from the water.”

11 When Moses had grown up, he went out to his people and observed their hard work. He saw an Egyptian striking a Hebrew, one of his own people. 12 He looked this way and that way, and when he saw that there was no one there, he killed the Egyptian and hid his body in the sand. 13 He went out the next day, and, behold, two Hebrew men were fighting. He said to the one who was in the wrong, “Why are you hitting your companion?” 14 But the man said, “Who made you a leader and judge over us? Are you planning to kill me as you killed that Egyptian?” Then Moses became afraid and said, “What I did has certainly become known to others.” 15 Now when Pharaoh heard about it, he tried to kill Moses. But Moses fled from Pharaoh and stayed in the land of Midian. There he sat down by a well.

16 Now the priest of Midian had seven daughters. They came, drew water, and filled the troughs to water their father's flock. 17 The shepherds came and tried to drive them away, but Moses went and helped them. Then he watered their flock. 18 When the girls went to Reuel their father, he said, “Why are you home so early today?” 19 They said, “An Egyptian rescued us from the shepherds. He even drew water for us and watered the flock.” 20 He said to his daughters, “So where is he? Why did you leave the man? Call him so he can eat a meal with us.” 21 Moses agreed to stay with the man, who also gave him his daughter Zipporah in marriage. 22 She bore a son, and Moses called his name Gershom; he said, “I have been a resident in a foreign land.”

23 A long time later, the king of Egypt died. The Israelites groaned because of the slave labor. They cried out for help, and their pleas went up to God because of their bondage. 24 When God heard their groaning, God called to mind his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob. 25 God saw the Israelites, and he understood their situation.

3

1 Now Moses was still shepherding the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian. Moses led the flock to the far side of the wilderness and arrived at Horeb, the mountain of God. 2 There the angel of Yahweh appeared to him in a flame of fire in a bush. Moses looked, and behold, the bush was burning, but the bush was not burned up. 3 Moses said, “I will turn aside and see this amazing thing, why the bush is not burned up.” 4 When Yahweh saw that he had turned aside to look, God called to him out of the bush and said, “Moses, Moses.” Moses said, “Here I am.” 5 God said, “Do not come any closer! Take off your shoes from your feet, for the place where you are standing is ground that is set apart to me.” 6 He added, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” Then Moses covered his face, for he was afraid to look at God. 7 Yahweh said, “I have certainly seen the suffering of my people who are in Egypt. I have heard their shouts because of their taskmasters, for I know about their suffering. 8 I have come down to free them from the Egyptians' power and to bring them up from that land to a good, large land, to a land flowing with milk and honey; to the region of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites. 9 Now the shouts of the people of Israel have come to me. Moreover, I have seen the oppression caused by the Egyptians. 10 Now then, I will send you to Pharaoh so that you may bring my people, the Israelites, out of Egypt.” 11 But Moses said to God, “Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites from Egypt?” 12 God replied, “I will certainly be with you. This will be a sign to you that I have sent you. When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you will worship me on this mountain.”

13 Moses said to God, “When I go to the Israelites and tell them, 'The God of your ancestors has sent me to you,' and when they say to me, 'What is his name?' what should I say to them?” 14 God said to Moses, “I AM THAT I AM.” God said, “You must say to the Israelites, 'I AM has sent me to you.'” 15 God also said to Moses, “You must say to the Israelites, 'Yahweh, the God of your ancestors, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you. This is my name forever, and this is how I will be kept in mind for all generations.' 16 Go and gather the elders of Israel together. Say to them, 'Yahweh, the God of your ancestors, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob, has appeared to me and said, “I have indeed observed you and have seen what has been done to you in Egypt. 17 I have promised to bring you up from the oppression in Egypt to the land of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites, a land flowing with milk and honey.”' 18 They will listen to you. You and the elders of Israel must go to the king of Egypt, and you must tell him, 'Yahweh, the God of the Hebrews, has met with us. So now let us go three days' journey into the wilderness, in order that we may sacrifice to Yahweh, our God.' 19 But I know that the king of Egypt will not let you go, unless his hand is forced. 20 I will reach out with my hand and attack the Egyptians with all the miracles that I will do among them. After that, he will let you go. 21 I will grant this people favor from the Egyptians, so when you leave, you will not go empty-handed. 22 Every woman will ask for silver and gold jewels and for clothing from her Egyptian neighbors and any women staying in her neighbors' houses. You will put them on your sons and daughters. In this way you will plunder the Egyptians.”

4

1 Moses answered, “But what if they do not believe me or listen to me but say instead, 'Yahweh has not appeared to you'?” 2 Yahweh said to him, “What is that in your hand?” Moses said, “A staff.” 3 Yahweh said, “Throw it on the ground.” Moses threw it on the ground, and it became a snake. Moses ran back from it. 4 Yahweh said to Moses, “Reach out and take it by the tail.” So he reached out and took hold of the snake. It became a staff in his hand again. 5 “This is so they may believe that Yahweh, the God of their ancestors, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has appeared to you.” 6 Yahweh also said to him, “Now put your hand inside your robe.” So Moses put his hand inside his robe. When he brought it out, behold, his hand was leprous, as white as snow. 7 Yahweh said, “Put your hand inside your robe again.” So Moses put his hand inside his robe, and when he brought it out, he saw that it was made healthy again, like the rest of his flesh. 8 Yahweh said, “If they do not believe you—if they do not pay attention to the first sign of my power or believe in it, then they will believe the second sign. 9 If they do not believe even these two signs of my power, or listen to you, then take some water from the river and pour it on the dry land. The water that you take will become blood on the dry land.”

10 Then Moses said to Yahweh, “Lord, I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor since you spoke to your servant. I am slow of speech and slow of tongue.” 11 Yahweh said to him, “Who is it who made man's mouth? Who makes a man mute or deaf or seeing or blind? Is it not I, Yahweh? 12 So now go, and I will be with your mouth and teach you what to say.” 13 But Moses said, “Lord, please send anyone else, anyone whom you wish to send.” 14 Then Yahweh became angry with Moses. He said, “What about Aaron, your brother, the Levite? I know that he can speak well. Moreover, he is coming to meet you, and when he sees you, he will be glad in his heart. 15 You will speak to him and put the words to say into his mouth. I will be with your mouth and with his mouth, and I will show you both what to do. 16 He will speak to the people for you. He will be your mouth, and you will be to him like me, God. 17 You will take in your hand this staff. With it you will do the signs.” 18 So Moses went back to Jethro his father-in-law and said to him, “Let me go so I may return to my relatives who are in Egypt and see if they are still alive.” Jethro said to Moses, “Go in peace.” 19 Yahweh said to Moses in Midian, “Go, return to Egypt, for all the men who were trying to take your life are dead.” 20 Moses took his wife and his sons and put them on a donkey. He returned to the land of Egypt, and he took the staff of God in his hand. 21 Yahweh said to Moses, “When you go back to Egypt, see that you do before Pharaoh all the wonders that I have put in your power. But I will harden his heart, and he will not let the people go. 22 You must say to Pharaoh, 'This is what Yahweh says: Israel is my son, my firstborn, 23 and I say to you, “Let my son go, so he may worship me.” But since you have refused to let him go, I will certainly kill your son, your firstborn.'” 24 Now on the way, when they stopped for the night, Yahweh met Moses and tried to kill him. 25 Then Zipporah took a flint knife and cut off the foreskin of her son, and touched it to his feet. Then she said, “Surely you are a bridegroom to me by blood.” 26 So Yahweh let him alone. She said, “You are a bridegroom of blood” because of the circumcision.

27 Yahweh said to Aaron, “Go into the wilderness to meet Moses.” Aaron went, met him at the mountain of God, and kissed him. 28 Moses told Aaron all the words of Yahweh that he had sent him to say and about all the signs of Yahweh's power that he had commanded him to do. 29 Then Moses and Aaron went and gathered together all the elders of the Israelites. 30 Aaron spoke all the words that Yahweh had spoken to Moses. He also displayed the signs of Yahweh's power in the sight of the people. 31 The people believed. When they heard that Yahweh had observed the Israelites and that he had seen their oppression, then they bowed their heads and worshiped him.

5

1 After these things happened, Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and said, “This is what Yahweh, the God of Israel, says: 'Let my people go, so they can have a festival for me in the wilderness.'” 2 Pharaoh said, “Who is Yahweh? Why should I listen to his voice and let Israel go? I do not know Yahweh; moreover, I will not let Israel go.” 3 They said, “The God of the Hebrews has met with us. Let us go on a three-day journey into the wilderness and sacrifice to Yahweh our God so that he does not attack us with plague or with the sword.” 4 But the king of Egypt said to them, “Moses and Aaron, why are you taking the people from their work? Go back to your work.” 5 He also said, “There are now many people in our land, and you are making them stop their work.” 6 On that same day, Pharaoh gave a command to the people's taskmasters and foremen. He said, 7 “Unlike before, you must no longer give the people straw to make bricks. Let them go and gather straw for themselves. 8 However, you must still demand from them the same number of bricks as they made before. Do not accept any fewer, because they are lazy. That is why they are calling out and saying, 'Allow us to go and sacrifice to our God.' 9 Increase the workload for the men so that they keep at it and pay no more attention to deceptive words.”

10 So the people's taskmasters and foremen went out and informed the people. They said, “This is what Pharaoh says: 'I will no longer give you any straw. 11 You yourselves must go and get straw wherever you can find it, but your workload will not be reduced.'” 12 So the people scattered throughout all the land of Egypt to gather stubble for straw. 13 The taskmasters kept urging them and saying, “Finish your work, just as when straw was given to you.” 14 Pharaoh's taskmasters beat the Israelite foremen, those same men whom they had put in charge of the workers. The taskmasters kept asking them, “Why have you not produced all the bricks required of you, either yesterday and today, as you used to do in the past?”

15 So the Israelite foremen came to Pharaoh and cried out to him. They said, “Why are you treating your servants this way? 16 No straw is being given to your servants anymore, but they are still telling us, 'Make bricks!' We, your servants, are even beaten now, but it is the fault of your own people.” 17 But Pharaoh said, “You are lazy! You are lazy! You say, 'Allow us to go sacrifice to Yahweh.' 18 So now go back to work. No more straw will be given to you, but you must still make the same number of bricks.” 19 The Israelite foremen saw that they were in trouble when they were told, “You must not reduce the daily number of bricks.” 20 They met Moses and Aaron, who were standing outside the palace, as they went away from Pharaoh. 21 They said to Moses and Aaron, “May Yahweh look at you and punish you, because you have made us offensive in the sight of Pharaoh and his servants. You have put a sword in their hand to kill us.”

22 Moses went back to Yahweh and said, “Lord, why have you caused trouble for this people? Why did you send me in the first place? 23 Ever since I came to Pharaoh to speak to him in your name, he has caused trouble for this people, and you have not set your people free at all.”

6

1 Then Yahweh said to Moses, “Now you will see what I will do to Pharaoh. You will see this, for he will let them go because of my strong hand. Because of my strong hand, he will drive them out of his land.”

2 God spoke to Moses and said to him, “I am Yahweh. 3 I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob as God Almighty; but by my name, Yahweh, I was not known to them. 4 I also established my covenant with them, in order to give them the land of Canaan, the land where they lived as non-citizens, the land in which they wandered about. 5 Moreover, I have heard the groaning of the Israelites whom the Egyptians have enslaved, and I have called to mind my covenant. 6 Therefore, say to the Israelites, 'I am Yahweh. I will bring you out from slavery under the Egyptians, and I will free you from their power. I will rescue you with a display of my power, and with mighty acts of judgment. 7 I will take you to myself as my people, and I will be your God. You will know that I am Yahweh your God, who brought you out from slavery under the Egyptians. 8 I will bring you into the land that I swore to give to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob. I will give it to you as a possession. I am Yahweh.'” 9 When Moses told this to the Israelites, they would not listen to him because of their discouragement about their harsh slavery.

10 Then Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, 11 “Go tell Pharaoh, king of Egypt, to let the people of Israel go from his land.” 12 Moses said to Yahweh, “If the Israelites have not listened to me, why will Pharaoh listen to me, since I am not good at speaking?” 13 Yahweh spoke to Moses and to Aaron. He gave them a command for the Israelites and for Pharaoh, king of Egypt, to bring the Israelites out of the land of Egypt.

14 These were the heads of their fathers' houses: The sons of Reuben, the firstborn of Israel, were Hanok, Pallu, Hezron, and Karmi. These were the clan ancestors of Reuben. 15 The sons of Simeon were Jemuel, Jamin, Ohad, Jakin, Zohar, and Shaul—the son of a Canaanite woman. These were the clan ancestors of Simeon. 16 Here are listed the names of the sons of Levi, together with their descendants. They were Gershon, Kohath, and Merari. Levi lived until he was 137 years old. 17 The sons of Gershon were Libni and Shimei. 18 The sons of Kohath were Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel. Kohath lived until he was 133 years old. 19 The sons of Merari were Mahli and Mushi. These became the clan ancestors of the Levites, together with their descendants. 20 Amram married Jochebed, his father's sister. She bore him Aaron and Moses. Amram lived 137 years and then died. 21 The sons of Izhar were Korah, Nepheg, and Zichri. 22 The sons of Uzziel were Mishael, Elzaphan, and Sithri. 23 Aaron married Elisheba, daughter of Amminadab, sister of Nahshon. She bore him Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar. 24 The sons of Korah were Assir, Elkanah, and Abiasaph. These were the clan ancestors of the Korahites. 25 Eleazar, Aaron's son, married one of the daughters of Putiel. She bore him Phinehas. These were the heads of the fathers' houses among the Levites, together with their descendants. 26 These two men were the Aaron and Moses to whom Yahweh said, “Bring out the Israelites from the land of Egypt, by their groups of fighting men.” 27 Aaron and Moses spoke to Pharaoh, king of Egypt, to allow them bring out the Israelites from Egypt. These were the same Moses and Aaron.

28 When Yahweh spoke to Moses in the land of Egypt, 29 he said to him, “I am Yahweh. Say to Pharaoh, king of Egypt, everything that I will tell you.” 30 But Moses said to Yahweh, “I am not good at speaking, so why will Pharaoh listen to me?”

7

1 Yahweh said to Moses, “See, I have made you like a god to Pharaoh. Aaron your brother will be your prophet. 2 You will say everything that I command you to say. Aaron your brother will speak to Pharaoh so that he will let the people of Israel go from his land. 3 But I will harden Pharaoh's heart, and I will display many signs of my power, many wonders, in the land of Egypt. 4 But Pharaoh will not listen to you, so I will put my hand on Egypt and bring out my groups of fighting men, my people, the descendants of Israel, out of the land of Egypt by great acts of punishment. 5 The Egyptians will know that I am Yahweh when I reach out with my hand on Egypt and bring out the Israelites from among them.” 6 Moses and Aaron did so; they did just as Yahweh commanded them. 7 Moses was eighty years old, and Aaron eighty-three years old when they spoke to Pharaoh.

8 Yahweh said to Moses and to Aaron, 9 “When Pharaoh says to you, 'Do a miracle,' then you will say to Aaron, 'Take your staff and throw it down before Pharaoh, so that it may become a snake.'” 10 Then Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh, and they did just as Yahweh had commanded. Aaron threw down his staff before Pharaoh and his servants, and it became a snake. 11 Then Pharaoh also called for his wise men and sorcerers. They did the same thing by their magic. 12 Each man threw down his staff, and the staffs became snakes. But Aaron's staff swallowed up their snakes. 13 Pharaoh's heart was hardened, and he did not listen, just as Yahweh had foretold.

14 Yahweh said to Moses, “Pharaoh's heart is hard, and he refuses to let the people go. 15 Go to Pharaoh in the morning when he goes out to the water. Stand on the riverbank to meet him, and take in your hand the staff that had turned into a snake. 16 Say to him, 'Yahweh, the God of the Hebrews, has sent me to you to say, “Let my people go, so that they may worship me in the wilderness. Until now you have not listened.” 17 Yahweh says this: “By this you will know that I am Yahweh. I am going to strike the water of the Nile River with the staff that is in my hand, and the river will be turned to blood. 18 The fish that are in the river will die, and the river will stink. The Egyptians will not be able to drink water from the river.”'” 19 Then Yahweh said to Moses, “Say to Aaron, 'Take your staff and reach out with your hand over the waters of Egypt, and over their rivers, streams, pools, and all their ponds, so that their water may become blood. Do this so that there will be blood throughout all the land of Egypt, even in containers of wood and stone.'”

20 Moses and Aaron did as Yahweh commanded. Aaron raised the staff and struck the water in the river, in the sight of Pharaoh and his servants. All the water in the river turned to blood. 21 The fish in the river died, and the river began to stink. The Egyptians could not drink water from the river, and the blood was everywhere in the land of Egypt. 22 But the magicians of Egypt did the same thing with their magic. So Pharaoh's heart was hardened, and he refused to listen to Moses and Aaron, just as Yahweh had said would happen. 23 Then Pharaoh turned and went into his house. He did not even pay attention to this. 24 All the Egyptians dug around the river for water to drink, but they could not drink the water of the river itself. 25 Seven days passed after Yahweh had attacked the river.

8

1 Then Yahweh spoke to Moses, “Go to Pharaoh and tell him, 'Yahweh says this: “Let my people go so that they may worship me. 2 If you refuse to let them go, I will afflict all your country with frogs. 3 The river will swarm with frogs. They will come up and go into your house, your bedroom, and your bed. They will go into your servants' houses. They will go onto your people, into your ovens, and into your kneading bowls. 4 The frogs will attack you, your people, and all your servants.”'” 5 Yahweh said to Moses, “Say to Aaron, 'Reach out with your hand and your staff over the rivers, the streams, and the pools, and bring the frogs up over the land of Egypt.'” 6 Aaron reached out with his hand over Egypt's waters, and the frogs came up and covered the land of Egypt. 7 But the magicians did the same with their magic; they brought up frogs over the land of Egypt.

8 Then Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron and said, “Pray to Yahweh for him to take away the frogs from me and my people. Then I will let the people go, that they may sacrifice to him.” 9 Moses said to Pharaoh, “You can have the privilege of telling me when I should pray for you, your servants, and your people, so that the frogs may be removed from you and your houses and stay only in the river.” 10 Pharaoh said, “Tomorrow.” Moses said, “Let it be as you say, so that you may know that there is no one like Yahweh, our God. 11 The frogs will go from you, your houses, your servants, and your people. They will stay only in the river.” 12 Moses and Aaron went out from Pharaoh. Then Moses cried out to Yahweh concerning the frogs that he had brought on Pharaoh. 13 Yahweh did as Moses asked: The frogs died in the houses, courts, and fields. 14 The people gathered them together in heaps, and the land stank. 15 But when Pharaoh saw that there was relief, he hardened his heart and did not listen to Moses and Aaron, just as Yahweh had said that he would do.

16 Yahweh said to Moses, “Say to Aaron, 'Reach out with your staff and strike the dust on the ground, that it may become gnats throughout all the land of Egypt.'” 17 They did so: Aaron reached out with his hand and his staff. He struck the dust on the ground. Gnats came onto man and beast. All the dust on the ground became gnats throughout the whole land of Egypt. 18 The magicians tried with their magic to produce gnats, but they could not. There were gnats on man and beast. 19 Then the magicians said to Pharaoh, “This is the finger of God.” But Pharaoh's heart was hardened, so he refused to listen to them. It was just as Yahweh had said Pharaoh would do.

20 Yahweh said to Moses, “Get up early in the morning and stand in front of Pharaoh as he goes out to the river. Say to him, 'Yahweh says this: “Let my people go so that they may worship me. 21 But if you do not let my people go, I will send swarms of flies on you, your servants, and your people, and into your houses. The Egyptians' houses will be full of swarms of flies, and even the ground on which they stand will be full of flies. 22 But on that day I will treat the land of Goshen differently, the land in which my people are living, so that no swarms of flies will be there. This will happen so that you may know that I am Yahweh in the midst of this land. 23 I will make a distinction between my people and your people. This sign of my power will take place tomorrow.”'” 24 Yahweh did so, and thick swarms of flies came into Pharaoh's house and into his servants' houses. Throughout the whole land of Egypt, the land was ruined because of the swarms of flies.

25 Pharaoh called for Moses and for Aaron and said, “Go, sacrifice to your God in our own land.” 26 Moses said, “It is not right for us to do so, for the sacrifices we make to Yahweh our God are something disgusting to the Egyptians. If we make sacrifices right before their eyes that are disgusting to the Egyptians, will they not stone us? 27 No, it is a three days' journey into the wilderness that we must make, in order to sacrifice to Yahweh our God, as he commands us.” 28 Pharaoh said, “I will allow you to go and sacrifice to Yahweh your God in the wilderness. Only you must not go very far away. Pray for me.” 29 Moses said, “As soon as I go out from you, I will pray to Yahweh that the swarms of flies may leave you, Pharaoh, and your servants and people tomorrow. But you must not deal deceitfully any more by not letting our people go to sacrifice to Yahweh.” 30 Moses went out from Pharaoh and prayed to Yahweh. 31 Yahweh did as Moses asked; and he removed the swarms of flies from Pharaoh, his servants, and his people. Not one remained. 32 But Pharaoh hardened his heart this time also, and he did not let the people go.

9

1 Then Yahweh said to Moses, “Go to Pharaoh and tell him, 'Yahweh, the God of the Hebrews, says this: “Let my people go so that they may worship me.” 2 But if you refuse to let them go, if you still keep them back, 3 then Yahweh's hand will be on your cattle in the fields and on the horses, donkeys, camels, herds, and flocks, and it will cause a terrible disease. 4 Yahweh will treat Israel's cattle and Egypt's cattle differently and no animal that belongs to the Israelites will die. 5 Yahweh has fixed a time; he has said, “It is tomorrow that I will do this thing in the land.”'” 6 Yahweh did this the next day: All the cattle of Egypt died, but none of the Israelites' animals died, not one animal. 7 Pharaoh investigated, and, behold, not even one animal of the Israelites died. But his heart was stubborn, so he did not let the people go.

8 Then Yahweh said to Moses and to Aaron, “Take some handfuls of ashes from a kiln. You, Moses, must throw the ashes up into the air while Pharaoh is watching. 9 They will become fine dust over all the land of Egypt. They will cause blisters and sores to break out on people and animals throughout all the land of Egypt.” 10 So Moses and Aaron took ashes from a kiln and stood in front of Pharaoh. Then Moses threw the ashes up into the air. The ashes caused blisters and sores to break out on people and animals. 11 The magicians could not resist Moses because of the blisters, because the blisters were on them and on all the other Egyptians. 12 Yahweh hardened Pharaoh's heart, so Pharaoh did not listen to Moses and Aaron. This was just as Yahweh had said to Moses that Pharaoh would do. 13 Then Yahweh said to Moses, “Get up early in the morning, stand in front of Pharaoh, and say to him, 'Yahweh, the God of the Hebrews, says this: “Let my people go so that they may worship me. 14 For this time I will send all my plagues on you yourself, on your servants and your people. I will do this so that you may know that there is no one like me in all the earth. 15 By now I could have reached out with my hand and attacked you and your people with disease, and you would have been eradicated from the land. 16 But it was for this reason I allowed you to survive: In order to show you my power, so that my name may be proclaimed throughout all the earth. 17 You are still lifting yourself up against my people by not letting them go. 18 Listen! Tomorrow about this time I will bring a very strong hail storm, such as has not been seen in Egypt since the day it was begun until now. 19 Now then, send men and gather your cattle and everything you have in the fields to a safe place. Every man and animal that is in the field and is not brought home—the hail will come down on them, and they will die.”'” 20 Then those of Pharaoh's servants who believed in Yahweh's message hurried to bring their slaves and cattle into the houses. 21 But those who did not take Yahweh's message seriously left their slaves and cattle in the fields.

22 Then Yahweh said to Moses, “Reach out with your hand toward the sky so that there will be hail in all the land of Egypt, on people, on animals, and on all the plants in the fields throughout the land of Egypt.” 23 Moses reached out with his staff toward the sky, and Yahweh sent thunder, hail, and lightning to the ground. He also rained hail on the land of Egypt. 24 So there were hail and lightning mixed with hail, very severe, such as had not been in all the land of Egypt since it became a nation. 25 Throughout all the land of Egypt, the hail struck everything in the fields, both people and animals. It struck every plant in the fields and broke every tree. 26 Only in the land of Goshen, where the Israelites lived, was there no hail.

27 Then Pharaoh sent men to summon Moses and Aaron. He said to them, “I have sinned this time. Yahweh is righteous, and I and my people are wicked. 28 Pray to Yahweh, because the mighty thunderbolts and hail are too much. I will let you go, and you will stay here no longer.” 29 Moses said to him, “As soon as I leave the city, I will spread my hands out to Yahweh. The thunder will stop, and there will not be any more hail. In this way you will know that the earth belongs to Yahweh. 30 But as for you and your servants, I know that you do not yet really honor Yahweh God.” 31 Now the flax and the barley were ruined, for the barley was maturing in the ear, and the flax was in bloom. 32 But the wheat and the spelt were not harmed because they were later crops. 33 When Moses had left Pharaoh and the city, he spread out his hands to Yahweh; the thunder and hail stopped, and the rain came down no more. 34 When Pharaoh saw that the rain, hail, and thunder had ceased, he sinned again and hardened his heart, together with his servants. 35 Pharaoh's heart was hardened, so he did not let the people of Israel go. This was the way that Yahweh had said to Moses that Pharaoh would act.

10

1 Yahweh said to Moses, “Go to Pharaoh, for I have hardened his heart and the hearts of his servants. I have done this to show these signs of my power among them. 2 I have also done this so that you may tell your children and grandchildren the things I have done, how I have harshly treated Egypt, and how I have given various signs of my power among them. In this way you will know that I am Yahweh.” 3 So Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and said to him, “Yahweh, the God of the Hebrews, says this: 'How long will you refuse to humble yourself before me? Let my people go so that they may worship me. 4 But if you refuse to let my people go, listen, tomorrow I will bring locusts into your land. 5 They will cover the surface of the ground so that no one will be able to see the earth. They will eat the remains of whatever escaped from the hail. They will also eat every tree that grows for you in the fields. 6 They will fill your houses, those of all your servants, and those of all the Egyptians—something neither your father nor your grandfather ever saw, nothing ever seen since the day that they were on the earth to this present day.'” Then Moses left and went out from Pharaoh. 7 Pharaoh's servants said to him, “How long will this man be a menace to us? Let the Israelites go so that they may worship Yahweh their God. Do you not yet realize that Egypt is destroyed?” 8 Moses and Aaron were brought again to Pharaoh, who said to them, “Go worship Yahweh your God. But what people will go?” 9 Moses said, “We will go with our young and with our old, with our sons and our daughters. We will go with our flocks and herds, for we must hold a festival for Yahweh.” 10 Pharaoh said to them, “May Yahweh indeed be with you, if I ever let you go and your little ones go. Look, you have some evil in mind. 11 No! Go, just the men among you, and worship Yahweh, for that is what you want.” Then Moses and Aaron were driven out from Pharaoh's presence. 12 Then Yahweh said to Moses, “Reach out with your hand over the land of Egypt to the locusts, that they may attack the land of Egypt and eat every plant in it, everything that the hail has left.” 13 Moses reached out with his staff over the land of Egypt, and Yahweh brought an east wind over the land all that day and night. When it was morning, the east wind had brought the locusts. 14 The locusts went through all the land of Egypt and infested all parts of it. Never before had there been such a swarm of locusts in the land, and nothing like this will come after it. 15 They covered the surface of the whole land so that it was darkened. They ate every plant in the land and all the fruit of the trees that the hail had left. Throughout all the land of Egypt, no living green plant remained, nor any tree or plant in the fields. 16 Then Pharaoh quickly summoned Moses and Aaron and said, “I have sinned against Yahweh your God and against you. 17 Now then, forgive my sin this time, and pray to Yahweh your God that he will take this death away from me.” 18 So Moses went out from Pharaoh and prayed to Yahweh. 19 Yahweh brought a very strong west wind that picked up the locusts and drove them into the Sea of Reeds; not a single locust remained in all the territory of Egypt. 20 But Yahweh hardened Pharaoh's heart, and Pharaoh did not let the Israelites go.

21 Then Yahweh said to Moses, “Reach out with your hand toward the sky, so that there may be darkness over the land of Egypt, darkness that may be felt.” 22 Moses reached out with his hand toward the sky, and there was a thick darkness in all the land of Egypt for three days. 23 No one could see anyone else; no one left his home for three days. However, all the Israelites had light in the place where they lived. 24 Pharaoh summoned Moses and said, “Go worship Yahweh. Even your families may go with you, but your flocks and herds must remain behind.” 25 But Moses said, “You must also give us animals for sacrifices and burnt offerings so that we may sacrifice them to Yahweh our God. 26 Our cattle must also go with us; not a hoof of them may be left behind, for we must take them to worship Yahweh our God. For we do not know with what we must worship Yahweh until we arrive there.” 27 But Yahweh hardened Pharaoh's heart, and he would not let them go. 28 Pharaoh said to Moses, “Go from me! Be careful about one thing, that you do not see me again, for on the day you see my face, you will die.” 29 Moses said, “You yourself have spoken. I will not see your face again.”

11

1 Then Yahweh said to Moses, “There is still one more plague that I will bring on Pharaoh and Egypt. After that, he will let you go from here. When he finally lets you go, he will drive you away completely. 2 Instruct the people that every man and woman is to ask of his or her neighbor for articles of silver and articles of gold.” 3 Now Yahweh had made the Egyptians eager to please the Israelites. Moreover, the man Moses was very impressive in the sight of Pharaoh's servants and the people of Egypt.

4 Moses said, “Yahweh says this: 'About midnight I will go throughout Egypt. 5 All the firstborn in the land of Egypt will die, from the firstborn of Pharaoh, who sits on his throne, to the firstborn of the slave girl who is behind the handmill grinding it, and to all the firstborn of the cattle. 6 Then there will be a great wailing throughout all the land of Egypt, such as has never been nor ever will be again. 7 But not even a dog will bark against any of the people of Israel, against either man or beast. In this way you will know that I am treating the Egyptians and the Israelites differently.' 8 All these servants of yours, Pharaoh, will come down to me and bow down to me. They will say, 'Go, you and all the people who follow you!' After that I will go out.” Then he went out from Pharaoh in great anger.

9 Yahweh said to Moses, “Pharaoh will not listen to you. This is so that I will do many amazing things in the land of Egypt.” 10 Moses and Aaron did all these wonders before Pharaoh. But Yahweh hardened Pharaoh's heart, and Pharaoh did not let the people of Israel go out of his land.

12

1 Yahweh spoke to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt. He said, 2 “For you, this month will be the start of months, the first month of the year to you. 3 Tell the assembly of Israel, 'On the tenth day of this month they must each take a lamb or young goat for themselves, each family doing this, a lamb for each household. 4 If the household is too small for a lamb, the man and his next door neighbor are to take lamb or young goat meat that will be enough for the number of the people. It should be enough for everyone to eat, so they must take enough meat to feed them all. 5 Your lamb or young goat must be without blemish, a one-year-old male. You may take one of the sheep or goats. 6 You must keep it until the fourteenth day of that month. Then the whole assembly of Israel must kill these animals at twilight. 7 You must take some of the blood and put it on the two side doorposts and on the tops of the doorframes of the houses in which you will eat the meat. 8 You must eat the meat that night, after first roasting it over a fire. Eat it with bread made without yeast, along with bitter herbs. 9 Do not eat it raw or boiled in water. Instead, roast it over fire with its head, legs and inner parts. 10 You must not let any of it be left over until morning. You must burn whatever is left over in the morning. 11 This is how you must eat it: with your belt fastened, your shoes on your feet, and your staff in your hand. You must eat it hurriedly. It is Yahweh's Passover. 12 Yahweh says this: I will go through the land of Egypt in that night and attack all the firstborn of man and animal in the land of Egypt. I will bring punishment on all the gods of Egypt. I am Yahweh. 13 The blood will be a sign on your houses for my coming to you. When I see the blood, I will pass over you when I attack the land of Egypt. This plague will not come on you and destroy you. 14 This day will become a memorial day for you, which you must observe as a festival for Yahweh. It will always be a law for you, throughout your people's generations, that you must observe this day.

15 You will eat bread without yeast during seven days. On the first day you will remove the yeast from your houses. Whoever eats leavened bread from the first day until the seventh day, that person must be cut off from Israel. 16 On the first day there will be an assembly that is set apart to me, and on the seventh day there will be another such gathering. No work will be done on these days, except the cooking for everyone to eat. That must be the only work that may be done by you. 17 You must observe this Festival of Unleavened Bread because it is on this day that I will have brought your people, armed group by armed group, out of the land of Egypt. So you must observe this day throughout your people's generations. This will always be a law for you. 18 You must eat unleavened bread from twilight of the fourteenth day in the first month of the year, until twilight of the twenty-first day of the month. 19 During these seven days, no yeast must be found in your houses. Whoever eats bread made with yeast must be cut off from the community of Israel, whether that person is a foreigner or someone born in your land. 20 You must eat nothing made with yeast. Wherever you live, you must eat bread made without yeast.'”

21 Then Moses summoned all the elders of Israel and said to them, “Go and select lambs or kids that will be enough to feed your families and kill the Passover lamb. 22 Then take a bunch of hyssop and dip it in the blood that will be in a basin. Apply the blood in the basin to the top of the doorframe and the two doorposts. None of you is to go out of the door of his house until the morning. 23 For Yahweh will pass through to attack the Egyptians. When he sees the blood on the top of the doorframe and on the two doorposts, he will pass over your door and not permit the destroyer to come into your houses to attack you. 24 You must observe this event. This will always be a law for you and your descendants. 25 When you enter the land that Yahweh will give you, just as he has promised to do, you must observe this act of worship. 26 When your children ask you, 'What does this act of worship mean?' 27 then you must say, 'It is the sacrifice of Yahweh's Passover, because Yahweh passed over the Israelites' houses in Egypt when he attacked the Egyptians. He set our households free.'” Then the people bowed down and worshiped Yahweh. 28 The Israelites went and did exactly as Yahweh had commanded Moses and Aaron.

29 It happened at midnight that Yahweh attacked all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh, who sat on his throne, to the firstborn of the person in prison and all the firstborn of cattle. 30 Pharaoh got up in the night—he, all his servants, and all the Egyptians. There was loud lamenting in Egypt, for there was not a house where there was not someone dead. 31 Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron in the night and said, “Get up, get out from among my people, you and the Israelites. Go, worship Yahweh, as you have said you wanted to do. 32 Take your flocks and your herds, as you have said, and go, and also bless me.” 33 The Egyptians were in a great hurry to send them out of the land, for they said, “We will all die.” 34 So the people took their dough without adding any yeast. Their kneading bowls were already tied up in their clothes and on their shoulders. 35 Now the people of Israel did as Moses told them. They asked the Egyptians for articles of silver, articles of gold, and clothing. 36 Yahweh made the Egyptians eager to please the Israelites. So the Egyptians gave them whatever they asked for. In this way, the Israelites plundered the Egyptians.

37 The Israelites journeyed from Rameses to Succoth. They numbered about 600,000 men on foot, in addition to the women and children. 38 A mixed multitude also went with them, together with flocks and herds, a very large number of livestock. 39 They baked bread without yeast in the dough that they brought from Egypt. It was without yeast because they had been driven out of Egypt and could not delay to prepare food. 40 The Israelites had lived in Egypt for 430 years. 41 At the end of 430 years, on that very day, all of Yahweh's armed groups went out from the land of Egypt. 42 This was a night to stay awake, for Yahweh to bring them out from the land of Egypt. This was Yahweh's night to be observed by all the Israelites throughout their people's generations.

43 Yahweh said to Moses and Aaron, “Here is the rule for the Passover: No foreigner may share in eating it. 44 However, every Israelite's slave, bought with money, may eat it after you have circumcised him. 45 Foreigners and hired servants must not eat any of the food. 46 The food must be eaten in one house. You must not carry any of the meat out of the house, and you must not break any bone of it. 47 All the community of Israel must observe the festival. 48 If a foreigner lives with you and wants to observe the Passover to Yahweh, all his male relatives must be circumcised. Then he may come and observe it. He will become like the people who were born in the land. However, no uncircumcised person may eat any of the food. 49 This same law will apply to both the native born and to the foreigner who lives among you.” 50 So all the Israelites did exactly as Yahweh had commanded Moses and Aaron. 51 It came about that very day that Yahweh brought Israel out of the land of Egypt by their armed groups.

13

1 Then Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Set apart to me all the firstborn, every firstborn male among the Israelites, both of people and animals. The firstborn belongs to me.”

3 Moses said to the people, “Call this day to mind, the day on which you came out from Egypt, out of the house of slavery, for by Yahweh's strong hand he brought you out from this place. No bread with yeast may be eaten. 4 You are going out of Egypt on this day, in the month of Aviv. 5 When Yahweh brings you into the land of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Hivites, and the Jebusites, the land that he swore to your ancestors to give you, a land flowing with milk and honey—then you must observe this act of worship in this month. 6 For seven days you must eat bread without yeast; on the seventh day there will be a feast to honor Yahweh. 7 Bread without yeast must be eaten throughout the seven days; no bread with yeast may be seen among you. No yeast may be seen with you within any of your borders. 8 On that day you are to say to your children, 'This is because of what Yahweh did for me when I came out of Egypt.' 9 This will be a reminder for you on your hand, and a reminder on your forehead. This is so the law of Yahweh may be in your mouth, for with a strong hand Yahweh brought you out of Egypt. 10 Therefore you must keep this law at its appointed time from year to year.

11 When Yahweh brings you into the land of the Canaanites, as he swore to you and to your ancestors to do, and when he gives the land to you, 12 you must set apart to Yahweh the first offspring of every womb. All the firstborn offspring of your animals that are males, will belong to Yahweh. 13 Every firstborn of a donkey you must buy back with a lamb. If you do not buy it back, then you must break its neck. But each of your firstborn males among all your sons—you must buy them back. 14 When your son asks you later, 'What does this mean?' then you are to tell him, 'It was by a strong hand that Yahweh brought us out from Egypt, from the house of slavery. 15 When Pharaoh stubbornly refused to let us go, Yahweh killed all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both the firstborn of people and the firstborn of animals. That is why I sacrifice to Yahweh the firstborn male of every animal, and why I buy back the firstborn of my sons.' 16 This will become a reminder on your hands, and a reminder on your forehead, for it was by a strong hand Yahweh brought us out of Egypt.”

17 When Pharaoh let the people go, God did not lead them by way of the land of the Philistines, although that land was nearby. For God said, “Perhaps the people will change their minds when they experience war and will then return to Egypt.” 18 So God led the people around through the wilderness to the Sea of Reeds. The Israelites went up out of the land of Egypt armed for battle. 19 Moses took the bones of Joseph with him, for Joseph had made the Israelites solemnly swear and said, “God will surely rescue you, and you must carry away my bones with you.” 20 The Israelites journeyed from Succoth and camped at Etham on the edge of the wilderness. 21 Yahweh went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead them on the way. By night he went in a pillar of fire to give them light. In this way they could travel by day and by night. 22 Yahweh did not take away from before the people the daytime pillar of cloud or the nighttime pillar of fire.

14

1 Then Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Say to the Israelites that they should turn and camp before Pi Hahiroth, between Migdol and the sea, before Baal Zephon. You are to camp by the sea opposite Pi Hahiroth. 3 Pharaoh will say about the Israelites, 'They are wandering in the land. The wilderness has closed in on them.' 4 I will harden Pharaoh's heart, and he will pursue them. I will get honor because of Pharaoh and all his army. The Egyptians will know that I am Yahweh.” So the Israelites camped as they were instructed. 5 When the king of Egypt was told that the Israelites had fled, the minds of Pharaoh and his servants turned against the people. They said, “What have we done? We have released Israel from serving us.” 6 Then Pharaoh got his chariots ready and took his army with him. 7 He took six hundred chosen chariots and all the other chariots of Egypt, with officers on all of them. 8 Yahweh hardened the heart of Pharaoh, king of Egypt, and the king pursued the Israelites. Now the Israelites had gone away in triumph. 9 But the Egyptians pursued them, together with all his horses and chariots, his horsemen, and his army. They overtook the Israelites camping by the sea beside Pi Hahiroth, before Baal Zephon.

10 When Pharaoh came close, the Israelites looked up and were surprised. The Egyptians were marching after them, and they were terrified. The Israelites cried out to Yahweh. 11 They said to Moses, “Is it because there were no graves in Egypt, that you have taken us away to die in the wilderness? Why have you treated us like this, bringing us out of Egypt? 12 Is this not what we told you in Egypt? We said to you, 'Leave us alone, so we can work for the Egyptians.' It would have been better for us to work for them than to die in the wilderness.” 13 Moses said to the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand still and see the rescue that Yahweh will provide for you today. For you will never see again the Egyptians whom you see today. 14 Yahweh will fight for you, and you will only have to stand still.” 15 Then Yahweh said to Moses, “Why are you, Moses, continuing to call out to me? Tell the Israelites to go forward. 16 Lift up your staff, reach out with your hand over the sea and divide it in two, so that the people of Israel may go through the sea on dry ground. 17 Be aware that I will harden the Egyptians' hearts so they will go after them. I will get honor because of Pharaoh and all his army, his chariots, and his horsemen. 18 Then the Egyptians will know that I am Yahweh when I have gotten honor because of Pharaoh, his chariots, and his horsemen.” 19 The angel of God, who went before the Israelites, moved and went behind them. The pillar of cloud moved from before them and went to stand behind them. 20 The cloud came between the camp of Egypt and the camp of Israel. It was a dark cloud to the Egyptians, but it lit the night for the Israelites, so one side did not come near the other all night.

21 Moses reached out with his hand over the sea. Yahweh drove the sea back by a strong east wind all that night and made the sea into dry land. In this way the waters were divided. 22 The Israelites went into the middle of the sea on dry ground. The waters formed a wall for them on their right hand and on their left. 23 The Egyptians pursued them. They went after them into the middle of the sea—all Pharaoh's horses, chariots, and horsemen. 24 But in the early morning hours, Yahweh looked down on the Egyptian army through the pillar of fire and cloud. He caused panic among the Egyptians. 25 Their chariot wheels were clogged, and the horsemen drove with difficulty. So the Egyptians said, “Let us flee from Israel, for Yahweh is fighting for them against us.”

26 Yahweh said to Moses, “Reach out with your hand over the sea so that the waters may come back onto the Egyptians, their chariots, and their horsemen.” 27 So Moses reached out with his hand over the sea, and it returned to its normal course when the morning appeared. The Egyptians fled into the sea, and Yahweh drove the Egyptians into the middle of it. 28 The waters came back and covered Pharaoh's chariots, horsemen, and his entire army that had followed the chariots into the sea. No one survived. 29 However, the Israelites walked on dry land in the middle of the sea. The waters were a wall for them on their right hand and on their left. 30 So Yahweh saved Israel that day out of the hand of the Egyptians, and Israel saw dead Egyptians on the seashore. 31 When Israel saw the great power that Yahweh used against the Egyptians, the people honored Yahweh, and they trusted in Yahweh and in his servant Moses.

15

1 Then Moses and the people of Israel sang this song to Yahweh. They sang,

“I will sing to Yahweh, for he has triumphed gloriously;

the horse and its rider he has thrown into the sea.

2 Yahweh is my strength and song,

and he has become my salvation.

This is my God, and I will praise him,

my father's God, and I will exalt him.

3 Yahweh is a warrior;

Yahweh is his name.

4 He has thrown Pharaoh's chariots and army into the sea.

Pharaoh's chosen officers were drowned in the Sea of Reeds.

5 The depths covered them;

they went down into the depths like a stone.

6 Your right hand, Yahweh, is glorious in power;

your right hand, Yahweh, has shattered the enemy.

7 In great majesty you overthrew those who rose up against you.

You sent out your wrath; it consumed them like stubble.

8 By the blast of your nostrils the waters were piled up;

the flowing waters stood upright in a heap;

the deep water was congealed in the heart of the sea.

9 The enemy said, 'I will pursue, I will overtake, I will share out the plunder;

my desire will be satisfied on them;

I will draw my sword; my hand will destroy them.'

10 But you blew with your wind, and the sea covered them;

they sank like lead in the mighty waters.

11 Who is like you, Yahweh, among the gods?

Who is like you, majestic in holiness,

honored in praises, doing miracles?

12 You reached out with your right hand,

and the earth swallowed them.

13 In your covenant loyalty you have led the people you have rescued.

In your strength you have led them to the holy place where you live.

14 The peoples will hear, and they will tremble;

terror will seize the inhabitants of Philistia.

15 Then the chiefs of Edom will fear;

the soldiers of Moab will shake;

all the inhabitants of Canaan will melt away.

16 Terror and dread will fall on them.

Because of your arm's power, they will become as still as a stone

until your people pass by, Yahweh—

until the people you have rescued pass by.

17 You will bring them and plant them on the mountain of your inheritance,

the place, Yahweh, that you have made to live in,

the sanctuary, our Lord, that your hands have built.

18 Yahweh will reign forever and ever.”

19 For Pharaoh's horses went with his chariots and horsemen into the sea. Yahweh brought back the waters of the sea on them. But the Israelites walked on dry land in the middle of the sea. 20 Miriam the prophetess, sister of Aaron, picked up a tambourine, and all the women went out with tambourines, dancing along with her. 21 Miriam sang to them:

“Sing to Yahweh, for he has triumphed gloriously.

The horse and his rider he has thrown into the sea.”

22 Then Moses led Israel onward from the Sea of Reeds. They went out into the wilderness of Shur. They traveled for three days into the wilderness and found no water. 23 Then they came to Marah, but they could not drink the water there because it was bitter. So they called that place Marah. 24 So the people complained to Moses and said, “What can we drink?” 25 Moses cried out to Yahweh, and Yahweh showed him a tree. Moses threw it into the water, and the water became sweet to drink. It was there that Yahweh gave them a strict law, and it was there that he tested them. 26 He said, “If you carefully listen to the voice of Yahweh your God, and do what is right in his eyes, and if you give ear to his commands and obey all his laws—I will put on you none of the diseases that I put on the Egyptians, for I am Yahweh who heals you.” 27 Then the people came to Elim, where there were twelve springs of water and seventy palm trees. They camped there by the water.

16

1 The people journeyed on from Elim, and all the community of Israelites came to the wilderness of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after their departure from the land of Egypt. 2 The whole community of Israelites complained against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness. 3 The Israelites said to them, “If only we had died by Yahweh's hand in the land of Egypt when we were sitting by the pots of meat and were eating bread to the full. For you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill our whole community with hunger.”

4 Then Yahweh said to Moses, “I will rain down bread from heaven for you. The people will go out and gather a day's portion every day so that I may test them to see whether or not they will walk in my law. 5 It will come about on the sixth day, that they will gather twice as much as what they gathered every day before, and they will cook what they bring in.” 6 Then Moses and Aaron said to all the people of Israel, “In the evening you will know that it is Yahweh who has brought you out from the land of Egypt. 7 In the morning you will see Yahweh's glory, for he hears your complaining against him. Who are we for you to complain against us?” 8 Moses also said, “You will know this when Yahweh gives you meat in the evening and bread in the morning to the full—for he has heard the complaints that you speak against him. Who are Aaron and I? Your complaints are not against us; they are against Yahweh.” 9 Moses said to Aaron, “Say to all the community of the people of Israel, 'Come near before Yahweh, for he has heard your complaints.'” 10 It came about, as Aaron spoke to the whole community of the people of Israel, that they looked toward the wilderness, and, behold, Yahweh's glory appeared in the cloud. 11 Then Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, 12 “I have heard the complaints of the people of Israel. Speak to them and say, 'In the evening you will eat meat, and in the morning you will be filled with bread. Then you will know that I am Yahweh your God.'”

13 It came about in the evening that quails came up and covered the camp. In the morning the dew lay round about the camp. 14 When the dew was gone, there on the surface of the wilderness were thin flakes like frost on the ground. 15 When the people of Israel saw it, they said one to another, “What is it?” They did not know what it was. Moses said to them, “It is the bread that Yahweh has given you to eat. 16 This is the command that Yahweh has given: 'You must gather, each one of you, the amount you need to eat, an omer for each person of the number of your people. This is how you will gather it: Gather enough to eat for every person who lives in your tent.'” 17 The people of Israel did so. Some gathered more, some gathered less. 18 When they measured it with an omer measure, those who had gathered much had nothing left over, and those who had gathered little had no lack. Each person gathered enough to meet their need. 19 Then Moses said to them, “No one must leave any of it until morning.” 20 However, they did not listen to Moses. Some of them left some of it until morning, but it bred worms and became foul. Then Moses became angry with them. 21 They gathered it morning by morning. Each person gathered enough to eat for that day. When the sun became hot, it melted. 22 It came about that on the sixth day they gathered twice as much bread, two omers for each person. All the leaders of the community came and told this to Moses. 23 He said to them, “This is what Yahweh has said: 'Tomorrow is a solemn rest, a holy Sabbath in Yahweh's honor. Bake what you want to bake, and boil what you want to boil. All that remains over, set it aside for yourselves until morning.'” 24 So they set it aside until morning, as Moses had instructed. It did not become foul, nor was there any worm in it. 25 Moses said, “Eat that food today, for today is a day reserved as a Sabbath to honor Yahweh. Today you will not find it in the fields. 26 You will gather it during six days, but the seventh day is the Sabbath. On the Sabbath there will be no manna.” 27 It came about on the seventh day that some of the people went out to gather manna, but they found none. 28 Then Yahweh said to Moses, “How long will you refuse to keep my commandments and my laws? 29 See, Yahweh has given you the Sabbath. So on the sixth day he is giving you bread for two days. Each of you must stay in his own place; no one must go out from his place on the seventh day.” 30 So the people rested on the seventh day.

31 The people of Israel called that food “manna.” It was white like coriander seed, and its taste was like wafers made with honey. 32 Moses said, “This is what Yahweh has commanded: 'Let an omer of manna be kept throughout your people's generations so that your descendants might see the bread with which I fed you in the wilderness, after I brought you out from the land of Egypt.'” 33 Moses said to Aaron, “Take a pot and put an omer of manna into it. Preserve it before Yahweh to be kept throughout the people's generations.” 34 As Yahweh commanded Moses, Aaron stored it beside the covenant decrees in the ark. 35 The people of Israel ate manna forty years until they came to inhabited land. They ate it until they came to the borders of the land of Canaan. 36 Now an omer is a tenth of an ephah.

17

1 The whole community of the Israelites journeyed from the wilderness of Sin, following Yahweh's instructions. They camped at Rephidim, but there was no water for the people to drink. 2 So the people blamed Moses for their situation and said, “Give us water to drink.” Moses said, “Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you test Yahweh?” 3 The people were very thirsty, and they complained against Moses. They said, “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt? To kill us and our children and our cattle with thirst?” 4 Then Moses cried out to Yahweh, “What should I do with this people? They are almost ready to stone me.” 5 Yahweh said to Moses, “Go on ahead of the people, and take with you some elders of Israel. Take with you the staff with which you struck the river, and go. 6 I will stand before you there on the rock at Horeb, and you will strike the rock. Water will come out of it for the people to drink.” Then Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel. 7 He called that place Massah and Meribah because of the Israelites' complaining, and because they had tested the Lord by saying, “Is Yahweh among us or not?”

8 Then an army of the Amalek people came and attacked Israel at Rephidim. 9 So Moses said to Joshua, “Choose some men and go out. Fight with Amalek. Tomorrow I will stand on top of the hill with the staff of God in my hand.” 10 So Joshua fought Amalek as Moses had instructed, while Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill. 11 While Moses was holding his hands up, Israel was winning; when he let his hands rest, Amalek would begin to win. 12 When Moses' hands became heavy, Aaron and Hur took a stone and put it under him for him to sit on. At the same time, Aaron and Hur held his hands up, one person on one side of him, and the other person on the other side. So Moses' hands were held steady until the sun went down. 13 So Joshua defeated the people of Amalek with the sword. 14 Yahweh said to Moses, “Write this in a book and read it in Joshua's hearing, because I will completely blot out the memory of Amalek from under the skies.” 15 Then Moses built an altar and he called it “Yahweh is my banner.” 16 He said, “For a hand was lifted up to the throne of Yahweh—that Yahweh will wage war with Amalek from generation to generation.”

18

1 Jethro, the priest of Midian, Moses' father-in-law, heard of all that God had done for Moses and for Israel his people. He heard that Yahweh had brought Israel out of Egypt. 2 Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, took Zipporah, Moses' wife, after he had sent her home, 3 and her two sons; the name of the one son was Gershom, for Moses had said, “I have been a foreigner in a foreign land.” 4 The name of the other was Eliezer, for Moses had said, “My ancestor's God was my help. He rescued me from Pharaoh's sword.” 5 Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, came with Moses' sons and his wife to Moses in the wilderness where he was camped at the mountain of God. 6 He said to Moses, “I, your father-in-law Jethro, am coming to you with your wife and her two sons.” 7 Moses went out to meet his father-in-law, bowed down, and kissed him. They asked about each other's welfare and then went into the tent. 8 Moses told his father-in-law all that Yahweh had done to Pharaoh and the Egyptians for Israel's sake, about all the hardships that had come to them along the way, and how Yahweh had rescued them. 9 Jethro rejoiced over all the good that Yahweh had done for Israel, in that he had rescued them from the hand of the Egyptians. 10 Jethro said, “May Yahweh be praised, for he has rescued you from the hand of the Egyptians and from the hand of Pharaoh, and delivered the people from the hand of the Egyptians. 11 Now I know that Yahweh is greater than all the gods, because when the Egyptians treated the Israelites arrogantly, God rescued his people.” 12 Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, brought a burnt offering and sacrifices for God. Aaron and all the elders of Israel came to eat a meal before God with Moses' father-in-law.

13 On the next day Moses sat down to judge the people. The people stood around him from morning until evening. 14 When Moses' father-in-law saw all that he did for the people, he said, “What is this that you are doing with the people? Why is it that you sit alone and all the people stand about you from morning until evening?” 15 Moses said to his father-in-law, “The people come to me to ask for God's direction. 16 When they have a dispute, they come to me. I decide between one person and another, and I teach them God's statutes and laws.” 17 Moses' father-in-law said to him, “What you are doing is not very good. 18 You will surely wear yourselves out, you and the people who are with you. This burden is too heavy for you. You are not able to do it by yourself. 19 Listen to me. I will give you advice, and God will be with you, because you are the people's representative to God, and you bring their disputes to him. 20 You must teach them his statutes and laws. You must show them the way to walk and the work to do. 21 Furthermore, you must choose capable men from all the people, men who honor God, men of truth who hate unjust gain. You must put them over people, to be leaders in charge of thousands, hundreds, fifties, and of tens. 22 They will judge the people in all routine cases, but the difficult cases they will bring to you. As for all the small cases, they can judge those themselves. In that way it will be easier for you, and they will carry the burden with you. 23 If you do this, and if God commands you to do so, then you will be able to endure, and the entire people will be able to go home satisfied.” 24 So Moses listened to his father-in-law's words and did everything that he had said. 25 Moses chose capable men from all Israel and made them heads over the people, leaders in charge of thousands, hundreds, fifties, and tens. 26 They judged the people in normal circumstances. The difficult cases they brought to Moses, but they themselves judged all the small cases. 27 Then Moses let his father-in-law leave, and Jethro went back into his own land.

19

1 In the third month after the people of Israel had gone out from the land of Egypt, on the same day, they came to the wilderness of Sinai. 2 After they left Rephidim and came to the wilderness of Sinai, they camped in the wilderness in front of the mountain. 3 Moses went up to God. Yahweh called to him from the mountain and said, “You must tell the house of Jacob, the people of Israel: 4 You have seen what I did to the Egyptians, how I carried you on eagles' wings and brought you to myself. 5 Now then, if you obediently listen to my voice and keep my covenant, then you will be my special possession from among all peoples, for all the earth is mine. 6 You will be a kingdom of priests and a holy nation for me. These are the words that you must speak to the people of Israel.”

7 So Moses came and summoned the elders of the people. He set before them all these words that Yahweh had commanded him. 8 All the people answered together and said, “We will do everything that Yahweh has said.” Then Moses came to report the people's words to Yahweh. 9 Yahweh said to Moses, “I will come to you in a thick cloud so that the people may hear when I speak with you and may also believe you forever.” Then Moses told the people's words to Yahweh. 10 Yahweh said to Moses, “Go to the people. Today and tomorrow you must set them apart to me, and make them wash their garments. 11 Be ready for the third day, for on the third day Yahweh will come down to Mount Sinai. 12 You must set boundaries all around the mountain for the people. Say to them, 'Be careful that you do not go up the mountain or touch its border. Whoever touches the mountain will surely be put to death.' 13 No one's hand must touch such a person. Instead, he must certainly be stoned or shot. Whether it is a person or an animal, he must be put to death. When the trumpet sounds a long blast, they may come up to the foot of the mountain.” 14 Then Moses went down from the mountain to the people. He set apart the people to Yahweh and they washed their garments. 15 He said to the people, “Be ready on the third day; do not go near your wives.”

16 On the third day, when it was morning, there were thunder and lightning bolts and a thick cloud on the mountain, and the sound of a very loud trumpet. All the people in the camp trembled. 17 Moses brought the people out of the camp to meet God, and they stood at the foot of the mountain. 18 Mount Sinai was completely covered with smoke because Yahweh descended on it in fire and smoke. The smoke went up like the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mountain shook violently. 19 When the sound of the trumpet grew louder and louder, Moses spoke, and God answered him in a voice. 20 Yahweh came down on Mount Sinai, to the top of the mountain, and he summoned Moses to the top. So Moses went up. 21 Yahweh said to Moses, “Go down and warn the people not to break through to me to look, or many of them will perish. 22 Let the priests also who come near to me set themselves apart—prepare themselves for my coming—so that I do not attack them.” 23 Moses said to Yahweh, “The people cannot come up to Mount Sinai, for you commanded us: 'Set boundaries around the mountain and set it apart to Yahweh.'” 24 Yahweh said to him, “Go, get down the mountain, and bring up Aaron with you, but do not let the priests and the people break through the barrier to come up to me, or I will attack them.” 25 So Moses went down to the people and spoke to them.

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1 God spoke all these words: 2 “I am Yahweh your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. 3 You must have no other gods before me.

4 You must not make for yourself a carved figure nor the likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water below. 5 You must not bow down to them or worship them, for I, Yahweh your God, am a jealous God. I punish the ancestors' wickedness by bringing punishment on the descendants, to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me. 6 But I show covenant faithfulness to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments.

7 You must not take the name of Yahweh your God, in vain, for I will not hold guiltless anyone who takes my name in vain.

8 Remember the Sabbath day, to set it apart to me. 9 You must labor and do all your work for six days. 10 But the seventh day is a Sabbath for Yahweh your God. On it you must not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, or your male servant, or your female servant, or your cattle, or the foreigner who is within your gates. 11 For in six days Yahweh made the heavens and earth, the sea, and everything that is in them, and rested on the seventh day. Therefore Yahweh blessed the Sabbath day and set it apart.

12 Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live a long time in the land that Yahweh your God is giving you.

13 You must not murder anyone.

14 You must not commit adultery.

15 You must not steal from anyone.

16 You must not give false testimony against your neighbor.

17 You must not covet your neighbor's house; you must not covet your neighbor's wife, his male servant, his female servant, his ox, his donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.”

18 All the people saw the thundering and the lightning, and heard the voice of the trumpet, and saw the mountain smoking. When the people saw it, they trembled and stood far off. 19 They said to Moses, “Speak to us, and we will listen; but do not let God speak to us, or we will die.” 20 Moses said to the people, “Do not be afraid, for God has come to test you so that the honor of him may be in you, and so that you do not sin.” 21 So the people stood far off, and Moses approached the thick darkness where God was.

22 Yahweh said to Moses, “This is what you must tell the Israelites: 'You yourselves have seen that I have talked with you from heaven. 23 You will not make for yourselves other gods alongside me, gods of silver or gods of gold. 24 You must make an earthen altar for me, and you must sacrifice on it your burnt offerings, fellowship offerings, sheep, and oxen. In every place where I cause my name to be honored, I will come to you and bless you. 25 If you make me an altar of stone, you must not build it of cut stones, for if you use your tools on it, you will have defiled it. 26 You must not go up to my altar on steps, so that your nakedness is not exposed.'”

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1 “Now these are the decrees that you must set before them:

2 'If you buy a Hebrew servant, he is to serve for six years, and in the seventh year he will go free without paying anything. 3 If he came by himself, he must go free by himself; if he is married, then his wife must go free with him. 4 If his master gave him a wife and she bore him sons or daughters, the wife and her children will belong to her master, and he must go free by himself. 5 But if the servant plainly says, “I love my master, my wife, and my children; I will not go out free,” 6 then his master must bring him to God. The master must bring him to a door or doorpost, and his master must bore his ear through with an awl. Then the servant will serve him for life.

7 If a man sells his daughter as a female servant, she must not go free as the male servants do. 8 If she does not please her master, who has designated her for himself, then he must let her be bought back. He has no right to sell her to a foreign people. He has no such right, since he has treated her deceitfully. 9 If her master designates her as a wife for his son, he must treat her the same as if she were his daughter. 10 If he takes another wife for himself, he must not diminish her food, clothing, or her marital rights. 11 But if he does not provide these three things for her, then she can go free without paying any money.

12 Whoever strikes a man so that he dies, that person must surely be put to death. 13 If the man did not do it with premeditation, but instead by accident, then I will fix a place to where he can flee. 14 If a man willfully attacks his neighbor and kills him according to a cunning plan, then you must take him, even if he is at God's altar, so that he may die.

15 Whoever hits his father or mother must surely be put to death.

16 Whoever kidnaps a person—whether the kidnapper sells him, or that person is found in his hand—that kidnapper must be put to death.

17 Whoever curses his father or his mother must surely be put to death.

18 If men fight and one hits the other with a stone or with his fist, and that person does not die, but is confined to his bed; 19 then if he recovers and is able to walk about using his staff, the man who struck him must pay for the loss of his time; he must also pay for his complete recovery. But that man is not guilty of murder.

20 If a man hits his male servant or his female servant with a staff, and if the servant dies as a result of the blow, then that man must surely be punished. 21 However, if the servant lives for a day or two, the master must not be punished, for he will have suffered the loss of the servant.

22 If men fight together and hurt a pregnant woman so that she miscarries, but there is no other injury to her, then the guilty man must surely be fined as the woman's husband demands it from him, and he must pay as the judges determine. 23 But if there is serious injury, then you must give a life for a life, 24 an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, a hand for a hand, a foot for a foot, 25 a burn for a burn, a wound for a wound, or a bruise for a bruise.

26 If a man hits the eye of his male servant or of his female servant and destroys it, then he must let the servant go free in compensation for his eye. 27 If he knocks out a tooth of his male servant or female servant, he must let the servant go free as compensation for the tooth.

28 If an ox gores a man or a woman to death, the ox must surely be stoned, and its flesh must not be eaten; but the ox's owner must be acquitted of guilt. 29 But if the ox had a habit of goring in the past, and its owner was warned but did not keep it in, and the ox has killed a man or a woman, that ox must be stoned, and its owner also must be put to death. 30 If a payment is required for his life, he must pay whatever he is required to pay. 31 If the ox has gored a man's son or daughter, the ox's owner must do what this decree requires him to do. 32 If the ox gores a male servant or a female servant, the ox's owner must pay thirty shekels of silver, and the ox must be stoned.

33 If a man opens a pit, or if a man digs a pit and does not cover it, and an ox or a donkey falls into it, 34 the owner of the pit must repay the loss. He must give money to the dead animal's owner, and the dead animal will become his.

35 If one man's ox hurts another man's ox so that it dies, then they must sell the live ox and divide its price, and they must also divide the dead ox. 36 But if it was known that the ox had a habit of goring in time past, and its owner has not kept it in, he must surely pay ox for ox, and the dead animal will become his own.

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1 If a man steals an ox or a sheep and kills it or sells it, then he must pay five oxen for one ox, and four sheep for one sheep. 2 If a thief is found breaking in, and if he is struck so that he dies, in that case no guilt for murder will attach to anyone on his account. 3 But if the sun has risen before he breaks in, guilt for murder will attach to the person who kills him.

A thief must make restitution. If he has nothing, then he must be sold for his theft. 4 If the stolen animal is found alive in his possession, whether it is an ox, a donkey, or a sheep, he must pay back double.

5 If a man grazes his livestock in a field or vineyard and lets his animal loose, and it grazes in another man's field, he must make restitution from the best of his own field and from the best of his own vineyard.

6 If a fire breaks out and spreads in thorns so that stacked grain, or standing grain, or a field is consumed, the one who started the fire must surely make restitution.

7 If a man gives money or goods to his neighbor for safe keeping, and if it is stolen out of the man's house, if the thief is found, that thief must pay double. 8 But if the thief is not found, then the owner of the house must come before the judges to see whether he has put his own hand on his neighbor's property. 9 For every dispute about something, whether it is an ox, a donkey, a sheep, clothing, or any other missing thing about which one says, “This belongs to me,” the claim of both parties must come before the judges. The man whom the judges find guilty must pay double to his neighbor.

10 If a man gives his neighbor a donkey, an ox, a sheep, or any animal to keep, and if it dies or is hurt or is carried away without anyone seeing it, 11 an oath to Yahweh must be taken by them both, as to whether or not one person has put his hand on his neighbor's property. The owner must accept this, and the other will make no restitution. 12 But if it was stolen from him, the other must make restitution to the owner for it. 13 If an animal was torn in pieces, let the other man bring the animal as evidence. He will not have to pay for what was torn.

14 If a man borrows any animal from his neighbor and the animal is injured or dies without the owner being with it, the other man must surely make restitution. 15 But if the owner was with it, the other man will not have to pay; if the animal was hired, it will be paid for by its hiring fee.

16 If a man seduces a virgin who is not engaged, and if he sleeps with her, he must surely make her his wife by paying the bride wealth required for this. 17 If her father completely refuses to give her to him, he must pay money equal to the bride wealth of virgins.

18 You must not allow a sorceress to live.

19 Whoever sleeps with a beast must surely be put to death.

20 Whoever sacrifices to any god except to Yahweh must be completely destroyed. 21 You must not wrong a foreigner or oppress him, for you were foreigners in the land of Egypt. 22 You must not mistreat any widow or fatherless child. 23 If you afflict them at all, and if they call out to me, I will surely hear their call. 24 My anger will burn, and I will kill you with the sword; your wives will become widows, and your children will become fatherless.

25 If you lend money to any of my people among you who are poor, you must not be like a moneylender to him or charge him interest. 26 If you take your neighbor's garment in pledge, you must return it to him before the sun goes down, 27 for that is his only covering; it is his garment for his body. What else can he sleep in? When he calls out to me, I will hear him, for I am compassionate.

28 You must not blaspheme me, God, nor curse a ruler of your people. 29 You must not hold back offerings from your harvest or your winepresses. You must give to me the firstborn of your sons. 30 You must also do the same with your oxen and your sheep. For seven days they may remain with their mothers, but on the eighth day you must give them to me. 31 You will be people that are set apart for me. So you must not eat any meat that was torn by animals in the field. Instead, you must throw it to the dogs.

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1 You must not give a false report about anyone. Do not join with a wicked man to be a dishonest witness. 2 You must not follow a crowd to do evil, nor may you bear witness while siding with the crowd in order to pervert justice. 3 You must not show favoritism to a poor man in his lawsuit.

4 If you meet your enemy's ox or his donkey going astray, you must bring it back to him. 5 If you see the donkey of someone who hates you fallen to the ground under its load, you must not leave that person. You must surely help him with his donkey.

6 Do not thrust aside justice for your poor in his lawsuit. 7 Do not join others in making false accusations, and do not kill the innocent or righteous, for I will not acquit the wicked. 8 Never take a bribe, for a bribe blinds those who see, and perverts honest people's words. 9 You must not oppress a foreigner, since you know the life of a foreigner, for you were foreigners in the land of Egypt.

10 For six years you will sow seed on your land and gather in its produce. 11 But in the seventh year you will leave it unplowed and fallow, so that the poor among your people may eat. What they leave, the wild animals will eat. You will do the same with your vineyards and olive orchards. 12 During six days you will do your work, but on the seventh day you must rest. Do this so that your ox and your donkey may have rest, and so that your female slave's son and any foreigner may rest and be refreshed. 13 Pay attention to everything that I have said to you. Do not mention the names of other gods, nor let their names be heard from your mouth.

14 You must travel to hold a festival for me three times every year. 15 You are to observe the Festival of Unleavened Bread. As I commanded you, you will eat unleavened bread for seven days. At that time, you will appear before me in the month of Aviv, which is fixed for this purpose. It was in this month that you came out from Egypt. But you must not appear before me empty-handed. 16 You must observe the Festival of Harvest, the firstfruits of your labors when you sowed seed in the fields. Also you must observe the Festival of Ingathering at the end of the year, when you gather in your produce from the fields. 17 All your males must appear before the Lord Yahweh three times every year.

18 You must not offer the blood from sacrifices made to me with bread containing yeast. The fat from the sacrifices at my festivals must not remain all night until the morning. 19 You must bring the choicest firstfruits from your land into my house, the house of Yahweh your God. You must not boil a young goat in its mother's milk.

20 I am going to send an angel before you to guard you on the way, and to bring you to the place that I have prepared. 21 Be attentive to him and obey him. Do not provoke him, for he will not pardon your transgressions. My name is on him. 22 If you indeed obey his voice and do everything that I tell you, then I will be an enemy to your enemies and an adversary to your adversaries. 23 My angel will go before you and bring you to the Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Canaanites, Hivites, and the Jebusites. I will destroy them. 24 You must not bow down to their gods, worship them, or do as they do. Instead, you must completely overthrow them and smash their stone pillars in pieces. 25 You must worship Yahweh your God, and he will bless your bread and water. I will remove sickness from among you. 26 No woman will be barren or will miscarry her young in your land. I will give you long lives. 27 I will send fear of myself on those into whose land you advance. I will kill all the people whom you meet. I will make all your enemies turn their backs to you in fright. 28 I will send hornets before you that will drive out the Hivites, Canaanites, and the Hittites from before you. 29 I will not drive them out from before you in one year, or the land would become abandoned, and the wild animals would become too many for you. 30 Instead, I will drive them out little by little from before you until you become fruitful and inherit the land. 31 I will fix your borders from the Sea of Reeds to the Sea of the Philistines, and from the wilderness to the Euphrates River. I will give you victory over the land's inhabitants. You will drive them out before yourselves. 32 You must not make a covenant with them or with their gods. 33 They must not live in your land, or they would make you sin against me. If you worship their gods, this will surely become a trap for you.'”

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1 Then Yahweh said to Moses, “Come up to me—you, Aaron, Nadab, Abihu, and seventy of Israel's elders, and worship me at a distance. 2 Moses alone may come near to me. The others must not come near, nor may the people come up with him.” 3 Moses went and told the people all of Yahweh's words and decrees. All the people answered with one voice and said, “We will do all the words that Yahweh has said.” 4 Then Moses wrote down all of Yahweh's words. Early in the morning, Moses built an altar at the foot of the mountain and arranged twelve stone pillars, so that the stones would represent the twelve tribes of Israel. 5 He sent some Israelite young men to offer burnt offerings and sacrifice fellowship offerings of oxen to Yahweh. 6 Moses took half of the blood and put it into basins; he sprinkled the other half onto the altar. 7 He took the book of the Covenant and read it aloud to the people. They said, “We will do all that Yahweh has spoken. We will be obedient.” 8 Then Moses took the blood and sprinkled it onto the people. He said, “This is the blood of the covenant that Yahweh has made with you by giving you this promise with all these words.”

9 Then Moses, Aaron, Nadab, Abihu, and seventy of Israel's elders went up the mountain. 10 They saw the God of Israel. Under his feet there was a pavement made of sapphire stone, as clear as the sky itself. 11 God did not lay a hand on the Israelite leaders. They saw God, and they ate and drank.

12 Yahweh said to Moses, “Come up to me on the mountain and stay there. I will give you the tablets of stone and the law and commandments that I have written, so that you may teach them.” 13 So Moses set out with his assistant Joshua and went up the mountain of God. 14 Moses had said to the elders, “Stay here and wait for us until we come to you. Aaron and Hur are with you. If anyone has a dispute, let him go to them.” 15 So Moses went up the mountain, and the cloud covered it. 16 Yahweh's glory settled on Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it for six days. On the seventh day he called to Moses from within the cloud. 17 The appearance of Yahweh's glory was like a devouring fire on the top of the mountain in the eyes of the Israelites. 18 Moses entered the cloud and went up the mountain. He was up the mountain for forty days and forty nights.

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1 Yahweh said to Moses, 2 “Tell the Israelites to take an offering for me from every person who is motivated by a willing heart. You must receive these offerings for me. 3 These are the offerings that you must receive from them: gold, silver, and bronze; 4 blue, purple, and scarlet material; fine linen; goats' hair; 5 ram skins dyed red and sea cow hides; acacia wood; 6 oil for the sanctuary lamps; spices for the anointing oil and the fragrant incense; 7 onyx stones and other precious stones to be set for the ephod and breastpiece. 8 Let them make me a sanctuary so that I may live among them. 9 You must make it exactly as I will show you in the plans for the tabernacle and for all its equipment.

10 They are to make an ark of acacia wood. Its length must be two and a half cubits; its width will be one cubit and a half; and its height will be one cubit and a half. 11 You must cover it inside and out with pure gold, and you must make on it a border of gold around its top. 12 You must cast four rings of gold for it, and put them on the ark's four feet, with two rings on one side of it, and two rings on the other side. 13 You must make poles of acacia wood and cover them with gold. 14 You must put the poles into the rings on the ark's sides, in order to carry the ark. 15 The poles must remain in the rings of the ark; they must not be taken from it. 16 You must put into the ark the covenant decrees that I will give you. 17 You must make an atonement lid of pure gold. Its length must be two and a half cubits, and its width must be a cubit and a half. 18 You must make two cherubim of hammered gold for the two ends of the atonement lid. 19 Make one cherub for one end of the atonement lid, and the other cherub for the other end. They must be made as one piece with the atonement lid. 20 The cherubim must spread out their wings upward and overshadow the atonement lid with them. The cherubim must face one another and look toward the center of the atonement lid. 21 You must put the atonement lid on top of the ark, and you must put into the ark the covenant decrees that I am giving you. 22 It is at the ark that I will meet with you. I will speak with you from my position above the atonement lid. It will be from between the two cherubim over the ark of the testimony that I will speak to you about all the commands I will give you for the Israelites.

23 You must make a table of acacia wood. Its length must be two cubits; its width must be one cubit, and its height must be a cubit and a half. 24 You must cover it with pure gold and put a border of gold around the top. 25 You must make a surrounding frame for it one handbreadth wide, with a surrounding border of gold for the frame. 26 You must make for it four rings of gold and attach the rings to the four corners, where the four feet were. 27 The rings must be attached to the frame to provide places for the poles, in order to carry the table. 28 You must make the poles out of acacia wood and cover them with gold so that the table may be carried with them. 29 You must make the dishes, spoons, pitchers, and bowls to be used to pour out drink offerings. You must make them of pure gold. 30 You must regularly set the bread of the presence on the table before me.

31 You must make a lampstand of pure hammered gold. The lampstand is to be made with its base and shaft. Its cups, its leafy bases, and its flowers are to be all made of one piece with it. 32 Six branches must extend out from its sides—three branches must extend from one side, and three branches of the lampstand must extend from the other side. 33 The first branch must have three cups made like almond blossoms, with a leafy base and a flower, and three cups made like almond blossoms in the other branch, with a leafy base and a flower. It must be the same for all six branches extending out from the lampstand. 34 On the lampstand itself, the central shaft, there must be four cups made like almond blossoms, with their leafy bases and the flowers. 35 There must be a leafy base under the first pair of branches—made as one piece with it, and a leafy base under the second pair of branches—also made as one piece with it. In the same way there must be a leafy base under the third pair of branches, made as one piece with it. It must be the same for all six branches extending out from the lampstand. 36 Their leafy bases and branches must all be one piece with it, one beaten piece of work of pure gold. 37 You must make the lampstand and its seven lamps, and set up its lamps for them to give light from it. 38 The tongs and their trays must be made of pure gold. 39 Use one talent of pure gold to make the lampstand and its accessories. 40 Be sure to make them after the pattern that you are being shown on the mountain.

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1 You must make the tabernacle with ten curtains made from fine linen and blue, purple, and scarlet wool with the designs of cherubim. This will be the work of a very skilled craftsman. 2 The length of each curtain must be twenty-eight cubits, the width four cubits. All the curtains must be of the same size. 3 Five curtains must be joined to each other, and the other five curtains must also be joined to each other. 4 You must make loops of blue along the outer edge of the end curtain of one set. In the same way, you must do the same along the outer edge of the end curtain in the second set. 5 You must make fifty loops on the first curtain, and you must make fifty loops on the end curtain in the second set. Do this so that the loops will be opposite to each other. 6 You must make fifty clasps of gold and join the curtains together with them so that the tabernacle becomes united.

7 You must make curtains of goats' hair for a tent over the tabernacle. You must make eleven of these curtains. 8 The length of each curtain must be thirty cubits, and the width of each curtain must be four cubits. Each of the eleven curtains must be of the same size. 9 You must join five curtains to each other and the other six curtains to each other. You must double over the sixth curtain in the front of the tent. 10 You must make fifty loops on the edge of the end curtain of the first set, and fifty loops on the edge of the end curtain that joins the second set. 11 You must make fifty bronze clasps and put them into the loops. Then you join the tent together so that it may be one piece. 12 The leftover half curtain, that is, the overhanging part remaining from the tent's curtains, must hang at the back of the tabernacle. 13 There must be one cubit of curtain on one side, and one cubit of curtain on the other side—that which is left over of the length of the tent's curtains must hang over the sides of the tabernacle on one side and on the other side, to cover it. 14 You must make for the tabernacle a covering of ram skins dyed red, and another covering of fine leather to go above that.

15 You must make upright frames out of acacia wood for the tabernacle. 16 The length of each frame must be ten cubits, and its width must be one and a half cubits. 17 There must be two wooden pegs in each frame for joining the frames to each other. You are to make all the tabernacle's frames in this way. 18 When you make the frames for the tabernacle, you must make twenty frames for the south side. 19 You must make forty silver bases to go under the twenty frames. There must be two bases under the first frame to be its two pedestals, and also two bases under each of the other frames for their two pedestals. 20 For the second side of the tabernacle, on the north side, you must make twenty frames 21 and their forty silver bases. There must be two bases under the first frame, two bases under the next frame, and so on. 22 For the back side of the tabernacle on the west side, you must make six frames. 23 You must make two frames for the back corners of the tabernacle. 24 These frames must be separate at the bottom, but joined at the top to the same ring. It must be this way for both of the back corners. 25 There must be eight frames, together with their silver bases. There must be sixteen bases in all, two bases under the first frame, two bases under the next frame, and so on.

26 You must make crossbars of acacia wood—five for the frames of the one side of the tabernacle, 27 five crossbars for the frames of the other side of the tabernacle, and five crossbars for the frames for the back side of the tabernacle to the west. 28 The crossbar in the center of the frames, that is, halfway up, must reach from end to end. 29 You must cover the frames with gold. You must make their rings of gold, for them to serve as holders for the crossbars, and you must cover the bars with gold. 30 You must set up the tabernacle by following the plan you were shown on the mountain.

31 You must make a curtain of blue, purple, and scarlet wool, and of fine linen, with designs of cherubim, the work of a skillful workman. 32 You must hang it on four pillars of acacia wood covered with gold. These pillars must have hooks of gold set on four silver bases. 33 You must hang up the curtain under the clasps, and you must bring in the ark of the testimony. The curtain is to separate the holy place from the most holy place. 34 You must put the atonement lid on the ark of the testimony, which is in the most holy place. 35 You must place the table outside the curtain. You must place the lampstand opposite the table on the south side of the tabernacle. The table must be on the north side.

36 You must make a hanging for the tent entrance. You must make it out of blue, purple, and scarlet material and fine twined linen, the work of an embroiderer. 37 For the hanging, you must make five pillars of acacia and cover them with gold. Their hooks must be of gold, and you must cast five bronze bases for them.

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1 You must make the altar of acacia wood, five cubits long and five cubits wide. The altar must be square and three cubits high. 2 You must make extensions of its four corners shaped like ox horns. The horns will be made as one piece with the altar, and you must cover them with bronze. 3 You must make equipment for the altar: pots for ashes, and also shovels, basins, meat forks, and firepans. You must make all these utensils with bronze. 4 You must make a grate for the altar, a network of bronze. Make a bronze ring for each of the grate's four corners. 5 You must put the grate under the ledge of the altar, halfway down to the bottom. 6 You must make poles for the altar, poles of acacia wood, and you must cover them with bronze. 7 The poles must be put into the rings, and the poles must be on the two sides of the altar, to carry it. 8 You must make the altar hollow, out of planks. You must make it in the way you were shown on the mountain.

9 You must make a courtyard for the tabernacle. There must be hangings on the south side of the courtyard, hangings of fine twined linen one hundred cubits long. 10 The hangings must have twenty posts, with twenty bronze bases. There must also be hooks attached to the posts, as well as silver rods. 11 Likewise along the north side, there must be hangings one hundred cubits long with twenty posts, twenty bronze bases, hooks attached to the posts, and silver rods. 12 Along the courtyard on the west side there must be a curtain fifty cubits long. There must be ten posts and ten bases. 13 The courtyard must also be fifty cubits long on the east side. 14 The hangings for one side of the entrance must be fifteen cubits long. They must have three posts with three bases. 15 The other side must also have hangings fifteen cubits long. They must have their three posts and three bases. 16 The courtyard gate must be a curtain twenty cubits long. The curtain must be made of blue, purple, and scarlet material and fine twined linen, the work of an embroiderer. It must have four posts with four bases. 17 All the courtyard posts must have silver rods, silver hooks, and bronze bases. 18 The length of the courtyard must be one hundred cubits, the width fifty cubits, and the height five cubits with fine twined linen hangings all along, and bases of bronze. 19 All the equipment to be used in the tabernacle, and all the tent pegs for the tabernacle and courtyard must be made of bronze.

20 You must command the people of Israel to bring olive oil, pure and pressed, for the lamps so they may burn continually. 21 In the tent of meeting, outside the curtain that is in front of the tabernacle that contains the ark of testimony, Aaron and his sons must keep the lamps burning before Yahweh, from evening to morning. This requirement will be a lasting ordinance throughout the generations of the people of Israel.

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1 Call to yourself Aaron your brother and his sons—Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar—from among the Israelites so that they may serve me as priests. 2 You must make for Aaron, your brother, garments that are set apart to me. These garments will be for his honor and splendor. 3 You must speak to all people who are wise in heart, those whom I have filled with the spirit of wisdom, so that they may make Aaron's garments to set him apart to serve me as my priest. 4 The garments that they must make are a breastpiece, an ephod, a robe, a coat of woven work, a turban, and a sash. They must make these garments that are set them apart to me. They will be for your brother Aaron and his sons so that they may serve me as priests. 5 Craftsmen must use fine linen that is gold, blue, purple, and scarlet.

6 They must make the ephod of gold, of blue, purple, and scarlet wool, and of fine-twined linen. It must be the work of a skillful craftsman. 7 It must have two shoulder pieces attached to its two upper corners. 8 Its finely-woven waistband must be like the ephod; it must be made of one piece with the ephod, made of fine twined linen that is gold, blue, purple, and scarlet. 9 You must take two onyx stones and engrave on them the names of Israel's twelve sons. 10 Six of their names must be on one stone, and six names must be on the other stone, in order of the sons' birth. 11 With the work of an engraver in stone, like the engraving on a signet, you must engrave the two stones with the names of Israel's twelve sons. You must mount the stones in settings of gold. 12 You must put the two stones on the shoulder pieces of the ephod, to be stones to remind Yahweh of Israel's sons. Aaron will carry their names before Yahweh on his two shoulders as a reminder to him. 13 You must make settings of gold 14 and two braided chains of pure gold like cords, and you must attach the chains to the settings.

15 You must make a breastpiece for decision making, the work of a skillful workman, fashioned like the ephod. Make it of gold, of blue, purple, and scarlet wool, and of fine linen. 16 It is to be square. You must fold the breastpiece double. It must be one span long and one span wide. 17 You must place in it four rows of precious stones. The first row must have a ruby, a topaz, and a garnet. 18 The second row must have an emerald, a sapphire, and a diamond. 19 The third row must have a jacinth, an agate, and an amethyst. 20 The fourth row must have a beryl, and an onyx, and a jasper. They must be mounted in gold settings. 21 The stones must be arranged by the names of Israel's twelve sons, each in order by name. They must be like the engraving on a signet ring, each name standing for one of the twelve tribes. 22 You must make on the breastpiece chains like cords, braided work of pure gold. 23 You must make two rings of gold for the breastpiece and must attach them to the two ends of the breastpiece. 24 You must attach the two golden chains to the two corners of the breastpiece. 25 You must attach the other ends of the two braided chains to the two settings. Then you must attach those to the shoulder pieces of the ephod at its front. 26 You must make two rings of gold, and you must put them on the other two corners of the breastpiece, on the edge next to the inner border. 27 You must make two more gold rings, and you must attach them to the bottom of the two shoulder pieces of the front of the ephod, close to its seam above the finely-woven waistband of the ephod. 28 They must tie the breastpiece by its rings to the ephod's rings with a blue cord, so that it might be attached just above the ephod's woven waistband. This is so that the breastpiece might not become unattached from the ephod. 29 When Aaron goes into the holy place, he must carry the names of the people of Israel over his heart in the breastpiece for decision making, as a continuing memorial before Yahweh. 30 You are to put the Urim and the Thummim in the breastpiece for decision making, so they may be over Aaron's heart when he goes in before Yahweh. Thus Aaron will always carry the means for making decisions for the people of Israel over his heart before Yahweh.

31 You will make the robe of the ephod entirely of blue fabric. 32 It must have an opening for the head in the middle. The opening must have a woven edge round about so that it does not tear. This must be the work of a weaver. 33 On the bottom hem, you must make pomegranates of blue, purple, and scarlet yarn all around. Gold bells must be between them all around. 34 There must be a golden bell and a pomegranate, a golden bell and a pomegranate—and so on—all around the hem of the robe. 35 The robe is to be on Aaron when he serves, so that its sound can be heard when he goes into the holy place before Yahweh and when he leaves. This is so that he does not die.

36 You must make a plate of pure gold and engrave on it, like the engraving on a signet, “Holy to Yahweh.” 37 You must attach this plate by a blue cord to the front of the turban. 38 It must be on Aaron's forehead; he must always bear any guilt that might attach to the offering of the holy gifts that the Israelites set apart to Yahweh. The turban must be always on his forehead so that Yahweh may accept their gifts. 39 You must make the coat with fine linen, and you must make a turban of fine linen. You must also make a sash, the work of an embroiderer.

40 For Aaron's sons you must make coats, sashes, and headbands for their honor and splendor. 41 You must clothe Aaron your brother, and his sons with him. You must anoint them, ordain them, and set them apart to me, so that they may serve me as priests. 42 You must make for them linen undergarments to cover their naked flesh, that will cover them from the waist to the thighs. 43 Aaron and his sons must wear these garments when they enter the tent of meeting or when they approach the altar to serve in the holy place. They must do this so they would not be guilty or else they would die. This is a permanent law for Aaron and his descendants after him.

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1 Now this is what you must do to set them apart to me so that they may serve me as priests. Take one young bull and two rams without blemish, 2 bread without yeast, and cakes without yeast mixed with oil. Also take wafers without yeast rubbed with oil. Make the wafers using fine wheat flour. 3 You must put them into a single basket, bring them in the basket, and present them with the bull and the two rams. 4 You must present Aaron and his sons at the entrance to the tent of meeting. You must wash Aaron and his sons in water. 5 You must take the garments and clothe Aaron with the coat, the robe of the ephod, the ephod, and the breastpiece, fastening the finely-woven waistband of the ephod around him. 6 You must set the turban on his head and put the holy crown on the turban. 7 Then take the anointing oil and pour it on his head, and in this way anoint him. 8 You must bring his sons and put coats on them. 9 You must clothe Aaron and his sons with sashes and put headbands on them. The work of the priesthood will belong to them by permanent law. In this way you must consecrate Aaron and his sons for them to serve me.

10 You must all bring the bull before the tent of meeting, and Aaron and his sons must lay their hands on its head. 11 You must kill the bull before Yahweh at the entrance to the tent of meeting. 12 You must take some of the bull's blood and put it on the horns of the altar with your finger, and you must pour out the rest of the blood at the base of the altar. 13 You must take all the fat that covers the inner parts, and also take the covering of the liver and the two kidneys with the fat that is on them; burn it all on the altar. 14 But as for the bull's flesh, as well as its skin and dung, you must burn it up outside the camp. It will be a sin offering.

15 You must also take the one ram, and Aaron and his sons must lay their hands on its head. 16 You must kill the ram, then take its blood and sprinkle it on all sides of the altar. 17 You must cut the ram into pieces and wash its inner parts and its legs, and you must put the inner parts, together with its pieces and with its head, 18 on the altar. Then burn the whole ram. It will be a burnt offering to Yahweh, a sweet aroma, an offering made to Yahweh by fire.

19 You must then take the other ram, and Aaron and his sons must lay their hands on its head. 20 Then you must kill the ram and take some of its blood. Put it on the tip of Aaron's right ear, and on the tip of his sons' right ears, on the thumb of their right hands, and on the great toe of their right feet. Then you must sprinkle the blood against the altar on every side. 21 You must take some of the blood that is on the altar and some of the anointing oil, and sprinkle it all on Aaron and on his garments, and also on his sons and on their garments. Aaron will then be set apart for me, as well as his garments, his sons and his sons' garments with him. 22 You must take the ram's fat, the fat tail, the fat that covers the inner parts, the covering of the liver, the two kidneys and the fat on them, and the right thigh—for this ram is for the priests' consecration to me. 23 Take one loaf of bread, one cake of bread made with oil, and one wafer out of the basket of bread without yeast that is before Yahweh. 24 You must put these in Aaron's hands and in the hands of his sons and wave them before me for a wave offering before Yahweh. 25 You must then take the food from their hands and burn it on the altar with the burnt offering. It will produce a sweet aroma for me; it will be an offering made to me by fire.

26 You must take the breast of Aaron's ram of dedication and wave it for a wave offering before Yahweh, and it will be your share. 27 You must set apart to me the breast of the wave offering that is waved, and the thigh that is the contribution for the priests—both the breast that was waved and the thigh that was contributed for Aaron and his sons. 28 This will be a perpetual ordinance for Aaron and his sons. It will be a contribution from the people of Israel to give to Yahweh from their peace offerings. 29 The holy garments of Aaron must also be reserved for his sons after him. They are to be anointed in them and ordained to me in them. 30 The priest who succeeds him from among his sons, who comes into the tent of meeting to serve me in the holy place, is to wear those garments for seven days.

31 You must take the ram for the installation of the priests to me and boil its meat in a holy place. 32 Aaron and his sons must eat the ram's meat and the bread that is in the basket at the entrance to the tent of meeting. 33 They must eat the meat and bread that were given to atone for them and to ordain them, to be set apart to me. No one else may eat that food, because they must treat it as consecrated to me, reserved for me. 34 If any of the meat of the ordination offering, or any of the bread, remains to the next morning, then you must burn it. It must not be eaten because it has been set apart to me.

35 In this way, by following all that I have commanded you to do, you must treat Aaron and his sons. For seven days you must prepare them. 36 Every day you must offer a bull as a sin offering for atonement. You must purify the altar by making atonement for it, and you must anoint it in order to set it apart to me. 37 For seven days you must make atonement for the altar and set it apart it to Yahweh. Then the altar will be completely set apart to me. Whatever touches the altar will be set apart to Yahweh.

38 You must regularly offer on the altar every day two lambs a year old. 39 One lamb you must offer in the morning, and the other lamb you must offer about sundown. 40 With the first lamb, offer a tenth of an ephah of fine flour mixed with the fourth part of a hin of oil from pressed olives, and the fourth part of a hin of wine as a drink offering. 41 You must offer the second lamb about sunset. You must offer the same grain offering as in the morning, and the same drink offering. These will produce a sweet aroma for me; it will be an offering made to me by fire. 42 These must be regular burnt offerings throughout your generations, at the entrance to the tent of meeting before Yahweh, where I will meet with you to speak to you there. 43 That is where I will meet with the Israelites; the tent will be set apart for me by my glory. 44 I will set apart the tent of meeting and the altar for these to belong to me alone. I will also set apart Aaron and his sons to serve me as priests. 45 I will live among the Israelites and will be their God. 46 They will know that I am Yahweh, their God, who brought them out from the land of Egypt so that I might live among them. I am Yahweh, their God.

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1 You must make an altar to burn incense. You must make it with acacia wood. 2 Its length must be one cubit, and its width one cubit. It must be square, and its height must be two cubits. Its horns must be made as one piece with it. 3 You must cover the incense altar with pure gold—its top, its sides, and its horns. You must make a surrounding border of gold for it. 4 You must make two golden rings to be attached to it under its border on its two opposite sides. The rings must be holders for poles to carry the altar. 5 You must make the poles of acacia wood, and you must cover them with gold. 6 You must put the incense altar before the curtain that is by the ark of the testimony. It will be before the atonement lid that is over the ark of the testimony, where I will meet with you. 7 Aaron must burn fragrant incense every morning. He must burn it when he tends the lamps, 8 and Aaron lights the lamps again in the evening so incense will burn on it regularly before Yahweh, throughout your generations. 9 But you must offer no other incense on the incense altar, nor any burnt offering or grain offering. You must pour no drink offering on it. 10 Aaron must make atonement on its horns once a year. With the blood of the sin offering he will make atonement for it once a year throughout your generations. It is completely set apart to Yahweh.”

11 Then Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, 12 “When you take a census of the Israelites, then each person must give a ransom for his life to Yahweh. You must do this after you count them, so that there will be no plague among them when you count them. 13 Everyone who is counted in the census is to pay half a shekel of silver, according to the weight of the shekel of the sanctuary (a shekel is the same as twenty gerahs). This half shekel will be an offering to Yahweh. 14 Everyone who is counted, from twenty years old and up, must give this offering to me. 15 When the people give this offering to me to make atonement for their lives, the rich must not give more than the half shekel, and the poor must not give less. 16 You must receive this atonement money from the Israelites and you must allocate it to the work of the tent of meeting. It must be a reminder to the Israelites before me, to make atonement for your lives.”

17 Then Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, 18 “You must also make a large bronze basin with a bronze stand, a basin for washing. You must put it between the tent of meeting and the altar, and you must put water in it. 19 Aaron and his sons must wash their hands and their feet with the water in it. 20 When they go into the tent of meeting or when they go near to the altar to serve me by burning an offering, they must wash with water so that they do not die. 21 They must wash their hands and feet so that they do not die. This must be a permanent law for Aaron and his descendants throughout their people's generations.”

22 Then Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, 23 “Take these fine spices: five hundred shekels of flowing myrrh, 250 shekels of sweet-smelling cinnamon, 250 shekels of sweet-smelling cane, 24 five hundred shekels of cassia, measured by the weight of the shekel of the sanctuary, and one hin of olive oil. 25 You must make holy anointing oil with these ingredients, the work of a perfumer. It will be a holy anointing oil, reserved for me. 26 You must anoint the tent of meeting with this oil, as well as the ark of the testimony, 27 the table and all its utensils, the lampstand and its equipment, the incense altar, 28 the altar for burnt offerings with all its equipment, and the basin with its stand. 29 You must set them apart to me so that they may be holy to me. Anything that touches them will also be holy. 30 You must anoint Aaron and his sons and set them aside to me so that they may serve me as priests. 31 You must say to the Israelites, 'This must be an anointing oil that is set apart to Yahweh throughout your people's generations. 32 It must not be applied to people's skin, nor must you make any oil like it with the same formula, because it is set apart to Yahweh. You must regard it in this manner. 33 Whoever makes perfume like it, or whoever puts any of it on someone, that person must be cut off from his people.'”

34 Yahweh said to Moses, “Take spices—stacte, onycha, and galbanum—sweet spices along with pure frankincense, each in equal amounts. 35 Make it into the form of incense, blended by a perfumer, seasoned with salt, pure and set apart. 36 You will grind it into a very fine mixture. Put part of it in front of the ark of the testimony, which is in the tent of meeting, where I will meet with you. You will regard it as very holy to me. 37 As for this incense that you will make, you must not make any with the same formula for yourselves. It must be most holy to you. 38 Whoever makes anything like it to use as a perfume must be cut off from his people.”

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1 Then Yahweh spoke to Moses and said, 2 “See, I have called by name Bezalel son of Uri son of Hur, from the tribe of Judah. 3 I have filled Bezalel with my Spirit, to give him wisdom, understanding, and knowledge, for all kinds of craftsmanship, 4 to make artistic designs and to work in gold, silver, and bronze; 5 also to cut and set stones and to carve wood—to do all kinds of craftsmanship. 6 In addition to him, I have appointed Oholiab son of Ahisamak, from the tribe of Dan. I have put skill into the hearts of all who are wise so that they may make all that I have commanded you. This includes 7 the tent of meeting, the ark of the testimony, the atonement lid on the ark, and all the furniture of the tent— 8 the table and its utensils, the pure lampstand with all its equipment, the incense altar, 9 the altar for burnt offerings with all its equipment, and the large basin with its base. 10 This also includes the finely-woven garments—the holy garments for Aaron the priest and those of his sons, reserved for me so that they may serve as priests. 11 This also includes the anointing oil and the sweet incense for the holy place. These craftsmen must make all these things just as I have commanded you.”

12 Then Yahweh spoke to Moses and said, 13 “Tell the Israelites: 'You must certainly keep Yahweh's Sabbath days, for these will be a sign between him and you throughout your people's generations so that you may know that he is Yahweh, who sets you apart for himself. 14 So you must keep the Sabbath, for it must be treated by you as holy, reserved for him. Everyone who defiles it must surely be put to death. Whoever works on the Sabbath, that person must surely be cut off from his people. 15 Work will be done for six days, but the seventh day is to be a Sabbath of complete rest, holy before Yahweh. Whoever does any work on the Sabbath day must surely be put to death. 16 Therefore the Israelites must keep the Sabbath. They must observe it throughout their people's generations as a permanent law. 17 The Sabbath will always be a sign between Yahweh and the Israelites, for in six days Yahweh made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day he rested and was refreshed.'”

18 When God had finished talking with Moses on Mount Sinai, he gave him two tablets of covenant decrees, made of stone, written on by his own hand.

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1 When the people saw that Moses delayed in coming down the mountain, they gathered around Aaron and said to him, “Come, make us an idol that will go before us. As for this Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has happened to him.” 2 So Aaron said to them, “Take off the golden rings that are on your wives' ears, and the ears of your sons and daughters, and bring them to me.” 3 All the people took off the golden rings that were on their ears and brought them to Aaron. 4 He received the gold from them, fashioned it in a mold, and made it into a molded calf. Then the people said, “Israel, this is your god who brought you up out of the land of Egypt.” 5 When Aaron saw this, he built an altar before the calf and made a proclamation; he said, “Tomorrow will be a festival in Yahweh's honor.” 6 The people arose early the next day and offered burnt offerings and brought fellowship offerings. Then they sat down to eat and to drink, and then got up to carouse in wild celebration.

7 Then Yahweh spoke to Moses, “Go quickly, for your people, whom you brought up out of the land of Egypt, have corrupted themselves. 8 They have quickly left the way that I commanded them. They have molded for themselves a calf and have worshiped it and sacrificed to it. They have said, 'Israel, this is your god who brought you up out of the land of Egypt.'” 9 Then Yahweh said to Moses, “I have seen this people. Look, they are a stiff-necked people. 10 Now then, do not try to stop me. My anger will burn hot against them, so I will destroy them. Then I will make a great nation from you.” 11 But Moses tried to calm down Yahweh his God. He said, “Yahweh, why does your anger burn against your people, whom you have brought out of the land of Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand? 12 Why should the Egyptians say, 'He led them out with evil intent, to kill them in the mountains and to destroy them from the face of the earth?' Turn from your burning anger and relent from this punishment on your people. 13 Call to mind Abraham and Isaac and Israel, your servants, to whom you swore by your own self and said to them, 'I will make your descendants as many as the stars in the heavens, and I will give to your descendants all this land of which I have spoken. They will inherit it forever.'” 14 Then Yahweh relented from the punishment that he had said he would inflict on his people.

15 Then Moses turned around and went down the mountain, carrying the two tablets of the covenant decrees in his hand. The tablets were written on both their sides, on both the front and the back. 16 The tablets were God's own work, and the writing was God's own writing, engraved on the tablets. 17 When Joshua heard the noise of the people as they shouted, he said to Moses, “There is the noise of combat in the camp.” 18 But Moses said,

“It is not the sound of a victor,

and not the sound of defeated people,

but the sound of singing that I hear.”

19 When Moses approached the camp, he saw the calf and the people dancing. He became very angry. He threw the tablets out of his hands and broke them at the bottom of the mountain. 20 He took the calf that the people had made, burned it, ground it to powder, and poured it into the water. Then he made the people of Israel drink it.

21 Then Moses said to Aaron, “What did this people do to you, that you have brought such a great sin on them?” 22 Aaron said, “Do not let your anger burn hot, my master. You know these people, how they are set on doing evil. 23 They said to me, 'Make us a god who will go before us. As for this Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has happened to him.' 24 So I said to them, 'Whoever has any gold, let him take it off.' They gave me the gold and I threw it into the fire, and out came this calf.”

25 Moses saw that the people were running wild (for Aaron had let them get out of control, causing their enemies to mock them). 26 Then Moses stood at the entrance to the camp and said, “Whoever is on Yahweh's side, come to me.” All the Levites gathered around him. 27 He said to them, “Yahweh, the God of Israel, says this: 'Let each man fasten his sword on his side and go back and forth from entrance to entrance throughout the camp, and kill his brother, his companion, and his neighbor.'” 28 The Levites did what Moses ordered. That day about three thousand of the people died. 29 Moses said to the Levites, “You have been placed into Yahweh's service today, for each of you has taken action against his son and his brother, so Yahweh might give you a blessing today.”

30 The next day Moses said to the people, “You have committed a very great sin. Now I will go up to Yahweh. Perhaps I can make atonement for your sin.” 31 Moses returned to Yahweh and said, “Oh, these people have committed a great sin and made themselves an idol of gold. 32 But now, please forgive their sin; but if you do not, blot me out of the book that you have written.” 33 Yahweh said to Moses, “Whoever has sinned against me, that person I will blot out of my book. 34 So now go, lead the people to the place of which I have spoken to you. See, my angel will go before you. But on the day that I punish them, I will punish them for their sin.” 35 Yahweh sent a plague on the people because they had made the calf, the one that Aaron made.

33

1 Then Yahweh spoke to Moses, “Go from here, you and the people whom you have brought up out of the land of Egypt. Go to the land about which I made an oath to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, when I said, 'I will give it to your descendants.' 2 I will send an angel before you, and I will drive out the Canaanites, Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites. 3 Go to that land, which is flowing with milk and honey, but I will not go up with you, because you are a stubborn people. I might destroy you on the way.” 4 When the people heard these troubling words, they mourned, and no one put on any jewelry. 5 Yahweh had said to Moses, “Say to the Israelites, 'You are a stubborn people. If I went among you for even one moment, I would destroy you. So now, take off your jewelry so that I may decide what to do with you.'” 6 So the Israelites wore no jewelry from Mount Horeb onward.

7 Moses took a tent and pitched it outside the camp, some distance from the camp. He called it the tent of meeting. Everyone who asked Yahweh for anything went out to the tent of meeting, outside the camp. 8 When Moses would go out to the tent, all the people would stand up at their tent entrances and look at Moses until he had gone inside. 9 Whenever Moses entered the tent, the pillar of cloud would come down and stand at the tent entrance, and Yahweh would speak with Moses. 10 Whenever all the people saw the pillar of cloud stand at the entrance to the tent, they would get up and worship, every man at his own tent entrance. 11 Yahweh would speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend. Then Moses would return to the camp, but his servant Joshua son of Nun, a young man, would stay in the tent.

12 Moses said to Yahweh, “See, you have been saying to me, 'Take this people on their journey,' but you have not let me know whom you will send with me. You have said, 'I know you by name, and you have also found favor in my eyes.' 13 Now if I have found favor in your eyes, show me your ways so that I may know you and continue to find favor in your eyes. Remember that this nation is your people.” 14 Yahweh answered, “My own presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.” 15 Moses said to him, “If your presence does not go with us, do not take us up from here. 16 For otherwise, how will it be known that I have found favor in your eyes, I and your people? Will it not only be if you go with us so that I and your people are different from all the other peoples that are on the surface of the earth?”

17 Yahweh said to Moses, “I will also do this thing that you have requested, for you have found favor in my eyes, and I know you by name.” 18 Moses said, “Please show me your glory.” 19 Yahweh said, “I will make all my goodness pass before you, and I will proclaim my name 'Yahweh' before you. I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and I will show mercy on whom I will show mercy.” 20 But Yahweh said, “You may not see my face, for no one can see me and live.” 21 Yahweh said, “See, here is a place by me; you will stand on this rock. 22 While my glory passes by, I will put you in a crevice of the rock and cover you with my hand until I have passed by. 23 Then I will take away my hand, and you will see my back, but my face will not be seen.”

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1 Yahweh said to Moses, “Cut two tablets of stone like the first tablets. I will write on these tablets the words that were on the first tablets, the tablets that you broke. 2 Be ready by morning and come up Mount Sinai, and present yourself there to me on the mountain top. 3 No one is to come up with you. Do not let anyone else be seen anywhere on the mountain. No flocks or herds are even to graze in front of the mountain.” 4 So Moses cut two tablets of stone like the first ones, and he got up early in the morning and went up Mount Sinai, as Yahweh had instructed him. Moses carried the tablets of stone in his hand. 5 Yahweh came down in the cloud and stood with Moses there, and he pronounced the name “Yahweh.” 6 Yahweh passed by before him and proclaimed, “Yahweh, Yahweh, God is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in covenant faithfulness and trustworthiness, 7 keeping covenant faithfulness for thousands of generations, forgiving iniquities, transgressions, and sins. But he will by no means clear the guilty. He will bring the punishment for the fathers' sin on their children and on their children's children, as far as the third and fourth generations.” 8 Moses quickly bowed his head to the ground and worshiped. 9 Then he said, “If now I have found favor in your eyes, my Lord, please go among us, for this people is stubborn. Pardon our iniquity and our sin, and take us as your inheritance.”

10 Yahweh said, “See, I am about to make a covenant. Before all your people, I will do marvels such as have not been done in all the earth nor in any nation. All the people among you will see my deeds, for it is a fearful thing that I am doing with you. 11 Obey what I command you today. I am about to drive out before you the Amorites, Canaanites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites. 12 Be careful not to make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land where you are going, or they will become a trap among you. 13 Instead, you must break down their altars, smash their stone pillars, and cut down their Asherah poles. 14 For you must worship no other god, for Yahweh, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God. 15 So be careful not to make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land, for they prostitute themselves to their gods, and they sacrifice to their gods. Then one of them will invite you and you will eat some of his sacrifice, 16 and then you will even take some of his daughters for your sons, and his daughters will prostitute themselves to their gods, and they will make your sons prostitute themselves to their gods. 17 Do not make for yourselves gods of molten metal.

18 You must keep the Festival of Unleavened Bread. As I commanded you, you must eat bread without yeast for seven days at the fixed time in the month of Aviv, for it was in the month of Aviv you came out from Egypt. 19 All the firstborn are mine, even every male firstborn of your cattle, both of oxen and sheep. 20 You must buy back the firstborn of a donkey with a lamb, but if you do not buy it back, then you must break its neck. You must buy back all the firstborn of your sons. No one may appear before me empty-handed.

21 You may work for six days, but on the seventh day you must rest. Even at plowing time and in harvest, you must rest. 22 You must observe the Festival of Weeks with the first yield of the wheat harvest, and you must observe the Festival of Ingathering at the year's end. 23 Three times a year all your men must appear before Lord Yahweh, the God of Israel. 24 For I will drive out nations before you and expand your borders. No one will desire to have your land as their own when you go up to appear before Yahweh your God three times in a year.

25 You must not offer the blood of my sacrifice with any yeast, nor may any meat from the sacrifice at the Festival of the Passover be left over to the morning. 26 You must bring the best of the firstfruits from your fields to my house. You must not boil a young goat in its mother's milk.” 27 Yahweh said to Moses, “Write down these words, for in accordance with these words I have made a covenant with you and with Israel.” 28 Moses was there with Yahweh for forty days and nights; he did not eat any food nor drink any water. He wrote on the tablets the words of the covenant, the Ten Commandments.

29 When Moses came down from Mount Sinai with the two tablets of the covenant decrees in his hand, he did not know that the skin of his face had become radiant while speaking with God. 30 When Aaron and the Israelites saw Moses, the skin of his face was shining, and they were afraid to come near him. 31 But Moses called to them, and Aaron and all the leaders of the community came up to him. Then Moses spoke with them. 32 After this, all the people of Israel came up to Moses, and he told them all the commands that Yahweh had given him on Mount Sinai. 33 When Moses had finished speaking with them, he put a veil over his face. 34 Whenever Moses went before Yahweh to speak with him, he would remove the veil, until he came out. When he came out, he would tell the Israelites what he was commanded to say. 35 When the Israelites saw Moses' face shining, he would put the veil over his face again until he went back in to speak with Yahweh.

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1 Moses assembled all the community of the Israelites and said to them, “These are the things that Yahweh has commanded you to do. 2 On six days work may be done, but for you, the seventh day must be a holy day, a Sabbath day of complete rest, holy to Yahweh. Whoever does any work on that day must be put to death. 3 You must not light a fire in any of your homes on the Sabbath day.”

4 Moses spoke to all the community of the Israelites, saying, “This is the thing that Yahweh commanded. 5 Take an offering for Yahweh, all of you who have a willing heart. Bring an offering to Yahweh—gold, silver, bronze, 6 blue, purple, and scarlet wool and fine linen; goats' hair; 7 ram skins dyed red and sea cow hides; acacia wood; 8 oil for the sanctuary lamps, spices for the anointing oil and the fragrant incense, 9 onyx stones and other precious stones to be set for the ephod and breastpiece.

10 Every skilled man among you is to come and make everything that Yahweh has commanded— 11 the tabernacle with its tent, its covering, its clasps, frames, bars, posts, and bases; 12 also the ark with its poles, the atonement lid, and the curtain to conceal it. 13 They brought the table with its poles, all its utensils, and the bread of the presence; 14 the lampstand for the lights, with its accessories, its lamps, and the oil for the lamps; 15 the incense altar with its poles, the anointing oil and the fragrant incense; the hanging for the tabernacle entrance; 16 the altar for burnt offerings with its bronze grate and its poles and utensils; and the large basin with its base. 17 They brought the hangings for the courtyard with its posts and bases, and the curtain for the courtyard entrance; 18 and the tent pegs for the tabernacle and courtyard, together with their ropes. 19 They brought the finely-woven garments for serving in the holy place, the holy garments for Aaron the priest and his sons, for them to serve as priests.”

20 Then all the tribes of Israel left and went away from Moses's presence. 21 Everyone whose heart stirred him up and whom his spirit made willing came and brought an offering to Yahweh for the construction of the tabernacle, for all the items of service in it, and for the holy garments. 22 They came, both men and women, all who had a willing heart. They brought brooches, earrings, rings, and ornaments, all kinds of gold jewelry. They all presented offerings of gold as a wave offering to Yahweh. 23 Everyone who had blue, purple, or scarlet wool, fine linen, goat hair, ram skins dyed red, or sea cow skins brought them. 24 Everyone making an offering of silver or bronze brought it as an offering to Yahweh, and everyone who had acacia wood for any use in the work brought it. 25 Every skilled woman spun wool with her hands and brought what she had spun—blue, purple, or scarlet wool, or fine linen. 26 All the women whose hearts stirred them up and who had skill spun goats' hair. 27 The leaders brought onyx stones and other gems to be set into the ephod and the breastpiece; 28 they brought spices and oil for the lamps, for the anointing oil, and for the fragrant incense. 29 The Israelites brought a freewill offering to Yahweh; every man and woman whose heart was willing brought materials for all the work that Yahweh had commanded through Moses to be made.

30 Moses said to the Israelites, “See, Yahweh has called by name on Bezalel son of Uri son of Hur, from the tribe of Judah. 31 He has filled Bezalel with his Spirit, to give him wisdom, understanding, and knowledge, for all kinds of craftsmanship, 32 to make artistic designs and to work in gold, silver, and bronze; 33 also to cut and set stones and to carve wood—to do all kinds of design and craftsmanship. 34 He has put it in his heart to teach, both he and Oholiab son of Ahisamak, from the tribe of Dan. 35 He has filled them with skill to do all kinds of work, to work as craftsmen, as engravers, as embroiderers in blue, purple, and scarlet wool and fine linen, and as weavers. They are craftsmen in all sorts of work, and they are artistic designers.

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1 So Bezalel and Oholiab and every skilled person to whom Yahweh has given skill and ability to know how to do any work in the construction of the holy place are to do the work according to all that Yahweh has commanded.”

2 Moses summoned Bezalel, Oholiab, and every skillful person in whose mind Yahweh had given skill, and whose heart stirred within him to come and do the work. 3 They received from Moses all the offerings that the Israelites had brought for constructing the holy place. The people were still bringing freewill offerings every morning to Moses. 4 So all the skilled people working on the holy place came from the work that they had been doing. 5 The craftsmen told Moses, “The people are bringing much more than enough for doing the work that Yahweh has commanded us to do.” 6 So Moses instructed that no one in the camp should bring any more offerings for the construction of the holy place. Then the people stopped bringing these gifts. 7 They had more than enough materials for all the work.

8 So all the craftsmen among them constructed the tabernacle with ten curtains made from fine linen and blue, purple, and scarlet wool with the designs of cherubim. This was the work of Bezalel, the very skilled craftsman. 9 The length of each curtain was twenty-eight cubits, the width four cubits. All the curtains were of the same size. 10 Bezalel joined five curtains to each other, and the other five curtains he also joined to each other. 11 He made loops of blue along the outer edge of the end curtain of one set, and he did the same along the outer edge of the end curtain in the second set. 12 He made fifty loops on the first curtain and fifty loops on the edge of the end curtain in the second set. So the loops were opposite to each another. 13 He made fifty gold clasps and joined the curtains together with them so that the tabernacle became united.

14 Bezalel made curtains of goat hair for a tent over the tabernacle; he made eleven of these curtains. 15 The length of each curtain was thirty cubits, and the width of each curtain was four cubits. Each of the eleven curtains was of the same size. 16 He joined five curtains to each other and the other six curtains to each other. 17 He made fifty loops on the edge of the end curtain of the first set, and fifty loops along the edge of the end curtain that joined the second set. 18 Bezalel made fifty bronze clasps to join the tent together so that it might be one piece. 19 He made for the tabernacle a covering of ram skins dyed red, another covering of fine leather to go above that.

20 Bezalel made vertical frames out of acacia wood for the tabernacle. 21 The length of each frame was ten cubits, and the width of each frame was one and a half cubits. 22 Each frame had two wooden pegs for joining the frames together. He did this for all the frames of the tabernacle. 23 He made the frames for the tabernacle in this way: twenty frames for the south side. 24 Bezalel made forty silver bases to go under the twenty frames. There were two bases under one frame to join the frames together, and also two bases under each of the other frames to join frames together. 25 For the second side of the tabernacle, on the north side, he made twenty frames 26 and their forty silver bases. There were two bases under the first frame, two bases under the next frame, and so on. 27 For the back of the tabernacle on the west, Bezalel made six frames. 28 He made two frames for the back corners of the tabernacle. 29 These frames were separate at the bottom, but joined at the top in one ring. He made two of them in this way for the two corners. 30 There were eight frames, together with their silver bases. There were sixteen bases in all, two bases under the first frame, two bases under the next frame, and so on.

31 Bezalel made crossbars of acacia wood—five for the frames of the one side of the tabernacle, 32 five crossbars for the frames of the other side of the tabernacle, and five crossbars for the frames for the back side of the tabernacle to the west. 33 He made the crossbar in the center of the frames, that is, halfway up, to reach from end to end. 34 He covered the frames with gold. He made their rings of gold, for them to serve as holders for the crossbars, and he covered the bars with gold.

35 Bezalel made the curtain of blue, purple, and scarlet wool, and of fine linen, with designs of cherubim, the work of a skillful workman. 36 He made for the curtain four pillars of acacia wood, and he covered them with gold. He also made gold hooks for the pillars, and he cast for them four silver bases. 37 He made a hanging for the tent entrance. It was made of blue, purple, and scarlet wool, using fine linen, the work of an embroiderer. 38 He also made the hanging's five pillars with hooks. He covered their tops and their rods with gold. Their five bases were made of bronze.

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1 Bezalel made the ark of acacia wood. Its length was two and a half cubits; its width was one cubit and a half; and its height was one cubit and a half. 2 He covered it inside and out with pure gold and made for it a border of gold around its top. 3 He cast four rings of gold for its four feet, with two rings on one side of it, and two rings on the other side. 4 He made poles of acacia wood and covered them with gold. 5 He put the poles into the rings on the ark's sides, in order to carry the ark. 6 He made an atonement lid of pure gold. Its length was two and a half cubits, and its width was one and a half cubits. 7 Bezalel made two cherubim of hammered gold for the two ends of the atonement lid. 8 One cherub was for one end of the atonement lid, and other cherub was for the other end. They were made as one piece with the atonement lid. 9 The cherubim spread out their wings upward and overshadowed the atonement lid with them. The cherubim faced one another and looked toward the center of the atonement lid.

10 Bezalel made the table of acacia wood. Its length was two cubits, its width was one cubit, and its height was one and a half cubits. 11 He covered it with pure gold and put a border of pure gold around the top. 12 He made a surrounding frame for it one handbreadth wide, with a surrounding border of gold for the frame. 13 He cast for it four rings of gold and attached the rings to the four corners, where the four feet were. 14 The rings were attached to the frame to provide places for the poles, in order to carry the table. 15 He made the poles out of acacia wood and covered them with gold, in order to carry the table. 16 He made the objects that would be on the table—the dishes, spoons, the bowls, and pitchers to be used to pour out the offerings. He made them out of pure gold.

17 He made the lampstand of pure hammered gold. He made the lampstand with its base and shaft. Its cups, its leafy bases, and its flowers were all made of one piece with it. 18 Six branches extended out from its sides—three branches extended from one side, and three branches of the lampstand extended from the other side. 19 The first branch had three cups made like almond blossoms, with a leafy base and a flower, and three cups made like almond blossoms in the other branch, with a leafy base and a flower. It was the same for all six branches extending out from the lampstand. 20 On the lampstand itself, the central shaft, there were four cups made like almond blossoms, with their leafy bases and the flowers. 21 There was a leafy base under the first pair of branches—made as one piece with it, and a leafy base under the second pair of branches—also made as one piece with it. In the same way there was a leafy base under the third pair of branches, made as one piece with it. It was the same for all six branches extending out from the lampstand. 22 Their leafy bases and branches were all one piece with it, one beaten piece of work of pure gold. 23 Bezalel made the lampstand and its seven lamps, its tongs and their trays of pure gold. 24 He made the lampstand and its accessories with one talent of pure gold.

25 Bezalel made the incense altar. He made it with acacia wood. Its length was one cubit, and its width one cubit. It was square, and its height was two cubits. Its horns were made as one piece with it. 26 He covered the incense altar with pure gold—its top, its sides, and its horns. He also made a surrounding border of gold for it. 27 He made two golden rings to be attached to it under its border on its two opposite sides. The rings were holders for poles to carry the altar. 28 He made the poles of acacia wood, and he covered them with gold. 29 He made the holy anointing oil and the pure fragrant incense, the work of a perfumer.

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1 Bezalel made the altar for burnt offerings of acacia wood. It was five cubits long and five cubits wide—a square—and three cubits high. 2 He made extensions of its four corners shaped like ox horns. The horns were made of one piece with the altar, and he covered it with bronze. 3 He made all the equipment for the altar—pots for ashes, shovels, basins, meat forks, and firepans. He made all this equipment with bronze. 4 He made a grate for the altar, a network of bronze to be placed under the ledge, halfway down to the bottom. 5 He cast four rings for the four corners of the bronze grate, as holders for the poles. 6 Bezalel made poles of acacia wood and covered them with bronze. 7 He put the poles through the rings on the sides of the altar, to carry it. He made the altar hollow, out of planks.

8 Bezalel made the large bronze basin with a bronze stand. He made the basin out of mirrors belonging to the women who served at the entrance to the tent of meeting. 9 He also made the courtyard. The hangings on the south side of the courtyard were of fine linen, one hundred cubits long. 10 The hangings had twenty posts, with twenty bronze bases. There were hooks attached to the posts, as well as silver rods. 11 Likewise along the north side, there were hangings one hundred cubits long with twenty posts, twenty bronze bases, hooks attached to the posts, and silver rods. 12 The hangings of the west side were fifty cubits long, with ten posts and bases. The hooks and rods of the posts were silver. 13 The courtyard was also fifty cubits long on the east side. 14 The hangings for one side of the entrance were fifteen cubits long. They had three posts with three bases. 15 On the other side of the entrance of the courtyard were also hangings fifteen cubits long, with three posts and three bases. 16 All the hangings around the courtyard were made of fine linen. 17 The bases for the posts were made of bronze. The hooks and rods for the posts were made of silver, and the covering for the tops of the posts was also made of silver. All the courtyard posts were covered with silver. 18 The curtain at the courtyard gate was twenty cubits long. The curtain was made of blue, purple, and scarlet linen, fine twined linen, and was twenty cubits long. It was twenty cubits in length and five cubits in height, like the courtyard curtains. 19 It had four bronze bases and silver hooks. The covering for their tops and its rods were made of silver. 20 All the tent pegs for the tabernacle and courtyard were made of bronze.

21 This is the inventory of the tabernacle, the tabernacle of the covenant decrees, as it was taken following Moses' instructions. It was the work of the Levites under the direction of Ithamar son of Aaron the priest. 22 Bezalel son of Uri son of Hur, from the tribe of Judah, made everything that Yahweh had commanded Moses. 23 Oholiab son of Ahisamak, from the tribe of Dan, worked with Bezalel as an engraver, as a skillful workman, and as an embroiderer in blue, purple, and scarlet wool, and in fine linen.

24 All the gold that was used for the project, in all the work connected with the holy place—the gold from the wave offering—was twenty-nine talents and 730 shekels, measured by the standard of the sanctuary shekel. 25 The silver given by the community weighed one hundred talents and 1,775 shekels, according to the sanctuary shekel, 26 or one beka per man, which is half a shekel, measured by the sanctuary shekel. This figure was reached on the basis of every person who was counted in the census, those twenty years old and older—603,550 men in all. 27 One hundred talents of silver were cast for the bases of the holy place and the curtain's bases—one hundred bases, one talent for each base. 28 With the remaining 1,775 shekels of silver, Bezalel made the hooks for the posts, covered the tops of the posts, and made the rods for them. 29 The bronze from wave offering weighed seventy talents and 2,400 shekels. 30 With this he made the bases for the entrance to the tent of meeting, the bronze altar, its bronze grate, all the equipment for the altar, 31 the bases for the courtyard, the bases for the courtyard entrance, all the tent pegs for the tabernacle, and all the tent pegs for the courtyard.

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1 With the blue, purple, and scarlet wool, they made finely-woven garments for service in the holy place. They made Aaron's garments for the holy place, as Yahweh had commanded Moses.

2 Bezalel made the ephod of gold, of blue, purple, and scarlet wool, and of fine twined linen. 3 They hammered gold sheets and cut them into wires, to work them into the blue, purple, and scarlet wool, and into the fine linen, the work of a skillful workman. 4 They made shoulder pieces for the ephod, attached at its two upper corners. 5 Its finely-woven waistband was like the ephod; it was made of one piece with the ephod, made of fine twined linen that was gold, blue, purple, and scarlet, just as Yahweh had commanded Moses.

6 They crafted the onyx stones, enclosed in settings of gold, set with engravings as on a signet, and engraved with the names of Israel's twelve sons. 7 Bezalel put them on the shoulder pieces of the ephod, as stones to remind Yahweh of Israel's twelve sons, as Yahweh had commanded Moses.

8 He made the breastpiece, the work of a skillful workman, fashioned like the ephod. He made it of gold, of blue, purple, and scarlet wool, and of fine linen. 9 It was square. They folded the breastpiece double. It was one span long and one span wide. 10 They set in it four rows of precious stones. The first row had a ruby, a topaz, and a garnet. 11 The second row had an emerald, a sapphire, and a diamond. 12 The third row had a jacinth, an agate, and an amethyst. 13 The fourth row had a beryl, an onyx, and a jasper. The stones were mounted in gold settings. 14 The stones were arranged by the names of Israel's twelve sons, each in order by name. They were like the engraving on a signet ring, each name standing for one of the twelve tribes. 15 On the breastpiece they made chains like cords, braided work of pure gold. 16 They made two settings of gold and two gold rings, and they attached the two rings to the two corners of the breastpiece. 17 They put the two braided chains of gold in the two rings at the corners of the breastpiece. 18 They attached the other two ends of the braided chains to the two settings. They attached them to the shoulder pieces of the ephod at its front. 19 They made two rings of gold and put them on the two other corners of the breastpiece, on the edge next to the inner border. 20 They made two more gold rings and attached them to the bottom of the two shoulder pieces of the front of the ephod, close to its seam above the finely-woven waistband of the ephod. 21 They tied the breastpiece by its rings to the ephod's rings with a blue cord, so that it might be attached just above the ephod's finely-woven waistband. This was so that the breastpiece might not become unattached from the ephod. This was done as Yahweh had commanded Moses.

22 Bezalel made the robe of the ephod entirely of blue fabric, the work of a weaver. 23 It had an opening for the head in the middle. The opening had a woven edge round about so that it did not tear. 24 On the bottom hem, they made pomegranates of blue, purple, and scarlet yarn and of fine linen. 25 They made bells of pure gold, and they put the bells between the pomegranates all around on the bottom edge the robe, between the pomegranates— 26 a bell and a pomegranate, a bell and a pomegranate—on the edge of the robe for Aaron to serve in. This was as Yahweh had commanded Moses.

27 They made the coats of fine linen for Aaron and for his sons. 28 They made the turban of fine linen, the ornate headbands of fine linen, the linen undergarments of fine linen, 29 and the sash of fine linen and of blue, purple, and scarlet yarn, the work of an embroiderer. This was as Yahweh had commanded Moses.

30 They made the plate of the holy crown of pure gold; they engraved on it, like the engraving on a signet, “Holy to Yahweh.” 31 They attached to the turban a blue cord to the top of the turban. This was as Yahweh had commanded Moses.

32 So the work on the tabernacle, the tent of meeting, was finished. The people of Israel did everything. They followed all the instructions that Yahweh had given to Moses. 33 They brought the tabernacle to Moses—the tent and all its equipment, its clasps, frames, bars, posts, and bases; 34 the covering of ram skins dyed red, the covering of sea cow leather, and the curtain to conceal 35 the ark of the testimony, as well as the poles and the atonement lid. 36 They brought the table, all its utensils, and the bread of the presence; 37 the lampstand of pure gold and its lamps in a row, with its accessories and the oil for the lamps; 38 the golden altar, the anointing oil and the fragrant incense; the hanging for the tabernacle entrance; 39 the bronze altar with its bronze grate and its poles and utensil and the large basin with its base. 40 They brought the hangings for the courtyard with its posts and bases, and the curtain for the courtyard entrance; its ropes and tent pegs; and all the equipment for the service of the tabernacle, the tent of meeting. 41 They brought the fine woven garments for serving in the holy place, the holy garments for Aaron the priest and his sons, for them to serve as priests. 42 Thus the people of Israel did all the work as Yahweh had commanded Moses. 43 Moses examined all the work, and, behold, they had done it. As Yahweh had commanded, in that way they did it. Then Moses blessed them.

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1 Then Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “On the first day of the first month of the new year you must set up the tabernacle, the tent of meeting. 3 You must place the ark of the testimony in it, and you must shield the ark with the curtain. 4 You must bring in the table and set in order the things that belong on it. Then you must bring in the lampstand and set up the lamps. 5 You must put the golden incense altar before the ark of the testimony, and you must put the curtain at the entrance to the tabernacle. 6 You must put the altar for burnt offerings in front of the entrance to the tabernacle, the tent of meeting. 7 You must put the large basin between the tent of meeting and the altar and you must put water in it. 8 You must set up the courtyard around it, and you must hang up the curtain at the courtyard entrance. 9 You must take the anointing oil and anoint the tabernacle and everything that is in it. You must set it apart and all its furnishings to me; then it will be holy. 10 You must anoint the altar for burnt offerings and all its utensils. You must set apart the altar to me and it will become very holy to me. 11 You must anoint the bronze basin and its base and set it apart to me. 12 You are to bring Aaron and his sons to the entrance of the tent of meeting and you must wash them with water. 13 You are to clothe Aaron with the garments that are set apart to me, anoint him and set him apart so that he may serve as my priest. 14 You are to bring his sons and clothe them with coats. 15 You must anoint them as you anointed their father so that they may serve me as priests. Their anointing will make for them a permanent priesthood throughout their people's generations.” 16 This is what Moses did; he followed all that Yahweh had commanded him. He did all these things.

17 So the tabernacle was set up on the first day of the first month in the second year. 18 Moses set up the tabernacle, put its bases in place, set up its frames, attached its bars, and set up its pillars and posts. 19 He spread the covering over the tabernacle and put tent over it, as Yahweh had commanded him. 20 He took the covenant decrees and put them into the ark. He also placed the poles on the ark and put the atonement lid on it. 21 He brought the ark into the tabernacle. He set up the curtain for it to shield the ark of the testimony, as Yahweh had commanded him. 22 He put the table into the tent of meeting, on the north side of the tabernacle, outside the curtain. 23 He placed the bread in order on the table before Yahweh, as Yahweh had commanded him. 24 He put the lampstand into the tent of meeting, across from the table, on the south side of the tabernacle. 25 He lit the lamps before Yahweh, as Yahweh had commanded him. 26 He put the golden incense altar into the tent of meeting in front of the curtain. 27 He burned fragrant incense on it, as Yahweh had commanded him. 28 He hung the curtain at the tabernacle entrance. 29 He put the altar for the burnt offering at the entrance to the tabernacle, the tent of meeting. He offered on it the burnt offering and the grain offering, as Yahweh had commanded him. 30 He placed the basin between the tent of meeting and the altar, and he put water in it for washing. 31 Moses, Aaron, and his sons washed their hands and their feet from the basin 32 whenever they would go into the tent of meeting and whenever they would go up to the altar. They washed themselves, as Yahweh had commanded Moses. 33 Moses set up the courtyard around the tabernacle and the altar. He set up the curtain at the courtyard entrance. In this way, Moses finished the work.

34 Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and Yahweh's glory filled the tabernacle. 35 Moses was not able to enter the tent of meeting because the cloud had settled on it, and because Yahweh's glory filled the tabernacle. 36 Whenever the cloud was taken up from over the tabernacle, the people of Israel would set out on their journey. 37 But if the cloud did not rise up from the tabernacle, then the people would not travel. They would stay until the day that it was lifted up. 38 For Yahweh's cloud was over the tabernacle by day, and his fire was over it by night, in plain view of all the people of Israel throughout their journey.

Leviticus

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Leviticus

1

1 Yahweh called to Moses and spoke to him from the tent of meeting, saying, 2 “Speak to the people of Israel and tell them, 'When any man from among you brings an offering to Yahweh, bring as your offering one of your animals, either from the herd or from the flock.

3 If his offering is a burnt offering from the herd, he must offer a male without blemish. He is to offer it at the entrance of the tent of meeting, so that it may be accepted before Yahweh. 4 He is to lay his hand on the head of the burnt offering, and then it will be accepted on his behalf to make atonement for himself. 5 Then he must kill the bull before Yahweh. Aaron's sons, the priests, will present the blood and sprinkle it on the altar that is at the entrance of the tent of meeting. 6 Then he must skin the burnt offering and cut it to pieces. 7 Then the sons of Aaron the priest will put fire on the altar and place wood to feed the fire. 8 Aaron's sons, the priests, are to place the pieces, the head and the fat, in order on the wood that is on the fire which is on the altar. 9 But its inner parts and its legs he must wash with water. Then the priest will burn everything on the altar as a burnt offering. It will produce a sweet aroma for me; it will be an offering made to me by fire.

10 If his offering for the burnt offering is from the flock, one of the sheep or one of the goats, he must offer a male without blemish. 11 He must kill it on the north side of the altar before Yahweh. Aaron's sons, the priests, will sprinkle its blood on every side of the altar. 12 Then he must cut it into pieces, with its head and its fat, and the priest will lay them in order on the wood that is on the fire, which is on the altar, 13 but the inner parts and the legs he must wash with water. Then the priest will offer the whole, and burn it on the altar. It is a burnt offering, and it will produce a sweet aroma for Yahweh; it will be an offering made to him by fire.

14 If his offering to Yahweh is to be a burnt offering of birds, then he must bring as his offering either a dove or a young pigeon. 15 The priest must bring it to the altar, wring off its head, and burn it on the altar. Then its blood must be drained out on the side of the altar. 16 He must remove its crop with its contents, and throw it beside the altar on the east side, in the place for the ashes. 17 He must tear it open by its wings, but he must not divide it into two parts. Then the priest will burn it on the altar, on the wood that is on the fire. It will be a burnt offering, and it will produce a sweet aroma for Yahweh; it will be an offering made to him by fire.

2

1 When anyone brings a grain offering to Yahweh, his offering must be fine flour, and he will pour oil on it and put incense on it. 2 He is to take the offering to Aaron's sons the priests, and there the priest will take out a handful of the fine flour with the oil and the incense on it. Then the priest will burn the offering on the altar as a representative offering. It will produce a sweet aroma for Yahweh; it will be an offering made to him by fire. 3 Whatever is left of the grain offering will belong to Aaron and his sons. It is very holy to Yahweh from the offerings to Yahweh made by fire.

4 When you offer a grain offering without yeast that is baked in an oven, it must be soft bread of fine flour mixed with oil, or hard bread without yeast, which is spread with oil. 5 If your grain offering is baked with a flat iron pan, it must be of fine flour without yeast that is mixed with oil. 6 You are to divide it into pieces and pour oil on it. This is a grain offering. 7 If your grain offering is cooked in a pan, it must be made with fine flour and oil. 8 You must bring the grain offering made from these things to Yahweh, and it will be presented to the priest, who will bring it to the altar. 9 Then the priest will take some from the grain offering as a representative offering, and he will burn it on the altar. It will be an offering made by fire, and it will produce a sweet aroma for Yahweh. 10 What is left of the grain offering will belong to Aaron and his sons. It is very holy to Yahweh from the offerings to Yahweh made by fire.

11 No grain offering that you offer to Yahweh is to be made with yeast, for you must burn no leaven, nor any honey, as an offering made by fire to Yahweh. 12 You will offer them to Yahweh as an offering of firstfruits, but they will not be used to produce a sweet aroma on the altar. 13 You must season each of your grain offerings with salt. You must never allow the salt of the covenant of your God to be missing from your grain offering. With all your offerings you must offer salt.

14 If you offer a grain offering of firstfruits to Yahweh, offer fresh grain that is roasted with fire and then crushed into meal. 15 Then you must put oil and incense on it. This is a grain offering. 16 Then the priest will burn part of the crushed grain and oil and incense as a representative offering. This is an offering made by fire to Yahweh.

3

1 If someone offers a sacrifice which is a fellowship offering of an animal from the herd, whether male or female, he must offer an animal without blemish before Yahweh. 2 He will lay his hand on the head of his offering and kill it at the door of the tent of meeting. Then Aaron's sons the priests will sprinkle its blood on the sides of the altar. 3 The man will offer the sacrifice of a fellowship offering by fire to Yahweh. The fat that covers or is connected to the inner parts, 4 and the two kidneys and the fat that is on them by the loins, and the lobe of the liver, with the kidneys—he will remove all of this. 5 Aaron's sons will burn that on the altar with the burnt offering, which is on the wood that is on the fire. This will produce a sweet aroma for Yahweh; it will be an offering made to him by fire.

6 If the man's sacrifice of a fellowship offering to Yahweh is from the flock; male or female, he must offer a sacrifice without blemish. 7 If he offers a lamb for his sacrifice, then he must offer it before Yahweh. 8 He will lay his hand on the head of his sacrifice and kill it before the tent of meeting. Then Aaron's sons will sprinkle its blood on the sides of the altar. 9 The man will offer the sacrifice of fellowship offerings as an offering made by fire to Yahweh. The fat, the entire fat tail cut away close to the backbone, and the fat that covers the inner parts and all the fat that is near the inner parts, 10 and the two kidneys and the fat that is with them, which is by the loins, and the lobe of the liver, with the kidneys—he will remove all of this. 11 Then the priest will burn it all on the altar as a burnt offering of food to Yahweh.

12 If the man's offering is a goat, then he will offer it before Yahweh. 13 He must lay his hand on the head of the goat and kill it before the tent of meeting. Then the sons of Aaron will sprinkle its blood on the sides of the altar. 14 The man will offer his sacrifice made by fire to Yahweh. He will remove the fat that covers the inner parts, and all the fat near the inner parts. 15 He will also remove the two kidneys and the fat that is with them, which is by the loins, and the lobe of the liver with the kidneys. 16 The priest will burn all that on the altar as a burnt offering of food, to produce a sweet aroma. All the fat belongs to Yahweh. 17 It will be a permanent statute throughout your people's generations in every place you make your home, that you must not eat fat or blood.'”

4

1 Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Tell the people of Israel, 'When anyone sins without wanting to sin, doing any of the things that Yahweh has commanded not to be done, and if he does something that is prohibited, the following must be done. 3 If it is the high priest who sins so as to bring guilt on the people, then let him offer for his sin which he has committed a young bull without blemish to Yahweh as a sin offering. 4 He must bring the bull to the entrance of the tent of meeting before Yahweh, lay his hand on its head, and kill the bull before Yahweh. 5 The anointed priest will take some of the blood of the bull and take it to the tent of meeting. 6 The priest will dip his finger into the blood and sprinkle some of it seven times before Yahweh, before the curtain of the most holy place. 7 Then the priest will put some of the blood on the horns of the altar of fragrant incense before Yahweh, which is in the tent of meeting, and he will pour out all the rest of the blood of the bull at the base of the altar for burnt offerings, which is at the entrance of the tent of meeting. 8 He will cut away all the fat of the bull of the sin offering; the fat that covers the inner parts, all the fat that is attached to the inner parts, 9 the two kidneys and the fat that is on them, which is by the loins, and the lobe of the liver, with the kidneys—he will cut away all this. 10 He will cut it all away, just as he cuts it off from the bull of the sacrifice of peace offerings. Then the priest will burn these parts on the altar for burnt offerings. 11 The skin of the bull and any remaining meat, with its head and with its legs and its inner parts and its dung, 12 all the rest of the parts of the bull—he will carry all these parts outside the camp to a place that they have cleansed for me, where they pour out the ashes; they will burn those parts there on wood. They must burn those parts where they pour out the ashes.

13 If the whole assembly of Israel sins without wanting to sin, and the assembly is unaware that they have sinned and done any of the things which Yahweh has commanded not to be done, and if they are guilty, 14 then, when the sin they have committed becomes known, then the assembly must offer a young bull for a sin offering and bring it before the tent of meeting. 15 The elders of the assembly will lay their hands on the head of the bull before Yahweh, and the bull will be killed before Yahweh. 16 The anointed priest will bring some of the blood of the bull to the tent of meeting, 17 and the priest will dip his finger in the blood and sprinkle it seven times before Yahweh, before the curtain. 18 He will put some of the blood on the horns of the altar that is before Yahweh, which is in the tent of meeting, and he will pour out all the blood at the base of the altar for burnt offerings, which is at the entrance of the tent of meeting. 19 He will cut off all the fat from it and burn it on the altar. 20 That is what he must do with the bull. Just as he did with the bull of the sin offering, so will he also do with this bull, and the priest will make atonement for the people, and they will be forgiven. 21 He will carry the bull outside the camp and burn it as he burned the first bull. This is the sin offering for the assembly.

22 When a ruler sins without intending to sin, doing any one of all the things that Yahweh his God has commanded not to be done, and he is guilty, 23 then his sin which he has committed is made known to him, he must bring for his sacrifice a goat, a male without blemish. 24 He will lay his hand on the head of the goat and kill it in the place where they kill the burnt offering before Yahweh. This is a sin offering. 25 The priest will take the blood of the sin offering with his finger and put it on the horns of the altar for burnt offerings, and he will pour out its blood at the base of the altar of burnt offering. 26 He will burn all the fat on the altar, just like the fat of the sacrifice of peace offerings. The priest will make atonement for the ruler concerning his sin, and the ruler will be forgiven.

27 If anyone of the common people sins without intending to sin, doing any of the things which Yahweh has commanded him not to be done, and when he realizes his guilt, 28 then his sin which he has committed is made known to him, then he will bring a goat for his sacrifice, a female without blemish, for the sin that he has committed. 29 He will lay his hand on the head of the sin offering and kill the sin offering at the place of burnt offering. 30 The priest will take some of the blood with his finger and put it on the horns of the altar for burnt offerings. He will pour out all the rest of the blood at the base of the altar. 31 He will cut away all the fat, just as the fat is cut away from off the sacrifice of peace offerings. The priest will burn it on the altar to produce a sweet aroma for Yahweh. The priest will make atonement for the man, and he will be forgiven.

32 If the man brings a lamb as his sacrifice for a sin offering, he will bring a female without blemish. 33 He will lay his hand on the head of the sin offering and kill it for a sin offering at the place where they kill the burnt offering. 34 The priest will take some of the blood of the sin offering with his finger and put it on the horns of the altar for burnt offerings, and he will pour out all its blood at the base of the altar. 35 He will cut away all the fat, just as the fat of the lamb is cut away from the sacrifice of peace offerings, and the priest will burn it on the altar on top of the offerings of Yahweh made by fire. The priest will make atonement for him for the sin he has committed, and the man will be forgiven.

5

1 If anyone sins because he does not testify when he has witnessed something about which he is required to testify, whether he has seen it or heard about it, he will be responsible. 2 Or if anyone touches anything God has designated as unclean, whether it be the carcass of an unclean wild animal or the carcass of any livestock that has died, or creeping animal, even if the person did not intend to touch it, he is unclean and guilty. 3 Or if he touches the uncleanness of someone, whatever that uncleanness is, and if he is unaware of it, then he will be guilty when he learns about it. 4 Or if anyone swears rashly with his lips to do evil, or to do good, whatever it is that a man swears rashly with an oath, even if he is unaware of it, when he learns about it, then he will be guilty, in any of these things. 5 When someone is guilty in any of these things, he must confess whatever sin he has committed. 6 Then he must bring his guilt offering to Yahweh for the sin that he has committed, a female animal from the flock, either a lamb or a goat, for a sin offering, and the priest will make atonement for him concerning his sin.

7 If he cannot afford to buy a lamb, then he can bring as his guilt offering for his sin two doves or two young pigeons to Yahweh, one for a sin offering and the other for a burnt offering. 8 He must bring them to the priest, who will offer one for the sin offering first—he will wring off its head from its neck but will not remove it completely from the body. 9 Then he will sprinkle some of the blood of the sin offering on the side of the altar, and he will drain the rest of the blood out at the base of the altar. This is a sin offering. 10 Then he must offer the second bird as a burnt offering, as described in the instructions, and the priest will make atonement for him for the sin that he has committed, and the person will be forgiven.

11 But if he cannot afford to buy two doves or two young pigeons, then he must bring as his sacrifice for his sin a tenth of an ephah of fine flour for a sin offering. He must not put oil or any incense on it, for it is a sin offering. 12 He must bring it to the priest, and the priest will take a handful of it as a representative offering and then burn it on the altar, on top of the offerings made by fire for Yahweh. This is a sin offering. 13 The priest will make atonement for any sin that the person has committed, and that person will be forgiven. The leftovers from the offering will belong to the priest, as with the grain offering.'”

14 Then Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, 15 “If anyone sins and acts unfaithfully in regard to the things that belong to Yahweh, but did so unintentionally, then he must bring his guilt offering to Yahweh. This offering must be a ram without blemish from the flock; its value must be appraised in silver shekels—the shekel of the sanctuary—as a guilt offering. 16 He must satisfy Yahweh for what he had done wrong in connection with what is holy, and he must add one-fifth to it and give it to the priest. Then the priest will make atonement for him with the ram of the guilt offering, and that person will be forgiven.

17 If anyone sins and does anything that Yahweh has commanded not to be done, even if he was unaware of it, he is still guilty and must carry his own guilt. 18 He must bring a ram without blemish out of the flock, worth the current value, as a guilt offering to the priest. Then the priest will make atonement for him concerning the sin he has committed, of which he was unaware, and he will be forgiven. 19 It is a guilt offering, and he is certainly guilty before Yahweh.”

6

1 Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “If anyone sins and acts unfaithfully against Yahweh by deceiving his neighbor regarding something held in trust, or was left in his care, or about something that was stolen, or if he has oppressed his neighbor, 3 or he has found something that his neighbor lost and lies about it, or if he swears falsely, or in any matters like these by which people sin, 4 and if he has sinned and is found to be guilty, he must restore whatever he took by robbery or oppression, or that which was entrusted to him, or that which was lost but that he had found. 5 In addition, in any matter in which he swore falsely, he must restore it in full and he must add one-fifth of the value of it and pay it all to the owner on the day that he is found guilty. 6 Then he must bring his guilt offering to Yahweh, a ram without blemish from the flock that is worth the current value, as a guilt offering to the priest. 7 The priest will make atonement for him before Yahweh, and he will be forgiven concerning whatever he has become guilty of doing.”

8 Then Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, 9 “Command Aaron and his sons, saying, 'This is the law of the burnt offering: The burnt offering must be on the hearth of the altar all night until morning, and the fire of the altar will be kept burning. 10 The priest will put on his linen clothes, and he will also put on his linen underclothes. He will pick up the ashes that are left after the fire has consumed the burnt offering on the altar, and he will put the ashes beside the altar. 11 He will take off his garments and put on other garments to carry the ashes outside the camp to a place that is clean. 12 The fire on the altar will be kept burning. It must not go out, and the priest will burn wood on it every morning. He will arrange the burnt offering as required on it, and he will burn on it the fat of the peace offerings. 13 Fire must be kept burning on the altar continually. It must not go out.

14 This is the law of the grain offering. The sons of Aaron will offer it before Yahweh before the altar. 15 The priest will take up a handful of the fine flour of the grain offering and of the oil and the incense which is on the grain offering, and he will burn it on the altar to produce a sweet aroma as a representative offering. 16 Aaron and his sons will eat whatever is left of the offering. It must be eaten without yeast in a holy place. They will eat it in the courtyard of the tent of meeting. 17 It must not be baked with yeast. I have given it as their part of my offerings made by fire. It is most holy, as the sin offering and the guilt offering. 18 For all time to come throughout your people's generations, any male descended from Aaron may eat it as his share, taken from the offerings of Yahweh made by fire. Whoever touches them will become holy.'”

19 So Yahweh spoke to Moses again, saying, 20 “This is the offering of Aaron and of his sons, which they will offer to Yahweh on the day when each son is anointed: a tenth part of an ephah of fine flour as a regular grain offering, half of it in the morning and half of it in the evening. 21 It will be made with oil in a baking pan. When it is soaked, you will bring it in. In baked pieces you will offer the grain offering to produce a sweet aroma for Yahweh. 22 The son of the high priest who is becoming the new high priest from among his sons will offer it. As commanded forever, all of it shall be burned to Yahweh. 23 Every grain offering of the priest will be completely burned up. It must not be eaten.”

24 Yahweh spoke to Moses again, saying, 25 “Speak to Aaron and to his sons, saying, 'This is the law of the sin offering: The sin offering must be killed at the place where the burnt offering is killed before Yahweh. It is most holy. 26 The priest who offers it for sin will eat it. It must be eaten in a holy place in the courtyard of the tent of meeting. 27 Whatever touches its meat will become holy, and if the blood is sprinkled on any garment, you must wash it, the part that was sprinkled on, in a holy place. 28 But the clay pot in which it is boiled must be broken. If it is boiled in a bronze pot, it must be scrubbed and rinsed clean in water. 29 Any male among the priests may eat some of it because it is most holy. 30 But any sin offering whose blood is brought into the tent of meeting to make atonement in the holy place must not be eaten. It must be burned.

7

1 This is the law of the guilt offering. It is most holy. 2 They must kill the guilt offering in the place for killing it, and they must sprinkle its blood against every side of the altar. 3 All the fat in it will be offered: the fat tail, the fat that is over the inner parts, 4 the two kidneys and the fat on them, which is next to the loins, and what covers the liver, with the kidneys—all this must be removed. 5 The priest must burn these parts on the altar as an offering made with fire to Yahweh. This is the guilt offering. 6 Every male among the priests may eat part of this offering. It must be eaten in a holy place because it is most holy. 7 The sin offering is like the guilt offering. The same law applies to both of them. They belong to the priest who makes atonement with them. 8 The priest who offers anyone's burnt offering may have for himself the hide of that offering. 9 Every grain offering that is baked in an oven, and every such offering that is cooked in a frying pan or in a baking pan will belong to the priest who offers it. 10 Every grain offering, either dry or mixed with oil, will belong equally to all the descendants of Aaron.

11 This is the law of the sacrifice of peace offerings which people will offer to Yahweh. 12 If anyone offers it in order to give thanks, then he must offer it with a sacrifice of cakes made without yeast, but mixed with oil, of cakes made without yeast, but spread with oil, and of cakes made with fine flour that is mixed with oil. 13 Also for the purpose of giving thanks, he must offer with his peace offering cakes of bread made with yeast. 14 He is to offer one of each kind of these sacrifices as an offering presented to Yahweh. It will belong to the priests who sprinkle the blood of the peace offerings onto the altar.

15 The person presenting a peace offering for the purpose of giving thanks must eat the meat of his offering on the day of the sacrifice. He must not leave any of it until the next morning. 16 But if the sacrifice of his offering is for the purpose of a vow, or for the purpose of a freewill offering, the meat must be eaten on the day that he offers his sacrifice, but whatever remains of it may be eaten on the next day. 17 However, whatever meat of the sacrifice remains on the third day must be burned. 18 If any of the meat of the sacrifice of one's peace offering is eaten on the third day, it will not be accepted, neither will it be credited to the one who offered it. It will be a disgusting thing, and the person who eats it will carry the guilt of his sin.

19 Any meat that touches an unclean thing must not be eaten. It must be burned. As for the rest of the meat, anyone who is clean may eat it. 20 However, an unclean person who eats any meat from the sacrifice of a peace offering that belongs to Yahweh—that person must be cut off from his people. 21 If anyone touches any unclean thing—whether uncleanness of man, or of unclean beast, or of some unclean and disgusting thing, and if he then eats some of the meat of a sacrifice of peace offering that belongs to Yahweh, that person must be cut off from his people.'”

22 Then Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, 23 “Speak to the people of Israel and say, 'You must eat no fat of an ox or a sheep or a goat. 24 The fat of an animal that died without being a sacrifice, or the fat of an animal torn by wild animals, may be used for other purposes, but you must certainly not eat it. 25 Whoever eats the fat of an animal that men can offer as a sacrifice by fire to Yahweh, that person must be cut off from his people. 26 You must eat no blood whatsoever in any of your houses, whether it is from a bird or an animal. 27 Whoever eats any blood, that person must be cut off from his people.'”

28 So Yahweh spoke to Moses and said, 29 “Speak to the people of Israel and say, 'He who offers the sacrifice of a peace offering to Yahweh must bring part of his sacrifice to Yahweh. 30 The offering for Yahweh to be made by fire, his own hands must bring it. He must bring the fat with the breast, so that the breast may be waved as a wave offering before Yahweh. 31 The priest must burn the fat on the altar, but the breast will belong to Aaron and his descendants. 32 You must give the right thigh to the priest as an offering presented out of the sacrifice of your peace offerings. 33 The priest, one of Aaron's descendants, who offers the blood of the peace offerings and the fat—he will have the right thigh as his share of the offering. 34 For I have taken from the people of Israel, the breast of the wave offering, and the thigh that is the contribution, and they have been given to Aaron the priest and his sons as their regular share.

35 This is the share for Aaron and his descendants from the offerings for Yahweh made by fire, on the day when Moses presented them to serve Yahweh in the work of priest. 36 This is the share that Yahweh commanded to be given them from the people of Israel, on the day that he anointed the priests. It will always be their share throughout all generations.

37 This is the law of the burnt offering, of the grain offering, of the sin offering, of the guilt offering, of the consecration offering, and of the sacrifice of peace offerings, 38 about which Yahweh gave commands to Moses on Mount Sinai on the day that he commanded the people of Israel to offer their sacrifices to Yahweh in the wilderness of Sinai.'”

8

1 Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Take Aaron and his sons with him, the garments and the anointing oil, the bull for the sin offering, the two rams, and the basket of unleavened bread. 3 Assemble all the assembly at the entrance to the tent of meeting.” 4 So Moses did as Yahweh commanded him, and the assembly came together at the entrance to the tent of meeting. 5 Then Moses said to the assembly, “This is what Yahweh has commanded to be done.”

6 Moses brought Aaron and his sons and washed them with water. 7 He put on Aaron the tunic and tied the sash around his waist, clothed him with the robe and put the ephod on him, and then he tied the ephod around him with the finely-woven waistband and bound it to him. 8 He placed the breastpiece on him, and in the breastpiece he put the Urim and the Thummim. 9 He set the turban on his head, and on the turban, in front, he set the golden plate, the holy crown, as Yahweh had commanded him.

10 Moses took the anointing oil, anointed the tabernacle and everything in it and set them apart to Yahweh. 11 He sprinkled the oil on the altar seven times, and anointed the altar and all its utensils, and the washbasin and its base, to set them apart to Yahweh. 12 He poured some of the anointing oil on Aaron's head and anointed him to set him apart. 13 Moses brought Aaron's sons and clothed them with tunics. He tied sashes around their waists and wrapped linen cloth around their heads, as Yahweh had commanded him.

14 Moses brought the bull for the sin offering, and Aaron and his sons laid their hands on the head of the bull that they had brought for the sin offering. 15 He killed it, and he took the blood and put it on the horns of the altar with his finger, purified the altar, poured out the blood at the base of the altar, and set it apart for God in order to make atonement for it. 16 He took all the fat that was on the inner parts, the covering of the liver, and the two kidneys and their fat, and Moses burned it all on the altar. 17 But the bull, its hide, its meat, and its dung he burned outside the camp, as Yahweh had commanded him.

18 Moses presented the ram for the burnt offering, and Aaron and his sons laid their hands on the head of the ram. 19 He killed it and sprinkled its blood against every side of the altar. 20 He cut the ram into pieces and burned the head and the pieces and the fat. 21 He washed the inner parts and the legs with water, and he burned the whole ram on the altar. It was a burnt offering and produced a sweet aroma, an offering made by fire to Yahweh as Yahweh had commanded Moses.

22 Then Moses presented the other ram, the ram of consecration, and Aaron and his sons laid their hands on the head of the ram. 23 Aaron killed it, and Moses took some of its blood and put it on the tip of Aaron's right ear, on the thumb of his right hand, and on the big toe of his right foot. 24 He brought Aaron's sons, and he put some of the blood on the tip of their right ear, on the thumb of their right hand, and on the big toe of their right foot. Then Moses sprinkled its blood against every side of the altar. 25 He took the fat, the fat tail, all the fat that was on the inner parts, the covering of the liver, the two kidneys and their fat, and the right thigh. 26 Out of the basket of bread without yeast that was before Yahweh, he took one loaf without yeast, and one loaf of oiled bread, and one wafer, and placed them on the fat and on the right thigh. 27 He put it all in the hands of Aaron and in the hands of his sons and waved them before Yahweh as a wave offering. 28 Then Moses took them from off their hands and burned them on the altar for the burnt offering. They were a consecration offering and produced a sweet aroma. It was an offering made by fire to Yahweh. 29 Moses took the breast and waved it as a wave offering to Yahweh. It was Moses' share of the ram for the priests' ordination, as Yahweh had commanded him.

30 Moses took some of the anointing oil and the blood that was on the altar; he sprinkled these on Aaron, on his clothes, on his sons, and on his sons' clothes with him. In this way he set apart Aaron and his clothes, and his sons and their clothes to Yahweh.

31 So Moses said to Aaron and to his sons, “Boil the meat at the entrance to the tent of meeting, and there eat it and the bread that is in the basket of consecration, as I commanded, saying, 'Aaron and his sons will eat it.' 32 Whatever remains of the meat and of the bread you must burn. 33 You must not go out from the entrance of the tent of meeting for seven days, until the days of your ordination are fulfilled. For Yahweh will consecrate you for seven days. 34 What has been done this day— Yahweh has commanded to be done to make atonement for you. 35 You will stay day and night for seven days at the entrance to the tent of meeting, and keep the command of Yahweh, so you will not die, because this is what I have been commanded.” 36 So Aaron and his sons did all the things which Yahweh had commanded them through Moses.

9

1 On the eighth day Moses called Aaron and his sons and the elders of Israel. 2 He said to Aaron, “Take a calf from the herd for a sin offering, and a ram without blemish for a burnt offering, and offer them before Yahweh. 3 You must speak to the people of Israel and say, 'Take a male goat for a sin offering and a calf and a lamb, both a year old and without blemish, for a burnt offering; 4 also take an ox and a ram for peace offerings to sacrifice before Yahweh, and a grain offering mixed with oil, because today Yahweh will appear to you.'” 5 So they brought all that Moses commanded to the tent of meeting, and all the assembly of Israel approached and stood before Yahweh. 6 Then Moses said, “This is what Yahweh commanded you to do, so that his glory may appear to you.” 7 Moses said to Aaron, “Come near the altar and offer your sin offering and burnt offering, and make atonement for yourself and for the people, and offer the sacrifice for the people to make atonement for them, as Yahweh has commanded.”

8 So Aaron went near the altar and killed the calf for the sin offering, which was for himself. 9 The sons of Aaron presented the blood to him, and he dipped his finger into it and put it on the horns of the altar; then he poured out the blood at the base of the altar. 10 However, he burned the fat, the kidneys, and the covering of the liver on the altar as a sin offering, as Yahweh had commanded Moses. 11 The meat and the hide he burned outside the camp.

12 Aaron killed the burnt offering, and his sons gave him the blood, which he splashed against every side of the altar. 13 Then they gave him the burnt offering, piece by piece, together with the head, and he burned them on the altar. 14 He washed the inner parts and the legs and burned them on top of the burnt offering on the altar.

15 Aaron presented the people's sacrifice—a goat, then took it as the sacrifice for their sin and killed it; he sacrificed it for sin, as he had done with the first goat. 16 He presented the burnt offering and offered it as Yahweh had commanded. 17 He presented the grain offering; he filled his hand with it and burned it on the altar, along with the morning's burnt offering.

18 He killed also the ox and the ram, the sacrifice for the peace offering, which was for the people. Aaron's sons gave him the blood, which he sprinkled against every side of the altar. 19 However, they cut out the fat of the bull and the ram, the fat tail, the fat that covers the inner parts, the kidneys, and the covering of the liver. 20 They took the parts that were cut out and put these on the breasts, and then Aaron burned the fat on the altar. 21 Aaron waved the breasts and the right thigh as a wave offering before Yahweh, as Moses had commanded.

22 Then Aaron lifted up his hands toward the people and blessed them; then he came down from offering the sin offering, the burnt offering, and the peace offering. 23 Moses and Aaron went into the tent of meeting, then came out again and blessed the people, and the glory of Yahweh appeared to all the people. 24 Fire came out from Yahweh and consumed the burnt offering and the fat on the altar. When all the people saw this, they shouted and lay facedown.

10

1 Nadab and Abihu, sons of Aaron, each took his censer, put fire in it, and then incense. Then they offered unapproved fire before Yahweh, which he had not commanded them to offer. 2 So fire came out from before Yahweh and devoured them, and they died before Yahweh. 3 Then Moses said to Aaron, “This is what Yahweh was talking about when he said,

'I will reveal my holiness to those who come near me.

I will be glorified before all the people.'”

Aaron did not say anything. 4 Moses called Mishael and Elzaphan, the sons of Uzziel the uncle of Aaron, and said to them, “Come here and carry your brothers out of the camp from before the tabernacle.” 5 So they came near and carried them, still wearing their priestly tunics, out of the camp, as Moses had instructed. 6 Then Moses said to Aaron and to Eleazar and to Ithamar, his sons, “Do not let your hair on your heads hang loosely, and do not tear your clothes, so that you may not die, and so that Yahweh may not be angry with all the assembly. But allow your relatives, the entire house of Israel, to mourn for those whom the fire of Yahweh has set ablaze. 7 You must not go out from the entrance of the tent of meeting, or you will die, for the anointing oil of Yahweh is on you.” So they acted according to Moses' instructions.

8 Yahweh spoke to Aaron, saying, 9 “Do not drink wine or strong drink, you, or your sons who remain with you, when you go into the tent of meeting, so you will not die. This will be a permanent statute throughout your people's generations, 10 to distinguish between the holy and the common, and between the unclean and the clean, 11 so that you may teach the people of Israel all the statutes that Yahweh has commanded through Moses.”

12 Moses spoke to Aaron and to Eleazar and to Ithamar, his remaining sons, “Take the grain offering that remains from the offerings to Yahweh made by fire, and eat it without yeast beside the altar, for it is most holy. 13 You must eat it in a holy place, because it is your share and your sons' share of the offerings to Yahweh made by fire, for this is what I have been commanded to tell you. 14 The breast that is waved and the thigh that is presented to Yahweh, you must eat in a clean place acceptable to God. You and your sons and daughters with you should eat those portions, for they are given as your share and your sons' share out of the sacrifices of the fellowship offerings of the people of Israel. 15 The thigh that is presented and the breast that is waved, they must bring with the offerings of fat made by fire, to wave before Yahweh. They will be yours and your sons' with you as a share forever, as Yahweh has commanded.”

16 Then Moses asked about the goat for the sin offering, and found that it was burned up. So he was angry with Eleazar and Ithamar, the remaining sons of Aaron; he said, 17 “Why have you not eaten the sin offering in the area of the tabernacle, since it is most holy, and since Yahweh has given it to you to take away the iniquity of the assembly, to make atonement for them before him? 18 Look, its blood was not brought inside the tabernacle, so you should certainly have eaten it in the tabernacle area, as I commanded.” 19 Then Aaron answered Moses, “See, today they made their sin offering and burnt offering before Yahweh, and this thing has happened to me today. If I had eaten the sin offering today, would it have been pleasing in the sight of Yahweh?” 20 When Moses heard that, he was satisfied.

11

1 Yahweh spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying, 2 “Speak to the people of Israel, saying, 'These are the living things which you may eat among all the animals that are on the earth. 3 You may eat any animal that has a split hoof and that also chews the cud. 4 However, some animals either chew the cud or have a split hoof, and you must not eat them, animals such as the camel, because it chews the cud but does not have a split hoof. So the camel is unclean to you. 5 Also the rock badger, because it chews the cud but does not have a split hoof, it is also unclean to you. 6 The rabbit, because it chews the cud, but does not have a split hoof, is unclean to you. 7 The pig, although it has a split hoof, does not chew the cud, is unclean to you. 8 You must not eat any of their meat, nor touch their carcasses. They are unclean to you.

9 The animals living in the water that you may eat are all those that have fins and scales, whether in the ocean or in the rivers. 10 But all living creatures that do not have fins and scales in the ocean or rivers, including all that move in the water and all the living creatures that are in the water— they must be detested by you. 11 Since they must be detested, you must not eat of their meat; also, their carcasses must be detested. 12 Whatever has no fins or scales in the water must be detested by you.

13 The birds you must detest and that you must not eat are these: the eagle, the vulture, 14 the kite, any kind of falcon, 15 every kind of raven, 16 the horned owl and the screech owl, the seagull, and any kind of hawk. 17 You must also detest the little owl and the great owl, the cormorant, 18 the white owl and the barn owl, the osprey, 19 the stork, any kind of heron, the hoopoe, and also the bat.

20 All winged insects that walk on four legs are detestable to you. 21 Yet you may eat any of the flying insects that also walk on four legs if they have jointed legs for hopping on the ground. 22 You may also eat any kind of locust, katydid, cricket, or grasshopper. 23 But all the flying insects that have four feet must be detested by you.

24 You will become unclean until evening by these animals if you touch a carcass of one of them. 25 Whoever picks up one of their carcasses must wash his clothes and remain unclean until evening. 26 Every animal which has a split hoof that is not completely divided or which does not chew the cud is unclean to you. Everyone who touches them will be unclean. 27 Whatever walks on its paws among all the animals that walk on all four legs, they are unclean to you. Whoever touches such a carcass will be unclean until the evening. 28 Whoever picks up such a carcass must wash his clothes and be unclean until the evening. These animals will be unclean to you.

29 Of the animals that creep on the ground, these are the animals that will be unclean to you: the weasel, the rat, every kind of large lizard, 30 the gecko, the monitor lizard, the lizard, the skink, and the chameleon. 31 Of all the animals that creep, these are the animals which will be unclean to you. Whoever touches them when they are dead will be unclean until evening. 32 If any of them dies and falls on anything, that thing will be unclean, whether it is made of wood, cloth, leather, or sackcloth. Whatever it is and whatever it is used for, it must be put into water; it will be unclean until evening. Then it will be clean. 33 For every clay pot into or onto which any unclean animal falls, whatever is in the pot will become unclean, and you must destroy that pot. 34 Any food that could be eaten but has water on it from such a pot is unclean. Any liquid that is for drinking from such a pot is unclean. 35 Anything that one of their carcasses falls on becomes unclean; if it is an oven or small stove, it must be broken to pieces. They are unclean and they must remain unclean to you. 36 A spring or cistern for collecting water remains clean; but anyone who touches their carcass is unclean. 37 If any part of their carcass falls upon any seeds for planting, those seeds will still be clean. 38 But if water is put on the seeds, and if any part of their carcass falls on them, then they will be unclean to you.

39 If any animal that you may eat dies, then he who touches the carcass will be unclean until evening. 40 Whoever eats any of that carcass must wash his clothes and be unclean until evening. Anyone who picks up such a carcass will wash his clothes and be unclean until evening.

41 Every animal that creeps on the ground is to be detested; it must not be eaten. 42 Whatever crawls on its belly, and whatever walks on all four legs, or whatever has many feet—all the animals that creep on the ground, these you must not eat, for they are to be detested. 43 You must not make yourselves unclean with any living creatures that creep; you must not make yourselves unclean with them, that you should be made impure by them. 44 For I am Yahweh your God. You are to keep yourselves holy, therefore, and be holy, because I am holy. You must not defile yourselves with any kind of animal that moves about on the ground. 45 For I am Yahweh, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt, to be your God. You must therefore be holy, for I am holy.

46 This is the law regarding the animals, the birds, every living creature that moves in the waters, and of every creature that creeps on the ground, 47 for which a distinction is to be made between the unclean and the clean, and between the living things that may be eaten and the living things that may not be eaten.'”

12

1 Yahweh said to Moses, 2 “Speak to the people of Israel, saying, 'If a woman conceives and gives birth to a male child, then she will be unclean for seven days, just as she is unclean during the days of her monthly period. 3 On the eighth day the flesh of a baby boy's foreskin must be circumcised. 4 Then the mother's purification from her bleeding will continue for thirty-three days. She must not touch any holy thing or come into the tabernacle area until the days of her purification are finished. 5 But if she gives birth to a female child, then she will be unclean for two weeks, as she is during her period. Then the mother's purification will continue for sixty-six days.

6 When the days of her purification are finished, for a son or for a daughter, she must bring a one year old lamb as a burnt offering, and a young pigeon or dove as a sin offering, to the entrance of the tent of meeting, to the priest. 7 Then he will offer it before Yahweh and make atonement for her, and she will be cleansed from the flow of her blood. This is the law regarding a woman who gives birth to either a male or a female child. 8 If she is not able to afford a lamb, then she must take two doves or two young pigeons, one as a burnt offering and the other as a sin offering, and the priest will make atonement for her; then she will be clean.'”

13

1 Yahweh spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying, 2 “When anyone has on the skin of his body a swelling or scab or a bright spot, and it becomes infected and there is a skin disease in his body, then he must be brought to Aaron the high priest, or to one of his sons the priests. 3 Then the priest will examine the disease in the skin of his body. If the hair in the diseased area has turned white, and if the disease appears to be deeper than just on the skin, then it is an infectious disease. After the priest examines him, he must pronounce him unclean. 4 If the bright spot in his skin is white, and the appearance of it is no deeper than the skin, and if the hair in the diseased area has not turned white, then the priest must isolate the one with the disease for seven days. 5 On the seventh day, the priest must examine him to see if in his opinion the disease is not any worse, and if it has not spread in the skin. If it has not, then the priest must isolate him seven days more. 6 The priest will examine him again on the seventh day to see if the disease is better and has not spread farther in the skin. If it has not, then the priest will pronounce him clean. It is a rash. He must wash his clothes, and then he is clean. 7 But if the rash has spread in the skin after he has shown himself to the priest for his cleansing, he must then show himself to the priest again. 8 The priest will examine him to see if the rash has spread farther in the skin. If it has spread, then the priest must pronounce him unclean. It is an infectious disease.

9 When an infectious skin disease is in someone, then he must be brought to the priest. 10 The priest will examine him to see if there is a white swelling in the skin, if the hair has turned white, or if there is raw flesh in the swelling. 11 If there is, then it is a chronic skin disease, and the priest must pronounce him unclean. He will not isolate him, because he is already unclean. 12 If the disease breaks out widely in the skin and covers all the skin of the person with the disease from his head to his feet, as far as it appears to the priest, 13 then the priest must examine him to see if the disease has covered all his body. If it has, then the priest must pronounce the person who has the disease as clean. If it has all turned white, then he is clean. 14 But if raw flesh appears on him, he will be unclean. 15 The priest must look at the raw flesh and pronounce him unclean because the raw flesh is unclean. It is an infectious disease. 16 But if the raw flesh turns white again, then the person must go to the priest. 17 The priest will examine him to see if the flesh has turned white. If it has then the priest will pronounce that person to be clean.

18 When a person has a boil on the skin and it has healed, 19 and in place of the boil there is white swelling or a bright spot, reddish-white, then it must be shown to the priest. 20 The priest will examine it to see if it appears deeper under the skin, and if the hair there has turned white. If so, then the priest must pronounce him unclean. It is an infectious disease, if it has developed in the place where the boil was. 21 But if the priest examines it and sees that there is no white hair in it, and that it is not under the skin but has faded, then the priest must isolate him for seven days. 22 If it spreads widely in the skin, then the priest must pronounce him unclean. It is an infectious disease. 23 But if the bright spot stays in its place and has not spread, then it is the scar of the boil, and the priest must pronounce him clean.

24 When the skin has a burn and the raw flesh of the burn has become a reddish-white or white spot, 25 then the priest will examine it to see if the hair in that spot has turned white, and if it appears to be deeper than the skin. If it has, then it is an infectious disease. It has broken out in the burn, and the priest must pronounce him unclean. It is an infectious disease. 26 But if the priest examines it and finds that there is no white hair in the spot, and it is not under the skin but has faded, then the priest must isolate him for seven days. 27 Then the priest must examine him on the seventh day. If it has spread widely in the skin, then the priest must pronounce him unclean. It is an infectious disease. 28 If the spot stays in its place and has not spread in the skin but has faded, then it is a swelling from the burn, and the priest must pronounce him clean, for it is nothing more than the scar of the burn.

29 If a man or woman has an infectious disease on the head or chin, 30 then the priest must examine the person for an infectious disease to see if it appears to be deeper than the skin, and if there is yellow, thin hair in it. If there is, then the priest must pronounce him unclean. It is an itch, an infectious disease on the head or the chin. 31 If the priest examines the itching disease and sees that it is not under the skin, and if there is no black hair in it, then the priest will isolate the person with the itching disease for seven days. 32 On the seventh day the priest will examine the disease to see if it has spread. If there is no yellow hair, and if the disease appears to be only skin deep, 33 then he must be shaved, but the diseased area must not be shaved, and the priest must isolate the person with the itching disease for seven more days. 34 On the seventh day the priest will examine the disease to see if it has stopped spreading in the skin. If it appears to be no deeper than the skin, then the priest must pronounce him clean. The person must wash his clothes, and then he will be clean. 35 But if the itching disease has spread widely in the skin after the priest said he was clean, 36 then the priest must examine him again. If the disease has spread in the skin, the priest does not need to seek for yellow hair. The person is unclean. 37 But if in the priest's view the itching disease has stopped spreading and black hair has grown in the area, then the disease has healed. He is clean, and the priest must pronounce him clean.

38 If a man or a woman has white spots on the skin, 39 then the priest must examine the person to see if the spots are a dull white, which is only a rash that has broken out in the skin. He is clean.

40 If a man's hair has fallen out of his head, he is bald, but he is clean. 41 If his hair has fallen out of the front part of his head, and if his forehead is bald, he is clean. 42 But if there is a reddish-white sore on his bald head or forehead, it is an infectious disease that has broken out. 43 Then the priest must examine him to see if the swelling of the diseased area on his bald head or forehead is reddish-white, like the appearance of an infectious disease in the skin. 44 If it is, then he has an infectious disease and he is unclean. The priest must surely pronounce him unclean because of his disease on his head.

45 The person who has an infectious disease must wear torn clothes, his hair must hang loosely, and he must cover his face up to his nose and call out, 'Unclean, unclean.' 46 All the days that he has the infectious disease he will be unclean. Because he is unclean with a disease that can spread, he must live alone. He must live outside the camp.

47 A garment that is contaminated with mildew, whether it is a wool or linen garment, 48 or anything woven or knitted from wool or linen, or leather or anything made with leather— 49 if there is a greenish or reddish contamination in the garment, the leather, the woven or knitted material, or anything made of leather, then it is a mildew that spreads; it must be shown to the priest. 50 The priest must examine the item for mildew; he must isolate anything that has mildew for seven days. 51 He must examine the mildew again on the seventh day. If it has spread in the garment or anything woven or knitted from wool or linen material, or leather or anything in which leather is used, then it is harmful mildew, and the item is unclean. 52 He must burn the garment, or anything woven or knitted from wool or linen material, or leather or anything made with leather, anything in which the harmful mildew is found, for it can lead to disease. The item must be completely burned up.

53 If the priest examines the item and sees that the mildew has not spread in the garment or material woven or knitted from wool or linen, or leather goods, 54 then he will command them to wash the item in which the mildew was found, and he must isolate it for seven more days. 55 Then the priest will examine the item after the mildewed item was washed. If the mildew has not changed its color, even though it has not spread, it is unclean. You must burn the item, no matter where the mildew has contaminated it.

56 If the priest examines the item, and if the mildew has faded after it was washed, then he must tear out the contaminated part from the garment or from the leather, or from the woven or knitted material. 57 If the mildew still appears in the garment, either in the woven or knitted material, or in anything made of leather, it is spreading. You must burn any item that has the mildew. 58 The garment or anything woven or knitted from wool or linen material, or leather or anything made with leather—if you wash the item and the mildew is gone, then the item must be washed a second time, and it will be clean.

59 This is the law about mildew in a garment of wool or linen, or anything woven or knitted from wool or linen material, or leather or anything made with leather, so that you may pronounce it clean or unclean.”

14

1 Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “This will be the law for the diseased person on the day of his cleansing. He must be brought to the priest. 3 The priest will go out of the camp to examine the person to see if the infectious skin disease is healed. 4 Then the priest will command that the one to be cleansed must take two live, clean birds, cedar wood, scarlet yarn, and hyssop. 5 The priest will command him to kill one of the birds over fresh water that is in a clay pot. 6 The priest will then take the live bird and the cedar wood, and the scarlet yarn and the hyssop, and he will dip all these things, including the live bird, in the blood of the bird that was killed over the fresh water. 7 Then the priest will sprinkle this water seven times onto the person who is to be cleansed from the disease, and then the priest will pronounce him to be clean. Then the priest will release the living bird into the open fields. 8 The person who is being cleansed will wash his clothes, shave off all his hair, and bathe himself in water, and then he will be clean. After that he must come into the camp, but he will live outside his tent for seven days. 9 On the seventh day he must shave all his hair off his head, and he must also shave off his beard and eyebrows. He must shave off all his hair, and he must wash his clothes and bathe himself in water; then he will be clean.

10 On the eighth day he must take two male lambs without blemish, one female lamb a year old without blemish, and three-tenths of an ephah of fine flour mixed with oil as a grain offering, and one log of oil. 11 The priest who cleanses him will stand the person who is to be cleansed, along with those things, before Yahweh at the entrance to the tent of meeting. 12 The priest will take one of the male lambs and offer it as a guilt offering, together with the log of oil; he will wave them for a wave offering before Yahweh. 13 He must kill the male lamb in the place where they kill the sin offerings and the burnt offerings, in the area of the tabernacle, for the sin offering belongs to the priest, as does the guilt offering, because it is most holy. 14 The priest will take some of the blood of the guilt offering and put it on the tip of the right ear of the person who is to be cleansed, on the thumb of his right hand, and on the big toe of his right foot. 15 Then the priest will take oil from the log and pour it into the palm of his own left hand, 16 and dip his right finger in the oil that is in his left hand, and sprinkle some of the oil with his finger seven times before Yahweh. 17 The priest will put the rest of the oil in his hand on the tip of the right ear of the person to be cleansed, on the thumb of his right hand, and on the big toe of his right foot. He must put this oil on top of the blood from the guilt offering. 18 As for the rest of the oil that is in the priest's hand, he will put it on the head of the person who is to be cleansed, and the priest will make atonement for him before Yahweh. 19 Then the priest will offer the sin offering and make atonement for him who is to be cleansed because of his uncleanness, and afterward he will kill the burnt offering. 20 Then the priest will offer the burnt offering and the grain offering on the altar. The priest will make atonement for the person, and then he will be clean.

21 However, if the person is poor and cannot afford these sacrifices, then he may take one male lamb as a guilt offering to be waved, to make atonement for himself, and one-tenth of an ephah of fine flour mixed with oil as a grain offering, and a log of oil, 22 together with two doves or two young pigeons, such as he is able to get; one bird will be a sin offering and the other a burnt offering. 23 On the eighth day he must bring them for his cleansing to the priest, to the entrance to the tent of meeting, before Yahweh. 24 The priest will take the lamb for an offering, and he will take with it the log of olive oil, and he will lift them high as he presents them to Yahweh. 25 He will kill the lamb for the guilt offering, and he will take some of the blood of the guilt offering and put it on the tip of the right ear of the one who is to be cleansed, on the thumb of his right hand, and on the big toe of his right foot. 26 Then the priest will pour some of the oil into the palm of his own left hand, 27 and he will sprinkle with his right finger some of the oil that is in his left hand seven times before Yahweh. 28 The priest will then put some of the oil that is in his hand on the tip of the right ear of the one who is to be cleansed, on the thumb of his right hand, and on the big toe of his right foot, the same places where he put the blood of the guilt offering. 29 He will put the rest of the oil that is in his hand on the head of the one who is to be cleansed, to make atonement for him before Yahweh. 30 He must offer one of the doves or young pigeons, such as the person has been able to get— 31 one as a sin offering and the other as a burnt offering, along with the grain offering. Then the priest will make atonement for the one who is to be cleansed before Yahweh. 32 This is the law for a person in whom there is an infectious skin disease, who is not able to afford the standard offerings for his cleansing.”

33 Yahweh spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying, 34 “When you have come into the land of Canaan which I gave to you as a possession, and if I put mildew that spreads in a house in the land of your possession, 35 then he who owns the house must come and tell the priest. He must say, 'There seems to me to be something like mildew in my house.' 36 Then the priest will command that they empty the house before he goes in to see the evidence of mildew, so that nothing in the house will be made unclean. Afterward the priest must go in to see the house. 37 He must examine the mildew to see if it is in the house walls, and to see whether it appears greenish or reddish in the depressions in the wall's surface. 38 If the house does have mildew, then the priest will go out of the house and shut the door to the house for seven days. 39 Then the priest will return again on the seventh day and examine it to see if the mildew has spread in the walls of the house. 40 If it has, then the priest will command that they take out the stones in which the mildew has been found and throw them into an unclean place outside the city. 41 He will require all the inside walls of the house to be scraped, and they must take the contaminated material that is scraped off outside the city and dump it into the unclean place. 42 They must take other stones and put them in the place of the stones that were removed, and they must use new clay to plaster the house.

43 If mildew comes again and breaks out in the house in which the stones have been taken away and the walls have been scraped and then replastered, 44 then the priest must come in and examine the house to see if mildew has spread in the house. If it has, then it is harmful mildew, and the house is unclean. 45 The house must be torn down. The stones, timber, and all the plaster in the house must be carried away out of the city to the unclean place. 46 In addition, whoever goes into the house during the time it is closed up will be unclean until evening. 47 Anyone who slept in the house must wash his clothes, and anyone who ate in the house must wash his clothes.

48 If the priest enters the house to examine it to see whether the mildew has spread in the house after the house was plastered, then, if the mildew is gone, he will pronounce the house clean. 49 Then the priest must take two birds to cleanse the house, and cedar wood, and scarlet yarn, and hyssop. 50 He will kill one of the birds over fresh water in a clay jar. 51 He will take the cedar wood, the hyssop, the scarlet yarn, and the live bird, and dip them in the blood of the killed bird, into the fresh water, and sprinkle the house seven times. 52 He will cleanse the house with the blood of the bird and with the fresh water, with the live bird, the cedar wood, the hyssop, and the scarlet yarn. 53 But he will let the live bird go out of the city into the open fields. In this way he must make atonement for the house, and it will be clean.

54 This is the law for all types of infectious skin disease and things that cause such disease, and for an itch, 55 and for mildew in clothing and in a house, 56 for swelling, for a rash, and for a bright spot, 57 to determine when any of these cases is unclean or when it is clean. This is the law for infectious skin diseases and mildew.”

15

1 Yahweh spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying, 2 “Speak to the people of Israel, and say to them, 'When any man has an infected fluid that comes out of his body, he becomes unclean. 3 His uncleanness is due to this infected fluid. Whether his body flows with fluid or is stopped up, it is unclean. 4 Every bed on which he lies will be unclean, and everything on which he sits will be unclean. 5 Whoever touches his bed must wash his clothes and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until evening. 6 Anyone who sits on anything on which the man with the flow of infected fluid sat, that person must wash his clothes and bathe himself in water, and he will be unclean until evening. 7 Anyone who touches the body of the one who has a flow of infected fluid must wash his clothes and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until evening. 8 If the person who has such a flow of fluid spits on someone who is clean, then that person must wash his clothes and bathe himself in water, and he will be unclean until evening. 9 Any saddle which he who has a flow rides upon will be unclean. 10 Whoever touches anything that was under that person will be unclean until evening, and anyone who carries those things must wash his clothes and bathe himself in water; he will be unclean until evening. 11 Whomever he who has such a flow touches without first having rinsed his hands in water, the person who was touched must wash his clothes and bathe himself in water, and he will be unclean until evening. 12 Any clay pot that the one with such a flow of fluid touches must be broken, and every container of wood must be rinsed in water.

13 When he who has a flow is cleansed from his flow, then he must count for himself seven days for his cleansing; then he must wash his clothes and bathe his body in running water. Then he will be clean. 14 On the eighth day he must take two doves or two young pigeons and come before Yahweh at the entrance to the tent of meeting; there he must give the birds to the priest. 15 The priest must offer them, one as a sin offering and the other as a burnt offering, and the priest must make atonement for him before Yahweh for his flow.

16 If any man has an emission of semen, then he must bathe his whole body in water; he will be unclean until evening. 17 Every garment or leather on which there is semen must be washed with water; it will be unclean until evening. 18 If a woman and a man sleep together and there is a transfer of semen to her, they must both bathe themselves in water; they will be unclean until evening.

19 When a woman menstruates, her impurity will continue for seven days, and whoever touches her will be unclean until evening. 20 Everything she lies on during her period will be unclean; everything that she sits on will also be unclean. 21 Whoever touches her bed must wash his clothes and bathe himself in water; that person will be unclean until evening. 22 Whoever touches anything that she sits on must wash his clothes and bathe himself in water; that person will be unclean until evening. 23 Whether it is on the bed or on anything on which she sits, if he touches it, that person will be unclean until evening. 24 If any man sleeps with her, and if her impure flow touches him, he will be unclean for seven days. Every bed on which he lies will be unclean.

25 If a woman has a flow of blood for many days that is not in the time of her menstruation, or if she has a flow beyond the time of her menstruation, during all the days of the flow of her uncleanness, she will be as if she were in the days of her period. She is unclean. 26 Every bed on which she lies all during her flow of blood will be to her just like the bed on which she lies during her menstruation, and everything on which she sits will be unclean, just like the uncleanness of her menstruation. 27 Whoever touches any of those things will be unclean; he must wash his clothes and bathe himself in water, and he will be unclean until evening. 28 But if she is cleansed from her flow of blood, then she will count for herself seven days, and after that she will be clean. 29 On the eighth day she will take to her two doves or two young pigeons and bring them to the priest at the entrance to the tent of meeting. 30 The priest will offer one bird as a sin offering and the other as a burnt offering, and he will make atonement for her before Yahweh for her unclean flow of blood.

31 This is how you must separate the people of Israel from their uncleanness, so they will not die due to their uncleanness, by defiling my tabernacle, where I live among them.

32 These are the regulations for anyone who has a flow of fluid, for any man whose semen goes out of him and makes him unclean, 33 for any woman who has a menstrual period, for anyone with a flow of fluid, whether male or female, and for any man who sleeps with an unclean woman.'”

16

1 Yahweh spoke to Moses—this was after the death of Aaron's two sons, when they had gone near to Yahweh and then died. 2 Yahweh said to Moses, “Speak to Aaron your brother and tell him not to come at just any time into the most holy place inside the curtain, before the atonement lid that is on the ark. If he does, he will die, because I appear in the cloud over the atonement lid. 3 So here is how Aaron must come into the most holy place. He must enter with a young bull as a sin offering, and a ram as a burnt offering. 4 He must put on the holy linen tunic, and he must put the linen undergarments on himself, and he must wear the linen sash and linen turban. These are the holy garments. He must bathe his body in water and then dress himself with these clothes. 5 He must take from the assembly of the people of Israel two male goats as a sin offering and one ram as a burnt offering.

6 Then Aaron must present the bull as the sin offering, which will be for himself, to make atonement for himself and his family. 7 Then he must take the two goats and set them before Yahweh at the entrance to the tent of meeting. 8 Then Aaron must cast lots for the two goats, one lot for Yahweh, and the other lot for the scapegoat. 9 Aaron must then present the goat on which the lot fell for Yahweh, and offer that goat as a sin offering. 10 But the goat on which the lot fell for the scapegoat must be brought alive before Yahweh, to make atonement by sending him away as a scapegoat into the wilderness.

11 Then Aaron must present the bull for the sin offering, which will be for himself. He must make atonement for himself and for his family, so he must kill the bull as a sin offering for himself. 12 Aaron must take a censer full of coals of fire from off the altar before Yahweh, with his hands full of finely ground sweet incense, and bring these things inside the curtain. 13 There he must put the incense on the fire before Yahweh so that the cloud from the incense may cover the atonement lid over the covenant decrees. He must do this so he will not die. 14 Then he must take some of the blood of the bull and sprinkle it with his finger on the front of the atonement lid. He must sprinkle some of the blood with his finger seven times before the atonement lid.

15 Then he must kill the goat for the sin offering that is for the people and bring its blood inside the curtain. There he must do with the blood as he did with the blood of the bull: He must sprinkle it on the atonement lid and then before the atonement lid. 16 He must make atonement for the holy place because of the unclean actions of the people of Israel, and because of their rebellion and all their sins. He must also do this for the tent of meeting, where Yahweh lives among them, in the presence of their unclean actions. 17 No one must be in the tent of meeting when Aaron enters it to make atonement in the most holy place, and until he comes out and has finished making atonement for himself and for his family, and for all the assembly of Israel. 18 He must go out to the altar that is before Yahweh and make atonement for it, and he must take some of the bull's blood and some of the goat's blood and put it on the horns of the altar all around. 19 He must sprinkle some of the blood on it with his finger seven times to cleanse it and set it apart to Yahweh, away from the unclean actions of the people of Israel.

20 When he has finished atoning for the most holy place, the tent of meeting, and the altar, he must present the live goat. 21 Aaron must lay both his hands on the head of the live goat and confess over him all the wickedness of the people of Israel, all their rebellion, and all their sins. Then he must put that sinfulness on the head of the goat and send the goat away in the care of a man who is ready to lead the goat into the wilderness. 22 The goat must carry on himself all the people's wickedness to a solitary place. There in the wilderness, the man must let the goat go free.

23 Then Aaron must go back into the tent of meeting and take off the linen garments that he had put on before going into the most holy place, and he must leave those garments there. 24 He must bathe his body in water in a holy place, and put on his normal garments; then he must go out and offer his burnt offering and the burnt offering for the people, and in this way make atonement for himself and for the people. 25 He must burn the fat of the sin offering on the altar. 26 The man who let the scapegoat go free must wash his clothes and bathe his body in water; after that, he may come back into the camp. 27 The bull for the sin offering and the goat for the sin offering, whose blood was brought in to make atonement in the holy place, must be carried outside the camp. There they must burn their hides, flesh, and dung. 28 The man who burns those parts must wash his clothes and bathe his body in water; after that, he may come back into the camp.

29 It will always be a statute for you that in the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, you must humble yourselves and do no work, whether the native born or a foreigner who is living among you. 30 This is because on this day atonement will be made for you, to cleanse you from all your sins so you will be clean before Yahweh. 31 It is a solemn Sabbath of rest for you, and you must humble yourselves and do no work. This will always be a statute among you. 32 The high priest, the one who will be anointed and ordained to be high priest in his father's place, he must make this atonement and put on the linen garments, that is, the holy garments. 33 He must make atonement for the most holy place; he must make atonement for the tent of meeting and for the altar, and he must make atonement for the priests and for all the people of the assembly. 34 This will always be a statute for you, to make atonement for the people of Israel because of all their sins, once in every year.” This was done as Yahweh commanded Moses.

17

1 Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Speak to Aaron and to his sons, and to all the people of Israel. Tell them what Yahweh has commanded: 3 'Any man from Israel who kills an ox, lamb, or goat in the camp, or who kills it outside the camp, in order to sacrifice it— 4 if he does not bring it to the entrance of the tent of meeting to offer it as a sacrifice to Yahweh before his tabernacle, that man is guilty of bloodshed. He has shed blood, and that man must be cut off from among his people. 5 The purpose of this command is so that the people of Israel will bring their sacrifices to Yahweh at the entrance to the tent of meeting, to the priest to be sacrificed as fellowship offerings to Yahweh, instead of offering sacrifices in an open field. 6 The priest will sprinkle the blood on Yahweh's altar at the entrance to the tent of meeting; he will burn the fat for it to produce a sweet aroma for Yahweh. 7 The people must no longer offer their sacrifices to goat idols, for which they act as prostitutes. This will be a permanent statute for them throughout their people's generations.'

8 You must say to them, 'Any man of Israel, or any foreigner who lives among them, who offers a burnt offering or sacrifice 9 and does not bring it to the entrance of the tent of meeting in order to sacrifice it to Yahweh, that man must be cut off from his people.

10 If any person of the house of Israel, or any foreigner who lives among them consumes any blood, I will set my face against that person who consumes blood and I will cut him off from among his people. 11 For the life of an animal is in its blood. I have given its blood to you to make atonement on the altar for your lives, because it is the blood that makes atonement, for it is the blood that atones for the life. 12 Therefore I said to the people of Israel that no one among you must eat blood, neither may any foreigner who lives among you eat blood. 13 Anyone of the people of Israel, or any of the foreigners who live among them, who hunts and kills an animal or bird that may be eaten, that person must pour out its blood and cover the blood with earth.

14 For the life of each creature is its blood. That is why I said to the people of Israel, “You must not eat the blood of any creature, for the life of every living creature is its blood. Whoever eats it must be cut off.” 15 Every person who eats an animal that has died or that has been torn by wild animals, whether that person is native born or a foreigner living among you, he must wash his clothes and bathe himself in water, and he will be unclean until the evening. Then he will be clean. 16 But if he does not wash his clothes or bathe his body, then he must carry his guilt.'”

18

1 Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Speak to the people of Israel and say to them, 'I am Yahweh your God. 3 You must not do the things that the people do in Egypt, where you lived previously. You must not do the things that the people do in Canaan, the land to which I am taking you. Do not follow their customs. 4 My laws are what you must do, and my commandments are what you must keep, so that you walk in them, because I am Yahweh your God. 5 Therefore you must keep my decrees and my laws. If a person obeys them, he will live because of them. I am Yahweh.

6 No one must sleep with any close relative to uncover his nakedness. I am Yahweh. 7 Do not dishonor your father by sleeping with your mother. She is your mother! You must not dishonor her. 8 Do not sleep with any of your father's wives; you must not dishonor your father like that. 9 Do not sleep with any sister of yours, whether she is the daughter of your father or the daughter of your mother, whether she was raised at your home or distant from you. You must not sleep with your sisters. 10 Do not sleep with your son's daughter or with your daughter's daughter. That would be your own shame. 11 Do not sleep with your father's wife's daughter, who was born of your father. She is your sister, and you must not sleep with her. 12 Do not sleep with your father's sister. She is a close relative to your father. 13 Do not sleep with your mother's sister. She is a close relative to your mother. 14 Do not dishonor the brother of your father by sleeping with his wife. Do not go near her for that purpose; she is your aunt. 15 Do not sleep with your daughter-in-law. She is your son's wife; do not sleep with her. 16 Do not sleep with your brother's wife; do not dishonor him in this way. 17 Do not sleep with a woman and her daughter, or with her son's daughter or her daughter's daughter. They are close relatives to her, and sleeping with them would be wicked. 18 You must not marry your wife's sister as a second wife and sleep with her while your first wife is alive.

19 Do not sleep with a woman during her menstruation. She is unclean during that time. 20 Do not sleep with your neighbor's wife and defile yourself with her in this way. 21 You must not give any of your children to put them into the fire, so that you sacrifice them to Molech, because you must not profane the name of your God. I am Yahweh. 22 Do not sleep with other men as with a woman. This would be wicked. 23 Do not sleep with any animal and defile yourself with it. No woman must consider sleeping with any animal. This would be perversion.

24 Do not defile yourselves in any of these ways, for in all these ways the nations are defiled, the nations that I will drive out from before you. 25 The land became defiled, so I punished their sin, and the land vomited out its inhabitants. 26 You, therefore, must keep my commandments and decrees, and you must not do any of these detestable things, neither the native-born Israelite nor the foreigner who lives among you. 27 For this is the wickedness that the people in the land have committed, those who lived here before you, and now the land is defiled. 28 Therefore be careful so that the land does not vomit you up also after you have defiled it, as it vomited out the people who were before you. 29 Whoever does any of these detestable things, the persons who do such things will be cut off from among their people. 30 Therefore you must keep my command not to practice any of these detestable customs which were practiced here before you, so that you do not defile yourselves by them. I am Yahweh your God.'”

19

1 Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Speak to all the assembly of the people of Israel and say to them, 'You must be holy, for I Yahweh your God am holy. 3 Everyone must respect his mother and his father, and you must keep my Sabbaths. I am Yahweh your God. 4 Do not turn to worthless idols, nor make for yourselves gods out of metal. I am Yahweh your God.

5 When you offer a sacrifice of fellowship offerings to Yahweh, you must offer it that you may be accepted. 6 It must be eaten the same day you offer it, or on the next day. If anything remains until the third day, it must be burned up with fire. 7 If it is eaten at all on the third day, it is unclean meat; it must not be accepted, 8 and everyone who eats it must carry his own guilt because he has defiled what is holy to Yahweh, and that person must be cut off from his people.

9 When you reap the harvest of your land, you must not completely reap the corners of your field, neither will you gather all the produce of your harvest. 10 You must not gather every grape from your vineyard, nor gather the grapes that have fallen on the ground in your vineyard. You must leave them for the poor and for the foreigner. I am Yahweh your God.

11 Do not steal.

Do not lie.

Do not deceive each other.

12 Do not swear by my name falsely and profane the name of your God. I am Yahweh.

13 Do not oppress your neighbor or rob him. The wages of a hired servant must not stay with you all night until the morning.

14 Do not curse the deaf or put a stumbling block before the blind. Instead, you must fear your God. I am Yahweh.

15 Do not cause judgment to be false. You must not show favoritism to someone because he is poor, and you must not show favoritism to someone because he is important. Instead, judge your neighbor righteously.

16 Do not walk around spreading slander among your people, but seek to protect your neighbor's life. I am Yahweh.

17 Do not hate your brother in your heart. You must honestly rebuke your neighbor so as not to share in sin because of him.

18 Do not take vengeance or hold any grudge against any of your people, but instead love your neighbor as yourself. I am Yahweh.

19 You must keep my commands.

Do not try to breed your animals with different kinds of other animals.

Do not mix two different kinds of seeds when planting your field.

Do not wear clothing made of two kinds of material mixed together.

20 Whoever sleeps with a slave girl who is promised to a husband, but who has not been ransomed or given her freedom, they must be punished. They must not be put to death because she was not free.

21 A man must bring his guilt offering to Yahweh to the entrance to the tent of meeting—a ram as a guilt offering. 22 Then the priest will make atonement for him with the ram for the guilt offering before Yahweh, for the sin that he has committed. Then the sin which he has committed will be forgiven.

23 When you come into the land and have planted all kinds of trees for food, then you must regard the fruit they produce as forbidden to be eaten. The fruit must be forbidden to you for three years. It must not be eaten. 24 But in the fourth year all the fruit will be holy, an offering of praise to Yahweh. 25 In the fifth you may eat the fruit, having waited so that the trees might produce more. I am Yahweh your God.

26 Do not eat any meat with blood still in it.

Do not consult spirits about the future, and do not seek to control others by supernatural powers.

27 You will not round off the corners of the hair on the sides of your head or shave off the edge of your beard.

28 Do not cut your body for the dead or put tattoo marks on your body. I am Yahweh.

29 Do not disgrace your daughter by making her a prostitute, or the nation will fall to prostitution and the land will become full of wickedness.

30 You must keep my Sabbaths and honor the sanctuary of my tabernacle. I am Yahweh.

31 Do not turn to those who talk with the dead or with spirits. Do not seek them out, or they will defile you. I am Yahweh your God.

32 You must rise before the gray-headed person and honor the presence of an old man. You must fear your God. I am Yahweh.

33 If a foreigner lives among you in your land, you must not do him any wrong. 34 The foreigner who lives with you must be to you like the native-born Israelite who lives among you, and you must love him as yourself, because you were foreigners in the land of Egypt. I am Yahweh your God.

35 Do not use false measures when measuring length, weight, or quantity. 36 You must use just scales, just weights, a just ephah, and a just hin. I am Yahweh your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt. 37 You must obey all my decrees and all my laws, and do them. I am Yahweh.'”

20

1 Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Say to the people of Israel, 'Anyone among the people of Israel, or any foreigner who lives in Israel who gives any of his children to Molech, must certainly be put to death. The people in the land must stone him with stones. 3 I also will set my face against that man and will cut him off from among his people because he has given his child to Molech, so as to defile my holy place and profane my holy name. 4 If the people of the land close their eyes to that man when he gives any of his children to Molech, if they do not put him to death, 5 then I myself will set my face against that man and his clan, and I will cut him off and everyone else who prostitutes himself in order to play the harlot with Molech.

6 The person who turns to those who talk with the dead, or to those who talk with spirits so as to prostitute themselves with them, I will set my face against that person; I will cut him off from among his people. 7 Therefore consecrate yourselves and be holy, because I am Yahweh your God. *

8 You must keep my commands and carry them out. I am Yahweh who sets you apart as holy.

9 Everyone who curses his father or his mother must surely be put to death. He has cursed his father or his mother, so he is guilty and deserves to die.

10 The man who commits adultery with another man's wife, that is, anyone who commits adultery with his neighbor's wife—the adulterer and the adulteress must both certainly be put to death.

11 If a man lies with his father's wife, he uncovers his father's nakedness. Both the son and his father's wife must certainly be put to death. Their blood is upon them.

12 If a man sleeps with his daughter-in-law, both of them must certainly be put to death. They have committed perversion. They are guilty and deserve to die.

13 If a man sleeps with another man, as with a woman, both of them have done something detestable. They must surely be put to death. They are guilty and deserve to die.

14 If a man marries a woman and also marries her mother, this is wickedness. They must be burned, both he and the women, so that there will be no wickedness among you.

15 If a man sleeps with an animal, he must surely be put to death, and you must kill the animal.

16 If a woman approaches any animal to sleep with it, you must kill the woman and the animal. They must certainly be put to death. They are guilty and deserve to die.

17 If a man sleeps with his sister, a daughter of his father or a daughter of his mother, and he uncovers her nakedness, and she sees his nakedness, it is a shameful thing. They must be cut off from the presence of their people, because he has slept with his sister. He must carry his guilt.

18 If a man sleeps with a woman during her menstrual period and has slept with her, he has uncovered the flow of her blood, the source of her blood. Both the man and woman must be cut off from among their people.

19 You must not sleep with your mother's sister, or with your father's sister, because you would disgrace your close relative. You must carry your own guilt.

20 If a man sleeps with his aunt, he has dishonored his uncle. They will bear responsibility for their sin, and they will die without children.

21 If a man marries his brother's wife while his brother is still living, that is disgraceful. He has dishonored his brother, and I will take away from their children any property they may have inherited from their parents.

22 You must therefore keep all my statutes and all my decrees; you must obey them so that the land into which I am bringing you to live will not vomit you up.

23 You must not walk in the customs of the nations that I will drive out before you, for they have done all these things, and I detest them.

24 I said to you, “You will inherit their land; I will give it to you to possess, a land flowing with milk and honey. I am Yahweh your God, who has separated you from the other peoples. 25 You must therefore distinguish between the clean animals and the unclean, and between the unclean birds and the clean. You must not defile yourselves with unclean animals or birds or with any creature that crawls along the ground, which I have separated as unclean from you.

26 You must be holy, for I, Yahweh, am holy, and I have separated you from the other peoples, for you belong to me.

27 A man or a woman who talks with the dead or who talks with spirits must certainly be put to death. The people must stone them with stones. They are guilty and deserve to die.'”

21

1 Yahweh said to Moses: “Speak to the priests, the sons of Aaron, and say to them, 'No one among you shall make himself unclean for those who die among his people, 2 except for his closest relatives—his mother, his father, his son, his daughter, his brother, 3 or his virgin sister who is dependent on him, since she has no husband—for her he may make himself unclean. 4 But he must not make himself unclean for other relatives and so defile himself.

5 Priests must not shave their heads or shave off the corners of their beards, nor cut their bodies. 6 They must be holy to their God and not disgrace the name of their God, because the priests offer Yahweh's food offerings, the bread of their God. Therefore the priests must be holy. 7 They must not marry any woman who is a prostitute and who is defiled, and they must not marry a woman divorced from her husband, for they are separate for their God.

8 You will set him apart, for he is the one who offers bread to your God. He must be holy to you, because I, Yahweh who makes you holy, am holy.

9 Any daughter of any priest who defiles herself by becoming a prostitute disgraces her father. She must be burned.

10 The one who is the high priest among his brothers, on whose head the anointing oil has been poured, and who has been consecrated to wear the special garments of the high priest, must not wear his hair loose or tear his clothes. 11 He must not go anywhere that a dead body is present and defile himself, even for his father or his mother. 12 The high priest must not leave the sanctuary area of the tabernacle or profane the sanctuary of his God, because he has been consecrated as high priest by the anointing oil of his God. I am Yahweh.

13 The high priest must marry a virgin as his wife. 14 He must not marry a widow, a divorced woman, or a woman who is a prostitute. He will not marry these kinds of women. He may only marry a virgin from his own people, 15 so he will not defile his children among his people, for I am Yahweh, who makes him holy.'”

16 Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, 17 “Speak to Aaron and tell him, 'Whoever of your descendants throughout their generations has a bodily defect, he must not approach to offer the food to his God. 18 Any man who has a bodily defect must not approach Yahweh, such as a blind man or a man who is unable to walk, one who is disfigured or deformed, 19 a man with a crippled hand or foot, 20 a man who has a hump in his back or is abnormally thin or short, or a man with a defect in his eyes, or with a disease, sore, scabs, or whose testicles have been crushed. 21 No man among the descendants of Aaron the priest with a bodily defect may come near to perform the offerings made by fire for Yahweh. Such a man has a bodily defect; he must not come near to offer the bread of his God. 22 He may eat the food of his God, whether some of the most holy or some of the holy. 23 However, he must not enter inside the curtain or come near the altar, because he has a bodily defect, so that he does not defile my holy place, for I am Yahweh, who makes them holy.'” 24 So Moses spoke these words to Aaron, to his sons, and to all the people of Israel.

22

1 Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Speak to Aaron and to his sons, tell them to keep away from the holy things of the people of Israel, which they set apart to me. They must not profane my holy name. I am Yahweh. 3 Say to them, 'If any of your descendants throughout your generations approaches the holy things that the people of Israel have set apart to Yahweh, while he is unclean, that person must be cut off from before me: I am Yahweh.

4 None of the descendants of Aaron who has an infectious skin disease, or an infection flowing from his body, may eat any of the sacrifices made to Yahweh until he is clean. Whoever touches anything unclean through contact with the dead, or by contact with a man who has a flow of semen, 5 or whoever touches any creeping animal that makes him unclean, or any person who makes him unclean, whatever kind of uncleanness it may be— 6 then the priest who touches anything unclean will be unclean until evening. He must not eat any of the holy things, unless he has bathed his body in water.

7 When the sun has set, he will then be clean. After sunset he may eat from the holy things, because they are his food. 8 He must not eat anything found dead or killed by wild animals, by which he would defile himself. I am Yahweh.

9 The priests must follow my instructions, or they will be guilty of sin and could die for profaning me. I am Yahweh who makes them holy.

10 No one outside the priest's family, including guests of a priest or his hired servants, may eat anything that is holy. 11 But if a priest buys any slave with his own money, that slave may eat from the things set apart to Yahweh. The priest's family members and slaves born in his house, they also may eat with him from those things.

12 If a priest's daughter married someone who is not a priest, she may not eat any of the holy contribution offerings. 13 But if a priest's daughter is a widow, or divorced, and if she has no child, and if she returns to live in her father's house as in her youth, she may eat from her father's food. But no one who is not in the priestly family may eat from the priest's food.

14 If a man eats a holy food without knowing it, then he must repay the priest for it; he must add one-fifth to it and give it back to the priest.

15 The people of Israel must not profane the holy things that they have raised high and presented to Yahweh, 16 and cause themselves to carry the sin that would make them guilty of eating the holy food, for I am Yahweh who makes them holy.'”

17 Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, 18 “Speak to Aaron and his sons, and to all the people of Israel. Say to them, 'Any Israelite, or an alien living in Israel, when they present a sacrifice—whether it is to fulfill a vow, or whether it is a freewill offering, or they present to Yahweh a burnt offering, 19 if it is to be accepted, they must offer a male animal without blemish from the cattle, sheep, or goats. 20 But you must not offer whatever has a blemish. I will not accept it on your behalf.

21 Whoever offers a sacrifice of fellowship offerings from the herd or the flock to Yahweh to fulfill a vow, or as a freewill offering, it must be unblemished to be accepted. There must be no defect in the animal. 22 You must not offer animals that are blind, disabled, or maimed, or that have warts, sores, or scabs. You must not offer these to Yahweh as a sacrifice by fire on the altar. 23 You may present as a freewill offering an ox or a lamb that is deformed or small, but an offering like that will not be accepted for a vow.

24 Do not offer any animal to Yahweh that has bruised, crushed, torn, or cut testicles. Do not do this within your land. 25 You must not present the bread of your God from the hand of a foreigner. Those animals are deformed and have defects in them, they will not be accepted for you.'”

26 Yahweh spoke to Moses and said, 27 “When a calf or a sheep or a goat is born, it must remain seven days with its mother. Then from the eighth day on, it may be accepted as a sacrifice for an offering made by fire to Yahweh.

28 Do not kill a cow or ewe along with its young, both on the same day. 29 When you sacrifice a thank offering to Yahweh, you must sacrifice it in an acceptable way. 30 It must be eaten on the same day that it is sacrificed. You must leave none of it until the next morning. I am Yahweh.

31 So you must keep my commandments and carry them out. I am Yahweh.

32 You must not profane my holy name. I must be acknowledged as holy by the people of Israel. I am Yahweh who makes you holy, 33 who brought you out of the land of Egypt to be your God: I am Yahweh.”

23

1 Yahweh spoke to Moses: 2 “Speak to the people of Israel, and say to them, 'These are the appointed festivals for Yahweh, which you must proclaim as holy assemblies; they are my regular festivals. 3 You may work for six days, but the seventh day is a Sabbath of complete rest, a holy assembly. You must do no work because it is a Sabbath for Yahweh in all the places where you live.

4 These are the appointed festivals of Yahweh, the holy assemblies that you must announce at their appointed times: 5 In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month at twilight, is Yahweh's Passover. 6 On the fifteenth day of the same month is the Festival of Unleavened Bread for Yahweh. For seven days you must eat unleavened bread. 7 The first day you must set apart to gather together; you will not do any of your regular work. 8 You will present a food offering to Yahweh for seven days. The seventh day is an assembly set apart to Yahweh, and on that day you must not do any regular work.'”

9 Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, 10 “Speak to the people of Israel and say to them, 'When you have come into the land that I will give you, and when you reap its harvest, then you must bring a bundle of the firstfruit of the grain to the priest. 11 He will raise the bundle of grain before Yahweh and present it to him, for it to be accepted on your behalf. It is on the day after the Sabbath that the priest will raise it and present it to me. 12 On the day when you raise the bundle of grain and present it to me, you must offer a male lamb one year old and without blemish as a burnt offering to Yahweh. 13 The grain offering must be two-tenths of an ephah of fine flour mixed with oil, an offering made by fire to Yahweh, to produce a sweet aroma, and with it a drink offering of wine, a fourth of a hin. 14 You must eat no bread, nor roasted or fresh grain, until the same day you have brought this offering to your God. This will be a permanent statute throughout your people's generations, in every place that you live.

15 Beginning from the day after the Sabbath—that was the day you brought the bundle of grain as the wave offering—count seven full weeks. 16 You must count fifty days, which would be the day after the seventh Sabbath. Then you must present an offering of new grain to Yahweh. 17 You must bring out of your houses two loaves made from two-tenths of an ephah. They must be made from fine flour and baked with yeast; they will be a wave offering of the firstfruits to Yahweh. 18 You must present with the bread seven lambs one year old and without blemish, one young bull, and two rams. They must be a burnt offering to Yahweh, with their grain offering and their drink offerings, an offering made by fire and producing a sweet aroma for Yahweh. 19 You must offer one male goat for a sin offering, and two male lambs a year old for a sacrifice, as fellowship offerings. 20 The priest must wave them together with the bread of the firstfruits before Yahweh, and present them to him as an offering with the two lambs. They will be holy offerings to Yahweh for the priest. 21 You must make a proclamation on that same day. There will be a holy assembly, and you must do no ordinary work. This will be a permanent statute throughout your people's generations in all the places where you live.

22 When you reap the harvest of your land, you must not completely reap the corners of your fields, and you must not gather the gleanings of your harvest. You must leave them for the poor and for the foreigner. I am Yahweh your God.'”

23 Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, 24 “Speak to the people of Israel and say, 'In the seventh month, the first day of that month will be a solemn rest for you, a memorial with the blowing of trumpets, and a holy assembly. 25 You must do no ordinary work, and you must offer a sacrifice made by fire to Yahweh.'”

26 Then Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, 27 “Now the tenth day of this seventh month is the Day of Atonement. It is to be a holy assembly, and you must humble yourselves and present to Yahweh an offering by fire. 28 You must do no work on that day because it is the Day of Atonement, to make atonement for yourselves before Yahweh your God. 29 Whoever does not humble himself on that day must be cut off from his people. 30 Whoever does any work on that day, I, Yahweh, will destroy him from among his people. 31 You must do no work of any kind on that day. This will be a permanent statute throughout your people's generations in all the places where you live. 32 This day must be to you a Sabbath of solemn rest, and you must humble yourselves the ninth day of the month at the evening. From evening to evening you are to observe your Sabbath.”

33 Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, 34 “Speak to the people of Israel, saying, 'On the fifteenth day of the seventh month will be the Festival of Shelters for Yahweh. It will last seven days. 35 On the first day there must be a holy assembly. You must do no ordinary work. 36 For seven days you must offer a sacrifice made by fire to Yahweh. On the eighth day there must be a holy assembly, and you must make a sacrifice offered with fire to Yahweh. This is a solemn assembly, and you must not do any ordinary work.

37 These are the appointed festivals for Yahweh, which you must proclaim as holy assemblies to offer sacrifice by fire to Yahweh, a burnt offering and a grain offering, sacrifices and drink offerings, each on its own day. 38 These festivals will be in addition to the Sabbaths of Yahweh and your gifts, all your vows, and all your freewill offerings that you give to Yahweh.

39 Regarding the Festival of Shelters, on the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when you have gathered in the fruits of the land, you must keep this festival of Yahweh for seven days. The first day will be a solemn rest, and the eighth day will also be a solemn rest. 40 On the first day you must take the best fruit from the trees, branches of palm trees, and leafy branches of thick trees, and willows from streams, and you will rejoice before Yahweh your God for seven days. 41 For seven days each year, you must celebrate this festival for Yahweh. This will be a permanent statute throughout your people's generations in all the places where you live. You must celebrate this festival in the seventh month. 42 You must live in small shelters for seven days. All native-born Israelites must live in small shelters for seven days, 43 so that your descendants, generation after generation, may learn how I made the people of Israel live in such shelters when I led them out of the land of Egypt. I am Yahweh your God.'” 44 In this way, Moses announced to the people of Israel the appointed festivals for Yahweh.

24

1 Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Command the people of Israel to bring you pure oil beaten from olives to be used in the lamp, that the light may burn continually. 3 Outside the curtain before the covenant decrees in the tent of meeting, Aaron must continually, from evening to morning, keep the lamp lit before Yahweh. This will be a permanent statute throughout your people's generations. 4 The high priest must always keep the lamps lit before Yahweh, the lamps on the lampstand of pure gold.

5 You must take fine flour and bake twelve loaves with it. There must be two-tenths of an ephah in each loaf. 6 Then you must set them in two rows, six in a row, on the table of pure gold before Yahweh. 7 You must put pure incense along each row of loaves as a representative offering. This incense will be burnt for Yahweh. 8 Every Sabbath day the high priest must regularly set out the bread before Yahweh on behalf of the people of Israel, as a sign of an everlasting covenant. 9 This offering will be for Aaron and his sons, and they are to eat it in a place that is holy, for it is a portion from the offerings to Yahweh made by fire.”

10 Now it happened that the son of an Israelite woman, whose father was an Egyptian, went among the people of Israel. This son of the Israelite woman fought against an Israelite man in the camp. 11 The son of the Israelite woman blasphemed the name of Yahweh and cursed God, so the people brought him to Moses. His mother's name was Shelomith, the daughter of Dibri, from the tribe of Dan. 12 They held him in custody until Yahweh himself should declare his will to them.

13 Then Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, 14 “Take the man who has cursed God outside the camp. All who heard him must lay their hands on his head, and then the entire assembly must stone him. 15 You must explain to the people of Israel and say, 'Whoever curses his God must carry his own guilt. 16 He who blasphemes the name of Yahweh must surely be put to death. All the assembly must certainly stone him, whether he is a foreigner or a native-born Israelite. If anyone blasphemes the name of Yahweh, he must be put to death. 17 If anyone strikes down another human being, he must certainly be put to death. 18 If anyone strikes down someone's animal, he must pay it back, life for life. 19 If anyone injures his neighbor, it must be done to him as he did to his neighbor: 20 fracture for fracture, eye for eye, tooth for tooth. As he has caused an injury to a person, so must it also be done to him. 21 Anyone who kills an animal must pay it back, and anyone who kills a person must be put to death. 22 You must have the same law for both the foreigner and the native-born Israelite, for I am Yahweh your God.'” 23 So Moses spoke to the people of Israel, and the people brought the man outside the camp, the one who had cursed Yahweh. They stoned him with stones. The people of Israel carried out the command of Yahweh to Moses.

25

1 Yahweh spoke to Moses on Mount Sinai, saying, 2 “Speak to the people of Israel and say to them, 'When you come into the land that I give you, then the land must be made to keep a Sabbath for Yahweh. 3 You must plant your field for six years, and for six years you must prune your vineyard and gather the produce. 4 But in the seventh year, a Sabbath of solemn rest for the land must be observed, a Sabbath for Yahweh. You must not plant your field or prune your vineyard. 5 You must not conduct an organized harvest of whatever grows by itself, and you must not conduct an organized harvest of whatever grapes grow on your unpruned vines. This will be a year of solemn rest for the land. 6 Whatever the unworked land grows during the Sabbath year will be food for you. You, your male and female servants, your hired servants and the foreigners who live with you may gather food, 7 and your livestock and also wild animals may eat whatever the land produces.

8 You must count off seven Sabbaths of years, that is, seven times seven years, so that there will be seven Sabbaths of years, totaling forty-nine years. 9 Then you must blow a loud trumpet everywhere on the tenth day of the seventh month. On the Day of Atonement you must blow a trumpet throughout all your land. 10 You must set apart the fiftieth year to Yahweh and proclaim liberty throughout the land to all its inhabitants. It will be a Jubilee for you, in which property and slaves must be returned to their families. 11 The fiftieth year will be a Jubilee for you. You must not plant or conduct an organized harvest. Eat whatever grows by itself, and gather the grapes that grow on the unpruned vines. 12 For it is a Jubilee, which will be holy for you. You must eat the produce that grows by itself out of the fields.

13 You must return everyone to his own property in this year of Jubilee.

14 If you sell any land to your neighbor or buy any land from your neighbor, you must not cheat or wrong each other. 15 If you buy land from your neighbor, consider the number of years and crops that can be harvested until the next Jubilee. Your neighbor selling the land must consider that also. 16 A larger number of years until the next Jubilee will increase the value of land, and a smaller number of years until the next Jubilee will decrease the value, because the number of harvests the land will produce for the new owner is related to the number of years before the next Jubilee. 17 You must not cheat or wrong one another; instead, you must honor your God, for I am Yahweh your God.

18 Therefore you must obey my decrees, keep my laws, and carry them out. Then you will live in the land in safety. 19 The land will yield its produce, and you will eat your fill and live there in safety. 20 You might say, “What will we eat during the seventh year? Look, we cannot plant or gather our produce.” 21 I will command my blessing to come upon you in the sixth year, and it will produce harvest enough for three years. 22 You will plant in the eighth year and continue to eat from the previous years' produce and the stored food. Until the harvest of the ninth year comes in, you will be able to eat from the provisions stored in the previous years.

23 The land must not be sold to a new permanent owner, because the land is mine. You are all foreigners and temporary residents on my land. 24 You must observe the right of redemption for all the land that you acquire; you must allow the land to be bought back by the family from whom you bought it. 25 If your fellow Israelite became poor and for that reason sold some of his property, then his nearest relative may come and buy back the property that he sold to you. 26 If a man has no relative to redeem his property, but if he has prospered and has the ability to redeem it, 27 then he may calculate the years since the land was sold and repay the balance to the man to whom he sold it. Then he may return to his own property. 28 But if he is not able to get the land back for himself, then the land he has sold will remain in the ownership of the one who bought it until the year of Jubilee. At the year of Jubilee, the land will be returned to the man who sold it, and the original owner will return to his property.

29 If a man sells a house in a walled city, then he may buy it back within a whole year after it was sold. For a full year he will have the right of redemption. 30 If the house is not redeemed within a full year, then the house in the walled city will become the permanent property of the buyer and his descendants. It is not to be returned in the year of Jubilee. 31 But the houses of the villages that have no wall around them will be considered as the field of the land. They may be redeemed, and they must be returned during the year of Jubilee. 32 However, the houses owned by the Levites in their cities may be redeemed at any time. 33 If one of the Levites does not redeem a house he sold, then the house that was sold in the city where it is located must be returned in the year of Jubilee, for the houses of the cities of the Levites are their property among the people of Israel. 34 But the fields around their cities may not be sold because they are the permanent property of the Levites.

35 If your fellow countryman becomes poor, so that he can no longer provide for himself, then you must help him as you would help a foreigner or anyone else living as an outsider among you. 36 Do not charge him interest or try to profit from him in any way, but honor your God so that your brother may keep living with you. 37 You must not give him a loan of money and charge interest, nor sell him your food to earn a profit. 38 I am Yahweh your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, in order that I might give you the land of Canaan, and that I might be your God.

39 If your fellow countryman has become poor and sells himself to you, you must not make him work like a slave. 40 Treat him as a hired servant. He must be like someone living temporarily with you. He will serve with you until the year of Jubilee. 41 Then he will go away from you, he and his children with him, and he will return to his own family and to his fathers' property. 42 For they are my servants whom I brought out of the land of Egypt. They will not be sold as slaves. 43 You must not rule over them harshly, but you must honor your God. 44 As for your male and female slaves, whom you can obtain from the nations who live around you, you may buy slaves from them. 45 You may also buy slaves from the foreigners who are living among you, that is, from their families who are with you, children who have been born in your land. They may become your property. 46 You may provide such slaves as an inheritance for your children after you, to hold as property, and make them slaves for life, but you must not rule over your brothers among the people of Israel with harshness.

47 If a foreigner or someone living temporarily with you has become wealthy, and if one of your fellow Israelites has become poor and sells himself to that foreigner, or to someone in a foreigner's family, 48 after your fellow Israelite has been bought, he may be bought back. Someone in his family may redeem him. 49 It might be the person's uncle, or his uncle's son, who redeems him, or anyone who is his close relative from his family. Or, if he has become prosperous, he may redeem himself. 50 He must bargain with the man who bought him; they must count the years from the year he sold himself to his purchaser until the year of Jubilee. The price of his redemption must be figured in keeping with the rate paid to a hired servant, for the number of years he might continue to work for the one who bought him. 51 If there are still many years until the year of Jubilee, he must pay back as the price for his redemption an amount of money that is in proportion to the number of those years. 52 If there are only a few years to the year of Jubilee, then he must bargain with his purchaser to reflect the number of years left before the year of Jubilee, and he must pay for his redemption in keeping with the number of years. 53 He is to be treated like a man hired year by year. You must make sure he is not treated with harshness. 54 If he is not redeemed by these means, then he must serve until the year of Jubilee, he and his children with him. 55 To me the people of Israel are servants. They are my servants whom I brought out of the land of Egypt. I am Yahweh your God.'”

26

1 “You must make no idols, and you must not lift up a carved figure or a sacred stone pillar, and you must not place any carved stone image in your land to which you bow down, for I am Yahweh your God. 2 You must keep my Sabbaths and honor my sanctuary. I am Yahweh.

3 If you walk in my laws and keep my commandments and obey them, 4 then I will give you rain in its season; the land will yield its produce, and the trees of the field will yield their fruit. 5 Your threshing will continue to the time of the grape harvest, and the grape harvest will extend to the planting season. You will eat your bread to the full and live safely where you make your home in the land. 6 I will give peace in the land; you will lie down with nothing to make you afraid. I will take the dangerous animals away from the land, and the sword will not pass through your land. 7 You will chase your enemies, and they will fall before you by the sword. 8 Five of you will chase away a hundred, and a hundred of you will chase ten thousand; your enemies will fall before you by the sword. 9 I will look at you with favor and make you fruitful and multiply you; I will establish my covenant with you. 10 You will eat food stored a long time. You will have to bring out the stored food because you will need the room for the new harvest. 11 I will place my tabernacle among you, and I will not detest you. 12 I will walk among you and be your God, and you will be my people. 13 I am Yahweh your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, so that you would not be their slaves. I have broken the bars of your yoke and made you to walk standing up straight.

14 But if you will not listen to me, and will not obey all these commandments, 15 and if you reject my decrees and detest my laws, so that you will not obey all my commandments, but break my covenant— 16 —if you do these things, then I will do this to you: I will inflict terror on you, diseases and fever that will destroy the eyes and will drain away your life. You will plant your seeds for nothing, because your enemies will eat their produce. 17 I will set my face against you, and you will be overpowered by your enemies. Men who hate you will rule over you, and you will run away, even when no one is chasing you. 18 If after all this you do not listen to me, then I will punish you seven times as severely for your sins. 19 I will break your pride in your power. I will make the sky over you like iron and your land like bronze. 20 Your strength will be used up for nothing, because your land will not produce its harvest, and your trees in the land will not produce their fruit.

21 If you walk against me and will not listen to me, I will bring seven times more blows on you, in proportion to your sins. 22 I will send dangerous animals against you, which will steal your children, destroy your cattle, and make you few in number. So your roads will become deserted.

23 If in spite of these things you still do not accept my correction and you continue to walk in opposition to me, 24 then I will also walk in opposition to you, and I myself will punish you seven times because of your sins. 25 I will bring a sword on you that will execute vengeance for breaking the covenant. You will be gathered together inside your cities, and I will send a disease among you there, and then you will be delivered into the hand of your enemy. 26 When I cut off your food supply, ten women will be able to bake your bread in one oven, and they will distribute your bread by weight. You will eat but not be satisfied.

27 If you do not listen to me despite these things, but continue to walk against me, 28 then I will walk against you in anger, and I will punish you even seven more times as much for your sins. 29 You will eat the flesh of your sons; you will eat the flesh of your daughters. 30 I will destroy your high places, cut down your incense altars, and throw your corpses on the corpses of your idols, and I myself will abhor you. 31 I will turn your cities into ruins and destroy your sanctuaries. I will not be pleased with the aroma of your offerings. 32 I will devastate the land. Your enemies who will live there will be shocked at the devastation. 33 I will scatter you among the nations, and I will draw out my sword and follow you. Your land will be abandoned, and your cities will be ruined.

34 Then the land will enjoy its Sabbaths for as long as it lies abandoned and you are in your enemies' lands. During that time, the land will rest and enjoy its Sabbaths. 35 As long as it lies abandoned, it will have rest, which will be the rest that it did not have with your Sabbaths, when you lived in it.

36 As for those of you who are left in your enemies' lands, I will send fear into your hearts so that even the sound of a leaf blowing in the wind will startle you, and you will flee as though you were fleeing from the sword. You will fall, even when no one is chasing you. 37 You will stumble over each other as though you were running from the sword, even though no one is chasing you. You will have no power to stand before your enemies. 38 You will perish among the nations, and your enemies' land will itself devour you. 39 Those who are left among you will waste away in their sins, there in your enemies' lands, and because of their fathers' sins they will waste away as well.

40 Yet if they confess their sins and their fathers' sin, and their treason by which they were unfaithful to me, and also their walking against me— 41 which caused me to turn against them and I brought them into the land of their enemies—if their uncircumcised hearts become humbled, and if they accept the punishment for their sins, 42 then will I call to mind my covenant with Jacob, my covenant with Isaac, and my covenant with Abraham; also, I will call the land to mind. 43 The land will be abandoned by them, so it will be pleased with its Sabbaths while it lies abandoned without them. They will have to pay the penalty for their sins because they themselves rejected my decrees and detested my laws. 44 Yet despite all this, when they are in their enemies' land, I will not reject them, neither will I detest them so as to completely destroy them and do away with my covenant with them, for I am Yahweh their God. 45 But for their sakes I will call to mind the covenant with their ancestors, whom I brought out of the land of Egypt in the sight of the nations, so that I might be their God. I am Yahweh.”

46 These are the commandments, decrees, and laws that Yahweh made between himself and the people of Israel at Mount Sinai through Moses.

27

1 Yahweh spoke to Moses and said, 2 “Speak to the people of Israel and say to them, 'If anyone makes a special vow to Yahweh, use the following valuations. 3 Your standard value for a male from twenty to sixty years old must be fifty shekels of silver, after the shekel of the sanctuary. 4 For a female of the same ages your standard value must be thirty shekels. 5 From five years to twenty years old your standard value for a male must be twenty shekels, and for the female ten shekels. 6 From one month old to five years your standard value for a male must be five shekels of silver, and for a female three shekels of silver. 7 From sixty years old and up for a male your standard value must be fifteen shekels, and for a female ten shekels. 8 But if the person making the vow cannot pay the standard value, then the person being given must be presented to the priest, and the priest will value that person by the amount the one making the vow is able to afford.

9 If someone wants to sacrifice an animal to Yahweh, and if Yahweh accepts it, then that animal will be set apart to him. 10 The person must not alter or change such an animal, a good one for a bad one or a bad for a good. If he does at all change one animal for another, then both it and the one for which it is exchanged become holy. 11 However, if what the person has vowed to give Yahweh is in fact unclean, so that Yahweh will not accept it, then the person must bring the animal to a priest. 12 The priest will value it, by the market value of the animal. Whatever value the priest places on the animal, that will be its value. 13 If the owner wishes to redeem it, then a fifth of its value is to be added to its redemption price.

14 When a man sets apart his house as a holy gift to Yahweh, then the priest will set its value as either good or bad. Whatever the priest values it, so it will be. 15 But if the owner who set apart his home wishes to redeem it, he must add a fifth of its value to its redemption price, and it will belong to him.

16 If a man sets apart some of his own land, then the valuation of it will be in proportion to the amount of seed required to plant it—a homer of barley will be valued at fifty shekels of silver. 17 If he sets apart his field during the year of Jubilee, the valuation of it will stand. 18 But if he sets apart his field after the year of Jubilee, then the priest must calculate the value of the field by the number of years that remain until the next year of Jubilee, and the valuation of it must be reduced. 19 If the man who set apart the field wishes to redeem it, then he must add a fifth to the valuation, and it will belong to him. 20 If he does not redeem the field, or if he has sold the field to another man, it cannot be redeemed any more. 21 Instead, the field, when it is released in the year of Jubilee, will be a holy gift to Yahweh, like the field that has been completely given to Yahweh. It will belong to the priest. 22 If a man sets apart a field that he has bought, but that field is not part of his family's land, 23 then the priest will figure the valuation of it up to the year of Jubilee, and the man must pay its value on that day as a holy gift to Yahweh. 24 In the year of Jubilee, the field will return to the man from whom it was bought, to the land's owner. 25 All the valuations must be set by the weight of the sanctuary shekel. Twenty gerahs must be the equivalent of one shekel.

26 No one may set apart the firstborn among animals, since the firstborn already belongs to Yahweh; whether ox or sheep, it is Yahweh's. 27 If it is an unclean animal, then the owner may buy it back at the valuation of it, and a fifth must be added to that value. If the animal is not redeemed, then it is to be sold at the set value.

28 But nothing that a man devotes to Yahweh, from all that he has, whether human or animal, or his family land, may be sold or redeemed. Everything that is devoted is very holy to Yahweh. 29 No ransom may be paid for the person who is devoted for destruction. That person must be put to death.

30 All the tithe of the land, whether grain grown on the land or fruit from the trees, is Yahweh's. It is holy to Yahweh. 31 If a man redeems any of his tithe, he must add a fifth to its value. 32 As for every tenth of the herd or the flock, whatever passes under the shepherd's rod, one-tenth must be set apart to Yahweh. 33 The shepherd must not search for the better or the worse animals, and he must not substitute one for another. If he changes it at all, then both it and that for which it is changed will be holy. It cannot be redeemed.'”

34 These are the commandments that Yahweh gave at Mount Sinai to Moses for the people of Israel.

* 20:7 Several modern versions have: ... because I, Yahweh your God, am holy .

Numbers

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

21

22

23

24

25

26

27

28

29

30

31

32

33

34

35

36

Numbers

1

1 Yahweh spoke to Moses in the tent of meeting in the wilderness of Sinai. This happened on the first day of the second month during the second year after the people of Israel had come out from the land of Egypt. Yahweh said, 2 “Conduct a census of all the men of Israel in each clan, in their fathers' families. Count them by name. Count every male, each man 3 who is twenty years old or older. Count all who can fight as soldiers for Israel. You and Aaron must record the number of men in their armed groups. 4 A man from each tribe, a clan head, must serve with you as his tribe's leader. Each leader must lead the men who will fight for his tribe. 5 These are the names of the leaders who must fight with you:

From the tribe of Reuben, Elizur son of Shedeur;

6 from the tribe of Simeon, Shelumiel son of Zurishaddai;

7 from the tribe of Judah, Nahshon son of Amminadab;

8 from the tribe of Issachar, Nethanel son of Zuar;

9 from the tribe of Zebulun, Eliab son of Helon;

10 from the tribe of Ephraim son of Joseph, Elishama son of Ammihud;

from the tribe of Manasseh, Gamaliel son of Pedahzur;

11 from the tribe of Benjamin, Abidan son of Gideoni;

12 from the tribe of Dan, Ahiezer son of Ammishaddai;

13 from the tribe of Asher, Pagiel son of Okran;

14 from the tribe of Gad, Eliasaph son of Deuel;

15 and from the tribe of Naphtali, Ahira son of Enan.”

16 These were the men appointed from the people. They led their ancestors' tribes. They were the leaders of the clans in Israel. 17 Moses and Aaron took these men, who were recorded by name, 18 and along with these men they assembled all the men of Israel on the first day of the second month. Then each man twenty years old and older identified his ancestry. He had to name the clans and families descended from his ancestors. 19 Then Moses recorded their numbers in the wilderness of Sinai, as Yahweh had commanded him to do.

20 From the descendants of Reuben, Israel's firstborn, were counted all the names of each and every man twenty years old or older able to go to war, from the records of their ancestor's clans and families. 21 They counted 46,500 men from the tribe of Reuben.

22 From the descendants of Simeon were counted all the names of each and every man twenty years old or older able to go to war, from the records of their ancestor's clans and families. 23 They counted 59,300 men from the tribe of Simeon.

24 From the descendants of Gad were counted all the names of each and every man twenty years old or older able to go to war, from the records of their ancestor's clans and families. 25 They counted 45,650 men from the tribe of Gad.

26 From the descendants of Judah were counted all the names of each and every man twenty years old or older able to go to war, from the records of their ancestor's clans and families. 27 They counted 74,600 men from the tribe of Judah.

28 From the descendants of Issachar were counted all the names of each and every man twenty years old or older able to go to war, from the records of their ancestor's clans and families. 29 They counted 54,400 men from the tribe of Issachar.

30 From the descendants of Zebulun were counted all the names of each and every man twenty years old or older able to go to war, from the records of their ancestor's clans and families. 31 They counted 57,400 men from the tribe of Zebulun.

32 From the descendants of Ephraim son of Joseph were counted all the names of each and every man twenty years old or older able to go to war, from the records of their ancestor's clans and families. 33 They counted 40,500 men from the tribe of Ephraim.

34 From the descendants of Manasseh son of Joseph were counted all the names of each and every man twenty years old or older able to go to war, from the records of their ancestor's clans and families. 35 They counted 32,200 men from the tribe of Manasseh.

36 From the descendants of Benjamin were counted all the names of each and every man twenty years old or older able to go to war, from the records of their ancestor's clans and families. 37 They counted 35,400 men from the tribe of Benjamin.

38 From the descendants of Dan were counted all the names of each and every man twenty years old or older able to go to war, from the records of their ancestor's clans and families. 39 They counted 62,700 from the tribe of Dan.

40 From the descendants of Asher were counted all the names of each and every man twenty years old or older able to go to war, from the records of their ancestor's clans and families. 41 They counted 41,500 men from the tribe of Asher.

42 From the descendants of Naphtali were counted all the names of each and every man twenty years old or older able to go to war, from the records of their ancestor's clans and families. 43 They counted 53,400 from the tribe of Naphtali.

44 Moses and Aaron counted all these men, together with the twelve men who were leading the twelve tribes of Israel. 45 So all the men of Israel from twenty years old and older, all who could fight in war, were counted in each of their families. 46 They counted 603,550 men.

47 But the men who were descended from Levi were not counted, 48 because Yahweh had said to Moses, 49 “You must not count the tribe of Levi or include them in the total of the people of Israel. 50 Instead, assign the Levites to care for the tabernacle of the covenant decrees, and to care for all the furnishings in the tabernacle and for everything in it. The Levites must carry the tabernacle, and they must carry the tabernacle's furnishings. They must care for the tabernacle and make their camp around it. 51 When the tabernacle is to move to another place, the Levites must take it down. When the tabernacle is to be set up, the Levites must set it up. Any stranger who comes near the tabernacle must be killed. 52 When the people of Israel set up their tents, each man must do so near the banner that belongs to his armed group. 53 However, the Levites must set up their tents around the tabernacle of the covenant decrees so that my anger does not come upon the people of Israel. The Levites must care for the tabernacle of the covenant decrees.” 54 The people of Israel did all these things. They did everything that Yahweh commanded through Moses.

2

1 Yahweh spoke again to Moses and Aaron. He said, 2 “Each one of the Israelites must camp around his standard, with the banners of their fathers' houses. They will camp around the tent of meeting on every side. 3 Those will be camping on the east of the tent of meeting, where the sun rises, they are the camp of Judah and they are camping under their standard. Nahshon son of Amminadab is the leader of the people of Judah. 4 The number of the people of Judah is 74,600. 5 The tribe of Issachar must camp next to Judah. Nethanel son of Zuar must lead the army of Issachar. 6 The number in his division is 54,400 men. 7 The tribe of Zebulun must camp next to Issachar. Eliab son of Helon must lead the army of Zebulun. 8 The number in his division is 57,400. 9 All the number of the camp of Judah is 186,400. They will set out first.

10 On the south side will be the camp of Reuben under their standard. The leader of the camp of Reuben is Elizur son of Shedeur. 11 The number in his division is 46,500. 12 Simeon is camping next to Reuben. The leader of the people of Simeon is Shelumiel son of Zurishaddai. 13 The number in his division is 59,300. 14 The tribe of Gad is next. The leader of the people of Gad is Eliasaph son of Deuel. 15 The number in his division is 45,650. 16 The number of all the men assigned to the camp of Reuben, according to their divisions, is 151,450. They will set out second.

17 Next, the tent of meeting must go out from the camp with the Levites in the middle of all the camps. They must go out from the camp in the same order as they come into the camp. Every man must be in his place, by his banner.

18 The divisions of the camp of Ephraim under their standard. The leader of the people of Ephraim is Elishama son of Ammihud. 19 The number in his division is 40,500. 20 Next to them is the tribe of Manasseh. The leader of Manasseh is Gamaliel son of Pedahzur. 21 The number in his division is 32,200. 22 Next will be the tribe of Benjamin. The leader of Benjamin is Abidan son of Gideoni. 23 The number in his division is 35,400. 24 All those numbered in the camp of Ephraim is 108,100. They will set out third.

25 On the north will be the divisions of the camp of Dan. The leader of the people of Dan is Ahiezer son of Ammishaddai. 26 The number in his division is 62,700. 27 The people of the tribe of Asher camp next to Dan. The leader of Asher is Pagiel son of Okran. 28 The number in his division is 41,500. 29 The tribe of Naphtali is next. The leader of Naphthali is Ahira son of Enan. 30 The mnumber in his division is 53,400. 31 All those numbered in the camp with Dan is 157,600. They will go out from the camp last, under their banner.”

32 These are the Israelites, numbered according to their families. All those counted in their camps, by their divisions, are 603,550. 33 But Moses and Aaron did not count the Levites among the people of Israel. This was as Yahweh had commanded Moses. 34 The people of Israel did everything that Yahweh commanded Moses. They camped by their banners. They went out from the camp by their clans, in the order of their ancestor's families.

3

1 Now this is the history of the descendants of Aaron and Moses when Yahweh spoke with Moses on Mount Sinai. 2 The names of Aaron's sons were Nadab the firstborn, and Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar. 3 These are the names of the sons of Aaron, the priests who were anointed and who were ordained to serve as priests. 4 But Nadab and Abihu fell dead before Yahweh when they offered to him unacceptable fire in the wilderness of Sinai. Nadab and Abihu had no children, so just Eleazar and Ithamar served as priests with Aaron their father.

5 Yahweh spoke to Moses. He said, 6 “Bring the tribe of Levi and present them to Aaron the priest for them to help him. 7 They must perform the duties on behalf of Aaron and the whole community before the tent of meeting. They must serve in the tabernacle. 8 They must care for all the furnishings in the tent of meeting, and they must help the tribes of Israel to carry out the tabernacle service. 9 You must give the Levites to Aaron and his sons. They are wholly given to help him serve the people of Israel. 10 You must appoint Aaron and his sons as priests, but any foreigner who comes near must be put to death.”

11 Yahweh spoke to Moses. He said, 12 “Look, I have taken the Levites from among the people of Israel. I have done this instead of taking each firstborn male who is born among the people of Israel. The Levites belong to me. 13 All the firstborn belong to me. On the day that I attacked all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, I set apart for myself all the firstborn in Israel, both people and animals. They belong to me. I am Yahweh.”

14 Yahweh spoke to Moses in the wilderness of Sinai. He said, 15 “Count the descendants of Levi in each family, in their clans. Count every male who is one month old and older.” 16 Moses counted them, following the word of Yahweh, just as he was commanded to do. 17 The names of Levi's sons were Gershon, Kohath, and Merari. 18 The clans coming from Gershon's sons were Libni and Shimei. 19 The clans coming from Kohath's sons were Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel. 20 The clans coming from Merari's sons were Mahli and Mushi. These are the clans of the Levites, listed clan by clan.

21 The clans of the Libnites and the Shimeites come from Gershon. These are the clans of the Gershonites. 22 All the males from a month old and older were counted, totaling 7,500. 23 The clans of the Gershonites must camp on the west side of the tabernacle. 24 Eliasaph son of Lael must lead the clans of the descendants of the Gershonites. 25 The family of Gershon must care for the tent of meeting including the tabernacle. They must care for the tent, its covering, and the curtain used as the entrance to the tent of meeting. 26 They must care for the courtyard hangings, the curtain at the courtyard entrance—the courtyard that surrounds the sanctuary and the altar. They must care for the ropes of the tent of meeting and for everything in it.

27 These clans come from Kohath: the clan of the Amramites, the clan of the Izharites, the clan of the Hebronites, and the clan of the Uzzielites. These clans belong to the Kohathites. 28 8,600 males have been counted aged one month old and older to take care of the things that belong to Yahweh. 29 The Kohath clans must camp on the south side of the tabernacle. 30 Elizaphan son of Uzziel must lead the clans of the Kohathites. 31 They must care for the ark, the table, the lampstand, the altars, the holy things that are used in their service, the curtain, and all the work around it. 32 Eleazar son of Aaron the priest must lead the men who lead the Levites. He must supervise the men who care for the holy place.

33 Two clans have come from Merari: the clan of the Mahlites and the clan of the Mushites. These clans have come from Merari. 34 6,200 males have been counted aged one month old and older. 35 Zuriel son of Abihail must lead the clans of Merari. They must camp on the north side of the tabernacle. 36 The descendants of Merari must care for the framing of the tabernacle, the crossbars, posts, bases, all the hardware, and everything related to them, including 37 the pillars and posts of the courtyard that surround the tabernacle, with their sockets, pegs, and ropes.

38 Moses and Aaron and his sons must camp on the east side of the tabernacle, in front of the tent of meeting, toward the sunrise. They are responsible for the fulfillment of the duties of the sanctuary and the duties of the people of Israel. Any foreigner who approaches the sanctuary must be put to death. 39 Moses and Aaron counted all the males in the clans of Levi who were aged one month old and older, just as Yahweh commanded. They counted twenty-two thousand men.

40 Yahweh said to Moses, “Count all the firstborn males of the people of Israel who are aged one month old and older. List their names. 41 You must take the Levites for me—I am Yahweh—instead of all the firstborn of the people of Israel, and the livestock of the Levites instead of the firstborn of the livestock of the descendants of Israel.” 42 Moses counted all the firstborn people of Israel as Yahweh had commanded him to do. 43 He counted all the firstborn males by name, aged one month old and older. He counted 22,273 men.

44 Again, Yahweh spoke to Moses. He said, 45 “Take the Levites instead of all the firstborn among the people of Israel, and take the Levites' livestock instead of the people's livestock. The Levites belong to me—I am Yahweh. 46 You must collect five shekels for the redemption of each of the 273 firstborn people of Israel who exceed the number of the Levites. 47 You must use the shekel of the sanctuary as your standard weight. The shekel equals twenty gerahs. 48 You must give the price of redemption that you paid to Aaron and his sons.” 49 So Moses collected the payment of redemption from those who exceeded the number of those redeemed by the Levites. 50 Moses collected the money from the firstborn of the people of Israel. He collected 1,365 shekels, weighing with the shekel of the sanctuary. 51 Moses gave the redemption money to Aaron and to his sons. Moses did everything he was told to do by Yahweh's word, as Yahweh had commanded him.

4

1 Yahweh spoke to Moses and to Aaron. He said, 2 “Conduct a census of the male descendants of Kohath from among the Levites, by their clans and families. 3 Count all the men who are thirty to fifty years old. These men must join the company to serve in the tent of meeting. 4 The descendants of Kohath must take care of the most holy things reserved for me in the tent of meeting. 5 When the camp prepares to move forward, Aaron and his sons must go into the tent, take down the curtain that separates the most holy place from the holy place and cover the ark of the testimony with it. 6 They must cover the ark with sea cow skins. They must spread a blue cloth over it. They must insert the poles to carry it. 7 They are to spread a blue cloth on the table of the bread of the presence. On it they must put the dishes, spoons, bowls, and jars for pouring. Bread must always continue to be on the table. 8 They must cover them with a scarlet cloth and again with sea cow skins. They must insert poles to carry the table. 9 They must take a blue cloth and cover the lampstand, along with its lamps, tongs, trays, and all the jars of oil for the lamps. 10 They must put the lampstand and all its accessories into a covering of sea cow skins, and they must put it on a carrying frame. 11 They must spread a cloth of blue on the gold altar. They must cover it with a covering of sea cow skins, and then insert the carrying poles. 12 They must take all the equipment for the work in the holy place and wrap it in a blue cloth. They must cover it with sea cow skins and put the equipment on the carrying frame. 13 They must remove the ashes from the altar and spread a purple cloth on the altar. 14 They must put on the carrying frame all the equipment that they use in the work of the altar. These objects are the firepans, forks, shovels, bowls, and all the other equipment for the altar. They must cover the altar with sea cow skins and then insert the carrying poles. 15 When Aaron and his sons have completely covered the holy place and all its equipment, and when the camp moves forward, then the descendants of Kohath must come to carry the holy place. If they touch the holy instruments, they must die. This is the work of the descendants of Kohath, to carry the furnishings in the tent of meeting. 16 Eleazar son of Aaron the priest oversees the care of the oil for the light, the sweet incense, the regular grain offering, and the anointing oil. He oversees the care of the entire tabernacle and all that is in it, the holy place and its equipment.”

17 Yahweh spoke to Moses and to Aaron. He said, 18 “Do not allow the Kohathite tribal clans to be removed from among the Levites. 19 Protect them, that they may live and not die, by doing this. When they approach the most holy things 20 they must not go in to see the holy place even for a moment, or they must die. Aaron and his sons must go in, and then Aaron and his sons must assign each of the Kohathites to his work, to his special tasks.”

21 Yahweh spoke again to Moses. He said, 22 “Conduct a census of the descendants of Gershon also, by their ancestor's families and by their clans. 23 Count those who are thirty years old to fifty years old. Count all of them who will join the company to serve in the tent of meeting. 24 This is the work of the clans of the Gershonites, when they serve and what they carry. 25 They must carry the curtains of the tabernacle, the tent of meeting, its covering, the covering of sea cow skin that is on it, and the curtains for the entrance to the tent of meeting. 26 They must carry the curtains of the court, the curtain for the doorway of the court's gate, which is near the tabernacle and near the altar, their ropes, and all the instruments for their service. Whatever should be done with these things, they must do it. 27 Aaron and his sons must direct all the service of the descendants of the Gershonites, in everything that they transport, and in all their service. You must assign them to all their responsibilities. 28 This is the service of the clans of the descendants of the Gershonites for the tent of meeting. Ithamar son of Aaron the priest must lead them in their service.

29 You must count the descendants of Merari by their clans, and order them by their ancestor's families, 30 from thirty years old and older up to fifty years old. Count everyone who is going to join the company and serve in the tent of meeting. 31 This is their responsibility and their work in all their service for the tent of meeting. They must care for the framing of the tabernacle, its crossbars, posts, and sockets, 32 along with the posts of the courtyard around the tabernacle, their sockets, pegs, and their ropes, with all their hardware. List by name the articles they must carry. 33 This is the service of the clans of the descendants of Merari, what they are to do for the tent of meeting, under the direction of Ithamar son of Aaron the priest.”

34 Moses and Aaron and the leaders of the community counted the descendants of the Kohathites by the clans of their ancestor's families. 35 They counted them from thirty years old and older up to fifty years old. They counted everyone who would join the company to serve in the tent of meeting. 36 They counted 2,750 men by their clans. 37 Moses and Aaron counted all the men in the clans and families of the Kohathites who serve in the tent of meeting. In doing this, they obeyed what Yahweh had commanded them to do through Moses.

38 The descendants of Gershon were counted in their clans, by their ancestor's families, 39 from thirty to fifty years old, everyone who would join the company to serve in the tent of meeting. 40 All the men, counted by their clans and their ancestor's families, numbered 2,630. 41 Moses and Aaron counted the clans of the descendants of Gershon who would serve in the tent of meeting. In doing this, they obeyed what Yahweh had commanded them to do through Moses.

42 The descendants of Merari were counted in their clans by their ancestor's families, 43 from thirty to fifty years old, everyone who would join the company to serve in the tent of meeting. 44 All the men, counted by their clans and their ancestor's families, numbered 3,200. 45 Moses and Aaron counted all these men, the descendants of Merari. In doing this, they obeyed what Yahweh had commanded them to do through Moses.

46 So Moses, Aaron, and the leaders of Israel counted all the Levites by their clans in their ancestral families 47 from thirty to fifty years old. They counted everyone who would do work in the tabernacle, and who would carry and care for the items in the tent of meeting. 48 They counted 8,580 men. 49 At Yahweh's command, Moses counted each man, keeping count of each by the type of work he was assigned to do. He counted each man by the kind of responsibility he would bear. In doing this, they obeyed what Yahweh had commanded them to do through Moses.

5

1 Yahweh spoke to Moses. He said, 2 “Command the people of Israel to send away from the camp everyone with an infectious skin disease, and everyone who has an oozing sore, and whoever is unclean through touching a dead body. 3 Whether male or female, you must send them out of the camp. They must not defile the camp, because I live in it.” 4 The people of Israel did so. They sent them out of the camp, as Yahweh commanded Moses. The people of Israel obeyed Yahweh.

5 Again Yahweh spoke to Moses. He said, 6 “Speak to the people of Israel. When a man or woman commits any sin such as people do to one another, and is unfaithful to me, that person is guilty. 7 Then he must confess the sin that he has done. He must completely pay back the price of his guilt and add to the price one-fifth more. He must give this to the one he has wronged. 8 But if the wronged person has no close relative to receive the payment, he must pay the price for his guilt to me through a priest, along with a ram to atone for himself. 9 Every offering of the people of Israel, the things that are set aside and brought to the priest by the people of Israel, will belong to him. 10 The offerings of every person will be for the priest; if anyone gives anything to the priest, it will belong to him.”

11 Again, Yahweh spoke to Moses. He said, 12 “Speak to the people of Israel. Say to them, 'Suppose that a man's wife turns away and sins against her husband. 13 Then suppose that another man sleeps with her. In that case, she is defiled. Even if her husband does not see it or know about it, and even if no one catches her in the act and there is no one to testify against her, 14 nevertheless, a spirit of jealousy might still inform the husband that his wife is defiled. However, a spirit of jealousy might falsely come on a man when his wife is not defiled. 15 In such cases, the man must bring his wife to the priest. The husband must take an offering required on her behalf, a tenth of an ephah of barley flour. He must pour no oil on it and put no frankincense on it, because it is a grain offering of jealousy, a grain offering for remembering, as a reminder of the iniquity.

16 The priest must bring her near and place her before Yahweh. 17 The priest must take a jar of holy water and take dust from the floor of the tabernacle. He must put the dust into the water. 18 The priest will set the woman before Yahweh and he will untie the hair on the woman's head. He will put into her hands the grain offering of remembrance, which is the grain offering of suspicion. The priest will hold in his hand the bitter water that can bring a curse. 19 The priest will put the woman under an oath and say to her, 'If no other man had sexual relations with you, and if you have not gone astray and committed impurity, then you will be free from this bitter water that can bring a curse. 20 But if you, a woman under her husband, have gone astray, if you are defiled, and if some other man has slept with you, 21 then, (the priest must cause the woman to swear an oath that can bring down a curse on her, and then he must continue speaking to the woman) 'Yahweh will make you into a curse that will be shown to your people to be such. This will happen if Yahweh causes your thigh to waste away and your abdomen to swell. 22 This water that brings the curse will go into your stomach and make your abdomen swell and your thighs waste away.' The woman is to reply, 'Yes, let that happen if I am guilty.'

23 The priest must write these curses on a scroll, and then he must wash away the written curses into the bitter water. 24 The priest must make the woman drink the bitter water that brings the curse. The water that brings the curse will enter her and become bitter. 25 The priest must take the grain offering of jealousy out of the woman's hand. He must hold up the grain offering before Yahweh and bring it to the altar. 26 The priest must take a handful of the grain offering as a representative offering, and burn it on the altar. Then he must give the woman the bitter water to drink. 27 When he gives her the water to drink, if she is defiled because she has committed a sin against her husband, then the water that brings the curse will enter her and become bitter. Her abdomen will swell and her thigh will waste away. The woman will be cursed among her people. 28 But if the woman is not defiled and if she is clean, then she must be free. She will be able to conceive children.

29 This is the law of jealousy. It is the law for a woman who strays away from her husband and is defiled. 30 It is the law for a man with a spirit of jealousy when he is jealous of his wife. He must bring the woman before Yahweh, and the priest must do to her everything that this law of jealousy describes. 31 The man will be free from guilt for bringing his wife to the priest. The woman must bear any guilt she might have.”

6

1 Yahweh spoke to Moses. He said, 2 “Speak to the people of Israel. Say to them, 'When a man or a woman separates himself to Yahweh with a special vow of a Nazirite, 3 he must keep himself from wine and strong drink. He must not drink vinegar made from wine or from strong drink. He must not drink any grape juice or eat fresh grapes or raisins. 4 In all the days that he is separate to me, he must eat nothing that is made from grapes, including everything made from the seeds to their skins.

5 During all the time of his vow of separation, no razor is to be used on his head until the days of his separation to Yahweh are fulfilled. He must be set apart to Yahweh. He must let the hair grow long on his head.

6 During all the time that he separates himself to Yahweh, he must not come near a dead body. 7 He must not make himself unclean even for his father, mother, brother, or sister, if they die. This is because he is separated to God, as everyone can see by his long hair. 8 During all the time of his separation he is holy, reserved for Yahweh.

9 If someone very suddenly dies beside him and defiles his consecrated head, then he must shave his head on the day of his purification—on the seventh day he must shave it. 10 On the eighth day he must bring two doves or two young pigeons to the priest at the entrance to the tent of meeting. 11 The priest must offer one bird as a sin offering and the other as a burnt offering. These will atone for him because he sinned by being near the dead body. He must consecrate his head again on that day. 12 He must set himself apart to Yahweh for the days of his consecration. He must bring a male lamb one year old as a guilt offering. The days before he defiled himself must not be counted, because his consecration was defiled.

13 This is the law about the Nazirite for when the time of his separation is complete. He must be brought to the entrance of the tent of meeting. 14 He must present his offering to Yahweh. He must offer as a burnt offering a male lamb one year old and without blemish. He must bring as a sin offering a female lamb one year old and without blemish. He must bring a ram as a fellowship offering that is without blemish. 15 He must also bring a basket of bread made without yeast, loaves of fine flour mixed with oil, wafers without yeast rubbed with oil, together with their grain offering and drink offerings. 16 The priest must present them before Yahweh. He must offer his sin offering and burnt offering. 17 With the basket of unleavened bread, he must present the ram as a sacrifice, the fellowship offering to Yahweh. The priest must present also the grain offering and the drink offering. 18 The Nazirite must shave his head indicating his separation to God at the entrance to the tent of meeting. He must take the hair from his head and put it on the fire that is under the sacrifice of fellowship offerings. 19 The priest must take the boiled shoulder of the ram, one loaf of bread without yeast out of the basket, and one wafer without yeast. He must place them into the hands of the Nazirite after he has shaved his head indicating separation. 20 The priest must wave them as an offering before Yahweh, a holy portion for the priest, together with the breast that was waved and the thigh that was presented for the priest. After that, the Nazirite may drink wine.

21 This is the law for the Nazirite who vows his offering to Yahweh for his separation. Whatever else he may give, he must keep the obligations of the vow he has taken, to keep the promise indicated by the law for the Nazirite.'”

22 Again Yahweh spoke to Moses. He said, 23 “Speak to Aaron and to his sons. Say, 'You must bless the people of Israel in this way. You must say to them,

24 “May Yahweh bless you and keep you.

25 May Yahweh make his face shine on you and be gracious to you.

26 May Yahweh look on you with favor and give you peace.”'

27 It is in this way that they must give my name to the people of Israel. Then I will bless them.”

7

1 On the day that Moses completed the tabernacle, he anointed it and set it apart to Yahweh, together with all of its furnishings. He did the same for the altar and all its utensils. He anointed them and set them apart to Yahweh. 2 On that day, the leaders of Israel, the heads of their ancestor's families, offered sacrifices. These men were leading the tribes. They had overseen the counting of the men in the census. 3 They brought their offerings before Yahweh. They brought six covered carts and twelve oxen. They brought one cart for every two leaders, and each leader brought one ox. They presented these things in front of the tabernacle. 4 Then Yahweh spoke to Moses. He said, 5 “Accept the offerings from them and use the offerings for the work in the tent of meeting. Give the offerings to the Levites, to each one as his work needs them.” 6 Moses took the carts and the oxen, and he gave them to the Levites. 7 He gave two carts and four oxen to the descendants of Gershon, because of what their work needed. 8 He gave four carts and eight oxen to the descendants of Merari, in the care of Ithamar son of Aaron the priest. He did this because of what their work required. 9 But he gave none of those things to the descendants of Kohath, because theirs would be the work related to the things that belong to Yahweh that they would carry on their own shoulders. 10 The leaders offered their goods for the dedication of the altar on the day that Moses anointed the altar. The leaders offered their sacrifices in front of the altar. 11 Yahweh said to Moses, “Each leader must offer on his own day his sacrifice for the dedication of the altar.”

12 On the first day, Nahshon son of Amminadab, of the tribe of Judah, offered his sacrifice. 13 His sacrifice was one silver platter weighing 130 shekels and one silver bowl weighing seventy shekels, by the standard weight of the sanctuary shekel. Both of these objects were full of fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering. 14 He gave one gold dish that weighed ten shekels and was full of incense. 15 He gave as a burnt offering one young bull, one ram, and a one-year-old male lamb. 16 He gave one male goat as a sin offering. 17 He gave two oxen, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs that were a year old, as the sacrifice for a fellowship offering. This was the sacrifice of Nahshon son of Amminadab.

18 On the second day, Nethanel son of Zuar, leader of Issachar, offered his sacrifice. 19 He offered as his sacrifice one silver platter weighing 130 shekels and one silver bowl weighing seventy shekels, by the standard weight of the sanctuary shekel. Both of these objects were full of fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering. 20 He also gave one gold dish weighing ten shekels, full of incense. 21 He gave as a burnt offering one young bull, one ram, and a one-year-old male lamb. 22 He gave one male goat as a sin offering. 23 He gave two oxen, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs that were a year old, as the sacrifice for a fellowship offering. This was the sacrifice of Nethanel son of Zuar.

24 On the third day, Eliab son of Helon, leader of the descendants of Zebulun, offered his sacrifice. 25 His sacrifice was one silver platter weighing 130 shekels, and one silver bowl weighing seventy shekels by the standard weight of the sanctuary shekel. Both of these objects were full of fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering. 26 He also gave one gold dish weighing ten shekels, full of incense. 27 He gave as a burnt offering one young bull, one ram, and a one-year-old male lamb. 28 He gave one male goat as a sin offering. 29 He gave two oxen, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs that were a year old, as the sacrifice for a fellowship offering. This was the sacrifice of Eliab son of Helon.

30 On the fourth day, Elizur son of Shedeur, leader of the descendants of Reuben, offered his sacrifice. 31 His sacrifice was one silver platter weighing 130 shekels and one silver bowl weighing seventy shekels, by the standard weight of the sanctuary shekel. Both of these objects were full of fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering. 32 He also gave one gold dish weighing ten shekels, full of incense. 33 He gave as a burnt offering one young bull, one ram, and a one-year-old male lamb. 34 He gave one male goat as a sin offering. 35 He gave two oxen, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs that were a year old, as the sacrifice for a fellowship offering. This was the sacrifice of Elizur son of Shedeur.

36 On the fifth day, Shelumiel son of Zurishaddai, leader of the descendants of Simeon, offered his sacrifice. 37 His sacrifice was one silver platter weighing 130 shekels and one silver bowl weighing seventy shekels, by the standard weight of the sanctuary shekel. Both of these objects were full of fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering. 38 He also gave one gold dish weighing ten shekels, full of incense. 39 He gave as a burnt offering one young bull, one ram, and a one-year-old male lamb. 40 He gave one male goat as a sin offering. 41 He gave two oxen, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs that were a year old, as the sacrifice for a fellowship offering. This was the sacrifice of Shelumiel son of Zurishaddai.

42 On the sixth day, Eliasaph son of Deuel, leader of the descendants of Gad, offered his sacrifice. 43 His sacrifice was one silver platter weighing 130 shekels and one silver bowl weighing seventy shekels, by the standard weight of the sanctuary shekel. Both of these objects were full of fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering. 44 He also gave one gold dish weighing ten shekels, full of incense. 45 He gave as a burnt offering one young bull, one ram, and a one-year-old male lamb. 46 He gave one male goat as a sin offering. 47 He gave two oxen, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs that were a year old, as the sacrifice for a fellowship offering. This was the sacrifice of Eliasaph son of Deuel.

48 On the seventh day, Elishama son of Ammihud, leader of the descendants of Ephraim, offered his sacrifice. 49 His sacrifice was one silver platter weighing 130 shekels and one silver bowl weighing seventy shekels, by the standard weight of the sanctuary shekel. Both of these objects were full of fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering. 50 He also gave one gold dish weighing ten shekels, full of incense. 51 He gave as a burnt offering one young bull, one ram, and a one-year-old male lamb. 52 He gave one male goat as a sin offering. 53 He gave two oxen, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs that were a year old, as the sacrifice for a fellowship offering. This was the sacrifice of Elishama son of Ammihud.

54 On the eighth day, Gamaliel son of Pedahzur, leader of the descendants of Manasseh, offered his sacrifice. 55 His sacrifice was one silver platter weighing 130 shekels and one silver bowl weighing seventy shekels, by the standard weight of the sanctuary shekel. Both of these objects were full of fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering. 56 He also gave one gold dish weighing ten shekels, full of incense. 57 He gave as a burnt offering one young bull, one ram, and a one-year-old male lamb. 58 He gave one male goat as a sin offering. 59 He gave two oxen, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs that were a year old, as the sacrifice for a fellowship offering. This was the sacrifice of Gamaliel son of Pedahzur.

60 On the ninth day, Abidan son of Gideoni, leader of the descendants of Benjamin, offered his sacrifice. 61 His sacrifice was one silver platter weighing 130 shekels and one silver bowl weighing seventy shekels, by the standard weight of the sanctuary shekel. Both of these objects were full of fine flour mingled with oil for a grain offering. 62 He also gave one gold dish weighing ten shekels, full of incense. 63 He gave as a burnt offering one young bull, one ram, and a one-year-old male lamb. 64 He gave one male goat as a sin offering. 65 He gave two oxen, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs that were a year old, as the sacrifice for a fellowship offering. This was the sacrifice of Abidan son of Gideoni.

66 On the tenth day, Ahiezer son of Ammishaddai, leader of the descendants of Dan, offered his sacrifice. 67 His sacrifice was one silver platter weighing 130 shekels and one silver bowl weighing seventy shekels, by the standard weight of the sanctuary shekel. Both of these objects were full of fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering. 68 He also gave one gold dish weighing ten shekels, full of incense. 69 He gave as a burnt offering one young bull, one ram, and a one-year-old male lamb.. 70 He gave one male goat as a sin offering. 71 He gave two oxen, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs that were a year old, as the sacrifice for a fellowship offering. This was the sacrifice of Ahiezer son of Ammishaddai.

72 On the eleventh day, Pagiel son of Okran, leader of the descendants of Asher, offered his sacrifice. 73 His sacrifice was one silver platter weighing 130 shekels and one silver bowl weighing seventy shekels, by the standard weight of the sanctuary shekel. Both of these objects were full of fine flour mingled with oil for a grain offering. 74 He also gave one gold dish weighing ten shekels, full of incense. 75 He gave as a burnt offering one young bull, one ram, and a one-year-old male lamb. 76 He gave one male goat as a sin offering. 77 He gave two oxen, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs that were a year old, as the sacrifice for a fellowship offering. This was the sacrifice of Pagiel son of Okran.

78 On the twelfth day, Ahira son of Enan, leader of the descendants of Naphtali, offered his sacrifice. 79 His sacrifice was one silver platter weighing 130 shekels and one silver bowl weighing seventy shekels, by the standard weight of the sanctuary shekel. Both of these objects were full of fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering. 80 He also gave one gold dish weighing ten shekels, full of incense. 81 He gave as a burnt offering one young bull, one ram, and a one-year-old male lamb. 82 He gave one male goat as a sin offering. 83 He gave two oxen, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs that were a year old, as the sacrifice for a fellowship offering. This was the sacrifice of Ahira son of Enan.

84 The leaders of Israel set all these apart on the day that Moses anointed the altar. They set apart the twelve silver platters, twelve silver bowls, and twelve gold dishes. 85 Each silver platter weighed 130 shekels and each bowl weighed seventy shekels. All the silver vessels weighed 2,400 shekels, by the standard weight of the sanctuary shekel. 86 Each of the twelve gold dishes, full of incense, weighed ten shekels by the standard weight of the sanctuary shekel. All the gold dishes weighed 120 shekels. 87 They set apart all the animals for the burnt offerings, twelve bulls, twelve rams, and twelve year-old male lambs. They gave their grain offering. They gave twelve male goats as a sin offering. 88 From all their cattle, they gave twenty-four bulls, sixty rams, sixty male goats, and sixty male lambs a year old, as the sacrifice for the fellowship offering. This was for the dedication of the altar after it was anointed.

89 When Moses went into the tent of meeting to speak with Yahweh, he heard his voice speaking to him. Yahweh spoke to him from above the atonement lid on the ark of the testimony, from between the two cherubim. He spoke to him.

8

1 Yahweh spoke to Moses. He said, 2 “Speak to Aaron. Say to him, 'The seven lamps must give light in front of the lampstand when you light them.'” 3 Aaron did this. He lit the lamps on the lampstand to give light toward the front of it, as Yahweh had commanded Moses. 4 The lampstand was made in this way and Yahweh showed Moses the pattern for it. It was to be hammered gold from its base to its top, with hammered cups like blossoms.

5 Again, Yahweh spoke to Moses. He said, 6 “Take the Levites from among the people of Israel and purify them. 7 Do this to them to purify them: Sprinkle the water of atonement on them. Make them shave their entire body, wash their clothes, and in this way purify themselves. 8 Then have them take a young bull and its grain offering of fine flour mingled with oil. Let them take another young bull as a sin offering. 9 You will bring the Levites in front of the tent of meeting and assemble the whole community of the people of Israel. 10 When you bring the Levites before Yahweh, the people of Israel must lay their hands on the Levites. 11 Aaron must offer the Levites before Yahweh, as a wave offering from the people of Israel so that they may do the service of Yahweh. 12 The Levites must place their hands on the heads of the bulls. You must offer one bull for a sin offering and the other bull for a burnt offering to me, to atone for the Levites. 13 Present the Levites before Aaron and before his sons, and lift them up as a wave offering to me.

14 In this way you must separate the Levites from among the people of Israel. The Levites will belong to me. 15 After that, the Levites must go in to serve in the tent of meeting. You must purify them. You must offer them as a wave offering. 16 Do this, because they are entirely mine from among the people of Israel. They will take the place of each male child who opens the womb, the firstborn of all the descendants of Israel. I have taken the Levites for myself. 17 All the firstborn from among the people of Israel are mine, both of people and of animals. On the day that I took the lives of all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, I set them apart for myself. 18 I have taken the Levites from among the people of Israel instead of all the firstborn. 19 I have given the Levites as a gift to Aaron and his sons. I have taken them from among the people of Israel to do the work of the people of Israel in the tent of meeting. I have given them to atone for the people of Israel so that no plague will harm the people when they come near to the holy place.”

20 Moses, Aaron, and the whole community of the people of Israel did this with the Levites. They did everything that Yahweh had commanded Moses concerning the Levites. The people of Israel did this with them. 21 The Levites purified themselves and washed their clothing, and Aaron presented them as a wave offering to Yahweh and he made atonement for them to cleanse them. 22 After that, the Levites went in to do their service in the tent of meeting before Aaron and before Aaron's sons. This was as Yahweh had commanded Moses about the Levites. They treated all the Levites in this way.

23 Yahweh spoke again to Moses. He said, 24 “All of this is for the Levites who are twenty-five years old and more. They must join the company to serve in the tent of meeting. 25 They must stop serving in this way at the age of fifty years. At that age they must not serve any longer. 26 They may help their brothers who continue to work at the tent of meeting, but they must serve no more. You must direct the Levites in all these matters.”

9

1 Yahweh spoke to Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, in the first month of the second year after they came out from the land of Egypt. He said, 2 “Let the people of Israel keep the Passover at its fixed time of year. 3 On the fourteenth day of this month, at evening, you must keep the Passover at its fixed time of year. You must keep it, follow all the regulations, and obey all the decrees that are related to it.” 4 So, Moses told the people of Israel that they should keep the Festival of the Passover. 5 So they kept the Passover in the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month, at evening, in the wilderness of Sinai. The people of Israel obeyed everything that Yahweh commanded Moses to do. 6 There were certain men who became unclean by the body of a dead man. They could not keep the Passover on that day. They went before Moses and Aaron on that same day. 7 Those men said to Moses, “We are unclean because of the dead body of a man. Why do you keep us from offering the sacrifice to Yahweh at the fixed time of year among the people of Israel?” 8 Moses said to them, “Wait for me to hear what Yahweh will instruct about you.”

9 Yahweh spoke to Moses. He said, 10 “Speak to the people of Israel. Say, 'If any of you or your descendants are unclean because of a dead body, or are on a long journey, he may still keep the Passover to Yahweh.' 11 In the second month on the fourteenth day at evening, they will eat the Passover meal. They must eat the Passover lamb with bread that is made without yeast and with bitter herbs. 12 They must not leave any of it until the morning, or break any of its bones. They must follow all the regulations for the Passover. 13 But any person who is clean and is not on a journey, but who fails to keep the Passover, that person must be cut off from his people because he did not offer the sacrifice that Yahweh requires at the fixed time of year. That man must carry his sin. 14 If a stranger lives among you and keeps the Passover in Yahweh's honor, he must keep it and do all he commands, keeping the rules of the Passover, and obeying the laws for it. You must have the same law for the foreigner and for all who have been born in the land.”

15 On the day that the tabernacle was set up, the cloud covered the tabernacle, the tent of the covenant decrees. At evening the cloud was over the tabernacle. It appeared like fire until morning. 16 It continued that way. The cloud covered the tabernacle and appeared like fire at night. 17 Whenever the cloud was taken up from over the tent, the people of Israel would set out on their journey. Wherever the cloud stopped, the people would camp. 18 At Yahweh's command, the people of Israel would travel, and at his command, they would camp. While the cloud stopped over the tabernacle, they would stay in their camp. 19 When the cloud remained on the tabernacle for many days, then the people of Israel would obey Yahweh's instructions and not travel. 20 Sometimes the cloud remained a few days on the tabernacle. In that case, they would obey Yahweh's command—they would make camp and then travel on again at his command. 21 Sometimes the cloud was present in camp from evening until morning. When the cloud lifted in the morning, they journeyed. If it continued for a day and for a night, only when the cloud lifted would they journey on. 22 Whether the cloud stayed on the tabernacle for two days, a month, or a year, for as long as it stayed there, the people of Israel would stay in their camp and not travel. But whenever the cloud was taken up, they would set out on their journey. 23 They would camp at Yahweh's command, and they would travel at his command. They obeyed Yahweh's command given through Moses.

10

1 Yahweh spoke to Moses. He said, 2 “Make two silver trumpets. Hammer the silver to make them. You must use the trumpets to call the community together and to call the community to move their camps. 3 The priests must blow the trumpets to call all the community together in front of you at the entrance to the tent of meeting. 4 If the priests blow only one trumpet, then the leaders, the heads of the clans of Israel, must gather to you. 5 When you blow a loud signal, the camps on the east side must begin their journey. 6 When you blow a loud signal the second time, the camps on the south side must begin their journey. They must blow a loud signal for their journeys. 7 When the community gathers together, blow the trumpets, but not loudly. 8 The sons of Aaron, the priests, must blow the trumpets. This will always be a regulation for you throughout your people's generations. 9 When you go to war in your land against an adversary who oppresses you, then you must sound an alarm with the trumpets. I, Yahweh your God, will call you to mind and save you from your enemies. 10 Also, at the times of celebration, both your regular festivals and at the beginnings of the months, you must blow the trumpets over your burnt offerings and over the sacrifices for your fellowship offerings. These will act as a reminder of you to me, your God. I am Yahweh your God.”

11 In the second year, in the second month, on the twentieth day of the month, the cloud was lifted from the tabernacle of the covenant decrees. 12 The people of Israel then went on their journey from the wilderness of Sinai. The cloud stopped in the wilderness of Paran. 13 They made their first journey, following Yahweh's command given through Moses. 14 The camp under the banner of Judah's descendants went out first, moving out their individual armies. Nahshon son of Amminadab led Judah's army. 15 Nethanel son of Zuar led the army of the tribe of Issachar's descendants. 16 Eliab son of Helon led the army of the tribe of Zebulun's descendants. 17 The descendants of Gershon and of Merari, who cared for the tabernacle, took down the tabernacle and then set out on their journey. 18 Next, the armies under the banner of Reuben's camp set out on their journey. Elizur son of Shedeur led Reuben's army. 19 Shelumiel son of Zurishaddai led the army of the tribe of Simeon's descendants. 20 Eliasaph son of Deuel led the army of the tribe of Gad's descendants.

21 The Kohathites set out. They carried the sanctuary's holy equipment. Others would set up the tabernacle before the Kohathites arrived at the next camp. 22 The armies under the banner of Ephraim's descendants set out next. Elishama son of Ammihud led Ephraim's army. 23 Gamaliel son of Pedahzur led the army of the tribe of Manasseh's descendants. 24 Abidan son of Gideoni led the army of the tribe of Benjamin's descendants.

25 The armies that camped under the banner of Dan's descendants set out last. Ahiezer son of Ammishaddai led Dan's army. 26 Pagiel son of Okran led the army of the tribe of Asher's descendants. 27 Ahira son of Enan led the army of the tribe of Naphtali's descendants. 28 This is the way that the armies of the people of Israel set out on their journey.

29 Moses spoke to Hobab son of Reuel the Midianite. Reuel was the father of Moses' wife. Moses spoke to Hobab and said, “We are traveling to a place that Yahweh described. Yahweh said, 'I will give it to you.' Come with us and we will do you good. Yahweh has promised to do good for Israel.” 30 But Hobab said to Moses, “I will not go with you. I will go to my own land and my own people.” 31 Then Moses replied, “Please do not leave us. You know how to camp in the wilderness. You must watch out for us. 32 If you go with us, we will do for you the same good that Yahweh does to us.”

33 They journeyed from the mountain of Yahweh for three days. The ark of the covenant of Yahweh went before them for three days to find a place for them to rest. 34 Yahweh's cloud was over them by daylight as they journeyed.

35 Whenever the ark set out, Moses would say, “Rise up, Yahweh. Scatter your enemies. Make those who hate you run from you.” 36 Whenever the ark stopped, Moses would say, “Return, Yahweh, to Israel's many tens of thousands.”

11

1 Now the people complained about their troubles as Yahweh listened. Yahweh heard the people and became angry. Fire from Yahweh burned among them and consumed some of the camp on its edges. 2 Then people called out to Moses, so Moses prayed to Yahweh, and the fire stopped. 3 That place was named Taberah, because Yahweh's fire burned among them.

4 Some foreign people began to camp with Israel's descendants. They wanted better food to eat. Then the people of Israel began to weep and say, “Who will give us meat to eat? 5 We remember the fish that we ate freely in Egypt, the cucumbers, the melons, the leeks, the onions, and the garlic. 6 Now our appetite is gone, because all we can see is this manna.” 7 Manna was like coriander seed. It looked like resin. 8 The people walked around and gathered it. They ground it in mills, beat it in mortars, boiled it in pots, and made it into cakes. It tasted like fresh olive oil. 9 When the dew fell on the camp in the night, the manna also fell. 10 Moses heard the people weeping in their families, and every man was at the entrance to his tent. Yahweh was very angry, and in Moses' eyes their complaining was wrong. 11 Moses said to Yahweh, “Why have you treated your servant so badly? Why are you not pleased with me? You make me carry the load of all these people. 12 Did I conceive all these people? Have I given them birth so that you should say to me, 'Carry them closely to your chest as a father carries a baby?' Should I carry them to the land that you swore to their ancestors to give them? 13 Where can I find meat to give to all this people? They are weeping in front of me and are saying, 'Give us meat to eat.' 14 I cannot bear all these people alone. They are too much for me. 15 Since you are treating me this way, kill me now—if I find favor in your eyes—do not let me see my misery.”

16 Yahweh said to Moses, “Bring to me seventy of Israel's elders. Be sure that they are elders and officers of the people. Bring them to the tent of meeting to stand there with you. 17 I will come down and talk with you there. I will take some of the Spirit that is on you and put it on them. They will bear the burden of the people with you. You will not have to bear it alone. 18 Say to the people, 'Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow and you will indeed eat meat, for you have wept and Yahweh has heard. You said, “Who will give us meat to eat? It was good for us in Egypt.” Therefore Yahweh will give you meat, and you will eat it. 19 You will not eat meat for only one day, two days, five days, ten days, or twenty days, 20 but you will eat meat for a whole month until it comes out of your nostrils. It will disgust you because you have rejected Yahweh, who is among you. You have wept before him. You said, “Why did we leave Egypt?”'” 21 Then Moses said, “I am with 600,000 people, and you have said, 'I will give them meat to eat for a whole month.' 22 Should we kill flocks and herds to satisfy them? Should we catch all the fish in the sea to satisfy them?” 23 Yahweh said to Moses, “Is my hand short? Now you will see whether or not my word is true.”

24 Moses went out and told the people Yahweh's words. He gathered seventy of the people's elders and positioned them around the tent. 25 Yahweh came down in the cloud and spoke to Moses. Yahweh took some of the Spirit that was on Moses and put it on the seventy elders. When the Spirit rested on them, they prophesied, but only on that occasion and not again.

26 Two men remained in the camp, named Eldad and Medad. The Spirit also rested on them. Their names were written on the list, but they had not gone out to the tent. Nevertheless, they prophesied in the camp. 27 A young man in the camp ran and told Moses, “Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp.” 28 Joshua son of Nun, Moses' assistant, one of his chosen men, said to Moses, “My master Moses, stop them.” 29 Moses said to him, “Are you jealous for my sake? I wish that all of Yahweh's people were prophets and that he would put his Spirit on them all!” 30 Then Moses and the elders of Israel went back to the camp.

31 Then a wind came from Yahweh and brought quail from the sea. They fell near the camp, about a day's journey on one side and a day's journey on the other side. The quail surrounded the camp about two cubits above the ground. 32 The people were busy gathering quail all that day, all the night, and all the next day. No one gathered less than ten homers of quail. They shared the quail all through the camp. 33 While the meat was still between their teeth, while they were chewing it, Yahweh became angry at them. He attacked the people with a very great disease. 34 That place was named Kibroth Hattaavah, because there they buried the people who had craved meat. 35 From Kibroth Hattaavah the people traveled to Hazeroth, where they stayed.

12

1 Then Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses because of the Cushite woman whom he had married. 2 They said, “Has Yahweh spoken only with Moses? Has he not spoken also with us?” Now Yahweh heard what they said. 3 Now the man Moses was very humble, humbler than anyone else on earth.

4 Right away Yahweh spoke to Moses, Aaron, and Miriam: “Come out, you three, to the tent of meeting.” So the three of them went out. 5 Then Yahweh came down in a pillar of cloud. He stood at the entrance to the tent and called Aaron and Miriam. They both came forward. 6 Yahweh said, “Now listen to my words.

When a prophet of mine is with you,

I will reveal myself to him in visions

and speak to him in dreams.

7 My servant Moses is not like that.

He is faithful in all my house.

8 I speak to Moses directly, not with visions or riddles.

He sees my form.

So why are you unafraid

to speak against my servant, against Moses?”

9 Yahweh's anger burned against them, and then he left them. 10 The cloud rose from over the tent, and Miriam was suddenly leprous—she was as white as snow. When Aaron turned toward Miriam, he saw that she had leprosy. 11 Aaron said to Moses, “Oh, my master, please do not hold this sin against us. We have spoken foolishly, and we have sinned. 12 Please do not let her be like a dead newborn whose flesh is half consumed when it emerges from its mother's womb.” 13 So Moses called out to Yahweh. He said, “Please heal her, God, please.” 14 Yahweh said to Moses, “If her father had spit in her face, she would be disgraced for seven days. Shut her outside the camp for seven days. After that bring her in again.” 15 So Miriam was shut outside the camp for seven days. The people did not journey until she had returned to the camp.

16 After that, the people journeyed from Hazeroth and camped in the wilderness of Paran.

13

1 Then Yahweh spoke to Moses. He said, 2 “Send some men to examine the land of Canaan, which I have given to the people of Israel. Send a man from every tribe of their ancestors. Each man must be a leader among them.” 3 Moses sent them from the wilderness of Paran, so that they might obey Yahweh's command. All of them were leaders among the people of Israel. 4 These were their names: from the tribe of Reuben, Shammua son of Zaccur; 5 from the tribe of Simeon, Shaphat son of Hori; 6 from the tribe of Judah, Caleb son of Jephunneh; 7 from the tribe of Issachar, Igal son of Joseph; 8 from the tribe of Ephraim, Hoshea son of Nun; 9 from the tribe of Benjamin, Palti son of Raphu; 10 from the tribe of Zebulun, Gaddiel son of Sodi; 11 from the tribe of Joseph (that is to say, from the tribe Manasseh), Gaddi son of Susi; 12 from the tribe of Dan, Ammiel son of Gemalli; 13 from the tribe of Asher, Sethur son of Michael; 14 from the tribe of Naphtali, Nahbi son of Vophsi; 15 from the tribe of Gad, Geuel son of Maki. 16 These were the names of the men whom Moses sent to examine the land. Moses called Hoshea son of Nun by the name of Joshua.

17 Moses sent them to examine the land of Canaan. He said to them, “Approach from the Negev and go up into the hill country. 18 Examine the land to see what it is like. Observe the people who live there, whether they are strong or weak, and whether they are few or many. 19 See what the land is like where they live. Is it good or bad? What cities are there? Are they like camps, or are they fortified cities? 20 See what the land is like, whether it is good for growing crops or not, and whether there are trees there or not. Be brave and bring back samples of the land's produce.” Now the time was the season for the first ripe grapes.

21 So the men went up and examined the land from the wilderness of Zin to Rehob, near Lebo Hamath. 22 They went up from the Negev and arrived at Hebron. Ahiman, Sheshai, and Talmai, clans descended from Anak, were there. Now Hebron had been built seven years before Zoan in Egypt. 23 When they reached the Valley of Eshkol, they cut down a branch with a cluster of grapes. They carried it on a staff between two of their group. They also brought pomegranates and figs. 24 That place was named the Valley of Eshkol, because of the grape cluster that the people of Israel cut down there.

25 After forty days, they returned from examining the land. 26 They came back to Moses, Aaron, and all the community of the people of Israel in the wilderness of Paran, at Kadesh. They brought back word to them and to all the community, and showed them the produce from the land. 27 They told Moses, “We reached the land to which you sent us. It certainly flows with milk and honey. Here is some produce from it. 28 However, the people who make their homes there are strong. The cities are fortified and very large. We also saw descendants of Anak there. 29 The Amalekites live in the Negev. The Hittites, Jebusites, and Amorites have their homes in the hill country. The Canaanites live by the sea and along the Jordan River.”

30 Then Caleb silenced the people who were before Moses and said, “Let us go up and take possession of the land, for we are certainly able to conquer it.” 31 But the other men who had gone with him said, “We are not able to attack the people because they are stronger than we are.” 32 So they spread around a discouraging report to the people of Israel about the land that they had examined. They said, “The land that we looked at is a land that eats up its inhabitants. All the people whom we saw there are people of great height. 33 There we saw giants, descendants of Anak, people who came from giants. In our own sight we were like grasshoppers in comparison with them, and this is what we were in their sight, too.”

14

1 That night all the community wept loudly. 2 All the people of Israel criticized Moses and Aaron. The whole community said to them, “We wish we had died in the land of Egypt, or here in this wilderness! 3 Why did Yahweh bring us to this land to die by the sword? Our wives and our little ones will become victims. Is it not better for us to return to Egypt?”

4 They said to each another, “Let us choose another leader, and let us return to Egypt.” 5 Then Moses and Aaron lay facedown before all the assembly of the community of the people of Israel. 6 Joshua son of Nun and Caleb son of Jephunneh, who were some of those sent to examine the land, tore their clothes. 7 They spoke to all the community of the people of Israel. They said, “The land that we passed through and examined is a very good land. 8 If Yahweh is pleased with us, then he will take us into this land and give it to us. The land flows with milk and honey. 9 But do not rebel against Yahweh, and do not fear the people in the land, for they are bread to us. Their protection will be removed from them, because Yahweh is with us. Do not fear them.” 10 Then all the congregation said to stone them with stones. But the glory of Yahweh appeared at the tent of meeting to all the people of Israel.

11 Yahweh said to Moses, “How long must this people despise me? How long must they fail to trust me, despite all the signs of my power that I have done among them? 12 I will attack them with plague, disinherit them, and make from your own clan a nation that will be greater and mightier than they are.”

13 Moses said to Yahweh, “If you do this, then the Egyptians will hear about it, because you rescued this people from them by your power. 14 They will tell it to this land's inhabitants. They have heard that you, Yahweh, are present with this people, because you are seen face to face. Your cloud stands over our people. You go before them in a pillar of cloud by day and in a pillar of fire by night. 15 Now if you kill this people as one man, then the nations that have heard of your fame will speak and say, 16 'Because Yahweh could not take this people into the land that he swore to give them, he has killed them in the wilderness.' 17 Now, I beg you, use your great power. For you have said, 18 'Yahweh is slow to anger and abundant in covenant faithfulness. He forgives iniquity and transgression. He will by no means clear the guilty when he brings the punishment of the ancestors' sin on their descendants, to the third and fourth generation.' 19 Pardon, I plead with you, this people's sin because of the greatness of your covenant faithfulness, just as you have always forgiven this people from the time they were in Egypt until now.”

20 Yahweh said, “I have pardoned them in keeping with your request, 21 but truly, as I live, and as all the earth will be filled with my glory, 22 all those people who saw my glory and the signs of power that I did in Egypt and in the wilderness—they have still tempted me these ten times and have not listened to my voice. 23 So I say that they will certainly not see the land about which I made an oath to their ancestors. Not one of them who despised me will see it, 24 except for my servant Caleb, because he had another spirit. He has followed me fully; I will bring him into the land which he went to examine. His descendants will possess it. 25 (Now the Amalekites and Canaanites lived in the valley.) Tomorrow turn and go to the wilderness by the way of the Sea of Reeds.”

26 Yahweh spoke to Moses and to Aaron. He said, 27 “How long must I tolerate this evil community that criticizes me? I have heard the complaining of the people of Israel against me. 28 Say to them, 'As I live,' says Yahweh, 'as you have spoken in my hearing, I will do this to you: 29 Your dead bodies will fall in this wilderness, all you who complained against me, you who were counted in the census, the whole number of the people from twenty years old and upward. 30 You will certainly not go into the land that I promised to make your home, except Caleb son of Jephunneh and Joshua son of Nun. 31 But your little ones who you said would be victims, I will take them into the land. They will experience the land that you have rejected! 32 As for you, your dead bodies will fall in this wilderness. 33 Your children will be shepherds in the wilderness for forty years. They must bear the consequences of your acts of rebellion until the end of your corpses in the wilderness. 34 Just as the number of the days during which you examined the land—forty days, you must likewise bear the consequences of your sins for forty years—one year for every day, and you must know what it is like for me to oppose you. 35 I, Yahweh, have spoken. I will certainly do this to all this evil community that is gathered together against me. They will be completely cut off, and here they will die.'”

36 So the men Moses sent to spy out the land, who returned and made the entire community grumble against Moses by spreading a bad report about the land— 37 these men who had brought out a bad report about the land were struck down, and they died of a plague before Yahweh. 38 Of those men who had gone to spy out the land, only Joshua son of Nun and Caleb son of Jephunneh remained alive.

39 When Moses reported these words to all the people of Israel, they mourned very deeply. 40 They rose up early in the morning and went to the top of the mountain and said, “Look, we are here, and we will go to the place that Yahweh has promised, for we have sinned.” 41 But Moses said, “Why are you now violating Yahweh's command? You will not succeed. 42 Do not go, because Yahweh is not with you to prevent you from being defeated by your enemies. 43 The Amalekites and Canaanites are there, and you will die by the sword because you turned back from following Yahweh. So he will not be with you.” 44 But they presumed to go up into the hill country; however, neither Moses nor the ark of the covenant of Yahweh left the camp. 45 Then the Amalekites came down, and also the Canaanites who lived on those hills. They attacked the Israelites and defeated them all the way to Hormah.

15

1 Then Yahweh spoke to Moses. He said, 2 “Speak to the people of Israel and say to them, 'When you go into the land where you will live, which Yahweh will give to you, 3 you are to prepare an offering by fire to Yahweh, either a burnt offering or a sacrifice to fulfill a vow or a freewill offering, or an offering at your feasts, to produce a pleasing aroma for Yahweh from the herd or the flock. 4 You must offer to Yahweh a burnt offering as well as a grain offering of a tenth of an ephah of fine flour mixed with one-fourth of a hin of oil. 5 You must also offer with the burnt offering, or for the sacrifice, one-fourth of a hin of wine for the drink offering for each lamb. 6 If you are offering a ram, you must prepare as a grain offering two-tenths of an ephah of fine flour mixed with a third of a hin of oil. 7 For the drink offering, you must offer a third of a hin of wine. It will produce a sweet aroma for Yahweh. 8 When you prepare a bull as a burnt offering or as a sacrifice to fulfill a vow, or as a fellowship offering to Yahweh, 9 then you must offer with the bull a grain offering of three-tenths of an ephah of fine flour mixed with half a hin of oil. 10 You must offer as the drink offering half a hin of wine, as an offering made by fire, to produce a sweet aroma for Yahweh.

11 It must be done this way for each bull, for each ram, and for each of the male lambs or young goats. 12 Every sacrifice that you prepare and offer must be done as described here. 13 All who are native-born Israelites must do these things in this way, when anyone brings an offering made by fire, to produce an aroma that is pleasing to Yahweh. 14 If a foreigner is staying with you, or whoever may live among you throughout your people's generations, he must make an offering made by fire, to produce a sweet aroma for Yahweh. He must act as you act. 15 There must be the same law for the community and for the foreigner who stays with you, a permanent law throughout your people's generations. As you are, so also must be the traveler staying with you. He must act as you act before Yahweh. 16 The same law and decree must apply to you and to the foreigner who is staying with you.'”

17 Again Yahweh spoke to Moses. He said, 18 “Speak to the people of Israel and say to them, 'When you come into the land where I will take you, 19 when you eat the food produced in the land, you must offer an offering and present it to me. 20 From the first of your dough you must offer a loaf to raise it up as a raised offering from the threshing floor. You must raise it up in this way. 21 You must give to me a raised offering throughout your people's generations from the first of your dough.

22 You will sometimes sin without intending to do so, when you do not obey all these commands that I have spoken to Moses— 23 everything that I have commanded you through Moses from the day that I began to give you commands and onward throughout your people's generations. 24 In the case of unintentional sin without the community's knowledge, then all the community must offer one young bull as a burnt offering to produce a sweet aroma for Yahweh. Along with this must be made a grain offering and drink offering, as commanded by the decree, and one male goat as a sin offering. 25 The priest must make atonement for all the community of the people of Israel. They will be forgiven because the sin was an error. They have brought their sacrifice, an offering made by fire to me. They have brought their sin offering before me for their error. 26 Then all the community of the people of Israel will be forgiven, and also the foreigners who are staying with them, because all the people committed the sin unintentionally.

27 If a person sins unintentionally, then he must offer a female goat a year old as a sin offering. 28 The priest must make atonement before Yahweh for the person who sins unintentionally. That person will be forgiven when atonement has been made. 29 You must have the same law for the one who does anything unintentionally, the same law for the one who is native born among the people of Israel and for the foreigners who are staying among them. 30 But the person who does anything in defiance, whether he is native born or a foreigner, blasphemes me. That person must be cut off from among his people. 31 Because he has despised my word and has broken my commandment, that person must be cut off completely. His sin will be on him.'”

32 While the people of Israel were in the wilderness, they found a man gathering wood on the Sabbath day. 33 Those who found him brought him to Moses, Aaron, and all the community. 34 They kept him in custody because it had not been declared what should be done with him. 35 Then Yahweh said to Moses, “The man must surely be put to death. All the community must stone him with stones outside the camp.” 36 So all the community brought him outside the camp and stoned him to death as Yahweh had commanded Moses.

37 Again Yahweh spoke to Moses. He said, 38 “Speak to the descendants of Israel and command them to make for themselves tassels to hang from the borders of their garments, to hang them from each border by a blue cord. They must do this throughout their people's generations. 39 It will be a special reminder to you, when you may look at it, of all my commandments, to carry them out so that you do not look to your own heart and your own eyes and prostitute yourselves to them. 40 Do this so that you may call to mind and obey all my commandments, and so that you may be holy, reserved for me, your God. 41 I am Yahweh your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, to become your God. I am Yahweh your God.”

16

1 Now Korah son of Izhar son of Kohath son of Levi, along with Dathan and Abiram sons of Eliab, and On son of Peleth, descendants of Reuben, gathered some men. 2 They rose up against Moses, along with other men from the people of Israel, two hundred and fifty leaders of the community who were well-known members in the community. 3 They assembled themselves together to confront Moses and Aaron. They said to them, “You have gone too far! All the community is set apart, every one of them, and Yahweh is among them. Why do you lift up yourselves above the rest of Yahweh's community?”

4 When Moses heard that, he lay facedown. 5 He spoke to Korah and to all those with him, “In the morning Yahweh will make known who belongs to him and who is set apart to him. He will bring that person near to him. The one he chooses he will bring near to himself. 6 Do this, Korah and all your group. Take censers 7 tomorrow and put fire and incense in them before Yahweh. The one whom Yahweh chooses, that man will be set apart to Yahweh. You have gone too far, you descendants of Levi.” 8 Again, Moses said to Korah, “Now listen, you descendants of Levi: 9 is it a small thing for you that the God of Israel has separated you from the community of Israel, to bring you near to himself, to do work in Yahweh's tabernacle, and to stand before the community to serve them? 10 He has brought you near, and all your kinfolk, the descendants of Levi, with you, yet you are seeking the priesthood also! 11 That is why you and all your group have gathered together against Yahweh. So why are you complaining about Aaron, who obeys Yahweh?”

12 Then Moses called for Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab, but they said, “We will not come up. 13 Is it a small thing that you have brought us up out of a land flowing with milk and honey, to kill us in the wilderness? Now you want to make yourself ruler over us! 14 In addition, you have not brought us into a land flowing with milk and honey, or given us the fields and vineyards as an inheritance. Now do you want to blind us with empty promises? We will not come to you.”

15 Moses was very angry and said to Yahweh, “Do not respect their offering. I have not taken one donkey from them, and I have not harmed any of them.” 16 Then Moses said to Korah, “Tomorrow you and all your company must go before Yahweh—you and they, and Aaron. 17 Each of you must take his censer and put incense in it. Then each man must bring before Yahweh his censer, two hundred and fifty censers. You and Aaron, also, must each bring your censer.” 18 So every man took his censer, put fire in it, laid incense in it, and stood at the entrance to the tent of meeting with Moses and Aaron. 19 Korah assembled all the community against Moses and Aaron at the entrance to the tent of meeting, and Yahweh's glory appeared to all the community.

20 Then Yahweh spoke to Moses and to Aaron: 21 “Separate yourselves from among this community that I may consume them immediately.” 22 Moses and Aaron lay facedown and said, “God, the God of the spirits of all humanity, if one man sins, must you be angry with all the community?” 23 Yahweh replied to Moses. He said, 24 “Speak to the community. Say, 'Get away from the tents of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram.'”

25 Then Moses rose up and went to Dathan and Abiram; the elders of Israel followed him. 26 He spoke to the community and said, “Now leave the tents of these wicked men and touch nothing of theirs, or you will be consumed by all their sins.” 27 So the community on every side of the tents of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram left them. Dathan and Abiram came out and stood at the entrance to their tents, with their wives, sons, and their little ones. 28 Then Moses said, “By this you will know that Yahweh has sent me to do all these works, for I have not done them of my own accord. 29 If these men die a natural death such as normally happens, then Yahweh has not sent me. 30 But if Yahweh creates something new, and the earth opens its mouth and swallows them, with everything that they possess, and they go down alive into Sheol, then you must understand that these men have despised Yahweh.”

31 As soon as Moses finished speaking all these words, the ground opened under those men. 32 The earth opened its mouth and swallowed them, their families, and all the people who belonged to Korah, as well as all their possessions. 33 So they and all that they possessed went down alive into Sheol. The earth closed over them, and they perished from among the community. 34 All Israel around them fled from their cries. They exclaimed, “The earth may swallow us up also!” 35 Then fire flashed out from Yahweh and devoured the 250 men who had offered incense.

36 Again Yahweh spoke to Moses and said, 37 “Speak to Eleazar son of Aaron the priest and let him take up the censers out of the flames, for the censers are set apart to me. Then let him scatter the burning coals at a distance. 38 Take the censers of those who lost their lives because of their sin. Let them be made into hammered plates as a covering over the altar. Those men did offer them before me, so they are set apart to me. They will be a sign of my presence to the people of Israel.”

39 Eleazar the priest took the bronze censers that had been used by the men who were burned up, and they were hammered out into a covering for the altar, 40 to be a reminder to the people of Israel, so that no outsider who was not descended from Aaron should come up to burn incense before Yahweh, so they might not become like Korah and his group—just as Yahweh had commanded through Moses.

41 But the next morning all the community of the people of Israel complained against Moses and Aaron. They said, “You have killed Yahweh's people.” 42 Then it happened, when the community had assembled against Moses and Aaron, that they looked toward the tent of meeting and, behold, the cloud was covering it. Yahweh's glory appeared, 43 and Moses and Aaron came to the front of the tent of meeting. 44 Then Yahweh spoke to Moses. He said, 45 “Go away from in front of this community so that I may consume them immediately.” Then Moses and Aaron lay down with their faces to the ground. 46 Moses said to Aaron, “Take the censer, put fire in it from off the altar, put incense in it, carry it quickly to the community, and make atonement for them, because anger is coming from Yahweh. The plague has begun.” 47 So Aaron did as Moses directed. He ran into the middle of the community. The plague had quickly started to spread among the people, so he put in the incense and made atonement for the people. 48 Aaron stood between the dead and the living; in this way the plague was stopped. 49 Those who died by the plague were 14,700 in number, besides those who had died in the matter of Korah. 50 Aaron returned to Moses at the entrance to the tent of meeting, and the plague ended.

17

1 Yahweh spoke to Moses. He said, 2 “Speak to the people of Israel and get staffs from them, one for each ancestral tribe, twelve staffs. Write each man's name on his staff. 3 You must write Aaron's name on Levi's staff. There must be one staff for each leader from his ancestors' tribe. 4 You must place the staffs in the tent of meeting in front of the covenant decrees, where I meet with you. 5 It will happen that the staff of the man whom I choose will bud. I will cause the complaints from the people of Israel to stop, which they are speaking against you.” 6 So Moses spoke to the people of Israel. All the tribal leaders gave him staffs, one staff from each leader, selected from each of the ancestral tribes, twelve staffs in all. Aaron's staff was among them. 7 Then Moses deposited the staffs before Yahweh in the tent of the covenant decrees.

8 The next day Moses went into the tent of the covenant decrees and, behold, Aaron's staff for the tribe of Levi had budded. It grew buds and produced blossoms and ripe almonds! 9 Moses brought out all the staffs from before Yahweh to all the people of Israel, and each man took his staff. 10 Yahweh said to Moses, “Put Aaron's staff in front of the covenant decrees. Keep it as a sign of guilt against the people who rebelled so that you may end complaints against me, or they will die.” 11 Moses did just as Yahweh had commanded him.

12 The people of Israel spoke to Moses and said, “We will die here. We will all perish! 13 Everyone who comes up, who approaches Yahweh's tabernacle, will die. Must we all perish?”

18

1 Yahweh said to Aaron, “You, your sons, and your ancestor's clan will be responsible for all sins committed against the sanctuary. But only you and your sons with you will be responsible for all sins committed by anyone in the priesthood. 2 As for your fellow members of the tribe of Levi, your ancestors' tribe, you must bring them with you so they may join you and help you when you and your sons serve in front of the tent of the covenant decrees. 3 They must serve you and the whole tent. However, they must not come near to anything in the holy place or connected with the altar, or they and also you will die. 4 They must join you and take care of the tent of meeting, for all the work connected with the tent. A foreigner must not come near you. 5 You must take responsibility for the holy place and for the altar so that my anger does not come on the people of Israel again. 6 Look, I myself have chosen your fellow members of the Levites from among the descendants of Israel. They are a gift to you, given to me to do the work connected to the tent of meeting. 7 But only you and your sons may exercise the priesthood regarding everything connected with the altar and everything inside the curtain. You yourselves must fulfill those responsibilities. I am giving you the priesthood as a gift. Any foreigner who approaches must be put to death.”

8 Then Yahweh said to Aaron, “Look, I have given you the duty of handling the offerings raised up to me, and all the holy offerings that the people of Israel give to me. I have given these offerings to you and your sons as your ongoing share. 9 This will belong to you from the most holy things that is kept from the fire. From every offering of theirs—every grain offering, every sin offering, and every guilt offering—they are set apart to you and to your sons. 10 These offerings are very holy; every male must eat it, for they are holy to you. 11 These are the offerings that will belong to you, set apart out of all their gifts of the wave offerings of the people of Israel. I have given them to you, your sons, and your daughters, as your portion forever. Everyone who is ceremonially clean in your family may eat any of these offerings. 12 All the best of the oil, all the best of the new wine and grain, the firstfruits that the people give to me—all these things I have given to you. 13 The first ripe produce of all that is in their land, which they bring to me, will be yours. Everyone who is clean in your family may eat these things. 14 Every devoted thing in Israel will be yours. 15 Everything that opens the womb, all the firstborn which the people offer to Yahweh, both of man and animal, will be yours. Nevertheless, the people must certainly buy back every firstborn son, and they must buy back the firstborn male of unclean animals. 16 Those that are to be bought back by the people must be bought back after becoming one month old. Then the people may buy them back, for the price of five shekels, by the standard weight of the sanctuary shekel, which equals twenty gerahs. 17 But the firstborn of a cow, or the firstborn of a sheep, or the firstborn of a goat—you must not buy back these animals; they are set apart to me. You must sprinkle their blood on the altar and burn their fat as an offering made by fire, an aroma pleasing to Yahweh. 18 Their meat will be yours. Like the raised breast and the right thigh, their meat will be yours. 19 All the holy offerings that the people of Israel present to Yahweh, I have given to you, and to your sons and to your daughters with you, as a continual share. It is an everlasting covenant of salt, a binding covenant forever, before Yahweh for both you and your descendants with you.” 20 Yahweh said to Aaron, “You will have no inheritance in the people's land, nor will you have any share of property among the people. I am your share and inheritance among the people of Israel.

21 To the descendants of Levi, look, I have given all the tithes in Israel as their inheritance in return for the service that they provide in working at the tent of meeting. 22 From now on the people of Israel must not come near the tent of meeting, or they will be responsible for this sin and die. 23 The Levites must do the work connected to the tent of meeting. They will be responsible for any sin regarding it. This will be a permanent law throughout your people's generations. Among the people of Israel they must have no inheritance. 24 For the tithes of the people of Israel, which they offer as a contribution to me—it is these that I have given to the Levites as their inheritance. That is why I said to them, 'They must have no inheritance among the people of Israel.'”

25 Yahweh spoke to Moses and said, 26 “You must speak to the Levites and say to them, 'When you receive from the people of Israel the tenth that I have given to you from them for your inheritance, you will present a contribution from it to Yahweh, a tenth of the tithe. 27 Your contribution must be considered by you as if it were a tenth of the grain from the threshing floor or of the production from the winepress. 28 So you also must make a contribution to Yahweh from all the tithes that you receive from the people of Israel. From them you must give his contribution to Aaron the priest. 29 Out of all the gifts you receive, you must make every contribution to Yahweh. You must do this from all the best and the holiest things that have been given to you.' 30 Therefore you must say to them, 'When you present the best of it, then it must be credited to the Levites as the product from the threshing floor and the winepress. 31 You may eat the rest of your gifts in any place, you and your families, because it is your pay in return for your work in the tent of meeting. 32 You will not incur any guilt by eating and drinking it, if you have presented to Yahweh the best of what you have received. But you must not profane the holy offerings of the people of Israel, or you will die.'”

19

1 Yahweh spoke to Moses and Aaron. He said, 2 “This is a statute, a law which I am commanding you: Say to the people of Israel that they must bring to you a red heifer without flaw or blemish, and which has never carried a yoke. 3 Give the heifer to Eleazar the priest. He must bring it outside the camp, and someone must kill it in front of him. 4 Eleazar the priest must take some of its blood with his finger and sprinkle it seven times toward the front of the tent of meeting. 5 Another priest must burn the heifer in his sight. He must burn its hide, flesh, and its blood with its dung. 6 The priest must take cedarwood, hyssop, and scarlet wool, and throw it all into the middle of the burning heifer. 7 Then he must wash his clothes and bathe in water. Then he may come into the camp, where he will remain unclean until the evening. 8 The one who has burned the heifer must wash his clothes in water and bathe in water. He will remain unclean until the evening. 9 Someone who is clean must gather up the heifer's ashes and put them outside the camp in a clean place. These ashes must be kept for the community of the people of Israel. They will mix the ashes with water for purification from sin, since the ashes were from a sin offering. 10 The one who gathered the heifer's ashes must wash his clothes. He will remain unclean until the evening. This will be a permanent law for the people of Israel and the foreigners who stay with them.

11 Whoever touches the dead body of any man will be unclean for seven days. 12 Such a person must purify himself on the third day and on the seventh day. Then he will be clean. But if he does not purify himself the third day, then he will not be clean on the seventh day. 13 Whoever touches a dead person, the body of a man who has died, and does not purify himself—this person defiles Yahweh's tabernacle. That person must be cut off from Israel because the water for impurity was not sprinkled on him. He will remain unclean; his uncleanness will remain on him.

14 This is the law for when someone dies in a tent. Everyone who goes into the tent and everyone who is already in the tent will be unclean for seven days. 15 Every open container with no cover becomes unclean. 16 Similarly, anyone outside a tent who touches someone who has been killed with a sword, any other dead body, a human bone, or a grave—that person will be unclean for seven days. 17 Do this for the unclean person: Take some ashes from the burnt sin offering and mix them in a jar with fresh water. 18 Someone who is clean must then take hyssop, dip it in the water, and sprinkle it on the tent, on all the containers inside the tent, on the persons who were there, and on anyone who touched the bone, the one who was killed, the one who died, or the grave. 19 On the third day and on the seventh day, the clean person must sprinkle the unclean person. On the seventh day the unclean person must purify himself. He must wash his clothes and bathe in water. At evening he will become clean.

20 But anyone who remains unclean, who refuses to purify himself—that person will be cut off from the community, because he has defiled Yahweh's sanctuary. The water for impurity has not been sprinkled on him; he remains unclean. 21 This will be an ongoing law concerning these situations. The one who sprinkles the water for impurity must wash his clothes. The one who touches the water for impurity will become unclean until evening. 22 Whatever the unclean person touches will become unclean. The person who touches it will become unclean until evening.”

20

1 So the people of Israel, the whole community, went into the wilderness of Zin in the first month; they stayed at Kadesh. There Miriam died and was buried.

2 There was no water for the community, so they assembled together against Moses and Aaron. 3 The people complained against Moses. They said, “It would have been better if we had died when our fellow Israelites died in front of Yahweh! 4 Why have you brought Yahweh's community into this wilderness to die here, we and our animals? 5 Why did you make us come up out of Egypt to bring us to this horrible place? Here there is no seed, figs, vines, or pomegranates, and there is no water to drink.” 6 So Moses and Aaron went away from in front of the assembly. They went to the entrance of the tent of meeting and lay facedown. There Yahweh's brilliant glory appeared to them. 7 Yahweh spoke to Moses and said, 8 “Take the staff and assemble the community, you, and Aaron your brother. Speak to the rock before their eyes, and command it to flow with water. You will produce water for them out of that rock, and you must give it to the community and their cattle to drink.” 9 Moses took the staff from before Yahweh, as Yahweh had commanded him to do.

10 Then Moses and Aaron gathered the assembly together before the rock. Moses said to them, “Listen now, you rebels. Must we bring water out of this rock for you?” 11 Then Moses raised his hand and struck the rock twice with his staff, and much water came out. The community drank, and their cattle drank. 12 Then Yahweh said to Moses and Aaron, “Because you did not trust me or honor me as holy in the eyes of the people of Israel, you will not bring this assembly into the land I have given them.” 13 This place was called the waters of Meribah because the people of Israel had quarreled with Yahweh there, and he showed himself to them as holy.

14 Moses sent messengers from Kadesh to the king of Edom: Your brother Israel says this: “You know all the difficulties that have happened to us. 15 You know that our ancestors went down to Egypt and lived in Egypt a long time. The Egyptians treated us harshly and also our ancestors. 16 When we called out to Yahweh, he heard our voice and sent an angel and brought us out of Egypt. Look, we are in Kadesh, a city on the border of your land. 17 I am asking you to let us pass through your land. We will not pass through field or vineyard, nor will we drink the water in your wells. We will go along the king's highway. We will not turn aside to the right hand or to the left until we have passed your border.” 18 But the king of Edom replied to him, “You may not pass through here. If you do, I will come with the sword to attack you.” 19 Then the people of Israel said to him, “We will go along the highway. If we or our livestock drink your water, we will pay for it. Just let us walk through on foot, without doing anything else.” 20 But the king of Edom replied, “You may not pass through.” So the king of Edom came against Israel with a strong hand with many soldiers. 21 The king of Edom refused to allow Israel to cross over their border. Because of this, Israel turned away from the land of Edom.

22 So the people journeyed from Kadesh. The people of Israel, the whole community, came to Mount Hor. 23 Yahweh spoke to Moses and Aaron at Mount Hor, on Edom's border. He said, 24 “Aaron must be gathered to his people, for he will not enter the land that I have given to the people of Israel. This is because you both rebelled against my word at the waters of Meribah. 25 Take Aaron and Eleazar his son, and bring them up to Mount Hor. 26 Take Aaron's priestly garments off him and put them on Eleazar his son. Aaron must die and be gathered to his people there.” 27 Moses did as Yahweh commanded. They went up Mount Hor in the sight of all the community. 28 Moses took Aaron's priestly garments off him and put them on Eleazar his son. Aaron died there on the top of the mountain. Then Moses and Eleazar came down. 29 When all the community saw that Aaron was dead, the entire nation wept for Aaron for thirty days.

21

1 When the Canaanite king of Arad, who lived in the Negev, heard that Israel was traveling by the road to Atharim, he fought against Israel and took some of them captive. 2 Israel vowed to Yahweh and said, “If you give us victory over these people, then we will completely destroy their cities.” 3 Yahweh listened to Israel's voice and he gave them victory over the Canaanites. They completely destroyed them and their cities. That place was called Hormah.

4 They traveled from Mount Hor by the road to the Sea of Reeds to go around the land of Edom. The people became very discouraged on the way. 5 The people spoke against God and Moses: “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? There is no bread, no water, and we hate this miserable food.” 6 Then Yahweh sent poisonous snakes among the people. The snakes bit the people; many people died. 7 The people came to Moses and said, “We have sinned because we have spoken against Yahweh and you. Pray to Yahweh for him to take the snakes away from us.” So Moses prayed for the people. 8 Yahweh said to Moses, “Make a snake and attach it to a pole. It will happen that everyone who is bitten will survive, if he looks at it.” 9 So Moses made a bronze snake and attached it to a pole. When a snake bit any person, if he looked at the bronze snake, he survived.

10 Then the people of Israel traveled on and camped at Oboth. 11 They traveled from Oboth and camped at Iye Abarim in the wilderness that faces Moab toward the east. 12 From there they traveled on and camped in the Valley of Zered. 13 From there they traveled on and camped on the other side of the Arnon River, which is in the wilderness that extends from the border of the Amorites. The Arnon River forms the border of Moab, between Moab and the Amorites. 14 That is why it says in the scroll of the Wars of Yahweh,

“... Waheb in Suphah, and the valleys of the Arnon,

15 the slope of the valleys that lead toward the town of Ar

and lie along the border of Moab.”

16 From there they traveled to Beer, the well where Yahweh said to Moses, “Gather the people together for me to give them water.”

17 Then Israel sang this song:

“Spring up, well!

Sing about it,

18 about the well that our leaders dug,

the well the nobles of the people dug,

with the scepter and their staffs.”

Then from the wilderness they traveled to Mattanah. 19 From Mattanah they traveled to Nahaliel, and from Nahaliel to Bamoth, 20 and from Bamoth to a valley in the land of Moab. That is where the top of Mount Pisgah looks down on the wilderness.

21 Then Israel sent messengers to Sihon king of the Amorites saying, 22 “Let us pass through your land. We will not turn into any field or vineyard. We will not drink the water from your wells. We will travel by the king's highway until we have crossed your border.” 23 But King Sihon would not allow Israel to pass through their border. Instead, Sihon gathered all his army together and attacked Israel in the wilderness. He came to Jahaz, where he fought against Israel. 24 Israel attacked the army of Sihon with the edge of the sword and took their land from the Arnon to the Jabbok river, as far as the land of the people of Ammon. Now the border of the people of Ammon was fortified. 25 Israel took all the Amorite cities and lived in all of them, including Heshbon and all of its villages. 26 Heshbon was the city of Sihon king of the Amorites, who had fought against the former king of Moab. Sihon had taken all his land from his territory to the Arnon River. 27 That is why those who speak in proverbs say,

“Come to Heshbon.

Let the city of Sihon be rebuilt and established again.

28 A fire blazed from Heshbon,

a flame from the city of Sihon

that devoured Ar of Moab,

and the owners of the high places of Arnon.

29 Woe to you, Moab!

You have perished, people of Chemosh.

He has made his sons to be fugitives

and his daughters to be prisoners

of Sihon king of the Amorites.

30 But we have conquered Sihon. Heshbon is devastated all the way to Dibon.

We have defeated them all the way to Nophah,

which reaches to Medeba.”

31 So Israel began to live in the Amorites' land. 32 Then Moses sent men to look at Jazer. They took its villages and drove out the Amorites who were there.

33 Then they turned and went up by the road of Bashan. Og king of Bashan went out against them, he and all his army, to fight them at Edrei. 34 Then Yahweh said to Moses, “Do not fear him, because I have given you victory over him, all his army, and his land. Do to him as you did to Sihon king of the Amorites, who lived at Heshbon.” 35 So they killed him, his sons, and all his army, until none of his people were left alive. Then they took over his land.

22

1 The people of Israel traveled on until they camped in the plains of Moab near Jericho, on the other side of the Jordan River from the city.

2 Balak son of Zippor saw all that Israel had done to the Amorites. 3 Moab was very afraid of the people because they were many, and Moab was in terror of the people of Israel. 4 The king of Moab said to the elders of Midian, “This multitude will eat up all that is around us as an ox eats up the grass in a field.” Now Balak son of Zippor was king of Moab at that time. 5 He sent messengers to Balaam son of Beor, at Pethor which is by the Euphrates River, in the land of his nation and his people. He called him and said, “Look, a nation has come here from Egypt. They cover the face of the earth and they are right now next to me. 6 So please come now and curse this nation for me, because they are too strong for me. Perhaps then I can manage to attack them and drive them out of the land. I know that whomever you bless will be blessed, and whomever you curse will be cursed.”

7 So the elders of Moab and the elders of Midian left, taking payment for divination. They came to Balaam and spoke to him Balak's words. 8 Balaam said to them, “Stay here tonight. I will bring you what Yahweh says to me.” So the leaders of Moab stayed with Balaam that night. 9 God came to Balaam and said, “Who are these men who came to you?” 10 Balaam answered God, “Balak son of Zippor, king of Moab, has sent them to me. He said, 11 'Look, the people who have come from Egypt cover the surface of my land. Now come and curse them for me. Perhaps I will manage to fight them and drive them out.'” 12 God replied to Balaam, “You must not go with those men. You must not curse the people of Israel because they have been blessed.” 13 Balaam rose up in the morning and said to Balak's leaders, “Go back to your land because Yahweh refuses to allow me to go with you.” 14 So the leaders of Moab left and went back to Balak. They said, “Balaam refused to come with us.”

15 Balak sent again more leaders who were even more honored than the first group. 16 They came to Balaam and said to him, “Balak son of Zippor says this, 'Please let nothing stop you from coming to me, 17 because I will pay you extremely well and give you great honor, and I will do whatever you tell me to do. So please come and curse this people for me.'” 18 Balaam answered and said to Balak's men, “Even if Balak would give me his palace full of silver and gold, I cannot go beyond the word of Yahweh, my God, and do less or more than what he tells me. 19 Now then, please wait here tonight too, so that I may learn anything further that Yahweh says to me.” 20 God came to Balaam at night and said to him, “Since these men have come to summon you, get up and go with them. But only do what I tell you to do.”

21 Balaam got up in the morning, saddled his donkey, and went with the leaders of Moab. 22 But because he went, God's anger was kindled. The angel of Yahweh placed himself in the road as someone hostile to Balaam, who was riding on his donkey. Balaam's two servants were also with him. 23 The donkey saw the angel of Yahweh standing in the road with his drawn sword in his hand. The donkey turned off the road and went into a field. Balaam struck the donkey to turn her back to the road. 24 Then the angel of Yahweh stood in a narrow part of the road between some vineyards, with a wall on his right side and another wall on his left side. 25 The donkey saw the angel of Yahweh again. She went against the wall and pinned Balaam's foot against it. Balaam struck her again. 26 The angel of Yahweh went further and stood in another narrow place where there was no way to turn to either side. 27 The donkey saw the angel of Yahweh, and she lay down under Balaam. Balaam's anger was kindled, and he struck the donkey with his staff. 28 Then Yahweh opened the donkey's mouth so she could talk. She said to Balaam, “What have I done to you that induced you to strike me these three times?” 29 Balaam replied to the donkey, “It was because you acted so stupidly with me. I wish there were a sword in my hand. If there were, by now I would have killed you.” 30 The donkey said to Balaam, “Am not I your donkey on which you have ridden all your life long to this present day? Have I ever been in the habit of doing such things to you before?” Balaam said, “No.”

31 Then Yahweh opened Balaam's eyes, and he saw the angel of Yahweh standing in the road with his drawn sword in his hand. Balaam lowered his head and lay facedown. 32 The angel of Yahweh said to him, “Why have you struck your donkey these three times? Look, I have come as someone hostile to you because your actions before me have been wicked. 33 The donkey saw me and turned away from me these three times. If she had not turned away from me, I would certainly have killed you and spared her life.” 34 Balaam said to the angel of Yahweh, “I have sinned. I did not know that you stood against me in the road. So now, if it is displeasing to you, I will turn back.” 35 But the angel of Yahweh said to Balaam, “Go on ahead with the men. But you must only speak the words that I tell you.” So Balaam went with the leaders of Balak.

36 When Balak heard that Balaam had come, he went out to meet him at a city in Moab at the Arnon, which is on the border. 37 Balak said to Balaam, “Did I not send men to you to summon you? Why did you not come to me? Am I not able to honor you?” 38 Then Balaam replied to Balak, “See, I have come to you. Do I now have any power to say anything? I can only say the words that God puts into my mouth.” 39 Balaam went with Balak, and they arrived at Kiriath Huzoth. 40 Then Balak sacrificed oxen and sheep and gave some meat to Balaam and the leaders who were with him.

41 In the morning, Balak took Balaam up to the high place of Baal. From there Balaam could see only a part of the Israelites in their camp.

23

1 Balaam said to Balak, “Build seven altars here for me and prepare seven bulls and seven rams.” 2 So Balak did as Balaam requested. Then Balak and Balaam offered a bull and a ram on every altar. 3 Then Balaam said to Balak, “Stand at your burnt offering and I will go. Perhaps Yahweh will come to meet me. Whatever he shows me I will tell you.” So he went away to a hilltop with no trees. 4 While he was on the hilltop, God met him, and Balaam said to him, “I have built seven altars, and I have offered up a bull and a ram on each one.” 5 Yahweh put a message in Balaam's mouth and said, “Return to Balak and speak to him.” 6 So Balaam returned to Balak, who was standing by his burnt offering, and all the leaders of Moab were with him. 7 Then Balaam began to speak his prophecy and said,

“Balak has brought me from Aram,

the king of Moab from the eastern mountains.

'Come, curse Jacob for me,' he said.

'Come, defy Israel.'

8 How can I curse those whom God has not cursed?

How can I oppose those whom Yahweh does not oppose?

9 For from the top of the rocks I see him;

from the hills I look at him.

See, there is a people who live alone

and do not consider themselves as just an ordinary nation.

10 Who can count the dust of Jacob

or number even only one-fourth of Israel?

Let me die the death of a righteous person,

and let my life's end be like his!”

11 Balak said to Balaam, “What have you done to me? I brought you to curse my enemies, but look, you have blessed them.” 12 Balaam answered and said, “Should I not be careful to say only what Yahweh puts in my mouth?”

13 So Balak said to him, “Please come with me to another place where you can see them. You will only see the nearest of them, not all of them. There you will curse them for me.” 14 So he took Balaam into the field of Zophim, to the top of Mount Pisgah, and built seven more altars. He offered up a bull and a ram on each altar. 15 Then Balaam said to Balak, “Stand here by your burnt offering, while I meet with Yahweh over there.” 16 So Yahweh met Balaam and put a message in his mouth. He said, “Return to Balak and give him my message.” 17 Balaam returned to him, and look, he was standing by his burnt offering, and the leaders of Moab were with him. Then Balak said to him, “What has Yahweh said?” 18 Balaam began his prophecy. He said,

“Rise up, Balak, and hear.

Listen to me, you son of Zippor.

19 God is not a man, that he should lie,

Or a human being, that he should change his mind.

Has he promised anything without doing it?

Has he said he would do something without carrying it out? 20 Look, I have been commanded to bless.

God has given a blessing, and I cannot reverse it.

21 He has seen no hardship in Jacob

or trouble in Israel.

Yahweh their God is with them,

and shouts for their king are among them. 22 God brought them out of Egypt

with strength like that of a wild ox.

23 There is no sorcery that works against Jacob,

and no fortune-telling harms Israel.

Instead, it must be said about Jacob and Israel,

'Look what God has done!'

24 Look, the people rise like a lioness,

as a lion emerges and attacks.

He does not lie down until he eats his victim

and drinks the blood of what he has killed.”

25 Then Balak said to Balaam, “Do not curse them or bless them at all.” 26 But Balaam answered and said to Balak, “Did I not tell you that I must say all that Yahweh tells me to say?” 27 So Balak replied to Balaam, “Come now, I will take you to another place. Perhaps it will please God for you to curse them there for me.” 28 So Balak took Balaam to the top of Mount Peor, which looks down on the wilderness. 29 Balaam said to Balak, “Build me seven altars here and prepare seven bulls and seven rams.” 30 So Balak did as Balaam had said; he offered up a bull and a ram on each altar.

24

1 When Balaam saw that it pleased Yahweh to bless Israel, he did not go, as at the other times, to use sorcery. Instead, he looked toward the wilderness. 2 He raised his eyes and saw that Israel was camped, each in their own tribe, and the Spirit of God came on him. 3 He received this prophecy and said,

“Balaam son of Beor is about to speak,

the man whose eyes are wide open.

4 He speaks and hears God's words.

He sees a vision from the Almighty,

Before whom he bows down with his eyes open.

5 How beautiful are your tents, Jacob,

the place where you live, Israel!

6 Like valleys they spread out,

like gardens by the riverside,

like aloes planted by Yahweh,

like cedars beside the waters.

7 Water flows from their buckets,

and their seed is well-watered.

Their king is to be higher than Agag,

and their kingdom will be honored.

8 God brings him out of Egypt,

with strength like a wild ox.

He will eat up the nations who fight against him.

He will break their bones to pieces.

He will shoot them with his arrows.

9 He crouches down like a lion,

like a lioness. Who dares disturb him?

May everyone who blesses him be blessed;

may everyone who curses him be cursed.”

10 Balak's anger was kindled against Balaam and he struck his hands together in anger. Balak said to Balaam, “I called you to curse my enemies, but look, you have blessed them three times. 11 So leave me right now and go home. I said I would greatly reward you, but Yahweh has kept you from getting any reward.” 12 Then Balaam replied to Balak, “I said to the messengers that you sent to me, 13 'Even if Balak gave me his palace full of silver and gold, I could not go beyond Yahweh's word and anything bad or good, or anything at all that I might want to do. I can say only what Yahweh tells me to say.' Did I not say this to them? 14 So now, look, I will go back to my people. But first let me warn you what this people will do to your people in the days ahead.” 15 Balaam began this prophecy. He said,

“Balaam son of Beor speaks,

The man whose eyes are wide open.

16 This is a prophecy of someone who hears words from God,

who has knowledge from the Most High,

who has visions from the Almighty,

Before whom he bows down with open eyes.

17 I see him, but he is not here now.

I look at him, but he is not near.

A star will come out of Jacob,

and a scepter will rise out of Israel.

He will shatter Moab's leaders

and destroy all the descendants of Seth.

18 Then Edom will become a possession of Israel,

and Seir will also become their possession,

enemies of Israel,

whom Israel will conquer with force.

19 Out of Jacob a king will come who will have dominion,

and he will destroy the survivors of their city.”

20 Then Balaam looked at Amalek and began his prophecy. He said,

“Amalek was once the greatest of nations,

but his final end will be destruction.”

21 Then Balaam looked toward the Kenites and began his prophecy. He said,

“The place where you live is strong,

and your nest is in the rocks.

22 Nevertheless you Kenites will be consumed by fire

when Assyria carries you away captive.”

23 Then Balaam began his final prophecy. He said,

“Woe! Who will survive when God does this?

24 Ships will come from the coast of Kittim;

they will attack Assyria and will conquer Eber,

but they, too, will end in destruction.”

25 Then Balaam got up and left. He returned to his home, and Balak also went away.

25

1 Israel stayed in Shittim, and the men began to prostitute themselves with women of Moab, 2 for the Moabites had invited the people to the sacrifices to their gods. So the people ate and bowed down to Moabite gods. 3 The men of Israel joined in worshiping Baal of Peor, and Yahweh's anger was kindled against Israel. 4 Yahweh said to Moses, “Kill all the leaders of the people and hang them up before me to expose them in the daylight, so that my fierce anger may turn away from Israel.” 5 So Moses said to Israel's leaders, “Each of you must execute his people who have joined in worshiping Baal of Peor.”

6 Then one of the men of Israel came and brought among his family members a Midianite woman. This happened in the sight of Moses and all the community of the people of Israel, while they were weeping at the entrance to the tent of meeting. 7 When Phinehas son of Eleazar son of Aaron the priest, saw that, he rose up from among the community and took a spear in his hand. 8 He followed the Israelite man into the tent and thrust the spear through both of their bodies, both the Israelite man and the woman. So a plague that God had sent on the people of Israel stopped. 9 Those who died by the plague were twenty-four thousand in number.

10 Yahweh spoke to Moses and said, 11 “Phinehas son of Eleazar son of Aaron the priest, has turned my rage away from the people of Israel because he was passionate with my zeal among them. So I have not consumed the people of Israel in my fierceness. 12 Therefore say, 'Yahweh says, “Look, I am giving to Phinehas my covenant of peace. 13 For him and his descendants after him, it will be a covenant of an everlasting priesthood because he was zealous for me, his God. He has atoned for the people of Israel.”'”

14 Now the name of the Israelite man who was killed with the Midianite woman was Zimri son of Salu, a leader of an ancestor's family among the Simeonites. 15 The name of the Midianite woman who was killed was Kozbi daughter of Zur, who was head of a tribe and family in Midian.

16 So Yahweh spoke to Moses and said, 17 “Treat the Midianites as enemies and attack them, 18 for they treated you like enemies with their deceitfulness. They led you into evil in the case of Peor and in the case of their sister Kozbi, the daughter of a leader in Midian, who was killed on the day of the plague in the matter of Peor.”

26

1 It came about after the plague that Yahweh spoke to Moses and Eleazar son of Aaron the priest. He said, 2 “Count all the community of the people of Israel, from twenty years old and up, by their ancestor's families, all who are able to go to war for Israel.” 3 So Moses and Eleazar the priest spoke to them in the plains of Moab by the Jordan at Jericho and said, 4 “Count the people, from twenty years old and up, as Yahweh commanded Moses and the people of Israel, who came out of the land of Egypt.”

5 Reuben was the firstborn of Israel. From his son Hanok came the clan of the Hanokites. From Pallu came the clan of the Palluites. 6 From Hezron came the clan of the Hezronites. From Karmi came the clan of the Karmites. 7 These were the clans of Reuben, who numbered 43,730 men. 8 Eliab was a son of Pallu. 9 Eliab's sons were Nemuel, Dathan, and Abiram. These were the same Dathan and Abiram who followed Korah when they challenged Moses and Aaron and rebelled against Yahweh. 10 The earth opened its mouth and swallowed them up together with Korah when all his followers died. At that time, fire devoured 250 men, who became a warning sign. 11 But Korah's line did not die out.

12 The clans of Simeon's descendants were these:

Through Nemuel, the clan of the Nemuelites,

through Jamin, the clan of the Jaminites,

through Jakin, the clan of the Jakinites,

13 through Zerah, the clan of the Zerahites,

through Shaul, the clan of the Shaulites. 14 These were the clans of Simeon's descendants, who numbered 22,200 men.

15 The clans of Gad's descendants were these:

Through Zephon, the clan of the Zephonites,

through Haggi, the clan of the Haggites,

through Shuni, the clan of the Shunites,

16 through Ozni, the clan of the Oznites,

through Eri, the clan of the Erites,

17 through Arod, the clan of the Arodites,

through Areli, the clan of the Arelites. 18 These were the clans of Gad's descendants, who numbered 40,500 men.

19 Judah's sons were Er and Onan, but these men died in the land of Canaan. 20 The clans of Judah's other descendants were these:

through Shelah, the clan of the Shelanites,

through Perez, the clan of the Perezites, and

through Zerah, the clan of the Zerahites. 21 The descendants of Perez were these:

Through Hezron, the clan of the Hezronites,

through Hamul, the clan of the Hamulites. 22 These were the clans of Judah's descendants, who numbered 76,500 men.

23 The clans of Issachar's descendants were these:

Through Tola, the clan of the Tolaites,

through Puah, the clan of the Puites, 24 through Jashub, the clan of the Jashubites,

through Shimron, the clan of the Shimronites. 25 These were the clans of Issachar, who numbered 64,300 men.

26 The clans of Zebulun's descendants were these:

Through Sered, the clan of the Seredites,

through Elon, the clan of the Elonites,

through Jahleel, the clan of the Jahleelites. 27 These were the clans of the Zebulunites, who numbered 60,500 men.

28 The clans of Joseph's descendants were Manasseh and Ephraim. 29 The descendants of Manasseh were these:

through Makir, the clan of the Makirites (Makir was Gilead's father),

through Gilead, the clan of the Gileadites. 30 Gilead's descendants were these:

Through Iezer, the clan of the Iezerites,

through Helek, the clan of the Helekites,

31 through Asriel, the clan of the Asrielites,

through Shechem, the clan of the Shechemites,

32 through Shemida, the clan of the Shemidaites,

through Hepher, the clan of the Hepherites. 33 Zelophehad son of Hepher had no sons, but only daughters. The names of his daughters were Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milkah, and Tirzah. 34 These were the clans of Manasseh, who numbered 52,700 men.

35 The clans of Ephraim's descendants were these:

Through Shuthelah, the clan of the Shuthelahites,

through Beker, the clan of the Bekerites,

through Tahan, the clan of the Tahanites. 36 The descendants of Shuthelah were, by Eran, the clan of the Eranites. 37 These were the clans of Ephraim's descendants, who numbered 32,500 men. These were Joseph's descendants, counted in each of their clans.

38 The clans of Benjamin's descendants were these:

Through Bela, the clan of the Belaites,

through Ashbel, the clan of the Ashbelites,

through Ahiram, the clan of the Ahiramites,

39 through Shephupham, the clan of the Shuphamites,

through Hupham, the clan of the Huphamites.

40 Bela's sons were Ard and Naaman. From Ard came the clan of the Ardites, and from Naaman came the clan of the Naamites. 41 These were the clans of Benjamin's descendants. They numbered 45,600 men.

42 The clans of Dan's descendants were, by Shuham, the clans of the Shuhamites. These were the clans of Dan's descendants. 43 All the clans of the Shuhamites numbered 64,400 men.

44 The clans of Asher's descendants were these:

Through Imnah, the clan of the Imnites,

through Ishvi, the clan of the Ishvites,

through Beriah, the clan of the Beriites.

45 The descendants of Beriah were these:

Through Heber, the clan of the Heberites,

through Malkiel, the clan of the Malkielites.

46 The name of Asher's daughter was Serah. 47 These were the clans of Asher's descendants, who numbered 53,400 men.

48 The clans of Naphtali's descendants were these:

Through Jahzeel, the clan of the Jahzeelites,

through Guni, the clan of the Gunites,

49 through Jezer, the clan of the Jezerites,

through Shillem, the clan of the Shillemites.

50 These were the clans of Naphtali's descendants, who numbered 45,400 men.

51 This was the complete count of men among the people of Israel: 601,730.

52 Yahweh spoke to Moses and said, 53 “The land must be divided among these men as an inheritance according to the number of their names. 54 To the larger clans you must give more inheritance, and to the smaller clans you must give less inheritance. To every family you must give an inheritance according to the number of men who were counted. 55 However, the land must be divided by random lots. They must inherit the land as it will be divided among their ancestors' tribes. 56 Their inheritance must be divided among the larger and the smaller clans, distributed to them by random lot.”

57 The Levite clans, counted clan by clan, were these:

Through Gershon, the clan of the Gershonites,

through Kohath, the clan of the Kohathites,

through Merari, the clan of the Merarites.

58 The clans of Levi were these:

the clan of the Libnites,

the clan of the Hebronites,

the clan of the Mahlites,

the clan of the Mushites,

and the clan of the Korahites.

Kohath was the Amram's ancestor. 59 The name of Amram's wife was Jochebed, a descendant of Levi, who was born to Levites in Egypt. She bore to Amram their children, who were Aaron, Moses, and Miriam their sister. 60 To Aaron were born Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar. 61 Nadab and Abihu died when they offered before Yahweh unacceptable fire. 62 The males who were counted among them numbered twenty-three thousand, all males one month old and up. But they were not counted among Israel's descendants because no inheritance was given to them among the people of Israel.

63 These are the ones who were counted by Moses and Eleazar the priest. They counted the people of Israel in the plains of Moab by the Jordan at Jericho. 64 But among these there was no man who had been counted by Moses and Aaron the priest when the descendants of Israel were counted in the wilderness of Sinai. 65 For Yahweh had said that all of those people would certainly die in the wilderness. There was not a man left among them, except Caleb son of Jephunneh and Joshua son of Nun.

27

1 Then to Moses came the daughters of Zelophehad son of Hepher son of Gilead son of Machir son of Manasseh, of the clans of Manasseh son of Joseph. These were the names of his daughters: Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milkah, and Tirzah. 2 They stood before Moses, Eleazar the priest, the leaders, and before all the community at the entrance to the tent of meeting. They said, 3 “Our father died in the wilderness. He was not among those who conspired against Yahweh in the company of Korah. He died for his own sin, and he had no sons. 4 Why should our father's name be taken away from among his clan members because he had no son? Give us land among our father's relatives.” 5 So Moses brought their case before Yahweh.

6 Yahweh spoke to Moses and said, 7 “Zelophehad's daughters are speaking correctly. You must certainly give them land as an inheritance among their father's relatives, and you must ensure that their father's inheritance passes on to them. 8 You must speak to the people of Israel and say, 'If a man dies and has no son, then you must cause his inheritance to pass to his daughter. 9 If he has no daughter, then you must give his inheritance to his brothers. 10 If he has no brothers, then you must give his inheritance to his father's brothers. 11 If his father has no brothers, then you must give his inheritance to his nearest relative in his clan, and he must take it for his own. This will be a law established by decree for the people of Israel, as Yahweh has commanded me.'”

12 Yahweh said to Moses, “Go up the mountains of Abarim and look at the land that I have given to the people of Israel. 13 After you have seen it, you, too, must be gathered to your people, like Aaron your brother. 14 This will happen because you two rebelled against my command in the wilderness of Zin. There, when the water flowed from the rock, in your anger you failed to honor me as holy before the eyes of the whole community.” These are the waters of Meribah of Kadesh in the wilderness of Zin.

15 Then Moses spoke to Yahweh and said, 16 “May you, Yahweh, the God of the spirits of all humanity, appoint a man over the community, 17 a man who may go out and come in before them and lead them out and bring them in, so that your community is not like sheep that have no shepherd.” 18 Yahweh said to Moses, “Take Joshua son of Nun, a man in whom my Spirit lives, and lay your hand on him. 19 Place him before Eleazar the priest and before all the community, and command him before their eyes to lead them. 20 You must put some of your authority on him, so that all the community of the people of Israel may obey him. 21 He will go before Eleazar the priest to seek my will for him by the decisions of the Urim. It will be at his command that the people will go out and come in, both he and all the people of Israel with him, the whole community.” 22 So Moses did as Yahweh had commanded him. He took Joshua and placed him before Eleazar the priest and all the community. 23 He laid his hands on him and commanded him to lead, as Yahweh had commanded him to do.

28

1 Yahweh spoke to Moses and said, 2 “Command the people of Israel and say to them, 'You must offer sacrifices to me at the appointed times, the food of my offerings made by fire to produce a sweet aroma for me.' 3 You must also say to them, 'This is the offering made by fire that you must offer to Yahweh—male lambs a year old without blemish, two each day, as a regular burnt offering. 4 One lamb you must offer in the morning, and the other lamb you must offer in the evening. 5 You must offer a tenth of an ephah of fine flour as a grain offering, mixed with one-fourth of a hin of beaten oil. 6 This is the regular burnt offering that was commanded at Mount Sinai to produce a sweet aroma, an offering made by fire to Yahweh. 7 The drink offering with it must be one-fourth of a hin for one of the lambs. You must pour out in the holy place a drink offering of strong drink to Yahweh. 8 The other lamb you must offer in the evening along with another grain offering like the one offered in the morning. You must also offer another drink offering with it, an offering made by fire, to produce a sweet aroma for Yahweh.

9 On the Sabbath day you must offer two male lambs, each a year old without blemish, and two-tenths of an ephah of fine flour as a grain offering, mixed with oil, and the drink offering with it. 10 This is to be the burnt offering for every Sabbath, in addition to the regular burnt offering and the drink offering with it.

11 At the beginning of each month, you must offer a burnt offering to Yahweh. You must offer two young bulls, one ram, and seven male lambs a year old without blemish. 12 You must also offer three-tenths of an ephah of fine flour as a grain offering mixed with oil for each bull, and two-tenths of fine flour as a grain offering mixed with oil for the one ram. 13 You must also offer a tenth of an ephah of fine flour mixed with oil as a grain offering for each lamb. This is to be the burnt offering, to produce a sweet aroma, an offering made by fire to Yahweh. 14 The people's drink offerings must be half a hin of wine for a bull, a third of a hin for a ram, and one-fourth of a hin for a lamb. This is to be the burnt offering for every month throughout the months of the year. 15 One male goat as a sin offering to Yahweh must be offered. This will be in addition to the regular burnt offering and the drink offering with it.

16 During the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month, comes Yahweh's Passover. 17 On the fifteenth day of this month a feast is to be held. For seven days, bread without yeast must be eaten. 18 On the first day, there must be a holy assembly to honor Yahweh. You must not do regular work on that day. 19 However, you must offer a sacrifice made by fire, a burnt offering to Yahweh. You must offer two young bulls, one ram, and seven male lambs a year old, without blemish. 20 Along with the bull, you must offer a grain offering of three-tenths of an ephah of fine flour mixed with oil, and along with the ram, two-tenths. 21 With each of the seven lambs, you must offer a tenth of an ephah of fine flour mixed with oil, 22 and one male goat as a sin offering to make atonement for yourselves. 23 You must offer these in addition to the regular burnt offering required each morning. 24 As described here, you must offer these sacrifices daily, for the seven days of the Passover, the food of the offering made by fire, a sweet aroma for Yahweh. It must be offered in addition to the regular burnt offering and the drink offering with it. 25 On the seventh day you must have a holy assembly to honor Yahweh, and you must not do regular work on that day.

26 Also on the day of the firstfruits, when you offer a new grain offering to Yahweh in your Festival of Weeks, you must have a holy assembly to honor Yahweh, and you must not do regular work on that day. 27 You must offer a burnt offering to produce a sweet aroma for Yahweh. You must offer two young bulls, one ram, and seven male lambs a year old. 28 Offer also grain offering to go with them: Fine flour mixed with oil, three-tenths of an ephah of fine flour mixed with oil for each bull and two-tenths for the one ram. 29 Offer a tenth of an ephah of fine flour mixed with oil for each of the seven lambs, 30 and one male goat to make atonement for yourselves. 31 When you offer those animals without blemish, along with their drink offerings, this must be in addition to the regular burnt offering and the grain offering with it.'”

29

1 “In the seventh month, on the first day of the month, you must have a holy assembly to honor Yahweh. You must not do regular work on that day. It will be a day when you blow trumpets. 2 You must offer a burnt offering to produce a sweet aroma for Yahweh. You must offer one young bull, one ram, and seven male lambs a year old, each without blemish. 3 You must offer with them their grain offering, fine flour mixed with oil, three-tenths of an ephah for the bull, two-tenths for the ram, 4 and one-tenth for each lamb of the seven lambs. 5 You must offer one male goat as a sin offering to make atonement for yourselves. 6 Make these offerings in the seventh month in addition to all of the offerings you will make on the first of each month: the special burnt offering and the grain offering to go with it. These must be in addition to the regular burnt offering, its grain offering, and its drink offerings. As you make these offerings, you will obey what has been decreed to produce a sweet aroma, an offering made by fire to Yahweh.

7 On the tenth day of the seventh month you must have a holy assembly to honor Yahweh. You must humble yourselves and do no work. 8 You must offer a burnt offering to produce a sweet aroma for Yahweh. You must offer one young bull, one ram, and seven male lambs a year old. They must each be without blemish. 9 You must offer with them a grain offering, fine flour mixed with oil, three-tenths of an ephah for the bull, two-tenths for the one ram, 10 and a tenth of an ephah for each of the seven lambs. 11 You must offer one male goat as a sin offering. This will be in addition to the sin offering of atonement, the regular burnt offering, its grain offering, and their drink offerings.

12 On the fifteenth day of the seventh month you must have a holy assembly to honor Yahweh. You must not do regular work on that day, and you must keep the festival for him seven days. 13 You must offer a burnt offering, a sacrifice made by fire to produce a sweet aroma for Yahweh. You must offer thirteen young bulls, two rams, and fourteen male lambs a year old. Each must be without blemish. 14 You must offer with them a grain offering, fine flour mixed with oil, three-tenths of an ephah for every bull of the thirteen bulls, two-tenths for each ram of the two rams, 15 and a tenth of an ephah for each of the fourteen lambs. 16 You must offer one male goat as a sin offering in addition to the regular burnt offering, its grain offering, and the drink offering with it.

17 On the second day of the assembly, you must offer twelve young bulls, two rams, and fourteen male lambs a year old, each without blemish. 18 You must make with them a grain offering and the drink offerings for the bulls, for the rams, and for the lambs, making as many offerings as were commanded. 19 You must offer one male goat as a sin offering in addition to the regular burnt offering, its grain offering, and their drink offerings.

20 On the third day of the assembly, you must offer eleven bulls, two rams, and fourteen male lambs a year old, each without blemish. 21 You must make with them a grain offering and the drink offerings for the bulls, for the rams, and for the lambs, making as many offerings as were commanded. 22 You must offer one male goat as a sin offering in addition to the regular burnt offering, its grain offering, and their drink offerings.

23 On the fourth day of the assembly, you must offer ten bulls, two rams, and fourteen male lambs a year old, each without blemish. 24 You must make with them a grain offering and the drink offerings for the bulls, for the rams, and for the lambs, making as many offerings as were commanded. 25 You must offer one male goat as a sin offering in addition to the regular burnt offering, its grain offering, and their drink offerings.

26 On the fifth day of the assembly, you must offer nine bulls, two rams, and fourteen male lambs a year old, each without blemish. 27 You must make with them a grain offering and the drink offerings for the bulls, for the rams, and for the lambs, making as many offerings as were commanded. 28 You must offer one male goat as a sin offering in addition to the regular burnt offering, its grain offering, and their drink offerings.

29 On the sixth day of the assembly, you must offer eight bulls, two rams, and fourteen male lambs a year old, each without blemish. 30 You must make with them a grain offering and the drink offerings for the bulls, for the rams, and for the lambs, making as many offerings as were commanded. 31 You must offer one male goat as a sin offering in addition to the regular burnt offering, its grain offering, and their drink offerings.

32 On the seventh day of the assembly, you must offer seven bulls, two rams, and fourteen male lambs a year old, each without blemish. 33 You must make with them a grain offering and the drink offerings for the bulls, for the rams, and for the lambs, making as many offerings as were commanded. 34 You must offer one male goat as a sin offering in addition to the regular burnt offering, its grain offering, and their drink offerings.

35 On the eighth day you must have another solemn assembly. You must not do regular work on that day. 36 You must make a burnt offering, an offering made by fire to produce a sweet aroma for Yahweh. You must offer one bull, one ram, and seven male lambs a year old, each without blemish. 37 You must offer their grain offering and their drink offerings for the bull, for the ram, and for the lambs, making as many offerings as were commanded. 38 You must offer one male goat as a sin offering in addition to the regular burnt offering, its grain offering, and their drink offerings.

39 These are what you must offer to Yahweh at your fixed festivals. These must be in addition to your vows and freewill offerings. You must offer these as your burnt offerings, grain offerings, drink offerings, and fellowship offerings.” 40 Moses told the people of Israel everything that Yahweh had commanded him to say.

30

1 Moses spoke to the leaders of the tribes of the people of Israel. He said, “This is what Yahweh has commanded. 2 When anyone makes a vow to Yahweh, or swears an oath to bind himself with a promise, he must not break his word. He must keep his promise to do everything that comes out of his mouth. 3 When a young woman living in her father's house makes a vow to Yahweh and binds herself with a promise, 4 if her father hears the vow and the promise by which she has bound herself, and if he says nothing to reverse her, then all her vows will remain in force. Every promise by which she has bound herself will remain in force. 5 But if her father hears about her vow and her promise, and if he says nothing to her, then all the vows and promises that she took on herself will remain in force.

6 However, if her father hears all the vows she made and her solemn promises with which she has bound herself, and if he overrules her on that same day, then they will not remain in force. Yahweh will forgive her because her father had overruled her. 7 If she marries a man while she is under those vows, or if she makes rash promises with which she obligates herself, those obligations will remain in force. 8 But if her husband stops her on the day that he hears about it, then he cancels the vow that she has made, the rash talk of her lips with which she has bound herself. Yahweh will release her.

9 But as for a widow or a divorced woman, everything by which she has bound herself will remain in force against her. 10 If a woman made a vow in her husband's house or obligates herself by taking an oath, 11 and her husband hears of it, but he says nothing to her and he does oppose her, then all her vows must stand and the obligations she made must remain in force. 12 But if her husband cancels them on the day that he heard about them, then whatever came out of her lips about her vows or promises will not remain in force. Her husband has canceled them. Yahweh will release her.

13 Every vow or oath a woman takes that binds her to deny herself something may be confirmed or canceled by her husband. 14 But if he says nothing at all to her day after day, then he confirms all her vows and binding promises that she has made. He has confirmed them because he has said nothing to her at the time that he heard about them. 15 If her husband tries to cancel his wife's vow a long time after he has heard about it, then he will be responsible for her sin.” 16 These are the statutes that Yahweh commanded Moses to announce—statutes for what is between a man and his wife and between a father and his daughter when she is in her youth in her father's family.

31

1 Yahweh spoke to Moses and said, 2 “Take vengeance on the Midianites for what they did to the Israelites. After doing that, you will die and be gathered to your people.” 3 So Moses spoke to the people. He said, “Arm some of your men for war so they may go against Midian and carry out Yahweh's vengeance on it. 4 Every tribe throughout Israel must send a thousand soldiers to war.” 5 So out of Israel's thousands of men, one thousand was provided from each tribe, twelve thousand men armed for war. 6 Then Moses sent them to battle, a thousand from every tribe, along with Phinehas son of Eleazar the priest, and with some articles from the holy place and the trumpets in his possession for sounding signals. 7 They fought against Midian, as Yahweh had commanded Moses. They killed every man. 8 They killed the kings of Midian with the rest of their dead: Evi, Rekem, Zur, Hur, and Reba, the five kings of Midian. They also killed Balaam son of Beor, with the sword. 9 The army of Israel took captive the women of Midian, their children, all their cattle, all their flocks, and all their goods. They took these as plunder. 10 They burned all their cities where they lived and all their camps. 11 They took all the plunder and prisoners, both people and animals. 12 They brought the prisoners, the plunder, and the captured things to Moses, to Eleazar the priest, and to the community of the people of Israel. They brought these to the camp in the plains of Moab, by the Jordan near Jericho.

13 Moses, Eleazar the priest, and all the leaders of the community went to meet them outside the camp. 14 But Moses was angry with the officers of the army, the commanders of thousands and the captains of hundreds, who came from battle. 15 Moses said to them, “Have you let all the women live? 16 Look, these women caused the people of Israel, through Balaam's advice, to commit sin against Yahweh in the matter of Peor, when the plague spread among Yahweh's community. 17 Now then, kill every male among the little ones, and kill every woman who has ever slept with a man. 18 But take for yourselves all the young girls who have never slept with a man. 19 You must camp outside the camp of Israel for seven days. All of you who have killed anyone and or have touched any dead person—you must purify yourselves on the third day and on the seventh day—you and your prisoners. 20 You must purify every garment and everything made of animal hide and goats' hair, and everything made of wood.”

21 Eleazar the priest said to the soldiers who had gone to war, “This is a decreed law that Yahweh has given to Moses: 22 The gold, silver, bronze, iron, tin, and lead, 23 and everything that resists fire, you must put it through the fire, and it will become clean. You must then purify those things with the water of cleansing. Whatever cannot go through the fire you must cleanse with that water. 24 You must wash your clothes on the seventh day, and then you will become clean. Afterward you may come into Israel's camp.”

25 Then Yahweh spoke to Moses and said, 26 “Count all the plundered things that were taken, both people and animals. You, Eleazar the priest, and the leaders of the community's ancestor's clans 27 must divide the plunder into two parts. Divide it between the soldiers who went out to battle and all the rest of the community. 28 Then levy a tax to be given to me from the soldiers who went out to battle. This tax must be one out of every five hundred, whether persons, cattle, donkeys, sheep, or goats. 29 Take this tax from their half and give it to Eleazar the priest for an offering to be presented to me. 30 Also from the people of Israel's half, you must take one out of every fifty—from the persons, cattle, donkeys, sheep, and goats. Give these to the Levites who take care of my tabernacle.” 31 So Moses and Eleazar the priest did as Yahweh had commanded Moses.

32 Now the plunder that remained of what the soldiers had taken was 675,000 sheep, 33 seventy-two thousand oxen, 34 sixty-one thousand donkeys, 35 and thirty-two thousand women who had never slept with any man. 36 The half that was kept for the soldiers numbered 337,000 sheep. 37 Yahweh's part of the sheep was 675. 38 The oxen were thirty-six thousand which Yahweh's tax was seventy-two. 39 The donkeys were 30,500 from which Yahweh's part was sixty-one. 40 The persons were sixteen thousand women of whom Yahweh's tax was thirty-two. 41 Moses took the tax that was to be an offering presented to Yahweh. He gave it to Eleazar the priest, as Yahweh commanded Moses.

42 As for the people of Israel's half that Moses had taken from the soldiers who had gone to war— 43 the community's half was 337,500 sheep, 44 thirty-six thousand oxen, 45 30,500 donkeys, 46 and sixteen thousand women. 47 From the people of Israel's half, Moses took one out of every fifty, both of people and animals. He gave them to the Levites who kept care of Yahweh's tabernacle, as Yahweh had commanded him to do.

48 Then the officers of the army, the commanders over thousands and the captains over hundreds, came to Moses. 49 They said to him, “Your servants have counted the soldiers who are under our command, and not one man is missing. 50 We have brought Yahweh's offering, what each man found, articles of gold, armlets and bracelets, signet rings, earrings, and necklaces, to make atonement for ourselves before Yahweh.” 51 Moses and Eleazar the priest received from them the gold and all the articles of craftsmanship. 52 All the gold of the offering that they gave to Yahweh—the offerings from the commanders of thousands and from the captains of hundreds—weighed 16,750 shekels. 53 Each soldier had taken plunder, each man for himself. 54 Moses and Eleazar the priest took the gold from the commanders of thousands and captains of hundreds. They took it into the tent of meeting as a reminder of the people of Israel for Yahweh.

32

1 Now the descendants of Reuben and of Gad had large numbers of livestock. When they saw the land of Jazer and Gilead, the land was a wonderful place for livestock. 2 So the descendants of Gad and Reuben came and spoke to Moses, to Eleazar the priest, and to the leaders of the community. They said, 3 “This is a list of places we have surveyed: Ataroth, Dibon, Jazer, Nimrah, Heshbon, Elealeh, Sebam, Nebo, and Beon. 4 These are the lands that Yahweh attacked before the community of Israel, and they are good places for livestock. We, your servants, have a lot of livestock.” 5 They said, “If we have found favor in your eyes, let this land be given to us, your servants, as a possession. Do not make us cross over the Jordan.”

6 Moses replied to the descendants of Gad and Reuben, “Should your brothers go to war while you settle down here? 7 Why discourage the hearts of the people of Israel from going over into the land that Yahweh has given them? 8 Your fathers did the same thing when I sent them from Kadesh Barnea to examine the land. 9 They went up to the Valley of Eshkol. They saw the land and then discouraged the hearts of the people of Israel so that they refused to enter the land that Yahweh had given them. 10 Yahweh's anger was kindled on that day. He took an oath and said, 11 'Surely none of the men who came up out of Egypt, from twenty years old and up, will see the land about which I swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, because they have not completely followed me, except for 12 Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite, and Joshua son of Nun. Only Caleb and Joshua have completely followed me.' 13 So Yahweh's anger was kindled against Israel. He made them wander around in the wilderness for forty years until all the generation who had done evil in his sight was destroyed. 14 Look, you have risen up in your fathers' place, like just more sinful men, to add to Yahweh's burning anger toward Israel. 15 If you turn away from following him, he will again leave Israel in the wilderness and you will have destroyed all this people.”

16 So they came near Moses and said, “Allow us to build fences here for our cattle and cities for our families. 17 However, we ourselves will be ready and armed to go with Israel's army until we have led them into their place. But our families will live in the fortified cities because of the other people who still live in this land. 18 We will not return to our houses until every one of the people of Israel has obtained his inheritance. 19 We will not inherit the land with them on the other side of the Jordan, because our inheritance is here on the east side of the Jordan.”

20 So Moses replied to them, “If you do what you say, if you arm yourselves to go before Yahweh to war, 21 then every one of your armed men must cross over the Jordan before Yahweh, until he has driven out his enemies from before him 22 and the land is subdued before him. Then afterward you may return. You will be guiltless toward Yahweh and toward Israel. This land will be your possession before Yahweh. 23 But if you do not do so, look, you will have sinned against Yahweh. Be sure that your sin will find you out. 24 Build cities for your families and pens for your sheep; then do what you have said.” 25 The descendants of Gad and Reuben spoke to Moses and said, “Your servants will do as you, our master, commands. 26 Our little ones, our wives, our flocks, and all our livestock will stay there in the cities of Gilead. 27 However, we, your servants, will cross over before Yahweh to battle, every man who is armed for war, as you, our master, say.”

28 So Moses gave instructions concerning them to Eleazar the priest, to Joshua son of Nun, and to the leaders of the ancestor's clans in the tribes of the people of Israel. 29 Moses said to them, “If the descendants of Gad and Reuben cross over the Jordan with you, every man who is armed to battle before Yahweh, and if the land is subdued before you, then you will give them the land of Gilead as a possession. 30 But if they do not cross over with you armed, then they will acquire their possessions among you in the land of Canaan.” 31 So the descendants of Gad and Reuben answered and said, “As Yahweh has said to us, your servants, this is what we will do. 32 We will cross over armed before Yahweh into the land of Canaan, but our possessed inheritance will remain with us on this side of the Jordan.”

33 So to the descendants of Gad and Reuben, and also to the half tribe of Manasseh son of Joseph, Moses gave the kingdom of Sihon, king of the Amorites, and of Og, king of Bashan. He gave to them the land, and distributed to them all its cities with their borders, the cities of the land around them. 34 The descendants of Gad rebuilt Dibon, Ataroth, Aroer, 35 Atroth Shophan, Jazer, Jogbehah, 36 Beth Nimrah, and Beth Haran as fortified cities with pens for sheep. 37 The descendants of Reuben rebuilt Heshbon, Elealeh, Kiriathaim, 38 Nebo, Baal Meon—their names were later changed, and Sibmah. They gave other names to the cities that they rebuilt. 39 The descendants of Machir son of Manasseh went to Gilead and took it away from the Amorites who were in it. 40 Then Moses gave Gilead to Machir son of Manasseh, and his people settled there. 41 Jair son of Manasseh went and captured its towns and called them Havvoth Jair. 42 Nobah went and captured Kenath and its villages, and he called it Nobah, after his own name.

33

1 These were the movements of the people of Israel after they left the land of Egypt by their armed groups under the leadership of Moses and Aaron. 2 Moses wrote down the places from where they left to where they went, as commanded by Yahweh. These were their movements, departure after departure. 3 They traveled from Rameses during the first month, leaving on the fifteenth day of the first month. On the morning after the Passover, the people of Israel left openly, in the sight of all the Egyptians. 4 This happened while the Egyptians were burying all their firstborn, those whom Yahweh had killed among them, for he also inflicted punishment on their gods.

5 The people of Israel set out from Rameses and camped at Succoth. 6 They set out from Succoth and camped at Etham, on the edge of the wilderness. 7 They set out from Etham and turned back to Pi Hahiroth, which is opposite Baal Zephon, where they camped opposite Migdol. 8 Then they set out from opposite Pi Hahiroth and passed through the middle of the sea into the wilderness. They traveled three days' journey into the wilderness of Etham and camped at Marah. 9 They set out from Marah and arrived at Elim. At Elim were twelve springs of water and seventy palm trees. That is where they camped. 10 They set out from Elim and camped by the Sea of Reeds. 11 They set out from the Sea of Reeds and camped in the wilderness of Sin. 12 They set out from the wilderness of Sin and camped at Dophkah. 13 They set out from Dophkah and camped at Alush. 14 They set out from Alush and camped at Rephidim, where no water was found for the people to drink. 15 They set out from Rephidim and camped in the wilderness of Sinai. 16 They set out from the wilderness of Sinai and camped at Kibroth Hattaavah. 17 They set out from Kibroth Hattaavah and camped at Hazeroth. 18 They set out from Hazeroth and camped at Rithmah. 19 They set out from Rithmah and camped at Rimmon Perez. 20 They set out from Rimmon Perez and camped at Libnah. 21 They set out from Libnah and camped at Rissah. 22 They set out from Rissah and camped at Kehelathah. 23 They set out from Kehelathah and camped at Mount Shepher. 24 They set out from Mount Shepher and camped at Haradah. 25 They set out from Haradah and camped at Makheloth. 26 They set out from Makheloth and camped at Tahath. 27 They set out from Tahath and camped at Terah. 28 They set out from Terah and camped at Mithkah. 29 They set out from Mithkah and camped at Hashmonah. 30 They set out from Hashmonah and camped at Moseroth. 31 They set out from Moseroth and camped at Bene Jaakan. 32 They set out from Bene Jaakan and camped at Hor Haggidgad. 33 They set out from Hor Haggidgad and camped at Jotbathah. 34 They set out from Jotbathah and camped at Abronah. 35 They set out from Abronah and camped at Ezion Geber. 36 They set out from Ezion Geber and camped in the wilderness of Zin at Kadesh. 37 They set out from Kadesh and camped at Mount Hor, at the edge of the land of Edom.

38 Aaron the priest went up Mount Hor at Yahweh's command and died there in the fortieth year after the people of Israel had come out of the land of Egypt, in the fifth month, on the first day of the month. 39 Aaron was a 123 years old when he died on Mount Hor.

40 The Canaanite, the king of Arad, who lived in the southern wilderness in the land of Canaan, heard of the coming of the people of Israel.

41 They set out from Mount Hor and camped at Zalmonah. 42 They set out from Zalmonah and camped at Punon. 43 They set out from Punon and camped at Oboth. 44 They set out from Oboth and camped at Iye Abarim, on the border of Moab. 45 They set out from Iye Abarim and camped at Dibon Gad. 46 They set out from Dibon Gad and camped at Almon Diblathaim. 47 They set out from Almon Diblathaim and camped in the mountains of Abarim, opposite Nebo. 48 They set out from the mountains of Abarim and camped in the plains of Moab by the Jordan at Jericho. 49 They camped by the Jordan, from Beth Jeshimoth to Abel Shittim in the plains of Moab.

50 Yahweh spoke to Moses in the plains of Moab by the Jordan at Jericho and said, 51 “Speak to the people of Israel and say to them, 'When you cross over the Jordan into the land of Canaan, 52 then you must drive out all the land's inhabitants before you. You must destroy all their carved figures. You must destroy all their cast figures and demolish all their high places. 53 You must take possession of the land and settle in it, because I have given you the land to possess. 54 You must inherit the land by lot, according to each clan. To the larger clans you must give a larger share of land, and to the smaller clans you must give a smaller share of land. Wherever the lot falls to each clan, that land will belong to it. You will inherit the land according to your ancestors' tribes. 55 But if you do not drive out the land's inhabitants before you, then the people you allow to stay will become like objects in your eyes and thorns in your sides. They will make your lives difficult in the land where you settle. 56 Then it will happen that what I now intend to do to those people, I will do also to you.'”

34

1 Yahweh spoke to Moses and said, 2 “Command the people of Israel and say to them, 'When you enter the land of Canaan, the land that will belong to you, the land of Canaan and its borders, 3 your southern border will extend from the wilderness of Zin along the border of Edom. The eastern end of the southern border will be on a line that ends at the southern end of the Salt Sea. 4 Your border will turn south from the hill of Akrabbim and pass along through the wilderness of Zin. From there, it will run south of Kadesh Barnea and continue to Hazar Addar and further to Azmon. 5 From there, the border will turn from Azmon toward the brook of Egypt and follow it to the sea.

6 The western border will be the coastline of the Great Sea. This will be your western border.

7 Your northern border will extend along a line that you must mark out from the Great Sea to Mount Hor, 8 then from Mount Hor to Lebo Hamath, then on to Zedad. 9 Then the border will continue to Ziphron and end at Hazar Enan. This will be your northern border.

10 Then you must mark out your eastern border from Hazar Enan south to Shepham. 11 Then the eastern border will go down from Shepham to Riblah, on the east side of Ain. The border will continue along the east side of the Sea of Kinnereth. 12 Then the border will continue south along the Jordan River to the Salt Sea and continue down the eastern border of the Salt Sea. This will be your land, following its borders all around.'”

13 Then Moses commanded the people of Israel and said, “This is the land that you will receive by lot, which Yahweh has commanded to give to the nine tribes and to the half tribe. 14 The tribe of the descendants of Reuben, following the assignment of property to their ancestor's tribe, and the tribe of the descendants of Gad, following the assignment of property to their ancestor's tribe, and the half tribe of Manasseh have all received their land. 15 The two tribes and the half tribe have received their share of land beyond the Jordan at Jericho eastward, toward the sunrise.”

16 Yahweh spoke to Moses and said, 17 “These are the names of the men who will divide the land for your inheritance: Eleazar the priest and Joshua son of Nun. 18 You must choose one leader from every tribe to divide the land for their clans. 19 These are the names of the men:

From the tribe of Judah, Caleb son of Jephunneh.

20 From the tribe of the descendants of Simeon, Shemuel son of Ammihud.

21 From the tribe of Benjamin, Elidad son of Kislon.

22 From of the tribe of the descendants of Dan a leader, Bukki son of Jogli.

23 From the descendants of Joseph, of the tribe of the descendants of Manasseh a leader, Hanniel son of Ephod.

24 From the tribe of the descendants of Ephraim a leader, Kemuel son of Shiphtan.

25 From the tribe of the descendants of Zebulun a leader, Elizaphan son of Parnak.

26 From the tribe of the descendants of Issachar a leader, Paltiel son of Azzan.

27 From the tribe of the descendants of Asher a leader, Ahihud son of Shelomi.

28 From the tribe of the descendants of Naphtali a leader, Pedahel son of Ammihud.”

29 Yahweh commanded these men to divide the land of Canaan and to give each of the tribes of Israel their share.

35

1 Yahweh spoke to Moses on the plains of Moab by the Jordan at Jericho and said, 2 “Command the people of Israel to give some of their own shares of land to the Levites. They must give them cities to live in and pastureland surrounding those cities. 3 The Levites will have these cities to live in. The pastureland will be for their cattle, their flocks, and all their animals. 4 The pasturelands around the cities that you will give to the Levites must extend from the city walls for one thousand cubits in every direction. 5 You must measure two thousand cubits from outside the city on the east side, and two thousand cubits to the south side, two thousand cubits to the west side, and two thousand cubits to the north side. This will be the pasturelands for their cities. The cities will be in the center. 6 Six of the cities that you will give to Levites must serve as cities of refuge. You must provide these as places to which a person who has killed someone can flee. Also provide forty-two other cities. 7 The cities that you give to the Levites will total forty-eight. You must give their pasturelands with them. 8 The larger tribes of the people of Israel, the tribes that have more land, must provide more cities. The smaller tribes will provide fewer cities. Each tribe must provide for the Levites according to the share that it has received.”

9 Then Yahweh spoke to Moses and said, 10 “Speak to the people of Israel and say to them, 'When you cross over the Jordan into the land of Canaan, 11 then you must choose cities to serve as cities of refuge for you, a place to which a person who has killed someone unintentionally may flee. 12 These cities must be your refuge from the avenger, so that the accused man will not be killed without first standing trial before the community. 13 You must choose six cities as cities of refuge. 14 You must provide three cities beyond the Jordan and three in the land of Canaan. They will be cities of refuge. 15 For the people of Israel, for the foreigners, for anyone living among you, these six cities will serve as a refuge to which anyone who kills someone unintentionally can flee.

16 But if an accused man has struck his victim with an instrument of iron, and if his victim dies, then the accused is indeed a murderer. He must certainly be put to death. 17 If an accused man has struck his victim with a stone in his hand that might kill the victim, and if his victim dies, then the accused is indeed a murderer. He must certainly be put to death. 18 If an accused man has struck his victim with a wooden weapon that might kill the victim, and if the victim dies, then the accused is indeed a murderer. He must certainly be put to death. 19 The avenger of blood may put the murderer to death. When he meets him, the avenger of blood must put him to death. 20 If he strikes another in hatred or throws something at him, while hiding to ambush him, so that the victim dies, 21 or if he strikes him down in hatred with his hand so that the victim dies, then the accused who struck him must surely be put to death. He is a murderer. The avenger of blood may put the murderer to death when he meets him.

22 But if an accused man suddenly hits a victim without premeditated hate or throws something that hits the victim without lying in wait 23 or if he throws a stone that could kill a victim without seeing the victim, then the accused was not the victim's enemy; he was not trying to hurt the victim. But this is what to do if the victim dies anyway. 24 In that case, the community must judge between the accused and the avenger of blood on the basis of these rules. 25 The community must rescue the accused from the power of the avenger of blood. The community must return the accused to the city of refuge to which he had originally fled. He must live there until the death of the current high priest, the one who was anointed with the holy oil. 26 But if the accused man at any time goes beyond the border of the city of refuge to which he fled, 27 and if the avenger of blood finds him outside the border of his city of refuge, and if he kills the accused man, the avenger of blood will not be guilty of murder. 28 This is because the accused man should have remained in his city of refuge until the death of the high priest. After the death of the high priest, the accused may return to the land where he has his own property.

29 These laws must be statutes for you through all your people's generations in all the places where you live. 30 Whoever kills any person, the murderer must be killed, as testified to by the words of witnesses. But one witness' word alone may not cause any person to be put to death. 31 Also, you must not accept ransom for the life of a murderer who is guilty of murder. He must certainly be put to death. 32 You must not accept ransom for the one who has fled to a city of refuge. You must not in this way allow him to reside on his own property until the high priest dies. 33 Do not pollute in this way the land where you live, because blood from murder pollutes the land. No atonement can be made for the land when blood has been shed on it, except by the blood of the one who shed it. 34 So you must not defile the land in which you live because I am living in it. I, Yahweh, live among the people of Israel.'”

36

1 Then the leaders of the ancestors' families of the clan of Gilead son of Machir (who was Manasseh's son), who were from the clans of the descendants of Joseph, came and spoke before Moses and before the leaders who were the heads of the ancestor's families of the people of Israel. 2 They said, “Yahweh commanded you, our master, to give a share of land by lot to the people of Israel. You were commanded by Yahweh to give the share of Zelophehad our brother to his daughters. 3 But if his daughters marry men in another tribe of the people of Israel, then their share of land will be removed from our ancestor's share. It will be added to the share of the tribes that they join. In that case, it will be removed from the assigned share of our inheritance. 4 In that case, when the year of Jubilee of the people of Israel comes, then their share will be joined to the share of the tribe that they have joined. In this way, their share will be taken away from the share of our ancestors' tribe.”

5 So Moses gave a command to the people of Israel, at Yahweh's word. He said, “What the tribe of Joseph's descendants says is right. 6 This is what Yahweh commands concerning Zelophehad's daughters. He says, 'Let them be married to whom they think best, but they must marry only within the family of their father's tribe.' 7 No share of the people of Israel must change from one tribe to another. Each one of the people of Israel must continue with the share of his ancestor's tribe. 8 Every woman of the people of Israel who owns a share in her tribe must marry someone from the clans belonging to her father's tribe. This is so that everyone of the people of Israel may own an inheritance from his ancestors. 9 No share may change hands from one tribe to another. Everyone of the tribes of the people of Israel must keep his own inheritance.”

10 So Zelophehad's daughters did as Yahweh had commanded Moses. 11 Mahlah, Tirzah, Hoglah, Milkah, and Noah, the daughters of Zelophehad, married descendants of Manasseh. 12 They married into the clans of the descendants of Manasseh son of Joseph. In this way, their inheritances remained in the tribe to which their father's clan belonged.

13 These are the commands and the decrees that Yahweh gave by Moses to the people of Israel in the plains of Moab by the Jordan at Jericho.

Deuteronomy

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Deuteronomy

1

1 These are the words that Moses spoke to all Israel beyond the Jordan in the wilderness, in the plain of the Jordan River valley over against Suph, between Paran, Tophel, Laban, Hazeroth, and Dizahab. 2 It is eleven days' journey from Horeb by the way of Mount Seir to Kadesh Barnea. 3 It happened in the fortieth year, in the eleventh month, on the first day of the month, that Moses spoke to the people of Israel, telling them all that Yahweh commanded him concerning them. 4 This was after Yahweh had attacked Sihon the king of the Amorites, who lived in Heshbon, and Og the king of Bashan, who lived in Ashtaroth at Edrei. 5 Beyond the Jordan, in the land of Moab, Moses began to announce these instructions, saying, 6 “Yahweh our God spoke to us at Horeb, saying, 'You have lived long enough in this hill country. 7 Turn and take your journey, and go to the hill country of the Amorites and to all the places near there in the plain of the Jordan River valley, in the hill country, in the lowland, in the Negev, and by the seashore—the land of the Canaanites, and in Lebanon as far as the great river, the Euphrates. 8 Look, I have set the land before you; go in and possess the land that Yahweh swore to your fathers—to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob—to give to them and to their descendants after them.'

9 I spoke to you at that time, saying, 'I am not able to carry you myself alone. 10 Yahweh your God has multiplied you, and, look, you are today as the multitude of the stars of heaven. 11 May Yahweh, the God of your fathers, make you a thousand times as many as you are, and bless you, as he has promised you! 12 But how can I myself alone carry your loads, your burdens, and your disputes? 13 Take wise men, understanding men, and men of good repute from each tribe, and I will make them heads over you.' 14 You answered me and said, 'The thing that you have spoken is good for us to do.' 15 So I took the heads of your tribes, wise men, and men of good repute, and made them heads over you, captains of thousands, captains of hundreds, captains of fifties, captains of tens, and officers, tribe by tribe. 16 I commanded your judges at that time, saying, 'Hear the disputes between your brothers, and judge righteously between a man and his brother, and the foreigner who is with him. 17 You will not show partiality to anyone in a dispute; you will hear the small and the great alike. You will not be afraid of the face of man, for the judgment is God's. The dispute that is too hard for you, you will bring to me, and I will hear it.' 18 I commanded you at that time all the things that you should do.

19 We journeyed away from Horeb and went through all that great and terrible wilderness that you saw, on our way to the hill country of the Amorites, as Yahweh our God had commanded us; and we came to Kadesh Barnea. 20 I said to you, 'You have come to the hill country of the Amorites, which Yahweh our God is giving to us. 21 Look, Yahweh your God has set the land before you; go up, take possession, as Yahweh, the God of your fathers, has spoken to you; do not be afraid, neither be discouraged.' 22 Every one of you came to me and said, 'Let us send men ahead of us, so that they may search out the land for us, and bring us word about the way by which we should attack, and about the cities to which we will come.' 23 The advice pleased me well; I took twelve men of you, one man for every tribe. 24 They turned and went up into the hill country, came to the Valley of Eshkol, and scouted it. 25 They took some of the produce of the land in their hands and brought it down to us. They also brought us word and said, 'It is a good land that Yahweh our God is giving to us.'

26 Yet you refused to attack, but rebelled against the commandment of Yahweh your God. 27 You complained in your tents and said, “It is because Yahweh hated us that he has brought us out of the land of Egypt, to give us into the hand of the Amorites to destroy us. 28 Where can we go now? Our brothers have made our heart to melt, saying, 'Those people are bigger and taller than we are; their cities are large and are fortified up to the heavens; moreover, we have seen the sons of the Anakim there.'” 29 Then I said to you, 'Do not be terrified, neither be afraid of them. 30 Yahweh your God, who goes before you, he will fight for you, like everything that he did for you in Egypt before your eyes, 31 and also in the wilderness, where you have seen how Yahweh your God carried you, as a man carries his son, everywhere you went until you came to this place.' 32 Yet in spite of this word you did not believe Yahweh your God, 33 who went before you on the way to find a place for you to make camp, in fire by night and in a cloud by day.

34 Yahweh heard the sound of your words and was angry; he swore and said, 35 'Surely not one of these men of this evil generation will see the good land that I swore to give to your ancestors, 36 save Caleb son of Jephunneh; he will see it. To him I will give the land that he has stepped on, and to his children, because he has wholly followed Yahweh.' 37 Also Yahweh was angry with me because of you, saying, 'You also will not go in there; 38 Joshua son of Nun, who stands before you, he will go in there; encourage him, for he will lead Israel to inherit it. 39 Moreover, your little children, the ones you said would be victims, who today have no knowledge of good or evil—they will go in there. To them I will give it, and they will possess it. 40 But as for you, turn and take your journey into the wilderness along the way to the Sea of Reeds.'

41 Then you answered and said to me, 'We have sinned against Yahweh; we will go up and fight, and we will follow all that Yahweh our God has commanded us to do.' Every man among you put on his weapons of war, and you were ready to attack the hill country. 42 Yahweh said to me, 'Say to them, “Do not attack and do not fight, for I will not be with you, and you will be defeated by your enemies.' 43 I spoke to you in this way, but you did not listen. You rebelled against the commandment of Yahweh; you were arrogant and attacked the hill country. 44 But the Amorites, who lived in that hill country, came out against you and chased you like bees, and struck you down in Seir, as far as Hormah. 45 You returned and wept before Yahweh; but Yahweh did not listen to your voice, nor did he pay attention to you. 46 So you stayed in Kadesh many days, all the days that you stayed there.

2

1 Then we turned and took our journey into the wilderness by the way to the Sea of Reeds, as Yahweh had spoken to me; we went around Mount Seir for many days. 2 Yahweh spoke to me, saying, 3 'You have gone around this mountain long enough; turn northward. 4 Command the people, saying, “You are to pass through the border of your brothers, the descendants of Esau, who live in Seir; they will be afraid of you. Therefore be careful 5 not to fight with them, for I will not give you any of their land, no, not even enough for the sole of a foot to step on; for I have given Mount Seir to Esau as a possession. 6 You will purchase food from them for money, so that you may eat; you will also buy water from them for money, so that you may drink. 7 For Yahweh your God has blessed you in all the work of your hand; he has known your walking through this great wilderness. For these forty years Yahweh your God has been with you, and you have lacked nothing.”' 8 So we passed by our brothers, the descendants of Esau who live in Seir, away from the Arabah road, from Elath and from Ezion Geber. Then we turned and passed by the way of the wilderness of Moab. 9 Yahweh said to me, 'Do not trouble Moab, and do not fight with them in battle. For I will not give you his land for your own possession, because I have given Ar to the descendants of Lot, for their possession.' 10 (The Emites lived there previously, a people as great, as many, and as tall as the Anakim; 11 these also are considered to be the Rephaim, like the Anakim; but the Moabites call them the Emim. 12 The Horites also lived in Seir previously, but the descendants of Esau succeeded them. They destroyed them from before them and lived in their place, like Israel did to the land of his possession that Yahweh gave to them.) 13 “'Now rise up and go over the brook Zered.' So we went over the brook Zered. 14 Now the days from when we came from Kadesh Barnea until we crossed the brook Zered, were thirty-eight years. It was by that time that all that generation of the men fit for fighting were gone from the people, as Yahweh had sworn to them. 15 Moreover, the hand of Yahweh was against that generation in order to destroy them from the people until they were gone.

16 So it happened, when all the men fit for fighting were dead and gone from among the people, 17 that Yahweh spoke to me, saying, 18 'You are today to pass over Ar, the border of Moab. 19 When you come near opposite the people of Ammon, do not trouble them or fight them; for I will not give you any of the land of the people of Ammon as a possession; because I have given it to the descendants of Lot as a possession.'” 20 (That also is considered to be a land of the Rephaim. The Rephaim lived there previously—but the Ammonites call them Zamzummim— 21 a people as great, as many, and as tall as the Anakim. But Yahweh destroyed them before the Ammonites, and they succeeded them and lived in their place. 22 This Yahweh also did for the people of Esau, who live in Seir, when he destroyed the Horites from before them, and the descendants of Esau succeeded them and have lived in their place even until today. 23 As for the Avvites who lived in villages as far as Gaza, the Caphtorim, who came from Caphtor, destroyed them and settled in their place.) 24 “'Now rise up, go on your journey, and pass over the Valley of the Arnon; look, I have given into your hand Sihon the Amorite, king of Heshbon, and his land. Begin to possess it, and fight with him in battle. 25 Today I will begin to put the fear and terror of you on the peoples that are under the whole sky; they will hear news about you and will tremble and be in anguish because of you.'

26 I sent messengers from the wilderness of Kedemoth to Sihon, king of Heshbon, with words of peace, saying, 27 'Let me pass through your land; I will go along the highway; I will turn neither to the right hand nor to the left. 28 You will sell me food for money, so that I may eat; give me water for money, so that I may drink; only let me pass through on my feet; 29 as the descendants of Esau who live in Seir, and as the Moabites who live in Ar, did for me; until I pass over the Jordan into the land that Yahweh our God is giving us.' 30 But Sihon, king of Heshbon, would not let us pass by him; for Yahweh your God had hardened his mind and made his heart obstinate, that he might defeat him by your might, which he has now done today. 31 Yahweh said to me, 'Look, I have begun to deliver up Sihon and his land before you; begin to possess it, in order that you may inherit his land.' 32 Then Sihon came out against us, he and all his people, to fight at Jahaz. 33 Yahweh our God gave him over to us and we defeated him and his sons and all his people. 34 We took all his cities at that time and completely destroyed every city—men and the women and the little ones; we left no survivor. 35 Only the cattle we took as spoils for ourselves, along with the spoil of the cities that we had taken. 36 From Aroer, which is on the edge of the Valley of the Arnon, and from the city that is in the valley, all the way to Gilead, there was not a city too high for us. Yahweh our God gave them into our hands. 37 It was only to the land of the descendants of Ammon that you did not go, as well as all the side of the Jabbok River, and the cities of the hill country—wherever Yahweh our God had forbidden us to go.

3

1 Then we turned and went up the way to Bashan. Og, the king of Bashan, came and attacked us, he and all his people, to fight at Edrei. 2 Yahweh said to me, 'Do not fear him; for I have given you victory over him and have put all his people and his land under your control. You will do to him as you did to Sihon, king of the Amorites, who lived at Heshbon.' 3 So Yahweh our God also gave us victory over Og the king of Bashan, and all his people were put under our control. We struck them down until not one of his people remained. 4 We took all his cities at that time. There was not one of the sixty cities that we did not take from them—all the region of Argob, the kingdom of Og in Bashan. 5 These were all cities fortified with high walls, gates, and bars; this was besides very many unwalled villages. 6 We completely destroyed them, as we did to Sihon king of Heshbon, completely destroying every city—men and the women and the little ones. 7 But all the cattle and the spoil of the cities, we took as spoils for ourselves. 8 At that time we took the land out of the hand of the two kings of the Amorites, who were beyond the Jordan, from the Valley of the Arnon to Mount Hermon 9 (Mount Hermon the Sidonians call Sirion, and the Amorites call it Senir) 10 and all the cities of the plain, all Gilead, and all Bashan, all the way to Salekah and Edrei, cities of the kingdom of Og in Bashan.” 11 (For of the remnant of the Rephaim, only Og king of Bashan had remained. Look! His bed was a bed of iron. Was it not in Rabbah, where the descendants of Ammon live? It was nine cubits long and four cubits wide, the way people measure.)

12 “This land that we took in possession at that time—from Aroer, that is by the Valley of the Arnon, and half the hill country of Gilead, and its cities—I gave to the Reubenites and to the Gadites. 13 The rest of Gilead and all Bashan, the kingdom of Og, I gave to the half tribe of Manasseh. (All the region of Argob, and all Bashan. The same territory is called the land of Rephaim. 14 Jair, a descendant of Manasseh, took all the region of Argob to the border of the Geshurites and the Maakathites. He called the region, even Bashan, by his own name, Havvoth Jair, to this day.) 15 I gave Gilead to Machir. 16 To the Reubenites and to the Gadites I gave territory from Gilead to the Valley of the Arnon—the middle of the valley is the territory's border—and to the Jabbok River, which is the border with the descendants of Ammon. 17 Another of its borders is also the plain of the Jordan River valley, from Kinnereth to the Sea of the Arabah (that is, the Salt Sea) to the slopes of Mount Pisgah eastward.

18 I commanded you at that time, saying, 'Yahweh your God has given you this land to possess it; you, all the men of war, will pass over armed before your brothers, the people of Israel. 19 But your wives, your little ones, and your cattle (I know that you have much cattle), will stay in your cities that I have given you, 20 until Yahweh gives rest to your brothers, as he has to you, until they also possess the land that Yahweh your God is giving them beyond the Jordan; then will you return, every man of you, to your own property that I have given you.' 21 I commanded Joshua at that time, saying, 'Your eyes have seen all that Yahweh your God has done to these two kings; Yahweh will do the same to all the kingdoms where you go over. 22 You will not fear them, for Yahweh your God is the one who will fight for you.'

23 I implored Yahweh at that time, saying, 24 'O Lord Yahweh, you have begun to show your servant your greatness and your strong hand; for what god is there in heaven or in earth that can do the same works as you have done, and the same mighty acts? 25 Let me go over, I beg you, and see the good land that is beyond the Jordan, that good hill country, and also Lebanon.' 26 But Yahweh was angry with me because of you; he did not listen to me. Yahweh said to me, 'Let this be enough for you—speak no more to me about this matter: 27 go up to the top of Pisgah and lift up your eyes westward, northward, southward, and eastward; look with your eyes, for you will not go over the Jordan. 28 Instead, instruct Joshua and encourage and strengthen him, for he will go over before this people, and he will cause them to inherit the land that you will see.' 29 So we stayed in the valley opposite Beth Peor.

4

1 Now, Israel, listen to the laws and the decrees that I am about to teach you, to do them; so that you may live and go in and possess the land that Yahweh, the God of your fathers, is giving you. 2 You will not add to the words that I command you, neither will you diminish them, so that you may keep the commandments of Yahweh your God that I am about to command you. 3 Your eyes have seen what Yahweh did because of Baal Peor; for all the men who followed the Baal of Peor, Yahweh your God has destroyed them from among you. 4 But you who clung to Yahweh your God are alive today, every one of you. 5 Look, I have taught you laws and decrees, as Yahweh my God had commanded me, that you should do so in the midst of the land which you are going into in order to possess it. 6 Therefore keep them and do them; for this is your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the peoples who will hear about all these statutes and say, 'Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people.' 7 For what other great nation is there that has a god so near to them, as Yahweh our God is whenever we call upon him? 8 What other great nation is there that has laws and decrees so righteous as all this law that I am setting before you today?

9 Only pay attention and carefully guard yourself, so that you do not forget the things that your eyes have seen, so that they do not leave your heart for all the days of your life. Instead, make them known to your children and your children's children. 10 On the day that you stood before Yahweh your God at Horeb, when Yahweh said to me, 'Assemble me the people, and I will make them hear my words, that they may learn to fear me all the days that they live on the earth, and that they may teach their children.' 11 You came near and stood at the foot of the mountain. The mountain burned with fire to the heart of heaven, with darkness, cloud, and thick darkness. 12 Yahweh spoke to you out of the middle of the fire; you heard the voice with its words, but you saw no form; you only heard a voice. 13 He declared to you his covenant that he commanded you to perform, the Ten Commandments. He wrote them on two tablets of stone. 14 Yahweh commanded me at that time to teach you statutes and ordinances, so that you might do them in the land that you are crossing over to take possession of.

15 So take great heed to yourselves—for you saw no kind of form on the day that Yahweh spoke to you at Horeb out of the middle of the fire— 16 that you do not corrupt yourselves and by making a carved image in the form of any figure, in the likeness of male or female, 17 the likeness of any animal on the earth, the likeness of any winged bird that flies in the heavens, 18 the likeness of anything that creeps on the ground, or the likeness of any fish that is in the water under the earth. 19 You shall not lift your eyes up to the heavens and look at the sun, the moon, or the stars—all the host of the heavens—and be drawn away to worship them and adore them—those things of which Yahweh your God has given a share all the peoples under the whole sky. 20 But Yahweh has taken you and brought you out of the iron furnace, out of Egypt, to be to him a people of his own inheritance, as you are today. 21 Yahweh was angry with me because of you; he swore that I should not go over the Jordan, and that I should not go into that good land, the land that Yahweh your God is giving to you as an inheritance. 22 Instead, I must die in this land; I must not go over the Jordan; but you will go over and possess that good land. 23 Pay attention to yourselves, so that you do not forget the covenant of Yahweh your God, which he made with you, and make for yourselves a carved image in the form of anything that Yahweh your God has forbidden you to make. 24 For Yahweh your God is a devouring fire, a jealous God.

25 When you beget children and children's children, and when you will have been in the land for a long time, and if you corrupt yourselves and make a carved figure in the form of anything, and do what is evil in the sight of Yahweh your God, to provoke him to anger— 26 I call heaven and earth to witness against you today that you will soon utterly perish from off the land that you are going over the Jordan to possess; you will not prolong your days in it, but you will be completely destroyed. 27 Yahweh will scatter you among the peoples, and you will be left few in number among the nations, where Yahweh will lead you away. 28 There you will serve other gods, the work of men's hands, wood and stone, which neither see, hear, eat, nor smell. 29 But from there you will seek Yahweh your God, and you will find him, when you search after him with all your heart and with all your soul. 30 When you are in distress, and when all these things will have come on you, in those later days you will return to Yahweh your God and listen to his voice. 31 For Yahweh your God is a merciful God; he will not fail you nor destroy you, nor forget the covenant of your fathers that he swore to them.

32 Ask now about the days that are past, which were before your time, since the day that God created man on the earth, ask from one end of heaven to the other, whether there has been anything so great as this, or has anything like it ever been heard? 33 Did ever a people hear the voice of God speaking out of the midst of the fire, as you have heard, and live? 34 Or has God ever attempted to go and take for himself a nation from the midst of another nation, by trials, by signs, and by wonders, and by war, and by a mighty hand, and by an outstretched arm, and by great terrors, as everything that Yahweh your God did for you in Egypt before your eyes? 35 To you these things were shown, so that you might know that Yahweh is God, and that there is no one else besides him. 36 Out of heaven he made you to hear his voice, so that he might instruct you; on earth he made you see his great fire; you heard his words out of the midst of the fire. 37 Because he loved your fathers, he chose their descendants after them, and brought you out of Egypt with his presence, with his great power; 38 in order to drive out from before you nations greater and mightier than you, to bring you in, to give you their land as an inheritance, as today. 39 Know therefore today, and lay it on your heart, that Yahweh is God in heaven above and on the earth beneath; there is no one else. 40 You will keep his statutes and his commandments that I command you today, that it may go well with you and with your children after you, and that you may prolong your days in the land that Yahweh your God is giving you forever.”

41 Then Moses selected three cities on the east side of the Jordan, 42 so that anyone might flee to one of them if he killed another person accidentally, without being his enemy previously. By fleeing to one of these cities, he might survive. 43 They were: Bezer in the wilderness, the plain country, for the Reubenites; Ramoth in Gilead, for the Gadites; and Golan in Bashan, for the Manassites.

44 This is the law that Moses placed before the people of Israel; 45 these are the covenant decrees, laws, and other decrees that he spoke to the people of Israel when they came out of Egypt, 46 when they were east of the Jordan, in the valley opposite Beth Peor, in the land of Sihon, king of the Amorites, who had lived at Heshbon, whom Moses and the people of Israel had defeated when they came out of Egypt. 47 They took his land as a possession, and the land of Og king of Bashan—these, the two kings of the Amorites, who were beyond the Jordan toward the east. 48 This territory went from Aroer, on the edge of the Valley of the Arnon, to Mount Sion (or Mount Hermon), 49 and included all of the plain of the Jordan River valley, eastward beyond the Jordan, to the Sea of the Arabah, to the slopes of Mount Pisgah.

5

1 Moses called to all Israel and said to them, “Listen, Israel, to the statutes and the decrees that I will speak in your ears today, that you may learn them and keep them. 2 Yahweh our God made a covenant with us at Horeb. 3 Yahweh did not make this covenant with our ancestors, but with us, all of us alive here today. 4 Yahweh spoke with you face to face on the mount out of the middle of the fire 5 (I stood between Yahweh and you at that time, to reveal to you his word; for you were afraid because of the fire, and you did not go up the mountain). Yahweh said,

6 'I am Yahweh your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.

7 You will have no other gods before me.

8 You will not make for yourself a carved figure nor any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water below. 9 You will not bow down to them or serve them, for I, Yahweh your God, am a jealous God. I punish the ancestors' wickedness by bringing punishment on the children, to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, 10 and showing covenant faithfulness to thousands, to those who love me and keep my commandments.

11 You will not take the name of Yahweh your God in vain, for Yahweh will not hold him guiltless that takes his name in vain.

12 Observe the Sabbath day to keep it holy, as Yahweh your God commanded you. 13 For six days you will labor and do all your work; 14 but the seventh day is a Sabbath to Yahweh your God. On it you will not do any work—not you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your ox, nor your donkey, nor any of your cattle, nor any foreigner who is within your gates. This is so that your male servant and your female servant may rest as well as you. 15 You will call to mind that you were a servant in the land of Egypt, and Yahweh your God brought you out from there by a mighty hand and by an outstretched arm. Therefore Yahweh your God has commanded you to keep the Sabbath day.

16 Honor your father and your mother, as Yahweh your God has commanded you to do, that you may live a long time in the land that Yahweh your God gives you, and so that it may go well with you.

17 You will not murder.

18 You will not commit adultery.

19 You will not steal.

20 You will not give false witness against your neighbor.

21 You will not covet your neighbor's wife, you will not covet your neighbor's house, his field, or his male servant, or his female servant, his ox, or his donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.'

22 These words Yahweh spoke in a loud voice to all your assembly on the mountain out of the middle of the fire, of the cloud, and of the thick darkness; he did not add any more words. He wrote them down on two tablets of stone and gave them to me. 23 It came about, when you heard the voice out of the middle of the darkness, while the mountain was burning, that you came near to me—all your elders and the heads of your tribes. 24 You said, 'Look, Yahweh our God has shown us his glory and his greatness, and we have heard his voice out of the middle of the fire; we have seen today that when God speaks with people, they can live. 25 But why should we die? For this great fire will consume us; if we hear the voice of Yahweh our God any longer, we will die. 26 For who besides us is there among all flesh who has heard the voice of the living God speak out of the middle of the fire and lived, as we have done? 27 As for you, you should go and listen to everything that Yahweh our God says; repeat to us everything that Yahweh our God says to you; we will listen to it and obey it.'

28 Yahweh heard your words when you spoke to me. He said to me, 'I have heard the words of this people, what they said to you. What they said was good. 29 Oh, that there were such a heart in them, that they would honor me and always keep all my commandments, that it might go well with them and with their children forever! 30 Go say to them, “Return to your tents.” 31 But as for you, stand here by me, and I will tell you all the commandments, the statutes, and the decrees that you will teach them, so that they may keep them in the land that I will give them to possess.' 32 You will keep, therefore, what Yahweh your God has commanded you; you will not turn aside to the right hand or to the left. 33 You will walk in all the ways that Yahweh your God has commanded you, so that you may live, and so that it may go well with you, and that you may prolong your days in the land that you will possess.

6

1 Now these are the commandments, statutes, and decrees that Yahweh your God has commanded me to teach you, so that you might keep them in the land that you are going over the Jordan to possess; 2 so that you might honor Yahweh your God, so as to keep all his statutes and commandments that I am commanding you—you, your sons, and your sons' sons, all the days of your lives, so that your days may be prolonged. 3 Therefore listen to them, Israel, and keep them, so that it may go well with you, so that you may greatly multiply, in a land flowing with milk and honey, as Yahweh, the God of your fathers, has promised you would do.

4 Listen, Israel: Yahweh our God is one. 5 You will love Yahweh your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your might. 6 The words that I am commanding you today will be in your heart; 7 and you will diligently teach them to your children; you will talk about them when you sit in your house, when you walk on the road, when you lie down, and when you get up. 8 You will tie them as a sign upon your hand, and they will serve as frontlets between your eyes. 9 You will write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.

10 When Yahweh your God brings you into the land that he swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, that he would give you, with large and very good cities that you did not build, 11 and houses full of all kinds of good things that you did not make, cisterns that you did not dig, and vineyards and olive trees that you did not plant, you will eat and be satisfied— 12 then be careful so that you do not forget Yahweh, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. 13 You will honor Yahweh your God; him you will worship, and you will swear by his name. 14 You will not go after other gods, the gods of the peoples who are all around you— 15 for Yahweh your God in the midst of you is a jealous God—if you do, the anger of Yahweh your God will be kindled against you and he will destroy you from the surface of the earth.

16 You will not test Yahweh your God as you tested him at Massah. 17 You will diligently keep the commandments of Yahweh your God, his solemn commands, and his statutes, that he has commanded you. 18 You will do what is right and good in the sight of Yahweh, that it may go well with you, and that you may go in and possess the good land that Yahweh swore to your fathers, 19 to drive out all your enemies from before you, as Yahweh has said.

20 When your son asks you in time to come, saying, 'What are the covenant decrees, the statutes, and the other decrees that Yahweh our God commanded you?' 21 then you will say to your son, 'We were Pharaoh's slaves in Egypt; Yahweh brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand, 22 and he displayed signs and wonders, great and severe, on Egypt, on Pharaoh, and on all his house, before our eyes; 23 and he brought us out from there, so that he might bring us in, to give us the land that he swore to our fathers. 24 Yahweh commanded us to always keep all these statutes, to fear Yahweh our God for our good, so that he might keep us alive, as we are today. 25 If we keep all these commands before Yahweh our God, as he has commanded us, this will be our righteousness.'

7

1 When Yahweh your God brings you into the land that you go to possess, he will drive out many nations before you—the Hittites, the Girgashites, the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites—seven nations greater and mightier than you. 2 It is Yahweh your God who gives them over to you when you defeat them, and then you must completely destroy them. You will make no covenant with them, and show them no mercy. 3 Neither will you arrange any marriages with them. You will not give your daughters to their sons, and you will not take their daughters for your sons. 4 For they will turn away your sons from following me, so that they may worship other gods. So the anger of Yahweh will be kindled against you, and he will destroy you quickly. 5 This is how you will deal with them: You will break down their altars, dash their stone pillars in pieces, cut down their Asherah poles, and burn their cast idols.

6 For you are a nation that is set apart to Yahweh your God. He has chosen you to be a people for him to possess, more than all the other peoples that are on the face of the earth. 7 Yahweh did not set his love upon you or choose you because you were more in number than any people—for you were the fewest of all peoples— 8 but because he loves you, and he wished to keep the oath that he had sworn to your fathers. This is why Yahweh has brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you out of the house of bondage, from the hand of Pharaoh, king of Egypt. 9 Therefore know that Yahweh your God—he is God, the faithful God, who keeps covenants and faithfulness for a thousand generations with those who love him and keep his commandments, 10 but repays those who hate him to their face, to destroy them; he will not be lenient on whoever hates him; he will repay him to his face. 11 You will therefore keep the commandments, the statutes, and the decrees that I command you today, so that you will do them.

12 If you listen to these decrees, and keep and do them, it will happen that Yahweh your God will keep with you the covenant and the faithfulness that he swore to your fathers. 13 He will love you, bless you, and multiply you; he will also bless the fruit of your body and the fruit of your ground, your grain, your new wine, and your oil, the multiplication of your cattle and the young of your flocks, in the land that he swore to your fathers to give you. 14 You will be blessed more than all other peoples; there will not be a childless male or a barren female among you or among your cattle. 15 Yahweh will take away from you all sickness; none of the evil diseases of Egypt that you have known will he put on you, but he will put them on all those who hate you. 16 You will consume all the peoples whom Yahweh your God will give over to you, and your eye will not pity them. You will not worship their gods, for that will be a trap for you.

17 If you say in your heart, 'These nations are more numerous than I; how can I dispossess them?'— 18 do not be afraid of them; you will call to mind what Yahweh your God did to Pharaoh and to all Egypt; 19 the great sufferings that your eyes saw, the signs, the wonders, the mighty hand, and the outstretched arm by which Yahweh your God brought you out. Yahweh your God will do the same to all the peoples whom you fear. 20 Moreover, Yahweh your God will send the hornet among them, until those who are left and who hide themselves from you perish from your presence. 21 You will not be frightened at them, for Yahweh your God is among you, a great and fearsome God. 22 Yahweh your God will drive out those nations before you little by little. You will not defeat them all at once, or the wild animals would become very many around you. 23 But Yahweh your God will give you victory over them when you meet them in battle; he will greatly confuse them until they are destroyed. 24 He will put their kings under your power, and you will make their name perish from under heaven. No one will be able to stand before you, until you have destroyed them. 25 You will burn the carved figures of their gods—do not covet the silver or the gold that covers them and take it for yourself, because if you do, you will become trapped by it—for it is an abomination to Yahweh your God. 26 You will not bring any abomination into your house and start to worship it. You will utterly detest and abhor it, for it is set apart for destruction.

8

1 You must keep all the commands that I am giving you today, so that you may live and multiply, and go in and possess the land that Yahweh swore to your fathers. 2 You will call to mind all the ways that Yahweh your God has led you these forty years in the wilderness, in order that he might humble you, that he might test you to know what was in your heart, as to whether you would keep his commandments or not. 3 He humbled you, and made you hunger, and fed you with manna, which you had not known and which your fathers had not known. He did that to make you know that it is not by bread alone that people live; rather, it is by everything that proceeds out of the mouth of Yahweh that people live. 4 Your clothing did not wear out and fall off you, and your feet did not swell up during those forty years. 5 You will think about in your heart, how, as a man disciplines his son, so Yahweh your God disciplines you. 6 You will keep the commandments of Yahweh your God, so that you might walk in his ways and honor him. 7 For Yahweh your God is bringing you into a good land, a land of brooks of water, of fountains and springs, flowing out into valleys and among hills; 8 a land of wheat and barley, of vines, fig trees, and pomegranates; a land of olive trees and honey. 9 It is a land in which you will eat bread without lack, and where you will not go without anything; a land whose stones are made of iron, and out of whose hills you may dig copper. 10 You will eat and be full, and you will bless Yahweh your God for the good land that he has given you.

11 Be careful that you do not forget Yahweh your God, and that you do not neglect his commandments, his ordinances, and his statutes that I am commanding you today, 12 otherwise, when you eat and are full, and when you build good houses and live in them, your heart will be lifted up. 13 Be careful when your herds and flocks multiply and when your silver and gold increase, and all that you have is multiplied, 14 then your heart becomes lifted up and you forget Yahweh your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. 15 Do not forget him who led you through the great and terrifying wilderness, with its fiery serpents and scorpions and thirsty ground where there was no water, who brought you water out of the rock of flint. 16 He fed you in the wilderness with manna that your ancestors had never known, so that he might humble you and test you, to do you good in the end, 17 but you may say in your heart, 'My power and the might of my hand acquired all this wealth.' 18 But you will call to mind Yahweh your God, for it is he who gives you the power to get wealth; that he may establish his covenant that he swore to your fathers, as it is today. 19 It will happen that, if you will forget Yahweh your God and walk after other gods, worship them, and reverence them, I testify against you today that you will surely perish. 20 Like the nations that Yahweh is making to perish before you, so will you perish, because you would not listen to the voice of Yahweh your God.

9

1 Hear, Israel; you are about to cross over the Jordan today, to go in to dispossess nations greater and mightier than yourself, and cities that are great and fortified up to heaven, 2 a people great and tall, the sons of the Anakim, whom you know, and of whom you have heard people say, 'Who can stand before the sons of Anak?' 3 Know therefore today that Yahweh your God is he who goes over before you like a devouring fire; he will destroy them, and he will subdue them before you; so will you drive them out and make them to perish quickly, as Yahweh has said to you. 4 Do not say in your heart, after Yahweh your God has thrust them out from before you, 'It was because of my righteousness that Yahweh has brought me in to possess this land,' for it was because of the wickedness of these nations that Yahweh is driving them out from before you. 5 It is not because of your righteousness or the uprightness of your heart that you are going in to possess their land, but it is because of the wickedness of these nations that your God is driving them out from before you, and so that he may make come true the word that he swore to your ancestors, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

6 Know therefore, that Yahweh your God is not giving you this good land to possess because of your righteousness, for you are a stubborn people. 7 Remember and do not forget how you provoked Yahweh your God to anger in the wilderness; from the day that you left the land of Egypt until you came to this place, you have been rebellious against Yahweh. 8 Also at Horeb you provoked Yahweh to anger, and Yahweh was angry enough with you to destroy you. 9 When I went up the mountain to receive the tablets of stone, the tablets of the covenant that Yahweh made with you, I stayed on the mountain for forty days and forty nights; I neither ate bread nor drank water. 10 Yahweh gave to me the two tablets of stone written with his finger; on them was written everything just like all the words that Yahweh announced to you on the mountain out of the middle of the fire on the day of the assembly. 11 It happened at the end of those forty days and forty nights that Yahweh gave me the two tablets of stone, the tablets of the covenant. 12 Yahweh said to me, 'Arise, go down quickly from here, for your people, whom you brought out of Egypt, have corrupted themselves. They have quickly turned aside out of the path that I commanded them. They have made for themselves a cast figure.' 13 Furthermore, Yahweh spoke to me and said, 'I have seen this people; they are a stubborn people. 14 Let me alone, so that I may destroy them and blot out their name from under heaven, and I will make of you a nation mightier and greater than they.' 15 So I turned around and came down the mountain, and the mountain was burning. The two tablets of the covenant were in my hands. 16 I looked, and behold, you had sinned against Yahweh your God. You had molded for yourselves a calf. You had quickly turned aside out of the path that Yahweh had commanded you. 17 I took the two tablets and threw them out of my hands. I broke them before your eyes. 18 Again I lay facedown before Yahweh for forty days and forty nights; I neither ate bread nor drank water, because of all your sin that you had committed, in doing that which was evil in the sight of Yahweh, so as to provoke him to anger. 19 For I was afraid of the anger and hot displeasure with which Yahweh was angry enough against you to destroy you. But Yahweh listened to me that time also. 20 Yahweh was very angry with Aaron so as to destroy him; I prayed for Aaron also at the same time. 21 I took your sin, the calf that you had made, and burned it, beat it, and ground it very small, until it was as fine as dust. I threw its dust into the stream that came down from the mountain.

22 At Taberah, at Massah, and at Kibroth Hattaavah, you provoked Yahweh to wrath. 23 When Yahweh sent you from Kadesh Barnea and said, 'Go up and take possession of the land that I have given you,' then you rebelled against the commandment of Yahweh your God, and you did not believe or listen to his voice. 24 You have been rebellious against Yahweh from the day that I knew you.

25 So I lay facedown before Yahweh those forty days and forty nights, because he had said that he would destroy you. 26 I prayed to Yahweh and said, 'O Lord Yahweh, do not destroy your people or your inheritance whom you have redeemed through your greatness, which you have brought out of Egypt with a mighty hand. 27 Call to mind your servants Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; do not look at the stubbornness of this people, nor at their wickedness, nor at their sin, 28 so that the land from where you brought us should say, “Because Yahweh was not able to bring them into the land that he promised to them, and because he hated them, he has brought them out to kill them in the wilderness.” 29 Yet they are your people and your inheritance, whom you brought out by your great strength and by the display of your power.'

10

1 At that time Yahweh said to me, 'Carve two tablets of stone like the first, and come up to me on the mountain, and make an ark of wood. 2 I will write on the tablets the words that were on the first tablets that you broke, and you will put them in the ark.' 3 So I made an ark of acacia wood, and I carved two tablets of stone like the first, and I went up the mountain, having the two tablets in my hand. 4 He wrote on the tablets, like the first writing, the Ten Commandments which Yahweh had spoken to you on the mountain out of the middle of the fire on the day of the assembly; then Yahweh gave them to me. 5 I turned and came down from the mountain, and put the tablets in the ark that I had made; there they are, as Yahweh commanded me.” 6 (The people of Israel journeyed from Beeroth Bene Jaakan to Moserah. There Aaron died, and there he was buried; Eleazar, his son, served in the priest's office in his place. 7 From there they journeyed to Gudgodah, and from Gudgodah to Jotbathah, a land of streams of water. 8 At that time Yahweh chose the tribe of Levi to carry the ark of the covenant of Yahweh, to stand before Yahweh to serve him, and to bless people in his name, as today. 9 Therefore Levi has no portion nor inheritance of land with his brothers; Yahweh is his inheritance, as Yahweh your God spoke to him.) 10 “I stayed on the mountain as at the first time, forty days and forty nights. Yahweh listened to me that time also; Yahweh did not wish to destroy you. 11 Yahweh said to me, 'Arise, go before the people to lead them on their journey; they will go in and possess the land that I swore to their ancestors to give to them.'

12 Now, Israel, what does Yahweh your God require of you, except to fear Yahweh your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, and to worship Yahweh your God with all your heart and with all your soul, 13 to keep the commandments of Yahweh, and his statutes, which I am commanding you today for your own good? 14 Behold, to Yahweh your God belongs heaven and the heaven of heavens, the earth, with all that is in them. 15 Only Yahweh took pleasure in your fathers so as to love them, and he chose you, their descendants, after them, more than any of the other peoples, as he does today. 16 Therefore circumcise the foreskin of your heart, and be stubborn no longer. 17 For Yahweh your God, he is God of gods and Lord of masters, the great God, the mighty one and the fearsome one, who favors no one and takes no bribes. 18 He executes justice for the fatherless and widow, and he shows love for the foreigner by giving him food and clothing. 19 Therefore love the foreigner; for you were foreigners in the land of Egypt. 20 You will fear Yahweh your God; him will you worship. To him you must cling, and by his name will you swear. 21 He is your praise, and he is your God, who has done for you these great and fearsome things, which your eyes have seen. 22 Your fathers went down into Egypt as seventy persons; now Yahweh your God has made you as many as the stars of the heavens.

11

1 Therefore you will love Yahweh your God and always keep his instructions, his statutes, his decrees, and his commandments. 2 Notice that I am not speaking to your children, who have not known nor have they seen the punishment of Yahweh your God, his greatness, his mighty hand, or his outstretched arm, 3 the signs and deeds that he did in the midst of Egypt to Pharaoh, king of Egypt, and to all his land. 4 Neither did they see what he did to the army of Egypt, to their horses, or to their chariots, how he made the water of the Sea of Reeds overwhelm them as they pursued after you, and how Yahweh has destroyed them until today, 5 or what he did for you in the wilderness until you came to this place. 6 They had not seen what Yahweh had done to Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab son of Reuben, how the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them up, their households, their tents, and every living thing that followed them, in the middle of all Israel. 7 But your eyes have seen all the great works of Yahweh that he did.

8 Therefore keep all the commandments that I am commanding you today, that you may be strong, and go in and possess the land where you are going over to possess it, 9 and that you may prolong your days in the land that Yahweh swore to your fathers to give to them and to their descendants, a land flowing with milk and honey. 10 For the land, where you go in to possess it, is not like the land of Egypt, from where you came, where you sowed your seed and watered it with your foot, like a garden of herbs; 11 but the land, where you go over to possess it, is a land of hills and valleys, and drinks water of the rain of the heavens, 12 a land that Yahweh your God cares for; the eyes of Yahweh your God are always upon it, from the beginning of the year to the end of the year.

13 It will happen, if you will listen diligently to my commandments that I command you today, to love Yahweh your God and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul, 14 that I will give the rain of your land in its season, the former rain and the latter rain, that you may gather in your grain, your new wine, and your oil. 15 I will give grass in your fields for your cattle, and you will eat and be full. 16 Pay attention to yourselves so that your heart is not deceived, and you turn aside and worship other gods and bow down to them; 17 so that the anger of Yahweh is not kindled against you; and so that he does not shut up the heavens so that there will be no rain, and the land will not yield its fruit, and so that you perish quickly from off the good land that Yahweh is giving you.

18 Therefore lay up these words of mine in your heart and soul, bind them as a sign on your hand, and let them be as frontlets between your eyes. 19 You will teach them to your children and talk about them when you sit in your house, when you walk on the road, when you lie down, and when you get up. 20 You will write them on the doorposts of your house and on your city gates, 21 that your days and the days of your children may be multiplied in the land that Yahweh swore to your ancestors to give them for as long as the heavens are above the earth. 22 For if you diligently keep all these commandments that I am commanding you, so as to do them, to love Yahweh your God, to walk in all his ways, and to cling to him, 23 then Yahweh will drive out all these nations from before you, and you will dispossess nations larger and mightier than yourselves. 24 Every place where the sole of your foot will tread will be yours; from the wilderness to Lebanon, from the river, the Euphrates River, to the western sea will be your border. 25 No man will be able to stand before you. Yahweh your God will lay the fear of you and the terror of you upon all the land that you tread on, as he has said to you.

26 Look, I set before you today a blessing and a curse: 27 the blessing, if you obey the commandments of Yahweh your God that I command you today, 28 and the curse, if you do not obey the commandments of Yahweh your God, but turn aside from the way that I command you today, to go after other gods that you have not known. 29 It will happen, when Yahweh your God brings you into the land which you go to possess, that you will set the blessing on Mount Gerizim, and the curse on Mount Ebal. 30 Are they not beyond the Jordan, west of the western road, in the land of the Canaanites who live in the Arabah, over against Gilgal, beside the oaks of Moreh? 31 For you are to cross over the Jordan to go in to possess the land that Yahweh your God is giving you, and you will possess it and live in it. 32 You will keep all the statutes and the decrees that I set before you today.

12

1 These are the statutes and the decrees that you will keep in the land that Yahweh, the God of your fathers, has given you to possess, all the days that you live on the earth. 2 You will surely destroy all the places where the nations that you will dispossess worshiped their gods, on the high mountains, on the hills, and under every green tree. 3 You must break down their altars, dash in pieces their stone pillars, and burn their Asherah poles. You must cut down the carved figures of their gods and destroy their name out of that place. 4 You will not worship Yahweh your God like that. 5 But to the place that Yahweh your God will choose out of all your tribes to put his name, that will be the place where he lives, and it is there that you will go. 6 It is there that you will bring your burnt offerings, your sacrifices, your tithes, and the offerings presented by your hand, your offerings for vows, your freewill offerings, and the firstborn of your herds and flocks. 7 It is there that you will eat before Yahweh your God and rejoice about everything that you have put your hand to, you and your households, where Yahweh your God has blessed you. 8 You will not do all the things that we are doing here today; now everyone is doing whatever is right in his own eyes; 9 for you have not yet come to the rest, to the inheritance that Yahweh your God is giving you. 10 But when you go over the Jordan and live in the land that Yahweh your God is causing you to inherit, and he will give you rest from all your enemies round about, so that you live in safety. 11 Then to the place where Yahweh your God will choose to cause his name to live there—there you will bring everything I command you: your burnt offerings, your sacrifices, your tithes, and the offerings presented by your hand, and all your choice offerings for vows that you will vow to Yahweh. 12 You will rejoice before Yahweh your God—you, your sons, your daughters, your male servants, your female servants, and the Levites who are within your gate, because he has no portion or inheritance among you. 13 Pay attention to yourself that you do not offer your burnt offerings at every place that you see; 14 but it is at the place that Yahweh will choose among one of your tribes that you will offer your burnt offerings, and there you will do everything that I command you.

15 However, you may kill and eat animals within all your gates, as you wish, receiving the blessing of Yahweh your God for all that he has given you; the unclean and the clean persons both may eat of it, animals such as the gazelle and the deer. 16 But you will not eat the blood; you will pour it out on the earth like water. 17 You may not eat within your gates from the tithe of your grain, your new wine, your oil, or the firstborn of your herd or flock; and you may not eat any of the meat you sacrifice along with any of your vows that you make, nor that of your freewill offerings, nor that of the offering you present with your hand. 18 Instead, you will eat them before Yahweh your God in the place that Yahweh your God will choose—you, your son, your daughter, your male servant, your female servant, and the Levite who is within your gates; you will rejoice before Yahweh your God about everything to which you put your hand. 19 Pay attention to yourself so that you do not forsake the Levite as long as you live on your land.

20 When Yahweh your God enlarges your borders, as he has promised you, and you say, 'I will eat flesh,' because of your desire to eat meat, you may eat meat, as your soul desires. 21 If the place that Yahweh your God chooses to put his name is too far from you, then you will kill some of your herd and your flock that Yahweh has given you, as I have commanded you; you may eat within your gates, as your soul desires. 22 Like the gazelle and the deer are eaten, so you will eat of it; the unclean and the clean persons may eat of it alike. 23 Only be sure that you do not consume the blood, for the blood is the life; you will not eat the life with the meat. 24 You will not eat it; you will pour it out on the earth like water. 25 You will not eat it, so that it may go well with you, and with your children after you, when you will do what is right in the eyes of Yahweh. 26 But the things that belong to Yahweh that you have and the offerings for your vows—you will take these and go to the place that Yahweh chooses. 27 There you will offer your burnt offerings, the meat and the blood, on the altar of Yahweh your God; the blood of your sacrifices will be poured out on the altar of Yahweh your God, and you will eat the flesh. 28 Observe and listen to all these words that I command you, that it may go well with you and with your children after you forever, when you do what is good and right in the eyes of Yahweh your God.

29 When Yahweh your God cuts off the nations from before you, when you go in to dispossess them, and you dispossess them, and live in their land, 30 pay attention to yourself that you are not trapped into following them, after they are destroyed from before you—trapped into investigating their gods, into asking, 'How do these nations worship their gods? I will do the same.' 31 You must not worship Yahweh your God in that way, for everything that is an abomination to Yahweh, things that he hates—they have done these with their gods; they even burn their sons and their daughters in fire for their gods.

32 Whatever I command you, observe it. Do not add to it or take away from it.

13

1 If there arises among you a prophet or a dreamer of dreams, and if he gives you a sign or a wonder, 2 and if the sign or the wonder comes about, of which he spoke to you and said, 'Let us go after other gods, that you have not known, and let us worship them,' 3 do not listen to the words of that prophet, or to that dreamer of dreams; for Yahweh your God is testing you to know whether you love Yahweh your God with all your heart and with all your soul. 4 You will walk after Yahweh your God, honor him, keep his commandments, and obey his voice, and you will worship him and cling to him. 5 That prophet or that dreamer of dreams will be put to death, because he has spoken rebellion against Yahweh your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, and who redeemed you out of the house of bondage. That prophet wants to draw you out of the way in which Yahweh your God commanded you to walk. So put away the evil from among you.

6 Suppose that your brother, the son of your mother, or your son, or your daughter, or the wife of your bosom, or your friend who is to you like your own soul, secretly entices you and says, 'Let us go and worship other gods that you have not known, neither you nor your ancestors— 7 any of the gods of the peoples that are round about you, near to you, or far off from you, from the one end of the earth to the other end of the earth.' 8 You must not give in to him or listen to him, and you must not permit your eye to pity him, and you must not spare him or conceal him. 9 Instead, you will surely kill him; your hand will be the first on him to put him to death, and afterwards the hand of all the people. 10 You will stone him to death with stones, because he has tried to draw you away from Yahweh your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. 11 All Israel will hear and fear, and will not continue to do this kind of wickedness among you.

12 If you hear anyone say about one of your cities, that Yahweh your God gives you to live in: 13 Some wicked fellows have gone out from among you and have drawn away the inhabitants of their city and said, 'Let us go and worship other gods that you have not known.' 14 Then you will examine the evidence, make search, and investigate it thoroughly. When you discover that it is true and certain that such an abominable thing has been done among you, then you will take action. 15 You will surely attack the inhabitants of that city with the edge of the sword, completely destroy it and all the people who are in it, along with its livestock, with the edge of the sword. 16 You will gather all the spoil from it into the middle of its street and will burn the city, as well as all its spoil—for Yahweh your God. The city will be a heap of ruins forever; it must never be built again. 17 None of those things set apart for destruction must stick in your hand. This must be the case, so that Yahweh will turn from the fierceness of his anger, show you mercy, have compassion on you, and make you increase in numbers, as he has sworn to your fathers. 18 He will do this because you are listening to the voice of Yahweh your God, to keep all his commandments that I am commanding you today, to do that which is right in the eyes of Yahweh your God.

14

1 You are the people of Yahweh your God. Do not cut yourselves, nor shave any part of your face for the dead. 2 For you are a nation that is set apart to Yahweh your God, and Yahweh has chosen you to be a people for his own possession, more than all peoples that are on the surface of the earth.

3 You must not eat any abominable thing. 4 These are the animals that you may eat: the ox, the sheep, and the goat, 5 the deer, the gazelle, the roebuck, the wild goat, and ibex, and the antelope, and the mountain sheep. 6 You may eat any animals that parts the hoof, that is, that has the hoof divided in two, and that chews the cud. 7 Nevertheless, you must not eat some animals that chew the cud or that have the hoof divided in two: the camel, the rabbit, and the rock badger; because they chew the cud but do not part the hoof, they are unclean to you. 8 The pig is unclean to you as well because he parts the hoof but does not chew the cud; he is unclean to you. Do not eat pig meat, and do not touch their carcasses.

9 Of these things that are in water you may eat: whatever has fins and scales; 10 but whatever has no fins and scales you must not eat; they are unclean to you.

11 All clean birds you may eat. 12 But these are the birds that you must not eat: the eagle, the vulture, the osprey, 13 the red kite and black kite, any kind of falcon. 14 You must not eat any kind of raven, 15 and the ostrich, and the night hawk, the sea gull, any kind of hawk, 16 the little owl, the great owl, the white owl, 17 the pelican, the carrion vulture, the cormorant. 18 You must not eat the stork, any kind of heron, the hoopoe, and the bat. 19 All winged, swarming things are unclean to you; they must not be eaten. 20 You may eat all clean flying things.

21 You must not eat of anything that dies of itself; you may give it to the foreigner who is within your towns, that he may eat it; or you may sell it to a foreigner. For you are a nation that is set apart to Yahweh your God. You must not boil a young goat in its mother's milk.

22 You must surely tithe all the yield of your seed, that which comes out from the field year after year. 23 You must eat before Yahweh your God, in the place that he will choose as his sanctuary, the tithe of your grain, of your new wine, and of your oil, and the firstborn of your herd and your flock; that you may learn to always honor Yahweh your God. 24 If the journey is too long for you so that you are not able to carry it, because the place that Yahweh your God will choose as his sanctuary is too far from you, then, when Yahweh God blesses you, 25 you will convert the offering into money, tie up the money in your hand, and go to the place that Yahweh your God will choose. 26 There you will spend the money for whatever you desire: for oxen, or for sheep, or for wine, or for strong drink, or for whatever you desire; you will eat there before Yahweh your God, and you will rejoice, you and your household. 27 The Levite who is within your gates—do not forsake him, for he has no portion nor inheritance with you.

28 At the end of every three years you will present all the tithe of your produce in the same year, and you will store it up within your gates; 29 and the Levite, because he has no portion nor inheritance with you, and the foreigner, and the fatherless, and the widow who are within your gates, will come and eat and be satisfied. Do this so that Yahweh your God may bless you in all the work of your hand that you do.

15

1 At the end of every seven years, you must cancel debts. 2 This is the manner of the release: Every creditor will cancel that which he has lent to his neighbor; he will not demand it from his neighbor or his brother because Yahweh's cancellation of debts has been proclaimed. 3 From a foreigner you may demand it; but whatever of yours is with your brother your hand must release. 4 However, there should be no poor among you (for Yahweh will surely bless you in the land that he gives you as an inheritance to possess), 5 if only you diligently listen to the voice of Yahweh your God, to keep all these commandments that I am commanding you today. 6 For Yahweh your God will bless you, as he promised you; you will lend to many nations, but you will not borrow; you will rule over many nations, but they will not rule over you.

7 If there is a poor man among you, one of your brothers, within any of your gates in your land that Yahweh your God is giving you, you must not harden your heart nor shut your hand from your poor brother; 8 but you must surely open your hand to him and surely lend him sufficient for his need. 9 Be careful not to have a wicked thought in your heart, saying, 'The seventh year, the year of release, is near,' so that you will not be stingy in regard to your poor brother and give him nothing; he might cry out to Yahweh about you, and it would be sin for you. 10 You must surely give to him, and your heart must not be sorry when you give to him, because in return for this Yahweh your God will bless you in all your work and in all that you put your hand to. 11 For the poor will never cease to exist in the land; therefore I command you and say, 'You must surely open your hand to your brother, to your needy, and to your poor in your land.'

12 If your brother, a Hebrew man, or a Hebrew woman, is sold to you and serves you for six years, then in the seventh year you must let him go free from you. 13 When you let him go free from you, you must not let him go empty-handed. 14 You must liberally provide for him out of your flock, out of your threshing floor, and out of your winepress. As Yahweh your God has blessed you, you must give to him. 15 You must remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and that Yahweh your God redeemed you; therefore I am commanding you today to do this. 16 It will happen that if he says to you, 'I will not go away from you,' because he loves you and your house, and because he is well off with you, 17 then you must take an awl and thrust it through his ear to a door, and he will be your servant for life. You must do the same with your female servant. 18 It must not seem difficult for you to let him go free from you, because he has served you for six years and given twice the value of a hired person. Yahweh your God will bless you in all that you do.

19 All the firstborn males in your herd and your flock you must set apart to Yahweh your God. You will do no work with the firstborn of your herd, nor shear the firstborn of your flock. 20 You must eat the firstborn before Yahweh your God year by year in the place that Yahweh will choose, you and your household. 21 If it has any blemish—for example, if it is lame or blind, or has any blemish whatever—you must not sacrifice it to Yahweh your God. 22 You will eat it within your gates; the unclean and the clean persons alike must eat it, as you would eat a gazelle or a deer. 23 Only you must not eat its blood; you must pour its blood out on the ground like water.

16

1 Observe the month of Abib, and keep the Passover to Yahweh your God, for in the month of Aviv Yahweh your God brought you out of Egypt by night. 2 You will sacrifice the Passover to Yahweh your God with some of the flock and the herd in the place that Yahweh will choose as his sanctuary. 3 You will eat no leavened bread with it; seven days will you eat unleavened bread with it, the bread of affliction; for you came out of the land of Egypt in haste. Do this all the days of your life so that you may call to mind the day when you came out of the land of Egypt. 4 No yeast must be seen among you within all your borders during seven days; nor must any of the meat that you sacrifice in the evening on the first day remain until the morning. 5 You may not sacrifice the Passover within any of your city gates that Yahweh your God is giving you. 6 Instead, sacrifice at the place that Yahweh your God will choose as his sanctuary. There you will perform the sacrifice of the Passover in the evening at the going down of the sun, at the time of year that you came out of Egypt. 7 You must roast it and eat it at the place that Yahweh your God will choose; in the morning you will turn and go to your tents. 8 For six days you will eat unleavened bread; on the seventh day there will be a solemn assembly for Yahweh your God; on that day you must do no work.

9 You will count seven weeks for yourselves; from the time you begin to put the sickle to the standing grain you must start counting seven weeks. 10 You must keep the Festival of Weeks for Yahweh your God with the contribution of a freewill offering from your hand that you will give, according as Yahweh your God has blessed you. 11 You will rejoice before Yahweh your God—you, your son, your daughter, your male servant, your female servant, the Levite who is within your city gates, and the foreigner, the fatherless, and the widow who are among you, at the place that Yahweh your God will choose for his sanctuary. 12 You will call to mind that you were a slave in Egypt; you must observe and do these statutes.

13 You must keep the Festival of Shelters for seven days after you have gathered in the harvest from your threshing floor and from your winepress. 14 You will rejoice during your festival—you, your son, your daughter, your male servant, your female servant, the Levite, and the foreigner, and the fatherless and the widow who are within your gates. 15 For seven days you must observe the festival for Yahweh your God at the place that Yahweh will choose, because Yahweh your God will bless you in all your harvest and all the work of your hands, and you must be completely joyful. 16 Three times in a year all your males must appear before Yahweh your God at the place that he will choose: at the Festival of Unleavened Bread, at the Festival of Weeks, and at the Festival of Shelters. No one will appear before Yahweh empty-handed; 17 instead, every man will give as he is able, that you might know the blessing that Yahweh your God has given to you.

18 You must make judges and officers within all your city gates that Yahweh your God is giving you; they will be taken from each of your tribes, and they must judge the people with righteous judgment. 19 You must not take justice away by force; you must not show partiality nor take a bribe, for a bribe blinds the eyes of the wise and perverts the words of the righteous. 20 You must follow after justice, after justice alone, so that you may live and inherit the land that Yahweh your God is giving you.

21 You must not set up for yourselves an Asherah, any sort of pole, beside the altar of Yahweh your God that you will make for yourself. 22 Neither must you set up for yourself any sacred stone pillar, which Yahweh your God hates.

17

1 You must not sacrifice to Yahweh your God an ox or a sheep in which is any blemish or anything bad, for that would be an abomination to Yahweh your God.

2 If there is found among you, within any of your city gates that Yahweh your God is giving you, any man or woman who does what is evil in the sight of Yahweh your God and transgresses his covenant, 3 anyone who has gone and worshiped other gods and bowed down to them, either the sun, the moon, or any of the host of heaven—nothing that I have commanded— 4 and if you are told about this, or if you have heard of it, then you must make a careful investigation. If it is true and certain that such an abomination has been done in Israel, this is what you should do. 5 You must bring that man or woman, who has done this evil thing, to your city gates, that very man or woman, and you must stone that person to death. 6 At the mouth of two witnesses, or three witnesses, will he who must die be put to death; but at the mouth of only one witness he must not be put to death. 7 The hand of the witnesses must be the first to put him to death, and afterward the hand of all the people; and you will remove the evil from among you.

8 If a matter arises that is too hard for you to judge—perhaps a question of murder or accidental death, of one person's right and another person's right, or a question of one kind of harm done, or another kind of matter, matters of controversy within your city gates—then you must go up to the place that Yahweh your God will choose as his sanctuary. 9 You must go to the priests, the descendants of Levi, and to the judge who will be serving at that time; you will seek their advice, and they will give you the verdict. 10 You must follow the law given to you at the place Yahweh will choose as his sanctuary. You will be careful to do everything that they direct you to do. 11 Follow the law they teach you, and do according to the decisions they give you. Do not turn aside from what they tell you, to the right hand or to the left. 12 Anyone who acts arrogantly, in not listening to the priest who is standing to serve before Yahweh your God, or in not listening to the judge—that man will die; you will put away the evil from Israel. 13 All the people must hear and fear, and act arrogantly no more.

14 When you have come to the land that Yahweh your God gives you, and when you take possession of it and begin to live in it, and then you say, 'I will set a king over myself, like all the nations that are round about me,' 15 then you must surely set as king over yourself someone whom Yahweh your God will choose. You must set as king over yourself someone from among your brothers. You may not put a foreigner, who is not your brother, over yourself. 16 But he must not multiply horses for himself, nor cause the people to return to Egypt so that he may multiply horses, for Yahweh had said to you, 'You will never return that way again.' 17 He must not take many wives for himself, so that his heart does not turn away. He must not accumulate large amounts of silver and gold.

18 When he sits on the throne of his kingdom, he must write for himself in a scroll a copy of this law, from the law that is before the priests, who are Levites. 19 The scroll must be with him, and he must read in it all the days of his life, so that he may learn to honor Yahweh his God, so as to keep all the words of this law and these statutes, to observe them. 20 He must do this so that his heart is not lifted up above his brothers, and so that he does not turn away from the commandments, to the right hand or to the left; for the purpose that he may prolong his days in his kingdom, he and his children, among Israel.

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1 The priests, who are Levites, and all the tribe of Levi, will have no portion nor inheritance with Israel; they must eat the offerings of Yahweh made by fire as their inheritance. 2 They must have no inheritance among their brothers; Yahweh is their inheritance, as he said to them. 3 This is the share given to the priests, given to them from the people who offer a sacrifice, whether it be an oxen or a sheep: the shoulder, the two cheeks, and the inner parts. 4 The firstfruits of your grain, of your new wine, and of your oil, and the first of the fleece of your sheep, you must give him. 5 For Yahweh your God has chosen him out of all your tribes to stand to serve in the name of Yahweh, him and his sons forever.

6 If a Levite comes from any of your towns out of all Israel from where he is living, and desires with all his soul to come to the place Yahweh will choose, 7 then he must serve in the name of Yahweh his God as all his brothers the Levites do, who stand there before Yahweh. 8 They must have similar portions to eat, besides of what comes of the sale of his family's inheritance.

9 When you have come into the land that Yahweh your God is giving you, you must not learn to observe the abominations of those nations. 10 There must not be found among you anyone who sacrifices his son or his daughter in the fire, anyone who uses divination or tells fortunes, or reads signs found in a cup, or engages in witchcraft, 11 any charmer, anyone who conjurs up spirits, or one who casts spells, or who talks with spirits of the dead. 12 For whoever does these things is an abomination to Yahweh; it is because of these abominations that Yahweh your God is driving them out from before you. 13 You must be blameless before Yahweh your God. 14 For these nations that you will dispossess listen to those who practice sorcery and divination; but as for you, Yahweh your God has not allowed you to do so.

15 Yahweh your God will raise up for you a prophet from among you, one of your brothers, like me. You must listen to him. 16 This is what you asked from Yahweh your God at Horeb on the day of the assembly, saying, 'Let us not hear again the voice of Yahweh our God, nor see this great fire anymore, or we will die.' 17 Yahweh said to me, 'What they have said is good. 18 I will raise up a prophet for them from among their brothers, just like you. I will put my words in his mouth, and he will speak to them all that I command him. 19 It will happen that if anyone does not listen to the words of mine that he speaks in my name, I will require it of him.

20 But the prophet who speaks a word arrogantly in my name, a word that I have not commanded him to speak, or who speaks in the name of other gods, that very prophet must die.' 21 This is what you must say in your heart: 'How will we recognize a message that Yahweh has not spoken?' 22 You will recognize a message that Yahweh has spoken when a prophet speaks in the name of Yahweh. If that thing does not occur nor happen, then that is something that Yahweh has not spoken and the prophet has spoken it arrogantly, and you must not be afraid of him.

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1 When Yahweh your God cuts off the nations, those whose land Yahweh your God is giving you, and when you come after them and live in their cities and houses, 2 you must select three cities for yourself in the middle of your land that Yahweh your God is giving you to possess. 3 You must build a road and divide the borders of your land into three parts, the land that Yahweh your God is causing you to inherit, so that everyone who kills another person may flee there.

4 This is the law for the one who kills another and who flees there to live—anyone who kills his neighbor unintentionally, and did not previously hate him. 5 For example, if a man goes into the forest with his neighbor to cut wood, and his chops with the ax to cut down a tree, and the ax head slips off of the handle and strikes his neighbor and kills him—then that man must flee to one of these cities and save his life. 6 Otherwise the avenger of blood might go after the one who took a life, and in the heat of his anger overtake him, if the distance is too great, strike him and kill him, even though that man did not deserve to die, since he had not hated his neighbor in the past. 7 Therefore I command you to select three cities for yourself. 8 If Yahweh your God enlarges your borders, as he has sworn to your ancestors to do, and gives you all the land that he promised to give to your ancestors; 9 if you keep all these commandments to do them, which I am commanding you today—commandments to love Yahweh your God and to always walk in his ways, then you must add three more cities for yourself, besides these three. 10 Do this so that innocent blood is not shed in the midst of the land that Yahweh your God is giving you for as an inheritance, so that no bloodguilt may be on you.

11 But if anyone hates his neighbor, lies in wait for him, rises up against him, and mortally wounds him so that he dies, and if he then flees into one of these cities— 12 then the elders of his city must send and bring him back from there, and turn him over into the hand of the responsible relative, so that he may die. 13 Your eye must not pity him; instead, you must eradicate the bloodguilt from Israel, that it may go well with you.

14 You must not remove your neighbor's landmark that they set in place a long time ago, in your inheritance that you will inherit, in the land that Yahweh your God is giving you to possess.

15 One sole witness must not rise up against a man for any iniquity, or for any sin, in any matter that he sins; at the mouth of two witnesses, or at the mouth of three witnesses, must any matter be confirmed. 16 Suppose that an unrighteous witness rises up against any man to testify against him of wrongdoing. 17 Then both men, the ones between whom the controversy exists, must stand before Yahweh, before the priests and the judges who serve in those days. 18 The judges must make diligent inquiries; see, if the witness is a false witness and has testified falsely against his brother, 19 then must you do to him, as he had wished to do to his brother; and you will remove the evil from among you. 20 Then those who remain will hear and fear, and will from then on commit no longer any such evil among you. 21 Your eyes must not pity; life will pay for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.

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1 When you march out to battle against your enemies, and see horses, chariots, and a people more numerous than you, you must not be afraid of them; for Yahweh your God is with you, he who brought you up out of the land of Egypt. 2 When you are about to enter into battle, the priest must approach and speak to the people. 3 He must say to them, 'Listen, Israel, you are going to battle against your enemies. Do not let your hearts faint. Do not fear or tremble. Do not be afraid of them. 4 For Yahweh your God is the one who is going with you to fight for you against your enemies and to save you.' 5 The officers must speak to the people and say, 'What man is there who has built a new house and has not dedicated it? Let him go and return to his house, so that he does not die in battle and another man dedicates it. 6 Is there anyone who has planted a vineyard and has not enjoyed its fruit? Let him go home, so he will not die in battle and another man enjoy its fruit. 7 What man is there who is engaged to marry a woman but has not yet married her? Let him go home so that he does not die in battle and another man marries her.' 8 The officers must speak further to the people and say, 'What man is there who is fearful or fainthearted? Let him go and return to his house, so that his brother's heart does not melt like his own heart.' 9 When the officers have finished speaking to the people, they must appoint commanders over them.

10 When you march up to attack a city, make those people an offer of peace. 11 If they accept your offer and open their gates to you, all the people who are found in it must become forced labor for you and must serve you. 12 But if it makes no offer of peace to you, but instead makes war against you, then you must besiege it, 13 and when Yahweh your God gives you victory and puts them under your control, you must kill every man in the town. 14 But the women, the little ones, the cattle, and everything that is in the city, and all its spoil, you will take as booty for yourself. You will consume the booty of your enemies, whom Yahweh your God has given to you. 15 You must act in this way toward all the cities that are very far from you, cities that are not of the cities of these following nations. 16 In the cities of these peoples that Yahweh your God is giving you as an inheritance, you must save alive nothing that breathes. 17 Instead, you must completely destroy them: the Hittite, and the Amorite, the Canaanite, the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite, as Yahweh your God has commanded you. 18 Do this so that they do not teach you to act in any of their abominable ways, as they have done with their gods. If you do, you will sin against Yahweh your God.

19 When you will besiege a city for a long time, as you wage war against it to capture it, you must not destroy its trees by wielding an ax against them. For you may eat from them, so you must not cut them down. For is the tree of the field a man whom you should besiege? 20 Only the trees that you know are not trees for food, you may destroy and cut down; you will build siege works against the city that makes war with you, until it falls.

21

1 If someone is found killed in the land that Yahweh your God is giving you to possess, lying in the field, and it is not known who has attacked him; 2 then your elders and your judges must go out, and they must measure to the cities that are around him who has been killed. 3 Then the elders of the town nearest to the dead man's body must take a heifer from the herd, one that has never been put to work, and that has not borne the yoke. 4 Then they must lead the heifer down to a valley with running water, a valley that has been neither plowed nor sown, and there in the valley they must break the heifer's neck. 5 The priests, descendants of Levi, must come forward, for Yahweh your God has chosen them to serve him and give blessing in the name of Yahweh and to decide every case of dispute and assault by their word. 6 All the elders of the city that is the nearest to the killed man must wash their hands over the heifer whose neck was broken in the valley; 7 and they must answer to the case and say, 'Our hands have not shed this blood, neither have our eyes seen it. 8 Forgive, Yahweh, your people Israel, whom you have redeemed, and do not put guilt for innocent bloodshed in the midst of your people Israel.' Then the bloodshed will be forgiven them. 9 In this way you will put away the innocent blood from your midst, when you do what is right in the eyes of Yahweh.

10 When you go out to do battle against your enemies and Yahweh your God gives you victory and puts them under your control, and you take them away as captives, 11 if you see among the captives a beautiful woman, and you have a desire for her and wish to take her for yourself as a wife, 12 then you will bring her home to your house; she will shave her head and cut her nails. 13 Then she will take off the clothes she was wearing when she was taken captive and she will remain in your house and mourn for her father and her mother a full month. After that you may sleep with her and be her husband, and she will be your wife. 14 But if you take no delight in her, then you may let her go where she wishes. But you must not sell her at all for money, and you must not treat her like a slave, because you have humiliated her.

15 If a man has two wives and one is loved and the other is hated, and they have both borne him children—both the beloved wife and the hated wife—if the firstborn son is of her that is hated, 16 then on the day that the man causes his sons to inherit what he possesses, he may not make the son of the beloved wife the firstborn before the son of the hated wife, the son who is actually the firstborn. 17 Instead, he must acknowledge the firstborn, the son of the hated wife, by giving him a double portion of all that he possesses; for that son is the beginning of his strength; the right of the firstborn belongs to him.

18 If a man has a stubborn and rebellious son who will not obey the voice of his father or the voice of his mother, and who, even though they correct him, will not listen to them; 19 then his father and his mother must lay hold on him and bring him out to the elders of his city and to the gate of his city. 20 They must say to the elders of his city, 'This son of ours is stubborn and rebellious; he will not obey our voice; he is a glutton and a drunkard.' 21 Then all the men of his city must stone him to death with stones; and you will remove the evil from among you. All Israel will hear of it and fear.

22 If a man has committed a sin worthy of death and he is put to death, and you hang him on a tree, 23 then his body must not remain all night on the tree. Instead, you must surely bury him the same day; for whoever is hanged is cursed by God. Obey this commandment so that you do not defile the land that Yahweh your God is giving you as an inheritance.

22

1 You must not watch your fellow Israelite's ox or his sheep go astray and hide yourself from them; you must surely bring them back to him. 2 If your fellow Israelite is not near to you, or if you do not know him, then you must bring the animal home to your house, and it must be with you until he looks for it, and then you must restore it to him. 3 You must do the same with his donkey; you must do the same with his garment; you must do the same with every lost thing of your fellow Israelite's, anything that he has lost and you have found; you must not hide yourself. 4 You must not see your fellow Israelite's donkey or his ox fallen down in the road and hide yourself from them; you must surely help him to lift it up again.

5 A woman must not wear what pertains to a man, and neither must a man put on women's clothing; for whoever does these things is an abomination to Yahweh your God.

6 If a bird's nest happens to be in front of you on the road, in any tree or on the ground, with young ones or eggs in it, and the mother sitting on the young or on the eggs, you must not take the mother along with the young. 7 You must surely let the mother go, but the young you may take for yourself. Obey this command so that it may go well with you, and that you may prolong your days.

8 When you build a new house, then you must make a railing for your roof so that you do not bring blood on your house if anyone falls from there.

9 You must not plant your vineyard with two kinds of seed, so that the whole harvest is not confiscated by the holy place, the seed that you have sown and the yield of the vineyard. 10 You must not plow with an ox and a donkey together. 11 You must not wear fabric made of wool and linen together.

12 You must make yourself fringes on the four corners of the cloak with which you clothe yourself.

13 Suppose a man takes a wife, sleeps with her, and then hates her, 14 and then accuses her of shameful things and puts a bad reputation on her, and says, 'I took this woman, but when I came near to her, I found no proof of virginity in her.' 15 Then the father and mother of the girl must take proof of her virginity to the elders at the city gate. 16 The girl's father must say to the elders, 'I gave my daughter to this man as a wife, and he hates her. 17 See, he has accused her of shameful things and said, “I did not find in your daughter the proof of virginity.” But here is the proof of my daughter's virginity.' Then they will spread the garment out before the elders of the city. 18 The elders of that city must take that man and punish him; 19 and they must fine him one hundred shekels of silver, and give them to the father of the girl, because the man has caused a bad reputation for a virgin of Israel. She must be his wife; he may not send her away during all his days. 20 But if this thing is true, that the proof of virginity was not found in the girl, 21 then they must bring out the girl to the door of her father's house, and the men of her city must stone her to death with stones, because she has committed a disgraceful action in Israel, to act as a harlot in her father's house; and you will remove the evil from among you.

22 If a man is found sleeping with a woman who is married to another man, then they must both die, the man who was sleeping with the woman and the woman herself; and you will remove the evil from among you.

23 If there is a girl who is a virgin, engaged to a man, and another man finds her in the city and sleeps with her, 24 take both of them to the city gate, and stone them to death. You must stone the girl, because she did not cry out, even though she was in the city. You must stone the man, because he violated his neighbor's wife; and you will remove the evil from among you.

25 But if the man finds the engaged girl in the field, and if he seizes her and sleeps with her, then only the man who sleeps with her must die. 26 But to the girl you must do nothing; there is no sin worthy of death in the girl. For this case is like when a man attacks his neighbor and kills him. 27 For he found her in the field; the engaged girl cried out, but there was no one to save her.

28 If a man finds a girl who is a virgin but who is not engaged, and if he seizes her and sleeps with her, and if they are discovered, 29 then the man who slept with her must give fifty shekels of silver to the girl's father, and she must become his wife, because he has humiliated her. He may not send her away during all his days.

30 A man must not take his father's wife as his own; he must not take away his father's marriage rights.

23

1 No man injured by crushing or cutting off may enter the assembly of Yahweh.

2 No illegitimate child may belong to the assembly of Yahweh; as far as to the tenth generation of his descendants, none of them may belong to the assembly of Yahweh.

3 An Ammonite or a Moabite may not belong to the assembly of Yahweh; as far as to the tenth generation of his descendants, none of them may belong to the assembly of Yahweh. 4 This is because they did not meet you with bread and with water on the road when you had come out of Egypt, and because they hired against you Balaam son of Beor from Pethor in Aram Naharaim, to curse you. 5 But Yahweh your God would not listen to Balaam; instead, Yahweh your God turned the curse into a blessing for you, because Yahweh your God loved you. 6 You must never seek their peace or prosperity, during all your days.

7 You must not detest an Edomite, for he is your brother; you must not abhor an Egyptian, because you were a foreigner in his land. 8 The descendants of the third generation that are born to them may belong to the assembly of Yahweh.

9 When you march out as an army against your enemies, then you must keep yourselves from every evil thing. 10 If there is among you any man who is unclean because of what happened to him at night, then he must go out of the army's camp; he must not come back into the camp. 11 When evening comes, he must bathe himself in water; when the sun goes down, he will come back inside the camp. 12 You must have a place also outside the camp to which you will go; 13 and you will have something among your tools to dig with; when you squat down to relieve yourself, you must dig with it and then put back the earth and cover up what has come out from you. 14 For Yahweh your God walks in the midst of your camp to give you victory and to give your enemies into your hand. Therefore your camp must be holy, so that he may not see any unclean thing among you and turn away from you.

15 You must not give back to his master a slave who has escaped from his master. 16 Let him live with you, in whatever town he chooses. Do not oppress him.

17 There must be no cultic prostitute among any of the daughters of Israel, neither must there be a cultic prostitute among the sons of Israel. 18 You must not bring the wages of a prostitute or the wages of a dog into the house of Yahweh your God for any vow; for both these are abominations to Yahweh your God.

19 You must not lend on interest to your fellow Israelite—interest of money, interest of food, or the interest of anything that is lent on interest. 20 To a foreigner you may lend on interest; but to your fellow Israelite you must not lend on interest, so that Yahweh your God may bless you in all that you put your hand to, in the land which you are going in to possess.

21 When you make a vow to Yahweh your God, you must not be slow in fulfilling it, for Yahweh your God will surely require it of you; it would be sin for you not to fulfill it. 22 But if you will refrain from making a vow, it will be no sin for you. 23 That which has gone out from your lips you must observe and do; according as you have vowed to Yahweh your God, anything that you have freely promised with your mouth.

24 When you go into your neighbor's vineyard, you may eat as many grapes as you desire, but do not put any in your basket. 25 When you go into your neighbor's ripe grain, you may pluck the heads of grain with your hand, but do not put a sickle to your neighbor's ripe grain.

24

1 When a man takes a wife and marries her, if she finds no favor in his eyes because he has found some unsuitable thing in her, then he must write her a certificate of divorce, put it into her hand, and send her out of his house. 2 When she has gone out of his house, she may go and be another man's wife. 3 If the second husband hates her and writes her a certificate of divorce, puts it into her hand, and sends her out of his house; or if the second husband dies, the man who took her to be his wife— 4 then her former husband, the one who had first sent her away, may not take her again to be his wife, after she has become impure; for that would be an abomination to Yahweh. You must not cause the land to become guilty, the land that Yahweh your God is giving you as an inheritance.

5 When a man takes a new wife, he will not go to war with the army, neither may he be commanded to go on any forced duty; he will be free to be at home for one year and will cheer his wife whom he has taken.

6 No man may take a mill or an upper millstone as a pledge, for that would be taking a person's life as a pledge.

7 If a man is found kidnapping any of his brothers from among the people of Israel, and treats him as a slave and sells him, that thief must die; and you will remove the evil from among you.

8 Take heed regarding any plague of leprosy, so that you carefully observe and follow every instruction given to you which the priests, the Levites, teach you; as I commanded them, so you will act. 9 Call to mind what Yahweh your God did to Miriam as you were coming out of Egypt.

10 When you make your neighbor any kind of loan, you must not go into his house to fetch his pledge. 11 You will stand outside, and the man to whom you have lent will bring the pledge outside to you. 12 If he is a poor man, you must not sleep with his pledge in your possession. 13 You must surely restore to him the pledge by the time the sun goes down, so that he may sleep in his cloak and bless you; it will be righteousness for you before Yahweh your God.

14 You must not oppress a hired servant who is poor and needy, whether he is of your fellow Israelites, or of the foreigners who are in your land within your city gates; 15 Each day you must give him his wage; the sun must not go down on this unsettled matter, for he is poor and is counting on it. Do this so that he does not cry out against you to Yahweh, and so that it not be a sin that you have committed.

16 The parents must not be put to death for their children, neither must the children be put to death for their parents. Instead, everyone must be put to death for his own sin.

17 You must not use force to take away the justice that is due the foreigner or the fatherless, nor take the widow's cloak as a pledge. 18 Instead, you must call to mind that you were a slave in Egypt, and that Yahweh your God rescued you from there. Therefore I instruct you to obey this command.

19 When you reap your harvest in your field, and if you have forgotten an omer of grain in the field, you must not go back to get it; it must be for the foreigner, for the fatherless, or for the widow, so that Yahweh your God may bless you in all the work of your hands. 20 When you shake your olive tree, you must not go over the branches again; it will be for the foreigner, for the fatherless, or for the widow. 21 When you gather the grapes of your vineyard, you must not glean it again. What is left over will be for the foreigner, for the fatherless, and for the widow. 22 You must call to mind that you were a slave in the land of Egypt; therefore I instruct you to obey this command.

25

1 If there is a dispute between men and they go to court, and the judges judge them, then they will acquit the righteous and condemn the wicked. 2 If the guilty man deserves to be beaten, then the judge will make him lie down and be beaten in his presence with the ordered number of blows, as was his crime. 3 The judge may give him forty blows, but he may not exceed that number; for if he should exceed that number and beat him with many more blows, then your fellow Israelite would be humiliated before your eyes.

4 You must not muzzle the ox when he treads out the grain.

5 If brothers live together and one of them dies, not having any son, then the wife of the dead man must not be married off to someone else outside the family. Instead, her husband's brother must sleep with her and take her to himself as a wife, and do the duty of a husband's brother to her. 6 This is so that the firstborn that she bears will succeed in the name of that man's dead brother, so that his name will not perish from Israel. 7 But if the man does not wish to take his brother's wife for himself, then his brother's wife must go up to the gate to the elders and say, 'My husband's brother refuses to raise up for his brother a name in Israel; he will not perform the duty of a husband's brother to me.' 8 Then the elders of his city must call him and speak to him. But suppose that he insists and says, 'I do not wish to take her.' 9 Then his brother's wife must come up to him in the presence of the elders, take off his sandal from his foot, and spit in his face. She must answer him and say, 'This is what is done to the man who does not build up his brother's house.' 10 His name will be called in Israel, 'The house of him whose sandal has been taken off.'

11 If men fight with each other, and the wife of one comes to rescue her husband out of the hand of him who struck him, and if she stretches out her hand and takes him by the private parts, 12 then you must cut off her hand; your eye must have no pity.

13 You must not have in your bag different weights, a large and a small. 14 You must not have in your house different measures, a large and a small. 15 A perfect and just weight you must have; a perfect and just measure you must have, so that your days may be long in the land that Yahweh your God is giving you. 16 For all who do such things, all that act unrighteously, are an abomination to Yahweh your God.

17 Call to mind what Amalek did to you on the road as you came out of Egypt, 18 how he met you on the road and attacked those of you at the rear, all who were feeble in your rear, when you were faint and weary; he did not honor God. 19 Therefore, when Yahweh your God has given you rest from all your enemies round about, in the land that Yahweh your God is giving you to possess as an inheritance, you must not forget that you must blot out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven.

26

1 When you have come into the land that Yahweh your God is giving you as an inheritance, and when you possess it and live in it, 2 then you must take some of the first of all the harvest of the land that you have brought in from the land that Yahweh your God is giving you. You must put it in a basket and go to the place that Yahweh your God will choose as his sanctuary. 3 You must go to the priest who will be serving in those days and say to him, 'I acknowledge today to Yahweh your God that I have come to the land that Yahweh swore to our ancestors to give us.' 4 The priest must take the basket out of your hand and set it down before the altar of Yahweh your God. 5 You must say before Yahweh your God, 'My ancestor was a wandering Aramean. He went down into Egypt and stayed there, and his people were few in number. There he became a great, mighty, and populous nation. 6 The Egyptians treated us badly and afflicted us. They made us do the work of slaves. 7 We cried out to Yahweh, the God of our fathers, and he heard our voice and saw our affliction, our labor, and our oppression. 8 Yahweh brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand, with an outstretched arm, with great fearsomeness, with signs, and with wonders; 9 and he has brought us to this place and has given us this land, a land that flows with milk and honey. 10 Now look, I have brought the first of the harvest of the land that you, Yahweh, have given me.' You must set it down before Yahweh your God and worship before him; 11 and you must rejoice in all the good that Yahweh your God has done for you, for your house—you, and the Levite, and the foreigner who is among you.

12 When you have finished giving all the tithe of your harvest in the third year, that is, the year of tithing, then you must give it to the Levite, to the foreigner, to the fatherless, and to the widow, so that they may eat within your city gates and be filled. 13 You must say before Yahweh your God, 'I have brought out of my house the things that belong to Yahweh, and have given them to the Levite, to the foreigner, to the fatherless, and to the widow, according to all your commandments that you have given me. I have not transgressed any of your commandments, neither have I forgotten them. 14 I have not eaten any of it in my mourning, nor have I put it somewhere else when I was impure, nor have I given any of it in honor of the dead. I have listened to the voice of Yahweh my God; I have obeyed everything you have commanded me to do. 15 Look down from the holy place where you live, from heaven, and bless your people Israel, and the land that you have given us, as you had sworn to our fathers, a land flowing with milk and honey.'

16 Today Yahweh your God is commanding you to obey these statutes and decrees; you will therefore keep them and do them with all your heart and with all your soul. 17 You have declared today that Yahweh is your God, and that you will walk in his ways and keep his statutes, his commandments, and his decrees, and that you will listen to his voice. 18 Today Yahweh has declared that you are a people who are his own possession, as he had promised you, and that you are to keep all his commandments, 19 and he will set you high above all the other nations that he has made, and you will receive praise, fame, and honor. You will be a people that is set apart to Yahweh your God, just as he said.”

27

1 Moses and the elders of Israel commanded the people and said, “Keep all the commandments that I command you today. 2 On the day when you will pass over the Jordan to the land that Yahweh your God is giving you, you must set up some large stones and plaster them with plaster. 3 You must write on them all the words of this law when you have passed over; that you may go into the land that Yahweh your God is giving you, a land flowing with milk and honey, as Yahweh, the God of your ancestors, has promised you. 4 When you have passed over the Jordan, set up these stones that I am commanding you about today, on Mount Ebal, and plaster them with plaster. 5 There you must build an altar to Yahweh your God, an altar of stones; but you must raise no iron tool to work the stones. 6 You must build the altar of Yahweh your God of unworked stones; you must offer burnt offerings on it to Yahweh your God, 7 and you will sacrifice fellowship offerings and will eat there; you will rejoice before Yahweh your God. 8 You will write on the stones all the words of this law very plainly.”

9 Moses and the priests, the Levites, spoke to all Israel and said, “Be silent and listen, Israel: Today you have become the people of Yahweh your God. 10 You must therefore obey the voice of Yahweh your God and obey his commandments and statutes that I am commanding you today.”

11 Moses commanded the people the same day and said, 12 “These tribes must stand on Mount Gerizim to bless the people after you have passed over the Jordan: Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Joseph, and Benjamin. 13 These are the tribes that must stand on Mount Ebal to pronounce curses: Reuben, Gad, Asher, Zebulun, Dan, and Naphtali. 14 The Levites will answer and say to all the men of Israel in a loud voice:

15 'May the man be cursed who makes a carved or cast figure, an abomination to Yahweh, the work of the hands of a craftsman, and who sets it up in secret.' Then all the people must answer and say, 'Amen.'

16 'May the man be cursed who dishonors his father or his mother.' Then all the people must say, 'Amen.'

17 'May the man be cursed who removes his neighbor's landmark.' Then all the people must say, 'Amen.'

18 'May the man be cursed who makes the blind to wander away from the road.' Then all the people must say, 'Amen.'

19 'May the man be cursed who uses force to take away the justice due to a foreigner, fatherless, or widow.' Then all the people must say, 'Amen.'

20 'May the man be cursed who lies with his father's wife, because he has taken away his father's rights.' Then all the people must say, 'Amen.'

21 'May the man be cursed who sleeps with any kind of beast.' Then all the people must say, 'Amen.'

22 'May the man be cursed who sleeps with his sister, the daughter of his father, or with the daughter of his mother.' Then all the people must say, 'Amen.'

23 'May the man be cursed who sleeps with his mother-in-law.' Then all the people must say, 'Amen.'

24 'May the man be cursed who kills his neighbor secretly.' Then all the people must say, 'Amen.'

25 'May the man be cursed who takes a bribe to kill an innocent person.' Then all the people must say, 'Amen.'

26 'May the man be cursed who does not confirm the words of this law, that he will obey them.' Then all the people must say, 'Amen.'

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1 If you listen carefully to the voice of Yahweh your God so as to keep all his commandments that I am commanding you today, Yahweh your God will set you above all the other nations of the earth. 2 All these blessings will come on you and overtake you, if you listen to the voice of Yahweh your God. 3 Blessed will you be in the city, and blessed will you be in the field. 4 Blessed will be the fruit of your body, and the fruit of your ground, and the fruit of your beasts, the increase of your cattle, and the young of your flock. 5 Blessed will be your basket and your kneading trough. 6 Blessed will you be when you come in, and blessed will you be when you go out.

7 Yahweh will cause your enemies who rise up against you to be struck down before you; they will come out against you one way but will flee before you seven ways. 8 Yahweh will command the blessing to come on you in your barns and in all that you put your hand to; he will bless you in the land that he is giving you. 9 Yahweh will establish you as a people that is set apart for himself, as he has sworn to you, if you keep the commandments of Yahweh your God, and walk in his ways. 10 All the peoples of the earth will see that you are called by the name of Yahweh, and they will be afraid of you. 11 Yahweh will make you very prosperous in the fruit of your body, in the fruit of your cattle, in the fruit of your ground, in the land that he swore to your fathers to give you. 12 Yahweh will open to you his storehouse of the heavens to give the rain for your land at the right time, and to bless all the work of your hand; you will lend to many nations, but you will not borrow. 13 Yahweh will make you the head, and not the tail; you will be only above, and you will never be beneath, if you listen to the commandments of Yahweh your God that I am commanding you today, so as to observe and to do them, 14 and if you do not turn away from any of the words that I am commanding you today, to the right hand or to the left, so as to go after other gods to serve them.

15 But if you do not listen to the voice of Yahweh your God, so as to keep all his commandments and his statutes that I am commanding you today, then all these curses will come on you and overtake you. 16 Cursed will you be in the city, and cursed will you be in the field. 17 Cursed will be your basket and your kneading trough. 18 Cursed will be the fruit of your body, the fruit of your ground, the increase of your cattle, and the young of your flock. 19 Cursed will you be when you come in, and cursed will you be when you go out.

20 Yahweh will send on you curses, confusion, and rebukes in all that you put your hand to, until you are destroyed, and until you perish quickly because of your wicked actions by which you will have forsaken me. 21 Yahweh will make the plague cling to you until he destroys you from off the land that you are going in to possess. 22 Yahweh will attack you with infectious diseases, with fever, with inflammation, and with drought and blistering heat, and with scorching winds and mildew. These will pursue you until you perish. 23 Your skies that are over your head will be bronze, and the earth that is under you will be iron. 24 Yahweh will make the rain of your land into powder and dust; from the heavens will it come down on you, until you are destroyed.

25 Yahweh will cause you to be struck down before your enemies; you will go out one way against them but will flee before them seven ways. You will be tossed to and fro among all the kingdoms of the earth. 26 Your dead body will be food to all the birds of the heavens and to the beasts of the earth; there will be no one to frighten them away. 27 Yahweh will attack you with the boils of Egypt and with ulcers, scurvy, and itch, from which you cannot be healed. 28 Yahweh will attack you with madness, with blindness, and with mental confusion. 29 You will grope about at noonday like the blind grope in the darkness, and you will not prosper in your ways; you will be always oppressed and robbed, and there will be no one to save you. 30 You will become engaged to a woman, but another man will seize her and rape her. You will build a house but not live in it; you will plant a vineyard but not enjoy its fruit. 31 Your ox will be slain before your eyes, but you will not eat its meat; your donkey will be forcibly taken away from before you and will not be restored to you. Your sheep will be given to your enemies, and you will have no one to aid you. 32 Your sons and your daughters will be given to other peoples; your eyes will look for them the entire day, but will fail with longing for them. There will be no strength in your hand. 33 The harvest of your land and of all your labors—a nation that you do not know will eat it up; you will always be oppressed and crushed, 34 so that you will become insane by what you have to see happen. 35 Yahweh will attack you in the knees and legs with severe boils from which you cannot be cured, from the bottom of your feet to the top of your head.

36 Yahweh will take you and the king whom you will place over yourself to a nation that you have not known, neither you nor your ancestors; there you will worship other gods of wood and stone. 37 You will become a source of horror, a proverb, and a byword, among all the peoples where Yahweh will lead you away. 38 You will take much seed out into the field, but will gather little seed in, for the locusts will consume it. 39 You will plant vineyards and cultivate them, but you will neither drink any of the wine, nor even gather in the grapes, for worms will eat them. 40 You will have olive trees within all your territory, but you will not rub any of the oil on yourself, for your olive trees will drop their fruit. 41 You will have sons and daughters, but they will not remain yours, for they will go into captivity. 42 All your trees and the fruit of your ground—the locusts will take them over. 43 The foreigner who is among you will rise up above you higher and higher; you yourself will come down lower and lower. 44 He will lend to you, but you will not lend to him; he will be the head, and you will be the tail. 45 All these curses will come on you and will pursue and overtake you until you are destroyed. This will happen because you did not listen to the voice of Yahweh your God, so as to keep his commandments and his regulations that he commanded you. 46 These curses will be on you as signs and wonders, and on your descendants forever.

47 Because you did not worship Yahweh your God with joyfulness and gladness of heart when you were in prosperity, 48 therefore will you serve the enemies that Yahweh will send against you; you will serve them in hunger, in thirst, in nakedness, and in poverty. He will put a yoke of iron on your neck until he destroys you. 49 Yahweh will bring a nation against you from far away, from the ends of the earth, like an eagle flies to its victim, a nation whose language you do not understand; 50 a nation with a fierce face that does not respect the aged and does not show favor to the young. 51 They will eat the young of your cattle and the fruit of your land until you are destroyed. They will leave for you no grain, new wine, or oil, no young of your cattle or of your flock, until they have caused you to perish. 52 They will besiege you in all your city gates, until your high and fortified walls come down everywhere in your land, walls in which you had trusted. They will besiege you within all your city gates throughout all the land that Yahweh your God had given you. 53 You will eat the fruit of your own body, the flesh of your sons and of your daughters, whom Yahweh your God gave you, in the siege and in the distress with which your enemies will put upon you. 54 The man who is tender and very delicate among you—he will be envious of his brother and his own dear wife, and of whatever children he has left. 55 So he will not give to any of them the flesh of his own children that he is going to eat, because he will have nothing left for himself in the siege and in the distress which your enemy will put upon you within all your city gates. 56 The tender and delicate woman among you, who would not venture to put the bottom of her foot on the ground for delicateness and tenderness—she will be envious of her own dear husband, of her son, and of her daughter, 57 and of her own newborn that comes out from between her legs, and of the children whom she will bear. She will eat them in private for lack of anything else, during the siege and in the distress which your enemy will put upon you within your city gates.

58 If you do not keep all the words of this law that are written in this book, so as to honor this glorious and fearful name, Yahweh your God, 59 then Yahweh will make your plagues terrible, and those of your descendants; they will be great plagues, of long duration, and severe diseases, of long duration. 60 He will bring on you again all the diseases of Egypt that you were afraid of; they will cling to you. 61 Also every sickness and plague that is not written in the book of this law, those also Yahweh will bring on you until you are destroyed. 62 You will be left few in number, although you were like the stars of the heavens in number, because you did not listen to the voice of Yahweh your God. 63 As Yahweh once rejoiced over you in doing you good, and in multiplying you, so he will rejoice over you in making you perish and in destroying you. You will be plucked off the land that you are going into to possess. 64 Yahweh will scatter you among all peoples from the one end of the earth to the other end of the earth; there you will worship other gods that you have not known, neither you nor your ancestors, gods of wood and stone. 65 Among these nations will you find no ease, and there will be no rest for the bottoms of your feet; instead, Yahweh will give you there a trembling heart, failing eyes, and a soul that mourns. 66 Your life will hang in doubt before you; you will fear every night and day and will have no certainty at all in your life. 67 In the morning you will say, 'I wish it were evening!' and in the evening you will say, 'I wish it were morning!' because of the fear in your hearts and the things your eyes will have to see. 68 Yahweh will bring you into Egypt again by ships, by the route about which I had said to you, 'You will not see Egypt again.' There you will offer yourselves for sale to your enemies as male and female slaves, but no one will purchase you.”

29

1 These are the words that Yahweh commanded Moses to tell the people of Israel in the land of Moab, words that were added to the covenant that he had made with them at Horeb.

2 Moses called to all Israel and said to them, “You have seen everything that Yahweh did before your eyes in the land of Egypt to Pharaoh, to all his servants, and to all his land— 3 the great sufferings that your eyes saw, the signs, and those great wonders. 4 But until today Yahweh has not given you a heart to know, eyes to see, or ears to hear. 5 I have led you for forty years in the wilderness; your clothes did not wear out on you, and your sandals did not wear out on your feet. 6 You did not eat any bread, and you did not drink any wine or other alcoholic drinks, so that you might know that I am Yahweh your God. 7 When you came to this place, Sihon, the king of Heshbon, and Og, the king of Bashan, came out against us to fight, and we struck them down. 8 We took their land and gave it as an inheritance to the Reubenites, to the Gadites, and to the half tribe of Manasseh. 9 Therefore keep the words of this covenant and do them, so that you may prosper in everything that you do.

10 You stand today, all of you, before Yahweh your God; your chiefs, your tribes, your elders, and your officers—all the men of Israel, 11 your little ones, your wives, and the foreigner who is among you in your camp, from him who cuts your wood to him who draws your water. 12 You are here in order to enter into the covenant of Yahweh your God and into the oath that Yahweh your God is making with you today, 13 so that he may make you today into a people for himself, and that he may be God for you, as he spoke to you, and as he swore to your ancestors, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.

14 For it is not only with you that I am making this covenant and this oath— 15 with everyone standing here with us today before Yahweh our God—but also with those who are not here with us today.

16 You know how we lived in the land of Egypt, and how we came through the midst of the nations through which you passed. 17 You have seen their disgusting idols made of wood and stone, silver and gold, that were among them. 18 Make sure there is not among you any man, woman, clan, or tribe whose heart is turning away today from Yahweh our God, so as to go worship the gods of those nations. Make sure there is not among you any root that produces gall and wormwood. 19 When that person hears the words of this curse, he will bless himself in his heart and say, 'I will have peace, though I walk in the stubbornness of my heart.' This would destroy the wet together with the dry. 20 Yahweh will not pardon him, but instead, the anger of Yahweh and his jealousy will smolder against that man, and all the curses that are written in this book will come on him, and Yahweh will blot out his name from under heaven. 21 Yahweh will set him apart for disaster out of all the tribes of Israel, in keeping with all the curses of the covenant that are written in this book of the law.

22 The generation to come, your children who will rise up after you, and the foreigner who comes from a distant land, will speak when they see the plagues on this land and the diseases with which Yahweh has made it sick— 23 and when they see that the whole land has become sulfur and burning salt, where nothing is sown or bears fruit, where no vegetation grows, like the overthrow of Sodom and Gomorrah, Admah and Zeboyim, that Yahweh destroyed in his anger and wrath— 24 they will say together with all the other nations, 'Why has Yahweh done this to this land? What does the heat of this great anger mean?' 25 Then people will say, 'It is because they abandoned the covenant of Yahweh, the God of their ancestors, that he made with them when he brought them out of the land of Egypt, 26 and because they went and served other gods and bowed down to them, gods that they had not known and that he had not given to them. 27 Therefore the anger of Yahweh has been kindled against this land, so as to bring on it all the curses that are written in this book. 28 Yahweh has uprooted them from their land in anger, in wrath, and in great fury, and has thrown them into another land, as today.' 29 The secret matters belong alone to Yahweh our God; but the things that are revealed belong forever to us and to our descendants, so that we may do all the words of this law.

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1 When all these things have come on you, the blessings and the curses that I have set before you, and when you call them to mind among all the other nations where Yahweh your God has driven you, 2 and when you return to Yahweh your God and obey his voice, following all that I am commanding you today— you and your children—with all your heart and with all your soul, 3 then Yahweh your God will reverse your captivity and have compassion on you; he will return and gather you from all the peoples where Yahweh your God has scattered you. 4 If any of your exiled people are in the farthest places under the heavens, from there Yahweh your God will gather you, and from there he will bring you. 5 Yahweh your God will bring you into the land that your forefathers possessed, and you will possess it again; he will do you good and will multiply you more than he did your forefathers. 6 Yahweh your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your descendants, so you will love Yahweh your God with all your heart and with all your soul, so that you may live. 7 Yahweh your God will put all these curses on your enemies and on those who hate you, those who persecuted you. 8 You will return and obey the voice of Yahweh, and you will do all his commandments that I am commanding you today. 9 Yahweh your God will make you abundant in all the work of your hand, in the fruit of your body, in the fruit of your cattle, and in the fruit of your ground, for prosperity; for Yahweh will again rejoice over you for prosperity, as he rejoiced over your fathers. 10 He will do this if you will obey the voice of Yahweh your God, so as to keep his commandments and regulations that are written in this book of the law, if you turn to Yahweh your God with all your heart and all your soul.

11 For this commandment that I am commanding you today is not too hard for you, neither is it too far for you to reach. 12 It is not in heaven, so that you should have to say, 'Who will go up for us to heaven and bring it down to us and make us able to hear it, so that we may do it?' 13 Neither is it beyond the sea, so that you should have to say, 'Who will go over the sea for us and bring it to us and make us to hear it, so that we may do it?' 14 But the word is very near to you, in your mouth and your heart, so that you may do it.

15 See, today I have placed before you life and good, death and evil. 16 If you obey the decrees of Yahweh your God, in which I am commanding you today to love Yahweh your God, to walk in his ways, and to keep his commandments, his regulations, and his statutes, you will live and multiply, and Yahweh your God will bless you in the land that you are entering to possess. 17 But if your heart turns away, and you do not listen but instead are drawn away and bow down to other gods and worship them, 18 then I announce to you today that you will surely perish; you will not prolong your days in the land that you are passing over the Jordan to go into and possess. 19 I call heaven and earth to witness against you today that I have set before you life and death, the blessings and the curses; therefore choose life so that you may live, you and your descendants. 20 Do this so as to love Yahweh your God, to obey his voice, and to cling to him. For he is your life and the length of your days; do this so that you may live in the land that Yahweh swore to your ancestors, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them.”

31

1 Moses went and spoke these words to all Israel. 2 He said to them, “I am now one hundred twenty years old; I can no more go out and come in; Yahweh has said to me, 'You will not go over this Jordan.' 3 Yahweh your God, he will go over before you; he will destroy these nations from before you, and you will dispossess them. Joshua, he will go over before you, as Yahweh has spoken. 4 Yahweh will do to them as he did to Sihon and to Og, the kings of the Amorites, and to their land, which he destroyed. 5 Yahweh will give you victory over them when you meet them in battle, and you will do to them all that I commanded you. 6 Be strong and of good courage, fear not, and do not be afraid of them; for Yahweh your God, he it is who goes with you; he will not fail you nor forsake you.” 7 Moses called to Joshua and said to him in the sight of all Israel, “Be strong and of good courage, for you will go with this people into the land that Yahweh has sworn to their ancestors to give them; you will cause them to inherit it. 8 Yahweh, he it is who goes before you; he will be with you; he will not fail you nor abandon you; do not be afraid, do not be discouraged.”

9 Moses wrote this law and gave it out to the priests, the sons of Levi, who carried the ark of the covenant of Yahweh; he also gave copies of it to all the elders of Israel. 10 Moses commanded them and said, “At the end of every seven years, at the time fixed for the cancellation of debts, during the Festival of Shelters, 11 when all Israel has come to appear before Yahweh your God in the place that he will choose for his sanctuary, you will read this law before all Israel in their hearing. 12 Assemble the people, the men, the women, and the little ones, and your foreigner who is within your city gates, so that they may hear and learn, and so that they may honor Yahweh your God and keep all the words of this law. 13 Do this so that their children, who have not known, may hear and learn to honor Yahweh your God, as long as you live in the land that you are going over the Jordan to possess.”

14 Yahweh said to Moses, “Look, the day is coming when you must die; call Joshua and present yourselves in the tent of meeting, so that I may give him a command.” Moses and Joshua went and presented themselves in the tent of meeting. 15 Yahweh appeared in the tent in a pillar of cloud; the pillar of cloud stood over the door of the tent. 16 Yahweh said to Moses, “Look, you will sleep with your fathers; this people will rise up and act like a prostitute going after the strange gods that are among them in the land where they are going. They will forsake me and break my covenant that I have made with them. 17 Then, on that day, my anger will be kindled against them and I will abandon them. I will hide my face from them and they will be devoured. Many disasters and troubles will find them so that they will say on that day, 'Have these disasters not come upon us because our God is not in our midst?' 18 I will surely hide my face from them on that day because of all the evil that they will have done, because they has turned to other gods. 19 Now therefore write this song for yourselves and teach it to the people of Israel. Put it in their mouths, so that this song may be a witness for me against the people of Israel. 20 For when I will have brought them into the land that I swore to give to their ancestors, a land flowing with milk and honey, and when they have eaten and become satisfied and fat, then they will turn to other gods and they will serve them and they will despise me and they will break my covenant. 21 When many evils and troubles come upon this people, this song will testify before them as a witness (for it will not be forgotten from the mouths of their descendants). For I know the plans that they are forming today, even before I have brought them into the land that I promised them.” 22 So Moses wrote this song the same day and taught it to the people of Israel. 23 Yahweh gave Joshua son of Nun a command and said, “Be strong and of good courage; for you will bring the people of Israel into the land that I swore to them, and I will be with you.”

24 It happened that when Moses had finished writing the words of this law in a book, 25 that he commanded the Levites who carried the ark of the covenant of Yahweh, and he said, 26 “Take this book of the law and put it by the side of the ark of the covenant of Yahweh your God, so that it may be there as a witness against you. 27 For I know your rebellion and your stiff neck; look, while I am still alive with you even today, you have been rebellious against Yahweh; how much more after my death? 28 Assemble to me all the elders of your tribes, and your officers, so that I may speak these words in their ears and call heaven and earth to witness against them. 29 For I know that after my death you will utterly corrupt yourselves and turn aside out of the path that I have commanded you; disaster will come on you in the following days. This will happen because you will do what is evil in the sight of Yahweh, so as to provoke him to anger through the work of your hands.”

30 Moses recited in the ears of all the assembly of Israel the words of this song until they were finished.

32

1 Give ear, you heavens, and let me speak.

Let the earth listen to the words of my mouth.

2 Let my teaching drop down like the rain,

let my speech distill like the dew,

like the gentle rain on the tender grass,

and like the showers on the plants.

3 For I will proclaim the name of Yahweh,

and ascribe greatness to our God.

4 The Rock, his work is perfect;

for all his paths are just.

He is the faithful God, without iniquity.

He is just and upright.

5 They have acted corruptly against him.

They are not his children. It is their disgrace.

They are a perverted and crooked generation.

6 Do you reward Yahweh in this way,

you foolish and senseless people?

Is he not your father, the one who has created you?

He made you and established you.

7 Call to mind the days of ancient times,

think about the years of many ages past.

Ask your father and he will show you,

your elders and they will tell you.

8 When the Most High gave the nations their inheritance—

when he divided all of mankind,

and he set the boundaries of the peoples,

as he also fixed the number of their gods.

9 For Yahweh's portion is his people;

Jacob is his apportioned inheritance.

10 He found him in a desert land,

and in the barren and howling wilderness;

he shielded him and cared for him,

he guarded him as the apple of his eye.

11 As an eagle that guards her nest

and flutters over her young,

Yahweh spread out his wings and took them,

and carried them on his pinions.

12 Yahweh alone led him;

no foreign god was with him.

13 He made him ride on high places of the land,

and he fed him the fruits of the field;

he nourished him with honey from the rock,

and oil from the flinty crag.

14 He ate butter from the herd and drank milk from the flock,

with fat of lambs,

rams of Bashan and goats,

with the finest of the wheat—

and you drank foaming wine made from the juice of grapes.

15 But Jeshurun grew fat and kicked—

you grew fat, you were too fat, and you had eaten your fill—

he abandoned the God who made him,

and he rejected the Rock of his salvation.

16 They made Yahweh jealous by their strange gods;

with their abominations they angered him.

17 They sacrificed to demons, which are not God—

gods they had not known,

gods that recently appeared,

gods your fathers did not fear.

18 You have deserted the Rock, who became your father,

and you forgot the God who gave you birth.

19 Yahweh saw this and he rejected them,

because his sons and his daughters provoked him so.

20 “I will hide my face from them,” he said,

“and I will see what their end will be;

for they are a perverse generation,

children who are unfaithful.

21 They have made me jealous by what is not god

and angered me by their worthless things.

I will make them envious by those who are not a people;

by a foolish nation I will make them angry.

22 For a fire is kindled by my anger

and is burning to the lowest Sheol;

it is devouring the earth and its harvest;

it is setting on fire the foundations of the mountains.

23 I will heap disasters on them;

I will shoot all my arrows at them;

24 They will be wasted by hunger and devoured by burning heat

and bitter destruction;

I will send on them the teeth of wild animals,

with the poison of things that crawl in the dust.

25 Outside the sword will bereave,

and in the bedrooms terror will do so.

It will destroy both young man and virgin,

the nursing baby, and the man of gray hairs.

26 I said that I would scatter them far away,

that I would make the memory of them to cease from among mankind.

27 Were it not that I feared the provocation of the enemy,

and that their enemies would judge mistakenly,

and that they would say, 'Our hand is exalted,'

I would have done all this.

28 For Israel is a nation devoid of wisdom,

and there is no understanding in them.

29 Oh, that they were wise, that they understood this,

that they would consider their coming fate!

30 How could one chase a thousand,

and two put ten thousand to flight,

unless their Rock had sold them,

and Yahweh had given them up?

31 For our enemies' rock is not like our Rock,

just as even our enemies admit.

32 For their vine comes from the vine of Sodom,

and from the fields of Gomorrah;

their grapes are grapes of poison;

their clusters are bitter.

33 Their wine is the poison of serpents

and the cruel venom of asps.

34 Is not this plan secretly kept by me,

sealed up among my treasures?

35 Vengeance is mine to give, and recompense,

at the time when their foot slips;

for the day of disaster for them is near,

and the things that are to come on them will hurry to happen.”

36 For Yahweh will give justice to his people,

and he will pity his servants.

He will see that their power is gone,

and no one remains, either slaves or free people.

37 Then he will say, “Where are their gods,

the rock in whom they took refuge?—

38 The gods who ate the fat of their sacrifices

and drank the wine of their drink offerings?

Let them rise up and help you;

let them be your protection.

39 See now that I, even I, am God,

and that there is no god besides me;

I kill, and I make alive;

I wound, and I heal,

and there is no one who can save you from my might.

40 For I lift up my hand to heaven

and say, 'As I live forever, I will act.

41 When I sharpen my glittering sword,

and when my hand begins to bring justice,

I will render vengeance on my enemies,

and I will pay back those who hate me.

42 I will make my arrows drunk with blood,

and my sword will devour flesh

with the blood of the killed and the captives,

and from the heads of the leaders of the enemy.'”

43 Rejoice, you nations, with God's people,

for he will avenge the blood of his servants;

he will render vengeance on his enemies,

and he will make atonement for his land, for his people.

44 Moses came and recited all the words of this song in the ears of the people, he, and Joshua son of Nun. 45 Then Moses finished reciting all these words to all Israel. 46 He said to them, “Fix your mind on all the words that I have witnessed to you today, so that you may command your children to keep them, all the words of this law. 47 For this is no trivial matter for you, because it is your life, and through this thing you will prolong your days in the land that you are going over the Jordan to possess.”

48 Yahweh spoke to Moses on that same day and said, 49 “Go up into this range of the mountains of Abarim, up Mount Nebo, which is in the land of Moab, opposite Jericho. You will look at the land of Canaan, which I am giving to the people of Israel as their possession. 50 You will die on the mountain that you go up, and you will be gathered to your people, as Aaron your fellow Israelite died on Mount Hor and was gathered to his people. 51 This will happen because you were unfaithful to me among the people of Israel at the waters of Meribah in Kadesh, in the wilderness of Zin; because you did not treat me with honor and respect among the people of Israel. 52 For you will see the land before you, but you will not go there, into the land that I am giving to the people of Israel.”

33

1 This is the blessing with which Moses the man of God blessed the people of Israel before his death. 2 He said:

Yahweh came from Sinai

and rose from Seir upon them.

He shined out from Mount Paran,

and he came with ten thousands of holy ones.

In his right hand were flashes of lightning.

3 Indeed, he loves the peoples;

all his holy ones are in your hand,

and they bowed down at your feet;

they received your words.

4 Moses commanded us a law,

an inheritance for the assembly of Jacob.

5 Then there was a king in Jeshurun,

when the heads of the people had gathered,

all the tribes of Israel together.

6 Let Reuben live and not die,

but may his men be few.

7 This is the blessing for Judah. Moses said:

Listen, Yahweh, to the voice of Judah,

and bring him to his people again.

Fight for him;

be a help against his enemies.

8 About Levi, Moses said:

Your Thummim and your Urim belong your loyal one,

the one whom you tested at Massah,

with whom you struggled at the waters of Meribah.

9 The man who said about his father and mother, “I have not seen them.”

Neither did he acknowledge his brothers,

nor did he take account of his own children.

For he guarded your word

and kept your covenant.

10 He teaches Jacob your decrees

and Israel your law.

He will put incense before you

and whole burnt offerings on your altar.

11 Bless, Yahweh, his possessions,

and accept the work of his hands.

Shatter the loins of those who rise up against him,

and those of the people who hate him, so that they do not rise up again.

12 About Benjamin, Moses said:

The one loved by Yahweh lives in security beside him;

Yahweh shields him all the day long,

and he lives between Yahweh's arms.

13 About Joseph, Moses said:

May his land be blessed by Yahweh

with the precious things of heaven, with the dew,

and with the deep that lies beneath.

14 May his land be blessed with the precious things of the harvest of the sun,

with the precious things of the produce of the months,

15 with the finest things of the ancient mountains,

and with the precious things of the everlasting hills.

16 May his land be blessed with the precious things of the earth and its abundance,

and with the good will of him who was in the bush.

Let the blessing come on the head of Joseph,

and on the top of the head of him who was prince over his brothers.

17 The firstborn of an ox, majestic is he,

and his horns are the horns of a wild ox.

With them he will push the peoples, all of them, to the ends of the earth.

These are the ten thousands of Ephraim;

these are the thousands of Manasseh.

18 About Zebulun, Moses said:

Rejoice, Zebulun, in your going out,

and you, Issachar, in your tents.

19 They will call the peoples to the mountains.

There will they offer sacrifices of righteousness.

For they will suck the abundance of the seas,

and from the sand on the seashore.

20 About Gad, Moses said:

Blessed be he who enlarges Gad.

He will live there like a lioness,

and he will tear off an arm or a head.

21 He provided the best part for himself,

for there was the leader's portion of land reserved.

He came with the heads of the people.

He carried out the justice of Yahweh

and his decrees with Israel.

22 About Dan, Moses said:

Dan is a lion cub

that leaps out from Bashan.

23 About Naphtali, Moses said:

Naphtali, satisfied with favor,

and full of the blessing of Yahweh,

take possession of the land to the west and south.

24 About Asher, Moses said:

Blessed be Asher more than the other sons;

let him be acceptable to his brothers,

and let him dip his foot in olive oil.

25 May your city bars be iron and bronze;

as long as will be your days, so long will your security be.

26 There is no one like God, Jeshurun—the upright one,

who rides through the heavens to your help,

and in his majesty on the clouds.

27 The eternal God is a refuge,

and underneath are the everlasting arms.

He thrust out the enemy from before you,

and he said, “Destroy!”

28 Israel dwelt in safety.

Jacob's spring was secure

in a land of grain and new wine;

indeed, let his heavens drop dew on him.

29 Your blessings are many, Israel!

Who is like you, a people saved by Yahweh,

the shield of your help,

and the sword of your majesty?

Your enemies will come trembling to you;

you will trample down their high places.

34

1 Moses went up from the plains of Moab to Mount Nebo, to the top of Pisgah, which is opposite Jericho. There Yahweh showed him all the land of Gilead as far as Dan, 2 and all Naphtali, and the land of Ephraim and Manasseh, and all the land of Judah, to the western sea, 3 and the Negev, and the plain of the Valley of Jericho, the City of Palms, as far as Zoar. 4 Yahweh said to him, “This is the land that I swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, saying, 'I will give it to your descendants.' I have allowed you to look at it with your eyes, but you will not go over there.” 5 So Moses the servant of Yahweh, died there in the land of Moab, as the word of Yahweh promised. 6 Yahweh buried him in the valley in the land of Moab opposite Beth Peor, but no one knows where his grave is to this day. 7 Moses was one hundred twenty years old when he died; his eye was not dim, nor his natural force abated. 8 The people of Israel mourned for Moses in the plains of Moab for thirty days, and then the days of mourning for Moses were finished.

9 Joshua son of Nun was full of the spirit of wisdom, for Moses had laid his hands on him. The people of Israel listened to him and did what Yahweh had commanded Moses. 10 There has not arisen a prophet since in Israel like Moses, whom Yahweh knew face to face. 11 There has never been any prophet like him in all the signs and wonders that Yahweh sent him to do in the land of Egypt, to Pharaoh, and to all his servants, and to all his land. 12 There has never been any prophet like him in all the great, fearsome deeds that Moses did in the sight of all Israel.

Joshua

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Joshua

1

1 Now it came about after the death of Moses the servant of Yahweh, that Yahweh spoke to Joshua the son of Nun, Moses' chief assistant, saying, 2 “Moses, my servant, is dead. Now therefore, arise, cross over this Jordan, you and all this people, into the land that I am giving to them—to the people of Israel. 3 I have given you every place where the sole of your foot will walk. I have given it to you, just as I promised to Moses. 4 From the wilderness and Lebanon, as far as the great river, the Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and to the Great Sea, where the sun goes down, will be your land. 5 No one will be able to stand before you all the days of your life. I will be with you as I was with Moses. I will not abandon you or leave you. 6 Be strong and courageous. You will cause this people to inherit the land that I promised their ancestors I would give to them. 7 Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses commanded you. Do not turn from it to the right or to the left, so that you may be successful wherever you go. 8 You will always speak about this book of the law. You will meditate on it day and night so that you can obey all that is written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. 9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid. Do not be discouraged. Yahweh your God is with you wherever you go.”

10 Then Joshua commanded the leaders of the people, 11 “Go through the camp and command the people, 'Prepare provisions for yourselves. In three days you will cross over this Jordan and go in and possess the land that Yahweh your God is giving you to possess.'”

12 To the Reubenites, the Gadites and the half tribe of Manasseh, Joshua said, 13 “Call to mind the word that Moses the servant of Yahweh, commanded you when he said, 'Yahweh your God is giving you rest, and he is giving you this land.' 14 Your wives, your little ones, and your livestock will stay in the land that Moses gave you beyond the Jordan. But your fighting men will go over with your brothers and help them 15 until Yahweh has given your brothers rest just as he has given it to you. Then they also will take possession of the land Yahweh your God gives them. Then you will return to your own land and possess it, the land that Moses the servant of Yahweh gave you beyond the Jordan, where the sun rises.” 16 Then they answered Joshua, saying, “All that you have commanded us we will do, and wherever you send us we will go. 17 We will obey you just as we obeyed Moses. Only may Yahweh your God be with you, as he was with Moses. 18 Whoever rebels against your commands and disobeys your words will be put to death. Only be strong and courageous.”

2

1 Then Joshua son of Nun secretly sent two men out from Shittim as spies. He said, “Go, look over the land, especially Jericho.” They went away and came to the house of a prostitute whose name was Rahab, and they lodged there. 2 It was told to the king of Jericho, “Look, men of Israel have come here to spy on the land.” 3 The king of Jericho sent word to Rahab and said, “Bring out the men who have come to you who entered your house, for they have come to spy on the whole land.” 4 But the woman had taken the two men and hidden them. She replied, “Yes, the men came to me, but I did not know where they were from. 5 They left when it was dusk, when it was time for the city gate to shut. I do not know where they went. You will probably catch them if you hurry after them.” 6 But she had taken them up to the roof and hidden them with the stalks of flax that she had laid out on the roof. 7 So the men pursued them on the road that leads to the fords of the Jordan. The gate was shut as soon as the pursuers went out.

8 The men had not yet lain down for the night, when she came up to them on the roof. 9 She said, “I know that Yahweh has given you the land and that the fear of you has come upon us. All those who live in the land will melt away before you. 10 We have heard how Yahweh dried up the water of the Sea of Reeds for you when you came out of Egypt. We also heard what you did to the two kings of the Amorites on other side of the Jordan—Sihon and Og—whom you completely destroyed. 11 As soon as we had heard it, our hearts melted and there was no courage left in anyone—for Yahweh your God, he is God in heaven above and on the earth below. 12 Now then, please swear to me by Yahweh that, just as I have been kind to you, you will also deal kindly with my father's house. Give me a sure sign 13 that you will spare the lives of my father, mother, brothers, sisters and all their families, and that you will save us from death.” 14 The men said to her, “Our life for yours, even to death! If you do not speak about our business, then, when Yahweh gives us this land we will be merciful and faithful to you.”

15 So she let them down out through the window using a rope. The house in which she lived was built into the wall of the city. 16 She said to them, “Go in the hills and hide or the pursuers will find you. Hide there for three days until the pursuers have returned. Then go on your way.” 17 The men said to her, “We will be not be bound to the promises of the oath you made us swear to, if you do not do this. 18 When we come into the land, you must tie this scarlet rope in the window through which you let us down, and you will gather into the house your father and mother, your brothers and all your father's household. 19 Whoever goes out of the doors of your house into the street, their blood will be upon their own heads and we will be guiltless. But if a hand is laid upon any who is with you in the house, his blood will be on our head. 20 But if you speak about our business, we will be free from the oath you made us swear.” 21 Rahab replied, “May what you say be done.” She sent them away and they left. Then she tied the scarlet rope in the window.

22 They left and went up into the hills and they stayed there three days until their pursuers returned. The pursuers searched all along the road and found nothing. 23 The two men returned and crossed over and came back to Joshua son of Nun, and they told him everything that had happened to them. 24 They said to Joshua, “Truly Yahweh has given this land to us. All the inhabitants of the land are melting away because of us.”

3

1 Joshua got up early in the morning, and they set out from Shittim. They came to the Jordan, he and all the people of Israel, and they camped there before they crossed over. 2 After three days, the officers went through the middle of the camp; 3 they commanded the people, “When you see the ark of the covenant of Yahweh your God, and the priests from the Levites carrying it, you must leave this place and follow it. 4 There must be a distance between you and it of about two thousand cubits. Do not come close to it, so that you can see which way to go, since you have not gone this way before.” 5 Joshua said to the people, “Consecrate yourselves tomorrow, for Yahweh will do wonders among you.” 6 Then Joshua said to the priests, “Take up the ark of the covenant, and pass in front of the people.” So they picked up the ark of the covenant and went in front of people.

7 Yahweh said to Joshua, “This day I will make you a great man in the eyes of all Israel. They will know that as I was with Moses, I will be with you. 8 You will command the priests who carry the ark of the covenant, 'When you have come to the edge of the waters of the Jordan, you must stand still in the Jordan River.'” 9 Then Joshua said to the people of Israel, “Come here, and listen to the words of Yahweh your God. 10 By this you will know that the living God is among you and will drive out from before you the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Hivites, the Perizzites, the Girgashites, the Amorites, and the Jebusites. 11 Look! The ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth crosses over ahead of you into the Jordan. 12 Now choose twelve men from the tribes of Israel, one man from each. 13 When the soles of the feet of the priests that carry the ark of Yahweh, the Lord of all the earth, touch the waters of the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan will be cut off, and even the waters that flow down from upstream will stop flowing and they will stand in one heap.”

14 So when the people set out to cross over the Jordan, the priests that carried the ark of the covenant went ahead of the people. 15 As soon as those who were carrying the ark had come to the Jordan, and the feet of those who carried the chest were dipped in the edge of the water (now the Jordan overflows all its banks throughout the time of the harvest), 16 the waters that flowed down from upstream stood up in one heap. The water stopped flowing from a great distance. The waters stopped flowing from Adam, the city that is beside Zarethan, all the way down to the sea of the Negev, the Salt Sea. The people crossed over near Jericho. 17 The priests that carried the ark of the covenant of Yahweh stood on dry ground in the middle of the Jordan until all the people of Israel crossed over on dry ground.

4

1 When all the people crossed over the Jordan, Yahweh said to Joshua, 2 “Choose twelve men for yourselves from among the people, one man from each tribe. 3 Give them this command: 'Take up twelve stones from the middle of the Jordan where the priests are standing on the dry ground, and bring them over with you and lay them down in the place where you will spend the night tonight.'” 4 Then Joshua called the twelve men whom he had chosen from the tribes of Israel, one from each tribe. 5 Joshua said to them, “Go over before the ark of Yahweh your God into the middle of the Jordan. Each of you is to take up a stone upon his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of the people of Israel. 6 This will be a sign in your midst for you when your children ask in days to come, 'What do these stones mean to you?' 7 Then you will say to them, 'The waters of the Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of Yahweh. When it passed over the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. So these stones will be a memorial to the people of Israel forever.'”

8 The people of Israel did just as Joshua commanded, and they picked up twelve stones from the middle of the Jordan, as Yahweh said to Joshua. They set the stones up according to the number of the tribes of the people of Israel. They carried the stones with them, over to the place where they camped and they set them down there. 9 Then Joshua set up twelve stones in the middle of the Jordan River, in the place where the feet of the priests that carried the ark of the covenant stood. The memorial is there to this day. 10 The priests that carried the ark stood in the middle of the Jordan until everything that Yahweh commanded Joshua to tell the people was completed, according to all that Moses had commanded Joshua. The people hurried and they crossed over. 11 When all the people had finished crossing over, the ark of Yahweh and the priests crossed over before the people. 12 The tribe of Reuben, the tribe of Gad, and the half tribe of Manasseh passed before the people of Israel formed up as an army, just as Moses said to them. 13 About forty thousand men equipped for war passed before Yahweh, for battle on the plains of Jericho. 14 On that day Yahweh made Joshua great in the eyes of all Israel. They honored him—just as they honored Moses— all his days.

15 Then Yahweh spoke to Joshua, 16 “Command the priests who carry the ark of the testimony to come up out of the Jordan.” 17 So, Joshua commanded the priests, “Come up out of the Jordan.” 18 When the priests carrying the ark of the covenant of Yahweh came up out of the middle of the Jordan, and the soles of their feet were lifted up out on dry ground, then the waters of the Jordan returned to their place and overflowed its banks, just as they were four days before.

19 The people came up out of the Jordan on the tenth day of the first month. They stayed in Gilgal, east of Jericho. 20 The twelve stones that they took out of the Jordan, Joshua set up in Gilgal. 21 He said to the people of Israel, “When your descendants ask their fathers in times to come, 'What are these stones?' 22 Tell your children, 'This is where Israel crossed over the Jordan on dry ground.' 23 Yahweh your God dried up the waters of the Jordan for you, until you had crossed over, just as Yahweh your God did to the Sea of Reeds, which he dried up for us until we passed over, 24 so that all the peoples of the earth may know that the hand of Yahweh is mighty, and that you will honor Yahweh your God forever.”

5

1 As soon as all the kings of the Amorites on the west side of the Jordan, and all the kings of the Canaanites, who were along the coast of the Great Sea, heard that Yahweh had dried up the waters of the Jordan until the people of Israel had crossed over, their hearts melted, and there was no longer any spirit in them because of the people of Israel. *

2 At that time Yahweh said to Joshua, “Make flint knives and once more circumcise all the males of Israel.” 3 Then Joshua made himself flint knives and he circumcised all the males of Israel at Gibeath Haaraloth. 4 This is the reason Joshua circumcised them: All the males who had come out of Egypt, including all the men of war, had died in the wilderness along the way, after they came out from Egypt. 5 Though all the males who came out of Egypt were circumcised, still, none of the boys born in the wilderness on the way out of Egypt had been circumcised. 6 For the people of Israel walked forty years in the wilderness until all the people, that is, all the men of war who had come out of Egypt, died, because they did not obey the voice of Yahweh. Yahweh swore to them that he would not let them see the land that he had sworn to their ancestors that he would give to us, a land flowing with milk and honey. 7 It was their children that Yahweh raised up in their place that Joshua circumcised, because they had not been circumcised on the way. 8 When they were all circumcised, they remained where they were in the camp until they healed. 9 Then Yahweh said to Joshua, “This day I have rolled away the disgrace of Egypt from you.” So, the name of that place has been called Gilgal until this present day.

10 The people of Israel camped at Gilgal. They kept the Passover on the fourteenth day of the month, in the evening, on the plains of Jericho. 11 On the day after Passover, that same day, they ate some of the produce of the land on the day, unleavened bread and roasted grain. 12 The manna stopped on the day after they ate the produce of the land. There was no longer manna for the people of Israel, but they ate the produce of the land of Canaan that year.

13 When Joshua was near Jericho, he lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, a man was standing in front of him; he had drawn his sword and it was in his hand. Joshua went to him and said, “Are you for us or for our enemies?” 14 He said, “Neither. For I am the commander of the army of Yahweh. Now I have come.” Then Joshua lay facedown on the ground to worship and said to him, “What does my master say to his servant?” 15 The commander of Yahweh's army said to Joshua, “Take off your sandals from your feet, because the place you are standing is holy.” That is what Joshua did.

6

1 Now all the entrances to Jericho were closed because of the army of Israel. No one went out and no one came in. 2 Yahweh said to Joshua, “See, I have delivered Jericho into your hand, its king, and its trained soldiers. 3 You must march around the city, all the men of war going around the city one time. You must do this for six days. 4 Seven priests must carry seven trumpets of rams' horns before the ark. On the seventh day, you must march around the city seven times, and the priests must sound blasts on the trumpets. 5 Then they must sound a long blast with the ram's horn, and when you hear the sound of the trumpet all the people must shout with a great shout, and the wall of the city will fall down flat. The soldiers must attack, each one going straight ahead.” 6 Then Joshua son of Nun called the priests and said to them, “Take up the ark of the covenant, and let seven priests carry seven trumpets of rams' horns in front of the ark of Yahweh.” 7 He said to the people, “Go over and march around the city, and the armed men will go ahead of the ark of Yahweh.”

8 Just as Joshua had said to the people, the seven priests carried the seven trumpets of rams' horns before Yahweh. As they advanced, they gave a blast on the trumpets. The ark of the covenant of Yahweh followed after them. 9 Armed men walked before the priests, and they made a blast on their trumpets, but then the rear guard walked up behind the ark, and the priests blew their trumpets continually. 10 But Joshua commanded the people, saying, “Do not shout. No sound must leave your mouths until the day I tell you to shout. Only then you must shout.” 11 So he caused the ark of Yahweh to go around the city one time that day. Then they entered their camp, and they stayed the night in the camp.

12 Then Joshua got up early in the morning, and the priests picked up the ark of Yahweh. 13 The seven priests, who were carrying the seven trumpets of rams' horns in front of the ark of Yahweh, walked steadily and gave blasts on the trumpets. Armed soldiers were walking in front of them. But when the rear guard walked after the ark of Yahweh, then the trumpets gave out continual blasts. 14 They marched around the city one time the second day and returned to the camp. They did this for six days.

15 It was on the seventh day that they got up early at daybreak, and they marched around the city in the same way that was their pattern, this time for seven times. It was on this day that they marched around the city seven times. 16 It was on the seventh day, when the priests gave a blast with the trumpets, that Joshua commanded the people, “Shout! For Yahweh has given you the city. 17 The city and all that is in it will be set apart to Yahweh for destruction. Only Rahab the prostitute will live—she and all the ones with her in her house—because she hid the men we sent. 18 But as for you, be on guard about taking the things set apart for destruction, so that after you mark them for destruction, you do not then take any of them. If you do this, you will make the camp of Israel something that must be destroyed and you will bring trouble on it. 19 All the silver, gold, and the things made of bronze and iron are set apart to Yahweh. They must go into the treasury of Yahweh.” 20 When they gave blasts with the trumpets, the people gave a great shout and the wall fell down flat, so every man charged straight in and captured the city. 21 They completely destroyed all that was in the city by the edge of the sword—man and woman, young and old, oxen, sheep and donkeys.

22 Then Joshua said to the two men who had spied out the land, “Go into the prostitute's house. Bring out the woman and all who are with her, as you swore to her.” 23 So the young men who had been spies went in and brought Rahab out. They brought out her father, mother, brothers, and all the relatives that were with her. They brought them to a place outside the camp of Israel. 24 They burned the city and everything in it. Only the silver, gold, and the vessels of bronze and iron were put into the treasury of the house of Yahweh. 25 But Joshua allowed Rahab the prostitute, her father's household, and all that were with her to live. She lives in Israel to this day because she hid the men whom Joshua sent to spy on Jericho. 26 Then Joshua commanded them at that time with an oath, and he said, “Cursed is the man in Yahweh's sight who rebuilds this city, Jericho. At the cost of his firstborn son, he will lay the foundation, and at the cost of his youngest son, he will set up its gates.” 27 So Yahweh was with Joshua, and his fame spread throughout the land.

7

1 But the people of Israel acted unfaithfully regarding the things that were set apart for destruction. Achan son of Karmi son of Zabdi son of Zerah, from the tribe of Judah, took some things that were set apart for destruction, and Yahweh's anger burned against the people of Israel.

2 Joshua sent men from Jericho to Ai, which was near Beth Aven, east of Bethel. He said to them, “Go up and spy out the land.” So the men went up and spied out Ai. 3 When they returned to Joshua, they said to him, “Do not send all the people up to Ai. Send only two or three thousand men to go up and attack Ai. Do not make all the people labor in battle, for they are few in number.” 4 So only about three thousand men went up from the army, but these ran away from the men of Ai. 5 The men of Ai killed about thirty-six men as they pursued them from the city gate as far as to the stone quarries, and they killed them as they were going down a hill. The hearts of the people melted and became like water.

6 Then Joshua tore his garments. He and the elders of Israel put dust on their heads and lay facedown on the ground in front of the ark of Yahweh, remaining there until evening. 7 Then Joshua said, “Ah, Yahweh Lord, why have you brought this people across the Jordan at all? To give us into the hands of the Amorites to destroy us? If only we made a different decision and we had stayed on the other side of the Jordan! 8 Lord, what can I say, after Israel has turned their backs before their enemies? 9 For the Canaanites and all the inhabitants of the land will hear of it. They will surround us and make the people of the earth forget our name. What will you do for your great name?”

10 Yahweh said to Joshua, “Get up! Why are you lying there on your face? 11 Israel has sinned. They have broken my covenant which I commanded them. They have stolen some of the things that were set apart. They have stolen and then also hidden their sin by putting what they have taken among their own belongings. 12 As a result, the people of Israel cannot stand before their enemies. They turned their backs from their enemies because they themselves have been set apart for destruction. I will not be with you any more unless you destroy the things that should have been destroyed, but are still among you. 13 Get up! Consecrate the people to me and say to them, 'Consecrate yourselves for tomorrow. For Yahweh, the God of Israel says, “There are things set apart to be destroyed that are still among you, Israel. You cannot stand against your enemies until you remove from among you all the things that were set apart to be destroyed.” 14 In the morning, you must present yourselves by your tribes. The tribe that Yahweh selects will come near by their clans. The clan that Yahweh selects must come near by each household. The household that Yahweh selects must come near one by one. 15 It will happen that the one who is selected and who has those things that were set apart for destruction, he will be burned, he and all he has, because he has broken the covenant of Yahweh and because he has done a disgraceful thing in Israel.'”

16 So, Joshua got up early in the morning and brought Israel near, tribe by tribe, and the tribe of Judah was selected. 17 Joshua brought the clans of Judah near, and the clan of the Zerahites was selected. He brought near the clan of the Zerahites person by person, and Zabdi was selected. 18 He brought Zabdi's household near, person by person, and Achan son of Karmi, son of Zabdi, son of Zerah, from the tribe of Judah, was selected. 19 Then Joshua said to Achan, “My son, tell the truth before Yahweh, the God of Israel, and give your confession to him. Please tell me what you have done. Do not hide it from me.” 20 Achan answered Joshua, “Truly, I have sinned against Yahweh, the God of Israel. This is what I did: 21 When I saw among the plunder a beautiful coat from Babylon, two hundred shekels of silver, and a bar of gold weighing fifty shekels, I desired them and took them. They are hidden in the ground in the middle of my tent, and the silver is under it.”

22 Joshua sent messengers, who ran to the tent and there were the things. When they looked, they found them hidden in his own tent, and the silver under them. 23 They took the items from the middle of the tent and brought them to Joshua and to all the people of Israel. They poured them out before Yahweh. 24 Then Joshua, and all Israel with him, took Achan son of Zerah, and the silver, the coat, the bar of gold, his sons and daughters, his oxen, his donkeys, his sheep, his tent, and all that he had, and they brought them up to the Valley of Achor. 25 Then Joshua said, “Why have you troubled us? Yahweh will trouble you today.” All Israel stoned him with stones. Then they stoned the rest with stones and burned them with fire. 26 They set up over him a great heap of stones that is here until this day. Yahweh turned away his burning anger. Therefore the name of the place is the Valley of Achor until this present day.

8

1 Yahweh said to Joshua, “Do not fear; do not be discouraged. Take with you all the people of war. Go up to Ai. See, I have given into your hand the king of Ai, his people, his city, and his land. 2 You will do to Ai and her king as you have done to Jericho and her king, except that you will take the plunder and the cattle for yourselves. Set an ambush behind the city.”

3 So Joshua got up and took all the men of war up to Ai. Then Joshua chose thirty thousand men—strong, courageous men—and he sent them out at night. 4 He commanded them, “Look, you will lie in ambush against the city, behind it. Do not go very far from the city, but all of you be ready. 5 I and all the men with me will approach the city, and when they come out to attack us, we will run away from them just as before. 6 They will come out after us until we have drawn them away from the city. They will say, 'They are running away from us as they did the last time.' So we will run away from them. 7 Then you come up out of your place of hiding, and you will capture the city. Yahweh your God will give it into your hand. 8 When you capture the city, you will set it on fire. You will do this when you obey the command given in the word of Yahweh. See, I have commanded you.” 9 Joshua sent them out, and they went to the place of ambush, and they hid between Bethel and Ai to the west of Ai. But Joshua slept that night among the people.

10 Joshua got up early in the morning and got his soldiers ready, Joshua and the elders of Israel, and they attacked the people of Ai. 11 All the fighting men who were with him went up and approached the city. They came near the city and camped on the north side of Ai. Now there was a valley between them and Ai. 12 He took about five thousand men and set them in ambush on the west side of the city between Bethel and Ai. 13 They positioned all the soldiers, the main army on the north side of the city, and the rear guard on the west side of the city. Joshua spent that night in the valley. 14 It came about when the king of Ai saw it, he and his army got up early and rushed out to attack Israel at a certain place that was overlooking the Jordan River valley. He did not know that an ambush was waiting to attack from behind the city. 15 Joshua and all Israel let themselves be defeated before them, and they fled toward the wilderness. 16 All the people who were in the city were called together to go after them, and they went after Joshua and they were drawn away from the city. 17 There was not a man left in Ai and Bethel who had not gone out to pursue Israel. They abandoned the city and left it open as they pursued Israel.

18 Yahweh said to Joshua, “Point that spear in your hand toward Ai, for I will give Ai into your hand.” Joshua held out the spear that was in his hand toward the city. 19 The soldiers hiding in ambush quickly rushed out of their place as he reached out with his hand. They ran and entered the city and captured it. They quickly set the city on fire. 20 The men of Ai turned and looked back. They saw the smoke from the city rising into the sky, and they could not escape this way or that. For the Israelite soldiers who had fled into the wilderness now turned back to face those who were pursuing them. 21 When Joshua and all Israel saw the ambush had captured the city with the smoke rising, they turned around and killed the men of Ai. 22 The other soldiers of Israel, those who had gone in the city, came out to attack them. So the men of Ai were caught between the armies of Israel, some on this side and some on that side. Israel attacked the men of Ai; none of them survived or escaped. 23 They kept the king of Ai, whom they captured alive, and they brought him to Joshua.

24 It came about when Israel had finished killing all the inhabitants of Ai in the field near the wilderness where they pursued them, and when all of them, to the very last one, had fallen by the edge of the sword, all Israel returned to Ai. They attacked it with the edge of the sword. 25 All those who fell that day, both men and women, were twelve thousand, all the people of Ai. 26 Joshua did not draw back his hand with which he had reached out while holding his spear, until he had completely destroyed all the people of Ai. 27 Israel took only the livestock and the plunder from the city for themselves, just as Yahweh had commanded Joshua. 28 Joshua burned Ai and turned it into a heap of ruins forever. It is an abandoned place to this day. 29 He hanged the king of Ai on a tree until evening. When the sun was going down, Joshua gave the command and they took the king's body down from the tree and threw it in front of the city gates. There they set up a great heap of stones on top of it. That heap remains there to this day.

30 Then Joshua built an altar to Yahweh, the God of Israel, on Mount Ebal, 31 just as Moses the servant of Yahweh had commanded the people of Israel, as it was written in the Book of the Law of Moses: “An altar from uncut stones, on which no one has wielded an iron tool.” He offered on the altar burnt offerings to Yahweh, and they sacrificed peace offerings. 32 There, in the presence of the people of Israel, he wrote on the stones a copy of the law of Moses. 33 All Israel, their elders, officers, and their judges stood on both sides of the ark before the priests and Levites who carried the ark of the covenant of Yahweh—the foreigner as well as the native born—half of them stood in front of Mount Gerizim and the other half stood in front of Mount Ebal. They blessed the people of Israel, just as Moses the servant of Yahweh had commanded them at first. 34 Afterward, Joshua read all the words of the law, the blessings and the curses, just as they had been written in the book of the law. 35 There was not one word from all that Moses commanded that Joshua did not read in front of the assembly of Israel, including the women, the little children, and the foreigners who lived among them.

9

1 Then all the kings who lived beyond the Jordan in the hill country, and in the lowlands along the shore of the Great Sea toward Lebanon—the Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites, and the Jebusites— 2 these joined together under one command, to wage war against Joshua and Israel.

3 When the inhabitants of Gibeon heard what Joshua had done to Jericho and to Ai, 4 they acted with a cunning plan. They went as messengers. They took worn-out sacks and put them on their donkeys. They also took old wineskins that were worn, torn, and had been repaired. * 5 They put old and patched sandals on their feet, and dressed in old, worn-out clothing. All the bread in their food supply was dry and moldy. 6 Then they went to Joshua in the camp at Gilgal and said to him and to the men of Israel, “We have traveled from a very far country, so now make a covenant with us.” 7 The men of Israel said to the Hivites, “Perhaps you live near us. How can we make a covenant with you?” 8 They said to Joshua, “We are your servants.” Joshua said to them, “Who are you? Where did you come from?” 9 They said to him, “Your servants have come here from a land very far away, because of the name of Yahweh your God. We have heard a report about him and about everything that he did in Egypt— 10 and everything that he did to the two kings of the Amorites on the other side of the Jordan—to Sihon king of Heshbon, and to Og king of Bashan who was at Ashtaroth. 11 Our elders and all the inhabitants of our country said to us, 'Take provisions in your hand for the journey. Go to meet them and say to them, “We are your servants. Make a treaty with us.” 12 This is our bread, it was still warm when we took it from our houses on the day we set out to come to you. But now, see, it is dry and moldy. 13 These wineskins were new when we filled them, and look, now they are leaking. Our garments and our sandals are worn-out from a very long journey.'” 14 So the Israelites took some of their provisions, but they did not consult with Yahweh for guidance. 15 Joshua made peace with them and made a covenant with them, to let them live. The leaders of the people also made a vow to them.

16 Three days after the Israelites made this covenant with them, they learned that they were their neighbors and that they lived nearby. 17 Then the people of Israel set out and came to their cities on the third day. Their cities were Gibeon, Kephirah, Beeroth, and Kiriath Jearim. 18 The people of Israel did not attack them because their leaders had taken an oath about them before Yahweh, the God of Israel. All the Israelites were grumbling against their leaders. 19 But all the leaders said to all the people, “We have taken an oath concerning them by Yahweh, the God of Israel, and now we cannot harm them. 20 This is what we will do to them: To avoid any wrath that may come on us because of the oath we swore to them, we will let them live.” 21 The leaders said to their people, “Let them live.” So, the Gibeonites became cutters of wood and drawers of water for all the Israelites, just as the leaders said about them.

22 Joshua called for them and said, “Why did you deceive us when you said, 'We are very far from you', when you live right here among us? 23 Now, because of this, you are cursed and some of you will always be slaves, those who cut wood and draw water for the house of my God.” 24 They answered Joshua and said, “Because it was told to your servants that Yahweh your God commanded his servant Moses to give you all the land, and to destroy all the inhabitants of the land before you—so we were very afraid for our lives because of you. That is why we did this thing. 25 Now, look, you hold us in your power. Whatever seems good and right for you to do to us, do it.” 26 So Joshua did this for them: He delivered them out of the control of the people of Israel, so that the Israelites did not kill them. 27 That day Joshua made the Gibeonites cutters of wood and drawers of water for the community, and for the altar of Yahweh, to this day, in the place that Yahweh chooses.

10

1 Now when Adoni-Zedek, king of Jerusalem, heard that Joshua had captured Ai and had completely destroyed it (just as he had done to Jericho and its king), he also heard how the people of Gibeon had made peace with Israel and were living among them. 2 The people of Jerusalem were very afraid because Gibeon was a large city, like one of the royal cities. It was larger than Ai, and all its men were mighty warriors. 3 So Adoni-Zedek, king of Jerusalem, sent a message to Hoham, king of Hebron, to Piram, king of Jarmuth, to Japhia, king of Lachish, and to Debir, king of Eglon: 4 “Come up to me and help me. Let us attack Gibeon because they have made peace with Joshua and with the people of Israel.” 5 The five kings of the Amorites, the king of Jerusalem, the king of Hebron, the king of Jarmuth, the king of Lachish, and the king of Eglon came up, they and all their armies. They set up their positions against Gibeon, and they attacked it.

6 The people of Gibeon sent a message to Joshua and to the army at Gilgal. They said, “Hurry! Do not withdraw your hands from your servants. Come up to us quickly and save us. Help us, for all the kings of the Amorites who live in the hill country have gathered together to attack us.” 7 Joshua went up from Gilgal, he and all the men of war with him, and all the fighting men. 8 Yahweh said to Joshua, “Do not be afraid of them. I have given them into your hand. Not one of them will be able to stop your attack.” 9 Joshua came upon them suddenly, having marched all night from Gilgal. 10 Yahweh confused the enemy before Israel, and Israel killed them with a great slaughter at Gibeon and pursued them on the road going up to Beth Horon, and they killed them on the road to Azekah and Makkedah. 11 As they ran away from Israel, down the hill from Beth Horon, Yahweh threw large stones down from heaven upon them all the way to Azekah, and they died. There were more who died because of the hailstones than who were killed with the sword by the men of Israel.

12 Then Joshua spoke to Yahweh on the day Yahweh gave the men of Israel victory over the Amorites. This is what Joshua said to Yahweh before Israel,

“Sun, be still at Gibeon,

and moon, in the Valley of Aijalon.”

13 The sun stood still, and the moon stopped moving

until the nation took vengeance on their enemies.

Is this not written in the Book of Jashar?

The sun stayed in the middle of the sky;

it did not go down for about a whole day.

14 There has been no other day like it before or after it, when Yahweh obeyed the voice of a human being. For Yahweh was waging war on behalf of Israel.

15 Joshua and all Israel with him returned to the camp at Gilgal.

16 Now the five kings had escaped and hidden themselves in the cave at Makkedah. 17 It was told to Joshua, “They have been found!—the five kings hidden in the cave at Makkedah!” 18 Joshua said, “Roll large stones against the mouth of the cave and place soldiers there to guard them. 19 Do not stay yourselves. Pursue your enemies and attack them from the rear. Do not permit them to enter into their cities, because Yahweh your God has given them into your hand.” 20 Joshua and the sons of Israel had finished slaughtering them with a very great slaughter, until they were almost completely destroyed; only a few survivors who escaped reached the fortified cities. 21 Then the whole army returned in peace to Joshua at the camp at Makkedah. No one dared to say one word against any of the people of Israel.

22 Then Joshua said, “Open the mouth of the cave and out of the cave bring to me these five kings.” 23 They did as he said. They brought to him these five kings from the cave—the king of Jerusalem, the king of Hebron, the king of Jarmuth, the king of Lachish, and the king of Eglon. 24 When they brought the kings to Joshua, he summoned every man of Israel. He said to the commanders of the soldiers who had gone into battle with him, “Put your feet on their necks.” So they came up and put their feet on their necks. 25 Then he said to them, “Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed. Be strong and courageous. This is what Yahweh will do to all your enemies you are going to fight.” 26 Then Joshua attacked and killed the kings. He hung them on five trees. They hung on the trees until evening. 27 When it was sunset, Joshua gave orders, and they took them down from the trees and threw them into the cave where they had hidden themselves. They put large stones over the mouth of the cave. Those stones remain there to this very day.

28 In this way, Joshua captured Makkedah on that day and killed everyone there with the sword, including its king. He completely destroyed everyone in it. He left no survivor in it. He did to the king of Makkedah just as he had done to the king of Jericho.

29 Joshua and all Israel passed on from Makkedah to Libnah. He went into battle against Libnah. 30 Yahweh also gave it into the hand of Israel—along with their king. Joshua struck it with the edge of the sword and every person in it. He left no survivor in it. He did to its king just as he had done to the king of Jericho.

31 Then Joshua and all Israel with him passed on from Libnah to Lachish. He camped by it and waged war against it. 32 Yahweh gave Lachish into the hand of Israel. Joshua captured it on the second day and struck it with the edge of the sword, and every person in it, just as he had done to Libnah.

33 Then Horam, king of Gezer, came up to help Lachish. Joshua attacked him and his army until there was not even one survivor left.

34 Then Joshua and all Israel passed on from Lachish to Eglon. They camped by it and waged war against it, 35 and captured it that same day. They struck it with the edge of the sword and they completely destroyed everyone in it, as Joshua had done to Lachish.

36 Then Joshua and all Israel passed on from Eglon to Hebron. They waged war against it. 37 They captured it and struck it with the edge of the sword, and its king and its villages, and everyone in it. They left no survivor it, as they had done to Eglon, they totally destroyed it and every person in it.

38 Then Joshua turned, and all the army of Israel with him, and they passed on to Debir and waged war against it. 39 They captured it, its king and all its nearby villages. They struck them with the edge of the sword and completely destroyed every person in it. They left no survivor. They did to Debir and its king as they had done to Libnah and its king and to Hebron.

40 Joshua conquered all the land, the hill country, the Negev, the lowlands, and the foothills. Of all their kings he left not one survivor. He completely destroyed every living thing, just as Yahweh, the God of Israel, had commanded. 41 Joshua struck them from Kadesh Barnea to Gaza, and all the country of Goshen to Gibeon. 42 Joshua captured all these kings and their land at one time because Yahweh, the God of Israel, fought for Israel. 43 Then Joshua, and all Israel with him, returned to the camp at Gilgal.

11

1 When Jabin, king of Hazor, heard this, he sent a message to Jobab, king of Madon, to the king of Shimron, and to the king of Akshaph. 2 He also sent the message to the kings who were in the northern hill country, in the Jordan River valley south of Kinnereth, in the lowlands, and in Naphoth Dor to the west. 3 He also sent a message to the Canaanites to the east and west, the Amorites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Jebusites in the hill country, and the Hivites by Mount Hermon in the land of Mizpah. 4 All their armies came out with them, a great number of soldiers, in number like the sand on the seashore. They had a great number of horses and chariots. 5 All these kings met at the appointed time, and they camped at the waters of Merom to wage war with Israel.

6 Yahweh said to Joshua, “Do not be afraid in their presence, because tomorrow at this time I am giving them all to Israel as dead men. You will hamstring their horses, and you will burn their chariots.” 7 Joshua and all the men of war came. They arrived suddenly at the waters of Merom, and attacked the enemy. 8 Yahweh gave the enemy into the hand of Israel, and they struck them and pursued them to Sidon, Misrephoth Maim, and to the Valley of Mizpah to the east. They struck them until not even one survivor of them was left. 9 Joshua did to them just as Yahweh told him. He hamstrung the horses and burned the chariots.

10 Joshua turned back at that time and captured Hazor. He struck its king with the sword. (Hazor had been head of all these kingdoms.) 11 They struck with the sword every living creature that was there, and he set them apart to be destroyed, so there was not any living creature left alive. Then he burned Hazor. 12 Joshua captured all the cities of these kings. He also captured all their kings and struck them with the edge of the sword. He completely destroyed them with the edge of the sword, just as Moses the servant of Yahweh had commanded. 13 Israel did not burn any of the cities built on mounds, except Hazor. It alone Joshua burned. 14 The army of Israel took all the plunder from these cities along with the livestock for themselves. They killed every human being with the edge of the sword until all were dead. They left alive no creature that breathed. 15 Just as Yahweh had commanded his servant Moses, in the same way, Moses commanded Joshua, and so Joshua did it. He left nothing undone of all that Yahweh commanded Moses to do.

16 Joshua took all that land, the hill country, all the Negev, all the land of Goshen, the foothills, the Jordan River valley, the hill country of Israel, and the lowlands. 17 From Mount Halak near Edom, and going north as far as Baal Gad in the valley near Lebanon below Mount Hermon, he captured all their kings and killed them. 18 Joshua waged war for a long time with all the kings. 19 Not one city made peace with the army of Israel except the Hivites who lived in Gibeon. Israel captured all the rest of the cities in battle. 20 For it was Yahweh who hardened their hearts so they would wage war against Israel, so that he might completely destroy them without mercy, just as he had instructed Moses.

21 Then Joshua came at that time and he destroyed the Anakim. He did this in the hill country, at Hebron, Debir, Anab, and in all the hill country of Judah, and in all the hill country of Israel. Joshua completely destroyed them and their cities. 22 None of the Anakim were left in the land of Israel except at Gaza, Gath, and Ashdod. 23 So Joshua captured the whole land, just as Yahweh said to Moses. Joshua gave it as an inheritance to Israel, assigned to each of their tribes. Then the land had rest from the wars.

12

1 Now these are the kings of the land, whom the men of Israel conquered. The Israelites took possession of the land on the east side of the Jordan where the sun rises, from the Valley of the Arnon River to Mount Hermon, and all the Arabah to the east.

2 Sihon, king of the Amorites, lived in Heshbon. He ruled from Aroer, which is on the rim of the Arnon Gorge from the middle of the valley, and half of Gilead down to the Jabbok River on the border of the Ammonites.

3 Sihon also ruled over the Arabah to the Sea of Kinnereth, to the east, to the Sea of the Arabah (the Salt Sea) eastward, all the way to Beth Jeshimoth and southward, toward the foot of the slopes of Mount Pisgah.

4 Og, king of Bashan, one of the remnant of the Rephaim, lived in Ashtaroth and Edrei. 5 He ruled over Mount Hermon, Salekah, and all Bashan, to the border of the people of Geshur and the Maacathites, and half of Gilead, to the border of Sihon, king of Heshbon. 6 Moses the servant of Yahweh, and the people of Israel had defeated them, and Moses the servant of Yahweh, gave the land as a possession to the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half tribe of Manasseh.

7 These are the kings of the land whom Joshua and the people of Israel defeated on the west side of the Jordan, from Baal Gad in the valley near Lebanon to Mount Halak near Edom. Joshua gave land to the tribes of Israel for them to possess. 8 He gave them the hill country, the lowlands, the Arabah, the sides of the mountains, the wilderness, and the Negev—the land of the Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites. 9 The kings included the king of Jericho, the king of Ai which is beside Bethel, 10 the king of Jerusalem, the king of Enaim, 11 the king of Jarmuth, the king of Lachish, 12 the king of Eglon, the king of Gezer, 13 the king of Debir, the king of Geder, 14 the king of Hormah, the king of Arad, 15 the king of Libnah, the king of Adullam, 16 the king of Makkedah, the king of Bethel, 17 the king of Tappuah, the king of Hepher, 18 the king of Aphek, the king of Lasharon, 19 the king of Madon, the king of Hazor, 20 the king of Shimron Meron, the king of Akshaph, 21 the king of Taanach, the king of Megiddo, 22 the king of Kedesh, the king of Jokneam in Carmel, 23 the king of Dor in Naphoth Dor, the king of Goyim in Gilgal, 24 and the king of Tirzah. The number of kings was thirty-one in all.

13

1 Now Joshua was very old when Yahweh said to him, “You are very old, but there is still very much land to capture. 2 This is the land that still remains: All the regions of the Philistines, and all those of the Geshurites, 3 from Shihor, which is east of Egypt, and northward to the border of Ekron, which is considered property of the Canaanites; the five rulers of the Philistines, those of Gaza, Ashdod, Ashkelon, Gath, and Ekron—the territory of the Avvites. 4 In the south (the territory of the Avvites); all the lands of the Canaanites, from Arah that belongs to the Sidonians, as far as Aphek which is on the border of the Amorites; 5 the land of the Gebalites, all of Lebanon toward the east, from Baal Gad below Mount Hermon to Lebo Hamath. 6 Also, all the inhabitants of the hill country from Lebanon as far as Misrephoth Maim, including all the people of Sidon. I will drive them out before the army of Israel. Be sure to assign the land to Israel as an inheritance, as I commanded you. 7 Divide this land as an inheritance to the nine tribes and to the half tribe of Manasseh.”

8 With the other half of the tribe of Manasseh, the Reubenites and the Gadites had received their inheritance that Moses gave them on the east side of the Jordan, 9 from Aroer, which is on the edge of the Arnon river gorge (including the city that is in the middle of the gorge), to all the plateau of Medeba as far as Dibon; 10 all the cities of Sihon, king of the Amorites, who ruled in Heshbon, to the border of the Ammonites; 11 Gilead, and the region of the Geshurites and Maacathites, all of Mount Hermon, all Bashan to Salekah; 12 all the kingdom of Og in Bashan, who reigned in Ashtaroth and Edrei—these are what was left of the remnant of the Rephaim—Moses struck them and drove them out. 13 But the people of Israel did not drive out the Geshurites or the Maacathites. Instead, Geshur and Maacath live among Israel to this day. 14 To the tribe of Levi alone Moses gave no inheritance. The offerings of Yahweh, the God of Israel, made by fire, are their inheritance, as God said to Moses.

15 Moses gave an inheritance to the tribe of Reuben, clan by clan. 16 Their territory was from Aroer, on the edge of the Arnon River gorge, and the city that is in the middle of the valley, and all the plateau by Medeba. 17 Reuben also received Heshbon and all its cities that are in the plateau, Dibon, and Bamoth Baal, and Beth Baal Meon, 18 and Jahaz, and Kedemoth, and Mephaath, 19 and Kiriathaim, and Sibmah, and Zereth Shahar on the hill of the valley. 20 Reuben also received Beth Peor, the slopes of Pisgah, Beth Jeshimoth, 21 all the cities of the plateau, and all the kingdom of Sihon king of the Amorites, who had reigned in Heshbon, whom Moses had defeated together with the leaders of Midian, Evi, Rekem, Zur, Hur and Reba, the princes of Sihon, who had lived in the land. 22 The people of Israel also killed with the sword Balaam son of Beor, who practiced divination, among the rest of those they had killed. 23 The border of the tribe of Reuben is the Jordan River; this is their boundary. This was the inheritance of the tribe of Reuben, given to each of their clans, with their cities and villages.

24 This is what Moses gave to the tribe of Gad, clan by clan: 25 Their territory was Jazer, all the cities of Gilead and half the land of the Ammonites, to Aroer, which is east of Rabbah, 26 from Heshbon to Ramath Mizpah and Betonim, from Mahanaim to the territory of Debir. 27 In the valley, Moses gave them Beth Haram, Beth Nimrah, Succoth, and Zaphon, the rest of the kingdom of Sihon king of Heshbon, with the Jordan as a border, to the lower end of the Sea of Kinnereth, eastward beyond the Jordan. 28 This is the inheritance of the tribe of Gad, clan by clan, with their cities and villages.

29 Moses gave an inheritance to the half tribe of Manasseh. It was assigned to the half tribe of the people of Manasseh, clan by clan. 30 Their territory was from Mahanaim, all Bashan, all the kingdom of Og king of Bashan, and all the towns of Jair, which are in Bashan, sixty cities; 31 half of Gilead, and Ashtaroth and Edrei (the royal cities of Og in Bashan). These were assigned to the clan of Machir son of Manasseh—half of the people of Machir, clan by clan.

32 This is the inheritance that Moses assigned to them on the plains of Moab, beyond the Jordan east of Jericho. 33 Moses did not give an inheritance to the tribe of Levi. Yahweh, the God of Israel, is their inheritance, just as he said to them.

14

1 These are the areas of land that the people of Israel received as their inheritance in the land of Canaan, which Eleazar the priest, Joshua son of Nun, and the the tribal leaders of Israel allotted to them. 2 Their inheritance was selected by lot for the nine and one-half tribes, just as Yahweh had commanded by the hand of Moses. 3 For Moses had given the inheritance of the two and one-half tribes beyond the Jordan, but to the Levites he gave no inheritance. 4 The tribe of Joseph was actually two tribes, Manasseh and Ephraim. The Levites were given no portion of the inheritance in the land, but only certain cities to live in, with their pasturelands for livestock and for their own material resources. 5 The people of Israel did as Yahweh commanded Moses, so they assigned the land.

6 Then the tribe of Judah came to Joshua at Gilgal. Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite, said to him, “You know what Yahweh said to Moses the man of God concerning you and me at Kadesh Barnea. 7 I was forty years old when Moses the servant of Yahweh sent me from Kadesh Barnea to spy on the land. I brought him a report again as it was in my heart to make. 8 But my brothers who went up with me made the heart of the people melt with fear. But I completely followed Yahweh my God. 9 Moses swore on that day, saying, 'Surely the land on which your foot has walked will be an inheritance for you and for your children forever, because you have completely followed Yahweh my God.' 10 Now, look! Yahweh has kept me alive these forty-five years, just as he said—from the time when Yahweh spoke this word to Moses, while Israel walked in the wilderness. Now, look! I am this day eighty-five years old. 11 I am still as strong this day as I was in the day that Moses sent me out. My strength is now as my strength was then, for war and for going and coming. 12 Now therefore give me this hill country, which Yahweh promised me on that day. For you heard on that day that the Anakim were there with great fortified cities. It may be that Yahweh will be with me and that I will drive them out, just as Yahweh said.”

13 Then Joshua blessed him and gave Hebron as an inheritance to Caleb son of Jephunneh. 14 Therefore Hebron became the inheritance of Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite to this day, because he completely followed Yahweh, the God of Israel. 15 Now the name of Hebron formerly was Kiriath Arba. (Arba had been the greatest man among the Anakim.) Then the land had rest from war.

15

1 The assignment of land for the tribe of the people of Judah, clan by clan, extended south to the border of Edom, with the wilderness of Zin being the farthest point to the south. 2 Their border on the south ran from the end of the Salt Sea, from the bay that faces to the south. 3 Their boundary next went out to the south of the hill of Akrabbim and passed along to Zin, and went up south of Kadesh Barnea, along by Hezron, and up to Addar, where it turned about to Karka. 4 It passed along to Azmon, went by the brook of Egypt, and came to its end at the sea. This was their south boundary. 5 The eastern boundary was the Salt Sea, at the mouth of the Jordan. The border on the north ran from the bay of the sea at the mouth of the Jordan. 6 It went up to Beth Hoglah and passed along north of Beth Arabah. Then it went up to the Stone of Bohan the son of Reuben. 7 Then the border went up to Debir from the Valley of Achor, and so northward, turning toward Gilgal, which is opposite the hill of Adummim, which is on the south side of the valley. Then the border passed along to the springs of En Shemesh and went to En Rogel. 8 Then the border went up the Valley of Ben Hinnom to the south side of the Jebusite city (that is, Jerusalem). Then it went up to the top of the hill that lies over the Valley of Hinnom, on the west, which is at the northern end of the Valley of Rephaim. 9 Then the border extended from the top of the hills to the spring of Nephtoah, and went out from there to the cities of Mount Ephron. Then the border bends around to Baalah (the same as Kiriath Jearim). 10 Then the border circled around west of Baalah to Mount Seir, and passed along to the side of Mount Jearim on the north (the same as Kesalon), went down to Beth Shemesh, and crossed over to Timnah. 11 The border went out beside the northern hill of Ekron, and then it bends around to Shikkeron and passed along to Mount Baalah, from there it went to Jabneel. The border ended at the sea. 12 The western boundary was the Great Sea and its coastline. This is the border around the tribe of Judah, clan by clan.

13 In keeping with the commandment of Yahweh to Joshua, Joshua gave Caleb son of Jephunneh an assignment of land among the tribe of Judah, Kiriath Arba, that is, Hebron (Arba was the father of Anak). 14 Caleb drove out from there the three sons of Anak: Sheshai, Ahiman and Talmai, descendants of Anak. 15 He went up from there against the inhabitants of Debir (Debir used to be called Kiriath Sepher). 16 Caleb said, “The man who attacks Kiriath Sepher and captures it, to him I will give Aksah my daughter as a wife.” 17 When Othniel son of Kenaz, Caleb's brother, captured it, Caleb gave him Aksah his daughter as a wife. 18 Soon after that, Aksah came to Othniel and she urged him to ask her father for a field. When she got off her donkey, Caleb said to her, “What do you want?” 19 Aksah replied, “Do me a special favor, since you have given me the land of the Negev: Also give me some springs of water.” Then Caleb gave her the upper springs and lower springs.

20 This was the inheritance of the tribe of Judah, clan by clan.

21 The cities belonging to the tribe of Judah in the extreme south, toward the border of Edom, were Kabzeel, Eder, Jagur, 22 Kinah, Dimonah, Adadah, 23 Kedesh, Hazor, Ithnan, 24 Ziph, Telem, Bealoth. 25 Hazor Hadattah, Kerioth Hezron (this was also known as Hazor), 26 Amam, Shema, Moladah, 27 Hazar Gaddah, Heshmon, Beth Pelet, 28 Hazar Shual, Beersheba, Biziothiah. 29 Baalah, Iyim, Ezem, 30 Eltolad, Kesil, Hormah, 31 Ziklag, Madmannah, Sansannah, 32 Lebaoth, Shilhim, Ain, and Rimmon. These were twenty-nine cities in all, including their villages.

33 In the lower hill country to the west, there were Eshtaol, Zorah, Ashnah, 34 Zanoah, En Gannim, Tappuah, Enam, 35 Jarmuth, Adullam, Sokoh, Azekah, 36 Shaaraim, Adithaim, and Gederah (that is, Gederothaim). These were fourteen cities in number, including their villages.

37 Zenan, Hadashah, Migdalgad, 38 Dilean, Mizpah, Joktheel, 39 Lachish, Bozkath, Eglon. 40 Kabbon, Lahmas, Kitlish, 41 Gederoth, Beth Dagon, Naamah, Makkedah. These were sixteen cities in number, including their villages.

42 Libnah, Ether, Ashan, 43 Iphtah, Ashnah, Nezib, 44 Keilah, Akzib, Mareshah. These were nine cities, including their villages.

45 Ekron, with its surrounding towns and villages; 46 from Ekron to the Great Sea, all the settlements that were near Ashdod, including their villages.

47 Ashdod, its surrounding towns, including their villages; Gaza, its surrounding towns including their villages; to the brook of Egypt, and to the Great Sea with its coastline.

48 In the hill country, Shamir, Jattir, Sokoh, 49 Dannah, Kiriath Sannah (that is, Debir), 50 Anab, Eshtemoh, Anim, 51 Goshen, Holon, and Giloh. These were eleven cities, including their villages.

52 Arab, Dumah, Eshan, 53 Janim, Beth Tappuah, Aphekah, 54 Humtah, Kiriath Arba (that is, Hebron), and Zior. These were nine cities, including their villages.

55 Maon, Carmel, Ziph, Juttah, 56 Jezreel, Jokdeam, Zanoah, 57 Kain, Gibeah, and Timnah. These were ten cities, including their villages.

58 Halhul, Beth Zur, Gedor, 59 Maarath, Beth Anoth, and Eltekon. These were six cities, including their villages.

60 Kiriath Baal (that is, Kiriath Jearim), and Rabbah. These were two cities, including their villages.

61 In the wilderness, there were Beth Arabah, Middin, Secacah, 62 Nibshan, the City of Salt, and En Gedi. These were six cities, including their villages.

63 But as for the Jebusites, the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the tribe of Judah could not drive them out, so the Jebusites live there with the tribe of Judah to this day.

16

1 The assignment of land for the tribe of Joseph extended from the Jordan at Jericho, east of the springs of Jericho, into the wilderness, going up from Jericho through the hill country of Bethel. 2 Then it went from Bethel to Luz and passed along to Ataroth, the territory of the Arkites. 3 Then it went down westward to the territory of the Japhletites, as far as the territory of Lower Beth Horon, and then on to Gezer; it ended at the sea. 4 It was in this way that the tribes of Joseph, Manasseh and Ephraim received their inheritance.

5 The territory of the tribe of Ephraim, clan by clan: The border of their inheritance on the east went from Ataroth Addar as far as Upper Beth Horon, 6 and from there it continued to the sea. From Mikmethath on the north it turned eastward toward Taanath Shiloh and passed beyond it on the east to Janoah. 7 Then it went down from Janoah to Ataroth and to Naarah, and then reached Jericho, ending at the Jordan. 8 From Tappuah the border went westward to the brook of Kanah and ended at the sea. This was the inheritance of the tribe of Ephraim, clan by clan, 9 together with the cities that were chosen for the tribe of Ephraim within the inheritance of the tribe of Manasseh—all the cities, including their villages. 10 They did not drive out the Canaanites who lived in Gezer, so that the Canaanites live within Ephraim to this day, but these people were made to do forced labor.

17

1 This was the assignment of land for the tribe of Manasseh (who was the firstborn of Joseph)—that is, for Makir, who was Manasseh's firstborn and who himself was the father of Gilead. Makir's descendants were assigned the land of Gilead and Bashan, because Makir had been a man of war. 2 Land was assigned to the rest of the tribe of Manasseh, given to their clans—Abiezer, Helek, Asriel, Shechem, Hepher, and Shemida. These were the male descendants of Manasseh son of Joseph, presented by their clans. 3 Now Zelophehad son of Hepher son of Gilead son of Makir son of Manasseh had no sons, but only daughters. The names of his daughters were Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milkah, and Tirzah. 4 They approached Eleazar the priest, Joshua son of Nun, and the leaders, and they said, “Yahweh commanded Moses to give to us an inheritance along with our brothers.” So, following the commandment of Yahweh, he gave those women an inheritance among the brothers of their father. 5 Ten parcels of land were assigned to Manasseh in Gilead and Bashan, which is on the other side of the Jordan, 6 because the daughters of Manasseh received an inheritance along with his sons. The land of Gilead was assigned to the rest of the tribe of Manasseh.

7 The territory of Manasseh reached from Asher to Mikmethath, which is east of Shechem. Then the border went southward to those living near the spring of Tappuah. 8 (The land of Tappuah belonged to Manasseh, but the town of Tappuah on the border of Manasseh belonged to the tribe of Ephraim.) 9 The border went down to the brook of Kanah. These cities south of the brook among the towns of Manasseh belonged to Ephraim. The border of Manasseh was on the north side of the brook, and it ended at the sea. 10 The land to the south belonged to Ephraim, and the land to the north was Manasseh's; the sea was the border. On the north side Asher can be reached, and to the east, Issachar. 11 Also in Issachar and in Asher, Manasseh possessed Beth Shan and its villages, Ibleam and its villages, the inhabitants of Dor and its villages, the inhabitants of Endor and its villages, the inhabitants of Taanach and its villages, and the inhabitants of Megiddo and its villages (and the third city is Napheth). 12 Yet the tribe of Manasseh could not take possession of those cities, for the Canaanites continued to live in this land. 13 When the people of Israel grew strong, they put the Canaanites to forced labor, but did not completely drive them out.

14 Then the descendants of Joseph said to Joshua, saying, “Why have you given us only one assignment of land and one portion for an inheritance, since we are a people great in number, and all along Yahweh has blessed us?” 15 Joshua said to them, “If you are a people great in number, go up by yourselves to the forest and there clear the ground for yourselves in the land of the Perizzites and of the Rephaim. Do this, since the hill country of Ephraim is too small for you.” 16 The descendants of Joseph said, “The hill country is not enough for us. But all the Canaanites who live in the valley have chariots of iron, both those who are in Beth Shan and its villages, and those who are in the Valley of Jezreel.” 17 Then Joshua said to the house of Joseph—to Ephraim and Manasseh, “You are a people great in number, and you have great power. You must not have only one piece of land assigned to you. 18 The hill country will also be yours. Though it is a forest, you will clear it and take possession of it to its farthest borders. You will drive out the Canaanites, even though they have chariots of iron, and even though they are strong.”

18

1 Then the whole assembly of the people of Israel met together at Shiloh. They set up the tent of meeting there and they conquered the land before them. 2 There were still seven tribes among the people of Israel whose inheritance had not been assigned. 3 Joshua said to the people of Israel, “How long will you put off going into the land that Yahweh, the God of your ancestors, has given you? 4 Appoint for yourselves three men from each tribe, and I will send them out. They will set out and survey the land up and down. They will write out a description of it with a view to their inheritances, and then they will come back to me. 5 They will divide it into seven sections. Judah will remain in their territory on the south, and the house of Joseph will continue in their territory in the north. 6 You will describe the land in seven sections and bring the description here to me. I will cast lots for you here before Yahweh our God. 7 The Levites have no portion among you, for the priesthood of Yahweh is their inheritance. Gad, Reuben, and the half tribe of Manasseh have received their inheritance, beyond Jordan. This is the inheritance that Moses the servant of Yahweh gave them.”

8 So the men got up and went. Joshua commanded those who went to write the description of the land, saying, “Go up and down in the land and write a description of it and return to me. I will cast lots for you here before Yahweh at Shiloh.” 9 The men left and walked up and down in the land and wrote a description of it in a scroll by its cities in seven sections, listing the cities in each section. Then they returned to Joshua in the camp at Shiloh. 10 Then Joshua cast lots for them at Shiloh before Yahweh. It was there that Joshua assigned the land to the people of Israel, and to each was given his portion of the land.

11 The assignment of land for the tribe of Benjamin clan by clan. The territory of their assigned land was located between the descendants of Judah and the descendants of Joseph. 12 On the north side, their border began at the Jordan. The border went up to the ridge north of Jericho, and then up through the hill country westward. There it reached the wilderness of Beth Aven. 13 From there the border passed along south in the direction of Luz (the same place as Bethel). Then the border went down to Ataroth Addar, by the mountain that lies south of Beth Horon. 14 The boundary then went in another direction: On the western side it turned toward the south, heading toward the mountain across from Beth Horon. This boundary ended at Kiriath Baal (that is, Kiriath Jearim), a city that belonged to the tribe of Judah. This formed the border on the western side. 15 The south side began just outside of Kiriath Jearim. The border went from there to Ephron, to the spring of the waters of Nephtoah. 16 The boundary then went down to the border of the mountain which was opposite the Valley of Ben Hinnom, which was at the northern end of the Valley of Rephaim. It then went down to the Valley of Hinnom, south of the slope of the Jebusites, and continued down to En Rogel. 17 It turned northward, going in the direction of En Shemesh, and from there it went out to Geliloth, which was opposite the ascent of Adummim. Then it went down to the Stone of Bohan the son of Reuben. 18 It passed on to the north of the shoulder of Beth Arabah and down to the Arabah. 19 The border passed on to the north shoulder of Beth Hoglah. The border ended at the north bay of the Salt Sea, at the southern end of the Jordan. This was the boundary on the south. 20 The Jordan formed its border on the eastern side. This was the inheritance of the tribe of Benjamin, and it was given clan by clan, border after border, all around.

21 Now the cities of the tribe of Benjamin, clan by clan, had these cities: Jericho, Beth Hoglah, Emek Keziz, 22 Beth Arabah, Zemaraim, Bethel, 23 Avvim, Parah, Ophrah, 24 Kephar Ammoni, Ophni, and Geba. There were twelve cities, including their villages. 25 There were also the cities of Gibeon, Ramah, Beeroth, 26 Mizpah, Kephirah, Mozah, 27 Rekem, Irpeel, Taralah, 28 Zelah, Haeleph, Jebus (the same as Jerusalem), Gibeah, and Kiriath. There were fourteen cities, including their villages. This was the inheritance of Benjamin for their clans.

19

1 The second casting of lots fell to Simeon, clan by clan. Their inheritance was in the middle of the inheritance that belonged to the tribe of Judah. 2 They had for their inheritance Beersheba, Sheba, Moladah, 3 Hazar Shual, Balah, Ezem, 4 Eltolad, Bethul, and Hormah. 5 Simeon also had Ziklag, Beth Markaboth, Hazar Susah, 6 Beth Lebaoth, and Sharuhen. These were thirteen cities, including their villages. 7 Simeon also had Ain, Rimmon, Ether, and Ashan. These were four cities, including their villages. 8 These were together, including their the villages around these cities as far as Baalath Beer (the same as Ramah in the Negev). This was the inheritance of the tribe of Simeon, clan by clan. 9 The inheritance of the tribe of Simeon formed part of the territory of the tribe of Judah. Because the portion of land assigned to the tribe of Judah was too large for them, the tribe of Simeon received their inheritance out of the middle of their portion.

10 The third casting of lots fell to the tribe of Zebulun, clan by clan. The border of their inheritance began at Sarid. 11 Their border went up westward toward Maralah and touched Dabbesheth; then it extended to the brook that was opposite Jokneam. 12 From Sarid the border turned eastward toward the east and went to the border of Kisloth Tabor. From there it went to Daberath and then up to Japhia. 13 From there it passed on eastward to Gath Hepher, and then to Eth Kazin; next it went to Rimmon and turned toward Neah. 14 The border made a turn to the north to Hannathon and ended at the Valley of Iphtah El. 15 This region included the cities of Kattath, Nahalal, Shimron, Idalah, and Bethlehem. There were twelve cities, including their villages. 16 This was the inheritance of the tribe of Zebulun, clan by clan, including these cities, including their villages.

17 The fourth casting of lots fell to Issachar, clan by clan. 18 Their territory included Jezreel, Chesulloth, Shunem, 19 Hapharaim, Shion, and Anaharath. 20 It also included Rabbith, Kishion, Ebez, 21 Remeth, En Gannim, En Haddah, and Beth Pazzez. 22 Their border also touched Tabor, Shahazumah, and Beth Shemesh, and ended at the Jordan. There were sixteen cities, including their villages. 23 This was the inheritance of the tribe of Issachar, according to their clans—the cities, including their villages.

24 The fifth casting of lots fell to the tribe of Asher, clan by clan. 25 Their territory included Helkath, Hali, Beten, Akshaph, 26 Allammelek, Amad, and Mishall. On the west the boundary extended to Carmel and Shihor Libnath. 27 Then it turned eastward to Beth Dagon and went as far as Zebulun, and then to the Valley of Iphtah El, northward to Beth Emek and Neiel. Then it continued on to Kabul toward the north. 28 It then went on to Abdon, Rehob, Hammon, and Kanah, as far as Greater Sidon. 29 The border turned back to Ramah, and then to the fortified city of Tyre. Then the border turned to Hosah and ended at the sea, in the region of Akzib, 30 Ummah, Aphek, and Rehob. There were twenty-two cities, including their villages. 31 This was the inheritance of the tribe of Asher, clan by clan—the cities, including their villages.

32 The sixth casting of lots fell to tribe of Naphtali, clan by clan. 33 Their border ran from Heleph, from the oak at Zaanannim, on to Adami Nekeb and Jabneel, as far as Lakkum; it ended at the Jordan. 34 The border turned westward to Aznoth Tabor and went on to Hukkok; it touched Zebulun on the south, and reached to Asher on the west and Judah on the east at the Jordan River. 35 The fortified cities were Ziddim, Zer, Hammath, Rakkath, Kinnereth, 36 Adamah, Ramah, Hazor, 37 Kedesh, Edrei, and En Hazor. 38 There were also Yiron, Migdal El, Horem, Beth Anath, and Beth Shemesh. There were nineteen cities, including their villages. 39 This was the inheritance of the tribe of Naphtali, clan by clan—the cities, including their villages.

40 The seventh casting of lots fell to the tribe of Dan, clan by clan. 41 The territory of its inheritance included Zorah, Eshtaol, Ir Shemesh, 42 Shaalabbin, Aijalon, and Ithlah. 43 It also included Elon, Timnah, Ekron, 44 Eltekeh, Gibbethon, Baalath, 45 Jehud, Bene Berak, Gath Rimmon, 46 Me Jarkon, and Rakkon along with the territory across from Joppa. 47 When the territory of the tribe of Dan was lost to them, Dan attacked Leshem, fought against it, capturing it and striking it with the sword; taking possession of it and settled in it. They renamed Leshem, calling it Dan after their ancestor. 48 This was the inheritance of the tribe of Dan, clan by clan—the cities, including their villages.

49 When they finished the allocation of the land as an inheritance, the people of Israel gave an inheritance among themselves to Joshua son of Nun. 50 By the command of Yahweh they gave him the city for which he asked, Timnath Serah in the hill country of Ephraim. He rebuilt the city and lived there.

51 These are the inheritances that Eleazar the priest, Joshua son of Nun, and the leaders of the tribes of the people of Israel assigned by lot at Shiloh, before Yahweh, at the entrance of the tent of meeting. So they finished assigning the land.

20

1 Then Yahweh said to Joshua, 2 “Speak to the people of Israel, saying, 'Appoint the cities of refuge of which I spoke to you by the hand of Moses. 3 Do this so that one who unintentionally kills a person can go there. These cities will be a place of refuge from anyone who seeks to avenge the blood of a person who was killed. 4 He will run to one of those cities and will stand at the entrance of the city gate, and explain his case to the elders of that city. Then they will take him into the city and give him a place for him to live among them. 5 If one of them comes to try to avenge the blood of the person who was killed, then the people of the city must not hand the one who killed him over to the authorities. They must not do this because he killed his neighbor unintentionally, and he had no hatred toward him in the past. 6 He must stay in that city until he has stood before the assembly for judgment, until the death of the one who was serving as high priest in those days. Then the one who had accidentally killed the person may return to his own town and his own home, to the town from which he fled.'”

7 So the Israelites selected Kedesh in Galilee in the hill country of Naphtali, Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim, and Kiriath Arba (the same as Hebron) in the hill country of Judah. 8 Beyond the Jordan east of Jericho, they selected Bezer in the wilderness on the plateau from the tribe of Reuben; Ramoth Gilead, from the tribe of Gad; and Golan in Bashan, from the tribe of Manasseh. 9 These were the cities selected for all the people of Israel and for the foreigners residing among them, so that anyone who killed a person unintentionally could run to them for safety. This person would not die by the hand of the one who wanted to avenge the blood that was shed, until the accused person would first stand before the assembly.

21

1 Then the tribal leaders of the Levites came to Eleazar the priest, to Joshua son of Nun, and to the leaders of the families of their ancestors within the people of Israel. 2 They said to them at Shiloh in the land of Canaan, “Yahweh commanded you by the hand of Moses to give to us cities to live in, with the pasturelands for our livestock.” 3 So by the command of Yahweh, the people of Israel gave out of their inheritance the following cities, including their pasturelands, to the Levites.

4 The casting of lots for the clans of the Kohathites gave this result: The priests—the descendants of Aaron who were from the Levites—received thirteen cities given from the tribe of Judah, from the tribe of the Simeon, and from the tribe of Benjamin.

5 The rest of the Kohathites were allotted ten cities from the clans of the tribes of Ephraim, Dan, and from the half tribe of Manasseh.

6 Then the people descended from Gershon were given, by the casting of lots, thirteen cities from the clans of the tribes of Issachar, Asher, Naphtali, and the half tribe of Manasseh in Bashan.

7 The people who were descendants of Merari, clan by clan, received twelve cities from the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and Zebulun.

8 So the people of Israel gave, by casting lots, these cities (including their pasturelands) to the Levites, just as Yahweh had commanded by the hand of Moses. 9 From the tribes of Judah and Simeon, they assigned land to the following cities, here listed by name. 10 These cities were given to the descendants of Aaron, who were among the clans of the Kohathites, who in turn were from the tribe of Levi. For the first casting of lots had fallen to them. 11 The Israelites gave them Kiriath Arba (Arba had been the father of Anak), the same place as Hebron, in the hill country of Judah, with the pasturelands around it. 12 But the fields of the city, including their villages, were already given to Caleb son of Jephunneh, as his possession.

13 To the descendants of Aaron the priest they gave Hebron with its pasturelands—which was a city of refuge for any who killed another unintentionally—and Libnah with its pasturelands, 14 Jattir with its pasturelands, and Eshtemoa with its pasturelands. 15 They also gave Holon with its pasturelands, Debir with its pasturelands, 16 Ain with its pasturelands, Juttah with its pasturelands, and Beth Shemesh with its pasturelands. There were nine cities that were given from these two tribes. 17 From the tribe of Benjamin were given Gibeon with its pasturelands, Geba with its pasturelands, 18 Anathoth with its pasturelands, and Almon with its suburbs—four cities. 19 The cities given to the priests, the descendants of Aaron, were thirteen cities in all, including their pasturelands.

20 As for the rest of Kohathites who belong to the Kohathite clans of the Levites—they had cities given to them from the tribe of Ephraim by the casting of lots. 21 To them were given Shechem with its pasturelands in the hill country of Ephraim—a city of refuge for any who killed a person unintentionally—Gezer with its pasturelands, 22 Kibzaim with its pasturelands, and Beth Horon with its pasturelands—four cities in all. 23 From the tribe of Dan, the clan of Kohath was given Eltekeh with its pasturelands, Gibbethon with its pasturelands, 24 Aijalon with its pasturelands, and Gath Rimmon with its pasturelands—four cities in all. 25 From the half tribe of Manasseh, the clan of Kohath was given Taanach with its pasturelands and Gath Rimmon with its pasturelands—two cities. 26 There were ten cities in all for the rest of the clans of the Kohathites, including their pasturelands.

27 From the half tribe of Manasseh, to clans of Gershon, these were other Levite clans, and they gave Golan in Bashan with its pasturelands—a city of refuge for anyone who killed another unintentionally, along with Be Eshterah with its pasturelands—two cities in all. 28 To the clans of Gershon they also gave Kishion from the tribe of Issachar, along with its pasturelands, Daberath with its pasturelands, 29 Jarmuth with its pasturelands, and En Gannim with its pasturelands—four cities. 30 From the tribe of Asher, they gave Mishal with its pasturelands, Abdon with its pasturelands, 31 Helkath with its pasturelands, and Rehob with its pasturelands—four cities in all. 32 From the tribe of Naphtali, they gave the clans of Gershon Kedesh in Galilee with its pasturelands—a city of refuge for anyone who killed another unintentionally; Hammoth Dor with its pasturelands, and Kartan with its pasturelands—three cities in all. 33 There were thirteen cities in all, out of the clans of Gershon, including their pasturelands.

34 To the rest of the Levites—the clans of Merari—were given out of the tribe of Zebulun: Jokneam with its pasturelands, Kartah with its pasturelands, 35 Dimnah with its pasturelands, and Nahalal with its pasturelands—four cities in all. 36 To the clans of Merari were given from the tribe of Reuben: Bezer with its pasturelands, Jahaz with its pasturelands, 37 Kedemoth with its pasturelands, and Mephaath with its pasturelands—four cities. 38 Out of the tribe of Gad they were given Ramoth in Gilead with its pasturelands—a city of refuge for any who killed another unintentionally—and Mahanaim with its pasturelands. 39 The clans of Merari were also given Heshbon with its pasturelands, and Jazer with its pasturelands. These were four cities in all. 40 All these were the cities of the several clans of Merari, who were from the tribe of Levi—twelve cities in all were given to them by the casting of lots.

41 The cities of the Levites taken from the middle of the land possessed by the people of Israel were forty-eight cities, including their pasturelands. 42 These cities each had its surrounding pasturelands. It was this way with all these cities.

43 So Yahweh gave to Israel all the land that he swore to give to their ancestors. The Israelites took possession of it and settled there. 44 Then Yahweh gave them rest on every side, just as he had sworn to their ancestors. Not one of their enemies could defeat them. Yahweh gave all their enemies into their hand. 45 Not one thing among all the good promises that Yahweh had spoken to the house of Israel failed to come true. All of them came to be.

22

1 At that time Joshua called the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half tribe of Manasseh. 2 He said to them, “You have done everything that Moses the servant of Yahweh commanded you. You have obeyed my voice in all that I commanded you. 3 You have not deserted your brothers these many days, down to this present day, and you have fulfilled the duties required by the commandments of Yahweh your God. 4 Now Yahweh your God has given rest to your brothers, just as he promised them. Therefore turn and go to your tents in the land you own, which Moses the servant of Yahweh gave you on the other side of the Jordan. 5 Just be very careful to observe the commandments and the law that Moses the servant of Yahweh commanded you, to love Yahweh your God, to walk in all his ways, to keep his commandments, and to cling to him and worship him with all your heart and with all your soul.” 6 So Joshua blessed them and sent them away, and they went back to their tents.

7 Now to one-half of the tribe of Manasseh Moses had given an inheritance in Bashan, but to the other half Joshua gave an inheritance beside their brothers in the land west of the Jordan. Joshua sent them away to their tents; he blessed them 8 and said to them, “Return to your tents with much money, and with very much livestock, and with silver and gold, and with bronze and iron, and with very many garments. Divide the plunder from your enemies with your brothers.” 9 So the descendants of Reuben, the descendants of Gad, and the half tribe of Manasseh returned home, leaving the people of Israel at Shiloh, which is in the land of Canaan. They left to go to the region of Gilead, to their own land, which they themselves possessed, in obedience to the commandment of Yahweh, by the hand of Moses.

10 When they came to the Jordan that is in the land of Canaan, the Reubenites and the Gadites and the half tribe of Manasseh built an altar beside the Jordan, a very large and prominent altar. 11 The people of Israel heard about this and said, “Look! The people of Reuben, Gad, and the half tribe of Manasseh have built an altar at the front of the land of Canaan, at Geliloth, in the region near the Jordan, on the side that belongs to the people of Israel.” 12 When the people of Israel heard of it, the whole assembly of the people of Israel gathered together at Shiloh to go up to make war against them.

13 Then the people of Israel sent messengers to the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half tribe of Manasseh, in the land of Gilead. They also sent Phinehas son of Eleazar, the priest, 14 and with him ten leaders, one from each of the tribal families of Israel, and every one of them was the head of a family among the clan of Israel. 15 They came to the people of Reuben, Gad, and the half tribe of Manasseh, in the land of Gilead, and they spoke to them: 16 “The whole assembly of Yahweh says this, 'What is this unfaithfulness that you have committed against the God of Israel, by turning this day from following Yahweh by building yourself an altar this day in rebellion against Yahweh? 17 Was our sin at Peor not enough for us? Yet we have not even now cleansed ourselves from it. For that sin there came a plague on the assembly of Yahweh. 18 Must you also turn away from following Yahweh at this present day? If you also rebel against Yahweh today, tomorrow he will be angry with the whole assembly of Israel. 19 If the land that you possess is defiled, then you should pass over into the land where Yahweh's tabernacle stands and take for yourselves a possession among us. Only do not rebel against Yahweh, nor rebel against us by building an altar for yourselves other than the altar of Yahweh our God. 20 Did not Achan son of Zerah break faith in the matter of those things that had been reserved for God? Did not wrath fall on all the people of Israel? That man did not perish alone for his iniquity.'”

21 Then the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and the half tribe of Manasseh replied in answer to the heads of the clans of Israel: 22 “The Mighty One, God, Yahweh! The Mighty One, God, Yahweh!—He knows, and let Israel itself know! If it was in rebellion or in breach of faith against Yahweh, do not spare us on this day 23 for having built an altar to turn ourselves away from following Yahweh. If we built that altar in order to offer on it burnt offerings, grain offerings, or peace offerings, then let Yahweh make us pay for it. 24 No! We did it for fear that in time to come your children might say to our children, 'What have you to do with Yahweh, the God of Israel? 25 For Yahweh has made the Jordan a border between us and you. You people of Reuben and people of Gad, you have nothing to do with Yahweh.' So your children might make our children cease to worship Yahweh. 26 So we said, 'Let us now build an altar, not for burnt offerings nor for any sacrifices, 27 but to be a witness between us and you, and between our generations after us, that we will perform the service of Yahweh before him, with our burnt offerings and with our sacrifices and with our peace offerings, so that your children will never say to our children in time to come, “You have no share in Yahweh.”' 28 So we said, 'If this should be said to us or to our descendants in time to come, we would say, “Look! This is a copy of the altar of Yahweh, which our ancestors made, not for burnt offerings, nor for sacrifices, but as a witness between us and you.” 29 May it be far from us that we should rebel against Yahweh, and today turn away from following him by building an altar for burnt offering, for grain offering, or for sacrifice, other than the altar of Yahweh our God that is before his tabernacle.'”

30 When Phinehas the priest and the leaders of the people, that is, the heads of the clans of Israel who were with him, heard the words that the people of Reuben, Gad, and Manasseh said, that it was good in their eyes. 31 Phinehas son of Eleazar the priest said to the people of Reuben, Gad, and Manasseh, “Today we know that Yahweh is among us, because you have not committed this breach of faith against him. Now you have rescued the people of Israel out of the hand of Yahweh.” 32 Then Phinehas son of Eleazar the priest, and the leaders returned from the Reubenites and the Gadites, out of the land of Gilead, back to the land of Canaan, to the people of Israel, and brought back word to them. 33 Their report was good in the eyes of the people of Israel. The people of Israel blessed God and spoke no more about making war against the Reubenites and the Gadites, in order to destroy the land where they had settled. 34 The Reubenites and the Gadites named the altar “Witness,” for they said, “It is a witness between us that Yahweh is God.”

23

1 After many days, when Yahweh had given rest to Israel from all their enemies that around them, and Joshua was old and well advanced in years. 2 Joshua called for all Israel—for their elders, for their leaders, for their judges, and for their officers—and he said to them, “I am very old. 3 You have seen everything that Yahweh your God has done to all these nations for your sake, for it is Yahweh your God who has fought for you. 4 Look! I have assigned to you the nations that remain to be conquered as an inheritance for your tribes, along with all the nations I have already destroyed, from the Jordan to the Great Sea in the west. 5 Yahweh your God will drive them out. He will push them out from you. He will seize their land, and you will take possession of their land, just as Yahweh your God promised to you. 6 So be very strong, so that you keep and do all that is written in the Book of the Law of Moses, turning aside from it neither to the right hand nor to the left, 7 so you may not mix with these nations that remain among you or mention the names of their gods, swear by them, worship them, or bow down to them. 8 Instead, you must cling to Yahweh your God just as you have done to this day. 9 For Yahweh has driven out before you large, strong nations. As for you, no one has been able to stand before you to this present day. 10 Any single man of your number will make a thousand run away, for Yahweh your God, is the one who fights for you, just as he promised you. 11 Pay particular attention, so that you love Yahweh your God. 12 But if you turn back and cling to the survivors of these nations who remain among you, or if you intermarry with them, or if you come together with them and they with you, 13 then know for certain that Yahweh your God will no longer drive these nations out from among you. Instead, they will become a snare and a trap for you, whips on your backs and thorns in your eyes, until you perish from this good land that Yahweh your God has given you.

14 Now I am going the way of all the earth, and you know with all your hearts and souls that not one word has failed to come true of all the good things that Yahweh your God promised about you. All these things have come about for you. Not one of them has failed. 15 But just as every word Yahweh your God promised you has been fulfilled, so Yahweh will bring on you all the evil things until he has destroyed you from this good land that Yahweh your God has given you. 16 He will do this if you break the covenant of Yahweh your God, which he commanded you to keep. If you go and worship other gods and bow down to them, then the anger of Yahweh will be kindled against you, and you will quickly perish from the good land that he has given you.”

24

1 Then Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel to Shechem and called for the elders of Israel, for their leaders, for their judges, and for their officers, and they presented themselves before God. 2 Joshua said to all the people, “This is what Yahweh, the God of Israel, says, 'Your ancestors long ago lived beyond the Euphrates River—Terah, the father of Abraham and the father of Nahor—and they worshiped other gods. 3 But I took your father from beyond the Euphrates and led him into the land of Canaan and gave him many descendants through his son Isaac. 4 Then to Isaac I gave Jacob and Esau. I gave Esau the hill country of Seir to possess, but Jacob and his children went down to Egypt. 5 I sent Moses and Aaron, and I afflicted the Egyptians with plagues. After that, I brought you out. 6 I brought your ancestors out of Egypt, and you came to the sea. The Egyptians pursued them with chariots and horsemen as far as the Sea of Reeds. 7 When your ancestors called out to Yahweh, he put darkness between you and the Egyptians. He brought the sea to come over them and cover them. You saw what I did in Egypt. Then you lived in the wilderness for a long time. 8 I brought you to the land of the Amorites, who lived on the other side of the Jordan. They fought with you, and I gave them into your hand. You took possession of their land, and I destroyed them before you. 9 Then Balak son of Zippor, king of Moab, got up and attacked Israel. He sent and called for Balaam son of Beor, to curse you. 10 But I did not listen to Balaam. Indeed, he blessed you. So I rescued you out of his hand. 11 You went over the Jordan and came to Jericho. The leaders of Jericho fought against you, along with the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Girgashites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. I gave you victory over them and put them under your control. 12 I sent the hornet before you, which drove them and the two kings of the Amorites out before you. It did not happen by your sword or by your bow. 13 I gave you land on which you had not worked and cities that you had not built, and now you live in them. You eat the fruit of vineyards and olive orchards that you did not plant.'

14 Now fear Yahweh and worship him with all integrity and faithfulness; get rid of the gods that your ancestors worshiped beyond the Euphrates and in Egypt, and worship Yahweh. 15 If it seems wrong in your eyes for you to worship Yahweh, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors worshiped beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you live. But as for me and my house, we will worship Yahweh.”

16 The people answered and said, “We would never forsake Yahweh to serve other gods, 17 for it is Yahweh our God who brought us and our ancestors up from the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery, and who did those great signs in our sight, and who preserved us in all the way that we went, and among all the nations through whom we passed. 18 Then Yahweh drove out before us all the peoples, including the Amorites who lived in the land. So we too will worship Yahweh, for he is our God.”

19 But Joshua said to the people, “You cannot serve Yahweh, for he is a holy God; he is a jealous God; he will not forgive your transgressions and sins. 20 If you forsake Yahweh and worship foreign gods, then he will turn and do you harm. He will consume you, after he has done good to you.” 21 But the people said to Joshua, “No, we will worship Yahweh.” 22 Then Joshua said to the people, “You are witnesses against yourselves that you have chosen for yourselves Yahweh, to worship him.” They said, “We are witnesses.” 23 “Now put away the foreign gods that are with you, and turn your heart to Yahweh, the God of Israel.” 24 The people said to Joshua, “We will worship Yahweh our God. We will listen to his voice.” 25 Joshua made a covenant with the people that day. He put in place decrees and laws at Shechem. 26 Joshua wrote these words in the book of the law of God. He took a large stone and set it up there beneath the oak tree that was beside Yahweh's sanctuary. 27 Joshua said to all the people, “Look, this stone will be a testimony against us. It has heard all the words Yahweh said to us. So it will be a witness against you, should you ever deny your God.” 28 So Joshua sent the people away, each to his own inheritance.

29 After these things Joshua son of Nun, the servant of Yahweh, died, being 110 years old. 30 They buried him within the border of his own inheritance, at Timnath Serah, which is in the hill country of Ephraim, north of Mount Gaash. 31 Israel worshiped Yahweh all of Joshua's days, and all the days of the elders who outlived Joshua, those who had experienced everything that Yahweh had done for Israel.

32 The bones of Joseph, which the people of Israel brought up out of Egypt—they buried them at Shechem, in the piece of land that Jacob had bought from the sons of Hamor, the father of Shechem. He bought it for one hundred pieces of silver, and it became an inheritance for the descendants of Joseph. 33 Eleazar son of Aaron also died. They buried him at Gibeah, the city of Phinehas his son, which had been given to him. It was in the hill country of Ephraim.

* 5:1 Some modern versions have: until the people of Israel had crossed over, and others have, until we had crossed over . The Hebrew text has we, but a note in the margin instructs readers to say they . Translators can decide for themselves.

* 9:4 Instead of They went as messengers, some versions have, They got provisions ready .

Judges

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Judges

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1 After the death of Joshua, the people of Israel asked Yahweh, saying, “Who first will attack the Canaanites for us, to fight against them?” 2 Yahweh said, “Judah will attack. See, I have given them control of this land.” 3 The men of Judah said to men of Simeon, their brothers, “Come up with us into our territory that was assigned to us that together we may fight against the Canaanites. We will likewise go with you to the territory that was assigned to you.” So the tribe of Simeon went with them. 4 The men of Judah attacked, and Yahweh gave them victory over the Canaanites and the Perizzites. They killed ten thousand of them at Bezek. 5 They found Adoni-Bezek at Bezek, and they fought against him and defeated the Canaanites and the Perizzites. 6 But Adoni-Bezek fled, and they pursued him and caught him, and they cut off his thumbs and his big toes. 7 Adoni-Bezek said, “Seventy kings, who had their thumbs and their big toes cut off, gathered their food from under my table. As I have done, even so God has done to me.” They brought him to Jerusalem, and he died there.

8 The men of Judah fought against the city of Jerusalem and took it. They attacked it with the edge of the sword and they set the city on fire. 9 After that, the men of Judah went down to fight against the Canaanites who lived in the hill country, in the Negev, and the western foothills. 10 Judah advanced against the Canaanites who lived in Hebron (the name of Hebron was previously Kiriath Arba), and they defeated Sheshai, Ahiman, and Talmai.

11 From there the men of Judah advanced against the inhabitants of Debir (the name of Debir was previously Kiriath Sepher). 12 Caleb said, “Whoever attacks Kiriath Sepher and takes it, I will give him Aksah, my daughter, to be his wife.” 13 Othniel, son of Kenaz (Caleb's younger brother) captured Debir, so Caleb gave him Aksah, his daughter, to be his wife. 14 Soon Aksah came to Othniel, and she urged him to ask her father to give her a field. As she was getting off her donkey, Caleb asked her, “What can I do for you?” 15 She said to him, “Give me a blessing. Since you have given me the land of the Negev, also give me springs of water.” So Caleb gave her the upper springs and the lower springs.

16 The descendants of Moses' father-in-law the Kenite went up from the City of Palms with the people of Judah, into the wilderness of Judah, which is in the Negev, to live with the people of Judah near Arad. 17 The men of Judah went with the men of Simeon their brothers and they attacked the Canaanites who inhabited Zephath and they completely destroyed it. The name of the city was called Hormah. 18 The people of Judah also captured Gaza and the land around it, Ashkelon and the land around it, and Ekron and the land around it. 19 Yahweh was with the people of Judah and they took possession of the hill country, but they could not drive out the inhabitants of the plains because they had iron chariots. 20 Hebron was given to Caleb (like Moses had said), and he drove out from there the three sons of Anak. 21 But the people of Benjamin did not drive out the Jebusites who inhabited Jerusalem. So the Jebusites have lived with the people of Benjamin in Jerusalem to this day.

22 The house of Joseph prepared to attack Bethel, and Yahweh was with them. 23 They sent out men to spy on Bethel (the city that was formerly called Luz). 24 The spies saw a man coming out of the city, and they said to him, “Show us, please, how to get into the city, and we will be kind to you.” 25 He showed them a way into the city, and so they attacked the city with the edge of the sword, but they let the man and all his family get away. 26 Then the man went to the land of the Hittites and built a city and called it Luz, which is its name to this day.

27 The people of Manasseh did not drive out the people living in the cities of Beth Shan and its villages, or Taanach and its villages, or those who lived in Dor and its villages, or those who lived in Ibleam and its villages, or those who lived in Megiddo and its villages, because the Canaanites were determined to live in that land. 28 When Israel became strong, they forced the Canaanites to serve them with hard labor, but they never drove them out completely.

29 Ephraim did not drive out the Canaanites who lived in Gezer, so the Canaanites continued to live in Gezer among them.

30 Zebulun did not drive out the people living in Kitron, or the people living in Nahalol, and so the Canaanites continued to live among them, but Zebulun forced the Canaanites to serve them with hard labor.

31 Asher did not drive out the people living in Akko, or the people living in Sidon, or those living in Ahlab, Akzib, Helbah, Aphek, or Rehob. 32 So the tribe of Asher lived among the Canaanites (those who lived in the land), because they did not drive them out.

33 The tribe of Naphtali did not drive out those who were living in Beth Shemesh, or those living in Beth Anath. So the tribe of Naphtali lived among the Canaanites (the people who were living in that land). However, the inhabitants of Beth Shemesh and Beth Anath were forced into hard labor for Naphthali.

34 The Amorites forced the tribe of Dan to live in the hill country, not allowing them to come down to the plain. 35 So the Amorites lived at Mount Heres, in Aijalon, and in Shaalbim, but the military might of the house of Joseph conquered them, and they were forced to serve them with hard labor. 36 The border of the Amorites ran from the hill of Akrabbim at Sela up into the hill country.

2

1 The angel of Yahweh went up from Gilgal to Bokim, and said, “I brought you up from Egypt, and have brought you to the land I swore to give to your fathers. I said, 'I will never break my covenant with you. 2 You must make no covenant with those who live in this land. You must tear down their altars.' But you have not listened to my voice. What is this that you have done? 3 So now I say, 'I will not drive the Canaanites out before you, but they will become thorns in your sides, and their gods will become a trap for you.'” 4 When the angel of Yahweh spoke these words to all the people of Israel, the people shouted and wept. 5 They called that place Bokim. There they offered sacrifices to Yahweh.

6 Now when Joshua had sent the people on their way, the people of Israel each went to the place assigned, to take ownership of their land. 7 The people served Yahweh during the lifetime of Joshua and of the elders who outlived him, those who had seen all of Yahweh's great deeds he had done for Israel. 8 Joshua son of Nun the servant of Yahweh, died at the age of 110 years old. 9 They buried him within the border of the land he was assigned in Timnath Heres, in the hill country of Ephraim, north of Mount Gaash. 10 All that generation was also gathered to their fathers. Another generation grew up after them who did not know Yahweh or what he had done for Israel.

11 The people of Israel did what was evil in the sight of Yahweh and they served the Baals. 12 They broke away from Yahweh, the God of their fathers, who had brought them out of the land of Egypt. They went after other gods, the very gods of the peoples who were around them, and they bowed down to them. They provoked Yahweh to anger because 13 they broke away from Yahweh and worshiped Baal and the Ashtoreths. 14 The anger of Yahweh burned against Israel, and he gave them to the raiders who stole their possessions from them. He sold them as slaves who were held by the strength of their enemies around them, so they could no longer defend themselves against their enemies. 15 Wherever Israel went out to fight, Yahweh's hand was against them to defeat them, just as he had sworn to them and they were in terrible distress.

16 Then Yahweh raised up judges, who saved them out of the hand of those who were stealing their possessions. 17 Yet they would not listen to their judges. They were unfaithful to Yahweh and gave themselves like prostitutes to other gods and worshiped them. They soon turned aside from the way their fathers had lived—those who had obeyed the commandments of Yahweh—but they themselves did not do so. 18 When Yahweh raised up judges for them, Yahweh helped the judges and rescued them from the hand of their enemies all the days the judge lived. Yahweh had pity on them as they groaned because of those who oppressed them and afflicted them. 19 But when the judge died, they would turn away and do things that were even more corrupt than their fathers had done. They would go after other gods to serve them and worship them. They refused to give up any of their evil practices or their stubborn ways. 20 The anger of Yahweh burned against Israel; he said, “Because this nation has broken the terms of my covenant that I had set in place for their fathers—because they have not listened to my voice— 21 I will not, from now on, drive out from before them any of the nations that Joshua left when he died. 22 I will do this so that I may test Israel, whether or not they will keep the way of Yahweh and walk in it, as their fathers kept it.” 23 That is why Yahweh left those nations and did not drive them out quickly and give them into the hand of Joshua.

3

1 Now Yahweh left these nations to test Israel, namely everyone in Israel who had not experienced any of the wars fought in Canaan. 2 (He did this to teach warfare to the new generation of the Israelites who had not known it before.) 3 These are the nations: the five kings from the Philistines, all the Canaanites, the Sidonians, and the Hivites who lived in the Lebanon mountains, from Mount Baal Hermon to Hamath Pass. 4 These nations were left as a means by which Yahweh would test Israel, to confirm whether they would obey the commands he gave their ancestors through Moses. 5 So the people of Israel lived among the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. 6 Their daughters they took to be their wives, and their own daughters they gave to their sons, and they served their gods.

7 The people of Israel did what was evil in the sight of Yahweh and forgot Yahweh their God. They worshiped the Baals and the Asherahs. 8 Therefore, the anger of Yahweh was set on fire against Israel, and he sold them into the hand of Cushan-Rishathaim king of Aram Naharaim. The people of Israel served Cushan-Rishathaim for eight years. 9 When the people of Israel called out to Yahweh, Yahweh raised up someone who would come to help the people of Israel, and who would rescue them: Othniel son of Kenaz (Caleb's younger brother). 10 Yahweh's Spirit empowered him, and he judged Israel and he went out to war. Yahweh gave him victory over Cushan-Rishathaim king of Aram. The hand of Othniel defeated Cushan-Rishathaim. 11 The land had peace for forty years. Then Othniel son of Kenaz died.

12 After that, the Israelites again did what was evil in the sight of Yahweh, and Yahweh gave strength to Eglon king of Moab to overpower the Israelites. 13 Eglon joined with the Ammonites and the Amalekites and they went and defeated Israel, and they took possession of the City of Palms. 14 The people of Israel served Eglon the king of Moab for eighteen years.

15 When the people of Israel called out to Yahweh, Yahweh raised up someone who would help them, Ehud son of Gera, a Benjamite, a left-handed man. The people of Israel sent him, with their tribute payment, to Eglon king of Moab. 16 Ehud made himself a sword that had two edges, one cubit in length; he strapped it on under his clothing on his right thigh. 17 He gave the tribute payment to King Eglon of Moab. (Now Eglon was a very fat man.) 18 After Ehud had presented the tribute payment, he left with those who had carried it in. 19 As for Ehud himself, however, when he reached the place where the carved images were made near Gilgal, he turned and went back, and he said, “I have a secret message for you, my king.” Eglon said, “Silence!” So all those serving him left the room. 20 Ehud came to him. The king was sitting by himself, alone in the coolness of the upper room. Ehud said, “I have a message from God for you.” The king got up out of his seat. 21 Ehud reached with his left hand and took the sword from his right thigh, and he stabbed it into the king's body. 22 The hilt of the sword also went into him following the blade. The tip of the sword came out of his back and the fat closed over it, for Ehud did not pull the sword out of his belly. 23 Then Ehud went out on the porch and closed the doors of the upper room behind him and locked them.

24 After Ehud had gone, the king's servants came; they saw that the doors of the upper room were locked, so they thought, “Surely he is relieving himself in the coolness of the upper room.” 25 They were growing more concerned until they felt they were neglecting their duty when the king still did not open the doors to the upper room. So they took the key and opened them, and there lay their master, fallen to the floor, dead.

26 While the servants were waiting, wondering what they should do, Ehud escaped and passed beyond the place where there were carved images of idols, and so he escaped to Seirah. 27 When he arrived, he blew a trumpet in the hill country of Ephraim. Then the people of Israel went down with him from the hills, and he was leading them. 28 He said to them, “Follow me, for Yahweh is about to defeat your enemies, the Moabites.” They followed him and they captured the fords of the Jordan across from the Moabites, and they did not allow anyone to cross the river. 29 At that time they killed about ten thousand men of Moab, and all were strong and capable men. Not one escaped. 30 So that day Moab was subdued by the strength of Israel, and the land had rest for eighty years.

31 After Ehud the next judge was Shamgar son of Anath who killed 600 men of the Philistines with a stick used to goad cattle. He also delivered Israel from danger.

4

1 After Ehud died, the people of Israel once again did what was evil in the sight of Yahweh. 2 Yahweh sold them into the hand of Jabin king of Canaan who reigned in Hazor. The commander of his army was named Sisera, and he lived in Harosheth Haggoyim. 3 The people of Israel called out to Yahweh for help, because Sisera had nine hundred iron chariots and he oppressed the people of Israel with force for twenty years.

4 Now Deborah, a prophetess (the wife of Lappidoth), was a leading judge in Israel at that time. 5 She used to sit under the palm of Deborah between Ramah and Bethel in the hill country of Ephraim, and the people of Israel came to her to settle their disputes. 6 She sent for Barak son of Abinoam from Kedesh in Naphtali. She said to him, “Yahweh, the God of Israel, commands you, 'Go to Mount Tabor, and take with you ten thousand men from Naphtali and Zebulun. 7 I will draw out Sisera, the commander of Jabin's army, to meet you by the Kishon River, with his chariots and his army, and I will give you victory over him.'” 8 Barak said to her, “If you go with me, I will go, but if you do not go with me, I will not go.” 9 She said, “I will certainly go with you. However, the road on which you are going will not lead to your honor, for Yahweh will sell Sisera into the hand of a woman.” Then Deborah got up and went with Barak to Kedesh. 10 Barak called for the men of Zebulun and Naphtali to come together at Kedesh. Ten thousand men followed him, and Deborah went along with him.

11 Now Heber (the Kenite) had separated himself from the Kenites—they were the descendants of Hobab (Moses' father-in-law)—and he pitched his tent by the oak in Zaanannim near Kedesh.

12 When they told Sisera that Barak son of Abinoam had gone up to Mount Tabor, 13 Sisera called out all his chariots, nine hundred iron chariots, and all the soldiers who were with him, from Harosheth Haggoyim to the Kishon River. 14 Deborah said to Barak, “Go! For this is the day in which Yahweh has given you victory over Sisera. Is not Yahweh leading you?” So Barak went down from Mount Tabor with ten thousand men following him. 15 Yahweh confused Sisera and all his chariots and all his army with the edge of the sword. And Sisera got down from his chariot and ran away on foot. 16 But Barak pursued the chariots and the army to Harosheth Haggoyim, and the whole army of Sisera was killed by the edge of the sword, and not a man survived.

17 But Sisera ran away on foot to the tent of Jael, the wife of Heber the Kenite, for there was peace between Jabin the king of Hazor and the family of Heber the Kenite. 18 Jael went out to meet Sisera and said to him, “Turn aside, my master; turn aside to me and do not be afraid.” So he turned aside to her and came into her tent, and she covered him with a blanket. 19 He said to her, “Please give me a little water to drink, for I am thirsty.” She opened a leather bag of milk and gave him drink, and then she covered him up again. 20 He said to her, “Stand at the opening of the tent. If someone comes and asks you, 'Is anyone here?', say 'No'.” 21 Then Jael (the wife of Heber) took a tent peg and a hammer in her hand and went in secretly to him, for he was in a deep sleep, and she hammered the tent peg into the side of his head until it went down into the ground, and he died. 22 As Barak was pursuing Sisera, Jael want out to meet him and said to him, “Come, I will show you the man you are looking for.” So he went in with her, and there lay Sisera dead, with the tent peg in the side of his head.

23 So on that day God defeated Jabin, the king of Canaan, before the people of Israel. 24 The might of the people of Israel grew stronger and stronger against Jabin the king of Canaan, until they destroyed him.

5

1 On that day Deborah and Barak son of Abinoam sang this song:

2 “When the leaders take the lead in Israel,

when the people gladly volunteer for war—

we praise Yahweh!

3 Listen, you kings! Pay attention, you leaders!

I, I will sing to Yahweh;

I will sing praises to Yahweh, the God of Israel.

4 Yahweh, when you went out from Seir,

when you marched from Edom,

the earth shook, and the skies also trembled;

also the clouds poured down water.

5 The mountains quaked before the face of Yahweh;

even Mount Sinai quaked before the face of Yahweh, the God of Israel.

6 In the days of Shamgar (son of Anath),

in the days of Jael, the main roads were abandoned,

and those who walked only used the winding paths.

7 There were few rural people in Israel,

until I, Deborah, arose—arose as a mother in Israel!

8 When they chose new gods,

there was fighting at the city gates

and yet there were no shields or spears seen

among forty thousand in Israel.

9 My heart goes out to the commanders of Israel,

along with the people who gladly volunteered—

we bless Yahweh for them!

10 Think about this—you who ride on white donkeys

sitting on rugs for saddles,

and you who walk along the road.

11 Hear the voices of those who sing at the watering places.

There they tell again of Yahweh's righteous deeds,

and the righteous actions of his warriors in Israel.

Then the people of Yahweh went down to the city gates.

12 Awake, awake, Deborah!

Awake, awake, sing a song!

Get up, Barak, and capture your prisoners, you son of Abinoam.

13 Then the survivors came down to the nobles;

the people of Yahweh came down to me with the warriors.

14 They came from Ephraim, whose root is in Amalek;

the people of Benjamin followed you.

From Machir commanders came down,

and from Zebulun those who carry an officer's staff.

15 My princes in Issachar were with Deborah;

and Issachar was with Barak

rushing after him into the valley under his command.

Among the clans of Reuben

there were great searchings of heart.

16 Why did you sit between the fireplaces,

listening to the shepherds playing their pipes for their flocks?

As for the clans of Reuben

there were great searchings of heart.

17 Gilead stayed on the other side of the Jordan;

and Dan, why did he wander about on ships?

Asher remained on the coast

and lived close to his harbors.

18 Zebulun was a tribe who would risk their lives to the point of death,

and Naphtali, also, on the field of battle.

19 The kings came, they fought;

the kings of Canaan fought at Taanach

by the waters of Megiddo.

But they took away no silver as plunder.

20 From heaven the stars fought,

from their paths across the heavens they fought against Sisera.

21 The Kishon River swept them away,

that old river, the Kishon River.

March on my soul, be strong!

22 Then came the sound of horses' hooves—

galloping, the galloping of his mighty ones.

23 'Curse Meroz!' says the angel of Yahweh.

'Surely curse its inhabitants!—

because they did not come to help Yahweh—

to help Yahweh in the battle against the mighty warriors.'

24 Jael is blessed more than all other women,

Jael (the wife of Heber the Kenite),

she is more blessed than all the women who live in tents.

25 The man asked for water, and she gave him milk;

she brought him butter in a dish fit for princes.

26 She put her hand to the tent peg,

and her right hand to the workman's hammer;

with the hammer she struck Sisera, she crushed his head.

She smashed his skull into pieces when she pierced him through the side of his head.

27 He collapsed between her feet, he fell and he lay there.

Between her feet he fell limp.

The place he collapsed is where he was violently killed.

28 Out of a window she looked—

the mother of Sisera looked through the lattice and she called out in sadness,

'Why has it taken his chariot so long to come?

Why have the hoofbeats of the horses that pull his chariots been delayed?'

29 Her wisest princesses replied,

and she gave herself the same answer:

30 'Have they not found and divided up the plunder?

—A womb, two wombs for every man;

the plunder of dyed fabric for Sisera,

the plunder of dyed fabric embroidered,

two pieces of dyed fabric embroidered for the necks of those who plunder?'

31 So may all your enemies perish, Yahweh!

But your friends be like the sun when it rises in its might.”

Then the land had peace for forty years.

6

1 The people of Israel did what was evil in the sight of Yahweh, and he gave them into the hand of Midian for seven years. 2 The power of Midian oppressed Israel. Because of Midian, the people of Israel made shelters for themselves from the dens in the hills, the caves, and the strongholds. 3 It happened that any time the Israelites planted their crops, the Midianites and the Amalekites and the people from the east would attack the Israelites. 4 They would set up their army on the land and destroy the crops, all the way to Gaza. They would leave no food in Israel, and no sheep, nor cattle or donkeys. 5 Whenever they and their livestock and tents came up, they would come as a swarm of locusts, and it was impossible to count either the people or their camels. They invaded the land in order to destroy it. 6 Midian weakened the Israelites so severely that the people of Israel called out to Yahweh.

7 When the people of Israel called out to Yahweh because of Midian, 8 Yahweh sent a prophet to the people of Israel. The prophet said to them, “This is what Yahweh, the God of Israel, says: 'I brought you up from Egypt; I brought you out of the house of slavery. 9 I rescued you from the hand of the Egyptians, and from the hand of all who were oppressing you. I drove them out before you, and I gave you their land. 10 I said to you, “I am Yahweh your God; I commanded you not to worship the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living.” But you have not obeyed my voice.'”

11 Now the angel of Yahweh came and sat under the oak in Ophrah, which belonged to Joash (the Abiezrite), while Gideon, Joash's son, was separating out the wheat by beating it on the floor, in the winepress—to hide it from the Midianites. 12 The angel of Yahweh appeared to him and said to him, “Yahweh is with you, you strong warrior!” 13 Gideon said to him, “Oh, my master, if Yahweh is with us, why then has all this happened to us? Where are all his wonderful deeds that our fathers told us about, when they said, 'Did not Yahweh bring us up from Egypt?' But now Yahweh has abandoned us and gave us into the hand of Midian.” 14 Yahweh looked at him and said, “Go in the strength you already have. Deliver Israel from the hand of Midian. Have I not sent you?” 15 Gideon said to him, “Please, Lord, how can I deliver Israel? See, my family is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least important in my father's house.” 16 Yahweh said to him, “I will be with you, and you will defeat the entire Midianite army as one man.” 17 Gideon said to him, “If you are pleased with me, then give me a sign that it is you who is speaking to me. 18 Please, do not leave here, until I come to you and bring out my gift and set it before you.” Yahweh said, “I will wait until you return.”

19 Gideon went and prepared a young goat and from an ephah of flour he made unleavened bread. He put the meat in a basket, and he put the broth in a pot and brought them to him under the oak tree, and presented them. 20 The angel of God said to him, “Take the meat and the unleavened bread and put them on this rock, and pour out the broth over them.” That is what Gideon did. 21 Then the angel of Yahweh reached out with the end of the staff in his hand. With it he touched the flesh and the unleavened bread; a fire went up out of the rock and consumed the meat and the unleavened bread. Then the angel of Yahweh went away and Gideon could no longer see him. 22 Gideon understood that this was the angel of Yahweh. Gideon said, “Ah, Lord Yahweh! For I have seen the angel of Yahweh face to face!” 23 Yahweh said to him, “Peace to you! Do not be afraid, you will not die.” 24 So Gideon built an altar there to Yahweh. He called it, “Yahweh is Peace.” To this day it still stands at Ophrah of the clan of Abiezer.

25 That night Yahweh said to him, “Take your father's bull, and a second bull that is seven years old, and pull apart the altar of Baal that belongs to your father, and cut down the Asherah that is beside it. 26 Build an altar to Yahweh your God on the top of this place of refuge, and construct it the correct way. Offer the second bull as a burnt offering, using the wood from the Asherah that you cut down.” 27 So Gideon took ten of his servants and did as Yahweh had told him. But because he was too afraid of his father's household and the men of the town to do it during the day, he did it at night.

28 In the morning when the men of the town got up, the altar of Baal was broken down, and the Asherah that was beside it was cut down, and the second bull had been offered on the altar that had been built. 29 The men of the city said to one another, “Who has done this?” When they talked with others and searched for answers, they said, “Gideon son of Joash has done this thing.” 30 Then the men of the town said to Joash, “Bring out your son so that he may be put to death, because he pulled apart the altar of Baal, and because he cut down the Asherah beside it.” 31 Joash said to all who opposed him, “Will you plead the case for Baal? Will you save him? Whoever pleads the case for him, let him be put to death while it is still morning. If Baal is a god, let him defend himself when someone pulls his altar apart.” 32 Therefore on that day they called Gideon “Jerub Baal,” because he said, “Let Baal defend himself against him,” because Gideon broke down Baal's altar.

33 Now all the Midianites, the Amalekites, and the people of the east gathered together. They crossed over the Jordan and camped in the Valley of Jezreel. 34 But the Spirit of Yahweh came over Gideon. Gideon blew a trumpet, calling out the clan of Abiezer, so they might follow him. 35 He sent messengers all throughout Manasseh, and they too, were called out to follow him. He also sent messengers to Asher, Zebulun, and Naphtali, and they went up to meet him.

36 Gideon said to God, “If you intend to use me to save Israel, as you have said— 37 Look, I am putting a woolen fleece on the threshing floor. If there is dew only on the fleece, and it is dry on all the ground, then I will know that you will use me to save Israel, as you said.” 38 This is what happened—Gideon rose early the next morning, he pressed the fleece together, and wrung out the dew from the fleece, enough to fill a bowl with water. 39 Then Gideon said to God, “Do not be angry with me, I will speak one more time. Please allow me one more test using the fleece. This time make the fleece dry, and let there be dew on all the ground around it.” 40 God did what he asked for that night. The fleece was dry, and there was dew on all the ground around it.

7

1 Then Jerub Baal (that is, Gideon) rose up early, and all the people who were with him, and they encamped beside the spring of Harod. The camp of Midian was to their north in the valley near the hill of Moreh.

2 Yahweh said to Gideon, “There are too many soldiers for me to give you victory over the Midianites, so that Israel may not boast over me, saying, 'Our own power has saved us.' 3 Now therefore, proclaim in the ears of the people and say, 'Whoever is afraid, whoever trembles, let him return and depart from Mount Gilead.'” So twenty-two thousand people went away, and ten thousand remained.

4 Yahweh said to Gideon, “The people are still too many. Take them down to the water, and I will make their number smaller for you there. If I say to you, 'This one will go with you,' he will go with you; but if I say, 'This one will not go with you,' he will not go.” 5 So Gideon brought the people down to the water, and Yahweh said to him, “Separate everyone who laps up the water, as a dog laps, from those who kneel down to drink.” 6 Three hundred men lapped. The rest of the men kneeled down to drink water. 7 Yahweh said to Gideon, “With the three hundred men who lapped, I will rescue you and give you victory over the Midianites. Let every other man go back to his own place.” 8 So those who were chosen took their supplies and their trumpets. Gideon sent away all the men of Israel, every man to his tent, but he kept the three hundred men. Now the Midian camp was down below him in the valley.

9 That same night Yahweh said to him, “Get up! Attack the camp, for I am going to give you victory over it. 10 But if you are afraid to go down, go down to the camp with Purah your servant, 11 and listen to what they are saying, and your courage will be strengthened to attack the camp.” So Gideon went with Purah his servant, down to the guard posts of the camp. 12 The Midianites, the Amalekites, and all the people of the east settled along in the valley, as thick as a cloud of locusts. Their camels were more than could be counted; they were more in number than the grains of the sand on the seashore. 13 When Gideon arrived there, a man was telling a dream to his companion. The man said, “Look! I had a dream, and I saw a round loaf of barley bread tumbling into the camp of Midian. It came to the tent, and hit it so hard that it fell down and turned it upside down, so that it lay flat.” 14 The other man said, “This is nothing other than the sword of Gideon (the son of Joash), the Israelite. God has given him victory over Midian and all their army.”

15 When Gideon heard the retelling of the dream and its interpretation, he bowed down in worship. He went back to the camp of Israel and said, “Get up! Yahweh has given you victory over the Midian army.” 16 He divided the three hundred men into three groups, and he gave them all trumpets and empty jars, with torches inside each jar. 17 He said to them, “Look at me and do what I do. Watch! When I come to the edge of the camp, you must do what I do. 18 When I blow the trumpet, I and all who are with me, then blow your trumpets also on every side of the entire camp and shout, 'For Yahweh and for Gideon!'”

19 So Gideon and the hundred men who were with him came to the edge of the camp, right at the beginning of the middle watch. Just as the Midianites were changing guard, they blew the trumpets and broke the jars that were in their hands. 20 The three companies blew the trumpets and broke the jars. They held the torches in their left hands and the trumpets in their right hands to blow them. They shouted out, “The sword of Yahweh and of Gideon.” 21 Every man stood in his place around the camp and all the Midianite army ran. They shouted and ran away. 22 When they blew the three hundred trumpets, Yahweh set every Midianite man's sword against his comrades and against all their army. The army fled as far as Beth Shittah toward Zererah, as far as the border of Abel Meholah, near Tabbath. 23 The men of Israel from Naphtali, Asher, and all Manasseh were called out, and they went after Midian.

24 Gideon sent messengers throughout all the hill country of Ephraim, saying, “Go down against Midian and take control of the Jordan River, as far as Beth Barah, to stop them.” So all the men of Ephraim gathered together and took control of the waters, as far as Beth Barah and the Jordan River. 25 They captured the two princes of Midian, Oreb and Zeeb. They killed Oreb at the rock of Oreb, and they killed Zeeb at the winepress of Zeeb. They went after the Midianites, and they brought the heads of Oreb and Zeeb to Gideon, who was on the other side of the Jordan.

8

1 The men of Ephraim said to Gideon, “What is this you have done to us? You did not call us when you went to fight against Midian.” Then they had a violent argument with him. 2 He said to them, “What have I done now compared to you? Are not the gleanings of Ephraim's grapes better than the full grape harvest of Abiezer? 3 God has given you victory over the princes of Midian—Oreb and Zeeb! What have I accomplished compared to you?” Their anger toward him died down when he said this.

4 Gideon came to the Jordan and crossed over it, he and the three hundred men who were with him. They were exhausted, yet they still kept up the pursuit. 5 He said to the men of Succoth, “Please give loaves of bread to the people who follow me, for they are exhausted, and I am pursuing Zebah and Zalmunna, the kings of Midian.” 6 Then the officials said, “Are the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna now in your hand? Why should we give bread to your army?” 7 Gideon said, “When Yahweh has given us victory over Zebah and Zalmunna, I will tear your skin with the desert thorns and briers.” 8 He went up from there to Peniel and spoke to the people there in the same way, but the men of Peniel answered him just as the men of Succoth had answered. 9 He spoke also to the men of Peniel and said, “When I come again in peace, I will pull down this tower.”

10 Now Zebah and Zalmunna were in Karkor with their army, about fifteen thousand men, all who remained out of the entire army of the people of the East, for there had fallen 120,000 men who drew the sword. 11 Gideon went up the road taken by tent dwellers, past Nobah and Jogbehah. He defeated the enemy army, because they were not expecting an attack. 12 Zebah and Zalmunna fled, and as Gideon pursued them, he captured the two kings of Midian—Zebah and Zalmunna—and set their whole army into a panic.

13 Gideon, son of Joash, returned from the battle going through the pass of Heres. 14 He caught a young man of Succoth and questioned him. The young man wrote down the names of seventy-seven officials and elders of Succoth. 15 Gideon came to the men of Succoth and said, “Look at Zebah and Zalmunna, about whom you mocked me and said, 'Have you already conquered Zebah and Zalmunna? We do not know that we should give bread to your army.'” 16 Gideon took the elders of the city, and he punished the men of Succoth with the desert thorns and briers. 17 Then he pulled down the tower of Peniel and killed the men of that city.

18 Then Gideon said to Zebah and Zalmunna, “What kind of men did you kill at Tabor?” They answered, “As you are, so were they. Every one of them looked like the son of a king.” 19 Gideon said, “They were my brothers, the sons of my mother. As Yahweh lives, if you had saved them alive, I would not kill you.” 20 He said to Jether (his firstborn), “Get up and kill them!” But the young man did not draw his sword for he was afraid, because he was still a young boy. 21 Then Zebah and Zalmunna said, “Get up yourself and kill us! For as the man is, so is his strength.” Gideon rose and killed Zebah and Zalmunna. He also took off the crescent-shaped ornaments that were on their camels' necks.

22 Then the men of Israel said to Gideon, “Rule over us—you, your son, and your grandson—because you have saved us out of the hand of Midian.” 23 Gideon said to them, “I will not rule over you, neither will my son rule over you. Yahweh will rule over you.” 24 Gideon said to them, “Let me make a request of you: Every one of you would give me the earrings from his plunder.” (The Midianites had golden earrings because they were Ishmaelites.) 25 They answered, “We are glad to give them to you.” They spread out a cloak and every man threw on it the earrings from his plunder. 26 The weight of the golden earrings that he requested was 1,700 shekels of gold. This plunder was in addition to the crescent ornaments, the pendants, the purple clothing that was worn by the kings of Midian, and in addition to the chains that had been around their camels' necks. 27 Gideon made an ephod out of the earrings and put it in his city, in Ophrah, and all Israel prostituted themselves by worshiping it there. It became a trap for Gideon and for those in his house. 28 So Midian was subdued before the people of Israel and they did not raise their heads up again. So the land had peace for forty years in the days of Gideon.

29 Jerub Baal, son of Joash, went and lived in his own house. 30 Gideon had seventy sons who were his descendants, for he had many wives. 31 His concubine, who was in Shechem, also bore him a son, and Gideon gave him the name Abimelech. 32 Gideon, son of Joash, died at a good old age and was buried in the tomb of Joash his father, at Ophrah of the clan of Abiezer.

33 It came about, as soon as Gideon was dead, the people of Israel turned again and prostituted themselves by worshiping the Baals. They made Baal-Berith their god. 34 The people of Israel did not remember to honor Yahweh, their God, who had rescued them from the hand of all their enemies on every side. 35 They did not keep their promises to the house of Jerub Baal (that is, Gideon), in return for all the good he had done in Israel.

9

1 Abimelech son of Jerub Baal went to his mother's relatives at Shechem and he said to them and to the whole clan of his mother's family, 2 “Please say this, so that all the leaders in Shechem may hear, 'Which is better for you, that all seventy sons of Jerub Baal rule over you, or that just one rule over you?' Remember that I am your bone and your flesh.” 3 His mother's relatives spoke for him to the leaders of Shechem, and they agreed to follow Abimelech, for they said, “He is our brother.” 4 They gave him seventy pieces of silver out of the house of Baal-Berith, and Abimelech used it to hire men of lawless and reckless character, who followed him. 5 Abimelech went to his father's house at Ophrah, and upon one stone he murdered his seventy brothers, the sons of Jerub Baal. Only Jotham was left, the youngest son of Jerub Baal, for he hid himself. 6 All the leaders of Shechem and Beth Millo came together and they went and made Abimelech king, beside the oak near the pillar which is in Shechem.

7 When Jotham was told about this, he went and stood on the top of Mount Gerizim. He shouted and said to them, “Listen to me, you leaders of Shechem, so that God may listen to you. 8 The trees once went out to anoint a king over them. For they said to the olive tree, 'Reign over us.' 9 But the olive tree said to them, 'Should I give up my oil, which is used to honor gods and mankind, so I may go return, just to sway over the other trees?' 10 The trees said to the fig tree, 'Come and reign over us.' 11 But the fig tree said to them, 'Should I give up my sweetness and my good fruit, just so I could return and sway over the other trees?' 12 The trees said to the vine, 'Come and reign over us.' 13 The vine said to them, 'Should I give up my new wine, which cheers gods and mankind, and return and sway over the other trees?' 14 Then said all the trees to the thornbush, 'Come and reign over us.' 15 The thornbush said to the trees, 'If you truly want to anoint me as king over you, then come and find safety under my shade. If not, then let fire come out of the thornbush and let it burn up the cedars of Lebanon.' 16 Now therefore, if you have acted in truth and honesty, when you made Abimelech king, and if you have done well concerning Jerub Baal and his house, and if you have punished him as he deserves— 17 —and to think that my father fought for you, risked his life, and rescued you out of the hand of Midian— 18 but today you have risen up against my father's house and have killed his sons, seventy persons, upon one stone. Then you have made Abimelech, the son of his female servant, king over the leaders of Shechem, because he is your relative. 19 If you acted with honesty and integrity with Jerub Baal and his house, then you should rejoice in Abimelech, and let him also rejoice in you. 20 But if not, let fire come out from Abimelech and burn up the men of Shechem and Beth Millo. Let fire come out from the men of Shechem and Beth Millo, to burn up Abimelech.” 21 Jotham fled and ran away, and he went to Beer. He lived there because it was far away from Abimelech, his brother.

22 Abimelech ruled over Israel for three years. 23 God sent an evil spirit between Abimelech and the leaders of Shechem. The leaders of Shechem betrayed the trust they had with Abimelech. 24 God did this so the violence done to the seventy sons of Jerub Baal might be avenged, and Abimelech their brother would be held responsible for murdering them, and the men of Shechem would be held responsible because they helped him murder his brothers. 25 So the leaders of Shechem positioned men to lie in wait on the hilltops that they might ambush him, and they robbed all who passed by them along that road. This was reported to Abimelech.

26 Gaal son of Ebed came with his relatives and they went over to Shechem. The leaders of Shechem had confidence in him. 27 They went out into the field and gathered grapes from the vineyards, and they trampled on them. They held a festival in the house of their god, where they ate and drank, and they cursed Abimelech. 28 Gaal son of Ebed, said, “Who is Abimelech, and who is Shechem, that we should serve him? Is he not the son of Jerub Baal? Is Zebul not his officer? Serve the men of Hamor, Shechem's father! Why should we serve Abimelech? 29 I wish that this people were under my command! Then would I remove Abimelech. I would say to Abimelech, 'Call out all your army.'”

30 When Zebul, the official of the city, heard the words of Gaal son of Ebed his anger was kindled. 31 He sent messengers to Abimelech in order to deceive, saying, “See, Gaal son of Ebed and his relatives are coming to Shechem, and they are stirring up the city against you. 32 Now, get up during the night, you and the soldiers with you, and prepare an ambush in the fields. 33 Then in the morning, as soon as the sun is up, rise early and make a raid on the city. When he and the people with him come out against you, do whatever you can to them.”

34 So Abimelech got up during the night, he and all the men who were with him, and they set an ambush against Shechem—dividing into four units. 35 Gaal son of Ebed went out and stood in the entrance of the city gate. Abimelech and the men who were with him came out of their hiding place. 36 When Gaal saw the men, he said to Zebul, “See, men are coming down from the hilltops!” Zebul said to him, “You are seeing the shadows on the hills like they are men.” 37 Gaal spoke again and said, “Look, men are coming down in the middle of the land, and one unit is coming by way of the oak of the diviners.” 38 Then Zebul said to him, “Where are your proud words now, you who said, 'Who is Abimelech that we should serve him?' Are these not the men you despised? Go out now and fight against them.” 39 Gaal went out and he was leading the men of Shechem, and he fought Abimelech. 40 Abimelech chased him, and Gaal fled before him. Many fell with deadly wounds before the entrance to the city gate.

41 Abimelech stayed in Arumah. Zebul forced Gaal and his relatives out of Shechem. 42 On the next day the people of Shechem went out into the field, and this was reported to Abimelech. 43 He took his people, divided them into three units, and they set an ambush in the fields. He looked and saw the people coming out from the city and he attacked and killed them. 44 Abimelech and the units that were with him attacked and blocked the entrance to the city gate. The other two units attacked all who were in the field and killed them. 45 Abimelech fought against the city all that day. He captured the city, and killed the people who were in it. He tore down the city walls and spread salt over it.

46 When all the leaders of the tower of Shechem heard of it, they entered the stronghold of the house of El-Berith. 47 Abimelech was told that all the leaders had gathered together at the tower of Shechem. 48 Abimelech went up to Mount Zalmon, he and all the men who were with him. Abimelech took an ax and cut off branches. He put it on his shoulder and ordered the men with him, “What you have seen me do, hurry and do as I have done.” 49 So every one cut off branches and followed Abimelech. They piled them against the wall of the tower, and they set it on fire, so that all the people of the tower of Shechem also died, about a thousand men and women.

50 Then Abimelech went to Thebez, and he encamped against Thebez and captured it. 51 But there was a strong tower in the city, and all the men and women and all the leaders of the city fled to it and shut themselves in. Then they went up to the roof of the tower. 52 Abimelech came to the tower and fought against it, and he came up near to the door of the tower to burn it. 53 But a woman dropped an upper millstone on Abimelech's head and it cracked his skull. 54 Then he called urgently to the young man who was his armor-bearer, and said to him, “Draw your sword and kill me, so no one will say about me, 'A woman killed him.'” So his young man pierced him through, and he died. 55 When the men of Israel saw that Abimelech was dead, they went home. 56 So God avenged the evil of Abimelech that he did to his father by murdering his seventy brothers. 57 God made all the evil of the men of Shechem turn back on their own heads and on them came the curse of Jotham son of Jerub Baal.

10

1 After Abimelech, Tola son of Puah son of Dodo, a man from Issachar who lived in Shamir, in the hill country of Ephraim, arose to deliver Israel. 2 He judged Israel twenty-three years. He died and was buried in Shamir.

3 He was followed by Jair the Gileadite. He judged Israel twenty-two years. 4 He had thirty sons who rode on thirty donkeys, and they had thirty cities, which are called Havvoth Jair to this day, which are in the land of Gilead. 5 Jair died and was buried in Kamon.

6 The people of Israel added to the evil they had done in the sight of Yahweh and worshiped the Baals, the Ashtoreths, the gods of Aram, the gods of Sidon, the gods of Moab, the gods of the people of Ammon, and the gods of the Philistines. They abandoned Yahweh and no longer worshiped him. 7 Yahweh burned with anger toward Israel, and he sold them into the hand of the Philistines and into the hand of the Ammonites. 8 They crushed and oppressed the people of Israel that year, and for eighteen years they oppressed all the people of Israel who were beyond the Jordan in the land of the Amorites, which is in Gilead. 9 Then the Ammonites crossed over the Jordan to fight against Judah, against Benjamin, and against the house of Ephraim, so that Israel was greatly distressed.

10 Then the people of Israel called out to Yahweh, saying, “We have sinned against you, because we abandoned our God and worshiped the Baals.” 11 Yahweh said to the people of Israel, “Did I not deliver you from the Egyptians, the Amorites, the Ammonites, the Philistines, 12 and also from the Sidonians? The Amalekites and the Maonites oppressed you; you called out to me, and I delivered you from their power. 13 Yet you abandoned me again and worshiped other gods. Therefore, I will not keep adding to the times I deliver you. 14 Go and call out to the gods that you have worshiped. Let them rescue you when you have trouble.” 15 The people of Israel said to Yahweh, “We have sinned. Do to us whatever seems good to you. Only please, rescue us this day.” 16 They got rid of the foreign gods among them and they worshiped Yahweh. Then Yahweh could bear Israel's misery no longer.

17 Then Ammonites gathered together and set up camp in Gilead. The Israelites came together and set up their camp at Mizpah. 18 The leaders of the people of Gilead said one to another, “Who is the man who will begin to fight the Ammonites? He will become the leader over all those who are living in Gilead.”

11

1 Now Jephthah the Gileadite was a mighty warrior, but he was the son of a prostitute. Gilead was his father. 2 Gilead's wife also gave birth to his other sons. When his wife's sons grew up, they forced Jephthah to leave the house and said to him, “You are not going to inherit anything from our family. You are the son of another woman.” 3 So Jephthah fled from his brothers and lived in the land of Tob. Lawless men joined Jephthah and they came and went with him.

4 Some days later, the people of Ammon made war against Israel. 5 When the people of Ammon made war against Israel, the elders of Gilead went to bring Jephthah back from the land of Tob. 6 They said to Jephthah, “Come and be our leader that we may fight with the people of Ammon.” 7 Jephthah said to the leaders of Gilead, “You hated me and forced me to leave my father's house. Why do you come to me now when you are in trouble?” 8 The elders of Gilead said to Jephthah, “That is why we are turning to you now; come with us and fight with the people of Ammon, and you will become the leader over all who live in Gilead.” 9 Jephthah said to the elders of Gilead, “If you bring me home again to fight against the people of Ammon, and if Yahweh gives us victory over them, I will be your leader.” 10 The elders of Gilead said to Jephthah, “May Yahweh be witness between us if we do not do as we say!” 11 So Jephthah went with the elders of Gilead, and the people made him leader and commander over them. When he was before Yahweh in Mizpah, Jephthah repeated all the promises he made.

12 Then Jephthah sent messengers to the king of the people of Ammon, saying, “What is this conflict between us? Why have you come with force to take our land?” 13 The king of the people of Ammon answered to the messengers of Jephthah, “Because when Israel came up out of Egypt, they seized my land from the Arnon to the Jabbok, over to the Jordan. Now give back those lands in peace.” 14 Again Jephthah sent messengers to the king of the people of Ammon, 15 and he said, “This is what Jephthah says: Israel did not take the land of Moab and the land of the people of Ammon, 16 but they came up from Egypt, and Israel went through the wilderness to the Sea of Reeds and on to Kadesh. 17 When Israel sent messengers to the king of Edom, saying, 'Please let us pass through your land,' the king of Edom would not listen. They also sent messengers to the king of Moab, but he refused. So Israel stayed at Kadesh. 18 Then they went through the wilderness and turned away from the land of Edom and the land of Moab, and they went along the east side of the land of Moab and they camped on the other side of the Arnon. But they did not go into the territory of Moab, for the Arnon was Moab's border. 19 Israel sent messengers to Sihon, king of the Amorites, who ruled in Heshbon; Israel said to him, 'Please, let us pass through your land to the place that is ours.' 20 But Sihon did not trust Israel to pass through his territory. So Sihon gathered all his army together and moved it to Jahaz, and there he fought against Israel. 21 Then Yahweh, the God of Israel, gave Sihon and all his people into the hand of Israel and they defeated them. So Israel took all the land of the Amorites who lived in that country. 22 They took over everything within the territory of the Amorites, from the Arnon to the Jabbok, and from the wilderness to the Jordan. 23 So then Yahweh, the God of Israel, has driven out the Amorites before his people Israel, and should you now take possession of their land? 24 Will you not take over the land that Chemosh, your god, gives you? So whatever land Yahweh our God has given us, we will take over. 25 Now are you really better than Balak son of Zippor, king of Moab? Did he dare to have an argument with Israel? Did he ever wage war against them? 26 While Israel lived for three hundred years in Heshbon and its villages, and in Aroer and its villages, and in all the cities that are along the banks of the Arnon—why then did you not take them back during that time? 27 I have not done you wrong, but you are doing me wrong by attacking me. Yahweh, the judge, will decide today between the people of Israel and the people of Ammon.” 28 But the king of the people of Ammon rejected the warning Jephthah sent him.

29 Then the Spirit of Yahweh came on Jephthah, and he passed through Gilead and Manasseh, and passed through Mizpah of Gilead, and from Mizpah of Gilead he passed through to the people of Ammon. 30 Jephthah made a vow to Yahweh and said, “If you give me victory over the people of Ammon, 31 then whatever comes out of the doors of my house to meet me when I return in peace from the people of Ammon will belong to Yahweh, and I will offer it up as a burnt offering.” 32 So Jephthah passed through to the people of Ammon to fight against them, and Yahweh gave him victory. 33 He attacked them and caused a great slaughter from Aroer as far as Minnith—twenty cities—and to Abel Keramim. So the people of Ammon were put under the control of the people of Israel.

34 Jephthah came to his home at Mizpah, and there his daughter came out to meet him with tambourines and with dancing. She was his only child, and besides her he had neither son nor daughter. 35 As soon as he saw her, he tore his clothes and said, “Oh! My daughter! You have crushed me with sorrow, and you have become one who causes me pain! For I have made an oath to Yahweh, and I cannot turn back on my promise.” 36 She said to him, “My father, you have made a vow to Yahweh, do to me everything you promised, because Yahweh has taken vengeance for you against your enemies, the Ammonites.” 37 She said to her father, “Let this promise be kept for me. Leave me alone for two months, that I may leave and go down to the hills and grieve over my virginity, I and my companions.” 38 He said, “Go.” He sent her away for two months. She left him, she and her companions, and they grieved her virginity in the hills. 39 At the end of two months she returned to her father, who did with her according to the promise of the vow he had made. Now she had never slept with a man, and it became a custom in Israel 40 that the daughters of Israel every year, for four days, would retell the story of the daughter of Jephthah the Gileadite.

12

1 A call went out to the men of Ephraim; they passed through Zaphon and said to Jephthah, “Why did you pass through to fight against the people of Ammon and did not call us to go with you? We will burn your house down over you.” 2 Jephthah said to them, “I and my people were in a great conflict with the people of Ammon. When I called you, you did not rescue me from them. 3 When I saw that you did not rescue me, When I saw that you did not rescue me, I put my life in my own hand and passed through against the people of Ammon, and Yahweh gave me victory. Why have you come to fight against me today?” 4 Jephthah gathered together all the men of Gilead and he fought against Ephraim. The men of Gilead attacked the men of Ephraim because they said, “You Gileadites are fugitives in Ephraim—in Ephraim and Manasseh.” 5 The Gileadites captured the fords of the Jordan leading to Ephraim. When any of the survivors of Ephraim said, “Let me go over the river,” the men of Gilead would say to him, “Are you an Ephraimite?” If he said, “No,” 6 then they would say to him, “Say: Shibboleth,” and if he said “Sibboleth” (for he could not pronounce the word correctly), the Gileadites would seize him and kill him at the fords of the Jordan. Forty-two thousand Ephraimites were killed at that time.

7 Jephthah served as a judge over Israel for six years. Then Jephthah the Gileadite died and was buried in one of the cities of Gilead.

8 After him, Ibzan of Bethlehem served as a judge over Israel. 9 He had thirty sons. He gave away thirty daughters in marriage, and he brought in thirty daughters of other men for his sons, from the outside. He judged Israel for seven years. 10 Ibzan died and was buried at Bethlehem. 11 After him Elon the Zebulunite served as judge over Israel. He judged Israel for ten years. 12 Elon the Zebulunite died and was buried in Aijalon in the land of Zebulun.

13 After him, Abdon son of Hillel the Pirathonite served as a judge over Israel. 14 He had forty sons and thirty grandsons. They rode on seventy donkeys, and he judged Israel for eight years. 15 Abdon son of Hillel the Pirathonite died and was buried in Pirathon in the land of Ephraim in the hill country of the Amalekites.

13

1 The people of Israel again did what was evil in the sight of Yahweh, and he gave them into the hand of the Philistines for forty years.

2 There was a man from Zorah, of the clan of the Danites, whose name was Manoah. His wife was not able to become pregnant and so she had not given birth. 3 The angel of Yahweh appeared to the woman and said to her, “See now, you have been unable to become pregnant, and you have not given birth, but you will become pregnant and you will give birth to a son. 4 Now be careful not to drink wine or strong drink, and do not eat anything unclean.

5 Look, you will become pregnant and give birth to a son. No razor will be used upon his head, for the child will be a Nazirite to God from the womb, and he will begin to deliver Israel from the hand of the Philistines.” 6 Then the woman came and told her husband, “A man of God came to me, and his appearance was like that of an angel of God, very terrible. I did not ask him where he came from, and he did not tell me his name. 7 He said to me, 'Look! You will become pregnant, and you will give birth to a son. So then drink no wine or strong drink, and do not eat any food that the law declares to be unclean, because the child will be a Nazirite to God from the time he is in your womb until the day of his death.'”

8 Then Manoah prayed to Yahweh and said, “Oh, Lord, please let the man of God you sent come again to us so that he may teach us what we are to do for the child who soon will be born.” 9 God listened to the voice of Manoah, and the angel of God came to the woman again when she was sitting in the field. But Manoah her husband was not with her. 10 So the woman ran quickly and told her husband, “Look! The man has appeared to me—the one who came to me the other day!” 11 Manoah got up and followed his wife. When he came to the man, he said, “Are you the man who spoke with my wife?” The man said, “I am.” 12 So Manoah said, “Now may your words come true. What will be the rules for the child, and what will be his work?” 13 The angel of Yahweh said to Manoah, “She must carefully do everything that I said to her. 14 She may not eat anything that comes from the vines, and do not let her drink wine or strong drink or eat anything unclean. She must obey everything I have commanded her to do.”

15 Manoah said to the angel of Yahweh, “Please stay for a while, to give us time to prepare a young goat for you.” 16 The angel of Yahweh said to Manoah, “Even if I stay, I will not eat your food. But if you prepare a burnt offering, offer it to Yahweh.” (Manoah did not know that he was the angel of Yahweh.) 17 Manoah said to the angel of Yahweh, “What is your name, so we may honor you when your words come true?” 18 The angel of Yahweh said to him, “Why do you ask my name? It is wonderful!” 19 So Manoah took the young goat with the grain offering and offered them on the rock to Yahweh. He did something marvelous while Manoah and his wife were watching. 20 When the flame went up from the altar toward the sky, the angel of Yahweh went up in the flame of the altar. Manoah and his wife saw this and lay facedown on the ground.

21 The angel of Yahweh did not appear again to Manoah or his wife. Then Manoah knew that he was the angel of Yahweh. 22 Manoah said to his wife, “We are sure to die, because we have seen God!” 23 But his wife said to him, “If Yahweh wanted to kill us, he would not have received the burnt offering and the grain offering we gave him. He would not have shown us all these things, nor at this time would he have let us hear such things.” 24 Later the woman gave birth to a son, and called his name Samson. The child grew up and Yahweh blessed him. 25 Yahweh's Spirit began to stir him in Mahaneh Dan, between Zorah and Eshtaol.

14

1 Samson went down to Timnah, and there he saw a woman, one of the daughters of the Philistines. 2 When he returned, he told his father and mother, “I saw a woman in Timnah, one of the daughters of the Philistines. Now get her for me to be my wife.” 3 His father and mother said to him, “Is there not a woman among the daughters of your relatives, or among all our people? Are you going to take a wife from the uncircumcised Philistines?” Samson said to his father, “Get her for me, for when I look at her, she pleases me.” 4 But his father and his mother did not know that this matter came from Yahweh, for he desired to create a conflict with the Philistines (for at that time the Philistines were ruling Israel).

5 Then Samson went down to Timnah with his father and his mother, and they came to the vineyards of Timnah. And, look, there one of the young lions came up and was roaring at him. 6 Yahweh's Spirit suddenly came on him, and he tore the lion apart as easily as he would have torn apart a small goat, and he had nothing in his hand. But he did not tell his father or his mother what he had done. 7 He went and spoke with the woman, and when he looked at her, she pleased Samson. 8 A few days later when he returned to marry her, he turned aside to look for the carcass of the lion. And, look, there was a swarm of bees and honey in what was left of the lion's body. 9 He scraped up the honey in his hands and went on, eating as he went. When he came to his father and his mother, he gave some to them, and they ate. But he did not tell them he had taken the honey out of what was left of the lion's body.

10 Samson's father went down to where the woman was, and Samson gave a feast there, for this was the custom of the young men. 11 As soon as her relatives saw him, they brought him thirty of their friends to be with him. 12 Samson said to them, “Let me now tell you a riddle. If one of you can find it out and tell me the answer during the seven days of the feast, I will give out thirty linen robes and thirty sets of clothes. 13 But if you cannot tell me the answer, then you will give me thirty linen robes and thirty sets of clothes.” They said to him, “Tell us your riddle, so we may hear it.” 14 He said to them,

“Out of the eater was something to eat;

out of the strong was something sweet.”

But his guests could not find the answer in three days.

15 On the fourth day they said to Samson's wife, “Trick your husband so that he may tell us the answer to the riddle, or we will burn up you and your father's house. Did you invite us here in order to make us poor?” 16 Samson's wife started to weep in front of him; she said, “All you do is hate me! You do not love me. You have told a riddle to some of my people, but you have not told me the answer.” Samson said to her, “Look here, if I have not told my father or my mother, should I tell you?” 17 She cried during the seven days that their feast lasted. On the seventh day he told her the answer because she pressured him very much. She told the answer to the relatives of her people. 18 Before the sun went down on the seventh day the men of the city said to him,

“What is sweeter than honey?

What is stronger than a lion?”

Samson said to them,

“If you had not plowed with my heifer,

you would not have found the answer to my riddle.”

19 Then Yahweh's Spirit suddenly came on Samson with power. Samson went down to Ashkelon and killed thirty of their men. He took their plunder, and he gave their clothes to those who had explained the riddle. Burning with anger, he went up to his father's house. 20 Samson's wife was given to his best friend.

15

1 After some days, during the time of wheat harvest, Samson took a young goat and went to visit his wife. He said to himself, “I will go to my wife's room.” But her father would not allow him to go in. 2 Her father said, “I really thought you hated her, so I gave her to your friend. Her younger sister is more beautiful than she is, is she not? Take her instead.” 3 Samson said to them, “This time I will be innocent in regard to the Philistines when I hurt them.” 4 Samson went and caught three hundred foxes and he tied together each pair, tail to tail. Then he took torches and tied them in the middle of each pair of tails. 5 When he had set the torches on fire, he let the foxes go into the standing grain of the Philistines, and they set fire to both the stacked grain and the grain standing in the field, along with the vineyards and the olive orchards. 6 The Philistines asked, “Who did this?” They were told, “Samson, the Timnite's son-in-law, did this because the Timnite took Samson's wife and gave her to his friend.” Then the Philistines went and burned up her and her father. 7 Samson said to them, “If this is what you do, I will get my revenge against you, and after that is done, I will stop.” 8 Then he cut them to pieces, hip and thigh, with a great slaughter. Then he went down and lived in a cave in the cliff of Etam.

9 Then the Philistines came up and they prepared for battle in Judah and set up their army in Lehi. 10 The men of Judah said, “Why have you come up to attack us?” They said, “We are attacking so we may capture Samson, and do to him as he has done to us.” 11 Then three thousand men of Judah went down to the cave in the cliff of Etam, and they said to Samson, “Do you not know that the Philistines are rulers over us? What is this you have done to us?” Samson said to them, “They did to me, and so I have done to them.” 12 They said to Samson, “We have come down to tie you up and give you into the hands of the Philistines.” Samson said to them, “Swear to me that you will not kill me yourselves.” 13 They said to him, “No, we will only tie you with ropes and hand you over to them. We promise we will not kill you.” Then they tied him up with two new ropes and brought him up from the rock.

14 When he came to Lehi, the Philistines came shouting as they met him. Then Yahweh's Spirit came on him with power. The ropes on his arms became like burnt flax, and they fell off his hands. 15 Samson found a fresh jawbone of a donkey, and he picked it up and killed a thousand men with it. 16 Samson said,

“With the jawbone of a donkey, heaps upon heaps,

with the jawbone of a donkey I have killed a thousand men.”

17 When Samson finished speaking, he threw away the jawbone, and he called the place Ramath Lehi. 18 Samson was very thirsty and called on Yahweh and said, “You have given this great victory to your servant. But now will I die of thirst and fall into the hands of those who are uncircumcised?” 19 God split open the hollow place that is at Lehi and water came out. When he drank, his strength returned and he revived. So he called the name of that place En Hakkore, and it is at Lehi to this day. 20 Samson judged Israel in the days of the Philistines for twenty years.

16

1 Samson went to Gaza and saw a prostitute there, and he went to bed with her. 2 The Gazites were told, “Samson has come here.” The Gazites surrounded the place and in secret, they waited for him all night at the city gate. They kept silent all night. They had said, “Let us wait until daylight, and then let us kill him.” 3 Samson lay in bed until midnight. At midnight he got up and he took hold of the city gate and its two posts. He pulled them up out of the ground, bar and all, put them on his shoulders, and carried them up to the top of the hill, in front of Hebron.

4 After this, Samson came to love a woman who lived in the Valley of Sorek. Her name was Delilah. 5 The rulers of the Philistines came up to her, and said to her, “Trick Samson to see where his great strength lies, and by what means we may overpower him, that we may bind him in order to humiliate him. Do this, and each one of us will give you 1,100 pieces of silver.” 6 Then Delilah said to Samson, “Please, tell me how is it that you are so strong, and how could anyone bind you, so you might be controlled?” 7 Samson said to her, “If they tie me with seven fresh bowstrings that have not been dried, then I will become weak and be like any other man.” 8 Then the rulers of the Philistines brought up to Delilah seven fresh bowstrings that had not been dried, and she tied Samson up with them. 9 Now she had men hiding in secret, staying in her inner room. She said to him, “The Philistines are upon you, Samson!” But he broke the bowstrings like a thread of yarn when it touches the fire. So the secret of his strength was not discovered.

10 Then Delilah said to Samson, “This is how you have deceived me and told me lies. Please, tell me how you can be overpowered.” 11 He said to her, “If they tie me up with new ropes which have never been used for work, I will become weak and like any other man.” 12 So Delilah took new ropes and tied him up with them, and said to him, “The Philistines are upon you, Samson!” The men lying in wait were in the inner room. But Samson tore off the ropes from his arms like they were a piece of thread.

13 Delilah said to Samson, “Until now you have deceived me and told me lies. Tell me how you may be overpowered.” Samson said to her, “If you weave seven locks of my hair into a fabric on a loom, and then nail that to the loom, I will be like any other man.” 14 While he slept, Delilah wove seven locks of his hair into the fabric on the loom and nailed it to the loom, and she said to him, “The Philistines are upon you, Samson!” He woke from his sleep and he pulled out the fabric and the pin from the loom.

15 She said to him, “How can you say, 'I love you,' when you do not share your secrets with me? You have mocked me these three times and have not told me how you have such great strength.” 16 Every day she pressed him hard with her words, and she pressured him so much that he wished he would die. 17 So Samson told her everything and said to her, “I have never had a razor cut the hair on my head, for I have been a Nazirite for God from my mother's womb. If my head is shaved, then my strength will leave me, and I will become weak and be like every other man.”

18 When Delilah saw that he had told her the truth about everything, she sent and called for the rulers of the Philistines, saying, “Come up again, for he has told me everything.” Then the rulers of the Philistines went up to her, bringing the silver in their hands. 19 She had him fall asleep in her lap. She called for a man to shave off the seven locks of his head, and she began to subdue him, for his strength had left him. 20 She said, “The Philistines are upon you, Samson!” He woke up out of his sleep and said, “I will get out like the other times and shake myself free.” But he did not know that Yahweh had left him. 21 The Philistines captured him and put out his eyes. They brought him down to Gaza and bound him with bronze shackles. He turned the millstone at the prison house. 22 But the hair on his head began to grow again after it had been shaved.

23 The rulers of the Philistines gathered together to offer a great sacrifice to Dagon their god, and to rejoice. They said, “Our god has conquered Samson, our enemy, and put him in our grasp.” 24 When the people saw him, they praised their god, for they said, “Our god has conquered our enemy and given him to us—the destroyer of our country, who killed many of us.” 25 When they were celebrating, they said, “Call for Samson, that he may make us laugh.” They called for Samson out of the prison and he made them laugh. They made him stand between the pillars. 26 Samson said to the boy who held his hand, “Permit me to touch the pillars on which the building rests, so that I can lean against them.” 27 Now the house was full of men and women. All the rulers of the Philistines were there. There were on the roof about three thousand men and women, who were looking on while Samson was entertaining them.

28 Samson called to Yahweh and said, “Lord Yahweh, call me to mind! Please strengthen me only this once, God, so that I may have revenge in one blow on the Philistines for taking my two eyes.” 29 Samson held on to the two middle pillars on which the building rested, and he leaned against them, one pillar with his right hand, and the other with his left. 30 Samson said, “Let me die with the Philistines!” He stretched out with his strength and the building fell on the rulers and on all the people who were in it. So the dead that he killed when he died were more than those he killed during his life. 31 Then his brothers and all the house of his father came down. They took him, brought him back and buried him between Zorah and Eshtaol in the burial place of Manoah, his father. Samson had judged Israel for twenty years.

17

1 There was a man in the hill country of Ephraim, and his name was Micah. 2 He said to his mother, “The 1,100 pieces of silver that were taken from you, about which you spoke a curse, and which I heard—look here! I have the silver with me. I stole it.” His mother said, “May Yahweh bless you, my son!” 3 He restored the 1,100 pieces of silver to his mother and his mother said, “I set apart this silver to Yahweh, for my son to make carved and cast metal figures. So now, I restore it to you.” 4 When he restored the money to his mother, his mother took two hundred pieces of silver and gave them to a metal worker who made them into carved and cast metal figures, and they were placed in the house of Micah. 5 The man Micah had a house of idols and he made an ephod and household gods, and he hired one of his sons to become his priest. 6 In those days there was no king in Israel, and everyone did what was right in his own eyes.

7 Now there was a young man of Bethlehem in Judah, of the clan of Judah, who was a Levite. He stayed there to fulfill his duties. 8 The man left Bethlehem in Judah to go and find a place to live. As he journeyed, he came to Micah's house in the hill country of Ephraim. 9 Micah said to him, “Where do you come from?” The man said to him, “I am a Levite of Bethlehem in Judah, and I am traveling to find a place where I might live.” 10 Micah said to him, “Stay with me, and be to me a father and a priest. I will give you ten pieces of silver a year, a suit of clothes, and your food.” So the Levite went into his house. 11 The Levite was content to live with the man, and the young man became to Micah like one of his sons. 12 Micah set apart the Levite for sacred duties, and the young man became his priest, and was in Micah's house. 13 Then Micah said, “Now I know that Yahweh will do good for me, because this Levite has become my priest.”

18

1 In those days there was no king in Israel. The tribe of the descendants of Dan was looking for a territory to live in, for up to that day they had not received any inheritance from among the tribes of Israel. 2 The people of Dan sent five men from the whole number of their tribe, men who were experienced warriors from Zorah and from Eshtaol, to scout the land on foot, and to look it over. They said to them, “Go and look over the land.” They came to the hill country of Ephraim, to the house of Micah, and they spent the night there. 3 When they were near Micah's house, they recognized the speech of the young Levite. So they stopped and asked him, “Who brought you here? What are you doing in this place? Why are you here?” 4 He said to them, “This is what Micah has done for me: He has hired me to become his priest.” 5 They said to him, “Please seek the advice of God, so we may know whether the journey we are going on will be successful.” 6 The priest said to them, “Go in peace. Yahweh will lead you in the way you should go.”

7 Then the five men left and came to Laish, and they saw that the people were living in safety, in the same way the Sidonians lived, undisturbed and secure. There was no one who conquered them or who oppressed them in any way in the land. They lived far away from the Sidonians and had no dealings with anyone. 8 They returned to their tribe in Zorah and Eshtaol. Their relatives asked them, “What is your report?” 9 They said, “Come! Let us attack them! We have seen the land and it is very good. Are you doing nothing? Do not be slow to attack and conquer the land. 10 When you go, you will come to a people who think they are secure, and the land is wide! God has given it to you—a place that does not lack anything in the land.”

11 Six hundred men of the tribe of Dan, armed with weapons of war, set out from Zorah and Eshtaol. 12 They went up and camped at Kiriath Jearim, in Judah. This is why people called that place Mahaneh Dan to this day; it is west of Kiriath Jearim. 13 They went away from there to the hill country of Ephraim and came to the house of Micah.

14 Then the five men who had gone to scout the country of Laish said to their relatives, “Do you know that in these houses there are an ephod, household gods, a carved figure, and a cast metal figure? Decide now what you will do.” 15 So they turned in there and came to the house of the young Levite, at the house of Micah, and they greeted him. 16 Now the six hundred Danites, armed with weapons of war, stood at the entrance of the gate. 17 The five men who had gone to scout out the land went there and they took the carved figure, the ephod, the household gods, and the cast metal figure, while the priest stood by the opening of the gate with the six hundred men armed with weapons of war. 18 When these went into Micah's house and took the carved figure, the ephod, the household gods, and the cast metal figure, the priest said to them, “What are you doing?” 19 They said to him, “Be quiet! Put your hand on your mouth and come with us, and be to us a father and a priest. Is it better for you to be priest for the house of one man, or to be priest for a tribe and a clan in Israel?” 20 The priest's heart was glad. He took the ephod, the household gods, and the carved figure, and went along with the people.

21 So they turned and went away. They put the small children in front of themselves, as well as the cattle and their possessions. 22 When they were a good distance from the house of Micah, the men who were in the houses near Micah's house were called together, and they caught up with the Danites. 23 They shouted to the Danites, and they turned and said to Micah, “Why have you been called together?” 24 He said, “You stole the gods that I made, you have taken my priest, and you are leaving. What else do I have left? How can you ask me, 'What is bothering you?'” 25 The people of Dan said to him, “You should not let us hear you say anything, or some very angry men will attack you, and you and your family will be killed.” 26 Then the people of Dan went their way. When Micah saw that they were too strong for him, he turned and went back to his house.

27 The people of Dan took what Micah had made, as well as his priest, and they came to Laish, to a people who were undisturbed and secure and they struck them with the edge of the sword and burned the city. 28 There was no one to rescue them because it was a long way from Sidon, and they had no dealings with anyone. It was in the valley that is near Beth Rehob. The Danites rebuilt the city and lived there. 29 They named the city Dan, the name of Dan their ancestor, who was one of Israel's sons. But the name of the city used to be Laish. 30 The people of Dan set up the carved figure for themselves. Jonathan son of Gershom, son of Moses, he and his sons were priests for the tribe of the Danites until the day of the land's captivity. 31 So they worshiped Micah's carved figure that he made as long as the house of God was at Shiloh.

19

1 In those days, when there was no king in Israel, there was a man, a Levite, living for a while in the most remote area of the hill country of Ephraim. He took for himself a woman, a concubine from Bethlehem in Judah. 2 But his concubine was unfaithful to him; she left him and went back to her father's house in Bethlehem of Judah. She stayed there for four months. 3 Then her husband got up and went after her in order to persuade her to come back. His servant was with him, and a pair of donkeys. She brought him into her father's house. When the girl's father saw him, he was glad. 4 His father-in-law, the girl's father, persuaded him to stay for three days. They ate and drank, and they spent the night there. 5 On the fourth day they got up early and he prepared to go, but the girl's father said to his son-in-law, “Strengthen yourself with a bit of bread, then you may go.” 6 So the two of them sat down to eat and drink together. Then the girl's father said, “Please be willing to spend the night and have a good time.” 7 When the Levite got up to leave, the father of the young woman urged him to stay, so he changed his plan and spent the night there again. 8 On the fifth day he woke up early to leave, but the girl's father said, “Strengthen yourself, and wait until the afternoon.” So the two of them had a meal. 9 When the Levite and his concubine and his servant rose up to depart, his father-in-law, the girl's father said to him, “See, now the day is advancing toward evening. Please stay another night, and have a good time. You can get up early tomorrow and go back home.”

10 But the Levite was not willing to spend the night. He got up and left. He went toward Jebus (that is Jerusalem). He had a pair of saddled donkeys—and his concubine was with him. 11 When they were near Jebus, the day was nearly over, and the servant said to his master, “Come, let us turn aside to the city of the Jebusites and spend the night in it.” 12 His master said to him, “We will not turn aside into a city of foreigners who do not belong to the people of Israel. We will go on to Gibeah.” 13 The Levite said to his young man, “Come, let us go to one of those other places, and spend the night in Gibeah or Ramah.” 14 So they went on, and the sun set as they came near to Gibeah, in the territory of Benjamin. 15 They turned aside there to spend the night in Gibeah. They went and sat down in the city square, but no one took them into his house for the night.

16 But then an old man was coming from his work in the field that evening. He was from the hill country of Ephraim, and he was staying for a while in Gibeah. But the men living in that place were Benjamites. 17 He raised his eyes and saw the traveler in the city square. The old man said, “Where are you going? Where are you coming from?” 18 The Levite said to him, “We are on our way from Bethlehem in Judah to the most remote part of the hill country of Ephraim, which is where I come from. I went to Bethlehem in Judah, and I am going to the house of Yahweh, but there is no one who will take me into his house. 19 We have straw and feed for our donkeys, and there is bread and wine for me and your female servant here, and for this young man with your servants. We lack nothing.” 20 The old man greeted them, “Peace be with you! I will take care of all your needs. Only do not spend the night in the square.” 21 So the man brought the Levite into his house and gave feed to the donkeys. They washed their feet and ate and drank.

22 While they were making their hearts glad, some men of the city, worthless men, surrounded the house, beating on the door. They spoke to the old man, the master of the house, saying, “Bring out the man who came into your house, so we can have sex with him.” 23 The man, the master of the house, went out to them and said to them, “No, my brothers, please do not do this evil thing! Since this man is a guest in my house, do not do this wicked thing! 24 See, my virgin daughter and his concubine are here. Let me bring them out now. Violate them and do with them whatever you like. But do not do such a wicked thing to this man!” 25 But the men would not listen to him, so the man seized his concubine and brought her out to them. They raped her and abused her all throughout the night, and at dawn they let her go. 26 At dawn the woman came and she fell down at the door of the man's house where her master was, and she lay there until it was light.

27 Her master rose up in the morning and opened the doors of the house and went out to go on his way. He could see his concubine lying there at the door, with her hands on the threshold. 28 The Levite said to her, “Get up. Let us go.” But there was no answer. He put her on the donkey, and the man set out for home. 29 When the Levite came to his house, he took a knife, and he took hold of his concubine, and cut her up, limb by limb, into twelve pieces, and sent the pieces everywhere throughout Israel. 30 All who saw this said, “Such a thing has never been done or seen from the day the people of Israel came up out of the land of Egypt to this present day. Think about it! Give us advice! Tell us what to do!”

20

1 Then all the people of Israel came out as one man, from Dan to Beersheba, including the land of Gilead also, and they assembled together before Yahweh at Mizpah. 2 The leaders of all the people, of all the tribes of Israel, took their places in the assembly of the people of God—400,000 men on foot, who were ready to fight with the sword. 3 Now the people of Benjamin heard that the people of Israel had gone up to Mizpah. The people of Israel said, “Tell us how this wicked thing happened.” 4 The Levite, the husband of the woman who had been murdered, answered, “I came to Gibeah in the territory that belongs to Benjamin, I and my concubine, to spend the night. 5 During the night, the leaders of Gibeah attacked me, surrounding the house, intending to kill me. They raped my concubine, and she died. 6 I took my concubine and cut her body into pieces, and sent them into each region of Israel's inheritance, because they have committed such wickedness and outrage in Israel. 7 Now, all you Israelites, give your advice and counsel here.”

8 All the people arose together as one man, and they said, “None of us will go to his tent, and none of us will return to his house! 9 But now this is what we must do to Gibeah: We will attack it as the lot directs us. 10 We will take ten men of a hundred throughout all the tribes of Israel, and one hundred of a thousand, and one thousand of ten thousand, to get provisions for these people, so that when they come to Gibeah in Benjamin, they may punish them for the wickedness they committed in Israel.” 11 So all the soldiers of Israel assembled against the city, as one man.

12 The tribes of Israel sent men through all the tribe of Benjamin, saying, “What is this wickedness that was done among you? 13 Therefore, give us those wicked men of Gibeah, so we may put them to death, and so we will completely remove this evil from Israel.” But the Benjamites would not listen to the voice of their brothers, the people of Israel. 14 Then the people of Benjamin came together out of the cities to Gibeah to get ready to fight against the people of Israel. 15 The people of Benjamin brought together from their cities to fight on that day twenty-six thousand soldiers who were trained to fight with the sword. In addition, there were seven hundred of their chosen men from the inhabitants of Gibeah. 16 Among all these soldiers were seven hundred chosen men who were left-handed. Each of them could sling a stone at a hair and not miss.

17 The people of Israel, not counting the number from Benjamin, numbered 400,000 men, who were trained to fight with the sword. All of these were men of war. 18 The people of Israel arose, went up to Bethel, and asked for advice from God. They asked, “Who first will attack the people of Benjamin for us?” Yahweh said, “Judah will attack first.”

19 The people of Israel got up in the morning and they moved their camp near Gibeah. 20 The people of Israel went out to fight against Benjamin. They set up their battle positions against them at Gibeah. 21 The people of Benjamin came out of Gibeah, and they killed twenty-two thousand men of the army of Israel on that day. 22 But the people of Israel strengthened themselves and they formed the battle line in the same place where they had taken positions on the first day. 23 Then the people of Israel went up and they wept before Yahweh until evening, and they sought direction from Yahweh. They said, “Should we go again to fight against our brothers, the people of Benjamin?” Yahweh said, “Attack them!”

24 So the people of Israel went against the soldiers of Benjamin the second day. 25 On the second day, Benjamin went out against them from Gibeah and they killed eighteen thousand men from the people of Israel. All were men who trained to fight with the sword. 26 Then all the soldiers of Israel and all the people went up to Bethel and wept, and there they sat before Yahweh and they fasted that day until the evening and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before Yahweh. 27 The people of Israel asked Yahweh—for the ark of the covenant of God was there in those days, 28 and Phinehas, son of Eleazar son of Aaron, was serving before the ark in those days—”Should we go out to battle once more against the people of Benjamin, our brothers, or stop?” Yahweh said, “Attack, for tomorrow I will help you defeat them.”

29 So Israel set men in secret places around Gibeah. 30 The people of Israel fought against the people of Benjamin for the third day, and they formed their battle lines against Gibeah as they had done before. 31 The people of Benjamin went and fought against the people, and they were drawn away from the city. They began to kill some of the people. There were about thirty men of Israel who died in the fields and on the roads. One of the roads went up to Bethel, and the other went to Gibeah. 32 Then the people of Benjamin said, “They are defeated and they are running away from us, just as at first.” But the soldiers of Israel said, “Let us run back and draw them away from the city to the roads.” 33 All the people of Israel rose up out of their places and formed themselves into lines for battle at Baal Tamar. Then the soldiers of Israel who had been hiding in secret places ran out from their places from Maareh Gibeah. 34 There came out against Gibeah ten thousand chosen men out of all Israel, and the fighting was fierce, but the Benjamites did not know that disaster was close to them. 35 Yahweh defeated Benjamin before Israel. On that day, the soldiers of Israel killed 25,100 men of Benjamin. All these who died were those who had been trained to fight with the sword.

36 So the soldiers of Benjamin saw they were defeated. The men of Israel had given ground to Benjamin, because they were counting on the men they had placed in hidden positions outside Gibeah. 37 Then the men who were hiding got up and hurried and they rushed into Gibeah, and they struck all the city with the edge of the sword. 38 The arranged signal between the soldiers of Israel and the men hiding in secret would be that a great cloud of smoke would rise up out of the city. 39 When the signal was sent the soldiers of Israel would turn from the battle. Now Benjamin began to attack and they killed about thirty men of Israel, and they said, “It is sure that they are defeated before us, as in the first battle.” 40 But when a pillar of smoke began to rise up out of the city, the Benjamites turned and saw the smoke rising to the sky from the whole city. 41 Then the people of Israel turned against them. The men of Benjamin were terrified, for they saw that disaster had come on them. 42 So they ran away from the people of Israel, escaping on the way to the wilderness. But the fighting overtook them. The soldiers of Israel came out of the cities and killed them where they stood. 43 They surrounded the Benjamites, chased them and trampled them down at Nohah, all the way to the east side of Gibeah. 44 From the tribe of Benjamin, eighteen thousand people died, all of them men who were distinguished in battle. 45 They turned and fled toward the wilderness to the rock of Rimmon. The Israelites killed five thousand more of them along the roads. They kept going after them, following them closely all the way to Gidom, and there they killed two thousand more. 46 All the soldiers of Benjamin who fell that day were twenty-five thousand—men who were trained to fight with the sword; all of them were distinguished in battle. 47 But six hundred men turned and fled to the wilderness, toward the rock of Rimmon. For four months they stayed at the rock of Rimmon. 48 The soldiers of Israel turned back against the people of Benjamin and struck them with the edge of the sword, the city, including the animals and everything that they found. They also burned down every town in their path.

21

1 Now the men of Israel had made a promise at Mizpah, “None of us will give his daughter to marry a Benjamite.” 2 Then the people went to Bethel and sat there before God until the evening, and with loud voices they wept bitterly. 3 They called out, “Why, Yahweh, God of Israel, has this happened to Israel, that one of our tribes should be missing today?” 4 The next day the people got up early and built an altar there and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings. 5 The people of Israel said, “Which of all the tribes of Israel did not come up in the assembly to Yahweh?” For they had made an important promise concerning anyone who did not come up to Yahweh at Mizpah. They said, “He would certainly be put to death.” 6 The people of Israel had compassion for their brother Benjamin. They said, “Today one tribe has been cut off from Israel. 7 Who will provide wives for those who are left, since we have made a promise to Yahweh that we will not let any of them marry our daughters?”

8 They said, “Which of the tribes of Israel did not come up to Yahweh at Mizpah?” It was found that no one had come to the assembly from Jabesh Gilead. 9 For when the people were set out in an orderly manner, behold, none of the inhabitants of Jabesh Gilead were there. 10 The assembly sent twelve thousand of their bravest men with instructions to go and strike the inhabitants of Jabesh Gilead with the edge of the sword, including the women and children. 11 “Do this: You must kill every male and every woman who has slept with a man.” 12 The men found among those living in Jabesh Gilead four hundred young women who had never slept with a man, and they took them to the camp at Shiloh, in Canaan.

13 The entire assembly sent a message and told the people of Benjamin who were at the rock of Rimmon that they were offering them peace. 14 The Benjamites returned at that time and they were given the women of Jabesh Gilead, but there were not enough women for all of them. 15 The people were sorry for what happened to Benjamin, because Yahweh made a division between the tribes of Israel.

16 Then the leaders of the assembly said, “How will we arrange wives for the Benjamites who are left, since the women of Benjamin have been killed?” 17 They said, “There must be an inheritance for the survivors of Benjamin, so that a tribe is not destroyed from Israel. 18 We cannot give them wives from our daughters, for the people of Israel had made a promise, 'Cursed be anyone who gives a wife to Benjamin.'” 19 So they said, “You know there is a feast for Yahweh every year at Shiloh (which is north of Bethel, east of the road that goes up from Bethel to Shechem, and south of Lebonah).” 20 They instructed the men of Benjamin, saying, “Go and hide in secret and wait in the vineyards. 21 Watch for the time when the girls from Shiloh come out to dance, then rush out of the vineyards and each one of you should grab a wife from the girls of Shiloh, then go back to the land of Benjamin. 22 When their fathers or their brothers come to protest to us, we will say to them, 'Show us favor! Let them remain because we did not get wives for each man during the war. You are innocent, since you did not give your daughters to them.'” 23 The people of Benjamin did so. They took the number of wives that they needed from the girls who were dancing and they carried them off to be their wives. They went and returned to the place of their inheritance. They rebuilt the towns and lived in them. 24 Then the people of Israel left that place and went home, each one to his own tribe and clan, and each one to his own inheritance.

25 In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes.

Ruth

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Ruth

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1 It happened in the days when the judges ruled that there was a famine in the land, and a certain man of Bethlehem of Judah went to the country of Moab with his wife and his two sons. 2 The name of the man was Elimelek, and the name of his wife was Naomi. The names of his two sons were Mahlon and Kilion, who were Ephrathites of Bethlehem of Judah. They arrived at the country of Moab and lived there. 3 Then Elimelek, Naomi's husband, died, and she was left with her two sons. 4 These sons took wives from the women of Moab; the name of one was Orpah, and the name of the other was Ruth. They lived there for about ten years. 5 Then both Mahlon and Kilion died, leaving Naomi without her husband and without her two children. 6 Then Naomi decided to leave Moab with her daughters-in-law and return to Judah because she had heard in the region of Moab that Yahweh had helped his people in need and had given them food. 7 So she left the place where she had been with her two daughters-in-law, and they walked down the road to return to the land of Judah. 8 Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, “Go, return, each of you, to your mother's house. May Yahweh show kindness toward you, as you have shown kindness toward the dead and toward me. 9 May the Lord grant you that you find rest, each of you in the house of another husband.” Then she kissed them, and they raised their voices and cried. 10 They said to her, “No! We will return with you to your people.” 11 But Naomi said, “Turn back, my daughters! Why will you go with me? Do I still have sons in my womb for you, so that they may become your husbands? 12 Turn back, my daughters, go your own way, for I am too old to have a husband. If I said, 'I hope I get a husband tonight,' and then give birth to sons, 13 would you therefore wait until they were grown? Would you choose not to marry a husband? No, my daughters! It is exceedingly bitter to me for your sake that the hand of Yahweh has gone out against me.” 14 Then her daughters-in-law lifted up their voices and cried again. Orpah kissed her mother-in-law farewell, but Ruth held on to her.

15 Naomi said, “Listen, your sister-in-law has gone back to her people and to her gods. Go back with your sister-in-law.” 16 But Ruth said, “Do not make me go away from you, for where you go, I will go; where you stay, I will stay; your people will be my people, and your God will be my God. 17 Where you die, I will die, and there I will be buried. May Yahweh punish me, and even more, if anything but death ever separates us.” 18 When Naomi saw that Ruth was determined to go with her, she stopped arguing with her.

19 So the two traveled until they came to the town of Bethlehem. It happened that when they arrived in Bethlehem, the entire town was very excited about them. The women said, “Is this Naomi?” 20 But she said to them, “Do not call me Naomi. Call me Bitter, for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me. 21 I went out full, but Yahweh has brought me home again empty. So why do you call me Naomi, seeing Yahweh has condemned me, that the Almighty has afflicted me?” 22 So Naomi and Ruth the Moabite woman, her daughter-in-law, returned from the country of Moab. They came to Bethlehem at the beginning of the barley harvest.

2

1 Now Naomi had a relative of her husband, a worthy man of the clan of Elimelech, whose name was Boaz. 2 Ruth, the Moabite woman, said to Naomi, “Now let me go and glean what remains among the ears of grain in the fields. I will follow anyone in whose eyes I will find favor.” So Naomi said to her, “Go, my daughter.” 3 Ruth went and gleaned what remained in the fields after they had harvested it. She happened to come to the portion of the fields belonging to Boaz, who was of the clan of Elimelek. 4 Behold, Boaz came from Bethlehem and said to the reapers, “May Yahweh be with you.” They answered him, “May Yahweh bless you.” 5 Then Boaz said to his servant who was supervising the reapers, “What man does this young woman belong to?” 6 The servant supervising the reapers answered and said, “It is the young Moabite woman who came back with Naomi from the land of Moab. 7 She said to me, 'Please let me glean what remains in the field after the workers harvest the crop.' So she came here and has continued from the morning until now, except that she rested a little in the house.” *

8 Then Boaz said to Ruth, “Are you listening to me, my daughter? Do not go and glean in another field; do not leave my field. Instead, stay here and work with my young female workers. 9 Keep your eyes only on the field where the men are reaping and follow behind the other women. Have I not instructed the men not to touch you? Whenever you are thirsty, you may go to the waterpots and drink the water that the men have drawn.” 10 Then she bowed down before Boaz, touching her face to the ground. She said to him, “Why have I found such favor in your eyes that you should be concerned about me, a foreigner?” 11 Boaz answered and said to her, “It has been reported to me, all that you have done since the death of your husband. You have left your father, mother, and the land of your birth to follow your mother-in-law and to come to a people you do not know. 12 May Yahweh reward you for your deed. May you receive full payment from Yahweh, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have found refuge.” 13 Then she said, “Let me find favor in your eyes, my master, for you have comforted me, and you have spoken kindly to me, though I am not one of your female servants.”

14 At mealtime Boaz said to Ruth, “Come here, and eat some of the bread, and dip your morsel in the wine vinegar.” She sat beside the reapers, and he offered her some roasted grain. She ate until she was satisfied and left the rest of it. 15 As she got up to gather up grain, Boaz commanded his young men, saying, “Let her gather up the grain even among the bundles, and do not tell her not to. 16 Also pull out for her some ears of grain from the bundles, and leave them for her to gather up, and do not rebuke her.”

17 So she gleaned in the field until evening. Then she beat out the ears of grain that she had gathered, and the grain was about an ephah of barley. 18 She lifted it up and went into the city. Then her mother-in-law saw what she had gathered. Ruth also brought out the roasted grain left from her meal and gave it to her. 19 Her mother-in-law said to her, “Where have you gleaned today? Where did you go to work? May the man who helped you be blessed.” Then Ruth told her mother-in-law about the man who owned the field where she had worked. She said, “The name of the man who owns the field where I worked today is Boaz.” 20 Naomi said to her daughter-in-law, “May he be blessed by Yahweh, who has not left off his loyalty to the living and to the dead.” Naomi said to her, “That man is near of kin to us, one of our kinsman-redeemers.” 21 Ruth the Moabite woman said, “Indeed, he said to me, 'You should keep close to my young men until they have finished all my harvest.'” 22 Naomi said to Ruth her daughter-in-law, “It is good, my daughter, that you go out with his young female workers, so that you do not come to harm in any other field.” 23 So she stayed close to Boaz's female workers in order to glean to the end of the barley harvest and the wheat harvest. She lived with her mother-in-law.

3

1 Naomi, her mother-in-law, said to her, “My daughter, should I not seek a place for you to rest, so that things may go well for you? 2 Now Boaz, the man whose young female workers you have been with, is he not our kinsman? Look, he will be winnowing barley tonight at the threshing floor. 3 Therefore, wash yourself, anoint yourself, put on your best clothes, and go down to the threshing floor. But do not make yourself known to the man until he finishes eating and drinking. * 4 But when he lies down, take notice of the place where he lies down so that later you can go to him, uncover his feet, and lie down there. Then he will tell you what to do.” 5 Ruth said to Naomi, “I will do everything you say.”

6 So she went down to the threshing floor, and she followed the instructions her mother-in-law had given her. 7 When Boaz had eaten and drunk and his heart was merry, he went to lie down at the end of the pile of grain. Then she came softly, uncovered his feet, and lay down. 8 It came about at midnight that the man was startled. He turned over, and right there a woman was lying at his feet! 9 He said, “Who are you?” She answered, “I am Ruth, your female servant. Spread your cloak over your female servant, for you are a near kinsman.” 10 Boaz said, “My daughter, may you be blessed by Yahweh. You have showed more kindness in the latter end than at the beginning, because you have not gone after any of the young men, whether poor or rich. 11 Now, my daughter, do not be afraid! I will do for you all that you say, because all the city of my people knows that you are a worthy woman. 12 It is true that I am a kinsman, but there is a kinsman nearer than I. 13 Stay here tonight, and in the morning, if he will perform for you the duty of a kinsman, good, let him do the kinsman's duty. But if he will not do the duty of a kinsman for you, then I will do it, by the life of Yahweh. Lie down until the morning.”

14 So she lay at his feet until the morning. But she rose up before anyone could recognize another person. For Boaz had said, “Let it not be known that the woman came to the threshing floor.” 15 Then Boaz said, “Bring your shawl and hold it out.” When she did so, he measured six large measures of barley into it and put the load on her. Then he went into the city. 16 When Ruth came to her mother-in-law, she said, “How did you do, my daughter?” Then Ruth told her all that the man had done for her. 17 She said, “These six measures of barley are what he gave me, for he said, 'Do not go empty to your mother-in-law.'” 18 Then Naomi said, “Stay here, my daughter, until you know how the matter will turn out, for the man will not rest until he has finished this thing today.”

4

1 Now Boaz went up to the gate and sat down there. Soon, the near kinsman of whom Boaz had spoken came by. Boaz said to him, “My friend, come over and sit down here.” The man came over and sat down. 2 Then Boaz took ten men of the elders of the city and said, “Sit down here.” So they sat down. 3 Boaz said to the near kinsman, “Naomi, who has returned from the country of Moab, is selling the parcel of land that was our brother Elimelek's. 4 I thought to inform you and say to you, 'Buy it in the presence of those who are sitting here, and in the presence of the elders of my people.' If you wish to redeem it, redeem it. But if you do not wish to redeem it, then tell me, so that I may know, for there is no one to redeem it besides you, and I am after you.” Then the other man said, “I will redeem it.” 5 Then Boaz said, “On the day that you buy the field from the hand of Naomi, you must also take Ruth the Moabite woman, the widow of a dead man, in order to raise up the name of the dead on his inheritance.” 6 Then the near kinsman said, “I cannot redeem it for myself without damaging my own inheritance. You take my right of redemption for yourself, for I cannot redeem it.”

7 Now this was the custom in former times in Israel concerning the redemption and exchange of goods. To confirm all things, a man took off his shoe and gave it to his neighbor; this was the manner of making legal agreements in Israel. 8 So the near kinsman said to Boaz, “Buy it for yourself,” and he took off his sandal. 9 Then Boaz said to the elders and to all the people, “You are witnesses today that I have bought all that was Elimelek's and all that was Kilion's and Mahlon's from the hand of Naomi. 10 Also Ruth the Moabite woman, the wife of Mahlon, I have acquired to be my wife, in order that I might raise up the name of the dead man on his inheritance, so that his name will not be cut off from among his brothers and from the gate of his place. Today you are witnesses!” 11 All the people who were in the gate and the elders said, “We are witnesses. May Yahweh make the woman who has come into your house like Rachel and Leah, the two who built up the house of Israel; and may you prosper in Ephrathah and be renowned in Bethlehem. 12 May your house be like the house of Perez, whom Tamar bore to Judah, through the offspring that Yahweh will give you with this young woman.”

13 So Boaz took Ruth, and she became his wife. He slept with her, and Yahweh allowed her to become pregnant, and she bore a son. 14 The women said to Naomi, “May Yahweh be blessed, who has not left you today without a near kinsman, this baby. May his name be famous in Israel. 15 May he be for you a restorer of life and a nourisher of your old age, for your daughter-in-law, who loves you, who is better to you than seven sons, has borne him.” 16 Naomi took the child, laid him in her bosom, and took care of him. 17 The women of the neighborhood gave him a name, saying, “A son has been born to Naomi.” They named him Obed. He became the father of Jesse, who became the father of David.

18 Now these were the descendants of Perez: Perez became the father of Hezron, 19 Hezron became the father of Ram, Ram became the father of Amminadab, 20 Amminadab became the father of Nahshon, Nahshon became the father of Salmon, 21 Salmon became the father of Boaz, Boaz became the father of Obed, 22 Obed became the father of Jesse, and Jesse became the father of David.

* 2:7 Some modern versions read, Please let me glean and gather among the bundle of grain after the reapers .

* 3:3 The Hebrew text has, Put on your best piece of clothing . However, a marginal note instructs readers to read, Put on your best clothes. Translators are free to choose for themselves.

1 Samuel

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First Samuel

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1 There was a certain man of Ramathaim of the Zuphites, of the hill country of Ephraim; his name was Elkanah son of Jeroham son of Elihu son of Tohu son of Zuph, an Ephraimite. * 2 He had two wives; the name of the first was Hannah, and the name of the second was Peninnah. Peninnah had children, but Hannah had none. 3 This man went from his city year after year to worship and to sacrifice to Yahweh of hosts in Shiloh. The two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, priests to Yahweh, were there. 4 When the day came for Elkanah to sacrifice each year, he always gave portions of the meat to Peninnah his wife, and to all her sons and her daughters. 5 But to Hannah he always gave a double portion, for he loved Hannah, although Yahweh had closed her womb. 6 Her rival provoked her severely in order to irritate her, because Yahweh had closed her womb. 7 So year after year, when she went up to the house of Yahweh with her family, her rival always provoked her. Therefore she used to weep and eat nothing. 8 Elkanah her husband always said to her, “Hannah, why do you weep? Why do you not eat? Why is your heart sad? Am I not better to you than ten sons?”

9 On one of these occasions, Hannah rose up after they had finished eating and drinking in Shiloh. Now Eli the priest was sitting upon his seat by the doorway to the temple of Yahweh. 10 She was deeply distressed; she prayed to Yahweh and wept bitterly. 11 She made a vow and said, “Yahweh of hosts, if you will look on the affliction of your servant and call me to mind, and do not forget your servant, but give your servant a son, then I will give him to Yahweh all the days of his life, and no razor will ever touch his head.”

12 As she continued praying before Yahweh, Eli watched her mouth. 13 Hannah spoke in her heart. Her lips moved, but her voice was not heard. Therefore Eli thought she was drunk. 14 Eli said to her, “How long will you be drunk? Get rid of your wine.” 15 Hannah answered, “No, my master, I am a woman of a sorrowful spirit. I have drunk neither wine nor strong drink, but I have been pouring out my soul before Yahweh. 16 Do not consider your servant to be a shameless woman; I have been speaking out of the abundance of my great concern and provocation.” 17 Then Eli answered and said, “Go in peace; may the God of Israel grant the request that you have asked him for.” 18 She said, “Let your servant find favor in your eyes.” Then the woman went her way and ate; her face was no longer sad.

19 They rose early in the morning and worshiped before Yahweh, and then they returned again to their house in Ramah. Elkanah slept with Hannah his wife, and Yahweh called her to mind. 20 When the time came, Hannah conceived and gave birth to a son. She called his name Samuel, saying, “Because I have asked for him from Yahweh.”

21 Once again, Elkanah and all his house went up to offer to Yahweh the yearly sacrifice and pay his vow. 22 But Hannah did not go; she had said to her husband, “I will not go until the child is weaned; then I will bring him, so that he may appear before Yahweh and live there forever.” 23 Elkanah her husband said to her, “Do what seems good to you. Wait until you have weaned him; only, may Yahweh confirm his word.” So the woman stayed and nursed her son until she weaned him. 24 When she had weaned him, she took him with her, along with a three-year-old bull,† one ephah of meal, and a bottle of wine, and brought him to the house of Yahweh in Shiloh. Now the child was still young. 25 They killed the bull, and they brought the child to Eli. 26 She said, “Oh, my master! As you live, my master, I am the woman who stood here next to you praying to Yahweh. 27 For this child I prayed and Yahweh has given me my petition which I asked of him. 28 I have given him to Yahweh, as long as he lives he is lent to Yahweh.” Then he worshiped Yahweh there. ‡

2

1 Hannah prayed and said,

“My heart exults in Yahweh.

My horn is exalted in Yahweh.

My mouth boasts over my enemies,

because I rejoice in your salvation.

2 There is no one holy like Yahweh,

for there is none besides you;

there is no rock like our God.

3 Boast no more so very proudly;

let no arrogance come out of your mouth.

For Yahweh is a God of knowledge;

by him actions are weighed.

4 The bow of the mighty men are broken,

but those who stumble put on strength like a belt.

5 Those who were full have hired themselves out for bread;

those who were hungry have stopped being hungry.

Even the barren one gives birth to seven,

but the woman who has many children languishes.

6 Yahweh kills and brings to life.

He brings down to Sheol and raises up.

7 Yahweh makes some people poor and some rich.

He humbles, but he also lifts up.

8 He raises up the poor out of the dust.

He lifts the needy from the ash heap

to make them sit with princes

and inherit the seat of honor.

For the pillars of the earth are Yahweh's

and he has set the world upon them.

9 He will guard the feet of his faithful people,

but the wicked will be put to silence in darkness,

for no one will prevail by strength.

10 Those who oppose Yahweh will be broken to pieces;

he will thunder against them from heaven.

Yahweh will judge the ends of the earth;

he will give strength to his king

and exalt the horn of his anointed.”

11 Then Elkanah went to Ramah, to his house. The child served Yahweh in the presence of Eli the priest.

12 Now the sons of Eli were worthless men. They did not know Yahweh. 13 The custom of the priests with the people was that when any man offered a sacrifice, the priest's servant would come with a three-pronged fork in his hand, while the meat was boiling. 14 He would stick it into the pan, or kettle, or cauldron, or pot. All that the fork brought up the priest would take for himself. They did this in Shiloh with all the Israelites that came there. 15 Worse, before they burned the fat, the priest's servant came, and said to the man who was sacrificing, “Give meat to roast for the priest; for he will not accept boiled meat from you, but only raw.” 16 If the man said to him, “They must burn the fat first, and then take as much as you want.” Then he would say, “No, you will give it me now; if not, I will take it by force.” 17 The sin of these young men was very great before Yahweh, for they despised Yahweh's offering.

18 But Samuel served Yahweh as a child clothed with a linen ephod. 19 His mother would make him a little robe and bring it to him from year to year, when she came up with her husband to offer the yearly sacrifice. 20 Eli would bless Elkanah and his wife and say, “May Yahweh give you more children by this woman because of the request she made of Yahweh.” Then they would return to their own home. 21 Yahweh again helped Hannah, and again she became pregnant. She bore three sons and two daughters. Meanwhile, the child Samuel grew before Yahweh.

22 Now Eli was very old; he heard all that his sons were doing to all Israel, and how they slept with the women who served at the entrance to the tent of meeting. 23 He said to them, “Why do you such things? For I hear of your evil actions from all these people.” 24 No, my sons; for it is not a good report that I hear. You make Yahweh's people disobey. 25 “If one man sins against another, God will judge him; but if a man sins against Yahweh, who will speak for him?” But they would not listen to the voice of their father, because Yahweh intended to kill them. 26 The child Samuel grew up, and increased in favor with Yahweh and also with men.

27 Now a man of God came to Eli and said to him, “Yahweh says, 'Did I not reveal myself to the house of your ancestor, when they were in Egypt in bondage to Pharaoh's house? 28 I chose him out of all the tribes of Israel to be my priest, to go up to my altar, and to burn incense, to wear an ephod before me. I gave to the house of your ancestor all the offerings of the people of Israel made with fire. 29 Why, then, do you scorn my sacrifices and offerings that I required in the place where I live? Why do you honor your sons above me by making yourselves fat with the best of every offering of my people Israel?' 30 For Yahweh, the God of Israel, says, 'I promised that your house, and the house of your ancestor, should walk before me forever.' But now Yahweh says, 'Far be it from me to do this, for I will honor those who honor me, but those who despise me will be lightly esteemed. 31 See, the days are coming when I will cut off your strength and the strength of your father's house, so that there will no longer be any old man in your house. 32 You will see distress in the place where I live. Although good will be given to Israel, there will no longer be any old man in your house. 33 Any one of you that I do not cut off from my altar, I will cause your eyes to fail, and I will cause grief for your life. All the men born in your family will die. 34 This will be the sign for you that will come on your two sons, on Hophni and Phinehas: They will both die on the same day. 35 I will raise up for myself a faithful priest who will do what is in my heart and in my soul. I will build him a sure house; and he will walk before my anointed king forever. 36 Everyone who is left in your house will come and bow down to him, asking for a piece of silver and a loaf of bread, and will say, “Please assign me to one of the priests' positions so I can eat a piece of bread.”'”

3

1 The child Samuel served Yahweh under Eli. Yahweh's word was rare in those days; there was no frequent prophetic vision. 2 At that time, when Eli, whose eyesight had begun to grow dim so that he could not see well, was lying down in his own bed. 3 The lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was lying down to sleep in the temple of Yahweh, where the ark of God was. 4 Yahweh called to Samuel, who said, “Here I am.” 5 Samuel ran to Eli and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” Eli said, “I did not call you; lie down again.” So Samuel went and lay down. 6 Yahweh called again, “Samuel.” Again Samuel rose and went to Eli and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” Eli answered, “I did not call you, my son; lie down again.” 7 Now Samuel did not yet have any experience of Yahweh, nor had any message from Yahweh ever been revealed to him. 8 Yahweh called Samuel again the third time. Again Samuel got up and went to Eli and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” Then Eli realized that Yahweh had called the boy. 9 Then Eli said to Samuel, “Go and lie down again; if he calls you again, you must say, 'Speak, Yahweh, for your servant is listening.'” So Samuel went and lay down in his own place once more.

10 Yahweh came and stood; he called as at the other times, “Samuel, Samuel.” Then Samuel said, “Speak, for your servant is listening.” 11 Yahweh said to Samuel, “See, I am about to do something in Israel at which the ears of everyone who hears it will tingle. 12 On that day I will carry out against Eli everything I have said about his house, from beginning to end. 13 I have told him that I am about to judge his house once for all for the sin that he knew about, because his sons brought a curse upon themselves and he did not stop them. 14 Because of this I have sworn to the house of Eli that the sins of his house will never be atoned for by sacrifice or offering.”

15 Samuel lay down until morning; then he opened the doors of the house of Yahweh. But Samuel was afraid to tell Eli about the vision. 16 Then Eli called Samuel and said, “Samuel, my son.” Samuel said, “Here I am.” 17 He said, “What was the word he spoke to you? Please do not hide it from me. May God do so to you, and even more, if you hide anything from me of all the words that he spoke to you.” 18 Samuel told him everything; he hid nothing from him. Eli said, “It is Yahweh. Let him do what seems good to him.”

19 Samuel grew up, and Yahweh was with him, and he let none of his prophetic words fall to the ground. 20 All Israel from Dan to Beersheba knew that Samuel was appointed to be a prophet of Yahweh. 21 Yahweh appeared again in Shiloh, for he revealed himself to Samuel in Shiloh by his word.

4

1 The word of Samuel came to all of Israel.

Now Israel went out to battle against the Philistines. They set up camp at Ebenezer, and the Philistines set up camp at Aphek. 2 The Philistines lined up for battle against Israel. When the battle spread, Israel was defeated by the Philistines, who killed about four thousand men on the field of battle. 3 When the people came into the camp, the elders of Israel said, “Why has Yahweh defeated us today before the Philistines? Let us bring the ark of the covenant of Yahweh here from Shiloh, that it may be here with us, that it might keep us safe from the hands of our enemies.” 4 So the people sent men to Shiloh; from there they carried the ark of the covenant of Yahweh of hosts, who sits above the cherubim. The two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were there with the ark of the covenant of God.

5 When the ark of the covenant of Yahweh came into the camp, all of the people of Israel gave a great shout, and the earth resounded. 6 When the Philistines heard the noise of the shouting, they said, “What does this loud shouting in the camp of the Hebrews mean?” Then they realized that the ark of Yahweh had come into the camp. 7 The Philistines were afraid; they said, “A god has come into the camp.” They said, “Woe to us! Nothing like this has happened before! 8 Woe to us! Who will protect us from the strength of these mighty gods? These are the gods who attacked the Egyptians with many different kinds of plagues in the wilderness. 9 Take courage, and be men, you Philistines, or you will become slaves to the Hebrews, as they have been slaves to you. Be men, and fight.” 10 The Philistines fought, and Israel was defeated. Every man fled to his house, and the slaughter was very great; for thirty thousand foot soldiers from Israel fell. 11 The ark of God was taken, and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, died.

12 A man of Benjamin ran from the battle line and came to Shiloh the same day, arriving with his clothes torn and earth on his head. 13 When he arrived, Eli was sitting on his seat by the road watching because his heart trembled with concern for the ark of God. When the man entered the city and told the news, the whole city cried out. 14 When Eli heard the noise of the outcry, he said, “What is the meaning of this uproar?” The man quickly came and told Eli. 15 Now Eli was ninety-eight years old; his eyes did not focus, and he could not see. 16 The man said to Eli, “I am the one who came from the battle line. I fled from the battle today.” Eli said, “How did it go, my son?” 17 The man who brought the news answered and said, “Israel fled from the Philistines. Also, there has been a great defeat among the people. Also, your two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, are dead, and the ark of God has been taken.” 18 When he mentioned the ark of God, Eli fell over backward from his seat by the side of the gate. His neck was broken, and he died, because he was old and heavy. He had judged Israel for forty years.

19 Now his daughter-in-law, Phinehas' wife, was pregnant and about to give birth. When she heard the news that the ark of God was captured and that her father-in-law and her husband were dead, she knelt down and gave birth, but her labor pains overwhelmed her. 20 About the time of her death the women attending to her said, “Do not be afraid, for you have given birth to a son.” But she did not answer or take what they said to heart. 21 She named the child Ichabod, saying, “The glory has gone away from Israel!” for the ark of God had been captured, and because of her father-in-law and her husband. 22 She said, “The glory has gone away from Israel, because the ark of God has been captured.”

5

1 Now the Philistines had captured the ark of God, and they brought it from Ebenezer to Ashdod. 2 The Philistines took the ark of God, brought it into the house of Dagon, and set it up beside Dagon. 3 When the people of Ashdod got up early the next day, behold, Dagon had fallen facedown on the ground before the ark of Yahweh. So they took Dagon and set him up in his place again. 4 But when they got up early the next morning, behold, Dagon had fallen facedown on the ground before the ark of Yahweh. The head of Dagon and both of his hands were lying cut off in the doorway. Only the trunk of Dagon remained. 5 This is why, even today, the priests of Dagon and anyone who comes into Dagon's house does not step on the doorway of Dagon in Ashdod.

6 Yahweh's hand was heavy upon the people of Ashdod. He destroyed them and afflicted them with tumors, both Ashdod and its territories. 7 When the men of Ashdod realized what was happening, they said, “The ark of the God of Israel must not stay with us, because his hand is hard against us and against Dagon our god.” 8 So they sent for and gathered together all of the rulers of the Philistines; they said to them, “What should we do with the ark of the God of Israel?” They answered, “Let the ark of the God of Israel be brought around to Gath.” So they carried the ark of the God of Israel there. 9 But after they brought it around, Yahweh's hand was against the city, causing a very great confusion. He afflicted the men of the city, both small and great; and tumors broke out on them. 10 So they sent the ark of God to Ekron. But as soon as the ark of God came into Ekron, the Ekronites cried out, saying, “They have brought to us the ark of the God of Israel to kill us and our people.” 11 So they sent for and gathered together all of the rulers of the Philistines; they said to them, “Send away the ark of the God of Israel, and let it return to its own place, so that it does not kill us and our people.” For there was a deathly panic throughout the city; the hand of God was very heavy there. 12 The men who did not die were afflicted with the tumors, and the cry of the city went up to the heavens.

6

1 Now the ark of Yahweh was in the country of the Philistines for seven months. 2 Then the Philistine people called for the priests and the diviners; they said to them, “What should we do with the ark of Yahweh? Tell us how we should send it back to its own country.” 3 The priests and diviners said, “If you send back the ark of the God of Israel, do not send it without a gift; by all means send him a guilt offering. Then you will be healed, and you will know why his hand has not been lifted off of you until now.” 4 Then they said, “What should the guilt offering be that we are returning to him?” They replied, “Five golden tumors and five golden mice, five being the number that is the same as the number of the rulers of the Philistines. For the same plague afflicted you and your rulers. 5 So you must make models of your tumors, and models of your mice that ravage the land, and give glory to the God of Israel. Perhaps he will lift his hand from you, from your gods, and from your land. 6 Why should you harden your hearts, as the Egyptians and Pharaoh hardened their hearts? That was when the God of Israel dealt severely with them; did not the Egyptians send away the people, and they left? 7 Now then, prepare a new cart with two nursing cows that have never been yoked. Tie the cows to the cart, but take their calves home, away from them. 8 Then take the ark of Yahweh and place it in the cart. Put the golden figures that you are returning to him as a guilt offering into a box to one side of it. Then send it off and let it go its own way. 9 Then watch; if it goes up on the way to its own land to Beth Shemesh, then it is Yahweh who has executed this great disaster. But if not, then we will know that it is not his hand that afflicted us; instead, we will know that it happened to us by chance.”

10 The men did as they were told; they took two nursing cows, tied them to the cart, and confined their calves at home. 11 They put the ark of Yahweh on the cart, together with a box containing the golden mice and the castings of their tumors. 12 The cows went straight in the direction of Beth Shemesh. They went along one highway, lowing as they went, and they did not turn aside either to the right or to the left. The rulers of the Philistines followed after them to the border of Beth Shemesh. 13 Now the people of Beth Shemesh were harvesting their wheat in the valley. When they lifted up their eyes and saw the ark, they rejoiced. 14 The cart came into the field of Joshua from the town of Beth Shemesh and stopped there. A great stone was there, and they split the wood from the cart, and offered the cows as a burnt offering to Yahweh. 15 The Levites took down the ark of Yahweh and the box that was with it, where the golden figures were, and put them on the great stone. The men of Beth Shemesh offered burnt offerings and made sacrifices the same day to Yahweh. 16 When the five rulers of the Philistines saw this, they returned that day to Ekron.

17 These are the golden tumors which the Philistines returned for a guilt offering to Yahweh—one for Ashdod, one for Gaza, one for Ashkelon, one for Gath, and one for Ekron. 18 The golden mice were the same in number as the number of all the cities of the Philistines belonging to the five rulers, both fortified cities and country villages. The great stone, beside which they set down the ark of Yahweh, remains a witness to this day in the field of Joshua the Bethshemite.

19 Yahweh attacked some of the men of Beth Shemesh because they had looked into the ark of Yahweh. He killed 50,070 men. The people mourned, because Yahweh had given the people a great blow. * 20 The men of Beth Shemesh said, “Who is able to stand before Yahweh, this holy God? To whom will the ark go up from us?” 21 They sent messengers to the inhabitants of Kiriath Jearim, saying, “The Philistines have brought back the ark of Yahweh; come down and take it back with you.”

7

1 The men of Kiriath Jearim came, took the ark of Yahweh, and brought it into the house of Abinadab on the hill. They set apart his son Eleazar to keep the ark of Yahweh. 2 From the day the ark remained in Kiriath Jearim, a long time passed, twenty years. All the house of Israel lamented and wished to turn to Yahweh. 3 Samuel said to the entire house of Israel, “If you return to Yahweh with your whole heart, remove the foreign gods and the Ashtoreths from among you, turn your hearts to Yahweh, and worship him only, then he will rescue you from the hand of the Philistines.” 4 Then the people of Israel removed the Baals and the Ashtoreths, and worshiped Yahweh only. 5 Then Samuel said, “Bring together all Israel to Mizpah, and I will pray to Yahweh for you.” 6 They gathered at Mizpah, drew water and poured it out before Yahweh. They fasted that day and said, “We have sinned against Yahweh.” It was there that Samuel decided disputes for the people of Israel and led the people. 7 Now when the Philistines heard the people of Israel had gathered at Mizpah, the rulers of the Philistines attacked Israel. When the people of Israel heard of it, they were afraid of the Philistines. 8 Then the people of Israel said to Samuel, “Do not stop calling out to Yahweh our God for us, so he will save us from the hand of the Philistines.” 9 Samuel took a nursing lamb and offered it as a whole burnt offering to Yahweh. Then Samuel cried out to Yahweh for Israel, and Yahweh answered him. 10 As Samuel was offering up the burnt offering, the Philistines approached to attack Israel. But Yahweh thundered with a loud sound that day against the Philistines and threw them into confusion, and they were routed before Israel. 11 The men of Israel went from Mizpah, and they pursued the Philistines and killed them as far as below Beth Kar.

12 Then Samuel took a stone and set it between Mizpah and Shen. He named it Ebenezer, saying, “Thus far Yahweh has helped us.” 13 So the Philistines were subdued and they did not enter the border of Israel. The hand of Yahweh was against the Philistines all the days of Samuel. 14 The towns that the Philistines had taken from Israel were restored to Israel, from Ekron to Gath; Israel brought back their territory from the Philistines. Then there was peace between Israel and the Amorites.

15 Samuel judged Israel all the days of his life. 16 Each year he went on a circuit to Bethel, to Gilgal, and to Mizpah. He decided disputes for Israel in all these places. 17 Then he would return to Ramah, because his house was there; and there also he decided disputes for Israel. He also built an altar there to Yahweh.

8

1 When Samuel was old, he made his sons judges over Israel. 2 The name of his firstborn was Joel, and the name of his second son was Abijah. They were judges in Beersheba. 3 His sons did not walk in his ways, but chased after dishonest gain. They took bribes and perverted justice.

4 Then all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah. 5 They said to him, “Look, you are old, and your sons do not walk in your ways. Appoint for us a king to judge us like all the nations.” 6 But it displeased Samuel when they said, “Give us a king to judge us.” So Samuel prayed to Yahweh. 7 Yahweh said to Samuel, “Obey the voice of the people in everything they say to you; for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected me from being king over them. 8 They are acting now the same as they did since the day I brought them out of Egypt, forsaking me, and serving other gods, and so they are also doing to you. 9 Now listen to them; but warn them solemnly and let them know the way the king will rule over them.”

10 So Samuel told all the words of Yahweh to the people who were asking for a king. 11 He said, “This will be the practice of the king who will reign over you. He will take your sons and appoint them to his chariots and to be his horsemen, and to run before his chariots. 12 He will appoint for himself captains of thousands and captains of fifties. He will make some plow his ground, some reap his harvest, and some make his weapons of war and the equipment for his chariots. 13 He will also take your daughters to be perfumers, cooks, and bakers. 14 He will take the very best of your fields, your vineyards, and your olive orchards, and give them to his servants. 15 He will take a tenth of your grain and of your vineyards and give to his officers and his servants. 16 He will take your male servants and your female servants and the best of your young men and your donkeys; he will put them all to work for him. 17 He will take the tenth of your flocks, and you will be his slaves. 18 Then on that day you will cry out because of your king whom you have chosen for yourselves; but Yahweh will not answer you on that day.”

19 But the people refused to listen to Samuel; they said, “No! There must be a king over us 20 so that we might be like all the other nations, and so that our king may judge us and go out before us and fight our battles.” 21 When Samuel heard all the words of the people he repeated them in the ears of Yahweh. 22 Yahweh said to Samuel, “Obey their voice and cause someone to be king for them.” So Samuel said to the men of Israel, “Every man must go to his own city.”

9

1 There was a man from Benjamin, a man of influence. His name was Kish son of Abiel son of Zeror son of Bekorath son of Aphiah, the son of a Benjamite. 2 He had a son named Saul, a handsome young man. There was no man among the people of Israel who was a more handsome person than he. From his shoulders upward he was taller than any of the people. 3 Now the donkeys of Kish, Saul's father, were lost. So Kish said to Saul his son, “Take one of the servants with you; arise and go look for the donkeys.” 4 So Saul passed through the hill country of Ephraim and went through the land of Shalishah, but they did not find them. Then they passed through the land of Shaalim, but they were not there. Then he passed through the land of the Benjamites, but they did not find them.

5 When they came to the land of Zuph, Saul said to his servant who was with him, “Come, let us go back, or my father may stop caring for the donkeys and begin to worry about us.” 6 But the servant said to him, “Listen, there is a man of God in this city. He is a man who is held in honor; everything that he says comes true. Let us go there; maybe he can tell us which way we should go on our journey.” 7 Then Saul said to his servant, “But if we go, what can we bring the man? For the bread in our sack is gone, and there is no present to bring to the man of God. What do we have?” 8 The servant answered Saul and said, “Here, I have with me one-fourth of a shekel of silver that I will give to the man of God, to tell us which way we should go.” 9 (Formerly in Israel, when a man went to seek the knowledge of God's will, he said, “Come, let us go to the seer.” For today's prophet was formerly called a seer.) 10 Then Saul said to his servant, “Well said. Come, let us go.” So they went to the city where the man of God was.

11 As they went up the hill to the city, they found young women coming out to draw water; Saul and his servant said to them, “Is the seer here?” 12 They answered, and said, “He is; see, he is just ahead of you. Hurry up, for he is coming to the city today, because the people are sacrificing today at the high place. 13 As soon as you enter the city you will find him, before he goes up to the high place to eat. The people will not eat until he comes, because he will bless the sacrifice; afterwards those who are invited will eat. Now go up, for you will find him immediately.” 14 So they went up to the city. As they were entering the city, they saw Samuel coming out toward them, to go up to the high place.

15 Now the day before Saul came, Yahweh had revealed to Samuel: 16 “Tomorrow about this time I will send you a man from the land of Benjamin, and you will anoint him to be prince over my people Israel. He will save my people from the hand of the Philistines. For I have looked on my people with pity because their call for help has come to me.” 17 When Samuel saw Saul, Yahweh told him, “Here is the man I told you about! He is the one who will rule over my people.” 18 Then Saul came close to Samuel in the gate and said, “Tell me where is the house of the seer?” 19 Samuel answered Saul and said, “I am the seer. Go up before me to the high place, for today you will eat with me. In the morning I will let you go, and I will tell you everything that is on your mind. 20 As for your donkeys that were lost three days ago, do not worry about them, for they have been found. Then on whom are all the desires of Israel set? Is it not on you and all your father's house?” 21 Saul answered and said, “Am not I a Benjamite, from the smallest of the tribes of Israel? Is not my clan the least of all the clans of the tribe of Benjamin? Why then have you spoken to me in this manner?”

22 So Samuel took Saul and his servant, brought them into the hall, and seated them at the head place of those who had been invited, who were about thirty people. 23 Samuel said to the cook, “Bring the portion which I gave to you, of which I said to you, 'Put it aside.'” 24 So the cook took up the thigh and what was on it and set it before Saul. Then Samuel said, “See what has been kept is set before you. Eat it, because it has been kept for you until the appointed time, from the time when I said, 'I have invited the people.'” So Saul ate with Samuel that day.

25 When they had come down from the high place into the city, Samuel spoke with Saul on the rooftop. 26 Then at the break of dawn, Samuel called to Saul on the rooftop and said, “Get up, so I can send you on your way.” So Saul got up, and both he and Samuel went out into the street. 27 As they were going to the outskirts of the city, Samuel said to Saul, “Tell the servant to go ahead of us”—and he went ahead—”but you must stay here awhile, that I may announce the message of God to you.”

10

1 Then Samuel took a flask of oil, poured it on Saul's head, and kissed him. He said, “Has not Yahweh anointed you to be a ruler over his inheritance? 2 When you leave me today, you will find two men near Rachel's tomb, in the territory of Benjamin at Zelzah. They will say to you, 'The donkeys that you were looking for have been found. Now your father has stopped caring about the donkeys and is worried about you, saying, “What should I do about my son?”' 3 Then you will go on further from there, and you will come to the oak of Tabor. Three men going to God at Bethel will meet you there, one carrying three young goats, another carrying three loaves of bread, and another carrying a skin of wine. 4 They will greet you and give you two loaves of bread, which you will take from their hands. 5 After that, you will come to the hill of God, where the garrison of the Philistines is. When you arrive at the city, you will meet a group of prophets coming down from the high place with a harp, a tambourine, a flute, and a lyre before them; they will be prophesying. 6 The Spirit of Yahweh will rush upon you, and you will prophesy with them, and you will be changed into a different man. 7 Now, when these signs come to you, do whatever your hand finds to do, for God is with you. 8 Go down before me to Gilgal. Then I will come down to you to offer burnt offerings and to sacrifice peace offerings. Wait seven days until I come to you and show you what you must do.”

9 When Saul turned his back to leave Samuel, God gave him another heart. Then all these signs came to pass that day. 10 When they came to the hill, a group of prophets met him, and the Spirit of God rushed upon him so that he prophesied with them. 11 When everyone who knew him before saw him prophesying with the prophets, the people said to each other, “What has happened to the son of Kish? Is Saul one of the prophets now?” 12 A man who was from that same place answered, “Then who is their father?” Because of this, it became a saying, “Is Saul also one of the prophets?” 13 When he finished prophesying, he came to the high place.

14 Then Saul's uncle said to him and his servant, “Where did you go?” He replied, “To look for the donkeys. When we saw that we could not find them, we went to Samuel.” 15 Saul's uncle said, “Please tell me what Samuel said to you.” 16 Saul replied to his uncle, “He told us plainly that the donkeys had been found.” But he did not tell him about the matter of the kingdom, of which Samuel had spoken.

17 Now Samuel called the people together before Yahweh at Mizpah. 18 He said to the people of Israel, “This is what Yahweh, the God of Israel says: 'I brought up Israel out of Egypt, and I rescued you from the hand of the Egyptians, and from the hand of all the kingdoms that oppressed you.' 19 But today you have rejected your God, who saves you from all of your calamities and your distresses; and you have said to him, 'Set a king over us.' Now present yourselves before Yahweh by your tribes and by your clans.” 20 So Samuel brought all the tribes of Israel near, and the tribe of Benjamin was chosen. 21 Then he brought the tribe of Benjamin near by their clans; and the clan of the Matrites was chosen; and Saul son of Kish was chosen. But when they went looking for him, he could not be found. 22 Then the people wanted to ask God more questions, “Is there still another man to come?” Yahweh answered, “He has hidden himself among the baggage.” 23 Then they ran and retrieved Saul from there. When he stood among the people, he was taller than any of the people from his shoulders upward. 24 Then Samuel said to the people, “Do you see the man whom Yahweh has chosen? There is no one like him among all the people!” All the people shouted, “Long live the king!”

25 Then Samuel told the people the customs and rules of kingship, wrote them down in a book, and placed it before Yahweh. Samuel then sent all the people away, each man to his own house. 26 Saul also went to his home at Gibeah, and with him went some strong men, whose hearts God had touched. 27 But some worthless men said, “How can this man save us?” These people despised Saul and did not bring him any gifts. But Saul kept silent. *

11

1 Then Nahash the Ammonite went and laid seige to Jabesh Gilead. All the men of Jabesh said to Nahash, “Make a covenant with us, and we will serve you.” 2 Nahash the Ammonite replied, “On this condition will I make a treaty with you, that I gouge out all of your right eyes, and in this way bring disgrace on all Israel.” 3 Then the elders of Jabesh replied to him, “Leave us alone for seven days, so that we may send messengers to all the territory of Israel. Then, if there is no one to save us, we will surrender to you.” 4 The messengers came to Gibeah, where Saul lived, and told the people what had happened. All the people wept loudly. 5 Now Saul was following the oxen out of the field. Saul said, “What is wrong with the people that they are weeping?” They told Saul what the men of Jabesh had said.

6 When Saul heard what they said, the Spirit of God rushed upon him, and he was very angry. 7 He took a yoke of oxen, cut them into pieces, and sent them throughout all the territory of Israel with the messengers. He said, “Whoever does not come out after Saul and after Samuel, this is what will be done to his oxen.” Then the terror of Yahweh fell on the people, and they came out together as one man. 8 When he mustered them at Bezek, the people of Israel were three hundred thousand, and the men of Judah thirty thousand. 9 They said to the messengers that came, “You will tell the men of Jabesh Gilead, 'Tomorrow, by the time the sun is hot, you will be rescued.'” So the messengers went and told the men of Jabesh, and they were glad. 10 Then the men of Jabesh said to Nahash, “Tomorrow we will surrender to you, and you can do to us whatever seems good to you.” 11 The next day Saul put the people in three groups. They came into the middle of the camp during the morning watch, and they attacked and defeated the Ammonites until the heat of the day. Those who survived were scattered, so that no two of them were left together.

12 Then the people said to Samuel, “Who was it who said, 'Will Saul reign over us?' Bring the men, so we can put them to death.” 13 But Saul said, “No one must be put to death this day, because today Yahweh has rescued Israel.”

14 Then Samuel said to the people, “Come, let us go to Gilgal and renew the monarchy there.” 15 So all the people went to Gilgal and made Saul king before Yahweh in Gilgal. There they sacrificed peace offerings before Yahweh, and Saul and all the men of Israel rejoiced greatly.

12

1 Samuel said to all Israel, “I have listened to everything you said to me, and I have set a king over you. 2 Now, here is the king walking before you; and I am old and gray; and, my sons are with you. I have walked before you from my youth until today. 3 Here I am; testify against me before Yahweh and before his anointed one. Whose ox have I taken? Whose donkey have I taken? Whom have I defrauded? Whom have I oppressed? From whose hand have I taken a bribe to blind my eyes with? Testify against me, and I will restore it to you.” 4 They said, “You have not cheated us, oppressed us, or have stolen anything from any man's hand.” 5 He said to them, “Yahweh is witness against you, and his anointed one is witness today, that you have found nothing in my hand.” They replied, “Yahweh is witness.”

6 Samuel said to the people, “It is Yahweh who appointed Moses and Aaron, and who brought your fathers up from the land of Egypt. 7 Now then, present yourself, so that I may plead with you before Yahweh about all of the righteous deeds of Yahweh, which he did for you and your fathers. 8 When Jacob came to Egypt, and your ancestors cried out to Yahweh, then Yahweh sent Moses and Aaron, who led your ancestors out of Egypt and they settled in this place. 9 But they forgot Yahweh their God; he sold them into the hand of Sisera, captain of the armies of Hazor, into the hand of the Philistines, and into the hand of the king of Moab; these all fought against your ancestors. 10 They cried out to Yahweh and said, 'We have sinned, because we have forsaken Yahweh and have served the Baals and the Ashtoreths. But now rescue us from the hand of our enemies, and we will serve you.' 11 So Yahweh sent Jerub Baal, Bedan, Jephthah, and Samuel, and gave you victory over your enemies all around you, so that you lived in security. 12 When you saw that Nahash the king of the people of Ammon came against you, you said to me, 'No! Instead, a king must reign over us'—although Yahweh your God, was your king. 13 Now here is the king whom you have chosen, whom you have asked for and whom Yahweh has now appointed as king over you. 14 If you fear Yahweh, serve him, obey his voice, and not rebel against the command of Yahweh, then both you and the king who reigns over you will be followers of Yahweh your God. 15 If you do not obey the voice of Yahweh, but rebel against the commands of Yahweh, then Yahweh's hand will be against you, as it was against your ancestors. 16 Even now present yourself and see this great thing which Yahweh will do before your eyes. 17 Is it not the wheat harvest today? I will call upon Yahweh, that he may send thunder and rain. Then you will know and see that your wickedness is great, which you have done in the sight of Yahweh, in asking for yourselves a king.” 18 So Samuel called to Yahweh; and that same day Yahweh sent thunder and rain. Then all the people greatly feared Yahweh and Samuel.

19 Then all the people said to Samuel, “Pray for your servants to Yahweh your God, so that we do not die. For we have added to all our sins this evil in asking for a king for ourselves.” 20 Samuel replied, “Do not be afraid. You have done all this evil, but do not turn away from Yahweh, but serve Yahweh with all your heart. 21 Do not turn away after empty things that cannot profit or rescue you, because they are useless. 22 For the sake of his great name, Yahweh will not reject his people, because it has pleased Yahweh to make you a people for himself. 23 As for me, far be it from me that I should sin against Yahweh by ceasing to pray for you. Instead, I will teach you the way that is good and right. 24 Only fear Yahweh and serve him in truth with all your heart. Consider the great things he has done for you. 25 But if you persist in doing evil, both you and your king will be destroyed.”

13

1 Saul was thirty years old when he began to reign; when he had reigned forty years over Israel, 2 he chose three thousand men of Israel. Two thousand were with him in Michmash and in the hill country of Bethel, while a thousand were with Jonathan in Gibeah of Benjamin. The rest of the soldiers he sent home, each man to his tent. 3 Jonathan defeated the garrison of the Philistines that was at Geba and the Philistines heard of it. Then Saul blew the trumpet throughout all the land, saying, “Let the Hebrews hear.” 4 All Israel heard that Saul had defeated the garrison of the Philistines, and also that Israel had become a rotten smell to the Philistines. Then the soldiers were summoned together to join Saul at Gilgal.

5 The Philistines gathered together to fight against Israel, with three thousand chariots, six thousand men to drive the chariots, and troops as numerous as the sand on the seashore. They came up and encamped at Michmash, east of Beth Aven. 6 When the men of Israel saw that they were in trouble—for the people were distressed, the people hid in caves, in the underbrush, in rocks, in wells, and in pits. 7 Some of the Hebrews went over the Jordan to the land of Gad and Gilead. But Saul was still at Gilgal, and all the people followed him trembling.

8 He waited seven days, the time Samuel had set. But Samuel did not come to Gilgal, and the people were scattering from Saul. 9 Saul said, “Bring me the burnt offering and the peace offerings.” Then he offered the burnt offering. 10 As soon as he finished offering the burnt offering Samuel arrived. Saul went out to meet him and to greet him. 11 Then Samuel said, “What have you done?” Saul replied, “When I saw that the people were leaving me, and that you did not come within the set time, and that the Philistines had assembled at Michmash, 12 I said, 'Now the Philistines will come down against me at Gilgal, and I have not sought the favor of Yahweh.' So I forced myself to offer the burnt offering.” 13 Then Samuel said to Saul, “You have acted foolishly. You have not kept the command of Yahweh your God that he gave you. For then Yahweh would have established your rule over Israel forever. 14 But now your rule will not continue. Yahweh has sought out a man after his own heart, and Yahweh has appointed him to be prince over his people, because you have not obeyed what he commanded you.” 15 Then Samuel arose and went up from Gilgal to Gibeah of Benjamin.

Then Saul numbered the people who were present with him, about six hundred men. 16 Saul, his son Jonathan, and the people who were present with them, stayed in Geba of Benjamin. But the Philistines camped at Michmash. 17 Raiders came from the camp of the Philistines in three groups. One group turned toward Ophrah, to the land of Shual. 18 Another group turned toward Beth Horon, and another group turned toward the border that overlooks the Valley of Zeboyim toward the wilderness.

19 No blacksmith could be found throughout all of Israel, because the Philistines said, “Otherwise the Hebrews would make swords or spears for themselves.” 20 But all the men of Israel used to go down to the Philistines, each to sharpen his plow points, his mattock, his ax, and his sickle. 21 The charge was two-thirds of a shekel for the plow points, and the mattocks, and one-third of a shekel for sharpening axes and for straightening the goads. 22 So on the day of battle, there were no swords or spears found in the hands of any of the soldiers who were with Saul and Jonathan; only Saul and his son Jonathan had them. 23 The garrison of the Philistines went out to the pass of Michmash.

14

1 One day, Jonathan son of Saul said to his young armor bearer, “Come, let us go over to the Philistines' garrison on the other side.” But he did not tell his father. 2 Saul was staying on the outskirts of Gibeah under the pomegranate tree that is in Migron. About six hundred men were with him, 3 including Ahijah son of Ahitub (Ichabod's brother) son of Phinehas son of Eli, the priest of Yahweh at Shiloh, who wore an ephod. The people did not know that Jonathan was gone. 4 On each side of the pass through which Jonathan wanted to go in order to get to the Philistines' garrison, there was a rocky cliff on one side and another rocky cliff on the other side. One rocky cliff was called Bozez and the other rocky cliff was called Seneh. 5 One rocky cliff stood on the north in front of Michmash, and the other on the south in front of Geba.

6 Jonathan said to his young armor bearer, “Come, let us cross over to the garrison of these uncircumcised fellows. It may be that Yahweh will work on our behalf, for nothing can stop Yahweh from saving by many or by few people.” 7 His armor bearer replied, “Do everything that is in your heart. Go ahead, see, I am with you, to obey all your commands.” 8 Then Jonathan said, “We will cross over to the men, and we will show ourselves to them. 9 If they say to us, 'Wait there until we come over to you'—then we will stay in our place and will not cross over to them. 10 But if they reply, 'Come over to us,' then we will cross over; because Yahweh has given them into our hand. This will be the sign to us.” 11 So both of them revealed themselves to the garrison of the Philistines. The Philistines said, “Look, Hebrews are coming out of the holes where they have hidden themselves.” 12 Then the men of the garrison called to Jonathan and his armor bearer, and said, “Come up to us, and we will show you something.” Jonathan said to his armor bearer, “Follow after me, because Yahweh has given them into the hand of Israel.” 13 Jonathan climbed up on his hands and feet, and his armor bearer followed behind him. The Philistines were put to death before Jonathan, and his armor bearer put some to death behind him. 14 That first attack that Jonathan and his armor bearer made, killed about twenty men within an area of half an acre. 15 There was a panic in the camp, in the field, and among the people. Even the garrison and the raiders panicked. The earth quaked, and there was a great panic.

16 Then Saul's watchmen in Gibeah of Benjamin looked; the crowd of Philistine soldiers was dispersing, and they were going here and there. 17 Then Saul said to the people that were with him, “Count and see who is missing from us.” When they had counted, Jonathan and his armor bearer were missing. 18 Saul said to Ahijah, “Bring the ark of God here,” for at that time it was with the people of Israel. 19 While Saul was talking to the priest, the commotion in the camp of the Philistines was continuing and increasing. Then Saul said to the priest, “Withdraw your hand.” 20 Saul and all the people who were with him rallied and went into battle. Every Philistine's sword was against his fellow countrymen, and there was very great confusion. 21 Now those Hebrews who previously had been with the Philistines, and who had gone with them into the camp, even they joined with the Israelites that were with Saul and Jonathan. 22 When all the men of Israel who had hidden themselves in the hills near Ephraim heard that the Philistines were fleeing, even they chased after them in battle. 23 So Yahweh saved Israel that day, and the battle passed beyond Beth Aven.

24 That day the men of Israel were distressed because Saul had put the people under an oath and said, “Cursed be the man that eats any food until evening and I am avenged on my enemies.” So none of the troops tasted food. 25 Then all the people entered the forest and there was honey upon the ground. 26 When the people entered into the forest, the honey flowed, but no one put his hand to his mouth for the people feared the oath. 27 But Jonathan had not heard that his father had bound the people with an oath. He reached out the tip of the staff that was in his hand and dipped it in the honeycomb. He raised his hand to his mouth, and his eyes brightened. 28 Then one of the people, answered, “Your father strictly charged the people with an oath, by saying, 'Cursed be the man that eats food on this day,' even though the people are weak from hunger.” 29 Then Jonathan said, “My father has made trouble for the land. See how my eyes have become brightened because I tasted a little of this honey. 30 How much better if the people had eaten freely today of the plunder from their enemies that they found? Because now the slaughter has not been great among the Philistines.”

31 They attacked the Philistines that day from Michmash to Aijalon. The people were very weary. 32 The people rushed greedily on the plunder and took sheep, oxen and calves, and killed them on the ground. The people ate them with the blood. 33 Then they told Saul, “Look, the people are sinning against Yahweh by eating with the blood.” Saul said, “You have acted unfaithfully. Now, roll a big stone here to me.” 34 Saul said, “Go out among the people, and tell them, 'Let every man bring his ox and his sheep, kill them here, and eat. Do not sin against Yahweh by eating with the blood.'” So each of the people brought his own ox with him that night and killed it there. 35 Saul built an altar to Yahweh, which was the first altar that he built to Yahweh.

36 Then Saul said, “Let us pursue the Philistines by night and plunder them until morning; let us not leave one of them alive.” They replied, “Do whatever seems good to you.” But the priest said, “Let us approach God here.” 37 Saul asked God, “Should I pursue the Philistines? Will you give them into the hand of Israel?” But God did not answer him that day. 38 Then Saul said, “Come here, all you leaders of the people; learn and see how this sin has happened today. 39 For, as Yahweh lives, who saves Israel, even if it is in Jonathan my son, he will surely die.” But none of the men among all the people answered him. 40 Then he said to all Israel, “You must stand on one side, and I and Jonathan my son will be on the other.” The people said to Saul, “Do what seems good to you.” 41 Saul said, “Yahweh, God of Israel! If this sin has been committed by me or by my son Jonathan, then, Yahweh, God of Israel, give the Urim. But if this sin has been committed by your people Israel, give the Thummim.” * Then Jonathan and Saul were taken by lot, but the army was exonerated. 42 Then Saul said, “Cast lots between me and Jonathan my son.” Then Jonathan was taken by lot.

43 Then Saul said to Jonathan, “Tell me what you have done.” Jonathan told him, “I tasted a little honey with the end of the rod that was in my hand. Here I am; I will die.” 44 Saul said, “God do so and more also to me, if you do not die, Jonathan.” 45 Then the people said to Saul, “Should Jonathan die, who has accomplished this great victory for Israel? Far from it! As Yahweh lives, not one hair of his head will fall to the ground, for he has worked with God today.” So the people rescued Jonathan so that he did not die. 46 Then Saul stopped pursuing the Philistines, and the Philistines went to their own place.

47 When Saul began to rule over Israel, he fought against all his enemies on every side. He fought against Moab, the Ammonites, Edom, the kings of Zobah, and the Philistines. Wherever he turned, he inflicted punishment on them. 48 He acted with great courage and defeated the Amalekites. He rescued Israel out of the hands of those who plundered them.

49 The sons of Saul were Jonathan, Ishvi, and Malki-Shua. The names of his two daughters were Merab, the firstborn, and Michal, the younger. 50 The name of Saul's wife was Ahinoam; she was the daughter of Ahimaaz. The name of the captain of his army was Abner son of Ner, Saul's uncle. 51 Kish was Saul's father; and Ner, the father of Abner, was the son of Abiel.

52 There was hard fighting against the Philistines all the days of Saul. When Saul saw any mighty man, or any valiant man, he attached him to himself.

15

1 Samuel said to Saul, “Yahweh sent me to anoint you king over his people Israel. Now listen to the words of Yahweh. 2 This is what Yahweh of hosts says, 'I have noted what Amalek did to Israel in opposing them on the way, when they came up from Egypt. 3 Now go and attack Amalek and completely destroy all that they have. Do not spare them, but kill both man and woman, child and infant, ox and sheep, camel and donkey.'”

4 Saul summoned the people and numbered them at the city of Telaim—two hundred thousand men on foot, and ten thousand men of Judah. 5 Then Saul came to the city of Amalek and waited in the valley. 6 Then Saul said to the Kenites, “Go, depart, come out from among the Amalekites, so I do not destroy you along with them. For you showed kindness to all the people of Israel, when they came from Egypt.” So the Kenites moved away from the Amalekites. 7 Then Saul attacked the Amalekites, from Havilah as far as Shur, which is east of Egypt. 8 Then he took Agag the king of the Amalekites alive; he completely destroyed all the people with the edge of the sword. 9 But Saul and the people spared Agag, as well as the best of the sheep, oxen, fattened calves, and the lambs. Everything that was good, they did not destroy. But they completely destroyed anything that was despised and worthless.

10 Then the word of Yahweh came to Samuel, saying, 11 “It grieves me that I have made Saul king, for he has turned back from following me and has not performed my commandments.” Samuel was angry; he cried out to Yahweh all night. 12 Samuel got up early to meet Saul in the morning. Samuel was told, “Saul came to Carmel and he set up a monument to himself, then turned and proceeded on down to Gilgal.” 13 Then Samuel came to Saul, and Saul said to him, “Blessed are you by Yahweh! I have fulfilled the command of Yahweh.” 14 Samuel said, “What then is this bleating of sheep in my ears, and the lowing of the oxen that I hear?” 15 Saul replied, “They have brought them from the Amalekites. For the people spared the best of the sheep and oxen, to sacrifice to Yahweh your God. The rest we have completely destroyed.” 16 Then Samuel said to Saul, “Wait, and I will tell you what Yahweh has said to me tonight.” Saul said to him, “Speak!”

17 Samuel said, “Though you are little in your own sight, were you not made the head of the tribes of Israel? Then Yahweh anointed you king over Israel, 18 and Yahweh sent you on your way and said, 'Go and completely destroy the sinners, the Amalekites, and fight against them until they are destroyed.' 19 Why did you not obey the voice of Yahweh, but instead you seized the booty and did what was evil in the sight of Yahweh?” 20 Then Saul said to Samuel, “I have indeed obeyed the voice of Yahweh, and have gone on the way that Yahweh sent me. I have captured Agag, the king of Amalek, and have completely destroyed the Amalekites. 21 But the people took some of the booty—sheep and oxen, the best of the things devoted to destruction, to sacrifice to Yahweh your God in Gilgal.” 22 Samuel replied, “Has Yahweh as much delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of Yahweh? Obedience is better than sacrifice, and to listen is better than the fat of rams. 23 For rebellion is like the sin of divination, and stubbornness is like wickedness and iniquity. Because you have rejected the word of Yahweh, he has also rejected you from being king.”

24 Then Saul said to Samuel, “I have sinned; for I have broken Yahweh's commandment and your words, because I was afraid of the people and obeyed their voice. 25 Now, please pardon my sin, and return with me so that I may worship Yahweh.” 26 Samuel said to Saul, “I will not go back with you; for you have rejected the word of Yahweh, and Yahweh has rejected you from being king over Israel.” 27 As Samuel turned to leave, Saul took hold of the hem of his robe, and it tore. 28 Samuel said to him, “Yahweh has torn the kingdom of Israel from you today and has given it to a neighbor of yours, one who is better than you. 29 Also, the Strength of Israel will not lie nor change his mind; for he is not a man, that he should change his mind.” 30 Then Saul said, “I have sinned. But please honor me now before the elders of my people and before Israel. Turn again with me, that I may worship Yahweh your God.” 31 So Samuel turned again after Saul, and Saul worshiped Yahweh.

32 Then Samuel said, “Bring Agag the king of the Amalekites here to me.” Agag came to him confined with chains and said, “Surely the bitterness of death has past.” 33 Samuel replied, “As your sword has made women childless, so shall your mother be childless among women.” Then Samuel chopped Agag to pieces before Yahweh at Gilgal.

34 Samuel went to Ramah, and Saul went up to his house at Gibeah of Saul. 35 Samuel did not see Saul until the day of his death, for he mourned for Saul. Yahweh was grieved that he had made Saul king over Israel.

16

1 Yahweh said to Samuel, “How long will you mourn for Saul, since I have rejected him from being king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil and go. I will send you to Jesse of Bethlehem, for I have selected for myself a king among his sons.” 2 Samuel said, “How can I go? If Saul hears of it, he will kill me.” Yahweh said, “Take a heifer with you and say, 'I have come to sacrifice to Yahweh.' 3 Call Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you what you will do. You will anoint for me the one whom I tell you.” 4 Samuel did as Yahweh said and went to Bethlehem. The elders of the city were trembling as they came to meet him and said, “Are you coming in peace?” 5 He said, “In peace; I have come to sacrifice to Yahweh. Prepare to set yourselves apart and come with me to the sacrifice.” Then he set apart Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice.

6 When they came, he looked at Eliab and said to himself that Yahweh's anointed was certainly standing before him. 7 But Yahweh said to Samuel, “Do not look at his outward appearance, or on the height of his stature; because I have rejected him. For Yahweh does not see as man sees; man looks on the outward appearance, but Yahweh looks on the heart.” 8 Then Jesse called Abinadab and made him pass before Samuel. Then Samuel said, “Neither has Yahweh chosen this one.” 9 Jesse then made Shammah pass by, but Samuel said, “Neither has Yahweh chosen this one.” 10 Jesse made seven of his sons pass before Samuel. Then Samuel said to Jesse, “Yahweh has not chosen any of these.” 11 Then Samuel said to Jesse, “Are all of your sons here?” He replied, “There remains yet the youngest, but he is tending the sheep.” Samuel said to Jesse, “Send and get him; for we will not sit down until he comes here.” 12 Jesse sent and brought him in. Now this son was ruddy and had beautiful eyes and a handsome appearance. Yahweh said, “Arise, anoint him; for he is the one.” 13 Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the middle of his brothers. The Spirit of Yahweh rushed on David from that day forward. Then Samuel rose up and went to Ramah.

14 Now the Spirit of Yahweh left Saul, and a harmful spirit from Yahweh troubled him instead. 15 Saul's servants said to him, “Look, a harmful spirit from God troubles you. 16 Let our master now command your servants who are before you to look for a man who is a skillful player on the harp. Then when the harmful spirit from God is on you, he will play it and you will be well.” 17 Saul said to his servants, “Find me a man that can play well and bring him to me.” 18 Then one of the young men answered, and said, “I have seen a son of Jesse the Bethlehemite, who is skillful in playing, a strong, courageous man, a man of war, one prudent in speech, a handsome man; and Yahweh is with him.” 19 So Saul sent messengers to Jesse, and said, “Send me your son David, who is with the sheep.” 20 Jesse took a donkey loaded with bread, a container of wine, and a young goat, and sent them with his son David to Saul. 21 Then David came to Saul and entered his service. Saul loved him greatly, and he became his armor bearer. 22 Saul sent to Jesse, saying, “Let David stand before me, for he has found favor in my eyes.” 23 Whenever the harmful spirit from God was upon Saul, David took the harp and played it. So Saul would be refreshed and well, and the harmful spirit would depart from him.

17

1 Now the Philistines gathered their armies for battle. They were gathered at Sokoh, which belongs to Judah. They had encamped between Sokoh and Azekah, in Ephes Dammim. 2 Saul and the men of Israel gathered and encamped in the Valley of Elah, and drew up their battle line to meet the Philistines. 3 The Philistines stood on a mountain on one side, and Israel stood on a mountain on the other side with a valley between them. 4 A strong man came out of the Philistines' camp, a man named Goliath of Gath, whose height was six cubits and a span. 5 He had a helmet of bronze on his head, and he was armed with a coat of chainmail. The coat weighed five thousand shekels of bronze. 6 He had bronze armor on his legs and a javelin of bronze between his shoulders. 7 The staff of his spear was large, with a loop of cord for throwing it like the cord on a weaver's beam. His spear's head weighed six hundred shekels of iron. His shield bearer went before him. 8 He stood and shouted to the ranks of Israel, “Why have you come out to draw up for battle? Am not I a Philistine, and are you not servants of Saul? Choose a man for yourselves and let him come down to me. 9 If he is able to fight with me and kill me, then will we be your servants. But if I defeat him and kill him, then you will be our servants and serve us.” 10 Again the Philistine said, “I challenge the ranks of Israel today. Give me a man so we may fight together.” 11 When Saul and all Israel heard what the Philistine said, they were discouraged and greatly afraid.

12 Now David was the son of the Ephrathite of Bethlehem in Judah, whose name was Jesse. He had eight sons. Jesse was an old man in the days of Saul, very old among men. 13 The three oldest sons of Jesse had followed Saul to the battle. The names of his three sons who went to the battle were Eliab the firstborn, second to him Abinadab, and the third Shammah. 14 David was the youngest. The three oldest followed Saul. 15 Now David went back and forth between Saul's army and his father's sheep at Bethlehem, in order to feed them. 16 For forty days the Philistine strong man came near morning and evening to present himself for battle.

17 Then Jesse said to his son David, “Take to your brothers an ephah of this roasted grain and these ten loaves, and carry them quickly to the camp for your brothers. 18 Also bring these ten cheeses to the captain of their thousand. See how your brothers are doing and bring back some proof that they are doing well. 19 Your brothers are with Saul and all the men of Israel in the Valley of Elah, fighting the Philistines.” 20 David got up early in the morning and left the flock in the care of a shepherd. He took the supplies and left, as Jesse commanded him. He came to the camp as the army was going out to the battlefield shouting the war cry. 21 Then Israel and the Philistines lined up for battle, army against army. 22 David left his belongings with the keeper of supplies, ran to the army, and greeted his brothers. 23 As he talked with them, the strong man, the Philistine of Gath, Goliath by name, and he came out of the ranks of the Philistines, and said the same words as before, and David heard them. 24 When all the men of Israel saw the man, they fled from him and were very afraid. 25 The men of Israel said, “Have you seen this man who has come up? He has come to challenge Israel. The king will give great riches to the man who kills him, and he will give his daughter to him in marriage, and will make his father's house free from taxation in Israel.” 26 David said to the men who stood by him, “What will be done for the man who kills this Philistine and takes away the disgrace from Israel? Who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God?” 27 Then the people repeated what they had been saying and told him, “So it will be done for the man who kills him.”

28 Eliab his oldest brother heard when he spoke to the men. Eliab's anger was kindled against David, and he said, “Why did you come down here? With whom have you left those few sheep in the wilderness? I know your pride, and the mischief in your heart; for you have come down here so that you might see the battle.” 29 David said, “What have I done now? Was it not just a question?” 30 He turned away from him toward another, and spoke in the same way. The people answered the same thing as before.

31 When the words that David said were heard, soldiers repeated them to Saul, and he sent for David. 32 Then David said to Saul, “Let no man's heart fail because of that Philistine; your servant will go and fight with this Philistine.” 33 Saul said to David, “You are not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him; for you are only a youth, and he a man of war from his youth.” 34 But David said to Saul, “Your servant used to keep his father's sheep. When a lion or a bear came and took a lamb out of the flock, 35 I chased after him and attacked him, and rescued it out of his mouth. When he rose up against me, I caught him by his beard, struck him, and killed him. 36 Your servant has killed both a lion and a bear. This uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, since he has challenged the armies of the living God.” 37 David said, “Yahweh rescued me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear. He will rescue me from the hand of this Philistine.” Then Saul said to David, “Go, and may Yahweh be with you.” 38 Saul clothed David with his armor. He put a helmet of bronze upon his head, and he clothed him with a coat of chainmail. 39 David strapped his sword on his armor. But he was not able to walk, because he had not trained with them. Then David said to Saul, “I cannot go out to fight with these, for I have not trained with them.” So David put them off. 40 He took his staff in his hand and chose five smooth stones out of the brook; he put them in his shepherd's pouch. His sling was in his hand as he approached the Philistine.

41 The Philistine came and approached David, with his shield bearer in front of him. 42 When the Philistine looked around and saw David, he despised him, for he was only a boy, and ruddy, with a handsome appearance. 43 Then the Philistine said to David, “Am I a dog, that you come to me with sticks?,” and the Philistine cursed David by his gods. 44 The Philistine said to David, “Come to me, and I will give your flesh to the birds of the heavens and to the beasts of the field.” 45 David replied to the Philistine, “You come to me with a sword, a spear, and a javelin. But I come to you in the name of Yahweh of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. 46 Today Yahweh will give me victory over you, and I will kill you and remove your head from your body. Today I will give the dead bodies of the Philistine army to the birds of the heavens and to the wild beasts of the earth, so that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel, 47 and that all this gathering may know that Yahweh does not give victory with sword or spear. For the battle is Yahweh's, and he will give you into our hand.” 48 When the Philistine rose and approached David, then David ran quickly toward the enemy army to meet him. 49 David put his hand in his bag, took a stone from it, slung it, and hit the Philistine in the forehead. The stone sank into the Philistine's forehead, and he fell on his face to the ground.

50 David defeated the Philistine with a sling and with a stone. He hit the Philistine and killed him. There was no sword in David's hand. 51 Then David ran and stood over the Philistine and took his sword, drew it out of the sheath, killed him, and cut off his head with it. When the Philistines saw that their strong man was dead, they fled. 52 Then the men of Israel and of Judah rose with a shout, and chased after the Philistines as far as the valley and the gates of Ekron. The dead Philistines lay along the way to Shaaraim, all the way to Gath and Ekron. 53 The people of Israel returned from chasing the Philistines, and they plundered their camp. 54 David took the head of the Philistine and brought it to Jerusalem, but he put his armor in his tent.

55 When Saul saw David go out against the Philistine, he said to Abner, the captain of the army, “Abner, whose son is this youth?” Abner said, “As you live, king, I do not know.” 56 The king said, “Ask those who might know, whose son the boy is.” 57 When David returned from killing the Philistine, Abner took him, and brought him before Saul with the head of the Philistine in his hand. 58 Saul said to him, “Whose son are you, young man?” David answered, “I am the son of your servant Jesse the Bethlehemite.”

18

1 When he had finished speaking to Saul, the soul of Jonathan was bound to the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul. 2 Saul took David into his service that day; he did not let him return to his father's house. 3 Then Jonathan and David made a covenant of friendship because Jonathan loved him as his own soul. 4 Jonathan took off the robe that he was wearing and gave it to David with his armor, as well as his sword, bow, and belt. 5 David went out wherever Saul sent him, and he succeeded. Saul set him over the men of war. This was pleasing in the eyes of all the people and also in the sight of Saul's servants.

6 As they came home from defeating the Philistines, the women came from all the cities of Israel, singing and dancing, to meet King Saul, with tambourines, with joy, and with musical instruments. 7 The women sang one to another as they played. They sang:

“Saul has killed his thousands,

and David his ten thousands.”

8 Saul was very angry, and this song displeased him. He said, “They have ascribed to David ten thousands, but they have ascribed only thousands to me. What more can he have but the monarchy?” 9 Saul looked at David with suspicion from that day on.

10 The next day a harmful spirit from God rushed upon Saul and he raved within the house. So David played his instrument, as he did each day. Saul had a spear in his hand. 11 Saul threw the spear, for he thought, “I will pin David to the wall.” But David escaped from Saul's presence twice in this way. 12 Saul was afraid of David, because Yahweh was with him, but was no longer with Saul. 13 So Saul removed him from his presence and appointed him a commander of a thousand. In this way David went out and came in before the people. 14 David was prospering in all his ways, for Yahweh was with him. 15 When Saul saw that he prospered, he stood in awe of him. 16 But all Israel and Judah loved David, for he went out and came in before them.

17 Then Saul said to David, “Here is my oldest daughter Merab. I will give her to you as a wife. Only be courageous for me and fight Yahweh's battles.” For Saul thought, “Let not my hand be on him, but let the hand of the Philistines be on him.” 18 David said to Saul, “Who am I, and who are my relatives, or my father's clan in Israel, that I should be son-in-law to the king?” 19 But at the time when Merab, Saul's daughter, should have been given to David, she was given to Adriel the Meholathite as a wife. 20 But Michal, Saul's daughter, loved David. They told Saul, and this pleased him. 21 Then Saul thought, “I will give her to him, so that she can be a trap for him, and that the hand of the Philistines may be against him.” So Saul said to David a second time, “You will be my son-in-law.”

22 Saul commanded his servants, “Speak with David in private, and say, 'See, the king takes pleasure in you, and all his servants love you. Now then, become the king's son-in-law.'” 23 So Saul's servants spoke these words to David. Then David said, “Is it a small matter to you to be the king's son-in-law, since I am a poor man, and lightly esteemed?” 24 The servants of Saul reported to him the words which David spoke. 25 Then Saul said, “Say this to David, 'The king does not desire any price for the bride except a hundred foreskins of the Philistines, to be avenged from the king's enemies.'” Now Saul thought to make David fall by the hand of the Philistines. 26 When his servants told David these words, it pleased David to be the king's son-in-law. 27 Before those days had expired, David went with his men and killed two hundred Philistines. David brought their foreskins, and they gave them in full number to the king, so that he might be the king's son-in-law. So Saul gave him Michal his daughter as his wife. 28 When Saul saw, and he knew that Yahweh was with David, and that Michal, Saul's daughter, loved him, 29 Saul was even more afraid of David. Saul was continually David's enemy.

30 Then the princes of the Philistines came out for battle, and as often as they came out, David succeeded more than all the servants of Saul, so that his name was highly regarded.

19

1 Saul said to Jonathan his son and to all his servants that they should kill David. But Jonathan, Saul's son, took great pleasure in David. 2 So Jonathan told David, “Saul my father seeks to kill you. Therefore be on your guard in the morning and hide yourself in a secret place. 3 I will go out and stand beside my father in the field where you are, and I will speak with my father about you. If I learn anything, I will tell you.” 4 Jonathan spoke well of David to Saul his father and said to him, “Do not let the king sin against his servant David. For he has not sinned against you, and his deeds have brought you good. 5 For he took his life in his hand and killed the Philistine. Yahweh brought about a great victory for all Israel. You saw it and rejoiced. Why would you sin against innocent blood by killing David for no reason?” 6 Saul listened to Jonathan. Saul swore, “As Yahweh lives, he will not be put to death.” 7 Then Jonathan called David, and Jonathan told him all these things. Jonathan brought David to Saul, and he was in his presence as before.

8 There was war again, and David went out and fought with the Philistines and defeated them with a great slaughter. They fled before him. 9 A harmful spirit from Yahweh came on Saul as he sat in his house with his spear in his hand, and as David was playing his instrument. 10 Saul tried to pin David to the wall with the spear, but he slipped away from Saul's presence, so that Saul drove the spear into the wall. David fled and escaped that night. 11 Saul sent messengers to David's house to watch him that he might kill him in the morning. Michal, David's wife, told him, “If you do not save your life tonight, tomorrow you will be killed.” 12 So Michal let David down through the window. He went and fled, and escaped. 13 Michal took a household idol and laid it in the bed. Then she put a pillow of goats' hair at its head, and covered it with the clothes. 14 When Saul sent messengers to take David, she said, “He is sick.” 15 Then Saul sent the messengers to see David; he said, “Bring him up to me in the bed, so that I may kill him.” 16 When the messengers came in, behold, the household idol was in the bed along with the pillow of goats' hair at its head. 17 Saul said to Michal, “Why have you deceived me and let my enemy go, so that he has escaped?” Michal answered Saul, “He said to me, 'Let me go. Why should I kill you?'”

18 Now David fled and escaped, and went to Samuel in Ramah and told him all that Saul had done to him. Then he and Samuel went and stayed in Naioth. 19 It was told to Saul, saying, “See, David is at Naioth in Ramah.” 20 Then Saul sent messengers to capture David. When they saw the company of the prophets prophesying, and Samuel standing as head over them, the Spirit of God came on the messengers of Saul, and they also prophesied. 21 When Saul was told this, he sent other messengers, and they also prophesied. So Saul sent messengers again the third time, and they also prophesied. 22 Then he also went to Ramah and came to the deep well that is in Seku. He asked, “Where are Samuel and David?” Someone said, “See, they are at Naioth in Ramah.” 23 Saul went to Naioth in Ramah. Then the Spirit of God came upon him, and as he went he prophesied until he came to Naioth in Ramah. 24 He stripped off his clothes and also prophesied before Samuel. He lay naked all that day and all that night. This is why they ask, “Is Saul also among the prophets?”

20

1 Then David fled from Naioth in Ramah and came and said to Jonathan, “What have I done? What is my iniquity? What is my sin before your father, that he seeks to take my life?” 2 Jonathan said to David, “Far from it; you will not die. My father does nothing either great or small without telling it to me. Why should my father hide this thing from me? It is not so.” 3 Yet David vowed again and said, “Your father knows well that I have found favor in your eyes. He has said, 'Do not let Jonathan know this, or he will be grieved.' But as truly as Yahweh lives, and as you live, there is but a step between me and death.” 4 Then Jonathan said to David, “Whatever you say, I will do for you.” 5 David said to Jonathan, “Tomorrow is the new moon, and I ought to sit down to eat with the king. But let me go, so that I may hide myself in the field until the third day at evening. 6 If your father misses me at all, then say, 'David earnestly asked leave of me that he might run to Bethlehem his city; because it is the yearly sacrifice there for all the clan.' 7 If he says, 'It is well,' your servant will have peace. But if he is very angry, then know that he has decided on evil. 8 Therefore deal kindly with your servant. For you have brought your servant into a covenant of Yahweh with you. But if there is sin in me, kill me yourself; for why then should you bring me to your father?” 9 Jonathan said, “Far be it from you! If I learned my father decided harm to come upon you, would I not tell you?” 10 Then David said to Jonathan, “Who will tell me if by chance your father should answer you roughly?” 11 Jonathan said to David, “Come, let us go out into the field.” So they both went out into the field.

12 Jonathan said to David, “May Yahweh, the God of Israel, be witness. When I have questioned my father around this time tomorrow, or the third day, see, if there is good will toward David, will I not then send to you and make it known to you? 13 If it pleases my father to do you harm, may Yahweh do to Jonathan and more also if I do not make it known to you and send you away, so that you may go in peace. May Yahweh be with you, as he has been with my father. 14 If I am still alive, will you not show me the covenant faithfulness of Yahweh, that I may not die? 15 Do not cut off your covenant faithfulness from my house forever—not even when Yahweh cuts off every one of the enemies of David from the face of the earth.” 16 So Jonathan made a covenant with the house of David and said, “May Yahweh require an accounting from the hand of the enemies of David.”

17 Jonathan made David vow again because of the love that he had for him, because he loved him as he loved his own soul. 18 Then Jonathan said to him, “Tomorrow is the new moon. You will be missed because your seat will be empty. 19 When you have stayed three days, go down quickly and come to the place where you hid yourself when the business was in hand, and stay by the stone Ezel. 20 I will shoot three arrows to the side of it, as though I were shooting at a target. 21 Then I will send my young man and say to him, 'Go find the arrows.' If I say to the young boy, 'Look, the arrows are on this side of you; get them,” then come; for there will be safety for you and not harm, as Yahweh lives. 22 “But if I say to the young man, 'Look, the arrows are beyond you,' then go your way, for Yahweh has sent you away. 23 As for the agreement of which you and I have spoken, see, Yahweh is between you and me forever.'”

24 So David hid himself in the field. When the new moon came, the king sat down to eat food. 25 The king sat on his seat, as usual, on the seat by the wall. Jonathan stood up, and Abner sat by Saul's side. But David's place was empty. 26 Yet Saul did not say anything that day, because he thought, “Something has happened to him. He is not clean; surely he is not clean.” 27 But on the second day, the day after the new moon, David's place was empty. Saul said to Jonathan his son, “Why has the son of Jesse not come to the meal either yesterday or today?” 28 Jonathan answered Saul, “David earnestly asked permission from me to go to Bethlehem. 29 He said, 'Please let me go. For our family has a sacrifice in the city, and my brother has ordered me to be there. Now, if I have found favor in your eyes, please let me go and see my brothers.' For this reason he has not come to the king's table.”

30 Then Saul's anger burned against Jonathan, and he said to him, “You son of a perverse, rebellious woman! Do I not know that you have chosen the son of Jesse to your own shame, and to the shame of your mother's nakedness? 31 For as long as the son of Jesse lives on the earth, neither you nor your kingdom will be established. Now then, send and bring him to me, for he must surely die.” 32 Jonathan answered Saul his father, “For what reason should he be put to death? What has he done?” 33 Then Saul threw his spear at him to kill him. So Jonathan knew that his father was determined to put David to death. 34 Jonathan got up from the table in fierce anger and ate no food the second day of the month, for he was grieved over David, because his father had dishonored him.

35 In the morning, Jonathan went out into the field to the appointment with David, and a young man was with him. 36 He said to his young man, “Run and find the arrows that I shoot.” As the young man ran, he shot an arrow beyond him. 37 When the young man came to the place where the arrow that Jonathan shot had landed, Jonathan called after the young man, and said, “Is not the arrow beyond you?” 38 Then Jonathan called after the young man, “Hurry, be quick, do not stay!” So Jonathan's young man gathered up the arrows and came to his master. 39 But the young man did not know anything. Only Jonathan and David knew the matter. 40 Jonathan gave his weapons to his young man and said to him, “Go, take them to the city.” 41 As soon as the young man was gone, David stood up from behind the mound, lay facedown on the ground, and bowed himself three times. They kissed one another and wept together, with David weeping the more. * 42 Jonathan said to David, “Go in peace, because we have both sworn in the name of Yahweh and said, 'May Yahweh be between you and me, and between my descendants and your descendants, forever.'” Then David stood up and left, and Jonathan returned to the city.

21

1 Then David came to Nob to see Ahimelech the priest. Ahimelech came to meet David trembling and said to him, “Why are you alone and have no one with you?” 2 David said to Ahimelech the priest, “The king has sent me on a mission and has said to me, 'Let no one know anything about the business I am sending you, and what I have commanded you.' I have directed the young men to a certain place. 3 Now then what do you have on hand? Give me five loaves of bread, or whatever is here.” 4 The priest answered David and said, “There is no ordinary bread on hand, but there is holy bread—if the young men have kept themselves from women.” 5 David answered the priest, “Surely women have been kept from us for the past three days, as usual when I set out. The things belonging to the men have been set apart even on ordinary missions. How much more today will what they have be set apart!” 6 So the priest gave him the bread that was set apart. For there was no bread there except the bread of the presence, which was removed from before Yahweh, in order to put hot bread in its place on the day it was taken away.

7 Now one of the servants of Saul was there that day, detained before Yahweh. His name was Doeg the Edomite, the chief of Saul's herdsmen. 8 David said to Ahimelech, “Now is there not here on hand any spear or sword? For I brought neither my sword nor my weapons with me, because the king's business was urgent.” 9 The priest said, “The sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom you killed in the Valley of Elah, is here wrapped in a cloth behind the ephod. If you want to take that, take it, for there is no other weapon here.” David said, “There is no other sword like that one; give it to me.”

10 David arose and fled that day from Saul and went to Achish, the king of Gath. 11 Achish's servants said to him, “Is not this David, the king of the land? Did they not sing to one another about him in dances,

'Saul has killed his thousands,

and David his ten thousands?'”

12 David took these words to heart and was very afraid of Achish, the king of Gath. 13 He changed his behavior before them and pretended to be insane in their hands; he made marks on the doors of the gate and let his saliva run down his beard. 14 Then Achish said to his servants, “Look, you see the man is mad. Why have you brought him to me? 15 Do I lack madmen, so that you have brought this fellow to behave like one in my presence? Will this fellow really come into my house?”

22

1 So David left there and escaped to the cave of Adullam. When his brothers and all his father's house heard it, they went down there to him. 2 Everyone who was in distress, everyone who was in debt, and everyone who was discontented—they all gathered to him. David became captain over them. There were about four hundred men with him.

3 Then David went from there to Mizpah in Moab. He said to the king of Moab, “Please let my father and my mother go out with you until I know what God will do for me.” * 4 He left them with the king of Moab. His father and mother stayed with him the whole time that David was in his stronghold. 5 Then the prophet Gad said to David, “Do not stay in your stronghold. Leave and go into the land of Judah.” So David left there and went into the forest of Hereth.

6 Saul heard that David had been discovered, along with the men who were with him. Now Saul was sitting in Gibeah under the tamarisk tree in Ramah, with his spear in his hand, and all his servants were standing around him. 7 Saul said to his servants who stood around him, “Listen now, people of Benjamin! Will the son of Jesse give every one of you fields and vineyards? Will he make you all captains of thousands and captains of hundreds, 8 in exchange for all of you plotting against me? None of you informs me when my son makes a covenant with the son of Jesse. None of you is sorry for me. None of you informs me that my son has incited my servant David against me. Today he hides and waits for me so he may attack me.” 9 Then Doeg the Edomite, who stood by the servants of Saul, answered, “I saw the son of Jesse come to Nob, to Ahimelech son of Ahitub. 10 He prayed to Yahweh that he might help him, and he gave him provisions and the sword of Goliath the Philistine.”

11 Then the king sent someone to summon the priest Ahimelech son of Ahitub and all his father's house, the priests who were in Nob. All of them came to the king. 12 Saul said, “Listen now, son of Ahitub.” He answered, “Here I am, my master.” 13 Saul said to him, “Why have you plotted against me, you and the son of Jesse, in that you have given him bread, and a sword, and have prayed to God that he might help him, so that he might rise up against me, to hide in secret, as he does today?” 14 Then Ahimelech answered the king and said, “Who among all your servants is so faithful as David, who is the king's son-in-law and is over your bodyguard, and is honored in your house? 15 Is today the first time I have prayed to God to help him? Far be it from me! Do not let the king impute anything to his servant or to all the house of my father. For your servant knows nothing of this whole matter.” 16 The king replied, “You will surely die, Ahimelech, you and all your father's house.” 17 The king said to the guard that stood around him, “Turn and kill the priests of Yahweh. Because their hand also is with David, and because they knew that he fled, but did not reveal it to me.” But the servants of the king would not put out their hand to kill the priests of Yahweh. 18 Then the king said to Doeg, “Turn and kill the priests.” So Doeg the Edomite turned and attacked the priests; he killed eighty-five persons who wore a linen ephod that day. 19 He also put to the sword Nob, the city of the priests; both men and women, children and infants, and oxen and donkeys and sheep he put to the sword.

20 But one of the sons of Ahimelech son of Ahitub, named Abiathar, escaped and fled after David. 21 Abiathar told David that Saul had killed Yahweh's priests. 22 David said to Abiathar, “I knew on that day, when Doeg the Edomite was there, that he would surely tell Saul. I am responsible for every death in your father's family! 23 Stay with me and do not be afraid. For the one who seeks your life seeks mine as well. You will be safe with me.”

23

1 They told David, “Look, the Philistines are fighting against Keilah and are robbing the threshing floors.” 2 So David prayed to Yahweh for help and asked him, “Should I go and attack these Philistines?” Yahweh said to David, “Go and attack the Philistines and save Keilah.” 3 David's men said to him, “See, we are afraid here in Judah. How much more then if we go to Keilah against the armies of the Philistines?” 4 Then David prayed to Yahweh for help yet again. Yahweh answered him, “Arise, go down to Keilah. For I will give you victory over the Philistines.” 5 David and his men went to Keilah and fought with the Philistines. He led away their cattle and struck them with a great slaughter. So David saved the inhabitants of Keilah. 6 When Abiathar son of Ahimelech had fled to David at Keilah, he came down with an ephod in his hand.

7 Saul was told that David had gone to Keilah. Saul said, “God has given him into my hand. For he is shut in because he has entered a city that has gates and bars.” 8 Saul summoned all his forces for battle, to go down to Keilah, to besiege David and his men. 9 David knew that Saul was plotting harm against him. He said to Abiathar the priest, “Bring the ephod here.” 10 Then David said, “Yahweh, the God of Israel, your servant has indeed heard that Saul seeks to come to Keilah, to destroy the city for my sake. 11 Will the men of Keilah surrender me into his hand? Will Saul come down, as your servant has heard? Yahweh, the God of Israel, I beg you, please tell your servant.” Yahweh said, “He will come down.” 12 Then David said, “Will the men of Keilah surrender me and my men into the hand of Saul?” Yahweh said, “They will surrender you.” 13 Then David and his men, who were about six hundred, got up and went away from Keilah, and they went from place to place. It was told Saul that David had escaped from Keilah, and he stopped the pursuit. 14 David stayed in the strongholds in the wilderness, in the hill country in the wilderness of Ziph. Saul looked for him every day, but God did not give him into his hand.

15 David saw that Saul had come out to seek his life; now David was in the wilderness of Ziph at Horesh. 16 Then Jonathan, Saul's son, got up and went to David at Horesh, and strengthened his hand in God. 17 He said to him, “Do not be afraid. For the hand of Saul my father will not find you. You will be king over Israel, and I will be next to you. Saul my father also knows this.” 18 They made a covenant before Yahweh. David remained at Horesh, and Jonathan went home.

19 Then Ziphites came to Saul at Gibeah and said, “Is not David hiding among us in the strongholds at Horesh, on the hill of Hakilah, which is south of Jeshimon? 20 Now come down, king! According to your desire, come down! Our part will be to surrender him into the king's hand.” 21 Saul said, “May you be blessed by Yahweh. For you have had compassion on me. 22 Go, make even more sure. Learn and find out where his hiding place is and who has seen him there. It is told to me that he is very crafty. 23 So look, and learn all of the places where he hides himself. Come back to me with sure information, and then I will return with you. If he is in the land, I will search him out among all the thousands of Judah.”

24 Then they rose up and went to Ziph ahead of Saul. Now David and his men were in the wilderness of Maon, in the Arabah to the south of Jeshimon. 25 Saul and his men went to seek him. But David was told of it, so he went down to a rocky hill and lived in the wilderness of Maon. When Saul heard it, he chased David in the wilderness of Maon. 26 Saul went on one side of the mountain, and David and his men were going on the other side of the mountain. David hurried to get away from Saul. As Saul and his men were surrounding David and his men to take them, 27 a messenger came to Saul and said, “Hurry and come, for the Philistines have made a raid against the land.” 28 So Saul returned from pursuing David and went against the Philistines. Therefore that place was called the Rock of Escape. 29 David went up from there and lived in the strongholds of Engedi.

24

1 When Saul returned from chasing the Philistines, he was told, “David is in the wilderness of Engedi.” 2 Then Saul took three thousand chosen men from all Israel and went to seek David and his men on the Rocks of the Wild Goats. 3 He came to sheep pens on the way, where there was a cave. Saul went inside to cover his feet. Now David and his men were sitting far back in the cave. 4 David's men said to him, “This is the day of which Yahweh spoke when he said to you, 'I will give your enemy into your hand, for you to do with him as you wish.'” Then David arose and quietly crept forward and cut off the corner of Saul's robe. 5 Afterward David's heart afflicted him because he had cut a corner off Saul's robe. 6 He said to his men, “May Yahweh forbid that I should do this thing to my master, Yahweh's anointed, to put out my hand against him, seeing he is Yahweh's anointed.” 7 So David rebuked his men with these words, and did not permit them to attack Saul. Saul stood up, left the cave, and went on his way.

8 Afterward, David also stood up, left the cave, and called out after Saul: “My master the king.” When Saul looked behind him, David bowed with his face to the ground and showed him respect. 9 David said to Saul, “Why do you listen to the men who say, 'See, David is seeking your harm?' 10 Today your eyes have seen how Yahweh put you into my hand when we were in the cave. Some told me to kill you, but I spared you. I said, 'I will not put out my hand against my master; for he is Yahweh's anointed.' 11 See, my father, see the corner of your robe in my hand. For the fact that I cut off the corner of your robe and did not kill you, you may know and see that there is no evil or treason in my hand, and I have not sinned against you, even though you hunt my life to take it. 12 May Yahweh judge between you and me, and may Yahweh avenge me against you, but my hand shall not be against you. 13 As the proverb of the ancients says, 'Out of the wicked comes wickedness.' But my hand will not be against you. 14 After whom has the king of Israel come out? After whom do you pursue? After a dead dog! After a flea! 15 May Yahweh be judge and give judgment between you and me, and see to it, and plead my cause and permit me to escape from your hand.”

16 When David had finished speaking these words to Saul, Saul said, “Is this your voice, my son David?” Saul lifted up his voice and wept. 17 He said to David, “You are more righteous than I am. For you have repaid me good, where I have repaid you evil. 18 You have declared today how you have done good to me, for you did not kill me when Yahweh had put me at your mercy. 19 For if a man finds his enemy, will he let him go safely? May Yahweh reward you with good for what you have done to me today. 20 Now, I know that you will surely be king and that the kingdom of Israel will be established in your hand. 21 Swear to me by Yahweh that you will not cut off my descendants after me, and that you will not destroy my name out of my father's house.” 22 So David made an oath to Saul. Then Saul went home, but David and his men went up to the stronghold.

25

1 Now Samuel died. All Israel gathered together and mourned for him, and they buried him in his house at Ramah. Then David rose and went down to the wilderness of Paran.

2 There was a man in Maon, whose possessions were in Carmel. The man was very wealthy. He had three thousand sheep and one thousand goats. He was shearing his sheep in Carmel. 3 The man's name was Nabal, and the name of his wife was Abigail. The woman was intelligent and beautiful in appearance. But the man was harsh and evil in his dealings. He was a descendant of the house of Caleb. 4 David heard in the wilderness that Nabal was shearing his sheep. 5 So David sent ten young men. David said to the young men, “Go up to Carmel, go to Nabal, and greet him in my name. 6 You will say to him, 'Live in prosperity. Peace to you and peace to your house, and peace be to all that you have. 7 I hear that you have shearers. Your shepherds have been with us, and we did them no harm, and they missed nothing the whole time they were in Carmel. 8 Ask your young men, and they will tell you. Now let my young men find favor in your eyes, for we have come on a festive day. Please give whatever you have on hand to your servants and to your son David.'”

9 When David's young men arrived, they said all of this to Nabal on David's behalf and then waited. 10 Nabal answered David's servants, “Who is David, and who is the son of Jesse? There are many servants these days who are breaking away from their masters. 11 Should I take my bread and my water and my meat that I have killed for my shearers, and give it to men who come from I do not know where?” 12 So David's young men turned away and came back, and told him everything that was said. 13 David said to his men, “Every man strap on his sword.” So every man strapped on his sword. David also strapped on his sword. About four hundred men followed after David, and two hundred stayed by the baggage.

14 But one of the young men told Abigail, Nabal's wife; he said, “David sent messengers out of the wilderness to greet our master, and he insulted them. 15 Yet the men were very good to us. We were not harmed and did not miss anything as long as we went with them when we were in the fields. 16 They were a wall to us both day and night, all the while we were with them tending the sheep. 17 Therefore know this and consider what you will do, for evil is plotted against our master, and against his whole house. He is such a worthless fellow that one cannot reason with him.”

18 Then Abigail hurried and took two hundred loaves, two bottles of wine, five sheep already prepared, five measures of parched grain, one hundred clusters of raisins, and two hundred cakes of figs, and laid them on donkeys. 19 She said to her young men, “Go on before me, and I will come after you.” But she did not tell her husband Nabal. 20 As she rode on her donkey and came down by the cover of the mountain, David and his men came down toward her, and she met them. 21 Now David had said, “Surely in vain have I guarded all that this man has in the wilderness, so that nothing was missed of all that belonged to him, and he has returned me evil for good. 22 May God do so to me, David, and more also, if by the morning I leave so much as one male of all who belong to him.”

23 When Abigail saw David, she hurried and got down from her donkey and lay before David facedown and bowed herself to the ground. 24 She lay at his feet and said, “On me alone, my master, be the guilt. Please let your servant speak to you, and listen to the words of your servant. 25 Let not my master regard this worthless fellow, Nabal, for as his name is, so is he. Nabal is his name, and folly is with him. But I your servant did not see the young men of my master, whom you sent. 26 Now then, my master, as Yahweh lives, and as you live, since Yahweh has restrained you from bloodshed, and from avenging yourself with your own hand, now let your enemies, and those who seek to do evil to my master, be like Nabal. 27 Now let this present that your servant has brought to my master be given to the young men who follow my master. 28 Please forgive the trespass of your servant, for Yahweh will certainly make my master a sure house, because my master is fighting the battles of Yahweh; and evil will not be found in you so long as you live. 29 Though men rise up to pursue you to take your life, yet the life of my master will be bound in the bundle of the living by Yahweh your God; and he will sling away the lives of your enemies, as from the pocket of a sling. 30 Yahweh will have done for my master everything he promised you, and has appointed you leader over Israel. 31 This will not be a staggering burden for you—that you have poured out innocent blood, or because my master attempted to rescue himself. For when Yahweh will do good for my master, remember your servant.”

32 David said to Abigail, “May Yahweh, the God of Israel, be blessed, he who sent you to meet me today. 33 Your wisdom is blessed and you are blessed, because you have kept me today from bloodshed and from avenging myself with my own hand! 34 For in truth, as Yahweh, the God of Israel, lives, he who has kept me from hurting you, unless you had hurried to come meet me, there would certainly have not been left to Nabal so much as one male baby by morning.” 35 So David received from her hand what she had brought him; he said to her, “Go up in peace to your house; see, I have listened to your voice and have accepted you.”

36 Abigail went back to Nabal; behold, he was holding a feast in his house, like the feast of a king; and Nabal's heart was merry within him, for he was very drunk. So she told him nothing at all until the morning light. 37 It came about in the morning, when the wine had gone out of Nabal, that his wife told him these things; his heart died within him, and he became like a stone. 38 It came about ten days later that Yahweh attacked Nabal so that he died.

39 When David heard that Nabal was dead, he said, “May Yahweh be blessed, who has taken up the cause of my insult from the hand of Nabal and has kept back his servant from evil. He has turned Nabal's evil action back on his own head.” Then David sent and spoke to Abigail, to take her to himself as wife. 40 When David's servants had come to Abigail at Carmel, they spoke to her and said, “David has sent us to you to take you to him as his wife.” 41 She arose, bowed herself with her face to the ground, and said, “See, your female servant is a servant to wash the feet of the servants of my master.” 42 Abigail hurried and arose, and rode on a donkey with five servant girls of hers who followed her; and she followed David's messengers and became his wife.

43 Now David had also taken Ahinoam of Jezreel as a wife; both of them became his wives. 44 Also, Saul had given Michal his daughter, David's wife, to Paltiel son of Laish, who was of Gallim.

26

1 The Ziphites came to Saul at Gibeah and said, “Is not David hiding in the hill of Hakilah, which is before Jeshimon?” 2 Then Saul arose and went down to the wilderness of Ziph, having three thousand chosen men of Israel with him, to seek David in the wilderness of Ziph. 3 Saul camped on the hill of Hakilah, which is before Jeshimon, by the road. But David was staying in the wilderness, and he saw that Saul was coming after him into the wilderness. 4 So David sent out spies and learned that Saul had indeed come. 5 David arose and went to the place where Saul had camped; he saw the place where Saul lay, and Abner son of Ner, the general of his army; Saul lay in the camp, and the people were camped around him, all asleep.

6 Then David said to Ahimelech the Hittite, and to Abishai son of Zeruiah, the brother of Joab, “Who will go down with me to Saul in the camp?” Abishai said, “I! I will go down with you.” 7 So David and Abishai went to the army by night. Saul was there sleeping inside the camp with his spear stuck in the ground beside his head. Abner and his soldiers lay around him. 8 Then Abishai said to David, “Today God has put your enemy into your hand. Now please let me pin him to the ground with the spear with just one blow. I will not strike him a second time.” 9 David said to Abishai, “Do not destroy him; for who can extend his hand against Yahweh's anointed one and be guiltless?” 10 David said, “As Yahweh lives, Yahweh will kill him, or his day will come to die, or he will go into battle and perish. 11 May Yahweh forbid that I should extend my hand against his anointed one; but now, I beg you, take the spear that is at his head and the jar of water, and let us go.” 12 So David took the spear and the jar of water from Saul's head, and they got away. No one saw them or knew about it, nor did anyone wake up, for they were all asleep, because a deep sleep from Yahweh had fallen on them.

13 Then David went over to the other side and stood on the top of the mountain far off; a great distance was between them. 14 David shouted out to the people and to Abner son of Ner; he said, “Do you not answer, Abner?” Then Abner answered and said, “Who are you who is shouting to the king?” 15 David said to Abner, “Are not you a courageous man? Who is like you in Israel? Why then have you not kept watch over your master the king? For someone came in to kill the king your master. 16 This thing you have done is not good. As Yahweh lives, you deserve to die because you have not kept watch over your master, Yahweh's anointed one. Now see where the king's spear is and the jar of water that was near his head!”

17 Saul recognized David's voice and said, “Is that your voice, my son David?” David said, “It is my voice, my master, king.” 18 He said, “Why does my master pursue his servant? What have I done? What evil is in my hand? 19 Now therefore, I beg you, let my master the king listen to the words of his servant. If it is Yahweh who has stirred you up against me, let him accept an offering; but if it is human beings, may they be cursed in the sight of Yahweh, for they have today driven me out, that I should not cling to the inheritance of Yahweh; they have said to me, 'Go worship other gods.' 20 Now therefore, do not let my blood fall to the earth away from Yahweh's presence; for the king of Israel has come out to look for the one flea as when one hunts a partridge in the mountains.”

21 Then Saul said, “I have sinned. Return, David, my son; for I will harm you no more, because my life was precious in your eyes today. See, I have played the fool and have made a very bad mistake.” 22 David answered and said, “See, your spear is here, king! Let one of the young men come over and get it and bring it to you. 23 May Yahweh pay each man for his righteousness and his faithfulness; because Yahweh put you into my hand today, but I would not strike his anointed. 24 See, as your life was precious in my eyes today, so may my life be much valued in the eyes of Yahweh, and may he rescue me out of all trouble.” 25 Then Saul said to David, “May you be blessed, David my son! You will certainly do great things and you will succeed in them.” So David went his way, and Saul returned to his place.

27

1 David said in his heart, “I will now perish one day by Saul's hand; there is nothing better for me than to escape into the land of the Philistines; Saul will give up looking for me any more within all the borders of Israel; in this way I will escape out of his hand.” 2 David arose and passed over, he and the six hundred men who were with him, to Achish son of Maok, the king of Gath. 3 David lived with Achish at Gath, he and his men, each man with his own household, and David with his two wives, Ahinoam the Jezreelite woman, and Abigail the Carmelite woman, Nabal's wife. 4 Saul was told that David had fled to Gath, so he looked for him no longer.

5 David said to Achish, “If I have found favor in your eyes, let them give me a place in one of the cities in the country, that I may live there. Why should your servant live in the royal city with you?” 6 So that day Achish gave him Ziklag; that is why Ziklag belongs to the kings of Judah to this very day. 7 The number of days that David lived in the land of the Philistines was a full year and four months.

8 David and his men attacked various places, making raids on the Geshurites, the Girzites, and the Amalekites; for those nations were the inhabitants of the land, as you go to Shur, as far as the land of Egypt. They had been living there in the land from ancient times. * 9 David attacked the land and saved neither man nor woman alive; he took away the sheep, the oxen, the donkeys, the camels, and the clothing; he would return and come again to Achish. 10 Achish would say, “Against whom have you made a raid today?” David would answer, “Against the south of Judah,” or “Against the south of the Jerahmeelites,” or “Against the south of the Kenites.” 11 David would keep neither man nor woman alive to bring them to Gath, saying, “So that they cannot say about us, 'David did such and such.'” This was what he did all the while he was living in the country of the Philistines. 12 Achish believed David, saying, “He has made his people Israel utterly abhor him; he will therefore be my servant forever.”

28

1 It came about in those days that the Philistines gathered their armies together for battle to fight with Israel. Achish said to David, “Know for certain that you will go out with me in the host, you and your men.” 2 David said to Achish, “So you will know what your servant can do.” Achish said to David, “So I will make you my bodyguard all your days.”

3 Now Samuel had died, and all Israel had lamented him and buried him in Ramah, in his own city. Also, Saul had banned from the land those who talked with the dead or with spirits. 4 Then the Philistines gathered themselves together and came and camped at Shunem; and Saul gathered all Israel together, and they camped at Gilboa. 5 When Saul saw the army of the Philistines, he was afraid, and his heart trembled very much. 6 Saul prayed to Yahweh for help, but Yahweh did not answer him—neither by dreams, nor by Urim, nor by prophets. 7 Then Saul said to his servants, “Find me a woman who talks with the dead, so that I may go to her and seek her advice.” His servants said to him, “See, there is a woman in Endor who claims to talk with the dead.”

8 Saul disguised himself, put on other clothing, and went, he and two men with him; they went to the woman by night. He said, “Divine for me, I beg you, with a spirit, and bring me up whomever I name to you.” 9 The woman said to him, “See, you know what Saul has done, how he has banned from the land those who talk with the dead or with spirits. So why are you setting a trap for my life, to make me die?” 10 Saul swore to her by Yahweh and said, “As Yahweh lives, no punishment will happen to you for this thing.” 11 Then the woman said, “Whom should I bring up to you?” Saul said, “Bring up Samuel for me.” 12 When the woman saw Samuel, she cried with a loud voice and spoke to Saul, saying, “Why have you deceived me? For you are Saul.” 13 The king said to her, “Do not be afraid. What do you see?” The woman said to Saul, “I see a god coming up out of the earth.” 14 He said to her, “What does he look like?” She said, “An old man is coming up; he is clothed with a robe.” Saul perceived that it was Samuel, and he bowed with his face to the ground and showed respect.

15 Samuel said to Saul, “Why have you disturbed me and brought me up?” Saul answered, “I am very distressed, for the Philistines are waging war against me, and God has left me and does not answer me any more, neither by prophets, nor by dreams. Therefore I have called you, that you may make known to me what I will do.” 16 Samuel said, “What then do you ask me, since Yahweh has left you, and he has become your enemy? 17 Yahweh has done to you what he said he would. Yahweh has torn the kingdom out of your hand and he has given it to someone else—to David. 18 Because you did not obey the voice of Yahweh and did not carry out his fierce wrath on Amalek, he has therefore done this today to you. 19 Yahweh will give Israel along with you into the hand of the Philistines, and tomorrow you and your sons will be with me. Yahweh will also give the army of Israel into the hand of the Philistines.”

20 Then Saul immediately fell his full length on the ground and was very afraid because of the words of Samuel. There was no strength in him, for he had eaten no food all that day, neither that whole night. 21 The woman came to Saul and saw that he was very troubled, She said to him, “See, your woman servant has listened to your voice; I have put my life in my hand and have listened to the words that you said to me. 22 Now therefore, I beg you, listen also to the voice of your woman servant, and let me set a little food in front of you. Eat so that you may gain strength for when you go on your way.” 23 But Saul refused and said, “I will not eat.” But his servants, together with the woman, compelled him, and he listened to their voice. So he rose from the ground and sat on the bed. 24 The woman had a fatted calf in the house; she hurried and killed it; she took flour, kneaded it, and baked unleavened bread with it. 25 She brought it before Saul and his servants, and they ate. Then they got up and left that night.

29

1 Now the Philistines gathered together all their army at Aphek; the Israelites camped by the spring that is in Jezreel. 2 The princes of the Philistines passed on by hundreds and by thousands; David and his men passed on in the rear guard with Achish. 3 Then the princes of the Philistines said, “What are these Hebrews doing here?” Achish said to the other princes of the Philistines, “Is not this David, the servant of Saul, the king of Israel, who has been with me these days, or rather these years, and I have found no fault with him since he came away to me to this day?” 4 But the princes of the Philistines were angry with him and said, “Send the man back, that he may return to the place you assigned him. He will not go down with us into battle, for he will turn against us during the fighting. For how else could he make himself acceptable to his master than by taking the heads of our own men? 5 Is this not David of whom they sang one to another in dances, saying,

'Saul has slain his thousands,

and David his ten thousands'?”

6 Then Achish called David and said to him, “As Yahweh lives, you have been good, and your going out and your coming in with me in the army is good in my view; for I have found nothing wrong with you since the day of your coming to me to this very day. Nevertheless, the princes are not favorable to you. 7 So now return and go in peace, so that you do not displease the princes of the Philistines.” 8 David said to Achish, “But what have I done? What have you found in your servant as long as I have been before you to this day, that I may not go and fight against the enemies of my master the king?” 9 Achish answered and said to David, “I know that you are as blameless in my sight as an angel of God; nevertheless, the princes of the Philistines have said, 'He must not go up with us to the battle.' 10 So now rise up early in the morning with the servants of your master who have come with you; as soon as you are up early in the morning and have light, go away.” 11 So David rose up early, he and his men, to leave in the morning, to return into the land of the Philistines. But the Philistines went up to Jezreel.

30

1 It came about, when David and his men had come to Ziklag on the third day, that the Amalekites had made a raid upon the Negev and on Ziklag. They attacked Ziklag, burned it, 2 and captured the women and everyone who was in it, both small and great. They killed no one, but carried them off as they went on their way. 3 When David and his men came to the city, it was burned, and their wives, their sons, and their daughters were taken captive. 4 Then David and the people that were with him raised their voices and wept until they had no more power to weep. 5 David's two wives were taken captive, Ahinoam the Jezreelite woman, and Abigail the wife of Nabal the Carmelite. 6 David was greatly distressed, for the people were talking about stoning him, for all the people were bitter in spirit, each man for his sons and daughters; but David strengthened himself in Yahweh, his God.

7 David said to Abiathar son of Ahimelech, the priest, “I beg you, bring the ephod here for me.” Abiathar brought the ephod to David. 8 David prayed to Yahweh for direction, saying, “If I pursue after this troop, will I overtake them?” Yahweh answered him, “Pursue, for you will certainly overtake them, and you will surely recover everything.” 9 So David went, he and the six hundred men who were with him; they came to the brook Besor, where those who were left behind stayed. 10 But David kept pursuing, he and four hundred men; for two hundred had stayed behind, who were so weak that they could not go over the brook Besor.

11 They found an Egyptian in a field and brought him to David; they gave him bread, and he ate; they gave him water to drink; 12 and they gave him a piece of a cake of figs and two clusters of raisins. When he had eaten, he gained strength again, for he had eaten no bread nor drunk any water for three days and three nights. 13 David said to him, “To whom do you belong? Where do you come from?” He said, “I am a young man of Egypt, servant to an Amalekite; my master left me because three days ago I fell sick. 14 We made a raid on the Negev of the Kerethites, and what belongs to Judah, and the Negev of Caleb, and we burned Ziklag.” 15 David said to him, “Will you bring me down to this raiding party?” The Egyptian said, “Swear to me by God that you will not kill me or betray me up into the hands of my master, and I will bring you down to this raiding party.”

16 When the Egyptian had brought David down, the raiders were spread out over all the ground, eating and drinking and dancing because of all the booty they had taken out of the land of the Philistines and from the land of Judah. 17 David attacked them from the twilight to the evening of the next day. Not a man escaped except for four hundred young men, who rode on camels and fled. 18 David recovered all that the Amalekites had taken; and David rescued his two wives. 19 Nothing was missing, neither small nor great, neither sons nor daughters, neither booty, nor anything that the raiders had taken for themselves. David brought back everything. 20 David took all the flocks and the herds, which the men drove ahead of the other cattle. They said, “This is David's booty.”

21 David came to the two hundred men who had been too weak to follow him, the ones the others had made to stay at the brook Besor. These men went ahead to meet David and the people who were with him. When David came to these people, he greeted them. 22 Then all the wicked men and worthless fellows among those who had gone with David said, “Because these men did not go with us, we will not give them any of the booty that we have recovered. Except that each man may take his wife and children, lead them away, and go.” 23 Then David said, “You must not act like this, my brothers, with what Yahweh has given to us. He has preserved us and given into our hand the raiders who came against us. 24 Who will listen to you in this matter? For as the share is for anyone who goes into battle, so also will the share be for anyone who waits by the baggage; they will share and share alike.” 25 It has been so from that day to this day, for David made it a statute and a decree for Israel.

26 When David came to Ziklag, he sent some of the booty to the elders of Judah, to his friends, saying, “See, here is a present for you from the booty from Yahweh's enemies.” 27 He also sent some to the elders who were in Bethel, and to those who were in Ramoth of the South, and to those who were in Jattir, 28 and to those who were in Aroer, and to those who were in Siphmoth, and to those who were in Eshtemoa. 29 He also sent some to the elders who were in Rakal, and to those who were in the cities of the Jerahmeelites, and to those who were in the cities of the Kenites, 30 and to those who were in Hormah, and to those who were in Bor Ashan, and to those who were in Athak, 31 and to those who were in Hebron, and to all the places where David himself and his men habitually went.

31

1 Now the Philistines fought against Israel. The men of Israel fled from before the Philistines and fell down dead on Mount Gilboa. 2 The Philistines closely pursued Saul and his sons. The Philistines killed Jonathan, Abinadab, and Malki-Shua, his sons. 3 The battle went heavily against Saul, and the archers overtook him. He was in severe pain because of them. 4 Then Saul said to his armor bearer, “Draw your sword and thrust me through with it. Otherwise, these uncircumcised will come and abuse me.” But his armor bearer would not, for he was very afraid. So Saul took his own sword and fell on it. 5 When his armor bearer saw that Saul was dead, he likewise fell on his sword and died with him. 6 So Saul died, his three sons, and his armor bearer—these men all died together that same day.

7 When the men of Israel who were on the other side of the valley, and those beyond the Jordan, saw that the men of Israel had fled, and that Saul and his sons were dead, they abandoned their cities and fled, and the Philistines came and lived in them. 8 It came about on the next day, when the Philistines came to strip the dead, that they found Saul and his three sons fallen on Mount Gilboa. 9 They cut off his head and stripped off his armor, and sent messengers into the land of the Philistines throughout to carry the news to their idols' temples and to the people. 10 They put his armor in the temple of the Ashtoreths, and they fastened his body to the city wall of Beth Shan. 11 When the inhabitants of Jabesh Gilead heard of what the Philistines had done to Saul, 12 all the fighting men arose and went all night and took the body of Saul and the bodies of his sons from the wall of Beth Shan. They went to Jabesh and burned them there. 13 Then they took their bones and buried them under a tamarisk tree in Jabesh, and fasted for seven days.

* 1:1 Some modern versions have Ramathaim Zophim, but it is understood that Zophim really refers to the region in which the clan descended from Zuph resided.

† 1:24 Some translations of the Hebrew text have three bulls instead of a three-year-old bull .

‡ 1:28 Some modern versions have, Then they worshiped Yahweh there .

* 6:19 Instead of 50,070 men , some later copies and modern versions have, seventy men .

* 10:27 Some modern versions add to this verse the following paragraph: Nahash king of the Ammonites had severely oppressed the Gadites and Reubenites. He dug out the right eye of each man and did not allow anyone to rescue Israel. Across the Jordan River was left no Israelites whose right eye Nahash king of the Ammonites had not dug out. But seven thousand men had escaped from the Ammonites and had gone into Jabesh Gilead .

* 14:41 The ULB is following the LXX in the quotation. The Hebrew text has: Give me the right answer .

* 20:41 The Hebrew text reads, David came out from beside the south . Modern versions interpret this passage in different ways because the Hebrew text is difficult to understand.

* 22:3 Some ancient versions have, Please let my father and my mother stay with you, and some modern versions read this way.

* 27:8 Instead of the Girzites which is found in some ancient Hebrew copies, some modern versions have the Gizrites which is found in the margin of some Hebrew manuscripts.

2 Samuel

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Second Samuel

1

1 After the death of Saul, David returned from attacking the Amalekites and remained in Ziklag for two days. 2 On the third day, a man came from Saul's camp with his clothes torn and with dirt on his head. When he came to David he lay facedown on the ground and prostrated himself. 3 David said to him, “Where did you come from?” He answered, “I escaped from the camp of Israel.” 4 David said to him, “Please tell me how things went.” He answered, “The people fled from the battle. Many have fallen and many are dead. Saul and Jonathan his son are also dead.” 5 David said to the young man, “How do you know that Saul and Jonathan his son are dead?” 6 The young man replied, “By chance I happened to be on Mount Gilboa, and there Saul was leaning on his spear, and chariots and riders were about to catch up with him. 7 Saul turned around and saw me and called out to me. I answered, 'Here I am.' 8 He said to me, 'Who are you?' I answered him, 'I am an Amalekite.' 9 He said to me, 'Please stand over me and kill me, for great suffering has taken hold of me, but life is still in me.' 10 So I stood over him and killed him, because I knew that he would not live after he had fallen. Then I took the crown that was on his head and the band that was on his arm, and brought them here to you, my master.”

11 Then David tore his clothes, and all the men with him did the same. 12 They mourned, wept, and fasted until evening for Saul, for Jonathan his son, for the people of Yahweh, and for the house of Israel because they had fallen by the sword. 13 David said to the young man, “Where are you from?” He answered, “I am the son of a foreigner in the land, an Amalekite.” 14 David said to him, “Why were you not afraid to kill Yahweh's anointed king with your own hand?” 15 David called one of the young men and said, “Go and kill him.” So that man went and struck him down, and the Amalekite died. 16 Then David said to the dead Amalekite, “Your blood is on your head because your own mouth has testified against you and said, 'I have killed Yahweh's anointed king.'”

17 Then David sung this funeral song about Saul and Jonathan his son. 18 He commanded the people to teach this Song of the Bow to the sons of Judah, which has been written in the Book of Jashar.

19 “Your glory, Israel,

is dead, killed on your high places!

How the mighty have fallen!

20 Do not tell it in Gath,

do not proclaim it

in the streets of Ashkelon,

so that the daughters of the

Philistines may not rejoice,

so that the daughters of the

uncircumcised may not celebrate.

21 Mountains of Gilboa,

let there not be dew or rain on you,

nor fields giving grain for offerings,

for there the shield of the mighty was defiled.

The shield of Saul is no longer anointed with oil.

22 From the blood of those who have been killed,

from the bodies of the mighty,

the bow of Jonathan did not turn back,

and the sword of Saul did not return empty.

23 Saul and Jonathan were loved and gracious in life,

and in their death they were not separated.

They were swifter than eagles,

they were stronger than lions.

24 You daughters of Israel, weep over Saul,

who clothed you in scarlet as well as jewels,

and who put ornaments of gold on your clothing.

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

Jonathan is killed on your high places.

26 I am distressed for you, my brother Jonathan.

You were very dear to me.

Your love to me was wonderful,

exceeding the love of women.

27 How the mighty have fallen,

and the weapons of war perished!”

2

1 After this David asked Yahweh and said, “Should I go up to one of the cities of Judah?” Yahweh replied to him, “Go up.” David said, “To which city should I go?” Yahweh replied, “To Hebron.” 2 So David went up with his two wives, Ahinoam from Jezreel, and Abigail from Carmel, the widow of Nabal. 3 David brought the men who were with him, who each brought his family, to the cities of Hebron, where they began to live. 4 Then men from Judah came and anointed David king over the house of Judah.

They told David, “The men of Jabesh Gilead have buried Saul.” 5 So David sent messengers to the men of Jabesh Gilead and said to them, “You are blessed by Yahweh, since you have showed this loyalty to your master Saul and have buried him. 6 Now may Yahweh show you covenantal loyalty and faithfulness. I also will show you this goodness because you have done this thing. 7 Now then, let your hands be strong; be courageous for Saul your master is dead, and the house of Judah has anointed me king over them.”

8 But Abner son of Ner, commander of Saul's army, took Ishbosheth son of Saul and brought him to Mahanaim. 9 He made Ishbosheth king over Gilead, Asher, Jezreel, Ephraim, Benjamin, and over all Israel. 10 Ishbosheth son of Saul, was forty years old when he began to reign over Israel, and he reigned two years. But the house of Judah followed David. 11 The time that David was king in Hebron over the house of Judah was seven years and six months.

12 Abner son of Ner, and the servants of Ishbosheth son of Saul, went out from Mahanaim to Gibeon. 13 Joab son of Zeruiah and the servants of David went out and met them by the pool of Gibeon. There they sat down, one group on one side of the pool and the other on the other side. 14 Abner said to Joab, “Let the young men arise and compete before us.” Then Joab said, “Let them arise.” 15 Then the young men got up and gathered together, twelve for Benjamin and Ishbosheth son of Saul, and twelve from servants of David. 16 Each man seized his opponent by the head and thrust his sword into the side of his opponent, and they fell down together. Therefore that place was called “Helkath Hazzurim,” or “Field of Swords,” which is in Gibeon. 17 The battle was very severe that day and Abner and the men of Israel were defeated before the servants of David.

18 The three sons of Zeruiah were there: Joab, and Abishai, and Asahel. Asahel was swift in his feet like a wild gazelle. 19 Asahel closely pursued Abner and followed him without turning away in any direction. 20 Abner looked behind him and said, “Is that you Asahel?” He answered, “It is I.” 21 Abner said to him, “Turn aside to your right or to your left, and seize one of the young men and take his armor.” But Asahel would not turn aside. 22 So Abner said again to Asahel, “Stop pursuing me. Why should I strike you to the ground? How then could I hold up my face to Joab, your brother?” 23 But Asahel refused to turn aside, and so Abner stabbed him in the body with the blunt end of his spear, so that the spear came out the other side. Asahel fell down and died there. So it came about that anyone who arrived at the place where Asahel fell down and died, he stopped and stood still.

24 But Joab and Abishai pursued Abner. When the sun was going down, they came to the hill of Ammah, which is near Giah by the road to the wilderness of Gibeon. 25 The men of Benjamin gathered themselves together behind Abner and stood on the top of the hill. 26 Then Abner called to Joab and said, “Must the sword devour forever? Do you not know it will be bitter in the end? How long will it be before you tell your men to stop pursuing their brothers?” 27 Joab replied, “Just as God lives, if you had not said that, my soldiers would have pursued their brothers until the morning!” 28 So Joab blew the trumpet, and all his men stopped and did not pursue Israel anymore, nor did they fight anymore. 29 Abner and his men traveled all that night through the Arabah. They crossed the Jordan, marched all the next morning, and then reached Mahanaim.

30 Joab returned from pursuing Abner. He assembled all his men, from whom were missing Asahel and nineteen of David's soldiers. 31 But the men of David had killed 360 men of Benjamin with Abner. 32 Then they took up Asahel and buried him in the tomb of his father, which was in Bethlehem. Joab and his men traveled all night, and the day dawned on them at Hebron.

3

1 Now there was a long war between the house of Saul and the house of David. David grew stronger and stronger, but the house of Saul grew weaker and weaker.

2 Sons were born to David in Hebron. His firstborn was Amnon, by Ahinoam from Jezreel. 3 His second son, Kileab, was born to Abigail, the widow of Nabal from Carmel. The third, Absalom, was son of Maacah, daughter of Talmai, king of Geshur. 4 David's fourth son, Adonijah, was the son of Haggith. His fifth son was Shephatiah son of Abital, 5 and the sixth, Ithream, was the son of David's wife Eglah. These sons were born to David in Hebron.

6 It came about during the war between the house of Saul and the house of David that Abner made himself strong in the house of Saul. 7 Saul had a concubine whose name was Rizpah, the daughter of Aiah. Ishbosheth said to Abner, “Why have you slept with my father's concubine?” 8 Then Abner was very angry at the words of Ishbosheth and said, “Am I a dog's head that belongs to Judah? Today I am showing faithfulness to the house of Saul, your father, to his brothers, and to his friends, by not delivering you into the hand of David. But now you accuse me of an offense concerning this woman? 9 May God do so to me, Abner, and more also, if I do not do for David as Yahweh has sworn to him, 10 to transfer the kingdom from the house of Saul and set up the throne of David over Israel and over Judah, from Dan to Beersheba.” 11 Ishbosheth could not answer Abner another word, because he feared him.

12 Then Abner sent messengers to David to speak for him saying, “Whose land is this? Make a covenant with me, and you will see that my hand is with you, to bring all Israel to you.” 13 David answered, “Good, I will make a covenant with you. But one thing I require from you is that you cannot see my face unless you first bring Michal, Saul's daughter, when you come to see me.” 14 Then David sent messengers to Ishbosheth, Saul's son, saying, “Give me my wife Michal, for whom I paid a price of one hundred Philistine foreskins.” 15 So Ishbosheth sent for Michal and took her from her husband, Paltiel son of Laish. 16 Her husband went with her, weeping as he went, and followed her to Bahurim. Then Abner said to him, “Return home now.” So he returned.

17 Abner spoke with the elders of Israel saying, “In the past you were trying to have David be king over you. 18 Now do it. For Yahweh has spoken of David saying, 'By the hand of my servant David I will save my people Israel from the hand of the Philistines and from the hand of all their enemies.'” 19 Abner also spoke personally to the people of Benjamin. Then Abner went also to speak with David in Hebron to explain everything that Israel and the whole house of Benjamin desired to accomplish. 20 When Abner and twenty of his men arrived in Hebron to see David, David had a feast prepared for them. 21 Abner explained to David, “I will arise and gather all Israel to you, my master the king, so that they may make a covenant with you, so that you may reign over all that you desire.” So David sent Abner away, and Abner left in peace.

22 Then the soldiers of David and Joab came from a raid and brought much plunder with them. But Abner was not with David in Hebron. David had sent him away, and Abner had left in peace. 23 When Joab and all the army with him arrived, they told Joab, “Abner son of Ner came to the king, and the king has sent him away, and Abner left in peace.” 24 Then Joab came to the king and said, “What have you done? Look, Abner came to you! Why have you sent him away, and he is gone? 25 Do you not know that Abner son of Ner came to deceive you and to discover your plans and learn everything you are doing?” 26 When Joab left David, he sent messengers after Abner, and they brought him back from the well of Sirah, but David did not know this.

27 When Abner returned to Hebron, Joab took him aside in the middle of the gate to speak with him quietly. There Joab stabbed him in the stomach and killed him. In this way, Joab avenged the blood of Asahel his brother. 28 When David heard about this he said, “I and my kingdom are innocent before Yahweh forever regarding the blood of Abner son of Ner. 29 Let the guilt of Abner's death fall on the head of Joab and on all his father's house. May there never fail to be in the family of Joab someone who has a flowing sore or skin disease or who is lame and must walk with a staff or who is killed by the sword or who goes without food.” 30 So Joab and Abishai his brother killed Abner, because he had killed their brother Asahel at Gibeon in battle.

31 David said to Joab and to all the people who were with him, “Tear your clothes, put on sackcloth, and mourn before Abner's body.” Now King David walked behind the body in the funeral procession. 32 They buried Abner in Hebron. The king wept and cried loudly at the tomb of Abner, and all the people also wept. 33 The king lamented for Abner and sang,

“Should Abner die as a fool dies?

34 Your hands were not bound.

Your feet were not shackled.

As a man falls before the sons of injustice, so you have fallen.”

Once more all the people wept over him. 35 All the people came to make David eat while it was still day, but David swore, “May God do so to me, and more also, if I taste bread or anything else before the sun goes down.” 36 All the people took notice of David's grief, and it pleased them, as whatever the king did pleased them. 37 So all the people and all Israel understood that day that it was not the king's desire to kill Abner son of Ner. 38 The king said to his servants, “Do you not know that a prince and a great man has fallen this day in Israel? 39 Now I am weak today, though I am an anointed king. These men, the sons of Zeruiah, are too brutal for me. May Yahweh repay the evildoer by punishing him for his wickedness, as he deserves.”

4

1 When Ishbosheth, Saul's son, heard that Abner was dead in Hebron, his hands became weak, and all Israel was troubled. 2 Now Saul's son had two men who were captains of groups of soldiers. The name of one was Baanah and the other Recab, sons of Rimmon the Beerothite of the people of Benjamin (for Beeroth is also considered part of Benjamin, 3 and the Beerothites fled to Gittaim and have been living there until this very time).

4 Now Jonathan, Saul's son, had a son who was crippled in his feet. He was five years old when the news about Saul and Jonathan came from Jezreel. His nurse picked him up to flee. But as she was running, Jonathan's son fell and became lame. His name was Mephibosheth.

5 So the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, Recab and Baanah, traveled during the heat of the day to the house of Ishbosheth, as he was resting at noon. 6 The woman guarding the door had fallen asleep while sifting wheat, and Recab and Baanah walked in quietly and passed her. 7 So after they entered the house, they attacked him and killed him as he was lying on his bed in his room. Then they cut off his head and carried it away, traveling on the road all night to the Arabah. 8 They brought the head of Ishbosheth to David at Hebron, and they said to the king, “Look, this is the head of Ishbosheth son of Saul, your enemy, who sought your life. Today Yahweh has avenged our master the king against Saul and his descendants.” 9 David answered Recab and Baanah his brother, the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite; he said to them, “As Yahweh lives, who delivered my life from every trouble, 10 when someone told me, 'Look, Saul is dead,' thinking he was bringing good news, I seized him and killed him at Ziklag. That was the reward I gave him for his news. 11 How much more, when wicked men have killed an innocent person in his own house on his bed, should I not now require his blood from your hand, and remove you from the earth?” 12 Then David gave orders to the young men, and they killed them and cut off their hands and feet and hung them up beside the pool at Hebron. But they took the head of Ishbosheth and buried it in the grave of Abner in Hebron.

5

1 Then all the tribes of Israel came to David at Hebron and said, “Look, we are your flesh and bone. 2 In the recent past, when Saul was king over us, it was you who led the Israelite army. Yahweh said to you, 'You will shepherd my people Israel, and you will become ruler over Israel.'” 3 So all the elders of Israel came to the king at Hebron, and King David made a covenant with them before Yahweh. They anointed David king over Israel. 4 David was thirty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned forty years. 5 In Hebron he reigned over Judah seven years and six months, and in Jerusalem he reigned thirty-three years over all Israel and Judah.

6 The king and his men went to Jerusalem against the Jebusites, the inhabitants of the land. They said to David, “You will not come here except to be turned away by the blind and the lame. David cannot come here.” 7 Nevertheless, David captured the stronghold of Zion, which now is the city of David. 8 At that time David said, “Those who attack the Jebusites will have to go through the water shaft to reach the 'lame and the blind' who are David's enemies.” That is why people say, “The 'blind and the lame' must not enter the palace.” 9 So David lived in the stronghold and called it the city of David. He fortified around it, from the terrace toward the inside. 10 David became very powerful because Yahweh, the God of hosts, was with him.

11 Then Hiram king of Tyre sent messengers to David, and cedar trees, carpenters, and masons. They built a house for David. 12 David knew that Yahweh had established him as king over Israel, and that he had exalted his kingdom for the sake of his people Israel.

13 After David left Hebron and came to Jerusalem, he took more concubines and wives in Jerusalem, and more sons and daughters were born to him. 14 These were the names of the children who were born to him in Jerusalem: Shammua, Shobab, Nathan, Solomon, 15 Ibhar, Elishua, Nepheg, Japhia, 16 Elishama, Eliada, and Eliphelet.

17 Now when the Philistines heard that David had been anointed as king over Israel, they all went out looking for him. But David heard about it and went down to the stronghold. 18 Now the Philistines had come and spread out in the Valley of Rephaim. 19 Then David asked for help from Yahweh. He said, “Should I attack the Philistines? Will you give victory over them?” Yahweh said to David, “Attack, for I will certainly give you victory over the Philistines.” 20 So David attacked at Baal Perazim, and there he defeated them. He commented, “Yahweh has burst through my enemies before me like a bursting flood of water.” So the name of that place became Baal Perazim. 21 The Philistines left their idols there, and David and his men carried them away.

22 Then the Philistines came up again and spread out once more in the Valley of Rephaim. 23 So David sought help from Yahweh again, and Yahweh said to him, “You must not attack their front, but rather circle around behind them and come on them through the balsam woods. 24 When you hear the sound of marching in the wind blowing through the balsam treetops, then attack with force. Do this because Yahweh will have gone out before you to attack the army of the Philistines.” 25 So David did as Yahweh had commanded him. He killed Philistines from Geba all the way to Gezer.

6

1 Now David again gathered together all the chosen men of Israel, thirty thousand. 2 David arose and went with all his men who were with him from Baalah in Judah to bring up from there the ark of God, which is called by the name of Yahweh of hosts, who sits enthroned over the cherubim. 3 They set the ark of God on a new cart. They brought it out of Abinadab's house, which was on a hill. Uzzah and Ahio, his sons, were guiding the new cart. 4 They brought the cart out of Abinadab's house on the hill with the ark of God on it. Ahio was walking in front of the ark. 5 Then David and all the house of Israel began to play before Yahweh, celebrating with wooden instruments, harps, lyres, tambourines, rattles, and cymbals.

6 When they came to the threshing floor of Nakon, the oxen stumbled, and Uzzah reached out with his hand to grab the ark of God, and he took hold of it. 7 Then the anger of Yahweh burned against Uzzah. God attacked him there for his sin. Uzzah died there by the ark of God. 8 David was angry because Yahweh had attacked Uzzah, and he called the name of that place Perez Uzzah. That place is called Perez Uzza to this day. 9 David was afraid of Yahweh that day. He said, “How can the ark of Yahweh come to me?” 10 So David was not willing to take the ark of Yahweh with him into the city of David. Instead, he put it aside in the house of Obed Edom the Gittite. 11 The ark of Yahweh remained in the house of Obed Edom the Gittite for three months. So Yahweh blessed him and all his household.

12 Now King David was told, “Yahweh has blessed Obed Edom's house and everything that belongs to him because of the ark of God.” So David went and brought up the ark of God from Obed Edom's house to the city of David with joy. 13 When those who were carrying the ark of Yahweh had gone six steps, he sacrificed an ox and a fattened calf. 14 David danced before Yahweh with all his might; he was wearing only a linen ephod. 15 So David and all the house of Israel brought up the ark of Yahweh with shouting and the sound of trumpets.

16 Now as the ark of Yahweh came into the city of David, Michal, daughter of Saul, looked out the window. She saw King David leaping and dancing before Yahweh. Then she despised him in her heart. 17 They brought in the ark of Yahweh and put it in its place, in the middle of the tent that David had set up for it. Then David offered burnt offerings and fellowship offerings before Yahweh. 18 When David had finished sacrificing the burnt offerings and the fellowship offerings, he blessed the people in the name of Yahweh of hosts. 19 Then he distributed among all the people, the whole multitude of Israel, both to men and women, a loaf of bread, a portion of meat, and a cake of raisins. Then all the people left; each one returned to his own house.

20 Then David returned to bless his family. Michal, the daughter of Saul, came out to meet David and said, “How honored the king of Israel was today, who undressed himself today before the eyes of the slave girls among his servants, like one of the crude fellows who shamelessly undresses himself!” 21 David responded to Michal, “I did that before Yahweh, who chose me above your father and above all his family, who appointed me leader over the people of Yahweh, over Israel. Before Yahweh I will be joyful! 22 I will be even more undignified than this, and I will be humiliated in my own eyes. But by these slave girls you have spoken about, I will be honored.” 23 So Michal, the daughter of Saul, had no children to the day of her death.

7

1 It happened that after the king had settled in his house, and after Yahweh had given him rest from all his surrounding enemies, 2 the king said to Nathan the prophet, “Look, I am living in a house of cedar, but the ark of God is staying in the middle of a tent.” 3 Then Nathan said to the king, “Go, do what is in your heart, for Yahweh is with you.” 4 But that same night the word of Yahweh came to Nathan, saying, 5 “Go and tell David my servant, 'This is what Yahweh says: Will you build me a house in which to live? 6 For I have not lived in a house from the day that I brought up the people of Israel out of Egypt until this present day; instead, I have been moving about in a tent, a tabernacle. 7 In all places where I have moved among all the people of Israel, did I ever say anything to any of Israel's leaders whom I appointed to shepherd my people Israel, saying, “Why have you not built me a house of cedar?”'” 8 Now then, tell my servant David, “This is what Yahweh of hosts says: 'I took you from the pasture, from following the sheep, so that you would be ruler over my people Israel. 9 I have been with you wherever you went. I have cut off all your enemies from before you. Now I will make your name great, like the names of the great ones of the earth. 10 I will appoint a place for my people Israel and will plant them there, so that they may live in their own place and be troubled no more. No longer will wicked people oppress them, as they did before, 11 as they were doing from the days that I commanded judges to be over my people Israel. Now I will give you rest from all your enemies. Moreover, I, Yahweh declare to you that I will make you a house. 12 When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up a descendant after you, one who will come out from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. 13 He will build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. 14 I will be a father to him, and he will be my son. When he sins, I will discipline him with the rod of men and with the whipping of the sons of men. 15 But my covenant faithfulness will not leave him, as I took it from Saul, whom I removed from before you. 16 Your house and kingdom will be confirmed forever before you. Your throne will be established forever.'” 17 Nathan spoke to David and reported to him all these words, and he told him about the entire vision.

18 Then David the king went in and sat before Yahweh and said, “Who am I, Yahweh God, and what is my family that you have brought me to this point? 19 Now this was a small thing in your sight, Lord Yahweh. You have even spoken about your servant's family for a great while to come, and have shown me future generations, Lord Yahweh! 20 What more can I, David, say to you? You have known your servant, Lord Yahweh. 21 For your word's sake, and to fulfill your own purpose, you have done this great thing and revealed it to your servant. 22 Therefore you are great, Lord Yahweh, for there is no one like you, and there is no God besides you, as we have heard with our own ears. 23 What nation is like your people Israel, the one nation on earth whom you, God, went and rescued for yourself? You did this so that they would become a people for yourself, to make a name for yourself, and to do great and fearful deeds for your land. You drove out nations and their gods from before your people, whom you rescued from Egypt. 24 You established Israel as your own people forever, and you, Yahweh, became their God. 25 So now, Yahweh God, may the promise that you made concerning your servant and his family be established forever. Do as you have spoken. 26 May your name be forever great, so the people will say, 'Yahweh of hosts is the God of Israel,' while the house of me, David, your servant is established before you. 27 For you, Yahweh of hosts, the God of Israel, have revealed to your servant that you will build him a house. That is why I, your servant, have found courage to pray to you. 28 Now, Lord Yahweh, you are God, and your words are trustworthy, and you have made this good promise to your servant. 29 Now then, let it please you to bless the house of your servant, so that it may continue forever before you. For you, Lord Yahweh, have said these things, and with your blessing your servant's house will be blessed forever.”

8

1 After this it came about that David attacked the Philistines and defeated them. So David took Metheg Ammah from the control of the Philistines.

2 Then he defeated Moab and measured their men with a line by making them lie down on the ground. He measured off two lines to put to death, and one full line to keep alive. So the Moabites became servants to David and began to pay him tribute.

3 David then defeated Hadadezer son of Rehob, the king of Zobah, as Hadadezer was traveling to recover his rule by the Euphrates River. 4 David captured from him 1,700 chariots and twenty thousand footmen. David hamstrung all the chariot horses, but reserved enough of them for a hundred chariots. 5 When the Arameans of Damascus came to help Hadadezer king of Zobah, David killed twenty-two thousand Aramean men. 6 Then David put garrisons in Aram of Damascus, and the Arameans became servants to him and brought him tribute. Yahweh gave victory to David wherever he went. 7 David took the golden shields that were on Hadadezer's servants and brought them to Jerusalem. 8 From Tebah and Berothai, cities of Hadadezer, King David took very much bronze.

9 When Tou, king of Hamath, heard that David had defeated all the army of Hadadezer, 10 Tou sent Hadoram his son to King David to greet him and to bless him, because David had fought against Hadadezer and defeated him, and because Hadadezer had waged war against Tou. Hadoram brought with himself objects of silver, gold, and bronze. 11 King David set aside these objects to Yahweh, together with the silver and gold from all the nations that he conquered— 12 from Aram, Moab, the people of Ammon, the Philistines, and Amalek, along with all of the plundered goods of Hadadezer son of Rehob, the king of Zobah.

13 David's name was well known when he returned from conquering the Arameans in the Valley of Salt, with their eighteen thousand men. 14 He placed garrisons throughout all of Edom, and all the Edomites became servants to him. Yahweh gave victory to David wherever he went.

15 David reigned over all Israel, and he administered justice and righteousness to all his people. 16 Joab son of Zeruiah was the commander of the army, and Jehoshaphat son of Ahilud was recorder. 17 Zadok son of Ahitub and Ahimelech son of Abiathar were priests, and Seraiah was scribe. 18 Benaiah son of Jehoiada was in charge of the Kerethites and Pelethites, and David's sons were the chief officials at the king's hand. *

9

1 David said, “Is there anyone left in Saul's family to whom I may show kindness for Jonathan's sake?” 2 There was in Saul's family a servant whose name was Ziba, and they called him to David. The king said to him, “Are you Ziba?” He replied, “Yes. I am your servant.” 3 So the king said, “Is there not anyone left of Saul's family to whom I may show the kindness of God?” Ziba replied to the king, “Jonathan still has a son, who is lame in his feet.” 4 The king said to him, “Where is he?” Ziba replied to the king, “Look, he is in the house of Machir son of Ammiel in Lo Debar.” 5 Then King David sent and had him brought out of the house of Machir son of Ammiel from Lo Debar. 6 So Mephibosheth son of Jonathan son of Saul, came to David and bowed down his face to the floor in honor of David. David said, “Mephibosheth.” He answered, “See, I am your servant!” 7 David said to him, “Do not be afraid, for I will surely show you kindness for Jonathan your father's sake, and I will restore to you all the land of Saul your grandfather, and you will always eat at my table.” 8 Mephibosheth bowed and said, “What is your servant, that you should look with favor on such a dead dog as I am?”

9 Then the king called to Ziba, Saul's servant, and said to him, “All that belonged to Saul and his family I have given to your master's grandson. 10 You, your sons, and your servants must till the land for him and you must harvest the crops so that your master's grandson will have food to eat. For Mephibosheth, your master's grandson, must always eat at my table.” Now Ziba had fifteen sons and twenty servants. 11 Then Ziba said to the king, “Your servant will do all that my master the king commands his servant.” The king added, “As for Mephibosheth he will eat at my table, as one of the king's sons.” 12 Mephibosheth had a young son whose name was Mika. All who lived in the house of Ziba were servants of Mephibosheth. 13 So Mephibosheth lived in Jerusalem, and he always ate at the king's table, though he was lame in both his feet.

10

1 It came about later that the king of the people of Ammon died, and that Hanun his son became king in his place. 2 David said, “I will show kindness to Hanun son of Nahash, as his father showed kindness to me.” So David sent his servants to comfort Hanun concerning his father. His servants entered the land of the people of Ammon. 3 But the leaders of the people of Ammon said to Hanun their master, “Do you really think that David is honoring your father because he has sent men to comfort you? Has not David sent his servants to you to look at the city, to spy it out, in order to overthrow it?” 4 So Hanun took David's servants, shaved off half their beards, cut off their garments up to their buttocks, and sent them away. 5 When they explained this to David, he sent to meet with them, for the men were deeply ashamed. The king said, “Stay at Jericho until your beards have grown back, and then return.”

6 When the people of Ammon saw that they had become a stench to David, the people of Ammon sent messengers and hired the Arameans of Beth Rehob and Zobah, twenty thousand foot soldiers, and the king of Maacah with a thousand men, and the men of Tob with twelve thousand men. 7 When David heard of it, he sent Joab and all the army of soldiers. 8 The Ammonites came out and formed a line of battle at the entrance to their city gate, while the Arameans of Zobah and of Rehob, and the men of Tob and Maacah, stood by themselves in the open fields.

9 When Joab saw the battle lines facing him both in front and behind, he chose some of Israel's best fighters and arranged them against the Arameans. 10 The rest of his people he put into the hand of Abishai his brother, and he set them out in position to fight against the army of Ammon. 11 Joab said, “If the Arameans are too strong for me, then you, Abishai, must rescue me. But if the army of Ammon is too strong for you, then I will come and rescue you. 12 Be strong, and let us show ourselves to be strong for our people and for the cities of our God, for Yahweh will do what is good for his purpose.” 13 So Joab and the soldiers of his army advanced to the battle against the Arameans, who were forced to flee before the army of Israel. 14 When the army of Ammon saw that the Arameans had fled, they also fled from Abishai and went back into the city. Then Joab returned from the people of Ammon and went back to Jerusalem.

15 When the Arameans saw that they were being defeated by Israel, they gathered themselves together again. 16 Then Hadarezer sent for Aramean troops from beyond the Euphrates River. They came to Helam, and Shobak, the commander of Hadarezer's army, went before them. 17 When David was told this, he gathered all Israel together, crossed the Jordan, and arrived at Helam. The Arameans arranged themselves in battle lines against David and fought him. 18 The Arameans fled from Israel, and David killed seven hundred of their men in chariots and forty thousand horsemen. Shobak the commander of their army was wounded and died there. 19 When all the kings who were servants of Hadarezer saw that they were defeated by Israel, they made peace with Israel and became their subjects. So the Arameans were afraid to help the people of Ammon anymore.

11

1 It came about in the springtime, at the time when kings normally go to war, that David sent out Joab, his servants, and all the army of Israel. They destroyed the army of Ammon and besieged Rabbah. But David stayed in Jerusalem.

2 So it came about one evening that David got up from his bed and walked on the roof of his palace. From there he happened to see a woman who was bathing, and the woman was very beautiful to look at. 3 So David sent and he asked people who would know about the woman. Someone said, “Is not this Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, and is she not the wife of Uriah the Hittite?” 4 David sent messengers and took her; she came in to him, and he slept with her (for she had just purified herself from menstruation). Then she returned to her house. 5 The woman conceived, and she sent and told David; she said, “I am pregnant.”

6 Then David sent to Joab saying, “Send me Uriah the Hittite.” So Joab sent Uriah to David. 7 When Uriah arrived, David asked him how Joab was, how the army was doing, and how the war was going. 8 David said to Uriah, “Go down to your house and wash your feet.” So Uriah left the king's palace, and the king sent a gift for Uriah after he left. 9 But Uriah slept at the door of the king's palace with all the servants of his master, and he did not go down to his house. 10 When they told David, “Uriah did not go down to his house,” David said to Uriah, “Have you not come from a journey? Why did you not go down to your house?” 11 Uriah answered David, “The ark, and Israel and Judah are staying in tents, and my master Joab and my master's servants are camped in an open field. How then can I go into my house to eat and to drink and to sleep with my wife? As sure as you are alive, I will not do this.” 12 So David said to Uriah, “Stay here today also, and tomorrow I will let you leave.” So Uriah stayed in Jerusalem that day and the next day. 13 When David called him, he ate and drank before him, and David made him drunk. At evening Uriah went out to sleep on his bed with the servants of his master; he did not go down to his house.

14 So in the morning David wrote a letter to Joab, and sent it by the hand of Uriah. 15 David wrote in the letter saying, “Set Uriah at the very front of the most intense battle, and then withdraw from him, that he may be hit and killed.” 16 So as Joab watched the siege upon the city, he assigned Uriah to the place where he knew the strongest enemy soldiers would be fighting. 17 When the men of the city went out and fought against Joab's army, some of the soldiers of David fell, and Uriah the Hittite was also killed there. 18 When Joab sent word to David about everything concerning the war, 19 he commanded the messenger, saying, “When you have finished telling all the things concerning the war to the king, 20 it may happen that the king will become angry, and he will say to you, 'Why did you go so near to the city to fight? Did you not know that they would shoot from the wall? 21 Who killed Abimelech son of Jerub-Besheth? Did not a woman cast an upper millstone on him from the wall, so that he died at Thebez? Why did you go so near the wall?' Then you must answer, 'Your servant Uriah the Hittite is dead also.'”

22 So the messenger left and went to David and told him everything that Joab had sent him to say. 23 Then the messenger said to David, “The enemy were stronger than we were at first; they came out to us into the field, but we drove them back to the entrance of the gate. 24 Then their shooters shot at your soldiers from off the wall, and some of the king's servants were killed, and your servant Uriah the Hittite was killed too.” 25 Then David said to the messenger, “Say this to Joab, 'Do not let this displease you, for the sword devours one as well as another. Make your battle even stronger against the city, and overthrow it,' and encourage him.”

26 So when the wife of Uriah heard that Uriah her husband was dead, she lamented deeply for her husband. 27 When her sorrow passed, David sent and took her home to his palace, and she became his wife and bore him a son. But what David had done displeased Yahweh.

12

1 Then Yahweh sent Nathan to David. He came to him and said, “There were once two men in a city. One man was rich and the other poor. 2 The rich man had huge numbers of flocks and herds, 3 but the poor man had nothing except one little ewe lamb, which he had bought and fed and raised. It grew up together with him and with his children. The lamb even ate with him and drank from his own cup, and it slept in his arms and was like a daughter to him. 4 One day a visitor came to the rich man, but the rich man was unwilling to take an animal from his own flocks and herds to provide food for him. Instead he took the poor man's ewe lamb and cooked it for his visitor.” 5 David was hot with anger against the rich man, and he raged to Nathan, “As Yahweh lives, the man who has done this deserves to be put to death. 6 He must pay back the lamb four times over because he did such a thing, and because he had no pity on the poor man.”

7 Then Nathan said to David, “You are that man! Yahweh, the God of Israel, says, 'I anointed you king over Israel, and I rescued you out of the hand of Saul. 8 I gave you your master's house, and your master's wives into your arms. I also gave you the house of Israel and Judah. But if that had been too little, I would have given you many other things in addition. 9 So why have you despised the commands of Yahweh, so as to do what is evil in his sight? You have struck down Uriah the Hittite with the sword and have taken his wife to be your own wife. You killed him with the sword of the army of Ammon. 10 So now the sword will never leave your house, because you have despised me and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite as your wife.' 11 Yahweh says, 'Look, I will raise up disaster against you out of your own house. Before your own eyes, I will take your wives and give them to your neighbor, and he will sleep with your wives in broad daylight. 12 For you committed your sin secretly, but I will do this thing before all Israel, in the sunlight.'” 13 Then David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against Yahweh.” Nathan replied to David, “Yahweh also has passed over your sin. You will not be killed. 14 However, because by this act you have despised Yahweh, the child who is born to you will surely die.” 15 Then Nathan left and went home.

Yahweh attacked the child that Uriah's wife bore to David, and he was very sick. 16 David then implored God for the boy. David fasted and went inside and lay all night on the floor. 17 The elders of his house arose and stood beside him, to raise him up from the floor, but he would not get up, and he would not eat with them. 18 It came about on the seventh day that the child died. David's servants were afraid to tell him that the child was dead, for they said, “Look, while the child was still alive we spoke to him, and he did not listen to our voice. What might he do to himself if we tell him that the boy is dead?!” 19 But when David saw that his servants were whispering together, David perceived that the child was dead. He said to his servants, “Is the child dead?” They answered, “He is dead.” 20 Then David arose from the floor and washed himself, anointed himself, and changed his clothes. He went to the tabernacle of Yahweh and worshiped there, and then he came back to his own palace. When he asked for it, they set food before him, and he ate. 21 Then his servants said to him, “Why have you done this? You fasted and wept for the child while he was alive, but when the child died, you got up and ate.” 22 David answered, “While the child was still alive I fasted and wept. I said, 'Who knows whether or not Yahweh will be gracious to me, that the child may live?' 23 But now he is dead, so why should I fast? Can I bring him back again? I will go to him, but he will not return to me.”

24 David comforted Bathsheba his wife, and went in to her, and slept with her. Later she gave birth to a son, and the child was named Solomon. Yahweh loved him 25 and he sent word through Nathan the prophet to name him Jedidiah, because Yahweh loved him.

26 Now Joab fought against Rabbah of the Ammonites, and he captured the royal city. 27 So Joab sent messengers to David and said, “I have fought against Rabbah, and I have taken the city's water supply. 28 Now therefore gather the rest of the army together and camp against the city and take it, because if I take the city, it will be named after me.” 29 So David gathered all the army together and went to Rabbah; he fought against the city and captured it. 30 David took the crown from their king's head—it weighed a talent of gold, and there was a precious stone in it. The crown was placed on David's own head. Then he brought out the plunder of the city in large quantities. 31 He brought out the people who were in the city and forced them to work with saws, iron picks, and axes; he also made them work at brick kilns. David required all the cities of the people of Ammon to do this labor. Then David and all the army returned to Jerusalem.

13

1 It came about after this that Amnon son of David was very attracted to his beautiful half-sister Tamar, who was a full sister of Absalom, another of David's sons. 2 Amnon was so frustrated that he became sick because of his sister Tamar. She was a virgin, and it seemed impossible to Amnon to do anything to her. 3 But Amnon had a friend whose name was Jonadab son of Shimeah, David's brother. Jonadab was a very shrewd man. 4 Jonadab said to Amnon, “Why, son of the king, are you depressed every morning? Will you not tell me?” So Amnon answered him, “I love Tamar, my brother Absalom's sister.” 5 Then Jonadab said to him, “Lie down on your bed and pretend to be sick. When your father comes to see you, ask him, 'Would you please send my sister Tamar to give me something to eat and cook it before me, so that I may see it and eat it from her hand?'” 6 So Amnon lay down and pretended to be sick. When the king came to see him, Amnon said to the king, “Please send my sister Tamar to make some food for my sickness in front of me so that I may eat from her hand.”

7 Then David sent word to Tamar at his palace, saying, “Go now to your brother Amnon's house and prepare food for him.” 8 So Tamar went to her brother Amnon's house where he was lying down. She took dough and kneaded it and formed bread in his sight, and then she baked it. 9 She took the pan and gave the bread to him, but he refused to eat. Then Amnon said to the others present, “Send everyone out, away from me.” So everyone went out from him. 10 So Amnon said to Tamar, “Bring the food into my room that I may eat from your hand.” So Tamar took the bread that she had made, and brought it into the room of Amnon her brother. 11 When she had brought the food to him, he took hold of her and said to her, “Come, sleep with me, my sister.” 12 She answered him, “No, my brother, do not force me, for nothing like this should be done in Israel. Do not do this appalling thing! 13 How could I be rid of my shame? What about you? You would be like one of the fools in Israel! Now, please speak to the king, for he would not keep me from you.” 14 However Amnon would not listen to her. Since he was stronger than Tamar, he seized her and he slept with her.

15 Then Amnon hated Tamar with extreme hatred. He hated her even more than he had desired her. Amnon said to her, “Get up and go.” 16 But she responded to him, “No! Because this great evil of making me leave is even worse than what you did to me!” But Amnon did not listen to her. 17 Instead, he called his personal servant and said, “Take this woman away from me, and bolt the door after her.” 18 Then his servant brought her out and bolted the door after her. Tamar was wearing a very decorated robe because the king's daughters who were virgins dressed that way. 19 Tamar put ashes on her head and tore her robe. She put her hands on her head and walked away, crying aloud as she went.

20 Absalom her brother said to her, “Has Amnon your brother been with you? But now keep quiet, my sister. He is your brother. Do not take this thing to heart.” So Tamar remained alone in her brother Absalom's house. 21 But when King David heard of all these things, he was very angry. 22 Absalom said nothing to Amnon, for Absalom hated him for what he had done to her and how he had disgraced his sister Tamar.

23 It came about after two full years that Absalom had sheep shearers working at Baal Hazor, which is near Ephraim, and Absalom invited all the king's sons to visit there. 24 Absalom went to the king and said, “Look now, your servant has sheep shearers. Please, may the king and his servants go with me, your servant.” 25 The king answered Absalom, “No, my son, all of us should not go because we would be a burden to you.” Absalom begged the king, but he would not go, but he gave him his blessing. 26 Then Absalom said, “If not, please let my brother Amnon go with us.” So the king said to him, “Why should Amnon go with you?” 27 Absalom pressed David, and so he let Amnon and all the king's sons go with him. 28 Absalom commanded his servants saying, “Listen closely. When Amnon begins to be affected by the wine, and when I say to you, 'Attack Amnon,' then kill him. Do not be afraid. Have I not commanded you? Be courageous and brave.” 29 So Absalom's servants did to Amnon as he had commanded them. Then all the king's sons arose, and every man mounted his mule and fled.

30 So it came about, while they were on the road, that the news came to David saying, “Absalom has killed all the king's sons, and there is not one of them left.” 31 Then the king arose and tore his clothes, and lay on the floor; all his servants stood by with their clothes torn. 32 Jonadab son of Shimeah, David's brother, answered and said, “Let not my master believe that they have killed all the young men who are the king's sons, for Amnon only is dead. Absalom has planned this from the day that Amnon violated his sister Tamar. 33 So therefore let not my master the king take this report to heart, so as to believe that all the king's sons are dead, for Amnon only is dead.”

34 Absalom fled away. A servant keeping watch raised his eyes and saw many people coming on the road on the hillside west of him. 35 Then Jonadab said to the king, “Look, the king's sons are coming. It is just as your servant said.” 36 So it came about when he finished speaking, the king's sons arrived and raised their voices and wept. The king and all his servants also wept bitterly.

37 But Absalom fled and went to Talmai son of Ammihud, the king of Geshur. David mourned for his son every day. 38 So Absalom fled and went to Geshur, where he was for three years. 39 The mind of King David longed to go out to see Absalom, for he was comforted concerning Amnon and his death.

14

1 Now Joab son of Zeruiah perceived that the king's heart desired to see Absalom. 2 So Joab sent word to Tekoa and had a wise woman brought to him. He said to her, “Please pretend you are a mourner and put on mourning clothes. Please do not anoint yourself with oil, but be like a woman who has mourned a long time for the dead. 3 Then go to the king and speak to him about what I will describe.” So Joab told her the words she was to say to the king.

4 When the woman from Tekoa spoke to the king, she lay facedown on the ground and said, “Help me, king.” 5 The king said to her, “What is wrong?” She answered, “The truth is that I am a widow, and my husband is dead. 6 I, your servant, had two sons, and they fought together in the field, and there was no one to separate them. One struck the other and killed him. 7 Now the whole clan has risen against your servant, and they say, 'Give into our hand the man who struck his brother, so that we may put him to death, to pay for the life of his brother whom he killed.' So they would also destroy the heir. Thus they will put out the burning coal that I have left, and they will leave for my husband neither name nor descendant on the surface of the earth.”

8 So the king said to the woman, “Go to your house, and I will command something to be done for you.” 9 The woman of Tekoa replied to the king, “My master, king, may the guilt be on me and on my father's family. The king and his throne are guiltless.” 10 The king replied, “Whoever says anything to you, bring him to me, and he will not touch you anymore.” 11 Then she said, “Please, may the king call to mind Yahweh your God, so that the avenger of blood will not destroy anyone further, so that they will not destroy my son.” The king replied, “As Yahweh lives, not one hair of your son will fall to the ground.”

12 Then the woman said, “Please let your servant speak a further word to my master the king.” He said, “Speak on.” 13 So the woman said, “Why then have you devised such a thing against the people of God? For in saying this thing, the king is like someone who is guilty, because the king has not brought back home again his banished son. 14 For we all must die, and we are like water spilled on the ground, which cannot be gathered up again. But God will not take away life; instead, he finds a way for those who were driven away to be restored. 15 Now then, seeing that I have come to speak this thing to my master the king, it is because the people have made me afraid. So your servant said to herself, 'I will now speak to the king. It may be that the king will perform the request of his servant. 16 Perhaps the king will listen to me and deliver his servant from the hand of the man who would destroy me and my son together, out of the inheritance God gave us.' 17 Then your servant prayed, 'Yahweh, please let the word of my master the king give me relief, for as an angel of God, so is my master the king in telling good from evil.' May Yahweh your God be with you.”

18 Then the king answered and said to the woman, “Please do not hide from me anything that I will ask you.” The woman replied, “Let my master the king now speak.” 19 The king said, “Is not the hand of Joab with you in all this?” The woman answered and said, “As you live, my master the king, no one can escape to the right hand or to the left from anything that my master the king has spoken. It was your servant Joab who commanded me and told me to say these things that your servant has spoken. 20 Your servant Joab has done this to change the course of what is happening. My master is wise, like the wisdom of an angel of God, and he knows everything that is happening in the land.”

21 So the king said to Joab, “Look now, I will do this thing. Go then, and bring the young man Absalom back.” 22 So Joab lay facedown on the ground in honor and gratitude to the king. Joab said, “Today your servant knows that I have found favor in your eyes, my master, king, in that the king has performed the request of his servant.” 23 So Joab arose, went to Geshur, and brought Absalom back to Jerusalem. 24 The king said, “He may return to his own house, but he may not see my face.” So Absalom returned to his own house, but did not see the king's face.

25 Now in all Israel there was no one praised for his handsomeness more than Absalom. From the sole of his foot to the top of his head there was no blemish in him. 26 When he cut the hair of his head at the end of every year, because it was heavy on him, he weighed his hair; it would weigh about two hundred shekels, which is measured by the weight of the king's standard. 27 To Absalom were born three sons and one daughter, whose name was Tamar. She was a beautiful woman.

28 Absalom lived two full years in Jerusalem, without seeing the king's face. 29 Then Absalom sent word for Joab to send him to the king, but Joab would not come to him. So Absalom sent word a second time, but Joab still did not come. 30 So Absalom said to his servants, “See, Joab's field is near mine, and he has barley there. Go and set it on fire.” So Absalom's servants set the field on fire. 31 Then Joab arose and came to Absalom at his house, and said to him, “Why have your servants set my field on fire?” 32 Absalom answered Joab, “Look, I sent word to you saying, 'Come here so I may send you to the king to say, “Why did I come from Geshur? It would be better for me to still be there. Now therefore let me see the king's face, and if I am guilty, let him kill me.”'” 33 So Joab went to the king and told him. When the king called for Absalom, he came to the king and bowed low to the ground before the king, and the king kissed Absalom.

15

1 It came about after this that Absalom prepared a chariot and horses for himself, with fifty men to run before him. 2 Absalom would get up early and stand beside the road leading to the city gate. When any man had a dispute to come to the king for judgment, Absalom called to him and said, “From what city have you come?” Then the man would answer, “Your servant is from one of the tribes of Israel.” 3 So Absalom would say to him, “Look, your case is good and right, but there is no one empowered by the king to hear your case.” 4 Absalom added, “I wish that I were made judge in the land, so that every man who had any dispute or cause might come to me, and I would bring him justice!” 5 So it came about that when any man came to Absalom to honor him, Absalom would put out his hand and take hold of him and kiss him. 6 Absalom acted in this way to all Israel who came to the king for judgment. So Absalom stole the hearts of the men of Israel.

7 It came about at the end of four years that Absalom said to the king, “Please let me go and pay a vow that I have made to Yahweh in Hebron. 8 For your servant made a vow while I was living at Geshur in Aram, saying,' If Yahweh will indeed bring me again to Jerusalem, then I will worship Yahweh.'” 9 So the king said to him, “Go in peace.” So Absalom arose and went to Hebron. 10 But then Absalom sent spies throughout all the tribes of Israel, saying, “As soon as you hear the sound of the trumpet, then you must say, 'Absalom is king in Hebron.'” 11 With Absalom went two hundred men from Jerusalem, who were invited. They went in their innocence, not knowing anything that Absalom had planned. 12 While Absalom offered sacrfices, he sent for Ahithophel from his hometown of Giloh. He was David's counselor. Absalom's conspiracy was strong, for the people following Absalom were constantly increasing.

13 A messenger came to David saying, “The hearts of the men of Israel are following after Absalom.” 14 So David said to all his servants who were with him at Jerusalem, “Arise and let us flee, or none of us will escape from Absalom. Prepare to leave immediately, or he will quickly overtake us, and he will bring down disaster on us and attack the city with the edge of the sword.” 15 The king's servants said to the king, “Look, your servants are ready to do whatever our master the king decides.” 16 The king left and all his family after him, but the king left ten women, who were concubines, to keep the palace. 17 After the king went out and all the people after him, they stopped at the last house. 18 All his army marched with him, and before him went all the Kerethites, and all the Pelethites, and all the Gittites—six hundred men who had followed him from Gath.

19 Then the king said to Ittai the Gittite, “Why will you come with us? Return and stay with the king, for you are a foreigner and an exile. Return to your own place. 20 Since you just left yesterday, why should I make you wander all over with us? I do not even know where I am going. So return and take your fellow countrymen back. May loyalty and faithfulness go with you.” 21 But Ittai answered the king and said, “As Yahweh lives, and as my master the king lives, surely in whatever place where my master the king goes, there also will your servant go, whether that means living or dying.” 22 So David said to Ittai, “Go ahead and continue with us.” So Ittai the Gittite marched with the king, along with all his men and all the families who were with him. 23 All the country wept with a loud voice as all the people passed by over the Kidron Valley, and as the king also himself crossed over. All the people traveled on the road toward the wilderness.

24 Even Zadok with all the Levites, carrying the ark of the covenant of God, were present. They set the ark of God down, and then Abiathar joined them. They waited until all the people had passed by out of the city. 25 The king said to Zadok, “Carry the ark of God back into the city. If I find favor in the eyes of Yahweh, he will bring me back here and show me again the ark and the place where he lives. 26 But if he says, 'I am not pleased with you,' look, here am I, let him do to me whatever seems good to him.” 27 The king also said to Zadok the priest, “Are you not a seer? Return into the city in peace, and your two sons with you, Ahimaaz your son, and Jonathan son of Abiathar. 28 See, I will wait at the fords of the Arabah until word comes from you to inform me.” 29 So Zadok and Abiathar carried the ark of God back into Jerusalem, and they stayed there.

30 But David ascended barefoot and weeping up the Mount of Olives, and he had his head covered. Every man of the people who were with him covered his head, and they went up weeping as they walked. 31 Someone told David saying, “Ahithophel is among the conspirators with Absalom.” So David prayed, “O Yahweh, please turn Ahithophel's advice into foolishness.” 32 It came about that when David arrived at the top of the road, where God used to be worshiped, Hushai the Arkite came to meet him with his coat torn and earth on his head. 33 David said to him, “If you travel with me, then you will be a burden to me. 34 But if you return to the city and say to Absalom, 'I will be your servant, king, as I have been your father's servant in time past, so will I now be your servant,' then you will confuse Ahithophel's advice for me. 35 Will you not have the priests Zadok and Abiathar with you? So whatever you hear in the king's palace, you must tell it to Zadok and Abiathar the priests. 36 See that they have there with them their two sons, Ahimaaz, Zadok's son, and Jonathan, Abiathar's son. You must send to me by their hand everything that you hear.” 37 So Hushai, David's friend, came into the city as Absalom arrived and entered into Jerusalem.

16

1 When David had gone a short distance over the summit of the hill, Ziba the servant of Mephibosheth met him with a couple of saddled donkeys; on them were two hundred loaves of bread, one hundred clusters of raisins, and one hundred bunches of figs, and a skin of wine. 2 The king said to Ziba, “Why did you bring these things?” Ziba replied, “The donkeys are for the king's household to ride on, the bread and fig cakes are for your men to eat, and the wine is for anyone who is faint in the wilderness to drink.” 3 The king said, “Then where is your master's grandson?” Ziba replied to the king, “Look, he has stayed behind in Jerusalem, for he said, 'Today the house of Israel will restore my father's kingdom to me.'” 4 Then the king said to Ziba, “Look, all that belonged to Mephibosheth now belongs to you.” Ziba answered, “I bow in humility to you, my master, king. Let me find favor in your eyes.”

5 When King David approached Bahurim, there came out from there a man from the clan of Saul, whose name was Shimei son of Gera. He came out cursing as he walked. 6 He threw stones at David and at all of the king's officials, in spite of the army and bodyguards who were on the king's right and left. 7 Shimei called out in cursing, “Go away, get out of here, you villain, you man of blood! 8 Yahweh has repaid all of you for the blood you shed within the family of Saul, in whose place you have reigned. Yahweh has given the kingdom into the hand of Absalom your son. You have come to ruin because you are a man of blood.”

9 Then Abishai son of Zeruiah, said to the king, “Why should this dead dog curse my master the king? Please let me go over and take off his head.” 10 But the king said, “What have I to do with you, sons of Zeruiah? Perhaps he is cursing me because Yahweh has said to him, 'Curse David.' Who then could say to him, 'Why are you cursing the king?'” 11 So David said to Abishai and to all his servants, “Look, my son, who was born from my body, wants to take my life. How much more may this Benjamite now desire my ruin? Leave him alone and let him curse, for Yahweh has commanded him to do it. 12 Perhaps Yahweh will look at the misery unleashed on me, and repay me with good for his cursing me today.” 13 So David and his men traveled on the road, while Shimei went beside him up on the hillside, cursing and throwing dust and stones at him as he went. 14 Then the king and all the people who were with him became weary, and he rested when they stopped for the night.

15 As for Absalom and all the men of Israel who were with him, they came to Jerusalem, and Ahithophel was with him. 16 It came about when Hushai the Arkite, David's friend, had come to Absalom, that Hushai said to Absalom, “Long live the king! Long live the king!” 17 Absalom said to Hushai, “Is this your loyalty to your friend? Why did you not go with him?” 18 Hushai said to Absalom, “No! Instead, the one whom Yahweh and this people and all the men of Israel have chosen, that is the man to whom I will belong, and I will stay with him. 19 Also, what man should I serve? Should I not serve in the presence of his son? As I have served in your father's presence, I will serve in your presence.”

20 Then Absalom said to Ahithophel, “Give us your advice about what we should do.” 21 Ahithophel answered Absalom, “Go sleep with your father's slave wives whom he has left to keep the palace, and all Israel will hear that you have become a stench to your father. Then the hands of all who are with you will be strong.” 22 So they spread for Absalom a tent on the top of the palace, and Absalom slept with his father's slave wives in the sight of all Israel. 23 Now the advice of Ahithophel that he gave in those days was as if a man heard from the mouth of God himself. That was how all of Ahithophel's advice was viewed by both David and Absalom.

17

1 Then Ahithophel said to Absalom, “Now let me choose twelve thousand men, and I will arise and pursue David tonight. 2 I will come on him while he is weary and weak and will surprise him with fear. The people who are with him will flee, and I will attack only the king. 3 I will bring back all the people to you, like a bride coming to her husband, and all the people will be at peace under you.” 4 What Ahithophel said pleased Absalom and all the elders of Israel.

5 Then Absalom said, “Now call Hushai the Arkite, too, and let us hear what he says.” 6 When Hushai had come to Absalom, Absalom explained to him what Ahithophel had said and then asked Hushai, “Should we do what Ahithophel has said? If not, tell us what you advise.” 7 So Hushai said to Absalom, “The advice that Ahithophel has given this time is not good.” 8 Hushai added, “You know your father and his men are strong warriors, and that they are bitter, and they are like a bear robbed of her cubs in a field. Your father is a man of war; he will not sleep with the army tonight. 9 Look, right now he is probably hidden in some pit or in some other place. It will happen that when some of your men have been killed at the beginning of an attack, that whoever hears it will say, 'A slaughter has taken place among the soldiers who follow Absalom.' 10 Then even the bravest soldiers, whose hearts are like the heart of a lion, will be afraid because all Israel knows that your father is a mighty man, and that the men who are with him are very strong. 11 So I advise you that all Israel should be gathered together to you, from Dan to Beersheba, as numerous as the sands that are by the sea, and that you go to battle in person. 12 Then we will come on him wherever he may be found, and we will cover him as the dew falls on the ground. We will not leave even one of his men, or him himself, alive. 13 If he retreats into a city, then all Israel will bring ropes to that city and we will drag it into the river, until there is no longer even a small stone found there.” 14 Then Absalom and the men of Israel said, “Hushai the Arkite's advice is better than Ahithophel's.” Yahweh had ordained the rejection of Ahithophel's good advice in order to bring destruction on Absalom.

15 Then Hushai said to Zadok and to Abiathar the priests, “Ahithophel advised Absalom and the elders of Israel in such and such a way, but I have advised something else. 16 Now then, go quickly and report to David; say to him, 'Do not camp tonight at the fords of the Arabah, but by all means cross over, or the king will be swallowed up along with all the people who are with him.'” 17 Now Jonathan and Ahimaaz were staying at the spring of Rogel. A female servant used to go and inform them what they needed to know, for they could not risk being seen going into the city. When the message came, then they were to go and tell King David. 18 But a young man saw them this time and told Absalom. So Jonathan and Ahimaaz went away quickly and came to the house of a man in Bahurim, who had a well in his courtyard, into which they descended. 19 The man's wife took the covering for the well and spread it over the well's opening, and tossed grain over it, so no one knew Jonathan and Ahimaaz were in the well. 20 Absalom's men came to the woman of the house and said, “Where are Ahimaaz and Jonathan?” The woman told them, “They have crossed over the river.” So after they had looked around and could not find them, they returned to Jerusalem.

21 It came about after they had left that Jonathan and Ahimaaz came up out of the well. They went to report to King David; they said to him, “Get up and cross quickly over the water because Ahithophel has given such and such advice about you.” 22 Then David arose and all the people who were with him, and they crossed over the Jordan. By morning daylight not one of them had failed to cross over the Jordan. 23 When Ahithophel saw that his advice had not been followed, he saddled his donkey and left. He went home to his own city, set his affairs in order, and hanged himself. In this way he died and was buried in the tomb of his father.

24 Then David came to Mahanaim. As for Absalom, he crossed over the Jordan, he and all the men of Israel with him. 25 Absalom had set Amasa over the army instead of Joab. Amasa was the son of Jether the Ishmaelite *, who had slept with Abigail, who was the daughter of Nahash and sister of Zeruiah, the mother of Joab. 26 Then Israel and Absalom camped in the land of Gilead.

27 It came about when David had come to Mahanaim, that Shobi son of Nahash from Rabbah of the Ammonites, and Machir son of Ammiel from Lo Debar, and Barzillai the Gileadite from Rogelim, 28 brought sleeping mats and blankets, bowls and pots, and wheat, barley flour, roasted grain, beans, lentils, 29 honey, butter, sheep, and milk curds, so that David and the people with him could eat. These men had said, “The people are hungry, weary, and thirsty in the wilderness.”

18

1 David counted the soldiers who were with him and appointed captains of thousands and captains of hundreds over them. 2 Then David sent out the army, one-third under the command of Joab, another third under the command of Abishai son of Zeruiah, Joab's brother, and still another third under the command of Ittai the Gittite. The king said to the army, “I will certainly go out with you myself, too.” 3 But the men said, “You must not go to battle, for if we flee away they will not care about us, or if half of us die they will not care. But you are worth ten thousand of us! Therefore it is better that you be ready to help us from the city.” 4 So the king answered them, “I will do whatever seems best to you.” The king stood by the city gate while all the army went out by hundreds and by thousands. 5 The king commanded Joab, Abishai, and Ittai saying, “Deal gently for my sake with the young man, with Absalom.” All the people heard that the king had given the captains this command about Absalom.

6 So the army went out into the countryside against Israel; the battle spread into the forest of Ephraim. 7 The army of Israel was defeated there before the soldiers of David; there was a great slaughter there that day of twenty thousand men. 8 The battle spread throughout the whole countryside, and more men were consumed by the forest than by the sword.

9 Absalom happened to meet some of David's soldiers. Absalom was riding his mule, and the mule went under the thick branches of a large oak tree, and his head was caught up in the tree branches. He was left dangling between the ground and the sky while the mule he was riding kept going. 10 Someone saw this and told Joab, “Look, I saw Absalom hanging in an oak tree!” 11 Joab said to the man who told him about Absalom, “Look! You saw him! Why did you not strike him down to the ground? I would have given you ten silver shekels and a belt.” 12 The man replied to Joab, “Even if I received a thousand silver shekels, still I would not have reached out my hand against the king's son, because we all heard the king command you, Abishai, and Ittai, saying, 'No one must touch the young man Absalom.' 13 If I had risked my life by a falsehood (and there is nothing hidden from the king), you would have abandoned me.” 14 Then Joab said, “I will not wait for you.” So Joab took three javelins in his hand and thrust them through the heart of Absalom, while he was still alive and hanging from the oak. 15 Then ten young men who carried Joab's armor surrounded Absalom, attacked him, and killed him.

16 Then Joab blew the trumpet, and the army returned from pursuing Israel, for Joab held back the army. 17 They took Absalom and threw him into a large pit in the forest; they buried his body under a very large pile of stones, while all Israel fled, every man to his own home. 18 Now Absalom, while still alive, had built for himself a large stone pillar in the King's Valley, for he said, “I have no son to carry along the memory of my name.” He named the pillar after his own name, so it is called Absalom's Monument to this very day.

19 Then Ahimaaz son of Zadok said, “Let me now run to the king with the good news, how Yahweh has rescued him from the hand of his enemies.” 20 Joab answered him, “You will not be the bearer of news today; you must do it another day. Today you will bear no news because the king's son is dead.” 21 Then Joab said to a Cushite, “Go, tell the king what you have seen.” The Cushite bowed down to Joab, and ran. 22 Then Ahimaaz son of Zadok said again to Joab, “Regardless of what may happen, please let me also run and follow the Cushite.” Joab replied, “Why do you want to run, my son, seeing that you will have no reward for the news?” 23 “Whatever happens,” said Ahimaaz, “I will run.” So Joab answered him, “Run.” Then Ahimaaz ran by the way of the plain, and outran the Cushite.

24 Now David was sitting between the inner and outer gates. The watchman had gone up to the roof of the gate to the wall and raised his eyes. As he looked, he saw a man approaching, running alone. 25 The watchman shouted out and told the king. Then the king said, “If he is alone, there is news in his mouth.” The runner came closer and neared the city. 26 Then the watchman noticed another man running, and the watchman called to the gatekeeper; he said, “Look, there is another man running alone.” The king said, “He is also bringing news.” 27 So the watchman said, “I think the running of the man in front is like the running of Ahimaaz son of Zadok.” The king said, “He is a good man and is coming with good news.”

28 Then Ahimaaz called out and said to the king, “All is well.” He bowed himself before the king with his face to the ground and said, “Blessed be Yahweh your God! He has delivered the men who lifted up their hand against my master the king.” 29 So the king replied, “Is it well with the young man Absalom?” Ahimaaz answered, “When Joab sent me, the king's servant, to you, king, I saw a great disturbance, but I did not know what it was.” 30 Then the king said, “Turn aside and stand here.” So Ahimaaz turned aside, and stood still.

31 Immediately then the Cushite arrived and said, “There is good news for my master the king, for Yahweh has avenged you today from all who rose up against you.” 32 Then the king said to the Cushite, “Is it well with the young man Absalom?” The Cushite answered, “The enemies of my master the king, and all who rise up against you to do harm to you, should be as that young man is.” 33 Then the king was deeply unnerved, and he went up to the room over the gate and wept. As he went he grieved, “My son Absalom, my son, my son Absalom! I wish I had died instead of you, Absalom, my son, my son!”

19

1 Joab was told, “Look, the king is weeping and mourning for Absalom.” 2 So the victory that day was turned into mourning for all the army, for the army heard it said that day, “The king is mourning for his son.” 3 The soldiers had to sneak quietly into the city that day, like people who are ashamed sneak away when they run from battle. 4 The king covered his face and cried in a loud voice, “My son Absalom, Absalom, my son, my son!” 5 Then Joab entered into the house to the king and said to him, “You have shamed the faces of all your soldiers today, who have saved your life today, and the lives of your sons and of your daughters, and the lives of your wives, and the lives of your slave wives, 6 because you love those who hate you, and you hate those who love you. For today you have shown that commanders and soldiers are nothing to you. Today I believe that if Absalom had lived, and we all had died, then that would have pleased you. 7 Now therefore get up and go out and speak kindly to your soldiers, for I swear by Yahweh, if you do not go, not one man will remain with you tonight. That would be worse for you than all the disasters that have ever happened to you from your youth until now.” 8 So the king got up and sat in the city gate, and all the people were told, “Look, the king is sitting in the gate,” and all the people came before the king.

So Israel fled, every man to his home. 9 All the people were arguing with each other throughout all the tribes of Israel saying, “The king rescued us out of the hand of our enemies, and he saved us out of the hand of the Philistines, but now he has run out of the land because of Absalom. 10 Absalom, whom we anointed over us, has died in battle. So why do you say nothing about bringing the king back?”

11 King David sent to Zadok and to Abiathar the priests saying, “Speak to the elders of Judah saying, 'Why are you the last to bring the king back to his palace, since the talk of all Israel favors the king, to bring him back to his palace? 12 You are my brothers, my flesh and bone. Why then are you the last to bring back the king?' 13 Then say to Amasa, 'Are you not my flesh and my bone? God do so to me, and more also, if you are not captain of my army from now on in the place of Joab.'” 14 So he won the hearts of all the men of Judah as one man. They sent to the king saying, “Return, you and all your men.” 15 So the king returned and came to the Jordan. Now the men of Judah came to Gilgal to go to meet the king and then to bring the king across the Jordan.

16 Shimei son of Gera, the Benjamite, who was from Bahurim, hurried down with the men of Judah to meet King David. 17 There were one thousand men from Benjamin with him, and Ziba the servant of Saul, and his fifteen sons and twenty servants with him. They crossed through the Jordan in the presence of the king. 18 They crossed to bring over the king's family and to do whatever he thought good. Shimei son of Gera bowed down before the king just before he began to cross the Jordan. 19 Shimei said to the king, “Do not, my master, find me guilty or call to mind the wrong your servant did the day my master the king left Jerusalem. Please, may the king not take it to heart. 20 For your servant knows that I have sinned. See, that is why I have come today as the first from all the family of Joseph to come down to meet my master the king.”

21 But Abishai son of Zeruiah answered and said, “Should not Shimei be put to death for this, because he cursed Yahweh's anointed?” 22 Then David said, “What have I to do with you, you sons of Zeruiah, that you should today be adversaries to me? Will any man be put to death today in Israel? For do I not know that today I am king over Israel?” 23 So the king said to Shimei, “You will not die.” So the king promised him with an oath.

24 Then Mephibosheth son of Saul came down to meet the king. He had not dressed his feet, or trimmed his beard, or washed his clothes from the day the king left until the day he came home in peace. 25 So when he came from Jerusalem to meet the king, the king said to him, “Why did you not go with me, Mephibosheth?” 26 He answered, “My master the king, my servant deceived me, for I said, 'I will saddle a donkey so I may ride on it and go with the king, because your servant is lame.' 27 My servant Ziba has slandered me, your servant, to my master the king. But my master the king is like an angel of God. Therefore, do what is good in your eyes. 28 For all my father's house were dead men before my master the king, but you set your servant among those who ate at your own table. What right therefore have I that I should still cry any more to the king?” 29 Then the king said to him, “Why explain anything further? I have decided that you and Ziba will divide the fields.” 30 So Mephibosheth replied to the king, “Yes, let him take it all, since my master the king has come safely to his own home.”

31 Then Barzillai the Gileadite came down from Rogelim to cross over the Jordan with the king, and he accompanied the king over the Jordan. 32 Now Barzillai was a very old man, eighty years old. He had furnished the king with provisions while he stayed at Mahanaim, for he was a very wealthy man. 33 The king said to Barzillai, “Come over with me, and I will provide for you to stay with me in Jerusalem.” 34 Barzillai replied to the king, “How many days are left in the years of my life, that I should go up with the king to Jerusalem? 35 I am eighty years old. Can I distinguish between good and bad? Can your servant taste what I eat or what I drink? Can I hear any more the voice of singing men and singing women? Why then should your servant be a burden to my master the king? 36 Your servant would like to just go over the Jordan with the king. Why should the king repay me with such a reward? 37 Please let your servant return back home, so I may die in my own city by the grave of my father and my mother. But see, here is your servant Kimham. Let him cross over with my master the king, and do for him what seems good to you.” 38 The king answered, “Kimham will go over with me, and I will do for him what seems good to you, and whatever you desire from me, I do that for you.” 39 Then all the people crossed the Jordan, and the king crossed over, and the king kissed Barzillai and blessed him. Then Barzillai returned to his own home.

40 So the king crossed over to Gilgal, and Kimham crossed over with him. All the army of Judah brought the king over, and also half the army of Israel. 41 Soon all the men of Israel began to come to the king and say to the king, “Why have our brothers, the men of Judah, stolen you away and brought the king and his family over the Jordan, and all David's men with him?” 42 So the men of Judah answered the men of Israel, “It is because the king is more closely related to us. Why then are you angry about this? Have we eaten anything that the king had to pay for? Has he given us any gifts?” 43 The men of Israel answered the men of Judah, “We have ten tribes related to the king, so we have even more right to David than you. Why then did you despise us? Was not our proposal to bring back our king the first to be heard?” But the words of the men of Judah were even more harsh than the words of the men of Israel.

20

1 There also happened to be at the same place a troublemaker whose name was Sheba son of Bikri, a Benjamite. He blew the trumpet and said, “We have no part in David, neither have we any inheritance in the son of Jesse. Let every man go back to his home, Israel.” 2 So all the men of Israel deserted David and followed Sheba son of Bikri. But the men of Judah followed closely their king, from the Jordan all the way to Jerusalem.

3 When David came to his palace at Jerusalem, he took the ten slave wives whom he had left to keep the palace, and he put them in a house under guard. He provided for their needs, but he did not sleep with them any longer. So they were shut up to the day of their death, living as if they were widows.

4 Then the king said to Amasa, “Call the men of Judah together within three days; you must be here, too.” 5 So Amasa went to call Judah, but he was delayed beyond the time that the king had allotted for him. 6 So David said to Abishai, “Now Sheba son of Bikri will do us more harm than Absalom did. Take your master's servants, my soldiers, and pursue after him, or he will find fortified cities and escape out of our sight.” 7 Then Joab's men went out after him, along with the Kerethites and the Pelethites and all the mighty warriors. They left Jerusalem to pursue Sheba son of Bikri. 8 When they were at the great stone which is at Gibeon, Amasa came to meet them. Joab was wearing the battle armor that he had put on, which included a belt around his waist with a sheathed sword fastened to it. As he walked forward, the sword fell out. 9 So Joab said to Amasa, “Is it well with you, my cousin?” Joab took Amasa by the beard with his right hand to kiss him. 10 Amasa did not notice the dagger that was in Joab's left hand. Joab stabbed Amasa in the stomach and his bowels spilled out to the ground. Joab did not strike him again, and Amasa died.

So Joab and Abishai his brother pursued Sheba son of Bikri. 11 Then one of Joab's men stood by Amasa, and the man said, “He who favors Joab, and he who is for David, let him follow Joab.” 12 Amasa lay wallowing in his blood in the middle of the road. When the man saw that all the people stood still, he carried Amasa off of the road and into a field. He threw a garment over him because he saw that everyone who came by him stood still. 13 After Amasa was taken off the road, all the men followed on after Joab in pursuit of Sheba son of Bikri.

14 Sheba passed through all the tribes of Israel to Abel of Beth Maacah, and through all the land of the Bikrites, who gathered together and also pursued Sheba. 15 They caught up with him and besieged him in Abel of Beth Maacah. They built up a siege ramp against the city against the wall. All the army who were with Joab battered the wall to knock it down. 16 Then a wise woman cried out of the city, “Listen, please listen, Joab! Come near me so I may speak with you.” 17 So Joab came near to her, and the woman said, “Are you Joab?” He answered, “I am.” Then she said to him, “Listen to the words of your servant.” He answered, “I am listening.” 18 Then she spoke, “They used to say in old times, 'Surely seek advice at Abel,' and that advice would end the matter. 19 We are a city that is one of the most peaceful and faithful in Israel. You are trying to destroy a city that is a mother in Israel. Why do you want to swallow up the inheritance of Yahweh?” 20 So Joab answered and said, “Far be it, far be it from me, that I should swallow up or destroy. 21 That is not true. But a man from the hill country of Ephraim, named Sheba son of Bikri, has lifted up his hand against the king, against David. Give up him alone, and I will withdraw from the city.” The woman said to Joab, “His head will be thrown to you over the wall.” 22 Then the woman went to all the people in her wisdom. They cut off the head of Sheba son of Bikri, and threw it out to Joab. Then he blew the trumpet and Joab's men left the city, every man to his home. Then Joab returned to Jerusalem to the king.

23 Now Joab was over all the army of Israel, and Benaiah son of Jehoiada was over the Kerethites and over the Pelethites. 24 Adoniram was over the men who did forced labor, and Jehoshaphat son of Ahilud was the recorder. 25 Sheva was scribe and Zadok and Abiathar were priests. 26 Ira the Jairite was chief minister to David.

21

1 There was a famine in David's time for three years in a row, and David sought the face of Yahweh. So Yahweh said, “This famine is on you because of Saul and his murderous family, because he put the Gibeonites to death.” 2 Now the Gibeonites were not from the people of Israel; they were from what remained of the Amorites. The people of Israel had sworn not to kill them, but Saul tried to kill them all anyway in his zeal for the people of Israel and Judah. 3 So King David called together the Gibeonites and said to them, “What should I do for you? How can I make atonement, so that you may bless the people of Yahweh, who inherit his goodness and promises?” 4 The Gibeonites responded to him, “It is not a matter of silver or gold between us and Saul or his family. In the same way it is not for us to put to death any man in Israel.” David replied, “What are you saying that I should do for you?” 5 They answered the king, “The man who tried to kill us all, who schemed against us, so that we are now destroyed and have no place within the borders of Israel— 6 let seven men from his descendants be handed over to us, and we will hang them before Yahweh in Gibeah of Saul, the one chosen by Yahweh.” So the king said, “I will give them to you.”

7 But the king spared Mephibosheth son of Jonathan son of Saul, because of Yahweh's oath between them, between David and Jonathan son of Saul. 8 But the king took the two sons of Rizpah daughter of Aiah, sons whom she bore to Saul—the two sons were named Armoni and Mephibosheth; and David also took the five sons of Merab * daughter of Saul, whom she bore to Adriel son of Barzillai the Meholathite. 9 He handed them over into the hands of the Gibeonites. They hanged them on the mountain before Yahweh, and they died all seven together. They were put to death during the time of harvest, during the first days at the beginning of barley harvest.

10 Then Rizpah, the daughter of Aiah, took sackcloth and spread it for herself on the mountain beside the dead bodies, from the beginning of harvest until the rain poured down on them from the sky. She did not allow the birds of the sky to disturb the bodies by day or the wild animals by night. 11 It was told to David what Rizpah, the daughter of Aiah, the slave wife of Saul, had done.

12 So David went and took the bones of Saul and the bones of Jonathan his son from the men of Jabesh Gilead, who had stolen them from the public square of Beth Shan, where the Philistines had hanged them, after the Philistines had killed Saul in Gilboa. 13 David took away from there the bones of Saul and the bones of Jonathan his son, and they gathered the bones of the seven men who had been hanged, as well. 14 They buried the bones of Saul and Jonathan his son in the country of Benjamin in Zela, in the tomb of Kish his father. They performed all that the king commanded. After that God answered their prayers for the land.

15 Then the Philistines went to war again with Israel. So David went down with his army and fought against the Philistines. David was overcome with battle fatigue. 16 Ishbi-Benob, a descendant of the giants, whose bronze spear weighed three hundred shekels, and who was armed with a new sword, intended to kill David. 17 But Abishai son of Zeruiah rescued David, attacked the Philistine, and killed him. Then the men of David swore to him, saying, “You must not go to battle anymore with us, so that you do not put out the lamp of Israel.”

18 It came about after this that there was again a battle with the Philistines at Gob, when Sibbekai the Hushathite killed Saph, who was one of the descendants of the Rephaim. † 19 It came about again in a battle with the Philistines at Gob, that Elhanan son of Jair the Bethlehemite killed Goliath the Gittite, the staff of whose spear was like a weaver's beam. 20 It came about in another battle at Gath that there was a man of great height who had six fingers on each hand and six toes on each foot, twenty-four in number. He also was descended from the Rephaim. 21 When he taunted Israel, Jonathan son of Shimeah, David's brother, killed him. 22 These were descendants of the Rephaim of Gath, and they were killed by the hand of David and by the hand of his soldiers.

22

1 David sang to Yahweh the words of this song on the day that Yahweh rescued him out of the hand of all his enemies, and out of the hand of Saul. 2 He prayed,

“Yahweh is my rock, my fortress, the one who rescues me.

3 God is my rock. I take refuge in him.

He is my shield, the horn of my salvation, my stronghold, and my refuge,

the one who saves me from violence.

4 I will call on Yahweh, who is worthy to be praised,

and I will be saved from my enemies.

5 For the waves of death surrounded me,

the rushing waters of destruction overwhelmed me.

6 The cords of Sheol surrounded me;

the snares of death trapped me.

7 In my distress I called to Yahweh;

I called to my God;

he heard my voice from his temple,

and my call for help went into his ears.

8 Then the earth shook and trembled.

The foundations of the heavens trembled

and were shaken, because God was angry.

9 Smoke went up from out of his nostrils,

and blazing fire came out of his mouth.

Coals were ignited by it.

10 He opened the heavens and came down,

and thick darkness was under his feet.

11 He rode on a cherub and flew.

He was seen on the wings of the wind. *

12 He made darkness a tent around him,

gathering heavy rain clouds in the skies.

13 From the lightning before him

coals of fire fell.

14 Yahweh thundered from the heavens.

The Most High shouted.

15 He shot arrows and scattered his enemies—

lightning bolts and dispersed them.

16 Then the channels of the sea were seen;

the foundations of the world were laid bare

at the rebuke of Yahweh,

at the blast of the breath of his nostrils.

17 He reached down from above; he took hold of me!

He pulled me out of the surging water.

18 He rescued me from my strong enemy,

from those who hated me, for they were too strong for me.

19 They came against me on the day of my distress,

but Yahweh was my support.

20 He also brought me out to a wide open place.

He saved me because he was pleased with me.

21 Yahweh has rewarded me to the measure of my righteousness;

he has restored me to the measure of the cleanness of my hands.

22 For I have kept the ways of Yahweh

and have not acted wickedly by turning from my God.

23 For all his righteous decrees have been before me;

as for his statutes, I have not turned away from them.

24 I have also been innocent before him,

and I have kept myself from sin.

25 Therefore Yahweh has restored me to the measure of my righteousness,

to the degree of my cleanness in his sight.

26 To one who is faithful, you show yourself to be faithful;

to a man who is blameless, you show yourself to be blameless.

27 With the pure you show yourself pure,

but you are perverse to the twisted.

28 You save afflicted people,

but your eyes are against the proud, and you bring them down.

29 For you are my lamp, Yahweh.

Yahweh lights up my darkness.

30 For by you I can run over a barricade;

by my God I can leap over a wall.

31 As for God, his way is perfect.

The word of Yahweh is pure.

He is a shield to everyone who takes refuge in him.

32 For who is God except Yahweh,

and who is a rock except our God?

33 God is my refuge,

and he leads the blameless person on his path.

34 He makes my feet swift like a deer

and places me on the high hills.

35 He trains my hands for war,

and my arms to bend a bow of bronze.

36 You have given me the shield of your salvation,

and your favor has made me great.

37 You have made a wide place for my feet beneath me,

so my feet have not slipped.

38 I pursued my enemies and destroyed them.

I did not turn back until they were destroyed.

39 I devoured them and smashed them; they cannot rise.

They have fallen under my feet.

40 You put strength on me like a belt for battle;

you put under me those who rise up against me.

41 You gave me the back of my enemies' necks;

I annihilated those who hated me.

42 They cried for help, but no one saved them;

they cried out to Yahweh, but he did not answer them.

43 I beat them into fine pieces like dust on the ground,

I pulverized them like mud in the streets.

44 You also have rescued me from the disputes of my own people.

You have kept me as the head of nations.

A people that I have not known serves me.

45 Foreigners were forced to bow to me.

As soon as they heard of me, they obeyed me.

46 The foreigners came trembling out of their strongholds.

47 Yahweh lives! May my rock be praised.

May God be exalted, the rock of my salvation.

48 This is the God who executes vengeance for me,

the one who brings down peoples under me.

49 He sets me free from my enemies.

Indeed, you lifted me up above those who rose up against me.

You rescue me from violent men.

50 Therefore I will give thanks to you, Yahweh, among the nations;

I will sing praises to your name.

51 God gives great victory to his king,

and he shows his covenant loyalty to his anointed one,

to David and to his descendants forever.”

23

1 Now these are the last words of David—

David son of Jesse,

the man who was highly honored,

the one anointed by the God of Jacob,

the sweet psalmist of Israel.

2 “The Spirit of Yahweh spoke by me,

and his word was on my tongue.

3 The God of Israel spoke,

the Rock of Israel said to me,

'The one who rules righteously over men,

who rules in the fear of God.

4 He will be like the morning light when the sun rises,

a morning without clouds,

when the tender grass springs up from the earth

through bright sunshine after rain.

5 Indeed, is my family not like this before God?

Has he not made an everlasting covenant with me,

ordered and sure in every way?

Does he not increase my salvation and fulfill my every desire?

6 But the worthless will all be like thorns to be thrown away,

because they cannot be gathered by one's hands.

7 The man who touches them

must use an iron tool or the shaft of a spear.

They must be burned up where they lie.'”

8 These are the names of David's mighty men: Jeshbaal the Hachmonite was the leader of the mighty men. He killed eight hundred men on one occasion. *

9 After him was Eleazar son of Dodai the Ahohite, one of the three mighty men. He was with David when they taunted the Philistines who had gathered together to do battle, and when the men of Israel had retreated. 10 Eleazar stood and fought the Philistines until his hand became weary and his hand stiffened to the grip of his sword. Yahweh brought about a great victory that day. The army returned after Eleazar, only to strip the bodies.

11 After him was Shammah son of Agee, a Hararite. The Philistines gathered together where there was a field of lentils, and the army fled from them. 12 But Shammah stood in the middle of the field and defended it. He killed the Philistines, and Yahweh brought about a great victory.

13 Three of the thirty soldiers went down to David at harvest time, to the cave of Adullam. The army of the Philistines was camped in the Valley of Rephaim. 14 At that time David was in his stronghold, a cave, while the Philistines had established at Bethlehem. 15 David was longing for water and said, “If only someone would give me water to drink from the well at Bethlehem, the well that is by the gate!” 16 So these three mighty men broke through the army of the Philistines and drew water out of the well of Bethlehem, the well at the gate. They took the water and brought it to David, but he refused to drink it. Instead, he poured it out to Yahweh. 17 Then he said, “Yahweh, far be it from me, that I should do this. Should I drink the blood of men who have risked their lives?” So he refused to drink it.

These things were done by the three mighty.

18 Abishai, brother of Joab and son of Zeruiah, was captain over the three. He once fought with his spear against three hundred men and killed them. He was often mentioned along with the three soldiers. 19 Was he not even more famous than the three? He was made their captain. However, his fame did not equal the fame of the three most famous soldiers.

20 Benaiah from Kabzeel was the son of Jehoiada; he was a strong man who did mighty feats. He killed the two sons of Ariel of Moab. He also went down into a pit and killed a lion while it was snowing. 21 Then he killed a very large Egyptian man. The Egyptian had a spear in his hand, but Benaiah fought against him with only a staff. He seized the spear out of the Egyptian's hand and then killed him with his own spear. 22 Benaiah son of Jehoiada did these feats, and he was named alongside the three mighty men. 23 He was more highly regarded than the thirty soldiers in general, but he was not regarded quite as highly as the three mighty men. Yet David put him in charge of his bodyguard.

24 The thirty included the following men: Asahel brother of Joab, Elhanan son of Dodo from Bethlehem, 25 Shammah the Harodite, Elika the Harodite, 26 Helez the Paltite, Ira son of Ikkesh the Tekoite, 27 Abiezer the Anathothite, Sibbekai † the Hushathite, 28 Zalmon the Ahohite, Maharai the Netophathite; 29 Heleb son of Baanah, the Netophathite, Ithai son of Ribai from Gibeah of the Benjamites, 30 Benaiah the Pirathonite, Hiddai of the valleys of Gaash. 31 Abi-Albon the Arbathite, Azmaveth the Barhumite, 32 Eliahba the Shaalbonite, the sons of Jashen, Jonathan son of Shammah the Hararite; 33 Ahiam son of Sharar the Hararite, 34 Eliphelet son of Ahasbai the Maakathite, Eliam son of Ahithophel the Gilonite, 35 Hezro the Carmelite, Paarai the Arbite, 36 Igal son of Nathan from Zobah, Bani from the tribe of Gad, 37 Zelek the Ammonite, Naharai the Beerothite, armor bearer to Joab son of Zeruiah, 38 Ira the Ithrite, Gareb the Ithrite, 39 Uriah the Hittite—thirty-seven in all.

24

1 Again the anger of Yahweh was ignited against Israel, and he moved David against them saying, “Go, count Israel and Judah.” 2 The king said to Joab the commander of the army, who was with him, “Go throughout all the tribes of Israel, from Dan to Beersheba, and count all the people, so that I may know the total number of men fit for battle.” 3 Joab said to the king, “May Yahweh your God multiply the number of people a hundred times, and may the eyes of my master the king see it take place. But why does my master the king want this?” 4 Nevertheless, the king's word was final against Joab and against the commanders of the army. So Joab and the commanders went out from the king's presence to count the people of Israel. 5 They crossed over the Jordan and encamped near Aroer, south of the city in the valley. Then they traveled on through Gad to Jazer. 6 They came to Gilead and to the land of Tahtim Hodshi, then on to Dan Jaan and around toward Sidon. 7 They reached the stronghold of Tyre and all the cities of the Hivites and the Canaanites. Then they went out to the Negev in Judah at Beersheba. 8 When they had gone throughout all the land, they came back to Jerusalem at the end of nine months and twenty days. 9 Then Joab reported the total of the count of the fighting men to the king. There were in Israel 800,000 brave men who drew the sword, and the men of Judah were 500,000 men.

10 Then David's heart afflicted him after he had counted the men. So he said to Yahweh, “I have greatly sinned by doing this. Now, Yahweh, take away your servant's guilt, for I have acted very foolishly.” 11 When David rose up in the morning, the word of Yahweh came to the prophet Gad, David's seer, saying, 12 “Go say to David: 'This is what Yahweh says: “I am giving you three choices. Choose one of them.”'” 13 So Gad went to David and said to him, “Will three years of famine come to you in your land? Or will you flee three months from your enemies while they pursue you? Or will there be three days of plague in your land? Now decide what answer I should return to him who sent me.” 14 Then David said to Gad, “I am in deep trouble. Let us fall into Yahweh's hands rather than into the hand of man, for his merciful actions are very great.”

15 So Yahweh sent a plague on Israel from the morning to a fixed time, and seventy thousand people died from Dan to Beersheba. 16 When the angel reached out with his hand toward Jerusalem to destroy it, Yahweh changed his mind because of the harm it would cause, and he said to the angel who was destroying people, “Enough! Now draw back your hand.” At that time the angel of Yahweh was standing at the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite. 17 Then David spoke to Yahweh when he saw the angel who had attacked the people, and said, “I have sinned, and I have acted perversely. But these sheep, what have they done? Please let your hand punish me and my father's family!”

18 Then Gad came that day to David and said to him, “Go up and build an altar for Yahweh at the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.” 19 So David went up as Gad instructed him to do, as Yahweh had commanded. 20 Araunah looked out and saw the king and his servants approaching. So Araunah went out and bowed to the king with his face to the ground. 21 Then Araunah said, “Why has my master the king come to me, his servant?” David replied, “To buy your threshing floor, so I can build an altar for Yahweh, so that the plague may be removed from the people.” 22 Araunah said to David, “Take it as your own, my master the king. Do with it what is good in your sight. Look, here are oxen for the burnt offering and threshing sledges and ox yokes for the wood. 23 All this, my king, I, Araunah, will give to you.” Then he said to the king, “May Yahweh your God accept you.” 24 The king said to Araunah, “No, I insist on buying it at a price. I will not offer as a burnt offering to Yahweh anything that costs me nothing.” So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver. 25 David built an altar for Yahweh there and offered on it burnt offerings and fellowship offerings. So Yahweh answered the prayer on behalf of the land, and the plague on Israel was confined.

* 8:18 Comparing this verse with 1 Chron. 18:17, were the chief officials at the king's hand ; but the MT has, were priests .

* 17:25 Scholars disagree about whether the word describing Jether should be “Ishmaelite” as it is in some ancient Greek versions, or “Israelite” as it is in the ancient Hebrew text. Some scholars believe that “Israelite” is a scribal error in the Hebrew. “Ishmaelite” is the word used in a parallel passage (See: 1 Chron. 2:17), in both the ancient Hebrew and Greek texts.

* 21:8 Some versions read: Michal, but 2SA 6:23 says she had no children; or Michal may have been another name for Merab.

† 21:18 Instead of Gob in the Hebrew text, some versions have Gezeth or Gezer .

* 22:11 Some versions have, He flew on the wings of the wind .

* 23:8 Instead of Jeshbaal , some versions have Josheb-Basshebeth , Jashobeam , Ishbaal , or Ishbosheth . These all are probably forms of the same name.

† 23:27 Some LXX manuscripts have the name Sibbekai, see also 2SA 21:18 and 1CH 11:29. The Hebrew text has Mebunnai .

1 Kings

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First Kings

1

1 When King David was old and advanced in years, they covered him with blankets, but he could not keep warm. 2 So his servants said to him, “Let us look for a young virgin for our master the king. Let her serve the king and take care of him. Let her lie in his arms so that our master the king may keep warm.” 3 So they searched for a beautiful girl within all the borders of Israel. They found Abishag the Shunammite and brought her to the king. 4 The girl was very beautiful. She served the king and took care of him, but the king did not have sexual relations with her.

5 At that time, Adonijah son of Haggith exalted himself, saying, “I will be king.” So he prepared for himself chariots and horsemen with fifty men to run ahead of him. 6 His father had never troubled him, saying, “Why have you done this or that?” Adonijah was also a very handsome man, born next after Absalom. 7 He conferred with Joab son of Zeruiah and with Abiathar the priest. They followed Adonijah and helped him. 8 But Zadok the priest, Benaiah son of Jehoiada, Nathan the prophet, Shimei, Rei, and the mighty men who belonged to David did not follow Adonijah. 9 Adonijah sacrificed sheep, oxen, and fattened calves by the stone of Zoheleth, which is beside En Rogel. He invited all his brothers, the king's sons, and all the men of Judah, the king's servants. 10 But he did not invite Nathan the prophet, Benaiah, the mighty men, or his brother Solomon.

11 Then Nathan spoke to Bathsheba the mother of Solomon, saying, “Have you not heard that Adonijah son of Haggith has become king, and David our master does not know it? 12 Now therefore let me give you advice, so that you may save your own life and the life of your son Solomon. 13 Go to King David; say to him, 'My master the king, did you not swear to your servant, saying, “Surely Solomon your son will reign after me, and he will sit on my throne?” Why then is Adonijah reigning?' 14 While you are there speaking with the king, I will come in after you and confirm your words.”

15 So Bathsheba went into the king's room. The king was very old, and Abishag the Shunammite was serving the king. 16 Bathsheba bowed and prostrated herself before the king. Then the king said, “What do you desire?” 17 She said to him, “My master, you swore to your servant by Yahweh your God, saying, 'Surely Solomon your son shall reign after me, and he shall sit on my throne.' 18 Now, see, Adonijah is king, and you, my master the king, do not know it. 19 He has sacrificed oxen, fatted calves, and sheep in abundance, and has invited all the sons of the king, Abiathar the priest, and Joab the captain of the army, but he has not invited Solomon your servant. 20 As for you, my master the king, the eyes of all Israel are on you, waiting for you to tell them who will sit on the throne after you, my master. 21 Otherwise it will happen, when my master the king sleeps with his fathers, that I and my son Solomon will be regarded as criminals.”

22 While she was still speaking with the king, Nathan the prophet came in. 23 The servants told the king, “Nathan the prophet is here.” When he came in before the king, he prostrated himself before the king with his face to the ground. 24 Nathan said, “My master the king, have you said, 'Adonijah will reign after me, and he will sit on my throne?' 25 For he has gone down today and sacrificed oxen, fatted calves, and sheep in abundance, and has invited all the king's sons, the captains of the army, and Abiathar the priest. They are eating and drinking before him, and saying, 'Long live King Adonijah!' 26 But as for me, your servant, Zadok the priest, Benaiah son of Jehoiada, and your servant Solomon, he has not invited us. 27 Has my master the king done this without telling us, your servants, who should sit on the throne after him?”

28 Then King David answered and said, “Call Bathsheba back to me.” She came into the king's presence and stood before the king. 29 The king made an oath and said, “As Yahweh lives, who has redeemed me out of all trouble, 30 as I vowed to you by Yahweh, the God of Israel, saying, 'Solomon your son will reign after me, and he will sit on my throne in my place,' I will do this today.” 31 Then Bathsheba bowed with her face to the ground and prostrated herself before the king and said, “May my master King David live forever!”

32 King David said, “Call to me Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah son of Jehoiada.” So they came before the king. 33 The king said to them, “Take with you the servants of your master, and have Solomon my son ride on my own mule and take him down to Gihon. 34 Let Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet anoint him king over Israel and blow the trumpet and say, 'Long live King Solomon!' 35 Then you will come up after him, and he will come and sit on my throne; for he will be king in my place. I have appointed him to be ruler over Israel and Judah.” 36 Benaiah son of Jehoiada answered the king, and said, “So let it be! May Yahweh, the God of my master the king, confirm it. 37 As Yahweh has been with my master the king, so may he be with Solomon, and make his throne greater than the throne of my master King David.”

38 So Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, Benaiah son of Jehoiada, and the Kerethites and the Pelethites went down and had Solomon ride upon King David's mule; they brought him to Gihon. 39 Zadok the priest took the horn of oil out of the tent and anointed Solomon. Then they blew the trumpet, and all the people said, “Long live King Solomon!” 40 Then all the people went up after him, and the people played the flutes and rejoiced with great joy, so that the earth shook with their sound.

41 Adonijah and all the guests who were with him heard it as they finished eating. When Joab heard the sound of the trumpet, he said, “Why is there an uproar in the city?” 42 While he was still speaking, Jonathan son of Abiathar the priest came. Adonijah said, “Come in, for you are a worthy man and bring good news.” 43 Jonathan answered and said to Adonijah, “Our master King David has made Solomon the king, 44 and the king has sent with him Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, Benaiah son of Jehoiada, and the Kerethites and the Pelethites. They have had Solomon ride on the king's mule. 45 Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet have anointed him king at Gihon, and have come up from there rejoicing, so that the city is in an uproar. This is the noise that you have heard. 46 Also, Solomon is sitting on the throne of the kingdom. 47 Moreover, the king's servants came to bless our master King David, saying, 'May your God make the name of Solomon better than your name, and make his throne greater than your throne.' Then the king bowed down on the bed. 48 The king also said, 'Blessed be Yahweh, the God of Israel, who has given a person to sit on my throne this day, and that my own eyes should see it.'”

49 Then all the guests of Adonijah were terrified. They stood up and each man went his way. 50 Adonijah was afraid of Solomon and rose up, went, and took hold of the horns of the altar. 51 Then it was told Solomon, saying, “See, Adonijah is afraid of King Solomon, for he has laid hold on the horns of the altar, saying, 'Let King Solomon swear to me first that he will not kill his servant with the sword.'” 52 Solomon said, “If he will show himself a worthy man, not a hair of his will fall to the earth, but if wickedness is found in him, he will die.” 53 So King Solomon sent men, who brought Adonijah down from the altar. He came and bowed down to King Solomon, and Solomon said to him, “Go to your house.”

2

1 As the day of David's death approached, he commanded Solomon his son, saying, 2 “I am going the way of all the earth. Be strong, therefore, and show yourself a man. 3 Keep the commands of Yahweh your God to walk in his ways, to obey his statutes, his commandments, his decisions, and his covenant decrees, being careful to do what is written in the law of Moses, so you may prosper in all you do, wherever you go, 4 so that Yahweh may fulfill his word which he spoke concerning me, saying, 'If your sons carefully watch their conduct, to walk before me faithfully with all their heart and with all their soul, you will never cease to have a man on the throne of Israel.' 5 You know also what Joab son of Zeruiah did to me, and what he did to the two commanders of the armies of Israel, to Abner son of Ner, and to Amasa son of Jether, whom he killed. He shed the blood of war in peace and put the blood of war on the belt around his waist and on the shoes on his feet. 6 Deal with Joab by the wisdom you have learned, but do not let his gray head go down to the grave in peace. 7 However, show kindness to the sons of Barzillai the Gileadite, and let them be among those who eat at your table, for they came to me when I fled from Absalom your brother. 8 Look, there is with you Shimei son of Gera, the Benjamite of Bahurim, who cursed me with a violent curse on the day I went to Mahanaim. Shimei came down to meet me at the Jordan, and I swore to him by Yahweh, saying, 'I will not put you to death with the sword.' 9 Now therefore do not let him go free from punishment. You are a wise man, and you will know what you ought to do to him. You will bring his gray head down to the grave with blood.”

10 Then David slept with his ancestors and was buried in the city of David. 11 The days that David reigned over Israel were forty years. He had reigned for seven years in Hebron and for thirty-three years in Jerusalem. 12 Then Solomon sat on the throne of his father David, and his rule was firmly established.

13 Then Adonijah son of Haggith came to Bathsheba the mother of Solomon. She said, “Do you come peacefully?” He replied, “Peacefully.” 14 Then he said, “I have something to say to you.” So she replied, “Speak.” 15 Adonijah said, “You know that the kingdom was mine, and that all Israel expected me to be king. But things changed, and the kingdom was given to my brother, for it was his from Yahweh. 16 Now I have one request of you, and do not turn away from my face.” Bathsheba said to him, “Speak.” 17 He said, “Please speak to Solomon the king, for he will not turn away from your face, so that he may give me Abishag the Shunammite as my wife.” 18 Bathsheba said, “Very well, I will speak to the king.”

19 Bathsheba therefore went to King Solomon to speak to him for Adonijah. The king rose to meet her and bowed down to her. Then he sat down on his throne and had a throne brought for the king's mother. She sat at his right hand. 20 Then she said, “I wish to ask one small request of you, for you will not turn away from my face.” The king answered her, “Ask, my mother, for I will not turn away from your face.” 21 She said, “Let Abishag the Shunammite be given to Adonijah your brother as his wife.” 22 King Solomon answered and said to his mother, “Why do you ask Abishag the Shunammite for Adonijah? Why do you not ask the kingdom for him also, for he is my elder brother—for him, for Abiathar the priest, and for Joab son of Zeruiah?” 23 Then King Solomon swore by Yahweh, saying, “May God do so to me, and more also, if Adonijah has not spoken this word against his own life. 24 Now therefore as Yahweh lives, who has established me and set me on the throne of David my father, and who has made me a house as he promised, surely Adonijah will be put to death today.” 25 So King Solomon sent Benaiah son of Jehoiada, and Benaiah found Adonijah and put him to death.

26 Then to Abiathar the priest the king said, “Go to Anathoth, to your own fields. You are worthy of death, but I will not at this time put you to death, because you carried the ark of the Lord Yahweh before David my father and suffered in every way my father suffered.” * 27 So Solomon dismissed Abiathar from being priest to Yahweh, that he might fulfill the word of Yahweh, which he had spoken concerning the house of Eli at Shiloh.

28 The news came to Joab, for Joab had supported Adonijah, though he had not supported Absalom. So Joab fled to the tent of Yahweh and took hold of the horns of the altar. 29 It was told King Solomon that Joab had fled to the tent of Yahweh and was now beside the altar. Then Solomon sent Benaiah son of Jehoiada, saying, “Go, execute him.” 30 So Benaiah came to the tent of Yahweh and said to him, “The king says, 'Come out.'” Joab replied, “No, I will die here.” So Benaiah returned to the king, saying, “Joab said he wanted to die at the altar.” 31 The king said to him, “Do as he has said. Kill him and bury him so that you may take away from me and from my father's house the blood that Joab shed without cause. 32 May Yahweh return his blood on his own head, because he attacked two men more righteous and better than himself and killed them with the sword, Abner son of Ner, the captain of the army of Israel, and Amasa son of Jether, the captain of the army of Judah, without my father David knowing it. 33 So may their blood return on the head of Joab and on the head of his descendants forever. But to David and his descendants, and to his house, and to his throne, may there be peace forever from Yahweh.” 34 Then Benaiah son of Jehoiada went up and attacked Joab and killed him. He was buried in his own house in the wilderness. 35 The king put Benaiah son of Jehoiada over the army in his place, and he put Zadok the priest in Abiathar's place.

36 Then the king sent and called for Shimei, and said to him, “Build yourself a house in Jerusalem and live there, and do not go out from there to any other place. 37 For on the day you go out, and pass over the Kidron Valley, know you for certain that you will surely die. Your blood will be on your own head.” 38 So Shimei said to the king, “What you say is good. As my master the king has said, so your servant will do.” So Shimei lived in Jerusalem for many days.

39 But at the end of three years, two of the servants of Shimei ran away to Achish son of Maacah, the king of Gath. So they told Shimei, saying, “See, your servants are in Gath.” 40 Then Shimei arose, saddled his donkey and went to Achish in Gath to seek his servants. He went and brought his servants back from Gath. 41 When Solomon was told that Shimei had gone from Jerusalem to Gath and had returned, 42 the king sent and called for Shimei and said to him, “Did I not make you swear by Yahweh and testify to you, saying, 'Know for certain that on the day you go out and go to any other place, you will surely die'? Then you said to me, 'What you say is good.' 43 Why then have you not kept your oath to Yahweh and the command that I gave you?” 44 The king also said to Shimei, “You know in your heart all the wickedness that you did to my father David. Therefore Yahweh will return your wickedness on your own head. 45 But King Solomon will be blessed and the throne of David will be established before Yahweh forever.” 46 Then the king gave a command to Benaiah son of Jehoiada. He went out and put Shimei to death.

So the rule was well established in Solomon's hand.

3

1 Solomon allied himself by marriage with Pharaoh king of Egypt. He took Pharaoh's daughter and brought her into the city of David until he had finished building his own house, the house of Yahweh, and the wall around Jerusalem. 2 The people were sacrificing at the high places, because no house had yet been built for the name of Yahweh. 3 Solomon showed his love for Yahweh by walking in the statutes of David his father, except that he sacrificed and burned incense at the high places.

4 The king went to Gibeon to sacrifice there, for that was the great high place there. Solomon offered a thousand burnt offerings on that altar. 5 Yahweh appeared at Gibeon to Solomon in a dream by night; he said, “Ask! What should I give you?” 6 So Solomon said, “You have shown great covenant faithfulness to your servant, David my father, because he walked before you in trustworthiness, in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart. You have kept for him this great covenant faithfulness and have given him a son to sit on his throne today. 7 Now Yahweh my God, you have made your servant king in the place of David my father, though I am only a little child. I do not know how to go out or come in. 8 Your servant is in the midst of the people whom you have chosen, a great people, too numerous to be numbered or counted. 9 So give your servant an understanding heart to judge your people, so that I may discern between good and evil. For who is able to judge this great people of yours?”

10 This request of Solomon pleased the Lord. 11 So God said to him, “Because you have asked this thing and have not asked for yourself long life or riches or the life of your enemies, but have asked for yourself understanding to discern justice. 12 See, now I will do all you asked of me when you gave me your request. I give you a wise and an understanding heart, so that there has been no one like you before you, and no one like you will rise up after you. 13 I have also given you what you have not asked, both riches and honor, so that there will not be any among the kings like you all your days. 14 If you will walk in my ways to keep my statutes and my commandments, as your father David walked, then I will lengthen your days.” 15 Then Solomon awoke, and behold, it was a dream. He came to Jerusalem and stood before the ark of the covenant of the Lord. He offered up burnt offerings and peace offerings, and made a feast for all his servants.

16 Then two women who were prostitutes came to the king and stood before him. 17 One woman said, “Oh, my master, this woman and I live in the same house, and I gave birth to a child with her in the house. 18 It happened on the third day after I gave birth that this woman also gave birth. We were together. There was no one else with us in the house, but only the two of us in the house. 19 Then this woman's son died in the night, because she lay on him. 20 So she arose at midnight and took my son from beside me, while your servant slept, and laid him at her breast, and laid her dead son at my breast. 21 When I rose in the morning to nurse my child, he was dead. But when I had looked at him carefully in the morning, he was not my son, whom I had borne.” 22 Then the other woman said, “No, the living one is my son, and the dead one is your son.” The first woman said, “No, the dead one is your son, and the living one is my son.” This is how they spoke before the king.

23 Then the king said, “One of you says, 'This is my son who is alive, and your son is dead,' and the other says, 'No, your son is the dead one, and my son is the living one.'” 24 The king said, “Bring me a sword.” So they brought a sword before the king. 25 Then the king said, “Divide the living child in two, and give half to this woman and half to the other.” 26 Then the woman whose son was alive spoke to the king, for her heart was full of compassion for her son, and she said, “Oh, my master, give her the living child, and by no means kill him.” But the other woman said, “He shall be neither mine nor yours. Divide him.” 27 Then the king answered and said, “Give the first woman the living child, and by no means kill him. She is his mother.” 28 When all Israel heard of the judgment which the king had rendered, they feared the king, because they saw that the wisdom of God was in him for giving judgments.

4

1 King Solomon was king over all Israel. 2 These were his officials: Azariah son of Zadok was the priest. 3 Elihoreph and Ahijah sons of Shisha, were secretaries. Jehoshaphat son of Ahilud was the recorder. 4 Benaiah son of Jehoiada was over the army. Zadok and Abiathar were priests. * 5 Azariah son of Nathan was over the officers. Zabud son of Nathan was a priest and the king's friend. 6 Ahishar was over the household. Adoniram son of Abda was over the men who were subjected to forced labor.

7 Solomon had twelve officers over all Israel, who provided food for the king and his household. Each man had to make provision for one month in the year. 8 These were their names: Ben-Hur, in the hill country of Ephraim; 9 Ben-Deker in Makaz, Shaalbim, Beth Shemesh, and Elon Beth Hanan; 10 Ben-Hesed, in Arubboth (to him belonged Sokoh and all the land of Hepher); 11 Ben-Abinadab, in all Naphoth Dor (he had Taphath the daughter of Solomon as his wife); 12 Baana son of Ahilud, in Taanach and Megiddo, and all Beth Shan that is beside Zarethan below Jezreel, from Beth Shan to Abel Meholah as far as the other side of Jokmeam; 13 Ben-Geber, in Ramoth Gilead (to him belonged the towns of Jair son of Manasseh, that are in Gilead, and the region of Argob belonged to him, which is in Bashan, sixty great cities with walls and bronze gate bars); 14 Ahinadab son of Iddo, in Mahanaim; 15 Ahimaaz, in Naphtali (he also married Basemath the daughter of Solomon as his wife); 16 Baana son of Hushai, in Asher and Bealoth; 17 Jehoshaphat son of Paruah, in Issachar; 18 Shimei son of Ela, in Benjamin; 19 and Geber son of Uri, in the land of Gilead, the country of Sihon king of the Amorites and of Og king of Bashan, and he was the only official who was in the land.

20 Judah and Israel were as numerous as the sand by the sea. They were eating and drinking and were happy. 21 Solomon ruled over all the kingdoms from the River to the land of the Philistines and to the border of Egypt. They brought tribute and served Solomon all the days of his life. 22 Solomon's provision for one day was thirty cors of fine flour and sixty cors of meal, 23 ten fat oxen, twenty oxen out of the pastures, and one hundred sheep, besides deer, gazelles, roebucks, and fattened fowl. 24 For he had dominion over all the region on this side of the River, from Tiphsah as far as to Gaza, over all the kings on this side the River, and he had peace on all sides around him. 25 Judah and Israel lived in safety, every man under his vine and under his fig tree, from Dan to Beersheba, all the days of Solomon. 26 Solomon had forty thousand stalls of horses for his chariots, and twelve thousand horsemen. 27 Those officials provided food for King Solomon and for all who came to King Solomon's table, every man in his month. They let nothing be lacking. 28 They also brought to the proper place barley and straw for the chariot horses and riding horses, each one bringing in what he was able.

29 God gave Solomon great wisdom and understanding, and wideness of understanding like the sand on the seashore. 30 Solomon's wisdom exceeded the wisdom of all the people of the east and all the wisdom of Egypt. 31 He was wiser than all men—than Ethan the Ezrahite, Heman, Kalkol, and Darda, the sons of Mahol—and his fame reached all the surrounding nations. 32 He spoke three thousand proverbs and his songs were one thousand and five in number. 33 He described the plants, from the cedar that is in Lebanon to the hyssop that grows out of the wall. He explained also about beasts, birds, creeping things, and fish. 34 People came from all the nations to hear the wisdom of Solomon. They came from all kings of the earth who had heard of his wisdom.

5

1 Hiram king of Tyre sent his servants to Solomon for he had heard that they had anointed him king in place of his father; for Hiram had always loved David. 2 Solomon sent word to Hiram, saying, 3 “You know that David my father could not build a house for the name of Yahweh his God because of the wars that surrounded him, for during his lifetime Yahweh was putting his enemies under the soles of his feet. 4 But now, Yahweh my God has given me rest on every side. There is neither adversary nor disaster. 5 So I intend to build a temple for the name of Yahweh my God, as Yahweh spoke to David my father, saying, 'Your son, whom I will set on your throne in your place, will build the temple for my name.' 6 Now therefore command that they cut cedars from Lebanon for me. My servants will join your servants, and I will pay you for your servants so that you are paid fairly for everything you agreed to do. For you know there is no one among us who knows how to cut timber like the Sidonians.”

7 When Hiram heard the words of Solomon, he rejoiced greatly and said, “May Yahweh be blessed today, who has given to David a wise son over this great people.” 8 Hiram sent word to Solomon, saying, “I have heard the message that you have sent to me. I will provide all the wood of cedar and cypress that you desire. 9 My servants will bring the trees down from Lebanon to the sea, and I will make them into rafts to go by sea to the place that you direct me. I will have them broken up there, and you will take them away. You will do what I desire by giving food for my household.” 10 So Hiram gave Solomon all the timber of cedar and fir that he desired. 11 Solomon gave Hiram twenty thousand measures of wheat for food to his household and twenty measures of pure oil. Solomon gave this to Hiram year by year. 12 Yahweh gave Solomon wisdom, as he promised him. There was peace between Hiram and Solomon, and the two of them made a covenant.

13 King Solomon conscripted labor out of all Israel. The forced laborers numbered thirty thousand men. 14 He sent them to Lebanon, ten thousand a month in shifts. One month they were in Lebanon and two months at home. Adoniram was over the men who were subjected to forced labor. 15 Solomon had seventy thousand who carried burdens and eighty thousand who were stonecutters in the mountains, 16 besides Solomon's 3,300 chief officers who were over the work and who supervised the workers. 17 At the king's command they quarried large stones of high quality with which to lay the foundation of the temple. 18 So Solomon's builders and Hiram's builders and the Gebalites did the cutting and prepared the timber and the stones to build the temple.

6

1 So Solomon began to build the temple of Yahweh. This happened in the 480th year after the people of Israel came out of the land of Egypt, in the fourth year of Solomon's reign over Israel, in the month of Ziv, which is the second month. 2 The temple that King Solomon built for Yahweh was sixty cubits long, twenty cubits wide, and thirty cubits high. 3 The portico in front of the temple's main hall was twenty cubits in length, equal to the width of the temple, and ten cubits deep in front of the temple. 4 For the house he made windows with frames that made them more narrow at the outside than on the inside. 5 Against the walls of the main chamber he built rooms around it, around both the outer room and the inner room. He built rooms all around the sides. 6 The lowest story was five cubits wide, the middle was six cubits wide, and the third was seven cubits wide. For on the outside he made offsets in the wall of the house all around so that the beams would not be inserted in the walls of the house. 7 The house was built of stones prepared at the quarry. No hammer, ax, or any iron tool was heard in the house while it was being built. 8 On the south side of the temple there was an entrance at the ground level, then one went up by stairs to the middle level, and from the middle to the third level. 9 So Solomon built the temple and finished it; he covered the house with beams and planks of cedar. 10 He built the side rooms against the inner chambers of the temple, each side five cubits high; they were joined to the house with timbers of cedar.

11 The word of Yahweh came to Solomon, saying, 12 “Concerning this temple which you are building, if you walk in my statutes and do justice, keep all my commandments and walk in them, then I will confirm my promise with you that I had made to David your father. 13 I will live among the people of Israel and will not forsake them.”

14 So Solomon built the house and finished it. 15 Then he built the interior walls of the house with boards of cedar. From the floor of the house to the ceiling, he covered them on the inside with wood, and he covered the floor of the house with cypress boards. 16 He built twenty cubits onto the rear of the house with boards of cedar from the floor to the ceiling. He built this room to be the inner room, the most holy place. 17 The main hall, that is, the holy place that was in front of the most holy place, was forty cubits long. 18 There was cedar inside the house, carved in the shape of gourds and open flowers. All was cedar inside. No stonework was visible on the inside. 19 Solomon prepared the inner room inside the house in order to place the ark of the covenant of Yahweh there. 20 The inner room was twenty cubits in length, twenty cubits in width, and twenty cubits in height. Solomon overlaid the walls with pure gold and covered the altar with cedar wood. 21 Solomon overlaid the inside of the temple with pure gold, and he placed chains of gold across the front of the inner room, and overlaid the front with gold. 22 He overlaid the entire interior with gold until all the temple was finished. He also overlaid with gold the whole altar that belonged to the inner room.

23 Solomon made two cherubim of olivewood, each ten cubits high, for the inner room. 24 One wing of the first cherub was five cubits long and its other wing was also five cubits long. So from the tip of one wing to the tip of the other there was a distance of ten cubits. 25 The other cherub also had a wingspan ten cubits. Both the cherubim were of the same dimensions and shape. 26 The height of one cherub was ten cubits and the other cherub was the same. 27 Solomon placed the cherubim in the innermost room. The wings of the cherubim were stretched out so that the wing of one touched one wall and the wing of the other cherub touched the other wall. Their wings touched one another in the middle of the most holy place. 28 Solomon overlaid the cherubim with gold.

29 He carved all the walls of the house around about with figures of cherubim, palm trees, and open flowers, in the outer and inner rooms. 30 Solomon overlaid the floor of the house with gold, in both the outer and inner rooms. 31 Solomon made doors of olivewood for the entrance to the inner room. The lintel and doorposts had five indented sections. 32 So he made two doors of olivewood, and he made on them carvings of cherubim, palm trees, and open flowers. He overlaid them with gold and he spread the gold on the cherubim and palm trees. 33 In this way, Solomon also made for the temple entrance doorposts of olive wood having four indented sections 34 and two doors of cypress wood. The two leaves of the one door were folding and the two leaves of the other door were folding. 35 He carved on them cherubim, palm trees, and open flowers, and he evenly overlaid gold on the carved work. 36 He built the inner courtyard with three rows of cut stone and a row of cedar beams.

37 The foundation of the house of Yahweh was laid in the fourth year, in the month of Ziv. 38 In the eleventh year, in the month of Bul, which is the eighth month, the house was finished in all its parts and conforming to all its specifications. Solomon took seven years to build the temple.

7

1 Solomon took thirteen years to build his own palace. 2 He built the Palace of the Forest of Lebanon. Its length was one hundred cubits, its width was fifty cubits, and its height was thirty cubits. The palace was built with four rows of cedar pillars with cedar beams on the pillars. 3 The house was roofed with cedar that rested on beams. Those beams were supported by pillars. There were forty-five beams, fifteen in a row. 4 There were beams in three rows, and each window was opposite another window in three sets. 5 All the doors and posts were made square with beams, and window was opposite window in three sets. 6 There was a colonnade fifty cubits long and thirty cubits wide, with a portico in front and pillars and a roof. 7 Solomon built the hall of the throne where he was to judge, the hall of justice. It was covered with cedar from floor to floor. * 8 Solomon's house in which he was to live, in another courtyard within the palace grounds, was similarly designed. He also built a house like this for Pharaoh's daughter, whom he had taken as a wife.

9 These buildings were adorned with costly hewn stones, precisely measured and cut with a saw and smoothed on all sides. These stones were used from the foundation to the stones on top, and also on the outside to the great court. 10 The foundation was constructed with very large, costly stones of eight and ten cubits in length. 11 Above were costly hewn stones precisely cut to size, and cedar beams. 12 The great courtyard surrounding the palace had three rows of cut stone and a row of cedar beams like the courtyard of the temple of Yahweh and the temple portico.

13 King Solomon sent for Huram and brought him from Tyre. 14 Huram was the son of a widow of the tribe of Naphtali; his father was a man of Tyre, a craftsman in bronze. Huram was filled with wisdom and understanding and skill to do great work with bronze. He came to King Solomon to work with bronze for the king. 15 Huram fashioned the two pillars of bronze, each eighteen cubits high and twelve cubits in circumference. 16 He made two capitals of polished bronze to set on the tops of the pillars. The height of each capital was five cubits. 17 Checker latticework and wreaths of chain work for the capitals decorated the top of the pillars, seven for each capital. 18 So Huram made two rows of pomegranates around the top of each pillar to decorate their capitals. 19 The capitals on the tops of the portico pillars were decorated with lilies, four cubits high. 20 The capitals on these two pillars also included, close to their very top, two hundred pomegranates in rows all around. 21 He raised up the pillars at the temple portico. The pillar on the right was named Jakin, and the pillar on the left was named Boaz. 22 On the top of the pillars were decorations like lilies. The fashioning of the pillars was done in this way.

23 Huram made the round sea of cast metal, ten cubits from brim to brim. Its height was five cubits, and the sea was thirty cubits in circumference. 24 Under the brim encircling the sea were gourds, ten in each cubit, cast in one piece with “The Sea,” when that basin was cast. 25 “The Sea” stood on twelve oxen, three looking toward the north, three looking toward the west, three looking toward the south, and three looking toward the east. “The Sea” was set on top of them, and all their hindquarters were toward the inside. 26 The sea was as thick as the width of a hand, and its brim was forged like the brim of a cup, like a lily blossom. The sea held two thousand baths of water.

27 Huram made the ten stands of bronze. Each stand was four cubits long and four cubits wide, and the height was three cubits. 28 The work of the stands was like this. They had panels that stood between frames, 29 and on the panels and on the frames were lions, oxen, and cherubim. Above and below the lions and oxen were wreaths of hammered work. 30 Every stand had four bronze wheels and axles, and its four corners had supports beneath for the basin. The supports were cast with wreaths on the side of each one. 31 The opening was round like a pedestal, a cubit and a half wide, and was within a crown that rose up a cubit. On the opening were engravings, and their panels were square, not round. 32 The four wheels were underneath the panels, and the axles of the wheels and their housings were in the stand. The height of a wheel was a cubit and a half. 33 The wheels were forged like chariot wheels. Their housings, rims, spokes, and hubs were all cast metal. 34 There were four handles at the four corners of each stand, forged into the stand itself. 35 In the top of the stands there was a round band half a cubit deep, and on the top of the stand its supports and panels were attached. 36 On the surfaces of the supports and on the panels Huram engraved cherubim, lions, and palm trees that covered the space available, and they were surrounded by wreaths. 37 He made the ten stands in this manner. All of them were cast in the same molds, and they had one size, and the same shape.

38 Huram made ten basins of bronze. One basin could hold forty baths of water. Each basin was four cubits across and there was one basin on each of ten stands. 39 He made five stands on the south-facing side of the temple and five on the north-facing side of the temple. He set “The Sea” on the east corner, facing toward the south of the temple.

40 Huram made the basins and the shovels and the sprinkling bowls. Then he finished all the work that he did for King Solomon in the temple of Yahweh: 41 the two pillars, and the bowl-like capitals that were on top of the two pillars, and the two sets of decorative latticework to cover the two bowl like capitals that were on top of the pillars. 42 He made the four hundred pomegranates for the two sets of decorative latticework (two rows of pomegranates for each set of latticework to cover the two bowl-like capitals that were on the pillars); 43 the ten stands, and the ten basins on the stands. 44 He made the large basin called “The Sea” with its twelve oxen under it; 45 also the pots, shovels, basins, and all the other implements. Huram made them out of polished bronze, for King Solomon, for the temple of Yahweh. 46 The king had cast them in the plain of the Jordan, in the clay ground between Succoth and Zarethan. 47 Solomon did not weigh all the utensils because there were too many to weigh, because the weight of the bronze could not be measured.

48 Solomon had made all the furnishings that were in the temple of Yahweh out of gold: the golden altar and the table on which the bread of the presence was to be placed; 49 the lampstands, five on the right side and five on the left, in front of the inner room, were of pure gold, and the flowers, the lamps, and the tongs were of gold. 50 Solomon also had made the cups, lamp trimmers, basins, spoons, and incense burners, all of which were made of pure gold; he had sockets of gold made for the doors of the inner room (which was the most holy place), and for the doors of the main hall of the temple.

51 In this way, all the work that King Solomon directed for the house of Yahweh was finished. So Solomon brought in the things that were set apart by David, his father, and the silver, the gold, and the furnishings, and put them into the storerooms of the house of Yahweh.

8

1 Then Solomon assembled the elders of Israel, all the heads of the tribes, and the leaders of the families of the people of Israel, before himself in Jerusalem, to bring up the ark of the covenant of Yahweh from the city of David, that is, Zion. 2 All the men of Israel assembled before King Solomon at the feast, in the month of Ethanim, which is the seventh month. 3 All the elders of Israel came, and the priests took up the ark. 4 They brought up the ark of Yahweh, the tent of meeting, and all the holy furnishings that were in the tent. The priests and the Levites brought these things up. 5 King Solomon and all the assembly of Israel came together before the ark, sacrificing sheep and oxen that could not be counted. 6 The priests brought in the ark of the covenant of Yahweh to its place, into the inner room of the house, to the most holy place, under the wings of the cherubim. 7 For the cherubim spread out their wings to the place of the ark, and they covered the ark and the poles by which it was carried. 8 The poles were so long that their ends were seen from the holy place in front of the inner room, but they could not be seen from outside. They are there to this day. 9 There was nothing in the ark except the two tablets of stone that Moses had put there at Horeb, when Yahweh made a covenant with the people of Israel when they came out of the land of Egypt. 10 It came about that when the priests came out of the holy place, the cloud filled the temple of Yahweh. 11 The priests could not stand to serve because of the cloud, for the glory of Yahweh filled his house.

12 Then Solomon said,

“Yahweh has said that

he would live in thick darkness,

13 But I have built you

a lofty residence,

a place for you to live in forever.” 14 Then the king turned around and blessed all the assembly of Israel, while all the assembly of Israel was standing. 15 He said, “May Yahweh, the God of Israel, be praised, who spoke to David my father, and has fulfilled it with his own hands, saying, 16 'Since the day that I brought my people Israel out of Egypt, I chose no city out of all the tribes of Israel in which to build a house, in order for my name to be there. However, I chose David to rule over my people Israel.' 17 Now it was in the heart of David my father to build a house for the name of Yahweh, the God of Israel. 18 But Yahweh said to David my father, 'In that it was in your heart to build a house for my name, you did well for it to be in your heart. 19 Nevertheless you will not build the house; instead, your son, one who will be born from your loins, will build the house for my name.' 20 Yahweh has carried out the word that he had said, for I have arisen in the place of David my father, and I sit on the throne of Israel, as Yahweh promised. I have built the house for the name of Yahweh, the God of Israel. 21 I have made a place for the ark there, in which is Yahweh's covenant, which he made with our fathers when he brought them out of the land of Egypt.”

22 Solomon stood before the altar of Yahweh, before all the assembly of Israel, and spread out his hands toward the heavens. 23 He said, “Yahweh, God of Israel, there is no God like you in the heavens above or on the earth below, who keeps his covenant faithfulness with your servants who walk before you with all their heart; 24 you who have kept with your servant David my father, what you promised him. Yes, you spoke with your mouth and have fulfilled it with your hand, as it is today. 25 Now then, Yahweh, God of Israel, carry out what you have promised to your servant David my father, when you said, 'You will not fail to have a man in my sight to sit on the throne of Israel, if only your descendants are careful to walk before me, as you have walked before me.' 26 Now then, God of Israel, let your word be confirmed, which you have spoken to your servant David my father.

27 But will God actually live on the earth? Look, the entire universe and heaven itself cannot contain you—how much less can this temple that I have built! 28 Yet please respect this prayer of your servant and his request, Yahweh my God; listen to the cry and prayer that your servant prays before you today. 29 May your eyes be open toward this temple night and day, to the place about which you have said, 'My name and my presence will be there'—in order to listen to the prayers that your servant will pray toward this place. 30 So listen to the request of your servant and of your people Israel when we pray toward this place. Yes, listen from the place where you live, from the heavens; and when you listen, forgive.

31 If a man sins against his neighbor and is required to swear an oath, and if he comes and swears an oath before your altar in this house, 32 listen from the heavens and act. Judge your servants, condemning the guilty and bringing what he has done upon his own head. Declare the innocent not guilty and give to him according to his righteousness.

33 When your people Israel are defeated by an enemy because they have sinned against you, if they turn back to you, confess your name, pray, and request forgiveness from you in this temple— 34 then please listen in the heavens and forgive the sin of your people Israel; bring them back to the land that you gave to their ancestors.

35 When the skies are shut up and there is no rain because the people have sinned against you—if they pray toward this place, confess your name, and turn from their sin when you have afflicted them— 36 then listen in heaven and forgive the sin of your servants and of your people Israel, when you teach them the good way in which they should walk. Send rain on your land, which you have given to your people as an inheritance.

37 Suppose there is famine in the land, or suppose that there is disease, blight or mildew, locusts or caterpillars; or suppose that an enemy attacks the city gates in their land, or that there is any plague or sickness— 38 and suppose then that prayers and requests are made by a person or by all your people Israel—each knowing the plague in his own heart as he spreads out his hands toward this temple. 39 Then listen from heaven, the place where you live, forgive and act, and reward every person for all he does; you know his heart, because you and you only know the hearts of all human beings. 40 Do this so that they may fear you all the days that they live on the land that you gave to our ancestors.

41 In addition, concerning the foreigner who does not belong to your people Israel: When he comes from a distant country because of your name— 42 for they will hear of your great name, your mighty hand, and your raised arm—when he comes and prays toward this temple, 43 then please listen from heaven, the place where you live, and do whatever the foreigner asks of you. Do this so that all the peoples on earth may know your name and fear you, as do your own people Israel. Do this so they might know that this house I have built is called by your name.

44 Suppose that your people go out to battle against an enemy, by whatever way you may send them, and suppose that they pray to you, Yahweh, toward the city that you have chosen, and toward the house that I have built for your name. 45 Then listen in the heavens to their prayer and their request, and help their cause.

46 Suppose that they sin against you, since there is no one who does not sin, and suppose that you are angry with them and deliver them to the enemy, so that the enemy takes them away captive to their land, whether distant or near. 47 Then suppose that they realize they are in the land where they have been exiled, and suppose that they repent and seek favor from you from the land of their captors. Suppose that they say, 'We have acted perversely and sinned. We have behaved wickedly.' 48 Suppose that they return to you with all their heart and with all their soul in the land of their enemies who captured them, and suppose that they pray to you toward their land, which you gave to their ancestors, and toward the city that you chose, and toward the house that I have built for your name. 49 Then from heaven, the place where you live, listen to their prayer and their request for help, and you will make matters right for them. 50 Forgive your people who have sinned against you, and all their transgressions that they have committed against you, and make them objects of compassion before their conquerors, and cause their conquerors to have compassion on them. 51 They are your people whom you have chosen, whom you rescued out of Egypt as if from the middle of a furnace where iron is forged. 52 May your eyes be open to the request of your servant and to the requests of your people Israel, to listen to them whenever they cry to you. 53 For you separated them from among all the peoples of the earth to belong to you and receive your promises, just as you explained by Moses your servant, when you brought our fathers out of Egypt, Lord Yahweh.”

54 So it was that when Solomon had finished praying all this prayer and request to Yahweh, he arose from before the altar of Yahweh, from kneeling on his knees with his hands spread out toward the heavens. 55 He stood and blessed all the assembly of Israel in a loud voice, saying, 56 “May Yahweh be praised, who has given rest to his people Israel, keeping all his promises. Not one word has failed out of all Yahweh's good promises that he made with Moses his servant. 57 May Yahweh our God be with us, as he was with our ancestors. May he never leave us or forsake us, 58 that he may incline our hearts to him, to live in all his ways and keep his commandments and his regulations and his statutes, which he commanded our fathers. 59 Let these words I have spoken, by which I have made request before Yahweh, be near Yahweh our God day and night, so that he may help the cause of his servant and the cause of his people Israel, as every day will require; 60 that all the peoples of the earth may know that Yahweh, he is God, and there is no other God! 61 Therefore let your heart be true to Yahweh our God, to walk in his statutes and keep his commandments, as on this day.”

62 So the king and all Israel with him offered sacrifices to Yahweh. 63 Solomon offered a sacrifice of fellowship offerings to Yahweh: twenty-two thousand oxen and 120,000 sheep. So the king and all the people of Israel dedicated the house of Yahweh. 64 The same day the king set apart the middle of the courtyard in front of the temple of Yahweh, for there he offered the burnt offerings, the grain offerings, and the fat of the fellowship offerings, because the bronze altar that was before Yahweh was too small to receive the burnt offering, the grain offerings, and the fat of the fellowship offerings. 65 So Solomon held the feast at that time, and all Israel with him, a great assembly, from Lebo Hamath to the brook of Egypt, before Yahweh our God for seven days and also for another seven days, a total of fourteen days. 66 On the eighth day he sent the people away, and they blessed the king and went to their homes with joyful and glad hearts for all the goodness that Yahweh had shown to David, his servant, and to Israel, his people.

9

1 After Solomon had finished building the house of Yahweh and the king's palace, and after he had accomplished all that he wanted to do, 2 Yahweh appeared to Solomon a second time, as he had appeared to him at Gibeon. 3 Then Yahweh said to him, “I have heard your prayer and your request that you have made before me. I have set apart this house, which you have built, to myself, to put my name there forever. My eyes and my heart will be there for all time. 4 As for you, if you walk before me as David your father walked in integrity of heart and in uprightness, obeying all that I have commanded you and keeping my statutes and my decrees, 5 then I will establish the throne of your kingdom over Israel forever, as I promised David your father, saying, 'A descendant of yours will never fail to be on the throne of Israel.' 6 But if you turn away, you or your children, and do not keep my commandments and my statutes that I have placed before you, and if you go and worship other gods and bow down to them, 7 then will I cut off Israel from off the ground that I have given them; and this house that I have set apart to my name, I will cast it out of my sight, and Israel will become an example to be mocked and an object of ridicule among all peoples. 8 This temple will become a heap of ruins, and everyone who passes by it will be shocked and will hiss. They will ask, 'Why has Yahweh done this to this land and to this house?' 9 Others will answer, 'Because they forsook Yahweh, their God, who had brought their ancestors out of the land of Egypt, and they laid hold of other gods and bowed down to them and worshiped them. That is why Yahweh has brought all this disaster on them.'” 10 It came about at the end of twenty years that Solomon had finished building the two buildings, the temple of Yahweh and the king's palace. 11 Now Hiram, the king of Tyre, had furnished Solomon with cedar and cypress trees, and with gold—all that Solomon desired—so King Solomon gave Hiram twenty cities in the land of Galilee. 12 Hiram came out from Tyre to see the cities that Solomon had given him, but they did not please him. 13 So Hiram said, “What cities are these which you have given me, my brother?” Hiram called them the Land of Kabul, which they are still called today. 14 Hiram had sent to the king 120 talents of gold.

15 This is the account of the forced labor which King Solomon imposed to build the temple of Yahweh and his own palace, the Millo, the wall of Jerusalem, and Hazor, and Megiddo, and Gezer. 16 Pharaoh king of Egypt had gone up and taken Gezer. He burned it and killed the Canaanites in the city. Then Pharaoh gave the city to his daughter, Solomon's wife, as a wedding gift. 17 So Solomon rebuilt Gezer and Beth Horon the Lower, 18 Baalath and Tamar * in the wilderness in the land of Judah, 19 and all the store cities that he possessed, and the cities for his chariots and the cities for his horsemen, and whatever he wished to build for his pleasure in Jerusalem, in Lebanon, and in all the lands under his rule. 20 As for all the people who were left of the Amorites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, who were not of the people of Israel, 21 their descendants who were left after them in the land, whom the people of Israel were not able to totally destroy—Solomon made them into forced laborers, which they are to this day. 22 However, Solomon made no forced laborers of the people of Israel. Instead, they became his soldiers and his servants, his officials, and his officers and commanders of his chariot forces and his horsemen.

23 These were also the chief officers managing the supervisors who were over Solomon's works, 550 of them, who supervised the people who did the work.

24 Pharaoh's daughter moved from the city of David to the house that Solomon had built for her. Later, Solomon built the Millo.

25 Three times each year Solomon offered burnt offerings and peace offerings on the altar that he built for Yahweh, burning incense with them on the altar that was before Yahweh. So he completed the temple and was now using it.

26 King Solomon built a fleet of ships in Ezion Geber, which is near Elath on the shore of the Red Sea, in the land of Edom. 27 Hiram sent servants to Solomon's fleet, sailors who were familiar with the sea, with Solomon's own servants. 28 They went to Ophir with servants of Solomon. From there they brought back 420 talents of gold for King Solomon.

10

1 When the queen of Sheba heard of Solomon's fame concerning the name of Yahweh, she came to test him with hard questions. 2 She came to Jerusalem with a very long caravan, with camels loaded with spices, much gold, and many precious gemstones. When she arrived, she told Solomon all that was in her heart. 3 Solomon answered all her questions. There was nothing she asked that the king did not answer. 4 When the queen of Sheba saw all Solomon's wisdom, the palace that he had built, 5 the food on his table, the seating of his servants, the work of his servants and their clothing, also his cupbearers, and the manner in which he offered burnt offerings in the house of Yahweh, there was no more breath in her. 6 She said to the king, “It is true, the report that I heard in my own land of your words and your wisdom. 7 I did not believe what I heard until I came here, and now my eyes have seen it. Not half was told me about your wisdom and wealth! You have exceeded the fame that I heard about. 8 How blessed are your wives, and how blessed are your servants who constantly stand before you, because they hear your wisdom. * 9 May Yahweh your God be praised, who has taken pleasure in you, who placed you on the throne of Israel. Because Yahweh loved Israel forever, he has made you king, for you to do justice and righteousness!” 10 She gave the king 120 talents of gold and a large amount of spices and precious stones. No greater amount of spices as these that the queen of Sheba gave to King Solomon was ever given to him again.

11 The fleet of Hiram, which brought gold from Ophir, also brought from Ophir a large amount of almug wood and precious stones. 12 The king made almug wood pillars for the temple of Yahweh and for the king's palace, and harps and lyres for the singers. No such quantity of almug wood has ever come or been seen again to this day.

13 King Solomon gave to the queen of Sheba everything she wished for, whatever she asked, in addition to what Solomon gave her of his royal bounty. So she returned to her own land with her servants.

14 Now the weight of gold that came to Solomon in one year was 666 talents of gold, 15 besides the gold that the traders and merchants brought. All the kings of Arabia and the governors in the country also brought gold and silver to Solomon. 16 King Solomon made two hundred large shields of beaten gold. Six hundred shekels of gold went into each one. 17 He also made three hundred shields of beaten gold. Three minas of gold went into each shield; the king put them into the Palace of the Forest of Lebanon. 18 Then the king made a great throne of ivory and overlaid it with the finest gold. 19 There were six steps to the throne, and the back of it had a rounded top. There were armrests on each side of the seat, and two lions standing beside the armrests. 20 Twelve lions stood on the steps, one on each side of each of the six steps. There was no throne like it in any other kingdom. 21 All King Solomon's drinking cups were gold, and all the drinking cups in the Palace of the Forest of Lebanon were of pure gold. None were silver, because silver was not considered valuable in Solomon's days. 22 The king had at sea a fleet of oceangoing ships, along with the fleet of Hiram. Once every three years the fleet brought gold, silver, and ivory, as well as apes and baboons.

23 So King Solomon exceeded all the kings of the world in riches and in wisdom. 24 All the earth sought the presence of Solomon in order to hear his wisdom, which God had put in his heart. 25 Those who visited brought tribute, vessels of silver and of gold, and clothes, armor, and spices, as well as horses and mules, year after year.

26 Solomon gathered together chariots and horsemen. He had 1,400 chariots and twelve thousand horsemen that he stationed in the chariot cities and with himself in Jerusalem. 27 The king had silver in Jerusalem, as much as the stones on the ground. He made cedar wood to be as abundant as the sycamore fig trees that are in the lowlands. 28 The horses that belonged to Solomon were imported from Egypt, and Kue and the king's merchants purchased them from Kue. 29 Chariots were purchased out of Egypt for six hundred shekels of silver each, and horses for 150 shekels each. Many of these were then sold to all the kings of the Hittites and Aram.

11

1 Now King Solomon loved many foreign women including the daughter of Pharaoh—women of the Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Sidonians, and Hittites. 2 They were from the nations about which Yahweh said to the people of Israel, “You will not go among them to marry, neither will they come among you, for they will certainly turn your heart to their gods.” In spite of this command, Solomon was affectionate toward these women in love. 3 Solomon had seven hundred royal wives and three hundred concubines. His wives turned his heart away. 4 For when Solomon grew old, his wives turned away his heart after other gods; his heart was not fully surrendered to Yahweh his God, as was the heart of David his father. 5 For Solomon followed Ashtoreth, the goddess of the Sidonians, and he followed Molech, the disgusting idol of the Ammonites. 6 Solomon did what was evil in the sight of Yahweh; he did not fully follow Yahweh as David his father had done. 7 Then Solomon built a high place for Chemosh, the disgusting idol of Moab, on a hill east of Jerusalem, and also for Molech, the disgusting idol of the people of Ammon. 8 He also built high places for all his foreign wives, who burned incense and sacrificed to their gods at them.

9 Yahweh was angry with Solomon, because his heart had turned away from him, the God of Israel, even though he had appeared to him twice 10 and commanded him about this very thing, that he should not go after other gods. But Solomon did not obey what Yahweh commanded. 11 Therefore Yahweh said to Solomon, “Because you have done this and have not kept the covenant and my statutes that I have commanded you, I will surely tear the kingdom from you and give it to your servant. 12 However, for David your father's sake, I will not do it in your lifetime, but I will tear it out of the hand of your son. 13 Yet I will not tear away all the kingdom; I will give one tribe to your son for David my servant's sake, and for the sake of Jerusalem, which I have chosen.”

14 Then Yahweh raised up an adversary to Solomon, Hadad the Edomite. He was from the royal family of Edom. 15 When David was in Edom, Joab the captain of the army had gone up to bury the dead, every man who had been killed in Edom. 16 Joab and all Israel remained there six months until he had killed every male in Edom. 17 But Hadad was taken with other Edomites by his father's servants into Egypt, since Hadad was still a little child. 18 They left Midian and came to Paran, from where they took men with them to Egypt, to Pharaoh king of Egypt, who gave him a house and land and food. 19 Hadad found great favor in the sight of Pharaoh, so that Pharaoh gave him a wife, his own wife's sister, the sister of Tahpenes the queen. 20 The sister of Tahpenes gave birth to Hadad's son. They named him Genubath. Tahpenes raised him in Pharaoh's palace. So Genubath lived in Pharaoh's palace among the children of Pharaoh. 21 While he was in Egypt, Hadad heard that David had lain down with his ancestors and that Joab the captain of the host was dead, Hadad said to Pharaoh, “Let me depart, so I may go to my own country.” 22 Then Pharaoh said to him, “But what have you lacked with me, that you now seek to go to your own country?” Hadad answered, “Nothing. Please let me go.”

23 God also raised up another adversary to Solomon, Rezon son of Eliada, who had fled from his master Hadadezer king of Zobah. 24 Rezon gathered men to himself and became captain over a small force, when David defeated the men of Zobah. Rezon's men went to Damascus and lived there, and Rezon controlled Damascus. 25 He was an enemy of Israel all the days of Solomon, along with the trouble that Hadad caused. Rezon abhorred Israel and reigned over Aram.

26 Then Jeroboam son of Nebat, an Ephraimite of Zeredah, an official of Solomon, whose mother's name was Zeruah, a widow, also lifted up his hand against the king. 27 He lifted up his hand against the king because Solomon had built up the place located at Millo and repaired the opening in the city wall of David his father. 28 Jeroboam was a mighty man of valor. Solomon saw that the young man was industrious, so he gave him command over all the labor of the house of Joseph. 29 At that time, when Jeroboam went out of Jerusalem, the prophet Ahijah the Shilonite found him on the road. Now Ahijah had dressed in a new garment and the two men were alone in the field. 30 Then Ahijah grabbed hold of the new garment that was on him and tore it into twelve pieces. 31 He said to Jeroboam, “Take ten pieces, for Yahweh, the God of Israel, says, 'Look, I will tear the kingdom out of the hand of Solomon and I will give ten tribes to you 32 (but Solomon will have one tribe, for my servant David's sake and for Jerusalem's sake—the city that I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel), 33 because they have forsaken me and have worshiped Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, Chemosh the god of Moab, and Molech the god of the people of Ammon. They have not walked in my ways, to do what is right in my eyes, and to keep my statutes and my decrees, as did David his father. 34 However, I will not take the whole kingdom out of Solomon's hand. Instead, I have made him ruler all the days of his life, for David my servant's sake whom I chose, the one who kept my commandments and my statutes. 35 But I will take the kingdom out of his son's hand and I will give it to you, ten tribes. 36 I will give one tribe to Solomon's son, so that David my servant may always have a lamp before me in Jerusalem, the city in which I have chosen to put my name. 37 I will take you, and you will rule to fulfill all that you desire, and you will be king over Israel. 38 If you listen to all that I command you, and if you walk in my ways and do what is right in my eyes, to keep my statutes and my commandments, as David my servant did, then I will be with you and will build you a sure house, as I built for David, and will give Israel to you. 39 I will punish the descendants of David, but not forever.'” 40 So Solomon tried to kill Jeroboam. But Jeroboam got up and fled into Egypt, to Shishak king of Egypt, and he remained in Egypt until the death of Solomon.

41 As for the other matters concerning Solomon, all that he did and his wisdom, are they not written in the book of the events of Solomon? 42 Solomon reigned in Jerusalem over all Israel for forty years. 43 He slept with his ancestors and he was buried in the city of David his father. Rehoboam his son became king in his place.

12

1 Rehoboam went to Shechem, for all Israel was coming to Shechem to make him king. 2 It happened that Jeroboam son of Nebat heard of this (for he was still in Egypt, where he had fled from the presence of King Solomon), for Jeroboam had settled down in Egypt. * 3 So they sent and called him, and Jeroboam and all the assembly of Israel came and said to Rehoboam, 4 “Your father made our yoke heavy. Now make lighter the hard work of your father and make lighter the heavy yoke that he put on us, and we will serve you.” 5 Rehoboam said to them, “Go away for three days, then come back to me.” So the people went away.

6 King Rehoboam consulted with the old men who had stood before Solomon his father while he was alive, and he said, “How do you advise me to answer this people?” 7 They spoke to him and said, “If you will be a servant today to these people and serve them, and answer them by saying good words to them, then they will always be your servants.” 8 But Rehoboam ignored the advice that the old men had given him and he consulted with the young men who had grown up with him and stood before him. 9 He said to them, “What advice do you give me that we may answer the people who spoke to me and said, 'Lighten the yoke that your father put on us'?” 10 The young men who had grown up with Rehoboam spoke to him, saying, “Speak to these people who told you that your father Solomon made their yoke heavy but that you must make it lighter. You should say to them, 'My little finger is thicker than my father's waist. 11 So now, although my father burdened you with a heavy yoke, I will add to your yoke. My father punished you with whips, but I will punish you with scorpions.'”

12 So Jeroboam and all the people came to Rehoboam on the third day, as the king had instructed when he said, “Come back to me on the third day.” 13 The king answered the people roughly and ignored the advice of the old men that they had given him. 14 He spoke to them following the advice of the young men; he said, “My father burdened you with a heavy yoke, but I will add to your yoke. My father punished you with whips, but I will punish you with scorpions.” 15 So the king did not listen to the people, for it was a turn of events brought about by Yahweh, that he might carry out his word that he had spoken by Ahijah the Shilonite to Jeroboam son of Nebat.

16 When all Israel saw that the king did not listen to them, the people answered him and said,

“What share do we have in David?

We have no inheritance in the son of Jesse!

Go to your tents, Israel.

Now see to your own house, David.”

So Israel went back to their tents. 17 But as for the people of Israel who lived in the cities of Judah, Rehoboam became king over them. 18 Then King Rehoboam sent Adoniram, who was over the forced laborers, but all Israel stoned him to death with stones. King Rehoboam fled quickly in his chariot to Jerusalem. 19 So Israel has been in rebellion against the house of David to this day. 20 It happened that when all Israel heard that Jeroboam had returned, they sent and called him to their assembly and made him king over all Israel. There was no one who followed the family of David, except only the tribe of Judah.

21 When Rehoboam arrived in Jerusalem, he assembled all the house of Judah and the tribe of Benjamin; there were 180,000 chosen men who were soldiers, to fight against the house of Israel, to restore the kingdom to Rehoboam son of Solomon. 22 But the word of God came to Shemaiah, the man of God; it said, 23 “Speak to Rehoboam son of Solomon, king of Judah, to all the house of Judah and Benjamin, and to the rest of the people; say, 24 'Yahweh says this: You must not attack or fight against your brothers the people of Israel. Each man must return to his home, for this thing has been made to happen by me.'” So they listened to the word of Yahweh and turned back and went their way, and they obeyed his word.

25 Then Jeroboam built Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim, and lived there. He went out from there and built Peniel. 26 Jeroboam thought in his heart, “Now the kingdom will return to the house of David. 27 If these people go up to offer sacrifices in the temple of Yahweh at Jerusalem, then the heart of these people will turn again to their master, to Rehoboam king of Judah. They will kill me and return to Rehoboam king of Judah.” 28 So King Jeroboam sought advice and made two calves of gold; he said to the people, “It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem. Look, these are your gods, Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt.” 29 He set up one in Bethel and the other in Dan. 30 So this act became a sin. The people went to one or the other, all the way to Dan. 31 Jeroboam made houses on high places and he also made priests from among all the people, who were not among the sons of Levi. 32 Jeroboam ordained a feast in the eighth month, on the fifteenth day of the month, like the feast that is in Judah, and he went up to the altar. He did so at Bethel, sacrificing to the calves that he had made, and he placed in Bethel the priests of the high places he had made. 33 Jeroboam went up to the altar that he had made in Bethel on the fifteenth day in the eighth month, in the month he had planned in his own mind; he ordained a feast for the people of Israel and went up to the altar to burn incense.

13

1 A man of God came out of Judah by the word of Yahweh to Bethel. Jeroboam was standing by the altar to burn incense. 2 He cried against the altar by the word of Yahweh: “Altar, altar! This is what Yahweh says, 'See, a son named Josiah will be born to the family of David, and on you he will sacrifice the priests of the high places who now burn incense on you. On you they will burn human bones.'” 3 Then the man of God gave a sign the same day, saying, “This is the sign that Yahweh has spoken: 'Look, the altar will be split apart, and the ashes on it will be poured out.'” 4 When the king heard what the man of God said, that he had cried out against the altar at Bethel, Jeroboam reached out with his hand from the altar, saying, “Seize him.” Then the hand with which he had reached out against the man dried up, so that he could not draw it back to himself. 5 (The altar was also split apart and the ashes poured out from the altar, as described by the sign that the man of God had given by the word of Yahweh.) 6 King Jeroboam answered and said to the man of God, “Plead for the favor of Yahweh your God and pray for me, so that my hand may be restored to me again.” So the man of God prayed to Yahweh, and the king's hand was restored to him again, and it became as it was before. 7 The king said to the man of God, “Come home with me and refresh yourself, and I will give you a reward.” 8 The man of God said to the king, “Even if you give me half your possessions, I will not go with you, nor will I eat food or drink water in this place, 9 because Yahweh commanded me by his word, 'You will eat no bread nor drink water, nor return by the way that you came.'” 10 So the man of God left another way and did not return to his home by the way that he had come to Bethel.

11 Now there was an old prophet living in Bethel, and one of his sons came and told him all the things that the man of God had done that day in Bethel. His sons also told him the words that the man of God had spoken to the king. 12 Their father said to them, “Which way did he go?” Now his sons had seen the way the man of God from Judah had gone. 13 So he said to his sons, “Saddle the donkey for me.” So they saddled the donkey and he rode off on it. 14 The old prophet went after the man of God and found him sitting under an oak tree; and he said to him, “Are you the man of God who came from Judah?” He answered, “I am.” 15 Then the old prophet said to him, “Come home with me and eat food.” 16 The man of God answered, “I may not return with you nor go in with you, neither will I eat food nor drink water with you in this place, 17 because it was commanded to me by the word of Yahweh, 'You will eat no food nor drink water there, nor return by the way that you came.'” 18 So the old prophet said to him, “I also am a prophet as you are, and an angel spoke to me by the word of Yahweh, saying, 'Bring him back with you into your house, that he may eat food and drink water.'” But he was lying to the man of God. 19 So the man of God went back with the old prophet and ate food in his house and drank water.

20 As they sat at the table, the word of Yahweh came to the prophet who had brought him back, 21 and he cried to the man of God who came from Judah, saying, “Yahweh says, 'Because you have been disobedient to the word of Yahweh and have not kept the command that Yahweh your God gave you, 22 but came back and have eaten food and drunk water in the place about which Yahweh told you to eat no food and drink no water, your body will not be buried in the tomb of your fathers.'” 23 After he had eaten food and after he had drunk, the prophet saddled the donkey of the man of God, the man who had come back with him. 24 When the man of God was gone, a lion met him on the road and killed him, and his body was left on the road. Then the donkey stood by it, and the lion also stood by the body. 25 When men passed by and saw the body left on the road, and the lion standing by the body, they came and told it in the city where the old prophet lived.

26 When the prophet who had brought him back from the way heard it, he said, “It is the man of God who disobeyed the word of Yahweh. Therefore Yahweh gave him to the lion, which tore him to pieces and killed him, just as the word of Yahweh warned him.” 27 So the old prophet spoke to his sons, saying, “Saddle my donkey,” and they saddled it. 28 He went and found the body left in the road, and the donkey and the lion standing by the body. The lion had not eaten the body, nor attacked the donkey. 29 The prophet took up the body of the man of God, laid it on the donkey, and brought it back. He came to his own city to mourn and to bury him. 30 He laid the body in his own grave, and they mourned over him, saying, “Woe, my brother!” 31 Then after he had buried him, the old prophet spoke to his sons, saying, “When I am dead, bury me in the tomb in which the man of God is buried. Lay my bones beside his bones. 32 For the message he declared by the word of Yahweh, against the altar in Bethel and against all the houses on the high places in the cities of Samaria, will certainly happen.”

33 After this Jeroboam did not turn from his evil way, but continued to appoint common priests for the high places from among all sorts of people. Any who would serve he consecrated as a priest. 34 This matter became sin to the family of Jeroboam and caused his family to be destroyed and to be exterminated from the face of the earth.

14

1 At that time Abijah son of Jeroboam became very sick. 2 Jeroboam said to his wife, “Please arise and disguise yourself, so you will not be recognized as my wife, and go to Shiloh, because Ahijah the prophet is there; he is the one who spoke about me, saying that I would become king over these people. 3 Take with you ten loaves, some cakes, and a jar of honey, and go to Ahijah. He will tell you what will happen to the child.” 4 Jeroboam's wife did so; she left and went to Shiloh and came to the house of Ahijah. Now Ahijah could not see; he lost his sight because of old age. 5 Yahweh said to Ahijah, “Look, the wife of Jeroboam is coming to seek advice from you regarding her son, for he is sick. Say such and such to her, because when she comes, she will act as if she were some other woman.”

6 When Ahijah heard the sound of her feet as she came in at the door, he said, “Come in, wife of Jeroboam. Why do you pretend to be someone you are not? I have been sent to you with bad news. 7 Go, tell Jeroboam that Yahweh, the God of Israel, says, 'I raised you from among the people to make you the leader over my people Israel. 8 I tore the kingdom away from the family of David and gave it to you, yet you have not been like my servant David, who kept my commandments and followed me with all his heart, to do only what was right in my eyes. 9 Instead, you have done evil, more than all who were before you. You have made other gods, and you have cast metal images to provoke me to anger, and have thrust me behind your back. 10 Therefore, look, I will bring disaster on your family; I will cut off from you every male child in Israel, whether slave or free, and will completely remove your family, like someone who burns up dung until it is gone. 11 Anyone who belongs to your family who dies in the city will be eaten by dogs, and anyone who dies in the field will be eaten by the birds of the heavens, for I, Yahweh, have said it.' 12 So arise, wife of Jeroboam, and go back to your home; when your feet enter the city, the child Abijah will die. 13 All Israel will mourn for him and bury him. He is the only one from Jeroboam's family who will go into a grave, because only in him, out of Jeroboam's house, was anything good found in the sight of Yahweh, the God of Israel. 14 Also, Yahweh will raise up a king of Israel who will cut off the family of Jeroboam on that day. Today is that day, right now. 15 For Yahweh will attack Israel as a reed is shaken in the water, and he will root up Israel out of this good land that he gave to their ancestors. He will scatter them beyond the Euphrates River, because they have made their Asherah poles and provoked Yahweh to anger. 16 He will give Israel up because of the sins of Jeroboam, the sins that he has committed, and through which he has led Israel to sin.”

17 So Jeroboam's wife arose and left, and came to Tirzah. As she came to the threshold of her house, the child died. 18 All Israel buried him and mourned for him, just as it was told to them by the word of Yahweh which he had spoken by his servant Ahijah the prophet.

19 As for the other matters concerning Jeroboam, how he waged war and how he reigned, see, they are written in the book of the events of the kings of Israel. 20 Jeroboam reigned twenty-two years and then slept with his ancestors, and Nadab his son became king in his place.

21 Now Rehoboam son of Solomon was reigning in Judah. Rehoboam was forty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned seventeen years in Jerusalem, the city that Yahweh had chosen out of all the tribes of Israel in which to put his name. His mother's name was Naamah the Ammonite woman. 22 Judah did what was evil in the sight of Yahweh; they provoked him to jealousy with the sins that they committed, more than everything that their fathers had done. 23 For they also built for themselves high places, stone pillars, and Asherah poles on every high hill and under every green tree. 24 There were also cultic prostitutes in the land. They did the same despicable practices as the nations that Yahweh had driven out before the people of Israel.

25 It happened in the fifth year of King Rehoboam that Shishak king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem. 26 He took away the treasures in the house of Yahweh, and the treasures in the king's house. He took everything away; he also took all the shields of gold that Solomon had made. 27 King Rehoboam made shields of bronze in their place and entrusted them into the hands of the commanders of the guard, who guarded the doors to the king's house. 28 It happened that whenever the king entered the house of Yahweh, the guards would carry them; then they would bring them back into the guardhouse.

29 As for the other matters concerning Rehoboam, and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the events of the kings of Judah? 30 There was constant warfare between Rehoboam and Jeroboam. 31 So Rehoboam slept with his ancestors and was buried with them in the city of David. His mother's name was Naamah the Ammonite woman. Abijah his son became king in his place.

15

1 In the eighteenth year of King Jeroboam son of Nebat, Abijah began to reign over Judah. 2 He ruled for three years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Maacah. She was the daughter of Abishalom. 3 He walked in all the sins that his father had committed before his time; his heart was not devoted to Yahweh his God as the heart of David, his ancestor, had been. 4 Nevertheless, for David's sake, Yahweh his God gave him a lamp in Jerusalem by raising up his son after him in order to strengthen Jerusalem. 5 God did this because David had done what was right in his eyes; for all the days of his life, he had not turned away from anything that he commanded him, except only in the matter of Uriah the Hittite. 6 Now there was war between Rehoboam and Jeroboam all the days of Abijah's life.

7 As for the other matters of Abijah, all that he did, are they not written in the book of the events of the kings of Judah? There was war between Abijah and Jeroboam. 8 Abijah slept with his ancestors, and they buried him in the city of David. Asa his son became king in his place.

9 In the twentieth year of Jeroboam king of Israel, Asa began to reign over Judah. 10 He ruled forty-one years in Jerusalem. His grandmother's name was Maacah, the daughter of Abishalom. 11 Asa did what was right in the eyes of Yahweh, as David, his ancestor, had done. 12 He expelled the cultic prostitutes from the land and removed all the idols that his ancestors had made. 13 He also removed Maacah, his grandmother, from being queen, because she had made a disgusting figure out of an Asherah pole. Asa cut down the disgusting figure and burned it at the Kidron Valley. 14 But the high places were not taken away. Nevertheless, Asa's heart was completely devoted to Yahweh all his days. 15 He brought into the house of Yahweh the things that were set apart by his father, and his own things that had been set apart that were made of silver and gold, and vessels.

16 There was war between Asa and Baasha king of Israel, all their days. 17 Baasha king of Israel, acted aggressively against Judah and built up Ramah, so that he might not allow anyone to leave or enter into the land of Asa king of Judah. 18 Then Asa took all the silver and gold left in the storerooms in the house of Yahweh, and the storerooms of the king's palace. He put it into the hands of his servants and sent it to Ben Hadad son of Tabrimmon son of Hezion, the king of Aram, who lived in Damascus. He said, 19 “Let there be a covenant between me and you, as there was between my father and your father. Look, I have sent to you a gift of silver and gold. Break your covenant with Baasha king of Israel, so that he may leave me alone.” 20 Ben Hadad listened to King Asa and sent the commanders of his armies, and they attacked the cities of Israel. They attacked Ijon, Dan, Abel of Beth Maacah, and all Kinnereth, together with all the land of Naphtali. 21 It came about that when Baasha heard this, he stopped building up Ramah and went back to Tirzah. 22 Then King Asa made a proclamation to all Judah. No one was exempted. They carried away the stones and timbers of Ramah with which Baasha had been building up the city. Then King Asa used that building material to build up Geba of Benjamin and Mizpah.

23 As for the other matters of Asa, all his might, all that he did, and the cities he built, are they not written in the book of the events of the kings of Judah? But during his old age he was diseased in his feet. 24 Then Asa slept with his ancestors and was buried with them in the city of David his father. Jehoshaphat his son became king in his place.

25 Nadab son of Jeroboam began to reign over Israel in the second year of Asa king of Judah; he reigned over Israel two years. 26 He did what was evil in the sight of Yahweh and walked in the way of his father, and in his own sin, by which he led Israel to sin. 27 Baasha son of Ahijah, of the family of Issachar, conspired against Nadab; Baasha killed him down at Gibbethon, which belonged to the Philistines, for Nadab and all Israel were laying siege to Gibbethon. 28 In the third year of Asa king of Judah, Baasha killed Nadab and became king in his place. 29 As soon as he was king, Baasha killed all the family of Jeroboam. He left none of Jeroboam's descendants breathing; in this way he destroyed his royal line, just as Yahweh had spoken by his servant Ahijah the Shilonite, 30 for the sins of Jeroboam which he committed and by which he led Israel to sin, because he provoked Yahweh, the God of Israel, to anger.

31 As for the other matters concerning Nadab, and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the events of the kings of Israel? 32 There was war between Asa and Baasha king of Israel all their days.

33 In the third year of Asa king of Judah, Baasha son of Ahijah began to reign over all Israel in Tirzah and he reigned twenty-four years. 34 He did what was evil in the sight of Yahweh and walked in the way of Jeroboam and in his sin by which he led Israel to sin.

16

1 The word of Yahweh came to Jehu son of Hanani against Baasha, saying, 2 “Although I exalted you out of the dust and made you leader over my people Israel, you have walked in the way of Jeroboam and have made my people Israel to sin, so as to provoke me to anger with their sins. 3 See, I will completely sweep away Baasha and his family and I will make your family like the family of Jeroboam son of Nebat. 4 The dogs will eat anyone belonging to Baasha who dies in the city, and the birds of the sky will eat anyone who dies in the fields.”

5 As for the other matters concerning Baasha, what he did, and his might, are they not written in the book of the events of the kings of Israel? 6 Baasha slept with his ancestors and was buried in Tirzah, and Elah his son became king in his place. 7 So by the prophet Jehu son of Hanani the word of Yahweh came against Baasha and his family, both because of all the evil that he did in the sight of Yahweh, so as to provoke him to anger with the work of his hands, like the family of Jeroboam, and also because he had killed all of Jeroboam's family.

8 In the twenty-sixth year of Asa king of Judah, Elah son of Baasha began to reign over Israel in Tirzah; he reigned two years. 9 His servant Zimri, captain of half his chariots, conspired against him. Now Elah was in Tirzah, drinking himself drunk in the house of Arza, who was over the household in Tirzah. 10 Zimri went in, attacked him and killed him, in the twenty-seventh year of Asa king of Judah, and became king in his place. 11 When Zimri began to reign and was seated on his throne, he killed all the family of Baasha. He did not leave alive a single male belonging to Baasha's relatives or friends. 12 So Zimri destroyed all the family of Baasha, according to the word of Yahweh which he spoke against Baasha by Jehu the prophet, 13 for all the sins of Baasha and the sins of Elah his son that they committed, and by which they had led Israel to sin, so that they provoked Yahweh, the God of Israel, to anger with their idols. 14 As for the other matters concerning Elah, all that he did, are they not written in the book of the events of the kings of Israel?

15 In the twenty-seventh year of Asa king of Judah, Zimri reigned only for seven days in Tirzah. Now the army was camped by Gibbethon, which belonged to the Philistines. 16 The army camped there heard it said, “Zimri has plotted and has killed the king.” So that day in the camp, all Israel declared Omri, the commander of the army, king over Israel. 17 Omri went up from Gibbethon and all Israel with him, and they besieged Tirzah. 18 So when Zimri saw that the city had been taken, he went into the fortress attached to the king's palace and set fire to the building over him; in this way he died in the flames. 19 This was for the sins that he had committed in doing what was evil in the sight of Yahweh, by walking in the way of Jeroboam and in the sin that he had committed, so as to lead Israel to sin. 20 As for the other matters concerning Zimri, and the treason that he carried out, are they not written in the book of the events of the kings of Israel?

21 Then the people of Israel were divided into two parts. Half of the people followed Tibni son of Ginath, to make him king, and half followed Omri. 22 But the people who followed Omri were stronger than the people who followed Tibni son of Ginath. So Tibni died, and Omri became king. 23 Omri began to reign over Israel in the thirty-first year of Asa king of Judah, and he reigned twelve years. He reigned from Tirzah for six years. 24 He bought the hill of Samaria from Shemer for two talents of silver. He built a city on the hill and called the name of the city Samaria, after the name of Shemer, the past owner of the hill. 25 Omri did what was evil in the sight of Yahweh and acted more wickedly than all who had been before him. 26 For he walked in all the ways of Jeroboam son of Nebat and in his sins by which he led Israel to sin, to provoke Yahweh, the God of Israel, to be angry with their worthless idols. 27 As for the other matters concerning Omri which he did, and the might that he showed, are they not written in the book of the events of the kings of Israel? 28 So Omri slept with his ancestors and was buried in Samaria and Ahab his son became king in his place.

29 In the thirty-eighth year of Asa king of Judah, Ahab son of Omri began to reign over Israel. Ahab son of Omri reigned over Israel in Samaria twenty-two years. 30 Ahab son of Omri did what was evil in the sight of Yahweh, more than all those who were before him. 31 It was to Ahab a trivial thing to walk in the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, so he took as his wife Jezebel the daughter of Ethbaal, king of the Sidonians; he went and worshiped Baal and bowed down to him. 32 He built an altar for Baal in the house of Baal, which he had built in Samaria. 33 Ahab made an Asherah pole. Ahab did even more to provoke Yahweh, the God of Israel, to anger than all the kings of Israel who had been before him. 34 During Ahab's rule, Hiel of Bethel rebuilt Jericho. Hiel laid the foundation of the city at the cost of the life of Abiram, his firstborn son; and Segub, his youngest son, lost his life while he was building the gates of the city, in keeping with the word of Yahweh which he spoke by Joshua son of Nun.

17

1 Elijah the Tishbite, from Tishbe in Gilead, said to Ahab, “As Yahweh, the God of Israel lives, before whom I stand, there will not be dew or rain these years unless I say so.” 2 The word of Yahweh came to Elijah, saying, 3 “Leave from here and go eastward; hide yourself by the brook Kerith, east of the Jordan. 4 It will happen that you will drink from the brook, and I have commanded the ravens to feed you there.” 5 So Elijah went and did as the word of Yahweh commanded. He went to live by the brook Kerith, east of the Jordan. 6 The ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning and bread and meat in the evening, and he drank from the brook. 7 But after a while the brook dried up because there was no rain in the land.

8 The word of Yahweh came to him, saying, 9 “Arise, go to Zarephath, which belongs to Sidon, and live there. Look, I have commanded a widow there to provide for you.” 10 So he arose and went to Zarephath, and when he came to the gate of the city a widow was there gathering sticks. So he called to her and said, “Please bring me a little water in a jar so that I may drink.” 11 As she was going to get water he called to her, and said, “Please bring me a piece of bread in your hand.” 12 She replied, “As Yahweh your God lives, I do not have any bread, but only a handful of meal in a jar and a little oil in a jug. See, I am gathering two sticks so I may go in and cook it for me and my son, that we may eat it, and die.” 13 Elijah said to her, “Do not fear. Go and do as you have said, but make me a little bread first and bring it out to me. Then afterward make some for you and for your son. 14 For Yahweh, the God of Israel, says, 'The jar of meal will not empty, neither will the jug of oil stop flowing, until the day that Yahweh sends rain on the earth.” 15 So she did as Elijah had told her. She and Elijah, along with her household, ate for many days. 16 The jar of meal did not empty, neither did the jug of oil stop flowing, just as the word of Yahweh had said, as he had spoken by Elijah.

17 After these things the woman's son, the woman who owned the house, fell sick. His sickness was so severe that there was no more breath left in him. 18 So his mother said to Elijah, “What do you have against me, man of God? Have you come to me to remind me of my sin and to kill my son?” 19 Then Elijah replied to her, “Give me your son.” He took the boy from her arms and carried him up into the room where he was staying, and he laid the boy on his own bed. 20 He cried to Yahweh and said, “Yahweh my God, have you also brought disaster on the widow with whom I am staying, by killing her son?” 21 Then Elijah stretched himself on the child three times; he cried out to Yahweh and said, “Yahweh my God, I beg you, please let this child's life return to him.” 22 Yahweh listened to the voice of Elijah; the life of the child returned to him, and he revived. 23 Elijah took the child and brought him out of his room down into the house; he handed the boy to his mother and said, “See, your son is alive.” 24 The woman said to Elijah, “Now I know that you are a man of God, and that the word of Yahweh in your mouth is true.”

18

1 So after many days the word of Yahweh came to Elijah, in the third year of the drought, saying, “Go, show yourself to Ahab and I will send rain on the land.” 2 Elijah went to show himself to Ahab; now the famine was severe in Samaria. 3 Ahab called Obadiah, who was in charge of the palace. Now Obadiah honored Yahweh very much, 4 for when Jezebel was killing the prophets of Yahweh, Obadiah took one hundred prophets and hid them by fifties in a cave and fed them with bread and water. 5 Ahab said to Obadiah, “Go through the land to all the water springs and brooks. Perhaps we will find grass and save the horses and mules alive, so that we will not lose all the animals.” 6 So they divided the land between them to pass through it and look for water. Ahab went one way by himself and Obadiah went another way.

7 As Obadiah was on the road, Elijah unexpectedly met him. Obadiah recognized him and lay facedown on the ground. He said, “Is it you, my master Elijah?” 8 Elijah answered him, “It is I. Go tell your master, 'Look, Elijah is here.'” 9 Obadiah replied, “How have I sinned, that you would give your servant into the hand of Ahab, for him to kill me? 10 As Yahweh your God lives, there is no nation or kingdom where my master has not sent men to find you. Whenever a nation or kingdom says, 'Elijah is not here,' Ahab makes them take an oath swearing that they could not find you. 11 Yet now you say, 'Go, tell your master that Elijah is here.' 12 As soon as I am gone from you, the Spirit of Yahweh will carry you some place I do not know. Then when I go and tell Ahab, and when he cannot find you, he will kill me. Yet I, your servant, have worshiped Yahweh from my youth. 13 Has it not been told to you, my master, what I did when Jezebel killed the prophets of Yahweh, how I hid one hundred of Yahweh's prophets by fifties in a cave and fed them with bread and water? 14 Now you say to me, 'Go and tell your master that Elijah is here,' so that he will kill me.” 15 Then Elijah responded, “As Yahweh of hosts lives, before whom I stand, I will surely show myself to Ahab today.”

16 So Obadiah went to meet Ahab, and told him what Elijah said. Then the king went to meet Elijah. 17 When Ahab saw Elijah, he said to him, “Is it you? You are the one who brings trouble to Israel!” 18 Elijah answered, “I have not brought trouble to Israel, but you and your father's family are the ones who have caused trouble by abandoning the commandments of Yahweh and by following the Baals. 19 Now then, send word and gather to me all Israel at Mount Carmel, along with the 450 prophets of Baal and the four hundred prophets of Asherah who eat at Jezebel's table.”

20 So Ahab sent word to all the people of Israel and gathered the prophets together at Mount Carmel. 21 Elijah came near to all the people and said, “How long will you keep changing your mind? If Yahweh is God, follow him. But if Baal is God, then follow him.” Yet the people did not answer him a word. 22 Then Elijah said to the people, “I, I alone, am left as a prophet of Yahweh, but Baal's prophets are 450 men. 23 So let them give us two bulls. Let them choose one bull for themselves and cut it in pieces, and lay it on the wood, but put no fire under it. Then I will prepare the other bull and lay it on the wood, and put no fire under it. 24 Then you will call on the name of your god, and I will call on the name of Yahweh, and the God who answers by fire, then let him be God.” So all the people answered and said, “This is good.”

25 So Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, “Choose one bull for yourselves and prepare it first, for you are many people. Then call on the name of your god, but put no fire under the bull.” 26 They took the bull that was given to them and prepared it, and they called on the name of Baal from morning until noon, saying, “Baal, hear us.” But there was no voice, nor anyone who answered. They danced around the altar they had made. 27 At noon Elijah mocked them and said, “Shout out loudly! He is a god! Perhaps he is thinking, or is relieving himself, or he is traveling on a journey, or perhaps he is sleeping and must be awakened.” 28 So they shouted more loudly, and they cut themselves, as they usually did, with swords and spears, until their blood flowed out over themselves. 29 Midday passed, and they were still raving until the time of offering of the evening sacrifice, but there was no voice or anyone to answer; there was no one who paid any attention to their pleadings.

30 Then Elijah said to all the people, “Come near to me,” and all the people came near to him. Then he repaired the altar of Yahweh that was lying in ruin. 31 Elijah took twelve stones, each stone representing one of the tribes of the sons of Jacob—it was Jacob to whom the word of Yahweh came, saying, “Israel will be your name.” 32 With the stones he built an altar in the name of Yahweh and he dug a trench around the altar large enough to contain two seahs of seeds. 33 He arranged the wood for a fire, cut the bull in pieces, and laid the pieces of the bull on the wood. He said, “Fill four jars with water and pour it on the burnt offering and on the wood.” 34 Then he said, “Do it a second time,” and they did it a second time. Once more he said, “Do it a third time,” and they did it a third time. 35 The water ran around the altar and filled the trench. 36 It happened at the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, that Elijah the prophet came near and said, “Yahweh, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Israel, let it be known this day that you are God in Israel, and that I am your servant, and that I have done all these things at your word. 37 Hear me, Yahweh, hear me, that these people may know that you, Yahweh, are God, and that you have turned their heart back again to yourself.” 38 Then the fire of Yahweh fell and consumed the burnt offering, as well as the wood, the stones, and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench. 39 When all the people saw this, they lay facedown on the ground and said, “Yahweh, he is God! Yahweh, he is God!” 40 So Elijah said to them, “Take the prophets of Baal. Do not let one of them escape.” So they took them, and Elijah brought the prophets of Baal down to the Kishon River and killed them there.

41 Elijah said to Ahab, “Get up, eat and drink, for there is the sound of much rain.” 42 So Ahab went up to eat and to drink. Then Elijah went up to the top of Carmel, bowed himself down on the earth and put his face between his knees. 43 He said to his servant, “Go up now, look toward the sea.” His servant went up and looked and said, “There is nothing.” So Elijah said, “Go again, seven times.” 44 At the seventh time the servant said, “Look, there is a cloud going up from the sea, as small as a man's hand.” Elijah replied, “Go up and say to Ahab, 'Make ready your chariot and go down before the rain stops you.'” 45 It happened that in a little while the heavens grew black with clouds and wind, and there was a great rain. Ahab rode and went to Jezreel, 46 but the hand of Yahweh was on Elijah. He tucked his robe in his belt and ran before Ahab to the entrance of Jezreel.

19

1 Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done and how he had killed all the prophets with the sword. 2 Then Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah, saying, “So may the gods do to me, and more also, if I do not make your life like the life of one of those dead prophets by tomorrow about this time.” 3 When Elijah heard that, he arose and fled for his life and came to Beersheba, which belongs to Judah, and left his servant there. 4 But he himself went a day's journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a broom tree. He requested for himself that he might die, and said, “It is enough, now, Yahweh; take away my life, for I am no better than my dead ancestors.” 5 So he lay down and slept under a broom tree. Suddenly an angel touched him and said to him, “Get up and eat.” 6 Elijah looked, and near his head was bread that had been baked on coals and a jug of water. So he ate and drank and then lay down again. 7 The angel of Yahweh came again a second time and touched him and said, “Get up and eat, because the journey will be too much for you.” 8 So he arose and ate and drank, and he traveled in the strength of that food forty days and forty nights to Horeb, the mountain of God.

9 He went to a cave there and stayed in it. Then the word of Yahweh came to him and said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” 10 Elijah replied, “I have been very zealous for Yahweh, God of hosts, for the people of Israel have forsaken your covenant, destroyed your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword. Now I, only I, am left and they are also trying to take my life.” 11 Yahweh replied, “Go out and stand on the mountain before me.” Then Yahweh passed by, and a very strong wind struck the mountains and broke rocks into pieces before Yahweh, but Yahweh was not in the wind. Then after the wind, an earthquake came, but Yahweh was not in the earthquake. 12 Then after the earthquake a fire came, but Yahweh was not in the fire. Then after the fire, a still small voice came. 13 When Elijah heard the voice, he wrapped his face in his cloak, went out, and stood at the entrance of the cave. Then a voice came to him that said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” 14 Elijah replied, “I have been very zealous for Yahweh, God of hosts, because the people of Israel have forsaken your covenant, destroyed your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword. Now I, only I, am left and they are also trying to take my life.”

15 Then Yahweh said to him, “Go, return on your way to the wilderness of Damascus, and when you arrive you will anoint Hazael to be king over Aram, 16 and you will anoint Jehu son of Nimshi to be king over Israel, and you will anoint Elisha son of Shaphat of Abel Meholah to be prophet in your place. 17 It will happen that Jehu will kill whoever escapes from the sword of Hazael, and that Elisha will kill whoever escapes from the sword of Jehu. 18 But I will leave for myself seven thousand people in Israel, whose knees have not bent down to Baal, and whose mouths have not kissed him.”

19 So Elijah left from there and found Elisha son of Shaphat, who was plowing with twelve yoke of oxen before him, and he himself was plowing with the twelfth yoke. Elijah walked over to Elisha and draped his cloak on him. 20 Then Elisha left the oxen and ran after Elijah; he said, “Please let me kiss my father and my mother, and then I will follow you.” Then Elijah said to him, “Go back, but think about what I have done to you.” 21 So Elisha returned from Elijah and took the yoke of oxen, killed the animals, and cooked the meat with the wood from the ox yoke. Then he gave it to the people and they ate. Then he arose, went after Elijah and served him.

20

1 Ben Hadad king of Aram gathered all his army together. There were thirty-two lesser kings with him, and horses and chariots. He went up, besieged Samaria and fought against it. 2 He sent messengers into the city to Ahab king of Israel, and said to him, “Ben Hadad says this: 3 'Your silver and your gold are mine. Also your wives and children, the best ones, are now mine.'” 4 The king of Israel answered and said, “It is as you say, my master, king. I and all that I have are yours.” 5 The messengers came again and said, “Ben Hadad says this, 'I sent word to you saying that you must give me your silver, your gold, your wives, and your children. 6 But I will send my servants to you tomorrow about this time, and they will search your house and your servants' houses. They will seize with their own hands and take away whatever pleases their eyes.'”

7 Then the king of Israel called all the elders of the land together and said, “Please take note and see how this man seeks trouble. He has sent word to me in order to take my wives, children, and silver and gold, and I have not refused him.” 8 All the elders and all the people said to Ahab, “Do not listen to him or consent to his demands.” 9 So Ahab said to the messengers of Ben Hadad, “Tell my master the king, 'I agree to everything that you sent your servant to do the first time, but I cannot accept this second demand.'” So the messengers left and took this response to Ben Hadad. 10 Then Ben Hadad sent his reply to Ahab, and said, “May the gods do so to me and more also, if even the ashes of Samaria will be enough for all the people who follow me to have a handful each.” 11 The king of Israel answered and said, “Tell Ben Hadad, 'No one who is just putting on his armor, should boast as if he were taking it off.'” 12 Ben Hadad heard this message as he was drinking, he and the kings under him who were in their tents. Ben Hadad commanded his men, “Line yourselves up in position for battle.” So they prepared themselves in position of battle to attack the city.

13 Then behold, a prophet came to Ahab king of Israel and said, “Yahweh says, 'Have you seen this great army? Look, I will place it into your hand today, and you will know that I am Yahweh.'” 14 Ahab replied, “By whom?” Yahweh replied and said, “By the young officers who serve the governors of the districts.” Then Ahab said, “Who will begin the battle?” Yahweh answered, “You.” 15 Then Ahab mustered the young officers who served the governors of the districts. They numbered 232. After them he mustered all the soldiers, all the army of Israel; seven thousand in number.

16 They went out at noon. Ben Hadad had been drinking himself drunk in his tent, he and the thirty-two lesser kings who were supporting him. 17 The young officers who served the governors of the districts went forward first. Then Ben Hadad was informed by scouts that he had sent out, “Men are coming out from Samaria.” 18 Ben Hadad said, “Whether they have come out for peace or war, take them alive.” 19 So the young officers who served the governors of the districts went out of the city and the army followed them. 20 Each man killed his opponent. The Arameans fled and Israel pursued them. Ben Hadad the king of Aram escaped on a horse along with some horsemen. 21 Then the king of Israel went out and attacked the horses and chariots, and killed the Arameans in a great slaughter.

22 So the prophet came to the king of Israel and said to him, “Go, strengthen yourself, and understand and plan what you are doing, because at the return of the year the king of Aram will come up against you again.” 23 The servants of the king of Aram said to him, “Their god is a god of the hills. That is why they were stronger than we were. But now let us fight against them in the plain, and surely we will be stronger than they are. 24 So you must do this: Remove all the kings from their positions of authority and replace them with military commanders. 25 Raise up an army like the army you lost—horse for horse and chariot for chariot—so we can fight them in the plain. Then surely we will be stronger than they are.” So Ben Hadad listened to their advice and did what they advised.

26 After the beginning of the new year, Ben Hadad mustered the Arameans and went up to Aphek to fight against Israel. 27 The people of Israel were mustered and supplied to fight against them. The people of Israel camped before them like two little flocks of goats, but the Arameans filled the countryside. 28 Then a man of God came near and spoke to the king of Israel and said, “Yahweh says: 'Because the Arameans have said that Yahweh is a god of the hills, but he is not a god of the valleys, I will place this great army into your hand, and you will know that I am Yahweh.'” 29 So the armies camped opposite each other for seven days. Then on the seventh day the battle started. The people of Israel killed 100,000 Aramean footmen in one day. 30 The rest fled to Aphek, into the city, and the wall fell on twenty-seven thousand men who were left. Ben Hadad fled and went into the city, into an inner room.

31 Ben Hadad's servants said to him, “Look now, we have heard that the kings of the house of Israel are merciful kings. Please let us put sackcloth around our waists and ropes around our heads, and go out to the king of Israel. Perhaps he will spare your life.” 32 So they put sackcloth on their waists and ropes around their heads and then went to the king of Israel and said, “Your servant Ben Hadad said, 'Please let me live.'” Ahab said, “Is he still alive? He is my brother.” 33 Now the men were listening for any sign from Ahab, so they quickly answered him, “Yes, your brother Ben Hadad is alive.” Then Ahab said, “Go and bring him.” Then Ben Hadad came to him, and Ahab had him come up into his chariot. 34 Ben Hadad said to Ahab, “I will restore to you the cities that my father took from your father, and you may make markets for yourself in Damascus, as my father did in Samaria.” Ahab replied, “I will let you go with this covenant.” So Ahab made a covenant with him and then let him go.

35 A certain man, one of the sons of the prophets, said to one of his fellow prophets by the word of Yahweh, “Please hit me.” But the man refused to hit him. 36 Then the prophet said to his fellow prophet, “Because you have not obeyed the voice of Yahweh, as soon as you leave me, a lion will kill you.” As soon as that man had left him, a lion came upon him and killed him. 37 Then the prophet found another man and said, “Please hit me.” So the man hit him and wounded him. 38 Then the prophet left and waited for the king by the road; he had disguised himself with a bandage over his eyes. 39 As the king passed by, the prophet cried out to the king and said, “Your servant went out into the heat of the battle, and a soldier stopped and brought a man to me and said, 'Watch this man. If by any means he goes missing, your life will be given for his life, or you must pay a talent of silver.' 40 But because your servant was busy going here and there, the man escaped.” Then the king of Israel said to him, “This is what your punishment will be—you yourself have decided it.” 41 Then the prophet quickly removed the bandage from his eyes, and the king of Israel recognized that he was one of the prophets. 42 The prophet said to the king, “Yahweh says, 'Because you have let go from your hand the man whom I had sentenced to death, your life will take the place of his life, and your people for his people.'” 43 So the king of Israel went to his house resentful and angry, and arrived in Samaria.

21

1 Now some time later, Naboth the Jezreelite had a vineyard in Jezreel, near the palace of Ahab, king of Samaria. 2 Ahab spoke to Naboth, saying, “Give me your vineyard, so I can have it as a vegetable garden, because it is near my house. In exchange, I will give you a better vineyard, or, if you prefer, I will pay you its value in money.” 3 Naboth replied to Ahab, “May Yahweh forbid that I should give the inheritance of my ancestors to you.” 4 So Ahab went into his palace resentful and angry because of the answer Naboth the Jezreelite gave him when he said, “I will not give you the inheritance of my ancestors.” He lay down on his bed, turned away his face, and refused to eat any food.

5 Jezebel his wife came to him and said to him, “Why is your heart so sad, so that you eat no food?” 6 He replied to her, “I spoke to Naboth the Jezreelite and said to him, 'Give me your vineyard for money, or if it pleases you, I will give you another vineyard to be yours.' Then he answered me, 'I will not give you my vineyard.'” 7 So Jezebel his wife replied to him, “Do you not still rule the kingdom of Israel? Get up and eat; let your heart be happy. I will obtain for you the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite.” 8 So Jezebel wrote letters in Ahab's name, sealed them with his seal, and sent them to the elders and to the wealthy who sat with him in meetings, and who lived near Naboth. 9 She wrote in the letters, saying, “Proclaim a fast and seat Naboth above the people. 10 Also place two dishonest men with him and let them testify against him, saying, 'You cursed God and the king.'” Then take him out and stone him to death.

11 So the men of his city, the elders and the wealthy who lived in Naboth's city, did as Jezebel had described to them, as was written in the letters that she had sent to them. 12 They proclaimed a fast and seated Naboth above the people. 13 The two dishonest men came in and sat before Naboth; they testified against Naboth in the presence of the people, saying, “Naboth cursed both God and the king.” Then they carried him out of the city and stoned him to death. 14 Then the elders sent word to Jezebel, saying, “Naboth has been stoned and is dead.” 15 So when Jezebel heard that Naboth had been stoned and was dead, she said to Ahab, “Get up and take possession of the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite, which he refused to give you for money, because Naboth is not alive, but dead.” 16 When Ahab heard that Naboth was dead, he rose up to go down to the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite and take possession of it.

17 Then the word of Yahweh came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying, 18 “Get up and go meet Ahab king of Israel, who lives in Samaria. He is in the vineyard of Naboth, where he has gone to take possession of it. 19 You must speak to him and say that Yahweh says, 'Have you killed and also taken possession?' Then you will tell him that Yahweh says, 'In the place where dogs licked the blood of Naboth, the dogs will lick your blood, yes, your blood.'” 20 Ahab said to Elijah, “Have you found me, my enemy?” Elijah answered, “I have found you, because you have sold yourself to do what is evil in the sight of Yahweh. 21 Yahweh says this to you: 'See, I will bring disaster on you and will completely consume and cut off from you every male child and slave and free man in Israel. 22 I will make your family like the family of Jeroboam son of Nebat, and like the family of Baasha son of Ahijah, because you have provoked me to anger and have led Israel to sin.' 23 Yahweh has also spoken concerning Jezebel, saying, 'The dogs will eat Jezebel beside the wall of Jezreel.' 24 Anyone who belongs to Ahab and dies in the city, the dogs will eat; and the birds of the sky will eat anyone who dies in the field.” 25 There was no one like Ahab, who sold himself to do what was evil in the sight of Yahweh, whom Jezebel his wife incited to sin. 26 Ahab did disgusting deeds for the idols he followed, just as all that the Amorites had done, those whom Yahweh had removed before the people of Israel.

27 When Ahab heard these words, he tore his clothes and put sackcloth on his body and fasted, and lay in sackcloth and became very sad. 28 Then the word of Yahweh came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying, 29 “Do you see how Ahab humbles himself before me? Because he humbles himself before me, I will not bring the coming disaster in his days; it is in his son's day that I will bring disaster on his family.”

22

1 Three years passed without war between Aram and Israel. 2 Then it came about that in the third year, Jehoshaphat the king of Judah went down to the king of Israel. 3 Now the king of Israel had said to his servants, “Do you know that Ramoth Gilead is ours, but that we are doing nothing to take it from the hand of the king of Aram?” 4 So he said to Jehoshaphat, “Will you go with me to war at Ramoth Gilead?” Jehoshaphat replied to the king of Israel, “I am like you, my people are like your people, and my horses are like your horses.”

5 Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, “Please seek direction from the word of Yahweh for what you should do first.” 6 Then the king of Israel gathered the prophets together, four hundred men, and said to them, “Should I go to Ramoth Gilead to battle, or should I not?” They said, “Attack, for the Lord will give it into the hand of the king.” 7 But Jehoshaphat said, “Is there not here yet another prophet of Yahweh from whom we might seek advice?” 8 The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “There is still one man by whom we may seek advice from Yahweh to help, Micaiah son of Imlah, but I hate him because he does not prophesy anything good about me, but only hardships.” But Jehoshaphat said, “May the king not say that.” 9 Then the king of Israel called an officer and commanded, “Bring Micaiah son of Imlah, right away.” 10 Now Ahab the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat the king of Judah were sitting each on a throne, clothed in their robes, in an open place at the entrance of the gate of Samaria, and all the prophets were prophesying before them. 11 Zedekiah son of Kenaanah made himself horns of iron and said, “Yahweh says this: 'With these you will push the Arameans until they are consumed.'” 12 Then all the prophets prophesied the same, saying, “Attack Ramoth Gilead and win, for Yahweh has given it into the hand of the king.”

13 The messenger who went to call Micaiah spoke to him, saying, “Now look, the words of the prophets declare good things to the king with one mouth. Please let your word be like one of them and say good things.” 14 Micaiah replied, “As Yahweh lives, it is what Yahweh says to me that I will say.” 15 When he came to the king, the king said to him, “Micaiah, should we go to Ramoth Gilead for battle, or not?” Micaiah answered him, “Attack and win. Yahweh will give it into the hand of the king.” 16 Then the king said to him, “How many times must I require you to swear to tell me nothing but the truth in the name of Yahweh?” 17 So Micaiah said, “I saw all Israel scattered to the mountains, like sheep who have no shepherd, and Yahweh said, 'These have no shepherd. Let every man return to his house in peace.'” 18 So the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “Did I not tell you that he would not prophesy good concerning me, but only disaster?” 19 Then Micaiah said, “Therefore hear the word of Yahweh: I saw Yahweh sitting on his throne, and all the host of heaven were standing by him on his right hand and on his left. 20 Yahweh said, 'Who will entice Ahab, so that he may go up and fall at Ramoth Gilead?' One of them said this and another one said that. 21 Then a spirit came forward, stood before Yahweh, and said, 'I will entice him.' Yahweh said to him, 'How?' 22 The spirit replied, 'I will go out and be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets.' Yahweh replied, 'You will entice him, and you will also be successful. Go now and do so.' 23 Now see, Yahweh has put a lying spirit in the mouth of all these prophets of yours, and Yahweh has decreed disaster for you.”

24 Then Zedekiah son of Kenaanah, came up, slapped Micaiah on the cheek, and said, “Which way did the Spirit of Yahweh take to go from me to speak to you?” 25 Micaiah said, “Look, you will see on that day when you will go to hide in an inner room.” 26 The king of Israel said to his servant, “Seize Micaiah and take him to Amon, the governor of the city, and to Joash, my son. 27 Say to him, 'The king says, Put this man in prison and feed him with only a little bread and only a little water, until I come safely.'” 28 Then Micaiah said, “If you return safely, then Yahweh has not spoken by me.” Then he added, “Listen to this, all you people.”

29 So Ahab, the king of Israel, and Jehoshaphat, the king of Judah, went up to Ramoth Gilead. 30 The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “I will disguise myself and go into the battle, but you put on your royal robes.” So the king of Israel disguised himself and went into the battle. 31 Now the king of Aram had commanded the thirty-two captains of his chariots, saying, “Do not attack unimportant or important soldiers. Instead, attack only the king of Israel.” 32 It came about that when the captains of the chariots saw Jehoshaphat they said, “Surely that is the king of Israel.” They turned to attack him, so Jehoshaphat cried out. 33 It came about that when the commanders of the chariots saw that it was not the king of Israel, they turned back from pursuing him. 34 But a certain man drew his bow at random and shot the king of Israel between the joints of his armor. Then Ahab said to the driver of his chariot, “Turn around and carry me out of the battle, for I am badly wounded.” 35 The battle grew worse that day and the king was held up in his chariot facing the Arameans. He died in the evening. The blood ran out from his wound into the bottom of the chariot. 36 Then about the time the sun was going down, a cry went up throughout the army, saying, “Every man should go back to his city; and every man should go back to his region!”

37 So King Ahab died and was brought to Samaria, and they buried him in Samaria. 38 They washed the chariot by the pool of Samaria, and the dogs licked up his blood (this was where the prostitutes bathed), just as the word of Yahweh had declared. 39 As for the other matters concerning Ahab, all that he did, the ivory house that he built, and all the cities that he built, are they not written in the book of the events of the kings of Israel? 40 So Ahab slept with his ancestors, and Ahaziah his son became king in his place.

41 Then Jehoshaphat son of Asa began to reign over Judah in the fourth year of Ahab king of Israel. 42 Jehoshaphat was thirty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned in Jerusalem twenty-five years. His mother's name was Azubah, the daughter of Shilhi. 43 He walked in the ways of Asa, his father; he did not turn away from them; he did what was right in the eyes of Yahweh. Yet the high places were not taken away. The people were still sacrificing and burning incense on the high places. 44 Jehoshaphat made peace with the king of Israel.

45 As for the other matters concerning Jehoshaphat, and the might that he showed, and how he waged war, are they not written in the book of the events of the kings of Judah? 46 He removed from the land the rest of the cultic prostitutes who had remained in the days of his father Asa. 47 There was no king in Edom, but a deputy ruled there. 48 Jehoshaphat built oceangoing ships; they were to go to Ophir for gold, but they did not go because the ships were wrecked at Ezion Geber. 49 Then Ahaziah son of Ahab said to Jehoshaphat, “Let my servants sail with your servants in the ships.” But Jehoshaphat would not allow it. 50 Jehoshaphat slept with his ancestors and was buried with them in the city of David, his ancestor; Jehoram his son became king in his place.

51 Ahaziah son of Ahab began to reign over Israel in Samaria in the seventeenth year of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, and he reigned two years over Israel. 52 He did what was evil in the sight of Yahweh and walked in the way of his father, in the way of his mother, and in the way of Jeroboam son of Nebat, by which he led Israel to sin. 53 He served Baal and worshiped him and so he provoked Yahweh, the God of Israel, to anger, just as his father had done.

* 2:26 Some versions have, the ark of Yahweh .

* 4:4 Some versions treat Zadok and Abiathar were priests as a later addition to the text.

* 7:7 Some versions have, It was covered with cedar from the floor to the rafters .

* 9:18 Tamar is also pronounced Tadmor .

* 10:8 Some versions read How blessed are your men . Important ancient translations, however, have How blessed are your wives . Many think it is probable that women was misread as men , because the Hebrew words are very similar.

* 12:2 Some versions have, then Jeroboam returned from Egypt .

2 Kings

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Second Kings

1

1 Moab rebelled against Israel after the death of Ahab. 2 Then Ahaziah fell down through the lattice in his upper chamber in Samaria, and was injured. So he sent for messengers and said to them, “Go, ask Baal-Zebub, the god of Ekron, whether I will recover from this injury.” 3 But the angel of Yahweh said to Elijah the Tishbite, “Arise, go up to meet the messengers of the king of Samaria, and ask them, 'Is it because there is no God in Israel that you are going to consult with Baal-Zebub, the god of Ekron? 4 Therefore Yahweh says, “You will not come down from the bed to where you have gone up; instead, you will certainly die.”'” Then Elijah left.

5 When the messengers returned to Ahaziah, he said to them, “Why have you returned?” 6 They said to him, “A man came to meet us who said to us, 'Go back to the king who sent you, and say to him, “Yahweh says this: 'Is it because there is no God in Israel that you sent men to consult with Baal-Zebub, the god of Ekron? Therefore you will not come down from the bed to which you have gone up; instead, you will certainly die.'”'” 7 Ahaziah said to his messengers, “What sort of man was he, the one who came up to meet you and said these words to you?” 8 They answered him, “He wore a garment made of hair and had a leather belt wrapped around his waist.” So the king replied, “That is Elijah the Tishbite.”

9 Then the king sent a captain with fifty soldiers to Elijah. The captain went up to Elijah where he was sitting on the top of a hill. The captain spoke to him, “You, man of God, the king has said, 'Come down.'” 10 Elijah answered and said to the captain, “If I am a man of God, let fire come down from heaven and consume you and your fifty men.” Then fire came down from heaven and consumed him and his fifty men. 11 Again King Ahaziah sent to Elijah another captain with fifty soldiers. This captain also said to Elijah, “You, man of God, the king says, 'Come down quickly.'” 12 Elijah answered and said to them, “If I am a man of God, let fire come down from heaven and consume you and your fifty men.” Again the fire of God came down from heaven and consumed him and his fifty men. 13 Yet again the king sent a third group of fifty warriors. This captain went up, fell on his knees before Elijah, and implored him and said to him, “You, man of God, I ask you, let my life and the life of these fifty servants of yours be precious in your sight. 14 Indeed, fire came down from heaven and consumed the first two captains with their men, but now let my life be precious in your sight.” 15 The angel of Yahweh said to Elijah, “Go down with him. Do not be afraid of him.” So Elijah arose and went down with him to the king. 16 Later Elijah said to Ahaziah, “This is what Yahweh says, 'You have sent messengers to consult with Baal-Zebub, the god of Ekron. Is it because there is no God in Israel from whom you can ask for information? So now, you will not come down from the bed where you have gone up; you will certainly die.'”

17 So King Ahaziah died according to the word of Yahweh that Elijah had spoken. Joram began to reign in his place, in the second year of Jehoram son of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, because Ahaziah had no son. 18 As for the other matters concerning Ahaziah, are they not written in the book of the events of the kings of Israel?

2

1 So it came about, when Yahweh was going to take up Elijah by a whirlwind into heaven, that Elijah left with Elisha from Gilgal. 2 Elijah said to Elisha, “Stay here, please, because Yahweh has sent me to Bethel.” Elisha replied, “As Yahweh lives, and as you live, I will not leave you.” So they went down to Bethel. 3 The sons of the prophets who were at Bethel came to Elisha and said to him, “Do you know that Yahweh will take away your master from you today?” Elisha replied, “Yes, I know it, but do not talk about it.” 4 Elijah said to him, “Elisha, wait here, please, for Yahweh has sent me to Jericho.” Then Elisha replied, “As Yahweh lives, and as you live, I will not leave you.” So they went to Jericho. 5 Then the sons of the prophets who were at Jericho came to Elisha and said to him, “Do you know that Yahweh will take away your master from you today?” Elisha answered, “Yes, I know it, but do not talk about it.” 6 Then Elijah said to him, “Stay here, please, for Yahweh has sent me to the Jordan.” Elisha replied, “As Yahweh lives, and as you live, I will not leave you.” So the two went on. 7 Later, fifty of the sons of the prophets stood opposite them at a distance while the two stood by the Jordan. 8 Elijah took his cloak, rolled it up, and struck the water with it. The river divided on both sides so that the two of them walked over on dry ground. 9 It came about, after they had crossed over, that Elijah said to Elisha, “Ask me what I should do for you before I am taken from you.” Elisha replied, “Please let a double portion of your spirit come on me.” 10 Elijah answered, “You have asked for a difficult thing. Nevertheless, if you see me when I am taken from you, this will happen for you, but if not, it will not happen.” 11 As they still went on and talked, behold, a chariot of fire and horses of fire appeared, which separated the two men from each other, and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven. 12 Elisha saw it and cried out, “My father, my father, the chariots of Israel and their horsemen!”

He saw Elijah no more, and he took hold of his own clothes and tore them into two pieces. 13 He picked up Elijah's cloak that had fallen off him, and went back to stand by the bank of the Jordan. 14 He struck the water with Elijah's cloak that had fallen and said, “Where is Yahweh, the God of Elijah?” When he had struck the waters, they divided on both sides and Elisha crossed over.

15 When the sons of the prophets who were from Jericho saw him across from them, they said, “The spirit of Elijah does rest on Elisha!” So they came to meet him, and bowed themselves to the ground before him. 16 They said to him, “See now, among your servants there are fifty strong men. Let them go, we ask, and look for your master, in case the Spirit of Yahweh has taken him up and thrown him onto some mountain or into some valley.” Elisha answered, “No, do not send them.” 17 But when they urged Elisha until he was ashamed, he said, “Send them.” Then they sent fifty men, and they looked for three days, but did not find him. 18 They came back to Elisha, while he stayed at Jericho, and he said to them, “Did I not say to you, 'Do not go'?”

19 The men of the city said to Elisha, “See, we beg of you, the situation of this city is pleasant, as my master can see, but the water is bad and the land is not fruitful.” 20 Elisha replied, “Bring me a new bowl and put salt in it,” so they brought it to him. 21 Elisha went out to the spring of water and threw salt in it; then he said, “Yahweh says this, 'I have healed these waters. From this time on, there will be no more death or unfruitful land.'” 22 So the waters were healed to this day, by the word which Elisha spoke.

23 Then Elisha went up from there to Bethel. As he was going up the road, young boys came out of the city and mocked him; they said to him, “Go up, you baldhead! Go up, you baldhead!” 24 Elisha looked behind him and saw them; he called on Yahweh to curse them. Then two female bears came out of the woods and injured forty-two of the boys. 25 Then Elisha went from there to Mount Carmel, and from there he returned to Samaria.

3

1 Now in the eighteenth year of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, Joram son of Ahab began to reign over Israel in Samaria; he reigned twelve years. 2 He did what was evil in the sight of Yahweh, but not like his father and his mother; for he removed the sacred stone pillar of Baal that his father had made. 3 Nevertheless he held on to the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, who caused Israel to sin; he did not turn away from them.

4 Now Mesha king of Moab bred sheep. He had to give to the king of Israel 100,000 lambs and the wool of 100,000 rams. 5 But after Ahab died, the king of Moab rebelled against the king of Israel. 6 So King Joram left Samaria at that time to mobilize all Israel for war. 7 He sent a message to Jehoshaphat king of Judah, saying, “The king of Moab has rebelled against me. Will you go with me against Moab to battle?” Jehoshaphat replied, “I will go. I am as you are, my people as your people, my horses as your horses.” 8 Then he said, “By which way should we attack?” Jehoshaphat answered, “By way of the wilderness of Edom.” 9 So the king of Israel went with the king of Judah and the king of Edom. They wandered around for seven days, and then there was no water for the army or for the animals that followed them. 10 So the king of Israel said, “What is this? Has Yahweh called three kings to give them into the hand of Moab?” 11 But Jehoshaphat said, “Is there not here a prophet of Yahweh, that we may consult Yahweh by him?” One of the king of Israel's servants answered and said, “Elisha son of Shaphat is here, who poured water on the hands of Elijah.” 12 Jehoshaphat said, “The word of Yahweh is with him.” So the king of Israel, Jehoshaphat, and the king of Edom went down to him.

13 Elisha said to the king of Israel, “What have I to do with you? Go to the prophets of your father and mother.” So the king of Israel said to him, “No, because Yahweh has called these three kings together to give them into the hand of Moab.” 14 Elisha replied, “As Yahweh of hosts lives, before whom I stand, surely were it not for the fact that I honor the presence of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, I would not pay any attention to you, or even look at you. 15 But now bring me a musician.” Then it came to pass when the harpist played, the hand of Yahweh came upon Elisha. 16 He said, “Yahweh says this, 'Make this dry river valley full of trenches.' 17 For Yahweh says this, 'You will not see wind, neither will you see rain, but this river valley will be filled with water, and you will drink, you and your livestock and all your animals.' 18 This is an easy thing in the sight of Yahweh. He will also give you victory over the Moabites. 19 You will attack every fortified city and every good city, cut down every good tree, stop up all springs of water, and ruin every good piece of land with rocks.” 20 So in the morning about the time of offering the sacrifice, there came water from the direction of Edom; the country was filled with water.

21 Now when all the Moabites heard that the kings had come to fight against them, they gathered themselves together, all who were able to put on armor, and they stood at the border. 22 They awakened early in the morning and the sun reflected on the water. When the Moabites saw the water opposite them, it looked as red as blood. 23 They exclaimed, “This is blood! The kings have certainly been destroyed, and they have killed each other! So now, Moab, let us go plunder them!” 24 When they came to the camp of Israel, the Israelites surprised them and attacked the Moabites, who fled before them. The army of Israel drove the Moabites across the land, killing them. 25 They destroyed the cities, and on every good piece of land every man threw a rock until it was covered up. They stopped up every spring of water and chopped down all the good trees. Only Kir Hareseth was left with its rocks in place. But the soldiers armed with slings surrounded and attacked it. 26 When King Mesha of Moab saw that the battle was lost, he took with him seven hundred swordsmen to break through to the king of Edom, but they failed. 27 Then he took his oldest son, who should have reigned after him, and offered him as a burnt offering upon the wall. So there was great anger against Israel, and the Israelite army left King Mesha and returned to their own land.

4

1 Now the wife of one of the sons of the prophets came crying to Elisha, saying, “Your servant my husband is dead, and you know that your servant feared Yahweh. Now the creditor has come to take my two children to be his slaves.” 2 So Elisha said to her, “What can I do for you? Tell me what do you have in the house?” She said, “Your servant has nothing in the house, except a pot of oil.” 3 Then Elisha said, “Go out to borrow jars from your neighbors, empty jars. Borrow as many as possible. 4 Then you must go inside and shut the door behind you and your sons, and pour oil into all those jars; set aside the jars that are full.” 5 So she left Elisha and shut the door behind her and her sons. They brought the jars to her, and she filled them with oil. 6 When the vessels were full, she said to her son, “Bring me another jar.” But he said to her, “There are no more jars.” Then the oil stopped flowing. 7 Then she came and told the man of God. He said, “Go, sell the oil; pay your debt, and live with your sons on the rest.”

8 One day Elisha walked to Shunem where an important woman lived; she urged him to eat food with her. So as often as Elisha passed by, he would stop there to eat. 9 The woman said to her husband, “See, now I realize that this is a holy man of God who is always passing by. 10 Let us make a little room on the roof for Elisha, and let us put in it a bed, a table, a seat, and a lamp. Then when he comes to us, he will stay there.” 11 So when the day came again that Elisha stopped there, he stayed in the room and rested there. 12 Elisha said to Gehazi his servant, “Call this Shunammite.” When he had called her, she stood before him. 13 Elisha said to him, “Say to her, 'You have gone to all this trouble to care for us. What can be done for you? Can we speak for you to the king or to the army commander?'” She answered, “I live among my own people.” 14 So Elisha said, “What can we do for her, then?” Gehazi answered, “Indeed, she has no son, and her husband is old.” 15 So Elisha answered, “Call her.” When he had called her, she stood in the door. 16 Elisha said, “At this time of year, in one year's time, you will be holding a son.” She said, “No, my master and man of God, do not lie to your servant.”

17 But the woman conceived and gave birth to a son at the same time in the following year, as Elisha had said to her. 18 When the child had grown, he went out one day to his father, who was with harvesters. 19 He said to his father, “My head, my head.” His father said to his servant, “Carry him to his mother.” 20 When the servant had picked him up and brought the boy to his mother, the child sat on her knees until noon and then died. 21 So the woman got up and laid the boy on the bed of the man of God, shut the door, and went out. 22 She called to her husband, and said, “Please send me one of the servants and one of the donkeys so that I may hurry to the man of God and then come back.” 23 Her husband said, “Why do you want to go to him today? It is not a new moon nor a Sabbath.” She replied, “It will be all right.” 24 Then she saddled a donkey and said to her servant, “Drive on quickly; do not slow down for me unless I say so.” 25 So she went and came to the man of God at Mount Carmel.

So when the man of God saw her in the distance, he said to Gehazi his servant, “Look, here comes the Shunammite woman. 26 Please run to meet her and say to her, 'Is everything alright with you and with your husband and child?'” She answered, “It is alright.” 27 When she came to the man of God at the mountain, she caught hold of his feet. Gehazi came near to thrust her away but the man of God said, “Leave her alone, for she is very upset, and Yahweh has hidden the problem from me, and has told me nothing.” 28 Then she said, “Did I ask you for a son, my master? Did I not say, 'Do not deceive me'?” 29 Then Elisha said to Gehazi, “Dress for travel and take my staff in your hand. Go to her home. If you meet any man, do not greet him, and if anyone greets you, do not answer him. Lay my staff on the child's face.” 30 But the mother of the child said, “As Yahweh lives, and as you live, I will not leave you.” So Elisha arose and followed her. 31 Gehazi hurried on ahead of them and laid the staff on the child's face, but the child did not speak or hear. So then Gehazi returned to meet Elisha and told him saying, “The child has not awakened.”

32 When Elisha arrived at the house, the child was dead and was still on the bed. 33 So Elisha went in and shut the door on the child and himself and prayed to Yahweh. 34 He went up and lay on the child; he put his mouth on his mouth, his eyes on his eyes, and his hands on his hands. He stretched himself out on the boy, and the boy's body grew warm. 35 Then Elisha got up and walked around the room and again went up and stretched himself out on the boy. The child sneezed seven times and then opened his eyes! 36 So Elisha called Gehazi and said, “Call the Shunammite!” So he called her, and when she came into the room, Elisha said, “Pick up your son.” 37 Then she lay facedown on the ground at his feet and bowed to the ground, and then picked up her son and went out.

38 Then Elisha came again to Gilgal. There was famine in the land, and the sons of the prophets were sitting before him. He said to his servant, “Put the large pot on the fire and cook stew for the sons of the prophets.” 39 One of them went out into a field to gather vegetables. He found a wild vine and gathered enough wild gourds to fill the fold of his robe. They cut them up and put them into the stew, but did not know what kind they were. 40 So they poured out the stew for the men to eat. Later, as they were eating, they cried out and said, “Man of God, there is death in the pot!” So they could not eat it anymore. 41 But Elisha said, “Bring some flour.” He threw it into the pot and said, “Pour it out for the people, so that they may eat.” Then there was no longer anything hurtful in the pot.

42 A man came from Baal Shalishah to the man of God and brought twenty loaves of barley bread in his sack from the new harvest, and fresh ears of grain. He said, “Give this to the people so they can eat.” 43 His servant said, “What, should I set this before a hundred men?” But Elisha said, “Give this to the people, so they can eat, because Yahweh says, 'They will eat and will have some left.'” 44 So his servant set it before them; they ate, and left some remaining, just as the word of Yahweh promised.

5

1 Now Naaman, commander of the army of the king of Aram, was a great and honorable man in his master's view, because by him Yahweh had given victory to Aram. He was also a strong, courageous man, but he was a leper. 2 The Arameans had gone out raiding in bands and had taken a little girl from the land of Israel. She served Naaman's wife. 3 The girl said to her mistress, “I wish that my master were with the prophet who is in Samaria! Then he would heal my master of his leprosy.” 4 So Naaman went in and told the king what the little girl from the land of Israel had said. 5 So the king of Aram said, “Go now, and I will send a letter to the king of Israel.” Naaman left and took with him ten talents of silver, six thousand pieces of gold, and ten changes of clothes. 6 He also took the letter to the king of Israel that said, “Now when this letter is brought to you, you will see that I have sent Naaman my servant to you, so that you may cure him of his leprosy.” 7 When the king of Israel had read the letter, he tore his clothes and said, “Am I God, to kill and to make alive, that this man wants me to cure a man of his leprosy? It seems he is seeking to start an argument with me.”

8 So when Elisha the man of God heard that the king of Israel had torn his clothes, he sent word to the king saying, “Why have you torn your clothes? Let him come now to me, and he will know that there is a prophet in Israel.” 9 So Naaman came with his horses and with his chariots and stood at the door of Elisha's house. 10 Elisha sent a messenger to him, saying, “Go and dip yourself into the Jordan seven times, and your flesh will be restored; you will be clean.” 11 But Naaman was angry and went away and said, “Look, I thought he would surely come out to me and stand and call on the name of Yahweh his God, and wave his hand over the place and heal my leprosy. 12 Are not Abanah and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Can I not bathe in them and be clean?” So he turned and went away in a rage. 13 Then Naaman's servants came near and spoke to him, “My father, if the prophet had commanded you do some difficult thing, would you not have done it? How much rather then, when he says to you to simply, 'Dip yourself and be clean?'” 14 Then he went down and dipped himself seven times in the Jordan, obeying the instructions of the man of God. His flesh was restored again like the flesh of a little child, and he was healed.

15 Naaman returned to the man of God, he and all his company, and came and stood before him. He said, “Look, now I know that there is no God in all the earth except in Israel. So therefore, please take a gift from your servant.” 16 But Elisha replied, “As Yahweh lives, before whom I stand, I will receive nothing.” Naaman urged Elisha to take a gift, but he refused. 17 So Naaman said, “If not, then I ask you to let there be given to your servant two mule loads of earth, for from now on, your servant will offer neither burnt offering nor sacrifice to any god but Yahweh. 18 In this one thing may Yahweh pardon your servant, that is, when my king goes into the house of Rimmon to worship there, and he leans on my hand and I bow myself in the house of Rimmon, when I bow myself in the house of Rimmon, may Yahweh pardon your servant in this matter.” 19 Elisha said to him, “Go in peace.” So Naaman left.

20 He had traveled only a short distance, when Gehazi the servant of Elisha the man of God said to himself, “Look, my master has spared this Naaman the Aramean by not receiving from his hands gifts that he brought. As Yahweh lives, I will run after him and receive something from him.” 21 So Gehazi followed after Naaman. When Naaman saw someone running after him, he jumped down from his chariot to meet him and said, “Is everything alright?” 22 Gehazi said, “Everything is alright. My master has sent me, saying, 'See, now there have come to me from the hill country of Ephraim two young men of the sons of the prophets. Please give them a talent of silver and two changes of clothes.'” 23 Naaman replied, “I am very happy to give you two talents.” Naaman urged Gehazi and tied two talents of silver in two bags, with two changes of clothes, and laid them on two of his servants, who carried the bags of silver before Gehazi. 24 When Gehazi came to the hill, he took the bags of silver from their hands and hid them in the house; he sent the men away, and they left. 25 When Gehazi went in and stood before his master, Elisha said to him, “Where have you come from, Gehazi?” He answered, “Your servant went nowhere.” 26 Elisha said to Gehazi, “Was not my spirit with you when the man turned his chariot to meet you? Is this a time to accept money and clothes, olive orchards and vineyards, sheep and oxen, and male servants and female servants? 27 So the leprosy of Naaman will be on you and your descendants forever.” So Gehazi went out from his presence, a leper as white as snow.

6

1 The sons of the prophets said to Elisha, “The place where we live with you is too small for us all. 2 Please let us go to the Jordan, and let every man cut down a tree there, and let us build us a place there where we may live.” Elisha answered, “You may go ahead.” 3 One of them said, “Please go with your servants.” Elisha answered, “I will go.” 4 So he went with them, and when they came to the Jordan, they began to cut down trees. 5 But as one was chopping, the ax head fell into the water; he cried out and said, “Oh no, my master, it was borrowed!” 6 So the man of God said, “Where did it fall?” The man showed Elisha the place. He then cut off a stick, threw it in the water, and made the iron float. 7 Elisha said, “Pick it up.” So the man reached out his hand and grabbed it.

8 Now the king of Aram was waging war against Israel. He consulted with his servants, saying, “My camp will be in such and such a place.” 9 So the man of God sent to the king of Israel, saying, “Be careful not to pass that place, for the Arameans are going down there.” 10 The king of Israel sent a message to the place about which the man of God had spoken and warned him. More than once or twice, when the king went there, he was on his guard. 11 The king of Aram was enraged about these warnings, and he called his servants and said to them, “Will you not tell me who among us is for the king of Israel?” 12 So one of his servants said, “No, my master, king, for Elisha the prophet in Israel tells the king of Israel the words that you speak in your own bedroom!” 13 The king replied, “Go and see where Elisha is so I may send men and capture him.” It was told him, “See, he is in Dothan.”

14 So the king sent to Dothan horses, chariots, and a large army. They came by night and surrounded the city. 15 When the servant of the man of God had risen early and gone outside, behold, a large army with horses and chariots surrounded the city. His servant said to him, “Oh, my master! What will we do?” 16 Elisha answered, “Do not fear, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” 17 Elisha prayed and said, “Yahweh, I beg that you will open his eyes that he may see.” Then Yahweh opened the servant's eyes, and he saw. Behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire around Elisha! 18 When the Arameans came down to him, Elisha prayed to Yahweh and said, “Strike these people blind, I ask you.” So Yahweh made them blind, just as Elisha had asked. 19 Then Elisha told the Arameans, “This is not the way, neither is this the city. Follow me, and I will bring you to the man whom you are looking for.” Then he led them to Samaria.

20 It came about that when they had come into Samaria, Elisha said, “Yahweh, open the eyes of these men that they may see.” Yahweh opened their eyes and they saw, and behold, they were in the middle of the city of Samaria. 21 The king of Israel said to Elisha, when he saw them, “My father, should I kill them? Should I kill them?” 22 Elisha answered, “You must not kill them. Would you kill those whom you had taken captive with your sword and bow? Put bread and water before them, that they may eat and drink, and go to their master.” 23 So the king prepared much food for them, and when they had eaten and drunk, he sent them away, and they went back to their master. Those bands of Aramean soldiers did not return for a long time into the land of Israel.

24 Later after this Ben Hadad king of Aram gathered all his army and attacked Samaria and besieged it. 25 So there was a great famine in Samaria. Behold, they besieged it until a donkey's head was sold for eighty pieces of silver, and the fourth part of a kab of dove's dung for five pieces of silver. 26 As the king of Israel was passing by on the wall, a woman cried to him, saying, “Help, my master, king.” 27 He said, “If Yahweh does not help you, how can I help you? Is there anything coming from the threshing floor or winepress?” 28 The king continued, “What is troubling you?” She answered, “This woman said to me, 'Give your son so that we may eat him today, and we will eat my son tomorrow.'” 29 So we boiled my son and ate him, and I said to her on the next day, “Give your son that we may eat him, but she has hidden her son.” 30 So when the king heard the words of the woman, he tore his clothes (now he was passing by on the wall), and the people looked and saw that he had sackcloth underneath, against his skin. 31 Then he said, “May God do so to me, and more also, if the head of Elisha son of Shaphat remains on him today.”

32 But Elisha was sitting in his house, and the elders were sitting with him. The king sent a man from before him, but when the messenger came to Elisha, he said to the elders, “See how this son of a murderer has sent to take away my head? Look, when the messenger comes, shut the door, and hold the door shut against him. Is not the sound of his master's feet behind him?” 33 While he was still talking with them, behold, the messenger came down to him. The king had said, “Behold, this trouble comes from Yahweh. Why should I wait for Yahweh any longer?”

7

1 Elisha said, “Hear the word of Yahweh. This is what Yahweh says: 'Tomorrow about this time a measure of fine flour will be sold for a shekel, and two measures of barley for a shekel, in the gate of Samaria.'” 2 Then the captain on whose hand the king leaned answered the man of God, and said, “See, even if Yahweh should make windows in heaven, can this thing happen?” Elisha replied, “See, you will watch it happen with your own eyes, but you will not eat any of it.”

3 Now there were four men with leprosy right outside the city gate. They said one to another, “Why should we sit here until we die? 4 If we say that we should go into the city, then the famine is in the city, and we will die there. But if we still sit here, we will still die. Now then, come, let us go to the army of the Arameans. If they keep us alive, we will live, and if they kill us, we will only die.” 5 So they rose up at twilight to go into the Aramean camp; when they arrived at the outermost part of the camp, there was no one there. 6 For the Lord had made the Aramean army hear a noise of chariots, and a noise of horses—the noise of another large army, and they said to each other, “The king of Israel has hired the kings of the Hittites and Egyptians to come against us.” 7 So the soldiers arose and fled in the twilight; they left their tents, their horses, their donkeys, and the camp as it was, and fled for their lives. 8 When the men with leprosy came to the outermost part of the camp, they went into one tent and ate and drank, and carried away silver and gold and clothes, and went and hid them. They came back and entered into another tent and carried plunder away from there also, and went and hid it.

9 Then they said each other, “We are not doing right. This day is a day of good news, but we are keeping quiet about it. If we wait until daybreak, punishment will overtake us. Now then, come, let us go and tell the king's household.” 10 So they went and called the gatekeepers of the city. They told them, saying, “We went to the camp of the Arameans, but there was no one there, not the sound of anyone, but there were the horses tied, and the donkeys tied, and the tents as they were.” 11 Then the gatekeepers shouted out the news, and then it was told inside the king's household. 12 Then the king arose at night and said to his servants, “I will tell you now what the Arameans have done to us. They know that we are hungry, so they have gone out of the camp to hide themselves in the fields. They are saying, 'When they come out of the city, we will take them alive, and get into the city.'” 13 One of the king's servants answered and said, “I beg you, let some men take five of the horses that remain, which are left in the city. They are like all the rest of the population of Israel who are left—most are now dead; let us send them and see.” 14 So they took two chariots with horses, and the king sent them after the army of the Arameans, saying, “Go and see.” 15 They went after them to the Jordan, and all the road was full of clothes and equipment that the Arameans had cast away in their hurry. So the messengers returned and told the king.

16 The people went out and plundered the camp of the Arameans. So a measure of fine flour was sold for a shekel, and two measures of barley for a shekel, just as the word of Yahweh had said. 17 The king had ordered the captain on whose hand he had leaned to be in charge of the gate, and the people trampled him down in the gateway. He died as the man of God had said, who spoke when the king had come down to him. 18 So it happened as the man of God had said to the king, saying, “About this time in the gate of Samaria, two measures of barley will be available for a shekel, and a measure of fine flour for a shekel.” 19 That captain had answered the man of God and said, “See, even if Yahweh should make windows in heaven, can this thing happen?” Elisha had said, “See, you will watch it happen with your own eyes, but you will not eat any of it.” 20 That is what exactly what happened to him, for the people trampled him in the gate, and he died.

8

1 Now Elisha had spoken to the woman whose son he had restored to life. He said to her, “Arise, and go with your household, and stay wherever you can in another land, because Yahweh has called for a famine which will come on this land for seven years.” 2 So the woman arose and she obeyed the word of the man of God. She went with her household and lived in the land of the Philistines seven years. 3 It came about at the end of seven years that the woman returned from the land of the Philistines, and she went to the king to beg him for her house and for her land. 4 Now the king was talking with Gehazi the servant of the man of God, saying, “Please tell me all the great things that Elisha has done.” 5 Then as he was telling the king how Elisha had restored to life the child who was dead, the very woman whose son he had restored to life came to beg the king for her house and land. Gehazi said, “My master, king, this is the woman, and this is her son, whom Elisha restored to life.” 6 When the king asked the woman about her son, she explained it to him. So the king ordered a certain officer for her, saying, “Give back to her all that was hers and all the harvests of her fields since the day that she left the land until now.”

7 Elisha came to Damascus where Ben Hadad the king of Aram was sick. The king was told, “The man of God has come here.” 8 The king said to Hazael, “Take a gift in your hand and go meet the man of God, and consult with Yahweh through him, saying, 'Will I recover from this sickness?'” 9 So Hazael went to meet him and took a gift with him of every kind of good thing of Damascus, carried by forty camels. So Hazael came and stood before Elisha and said, “Your son Ben Hadad king of Aram has sent me to you, saying, 'Will I recover from this sickness?'” 10 Elisha said to him, “Go, say to Ben Hadad, 'You will surely recover,' but Yahweh has shown me that he will surely die.” 11 Then Elisha stared at Hazael until he was ashamed, and the man of God wept. 12 Hazael asked, “Why do you weep, my master?” He answered, “Because I know the evil that you will do to the people of Israel. You will set their strongholds on fire, and you will kill their young men with the sword, dash in pieces their little ones, and rip open their pregnant women.” 13 Hazael replied, “Who is your servant, that he should do this great thing? He is only a dog.” Elisha answered, “Yahweh has shown me that you will be king over Aram.” 14 Then Hazael left Elisha and came to his master, who said to him, “What did Elisha say to you?” He answered, “He told me that you would certainly recover.” 15 Then the next day Hazael took the blanket and dipped it in water, and spread it on Ben Hadad's face so that he died. Then Hazael became king in his place.

16 In the fifth year of Joram son of Ahab, king of Israel, Jehoram began to reign. He was the son of Jehoshaphat king of Judah. He began to reign when Jehoshaphat was king of Judah. 17 Jehoram was thirty-two years old when he began to reign, and he reigned for eight years in Jerusalem. 18 Jehoram walked in the ways of the kings of Israel, as the house of Ahab was doing; for he had Ahab's daughter as his wife, and he did what was evil in Yahweh's sight. 19 However, because of his servant David, Yahweh did not want to destroy Judah, since he had told him that he would always give him descendants.

20 In Jehoram's days, Edom revolted from under the hand of Judah, and they set a king over themselves. 21 Then Jehoram crossed over to Zair with all his chariots. When the Edomites surrounded Jehoram, his chariot commanders rose up and attacked them during the night; but Jehoram's army ran away and went back to their homes. 22 So Edom has been in rebellion against the rule of Judah to this present day. Libnah also revolted at the same time. 23 As for the other matters concerning Jehoram, all that he did, are they not written in the book of the events of the kings of Judah? 24 Jehoram rested with his fathers and was buried with them in the city of David. Then Ahaziah his son became king in his place.

25 In the twelfth year of Joram son of Ahab, king of Israel, Ahaziah son of Jehoram, king of Judah, began to reign. 26 Ahaziah was twenty-two years old when he began to reign; he reigned for one year in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Athaliah; she was the daughter of Omri, king of Israel. 27 Ahaziah walked in the ways of the house of Ahab; he did what was evil in the sight of Yahweh, as the house of Ahab was doing, for Ahaziah was a son-in-law to the house of Ahab. 28 Ahaziah went with Joram son of Ahab, to fight against Hazael, king of Aram, at Ramoth Gilead. The Arameans wounded Joram. 29 King Joram returned to be healed in Jezreel of the wounds that the Arameans had given him at Ramah, when he fought against Hazael king of Aram. So Ahaziah son of Jehoram, king of Judah, went down to Jezreel to see Joram son of Ahab, because Joram had been wounded.

9

1 Elisha the prophet called one of the sons of the prophets and said to him, “Dress for travel, then take this little bottle of oil in your hand and go to Ramoth Gilead. 2 When you arrive, look for Jehu son of Jehoshaphat son of Nimshi, and go in and make him arise up from among his companions, and conduct him to an inner chamber. 3 Then take the bottle of oil and pour it on his head and say, 'Yahweh says this: “I have anointed you king over Israel.”' Then open the door, and run off; do not delay.” 4 So the young man, the young prophet, went to Ramoth Gilead. 5 When he arrived, behold, the captains of the army were sitting. So the young prophet said, “I have come on an errand to you, captain.” Jehu replied, “To which of us?” The young prophet answered, “To you, captain.” 6 So Jehu arose and went into the house, and the prophet poured the oil on his head and said to Jehu, “Yahweh, the God of Israel, says this: 'I have anointed you king over the people of Yahweh, over Israel. 7 You must kill the family of Ahab your master, so that I may avenge the blood of my servants the prophets, and the blood of all the servants of Yahweh, who were murdered by the hand of Jezebel. 8 For the whole family of Ahab will perish, and I will cut off from Ahab every male child, whether he is a slave or a free person. 9 I will make the house of Ahab like the house of Jeroboam son of Nebat and like the house of Baasha son of Ahijah. 10 The dogs will eat Jezebel in Jezreel, and there will be no one to bury her.'” Then the prophet opened the door and ran off.

11 Then Jehu came out to the servants of his master, and one said to him, “Is everything alright? Why did this mad fellow come to you?” Jehu answered them, “You know the man and the kinds of things he says.” 12 They said, “That is a lie. Tell us.” Jehu answered, “He said this and that to me, and he also said, 'This is what Yahweh says: I have anointed you as king over Israel.'” 13 Then each of them quickly took off his outer garment and put it under Jehu at the top of the steps. They blew the trumpet and said, “Jehu is king.”

14 In this way Jehu son of Jehoshaphat son of Nimshi conspired against Joram. Now Joram had been defending Ramoth Gilead, he and all Israel, because of Hazael king of Aram, 15 but King Joram had gone back to Jezreel to be healed of the wounds that the Arameans had given him, when he had fought against Hazael king of Aram.

Jehu said to the servants of Joram, “If this is your opinion, then let no one escape and go out of the city, in order to go tell this news in Jezreel.” 16 So Jehu rode in a chariot to Jezreel; for Joram was resting there. Now Ahaziah king of Judah had come down to see Joram.

17 The watchman was standing on the tower in Jezreel, and he saw the company of Jehu as he came at a distance; he said, “I see a group of men coming.” Joram said, “Take a horseman, and send him out to meet them; tell him to say, 'Are you coming in peace?'” 18 So a man was sent on horseback to meet him; he said, “The king says this: 'Are coming in peace?'” So Jehu said, “What have you to do with peace? Turn and ride behind me.” Then the watchman told the king, “The messenger has met them, but he is not coming back.” 19 Then he sent out a second man on horseback, who came to them and said, “The king says this: 'Are you coming in peace?'” Jehu answered, “What have you to do with peace? Turn and ride behind me.” 20 Again the watchman reported, “He has met them, but he is not coming back. For the way that the chariot is being driven is the way that Jehu son of Nimshi drives; he is driving wildly.”

21 So Joram said, “Get my chariot ready.” They prepared his chariot, and Joram king of Israel and Ahaziah king of Judah rode out, each in his chariot, to meet Jehu. They found him at the property of Naboth the Jezreelite. 22 When Joram saw Jehu, he said, “Are you coming in peace, Jehu?” He answered, “What peace is there, when the idolatrous acts of prostitution and witchcraft of your mother Jezebel are so many?” 23 So Joram turned his chariot and fled and said to Ahaziah, “There is treachery, Ahaziah.” 24 Then Jehu drew his bow with his full strength and shot Joram between his shoulders; the arrow went through his heart, and he sank down in his chariot. 25 Then Jehu said to Bidkar his captain, “Pick him up and throw him in the field of Naboth the Jezreelite. Think about how when you and I rode together after Ahab his father, Yahweh placed this prophecy against him: 26 'Yesterday I saw the blood of Naboth and the blood of his sons—declares Yahweh—and I will surely make you pay for it on this field—declares Yahweh. Now then, pick him up and throw him on this field, according to the word of Yahweh.”

27 When Ahaziah the king of Judah saw this, he fled up the road to Beth Haggan. But Jehu followed him, and said, “Kill him also in the chariot,” and they shot him at the ascent of Gur, which is by Ibleam. Ahaziah fled to Megiddo and died there. 28 His servants carried his body in a chariot to Jerusalem and buried him in his tomb with his fathers in the city of David.

29 Now it was in the eleventh year of Joram son of Ahab that Ahaziah had begun to reign over Judah.

30 When Jehu came to Jezreel, Jezebel heard of it, and she painted her eyes, arranged her hair, and looked out the window. 31 As Jehu was entering the gate, she said to him, “Are you coming in peace, you Zimri, your master's murderer?” 32 Jehu looked up at the window and said, “Who is on my side? Who?” Then two or three eunuchs looked out. 33 So Jehu said, “Throw her down.” So they threw Jezebel down, and some of her blood spattered on the wall and the horses, and Jehu trampled her underfoot. 34 When Jehu entered the palace, he ate and drank. Then he said, “See now to this cursed woman and bury her, for she is a king's daughter.” 35 They went to bury her, but they found no more of her than the skull, the feet, and the palms of her hands. 36 So they came back and told Jehu. He said, “This is the word of Yahweh which he spoke by his servant Elijah the Tishbite, saying, 'In the land at Jezreel the dogs will eat the flesh of Jezebel, 37 and the body of Jezebel will be like dung on the surface of the fields in the land at Jezreel, so that no one will be able to say, “This is Jezebel.”'”

10

1 Now Ahab had seventy descendants in Samaria. Jehu wrote letters and sent them to Samaria, to the rulers of Jezreel, including the elders and the guardians of Ahab's descendants, saying, 2 “Your master's descendants are with you, and you also have chariots and horses and a fortified city and armor. So then, as soon as this letter comes to you, 3 select the best and most deserving of your master's descendants and set him on his father's throne, and fight for your master's royal line.” 4 But they were terrified and said among themselves, “See, the two kings could not stand before Jehu. So how can we stand?” 5 Then the man who was in charge of the palace, and the man who was over the city, and the elders also, and they who raised the children, sent word back to Jehu, saying, “We are your servants. We will do everything that you command us. We will not make any man king. Do what is good in your eyes.” 6 Then Jehu wrote a letter the second time to them, saying, “If you are on my side, and if you will listen to my voice, you must take the heads of the men of your master's descendants, and come to me to Jezreel by tomorrow this time.” Now the king's descendants, seventy in number, were with the important men of the city, who were bringing them up. 7 So when the letter came to them, they took the king's sons and killed them, seventy persons, put their heads in baskets, and sent them to Jehu in Jezreel. 8 A messenger came to Jehu, saying, “They have brought the heads of the king's sons.” So he said, “Put them in two heaps at the entrance of the gate until the morning.” 9 In the morning Jehu went out and stood, and said to all the people, “You are innocent. See, I plotted against my master and killed him, but who killed all these? 10 Now you should certainly realize that no part of Yahweh's word, the word that he spoke concerning the family of Ahab, will fall to the ground, for Yahweh has done what he spoke about through his servant Elijah.” 11 So Jehu killed all who remained in the family of Ahab in Jezreel, and all his important men, his close friends, and his priests, until none of them remained.

12 Then Jehu arose and left; he went to Samaria. As he was arriving at Beth Eked of the shepherd, 13 he met brothers of Ahaziah king of Judah. Jehu said to them, “Who are you?” They answered, “We are brothers of Ahaziah, and we are going down to greet the children of the king and the children of Queen Jezebel.” 14 Jehu said to his own men, “Take them alive.” So they took them alive and killed them at the well of Beth Eked, all forty-two men. He did not leave any of them alive.

15 When Jehu had left there, he met Jehonadab son of Recab coming to meet him. Jehu greeted him and said to him, “Is your heart with me, as my heart is with yours?” Jehonadab answered, “It is.” Jehu said, “If it is, give me your hand.” So he gave Jehu his hand, and Jehu took Jehonadab up with him into the chariot. 16 Jehu said, “Come with me and see my zeal for Yahweh.” So he had Jonadab ride along with him in his chariot. 17 When he came to Samaria, Jehu killed all who remained from Ahab's descendants in Samaria, until he had destroyed Ahab's royal line, just as was told them before by the word of Yahweh, which he had spoken to Elijah.

18 Then Jehu gathered all the people together and said to them, “Ahab served Baal a little, but Jehu will serve him much. 19 Now therefore call to me all the prophets of Baal, all his worshipers, and all his priests. Let no one be left out, for I have a great sacrifice to offer to Baal. Whoever does not come will not live.” But Jehu did this deceitfully, with the intent to kill the worshipers of Baal. 20 Jehu said, “Set a time to have an assembly for Baal.” So they announced it. 21 Then Jehu sent throughout all Israel and all the worshipers of Baal came, so that there was not a man left who did not come. They came into the temple of Baal, and it was filled from one end to another. 22 Jehu said to the man who kept the priest's wardrobe, “Bring out robes for all the worshipers of Baal.” So the man brought out robes to them. 23 So Jehu went with Jehonadab son of Recab into the house of Baal, and he said to the worshipers of Baal, “Search and make sure that there is no one here with you from the servants of Yahweh, but the worshipers of Baal alone.” 24 Then they went in to offer sacrifices and burnt offerings. Now Jehu had chosen eighty men who were standing outside, and he told them, “If any of the men whom I bring into your hands escapes, whoever lets that man escape, his life will be taken for the life of the one who escaped.”

25 So then as soon as Jehu finished offering the burnt offering, he said to the guard and to the captains, “Go in and kill them. Let no one come out.” So they killed them with the edge of the sword, and the guard and the captains threw them out and went into the inner room of the house of Baal. 26 They dragged out the stone pillars that were in the house of Baal, and they burned them. 27 Then they broke down the pillar of Baal, and destroyed the house of Baal and made it a latrine, which it is to this day. 28 That is how Jehu destroyed Baal worship from Israel.

29 But Jehu did not leave the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, by which he made Israel sin—that is, the worship of the golden calves in Bethel and Dan. 30 So Yahweh said to Jehu, “Because you have done well in executing what was right in my eyes, and have done to the house of Ahab according to all that was in my heart, your descendants will sit on the throne of Israel to the fourth generation.” 31 But Jehu took no care to walk in the law of Yahweh, the God of Israel, with all his heart. He did not turn away from the sins of Jeroboam, by which he made Israel sin.

32 In those days Yahweh began to cut off regions from Israel, and Hazael defeated the Israelites at the borders of Israel, 33 from the Jordan eastward, all the land of Gilead, the Gadites, and the Reubenites, and the Manassites, from Aroer, which is by the Valley of the Arnon, through Gilead to Bashan. 34 As for the other matters concerning Jehu, and all that he did, and all his power, are they not written in the book of the events of the kings of Israel? 35 Jehu slept with his ancestors, and they buried him in Samaria. Then Jehoahaz his son became king in his place. 36 The time that Jehu reigned over Israel in Samaria was twenty-eight years.

11

1 Now when Athaliah, the mother of Ahaziah, saw that her son was dead, she arose and killed all the royal children. 2 But Jehosheba, a daughter of King Jehoram and sister of Ahaziah, took Joash son of Ahaziah, and hid him away from among the king's sons who were killed, along with his nurse; she put them into a bedroom. They hid him from Athaliah so that he was not killed. 3 He remained with her six years, hidden in the house of Yahweh, while Athaliah reigned over the land.

4 In the seventh year, Jehoiada sent messages and brought the commanders of hundreds of the Carites and of the guard, and brought them to himself, into the temple of Yahweh. He made a covenant with them, and he made them swear an oath in the house of Yahweh. Then he showed them the king's son. 5 He commanded them, saying, “This is what you must do. A third of you who come on the Sabbath will keep watch over the king's house, 6 and a third will be at the Sur Gate, and a third at the gate behind the guardhouse.” 7 The two other groups who are not serving on the Sabbath, you must keep the watch over the house of Yahweh for the king. 8 You must surround the king, every man with his weapons in his hand. Whoever enters within your ranks, let him be killed. You must stay with the king when he goes out, and when he comes in.

9 So the commanders of hundreds obeyed everything Jehoiada the priest commanded. Each one took his men, those who were to come in to serve on the Sabbath, and those who were to stop serving on that Sabbath; and they came to Jehoiada the priest. 10 Then Jehoiada the priest gave the commanders of hundreds the spears and shields that belonged to King David and that were in the house of Yahweh. 11 So the guards stood, each man with his weapon in his hand, from the right side of the temple to the left side, near the altar and the temple, surrounding the king. 12 Then Jehoiada brought out the king's son Joash, put the crown on him, and gave him the covenant decrees. Then they made him king and anointed him. They clapped their hands and said, “Long live the king!”

13 When Athaliah heard the noise of the guard and of the people, she came to the people in the house of Yahweh. 14 She looked, and, behold, the king was standing by the pillar, as the custom was, and the captains and the trumpeters were by the king. All the people of the land were rejoicing and blowing trumpets. Then Athaliah tore her clothes and shouted, “Treason! Treason!” 15 Then Jehoiada the priest ordered the commanders of hundreds who were over the army, saying, “Bring her out between the ranks. Anyone who follows her, kill him with the sword.” For the priest had said, “Do not let her be killed in the house of Yahweh.” 16 So they seized her as she reached the place where the horses enter the palace grounds, and there she was killed.

17 Then Jehoiada made a covenant between Yahweh and the king and people, that they should be Yahweh's people, and also between the king and the people. 18 So all the people of the land went to the house of Baal and tore it down. They smashed Baal's altars and his idol figures to pieces, and they killed Mattan, the priest of Baal, in front of those altars. Then Jehoida the priest appointed guards over the temple of Yahweh. 19 Jehoida took with him the commanders of hundreds, the Carites, the guard, and all the people of the land, and together they brought down the king from the house of Yahweh and they went into the king's house, entering by way of the gate of the guards. Joash took his place on the royal throne. 20 So all the people of the land rejoiced, and the city was quiet after Athaliah had been killed with the sword at the king's house.

21 Joash was seven years old when he began to reign.

12

1 In the seventh year of Jehu, the reign of Joash began; he reigned for forty years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Zibiah, of Beersheba. 2 Joash did what was right in the eyes of Yahweh all the time, because Jehoiada the priest was instructing him. 3 But the high places were not taken away. The people still sacrificed and burned incense on the high places.

4 Joash said to the priests, “All the money that is brought in as sacred offerings into the house of Yahweh, that money for which each person is assessed—whether it is the money collected in the census, or the money received from personal vows, or the money brought in by people motivated by Yahweh in their hearts to give— 5 the priests should receive the money from one of their treasurers and repair whatever damage is found in the temple.” 6 But by the twenty-third year of King Joash, the priests had not repaired anything in the temple. 7 Then King Joash called for Jehoiada the priest and for the other priests; he said to them, “Why have you not repaired anything in the temple? Now take no more money from your taxpayers, but take what has been collected for repairs of the temple and give it to those who can make the repairs.” 8 So the priests consented to take no more money from the people and not repair the temple themselves.

9 Instead, Jehoiada the priest took a chest, bored a hole in its lid, and set it beside the altar, on the right side as one comes into the house of Yahweh. The priests who were guarding the temple entrance put into it all the money that was brought to the house of Yahweh. 10 Whenever they saw that there was much money in the chest, the king's scribe and the high priest would come and put the money in bags and then count it, the money found in the temple of Yahweh. 11 They gave the money that was weighed out into the hands of men who took care of the temple of Yahweh. They paid it out to the carpenters and the builders who worked on the temple of Yahweh, 12 and to the masons and the stonecutters, for buying timber and cutting stone to repair the temple of Yahweh, and for all that was needed to be paid to repair it. 13 But the money that was brought into the house of Yahweh did not pay to make for it any silver cups, lamp trimmers, basins, trumpets, or any gold or silver furnishing. 14 They gave this money to those who did the work of repairing the house of Yahweh. 15 In addition, they did not require the money paid for repairs to be accounted for by the men who received it and paid it to the workmen, because these men were honest. 16 But the money for the guilt offerings and the money for the sin offerings was not brought into the temple of Yahweh, because it belonged to the priests.

17 Then Hazael king of Aram attacked and fought against Gath, and took it. Hazael then turned to attack Jerusalem. 18 Joash king of Judah took all the things that Jehoshaphat and Jehoram and Ahaziah, his fathers, kings of Judah, had set apart, and what he had set apart, and all the gold that was found in the storerooms of the houses of Yahweh and of the king and he sent them to Hazael king of Aram. Then Hazael went away from Jerusalem.

19 As for the other matters concerning Joash, all that he did, are they not written in the book of the events of the kings of Judah? 20 His servants arose and plotted together; they attacked Joash in Beth Millo, on the way that goes down to Silla. 21 Jozabad * son of Shimeath, and Jehozabad son of Shomer, his servants, attacked him, and he died. They buried Joash with his ancestors in the city of David, and Amaziah, his son, became king in his place.

13

1 In the twenty-third year of Joash son of Ahaziah king of Judah, Jehoahaz son of Jehu began to reign over Israel in Samaria; he reigned seventeen years. 2 He did what was evil in the sight of Yahweh and followed the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, who caused Israel to sin; and Jehoahaz did not turn away from them. 3 The anger of Yahweh burned against Israel, and he gave them continually into the hand of Hazael king of Aram and into the hand of Ben Hadad son of Hazael. 4 So Jehoahaz implored Yahweh, and Yahweh listened to him because he saw the oppression of Israel, how the king of Aram was oppressing them. 5 So Yahweh gave Israel a rescuer, and they escaped from the hand of the Arameans, and the people of Israel began to live in their homes as they had before. 6 Nevertheless, they did not depart from the sins of the house of Jeroboam, who caused Israel to sin, and they continued in them; and the Asherah pole remained in Samaria. 7 The Arameans left Jehoahaz with only fifty horsemen, ten chariots, and ten thousand footmen, for the king of Aram had destroyed them and made them like the chaff at threshing time. 8 As for the other matters concerning Jehoahaz, and all that he did and his power, are they not written in the book of the events of the kings of Israel? 9 So Jehoahaz slept with his ancestors, and they buried him in Samaria. Johoash his son became king in his place.

10 In the thirty-seventh year of Joash king of Judah, the reign of Jehoash son of Jehoahaz began over Israel in Samaria; he reigned sixteen years. 11 He did what was evil in the sight of Yahweh. He did not leave behind any of the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, by which he had made Israel to sin, but he walked in them. 12 As for the other matters concerning Jehoash, and all that he did, and his might by which he fought against Amaziah king of Judah, are they not written in the book of the events of the kings of Israel? 13 Jehoash slept with his ancestors, and Jeroboam sat on his throne. Jehoash was buried in Samaria with the kings of Israel.

14 Now Elisha became sick with an illness by which he later died, so Jehoash the king of Israel came down to him and wept over him. He said, “My father, my father, the chariots of Israel and the horsemen are taking you away!” 15 Elisha said to him, “Pick up a bow and some arrows,” so Joash picked up a bow and some arrows. 16 Elisha said to the king of Israel, “Put your hand on the bow,” so he put his hand on it. Then Elisha laid his hands on the king's hands. 17 Elisha said, “Open the window eastward,” so he opened it. Then Elisha said, “Shoot!”, and he shot. Elisha said, “This is Yahweh's arrow of victory, the arrow of victory over Aram, for you will attack the Arameans in Aphek until you have consumed them.” 18 Then Elisha said, “Take the arrows,” so Joash took them. He said to the king of Israel, “Strike the ground with them,” and he struck the ground three times, then stopped. 19 But the man of God was angry with him and said, “You should have hit the ground five or six times. Then you would have attacked Aram until you annihilated it, but now you will attack Aram only three times.”

20 Then Elisha died, and they buried him. Now groups of Moabites invaded the land at the beginning of the year. 21 As they were burying a certain man, they saw a group of Moabites, so they threw the body into Elisha's grave. As soon as the man touched Elisha's bones, he revived and stood up on his feet.

22 Hazael king of Aram oppressed Israel all the days of Jehoahaz. 23 But Yahweh was gracious to Israel, and had compassion on them and concern for them, because of his covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. So Yahweh did not destroy them, and he still has not driven them away from his presence. 24 Hazael king of Aram died, and Ben Hadad his son became king in his place. 25 Jehoash son of Jehoahaz took back from Ben Hadad son of Hazael the cities that had been taken from Jehoahaz his father by war. Jehoash attacked him three times, and he recovered those cities of Israel.

14

1 In the second year of Jehoash son of Jehoahaz, king of Israel, Amaziah son of Joash, king of Judah, began to reign. 2 He was twenty-five years old when he began to reign; he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Jehoaddan, of Jerusalem. 3 He did what was right in the eyes of Yahweh, yet not like David his father. He did everything that Joash, his father, had done. 4 But the high places were not taken away. The people still sacrificed and burned incense at the high places. 5 It came about that as soon as his rule was well established, he killed the servants who had murdered his father, the king. 6 Yet he did not put the sons of the murderers to death; instead, he acted according to what was written in the Book of the Law Moses, as Yahweh had commanded, saying, “The fathers must not be put to death for their children, neither must the children be put to death for their parents. Instead, every person must be put to death for his own sin.” 7 He killed ten thousand soldiers of Edom in the Valley of Salt; he also took Sela in war and called it Joktheel, which is what it is called to this day.

8 Then Amaziah sent messengers to Jehoash son of Jehoahaz son of Jehu king of Israel, saying, “Come, let us meet each other face to face in battle.” 9 But Jehoash the king of Israel sent messengers back to Amaziah king of Judah, saying, “A thistle that was in Lebanon sent a message to a cedar in Lebanon, saying, 'Give your daughter to my son for a wife,' but a wild beast in Lebanon walked by and trampled down the thistle. 10 You have indeed attacked Edom, and your heart has lifted you up. Take pride in your victory, but stay at home, for why should you cause yourself trouble and fall, both you and Judah with you?”

11 But Amaziah would not listen. So Jehoash king of Israel attacked and he and Amaziah king of Judah met each other face to face at Beth Shemesh, which belongs to Judah. 12 Judah was defeated by Israel, and every man fled home. 13 Jehoash king of Israel, captured Amaziah, king of Judah son of Jehoash son of Ahaziah, at Beth Shemesh. He came to Jerusalem and tore down the wall of Jerusalem from the Ephraim Gate to the Corner Gate, four hundred cubits in distance. 14 He took all the gold and silver, all the objects that were found in the house of Yahweh, and the valuable things in the king's palace, with hostages also, and returned to Samaria.

15 As for the other matters concerning Jehoash, all that he did, his power, and how he fought with Amaziah king of Judah, are they not written in the book of the events of the kings of Israel? 16 Then Jehoash slept with his ancestors and was buried in Samaria with the kings of Israel, and Jeroboam, his son, became king in his place.

17 Amaziah son of Joash, king of Judah, lived fifteen years after the death of Jehoash son of Jehoahaz, king of Israel. 18 As for the other matters concerning Amaziah, are they not written in the book of the events of the kings of Judah? 19 They made a conspiracy against Amaziah in Jerusalem, and he fled to Lachish. He fled to Lachish, but they sent men after him to Lachish and killed him there. 20 They brought him back on horses, and he was buried with his ancestors in the city of David. 21 All the people of Judah took Azariah, who was sixteen years old, and made him king in place of his father Amaziah. 22 It was Azariah who rebuilt Elath and restored it to Judah, after King Amaziah slept with his ancestors.

23 In the fifteenth year of Amaziah son of Joash king of Judah, Jeroboam son of Jehoash king of Israel began to reign in Samaria; he reigned forty-one years. 24 He did what was evil in the sight of Yahweh. He did not depart from any of the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, who had caused Israel to sin. 25 He restored the border of Israel from Lebo Hamath to the Sea of the Arabah, following the commands of the word of Yahweh, the God of Israel, which he had spoken through his servant Jonah son of Amittai, the prophet, who was from Gath Hepher. 26 For Yahweh saw the suffering of Israel, that it was very bitter for everyone, both slave and free, and that there was no rescuer for Israel. 27 So Yahweh said that he would not blot out the name of Israel under heaven; instead, he saved them by the hand of Jeroboam son of Jehoash.

28 As for the other matters concerning Jeroboam, all that he did, his power, how he waged war and recovered Damascus and Hamath, which had belonged to Judah, for Israel, are they not written in the book of the events of the kings of Israel? 29 Jeroboam slept with his ancestors, with the kings of Israel, and Zechariah his son became king in his place.

15

1 In the twenty-seventh year of Jeroboam king of Israel, Azariah son of Amaziah king of Judah began to reign. 2 Azariah was sixteen years old when he began to reign, and he reigned for fifty-two years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Jekoliah, and she was from Jerusalem. 3 He did what was right in the eyes of Yahweh, just as his father Amaziah had done. 4 However, the high places were not taken away. The people still sacrificed and burned incense at the high places. 5 Yahweh afflicted the king so that he was a leper to the day of his death and lived in a separate house. Jotham, the king's son, was over the household and ruled the people of the land. 6 As for the other matters concerning Azariah, all that he did, are they not written in the book of the events of the kings of Judah? 7 So Azariah slept with his ancestors; they buried him with his ancestors in the city of David. Jotham, his son, became king in his place.

8 In the thirty-eighth year of Azariah king of Judah, Zechariah son of Jeroboam reigned over Israel in Samaria for six months. 9 He did what was evil in the sight of Yahweh, as his fathers had done. He did not depart from the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, who had caused Israel to sin. 10 Shallum son of Jabesh conspired against Zechariah, attacked him in Ibleam, and killed him. Then he became king in his place. 11 As for the other matters concerning Zechariah, they are written in the book of the events of the kings of Israel. 12 This was the word of Yahweh that he spoke to Jehu, saying, “Your descendants will sit on the throne of Israel to the fourth generation.” That is what happened.

13 Shallum son of Jabesh began to reign in the thirty-ninth year of Azariah king of Judah, and he reigned only one month in Samaria. 14 Menahem son of Gadi went up from Tirzah to Samaria. There he attacked Shallum son of Jabesh, in Samaria. He killed him and became king in his place. 15 As for the other matters concerning Shallum and the conspiracy that he formed, they are written in the book of the events of the kings of Israel. 16 Then Menahem attacked Tiphsah and all who were there, and the borders around Tirzah, because they did not open up the city to him. So he attacked it, and he ripped open all the pregnant women in that village. * 17 In the thirty-ninth year of Azariah king of Judah, Menahem son of Gadi began to reign over Israel; he reigned ten years in Samaria. 18 He did what was evil in the sight of Yahweh. For his whole life, he did not depart from the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, who had caused Israel to sin. 19 Then Pul the king of Assyria came against the land, and Menahem gave Pul one thousand talents of silver, so that Pul's support might be with him to strengthen the kingdom of Israel in his hand. 20 Menahem exacted this money from Israel by requiring each of the wealthy men to pay fifty shekels of silver to him to give to the king of Assyria. So the king of Assyria turned back and did not stay there in the land. 21 As for the other matters concerning Menahem, and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the events of the kings of Israel? 22 So Menahem slept with his ancestors, and Pekahiah his son became king in his place.

23 In the fiftieth year of Azariah king of Judah, Pekahiah son of Menahem began to reign over Israel in Samaria; he reigned two years. 24 He did what was evil in the sight of Yahweh. He did not leave behind the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, by which he had caused Israel to sin. 25 Pekahiah had an officer named Pekah son of Remaliah, who conspired against him. Along with fifty men of Gilead, Pekah killed Pekahiah as well as Argob and Arieh in Samaria, in the citadel of the king's palace. Pekah killed Pekahiah and became king in his place. 26 As for the other matters concerning Pekahiah, all that he did, they are written in the book of the events of the kings of Israel.

27 In the fifty-second year of Azariah king of Judah, Pekah son of Remaliah began to reign over Israel in Samaria; he reigned twenty years. 28 He did what was evil in the sight of Yahweh. He did not depart from the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, who had caused Israel to sin.

29 In the days of Pekah king of Israel, Tiglath-Pileser king of Assyria came and took Ijon, Abel Beth Maacah, Janoah, Kedesh, Hazor, Gilead, Galilee, and all the land of Naphtali. He carried away the people to Assyria. 30 So Hoshea son of Elah formed a conspiracy against Pekah son of Remaliah. He attacked him and killed him. Then he became king in his place, in the twentieth year of Jotham son of Uzziah. 31 As for the other matters concerning Pekah, all that he did, they are written in the book of the events of the kings of Israel.

32 In the second year of Pekah son of Remaliah, king of Israel, Jotham son of Azariah, king of Judah began to reign. 33 He was twenty-five years old when he began to reign; he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Jerushah; she was the daughter of Zadok. 34 Jotham did what was right in the eyes of Yahweh. He followed the example of all his father Azariah had done. 35 However, the high places were not taken away. The people still sacrificed and burned incense at the high places. Jotham built the upper gate of the house of Yahweh. 36 As for the other matters concerning Jotham, and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the events of the kings of Judah? 37 In those days Yahweh began to send against Judah Rezin the king of Aram, and Pekah son of Remaliah. 38 Jotham slept with his ancestors and was buried with his ancestors in the city of David, his ancestor. Then Ahaz, his son, became king in his place.

16

1 In the seventeenth year of Pekah son of Remaliah, Ahaz son of Jotham king of Judah, began to reign. 2 Ahaz was twenty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem. He did not do what was right in the eyes of Yahweh his God, as David his ancestor had done. 3 Instead, he walked in the way of the kings of Israel; indeed, he made his son pass through the fire, following the detestable practices of the nations, which Yahweh had driven out before the people of Israel. 4 He offered sacrifices and burned incense at the high places, on the hilltops, and under every green tree.

5 Then Rezin, king of Aram and Pekah son of Remaliah, king of Israel, came up to Jerusalem to attack. They besieged Ahaz, but they could not conquer him. 6 At that time, Rezin king of Aram recovered Elath for Aram and drove the men of Judah out of Elath. Then the Arameans came to Elath where they have lived to this day.

7 So Ahaz sent messengers to Tiglath-Pileser king of Assyria, saying, “I am your servant and your son. Come up and save me from the hand of the king of Aram and from the hand of the king of Israel, who have attacked me.” 8 So Ahaz took the silver and gold that was found in the house of Yahweh and among the treasures of the king's palace and he sent it as a gift to the king of Assyria. 9 Then the king of Assyria listened to him, and the king of Assyria went up against Damascus, conquered it and carried off its people as prisoners to Kir. He also killed Rezin the king of Aram.

10 King Ahaz went to Damascus to meet Tiglath-Pileser king of Assyria. At Damascus he saw an altar. He sent to Uriah the priest a model of the altar and its pattern and the design for all the workmanship needed. 11 So Uriah the priest built an altar to be just like the plans that King Ahaz had sent from Damascus. He finished it before King Ahaz arrived back from Damascus. 12 When the king came from Damascus he saw the altar; the king approached the altar and made offerings on it. 13 He made his burnt offering and his grain offering, poured out his drink offering, and sprinkled the blood of his fellowship offerings on the altar. 14 The bronze altar that was before Yahweh—he brought it from the front of the temple, from between his altar and the temple of Yahweh and put it on the north side of his altar. 15 Then King Ahaz commanded Uriah the priest, saying, “On the large altar burn the morning burnt offering and the evening grain offering, and the king's burnt offering and his grain offering, with the burnt offering of all the people of the land, and their grain offering and their drink offerings. Sprinkle on it all the blood of the burnt offering, and all the blood of the sacrifice. But the bronze altar will be for me to consult for guidance.” 16 Uriah the priest did just what King Ahaz commanded.

17 Then King Ahaz removed the panels and the basins from the portable stands; he also took down the sea from off the bronze oxen that were under it and put it on a stone pavement. 18 He removed the covered walkway for the Sabbath that they had built at the temple, along with the king's entry outside the temple of Yahweh, because of the king of Assyria. 19 As for the other matters concerning Ahaz and what he did, are they not written in the book of the events of the kings of Judah? 20 Ahaz slept with his ancestors and was buried with his ancestors in the city of David. Hezekiah his son became king in his place.

17

1 In the twelfth year of Ahaz king of Judah, the reign of Hoshea son of Elah began. He ruled in Samaria over Israel for nine years. 2 He did what was evil in the sight of Yahweh, yet not as the kings of Israel who were before him. 3 Shalmaneser king of Assyria attacked him, and Hoshea became his servant and brought him tribute. 4 Then the king of Assyria realized that Hoshea had been plotting against him, for Hoshea had sent messengers to So king of Egypt; also, he offered no tribute to the king of Assyria, as he had done year by year. So the king of Assyria shut him up and bound him in prison. 5 Then the king of Assyria attacked throughout all the land, and attacked Samaria and besieged it for three years. 6 In the ninth year of Hoshea, the king of Assyria took Samaria and carried Israel away to Assyria. He put them in Halah, at the Habor River of Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes.

7 This captivity happened because the people of Israel had sinned against Yahweh their God, who had brought them up from the land of Egypt, from under the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt. The people had been worshiping other gods 8 and walking in the practices of the nations whom Yahweh had driven out before the people of Israel, and in the practices of the kings of Israel that they had done. 9 The people of Israel did secretly—against Yahweh their God—things that were not right. They built for themselves high places in all their cities, from the watchtower to the fortress. 10 They also set up stone pillars and Asherah poles on every high hill and under every green tree. 11 There they burned incense in all the high places, as the nations had done, those whom Yahweh had carried away before them. The Israelites performed wicked things to provoke Yahweh to anger; 12 they worshiped idols, about which Yahweh had said to them, “You will not do this thing.” 13 Yet Yahweh had testified to Israel and to Judah by every prophet and every seer, saying, “Turn from your evil ways and keep my commandments and my statutes, and be careful to keep all the law I commanded your fathers, and that I sent to you by my servants the prophets.” 14 But they would not listen; instead they were very stubborn like their fathers who did not trust in Yahweh their God. 15 They rejected his statutes and the covenant that he had made with their ancestors, and the covenant decrees that he had given to them. They followed useless practices and they themselves became useless. They followed the pagan nations who were around them, those that Yahweh had commanded them not to imitate. 16 They ignored all the commandments of Yahweh their God. They made cast metal figures of two calves to worship. They made an Asherah pole, and they worshiped all the stars of the heavens and Baal. 17 They made their sons and daughters pass through the fire, they used divination and enchantments, they sold themselves to do that which was evil in the sight of Yahweh, and they provoked him to anger. 18 Therefore Yahweh was very angry with Israel and removed them out of his sight. There was no one left but the tribe of Judah alone.

19 Even Judah did not keep the commandments of Yahweh their God, and they followed the practices that Israel had done. 20 So Yahweh rejected all the descendants of Israel; he afflicted them and gave them into the hand of those who would take the possession as spoil, until he had cast them out of his sight. 21 He tore Israel from the royal line of David, and they made Jeroboam son of Nebat king. Jeroboam drove Israel away from following Yahweh and made them commit a great sin. 22 The people of Israel followed all the sins of Jeroboam and they did not depart from them, 23 so Yahweh removed Israel from his sight, as he had said through all his servants the prophets that he would. So Israel was carried away out of their own land to Assyria, and it is this way to this present day.

24 The king of Assyria brought people from Babylon and from Kuthah, and from Avva, and from Hamath and Sepharvaim, and placed them in the cities of Samaria in place of the people of Israel. They took over Samaria and lived in its cities. 25 It happened at the beginning of their residence there that they did not honor Yahweh. So Yahweh sent lions among them which killed some of them. 26 So they spoke to the king of Assyria, saying, “The nations that you have carried away and placed in the cities of Samaria do not know the practices required by the god of the land. So he has sent lions among them, and, see, the lions are killing people there because they do not know the practices required by the god of the land.”

27 Then the king of Assyria commanded, saying, “Take one of the priests there whom you brought from there, and let him go and live there, and let him teach them the practices required by the god of the land.” 28 So one of the priests whom they had carried away from Samaria came and lived in Bethel; he taught them how they should honor Yahweh. 29 Every ethnic group made gods of their own, and put them in the high places that the Samaritans had made—every ethnic group in the cities where they lived. 30 The people of Babylon made Succoth Benoth; the people of Kuthah made Nergal; the people of Hamath made Ashima; 31 the Avvites made Nibhaz and Tartak. The Sepharvites burned their children in the fire to Adrammelek and Anammelek, the gods of the Sepharvites. 32 They also honored Yahweh, and appointed from among themselves priests of the high places, who sacrificed for them in the temples at the high places. 33 They honored Yahweh and also worshiped their own gods, in the customs of the nations from among whom they had been taken away.

34 To this day they persist in their old customs. They neither honor Yahweh, nor do they follow the statutes, decrees, the law, or the commandments that Yahweh gave to the people of Jacob—whom he named Israel— 35 and with whom Yahweh had made a covenant and commanded them, “You will not fear other gods, nor bow yourselves to them, nor worship them, nor sacrifice to them. 36 But Yahweh, who brought you up from the land of Egypt with great power and a raised arm, is the one you must honor; it is to him that you will prostrate yourselves, and it is to him that you will sacrifice. 37 The statutes and the decrees, the law and the commandments that he wrote for you, you will keep them forever. So you must not fear other gods, 38 and the covenant that I have made with you, you will not forget; neither will you honor other gods. 39 But Yahweh your God is who you will honor. He will rescue you from the might of your enemies.” 40 They would not listen, because they continued to do what they had done in the past. 41 So these nations feared Yahweh and they also worshiped their carved figures, and their children did the same—as did their children's children. They continue to do what their ancestors did, up to this day.

18

1 Now in the third year of Hoshea son of Elah, king of Israel, Hezekiah son of Ahaz, king of Judah began to reign. 2 He was twenty-five years old when he began to reign; he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Abijah; she was the daughter of Zechariah. 3 He did what was right in the eyes of Yahweh, following the example of all that David, his ancestor, had done. 4 He removed the high places, destroyed the stone pillars, and cut down the Asherah poles. He broke to pieces the bronze serpent that Moses had made, because in those days the people of Israel were burning incense to it; it was called “Nehushtan.” 5 Hezekiah trusted in Yahweh, the God of Israel, so that after him there was no one like him among all the kings of Judah, nor among the kings who were before him. 6 For he held on to Yahweh. He did not stop following him but kept his commandments, which Yahweh commanded Moses. 7 So Yahweh was with Hezekiah, and wherever he went he prospered. He rebelled against the king of Assyria and did not serve him. 8 He attacked the Philistines to Gaza and the borders around, from the tower of the watchmen to the fortified city.

9 In the fourth year of King Hezekiah, which was the seventh year of Hoshea son of Elah king of Israel, Shalmaneser king of Assyria came up against Samaria and besieged it. 10 At the end of three years they took it, in the sixth year of Hezekiah, which was the ninth year of Hoshea king of Israel; in this way Samaria was captured. 11 So the king of Assyria carried Israel away to Assyria and put them in Halah, and at the Habor River in Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes. 12 He did this because they did not obey the voice of Yahweh their God, but they violated the terms of his covenant, all that Moses the servant of Yahweh commanded. They refused to listen to it or do it.

13 Then in the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah, Sennacherib king of Assyria attacked all the fortified cities of Judah and captured them. 14 So Hezekiah king of Judah sent word to the king of Assyria, who was at Lachish, saying, “I have offended you. Withdraw from me. Whatever you put on me I will bear.” The king of Assyria required Hezekiah king of Judah to pay three hundred talents of silver and thirty talents of gold. 15 So Hezekiah gave him all the silver that was found in the house of Yahweh and in the treasuries of the king's palace. 16 Then Hezekiah cut off the gold from the doors of the temple of Yahweh and from the pillars that he had overlaid; he gave the gold to the king of Assyria. 17 But the king of Assyria mobilized his great army, sending Tartan and Rabsaris and the chief commander from Lachish to King Hezekiah at Jerusalem. They traveled up the roads and arrived outside Jerusalem. They approached the conduit of the upper pool, on the highway of the launderers' field, and stood by it. 18 When they had called to King Hezekiah, Eliakim son of Hilkiah, who was over the household, and Shebna the scribe, and Joah son of Asaph, the recorder, went out to meet them.

19 So the chief commander said to them to tell Hezekiah what the great king, the king of Assyria, said: “What is the source of your confidence? 20 You speak only useless words, saying there are allies and strength for war. In whom are you trusting, that you should rebel against me? 21 Look, you trust in the walking stick of this bruised reed of Egypt, but if a man leans on it, it will stick into his hand and pierce it. That is what Pharaoh king of Egypt is to anyone who trusts in him. 22 But if you say to me, 'We are trusting in Yahweh our God,' is not he the one whose high places and altars Hezekiah has taken away, and has said to Judah and to Jerusalem, 'You must worship before this altar in Jerusalem'? 23 Now therefore, I want to make you a good offer from my master the king of Assyria. I will give you two thousand horses, if you are able to find riders for them. 24 How could you resist even one captain of the least of my master's servants? You have put your trust in Egypt for chariots and horsemen! 25 Have I traveled up here without Yahweh to fight against this place and destroy it? Yahweh said to me, 'Attack this land and destroy it.'”

26 Then Eliakim son of Hilkiah, and Shebnah, and Joah said to the chief commander, “Please speak to your servants in the Aramaic language, for we understand it. Do not speak with us in the language of Judah in the ears of the people who are on the wall.” 27 But the chief commander said to them, “Has my master sent me to your master and to you to speak these words? Has he not sent me to the men who sit on the wall, who will have to eat their own dung and drink their own urine with you?” 28 Then the chief commander stood and shouted in a loud voice in the Jews' language, saying, “Listen to the word of the great king, the king of Assyria. 29 The king says, 'Do not let Hezekiah deceive you, for he will not be able to rescue you from my power. 30 Do not let Hezekiah make you trust in Yahweh, saying, “Yahweh will surely rescue us, and this city will not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria.”' 31 Do not listen to Hezekiah, for this is what the king of Assyria says: 'Make peace with me and come out to me. Then every one of you will eat from his own vine and from his own fig tree, and drink from the water in his own cistern. 32 You will do this until I come and take you away to a land like your own land, a land of grain and new wine, a land of bread and vineyards, a land of olive trees and honey, so that you may live and not die.' Do not listen to Hezekiah when he tries to persuade you, saying, 'Yahweh will rescue us.' 33 Has any of the gods of the peoples rescued them out of the hand of the king of Assyria? 34 Where are the gods of Hamath and Arpad? Where are the gods of Sepharvaim, Hena, and Ivvah? Have they rescued Samaria out of my hand? 35 Among all the gods of the lands, is there any god who has rescued his land from my power? How could Yahweh save Jerusalem from my might?”

36 But the people remained silent and did not respond, for the king had commanded, “Do not answer him.” 37 Then Eliakim son of Hilkiah, who was over the household; Shebna the scribe; and Joah son of Asaph, the recorder, came to Hezekiah with their clothes torn, and reported to him the words of the chief commander.

19

1 It came about that when King Hezekiah heard their report, he tore his clothes, covered himself with sackcloth, and went into the house of Yahweh. 2 He sent Eliakim, who was over the household, and Shebna the scribe, and the elders of the priests, all covered with sackcloth, to Isaiah son of Amoz, the prophet. 3 They said to him, “Hezekiah says, 'This day is a day of distress, rebuke, and disgrace, for the children have come to the time of birth, but there is no strength for them to be born. 4 It may be that Yahweh your God will hear all the words of the chief commander, whom the king of Assyria his master has sent to defy the living God, and will rebuke the words which Yahweh your God has heard. Now lift up your prayer for the remnant that is still here.'” 5 So the servants of King Hezekiah came to Isaiah, 6 and Isaiah said to them, “Say to your master: 'Yahweh says, “Do not be afraid of the words that you have heard, with which the servants of the king of Assyria have insulted me. 7 Look, I will put a spirit in him, and he will hear a certain report and go back to his own land. I will cause him to fall by the sword in his own land.”'” 8 Then the chief commander returned and found the king of Assyria fighting against Libnah, for he had heard that the king had gone away from Lachish. 9 Then Sennacherib heard that Tirhakah king of Cush and Egypt had mobilized to fight against him, so he sent messengers again to Hezekiah with a message: 10 “Say to Hezekiah king of Judah, 'Do not let your God in whom you trust deceive you, saying, “Jerusalem will not be given over into the hand of the king of Assyria.” 11 See, you have heard what the kings of Assyria have done to all lands by destroying them completely. So will you be rescued? 12 Have the gods of the nations rescued them, the nations that my fathers destroyed: Gozan, Haran, Rezeph, and the people of Eden in Tel Assar? 13 Where are the king of Hamath, the king of Arpad, the king of the cities of Sepharvaim, of Hena, and Ivvah?'”

14 Hezekiah received this letter from the messengers and read it. Then he went up to the house of Yahweh and spread it before him. 15 Then Hezekiah prayed before Yahweh and said, “Yahweh of hosts, God of Israel, you who sit above the cherubim, you are God alone over all the kingdoms of the earth. You made the heavens and the earth. 16 Turn your ear, Yahweh, and listen. Open your eyes, Yahweh, and see, and hear the words of Sennacherib, which he has sent to mock the living God. 17 Truly, Yahweh, the kings of Assyria have destroyed the nations and their lands. 18 They have put their gods into the fire, for they were not gods but the work of men's hands, just wood and stone. So the Assyrians have destroyed them. 19 Now then, Yahweh our God, save us, I implore you, from his power, so that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that you, Yahweh, are God alone.”

20 Then Isaiah son of Amoz sent a message to Hezekiah, saying, “Yahweh, the God of Israel says, 'Because you have prayed to me concerning Sennacherib king of Assyria, I have heard you. 21 This is the word that Yahweh has spoken about him:

“The virgin daughter of Zion

despises you and laughs you to scorn.

The daughter of Jerusalem

shakes her head at you.

22 Whom have you defied and insulted?

Against whom have you exalted your voice

and lifted up your eyes in pride?

Against the Holy One of Israel!

23 By your messengers

you have defied the Lord,

and have said,

'With the multitude of my chariots

I have gone up to the heights of the mountains,

to the highest elevations of Lebanon.

I will cut down the tall cedars

and the choice cypress trees there.

I will enter into its farthest parts,

its most fruitful forest.

24 I have dug wells

and have drunk foreign waters.

I dried up all the rivers of Egypt

under the soles of my feet.'

25 Have you not heard how I

determined it long ago,

and worked it out in ancient times?

Now I am bringing it to pass.

You are here to reduce impregnable cities

into heaps of ruins.

26 Their inhabitants, of little strength,

are shattered and ashamed.

They are plants in the field,

green grass,

the grass on the roof or in the field,

burned before it has grown up.

27 But I know your sitting down,

your going out, your coming in,

and your raging against me.

28 Because of your raging against me,

and because your arrogance has reached my ears,

I will put my hook in your nose,

and my bit in your mouth;

I will turn you back

the way you came.”

29 This will be the sign for you:

This year you will eat what grows wild,

and in the second year what grows from that.

But in the third year you must plant and harvest,

plant vineyards and eat their fruit.

30 The remnant of the house of Judah that survives

will again take root and bear fruit.

31 For from Jerusalem a remnant will come out,

from Mount Zion survivors will come. The zeal of Yahweh of hosts will do this. 32 Therefore Yahweh says this about the king of Assyria:

“He will not come into this city

nor shoot an arrow here.

Neither will he come before it with shield

or build up a siege ramp against it.

33 The way by which he came

will be the same way he will leave;

he will not enter this city—

this is Yahweh's declaration.”

34 For I will defend this city and rescue it,

for my own sake and for my servant David's sake.'”

35 It came about that night that the angel of Yahweh went out and attacked the camp of the Assyrians, putting to death 185,000 soldiers. When the men arose early in the morning, dead bodies lay everywhere. 36 So Sennacherib king of Assyria left Israel and went home and stayed in Nineveh. 37 Later, as he was worshiping in the house of Nisrok his god, his sons Adrammelek and Sharezer killed him with the sword. Then they escaped into the land of Ararat. Then Esarhaddon his son became king in his place.

20

1 In those days Hezekiah was sick to the point of dying. So Isaiah son of Amoz, the prophet came to him, and said to him, “Yahweh says, 'Set your house in order; for you will die, and not live.'” 2 Then Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to Yahweh, saying, 3 “Please, Yahweh, call to mind how I have faithfully walked before you with my whole heart, and how I have done what was good in your sight.” Then Hezekiah wept loudly. 4 Before Isaiah had gone out into the middle courtyard, the word of Yahweh came to him, saying, 5 “Turn back, and say to Hezekiah, the leader of my people, 'This is what Yahweh, the God of David your ancestor, says: “I have heard your prayer, and I have seen your tears. I am about to heal you on the third day, and you will go up to the house of Yahweh. 6 I will add fifteen years to your life, and I will rescue you and this city from the hand of the king of Assyria, and I will defend this city for my own sake and for my servant David's sake.”'” 7 So Isaiah said, “Take a lump of figs.” They did so and put it on his boil, and he recovered.

8 Hezekiah said to Isaiah, “What will be the sign that Yahweh will heal me, and that I should go up to the temple of Yahweh on the third day?” 9 Isaiah replied, “This will be the sign for you from Yahweh, that Yahweh will do the thing that he has spoken. Shall the shadow go forward ten steps, or go back ten steps?” 10 Hezekiah answered, “It is an easy thing for the shadow to go forward ten steps. No, let the shadow go backward ten steps.” 11 So Isaiah the prophet cried out to Yahweh, and he brought the shadow ten steps backward, from where it had moved on the stairway of Ahaz.

12 At that time Marduk-Baladan son of Baladan king of Babylon sent letters and a gift to Hezekiah, for he had heard that Hezekiah had been sick. 13 Hezekiah listened to those letters, and then showed the messengers all the palace and his valuable things, the silver, the gold, the spices and precious oil, and the storehouse of his weapons, and all that was found in his storehouses. There was nothing in his house, nor in all his kingdom, that Hezekiah did not show them. 14 Then Isaiah the prophet came to King Hezekiah and asked him, “What did these men say to you? Where did they come from?” Hezekiah said, “They came from the distant country of Babylon.” 15 Isaiah asked, “What have they seen in your house?” Hezekiah answered, “They have seen everything in my house. There is nothing among my valuable things that I have not shown them.”

16 So Isaiah said to Hezekiah, “Listen to the word of Yahweh: 17 'Look, the days are about to come when everything in your palace, the things that your ancestors stored away until this present day, will be carried to Babylon. Nothing will be left, says Yahweh. 18 The sons born from you, whom you yourself have fathered—they will take them away, and they will become eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon.'” 19 Then Hezekiah said to Isaiah, “The word of Yahweh that you have spoken is good.” For he thought, “Will there not be peace and stability in my days?” 20 As for the other matters concerning Hezekiah, and all his power, and how he constructed the pool and the conduit, and how he brought water into the city—are they not written in the book of the events of the kings of Judah? 21 Hezekiah slept with his ancestors, and Manasseh his son became king in his place.

21

1 Manasseh was twelve years old when he began to reign; he reigned fifty-five years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Hephzibah. 2 He did what was evil in the sight of Yahweh, like the disgusting things of the nations whom Yahweh had driven out before the people of Israel. 3 For he rebuilt the high places that Hezekiah his father had destroyed, and he built altars for Baal, made an Asherah pole, as Ahab king of Israel had done, and he bowed down to all the stars of heaven and worshiped them. 4 Manasseh built altars in the house of Yahweh, although Yahweh had commanded, “It is in Jerusalem that my name will be forever.” 5 He built altars for all the stars of heaven in the two courtyards of the house of Yahweh. 6 He caused his son to pass through the fire, he performed sorcery and divination and consulted with those who talked with the dead and with those who talked with spirits. He did much evil in the sight of Yahweh, provoking him to anger. 7 The carved figure of Asherah that he had made, he placed it in the house of Yahweh. It was about this house that Yahweh had spoken to David and Solomon his son; he had said: “It is in this house and in Jerusalem, which I have chosen from all the tribes of Israel, that I will put my name forever. 8 I will not cause the feet of Israel to wander any more out of the land that I gave to their ancestors, if they will only be careful to obey all that I have commanded them, and to follow all the law that my servant Moses commanded them.” 9 But the people did not listen, and Manasseh led them to do evil even more than the nations that Yahweh had destroyed before the people of Israel.

10 So Yahweh spoke by his servants the prophets, saying, 11 “Because Manasseh king of Judah has done these disgusting things, and has acted wickedly more than all that the Amorites who were before him did, and has also made Judah sin with his idols, 12 therefore Yahweh, the God of Israel, says this: Look, I am about to bring such evil on Jerusalem and Judah that whoever hears of it, both his ears will tingle. 13 I will stretch over Jerusalem the measuring line used against Samaria, and the plumb line used against the house of Ahab; I will wipe Jerusalem clean, as a man wipes a dish, wiping it and turning it upside down. 14 I will throw off the remnant of my inheritance and give them into the hand of their enemies. They will become victims and plunder for all their enemies, 15 because they have done what is evil in my sight, and have provoked me to anger, since the day their ancestors came out of Egypt, to this day.”

16 Moreover, Manasseh shed much innocent blood, until he had filled Jerusalem from one end to another with death. This was in addition to the sin by which he made Judah to sin, when they did what was evil in the sight of Yahweh. 17 As for the other matters concerning Manasseh, all that he did, and the sin that he committed, are they not written in the book of the events of the kings of Judah? 18 Manasseh slept with his ancestors and was buried in the garden of his own house, in the garden of Uzza. Amon his son became king in his place.

19 Amon was twenty-two years old when he began to reign; he reigned two years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Meshullemeth; she was the daughter of Haruz of Jotbah. 20 He did what was evil in the sight of Yahweh, as Manasseh his father had done. 21 Amon followed in all the way that his father had walked in and worshiped the idols that his father worshiped, and bowed down to them. 22 He abandoned Yahweh, the God of his fathers, and did not walk in the way of Yahweh. 23 The servants of Amon conspired against him and put the king to death in his own house. 24 But the people of the land killed all those who had conspired against King Amon, and they made Josiah his son king in his place. 25 As for the other matters concerning Amon that he did, are they not written in the book of the events of the kings of Judah? 26 The people buried him in his tomb in the garden of Uzza, and Josiah his son became king in his place.

22

1 Josiah was eight years old when he began to reign; he reigned thirty-one years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Jedidah (she was the daughter of Adaiah of Bozkath). 2 He did what was right in the eyes of Yahweh. He walked in all the way of David his ancestor, and he did not turn away either to the right or to the left.

3 It came about that in the eighteenth year of King Josiah, he sent Shaphan son of Azaliah son of Meshullam, the scribe, to the house of Yahweh, saying, 4 “Go up to Hilkiah the high priest and tell him to count the money that has been brought into the house of Yahweh, which the temple guards have gathered from the people. 5 Let it be given into the hand of the workmen who are in charge of the house of Yahweh, and let them give it to the workmen who are in the house of Yahweh, for them to make repairs to damage in the temple. 6 Let them give money to the carpenters, the builders, and the masons, and also to buy timber and cut stone to repair the temple.” 7 But no accounting was required for the money that was given to them, because they handled it faithfully.

8 Hilkiah the high priest said to Shaphan the scribe, “I have found the book of the law in the house of Yahweh.” So Hilkiah gave the book to Shaphan, and he read it. 9 Shaphan went and took the book to the king, and also reported to him, saying, “Your servants have spent the money that was found in the temple and they have given it into the hand of the workmen who supervise the care for the house of Yahweh.” 10 Then Shaphan the scribe said to the king, “Hilkiah the priest has given me a book.” Then Shaphan read it to the king. 11 It came about that when the king had heard the words of the law, he tore his clothes. 12 The king commanded Hilkiah the priest, Ahikam son of Shaphan, Akbor son of Micaiah, Shaphan the scribe, and Asaiah, his own servant, saying, 13 “Go and consult with Yahweh for me, and for the people and for all Judah, because of the words of this book that has been found. For great is the anger of Yahweh that has been kindled against us because our ancestors have not listened to the words of this book so as to obey all that was written concerning us.”

14 So Hilkiah the priest, Ahikam, Akbor, Shaphan, and Asaiah went to Huldah the prophetess, the wife of Shallum son of Tikvah son of Harhas, keeper of the wardrobe (she lived in Jerusalem in the second quarter), and they spoke with her. 15 She said to them, “This is what Yahweh, the God of Israel, says: 'Tell the man who sent you to me, 16 “This is what Yahweh says: 'See, I will bring disaster to this place and to its inhabitants, according to everything written in the book that the king of Judah has read. 17 Because they have forsaken me and have burned incense to other gods, so that they might provoke me to anger with all the deeds they have committed—therefore my anger has been kindled against this place, and it will not be extinguished.'” 18 But to the king of Judah, who sent you to ask Yahweh's will, this is what you will say to him: “Yahweh, the God of Israel says this: 'About the words that you heard, 19 because your heart was tender, and because you have humbled yourself before Yahweh, when you heard what I said against this place and its inhabitants, that they would become a desolation and a curse, and because you have torn your clothes and wept before me, I also have listened to you—this is Yahweh's declaration. 20 See, I will gather you to your ancestors, and you will be gathered to your grave in peace. Your eyes will not see all the disaster that I will bring upon this place.'”'” So the men took this message back to the king.

23

1 So the king sent messengers who gathered to him all the elders of Judah and of Jerusalem. 2 Then the king went up to the house of Yahweh, and all the men of Judah and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem with him, and the priests, prophets, and all the people, from small to great. He then read in their hearing all the words of the book of the Covenant that had been found in the house of Yahweh. 3 The king stood by the pillar and made a covenant before Yahweh, to walk after Yahweh and to keep his commandments, his regulations, and his statutes, with all his heart and all his soul, to confirm the words of this covenant that were written in this book. So all the people agreed to stand by the covenant.

4 The king commanded Hilkiah the high priest, the priests under him, and the gatekeepers to bring out of the temple of Yahweh all the vessels that were made for Baal and Asherah, and for all the stars of heaven. He burned them outside Jerusalem in the fields in the Kidron Valley and carried their ashes to Bethel. 5 He got rid of the idolatrous priests whom the kings of Judah had chosen to burn incense at the high places in the cities of Judah and in the places around Jerusalem—those who burned incense to Baal, to the sun and the moon, to the planets, and to all the stars of heaven. 6 He brought out the Asherah pole from the temple of Yahweh, outside Jerusalem to the Kidron Valley and burned it there. He beat it to dust and threw that dust onto the graves of the common people. 7 He cleared out the rooms of the cultic prostitutes who were in the temple of Yahweh, where the women wove garments for Asherah. 8 Josiah brought all the priests out of the cities of Judah and defiled the high places where the priests had burned incense, from Geba to Beersheba. He destroyed the high places at the gates that were at the entrance to the gate of Joshua (the city governor), on the left side of the city gate. 9 Although the priests of those high places were not allowed to serve at the altar of Yahweh in Jerusalem, they ate unleavened bread among their brothers. 10 Josiah defiled Topheth, which is in the Valley of Ben Hinnom, so that no one might cause his son or his daughter to pass through the fire as a sacrifice to Molech. 11 He took away the horses that the kings of Judah had given to the sun. They had been in an area at the entrance to the temple of Yahweh, near the room of Nathan-Melek, the chamberlain. Josiah burned the chariots of the sun. 12 Josiah the king destroyed the altars that were on the roof of the upper chamber of Ahaz, which the kings of Judah had made, and the altars that Manasseh had made in the two courts of the temple of Yahweh. Josiah smashed them into pieces and threw them into the Kidron Valley. 13 The king ruined the high places east of Jerusalem, south of the mount of corruption that Solomon the king of Israel had built for Ashtoreth, the detestable idol of the Sidonians; for Chemosh, the detestable idol of Moab; and for Molech, the detestable idol of the people of Ammon. 14 He broke the stone pillars into pieces and cut down the Asherah poles and he filled those places with the bones of human beings.

15 Josiah also completely destroyed the altar that was at Bethel and the high place that Jeroboam son of Nebat (the one who made Israel to sin) had constructed. He also burned that altar and the high place and beat it to dust. He also burned the Asherah pole. 16 As Josiah looked over the area, he noticed the graves that were on the hillside. He sent men to take the bones from the graves; then he burned them on the altar, which defiled it. This was according to the word of Yahweh which the man of God had spoken, the man who spoke of these things beforehand. 17 Then he said, “What monument is that I see?” The men of the city told him, “That is the grave of the man of God who came from Judah and spoke about these things that you have just done against the altar of Bethel.” 18 So Josiah said, “Let it alone. No one should move his bones.” So they let his bones alone, along with the bones of the prophet who had come from Samaria. 19 Then Josiah removed all the houses on the high places that were in the cities of Samaria, which the kings of Israel had made, and that provoked Yahweh to anger. He did to them exactly what had been done at Bethel. 20 He slaughtered all the priests of the high places on the altars and he burned human bones on them. Then he returned to Jerusalem.

21 Then the king commanded all the people, saying, “Keep the Passover to Yahweh your God, as it is written in this Book of the Covenant.” 22 Such a Passover celebration had never been held from the days of the judges who ruled Israel, nor in all the days of the kings of Israel or Judah. 23 But in the eighteenth year of King Josiah this Passover of Yahweh was celebrated in Jerusalem.

24 Josiah also banished those who talked with the dead or with spirits. He also banished the fetishes, the idols, and all the disgusting things that were seen in the land of Judah and in Jerusalem, so as to confirm the words of the law which were written in the book that Hilkiah the priest had found in the house of Yahweh. 25 Before Josiah, there had been no king like him, who turned to Yahweh with all his heart, all his soul, and all his might, who followed all the law of Moses. Nor did any king like Josiah arise after him.

26 Nevertheless, Yahweh did not turn away from the burning of his fierce anger, which burned against Judah because of all that Manasseh had done to provoke him to anger. 27 So Yahweh said, “I will also remove Judah out of my sight, as I have removed Israel, and I will throw away this city that I have chosen, Jerusalem, and the house of which I said, 'My name will be there.'”

28 As for the other matters concerning Josiah, everything that he did, are they not written in the book of the events of the kings of Judah? 29 In his days, Pharaoh Necho, king of Egypt, went to fight against the king of Assyria at the Euphrates River. King Josiah went to meet Necho in battle, and Necho killed him at Megiddo. 30 Josiah's servants carried him dead in a chariot from Megiddo, brought him to Jerusalem, and buried him in his own grave. Then the people of the land took Jehoahaz son of Josiah, anointed him, and made him king in his father's place.

31 Jehoahaz was twenty-three years old when he began to reign, and he reigned three months in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Hamutal; she was the daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah. 32 Jehoahaz did what was evil in the sight of Yahweh, like everything that his ancestors had done. 33 Pharaoh Necho put him in chains at Riblah in the land of Hamath, so that he might not reign in Jerusalem. Then Necho fined Judah one hundred talents of silver and one talent of gold. 34 Pharaoh Necho made Eliakim son of Josiah king in the place of Josiah his father, and changed his name to Jehoiakim. But he took Jehoahaz away to Egypt, and Jehoahaz died there. 35 Jehoiakim paid the silver and gold to Pharaoh. In order to meet the demand of Pharaoh, Jehoikim taxed the land and he forced each man among the people of the land to pay him the silver and gold according to their assessments.

36 Jehoiakim was twenty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Zebidah; she was the daughter of Pedaiah of Rumah. 37 Jehoiakim did what was evil in the sight of Yahweh, just as his ancestors had done.

24

1 In Jehoiakim's days, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon attacked Judah; Jehoiakim became his servant for three years. Then Jehoiakim turned back and rebelled against Nebuchadnezzar. 2 Yahweh sent against Jehoiakim bands of Chaldeans, Arameans, Moabites, and Ammonites; he sent them against Judah to destroy it. This was in conformity with the word of Yahweh that had been spoken through his servants the prophets. 3 It was certainly at the mouth of Yahweh that this came on Judah, to remove them out of his sight, because of the sins of Manasseh, all that he did, * 4 and also because of the innocent blood that he shed, for he filled Jerusalem with innocent blood. Yahweh was not willing to pardon that. 5 As for the other matters concerning Jehoiakim, and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the events of the kings of Judah? 6 Jehoiakim slept with his ancestors, and Jehoiachin his son became king in his place. 7 The king of Egypt did not attack any more out of his land, because the king of Babylon had conquered all the lands that had been controlled by the king of Egypt, from the brook of Egypt to the Euphrates River.

8 Jehoiachin was eighteen years old when he began to reign; he reigned in Jerusalem three months. His mother's name was Nehushta; she was the daughter of Elnathan of Jerusalem. 9 He did what was evil in the sight of Yahweh; he did all that his father had done.

10 At that time the army of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon attacked Jerusalem and besieged the city. 11 Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to the city while his soldiers were besieging it, 12 and Jehoiachin the king of Judah went out to the king of Babylon, he, his mother, his servants, his princes, and his officers. The king of Babylon captured him in the eighth year of his own reign. 13 Nebuchadnezzar took out from there all the valuable things in the house of Yahweh, and those in the king's palace. He cut into pieces all the golden objects that Solomon king of Israel had made in the temple of Yahweh, as Yahweh had said would happen. 14 He took into exile all Jerusalem, all the leaders, and all the fighting men, ten thousand captives, and all the craftsmen and the smiths. No one was left except the poorest people in the land. 15 Nebuchadnezzar took Jehoiachin into exile at Babylon, as well as the king's mother, wives, officers, and the chief men of the land. He took them into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon. 16 All the fighting men, seven thousand in number, and one thousand craftsmen and blacksmiths, all of them fit for fighting—the king of Babylon brought these men into exile at Babylon. 17 The king of Babylon made Mattaniah, Jehoiachin's father's brother, king in his place, and changed his name to Zedekiah.

18 Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he began to reign; he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Hamutal; she was the daughter of Jeremiah from Libnah. 19 He did what was evil in the sight of Yahweh; he did all that Jehoiakim had done. 20 Through Yahweh's anger, all these events happened in Jerusalem and Judah, until he drove them out of his presence. Then Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon.

25

1 It happened that in the ninth year of the reign of King Zedekiah, in the tenth month, and on the tenth day of the month, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came with all his army against Jerusalem. He camped opposite it, and they built a siege wall around it. 2 So the city was besieged until the eleventh year of King Zedekiah's reign. 3 On the ninth day of the fourth month of that year, the famine was so severe in the city that there was no food for the people of the land. 4 Then the city was broken into, and all the fighting men fled at night by the way of the gate between the two walls, by the king's garden, although the Chaldeans were all around the city. The king went in the direction of the Arabah. 5 But the army of Chaldeans pursued King Zedekiah and overtook him in the plains of the Jordan River valley near Jericho. All his army was scattered away from him. 6 They captured the king and brought him up to the king of Babylon at Riblah, where they passed sentence on him. 7 As for Zedekiah's sons, they slaughtered them before his eyes. Then he put out his eyes, bound him in bronze chains, and brought him to Babylon.

8 Now in the fifth month, on the seventh day of the month, which was the nineteenth year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, Nebuzaradan, a servant of the king of Babylon and commander of his bodyguards, came to Jerusalem. 9 He burned the house of Yahweh, the king's palace, and all the houses of Jerusalem; also every important building in the city he burned. 10 As for all the walls around Jerusalem, all the army of the Babylonians who were under the commander of the bodyguard destroyed them. 11 As for the rest of the people who were left in the city, those who had deserted to the king of Babylon, and the remainder of the population—Nebuzaradan, the commander of the bodyguard, took them away into exile. 12 But the commander of the bodyguard did leave some of the poorest of the land to work the vineyards and fields.

13 As for the bronze pillars that were in the house of Yahweh, and the stands and the bronze sea that were in the house of Yahweh, the Chaldeans broke them into pieces and carried the bronze back to Babylon. 14 The pots, shovels, lamp trimmers, spoons, and all the utensils of bronze with which the priests had served in the temple—the Chaldeans took them all away. 15 The pots for removing ashes and the bowls that were made of gold, and those made of silver—the captain of the king's guard took them away as well. 16 The two pillars, the sea, and the stands that Solomon had made for the house of Yahweh contained more bronze than could be weighed. 17 The height of the first pillar was eighteen cubits, and a capital of bronze was on top of it. The capital was three cubits high, with latticework and pomegranates all around on the capital, all made of bronze. The other pillar and its latticework were the same as the first.

18 The commander of the bodyguard took Seraiah the chief priest, together with Zephaniah, the second priest, and the three gatekeepers. 19 From the city he took prisoner an officer who was in charge of soldiers, and five men of those who advised the king, who were still in the city. He also took prisoner the king's army officer responsible for drafting men into the army, along with sixty important men from the land who were in the city. 20 Then Nebuzaradan, the commander of the bodyguard, took them and brought them to the king of Babylon at Riblah. 21 The king of Babylon put them to death at Riblah in the land of Hamath. In this way, Judah went out of its land into exile.

22 As for the people who remained in the land of Judah, those whom Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had left, he put Gedaliah son of Ahikam, son of Shaphan, in charge of them. 23 Now when all the commanders of the soldiers, they and their men, heard that the king of Babylon had made Gedaliah governor, they went to Gedaliah at Mizpah. These men were Ishmael son of Nethaniah, Johanan son of Kareah, Seraiah son of Tanhumeth the Netophathite, and Jaazaniah son of the Maakathite—they and their men. 24 Gedaliah made an oath to them and to their men, and said to them, “Do not be afraid of the Chaldean officials. Live in the land and serve the king of Babylon, and it will go well with you.” 25 But it happened that in the seventh month Ishmael son of Nethaniah son of Elishama, from the royal family, came with ten men and attacked Gedaliah. Gedaliah died, along with the men of Judah and the Babylonians who were with him at Mizpah. 26 Then all the people, from the least to the greatest, and the commanders of the soldiers, arose and went to Egypt, because they were afraid of the Babylonians.

27 It happened later in the thirty-seventh year of the exile of Jehoiachin king of Judah, in the twelfth month, on the twenty-seventh day of the month, that Awel-Marduk king of Babylon released Jehoiachin king of Judah from prison. This happened in the year that Awel-Marduk began to reign. 28 He spoke kindly to him and gave him a seat more honorable than that of the other kings who were with him in Babylon. 29 Awel-Marduk removed Jehoiachin's prison clothes, and Jehoiachin ate regularly at the king's table for the rest of his life. 30 A regular food allowance was given to him every day for the rest of his life.

* 12:21 Some ancient copies have Jozacar .

* 15:16 Instead of Tiphsah , one ancient version and some modern versions read, Tappuah .

* 24:3 Some versions read, It was certainly because of the wrath of Yahweh .

1 Chronicles

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

21

22

23

24

25

26

27

28

29

First Chronicles

1

1 Adam, Seth, Enosh, 2 Kenan, Mahalalel, Jared, 3 Enoch, Methuselah, Lamech. 4 The sons of Noah were Shem, Ham, and Japheth. *

5 The sons of Japheth were Gomer, Magog, Madai, Javan, Tubal, Meshek, and Tiras. 6 The sons of Gomer were Ashkenaz, Riphath, and Togarmah. † 7 The sons of Javan were Elishah, Tarshish, the Kittites, and the Rodanites.

8 The sons of Ham were Cush, Egypt, Put, and Canaan. 9 The sons of Cush were Seba, Havilah, Sabta, Raamah, and Sabteka. The sons of Raamah were Sheba and Dedan. 10 Cush became the father of Nimrod, who was the first conqueror on the earth. 11 Egypt became the ancestor of the Ludites, Anamites, Lehabites, Naphtuhites, 12 Pathrusites, Kasluhites (from whom the Philistines came), and the Caphtorites. 13 Canaan became the father of Sidon, his firstborn, and of the Hittites. 14 He also became the ancestor of the Jebusites, Amorites, Girgashites, 15 Hivites, Arkites, Sinites, 16 Arvadites, Zemarites, and the Hamathites.

17 The sons of Shem were Elam, Ashur, Arphaxad, Lud, Aram, Uz, Hul, Gether, and Meshek. 18 Arphaxad became the father of Shelah, and Shelah became the father of Eber. 19 Eber had two sons. The name of the one was Peleg, for in his days the earth was divided. His brother's name was Joktan. 20 Joktan became the father of Almodad, Sheleph, Hazarmaveth, Jerah, 21 Hadoram, Uzal, Diklah, 22 Obal, Abimael, Sheba, 23 Ophir, Havilah, and Jobab; all these were descendants of Joktan.

24 Shem, Arphaxad, Shelah, 25 Eber, Peleg, Reu, 26 Serug, Nahor, Terah, 27 Abram, who was Abraham.

28 The sons of Abraham were Isaac and Ishmael. 29 These are their sons: the firstborn of Ishmael was Nebaioth, then Kedar, Adbeel, Mibsam, 30 Mishma, Dumah, Massa, Hadad, Tema, 31 Jetur, Naphish, and Kedemah. These were Ishmael's sons.

32 The sons of Keturah, Abraham's concubine, were Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak, and Shuah. The sons of Jokshan were Sheba and Dedan. 33 Midian's sons were Ephah, Epher, Hanok, Abida, and Eldaah. All these were Keturah's descendants.

34 Abraham became the father of Isaac. The sons of Isaac were Esau and Israel.

35 The sons of Esau were Eliphaz, Reuel, Jeush, Jalam, and Korah. 36 The sons of Eliphaz were Teman, Omar, Zepho, Gatam, Kenaz, Timna, and Amalek. 37 The sons of Reuel were Nahath, Zerah, Shammah, and Mizzah.

38 The sons of Seir were Lotan, Shobal, Zibeon, Anah, Dishon, Ezer, and Dishan. 39 The sons of Lotan were Hori and Homam, and Timna was Lotan's sister. 40 The sons of Shobal were Alvan, Manahath, Ebal, Shepho, and Onam. The sons of Zibeon were Aiah and Anah. 41 The son of Anah was Dishon. The sons of Dishon were Hemdan, Eshban, Ithran, and Keran. 42 The sons of Ezer were Bilhan, Zaavan, and Akan. The sons of Dishan were Uz and Aran.

43 These were the kings who reigned in the land of Edom before any king reigned over the Israelites: Bela son of Beor, and the name of his city was Dinhabah. 44 When Bela died, Jobab son of Zerah of Bozrah reigned in his place. 45 When Jobab died, Husham of the land of the Temanites reigned in his place. 46 When Husham died, Hadad son of Bedad, who defeated Midian in the land of Moab, reigned in his place. The name of his city was Avith. 47 When Hadad died, Samlah of Masrekah reigned in his place. 48 When Samlah died, Shaul of Rehoboth on the river reigned in his place. 49 When Shaul died, Baal-Hanan son of Akbor reigned in his place. 50 When Baal-Hanan son of Akbor died, Hadad reigned in his place. The name of his city was Pau. His wife's name was Mehetabel daughter of Matred daughter of Me-Zahab. 51 Hadad died.

The chiefs in Edom were Chief Timna, Chief Alvah, Chief Jetheth, 52 Chief Oholibamah, Chief Elah, Chief Pinon, 53 Chief Kenaz, Chief Teman, Chief Mibzar, 54 Chief Magdiel, and Chief Iram. These were the chiefs of Edom.

2

1 These were Israel's sons: Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Zebulun, 2 Dan, Joseph, Benjamin, Naphtali, Gad, and Asher.

3 Judah's sons were Er, Onan, and Shelah, who were born to him by Shua's daughter, a Canaanite woman. Er, Judah's firstborn, was wicked in the sight of Yahweh, and Yahweh killed him. 4 Tamar, his daughter-in-law, bore him Perez and Zerah. Judah had five sons.

5 Perez's sons were Hezron and Hamul. 6 Zerah's sons were Zimri, Ethan, Heman, Kalkol, and Darda, five in all. 7 Karmi's son was Achar, who brought trouble on Israel when he stole what was reserved for God. * 8 Ethan's son was Azariah.

9 Hezron's sons were Jerahmeel, Ram, and Caleb. 10 Ram became the father of Amminadab, and Amminadab became the father of Nahshon, a leader among Judah's descendants. 11 Nahshon became the father of Salmon, and Salmon became the father of Boaz. 12 Boaz became the father of Obed, and Obed became the father of Jesse. 13 Jesse became the father of his firstborn Eliab, Abinadab the second, Shimea the third, 14 Nethanel the fourth, Raddai the fifth, 15 Ozem the sixth, and David the seventh. 16 Their sisters were Zeruiah and Abigail. The sons of Zeruiah were Abishai, Joab, and Asahel, three of them. 17 Abigail bore Amasa, whose father was Jether the Ishmaelite.

18 Caleb son of Hezron became the father of children by Azubah, his wife, and by Jerioth. His sons were Jesher, Shobab, and Ardon. 19 Azubah died, and then Caleb married Ephrath, who bore him Hur. 20 Hur became the father of Uri, and Uri became the father of Bezalel.

21 Later Hezron (when he was sixty years old) married the daughter of Makir, the father of Gilead. She bore him Segub. 22 Segub became the father of Jair, who controlled twenty-three cities in the land of Gilead. 23 Geshur and Aram took Havvoth Jair and Kenath, as well as sixty surrounding towns. All these inhabitants were descendants of Makir, the father of Gilead. 24 After the death of Hezron, Caleb slept with Ephrathah, the wife of his father Hezron. She bore him Ashhur, the father of Tekoa. †

25 The sons of Jerahmeel, the firstborn of Hezron, were Ram the firstborn, Bunah, Oren, Ozem, and Ahijah. 26 Jerahmeel had another wife, whose name was Atarah. She was the mother of Onam. 27 The sons of Ram, the firstborn of Jerahmeel, were Maaz, Jamin, and Eker. 28 The sons of Onam were Shammai and Jada. The sons of Shammai were Nadab and Abishur. 29 The name of the wife of Abishur was Abihail, and she bore him Ahban and Molid. 30 The sons of Nadab were Seled and Appaim, but Seled died without children. 31 The son of Appaim was Ishi. The son of Ishi was Sheshan. The son of Sheshan was Ahlai. 32 The sons of Jada, the brother of Shammai, were Jether and Jonathan. Jether died without children. 33 The sons of Jonathan were Peleth and Zaza. These were the descendants of Jerahmeel. 34 Now Sheshan had no sons, only daughters. Sheshan had a servant, an Egyptian, whose name was Jarha. 35 Sheshan gave his daughter to Jarha his servant as his wife. She bore him Attai. 36 Attai became the father of Nathan, and Nathan became the father of Zabad. 37 Zabad became the father of Ephlal, and Ephlal became the father of Obed. 38 Obed became the father of Jehu, and Jehu became the father of Azariah. 39 Azariah became the father of Helez, and Helez became the father of Eleasah. 40 Eleasah became the father of Sismai, and Sismai became the father of Shallum. 41 Shallum became the father of Jekamiah, and Jekamiah became the father of Elishama.

42 The sons of Caleb, the brother of Jerahmeel, were Mesha his firstborn, who was the father of Ziph. His second son, Mareshah, was the father of Hebron. 43 The sons of Hebron were Korah, Tappuah, Rekem, and Shema. 44 Shema became the father of Raham, the father of Jorkeam. Rekem became the father of Shammai. 45 The son of Shammai was Maon, and Maon was the father of Beth Zur. 46 Ephah, Caleb's concubine, bore Haran, Moza, and Gazez. Haran became the father of Gazez. 47 The sons of Jahdai were Regem, Jotham, Geshan, Pelet, Ephah, and Shaaph. 48 Maakah, Caleb's concubine, bore Sheber and Tirhanah. 49 She also bore Shaaph the father of Madmannah, Sheva the father of Makbenah and the father of Gibea. The daughter of Caleb was Aksah. These were the descendants of Caleb.

50 These were the sons of Hur, his firstborn by Ephrathah: Shobal the father of Kiriath Jearim, 51 Salma the father of Bethlehem, and Hareph the father of Beth Gader. 52 Shobal the father of Kiriath Jearim had descendants: Haroeh, half of the Manahathites, 53 and the clans of Kiriath Jearim: the Ithrites, Puthites, Shumathites, and Mishraites. The Zorathites and Eshtaolites descended from these. 54 The clans of Salma were the following: Bethlehem, the Netophathites, Atroth Beth Joab, and half of the Manahathites—the Zorites, 55 the clans of the scribes who lived at Jabez: the Tirathites, Shimeathites, and Sucathites. These were the Kenites who descended from Hammath, the ancestor of the Rekabites.

3

1 Now these are the sons of David who were born to him in Hebron: the firstborn was Amnon, by Ahinoam from Jezreel; the second was Daniel, by Abigail from Carmel; 2 the third was Absalom, whose mother was Maakah, daughter of Talmai king of Geshur. The fourth was Adonijah son of Haggith; 3 the fifth was Shephatiah by Abital; the sixth was Ithream by Eglah his wife.

4 These six were born to David in Hebron, where he reigned seven years and six months. He then ruled thirty-three years in Jerusalem. 5 These four sons, by Bathsheba daughter of Ammiel, were born to him in Jerusalem: Shammua, Shobab, Nathan, and Solomon. * 6 David's other nine sons were: Ibhar, Elishua, Eliphelet, 7 Nogah, Nepheg, Japhia, 8 Elishama, Eliada, and Eliphelet. 9 These were David's sons, not including the sons by his concubines. Tamar was their sister.

10 Solomon's son was Rehoboam. Rehoboam's son was Abijah. Abijah's son was Asa. Asa's son was Jehoshaphat. 11 Jehoshaphat's son was Jehoram. Jehoram's son was Ahaziah. Ahaziah's son was Joash. 12 Joash's son was Amaziah. Amaziah's son was Azariah. Azariah's son was Jotham. 13 Jotham's son was Ahaz. Ahaz's son was Hezekiah. Hezekiah's son was Manasseh. 14 Manasseh's son was Amon. Amon's son was Josiah. 15 Josiah's sons were his firstborn Johanan, his second son Jehoiakim, his third son Zedekiah, and his fourth son Shallum. 16 Jehoiakim's sons were Jehoiachin and Zedekiah. 17 The sons of Jehoiachin, the captive, were Shealtiel, 18 Malkiram, Pedaiah, Shenazzar, Jekamiah, Hoshama, and Nedabiah. 19 Pedaiah's sons were Zerubbabel and Shimei. Zerubbabel's sons were Meshullam and Hananiah; Shelomith was their sister. 20 His other five sons were Hashubah, Ohel, Berekiah, Hasadiah, and Jushab-Hesed. 21 Hananiah's sons were Pelatiah and Jeshaiah. His son was Rephaiah, and further descendants were Arnan, Obadiah, and Shekaniah. 22 Shekaniah's son was Shemaiah. Shemaiah's sons were Hattush, Igal, Bariah, Neariah, and Shaphat. 23 Neariah's three sons were Elioenai, Hizkiah, and Azrikam. 24 Elioenai's seven sons were Hodaviah, Eliashib, Pelaiah, Akkub, Johanan, Delaiah, and Anani.

4

1 Judah's descendants were Perez, Hezron, Karmi, Hur, and Shobal. 2 Shobal was the father of Reaiah. Reaiah was the father of Jahath. Jahath was the father of Ahumai and Lahad. These were of the clans of the Zorathites. 3 These were the ancestors of the clans in the city of Etam: Jezreel, Ishma, and Idbash. Their sister's name was Hazzelelponi. 4 Peniel was the ancestor of the clans in the city of Gedor. Ezer was the originator of the clans in Hushah. These were descendants of Hur, the firstborn of Ephrathah and the originator of Bethlehem. 5 Ashhur the father of Tekoa had two wives, Helah and Naarah. 6 Naarah bore him Ahuzzam, Hepher, Temeni, and Haahashtari. These were Naarah's sons. 7 Helah's sons were Zereth, Zohar, Ethnan, 8 and Koz, who became the father of Anub and Hazzobebah, and of the clans descended from Aharhel son of Harum. 9 Jabez was more respected than his brothers. His mother called him Jabez. She said, “Because I bore him in pain.” 10 Jabez called out to the God of Israel and said, “If only you would truly bless me, expand my territory, and your hand will be with me. When you do this you will keep me from harm, so that I may be free from pain!” So God granted him his prayer. 11 Kelub brother of Shuhah became the father of Mehir, who was the father of Eshton. 12 Eshton became the father of Beth Rapha, Paseah, and Tehinnah, the father of Ir Nahash. * These were men who lived in Rekah. 13 Kenaz's sons were Othniel and Seraiah. Othniel's sons were Hathath and Meonothai. † 14 Meonothai became the father of Ophrah, and Seraiah became the father of Joab, the originator of Ge-Harashim, whose people were craftsmen. 15 The sons of Caleb son of Jephunneh were Iru, Elah and Naam. Elah's son was Kenaz. 16 Jehallelel's sons were Ziph, Ziphah, Tiria, and Asarel. 17-18 Ezrah's sons were Jether, Mered, Epher, and Jalon. Mered's Egyptian wife bore Miriam, Shammai, and Ishbah, who became the father of Eshtemoa. These were the sons of Bithiah, daughter of Pharaoh, whom Mered married. Mered's Judahite wife bore Jered, who became the father of Gedor; Heber, who became the father of Soko; and Jekuthiel, who became the father of Zanoah. 19 Of the two sons of Hodiah's wife, sister of Naham, one became the father of Keilah the Garmite. The other was Eshtemoa the Maakathite. 20 The sons of Shimon were Amnon, Rinnah, Ben-Hanan, and Tilon. The sons of Ishi were Zoheth and Ben-Zoheth. 21 The descendants of Shelah son of Judah, were Er father of Lekah, Laadah father of Mareshah and the clans of the linen workers at Beth Ashbea, 22 Jokim, the men of Kozeba, and Joash and Saraph, who ruled in Moab and Jashubi Lehem. (This information is from ancient records.) 23 These were the potters who lived in Netaim and Gederah and worked for the king.

24 Simeon's descendants were Nemuel, Jamin, Jarib, Zerah, and Shaul. 25 Shallum was Shaul's son, Mibsam was Shallum's son, and Mishma was Mibsam's son. 26 Mishma's descendants were Hammuel his son, Zakkur his grandson, and Shimei his great-grandson. 27 Shimei had sixteen sons and six daughters. His brothers did not have many children, so their clans did not increase greatly in numbers as the people of Judah did. 28 They lived at Beersheba, Moladah, and at Hazar Shual. 29 They also live at Bilhah, Ezem, Tolad, 30 Bethuel, Hormah, Ziklag, 31 Beth Markaboth, Hazar Susim, Beth Biri, and Shaaraim. These were their cities until the reign of David. 32 Their five villages were Etam, Ain, Rimmon, Token, and Ashan, 33 together with the outlying villages as far as Baalath. These were their settlements, and they kept the genealogical records. 34 Clan leaders were Meshobab, Jamlech, Joshah son of Amaziah, 35 Joel, Jehu son of Joshibiah son of Seraiah son of Asiel, 36 Elioenai, Jaakobah, Jeshohaiah, Asaiah, Adiel, Jesimiel, Benaiah, 37 and Ziza son of Shiphi son of Allon son of Jedaiah son of Shimri son of Shemaiah. 38 These mentioned by name were leaders in their clans, and their clans increased greatly. 39 They went near Gedor, on the east side of the valley, to seek pasture for their flocks. 40 They found abundant and good pasture. The land was broad, quiet, and peaceable. The Hamites had formerly lived there. 41 These just listed by name came in the days of Hezekiah king of Judah, and attacked the Hamite settlements and the Meunites, who were there also. They destroyed them completely and lived there because they found pasture for their flocks. 42 From them, from the sons of Simeon, five hundred men went to Mount Seir with Pelatiah, Neariah, Rephaiah, and Uzziel, the sons of Ishi, as their leader. 43 They defeated the rest of the Amalekite refugees, and have lived there to this day.

5

1 The sons of Reuben the firstborn of Israel—now Reuben was Israel's firstborn, but his birthright was given to the sons of Joseph son of Israel because Reuben had defiled his father's couch. So he is not recorded as being the oldest son. 2 Judah was the strongest of his brothers, and the leader would come from him. But the birthright was Joseph's— 3 the sons of Reuben, the firstborn of Israel were Hanok, Pallu, Hezron, and Karmi. 4 The descendants of Joel were these: Joel's son was Shemaiah. Shemaiah's son was Gog. Gog's son was Shimei. 5 Shimei's son was Micah. Micah's son was Reaiah. Reaiah's son was Baal. 6 Baal's son was Beerah, whom Tiglath-Pileser king of Assyria took into exile. Beerah was a leader in the tribe of Reuben. 7 Beerah's relatives according to their clans, listed according to their genealogical records: Jeiel the leader, Zechariah, and 8 Bela son of Azaz son of Shema son of Joel. They lived in Aroer, as far as Nebo and Baal Meon, 9 and eastward to the start of the wilderness that extends to the Euphrates River. This was because they had many cattle in the land of Gilead. 10 In the days of Saul, the tribe of Reuben attacked the Hagrites and defeated them. They lived in the Hagrites' tents throughout all the land east of Gilead.

11 The members of the tribe of Gad lived near them, in the land of Bashan as far as Salekah. 12 Joel was their leader; Shapham was second; and Janai and Shaphat in Bashan. 13 Their relatives, by their fathers' families, were Michael, Meshullam, Sheba, Jorai, Jakan, Zia, and Eber—seven in all. 14 These persons named above were the descendants of Abihail, and Abihail was the son of Huri. Huri was the son of Jaroah. Jaroah was the son of Gilead. Gilead was the son of Michael. Michael was the son of Jeshishai. Jeshishai was the son of Jahdo. Jahdo was the son of Buz. 15 Ahi son of Abdiel son of Guni, was head of their fathers' family. 16 They lived in Gilead, in Bashan, in its towns, and in all the pasturelands of Sharon as far as its borders. 17 All these were listed by genealogical records in the days of Jotham king of Judah and of Jeroboam king of Israel.

18 The Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half tribe of Manasseh had 44,760 soldiers trained for war, who carried shield and sword, and who drew the bow. 19 They attacked the Hagrites, Jetur, Naphish, and Nodab. 20 They received divine help against them. In this way, the Hagrites and all who were with them were defeated. This was because the Israelites cried out to God in the battle, and he responded to them, because they put their trust in him. 21 They captured their animals, including fifty thousand camels, 250,000 sheep, two thousand donkeys, and 100,000 men. 22 Many fell because the battle was from God. They lived in their land until the captivity.

23 The half tribe of Manasseh lived in the land of Bashan as far as Baal Hermon and Senir (that is, Mount Hermon). 24 These were the heads of their fathers' houses: Epher, Ishi, Eliel, Azriel, Jeremiah, Hodaviah, and Jahdiel. They were mighty men, famous men, heads of their fathers' houses.

25 But they were unfaithful to their ancestors' God. Instead, they worshiped the gods of the peoples of the land, whom God had destroyed before them. 26 The God of Israel stirred up Pul king of Assyria (also called Tiglath-Pileser, king of Assyria). He took into exile the Reubenites, Gadites, and the half tribe of Manasseh. He brought them to Halah, Habor, Hara, and to the river of Gozan, where they remain to this day.

6

1 The sons of Levi were Gershon, Kohath, and Merari. 2 The sons of Kohath were Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel. 3 The children of Amram were Aaron, Moses, and Miriam. The sons of Aaron were Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar. 4 Eleazar became the father of Phinehas, and Phinehas became the father of Abishua. 5 Abishua became the father of Bukki, and Bukki became the father of Uzzi. 6 Uzzi became the father of Zerahiah, and Zerahiah became the father of Meraioth. 7 Meraioth became the father of Amariah, and Amariah became the father of Ahitub. 8 Ahitub became the father of Zadok, and Zadok became the father of Ahimaaz. 9 Ahimaaz became the father of Azariah, and Azariah became the father of Johanan. 10 Johanan became the father of Azariah, who served in the temple that Solomon built in Jerusalem. 11 Azariah became the father of Amariah, and Amariah became the father of Ahitub. 12 Ahitub became the father of Zadok, and Zadok became the father of Shallum. 13 Shallum became the father of Hilkiah, and Hilkiah became the father of Azariah. 14 Azariah became the father of Seraiah, and Seraiah became the father of Jozadak. 15 Jozadak went into captivity when Yahweh exiled Judah and Jerusalem by the hand of Nebuchadnezzar.

16 The sons of Levi were Gershon, Kohath, and Merari. 17 The sons of Gershon were Libni and Shimei. 18 The sons of Kohath were Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel. 19 The sons of Merari were Mahli and Mushi. These are the clans of the Levites listed according to their fathers. 20 The descendants of Gershon: His son was Libni. Libni's son was Jahath. His son was Zimmah. 21 His son was Joah. His son was Iddo. His son was Zerah. His son was Jeatherai. 22 The descendants of Kohath: His son was Amminadab. His son was Korah. His son was Assir. 23 His son was Elkanah. His son was Ebiasaph. His son was Assir. 24 His son was Tahath. His son was Uriel. His son was Uzziah. His son was Shaul. 25 The sons of Elkanah were Amasai, Ahimoth, 26 And a son named Elkanah; Zophai his son, Nahath his son, 27 Eliab his son, Jeroham his son, and Elkanah his son. * 28 The sons of Samuel were the firstborn, Joel, and Abijah, the second-born. 29 The son of Merari was Mahli. His son was Libni. His son was Shimei. His son was Uzzah. 30 His son was Shimea. His son was Haggiah. His son was Asaiah.

31 These are the names of the men whom David put in charge of music in the house of Yahweh, after the ark came to rest there. 32 They served by singing before the tabernacle, the tent of meeting, until Solomon had built the house of Yahweh in Jerusalem. They fulfilled their duties according to the instructions given to them.

33 These were those who served with their sons. From the clans of the Kohathites came Heman the musician. Here were his ancestors, going back in time: Heman was the son of Joel. Joel was the son of Samuel. 34 Samuel was the son of Elkanah. Elkanah was the son of Jeroham. Jeroham was the son of Eliel. Eliel was the son of Toah. 35 Toah was the son of Zuph. Zuph was the son of Elkanah. Elkanah was the son of Mahath. Mahath was the son of Amasai. Amasai was son of Elkanah. 36 Amasai was the son of Elkanah. Elkanah was the son of Joel. Joel was the son of Azariah. Azariah was the son of Zephaniah. 37 Zephaniah was the son of Tahath. Tahath was the son of Assir. Assir was the son of Ebiasaph. Ebiasaph was the son of Korah. 38 Korah was the son of Izhar. Izhar was the son of Kohath. Kohath was the son of Levi. Levi was the son of Israel.

39 Heman's colleague was Asaph, who stood at his right hand. Asaph was the son of Berekiah. Berekiah was the son of Shimea. 40 Shimea was the son of Michael. Michael was the son of Baaseiah. Baaseiah was the son of Malkijah. 41 Malkijah was the son of Ethni. Ethni was the son of Zerah. Zerah was the son of Adaiah. 42 Adaiah was the son of Ethan. Ethan was the son of Zimmah. Zimmah was the son of Shimei. 43 Shimei was the son of Jahath. Jahath was the son of Gershon. Gershon was the son of Levi. 44 At Heman's left hand were his colleagues the sons of Merari. They included Ethan son of Kishi. Kishi was the son of Abdi. Abdi was the son of Malluk. 45 Malluk was the son of Hashabiah. Hashabiah was the son of Amaziah. Amaziah was the son of Hilkiah. 46 Hilkiah was the son of Amzi. Amzi was the son of Bani. Bani was the son of Shemer. 47 Shemer was the son of Mahli. Mahli was the son of Mushi. Mushi was the son of Merari. Merari was the son of Levi.

48 Their associates, the Levites, were assigned to do all the work for the tabernacle, the house of God. 49 Aaron and his sons made the offerings on the altar for burnt offerings; and the offering on the incense altar for all the work on the most holy place. These offerings made atonement for Israel, according to all that Moses the servant of God had commanded. 50 Aaron's descendants are reckoned as follows: Aaron's son was Eleazar. Eleazar's son was Phinehas. Phinehas's son was Abishua. 51 Abishua's son was Bukki. Bukki's son was Uzzi. Uzzi's son was Zerahiah. 52 Zerahiah's son was Meraioth. Meraioth's son was Amariah. Amariah's son was Ahitub. 53 Ahitub's son was Zadok. Zadok's son was Ahimaaz. 54 These are the locations where Aaron's descendants were assigned to live, that is, for the descendants of Aaron who were from the clans of the Kohathites (the first lot was theirs). 55 To them they gave Hebron in the land of Judah and its pasturelands, 56 but the fields of the city and its villages they gave to Caleb son of Jephunneh.

57 To the descendants of Aaron they gave: Hebron (a city of refuge), and Libnah with its pasturelands, Jattir, Eshtemoa with its pasturelands, 58 Hilen with its pasturelands, and Debir with its pasturelands. 59 They also gave to the descendants of Aaron: Ashan with its pasturelands, Juttah, † and Beth Shemesh with its pasturelands; 60 and from the tribe of Benjamin they were given Geba with its pasturelands, Alemeth with its pasturelands, and Anathoth with its pasturelands. All their cities numbered thirteen.

These towns were distributed among the clans of the Kohathite, thirteen in all.

61 To the rest of clans of the Kohathites were allotted ten cities from the half tribe of Manasseh. 62 To Gershon's descendants in their various clans were given thirteen cities from the tribes of Issachar, Asher, Naphtali, and the half tribe of Manasseh in Bashan. 63 To Merari's descendants they gave twelve cities, clan by clan, from the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and Zebulun. 64 So the people of Israel gave these cities with their pasturelands to the Levites. 65 They assigned by lot the towns mentioned earlier from the tribes of Judah, Simeon, and Benjamin.

66 Some of the clans of the Kohathites were given cities from the territory of the tribe of Ephraim. 67 They gave them: Shechem (a city of refuge) with its pasturelands in the hill country of Ephraim, Gezer with its pasturelands, 68 Jokmeam with its pasturelands, Beth Horon with its pasturelands, 69 Aijalon with its pasturelands, and Gath Rimmon with its pasturelands. 70 The half tribe of Manasseh gave the Kohathites Aner with its pasturelands and Bileam with its pasturelands. These became the possessions of the rest of the Kohathite clans.

71 To Gershon's descendants out of the clans of the half tribe of Manasseh, they gave Golan in Bashan with its pasturelands and Ashtaroth with its pasturelands. 72 The tribe of Issachar gave to Gershon's descendants Kedesh with its pasturelands, Daberath with its pasturelands, 73 Ramoth with its pasturelands, and Anem with its pasturelands. 74 Issachar received from the tribe of Asher: Mashal with its pasturelands, Abdon with its pasturelands, 75 Hukok with its pasturelands, and Rehob with its pasturelands. 76 They received from the tribe of Naphtali: Kedesh in Galilee with its pasturelands, Hammon with its pasturelands, and Kiriathaim with its pasturelands.

77 The rest of Merari's descendants received from the tribe of Zebulun: Jokneam, Kartah, ‡ and Rimmono with its pasturelands and Tabor with its pasturelands; 78 and from the tribe of Reuben, across the Jordan on the east side of Jericho, they received Bezer in the desert, Jahzah, 79 Kedemoth and its pasturelands, and Mephaath and its pasturelands. 80 The Levites received from the tribe of Gad: Ramoth in Gilead with its pasturelands, Mahanaim with its pasturelands, 81 Heshbon with its pasturelands, and Jazer with its pasturelands.

7

1 Issachar's four sons were Tola, Puah, Jashub, and Shimron. 2 The sons of Tola were Uzzi, Rephaiah, Jeriel, Jahmai, Ibsam, and Samuel. They were the heads of their fathers' houses, from the descendants of Tola and they were listed as mighty warriors among their generation. They numbered 22,600 in the days of David. 3 Uzzi's son was Izrahiah. His sons were Michael, Obadiah, Joel, and Ishijah, all five of them were clan leaders. 4 Along with them they had thirty-six thousand troops for battle, according to the lists belonging to their ancestors' clans, for they had many wives and sons. 5 Their relatives were fighting men from all the clans of Issachar, and they numbered in all, eighty-seven thousand fighting men, as listed in their genealogy.

6 Benjamin's three sons were Bela, Beker, and Jediael. 7 Bela's five sons were Ezbon, Uzzi, Uzziel, Jerimoth, and Iri. They were soldiers and heads of fathers' houses. Their people numbered 22,034 fighting men, according to the lists belonging to their ancestors' clans. 8 Beker's sons were Zemirah, Joash, Eliezer, Elioenai, Omri, Jeremoth, Abijah, Anathoth, and Alemeth. All these were his sons. 9 The lists of their clans numbered 20,200 heads of their fathers' houses and fighting men. 10 The son of Jediael was Bilhan. Bilhan's sons were Jeush, Benjamin, Ehud, Kenaanah, Zethan, Tarshish, and Ahishahar. 11 All these were sons of Jediael. Listed in their clan lists were 17,200 heads of houses and fighting men fit for military service. 12 (The Shuppites and the Huppites were sons of Ir, and the Hushites were sons of Aher.)

13 Naphtali's sons were Jahziel, Guni, Jezer, and Shillem. These were Bilhah's grandsons.

14 Manasseh had a male child named Asriel, whom his Aramean concubine bore. She also gave birth to Makir, Gilead's father. 15 Makir took a wife from the Huppites and Shuppites. A sister's name was Maakah. Another of Manasseh's descendants was Zelophehad, who had only daughters. 16 Maakah wife of Makir, bore a son and she called him Peresh. His brother's name was Sheresh, and his sons were Ulam and Rakem. 17 Ulam's son was Bedan. These were the descendants of Gilead son of Makir son of Manasseh. 18 Gilead's sister Hammoleketh bore Ishhod, Abiezer, and Mahlah. 19 The sons of Shemida were Ahian, Shechem, Likhi, and Aniam.

20 The descendants of Ephraim were as follows: Ephraim's son was Shuthelah. Shuthelah's son was Bered. Bered's son was Tahath. Tahath's son was Eleadah. Eleadah's son was Tahath. 21 Tahath's son was Zabad. Zabad's son was Shuthelah. (Ezer and Elead were killed by men of Gath, natives in the land, when they went to steal their cattle. 22 Ephraim their father mourned for them many days, and his brothers came to comfort him. 23 He slept with his wife. She conceived and bore a son. Ephraim called him Beriah, because tragedy had come to his family.) 24 His daughter was Sheerah, who built Lower and Upper Beth Horon and Uzzen Sheerah. 25 His son was Rephah. Rephah's son was Resheph. Resheph's son was Telah. Telah's son was Tahan. 26 Tahan's son was Ladan. Ladan's son was Ammihud. Ammihud's son was Elishama. 27 Elishama's son was Nun. Nun's son was Joshua.

28 Their possessions and residences were Bethel and its surrounding villages. They extended eastward to Naaran and westward to Gezer and its villages, and to Shechem and its villages to Ayyah and its villages. 29 On the border with Manasseh were Beth Shan and its villages, Taanach and its villages, Megiddo and its villages, and Dor and its villages. In these towns the descendants of Joseph son of Israel lived.

30 Asher's sons were Imnah, Ishvah, Ishvi, and Beriah. Serah was their sister. 31 Beriah's sons were Heber and Malkiel, who was the father of Birzaith. 32 Heber's sons were Japhlet, Shomer, and Hotham. Shua was their sister. 33 Japhlet's sons were Pasak, Bimhal, and Ashvath. These were Japhlet's children. 34 Shomer, Japhlet's brother, had these sons: Rohgah, Hubbah, and Aram. 35 Shemer's brother, Helem, had these sons: Zophah, Imna, Shelesh, and Amal. 36 Zophah's sons were Suah, Harnepher, Shual, Beri, Imrah, 37 Bezer, Hod, Shamma, Shilshah, Ithran, and Beera. 38 Jether's sons were Jephunneh, Pispah, and Ara. 39 Ulla's sons were Arah, Hanniel, and Rizia. 40 All these were descendants of Asher. They were ancestors of the clans, heads of fathers' houses, distinguished men, fighting men, and chief among the leaders. There were twenty-six thousand men listed who were fit for military service, according to their numbered lists.

8

1 Benjamin's five sons were Bela his firstborn, Ashbel, Aharah, 2 Nohah, and Rapha. 3 Bela's sons were Addar, Gera, Abihud, 4 Abishua, Naaman, Ahoah, 5 Gera, Shephuphan, and Huram. 6 These were the descendants of Ehud who were heads of fathers' houses for the inhabitants of Geba, who were compelled to move to Manahath: 7 Naaman, Ahijah, and Gera. The last, Gera, led them in their move. He was the father of Uzza and Ahihud. 8 Shaharaim became the father of children in the land of Moab, after he had divorced his wives Hushim and Baara. 9 By his wife Hodesh, Shaharaim became the father of Jobab, Zibia, Mesha, Malkam, 10 Jeuz, Sakia, and Mirmah. These were his sons, heads of fathers' houses. 11 He had already become the father of Abitub and Elpaal by Hushim. 12 Elpaal's sons were Eber, Misham, and Shemed (who built Ono and Lod with its surrounding villages). 13 There were also Beriah and Shema. They were heads of the fathers' houses of those living in Aijalon, who drove out the inhabitants of Gath. 14 Beriah had these sons: Ahio, Shashak, Jeremoth, 15 Zebadiah, Arad, Eder, 16 Michael, Ishpah, and Joha were the sons of Beriah. 17-18 Elpaal had these sons: Zebadiah, Meshullam, Hizki, Heber, Ishmerai, Izliah, and Jobab. 19-21 Shimei had these sons: Jakim, Zikri, Zabdi, Elienai, Zillethai, Eliel, Adaiah, Beraiah, and Shimrath. 22-25 Shashak had these sons: Ishpan, Eber, Eliel, Abdon, Zikri, Hanan, Hananiah, Elam, Anthothijah, Iphdeiah, and Penuel. 26-27 Jeroham had these sons: Shamsherai, Shehariah, Athaliah, Jaareshiah, Elijah, and Zikri. 28 These were heads of fathers' houses and chief men who lived in Jerusalem.

29 The father of Gibeon, Jeiel, whose wife's name was Maakah, lived in Gibeon. 30 His firstborn was Abdon, followed by Zur, Kish, Baal, Nadab, 31 Gedor, Ahio, and Zeker. 32 Another of Jeiel's sons was Mikloth, who became the father of Shimeah. They also lived near their relatives in Jerusalem. 33 Ner was the father of Kish. Kish was the father of Saul. Saul was the father of Jonathan, Malki-Shua, Abinadab, and Esh-Baal. 34 The son of Jonathan was Merib-Baal. Merib-Baal was the father of Micah. 35 The sons of Micah were Pithon, Melek, Tarea, and Ahaz. 36 Ahaz became the father of Jehoaddah. Jehoaddah was the father of Alemeth, Azmaveth, and Zimri. Zimri was the father of Moza. 37 Moza was the father of Binea. Binea was the father of Raphah. Raphah was the father of Eleasah. Eleasah was the father of Azel. 38 Azel had six sons: Azrikam, Bokeru, Ishmael, Sheariah, Obadiah, and Hanan. All these were sons of Azel. 39 The sons of Eshek, his brother, were Ulam his firstborn, Jeush the second, and Eliphelet the third. 40 Ulam's sons were fighting men and archers. They had many sons and grandsons, a total of 150. All these belonged to the descendants of Benjamin.

9

1 So all Israel was recorded in genealogies. They were recorded in the book of the kings of Israel. As for Judah, they were carried away in exile to Babylon because of their sin. 2 The first to resettle in their cities were some Israelites, priests, Levites, and temple servants. 3 Some descendants of Judah, Benjamin, Ephraim, and Manasseh lived in Jerusalem. 4 The settlers included Uthai son of Ammihud son of Omri son of Imri son of Bani, one of the descendants of Perez son of Judah. 5 Among the Shelanites were Asaiah the firstborn and his sons. 6 Among the descendants of Zerah was Jeuel. Their descendants numbered 690. 7 Among the descendants of Benjamin were Sallu son of Meshullam son of Hodaviah son of Hassenuah. 8 There were also Ibneiah son of Jeroham; Elah son of Uzzi son of Mikri; and Meshullam son of Shephatiah son of Reuel son of Ibnijah. 9 Their relatives written in the genealogical lists numbered 956. All these men were heads of fathers' houses for their fathers' houses.

10 The priests were Jedaiah, Jehoiarib, and Jakin. 11 There was also Azariah son of Hilkiah son of Meshullam son of Zadok son of Meraioth son of Ahitub, the one in charge of the house of God. 12 There was Adaiah son of Jeroham son of Pashhur son of Malkijah. There was also Maasai son of Adiel son of Jahzerah son of Meshullam son of Meshillemith son of Immer. 13 Their relatives, who were leaders for their fathers' houses, numbered 1,760. They were very capable men in the work in the house of God.

14 Among the Levites, there was Shemaiah son of Hasshub son of Azrikam son of Hashabiah, among the descendants of Merari. 15 There were also Bakbakkar, Heresh, Galal, and Mattaniah son of Mika son of Zikri son of Asaph. 16 There were also Obadiah son of Shemaiah son of Galal son of Jeduthun; and Berekiah son of Asa son of Elkanah, who lived in the villages of the Netophathites.

17 The doorkeepers were Shallum, Akkub, Talmon, Ahiman, and their descendants. Shallum was their leader. 18 Previously they stood guard at the king's gate on the east side for the camp of Levi's descendants. 19 Shallum son of Kore son of Ebiasaph, * son of Korah, and his relatives from the house of his father, the Korahites, were in charge of the work of the guard service. They guarded the door to the tent, as their ancestors had guarded the camp of Yahweh, and they also had guarded the entrance. 20 Phinehas son of Eleazar had been in charge of them in the past, and Yahweh had been with him. 21 Zechariah son of Meshelemiah was guard of the entrance to the temple, the “tent of meeting.” 22 All those who were chosen as gatekeepers at the entrances numbered 212. Their names were recorded in the people's records in their villages. David and Samuel the seer had placed them into their positions of trust. 23 So they and their children guarded the gates of the house of Yahweh, the tabernacle. 24 The gatekeepers were posted on all four sides, toward the east, west, north, and south. 25 Their brothers, who lived in their villages, came in for seven-day rotations, in turn. 26 But the four leaders of the gatekeepers, who were Levites, were assigned to guard the rooms and storerooms in the house of God. 27 They would spend the night in their posts all around the house of God, for they were responsible for guarding it. They would open it each morning.

28 Some of them were in charge of the temple's equipment; they counted the articles when they were brought in and when they were taken out. 29 Some of them also were assigned to take care of the holy things, the equipment, and the supplies, including the fine flour, the wine, the oil, the frankincense, and the spices. 30 Some of the priests' sons mixed the spices. 31 Mattithiah, one of the Levites, who was the firstborn of Shallum the Korahite, was in charge of preparing bread for the offerings. 32 Some of their brothers, descendants of the Kohathites, were in charge of the bread of the presence, to prepare it every Sabbath.

33 The singers and heads of the Levites' fathers' houses lived in rooms at the sanctuary when they were free from work, because they had to carry out their assigned tasks day and night. 34 These were leaders of fathers' houses among the Levites, as listed in their genealogical records, chief men. They lived in Jerusalem.

35 The father of Gibeon, Jeiel, whose wife's name was Maakah, lived in Gibeon. 36 His firstborn son was Abdon, then his sons Zur, Kish, Baal, Ner, Nadab, 37 Gedor, Ahio, Zechariah, and Mikloth. 38 Mikloth was the father of Shimeam. They also lived near their brothers in Jerusalem. 39 Ner was the father of Kish. Kish was the father of Saul. Saul was the father of Jonathan, Malki-Shua, Abinadab, and Esh-Baal. 40 The son of Jonathan was Merib-Baal. Merib-Baal was the father of Micah. 41 The sons of Micah were Pithon, Melek, Tahrea, and Ahaz. 42 Ahaz was the father of Jadah. Jadah was the father of Alemeth, Azmaveth, and Zimri. Zimri was the father of Moza. 43 Moza was the father of Binea. Binea was the father of Rephaiah. Rephaiah was the father of Eleasah. Eleasah was the father of Azel. 44 Azel's six sons were Azrikam, Bokeru, Ishmael, Sheariah, Obadiah, and Hanan. These were Azel's sons.

10

1 Now the Philistines fought against Israel. Every man of Israel fled from before the Philistines and fell down dead on Mount Gilboa. 2 The Philistines closely pursued Saul and his son. The Philistines killed Jonathan, Abinadab, and Malki-Shua, his sons. 3 The battle went heavily against Saul, and the archers overtook him, and they wounded him. 4 Then said Saul to his armor bearer, “Draw your sword and thrust me through with it. Otherwise, these uncircumcised will come and abuse me.” But his armor bearer would not, for he was very afraid. So Saul took his own sword and fell on it. 5 When his armor bearer saw that Saul was dead, he likewise fell on his sword and died. 6 So Saul died, and his three sons, so all his household members died together.

7 When every man of Israel in the valley saw that they had fled, and that Saul and his sons were dead, they abandoned their cities and fled. Then the Philistines came and lived in them. 8 It came about on the next day, when the Philistines came to strip the dead, that they found Saul and his sons fallen on Mount Gilboa. 9 They stripped him and took his head and his armor. They sent messengers throughout Philistia to carry the news to their idols and to the people. 10 They put his armor in the temple of their gods, and fastened his head to the temple of Dagon. 11 When all Jabesh Gilead heard of all that the Philistines had done to Saul, 12 all the fighting men went and took away the body of Saul and those of his sons, and brought them to Jabesh. They buried their bones under the oak in Jabesh and fasted seven days.

13 So Saul died because he was unfaithful to Yahweh. He did not obey Yahweh's instructions, but asked for advice from someone who talked with the dead. 14 He did not seek guidance from Yahweh, so Yahweh killed him and turned over the kingdom to David son of Jesse.

11

1 Then all Israel came to David at Hebron and said, “Look, we are your flesh and bone. 2 In the recent past, when Saul was king over us, it was you who led the Israelite army. Yahweh your God said to you, 'You will shepherd my people Israel, and you will become a ruler over my people Israel.'” 3 So all the elders of Israel came to the king at Hebron, and David made a covenant with them before Yahweh. They anointed David king over Israel. In this way, the word of Yahweh that had been declared by Samuel came true.

4 David and all Israel went to Jerusalem (that is, Jebus). Now the Jebusites, the inhabitants of the land, were there. 5 The inhabitants of Jebus said to David, “You will not come in here.” But David took the stronghold of Zion, that is, the city of David. 6 David had said, “Whoever attacks the Jebusites first will become chief and commander.” So Joab son of Zeruiah attacked first, so he was made the chief. 7 Then David began to live in the stronghold. So they called it the city of David. 8 He built the city all around from the Millo and back to the surrounding wall. Joab restored the rest of the city. 9 David became greater and greater because Yahweh of hosts was with him.

10 These were the leaders David had, who showed themselves strong with him in his kingdom, together with all Israel, to make him king, obeying the word of Yahweh concerning Israel. 11 This is a list of David's mighty men: Jashobeam, the son of a Hachmonite, was commander of the officers *. He killed three hundred men with his spear on one occasion. 12 After him was Eleazar son of Dodo, the Ahohite, who was one of the three mighty men. 13 He was with David at Pas Dammim, and there the Philistines assembled together for battle, where there was a barley field and the army fled from the Philistines. 14 They stood in the middle of the field. They defended it and cut down the Philistines and Yahweh rescued them with a great victory.

15 Then three of the thirty leaders went down to the rock to David, to the cave of Adullam. The army of the Philistines was camped in the Valley of Rephaim. 16 At that time David was in his stronghold, a cave, while the Philistines had established their camp at Bethlehem. 17 David was longing for water and said, “If only someone would give me water to drink from the well at Bethlehem, the well that is by the gate!” 18 So these three mighty men broke through the army of the Philistines and drew water out of the well of Bethlehem, the well at the gate. They took the water and brought it to David, but he refused to drink it. Instead, he poured it out to Yahweh. 19 Then he said, “May it be that I should never do this! Should I drink the blood of these men who have risked their lives?” Because they had put their lives at risk, David refused to drink it. These were the deeds of the three mighty men.

20 Abishai brother of Joab was captain over the Three. He once used his spear against three hundred and killed them. He is mentioned along with the Three. 21 Of the Three, he was given double honor and became their captain, even though he was not one of them.

22 Benaiah son of Jehoiada was a brave warrior from Kabzeel, who did great deeds. He killed the two sons of Ariel of Moab. He also went down into a pit and killed a lion on a day when the snow was falling. 23 He even killed an Egyptian, a man five cubits tall. The Egyptian had a spear like a weaver's beam, but he went down to him with only a staff. He seized the spear out of the Egyptian's hand and killed him with his own spear. 24 Benaiah son of Jehoiada did these feats, and he was named alongside the three mighty men. 25 He was more highly regarded than the thirty soldiers in general, but he was not regarded quite as highly as the three mighty men. Yet David put him in charge of his bodyguard.

26 The mighty men were Asahel brother of Joab, Elhanan son of Dodo of Bethlehem, 27 Shammoth the Harorite, Helez the Pelonite, 28 Ira son of Ikkesh the Tekoite, Abiezer the Anathothite, 29 Sibbekai the Hushathite, Ilai the Ahohite, 30 Maharai the Netophathite, Heled son of Baanah the Netophathite, 31 Ithai son of Ribai of Gibeah of Benjamin's descendants, Benaiah the Pirathonite, 32 Hurai of the valleys of Gaash, Abiel the Arbathite, 33 Azmaveth the Baharumite, Eliahba the Shaalbonite, 34 the sons of Hashem the Gizonite, Jonathan son of Shagee the Hararite, 35 Ahiam son of Sakar the Hararite, Eliphal son of Ur, 36 Hepher the Mekerathite, Ahijah the Pelonite, 37 Hezro the Carmelite, Naarai son of Ezbai, 38 Joel brother of Nathan, Mibhar son of Hagri, 39 Zelek the Ammonite, Naharai the Berothite (the armor bearer of Joab son of Zeruiah), 40 Ira the Ithrite, Gareb the Ithrite, 41 Uriah the Hittite, Zabad son of Ahlai, 42 Adina son of Shiza the Reubenite (a chief of the Reubenites) and thirty with him, 43 Hanan son of Maacah, and Joshaphat the Mithnite, 44 Uzzia the Ashterathite, Shama and Jeiel sons of Hotham the Aroerite, 45 Jediael son of Shimri, Joha (his brother the Tizite), 46 Eliel the Mahavite, Jeribai and Joshaviah sons of Elnaam, Ithmah the Moabite, 47 Eliel, Obed, and Jaasiel the Mezobaite.

12

1 These were the men who came to David to Ziklag, while he was still banished from the presence of Saul son of Kish. They were among the soldiers, his helpers in battle. 2 They were armed with bows and could use both the right hand and the left in slinging stones and in shooting arrows from the bow. They were Benjamites, Saul's fellow tribesmen. 3 The chief was Ahiezer, then Joash, both sons of Shemaah the Gibeathite. There were Jeziel and Pelet, sons of Azmaveth. There were also Berakah, Jehu the Anathothite, 4 Ishmaiah the Gibeonite, a soldier among the thirty (and in command of the thirty); Jeremiah, Jahaziel, Johanan, Jozabad the Gederathite, 5 Eluzai, Jerimoth, Bealiah, Shemariah, Shephatiah the Haruphite, 6 the Korahites Elkanah, Isshiah, Azarel, Joezer, Jashobeam, and 7 Joelah and Zebadiah, sons of Jeroham of Gedor.

8 Some Gadites joined David at the stronghold in the wilderness. They were fighting men, men trained for battle, who could handle shield and spear; whose faces were as fierce as the faces of lions. They were as swift as gazelles on the mountains. 9 There were Ezer the leader, Obadiah the second, Eliab the third, 10 Mishmannah the fourth, Jeremiah the fifth, 11 Attai the sixth, Eliel the seventh, 12 Johanan the eighth, Elzabad the ninth, 13 Jeremiah the tenth, Makbannai the eleventh. 14 These sons of Gad were leaders of the army. The least led a hundred, and the greatest led a thousand. 15 They crossed the Jordan in the first month, when it overflowed its banks, and chased away all those living in the valleys, both toward the east and toward the west.

16 Some of the men of Benjamin and Judah came to the stronghold to David. 17 David went out to meet them and addressed them: “If you have come in peace to me to help me, you may join me. But if you have come to betray me to my adversaries, may the God of our ancestors see and rebuke you, since I have done no wrong.” 18 Then the Spirit came on Amasai, who was chief of the thirty. Amasai said, “We are yours, David. We are on your side, son of Jesse. Peace, may peace be to whoever helps you. May peace be to your helpers, for your God is helping you.” Then David received them and made them commanders over his men.

19 Some from Manasseh also deserted to David when he came with the Philistines against Saul to battle. Yet they did not help the Philistines, because the Philistine lords consulted with each other and sent David away. They said, “He will desert to his master Saul at the risk of our lives.” 20 When he went to Ziklag, the men of Manasseh who joined him were Adnah, Jozabad, Jediael, Michael, Jozabad, Elihu, and Zillethai, captains over thousands of Manasseh. 21 They helped David fight against the roving bands, for they were fighting men. Later they became commanders in the army. 22 Day after day, men came to David to help him, until there was a great army, like the army of God.

23 This is the record of the armed soldiers for war, who came to David to Hebron, to turn the kingdom of Saul over to him, which carried out Yahweh's word. 24 From Judah those who carried shield and spear were 6,800, armed for war. 25 From the Simeonites there were 7,100 fighting men. 26 From the Levites there were 4,600 fighting men. 27 Jehoiada was the leader of Aaron's descendants, and with him were 3,700. 28 With Zadok, a young, strong, and courageous man, were twenty-two leaders from his father's family. 29 From Benjamin, Saul's tribe, were three thousand. Most of them had remained loyal to Saul until this time. 30 From the Ephraimites there were 20,800 fighting men, men who were famous in their fathers' houses. 31 From the half tribe of Manasseh there were eighteen thousand famous men who came to make David king. 32 From Issachar, there were two hundred leaders who had understanding of the times and knew what Israel ought to do. All their relatives were under their command. 33 From Zebulun there were fifty thousand fighting men, prepared for battle, with all the weapons of war, and ready to give undivided loyalty. 34 From Naphtali there were one thousand officers, and with them thirty-seven thousand men with shields and spears. 35 From the Danites there were 28,600 men prepared for battle. 36 From Asher there were forty thousand men prepared for battle. 37 From the other side of the Jordan, from the Reubenites, Gadites, and the half tribe of Manasseh, there were 120,000 men armed with all kinds of weapons for battle.

38 All these soldiers, equipped for battle, came to Hebron with firm intentions to make David king over all Israel. All the rest of Israel were in agreement to make David king also. 39 They were there with David three days, eating and drinking, for their relatives had sent them with provisions. 40 In addition, those who were near to them, as far as Issachar and Zebulun and Naphtali, brought bread on donkeys, camels, mules, and oxen, and cakes of figs, clusters of raisins, wine, oil, oxen, and sheep, for Israel was celebrating.

13

1 David consulted with the commanders of thousands and of hundreds, with every leader. 2 David said to all the assembly of Israel, “If it seems good to you, and if this comes from Yahweh our God, let us send messengers everywhere to our brothers who remain in all the regions of Israel, and to the priests and Levites who are in their cities. Let them be told to join us. 3 Let us bring the ark of our God back to ourselves, for we did not seek his will in the days of Saul's reign.” 4 The whole assembly agreed to do these things, because they seemed right in the eyes of all the people. 5 So David assembled all Israel together, from the Shihor River in Egypt to Lebo Hamath, to bring the ark of God from Kiriath Jearim. 6 David and all Israel went up to Baalah, that is, Kiriath Jearim, which belongs to Judah, to bring up from there the ark of God, which is called by Yahweh's name, Yahweh, who sits enthroned over the cherubim. 7 So they set the ark of God on a new cart. They brought it out of Abinadab's house. Uzzah and Ahio were guiding the cart. 8 David and all Israel were celebrating before God with all their might. They were singing with stringed instruments, tambourines, cymbals, and trumpets.

9 When they came to the threshing floor of Kidon, Uzzah reached out with his hand to grab the ark, because the oxen stumbled. 10 Then the anger of Yahweh burned against Uzzah, and Yahweh killed him because Uzzah had reached out with his hand to the ark. He died there before God. 11 David was angry because Yahweh had attacked Uzzah. That place is called Perez Uzzah to this day. 12 David was afraid of God that day. He said, “How can I bring the ark of God home to me?” 13 So David did not move the ark to the city of David, but put it aside in the house of Obed Edom the Gittite. 14 The ark of God remained in Obed Edom's household in his house for three months. So Yahweh blessed his house and all that he possessed.

14

1 Then Hiram king of Tyre sent messengers to David, and cedar trees, carpenters, and masons. They built a house for him. 2 David knew that Yahweh had established him as king over Israel, and that his kingdom was exalted on high for the sake of his people Israel.

3 In Jerusalem, David took more wives, and he became the father of more sons and daughters. 4 These were the names of the children who were born to him in Jerusalem: Shammua, Shobab, Nathan, Solomon, 5 Ibhar, Elishua, Elpelet, 6 Nogah, Nepheg, Japhia, 7 Elishama, Beeliada, and Eliphelet.

8 Now when the Philistines heard that David had been anointed as king over all Israel, they all went out looking for him. But David heard about it and went out against them. 9 Now the Philistines had come and made a raid in the Valley of Rephaim. 10 Then David asked for help from God. He said, “Should I attack the Philistines? Will you give victory over them?” Yahweh said to him, “Attack, for I will certainly give them to you.” 11 So they came up to Baal Perazim, and there he defeated them. He commented, “God has burst through my enemies by my hand like a bursting flood of water.” So the name of that place became Baal Perazim. 12 The Philistines abandoned their gods there, and David gave an order that they should be burned.

13 Then the Philistines raided the valley yet again. 14 So David asked for help from God again. God said to him, “You must not attack their front, but rather circle around behind them and come on them through the balsam woods. 15 When you hear the sound of marching in the wind blowing through the balsam treetops, then attack with force. Do this because God will have gone out before you to attack the army of the Philistines.” 16 So David did as God had commanded him. He defeated the army of the Philistines from Gibeon all the way to Gezer. 17 Then David's fame went out into all lands, and Yahweh caused all nations to fear him.

15

1 David built houses for himself in the city of David. He prepared a place for the ark of God and set up a tent for it. 2 Then David said, “Only the Levites may carry the ark of God, for they had been chosen by Yahweh to carry the ark of Yahweh, and to serve him forever.” 3 Then David assembled all Israel at Jerusalem, to bring up the ark of Yahweh to the place he had prepared for it. 4 David gathered together Aaron's descendants and the Levites. 5 From the descendants of Kohath, there was Uriel the leader and his relatives, 120 men. 6 From the descendants of Merari, there was Asaiah the leader and his relatives, 220 men. 7 From the descendants of Gershom, there was Joel the leader and his relatives, 130 men. 8 From the descendants of Elizaphan, there was Shemaiah the leader and his relatives, 200 men. 9 From the descendants of Hebron, there was Eliel the leader and his relatives, eighty men. 10 From the descendants of Uzziel, there was Amminadab the leader and his relatives, 112 men. 11 David called for Zadok and Abiathar the priests, and the Levites Uriel, Asaiah, Joel, Shemaiah, Eliel, and Amminadab. 12 He said to them, “You are the leaders of the Levite families. Consecrate yourselves, both you and your brothers, so that you may bring up the ark of Yahweh, the God of Israel, to the place that I have prepared for it. 13 You did not carry it the first time. That is why Yahweh our God broke out against us, for we did not seek him or obey his decree.” 14 So the priests and the Levites consecrated themselves so they could bring up the ark of Yahweh, the God of Israel. 15 So the Levites carried the ark of God on their shoulders with the poles, as Moses had commanded—following the rules given by the word of Yahweh.

16 David spoke to the leaders of the Levites to assign their brothers to be musicians with musical instruments, stringed instruments, harps and cymbals, playing loudly and joyfully lifting up their voices. 17 So the Levites appointed Heman son of Joel and one of his brothers, Asaph son of Berechiah. They also appointed kinsmen from Merari's descendants and Ethan son of Kushaiah. 18 With them were their kinsmen of second rank: Zechariah, * Jaaziel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Unni, Eliab, Benaiah, Maaseiah, Mattithiah, Eliphelehu, Mikneiah, Obed Edom, and Jeiel, the gatekeepers. 19 The musicians Heman, Asaph, and Ethan were appointed to play loud bronze cymbals. 20 Zechariah, Aziel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Unni, Eliab, Maaseiah, and Benaiah played the stringed instruments, set to Alamoth. 21 Mattithiah, Eliphelehu, Mikneiah, Obed Edom, Jeiel, and Azaziah led the way with harps set to the Sheminith. 22 Kenaniah, leader of the Levites, was the director of the singing because he was a teacher of music. 23 Berechiah and Elkanah were guards for the ark. 24 Shebaniah, Joshaphat, Nethanel, Amasai, Zechariah, Benaiah, and Eliezer, the priests, were to blow the trumpets before the ark of God. Obed Edom and Jehiah were guards for the ark.

25 So David, the elders of Israel, and the commanders over thousands went to bring up the ark of the covenant of Yahweh out of Obed Edom's house with rejoicing. 26 While God helped the Levites who carried the ark of the covenant of Yahweh, they sacrificed seven bulls and seven rams. 27 David was clothed with a robe of fine linen, as were the Levites who carried the ark, the singers, and Kenaniah, the leader of the song with the singers. David was wearing a linen ephod. 28 So all Israel brought up the ark of the covenant of Yahweh with joyful shouting, and with the sound of horns and trumpets, with cymbals, and with stringed instruments and harps.

29 But as the ark of the covenant of Yahweh came to the city of David, Michal daughter of Saul, looked out the window. She saw King David dancing and celebrating. Then she despised him in her heart.

16

1 They brought in the ark of God and put it in the middle of the tent that David had set up for it. Then they offered burnt offerings and fellowship offerings before God. 2 When David had finished sacrificing the burnt offering and the fellowship offerings, he blessed the people in the name of Yahweh. 3 He distributed to every Israelite, both to men and women, a loaf of bread, and a piece of meat, and a cake of raisins.

4 David appointed certain Levites to serve before the ark of Yahweh, and to celebrate, thank and praise Yahweh, the God of Israel. 5 These Levites were Asaph the leader, and second to him Zechariah, Jaaziel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Mattithiah, Eliab, Benaiah, Obed Edom, and Jeiel. These were to play with stringed instruments and with harps. Asaph was to sound the cymbals, sounding loudly. 6 Benaiah and Jahaziel the priests were to blow the trumpets regularly, before the ark of the covenant of God.

7 Then on that day David first appointed Asaph and his brothers to sing this song of thanksgiving to Yahweh.

8 Give thanks to Yahweh, call on his name;

make known his deeds among the nations.

9 Sing to him, sing praises to him;

speak of all his marvelous deeds.

10 Boast in his holy name;

let the heart of those who seek Yahweh rejoice.

11 Seek Yahweh and his strength;

seek his presence continually.

12 Recall the marvelous things he has done,

his miracles and the decrees from his mouth,

13 you descendants of Israel his servant,

you people of Jacob, his chosen ones.

14 He is Yahweh, our God.

His decrees are on all the earth.

15 Keep his covenant in mind forever,

the word that he commanded for a thousand generations.

16 He calls to mind the covenant that he made with Abraham,

and his oath to Isaac.

17 This is what he confirmed to Jacob as a statute,

and to Israel as an everlasting covenant.

18 He said, “I will give you the land of Canaan

as your share of your inheritance.”

19 When they were only few in number,

so very few, and they were strangers in the land,

20 they wandered from nation to nation,

from one kingdom to another.

21 He did not allow anyone to oppress them;

he punished kings for their sakes.

22 he said, “Do not touch my anointed ones,

and do not harm my prophets.”

23 Sing to Yahweh, all the earth;

announce his salvation day after day.

24 Declare his glory among the nations,

his marvelous deeds among all the nations.

25 For Yahweh is great and is to be praised greatly,

and he is to be feared above all other gods.

26 For all the gods of the nations are idols,

but it is Yahweh who made the heavens.

27 Splendor and majesty are in his presence.

Strength and joy are in his place.

28 Ascribe to Yahweh, you clans of peoples,

ascribe to Yahweh glory and strength!

29 Ascribe to Yahweh the glory his name deserves.

Bring an offering and come before him.

Bow down to Yahweh in the splendor of holiness.

30 Tremble before him, all the earth.

The world also is established; it cannot be shaken.

31 Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice;

let them say among the nations, “Yahweh reigns.”

32 Let the sea roar, and that which fills it shout with joy.

Let the fields be joyful, and all that is in them.

33 Then let the trees in the forest shout for joy before Yahweh,

for he is coming to judge the earth.

34 Give thanks to Yahweh, for he is good,

for his covenant faithfulness endures forever.

35 Then say, “Save us, God of our salvation.

Gather us together and rescue us from the other nations,

so that we may give thanks to your holy name

and glory in your praises.”

36 May Yahweh, the God of Israel, be praised

from everlasting to everlasting.

All the people said, “Amen” and praised Yahweh.

37 So David left Asaph and his brothers there before the ark of the covenant of Yahweh, to serve continually before the ark, as every day's work required. 38 Obed Edom with those sixty-eight relatives were included. Obed Edom son of Jeduthun, along with Hosah, were to be gatekeepers. 39 Zadok the priest and his fellow priests were to serve before the tabernacle of Yahweh at the high place in Gibeon. 40 They were to offer burnt offerings to Yahweh on the altar for burnt offerings continually morning and evening, according to all that is written in the law of Yahweh, which he gave as a command to Israel. 41 Heman and Jeduthun were with them, together with the rest who were chosen by name, to give thanks to Yahweh, because his covenant faithfulness endures forever. 42 Heman and Jeduthun were in charge of those who played trumpets, cymbals, and the other instruments for the sacred music. The sons of Jeduthun guarded the gate. 43 Then all the people returned to their homes, and David returned to bless his own household.

17

1 It happened that after the king had settled in his house, he said to Nathan the prophet, “Look, I am living in a house of cedar, but the ark of the covenant of Yahweh is staying under a tent.” 2 Then Nathan said to David, “Go, do what is in your heart, for God is with you.” 3 But that same night the word of God came to Nathan, saying, 4 “Go and tell David my servant, 'This is what Yahweh says: You will not build me a house in which to live. 5 For I have not lived in a house from the day that I brought up Israel to this present day. Instead, I have been living in a tent, a tabernacle, in various places. 6 In all places I have moved among all Israel, did I ever say anything to any of Israel's leaders whom I appointed to shepherd my people, saying, “Why have you not built me a house of cedar?”'” 7 “Now then, tell my servant David, 'This is what Yahweh of hosts says: I took you from the pasture, from following the sheep, so that you would be ruler over my people Israel. 8 I have been with you wherever you went and have cut off all your enemies from before you, and I will make you a name, like the name of the great ones who are on the earth. 9 I will appoint a place for my people Israel and will plant them there, so that they may live in their own place and be troubled no more. No longer will wicked people oppress them, as they did before, 10 as they were doing from the days that I commanded judges to be over my people Israel. Then I will subdue all your enemies. Moreover I tell you that I, Yahweh, will build you a house. 11 It will come about that when your days are fulfilled for you to go to your fathers, I will raise up your descendant after you, and for one of your own descendants, I will establish his kingdom. 12 He will build me a house, and I will establish his throne forever. 13 I will be a father to him, and he will be my son. I will not take my covenant faithfulness away from him, as I took it from Saul, who ruled before you. 14 I will set him over my house and in my kingdom forever, and his throne will be established forever.'” 15 Nathan spoke to David and reported to him all these words, and he told him about the entire vision.

16 Then David the king went in and sat before Yahweh; he said, “Who am I, Yahweh God, and what is my family, that you have brought me to this point? 17 For this was a small thing in your sight, God. You have spoken of your servant's family for a great while to come, and have shown me future generations, Yahweh God. 18 What more can I, David, say to you? You have honored your servant. You have given your servant special recognition. 19 Yahweh, for your servant's sake, and to fulfill your own purpose, you have done this great thing to reveal all your great deeds. 20 Yahweh, there is none like you, and there is no God besides you, just as we have always heard. 21 For what nation on earth is like your people Israel, whom you, God, rescued from Egypt as a people for yourself, to make a name for yourself by great and awesome deeds? You drove out nations from before your people, whom you rescued from Egypt. 22 You made Israel your own people forever, and you, Yahweh, became their God. 23 So now, Yahweh, may the promise that you made concerning your servant and his family be established forever. Do as you have spoken. 24 May your name be established forever and be great, so the people will say, 'Yahweh of hosts is the God of Israel,' while the house of me, David, your servant is established before you. 25 For you, my God, have revealed to your servant that you will build him a house. That is why I, your servant, have found courage to pray to you. 26 Now, Yahweh, you are God, and have made this good promise to your servant: 27 Now it has pleased you to bless your servant's house, that it may continue forever before you. You, Yahweh, have blessed it, and it will be blessed forever.”

18

1 After this it came about that David attacked the Philistines and defeated them. He took Gath and its villages out of the Philistines' control. 2 Then he defeated Moab, and the Moabites became servants to David and paid him tribute.

3 David then defeated Hadadezer, king of Zobah at Hamath, as Hadadezer was traveling to establish his rule by the Euphrates River. 4 David captured from him a thousand chariots, seven thousand horsemen, and twenty thousand footmen. David hamstrung all the chariot horses, but reserved enough of them for a hundred chariots.

5 When the Arameans of Damascus came to help Hadadezer king of Zobah, David killed twenty-two thousand Aramean men. 6 Then David put garrisons in Aram of Damascus, and the Arameans became servants to him and brought him tribute. Yahweh gave victory to David wherever he went. 7 David took the golden shields that were on Hadadezer's servants and brought them to Jerusalem. 8 From Tebah and Kun, cities of Hadadezer, David took very much bronze. It was with this bronze that Solomon later made the bronze basin called “The Sea,” the pillars, and the bronze equipment.

9 When Tou, king of Hamath, heard that David had defeated all the army of Hadadezer king of Zobah, 10 and so Tou sent Hadoram his son to King David to greet him and to bless him. He did this because David had fought against Hadadezer and defeated him, and because Tou had often been at war with Hadadezer. Tou also sent David many different sorts of articles made of gold and silver and bronze. 11 King David set these objects apart to Yahweh, together with the silver and the gold that he carried away from all the nations: Edom, Moab, the people of Ammon, the Philistines, and Amalek.

12 Abishai son of Zeruiah killed eighteen thousand Edomites in the Valley of Salt. 13 He placed garrisons in Edom, and all the Edomites became David's servants. Yahweh gave victory to David wherever he went.

14 David reigned over all Israel, and he administered justice and righteousness to all his people. 15 Joab son of Zeruiah was the commander of the army, and Jehoshaphat son of Ahilud was recorder. 16 Zadok son of Ahitub and Ahimelech son of Abiathar were priests, and Shavsha was scribe. 17 Benaiah son of Jehoiada was over the Kerethites and Pelethites, and David's sons were the chief officials at the hand of the king.

19

1 It came about later that Nahash, king of the people of Ammon, died, and that his son became king in his place. 2 David said, “I will show kindness to Hanun son of Nahash, because his father showed kindness to me.” So David sent messengers to console him concerning his father. David's servants entered the land of the Ammonites and went to Hanun, in order to console him. 3 But the Ammonite princes said to Hanun, “Do you think that David is honoring your father because he has sent men to comfort you? Do not his servants come to you to explore and examine the land in order to overthrow it?” 4 So Hanun seized David's servants, shaved them, cut off their garments to the waist, up to their buttocks, and sent them away. 5 When they explained this to David, he sent to meet with them, for the men were deeply ashamed. The king said, “Stay at Jericho until your beards have grown back, and then return.”

6 When the Ammonites saw that they had become a stench to David, Hanun and the Ammonites sent a thousand talents of silver to hire Aramean chariots and horsemen from Naharaim, Maacah, and Zobah. 7 They hired thirty-two thousand chariots and the king of Maacah and his army, who came and encamped before Medeba. Then the Ammonites gathered themselves together from their cities and came out to battle. 8 When David heard of it, he sent Joab and his entire army to meet them. 9 The people of Ammon came out and lined up for battle at the city gate, while the kings who had come were by themselves in the field.

10 When Joab saw the battle lines facing him both in front and behind, he chose some of Israel's best fighters and arranged them against the Arameans. 11 As for the rest of the army, he gave it into the command of Abishai his brother, and he put them into battle lines against the army of Ammon. 12 Joab said, “If the Arameans are too strong for me, then you, Abishai, must rescue me. But if the army of Ammon is too strong for you, then I will come and rescue you. 13 Be strong, and let us show ourselves to be strong for our people and for the cities of our God, for Yahweh will do what is good in his eyes.” 14 So Joab and the soldiers of his army advanced to the battle against the Arameans, who were forced to flee before the army of Israel. 15 When the army of Ammon saw that the Arameans had fled, they also fled from Joab's brother Abishai and went back into the city. Then Joab returned from the people of Ammon and went back to Jerusalem.

16 When the Arameans saw that they were being defeated by Israel, they sent for reinforcements from beyond the Euphrates River, with Shophak the commander of Hadadezer's army. 17 When David was told this, he gathered all Israel together, crossed the Jordan, and came upon them. He arranged the army for battle against the Arameans, and they fought him. 18 The Arameans fled from Israel, and David killed seven thousand Aramean charioteers and forty thousand foot soldiers. He also killed Shophak, the commander of the army. 19 When all the kings who were servants of Hadadezer saw that they were defeated by Israel, they made peace with David and served them. So the people of Aram were no longer willing to help the Ammonites.

20

1 It came about in the springtime, at the time when kings normally go to war, that Joab led the army into battle and devastated the land of the Ammonites. He went and besieged Rabbah. David remained in Jerusalem. Joab attacked Rabbah and defeated it. 2 David took the crown of their king from off his head, and he found that it weighed a talent of gold, and in it were precious stones. The crown was set on David's head, and he brought out the plunder of the city in large quantities. 3 He brought out the people who were in the city and forced them to work with saws and iron picks and axes. David required all the cities of the people of Ammon to do this labor. Then David and all the army returned to Jerusalem.

4 It came about after this that there was a battle at Gezer with the Philistines. Sibbekai the Hushathite killed Sippai, one of the descendants of the Rephaim, and the Philistines were subdued. 5 It came about again in a battle with the Philistines at Gob, that Elhanan son of Jair the Bethlehemite killed Lahmi brother of Goliath the Gittite, the staff of whose spear was like a weaver's beam. 6 It came about in another battle at Gath that there was a man of great height who had six fingers on each hand and six toes on each foot. He also was descended from the Rephaim. 7 When he mocked the army of Israel, Jehonadab son of Shimea, David's brother, killed him. 8 These were descendants of the Rephaim of Gath, and they were killed by the hand of David and by the hand of his soldiers.

21

1 An adversary arose against Israel and incited David to count Israel. 2 David said to Joab and to the commanders of the army, “Go, count the people of Israel from Beersheba to Dan and report back to me, that I may know their number.” 3 Joab said, “May Yahweh make his army a hundred times greater than it is. But my master the king, do they not all serve my master? Why does my master want this? Why bring guilt on Israel?” 4 But the king's word was enforced against Joab. So Joab left and went throughout all Israel. Then he came back to Jerusalem. 5 Then Joab reported the total of the count of the fighting men to David. There were in Israel 1,100,000 men who drew the sword. Judah alone had 470,000 soldiers. 6 But Levi and Benjamin were not counted among them, for the king's command had disgusted Joab. 7 God was offended by this action, so he attacked Israel. 8 David said to God, “I have greatly sinned by doing this. Now take away your servant's guilt, for I have acted very foolishly.”

9 Yahweh told Gad, David's prophet, 10 “Go say to David, 'This is what Yahweh says: I am giving you three choices. Choose one of them.'” 11 So Gad went to David and said to him, “Yahweh says this, 'Choose one of these: 12 either three years of famine, three months being pursued by your enemies and being caught by their swords, or else three days of Yahweh's sword, that is, a plague in the land, with the angel of Yahweh destroying throughout all the land of Israel.' Now then, decide what answer I should take to the one who sent me.” 13 Then David said to Gad, “I am in great distress! Let me fall into the hand of Yahweh rather than into the hand of man, for his merciful actions are very great.” 14 So Yahweh sent a plague on Israel, and seventy thousand people died. 15 God sent an angel to Jerusalem to destroy it. As he was about to destroy it, Yahweh watched and changed his mind about the harm. He said to the destroying angel, “Enough! Now draw back your hand.” At that time the angel of Yahweh was standing at the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite. 16 David looked up and saw the angel of Yahweh standing between earth and heaven, having a drawn sword in his hand raised over Jerusalem. Then David and the elders, clothed in sackcloth, lay facedown on the ground. 17 David said to God, “Is it not I that commanded that the army be numbered? I did this wicked thing. But these sheep, what have they done? Yahweh my God! Let your hand strike me and my family, but do not let the plague remain on your people.”

18 So the angel of Yahweh commanded Gad to say to David, that David should go up and build an altar for Yahweh at the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite. 19 So David went up as Gad instructed him to do in the name of Yahweh. 20 While Ornan was threshing wheat, he turned and saw the angel. He and his four sons with him hid themselves. 21 When David came to Ornan, Ornan looked and saw David. He left the threshing floor and bowed to David with his face to the ground. 22 Then David said to Ornan, “Sell me this threshing floor, so I can build an altar for Yahweh. I will pay the full price, so that the plague may be removed from the people.” 23 Ornan said to David, “Take it as your own, my master the king. Do with it what is good in your sight. Look, I will give you oxen for burnt offerings, threshing sledges for wood, and wheat for the grain offering; I will give it all to you.” 24 King David said to Ornan, “No, I insist on buying it for the full price. I will not take what is yours and offer it as a burnt offering to Yahweh if it costs me nothing.” 25 So David paid six hundred shekels of gold for the place. 26 David built an altar for Yahweh there and offered on it burnt offerings and fellowship offerings. He called on Yahweh, who answered him with fire from heaven on the altar for burnt offerings. 27 Then Yahweh gave an order to the angel, and the angel put his sword back into its sheath.

28 When David saw that Yahweh had answered him at the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite, he performed the sacrifice there at that same time. 29 Now at that time, Yahweh's tabernacle, which Moses had made in the wilderness, and the altar for burnt offerings, were at the high place at Gibeon. 30 However, David could not go there to ask for God's direction, because he was afraid of the sword of the angel of Yahweh.

22

1 Then David said, “This is where the house of Yahweh God will be, with the altar for the burnt offerings of Israel.”

2 So David ordered his servants to gather together the foreigners living in the land of Israel. He assigned them to be stonecutters, to cut stone blocks, in order to build God's house. 3 David supplied a large amount of iron for the nails for the doors to go in the gateways, and for braces. He also supplied more bronze than could be weighed, 4 and more cedar trees than could be counted. (The Sidonians and the Tyrians brought too many cedar logs to David to count.) 5 David said, “My son Solomon is young and inexperienced, and the house that is to be built for Yahweh must be especially magnificent, so that it will be famous and glorious in all other lands. So I will prepare for its building.” So David made extensive preparations before his death.

6 Then he called for Solomon his son and commanded him to build a house for Yahweh, the God of Israel. 7 David said to Solomon, “My son, it was my intention to build a house myself, for the name of Yahweh my God. 8 But Yahweh came to me and said, 'You have shed much blood and have fought many battles. You will not build a house for my name, because you have shed much blood on the earth in my sight. 9 However, you will have a son who will be a peaceful man. I will give him rest from all his enemies on every side. For his name will be Solomon, and I will give peace and quiet to Israel in his days. 10 He will build a house for my name. He will be my son, and I will be his father. I will establish the throne of his kingdom over Israel forever.' 11 Now, my son, may Yahweh be with you and enable you to succeed. May you build the house of Yahweh your God, as he said you would. 12 Only may Yahweh give you insight and understanding, so that you may obey the law of Yahweh your God, when he places you in charge over Israel. 13 Then you will succeed, if you carefully obey the statutes and the decrees that Yahweh gave to Moses concerning Israel. Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be discouraged. 14 Now, see, at great effort I have prepared for Yahweh's house 100,000 talents of gold, one million talents of silver, and bronze and iron in large quantities. I have also provided timber and stone. You must add more to all this. 15 You have many workmen with you: stonecutters, masons, carpenters, and skillful craftsmen without number of every kind, 16 who can work with gold, silver, bronze, and iron. Arise and begin the work, and may Yahweh be with you.”

17 David also ordered all the leaders of Israel to help Solomon his son, saying, 18 “Yahweh your God is with you and has given you peace on every side. He has given the region's inhabitants into my hand. The region is subdued before Yahweh and his people. 19 Now seek Yahweh your God with all your heart and your soul. Get up and build the holy place of Yahweh God. Then you can bring the ark of the covenant of Yahweh and the things that belong to God into the house built for Yahweh's name.”

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1 When David was old and near the end of his life, he made Solomon his son king over Israel. 2 He gathered together all the leaders of Israel, with the priests and Levites. 3 The Levites who were thirty years old and older were counted. They numbered thirty-eight thousand. 4 “Of these, twenty-four thousand were to oversee the work of Yahweh's house, and six thousand were officers and judges. 5 Four thousand were gatekeepers, and four thousand were to praise Yahweh with the instruments that I made to give praise,” David said. 6 He divided them into groups that corresponded to Levi's sons: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.

7 From the clans descended from Gershon, there were Ladan and Shimei. 8 There were three of Ladan's sons: Jehiel the leader, Zetham, and Joel. 9 There were three of Shimei's sons: Shelomoth, Haziel, and Haran. These were the leaders of the clans of Ladan. 10 There were four of Shimei's sons: Jahath, Ziza, Jeush, and Beriah. 11 Jahath was the oldest, and Ziza the second, but Jeush and Beriah did not have many sons, so they were considered as one clan with the same duties.

12 There were four of Kohath's sons: Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel. 13 These were Amram's sons: Aaron and Moses. Aaron was chosen to set apart the most holy things, that he and his descendants would offer incense before Yahweh, to serve him and to give blessings in his name forever. 14 But as for Moses the man of God, his sons were considered to be Levites. 15 Moses' sons were Gershom and Eliezer. 16 Gershom's descendant was Shubael the oldest. 17 Eliezer's descendant was Rehabiah. Eliezer had no other sons, but Rehabiah had many descendants. 18 Izhar's son was Shelomith the leader. 19 Hebron's descendants were Jeriah, the oldest, Amariah the second, Jahaziel the third, and Jekameam the fourth. 20 Uzziel's sons were Micah the oldest, and Ishijah the second. 21 Merari's sons were Mahli and Mushi. Mahli's sons were Eleazar and Kish. 22 Eleazar died without having any sons. He had only daughters. The sons of Kish married them. 23 Mushi's three sons were Mahli, Eder, and Jerimoth.

24 These were Levi's descendants corresponding to their clans. They were the leaders, counted and listed by name, of the clans that did the work in the service of Yahweh's house, from twenty years old and upward. 25 For David said, “Yahweh, the God of Israel, has given rest to his people. He makes his home in Jerusalem forever. 26 The Levites will no longer need to carry the tabernacle and all the equipment used in its service.” 27 For by David's last words the Levites were counted, from twenty years old and upward. 28 Their duty was to assist Aaron's descendants in the service of Yahweh's house. They were to care for the courtyards, the rooms, the ceremonial purification of all the things that belong to Yahweh, and other work in the service of God's house. 29 They also took care of the bread of the presence, the fine flour for grain offerings, the unleavened wafers, the baked offerings, the offerings mixed with oil, and all the measuring of the amounts and sizes of things. 30 They also stood every morning to thank and praise Yahweh. They also did this in the evening 31 and whenever burnt offerings were offered to Yahweh, on the Sabbath and at the new moon festivals and feast days. A fixed number, assigned by decree, always had to be present before Yahweh. 32 They were in charge of the tent of meeting, the holy place, and helped their fellow descendants of Aaron in the service of Yahweh's house.

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1 The work groups based on Aaron's descendants were these: Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar. 2 Nadab and Abihu died before their father died. They had no children, so Eleazar and Ithamar served as priests. 3 David, together with Zadok, a descendant of Eleazar, and Ahimelech, a descendant of Ithamar, divided them into groups for their work as priests. 4 There were more leading men among Eleazar's descendants than among Ithamar's descendants, so they divided Eleazar's descendants into sixteen groups. They did this by heads of clans and by Ithamar's descendants. These divisions were eight in number, corresponding to their clans. 5 They divided them impartially by lot, for there were holy officials and officials of God, from both Eleazar's descendants and Ithamar's descendants. 6 Shemaiah son of Nethanel the scribe, a Levite, wrote down their names in the presence of the king, the officials, Zadok the priest, Ahimelech son of Abiathar, and the leaders of the priestly and Levite families. One clan was drawn by lot from Eleazar's descendants, and then the next would be drawn from Ithamar's descendants.

7 The first lot went to Jehoiarib, the second to Jedaiah, 8 the third to Harim, the fourth to Seorim, 9 the fifth to Malchijah, the sixth to Mijamin, 10 the seventh to Hakkoz, the eighth to Abijah, 11 the ninth to Jeshua, the tenth to Shecaniah, 12 the eleventh to Eliashib, the twelfth to Jakim, 13 the thirteenth to Huppah, the fourteenth to Jeshebeab, 14 the fifteenth to Bilgah, the sixteenth to Immer, 15 the seventeenth to Hezir, the eighteenth to Happizzez, 16 the nineteenth to Pethahiah, the twentieth to Jehezkel, 17 the twenty-first to Jakin, the twenty-second to Gamul, 18 the twenty-third to Delaiah, and the twenty-fourth to Maaziah. 19 This was the order of their service, when they came into Yahweh's house, following the procedure given to them by Aaron their ancestor, as Yahweh, the God of Israel, had instructed him.

20 These were the rest of the descendants of Levi: Of the sons of Amram, Shubael; of the sons of Shubael, Jehdeiah. 21 As for Rehabiah, the sons of Rehabiah: Ishijah the leader. 22 From the Izharites: Shelomoth; from the sons of Shelomoth: Jahath. 23 The sons of Hebron: Jeriah the leader, Amariah the second, Jahaziel the third, and Jekameam the fourth. 24 The son of Uzziel: Micah; from the sons of Micah: Shamir. 25 The brother of Micah: Ishijah. From the sons of Ishijah: Zechariah. 26 The sons of Merari: Mahli and Mushi; from the son of Jaaziah: Beno. 27 The sons of Merari from Jaaziah: Beno, Shoham, Zaccur, and Ibri. 28 From Mahli: Eleazar, who had no sons. 29 From Kish: The son of Kish: Jerahmeel. 30 The sons of Mushi: Mahli, Eder, and Jerimoth. These were the Levites, listed by their families. 31 These men who were the head of each father's house and each of their younger brothers, cast lots in the presence of King David, and Zadok and Ahimelech, along with the leaders of the families of the priests and Levites. They cast lots just as Aaron's descendants had done.

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1 David and the leaders of the army selected some of the sons of Asaph, Heman, and Jeduthun to prophesy with harps, with stringed instruments, and with cymbals. Here is the list of the men who performed this service: 2 From the sons of Asaph: Zaccur, Joseph, Nethaniah, and Asharelah, * the sons of Asaph, under the direction of Asaph, who prophesied under the king's supervision. 3 From the sons of Jeduthun: Gedaliah, Zeri, † Jeshaiah, Shimei, Hashabiah, and Mattithiah, six in all, under the direction of their father Jeduthun, who played the harp for giving thanks and praising Yahweh. 4 From the sons of Heman: Bukkiah, Mattaniah, Uzziel, ‡ Shubael, and Jerimoth, Hananiah, Hanani, Eliathah, Giddalti, Romamti-Ezer, Joshbekashah, Mallothi, Hothir, and Mahazioth. 5 All these were the sons of Heman the king's prophet. God gave Heman fourteen sons and three daughters to lift up his horn. 6 All these were under the direction of their fathers. They were musicians in Yahweh's house, with cymbals and stringed instruments as they served in God's house. Asaph, Jeduthun, and Heman were under the king's supervision. 7 They and their brothers who were skilled and trained to make music to Yahweh numbered 288. 8 They cast lots for their duties, all alike, the same for the young as well as the old, the teacher as well as the student.

9 Now regarding Asaph's sons: The first lot fell to Joseph's family; the second fell to Gedaliah's family, twelve persons in number; 10 the third fell to Zaccur, his sons and his relatives, twelve persons in number; 11 the fourth fell to Izri, § his sons and his relatives, twelve persons in number; 12 the fifth fell to Nethaniah, his sons and his relatives, twelve persons in number; 13 the sixth fell to Bukkiah, his sons and his relatives, twelve persons in number; 14 the seventh fell to Jesarelah, * his sons and his relatives, twelve persons in number; 15 the eighth fell to Jeshaiah, his sons and his relatives, twelve persons in number; 16 the ninth fell to Mattaniah, his sons and his relatives, twelve persons in number; 17 the tenth fell to Shimei, his sons and his relatives, twelve persons in number; 18 the eleventh fell to Azarel, † his sons and his relatives, twelve persons in number; 19 the twelfth fell to Hashabiah, his sons and his relatives, twelve persons in number; 20 the thirteenth fell to Shubael, his sons and his relatives, twelve persons in number; 21 the fourteenth fell to Mattithiah, his sons and his relatives, twelve persons in number; 22 the fifteenth fell to Jerimoth, his sons and his relatives, twelve persons in number; 23 the sixteenth fell to Hananiah, his sons and his relatives, twelve persons in number; 24 the seventeenth fell to Joshbekashah, his sons and his relatives, twelve persons in number; 25 the eighteenth fell to Hanani, his sons and his relatives, twelve persons in number; 26 the nineteenth fell to Mallothi, his sons and his relatives, twelve persons in number; 27 the twentieth fell to Eliathah, his sons and his relatives, twelve persons in number; 28 the twenty-first fell to Hothir, his sons and his relatives, twelve persons in number; 29 the twenty-second fell to Giddalti, his sons and his relatives, twelve persons in number; 30 the twenty-third fell to Mahazioth, his sons and his relatives, twelve persons in number; 31 the twenty-fourth fell to Romamti-Ezer, his sons and his relatives, twelve persons in number.

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1 Here were the divisions of the gatekeepers: From the Korahites, Meshelemiah son of Kore, a descendant of Asaph *. 2 Meshelemiah † had sons: Zechariah the firstborn, Jediael the second, Zebadiah the third, Jathniel the fourth, 3 Elam the fifth, Jehohanan the sixth, Eliehoenai the seventh. 4 Obed Edom had sons: Shemaiah the firstborn, Jehozabad the second, Joah the third, and Sakar the fourth, and Nethanel the fifth, 5 Ammiel the sixth, Issachar the seventh, Peullethai the eighth, for God had blessed Obed Edom. 6 To Shemaiah his son were born sons who ruled over their families; they were men with many abilities. 7 The sons of Shemaiah were Othni, Rephael, Obed, and Elzabad. His relatives Elihu and Semakiah were also men with many abilities. 8 All these were descendants of Obed Edom. They and their sons and relatives were men capable of doing their duties in the tabernacle service. There were sixty-two of them related to Obed Edom. 9 Meshelemiah had sons and relatives, capable men, eighteen in all. 10 Hosah, a descendant of Merari, had sons: Shimri the leader (although he was not the firstborn, his father made him leader), 11 Hilkiah the second, Tabaliah the third, Zechariah the fourth. All of Hosah's sons and kinsmen were thirteen in number.

12 These divisions of the gatekeepers, corresponding to their leaders, had responsibilities, like their relatives, to serve in Yahweh's house. 13 They threw lots, both young and old, corresponding to their families, for every gate. 14 When the lot was cast for the east gate, it fell to Shelemiah ‡ . They then cast lots for Zechariah his son, a prudent advisor, and his lot came out for the north gate. 15 To Obed Edom was assigned the south gate, and his sons were assigned the storehouses. 16 Shuppim and Hosah were assigned the west gate along with the gate of Shalleketh, on the upper road. Watches were established for each family. 17 On the east were six Levites, on the north four a day, on the south four a day, and at the storehouses two pairs. 18 At the pillar to the west there were four stationed at the road and two at the pillar § 19 These were the gatekeepers' divisions. They were filled with descendants of Korah and Merari.

20 Among the Levites, Ahijah was in charge of the treasures of God's house, and of the treasures of the things that belong to Yahweh. 21 The descendants of Ladan, descended from Gershon through him and who were leaders of the families of Ladan the Gershonite, were Jehieli, 22 the sons of Jehieli, Zetham, and Joel his brother. They were in charge of the storehouses of the house of Yahweh. 23 From the clans of Amram, the clans of Izhar, the clans of Hebron, and the clans of Uzziel: 24 Shubael son of Gershom son of Moses, was supervisor over the storehouses. 25 His relatives from the clan of Eliezer were his son Rehabiah, Rehabiah's son Jeshaiah, Jeshaiah's son Joram, Joram's son Zichri, and Zichri's son Shelomith. 26 Shelomith and his relatives were over all the storehouses holding the things that belong to Yahweh, that David the king, the family leaders, commanders over thousands and hundreds, and the army commanders had set apart. 27 They set apart the plunder won in battles for the upkeep of the house of Yahweh. 28 They were also in charge of everything that was set apart to Yahweh by Samuel the prophet, Saul son of Kish, Abner son of Ner, and Joab son of Zeruiah. Everything that was set apart to Yahweh was under the guard of Shelomith and his relatives.

29 Of Izhar's descendants, Kenaniah and his sons were in charge of the civil affairs of Israel. They were officers and judges. 30 Of Hebron's descendants, Hashabiah and his brothers, 1,700 capable men, were in charge of Yahweh's work and the king's work. They were on the west side of the Jordan. 31 From Hebron's descendants, Jeriah was the leader of his descendants, counted from the lists of their families. In the fortieth year of the reign of David they examined the records and found among them men of ability in Jazer of Gilead. 32 Jeriah had 2,700 relatives, who were capable family leaders. David made them overseers over the tribes of Reuben and Gad, and the half tribe of Manasseh, for every matter pertaining to God, and for the king's affairs.

27

1 This is the list of the Israelite family leaders, commanders of thousands and hundreds, as well as army officers who served the king in various ways. Each military division served month by month throughout the year. Each division had twenty-four thousand men. 2 Over the division for the first month was Jashobeam son of Zabdiel. In his division were twenty-four thousand men. 3 He was among the descendants of Perez and in charge of all the army officers for the first month. 4 Over the division for the second month was Dodai, from the clan descended from Ahoah. Mikloth was second in rank. In his division were twenty-four thousand men. 5 The commander of the army for the third month was Benaiah son of Jehoiada, a priest and leader. In his division were twenty-four thousand men. 6 This is the Benaiah who was the leader of the thirty, and over the thirty. Ammizabad his son was in his division. 7 The commander for the fourth month was Asahel brother of Joab. Zebadiah his son became commander after him. In his division were twenty-four thousand men. 8 The commander for the fifth month was Shamhuth, a descendant of Izrah. In his division were twenty-four thousand men. 9 The commander for the sixth month was Ira son of Ikkesh, from Tekoa. In his division were twenty-four thousand men. 10 The commander for the seventh month was Helez the Pelonite, from the people of Ephraim. In his division were twenty-four thousand men. 11 The commander for the eighth month was Sibbekai the Hushathite, from the clan descended from Zerah. In his division were twenty-four thousand men. 12 The commander for the ninth month was Abiezer the Anathothite, from the tribe of Benjamin. In his division were twenty-four thousand men. 13 The commander for the tenth month was Maharai from the city of Netophah, from the clan descended from Zerah. In his division were twenty-four thousand men. 14 The commander for the eleventh month was Benaiah from the city of Pirathon, from the tribe of Ephraim. In his division were twenty-four thousand men. 15 The commander for the twelfth month was Heldai from the city of Netophah, from the clan descended from Othniel. In his division were twenty-four thousand men.

16 These were the leaders of the tribes of Israel: For the tribe of Reuben, Eliezer son of Zichri was the leader. For the tribe of Simeon, Shephatiah son of Maacah was the leader. 17 For the tribe of Levi, Hashabiah son of Kemuel was the leader, and Zadok led Aaron's descendants. 18 For the tribe of Judah, Elihu, one of David's brothers, was the leader. For the tribe of Issachar, Omri son of Michael was the leader. 19 For the tribe of Zebulun, Ishmaiah son of Obadiah was the leader. For the tribe of Naphtali, Jerimoth son of Azriel was the leader. 20 For the tribe of Ephraim, Hoshea son of Azaziah was the leader. For the half tribe of Manasseh, Joel son of Pedaiah was the leader. 21 For the half tribe of Manasseh in Gilead, Iddo son of Zechariah was the leader. For the tribe of Benjamin, Jaasiel son of Abner was the leader. 22 For the tribe of Dan, Azarel son of Jeroham was the leader. These were the leaders of the tribes of Israel. 23 David did not count those twenty years old or younger, because Yahweh had promised to increase Israel like the stars of heaven. 24 Joab son of Zeruiah began to count the men, but did not finish. Wrath fell on Israel for this. This number was not written down in the Chronicles of King David.

25 Azmaveth son of Adiel was in charge of the king's treasuries. Jonathan son of Uzziah was over the storehouses in the fields, in the cities, and in the villages, and in the fortified towers. 26 Ezri son of Kelub was over the farmers, those who plowed the land. 27 Shimei the Ramathite was over the vineyards, and Zabdi the Shiphmite was over the grapes and the wine cellars. 28 Over the olive trees and the sycamore trees that were in the lowlands was Baal-Hanan from Geder, and over the storehouses of oil was Joash. 29 Over the herds that were pastured in Sharon was Shitrai from Sharon, and over the herds that were in the valleys was Shaphat son of Adlai. 30 Over the camels was Obil the Ishmaelite, and over the female donkeys was Jehdeiah from Meronoth. Over the flocks was Jaziz the Hagrite. 31 Jaziz the Hagrite was in charge of the flocks. All these officials were in charge of the property of King David.

32 Jonathan, David's uncle, was an advisor, since he was a wise man and a scribe. Jehiel son of Hakmoni cared for the king's sons. 33 Ahithophel was the king's advisor, and Hushai from the Arkite people was the king's private advisor. 34 Ahithophel's position was taken by Jehoiada son of Benaiah, and by Abiathar. Joab was commander of the king's army.

28

1 David assembled all the officials of Israel at Jerusalem: the officials of the tribes, the officers of the divisions that served the king in their scheduled work, the commanders of thousands and of hundreds, the managers over all the property and possessions of the king and of his sons, and the officers and fighting men, including the most skilled of them. 2 Then David the king rose to his feet and said, “Listen to me, my brothers and my people. It was my intention to build a temple for the ark of the covenant of Yahweh; a footstool for our God, and I have made preparations to build it. 3 But God said to me, 'You will not build a temple for my name, because you are a man of war and have shed blood.' 4 Yet Yahweh, the God of Israel, chose me from all my father's family to be king over Israel forever. He has chosen the tribe of Judah as leader. In the tribe of Judah, and in my father's household, out of all my father's sons, he chose me to be king over all Israel. 5 From the many sons whom Yahweh has given me, he chose Solomon, my son, to sit on the throne of the kingdom of Yahweh, over Israel. 6 He said to me, 'Solomon your son will build my house and my courtyards, for I have chosen him to be my son, and I will be his father. 7 I will establish his kingdom forever, if he remains committed to obey my commandments and decrees, as you are this day.' 8 Now then, in the sight of all Israel, this assembly for Yahweh, and in the presence of our God, all of you must keep and try to carry out all the commandments of Yahweh your God. Do this so that you may possess this good land and leave it as an inheritance to your children after you forever.

9 As for you, Solomon my son, obey the God of your father, and serve him with your whole heart and a willing spirit. Do this because Yahweh searches all hearts and understands every motivation of everyone's thoughts. If you seek him, he will be found by you, but if you abandon him, he will reject you permanently. 10 Realize that Yahweh has chosen you to build this temple as his sanctuary. Be strong and do it.”

11 Then David gave to Solomon his son the plans for the temple portico, the temple buildings, the storerooms, the upper rooms, the inner rooms, and the room with the atonement lid. 12 He gave him the plans he had drawn for the courtyards of Yahweh's house, all the surrounding rooms, the storerooms in God's house, and the treasuries for the things that belong to Yahweh. 13 He gave him regulations for the divisions of the priests and Levites, for the assigned responsibilities for the service of the house of Yahweh, and for all the objects for the service in Yahweh's house. 14 He determined the weight of all the gold vessels for each service, the weight of silver vessels for each service, 15 the weight of the gold for all the gold articles, to be lampstands and gold lamps, the weight of gold for each lampstand, the weight of silver for each silver lampstand, according to the use of each lampstand in the service. 16 He gave the weight of the gold for the tables of the bread of the presence, for every table, and the weight of the silver for the silver tables. 17 He gave the weight of pure gold for the meat forks, basins, and cups. He gave the weight for each of the gold bowls, and the weight of each of the silver bowls. 18 He gave the weight of refined gold for the incense altar, and of the gold for the design of the cherubim that spread out their wings and covered the ark of the covenant of Yahweh. 19 David said, “I have put all this in writing as Yahweh directed me and gave me to understand regarding the design.”

20 David said to Solomon his son, “Be strong and brave. Do the work. Do not be afraid or anxious, for Yahweh God, my God, is with you. He will not leave you nor abandon you until all the work for the service of Yahweh's temple is finished. 21 See, here are the divisions of the priests and Levites for all the service in God's temple. They will be with you, together with all willing and skillful men, to assist you in the work and to perform the service. The officials and all the people are ready to follow your commands.”

29

1 King David said to the whole assembly, “Solomon my son, whom alone God has chosen, is still young and inexperienced, and the task is great. For the temple is not for people but for Yahweh God. 2 So I have done my best to provide for the temple of my God. I am giving gold for the things to be made of gold, silver for the things to be made of silver, bronze for the things to be made of bronze, iron for the things to be made of iron, and wood for the things to be made of wood. I am also giving onyx stones, stones to be set, stones for inlaid work of various colors—all kinds of precious stones—and marble stone in abundance. 3 Now, because of my delight in the house of my God, I am giving my personal treasure of gold and silver for it. I am doing this in addition to all that I have prepared for this holy temple: 4 three thousand talents of gold from Ophir, and seven thousand talents of refined silver, in order to overlay the walls of the buildings. 5 I am donating gold for the things to be made of gold, and silver for the things to be made of silver, and things for all kinds of work to be done by craftsmen. Who else wants to make a contribution to Yahweh today and give himself to him?”

6 Then freewill offerings were made by the leaders of their ancestors' families, the leaders of the tribes of Israel, the commanders of thousands and hundreds, and by the officials over the king's work. 7 They gave for the service of God's house five thousand talents and ten thousand darics of gold, ten thousand talents of silver, eighteen thousand talents of bronze, and 100,000 talents of iron. 8 Those who had precious stones gave them to the treasury of Yahweh's house, under the supervision of Jehiel, a descendant of Gershon. 9 The people rejoiced because of these freewill offerings, because they had contributed wholeheartedly to Yahweh. King David also rejoiced greatly.

10 David blessed Yahweh in front of all the assembly. He said, “May you be praised, Yahweh, God of Israel our ancestor, forever and ever. 11 Yours, Yahweh, is the greatness, the power, the glory, the victory, and the majesty. For all that is in the heavens and on the earth is yours. Yours is the kingdom, Yahweh, and you are exalted as ruler over all. 12 Both riches and honor come from you, and you rule over all people. In your hand is power and might. You possess the strength and might to make people great and to give strength to anyone. 13 Now then, our God, we thank you and praise your glorious name. 14 But who am I, and who are my people, that we should be able to offer so willingly these things? Indeed, all things come from you, and we have simply given back to you what is yours. 15 For we are strangers and travelers before you, as all our ancestors were. Our days on the earth are like a shadow, and there is no hope of remaining on earth. 16 Yahweh our God, all this wealth that we have collected in order to build a temple to honor your holy name—it comes from you and belongs to you. 17 I know also, my God, that you examine the heart and have pleasure in uprightness. As for me, in the uprightness of my heart I have willingly offered all these things, and now I look with joy as your people who are present here willingly offer gifts to you. 18 Yahweh, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel—our ancestors—keep this forever in the thoughts of the minds of your people. Direct their hearts toward you. 19 Give to Solomon my son a wholehearted desire to keep your commandments, your covenant decrees, and your statutes, and to carry out all these plans to build the palace for which I have made provision.”

20 David said to all the assembly, “Now bless Yahweh your God.” All the assembly blessed Yahweh, the God of their ancestors, bowed their heads and worshiped Yahweh and prostrated themselves before the king. 21 On the next day, they made sacrifices to Yahweh and offered burnt offerings to him. They offered a thousand bulls, a thousand rams, and a thousand lambs, with their drink offerings and sacrifices in abundance for all Israel. 22 On that day, they ate and drank before Yahweh with great celebration.

They made Solomon, David's son, king a second time, and anointed him with Yahweh's authority to be ruler. They also anointed Zadok to be priest. 23 Then Solomon sat on Yahweh's throne as king instead of David his father. He prospered, and all Israel obeyed him. 24 All the leaders, soldiers, and King David's sons gave allegiance to King Solomon. 25 Yahweh greatly honored Solomon before all Israel and bestowed on him greater power than he had ever given to any king before him in Israel.

26 David son of Jesse reigned over all Israel. 27 David had been king of Israel for forty years. He ruled for seven years in Hebron and for thirty-three years in Jerusalem. 28 He died at a good old age, after enjoying a long life, wealth and honor. Solomon his son succeeded him. 29 King David's accomplishments are written in the history of Samuel the prophet, in the history of Nathan the prophet, and in the history of Gad the prophet. 30 Recorded there are the deeds of his rule, his accomplishments and the events that affected him, Israel, and all the kingdoms of the other lands.

* 1:4 Some versions omit the expression The sons of , but others include this expression.

† 1:6 Some versions have Diphath instead of Riphath . However, Diphath was probably a misspelling. Many ancient copies correct it to Riphath in order to make it agree with the same name in Gen. 10:2.

* 2:7 Some versions have Achan instead of Achar .

† 2:24 Some versions read, After Hezron's death in Caleb Ephrathah, his wife Abijah bore him a son, Ashhur the father of Tekoa .

* 3:5 Some versions have Bathseba or Bathshua instead of Bathsheba .

* 4:12 Some translations read: who settled in the town of Nahash .

† 4:13 Most versions insert Meonothai into this verse, believing that it dropped out by a copyist's mistake.

* 6:27 The LXX adds to the list Samuel his son .

† 6:59 The place name Juttah is not in the MT but is found in the Syriac version; also see JOS 21:16.

‡ 6:77 The names Jokneam and Kartah are not found in the MT but are in the LXX. Compare the list in Josh. 21:34.

* 9:19 Ebiasaph is the same person referred to as Asaph in 1 Chron. 26:1.

* 11:11 The Hebrew could also read of the thirty or of the three .

* 15:18 Some ancient copies add the name or prefix, “ben,” assuming perhaps the name of Zechariah's father was omitted.

* 25:2 This is the same person referred to in 1 Chron. 25:14 as Jesarelah

† 25:3 this is a variant of the name Izri, which is found in 1 Chron. 25:11, and refers to the same person

‡ 25:4 Uzziel is the same person referred to in 1 Chron. 25:18 as Azarel.

§ 25:11 this is a variant of Zeri, found in 1 Chron. 25:3, and refers to the same person

* 25:14 This is the same person referred to in 1 Chron. 25:2 as Asharelah

† 25:18 This is the same person referred to in 1 Chron. 25:4 as Uzziel

* 26:1 Asaph is the same person referred to as Ebiasaph in 1 Chron. 9:19.

† 26:2 Meshelemiah is the same person referred to as Shelemiah in 1 Chron. 26:14.

‡ 26:14 Shelemiah is the same person referred to as Meshelemiah in 1CH 26:2.

§ 26:18 The word translated “pillar” is translated in some versions as “parbar.” This word appears only here and in 2 Kings 23:11 in the Old Testament. The meaning of this word is not clear.

2 Chronicles

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Second Chronicles

1

1 Solomon son of David was strengthened in his rule, and Yahweh his God was with him and made him very powerful. 2 Solomon spoke to all Israel, to the commanders of thousands and of hundreds, and to the judges, and to every prince in all Israel, the heads of the fathers' houses. 3 So Solomon and all the assembly with him went to the high place that was at Gibeon, for there was the tent of meeting of God, which Moses the servant of Yahweh, had made in the wilderness. 4 But David had brought up the ark of God from Kiriath Jearim to the place that he had prepared for it, for he had pitched a tent for it in Jerusalem. 5 In addition, the bronze altar made by Bezalel son of Uri son of Hur was there before the tabernacle of Yahweh; Solomon and the assembly went to it. * 6 Solomon went up there to the bronze altar before Yahweh, which was at the tent of meeting, and offered one thousand burnt offerings on it.

7 God appeared to Solomon that night and said to him, “Ask! What should I give you?” 8 Solomon said to God, “You have shown great covenant faithfulness to David my father, and have made me king in his place. 9 Now, Yahweh God, let your promise to David my father be carried out, for you have made me king over a people as numerous as the dust of the earth. 10 Now give me wisdom and knowledge, so that I may lead this people, for who can judge your people, who are so many in number?” 11 God said to Solomon, “Because this was in your heart, and because you have not asked for riches, wealth, or honor, nor for the life of those who hate you, nor for long life for yourself, but you have asked for wisdom and knowledge for yourself, so that you might rule my people, over whom I have made you king, and this is what I will do. 12 I will now give you wisdom and knowledge. I will also give you riches, wealth, and honor, as none of the kings had before you, and none after you will have.” 13 So Solomon came to Jerusalem from the high place that was at Gibeon, from before the tent of meeting; he reigned over Israel.

14 Solomon gathered chariots and horsemen, and he had 1,400 chariots and twelve thousand horsemen that he placed in the chariot cities, and with himself, the king in Jerusalem. 15 The king made silver and gold as common in Jerusalem as the stones, and he made cedar wood as common as the sycamore trees that are in the lowlands. 16 As for the importation of horses from Egypt and Kue for Solomon, his merchants bought them from Kue at a price. 17 They imported a chariot from Egypt for six hundred shekels of silver, and a horse for 150 shekels. They also exported them to the kings of the Hittites and the Arameans.

2

1 Now Solomon commanded the building of a house for Yahweh's name and the building of a palace for his kingdom. 2 Solomon assigned seventy thousand men to carry loads, and eighty thousand men as stonecutters in the mountains, and 3,600 men to supervise them. 3 Solomon sent a message to Hiram, the king of Tyre, saying, “As you did with David my father, sending him cedar logs to build a house to live in, do the same with me. 4 See, I am about to build a house for the name of Yahweh my God, to set it apart to him, to burn incense of sweet spices before him, to set out the bread of the presence, and for the burnt offerings morning and evening, on the Sabbaths and on the new moons, and on the appointed feasts for Yahweh our God. This is forever, for Israel. 5 The house that I will build will be very large, for our God is greater than all other gods. 6 But who is able to build God a house, since the entire universe and even heaven itself cannot contain him? Who am I to build him a house, except to burn sacrifices before him? 7 So send me a man who is skilled at work in gold, silver, bronze, iron, and in purple, crimson, and blue wool, a man who knows how to make all kinds of engraved wood. He will be with the skilled men who are with me in Judah and Jerusalem, whom David my father provided. 8 Send me also cedar, cypress, and algum trees from Lebanon,for I know that your servants know how to cut timber in Lebanon. See, my servants will be with your servants, 9 in order to prepare for me timber in abundance, for the house which I am about to build will be great and marvelous. 10 See, I will give to your servants, the men who will cut the timber, twenty thousand cors of ground wheat, twenty thousand cors of barley, twenty thousand baths of wine, and twenty thousand baths of oil.” *

11 Then Hiram, the king of Tyre, answered in writing, which he sent to Solomon: “Because Yahweh loves his people, he has made you king over them.” 12 In addition, Hiram said, “Blessed be Yahweh, the God of Israel, who made heaven and earth, who has given to David the king a wise son, gifted with prudence and understanding, who will build a house for Yahweh and a palace for himself. 13 Now I have sent a skillful man, Huram-Abi, who is gifted with understanding. 14 He is the son of a woman of the daughters of Dan. His father was a man from Tyre. He is skilled at work in gold, silver, bronze, iron, stone, and in timber, and in purple, blue, and crimson wool, and fine linen. He is also skilled in making any kind of engraving and in making any kind of design. Let a place be made for him among your skilled workers, and with those of my master, David, your father. 15 Now then, the wheat and the barley, the oil and the wine, of which my master has spoken, let him send these things to his servants. 16 We will cut wood from Lebanon, as much wood as you need. We will take it to you as rafts by sea to Joppa, and you will carry it up to Jerusalem.”

17 Solomon counted all the foreigners who were in the land of Israel, following the method that David, his father, had counted them. They were found to be 153,600. 18 He assigned seventy thousand of them to carry loads, eighty thousand to be stonecutters in the mountains, and 3,600 to be supervisors to put the people to work.

3

1 Then Solomon began to build the house of Yahweh at Jerusalem on Mount Moriah, where Yahweh had appeared to David his father. He prepared the place that David had planned for it, at the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite. 2 He began to build on the second day of the second month, in the fourth year of his reign. 3 Now these are the dimensions of the foundation that Solomon laid for the house of God. Using the old style cubit, the length was sixty cubits, and the width was twenty cubits. 4 The length of the portico at the front of the house was twenty cubits, matching the building's width. Its height was also twenty cubits, and Solomon overlaid its interior with pure gold. 5 He fashioned the ceiling of the main hall with cypress, which he overlaid with fine gold, and which he carved with palm trees and chains. 6 He decorated the house with precious stones; the gold was gold from Parvaim. 7 He also overlaid its beams, thresholds, walls, and doors with gold; he carved cherubs on its walls.

8 He built the most holy place. Its length matched the house's width, twenty cubits, and its width was also twenty cubits. He overlaid it with fine gold, amounting to six hundred talents. 9 The weight of the nails was fifty shekels of gold. He overlaid its high surfaces with gold.

10 He made two images of cherubs for the most holy place; craftsmen overlaid them with gold. * 11 The wings of the cherubs were twenty cubits long all together; the wing of one cherub was five cubits long, reaching to the wall of the room; the other wing was likewise five cubits, reaching to the wing of the other cherub. 12 The wing of the other cherub was also five cubits, reaching to the wall of the room; its other wing was also five cubits, touching the wing of the first cherub. 13 The wings of these cherubs spread a total of twenty cubits. The cherubs stood on their feet, with their faces toward the main hall. 14 He made the curtain of blue, purple, and crimson wool and fine linen, and he fashioned cherubs on it.

15 Solomon also made two pillars, each thirty-five cubits high, for in front of the house; the capitals that were on the top of them were five cubits high. 16 He made chains for the pillars and put them on top of them; he also made one hundred pomegranates and joined them to the chains. 17 He set up the pillars in front of the temple, one on the right hand, and the other on the left; he named the pillar on the right Jakin, and the pillar on the left Boaz.

4

1 Moreover he made an altar of bronze; its length was twenty cubits, and its width was twenty cubits. Its height was ten cubits. 2 He also made the round sea of cast metal, ten cubits from brim to brim. Its height was five cubits, and the sea was thirty cubits in circumference. 3 Under the brim encircling the sea were bulls, ten to each cubit, cast in one piece with the sea when the sea itself was cast. 4 The large basin known as “The Sea” was set upon twelve oxen, three looking toward the north, three looking toward the west, three looking toward the south, and three looking toward the east. “The Sea” was set on top of them, and all their hindquarters were toward the inside. 5 “The Sea” was as thick as the width of a hand, and its brim was forged like the brim of a cup, like a lily blossom. “The Sea” held three thousand baths of water. 6 He made also ten basins for washing things; he put five on the south side, and five on the north; items used in performing the burnt offering were to be washed in them. The large basin known as “The Sea” was used by the priests for them to wash.

7 He made the ten lampstands of gold that were made from the instructions for their design; he placed them in the temple, five on the right hand, and five on the left. 8 He made ten tables and placed them in the temple, five on the right side, and five on the left. He made one hundred basins of gold. 9 Furthermore he made the courtyard of the priests, and the great court and the doors for the court and overlaid their doors with bronze. 10 He placed the basin known as “The Sea” on the east side of the temple, facing toward the south. 11 Huram made the pots, the shovels, and the sprinkling bowls.

So Huram finished the work that he did for King Solomon in the house of God: 12 the two pillars, the bowl-like capitals that were on top of the two pillars, and the two sets of decorative latticework to cover the two bowl-like capitals that were on top of the pillars. 13 He had made the four hundred pomegranates for the two sets of decorative latticework: two rows of pomegranates for each set of latticework to cover the two bowl-like capitals that were on the pillars. 14 He also made the stands and the basins to go on the stands; 15 one sea and the twelve bulls under it, 16 also the pots, shovels, meat forks, and all the other implements that Huram-Abi made of polished bronze for King Solomon, for the house of Yahweh. * 17 The king had cast them in the plain of the Jordan, in the clay ground between Succoth and Zarethan. 18 Thus Solomon made all these vessels in great abundance; indeed, the weight of the bronze could not be known.

19 Solomon made all the furnishings that were in the house of God, the golden altar also, and the tables on which the bread of the presence was to be placed; 20 the lampstands with their lamps, that were designed to burn before the inner room—these were made of pure gold; 21 and the flowers, the lamps, and the tongs, of gold, pure gold. 22 Also the lamp trimmers, basins, spoons, and incense burners were all made of pure gold. As for the entrance into the house, its inner doors into the most holy place and the doors of the house, that is, of the temple, were made of gold.

5

1 When all the work that Solomon did for the house of Yahweh was completed, Solomon brought in the things that David, his father, had set apart for this purpose, including the silver, the gold, and all the furnishings—he placed them into the treasuries of the house of God.

2 Then Solomon assembled the elders of Israel, all the heads of the tribes, and the leaders of the families of the people of Israel, in Jerusalem, to bring up the ark of the covenant of Yahweh from the city of David, that is, Zion. 3 All the men of Israel assembled before the king at the feast, which was in the seventh month. 4 All the elders of Israel came, and the Levites took up the ark. 5 They brought up the ark, the tent of meeting, and all the holy furnishings that were in the tent. The priests who were of the tribe of Levi brought these things up. 6 King Solomon and all the assembly of Israel came together before the ark, sacrificing sheep and oxen that could not be counted. 7 The priests brought in the ark of the covenant of Yahweh to its place, into the inner room of the house, to the most holy place, under the wings of the cherubim. 8 For the cherubim spread out their wings over the place of the ark, and they covered the ark and the poles by which it was carried. 9 The poles were so long that their ends were seen from the holy place in front of the inner room, but they could not be seen from outside. They are there to this day. 10 There was nothing in the ark except the two tablets that Moses had put there at Horeb, when Yahweh made a covenant with the people of Israel, when they came out of Egypt.

11 It came about that the priests came out of the holy place. All the priests who were present had consecrated themselves to Yahweh, not ordering themselves according to their divisions. 12 Also the Levites who were the singers, all of them, including Asaph, Heman, Jeduthun, and their sons and brothers, clothed in fine linen and playing cymbals, harps, and lyres, stood at the east end of the altar. With them were 120 priests blowing trumpets. 13 It came about that the trumpeters and singers made music together, making one sound to be heard for praising and thanking Yahweh. They raised their voices with the trumpets and cymbals and other instruments, and they praised Yahweh. They sang, “For he is good, for his covenant loyalty endures forever.” Then the house, the house of Yahweh, was filled with a cloud. 14 The priests could not stand in order to serve because of the cloud, for the glory of Yahweh filled his house.

6

1 Then Solomon said, “Yahweh has said that he would live in thick darkness, 2 but I have built you a lofty residence, a place for you to live in forever.” 3 Then the king turned around and blessed all the assembly of Israel, while all the assembly of Israel was standing.

4 He said, “May Yahweh, the God of Israel, be praised, who spoke to David my father, and has fulfilled it with his own hands, saying, 5 'Since the day that I brought my people out of the land of Egypt, I chose no city out of all the tribes of Israel in which to build a house, in order for my name to be there. Neither did I choose any man to be prince over my people Israel. 6 However, I have chosen Jerusalem, so that my name might be there, and I have chosen David to be over my people Israel.' 7 Now it was in the heart of David my father, to build a house for the name of Yahweh, the God of Israel. 8 But Yahweh said to David my father, 'In that it was in your heart to build a house for my name, you did well for it to be in your heart. 9 Nevertheless, you must not build the house; instead, your son, one who will come from your loins, will build the house for my name.' 10 Yahweh has carried out the word that he had said, for I have arisen in the place of David my father, and I sit on the throne of Israel, as Yahweh promised. I have built the house for the name of Yahweh, the God of Israel. 11 I have placed the ark there, in which is Yahweh's covenant, which he made with the people of Israel.”

12 Solomon stood before the altar of Yahweh in the presence of all the assembly of Israel, and spread out his hands. 13 For he had made a bronze platform, five cubits long, five cubits wide, and three cubits high. He had placed it in the middle of the courtyard. He stood on it and knelt down before all the assembly of Israel, and then he spread out his hands toward the heavens. 14 He said, “Yahweh, God of Israel, there is no God like you in the heavens or on the earth, who keeps covenant and steadfast love with your servants who walk before you with all their heart; 15 you who have kept with your servant David my father, what you promised him. Yes, you spoke with your mouth and have fulfilled it with your hand, as it is today. 16 Now then, Yahweh, God of Israel, carry out what you have promised to your servant David my father, when you said, 'You will not fail to have a man in my sight to sit on the throne of Israel, if only your descendants are careful to walk in my law, as you have walked before me.' 17 Now then, Yahweh, God of Israel, let your word be confirmed, which you have spoken to your servant David.

18 But will God actually live with mankind on the earth? Look, the entire universe and heaven itself cannot contain you—how much less can this temple that I have built! 19 Yet please respect this prayer of your servant and his request, Yahweh my God; listen to the cry and prayer that your servant prays before you. 20 May your eyes be open toward this temple day and night, the place where you promised to put your name. May you listen to the prayer your servant prays toward this place. 21 So listen to the requests of your servant and of your people Israel when we pray toward this place. Yes, listen from the place where you live, from the heavens; and when you listen, forgive.

22 If a man sins against his neighbor and is required to swear an oath, and if he comes and swears an oath before your altar in this house, 23 listen from the heavens and act. Judge your servants, condemning the guilty and bringing what he has done upon his own head. Declare the innocent not guilty and give to him according to his righteousness.

24 When your people Israel are defeated by an enemy because they have sinned against you, if they turn back to you, confess your name, pray, and request forgiveness before you in this temple— 25 then please listen from the heavens and forgive the sin of your people Israel; bring them back to the land that you gave to them and to their ancestors.

26 When the skies are shut up and there is no rain because the people have sinned against you—if they pray toward this place, confess your name, and turn from their sin when you have afflicted them— 27 then listen in heaven and forgive the sin of your servants and of your people Israel, when you direct them to the good way in which they should walk. Send rain on your land, which you have given to your people as an inheritance.

28 Suppose there is famine in the land, or suppose that there is disease, blight or mildew, locusts or caterpillars; or suppose that its enemies attack the city gates in their land, or that there is any plague or sickness— 29 and suppose then that prayers and requests are made by a person or by all your people Israel—each knowing the plague and sorrow in his own heart as he spreads out his hands toward this temple. 30 Then listen from heaven, the place where you live; forgive, and reward every person for all his ways; you know his heart, because you and you only know the hearts of human beings. 31 Do this so that they may fear you, so that they may walk in your ways all the days that they live on the land that you gave to our ancestors.

32 As for the foreigner who does not belong to your people Israel, but who—because of your great name, your mighty hand, and your outstretched arm—comes and prays toward this house, 33 then please listen from heaven, the place where you live, and do all that the foreigner asks of you, so that all the people of the earth may know your name and fear you, as do your own people Israel, and that they might know that this house I have built is called by your name.

34 Suppose that your people go out to battle against their enemies, by whatever way you may send them, and suppose that they pray to you toward this city that you have chosen, and toward the house that I have built for your name. 35 Then listen from the heavens to their prayer, their request, and help their cause.

36 Suppose they sin against you—since there is no one who does not sin—and suppose that you are angry with them and hand them over to the enemy, so that the enemy carries them away and takes them as captives to their land, whether distant or near. 37 Then suppose they realize they are in the land where they have been exiled, and suppose that they repent and seek favor from you in the land of their captivity. Suppose that they say, 'We have acted perversely and sinned. We have behaved wickedly.' 38 Suppose that they return to you with all their heart and with all their soul in the land of their captivity, where they took them as captives, and suppose that they pray toward their land, which you gave to their ancestors, and toward the city that you chose, and toward the house that I have built for your name. 39 Then listen from the heavens, the place where you live, to their prayer and to their requests, and help their cause. Forgive your people, who have sinned against you.

40 Now, my God, I beg you, let your eyes be open, and let your ears be attentive to the prayer that is made in this place. 41 Now then arise, Yahweh God, to your resting place, you and the ark of your strength. Let your priests, Yahweh God, be clothed with salvation, and let your saints rejoice in your goodness. 42 Yahweh God, do not turn the face of your anointed away from you. Keep in mind your acts of covenant loyalty for David, your servant.”

7

1 Now when Solomon had finished praying, fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offerings and sacrifices, and the glory of Yahweh filled the house. 2 The priests could not enter the house of Yahweh, because his glory filled his house. 3 When all the people of Israel saw the fire come down and the glory of Yahweh over the house, they bowed down with their faces to the ground on the stone pavement and worshiped and gave thanks to Yahweh. They said, “For he is good, for his covenant loyalty endures forever.”

4 So the king and all the people offered sacrifices to Yahweh. 5 King Solomon offered a sacrifice of twenty-two thousand oxen and 120,000 sheep and goats. So the king and all the people dedicated the house of God. 6 The priests stood, each standing where they serve; the Levites also with instruments of music of Yahweh, which David the king had made to give thanks to Yahweh in the song, “For his covenant faithfulness endures for ever.” All the priests sounded trumpets before them, and all Israel stood. 7 Solomon set apart the middle of the courtyard in front of the house of Yahweh. There he offered the burnt offerings and the fat of the fellowship offerings, because the bronze altar that he had made was not able to hold the burnt offerings, the grain offerings, and the fat.

8 So Solomon held the festival at that time for seven days, and all Israel with him, a very great assembly, from Lebo Hamath to the brook of Egypt. 9 On the eighth day they held a solemn assembly, for they kept the dedication of the altar for seven days, and the feast for seven days. 10 On the twenty-third day of the seventh month, Solomon sent the people away to their homes with glad and joyful hearts because of the goodness that Yahweh had shown to David, Solomon, and Israel, his people.

11 Thus Solomon finished the house of Yahweh and his own house. Everything that came into Solomon's heart to make in the house of Yahweh and in his own house, he successfully carried out. 12 Yahweh appeared to Solomon by night and said to him, “I have heard your prayer, and I have chosen this place for myself as a house of sacrifice. 13 Suppose that I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or if I command the locust to devour the land, or if I send disease among my people, 14 then if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves, pray, seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven, forgive their sin, and heal their land. 15 Now my eyes will be open and my ears attentive to the prayers that are made in this place. 16 For I have now chosen and set apart this house that my name may be there forever. My eyes and my heart will be there every day. 17 As for you, if you walk before me as David your father walked, obeying all that I have commanded you and keeping my statutes and my decrees, 18 then I will establish the throne of your kingdom, as I said in a covenant with David your father, when I said, 'A descendant of yours will never fail to be ruler in Israel.'

19 But if you turn away, and forsake my statutes and my commandments that I have placed before you, and if you go worship other gods and bow down to them, 20 then I will uproot them from out of my ground that I have given them. This house that I have set apart for my name, I will cast away from before me, and I will make it a proverb and a joke among all the peoples. 21 Even though this temple is so lofty now, everyone who passes by it will be shocked and will hiss. They will ask, 'Why has Yahweh done this to this land and to this house?' 22 Others will answer, 'Because they forsook Yahweh, their God, who had brought their ancestors out of the land of Egypt, and they laid hold of other gods and bowed down to them and worshiped them. That is why Yahweh has brought all this disaster on them.'”

8

1 It came about at the end of twenty years, during which Solomon had built the house of Yahweh and his own house, 2 that Solomon rebuilt the towns that Hiram had given to him, and he settled the people of Israel in them.

3 Solomon attacked Hamathzobah and defeated it. 4 He built Tadmor in the wilderness, and all the store cities, which he built in Hamath. 5 Also he built Beth Horon the Upper and Beth Horon the Lower, cities fortified with walls, gates, and bars. 6 He built Baalath and all the store cities that he possessed, and all the cities for his chariots and the cities for his horsemen, and whatever he wished to build for his pleasure in Jerusalem, in Lebanon, and in all the lands under his rule.

7 As for all the people who were left of the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, who did not belong to Israel, 8 their descendants who were left after them in the land, whom the people of Israel had not destroyed—Solomon made them into forced laborers, which they are to this day. 9 However, Solomon made no forced laborers of the people of Israel. Instead, they became his soldiers, his commanders, his officers, and commanders of his chariot forces and his horsemen. 10 These were also the chief officers managing the supervisors who belonged to King Solomon, 250 of them, who supervised the people who did the work.

11 Solomon brought the daughter of Pharaoh out of the city of David to the house that he had built for her, for he said, “My wife must not live in the house of David king of Israel, because wherever the ark of Yahweh has come is holy.”

12 Then Solomon offered burnt offerings to Yahweh on his altar that he had built in front of the portico. 13 He offered sacrifices just as the daily schedule required; he offered them, following the directions found in the commandment of Moses, on the Sabbath days, the new moons, and on the set festivals three times every year: the Festival of Unleavened Bread, the Festival of Weeks, and the Festival of Shelters.

14 In keeping with the decrees of his father David, Solomon appointed the divisions of the priests to their work, and the Levites to their positions, in order to praise God and to serve before the priests, as the daily schedule required. He also appointed the gatekeepers by their divisions to every gate, for David, the man of God, had also commanded this. 15 These people did not deviate from the commands of the king to the priests and Levites concerning any matter, or concerning the storerooms.

16 All the work ordered by Solomon was completed, from the day the foundation of the house of Yahweh was laid until it was finished. The house of Yahweh was completed.

17 Then Solomon went to Ezion Geber and then to Elath on the coast, in the land of Edom. 18 Hiram sent him ships commanded by his own officers, men who knew the sea, and with the servants of Solomon they went to Ophir and they took from there 450 talents of gold and brought it to King Solomon.

9

1 When the queen of Sheba heard of Solomon's fame, she came to Jerusalem to test him with hard questions. She came with a very long caravan, with camels loaded with spices, much gold, and many precious gemstones. When she had come to Solomon, she told him all that was in her heart. 2 Solomon answered her all her questions; nothing was too difficult for Solomon; there was no question that he did not answer. 3 When the queen of Sheba saw Solomon's wisdom and the palace that he had built, 4 the food on his table, the seating of his servants, the work of his servants and their clothing, also his cupbearers and their clothing, and the burnt offerings he made at * the house of Yahweh, and there was no more breath in her. 5 She said to the king, “It is true, the report that I heard in my own land of your words and your wisdom. 6 I did not believe what I heard until I came here, and now my eyes have seen it. Not half was told me about your wisdom and wealth! You have exceeded the fame that I heard about. 7 How blessed are your people, and how blessed are your servants who constantly stand before you, because they hear your wisdom. † 8 Blessed be Yahweh your God, who has taken pleasure in you, who placed you on his throne, to be king for Yahweh your God. Because your God loved Israel, in order to establish them forever, he had made you king over them, for you to do justice and righteousness!”

9 She gave the king 120 talents of gold and a large amount of spices and precious stones. No greater amount of spices as these that the queen of Sheba gave to King Solomon was ever given to him again. 10 The servants of Hiram and the servants of Solomon, who brought gold from Ophir, also brought algum wood and precious stones. 11 With the algum wood, the king made steps for the house of Yahweh and for his house, as well as harps and lyres for the musicians. No wood like this had been seen before in the land of Judah. 12 King Solomon gave to the queen of Sheba everything she desired and whatever she asked for; he gave her more than what she had brought to the king. So she left and went back to her own land, she and her servants.

13 Now the weight of gold that came to Solomon in one year was 666 talents of gold, 14 besides the gold that the traders and merchants brought. All the kings of Arabia and the governors in the country also brought gold and silver to Solomon. 15 King Solomon made two hundred large shields of beaten gold. Six hundred shekels of gold went into each one. 16 He also made three hundred shields of beaten gold. Three minas of gold went into each shield; the king put them into the House of the Forest of Lebanon. 17 Then the king made a great throne of ivory and overlaid it with the finest gold. 18 There were six steps to the throne, and a footstool was attached to the throne. On each side of the throne there were armrests with two lions standing beside each of them. 19 Twelve lions stood on the steps, one on each side of each of the six steps. There was no throne like it in any other kingdom. 20 All King Solomon's drinking cups were gold, and all the drinking cups in the House of the Forest of Lebanon were of pure gold. None were silver because silver was not considered valuable in Solomon's days. 21 The king had at sea a fleet of oceangoing ships, along with the fleet of Hiram. Once every three years the fleet brought gold, silver, and ivory, as well as apes and baboons.

22 So King Solomon exceeded all the kings of the world in riches and in wisdom. 23 All the kings of the earth sought the presence of Solomon in order to hear his wisdom, which God had put in his heart. 24 Those who visited brought tribute, vessels of silver and of gold, clothes, armor, and spices, as well as horses and mules, year after year. 25 Solomon had four thousand stalls for horses and chariots, and twelve thousand horsemen, which he stationed in the chariot cities and with himself in Jerusalem. 26 He ruled over all the kings from the Euphrates River to the land of the Philistines, and to the border of Egypt. 27 The king had silver in Jerusalem, as much as the stones on the ground. He made cedar wood to be as abundant as the sycamore fig trees that are in the lowlands. 28 They brought horses for Solomon from Egypt and from all the lands.

29 As for the other matters concerning Solomon, first and last, are they not written in The History of Nathan the Prophet, in The Prophecy of Ahijah the Shilonite, and in The Visions of Iddo the Seer (which also had information about Jeroboam son of Nebat)? 30 Solomon reigned in Jerusalem over all Israel for forty years. 31 He slept with his ancestors and the people buried him in the city of David his father. Rehoboam, his son, became king in his place.

10

1 Rehoboam went to Shechem, for all Israel was coming to Shechem to make him king. 2 When Jeroboam the son of Nebat heard this (for he was in Egypt, where he had fled from King Solomon), he returned from Egypt. 3 So they sent and called him, and Jeroboam and all Israel came; they spoke to Rehoboam and said, 4 “Your father made our yoke difficult. Now therefore, make your father's hard work easier, and lighten the heavy yoke that he put on us, and we will serve you.” 5 Rehoboam said to them, “Come again to me after three days.” So the people left.

6 King Rehoboam consulted with the old men who had stood before Solomon his father while he was alive; he said, “How would you advise me to bring an answer to these people?” 7 They spoke to him and said, “If you are good to this people and please them, and say good words to them, then they will always be your servants.” 8 But Rehoboam ignored the advice of the old men that they had given him, and consulted with the young men who had grown up with him, who stood before him. 9 He said to them, “What advice do you give me, so that we may answer the people who spoke to me and said, 'Lighten the yoke that your father put on us'?” 10 The young men who had grown up with Rehoboam spoke to him, saying, “This is how you should speak to the people who told you that your father Solomon made their yoke heavy, but that you must make it lighter. This is what you should say to them, 'My little finger is thicker than my father's waist. 11 So now, although my father burdened you with a heavy yoke, I will add to your yoke. My father punished you with whips, but I will punish you with scorpions.'”

12 So Jeroboam and all the people came to Rehoboam on the third day, as the king said, “Come back to me on the third day.” 13 Rehoboam spoke to them harshly, ignoring the advice of the old men. 14 He spoke to them following the advice of the young men, saying, “My father made your yoke heavy, but I will add to it. My father punished you with whips, but I will punish you with scorpions.”

15 So the king did not listen to the people, for it was a turn in events brought about by God, that Yahweh might carry out his word that Ahijah the Shilonite had spoken to Jeroboam son of Nebat.

16 When all Israel saw that the king did not listen to them, the people answered him and said, “What share do we have in David? We have no inheritance in the son of Jesse! Each of you should go back to his tent, Israel. Now see to your own house, David.” So all Israel returned to their tents. 17 But as for the people of Israel who lived in the cities of Judah, Rehoboam reigned over them. 18 Then King Rehoboam sent Adoniram, who was over the forced laborers, but the people of Israel stoned him to death with stones. King Rehoboam fled quickly in his chariot to Jerusalem. 19 So Israel has been in rebellion against the house of David to this day.

11

1 When Rehoboam arrived in Jerusalem, he assembled the house of Judah and Benjamin, 180,000 chosen men who were soldiers, to fight against Israel, to restore the kingdom to Rehoboam. 2 But the word of Yahweh came to Shemaiah the man of God, saying, 3 “Say to Rehoboam son of Solomon, king of Judah, and to all Israel in Judah and Benjamin, 4 'Yahweh says this, “You must not attack or make war against your brothers. Everyone must return to his own house, for I have caused this to happen.”'” So they obeyed the words of Yahweh and turned back from attacking Jeroboam.

5 Rehoboam lived in Jerusalem and built cities in Judah for defense. 6 He built Bethlehem, Etam, Tekoa, 7 Beth Zur, Soko, Adullam, 8 Gath, Mareshah, Ziph, 9 Adoraim, Lachish, Azekah, 10 Zorah, Aijalon, and Hebron. These are fortified cities in Judah and Benjamin. 11 He fortified the fortresses and put commanders in them, with stores of food, oil, and wine. 12 He put shields and spears in all the cities and made them very strong. So Judah and Benjamin belonged to him.

13 The priests and the Levites who were in all Israel went over to him from within their borders. 14 For the Levites left their pasturelands and property in order to come to Judah and Jerusalem, for Jeroboam and his sons had driven them away, so that they could no longer perform priestly duties for Yahweh. 15 Jeroboam appointed for himself priests for the high places and the goat and calf idols he had made. 16 People from all the tribes of Israel came after them, those who set their hearts to seek Yahweh, the God of Israel; they came to Jerusalem to sacrifice to Yahweh, the God of their fathers. 17 So they strengthened the kingdom of Judah and made Rehoboam son of Solomon strong during three years, and they walked for three years in the way of David and Solomon.

18 Rehoboam took a wife for himself: Mahalath, the daughter of Jerimoth, David's son, and of Abihail, the daughter of Eliab, Jesse's son. 19 She bore him sons: Jeush, Shemariah, and Zaham. 20 After Mahalath, Rehoboam took Maacah, Absalom's daughter; she bore him Abijah, Attai, Ziza, and Shelomith. 21 Rehoboam loved Maacah, Absalom's daughter, more than all his other wives and his concubines (he took eighteen wives and sixty concubines, and became the father of twenty-eight sons and sixty daughters). 22 Rehoboam appointed Abijah son of Maacah to be chief, a leader among his brothers; he had the thought of making him king. 23 Rehoboam ruled wisely; he scattered all his sons throughout all the land of Judah and Benjamin to every fortified city. He also gave them food in abundance and looked for many wives for them.

12

1 It came about, when Rehoboam's reign was established and he was strong, that he abandoned the law of Yahweh—and all Israel with him. 2 It happened in the fifth year of King Rehoboam, that Shishak, king of Egypt, came up against Jerusalem, because the people had been unfaithful to Yahweh. 3 He came with twelve hundred chariots and sixty thousand horsemen. Soldiers without number came with him from Egypt: Libyans, Sukkites, and Cushites. 4 He captured the fortified cities that belonged to Judah and came to Jerusalem. 5 Now Shemaiah the prophet came to Rehoboam and to the leaders of Judah who had gathered together to Jerusalem because of Shishak. Shemaiah said to them, “This is what Yahweh says: You have forsaken me, so I have also given you over into Shishak's hand.” 6 Then the princes of Israel and the king humbled themselves and said, “Yahweh is righteous.” 7 When Yahweh saw that they had humbled themselves, the word of Yahweh came to Shemaiah, saying, “They have humbled themselves. I will not ruin them; I will rescue them to some extent, and my anger will not pour out on Jerusalem by means of Shishak's hand. 8 Nevertheless, they will be his servants, so that they may understand what it is to serve me and to serve the rulers of the other countries.”

9 So Shishak, king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem and took away the treasures in the house of Yahweh, and the treasures in the king's house. He took everything away; he also took the shields of gold that Solomon had made. 10 King Rehoboam made shields of bronze in their place and entrusted them into the hands of the commanders of the guard, who guarded the doors to the king's house. 11 It happened that whenever the king entered the house of Yahweh, the guards would carry them; then they would bring them back into the guardhouse. 12 When Rehoboam humbled himself, Yahweh's anger turned away from him, so as not to destroy him completely; besides, there was still some good to be found in Judah.

13 So King Rehoboam made his kingship strong in Jerusalem, and thus he reigned. Rehoboam was forty-one years old when he began to reign, and he reigned for seventeen years in Jerusalem, the city that Yahweh had chosen from all the tribes of Israel so that he might put his name there. His mother's name was Naamah the Ammonite woman. 14 He did what was evil, because he did not fix his heart to seek Yahweh.

15 As for the other matters concerning Rehoboam, first and last, are they not written in the writings of Shemaiah the prophet and of Iddo the seer, which also have records of genealogies and the constant wars between Rehoboam and Jeroboam? 16 Rehoboam slept with his ancestors and was buried in the city of David; Abijah his son became king in his place.

13

1 In the eighteenth year of King Jeroboam, Abijah began to reign over Judah. 2 He ruled for three years in Jerusalem; his mother's name was Macaiah, the daughter of Uriel of Gibeah. There was war between Abijah and Jeroboam. 3 Abijah went into battle with an army of strong, courageous soldiers, 400,000 chosen men. Jeroboam placed battle lines against him with 800,000 chosen men, strong, courageous soldiers. 4 Abijah stood on Mount Zemaraim, which is in the hill country of Ephraim, and said, “Listen to me, Jeroboam and all Israel! 5 Do you not know that Yahweh, the God of Israel, gave the rule over Israel to David forever, to him and to his sons by a formal covenant? 6 Yet Jeroboam son of Nebat, the servant of Solomon son of David, rose up and rebelled against his master. 7 Worthless men, base fellows, gathered to him. They came against Rehoboam son of Solomon, when Rehoboam was young and inexperienced and could not withstand them. 8 So now you plan to resist the kingdom of Yahweh that is held within the hand of the descendants of David, because you are a large army, and you have the golden calves that Jeroboam made to be your gods. 9 But did you not drive out the priests of Yahweh, the descendants of Aaron, and the Levites, and make priests of your own in the same way as the people of other lands do? Whoever comes to serve as a priest, sacrificing a young bullock and seven rams, he becomes a priest of what are not gods. 10 But as for us, Yahweh is our God, and we have not forsaken him. We have priests, descendants of Aaron, serving Yahweh, and the Levites, who are at their work. 11 Every morning and evening they burn for Yahweh burnt offerings and sweet incense. They also arrange the bread of the presence on the pure table; they also tend the lampstand of gold with its lamps, for them to burn every evening. We keep the commandments of Yahweh, our God, but you have forsaken him. 12 See, God is with us at our head, and his priests are here with the trumpets to sound an alarm against you. People of Israel, do not fight against Yahweh, the God of your ancestors, for you will not succeed.”

13 But Jeroboam prepared an ambush behind them; his army was in front of Judah, and the ambush was behind them. 14 When Judah looked back, behold, the fighting was both in front of them and behind them. They cried out to Yahweh, and the priests blew the trumpets. 15 Then the men of Judah gave a shout; as they shouted, it came about that God struck Jeroboam and all Israel before Abijah and Judah. 16 The people of Israel fled before Judah, and God gave them into the hand of Judah. 17 Abijah and his army killed them with great slaughter; 500,000 chosen men of Israel fell dead. 18 In this way, the people of Israel were subdued at that time; the people of Judah won because they relied on Yahweh, the God of their ancestors. 19 Abijah pursued Jeroboam; he took cities from him: Bethel with its villages, Jeshanah with its villages, and Ephron with its villages. 20 Jeroboam never recovered power again during the days of Abijah; Yahweh struck him, and he died. 21 But Abijah became powerful; he took fourteen wives for himself and became the father of twenty-two sons and sixteen daughters. 22 The rest of Abijah's deeds, his behavior, and words are written in the history of the prophet Iddo.

14

1 Abijah slept with his ancestors, and they buried him in the city of David. Asa, his son, became king in his place. In his days the land was quiet ten years. 2 Asa did what was good and right in the eyes of Yahweh his God, 3 for he took away the foreign altars and the high places. He broke down the stone pillars and cut down the Asherah poles. 4 He commanded Judah to seek Yahweh, the God of their ancestors, and to carry out the law and the commandments. 5 Also he took away the high places and the incense altars from all the cities of Judah. The kingdom had rest under him. 6 He built fortified cities in Judah, for the land was quiet, and he had no war in those years, because Yahweh had given him peace. 7 For Asa said to Judah, “Let us build these cities and make walls around them, and towers, gates, and bars; the land is still ours because we have sought Yahweh our God. We have sought him, and he has given us peace on every side.” So they built and succeeded. 8 Asa had an army that carried shields and spears; from Judah he had 300,000 men, and from Benjamin, 280,000 men who carried shields and drew bows. All of these were mighty men.

9 Zerah the Cushite came against them with an army of one million soldiers and three hundred chariots; he came to Mareshah. 10 Then Asa went out to meet him, and they set the battle lines in order in the Valley of Zephathah at Mareshah. 11 Asa cried to Yahweh, his God, and said, “Yahweh, there is no one but you to help one who has no strength when he is facing many. Help us, Yahweh our God, for we rely on you, and in your name we have come against this vast number. Yahweh, you are our God; do not let man defeat you.” 12 So Yahweh struck the Cushites before Asa and Judah; the Cushites fled. 13 Asa and the soldiers with him pursued them to Gerar. So many Cushites fell that they could not recover, for they were completely destroyed before Yahweh and his army. The army carried away very much plunder. 14 The army destroyed all the villages around Gerar, for terror of Yahweh had come on the inhabitants. The army plundered all the villages, and there was much booty in them. 15 The army also destroyed the tent settlements of the shepherding nomads; they carried away sheep in abundance, as well as camels, and then they returned to Jerusalem.

15

1 The Spirit of God came on Azariah son of Oded. 2 He went out to meet Asa and said to him, “Listen to me, Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin: Yahweh is with you, while you are with him. If you seek him, he will be found by you; but if you forsake him, he will forsake you. 3 Now for a long period, Israel was without the true God, without a teaching priest, and without the law. 4 But when in their distress they turned to Yahweh, the God of Israel, and sought him, he was found by them. 5 In those times there was no peace for him who traveled away, nor for him who traveled to here; instead, great troubles were on all the inhabitants of the lands. 6 They were broken in pieces, nation against nation, and city against city, for God troubled them with all kinds of suffering. 7 But be strong, and do not let your hands be weak, for your work will be rewarded.”

8 When Asa heard these words, the prophecy of Oded the prophet, he took courage and drove away the disgusting things from all the land of Judah and Benjamin, and from the cities that he had captured from the hill country of Ephraim, and he rebuilt Yahweh's altar, which was in front of the portico of Yahweh's house. 9 He gathered all Judah and Benjamin, and those who stayed with them—people from of Ephraim and Manasseh, and from Simeon. For they came from Israel to him in great numbers, when they saw that Yahweh his God was with him. 10 So they gathered together at Jerusalem in the third month, in the fifteenth year of Asa's reign. 11 They sacrificed to Yahweh in that day some of the plunder that they had brought: seven hundred oxen and seven thousand sheep and goats. 12 They entered into a covenant to seek Yahweh, the God of their ancestors, with all their heart and with all their soul. 13 They agreed that whoever refused to seek Yahweh, the God of Israel, should be put to death, whether the person was small or great, whether man or woman. 14 They swore to Yahweh with a loud voice, with shouting, and with trumpets and horns. 15 All Judah rejoiced at the oath, for they had sworn with all their heart, and they sought God with their whole desire, and he was found by them. Yahweh gave them peace all around them.

16 He also removed Maacah, his grandmother, from being queen, because she had made a disgusting figure out of an Asherah pole. Asa cut down the disgusting figure, ground it to dust and burned it at the brook Kidron. 17 But the high places were not taken out of Israel. Nevertheless, Asa's heart was completely devoted all his days. 18 He brought into the house of God the silver and gold and the utensils that he and his father had dedicated for that purpose. 19 There was no more war until the thirty-fifth year of Asa's reign.

16

1 In the thirty-sixth year of Asa's reign, Baasha, king of Israel, acted aggressively against Judah and built up Ramah, so that he might not allow anyone to leave or enter into the land of Asa, king of Judah. 2 Then Asa brought the silver and gold out of the storerooms in the house of Yahweh and of the king's house, and sent it to Ben Hadad king of Aram, who lived in Damascus. He said, 3 “Let there be a covenant between me and you, as there was between my father and your father. Look, I have sent to you silver and gold. Break your covenant with Baasha, king of Israel, so that he may leave me alone.” 4 Ben Hadad listened to King Asa and sent the commanders of his armies against the cities of Israel. They attacked Ijon, Dan, Abel Maim, and all the storage cities of Naphtali. 5 It came about that when Baasha heard this, he stopped building up Ramah, and let his work cease. 6 Then Asa the king took all Judah with him. They carried away the stones and timbers of Ramah with which Baasha had been building up the city. Then King Asa used that building material to build up Geba and Mizpah.

7 At that time Hanani the seer went to Asa, king of Judah, and said to him, “Because you have relied on the king of Aram, and have not relied on Yahweh your God, the army of the king of Aram has escaped out of your hand. 8 Were not the Cushites and the Libyans a huge army, with very many chariots and horsemen? Yet, because you relied on Yahweh, he gave you victory over them. 9 For the eyes of Yahweh run everywhere throughout the whole earth, so that he might show himself strong on behalf of those whose hearts are perfect toward him. But you have acted foolishly in this matter. From now on, you will have war.” 10 Then Asa was angry with the seer; he put him into prison, for he was angry with him over this matter. At the same time, Asa oppressed some of the people.

11 Behold, the deeds of Asa, from first to last, behold, they are written in the book of the kings of Judah and Israel. 12 In the thirty-ninth year of his reign, Asa was afflicted with a disease in his feet. Though his disease was very severe, he did not seek help from Yahweh, but only from the physicians. 13 So Asa slept with his ancestors, dying in the forty-first year of his reign. 14 They buried him in his own tomb, which he had dug out for himself in the city of David. They laid him on a bier that was filled with sweet odors and various kinds of spices prepared by skilled perfumers. Then they made a very great fire in his honor.

17

1 Jehoshaphat son of Asa became king in his place. Jehoshaphat strengthened himself against Israel. 2 He placed forces in all the fortified cities of Judah, and set garrisons in the land of Judah and in the cities of Ephraim, which Asa his father had captured. 3 Yahweh was with Jehoshaphat because he walked in the first ways of his father David, and did not seek the Baals. * 4 Instead, he relied on the God of his father, and walked in his commandments, not after the behavior of Israel. 5 So Yahweh established the rule in his hand; all Judah brought tribute to Jehoshaphat. He had riches and honor in abundance. 6 His heart was committed to Yahweh's ways. He also removed the high places and the Asherah poles from Judah.

7 In the third year of his reign he sent his officials Ben-Hail, Obadiah, Zechariah, Nethanel, and Micaiah, to teach in the cities of Judah. 8 With them were Levites: Shemaiah, Nethaniah, Zebadiah, Asahel, Shemiramoth, Jehonathan, Adonijah, Tobijah, and Tob-Adonijah; and with them were the priests Elishama and Jehoram. 9 They taught in Judah, having the book of the law of Yahweh with them. They went about throughout all the cities of Judah and taught among the people.

10 Terror of Yahweh fell on all the kingdoms of the lands that were around Judah, so that they made no war against Jehoshaphat. 11 Some of the Philistines brought Jehoshaphat presents, and silver as tribute. Arabians also brought him flocks, 7,700 rams, and 7,700 goats. 12 Jehoshaphat became very powerful. He built fortresses and store cities in Judah. 13 He had many supplies in the cities of Judah, and soldiers—strong, mighty men—in Jerusalem. 14 These were their divisions listed by the name of their fathers' houses: From Judah, the commanders of thousands; Adnah the commander, and with him 300,000 fighting men; 15 next to him Jehohanan the commander, and with him 280,000 men; 16 next to him Amasiah son of Zichri, who willingly offered to serve Yahweh; and with him 200,000 fighting men. 17 From Benjamin: Eliada a powerful man of courage, and with him 200,000 armed with bows and shields; 18 next to him Jehozabad, and with him 180,000 ready prepared for war. 19 These were those who served the king, besides those whom the king put in the fortified cities throughout all Judah.

18

1 Now Jehoshaphat had great riches and honor; he allied himself with Ahab by having one of his family marry his daughter. 2 After some years, he went down to Ahab in Samaria. Ahab killed many sheep and oxen for him and the people who were with him. Ahab also persuaded him to attack Ramoth Gilead with him. 3 Ahab, king of Israel, said to Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, “Will you go with me to Ramoth Gilead?” Jehoshaphat answered him, “I am like you, and my people are like your people. We will be with you in the war.”

4 Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, “Please first seek the word of Yahweh for your answer.” 5 Then the king of Israel gathered the prophets together, four hundred men, and said to them, “Should we go to Ramoth Gilead to battle, or should I not?” They said, “Attack, for God will give it into the hand of the king.” 6 But Jehoshaphat said, “Is there not here still another prophet of Yahweh with whom we might seek advice?” 7 The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “There is still one man by whom we may seek the advice of Yahweh, Micaiah son of Imlah, but I hate him because he never prophesies good concerning me, but always evil.” But Jehoshaphat said, “The king should not say that.” 8 Then the king of Israel called an officer and said, “Quickly bring Micaiah son of Imlah.” 9 Now Ahab the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat the king of Judah were sitting each on a throne, clothed in their robes, in an open place at the entrance of the gate of Samaria, and all the prophets were prophesying before them. 10 Zedekiah son of Kenaanah made himself horns of iron and said, “Yahweh says this: With these you will push the Arameans until they are consumed.” 11 All the prophets prophesied the same, saying, “Attack Ramoth Gilead and win, for Yahweh has given it into the hand of the king.”

12 The messenger who went to summon Micaiah said to him, “Look, the words of the prophets with one mouth are favorable to the king. Let your words agree with theirs, and speak favorably.” 13 Micaiah replied, “As Yahweh lives, it is what God says that I will say.” 14 When he came to the king, the king said to him, “Micaiah, should we go to Ramoth Gilead for battle, or not?” Micaiah answered him, “Attack and be victorious! For it will be a great victory.” 15 Then the king said to him, “How many times must I require you to swear to tell me nothing but the truth in the name of Yahweh?” 16 So Micaiah said, “I saw all Israel scattered on the mountains, like sheep who have no shepherd, and Yahweh said, 'These have no shepherd. Let every man return to his house in peace.'” 17 So the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “Did I not tell you that he would not prophesy good concerning me, but only disaster?” 18 Then Micaiah said, “Therefore all of you should hear the word of Yahweh: I saw Yahweh sitting on his throne, and all the host of heaven were standing on his right hand and on his left. 19 Yahweh said, 'Who will entice Ahab, king of Israel, so that he may go up and fall at Ramoth Gilead?' One said this and another that. 20 Then a spirit came forward and it stood before Yahweh and said, 'I will entice him.' Yahweh said to him, 'How?' 21 The spirit replied, 'I will go out and I will become a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets.' Yahweh replied, 'You will entice him, and you will also be successful. Go now and do so.' 22 Now see, Yahweh has put a lying spirit in the mouth of these prophets of yours, and Yahweh has decreed disaster for you.”

23 Then Zedekiah son of Kenaanah, came up, slapped Micaiah on the cheek, and said, “Which way did the Spirit of Yahweh take to go from me to speak to you?” 24 Micaiah said, “Look, you will know that on that day, when you run into some inner room to hide.” 25 The king of Israel said to some servants, “You people seize Micaiah and take him to Amon, the governor of the city, and to Joash, my son. 26 You people will say to him, 'The king says: Put this man in prison and feed him with only a little bread and only a little water, until I return safely.'” 27 Then Micaiah said, “If you return safely, then Yahweh has not spoken by me.” Then he added, “Listen to this, all you people.”

28 So Ahab, the king of Israel, and Jehoshaphat, the king of Judah, went up against Ramoth Gilead. 29 The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “I will disguise myself and go into the battle, but you put on your royal robes.” So the king of Israel disguised himself, and they went into the battle. 30 Now the king of Aram had commanded the captains of his chariots, saying, “Do not attack the unimportant or the important soldiers. Instead, attack only the king of Israel.” 31 It came about that when the captains of the chariots saw Jehoshaphat they said, “That is the king of Israel.” They turned around to attack him, but Jehoshaphat cried out, and Yahweh helped him. God turned them away from him. 32 It came about that when the commanders of the chariots saw that it was not the king of Israel, they turned back from pursuing him. 33 But a certain man drew his bow at random and shot the king of Israel between the joints of his armor. Then Ahab said to the driver of his chariot, “Turn around and carry me out of the battle, for I am badly wounded.” 34 The battle grew worse that day, and the king of Israel was held up in his chariot facing the Arameans until the evening. About the time that the sun was going down, he died.

19

1 Jehoshaphat the king of Judah safely returned to his house in Jerusalem. 2 Then Jehu son of Hanani, the seer, went out to meet him and said to King Jehoshaphat, “Should you be helping the wicked? Should you be loving those who hate Yahweh? For this deed, anger from Yahweh is on you. 3 However, there is some good to be found in you, in that you have taken the Asherah poles out of the land, and you have fixed your heart to seek God.”

4 Jehoshaphat lived in Jerusalem; and he went out again among the people from Beersheba to the hill country of Ephraim and brought them back to Yahweh, the God of their fathers. 5 He placed judges in the land throughout all the fortified cities of Judah, city by city. 6 He said to the judges, “Consider what you should do, because you are not judging for man, but for Yahweh; he is with you in the act of judging. 7 Now then, let the fear of Yahweh be upon you. Be careful when you judge, for there is no iniquity with Yahweh our God, nor is there any favoritism or bribe taking.”

8 Moreover, in Jerusalem Jehoshaphat appointed some of the Levites and the priests, and some of the heads of the ancestral houses of Israel, for carrying out judgment for Yahweh, and for the sake of disputes. They lived in Jerusalem. 9 He instructed them, saying, “You must serve in reverence for Yahweh, faithfully, and with your whole heart. 10 Whenever any dispute comes to you from your brothers who live in their cities, whether concerning bloodshed, whether about laws and commands, statutes or decrees, you must warn them, so they do not become guilty before Yahweh, or anger will come toward you and toward your brothers. You shall do this and you will not be guilty. 11 See, Amariah the chief priest is over you in all the matters of Yahweh. Zebadiah son of Ishmael, the leader of the house of Judah, is in charge of all the matters of the king. Also, the Levites will be officers serving you. Be strong and obey your instructions, and may Yahweh be with those who are good.”

20

1 It came about after this, that the people of Moab and Ammon, and with them some Meunites came against Jehoshaphat to do battle. * 2 Then some came who told Jehoshaphat, saying, “A large multitude is coming against you from beyond the Dead Sea, from Edom. See, they are in Hazezon Tamar,” that is, Engedi. † 3 Jehoshaphat became afraid and set himself to seek Yahweh. He proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah. 4 Judah gathered together to seek Yahweh; they came to seek Yahweh from all the cities of Judah.

5 Jehoshaphat stood in the assembly of Judah and Jerusalem, at the house of Yahweh, in front of the new courtyard. 6 He said, “Yahweh, the God of our ancestors, are you not God in heaven? Are you not the ruler over all the kingdoms of the nations? Power and might are in your hand, so no one is able to resist you. 7 Our God, did you not drive out the inhabitants of this land before your people Israel, and give it forever to the descendants of Abraham? 8 They lived in it and built you a holy place in it for your name, saying, 9 'If disaster comes on us—the sword, judgment, or disease, or famine—we will stand before this house, and before you (for your name is in this house), and we will cry to you in our affliction, and you will hear us and save us.' ‡ 10 See now, here are the people of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir whom you would not let Israel invade when they came out of the land of Egypt; instead, Israel turned away from them and did not destroy them. 11 See how they are rewarding us; they are coming to drive us out of your land that you have given us to inherit. 12 Our God, will you not judge them? For we have no power against this great army that is coming against us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you.” 13 All Judah stood before Yahweh, with their little ones, wives, and children.

14 Then in the middle of the assembly, the Spirit of Yahweh came on Jahaziel, son of Zechariah, son of Benaiah, son of Jeiel, son of Mattaniah, the Levite, one of the sons of Asaph. 15 Jahaziel said, “Listen, all Judah and you inhabitants of Jerusalem, and King Jehoshaphat. This is what Yahweh says to you, 'Do not fear; do not be discouraged because of this great army, for the battle does not belong to you, but to God. 16 You must go down against them tomorrow. See, they are coming up by way of the pass of Ziz. You will find them at the end of the valley, before the wilderness of Jeruel. 17 You will not need to fight in this battle. Stand in your positions, stand still, and see the rescue of Yahweh with you, Judah and Jerusalem. Do not fear nor be discouraged. Go out against them tomorrow, for Yahweh is with you.'” 18 Jehoshaphat bowed his head with his face to the ground. All Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem fell down before Yahweh, worshiping him. 19 The Levites, those of the descendants of the Kohathites and Korahites, stood up to praise Yahweh, the God of Israel, with a very loud voice.

20 Early in the morning they arose and went out into the wilderness of Tekoa. As they went out, Jehoshaphat stood and said, “Listen to me, Judah, and you inhabitants of Jerusalem! Trust in Yahweh your God, and you will be supported. Trust in his prophets, and you will succeed.” 21 After he consulted with the people, he appointed those who sang to Yahweh and who praised him for his majestic splendor as they went out before the army, saying, “Give thanks to Yahweh, for his covenant faithfulness endures forever.” 22 When they began to sing and to praise, Yahweh set men in ambush against the people of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir, who were coming against Judah. They were defeated. 23 For the people of Ammon and Moab rose to fight the inhabitants of Mount Seir, in order to completely kill them and destroy them. When they had finished with the inhabitants of Mount Seir, they all helped to destroy each other.

24 When Judah came to a place overlooking the wilderness, they looked out on the army. Behold, they were dead, fallen to the ground; none had escaped. 25 When Jehoshaphat and his people came to take plunder from them, they found among them abundant goods, clothing, and valuable articles, which they took for themselves, more than they could carry away. It took them three days to carry off the plunder, there was so much of it. § 26 On the fourth day they assembled in the Valley of Berakah. There they praised Yahweh, so the name of that place is the “Valley of Berakah” to this day. 27 Then they returned, every man of Judah and Jerusalem, and Jehoshaphat in their lead, to go again to Jerusalem with joy, for Yahweh had made them rejoice over their enemies. 28 They came to Jerusalem and to the house of Yahweh with lyres, harps, and trumpets. 29 The terror of God was on all the kingdoms of the nations when they heard that Yahweh had fought against Israel's enemies. 30 So Jehoshaphat's kingdom was quiet, for his God gave him peace all around him.

31 Jehoshaphat reigned over Judah: He was thirty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned in Jerusalem for twenty-five years. His mother's name was Azubah, the daughter of Shilhi. 32 He walked in the ways of Asa, his father; he did not turn away from them; he did what was right in the eyes of Yahweh. 33 However, the high places were not taken away. The people still had not directed their hearts to the God of their ancestors. 34 As for the other matters concerning Jehoshaphat, first and last, behold, they are written in the history of Jehu son of Hanani, which is recorded in the book of the kings of Israel.

35 After this Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, allied himself with Ahaziah, king of Israel, who committed much wickedness. 36 He allied himself with him to build ships to go to Tarshish. They built the ships at Ezion Geber. 37 Then Eliezer son of Dodavahu of Mareshah, prophesied against Jehoshaphat; he said, “Because you have allied yourself with Ahaziah, Yahweh has destroyed your projects.” The ships were wrecked so that they were not able to sail.

21

1 Jehoshaphat slept with his ancestors and was buried with them in the city of David; Jehoram, his son, became king in his place. 2 Jehoram had brothers, sons of Jehoshaphat: Azariah, Jehiel, Zechariah, Azariahu, Michael, and Shephatiah. All these were sons of Jehoshaphat, king of Israel. 3 Their father had given them large gifts of silver, gold, and other precious things, and also fortified cities in Judah, but he gave the kingdom to Jehoram. 4 Now when Jehoram had risen up over his father's kingdom and had firmly established himself as king, he killed all his brothers with the sword, and also various other leaders of Israel. 5 Jehoram was thirty-two years old when he began to reign, and he reigned for eight years in Jerusalem. 6 He walked in the ways of the kings of Israel, as the house of Ahab was doing, for he had Ahab's daughter as his wife, and he did what was evil in the sight of Yahweh. 7 However, Yahweh did not wish to destroy the house of David, because of the covenant that he had made with David; he had promised that he would always give life to him and his descendants.

8 In Jehoram's days, Edom revolted from the control of Judah, and they set a king over themselves. 9 Then Jehoram crossed over with his commanders and all his chariots. It was night when he rose up and fought against the Edomites who had surrounded him and his chariot commanders. 10 So Edom has been in rebellion from the control of Judah to this present day. Libnah also revolted at the same time from his control, because Jehoram had forsaken Yahweh, the God of his ancestors.

11 In addition, Jehoram had also built high places in the mountains of Judah and he made the inhabitants of Jerusalem to live like prostitutes, and he led Judah astray. 12 A letter from the prophet Elijah came to Jehoram. It said, “This is what Yahweh, the God of David, your ancestor, says: Because you have not walked in the ways of Jehoshaphat, your father, nor in the ways of Asa, king of Judah, 13 but have walked in the ways of the kings of Israel, and have made Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem to act like a prostitute, as the house of Ahab did—and because you have also killed your brothers in your father's family, men who were better than yourself— 14 see, Yahweh will strike with a great plague your people, your children, your wives, and all your possessions. 15 You yourself will have much sickness because of a disease in your intestines, until your intestines fall out because of the sickness, day after day.”

16 Yahweh stirred up against Jehoram the spirit of the Philistines and of the Arabians who were near the Cushites. 17 They attacked Judah, invaded it, and carried away all the wealth that was found in the king's house. They also carried away his sons and his wives. No son was left to him except Jehoahaz, his youngest son.

18 After all this, Yahweh struck him in his intestines with an incurable disease. 19 It came about in due time, at the end of two years, that his intestines fell out because of his sickness, and that he died of severe disease. His people made no fire in his honor as they had done for his ancestors. 20 He had begun to reign when he was thirty-two years old; he reigned in Jerusalem for eight years, and when he departed no one mourned him. They buried him in the city of David, but not in the royal tombs.

22

1 The inhabitants of Jerusalem made Ahaziah, Jehoram's youngest son, king in his place, for the band of men that came with the Arabians into the camp had killed all his older sons. So Ahaziah son of Jehoram, king of Judah, became king. 2 Ahaziah was twenty-two years old when he began to reign; he reigned for one year in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Athaliah; she was the daughter of Omri. 3 He also walked in the ways of the house of Ahab for his mother was his advisor in doing wicked things. 4 Ahaziah did what was evil in the sight of Yahweh, as the house of Ahab was doing, for they were his advisors after the death of his father, to his destruction. 5 He also followed their advice; he went with Joram son of Ahab, king of Israel, to fight against Hazael, king of Aram, at Ramoth Gilead. The Arameans wounded Joram. 6 Joram returned to be healed in Jezreel of the wounds that they had given him at Ramah, when he fought against Hazael, king of Aram. So Ahaziah son of Jehoram, king of Judah, went down to Jezreel to see Joram son of Ahab, because Joram had been wounded.

7 Now the destruction of Ahaziah was brought about by God through Ahaziah's visit to Joram. When he had arrived, he went with Jehoram to attack Jehu son of Nimshi, whom Yahweh had chosen to destroy the house of Ahab. 8 It came about, when Jehu was carrying out God's judgment on the house of Ahab, that he found the leaders of Judah and the sons of Ahaziah's brothers serving Ahaziah. Jehu killed them. 9 Jehu looked for Ahaziah; they caught him hiding in Samaria, brought him to Jehu, and killed him. Then they buried him, for they said, “He is a son of Jehoshaphat, who sought Yahweh with all his heart.” So the house of Ahaziah had no more power to rule the kingdom.

10 Now when Athaliah, the mother of Ahaziah, saw that her son was dead, she arose and killed all the royal children in the house of Judah. 11 But Jehosheba,* a daughter of the king, secretly took Joash son of Ahaziah away from the king's sons who were about to be killed. She put him and his nurse into a bedroom. So Jehosheba, a daughter of King Jehoram, the wife of Jehoiada the priest (for she was the sister of Ahaziah), hid him from Athaliah, so that Athaliah did not kill him. 12 He was with them, hidden in the house of God for six years, while Athaliah reigned over the land.

23

1 In the seventh year, Jehoiada showed his strength and entered into a covenant with the commanders of hundreds, Azariah son of Jeroham, Ishmael son of Jehohanan, Azariah son of Obed, Maaseiah son of Adaiah, and Elishaphat son of Zichri. 2 They went about in Judah and gathered the Levites from all the cities of Judah, as well as the heads of the ancestral houses of Israel, and they came to Jerusalem. 3 All the assembly made a covenant with the king in the house of God. Jehoiada said to them, “See, the king's son will reign, as Yahweh has said concerning the descendants of David. 4 This is what you must do: A third of you priests and Levites who come to serve on the Sabbath will be guards at the doors. 5 Another third will be at the king's house, and the other third will be at the Foundation Gate. All the people will be in the courtyard of the house of Yahweh. 6 Allow no one to come into the house of Yahweh, except for the priests and the Levites who are serving. They may enter because they are consecrated. But all the other people must obey the commands of Yahweh. 7 The Levites must surround the king on all sides, every man with his weapons in his hand. Whoever comes into the house, let him be killed. Stay with the king when he comes in and when he goes out.”

8 So the Levites and all Judah served in every way in the manner in which Jehoiada the priest commanded. Each one took his men, those who were to come in to serve on the Sabbath, and those who were to leave off serving on the Sabbath, for Jehoiada the priest had not dismissed any of their divisions. 9 Then Jehoiada the priest brought to the commanders spears and small and large shields that had been King David's that were in the house of God. 10 Jehoiada placed all the soldiers, each man with his weapon in his hand, from the right side of the temple to the left side of the temple, along by the altar and the temple, surrounding the king. 11 Then they brought out the king's son, put the crown on him, and gave him the covenant decrees. Then they made him king, and Jehoiada and his sons anointed him. Then they said, “Long live the king.”

12 When Athaliah heard the noise of the people running and praising the king, she came to the people in the house of Yahweh, 13 and she looked, and, behold, the king was standing by his pillar at the entrance, and the commanders and the trumpeters were by the king. All the people of the land were rejoicing and blowing trumpets, and the singers were playing musical instruments and leading the singing of praise. Then Athaliah tore her clothes and shouted, “Treason! Treason!” 14 Then Jehoiada the priest brought out the commanders of hundreds who were over the army and said to them, “Bring her out between the ranks; anyone who follows her, let him be killed with the sword.” For the priest had said, “Do not kill her in the house of Yahweh.” 15 So they seized her as she went into the entrance of the Horse Gate of the king's house, and there they killed her.

16 Then Jehoiada made a covenant between himself, all the people, and the king, that they should be Yahweh's people. 17 So all the people went to the house of Baal and tore it down. They smashed Baal's altars and his images to pieces, and they killed Mattan, the priest of Baal, in front of those altars. 18 Jehoiada appointed officers for the house of Yahweh under the hand of the priests, who were Levites, whom David had assigned to the house of Yahweh, to offer the burnt offerings to Yahweh, as it was written in the law of Moses, together with rejoicing and singing, as David had given direction. 19 Jehoiada set guards at the gates of the house of Yahweh, so that no one that was unclean in any way should enter. 20 Jehoiada took with him the commanders of hundreds, the noblemen, the governors of the people, and all the people of the land. He brought down the king from the house of Yahweh; the people came through the Upper Gate to the king's house and sat the king on the throne of the kingdom. * 21 So all the people of the land rejoiced, and the city was quiet. As for Athaliah, they had killed her with the sword.

24

1 Joash was seven years old when he began to reign; he reigned for forty years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Zibiah, of Beersheba. 2 Joash did what was right in the eyes of Yahweh all the days of Jehoiada, the priest. 3 Jehoiada took for him two wives, and he became the father of sons and daughters.

4 It came about after this, that Joash decided to restore the house of Yahweh. 5 He gathered together the priests and the Levites, and he said to them, “Go out every year to the cities of Judah and gather from all Israel money to repair the house of your God. Make sure that you start right away.” The Levites did nothing at first. 6 So the king called for Jehoiada the high priest and said to him, “Why have you not required the Levites to bring in from Judah and Jerusalem the tax levied by Moses the servant of Yahweh and by the assembly of Israel for the tent of the covenant decrees?” 7 For the sons of Athaliah, that wicked woman, had broken up the house of God and had given all the holy things of the house of Yahweh to the Baals.

8 So the king commanded, and they made a chest and placed it outside at the entrance to the house of Yahweh. 9 Then they made a proclamation through Judah and Jerusalem, for the people to bring in for Yahweh the tax that Moses the servant of God levied on Israel in the wilderness. 10 All the leaders and all the people rejoiced and brought money in and put it into the chest until they finished filling it. 11 It happened that whenever the chest was brought to the king's officials by the hand of the Levites, and whenever they saw that there was much money in it, the king's scribe and the high priest's official would come, empty the chest, and take it and carry it back to its place. They did this day after day, gathering large amounts of money. 12 The king and Jehoiada gave the money to those who did the work of serving in the house of Yahweh. These men hired stonemasons and carpenters to restore the house of Yahweh, and also those who worked in iron and bronze. 13 So the workmen labored, and the work of repairing went forward in their hands; they set up the house of God in its original design and strengthened it. 14 When they finished, they brought the rest of the money to the king and Jehoiada. This money was used to make furnishings for the house of Yahweh, utensils with which to serve and make offerings—spoons and utensils of gold and silver. They offered burnt offerings in the house of Yahweh continually for all the days of Jehoiada.

15 Jehoiada grew old and was full of days, and then he died; he was 130 years old when he died. 16 They buried him in the city of David among the kings, because he had done good in Israel, toward God, and to God's house. 17 Now after the death of Jehoiada, the leaders of Judah came and did honor to the king. Then the king listened to them. 18 They forsook the house of Yahweh, the God of their ancestors, and worshiped the Asherah gods and the idols. God's anger came on Judah and Jerusalem for this wrongdoing of theirs. 19 Yet he sent prophets to them to bring them again to himself, Yahweh; the prophets testified against the people, but they refused to listen.

20 The Spirit of God came on Zechariah son of Jehoiada, the priest; Zechariah stood above the people and said to them, “God says this: Why do you transgress the commandments of Yahweh, so that you cannot prosper? Since you have forsaken Yahweh, he has also forsaken you.” 21 But they plotted against him; at the king's command, they stoned him with stones in the courtyard of the house of Yahweh. 22 In this manner, Joash, the king, ignored the kindness that Jehoiada, Zechariah's father, had done to him. Instead, he killed Jehoiada's son. When Zechariah was dying, he said, “May Yahweh see this and call you to account.”

23 It came about at the end of the year, that the army of Aram came up against Joash. They came to Judah and Jerusalem; they killed all the leaders of the people and sent all the plunder from them to the king of Damascus. 24 Although the army of the Arameans had come with only a few soldiers, Yahweh gave them victory over a very great army, because Judah had forsaken Yahweh, the God of their ancestors. In this way the Arameans brought judgment on Joash.

25 By the time that the Arameans had gone, Joash had been severely wounded. His own servants plotted against him because of the murder of the sons of Jehoiada, the priest. They killed him in his bed, and he died; they buried him in the city of David, but not in the tombs of the kings. 26 These were the persons who plotted against him: Zabad son of Shimeath, an Ammonite woman; and Jehozabad son of Shimrith, a Moabite woman. 27 Now the accounts about his sons, the important prophecies that were spoken about him, and the rebuilding of the house of God, see, they are written in the commentary on the book of the kings. Amaziah his son became king in his place.

25

1 Amaziah was twenty-five years old when he began to reign; he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Jehoaddan, of Jerusalem. 2 He did what was right in the eyes of Yahweh, but not with a whole heart. 3 It came about that as soon as his rule was well established, he killed the servants who had murdered his father, the king. 4 But he did not put the children of the murderers to death, but acted according to what was written in the law, in the Book of Moses, as Yahweh had commanded, “The fathers must not die for the children, nor must the children die for the fathers. Instead, every person must die for his own sin.”

5 Moreover, Amaziah gathered Judah together, and registered them by their ancestors' houses, under commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds—all of Judah and Benjamin. He numbered them from twenty years old and upward, and found them to be 300,000 chosen men, able to go to war, who could handle spear and shield. 6 He hired also 100,000 fighting men from Israel for one hundred talents of silver. 7 But a man of God came to him and said, “King, do not let the army of Israel go with you, for Yahweh is not with Israel—none of the people of Ephraim. 8 But even if you do go and are courageous and strong in battle, God will throw you down before the enemy, for God has power to help, and power to throw down.” 9 Amaziah said to the man of God, “But what will we do about the one hundred talents that I have given to the army of Israel?” The man of God answered, “Yahweh is able to give you much more than that.” 10 So Amaziah separated the army that had come to him from Ephraim; he sent them home again. So their anger was greatly kindled against Judah, and they returned home in fierce anger. 11 Amaziah took courage and led his people to go out to the Valley of Salt; there he defeated ten thousand men of Seir. 12 The army of Judah carried away alive another ten thousand. They took them to the top of the cliff and threw them down from there, so that they were all broken in pieces. 13 But the men of the army which Amaziah sent back, so that they should not go with him to battle, attacked the cities of Judah from Samaria to Beth Horon. They struck down three thousand of the people and took much plunder.

14 Now it came about, after that Amaziah had returned from the slaughter of the Edomites, that he brought the gods of the people of Seir, and set them up to be his own gods. He bowed down before them and burned incense to them. 15 So Yahweh's anger was kindled against Amaziah. He sent a prophet to him, who said, “Why have you sought after the gods of a people who did not even save their own people from your hand?” 16 It came about that as the prophet was speaking with him, the king said to him, “Have we made you an advisor to the king? Stop! Why should you be killed?” Then the prophet stopped and said, “I know that God has decided to destroy you because you have done this deed and have not listened to my advice.”

17 Then Amaziah king of Judah consulted with advisors and sent messengers to Jehoash son of Jehoahaz son of Jehu, king of Israel, saying, “Come, let us meet each other face to face in battle.” 18 But Jehoash the king of Israel sent messengers back to Amaziah king of Judah, saying, “A thistle that was in Lebanon sent a message to a cedar in Lebanon, saying, 'Give your daughter to my son for a wife,' but a wild beast in Lebanon walked by and trampled down the thistle. 19 You have said, 'See, I have struck down Edom,' and your heart has lifted you up. Take pride in your victory, but stay at home, for why should you cause yourself trouble and fall, both you and Judah with you?”

20 But Amaziah would not listen, because this event was from God, so he might put the people of Judah into the hand of their enemies, because they had sought advice from the gods of Edom. 21 So Jehoash, king of Israel, attacked; he and Amaziah, king of Judah, met each other face to face at Beth Shemesh, which belongs to Judah. 22 Judah was struck down before Israel, and every man fled home. 23 Jehoash, king of Israel, captured Amaziah son of Jehoash son of Ahaziah, king of Judah, at Beth Shemesh. He brought him to Jerusalem and tore down the wall of Jerusalem from the Ephraim Gate to the Corner Gate, four hundred cubits in distance. 24 He took all the gold and silver, all the objects that were found in the house of God with Obed Edom, and the valuable things in the king's house, with hostages also, and returned to Samaria.

25 Amaziah son of Joash, king of Judah, lived fifteen years after the death of Jehoash, son of Jehoahaz, king of Israel. 26 As for the other matters concerning Amaziah, first and last, behold, are they not written in the book of the kings of Judah and Israel? 27 Now from the time that Amaziah turned away from following Yahweh, they began to make a conspiracy against him in Jerusalem. He fled to Lachish, but they sent men after him to Lachish and killed him there. 28 They brought him back on horses and buried him with his ancestors in the city of Judah.

26

1 All the people of Judah took Uzziah, who was sixteen years old, and made him king in place of his father Amaziah. 2 It was he who rebuilt Elath and restored it to Judah. After that the king slept with his ancestors. 3 Uzziah was sixteen years old when he began to reign. He reigned for fifty-two years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Jekoliah; she was from Jerusalem. 4 He did what was right in the eyes of Yahweh, following the example of his father, Amaziah, in everything. 5 He set himself to seek God in the days of Zechariah, who taught him to honor God * . As long as he sought Yahweh, God made him prosper.

6 Uzziah went out and fought against the Philistines. He broke down the city walls of Gath, Jabneh, and Ashdod; he built cities in the country of Ashdod and among the Philistines. 7 God helped him against the Philistines, against the Arabians who lived in Gurbaal, and against the Meunites. 8 The Ammonites paid tribute to Uzziah, and his fame spread, even to the entrance of Egypt, because he was becoming more powerful. 9 In addition, Uzziah built towers in Jerusalem at the Corner Gate, at the Valley Gate, and at the turning of the wall, and fortified them. 10 He built watchtowers in the wilderness and dug many cisterns, for he had much cattle, in the lowlands as well as in the plains. He had farmers and vine growers in the hill country and in the fruitful fields, for he loved farming. 11 In addition, Uzziah had an army of fighting men who went out to war in groups which were organized by their number that were counted by Jeiel, the scribe, and Maaseiah, the officer, under the authority of Hananiah, one of the king's commanders. 12 The whole number of the leaders of the families who led the mighty men was 2,600. 13 Under their hand was an army of 307,500 men that made war with mighty power to help the king against the enemy. 14 Uzziah prepared for them—for all the army—shields, spears, helmets, coats of mail, bows, and stones for slinging. 15 In Jerusalem he built machines that were designed by skillful men to be on the towers and on the battlements to shoot arrows and large stones. His fame spread to distant lands, for he was greatly helped and so he became very powerful.

16 But when Uzziah had become powerful, his heart was lifted up so that he acted corruptly; he trespassed against Yahweh, his God, for he went into the house of Yahweh to burn incense on the altar of incense. 17 Azariah, the priest, went in after him, and with him eighty priests of Yahweh, who were brave men. 18 They resisted Uzziah, the king, and said to him, “It is not for you, Uzziah, to burn incense to Yahweh, but for the priests, the sons of Aaron, who are consecrated to burn incense. Go out of the holy place, for you have been unfaithful and you will not be honored by Yahweh God.” 19 Then Uzziah became angry. He was holding a censer in his hand to burn incense. While he was angry with the priests, leprosy broke out on his forehead before the priests in the house of Yahweh, beside the altar of incense. 20 Azariah the chief priest and all the priests looked at him, and, behold, he had become leprous on his forehead. They quickly drove him out of there. Indeed, he hurried to go out, because Yahweh had struck him. 21 Uzziah, the king, was a leper to the day of his death and lived in a separate house since he was a leper, for he was cut off from the house of Yahweh. Jotham, his son, was over the king's house and ruled the people of the land. 22 The other matters concerning Uzziah, from first to last, were recorded by the prophet Isaiah son of Amoz. 23 So Uzziah slept with his ancestors; they buried him with his ancestors in a burial ground that belonged to the kings, for they said, “He is a leper.” Jotham, his son, became king in his place.

27

1 Jotham was twenty-five years old when he began to reign; he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Jerushah; she was the daughter of Zadok. 2 He did what was right in the eyes of Yahweh, following the example of his father, Uzziah, in everything. He also refrained from going into the temple of Yahweh. But the people were still behaving in evil ways. 3 He built the upper gate of the house of Yahweh, and on the hill of Ophel he built much. 4 Moreover he built cities in the hill country of Judah, and in the forests he built castles and towers. 5 He fought also with the king of the people of Ammon and defeated them. In that same year, the people of Ammon gave him one hundred talents of silver, ten thousand measures of wheat, ten thousand measures of barley. The people of Ammon gave him the same in the second and third years. 6 So Jotham became powerful because he walked firmly before Yahweh his God. 7 As for the other matters concerning Jotham, all his wars, and his ways, see, they are written in the book of the kings of Israel and Judah. 8 He was twenty-five years old when he began to reign; he reigned for sixteen years in Jerusalem. 9 Jotham slept with his ancestors, and they buried him in the city of David. Ahaz, his son, became king in his place.

28

1 Ahaz was twenty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem. He did not do what was right in the eyes of Yahweh, as David his ancestor had done. 2 Instead, he walked in the ways of the kings of Israel; he also made cast metal figures for the Baals. 3 In addition, he burned incense in the Valley of Ben Hinnom and he caused his children to pass through the fire, according to the idolatrous practices of the people that Yahweh forced out of their land before the people of Israel. 4 He sacrificed and burned incense at the high places and on the hills and under every green tree.

5 Therefore Yahweh the God of Ahaz gave him into the hand of the king of Aram. The Arameans defeated him and carried away from him a great crowd of prisoners, bringing them to Damascus. Ahaz was also given into the hand of the king of Israel who defeated him in a great slaughter. 6 For Pekah son of Remaliah in one day killed 120,000 soldiers in Judah and all of them were powerful men, because they had forsaken Yahweh the God of their ancestors. 7 Zicri, a powerful man from Ephraim, killed Maaseiah the king's son, Azrikam, the official over the palace, and Elkanah, who was next to the king. 8 The army of Israel took captive from their relatives 200,000 wives, sons, and daughters. They also took much plunder, which they carried back to Samaria. 9 But a prophet of Yahweh was there, his name was Oded. He went out to meet the army coming into Samaria. He said to them, “Because Yahweh, the God of your ancestors, was angry with Judah, he gave them into your hand. But you have slaughtered them in a rage that reached up to heaven. 10 Now you intend to keep the men and women of Judah and Jerusalem as your slaves. But are you not guilty of sins of your own against Yahweh your God? 11 Now then, listen to me: Send the prisoners back, those whom you have taken of your own brothers, for Yahweh's fierce wrath is on you.” 12 Then certain leaders of the people of Ephraim—Azariah son of Jehohanan, Berechiah son of Meshillemoth, Jehizkiah son of Shallum, and Amasa son of Hadlai, stood up against those who came back from the war. 13 They said to them, “You must not bring the prisoners here, for you intend something that will bring on us sin against Yahweh, to add to our sins and trespasses, for our trespass is great, and there is fierce wrath against Israel.” 14 So the armed men left the prisoners and the plunder before the leaders and all the assembly. 15 The men who were assigned by name got up and took the prisoners, and clothed all who were naked among them with the plunder. They clothed them and gave them sandals. They gave them food to eat and drink. They treated their wounds and put the weak ones on donkeys. They took them back to their families in Jericho, (called the City of Palms). Then they returned to Samaria.

16 At that time King Ahaz sent messengers to the kings of Assyria to ask them to help him. 17 For once again the Edomites had come and attacked Judah, carrying prisoners away. 18 The Philistines also invaded the cities of the lowlands and of the Negev of Judah. They took Beth Shemesh, Aijalon, Gederoth, Soko with its villages, Timnah with its villages, and also Gimzo with its villages. They went to live in those places. 19 For Yahweh brought Judah low because of Ahaz, king of Israel; for he had acted wickedly in Judah and had sinned against Yahweh very heavily. 20 Tiglath-Pileser, king of Assyria, came to him and troubled him instead of strengthening him. 21 For Ahaz plundered the house of Yahweh and the houses of the king and the leaders, to give the valuable things to the kings of Assyria. But doing this did not benefit him.

22 This same King Ahaz sinned even more against Yahweh in his time of suffering. 23 For he sacrificed to the gods of Damascus, gods that had defeated him. He said, “Because the gods of the kings of Aram helped them, I will sacrifice to them, so that they might help me.” But they were the ruin of him and of all Israel. 24 Ahaz gathered together the furnishings of the house of God and cut them to pieces. He shut the doors of the house of Yahweh and he made for himself altars in every corner of Jerusalem. 25 In every city of Judah he made high places to burn sacrifices to other gods. He provoked Yahweh, the God of his ancestors, to anger. 26 Now the rest of his deeds, and all his ways, first and last, see, they are written in the book of the kings of Judah and Israel. 27 Ahaz slept with his ancestors, and they buried him in the city, in Jerusalem, but they did not bring him into the tombs of the kings of Israel. Hezekiah, his son, became king in his place.

29

1 Hezekiah began to reign when he was twenty-five years old; he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Abijah; she was the daughter of Zechariah. 2 He did what was right in the eyes of Yahweh, just as David his father had done. 3 In the first year of his reign, in the first month, Hezekiah opened the doors of the house of Yahweh and repaired them. 4 He brought in the priests and the Levites, and gathered them together into the courtyard on the east side. 5 He said to them, “Listen to me, you Levites! Consecrate yourselves, and consecrate the house of Yahweh, the God of your ancestors, and carry away the filthiness from the holy place. 6 For our ancestors trespassed and did what was evil in the sight of Yahweh our God; they forsook him, turned away their faces from the place where Yahweh lives, and turned their backs on it. 7 Also they shut up the doors of the porch and put out the lamps; they did not burn incense or offer burnt offerings in the holy place to the God of Israel. 8 Therefore the wrath of Yahweh had fallen on Judah and Jerusalem, and he has made them to be an object of terror, of horror, and of scorn, as you can see with your own eyes. 9 This is why our fathers have fallen by the sword, and our sons, our daughters, and our wives are in captivity for this. 10 Now it is in my heart to make a covenant with Yahweh, the God of Israel, so that his fierce anger may turn away from us. 11 My sons, do not be lazy now, for Yahweh has chosen you to stand before him, to worship him, and that you should be his servants and burn incense.”

12 Then the Levites arose: Mahath son of Amasai, and Joel son of Azariah, of the people of the Kohathites; and of the people of Merari, Kish son of Abdi, and Azariah son of Jehallelel; and of the Gershonites, Joah son of Zimmah, and Eden son of Joah; 13 of the sons of Elizaphan, Shimri and Jeuel; and of the sons of Asaph, Zechariah and Mattaniah; 14 of the sons of Heman, Jehuel and Shimei; and of the sons of Jeduthun, Shemaiah and Uzziel. 15 They gathered their brothers, they consecrated themselves, and they went in, as the king commanded, following the words of Yahweh, to cleanse the house of Yahweh. 16 The priests went in to the inner part of the house of Yahweh to cleanse it; they brought out all the filth that they found in the temple of Yahweh into the courtyard of the house. The Levites took it to carry it out to the brook Kidron. 17 Now they began the consecration on the first day of the first month. By the eighth day of the month they reached the porch of Yahweh. Then for eight more days they consecrated the house of Yahweh. On the sixteenth day of the first month they finished. 18 Then they went to Hezekiah, the king, inside the palace and said, “We have cleansed all the house of Yahweh, the altar for burnt offerings with all its implements, and the table of the bread of the presence, with all its implements. 19 So we have prepared and we have consecrated all the items that King Ahaz removed when he acted unfaithfully during his reign. See, they are in front of the altar of Yahweh.”

20 Then Hezekiah the king rose early in the morning and gathered the leaders of the city; he went up to the house of Yahweh. 21 They brought seven bulls, seven rams, seven lambs, and seven male goats as a sin offering for the kingdom, for the sanctuary, and for Judah. He commanded the priests, the sons of Aaron, to offer them on the altar of Yahweh. 22 So they killed the bulls, and the priests received the blood and sprinkled it on the altar. Then they killed the rams and sprinkled their blood on the altar; and they also killed the lambs and sprinkled their blood on the altar. 23 They brought the male goats for the sin offering before the king and the assembly; they laid their hands on them. 24 The priests killed them, and they made a sin offering with their blood on the altar to make atonement for all Israel, for the king had commanded that a burnt offering and a sin offering should be made for all Israel.

25 Hezekiah placed the Levites in the house of Yahweh with cymbals, harps, and lyres, arranging them by the command of David, Gad, the king's seer, and Nathan, the prophet, for the command was from Yahweh by means of his prophets. 26 The Levites stood with the instruments of David, and the priests with the trumpets. 27 Hezekiah commanded them to offer the burnt offering on the altar. When the burnt offering began, the song of Yahweh began also, with the trumpets, together with the instruments of David, king of Israel. 28 All the assembly worshiped, the singers sang, and the trumpeters played; all this continued until the burnt offering was finished.

29 When they had finished the offerings, the king and all who were present with him bowed and worshiped. 30 Moreover, Hezekiah, the king, and the leaders commanded the Levites to sing praises to Yahweh with the words of David and of Asaph, the seer. They sang praises with gladness, and they bowed down and worshiped.

31 Then Hezekiah said, “Now you have consecrated yourselves to Yahweh. Come here and bring sacrifices and thank offerings into the house of Yahweh.” The assembly brought sacrifices and thank offerings, and all who had a willing heart brought burnt offerings. 32 The number of the burnt offerings that the assembly brought was seventy bulls, one hundred rams, and two hundred male lambs. All these were for a burnt offering to Yahweh. 33 The consecrated offerings were six hundred oxen and three thousand sheep. 34 But the priests were too few to skin all the burnt offerings, so their brothers, the Levites, helped them until the work was done, and until the priests could consecrate themselves, for the Levites had been more careful to consecrate themselves than the priests. 35 In addition, there were very many burnt offerings; they were performed with the fat of the fellowship offerings, and there were drink offerings for every burnt offering. So the service of the house of Yahweh was set in order. 36 Hezekiah rejoiced, and all the people also, because of what God had prepared for the people, for the work had been done quickly.

30

1 Hezekiah sent messengers to all Israel and Judah, and also wrote letters to Ephraim and Manasseh, that they should come to the house of Yahweh in Jerusalem, to celebrate the Passover to Yahweh, the God of Israel. 2 For the king, his leaders, and all the assembly in Jerusalem had consulted together, deciding to celebrate the Passover in the second month. 3 They could not celebrate at the regular time, because not enough priests had consecrated themselves for the celebration and the people had not gathered together in Jerusalem. 4 This proposal seemed right in the eyes of the king and of all the assembly. 5 So they agreed to make a proclamation throughout all Israel, from Beersheba to Dan, that the people should come to celebrate the Passover to Yahweh, the God of Israel, in Jerusalem. For they had not observed it with large numbers of people according to what was written. 6 So couriers went with the letters from the king and his leaders throughout all Israel and Judah, by the command of the king. They said, “You people of Israel, turn back to Yahweh, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, so that he may turn back to the remnant of you who have escaped from the hand of the kings of Assyria. 7 Do not be like your ancestors or your brothers, who trespassed against Yahweh, the God of their ancestors, so that he made them an object of horror, as you see. 8 Now do not be stubborn, as your ancestors were; instead, give yourselves to Yahweh and come into his holy place, which he has consecrated forever, and worship Yahweh your God, so that his fierce anger may turn away from you. 9 For if you turn back to Yahweh, your brothers and children will find compassion before those who led them away as prisoners, and they will come back into this land. For Yahweh your God, is gracious and merciful, and will not turn his face away from you, if you return to him.”

10 So the couriers passed from city to city throughout the regions of Ephraim and Manasseh, all the way to Zebulun, but the people laughed at them and mocked them. 11 However, certain men of Asher and Manasseh and of Zebulun humbled themselves and came to Jerusalem. 12 The hand of God also came on Judah, to give them one heart, to carry out the command of the king and leaders by the word of Yahweh.

13 Many people, a very great assembly, gathered in Jerusalem to celebrate the Festival of Unleavened Bread in the second month. 14 They rose and took away the altars that were in Jerusalem, and all the altars for incense; they threw them into the brook Kidron. 15 Then they killed the Passover lambs on the fourteenth day of the second month. The priests and Levites were ashamed, so they consecrated themselves and brought burnt offerings into the house of Yahweh. 16 They stood in their place by their divisions, following the directions given in the law of Moses, the man of God. The priests sprinkled the blood that they received from the hand of the Levites. 17 For there were many in the assembly who had not consecrated themselves. Therefore the Levites slaughtered the Passover lambs for everyone who was not purified and could not consecrate their sacrifice to Yahweh. 18 For a great many of the people, many of them from Ephraim and Manasseh, Issachar and Zebulun, had not purified themselves, yet they ate the Passover meal, against the written instructions. For Hezekiah had prayed for them, saying, “May the good Yahweh pardon everyone 19 who sets his heart to seek God, Yahweh, the God of his ancestors, even though he is not purified by the purification standards of the holy place.” 20 So Yahweh listened to Hezekiah and healed the people. 21 The people of Israel who were present in Jerusalem kept the Festival of Unleavened Bread for seven days with great joy. The Levites and the priests praised Yahweh day after day, singing with loud instruments to Yahweh. 22 Hezekiah spoke encouragingly to all the Levites who understood the service of Yahweh. So they ate throughout the festival for the seven days, offering sacrifices of fellowship offerings, and making confession to Yahweh, the God of their ancestors.

23 The whole assembly then decided to celebrate for another seven days, and they did so with joy. 24 For Hezekiah king of Judah gave the assembly one thousand bulls and seven thousand sheep as an offering; and the leaders gave to the assembly one thousand bulls and ten thousand sheep and goats. A large number of priests consecrated themselves. 25 All the assembly of Judah, with the priests and the Levites, and all the people who came together from Israel, as well as the foreigners who came from the land of Israel and those who lived in Judah—they all rejoiced. 26 So there was great joy in Jerusalem, for since the time of Solomon son of David, king of Israel, there had not been anything like it in Jerusalem. 27 Then the priests, the Levites, rose and blessed the people. Their voice was heard, and their prayer went up to heaven, the holy place where God lives.

31

1 Now when all this was finished, all the people of Israel who were there went out to the cities of Judah and broke to pieces the stone pillars and they cut down the Asherah poles, and they broke down the high places and the altars in all of Judah and Benjamin, and in Ephraim and Manasseh, until they had destroyed them all. Then all the people of Israel returned, every one to his own possession and his own city.

2 Hezekiah assigned the divisions of the priests and the Levites organized by their divisions, each man assigned to his work, both the priests and the Levites. He assigned them to make the burnt offerings and fellowship offerings, to serve, to give thanks, and to praise at the gates of Yahweh's temple. 3 He also assigned the king's portion for the burnt offerings from his own possessions, that is, for the morning and evening burnt offerings, and the burnt offerings for the Sabbath days, the new moons, and the fixed festivals, as it was written in the law of Yahweh. 4 Moreover, he commanded the people who lived in Jerusalem to give the portion for the priests and the Levites, so that they might concentrate on obeying the law of Yahweh. 5 As soon as the command was sent out, the people of Israel generously gave the firstfruits of grain, new wine, oil, honey, and from all their harvest of the field. They brought in a tithe of everything, which was a great quantity. 6 The people of Israel and Judah who lived in the cities of Judah also brought in the tithe of cattle and sheep, and the tithe of the holy things that were set apart to Yahweh their God, and they piled them up in heaps. 7 It was in the third month when they began piling up their contribution in heaps, and they finished in the seventh month. 8 When Hezekiah and the leaders came and saw the heaps, they blessed Yahweh and his people Israel. 9 Then Hezekiah questioned the priests and the Levites about the heaps. 10 Azariah, the chief priest, of the house of Zadok, answered him and said, “Since the people began to bring the offerings into the house of Yahweh, we have eaten and had enough, and have plenty left over, for Yahweh has blessed his people. What was left over is this large amount here.”

11 Then Hezekiah commanded storerooms to be prepared in the house of Yahweh, and they prepared them. 12 Then they faithfully brought in the offerings, the tithes and the things that belonged to Yahweh. Konaniah the Levite was the manager in charge of them, and his brother Shimei was second to him. 13 Jehiel, Azaziah, Nahath, Asahel, Jerimoth, Jozabad, Eliel, Ismakiah, Mahath, and Benaiah were managers under the hand of Konaniah and Shimei his brother, by appointment of Hezekiah, the king, and Azariah, the official over the house of God. 14 Kore son of Imnah the Levite, the porter at the east gate, was over the free will offerings of God, in charge of distributing the offerings to Yahweh and the most holy offerings. 15 Under him were Eden, Miniamin, Jeshua, Shemaiah, Amariah, and Shecaniah, in the cities of the priests. They filled offices of trust, in order to give these offerings to their brothers division by division, to both the important and the unimportant. 16 They also gave to those males three years old and up, who were listed in the records of their ancestors who entered the house of Yahweh, as required by the daily schedule, to do the work in their offices and their divisions. * 17 They distributed to the priests according to the records of their ancestors, and the same to the Levites twenty years old and more, according to their offices and their divisions. 18 They included all their little ones, their wives, their sons, and their daughters, through the whole community, for they were faithful in keeping themselves holy. 19 For the priests, the descendants of Aaron, who were in the fields of the villages belonging to their cities, or in every city, there were men assigned by name to give portions to all the males among the priests, and to all who were listed in the records of their ancestors as being among the Levites.

20 Hezekiah did this throughout all Judah. He accomplished what was good, right, and faithful before Yahweh, his God. 21 In every project that he began in the service of the house of God, the law, and the commandments, to seek his God, he performed it with all his heart, and he succeeded.

32

1 After these things and these acts of faithfulness, Sennacherib, king of Assyria, came and entered Judah. He camped to attack the fortified cities, which he intended to capture for himself. 2 When Hezekiah saw that Sennacherib had come and that he intended to fight against Jerusalem, 3 he consulted with his leaders and his powerful men to stop up the waters of the springs that were outside the city; they helped him do so. 4 So many people gathered together and stopped up all the springs and the stream that was flowing through the middle of the land. They said, “Why should the kings of Assyria come and find a lot of water?” 5 Hezekiah took courage and built up all the wall that was broken down. He built the towers higher, and also the other wall outside. He also strengthened the Millo in the city of David, and he made large amounts of weapons and shields. * 6 He placed military commanders over the people. He gathered them together to him in the broad place at the city gate and spoke encouragingly to them. He said, 7 “Be strong and of good courage. Do not be afraid or discouraged because of the king of Assyria and all the army that is with him, for someone is with us who is greater than those with him. 8 With him is only an arm of flesh, but with us is Yahweh, our God, to help us, and to fight our battles.” Then the people comforted themselves with the words of Hezekiah, king of Judah.

9 After this, Sennacherib, king of Assyria, sent his servants to Jerusalem (now he was in front of Lachish, and all his army was with him), to Hezekiah, king of Judah, and to all of Judah who were in Jerusalem. He said, 10 “This is what Sennacherib, king of Assyria, says: What are you relying on in order to endure a siege in Jerusalem? 11 Is not Hezekiah misleading you, that he may give you over to die by famine and by thirst, when he tells you, 'Yahweh our God will rescue us from the hand of the king of Assyria'? 12 Has not this same Hezekiah taken away his high places and his altars and commanded Judah and Jerusalem, 'On one altar you must worship, and on it you must burn your sacrifices'? 13 Do you not know what I and my ancestors have done to all the peoples of the other lands? Were the gods of the peoples of the surrounding lands able in any way to rescue their land from my power? 14 Among all the gods of those nations that my ancestors completely destroyed, was there any god who could rescue his people out of my hand? Why should your God be able to rescue you from my power? 15 Now do not let Hezekiah deceive you or persuade you in this way. Do not believe him, for no god of any nation or kingdom has been able to rescue his people out of my hand, or out of the hand of my ancestors. How much less will your God rescue you from my hand?” 16 Sennacherib's servants spoke even more against Yahweh God and against his servant Hezekiah. 17 Sennacherib also wrote letters in order to mock Yahweh, the God of Israel, and to speak against him. He said, “As the gods of the nations of the lands have not rescued their people out of my hand, so the God of Hezekiah will not rescue his people out of my hand.” 18 They cried out in the language of the Jews to the people of Jerusalem who were on the wall, to frighten them and trouble them, in order that they might capture the city. 19 They spoke of the God of Jerusalem as they had spoken of the gods of the other peoples of the earth, which are merely the work of men's hands.

20 Hezekiah, the king, and Isaiah son of Amoz, the prophet, prayed because of this matter and he cried out to heaven. 21 Yahweh sent an angel, who killed the fighting men, the commanders, and the officers of the king in the camp. So Sennacherib returned to his own land with shame on his face. When he had gone into the house of his god, some of his own children killed him there with the sword. 22 In this way, Yahweh saved Hezekiah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem from the hand of Sennacherib, the king of Assyria, and from the hand of all others, and gave them rest on every side. † 23 Many were bringing offerings to Yahweh in Jerusalem, and precious gifts to Hezekiah king of Judah, so that he was lifted up in the eyes of all nations from that time forward.

24 In those days Hezekiah was sick to the point of dying. He prayed to Yahweh, who spoke to him and gave him a sign that he would be healed. 25 But Hezekiah did not pay back Yahweh for the help given to him, for his heart was lifted up. So anger came on him, and on Judah and Jerusalem. 26 Nevertheless, Hezekiah later humbled himself for the pride of his heart, both he and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so that Yahweh's anger did not come on them during Hezekiah's days.

27 Hezekiah had very many riches and much honor. He provided himself with storerooms for silver, gold, precious stones, and for spices, as well as for shields and for all kinds of valuable objects. 28 He also had storehouses for the harvest of grain, new wine, and oil, and stalls for all kinds of animals. He also had flocks in their pens. 29 In addition, he provided himself with cities and possessions of flocks and herds in abundance, for God had given him very much wealth. ‡ 30 It was this same Hezekiah who also stopped up the upper spring of the waters of Gihon, and who brought them straight down on the west side of the city of David. Hezekiah succeeded in all his projects. 31 However, in the matter of the ambassadors of the princes of Babylon, who sent to him to ask questions of those who knew, about the miraculous sign that had been done in the land, God left him to himself, in order to test him, and to know all that was in his heart.

32 As for the other matters concerning Hezekiah, including his actions of covenant loyalty, you can see that they are written in the vision of the prophet Isaiah son of Amoz, and in the book of the kings of Judah and Israel. 33 Hezekiah slept with his ancestors, and they buried him on the hill of the tombs of the descendants of David. All Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem honored him at his death. Manasseh his son became king in his place.

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1 Manasseh was twelve years old when he began to reign; he reigned fifty-five years in Jerusalem. 2 He did what was evil in the sight of Yahweh, like the disgusting things of the nations whom Yahweh had driven out before the people of Israel. 3 For he rebuilt the high places that his father Hezekiah had torn down, and he built altars for the Baals, he made Asherah poles, and he bowed down to all the stars of heaven and worshiped them. 4 Manasseh built altars in the house of Yahweh, although Yahweh had commanded, “It is in Jerusalem that my name will be forever.” 5 He built altars for all the stars of heaven in the two courtyards of the house of Yahweh. 6 In the Valley of Ben Hinnom he caused his sons to pass through the fire. He practiced sorcery, divination and he read omens, and he consulted with those who talked with the dead and with those who talked with spirits. Manasseh did much evil in the sight of Yahweh, and he provoked him to anger. 7 The carved figure he had made, he placed it in the house of God. It was about this house that God had spoken to David and Solomon his son; he had said, “It is in this house and in Jerusalem, which I have chosen from all the tribes of Israel, that I will put my name forever. 8 I will not move the people of Israel any more out of the land that I assigned to their ancestors, if they will only be careful to keep all that I have commanded them, following all the law, statutes, and decrees which I gave them through Moses.” 9 Manasseh led Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem to do evil even more than the nations that Yahweh had destroyed before the people of Israel.

10 Yahweh spoke to Manasseh, and to his people, but they paid no attention. 11 So Yahweh brought on them the commanders of the army of the king of Assyria, who took Manasseh in chains, bound him with fetters, and took him off to Babylon. 12 When Manasseh was in distress, he implored Yahweh, his God, and humbled himself greatly before the God of his ancestors. 13 He prayed to him; and God was begged by him, and God heard his begging and brought him back to Jerusalem, into his kingship. Then Manasseh knew that Yahweh was God.

14 After this, Manasseh built an outer wall to the city of David, on the west side of Gihon, in the valley, to the entrance at the Fish Gate. He surrounded the hill of Ophel with it and raised the wall up to a very great height. He put courageous commanders in all the fortified cities of Judah. 15 He took away the foreign gods, the idol out of the house of Yahweh, and all the altars that he had built on the mount of the house of Yahweh and in Jerusalem, and threw them out of the city. 16 He rebuilt the altar of Yahweh and offered on it sacrifices of fellowship offerings and thank offerings; he commanded Judah to serve Yahweh, the God of Israel. 17 However, the people still sacrificed at the high places, but only to Yahweh, their God.

18 As to the other matters concerning Manasseh, his prayer to his God, and the words of the seers who spoke to him in the name of Yahweh, the God of Israel, behold, they are written among the deeds of the kings of Israel. 19 In that account there is history of his prayer, and how God was moved by it. There is also an account of all his sin and his trespasses, and the places where he had built high places and set up the Asherah poles and the carved figures, before he humbled himself—they are written about in the Chronicles of the Seers. * 20 So Manasseh slept with his ancestors, and they buried him in his own house. Amon, his son, became king in his place.

21 Amon was twenty-two years old when he began to reign; he reigned two years in Jerusalem. 22 He did what was evil in the sight of Yahweh, as Manasseh, his father, had done. Amon sacrificed to all the carved figures that Manasseh his father had made, and he worshiped them. 23 He did not humble himself before Yahweh, as Manasseh his father had done. Instead, this same Amon trespassed more and more. 24 His servants conspired against him and put him to death in his own house. 25 But the people of the land killed all those who had conspired against King Amon, and they made Josiah, his son, king in his place.

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1 Josiah was eight years old when he began to reign; he reigned thirty-one years in Jerusalem. 2 He did what was right in the eyes of Yahweh, and walked in the ways of David his ancestor, and did not turn away either to the right or to the left. 3 For in the eighth year of his reign, while he was still young, he began to seek after the God of David, his ancestor. In the twelfth year, he began to cleanse Judah and Jerusalem from the high places, the Asherah poles, and the carved figures and the cast metal figures. 4 The people broke down the altars of the Baals in his presence; he cut apart the incense altars that were above them. He broke the Asherah poles and the carved figures, and the cast metal figures in pieces until they were dust. He scattered the dust on the graves of those who had sacrificed to them. 5 He burned the bones of their priests on their altars. In this way, he cleansed Judah and Jerusalem. 6 He did the same in the cities of Manasseh, Ephraim, and Simeon, all the way to Naphtali, and in the ruins that surrounded them. 7 He broke down the altars, beat the Asherah poles and the carved images into powder, and cut apart all the incense altars throughout all the land of Israel. Then he returned to Jerusalem.

8 Now in the eighteenth year of his reign, after Josiah had cleansed the land and the temple, he sent Shaphan son of Azaliah, Maaseiah, the governor of the city, and Joah son of Joahaz the secretary, to repair the house of Yahweh his God. 9 They went to Hilkiah, the high priest, and entrusted to him the money that had been brought into the house of God, that the Levites, the guards of the doors, had gathered from Manasseh and Ephraim, from all the remnant of Israel, from all Judah and Benjamin, and from the inhabitants of Jerusalem. 10 They entrusted the money to the men who supervised the work on the temple of Yahweh. These men paid the workers who repaired and restored the temple. 11 They paid it to the carpenters and builders to buy cut stone and timber for braces, and to make beams for the structures that some kings of Judah had let fall apart. 12 The men did the work faithfully. Their supervisors Jahath and Obadiah, the Levites, of the sons of Merari; and Zechariah and Meshullam, from the sons of the Kohathites. Other Levites, all of whom were very good musicians, closely directed the workmen. 13 These Levites were in charge of those who carried building material and all other men who worked in any way. There were also Levites who were secretaries, administrators, and gate guards.

14 When they brought out the money that was brought into the house of Yahweh, Hilkiah the priest found the book of the law of Yahweh that had been given through Moses. 15 Hilkiah said to Shaphan the scribe, “I have found the book of the law in the house of Yahweh.” Hilkiah brought the book to Shaphan. 16 Shaphan took the book to the king, and also reported to him, saying, “Your servants are doing everything that has been entrusted to them. 17 They have emptied out the money that was found in the house of Yahweh, and they gave it into the hand of the supervisors and to the workmen.” 18 Shaphan the scribe told the king, “Hilkiah the priest has given me a book.” Then Shaphan read in it to the king. 19 It came about that when the king had heard the words of the law, he tore his clothes. 20 The king commanded Hilkiah, Ahikam son of Shaphan, Abdon son of Micah, Shaphan the scribe, and Asaiah, his own servant, saying, 21 “Go and ask Yahweh's will for me, and for those who are left in Israel and in Judah, because of the words of the book that has been found. For it is great, the anger of Yahweh that has been poured out on us. It is great, because our ancestors have not listened to the words of this book so as to obey all that was written in it.” *

22 So Hilkiah, and those whom the king had commanded, went to Huldah the prophetess, the wife of Shallum son of Tokhath son of Hasrah, keeper of the wardrobe (she lived in Jerusalem in the Second District), and they spoke with her in this way. 23 She said to them, “This is what Yahweh, the God of Israel, says: Tell the man who sent you to me, 24 'This is what Yahweh says: See, I am about to bring disaster on this place and on its inhabitants, all the curses that have been written in the book that they have read before the king of Judah. 25 This will happen because they have forsaken me and have burned incense to other gods, and they have provoked me to anger by all that their hands have made, therefore, my anger will be poured out on this place, and it will not be extinguished.' † 26 But to the king of Judah, who sent you to ask Yahweh what he should do, this is what you will say to him, 'Yahweh, the God of Israel says this: About the words that you heard, 27 because your heart was tender, and you humbled yourself before God when you heard his words against this place and its inhabitants, and because you have humbled yourself before me and have torn your clothes and wept before me, I also have listened to you—this is Yahweh's declaration— 28 see, I will gather you to your ancestors. You will be gathered to your grave in peace, and your eyes will not see any of the disaster I will bring on this place and its inhabitants.'” The men took this message back to the king.

29 Then the king sent messengers and gathered together all the elders of Judah and Jerusalem. 30 Then the king went up to the house of Yahweh, and all the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and the priests, Levites, and all the people, from great to small. He then read in their hearing all the words of the book of the Covenant that had been found in the house of Yahweh. 31 The king stood in his place and made a covenant before Yahweh, to walk after Yahweh, and to keep his commandments, his regulations, and his statutes, with all his heart and all his soul, to obey the words of the covenant that were written in this book. 32 He caused all who were found in Jerusalem and Benjamin to stand by the covenant. The inhabitants of Jerusalem acted in obedience to the covenant of God, the God of their ancestors. 33 Josiah took away all the disgusting things from the lands that belonged to the people of Israel. He made everyone in Israel worship Yahweh, their God. For all of his days, they did not turn away from following Yahweh, the God of their ancestors.

35

1 Josiah kept a Passover to Yahweh in Jerusalem, and they killed the Passover lambs on the fourteenth day of the first month. 2 He placed the priests in their positions and encouraged them in the service of the house of Yahweh. 3 He said to the Levites who taught all Israel and who were set apart to Yahweh, “Put the holy ark in the house that Solomon son of David, king of Israel built. Do not carry it around on your shoulders any longer. Now worship Yahweh your God, and serve his people Israel. 4 Organize yourselves by the name of your ancestral houses and your divisions, following the written instructions of David, king of Israel, and those of Solomon, his son. 5 Stand in the holy place, taking your position with your divisions within the ancestral houses of your brothers, the descendants of the people, and taking your places with your divisions within the ancestral houses of the Levites. 6 Kill the Passover lambs, consecrate yourselves, prepare the lambs for your brothers, to do according to the word of Yahweh that was given by the hand of Moses.”

7 Josiah gave to all the people thirty thousand lambs and kids from flocks for the Passover offerings to all who were present. He also gave three thousand bulls; these were from the king's possessions. 8 His leaders gave a free will offering to the people, priests, and Levites. Hilkiah, Zechariah, and Jehiel, the officials in charge of the house of God, gave to the priests for the Passover offerings 2,600 small cattle and three hundred oxen. 9 Also Konaniah, and Shemaiah and Nethanel, his brothers, and Hashabiah, Jeiel, and Jozabad, the chiefs of the Levites, gave to the Levites for the Passover offerings five thousand small cattle and five hundred oxen.

10 So the service was prepared, and the priests stood in their places, with the Levites by their divisions, in response to the king's command. 11 They killed the Passover lambs, and the priests sprinkled the blood that they received from the Levites' hand, and the Levites skinned the lambs. 12 They removed the burnt offerings, in order to distribute them to the divisions of the ancestral houses of the people, to offer them to Yahweh, as it is written in the Book of Moses. They did the same with the bulls. 13 They roasted the Passover lambs with fire following the instructions. As for the consecrated offerings, they boiled them in pots, cauldrons, and pans, and they quickly carried them to all the people. 14 They later prepared offerings for themselves and for the priests, because the priests, the descendants of Aaron, were occupied in offering the burnt offerings and the fat until nightfall, so the Levites prepared the offerings for themselves and for the priests, the descendants of Aaron. 15 The singers, the descendants of Asaph, were in their place, as directed by David, Asaph, Heman, and Jeduthun the king's seer, and the guards were at every gate. They did not have to leave their post, because their brothers the Levites made preparations for them.

16 So, at that time the entire service of Yahweh was carried out for the celebration of the Passover and to offer burnt offerings on the altar of Yahweh, as King Josiah commanded. 17 The people of Israel who were present kept the Passover at that time, and then the Festival of Unleavened Bread for seven days. 18 Such a Passover celebration had never been held in Israel from the days of the prophet Samuel, nor had any of the other kings of Israel ever celebrated such a Passover as Josiah did, along with the priests, Levites, and all the people of Judah and Israel who were present, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem. 19 This Passover was kept in the eighteenth year of the reign of Josiah.

20 After all this, after Josiah had set the temple in order, Necho, king of Egypt, went up to fight against Carchemish at the Euphrates River, and Josiah went to fight against him. 21 But Necho sent ambassadors to him, saying, “What have I to do with you, king of Judah? I am not coming against you today, but against the house with which I am making war. God has commanded me to hurry, so refrain from interfering with God, who is with me, or he might destroy you.” 22 However, Josiah refused to turn away from him. He disguised himself in order to fight with him. He did not listen to the words of Necho that had come from the mouth of God; so he went to fight in the Valley of Megiddo. 23 Archers shot King Josiah, and the king said to his servants, “Take me away, for I am badly wounded.” 24 So his servants took him out of the chariot, and put him in his extra chariot. They took him to Jerusalem, where he died. He was buried in the tombs of his ancestors. All Judah and Jerusalem mourned for Josiah. 25 Jeremiah lamented for Josiah; all the male and female singers lament about Josiah to this day. These songs became customary in Israel; behold, they are written in the songs of lament. 26 As for the other matters concerning Josiah, and his good deeds done in obedience to what is written in the law of Yahweh— 27 and his deeds, from beginning to end, are written in the book of the kings of Judah and Israel.

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1 Then the people of the land took Jehoahaz son of Josiah, and made him king in his father's place in Jerusalem. 2 Jehoahaz * was twenty-three years old when he began to reign, and he reigned three months in Jerusalem. 3 The king of Egypt removed him at Jerusalem, and fined the land one hundred talents of silver and one talent of gold. 4 The king of Egypt made Eliakim, who was the brother of Jehoahaz, king over Judah and Jerusalem (and changed Eliakim's name to Jehoiakim). Then Necho took Eliakim's brother Jehoahaz and brought him to Egypt.

5 Jehoiakim was twenty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. He did what was evil in the sight of Yahweh his God. 6 Then Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, attacked him and bound him in chains to lead him away to Babylon. 7 Nebuchadnezzar also carried some of the objects in the house of Yahweh to Babylon, and put them in his palace at Babylon. 8 As for the other matters concerning Jehoiakim, the disgusting things that he did, and what was found against him, behold, they are written in the book of the kings of Judah and Israel. Then Jehoiachin, his son, became king in his place.

9 Jehoiachin was eight years old when he began to reign; he reigned three months and ten days in Jerusalem. He did what was evil in the sight of Yahweh. 10 In the spring, King Nebuchadnezzar sent men and brought him to Babylon, with the valuable things from the house of Yahweh, and made Zedekiah, his relative, king over Judah and Jerusalem.

11 Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he began to reign; he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. 12 He did what was evil in the sight of Yahweh his God. He did not humble himself before Jeremiah the prophet, who spoke from the mouth of Yahweh. 13 Zedekiah also rebelled against King Nebuchadnezzar, who had made him swear loyalty to him by God. But Zedekiah stiffened his neck and hardened his heart against turning to Yahweh, the God of Israel. 14 Moreover, all the leaders of the priests and the people were extremely unfaithful, and they followed the disgusting practices of the nations. They polluted the house of Yahweh which he had consecrated in Jerusalem. 15 Yahweh, the God of their ancestors, sent word to them by his messengers again and again, because he had compassion on his people and on the place where he lives. 16 But they mocked God's messengers, despised his words, and scoffed at his prophets, until the wrath of Yahweh arose against his people, until there was no help for it.

17 So God brought on them the king of the Chaldeans, who killed their young men with the sword in the sanctuary, and had no compassion on young men or virgins, old men or the gray-haired. God gave them all into his hand. 18 All the furnishings of the house of God, great and small, the treasures of the house of Yahweh, and the treasures of the king and his officials—all these he took to Babylon. 19 They burned down the house of God, broke down the wall of Jerusalem, burned all its palaces, and destroyed all the beautiful things in it. 20 The king carried away to Babylon those who had escaped the sword. They became servants for him and his sons until the rule of the kingdom of Persia. 21 This happened to fulfill the word of Yahweh by the mouth of Jeremiah, until the land should have enjoyed its Sabbath rests. It observed its Sabbath for as long as it lay abandoned, in order to pass seventy years in this way.

22 Now in the first year of Cyrus, king of Persia, so that the word of Yahweh by the mouth of Jeremiah might be carried out, Yahweh motivated the spirit of Cyrus, king of Persia, so that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and put it also in writing. He said, 23 “This is what Cyrus, king of Persia, says: Yahweh, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth. He has commanded me to build a house for him in Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Whoever is among you from all his people, may Yahweh your God, be with you. Let him go up to the land.”

* 1:5 Some older versions have, the bronze altar made by Bezalel son of Uri son of Hur, he placed there before the tabernacle of Yahweh , where he refers to David.

* 2:10 Some versions have, twenty thousand cors of wheat as food .

* 3:10 Some versions have, two wooden images of cherubs .

* 4:16 Instead of meat forks , some versions have bowels .

* 9:4 Some scholars suggest an alternative reading of the phrase the burnt offerings he made at to say, the ascent by which he went up to .

† 9:7 Some versions have, How blessed are your wives , assuming that the text should read as in 1 Kings 10:8.

* 17:3 Some ancient copies do not have David , and some modern versions leave it out.

* 20:1 The reading some Meunites represents a correction to the Hebrew text, which reads, some Ammonites . It is thought that Meunites was original, and that a copyist changed it to some Ammonites . But this last reading makes no sense, because Ammonites have already been mentioned in this verse. However, different versions deal with this problem in different ways.

† 20:2 Instead of Edom , some ancient and modern versions read, Aram .

‡ 20:9 Instead of judgment , some ancient and modern versions read flood .

§ 20:25 Instead of among them , some ancient and modern versions read cattle . Instead of clothing , some ancient and modern versions read dead bodies .

* 22:11 Jehosheba may be spelled Jehoshaba in some versions.

* 23:20 Some modern versions have, they brought down the king .

* 26:5 The Hebrew text can be read either, to honor God , or in the fear of God or in seeing God . Scholars are divided.

* 31:16 Instead of males three years old and up , some modern versions have males thirty years old and up .

* 32:5 Instead of He built the towers higher , some ancient and modern versions have, he built towers on it , that is, on the wall.

† 32:22 Instead of gave them rest on every side , some ancient and modern versions have guided them on every side . The original reading is uncertain.

‡ 32:29 Instead of cities , some modern versions have donkeys , and some other modern versions leave out the word entirely.

* 33:19 Some modern versions have the Chronicles of Hozai , which is the reading of the original text. But many modern versions correct it to read the Chronicles of the Seers . Also, a few modern versions have the Chronicles of his seers .

* 34:21 Instead of that has been poured out on us , some versions have, that has been kindled against us .

† 34:25 Instead of will be poured out on this place , some versions have, will be kindled against this place .

* 36:2 Jehoahaz is written in HEB Joahaz , but refers to the same person.

Ezra

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Ezra

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1 In the first year of Cyrus, king of Persia, Yahweh fulfilled his word that came from the mouth of Jeremiah, and stirred Cyrus's spirit. Cyrus' voice went out over his entire kingdom. This is what was written and spoken: 2 “Cyrus, king of Persia, says: Yahweh, God of Heaven, gave me all the kingdoms of the earth, and he appointed me to build for him a house in Jerusalem in Judea. 3 Whoever is from his people (may his God be with him) may go up to Jerusalem and build a house for Yahweh, the God of Israel, the God who is in Jerusalem. 4 People of any part of the kingdom where survivors of that land are living should provide them with silver and gold, possessions and animals, as well as a freewill offering for God's house in Jerusalem.”

5 Then the heads of the ancestors' clans of Judah and Benjamin, the priests and Levites, and everyone whose spirit God stirred to go and build his house arose. 6 Those around them supported their work with silver and gold objects, possessions, animals, valuables, and freewill offerings. 7 Cyrus king of Persia also released the objects belonging to Yahweh's house that Nebuchadnezzar had brought from Jerusalem and put in his own gods' houses. 8 Cyrus put them into the hand of Mithredath the treasurer, who counted them out for Sheshbazzar, Judea's leader. 9 This was their number: thirty gold basins, one thousand silver basins, twenty-nine other basins, 10 thirty gold bowls, 410 small silver bowls, and one thousand additional objects. 11 There were 5,400 gold and silver items in all. Sheshbazzar brought all of them when the exiles went from Babylon to Jerusalem.

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1 These are the people in the province who went up from the captivity of King Nebuchadnezzar, who had exiled them in Babylon, the people who returned to each of their cities of Jerusalem and in Judea. 2 They came with Zerubbabel, Joshua, Nehemiah, Seraiah, Reelaiah, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispar, Bigvai, Rehum, and Baanah.

This is the record of the men of the people of Israel. 3 The descendants of Parosh: 2,172. 4 The descendants of Shephatiah: 372. 5 The descendants of Arah: 775. 6 The descendants of Pahath-Moab, through Jeshua and Joab: 2,812. 7 The descendants of Elam: 1,254. 8 The descendants of Zattu: 945. 9 The descendants of Zakkai: 760. 10 The descendants of Bani: 642. 11 The descendants of Bebai: 623. 12 The descendants of Azgad: 1,222. 13 The descendants of Adonikam: 666. 14 The descendants of Bigvai: 2,056. 15 The descendants of Adin: 454. 16 The men of Ater, through Hezekiah: ninety-eight. 17 The descendants of Bezai: 323. 18 The descendants of Jorah: 112. 19 The men of Hashum: 223. 20 The men of Gibbar: ninety-five. 21 The men of Bethlehem: 123. 22 The men of Netophah: fifty-six. 23 The men of Anathoth: 128. 24 The men of Azmaveth: forty-two. 25 The men of Kiriath Arim, Kephirah, and Beeroth: 743. 26 The men of Ramah and Geba: 621. 27 The men of Michmas: 122. 28 The men of Bethel and Ai: 223. 29 The men of Nebo: fifty-two. 30 The men of Magbish: 156. 31 The men of the other Elam: 1,254. 32 The men of Harim: 320. 33 The men of Lod, Hadid, and Ono: 725. 34 The men of Jericho: 345. 35 The men of Senaah: 3,630.

36 The priests: descendants of Jedaiah of the house of Jeshua: 973. 37 Immer's descendants: 1,052. 38 Pashhur's descendants: 1,247. 39 Harim's descendants: 1,017.

40 The Levites: descendants of Jeshua and Kadmiel, descendants of Hodaviah: seventy-four. 41 The temple singers, descendants of Asaph: 128. 42 The descendants of the gatekeepers: descendants of Shallum, Ater, Talmon, Akkub, Hatita, and Shobai: 139 total.

43 Those who were assigned to serve in the temple: descendants of Ziha, Hasupha, Tabbaoth, 44 Keros, Siaha, Padon, 45 Lebanah, Hagabah, Akkub, 46 Hagab, Shalmai, and Hanan. 47 The descendants of Giddel: Gahar, Reaiah, 48 Rezin, Nekoda, Gazzam, 49 Uzza, Paseah, Besai, 50 Asnah, Meunim, and Nephusim. 51 The descendants of Bakbuk: Hakupha, Harhur, 52 Bazluth, Mehida, Harsha, 53 Barkos, Sisera, Temah, 54 Neziah, and Hatipha.

55 The descendants of Solomon's servants: descendants of Sotai, Hassophereth, Peruda, 56 Jaalah, Darkon, Giddel, 57 Shephatiah, Hattil, Pochereth Hazzebaim, and Ami. 58 There were 392 total descendants of those assigned to serve in the temple and descendants of Solomon's servants.

59 Those who left Tel Melah, Tel Harsha, Kerub, Addon, and Immer—but were not able to prove their ancestry from Israel 60 —included 652 descendants of Delaiah, Tobiah, and Nekoda. 61 Also, from the priest's descendants: the descendants of Habaiah, Hakkoz, and Barzillai (who took his wife from the daughters of Barzillai of Gilead and was called by their name). 62 They searched for their genealogical records, but could not find them, so they were excluded from the priesthood as unclean. 63 So the governor told them they must not eat any of the holy sacrifices until a priest with Urim and Thummim approved.

64 The whole group totaled 42,360, 65 not including their servants and their maidservants (these were 7,337) and their male and female temple singers (two hundred). 66 Their horses: 736. Their mules: 245. 67 Their camels: 435. Their donkeys: 6,720.

68 When they went to Yahweh's house in Jerusalem, the chief patriarchs offered freewill gifts to build the house. 69 They gave according to their ability to the work fund: sixty-one thousand gold darics, five thousand silver minas, and one hundred priestly tunics.

70 So the priests and Levites, the people, the temple singers and gatekeepers, and those assigned to serve in the temple inhabited their cities. All the people in Israel were in their cities.

3

1 It was the seventh month after the people of Israel came back to their cities, when they gathered together as one man in Jerusalem. 2 Jeshua son of Jozadak and his brothers the priests, and Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, and his brothers rose up and built the altar of the God of Israel to offer burnt offerings as it is written in the law of Moses the man of God. 3 Then they established the altar on its stand, for dread was on them because of the people of the land. They offered burnt offerings to Yahweh at dawn and evening. 4 They also observed the Festival of Shelters as it is written and offered burnt offerings day by day according to the decree, each day's duty on its day. 5 Accordingly, there were daily burnt offerings and monthly ones and offerings for all the fixed feasts of Yahweh, along with all the freewill offerings. 6 They began to offer up burnt offerings to Yahweh on the first day of the seventh month, although the temple had not been founded. 7 So they gave silver to the stoneworkers and craftsmen, and they gave food, drink, and oil to the people of Sidon and Tyre, so they would bring cedar trees by sea from Lebanon to Joppa, as authorized for them by Cyrus, king of Persia.

8 Then in the second month of the second year after they came to the house of God in Jerusalem, Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, Jeshua son of Jozadak, the rest of the priests, the Levites, and those who came from captivity back to Jerusalem began the work. They assigned the Levites twenty years old and older to oversee the work of Yahweh's house. 9 Jeshua and his sons and brothers, and Kadmiel and his sons, who were descendants of Hodaviah), and the sons of Henadad and their sons and brothers-all of them were Levites-joined together in supervising those working on the house of God. * 10 The builders laid a foundation for Yahweh's temple. This enabled the priests to stand in their garments with trumpets, and the Levites, sons of Asaph, to praise Yahweh with cymbals, just as the hand of David, king of Israel had commanded. 11 They sang with praise and thankfulness to Yahweh, “He is good! His covenant faithfulness to Israel endures forever.” All the people cried out with a great shout of joy in praise of Yahweh because the temple's foundations had been laid. 12 But many of the priests, Levites, and chief patriarchs, those who were old and had seen the first house, when this house's foundations were laid before their eyes, wept loudly. But many people had shouts of joy with gladness and an excited sound. 13 As a result, people were not able to distinguish the joyful and glad sounds from the sound of people weeping, for the people were crying out with great joy, and the sound was heard from far away.

4

1 Now some enemies of Judah and Benjamin heard that the people who had been exiled were now building a temple for Yahweh, the God of Israel. 2 So they approached Zerubbabel and the heads of their ancestors' clans. They said to them, “Let us build with you, for, like you, we seek your God and have sacrificed to him since the days when Esarhaddon, king of Assyria, brought us to this place.” 3 But Zerubbabel, Jeshua, and the heads of their ancestors' clans said, “It is not you, but we who must build the house of our God, for it is we who will build for Yahweh, the God of Israel, just as King Cyrus of Persia commanded.” 4 So the people of the land made the Judeans' hands weak; they made the Judeans afraid to build. 5 They also bribed counselors to frustrate their plans. They did this during all of Cyrus' days and into the reign of Darius king of Persia. 6 Then at the beginning of Ahasuerus' * reign they wrote an accusation against the inhabitants of Judah and Jerusalem.

7 It was during the days of Artaxerxes that Bishlam, Mithredath, Tabeel, and their companions wrote to Artaxerxes. The letter was written in Aramaic and translated. 8 Rehum the commander and Shimshai the scribe wrote this way to Artaxerxes about Jerusalem. 9 Then Rehum, Shimshai, and their companions, who were judges and other officers in the government, the Persians, men from Erech and Babylon, and the men from Susa (that is, the Elamites)—they wrote a letter— 10 and they were joined by the people whom the great and noble Ashurbanipal forced to settle in Samaria, along with the rest who were in the Province Beyond the River.

11 This is a copy of the letter that they sent to Artaxerxes: “Your servants, men of the Province Beyond the River, write this: 12 Let the king know that the Jews who went from you have come against us in Jerusalem to build a rebellious city. They have completed the walls and repaired the foundations. 13 Now let the king know that if this city is built and the wall is completed, they will not give any tribute and taxes, but they will harm the kings. 14 Surely because we have eaten the palace salt, it is not fitting for us to see any dishonor happen to the king. It is because of this that we are informing the king 15 to search your father's record and to verify that this is a rebellious city that will harm kings and provinces. It has caused many problems to the kings and provinces. It has been a center for rebellion from long ago. It was for this reason that the city was destroyed. 16 We are informing the king that if this city and wall are built, then there will be nothing remaining for you in the Province Beyond the River.”

17 So the king sent out a reply to Rehum and Shimshai and their companions in Samaria and the rest who were in the Province Beyond the River: “May peace be yours. 18 The letter that you sent me has been translated and read to me. 19 So I ordered an investigation and discovered that in previous days they had rebelled and revolted against kings. 20 Mighty kings have ruled over Jerusalem and had power over everything in the Province Beyond the River. Tribute and taxes were paid to them. 21 Now, make a decree for these men to stop and not build this city until I make a decree. 22 Be careful not to neglect this. Why allow this threat to grow and cause more loss for the royal interests?

23 When King Artaxerxes' decree was read before Rehum, Shimshai, and their companions, they went out quickly to Jerusalem and forced the Jews to stop building. 24 So the work on the house of God in Jerusalem stopped until the second year of the reign of Darius king of Persia.

5

1 Then Haggai the prophet and Zechariah son of Iddo the prophet prophesied in the name of the God of Israel to the Jews in Judah and Jerusalem. 2 Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel and Jeshua son of Jozadak rose up and began to build the house of God in Jerusalem with the prophets who supported them. 3 Then Tattenai the governor of the Province Beyond the River, Shethar-Bozenai, and his associates came and said to them, “Who gave you a decree to build this house and complete these walls?” 4 They also said, “What are the names of the men building this building?” 5 But God's eye was on the Jewish elders and their enemies did not stop them. They were waiting for a letter to be sent to the king and for a decree to be returned to them concerning this.

6 This is a copy of the letter of Tattenai, governor of the Province Beyond the River, and Shethar-Bozenai and his accociates in the Province Beyond the River, which they sent to Darius the king. 7 They sent a report, writing this to King Darius, “May all peace be yours. 8 Let the king know that we went to Judah to the house of the great God. It is being built with large stones and timbers set in the walls. This work is being done thoroughly and is going forward well in their hands. 9 We asked the elders, 'Who gave you a decree to build this house and these walls?' 10 We also asked them their names so you might know the name of each man who led them. 11 They replied and said, 'We are servants of the one who is the God of heaven and earth, and we are rebuilding this house that had been built many years ago when the great king of Israel built it and completed it. 12 However, when our ancestors enraged the God of heaven, he gave them into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, the Chaldean, who destroyed this house and took the people into exile in Babylon. 13 Nevertheless, in the first year when Cyrus was king of Babylon, Cyrus issued a decree to rebuild the house of God. 14 King Cyrus also returned the gold and silver objects belonging to the house of God that Nebuchadnezzar had brought from the temple in Jerusalem to the temple in Babylon. He restored them to Sheshbazzar, whom he had made governor. 15 He said to him, “Take these objects. Go and put them in the temple in Jerusalem. Let the house of God be rebuilt there.” 16 Then this Sheshbazzar came and laid the foundation for the house of God in Jerusalem; and it is being constructed, but is not yet complete.' 17 Now if it pleases the king, may it be investigated in the house of archives in Babylon if a judgment from King Cyrus exists there to build this house of God in Jerusalem. Then let the king send his decision to us.

6

1 So King Darius ordered an investigation in the house of archives in Babylon. 2 In the fortified city of Ecbatana in Media a scroll was found; this was its record: 3 “In the first year of King Cyrus, Cyrus issued a decree about the house of God in Jerusalem: 'Let the house be rebuilt as a place for sacrifice, let its foundations be laid, let its height be sixty cubits, and its width sixty cubits, 4 with three rows of large stones and a row of new timber, and let the cost be paid by the king's house. 5 Now bring back the gold and silver objects belonging to the house of God, which Nebuchadnezzar brought to Babylon from the temple in Jerusalem and send them back to the temple in Jerusalem. You are to put them in the house of God.'

6 Now Tattenai, the governor of the Province Beyond the River, Shethar-Bozenai, and associates who are in the Province Beyond the River, keep away! 7 Leave the work of this house of God alone. The governor and Jewish elders will build this house of God at that place. 8 I am ordering that you must do this for these Jewish elders who build this house of God: Funds from the king's tribute beyond the River will be used to pay these men so they do not have to stop their work. 9 Whatever is needed—young bulls, rams, or lambs for the burnt offerings to the God of Heaven, grain, salt, wine, or oil according to the command of the priests in Jerusalem—give these things to them every day without fail. 10 Do this so they will bring the offering in to the God of Heaven and pray for me, the king, and my sons. 11 I am ordering that if anyone violates this decree, a beam must be pulled from his house and he must be impaled on it. His house must then be turned into a rubbish heap because of this. 12 May the God who has caused his name to dwell there overthrow any king or people who lifts a hand to change this decree, or to destroy this house of God in Jerusalem. I, Darius, am ordering this. Let it be done with diligence!” 13 Then because of the decree sent by Darius the king, Tattenai, the governor of the Province Beyond the River, and Shethar-Bozenai and his associates, did everything that King Darius had ordered. 14 So the Jewish elders built and prospered under the teaching of Haggaithe prophet and Zechariah son of Iddo. They completed their buildings according to the decree of the God of Israel and by the decree of Cyrus, Darius, and Artaxerxes the king of Persia. 15 The house was completed on the third day of the month of Adar, in the sixth year of King Darius' reign.

16 The Israelite people, priests, Levites, and the rest of the captives celebrated the dedication of this house of God with joy. 17 They offered one hundred bulls, one hundred rams, and four hundred lambs for the dedication of God's house. Twelve male goats were also offered as a sin offering for all Israel, one for each tribe in Israel. 18 They also assigned the priests and Levites to work divisions for the service of God in Jerusalem, as it was written in the Book of Moses.

19 So those who had been in exile celebrated the Passover on the fourteenth day of the first month. 20 The priests and Levites all purified themselves and slaughtered the Passover sacrifices for all those who had been in exile, including themselves. 21 The Israelite people who ate some of the Passover meat were those who had returned from exile and had separated themselves from the uncleanness of the people of the land and sought Yahweh, the God of Israel. 22 They joyfully celebrated the Festival of Unleavened Bread for seven days, for Yahweh had brought them joy and turned the heart of Assyria's king to strengthen their hands in the work of his house, the house of the God of Israel.

7

1 Now after this, during the reign of Artaxerxes king of Persia, Ezra came up from Babylon. Ezra's ancestors were Seraiah, Azariah, Hilkiah, 2 Shallum, Zadok, Ahitub, 3 Amariah, Azariah, Meraioth, 4 Zerahiah, Uzzi, Bukki, 5 Abishua, Phinehas, Eleazar, who was son of Aaron the high priest. 6 Ezra came up from Babylon and he was a skilled scribe in the law of Moses that Yahweh, the God of Israel, had given. The king gave him anything he asked since the hand of Yahweh was with him. 7 Some of the descendants of Israel and the priests, Levites, temple singers, gatekeepers, and those assigned to serve in the temple also went up to Jerusalem in the seventh year of King Artaxerxes. 8 He arrived in Jerusalem in the fifth month of the same year. 9 He left Babylon on the first day of the first month. It was on the first day of the fifth month that he arrived in Jerusalem, since the good hand of God was with him. 10 Ezra had established his heart to study, carry out, and teach the statutes and decrees of the law of Yahweh.

11 This was the decree that King Artaxerxes gave Ezra the priest and scribe of Yahweh's commandments and statutes for Israel: 12 “The King of kings Artaxerxes, to the priest Ezra, a scribe of the law of the God of heaven: 13 I am ordering that anyone from Israel in my kingdom along with their priests and Levites who desires to go to Jerusalem, may go with you. 14 I, the king, and my seven counselors, send you all out to inquire concerning Judah and Jerusalem according to God's law, which is in your hand. 15 You are to bring the silver and gold that they have freely offered to the God of Israel, whose dwelling is in Jerusalem. 16 Freely give all the silver and gold that all of Babylon has given along with what is freely offered by the people and the priests for the house of God in Jerusalem. 17 So buy in full the oxen, rams and lambs, and grain and drink offerings. Offer them on the altar that is in the house of your God in Jerusalem. 18 Do with the rest of the silver and gold whatever seems good to you and your brothers, to please your God. 19 Place the objects that were freely given to you before him for the service of the house of your God in Jerusalem. 20 Anything else that is needed for the house of your God that you require, take its cost from my treasury. 21 I, King Artaxerxes, make a decree to all the treasurers in the Province Beyond the River, that anything that Ezra asks from you should be given in full, 22 up to one hundred silver talents, one hundred cors of grain, one hundred baths of wine, and one hundred baths of oil, also salt without limit. 23 Anything that comes from the decree of the God of Heaven, do it with devotion for his house. For why should his wrath come upon the kingdom of me and my sons? 24 We are informing them about you not to impose any tribute or taxes on any of the priests, Levites, musicians, gatekeepers, or on the people assigned to the service of the temple and servants of the house of this God. 25 Ezra, with the wisdom that God has given you, you must appoint judges and magistrates to judge all the people in the Province Beyond the River, and to serve all who know the laws of your God. You must also teach those who do not know the law. 26 Punish anyone who does not fully obey God's law or the king's law, whether by death, banishment, confiscation of their goods, or imprisonment.

27 Praise Yahweh, our ancestors' God, who placed all this into the king's heart to glorify Yahweh's house in Jerusalem, 28 and who extended covenant faithfulness to me before the king, his counselors, and all his powerful officials. I have been strengthened by the hand of Yahweh my God, and I gathered leaders from Israel to go with me.

8

1 These are the leaders of their ancestors' families who left Babylon with me during the reign of King Artaxerxes. 2 Of the descendants of Phinehas, Gershom. Of the descendants of Ithamar, Daniel. Of the descendants of David, Hattush, 3 who was of the descendants of Shecaniah, who was from the descendants of Parosh; and Zechariah, and with him there were 150 males listed in the record of his genealogy. 4 Of the descendants of Pahath-Moab, Eliehoenai son of Zerahiah and with him were two hundred males. 5 Of the descendants of Zattu, Ben Jahaziel and with him were three hundred males. 6 Of the descendants of Adin, Ebed son of Jonathan and with him were listed fifty males. 7 Of the descendants of Elam, Jeshaiah son of Athaliah and with him were listed seventy males. 8 Of the descendants of Shephatiah, Zebadiah son of Michael and with him were listed eighty males. 9 Of the descendants of Joab, Obadiah son of Jehiel and with him were listed 218 males. 10 Of the descendants of Bani,* Shelomith son of Josiphiah and with him were listed 160 males. 11 Of the descendants of Bebai, Zechariah son of Bebai and with him were listed twenty-eight males. 12 Of the descendants of Azgad, Johanan son of Hakkatan and with him were listed 110 males. 13 Those of the descendants of Adonikam came later. These were their names: Eliphelet, Jeuel, and Shemaiah and with them came sixty males. 14 Of the descendants of Bigvai, Uthai and Zaccur and with him were listed seventy males.

15 I gathered the travelers at the canal that goes to Ahava, and we camped there three days. I examined the people and priests, but could not find any descendants of Levi there. 16 So I sent for Eliezer, Ariel, Shemaiah, Elnathan, Jarib, and Elnathan and Nathan, Zechariah, and Meshullam—who were leaders—and for Joiarib and Elnathan—who were teachers. 17 Next I sent them to Iddo, the leader in Kasiphia. I told them what to say to Iddo and his relatives, the temple servants living in Kasiphia, that is, to send to us servants for the house of God. 18 So they sent us by our God's good hand a man named Sherebiah, a prudent man. He was a descendant of Mahli son of Levi son of Israel. He came with eighteen sons and brothers. 19 With him came Hashabiah. There also were Jeshaiah, one of the sons of Merari, with his brothers and their sons, twenty men in all. 20 Of those assigned to serve in the temple, whom David and his officials gave to serve the Levites: 220, each of them assigned by name.

21 Then I proclaimed a fast at the Ahava Canal to humble ourselves before God, to seek a straight path from him for us, our little ones, and all our possessions. 22 I was ashamed to ask the king for an army or horsemen to protect us against enemies along the way, since we had said to the king, 'The hand of our God is on all who seek him for good, but his might and wrath are on all who forget him.' 23 So we fasted and sought God about this, and we pled to him.

24 Next I selected twelve men from the priestly officials: Sherebiah, Hashabiah, and ten of their brothers. 25 I weighed out for them silver, gold, and the objects and offerings for the house of God that the king, his counselors and officials, and all Israel had freely offered. 26 So I weighed into their hand 650 talents of silver, one hundred talents of silver objects, one hundred talents of gold, 27 twenty gold bowls that were together valued at one thousand darics, and two well-polished bronze vessels as precious as gold. 28 Then I said to them, “You are consecrated to Yahweh, and these objects also, and the silver and gold are a freewill offering to Yahweh, the God of your ancestors. 29 Watch over them and keep them until you weigh them out before the priestly officials, Levites, and leaders of the ancestors' clans of Israel in Jerusalem in the rooms of God's house.” 30 The priests and the Levites accepted the weighed silver, gold, and the objects in order to take them to Jerusalem, to our God's house.

31 We went out from the Ahava Canal on the twelfth day of the first month to go to Jerusalem. The hand of our God was on us; he protected us from the hand of the enemy and the ones who wished to ambush us along the road. 32 So we entered Jerusalem and stayed there for three days. 33 Then on the fourth day the silver, gold, and objects were weighed out in our God's house into the hand of Meremoth son of Uriah the priest, and with him were Eleazar son of Phinehas, Jozabad son of Jeshua, and Noadiah son of Binnui the Levite. 34 The number and weight of everything was determined. All the weight was written down at that time.

35 The ones who came back from the captivity, the people of exile, offered burnt offerings to the God of Israel: twelve bulls for all of Israel, ninety-six rams, seventy-seven lambs, and twelve male goats as a sin offering. All were a burnt offering for Yahweh. 36 Then they gave the king's decrees to the king's high officials and the governors in the Province Beyond the River, and they helped the people and the house of God.

9

1 When these things were done, the officials approached me and said, “The people of Israel, the priests, and the Levites have not separated themselves from the people of the other lands and their abominations: Canaanites, Hittites, Perizzites, Jebusites, Ammonites, Moabites, Egyptians, and Amorites. 2 For they have taken some of their daughters and sons, and have mixed the holy people with the people of other lands, and the officials and leaders have been first in this faithlessness.” 3 When I heard this, I tore apart my clothing and robe and pulled out hair from my head and beard, and I sat down, devastated. 4 All those who trembled at the words of the God of Israel about this faithlessness gathered to me while I was sitting ashamed until the evening offering.

5 But at the evening offering I arose from my position of humiliation in my torn clothes and robe, and knelt down and spread my hands to Yahweh my God. 6 I said, “My God, I am ashamed and disgraced to raise my face to you, for our iniquities increase over our head, and our guilt grows to the heavens. 7 From the days of our ancestors until now we have been in great guilt. In our iniquities we, our kings, and our priests were given into the hand of kings of this world, to the sword, to captivity, and to plunder and ashamed faces, as we are today. 8 Yet now for a short time, mercy from Yahweh our God has come to leave us a few survivors and to give us a foothold in his holy place. This was for our God to enlighten our eyes and to give us a little relief in our slavery. 9 For we are slaves, but our God has not forgotten us but has extended covenant faithfulness to us. He has done this in the sight of the king of Persia in order to give us new strength, so we could rebuild our God's house and raise its ruins. He did this so that he could give us a wall of safety in Judah and Jerusalem. 10 But now, our God, what can we say after this? We have forgotten your commands, 11 the commands that you gave to your servants the prophets, when you said, “This land that you are entering to possess is an unclean land. It is contaminated by the people of the lands with their abominations. They have filled it from one end to the other with their uncleanness. 12 So now, do not give your daughters to their sons; do not take their daughters for your sons, and do not seek their ongoing peace and welfare, so that you will be strong and eat the good of the land, so you will cause your children to possess it for all time.” 13 Yet after everything that came on us for our evil practices and our great guilt—since you, our God, have held back what our iniquities deserve and left us survivors— 14 should we again break your commandments and make mixed marriages with these abominable people? Will you not be angry and annihilate us so there will be no one left, no one to escape? 15 Yahweh, God of Israel, you are righteous, for we have remained as a few survivors at this day. Look! We are here before you in our guilt, for there is no one who can stand before you because of this.

10

1 As Ezra prayed and confessed, he wept and threw himself down before God's house. A very great assembly of Israelite men, women, and children gathered to him, for the people were weeping very greatly. 2 Shekaniah son of Jehiel of the descendants of Elam said to Ezra, “We have been unfaithful to our God and have married foreign women from the people of the other lands. But in spite of this, there is still hope for Israel. 3 So now let us make a covenant with our God to send out all the women and their children according to the Lord's instructions and the instructions of those who tremble at the commandments of our God, and let it be done according to the law. 4 Arise, for this thing is for you to carry out, and we are with you. Be strong and do this.”

5 So Ezra rose and made the priestly officials, the Levites, and all of Israel promise to act in this way. So they all took a solemn oath. 6 Then Ezra rose from before God's house and went to the rooms of Jehohanan son of Eliashib. He did not eat any bread or drink any water, since he was mourning concerning the faithlessness of those who had been in captivity. 7 So they sent word in Judah and Jerusalem to all the people back from exile to assemble in Jerusalem. 8 Anyone who did not come in three days according to the instructions from the officials and elders forfeited all of his possessions and would be excluded from the great assembly of the people who had come back from exile.

9 So all the men of Judah and Benjamin assembled in Jerusalem in three days. It was the ninth month and the twentieth day of the month. All the people stood in the square before God's house and trembled because of the word and the rain. 10 Ezra the priest arose and said, “You yourselves have committed treason. You lived with foreign women so as to increase Israel's guilt. 11 But now give praise to Yahweh, your ancestors' God, and do his will. Separate from the people of the land and from the foreign women.” 12 All the assembly answered in a loud voice, “We will do as you have said. 13 However, there are many people, and it is the rainy season. We have no strength to stand outside, and this is not only one or two days of work, since we have greatly transgressed in this matter. 14 So let our officials represent all the assembly. Let all who have allowed foreign women to live in our cities come at the time that will be fixed with the city elders and the city judges until the raging wrath of our God goes away from us.” 15 Jonathan son of Asahel and Jahzeiah son of Tikvah opposed this, and Meshullam and Shabbethai the Levite supported them.

16 So the people who returned from exile did this. Ezra the priest selected men, the leaders in their ancestors' clans and houses—all of them by name, and they looked into the matter on the first day of the tenth month. 17 By the first day of the first month they had finished discovering which men had lived with foreign women.

18 Among the descendants of the priests there were those who had lived with foreign women. Among the descendants of Jeshua son of Jozadak and his brothers there were Maaseiah, Eliezer, Jarib, and Gedaliah. 19 So they determined to send their wives away. Since they were guilty, they offered a ram from the flock for their guilt.

20 Among the descendants of Immer: Hanani and Zebadiah. 21 Among the descendants of Harim: Maaseiah, Elijah, Shemaiah, Jehiel, and Uzziah. 22 Among the descendants of Pashhur: Elioenai, Maaseiah, Ishmael, Nethanel, Jozabad, and Elasah. 23 Among the Levites: Jozabad, Shimei, Kelaiah—that is, Kelita, Pethahiah, Judah, and Eliezer. 24 Among the singers: Eliashib. Among the gatekeepers: Shallum, Telem, and Uri. 25 Among the rest of the Israelites—among the descendants of Parosh: Ramiah, Izziah, Malchijah, Mijamin, Eleazar, Malchijah, and Benaiah. * 26 Among the descendants of Elam: Mattaniah, Zechariah, Jehiel, Abdi, Jeremoth, and Elijah. 27 Among the descendants of Zattu: Elioenai, Eliashib, Mattaniah, Jeremoth, Zabad, and Aziza. 28 Among the descendants of Bebai: Jehohanan, Hananiah, Zabbai, and Athlai. 29 Among the descendants of Bani: Meshullam, Malluk, Adaiah, Jashub, and Sheal Jeremoth. † 30 Among the descendants of Pahath-Moab: Adna, Kelal, Benaiah, Maaseiah, Mattaniah, Bezalel, Binnui, and Manasseh. 31 Among the descendants of Harim: Eliezer, Ishijah, Malchijah, Shemaiah, Shimeon, 32 Benjamin, Malluk, and Shemariah. 33 Among the descendants of Hashum: Mattenai, Mattattah, Zabad, Eliphelet, Jeremai, Manasseh, and Shimei. 34 Among the descendants of Bani: Maadai, Amram, Uel, 35 Benaiah, Bedeiah, Keluhi, 36 Vaniah, Meremoth, Eliashib, 37 Mattaniah, Mattenai, and Jaasu. 38 Among the descendants of Binnui: Shimei, ‡ 39 Shelemiah, Nathan, Adaiah, 40 Maknadebai, Shashai, Sharai, § 41 Azarel, Shelemiah, Shemariah, 42 Shallum, Amariah, and Joseph. 43 Among the descendants of Nebo: Jeiel, Mattithiah, Zabad, Zebina, Jaddai, Joel, and Benaiah. 44 All of these had taken foreign wives and had children with some of them. *

* 3:9 There are some textual issues here regarding the phrase the sons of Judah or the descendants of Hodviah and other matters.

* 4:6 Also known as Xerxes .

* 8:10 The name Bani was missing in the MT was restored from the LXX.

* 10:25 Instead of the second occurrence of Malchijah , some modern versions substitute Hashabiah .

† 10:29 Instead of Bani , some modern versions have Bigvai .

‡ 10:38 Instead of Among the descendants of Binnui: Shimei , some modern versions have Bani, Binnui, Shimei .

§ 10:40 Instead of Maknadebai , some modern versions have Among the descendants of Zaccai .

* 10:44 Instead of and had children with some of them , some modern versions have but sent them away with their children .

Nehemiah

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Nehemiah

1

1 The words of Nehemiah son of Hakaliah:

Now it happened in the month of Kislev, in the twentieth year, as I was in the fortress of Susa, 2 that one of my brothers, Hanani, came with some people from Judah, and I asked them about the Jews who had escaped, the remnant of the Jews who were there, and about Jerusalem. 3 They said to me, “Those in the province who survived the captivity are in great trouble and disgrace because the wall of Jerusalem has been broken open, and its gates have been set on fire.”

4 As soon as I heard these words, I sat down and wept, and for days I continued grieving and fasting and praying before the God of heaven. 5 Then I said, “You are Yahweh, God of heaven, the God who is great and awesome, who keeps the covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments. 6 Listen to my prayer and open your eyes, so you may hear the prayer of your servant that I now pray before you day and night for the people of Israel your servants. I am confessing the sins of the people of Israel, which we have sinned against you. Both I and my father's house have sinned. 7 We have acted very wickedly against you, and we have not kept the commandments, the statutes, and the rules you commanded your servant Moses. 8 Please call to mind the word you commanded your servant Moses, 'If you act unfaithfully, I will scatter you among the nations, 9 but if you return to me and follow my commandments and do them, though your people were scattered under the farthest skies, I will gather them from there and bring them to that place where I have chosen to make my name remain.' 10 Now they are your servants and your people, whom you have rescued by your great power and by your strong hand. 11 Yahweh, I beg you, listen now to the prayer of your servant and to the prayer of your servants who delight to honor your name. Now give success to your servant today, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man.”

I served as cupbearer to the king.

2

1 In the month of Nisan, in the twentieth year of Artaxerxes the king, he selected wine, and I took the wine and gave it to the king. Now I had never before been sad in his presence. 2 But the king said to me, “Why is your face so sad? You do not appear to be ill. This must be sadness of heart.” Then I became very much afraid. 3 I said to the king, “May the king live forever! Why should not my face be sad? The city, the place of my fathers' tombs, lies in ruins, and its gates have been destroyed by fire.” 4 Then the king said to me, “What do you want me to do?” So I prayed to the God of heaven. 5 I replied to the king, “If it seems good to the king, and if your servant has done well in your sight, you could send me to Judah, to the city of my fathers' tombs, that I may rebuild it.” 6 The king replied to me (and the queen was also sitting beside him), “How long shall you be away and when will you return?” The king was glad to send me when I gave him the dates. 7 Then I said to the king, “If it pleases the king, may letters be given to me for the governors in the Province Beyond the River so that they may permit me to pass through their territories on my way to Judah. 8 May there also be a letter for Asaph the keeper of the king's forest, so that he may give me timber to make beams for the gates of the fortress next to the temple, and for the wall of the city, and for the house in which I will live.”

So because the good hand of God was on me, the king granted me my requests.

9 I came to the governors in the Province Beyond the River and gave them the king's letters. Now the king had sent with me officers of the army and horsemen. 10 When Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite servant heard this, they were greatly displeased that someone had come who was seeking to help the people of Israel. 11 So I came to Jerusalem and was there three days. 12 I arose in the night, I and a few men with me. I did not tell anyone what my God had put into my heart to do for Jerusalem. There was no animal with me, other than the one I was riding. 13 I went out by night by the Valley Gate, toward the Jackal's Well and to the Dung Gate, and inspected the walls of Jerusalem, which had been broken open, and the wooden gates were destroyed by fire. 14 Then I went on to the Fountain Gate and to the King's Pool. The place was too narrow for the animal I was riding to pass through. 15 So I went up that night by the valley and inspected the wall, and I turned back and entered by the Valley Gate, and so returned. 16 The rulers did not know where I went or what I did, and I had not yet informed the Jews, nor the priests, nor the nobles, nor the rulers, nor the rest who did the work.

17 I said to them, “You see the trouble we are in, how Jerusalem lies in ruins and its gates have been destroyed by fire. Come, let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem, so we will no longer be in disgrace.” 18 I told them that the good hand of my God was on me and also about the king's words that he had spoken to me. They said, “Let us rise up and build.” So they strengthened their hands for the good work. 19 But when Sanballat the Horonite, and Tobiah the Ammonite servant, and Geshem the Arabian heard about it, they mocked and ridiculed us, and they said, “What are you doing? Are you rebelling against the king?” 20 Then I answered them, “The God of heaven will give us success. We are his servants and we will arise and build. But you have no share, no right, and no historic claim in Jerusalem.”

3

1 Then Eliashib the high priest rose up with his brother priests, and they built the Sheep Gate. They consecrated it and set its doors in place. They consecrated it as far as the Tower of the Hundred and as far as the Tower of Hananel. 2 Next to him the men of Jericho worked, and next to them Zaccur son of Imri worked. 3 The sons of Hassenaah built the Fish Gate. They made beams for it, and set its doors, its bolts, and its bars. 4 Meremoth repaired the next section. He is the son of Uriah son of Hakkoz. Next to them Meshullam repaired. He is the son of Berechiah son of Meshezabel. Next to them Zadok repaired. He is the son of Baana. 5 Next to them the Tekoites repaired, but their leaders refused to do the work ordered by their supervisors.

6 Joiada son of Paseah and Meshullam son of Besodeiah repaired the Old Gate. They made beams for it, and set its doors, its bolts, and its bars. 7 Next to them Melatiah the Gibeonite and Jadon the Meronothite, who were men from Gibeon and Mizpah, made repairs on the portion where the governor of the Province Beyond the River lived. 8 Next to him Uzziel son of Harhaiah, one of the goldsmiths, repaired, and next to him was Hananiah, a maker of perfumes. They rebuilt Jerusalem as far as the Broad Wall. 9 Next to them Rephaiah son of Hur repaired. He was the ruler of half the district of Jerusalem. 10 Next to them Jedaiah son of Harumaph repaired next to his house. Next to him Hattush son of Hashabneiah repaired. 11 Malchijah son of Harim and Hasshub son of Pahath-Moab repaired another section along with the Tower of the Ovens. 12 Next to them Shallum son of Hallohesh, the ruler of half the district of Jerusalem, repaired, along with his daughters.

13 Hanun and the inhabitants of Zanoah repaired the Valley Gate. They rebuilt it and set its doors, its bolts, and its bars. They repaired a thousand cubits as far as the Dung Gate.

14 Malchijah son of Recab, the ruler of the district of Beth Hakkerem, repaired the Dung Gate. He built it and set its doors, its bolts, and its bars.

15 Shallun son of Kol-Hozeh, the ruler of the district of Mizpah, rebuilt the Fountain Gate. He built it, and put a cover on it and set its doors, its bolts, and its bars. He also rebuilt the wall of the Pool of Siloam by the king's garden, as far as the stairs leading down from the city of David. 16 Nehemiah son of Azbuk, the ruler of half the district of Beth Zur, repaired to the place across from the tombs of David, to the man-made pool, and to the house of the mighty men. 17 After him the Levites repaired, including Rehum son of Bani and next to him, Hashabiah, the ruler of half the district of Keilah, for his district. 18 After him their countrymen repaired, including Binnui son of Henadad, the ruler of half the district of Keilah. 19 Next to him, Ezer son of Jeshua, the ruler of Mizpah, repaired another section that faced the ascent to the armory at the corner of the wall. 20 After him Baruch son of Zabbai devotedly repaired another section, from the corner of the wall to the door of the house of Eliashib the high priest. 21 After him Meremoth son of Uriah son of Hakkoz repaired another section, from the door of the house of Eliashib to the end of the house of Eliashib. 22 Next to him the priests, the men from the area around Jerusalem, repaired. 23 After them Benjamin and Hasshub repaired opposite their own house. After them Azariah son of Maaseiah son of Ananiah repaired next to his own house. 24 After him Binnui son of Henadad repaired another section, from the house of Azariah to the corner of the wall. 25 Palal son of Uzai repaired over against the corner of the wall and the tower that extends upward from the upper house of the king at the courtyard of the guard. After him Pedaiah son of Parosh repaired. 26 Now the temple servants living in Ophel repaired to the point opposite the Water Gate on the east and the projecting tower. 27 After him the Tekoites repaired another section that was opposite the great projecting tower as far as the wall of Ophel.

28 The priests repaired above the Horse Gate, each opposite his own house. 29 After them Zadok son of Immer repaired the section opposite his own house. Then after him Shemaiah son of Shecaniah, the keeper of the east gate, repaired. 30 After him Hananiah son of Shelemiah, and Hanun the sixth son of Zalaph, repaired another section. After him Meshullam son of Berechiah repaired opposite his living chambers. 31 After him Malchijah, one of the goldsmiths, repaired to the house of the temple servants and the merchants that was opposite the Appointment Gate and the upper living chambers on the corner. 32 The goldsmiths and the merchants repaired between the upper chamber of the corner and the Sheep Gate.

4

1 Now when Sanballat heard we were building the wall, it burned within him, and he was furiously angry, and he mocked the Jews. 2 In the presence of his brothers and the army of Samaria, he said, “What are these feeble Jews doing? Will they restore the city for themselves? Will they offer sacrifices? Will they finish the work in a day? Will they bring to life the stones from the piles of rubble after they were burned? 3 Tobiah the Ammonite was with him, and he said, “If only a fox went up on what they are building, it would break down their stone wall!” 4 Hear, our God, for we are despised. Turn back their taunts on their own heads and give them up to be plundered in a land where they are prisoners. 5 Do not cover over their iniquity and do not erase their sin from before you, for they have provoked the builders to anger. 6 So we built the wall and all the wall was joined together to half its height, for the people had a desire to work.

7 But when Sanballat, Tobiah, the Arabians, the Ammonites, and the Ashdodites heard that the work of repairing the walls of Jerusalem was going forward, and that the broken places in the wall were being closed up, a great anger burned within them. 8 They all conspired together, and they came to fight against Jerusalem and to cause confusion in it. 9 But we prayed to our God and set a guard as protection against them day and night because of their threat. 10 Then the people of Judah said, “The strength of those who carry the burdens is failing. There is too much rubble, and we are not able to rebuild the wall.”

11 Our enemies said, “They will not know or see until we come among them and kill them, and stop the work.” 12 At that time the Jews who lived near them came from all directions and spoke to us ten times, warning us about the schemes they were making against us. 13 So I positioned people in the lowest parts of the wall in the exposed areas. I positioned each family with their swords, spears, and bows. 14 Then I looked, and stood up, and I said to the nobles, and to the rulers, and to the rest of the people, “Do not be afraid of them. Call to mind the Lord, who is great and awesome. Fight for your families, your sons and your daughters, your wives, and your homes.”

15 It came about when our enemies heard that their plans were known to us, and God had frustrated their plans, all of us returned to the wall, each one to his work. 16 So from that time half of my servants worked only on rebuilding the wall, and half of them held spears, shields, bows, and wore armor, while the leaders stood behind all the people of Judah. 17 The same workers who were building the wall and carrying loads were also guarding their positions. Everyone worked with one hand, and with the other hand he held his weapon. 18 Every builder wore his sword on his side and that is how he worked. The one who sounded the trumpet stayed beside me. 19 I said to the nobles and to the officials and to the rest of the people, “The work is great and extensive, and we are separated on the wall, far from one another. 20 You must rush to the place where you hear the trumpet sound and assemble there. Our God will fight for us.”

21 So we were doing the work. Half of them were holding spears from the rising of the dawn until the coming out of the stars. 22 I also said to the people at that time, “Let every man and his servant spend the night in the middle of Jerusalem, so they may be for us a guard during the night and a worker in the day.” 23 So neither I, nor my brothers, nor my servants, nor the men of the guard who followed me, none of us changed our clothes, and each of us carried his weapon, even if he went for water.

5

1 Then the men and their wives raised a great outcry against their fellow Jews. 2 For there were some who said, “With our sons and daughters we are many. So let us get grain that we may eat and stay alive.” 3 There were also some who said, “We are mortgaging our fields, our vineyards, and our houses to get grain during the famine.” 4 Some also said, “We have borrowed money to pay the king's tax on our fields and our vineyards. 5 Yet now our flesh and blood is the same as our brothers, and our children are the same as their children. We are forced to sell our sons and our daughters to become slaves. Some of our daughters have already been enslaved. But it is not in our power to help it because other men now own our fields and our vineyards.”

6 I was very angry when I heard their outcry and these words. 7 Then I thought about this, and brought charges against the nobles and officials. I said to them, “You are exacting interest, each from his own brother.” I held a great assembly against them 8 and said to them, “We, as much as we are able, have bought back from slavery our Jewish brothers who had been sold to the nations, but you even sell your brothers and sisters that they may be sold back to us!” They were silent and never found a word to say. 9 Also I said, “What you are doing is not good. Should you not walk in the fear of our God to prevent the taunts of the nations that are our enemies? 10 I and my brothers and my servants are lending them money and grain. But we must stop charging interest on these loans. 11 Return to them this very day their fields, their vineyards, their olive orchards, and their houses and the percentage of the money, the grain, the new wine, and the oil that you exacted from them.” 12 Then they said, “We will return what we took from them, and will require nothing from them. We will do as you say.” Then I called the priests, and made them swear to do as they had promised. 13 I shook out the fold of my robe and said, “So may God shake out of his house and possessions every man who does not keep his promise. So may he be shaken out and emptied.”

All the assembly said, “Amen,” and they praised Yahweh and the people did as they had promised.

14 So from the time I was appointed to be their governor in the land of Judah, from the twentieth year until the thirty-second year of Artaxerxes the king, twelve years, neither I nor my brothers ate the food provided for the governor. 15 But the former governors who were before me laid heavy burdens on the people, and took from them forty shekels of silver for their daily food and wine. Even their servants oppressed the people. But I did not do so because of the fear of God. 16 I also continued to work on the wall, and we bought no land, and all my servants were gathered there for the work. 17 At my table were the Jews and the officials, 150 men, besides those who came to us from among the nations who were around us. 18 Now what was prepared each day was one ox, six choice sheep, and also birds, and every ten days all kinds of wine in abundance, yet for all this I did not demand the food allowance of the governor, because the demands were too heavy on the people.

19 Call me to mind, my God, for good, because of all that I have done for this people.

6

1 Now when Sanballat, Tobiah, and Geshem the Arabian and the rest of our enemies heard that I had rebuilt the wall and that there were no longer any sections left broken open, although I had not yet set up the doors in the gates, 2 Sanballat and Geshem sent to me saying, “Come, let us meet together somewhere in the plain of Ono.” But they intended to do harm to me. 3 I sent messengers to them, saying, “I am doing a great work, and I cannot come down. Why should the work stop while I leave it and come down to you?” 4 They sent me the same message four times, and I answered them the same way each time. 5 Sanballat sent his servant to me in the same way the fifth time, with an open letter in his hand. 6 In it was written,

“It is reported among the nations, and Geshem also says it, that you and the Jews are planning to rebel, for that is why you are rebuilding the wall. From what these reports say, you are about to become their king.

7 You have also appointed prophets to make this proclamation about you in Jerusalem, saying, 'There is a king in Judah!' You can be sure the king will hear these reports. Therefore come, let us speak with one another.”

8 Then I sent word to him saying, “No such things have occurred as you say, for within your heart you invented them.” 9 For they all wanted to make us afraid, thinking, “They will drop their hands from doing the work, and it will not be done.” But now, God, please strengthen my hands. 10 I went to the house of Shemaiah son of Delaiah son of Mehetabel, who was confined in his home. He said, “Let us meet together in the house of God, inside the temple, and let us close the doors of the temple, for they are coming to kill you. At night they are coming to kill you.” 11 I replied, “Would a man like me run away? Would a man like me go into the temple just so he could save his own life? I will not go in!” 12 I realized that it was not God who sent him, but that he had prophesied against me. Tobiah and Sanballat had hired him. 13 They hired him to make me afraid, so that I might do what he said and sin, so they could give me a bad name in order to humiliate me. 14 Call to mind Tobiah and Sanballat, my God, and all that they did. Also call to mind the prophetess Noadiah and the rest of the prophets who tried to make me be afraid.

15 So the wall was finished on the twenty-fifth day of the month of Elul, after fifty-two days. 16 When all our enemies heard of it, all the nations around us, they became afraid and they fell greatly in their own eyes. For they knew the work was done with the help of our God. 17 At this time the nobles of Judah sent many letters to Tobiah, and Tobiah's letters came to them. 18 For there were many in Judah who were bound by an oath to him, because he was the son-in-law of Shecaniah son of Arah. His son Jehohanan had taken as his wife the daughter of Meshullam son of Berechiah. 19 They also spoke to me about his good deeds and reported my words back to him.

Letters were sent to me from Tobiah to frighten me.

7

1 When the wall was finished and I had set up the doors in place, and the gatekeepers and singers and Levites had been appointed, 2 I gave my brother Hanani charge over Jerusalem, along with Hananiah who had oversight of the fortress, for he was a faithful man and feared God more than many. 3 I said to them, “Do not open the gates of Jerusalem until the sun is hot. While the gatekeepers are on guard, you may shut the doors and bar them. Appoint guards from those who live in Jerusalem, some at the place of their guard station, and some in front of their own homes.” 4 Now the city was wide and large, but there were few people within it, and no houses had yet been rebuilt.

5 My God put into my heart to gather together the nobles, the officials, and the people to enroll them by their families. I found the book of the genealogy of those who returned at the first and found the following written in it. 6 “These are the people of the province who went up out of the captivity of those exiles whom Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon took into exile. They returned to Jerusalem and to Judah, each to his city. 7 They came with Zerubbabel, Jeshua, Nehemiah, Azariah, Raamiah, Nahamani, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispereth, Bigvai, Nehum, and Baanah.

The number of the men of the people of Israel included the following. 8 The descendants of Parosh, 2,172. 9 The descendants of Shephatiah, 372. 10 The descendants of Arah, 652. 11 The descendants of Pahath-Moab, through the descendants of Jeshua and Joab, 2,818. 12 The descendants of Elam, 1,254. 13 The descendants of Zattu, 845. 14 The descendants of Zakkai, 760. 15 The descendants of Binnui, 648. 16 The descendants of Bebai, 628. 17 The descendants of Azgad, 2,322. 18 The descendants of Adonikam, 667. 19 The descendants of Bigvai, 2,067. 20 The descendants of Adin, 655. 21 The descendants of Ater, of Hezekiah, 98. 22 The descendants of Hashum, 328. 23 The descendants of Bezai, 324. 24 The descendants of Hariph, 112. 25 The descendants of Gibeon, 95. 26 The men from Bethlehem and Netophah, 188. 27 The men from Anathoth, 128. 28 The men of Beth Azmaveth, 42. 29 The men of Kiriath Jearim, Kephirah, and Beeroth, 743. 30 The men of Ramah and Geba, 621. 31 The men of Michmas, 122. 32 The men of Bethel and Ai, 123. 33 The men of the other Nebo, 52. 34 The people of the other Elam, 1,254. 35 The men of Harim, 320. 36 The men of Jericho, 345. 37 The men of Lod, Hadid, and Ono, 721. 38 The men of Senaah, 3,930.

39 The priests: The descendants of Jedaiah (of the house of Jeshua), 973. 40 The descendants of Immer, 1,052. 41 The descendants of Pashhur, 1,247. 42 The descendants of Harim, 1,017.

43 The Levites: The descendants of Jeshua, of Kadmiel, of Binnui, and of Hodevah, 74. * 44 The singers: The descendants of Asaph, 148. 45 The gatekeepers of the descendants of Shallum, the descendants of Ater, the descendants of Talmon, the descendants of Akkub, the descendants of Hatita, the descendants of Shobai, 138.

46 The temple servants: The descendants of Ziha, the descendants of Hasupha, the descendants of Tabbaoth, 47 the descendants of Keros, the descendants of Sia, the descendants of Padon, 48 the descendants of Lebana, the descendants of Hagaba, the descendants of Shalmai, 49 the descendants of Hanan, the descendants of Giddel, the descendants of Gahar. 50 The descendants of Reaiah, the descendants of Rezin, the descendants of Nekoda, 51 the descendants of Gazzam, the descendants of Uzza, the descendants of Paseah, 52 the descendants of Besai, the descendants of Meunim, the descendants of Nephushesim. 53 The descendants of Bakbuk, the descendants of Hakupha, the descendants of Harhur, 54 the descendants of Bazluth, the descendants of Mehida, the descendants of Harsha, 55 the descendants of Barkos, the descendants of Sisera, the descendants of Temah, 56 the descendants of Neziah, the descendants of Hatipha.

57 The descendants of Solomon's servants: the descendants of Sotai, the descendants of Sophereth, the descendants of Perida, 58 the descendants of Jaala, the descendants of Darkon, the descendants of Giddel, 59 the descendants of Shephatiah, the descendants of Hattil, the descendants of Pochereth Hazzebaim, the descendants of Amon. 60 All the temple servants, and the descendants of Solomon's servants, were 392.

61 These were the people who went up from Tel Melah, Tel Harsha, Kerub, Addon, and Immer. But they could not prove that they or their ancestors' families were descendants from Israel: 62 the descendants of Delaiah, the descendants of Tobiah, and the descendants of Nekoda, 642. 63 Those who were from the priests: the descendants of Habaiah, Hakkoz, and Barzillai (who took his wife from the daughters of Barzillai of Gilead and was called by their name). 64 These sought their records among those enrolled by their genealogy, but they could not be found, so they were excluded from the priesthood as unclean. 65 Then the governor said to them that they should not be allowed to eat the priests' share of food from the sacrifices until there rose up a priest with Urim and Thummim.

66 The whole assembly together was 42,360, 67 besides their male servants and their female servants, of whom there were 7,337. They had 245 singing men and women. 68 Their horses were 736 in number, their mules, 245, 69 their camels, 435, and their donkeys, 6,720.

70 Some from among the heads of ancestors' families gave gifts for the work. The governor gave to the treasury one thousand darics of gold, 50 basins, and 530 priestly garments. † 71 Some of the heads of ancestors' families gave into the treasury for the work twenty thousand darics of gold and 2,200 minas of silver. 72 The rest of the people gave twenty thousand darics of gold, and two thousand minas of silver, and sixty-seven priestly garments.

73 So the priests, the Levites, the gatekeepers, the singers, some of the people, the temple servants, and all Israel lived in their cities.

By the seventh month the people of Israel were settled in their cities.”

8

1 All the people gathered as one man in the open area in front of the Water Gate. They asked Ezra the scribe to bring the Book of the Law of Moses, which Yahweh had commanded Israel. 2 On the first day of the seventh month, Ezra the priest brought the law before the assembly, both men and women, and all who could hear and understand. 3 He faced the open area in front of the Water Gate, and he read from it from early morning until midday, before men and women, and any who could understand, and all the people listened attentively to the book of the law. 4 Then Ezra the scribe stood on a high wooden platform which the people had made for the purpose. Standing beside him were Mattithiah, Shema, Anaiah, Uriah, Hilkiah, and Maaseiah, on his right side; and Pedaiah, Mishael, Malchijah, Hashum, Hashbaddanah, Zechariah, and Meshullam were standing on his left side. 5 Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people, for he was standing above the people, and when he opened it all the people stood up. 6 Ezra gave thanks to Yahweh, the great God, and all the people lifted up their hands and answered, “Amen! Amen!” Then they bowed their heads and worshiped Yahweh with their faces to the ground. 7 Also Jeshua, Bani, Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodiah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan, Pelaiah—the Levites—helped the people understand the law, while the people remained in their place. * 8 They read in the book, The Law of God, making it clear with interpretation and giving the meaning so the people understood the reading.

9 Nehemiah the governor, and Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who were interpreting to the people said to all the people, “This day is holy to Yahweh your God. Do not mourn or weep.” For all the people wept when they heard the words of the law. 10 Then Nehemiah said to them, “Go your way, eat the fat and have something sweet to drink, and send some of it to one who has nothing prepared, for this day is holy to our Lord. Do not be grieved, for the joy of Yahweh is your strength.” 11 So the Levites made the people be quiet, saying, “Hush! for this day is holy. Do not be grieved.” 12 Then all the people went their way to eat and to drink and to share food and to celebrate with great joy because they had understood the words that were made known to them.

13 On the second day the leaders of the ancestors' families from all the people, the priests and the Levites, came together to Ezra the scribe to gain insight from the words of the law. 14 They found written in the law how Yahweh had commanded through Moses that the people of Israel should live in shelters during the festival of the seventh month. 15 They should make a proclamation in all their cities, and in Jerusalem, saying, “Go out into the hill country, and bring back branches from olive and wild olive trees, and from myrtle, palms and shade trees, to make shelters, as it is written.” 16 So the people went out and brought the branches back and made themselves shelters, each on their own roofs, in their courtyards, in the courts of the house of God, in the open area in front of the Water Gate, and in the square at the Gate of Ephraim. 17 All the assembly of those who had returned from captivity made shelters and lived in them. For since the days of Joshua son of Nun to that day, the people of Israel had not celebrated this festival, and so their joy was very great. 18 Also day by day, from the first day to the last, Ezra read from the book of the law of God. They kept the festival for seven days and on the eighth day was a solemn assembly, in obedience to the decree.

9

1 Now on the twenty-fourth day of the same month the people of Israel were assembled and they were fasting, and they were wearing sackcloth, and they put dust on their heads. 2 The descendants of Israel separated themselves from all the foreigners. They stood and confessed their own sins and the evil actions of their ancestors. 3 They stood up in their places, and for one-fourth of the day they read from the book of the law of Yahweh their God. For another fourth of the day they were confessing and bowing down before Yahweh their God. 4 The Levites, Jeshua, Bani, Kadmiel, Shebaniah, Bunni, Sherebiah, Bani, and Kenani, stood on the stairs and they called out with a loud voice to Yahweh their God.

5 Then the Levites, Jeshua, and Kadmiel, Bani, Hashabneiah, Sherebiah, Hodiah, Shebaniah, and Pethahiah said, “Stand up and give praise to Yahweh your God forever and ever.”

“May they bless your glorious name, and may it be exalted above every blessing and praise. 6 You are Yahweh. You alone. You have made heaven, the highest heavens, with all their host, and the earth and everything on it, and the seas and all that is in them. You give life to them all, and the host of heaven worship you. 7 You are Yahweh, the God who chose Abram, and brought him out of Ur of the Chaldees, and gave him the name Abraham. 8 You found his heart was faithful before you, and you made with him the covenant to give to his descendants the land of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Jebusites, and the Girgashites. You have kept your promise because you are righteous.

9 You saw the affliction of our forefathers in Egypt and you heard their cry by the Sea of Reeds. 10 You gave signs and wonders against Pharaoh, and all his servants, and on all the people of his land, for you knew that the Egyptians acted with arrogance against them. But you made a name for yourself which stands to this day. 11 Then you divided the sea before them, so that they went through the middle of the sea on the dry land; and threw those who pursued them into the depths, as a stone into deep waters. 12 You led them by a pillar of cloud during by day, and by a pillar of fire during the night to light the way for them to go. 13 On Mount Sinai you came down and you spoke with them from heaven and gave to them righteous decrees and true laws, good statutes and commandments. 14 You made your holy Sabbath known to them, and you gave them commandments and statutes and a law through Moses your servant. 15 You gave them bread from heaven for their hunger, and water from a rock for their thirst, and you said to them to go in to possess the land you swore on oath to give them.

16 But they and our ancestors acted disrespectfully, and they were stubborn, and did not listen to your commandments. 17 They refused to listen, and they did not think about the wonders that you had done among them, but became stubborn, and in their rebellion they appointed a leader to return to their slavery. But you are a God who is full of forgiveness, gracious and compassionate, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love. You did not abandon them. 18 Even when they had cast a calf out of molten metal and said, 'This is your God who brought you up out of Egypt,' and had committed great blasphemies, 19 you, in your compassion, did not abandon them in the wilderness. The pillar of cloud to lead them on the way did not leave them during day, neither did the pillar of fire by night to light the way for them to go. 20 Your good Spirit you gave them to instruct them, and your manna you did not withhold from their mouths, and water you gave them for their thirst. 21 For forty years you provided for them in the wilderness, and they lacked nothing. Their clothes did not wear out and their feet did not swell. 22 You gave them kingdoms and peoples, assigning to them every corner of the land. Then they took possession of the land of Sihon king of Heshbon and the land of Og king of Bashan. 23 You made their children as numerous as the stars of heaven, and you brought them into the land that you told their ancestors to go in and possess. 24 So the people went in and possessed the land and you subdued before them the inhabitants of the land, the Canaanites. You gave them into their hands, with their kings and the peoples of the land, that Israel might do with them as they pleased. 25 They captured the fortified cities and a productive land, and they captured houses full of all good things, cisterns already cut out, vineyards and olive orchards, and fruit trees in abundance. So they ate and were satisfied and grew fat and enjoyed themselves in your great goodness.

26 Then they became disobedient and they rebelled against you. They threw your law behind their backs. They murdered your prophets who had warned them to turn back to you, and they committed great blasphemies. 27 So you gave them into the hand of their enemies, who made them suffer. In the time of their suffering, they cried out to you, and you heard them from heaven, and because of your great mercies you sent them rescuers who rescued them out of the hand of their enemies. 28 But after they had rest, they did evil again before you, and you abandoned them to the hand of their enemies, so their enemies ruled over them. Yet when they returned and cried out to you, you heard from heaven, and many times because of your compassion you rescued them. 29 You warned them so they might turn back to your law. Yet they acted arrogantly and did not listen to your commands. They sinned against your decrees which give life to anyone who obeys them. They gave the stubborn shoulder-blade and stiffened their neck and refused to listen. 30 For many years you put up with them and warned them by your Spirit through your prophets. Yet they did not listen. So you gave them into the hand of the neighboring peoples. 31 But in your great mercies you did not make a complete end of them, or forsake them, for you are a gracious and merciful God.

32 Now therefore, our God—you great, mighty, and awesome God who keep your covenant and steadfast love—do not let all this hardship seem little to you that has come on us, on our kings, on our princes, and on our priests, and on our prophets, and on our ancestors, and on all your people from the days of the kings of Assyria until today. 33 You are just in everything that has come on us, for you have dealt faithfully, but we have acted wickedly. 34 Our kings, our princes, our priests, and our ancestors have not kept your law, nor paid attention to your commandments or your covenant decrees by which you warned them. 35 Even in their own kingdom, while they enjoyed your great goodness to them, in the large and productive land you set before them, they did not serve you or turn away from their evil ways. 36 Now we are slaves in the land you gave our ancestors to enjoy its fruit and its good gifts, and behold, we are slaves in it! 37 The rich yield from our land goes to the kings you have set over us because of our sins. They rule over our bodies and over our livestock as they please. We are in great distress. 38 Because of all this, we make a firm covenant in writing. On the sealed document are the names of our princes, Levites, and priests.”

10

1 On the sealed documents were Nehemiah, the governor, son of Hakaliah and Zedekiah, 2 Seraiah, Azariah, Jeremiah, 3 Pashhur, Amariah, Malchijah, 4 Hattush, Shebaniah, Malluk, 5 Harim, Meremoth, Obadiah, 6 Daniel, Ginnethon, Baruch, 7 Meshullam, Abijah, Mijamin, 8 Maaziah, Bilgai, and Shemaiah. These were the priests. 9 The Levites were: Jeshua son of Azaniah, Binnui of the family of Henadad, Kadmiel, 10 and their fellow Levites, Shebaniah, Hodiah, Kelita, Pelaiah, Hanan, 11 Mika, Rehob, Hashabiah, 12 Zaccur, Sherebiah, Shebaniah, 13 Hodiah, Bani, and Beninu. 14 The leaders of the people were: Parosh, Pahath-Moab, Elam, Zattu, Bani, 15 Bunni, Azgad, Bebai, 16 Adonijah, Bigvai, Adin, 17 Ater, Hezekiah, Azzur, 18 Hodiah, Hashum, Bezai, 19 Hariph, Anathoth, Nebai, 20 Magpiash, Meshullam, Hezir, 21 Meshezabel, Zadok, Jaddua, 22 Pelatiah, Hanan, Anaiah, 23 Hoshea, Hananiah, Hasshub, 24 Hallohesh, Pilha, Shobek, 25 Rehum, Hashabnah, Maaseiah, 26 Ahiah, Hanan, Anan, 27 Malluk, Harim, and Baanah.

28 As for the rest of the people, who were priests, Levites, gatekeepers, singers, temple servants, and all who had separated themselves from the people of the neighboring lands and pledged themselves to the law of God, including their wives, their sons and their daughters, all who have knowledge and understanding, 29 they joined together with their brothers, their nobles, and bound themselves with both a curse and an oath to walk in God's law, which was given by Moses the servant of God, and to observe and obey all the commandments of Yahweh our Lord and his decrees and his statutes. 30 We promised that we would not give our daughters to the people of the land or take their daughters for our sons. 31 We also promised that if the people of the land bring goods or any grain to sell on the Sabbath day, we would not buy from them on the Sabbath or on any holy day. Every seventh year we will let our fields rest, and we will cancel all debts.

32 We accepted the commands to give a third of a shekel each year for the service of the house of our God, 33 to provide for the bread of the presence, and for the regular grain offering, the burnt offerings on the Sabbaths, the new moon festivals and appointed feasts, and for the holy offerings, and for the sin offerings to make atonement for Israel, as well as for all the work of the house of our God. 34 The priests, the Levites, and the people cast lots for the wood offering. The lots would select which of our families would bring wood into the house of our God at the appointed times each year, to be burned on the altar of Yahweh our God, as it is written in the law. 35 We promised to bring to the house of Yahweh the firstfruits grown from our soil, and the firstfruits of every tree each year. 36 As it is written in the law, we promised to bring to the house of God and to the priests who serve there, the firstborn of our sons and of our herds and flocks. 37 We will bring the first of our dough and our grain offerings, and the fruit of every tree, and the new wine and the oil we will bring to the priests, to the storerooms of the house of our God. We will bring to the Levites the tithes from our soil because the Levites collect the tithes in all the towns where we work. 38 A priest, a descendant of Aaron, must be with the Levites when they receive the tithes. The Levites must bring a tenth of the tithes to the house of our God to the storerooms of the treasury. 39 For the people of Israel and the descendants of Levi are to bring the contributions of grain, new wine, and oil to the storerooms where the articles of the sanctuary are kept and where the priests who are serving, and the gatekeepers, and the singers stay.

We will not neglect the house of our God.

11

1 The leaders of the people lived in Jerusalem, and the rest of the people cast lots to bring one of ten to live in Jerusalem, the holy city, and the other nine remained in other towns. 2 Then the people blessed all those who willingly offered to live in Jerusalem.

3 These are the provincial officials who lived in Jerusalem. However, in the towns of Judah everyone lived on his own land, including some Israelites, priests, Levites, temple servants, and descendants of Solomon's servants. 4 In Jerusalem lived some of the descendants of Judah and some of the descendants of Benjamin.

The people from Judah included: Athaiah son of Uzziah son of Zechariah son of Amariah son of Shephatiah son of Mahalalel, a descendant of Perez. 5 There was Maaseiah son of Baruch son of Kol-Hozeh son of Hazaiah son of Adaiah son of Joiarib son of Zechariah, the son of the Shilonite. 6 All the sons of Perez who lived in Jerusalem were 468. They were outstanding men.

7 These are the descendants of Benjamin: Sallu son of Meshullam son of Joed son of Pedaiah son of Kolaiah son of Maaseiah son of Ithiel son of Jeshaiah, 8 and those following him, Gabbai and Sallai, 928 men. * 9 Joel son of Zichri was their overseer, and Judah son of Hassenuah was second in command over the city.

10 From the priests: Jedaiah son of Joiarib, Jakin, 11 Seraiah son of Hilkiah son of Meshullam son of Zadok son of Meraioth son of Ahitub, the chief official of the house of God, 12 and their associates who did the work for the house, 822 men, along with Adaiah son of Jeroham son of Pelaliah son of Amzi son of Zechariah son of Pashhur son of Malchijah. 13 His brothers were heads of clans, 242 men; and Amashsai son of Azarel son of Ahzai son of Meshillemoth son of Immer, 14 and their brothers, 128 courageous fighting men; their overseer was Zabdiel son of Haggedolim.

15 From the Levites: Shemaiah son of Hasshub son of Azrikam son of Hashabiah son of Bunni, 16 and Shabbethai and Jozabad, who were from the leaders of the Levites and were in charge of the outside work of the house of God. 17 There was Mattaniah son of Mika son of Zabdi, a descendant of Asaph, who was the director who began the thanksgiving in prayer, and Bakbukiah, the second among his brothers, and Abda son of Shammua son of Galal son of Jeduthun. 18 All the Levites in the holy city numbered 284.

19 The gatekeepers: Akkub, Talmon, and their associates, who kept watch at the gates, 172 men. 20 The remainder of Israel and of the priests and the Levites were in all the towns of Judah. Everyone lived on his own inherited property. 21 The temple workers lived in Ophel, and Ziha and Gishpa were in charge of them.

22 The chief officer over the Levites in Jerusalem was Uzzi son of Bani son of Hashabiah son of Mattaniah son of Mika, of the descendants of Asaph, singers over the work in the house of God. 23 They were under orders from the king, and firm orders were given for the singers as every day required. 24 Then Pethahiah son of Meshezabel, a descendant of Zerah son of Judah, was at the king's side in all matters concerning the people.

25 As for the villages and their fields, some of the people of Judah lived in Kiriath Arba and its villages, and in Dibon and its villages, and in Jekabzeel and its villages, 26 and in Jeshua, Moladah, Beth Pelet, 27 Hazar Shual, and Beersheba and its villages. 28 Some of the people of Judah lived in Ziklag, Mekonah and its villages, 29 Enrimmon, Zorah, Jarmuth, 30 Zanoah, Adullam, and their villages, and in Lachish its fields and Azekah and its villages. So they lived from Beersheba to the Valley of Hinnom. 31 The people of Benjamin also lived from Geba onward, at Mikmash and Aija, at Bethel and its villages, 32 at Anathoth, Nob, Ananiah, 33 Hazor, Ramah, Gittaim, 34 Hadid, Zeboim, Neballat, 35 Lod, and Ono, the valley of craftsmen. 36 Some of the Levites who lived in Judah were assigned to the people of Benjamin.

12

1 These were the priests and Levites who came up with Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel and with Jeshua: Seraiah, Jeremiah, Ezra, 2 Amariah, Malluk, Hattush, 3 Shecaniah, Rehum, and Meremoth. 4 There were Iddo, Ginnethon, Abijah, 5 Mijamin, Moadiah, Bilgah, 6 Shemaiah, and Joiarib, Jedaiah, 7 Sallu, Amok, Hilkiah, and Jedaiah. These were the leaders of the priests and their associates in the days of Jeshua.

8 The Levites were Jeshua, Binnui, Kadmiel, Sherebiah, Judah, and Mattaniah, who was in charge of the thanksgiving songs, along with his associates. 9 Bakbukiah and Unni, their associates, stood opposite them during the service. 10 Jeshua was the father of Joiakim, Joiakim was the father of Eliashib, Eliashib was the father of Joiada, 11 Joiada was the father of Jonathan, and Jonathan was the father of Jaddua.

12 In the days of Joiakim these were the priests, the leaders of the families: Meraiah was the leader of Seraiah, Hananiah was the leader of Jeremiah, 13 Meshullam was the leader of Ezra, Jehohanan was the leader of Amariah, 14 Jonathan was the leader of Malluk, and Joseph was the leader of Shebaniah. * 15 Adna was the leader of Harim, Helkai the leader of Meremoth, 16 Zechariah was the leader of Iddo, Meshullam was the leader of Ginnethon, and 17 Zichri was the leader of Abijah. ... of Miniamin. Piltai was the leader of Moadiah. † 18 Shammua was the leader of Bilgah, Jehonathan was the leader of Shemaiah, 19 Mattenai was the leader of Joiarib, Uzzi was the leader of Jedaiah, 20 Kallai was the leader of Sallu, Eber was the leader of Amok, 21 Hashabiah was the leader of Hilkiah, and Nethanel was the leader of Jedaiah.

22 In the days of Eliashib, the Levites Eliashib, Joiada, Johanan, and Jaddua were recorded as the heads of families, and the priests were recorded during the reign of Darius the Persian. 23 The descendants of Levi, their leaders of families were recorded in the book of the annals up to the days of Johanan son of Eliashib. 24 The leaders of the Levites were Hashabiah, Sherebiah, and Jeshua son of Kadmiel, with their associates, who stood opposite them to give praise and to give thanks, responding section by section, in obedience to the command of David, the man of God. 25 Mattaniah, Bakbukiah, Obadiah, Meshullam, Talmon, and Akkub were gatekeepers standing guard at the storerooms by the gates. 26 They served in the days of Joiakim son of Jeshua son of Jozadak, and in the days of Nehemiah the governor and of Ezra the priest and scribe.

27 At the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem, the people sought out the Levites wherever they lived, to bring them to Jerusalem to celebrate the dedication with joy, with thanksgivings and singing with cymbals, harps, and with lyres. 28 The fellowship of singers gathered together from the district around Jerusalem and from the villages of the Netophathites. 29 They also came from Beth Gilgal and from the fields of Geba and Azmaveth, for the singers had built for themselves villages around Jerusalem. 30 The priests and the Levites purified themselves, and then they purified the people, the gates, and the wall.

31 Then I had the leaders of Judah go up to the top of the wall, and I appointed two large choirs who gave thanks. One went to the right on the wall toward the Dung Gate. 32 Hoshaiah and half the leaders of Judah followed them, 33 and after them went Azariah, Ezra, Meshullam, 34 Judah, Benjamin, Shemaiah, Jeremiah, 35 and some of the priests' sons with trumpets, and Zechariah son of Jonathan son of Shemaiah son of Mattaniah son of Micaiah son of Zaccur son of Asaph. 36 There also were Zechariah's relatives, Shemaiah, Azarel, Milalai, Gilalai, Maai, Nethanel, Judah, Hanani, with the musical instruments of David the man of God. Ezra the scribe was in front of them. 37 By the Fountain Gate they went straight up on the stairs of the city of David, by the stairway to the wall above David's palace, to the Water Gate on the east.

38 The other choir of those who gave thanks went in the other direction. I followed them on the wall with half the people, above the Tower of Ovens, to the Broad Wall, 39 and above the Gate of Ephraim, and by the Old Gate, and by the Fish Gate and the Tower of Hananel and the Tower of the Hundred, to the Sheep Gate, and they stopped at the Gate of the Guard. 40 So both choirs of those who gave thanks took their place in the house of God, and I also took my place with half of the officials with me. 41 Then the priests took their place: Eliakim, Maaseiah, Miniamin, Micaiah, Elioenai, Zechariah, and Hananiah, with the trumpets, 42 and also Maaseiah, Shemaiah, Eleazar, Uzzi, Jehohanan, Malchijah, Elam, and Ezer, and the singers made themselves heard and Jezrahiah was their leader. 43 They offered great sacrifices that day, and rejoiced, for God had made them rejoice with great joy. Also the women and the children rejoiced. So the joy of Jerusalem could be heard far away.

44 On that day men were appointed to be in charge of the storerooms for the contributions, the firstfruits, and the tithes, to gather into them the portions required by the law for the priests and for the Levites. Each was assigned to work the fields near the towns. For Judah rejoiced over the priests and the Levites who were standing before them. 45 They performed the service of their God, and the service of purification, and so did the singers and the gatekeepers, in keeping with the command of David and of Solomon his son. 46 For long ago, in the days of David and Asaph, there were directors of singers, and there were songs of praise and thanksgiving to God. 47 In the days of Zerubbabel and in the days of Nehemiah, all Israel gave the daily portions for the singers and the gatekeepers. They set aside the portion that was for the Levites, and the Levites set aside a portion for the descendants of Aaron.

13

1 On that day they read in the Book of Moses in the hearing of the people. It was found written in it that no Ammonite or Moabite should come into the assembly of God, forever. 2 This was because they had not come to the people of Israel with bread and with water, but they had hired Balaam to curse Israel. However, our God turned the curse into a blessing. 3 As soon as they heard the law, they separated out from Israel every foreign person.

4 Now before this Eliashib the priest was appointed over the storerooms of the house of our God. He was related to Tobiah. 5 Eliashib prepared for Tobiah a large storeroom, where previously they kept the grain offering, the incense, the articles, and the tithes of the grain, new wine, and the oil, which were designated for the Levites, the singers, the gatekeepers, and the contributions for the priests. 6 But in all this time I was not in Jerusalem. For in the thirty-second year of Artaxerxes king of Babylon I went to the king. After some time I asked the king for permission to leave, 7 and I returned to Jerusalem. I understood the evil that Eliashib had done by giving Tobiah a storeroom in the courts of the house of God. 8 I was very angry and I threw all Tobiah's household articles out of the storeroom. 9 I ordered that they purify the storerooms, and I put back in them the articles of the house of God, the grain offerings, and the incense.

10 I learned that the Levites' portions had not been given to them, and they had run away, each to his own field, the Levites and the singers who did the work. 11 So I confronted the officials and said, “Why is the house of God neglected?” I gathered them together and stationed them at their posts. 12 Then all Judah brought in the tithe of the grain, the new wine, and the oil to the storerooms. 13 I appointed as treasurers over the storehouses Shelemiah the priest and Zadok the scribe, and from the Levites, Pedaiah. Next to them was Hanan son of Zaccur son of Mattaniah, for they were counted as trustworthy. Their duties were to distribute the supplies to their associates. 14 Call me to mind, my God, concerning this, and do not wipe out the good deeds that I have done for the house of my God and its services.

15 In those days I saw in Judah people treading winepresses on the Sabbath and bringing in heaps of grain and loading them on donkeys, and also wine, grapes, figs, and all kinds of heavy loads, which they brought into Jerusalem on the Sabbath day. I protested that they were selling food on that day. 16 Men from Tyre living in Jerusalem brought in fish and all kinds of goods, and they sold them on the Sabbath to the people of Judah and in the city! 17 Then I confronted the leaders of Judah, “What is this evil thing you are doing, profaning the Sabbath day? 18 Did not your fathers do this? Did not our God bring all this evil on us and on this city? Now you are bringing more wrath on Israel by profaning the Sabbath.”

19 As soon as it became dark at the gates of Jerusalem before the Sabbath, I commanded that the doors be shut and that they should not be opened until after the Sabbath. I stationed some of my servants at the gates so no load could be brought in on the Sabbath day. 20 The merchants and sellers of all kinds of wares camped outside Jerusalem once or twice. 21 But I warned them, “Why do you camp outside the wall? If you do so again, I will lay hands on you!” From that time on they did not come on the Sabbath. 22 Then I commanded the Levites to purify themselves, and come and guard the gates, to sanctify the Sabbath day.

Call me to mind for this also, my God, and have mercy on me because of the covenant loyalty you have toward me.

23 In those days I also saw Jews that had married women of Ashdod, Ammon, and Moab. 24 Half of their children spoke the language of Ashdod. None of them could speak the language of Judah, but only the language of one of the other peoples. 25 I confronted them, and I cursed them, and I hit some of them and pulled out their hair. I made them swear by God, saying, “You shall not give your daughters to their sons, or take their daughters for your sons, or for yourselves. 26 Did not Solomon king of Israel sin on account of these women? Among many nations there was no king like him, and he was loved by his God, and God made him king over all Israel. Nevertheless, his foreign wives caused him to sin. 27 Should we then listen to you and do all this great evil, and act treacherously against our God by marrying foreign women?”

28 One of the sons of Joiada son of Eliashib the high priest was son-in-law to Sanballat the Horonite. Therefore I caused him to flee from my presence.

29 Call them to mind, my God, because they have defiled the priesthood, and the covenant of the priesthood and the Levites.

30 Thus I cleansed them from everything foreign, and established the duties of the priests and the Levites, each to his own task. 31 I provided for the wood offering at the appointed times and for the firstfruits.

Call me to mind, my God, for good.

* 7:43 Instead of of Binnui, and of Hodevah , some modern versions have the descendants of Hodevah .

† 7:70 The Hebrew text has thirty priestly garments , but it is difficult to understand. Most modern versions have 530 priestly garments . However, some recommend reading thirty priestly garments and five hundred minas of silver .

* 8:7 Most modern versions, including the ULB and UDB, translate so as to identify as Levites all the persons named in this verse. However, some modern versions translate so as to put the Levites in the same list as the individuals first named.

* 11:8 Instead of those following him , which some Hebrew copies and some other ancient versions have, but other ancient copies read his brothers .

* 12:14 Many modern versions, including the ULB and UDB, have Malluk as a correction for Malluki in the Hebrew text. The correct form of this name appears in Neh. 12:2.

† 12:17 The expression ... of Miniamin is incomplete, because no leader of that family is named in the Hebrew text.

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Esther

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1 In the days of Ahasuerus * (this is Ahasuerus who reigned from India as far as Cush, over 127 provinces), 2 in those days King Ahasuerus sat on his royal throne in the fortress of Susa. 3 In the third year of his reign, he gave a feast to all his officials and his servants. The army of Persia and Media, the noblemen, and governors of the provinces were in his presence. 4 He displayed the wealth of the splendor of his kingdom and the honor of the glory of his greatness for many days, for 180 days. 5 When these days were completed, the king gave a feast lasting seven days. It was for all the people in the fortress of Susa, from the greatest to the least significant. It was held in the courtyard of the garden of the king's palace. 6 The courtyard of the garden was decorated with curtains of white cotton and violet, with cords of fine linen and purple, hung on silver rings from pillars of marble. There were couches of gold and silver on a mosaic pavement of porphyry, marble, mother-of-pearl, and colored paving stones. 7 Drinks were served in golden cups. Each cup was unique and there was much royal wine that came because of the king's generosity. 8 The drinking was carried out in keeping with the decree, “There must be no compulsion,” for in this way the king had given orders to all the officials of his palace to do according to the desire of each man.

9 Also, Queen Vashti gave a feast for the women in the royal palace of King Ahasuerus. 10 On the seventh day, when the king's heart was feeling happy because of the wine, he told Mehuman, Biztha, Harbona, Bigtha, Abagtha, Zethar, and Karkas (the seven officials who served before him), 11 to bring Queen Vashti before him with her royal crown. He wanted to show the people and the officials her beauty, for her features were stunning. 12 But Queen Vashti refused to come at the word of the king that had been brought to her by the officials. Then the king became very angry; his rage burned within him.

13 So the king conferred with the men who were known to be wise, who understood the times (for this was the king's procedure toward all who were expert in law and judgment). 14 Now the ones close to him were Karshena, Shethar, Admatha, Tarshish, Meres, Marsena, and Memukan, seven princes of Persia and Media. They had access to the king, and they held the highest offices within the kingdom. 15 “In compliance with the law, what is to be done to Queen Vashti because she did not obey the command of King Ahasuerus, which was brought to her by the officials?” 16 Memukan said in the presence of the king and the officials, “Not only against the king has Vashti the queen done wrong, but also against all the officials and all the people who are in all the provinces of King Ahasuerus. 17 For the matter of the queen will become known to all women. It will cause them to treat their husbands with contempt. They will say, 'King Ahasuerus commanded Vashti the queen to be brought before him, but she refused.' 18 Before the end of this very day the noble women of Persia and Media who have heard of the matter of the queen will say the same thing to all the king's officials. There will be much contempt and anger. 19 If it pleases the king, let a royal decree be sent out from him, and let it be written in the laws of the Persians and the Medes, which cannot be repealed, that Vashti may no longer come before him. Let the king give her position as queen to another who is better than she. 20 When the king's decree is proclaimed throughout all his vast kingdom, all the wives will honor their husbands, from the greatest to the least significant.” 21 The king and his noblemen were pleased with this advice, and the king did as Memukan proposed. 22 He sent out letters to all the royal provinces, to each province in its own writing, and to each people in their own language. He ordered that every man should be master of his own household. This decree was given in the language of each people in the empire.

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1 After these things, when the anger of King Ahasuerus subsided, he thought about Vashti and what she had done. He also thought about the decree that he had made against her. 2 Then the king's young men who served him said, “Let a search be made on the king's behalf for beautiful young virgins. 3 Let the king appoint officers in all the provinces of his kingdom, to gather together all the beautiful young virgins to the harem in the fortress in Susa. Let them be put under the care of Hegai, the king's official, who is in charge of the women, and let him give them their cosmetics. 4 Let the young girl who pleases the king become queen in the place of Vashti.” This advice pleased the king, and he did so.

5 There was a certain Jew in the fortress of Susa whose name was Mordecai son of Jair son of Shimei son of Kish, who was a Benjamite. 6 He had been taken away from Jerusalem with the exiles along with those taken with Jehoiachin, king of Judah, whom Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylonia carried away. 7 He was caring for Hadassah, that is, Esther, his uncle's daughter, because she had neither father nor mother. The young woman had a beautiful figure and was lovely in appearance. Mordecai took her as his own daughter.

8 When the king's order and decree were proclaimed, many young women were brought to the fortress of Susa. They were put under Hegai's care. Esther also was taken into the king's palace and put under the care of Hegai, the overseer of the women. 9 The young girl pleased him, and she found favor with him. Immediately he provided her with cosmetics and her portion of food. He assigned to her seven servant girls from the king's palace, and he moved her and the servant girls to the best place in the house of the women. 10 Esther had not told anyone who her people or relatives were, for Mordecai had instructed her not to tell. 11 Every day Mordecai walked back and forth in front of the courtyard outside the house of the women, to learn about Esther's welfare, and about what would be done with her.

12 When the turn came for each girl to go to King Ahasuerus—complying with the regulations for the women, each girl had to complete twelve months of beauty treatments, six months with oil of myrrh, and six with perfumes and cosmetics— 13 when a young woman went to the king, whatever she desired was given to her from the house of the women, for her to take to the palace. 14 In the evening she would go in, and in the morning she would return to the second house of the women, and to the custody of Shaashgaz, the king's official, who was in charge of the concubines. She would not return to the king again unless he had taken great pleasure in her and called for her again. 15 Now when the time came for Esther (daughter of Abihail, the uncle of Mordecai, who had taken her as his own daughter) to go in to the king, she did not ask for anything but what Hegai the king's official, who was in charge of the women, suggested. Now Esther received the favor of all who saw her.

16 Esther was taken to King Ahasuerus into the royal residence on the tenth month, which is the month of Tebeth, in the seventh year of his reign. 17 The king loved Esther more than all the other women and she received acceptance and favor before him, more than all the other virgins. So he set the royal crown on her head and made her queen instead of Vashti. 18 The king gave a great feast for all his officials and his servants, “Esther's feast,” and he granted relief from taxation to the provinces. He also gave gifts with royal generosity.

19 Now when the virgins had been gathered together a second time, Mordecai was sitting at the king's gate. 20 Esther had not yet told anyone about her relatives or her people, as Mordecai had instructed her. She continued to follow Mordecai's advice, as she had done when she was raised by him. 21 In those days, while Mordecai was sitting at the king's gate, two of the king's officials, Bigthana and Teresh, who guarded the doorway, became angry and sought to do harm to King Ahasuerus. 22 When the matter was revealed to Mordecai, he told Queen Esther, and Esther spoke to the king in the name of Mordecai. 23 The report was investigated and confirmed, and both the men were hanged from a gallows. This account was written in the book of the chronicles in the presence of the king.

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1 After these things, King Ahasuerus promoted Haman son of Hammedatha the Agagite, and placed his seat of authority above all the officials who were with him. 2 All the king's servants who were at the king's gate always knelt and prostrated themselves to Haman, as the king had ordered them to do. But Mordecai neither knelt nor prostrated himself. 3 Then the king's servants who were at the king's gate said to Mordecai, “Why do you disobey the king's command?” 4 They spoke with him day after day, but he refused to comply with their demands. So they spoke with Haman to see if the matter about Mordecai would remain like that, for he had told them that he was a Jew. 5 When Haman saw that Mordecai did not kneel and bow down to him, Haman was filled with rage. 6 He had contempt for the idea of killing only Mordecai, for the king's servants had told him who Mordecai's people were. Haman wanted to exterminate all the Jews, the people of Mordecai, who were in the entire kingdom of Ahasuerus.

7 In the first month (which is the month of Nisan), in the twelfth year of King Ahasuerus, the Pur—that is the lot—was thrown before Haman, to select a day and month. They cast the lot over and over until the lot fell on the twelfth month (which is the month of Adar). 8 Then Haman said to King Ahasuerus, “There is a certain people scattered and distributed among all the provinces of your kingdom. Their laws are different from those of other people, and they do not keep the king's laws, so it is not suitable for the king to let them stay. 9 If it please the king, give a command to kill them, and I will weigh out ten thousand talents of silver into the hands of those who are in charge of the king's business, for them to put it into the king's treasury.” 10 Then the king took the signet ring from his hand and gave it to Haman son of Hammedatha the Agagite, the enemy of the Jews. 11 The king said to Haman, “I will see that the money is given back to you and your people. You will do with it whatever you wish.”

12 Then the king's scribes were summoned on the thirteenth day of the first month, and a decree containing all that Haman had commanded was written to the king's provincial governors, those who were over all the provinces, to the governors of all the various peoples, and to the officials of all the people, to every province in their own writing, and to every people in their own language. It was written in the name of King Ahasuerus and was sealed with his ring. 13 Documents were hand-delivered by couriers to all the king's provinces, to annihilate, kill, and destroy all Jews, from young to old, children and women, in one day—on the thirteenth day of the twelfth month (which is the month of Adar)—and to plunder their possessions. 14 A copy of the letter was made law in every province. In every province it was made known to all the people that they should prepare for this day. 15 The couriers went out and hurried to distribute the king's order. The decree was also distributed within the fortress of Susa. The king and Haman sat down to drink, but the city of Susa was in turmoil.

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1 When Mordecai learned of all that had been done, he tore his clothes and put on sackcloth and ashes. He went out into the middle of the city, and cried out with a loud and a bitter cry. 2 He went up only as far as the king's gate, because no one was allowed to go through it clothed in sackcloth. 3 In every province, wherever the king's command and decree reached, there was great mourning among the Jews, with fasting, weeping, and lamenting. Many of them lay in sackcloth and ashes.

4 When Esther's young women and her servants came and told her, the queen was in great distress. She sent garments to clothe Mordecai (so he could take off his sackcloth), but he would not accept them. 5 Then Esther called for Hathak, one of the king's officials who had been assigned to serve her. She ordered him to go to Mordecai to learn what had happened and what it meant. 6 So Hathak went to Mordecai in the city square in front of the king's gate. 7 Mordecai reported to him all that had happened to him, and the total amount of the silver that Haman had promised to weigh out and put into the king's treasuries in order to put the Jews to death. 8 He also gave him a copy of the decree that was issued in Susa for the Jews' destruction. He did this so that Hathak could show it to Esther, and that he should give her the responsibility of going to the king to beg for his favor, and to plead with him on behalf of her people.

9 So Hathak went and told Esther what Mordecai had said. 10 Then Esther spoke to Hathak and told him to go back to Mordecai. 11 She said, “All the king's servants and the people of the king's provinces know that if any man or woman goes to the king inside the inner courtyard without being summoned, there is only one law: That he must be put to death—except for anyone to whom the king holds out the golden scepter so that he may live. I have not been called to come to the king these thirty days.” 12 So Hathak reported Esther's words to Mordecai.

13 Mordecai sent back this message: “You must not think that in the king's palace, you will escape any more than all the other Jews. 14 If you remain silent at this time, relief and rescue will rise up for the Jews from another place, but you and your father's house will perish. Who knows whether you have come to this royal position for such a time as this?” 15 Then Esther sent this message to Mordecai, 16 “Go, gather together all the Jews who live in Susa, and fast for me. Do not eat nor drink for three days, night or day. My young girls and I will fast in the same way. Then I will go to the king, even though it is against the law, and if I perish, I perish.” 17 Mordecai went and did all that Esther told him to do.

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1 After three days, Esther put on her royal clothes and went to stand in the courtyard of the king's palace, in front of the king's house. The king was sitting on his royal throne in the royal house, facing the entrance to the house. 2 When the king saw Esther the queen standing in the courtyard, she received approval in his eyes. He held out to her the golden scepter in his hand. So Esther approached and touched the tip of the scepter. 3 Then the king said to her, “What do you want, Queen Esther? What is your request? Up to half of my kingdom, it will be given to you.” 4 Esther said, “If it pleases the king, let the king and Haman come today to a feast that I have prepared for him.”

5 Then the king said, “Bring Haman quickly, to do what Esther has said.” So the king and Haman went to the feast that Esther had prepared. 6 When the wine was being served at the feast, the king said to Esther, “What is your petition? It will be granted you. What is your request? Up to half of the kingdom, it will be granted.” 7 Esther answered, “My petition and my request is this, 8 if I have found favor in the eyes of the king and if it pleases the king to grant my petition and to honor my request, let the king and Haman come to the feast that I will prepare for you tomorrow and I will answer the king's question.”

9 Haman went out that day joyful and glad at heart. But when Haman saw Mordecai at the king's gate, that Mordecai neither rose up nor trembled before him with any fear, he was filled with rage against Mordecai. 10 Nevertheless, Haman restrained himself and went to his own house. He sent for his friends and gathered them together, with Zeresh his wife. 11 Haman recounted to them the splendor of his riches, the number of his many sons, all the promotions by which the king honored him, and how he had advanced above all the officials and the servants of the king. 12 Haman said, “Queen Esther invited no one else but me to come with the king to the feast she prepared. Even tomorrow I am again invited by her along with the king. 13 But all this is worth nothing to me as long as I see Mordecai the Jew sitting at the king's gate.” 14 Then Zeresh his wife said to Haman and all his friends, “Let them make a gallows fifty cubits high. In the morning speak to the king for them to hang Mordecai on it. Then go joyfully with the king to the feast.” This pleased Haman and he had the gallows constructed.

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1 That night the king could not sleep. He commanded servants to bring the records of the events of his reign, and they were being read aloud to the king. 2 It was found recorded there that Mordecai had told about Bigthana and Teresh, two of the king's officials who guarded the entrance, who had tried to harm King Ahasuerus. 3 The king asked, “What was done to give honor or recognition to Mordecai for doing this?” Then the king's young men who served him said, “Nothing was done for him.” 4 The king said, “Who is in the courtyard?” Now Haman had entered the outer courtyard of the king's house to speak to him about hanging Mordecai on the gallows he set up for him. 5 The king's servants said to him, “Haman is standing in the courtyard.” The king said, “Let him come in.” 6 When Haman entered, the king said to him, “What should be done for the man whom the king takes pleasure in honoring?” Now Haman said in his heart, “Whom would the king take pleasure in honoring more than me?” 7 Haman said to the king, “For the man whom the king takes pleasure in honoring, 8 let royal robes be brought, robes that the king has worn, and a horse that the king has ridden and on whose head is the royal crest. 9 Then let the robes and the horse be given to one of the king's most noble officials. Let them dress the man whom the king takes pleasure in honoring, and let them lead him on the horse through the city streets. Let them proclaim before him, 'This is what is done to the one whom the king takes pleasure in honoring!'”

10 Then the king said to Haman, “Hurry, take the robes and the horse, as you have said, and do this for Mordecai the Jew who sits at the king's gate. Do not fail in a single matter of what you have said.” 11 Then Haman took the robe and the horse. He dressed Mordecai and led him on the horse through the city streets. He proclaimed before him, “This is what is done for a man whom the king takes pleasure in honoring!” 12 Mordecai returned to the king's gate. But Haman hurried to his house, mourning, with his head covered. 13 Haman told Zeresh his wife and all his friends everything that happened to him. Then his men who were known for their wisdom, and Zeresh his wife, said to him, “If Mordecai, before whom you have begun to fall, is Jewish, you will not overcome him, but you will certainly fall before him.” 14 While they were talking with him, the king's officials arrived. They hurried to bring Haman to the feast that Esther had prepared.

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1 So the king and Haman went to feast with Queen Esther. 2 On this second day, while they were serving wine, the king said to Esther, “What is your petition, Queen Esther? It will be granted to you. What is your request? Up to half of the kingdom, and it will be granted.” 3 Then Queen Esther replied, “If I have found favor in your eyes, king, and if it pleases you, let my life be given to me—this is my petition, and I request this also for my people. 4 For we have been sold, I and my people, to be destroyed, killed, and annihilated. If we had only been sold into slavery, as male and female slaves, I would have kept quiet, for no such distress as this would justify disturbing the king.” 5 Then King Ahasuerus said to Esther the queen, “Who is he? Where is this person to be found who has filled his heart to do such a thing?” 6 Esther said, “The hostile man, that enemy, is this evil Haman!” Then Haman was terrified before the king and the queen. 7 The king got up in a rage from the wine-drinking at the feast and went into the palace garden, but Haman stayed to beg for his life from Queen Esther. He saw that disaster was being decided against him by the king. 8 Then the king returned from the palace garden into the room where the wine had been served. Haman had just fallen on the couch where Esther was. The king said, “Will he assault the queen in my presence in my own house?” As soon as this sentence came out of the king's mouth, the servants covered Haman's face. 9 Then Harbona, one of the officials who served the king, said, “A gallows fifty cubits tall stands beside Haman's house. He set it up for Mordecai, the one who spoke up to protect the king.” The king said, “Hang him on it.” 10 So they hanged Haman on the gallows that he had prepared for Mordecai. Then the king's rage died down.

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1 On that day King Ahasuerus gave Queen Esther the property of Haman, the enemy of the Jews, and Mordecai began to serve before the king, for Esther told the king how Mordecai was related to her. 2 The king took off his signet ring, which he had taken back from Haman, and gave it to Mordecai. Esther designated Mordecai to be in charge of Haman's estate.

3 Then Esther spoke again to the king. She lay facedown on the ground and wept as she pleaded with him to put an end to the evil plan of Haman the Agagite, to the scheme that he had devised against the Jews. 4 Then the king held out the golden scepter to Esther, she arose and stood before the king. 5 She said, “If it pleases the king, and if I have found favor in your eyes, if the thing seems right before the king, and I am pleasing in your eyes, let a decree be written to revoke the letters written by Haman son of Hammedatha the Agagite, the letters that he wrote to destroy the Jews who are in all the king's provinces. 6 For how could I bear to see disaster fall on my people? How could I endure watching the destruction of my relatives?” 7 King Ahasuerus said to Queen Esther and to Mordecai the Jew, “Look, I have given Esther the house of Haman, and they have hanged him on the gallows, because he was going to attack the Jews. 8 Write another decree for the Jews in the name of the king and seal it with the king's ring. For the decree that has already been written in the king's name and sealed with the king's ring cannot be revoked.”

9 Then the king's scribes were called at that time, in the third month, which is the month of Sivan, on the twenty-third day of the month. A decree was written containing all that Mordecai was commanding concerning the Jews. It was written to the provincial governors, the governors and officials of the provinces that were located from India to Cush, 127 provinces, to every province written in their own writing, and to every people in their language, and to the Jews in their writing and language. 10 Mordecai wrote in the name of King Ahasuerus and sealed it with the king's signet ring. He sent the documents by couriers riding on the fast horses that were used in the king's service, bred from the royal stud. 11 The king gave to the Jews who were in every city permission to gather together and to make a stand to protect their lives: To annihiliate, to kill, and to destroy any armed force from any people or province that might attack them, children and women included, or to plunder their possessions. 12 This was to be in effect in all the provinces of King Ahasuerus, on the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, which is the month of Adar. 13 A copy of the decree was to be issued as a law and publicly displayed to all the peoples. The Jews were to be ready on that day to take vengeance on their enemies. 14 So the couriers rode on the royal horses that were used in the king's service. They went without delay. The king's decree was also issued from the palace in Susa.

15 Then Mordecai left the king's presence wearing royal clothes of blue and white, with a great crown of gold and a purple robe of fine linen, and the city of Susa shouted and rejoiced. 16 The Jews had light and gladness, and joy and honor. 17 In every province and in every city, wherever the king's decree reached, there was gladness and joy among the Jews, a feast and a holiday. Many from among the variety of peoples of the land became Jews, because the fear of the Jews had fallen on them.

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1 Now in the twelfth month, which is the month of Adar, on the thirteenth day, when the king's law and decree were about to be carried out, on the day when the enemies of the Jews hoped to gain power over them, it was reversed. The Jews gained power over those who hated them. 2 The Jews assembled in their cities throughout all the provinces of King Ahasuerus, to lay hands on those who tried to bring disaster on them. No one could stand against them, for the fear of them had fallen on all the peoples. 3 All the officials of the provinces, the provincial governors, the governors, and the king's administrators, helped the Jews because the fear of Mordecai had fallen on them. 4 For Mordecai was great in the king's house, and his fame spread throughout all the provinces, for the man Mordecai was becoming great. 5 The Jews attacked their enemies with the sword, killing and destroying them, and did as they pleased to those who hated them. 6 In the fortress of Susa itself the Jews killed and destroyed five hundred men. 7 They killed Parshandatha, Dalphon, Aspatha, 8 Poratha, Adalia, Aridatha, 9 Parmashta, Arisai, Aridai, Vaizatha, 10 and the ten sons of Haman son of Hammedatha, the enemy of the Jews. But they did not take any plunder.

11 That day the number of those killed in the fortress of Susa, was reported to the king. 12 The king said to Queen Esther, “The Jews have killed five hundred men in the fortress of Susa, including the ten sons of Haman. What then have they done in the rest of the king's provinces? Now what is your petition? It will be granted you. What is your request? It will be granted to you.” 13 Esther said, “If it pleases the king, let the Jews who are in Susa be permitted to carry out this day's decree tomorrow also, and let the bodies of Haman's ten sons be hanged on gallows.” 14 So the king commanded that this be done. A decree was issued in Susa, and they hanged the ten sons of Haman. 15 The Jews who were in Susa came together on the fourteenth day of the month of Adar, and killed three hundred more men in Susa, but laid no hands on the plunder. 16 The rest of the Jews who were in the king's provinces came together to defend their lives, and they got relief from their enemies and killed seventy-five thousand of those who hated them, but they did not lay their hands on the valuables of those they killed.

17 This happened on the thirteenth day of the month of Adar. On the fourteenth day they rested and made that a day of feasting and gladness. 18 But the Jews who were in Susa assembled together on the thirteenth and the fourteenth days. On the fifteenth day they rested and made it a day of feasting and gladness. 19 That is why the Jews of the villages, who make their homes in the rural towns, observe the fourteenth day of the month of Adar as a day of gladness and feasting, and as a day on which they send gifts of food to one another.

20 Mordecai recorded these things and sent letters to all the Jews who were in all the provinces of King Ahasuerus, both near and far, 21 obligating them to keep the fourteenth and the fifteenth day of Adar every year. 22 These were the days when the Jews got relief from their enemies, and the month when their sorrow turned to joy, and mourning into a day of celebration. They were to make them days of feasting and gladness, and of sending gifts of food to one another, and gifts to the poor. 23 So the Jews continued the celebration they had begun, doing what Mordecai had written to them. 24 At that time Haman son of Hammedatha the Agagite, the enemy of all the Jews, had plotted against the Jews to destroy them, and he threw Pur (that is, he threw lots), to crush and destroy them. 25 But when the matter came before the king, he gave orders by letters that the wicked plan Haman developed against the Jews should come back on his own head, and that he and his sons should be hanged on the gallows.

26 Therefore they called these days Purim, after the name of Pur. Because of everything that was written in this letter, and everything that they had seen and that had happened to them, 27 the Jews accepted a new custom and duty. This custom would be for themselves, their descendants, and everyone who joined them. It would be that they would celebrate these two days every year. They would celebrate them in a certain way and at the same time each year. 28 These days were to be celebrated and observed in every generation, every family, every province, and every city. These Jews and their descendants would never cease to faithfully observe these days of Purim, so that they should never forget them.

29 Queen Esther daughter of Abihail and Mordecai the Jew wrote with full authority and confirmed this second letter about Purim. 30 Letters were sent to all the Jews in the 127 provinces of the kingdom of Ahasuerus, wishing the Jews safety and truth. 31 These letters confirmed the days of Purim at their appointed times, as Mordecai the Jew and Queen Esther obligated the Jews. The Jews accepted this obligation for themselves and their descendants, just as also they accepted times of fasting and lamenting. 32 The command of Esther confirmed these regulations regarding Purim, and it was written in the book.

10

1 Then King Ahasuerus imposed a tax on the land and on the coastlands along the sea. 2 All the achievements of his power and might, together with the full account of the greatness of Mordecai to which the king had raised him, they are written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Media and Persia. 3 Mordecai the Jew was second in rank to King Ahasuerus. He was great among the Jews and popular with his many Jewish brothers, for he sought the welfare of his people and he spoke for the peace of all his people.

* 1:1 Ahasuerus is also known as Xerxes .

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Job

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1 There was a man in the land of Uz whose name was Job; and Job was blameless and upright, one who feared God and turned from evil. 2 There were born to him seven sons and three daughters. 3 He possessed seven thousand sheep, three thousand camels, five hundred pairs of oxen, and five hundred donkeys and a great many servants. He was the man who was the greatest of all the people of the East. 4 On each son's assigned day, he would give a feast in his house. They would send and call for their three sisters to eat and drink with them. 5 When the days of the feast were over, Job would send for them and he would consecrate them. He would rise early in the morning and offer burnt offerings for each of his children, for he would say, “It may be that my children have sinned and cursed God in their hearts.” Job always did this.

6 Then it was the day when the sons of God came to present themselves before Yahweh. Satan also came with them. 7 Yahweh said to Satan, “From where have you come?” Then Satan answered Yahweh and said, “From wandering on the earth, from going back and forth on it.” 8 Yahweh said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job? For there is no one like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, one who fears God and turns from evil.” 9 Then Satan answered Yahweh and said, “Does Job fear God without reason? 10 Have you not put a barrier around him, around his house, and around all that is his from every side? You have blessed the deeds of his hands, and his cattle have burst forth in the land. 11 But now stretch out your hand and touch all that he has, and see if he does not curse you to your face.” 12 Yahweh said to Satan, “Behold, all that he has is in your hand. Only against him himself do not stretch out your hand.” Then Satan went away from the presence of Yahweh.

13 It came about that on a certain day, his sons and his daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother's house. 14 A messenger came to Job and said, “The oxen were plowing and the donkeys were feeding beside them. 15 Then the Sabeans fell on them and took them away. As for the servants, they have struck them with the edge of the sword. I alone have escaped to tell you.” 16 While he was still speaking, another also came and said, “The fire of God fell from the heavens and burned up the sheep and the servants. I alone have escaped to tell you.” 17 While he was still speaking, another also came and said, “The Chaldeans formed three groups, attacked the camels, and have taken them away. As for the servants, they have struck them with the edge of the sword. I alone have escaped to tell you.” 18 While he was yet speaking, another also came and said, “Your sons and your daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother's house. 19 A strong wind came from the wilderness and struck the four corners of the house. It fell on the young people, and they died. I alone have escaped to tell you.”

20 Then Job rose, tore his robe, shaved his head, lay facedown on the ground, and worshiped God. 21 He said, “I was naked when I came out of my mother's womb, and I will be naked when I will return there. It is Yahweh who gave, and it is Yahweh who has taken away. May the name of Yahweh be blessed.” 22 In all this matter, Job did not sin, nor did he accuse God of wrongdoing.

2

1 Then it was the day when the sons of God came to present themselves before Yahweh. Satan also came with them to present himself before Yahweh. 2 Yahweh said to Satan, “From where have you come?” Then Satan answered Yahweh and said, “From wandering on the earth, from going back and forth on it.” 3 Yahweh said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job? For there is no one like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, one who fears God and turns away from evil. He still holds fast to his integrity, although you misled me against him, to destroy him without cause.” 4 Satan answered Yahweh and said, “Skin for skin, indeed; a man will give all he has for his life. 5 But stretch out your hand now and touch his bones and his flesh, and see if he does not curse you to your face.” 6 Yahweh said to Satan, “See, he is in your hand; it is only his life that you must spare.”

7 Then Satan went away from the presence of Yahweh. He struck Job with painful boils from the sole of his feet to his head. 8 Job took a piece of broken pottery to scrape himself with, and he sat down in the middle of ashes. 9 Then his wife said to him, “Do you still hold fast to your integrity? Curse God and die.” 10 But he said to her, “You talk as a foolish woman talks. Should we receive the good from God and not receive the bad?” In all this matter, Job did not sin with his lips.

11 Now when Job's three friends heard of all this evil that had come on him, each of them came from his own place: Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite. They set a time to come to mourn with him and to comfort him. 12 When they lifted up their eyes at a distance, they did not recognize him. They raised their voices and wept; each tore his robe and threw dust into the air and upon his own head. 13 Then they sat with him on the ground for seven days and seven nights. No one spoke a word to him, for they saw that his grief was very great.

3

1 After this, Job opened his mouth and cursed the day he was born.

2 He said,

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

the night that said, 'A boy has been conceived.'

4 May that day be dark;

may not God from above call it to mind,

neither may the sun shine on it.

5 May darkness and the shadow of death claim it for their own.

May a cloud live over it;

may everything that makes the day black truly terrify it.

6 As for that night, may thick darkness seize it.

May it not rejoice among the days of the year;

may it not come into the number of the months.

7 See, may that night be barren;

may no joyful voice come into it.

8 May they curse that day,

those who know how to wake up Leviathan.

9 May the stars of that day's dawn be dark.

May that day look for light, but find none;

neither may it see the eyelids of the dawn,

10 because it did not shut up the doors of my mother's womb,

and because it did not hide trouble from my eyes.

11 Why did I not die when I came out from the womb?

Why did I not give up my spirit when my mother bore me?

12 Why did her knees welcome me?

Why did her breasts receive me so that I should suck?

13 For now I would have been lying down quietly.

I would have slept and been at rest

14 with kings and counselors of the earth,

who built up tombs for themselves that are now in ruins.

15 Or I would have been lying with princes who once had gold,

who had filled their houses with silver.

16 Or perhaps I would have been stillborn,

like infants that never see the light.

17 There the wicked cease from trouble;

there the weary are at rest.

18 There the prisoners are at ease together;

they do not hear the voice of the slave driver.

19 Both small and great people are there;

the servant is free from his master there.

20 Why is light given to him who is in misery?

Why is life given to the one who is bitter in soul,

21 to one who longs for death without it coming;

to one who digs for death more than for hidden treasure?

22 Why is light given to one who rejoices very much

and is glad when he finds the grave?

23 Why is light given to a man whose way is hidden,

a man whom God has hedged in?

24 For my sighing happens instead of eating;

my groaning is poured out like water.

25 For the thing that I feared has come on me;

what I was afraid of has come to me.

26 I am not at ease, I am not quiet, and I have no rest;

trouble comes instead.”

4

1 Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered and said,

2 If anyone tries to speak with you, will you be impatient?

But who can stop himself from speaking?

3 See, you have instructed many;

you have strengthened weak hands.

4 Your words have supported him who was falling;

you have made feeble knees firm.

5 But now trouble has come to you, and you are weary;

it touches you, and you are troubled.

6 Is not your fear your confidence,

and the integrity of your ways your hope?

7 Think about this, please: Who has ever perished when innocent?

Or when were the upright people ever cut off?

8 According to what I have seen, those who plow iniquity

and sow trouble reap it.

9 By the breath of God they perish;

by the blast of his anger they are consumed.

10 The roaring of the lion, the voice of the fierce lion,

the teeth of the young lions—they are broken.

11 The old lion perishes for lack of victims;

the cubs of the lioness are scattered everywhere.

12 Now a certain matter was secretly brought to me,

and my ear received a whisper about it.

13 Then came thoughts from visions in the night,

when deep sleep falls on people.

14 It was at night when fear and trembling came upon me,

and all my bones shook.

15 Then a spirit passed before my face,

and the hair of my flesh stood up.

16 The spirit stood still, but I could not discern its appearance.

A form was before my eyes;

there was silence, and I heard a voice that said,

17 “Can a mortal man be more righteous than God?

Can a man be more pure than his Maker?

18 See, if God puts no trust in his servants;

if he accuses his angels of folly,

19 how much more is this true of those who live in houses of clay,

whose foundation is in the dust,

who are crushed sooner than a moth?

20 Between morning and evening they are destroyed;

they perish forever without anyone noticing them.

21 Are not their tent cords plucked up among them?

They die; they die without wisdom.

5

1 Call out now; is there anyone who will answer you?

To which of the holy ones will you turn?

2 For anger kills the foolish man;

jealousy kills the silly one.

3 I have seen a foolish person taking root,

but suddenly I cursed his home.

4 His children are far from safety;

they are crushed in the city gate.

There is no one to rescue them.

5 The hungry eat up their harvest;

they even take it from among the thorns.

The thirsty pant for their wealth.

6 For difficulties do not come out from the soil;

neither does trouble sprout from the ground.

7 Instead, mankind is born for trouble,

just as sparks fly upward.

8 But as for me, I would turn to God himself;

to him I would commit my cause—

9 he who does great and unsearchable things,

marvelous things without number.

10 He gives rain on the earth,

and sends water on the fields.

11 He does this in order to set up on high those who are low;

to raise to safety those who mourn.

12 He breaks the plans of the crafty people,

so that their hands cannot achieve success.

13 He traps wise people in their own crafty actions;

the plans of twisted people are hurried to their end.

14 They encounter darkness in the daytime,

and grope at noonday as if it were night.

15 But he saves the poor person from the sword in their mouths

and the needy person from the hand of mighty people.

16 So the poor person has hope,

and injustice shuts her own mouth.

17 See, blessed is the man whom God corrects;

therefore, do not despise the chastening of the Almighty.

18 For he wounds and then binds up;

he wounds and then his hands heal.

19 He will rescue you out of six troubles;

indeed, in seven troubles, no evil will touch you.

20 In famine he will ransom you from death,

and in war from the hands of the sword.

21 You will be hidden from the scourge of the tongue;

and you will not be afraid of destruction when it comes.

22 You will laugh at destruction and famine,

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

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

and the beasts of the field will be at peace with you.

24 You will know that your tent is in safety;

you will visit your sheepfold and you will not miss anything.

25 You will also know that your seed will be great,

that your offspring will be like the grass on the ground.

26 You will come to your grave at a full age,

like a stack of grain bundles that goes up at its time.

27 See, we have examined this matter; it is like this;

listen to it, and know it for yourself.”

6

1 Then Job answered and said,

2 “Oh, if only my anguish were weighed;

if only all my calamity were laid in the balance!

3 For now it would be heavier than the sand of the seas.

That is why my words were reckless.

4 For the arrows of the Almighty are in me,

my spirit drinks up the poison;

the terrors of God have arranged themselves in array against me.

5 Does the wild donkey bray in despair when he has grass?

Or does the ox low in hunger when it has fodder?

6 Can that which has no taste be eaten without salt?

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

7 I refuse to touch them;

they are like disgusting food to me.

8 Oh, that I might have my request;

oh, that God would grant me the thing I long for:

9 that it would please God to crush me once,

that he would let loose his hand and cut me off from this life!

10 May this still be my consolation—

even if I exult in pain that does not lessen:

that I have not denied the words of the Holy One.

11 What is my strength, that I should try to wait?

What is my end, that I should prolong my life?

12 Is my strength the strength of stones?

Or is my flesh made of bronze?

13 Is it not true that I have no help in myself,

and that wisdom has been driven out of me?

14 To the person who is about to faint, faithfulness should be shown by his friend;

even to him who forsakes the fear of the Almighty.

15 But my brothers have been as faithful to me as a desert streambed,

as channels of water that pass away to nothing,

16 which are darkened because of ice over them,

and because of the snow that hides itself in them.

17 When they thaw out, they vanish;

when it is hot, they melt out of their place.

18 The caravans that travel by their way turn aside for water;

they wander into barren land and then perish.

19 Caravans from Tema looked there,

while companies of Sheba hoped in them.

20 They were disappointed because they had been confident of finding water.

They went there, but they were deceived.

21 For now you friends are nothing to me;

you see my dreadful situation and are afraid.

22 Did I say to you, 'Give something to me?'

Or, 'Offer me a gift from your wealth?'

23 Or, 'Save me from my adversary's hand?'

Or, 'Ransom me from the hand of my oppressors?'

24 Teach me, and I will hold my peace;

make me understand where I have been wrong.

25 How painful are truthful words!

But your arguments, how do they actually rebuke me?

26 Do you plan to ignore my words,

treating the words of a desperate man like the wind?

27 Indeed, you cast lots for a fatherless child,

and haggle over your friend like merchandise.

28 Now, therefore, please look at me,

for surely I would not lie to your face.

29 Relent, I beg you; let there be no injustice with you;

Indeed, relent, for my cause is just.

30 Is there evil on my tongue?

Cannot my mouth detect malicious things?

7

1 Does not man have hard labor on earth?

Are not his days like the days of a hired man?

2 Like a slave earnestly desires the shadows of evening,

like a hired man looks for his wages—

3 so I have been made to endure months of misery;

I have been given trouble-filled nights.

4 When I lie down, I say to myself,

'When will I get up and when will the night be gone?'

I am full of tossing to and fro until the day's dawning.

5 My flesh is clothed with worms and clods of dust;

the sores in my skin harden up and then dissolve and run afresh.

6 My days are swifter than a weaver's shuttle;

they pass without hope.

7 God, call to mind that my life is only a breath;

my eye will no more see good.

8 The eye of God, who sees me, will see me no more;

God's eyes will be on me, but I will not exist.

9 As a cloud is consumed and vanishes away,

so he who goes down to Sheol will come up no more.

10 He will return no more to his house;

neither will his place know him again.

11 Therefore I will not restrain my mouth;

I will speak in the anguish of my spirit;

I will complain in the bitterness of my soul.

12 Am I the sea or a sea monster

that you place a guard over me?

13 When I say, 'My bed will comfort me,

and my couch will ease my complaint,'

14 then you scare me with dreams

and terrify me through visions,

15 so that I would choose strangling

and death rather than preserving these bones of mine.

16 I loathe my life; I would not wish to always be alive;

let me alone for my days are useless.

17 What is man that you should pay attention to him,

that you should set your mind on him,

18 that you should observe him every morning

and test him every moment?

19 How long will it be before you look away from me,

before you let me alone long enough for me to swallow down my own saliva?

20 Even if I have sinned, what would that do to you, you who watch men?

Why have you made a target of me,

so that I am a burden for you?

21 Why do you not pardon my transgression and take away my iniquity?

For now will I lie down in the dust;

you will seek me carefully, but I will not exist.”

8

1 Then Bildad the Shuhite answered and said,

2 “How long will you say these things?

How long will the words of your mouth be a mighty wind?

3 Does God pervert justice?

Does the Almighty pervert righteousness?

4 Your children have sinned against him;

we know this, for he gave them into the hand of their sins.

5 But suppose you diligently sought God

and presented your request to the Almighty.

6 If you are pure and upright,

then he would surely stir himself on your behalf

and restore you to your rightful place.

7 Even though your beginning was small,

still your final condition would be much greater.

8 Please ask the former generations,

and give your attention to what our ancestors learned.

9 (We were only born yesterday and know nothing

because our days on earth are a shadow).

10 Will they not teach you and tell you?

Will they not speak words from their hearts?

11 Can papyrus grow without a marsh?

Can reeds grow without water?

12 While they are still green and not cut down,

they wither before any other plant.

13 So also are the paths of all who forget God;

the hope of the godless will perish.

14 His confidence will break apart,

and his trust is as weak as a spider's web.

15 He leans on his house, but it will not support him;

he takes hold of it, but it does not stand.

16 Under the sun he is green,

and his shoots go out over his entire garden.

17 His roots are wrapped about the heaps of stone;

they look for good places among the rocks.

18 But if this person is destroyed out of his place,

then that place will deny him and say, 'I never saw you.'

19 See, this is the “joy” of such a person's behavior;

other plants will sprout out of the same soil in his place.

20 See, God will not cast away an innocent man;

neither will he take the hand of evildoers.

21 He will yet fill your mouth with laughter,

your lips with shouting.

22 Those who hate you will be clothed with shame;

the tent of the wicked will be no more.”

9

1 Then Job answered and said,

2 “I truly know that this is so.

But how can a person be in the right with God?

3 If he wants to argue with God,

he cannot answer him once in a thousand times.

4 God is wise in heart and mighty in strength;

who has ever hardened himself against him and succeeded?—

5 he who removes the mountains without warning anyone

when he overturns them in his anger—

6 he who shakes the earth out of its place

and sets its supports trembling.

7 It is the same God who tells the sun not to rise, and it does not,

and who covers up the stars,

8 who by himself stretches out the heavens

and tramples down the waves of the sea,

9 who makes the Bear, Orion, the Pleiades,

and the constellations of the south.

10 He does great and unsearchable things,

and wonderful things that cannot be counted.

11 See, he goes by me, and I do not see him;

he passes on also, but I do not perceive him.

12 If he takes something away, who can stop him?

Who can say to him, 'What are you doing?'

13 God will not withdraw his anger;

the helpers of Rahab bow beneath him.

14 How much less could I answer him,

could I choose words to reason with him?

15 Even if I were righteous, I could not answer him;

I could only plead for mercy with my judge.

16 Even if I called and he answered me,

I would not believe that he was listening to my voice.

17 For he breaks me with a tempest

and multiplies my wounds without cause.

18 He does not allow me to regain my breath;

but he fills me with bitterness.

19 If it is a matter of strength, behold, he is mighty!

If it is a matter of justice, who can summon him?

20 Though I am in the right, my own mouth would condemn me;

and though I am blameless, my words would prove me to be guilty.

21 I am blameless, but I do not care any more about myself;

I despise my own life.

22 It makes no difference, which is why I say

that he destroys blameless people and wicked people together.

23 When a whip suddenly kills,

he mocks the despair of the innocent.

24 The earth is given into the hand of wicked people;

God covers the faces of its judges.

If it is not he who does it, then who is it?

25 My days are swifter than a running messenger;

my days flee away; they see no good anywhere.

26 They are as fast as papyrus reed boats,

and as fast as the eagle that swoops down on its victim.

27 If I said that I would forget about my complaints,

that I would take off my sad face and be happy,

28 I would be afraid of all my sorrows

because I know that you will not consider me innocent.

29 I will be condemned;

why, then, should I try in vain?

30 If I washed myself with snow water

and made my hands ever so clean,

31 God would plunge me in a ditch,

and my own clothes would be disgusted with me.

32 For God is not a man, as I am, that I could answer him,

that we could come together in court.

33 There is no judge between us

who might lay his hand upon us both.

34 There is no other judge who could take God's rod off me,

who could keep his terror from frightening me.

35 Then would I speak up and not fear him.

But as things are now, I cannot do that.

10

1 I am weary of my life;

I will give free expression to my complaint;

I will speak in the bitterness of my soul.

2 I will say to God, 'Do not merely condemn me;

show me why you accuse me.

3 Is it good to you that you should oppress me,

to despise the work of your hands

while you smile on the plans of the wicked?

4 Do you have eyes of flesh?

Do you see like a man sees?

5 Are your days like the days of mankind

or your years like the years of people,

6 that you inquire after my iniquity

and search after my sin,

7 although you know I am not guilty

and there is no one who can rescue me from your hand?

8 Your hands have framed and fashioned me

together round about, yet you are destroying me.

9 Call to mind, I beg you, that you have fashioned me like clay;

will you bring me into dust again?

10 Have you not poured me out like milk

and curdled me like cheese?

11 You have clothed me with skin and flesh

and knit me together with bones and sinews.

12 You have granted me life and covenant faithfulness;

your help has guarded my spirit.

13 Yet these things you hid in your heart—

I know that this is what you were thinking:

14 that if I sinned, you would notice it;

you would not acquit me of my iniquity.

15 If I have acted wickedly, woe to me;

and even if I acted righteously,

I could not lift up my head,

since I am filled with disgrace—

see my affliction! 16 If my head were lifted up,

you would stalk me like a lion;

and again you would show yourself with marvellous acts of power against me.

17 You bring new witnesses against me

and increase your anger against me;

you attack me with fresh armies.

18 Why, then, have you brought me out of the womb?

I wish I had given up my spirit and that no eye had ever seen me.

19 I would have been as though I had never existed;

I would have been carried from the womb to the grave.

20 Are not my days only a few? Stop then,

let me alone, so that I may have a little rest

21 before I go from where I will not return,

to the land of darkness and of the shadow of death,

22 the land that is as dark as midnight,

the land of the shadow of death, without any order,

where the light is like midnight.'”

11

1 Then Zophar the Naamathite answered and said,

2 “Should not such a multitude of words be answered?

Should this man, so full of talk, be believed?

3 Should your boasting make others remain silent?

When you mock, will no one make you feel ashamed?

4 For you say to God, 'My beliefs are pure,

I am blameless in your eyes.'

5 But, oh, that God would speak

and open his lips against you;

6 that he would show you the secrets of wisdom!

For he is great in understanding.

Know then that God demands from you less than your iniquity deserves.

7 Can you understand God by searching for him?

Can you comprehend the Almighty perfectly?

8 The matter is as high as heaven; what can you do?

It is deeper than Sheol; what can you know?

9 Its measure is longer than the earth,

and wider than the sea.

10 If he passes through and shuts anyone up,

if he calls anyone to judgment, then who can stop him?

11 For he knows false people;

when he sees iniquity, does he not notice it?

12 But foolish people have no understanding;

they will get it when a wild donkey gives birth to a man.

13 But suppose that you had set your heart right

and had reached out with your hands toward God;

14 suppose that iniquity were in your hand, but that then you put it far away from you,

and did not let unrighteousness live in your tents.

15 Then you would certainly lift up your face without a sign of shame;

indeed, you would be steadfast and would not fear.

16 You would forget your misery;

you would remember it only like waters that have flowed away.

17 Your life would be brighter than the noonday;

though there were darkness, it would become like the morning.

18 You would be secure because there is hope;

indeed, you would find safety about you and would take your rest in safety.

19 Also you would lie down in rest, and none would make you afraid;

indeed, many would seek your favor.

20 But the eyes of wicked people will fail;

they will have no way to flee;

their only hope will be a last gasp of life.”

12

1 Then Job answered and said,

2 “No doubt you are the people;

wisdom will die with you.

3 But I have understanding as well as you;

I am not inferior to you.

Indeed, who does not know such things as these?

4 I am something for my neighbor to laugh at—

I, one who called on God and who was answered by him!

I, a just and blameless man—I am now something to laugh at.

5 In the thought of someone who is at ease, there is contempt for misfortune;

he thinks in a way that brings more misfortune to those whose foot is slipping.

6 The tents of robbers prosper,

and those who provoke God feel secure;

their own hands are their gods.

7 But now ask the beasts, and they will teach you;

ask the birds of the heavens, and they will tell you.

8 Or speak to the earth, and it will teach you;

the fish of the sea will declare to you.

9 Which animal among all these does not know

that the hand of Yahweh has done this?

10 In his hand is the life of every living thing

and the breath of all mankind.

11 Does not the ear test words

just as the palate tastes its food?

12 With aged men is wisdom;

in length of days is understanding.

13 With God are wisdom and might;

he has counsel and understanding.

14 See, he breaks down, and it cannot be built again;

if he imprisons someone, there can be no release.

15 See, if he withholds the waters, they dry up;

and if he sends them out, they overwhelm the land.

16 With him are strength and wisdom;

people who are deceived and the deceiver are both in his power.

17 He leads counselors away barefoot in sorrow;

he turns judges into fools.

18 He takes off the chain of authority from kings;

he wraps a cloth about their waists.

19 He leads priests away barefoot in sorrow

and overthrows mighty people.

20 He removes the speech of those who had been trusted

and takes away the understanding of the elders.

21 He pours contempt upon princes

and unfastens the belt of strong people.

22 He reveals the deep things of darkness

and brings deep shadows into the light.

23 He makes nations strong, and he also destroys them;

He enlarges nations, and he also leads them along as prisoners.

24 He takes away understanding from the leaders of the people of the earth;

he causes them to wander in a wilderness where there is no path.

25 They grope in the dark without light;

he makes them stagger like a drunk man.

13

1 See, my eye has seen all this;

my ear has heard and understood it.

2 What you know, the same I also know;

I am not inferior to you.

3 However, I would rather speak with the Almighty;

I wish to reason with God.

4 But you whitewash the truth with lies;

you are all physicians of no value.

5 Oh, that you would altogether hold your peace!

That would be your wisdom.

6 Hear now my own reasoning;

listen to the pleading of my own lips.

7 Will you speak unrighteously for God,

and will you talk deceitfully for him?

8 Will you show him partiality?

Will you argue the case for God?

9 Will it be good for you when he searches you out?

Could you deceive him as you might deceive men?

10 He would surely reprove you

if in secret you showed partiality.

11 Will not his majesty terrify you,

and the dread of him fall upon you?

12 Your memorable sayings are proverbs made of ashes;

your defenses are defenses made of clay.

13 Hold your peace, let me alone, so that I may speak,

let come what may on me.

14 I will take my own flesh in my teeth;

I will take my life in my hands.

15 See, if he kills me, I will have no hope left;

nevertheless, I will defend my ways before him.

16 This will be the reason for my deliverance,

for no godless person would come before him.

17 God, listen carefully to my speech;

let my declaration come to your ears.

18 See now, I have set my defense in order;

I know that I am innocent.

19 Who is the one who would argue against me in court?

If you came to do so, and if I were proved wrong, then I would be silent and give up my life.

20 God, do only two things for me,

and then I will not hide myself from your face:

21 withdraw your oppressive hand from me,

and do not let your terrors make me afraid.

22 Then call me, and I will answer;

or let me speak to you, and you answer me.

23 How many are my iniquities and sins?

Let me know my transgression and my sin.

24 Why do you hide your face from me

and treat me like your enemy?

25 Will you persecute a driven leaf?

Will you pursue dry stubble?

26 For you write down bitter things against me;

you make me inherit the iniquities of my youth.

27 You also put my feet in the stocks;

you closely watch all my paths;

you examine the ground where the soles of my feet have walked

28 although I am like a rotten thing that wastes away,

like a garment that moths have eaten.

14

1 Man, who is born of woman,

lives only a few days and is full of trouble.

2 He sprouts from the ground like a flower and is cut down;

he flees like a shadow and does not last.

3 Do you look at any of these?

Do you bring me into judgment with you?

4 Who can bring something clean out of something unclean? No one.

5 Man's days are determined.

The number of his months is with you;

you have appointed his limits that he cannot pass.

6 Look away from him that he may rest,

so that he may enjoy his day like a hired man if he can do so.

7 There can be hope for a tree;

if it is cut down, it might sprout again,

so that its tender stalk does not disappear.

8 Though its root grows old in the earth,

and its stump dies in the ground,

9 yet even if it only smells water, it will bud

and send out branches like a plant.

10 But man dies; he becomes weak;

indeed, man stops breathing, and then where is he?

11 As water disappears from a lake,

and as a river loses water and dries up,

12 so people lie down and do not rise again.

Until the heavens are no more, they will not awake

nor be roused out of their sleep.

13 Oh, that you would hide me away in Sheol away from troubles,

and that you would keep me in private until your wrath is over,

that you would set me a fixed time to stay there and then call me to mind!

14 If a man dies, will he live again?

If so, I would wish to wait all my weary time there

until my release should come.

15 You would call, and I would answer you.

You would have a desire for the work of your hands.

16 You would number and care for my footsteps;

you would not keep track of my sin.

17 My transgression would be sealed up in a bag;

you would cover up my iniquity.

18 But even mountains fall and come to nothing;

even rocks are moved out of their place;

19 the waters wear down the stones;

their flooding washes away the dust of the earth.

Like this, you destroy the hope of man.

20 You always defeat him, and he passes away;

you change his face and send him away to die.

21 If his sons are honored, he does not know it;

and if they are brought low, he does not see it.

22 He feels only the pain of his own body,

and he mourns for himself.

15

1 Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered and said,

2 “Should a wise man answer with useless knowledge

and fill himself with the east wind?

3 Should he reason with unprofitable talk

or with speeches with which he can do no good?

4 Indeed, you diminish respect for God;

you obstruct devotion to him,

5 for your iniquity teaches your mouth;

you choose to have the tongue of a crafty man.

6 Your own mouth condemns you, not mine;

indeed, your own lips testify against you.

7 Are you the first man that was born?

Were you brought into existence before the hills?

8 Have you heard the secret knowledge of God?

Do you limit wisdom to yourself?

9 What do you know that we do not know?

What do you understand that is not also in us?

10 With us are both the gray-headed and the very aged men

who are much older than your father.

11 Are the consolations of God too small for you,

the words that are gentle toward you?

12 Why does your heart carry you away?

Why do your eyes flash,

13 so that you turn your spirit against God

and bring out such words from your mouth?

14 What is man that he should be clean?

What is he who is born of a woman that he should be righteous?

15 See, God puts no trust even in his holy ones;

indeed, the heavens are not clean in his sight;

16 how much less clean is one who is abominable and corrupt,

a man who drinks iniquity like water!

17 I will show you; listen to me;

I will announce to you the things I have seen,

18 the things that wise men have passed down from their fathers,

the things that their ancestors did not hide.

19 These were their ancestors, to whom alone the land was given,

and among whom no stranger ever passed.

20 The wicked man twists in pain all his days,

the number of years that are laid up for the oppressor to suffer.

21 A sound of terrors is in his ears;

while he is in prosperity, the destroyer will come upon him.

22 He does not think that he will return out of darkness;

the sword waits for him.

23 He goes to various places for bread, saying, 'Where is it?'

He knows that the day of darkness is at hand.

24 Distress and anguish make him afraid;

they prevail against him, as a king ready for battle.

25 Because he has reached out with his hand against God

and has behaved proudly against the Almighty,

26 this wicked man runs at God with a stiff neck,

with a thick shield.

27 This is true, even though he has covered his face with his fat

and gathered fat on his loins,

28 and has lived in desolate cities;

in houses which no man inhabits now

and which were ready to become heaps.

29 He will not be rich; his wealth will not last

and his possessions will not spread over the land.

30 He will not depart out of darkness; *

a flame will dry up his stalks;

at the breath of God's mouth he will go away. †

31 Let him not trust in useless things, deceiving himself;

for uselessness will be his reward.

32 It will happen before his time should come to die;

his branch will not be green.

33 He will drop his unripe grapes like a grapevine;

he will cast off his flowers like the olive tree.

34 For the company of godless people will be barren;

fire will consume their tents of bribery.

35 They conceive mischief and give birth to iniquity;

their womb conceives deceit.”

16

1 Then Job answered and said,

2 “I have heard many such things;

you are all miserable comforters.

3 Will useless words ever have an end?

What is wrong with you that you answer like this?

4 I also could speak as you do,

if you were in my place;

I could collect and join words together against you

and shake my head at you in mockery.

5 I would strengthen you with my mouth,

and the quivering of my lips will bring you relief!

6 If I speak, my grief is not lessened;

if I keep from speaking, how am I helped?

7 But now, God, you have made me weary;

you have made all my family desolate.

8 You have made me dry up, which itself is a witness against me;

the leanness of my body rises up against me,

and it testifies against my face.

9 God has torn me in his wrath and persecuted me;

He grinds his teeth in rage;

my enemy fastens his eyes on me as he tears me apart.

10 People have gaped with open mouth at me;

they have hit me reproachfully on the cheek;

they have gathered together against me.

11 God hands me over to ungodly people,

and throws me into the hands of wicked people.

12 I was at ease, and he broke me apart.

Indeed, he has taken me by the neck and dashed me to pieces;

he has also set me up as his target.

13 His archers surround me all around;

God pierces my kidneys and does not spare me;

he pours out my bile on the ground.

14 He smashes through my wall again and again;

he runs upon me like a warrior.

15 I have sewn sackcloth on my skin;

I have thrust my horn into the ground.

16 My face is red with weeping;

on my eyelids is the shadow of death

17 although there is no violence in my hands,

and my prayer is pure.

18 Earth, do not cover up my blood;

let my cry have no resting place.

19 Even now, see, my witness is in heaven;

he who vouches for me is on high.

20 My friends scoff at me,

but my eye pours out tears to God.

21 I ask for that witness in heaven to argue for this man with God

as a man does with his neighbor!

22 For when a few years have passed,

I will go to a place from where I will not return.

17

1 My spirit is consumed, and my days are over;

the grave is ready for me.

2 Surely there are mockers with me;

my eye must always see their provocation.

3 Give now a pledge, be a guarantee for me with yourself;

who else is there who will help me?

4 For you, God, have kept their hearts from understanding;

therefore, you will not exalt them over me.

5 He who denounces his friends for a reward,

the eyes of his children will fail.

6 But he has made me a byword of the people;

they spit in my face.

7 My eye is also dim because of sorrow;

all my body parts are as thin as shadows.

8 Upright men will be stunned by this;

the innocent man will stir himself up against godless men.

9 The righteous man will keep to his way;

he who has clean hands will grow stronger and stronger.

10 But as for you all, come on now;

I will not find a wise man among you.

11 My days are past; my plans are shattered,

and so are the desires of my heart. *

12 These people, these mockers, change the night into day;

light is near to darkness.

13 If the only home I hope for is Sheol;

and if I have spread my couch in the darkness;

14 and if I have said to the pit, 'You are my father,'

and to the worm, 'You are my mother or my sister,'

15 where then is my hope?

As for my hope, who can see any?

16 Will hope go down with me to the gates of Sheol

when we descend to the dust?”

18

1 Then Bildad the Shuhite answered and said,

2 “When will you stop your talk?

Consider, and afterwards we will speak.

3 Why are we regarded as beasts, stupid in your sight?

4 You who tear at yourself in your anger,

should the earth be forsaken for you

or should the rocks be removed out of their places?

5 Indeed, the light of the wicked person will be put out;

the spark of his fire will not shine.

6 The light will be dark in his tent;

his lamp above him will be put out.

7 The steps of his strength will be made short;

his own plans will cast him down.

8 For he will be thrown into a net by his own feet;

he will walk into a pitfall.

9 A trap will take him by the heel;

a snare will lay hold on him.

10 A noose is hidden for him on the ground;

and a trap for him in the way.

11 Terrors will make him afraid on every side;

they will chase him at his heels.

12 His wealth will turn into hunger,

and calamity will be ready at his side.

13 The parts of his body will be devoured;

indeed, the firstborn of death will devour his parts.

14 He is torn from the safety of his tent

and marched off to the king of terrors.

15 People not his own will live in his tent

after they see that sulfur is scattered within his home.

16 His roots will be dried up beneath;

above will his branch be cut off.

17 His memory will perish from the earth;

he will have no name in the street.

18 He will be driven from light into darkness

and be chased out of this world.

19 He will have no son or son's son among his people,

nor any remaining kinfolk where he had stayed.

20 Those who live in the west will be horrified at what happens to him one day;

those who live in the east will be frightened by it.

21 Surely such are the homes of unrighteous people,

the places of those who do not know God.”

19

1 Then Job answered and said,

2 “How long will you make me suffer

and break me into pieces with words?

3 These ten times you have reproached me;

you are not ashamed that you have treated me harshly.

4 If it is indeed true that I have erred,

my error remains my own concern.

5 If indeed you will exalt yourselves above me

and use my humiliation against me,

6 then you should know that God has done wrong to me

and has caught me in his net.

7 See, I cry out, “Violence!” but I get no answer.

I call out for help, but there is no justice.

8 He has walled up my way so that I cannot pass,

and he has set darkness in my path.

9 He has stripped me of my glory,

and he has taken the crown from my head.

10 He has broken me down on every side, and I am gone;

he has pulled up my hope like a tree.

11 He has also kindled his wrath against me;

he regards me as one of his adversaries.

12 His troops come on together;

they cast up siege mounds against me

and encamp around my tent.

13 He has put my brothers far from me;

my acquaintances are wholly alienated from me.

14 My kinsfolk have failed me;

my close friends have forgotten me.

15 Those who once stayed as guests in my house and my female servants regard me as a stranger;

I am an alien in their sight.

16 I call to my servant, but he gives me no answer

although I entreat him with my mouth.

17 My breath is offensive to my wife;

I am even disgusting to those who were born from my mother's womb.

18 Even young children despise me;

if I rise to speak, they speak against me.

19 All my familiar friends abhor me;

those whom I love have turned against me.

20 My bones cling to my skin and to my flesh;

I survive only by the skin of my teeth.

21 Have pity upon me, have pity upon me, my friends,

for the hand of God has touched me.

22 Why do you pursue me like God does?

Will you ever be satisfied with my flesh?

23 Oh, that my words were now written down!

Oh, that they were inscribed in a book!

24 Oh, that with an iron pen and lead

they were engraved in the rock forever!

25 But as for me, I know that my Redeemer lives,

and that at last he will stand on the earth;

26 after my skin, that is, this body, is destroyed,

then in my flesh I will see God.

27 I will see him with my own eyes—I, and not someone else.

My heart fails within me.

28 If you say, 'How we will persecute him!

The root of his troubles lies in him,'

29 then be afraid of the sword,

because wrath brings the punishment of the sword,

so that you may know there is a judgment.”

20

1 Then Zophar the Naamathite answered and said,

2 “My thoughts make me answer quickly

because of the worry that is in me.

3 I hear a rebuke that dishonors me,

but a spirit from my understanding answers me.

4 Do you not know this fact from ancient times,

when God placed man on earth:

5 the triumph of a wicked man is short,

and the joy of a godless man lasts only for a moment?

6 Though his height reaches up to the heavens,

and his head reaches to the clouds,

7 yet such a person will perish permanently like his own feces;

those who have seen him will say, 'Where is he?'

8 He will fly away like a dream and will not be found;

indeed, he will be chased away like a vision of the night.

9 The eye that saw him will see him no more;

his place will see him no longer.

10 His children will apologize to poor people;

his hands will have to give back his wealth.

11 His bones are full of youthful strength,

but it will lie down with him in the dust.

12 Although wickedness is sweet in his mouth,

although he hides it under his tongue,

13 although he holds it there and does not let it go

but keeps it still in his mouth—

14 the food in his intestines turns bitter;

it becomes the poison of asps inside him.

15 He swallows down riches, but he will vomit them up again;

God will cast them out of his stomach.

16 He will suck the poison of asps;

the viper's tongue will kill him.

17 He will not enjoy the streams,

the torrents of honey and butter.

18 He will give back the fruit of his labor and will not be able to eat it;

he will not enjoy the wealth earned by his commerce.

19 For he has oppressed and neglected poor people;

he has violently taken away houses that he did not build.

20 Because he has known no satisfaction himself,

he will not be able to save anything in which he takes pleasure.

21 There is nothing left that he did not devour;

therefore his prosperity will not be permanent.

22 In the abundance of his wealth he will fall into trouble;

the hand of everyone who is in poverty will come against him.

23 When he is about to fill his stomach, God will throw the fierceness of his wrath on him;

God will rain it down on him while he is eating.

24 Although that man will flee from the iron weapon,

a bow of bronze will shoot him.

25 He pulls it out of his back

and the gleaming point comes out of his liver.

Terrors come over him.

26 Complete darkness is reserved for his treasures;

a fire not fanned will devour him;

it will consume what is left in his tent.

27 The heavens will reveal his iniquity,

and the earth will rise up against him as a witness.

28 The wealth of his house will vanish;

his goods will flow away on the day of God's wrath.

29 This is the wicked man's portion from God,

the heritage reserved for him by God.”

21

1 Then Job answered and said,

2 “Listen carefully to my words,

and let this be the comfort you offer to me.

3 Put up with me, and I also will speak;

after I have spoken, mock on.

4 As for me, is my complaint to a person?

Why should I not be impatient?

5 Look at me and be astonished,

and lay your hand upon your mouth.

6 When I think about my sufferings, I am terrified,

and trembling seizes my body.

7 Why do wicked people continue to live,

become old, and grow mighty in power?

8 Their descendants are established with them in their sight,

and their offspring are established before their eyes.

9 Their houses are safe from fear;

neither is the rod of God on them.

10 Their bull breeds; it does not fail to do so;

their cow gives birth and does not lose her calf prematurely.

11 They send out their little ones like a flock,

and their children dance.

12 They sing to the tambourine and harp

and rejoice with the music of the flute.

13 They spend their days in prosperity,

and they go down quietly to Sheol.

14 They say to God, 'Depart from us

for we do not wish any knowledge of your ways.

15 What is the Almighty, that we should worship him?

What advantage would we get if we prayed to him?'

16 See, is not their prosperity in their own hands?

I have nothing to do with the advice of wicked people.

17 How often is it that the lamp of wicked people is put out,

or that their calamity comes upon them?

How often does it happen that God distributes sorrows to them in his anger?

18 How often is it that they become like stubble before the wind

or like chaff that the storm carries away?

19 You say, 'God lays up one's guilt for his children to pay.'

Let him pay it himself, so that he might know his guilt.

20 Let his eyes see his own destruction,

and let him drink of the wrath of the Almighty.

21 For what does he care about his family after him

when the number of his months is cut off?

22 Can anyone teach God knowledge

since he judges even those who are high?

23 One man dies in his full strength,

being completely quiet and at ease.

24 His body is full of milk,

and the marrow of his bones is moist.

25 Another man dies in bitterness of soul,

one who has never experienced anything good.

26 They lie down alike in the dust;

the worms cover them both.

27 See, I know your thoughts,

and the ways in which you wish to wrong me.

28 For you say, 'Where now is the house of the prince?

Where is the tent in which the wicked man once lived?'

29 Have you never asked traveling people?

Do you not know the evidence they can tell,

30 that the wicked man is kept from the day of calamity,

and that he is led away from the day of wrath?

31 Who will condemn the wicked man's way to his face?

Who will repay him for what he has done?

32 Yet he will be borne to the grave;

men will keep watch over his tomb.

33 The clods of the valley will be sweet to him;

all people will follow after him,

as there were innumerable people before him.

34 How then do you comfort me with nonsense,

since in your answers there is nothing but falsehood?”

22

1 Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered and said,

2 “Can a man be useful to God?

Can a wise man be useful to him?

3 Is it any pleasure to the Almighty if you are righteous?

Is it gain to him if you make your ways blameless?

4 Is it because of your reverence for him that he rebukes you

and takes you to judgment?

5 Is not your wickedness great?

Is there no end to your iniquities?

6 For you have demanded guarantee of a loan from your brother for no reason,

and you have stripped away clothing from the naked.

7 You have not given water to weary people to drink;

you have withheld bread from hungry people

8 although you, a mighty man, possessed the earth,

although you, an honored man, lived in it.

9 You have sent widows away empty;

the arms of the fatherless have been broken.

10 Therefore, snares are all around you,

and sudden fear troubles you.

11 There is darkness, so that you cannot see;

an abundance of waters covers you.

12 Is not God in the heights of heaven?

Look at the height of the stars, how high they are!

13 You say, 'What does God know?

Can he judge through the thick darkness?

14 Thick clouds are a covering to him, so that he does not see us;

he walks on the vault of heaven.'

15 Will you keep the old way

that wicked men have walked—

16 those who were snatched away before their time,

those whose foundations have washed away like a river,

17 those who said to God, 'Depart from us';

those who said, 'What can the Almighty do to us?'

18 Yet he filled their houses with good things;

the plans of wicked people are far from me.

19 Righteous people see their fate and are glad;

innocent people laugh them to scorn.

20 They say, 'Surely those who rose up against us are cut off;

fire has consumed their possessions.'

21 Now agree with God and be at peace with him;

in that way, good will come to you.

22 Receive, I beg you, instruction from his mouth;

store up his words in your heart.

23 If you return to the Almighty, you will be built up,

if you put unrighteousness far away from your tents.

24 Lay your treasure down in the dust,

the gold of Ophir among the stones of the brooks,

25 and the Almighty will be your treasure,

precious silver to you.

26 For then you will take pleasure in the Almighty;

you will lift up your face to God.

27 You will make your prayer to him, and he will hear you;

you will pay your vows to him.

28 You will also decree anything, and it will be confirmed for you;

light will shine on your paths.

29 God humbles a proud man,

and he saves the one with lowered eyes.

30 He will rescue even the man who is not innocent;

who will be rescued through the cleanness of your hands.”

23

1 Then Job answered and said,

2 “Even today my complaint is bitter;

my hand * is heavy because of my groaning.

3 Oh, that I knew where I might find him!

Oh, that I might come to his place!

4 I would lay my case in order before him

and fill my mouth with arguments.

5 I would learn the words with which he would answer me

and would understand what he would say to me.

6 Would he argue against me in the greatness of his power?

No, he would pay attention to me.

7 There the upright person might argue with him.

In this way I would be acquitted forever by my judge.

8 See, I go eastward, but he is not there,

and westward, but I cannot perceive him.

9 To the north, where he is at work, but I cannot see him,

and to the south, where he hides himself so that I cannot see him.

10 But he knows the way that I take;

when he has tested me, I will come out like gold.

11 My foot has held fast to his steps;

I have kept to his way and turned not aside.

12 I have not gone back from the commandment of his lips;

I have treasured the words of his mouth more than my portion of food.

13 But he is one of a kind, who can turn him back?

What he desires, he does.

14 For he carries out his decree against me;

there are many like them.

15 Therefore, I am terrified in his presence;

when I think about him, I am afraid of him.

16 For God has made my heart weak;

the Almighty has terrified me.

17 I have not been brought to an end by darkness,

because of the thick darkness that covers the gloom of my face.

24

1 Why are times for judging wicked people not set by the Almighty?

Why do not those who are faithful to God see his days of judgment come?

2 There are wicked people who remove boundary markers;

there are wicked people who take away flocks by force and put them in their own pastures.

3 They drive away the donkey of those without fathers;

they take the widow's ox as security.

4 They force needy people out of their path;

poor people of the earth all hide themselves from them.

5 See, these poor people go out to their work

like wild donkeys in the wilderness, looking carefully for food;

perhaps the Arabah will provide them food for their children.

6 Poor people reap in the night in other people's fields;

they glean grapes from the harvest of those wicked people.

7 They lie naked all night without clothing;

they have no covering in the cold.

8 They are wet with the showers of the mountains;

they lie next to large rocks because they have no shelter.

9 There are wicked people who pluck orphans from their mothers' breast,

and wicked people who take children as security from poor people.

10 But the poor people go about naked without clothing;

although they go hungry, they carry bundles of grain belonging to other people.

11 The poor people make oil within the walls of those wicked men;

they tread the wicked men's winepresses, but they themselves suffer thirst.

12 From out of the city the dying groan,

and the throat of the wounded cries out for help.

But God does not ascribe blame

13 Some of these wicked people rebel against the light;

they know not its ways,

nor do they stay in its paths.

14 Before daylight the murderer rises

and he kills poor and needy people;

in the night he is like a thief.

15 Also, the eye of the adulterer waits for the twilight;

he says, 'No eye will see me.'

He disguises his face.

16 In the darkness wicked people dig into houses;

but they shut themselves up in the daytime;

they do not care for the light.

17 For all of them, thick darkness is like the morning;

for they are friends with the terrors of thick darkness.

18 Swiftly they pass away, however, like foam on the surface of the waters;

their portion of the land is cursed;

no one goes to work in their vineyards.

19 As drought and heat melt away the snow into waters,

so Sheol takes away those who have sinned.

20 The womb that bore him will forget him;

the worm will feed sweetly on him;

he will be remembered no more;

in this way, wickedness will be broken like a tree.

21 The wicked one devours the barren women who have not borne children;

he does no good to the widow.

22 Yet God drags away the mighty people by his power;

he rises up and does not strengthen them in life.

23 God allows them to think they are secure, and they are happy about that,

but his eyes are on their ways.

24 These people are exalted; still, in only a little while, they will be gone;

indeed, they will be brought low; they will be gathered up like all the others;

they will be cut off like the tops of ears of grain.

25 If it is not so, who can prove me to be a liar;

who can make my speech worth nothing?”

25

1 Then Bildad the Shuhite answered and said,

2 “Dominion and fear are with him;

he makes order in his high places of heaven.

3 Is there any end to the number of his armies?

Upon whom does his light not shine?

4 How then can man be righteous with God?

How can he who is born of a woman be clean, acceptable to him?

5 See, even the moon has no brightness to him;

the stars are not pure in his sight.

6 How much less man, who is a worm—

a son of man, who is a worm!”

26

1 Then Job answered and said,

2 “How you have helped one who has no power!

How you have saved the arm that has no strength!

3 How you have advised one who has no wisdom

and announced to him sound knowledge!

4 With whose help have you spoken these words?

Whose spirit was it that came out from you?

5 The dead are made to tremble,

those who are beneath the waters

and all who dwell in them.

6 Sheol is naked before God;

destruction itself has no covering against him.

7 He stretches out the northern skies

over the empty space,

and he hangs the earth over nothing.

8 He binds up the waters in his thick clouds,

but the clouds are not torn under them.

9 He covers the surface of the moon

and spreads his clouds on it.

10 He has engraved a circular boundary on the surface of the waters

as the line between light and darkness.

11 The pillars of heaven tremble

and are astonished at his rebuke.

12 He calmed the sea with his power;

by his understanding he shattered Rahab.

13 By his breath he made the skies clear;

his hand pierced the fleeing serpent.

14 See, these are but the fringes of his ways;

how small a whisper do we hear of him!

Who can understand the thunder of his power?”

27

1 Job resumed speaking and he said,

2 “As surely as God lives, who has taken away my justice,

the Almighty, who made my life bitter,

3 while my life is yet in me,

and the breath from God is in my nostrils,

this is what I will do.

4 My lips will not speak wickedness,

neither will my tongue speak deceit; 5 I will never admit that you three are right;

until I die I will never deny my integrity.

6 I hold fast to my righteousness and will not let it go;

my thoughts will not reproach me so long as I live.

7 Let my enemy be like a wicked man;

let him who rises up against me be like an unrighteous man.

8 For what is the hope of a godless man when God cuts him off,

when God takes away his life?

9 Will God hear his cry

when trouble comes upon him?

10 Will he delight himself in the Almighty

and call upon God at all times?

11 I will teach you concerning the hand of God;

I will not conceal the thoughts of the Almighty.

12 See, all of you have seen this yourselves;

why then have you spoken all this nonsense?

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

the heritage of the oppressor that he receives from the Almighty:

14 If his children multiply, it is for the sword;

his offspring will never have enough food.

15 Those who survive him will be buried by plague,

and their widows will make no lament for them.

16 Though the wicked man heaps up silver like the dust,

and heaps up clothing like clay,

17 he may heap up clothing, but righteous people will put it on,

and innocent people will divide up the silver among themselves.

18 He builds his house like a spider,

like a hut that a guard makes.

19 He lies down in bed rich, but he will not keep doing so;

he opens his eyes, and everything is gone.

20 Terrors overtake him like waters;

a storm takes him away in the night.

21 The east wind carries him away, and he leaves;

it sweeps him out of his place.

22 It throws itself at him and does not stop;

he tries to flee out of its hand.

23 It claps its hands at him in mockery;

it hisses him out of his place.

28

1 Surely there is a mine for silver,

a place where they refine gold.

2 Iron is taken out of the earth;

copper is smelted out of the stone.

3 A man sets an end to darkness

and searches out, to the farthest limit,

the stones in obscurity and thick darkness.

4 He breaks open a shaft away from where people live,

places that are forgotten by anyone's foot.

He hangs far away from people; he swings to and fro.

5 As for the earth, out of which comes bread,

it is turned up below as if by fire.

6 Its stones are the place where sapphires are found,

and its dust contains gold.

7 No bird of prey knows the path to it,

nor has the falcon's eye seen it.

8 The proud animals have not walked such a path,

nor has the fierce lion passed there.

9 A man lays his hand on the flinty rock;

he overturns mountains by their roots.

10 He cuts out channels among the rocks;

his eye sees every valuable thing there.

11 He ties up the streams so they do not run;

what is hidden there he brings out to the light.

12 Where will wisdom be found?

Where is the place of understanding?

13 Man does not know its price;

neither is it found in the land of the living.

14 The deep waters under the earth say, 'It is not in me';

the sea says, 'It is not with me.'

15 It cannot be gotten for gold;

neither can silver be weighed as its price.

16 It cannot be valued with the gold of Ophir,

with precious onyx or sapphire.

17 Gold and crystal cannot equal it in worth;

neither can it be exchanged for jewels of fine gold.

18 No mention is worth making of coral or jasper;

indeed, the price of wisdom is more than rubies.

19 The topaz of Cush does not equal it;

neither can it be valued in terms of pure gold.

20 From where, then, comes wisdom?

Where is the place of understanding?

21 Wisdom is hidden from the eyes of all living things

and is kept hidden from the birds of the heavens.

22 Destruction and Death say,

'We have heard just a rumor about it with our ears.'

23 God understands the way to it;

he knows its place.

24 For he looks to the very ends of the earth

and sees under all the heavens.

25 He made the force of the wind

and parceled out the waters by measure.

26 He made a decree for the rain

and a path for the thunder.

27 Then he saw wisdom and announced it;

he established it, indeed, and he examined it.

28 To people he said,

'See, the fear of the Lord—that is wisdom;

to depart from evil is understanding.'”

29

1 Job resumed speaking and said,

2 “Oh, that I were as I was in the past months

when God cared for me,

3 when his lamp shined on my head,

and when I walked through darkness by his light.

4 Oh, that I were as I was in the ripeness of my days

when the friendship of God was on my tent,

5 when the Almighty was yet with me,

and my children were around me,

6 when my way was covered with cream,

and the rock poured out for me streams of oil!

7 When I went out to the city gate,

when I sat in my place in the city square,

8 the young men saw me and kept their distance from me in respect,

and the aged people rose and stood for me.

9 The princes used to refrain from talking when I came;

they would lay their hand on their mouths.

10 The voices of the noblemen were hushed,

and their tongue clung to the roof of their mouths.

11 For after their ears heard me, they would then bless me;

after their eyes saw me, they would then give witness to me and approve of me

12 because I rescued the one who was poor when he cried out,

and the one who had no father when he had no one to help him.

13 The blessing of him who was about to perish came on me;

I caused the widow's heart to sing for joy.

14 I put on righteousness, and it clothed me;

my justice was like a robe and a turban.

15 I was eyes to blind people;

I was feet to lame people.

16 I was a father to needy people;

I would examine the case even of one whom I did not know.

17 I broke the jaws of the unrighteous man;

I plucked the victim out from between his teeth.

18 Then I said, 'I will die in my nest;

I will multiply my days like the grains of sand.

19 My roots are spread out to the waters,

and dew lies all night on my branches.

20 The honor in me is always fresh,

and the bow of my strength is always new in my hand.'

21 To me men listened; they waited for me;

they stayed silent to hear my advice.

22 After my words were done, they did not speak again;

my speech dropped like water on them.

23 They always waited for me as they waited for rain;

they opened their mouth wide to drink in my words,

as they would do for the latter rain.

24 I smiled on them when they did not expect it;

they did not reject the light of my face.

25 I selected their way and sat as their chief;

I lived like a king in his army,

like one who comforts mourners.

30

1 Now those who are younger than I have nothing but mockery for me—

these young men whose fathers I would have refused to allow to work beside the dogs of my flock.

2 Indeed, the strength of their fathers' hands, how could it have helped me—

men in whom the strength of their mature age had perished?

3 They were thin from poverty and hunger;

they gnawed at the dry ground in the darkness of wilderness and desolation.

4 They plucked saltwort and bushes' leaves;

the roots of the broom tree were their food.

5 They were driven out from among people

who shouted after them as one would shout after a thief.

6 So they had to live in river valleys,

in holes of the earth and of the rocks.

7 Among the bushes they brayed like donkeys

and they gathered together under the nettles.

8 They were the sons of fools, indeed, sons of nameless people!

They were driven out of the land with whips.

9 But now I have become the subject of their taunting song;

I have become a byword for them.

10 They abhor me and stand far off from me;

they do not refrain from spitting in my face.

11 For God has unstrung the string to my bow and afflicted me,

and those who taunt me cast off restraint before my face.

12 Upon my right hand rise the rabble;

they drive me away and

pile up against me their siege mounds.

13 They destroy my path;

they push forward disaster for me,

men who have no one to hold them back.

14 They come against me like an army through a wide hole in a city wall;

in the midst of the destruction they roll themselves in on me.

15 Terrors are turned upon me;

my honor is driven away as if by the wind;

my prosperity passes away as a cloud.

16 Now my life is pouring out from within me;

many days of suffering have laid hold on me.

17 In the night my bones in me are pierced;

the pains that gnaw at me take no rest.

18 God's great force has seized my clothing;

it wraps around me like the collar of my tunic.

19 He has thrown me into the mud;

I have become like dust and ashes.

20 I cry to you, God, but you do not answer me;

I stand up, and you merely look at me.

21 You have changed and become cruel to me;

with the strength of your hand you persecute me.

22 You lift me up to the wind and cause it to drive me along;

you throw me back and forth in a storm. *

23 For I know that you will bring me to death,

to the house appointed for all the living.

24 However, does no one reach out with his hand to beg for help when he falls?

Does no one in trouble call out for help?

25 Did not I weep for him who was in trouble?

Did I not grieve for the needy man?

26 When I hoped for good, then evil came;

when I waited for light, darkness came instead.

27 My heart is troubled and does not rest;

days of affliction have come on me.

28 I have gone about like one who was living in the dark,

but not because of the sun;

I stand up in the assembly and cry for help.

29 I am a brother to jackals,

a companion of ostriches.

30 My skin is black and falls away from me;

my bones are burned with heat.

31 Therefore my harp is tuned for songs of mourning,

my flute for the singing of those who wail.

31

1 I have made a covenant with my eyes;

how then should I look with desire on a virgin?

2 For what is the portion from God above,

the inheritance from the Almighty on high?

3 I used to think that calamity is for unrighteous people,

and that disaster is for doers of wickedness.

4 Does not God see my ways

and count all my steps?

5 If I have walked with falsehood,

if my foot has hurried to deceit,

6 let me be weighed in an even balance

so that God will know my integrity.

7 If my step has turned aside from the way,

if my heart has gone after my eyes,

if any spot has stuck to my hands,

8 then let me sow, and let another eat,

and let my crops be uprooted.

9 If my heart has been deceived by a woman,

if I have lain in wait at my neighbor's door,

10 then let my wife grind grain for another,

and let others bow down on her.

11 For that would be a terrible crime;

indeed, it would be a crime to be punished by judges.

12 For that is a fire that consumes as far as Abaddon,

and it would burn all my harvest to the root.

13 If I ignored the plea for justice from my male or female servant

when they argued with me,

14 what then would I do when God rises up to accuse me?

When he comes to judge me, how would I answer him?

15 Did the one who made me in the womb not make them also?

Did not the same one mold us all in the womb?

16 If I have withheld poor people from their desire,

or if I have caused the eyes of the widow to grow dim from crying,

17 or if I have eaten my morsel alone

and not allowed those without fathers to eat it also—

18 because from my youth the orphan grew up with me as with a father,

and I have guided his mother, a widow, from my own mother's womb.

19 If I have seen anyone perish for lack of clothing,

or if I have seen that a needy man had no clothing;

20 if his heart has not blessed me

because he has not been warmed with the wool of my sheep,

21 if I have lifted up my hand against fatherless people

because I saw my support in the city gate,

then bring charges against me!

22 If I have done these things, then let my shoulder fall from the shoulder blade,

and let my arm be broken from its joint.

23 For I dreaded destruction from God;

because of his majesty, I was not able to do those things.

24 If I have made gold my hope,

and if I have said to fine gold, 'You are what I am confident in';

25 if I have rejoiced because my wealth was great,

because my hand had gotten many possessions,

then bring charges against me!

26 If I have seen the sun when it shone,

or the moon walking in its brightness,

27 and if my heart has been secretly attracted,

so that my mouth has kissed my hand in worship of them—

28 this also would be a crime to be punished by judges,

for I would have denied the God who is above.

29 If I have rejoiced at the destruction of anyone who hated me

or congratulated myself when disaster overtook him,

then bring charges against me!

30 Indeed, I have not even allowed my mouth to sin

by asking for his life with a curse.

31 If the men of my tent have never said,

'Who can find one who has not been filled with Job's food?'

32 (even the foreigner has never had to stay in the city square,

because I have always opened my doors to the traveler),

and if that is not so, then bring charges against me!

33 If, like mankind, I have hidden my sins

by hiding my guilt inside my tunic

34 (because I feared the great multitude,

because the contempt of families terrified me,

so that I kept silent and would not go outside),

then bring charges against me!

35 Oh, if only I had someone to hear me!

See, here is my signature; let the Almighty answer me!

If only I had the indictment that my opponent has written!

36 Surely I would carry it openly on my shoulder;

I would put it on like a crown.

37 I would declare to him an accounting for my steps;

as a confident prince I would go up to him.

38 If my land ever cries out against me,

and its furrows weep together,

39 if I have eaten its harvest without paying for it

or have caused its owners to lose their lives,

40 then let thorns grow instead of wheat

and weeds instead of barley.”

The words of Job are finished.

32

1 So these three men stopped answering Job because he was righteous in his own eyes. 2 Then was kindled the anger of Elihu son of Barakel the Buzite, of the family of Ram; it was kindled against Job because he justified himself rather than God. 3 Elihu's anger was also kindled against his three friends because they had found no answer to Job, and yet they had condemned Job. 4 Now Elihu had waited to speak to Job because the other men were older than he. 5 However, when Elihu saw that there was no answer in the mouths of these three men, his anger was kindled.

6 Then Elihu son of Barakel the Buzite spoke up and said,

“I am young, and you are very old.

That is why I held back and did not dare to tell you my own opinion.

7 I said, “Length of days should speak;

a multitude of years should teach wisdom.

8 But there is a spirit in a man;

the breath of the Almighty gives him understanding.

9 It is not only the great people who are wise,

nor the aged people alone who understand justice.

10 Therefore I say to you, 'Listen to me;

I will also tell you my knowledge.'

11 See, I waited for your words;

I listened to your arguments

while you were thinking about what to say.

12 Indeed, I paid attention to you,

but, see, there was not one of you who could convince Job

or who could respond to his words.

13 Be careful not to say, 'We have found wisdom!'

God will have to defeat Job; mere man cannot do it.

14 For Job has not directed his words against me,

so I will not answer him with your words.

15 These three men are dumbfounded; they can answer Job no longer;

they have not a word more to say.

16 Should I wait because they are not speaking,

because they stand there silent and answer no more?

17 No, I also will answer on my part;

I will also tell them my knowledge.

18 For I am full of words;

the spirit in me compels me.

19 See, my breast is like fermenting wine that has no vent;

like new wineskins, it is ready to burst.

20 I will speak so that I may be refreshed;

I will open my lips and answer.

21 I will not show favoritism;

neither will I give honorific titles to any man.

22 For I do not know how to give such titles;

if I did so, my Maker would soon take me away.

33

1 So now, Job, I beg you, hear my speech;

listen to all my words.

2 See now, I have opened my mouth;

my tongue has spoken in my mouth.

3 My words come from the uprightness of my heart;

my lips speak pure knowledge.

4 The Spirit of God has made me;

the breath of the Almighty has given me life.

5 If you can, answer me;

set your words in order before me and stand up.

6 See, I am just as you are in God's sight;

I also have been formed out of the clay.

7 See, terror of me will not make you afraid;

neither will my pressure be heavy upon you.

8 You have certainly spoken in my hearing;

I have heard the sound of your words saying,

9 'I am clean and without transgression;

I am innocent, and there is no sin in me.

10 See, God finds opportunities to attack me;

he regards me as his enemy.

11 He puts my feet in stocks;

he watches all my paths.'

12 See, in this you are not right—I will answer you,

for God is greater than man.

13 Why do you struggle against him?

He does not account for any of his doings.

14 For God speaks once—

yes, twice, though man does not notice it.

15 In a dream, in a vision of the night,

when deep sleep falls upon men,

in slumber on the bed—

16 then God opens the ears of men,

and frightens them with threats,

17 in order to pull man back from his sinful purposes,

and keep pride from him.

18 God keeps man's life back from the pit,

his life from crossing over to death.

19 Man is punished also with pain on his bed,

with constant agony in his bones,

20 so that his life abhors food,

and his soul abhors delicacies.

21 His flesh is consumed away so that it cannot be seen;

his bones, once not seen, now stick out.

22 Indeed, his soul draws close to the pit,

his life to those who wish to destroy it.

23 But if there is an angel who can be a mediator for him,

a mediator, one from among the thousands of angels,

to show him what is right to do,

24 and if the angel is kind to him and says to God,

'Save this person from going down to the pit;

I have found a ransom for him,'

25 then his flesh will become fresher than a child's;

he will return to the days of his youthful strength.

26 He will pray to God, and God will be kind to him,

so that he sees God's face with joy.

God will give the person his triumph.

27 Then that person will sing in front of other people and say,

'I sinned and perverted that which was right,

but my sin was not punished.

28 God has rescued my soul from going down into the pit;

my life will continue to see light.'

29 See, God does all these things with a person,

twice, yes, even three times,

30 to bring his soul back from the pit,

so that he may be enlightened with the light of life.

31 Pay attention, Job, and listen to me;

be silent and I will speak.

32 If you have anything to say, answer me;

speak, for I wish to prove that you are in the right.

33 If not, then listen to me;

remain silent, and I will teach you wisdom.”

34

1 Moreover, Elihu continued to speak:

2 “Listen to my words, you wise men;

hear me, you who have knowledge.

3 For the ear tries words

as the palate tastes food.

4 Let us choose for ourselves what is just:

let us discover among ourselves what is good.

5 For Job has said, 'I am righteous,

but God has taken away my rights.

6 Regardless of my rights, I am considered to be a liar.

My wound is incurable, although I am without sin.'

7 What man is like Job,

who drinks up mockery like water,

8 who goes around in the company of those who do evil,

and who walks with wicked men?

9 For he has said, 'It is no use to a person

to take pleasure in doing what God wants.'

10 So listen to me, you men of understanding:

far be it from God that he should do wickedness;

far be it from the Almighty that he should commit sin.

11 For he pays back a person's work;

he makes every man come upon the reward of his own ways.

12 Indeed, God does nothing wicked,

nor does the Almighty ever pervert justice.

13 Who put him in charge over the earth?

Who put the whole world under him?

14 If he ever set his intentions only on himself,

and if he ever gathered back to himself his spirit and his breath,

15 then all flesh would perish together;

mankind would return to dust again.

16 If now you have understanding, listen to this;

listen to the sound of my words.

17 Can one who hates justice govern?

Will you condemn God, who is righteous and mighty?

18 God, who says to a king, 'You are vile,'

or says to nobles, 'You are wicked'?

19 God, who does not show favoritism to leaders

and does not acknowledge rich people more than poor,

for they all are the work of his hands.

20 In a moment they will die;

at midnight people will be shaken and will pass away;

mighty people will be taken away, but not by human hands.

21 For God's eyes are upon a person's ways;

he sees all his steps.

22 There is no darkness, no thick gloom

where the doers of iniquity may hide themselves.

23 For God does not need to examine a person further;

there is no need for any person to go before him in judgment.

24 He breaks mighty men into pieces for their ways that need no further investigation;

he puts others in their places.

25 In this way he has knowledge of their deeds;

he overthrows these people in the night; they are destroyed.

26 In the open sight of others, he kills them for their wicked deeds like criminals

27 because they turned away from following him

and refused to acknowledge any of his ways.

28 In this way, they made the cry of poor people come to him;

he heard the cry of afflicted people.

29 When he stays silent, who can condemn him?

If he hides his face, who can perceive him?

He rules over nation and individual alike,

30 so that a godless man may not rule,

so that there may be no one to entrap people.

31 Suppose someone says to God,

'I am certainly guilty, but I will not sin any longer;

32 teach me what I cannot see;

I have committed sin, but I will do it no longer.'

33 Do you think that God will punish that person's sin, since you dislike what God does?

You must choose, not I.

So say what it is that you know.

34 Men of understanding will say to me—

indeed, every wise man who hears me will say,

35 'Job speaks without knowledge;

his words are without wisdom.'

36 If only Job were put on trial in the smallest details of his case

because of his talking like wicked men.

37 For he adds rebellion to his sin;

he claps his hands in mockery in our midst;

he piles up words against God.”

35

1 Moreover Elihu continued, saying,

2 “Do you think this is just

when you say, 'My right before God'?

3 For you ask, 'What use is it to me?'

and, 'Would I be better off if I had sinned?'

4 I will answer you,

both you and your friends.

5 Look up at the sky, and see it;

see the sky, which is higher than you.

6 If you have sinned, what harm do you do to God?

If your transgressions pile up high, what do you do to him?

7 If you are righteous, what can you give to him?

What will he receive from your hand?

8 Your wickedness may hurt a man, as you are a man,

and your righteousness might benefit another son of man.

9 Because of many acts of oppression, people cry out;

they call for help from the arms of mighty men.

10 But no one says, 'Where is God my Maker,

who gives songs in the night,

11 who teaches us more than he teaches the beasts of the earth,

and who makes us wiser than the birds of the sky?'

12 There they cry out, but God gives no answer

because of the pride of evil men.

13 God will certainly not hear a foolish cry;

the Almighty will pay no attention to it.

14 How much less will he answer you if you say that you do not see him,

that your case is before him, and that you are waiting for him!

15 Now you say that his anger does not punish,

and he does not take even a litte notice of transgression.

16 So Job opens his mouth only to speak foolishness;

he piles up words without knowledge.”

36

1 Elihu continued on and said,

2 “Permit me to speak a little longer, and I will show you some things

because I have a little more to say in defense of God.

3 I will obtain my knowledge from far off;

I will acknowledge that righteousness belongs to my Maker.

4 For indeed, my words will not be false;

someone who is mature in knowledge is with you.

5 See, God is mighty, and despises no one;

he is mighty in strength of understanding.

6 He does not preserve the life of wicked people

but instead does what is right for those who suffer.

7 He does not withdraw his eyes from righteous people

but instead sets them on thrones like kings forever,

and they are lifted up.

8 If they are bound in chains

and trapped in cords of suffering,

9 then he reveals to them what they have done,

and their transgressions and their pride.

10 He also opens their ears to his instruction,

and commands them to turn back from iniquity.

11 If they listen to him and worship him,

they will spend their days in prosperity,

their years in contentment.

12 However, if they do not listen, they will perish by the sword;

they will die because they have no knowledge.

13 Those who are godless in heart store up their anger;

they do not cry out for help even when God ties them up.

14 They die in their youth;

their lives end among the cultic prostitutes.

15 God rescues afflicted people by means of their afflictions;

he opens their ears by means of their oppression.

16 Indeed, he would like to draw you out of distress

into a broad place where there is no hardship

and where your table would be set with food full of fatness.

17 But you are full of judgment on wicked people;

judgment and justice have laid hold of you.

18 Do not let your anger entice you to mockery,

or the greatness of a ransom to turn you aside.

19 Can your wealth benefit you, so that you will not be in distress,

or can all the force of your strength help you?

20 Do not desire the night, to commit sin against others,

when peoples are cut off in their place.

21 Be careful that you do not turn to sin

because you are being tested by suffering so that you will stay away from sinning.

22 See, God is exalted in his power;

who is a teacher like him?

23 Who has ever instructed him about his way?

Who can ever say to him, 'You have committed unrighteousness?'

24 Remember to praise his deeds,

of which people have sung.

25 All people have looked on those deeds,

but they see those deeds only from far away.

26 See, God is great, but we do not understand him well;

the number of his years is incalculable.

27 For he draws up the drops of water

that he distills as rain from his vapor, *

28 which the clouds pour down

and drop in abundance on mankind.

29 Indeed, can anyone understand the extensive spread of the clouds

and the thunder from his hut?

30 See, he spreads his lightning around him

and covers the roots of the sea.

31 In this way he judges the peoples

and gives food in abundance.

32 He fills his hands with the lightning

until he commands it to strike its mark.

33 Its thunder warns of the storm,

the cattle can also hear it is coming.

37

1 Indeed, my heart trembles at this;

it is moved out of its place.

2 Hear, oh, hear the noise of his voice,

the sound that goes out from his mouth.

3 He sends it out under the whole sky,

and he sends out his lightning to the edges of the earth.

4 A voice roars after it;

he thunders with the voice of his majesty;

he does not restrain the lightning bolts when his voice is heard.

5 God thunders marvelously with his voice;

he does great things that we cannot comprehend.

6 For he says to the snow, 'Fall on the earth';

likewise to the rain shower,

'Become a great shower of rain.'

7 He stops the hand of every man from working,

so that all people whom he has made may see his deeds.

8 Then the beasts go into hiding

and stay in their dens.

9 The storm comes from its chamber in the south

and the cold from the scattering winds in the north.

10 By the breath of God ice is given;

the expanse of the waters is frozen like metal.

11 Indeed, he weighs down the thick cloud with moisture;

he scatters his lightning through the clouds.

12 He swirls the clouds around by his guidance,

so that they may do whatever he commands them

above the surface of the whole world.

13 He makes all of this happen; sometimes it happens for correction, sometimes for his land,

and sometimes as acts of covenant faithfulness.

14 Listen to this, Job;

stop and think about God's marvelous deeds.

15 Do you know how God establishes the clouds

and makes the lightning bolts to flash in them?

16 Do you understand the floating of the clouds,

the marvelous deeds of God, who is perfect in knowledge?

17 Do you understand how your garments become hot

when the land is still because the wind comes from the south?

18 Can you spread out the sky as he can—

the sky, which is as strong as a mirror of cast metal?

19 Teach us what we should say to him,

for we cannot lay out our arguments in order because of the darkness of our minds.

20 Should he be told that I wish to speak with him?

Would a person wish to be swallowed up?

21 Now, people cannot look at the sun when it is bright in the sky

after the wind has passed through and has cleared it of its clouds.

22 Out of the north comes golden splendor—

over God is fearsome majesty.

23 As for the Almighty, we cannot find him!

He is great in power;

he does not oppress justice and abundant righteousness.

24 Therefore, people fear him.

He does not pay any attention to those who are wise in their own minds.”

38

1 Then Yahweh called to Job out of a fierce storm and said,

2 “Who is this who brings darkness to plans

by means of words without knowledge?

3 Now gird up your loins like a man

for I will ask you questions, and you must answer me.

4 Where were you when I laid the earth's foundations?

Tell me, if you have so much understanding.

5 Who determined its dimensions? Tell me, if you know.

Who stretched the measuring line over it?

6 On what were its foundations laid?

Who laid its cornerstone

7 when the morning stars sang together

and all the sons of God shouted for joy?

8 Who shut up the sea with doors

when it burst out, as if it had come out of the womb—

9 when I made clouds its clothing,

and thick darkness its swaddling bands?

10 That was when I marked out for the sea my boundary,

and when I placed its bars and doors,

11 and when I said to it, 'You may come this far, but no farther;

here is where I will put a boundary to the pride of your waves.'

12 Have you given orders to the morning,

or caused the dawn to know its place,

13 so that it might take hold of the edges of the earth

and shake the wicked out of it?

14 The earth is changed in appearance like clay changes under a seal;

all things on it stand out clearly like the folds of a piece of clothing.

15 From wicked people their 'light' is taken away;

their uplifted arm is broken.

16 Have you gone to the sources of the waters of the sea?

Have you walked in the lowest parts of the deep?

17 Have the gates of death been revealed to you?

Have you seen the gates of the shadow of death?

18 Have you understood the earth in its expanse?

Tell me, if you know it all.

19 Where is the way to the resting place of light—

as for darkness, where is its place?

20 Can you lead light and darkness to their places of work?

Can you find the way back to their houses for them?

21 Undoubtedly you know, for you were born then;

the number of your days is so large!

22 Have you entered the storehouses for the snow,

or have you seen the storehouses for the hail,

23 these things that I have kept for times of trouble,

for days of battle and war?

24 What is the path to where the lightning bolts are distributed

or to where the winds are scattered from the east over the earth?

25 Who has created the channels for the floods of rain,

or who has made a path for the thunder,

26 to cause it to rain on lands where no person exists,

and on the wilderness, in which there is no one,

27 to satisfy the devastated and desolate places,

and to make the ground sprout with grass?

28 Does the rain have a father,

or, who fathers the drops of dew?

29 Out of whose womb did the ice come?

Who bore the white frost out of the sky?

30 The waters hide themselves and become like stone;

the surface of the deep becomes frozen.

31 Can you fasten chains on the Pleiades,

or undo the cords of Orion?

32 Can you lead the constellations to appear at their proper times?

Can you guide the Bear with its children?

33 Do you know the regulations of the sky?

Could you set in place the sky's rule over the earth?

34 Can you raise your voice up to the clouds,

so that an abundance of rainwater may cover you?

35 Can you send out bolts of lightning that they may go out,

that they say to you, 'Here we are'?

36 Who has put wisdom in the clouds

or has given understanding to the mists?

37 Who can number the clouds by his skill?

Who can pour out the water skins of the sky

38 when the dust runs into a hard mass

and the clods of earth clump tightly together?

39 Can you hunt down a victim for a lioness

or satisfy the appetite of her young lion cubs

40 when they are crouching in their dens

and sheltering in hiding to lie in wait?

41 Who provides victims for the ravens

when their young ones cry out to God

and stagger about for lack of food?

39

1 Do you know at what time the wild goats in the rocks bear their young?

Can you watch when the deer are having their fawns?

2 Can you count the months that they gestate?

Do you know the time when they bear their young?

3 They crouch down and birth their young,

and then they finish their labor pains.

4 Their young ones become strong and grow up in the open fields;

they go out and do not come back again.

5 Who let the wild donkey go free?

Who has untied the bonds of the swift donkey,

6 whose home I have made in the Arabah,

his house in the salt land?

7 He laughs in scorn at the noises in the city;

he does not hear the driver's shouts.

8 He roams over the mountains as his pastures;

there he looks for every green plant to eat.

9 Will the wild ox be happy to serve you?

Will he consent to stay by your manger?

10 Can you use ropes to hold the wild ox in the furrows?

Will he harrow the valleys as he follows after you?

11 Will you trust him because his strength is great?

Will you leave your work to him to do?

12 Will you depend on him to bring your grain home,

to gather the grain for your threshing floor?

13 The wings of the ostrich wave proudly,

but are they the pinions and plumage of love?

14 For she leaves her eggs on the earth,

and she lets them keep warm in the dust;

15 she forgets that a foot might crush them

or that a wild beast might trample them.

16 She deals roughly with her young ones as if they were not hers;

she does not fear that her labor might have been in vain,

17 because God has deprived her of wisdom

and has not given her any understanding.

18 When she runs swiftly,

she laughs in scorn at the horse and its rider.

19 Have you given the horse his strength?

Did you clothe his neck with his flowing mane?

20 Have you ever made him jump like a locust?

The majesty of his snorting is fearsome.

21 He paws in might and rejoices in his strength;

he rushes out to meet the weapons.

22 He mocks fear and is not dismayed;

he does not turn back from the sword.

23 The quiver rattles against his flank,

along with the flashing spear and the javelin.

24 He swallows up ground with fierceness and rage;

at the trumpet's sound, he cannot stand in one place.

25 Whenever the trumpet sounds, he says, 'Aha!'

He smells the battle from far away—

the thunderous shouts of the commanders and the outcries.

26 Is it by your wisdom that the hawk soars,

that he stretches out his wings for the south?

27 Is it at your orders that the eagle mounts up

and makes his nest in high places?

28 He lives on cliffs and makes his home

on the peaks of cliffs, a stronghold.

29 From there he searches for victims;

his eyes see them from very far away.

30 His young also drink up blood;

where killed people are, there he is.”

40

1 Yahweh continued to speak to Job; he said,

2 “Should anyone who wishes to criticize try to correct the Almighty?

He who argues with God, let him answer.”

3 Then Job answered Yahweh and said,

4 “See, I am insignificant; how can I answer you?

I put my hand over my mouth.

5 I spoke once, and I will not answer;

indeed, twice, but I will proceed no further.”

6 Then Yahweh answered Job out of a fierce storm and said,

7 “Now gird up your loins like a man,

for I will ask you questions, and you must answer me.

8 Will you actually say that I am unjust?

Will you condemn me so you may claim you are right?

9 Do you have an arm like God's?

Can you thunder with a voice like him?

10 Now clothe yourself in glory and dignity;

array yourself in honor and majesty.

11 Scatter around the excess of your anger;

look at everyone who is proud and bring him down.

12 Look at everyone who is proud and bring him low;

trample down wicked people where they stand.

13 Bury them in the earth together;

imprison their faces in the hidden place.

14 Then will I also acknowledge about you

that your own right hand can save you.

15 Look now at the behemoth, which I made when I made you;

he eats grass like an ox.

16 See now, his strength is in his loins;

his power is in his belly's muscles.

17 He makes his tail like a cedar;

the sinews of his thighs are joined together.

18 His bones are like tubes of bronze;

his legs are like bars of iron.

19 He is the chief of the creatures of God.

Only God, who made him, can defeat him.

20 For the hills provide him with food;

the beasts of the field play nearby.

21 He lies under the lotus plants

in the shelter of the reeds, in the marshes.

22 The lotus plants cover him with their shade;

the willows of the brook are all around him.

23 See, if a river floods its banks, he does not tremble;

he is confident, though the Jordan should surge up to his mouth.

24 Can anyone capture him with a hook,

or pierce his nose through with a snare?

41

1 Can you draw out Leviathan with a fishhook?

Or tie up his jaws with a cord?

2 Can you put a rope into his nose,

or pierce his jaw through with a hook?

3 Will he make many pleas to you?

Will he speak soft words to you?

4 Will he make a covenant with you,

that you should take him for a servant forever?

5 Will you play with him as you would with a bird?

Will you tie him up for your servant girls?

6 Will the groups of fishermen bargain for him?

Will they divide him up to trade among the merchants?

7 Can you fill his hide with harpoons

or his head with fishing spears?

8 Put your hand on him just once,

and you will remember the battle and do it no more.

9 See, the hope of anyone who does that is a lie;

will not anyone be thrown down to the ground just by the sight of him?

10 None is so fierce that he dare stir Leviathan up;

who, then, is he who can stand before me?

11 Who has first given anything to me in order that I should repay him?

Whatever is under the whole sky is mine.

12 I will not keep silent concerning Leviathan's legs,

nor about the matter of his strength, nor about his graceful form.

13 Who can strip off his outer covering?

Who can penetrate his double armor?

14 Who can open the doors of his face—

ringed with his teeth, which are a terror?

15 his back is made up of rows of shields,

tight together as with a close seal.

16 One is so near to another

that no air can come between them.

17 They are joined to each other;

they stick together, so that they cannot be pulled apart.

18 Light flashes out from his snorting;

his eyes are like the eyelids of the morning dawn.

19 Out of his mouth go burning torches,

sparks of fire leap out.

20 Out of his nostrils goes smoke

like a boiling pot on a fire that has been fanned to be very hot.

21 His breath kindles coals into flame;

fires go out from his mouth.

22 In his neck is strength,

and terror dances in front of him.

23 The folds of his flesh are joined together;

they are firm on him; they cannot be moved.

24 His heart is as hard as a stone—

indeed, as hard as a lower millstone.

25 When he raises himself up, even the gods become afraid;

because of fear, they draw back.

26 If a sword strikes him, it does nothing—

and neither does a spear, an arrow, or any other pointed weapon.

27 He thinks of iron as if it were straw,

and of bronze as if it were rotten wood.

28 An arrow cannot make him flee;

to him sling stones become chaff.

29 Clubs are regarded as straw;

he laughs at the whirring flight of a spear.

30 His lower parts are like sharp pieces of broken pottery;

he leaves a spreading trail in the mud as if he were a threshing sledge.

31 He makes the deep to foam up like a pot of boiling water;

he makes the sea like a pot of ointment.

32 He makes a shining wake behind him;

one would think the deep had gray hair.

33 On earth there is no equal to him,

who has been made to live without fear.

34 He sees everything that is proud;

he is king over all the sons of pride.”

42

1 Then Job answered Yahweh and said,

2 “I know that you can do all things,

that no purpose of yours can be stopped.

3 'Who is this who without knowledge conceals plans?'

Indeed, I have spoken things that I did not understand,

things too difficult for me to understand, which I did not know about.

4 You said to me, 'Listen, now, and I will speak;

I will ask you things, and you will tell me.'

5 I had heard about you by my ear's hearing,

but now my eye sees you.

6 So I despise myself;

I repent in dust and ashes.”

7 It came about that after he had said these words to Job, Yahweh said to Eliphaz the Temanite, “My wrath is kindled against you and against your two friends, for you have not spoken of me what is right, as my servant Job has done. 8 Now therefore, take for yourselves seven bulls and seven rams, go to my servant Job, and offer up for yourselves a burnt offering. My servant Job will pray for you, and I will accept his prayer, so that I may not deal with you after your folly. You have not said what is right about me, as my servant Job has done.” 9 So Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite went and did as Yahweh had commanded them, and Yahweh accepted Job.

10 When Job prayed for his friends, Yahweh restored his fortunes. Yahweh gave him twice as much as he had possessed before. 11 Then all Job's brothers, and all his sisters, and all who knew him before, came to him and ate food with him in his house. They showed him sympathy and comforted him for all the disasters that Yahweh had brought upon him, and each of them gave Job a piece of silver and a ring of gold. 12 Yahweh blessed the final end of Job's life more than the first; he had fourteen thousand sheep, six thousand camels, one thousand yoke of oxen, and one thousand female donkeys. 13 He also had seven sons and three daughters. 14 He named the first daughter Jemimah, the second Keziah, and the third Keren-Happuch. 15 In all the land no women were found as beautiful as Job's daughters. Their father gave them an inheritance along with their brothers. 16 After this, Job lived 140 years; he saw his sons and his sons' sons, up to four generations. 17 Then Job died, being old and full of days.

* 15:30 Several modern versions leave out He will not depart out of darkness , because they believe that this expression was mistakenly copied from 15:22.

† 15:30 The Hebrew text has He will go away by the breath of his mouth , which some modern versions, including the ULB and UDB, interpret as meaning the breath of God's mouth. However, other modern versions follow an ancient Greek reading, his flower will fall with the wind .

* 17:11 Some modern versions have My days are past, as are my plans. The wishes of my heart are finished or ... the strings of my heart have been broken . Others have My days are past; my plans are over, as are the wishes of my heart

* 23:2 Some copies have: his hand

* 30:22 Some modern versions have you dissolve me in a storm .

* 36:27 Some modern versions have that distill as rain from his vapor .

Psalms

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Psalms

Book One

1

1 Blessed is the man who does not walk in the advice of the wicked,

or stand in the pathway with sinners,

or sit in the assembly of mockers.

2 But his delight is in the law of Yahweh,

and on his law he meditates day and night.

3 He will be like a tree planted by the streams of water

that produces its fruit in its season,

whose leaves do not wither;

whatever he does will prosper.

4 The wicked are not so,

but are instead like the chaff that the wind drives away.

5 So the wicked will not stand in the judgment,

nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.

6 For Yahweh approves of the way of the righteous,

but the way of the wicked will perish.

2

1 Why are the nations in turmoil,

and why do the peoples make plots that will fail?

2 The kings of the earth take their stand together

and the rulers conspire together

against Yahweh and against his Messiah, saying,

3 “Let us tear off the shackles they put on us

and throw off their chains.”

4 He who sits in the heavens will sneer at them;

the Lord mocks them.

5 Then he will speak to them in his anger

and terrify them in his rage, saying,

6 “I myself have anointed my king

on Zion, my holy mountain.”

7 I will announce a decree of Yahweh.

He said to me, “You are my son!

This day I have become your father.

8 Ask me, and I will give you the nations for your inheritance

and the farthermost regions of the earth for your possession.

9 You will break them with an iron rod;

like a jar of a potter, you will smash them to pieces.”

10 So now, you kings, be warned;

be corrected, you rulers of the earth.

11 Worship Yahweh in fear

and rejoice with trembling.

12 Kiss the son or he will be angry with you,

and you will die in the way when his anger burns for just a moment.

How blessed are all those who seek refuge in him.

3

A psalm of David, when he fled from Absalom his son.

1 Yahweh, how many are my enemies!

Many have risen against me.

2 Many say about me,

“There is no help for him from God.”

Selah

3 But you, Yahweh, are a shield around me,

my glory, and the one who lifts up my head.

4 I lift up my voice to Yahweh,

and he answers me from his holy hill.

Selah

5 I lay down and slept;

I awoke, for Yahweh protected me.

6 I will not be afraid of the multitudes of people

who have set themselves against me on every side.

7 Rise up, Yahweh! Save me, my God!

For you will hit all my enemies on the jaw;

you will break the teeth of the wicked.

8 Salvation comes from Yahweh.

May your blessings be on your people.

Selah

4

For the chief musician; on stringed instruments. A psalm of David.

1 Answer me when I call, God of my righteousness;

give me room when I am hemmed in.

Have mercy on me and listen to my prayer.

2 You people, how long will you turn my honor into shame?

How long will you love that which is worthless and seek after lies?

Selah

3 But know that Yahweh sets apart the godly for himself.

Yahweh will hear when I call to him.

4 Tremble in fear, but do not sin!

Meditate in your heart on your bed and be silent.

Selah

5 Offer the sacrifices of righteousness

and put your trust in Yahweh.

6 Many say, “Who will show us anything good?”

Yahweh, lift up the light of your face on us.

7 You have given my heart more gladness

than others have when their grain and new wine abound.

8 It is in peace that I will lie down and sleep,

for you alone, Yahweh, make me safe and secure.

5

For the chief musician; with wind instruments. A psalm of David.

1 Listen to my call to you, Yahweh;

think about my groanings.

2 Listen to the sound of my call, my King and my God,

for it is to you that I pray.

3 Yahweh, in the morning you hear my cry;

in the morning I will bring my petition to you and wait expectantly.

4 Certainly you are not a God who approves of evil;

evil people will not be your guests.

5 The arrogant will not stand in your presence;

you hate all who behave wickedly.

6 You will destroy liars;

Yahweh despises violent and deceitful men.

7 But as for me, because of your great covenant faithfulness, I will come into your house;

in reverence I will bow down toward your holy temple.

8 Oh Lord, lead me in your righteousness because of my enemies;

make your path straight before me.

9 For there is no truth in their mouth;

their inward being is wicked;

their throat is an open tomb;

they flatter with their tongue.

10 Declare them guilty, God;

may their schemes be their downfall!

Drive them out for their many transgressions,

for they have rebelled against you.

11 But may all those who take refuge in you rejoice;

let them always shout for joy because you defend them;

let them be joyful in you, those who love your name.

12 For you will bless the righteous, Yahweh;

you will surround them with favor as with a shield.

6

For the chief musician; on stringed instruments, set to the Sheminith style. A psalm of David.

1 Yahweh, do not rebuke me in your anger

or discipline me in your wrath.

2 Have mercy on me, Yahweh, for I am frail;

heal me, Yahweh, for my bones are shaking.

3 My soul also is very troubled.

But you, Yahweh—how long will this continue?

4 Return, Yahweh! rescue me.

Save me because of your covenant faithfulness!

5 For in death there is no remembrance of you.

In Sheol who will give you thanks?

6 I am weary with my groaning.

All night I drench my bed with tears;

I wash my couch away with my tears.

7 My eyes grow dim from grief;

they grow weak because of all my adversaries.

8 Get away from me, all you who practice iniquity;

for Yahweh has heard the sound of my weeping.

9 Yahweh has heard my appeal for mercy;

Yahweh has accepted my prayer.

10 All my enemies will be ashamed and greatly troubled.

They will turn back and be suddenly humiliated.

7

A musical composition of David, which he sang to Yahweh concerning the words of Cush the Benjamite.

1 Yahweh my God, I take refuge in you!

Save me from all who chase me, and rescue me.

2 Otherwise, they will rip me apart like a lion,

tearing me in pieces with no one else able to bring me to safety.

3 Yahweh my God, if I have done this,

and there is guilt on my hands—

4 if I have done evil to him who was at peace with me,

or senselessly harmed my enemy without cause, then hear my words.

5 Then let my enemy pursue my life and overtake me;

let him trample my life to the ground

and lay my honor in the dust.

Selah

6 Arise, Yahweh, in your anger;

stand up against the rage of my enemies;

wake up for my sake and carry out the righteous decrees that you have commanded for them.

7 The countries are assembled all around you;

take once more your rightful place over them.

8 Yahweh, judge the nations;

vindicate me, Yahweh, because I am righteous and innocent, Most High.

9 May the evil deeds of the wicked come to an end, but establish the righteous people,

righteous God, you who examine hearts and minds.

10 My shield comes from God,

the one who saves the upright in heart.

11 God is a righteous judge,

a God who is indignant each day.

12 If a person does not repent, God will sharpen his sword

and will prepare his bow for battle.

13 He prepares to use weapons against him;

he makes his arrows flaming shafts.

14 Think about the one who is pregnant with wickedness,

who conceives destructive plans, who gives birth to harmful lies.

15 He digs a pit and hollows it out

and then falls into the hole he has made.

16 His own destructive plans return to his own head,

for his violence comes down on his own head.

17 I will give thanks to Yahweh for his justice;

I will sing praise to Yahweh Most High.

8

For the chief musician; set to the gittith style. A psalm of David.

1 Yahweh our Lord, how magnificent is your name in all the earth,

you who reveal your glory in the heavens above.

2 Out of the mouth of babies and infants you have established praise *

because of your enemies,

so that you might silence both the enemy and the avenger.

3 When I look up at your heavens, which your fingers have made,

the moon and the stars, which you have set in place,

4 Of what importance is the human race that you notice them,

or mankind that you pay attention to them?

5 Yet you have made them only a little lower than the heavenly beings

and have crowned them with glory and honor.

6 You make him to rule over the works of your hands;

you have put all things under his feet:

7 all sheep and oxen,

and even the animals of the field,

8 the birds of the heavens, and the fish of the sea,

everything that passes through the currents of the seas.

9 Yahweh our Lord,

how magnificent is your name in all the earth!

9

For the chief musician; set to Muth Labben style. A psalm of David.

1 I will give thanks to Yahweh with my whole heart;

I will tell about all your marvelous deeds.

2 I will be glad and rejoice in you;

I will sing praise to your name, Most High!

3 When my enemies turn back,

they stumble and perish before you.

4 For you have defended my just cause;

you sit on your throne, a righteous judge!

5 You rebuked the nations;

you have destroyed the wicked;

you have blotted out their name forever and ever.

6 The enemy crumbled like ruins

when you overthrew their cities.

All remembrance of them has perished.

7 But Yahweh remains forever;

he has established his throne for justice.

8 He will judge the world with righteousness,

and he will execute judgment for the nations with fairness.

9 Yahweh also will be a stronghold for the oppressed,

a stronghold in times of trouble.

10 Those who know your name trust in you,

for you, Yahweh, do not abandon those who seek you.

11 Sing praises to Yahweh, who rules in Zion;

tell the nations what he has done.

12 For the God who avenges bloodshed remembers;

he does not forget the cry of the oppressed.

13 Have mercy on me, Yahweh; see how I am oppressed by those who hate me,

you who can snatch me from the gates of death.

14 Oh, that I might proclaim all your praise.

In the gates of the daughter of Zion

I will rejoice in your salvation!

15 The nations have sunk down into the pit that they made;

their feet are caught in the net that they hid.

16 Yahweh has made himself known; he has executed judgment;

the wicked is ensnared by his own actions.

Selah

17 The wicked are turned back and sent to Sheol,

all the nations that forget God.

18 For the needy will not always be forgotten,

nor will the hope of the oppressed be forever dashed.

19 Arise, Yahweh; do not let man win against you;

may the nations be judged in your sight.

20 Terrify them, Yahweh;

may the nations know that they are mere men.

Selah

10

1 Why, Yahweh, do you stand far off?

Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble?

2 Because of their arrogance, wicked people chase the oppressed;

but please let the wicked be trapped by their own schemes that they have devised.

3 For the wicked person boasts of his deepest desires;

he blesses the greedy and insults Yahweh.

4 The wicked man has a raised face; he does not seek God.

He never thinks about God because he does not care at all about him.

5 He is secure at all times,

but your righteous decrees are too high for him;

he snorts at all his enemies.

6 He says in his heart,” I will never fail;

throughout all generations I will not meet adversity.”

7 His mouth is full of cursing and deceptive, harmful words;

his tongue injures and destroys.

8 He waits in ambush near the villages;

in the secret places he murders the innocent;

his eyes look for some helpless victim.

9 He lurks in secret like a lion in the thicket;

he lies in wait to catch the oppressed.

He catches the oppressed when he pulls in his net.

10 His victims are crushed and beaten down;

they fall into his strong nets.

11 He says in his heart, “God has forgotten;

he covers his face; he will not bother to look.”

12 Arise, Yahweh! Lift up your hand, God!

Do not forget the oppressed.

13 Why does the wicked man reject God

and say in his heart, “You will not hold me accountable”?

14 You have taken notice, for you always see the one who inflicts the misery and sorrow.

The helpless entrusts himself to you;

you rescue the fatherless.

15 Break the arm of the wicked and evil man.

Make him account for his evil deeds,

which he thought you would not discover.

16 Yahweh is King forever and ever;

the nations are driven out of his land.

17 Yahweh, you have heard the needs of the oppressed;

you strengthen their heart, you listen to their prayer;

18 You defend the fatherless and the oppressed

so that no man on the earth will cause terror again.

11

For the chief musician. A psalm of David.

1 I take refuge in Yahweh;

how will you say to me,

“Flee like a bird to the mountain”?

2 For see! The wicked prepare their bows.

They make ready their arrows on the strings

to shoot in the darkness at the upright in heart.

3 For if the foundations are ruined,

what can the righteous do?

4 Yahweh is in his holy temple;

his eyes watch, his eyes examine the children of mankind.

5 Yahweh examines both the righteous and the wicked,

but he hates those who love to do violence.

6 He rains burning coals and brimstone upon the wicked;

a scorching wind will be their portion from his cup!

7 For Yahweh is righteous, and he loves righteousness;

the upright will see his face.

12

For the chief musician; set to the Sheminith. A psalm of David.

1 Help, Yahweh, for the godly have disappeared;

the faithful have vanished.

2 Everyone says empty words to his neighbor;

everyone speaks with flattering lips and a double heart.

3 Yahweh, cut off all flattering lips,

every tongue declaring great things.

4 These are those who have said, “With our tongues will we prevail.

When our lips speak, who can be master over us?”

5 “Because of violence against the poor, because of the groans of the needy,

I will arise,” says Yahweh.

“I will provide the safety for which they long.”

6 The words of Yahweh are pure words,

like silver purified in a furnace on the earth,

refined seven times.

7 You are Yahweh! You keep them.

You preserve the godly people from this wicked generation and forever.

8 The wicked walk on every side

when evil is exalted among the children of mankind.

13

For the chief musician. A psalm of David.

1 How long, Yahweh, will you keep forgetting about me?

How long will you hide your face from me?

2 How long must I worry

and have grief in my heart all day?

How long will my enemy triumph over me?

3 Look at me and answer me, Yahweh my God!

Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep in death.

4 Do not let my enemy say, “I have defeated him,”

so that my enemy may not say, “I have prevailed over my adversary”; otherwise, my enemies will rejoice when I am brought down.

5 But I have trusted in your covenant faithfulness;

my heart rejoices in your salvation.

6 I will sing to Yahweh

because he has treated me very generously.

14

For the chief musician. A psalm of David.

1 A fool says in his heart, “There is no God.”

They are corrupt and have done abominable iniquity;

there is no one who does good.

2 Yahweh looks down from heaven on the children of mankind

to see if there are any who understand,

who seek after him.

3 They have all turned away. Together they have become corrupt.

There is no one who does good, no, not one.

4 Do they not know anything, those who commit iniquity,

those who eat up my people as they eat bread,

but who do not call on Yahweh?

5 They tremble with dread,

for God is with the righteous assembly!

6 You want to humiliate the poor person

even though Yahweh is his refuge.

7 Oh, that the salvation of Israel would come from Zion!

When Yahweh brings back his people from the captivity,

then Jacob will rejoice and Israel will be glad!

15

A psalm of David.

1 Yahweh, who may stay in your tabernacle?

Who may live on your holy hill?

2 Whoever walks blamelessly, does what is right

and speaks truth from his heart.

3 He does not slander with his tongue,

he does not harm others,

and he does not insult his neighbor.

4 The worthless person is despised in his eyes,

but he honors those who fear Yahweh.

He swears to his own disadvantage and does not take back his promises.

5 He does not charge interest when he lends money.

He does not take bribes to testify against the innocent.

He who does these things will never be shaken.

16

A michtam of David.

1 Protect me, God, for I take refuge in you.

2 I say to Yahweh, “You are my Lord; my goodness is nothing apart from you.

3 As for the holy people who are on the earth, they are noble people; all my delight is in them.

4 Their troubles will be increased, those who seek out other gods. I will not pour out drink offerings of blood to their gods

or lift up their names with my lips.

5 Yahweh, you are my chosen portion and my cup. You hold onto my lot.

6 Measuring lines have been laid for me in pleasant places; surely a pleasing inheritance is mine.

7 I will bless Yahweh, who counsels me; even at night my mind instructs me.

8 I set Yahweh before me at all times, so I will not be shaken from his right hand!

9 Therefore my heart is glad; my glory is rejoicing. Surely I will live in security.

10 For you will not abandon my soul to Sheol. You will not let your faithful one see the pit.

11 You teach me the path of life; abundant joy resides in your presence; delights abide in your right hand forever!”

17

A prayer of David.

1 Listen to my plea for justice, Yahweh; pay attention to my call for help!

Give ear to my prayer from lips without deceit.

2 Let my vindication come from your presence; let your eyes see what is right!

3 If you test my heart, if you come to me in the night,

you will purify me and will not find any evil plans; my mouth will not transgress.

4 As for the deeds of mankind, it is at the word of your lips that I have kept myself from the ways of the lawless.

5 My steps have held firmly to your tracks; my feet have not slipped.

6 I call to you, for you answer me, God; turn your ear to me and listen when I speak.

7 Show your covenant faithfulness in a wonderful way, you who save by your right hand those who take refuge in you from their enemies!

8 Protect me like the apple of your eye; hide me under the shadow of your wings

9 from the presence of the wicked ones who assault me, my enemies who surround me.

10 They have no mercy on anyone; their mouths speak with pride.

11 They have surrounded my steps. They set their eyes to strike me to the ground.

12 They are like a lion eager for a victim, like a young lion crouching in hidden places.

13 Arise, Yahweh! Attack them! Throw them down on their faces! Rescue my life from the wicked by your sword!

14 Rescue me from men by your hand, Yahweh, from men of this world whose prosperity is in this life alone!

You will fill the bellies of your treasured ones with riches; they will have many children and will leave their wealth to their children.

15 As for me, I will see your face in righteousness; I will be satisfied, when I awake, with a sight of you.

18

For the chief musician. A psalm of David, the servant of Yahweh, when he sang to Yahweh the words of this song on the day that Yahweh rescued him from the hand of all his enemies and from the hand of Saul. He sang:

1 I love you, Yahweh, my strength.

2 Yahweh is my rock, my fortress, the one who brings me to safety; he is my God, my rock; I take refuge in him.

He is my shield, the horn of my salvation, and my stronghold.

3 I will call on Yahweh who is worthy to be praised, and I will be saved from my enemies.

4 The cords of death surrounded me, and the rushing waters of worthlessness overwhelmed me.

5 The cords of Sheol surrounded me; the snares of death trapped me.

6 In my distress I called to Yahweh; I called for help to my God. He heard my voice from his temple;

my call for help went into his presence; it went into his ears.

7 Then the earth shook and trembled; the foundations of the mountains also trembled

and were shaken because God was angry.

8 Smoke went up from out of his nostrils, and blazing fire came out of his mouth. Coals were ignited by it.

9 He opened the heavens and came down, and thick darkness was under his feet.

10 He rode on a cherub and flew; he glided on the wings of the wind.

11 He made darkness a tent around him, heavy rainclouds in the skies.

12 Hailstones and coals of fire fell from the lightning before him.

13 Yahweh thundered in the heavens! The voice of the Most High shouted. *

14 He shot his arrows and scattered his enemies; many lightning bolts dispersed them.

15 Then the water channels appeared;

the foundations of the world were laid bare

at your rebuke, Yahweh,

at the blast of the breath of your nostrils.

16 He reached down from above; he took hold of me! He pulled me out of the surging water.

17 He rescued me from my strong enemy, from those who hated me, for they were too strong for me.

18 They came against me on the day of my distress but Yahweh was my support!

19 He set me free in a wide open place; he saved me because he was pleased with me.

20 Yahweh has rewarded me because of my righteousness; he has restored me because my hands were clean.

21 For I have kept the ways of Yahweh and have not wickedly turned away from my God.

22 For all his righteous decrees have been before me; as for his statutes, I have not turned away from them.

23 I have also been innocent before him, and I have kept myself from sin.

24 Therefore Yahweh has restored me because of my righteousness, because my hands were clean before his eyes.

25 To anyone who is faithful, you show yourself to be faithful;

to a man who is blameless, you show yourself to be blameless.

26 To anyone who is pure, you show yourself pure; but you are clever toward anyone who is twisted.

27 For you save afflicted people, but you bring down those with proud, uplifted eyes!

28 For you give light to my lamp; Yahweh my God lights up my darkness.

29 For by you I can run over a barricade; by my God I can leap over a wall.

30 As for God—his way is perfect! The word of Yahweh is pure!

He is a shield to everyone who takes refuge in him.

31 For who is God except Yahweh? Who is a rock except our God?

32 It is God who puts strength on me like a belt, who places the blameless person on his path.

33 He makes my feet swift like a deer and places me on the heights!

34 He trains my hands for war and my arms to bend a bow of bronze.

35 You have given me the shield of your salvation. Your right hand has supported me, and your favor has made me great.

36 You have made a wide place for my feet beneath me so that my feet have not slipped.

37 I pursued my enemies and caught them; I did not turn back until they were destroyed.

38 I smashed them so that they were unable to rise; they have fallen under my feet.

39 For you put strength on me like a belt for battle; you put under me those who rise up against me.

40 You gave me the back of my enemies' necks; I annihilated those who hated me.

41 They called for help, but no one saved them; they called out to Yahweh, but he did not answer them.

42 I beat them into fine pieces like dust before the wind; I threw them out like mud in the streets.

43 You rescued me from the disputes of people. You have made me the head over nations. People that I have not known serve me.

44 As soon as they heard of me, they obeyed me; foreigners were forced to bow to me.

45 The foreigners came trembling out of their strongholds.

46 Yahweh lives; may my rock be praised. May the God of my salvation be exalted.

47 He is the God who executes vengeance for me, who subdues the nations under me.

48 I am set free from my enemies! Indeed, you lifted me above the ones who rose against me! You rescued me from violent men.

49 Therefore I will give thanks to you, Yahweh, among the nations; I will sing praises to your name!

50 God gives great victory to his king, and he shows his covenant loyalty to his anointed one, to David and to his descendants forever.

19

For the chief musician. A psalm of David.

1 The heavens declare the glory of God,

and the skies make his handiwork known!

2 Day after day speech pours out;

night after night it reveals knowledge.

3 There is no speech or spoken words;

their voice is not heard.

4 Yet their words go out over all the earth,

and their speech to the end of the world.

He has pitched a tent for the sun among them.

5 The sun is like a bridegroom coming out of his chamber

and like a strong man who rejoices when he runs his race.

6 The sun rises from the one horizon

and crosses the sky to the other;

nothing escapes its heat.

7 The law of Yahweh is perfect, restoring the soul;

the testimony of Yahweh is reliable, making the simple wise.

8 The instructions of Yahweh are right, making the heart glad;

the commandment of Yahweh is pure, bringing light to the eyes.

9 The fear of Yahweh is pure, enduring forever;

the righteous decrees of Yahweh are true and altogether right!

10 They are of greater value than gold, even more than much fine gold;

they are sweeter than honey and the dripping honey from the honeycomb.

11 Yes, by them your servant is warned;

in obeying them there is great reward.

12 Who can discern all his own errors?

Cleanse me from hidden faults.

13 Keep your servant also from arrogant sins;

let them not rule over me.

Then I will be perfect,

and I will be innocent from many transgressions.

14 May the words of my mouth and the thoughts of my heart

be acceptable in your sight,

Yahweh, my rock and my redeemer.

20

For the chief musician. A psalm of David.

1 May Yahweh help you in the day of trouble;

may the name of the God of Jacob protect you

2 and send help from the holy place

to support you from Zion.

3 May he call to mind all your offerings

and accept your burnt sacrifice.

Selah

4 May he grant you your heart's desire

and fulfill all your plans.

5 Then we will rejoice in your victory,

and, in the name of our God, we will raise banners.

May Yahweh grant all your petitions.

6 Now I know that Yahweh will rescue his anointed one;

he will answer him from his holy heaven

with the strength of his right hand that can rescue him.

7 Some trust in chariots and others in horses,

but we call on Yahweh our God.

8 They will be brought down and fall,

but we will rise and stand upright!

9 Yahweh, rescue the king;

help us when we call.

21

For the chief musician. A psalm of David.

1 The king rejoices in your strength, Yahweh!

How greatly he rejoices in the salvation you provide!

2 You have given him his heart's desire

and have not held back the request of his lips.

Selah

3 For you bring him rich blessings;

you placed on his head a crown of purest gold.

4 He asked you for life; you gave it to him;

you gave him long days forever and ever.

5 His glory is great because of your victory;

you have bestowed on him splendor and majesty.

6 For you grant him lasting blessings;

you make him glad with the joy of your presence.

7 For the king trusts in Yahweh;

through the covenant faithfulness of the Most High he will not be moved.

8 Your hand will seize all your enemies;

your right hand will seize those who hate you.

9 At the time of your anger, you will burn them up as in a fiery furnace.

Yahweh will consume them in his wrath,

and the fire will devour them.

10 You will destroy their offspring from the earth

and their descendants from among the human race.

11 For they intended evil against you;

they conceived a plot with which they will not succeed!

12 For you will turn them back;

you will draw your bow before them.

13 Be exalted, Yahweh, in your strength;

we will sing and praise your power.

22

For the chief musician; set to “The rhythm of the deer.” A psalm of David.

1 My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?

Why are you so far from saving me and far from the words of my anguish?

2 My God, I cry out in the daytime, but you do not answer,

and at night I am not silent!

3 Yet you are holy;

you sit as king with the praises of Israel.

4 Our ancestors trusted in you;

they trusted in you, and you rescued them.

5 They cried to you and they were rescued.

They trusted in you and were not disappointed.

6 But I am a worm and not a man,

a disgrace to humanity and despised by the people.

7 All those who see me taunt me;

they mock me; they shake their heads at me.

8 They say, “He trusts in Yahweh;

let Yahweh rescue him.

Let him rescue him, for he delights in him.”

9 For you brought me from the womb;

you made me trust you when I was on my mother's breasts.

10 I have been thrown on you from the womb;

you are my God since I was in my mother's womb!

11 Do not be far away from me, for trouble is near;

there is no one to help.

12 Many bulls surround me;

strong bulls of Bashan surround me.

13 They open their mouths wide against me

like a roaring lion ripping its victim.

14 I am being poured out like water,

and all my bones are dislocated.

My heart is like wax;

it melts away within my inner parts.

15 My strength has dried up like a piece of pottery;

my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth.

You have laid me in the dust of death.

16 For dogs have surrounded me;

a company of evildoers has encircled me;

they have pierced my hands and my feet.

17 I can count all my bones.

They look and stare at me.

18 They divide my garments among themselves,

they cast lots for my clothes.

19 Do not be far away, Yahweh;

please hurry to help me, my strength!

20 Rescue my soul from the sword,

my only life from the claws of wild dogs.

21 Save me from the lion's mouth;

rescue me from the horns of the wild oxen.

22 I will declare your name to my brothers;

in the midst of the assembly I will praise you.

23 You who fear Yahweh, praise him!

All you descendants of Jacob, honor him!

Stand in awe of him, all you descendants of Israel!

24 For he has not despised or abhorred the suffering of the afflicted one;

Yahweh has not hidden his face from him;

when the afflicted one cried to him, he heard.

25 My praise will be because of you in the great assembly;

I will fulfill my vows before those who fear him.

26 The oppressed will eat and be satisfied;

those who seek Yahweh will praise him.

May your hearts live forever.

27 All the peoples of the earth will remember and turn to Yahweh;

all the families of the nations will bow down before you.

28 For the kingdom is Yahweh's;

he is the ruler over the nations.

29 All the prosperous people of the earth will feast and will worship;

all those who are descending into the dust will bow before him,

those who cannot preserve their own lives.

30 A generation to come will serve him;

they will tell the next generation of the Lord.

31 They will come and tell of his righteousness;

they will tell to a people not yet born what he has done!

23

A psalm of David.

1 Yahweh is my shepherd; I will lack nothing.

2 He makes me to lie down in green pastures;

he leads me beside tranquil water.

3 He brings back my life;

he guides me along right paths for his name's sake.

4 Even though I walk through a valley of darkest shadow,

I will not fear harm since you are with me;

your rod and your staff comfort me.

5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;

you have anointed my head with oil;

my cup runs over.

6 Surely goodness and covenant faithfulness will pursue me all the days of my life;

and I will live in the house of Yahweh for a very long time!

24

A psalm of David.

1 The earth is Yahweh's, and its fullness,

the world, and all who live in it.

2 For he has founded it upon the seas

and established it on the rivers.

3 Who will ascend the mountain of Yahweh?

Who will stand in his holy place?

4 He who has clean hands and a pure heart;

who has not lifted up a falsehood,

and has not sworn an oath in order to deceive.

5 He will receive a blessing from Yahweh

and righteousness from the God of his salvation.

6 Such is the generation of those who seek him,

those who seek the face of the God of Jacob.

Selah

7 Lift up your heads, you gates;

be lifted up, everlasting doors,

so that the King of glory may come in!

8 Who is this King of glory?

Yahweh, strong and mighty; Yahweh, mighty in battle.

9 Lift up your heads, you gates;

be lifted up, everlasting doors,

so that the King of glory may come in!

10 Who is this King of glory?

Yahweh of hosts,

he is the King of glory.

Selah

25

A psalm of David.

1 To you, Yahweh, I lift up my life!

2 My God, I trust in you.

Do not let me be humiliated;

do not let my enemies rejoice triumphantly over me.

3 May no one who hopes in you be disgraced

may those who act treacherously without cause be ashamed!

4 Make known to me your ways, Yahweh;

teach me your paths.

5 Guide me into your truth and teach me,

for you are the God of my salvation;

I hope in you all day long.

6 Call to mind, Yahweh, your acts of compassion and of covenant faithfulness;

for they have always existed.

7 Do not think about the sins of my youth or my rebelliousness;

Call me to mind with covenant faithfulness because of your goodness, Yahweh!

8 Yahweh is good and upright;

therefore he teaches sinners the way.

9 He guides the humble in what is right

and he teaches them his way.

10 All the paths of Yahweh are steadfast love and faithfulness

to those who keep his covenant and his solemn commands.

11 For your name's sake, Yahweh,

pardon my sin, for it is great.

12 Who is the man who fears Yahweh?

The Lord will instruct him in the way that he should choose.

13 His life will go along in goodness;

and his descendants will inherit the land.

14 The friendship of Yahweh is for those who honor him,

and he makes his covenant known to them.

15 My eyes are always on Yahweh,

for he will free my feet from the net.

16 Turn toward me and have mercy on me;

for I am alone and afflicted.

17 The troubles of my heart are enlarged;

draw me out from my distress!

18 See my affliction and my toils;

forgive all my sins.

19 See my enemies, for they are many;

they hate me with cruel hatred.

20 Protect my life and rescue me;

do not let me be humiliated, for I take refuge in you!

21 May integrity and uprightness preserve me,

for I hope in you.

22 Rescue Israel, God,

from all of his troubles!

26

A psalm of David.

1 Judge me, Yahweh, for I have walked with integrity;

I have trusted in Yahweh without wavering.

2 Examine me, Yahweh, and test me;

test the purity of my inner parts and my heart!

3 For your covenant faithfulness is before my eyes,

and I walk about in your faithfulness.

4 I do not associate with deceitful people,

nor do I mingle with dishonest people.

5 I hate the assembly of evildoers,

and I do not live with the wicked.

6 I wash my hands in innocence,

and I go around your altar, Yahweh,

7 to sing a loud song of praise

and report all your wonderful deeds.

8 Yahweh, I love the house where you live,

the place where your glory lives!

9 Do not sweep me away with sinners,

or my life with people who are bloodthirsty,

10 in whose hands there is a plot,

and whose right hand is full of bribes.

11 But as for me, I will walk in integrity;

redeem me and have mercy on me.

12 My foot stands on level ground;

in the assemblies will I bless Yahweh!

27

A psalm of David.

1 Yahweh is my light and my salvation;

whom should I fear?

Yahweh is my life's refuge;

whom should I dread?

2 When evildoers approached me to devour my flesh,

my adversaries and my enemies stumbled and fell.

3 Though an army encamps against me,

my heart will not fear;

though war rises up against me,

even then I will remain confident.

4 One thing have I asked of Yahweh, and I will seek that:

that I may live in the house of Yahweh all the days of my life,

to see the beauty of Yahweh

and to meditate in his temple.

5 For in the day of trouble he will hide me in his shelter;

in the cover of his tent he will conceal me.

He will lift me high on a rock!

6 Then my head will be lifted up above my enemies all around me,

and I will offer sacrifices of joy in his tent!

I will sing and make songs to Yahweh!

7 Hear, Yahweh, my voice when I cry out!

Have mercy on me, and answer me!

8 My heart says about you,

“Seek his face!” I seek your face, Yahweh!

9 Do not hide your face from me;

do not turn your servant away in anger!

You have been my helper;

do not forsake me or abandon me, God of my salvation!

10 Even if my father and my mother forsake me,

Yahweh will take me in.

11 Teach me your way, Yahweh!

Lead me on a level path

because of my enemies.

12 Do not give me up to the desires of my enemies,

for false witnesses have risen up against me,

and they breathe out violence!

13 What would have happened to me if I had not believed that I would see the goodness of Yahweh in the land of the living?

14 Wait for Yahweh;

be strong, and let your heart be courageous!

Wait for Yahweh!

28

A psalm of David.

1 To you, Yahweh, I cry out; my rock, do not ignore me.

If you do not respond to me, I will join those who go down to the grave.

2 Hear the sound of my pleading when I call for help from you,

when I lift up my hands toward your most holy place!

3 Do not drag me away with the wicked, those who do iniquity,

who speak peace with their neighbors but have evil in their hearts.

4 Give them what their deeds deserve and repay them what their wickedness demands,

repay them for the work of their hands and render to them their due.

5 Because they do not understand the deeds of Yahweh or the work of his hands,

he will tear them down and never rebuild them.

6 Blessed be Yahweh

because he has heard the sound of my pleading!

7 Yahweh is my strength and my shield;

my heart trusts in him, and I am helped.

Therefore my heart greatly rejoices,

and I will praise him with singing.

8 Yahweh is the strength of his people,

and he is the saving refuge of his anointed one.

9 Save your people and bless your inheritance.

Be their shepherd and carry them forever.

29

A psalm of David.

1 Ascribe to Yahweh, you sons of God,

ascribe to Yahweh glory and strength!

2 Ascribe to Yahweh the glory his name deserves.

Bow down to Yahweh in the splendor of holiness!

3 The voice of Yahweh is heard over the waters;

the God of glory thunders,

Yahweh thunders over many waters.

4 The voice of Yahweh is powerful;

the voice of Yahweh is majestic.

5 The voice of Yahweh breaks the cedars;

Yahweh breaks in pieces the cedars of Lebanon.

6 He makes Lebanon skip like a calf

and Sirion like a young ox.

7 The voice of Yahweh sends out flames of fire.

8 The voice of Yahweh shakes the wilderness;

Yahweh shakes the wilderness of Kadesh.

9 The voice of Yahweh causes the oaks to twist

and strips the forests bare.

Everyone in his temple says, “Glory!”

10 Yahweh sits as king over the flood;

Yahweh sits as king forever.

11 Yahweh gives strength to his people;

Yahweh blesses his people with peace.

30

A psalm; a song at the dedication of the temple. A psalm of David.

1 I will exalt you, Yahweh, for you have raised me up and have not allowed my enemies to rejoice over me.

2 Yahweh my God, I cried to you for help, and you healed me.

3 Yahweh, you have brought up my soul from Sheol; you have kept me alive from going down to the grave.

4 Sing praises to Yahweh, you his faithful people! Give thanks when you remember his holiness.

5 For his anger is only for a moment; but his favor is for a lifetime.

Weeping comes for a night, but joy comes in the morning.

6 In confidence I said, “I will never be shaken.”

7 Yahweh, by your favor you established me as a strong mountain; but when you hid your face, I was troubled.

8 I cried to you, Yahweh, and sought favor from my Lord!

9 What advantage is there in my death, if I go down to the grave? Will the dust praise you? Will it declare your trustworthiness?

10 Hear, Yahweh, and have mercy on me! Yahweh, be my helper.

11 You have turned my mourning into dancing; you have removed my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness.

12 So now my glory will sing praise to you and not be silent; Yahweh my God, I will give thanks to you forever!

31

For the chief musician. A psalm of David.

1 In you, Yahweh, I take refuge;

never let me be humiliated.

Rescue me in your righteousness.

2 Listen to me; rescue me quickly;

be my rock of refuge,

a stronghold to save me.

3 For you are my rock and my fortress;

therefore for your name's sake, lead and guide me.

4 Pluck me out of the net that they have hidden for me,

for you are my refuge.

5 Into your hands I entrust my spirit;

you will redeem me, Yahweh, God of trustworthiness.

6 I hate those who serve worthless idols,

but I trust in Yahweh.

7 I will be glad and rejoice in your covenant faithfulness,

for you saw my affliction;

you knew the distress of my soul.

8 You have not given me into the hand of my enemy.

You have set my feet in a wide open place.

9 Have mercy upon me, Yahweh, for I am in distress;

my eyes grow weary with grief with my soul and my body.

10 For my life is weary with sorrow

and my years with groaning.

My strength fails because of my sin,

and my bones are wasting away.

11 Because of all my enemies, people disdain me;

my neighbors are appalled at my situation,

and those who know me are horrified.

Those who see me in the street run from me.

12 I am forgotten as a dead man whom no one thinks about.

I am like a broken pot.

13 For I have heard the whispering of many,

terrifying news from every side

as they plot together against me.

They plot to take away my life.

14 But I trust in you, Yahweh;

I say, “You are my God.”

15 My times are in your hand.

Rescue me from the hands of my enemies and from those who pursue me.

16 Make your face shine on your servant;

save me in your covenant faithfulness.

17 Do not let me be humiliated, Yahweh; for I call out to you!

May the wicked be humiliated! May they be silent in Sheol.

18 May lying lips be silenced

that speak against the righteous defiantly

with arrogance and contempt.

19 How great is your goodness

that you have stored up for those who revere you,

that you perform for those who take refuge in you

before all the children of mankind!

20 In the shelter of your presence, you hide them from the plots of men.

You hide them in a shelter from the violence of tongues.

21 Blessed be Yahweh,

for he showed me his marvelous covenant faithfulness when I was in a besieged city.

22 Though I said in my haste,

“I am cut off from your eyes,”

yet you heard my plea for help

when I cried to you.

23 Oh, love Yahweh, all you faithful followers.

Yahweh protects the faithful,

but he pays back the arrogant in full.

24 Be strong and confident,

all you who trust in Yahweh for help.

32

A psalm of David. A maschil.

1 Blessed is the person whose transgression is forgiven,

whose sin is covered.

2 Blessed is the man to whom Yahweh reckons no guilt

and in whose spirit there is no deceit.

3 When I remained silent, my bones were wasting away

while I groaned all day long.

4 For day and night your hand was heavy upon me.

My strength withered as in summer drought.

Selah

5 Then I acknowledged my sin to you,

and I no longer hid my iniquity.

I said, “I will confess my transgressions to Yahweh,”

and you forgave the guilt of my sin.

Selah

6 Because of this, all who are godly should pray to you at a time of great distress.

Then when the surging waters overflow, they will not reach those people.

7 You are my hiding place; you will guard me from trouble.

You will surround me with the songs of victory.

Selah

8 I will instruct you and teach you in the way which you should go.

I will instruct you with my eye upon you.

9 Do not be like a horse or like a mule, which have no understanding;

it is only with bridle and bit to control them

that they will go where you want them to.

10 The wicked have many sorrows,

but Yahweh's covenant faithfulness will surround the one who trusts in him.

11 Be glad in Yahweh, and rejoice, you righteous;

shout for joy, all you who are upright in heart.

33

1 Rejoice in Yahweh, you righteous;

praise is appropriate for the upright.

2 Give thanks to Yahweh with the harp;

sing praises to him with the harp of ten strings.

3 Sing to him a new song;

play skillfully and sing with joy.

4 For Yahweh's word is upright,

and everything he does is fair.

5 He loves righteousness and justice.

The earth is full of Yahweh's covenant faithfulness.

6 By the word of Yahweh the heavens were made,

and all the stars were made by the breath of his mouth.

7 He gathers the waters of the sea together like a heap;

he puts the oceans in storehouses.

8 Let the whole earth fear Yahweh;

let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him.

9 For he spoke, and it was done;

he commanded, and it stood in place.

10 Yahweh frustrates the alliances of nations;

he overrules the plans of the peoples.

11 The plans of Yahweh stand forever,

the plans of his heart for all generations.

12 Blessed is the nation whose God is Yahweh,

the people whom he has chosen as his own inheritance.

13 Yahweh looks from heaven;

he sees all the people.

14 From the place where he lives,

he looks down on all who live on the earth.

15 He who shapes the hearts of them all

observes all their deeds.

16 No king is saved by a vast army;

a warrior is not saved by his great strength.

17 A horse is a false hope for victory;

in spite of his great strength, he cannot rescue.

18 See, Yahweh's eye is on those who fear him,

on those who hope in his covenant faithfulness

19 to deliver their lives from death

and to keep them alive in times of famine.

20 We wait for Yahweh;

he is our help and our shield.

21 Our hearts rejoice in him,

for we trust in his holy name.

22 Let your covenant faithfulness, Yahweh, be with us

as we put our hope in you.

34

A psalm of David; when he pretended to be insane before Abimelech, who drove him out.

1 I will praise Yahweh at all times,

his praise will always be in my mouth.

2 I will praise Yahweh!

May the oppressed hear and rejoice.

3 Praise Yahweh with me,

let us lift up his name together.

4 I sought Yahweh and he answered me,

and he gave me victory over all my fears.

5 Those who look to him are radiant,

and their faces are not ashamed.

6 This oppressed man cried and Yahweh heard him

and saved him from all his troubles.

7 The angel of Yahweh camps around those who fear him

and rescues them.

8 Taste and see that Yahweh is good.

Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him.

9 Fear Yahweh, you his holy people.

There is no lack for those who fear him.

10 The young lions sometimes lack food and suffer hunger,

but those who seek Yahweh will not lack anything good.

11 Come, sons, listen to me.

I will teach you the fear of Yahweh.

12 What man is there who desires life

and loves many days,

that he may see good?

13 Then keep your tongue from evil

and keep your lips from speaking lies.

14 Turn away from evil and do good.

Seek peace and go after it.

15 The eyes of Yahweh are on the righteous

and his ears are directed toward their cry.

16 The face of Yahweh is against those who do evil,

to cut off the memory of them from the earth.

17 The righteous cry out and Yahweh hears

and he rescues them from all their troubles.

18 Yahweh is close to the brokenhearted,

and he saves those who are crushed in spirit.

19 Many are the troubles of the righteous,

but Yahweh delivers them out of them all.

20 He keeps all his bones,

not one of them will be broken.

21 Evil will kill the wicked.

Those who hate the righteous will be condemned.

22 Yahweh rescues the lives of his servants.

None of those who take refuge in him will be condemned.

35

A psalm of David.

1 Yahweh, work against those who work against me;

fight against those who fight against me.

2 Grab your small shield and large shield;

rise up and help me.

3 Use your spear and battle ax against those who chase me;

say to my soul, “I am your salvation.”

4 May those who seek my life be shamed and dishonored.

May those who plan to harm me be turned back and confounded.

5 May they be as chaff before the wind,

as the angel of Yahweh drives them away.

6 May their way be dark and slippery,

as the angel of Yahweh chases them.

7 Without cause they set their net for me;

without cause they dug a pit for my life.

8 Let destruction overtake them by surprise.

Let the net that they have set catch them.

Let them fall into it, to their destruction.

9 But I will be joyful in Yahweh

and rejoice in his salvation.

10 All my bones will say, “Yahweh, who is like you,

who rescues the oppressed from those who are too strong for them

and the poor and needy from those who try to rob them?”

11 Unrighteous witnesses rise up;

they accuse me falsely.

12 They repay me evil for good.

I am sorrowful.

13 But, when they were sick, I wore sackcloth;

I fasted for them

with my head bowed on my chest.

14 I went about in grief as for my brother;

I bent down in mourning as for my mother.

15 But when I stumbled, they rejoiced and gathered together;

they gathered together against me, and I was surprised by them.

They tore at me without stopping.

16 With no respect at all they mocked me;

they grind their teeth at me in rage.

17 Lord, how long will you look on?

Rescue my soul from their destructive attacks,

my life from the lions.

18 Then I will thank you in the great assembly;

I will praise you among many people.

19 Do not let my deceitful enemies rejoice over me;

do not let them carry out their wicked schemes.

20 For they do not speak peace,

but they devise deceitful words against those in our land who live in peace.

21 They open their mouths wide against me;

they said, “Aha, Aha, our eyes have seen it.”

22 You have seen it, Yahweh, do not be silent;

Lord, do not be far from me.

23 Arouse yourself and awake to my defense;

My God and my Lord, defend my cause.

24 Defend me, Yahweh my God, because of your righteousness;

do not let them rejoice over me.

25 Do not let them say in their heart, “Aha, we have what we wanted.”

Do not let them say, “We have devoured him.”

26 May they be put to shame and may they be confounded who rejoice at my distress.

May those who exalt themselves over me be clothed with shame and dishonor.

27 Let those who desire my vindication shout for joy and be glad;

may they say continually, “Yahweh be praised,

he who delights in the welfare of his servant.”

28 Then I will tell of your justice

and praise you all day long.

36

For the chief musician. A psalm of David the servant of Yahweh.

1 An evil man speaks of his transgression from deep in his heart,

there is no fear of God in his eyes.

2 For he comforts himself,

thinking that his sin will not be discovered and be hated.

3 His words are sinful and deceitful;

he does not want to be wise and do good.

4 While he lies in bed, he plans ways to sin;

he sets out on an evil way;

he does not reject evil.

5 Your covenant faithfulness, Yahweh, reaches to the heavens;

your loyalty reaches to the clouds.

6 Your righteousness is like the mountains of God;

your judgments are like the great deep.

Yahweh, you preserve both mankind and the animals.

7 How precious is your covenant faithfulness, God!

Humanity takes refuge under the shadow of your wings.

8 They feast upon the abundance of your house;

you let them drink from the river of your delights.

9 For with you is the fountain of life;

in your light we will see light.

10 Extend your covenant faithfulness fully to those who know you,

your defense to the upright of heart.

11 Do not let the foot of the arrogant man come near to me.

Do not let the hand of the wicked drive me away.

12 Over there the evildoers have fallen;

they are knocked down and are not able to get up.

37

A psalm of David.

1 Do not be irritated because of evildoers;

do not be envious of those who act unrighteously.

2 For they will soon dry up as the grass

and wither as the green plants.

3 Trust in Yahweh and do what is good;

settle in the land and graze in faithfulness.

4 Then delight yourself in Yahweh,

and he will give you the desires of your heart.

5 Give your ways to Yahweh;

trust in him, and he will act on your behalf.

6 He will display your justice like the daylight

and your innocence like the day at noon.

7 Be still before Yahweh and wait patiently for him.

Do not be angry if someone succeeds in what he does,

or when he makes evil plots.

8 Do not be angry and frustrated.

Do not worry. This only makes trouble.

9 Evildoers will be cut off,

but those who wait for Yahweh will inherit the land.

10 In a little while the evil man will disappear;

you will look at his place, but he will be gone.

11 But the meek will inherit the land

and will delight in great prosperity.

12 The wicked man plots against the righteous

and he grinds his teeth in rage against him.

13 The Lord laughs at him,

for he sees that his day is coming.

14 The wicked have drawn out their swords and have bent their bows

to cast down the oppressed and needy,

to kill those who are upright.

15 Their swords will pierce their own hearts,

and their bows will be broken.

16 Better is the little that the righteous has

than the abundance of many wicked people.

17 For the arms of the wicked people will be broken,

but Yahweh supports the righteous people.

18 Yahweh watches over the blameless day by day,

and their heritage will be forever.

19 They will not be ashamed when times are bad.

When famine comes, they will have enough to eat.

20 But evil men will perish.

Yahweh's enemies will be like the glory of the pastures;

they will be consumed and disappear in the smoke.

21 The wicked person borrows but does not repay,

but the righteous person is generous and gives.

22 Those who are blessed by God will inherit the land;

those who are cursed by him will be cut off.

23 It is by Yahweh that a man's steps are established,

the man whose way is commendable in God's sight.

24 Though he stumbles, he will not fall down,

for Yahweh is holding him with his hand.

25 I was young and now am old;

I have never seen the righteous person abandoned

or his children begging for bread.

26 All the day long he is gracious and lends,

and his children become a blessing.

27 Turn away from evil and do what is right;

then you will be safe forever.

28 For Yahweh loves justice

and does not abandon his faithful followers.

They are preserved forever,

but the descendants of the wicked will be cut off.

29 The righteous will inherit the land

and live there forever.

30 The mouth of the righteous person speaks wisdom

and increases justice.

31 The law of his God is in his heart;

his feet will not slip.

32 The wicked person watches the righteous person

and seeks to kill him.

33 Yahweh will not abandon him into the evil person's hand

or condemn him when he is judged.

34 Wait for Yahweh and keep his way,

and he will raise you up to possess the land.

You will see when the wicked are cut off.

35 I have seen the wicked and terrifying person

spread out like a green tree in its native soil.

36 But when I passed by again, he was not there.

I looked for him, but he could not be found.

37 Observe the man of integrity, and mark the upright;

there is a good future for a man of peace.

38 Sinners will be totally destroyed;

the future for the wicked man is cut off.

39 Salvation of the righteous comes from Yahweh;

he protects them in the times of trouble.

40 Yahweh helps them and rescues them.

He rescues them from evil men and saves them

because they have taken refuge in him.

38

A psalm of David, to bring to remembrance.

1 Yahweh, do not rebuke me in your anger;

do not punish me in your wrath.

2 For your arrows pierce me,

and your hand presses me down.

3 My whole body is sick because of your anger;

there is no health in my bones because of my sin.

4 For my iniquities overwhelm me;

they are a burden too heavy for me.

5 My wounds are infected and smell

because of my foolish sins.

6 I am stooped over and humiliated every day;

I go about mourning all day long.

7 For within me, I am filled with burning;

there is no health in my flesh.

8 I am numb and utterly crushed;

I groan because of the anguish of my heart.

9 Lord, you understand my heart's deepest yearnings,

and my groanings are not hidden from you.

10 My heart pounds, my strength fades,

and my eyesight dims.

11 My friends and companions shun me because of my condition;

my neighbors stand far off.

12 Those who seek my life lay snares for me.

They who seek my harm speak destructive words

and say deceitful words all day long.

13 But I, I am like a deaf man and hear nothing;

I am like a mute man who says nothing.

14 I am like a man who does not hear

and who has no reply.

15 Surely I wait for you, Yahweh;

you will answer, Lord my God.

16 I say this so that my enemies will not gloat over me.

If my foot slips, they will do terrible things to me.

17 For I am about to stumble,

and I am in constant pain.

18 I confess my guilt;

I am concerned about my sin.

19 But my enemies are numerous;

those who hate me wrongfully are many.

20 They repay me evil for good;

they hurl accusations at me although I have pursued what is good.

21 Do not abandon me, Yahweh;

my God, do not stay far away from me.

22 Come quickly to help me,

Lord, my salvation.

39

For the chief musician, for Jeduthun. A psalm of David.

1 I decided, “I will watch what I say

so that I do not sin with my tongue.

I will muzzle my mouth

while in the presence of an evil man.”

2 I kept silent; I kept back my words even from saying anything good,

and my pain grew worse.

3 My heart became hot;

when I thought about these things, it burned like a fire.

Then finally I spoke.

4 “Yahweh, make me know when will be the end of my life

and the extent of my days.

Show me how transient I am.

5 See, you have made my days only the width of my hand,

and my lifetime is like nothing before you.

Surely every man is a single breath.

Selah

6 Surely every man walks about like a shadow.

Surely everyone hurries about

to accumulate riches although they do not know who will receive them.

7 Now, Lord, for what am I waiting?

You are my only hope.

8 Rescue me from my sins;

do not make me the reproach of fools.

9 I am silent and cannot open my mouth,

because it is you who has done it.

10 Stop wounding me;

I am overwhelmed by the blow of your hand.

11 When you discipline people for sin,

you consume the things they desire like a moth;

surely all people are nothing but vapor.

Selah

12 Hear my prayer, Yahweh, and listen to me;

listen to my weeping!

Do not be deaf to me,

for I am like a foreigner with you, a refugee like all my ancestors were.

13 Turn your gaze from me so that I may smile again

before I die.”

40

For the chief musician. A psalm of David.

1 I waited patiently for Yahweh;

he listened to me and heard my cry.

2 He brought me up out of a horrible pit, out of the miry clay,

and he set my feet on a rock and made my steps secure.

3 He has put a new song in my mouth, praise to our God.

Many will see it and honor him

and will trust in Yahweh.

4 Blessed is the man who makes Yahweh his trust

and does not honor the proud or those who turn away from him to lies.

5 Many, Yahweh my God, are the wonderful deeds that you have done,

and your thoughts which are about us cannot be numbered;

if I declared and spoke of them,

they would be more than could be counted.

6 You have no delight in sacrifice or offering,

but you have opened my ears;

you have not required burnt offerings or sin offerings.

7 Then said I, “See, I have come;

it is written about me in the scroll of the document.

8 I delight to do your will, my God;

your laws are in my heart.”

9 I have proclaimed good news of your righteousness in the great assembly;

Yahweh, you know that my lips have not kept back from doing this.

10 I have not concealed your righteousness in my heart;

I have declared your faithfulness and your salvation;

I have not concealed your covenant faithfulness or your trustworthiness from the great assembly.

11 Do not keep back your acts of mercy from me, Yahweh;

let your covenant faithfulness and your trustworthiness always preserve me.

12 Troubles that cannot be numbered surround me;

my iniquities have caught up with me so that I am no longer able to see anything;

they are more than the hairs on my head,

and my heart has failed me.

13 Be pleased, Yahweh, to rescue me;

hurry to help me, Yahweh.

14 Let them be ashamed and completely disappointed

who pursue my life to take it away.

Let them be turned back and brought to dishonor,

those who delight in hurting me.

15 Let them be shocked because of their shame,

those who say to me, “Aha, aha!”

16 But may all those who seek you rejoice and be glad in you;

let everyone who loves your salvation say continually,

“May Yahweh be praised.”

17 I am poor and needy;

yet the Lord thinks about me.

You are my help and you come to my rescue;

do not delay, my God.

41

For the chief musician. A psalm of David.

1 Blessed is he who is concerned for the weak;

in the day of trouble, Yahweh will rescue him.

2 Yahweh will preserve him and keep him alive,

and he will be blessed on the earth;

Yahweh will not turn him over to the will of his enemies.

3 Yahweh will support him on the bed of suffering;

you will make his bed of sickness into a bed of healing.

4 I said, “Yahweh, have mercy on me!

Heal me, for I have sinned against you.”

5 My enemies speak evil against me, saying,

'When will he die and his name perish?'

6 If my enemy comes to see me, he says worthless things;

his heart gathers up my disaster for itself;

when he goes away from me, he tells others about it.

7 All who hate me whisper together against me;

against me they hope for my hurt.

8 They say, “An evil disease holds on tightly to him;

now that he is lying down, he will rise up no more.”

9 Indeed, even my own close friend, in whom I trusted,

who ate my bread,

has lifted up his heel against me.

10 But you, Yahweh, have mercy on me and raise me up

so that I may pay them back.

11 By this I know that you delight in me,

for my enemy does not triumph over me.

12 As for me, you support me in my integrity

and will keep me before your face forever.

13 May Yahweh, the God of Israel be praised

from everlasting to everlasting.

Amen and Amen.

Book Two

42

For the chief musician. A maschil of the sons of Korah.

1 As the deer pants after streams of water,

so I thirst for you, God.

2 I thirst for God, for the living God,

when will I come and appear before God?

3 My tears have been my food day and night,

while my enemies are always saying to me, “Where is your God?”

4 These things I call to mind as I pour out my soul:

how I went with the throng and led them to the house of God

with the voice of joy and praise, a multitude celebrating a festival.

5 Why are you bowed down, my soul?

Why are you upset within me?

Hope in God, for again I will praise him who is my salvation.

6 My God, my soul is bowed down within me,

therefore I call you to mind from the land of the Jordan,

from the three peaks of Mount Hermon, and from the hill of Mizar.

7 Deep calls to deep at the noise of your waterfalls;

all your waves and your billows have gone over me.

8 Yet Yahweh will command his covenant faithfulness in the daytime;

in the night his song will be with me,

a prayer to the God of my life.

9 I will say to God, my rock, “Why have you forgotten me?

Why do I go mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?”

10 As with a sword in my bones, my adversaries rebuke me,

while they always say to me, “Where is your God?”

11 Why are you bowed down, my soul?

Why are you upset within me?

Hope in God, for again I will praise him who is my salvation and my God.

43

1 Bring me justice, God, and plead my cause against an ungodly nation.

2 For you are the God of my strength. Why have you rejected me?

Why do I go about in mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?

3 Oh, send out your light and your truth, let them lead me.

Let them bring me to your holy hill

and to your dwelling.

4 Then I will go to the altar of God,

to God my exceeding joy.

I will praise you with the harp, God, my God.

5 Why are you bowed down, my soul?

Why are you upset within me?

Hope in God, for again I will praise him who is my salvation and my God.

44

For the chief musician. A psalm of the sons of Korah. A maschil.

1 We have heard with our ears, God,

our fathers have told us

what work you did in their days,

in the days of old.

2 You drove out the nations with your hand,

but you planted our people;

you afflicted the peoples,

but you spread our people out in the land.

3 For they did not obtain the land for their possession by their own sword,

neither did their own arm save them;

but your right hand, your arm, and the light of your face,

because you were favorable to them.

4 God, You are my King;

command victory for Jacob.

5 Through you we will push down our adversaries;

through your name we will tread them under, those who rise up against us.

6 For I will not trust in my bow,

neither will my sword save me.

7 But you have saved us from our adversaries,

and have put to shame those who hate us.

8 In God we have made our boast all the day long,

and we will give thanks to your name forever.

Selah

9 But now you have thrown us off and brought us dishonor,

and you do not go out with our armies.

10 You make us turn back from the adversary;

and those who hate us take spoil for themselves.

11 You have made us like sheep to be slaughtered

and have scattered us among the nations.

12 You sell your people for nothing;

you have not increased your wealth by doing so.

13 You make us a rebuke to our neighbors,

scoffed and mocked by those around us.

14 You make us an insult among the nations,

a shaking of the head among the peoples.

15 All the day long my dishonor is before me,

and the shame of my face has covered me

16 because of the voice of him who rebukes and insults,

because of the enemy and the avenger.

17 All this has come on us; yet we have not forgotten you

or dealt falsely with your covenant.

18 Our heart has not turned back;

our steps have not gone from your way.

19 Yet you have severely broken us in the place of jackals

and covered us with the shadow of death.

20 If we have forgotten the name of our God

or spread out our hands to a strange god,

21 would not God search this out?

For he knows the secrets of the heart.

22 Indeed, for your sake we are being killed all day long;

we are considered to be sheep for the slaughter.

23 Awake, why do you sleep, Lord?

Arise, do not throw us off permanently.

24 Why do you hide your face

and forget our affliction and our oppression?

25 For we have melted away into the dust;

our bodies cling to the earth.

26 Rise up for our help

and redeem us for the sake of your covenant faithfulness.

45

For the chief musician; set to Shoshannim. A psalm of the sons of Korah. A maschil. A song of loves.

1 My heart overflows on a good subject;

I will read aloud the words I have composed about the king;

my tongue is the pen of a ready writer.

2 You are fairer than the children of mankind;

grace is poured onto your lips;

therefore we know that God has blessed you forever.

3 Put your sword on your side, mighty one,

in your glory and your majesty.

4 In your majesty ride on triumphantly

because of trustworthiness, meekness, and righteousness;

your right hand will teach you fearful things.

5 Your arrows are sharp;

the peoples fall under you;

your arrows are in the hearts of the king's enemies.

6 Your throne, God, is forever and ever;

a scepter of justice is the scepter of your kingdom.

7 You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness;

therefore God, your God, has anointed you

with the oil of gladness more than your companions.

8 All your garments smell of myrrh, aloes, and cassia;

out of ivory palaces stringed instruments have made you glad.

9 Kings' daughters are among your honorable women;

at your right hand stands the queen clothed in gold of Ophir.

10 Listen, daughter, consider and incline your ear;

forget your own people and your father's house.

11 In this way the king will desire your beauty;

he is your master; revere him.

12 The daughter of Tyre will be there with a gift;

the rich among the people will beg for your favor.

13 The royal daughter in the palace is all glorious;

her clothing is worked with gold.

14 She will be led to the king in embroidered dress;

the virgins, her companions who follow her,

will be brought to you.

15 They will be led by gladness and rejoicing;

they will enter into the king's palace.

16 In the place of your fathers will be your children,

whom you will make princes in all the earth.

17 I will make your name to be remembered in all generations;

therefore the peoples will give you thanks forever and ever.

46

For the chief musician. A psalm of the sons of Korah; set to Alamoth. A song.

1 God is our refuge and strength,

a very present help in trouble.

2 Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change,

though the mountains should be shaken into the heart of the seas,

3 though its waters roar and rage, and

though the mountains tremble with their swelling.

Selah

4 There is a river whose streams make the city of God happy,

the holy place where the Most High dwells.

5 God is in the middle of her; she will not be moved;

God will help her, and he will do so at the dawn of morning.

6 The nations raged and the kingdoms were shaken;

he lifted up his voice, and the earth melted.

7 Yahweh of hosts is with us;

the God of Jacob is our refuge.

Selah

8 Come, behold the deeds of Yahweh,

the destruction he has caused on earth.

9 He makes wars cease to the ends of the earth;

he breaks the bow and cuts the spear into pieces;

he burns up the shields.

10 Be quiet and know that I am God;

I will be exalted among the nations; I will be exalted on the earth.

11 Yahweh of hosts is with us;

the God of Jacob is our refuge.

Selah

47

For the chief musician. A psalm of the sons of Korah.

1 Clap your hands, all you peoples;

shout to God with the sound of triumph.

2 For Yahweh Most High is terrifying;

he is a great King over all the earth.

3 He subdues peoples under us

and nations under our feet.

4 He chooses our inheritance for us,

the glory of Jacob whom he loved.

Selah

5 God has gone up with a shout,

Yahweh with the sound of a trumpet.

6 Sing praises to God, sing praises;

sing praises to our King, sing praises.

7 For God is the King over all the earth;

sing praises with understanding.

8 God reigns over the nations;

God sits on his holy throne.

9 The princes of the peoples have gathered together

to the people of the God of Abraham;

for the shields of the earth belong to God;

he is greatly exalted.

48

A song; a psalm of the sons of Korah.

1 Great is Yahweh and greatly to be praised,

in the city of our God on his holy mountain.

2 Beautiful in elevation, the joy of the whole earth,

is Mount Zion, on the sides of the north,

the city of the great King.

3 God has made himself known in her palaces as a refuge.

4 For, see, the kings assembled themselves;

they passed by together.

5 They saw it, then they were amazed;

they were dismayed, and they hurried away.

6 Trembling took hold of them there,

pain as when a woman is in labor.

7 With the east wind

you break the ships of Tarshish.

8 As we have heard, so have we seen

in the city of Yahweh of hosts, in the city of our God;

God will establish it forever.

Selah

9 We have thought about your covenant faithfulness, God,

in the middle of your temple.

10 As your name is, God,

so is your praise to the ends of the earth;

your right hand is full of righteousness.

11 Let Mount Zion be glad,

let the daughters of Judah rejoice

because of your righteous decrees.

12 Walk around Mount Zion, go round about her;

count her towers,

13 notice well her walls,

and look at her palaces

so that you may tell it to the next generation.

14 For this God is our God forever and ever;

he will be our guide to death.

49

For the chief musician. A psalm of the sons of Korah.

1 Hear this, all you peoples;

give ear, all you inhabitants of the world,

2 both low and high,

rich and poor together.

3 My mouth will speak wisdom

and the meditation of my heart will be of understanding.

4 I will incline my ear to a parable;

I will begin my parable with the harp.

5 Why should I fear the days of evil,

when iniquity surrounds me at my heels?

6 Why should I fear those who trust in their wealth

and boast about the amount of their riches?

7 It is certain that no one can redeem his brother

or give God a ransom for him,

8 For the redemption of one's life is costly,

and no one can pay what we owe.

9 No one can live forever

so that his body should not decay.

10 For he will see decay. Wise men die;

the fool and the brute alike perish

and leave their wealth to others.

11 Their inner thought is that their families will continue forever,

and the places where they live, to all generations;

they call their lands after their own names.

12 But man, having wealth, does not remain alive;

he is like the beasts that perish.

13 This, their way, is their folly;

yet after them, men approve of their sayings.

Selah

14 Like sheep they are appointed for Sheol,

and death will be their shepherd.

The upright will rule over them in the morning,

and their bodies will be consumed in Sheol,

with no place for them to live.

15 But God will redeem my life from the power of Sheol;

he will receive me.

Selah

16 Do not be afraid when one becomes rich,

and the glory of his house increases.

17 For when he dies he will take nothing away;

his glory will not go down after him.

18 He blessed his soul while he lived—

and men praise you when you live for yourself—

19 he will go to the generation of his fathers

and they will never see the light again.

20 One who has wealth but no understanding

is like the beasts, which perish.

50

A psalm of Asaph.

1 The Mighty One, God, Yahweh, has spoken

and called the earth from the rising of the sun to its setting.

2 Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty,

God has shone.

3 Our God comes and does not stay silent;

a fire devours before him,

and it is very stormy around him.

4 He calls to the heavens above

and to the earth so that he may judge his people:

5 “Gather my faithful ones together to me,

those who have made a covenant with me by sacrifice.”

6 The heavens will declare his righteousness,

for God himself is judge.

Selah

7 “Hear, my people, and I will speak;

I am God, your God.

8 I will not reprove you for your sacrifices;

your burnt offerings are always before me.

9 I will take no bull out of your house,

or male goats out of your folds.

10 For every beast of the forest is mine,

and the cattle on a thousand hills.

11 I know all the birds of the mountains,

and the wild beasts of the field are mine.

12 If I were hungry, I would not tell you;

for the world is mine, and everything in it.

13 Will I eat the flesh of bulls

or drink the blood of goats?

14 Offer to God the sacrifice of thanksgiving,

and pay your vows to the Most High.

15 Call on me in the day of trouble;

I will rescue you, and you will glorify me.”

16 But to the wicked God says,

“What have you to do with declaring my statutes,

that you have taken my covenant in your mouth,

17 since you hate instruction

and throw my words away?

18 When you see a thief, you agree with him;

you participate with those who commit adultery.

19 You give your mouth to evil,

and your tongue expresses deceit.

20 You sit and speak against your brother;

you slander your own mother's son.

21 You have done these things, but I have kept silent,

so you thought that I was someone just like yourself.

But I will reprove you and bring up, right before your eyes, all the things you have done.

22 Give this careful consideration, you who forget God,

otherwise I will tear you to pieces,

and there will be no one to come to help you!

23 The one who offers a sacrifice of thanksgiving praises me,

and to anyone who plans his path in the right way

I will show God's salvation.”

51

For the chief musician. A psalm of David; when Nathan the prophet came to him after he had slept with Bathsheba.

1 Have mercy on me, God, because of your covenant faithfulness;

for the sake of the multitude of your merciful actions, blot out my transgressions.

2 Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity

and cleanse me from my sin.

3 For I know my transgressions,

and my sin is always before me.

4 Against you, you only, I have sinned

and done what is evil in your sight;

you are right when you speak;

you are correct when you judge.

5 See, I was born in iniquity;

as soon as my mother conceived me, I was in sin.

6 See, you desire trustworthiness in my inner self;

and you teach me wisdom in the secret place within.

7 Purify me with hyssop, and I will be clean;

wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.

8 Make me hear joy and gladness

so that the bones that you have broken may rejoice.

9 Hide your face from my sins

and blot out all my iniquities.

10 Create in me a clean heart, God,

and renew a right spirit within me.

11 Do not drive me away from your presence,

and do not take your holy Spirit from me.

12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation,

and sustain me with a willing spirit.

13 Then will I teach transgressors your ways,

and sinners will be converted to you.

14 Forgive me for shedding blood, God of my salvation,

and I will shout for the joy of your righteousness.

15 Lord, open my lips,

and my mouth will express your praise.

16 For you do not delight in sacrifice, or I would give it;

you have no pleasure in burnt offerings.

17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit.

You, God, will not despise a broken and a contrite heart.

18 Do good in your good pleasure to Zion;

rebuild the walls of Jerusalem.

19 Then will you delight in the sacrifices of righteousness,

in burnt offerings and whole burnt offerings;

then our people will offer bulls on your altar.

52

For the chief musician. A maschil of David; when Doeg the Edomite came and told Saul, and said to him, “David has come to the house of Ahimelech.”

1 Why are you proud of making trouble, you mighty man?

The covenant faithfulness of God comes every day.

2 Your tongue plans destruction

like a sharp razor, working deceitfully.

3 You love evil more than good

and lying rather than speaking righteousness.

Selah

4 You love all words that devour others,

you deceitful tongue.

5 God will likewise destroy you forever;

he will take you up and pluck you out of your tent

and root you out of the land of the living.

Selah

6 The righteous will also see it and fear;

they will laugh at him and say,

7 “See, this is a man who did not make God his refuge,

but he trusted in the abundance of his wealth,

and he was strong when he destroyed others.”

8 But as for me, I am like a green olive tree in God's house;

I will trust in the covenant faithfulness of God forever and ever.

9 I will give you thanks forever for what you have done.

I will wait for your name, because it is good,

in the presence of your godly people.

53

For the chief musician; set to Mahalath. A maschil of David.

1 A fool says in his heart, “There is no God.”

They are corrupt and have done abominable iniquity;

there is no one who does good.

2 God looks down from heaven on the children of mankind

to see if there are any who understand,

who seek after him.

3 They have all turned away. Together they have become corrupt.

There is not one who does good, not even one.

4 Do those who commit iniquity have no understanding—

those who devour my people as if they were eating bread

and they do not call on God?

5 They were in great fear, although no reason to fear was there;

for God will scatter the bones of whoever will camp against you;

such people will be put to shame because God has rejected them.

6 Oh, that the salvation of Israel would come from Zion!

When God brings back his people from the captivity,

then Jacob will rejoice and Israel will be glad!

54

For the chief musician; on stringed instruments. A maschil of David; when the Ziphites came and said to Saul, “Does David not hide himself with us?”

1 Save me, God, by your name,

and judge me in your might.

2 Hear my prayer, God;

give ear to the words of my mouth.

3 For strangers have risen up against me,

and pitiless men have sought after my life;

they have not set God before them.

Selah

4 See, God is my helper;

the Lord is the one who upholds me.

5 He will repay my enemies with evil;

in your faithfulness, destroy them!

6 I will sacrifice to you with a freewill offering;

I will give thanks to your name, Yahweh, for it is good.

7 For he has rescued me from every trouble;

my eye has looked in triumph on my enemies.

55

For the chief musician; on stringed instruments. A maschil of David.

1 Give ear to my prayer, God;

and do not hide yourself from my plea.

2 Pay attention to me and answer me;

I have no rest in my troubles

3 because of the voice of my enemies,

because of the oppression of the wicked;

for they bring trouble on me

and persecute me in anger.

4 My heart trembles within me,

and the terrors of death have fallen on me.

5 Fearfulness and trembling have come on me,

and horror has overwhelmed me.

6 I said, “Oh, if only I had wings like a dove!

Then would I fly away and be at rest.

7 See, then I would wander far away;

I would stay in the wilderness.

Selah

8 I would hurry to a shelter

from the stormy wind and tempest.”

9 Devour them, Lord, confuse their language!

For I have seen violence and strife in the city.

10 Day and night they go about on its walls;

iniquity and mischief are in the middle of it.

11 Wickedness is in the middle of it;

oppression and deceit do not leave its streets.

12 For it was not an enemy who rebuked me,

then I could have borne it;

neither was it he who hated me who raised himself up against me,

then I would have hidden myself from him.

13 But it was you, a man equal to myself,

my companion and my close friend.

14 We had sweet fellowship together;

we walked in the house of God with the throng.

15 Let death come suddenly on them;

let them go down alive to Sheol,

for wickedness is where they live, right among them.

16 As for me, I will call on God,

and Yahweh will save me.

17 In the evening, morning and at noonday I complain and moan;

he will hear my voice.

18 He will safely rescue my life from the battle that was against me,

for those who fought against me were many.

19 God, the one who rules from eternity,

will hear them and humiliate them.

Selah

They never change,

and they do not fear God.

20 My friend has raised his hands against those who were at peace with him;

he has not respected the covenant that he had.

21 His mouth was smooth as butter,

but his heart was hostile;

his words were softer than oil,

yet they were actually drawn swords.

22 Place your burdens on Yahweh, and he will sustain you;

he will never allow a righteous person to totter.

23 But you, God, will bring the wicked down into the pit of destruction;

bloodthirsty and deceitful men will not live even half as long as others,

but I will trust in you.

56

For the chief musician; set to Jonath elem rehokim. A psalm of David. A michtam; when the Philistines took him in Gath.

1 Be merciful to me, God, for men are attacking me!

All the day long those who fight me press their assault.

2 My enemies trample me all day long;

for there are many who arrogantly fight against me.

3 When I am afraid,

I will put my trust in you.

4 In God, whose word I praise—

in God I have put my trust; I will not be afraid;

what can mere man do to me?

5 All the day long they twist my words;

all their thoughts are against me for evil.

6 They gather themselves together, they hide themselves,

and they mark my steps,

just as they have waited for my life.

7 Do not let them escape doing iniquity.

Bring down the peoples in your anger, God.

8 You number my wanderings

and put my tears into your bottle;

are they not in your book?

9 Then my enemies will turn back on the day that I call to you;

this I know, that God is for me.

10 In God—whose word I praise,

in Yahweh—whose word I praise, 11 in God I trust,

I will not be afraid.

What can anyone do to me?

12 The duty to fulfill my vows to you is on me, God;

I will give thank offerings to you.

13 For you have rescued my life from death;

you have kept my feet from falling,

so that I may walk before God

in the light of the living.

57

For the chief musician; set to Al Tashheth. A psalm of David. A michtam; when he fled from Saul, in the cave.

1 Be merciful to me, God, be merciful to me,

for I take refuge in you until these troubles are over.

I stay under your wings for protection until this destruction is over.

2 I will cry to God Most High,

to God, who does all things for me.

3 He will send help from heaven and save me,

he is angry with those who crush me.

Selah

God will send me his loving kindness and his faithfulness.

4 My life is among lions;

I am among those who are ready to devour me.

I am among people whose teeth are spears and arrows,

and whose tongues are sharp swords.

5 Be exalted, God, above the heavens;

let your glory be above all the earth.

6 They spread out a net for my feet;

I was distressed.

They dug a pit in front of me.

They themselves have fallen into the middle of it!

Selah

7 My heart is fixed, God, my heart is fixed;

I will sing, yes, I will sing praises.

8 Wake up, my honored heart; wake up, lute and harp;

I will wake up the dawn.

9 I will give thanks to you, Lord, among the peoples;

I will sing praises to you among the nations.

10 For great is your unfailing love, reaching to the heavens;

and your faithfulness to the clouds.

11 Be exalted, God, above the heavens;

may your glory be exalted over all the earth.

58

For the chief musician; set to Al Tashheth. A psalm of David. A michtam.

1 Do you rulers speak righteousness?

Do you judge uprightly, you people?

2 No, you commit wickedness in your heart;

you distribute violence throughout the land with your hands.

3 The wicked go astray even when they are in the womb;

they go astray from birth, speaking lies.

4 Their poison is like a snake's poison;

they are like a deaf adder that stops up its ears,

5 that pays no attention to the voice of charmers,

no matter how skillful they are.

6 Break their teeth in their mouths, God;

break out the great teeth of the young lions, Yahweh.

7 Let them melt away as water that runs off;

when they shoot their arrows, let them be as though they had no points.

8 Let them be like a snail that melts and passes away,

like the untimely-born child of a woman that never sees the sunlight.

9 Before your pots can feel the thorn's burning heat,

he will take them away with a whirlwind, the green thorns and the burning thorns alike.

10 The righteous will rejoice when he sees God's vengeance;

he will wash his feet in the blood of the wicked,

11 so that men will say, “Truly, there is a reward for the righteous person;

truly there is a God who judges the earth.”

59

For the chief musician; set to Al Tashheth. A psalm of David. A michtam; when Saul sent, and they watched the house to kill him.

1 Rescue me from my enemies, my God;

set me on high away from those who rise up against me.

2 Keep me safe from the workers of iniquity,

and save me from the bloodthirsty men.

3 For, see, they wait in ambush to take my life.

The powerful men gather themselves together against me,

but not because of my transgression or my sin, Yahweh.

4 They prepare to run at me although I am without fault;

awake and help me and see.

5 You, Yahweh God of hosts, the God of Israel,

arise and punish all the nations;

do not be merciful to any wicked transgressors.

Selah

6 They return at evening, they howl like dogs

and go around the city.

7 See, they belch out with their mouths;

swords are in their lips,

for they say, “Who hears us?”

8 But you, Yahweh, laugh at them;

you hold all the nations in derision.

9 God, my strength, I will pay attention to you;

you are my high tower.

10 My God will meet me with his covenant faithfulness;

God will let me see my desire on my enemies.

11 Do not kill them, or my people will forget.

Scatter them by your power and make them fall, Lord our shield.

12 For the sins of their mouths and the words of their lips,

let them be captured in their pride,

and for the curses and lies that they express.

13 Consume them in wrath, consume them so that they will be no more;

let them know that God rules in Jacob

and to the ends of the earth.

Selah

14 At evening they return,

howling like dogs going around the city.

15 They wander about looking for food

and they growl like a dog if they are not satisfied.

16 But I will sing about your strength,

and in the morning I will sing about your steadfast love!

For you have been my high tower

and a refuge in the day of my distress.

17 To you, my strength, I will sing praises;

for God is my high tower, the God of covenant faithfulness.

60

For the chief musician; set to Shushan Eduth. A michtam of David, for teaching. When he fought with Aram Naharaim and with Aram Zobah, and Joab returned and killed twelve thousand Edomites in the Valley of Salt.

1 God, you have cast us off; you have broken through our defenses;

you have been angry; restore us again.

2 You have made the land tremble; you have torn it apart;

heal its fissures, for it is shaking.

3 You have made your people see difficult things;

you have made us drink the wine of staggering.

4 For those who honor you,

you have set up a banner

to be displayed against those who carry the bow.

Selah

5 So that those you love may be rescued,

rescue us with your right hand and answer me.

6 God has spoken in his holiness, “I will rejoice;

I will divide Shechem and apportion out the Valley of Succoth.

7 Gilead is mine, and Manasseh is mine;

Ephraim also is my helmet;

Judah is my scepter.

8 Moab is my washbasin;

over Edom I will throw my shoe;

I will shout in triumph because of Philistia.”

9 Who will bring me into the strong city?

Who will lead me to Edom?

10 But you, God, have you not rejected us?

You do not go into battle with our army.

11 Give us help against the enemy,

for man's help is futile.

12 We will triumph with God's help;

he will trample down our enemies.

61

For the chief musician; on a stringed instrument. A psalm of David.

1 Hear my cry, God;

attend to my prayer.

2 From the ends of the earth will I call to you when my heart is faint;

lead me to the rock that is higher than I.

3 For you have been a refuge for me,

a strong tower from the enemy.

4 Let me live in your tabernacle forever!

Let me take refuge under the shelter of your wings.

Selah

5 For you, God, have heard my vows,

you have given me the inheritance of those who honor your name.

6 You will prolong the king's life;

his years will be like many generations.

7 He will remain before God forever.

8 I will sing praise to your name forever

so that I may perform my vows every day.

62

For the chief musician; after the manner of Jeduthun. A psalm of David.

1 I wait in silence for God alone;

my salvation comes from him.

2 He alone is my rock and my salvation;

he is my high tower; I will not be greatly moved.

3 How long, all of you, will you attack a man,

that you may tip him over

like a leaning wall or a shaky fence?

4 They consult with him only to bring him down from his honorable position;

they love to tell lies;

they bless him with their mouths, but in their hearts they curse him.

Selah

5 I wait in silence for God alone;

for my hope is set on him.

6 He alone is my rock and my salvation;

he is my high tower; I will not be moved.

7 With God is my salvation and my glory;

the rock of my strength and my refuge are in God.

8 Trust in him at all times, you people;

pour out your heart before him;

God is a refuge for us.

Selah

9 Surely men of low standing are vanity, and men of high standing are a lie;

they will weigh lightly in the scales;

weighed together, they are lighter than nothing.

10 Do not trust in oppression or robbery;

and do not hope uselessly in riches,

for they will bear no fruit; do not fix your heart on them.

11 God has spoken once,

twice have I heard this:

power belongs to God.

12 Also to you, Lord, belongs covenant faithfulness,

for you pay back every person for what he has done.

63

A psalm of David, when he was in the wilderness of Judah.

1 God, you are my God! I earnestly search for you,

my soul thirsts for you, and my flesh longs for you,

in a dry and weary land where there is no water.

2 So I have looked on you in the sanctuary,

to see your power and your glory.

3 Because your covenant faithfulness is better than life,

my lips will praise you.

4 So I will bless you while I live;

I will lift up my hands in your name.

5 It will be as if I ate a meal of marrow and fatness;

with joyful lips my mouth will praise you,

6 when I think about you on my bed

and meditate on you in the night hours.

7 For you have been my help,

and in the shadow of your wings I rejoice.

8 I cling to you;

your right hand supports me.

9 But those who seek to destroy my life

will go down into the lowest parts of the earth; 10 they will be given over to those whose hands use the sword,

and they will become food for the jackals.

11 But the king will rejoice in God;

everyone who swears by him will be proud of him,

but the mouth of those who speak lies will be stopped up.

64

For the chief musician. A psalm of David.

1 Hear my voice, God, listen to my complaint;

preserve my life from fear of my enemies.

2 Hide me from the secret plotting of evildoers,

from the commotion of the doers of iniquity.

3 They have sharpened their tongues like swords;

they have aimed their arrows, bitter words,

4 so that they may shoot from secret places at someone who is innocent;

suddenly they shoot at him and fear nothing.

5 They encourage themselves in an evil plan;

they consult privately together in order to set traps;

they say, “Who will see us?”

6 They invent sinful plans;

“We have finished,” they say, “a careful plan.”

The inner thoughts and hearts of man are deep.

7 But God will shoot them;

suddenly they will be wounded with his arrows.

8 They will be made to stumble, since their own tongues are against them;

all who see them will wag their heads.

9 All people will fear

and will declare God's deeds.

They will wisely think about what he has done.

10 The righteous will be glad about Yahweh and will take refuge in him;

all the upright in heart will take pride in him.

65

For the chief musician. A psalm. A song of David.

1 For you, God in Zion, our praise waits;

our vows will be carried out to you.

2 You who hear prayer,

to you all flesh will come.

3 Iniquities prevail against us;

as for our transgressions, you will forgive them.

4 Blessed is the man whom you choose to bring near to you

so that he may live in your courts.

We will be satisfied with the goodness of your house,

your holy temple.

5 In righteousness you will answer us by doing amazing things,

God of our salvation;

you who are hope of all the ends of the earth

and of those who are far across the sea.

6 For it is you who made the mountains firm,

you who are belted with strength.

7 It is you who quiet the roaring of the seas,

the roaring of their waves,

and the commotion of the peoples.

8 Those who live in the uttermost parts of the earth are afraid of the evidence of your deeds;

you make the east and the west rejoice.

9 You come to help the earth; you water it;

you greatly enrich it;

the river of God is full of water;

you provide mankind grain when you have prepared the earth.

10 You water its furrows abundantly;

you settle down the furrows' ridges;

you make them soft with rain showers;

you bless the sprouts between them.

11 You crown the year with your goodness,

and your wagon tracks overflow with abundance.

12 The pastures in the wilderness drip with dew,

and the hills are clothed with joy.

13 The pastures are clothed with flocks;

the valleys also are covered over with grain;

they shout for joy, and they sing.

66

For the chief musician. A song, a psalm.

1 Make a joyful noise to God, all the earth;

2 Sing out the glory of his name;

make his praise glorious.

3 Say to God, “How terrifying are your deeds!

By the greatness of your power your enemies will submit to you.

4 All the earth will worship you

and will sing to you;

they will sing to your name.”

Selah

5 Come and see the works of God;

he is fearsome in his deeds toward the sons of mankind.

6 He turned the sea into dry land;

they went through the river on foot;

there we rejoiced in him.

7 He rules forever by his might;

his eyes observe the nations;

let not the rebellious exalt themselves.

Selah

8 Give blessing to God, you people,

let the sound of his praise be heard.

9 He keeps us among the living,

and he does not permit our feet to slip.

10 For you, God, have tested us;

you have tested us as silver is tested.

11 You brought us into a net;

you laid a heavy burden on our backs.

12 You made people ride over our heads;

we went through fire and water,

but you brought us out into a spacious place.

13 I will come into your house with burnt offerings;

I will pay you my vows

14 which my lips promised

and my mouth spoke when I was in distress.

15 I will offer to you burnt offerings of fat animals

with the sweet aroma of rams;

I will offer bulls and goats.

Selah

16 Come and listen, all you who fear God,

and I will declare what he has done for my soul.

17 I cried to him with my mouth,

and he was praised with my tongue.

18 If I had seen sin within my heart,

the Lord would not have listened to me.

19 But God has truly heard;

he has paid attention to the voice of my prayer.

20 Blessed be God,

who has not turned away my prayer

or his covenant faithfulness from me.

67

For the chief musician; on stringed instruments. A psalm, a song.

1 May God be merciful to us and bless us

and cause his face to shine on us

Selah

2 so that your ways may be known on earth,

your salvation among all nations.

3 Let the peoples praise you, God;

let all the peoples praise you.

4 Oh, let the nations be glad and sing for joy,

for you will judge the peoples with justice

and govern the nations on earth.

Selah

5 Let the peoples praise you, God;

let all the peoples praise you.

6 The earth has yielded its harvest

and God, our God, has blessed us.

7 God has blessed us,

and all the ends of the earth honor him.

68

For the chief musician; A psalm of David, a song.

1 Let God arise; let his enemies be scattered;

let those also who hate him flee before him.

2 As smoke is driven away, so drive them away;

as wax melts before the fire,

so let the wicked perish in the presence of God.

3 But let the righteous be glad; let them exult before God;

may they rejoice and be happy.

4 Sing to God! Sing praises to his name!

Praise the one who rides through the plains of the Jordan River valley!

Yahweh is his name! Rejoice before him!

5 A father of the fatherless, a judge of the widows,

is God in the holy place where he lives.

6 God puts the lonely into families;

he brings out the prisoners with singing;

but the rebellious live in a parched land.

7 God, when you went out before your people,

when you marched through the wilderness,

Selah

8 The earth trembled;

the heavens also dropped rain in God's presence,

in the presence of God when he came to Sinai, in the presence of God, the God of Israel.

9 You, God, sent a plentiful rain;

you strengthened your inheritance when it was weary.

10 Your people lived in it;

You, God, gave from your goodness to the poor.

11 The Lord gave the orders,

and those who announced them were a great army.

12-13 Kings of armies flee, they flee,

and the women waiting at home divide the plunder:

doves covered with silver

with wings of yellow gold.

When some of you people stayed among the sheepfolds, why did you do this?

14 The Almighty scattered kings there,

it was as when it snowed on Mount Zalmon.

15 A mighty mountain is the hill country of Bashan;

a high mountain is the hill country of Bashan.

16 Why do you look in envy, you high hill country,

at the mountain which God desires for the place he will live?

Indeed, Yahweh will live in it forever.

17 The chariots of God are twenty thousand, thousands upon thousands;

the Lord is among them in the holy place, as at Sinai.

18 You have ascended on high; you have led away captives;

you have received gifts from among men,

even from those who fought against you,

so that you, Yahweh God, might live there.

19 Blessed be the Lord, who daily bears our burdens,

the God who is our salvation.

Selah

20 Our God is a God who saves;

Yahweh the Lord is the one who is able to rescue us from death.

21 But God will strike through the heads of his enemies,

through the hairy scalps of those who walk in offenses against him.

22 The Lord said, “I will bring my enemies back from Bashan;

I will bring them back from the depths of the sea

23 so that you may crush your enemies, dipping your foot in blood,

and so that the tongues of your dogs may have their share from your enemies.”

24 They have seen your processions, God,

the processions of my God, my King, into the holy place.

25 The singers went first, the minstrels followed after,

and in the middle were the unmarried girls playing tambourines.

26 Bless God in the assemblies;

praise Yahweh, you who are from the fountain * of Israel.

27 There is first Benjamin, the smallest tribe,

then the leaders of Judah and their multitudes,

the leaders of Zebulun and the leaders of Naphtali.

28 Your God, Israel, has decreed your strength;

reveal to us your power, God, as you have revealed it in times past.

29 Reveal your power to us from your temple at Jerusalem,

where kings bring gifts to you.

30 Shout in battle against the wild beasts in the reeds,

against the peoples, that multitude of bulls and calves.

Humiliate them and make them bring you gifts;

scatter the peoples who love to wage war.

31 Princes will come out of Egypt;

Cush will hurry to reach out with her hands to God.

32 Sing to God, you kingdoms of the earth;

Selah

Sing praises to Yahweh.

33 To him who rides on the heaven of heavens, which exist from ancient times;

see, he lifts up his voice with power.

34 Ascribe strength to God;

his majesty is over Israel,

and his strength is in the skies.

35 God, you are fearsome in your holy place;

the God of Israel—he gives strength and power to his people.

Blessed be God.

69

For the chief musician; set to Shoshannim. A psalm of David.

1 Save me, God;

for the waters have put my life in danger.

2 I sink in deep mire, where there is no place to stand;

I have come into deep waters, where the floods flow over me.

3 I am weary with my crying; my throat is dry;

my eyes fail while I wait for my God.

4 Those who hate me without a cause are more than the hairs on my head;

those who would cut me off, being my enemies for wrong reasons, are mighty;

what I did not steal, I have to give back.

5 God, you know my foolishness,

and my sins are not hidden from you.

6 Let not those who hope in you be put to shame because of me, Lord Yahweh of hosts;

let not those who seek you be brought to dishonor because of me, God of Israel.

7 For your sake I have borne rebuke;

shame has covered my face.

8 I have become a stranger to my brothers,

an alien to my mother's children.

9 For the zeal of your house has eaten me up,

and the rebukes of those who rebuke you have fallen on me.

10 When I wept and did not eat food,

they insulted me.

11 When I made sackcloth my clothing,

I became the object of a proverb to them.

12 Those who sit in the city gate talk about me;

I am a song of drunkards.

13 But as for me, my prayer is to you, Yahweh, at a time that you will accept;

answer me in the trustworthiness of your salvation.

14 Pull me out of the mire, and do not let me sink;

let me be taken away from those who hate me and rescued out of the deep waters.

15 Do not let the floods of water overwhelm me,

neither let the deep swallow me up.

Do not let the pit shut its mouth on me.

16 Answer me, Yahweh, for your covenant faithfulness is good;

because your mercies for me are many, turn to me.

17 Do not hide your face from your servant,

for I am in distress; answer me quickly.

18 Come to me and redeem me.

Because of my enemies, ransom me.

19 You know my rebuke, my shame, and my dishonor;

my adversaries are all before you.

20 Rebuke has broken my heart; I am full of heaviness;

I looked for someone to take pity, but there was none;

I looked for comforters, but I found none.

21 They gave me poison for my food;

in my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink.

22 Let their table before them become a snare;

when they think they are in safety, let it become a trap.

23 Let their eyes be darkened so that they cannot see;

and always make their loins shake.

24 Pour out your indignation on them,

and let the fierceness of your anger overtake them.

25 Let their place be a desolation;

let no one live in their tents.

26 For they persecuted the one you struck down.

They repeated the account of the pain of those you have wounded.

27 Accuse them of having committed iniquity after iniquity;

do not let them come into your righteous victory.

28 Let them be blotted out of the Book of Life

and not be written down along with the righteous.

29 But I am poor and sorrowful;

let your salvation, God, set me up on high.

30 I will praise the name of God with a song

and will exalt him with thanksgiving.

31 That will please Yahweh better than an ox

or a bull that has horns and hooves.

32 The meek have seen it and are glad;

you who seek after God, let your hearts live.

33 For Yahweh hears the needy

and does not despise his prisoners.

34 Let heaven and earth praise him,

the seas and everything that moves in them.

35 For God will save Zion and will rebuild the cities of Judah;

the people will live there and have it as a possession.

36 His servants' descendants will inherit it;

and those who love his name will live there.

70

For the chief musician. A psalm of David; to bring to remembrance.

1 Save me, God!

Yahweh, come quickly and help me.

2 Let those who try to take my life

be ashamed and humiliated;

let them be turned back and brought to dishonor,

those who take pleasure in my pain.

3 Let them be turned back because of their shame,

those who say, “Aha, aha.”

4 Let all those who seek you rejoice and be glad in you;

let those who love your salvation always say,

“May God be praised.”

5 But I am poor and needy;

hurry to me, God;

you are my help and you rescue me.

Yahweh, do not delay.

71

1 In you, Yahweh, I take refuge;

let me never be put to shame.

2 Rescue me and make me safe in your righteousness;

turn your ear to me and save me.

3 Be to me a rock for refuge where I may always go;

you have given a command to save me,

for you are my rock and my fortress.

4 Rescue me, my God, out of the hand of the wicked,

out of the hand of the unrighteous and cruel.

5 For you are my hope, Lord Yahweh.

I have trusted in you ever since I was a child.

6 By you I have been supported from the womb;

you are he who took me out of my mother's belly;

my praise will be always about you.

7 I am an example to many people;

you are my strong refuge.

8 My mouth will be filled with your praise,

all the day with your honor.

9 Do not throw me away in my time of old age;

do not abandon me when my strength fails.

10 For my enemies are talking about me;

those who watch for my life are plotting together.

11 They say, “God has forsaken him;

pursue and take him, for there is no one to save him.”

12 God, do not be far from me;

my God, hurry to help me.

13 Let them be put to shame and destroyed, those who are hostile to my life;

let them be covered with rebuke and dishonor, those who seek my hurt.

14 But I will always hope in you

and will praise you more and more.

15 My mouth will tell about your righteousness

and your salvation all the day,

although I cannot understand it.

16 I will come with the mighty acts of the Lord Yahweh;

I will make mention of your righteousness, yours alone.

17 God, you have taught me from my youth;

even now I declare your wonderful deeds.

18 Indeed, even when I am old and gray-headed, God, do not forsake me,

as I have been declaring your strength to the next generation,

your power to everyone who is to come.

19 Your righteousness also, God, is very high;

you who have done great things, God, who is like you?

20 You who made me see many troubles

will revive us again

and will bring us up again from the depths of the earth.

21 May you increase my honor;

turn again and comfort me.

22 I will also give thanks to you with the harp

for your trustworthiness, my God;

to you I will sing praises with the harp,

Holy One of Israel.

23 My lips will shout for joy when I sing praises to you—

even my soul, which you have redeemed.

24 My tongue will also talk about your righteousness all day long;

for they have been put to shame and are confused, those who sought my hurt.

72

A psalm of Solomon.

1 Give the king your righteous decrees, God,

your righteousness to the king's son.

2 May he judge your people with righteousness

and your poor with justice.

3 May the mountains produce peace for the people;

may the hills produce righteousness.

4 May he judge the poor of the people;

may he save the children of the needy

and break in pieces the oppressor.

5 May they honor you while the sun endures,

and as long as the moon lasts throughout all generations.

6 May he come down like rain on the mown grass,

like showers that water the earth.

7 May the righteous flourish in his days,

and may there be an abundance of peace till the moon is no more.

8 May he have dominion from sea to sea,

and from the River to the ends of the earth.

9 May those who live in the wilderness bow down before him;

may his enemies lick the dust.

10 May the kings of Tarshish and of the islands render tribute;

may the kings of Sheba and Seba offer gifts.

11 Indeed, may all kings fall down before him;

may all nations serve him.

12 For he helps the needy person who cries out

and the poor person who has no other helper.

13 He has pity on the poor and needy,

and he saves the lives of needy people.

14 He redeems their lives from oppression and violence,

and their blood is precious in his sight.

15 May he live! May the gold of Sheba be given to him.

May people always pray for him;

may God bless him all day long.

16 May there be abundance of grain in the land;

on the mountaintops may their crops wave.

May the fruit of it be like Lebanon;

may the people flourish in the cities like the grass of the field.

17 May his name endure forever;

may his name continue as long as the sun;

may people be blessed in him;

may all nations call him blessed.

18 May Yahweh God, the God of Israel, be blessed,

who alone does wonderful things.

19 May his glorious name be blessed forever,

and may the whole earth be filled with his glory.

Amen and Amen.

20 The prayers of David son of Jesse are finished.

Book Three

73

A psalm of Asaph.

1 Surely God is good to Israel,

to those with a pure heart.

2 But as for me, my feet almost slipped;

my feet almost slipped out from under me

3 because I was envious of the arrogant

when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.

4 For they have no pain until their death,

but they are strong and well fed.

5 They are free from the burdens of other men;

they are not afflicted like other men.

6 Pride adorns them like a necklace around their neck;

violence clothes them like a robe.

7 Out of such blindness comes sin;

evil thoughts pass through their hearts.

8 They mock and speak wickedly;

in their arrogance they threaten oppression.

9 They set their mouth against the heavens,

and their tongues march through the earth.

10 Therefore his people turn to them

and abundant waters are drained out.

11 They say, “How does God know?

Is there knowledge with the Most High?”

12 Take notice: these people are wicked;

they are always carefree, becoming richer and richer.

13 Surely it is in vain that I have guarded my heart

and washed my hands in innocence.

14 For all the day long I have been afflicted

and disciplined every morning.

15 If I had said, “I will say these things,”

then I would have betrayed this generation of your children.

16 Though I tried to understand these things,

it was too difficult for me.

17 Then I went into God's sanctuary

and came to understand their fate.

18 Surely you put them in slippery places;

you bring them down to ruin.

19 How they become a wilderness in a moment!

They come to an end and are finished in awful terrors.

20 They are like a dream after one wakes up;

Lord, when you arise, you will think nothing of those dreams.

21 For my heart was grieved,

and I was deeply wounded.

22 I was ignorant and lacked insight;

I was like a senseless animal before you.

23 Yet I am always with you;

you hold my right hand.

24 You will guide me with your advice

and afterward receive me to glory.

25 Whom have I in heaven but you?

There is no one on earth that I desire but you.

26 My flesh and my heart grow weak,

but God is the strength of my heart forever.

27 Those who are far from you will perish;

you will destroy all those who are unfaithful to you.

28 But as for me, all I need to do is to approach God.

I have made the Lord Yahweh my refuge.

I will declare all your deeds.

74

A maschil of Asaph.

1 God, why have you rejected us forever?

Why does your anger burn against the sheep of your pasture?

2 Call to mind your people, whom you purchased in ancient times,

the tribe whom you have redeemed to be your own heritage,

and Mount Zion, where you live.

3 Come look at the complete ruins,

all the damage that the enemy has done in the holy place.

4 Your adversaries roared in the middle of your appointed place;

they set up their battle flags.

5 They hacked away with axes

as in a thick forest.

6 They smashed and broke down all the engravings;

they broke them with axes and hammers.

7 They set your sanctuary on fire;

they desecrated where you live, knocking it to the ground.

8 They said in their hearts, “We will destroy them all.”

They burned up all of your meeting places in the land.

9 We do not see any more signs;

there is no prophet any more,

and no one among us knows how long this will last.

10 How long, God, will the enemy throw insults at you?

Will the enemy blaspheme your name forever?

11 Why do you hold back your hand, your right hand?

Take your right hand from your garment and destroy them.

12 Yet God has been my king from ancient times,

bringing salvation on the earth.

13 You divided the sea by your strength;

you smashed the heads of the sea monsters in the waters.

14 You crushed the heads of leviathan;

you fed him to those living in the wilderness.

15 You broke open springs and streams;

you dried up flowing rivers.

16 The day is yours, and the night is yours also;

you set the sun and moon in place.

17 You have set all the borders of the earth;

you have made summer and winter.

18 Call to mind how the enemy hurled insults at you, Yahweh,

and that a foolish people has blasphemed your name.

19 Do not give the life of your dove to a wild animal.

Do not forget forever the life of your oppressed people.

20 Remember your covenant,

for the dark regions of the land are full of places of violence.

21 Do not let the oppressed be turned back in shame;

let the poor and oppressed praise your name.

22 Arise, God; defend your own honor;

call to mind how fools insult you all day long.

23 Do not forget the voice of your adversaries

or the uproar of those who continually defy you.

75

For the chief musician; set to Al Tashheth. A psalm of Asaph, a song.

1 We give thanks to you, God;

we give thanks, for you reveal your presence;

people tell of your wondrous works.

2 At the appointed time I will judge fairly.

3 Though the earth and all the inhabitants shake in fear,

I make steady the earth's pillars.

Selah

4 I said to the arrogant, “Do not be arrogant,”

and to the wicked, “Do not lift up the horn.

5 Do not lift up your horn to the heights;

do not speak with an insolent neck.”

6 It is not from the east or from the west,

and it is not from the wilderness that lifting up comes.

7 But God is the judge;

he brings down and he lifts up.

8 For Yahweh holds in his hand a cup of foaming wine,

which is mixed with spices, and pours it out.

Surely all the wicked of the earth will drink it to the last drop.

9 But I will continually tell what you have done;

I will sing praises to the God of Jacob.

10 He says, “I will cut off all the horns of the wicked,

but the horns of the righteous will be raised up.”

76

For the chief musician, on stringed instruments. A psalm of Asaph, a song.

1 God has made himself known in Judah;

his name is great in Israel.

2 His tent is in Salem;

his dwelling place is in Zion.

3 There he broke the arrows of the bow,

the shield, the sword, and the other weapons of war.

Selah

4 You shine brightly and reveal your glory,

as you descend from the mountains, where you killed your victims.

5 The bravehearted were plundered;

they fell asleep.

All the warriors were helpless.

6 At your rebuke, God of Jacob,

both rider and horse fell asleep.

7 You, yes you, are to be feared;

who can stand in your sight when you are angry?

8 From heaven you made your judgment heard;

the earth was afraid and silent

9 when you, God, arose to execute judgment

and to save all the oppressed of the earth.

Selah

10 Surely your angry judgment against humanity will bring you praise;

you gird yourself with what is left of your anger.

11 Make vows to Yahweh your God and keep them.

May all who surround him bring gifts to him who is to be feared.

12 He cuts off the spirit of the princes;

he is feared by the kings of the earth.

77

For the chief musician; after the manner of Jeduthun. A psalm of Asaph.

1 I will call out with my voice to God;

I will call with my voice to God, and my God will hear me.

2 In the day of my trouble I sought the Lord;

at night I stretched my hands out, and they would not become tired.

My soul refused to be comforted.

3 I thought of God as I groaned;

I thought about him as I grew faint.

Selah

4 You held my eyes open;

I was too troubled to speak.

5 I thought about the days of old,

about times long past.

6 During the night I called to mind the song I once sang.

I thought carefully

and tried to understand what had happened.

7 Will the Lord reject me forever?

Will he never again show me favor?

8 Was his covenant faithfulness gone forever?

Had his promise failed forever?

9 Had God forgotten to be gracious?

Had his anger shut off his compassion?

Selah

10 I said, “This is my sorrow:

the changing of the right hand of the Most High toward us.”

11 But I will call to mind your deeds, Yahweh;

I will think about your wonderful deeds of old.

12 I will ponder all your deeds

and will reflect on them.

13 Your way, God, is holy;

what god compares to our great God?

14 You are the God who does wonders;

you have revealed your strength among the peoples.

15 You gave your people victory by your great power—

the descendants of Jacob and Joseph.

Selah

16 The waters saw you, God;

the waters saw you, and they were afraid;

the depths trembled.

17 The clouds poured down water;

the cloudy skies gave voice;

your arrows flew about.

18 Your thunderous voice was heard in the wind;

the lightning lit up the world;

the earth trembled and shook.

19 Your path went through the sea

and your way through the surging waters,

but your footprints were not seen.

20 You led your people like a flock

by the hand of Moses and Aaron.

78

A maschil of Asaph.

1 Hear my teaching, my people,

listen to the words of my mouth.

2 I will open my mouth in parables;

I will sing about hidden things about the past.

3 These are things that we have heard and learned,

things that our ancestors have told us.

4 We will not keep them from their descendants.

We will tell the next generation about the praiseworthy deeds of Yahweh,

his strength, and the wonders that he has done.

5 For he established covenant decrees in Jacob

and appointed a law in Israel.

He commanded our ancestors

that they were to teach them to their children.

6 He commanded this so that the generation to come might know his decrees, the children not yet born,

who should tell them in turn to their own children.

7 Then they would place their hope in God

and not forget his deeds

but keep his commandments.

8 Then they would not be like their ancestors,

who were a stubborn and rebellious generation,

a generation whose hearts were not right,

and whose spirits were not committed and faithful to God.

9 The Ephraimites were armed with bows,

but they turned back on the day of battle.

10 They did not keep the covenant with God,

and they refused to obey his law.

11 They forgot his deeds,

the wonderful things that he had shown them.

12 They forgot the marvelous things he did in the sight of their ancestors

in the land of Egypt, in the land of Zoan.

13 He divided the sea and led them across it;

he made the waters to stand like walls.

14 In the daytime he led them with a cloud

and all the night with the light of fire.

15 He split the rocks in the wilderness,

and he gave them water abundantly, enough to fill the depths of the sea.

16 He made streams flow out of the rock

and made the water flow like rivers.

17 Yet they continued to sin against him,

rebelling against the Most High in the wilderness.

18 They challenged God in their hearts

by asking for food to satisfy their appetites.

19 They spoke against God;

they said, “Can God really lay out a table for us in the wilderness?

20 See, when he struck the rock, waters gushed out

and streams overflowed.

But can he give bread also?

Will he provide meat for his people?”

21 When Yahweh heard this, he was angry;

so his fire burned against Jacob,

and his anger attacked Israel,

22 because they did not believe in God

and did not trust in his salvation.

23 Yet he commanded the skies above

and opened the doors of the sky.

24 He rained down manna for them to eat,

and gave them the grain from heaven.

25 People ate the bread of angels.

He sent them food in abundance.

26 He caused the east wind to blow in the sky,

and by his power he guided the south wind.

27 He rained down meat on them like dust,

birds as numerous as the sands of the sea.

28 They fell in the middle of their camp,

all around their tents.

29 So they ate and were full.

He gave them what they craved.

30 But they had not yet filled up;

their food was still in their mouths.

31 Then God's anger attacked them

and killed the strongest of them.

He brought down the young men of Israel.

32 Despite this, they continued to sin

and did not believe his wonderful deeds.

33 Therefore God cut short their days;

their years were filled with terror.

34 Whenever God afflicted them, they would start to seek him,

and they would return and look earnestly for him.

35 They would call to mind that God was their rock

and that the Most High God was their rescuer.

36 But they would flatter him with their mouth

and lie to him with their words.

37 For their hearts were not firmly fixed on him,

and they were not faithful to his covenant.

38 Yet he, being merciful, forgave their iniquity and did not destroy them.

Yes, many times he held back his anger

and did not stir up all his wrath.

39 He called to mind that they were made of flesh,

a wind that passes away and does not return.

40 How often they rebelled against him in the wilderness

and grieved him in the barren regions!

41 Again and again they challenged God

and offended the Holy One of Israel.

42 They did not think about his power,

how he had rescued them from the enemy

43 when he performed his terrifying signs in Egypt

and his wonders in the region of Zoan.

44 He turned the Egyptians' rivers to blood

so that they could not drink from their streams.

45 He sent swarms of flies that devoured them

and frogs that overran their land.

46 He gave their crops to the grasshopper

and their labor to the locust.

47 He destroyed their vines with hail

and their sycamore trees with more hail.

48 He rained hail on their cattle

and hurled lightning bolts at their livestock.

49 The fierceness of his anger lashed out against them.

He sent wrath, fury, and trouble

like agents who bring disaster.

50 He leveled a path for his anger;

he did not spare them from death

but gave them over to the plague.

51 He killed all the firstborn in Egypt,

the firstborn of their strength in the tents of Ham.

52 He led his own people out like sheep

and guided them through the wilderness like a flock.

53 He led them secure and unafraid,

but the sea overwhelmed their enemies.

54 Then he brought them to the border of his holy land,

to this mountain that his right hand acquired.

55 He drove out the nations from before them

and assigned them their inheritance.

He settled the tribes of Israel in their tents.

56 Yet they challenged and defied the Most High God

and did not keep his solemn commands.

57 They were unfaithful and acted treacherously like their fathers;

they were as undependable as a faulty bow.

58 For they made him angry with their high places

and provoked him to jealous anger with their idols.

59 When God heard this, he was angry

and completely rejected Israel.

60 He abandoned the sanctuary of Shiloh,

the tent where he had lived among people.

61 He allowed his strength to be captured

and gave his glory into the enemy's hand.

62 He handed his people over to the sword,

and he was angry with his heritage.

63 Fire devoured their young men,

and their young women had no wedding songs.

64 Their priests fell by the sword,

and their widows could not weep.

65 Then the Lord awakened as one from sleep,

like a warrior who shouts because of wine.

66 He drove his adversaries back;

he put them to everlasting shame.

67 He rejected the tent of Joseph,

and he did not chose the tribe of Ephraim.

68 He chose the tribe of Judah

and Mount Zion that he loved.

69 He built his sanctuary like the heavens,

like the earth that he has established forever.

70 He chose David, his servant,

and took him from the sheepfolds.

71 He took him from following the ewes with their young, and he brought him

to be shepherd of Jacob, his people, and of Israel, his heritage.

72 David shepherded them with the integrity of his heart,

and he guided them with the skill of his hands.

79

A psalm of Asaph.

1 God, foreign nations have come into your inheritance;

they have defiled your holy temple;

they have turned Jerusalem into a heap of ruins.

2 They have given the dead bodies of your servants as food to the birds of the skies,

the bodies of your faithful people to the beasts of the earth.

3 They have shed their blood like water around Jerusalem,

and there was none to bury them.

4 We have become a reproach for our neighbors,

mocking and derision to those who are around us.

5 How long, Yahweh? Will you stay angry forever?

How long will your jealous anger burn like fire?

6 Pour out your wrath on the nations that do not know you

and on the kingdoms that do not call upon your name.

7 For they have devoured Jacob

and destroyed his villages.

8 Do not hold the sins of our forefathers against us;

may your merciful actions come to us,

for we are very low.

9 Help us, God of our salvation, for the sake of the glory of your name;

save us and forgive our sins for your name's sake.

10 Why should the nations say, “Where is their God?”

May the blood of your servants that was shed

be avenged on the nations before our eyes.

11 May the groans of the prisoners come before you;

with the greatness of your power keep the children of death alive.

12 Pay back into the laps of our neighboring countries seven times as much

as the insults with which they have insulted you, Lord.

13 So we your people and sheep of your pasture

will give you thanks forever.

We will tell your praises to all generations.

80

For the chief musician, set to the Shoshannim Eduth style. A psalm of Asaph.

1 Pay attention, Shepherd of Israel,

you who lead Joseph like a flock;

you who sit above the cherubim, shine on us!

2 In the sight of Ephraim and Benjamin and Manasseh, stir up your power;

come and save us.

3 God, restore us;

make your face shine on us, and we will be saved.

4 Yahweh God of hosts,

how long will you be angry at your people when they pray?

5 You have fed them with the bread of tears

and given them tears to drink in great quantities.

6 You make us something for our neighbors to argue over,

and our enemies laugh about us among themselves.

7 God of hosts, restore us;

make your face shine on us, and we will be saved.

8 You brought a vine out of Egypt;

you drove out nations and transplanted it.

9 You cleared the land for it;

it took root and filled the land.

10 The mountains were covered with its shade,

the cedars of God by its branches.

11 It sent out its branches as far as the sea

and its shoots to the Euphrates River.

12 Why have you broken down its walls

so that all who pass by along the road pluck its fruit?

13 The boars out of the forest ruin it,

and the beasts of the field feed on it.

14 Turn back, God of hosts;

look down from heaven and take notice and take care of this vine.

15 This is the root that your right hand planted,

the shoot that you made to grow.

16 It has been burned and cut down;

they perish because of your rebuke.

17 May your hand be on the man of your right hand,

on the son of man whom you made strong for yourself.

18 Then we will not turn away from you;

revive us, and we will call on your name.

19 Yahweh God of hosts, restore us;

make your face shine on us, and we will be saved.

81

For the chief musician; set to the Gittith style. A psalm of Asaph.

1 Sing aloud to God our strength;

shout out for joy to the God of Jacob.

2 Sing a song and play the tambourine,

the pleasant lyre with the harp.

3 Blow the trumpet on the day of the new moon,

on the day of the full moon, when our feast day begins.

4 For it is a statute for Israel,

a decree given by the God of Jacob.

5 He issued it as a regulation in Joseph

when he went against the land of Egypt,

where I heard a voice that I did not recognize:

6 “I removed the burden from his shoulder;

his hands were freed from holding the basket.

7 In your distress you called out, and I helped you;

I answered you from a dark thundercloud.

I tested you at the waters of Meribah.

Selah

8 Listen, my people, for I will warn you,

Israel, if you would only listen to me!

9 There must be no foreign god among you;

you must not worship any foreign god.

10 I am Yahweh your God,

who brought you out of the land of Egypt.

Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it.

11 But my people did not listen to my words;

Israel did not obey me.

12 So I gave them over to their own stubborn way

so that they might do what seemed right to them.

13 Oh, that my people would listen to me;

oh, that my people would walk in my paths.

14 Then I would quickly subdue their enemies

and turn my hand against their oppressors.

15 May those who hate Yahweh cringe in fear before him!

May they be humiliated forever.

16 I would feed Israel with the finest wheat;

I would satisfy you with honey out of the rock.”

82

A psalm of Asaph.

1 God stands in the divine assembly;

in the midst of the gods he renders judgment.

2 How long will you judge unjustly

and show favoritism to the wicked?

Selah

3 Defend the poor and fatherless;

maintain the rights of the afflicted and destitute.

4 Rescue the poor and needy;

take them out of the hand of the wicked.

5 They neither know nor understand;

they wander around in the darkness;

all the foundations of the earth crumble.

6 I said, “You are gods,

and all of you sons of the Most High.

7 Nevertheless you will die like men

and fall like one of the princes.”

8 Arise, God, judge the earth,

for you have an inheritance in all the nations.

83

A song. A psalm of Asaph.

1 God, do not be silent!

Do not ignore us and remain unmoved, God.

2 Look, your enemies are making a commotion,

and those who hate you have raised their heads.

3 They conspire against your people

and plan together against your protected ones.

4 They have said, “Come, and let us destroy them as a nation.

Then the name of Israel will no longer be remembered.”

5 They have schemed together with one strategy;

against you they have made an alliance.

6 This includes the tents of Edom and the Ishmaelites,

and the people of Moab and the Hagrites, who plot together with 7 Gebal, Ammon, Amalek;

it also includes Philistia and the inhabitants of Tyre.

8 Assyria also is allied with them;

they are helping the descendants of Lot.

Selah

9 Do to them as you did to Midian,

as you did to Sisera and to Jabin at the Kishon River.

10 They perished at Endor

and became like manure for the earth.

11 Make their nobles like Oreb and Zeeb,

and all their princes like Zebah and Zalmunna.

12 They said, “Let us take for ourselves

the pastures of God.”

13 My God, make them like the whirling dust,

like chaff before the wind,

14 like the fire that burns the forest,

and like the flame that sets the mountains on fire.

15 Chase them with your strong wind,

and terrify them with your windstorm.

16 Fill their faces with shame

so that they might seek your name, Yahweh.

17 May they be put to shame and be terrified forever;

may they perish in disgrace.

18 Then they will know that you alone, Yahweh,

are the Most High over all the earth.

84

For the chief musician; set to the Gittith style. A psalm of the sons of Korah.

1 How lovely is the place where you live,

Yahweh of hosts!

2 I long for the courts of Yahweh, my desire for it has made me exhausted.

My heart and all of my being call out to the living God.

3 Even the sparrow has found her a house

and the swallow a nest for herself where she may lay her young

near your altars, Yahweh of hosts,

my King, and my God.

4 Blessed are they who live in your house;

they praise you continually.

Selah

5 Blessed is the man whose strength is in you,

in whose heart are the highways up to Zion.

6 Passing through the Valley of Tears, they find springs of water to drink.

The early rains cover it with blessings. *

7 They go from strength to strength;

every one of them appears before God in Zion.

8 Yahweh God of hosts, hear my prayer;

God of Jacob, listen to what I am saying!

Selah

9 God, watch over our shield;

show concern for your anointed.

10 For one day in your courts is better than a thousand elsewhere.

I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God,

than to live within the tents of the wicked.

11 For Yahweh God is our sun and shield;

Yahweh will give grace and glory;

he does not withhold any good thing from those who walk in integrity.

12 Yahweh of hosts,

blessed is the man who trusts in you.

85

For the chief musician. A psalm of the sons of Korah.

1 Yahweh, you have showed favor to your land;

you have restored the well-being of Jacob.

2 You have forgiven the sin of your people;

you have covered all their sin.

Selah

3 You have withdrawn all your wrath;

you have turned back from your hot anger.

4 Restore us, God of our salvation,

and let go of your displeasure with us.

5 Will you be angry with us forever?

Will you remain angry throughout future generations?

6 Will you not revive us again?

Then your people will rejoice in you.

7 Show us your covenant faithfulness, Yahweh,

grant us your salvation.

8 I will listen to what Yahweh God says,

for he will make peace with his people, his faithful followers.

Yet they must not turn again to foolish ways.

9 Surely his salvation is near to those who fear him;

then glory will remain in our land.

10 Covenant faithfulness and trustworthiness have met together;

righteousness and peace have kissed each other.

11 Trustworthiness springs up from the ground,

and righteousness looks down from the sky.

12 Yes, Yahweh will give his good blessings,

and our land will yield its crops.

13 Righteousness will go before him

and make a way for his footsteps.

86

A prayer of David.

1 Listen, Yahweh, and answer me,

for I am poor and oppressed.

2 Protect me, for I am loyal;

my God, save your servant who trusts in you.

3 Be merciful to me, Lord,

for I cry out to you all day long.

4 Make your servant glad,

for to you, Lord, I lift up my soul.

5 You, Lord, are good, and ready to forgive,

and you show great mercy to all those who cry out to you.

6 Yahweh, listen to my prayer;

hear the sound of my pleas.

7 In the day of my trouble I call on you,

for you will answer me.

8 There is no one who compares to you among the gods, Lord.

There are no deeds like your deeds.

9 All the nations that you have made will come and bow before you, Lord.

They will honor your name.

10 For you are great and do wonderful things;

you only are God.

11 Teach me your ways, Yahweh. Then I will walk in your truth.

Unite my heart to reverence you.

12 Lord my God, I will praise you with my whole heart;

I will glorify your name forever.

13 For great is your covenant faithfulness toward me;

you have rescued my life from the depths of Sheol.

14 God, the arrogant have risen up against me.

A gang of violent men seek my life.

They have no regard for you.

15 But you, Lord, are a merciful and gracious God,

slow to anger, and abundant in covenant faithfulness and trustworthiness.

16 Turn toward me and have mercy on me;

give your strength to your servant;

save the son of your servant woman.

17 Show me a sign of your favor.

Then those who hate me will see it and be put to shame

because you, Yahweh, have helped me and comforted me.

87

A psalm of the sons of Korah; a song.

1 On the holy mount stands the city he founded;

2 Yahweh loves the gates of Zion

more than all the tents of Jacob.

3 Glorious things are said of you, city of God.

Selah

4 “I mention Rahab and Babylon to my followers.

See, there are Philistia, and Tyre, along with Cush—

and will say, 'This one was born there.'”

5 Of Zion it will be said, “Each of these was born in her;

and the Most High himself will establish her.”

6 Yahweh writes in the census book of the nations,

“This one was born there.”

Selah

7 So also the singers and the dancers say together,

“All my fountains are in you.”

88

A song, a psalm of the sons of Korah; for the chief musician; set to the Mahalath Leannoth style. A maschil of Heman the Ezrahite.

1 Yahweh, God of my salvation,

I cry out day and night before you.

2 Listen to my prayer;

pay attention to my cry.

3 For I am filled with troubles,

and my life has reached Sheol.

4 People treat me like those who go down into the pit;

I am a man with no strength.

5 I am abandoned among the dead;

I am like the dead who lie in the grave,

about whom you care no more

because they are cut off from your power.

6 You place me in the lowest part of the pit,

in the dark and deep places.

7 Your wrath lies heavy on me,

and all your waves crash over me.

Selah

8 Because of you, my acquaintances avoid me.

You have made me a shocking sight to them.

I am hemmed in and I cannot escape.

9 My eyes grow weary from trouble;

All day long I call out to you, Yahweh;

I spread out my hands to you.

10 Will you do wonders for the dead?

Will those who have died rise and praise you?

Selah

11 Will your covenant faithfulness be proclaimed in the grave,

your loyalty in the place of the dead?

12 Will your wonderful deeds be known in the darkness,

or your righteousness in the place of forgetfulness?

13 But I cry to you, Yahweh;

in the morning my prayer comes before you.

14 Yahweh, why do you reject me?

Why do you hide your face from me?

15 I have always been afflicted and on the verge of death since my youth.

I have suffered from your terrors; I am in despair.

16 Your angry actions have passed over me,

and your terrifying deeds have annihilated me.

17 They surround me like water all the day long;

they have all encircled me.

18 You have removed every friend and acquaintance from me.

My only acquaintance is the darkness.

89

A maschil of Ethan the Ezrahite.

1 I will sing of Yahweh's acts of covenant faithfulness forever.

I will proclaim your truthfulness to future generations.

2 For I have said, “Covenant faithfulness has been established forever;

your truthfulness you have established in the heavens.”

3 “I have made a covenant with my chosen one,

I have made an oath to David my servant.

4 I will establish your descendants forever,

and I will establish your throne through all generations.”

Selah

5 The heavens praise your wonders, Yahweh;

your truthfulness is praised in the assembly of the holy ones.

6 For who in the skies can be compared to Yahweh?

Who among the sons of the gods is like Yahweh?

7 He is a God who is greatly honored in the council of the holy ones

and is awesome among all who surround him.

8 Yahweh God of hosts,

who is strong like you, Yahweh?

Your truthfulness surrounds you.

9 You rule the raging sea;

when the waves surge, you calm them.

10 You crushed Rahab as one who is killed.

You scattered your enemies with your strong arm.

11 The heavens belong to you, and the earth also.

You made the world and all it contains.

12 You created the north and the south.

Tabor and Hermon rejoice in your name.

13 You have a mighty arm

and a strong hand, and your right hand is high.

14 Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne.

Covenant faithfulness and trustworthiness come before you.

15 Blessed are the people who worship you!

Yahweh, they walk in the light of your face.

16 They rejoice in your name all day long,

and in your righteousness they exalt you.

17 You are their majestic strength,

and by your favor we are victorious.

18 For our shield belongs to Yahweh;

our king belongs to the Holy One of Israel.

19 Long ago you spoke in a vision to your faithful ones; *

you said, “I have set a crown on a mighty one.” †

I have raised up one chosen from among the people.

20 I have chosen David my servant;

with my holy oil have I anointed him.

21 My hand will support him;

my arm will strengthen him.

22 No enemy will deceive him;

no son of wickedness will oppress him.

23 I will crush his enemies before him;

I will kill those who hate him.

24 My truth and my covenant faithfulness will be with him;

by my name he will be victorious.

25 I will place his hand over the sea

and his right hand over the rivers.

26 He will call out to me, 'You are my Father,

my God, and the rock of my salvation.'

27 I also will place him as my firstborn son,

the most exalted of the kings of the earth.

28 I will extend my covenant faithfulness to him forever;

and my covenant with him will be secure.

29 I will make his descendants endure forever

and his throne as enduring as the skies above.

30 If his children forsake my law

and do not walk in my regulations,

31 if they break my rules

and do not keep my commands,

32 then will I punish their rebellion with a rod

and their iniquity with blows.

33 But I will not remove my steadfast love from him

or be unfaithful to my promise.

34 I will not break my covenant

or change the words of my lips.

35 Once and for all I have sworn by my holiness—

I will not lie to David:

36 his descendants will continue forever

and his throne as long as the sun before me.

37 It will be established forever like the moon,

the faithful witness in the sky.”

Selah

38 But you have refused and rejected;

you have been angry with your anointed king.

39 You have renounced the covenant of your servant.

You have desecrated his crown on the ground.

40 You have broken down all his walls.

You have ruined his strongholds.

41 All who pass by have robbed him.

He has become an object of disgust to his neighbors.

42 You have raised the right hand of his enemies;

you have made all his enemies rejoice.

43 You turn back the edge of his sword

and have not made him stand when in battle.

44 You have brought his splendor to an end;

you have brought down his throne to the ground.

45 You have shortened the days of his youth.

You have covered him with shame.

Selah

46 How long, Yahweh? Will you hide yourself, forever?

How long will your anger burn like fire?

47 Oh, think about how short my time is,

and for what uselessness you have created all the children of mankind!

48 Who can live and not die,

or rescue his own life from the hand of Sheol?

Selah

49 Lord, where are your former acts of covenant faithfulness

that you swore to David in your truthfulness?

50 Call to mind, Lord, the mocking directed against your servants

and how I bear in my heart so many insults from the nations.

51 Your enemies hurl insults, Yahweh;

they mock the footsteps of your anointed one.

52 Blessed be Yahweh forever.

Amen and Amen.

Book Four

90

A prayer of Moses the man of God.

1 Lord, you have been our refuge

throughout all generations.

2 Before the mountains were formed,

or you formed the earth and the world,

from everlasting to everlasting, you are God.

3 You return man to dust,

and you say, “Return, you descendants of mankind.”

4 For a thousand years in your sight

are as yesterday when it is past,

and as a watch in the night.

5 You sweep them away as with a flood and they sleep;

in the morning they are like the grass that sprouts up.

6 In the morning it blooms and grows up;

in the evening it withers and dries up.

7 Truly, we are consumed in your anger,

and in your wrath we are terrified.

8 You have set our iniquities before you,

our hidden sins in the light of your presence.

9 Our life passes away under your wrath;

our years quickly pass like a sigh.

10 Our years are seventy,

or even eighty if we are healthy;

but even our best years are marked by trouble and sorrow.

Yes, they pass quickly, and we fly away.

11 Who knows the intensity of your anger,

and your wrath that is equal to the fear of you?

12 So teach us to consider our life

so that we might live wisely.

13 Turn back, Yahweh! How long will it be?

Have pity on your servants.

14 Satisfy us in the morning with your covenant faithfulness

so that we may rejoice and be glad all our days.

15 Make us glad in proportion to the days you afflicted us

and to the years we have experienced trouble.

16 Let your servants see your work,

and let our children see your majesty.

17 May the favor of the Lord our God be ours;

prosper the work of our hands;

indeed, prosper the work of our hands.

91

1 He who lives in the shelter of the Most High

will stay in the shadow of the Almighty.

2 I will say of Yahweh, “He is my refuge and my fortress,

my God, in whom I trust.”

3 For he will rescue you from the snare of the hunter

and from the deadly plague.

4 He will cover you with his wings,

and under his wings you will find refuge.

His trustworthiness is a shield and protection.

5 You will not be afraid of terror in the night,

or of the arrow that flies by day,

6 or of the plague that roams around in the darkness,

or of the disease that comes at noontime.

7 A thousand may fall at your side

and ten thousand at your right hand,

but it will not reach you.

8 You will only observe

and see the punishment of the wicked.

9 For Yahweh is my refuge!

Make the Most High your refuge also.

10 No evil will overtake you;

no affliction will come near your home.

11 For he will direct his angels to protect you,

to guard you in all your ways.

12 They will lift you up with their hand

so that you will not hit your foot on a stone.

13 You will crush lions and adders under your feet;

you will trample on young lions and serpents.

14 Because he is devoted to me, I will rescue him.

I will protect him because he is loyal to me.

15 When he calls to me, I will answer him.

I will be with him in trouble;

I will give him victory and will honor him.

16 I will satisfy him with long life

and show him my salvation.

92

A psalm, a song for the Sabbath day.

1 It is a good thing to give thanks to Yahweh

and to sing praises to your name, Most High,

2 to proclaim your covenant faithfulness in the morning

and your truthfulness every night,

3 with a harp of ten strings

and with the melody of the lyre.

4 For you, Yahweh, have made me glad through your deeds.

I will sing for joy because of the deeds of your hands.

5 How great are your deeds, Yahweh!

Your thoughts are very deep.

6 A brutish person does not know,

nor does a fool understand this:

7 When the wicked sprout like the grass,

and even when all the evildoers thrive,

still they are doomed to eternal destruction.

8 But you, Yahweh, will reign forever.

9 Indeed, look at your enemies, Yahweh!

Indeed, look at your enemies. They will perish!

All those who do evil will be scattered.

10 You have lifted up my horn like the horn of the wild ox;

I am anointed with fresh oil.

11 My eyes have seen the downfall of my enemies;

my ears have heard of the doom of my evil foes.

12 The righteous will flourish like the palm tree;

they will grow like a cedar in Lebanon.

13 They are planted in the house of Yahweh;

they flourish in the courts of our God.

14 They bear fruit even when they are old;

they stay fresh and green,

15 to proclaim that Yahweh is just.

He is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in him.

93

1 Yahweh reigns; he is robed in majesty;

Yahweh has clothed and girded himself with strength.

The world is firmly established; it cannot be moved.

2 Your throne is established from ancient times;

you are from everlasting.

3 The oceans rise, Yahweh;

they have lifted up their voice;

the oceans' waves crash and roar.

4 Above the crashing of many waves,

the mighty breakers of the sea,

Yahweh on high is mighty.

5 Your solemn commands are very trustworthy;

holiness adorns your house,

Yahweh, forever.

94

1 Yahweh, God who avenges,

God who avenges, shine over us.

2 Rise up, judge of the earth,

give to the proud what they deserve.

3 How long will the wicked, Yahweh,

how long will the wicked rejoice?

4 They pour out their arrogant words;

all those who do evil boast.

5 They crush your people, Yahweh;

they afflict the nation that belongs to you.

6 They kill the widow and foreigner who lives in their country,

and they murder the fatherless.

7 They say, “Yahweh will not see,

the God of Jacob does not take notice of it.”

8 Understand, you stupid people!

You fools, when will you ever learn?

9 He who made the ear, does he not hear?

He who formed the eye, does he not see?

10 He who disciplines the nations, does he not correct?

He is the one who gives knowledge to man.

11 Yahweh knows the thoughts of men,

that they are vapor.

12 Blessed is the one whom you instruct, Yahweh,

the one whom you teach from your law.

13 You give him rest in times of trouble

until a pit is dug for the wicked.

14 For Yahweh will not forsake his people

or abandon his inheritance.

15 For judgment will again be righteous;

and all the upright in heart will follow it.

16 Who will rise up to defend me against the evildoers?

Who will stand up for me against the wicked?

17 Unless Yahweh had been my help,

I would soon be lying down in the place of silence.

18 When I said, “My foot is slipping,”

Your covenant faithfulness, Yahweh, held me up.

19 When cares within me are many, your consolations make me happy.

20 Can a throne of destruction be allied with you,

one who creates injustice by statute?

21 They conspire together to take the life of the righteous

and they condemn the innocent to death.

22 But Yahweh has been my high tower,

and my God has been the rock of my refuge.

23 He will bring on them their own iniquity

and will cut them off in their own wickedness.

Yahweh our God will cut them off.

95

1 Oh come, let us sing to Yahweh;

let us sing joyfully to the rock of our salvation.

2 Let us enter his presence with thanksgiving;

let us sing to him with psalms of praise.

3 For Yahweh is a great God

and a great King superior to all gods.

4 In his hand are the depths of the earth;

the heights of the mountains are his.

5 The sea is his, for he made it,

and his hands formed the dry land.

6 Oh come, let us worship and bow down;

let us kneel before Yahweh, our Creator:

7 For he is our God,

and we are the people of his pasture and the sheep of his hand.

Today—oh, that you would hear his voice!

8 “Do not harden your heart, as at Meribah,

or as on the day of Massah in the wilderness,

9 where your forefathers tested me

and tried me, though they had seen my deeds.

10 For forty years I was angry with that generation

and said, 'This is a people whose hearts wander astray;

they have not known my ways.'

11 Therefore I vowed in my anger

that they would never enter into my resting place.”

96

1 Oh, sing to Yahweh a new song;

sing to Yahweh, all the earth.

2 Sing to Yahweh, bless his name;

announce his salvation day after day.

3 Declare his glory among the nations,

his marvelous deeds among all the nations.

4 For Yahweh is great and is to be praised greatly.

He is to be feared above all other gods.

5 For all the gods of the nations are idols,

but it is Yahweh who made the heavens.

6 Splendor and majesty are in his presence.

Strength and beauty are in his sanctuary.

7 Ascribe to Yahweh, you clans of peoples,

ascribe praise to Yahweh for his glory and strength.

8 Give to Yahweh the glory that his name deserves.

Bring an offering and come into his courts.

9 Bow down to Yahweh in the splendor of holiness;

tremble before him, all the earth.

10 Say among the nations, “Yahweh reigns.”

The world also is established; it cannot be shaken.

He judges the peoples fairly.

11 Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice;

let the sea roar and that which fills it shout with joy.

12 Let the fields rejoice and all that is in them.

Then let all the trees in the forest shout for joy

13 before Yahweh, for he is coming.

He is coming to judge the earth.

He will judge the world with righteousness

and the peoples with his faithfulness.

97

1 Yahweh reigns; let the earth rejoice;

let the many coastlands be glad.

2 Clouds and darkness surround him.

Righteousness and justice are the foundation of his throne.

3 Fire goes before him

and consumes his adversaries on every side.

4 His lightning lights up the world;

the earth sees and trembles.

5 The mountains melt like wax before Yahweh,

the Lord of the whole earth.

6 The skies declare his justice,

and all the nations see his glory.

7 All those who worship carved figures will be shamed,

those who boast in worthless idols—

bow down to him, all you gods!

8 Zion heard and was glad,

and the towns of Judah rejoiced

because of your righteous decrees, Yahweh.

9 For you, Yahweh, are most high above all the earth.

You are exalted far above all gods.

10 You who love Yahweh, hate evil!

He protects the lives of his saints,

and he takes them out of the hand of the wicked.

11 Light is sown for the righteous

and gladness for those with honest hearts.

12 Be glad in Yahweh, you righteous;

and give thanks when you remember his holiness.

98

A psalm.

1 Oh, sing to Yahweh a new song,

for he has done marvelous things;

his right hand and his holy arm have given him victory.

2 Yahweh has made known his salvation;

he has openly showed his justice to all the nations.

3 He calls to mind his covenant loyalty and faithfulness for the house of Israel;

all the ends of the earth will see the victory of our God.

4 Shout for joy to Yahweh, all the earth;

burst into song, sing for joy, and sing praises.

5 Sing praises to Yahweh with the harp,

with the harp and melodious song.

6 With trumpets and the sound of the horn,

make a joyful noise before the King, Yahweh.

7 Let the sea shout and everything in it,

the world and those who live in it!

8 Let the rivers clap their hands,

and let the mountains shout for joy.

9 Yahweh is coming to judge the earth;

he will judge the world with righteousness

and the nations with fairness.

99

1 Yahweh reigns; let the nations tremble.

He sits enthroned above the cherubim; the earth quakes.

2 Yahweh is great in Zion;

he is exalted above all the nations.

3 Let them praise your great and awesome name;

he is holy.

4 The king is strong, and he loves justice.

You have established fairness;

you have done righteousness and justice in Jacob.

5 Praise Yahweh our God

and worship at his footstool.

He is holy.

6 Moses and Aaron were among his priests,

and Samuel was among those who called on his name.

They called to Yahweh, and he answered them.

7 He spoke to them from the pillar of cloud.

They kept his solemn commands

and the statutes that he gave them.

8 You answered them, Yahweh our God.

A forgiving God you were to them,

but one who punished their sinful deeds.

9 Praise Yahweh our God,

and worship at his holy hill,

for Yahweh our God is holy.

100

A psalm of thanksgiving.

1 Shout joyfully to Yahweh, all the earth.

2 Serve Yahweh with gladness;

come before his presence with joyful singing.

3 Know that Yahweh is God;

he made us, and we are his.

We are his people and the sheep of his pasture.

4 Enter into his gates with thanksgiving

and into his courts with praise.

Give thanks to him and bless his name.

5 For Yahweh is good; his covenant faithfulness endures forever

and his truthfulness through all generations.

101

A psalm of David.

1 I will sing of covenant faithfulness and justice;

to you, Yahweh, I will sing praises.

2 I will walk in the way of integrity.

Oh, when will you come to me?

I will walk with integrity within my house.

3 I will not put wrongdoing before my eyes;

I hate worthless evil;

it will not cling to me.

4 Perverse people will leave me;

I am not loyal to evil.

5 I will destroy whoever secretly slanders his neighbor.

I will not tolerate anyone who has a proud demeanor and an arrogant attitude.

6 I will look to the faithful of the land to sit at my side.

Those who walk in the way of integrity may serve me.

7 Deceitful people will not remain within my house;

liars will not be welcome before my eyes.

8 Morning by morning I will destroy all the wicked from the land;

I will remove all evildoers from the city of Yahweh.

102

A prayer of the afflicted when he is faint and pours out his lament before Yahweh.

1 Hear my prayer, Yahweh;

hear my cry to you.

2 Do not hide your face from me in my time of trouble.

Listen to me.

When I call out to you, answer me quickly.

3 For my days pass away like smoke,

and my bones burn like fire.

4 My heart is crushed, and I am like grass that has withered.

I forget to eat any food.

5 With my continual groaning,

I have become very thin.

6 I am like a pelican of the wilderness;

I have become like an owl in the ruins.

7 I lie awake like a solitary bird,

alone on the housetop.

8 My enemies taunt me all day long;

those who mock me use my name in curses.

9 I eat ashes like bread

and mix my drink with tears.

10 Because of your raging anger,

you have lifted me up to throw me down.

11 My days are like a shadow that fades,

and I have withered like grass.

12 But you, Yahweh, live forever,

and your fame is for all generations.

13 You will rise up and have mercy on Zion.

Now is the time to have mercy upon her;

the appointed time has come.

14 For your servants hold her stones dear

and feel compassion for the dust of her ruins.

15 The nations will respect your name, Yahweh,

and all the kings of the earth will honor your glory.

16 Yahweh will rebuild Zion

and will appear in his glory.

17 At that time, he will respond to the prayer of the destitute;

he will not reject their prayer.

18 This will be written for future generations,

and a people not yet born will praise Yahweh.

19 For he has looked down from the holy heights;

from heaven Yahweh has viewed the earth,

20 to hear the groaning of the prisoners,

to release those who were condemned to death.

21 Then men will proclaim the name of Yahweh in Zion

and his praise in Jerusalem

22 when the peoples and kingdoms gather together

to serve Yahweh.

23 He has taken away my strength in the middle of life.

He has shortened my days.

24 I said, “My God, do not take me away in the middle of life;

you are here throughout all generations.

25 In ancient times you set the earth in place;

the heavens are the work of your hands.

26 They will perish, but you will remain;

they will all grow old like a garment;

like clothing, you will remove them, and they will disappear.

27 But you are the same,

and your years will have no end.

28 The children of your servants will live on,

and their descendants will live in your presence.”

103

A psalm of David.

1 I give praise to Yahweh with all my life,

and with all that is within me, I give praise to his holy name.

2 I give praise to Yahweh with all my life,

and I remember all of his good deeds.

3 He forgives all your sins;

he heals all your diseases.

4 He redeems your life from destruction;

he crowns you with covenant faithfulness and acts of tender mercy.

5 He satisfies your life with good things

so that your youth is renewed like the eagle.

6 Yahweh does what is fair

and does acts of justice for all who are oppressed.

7 He made known his ways to Moses,

his deeds to the descendants of Israel.

8 Yahweh is merciful and gracious;

he is patient; he has great covenant loyalty.

9 He will not always discipline;

he is not always angry.

10 He does not deal with us as our sins deserve

or repay us for what our sins demand.

11 For as the skies are high above the earth,

so great is his covenant faithfulness toward those who honor him.

12 As far as the east is from the west,

this is how far he has removed the guilt of our sins from us.

13 As a father has compassion on his children,

so Yahweh has compassion on those who honor him.

14 For he knows how we are formed;

he knows that we are dust.

15 As for man, his days are like grass;

he flourishes like a flower in a field.

16 The wind blows over it, and it disappears,

and no one can even tell where it once grew.

17 But the covenant faithfulness of Yahweh is from everlasting to everlasting on those who honor him.

His righteousness extends to their descendants.

18 They keep his covenant

and remember to obey his instructions.

19 Yahweh has established his throne in the heavens,

and his kingdom rules over everyone.

20 Give praise to Yahweh, you his angels,

you mighty ones who are strong and do his word,

and obey the sound of his word.

21 Give praise to Yahweh, all his hosts,

you are his servants who carry out his will.

22 Give praise to Yahweh, all his creatures,

in all the places where he reigns.

I will give praise to Yahweh with all my life.

104

1 I give praise to Yahweh with all my life,

Yahweh my God, you are very magnificent;

you are clothed with splendor and majesty.

2 You cover yourself with light as with a garment;

you spread out the heavens like a tent curtain.

3 You lay the beams of your chambers on the clouds;

you make the clouds your chariot;

you walk on the wings of the wind.

4 He makes the winds his messengers,

flames of fire his servants.

5 He laid the foundations of the earth,

and it will never be moved.

6 You covered the earth with water like a garment;

the water covered the mountains.

7 Your rebuke made the waters recede;

at the sound of your thunderous voice they fled.

8 The mountains rose, and the valleys spread out

into the places that you had appointed for them.

9 You have set a boundary for them that they will not cross;

they will not cover the earth again.

10 He made springs flow into the valleys;

the streams flow between the mountains.

11 They supply water for all the animals of the field;

the wild donkeys quench their thirst.

12 By the riverbanks the birds build their nests;

they sing among the branches.

13 He waters the mountains from his water chambers in the sky.

The earth is filled with the fruit of his labor.

14 He makes the grass grow for the cattle

and plants for man to cultivate

so that man may produce food from the earth.

15 He makes wine to make man happy,

oil to make his face shine,

and food to sustain his life.

16 The trees of Yahweh get plenty of rain;

the cedars of Lebanon which he planted.

17 There the birds make their nests.

The stork makes the cypress tree her home.

18 The wild goats live on the high mountains;

the mountain heights are a refuge for the hyraxes.

19 He appointed the moon to mark the seasons;

the sun knows its time for setting.

20 You make the darkness of the night

when all the beasts of the forest come out.

21 The young lions roar for their prey

and seek their food from God.

22 When the sun rises, they retreat

and sleep in their dens.

23 Meanwhile, people go out to their work

and labor away until the evening.

24 Yahweh, how many and varied are your works!

With wisdom you made them all;

the earth overflows with your works.

25 Over there is the sea, deep and wide,

teeming with innumerable creatures,

both small and great.

26 The ships travel there,

and Leviathan is also there, which you formed to play in the sea.

27 All these look to you to give them

their food on time.

28 When you give to them, they gather;

when you open your hand, they are satisfied.

29 When you hide your face, they are troubled;

if you take away their breath, they die

and return to dust.

30 When you send out your Spirit, they are created,

and you renew the countryside.

31 May the glory of Yahweh last forever;

may Yahweh enjoy his creation.

32 He looks down on the earth, and it shakes;

he touches the mountains, and they smoke.

33 I will sing to Yahweh all my life;

I will sing praise to my God as long as I live.

34 May my thoughts be sweet to him;

I will rejoice in Yahweh.

35 May sinners vanish from the earth,

and let the wicked be no more.

I give praise to Yahweh with all my life.

Praise Yahweh.

105

1 Give thanks to Yahweh, call on his name;

make known his deeds among the nations.

2 Sing to him, sing praises to him;

speak of all his marvelous deeds.

3 Boast in his holy name;

let the heart of those who seek Yahweh rejoice.

4 Seek Yahweh and his strength;

seek his presence continually.

5 Recall the marvelous things he has done,

his miracles and the decrees from his mouth,

6 you descendants of Abraham his servant,

you people of Jacob, his chosen ones.

7 He is Yahweh, our God.

His decrees are on all the earth.

8 He keeps in mind his covenant forever,

the word that he commanded for a thousand generations.

9 He calls to mind the covenant that he made with Abraham

and his oath to Isaac.

10 This is what he confirmed to Jacob as a statute

and to Israel as an everlasting covenant.

11 He said, “I will give you the land of Canaan

as your share of your inheritance.”

12 He said this when they were only few in number,

so very few, and were strangers in the land.

13 They went from nation to nation

and from one kingdom to another.

14 He did not allow anyone to oppress them;

he rebuked kings for their sakes.

15 He said, “Do not touch my anointed ones,

and do not harm my prophets.”

16 He called for a famine on the land;

he cut off the whole supply of bread.

17 He sent a man ahead of them;

Joseph was sold as a servant.

18 His feet were bound by shackles;

on his neck was put an iron collar,

19 until what he had said came to pass.

The word of Yahweh tested him.

20 The king sent servants to release him;

the ruler of the people set him free.

21 He put him in charge of his house

as ruler of all his possessions

22 to instruct his princes as he wished

and to teach his elders wisdom.

23 Then Israel came into Egypt,

and Jacob lived for a time in the land of Ham.

24 Yahweh made his people fruitful,

and made them stronger than their enemies.

25 He caused their enemies to hate his people,

to mistreat his servants.

26 He sent Moses, his servant,

and Aaron, whom he had chosen.

27 They performed his signs among the Egyptians,

his wonders in the land of Ham.

28 He sent darkness and made that land dark,

but its people did not obey his commands.

29 He turned their water into blood

and killed their fish.

30 Their land swarmed with frogs,

even in the rooms of their rulers.

31 He spoke, and swarms of flies and gnats came

throughout their country.

32 He turned their rain into hail,

with fire flaming on their land.

33 He destroyed their vines and fig trees;

he broke the trees of their country.

34 He spoke, and the locusts came,

so many locusts.

35 The locusts ate up all of the vegetation in their land;

They ate up all the crops of the ground.

36 He killed every firstborn in their land,

the firstfruits of all their strength.

37 He brought the Israelites out with silver and gold;

none of his tribes stumbled on the way.

38 Egypt was glad when they went away,

for the Egyptians were afraid of them.

39 He spread a cloud for a covering

and made a fire to light up the night.

40 The Israelites asked for food, and he brought quail

and satisfied them with bread from heaven.

41 He split the rock, and waters gushed from it;

they flowed in the wilderness like a river.

42 For he called to mind his holy promise

that he made to Abraham his servant.

43 He led his people out with joy,

his chosen with shouts of triumph.

44 He gave them the lands of the nations;

they took possession of the wealth of the peoples

45 so that they might keep his statutes

and obey his laws.

Praise Yahweh.

106

1 Praise Yahweh.

Give thanks to Yahweh, for he is good,

for his covenant faithfulness endures forever.

2 Who can recount the mighty acts of Yahweh

or proclaim in full all his praiseworthy deeds?

3 Blessed are those who do what is right,

and whose deeds are always just.

4 Call me to mind, Yahweh, when you show favor to your people;

help me when you save them.

5 Then I will see the prosperity of your chosen,

rejoice in the gladness of your nation,

and glory with your inheritance.

6 We have sinned like our ancestors;

we have done wrong, and we have done evil.

7 Our fathers did not appreciate your marvelous deeds in Egypt;

they ignored your many acts of covenant faithfulness;

they were rebellious at the sea, the Sea of Reeds.

8 Nevertheless, he saved them for his name's sake

so that he might reveal his power.

9 He rebuked the Sea of Reeds, and it dried up.

Then he led them through the depths, as through a wilderness.

10 He saved them from the hand of those who hated them,

and he rescued them from the hand of the enemy.

11 But the waters covered their adversaries;

not one of them survived.

12 Then they believed his words,

and they sang his praise.

13 But they quickly forgot what he had done;

they did not wait for his instructions.

14 They had insatiable cravings in the wilderness,

and they challenged God in the desert.

15 So he gave them what they requested,

but he sent a horrible disease upon them.

16 In the camp they became jealous of Moses

and Aaron, the holy priest of Yahweh.

17 The earth opened and swallowed up Dathan

and covered the followers of Abiram.

18 Fire broke out among them;

the fire consumed the wicked.

19 They made a calf at Horeb

and worshiped a cast metal figure.

20 They traded the glory of God

for the image of a bull that eats grass.

21 They forgot God their Savior,

who had done great deeds in Egypt.

22 He had done wonderful things in the land of Ham

and mighty acts at the Sea of Reeds.

23 So he said he would destroy them—

had not Moses, his chosen one, stood in the breach before him,

to turn away his anger from destroying them.

24 Then they despised the fruitful land;

they did not believe his promise,

25 but grumbled in their tents,

and did not obey Yahweh.

26 Therefore he raised his hand and swore to them

that he would let them die in the desert,

27 scatter their descendants among the nations,

and scatter them in foreign lands.

28 They worshiped the Baal of Peor

and ate the sacrifices offered to the dead.

29 They provoked him to anger with their actions,

and a plague broke out among them.

30 Then Phinehas rose to intervene,

and the plague subsided.

31 It was counted to him as a righteous deed

to all generations forever.

32 They also angered Yahweh at the waters of Meribah,

and Moses suffered because of them.

33 They made Moses bitter,

and he spoke rashly.

34 They did not destroy the nations

as Yahweh had commanded them,

35 but they mingled with the nations

and learned their ways

36 and worshiped their idols,

which became a snare to them.

37 They sacrificed their sons and their daughters to demons.

38 They shed innocent blood,

the blood of their sons and of their daughters,

whom they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan,

desecrating the land with blood.

39 They were defiled by their deeds;

in their actions they were like prostitutes.

40 So Yahweh was angry with his people,

and he despised his own people.

41 He gave them into the hand of the nations,

and those who hated them ruled over them.

42 Their enemies oppressed them,

and they were brought into subjection to their authority.

43 Many times he came to help them,

but they kept rebelling

and were brought low by their own sin.

44 Nevertheless, he paid attention to their distress

when he heard their cry for help.

45 He called to mind his covenant with them

and relented because of his steadfast love.

46 He caused all their conquerers

to have pity on them.

47 Save us, Yahweh, our God.

Gather us from among the nations

so that we may give thanks to your holy name

and glory in your praises.

48 May Yahweh, the God of Israel, be praised

from everlasting to everlasting.

All the people said, “Amen.”

Praise Yahweh.

Book Five

107

1 Give thanks to Yahweh, for he is good,

and his covenant faithfulness endures forever.

2 Let the redeemed of Yahweh speak out,

those he has rescued from the hand of the enemy.

3 He has gathered them out of foreign lands,

from the east and from the west,

from the north and from the south.

4 They wandered in the wilderness on a desert road

and found no city in which to live.

5 Because they were hungry and thirsty,

they fainted from exhaustion.

6 Then they called out to Yahweh in their trouble,

and he rescued them out of their distress.

7 He led them by a direct path

so that they would go to a city to live in.

8 Oh that people would praise Yahweh for his covenant faithfulness

and for the amazing things he has done for humanity!

9 For he satisfies the longings of those who are thirsty,

and the desires of those who are hungry he fills up with good things.

10 Some sat in darkness and in gloom,

prisoners in affliction and chains.

11 This was because they had rebelled against God's word

and rejected the instruction of the Most High.

12 He humbled their hearts through hardship;

they stumbled and there was no one to help them up.

13 Then they called out to Yahweh in their trouble,

and he brought them out of their distress.

14 He brought them out of darkness and gloom

and broke their bonds.

15 Oh that people would praise Yahweh for his covenant faithfulness

and for the amazing things he has done for humanity!

16 For he has broken the gates of bronze

and cut through the bars of iron.

17 They were foolish in their rebellious ways

and afflicted because of their sins.

18 They lost their desire to eat any food,

and they came close to the gates of death.

19 Then they called out to Yahweh in their trouble,

and he brought them out of their distress.

20 He sent his word and healed them,

and he rescued them from their destruction.

21 Oh that people would praise Yahweh for his covenant faithfulness

and for the amazing things he has done for humanity!

22 Let them offer the sacrifices of thanksgiving

and proclaim his deeds in singing.

23 Some travel on the sea in ships

and do business overseas.

24 These saw the deeds of Yahweh

and his wonders on the seas.

25 For he commanded and aroused the windstorm

that stirs up the seas.

26 They reached up to the sky; they went down to the depths.

Their lives melted away in distress.

27 They swayed and staggered like drunkards

and were at their wits' end.

28 Then they called out to Yahweh in their trouble,

and he brought them out of their distress.

29 He calmed the storm,

and the waves were stilled.

30 Then they rejoiced because the sea was calm,

and he brought them to their desired harbor.

31 Oh that people would praise Yahweh for his covenant faithfulness

and for the amazing things he has done for humanity!

32 Let them exalt him in the assembly of the people

and praise him in the council of the elders.

33 He turns rivers into a wilderness,

springs of water into dry land,

34 and a fruitful land into a barren place

because of the wickedness of its people.

35 He turns the wilderness into a pool of water

and dry land into springs of water.

36 He settles the hungry there,

and they build a city to live in.

37 They build a city to plant fields in, to plant vineyards,

and to bring in an abundant harvest.

38 He blesses them so they are very numerous.

He does not let their cattle decrease in number.

39 They were diminished and brought low

by painful distress and suffering.

40 He pours contempt on the leaders

and causes them to wander in the wilderness, where there are no roads.

41 But he protects the needy from affliction

and cares for his families like a flock.

42 The upright will see this and rejoice,

and all wickedness shuts its mouth.

43 Whoever is wise should take note of these things

and meditate on Yahweh's acts of covenant faithfulness.

108

A song, a psalm of David.

1 My heart is fixed, God;

I will sing, yes, I will sing praises also with my honored heart.

2 Wake up, lute and harp;

I will wake up the dawn.

3 I will give thanks to you, Yahweh, among the peoples;

I will sing praises to you among the nations.

4 For your covenant faithfulness is great above the heavens;

and your trustworthiness reaches to the skies.

5 Be exalted, God, above the heavens,

and may your glory be exalted over all the earth.

6 So that those you love may be rescued,

rescue us with your right hand and answer me.

7 God has spoken in his holiness; “I will rejoice;

I will divide Shechem and apportion out the Valley of Succoth.

8 Gilead is mine, and Manasseh is mine;

Ephraim also is my helmet;

Judah is my scepter.

9 Moab is my washbasin;

over Edom I will throw my shoe;

I will shout in triumph because of Philistia.

10 Who will bring me into the strong city?

Who will lead me to Edom?”

11 God, have you not rejected us?

You do not go into battle with our army.

12 Give us help against the enemy,

for man's help is futile.

13 We will triumph with God's help;

he will trample down our enemies.

109

For the chief musician. A psalm of David.

1 God whom I praise, do not be silent,

2 For the wicked and deceitful attack me;

they speak lies against me.

3 They surround me and say hateful things,

and they attack me without cause.

4 In return for my love they accuse me,

but I pray for them.

5 They repay me evil for good,

and they hate my love.

6 Appoint a wicked man over such an enemy as these people;

appoint an accuser to stand at his right hand.

7 When he is judged, may he be found guilty;

may his prayer be considered sinful.

8 May his days be few;

may another take his office.

9 May his children be fatherless,

and may his wife be a widow.

10 May his children wander about and beg,

asking for handouts as they leave their ruined home.

11 May the creditor take all he owns;

may strangers plunder what he earns.

12 May no one extend any kindness to him;

may no one have pity on his fatherless children.

13 May his children be cut off;

may their name be blotted out in the next generation.

14 May his ancestors' sins be mentioned to Yahweh;

and may the sin of his mother not be forgotten.

15 May their guilt always be before Yahweh;

may Yahweh cut off their memory from the earth.

16 May Yahweh do this because this man never bothered to show any covenant faithfulness,

but instead harassed the oppressed, the needy,

and the disheartened to death.

17 He loved cursing; may it come back upon him.

He hated blessing; may no blessing come to him.

18 He clothed himself with cursing as his garment,

and his curse came into his inner being like water,

like oil into his bones.

19 May his curses be to him like the clothes he wears to cover himself,

like the belt he always wears.

20 May this be the reward of my accusers from Yahweh,

of those who say evil things about me.

21 Yahweh my Lord, deal kindly with me for your name's sake.

Because your covenant faithfulness is good, save me.

22 For I am oppressed and needy,

and my heart is wounded within me.

23 I am fading away like the shadow of the evening;

I am shaken off like a locust.

24 My knees are weak from fasting;

I am turning to skin and bones.

25 I am disdained by my accusers;

when they see me, they shake their heads.

26 Help me, Yahweh my God;

save me by your covenant faithfulness.

27 May they know that this is your doing,

that you, Yahweh, have done this.

28 Though they curse me, please bless me;

when they attack, may they be put to shame,

but may your servant rejoice.

29 May my adversaries be clothed with shame;

may they wear their shame like a robe.

30 With my mouth I give great thanks to Yahweh;

I will praise him in the midst of a crowd.

31 For he will stand at the right hand of the one who is needy,

to save him from those who judge him.

110

A psalm of David.

1 Yahweh says to my master, “Sit at my right hand

until I make your enemies your footstool.”

2 Yahweh will hold out the scepter of your strength from Zion;

rule among your enemies.

3 Your people will follow you in holy garments

of their own free will on the day of your power;

from the womb of the dawn your youth will be to you like the dew.

4 Yahweh has sworn, and will not change:

“You are a priest forever,

after the manner of Melchizedek.”

5 The Lord is at your right hand.

He will kill kings on the day of his anger.

6 He will judge the nations;

he will fill the battlegrounds with dead bodies;

he will kill the leaders in many countries.

7 He will drink of the brook along the road,

and then he will lift his head up high after victory.

111

1 Praise Yahweh.

I will give thanks to Yahweh with my whole heart

in the assembly of the upright, in their gathering.

2 The works of Yahweh are great,

eagerly awaited by all those who desire them.

3 His work is majestic and glorious,

and his righteousness endures forever.

4 He does wonderful things that will be remembered;

Yahweh is gracious and merciful.

5 He gives food to his faithful followers.

He will always call to mind his covenant.

6 He showed his powerful works to his people

in giving them the inheritance of the nations.

7 The works of his hands are trustworthy and just;

all his instructions are reliable.

8 They are established forever,

to be observed faithfully and properly.

9 He gave victory to his people;

he ordained his covenant forever;

holy and awesome is his name.

10 To honor Yahweh is the beginning of wisdom;

those who carry out his instructions have good understanding.

His praise endures forever.

112

1 Praise Yahweh.

Blessed is the man who obeys Yahweh,

who greatly delights in his commandments.

2 His descendants will be powerful on earth;

the descendants of the godly man will be blessed.

3 Wealth and riches are in his house;

his righteousness will endure forever.

4 Light shines in the darkness for the godly person;

he is gracious, merciful, and just.

5 It goes well for the man who deals graciously and lends money,

who conducts his affairs with honesty.

6 For he will never be moved;

the righteous person will be remembered forever.

7 He does not fear bad news;

he is confident, trusting in Yahweh.

8 His heart is tranquil, without fear,

until he looks in triumph over his adversaries.

9 He generously gives to the poor;

his righteousness endures forever;

he will be exalted with honor.

10 The wicked person will see this and be angry;

he will grind his teeth in rage and he will melt away;

the desire of the wicked people will perish.

113

1 Praise Yahweh.

Praise him, you servants of Yahweh;

praise the name of Yahweh.

2 Blessed be the name of Yahweh,

both now and forevermore.

3 From the rising of the sun to its setting,

Yahweh's name should be praised.

4 Yahweh is exalted above all nations,

and his glory reaches above the skies.

5 Who is like Yahweh our God,

who has his seat on high,

6 who looks down

at the sky and at the earth?

7 He raises up the poor out of the dirt

and lifts up the needy from the ash heap,

8 so that he may seat him with princes,

with the princes of his people.

9 He gives a home to the barren woman of the house,

he makes her a joyful mother of children.

Praise Yahweh!

114

1 When Israel left Egypt,

the house of Jacob from a people who spoke a foreign language,

2 Judah became his holy place,

Israel his kingdom.

3 The sea looked and fled;

the Jordan turned back.

4 The mountains skipped like rams,

the hills skipped like lambs.

5 Why did you flee, sea?

Jordan, why did you turn back?

6 Mountains, why did you skip like rams?

You little hills, why did you skip like lambs?

7 Tremble, earth, before the Lord,

at the presence of the God of Jacob.

8 He turned the rock into a pool of water,

the hard rock into a spring of water.

115

1 Not to us, Yahweh, not to us,

but to your name bring honor,

for your covenant faithfulness and for your trustworthiness.

2 Why should the nations say,

“Where is their God?”

3 Our God is in heaven;

he does whatever he pleases.

4 The nations' idols are silver and gold,

the work of men's hands.

5 Those idols have mouths, but they do not speak;

they have eyes, but they do not see;

6 they have ears, but they do not hear;

they have noses, but they do not smell.

7 Those idols have hands, but do not feel;

they have feet, but they cannot walk;

nor do they speak from their mouths.

8 Those who make them are like them,

as is everyone who trusts in them.

9 Israel, trust in Yahweh;

he is your help and shield.

10 House of Aaron, trust in Yahweh;

he is your help and shield.

11 You who honor Yahweh, trust in him;

he is your help and shield.

12 Yahweh takes notice of us and will bless us;

he will bless the family of Israel;

he will bless the family of Aaron.

13 He will bless those who honor him,

both young and old.

14 May Yahweh increase your numbers more and more,

yours and your descendants'.

15 May you be blessed by Yahweh,

who made heaven and earth.

16 The heavens belong to Yahweh;

but the earth he has given to mankind.

17 The dead do not praise Yahweh,

nor do any who go down into silence;

18 But we will bless Yahweh

now and forevermore.

Praise Yahweh.

116

1 I love Yahweh because he hears

my voice and my pleas for mercy.

2 Because he listened to me,

I will call on him as long as I live.

3 The cords of death surrounded me,

and the snares of Sheol confronted me;

I felt anguish and sorrow.

4 Then I called on the name of Yahweh:

“Please Yahweh, rescue my life.”

5 Yahweh is merciful and fair;

our God is compassionate.

6 Yahweh protects the naive;

I was brought low, and he saved me.

7 My soul can return to its resting place,

for Yahweh has been good to me.

8 For you rescued my life from death,

my eyes from tears,

and my feet from stumbling.

9 I will serve Yahweh

in the land of the living.

10 I believed in him, even when I said,

“I am greatly afflicted.”

11 In my confusion I said,

“All men are liars.”

12 How can I repay Yahweh

for all his kindnesses to me?

13 I will raise the cup of salvation,

and call on the name of Yahweh.

14 I will fulfill my vows to Yahweh

in the presence of all his people.

15 Precious in the sight of Yahweh

is the death of his saints.

16 Yahweh, indeed, I am your servant;

I am your servant, the son of your servant woman;

you have taken away my bonds.

17 I will offer to you the sacrifice of thanksgiving

and will call on the name of Yahweh.

18 I will fulfill my vows to Yahweh

in the presence of all his people,

19 in the courts of Yahweh's house,

in your midst, Jerusalem.

Praise Yahweh.

117

1 Praise Yahweh, all you nations;

exalt him, all you peoples.

2 For his covenant faithfulness is great toward us,

and the trustworthiness of Yahweh endures forever.

Praise Yahweh.

118

1 Give thanks to Yahweh, for he is good,

for his covenant faithfulness endures forever.

2 Let Israel say,

“His covenant faithfulness endures forever.”

3 Let the house of Aaron say,

“His covenant faithfulness endures forever.”

4 Let the loyal followers of Yahweh say,

“His covenant faithfulness endures for ever.”

5 In my distress I called out to Yahweh;

Yahweh answered me and set me free.

6 Yahweh is with me; I will not be afraid;

what can man do to me?

7 Yahweh is on my side as my helper;

I will look in triumph on those who hate me.

8 It is better to take shelter in Yahweh

than to put confidence in man.

9 It is better to take refuge in Yahweh

than to put one's trust in a princes.

10 All the nations surrounded me;

in Yahweh's name I cut them off.

11 They surrounded me; yes, they surrounded me;

in Yahweh's name I cut them off.

12 They surrounded me like bees;

they disappeared as quickly as fire among thorns;

in Yahweh's name I cut them off.

13 They attacked me to knock me down,

but Yahweh helped me.

14 Yahweh is my strength and joy,

and he is the one who rescues me.

15 The joyful shout of victory is heard in the tents of the righteous;

the right hand of Yahweh conquers.

16 The right hand of Yahweh is exalted;

the right hand of Yahweh conquers.

17 I will not die, but live

and declare the deeds of Yahweh.

18 Yahweh has punished me harshly;

but he has not handed me over to death.

19 Open to me the gates of righteousness;

I will enter them and I will give thanks to Yahweh.

20 This is the gate of Yahweh;

the righteous enter through it.

21 I will give thanks to you, for you answered me,

and you have become my salvation.

22 The stone that the builders rejected

has become the cornerstone.

23 This is Yahweh's doing;

it is marvelous in our eyes.

24 This is the day on which Yahweh has acted;

we will rejoice and be glad in it.

25 Please, Yahweh, give us victory!

Please, Yahweh, give us success!

26 Blessed is he who comes in the name of Yahweh;

we bless you from the house of Yahweh.

27 Yahweh is God, and he has given us light;

bind the sacrifice with cords to the horns of the altar.

28 You are my God, and I will give thanks to you;

you are my God; I will exalt you.

29 Oh, give thanks to Yahweh; for he is good;

for his covenant faithfulness endures forever.

119

ALEPH

1 Blessed are those whose ways are blameless,

who walk in the law of Yahweh.

2 Blessed are they who keep his solemn commands,

who seek him with all their heart.

3 They do no wrong;

they walk in his ways.

4 You have commanded us to keep your instructions

so that we should carefully observe them.

5 Oh, that I would be firmly established

in the observance of your statutes!

6 Then I would not be put to shame

when I think of all your commandments.

7 I will give thanks to you with an upright heart

when I learn your righteous decrees.

8 I will observe your statutes;

do not leave me alone.

BETH

9 How can a young person keep his path pure?

By obeying your word.

10 With my whole heart I seek you;

Do not let me stray from your commandments.

11 I have stored up your word in my heart

so that I might not sin against you.

12 Blessed you are, Yahweh;

teach me your statutes.

13 With my mouth I have declared

all the righteous decrees that you have revealed.

14 I rejoice in the way of your covenant decrees

more than in all riches.

15 I will meditate on your instructions

and pay attention to your ways.

16 I delight in your statutes;

I will not forget your word.

GIMEL

17 Be kind to your servant so that I may live

and keep your word.

18 Open my eyes so that I may see

marvelous things in your law.

19 I am a foreigner in the land;

do not hide your commandments from me.

20 My desires are crushed by the longing to know

your righteous decrees at all times.

21 You rebuke the proud, who are cursed,

who wander from your commandments.

22 Spare me from disgrace and humiliation,

for I have obeyed your covenant decrees.

23 Though rulers plot and slander me,

your servant meditates on your statutes.

24 Your covenant decrees are my delight,

and they are my counselors.

DALETH

25 My life clings to the dust!

Give me life by your word.

26 I told you my ways, and you answered me;

teach me your statutes.

27 Make me understand the ways of your instructions,

so that I can meditate on your wondrous teachings.

28 I am overwhelmed with grief!

Strengthen me by your word.

29 Turn from me the path of deceit;

graciously teach me your law.

30 I have chosen the way of faithfulness;

I have always kept your righteous decrees before me.

31 I cling to your covenant decrees;

Yahweh, do not let me be shamed.

32 I will run in the path of your commandments,

for you enlarge my heart to do so.

HE

33 Teach me, Yahweh, the way of your statutes,

and I will keep them to the end.

34 Give me understanding, and I will keep your law;

I will observe it with all my heart.

35 Guide me in the path of your commandments,

for I delight to walk in it.

36 Direct my heart toward your covenant decrees

and away from unrighteous gain.

37 Turn my eyes from looking at worthless things;

revive me in your ways.

38 Carry out for your servant your promise

that you made to those who honor you.

39 Take away the insults I dread,

for your righteous judgments are good.

40 See, I have longed for your instructions;

revive me in your righteousness.

VAV

41 Yahweh, give me your unfailing love—

your salvation, according to your promise;

42 then I will have a reply for the one who mocks me,

for I trust in your word.

43 Do not take the word of truth from my mouth,

for my hope is in your righteous decrees.

44 I will observe your law continually,

forever and ever.

45 I will walk securely,

for I seek your instructions.

46 I will speak of your solemn commands before kings

and will not be ashamed.

47 I delight in your commandments,

which I love dearly.

48 I will lift up my hands to your commandments, which I love;

I will meditate on your statutes.

ZAYIN

49 Call to mind your promise to your servant

because you have given me hope.

50 This is my comfort in my affliction:

that your promise has kept me alive.

51 The proud have scoffed at me,

yet I have not turned away from your law.

52 I have thought about your righteous decrees from ancient times, Yahweh,

and I comfort myself.

53 Hot anger has taken hold of me

because of the wicked who reject your law.

54 Your statutes have been my songs

in the house where I temporarily live.

55 I think about your name during the night, Yahweh,

and I keep your law.

56 This has been my practice

because I have observed your instructions.

HETH

57 Yahweh is my portion;

I have determined to observe your words.

58 I earnestly request your favor with my whole heart;

be merciful to me, as your word promised.

59 I examined my ways

and turned my feet to your covenant decrees.

60 I hurry and do not delay

to keep your commandments.

61 The cords of the wicked have ensnared me;

I have not forgotten your law.

62 At midnight I rise to give thanks to you

because of your righteous decrees.

63 I am a companion of all who honor you,

to all who observe your instructions.

64 The earth, Yahweh, is full of your covenant faithfulness;

teach me your statutes.

TETH

65 You have done good to your servant,

Yahweh, by means of your word.

66 Teach me proper discernment and understanding,

for I have believed in your commandments.

67 Before I was afflicted I went astray,

but now I observe your word.

68 You are good, and you are one who does good;

teach me your statutes.

69 The arrogant have smeared me with lies,

but I keep your instructions with my whole heart.

70 Their hearts are hardened,

but I delight in your law.

71 It is good for me that I have suffered

so that I would learn your statutes.

72 Instruction from your mouth is more precious to me

than thousands of pieces of gold and silver.

YOD

73 Your hands have made and fashioned me;

give me understanding so that I may learn your commandments.

74 Those who honor you will be glad when they see me

because I find hope in your word.

75 I know, Yahweh, that your decrees are just,

and that in faithfulness you afflicted me.

76 Let your covenant faithfulness comfort me,

as you promised your servant.

77 Show me compassion so that I may live,

for your law is my delight.

78 Let the proud be put to shame,

for they have slandered me;

but I will meditate on your instructions.

79 May those who honor you turn to me,

those who know your covenant decrees.

80 May my heart be blameless with respect to your statutes

so that I may not be put to shame.

KAPH

81 I faint with longing that you might rescue me!

I hope in your word.

82 My eyes long to see your promise;

when will you comfort me?

83 For I have become like a wineskin in the smoke;

I do not forget your statutes.

84 How long must your servant endure this;

when will you judge those who persecute me?

85 The proud have dug pits for me,

defying your law.

86 All your commandments are reliable;

those people persecute me wrongfully; help me.

87 They have almost made an end to me on earth,

but I do not reject your instructions.

88 By your steadfast love, keep me alive,

so that I may obey your commands.

LAMEDH

89 Yahweh, your word stands forever;

your word is established firmly in heaven.

90 Your faithfulness lasts for all generations;

you have established the earth, and it remains.

91 All things continue to this day, just as you said in your righteous decrees,

for all things are your servants.

92 If your law had not been my delight,

I would have perished in my affliction.

93 I will never forget your instructions,

for through them you have kept me alive.

94 I am yours; save me,

for I seek your instructions.

95 The wicked prepare to destroy me,

but I will seek to understand your covenant decrees.

96 I have seen that everything has its limits,

but your commandments are broad, beyond limits.

MEM

97 Oh how I love your law!

It is my meditation all day long.

98 Your commandments make me wiser than my enemies,

for your commandments are always with me.

99 I have more understanding than all my teachers,

for I meditate on your covenant decrees.

100 I understand more than those older than I am;

this is because I have kept your instructions.

101 I have kept my feet back from every evil path

so that I might observe your word.

102 I have not turned aside from your righteous decrees,

for you have instructed me.

103 How sweet are your words to my taste,

yes, sweeter than honey to my mouth!

104 Through your instructions I gain discernment;

therefore I hate every false way.

NUN

105 Your word is a lamp to my feet

and a light for my path.

106 I have sworn and have confirmed it,

that I will observe your righteous decrees.

107 I am very afflicted;

keep me alive, Yahweh, as you have promised in your word.

108 Yahweh, please accept the freewill offerings of my mouth,

and teach me your righteous decrees.

109 My life is always in my hand,

yet I do not forget your law.

110 The wicked have set a snare for me,

but I have not strayed from your instructions.

111 I claim your covenant decrees as my heritage forever,

for they are the joy of my heart.

112 My heart is set on obeying your statutes

forever to the very end.

SAMEKH

113 I hate those who have a double mind,

but I love your law.

114 You are my hiding place and my shield;

I hope in your word.

115 Get away from me, you evil doers,

so that I may observe the commandments of my God.

116 Sustain me by your word so that I may live

and not be ashamed of my hope.

117 Support me, and I will be safe;

I will always meditate on your statutes.

118 You reject all those who stray from your statutes,

for those people are deceptive and unreliable.

119 You remove all the wicked of the earth like slag;

therefore I love your solemn commands.

120 My body trembles in fear of you,

and I am afraid of your righteous decrees.

AYIN

121 I do what is just and right;

do not abandon me to my oppressors.

122 Guarantee the welfare of your servant;

do not let the proud oppress me.

123 My eyes grow tired as I wait for your salvation

and for your righteous word.

124 Show your servant your covenant faithfulness,

and teach me your statutes.

125 I am your servant; give me understanding

so that I may know your covenant decrees.

126 It is time for Yahweh to act,

for people have broken your law.

127 Truly I love your commandments

more than gold, more than fine gold.

128 Therefore I carefully follow all your instructions,

and I hate every path of falsehood.

PE

129 Your rules are wonderful,

that is why I obey them.

130 The unfolding of your words gives light;

it gives understanding to the untrained.

131 I open my mouth and pant,

for I long for your commandments.

132 Turn to me and have mercy on me,

as you always do for those who love your name.

133 Direct my footsteps by your word;

do not let any sin rule me.

134 Redeem me from human oppression

so that I may observe your instructions.

135 Let your face shine on your servant,

and teach me your statutes.

136 Streams of tears run down from my eyes

because people do not observe your law.

TSADHE

137 You are righteous, Yahweh,

and your decrees are fair.

138 You have given your covenant decrees righteously

and faithfully.

139 Anger has destroyed me

because my adversaries forget your words.

140 Your word has been tested very much,

and your servant loves it.

141 I am insignificant and despised,

yet I do not forget your instructions.

142 Your justice is forever right,

and your law is trustworthy.

143 Though distress and anguish have found me,

your commandments are still my delight.

144 Your covenant decrees are righteous forever;

give me understanding that I may live.

QOPH

145 I cried out with my whole heart, “Answer me, Yahweh,

I will keep your statutes.

146 I call to you; save me,

and I will observe your covenant decrees.”

147 I rise before the dawn of the morning and cry for help.

I hope in your words.

148 My eyes are open before the night watches change

so that I might meditate on your word.

149 Hear my voice in your covenant faithfulness;

keep me alive, Yahweh, as you have promised in your righteous decrees.

150 Those who are persecuting me are coming closer to me,

but they are far from your law.

151 You are near, Yahweh,

and all your commandments are trustworthy.

152 Long ago I learned from your covenant decrees

that you had set them in place forever.

RESH

153 Look on my affliction and help me,

for I do not forget your law.

154 Plead my cause and redeem me;

keep me, as you have promised in your word.

155 Salvation is far from the wicked,

for they do not love your statutes.

156 Great are your merciful actions, Yahweh;

keep me alive, as you always do.

157 My persecutors and my foes are many,

yet I have not turned from your covenant decrees.

158 I view the treacherous with disgust

because they do not keep your word.

159 See how I love your instructions;

keep me alive, Yahweh, as you have promised by your covenant faithfulness.

160 The essence of your word is truth;

every one of your righteous decrees lasts forever.

SHIN

161 Princes persecute me without cause,

but my heart stands in awe of your word.

162 I rejoice at your word

like one who finds great plunder.

163 I hate and despise falsehood,

but I love your law.

164 Seven times a day I praise you

because of your righteous decrees.

165 Great peace they have, those who love your law;

nothing makes them stumble.

166 I hope for your salvation, Yahweh,

and I obey your commandments.

167 I observe your solemn commands,

and I love them greatly.

168 I keep your instructions and your solemn commands,

for you are aware of everything I do.

TAV

169 Listen to my cry for help, Yahweh;

give me understanding into your word.

170 May my plea come before you;

help me, as you have promised in your word.

171 May my lips pour out praise,

for you teach me your statutes.

172 Let my tongue sing about your word,

for all your commandments are right.

173 May your hand help me,

for I have chosen your instructions.

174 I long for your rescue, Yahweh,

and your law is my delight.

175 May I live and praise you,

and may your righteous decrees help me.

176 I have wandered off like a lost sheep;

seek your servant,

for I have not forgotten your commandments.

120

A song of ascents.

1 In my distress I called out to Yahweh,

and he answered me.

2 Rescue my life, Yahweh, from those who lie with their lips

and deceive with their tongues.

3 How will he punish you, and what more will he do to you,

you who have a lying tongue?

4 He will punish you with the arrows of a warrior

sharpened over burning coals of the broom tree.

5 Woe is me because I temporarily live in Meshech;

I lived previously among the tents of Kedar.

6 For too long I have lived

with those who hate peace.

7 I am for peace,

but when I speak, they are for war.

121

A song of ascents.

1 I will lift up my eyes to the mountains.

From where will my help come?

2 My help comes from Yahweh,

who made heaven and earth.

3 He will not allow your foot to slip;

he who protects you will not slumber.

4 See, the guardian of Israel

never slumbers or sleeps.

5 Yahweh is your guardian;

Yahweh is the shade at your right hand.

6 The sun will not harm you by day,

nor the moon by night.

7 Yahweh will protect you from all harm,

and he will protect your life.

8 Yahweh will protect you in all you do

now and forevermore.

122

A song of ascents, of David.

1 I was glad when they said to me,

“Let us go to the house of Yahweh.”

2 Jerusalem, our feet are standing

within your gates!

3 Jerusalem, built

as a city carefully planned!

4 The tribes go up to Jerusalem—the tribes of Yahweh—

as a testimony for Israel,

to give thanks to the name of Yahweh.

5 There thrones of judgment were set,

thrones of the house of David.

6 Pray for the peace of Jerusalem!

“May those who love you have peace.

7 May there be peace within the walls that defend you,

and may they have peace within your fortresses.”

8 For the sake of my brothers and my friends

I will say, “May there be peace within you.”

9 For the sake of the house of Yahweh our God,

I will seek good for you.

123

A song of ascents.

1 To you I lift up my eyes,

you who are enthroned in the heavens.

2 See, as the eyes of servants look to their master's hand,

as the eyes of a maid look to her mistress's hand,

so our eyes look to Yahweh our God

until he has mercy on us.

3 Have mercy on us, Yahweh, have mercy on us,

for we are filled with humiliation.

4 We are more than full

of the scoffing of the insolent

and with the contempt of the proud.

124

A song of ascents; of David.

1 “If Yahweh had not been on our side,”

let Israel say now,

2 “if it had not been Yahweh who was on our side

when men rose up against us,

3 then they would have swallowed us up alive

when their anger raged against us.

4 The water would have swept us away;

the torrent would have overwhelmed us.

5 Then the raging waters would have drowned us.”

6 Blessed be Yahweh,

who has not allowed us to be torn by their teeth.

7 We have escaped like a bird out of the snare of the fowlers;

the snare has been broken, and we have escaped.

8 Our help is in Yahweh,

who made heaven and earth.

125

A song of ascents.

1 Those who trust in Yahweh

are like Mount Zion, unshakable, forever enduring.

2 As the mountains surround Jerusalem,

so Yahweh surrounds his people

now and forever.

3 The scepter of wickedness must not rule in the land of the righteous.

Otherwise the righteous might do what is wrong.

4 Do good, Yahweh, to those who are good

and to those who are upright in their hearts.

5 But as for those who turn aside to their crooked ways,

Yahweh will lead them away with the evildoers.

May peace be on Israel.

126

A song of ascents.

1 When Yahweh restored the fortunes of Zion,

we were like those who dream.

2 Then our mouths were filled with laughter

and our tongues with singing.

Then they said among the nations,

“Yahweh has done great things for them.”

3 Yahweh did great things for us;

how glad we were!

4 Restore our fortunes, Yahweh,

like the streams in the Negev.

5 Those who sow in tears will reap with shouts of joy.

6 He who goes out weeping, carrying seed for sowing,

will return again with shouts of joy, bringing his bundles of grain with him.

127

A song of ascents, of Solomon.

1 Unless Yahweh builds the house,

they work uselessly, those who build it.

Unless Yahweh guards the city,

the watchman stands guard uselessly.

2 It is useless for you to rise up early,

to come home late,

or to eat the bread of hard work,

for Yahweh provides for his beloved as they sleep.

3 See, children are a heritage from Yahweh,

and the fruit of the womb is a reward from him.

4 Like arrows in the hand of a warrior,

so are the children of one's youth.

5 How blessed is the man that has his quiver full of them.

He will not be put to shame

when he confronts his enemies in the gate.

128

A song of ascents.

1 Blessed is everyone who honors Yahweh,

who walks in his ways.

2 What your hands provide, you will enjoy;

you will be blessed and prosper.

3 Your wife will be like a fruitful vine

in your house;

your children will be like olive plants

as they sit around your table.

4 Yes, indeed, the man will be blessed

who honors Yahweh.

5 May Yahweh bless you from Zion;

may you see the prosperity of Jerusalem all the days of your life.

6 May you live to see your children's children.

May peace be on Israel.

129

A song of ascents.

1 “Often since my youth they have attacked me,”

let Israel say.

2 “Often since my youth they have attacked me,

yet they have not defeated me.

3 The plowers plowed on my back;

they made their furrows long.

4 Yahweh is righteous;

he has cut the ropes of the wicked.”

5 May they all be put to shame and turned back,

those who hate Zion.

6 May they be like the grass on the housetops

that withers before it grows up,

7 that cannot fill the reaper's hand

or the chest of the one who binds bundles of grain together.

8 May those who pass by not say,

“May the blessing of Yahweh be on you;

we bless you in the name of Yahweh.”

130

A song of ascents.

1 Out of the depths I cry to you, Yahweh.

2 Lord, hear my voice;

let your ears be attentive

to my pleas for mercy.

3 If you, Yahweh, would mark iniquities,

Lord, who could stand?

4 But there is forgiveness with you,

that you may be revered.

5 I wait for Yahweh, my soul waits,

and in his word I hope.

6 My soul waits for the Lord

more than watchmen wait for the morning.

7 Israel, hope in Yahweh.

Yahweh is merciful,

and he is very willing to forgive.

8 It is he who will redeem Israel

from all his sins.

131

A song of ascents; of David.

1 Yahweh, my heart is not proud or my eyes haughty.

I do not have great hopes for myself

or concern myself with things that are beyond me.

2 Indeed I have stilled and quieted my soul;

like a weaned child with his mother,

my soul within me is like a weaned child.

3 Israel, hope in Yahweh

now and forever.

132

A song of ascents.

1 Yahweh, for David's sake call to mind

all his afflictions.

2 Call to mind how he swore to Yahweh,

how he vowed to the Mighty One of Jacob.

3 He said, “I will not enter my house

or get into my bed,

4 I will not give sleep to my eyes

or rest to my eyelids

5 until I find a place for Yahweh,

a tabernacle for the Mighty One of Jacob.”

6 See, we heard about it in Ephrathah;

we found it in the fields of Jaar.

7 We will go into God's tabernacle;

we will worship at his footstool.

8 Arise, Yahweh, to your resting place,

you and the ark of your strength!

9 May your priests be clothed with integrity;

may your faithful ones shout for joy.

10 For your servant David's sake,

do not turn away from your anointed king.

11 Yahweh swore a sure oath to David,

a sure oath that he will not revoke:

“I will place one of your descendants on your throne.

12 If your sons keep my covenant

and the laws that I will teach them,

their children also will sit on your throne forevermore.”

13 Certainly Yahweh has chosen Zion,

he has desired her for his seat.

14 “This is my resting place forever.

I will live here, for I desire her.

15 I will abundantly bless her with provisions.

I will satisfy her poor with bread.

16 I will clothe her priests with salvation,

her faithful ones will shout aloud for joy.

17 There I will make a horn to sprout for David

and set up a lamp for my anointed one.

18 I will clothe his enemies with shame,

but on him his crown will shine.”

133

A song of ascents, of David.

1 Behold, how good and how pleasant it is

for brothers to live together!

2 It is like fine oil on the head

pouring down on the beard—

Aaron's beard,

and then it pours down on the collar of his robes.

3 It is like the dew of Hermon

which falls on the mountains of Zion.

For there Yahweh commanded the blessing—

life forevermore.

134

A song of ascents.

1 Come, bless Yahweh, all you servants of Yahweh,

you who serve during the night in Yahweh's house.

2 Lift up your hands to the holy place

and bless Yahweh.

3 May Yahweh bless you from Zion,

he who made heaven and earth.

135

1 Praise Yahweh.

Praise the name of Yahweh.

Praise him, you servants of Yahweh,

2 you who stand in Yahweh's house,

in the courtyards of the house of our God.

3 Praise Yahweh, for he is good;

sing praises to his name, for it is pleasant to do so.

4 For Yahweh has chosen Jacob for himself,

Israel as his possession.

5 I know that Yahweh is great,

that our Lord is above all gods.

6 Whatever Yahweh desires, he does

in heaven, on earth, in the seas and all the ocean depths.

7 He brings the clouds from far away,

making lightning bolts accompany the rain

and bringing the wind out of his storehouse.

8 He killed the firstborn of Egypt,

both of man and animals.

9 He sent signs and wonders into your midst, Egypt,

against Pharaoh and all his servants.

10 He attacked many nations

and killed mighty kings,

11 Sihon king of the Amorites

and Og king of Bashan

and all the kingdoms of Canaan.

12 He gave us their land as an inheritance,

an inheritance to Israel his people.

13 Your name, Yahweh, endures forever;

your renown, Yahweh, endures throughout all generations.

14 For Yahweh defends his people

and has compassion on his servants.

15 The nations' idols are silver and gold,

the work of men's hands.

16 Those idols have mouths, but they do not speak;

they have eyes, but they do not see;

17 they have ears, but they do not hear,

nor is there breath in their mouths.

18 Those who make them are like them,

as is everyone who trusts in them.

19 Descendants of Israel, bless Yahweh;

descendants of Aaron, bless Yahweh.

20 Descendants of Levi, bless Yahweh;

you who honor Yahweh, bless Yahweh.

21 Blessed be Yahweh in Zion,

he who lives in Jerusalem.

Praise Yahweh.

136

1 Oh, give thanks to Yahweh; for he is good,

for his covenant faithfulness endures forever.

2 Oh, give thanks to the God of gods,

for his covenant faithfulness endures forever.

3 Oh, give thanks to the Lord of lords,

for his covenant faithfulness endures forever.

4 Give thanks to him who alone does great wonders,

for his covenant faithfulness endures forever—

5 to him who by wisdom made the heavens,

for his covenant faithfulness endures forever.

6 Give thanks to him who spread out the earth above the waters,

for his covenant faithfulness endures forever—

7 to him who made great lights,

for his covenant faithfulness endures forever.

8 Give thank to him who gave the sun to rule by day,

for his covenant faithfulness endures forever—

9 the moon and stars to rule by night,

for his covenant faithfulness endures forever.

10 Give thanks to him who killed the firstborn of Egypt,

for his covenant faithfulness endures forever—

11 and brought out Israel from among them,

for his covenant faithfulness endures forever—

12 with a strong hand and a raised arm,

for his covenant faithfulness endures forever.

13 Give thanks to him who divided the Sea of Reeds,

for his covenant faithfulness endures forever—

14 and made Israel to pass through the middle of it,

for his covenant faithfulness endures forever—

15 but overthrew Pharaoh and his army in the Sea of Reeds,

for his covenant faithfulness endures forever.

16 Give thanks to him who led his people through the wilderness,

for his covenant faithfulness endures forever—

17 to him who killed great kings,

for his covenant faithfulness endures forever.

18 Give thanks to him who killed famous kings,

for his covenant faithfulness endures forever—

19 Sihon king of the Amorites,

for his covenant faithfulness endures forever—

20 and Og king of Bashan,

for his covenant faithfulness endures forever.

21 Give thanks to him who gave their land as an inheritance,

for his covenant faithfulness endures forever—

22 an inheritance to Israel his servant,

for his covenant faithfulness endures forever—

23 to him who called us to mind and helped us in our humiliation,

for his covenant faithfulness endures forever.

24 Give thanks to him who has given us victory over our enemies,

for his covenant faithfulness endures forever—

25 who gives food to all living beings,

for his covenant faithfulness endures forever.

26 Oh, give thanks to the God of heaven,

for his covenant faithfulness endures forever.

137

1 By the rivers of Babylon

we sat down and wept

when we thought about Zion.

2 On the poplars there

we hung our harps.

3 There our captors required songs from us,

and those who mocked us required us to be happy, saying,

“Sing us one of the songs of Zion.”

4 How could we sing a song about Yahweh

in a foreign land?

5 If I ignore the memory of you, Jerusalem,

let my right hand forget her skill.

6 Let my tongue cling to the roof of my mouth

if I think about you no more,

if I do not prefer Jerusalem

more than my greatest delights.

7 Call to mind, Yahweh, what the Edomites did

on the day Jerusalem fell.

They said, “Tear it down, tear it down

to its foundations.”

8 Daughter of Babylon, soon to be destroyed—

may the person be blessed, whoever pays you back

for what you have done to us.

9 May the person be blessed, whoever takes and dashes your little ones

against a rock.

138

A psalm of David.

1 I will give you thanks with my whole heart;

before the gods I will sing praises to you.

2 I will bow down toward your holy temple

and give thanks to your name for your covenant faithfulness and for your trustworthiness.

You have made your word and your name more important than anything else.

3 On the day that I called you, you answered me;

you made me bold and strengthened my soul.

4 All the kings of the earth will give you thanks, Yahweh,

for they will hear the words from your mouth.

5 Indeed, they will sing of the deeds of Yahweh,

for great is the glory of Yahweh.

6 For though Yahweh is high, yet he cares for the lowly,

but the proud he knows from far off.

7 Though I walk in the middle of danger, you will preserve my life;

you will reach out with your hand against the anger of my enemies,

and your right hand will save me.

8 Yahweh is with me to the end;

your covenant faithfulness, Yahweh, endures forever.

Do not forsake the ones whom your hands have made.

139

For the chief musician. A psalm of David.

1 Yahweh, you have examined me, and you know me.

2 You know when I sit down and when I get up;

you understand my thoughts from far away.

3 You observe my path and my lying down;

you are familiar with all my ways.

4 For before there is a word on my tongue,

you know it completely, Yahweh.

5 Behind me and before me you surround me

and place your hand upon me.

6 Such knowledge is too much for me;

it is too high, and I cannot reach it.

7 Where can I go from your Spirit?

Where can I flee from your presence?

8 If I ascend up to the heavens, you are there;

if I make my bed in Sheol, behold, you are there.

9 If I fly away on the wings of the morning

and go to live in the uttermost parts across the sea,

10 even there your hand will lead me,

your right hand will hold on to me.

11 If I said, “Surely the darkness will cover me,

and the light will become night around me,”

12 even the darkness would not be dark to you.

The night would shine like the day,

for the darkness and the light are both alike to you.

13 You formed my inner parts;

you formed me in my mother's womb.

14 I will praise you,

for I am wonderfully made.

My soul knows this very well.

15 My bones were not hidden from you

when I was made in private,

when I was intricately made in the depths of the earth.

16 You saw me inside the womb;

all the days assigned to me were recorded

in your book even before the first one happened.

17 How precious are your thoughts to me, God!

How vast is their sum!

18 If I tried to count them, they would be more in number than the sand.

When I awake, I am still with you.

19 If only you would kill the wicked, God;

get away from me, you violent men.

20 They rebel against you and act deceitfully;

your enemies tell lies.

21 Do I not hate those, Yahweh, who hate you?

Do I not despise those who rise up against you?

22 I hate them completely;

they have become my enemies.

23 Examine me, God, and know my heart;

test me and know my thoughts.

24 See if there is any wicked way in me,

and lead me in the everlasting way.

140

For the chief musician. A psalm of David.

1 Yahweh, rescue me from the wicked;

preserve me from violent men.

2 They plan evil in their hearts;

they cause battles every day.

3 Their tongues wound like serpents;

vipers' poison is on their lips.

Selah

4 Keep me from the hands of the wicked, Yahweh;

preserve me from violent men

who plan to knock me over.

5 The proud have set a trap for me;

they have spread a net;

they have set a snare for me.

Selah

6 I said to Yahweh, “You are my God;

listen to my cries for mercy.”

7 Yahweh, my Lord, you are powerfully able to save me;

you shield my head in the day of battle.

8 Yahweh, do not grant the desires of the wicked;

do not let their plots succeed.

Selah

9 Those who surround me raise their heads;

let the mischief of their own lips cover them.

10 Let burning coals fall on them;

throw them into the fire,

into bottomless pits, never more to rise.

11 May men of tongues not be made secure on the earth;

may evil hunt down the violent man to strike him dead.

12 I know that Yahweh will judge in favor of the afflicted,

and that he will give justice to the needy.

13 Surely the righteous people will give thanks to your name;

the upright people will live in your presence.

141

A psalm of David.

1 Yahweh, I am crying out to you; come quickly to me.

Listen to me when I call to you.

2 May my prayer be like incense before you;

may my lifted hands be like the evening sacrifice.

3 Yahweh, place a guard over my mouth;

guard the door of my lips.

4 Do not let my heart desire any evil thing

or participate in sinful activities

with men who behave wickedly.

May I not eat any of their delicacies.

5 Let a righteous man hit me; it will be a kindness to me.

Let him correct me; it will be like oil on my head;

may my head not refuse to accept it.

But my prayer is always against their wicked deeds.

6 Their leaders will be thrown down from the top of cliffs;

they will hear that my own words are pleasant.

7 They will have to say, “As when one plows and breaks up the ground,

so our bones have been scattered at the mouth of Sheol.”

8 Surely my eyes are on you, Yahweh, Lord;

in you I take refuge; do not leave my soul defenseless.

9 Protect me from the snares that they have laid for me,

from the traps of evildoers.

10 Let the wicked fall into their own nets

while I escape.

142

A maschil of David, when he was in the cave; a prayer.

1 With my voice I cry out for help to Yahweh;

with my voice I plead for Yahweh's favor.

2 I pour out my lament before him;

I tell him my troubles.

3 When my spirit is weak within me,

you know my path.

In the way that I walk

they have hidden a trap for me.

4 I look to my right and and see

that there is no one who cares about me.

There is no escape for me;

no one cares about my life.

5 I called out to you, Yahweh;

I said, “You are my refuge,

my portion in the land of the living.

6 Listen to my call,

for I have been brought very low;

rescue me from my persecutors,

for they are stronger than I.

7 Bring my soul out of prison

so that I may give thanks to your name.

The righteous will gather around me

because you have been good to me.”

143

A psalm of David.

1 Hear my prayer, Yahweh; listen to my pleas.

Because of your faithfulness and righteousness, answer me!

2 Do not enter into judgment with your servant,

for in your sight no one is righteous.

3 The enemy has pursued my soul;

he has crushed me to the ground;

he has made me to live in darkness

like those who have been dead a long time.

4 My spirit is overwhelmed within me;

my heart despairs.

5 I call to mind the old days;

I meditate on all your deeds;

I reflect on your accomplishments.

6 I spread my hands out to you;

my soul thirsts for you in a parched land.

Selah

7 Answer me quickly, Yahweh, because my spirit faints.

Do not hide your face from me,

or I will become like those who go down into the pit.

8 Let me hear your covenant faithfulness in the morning,

for I trust in you.

Show me the way where I should walk,

for I lift up my soul to you.

9 Rescue me from my enemies, Yahweh;

I flee to you to hide.

10 Teach me to do your will,

for you are my God.

May your good Spirit

lead me in the land of uprightness.

11 Yahweh, for your name's sake, keep me alive;

in your righteousness bring my soul out of trouble.

12 In your covenant faithfulness cut off my enemies

and destroy all the enemies of my life,

for I am your servant.

144

A psalm of David.

1 Blessed be Yahweh, my rock,

who trains my hands for war

and my fingers for battle.

2 You are my covenant faithfulness and my fortress,

my high tower and the one who rescues me,

my shield and the one in whom I take refuge,

the one who subdues nations under me.

3 Yahweh, what is man that you take notice of him

or the son of man that you think about him?

4 Man is like a breath;

his days are like a passing shadow.

5 Cause the sky to sink and come down, Yahweh;

touch the mountains and make them smoke.

6 Send flashes of lightning and scatter my enemies;

shoot your arrows and drive them back in confusion.

7 Reach out your hand from above;

rescue me out of many waters,

from the hand of foreigners.

8 Their mouths speak lies,

and their right hand is falsehood.

9 I will sing a new song to you, God;

on a lute of ten strings I will sing praises to you,

10 who give salvation to kings,

who rescued David your servant from an evil sword.

11 Rescue me and free me from the hand of foreigners.

Their mouths speak lies,

and their right hand is falsehood.

12 May our sons be like plants who grow to full size in their youth

and our daughters like carved corner pillars, shapely like those of a palace.

13 May our storehouses be full with every kind of produce,

and may our sheep produce thousands and ten thousands in our fields.

14 Then our oxen will have many young.

No one will break through our walls; there will be no exile

and no outcry in our streets.

15 Blessed is the people with such blessings;

happy is the people whose God is Yahweh.

145

A psalm of praise. Of David.

1 I will extol you, my God, King;

I will bless your name forever and ever.

2 Every day will I bless you;

I will praise your name forever and ever.

3 Great is Yahweh and greatly to be praised;

his greatness is unsearchable.

4 One generation will praise your deeds to the next

and will proclaim your mighty actions.

5 I will meditate on the majesty of your glory

and on your marvelous deeds.

6 They will speak of the power of your awesome works,

and I will declare your greatness.

7 They will declare your abounding goodness,

and they will sing about your righteousness.

8 Yahweh is gracious and merciful,

slow to anger and abounding in covenant faithfulness.

9 Yahweh is good to all;

his tender mercies are over all his works.

10 All you have made will give thanks to you, Yahweh;

your faithful ones will bless you.

11 Your faithful ones will speak of the glory of your kingdom,

and they will tell of your power.

12 They will make known to mankind God's mighty deeds

and the glorious splendor of his kingdom.

13 Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,

and your dominion endures throughout all generations.

14 Yahweh supports all who are falling

and raises up all those who are bent over.

15 The eyes of all wait for you;

you give them their food at the right time.

16 You open your hand

and satisfy the desire of every living thing.

17 Yahweh is righteous in all his ways

and gracious in all he does.

18 Yahweh is near to all those who call to him,

to all who call to him in trustworthiness.

19 He fulfills the desire of those who honor him;

he hears their cry and saves them.

20 Yahweh watches over all those who love him,

but he will destroy all the wicked.

21 My mouth will speak out the praise of Yahweh;

let all mankind bless his holy name forever and ever.

146

1 Praise Yahweh.

Praise Yahweh, my soul.

2 I give praise to Yahweh with all my life;

I will sing praises to my God as long as I exist.

3 Do not put your trust in princes

or in mankind, in whom there is no salvation.

4 When a person's life's breath stops, he returns to the ground;

on that day his plans end.

5 Blessed is he who has the God of Jacob for his help,

whose hope is in Yahweh his God.

6 Yahweh made heaven and earth,

the sea, and all that is in them;

he observes trustworthiness forever.

7 He executes justice for the oppressed

and gives food to the hungry.

Yahweh frees the prisoners;

8 Yahweh opens the eyes of the blind;

Yahweh raises up those who are bowed down;

Yahweh loves the righteous people.

9 Yahweh protects the foreigners in the land;

he lifts up the fatherless and widow,

but he opposes the wicked.

10 Yahweh will reign forever,

your God, Zion, for all generations.

Praise Yahweh.

147

1 Praise Yahweh,

for it is good to sing praises to our God,

it is pleasant, and praise is suitable.

2 Yahweh rebuilds Jerusalem,

he gathers together the scattered people of Israel.

3 He heals the brokenhearted

and binds up their wounds.

4 He counts the stars,

he gives names to all of them.

5 Great is our Lord and awesome in power,

his understanding cannot be measured.

6 Yahweh lifts up the oppressed,

he brings the wicked down to the ground.

7 Sing to Yahweh with thanksgiving,

sing praises to our God with a harp.

8 He covers the heavens with clouds

and prepares rain for the earth,

making the grass to grow on the mountains.

9 He gives food to the animals

and to the young ravens when they cry.

10 He finds no delight in the strength of a horse,

he takes no pleasure in the strong legs of a man.

11 Yahweh takes pleasure in those who honor him,

who hope in his covenant faithfulness.

12 Praise Yahweh, Jerusalem,

praise your God, Zion.

13 For he strengthens the bars of your gates,

he blesses your children among you.

14 He brings prosperity inside your borders,

he satisfies you with the finest of wheat.

15 He sends out his commandment to earth,

his command runs very swiftly.

16 He makes the snow like wool,

he scatters the frost like ashes.

17 He dispenses the hail like crumbs,

who can withstand the cold he sends?

18 He sends out his command and melts them,

he makes the wind to blow and the water to flow.

19 He proclaimed his word to Jacob,

his statutes and his righteous decrees to Israel.

20 He has not done so with any other nation,

and as for his decrees, they do not know them.

Praise Yahweh.

148

1 Praise Yahweh.

Praise Yahweh, you in the heavens;

praise him, you in the heights.

2 Praise him, all his angels;

praise him, all his hosts.

3 Praise him, sun and moon;

praise him, all you shining stars.

4 Praise him, highest heaven

and you waters that are above the sky.

5 Let them praise the name of Yahweh,

for he gave the command, and they were created.

6 He has also established them forever and ever;

he issued a decree that will never change.

7 Praise him from the earth,

you sea monsters and all ocean depths,

8 fire and hail, snow and clouds,

stormy wind fulfilling his word.

9 Praise him, mountains and all hills,

fruit trees and all cedars,

10 animals wild and tame,

creatures that crawl and birds.

11 Praise Yahweh, kings of the earth and all nations,

princes and all who govern on the earth,

12 both young men and young women,

elderly and children.

13 Let them all praise the name of Yahweh,

for his name alone is exalted

and his glory extends over the earth and the heavens.

14 He has lifted up the horn of his people

for praise from all his faithful ones,

the Israelites, the people near to him.

Praise Yahweh.

149

1 Praise Yahweh.

Sing to Yahweh a new song;

sing his praise in the assembly of the faithful ones.

2 Let Israel rejoice in the one who made them;

let the people of Zion rejoice in their king.

3 Let them praise his name with dancing;

let them sing praises to him with tambourine and harp.

4 For Yahweh takes pleasure in his people;

he glorifies the humble with salvation.

5 Let the godly rejoice in victory;

let them sing for joy on their beds.

6 May the praises of God be in their mouths

and a two-edged sword in their hand

7 to execute vengeance on the nations

and acts of punishment on the peoples.

8 They will bind their kings with chains

and their nobles with iron shackles.

9 They will execute the judgment that is written.

This will be an honor for all his faithful ones.

Praise Yahweh.

150

1 Praise Yahweh.

Praise God in his holy place;

praise him in the mighty heavens.

2 Praise him for his mighty acts;

praise him for his surpassing greatness.

3 Praise him with the blast of the horn;

praise him with lute and harp.

4 Praise him with tambourines and dancing;

praise him with stringed instruments and wind instruments.

5 Praise him with loud cymbals;

praise him with high sounding cymbals.

6 Let everything that has breath praise Yahweh.

Praise Yahweh.

* 8:2 The Hebrew text can be read either as established praise or established strength .

* 18:13 Some modern versions add after shouted, hailstones and coals of fire this expression may be an accidental repetition from the previous verse.

* 68:26 The Hebrew text can be read either as from the fountain or from the assembly .

* 84:6 Some versions have with pools of water .

* 89:19 Many mss have the singular faithful one instead of faithful ones .

† 89:19 The MT has I will place help upon a warrior . Some translate the word for help as crown and that is how the ULB has translated the word here.

Proverbs

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Proverbs

1

1 The proverbs of Solomon son of David, the king of Israel.

2 These proverbs are to teach wisdom and instruction,

to teach words of insight,

3 that you may receive instruction in order to live

by doing what is right, just, and fair.

4 These proverbs are also to give wisdom to the naive,

and to give knowledge and discretion to young people.

5 Let wise people listen and increase their learning,

and let discerning people get guidance,

6 to understand proverbs, sayings,

and words of wise people and their riddles.

7 The fear of Yahweh is the beginning of knowledge—

fools despise wisdom and instruction.

8 My son, hear the instruction of your father

and do not lay aside the rules of your mother;

9 they will be a graceful wreath for your head

and pendants hanging from your neck.

10 My son, if sinners try to entice you into their sin,

refuse to follow them.

11 If they say, “Come with us,

let us lie in wait for blood,

let us hide and attack innocent people for no reason.

12 Let us swallow them up alive, like Sheol takes away those who are healthy,

and make them like those who fall into the pit.

13 We shall find all kinds of valuable things;

we will fill our houses with what we steal from others.

14 Throw in your lot with us;

we will all have one purse together.”

15 My son, do not walk down that road with them;

do not let your foot touch where they walk;

16 their feet run to evil

and they hurry to shed blood.

17 For it is useless to spread the net in the sight of any bird.

18 These men lie in wait for their own blood—

they set an ambush for their own lives.

19 So are the ways of everyone who gains riches by injustice;

unjust gain takes away the lives of those who hold on to it.

20 Wisdom cries aloud in the street,

she raises her voice in the open places;

21 at the head of the noisy streets she cries out,

at the entrance of the city gates she speaks,

22 “How long, you naive people, will you love being naive?

How long, you mockers, will you delight in mockery,

and how long, you fools, will you hate knowledge?

23 Pay attention to my correction;

I will pour out my thoughts to you;

I will make my words known to you.

24 I have called, and you have refused to listen;

I reached out with my hand, but there was no one who paid attention.

25 But you have ignored all my instruction

and paid no attention to my correction.

26 I will laugh at your calamity,

I will mock you when the terror comes—

27 when your fearful dread comes like a storm

and disaster sweeps over you like a whirlwind,

when distress and anguish come upon you.

28 Then they will call upon me, and I will not answer;

they will desperately call for me, but they will not find me.

29 Because they hate knowledge

and did not choose the fear of Yahweh,

30 they would not follow my instruction,

and they despised all my correction.

31 They will eat the fruit of their ways,

and with the fruit of their schemes they will be filled.

32 For the naive are killed when they turn away,

and the indifference of fools will destroy them.

33 But whoever listens to me will live in safety

and will rest secure with no fear of disaster.”

2

1 My son, if you receive my words

and treasure up my commandments with you,

2 make your ears pay attention to wisdom

and incline your heart to understanding.

3 If you cry out for understanding

and raise your voice for it,

4 if you seek it like you would seek silver

and search for understanding as you would seek hidden treasures,

5 then you will understand the fear of Yahweh

and you will find the knowledge of God.

6 For Yahweh gives wisdom,

from his mouth comes knowledge and understanding.

7 He stores up sound wisdom for those who please him,

he is a shield for those who walk in integrity,

8 he guards the paths of justice

and he will preserve the way of those who are faithful to him.

9 Then you will understand righteousness, justice, and equity,

and every good path.

10 For wisdom will come into your heart,

and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul.

11 Discretion will watch over you,

understanding will guard you.

12 They will rescue you from the way of evil,

from those who speak perverse things,

13 who abandon the right paths

and walk in the ways of darkness.

14 They rejoice when they do evil

and delight in the perversities of evil.

15 They follow crooked paths,

and using deception they hide their tracks.

16 Wisdom and discretion will save you from an adulterous woman,

from an immoral woman and her flattering words.

17 She forsakes the companion of her youth

and forgets the covenant of her God.

18 For her house leads down to death

and her tracks will lead you to those in the grave.

19 All who go in to her will not return again

and they will not find the paths of life.

20 So you will walk in the way of good people

and follow the paths of righteous people.

21 For those doing right will make a home in the land,

and those with integrity will remain in it.

22 But the wicked will be cut off from the land,

and the faithless will be cut off from it.

3

1 My son, do not forget my commands

and keep my teachings in your heart,

2 for length of days and years of life

and peace they will add to you.

3 Do not let covenant faithfulness and trustworthiness ever leave you,

tie them together about your neck,

write them on the tablet of your heart.

4 Then you will find favor and a good reputation

in the sight of God and man.

5 Trust in Yahweh with all your heart

and do not lean on your own understanding;

6 in all your ways acknowledge him

and he will make your paths straight.

7 Do not be wise in your own eyes;

fear Yahweh and turn away from evil.

8 It will be healing to your flesh

and refreshment for your body.

9 Honor Yahweh with your wealth

and with the firstfruits of all your produce,

10 and your storehouses will be filled up

and your vats will be bursting, full of new wine.

11 My son, do not despise Yahweh's instruction

and do not hate his rebuke,

12 for Yahweh disciplines those he loves,

as a father deals with a son who pleases him.

13 The one who finds wisdom is blessed;

he also gets understanding.

14 What you gain from wisdom is better than what silver will give in return

and its profit is better than gold.

15 Wisdom is more precious than jewels

and nothing you desire can compare to her.

16 She has length of days in her right hand;

in her left hand are riches and honor.

17 Her ways are ways of kindness

and all her paths are peace.

18 She is a tree of life to those who take hold of it,

those who hold on to it are happy.

19 By wisdom Yahweh founded the earth,

by understanding he established the heavens.

20 By his knowledge the depths broke open

and the clouds dropped their dew.

21 My son, keep sound judgment and discernment,

and do not lose sight of them.

22 They will be life to your soul

and an adornment of favor to wear around your neck.

23 Then you will walk on your way in safety

and your foot will not stumble;

24 when you lie down, you will not be afraid;

when you lie down, your sleep will be sweet.

25 Do not be afraid of sudden terror

or devastation caused by the wicked, when it comes,

26 for Yahweh will be on your side

and will keep your foot from being caught in a trap.

27 Do not withhold good from those who deserve it,

when it is in your power to act.

28 Do not say to your neighbor,

“Go, and come again, and tomorrow I will give it,”

when you have the money with you.

29 Do not make a plan to harm your neighbor—

the one who lives close and trusts you.

30 Do not argue with a person without a reason,

when he has done nothing to harm you.

31 Do not envy a violent person

or choose any of his ways.

32 For the devious person is detestable to Yahweh,

but he brings the upright person into his confidence.

33 The curse of Yahweh is on the house of the wicked person,

but he blesses the home of righteous people.

34 He mocks mockers,

but he gives his favor to humble people.

35 Wise people inherit honor,

but fools will be lifted up in their shame.

4

1 Listen, sons, to a father's instruction,

and pay attention so you will know what understanding is.

2 I am giving you good instructions;

do not forsake my teaching.

3 When I was a son of my father,

the tender and only child of my mother,

4 he taught me and said to me,

“Let your heart hold fast to my words;

keep my commands and live.

5 Acquire wisdom and understanding;

do not forget and do not reject the words of my mouth;

6 do not abandon wisdom and she will watch over you;

love her and she will keep you safe.

7 Wisdom is the most important thing, so acquire wisdom

and spend all you own so you can get understanding.

8 Cherish wisdom and she will exalt you;

she will honor you when you embrace her.

9 She will put a wreath of honor on your head;

she will give you a beautiful crown.”

10 Listen, my son, and pay attention to my words,

and you will have many years in your life.

11 I direct you in the way of wisdom;

I lead you down straight paths.

12 When you walk, no one will stand in your way

and if you run, you will not stumble.

13 Hold on to instruction, do not let it go;

guard it, for it is your life.

14 Do not follow the path of the wicked

and do not go along the way of those who do evil.

15 Avoid it, do not go on it;

turn away from it and go another way.

16 For they cannot sleep until they do evil

and they are robbed of sleep until they cause someone to stumble.

17 For they eat the bread of wickedness

and drink the wine of violence.

18 But the path of righteous people is like the first light that grows brighter;

it shines more and more until the fullness of the day comes.

19 The way of the wicked is like darkness—

they do not know what it is they stumble over.

20 My son, pay attention to my words;

incline your ear to my sayings.

21 Do not let them turn away from your eyes;

keep them in your heart.

22 For my words are life to those who find them

and health to their whole body.

23 Keep your heart safe and guard it with all diligence,

for from it flow the springs of life.

24 Put crooked speech away from you

and put corrupt talk far from you.

25 Let your eyes look straight ahead

and fix your gaze straight before you.

26 Make a level path for your foot;

then all your ways will be secure.

27 Do not turn aside to the right or to the left;

turn your foot away from evil.

5

1 My son, pay attention to my wisdom;

incline your ears to my understanding,

2 so you may learn about discretion

and your lips may protect knowledge.

3 For the lips of an adulteress drip with honey

and her mouth is smoother than oil,

4 but in the end she is as bitter as wormwood,

cutting like a sharp sword.

5 Her feet go down to death;

her steps go all the way to Sheol.

6 She gives no thought to the path of life.

Her footsteps wander; she does not know where she is going.

7 Now, my sons, listen to me;

do not turn away from listening to the words of my mouth.

8 Keep your path far away from her

and do not come near the door of her house.

9 In that way you will not give away your honor to others

or years of your life to a cruel person;

10 strangers will not feast on your wealth;

what you have worked for will not go into the house of strangers.

11 At the end of your life you will groan

when your flesh and your body waste away.

12 You will say, “How I hated instruction

and my heart despised correction!

13 I would not obey my teachers

or incline my ear to my instructors.

14 I was almost completely ruined

in the midst of the assembly, among the gathering of the people.”

15 Drink water from your own cistern

and drink running water from your own well.

16 Should your springs overflow everywhere

and your streams of water flow in the public squares?

17 Let them be for yourself alone

and not for strangers with you.

18 May your fountain be blessed

and may you rejoice in the wife of your youth,

19 for she is a loving deer and a graceful doe.

Let her breasts satisfy you at all times;

may you be continually intoxicated by her love.

20 For why should you, my son, be captivated by an adulteress;

why should you embrace the breasts of an immoral woman?

21 Yahweh sees everything a person does

and watches all the paths he takes.

22 A wicked person will be seized by his own iniquities;

the cords of his sin will hold him tight.

23 He will die because he lacks instruction;

he is led astray by his great foolishness.

6

1 My son, if you set aside your money as a guarantee for your neighbor's loan,

if you gave your promise for a loan of someone you do not know,

2 then you have laid a trap for yourself by your promise

and you have been caught by the words of your mouth.

3 When you are caught by your words, my son, do this and save yourself,

since you have fallen into the hand of your neighbor;

go and humble yourself and make your case before your neighbor.

4 Give your eyes no sleep

and your eyelids no slumber.

5 Save yourself like a gazelle from the hand of the hunter,

like a bird from the hand of the fowler.

6 Look at the ant, you lazy person,

consider her ways, and be wise.

7 It has no commander,

officer, or ruler,

8 yet it prepares its food in the summer

and during the harvest it stores up what it will eat.

9 How long will you sleep, you lazy person?

When will you rise from your sleep?

10 “A little sleep, a little slumber,

a little folding of the hands to rest”—

11 and your poverty will come like a robber

and your needs like an armed soldier.

12 A worthless person—a wicked man—

lives by the crookedness of his speech,

13 winking his eyes, making signals with his feet

and pointing with his fingers.

14 He plots evil with deceit in his heart;

he always stirs up discord.

15 Therefore his disaster will overtake him in an instant;

in a moment he will be broken beyond healing.

16 There are six things that Yahweh hates,

seven that are disgusting to him.

17 The eyes of a proud person, a tongue that lies,

hands that shed the blood of innocent people,

18 a heart that invents wicked schemes,

feet that quickly run to do evil,

19 a witness who breathes out lies

and one who sows discord among brothers.

20 My son, obey the command of your father

and do not forsake the teaching of your mother.

21 Always bind them on your heart;

tie them about your neck.

22 When you walk, they will guide you;

when you sleep, they will watch over you;

and when you wake up, they will teach you.

23 For the commands are a lamp, and the teaching is a light;

the corrections that come by instruction are the way of life.

24 It keeps you from the immoral woman,

from the smooth words of an immoral woman.

25 Do not lust in your heart after her beauty

and do not let her capture you with her eyelashes.

26 Sleeping with a prostitute can cost the price of a loaf of bread,

but the wife of another may cost you your very life.

27 Can a man carry a fire against his chest

without burning his clothes?

28 Can a man walk on hot coals

without scorching his feet?

29 So is the man who sleeps with his neighbor's wife;

the one who sleeps with her will not go unpunished.

30 People do not despise a thief if he steals

to satisfy his need when he is hungry.

31 Yet if he is caught, he will pay back seven times what he stole;

he must give up everything of value in his house.

32 The one who commits adultery has no sense;

the one who does it destroys himself.

33 Wounds and shame are what he deserves

and his disgrace will not be wiped away.

34 For jealousy makes a man furious;

he will show no mercy when he takes his revenge.

35 He will accept no compensation

and he cannot be bought off, though you offer him many gifts.

7

1 My son, keep my words

and store up my commands within yourself.

2 Keep my commands and live

and keep my instruction as the apple of your eye.

3 Tie them on your fingers;

write them on the tablet of your heart.

4 Say to wisdom, “You are my sister,”

and call understanding your kinsman,

5 in order to keep yourself from the adulterous woman,

from the immoral woman with her smooth words.

6 At the window of my house

I was looking out through the lattice.

7 I looked at the naive people,

and I noticed among the young men

a youth who had no sense.

8 That young man passed down the street near her corner,

and he went toward her house.

9 It was twilight, in the evening of the day,

at the time of night and darkness.

10 There a woman met him,

dressed like a prostitute, with a false heart.

11 She was loud and wayward;

her feet did not stay at home.

12 Now in the streets, then in the market place,

and at every corner she waited in ambush.

13 So she grabbed him and kissed him,

with a strong face she said to him,

14 “I made my peace offering today,

I paid my vows,

15 so came I out to meet you,

to eagerly seek your face, and I have found you.

16 I have spread coverings on my bed,

colored linens from Egypt.

17 I have sprinkled my bed

with myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon.

18 Come, let us drink our fill of love until morning;

let us take great pleasure in acts of love.

19 For my husband is not at his house;

he has gone on a long journey.

20 He took a bag of money with him;

he will return on the day of the full moon.”

21 With much talk she turned him;

with her smooth lips she misled him.

22 He went after her suddenly

like an ox going to slaughter,

like a deer caught in a trap, *

23 until an arrow pierces through its liver.

He was like a bird rushing into a snare.

He did not know that it would cost his life.

24 Now, my sons, listen to me;

pay attention to the words of my mouth.

25 May your heart not turn aside onto her paths;

do not be led astray onto her paths.

26 She has caused many people to fall down pierced;

her dead victims are very many.

27 Her house is on the paths to Sheol;

they go down to the dark bedrooms of death.

8

1 Does not Wisdom call out?

Does not Understanding raise her voice?

2 On the hilltops beside the road,

at the crossroads, Wisdom has taken her stand.

3 Before the gates at the entrance into the city,

at the entrances into the city, she calls out.

4 “It is to you, people, that I call;

my voice is for the sons of mankind.

5 You who are naive, learn wisdom;

and you who are foolish, you must get an understanding mind.

6 Listen, because I will speak of noble things,

and when my lips open I will say upright things.

7 For my mouth speaks what is trustworthy,

and wickedness is disgusting to my lips.

8 All the words of my mouth are just;

in them is nothing twisted or misleading.

9 All of them are straight for the person who understands;

my words are upright for those who find knowledge.

10 Acquire my instruction rather than silver;

acquire knowledge rather than pure gold.

11 For Wisdom is better than jewels;

no treasure is equal to her.

12 I, Wisdom, live with Prudence,

and I possess knowledge and discretion.

13 The fear of Yahweh is to hate evil.

I hate pride and arrogance, the evil way,

and perverted speech. I hate them.

14 I have good advice and sound wisdom;

I am insight; strength belongs to me.

15 By me kings reign, and rulers make laws that are just.

16 By me princes rule,

nobles, and all who govern with justice.

17 I love those who love me,

and those who diligently seek me, find me.

18 With me are riches and honor,

lasting wealth and righteousness.

19 My fruit is better than gold, even fine gold;

my produce is better than pure silver.

20 I walk in the path of righteousness,

in the midst of the paths of justice.

21 As a result, I make those who love me inherit wealth;

I fill up their treasuries.

22 Yahweh created me at the beginning,

the first of his deeds then.

23 In ages long ago I was made—from the first,

from the beginnings of the earth.

24 Before there were oceans, I was given birth—

before there were springs abounding with water.

25 Before the mountains were settled

and before the hills, I was born.

26 I was born before Yahweh had made the earth or the fields,

or even the first dust in the world.

27 I was there when he established the heavens,

when he drew a circle on the surface of the deep.

28 I was there when he established the clouds above and

when the springs in the deep became fixed.

29 I was there when he made his limit for the sea,

so the waters should not spread beyond his command,

and when there was set the limit for the foundations of the dry land.

30 I was beside him, as a skilled craftsman;

I was his delight day after day,

always rejoicing before him.

31 I was rejoicing in his whole world,

and my delight was in the sons of mankind.

32 Now, my sons, listen to me,

for those who keep my ways will be blessed.

33 Listen to my instruction and be wise;

do not neglect it.

34 The one who listens to me will be blessed.

He will be watching every day at my doors,

waiting beside the posts of my doors.

35 For whoever finds me, finds life,

and he will find the favor of Yahweh.

36 But he who fails, harms his own life;

all who hate me love death.”

9

1 Wisdom has built her own house;

she has carved seven pillars out of rocks.

2 She has slaughtered her animals; she has mixed her wine;

and she has set her table.

3 She has sent out her maids; she calls out

from the highest points of the city,

4 “Who is naive? Let him turn aside here!”

To the one lacking good sense she speaks.

5 “Come, eat my food,

and drink the wine I have mixed.

6 Leave your naive actions and live;

walk in the path of understanding.

7 Whoever disciplines a mocker receives abuse,

and whoever rebukes a wicked person receives insults.

8 Do not reprove a mocker, or he will hate you;

reprove a wise man, and he will love you.

9 Give to a wise person, and he will become even wiser;

teach a righteous person, and he will add to his learning.

10 The fear of Yahweh is the beginning of wisdom,

and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.

11 For through me your days will be multiplied,

and years of life will be added to you.

12 If you are wise, you are wise for yourself,

and if you mock, you will carry it by yourself.”

13 The woman of foolishness is ignorant;

she is untaught and knows nothing.

14 She sits at the door of her house,

on a seat in the highest places of the town.

15 She is calling out to those who pass by in the streets,

to people walking straight on their way.

16 “Let anyone who is naive turn aside here,”

she says to those who have no sense.

17 “Stolen waters are sweet,

and bread of secrecy is delicious.”

18 But he does not know that the dead are there,

that her invited guests are in the depths of Sheol.

10

1 The proverbs of Solomon.

A wise son makes his father rejoice

but a foolish son brings grief to his mother.

2 Treasures accumulated by wickedness have no value,

but doing what is right keeps you from death.

3 Yahweh does not let the soul of the righteous person go hungry,

but he frustrates the cravings of the wicked.

4 A lazy hand causes a person to be poor,

but the hand of the diligent person gains riches.

5 A wise son gathers a crop in the summer,

but it is disgraceful for him to sleep during harvest.

6 Gifts from God are upon the head of the righteous person,

but the mouth of the wicked covers up violence.

7 The righteous person makes those who remember him happy,

but the name of the wicked will rot away.

8 Those who are sensible accept commands,

but a talkative fool will come to ruin.

9 He who walks in integrity walks in safety,

but the one who makes his ways crooked, he will be found out.

10 He who winks the eye causes grief,

but a talkative fool will be thrown down. *

11 The mouth of the righteous person is a water spring of life,

but the mouth of the wicked covers up violence.

12 Hatred stirs up conflicts,

but love covers over all offenses.

13 Wisdom is found on the lips of a discerning person,

but a rod is for the back of the one who has no sense.

14 Wise men store up knowledge,

but the mouth of a fool brings destruction near.

15 The wealth of a rich man is his fortified city;

the poverty of the poor is their destruction.

16 The wage of the righteous person leads to life;

the profit of the wicked leads them to sin.

17 There is a path to life for the one who follows discipline,

but the one who rejects correction is led astray.

18 Whoever conceals hatred has lying lips,

and whoever spreads slander is a fool.

19 When there are many words, transgression is not lacking,

but he who is careful in what he says is wise.

20 The tongue of the righteous person is pure silver;

there is little value in the heart of the wicked.

21 The lips of the righteous person nourish many,

but fools die because of their lack of sense.

22 The good gifts of Yahweh bring wealth

and he adds no pain to it.

23 Wickedness is a game a fool plays,

but wisdom is a pleasure to a man of understanding.

24 The fear of the wicked person will overtake him,

but the desire of righteous people will be granted.

25 The wicked are like the storm that passes by, and they are no more,

but the righteous person is a foundation that lasts forever.

26 Like vinegar on the teeth and smoke in the eyes,

so is the sluggard to those who send him.

27 The fear of Yahweh prolongs life,

but the years of the wicked will be short.

28 The hope of righteous people is their joy,

but the years of wicked people will be short.

29 The way of Yahweh protects those who have integrity,

but it is destruction for the wicked.

30 The righteous person will never be overthrown,

but the wicked will not remain in the land.

31 Out of the mouth of the righteous person comes the fruit of wisdom,

but the perverse tongue will be cut out.

32 The lips of the righteous person know what is acceptable,

but the mouth of the wicked, they know what is perverse.

11

1 Yahweh hates scales that are not accurate,

but he delights in a precise weight.

2 When pride comes, then comes disgrace,

but with humility comes wisdom.

3 The integrity of the upright guides them,

but the crooked ways of the treacherous destroy them.

4 Wealth is worthless on the day of wrath,

but doing right keeps you from death.

5 The right conduct of a blameless person makes his way straight,

but the wicked will fall because of their own wickedness.

6 The right conduct of those who please God keeps them safe,

but the treacherous are trapped by their cravings.

7 When a wicked man dies, his hope perishes

and the hope that was in his strength comes to nothing.

8 The righteous person is kept away from trouble

and it comes upon the wicked instead.

9 With his mouth the godless person destroys his neighbor,

but through knowledge righteous people are kept safe.

10 When righteous people prosper, a city rejoices;

when the wicked perish, there are shouts of joy.

11 Through the good gifts of those who please God, the city becomes great;

by the mouth of the wicked, the city is torn down.

12 The man who has contempt for his friend has no sense,

but a man of understanding keeps quiet.

13 Whoever goes around slandering reveals secrets,

but a faithful person keeps a matter covered.

14 Where there is no wise direction, a nation falls,

but victory comes by consulting many advisors.

15 Whoever guarantees a loan for a stranger will surely suffer harm,

but the one who hates giving a pledge in that kind of promise is safe.

16 A gracious woman gets honor,

but ruthless people grasp for wealth.

17 A kind person benefits himself,

but one who is cruel hurts himself.

18 The wicked person lies to get his wages,

but one who sows what is right reaps the wages of truth.

19 An honest person who does what is right will live,

but the one who pursues evil will die.

20 Yahweh hates those whose hearts are perverse,

but he delights in those whose ways are blameless.

21 Be sure of this—the wicked person will not go unpunished,

but the descendants of righteous people will be kept safe.

22 Like a gold ring in a pig's nose

is a beautiful woman without discretion.

23 The desires of righteous people result in good,

but wicked people can only hope for wrath.

24 There is one who scatters—he will accumulate even more;

another withholds what he should give—he comes to poverty.

25 The generous person will prosper

and the one who gives water to others will have water for himself.

26 People curse the man who refuses to sell grain,

but good gifts crown the head of him who sells it.

27 The one who diligently seeks good is also seeking favor,

but the one who searches for evil will find it.

28 Those who trust in their riches will fall,

but like the leaf, righteous people will flourish.

29 The one who brings trouble on his own household will inherit the wind

and the fool will become a servant to the wise of heart.

30 The righteous person will be like a tree of life,

but violence takes away lives.

31 Behold! The righteous person receives what he deserves;

how much more the wicked and the sinner!

12

1 Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge,

but the one who hates correction is stupid.

2 Yahweh gives favor to a good man,

but he condemns a man who makes evil plans.

3 A person cannot be established by wickedness,

but righteous people cannot be uprooted.

4 A worthy wife is her husband's crown,

but she who brings shame is like a disease that rots his bones.

5 The plans of the righteous are just,

but the advice of the wicked is deceitful.

6 The words of wicked people are an ambush waiting for a chance to kill,

but the words of the upright keep them safe.

7 Wicked people are overthrown and they are gone,

but the house of the righteous person will stand.

8 A person is praised by how much wisdom he has,

but the one who makes perverse choices is despised.

9 Better to have an unimportant position—only being a servant—

than to brag about your importance but have no food.

10 The righteous person cares about the needs of his animal,

but even the compassion of the wicked is cruel.

11 The one who works his land will have plenty of food,

but whoever chases after worthless projects has no sense.

12 The wicked person desires what evil men have stolen from others,

but the fruit of righteous people comes from themselves.

13 An evil person is trapped by his wicked talk,

but the righteous person escapes from trouble.

14 From the fruit of his words a person is filled with good things,

just as the work of his hands rewards him.

15 The way of a fool is right in his own eyes,

but a wise man listens to advice.

16 A fool shows his anger at once,

but one who ignores an insult is prudent.

17 The one who speaks the truth says what is right,

but a false witness tells lies.

18 The words of one who speaks rashly are like the thrusts of a sword,

but the tongue of the wise brings healing.

19 Truthful lips last forever,

but a lying tongue is only for a moment.

20 There is deceit in the hearts of those who plan to do evil,

but joy comes to the advisors of peace.

21 No ill comes on the righteous person,

but wicked people are filled with difficulties.

22 Yahweh hates lying lips,

but those who live faithfully are his delight.

23 A prudent man conceals his knowledge,

but the heart of fools shouts out folly.

24 The hand of the diligent will rule,

but lazy people will be put to forced labor.

25 Anxiety in the heart of a person weighs him down,

but a good word makes him glad.

26 The righteous person is a guide for his friend,

but the way of the wicked leads them astray.

27 Lazy people would not roast their own game,

but the diligent man will obtain precious wealth.

28 Those who walk in the right way find life

and in its path there is no death.

13

1 A wise son hears his father's instruction,

but a mocker will not listen to rebuke.

2 From the fruit of his mouth a person enjoys good things,

but the appetite of the treacherous is for violence.

3 The one who guards his mouth protects his life,

but the one who opens wide his lips will ruin himself.

4 The appetite of lazy people craves but gets nothing,

but the appetite of diligent people will be richly satisfied.

5 The righteous person hates lies,

but a wicked person makes himself repugnant, and he does what is shameful.

6 Righteousness protects those who are faultless in their path,

but wickedness turns away those who commit sin.

7 There is someone who enriches himself, but has nothing at all,

and there is someone who gives everything away, yet is truly wealthy.

8 The ransom of a rich man's life is his wealth,

but a poor person does not hear a threat.

9 The light of righteous people rejoices,

but the lamp of wicked people will be put out.

10 Pride only breeds conflict,

but for those who listen to good advice there is wisdom.

11 Wealth dwindles away when there is too much vanity,

but the one who makes money by working with his hand will make his money grow.

12 When hope is postponed, it breaks the heart,

but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life.

13 Whoever despises instruction brings destruction on himself,

but he who respects the commandment will be rewarded.

14 The teaching of a wise person is a fountain of life,

turning you away from the snares of death.

15 Good insight wins favor,

but the way of the treacherous is never-ending.

16 Prudent people act out of knowledge in every decision,

but a fool parades his folly.

17 A wicked messenger falls into trouble,

but a faithful envoy brings reconciliation.

18 The one who ignores instruction will have poverty and shame,

but honor will come to him who learns from correction.

19 A longing realized is sweet to the appetite,

but fools hate to turn away from evil.

20 Walk with wise people and you will be wise,

but the companion of fools will suffer harm.

21 Disaster runs after sinners,

but righteous people are rewarded with good.

22 A good person leaves an inheritance for his grandchildren,

but a sinner's wealth is stored up for the righteous person.

23 An unplowed field owned by the poor could produce much food,

but it is swept away by injustice.

24 The one who does not discipline his son hates him,

but one who loves his son is careful to instruct him.

25 The righteous person eats until he satisfies his appetite,

but the stomach of the wicked is always hungry.

14

1 The wise woman builds her house,

but a foolish woman tears it down with her own hands.

2 The one who walks uprightly fears Yahweh,

but the one who is dishonest in his ways despises him.

3 From the mouth of a fool comes an offshoot of his pride,

but the lips of the wise will preserve them.

4 Where there are no cattle the feeding trough is clean,

but an abundant crop can come by the strength of an ox.

5 A faithful witness does not lie,

but a false witness breathes out lies.

6 A mocker seeks wisdom and there is none,

but knowledge comes easy to the one who is discerning.

7 Walk away from a foolish person,

for you will not find knowledge on his lips.

8 The wisdom of the prudent person is to understand his own way,

but the folly of fools is deception.

9 Fools mock when the guilt offering is sacrificed,

but among the upright favor is shared.

10 The heart knows its own bitterness

and no stranger shares its joy.

11 The house of wicked people will be destroyed,

but the tent of upright people will flourish.

12 There is a way that seems right to a man,

but its end only leads to death.

13 A heart can laugh but still be in pain

and joy may end up being grief.

14 The one who is not faithful will get what his ways deserve,

but a good person will get what is his.

15 The one who is naive believes everything,

but the prudent man thinks about his steps.

16 A wise man fears and turns away from evil,

but the fool confidently dismisses a warning.

17 One who is quick to become angry does foolish things,

and a person who makes evil schemes is hated.

18 The naive inherit foolishness,

but prudent people are crowned with knowledge.

19 Evil people will bow down before those who are good

and those who are wicked will bow down at the gates of the righteous person.

20 The poor person is hated even by his own companions,

but the rich people have many friends.

21 The one who shows contempt for his neighbor is sinning,

but the one who shows favor to the poor is blessed.

22 Do not those who plot evil go astray?

But those who plan to do good will receive covenant faithfulness and trustworthiness.

23 With all hard work comes a profit,

but when there is only talk, it leads to poverty.

24 The crown of wise people is their wealth,

but the folly of fools brings them only more folly.

25 A truthful witness saves lives,

but a false witness breathes out lies.

26 When someone fears Yahweh, he also has much confidence in him;

these things will be like a strong place of protection for this man's children.

27 The fear of Yahweh is a fountain of life,

so that a person may turn away from the snares of death.

28 The glory of a king is found in the great number of his people,

but without people the prince is ruined.

29 A patient person has great understanding,

but the quick-tempered person exalts folly. 30 A tranquil heart is life for the body,

but envy rots the bones.

31 The one who oppresses the poor curses his Maker,

but the one who shows favor to the needy honors him.

32 The wicked person is brought down by his evil actions,

but the righteous person has a refuge even in death.

33 Wisdom rests in the heart of the discerning,

but even among fools she lets herself be known.

34 Doing what is right exalts a nation,

but sin is a disgrace to any people.

35 The favor of the king is with the servant who acts prudently,

but his anger is for the one who acts shamefully.

15

1 A gentle answer turns away wrath,

but a harsh word stirs up anger.

2 The tongue of wise people compliments knowledge,

but the mouth of fools pours out folly.

3 The eyes of Yahweh are everywhere,

keeping watch over the evil and the good.

4 A healing tongue is a tree of life,

but a deceitful tongue crushes the spirit.

5 A fool has contempt for his father's instruction,

but he who learns from correction is prudent.

6 In the house of the righteous person there is great treasure,

but the earnings of the wicked person give him trouble.

7 The lips of wise people scatter knowledge about,

but not so the hearts of fools.

8 Yahweh hates the sacrifices of wicked people,

but the prayer of upright people is his delight.

9 Yahweh hates the way of wicked people,

but he loves the one who pursues what is right.

10 Harsh discipline awaits anyone who forsakes the way

and he who hates correction will die.

11 Sheol and destruction are open before Yahweh;

how much more the hearts of the sons of mankind?

12 The mocker resents correction;

he will not go to the wise.

13 A joyful heart makes the face cheerful,

but heartache crushes the spirit.

14 The heart of the discerning seeks knowledge,

but the mouth of fools feeds on folly.

15 All the days of oppressed people are miserable,

but a cheerful heart has an unending feast.

16 Better is little with the fear of Yahweh

than great treasure with confusion.

17 Better is a meal with vegetables where there is love

than a fatted calf served with hatred.

18 An angry man stirs up arguments,

but a person who is slow to anger quiets a quarrel.

19 The path of the sluggard is like a place with a hedge of thorns,

but the path of the upright is a built-up highway.

20 A wise son brings joy to his father,

but a foolish person despises his mother.

21 Folly delights a person who lacks sense,

but the one who has understanding walks a straight path.

22 Plans go wrong where there is no advice,

but with numerous advisors they succeed.

23 A person finds joy when he gives a pertinent reply;

how good is a timely word!

24 The path of life leads upward for prudent people,

that they may turn away from Sheol beneath.

25 Yahweh tears down the house of the proud,

but he protects the property of the widow.

26 Yahweh hates the thoughts of wicked people,

but the words of kindness are pure.

27 The robber brings trouble to his family,

but the one who hates bribes will live.

28 The heart of the righteous person ponders before it answers,

but the mouth of wicked people pours out all its evil.

29 Yahweh is far away from wicked people,

but he hears the prayer of righteous people.

30 The light of the eyes brings joy to the heart

and good news is health to the body.

31 If you pay attention when someone corrects how you live,

you will remain among wise people.

32 The one who rejects discipline despises himself,

but he who listens to correction gains understanding.

33 The fear of Yahweh teaches wisdom

and humility comes before honor.

16

1 The plans of the heart belong to a person,

but from Yahweh comes the answer from his tongue.

2 All of a person's ways are pure in his own eyes,

but Yahweh weighs the spirits.

3 Commit your works to Yahweh

and your plans will succeed.

4 Yahweh has made everything for its purpose,

even the wicked for the day of trouble.

5 Yahweh hates everyone who has an arrogant heart,

but be sure of this, they will not go unpunished.

6 By covenant faithfulness and trustworthiness iniquity is atoned for

and by the fear of Yahweh people turn away from evil.

7 When a person's ways are pleasing to Yahweh,

he makes even that person's enemies to be at peace with him.

8 Better is a little with what is right,

than a large income with injustice.

9 In his heart a person plans out his way,

but Yahweh directs his steps.

10 Insightful decisions are on the lips of a king,

his mouth should not betray justice.

11 Honest scales come from Yahweh;

all the weights in the bag are his work.

12 When kings do wicked things, that is something to be despised,

for a throne is established by doing what is right.

13 A king delights in lips that say what is right

and he loves the one who speaks directly.

14 A king's wrath is a messenger of death

but a wise man will try to calm his anger.

15 In the light of a king's face is life

and his favor is like a cloud that brings a spring rain.

16 How much better it is to get wisdom than gold.

To get understanding should be chosen more than silver.

17 The highway of upright people turns away from evil;

the one who protects his life guards his way.

18 Pride comes before destruction

and a haughty spirit before a downfall.

19 It is better to be humble among poor people

than to divide the spoil with proud people.

20 Whoever contemplates what they are taught will find what is good,

and those who trust in Yahweh will be blessed.

21 The one who is wise in heart is called discerning

and sweetness of speech improves the ability to teach.

22 Understanding is a fountain of life to the one who has it,

but the instruction of fools is their foolishness.

23 The heart of a wise person gives insight to his mouth

and adds persuasiveness to his lips.

24 Pleasant words are a honeycomb—

sweet to the soul and healing to the bones.

25 There is a way that seems right to a man,

but its end is the way to death.

26 The laborer's appetite works for him;

his hunger urges him on.

27 A worthless person digs up mischief

and his speech is like a scorching fire.

28 A perverse person stirs up conflict

and a gossip separates close friends.

29 A man of violence lies to his neighbor

and leads him down a path that is not good.

30 The one who winks the eye is plotting perverse things;

those who purse the lips will bring evil to pass.

31 Gray hair is a crown of glory;

it is gained by living the right way.

32 It is better to be slow to anger than to be a warrior

and one who rules his spirit is stronger than one who conquers a city.

33 The lots are cast into the lap,

but the decision is from Yahweh.

17

1 It is better to have quiet with a dry morsel of bread

than a house full of feasting with strife.

2 A wise servant will rule over a son who acts shamefully

and will share the inheritance as one of the brothers.

3 The crucible is for silver and the furnace is for gold,

but Yahweh refines hearts.

4 The evildoer pays attention to wicked lips;

a liar gives ear to a destructive tongue.

5 Whoever mocks the poor insults his Maker

and the one who rejoices at misfortune will not go unpunished.

6 Grandchildren are the crown of the aged

and parents bring honor to their children.

7 Eloquent speech is not suitable for a fool;

much less are lying lips suitable for royalty.

8 A bribe is like a magic stone to the one who gives it;

wherever he turns, he succeeds.

9 Whoever overlooks an offense seeks love,

but the one who repeats a matter alienates close friends.

10 A rebuke goes deeper into a person who has understanding

than a hundred blows go into a fool.

11 An evil person only seeks rebellion,

so a cruel messenger will be sent against him.

12 It is better to meet a bear robbed of her cubs

than to meet a fool in his foolishness.

13 When someone returns evil for good,

evil will never leave his house.

14 The beginning of conflict is like one who releases water everywhere,

so walk away from the dispute before it has broken out.

15 The person who acquits the wicked person and the person who condemns the righteous person—

both are an abomination to Yahweh.

16 Why should a fool pay money to learn about wisdom,

when he has no ability to learn it?

17 A friend is loving at all times

and a brother is born for times of trouble.

18 A man having no sense makes binding promises

and becomes responsible for his neighbor's debts.

19 Whoever loves conflict loves sin;

the one who makes the threshold of his door too high causes bones to be broken.

20 A person who has a crooked heart finds nothing that is good;

the one who has a perverse tongue falls into calamity.

21 Whoever is the parent of a fool brings grief to himself;

and the father of a fool has no joy.

22 A cheerful heart is good medicine,

but a broken spirit dries up the bones.

23 A wicked man accepts a secret bribe

to pervert the ways of justice.

24 The one who has understanding sets his face toward wisdom,

but the eyes of a fool are set on the ends of the earth.

25 A foolish son is a grief to his father

and bitterness to the woman who bore him.

26 Also, it is never good to punish the righteous person;

neither is it good to flog noble men who have integrity.

27 One who has knowledge uses few words

and one with understanding is even-tempered.

28 Even a fool is thought to be wise if he keeps silent;

when he keeps his mouth shut, he is considered to be intelligent.

18

1 One who isolates himself seeks his own desire

and he quarrels with all sound judgment.

2 A fool finds no pleasure in understanding,

but only in revealing what is in his own heart.

3 When a wicked person comes, contempt comes with him—

along with shame and reproach.

4 The words of a man's mouth are deep waters;

the fountain of wisdom is a flowing stream.

5 It is not good to be partial to the wicked person,

nor to deny justice to the righteous person.

6 A fool's lips bring him conflict

and his mouth invites a beating.

7 A fool's mouth is his ruin

and he ensnares himself with his lips.

8 The words of a gossip are like delicious morsels

and they go down into the inner parts of the body.

9 Also, one who is slack in his work

is a brother to the one who destroys the most.

10 The name of Yahweh is a strong tower;

the righteous person runs into it and is safe.

11 The wealth of the rich is his fortified city

and in his imagination it is like a high wall.

12 Before his downfall a person's heart is proud,

but humility comes before honor.

13 One who answers before listening—

it is his folly and shame.

14 A person's spirit will survive sickness,

but a broken spirit who can bear it?

15 The heart of the intelligent acquires knowledge

and the hearing of the wise seeks it out.

16 A man's gift may open the way

and bring him before an important person.

17 The first to plead his case seems right

until his opponent comes and questions him.

18 Casting the lot settles disputes

and separates strong opponents.

19 An offended brother is harder to be won than a strong city,

and quarreling is like the bars of a castle.

20 From the fruit of his mouth one's stomach is filled;

with the harvest of his lips he is satisfied.

21 Death and life are controlled by the tongue,

and those who love the tongue will eat its fruit.

22 He who finds a wife finds a good thing

and receives favor from Yahweh.

23 A poor person pleads for mercy,

but a rich person answers harshly.

24 The one who claims many friends is brought to ruin by them,

but there is a friend who comes closer than a brother.

19

1 Better is a poor person who walks in his integrity

than one who is perverse in speech and is a fool.

2 Also, it is not good to have desire without knowledge

and the one who runs too fast misses the path.

3 A person's folly ruins his life

and his heart rages against Yahweh.

4 Wealth adds many friends,

but a poor person is separated from his friends.

5 A false witness will not go unpunished

and he who breathes out lies will not escape.

6 Many will ask for a favor from a generous person

and everyone is a friend of the one who gives gifts.

7 All the brothers of a poor man hate him;

how much more do his friends who go far away from him!

He calls out to them, but they are gone.

8 He who gets wisdom loves his own life;

he who keeps understanding will find what is good.

9 A false witness will not go unpunished,

but the one who breathes out lies will perish.

10 It is not fitting for a fool to live in luxury—

much less for a slave to rule over princes.

11 Discretion makes a person slow to anger

and it is his glory to overlook an offense.

12 The wrath of the king is like the roaring of a young lion,

but his favor is like dew on the grass.

13 A foolish son is ruin to his father

and a quarreling wife is a constant dripping of water.

14 A house and wealth are inherited from parents,

but a prudent wife is from Yahweh.

15 Laziness throws a person into a deep sleep,

but the one not willing to work will go hungry.

16 The one who obeys the command guards his life,

but the person who does not think about his ways will die.

17 Whoever is kind to the poor lends to Yahweh

and he will repay him for what he has done.

18 Discipline your son while there is hope

and do not set your desire on putting him to death.

19 A hot-tempered person must pay the penalty;

if you rescue him, you will have to do it a second time.

20 Listen to advice and accept instruction,

so you may become wise by the end of your life.

21 Many are the plans in a person's heart,

but it is the purpose of Yahweh that will stand.

22 Loyalty is what a person desires

and a poor person is better than a liar.

23 Honor for Yahweh leads people to life;

anyone who has it will be satisfied

and not afflicted by harm.

24 The sluggard buries his hand in the dish;

he will not even bring it back up to his mouth.

25 Strike a mocker, and the naive person will become prudent;

discipline one who is discerning, and he will gain knowledge.

26 The one who robs his father and chases his mother away

is a son who brings shame and reproach.

27 If you cease to hear instruction, my son,

you will stray from the words of knowledge.

28 A corrupt witness mocks justice

and the mouth of the wicked swallows iniquity.

29 Condemnation is ready for mockers

and flogging for the backs of fools.

20

1 Wine is a mocker and strong drink is a brawler;

whoever is led astray by drink is not wise.

2 The fear of a king is like the fear of a young lion that is roaring;

the one who makes him angry forfeits his life.

3 It is an honor for anyone to avoid conflict,

but every fool jumps into an argument.

4 The lazy person does not plow in autumn;

he seeks a crop at harvest time but will have nothing.

5 The purpose in a human heart is like deep water,

but someone with understanding will draw it out.

6 Many a person proclaims he is loyal,

but who can find one who is faithful?

7 The righteous person walks in his integrity,

and his sons who follow after him will be blessed.

8 A king who sits on the throne performing the duties of a judge

is winnowing with his eyes all the evil that is before him.

9 Who can say, “I have kept my heart pure;

I am clean from my sin”?

10 Differing weights and unequal measures—

Yahweh hates them both.

11 Even a youth is known by his actions,

by whether his conduct is pure and upright.

12 Ears that hear and eyes that see—

Yahweh made them both.

13 Do not love sleep or you will come to poverty;

open your eyes and you will have plenty to eat.

14 “Bad! Bad!” says the buyer,

but when he goes away he boasts.

15 There is gold and an abundance of costly stones,

but lips of knowledge are a precious jewel.

16 Take a garment of one who has put up security for a stranger,

and hold it in pledge when he puts up security for an immoral woman.

17 Bread gained by deceit tastes sweet,

but afterward his mouth will be full of gravel.

18 Plans are established by advice

and only with wise guidance should you wage war.

19 A gossip reveals secrets

and so you should not associate with people who talk too much.

20 If a person curses his father or his mother,

his lamp will be snuffed out in the middle of darkness.

21 An inheritance gained quickly at the beginning

will do less good in the end.

22 Do not say, “I will pay you back for this wrong!”

Wait for Yahweh and he will rescue you.

23 Yahweh hates unequal weights

and dishonest scales are not good.

24 A person's steps are directed by Yahweh;

how then can he understand his way?

25 It is a snare for a person to say rashly, “This thing is holy,”

and begin to think about what it means only after making his vow.

26 A wise king winnows the wicked

and he turns a threshing wheel over them.

27 The spirit of a person is the lamp of Yahweh,

searching all his inmost parts.

28 Covenant faithfulness and trustworthiness preserve the king;

his throne is made secure by love.

29 The glory of young men is their strength

and the splendor of old people is their gray hair.

30 Blows that make a wound cleanse away evil

and beatings make the innermost parts clean.

21

1 The king's heart is a stream of water in the hand of Yahweh;

he turns it wherever he pleases.

2 Every person's way is right in his own eyes,

but it is Yahweh who weighs the hearts.

3 To do what is right and just

is more acceptable to Yahweh than sacrifice.

4 Haughty eyes and a proud heart—

the lamp of the wicked—are sin.

5 The plans of the diligent lead only to prosperity,

but everyone who acts too quickly comes only to poverty.

6 Acquiring riches by a lying tongue

is a fleeting vapor and a snare that kills.

7 The violence of the wicked will drag them away,

for they refuse to do what is just.

8 The way of a guilty person is crooked,

but the one who is pure does what is right.

9 It is better to live on a corner of the roof

than in a house shared with a quarrelsome wife.

10 The appetite of the wicked craves evil;

his neighbor finds no favor in his eyes.

11 When the mocker is punished, the naive become wise,

and when the wise person is instructed, he lays hold of knowledge.

12 The righteous person watches the house of the wicked person;

he brings wicked people to disaster.

13 The one who shuts his ears to the cry of the poor,

he also will cry out, but he will not be answered.

14 A gift in secret appeases anger

and a concealed gift appeases strong wrath.

15 When justice is done, it brings joy to the righteous person,

but it brings terror to evildoers.

16 The one who wanders from the way of understanding,

he will rest in the assembly of the dead.

17 Whoever loves pleasure will become poor;

the one who loves wine and oil will not be rich.

18 A wicked person is ransom for the righteous person,

and the treacherous person is ransom for upright people.

19 It is better to live in the desert

than with a quarreling and angry wife.

20 Desirable treasure and oil are kept in the dwelling of the wise,

but a foolish person swallows it all up.

21 The one who does right and is kind—

this person finds life, righteousness, and honor.

22 A wise man scales the city of the mighty ones,

and he brings down the stronghold in which they trusted.

23 Whoever guards his mouth and tongue

keeps himself out of trouble.

24 The proud and haughty person—”Mocker” is his name—

acts with arrogant pride.

25 The desire of the lazy kills him,

for his hands refuse to work.

26 All day long he craves and craves more,

but the righteous person gives and does not hold back.

27 The sacrifice of the wicked is detestable;

it is even more detestable when he brings it with evil motives.

28 A false witness will perish,

but the one who listens will speak for all time.

29 A wicked man makes his face hard,

but an upright person is certain about his ways. *

30 There is no wisdom, there is no understanding, and there is no advice

that can stand against Yahweh.

31 The horse is prepared for the day of battle,

but the victory belongs to Yahweh.

22

1 A good name is to be chosen over great riches

and favor is better than silver and gold.

2 Rich and poor people have this in common—

Yahweh is the maker of all of them.

3 A prudent man sees trouble and hides himself,

but the naive go on and suffer because of it.

4 The reward for humility and fear of Yahweh

is riches, honor, and life.

5 Thorns and snares lie in the path of the perverse;

whoever guards his life will keep far from them.

6 Teach a child the way he should go

and when he is old he will not turn away from that instruction.

7 Rich people rule over poor people

and one who borrows is a slave to the one who lends.

8 He who sows injustice will reap trouble

and the rod of his fury will fade away.

9 The one who has a generous eye will be blessed,

for he shares his bread with the poor.

10 Drive away the mocker, and out goes strife;

disputes and insults will cease.

11 The one who loves a pure heart

and whose speech is gracious,

he will have the king for his friend.

12 The eyes of Yahweh keep watch over knowledge,

but he overthrows the words of the treacherous.

13 The lazy person says, “There is a lion in the street!

I will be killed in the open places.”

14 The mouth of an adulteress is a deep pit;

Yahweh's anger is stirred up against anyone who falls into it.

15 Foolishness is bound up in the heart of a child,

but the rod of discipline drives it far away.

16 The one who oppresses poor people to increase his wealth,

or gives to rich people, will come to poverty.

17 Incline your ear and listen to the words of the wise

and apply your heart to my knowledge,

18 for it will be pleasant for you if you keep them within you,

if all of them are ready on your lips.

19 So your trust may be in Yahweh,

I teach them to you today—even to you.

20 Have I not written for you thirty sayings

of instruction and knowledge,

21 to teach you truth in these trustworthy words,

so you may give trustworthy answers to those who sent you?

22 Do not rob the poor because he is poor,

or crush the needy at the gate,

23 for Yahweh will plead their case,

and he will rob of life those who robbed them.

24 Do not make a friend of someone who is ruled by anger

and you must not go with one who rages,

25 or you will learn his ways

and you will take bait for your soul.

26 Do not be one who strikes hands in making a pledge,

or who puts up security for debts.

27 If you lack the means to pay,

what could stop someone from taking away your bed from under you?

28 Do not remove the ancient boundary stone

that your fathers have set.

29 Do you see a man skilled at his work? He will stand before kings;

he will not stand before common people.

23

1 When you sit to eat with a ruler,

observe carefully what is before you,

2 and put a knife to your throat

if you are a person who likes to eat a lot of food.

3 Do not crave his delicacies,

for it is the food of lies.

4 Do not work too hard to gain wealth;

be wise enough to know when to stop.

5 Will you let your eyes light upon it?

It will be gone,

for it will surely take up wings like an eagle

and fly off to the sky.

6 Do not eat the food of one with an evil eye—

and do not crave his delicacies,

7 for he is the kind of man who counts the price of the food.

“Eat and drink!” he says to you,

but his heart is not with you.

8 You will vomit up the little you have eaten

and you will have wasted your compliments.

9 Do not speak in the hearing of a fool,

for he will despise the wisdom of your words.

10 Do not move an ancient boundary stone

or encroach on the fields of orphans,

11 for their Redeemer is strong

and he will plead their case against you.

12 Apply your heart to instruction

and your ears to words of knowledge.

13 Do not withhold instruction from a child,

for if you discipline him, he will not die.

14 It is you who must beat him with the rod

and save his soul from Sheol.

15 My son, if your heart is wise,

then my heart also will be glad;

16 my inmost being will rejoice

when your lips speak what is right.

17 Do not let your heart envy sinners,

but continue in the fear of Yahweh all the day.

18 Surely there is a future

and your hope will not be cut off.

19 Hear—you!—my son, and be wise

and direct your heart in the way.

20 Do not associate with drunkards,

or with gluttonous eaters of meat,

21 for the drunkard and the glutton become poor

and slumber will clothe them with rags.

22 Listen to your father who begot you

and do not despise your mother when she is old.

23 Buy the truth, but do not sell it;

buy wisdom, instruction, and understanding.

24 The father of the righteous person will greatly rejoice,

and he who begets a wise child will be glad in him.

25 Let your father and your mother be glad

and let her who bore you rejoice.

26 My son, give me your heart

and let your eyes observe my ways.

27 For a prostitute is a deep pit,

and an immoral woman is a narrow well.

28 She lies in wait like a robber

and she increases the number of the treacherous among humanity.

29 Who has woe? Who has sorrow? Who has fights?

Who has complaining? Who has wounds for no reason?

Who has bloodshot eyes?

30 Those who linger over wine,

those who try the mixed wine.

31 Do not look at the wine when it is red,

when it sparkles in the cup

and goes down smoothly.

32 In the last it bites like a serpent

and it stings like an adder.

33 Your eyes will see strange things

and your heart will utter perverse things.

34 You will be as one who sleeps on the high seas

or lies on the top of a mast.

35 “They hit me,” you will say, “but I was not hurt.

They beat me, but I did not feel it.

When will I wake up? I will seek another drink.”

24

1 Do not be envious of those who are evil,

nor desire to associate with them,

2 because their hearts plot violence

and their lips talk about trouble.

3 Through wisdom a house is built

and by understanding it is established.

4 By knowledge the rooms are filled

with all precious and pleasant riches.

5 A warrior of wisdom is strong,

and a man of knowledge increases his strength;

6 for by wise direction you can wage your war

and with many advisors there is victory.

7 Wisdom is too high for a fool;

in the gate he does not open his mouth.

8 There is one who plans to do evil—

people call him a master of schemes.

9 A foolish plan is sin

and men despise a mocker.

10 If you become weak with fear in the day of trouble,

then your strength is small.

11 Rescue those who are being taken away to death

and hold back those who are staggering to the slaughter.

12 If you say, “Behold, we knew nothing about this,”

does not the one who weighs the heart understand what you are saying?

The one who guards your life, does he not know it?

Will God not give to each one what he deserves?

13 My son, eat honey because it is good,

because the drippings of the honeycomb are sweet to your taste.

14 Such is wisdom for your soul—

if you find it, there will be a future

and your hope will not be cut off.

15 Do not lie in wait like the wicked person

who attacks the house of the righteous person.

Do not destroy his home!

16 For the righteous person falls down seven times and rises again,

but wicked people are brought down by calamity.

17 Do not celebrate when your enemy falls

and let not your heart be glad when he stumbles,

18 or Yahweh will see and disapprove

and turn away his wrath from him.

19 Do not worry because of evildoers,

and do not envy wicked people,

20 for the evil person has no future

and the lamp of wicked people will go out.

21 Fear Yahweh, and fear the king, my son;

do not associate with those who rebel against them,

22 for suddenly their disaster will come

and who knows the extent of the destruction that will come from both of them?

23 These also are sayings of the wise.

Partiality in judging a case at law is not good.

24 Whoever says to the wicked person, “You are a righteous person,”

will be cursed by peoples and hated by nations.

25 But those who discipline the wicked will have delight

and gifts of goodness will come to them.

26 The one who gives an honest answer

gives a kiss on the lips.

27 Prepare your outdoor work,

and make everything ready for yourself in the field;

after that, build your house.

28 Do not bear witness against your neighbor without cause

and do not deceive with your lips.

29 Do not say, “I will do to him what he has done to me;

I will pay him back for what he has done.”

30 I went by the field of a lazy man,

past the vineyard of the man having no sense.

31 Thorns had grown up everywhere,

the ground was covered with nettles,

and its stone wall was broken down.

32 Then I saw and considered it;

I looked and received instruction.

33 A little sleep, a little slumber,

a little folding of the hands to rest—

34 and poverty comes marching upon you,

and your needs like an armed soldier.

25

1 These are more proverbs of Solomon, copied by the men of Hezekiah, king of Judah.

2 It is the glory of God to conceal a matter,

but the glory of kings to search it out.

3 Like the heavens are for height and the earth is for depth,

so the heart of kings is unsearchable.

4 Remove the dross from the silver

and a metal worker can use the silver in his craft.

5 Even so, remove wicked people from the presence of the king

and his throne will be established by doing what is right.

6 Do not honor yourself in the king's presence

and do not stand in the place designated for great people.

7 It is better for him to say to you, “Come up here,”

than for him to humiliate you before a nobleman.

What you have witnessed,

8 do not bring quickly to trial.

For what will you do in the end

when your neighbor puts you to shame?

9 Argue your case between you and your neighbor himself

and do not disclose another's secret,

10 or else the one who hears you will bring shame upon you

and an evil report about you that cannot be silenced.

11 Apples of gold in settings of silver

is a word spoken in the right situation.

12 A gold ring or jewelry made of fine gold

is a wise rebuke to a listening ear.

13 Like the cold of snow at harvest time

is a faithful messenger for those who sent him;

he brings back the life of his masters.

14 Clouds and wind without rain

is the one who boasts about a gift he does not give.

15 With patience a ruler can be persuaded

and a soft tongue can break a bone.

16 If you find honey, eat just enough—

otherwise, having too much of it, you vomit it up.

17 Do not set your foot in your neighbor's house too often,

he may become tired of you and hate you.

18 A man who bears false witness against his neighbor

is like a club used in war, or a sword, or a sharp arrow.

19 An unfaithful man in whom you trust in a time of trouble

is like a bad tooth or a foot that slips.

20 Like a person who takes off a garment in cold weather,

or like vinegar poured upon carbonate of soda,

is the one who sings songs to a heavy heart.

21 If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat,

and if he is thirsty, give him water to drink,

22 for you will shovel coals of fire on his head

and Yahweh will reward you.

23 As surely as the north wind brings rain,

so a tongue that tells secrets will result in angry faces.

24 It is better to live on a corner of the roof

than in a house shared with a quarreling wife.

25 Like cold waters to one who is thirsty,

so is good news from a far country.

26 Like a fouled spring or a ruined fountain

is a righteous person tottering before wicked people.

27 It is not good to eat too much honey;

that is like searching for honor after honor. *

28 A person without self-control

is like a city breached and without walls.

26

1 Like snow in summer or rain in harvest,

so a fool does not deserve honor.

2 As the sparrow flitters and the swallow darts when they fly,

so an undeserved curse does not alight.

3 A whip is for the horse, a bridle is for the donkey

and a rod is for the back of fools.

4 Do not answer a fool according to his folly,

or you will become like him.

5 Answer a fool and join in on his folly,

so he will not become wise in his own eyes.

6 Whoever sends a message by the hand of a fool

cuts off his own feet and drinks violence.

7 Like the legs of a paralytic which hang down

is a proverb in the mouth of fools.

8 Like tying a stone in a sling

is giving honor to a fool.

9 Like a thorn that goes into the hand of a drunkard

is a proverb in the mouth of fools.

10 Like an archer who wounds all those around him

is one who hires a fool or hires anyone who passes by.

11 As a dog returns to his own vomit,

so is a fool who repeats his folly.

12 Do you see someone who is wise in his own eyes?

There is more hope for a fool than for him.

13 The lazy person says, “There is a lion on the road!

There is a lion between the open places!”

14 As the door turns on its hinges,

so is the lazy person upon his bed.

15 The lazy person puts his hand into the dish

and yet he has no strength to lift it up to his mouth.

16 The lazy person is wiser in his own eyes

than seven men who respond with good judgment.

17 Like one who takes hold of the ears of a dog,

is a passerby who becomes angry at a dispute that is not his own.

18 Like a madman who shoots burning arrows,

19 is the one who deceives his neighbor

and says, “Was I not telling a joke?”

20 For lack of wood, the fire goes out;

and where there is no gossiper quarreling ceases.

21 As charcoal is to burning coals and wood is to fire,

so is a quarrelsome person for kindling strife.

22 The words of a gossip are like delicious morsels;

they go down into the inner parts of the body.

23 Like the glaze overlaying an earthen vessel

so are burning lips and an evil heart.

24 One who hates others disguises his feelings with his lips

and he lays up deceit within himself.

25 He will speak graciously, but do not believe him,

for there are seven abominations in his heart.

26 Though his hatred is covered with deception,

his wickedness will be exposed in the assembly.

27 Whoever digs a pit will fall into it

and the stone will roll back on the one who pushed it.

28 A lying tongue hates the people it crushes

and a flattering mouth brings about ruin.

27

1 Do not boast about tomorrow,

for you do not know what a day may bring.

2 Let someone else praise you and not your own mouth;

a stranger and not your own lips.

3 Consider the heaviness of a stone and the weight of sand—

the provocation of a fool is heavier than both.

4 There is the cruelty of rage and the flood of anger,

but who is able to stand before jealousy?

5 Better is an open rebuke

than hidden love.

6 Faithful are the wounds caused by a friend,

but an enemy may kiss you profusely.

7 A person who has eaten to the full rejects even a honeycomb,

but to the hungry person, every bitter thing is sweet.

8 Like a bird that wanders from its nest

is a man who strays from where he lives.

9 Perfume and incense make the heart rejoice,

but the sweetness of a friend comes from his sincere counsel. *

10 Do not forsake your friend and your friend's father,

and do not go to your brother's house on the day of your calamity.

Better is a neighbor who is nearby than a brother who is far away.

11 Be wise, my son, and make my heart rejoice;

then I will give back an answer to the one who mocks me.

12 A prudent man sees trouble and hides himself,

but the naive people go on and suffer because of it.

13 Take a garment of one who has put up security for a stranger,

and hold it in pledge when he puts up security for an immoral woman.

14 Whoever gives his neighbor a blessing with a loud voice early in the morning,

that blessing will be considered to be a curse!

15 A quarreling wife is like

the constant dripping on a rainy day;

16 restraining her is like restraining the wind,

or trying to catch oil in your right hand.

17 Iron sharpens iron;

in the same way, a man sharpens his friend.

18 The one who tends a fig tree will eat its fruit,

and the one who protects his master will be honored.

19 Just as water reflects a person's face,

so a person's heart reflects the person.

20 Just as Sheol and Abaddon are never satisfied,

so a man's eyes are never satisfied.

21 A crucible is for silver and a furnace is for gold;

and a person is tested when he is praised.

22 Even if you crush a fool with the pestle—along with the grain—

yet his foolishness will not leave him.

23 Be sure you know the condition of your flocks

and be concerned about your herds,

24 for wealth is not forever.

Does a crown endure for all generations?

25 You should know when the hay is gone and the new growth appears,

and the time when the grass from the hills is gathered in.

26 Those lambs will provide your clothing

and the goats will provide the price of the field.

27 There will be goats' milk for your food—the food for your household—

and nourishment for your servant girls.

28

1 The wicked people run away when no one chases them,

but righteous people are as bold as a young lion.

2 Because of the transgression of a land, it has many rulers,

but with a man of understanding and knowledge, it will last a long time.

3 A poor person who oppresses other poor people

is like a beating rain that leaves no food.

4 Those who forsake the law praise wicked people,

but those who keep the law fight against them.

5 Evil men do not understand justice,

but those who seek Yahweh understand everything.

6 It is better for a poor person who walks in his integrity,

than for a rich person who is crooked in his ways.

7 He who keeps the law is a son who has understanding,

but one who is a companion of gluttons shames his father.

8 The one who makes his fortune by charging too much interest

gathers his wealth for another who will have pity on poor people.

9 If one turns away his ear from hearing the law,

even his prayer is detestable.

10 Whoever misleads the upright into an evil way

will fall into his own pit,

but the blameless will have a good inheritance.

11 The rich person may be wise in his own eyes,

but a poor person who has understanding will find him out.

12 When the righteous triumph, there is great glory;

but when the wicked arise, people are sought out.

13 The one who hides his sins will not prosper,

but the one who confesses them and forsakes them will be shown mercy.

14 The one who always lives with reverence is blessed,

but whoever hardens his heart will fall into trouble.

15 Like a roaring lion or a charging bear

is a wicked ruler over poor people.

16 The ruler who lacks understanding is a cruel oppressor,

but the one who hates dishonesty will prolong his days.

17 If a man is guilty because he has shed someone's blood,

he will be a fugitive until death

and no one will help him.

18 Whoever walks with integrity will be kept safe,

but the one whose way is crooked will suddenly fall.

19 The one who works his land will have plenty of food,

but whoever follows worthless pursuits will have plenty of poverty.

20 A faithful man will have great blessings,

but the one who gets rich quickly will not go unpunished.

21 It is not good to show partiality,

but for a piece of bread a man will do wrong.

22 A stingy man hurries after riches,

but he does not know that poverty will come upon him.

23 Whoever disciplines someone,

afterward will find more favor from him

than from the one who flatters him with his tongue.

24 Whoever robs his father and his mother and says, “That is no sin,”

he is the companion of the one who destroys.

25 A greedy man stirs up conflict,

but the one who trusts in Yahweh will prosper.

26 One who trusts in his own heart is a fool,

but whoever walks in wisdom will keep away from danger.

27 The one who gives to the poor will lack nothing,

but whoever closes his eyes to them will receive many curses.

28 When the wicked arise, people hide themselves;

but when they perish, the righteous increase.

29

1 A person who has received many rebukes but who stiffens his neck

will be broken in a moment beyond healing.

2 When righteous people increase, the people rejoice,

but when a wicked person is the ruler, the people sigh.

3 Whoever loves wisdom makes his father rejoice,

but he who keeps company with prostitutes destroys his wealth.

4 The king establishes the land by justice,

but the one who demands bribes tears it down.

5 A man who flatters his neighbor

is spreading a net for his feet.

6 In the sin of an evil person is a trap,

but the righteous person sings and rejoices.

7 The righteous person knows the rights of the poor;

the wicked person does not understand such knowledge.

8 Mockers set a city on fire,

but those who are wise turn away wrath.

9 When a wise person has an argument with a fool,

he rages and laughs, and there will be no rest.

10 The bloodthirsty hate the one who is blameless

and seek the life of the upright.

11 A fool reveals all his anger,

but a wise man holds it back and calms himself down.

12 If a ruler pays attention to lies,

all his officials will be wicked.

13 The poor person and the oppressor are similar,

for Yahweh gives light to the eyes of them both.

14 If a king judges the poor by the truth,

his throne will be established forever.

15 The rod and reproof give wisdom,

but a child freed from discipline puts his mother to shame.

16 When wicked people are in power, transgression increases,

but righteous people will see the downfall of those wicked people.

17 Discipline your son and he will give you rest;

he will bring delights into your life.

18 Where there is no prophetic vision the people run wild,

but the one who keeps the law is blessed.

19 A slave will not be corrected by words,

for though he understands, there will be no response.

20 See a man who is hasty in his words?

There is more hope for a fool than for him.

21 One who pampers his slave from youth,

at the end of it there will be trouble.

22 An angry person stirs up strife

and a master of rage commits many sins.

23 A person's pride brings him low,

but one who has a humble spirit will be given honor.

24 One who shares with a thief hates his own life;

he hears the curse and says nothing.

25 The fear of man makes a snare,

but the one who trusts in Yahweh will be protected.

26 Many are those who seek the face of the ruler,

but from Yahweh is justice for a person.

27 An unjust man is an abomination to righteous people,

but the one whose way is upright is detestable to the wicked person.

30

1 The words of Agur son of Jakeh—the utterance:

This man declared to Ithiel, to Ithiel and Ucal: *

2 Surely I am more like an animal than any human

and I do not have the understanding of a human being.

3 I have not learned wisdom,

nor do I have knowledge of the Holy One.

4 Who has gone up to heaven and come down?

Who has gathered up the wind in the hollow of his hands?

Who has gathered up the waters in a cloak?

Who has established all the ends of the earth?

What is his name, and what is the name of his son? Surely you know!

5 Every word of God is tested;

he is a shield to those who take refuge in him.

6 Do not add to his words,

or he will discipline you,

and you will be proved to be a liar.

7 Two things I ask of you,

do not withhold them from me before I die:

8 Put vanity and lies far away from me.

Give me neither poverty nor riches,

just give me the food I need.

9 For if I have too much, I might deny you and say, “Who is Yahweh?”

Or if I become poor,

I might steal and profane the name of my God.

10 Do not slander a slave before his master,

or he will curse you and you will be held guilty.

11 There is a generation that curses their father

and does not bless their mother.

12 There is a generation that is pure in their own eyes,

and yet they are not washed of their filth.

13 There is a generation whose eyes are raised up,

and how high are their eyelids lifted up!

14 There is a generation whose teeth are swords,

and their jawbones are like knives,

so they may devour the poor from the earth and the needy from among humanity.

15 The leech has two daughters: “Give and give” they cry.

There are three things that are never satisfied,

four that never say, “Enough”:

16 Sheol; the barren womb;

land that is never satisfied with water;

and the fire that never says, “Enough!”

17 The eye that mocks a father

and scorns obedience to a mother,

his eyes will be pecked out by the ravens of the valley,

and he will be eaten by the vultures.

18 There are three things that are too wonderful for me,

four that I do not understand:

19 the way of an eagle in the sky;

the way of a snake on a rock;

the way of a ship in the heart of the sea;

and the way of a man with a young woman.

20 This is the way of an adulteress:

she eats and she wipes her mouth

and says, “I have done nothing wrong.”

21 Under three things the earth trembles,

and under four it cannot bear up:

22 a slave when he becomes king;

a fool when he is filled with food;

23 a hated woman when she marries;

and a maid when she takes the place of her mistress.

24 Four things on earth are small

and yet they are very wise:

25 the ants are creatures that are not strong,

but they prepare their food in the summer;

26 the rock badgers are not mighty creatures,

but they make their homes in the rocks.

27 Locusts have no king,

but all of them march in rank.

28 As for the lizard, you can hold it in your two hands,

yet they are found in kings' palaces.

29 There are three things that are stately in their stride

and four that are stately in how they walk:

30 a lion, strongest among wild animals—

it does not turn away from anything;

31 a strutting rooster; a goat;

and a king whose soldiers are beside him.

32 If you have been foolish, exalting yourself,

or if you have been devising evil—

put your hand over your mouth.

33 As churning milk makes butter

and as one's nose will produce blood if it is twisted,

so deeds done in anger produce conflict.

31

1 The words of King Lemuel—an instruction his mother taught him.

2 What, my son? What is it, son of my womb?

What do you want, son of my vows?

3 Do not give your strength to women,

or your ways to those who destroy kings.

4 It is not for kings, Lemuel, it is not for kings to drink wine,

or for rulers to crave strong drink,

5 because when they drink they forget what has been decreed,

and pervert the rights of all the afflicted.

6 Give strong drink to a person who is perishing

and wine to those in bitter distress.

7 He will drink and he will forget his poverty

and he will not remember his trouble.

8 Speak for those who cannot speak,

for the causes of all who are perishing.

9 Speak out and judge by the measure of what is right

and plead the cause of poor and needy people.

10 Who can find a capable wife?

Her value is far more than jewels.

11 The heart of her husband trusts in her,

and he will never be poor.

12 She does good things for him and not evil

all the days of her life.

13 She selects wool and flax,

and works with the delight of her hands.

14 She is like the merchant ships;

she brings her food from far away.

15 She rises while it is night

and gives food to her household,

and she distributes the work for her female servants.

16 She considers a field and buys it,

with the fruit of her hands she plants a vineyard.

17 She dresses herself with strength

and makes her arms strong.

18 She perceives what will make a good profit for her;

all night long her lamp is not extinguished.

19 She puts her hands on the spindle,

and she holds the twisting thread.

20 She reaches out with her hand to poor people;

she reaches out with her hands to needy people.

21 She is not afraid of the snow for her household,

for all her household are clothed in scarlet.

22 She makes coverings for her bed,

and she wears clothes of fine purple linen.

23 Her husband is known at the gates,

when he sits with the elders of the land.

24 She makes linen garments and sells them,

and she supplies sashes to the merchants.

25 She is clothed with strength and honor,

and she laughs at the time to come.

26 She opens her mouth with wisdom

and the law of kindness is on her tongue.

27 She watches over the ways of her household

and does not eat the bread of idleness.

28 Her children rise up and call her blessed,

and her husband praises her, saying,

29 “Many women have done well,

but you surpassed them all.”

30 Elegance is deceptive, beauty is vain,

but a woman who fears Yahweh, she will be praised.

31 Give her the fruit of her hands

and let her works praise her in the gates.

* 7:22 Deer could be a stag or an antelope. The Vulgate has: lamb . The LXX has: like a dog to the muzzle .

* 10:10 Some modern versions have but one who bravely corrects makes peace .

* 21:29 Some modern versions have but an upright person thinks about his way .

* 25:27 Modern versions have different interpretations of this difficult verse.

* 27:9 Modern versions have different interpretations of this difficult verse.

* 30:1 Some versions have This man declared, “I am weary, O God, I am weary. I am unable to do anything.”

Ecclesiastes

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

Ecclesiastes

1

1 These are the words of the Teacher, the descendant of David and king in Jerusalem. 2 The Teacher says this.

“Like a vapor of mist,

like a breeze in the wind,

everything vanishes, leaving many questions.

3 What profit does mankind gain from all the work that they labor at under the sun?

4 One generation goes,

and another generation comes,

but the earth remains forever.

5 The sun rises,

and it goes down

and hurries back to the place where it rises again.

6 The wind blows south

and circles around to the north,

always going around along its pathway

and coming back again.

7 All the rivers flow into the sea,

but the sea is never full.

To the place where the rivers go,

there they go again.

8 Everything becomes wearisome,

and no one can explain it.

The eye is not satisfied by what it sees,

nor is the ear fulfilled by what it hears.

9 Whatever has been is what will be,

and whatever has been done is what will be done.

There is nothing new under the sun.

10 Is there anything about which it may be said,

'Look, this is new'?

Whatever exists has already existed for a long time,

during ages which came long before us.

11 No one seems to remember the things that happened in ancient times,

and the things that happened much later

and that will happen in the future

will not likely be remembered either.” 12 I am the Teacher, and I have been king over Israel in Jerusalem. 13 I applied my mind to study and to search out by wisdom everything that is done under heaven. That search is a burdensome task that God has given to the children of mankind to be busy with. 14 I have seen all the deeds that are done under the sun, and look, they all amount to vapor and chasing the wind.

15 The twisted cannot be straightened!

The missing cannot be counted! 16 I have spoken to my heart saying, “Look, I have acquired greater wisdom than all who were before me in Jerusalem. My mind has seen great wisdom and knowledge.” 17 So I applied my heart to know wisdom and also madness and folly. I came to understand that this also was an attempt to shepherd the wind. 18 For in the abundance of wisdom there is much frustration, and he who increases knowledge increases sorrow.

2

1 I said in my heart, “Come now, I will test you with happiness. So enjoy pleasure.” But look, this also was just a temporary breeze. 2 I said about laughter, “It is crazy,” and about pleasure, “What use is it?” 3 I explored in my heart how to gratify my desires with wine. I let my mind guide me with wisdom although I was still holding on to folly. I wanted to find out what is good for people to do under heaven during the days of their lives. 4 I accomplished great things. I built houses for myself and planted vineyards. 5 I built for myself gardens and parks; I planted all kinds of fruit trees in them. 6 I created pools of water to water a forest where trees were grown. 7 I purchased male slaves and female slaves; I had slaves born in my palace. I also had large herds and flocks of livestock, much more than any king who ruled before me in Jerusalem. 8 I also accumulated for myself silver and gold, the treasures of kings and provinces. I got male and female singers for myself—the delights of the children of humanity—and many concubines. * 9 So I became greater and wealthier than all who were before me in Jerusalem, and my wisdom remained with me.

10 Whatever my eyes desired,

I did not withhold from them.

I did not withhold my heart from any pleasure,

because my heart rejoiced in all my labor

and pleasure was my reward for all my work.

11 Then I looked on all the deeds that my hands had accomplished,

and on the work that I had done,

but again, everything was vapor and an attempt to shepherd the wind.

There was no profit under the sun in it.

12 Then I turned to consider wisdom,

and also madness and folly.

For what can the next king do who comes after the king,

which has not already been done?

13 Then I began to understand

that wisdom has advantages over folly,

just as light is better than darkness.

14 The wise man uses his eyes in his head to see where he is going,

but the fool walks in darkness,

although I know the same event happens to all of them.

15 Then I said in my heart,

“What happens to the fool,

will also happen to me.

So what difference does it make if I am very wise?”

I concluded in my heart,

“This too is only vapor.”

16 For the wise man, like the fool, is not remembered for very long.

In the days to come everything will have been long forgotten.

The wise man dies just like the fool dies. 17 So I detested life because all the work done under the sun was evil to me. This was because everything is vapor and an attempt to shepherd the wind. 18 I hated all my accomplishments for which I had worked under the sun because I must leave them behind to the man who comes after me. 19 For who knows whether he will be a wise man or a fool? Yet he will be master over everything under the sun that my work and wisdom have built. This also is vapor. 20 Therefore my heart began to despair over all the work under the sun that I did. 21 For there might be someone who works with wisdom, with knowledge, and skill, but he will leave everything he has to a man who has not made any of it. This also is vapor and a great tragedy. 22 For what profit does the person gain who works so hard and tries in his heart to complete his labors under the sun? 23 Every day his work is painful and stressful, so at night his soul does not find rest. This also is vapor. 24 There is nothing better for anyone than to simply eat and drink and be satisfied with what is good in his work. I saw that this truth comes from God's hand. 25 For who can eat or who can have any kind of pleasure apart from God? 26 For to anyone who pleases him, God gives wisdom and knowledge and joy. However, to the sinner he gives the work of gathering and storing up so that he may give it away to someone who pleases God. This also amounts to vapor and an attempt to shepherd the wind.

3

1 For everything there is an appointed time, and a season for every purpose under heaven.

2 There is a time to be born and a time to die,

a time to plant and a time to pull up plants,

3 a time to kill and a time to heal,

a time to tear down and a time to build up.

4 There is a time to weep and a time to laugh,

a time to mourn and a time to dance,

5 a time to throw away stones and a time to gather stones,

a time to embrace other people, and a time to refrain from embracing.

6 There is a time to look for things and a time to stop looking,

a time to keep things and a time to throw away things,

7 a time to tear clothing and a time to repair clothing,

a time to keep silent and a time to speak.

8 There is a time to love and a time to hate,

a time for war and a time for peace. 9 What profit does the worker gain in his labor? 10 I have seen the work that God has given to human beings to complete. 11 God has made everything suitable for its own time. He has also placed eternity in their hearts. But mankind cannot understand the deeds that God has done, from their beginning all the way to their end. 12 I know that there is nothing better for anyone than to rejoice and to do good so long as he lives— 13 and that everyone should eat and drink, and should understand how to enjoy the good that comes from all his work. This is a gift from God. 14 I know that whatever God does lasts forever. Nothing can be added to it or taken away, because it is God who has done it so that people will approach him with honor.

15 Whatever exists has already existed;

whatever will exist has already existed.

God makes human beings seek hidden things. * 16 I have seen the wickedness that is under the sun, where there should be justice, and in place of righteousness, wickedness was there. 17 I said in my heart, “God will judge the righteous and the wicked at the right time for every matter and every deed.” 18 I said in my heart, “God tests human beings to show them that they are like animals.” 19 For the fate of the children of mankind and the fate of animals is the same fate for them. The death of one is like the death of the other. The breath is the same for all of them. There is no advantage for mankind over the animals. For is not everything just a breath? 20 Everything is going to the same place. Everything comes from the dust, and everything returns to the dust. 21 Who knows whether the spirit of mankind goes upward and the spirit of animals goes downward into the earth? † 22 So again I realized that there is nothing better for anyone than to take pleasure in his work, for that is his assignment. Who can bring him back to see what happens after him?

4

1 Once again I thought about all the oppression that is done under the sun.

And behold, the tears of oppressed people,

and they had no one to comfort them!

Power was in the hand of their oppressors,

and there was no one to comfort them!

2 So I considered those who are already dead

more fortunate than the living, who are still alive.

3 However, more fortunate than both of them is the one who has not yet lived,

the one who has not seen any of the evil acts that are done under the sun. 4 Then I saw that every act of labor and every skillful work became the envy of one's neighbor. This also is vapor and an attempt to shepherd the wind.

5 The fool folds his hands and does not work,

so his food is his own flesh.

6 But better is a handful of profit with quiet work

than two handfuls with the work that tries to shepherd the wind. 7 Then I thought again about more futility, more vanishing vapor under the sun.

8 There is the kind of man who is alone.

He does not have anyone, no son or brother.

There is no end to all his work,

and his eyes are not satisfied with gaining wealth.

He wonders, “For whom am I toiling

and depriving myself of pleasure?”

This also is vapor, a bad situation.

9 Two people work better than one;

together they can earn a good pay for their labor.

10 For if one falls, the other can lift up his friend.

However, sorrow follows the one who is alone when he falls

if there is no one to lift him up.

11 If two lie down together, they can be warm,

but how can one be warm alone?

12 One man alone can be overpowered,

but two can withstand an attack,

and a three-strand rope is not quickly broken. 13 It is better to be a poor but wise youth than an old and foolish king who no longer knows how to listen to warnings. 14 This is true even if the young man becomes king from prison, or even if he was born poor in his kingdom. 15 I saw everyone who was alive and was walking around under the sun, along with a youth who was to rise up to take his place. 16 There is no end to all the people who want to obey the new king, but later many of them will no longer praise him. Surely this situation is vapor and an attempt to shepherd the wind.

5

1 Guard your steps when you go to the house of God. Go near to listen rather than to offer the sacrifice of fools, who do not understand that they are doing what is wrong.

2 Do not be too quick to speak with your mouth,

and do not let your heart be too quick to bring any matter up before God.

God is in heaven, but you are on earth,

so let your words be few.

3 If you have too many things to do and worry about, you will probably have bad dreams.

The more words you speak, the more foolish things you will probably say. 4 When you make a vow to God, do not delay to do it, for God has no pleasure in fools. Do what you vow you will do. 5 It is better not to make a vow than to make one that you do not carry out. 6 Do not allow your mouth to cause your flesh to sin. Do not say to the priest's messenger, “That vow was a mistake.” Why make God angry by vowing falsely, provoking God to destroy the work of your hands? 7 For in many dreams, as in many words, there is meaningless vapor. So fear God. 8 When you see the poor being oppressed and robbed of just and right treatment in your province, do not be astonished as if no one knows, because there are people in power who watch those under them, and there are even higher ones over them. 9 In addition, the produce of the land is for everyone, and the king himself takes produce from the fields.

10 Anyone who loves silver will not be satisfied with silver,

and anyone who loves wealth always wants more.

This, too, is vapor.

11 As prosperity increases, so also do the people who consume it.

What advantage in wealth is there to the owner

except to watch it with his eyes?

12 The sleep of a working man is sweet,

whether he eats little or a lot,

but the wealth of a rich person does not allow him to sleep well. 13 There is an evil that I have seen under the sun:

riches hoarded by the owner, resulting in his own misery.

14 When the rich man loses his wealth through bad luck,

his own son, one whom he has fathered, is left with nothing in his hands.

15 As a man comes from his mother's womb,

so also he will leave naked.

He can take none of the fruits of his labor in his hand. 16 Another evil is

that as a person comes, so he goes away.

So what profit is there for him who works for the wind?

17 During his days he eats with darkness

and is greatly distressed with sickness and anger. 18 Look, what I have seen to be good and suitable is to eat and drink and to enjoy the gain from all our work, as we labor under the sun during the days of this life that God has given us. For this is man's assignment. 19 Anyone to whom God has given riches and wealth and the ability to receive his share and rejoice in his work—this is a gift from God. 20 For he does not call to mind very often the days of his life, because God makes him keep busy with the things that he enjoys doing.

6

1 There is an evil that I have seen under the sun, and it weighs heavy on men. 2 God might give riches, wealth, and honor to a man so that he lacks nothing that he desires for himself, but then God gives him no ability to enjoy it. Instead, someone else uses his things. This is vapor, an evil affliction. 3 If a man fathers a hundred children and lives many years, so that the days of his years are many, but if his heart is not satisfied with good and he is not buried, then I say that a baby that is born dead is better off than he is. 4 Even such a baby is born in futility and passes away in darkness, and its name remains hidden. 5 Although this child does not see the sun or know anything, it has rest even though that man did not. 6 Even if a man should live for two thousand years but does not learn to enjoy good things, he goes to the same place as everyone else.

7 All a man's work is for his mouth,

yet his appetite is not satisfied.

8 Indeed, what advantage has the wise person over the fool?

What advantage does the poor man have

even if he knows how to act in front of other people?

9 It is better to be satisfied with what the eyes see

than to desire what a wandering appetite craves,

which is also vapor and an attempt to shepherd the wind.

10 Whatever has existed has already been given its name, and what mankind is like has already been known. So it has become useless to dispute with the one who is the mighty judge of all.

11 The more words that are spoken, the more futility increases,

so what advantage is that to a man? 12 For who knows what is good for man in his life during his futile, numbered days through which he passes like a shadow? Who can tell a man what will come under the sun after he passes?

7

1 A good name is better than costly perfume,

and the day of death is better than the day of birth.

2 It is better to go to a house of mourning

than to a house of feasting,

for mourning comes to all people at the end of life,

so living people must take this to heart.

3 Grief is better than laughter,

for after sadness of face comes gladness of heart.

4 The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning,

but the heart of fools is in the house of feasting.

5 It is better to listen to the rebuke of the wise

than to listen to the song of fools.

6 For like the crackling of thorns burning under a pot,

so also is the laughter of fools.

This, too, is vapor.

7 Extortion certainly makes a wise man foolish,

and a bribe corrupts the heart.

8 Better is the end of a matter than the beginning;

and the people patient in spirit are better than the proud in spirit.

9 Do not be quick to anger in your spirit,

for anger resides in the hearts of fools.

10 Do not say, “Why were the days of old better than these?”

For it is not because of wisdom that you ask this question.

11 Wisdom, like an inheritance, is good.

It benefits those who see the sun.

12 For wisdom provides protection as money can provide protection,

but the advantage of knowledge is that wisdom gives life to whoever has it. 13 Consider the deeds of God:

Who can straighten out anything he has made crooked?

14 When times are good, live happily in that good,

but when times are bad, consider this:

God has allowed both to exist side by side.

For this reason, no one will find out anything that is coming after him. 15 I have seen many things in my meaningless days.

There are righteous people who perish in spite of their righteousness,

and there are wicked people who live a long life in spite of their evil.

16 Do not be self-righteous,

wise in your own eyes.

Why should you destroy yourself?

17 Do not be too wicked or foolish.

Why should you die before your time?

18 It is good that you should take hold of this wisdom,

and that you should not let go of righteousness.

For the person who fears God will meet all his obligations. *

19 Wisdom is powerful in the wise man,

more than ten rulers in a city.

20 There is not a righteous man on earth

who does good and never sins.

21 Do not listen to every word that is spoken,

because you might hear your servant curse you.

22 Similarly, you know yourself that in your own heart

you have often cursed others. 23 All this have I proven by wisdom. I said,

“I will be wise,”

but it was more than I could be.

24 Wisdom is far off and very deep.

Who can find it?

25 I turned my heart to learn and examine

and seek wisdom and the explanations of reality,

and to understand that evil is stupid

and that folly is madness.

26 I found that more bitter than death is any woman

whose heart is full of snares and nets,

and whose hands are chains.

Whoever pleases God will escape from her,

but the sinner will be taken by her. 27 “Consider what I have discovered,” says the Teacher. “I have been adding one discovery to another in order to find an explanation of reality. 28 This is what I am still looking for, but I have not found it. I did find one righteous man among a thousand, but a woman among all those I did not find. 29 I have discovered only this: That God created humanity upright, but they have gone away looking for many difficulties.”

8

1 Who is a wise man?

Who knows what the events in life mean?

Wisdom in a man causes his face to shine,

and the hardness of his face is changed. 2 I advise you to obey the king's command because of God's oath to protect him. 3 Do not hurry out of his presence, and do not stand in support of something wrong, for the king does whatever he desires. 4 The king's word rules, so who will say to him, “What are you doing?”

5 Whoever keeps the king's commands avoids harm.

A wise man's heart recognizes the proper course and time of action.

6 For every matter there is a correct response and a time to respond,

because the troubles of man are great.

7 No one knows what is coming next.

Who can tell him what is coming?

8 No one is ruler over his breath so as to stop the breath, *

and no one has power over the day of his death.

No one is discharged from the army during a battle,

and wickedness will not rescue those who are its slaves.

9 I have realized all this; I have applied my heart to every kind of work that is done under the sun. There is a time when a person oppresses another person to that person's hurt. † 10 So I saw the wicked buried publicly. They were taken from the holy area and buried and were praised by people in the city where they had done their wicked deeds. This also is uselessness. ‡ 11 When a sentence against an evil crime is not executed quickly, it entices the hearts of human beings to do evil. 12 Even though a sinner does evil a hundred times and still lives a long time, yet I know that it will be better for those who respect God, for those who stand before him and show him respect. 13 But it will not go well for a wicked man; his life will not be prolonged. His days are like a fleeting shadow because he does not honor God. 14 There is another useless vapor—something else that is done on the earth. Things happen to righteous people as they happen to wicked people, and things happen to wicked people as they happen to righteous people. I say that this also is useless vapor. 15 So I recommend happiness, because a man has no better thing under the sun than to eat and drink and to be happy. It is happiness that will accompany him in his labor for all the days of his life that God has given him under the sun. 16 When I applied my heart to know wisdom and to understand the work that is done on the earth, work often done without sleep for the eyes at night or in the day, 17 then I considered all of God's deeds, and that man cannot understand the work that is done under the sun. No matter how much a man labors to find the answers, he will not find them. Even though a wise man might believe he knows, he really does not.

9

1 For I thought about all this in my mind to understand about the righteous and wise people and their deeds. They are all in God's hands. No one knows whether love or hate will come to someone.

2 Everyone has the same fate. The same fate awaits

righteous people and wicked,

the good, *

the clean and the unclean,

and the one who sacrifices and the one who does not sacrifice.

As good people will die,

so also will the sinner.

As the one who swears will die,

so also will the man who fears to make an oath. 3 There is an evil fate for everything that is done under the sun, the same event happens to them all. The hearts of human beings are full of evil, and madness is in their hearts while they live. So after that they go to the dead. 4 For anyone who is united to all the living, there is hope, just as a living dog is better than a dead lion. †

5 For living people know they will die,

but the dead do not know anything.

They no longer have any reward

because their memory is forgotten.

6 Their love, hatred, and envy

have vanished long ago.

They will never have a place again

in anything done under the sun. 7 Go your way, eat your bread with joy, and drink your wine with a happy heart, for God approves of celebrating good works. 8 Let your clothes be always white and your head anointed with oil. 9 Live happily with the wife whom you love all the days of your life of uselessness, the days that God has given you under the sun during your days of uselessness. That is your reward in life for your work under the sun. 10 Whatever your hand finds to do, work at it with your strength, because there is no work or explanation or knowledge or wisdom in Sheol, where you are going.

11 I have seen some interesting things under the sun:

The race does not belong to swift people.

The battle does not belong to strong people.

Bread does not belong to wise people.

Riches do not belong to people of understanding.

Favor does not belong to people of knowledge.

Instead, time and chance affect them all.

12 Surely, no one knows when his time will come.

As fish are caught in a deadly net,

or birds are caught in a snare,

the children of human beings are ensnared by evil times

that suddenly fall upon them. 13 I have also seen wisdom under the sun in a way that seemed great to me. 14 There was a small city with only a few men in it, and a great king came against it and besieged it and built great siege ramps against it. 15 Now in the city was found a poor, wise man, who by his wisdom saved the city. Yet later, no one remembered that same poor man. 16 So I concluded, “Wisdom is better than strength, but the poor man's wisdom is despised, and his words are not heard.”

17 The words of wise people spoken quietly are heard better

than the shouts of any ruler among fools.

18 Wisdom is better than weapons of war,

but one sinner can ruin much good.

10

1 As dead flies cause perfume to stink,

so a little folly can overpower wisdom and honor.

2 The heart of a wise person tends to the right,

but the heart of a fool tends to the left.

3 When a fool walks down a road,

his thinking is deficient,

proving to everyone he is a fool.

4 If the emotions of a ruler rise up against you, do not leave your work.

Calm can quiet down great outrage.

5 There is an evil that I have seen under the sun,

a kind of error that comes from a ruler:

6 Fools are given leadership positions,

while successful men are given low positions.

7 I have seen slaves riding horses,

and successful men walking like slaves on the ground.

8 Anyone who digs a pit

can fall into it, and whenever someone breaks down a wall,

a snake can bite him.

9 Whoever cuts out stones

can be hurt by them,

and the man who chops wood

is endangered by it.

10 If an iron blade is dull, and a man does not sharpen it, then he must use more strength, but wisdom provides an advantage for success.

11 If a snake bites before it is charmed,

then there is no advantage for the charmer.

12 The words of a wise man's mouth are gracious,

but the lips of a fool consume him.

13 As words begin to flow from a fool's mouth, foolishness comes out,

and at the end his mouth flows with wicked madness.

14 A fool multiplies words,

but no one knows what is coming.

Who knows what is coming after him?

15 The toil of fools wearies them,

so that they do not even know the road to town.

16 Woe to you, land, if your king is a young boy,

and if your leaders begin feasting in the morning!

17 But blessed are you, land, if your king is the son of nobles,

and if your leaders eat at the right time,

for strength, and not for drunkenness!

18 Because of laziness the roof sinks in,

and because of idle hands the house leaks.

19 People prepare food for laughter,

wine brings enjoyment to life,

and money fills the need for everything.

20 Do not curse the king, not even in your mind,

and do not curse rich people in your bedroom.

For a bird of the sky might carry your words;

whatever has wings can spread the matter.

11

1 Send out your bread on the waters,

for you will find it again after many days.

2 Share it with seven, even eight people,

for you do not know what disasters are coming on the earth.

3 If the clouds are full of rain,

they empty themselves on the earth,

and if a tree falls toward the south or toward the north,

wherever the tree falls, there it will remain.

4 Anyone who watches the wind might not plant,

and anyone who watches the clouds might not harvest.

5 As you do not know the path of the wind,

nor how a baby's bones grow in the pregnant womb, *

so also you cannot comprehend the work of God,

who created everything.

6 In the morning plant your seed;

until the evening, work with your hands as needed,

for you know not which will prosper,

whether morning or evening, or this or that,

or whether they will both alike be good.

7 Truly the light is sweet,

and it is a pleasant thing for the eyes to see the sun.

8 If someone lives many years,

let him be happy in all of them,

but let him think about the coming days of darkness,

for they will be many.

Everything to come is vanishing vapor.

9 Take joy, young man, in your youth,

and let your heart be joyful in the days of your youth.

Pursue the good desires of your heart,

and whatever is within the sight of your eyes.

However, know that God will bring you into judgment for all these things.

10 Drive anger away from your heart,

and ignore any pain in your body,

because youth and its strength are vapor.

12

1 Also call to mind your Creator in the days of your youth,

before the days of difficulty come,

and before the years arrive when you say,

“I have no pleasure in them,”

2 do this before the light of the sun and the moon and the stars grows dark,

and dark clouds return after the rain.

3 That will be the time when the palace guards will tremble,

and strong men are bent over,

and the women who grind cease because they are few,

and those who look out of windows no longer see clearly.

4 That will be the time when the doors are shut in the street,

and the sound of grinding stops,

when men are startled at the voice of a bird,

and the singing of girls' voices fades away.

5 That will be the time when men become afraid of heights

and of dangers along on the road,

and when the almond tree blossoms,

and when grasshoppers drag themselves along,

and when natural desires fail.

Then man goes to his eternal home

and the mourners go down the streets.

6 Call to mind your Creator

before the silver cord is cut,

or the golden bowl is crushed,

or the pitcher is shattered at the spring,

or the water wheel is broken at the well,

7 before the dust returns to the earth where it came from,

and the spirit returns to God who gave it.

8 “A mist of vapor,” says the Teacher, “everything is vanishing vapor.” 9 The Teacher was wise and he taught the people knowledge. He studied and contemplated and set in order many proverbs. 10 The Teacher sought to write using vivid, upright words of truth. 11 The words of wise people are like goads. Like nails driven deeply are the words of the masters in collections of their proverbs, which are taught by one shepherd. 12 My son, be aware of something more: the making of many books, which has no end and much study brings weariness to the body.

13 The end of the matter

after everything has been heard,

is that you must fear God and keep his commandments,

for this is the whole duty of mankind.

14 For God will bring every deed into judgment,

along with every hidden thing,

whether it is good or evil.

* 2:8 Modern versions interpret the last part of this verse in different ways: everything that pleases people , concubines and everything that pleases men , etc.

* 3:15 Instead of God makes human beings seek hidden things , other modern versions interpret this line in different ways.

† 3:21 Some modern versions have Who knows the spirit of mankind, which goes upward, and the spirit of animals, which goes downward into the earth?

* 7:18 Instead of will meet all his obligations , some modern versions have different interpretations of this difficult passage.

* 8:8 Some versions have No one is ruler over the wind so as to stop the wind .

† 8:9 Some modern versions have to his own hurt . The Hebrew passage can be interpreted either way.

‡ 8:10 Some modern versions have other interpretations of this difficult verse: I saw wicked people come and go into the holy place. They proudly spoke in the city about the things they had done. This also is uselessness . Other versions have I saw wicked people come and go into the holy place. They were praised in the city for the things they had done. This also is uselessness .

* 9:2 Some modern versions copy ancient versions which have the good and the bad . In this way, they make the phrase complete. Translators may decide to imitate them.

† 9:4 Some modern versions have For what is preferable? For all the living, this is sure: A living dog is better than a dead lion .

* 11:5 Some modern versions have As you do not know the path of the spirit to the baby's bones in the pregnant womb .

Song of Songs

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

Song of Songs

1

1 The Song of Songs, which is Solomon's.

The woman speaking to herself

2 Oh, that he would kiss me with the kisses of his mouth,

The woman speaking to the man

for your love is better than wine.

3 Your anointing oils have a delightful fragrance;

your name is like flowing perfume,

so the young women love you.

4 Take me with you, and we will run.

The woman speaking to herself

The king has brought me into his rooms.

The woman speaking to the man

We are glad; We rejoice about you;

let us celebrate your love; it is better than wine.

It is natural for the other women to adore you.

The woman speaking to the other women

5 I am dark but lovely,

you daughters of Jerusalem—

dark like the tents of Kedar,

lovely like the curtains of Solomon.

6 Do not stare at me because I am dark,

because the sun has scorched me.

My mother's sons were angry with me;

they made me keeper of the vineyards,

but my own vineyard I have not kept.

The woman speaking to the man

7 Tell me, you whom my soul loves,

where do you feed your flock?

Where do you rest your flock at noontime?

Why should I be like someone who wanders

beside the flocks of your companions?

The man speaking to the woman

8 If you do not know, most beautiful among women,

follow the tracks of my flock,

and pasture your young goats near the shepherds' tents.

9 I compare you, my love,

to a mare among Pharaoh's chariot horses.

10 Your cheeks are beautiful with ornaments,

your neck with strings of jewels.

11 We will make for you gold ornaments

with silver studs.

The woman speaking to herself

12 While the king lay on his couch,

my nard emitted its fragrance.

13 My beloved is to me like a bag of myrrh

that spends the night lying between my breasts.

14 My beloved is to me like a cluster of henna flowers

in the vineyards of En Gedi.

The man speaking to the woman

15 Listen, you are beautiful, my love;

listen, you are beautiful;

your eyes are doves.

The woman speaking to the man

16 Listen, you are handsome, my beloved, how handsome.

The lush plants are our bed.

17 The beams of our house are cedars;

our rafters are firs.

2

The woman speaking to the man

1 I am a meadow flower of Sharon,

a lily of the valleys.

The man speaking to the woman

2 As a lily among thorns,

so is my love among the young women.

The woman speaking to herself

3 As an apricot tree among the trees of the forest,

so is my beloved among the young men.

I sit down under his shadow with great delight,

and his fruit is sweet to my taste.

4 He brought me to the house of wine,

and his banner over me was love.

The woman speaking to the man

5 Revive me with raisin cakes and refresh me with apricots,

for I am weak with love.

The woman speaking to herself

6 His left hand is under my head,

and his right hand embraces me.

The woman speaking to the other women

7 I want you to swear, daughters of Jerusalem,

by the gazelles and the does of the fields,

that you will not awaken or arouse love

until she pleases.

The woman speaking to herself

8 There is the sound of my beloved! Listen, here he comes,

leaping over the mountains,

jumping over the hills.

9 My beloved is like a gazelle or a young stag;

look, he is standing behind our wall,

gazing through the window,

peering through the lattice.

10 My beloved spoke to me and said,

“Arise, my love;

My beautiful one, come away with me.

11 Look, the winter is past;

the rain is over and gone.

12 The flowers have appeared in the land;

the time for pruning and the singing of birds has come,

and the sound of the doves is heard in our land.

13 The fig tree ripens her green figs,

and the vines are in blossom;

they give off their fragrance.

Arise, my love, my beautiful one, and come away.

14 My dove, in the clefts of the rock,

in the secret clefts of the mountain crags,

let me see your face.

Let me hear your voice,

for your voice is sweet, and your face is lovely.”

The woman speaking to the man

15 Catch the foxes for us, the little foxes

that spoil vineyards,

for our vineyard is in blossom.

16 My beloved is mine, and I am his;

he grazes among the lilies with pleasure.

The woman speaking to the man

17 Go away, my beloved,

before the soft winds of dawn blow and the shadows flee away.

Go away; be like a gazelle or a young stag

on the rugged mountains.

3

The woman speaking to herself

1 At night on my bed

I was longing for him whom my soul loves;

I looked for him, but I could not find him.

2 I said to myself, “I will get up and go through the city,

through the streets and squares;

I will search for him whom my soul loves.”

I searched for him, but I did not find him.

3 The watchmen found me as they were making their rounds in the city.

I asked them, “Have you seen him whom my soul loves?”

4 It was only a little while after I had passed them

that I found him whom my soul loves.

I held him and would not let him go

until I had brought him into my mother's house,

into the bedroom of the one who had conceived me.

The woman speaking to the other women

5 I want you to swear, daughters of Jerusalem,

by the gazelles and the does of the fields,

that you will not awaken or arouse love

until she pleases.

The woman speaking to herself

6 What is that coming up from the wilderness

like a column of smoke,

perfumed with myrrh and frankincense,

with all the powders sold by merchants?

7 Look, it is the bed of Solomon;

sixty warriors surround it,

sixty soldiers of Israel.

8 All of them are skilled with a sword and are experienced in warfare.

Every man has his sword at his side,

armed against the terrors of the night.

9 King Solomon made himself a sedan chair

of the wood from Lebanon.

10 Its posts were made of silver;

the back was made of gold, and the seat of purple cloth.

Its interior was decorated with love

by the daughters of Jerusalem.

The woman speaking to the women of Jerusalem

11 Go out, daughters of Zion, and gaze on King Solomon,

bearing the crown with which his mother crowned him

on his wedding day,

on the day of the joy of his heart.

4

The man speaking to the woman

1 Oh, you are beautiful, my love; you are beautiful.

Your eyes are doves behind your veil.

Your hair is like a flock of goats

going down from Mount Gilead.

2 Your teeth are like a flock of newly shorn ewes,

coming up from the washing place.

Each one has a twin,

and none among them is bereaved.

3 Your lips are like a thread of scarlet;

your mouth is lovely.

Your cheeks are like pomegranate halves

behind your veil.

4 Your neck is like the tower of David built in rows of stone,

with a thousand shields hanging on it,

all the shields of soldiers.

5 Your two breasts are like two fawns,

twins of a gazelle,

grazing among the lilies.

6 Until the dawn arrives and the shadows flee away,

I will go to the mountain of myrrh

and to the hill of frankincense.

7 You are beautiful in every way, my love

and there is no blemish in you.

8 Come with me from Lebanon, my bride.

Come with me from Lebanon;

come from the top of Amana,

from the top of Senir and Hermon,

from lions' dens,

from mountain dens of leopards.

9 You have stolen my heart, my sister, my bride;

you have stolen my heart,

with just one look at me,

with just one jewel of your necklace.

10 How beautiful is your love, my sister, my bride!

How much better is your love than wine,

and the fragrance of your perfume than any spice.

11 Your lips, my bride, drip honey;

honey and milk are under your tongue;

the fragrance of your garments is like the fragrance of Lebanon.

12 My sister, my bride is a garden locked up,

a garden locked up, a spring that is sealed.

13 Your branches are a grove of pomegranate trees with choice fruits,

and of henna and nard plants,

14 Nard and saffron,

calamus and cinnamon with all kinds of spices,

myrrh and aloes with all the finest spices.

15 You are a garden spring,

a well of fresh water,

streams flowing down from Lebanon.

The woman speaking to the man

16 Awake, north wind; come, south wind;

blow on my garden so that its spices may give off their fragrance.

May my beloved come into his garden

and eat some of its choice fruit.

5

The man speaking to the woman

1 I have come into my garden, my sister, my bride;

I have gathered my myrrh with my spice.

I have eaten my honeycomb with my honey;

I have drunk my wine with my milk.

The friends speaking to the man and the woman

Eat, friends;

drink and be drunk with love.

The woman speaking to herself

2 I was asleep, but my heart was awake.

There is the sound of my beloved knocking and saying,

“Open to me, my sister, my love, my dove, my undefiled one,

for my head is wet with dew,

my hair with the night's dampness.”

3 “I have taken off my robe; must I put it on again?

I have washed my feet; must I get them dirty?”

4 My beloved put in his hand through the opening of the door latch,

and my heart was stirred up for him.

5 I got up to open the door for my beloved;

my hands were dripping with myrrh,

my fingers with moist myrrh,

on the door handle.

6 I opened the door for my beloved,

but my beloved had turned and gone.

My heart sank when he spoke. *

I looked for him, but I did not find him;

I called him, but he did not answer me.

7 The watchmen found me as they were making their rounds in the city.

They struck me and wounded me;

the guards on the walls took away my cloak from me.

The woman speaking to the women of the city

8 I want you to swear, daughters of Jerusalem,

that if you find my beloved—

What will you make known to him?—

that I am sick from love.

The women of the city speaking to the woman

9 How is your beloved better than another beloved man,

most beautiful among women?

Why is your beloved better than another beloved,

that you ask us to take an oath like this?

The woman speaking to the women of the city

10 My beloved is radiant and ruddy,

outstanding among ten thousand.

11 His head is the purest gold;

his hair is curly and as black as a raven.

12 His eyes are like doves beside streams of water,

bathed in milk, mounted like jewels.

13 His cheeks are like beds of spices,

yielding aromatic scents. †

His lips are lilies, dripping liquid myrrh.

14 His arms are rounded gold set with jewels;

his abdomen is ivory covered with sapphires.

15 His legs are pillars of marble, set on bases of pure gold;

his appearance is like Lebanon, choice as the cedars.

16 His mouth is most sweet;

he is completely lovely.

This is my beloved, and this is my friend,

daughters of Jerusalem.

6

The women of Jerusalem speaking to the young woman

1 Where has your beloved gone,

most beautiful among women?

In what direction has your beloved gone,

so that we may seek him with you?

The woman speaking to herself

2 My beloved has gone down to his garden,

to the beds of spices,

to graze in the garden and to gather lilies.

3 I am my beloved's, and my beloved is mine;

he grazes among the lilies with pleasure.

The man speaking to the woman

4 You are as beautiful as Tirzah, my love,

as lovely as Jerusalem,

as awe-inspiring as an army with its banners.

5 Turn your eyes away from me,

for they overwhelm me.

Your hair is like a flock of goats

going down from the slopes of Gilead.

6 Your teeth are like a flock of ewes

coming up from the washing place.

Each one has a twin,

and none among them is bereaved.

7 Your cheeks are like pomegranate halves

behind your veil.

The man speaking to himself

8 There are sixty queens, eighty concubines,

and young women without number.

9 My dove, my undefiled, is the only one;

she is the only daughter of her mother;

she is the favorite one of the woman who bore her.

The young women saw her and called her blessed;

the queens and the concubines saw her also, and they praised her:

What the queens and the concubines said

10 “Who is this who appears like the dawn,

as beautiful as the moon,

as bright as the sun,

as awe-inspiring as an army with its banners?”

The man speaking to himself

11 I went down into the grove of nut trees

to see the young growth in the valley,

to see whether the vines had budded,

and whether the pomegranates were in bloom.

12 I was so happy that I felt

I was riding in the chariot of a prince.

The friends speaking to the woman

13 Turn back, turn back, you perfect woman; *

turn back, turn back so that we may gaze on you.

The woman speaking to the friends

Why do you gaze on the perfect woman, †

as if on the dance between two armies? ‡

7

The man speaking to the woman

1 How beautiful your feet appear in your sandals, prince's daughter!

The curves of your thighs are like jewels,

the work of the hands of a master craftsman.

2 Your navel is like a round bowl;

may it never lack mixed wine.

Your belly is like a mound of wheat

encircled with lilies.

3 Your two breasts are like two fawns,

twins of a gazelle.

4 Your neck is like a tower of ivory;

your eyes are the pools in Heshbon

by the gate of Bath Rabbim.

Your nose is like the tower in Lebanon

that looks toward Damascus.

5 Your head is on you like Carmel;

the hair on your head is dark purple.

The king is held captive by its tresses.

6 How beautiful and how lovely you are,

my love, with delights! *

7 Your height is like that of a date palm tree,

and your breasts like clusters of fruit.

8 I said, “I want to climb that palm tree;

I will take hold of its branches.”

May your breasts be like clusters of grapes,

and may the fragrance of your nose be like apricots.

9 May your palate be like the best wine,

flowing smoothly for my beloved,

gliding over the lips of those who sleep. †

The woman speaking to the man

10 I am my beloved's,

and he desires me.

11 Come, my beloved, let us go out into the countryside;

let us spend the night in the villages. ‡

12 Let us rise early to go to the vineyards;

let us see whether the vines have budded,

whether their blossoms have opened,

and whether the pomegranates are in flower.

There I will give you my love.

13 The mandrakes give off their fragrance;

at the door where we are staying are all sorts of choice fruits, new and old,

that I have stored up for you, my beloved.

8

The woman speaking to the man

1 I wish that you were like my brother,

who nursed at my mother's breasts.

Then whenever I met you outside, I could kiss you,

and no one would despise me.

2 I would lead you and bring you into my mother's house—

she who taught me.

I would give you spiced wine to drink

and some of the juice of my pomegranates.

The woman speaking to herself

3 His left hand is under my head

and his right hand embraces me.

The woman speaking to the other women

4 I want you to swear, daughters of Jerusalem,

that you will not interrupt our lovemaking

until it is over.

The women of Jerusalem speaking

5 Who is this who is coming up from the wilderness,

leaning on her beloved?

The woman speaking to the man

I awakened you under the apricot tree;

there your mother conceived you;

there she gave birth to you, she delivered you.

6 Set me as a seal over your heart,

like a seal on your arm,

for love is as strong as death.

Passionate devotion is as unrelenting as Sheol;

its flames burst out; it is a blazing flame,

a flame hotter than any other fire.

7 Surging waters cannot quench love,

nor can floods sweep it away.

If a man gave all the possessions in his house for love,

the offer would utterly be despised.

The woman's brothers speaking among themselves

8 We have a little sister,

and her breasts have not yet grown.

What can we do for our sister

on the day when she will be promised in marriage?

9 If she is a wall,

we will build on her a tower of silver.

If she is a door,

we will adorn her with boards of cedar.

The woman speaking to herself

10 I was a wall, but my breasts are now like fortress towers; *

so I am in his eyes as one who brings peace. †

The woman speaking to herself

11 Solomon had a vineyard at Baal Hamon.

He gave the vineyard to those who would maintain it.

Each one was to bring a thousand shekels of silver for its fruit.

12 My vineyard, my very own, is before me;

the thousand shekels are for you, Solomon,

and the two hundred shekels are for those who maintain its fruit.

The man speaking to the woman

13 You who live in the gardens,

my companions are listening for your voice;

let me hear it.

The woman speaking to the man

14 Hurry, my beloved,

and be like a gazelle or a young stag

on the mountains of spices.

* 5:6 Some versions read sank because he had turned away .

† 5:13 Some versions read towers of aromatic scents .

* 6:13 Some versions read, you woman from Shulam .

† 6:13 Some versions read, on the woman from Shulam .

‡ 6:13 Some versions read, on the dance of Mahanaim .

* 7:6 Some versions read are, loved one, with .

† 7:9 Some versions read over my lips and teeth .

‡ 7:11 Some versions read night among the henna plants .

* 8:10 Some versions read I am a wall, and my breasts are like fortress towers .

† 8:10 Some versions read so I have found favor in his eyes .

Isaiah

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Isaiah

1

1 The vision of Isaiah son of Amoz, that he saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem, in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah.

2 Hear, heavens, and give ear, earth; for Yahweh has spoken:

“I have nourished and brought up children, but they have rebelled against me.

3 The ox knows his owner, and the donkey his master's feeding trough,

but Israel does not know, Israel does not understand.”

4 Woe! Nation, sinners, a people weighed down with iniquity,

offspring of evildoers, sons who act corruptly!

They have abandoned Yahweh, they have despised the Holy One of Israel,

they have estranged themselves from him.

5 Why are you still being beaten? Why do you rebel more and more?

The whole head is sick, the whole heart is weak.

6 From the sole of the foot to the head there is no part unharmed;

only wounds, and bruises, and fresh open wounds;

they have not been closed, cleansed, bandaged, nor treated with oil.

7 Your country is ruined; your cities are burned;

your fields—in your presence, strangers are destroying them—

abandoned devastation, overthrown by strangers.

8 The daughter of Zion is left like a hut in a vineyard,

like a shed in a garden of cucumbers, like a besieged city.

9 If Yahweh of hosts had not left for us a small remnant,

we would have been like Sodom, we would have been like Gomorrah.

10 Hear the word of Yahweh, you rulers of Sodom;

listen to the law of our God, you people of Gomorrah:

11 “What is the multitude of your sacrifices to me?” says Yahweh.

“I have had enough of the burnt offerings of rams, and the fat of fatted beasts;

and in the blood of bulls, lambs, or goats I do not delight.

12 When you come to appear before me,

who has required this of you, to trample my courts?

13 Bring no more meaningless offerings; incense is an abomination to me;

your new moon and Sabbath assemblies—I cannot tolerate these wicked assemblies.

14 I hate your new moons and your appointed feasts;

they are a burden to me; I am tired of enduring them.

15 So when you spread out your hands in prayer, I hide my eyes from you;

even though you offer many prayers, I will not listen;

your hands are full of blood.

16 Wash, cleanse yourselves;

remove the evil of your deeds from my sight;

stop being evil;

17 learn to do good;

seek justice, make straight the oppression, *

give justice to the fatherless, defend the widow.”

18 “Come now, and let us reason together,” says Yahweh;

“though your sins are like scarlet, they will be white like snow;

though they are red like crimson, they will be like wool.

19 If you are willing and obedient, you will eat the good of the land,

20 but if you refuse and rebel, the sword will devour you,”

for the mouth of Yahweh has spoken it.

21 How the faithful city has become a prostitute!

She who was full of justice—she was full of righteousness,

but now she is full of murderers.

22 Your silver has become impure, your wine mixed with water.

23 Your princes are rebels and companions of thieves;

everyone loves bribes and runs after payoffs.

They do not defend the fatherless, nor does the widow's legal plea come before them.

24 Therefore this is the declaration of the Lord Yahweh of hosts, the Mighty One of Israel:

“Woe to them! I will take vengeance against my adversaries, and avenge myself against my enemies;

25 I will turn my hand against you,

refine away your dross as with lye, and take away all your dross.

26 I will restore your judges as at the first, and your counselors as at the beginning;

after that you will be called the city of righteousness, a faithful town.”

27 Zion will be redeemed by justice, and her repentant ones by righteousness.

28 Rebels and sinners will be crushed together, and those who abandon Yahweh will be done away with.

29 “For you will be ashamed of the sacred oak trees that you desired,

and you will be embarrassed by the gardens that you have chosen.

30 For you will be like an oak whose leaf fades,

and like a garden that has no water.

31 The strong man will be like tinder, and his work like a spark;

they will both burn together, and no one will quench them.”

2

1 The things that Isaiah son of Amoz perceived in a vision, concerning Judah and Jerusalem.

2 It will be in the last days

that the mountain of Yahweh's house

will be established as the highest of the mountains,

and it will be raised up above the hills,

and all the nations will flow to it.

3 Many peoples will come and say,

“Come, let us go up to the mountain of Yahweh, to the house of the God of Jacob,

so he may teach us some of his ways, and we may walk in his paths.”

For out of Zion will go the law, and the word of Yahweh from Jerusalem.

4 He will judge between the nations and will render decisions for many peoples;

they will hammer their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks;

nation will not lift up sword against nation, nor will they train for war any longer.

5 House of Jacob, come, and let us walk in the light of Yahweh.

6 For you have abandoned your people, the house of Jacob,

because they are filled with customs from the east and they practice divination like the Philistines,

and they shake hands with sons of foreigners.

7 Their land is full of silver and gold, and is there no limit to their wealth;

their land also is full of horses, nor is there limit to their chariots.

8 Their land also is full of idols;

they worship the craftsmanship of their own hands, things that their own fingers have made.

9 The people will be bowed down, and individuals will fall down; therefore do not raise them up.

10 Go into the rocky places and hide in the ground

from the terror of Yahweh and from the glory of his majesty.

11 The lofty gaze of man will be brought low, and the pride of men will be brought down,

and Yahweh alone will be exalted on that day.

12 For there will be a day of Yahweh of hosts

against everyone who is proud and raised up, and against everyone who is arrogant—and he will be brought down—

13 and against all the cedars of Lebanon that are high and lifted up,

and against all the oaks of Bashan.

14 That day of Yahweh of hosts will be against all the high mountains, and against all the hills that are lifted up,

15 and against every high tower, and against every impregnable wall,

16 and against all the ships of Tarshish, and against all beautiful sailing vessels.

17 The pride of man will be brought low, and the haughtiness of men will fall;

Yahweh alone will be exalted on that day.

18 The idols will completely pass away.

19 Men will go into the caves of the rocks and the holes of the ground,

from the terror of Yahweh, and from the glory of his majesty, when he rises to terrify the earth.

20 On that day people will throw away their idols of silver and of gold

that they have made for themselves to worship—they will throw them away to the moles and bats.

21 The people will go into the crevices in the rocks and into the clefts of the ragged rocks,

from the terror of Yahweh and from the glory of his majesty, when he rises to terrify the earth.

22 Stop trusting in man, whose life-breath is in his nostrils,

for what does he amount to?

3

1 See, the Lord Yahweh of hosts is about to take away from Jerusalem and from Judah

support and staff: the whole supply of bread and the whole supply of water,

2 the mighty man and the warrior, the judge and the prophet, the one who practices divination and the elder,

3 the captain of fifty and the respected citizen, the counselor, the expert craftsman and the skillful enchanter.

4 “I will place mere youths as their leaders, and the young will rule over them.

5 The people will be oppressed, every one by another, and every one by his neighbor;

the child will insult the elderly, and the degraded will challenge the honorable.

6 A man will even take hold of his brother in his father's house

and say, 'You have a coat; be our ruler, and let this ruin be in your hands.'

7 On that day he will shout and say,

'I will not be a healer; I have no bread or clothing.

You will not make me ruler of the people.'”

8 For Jerusalem has stumbled, and Judah has fallen,

because their speech and their actions are against Yahweh, defying the eyes of his glory.

9 The look on their faces witnesses against them; and they tell of their sin like Sodom; they do not hide it.

Woe to them! For they have completed a catastrophe for themselves.

10 Tell the righteous person that it will be well, for they will eat the fruit of their deeds.

11 Woe to the wicked! It will go badly for him, for the recompense of his hands will be done to him.

12 My people—children are their oppressors, and women rule over them.

My people, those who guide you lead you astray and confuse the direction of your path.

13 Yahweh stands up for an accusation; he is standing to accuse the people.

14 Yahweh will come with judgment against the elders of his people and their leaders:

“You have ruined the vineyard; the plunder from the poor is in your houses.

15 Why do you crush my people and grind the faces of the poor?”

This is the declaration of the Lord Yahweh of hosts.

16 Yahweh says that because the daughters of Zion are proud,

they walk with their necks extended,

with flirting eyes, walking with tiny steps as they go,

making tinkling sounds from bracelets on their ankles.

17 Therefore the Lord will form scabs on the heads of the daughters of Zion,

and Yahweh will make them bald.

18 On that day the Lord will remove their beautiful ankle jewelry, head bands, the crescent ornaments,

19 the ear pendants, the bracelets, and the veils;

20 the headscarves, the ankle chains, the sashes, and the perfume boxes, and the lucky charms.

21 He will remove the rings and the nose jewels;

22 the festive robes, the mantles, the veils, and the handbags;

23 the hand mirrors, the fine linen, the head pieces, and the wraps.

24 Instead of sweet perfume there will be stench; and instead of a sash, a rope;

instead of well-arranged hair, baldness; and instead of a robe, a covering of sackcloth;

and branding instead of beauty.

25 Your men will fall by the sword, and your strong men will fall in war.

26 Jerusalem's gates will lament and mourn; and she will be alone and sit upon the ground.

4

1 On that day seven women will take hold of one man and say,

“Our own food we will eat, our own clothing we will wear.

But let us take your name to remove our shame.”

2 On that day the branch of Yahweh will be beautiful and glorious,

and the fruit of the land will be tasty

and delightful for those survivors in Israel.

3 It will happen that the one who is left in Zion

and the one who remains in Jerusalem will be called holy,

everyone who is written down as living in Jerusalem.

4 This will happen when the Lord will have washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion,

and will have cleansed the blood stains from Jerusalem's midst,

by means of the spirit of judgment and the spirit of flaming fire.

5 Then over the whole site of Mount Zion and over her place of assembly,

Yahweh will create cloud and smoke by day,

and the shining of a flaming fire by night;

it will be a canopy over all the glory.

6 It will be a shelter for shade in the daytime from the heat,

and a refuge and a cover from the storm and rain.

5

1 Let me sing for my well beloved, a song of my beloved about his vineyard.

My well beloved had a vineyard on a very fertile hill.

2 He spaded it, removed the stones, and planted it with an excellent kind of vine.

He built a tower in the middle of it, and also built a winepress.

He waited for it to produce grapes, but it only produced wild grapes.

3 So now, inhabitant of Jerusalem and man of Judah,

judge between me and my vineyard.

4 What more could have been done for my vineyard, that I have not done for it?

When I looked for it to produce grapes, why did it produce wild grapes?

5 Now I will tell you what I will do to my vineyard: I will remove the hedge,

I will turn it into a pasture, I will break down its wall, and it will be trampled down.

6 I will lay it waste, and it will not be pruned nor hoed. Instead, briers and thorns will spring up.

I will also command the clouds not to rain on it.

7 For the vineyard of Yahweh of hosts is the house of Israel,

and the man of Judah his pleasant planting;

he waited for justice, but instead, there was killing; for righteousness, but, instead, a shout for help.

8 Woe to those who join house to house, who join field to field,

until no room remains, and you alone remain in the land!

9 Yahweh of hosts told me,

many houses will be empty, even great and impressive ones, without any inhabitant.

10 For a ten-yoke vineyard will yield only one bath, and one homer of seed will yield only an ephah.

11 Woe to those who rise up early in the morning to obtain strong drink,

those who linger late into the night until wine inflames them.

12 They banquet with harp, lute, tambourine, flute, and wine,

but they do not recognize the work of Yahweh, nor have they considered the doings of his hands.

13 Therefore my people have gone into captivity for lack of understanding;

their honored leaders go hungry, and their common people have nothing to drink.

14 Therefore Sheol has made its appetite greater and has opened its mouth very wide;

their elite, the people, their leaders, and the revelers and those who are happy among them, descend into Sheol.

15 Man will be forced to bend down, and mankind will be humbled; the eyes of the lofty will be cast down.

16 Yahweh of hosts will be exalted in his justice, and God the Holy One will show himself holy by his righteousness.

17 Then the sheep will feed as in their own pasture, and in the ruins, lambs will graze as foreigners. *

18 Woe to those who pull along iniquity with useless cords and who pull along sin as if it were with a cart rope.

19 Woe to those who say, “Let God hurry, let him act quickly, so we can see it happen;

and let the plans of the Holy One of Israel come, so that we may know them.”

20 Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil;

who represent darkness as light, and light as darkness;

who represent bitter as sweet, and sweet as bitter!

21 Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own understanding!

22 Woe to those who are champions at drinking wine, and masters at mixing strong drinks;

23 who acquit the wicked for payment, and deprive the innocent of his rights!

24 Therefore as the tongue of fire devours stubble, and as the dry grass goes down in flame,

so their root will rot, and their blossom will blow away like dust.

This will happen because they have rejected the law of Yahweh of hosts, and because they have despised the word of the Holy One of Israel.

25 Therefore the anger of Yahweh is kindled against his people. He has reached out with his hand against them and has punished them.

The mountains tremble, and their corpses are like garbage in the streets.

In all these things, his anger does not subside; instead, his hand is still stretched out.

26 He will lift up a signal flag for far away nations and will whistle for those at the end of the earth.

Look, they will come speedily and promptly.

27 None tire or stumble among them; none slumbers or sleeps.

Nor are their belts loose, or the thongs of their sandals broken.

28 Their arrows are sharp and all their bows are bent;

their horses' hooves are like flint, and their chariot wheels like storms.

29 Their roaring will be like a lion; they will roar like young lions.

They will growl and seize the prey and drag it away, with none to rescue.

30 On that day they will roar against the prey as the sea roars.

If anyone looks over the land, he will see darkness and suffering; even the light will be made dark by the clouds.

6

1 In the year that king Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne; he was high and elevated, and the hem of his robe filled the temple. 2 Above him were the seraphim; each one had six wings; with two each covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. 3 Each one called to another and said,

“Holy, holy, holy, is Yahweh of hosts! The whole earth is full of his glory.”

4 The foundations of the thresholds shook at the voices of those who were crying out, and the house was filled with smoke.

5 Then I said,

“Woe is me! For I am doomed because I am a man of unclean lips,

and I live among a people of unclean lips,

because my eyes have seen the King, Yahweh, Yahweh of hosts!”

6 Then one of the seraphim flew to me; he had a glowing coal in his hand, that he had taken with the tongs from off the altar. 7 He touched my mouth with it and said,

“See, this has touched your lips; your guilt has been taken away, and your sin atoned for.”

8 I heard the voice of the Lord say, “Whom shall I send; who will go for us?” Then I said, “Here I am; send me.”

9 He said, “Go and tell this people,

'Listen, but do not understand; see, but do not perceive.'

10 Make the heart of this people insensitive, and their ears dull, and blind their eyes.

Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and then turn and be healed.” 11 Then I said, “Lord, how long?” He answered,

“Until cities crash into ruins and are without inhabitants,

and the houses are without people, and the land falls into a desolate waste,

12 and until Yahweh has sent the people far away, and the solitude of the land is great.

13 Even if a tenth of the people remain in it, it will again be destroyed;

as a terebinth or an oak is cut down and whose trunk remains,

the holy seed is in its stump.”

7

1 During the days of Ahaz son of Jotham son of Uzziah, king of Judah, Rezin the king of Aram, and Pekah son of Remaliah, king of Israel, went up to Jerusalem to war against it, but they could not prevail against it. 2 It was reported to the house of David that Aram was allied with Ephraim. His heart trembled, and the heart of his people, as the trees of the forest shake in the wind. *

3 Then Yahweh said to Isaiah, “Go out with your son Shear-Jashub to meet Ahaz at the end of the conduit of the upper pool, on the road to Launderer's Field. 4 Tell him, 'Be careful, remain calm, do not be afraid or intimidated by these two smoldering firebrands, by the fierce anger of Rezin and Aram, and of Pekah son of Remaliah. 5 Aram, Ephraim, and the son of Remaliah have planned evil against you; they have said, 6 “Let us attack Judah and terrify her, and let us break into her and set up our king there, the son of Tabeel.”

7 The Lord Yahweh says, “It will not take place; it will not happen,

8 because the head of Aram is Damascus, and the head of Damascus is Rezin.

Within sixty-five years, Ephraim will be shattered and will no longer be a people.

9 The head of Ephraim is Samaria, and the head of Samaria is Remaliah's son.

If you do not remain firm in faith, surely you will not remain secure.”'”

10 The Lord spoke again to Ahaz, † 11 “Ask a sign of Yahweh your God; ask for it in the depths or in the height above.” 12 But Ahaz said, “I will not ask, nor will I test Yahweh.” 13 So Isaiah replied, “Listen, house of David. Is it not enough for you people to test the patience of people? Must you also test the patience of my God? 14 Therefore the Lord himself will give you people a sign: See, the young woman will conceive, bear a son, and will call his name Immanuel. ‡ 15 He will eat curds and honey when he knows to refuse the evil and choose the good. 16 For before the child knows to refuse the evil and choose the good, the land whose two kings you dread will be desolate. 17 Yahweh will bring on you, on your people, and on your father's house days unlike any since Ephraim seceded from Judah—he will bring on you the king of Assyria.”

18 At that time

Yahweh will whistle for a fly from the distant streams of Egypt,

and for a bee from the land of Assyria.

19 They will all come and settle down into all the gorges, into the clefts of the rocks,

on all the thornbushes, and onto all the pastures.

20 At that time the Lord will shave with a razor that was hired beyond the Euphrates River—the king of Assyria—

the head and the hair of the legs; it will also sweep away the beard.

21 On that day, a man will keep alive a young cow and two sheep,

22 and because of the abundance of milk which they shall give, he will eat curds,

for everyone left in the land will eat curds and honey.

23 At that time, where there were a thousand vines worth a thousand silver shekels,

there will be nothing but briers and thorns.

24 Men will go there to hunt with bows, because all the land will be briers and thorns.

25 They will stay away from all the hills that were cultivated with the hoe, for fear of the briers and thorns;

but it will be a place where cattle and sheep graze.

8

1 Yahweh said to me, “Take a large tablet and write on it, 'Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz.' 2 I will summon faithful witnesses to attest for me, Uriah the priest, and Zechariah son of Jeberekiah.” 3 I went to the prophetess, and she conceived and bore a son. Then Yahweh said to me, “Call his name Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz. 4 For before the child knows to cry, 'My father,' and, 'My mother,' the riches of Damascus and the plunder of Samaria will be carried away by the king of Assyria.”

5 Yahweh spoke to me again,

6 “Because this people has refused the gentle waters of Shiloah,

and is happy over Rezin and Remaliah's son,

7 therefore the Lord is about to bring up on them the waters of the River, mighty and many, the king of Assyria and all his glory.

It will come up over all its channels and overflow its banks.

8 The River will sweep onward into Judah, flooding and passing on, until it reaches to your neck.

Its outstretched wings will fill the breadth of your land, Immanuel.”

9 You peoples will be broken to pieces. Listen, all you distant countries:

arm yourselves for war and be broken in pieces; arm yourselves and be broken in pieces.

10 Form a plan, but it will not be carried out; issue the command, but it will not be carried out,

for God is with us. 11 Yahweh spoke to me, with his strong hand upon me, and warned me not to walk in the way of this people.

12 Do not call conspiracy anything that this people calls conspiracy,

you will not fear what they fear, and do not be terrified.

13 It is Yahweh of hosts whom you will honor as holy; he is the one you must fear, and he is the one you must dread.

14 He will become a sanctuary;

but he will be a stone of striking, and a rock of stumbling—

for both the houses of Israel,

and he will be a trap and a snare

to the people of Jerusalem.

15 Many will stumble over it and fall and be broken, and be ensnared and captured.

16 Bind up my testimony, seal the official record, and give it to my disciples.

17 I will wait for Yahweh, who hides his face from the house of Jacob; I will trust in him.

18 See, I and the sons whom Yahweh has given me are for signs and for wonders in Israel

from Yahweh of hosts, who lives on Mount Zion.

19 They will say to you, “Consult with the mediums and spiritists,” those who chirp and mutter incantations. But should a people not consult their God? Should they consult the dead on behalf of the living? 20 To the law and to the testimony! If they do not say such things, it is because they have no light of dawn.

21 They will pass through the land greatly distressed and hungry. When they are hungry, they will become angry

and curse their king and their God, as they turn their faces upward.

22 They will look at the earth

and see distress, darkness, and oppressive gloom. They will be driven into a land of darkness.

9

1 The gloom will be dispelled from her who was in anguish.

In an earlier time he humiliated

the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali,

but in the later time he will make it glorious, the way to the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the nations.

2 The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light;

those who have lived in the land of the shadow of death, the light has shone on them. *

3 You have multiplied the nation; you have increased their joy.

They rejoice before you like the joy at harvest time,

as men rejoice when they divide the plunder.

4 For the yoke of his burden, the beam across his shoulder,

the rod of his oppressor, you have shattered as on the day of Midian.

5 For every boot treading in the tumult

and the garments rolled in blood

will be burned, fuel for the fire.

6 For to us a child has been born, to us a son has been given;

and the rule will be on his shoulder;

and his name will be called Wonderful Counselor,

Mighty God, Everlasting Father,

Prince of Peace.

7 Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end,

as he rules on the throne of David, and over his kingdom,

to establish it and sustain it

with justice and with righteousness from this time onward and for evermore.

The zeal of Yahweh of hosts will do this.

8 The Lord sent a word against Jacob, and it fell on Israel.

9 All the people will know, even Ephraim and the inhabitants of Samaria, who say in pride and with an arrogant heart,

10 “The bricks have fallen, but we will rebuild with chiseled stone; the sycamores have been cut down, but we will put cedars in their place.”

11 Therefore Yahweh will raise up against him Rezin, his adversary, and will stir up his enemies,

12 the Arameans on the east, and the Philistines on the west. They will devour Israel with open mouth.

In all these things, his anger does not subside; instead, his hand is still stretched out.

13 Yet the people will not turn to him who struck them, nor will they seek Yahweh of hosts.

14 Therefore Yahweh will cut off from Israel head and tail, palm branch and reed, in one day.

15 The leader and the noble man are the head; and the prophet that teaches lies is the tail.

16 Those who lead this people lead them astray, and those who are led by them are swallowed up.

17 Therefore the Lord will not rejoice over their young men nor will he have compassion on their fatherless and widows,

since every one is godless and an evildoer, and every mouth speaks foolish things.

In all these things, his anger does not subside; instead, his hand is still stretched out.

18 Wickedness burns like a fire; it devours the briers and thorns;

it even burns the thickets of the forest, which rise in a column of smoke.

19 Through the fury of Yahweh of hosts the land is scorched, and the people are like fuel for the fire.

No man spares his brother.

20 They will grab food on the right hand but still be hungry; they will eat food on the left hand but will not be satisfied.

Each will even eat the flesh of his own arm. †

21 Manasseh will devour Ephraim, and Ephraim, Manasseh; and they together will attack Judah.

In all these things, his anger does not subside; instead, his hand is still stretched out.

10

1 Woe to those who enact unjust laws and write unfair decrees.

2 They deprive the needy of justice, rob the poor of my people of their rights,

plunder widows, and make the fatherless their prey!

3 What will you do on judgment day when the destruction comes from far away?

To whom will you flee for help, and where will you leave your wealth?

4 Nothing remains, and you crouch among the prisoners or fall among the killed.

In all these things, his anger does not subside; instead, his hand is still stretched out.

5 Woe to the Assyrian, the club of my anger, the rod by whom I wield my fury!

6 I send him against an arrogant nation and against the people who bear my overflowing wrath.

I order him to take the spoil, to take the prey, and to trample them like mud in the streets.

7 But this is not what he intends, nor does he think this way.

It is in his heart to destroy and eliminate many nations.

8 For he says, “Are not all my princes kings?

9 Is not Kalno like Carchemish?

Is not Hamath like Arpad? Is not Samaria like Damascus?

10 As my hand has overcome idolatrous kingdoms, whose carved figures were greater than those of Jerusalem and Samaria,

11 just as I did to Samaria and her worthless idols,

will I not also do the same to Jerusalem and to her idols?”

12 When the Lord has finished his work on Mount Zion and on Jerusalem, I will punish the speech of the arrogant heart of the king of Assyria and his prideful looks. 13 For he says,

“By my strength and by my wisdom I acted. I have understanding,

and I have removed the boundaries of the peoples. I have stolen their treasures,

and like a bull I have brought down the inhabitants.

14 My hand has seized, as from a nest, the wealth of nations,

and as one gathers abandoned eggs, I gathered all the earth.

None fluttered their wings or opened their mouth or chirped.”

15 Will the ax boast about itself against the one who wields it?

Will the saw praise itself more than the one who cuts with it?

It is as if a rod could lift up those who raise it, or as if a wooden club could lift up a person.

16 Therefore the Lord Yahweh of hosts will send emaciation among his elite warriors;

and under his glory there will be kindled a burning like fire.

17 The light of Israel will become a fire, and his Holy One a flame;

it will burn and devour his thorns and briers in one day.

18 Yahweh will consume the glory of his forest and of his fruitful land, both soul and body;

it will be like when a sick man's life wastes away.

19 The remnant of the trees of his forest will be so few, that a child could count them.

20 On that day, the remnant of Israel, the family of Jacob that has escaped, will no longer rely on the one who defeated them, but will indeed depend on Yahweh, the Holy One of Israel.

21 A remnant of Jacob will return to the mighty God.

22 For though your people, Israel, are like the sand of the seashore, only a remnant of them will return. Destruction is decreed, as overflowing righteousness demands.

23 For the Lord Yahweh of hosts, is about to carry out the destruction determined throughout the land.

24 Therefore the Lord Yahweh of hosts says, “My people who live in Zion, do not fear the Assyrian. He will strike you with the rod and raise his staff against you, as the Egyptians did. 25 Do not fear him, for in a very short time my anger against you will end, and my anger will lead to his destruction.”

26 Then Yahweh of hosts will wield a whip against them, as when he defeated Midian at the rock of Oreb. He will raise his rod over the sea and lift it up as he did in Egypt.

27 On that day, his burden is lifted from your shoulder and his yoke from off your neck, and the yoke will be destroyed because of fatness. *

28 The enemy has come to Aiath

and has passed through Migron; at Michmash he has stored his provisions.

29 They have crossed over the pass and they lodge at Geba.

Ramah trembles and Gibeah of Saul has fled.

30 Cry aloud, daughter of Gallim! Give attention, Laishah!

You poor Anathoth!

31 Madmenah is fleeing,

and the inhabitants of Gebim run for safety.

32 This very day he will halt

at Nob and shake his fist at the mountain of the daughter of Zion, the hill of Jerusalem.

33 Behold, the Lord Yahweh of hosts will lop off the boughs with a terrifying crash;

the tallest trees will be cut down, and the lofty will be brought low.

34 He will chop down the thickets of the forest with an ax, and Lebanon in his majesty will fall.

11

1 A shoot will sprout from the stump of Jesse, and a branch out of his roots will bear fruit.

2 The Spirit of Yahweh will rest upon him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding,

the Spirit of instruction and might, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of Yahweh.

3 His delight will be the fear of the Lord;

he will not judge by what his eyes see, nor decide by what his ears hear.

4 Instead, he will judge the poor with righteousness and decide fairly for the humble of the earth.

He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips he will slay the wicked.

5 Righteousness will be the belt of his waist, and faithfulness the belt around his hips.

6 The wolf will live with the lamb, and the leopard will lie down with the young goat,

the calf, the young lion and the fattened calf, together. A little child will lead them.

7 The cow and the bear will graze together, and their young will lie down together.

The lion will eat straw like the ox.

8 A baby will play over the hole of the snake,

and the weaned child will put his hand on the serpent's den.

9 They will not hurt nor destroy on all my holy mountain;

for the earth will be full of knowledge of Yahweh, as the waters cover the sea.

10 On that day, the root of Jesse will stand as a banner for the peoples.

The nations will seek him out, and his resting place will be glorious.

11 On that day, the Lord will again extend his hand

to recover the remnant of his people who remain in Assyria, Egypt,

Pathros, Cush, Elam, Shinar, Hamath, and the islands of the sea.

12 He will set up a banner for the nations and will gather the outcasts of Israel

and the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth.

13 He will turn aside the envy of Ephraim, and hostilities of Judah will be cut off.

Ephraim will not envy Judah, and Judah will no longer be hostile to Ephraim.

14 Instead they will swoop down on the Philistine hills on the west,

and together they will plunder the people of the east.

They will attack Edom and Moab, and the people of Ammon will obey them.

15 Yahweh will completely destroy the gulf of the Sea of Egypt.

With his scorching wind he will wave his hand over the Euphrates River

and will divide it into seven streams, so it can be crossed over in sandals.

16 There will be a highway for the remnant of his people that return from Assyria,

as there was for Israel in their coming up from the land of Egypt.

12

1 On that day you will say,

“I will give thanks to you, Yahweh. For though you were angry with me, your wrath has turned away, and you have comforted me.

2 See, God is my salvation; I will trust and will not fear,

for Yahweh, yes, Yahweh is my strength and song. He has become my salvation.”

3 With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation.

4 On that day you will say, “Give thanks to Yahweh and call upon his name;

declare his deeds among the peoples, proclaim that his name is exalted.

5 Sing to Yahweh, for he has done glorious things; let this be known throughout the earth.

6 Cry aloud and shout for joy, you inhabitants of Zion, for great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel.”

13

1 A declaration about Babylon, that Isaiah son of Amoz received:

2 On the bare mountain set up a signal flag, cry aloud to them,

wave your hand for them to go into the gates of the nobles.

3 I have commanded my holy ones,

yes, I have called my mighty men to execute my anger, even my proudly exulting ones.

4 The noise of a multitude in the mountains, as of many people!

The noise of a tumult of the kingdoms like many nations gathered together!

Yahweh of hosts is mustering the army for the battle.

5 They come from a far country, from way over the horizon.

It is Yahweh with his instruments of judgment, to destroy the whole land.

6 Howl, for the day of Yahweh is near; it comes with destruction from the Almighty.

7 Therefore all hands hang limp, and every heart melts.

8 They will be terrified; pain and agony will seize them, like a woman in labor.

They will look in astonishment at one another; their faces will be aflame.

9 See, the day of Yahweh comes with cruel wrath and overflowing anger,

to make the land a desolation and to destroy the sinners from it.

10 The stars of heaven and the constellations will not give their light.

The sun will be darkened even from dawn, and the moon will not shine.

11 I will punish the world for its evil and the wicked for their iniquity.

I will put an end to the arrogance of the proud and will bring down the arrogance of the ruthless.

12 I will make men more rare than fine gold and mankind harder to find than the pure gold of Ophir.

13 Therefore I will make the heavens tremble, and the earth will be shaken out of its place,

by the fury of Yahweh of hosts, and on the day of his fierce anger.

14 Like a hunted gazelle or like a sheep with no shepherd,

every man will turn toward his own people and will flee to his own land.

15 Every one who is found will be killed, and every one who is captured will die by the sword.

16 Their infants also will be dashed in pieces before their eyes.

Their houses will be plundered and their wives raped.

17 Look, I am about to stir up the Medes to attack them,

who will not be concerned about silver, nor do they delight in gold.

18 Their bows will strike down the young men;

they will have no mercy on infants and they will not look with pity on children.

19 Then Babylon, the most admired of kingdoms, the splendor of Chaldean pride,

will be overthrown by God like Sodom and Gomorrah.

20 It will not be inhabited or lived in from generation to generation.

The Arab will not pitch his tent there, nor will shepherds have their flocks rest there.

21 But wild animals of the desert will lie there. Their houses will be full of owls;

and ostriches and wild goats will skip about there.

22 Hyenas will cry in their fortresses, and jackals in the beautiful palaces. Her time is near, and her days will not be delayed.

14

1 Yahweh will have compassion on Jacob; he will again choose Israel and restore them into their own land. Foreigners will join with them and attach themselves to the house of Jacob. 2 The nations will bring them to their own place. Then the house of Israel will take them in the land of Yahweh as male and female servants. They will take captive those who had captured them, and they will rule over their oppressors.

3 On the day that Yahweh gives you rest from your suffering and anguish, and from the hard labor which you were required to perform, 4 you will sing this taunt song against the king of Babylon,

“How the oppressor has come to an end, the proud fury ended! *

5 Yahweh has broken the staff of the wicked, the scepter of those rulers,

6 that struck the peoples in wrath with unceasing blows,

that ruled the nations in anger, with an attack that was unrestrained.

7 The whole earth is at rest and is quiet; they begin celebrating with singing.

8 Even the cypress trees rejoice over you with the cedars of Lebanon;

they say, 'Since you are laid low, no woodcutter comes up to cut us down.'

9 Sheol below is eager to meet you when you go there.

It arouses the dead for you, all the kings of the earth,

making them rise up from their thrones, all the kings of the nations.

10 They all will speak and say to you,

'You have become as weak as us. You have become like us.

11 Your pomp has been brought down to Sheol with the sound of your string instruments.

Maggots are spread under you, and worms cover you.'

12 How you are fallen from heaven, daystar, son of the morning!

How you are cut down to the ground, you who conquered the nations!

13 You had said in your heart, 'I will ascend into heaven,

I will exalt my throne above the stars of God,

and I will sit on the mount of assembly, in the far reaches of the north.

14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High God.'

15 Yet you are now brought down to Sheol, to the depths of the pit.

16 Those who see you will gaze at you and they will pay attention to you.

They will say, 'Is this the man who made the earth tremble, who shook kingdoms,

17 who made the world like a wilderness, who overthrew its cities and did not let his prisoners go home?'

18 All the kings of the nations,

all of them lie down in honor, each one in his own tomb.

19 But you are cast out of your grave like a branch thrown away.

The dead cover you like a garment, those pierced by the sword, who go down to the stones of the pit.

20 You will not join them in burial, because you have destroyed your land

and killed your people.

The offspring of evildoers will never be mentioned again.”

21 Prepare your slaughter for his children, for the iniquity of their ancestors,

so they will not rise up and possess the earth and fill the whole world with cities.

22 “I will rise up against them”—this is the declaration of Yahweh of hosts.

“I will cut off from Babylon name, descendant, and posterity”—this is Yahweh's declaration.

23 “I will also make her into a possession of owls, and into pools of water,

and I will sweep her with the broom of destruction”—this is the declaration of Yahweh of hosts.

24 Yahweh of hosts has sworn,

“Surely, as I have intended, so it will come about;

and as I have purposed, so it will be:

25 I will break the Assyrian in my land, and on my mountains trample him underfoot.

Then his yoke will be lifted from off them and his burden from off their shoulder.”

Then his yoke will be lifted from off them and his burden from off their shoulder.”

26 This is the plan that is intended for the whole earth, and this is the hand that is raised over all the nations.

27 For Yahweh of hosts has planned this; who will stop him? His hand is raised, and who will turn it back?

28 In the year that king Ahaz died this declaration came:

29 Do not rejoice, all you Philistines, that the rod that struck you is broken.

For out of the serpent's root will grow out an adder,

and his offspring will be a fiery flying serpent.

30 The firstborn of the poor will graze their sheep in my pastures,

and the needy will lie down in safety.

I will kill your root with famine

that will put to death all your survivors.

31 Howl, gate; cry, city; all of you will melt away, Philistia.

For out of the north comes a cloud of smoke,

and there is no straggler in his ranks.

32 How will they respond to the messengers of that nation?

“Yahweh has founded Zion, and in her the afflicted of his people will find refuge.”

15

1 A declaration about Moab.

Indeed, in one night Ar of Moab is laid waste and destroyed;

indeed, in one night Kir of Moab is laid waste and destroyed.

2 They have gone up to the temple, the people of Dibon went up to the heights to weep;

Moab laments over Nebo and over Medeba.

All their heads are shaved bare and all their beards are cut off.

3 In their streets they wear sackcloth; on their housetops

and in the square everyone wails, melting in tears.

4 Heshbon and Elealeh call out for help; their sound is heard as far as Jahaz.

So the armed men of Moab call out for help; they tremble within themselves.

5 My heart cries out for Moab; her fugitives flee to Zoar and to Eglath Shelishiyah.

They go up the ascent of Luhith weeping;

on the road to Horonaim they loudly wail over their destruction.

6 The waters of Nimrim are a desolation;

the grass is withered;

the vegetation has dried up;

there is no more green grass.

7 The abundance they have grown and stored

they carry away over the brook of the poplars.

8 The cry has gone around the territory of Moab;

the wailing as far as Eglaim and Beer Elim.

9 For the waters of Dimon are full of blood; but I will bring even more upon Dimon.

A lion will attack those who escape from Moab and also those remaining in the land.

16

1 Send rams to the ruler of the land

from Selah in the wilderness, to the mount of the daughter of Zion.

2 As wandering birds, as a scattered nest,

so the women of Moab are at the fords of the Arnon River.

3 “Give instruction, execute justice; provide some shade like night in the middle of the day;

hide the fugitives; do not betray the fugitives.

4 Let them live among you, the refugees from Moab;

be a hiding place for them from the destroyer.”

For the oppression will stop, and destruction will cease,

those who trample will disappear from the land.

5 A throne will be established in covenant faithfulness; and one from David's tent will faithfully sit there.

He will judge as he seeks justice and does righteousness.

6 We have heard of Moab's pride, his arrogance,

his boasting, and his anger. But his boastings are empty words.

7 So Moab wails for Moab—they all wail! Mourn, you who are utterly destroyed, for the raisin cakes of Kir Hareseth.

8 The fields of Heshbon have dried up as well as the vines of Sibmah.

The rulers of the nations have trampled the choice vines

that reached to Jazer and spread into the desert.

Its shoots spread abroad; they went over to the sea.

9 Indeed I will weep along with Jazer for the vineyard of Sibmah.

I will water you with my tears, Heshbon, and Elealeh.

For on your fields of summer fruits and harvest I have ended the shouts of joy.

10 Gladness and joy are taken away from the fruit tree groves; and there is no singing, or shouts in the vineyards.

No one treads out wine in the presses, for I have put an end to the shouts of the one who treads.

11 So my heart sighs like a harp for Moab, and my inward being for Kir Hareseth.

12 When Moab wears himself out on the high place

and enters his temple to pray, his prayers will accomplish nothing.

13 This is the word that Yahweh spoke concerning Moab previously. 14 Again Yahweh speaks, “Within three years, the glory of Moab will disappear; in spite of his many people, the remnant will be very few and insignificant.”

17

1 A declaration about Damascus.

2 The cities of Aroer will be abandoned.

They will be places for flocks to lie down, and no one will frighten them.

3 Fortified cities will disappear from Ephraim, the kingdom from Damascus,

and the remnant of Aram—they will be like the glory of the people of Israel—this is the declaration of Yahweh of hosts.

4 It will come about on that day

that the glory of Jacob will become thin, and the fatness of his flesh will become lean.

5 It will be as when a harvester gathers the standing grain, and his arm reaps the heads of grain.

It will be as when one gleans heads of grain in the Valley of Rephaim.

6 Gleanings will be left, however, as when the olive tree is shaken:

two or three olives in the top of the uppermost bough, four or five in the highest branches of a fruitful tree—this is the declaration of Yahweh, the God of Israel.

7 On that day men will look toward their Maker, and their eyes will look to the Holy One of Israel.

8 They will not look to the altars, the work of their hands, nor will they look to what their fingers have made, the Asherah poles or the sun images.

9 On that day their strong cities will be like the abandoned wooded slopes on the hill summits,

that were forsaken because of the people of Israel and that will become a desolation.

10 For you have forgotten the God of your salvation, and have ignored the rock of your strength.

So you plant pleasant plants, and set out vine branches received from a stranger,

11 on the day you plant and hedge and cultivate. Soon your seed will grow,

but the harvest will fail on a day of grief and of desperate sorrow.

12 Woe! The uproar of many peoples, that roar like the roaring of the seas,

and the rushing of nations, that rush like the rushing of mighty waters!

13 The nations will roar like the rushing of many waters,

but he will rebuke them and they will flee far away,

they will be chased before the wind like chaff on the mountains,

and like weeds whirling before a storm.

14 In the evening, see, terror! Before the morning they will be gone!

This is the portion of those who loot us, the lot of those who rob us.

18

1 Woe to the land of the rustling of wings, which is along the rivers of Cush;

2 who send ambassadors by the sea, in vessels of papyrus on the waters.

Go, you swift messengers, to a nation tall and smooth,

to a people feared far and near, a nation strong and trampling down, whose land the rivers divide.

3 All you inhabitants of the world and you who live on the earth,

when a signal is lifted up on the mountains, look; and when the trumpet is blown, listen.

4 This is what Yahweh said to me, “I will quietly observe from my home,

like the simmering heat in sunshine, like a cloud of mist in the heat of harvest.

5 Before the harvest, when the blossoming is over, and the flower is ripening into a grape,

he will cut off the sprigs with pruning hooks, and he will cut down and take away the spreading branches.

6 They will be left together for the birds of the mountains and for the animals of the earth.

The birds will summer on them, and all the animals of the earth will winter on them.”

7 At that time tribute will be brought to Yahweh of hosts from a people tall and smooth,

from a people feared far and near, a nation strong and trampling down, whose land the rivers divide,

to the place of the name of Yahweh of hosts, to Mount Zion.

19

1 A declaration about Egypt.

See, Yahweh rides on a swift cloud and is coming to Egypt;

the idols of Egypt quake before him, and the hearts of the Egyptians melt within themselves.

2 “I will stir up Egyptians against Egyptians: A man will fight against his brother, and a man against his neighbor;

city will be against city, and kingdom against kingdom.

3 The spirit of Egypt will be weakened from within. I will destroy his advice,

though they sought the advice of idols, dead men's spirits, mediums, and spiritualists.

4 I will give the Egyptians into the hand of a harsh master, and a strong king will rule over them—

this is the declaration of the Lord Yahweh of hosts.”

5 The waters of the sea will dry up, and the river will dry up and become empty.

6 The rivers will become foul; the streams of Egypt will dwindle and dry up;

the reeds and flags will wither away.

7 The reeds along the Nile,

at the mouth of the Nile,

and every sown field beside the Nile will become parched,

will be driven away, and will be no more.

8 The fishermen will wail and mourn, and all who cast a hook into the Nile will mourn,

and those who spread nets on the waters will grieve.

9 The workers in combed flax and those who weave white cloth will turn pale.

10 The cloth workers of Egypt will be crushed; all who work for hire will be grieved within themselves.

11 The princes of Zoan are completely foolish. The advice of the wisest advisors of Pharaoh has become senseless.

How can you say to Pharaoh, “I am the son of wise men, a son of ancient kings?”

12 Where then are your wise men?

Let them tell you and make known what Yahweh of hosts plans concerning Egypt.

13 The princes of Zoan have become fools, the princes of Memphis are deceived; they have made Egypt go astray, who are the cornerstones of her tribes. *

14 Yahweh has mixed a spirit of distortion into her midst,

and they have led Egypt astray in all she does, like a drunk staggering in his vomit.

15 There is nothing anyone can do for Egypt, whether head or tail, palm branch or reed. 16 In that day, the Egyptians will be like women. They will tremble and fear because of the upraised hand of Yahweh of hosts that he raises over them. 17 The land of Judah will become a cause of staggering to Egypt. Whenever anyone reminds them of her, they will be afraid, because of the plan of Yahweh, that he is planning against them. 18 In that day there will be five cities in the land of Egypt that speak the language of Canaan and swear allegiance to Yahweh of hosts. One of these will be called The City of the Sun. †

19 In that day there will be an altar to Yahweh in the middle of the land of Egypt, and a stone pillar at the border to Yahweh. 20 It will be as a sign and a witness to Yahweh of hosts in the land of Egypt. When they cry to Yahweh because of oppressors, he will send them a savior and a defender, and he will deliver them. 21 Yahweh will become known to Egypt, and the Egyptians will acknowledge Yahweh on that day. They will worship with sacrifices and offerings, and will make vows to Yahweh and fulfill them. 22 Yahweh will afflict Egypt, afflicting and healing. They will return to Yahweh; he will hear their prayer and will heal them.

23 In that day there will be a highway from Egypt to Assyria, and the Assyrian will come to Egypt, and the Egyptian to Assyria; and the Egyptians will worship with the Assyrians. 24 In that day, Israel will be the third with Egypt and Assyria, a blessing in the midst of the earth; 25 Yahweh of hosts will bless them and say, “Blessed be Egypt, my people; Assyria, the work of my hands; and Israel, my inheritance.”

20

1 In the year that Tartan came to Ashdod, when Sargon the king of Assyria sent him, he fought against Ashdod and took it. 2 At that time Yahweh spoke by Isaiah son of Amoz and said, “Go and remove the sackcloth from your waist, and take your sandals off your feet.” He did so, walking naked and barefoot. 3 Yahweh said, “Just as my servant Isaiah has walked naked and barefoot for three years, it is a sign and an omen concerning Egypt and concerning Cush— 4 in this way the king of Assyria will lead away the captives of Egypt, and the exiles of Cush, young and old, naked and barefoot, and with buttocks uncovered, to the shame of Egypt. 5 They will be dismayed and ashamed, because of Cush their hope and of Egypt their glory. 6 The inhabitants of these coasts will say on that day, 'Indeed, this was our source of hope, where we fled for help to be rescued from the king of Assyria, and now, how can we escape?'”

21

1 A declaration about the desert by the sea.

Like stormwinds sweeping through the Negev it comes

passing through from the wilderness, from a terrible land.

2 A distressing vision has been given to me:

the treacherous man deals treacherously, and the destroyer destroys.

Go up and attack, Elam; besiege, Media;

I will stop all her groaning.

3 Therefore my loins are filled with pain;

pains like the pains of a woman in labor have taken hold of me;

I am bowed down by what I heard; I am disturbed by what I saw.

4 My heart pounds; I shake with fear.

Twilight was my desire, but it brought me terror.

5 They prepare the table, they spread rugs and eat and drink;

arise, princes, anoint your shields with oil.

6 For this is what the Lord said to me,

“Go, post a watchman; he must report what he sees.

7 When he sees a chariot, a pair of horsemen,

riders on donkeys, and riders on camels,

then he must pay attention and be very alert.”

8 The watchman cries out, *

“Lord, on the watchtower I stand all day, every day,

and at my post I stand all night long.”

9 Here comes a chariot with a man and a pair of horsemen.

He calls out, “Babylon has fallen, fallen,

and all the carved figures of its gods are broken to the ground.”

10 My threshed and winnowed ones, children of my threshing floor!

What I have heard from Yahweh of hosts,

the God of Israel, I have declared to you.

11 A declaration about Dumah.

One calls to me from Seir,

“Watchman, what is left of the night?

Watchman, what is left of the night?”

12 The watchman said, “The morning comes and also the night.

If you want to ask, then ask; and come back again.”

13 A declaration about Arabia.

In the wilderness of Arabia you spend the night, you caravans of Dedanites.

14 Bring water for the thirsty;

inhabitants of the land of Tema, meet the fugitives with bread.

15 For they have fled from the sword, from the drawn sword,

from the bent bow, and from the weight of war. 16 For this is what the Lord said to me, “Within a year, as a laborer hired for a year would see it, all the glory of Kedar will end. 17 Only a few of the archers, the warriors of Kedar will remain,” for Yahweh, the God of Israel, has spoken.

22

1 A declaration about the Valley of Vision:

What is the reason that you have all gone up to the housetops?

2 Is it so you may hear a city full of noises, a town full of revelry?

Your dead were not killed with the sword, and they did not die in battle.

3 All your rulers fled away together, but they were captured without using a bow;

all of them were captured together, though they had fled far away.

4 Therefore I said, “Do not look at me, I will weep bitterly;

do not try to comfort me concerning the destruction of the daughter of my people.”

5 For there is a day of tumult, treading down, and confusion for the Lord Yahweh of hosts,

in the Valley of Vision, a breaking down of the walls, and people crying out to the mountains.

6 Elam takes up the quiver, with chariots of men and horsemen,

and Kir lays the shield bare.

7 It will come about that your choicest valleys

will be full of chariots, and the horsemen will take their positions at the gate.

8 He took away the protection of Judah;

and you looked in that day to the weapons in the Palace of the Forest.

9 You saw the breaches of the city of David, that they were many,

and you collected the water of the lower pool.

10 You counted the houses of Jerusalem, and you tore down the houses to fortify the wall.

11 You made a reservoir between the two walls for the water of the old pool.

But you did not consider the city's maker, who had planned it long ago.

12 The Lord Yahweh of hosts called on that day

for weeping, for mourning, for shaved heads, and the wearing of sackcloth.

13 But look, instead, celebration and gladness, killing cattle and slaughtering sheep,

eating meat and drinking wine; let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we will die.

14 This was revealed in my ears by Yahweh of hosts:

“Surely this iniquity will not be forgiven you, even when you die,” says the Lord Yahweh of hosts.

15 The Lord Yahweh of hosts, says this, “Go to this administrator, to Shebna, who is over the house, and say,

16 'What are you doing here and who gave you permission to cut out a tomb for yourself,

hewing out a grave on the heights and carving out a resting place in the rock?'”

17 See, Yahweh is about to throw you, a mighty man, about to throw you down; he will grasp you tightly.

18 He will surely wind you round and round, and toss you like a ball into a vast country.

There you will die, and there your glorious chariots will be; you will be the shame of your master's house!

19 “I will thrust you from your office and from your station. You will be pulled down.

20 It will come about on that day that I will call my servant Eliakim son of Hilkiah.

21 I will clothe him with your tunic and put on him your sash, and I will transfer your authority into his hand.

He will be a father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem and to the house of Judah.

22 I will place the key of the house of David on his shoulder;

he will open, and none will shut; he will shut, and none will open.

23 I will fasten him, a peg in a secure place,

and he will become a seat of glory for his father's house.

24 They will hang on him all the glory of his father's house, the offspring and descendants, every small container

from the cups to all the jugs. 25 On that day—this is the declaration of Yahweh of hosts—the peg driven in a firm place will give way, break off, and fall, and the weight that was on it will be cut off—for Yahweh has spoken.

23

1 A declaration about Tyre:

Howl, you ships of Tarshish; for there is neither home nor harbor;

from the land of Cyprus it has been revealed to them. *

2 Be silent, you inhabitants of the coast; the merchant of Sidon,

who travels over the sea, has filled you. †

3 Upon the great waters was the grain of Shihor,

the harvest of the Nile was her produce;

and it became the commerce of the nations.

4 Be ashamed, Sidon; for the sea has spoken, the mighty one of the sea. He says,

“I have not labored nor given birth,

nor have I raised young men nor brought up young women.”

5 When the report comes to Egypt, they will be grieved concerning Tyre.

6 Cross over to Tarshish; wail, you inhabitants of the coast.

7 Has this happened to you, the joyful city, whose origin is from ancient times,

whose feet carried her far away to foreign places to settle?

8 Who has planned this against Tyre, the giver of crowns,

whose merchants are princes, whose traders are the honored ones of the earth?

9 Yahweh of hosts has planned it to dishonor her pride

and all her glory, to shame all her honored ones of the earth.

10 Plow your land, as one plows the Nile, daughter of Tarshish. There is no longer a marketplace in Tyre. ‡

11 Yahweh has reached out with his hand over the sea, and he has shaken the kingdoms;

he has given a command concerning Phoenicia, to destroy the strongholds.

12 He said, “You will not rejoice again, oppressed virgin daughter of Sidon;

arise, pass over to Cyprus; but neither there you will have rest.”

13 See the land of the Chaldeans. This people has ceased to be; the Assyrians have made it a wilderness for wild animals.

They set up their siege towers; they demolished its palaces; they made it a heap of ruins.

14 Howl, you ships of Tarshish; for your refuge has been destroyed. 15 In that day, Tyre will be forgotten for seventy years, like the days of a king. After the end of seventy years there will happen in Tyre something like in the song of the prostitute.

16 Take a harp, go about the city, you forgotten prostitute;

play it well, sing many songs, so that you may be remembered. 17 It will come about that after seventy years, Yahweh will help Tyre, and she will start making money again by doing the work of a prostitute, and she will offer her services to all the kingdoms of the earth. 18 Her profits and earnings will be set apart to Yahweh. They will not be stored up or kept in the treasury, for her profits will be given to those who live in Yahweh's presence and will be used to supply them with abundant food and so they can have the best quality clothing.

24

1 Look, Yahweh is about to empty the earth, to devastate it, mar its surface, and scatter its inhabitants.

2 It will come about that, as with the people, so with the priest;

as with the servant, so with his master;

as with the maid, so with her mistress;

as with the buyer, so with the seller;

as with the creditor, so with the debtor;

as with the receiver of interest, so with the giver of interest.

3 The earth will be completely devastated and completely stripped;

for Yahweh has spoken this word.

4 The earth dries up and withers, the world shrivels up and fades away,

the prominent people of the earth waste away.

5 The earth is polluted by its inhabitants

because they have transgressed the laws, violated the statutes,

and broken the everlasting covenant.

6 Therefore a curse devours the earth, and its inhabitants are found guilty.

The inhabitants of the earth burn up, and few people are left.

7 The new wine dries up, the vine withers, all the merry-hearted groan.

8 The happy sound of the tambourines stops, and the revelry of those who rejoice;

the joy of the lyre ceases.

9 They no longer drink wine and sing, and the beer is bitter to those who drink it.

10 The city of chaos has been broken down; every house is closed up and empty.

11 There is a crying in the streets because of the wine;

all joy is darkened, the gladness of the land has disappeared.

12 In the city is left a desolation, and the gate is broken into a ruin.

13 For this is how it will be on the whole earth among the nations,

as when an olive tree is beaten, as the gleanings when the grape harvest is done.

14 They will lift up their voices and shout the majesty of Yahweh,

and will joyfully shout from the sea.

15 Therefore in the east glorify Yahweh,

and in the isles of the sea give glory to the name of Yahweh, the God of Israel.

16 From the farthest part of the earth we have heard songs,

“Glory to the righteous one!”

But I said, “I have wasted away, I have wasted away, woe is me!

The treacherous have dealt treacherously;

yes, the treacherous have dealt very treacherously.”

17 Terror, the pit, and the snare are upon you, inhabitants of the earth.

18 He who flees from the sound of terror will fall into the pit,

and he who comes up out of the middle of the pit will be caught in the snare.

The windows of the heavens will be opened, and the foundations of the earth will shake.

19 The earth will be completely broken, the earth ripped apart;

the earth will be violently shaken.

20 The earth will stagger like a drunken man and it will sway back and forth like a hut.

Its sin will be heavy on it and it will fall and never rise again.

21 On that day Yahweh will punish the host of the heaven in the heavens,

and the kings of the earth on the earth.

22 They will be gathered together, prisoners in a pit,

and will be shut up in a prison;

and after many days they will be punished.

23 Then the moon will be ashamed, and the sun disgraced,

for Yahweh of hosts will reign on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem,

and before his elders in glory.

25

1 Yahweh, you are my God; I will exalt you, I will praise your name;

for you have done wonderful things, things planned long ago, in perfect faithfulness.

2 For you have made the city a heap, a fortified city, a ruin,

and a fortress of strangers into no city.

3 Therefore a strong people will glorify you; a city of ruthless nations will fear you.

4 For you have been a place of safety for the one who is poor,

a shelter for the one who is needy in his distress—

a shelter from the storm and a shade from the heat.

When the breath of the ruthless was like a storm against a wall,

5 and like heat in a dry land,

you subdued the noise of foreigners,

as the heat is subdued by the shade of a cloud,

so the song of the ruthless ones is answered.

6 On this mountain Yahweh of hosts will make for all peoples a feast of fat things,

of choice wines, of tender meats, a feast on the lees.

7 He will destroy on this mountain the covering over all peoples,

the web woven over all the nations.

8 He will swallow up death forever,

and the Lord Yahweh will wipe away tears from off all faces;

the disgrace of his people he will take away from all the earth, for Yahweh has spoken it.

9 It will be said on that day, “Look, this is our God; we have waited for him, and he will save us.

This is Yahweh; we have waited for him, we will be glad and rejoice in his salvation.”

10 For on this mountain the hand of Yahweh will rest;

and Moab will be trampled down in his place, even as straw is trampled down in a pit filled with manure.

11 They will spread their hands in the midst of it, as a swimmer spreads his hands to swim.

But Yahweh will bring down their pride in spite of the skill of their hands.

12 Your high fortress walls he will bring down to the ground, to the dust.

26

1 In that day this song will be sung in the land of Judah:

We have a strong city; God has made salvation its walls and ramparts.

2 Open the gates, that the righteous nation that keeps faith may enter in.

3 The mind that is stayed on you, you will keep him in perfect peace, for he trusts in you.

4 Trust in Yahweh forever; for in Yah, Yahweh, is an everlasting rock.

5 For he will bring down those who live proudly; the fortified city

he will lay low, he will lay low to the ground; he will level it to the dust.

6 It will be trampled down by the feet of the poor and the treading of the needy.

7 The path of the righteous is level, Righteous One; the path of the righteous you make straight.

8 Yes, in the path of your judgments, Yahweh, we wait for you;

your name and your reputation are our desire.

9 I have longed for you in the night; yes, my spirit within me seeks you earnestly.

For when your judgments come on the earth, the inhabitants of the world learn about righteousness.

10 Let favor be shown to the wicked one, but he will not learn righteousness. In the land of uprightness he acts wickedly

and does not see the majesty of Yahweh.

11 Yahweh, your hand is lifted up, but they do not notice.

But they will see your zeal for the people and be put to shame, because fire of your adversaries will devour them.

12 Yahweh, you will bring about peace for us; for indeed, you have also accomplished all our works for us.

13 Yahweh our God, other masters besides you have ruled over us; but we praise your name alone.

14 They are dead, they will not live; they are deceased, they will not arise.

Indeed, you came in judgment and destroyed them, and made every memory of them to perish.

15 You have increased the nation, Yahweh, you have increased the nation; you are honored;

you have extended all the borders of the land.

16 Yahweh, in trouble have they looked to you; they whispered prayers when your discipline was on them. *

17 As a pregnant woman nears the time for her to give birth,

when she is in pain and cries out in her labor pains,

so we have been before you, Lord.

18 We have been pregnant, we have been in labor, but it is as if we have only given birth to wind. We have not brought salvation to the earth,

and the inhabitants of the world have not fallen.

19 Your dead will live; their dead bodies will arise. Awake and sing for joy, you who live in the dust;

for your dew is the dew of light, and the earth will bring forth its dead.

20 Go, my people, enter into your rooms and shut your doors behind you;

hide for a little while, until the indignation has passed by.

21 For, look, Yahweh is about to come out of his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity;

the earth will uncover her bloodshed, and will no longer conceal her slain.

27

1 On that day Yahweh with his hard, great and fierce sword

will punish Leviathan the slithering serpent, Leviathan the squirming serpent,

and he will kill the monster that is in the sea.

2 In that day: A vineyard of wine, sing of it.

3 “I, Yahweh, am its protector; I water it every moment.

I guard it night and day so no one will hurt it.

4 I am not angry, Oh, that there were briers and thorns!

In battle I would march against them; I would burn them all together;

5 unless they grasp my protection and make peace with me; let them make peace with me.

6 In the coming day, Jacob will take root; Israel will blossom and bud;

and they will fill the surface of the ground with fruit.”

7 Has Yahweh attacked Jacob and Israel as he attacked those nations who attacked them? Have Jacob and Israel been killed as in the slaughter of those nations that were killed by them?

8 In exact measure you have contended, sending Jacob and Israel away; he drove them away with his fierce breath in the day of the east wind. *

9 So in this way, the iniquity of Jacob will be atoned for, for this will be the full fruit of the removal of his sin:

when he will make all the altar stones as chalk and crushed to pieces,

and no Asherah poles or incense altars will remain standing.

10 For the fortified city is desolate, the habitation is deserted and forsaken like the wilderness.

There a calf feeds, and there he lies down and consumes its branches.

11 When the boughs are withered, they will be broken off. Women will come and make fires with them,

for this is not a people of understanding.

Therefore their Maker will not have compassion on them, and he who made them will not be merciful to them.

12 It will come about on that day

that Yahweh will thresh from the Euphrates River to the Wadi of Egypt

and you, the people of Israel, will be gathered together one by one.

13 On that day a great trumpet will be blown;

and the perishing ones in the land of Assyria will come, and the outcasts in the land of Egypt,

they will worship Yahweh on the holy mountain in Jerusalem.

28

1 Woe to the proud garland crown that is worn by each of the drunkards of Ephraim, and to the fading flower of its glorious beauty,

the garland that is set on the head of the lush Valley of those who are overcome with wine!

2 Behold, the Lord sends one who is mighty and strong; like a storm of hail and a destructive windstorm,

like a driving rain and overflowing waters;

and he will throw each garland crown down to the ground.

3 The proud garland of the drunkards of Ephraim will be trodden underfoot.

4 The fading flower of his glorious beauty, that is on the head of the rich valley,

will be as the first ripe fig before the summer, that, when someone sees it,

while it is yet in his hand, he gulps it down.

5 In that day Yahweh of hosts will become a beautiful crown and a diadem of beauty for the remainder of his people,

6 a spirit of justice for him who sits in judgment, and strength for those who turn back their enemies at their gates.

7 But even these reel with wine, and stagger with strong drink.

The priest and the prophet reel with strong drink, and they are swallowed up by wine.

They stagger with strong drink, staggering in vision and reeling in decision.

8 Truly, all tables are covered with vomit, so that there is no clean place.

9 To whom will he teach knowledge, and to whom will he explain the message?

To those who are weaned from milk or to those just taken from the breasts?

10 For it is command upon command, command upon command; rule upon rule, rule upon rule;

here a little, there a little.

11 Indeed, with mocking lips and a foreign tongue he will speak to this people.

12 In the past he said to them “This is the rest, give rest to him who is weary;

and this is the refreshing,” but they would not listen.

13 So the word of Yahweh will be to them

command upon command, command upon command; rule upon rule, rule upon rule;

here a little, there a little;

so that they may go and fall backward, and be broken, ensnared, and captured.

14 So listen to the word of Yahweh, you who mock,

you who rule over this people who are in Jerusalem.

15 This will happen because you said, “We have made a covenant with death,

and with Sheol we have reached an agreement. So when the overwhelming whip passes through, it will not reach us.

For we have made a lie our refuge, and taken shelter in falsehood.”

16 Therefore the Lord Yahweh says,

“See, I will lay in Zion a foundation stone, a tried stone,

a precious cornerstone, a sure foundation. He who believes will not be ashamed.

17 I will make justice the measuring stick, and righteousness the plumbline.

Hail will sweep away the refuge of lies, and the floodwaters will overwhelm the hiding place.

18 Your covenant with death will be dissolved, and your agreement with Sheol will not stand.

When the raging flood passes through, you will be overwhelmed by it.

19 Whenever it passes through, it will overwhelm you,

and morning by morning it will pass through and by day and night it will come.

When the message is understood, it will cause terror.

20 For the bed is too short for a man to stretch out on, and the blanket too narrow for him to wrap himself in.”

21 Yahweh will rise up as on Mount Perazim; he will rouse himself as in the Valley of Gibeon

to do his work, his strange work, and perform his strange deed.

22 Now therefore do not mock, or your bonds will be tightened.

I have heard from the Lord Yahweh of hosts, a decree of destruction on the earth.

23 Pay attention and listen to my voice; be attentive and listen to my words.

24 Does a farmer who plows all day to sow, only plow the ground? Does he continually break up and harrow the field?

25 When he has prepared the ground, does he not scatter caraway seed, sow the cumin,

put in the wheat in rows and the barley in the right place, and the spelt at its edges? *

26 His God instructs him; he teaches him wisely.

27 Moreover, the caraway seed is not threshed with a sledge,

nor is a cartwheel rolled over the cumin;

but caraway is beaten with a stick, and cumin with a rod.

28 Grain is ground for bread but not too finely,

and though the wheels of his cart and his horses scatter it, his horses do not crush it.

29 This too comes from Yahweh of hosts,

who is wonderful in instruction and excellent in wisdom.

29

1 Woe to Ariel, Ariel, the city where David encamped!

Add year to year; let the festivals come round.

2 But I will besiege Ariel, and she will be mourning and lamenting;

and she will be to me like Ariel.

3 I will encamp against you in a circle

and will lay siege against you with a palisade, and I will raise siege works against you.

4 You will be brought down and will speak from the ground; your speech will be low from the dust.

Your voice will sound like a spirit that speaks from the ground, and out of the dust your speech will whisper.

5 The great number of your invaders will become like fine dust, and the multitude of the ruthless ones as chaff that passes away.

It will happen suddenly, in an instant.

6 Yahweh of hosts will come to you

with thunder, earthquake, great noise, with strong winds and violent storm, and the flames of a devouring fire.

7 It will be like a dream, a vision of the night:

A horde of all the nations will fight against Ariel

and her stronghold. They will attack her and her fortifications to press upon her.

8 It will be like when a hungry man dreams he is eating, but when he awakes, his stomach is empty.

It will be like when a thirsty man dreams that he is drinking, but he when he awakes, he is fainting, with his thirst not quenched.

Yes, so will be the great number of nations that fights against Mount Zion.

9 Astonish yourselves and be astonished; blind yourselves and be blind!

Be drunk, but not with wine; stagger, but not with beer.

10 For Yahweh has poured out on you the spirit of deep sleep.

He has closed your eyes, the prophets, and has covered your heads, the seers. 11 All revelation has become to you as the words of a book that is sealed, which men might give to one who is learned, saying, “Read this.” He also says, “I cannot, for it is sealed.” 12 If the book is given to one who cannot read, saying, “Read this,” he says, “I cannot read.”

13 The Lord said, “This people comes close to me with their mouths

and honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me.

Their honor for me is only a commandment of men that has been taught.

14 Therefore, see, I will proceed to do a marvelous thing among this people, wonder after wonder.

The wisdom of their wise men will perish, and the understanding of their prudent men will disappear.”

15 Woe to those who deeply hide their plans from Yahweh,

and whose deeds are in darkness. They say, “Who sees us, and who knows us?”

16 You turn things upside down! Should the potter be considered like clay,

so that the thing that is made should say about him who made it, “He did not make me,”

or the thing formed say about him who formed it, “He does not understand”?

17 In just a little while,

Lebanon will be turned into a field, and the field will become a forest.

18 On that day the deaf will hear the words of a book,

and the eyes of the blind will see out of the deep darkness.

19 The oppressed will again rejoice in Yahweh,

and the poor among men will rejoice in the Holy One of Israel.

20 For the ruthless will cease, and the scoffer will vanish. All those who love to do evil will be eliminated,

21 who by a word make a man out to be an offender. They lay a snare for him

who seeks justice at the gate and put the righteous down with empty lies.

22 Therefore this is what Yahweh says concerning the house of Jacob—Yahweh, who redeemed Abraham,

“Jacob will no longer be ashamed, nor will his face be pale.

23 But when he sees his children, the work of my hands, they will make my name holy.

They will make holy the name of the Holy One of Jacob and they will stand in awe of the God of Israel.

24 Those who err in spirit will gain understanding, and complainers will learn knowledge.”

30

1 “Woe to the rebellious children,” this is Yahweh's declaration.

“They make plans, but not from me; they make alliances with other nations,

but they were not directed by my Spirit, so they add sin to sin.

2 They set out to go down into Egypt, but have not asked for my direction.

They seek protection from Pharaoh and take refuge in the shadow of Egypt.

3 Therefore Pharaoh's protection will be your shame,

and the refuge in Egypt's shade, your humiliation,

4 although their princes are at Zoan, and their messengers have come to Hanes.

5 They will all be ashamed because of a people who cannot help them,

who are neither help nor aid, but a shame, and even a disgrace.”

6 A declaration about the beasts of the Negev:

Through the land of trouble and danger, of the lioness and the lion,

the viper and fiery flying serpent,

they carry their riches on the backs of donkeys,

and their treasures on the camels' humps,

to a people who cannot help them.

7 For Egypt's help is worthless;

therefore I have called her Rahab, who sits still.

8 Now go, write it in their presence on a tablet, and inscribe it on a scroll,

that it may be preserved for the time to come as a testimony.

9 For these are a rebellious people, lying children,

children who will not hear the instruction of Yahweh.

10 They say to the seers, “Do not see;”

and to the prophets, “Do not prophesy the truth to us;

speak flattering words to us, prophesy illusions. 11 Turn aside from the way, stray off the path;

cause the Holy One of Israel to cease speaking before our face.”

12 Therefore the Holy One of Israel says,

“Because you reject this word

and trust in oppression and deceit and lean on it,

13 so this sin will be to you

like a broken part ready to fall, like a bulge in a high wall

whose fall will happen suddenly, in an instant.”

14 He will break it as a potter's vessel is broken; he will not spare it,

so that there will not be found among its pieces a shard

with which to scrape fire from the hearth, or to scoop up water out of the cistern.

15 For this is what the Lord Yahweh, the Holy One of Israel says,

“In returning and resting you will be saved; in quietness and in trust will be your strength.

But you were not willing.

16 You said, 'No,

for we will flee on horses,' so you will flee;

and, 'We will ride upon swift horses,' so those who pursue you will be swift.

17 One thousand will flee at the threat of one;

at the threat of five you will flee

until your remnant will be like a flagstaff on the top of a mountain, or like a flag on a hill.”

18 Yet Yahweh is waiting to be gracious to you, therefore he is ready to show you mercy.

For Yahweh is a God of justice; blessed are all those who wait for him.

19 For a people will live in Zion, in Jerusalem, and you will weep no more.

He will surely be gracious to you at the sound of your cry. When he hears it, he will answer you.

20 Though Yahweh gives you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction,

even so, your teacher will not hide himself anymore, but you will see your teacher with your own eyes.

21 Your ears will hear a word behind you saying,

“This is the way, walk in it,” when you turn to the right or when you turn to the left.

22 You will desecrate your carved figures overlaid with silver and your gold cast figures.

You will throw them away like a menstrual rag. You will say to them, “Get out of here.”

23 He will give the rain for your seed when you sow the ground,

and bread with abundance from the ground, and the crops will be abundant.

In that day your cattle will graze in broad pastures.

24 The oxen and the donkeys, who plow the ground, will eat seasoned feed

that has been winnowed with a shovel and a fork.

25 On every high mountain and on every high hill, there will be flowing brooks and streams of waters,

in the day of the great slaughter when the towers fall.

26 The light of the moon will be like the light of the sun, and the light of the sun will be seven times brighter, like the sunlight of seven days.

Yahweh will bind up the breaking of his people and heal the bruises of his wounding them.

27 Look, the name of Yahweh comes from a distant place, burning with his anger and in dense smoke.

His lips are full of fury, and his tongue is like a devouring fire.

28 His breath is like an overflowing torrent that reaches up to the middle of the neck,

to sift the nations with the sieve of destruction. His breath is a bridle in the jaws of the peoples to cause them to wander away.

29 You will have a song as in the night when a holy feast is observed,

and gladness of heart, as when one goes with a flute to the mountain of Yahweh, to the Rock of Israel.

30 Yahweh will make the splendor of his voice heard and show the motion of his arm

in storming anger and flames of fire, with windstorm, rainstorm, and hailstones.

31 For at the voice of Yahweh, Assyria will be shattered; he will strike them with a staff.

32 Every stroke of the appointed rod that Yahweh will lay on them

will be accompanied with the music of tambourines and harps as he battles and fights with them.

33 For a place of burning was prepared long ago. Indeed, it is prepared for the king, and God has made it deep and wide.

The pile is ready with a fire and much wood.

The breath of Yahweh, like a stream of brimstone, will set it on fire.

31

1 Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help and lean on horses,

and trust in chariots (for they are many) and in horsemen (for they are countless).

But they are not concerned about the Holy One of Israel, nor do they seek Yahweh!

2 Yet he is wise, and he will bring disaster and will not retract his words.

He will arise against the evil house and against the helpers of those who commit sin.

3 Egypt is a man and not God, their horses flesh and not spirit.

When Yahweh reaches out with his hand, both the one who helps will stumble, and the one who is helped will fall; both will perish together.

4 This is what Yahweh says to me,

“As a lion, even a young lion, growls over its torn prey,

when a group of shepherds is called out against it,

but it does not tremble at their voices, nor creep away from their sound;

thus Yahweh of hosts will descend to fight on Mount Zion, on that hill.

5 Like birds in flight, so Yahweh of hosts will protect Jerusalem;

he will protect and rescue as he passes over it and preserves it.

6 Return to him from whom you have deeply turned away, people of Israel. 7 For in that day each one will get rid of his idols of silver

and his idols of gold that your own hands have sinfully made.

8 Assyria will fall by the sword; a sword not wielded by man will consume him.

He will flee from the sword, and his young men will be forced to do hard labor.

9 They will lose all confidence because of terror, and his princes will be afraid at the sight of Yahweh's battle flag—

this is Yahweh's declaration—whose fire is in Zion and whose firepot is in Jerusalem.”

32

1 Look, a king will reign in righteousness, and princes will rule in justice.

2 Each one will be like a shelter from the wind and a refuge from the storm,

like streams of water in a dry place, like the shade of a great rock in a land of weariness.

3 Then the eyes of those who see will not be dim, and the ears of those who hear will hear attentively.

4 The rash will think carefully with understanding, and the stutterer will speak distinctly and with ease.

5 The fool will no longer be called honorable, nor the deceiver called principled.

6 For the fool speaks folly, and his heart plans evil

and godless actions, and he speaks wrongly against Yahweh.

He makes the hungry empty, and the thirsty he causes to lack drink.

7 The deceiver's methods are evil. He devises wicked schemes

to ruin the poor with lies, even when the poor say what is right.

8 But the honorable man makes honorable plans; and because of his honorable actions he will stand.

9 Rise up, you women who are at ease, and listen to my voice;

you carefree daughters, listen to me.

10 For in a little more than a year your confidence will be broken,

you carefree women, for the grape harvest will fail, the ingathering will not come.

11 Tremble, you women who are at ease; be troubled, you confident ones;

take off your fine clothes and make yourselves bare; put on sackcloth around your waists.

12 You will wail for the pleasant fields, for the fruitful vines.

13 The land of my people will be overgrown with thorns and briers,

even in all the once joyful houses in the city of revelry.

14 For the palace will be forsaken, the crowded city will be deserted;

the hill and the watchtower will become caves forever,

a joy of wild donkeys, a pasture of flocks;

15 until the Spirit is poured on us from on high,

and the wilderness becomes a fruitful field, and the fruitful field is considered as a forest.

16 Then justice will reside in the wilderness; and righteousness will live in the fruitful field.

17 The work of righteousness will be peace; and the result of righteousness, quietness and confidence forever.

18 My people will live in a peaceful habitation, in secure homes, and in quiet resting places.

19 But even if it hails and the forest is destroyed, and the city is completely annihilated, 20 you who sow beside all the streams will be blessed, you who send out your ox and donkey to graze.

33

1 Woe to you, destroyer who has not been destroyed!

Woe to the betrayer whom they have not betrayed!

When you stop destroying, you will be destroyed.

When you stop betraying, they will betray you.

2 Yahweh, be gracious to us; we wait for you;

be our arm every morning, our salvation in the time of trouble.

3 At the loud noise the peoples flee; when you arise, the nations are scattered.

4 Your spoil is gathered as the locusts gather; as locusts leap, men leap on it.

5 Yahweh is exalted. He lives in a high place. He will fill Zion with justice and righteousness.

6 He will be the stability in your times,

abundance of salvation, wisdom, and knowledge; the fear of Yahweh is his treasure.

7 Look, their envoys cry in the streets; the diplomats hoping for peace weep bitterly.

8 The highways are deserted; there are no more travelers.

Covenants are broken, witnesses are despised, and mankind is not respected. *

9 The land mourns and withers away; Lebanon is ashamed and withers away; †

Sharon is like a desert plain; and Bashan and Carmel shake off their leaves.

10 “Now will I arise,” says Yahweh; “now I will be lifted up; now I will be elevated.

11 You conceive chaff, and you give birth to stubble; your breath is a fire that will consume you.

12 The peoples will be burned to lime, as thornbushes are cut down and are burned.

13 You who are far away, hear what I have done; and, you who are near, acknowledge my might.”

14 The sinners in Zion are afraid; trembling has seized the godless ones.

Who among us can sojourn with a raging fire? Who among us can sojourn with everlasting burnings?

15 He who walks righteously and speaks honestly;

who despises the gain of oppression,

who shakes his hand so that it will not accept a bribe,

who stops his ears from hearing about bloodshed,

and who shuts his eyes from looking on evil—

16 this is the man who will dwell on the heights,

his place of defense will be the fortress among the cliffs,

his food will be given, and his water will be in steady supply.

17 Your eyes will see the king in his beauty; they will see a land off in the distance.

18 Your heart will recall the terror; where is the scribe, where is he who weighed the money? Where is he who counted the towers?

19 You will no longer see the defiant people, a people of a strange language that you do not understand.

20 Look at Zion, the city of our feasts;

your eyes will see Jerusalem as a quiet habitation, a tent that will not be removed,

whose stakes will never be pulled up nor will any of its cords be broken.

21 Instead, Yahweh in majesty will be with us, in a place of broad rivers and streams.

No warship with oars will travel it, and no large ships will sail by.

22 For Yahweh is our judge, Yahweh is our lawgiver, Yahweh is our king; he will save us.

23 Your riggings are slack; they cannot hold the mast in place; they cannot spread the sail;

when the great spoil is divided, even the lame will drag off the spoil.

24 The inhabitants will not say, “I am sick;” the people who live there will be forgiven for their iniquity.

34

1 Come near, you nations, and listen; pay attention, you people!

The earth and all that fills it must listen, the world, and all things that come from it.

2 For Yahweh is angry with all the nations, and furious against all their armies;

he has completely destroyed them, he has handed them over to the slaughter.

3 The bodies of their dead will be thrown out. The stench of the dead bodies will be everywhere;

and the mountains will soak up their blood.

4 All the stars of the sky will fade away,

and the sky will be rolled up like a scroll; and all their stars will fade away,

as the leaf fades from off the vine, and as the overripe figs from the fig tree.

5 For when my sword will have drunk its fill in heaven;

look, it will now come down on Edom, on the people I am setting apart for destruction.

6 The sword of Yahweh is dripping with blood and covered with fat,

dripping with the blood of lambs and goats, covered with the fat of the kidneys of rams.

For Yahweh has a sacrifice in Bozrah and a great slaughter in the land of Edom.

7 Wild oxen will fall with them, and young bulls with the older ones.

Their land will be drunk with blood, and their dust made fat with fatness.

8 For it will be a day of vengeance for Yahweh and a year when he will pay them back for the cause of Zion.

9 The streams of Edom will be turned into pitch, her dust into sulfur,

and her land will become burning pitch.

10 It will burn night and day; its smoke will rise forever;

from generation to generation it will be a wasteland; no one will pass through it forever and ever.

11 But wild birds and animals will live there; the owl and the raven will make their nest in it.

He will stretch over it the measuring line of ruin and the plumbline of destruction.

12 Her nobles

will have nothing left to call a kingdom, and all her princes will be nothing.

13 Thorns will overgrow her palaces, nettles and thistles her fortresses.

It will be a habitation of jackals, a place for ostriches.

14 The wild animals and the hyenas will meet there, and the wild goats will cry to one another.

Nocturnal animals will settle there and find for themselves a place of rest.

15 Owls will make nests, lay and hatch their eggs, hatch and protect their young.

Yes, there hawks will gather, each one with its mate.

16 Search through the scroll of Yahweh; not one of these will be missing.

None will lack for a mate; for his mouth has commanded it, and his spirit has gathered them.

17 He has cast lots for their places, and his hand has measured it out for them by a cord.

They will possess it forever; from generation to generation they will live there.

35

1 The wilderness and the Arabah will be glad; and the desert will rejoice and blossom.

Like the rose,

2 it will blossom abundantly and rejoice with joy and singing;

the glory of Lebanon will be given to it, the splendor of Carmel and Sharon;

they will see the glory of Yahweh, the splendor of our God.

3 Strengthen the weak hands, and steady the knees that shake.

4 Say to those with a fearful heart, “Be strong, do not fear!

Look, your God will come with vengeance,

with the recompense of God. He will come and save you.”

5 Then the eyes of the blind will see, and the ears of the deaf will hear.

6 Then the lame man will leap like a deer, and the mute tongue will sing,

for water breaks out in the Arabah, and streams in the wilderness.

7 The burning sand will become a pool, and the thirsty ground springs of water;

in the habitation of jackals, where they once lay, will be grass with reeds and rushes.

8 A highway will be there called The Holy Way.

The unclean will not travel it. But it will be for him who walks in it.

No fool will go on it.

9 No lion will be there, no ferocious beast will be on it; they will not be found there,

but the redeemed will walk there.

10 The ransomed of Yahweh will return

and come with singing to Zion, and everlasting joy will be on their heads;

gladness and joy will overtake them; sorrow and sighing will flee away.

36

1 In the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah, Sennacherib, king of Assyria, attacked all the fortified cities of Judah and captured them. 2 Then the king of Assyria sent the chief commander from Lachish to Jerusalem to King Hezekiah with a great army. He approached the conduit of the upper pool, on the highway to the launderers' field, and stood by it. 3 The Israelite officials who went out of the city to talk with them were Hilkiah's son Eliakim, the palace administrator, Shebna the king's secretary, and Asaph's son Joah, who wrote down the government decisions.

4 The chief commander said to them, “Tell Hezekiah that the great king, the king of Assyria, says, 'What is the source of your confidence? 5 You speak only useless words, saying there is counsel and strength for war. Now in whom are you trusting? Who has given you courage to rebel against me? 6 Look, you are trusting in Egypt, that splintered reed that you use as a walking staff, but if a man leans on it, it will stick into his hand and pierce it. That is what Pharaoh king of Egypt is to anyone who trusts in him. 7 But if you say to me, “We are trusting in Yahweh our God,” is not he the one whose high places and altars Hezekiah has taken away, and has said to Judah and to Jerusalem, “You must worship before this altar in Jerusalem”? 8 Now therefore, I want to make you a good offer from my master the king of Assyria. I will give you two thousand horses, if you are able to find riders for them. 9 How could you resist even one captain of the least of my master's servants? You have put your trust in Egypt for chariots and horsemen! 10 Now then, have I traveled up here without Yahweh to fight against this land and destroy it? Yahweh said to me, “Attack this land and destroy it.”'”

11 Then Eliakim son of Hilkiah, and Shebnah, and Joah said to the chief commander, “Please speak to your servants in the Aramean language, Aramaic, for we understand it. Do not speak with us in the language of Judah in the ears of the people who are on the wall.” 12 But the chief commander said, “Has my master sent me to your master and to you to speak these words? Has he not sent me to the men who sit on the wall, who will have to eat their own dung and drink their own urine with you?”

13 Then the chief commander stood and shouted in a loud voice in the Jews' language, saying, “Listen to the words of the great king, the king of Assyria. 14 The king says, 'Do not let Hezekiah deceive you, for he will not be able to rescue you. 15 Do not let Hezekiah make you trust in Yahweh, saying, “Yahweh will surely rescue us; this city will not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria.”' 16 Do not listen to Hezekiah, for this is what the king of Assyria says: 'Make peace with me and come out to me. Then every one of you will eat from his own vine and from his own fig tree, and drink from the water in his own cistern. 17 You will do this until I come and take you away to a land like your own land, a land of grain and new wine, a land of bread and vineyards.' 18 Do not let Hezekiah mislead you, saying, 'Yahweh will rescue us.' Has any of the gods of the peoples rescued them from the hand of the king of Assyria? 19 Where are the gods of Hamath and Arpad? Where are the gods of Sepharvaim? Have they rescued Samaria from my power? 20 Among all the gods of these lands, is there any god who has rescued his land from my power, as if Yahweh could save Jerusalem from my power?”

21 But the people remained silent and did not respond, for the king's order was, “Do not answer him.” 22 Then Eliakim son of Hilkiah, who was over the household, Shebna the scribe, and Joah son of Asaph, the recorder, came to Hezekiah with their clothes torn, and reported to him the words of the chief commander.

37

1 It came about that when King Hezekiah heard their report, he tore his clothes, covered himself with sackcloth, and went into the house of Yahweh. 2 He sent Eliakim, who was over the household, and Shebna the scribe, and the elders of the priests, all covered with sackcloth, to Isaiah son of Amoz, the prophet. 3 They said to him, “Hezekiah says, 'This day is a day of distress, rebuke, and disgrace, like when a child is ready to be born, but the mother has no strength to give birth to her child. 4 It may be Yahweh your God will hear the words of the chief commander, whom the king of Assyria his master has sent to defy the living God, and will rebuke the words which Yahweh your God has heard. Now lift up your prayer for the remnant that is still here.'”

5 So the servants of King Hezekiah came to Isaiah, 6 and Isaiah said to them, “Say to your master: 'Yahweh says, “Do not be afraid of the words that you have heard, with which the servants of the king of Assyria have insulted me. 7 Look, I will put a spirit in him, and he will hear a certain report and go back to his own land. I will cause him to fall by the sword in his own land.”'”

8 Then the chief commander returned and found the king of Assyria fighting against Libnah, for he had heard that the king had gone away from Lachish. 9 Then Sennacherib heard that Tirhakah king of Cush and Egypt had mobilized to fight against him, so he sent messengers again to Hezekiah with a message: 10 “Say to Hezekiah, king of Judah, 'Do not let your God in whom you trust deceive you, saying, “Jerusalem will not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria.” 11 See, you have heard what the kings of Assyria have done to all lands by destroying them completely. So will you be rescued? 12 Have the gods of the nations rescued them, the nations that my fathers destroyed: Gozan, Haran, Rezeph, and the people of Eden in Tel Assar? 13 Where is the king of Hamath, the king of Arpad, the king of the cities of Sepharvaim, of Hena, and Ivvah?'”

14 Hezekiah received this letter from hand of the messengers and read it. Then he went up to the house of Yahweh and spread it before him. 15 Hezekiah prayed to Yahweh: 16 “Yahweh of hosts, God of Israel, you who sit above the cherubim, you are God alone over all the kingdoms of the earth. You made the heavens and the earth. 17 Turn your ear, Yahweh, and listen. Open your eyes, Yahweh, and see, and hear the words of Sennacherib, which he has sent to mock the living God. 18 It is true, Yahweh, the kings of Assyria have destroyed all the nations and their lands. 19 They have put their gods into the fire, for they were not gods but the work of men's hands, just wood and stone. So the Assyrians have destroyed them. 20 So now, Yahweh our God, save us from his power, so that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that you are Yahweh alone.”

21 Then Isaiah son of Amoz sent a message to Hezekiah, saying, “Yahweh, the God of Israel says, 'Because you have prayed to me concerning Sennacherib king of Assyria, 22 this is the word that Yahweh has spoken about him:

“The virgin daughter of Zion despises you and laughs you to scorn;

the daughter of Jerusalem shakes her head at you.

23 Whom have you defied and insulted? Against whom have you exalted your voice

and lifted up your eyes in pride? Against the Holy One of Israel.

24 By your servants you have defied the Lord and have said, 'With the multitude of my chariots

I have gone up to the heights of the mountains, to the highest elevations of Lebanon.

I will cut down its tall cedars and choice cypress trees there,

and I will enter into its farthest high places, its most fruitful forest.

25 I have dug wells and drunk water; *

I dried up all the rivers of Egypt under the soles of my feet.'

26 Have you not heard how I determined it long ago

and worked it out in ancient times? Now I am bringing it to pass.

You are here to reduce impregnable cities into heaps of ruins.

27 Their inhabitants, of little strength, are shattered and ashamed.

They are plants in the field, green grass,

the grass on the roof or in the field,

before the east wind.

28 But I know your sitting down, your going out, your coming in, and your raging against me.

29 Because of your raging against me, and because your arrogance has reached my ears,

I will put my hook in your nose, and my bit in your mouth;

I will turn you back the way you came.”

30 This will be the sign for you:

This year you will eat what grows wild, and in the second year what grows from that.

But in the third year you must plant and harvest, plant vineyards and eat their fruit.

31 The remnant of the house of Judah that survives will again take root and bear fruit.

32 For from Jerusalem a remnant will come out; from Mount Zion survivors will come.

The zeal of Yahweh of hosts will do this.'”

33 Therefore Yahweh says this about the king of Assyria:

“He will not come into this city and he will not shoot an arrow here.

He will not come before it with shield or build up a siege ramp against it.

34 The way by which he came will be the same way he will leave; he will not enter this city—this is Yahweh's declaration.

35 For I will defend this city and rescue it, for my own sake and for David my servant's sake.” 36 Then the angel of Yahweh went out and attacked the camp of the Assyrians, putting to death 185,000 soldiers. When the men arose early in the morning, dead bodies lay everywhere. 37 So Sennacherib king of Assyria left Israel and went home and stayed in Nineveh. 38 Later, as he was worshiping in the house of Nisrok his god, his sons Adrammelek and Sharezer killed him with the sword. Then they escaped into the land of Ararat. Then Esarhaddon his son reigned in his place.

38

1 In those days Hezekiah was sick to the point of dying. So Isaiah son of Amoz, the prophet, came to him, and said to him, “Yahweh says, 'Set your house in order; for you will die, not live.'” 2 Then Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to Yahweh. 3 He said, “Please, Yahweh, call to mind how I have faithfully walked before you with my whole heart, and how I have done what was good in your sight.” Then Hezekiah wept loudly. 4 Then the word of Yahweh came to Isaiah, saying, 5 “Go and say to Hezekiah, the leader of my people, 'This is what Yahweh, the God of David your ancestor, says: I have heard your prayer, and I have seen your tears. See, I am about to add fifteen years to your life. 6 Then I will rescue you and this city from the hand of the king of Assyria, and I will defend this city. 7 This will be the sign to you from Yahweh, that I will do what I have promised. 8 Look, I will cause the shadow on the stairs of Ahaz to go back ten steps.'” So the shadow went back ten steps of the stairs on which it had advanced.

9 This was the written prayer of Hezekiah king of Judah, when he had been sick and then recovered:

10 “I said that halfway through my life

I will go through the gates of Sheol; I am sent there for the rest of my years.

11 I said that I will no longer see Yahweh, Yahweh in the land of the living;

I will no longer look on mankind or the inhabitants of the world. *

12 My life is removed and carried away from me like a shepherd's tent;

I have rolled up my life like a weaver; you are cutting me off from the loom;

between day and night you are ending my life.

13 I cried out† until the morning;

like a lion he breaks all my bones.

Between day and night you are ending my life.

14 Like a swallow I chirp; I coo like a dove;

my eyes grow tired with looking upward. Lord, I am oppressed; help me.

15 What shall I say? He has both spoken to me, and has done it;

I will walk slowly all my years because I am overcome with grief.

16 Lord, the sufferings you send are good for me; may my life be given back to me;

you have restored my life and health.

17 It was for my benefit that I experienced such grief.

You have rescued me from the pit of destruction;

for you have thrown all my sins behind your back.

18 For Sheol does not thank you; death does not praise you;

those who go down into the pit do not hope in your trustworthiness.

19 The living person, the living person, he is the one who gives you thanks, as I do this day;

a father makes known to children your trustworthiness.

20 Yahweh is about to save me, and we will celebrate with music

all the days of our lives in the house of Yahweh.”

21 Now Isaiah had said, “Let them take a lump of figs and put it on the boil, and he will recover.” 22 Hezekiah also had said, “What will be the sign that I should go up to the house of Yahweh?”

39

1 At that time Marduk-Baladan son of Baladan, king of Babylon, sent letters and a gift to Hezekiah; for he had heard that Hezekiah had been sick and had recovered. 2 Hezekiah was pleased by these things; he showed the messengers his storehouse of valuable things—the silver, the gold, the spices and precious oil, the storehouse of his weapons, and all that was found in his storehouses. There was nothing in his house, nor in all his kingdom, that Hezekiah did not show them. 3 Then Isaiah the prophet came to King Hezekiah and asked him, “What did these men say to you? Where did they come from?” Hezekiah said, “They came to me from the distant country of Babylon.” 4 Isaiah asked, “What have they seen in your house?” Hezekiah answered, “They have seen everything in my house. There is nothing among my valuable things that I have not shown them.” 5 Then Isaiah said to Hezekiah, “Listen to the word of Yahweh of hosts: 6 'Look, the days are about to come when everything in your palace, the things that your ancestors stored away until this present day, will be carried to Babylon. Nothing will be left, says Yahweh. 7 The sons born from you, whom you yourself have fathered—they will take them away, and they will become eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon.'” 8 Then Hezekiah said to Isaiah, “The word of Yahweh that you have spoken is good.” For he thought, “There will be peace and stability in my days.”

40

1 “Comfort, comfort my people,” says your God.

2 “Speak tenderly to Jerusalem; and proclaim to her

that her warfare has ended, that her iniquity is pardoned,

that she has received double from Yahweh's hand for all her sins.”

3 A voice cries out,

“In the wilderness prepare the way of Yahweh;

make straight in the Arabah a highway for our God.” *

4 Every valley will be lifted up, and every mountain and hill will be leveled;

and the rugged land will be made level, and the rough places a plain;

5 and the glory of Yahweh will be revealed, and all people will see it together; for the mouth of Yahweh has spoken it.

6 A voice says, “Cry.” Another answers, “What should I cry?”

“All flesh is grass, and all their covenant faithfulness is like the flower of the field.

7 The grass withers and the flower wilts when the breath of Yahweh blows on it; surely humanity is grass.

8 The grass withers, the flower wilts, but the word of our God will stand forever.”

9 Go up on a high mountain, Zion, bearer of good news. †

Shout out loud, Jerusalem. You who bring good news, raise your voice, do not be afraid. ‡

Say to the cities of Judah, “Here is your God!”

10 Look, the Lord Yahweh comes as a victorious warrior, and his strong arm rules for him.

See, his reward is with him, and those he has rescued go before him.

11 He will feed his flock like a shepherd, he will gather in his arm the lambs,

and carry them close to his heart,

and will gently lead the ewes nursing their young.

12 Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, measured the sky with the span of his hand,

held the dust of the earth in a basket, weighed the mountains in scales,

or the hills in a balance?

13 Who has comprehended the mind of Yahweh, or instructed him as his counselor?

14 From whom did he ever receive instruction? Who taught him the correct way to do things,

and taught him knowledge, or showed to him the way of understanding?

15 Look, the nations are like a drop in a bucket, and are regarded like the dust on the scales;

see, he weighs the isles as a speck.

16 Lebanon is not sufficient fuel,

nor its wild animals sufficient for a burnt offering.

17 All the nations are insufficient before him; they are regarded by him as nothing.

18 To whom then will you compare God? To what idol will you liken him?

19 An idol! A craftsman casts it: The goldsmith overlays it with gold

and forges silver chains for it.

20 To make an offering one chooses a wood that will not rot;

he seeks a skillful artisan to make an idol that will not fall over.

21 Have you not known? Have you not heard? Has it not been told you from the beginning?

Have you not understood from the foundations of the earth?

22 He is the one who sits above the horizon of the earth; and the inhabitants are like grasshoppers before him.

He stretches out the heavens like a curtain and spreads them out as a tent to live in.

23 He reduces rulers to nothing and makes the rulers of the earth insignificant.

24 They are barely planted, barely sown, their stem has barely taken root in the earth,

when he blows upon them and they wither, and the wind carries them away like straw.

25 “To whom then will you compare me, whom do I resemble?” says the Holy One.

26 Look up at the sky! Who has created all these stars?

He leads out their formations and calls them all by name.

By the greatness of his might and by the strength of his power, not one is missing.

27 Why do you say, Jacob, and declare, Israel,

“My way is hidden from Yahweh, and my God is not concerned about my vindication”?

28 Have you not known? Have you not heard?

The everlasting God, Yahweh, the Creator of the ends of the earth,

does not get tired or weary; there is no limit to his understanding.

29 He gives strength to the tired; and to the weak he gives renewed energy.

30 Even young people become tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall:

31 but those who wait for Yahweh will renew their strength; they will soar with wings like eagles;

they will run and not be weary; they will walk and not faint.

41

1 “Listen before me in silence, you coastlands; let the nations renew their strength;

let them come near and speak; let us come near together to argue a dispute.

2 Who has stirred up one from the east, calling him in righteousness to his service?

He hands nations over to him and helps him subdue kings.

He turns them to dust with his sword, like windblown stubble with his bow.

3 He pursues them and passes by safely, by a swift path that his feet scarcely touch.

4 Who has performed and accomplished these deeds? Who has summoned the generations from the beginning?

I, Yahweh, the first, and with the last ones, I am he.

5 The isles have seen and are afraid; the ends of the earth tremble;

they approach and come.

6 Everyone helps his neighbor, and every one says to one another, 'Be encouraged.'

7 So the carpenter encourages the goldsmith, and he who works with the hammer encourages him who works with an anvil,

saying of the welding, 'It is good.' They fasten it with nails so it will not topple over.

8 But you, Israel, my servant, Jacob whom I have chosen,

the offspring of Abraham my friend,

9 you whom I am bringing back from the ends of the earth, and whom I called from the far away places,

and to whom I said, 'You are my servant;' I have chosen you and not rejected you. 10 Do not fear, for I am with you. Do not be anxious, for I am your God.

I will strengthen you, and I will help you, and I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

11 See, they will be ashamed and disgraced, all who have been angry with you;

they will be as nothing and will perish, those who oppose you.

12 You will seek and will not find those who contended with you;

those who warred against you will be like nothing, absolutely nothing.

13 For I, Yahweh your God, will hold your right hand,

saying to you, 'Do not fear; I am helping you.'

14 Do not fear, Jacob you worm, and you men of Israel;

I will help you—this is Yahweh's declaration, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel.

15 Look, I am making you like a sharp threshing sledge, new and two-edged;

you will thresh the mountains and crush them; you will make the hills like chaff.

16 You will winnow them, and the wind will carry them away; the wind will scatter them.

You will rejoice in Yahweh, you will rejoice in the Holy One of Israel.

17 The oppressed and needy look for water, but there is none, and their tongues are parched for thirst;

I, Yahweh, will respond to their prayers; I, the God of Israel, will not forsake them.

18 I will make streams to flow down the slopes, and springs in the middle of the valleys;

I will make the desert into a pool of water, and the dry land into springs of water.

19 In the wilderness I will set the cedar, the acacia, and the myrtle, and the olive tree.

I will set the cypress in the desert plain, with the pines and the cypress box trees.

20 I will do this so that the people may see, recognize, and understand together,

that the hand of Yahweh has done this, that the Holy One of Israel has created it.

21 “Present your case,” says Yahweh,

“present your best arguments for your idols,” says the King of Jacob.

22 Let them bring us their own arguments; have them come forward and declare to us what will happen,

so we may know these things well.

Have them tell us of earlier predictive declarations, so we can reflect on them and know how they were fulfilled.

23 Tell things about the future, that we may know if you are gods;

do something good or evil, that we may be frightened and impressed.

24 See, you idols are nothing and your deeds are nothing; the one who chooses you is detestable.

25 I have raised up one from the north, and he comes; from the sun's rising I summon him who calls on my name,

and he will trample the rulers like mud, like a potter who is treading on the clay.

26 Who announced this from the beginning, that we might know? Before this time, that we may say, “He is right”?

Indeed none of them decreed it, yes, none heard you say anything.

27 I first said to Zion, “Look here they are;” I sent a herald to Jerusalem.

28 When I look, there is no one, not one among them who can give good advice,

who, when I ask, can answer a word.

29 Look, all of them are nothing,

and their deeds are nothing; their cast metal figures are wind and emptiness.

42

1 Behold, my servant, whom I uphold; my chosen one, in him I take delight.

I have put my Spirit upon him; he will bring justice to the nations.

2 He will not cry out nor shout, nor make his voice heard in the streets.

3 A crushed reed he will not break, and a dimly burning wick he will not quench:

he will faithfully execute justice.

4 He will not grow faint nor be discouraged

until he has established justice on the earth;

and the coastlands wait for his law.

5 This is what God Yahweh says—

the one who created the heavens and stretched them out, the one who made the earth and all that it produces,

the one who gives breath to the people on it and life to those who live on it:

6 “I, Yahweh, have called you in righteousness and will hold your hand.

I will keep you and set you as a covenant for the people, as a light for the Gentiles,

7 to open the eyes of the blind, to release the prisoners from the dungeon,

and from the house of confinement those who sit in darkness.

8 I am Yahweh, that is my name;

and my glory I will not share with another nor my praise with carved idols.

9 See, the previous things came to pass,

now I am about to declare new events.

Before they begin to occur I will tell you about them.”

10 Sing to Yahweh a new song, and his praise from the end of the earth;

you who go down to the sea, and all that is in it, the coastlands, and those who live there.

11 Let the desert and the cities cry out, the villages where Kedar lives, shout for joy!

Let the inhabitants of Sela sing; let them shout from the mountaintops.

12 Let them give glory to Yahweh and declare his praise in the coastlands.

13 Yahweh will go out as a warrior; as a man of war he will stir up his zeal.

He will shout, yes, he will roar his battle cries; he will show his enemies his power.

14 I have kept quiet for a long time; I have been still and restrained myself;

now I will cry out like a woman in labor; I will gasp and pant.

15 I will lay waste mountains and hills and dry up all their vegetation;

and I will turn the rivers into islands and will dry up the marshes.

16 I will bring the blind by a way that they do not know; in paths that they do not know I will lead them.

I will turn the darkness into light before them, and make the crooked places straight.

These things I will do, and I will not abandon them.

17 They will be turned back, they will be completely put to shame, those who trust in carved figures,

who say to cast metal figures, “You are our gods.”

18 Listen, you deaf; and look, you blind, that you may see.

19 Who is blind but my servant? Or deaf like my messenger I send?

Who is as blind as my covenant partner, or blind as Yahweh's servant?

20 You see many things, but do not comprehend; ears are open, but no one hears.

21 It pleased Yahweh to praise his justice and to make his law glorious.

22 But this is a people robbed and plundered;

they are all trapped in pits, held captive in prisons;

they have become a plunder with no one to rescue them, and no one says, “Bring them back!”

23 Who among you will listen to this? Who will listen and hear in the future?

24 Who gave Jacob over to the robber, and Israel to the looters?

Was it not Yahweh, against whom we have sinned,

in whose ways they refused to walk, and whose law they refused to obey?

25 Therefore he poured out on them his fierce anger and the violence of war,

Its flames encircled them, yet they did not understand;

it consumed them, but they did not take it to heart.

43

1 But now this is what Yahweh says, he who created you, Jacob, and he who formed you, Israel:

“Do not be afraid, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name, you are mine.

2 When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they will not overwhelm you.

When you walk through the fire you will not be burned, and the flames will not destroy you.

3 For I am Yahweh your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.

I have given Egypt as your ransom, Cush and Seba in exchange for you.

4 Since you are precious and special in my sight, I love you;

therefore I will give people in exchange for you, and other peoples in exchange for your life.

5 Do not be afraid, for I am with you;

I will bring your offspring from the east, and gather you from the west.

6 I will say to the north, 'Hand them over;' and to the south, 'Do not hold any back;'

Bring my sons from afar, and my daughters from the remote regions of the earth,

7 everyone who is called by my name, whom I have created for my glory, whom I have formed, yes, whom I have made.

8 Bring out the people who are blind, even though they have eyes, and the deaf, even though they have ears.

9 All the nations gather together, and the peoples assemble.

Who among them could have declared this and announced to us earlier events?

Let them bring their witnesses to prove themselves right, let them listen and affirm, 'It is true.'

10 You are my witnesses,” declares Yahweh, “and my servant whom I have chosen,

so that you may know and believe in me, and understand that I am he.

Before me there was no god formed, and there will be none after me.

11 I, I am Yahweh, and there is no savior but me.

12 I have declared, saved, and proclaimed, and there is no other god among you.

You are my witnesses,” declares Yahweh, “I am God.

13 From this day on I am he,

and no one can rescue anyone from my hand. I act, and who can turn it back?”

14 This is what Yahweh says, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel:

“For your sake I send to Babylon and lead them all down as fugitives,

turning the Babylonians' expressions of joy into songs of lamentation.

15 I am Yahweh, your Holy One, the Creator of Israel, your King.”

16 This is what Yahweh says (who opened a way through the sea and a path in the mighty waters,

17 who led out the chariot and horse, the army and the mighty host. They fell down together;

they will never rise again; they are extinguished, quenched like a burning wick.)

18 “Do not think about these former things, nor consider the things of long ago.

19 Look, I am about to do a new thing; now it begins to happen; do you not perceive it?

I will make a road in the desert and streams of water in the wilderness.

20 The wild animals of the field will honor me, the jackals and the ostriches,

because I give water in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert,

for my chosen people to drink,

21 this people whom I formed for myself,

that they might recount my praises.

22 But you have not called on me, Jacob; you have become tired of me, Israel.

23 You have not brought me any of your sheep as burnt offerings,

or honored me with your sacrifices. I have not burdened you with grain offerings, nor wearied you with demands for incense.

24 You have bought me no sweet-smelling cane with money, neither have you poured out to me the fat of your sacrifices;

but you have burdened me with your sins, you have wearied me with your evil deeds.

25 I, yes, I, am he who blots out your offenses for my own sake; and I will not call to mind your sins any longer.

26 Remind me of what happened. Let us debate together; present your cause, that you may be proved innocent.

27 Your first father sinned, and your leaders have transgressed against me.

28 Therefore I will defile the holy officials; I will hand Jacob over to complete destruction, and Israel to abusive humiliation.”

44

1 Now listen, Jacob my servant, and Israel, whom I have chosen:

2 This is what Yahweh says, he who made you and formed you in the womb

and who will help you: “Do not fear, Jacob my servant; and you, Jeshurun, whom I have chosen.

3 For I will pour water on the thirsty ground, and flowing streams on the dry ground;

I will pour my Spirit on your offspring, and my blessing on your children.

4 They will spring up among the grass, like willows by the streams of water.

5 One will say, 'I belong to Yahweh,' and another will call out the name of Jacob,

and another will write on his hand 'Belonging to Yahweh,' and name himself by the name of Israel.”

6 This is what Yahweh says—the King of Israel and his Redeemer, Yahweh of hosts:

“I am the first, and I am the last; and there is no God but me.

7 Who is like me? Let him announce it and explain to me

the events that occurred since I established my ancient people, and let them declare the events to come.

8 Do not fear or be afraid. Have I not declared to you long ago, and announced it?

You are my witnesses: Is there any God besides me? There is no other Rock; I know of none.”

9 All who fashion idols are nothing; the things they delight in are worthless;

their witnesses cannot see or know anything, and they will be put to shame.

10 Who would form a god or cast an idol that is worthless?

11 Look, all his associates will be put to shame; the craftsmen are only men.

Let them take their stand together; they will cower and be put to shame.

12 The smith works with his tools, forming it, working over the coals.

He shapes it with hammers and works it with his strong arm.

He is hungry, and his strength wanes; he drinks no water and becomes faint.

13 The carpenter measures the wood with a line, and marks it with a stylus.

He shapes it with his tools and marks it out with a compass.

He shapes it after the figure of a man, like an attractive human, so it may stay in a house.

14 He cuts down cedars, or chooses a cypress tree or an oak tree.

He picks for himself trees in the forest. He plants a fir tree and the rain makes it grow.

15 Then a man uses it for a fire and warms himself. Yes, he kindles a fire and bakes bread.

Then he makes from it a god and bows down to it; he makes an idol and bows down to it.

16 He burns part of the wood for the fire, roasting his meat over it. He eats and is satisfied.

He warms himself and says, “Ah, I am warm, I have seen the fire.”

17 With the rest of the wood he makes a god, his carved image; he bows down to it and reverences it,

and prays to it saying, “Rescue me, for you are my god.”

18 They do not know, nor do they understand, for their eyes are blind and cannot see, and their hearts cannot perceive.

19 No one thinks, nor do they comprehend and say,

“I have burned part of the wood in the fire; yes, I have also baked bread upon its coals. I have roasted meat over its coals and eaten.

Now should I make the other part of the wood into something disgusting to worship? Should I bow down to a block of wood?”

20 It is as if he were eating ashes; his deceived heart misleads him. He cannot rescue himself, nor does he say, “This thing in my right hand is a false god.”

21 Think about these things, Jacob, and Israel, for you are my servant:

I have formed you; you are my servant: Israel, you will not be forgotten by me.

22 I have blotted out, like a thick cloud, your rebellious deeds, and like a cloud, your sins;

return to me, for I have redeemed you.

23 Sing, you heavens, for Yahweh has done this; shout, you depths of the earth.

Break out into singing, you mountains, you forest with every tree in it;

for Yahweh has redeemed Jacob, and will show his glory in Israel.

24 This is what Yahweh says, your Redeemer, he who formed you from the womb:

“I am Yahweh, who made everything,

who alone stretched out the heavens, who alone fashioned the earth.

25 I who frustrate the omens of the empty talkers and who disgrace those who read omens;

I who overturn the wisdom of the wise and make their advice foolish.

26 I, Yahweh, who confirmed the words of his servant and brings to pass the predictions of his messengers,

who says of Jerusalem, 'She will be inhabited,' and of the towns of Judah, 'They will be built again, and I will raise up their ruins';

27 who says to the deep sea, 'Be dry, and I will dry up your currents.'

28 Yahweh is the one who says of Cyrus, 'He is my shepherd, he will do my every wish; he will decree about Jerusalem, 'She will be rebuilt,' and about the temple, 'Let its foundations be laid.'”

45

1 This is what Yahweh says to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I hold,

in order to subdue nations before him, to disarm kings,

and to open the doors before him, so that gates remain open:

2 “I will go before you and level the mountains;

I will break in pieces the doors of bronze and cut in pieces their iron bars,

3 and I will give you the treasures of darkness and riches hidden away,

that you may know that it is I, Yahweh, who call you by your name, I, the God of Israel.

4 For Jacob my servant's sake, and Israel my chosen,

I have called you by your name, giving you a title of honor, though you have not known me.

5 I am Yahweh, and there is no other; there is no God but me.

I will arm you for battle, though you have not known me;

6 that people may know from the rising of the sun, and from the west, that there is no god but me:

I am Yahweh, and there is no other.

7 I form the light and create darkness;

I bring peace and create disaster; I am Yahweh, who does all these things.

8 You heavens, rain down from above! Let the skies rain down righteousness.

Let the earth absorb it, that salvation may sprout up,

and righteousness spring up together with it. I, Yahweh, have created them both.

9 Woe to anyone who argues with the one who formed him, to him who is like any other earthen pot among all the earthen pots in the ground!

Does the clay say to the potter, 'What are you making?' or 'Your work has no handles on it'?

10 Woe to him who says to a father, 'What are you fathering?' or to a woman, 'What are you giving birth to?'

11 This is what Yahweh says, the Holy One of Israel, his Maker:

'Why do you ask questions about what I will do for my children? Do you tell me what to do concerning the work of my hands?'

12 'I made the earth and created man on it.

It was my hands that stretched out the heavens, and I commanded all the stars to appear.

13 I stirred Cyrus up in righteousness, and I will smooth out all his paths.

He will build my city; he will let my exiled people go home, and not for price nor bribe,'” says Yahweh of hosts.

14 This is what Yahweh says,

“The earnings of Egypt and the merchandise of Cush with the Sabeans, men of tall stature,

will be brought to you. They will be yours. They will follow after you, coming in chains.

They will bow down to you and plead with you saying,

'Surely God is with you, and there is no other except him.'”

15 Truly you are a God who hides yourself, God of Israel, Savior.

16 They will all be ashamed and disgraced together; those who carve idols will walk in humiliation.

17 But Israel will be saved by Yahweh with an everlasting salvation;

you will never again be ashamed or humiliated.

18 This is what Yahweh says, who created the heavens, the true God

who created the earth and made it, who established it.

He created it, not as a waste, but designed it to be inhabited:

“I am Yahweh, and there is no other.

19 I have not spoken in private, in some hidden place;

I did not say to Jacob's descendants, 'Seek me in vain!'

I am Yahweh, who speaks sincerely; I declare the things that are right.

20 Assemble yourselves and come! Gather together, you refugees from among the nations!

They have no knowledge, those who carry carved images and pray to gods that cannot save.

21 Come close and declare it to me, bring the evidence! Let them conspire together.

Who has shown this from long ago? Who announced it?

Was it not I, Yahweh? There is no God except me, a just God and a Savior; there is no one besides me.

22 Turn to me and be saved, all the ends of the earth;

for I am God, and there is no other.

23 By myself I swear,

speaking my just decree, and it will not turn back:

'To me every knee will bend, every tongue will swear.

24 They will say of me, “In Yahweh alone are salvation and strength.”'”

They will all be ashamed who are angry at him.

25 In Yahweh all the descendants of Israel will be justified; they will take pride in him.

46

1 Bel bows down, Nebo stoops; their idols

are carried by animals and beasts of burden. These idols that you carry are a heavy burden for weary animals.

2 Together they bend low, kneel down; they cannot rescue the images,

and they themselves have gone off into captivity.

3 Listen to me, house of Jacob, all the remnant of the house of Israel,

who have been carried by me from before your birth, carried from the womb.

4 Even to your old age I am he, and until your hair is gray I will carry you.

I made you and I will bear you; I will carry you and I will rescue you.

5 To whom will you compare me? Who do you think I resemble, so that we may be compared?

6 People pour out gold from the bag and weigh silver on the scale.

They hire a metalsmith, and he makes it into a god; they bow down and worship it.

7 They lift it on their shoulder and carry it; they set it in its place, and it stands in its place and does not move from it.

They cry out to it, but it cannot answer nor save anyone from his trouble.

8 Think about these things; never ignore them, you rebels!

9 Think about the earlier things, those of times past,

for I am God, and there is no other, I am God, and there is no one like me.

10 I announce the end from the beginning, and beforehand what has not yet happened;

I say, “My plan will happen, and I will do as I desire.”

11 I call a bird of prey from the east, the man of my choice from a distant land;

yes, I have spoken; I will also accomplish it; I have purposed, I will also do it.

12 Listen to me, you stubborn people, who are far from doing what is right.

13 I am bringing my righteousness near; it is not far away, and my salvation does not wait;

and I will give salvation to Zion and my beauty to Israel.

47

1 Come down and sit in the dust, virgin daughter of Babylon;

sit on the ground without a throne, daughter of the Chaldeans.

You will no longer be called dainty and delicate.

2 Take the millstone and grind flour; remove your veil,

strip off your flowing robe, uncover your legs, cross the streams.

3 Your nakedness will be uncovered, yes, your shame will be seen:

I will take vengeance and will not spare a man.

4 Our Redeemer, Yahweh of hosts is his name, the Holy One of Israel.

5 Sit in silence and go into darkness, daughter of the Chaldeans;

for you will no longer be called queen of kingdoms.

6 I was angry with my people; I defiled my heritage

and gave them over into your hand, but you showed them no mercy;

you placed a very heavy yoke on the old people.

7 You said, “I will rule forever as sovereign queen.”

You did not take these things to heart, nor did you consider how they would turn out.

8 So now hear this, you who love pleasure and sit securely;

you who say in your heart, “I exist, and there is no one else like me;

I will never sit as a widow, nor will I ever experience loss of children.”

9 But these two things will come to you in a moment in one day:

the loss of children and widowhood; in full force they will come on you,

despite your sorceries and your many incantations and amulets.

10 You have trusted in your wickedness; you have said, “No one sees me”;

your wisdom and your knowledge lead you astray,

but you say in your heart, “I exist, and there is no one else like me.”

11 Disaster will overcome you; you will not be able to drive it away with your incantations.

Destruction will fall on you; you will not be able to ward it off.

Calamity will strike you suddenly, before you know it.

12 Persist in casting your spells and your many sorceries

which you have faithfully recited since your childhood;

perhaps you will be successful, perhaps you will scare away disaster.

13 You are tired out with your many consultations; let those men stand up

and save you—those who chart the heavens and look at the stars,

those who declare the new moons—let them save you from what will happen to you.

14 See, they will become like stubble. The fire will burn them up.

They will not save themselves from the hand of the flame.

There are no coals to warm them and no fire for them to sit by!

15 This is what they have become to you—

those with whom you have worked,

and you have bought and sold with them since your youth—

they wandered about each one in his own direction;

there is no one who can rescue you.”

48

1 Hear this, house of Jacob,

who are called by the name Israel, and have come from the sperm of Judah;

you who swear by the name of Yahweh and invoke the God of Israel,

but not sincerely nor in a righteous manner.

2 For they call themselves people of the holy city

and trust in the God of Israel. Yahweh of hosts is his name.

3 “I have declared the things from long ago; they came out from my mouth, and I made them known;

then suddenly I did them, and they came to pass.

4 Because I knew that you were obstinate,

your neck muscles tight as iron, and your forehead like bronze,

5 therefore I declared these things to you beforehand; before they happened I informed you,

so you could not say, 'My idol has done them,' or 'My carved figure and my cast metal figure has ordained these things.'

6 You heard about these things; look at all this evidence; and you, will you not admit what I said is true? From now on, I am showing you new things, hidden things that you have not known.

7 Now, and not from previously, they come into being, and before today you have not heard about them,

so you will not be able to say, 'Yes, I knew about them.'

8 You never heard; you did not know; these things were not unfolded to your ears beforehand.

For I knew that you have been very deceitful, and that you have been a rebel from birth.

9 For the sake of my name I will defer my anger, and for my honor I will hold back from destroying you.

10 Look, I refined you, but not as silver; I have purified you in the furnace of affliction.

11 For my own sake, for my own sake I will act; for how can I allow my name to be profaned?

I will not give my glory to anyone else.

12 Listen to me, Jacob, and Israel, whom I called:

I am he; I am the first, I also am the last.

13 Yes, my hand laid the foundation of the earth, and my right hand spread out the heavens;

when I call to them, they stand up together.

14 Assemble yourselves, all of you, and listen! Who among you has announced these things?

Yahweh's ally will accomplish his purpose against Babylon. He will carry out Yahweh's will against the Chaldeans.

15 I, I have spoken, yes, I have summoned him, I have brought him, and he will succeed.

16 Come near to me, listen to this:

From the beginning I have not spoken in secret; when it happens, I am there.”

Now the Lord Yahweh has sent me, and his Spirit.

17 This is what Yahweh, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel says,

“I am Yahweh your God, who teaches you how to succeed,

who leads you by the way that you should go.

18 If only you had obeyed my commandments!

Then your peace and prosperity would have flowed like a river, and your salvation like the waves of the sea.

19 Your descendants would have been as numerous as the sand, and the children from your womb as numerous as the grains of sand;

their name would not have been cut off nor blotted out from before me.

20 Come out from Babylon! Flee from the Chaldeans!

With the sound of a ringing cry announce it! Make this known, make it go out to the ends of the earth!

Say, 'Yahweh has redeemed his servant Jacob.'

21 They did not thirst when he led them through the deserts;

he made the water to flow out of the rock for them;

he split open the rock, and the waters gushed out.

22 There is no peace for the wicked—says Yahweh.”

49

1 Listen to me, you coastlands! Now give my your attention, you distant peoples.

Yahweh has called me from birth by name, when my mother brought me into the world.

2 He has made my mouth like a sharp sword; he hid me in the shadow of his hand;

he has made me into a polished arrow; in his quiver he has hidden me.

3 He said to me, “You are my servant, Israel, through whom I show my glory.”

4 But I replied, “Though I thought I have labored in vain, I have spent my energy for nothing,

yet my justice is with Yahweh, and my reward is with my God.”

5 Now Yahweh has spoken—he who formed me from birth to be his servant,

to restore Jacob again to himself, so that Israel would be gathered to him,

for I am honored in the eyes of Yahweh, and my God has become my strength—

6 and he says, “It is too small a thing for you to be my servant to reestablish the tribes of Jacob,

and to restore the survivors of Israel. I will make you a light to the Gentiles,

that you may be my salvation to the ends of the earth.”

7 This is what Yahweh says, the Redeemer of Israel, their Holy One,

to the one whose life is despised, hated by the nations, and a slave of rulers,

“Kings will see you and arise, and princes will see you and bow down,

because of Yahweh who is faithful, even the Holy One of Israel, who has chosen you.”

8 This is what Yahweh says,

“At a time I decide to show my favor I will answer you, and in a day of salvation I will help you;

I will protect you, and give you as a covenant for the people,

to rebuild the land, to reassign the desolate inheritance.

9 You will say to the prisoners, 'Come out;' to those in dark dungeons, 'Show yourselves.'

They will graze along the roads, and on all the bare slopes will be their pasture.

10 They will not be hungry or thirsty; nor will the heat or sun beat on them,

for he who has mercy on them will lead them; he will guide them to springs of water.

11 Then I will make all my mountains into a road, and make my highways level.”

12 Look, these will come from far away, some from the north and the west; and others from the land of Sinim.

13 Sing, heavens, and be joyful, earth; break into singing, you mountains!

For Yahweh comforts his people, and will have compassion on his afflicted.

14 But Zion said, “Yahweh has forsaken me, and the Lord has forgotten me.”

15 “Can a woman forget her baby, nursing at her breast, so she does not have compassion on the son she has borne?

Yes, they may forget, but I will not forget you.

16 Look, I have inscribed your name on my palms; your walls are continually before me.

17 Your children are hurrying back, while those who destroyed you are going away.

18 Look around and see, they are all gathering and coming to you.

As surely as I live—this is Yahweh's declaration—you will surely wear them like jewelry, and you will put them on like a bride.

19 Though you were a waste and desolate, a land that was in ruins,

now you will be too small for the inhabitants, and those who devoured you will be far away.

20 The children born during the time of your bereavement will say in your hearing,

'The place is too cramped for us, make room for us, so we may live here.'

21 Then you will ask yourself, 'Who has borne these children for me?

I was bereaved and barren, exiled and divorced. Who has raised these children?

Look, I was left all alone; where did these come from?'”

22 This is what the Lord Yahweh says,

“Look, I will raise my hand to the nations; I will raise my signal flag to the peoples.

They will bring your sons in their arms and carry your daughters on their shoulders.

23 Kings will be your foster fathers, and their queens your nursemaids;

they will bow down to you with their faces to the earth and lick the dust of your feet;

and you will know that I am Yahweh; those who wait for me will not be put to shame.”

24 Can the spoils be taken from the warrior, or captives be rescued from the fierce? *

25 But this is what Yahweh says,

“Yes, the captives will be taken away from the warrior, and spoils will be rescued;

for I will oppose your adversary and save your children.

26 I will feed your oppressors with their own flesh; and they will get drunk on their own blood, as if it were wine.

Then all mankind will know that I, Yahweh, am your Savior and your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob.”

50

1 This is what Yahweh says,

“Where is the certificate of divorce with which I divorced your mother?

To which of my creditors did I sell you?

Look, you were sold because of your sins, and because of your rebellion, your mother was sent away.

2 Why did I come but there was no one there? Why did I call but no one answered?

Was my hand too short to ransom you? Was there no power in me to rescue you?

Look, at my rebuke I dry up the sea; I make the rivers a desert;

their fish die for lack of water and rot.

3 I clothe the sky with darkness; I cover it with sackcloth.”

4 The Lord Yahweh has given me a tongue as one of those who are taught,

so that I speak a sustaining word to the weary one;

he wakes me morning by morning; he awakens my ear to hear like those who are taught.

5 The Lord Yahweh has opened my ear,

and I was not rebellious, nor did I turn away backward.

6 I gave my back to those who beat me, and my cheeks to those who plucked out my beard;

I did not hide my face from acts of shame and spitting.

7 For the Lord Yahweh will help me; therefore I am not disgraced;

so I have made my face like flint, for I know that I will not be put to shame.

8 He who will justify me is close by. Who will oppose me? Let us stand and confront one another.

Who is my accuser? Let him come near to me.

9 See, the Lord Yahweh will help me. Who will declare me guilty?

See, they will all wear out like a garment; the moth will eat them up.

10 Who among you fears Yahweh? Who obeys the voice of his servant?

Who walks in deep darkness without light?

He should trust in the name of Yahweh and lean on his God.

11 Look, all you who light fires, who equip yourselves with torches:

walk in the light of your fire and in the flames that you have ignited.

This is what you have received from me: You will lie down in a place of pain.

51

1 Listen to me, you who pursue righteousness, you who seek Yahweh:

look at the rock from which you were chiseled and to the quarry from which you were cut.

2 Look at Abraham, your father, and to Sarah, who bore you; for when he was a lone individual,

I called him. I blessed him and made him many.

3 Yes, Yahweh will comfort Zion; he will comfort all her waste places;

her wilderness he made like Eden, and her desert plains beside the Jordan River valley like the garden of Yahweh;

joy and gladness will be found in her, thanksgiving, and the sound of singing.

4 “Be attentive to me, my people; and listen to me, my people!

For I will issue a decree, and I will make my justice to be a light for the nations.

5 My righteousness is near; my salvation will go out, and my arm will judge the nations;

the coastlands will wait for me; for my arm they will eagerly wait.

6 Lift up your eyes to the sky, and look at the earth beneath,

for the heavens will vanish away like smoke, the earth will wear out like a garment, and its inhabitants will die like flies.

But my salvation will continue forever, and my righteousness will never stop working.

7 Listen to me, you who know what is right, you people who have my law in your heart:

Do not fear the insults of men, nor be disheartened by their abuse.

8 For the moth will eat them up like a garment, and the worm will eat them like wool;

but my righteousness will be forever, and my salvation to all generations.”

9 Awake, awake, clothe yourself with strength, arm of Yahweh.

Awake as in the days of old, the generations of ancient times.

Is it not you who crushed Rahab, you who pierced the monster?

10 Did you not dry up the sea, the waters of the great deep,

and make the depths of the sea into a way for the redeemed to pass through?

11 The ransomed of Yahweh will return and come to Zion with cries of joy

and with gladness forever on their heads; and gladness and joy will overtake them, and sorrow and mourning will flee away.

12 “I, I, am he who comforts you.

Why are you afraid of men, who will die, the sons of mankind, who are made like grass?

13 Why have you forgotten Yahweh your Maker, who stretched out the heavens

and laid the foundations of the earth? You are in constant dread every day

because of the hot fury of the oppressor when he decides to destroy. Where is the fury of the oppressor?

14 The one who is bent down, Yahweh will hurry to release; he will not die and go down to the pit, nor will he lack bread.

15 For I am Yahweh your God, who churns up the sea so that its waves roar—Yahweh of hosts is his name.

16 I have placed my words in your mouth, and I have covered you in the shadow of my hand,

that I may plant the heavens, lay the foundations of the earth, and say to Zion, 'You are my people.'”

17 Awake, awake, stand up, Jerusalem,

you who have drunk out of the hand of Yahweh from the bowl of his anger;

you who have drunk out of the bowl, down to the dregs from the cup of staggering.

18 There is no one among all the sons she has born to guide her;

there is no one among all the sons that she has raised to take her by the hand.

19 These two troubles happened to you—who will grieve with you?—

desolation and destruction, and the famine and the sword. Who will comfort you? *

20 Your sons have fainted; they lie at every street corner, like an antelope in a net;

they are filled with the anger of Yahweh, the rebuke of your God.

21 But now hear this, you oppressed one and drunken one, but not drunk with wine:

22 Your Lord Yahweh, your God, who pleads the cause of his people, says this,

“See, I have taken the cup of staggering from your hand—

the bowl, which is the cup of my anger—so that you will not drink it again.

23 I will put it into the hand of your tormentors, those who have said to you, 'Lie down, that we may walk over you';

you made your back like the ground and like the street for them to walk on.”

52

1 Awake, awake, put on your strength, Zion;

put on your beautiful garments, Jerusalem, holy city;

for never again will the uncircumcised or the unclean enter you.

2 Shake yourself off from the dust; arise and sit, Jerusalem;

take off the chain from your neck, captive, daughter of Zion.

3 For this is what Yahweh says, “You were sold for nothing, and you will be redeemed without money.”

4 For this is what the Lord Yahweh says, “In the beginning my people went down to live temporarily in Egypt; and Assyria has oppressed them for no good reason.

5 Now what do I have here—this is Yahweh's declaration—seeing that my people are taken away for nothing? Those who rule over them mock—this is Yahweh's declaration—and my name is blasphemed continually all day long. *

6 Therefore my people will know my name;

they will know in that day that I am the one who says, “Yes, it is I!”

7 How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of the messenger who brings good news,

who announces peace, who bears good tidings, who announces salvation,

who says to Zion, “Your God reigns!”

8 Listen, your watchmen raise their voices, together they shout for joy,

for they will see, every eye of theirs, Yahweh's return to Zion.

9 Break out into joyful singing together, you ruins of Jerusalem;

for Yahweh has comforted his people; he has redeemed Jerusalem.

10 Yahweh has bared his holy arm in the sight of all the nations;

all the earth will see the salvation of our God.

11 Leave, leave, go out from there; touch nothing unclean;

leave from her midst; purify yourselves, you who carry the vessels of Yahweh.

12 For you will not go out in a rush, nor will you leave in a panic;

for Yahweh will go before you; and the God of Israel will be your rearguard.

13 Look, my servant will act wisely;

he will be high and lifted up, and he will be exalted.

14 As many were horrified at you—

his appearance was so disfigured beyond that of any man, and his form no longer looked like anything human.

15 Even so, my servant will sprinkle many nations and kings will shut their mouths because of him.

For that which they had not been told, they will see, and that which they had not heard, they will understand.

53

1 Who has believed what they heard from us, and to whom has the arm of Yahweh been revealed?

2 For he grew up before Yahweh like a sapling, and like a sprout out of parched earth;

he had no remarkable appearance or splendor; when we saw him, there was no beauty to attract us.

3 He was despised and rejected by people; a man of sorrows, and one familiar with pain.

Like one from whom men hide their faces, he was despised; and we considered him insignificant.

4 But surely he has borne our sicknesses and carried our sorrows;

yet we thought he was being punished by God, struck by God, and afflicted.

5 But he was pierced because of our rebellious deeds; he was crushed because of our sins.

The punishment for our peace was on him, and with his wounds we are healed.

6 We all like sheep have gone astray; we have each turned to his own way,

and Yahweh has placed on him the iniquity of us all.

7 He was oppressed; yet when he humbled himself, he did not open his mouth;

as a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and as a sheep that before its shearers is silent,

so he did not open his mouth.

8 By coercion and judgment he was condemned; who from that generation thought anymore about him?

But he was cut off from the land of the living; because of the offenses of my people the penalty was put on him.

9 They placed his grave with the criminals, with a rich man in his death,

although he had done no violence, nor had there been any deceit in his mouth.

10 Yet it was Yahweh's will to crush him and make him ill. When he makes his life an offering for sin,

he will see his offspring, he will prolong his days, and Yahweh's purpose will be accomplished through him.

11 After the suffering of his life, he will see light and be satisfied by his knowledge. *

My righteous servant will justify many; he will bear their iniquities. †

12 Therefore will I give him his portion among the multitudes, and he will divide the spoils with the many,

because he exposed himself to death and was numbered with the transgressors.

He bore the sin of many and made intercession for the transgressors.

54

1 “Sing, you barren woman, you who have not given birth; break into joyful singing and cry aloud, you who have never been in birth labor.

For the children of the desolate one are more than the children of the married woman,” says Yahweh.

2 “Make your tent larger and spread your tent curtains farther out, unsparingly;

lengthen your ropes and strengthen your stakes.

3 For you will spread out to the right hand and to the left,

and your descendants will conquer nations and resettle desolate cities.

4 Do not fear for you will not be ashamed, nor be discouraged for you will not be disgraced;

you will forget the shame of your youth and the disgrace of your abandonment. 5 For your Maker is your husband; Yahweh of hosts is his name.

The Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer; he is called the God of the whole earth.

6 For Yahweh has called you back as a wife abandoned and grieved in spirit,

like a woman married young and rejected,” says your God.

7 “For a short time I abandoned you, but with great compassion I will gather you.

8 In a flood of anger I hid my face from you momentarily;

but with everlasting covenant faithfulness I will have mercy on you—

says Yahweh, the one who rescues you.

9 For this is like the waters of Noah to me:

as I swore that the waters of Noah would never again pass over the earth,

so have I sworn that I will not be angry with you or rebuke you.

10 Though the mountains may fall and the hills be shaken,

yet my steadfast love will not turn away from you, nor will my covenant of peace be shaken—

says Yahweh, who has mercy on you.

11 Afflicted one, storm-driven and uncomforted one,

look, I will set your pavement in turquoise, and lay your foundations with sapphires.

12 I will make your pinnacles of rubies and your gates of sparkling stones,

and your outer wall of beautiful stones.

13 Then all your children will be taught by Yahweh;

and the peace of your children will be great.

14 In righteousness you will be established, and you will be far from oppression, for you will not fear; and from terror, for it will not come near to you.

15 Look, if anyone stirs up trouble, it will not be from me; anyone who stirs up trouble with you will fall in defeat.

16 See, I have created the craftsman, who blows the burning coals

and forges weapons as his work, and I have created the destroyer to destroy.

17 No weapon that is formed against you will succeed;

and you will condemn everyone who accuses you.

This is the heritage of the servants of Yahweh, and their vindication from me—this is Yahweh's declaration.”

55

1 “Come, everyone who is thirsty, come to the water,

and you who have no money, come, buy and eat!

Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost.

2 Why do you weigh out silver for what is not bread, and why do you labor for what does not satisfy?

Listen carefully to me and eat what is good, and delight yourselves in fatness.

3 Turn your ears and come to me! Listen, that you may live!

I will make an everlasting covenant with you—my reliable, faithful love that I promised to David.

4 Look, I have placed him as a witness to the nations, as a leader and commander to the peoples.

5 Look, you will call to a nation that you did not know; and a nation that did not know you will run to you

because of Yahweh your God, the Holy One of Israel, who has glorified you.”

6 Seek Yahweh while he may be found; call on him while he is nearby.

7 Let the wicked leave his path, and the man of sin his thoughts.

Let him return to Yahweh, and he will pity him, and to our God, who will abundantly forgive him.

8 “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways—this is Yahweh's declaration—

9 for as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.

10 For as the rain and snow come down from heaven

and do not return there unless they saturate the earth

and make it produce and sprout and give seed to the farmer who sows and bread to the eater,

11 so also my word will be that goes from my mouth—it will not return to me empty,

but it will achieve the purpose for which I sent it.

12 For you will go out in joy and be led along peacefully;

the mountains and the hills will break out in joyful shouts before you, and all the trees of the fields will clap their hands.

13 Instead of the thornbushes, the cypress will grow; and instead of the brier, the myrtle tree will grow,

and it will be for Yahweh, for his name, as an everlasting sign that will not be cut off.”

56

1 This is what Yahweh says, “Observe what is right, do what is just;

for my salvation is near, and my righteousness is about to be revealed.

2 Blessed is the man that does this, and who holds it tightly.

He observes the Sabbath, not defiling it, and keeps his hand from doing any evil.”

3 Let no foreigner who has become a follower of Yahweh say,

“Yahweh will certainly exclude me from his people.”

The eunuch should not say, “See, I am a dry tree.”

4 For this is what Yahweh says, “To the eunuchs who observe my Sabbaths

and choose what pleases me, and hold fast my covenant,

5 to them I will set up in my house and within my walls a monument that is better than having sons and of daughters.

I will give them an everlasting monument that will never be cut off.

6 Also foreigners who join themselves to Yahweh—

to serve him, and who love the name of Yahweh, to worship him,

every one who observes the Sabbath and who keeps from defiling it, and who holds fast my covenant

7 —I will bring to my holy mountain and make them joyful in my house of prayer;

their burnt offerings and their sacrifices will be accepted on my altar.

For my house will be called a house of prayer for all nations,

8 this is the declaration of the Lord Yahweh, who gathers the outcasts of Israel—

I will still gather others in addition to them.”

9 All you wild beasts of the field, come and devour, all you beasts in the forest!

10 All their watchmen are blind, they do not understand.

They are all silent dogs who cannot bark.

They dream, and lying down they love to sleep.

11 The dogs have big appetites; they can never get enough;

they are shepherds without discernment;

they have all turned to their own way, each one covetous for unjust gain.

12 “Come,” they say, “let us drink wine and liquor.

Tomorrow will be like today, a day great beyond measure.”

57

1 The righteous perish, but no one considers it,

and the people of covenant faithfulness are gathered away, but no one understands

that the righteous is gathered away from the evil.

2 He enters into peace;

they rest in their beds, those who walk in their uprightness.

3 But come here, you sons of the sorceress,

children of the adulterer and the woman who has prostituted herself.

4 Whom are you merrily mocking?

Against whom are you opening the mouth and sticking out the tongue?

Are you not children of rebellion, children of deceit?

5 You heat yourselves up sleeping together under the oaks, under every green tree,

you who kill your children in the dry riverbeds, under the rocky overhangs.

6 Among the smooth things of the river valley are the things that have been assigned to you. They are the object of your devotion.

You pour out your drink offering to them and raise up a grain offering. In these things should I take pleasure?

7 You prepared your bed on a high mountain;

you also went up there to offer sacrifices.

8 Behind the door and the doorposts you set up your symbols;

you deserted me, made yourselves naked, and went up; you made your bed wide.

You made a covenant with them; you loved their beds; you saw their private parts.

9 You went to Molech with oil; you multiplied perfumes. *

You send your ambassadors far away; you went down to Sheol.

10 You were tired from your long journey, but you never said, “It is hopeless.”

You found life in your hand; therefore you did not weaken.

11 “Whom are you worried about? Whom do you fear so much that has caused you to act so deceitfully,

so much that you would not remember me or think about me?

Because I was silent for so long, you are no longer afraid of me.

12 I will proclaim all your righteous acts and tell all that you have done,

but they will not help you.

13 When you cry out, let your collection of idols rescue you.

Instead the wind will carry them all away, a breath will carry them all away.

Yet he who takes refuge in me will inherit the land and will take possession of my holy mountain.

14 He will say,

'Build, build! Clear a way! Remove all the stumbling blocks from the path of my people!'”

15 For this is what the high and elevated One says, who lives eternally, whose name is holy,

“I live in the exalted and holy place, with him also that is of a crushed and humble spirit,

to revive the spirit of the humble ones, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones.

16 For I will not accuse forever, nor will I be angry forever,

for then man's spirit would faint before me, the lives that I have made.

17 Because of the sin of his violent gain, I was angry, and I punished him; I hid my face and was angry,

but he went backward in the way of his heart.

18 I have seen his ways,

but I will heal him. I will lead him and comfort and console those who mourn for him,

19 and I create the fruit of the lips. Peace, peace, to those who are far off and to those who are near—says Yahweh—I will heal them.

20 But the wicked are like the tossing sea, which cannot rest,

and its waters churn up mire and mud.

21 There is no peace for the wicked one—says God.”

58

1 “Cry loudly; do not hold back. Lift up your voice like a trumpet.

Confront my people with their rebellion, and the house of Jacob with their sins.

2 Yet they seek me daily and delight in the knowledge of my ways,

like a nation that practiced righteousness and did not abandon the law of their God.

They ask me for righteous judgments; they take pleasure in the thought of God coming near.

3 'Why have we fasted,' they say, 'but you do not see it? Why have we humbled ourselves, but you do not notice?'

Look, on the day of your fast you find your own pleasure and oppress all your laborers.

4 Look, you fast to quarrel and fight, and to hit with your fist of wickedness;

you do not fast today to make your voice heard above.

5 Is this really the kind of fast that I would want: A day for anybody to humble himself,

for him to bow down his head like a reed, and to spread sackcloth and ashes under himself?

Do you really call this a fast, a day that pleases Yahweh?

6 Is not this the fast that I choose:

To release wicked bonds, to undo the ropes of the yoke,

to set the crushed ones free, and to break every yoke?

7 Is it not to break your bread with the hungry and to bring the poor and homeless into your house?”

When you see someone naked, you should clothe him; and you should not hide yourself from your own relatives.

8 Then your light would be broken open like the sunrise, and your healing would quickly sprout up;

your righteousness would go before you, and the glory of Yahweh would be your rearguard.

9 Then you would call, and Yahweh would answer; you would cry out for help, and he would say, “Here I am.”

If you take away from among yourselves the yoke, the accusing finger, and the speech of wickedness,

10 if you yourselves provide for the hungry and satisfy the need of the distressed;

then your light will rise in the darkness, and your darkness will be like the noonday.

11 Then Yahweh will lead you continually and satisfy you in regions where there is no water,

and he will strengthen your bones. You will be like a watered garden,

and like a spring of water, whose waters never fail.

12 Some of you will rebuild the ancient ruins; you will raise up the ruins of many generations;

you will be called “The repairer of the wall,” “The restorer of streets to live on.”

13 Suppose that you turn back your feet from traveling on the Sabbath day, and from doing your own pleasure on my holy day.

Suppose that you call the Sabbath a delight, and that you call the matters of Yahweh holy and honored.

Suppose that you honor the Sabbath by leaving your own business, and by not finding your own pleasure and by not speaking your own words.

14 “Then you will find delight in Yahweh; and I will make you ride on the heights of the earth;

I will feed you from the inheritance of Jacob your father—for the mouth of Yahweh has spoken.”

59

1 Look, Yahweh's hand is not so short that it cannot save; nor his ear so dull, that it cannot hear.

2 Your sinful acts, however, have separated you from your God,

and your sins have made him hide his face from you and from hearing you.

3 For your hands are stained with blood and your fingers with sin.

Your lips speak lies and your tongue speaks maliciously.

4 No one calls in righteousness, and none pleads his case in truth.

They trust in empty words, and tell lies; they conceive trouble and give birth to sin.

5 They hatch eggs of a poisonous snake and weave a spider's web.

Whoever eats of their eggs dies, and if an egg is crushed, it hatches into a poisonous snake.

6 Their webs cannot be used for garments, nor can they cover themselves with their works.

Their works are works of sin, and deeds of violence are in their hands.

7 Their feet run to evil, and they run to pour out innocent blood.

Their thoughts are thoughts of sin; violence and destruction are their roads.

8 The way of peace they do not know, and there is no justice in their paths.

They have made crooked paths; whoever travels these paths does not know peace.

9 Therefore justice is far from us, nor does righteousness reach us.

We wait for light, but see darkness; we look for brightness, but we walk in darkness.

10 We grope for the wall like the blind, like those who cannot see.

We stumble at noonday as in the twilight; among the strong we are like dead men.

11 We growl like bears and moan like doves;

we wait for justice, but there is none; for rescue, but it is far from us.

12 For our many transgressions are before you, and our sins testify against us;

for our transgressions are with us, and we know our sins.

13 We have rebelled, denying Yahweh and turning away from following our God.

We have spoken extortion and turning aside, conceived complaining from the heart and words of lying.

14 Justice is driven back, and righteousness stands far off;

for truth stumbles in the public square, and right cannot come.

15 Trustworthiness has gone away, and he who turns away from evil makes himself a victim.

Yahweh saw it and was displeased that there was no justice.

16 He saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no one to intervene.

Therefore his own arm brought salvation for him, and his righteousness sustained him.

17 He put on righteousness as a breastplate and a helmet of salvation upon his head.

He clothed himself with garments of vengeance and wore zeal as a mantle.

18 He repaid them for what they had done, angry judgment to his adversaries, vengeance to his enemies, to the islands punishment as their reward.

19 So they will fear the name of Yahweh from the west, and his glory from the sun's rising; for he will come as a rushing stream, driven by the breath of Yahweh.

20 “A redeemer will come to Zion and to those who turn from their rebellious deeds in Jacob—this is Yahweh's declaration. 21 As for me, this is my covenant with them—says Yahweh—my spirit who is upon you, and my words which I have put in your mouth, will not leave your mouth, or go out of the mouth of your children, or go out of the mouth of your children's children—says Yahweh—from this time and forever.”

60

1 Arise, shine; for your light has come, and the glory of Yahweh has risen on you.

2 Though darkness will cover the earth, and thick darkness the nations;

yet Yahweh will arise upon you, and his glory will be seen on you.

3 Nations will come to your light, and kings to your bright light that is rising.

4 Look all around and see. They all gather themselves together and come to you.

Your sons will come from far, and your daughters will be carried in their arms.

5 Then you will look and be radiant, and your heart shall rejoice and overflow,

because the abundance of the sea will be poured out to you, the wealth of the nations will come to you.

6 Camel caravans will cover you, the dromedaries of Midian and Ephah;

all of them will come from Sheba;

they will bring gold and frankincense, and will sing the praises of Yahweh.

7 All the flocks of Kedar will be gathered together to you, the rams of Nebaioth will serve your needs;

they will be acceptable offerings on my altar; and I will glorify my glorious house.

8 Who are these who fly along like a cloud, and like the doves to their shelters?

9 The coastlands look for me, and the ships of Tarshish lead,

to bring your sons from far, their silver and their gold with them,

for the name of Yahweh your God, and for the Holy One of Israel, because he has honored you.

10 Sons of foreigners will rebuild your walls, and their kings will serve you;

though in my wrath I punished you, yet in my favor I will have compassion on you.

11 Your gates also will remain open continually; they will not be shut day or night,

so that the wealth of the nations may be brought, with their kings being led.

12 Indeed, nations and kingdoms that will not serve you will perish; those nations will be completely destroyed.

13 The glory of Lebanon will come to you, the cypress tree, the fir, and the cypress box tree together,

to beautify my sanctuary; and I will glorify the place of my feet.

14 They will come to you to bow down, the sons of those who humbled you; they will bow at your feet;

they will call you The City of Yahweh, Zion of the Holy One of Israel.

15 Instead of you remaining abandoned and hated, with no one passing through you,

I will make you a thing of pride forever, a joy from generation to generation.

16 You will also drink the milk of the nations, and will nurse at the breast of kings;

you will know that I, Yahweh, am your Savior and your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob. 17 Instead of bronze I will bring gold, instead of iron I will bring silver;

instead of wood, bronze, and instead of stones, iron. I will appoint peace as your governors, and justice your rulers.

18 Violence will no longer be heard in your land, or devastation nor shattering within your borders;

but you will call your walls Salvation, and your gates Praise.

19 The sun will no longer be your light by day,

nor will the brightness of the moon shine on you;

but Yahweh will be your everlasting light, and your God your glory.

20 Your sun will no longer set, nor will your moon withdraw and disappear;

for Yahweh will be your everlasting light, and the days of your mourning will be ended.

21 All your people will be righteous; they will take possession of the land for all time,

the branch of my planting, the work of my hands, that I may be glorified.

22 The little one shall become a thousand, and the small one a strong nation;

I, Yahweh, will swiftly accomplish these things when the time comes.

61

1 The Spirit of the Lord Yahweh is on me, because Yahweh has anointed me

to proclaim good news to the afflicted. He has sent me to heal the brokenhearted,

to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison for those who are bound.

2 He has sent me to proclaim the year of Yahweh's favor,

the day of vengeance of our God,

and to comfort all who mourn.

3 He has sent me—to give to those who mourn in Zion—to give them a turban instead of ashes,

oil of joy instead of mourning, a mantle of praise in place of a spirit of dullness,

to call them oaks of righteousness, the planting of Yahweh, that he may be glorified.

4 They will rebuild the ancient ruins; they will restore the former desolations.

They will restore the ruined cities, the desolations from many former generations.

5 Foreigners will stand and feed your flocks, and sons of foreigners will work your fields and vineyards.

6 You will be called the priests of Yahweh; they will call you servants of our God.

You will eat the wealth of the nations, and you will boast in their riches.

7 Instead of your shame you will have double; and instead of dishonor they will rejoice over their share.

So they will have a double share of their land; everlasting joy will be theirs.

8 For I, Yahweh, love justice, and I hate robbery and violent injustice.

I will faithfully repay them, and I will make an everlasting covenant with them.

9 Their descendants will be known among the nations, and their offspring among the peoples.

All who see them will acknowledge them, that they are the people whom Yahweh has blessed.

10 I will greatly rejoice in Yahweh; in my God I will be very glad.

For he has clothed me with the garments of salvation; he has clothed me with the robe of righteousness,

as a bridegroom adorns himself with a turban, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.

11 For as the earth produces its sprouting plants, and as the garden makes its planting grow,

so the Lord Yahweh will cause righteousness and praise to sprout up in front of all the nations.

62

1 For Zion's sake I will not be silent, and for Jerusalem's sake I will not be quiet,

until her righteousness proceeds brightly, and her salvation as a burning torch.

2 The nations will see your righteousness, and all kings your glory.

You will be called by a new name that Yahweh will choose.

3 You will also be a crown of beauty in the hand of Yahweh, and a turban of kingship in the hand of your God.

4 It will no more be said of you, “Abandoned”; nor of your land any longer will it be said, “Desolate.”

Indeed, you will be called “My delight is in her,” and your land “Married,”

for Yahweh delights in you, and your land will be married.

5 Truly, as a young man marries a young woman, so your sons will marry you,

and as a bridegroom rejoices over his bride, your God will rejoice over you.

6 I have put watchmen on your walls, Jerusalem;

they are not silent day or night.

You who keep reminding Yahweh, do not pause.

7 Do not allow him to rest until he reestablishes

Jerusalem and makes it a praise on earth.

8 Yahweh has sworn by his right hand and by the arm of his strength,

“Surely I will no longer give your grain as food for your enemies.

Foreigners will not drink your new wine, for which you have worked.

9 For those who harvest the grain will eat it and praise Yahweh,

and those who pick the grapes will drink the wine in the courts of my holy sanctuary.”

10 Come through, come through the gates! Prepare the way for the people!

Build it, build the highway! Gather out the stones!

Raise up a signal flag for the nations!

11 Look, Yahweh announces to the ends of the earth,

“Say to the daughter of Zion: Look, your Savior is coming!

See, his reward is with him, and his recompense is going before him.”

12 They will call you, “The holy people; the redeemed of Yahweh,” and you will be called “Sought after; a city not abandoned.”

63

1 Who is this who comes from Edom, clothed in red from Bozrah?

Who is he in royal clothing, marching confidently because of his great strength?

It is I, speaking righteousness and powerfully able to save.

2 Why are your clothes red, and why do they look like you have been treading grapes in a winepress?

3 I have trodden grapes in the winepress alone, and no one from the nations joined me.

I trod them in my anger and trampled them in my fury.

Their blood is spattered on my clothes and stained all my clothes.

4 For I looked forward to the day of vengeance, and the year for my redemption had arrived.

5 I looked, and there was no one to help. I wondered that there was none to help,

but my own arm brought victory for me, and my strong anger drove me on.

6 I trampled down the peoples in my anger and made them drunk in my wrath,

and I poured out their blood on the earth.

7 I will tell of the acts of Yahweh's covenant faithfulness, the praiseworthy deeds of Yahweh.

I will tell of all that Yahweh has done for us, and of his great goodness to the house of Israel.

This compassion he has shown us because of his mercy, and with many deeds of covenant faithfulness.

8 For he said, “For certain they are my people, children who are not disloyal.”

He became their Savior.

9 Through all their suffering,

he suffered too, and the angel from his presence saved them.

In his love and mercy he saved them,

and he lifted them up and carried them through all the ancient times.

10 But they rebelled and grieved his Holy Spirit.

So he became their enemy and fought against them.

11 His people thought about the ancient times of Moses.

They said, “Where is God, who brought them up out of the sea with the shepherds of his flock?

Where is God, who put his Holy Spirit among them?

12 Where is God, who made his glorious power go with the right hand of Moses,

and divided the water before them, to make an everlasting name for himself?

13 Where is God, who led them through the deep water? Like a horse running on flat land, they did not stumble.

14 As the cattle that go down into the valley, the Spirit of Yahweh gave them rest.

So you led your people, to make yourself a name of praise.

15 Look down from heaven and take notice from your holy and glorious habitation.

Where are your zeal and your mighty acts?

Your pity and your compassionate actions are kept from us.

16 For you are our father,

though Abraham does not know us, and Israel does not recognize us,

you, Yahweh, are our father. 'Our Redeemer' has been your name from ancient times.

17 Yahweh, why do you make us wander from your ways and harden our hearts, so we do not obey you?

Return for your servants' sake, the tribes of your inheritance.

18 Your people possessed your holy place for a short time, but then our enemies trampled it.

19 We have become like those over whom you never ruled, like those who were never called by your name.”

64

1 “Oh, if you had split open the heavens and come down! The mountains would have shaken at your presence,

2 as when fire kindles the brushwood, or the fire makes water boil.

Oh, that your name would be known by your adversaries, that the nations would tremble at your presence!

3 Previously, when you did marvelous things that we had not expected, you came down, and the mountains trembled at your presence.

4 Since ancient times no one has heard or perceived,

nor eye seen any God besides you, who does things for him who waits for him.

5 You come to help those who rejoice in doing what is right, those who call to mind your ways and obey them.

You were angry when we sinned. In your ways we will always be rescued.

6 For we have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a menstrual rag.

We have all withered like leaves; our iniquities, like the wind, carry us away.

7 There are none who calls on your name, who makes an effort to take hold of you.

For you have hidden your face from us and made us waste away in the hand of our iniquities.

8 Yet, Yahweh, you are our father;

we are the clay. You are our potter; and we all are the work of your hand.

9 Be not too angry, Yahweh, nor always call to mind against us our sins.

Please look at us all, your people.

10 Your holy cities have become a wilderness;

Zion has become a wilderness, Jerusalem a desolation.

11 Our holy and beautiful temple, where our fathers praised you,

has been destroyed by fire, and all that was so dear is in ruins.

12 How can you still hold back, Yahweh? How can you remain silent and continue to humiliate us?”

65

1 “I was ready to be sought out by those who did not ask; I was ready to be found by those who did not seek.

I said, 'Here I am! Here I am!' to a nation that did not call on my name.

2 I have spread out my hands all day to a stubborn people,

who walk in a way that is not good, who have walked after their own thoughts and plans!

3 They are a people who continually offend me,

offering sacrifices in gardens, and burning incense on brick tiles.

4 They sit among the graves and keep watch all night,

and eat pork with the broth of foul meat in their dishes.

5 They say, 'Stand away, do not come near to me, for I am holier than you.'

These things are smoke in my nose, a fire that burns all day long.

6 Look, it is written before me:

I will not keep quiet, for I will pay them back; I will repay them into their laps,

7 for their sins and the sins of their fathers together,” says Yahweh.

“I will repay them for burning incense on the mountains and for mocking me on the hills.

I will therefore measure out their past deeds into their laps.”

8 This is what Yahweh says, “As when juice is found in a cluster of grapes,

when one says, 'Do not ruin it, for there is good in it,'

this is what I will do for my servants' sake: I will not ruin them all.

9 I will bring descendants from Jacob, and from Judah ones who will possess my mountains.

My chosen ones will possess the land, and my servants will live there.

10 Sharon will become a pasture for the flocks, and the Valley of Achor a resting place for herds,

for my people who seek me.

11 But you who abandon Yahweh, who forget my holy mountain,

who prepare a table for Fortune,

and fill wine glasses of mixed wine for Destiny.

12 I will appoint you for the sword, and you will all bow down to the slaughter,

because when I called, you did not answer; when I spoke, you did not listen.

But you did what was evil in my sight and and chose to do what displeases me.”

13 This is what the Lord Yahweh says,

“Look, my servants will eat, but you will be hungry;

look, my servants will drink, but you will be thirsty;

look, my servants will rejoice, but you will be put to shame.

14 Look, my servants will shout with joy because of gladness of heart,

but you will cry because of the pain of the heart, and will wail because of the crushing of the spirit.

15 You will leave behind your name as a curse for my chosen ones to speak; I, the Lord Yahweh, will kill you;

I will call my servants by another name.

16 Whoever pronounces a blessing on the earth will be blessed by me, the God of truth.

Whoever takes an oath on the earth will swear by me, the God of truth,

because the former troubles will be forgotten, for they will be hidden from my eyes.

17 For see, I am about to create new heavens and a new earth;

and the former things will not be remembered or be brought to mind.

18 But you will be glad and rejoice forever in what I am about to create. See, I am about to create Jerusalem as a joy, and her people as a delight.

19 I will rejoice over Jerusalem and be glad over my people;

weeping and cries of distress will no longer be heard in her.

20 Never again will an infant live there only a few days;

nor will an old man die before his time.

One who dies at one hundred years old will be considered a young person.

Anyone who fails to reach the age of one hundred years old will be considered cursed.

21 They will build houses and inhabit them, and they will plant vineyards and eat their fruit.

22 No longer will they build a house and another live in it; they will not plant, and another eat;

for as the days of trees will be the days of my people. My chosen will fully outlive the work of their hands.

23 They will not labor in vain, nor give birth to dismay.

For they are the children of those blessed by Yahweh, and their descendants with them.

24 Before they call, I will answer; and while they are still speaking, I will hear.

25 The wolf and the lamb will graze together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox;

but dust will be the serpent's food.

They will no longer hurt nor destroy on all my holy mountain,” says Yahweh.

66

1 This is what Yahweh says,

“Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool. Where then is the house you will build for me? Where is the place where I may rest?

2 My hand has made all these things; that is how these things came to be—this is Yahweh's declaration.

This is the man of whom I approve, the broken and contrite in spirit, and who trembles at my word.

3 He who slaughters an ox also murders a man; he who sacrifices a lamb also breaks a dog's neck;

he who offers a grain offering offers swine's blood; he who offers a memorial of incense also blesses wickedness.

They have chosen their own ways, and they take pleasure in their abominations.

4 In the same way I will choose their own punishment; I will bring on them what they fear,

because when I called, no one answered; when I spoke, no one listened.

They did what was evil in my sight, and chose to do what displeases me.”

5 Hear the word of Yahweh, you who tremble at his word,

“Your brothers who hate and exclude you for my name's sake have said,

'May Yahweh be glorified, then we will see your joy,'

but they will be put to shame.

6 A sound of battle tumult comes from the city, a sound from the temple,

the sound of Yahweh paying back his enemies.

7 Before she goes into labor, she gives birth;

before pain is upon her, she gave birth to a son.

8 Who has heard of such a thing? Who has seen such things?

Will a land be born in one day? Can a nation be established in one moment?

Yet as soon as Zion goes into labor, she gives birth to her children. 9 Do I bring a baby to the birth opening and not permit the child to be born?—asks Yahweh.

Or do I bring a child to moment of delivery and then hold it back?—asks your God.”

10 Rejoice with Jerusalem and be glad for her, all you who love her;

rejoice with her, all you who mourned over her!

11 For you will nurse and be satisfied; with her breasts you will be comforted;

for you will drink them to the full and be delighted with the abundance of her glory.

12 This is what Yahweh says,

“I am about to spread prosperity over her like a river,

and the riches of the nations like an overflowing stream.

You will nurse at her side, be carried in her arms, and be dandled on her knees.

13 As a mother comforts her child, so I will comfort you, and you will be comforted in Jerusalem.”

14 You will see this, and your heart will rejoice, and your bones will sprout like the tender grass.

The hand of Yahweh will be made known to his servants, but he will show his anger against his enemies.

15 For look, Yahweh is coming with fire, and his chariots are coming like the windstorm

to bring the heat of his anger and his rebuke with flames of fire.

16 For Yahweh executes judgment on mankind by fire and with his sword. Those killed by Yahweh will be many.

17 They consecrate themselves and make themselves pure, so they may enter the gardens, following the one in the middle of those who

eat the flesh of pig and abominable things like mice. *

“They will come to an end—this is Yahweh's declaration.

18 For I know their deeds and their thoughts. The time is coming when I will gather all nations and languages. They will come and will see my glory. † 19 I will set a mighty sign among them. Then I will send survivors from them to the nations: To Tarshish, Put, and Lud, archers who draw their bows, to Tubal, Javan, and to the distant coastlands where they have not heard about me nor seen my glory. They will proclaim my glory among the nations. 20 They will bring back all your brothers out of all the nations, as an offering to Yahweh. They will come on horses, and in chariots, in wagons, on mules, and on camels, to my holy mountain Jerusalem—says Yahweh. For the people of Israel will bring a grain offering in a clean vessel into the house of Yahweh.

21 Some of these I will even choose as priests and Levites—says Yahweh.

22 For just as the new heavens and the new earth that I will make

will remain before me—this is Yahweh's declaration—so your descendants will remain, and your name will remain.

23 From one month to the next, and from one Sabbath to the next,

all people will come to bow down to me—says Yahweh.

24 They will go out and see the dead bodies of the men who have rebelled against me,

for the worms that eat them will not die, and the fire that consumes them will not be quenched;

and it will be an abhorrence to all flesh.”

* 1:17 Instead of make straight the oppression , some versions have help the oppressed .

* 5:17 Some modern versions have and in the ruins of the rich, lambs will graze .

* 7:2 Instead of that Aram was allied with Ephraim , some versions have that Aram had camped in Ephraim .

† 7:10 Instead of The Lord spoke , some versions have Yahweh spoke .

‡ 7:14 Instead of the young woman , some versions have a young woman .

* 9:2 Instead of the shadow of death , some versions have darkness .

† 9:20 Instead of the flesh of his own arm , some versions have the flesh of his own children .

* 10:27 The last line of this verse is difficult because it does not seem to fit the context. Some modern versions leave out because of fatness . Other modern versions have and the yoke will be destroyed from off your neck. He has gone up from Rimmon . Here He means the Assyrian king and his army.

* 14:4 Instead of the proud fury ended , some versions have the golden city ended , the turmoil ended , the hostility ended , or the arrogance ended .

* 19:13 Instead of Memphis , some versions have Noph , the Hebrew name for the same city in Egypt.

† 19:18 Instead of The City of the Sun , which probably refers to the Egyptian city of Heliopolis, some ancient and modern versions have The City of Destruction .

* 21:8 Instead of The watchman cries out , some older versions have A lion cries out .

* 23:1 Instead of Cyprus , some modern versions keep Kittim , the Hebrew name for this island.

† 23:2 Some ancient and modern versions have Be silent, you inhabitants of the coast; the merchants of Sidon, who travel over the sea, have filled you or Be silent, you inhabitants of the coast and you merchants of Sidon, whom those who travel over the sea have filled .

‡ 23:10 Instead of Plow your land , some versions have Pass through your land or Overflow your land .

* 26:16 This difficult verse has many different translations among modern versions.

* 27:8 Instead of In exact measure , many modern versions have an idea similar to By driving them away .

* 28:25 The identification of some of these spices is in doubt, so versions have a variety of translations. In addition, some versions give different interpretations to the expressions translated here as in rows and in the right place , because these expressions are uncertain in Hebrew.

* 33:8 Instead of witness are despised , some versions have cities are despised .

† 33:9 Some versions have The land dries up and withers away .

* 37:25 Some ancient and modern versions have I have dug wells and drunk water in foreign lands .

* 38:11 the inhabitants of the world : Most modern versions have this meaning. Ancient Hebrew copies have the inhabitants of the place of non-existence (that is, brief existence).

† 38:13 The Hebrew could be read: I cried out or I calmed myself .

* 40:3 Some older modern versions have A voice cries out in the wilderness .

† 40:9 Instead of Go up on a high mountain, Zion, bearer of good news , some versions have You who are bearing good news to Zion, go up on a high mountain .

‡ 40:9 Instead of Jerusalem, proclaimer of good news , some versions have proclaim good news to Jerusalem .

* 49:24 Instead of from the fierce , the Hebrew text has from the righteous , but most modern versions correct it to from the fierce .

* 51:19 The Hebrew text and some modern versions have How will I comfort you? , most modern versions correct this passage to Who will comfort you?

* 52:5 Instead of mock , some versions identify a different Hebrew word meaning wail .

* 53:11 Instead of After the suffering of his life , some modern versions have From the suffering of his life he will see the result .

† 53:11 Many modern versions supply light . Some modern versions have By his knowledge, my righteous servant will justify many .

* 57:9 Instead of to Molech , some versions have to the king .

* 66:17 This verse is very difficult, and modern versions provide various interpretations.

† 66:18 This verse is very difficult, and modern versions provide various interpretations.

Jeremiah

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Jeremiah

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1 These are the words of Jeremiah son of Hilkiah, one of the priests at Anathoth in the land of Benjamin. 2 The word of Yahweh came to him in the days of Josiah son of Amon, king of Judah, in the thirteenth year of his reign. 3 It also came in the days of Jehoiakim son of Josiah, king of Judah, until the fifth month of the eleventh year of Zedekiah son of Josiah, king of Judah, when the people of Jerusalem were taken away as prisoners.

4 The word of Yahweh came to me, saying,

5 “Before I formed you in the womb, I chose you;

before you came out from the womb I set you apart; I made you a prophet to the nations.”

6 “Ah, Lord Yahweh!” I said, “I do not know how to speak, for I am too young.”

7 But Yahweh said to me,

“Do not say, 'I am too young.' You must go everywhere I send you,

and you must say whatever I command you!

8 Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you to rescue you—this is Yahweh's declaration.” 9 Then Yahweh reached out with his hand, touched my mouth, and said to me, “Now, I have placed my word in your mouth.

10 I am appointing you today over nations and over kingdoms,

to uproot and break down, to destroy and overthrow, to build and plant.”

11 The word of Yahweh came to me, saying, “What do you see, Jeremiah?” I said, “I see an almond branch.” 12 Yahweh said to me, “You have seen well, for I am watching over my word to carry it out.”

13 The word of Yahweh came to me a second time, saying, “What do you see?” I said, “I see a heated pot, whose surface is churning, tipping away from the north.” 14 Yahweh said to me, “Disaster will be opened up out of the north on all who live in this land. 15 For I am calling all the tribes of the northern kingdoms, declares Yahweh. They will come, and everyone will set his throne at the entrance of the gates of Jerusalem, against all the walls that surround it, and against all the cities of Judah. 16 I will pronounce sentence against them for all their evil in forsaking me, in burning incense to other gods, and in worshiping what they made with their own hands. 17 Get yourself ready! Stand up and say to them whatever I command you. Do not be shattered before them, or I will shatter you before them! 18 Behold! Today I have made you a fortified city, an iron pillar, and bronze walls against the whole land—against the kings of Judah, its officials, its priests, and the people of the land. 19 They will fight against you, but they will not defeat you, for I will be with you to rescue you—this is Yahweh's declaration.”

2

1 The word of Yahweh came to me, saying,

2 “Go and proclaim in the hearing of Jerusalem. Say, 'Yahweh says this:

I have called to mind on your behalf the covenant faithfulness in your youthfulness, your love at the time when we were engaged,

when you went after me in the wilderness, the land that was not sown.

3 Israel was set apart to Yahweh, the firstfruits of his harvest!

All who ate from the firstfruits were held guilty; disaster came upon them—this is Yahweh's declaration.'”

4 Hear the word of Yahweh, house of Jacob, all you clans of the house of Israel.

5 Yahweh says this, “What did your fathers find wrong with me, that they went far from following me?

That they went after useless idols and became useless themselves?

6 They did not say, 'Where is Yahweh, who brought us up from the land of Egypt?

Where is Yahweh, who led us to the wilderness, into the land of the Arabah and pits,

in a land of drought and deep darkness,

a land through which no one passes and where no one lives?'

7 But I brought you to the land of Carmel, to eat its fruit and other good things!

Yet when you came, you defiled my land, you made my inheritance an abomination!

8 The priest did not say, 'Where is Yahweh?' and the experts in the law did not care about me!

The shepherds transgressed against me. The prophets prophesied for Baal and walked after unprofitable things.

9 So I will still accuse you—this is Yahweh's declaration—and I will accuse your sons' sons.

10 For cross over to the coasts of Kittim and look. Send messengers out to Kedar and find out

and see if there has ever before been anything like this.

11 Has a nation exchanged gods, even though they were not gods?

But my people have exchanged their glory for what cannot help them. *

12 Shudder, heavens, because of this! Be shocked and horrified—this is Yahweh's declaration.

13 For my people have committed two evils against me: They have abandoned the springs of living waters,

and they have dug out cisterns for themselves,

broken cisterns that cannot hold water.

14 Is Israel a slave? Was he born in his master's home? So why has he become plunder?

15 Young lions roared against him. They made a lot of noise and made his land a horror.

His cities are destroyed without any inhabitants.

16 Also, the people of Memphis and Tahpanhes will shave your skull.

17 Did you not do this to yourselves

when you abandoned Yahweh your God, while he was leading you along the way?

18 So now, why take the road to Egypt and drink the waters of Shihor?

Why take the road to Assyria and drink the waters of the Euphrates River?

19 Your wickedness rebukes you, and your faithlessness punishes you. So think about it and understand that it is wicked and bitter

when you forsake Yahweh your God, and have no fear of me—this is the declaration of Lord Yahweh of hosts.

20 For I broke your yoke that you had in ancient days; I tore your fetters off you. Still you said,

'I will not serve!' since you bowed down on every high hill and beneath every leafy tree, you adulterer.

21 I planted you as a choice vine, completely from pure seed.

How then have you have changed yourself into a corrupt, worthless vine?

22 For even if you clean yourself in the river or wash with strong soap,

your iniquity is a stain before me—this is the declaration of the Lord Yahweh.

23 How can you say, 'I am not defiled! I have not walked after the Baals'?

Look at what you did in the valleys! Consider what you have done—you are a swift female camel running here and there,

24 a wild donkey accustomed to the wilderness, in her heat sniffing the wind!

Who can restrain her lust? None of the males need wear themselves out pursuing her; at mating time they will find her.

25 You must restrain your feet from becoming bare and your throat from being thirsty!

But you have said, 'It is hopeless! No, I love strangers and go after them!'

26 Like the shame of a thief when he is found, so the house of Israel will be ashamed—

they, their kings, their princes, and their priests and prophets!

27 These are the ones who say to the tree, 'You are my father,' and to the stone, 'You gave birth to me.'

For their back faces me and not their faces. Nevertheless, they say in the time of troubles, 'Arise and save us!'

28 Yet where are the gods that you made for yourselves? Let them arise if they wish to save you in your time of troubles,

for your idols equal your cities in number, Judah!

29 So why do you accuse me of doing wrong? All of you have sinned against me—this is Yahweh's declaration.

30 I have punished your people in vain. They would not accept discipline.

Your sword has devoured your prophets like a destructive lion!

31 You who belong to this generation! Pay attention to my word, the word of Yahweh! Have I been a wilderness to Israel?

Or a land of deep darkness? Why would my people say, 'Let us wander around, we will not go to you anymore'?

32 Will a virgin forget her jewelry, a bride her veils?

Yet my people have forgotten me for days without number!

33 How well you make your way to look for love.

You have even taught your ways to wicked women.

34 The blood that was the life of innocent, poor people has been found on your clothes.

These people were not discovered in acts of burglary.

35 Yet you say, 'I am innocent; surely his anger has turned away from me.'

But look! I will bring down judgment on you because you say, 'I have not sinned.'

36 Why do you treat so very lightly this change in your ways?

You will also be disappointed by Egypt, just as you were by Assyria.

37 You will also go out from there dejected, with your hands on your head,

for Yahweh has rejected the ones whom you trusted, so you will not be helped by them.”

3

1 “If a man divorces his wife and she goes from him and becomes another man's wife,

will he return to her again? Would that land not be greatly polluted?

You have lived as a prostitute who has many lovers; and would you return to me?—this is Yahweh's declaration.

2 Lift up your eyes to the barren heights and look! Is there any place where you have not had illicit sex?

By the roadsides you sat waiting for your lovers, as an Arab in the wilderness.

You have polluted the land with your prostitution and wickedness.

3 So the showers have been withheld and the spring rains have not come;

yet you have the forehead of a prostitute; you refuse to be ashamed.

4 Have you not just now called to me: 'My father! My closest friend even from my youth!

5 Will he always be angry? Will he always keep his wrath to the end?'

Look! This is what you have said, but you do all the evil you can!”

6 Then Yahweh said to me in the days of Josiah the king, “Do you see what faithless Israel has done? She has gone up every high hill and under every leafy tree, and there she has acted like a prostitute. 7 I said, 'After she does all these things, she will return to me,' but she did not return. Then her faithless sister Judah saw these things. 8 So I saw that, in the same way that faithless Israel had committed adultery and I had sent her away and had given a bill of divorce against her, her faithless sister Judah did not fear; she also went out and acted like a prostitute. 9 Her prostitution was nothing to her; she defiled the land, and she committed adultery with stones and trees. 10 Then after all of this, her faithless sister Judah returned to me, not with all her heart, but with a lie—this is Yahweh's declaration.”

11 Then Yahweh said to me, “Faithless Israel has been more righteous than faithless Judah! 12 Go and proclaim these words to the north. Say,

'Return, faithless Israel!—this is Yahweh's declaration—I will not always be angry with you.

Since I am faithful—this is Yahweh's declaration—I will not stay angry forever.

13 Acknowledge your iniquity, for you have transgressed against Yahweh your God;

you have shared your ways with strangers under every leafy tree!

For you have not listened to my voice!—this is Yahweh's declaration.

14 Return, faithless people!—this is Yawheh's declaration—I am your husband!

I will take you, one from a city and two from a family, and I will bring you to Zion! 15 I will give you shepherds after my heart, and they will shepherd you with knowledge and insight. 16 Then it will happen that you will increase and bear fruit in the land in those days—this is Yahweh's declaration-they will no longer say, “The ark of the covenant of Yahweh!” This matter will no longer come up in their hearts or be remembered; it will not be missed, and another one will not be made.' 17 In that time they will proclaim about Jerusalem, 'This is Yahweh's throne,' and all the other nations will gather at Jerusalem in Yahweh's name. They will no longer walk in the stubbornness of their wicked hearts.

18 In those days, the house of Judah will walk with the house of Israel. They will come together from the land of the north to the land that I gave your ancestors as an inheritance.

19 As for me, I said, 'How I want to treat you as my son and give you a pleasant land,

an inheritance more beautiful than what is in any other nation!' I would have said, 'You will call me “my father”.'

I would have said that you would not turn from following me.

20 But like a woman faithless to her husband,

you have betrayed me, house of Israel—this is Yahweh's declaration.”

21 A voice is heard on the plains, the weeping and pleading of the people of Israel!

For they have changed their ways; they have forgotten Yahweh their God.

22 “Return, faithless people! I will heal you of treachery!”

“Behold! We will come to you, for you are Yahweh our God! 23 Surely lies come from the hills, a confusing noise from the mountains;

surely Yahweh our God is the salvation of Israel.

24 Yet shameful idols have consumed what our ancestors have worked for—

their flocks and cattle, their sons and daughters!

25 Let us lie down in shame. May our shame cover us, for we have sinned against Yahweh our God!

We ourselves and our ancestors, from the time of our youthfulness to this present day, have not listened to the voice of Yahweh our God!”

4

1 “If you return, Israel—this is Yahweh's declaration—then it should be to me that you return.

If you remove your detestable things from before me and do not wander from me again,

2 You must be truthful, just, and righteous when you swear, 'As Yahweh lives.'

Then the nations will bless themselves in him, and in him they will glory.”

3 For Yahweh says this to each person in Judah and Jerusalem:

'Plow your own ground,

and do not sow among thorns.

4 Circumcise yourselves to Yahweh,

and remove the foreskins of your heart,

men of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem, or else my fury will break out like fire,

and burn with no one to quench it,

because of the wickedness of your deeds.

5 Report in Judah and let it be heard in Jerusalem.

Say, “Blow the trumpet in the land.”

Proclaim, “Gather together. Let us go to the fortified cities.”

6 Lift up the signal flag and point it toward Zion,

and run for safety!

Do not stay, for I am bringing disaster

from the north and a great collapse. 7 A lion is coming out from his thicket

and someone who will destroy nations is setting out.

He is leaving his place to bring horror to your land,

to turn your cities into ruins, where no one will live.

8 Because of this, wrap yourself in sackcloth, lament and wail.

For the force of Yahweh's anger has not turned away from us.

9 Then it will happen in that day—this is Yahweh's declaration—that the hearts of the king and his officials will die. The priests will be appalled, and the prophets will be horrified.'” 10 So I said, “Ah! Lord Yahweh. Surely you have completely deceived this people and Jerusalem by saying, 'There will be peace for you.' Yet the sword is striking against their life.”

11 In that time it will be said of this people and Jerusalem, “A burning wind from the plains of the desert will make its way to the daughter of my people. It will not winnow or cleanse them. 12 A wind far stronger than that will come at my command, and I will now pass sentence against them. 13 See, he is attacking like clouds, and his chariots are like a storm. His horses are faster than eagles. Woe to us, for we will be devastated! 14 Cleanse your heart from wickedness, Jerusalem, so that you might be saved. How long will your deepest thoughts be about how to sin? 15 For a voice is bringing news from Dan, and the coming disaster is heard from the mountains of Ephraim. 16 Make the nations think about this: See, announce to Jerusalem that besiegers are coming from a distant land to shout in battle against the cities of Judah. 17 They will be like the watchmen of a cultivated field against her all around, since she has been rebellious against me—this is Yahweh's declaration— 18 and your conduct and your deeds have done these things to you. This will be your punishment. How terrible it will be! It will strike your very heart.

19 My heart! My heart! I am in anguish in my heart. My heart is turbulent within me. I cannot keep quiet for I hear the sound of the horn, an alarm for battle. 20 Disaster follows after disaster; for all the land lies in ruins. Suddenly my tents are destroyed, my curtains in a moment. 21 How long will I see the standard? Will I hear the sound of the horn? 22 For the foolishness of my people—they do not know me. They are idiotic people and they have no understanding. They have skill at evil, but do not know to do good.

23 I saw the land. Behold! It was formless and empty. For there was no light for the heavens. 24 I looked at the mountains. Behold, they were trembling, and all the hills were shaking about. 25 I looked. Behold, there was no one, and all the birds of the heavens had fled. 26 I looked. Behold, the orchards were a wilderness and all the cities had been pulled down before Yahweh, before the fury of his wrath.” 27 This is what Yahweh says, “All the land will become a devastation, but I will not completely destroy it. 28 For this reason, the land will mourn, and the heavens above will darken. For I have declared my intentions; I will not hold back; I will not turn from carrying them out. 29 Every city will flee from the noise of the cavalry and the archers with a bow; they will run into the forests. Every city will climb up into the rocky places. The cities will be abandoned, for there will be no one to inhabit them. 30 Now that you have been devastated, what will you do? For though you dress in scarlet, adorn yourself with gold jewelry, and make your eyes look bigger with paint, the men who lusted for you now reject you. Instead, they are trying to take away your life. 31 So I hear the sound of anguish, distress as in the birth of a firstborn child, the sound of the daughter of Zion. She is gasping for breath. She spreads out her hands, 'Woe to me! I am fainting because of these murderers.'”

5

1 “Rush about through the streets of Jerusalem; search in her city squares, too. Then look and think about this:

If you can find a man or anyone who is acting justly and trying to act faithfully,

then I will forgive Jerusalem.

2 Although they say, 'As Yahweh lives,' yet they are swearing falsely.”

3 Yahweh, do your eyes not look for faithfulness? You struck the people, but they do not feel pain.

You have completely defeated them, but they still refuse to receive discipline. They make their faces harder than rock, for they refuse to repent.

4 So I said, “Surely these are only poor people.

They are foolish, for they do not know Yahweh's ways, nor their God's decrees.

5 I will go to the important people and declare God's messages to them, for they at least know Yahweh's ways, the decrees of their God.”

But they all broke their yoke together; they all tore apart the chains that bound them to God.

6 So a lion from a thicket will attack them. A wolf from the Arabah will ruin them.

A lurking panther will come against their cities. Anyone who goes outside his city will be torn apart.

For their transgressions increase. Their acts of faithlessness are unlimited.

7 Why should I pardon these people?

Your sons have abandoned me and have made oaths by what are not gods.

I fed them fully, but they committed adultery and walked in great numbers to the houses of prostitutes.

8 They were horses in heat. They roamed about wanting to mate. Each man neighed to his neighbor's wife.

9 So should I not punish them—this is Yahweh's declaration—

and should I not avenge myself on a nation that is like this?

10 Go up onto her vineyards' terraces and destroy. But do not bring complete destruction to them.

Trim their vines, since those vines do not come from Yahweh.

11 For the houses of Israel and Judah have completely betrayed me—this is Yahweh's declaration.

12 They have spoken falsely about Yahweh and they said, “He will do nothing;

no harm will come upon us, and we will not see sword or famine.

13 The prophets will become wind, the word is not in them, so let what they say be done to them.”

14 So Yahweh, the God of hosts says this, “Because you have said this, see,

I am about to place my word in your mouth. It will be like a fire, and this people will be like wood! For it will consume them.

15 Behold! I am about to bring a nation against you from far away, house of Israel—this is Yahweh's declaration—

it is a lasting nation, an ancient nation! It is a nation whose language you do not know,

nor will you understand what they say.

16 Its quiver is like an open tomb. They are all soldiers.

17 So your harvest will be consumed, your sons and daughters also, and your food.

They will eat your flocks and cattle; they will eat the fruit from your vines and fig trees.

They will beat down with a sword your fortified cities that you trusted in. 18 But even in those days—this is Yahweh's declaration—I do not intend to destroy you completely. 19 When you, Israel and Judah, say, 'Why has Yahweh our God done all these things to us?' then you, Jeremiah, will say to them, 'Just as you abandoned Yahweh and served foreign gods in your land, so you must also serve strangers in a land that is not your own.'

20 Report this to the house of Jacob and let it be heard in Judah. Say,

21 'Hear this, you foolish people who have no understanding;

who have eyes but you cannot see, and you have ears but you cannot hear.

22 Do you not fear me—this is Yahweh's declaration—or tremble before my face?

I have placed a border of sand against the sea, an ongoing decree that it does not violate—

even though the sea rises and falls, still it does not violate it. Even though its waves roar, they do not cross it.

23 But this people has a stubborn heart. It turns away in rebellion and goes away.

24 For they do not say in their hearts, “Let us fear Yahweh our God, the one who brings the rain

—the early rain and the late rains—in their right time, keeping the fixed weeks of the harvest for us.”

25 Your iniquities kept these things from happening. Your sins have stopped good from coming to you.

26 For wicked men are found with my people. They watch as someone crouches to capture birds;

they set a trap and catch people.

27 Like a cage full of birds, their houses are full of deceit.

So they grow large and become rich.

28 They have become fat; they shine with well-being. They crossed over all bounds of wickedness. They do not plead the cause of the people,

or the cause of the orphan. They prosper even though they have not given justice to the needy.

29 Should I not punish them for these things—this is Yahweh's declaration—

and will I not take vengeance for myself on a nation like this?

30 Atrocities and horrors have occurred in the land.

31 The prophets prophesy with deceit, and the priests rule with their own power.

My people love it this way, but what will happen in the end?'”

6

1 Find safety, people of Benjamin, by leaving Jerusalem. Blow a trumpet in Tekoa.

Raise up over Beth Hakkerem a signal, since wickedness is appearing from the north; a great crushing is coming.

2 The daughter of Zion, the beautiful and delicate woman, will be destroyed.

3 The shepherds and their flocks will go to them;

they will set up tents against her all around; each man will shepherd with his own hand.

4 “Dedicate yourselves to the gods for the battle. Arise, let us attack at noon.

It is too bad that the daylight is fading away, that the evening shadows are falling.

5 But let us attack at night and destroy her fortresses.”

6 For Yahweh of hosts says this: Cut her trees, and heap up siegeworks against Jerusalem.

This is the right city to attack, because it is filled with oppression.

7 As a well pours out fresh water, so this city keeps producing wickedness.

Violence and disorder are heard within her; sickness and wounds are continually before my face.

8 Accept discipline, Jerusalem, or I will turn away from you

and make you into a ruin, an uninhabited land.'”

9 Yahweh of hosts says this, “They will certainly glean those who are left in Israel like a vineyard.

Reach out again with your hand to pick grapes from the vines.

10 To whom should I declare and warn so they will listen?

Look! Their ears are uncircumcised; they are not able to pay attention!

Look! The word of Yahweh has come to them to correct them, but they do not want it.”

11 But I am filled with Yahweh's fury. I am tired of holding it in. He said, to me, “Pour it out on the children in the streets

and on the groups of young men. For every man will be taken away with his wife;

and every old person heavy with years.

12 Their houses will be turned over to others, both their fields and their wives together.

For I will attack the inhabitants of the land with my hand—this is Yahweh's declaration.

13 Yahweh declares that from the least to the greatest, all of them are greedy for dishonest gain.

From the prophet to the priest, all of them practice deceit.

14 They have healed the wounds of my people lightly,

saying, 'Peace, Peace,' when there is no peace.

15 Were they ashamed when they practiced abominations? They were not ashamed; they did not know how to blush!

So they will fall among the fallen; they will be brought down when they are punished, says Yahweh.

16 Yahweh says this, “Stand at the road crossing and look; ask for the ancient pathways.

'Where is this good way?' Then go on it and find a resting place for yourselves.

But the people say, 'We will not go.'

17 I appointed for you watchmen to listen for the trumpet.

But they said, 'We will not listen.'

18 Therefore, nations, listen! See, you witnesses, what will happen to them.

19 Hear, earth! See, I am about to bring disaster to this people—the fruit of their thoughts.

They paid no attention to my word or law, but they instead rejected it.”

20 “What does this frankincense going up from Sheba mean to me? Or these sweet smells from a distant land?

Your burnt offerings are not acceptable to me, nor are your sacrifices.

21 So Yahweh says this, 'See, I am about to place a stumbling block against this people.

They will stumble over it—fathers and sons together. Inhabitants and their neighbors will also perish.'

22 Yahweh says this, 'See, a people is coming from the land of the north,

a great nation is being stirred up from the farthest parts of the earth.

23 They will pick up bows and spears. They are cruel and have no compassion.

Their sound is like the sea roar,

and they are riding on horses,

set out in order as men for battle, against you,

daughter of Zion.'”

24 We have heard the reports about them and our hands fall limp in distress.

Anguish seizes us as a woman giving birth.

25 Do not go out to the fields, and do not walk on the roads,

for the swords of the enemy and terror are all around.

26 Daughter of my people, put on sackcloth and roll in ashes;

mourn with painful sobs as for an only son,

for the destroyer will suddenly come upon us.

27 “I have made you, Jeremiah, one who tests my people like one would test metal, so you will inspect and test their ways.

28 They are all the most stubborn of people, who go about slandering others.

All of them are bronze and iron, acting corruptly.

29 The bellows are scorched by the fire that is burning them; the lead is consumed in the flames.

The refining continues among them, but it is useless, because the evil is not removed.

30 They will be called rejected silver, for Yahweh has rejected them.”

7

1 The word that came to Jeremiah from Yahweh, saying, 2 “Stand at the gate of Yahweh's house and proclaim this word! Say, 'Hear the word of Yahweh, all you of Judah, you who enter these gates to worship Yahweh. 3 Yahweh of hosts, God of Israel, says this: Make your ways and practices good, and I will let you continue to live in this place. 4 Do not entrust yourself to deceitful words and say, “Temple of Yahweh! Temple of Yahweh! Temple of Yahweh!” 5 For if you actually make your ways and practices good; if you completely execute justice between a man and his neighbor— 6 if you do not exploit the one staying in the land, the orphan, or the widow and do not pour out innocent blood in this place, and do not walk after other gods to your own harm— 7 then I will let you stay in this place, in the land that I gave to your ancestors from ancient times and forever.

8 Behold! You are trusting in deceitful words that do not help you. 9 Do you steal, kill, and commit adultery? Do you swear deceitfully and offer incense to Baal and walk after other gods whom you have not known? 10 Then do you come and stand before me in this house that is called by my name and say, “We are saved,” so you can do all of these abominations? 11 Is this house, which carries my name, a den of bandits in your eyes? But behold, I have seen it—this is Yahweh's declaration.'

12 'So go to my place that was in Shiloh, where I allowed my name to stay there in the beginning, and look at what I did to it because of the wickedness of my people Israel. 13 So now, on account of your doing all of these practices—this is Yahweh's declaration—I spoke to you time and time again, but you did not listen. I summoned you, but you did not answer. 14 Therefore, what I did to Shiloh, I will also do to this house that is called by my name, the house in which you have trusted, this place that I gave to you and your ancestors. 15 For I will send you out from before me just as I had sent out all your brothers, all the descendants of Ephraim.'

16 As for you, Jeremiah, do not pray for this people, and do not lift up a lamenting wail or say a prayer on their behalf, and do not petition me, for I will not listen to you. 17 Do you not see what they are doing in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem? 18 The children are gathering wood and the fathers kindling the fire! The women are kneading dough to make cakes for the queen of the heavens and pour out drink offerings for other gods so that they will provoke me. 19 Are they truly provoking me?—this is Yahweh's declaration—is it not themselves whom they are provoking, so that shame is on them? 20 Therefore the Lord Yahweh says this, 'See, my anger and wrath will gush out onto this place, on both man and beast, on the tree in the fields and the fruit on the ground. It will burn and never be extinguished.'

21 Yahweh of hosts, God of Israel says this, 'Add your burnt offerings to your sacrifices and the meat from them. 22 For when I brought your ancestors out from the land of Egypt, I did not require anything from them. I gave them no command about matters of burnt offerings and sacrifices. 23 I only gave them this command, “Listen to my voice, and I will be your God and you will be my people. So walk in all the ways that I am commanding you, so that it may go well with you.” 24 But they did not listen or pay attention. They lived by their own stubborn plans of their wicked hearts, so they went backwards, not forward. 25 Ever since the day when your ancestors went out from the land of Egypt until this day, I have sent every one of my servants, my prophets, to you. I persisted in sending them. 26 But they did not listen to me. They paid no attention. Instead, they hardened their necks. They were more wicked than their ancestors.'

27 So proclaim all these words to them, but they will not listen to you. Proclaim these things to them, but they will not answer you. 28 Say to them: This is a nation that does not listen to the voice of Yahweh its God and does not receive discipline. Truth is destroyed and cut off from their mouths.

29 Cut off your hair and shave yourself, and throw away your hair. Sing a funeral song over the open places. For Yahweh has rejected and abandoned this generation in his rage. 30 For the sons of Judah have done evil in my eye—this is Yahweh's declaration—they have set their detestable things in the house that is called by my name, in order to defile it. 31 Then they built the high place of Topheth that is in the Valley of Ben Hinnom. They did this to burn their sons and daughters in fire—something that I did not command, nor did it enter my mind. 32 So see, days are coming—this is Yahweh's declaration—when it will no longer be called Topheth or Valley of Ben Hinnom. It will be the Valley of Slaughter; they will bury bodies in Topheth until there is no room left. 33 The corpses of this people will be food for the birds of the skies and the beasts of the earth, and there will be no one to frighten them away. 34 I will put an end to the cities of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem, the sound of joy and the sound of gladness, the sound of the groom and the sound of the bride, for the land will become a desolation.”

8

1 “At that time—this is Yahweh's declaration—they will bring out from the graves the bones of the kings of Judah and its officials, the bones of the priests and the prophets, and the bones of the inhabitants of Jerusalem. 2 Then they will spread them out in the light of the sun and moon and all the stars of the skies; these things in the sky that they have followed and served, that they have walked after and sought, and that they have worshiped. The bones will not be gathered or buried again. They will be like dung on the surface of the earth. 3 In every remaining place where I have driven them, they will choose death instead of life for themselves, all who are still left over from this evil nation—this is the declaration of Yahweh of hosts.

4 So say to them, 'Yahweh says this: Does anyone fall and not get up? Does anyone get lost and not try to return?

5 Why has this people, Jerusalem, turned away in permanent faithlessness?

They hold on to treachery and refuse to repent.

6 I paid attention and listened, but they did not speak right; no one was sorry for his wickedness,

no one who says, “What have I done?” All of them go where they wish,

like a stallion rushing toward battle.

7 Even the stork in heaven knows the right times; and the doves, swifts, and cranes.

They go on their migrations at the right time, but my people do not know Yahweh's decrees.

8 How can you say, “We are wise, for the law of Yahweh is with us”?

Indeed, see! The deceitful pen of the scribes has created deceit.

9 The wise men will be ashamed. They are dismayed and trapped.

Behold! They reject Yahweh's word, so what use is their wisdom?

10 So I will give their wives to others, and their fields to those who will possess them,

because from the least to the greatest, all of them are greedy for dishonest gain! From the prophet to the priest, all of them practice deceit.

11 They healed the wounds of my people lightly,

saying, “Peace, Peace,” when there was no peace.

12 Were they ashamed when they practiced abominations? They were not ashamed; they did not know how to blush! So they will fall among the fallen; they will be brought down when they are punished, says Yahweh.

13 I will remove them completely—this is Yahweh's declaration—there will be no grapes on the vine, nor will there be figs on the fig trees. For the leaf will wither, and what I have given to them will pass away.

14 Why are we sitting here? Come together; let us go to the fortified cities, and we will become silent there in death.

For Yahweh our God will silence us. He will make us drink poison, since we have sinned against him.

15 We are hoping for peace, but there will be nothing good.

We are hoping for a time of healing, but see, there will be terror. 16 The snorting of his stallions is heard from Dan. The whole earth shakes at the sound of the neighing of his strong horses.

For they will come and consume the land and its wealth, the city and the ones living in it.

17 For see, I am sending out snakes among you, vipers that you cannot charm.

They will bite you—this is Yahweh's declaration.'”

18 My sorrow has no end, and my heart is sick.

19 Behold! The screaming voice of the daughter of my people from a land far away! Is Yahweh not in Zion?

Is her king no longer there? Why then do they provoke me to anger with their carved figures and their worthless foreign idols?

20 The harvest has passed on, summer is over. But we have not been saved.

21 I am hurt because of the hurt of the daughter of my people. I mourn at the horrible things that have happened to her; I am dismayed.

22 Is there no medicine in Gilead? Is there no healer there?

Why will the healing of the daughter of my people not happen?

9

1 If only my head could produce water, and my eyes be a fountain of tears!

For I wish to weep day and night for those among the daughter of my people who have been killed.

2 If only someone would give me a place for travelers in the wilderness to stay, where I could go to abandon my people.

If only I could leave them, since all of them are adulterers, a band of traitors!

3 Yahweh declares, “They tread on their bows of lies with their tongues,

but it is not because of any faithfulness of theirs that they grow strong on the earth.

They go from one wicked act to another. They do not know me.”

4 Each of you, be on guard against your neighbor and do not trust in any brother.

For every brother is certainly a deceiver, and every neighbor walks in slander.

5 Each man mocks his neighbor and does not speak the truth.

Their tongues teach deceitful things. They are exhausted from committing iniquity.

6 Your dwelling is in the midst of deception; in their deceit they refuse to acknowledge me—this is Yahweh's declaration.”

7 Yahweh of hosts says this, “See, I am about to refine them and test them,

for what else can I do, because of what my people have done?

8 Their tongues are sharpened arrows; they speak unfaithful things.

With their mouths they proclaim peace with their neighbors, but with their hearts they lie in wait for them.

9 Should I not punish them because of these things—this is Yahweh's declaration—

and should I not avenge myself on a nation that is like this?

10 I will sing a song of mourning and wailing for the mountains, and a funeral song will be sung for the meadows.

For they are burned so no one can pass through them. They will not hear the sound of any cattle.

The birds of the skies and the animals have all fled away.

11 So I will turn Jerusalem into piles of ruins, a hideout for jackals.

I will make Judah's cities ruined places without inhabitants.”

12 What man is wise enough to understand this? To whom has the mouth of Yahweh spoken, and he will declare it?

Why has the land perished and been destroyed like the wilderness that no one can pass through?

13 Yahweh says, “It is because they have abandoned my law that I set before them, because they do not listen to my voice or walk by it. 14 It is because they have walked by their stubborn hearts and have followed the Baals as their fathers taught them to do. 15 Therefore Yahweh of hosts, the God of Israel, says this, 'See, I am about to make this people eat wormwood and drink poisonous water. 16 Then I will scatter them among the nations that they have not known, neither they nor their ancestors. I will send out a sword after them until I have completely destroyed them.'”

17 Yahweh of hosts says this, “Think about this: Summon

funeral singers; let them come. Send out for women skilled at lamenting; let them come.

18 Let them hurry and sing a mournful song over us,

so our eyes may run with tears and our eyelids flow with water.

19 For the sound of wailing is heard in Zion, 'How we are devastated.

We are greatly ashamed, for we have abandoned the land since they tore down our houses.'

20 So you women, hear Yahweh's word; pay attention to the messages that come from his mouth.

Then teach your daughters a mourning song, and each neighbor woman a funeral song.

21 For death has come through our windows; it goes into our palaces.

It destroys children from outside, and young men in the city squares.

22 Declare this, 'This is Yahweh's declaration—the corpses of men will fall like dung in the fields,

and like grain stalks after the reapers, and there will be no one to gather them.'”

23 Yahweh says this, “Do not let the wise man take pride in his wisdom,

or the warrior in his might. Do not let the wealthy man take pride in his riches.

24 For if a man takes pride in anything, let it be in this, that he has insight and knows me.

For I am Yahweh, who acts with covenant loyalty, justice and righteousness on earth. For it is in these that I take pleasure

—this is Yahweh's declaration.”

25 “See, days are coming—this is Yahweh's declaration—when I will punish all the circumcised who are such only in their body. 26 I will punish Egypt and Judah, Edom, the people of Ammon, Moab, and all the people who cut the hair on their heads very short. For all these nations are uncircumcised, and all the house of Israel has an uncircumcised heart.”

10

1 “Hear the word that Yahweh is announcing to you, house of Israel.

2 Yahweh says this, 'Do not learn the ways of the nations,

and do not be dismayed by the signs in the heavens, for the nations are dismayed by these.

3 For the religious customs of these people are worthless.

They cut down a tree in the forest, and the craftsman carves the wood.

4 Then they decorate it with silver and gold. They strengthen it with hammer and nails so it will not fall over.

5 What they make with their hands is like scarecrows in a cucumber field, because they, too, can say nothing, and they have to be carried because they cannot walk.

Do not fear them, for they cannot bring about evil, nor are they able to do anything good.'”

6 There is no one like you, Yahweh. You are great, and your name is great in power.

7 Who does not fear you, king of the nations? For this is what you deserve,

for there is no one like you among all the wise men of the nations or all their royal kingdoms.

8 They are all the same, they are brutish and stupid, disciples of idols that are nothing but wood.

9 They bring hammered silver from Tarshish, and gold from Uphaz made by artificers,

the hands of refiners. Their clothes are blue and purple cloth. Their skillful men made all of these things.

10 But Yahweh is the true God. He is the living God and eternal king.

The earth quakes at his anger, and the nations cannot endure his anger.

11 You will speak to them like this, “The gods that did not make the heavens and earth

will perish from the earth and from under these heavens.”

12 But it was he who made the earth by his power, and he established the world by his wisdom, and by his understanding he stretched out the heavens.

13 His voice makes the roar of waters in the heavens, and he brings up the mists from the ends of the earth.

He makes lightning for the rain and sends out wind from his storehouse.

14 Every man has become ignorant, without knowledge. Every metalworker is put to shame by his idols.

For his cast images are frauds; there is no life in them.

15 They are useless, the work of mockers; they will perish at the time of their punishment.

16 But God, the portion of Jacob, is not like these, for he is the molder of all things.

Israel is the tribe of his inheritance; Yahweh of hosts is his name.

17 Gather your bundle and leave the land, you people who have been living under the siege.

18 For Yahweh says this, “See, I am about to throw the inhabitants of the land out this time.

I will cause them distress, and they will find it to be so.”

19 Woe to me! Because of my broken bones, my wound is infected.

So I said, “Surely this is agony, but I must bear it.”

20 My tent is devastated, and all of my tent cords are cut in two.

They have taken my children away from me, so they no longer exist. There is no longer anyone to spread out my tent or to raise up my tent curtains.

21 For the shepherds are stupid and they do not seek Yahweh;

so they have not prospered, and all their flock has been scattered.

22 The report of news has arrived, “See! It is coming, a great earthquake is coming from the land of the north

To make the cities of Judah into ruins, hideouts for jackals.”

23 I know, Yahweh, that the way of a man does not come from himself. No person walking directs his own steps.

24 Discipline me, Yahweh, with justice, not in your anger or you would destroy me.

25 Pour your fury on the nations that do not know you and on the families that do not call on your name.

For they have devoured Jacob and consumed him so as to completely destroy him and demolish his habitation.

11

1 The word that came to Jeremiah from Yahweh, saying, 2 “Listen to the words of this covenant, and declare them to each man in Judah and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem. 3 Say to them, 'Yahweh, God of Israel says this: Cursed is anyone who does not listen to the words of this covenant. 4 This is the covenant that I commanded your ancestors to keep the day I brought them out from the land of Egypt, from the furnace for smelting iron. I said, “Listen to my voice and do all of these things just as I have commanded you, for you will be my people and I will be your God.” 5 Obey me so that I may confirm the oath that I swore to your ancestors, the oath that I would give them the land flowing with milk and honey, where you live today.'” Then I, Jeremiah, answered and said, “Yes, Yahweh!”

6 Yahweh said to me, “Proclaim all these things in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem. Say, 'Listen to the words of this covenant and carry them out. 7 For I have been giving solemn commands to your ancestors from the day I brought them up from the land of Egypt until this present time, persistently warning them and saying, “Listen to my voice.”' 8 But they did not listen or pay attention. Each person has been walking in the stubbornness of his wicked heart. So I brought all the curses in this covenant that I commanded to come against them. But the people still did not obey.”

9 Next Yahweh said to me, “A conspiracy has been discovered among the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem. 10 They have turned to the iniquities of their earliest ancestors, who refused to listen to my word, who instead walked after other gods to worship them. The house of Israel and the house of Judah broke my covenant that I established with their ancestors. 11 Therefore Yahweh says this, 'See, I am about to bring disaster on them, disaster from which they will not be able to escape. Then they will call out to me, but I will not listen to them. 12 The cities of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem will go and call out to the gods to which they had given offerings, but they will certainly not be saved by them at the time of their disaster. 13 For you Judah, the number of your gods has increased to equal the number of your cities. You have made the number of shameful altars in Jerusalem, incense altars for Baal, equal to the number of her streets.

14 So you yourself, Jeremiah, must not pray for this people. You must not wail or pray on their behalf. For I will not be listening when they call on me in their disaster.

15 Why is my beloved one, the one who has had so many wicked intentions, in my house?

The meat of your sacrifices cannot help you. You rejoice because of your evil actions.

16 In the past Yahweh called you a leafy olive tree, beautiful with lovely fruit.

But he will light a fire on it that will sound like the roar of a storm; its branches will be broken. 17 For Yahweh of hosts, the one who planted you, has decreed disaster against you because of the wicked acts that the house of Israel and the house of Judah have committed—they have angered me by giving offerings to Baal.'”

18 Yahweh made me know these things, so I know them. You, Yahweh, made me see their deeds. 19 I was like a gentle lamb being led to a butcher. I did not know that they had formed plans against me, “Let us destroy the tree with its fruit! Let us cut him off from the land of the living so his name will be no longer remembered.”

20 Yet Yahweh of hosts is the righteous judge who examines the heart and the mind.

I will witness your vengeance against them, for I have presented my case to you.

21 Therefore Yahweh says this concerning the people of Anathoth who are seeking your life, “They say, 'You must not prophesy in the name of Yahweh, or you will die by our hand.' 22 Therefore Yahweh of hosts says this, 'See, I am about to punish them. Their vigorous young men will die by the sword. Their sons and their daughters will die by famine. 23 None of them will be left, because I am bringing disaster against the people of Anathoth, a year of their punishment.'”

12

1 You are righteous, Yahweh, whenever I bring disputes to you.

I must certainly tell you of my reason to complain: Why do the ways of the wicked succeed? All the faithless people are successful.

2 You planted them and they took root. They continue to produce fruit.

You are near to them in their mouths, but far away from their hearts. 3 Yet you, Yahweh, know me. You see me and you test my heart toward you.

Take them away like sheep to the slaughter, and set them apart for the day of slaughter!

4 How long will the land go on drying up, and the plants in every field wither because of the wickedness of its inhabitants?

The animals and the birds have been taken away. Indeed, the people say, “God will not see what happens to us.”

5 Yahweh said, “Indeed, if you, Jeremiah, have run with foot soldiers and they have tired you out, how can you compete against horses?

If you fall down in the safe countryside, how will you do in the thickets along the Jordan?

6 For even your brothers and your father's family have betrayed you and have loudly denounced you.

Do not trust in them, even if they say nice things to you.

7 I have abandoned my house; I have forsaken my inheritance.

I have given my beloved into the hands of her enemies.

8 My inheritance has become to me like a lion in a thicket;

she sets herself against me with her own voice, so I hate her.

9 Has not my prized possession become a speckled bird, that other birds of prey go against her all around?

Go and gather all the wild beasts and bring them to devour her.

10 Many shepherds have destroyed my vineyard. They have stomped all over my portion of land;

they turned my delightful portion into a wilderness, a desolation.

11 They have made her a desolation. I mourn for her; she is desolate.

All the land has been made desolate, for there is no one who takes it to heart.

12 Destroyers have come against all the bare places in the wilderness,

for Yahweh's sword is devouring from one end of the land to the other.

There is no safety in the land for any living creature.

13 They have sown wheat but harvest thornbushes. They are exhausted from work but have gained nothing.

So be ashamed of your gain because of Yahweh's anger.”

14 Yahweh says this against all my neighbors, the wicked ones who strike at the possession that I made my people Israel inherit, “See, I am the one who is about to uproot them from their own ground, and I will pull up the house of Judah from among them. 15 Then after I uproot those nations, it will happen that I will have compassion on them and bring them back; I will return them—each man to his inheritance and his land. 16 It will come about that if those nations carefully learn the ways of my people, to swear by my name 'As Yahweh lives' just as they have taught my people to swear by Baal, then they will be built up in the midst of my people. 17 But if any do not listen, then I will uproot that nation. It will certainly be uprooted and destroyed—this is Yahweh's declaration.”

13

1 Yahweh said this to me, “Go and buy a linen undergarment and put it on around your waist, but do not put it in water first.” 2 So I bought an undergarment as Yahweh directed, and I put in on around my waist. 3 Then the word of Yahweh came to me a second time, saying, 4 “Take the undergarment that you purchased that is around your waist, get up and go now to Perath.* Hide it there in a rock crevice.” 5 So I went and hid it in Perath, just as Yahweh had commanded me. 6 After many days, Yahweh said to me, “Get up and go back to Perath. Take from there the undergarment that I had told you to hide.” 7 So I went back to Perath † and dug out the undergarment where I had hid it, and behold, it was destroyed and completely useless.

8 Then the word of Yahweh came to me, saying, 9 “Yahweh says this: In the same way I will destroy the great arrogance of Judah and Jerusalem. 10 This wicked people who refuses to listen to my word, who walk in the hardness of their heart, who go after other gods to worship them and bow down to them—they will be like this undergarment that is good for nothing. 11 For just as an undergarment clings to someone's hips, so I have made all the house of Israel and all the house of Judah cling to me—this is Yahweh's declaration—to be my people, to bring me fame, praise, and honor. But they would not listen to me.

12 So you must speak this word to them, 'Yahweh, the God of Israel, says this: Every jar will be filled with wine.' They will say to you, 'Do we not indeed know that every jar will be filled with wine?' 13 So say to them, 'Yahweh says this: See, I am about to fill with drunkenness every inhabitant of this land, the kings who sit on David's throne, the priests, prophets, and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem. 14 Then I will smash each man against the other, fathers and children together—this is Yahweh's declaration—I will not pity them or have compassion, and I will not spare them from destruction.'”

15 Listen and pay attention. Do not be arrogant, for Yahweh had spoken.

16 Give honor to Yahweh your God before he brings darkness,

and before he causes your feet to stumble on the mountains at twilight.

For you are hoping for light, but he will turn the place into a deep darkness, into a dark cloud.

17 So if you will not listen, I will weep alone because of your arrogance.

My eyes will certainly weep and flow with tears, for Yahweh's flock has been taken captive.

18 “Say to the king and to the queen mother, 'Come down from your thrones,

for your splendid crowns have fallen from your heads.'

19 The cities in the Negev will be shut up, with no one to open them. All Judah will be taken captive, completely taken captive.

20 Lift up your eyes and look at the ones coming from the north.

Where is the flock he gave to you, the flock that was so beautiful to you?

21 What will you say when God sets over you those you had trained to be your special allies?

Are these not the beginnings of the labor pains that will seize you just like a woman in childbirth?

22 Then you might say in your heart, 'Why are these things happening to me?'

It will be for the multitude of your iniquities that your skirts are raised up and you have been violated.

23 Can the people of Cush change their skin color, or a leopard change its spots?

If so, then you yourself, although accustomed to wickedness, would be able to do good.

24 So I will scatter them like chaff that perishes in the desert wind.

25 This is what I have given to you, the portion I have decreed for you—this is Yahweh's declaration—

because you have forgotten me and trusted in deceit.

26 So also I myself will strip your skirts off you, and your private parts will be seen.

27 I have seen your adultery and neighing,

the wickedness of your prostitution on the hills and in the fields,

and I have seen these detestable things!

Woe to you, Jerusalem! How long until you are made clean again?”

14

1 This is the word of Yahweh that came to Jeremiah regarding the drought,

2 “Let Judah mourn; let her gates fall apart. They are wailing for the land;

their cries for Jerusalem are going up.

3 Their mighty ones send out their servants for water.

When they go to the trenches, they cannot find water. They all return unsuccessful;

they cover their heads ashamed and dishonored.

4 Because of this the ground is cracked, for there is no rain in the land.

The plowmen are ashamed and cover their heads.

5 For even the doe leaves her young in the fields and abandons them, for there is no grass.

6 The wild donkeys stand on the bare plains and they pant in the wind like jackals.

Their eyes fail to work, for there is no vegetation.”

7 Even though our iniquities testify against us, Yahweh, act for the sake of your name.

For our faithless actions increase; we have sinned against you.

8 You are the Hope of Israel, the one who saves him in the time of distress,

why will you be like a stranger in the land, like a foreign wanderer who stretches out and spends just one night?

9 Why are you like someone who is astounded, or like a warrior who has no power to rescue?

You are in our midst, Yahweh, and your name is called over us. Do not leave us!

10 Yahweh says this to this people: “Since they love to wander, they have not held back their feet from doing so.”

Yahweh is not pleased with them. Now he calls to mind their iniquity and has punished their sins. 11 Yahweh said to me, “Do not pray for good on behalf of this people. 12 For if they fast, I will not listen to their wailing, and if they offer up burnt offerings and food offerings, I will not take pleasure in them. For I will put an end to them by sword, famine, and plague.”

13 Then I said, “Oh, Lord Yahweh! Behold! The prophets are saying to the people, 'You will not see the sword; there will be no famine for you, for I will give you true security in this place.'” 14 Yahweh said to me, “The prophets prophesy deceit in my name. I did not send them out, nor did I give them any command or speak to them. But deceitful visions and useless, deceitful divination coming from their own minds are what they are prophesying to you.” 15 Therefore Yahweh says this, “About the prophets prophesying in my name but whom I did not send out—those who say there will be no sword or famine in this land: These prophets will perish by sword and famine. 16 Then the people to whom they prophesied will be thrown out in the streets of Jerusalem because of famine and sword, for there will be no one to bury them—them, their wives, their sons, or their daughters—for I will pour out their wickedness on them.

17 Say this word to them: 'Let my eyes flow with tears, night and day.

Do not let them stop, for there will be a great collapse of the virgin daughter of my people—

a great and incurable wound.

18 If I go out to the field, there are the ones who were killed by the sword!

If I come to the city, there are the diseases that are caused by famine.

Both the prophet and the priest wander about the land, and they do not know.'”

19 Have you completely rejected Judah? Do you hate Zion?

Why will you afflict us when there is no healing for us? We hoped for peace, but there was nothing good—

and for a time of healing, but see, there is only terror.

20 We admit, Yahweh, our offenses, the iniquity of our ancestors, for we have sinned against you.

21 Do not reject us! For the sake of your name, do not make your glorious throne a disgrace.

Remember and do not break your covenant with us.

22 Do any of the worthless idols of the nations bring rain? Or can the skies themselves send down showers?

Are you not the one, Yahweh our God? We wait for you, for you are the one who does all these things.

15

1 Then Yahweh said to me, “Even if Moses or Samuel were standing in front of me, I would still not be in favor of this people. Send them out from before me, for them to go away. 2 It will happen that they will say to you, 'Where should we go?' Then you must say to them, 'Yahweh says this:

Those who are for death should go to death; those who are for the sword should go to the sword.

Those who are for famine should go to famine; and those who are for captivity should go to captivity.'

3 For I will assign them to four groups—this is Yahweh's declaration—the sword to slaughter some, the dogs to drag some away, the birds of the skies and the beast of the earth to consume and destroy some. 4 I will make of them a horrifying thing to all the kingdoms of the earth, because of what Manasseh son of Hezekiah, king of Judah, did in Jerusalem.

5 For who will have compassion for you, Jerusalem? Who will grieve for you?

6 You have forsaken me—this is Yahweh's declaration—you have gone back from me.

So I will strike you with my hand and destroy you. I am tired of having mercy on you.

7 So I will winnow them with a pitchfork at the gates of the land.

I will bereave them. I will destroy my people since they will not turn from their ways.

8 I will make their widows number more than the sands of the seashore. Against the mothers of young men I will send

the destroyer at noonday. I will make shock and horror suddenly fall on them.

9 The mother who has borne seven children will waste away. She will gasp. Her sun will set while it is still day.

She will be ashamed and embarrassed, for I will give those who remain to the sword in the presence of their enemies

—this is Yahweh's declaration.”

10 Woe to me, my mother! For you have borne me, I who am a man of controversy and argument through all the land.

I have not lent, nor has anyone lent to me, but they all curse me.

11 Yahweh said: “Will I not rescue you for good?

I will certainly make your enemies beg for help in the time of calamity and distress.

12 Can one smash iron? Especially iron from the north that is mixed with bronze?

13 I will give to your enemies your wealth and treasures as free plunder.

I will do this because of all your sins committed within all your borders.

14 Then I will make you serve your enemies in a land that you do not know,

for a fire will ignite, kindled in my wrath against you.” *

15 Yahweh, you know! Remember me and help me. Bring vengeance for me against those who persecute me.

You are patient, but do not allow them to take me away; know that I suffer reproach for your sake.

16 Your words have been found, and I consumed them. Your words became to me a joy

and the delight of my heart,

for I bear your name, Yahweh, God of hosts.

17 I did not sit in the circle of those who celebrated or rejoiced.

I sat in solitude because of your powerful hand, for you filled me with indignation.

18 Why is my pain ongoing and my wound incurable, refusing to be healed?

Will you be like deceitful waters to me, waters that dry up?

19 Therefore Yahweh said this, “If you repent, Jeremiah, then I will restore you, and you will stand before me and serve me.

For if you separate the foolish things from the precious things, you will be like my mouth. The people will come back to you,

but you yourself must not go back to them.

20 I will make you like an impenetrable bronze wall to this people, and they will wage war against you.

But they will not defeat you, for I am with you to save and rescue you—this is Yahweh's declaration—

21 for I will rescue you from the hand of the wicked and redeem you from the hand of the tyrant.”

16

1 Then the word of Yahweh came to me, saying, 2 “Do not take a wife for yourself, and do not have sons or daughters for yourself in this place. 3 For Yahweh says this to the sons and daughters who are born in this place, to the mothers who bear them, and to the fathers who caused them to be born in this land, 4 'They will die diseased deaths. They will not be mourned or buried. They will be like dung on the ground. For they will come to an end by sword and famine, and their corpses will be food for the birds of the skies and the beasts of the earth.'

5 For the word of Yahweh came to me, saying, 'Do not enter a house where there is mourning. Do not go to mourn or to show sympathy for them, for I have taken away my peace from this people—this is Yahweh's declaration—and my steadfast love and mercy. 6 Both the great and the small will die in this land. They will not be buried, and no one will mourn for them or cut themselves or shave their heads for them. 7 No one must share any food in mourning to comfort them because of the deaths, and none must give a comforting cup to his father or his mother in order to comfort them. 8 You must not go to a banquet house to sit with them in order to eat or drink.' 9 For Yahweh of hosts, God of Israel, says this, 'See, before your eyes, in your days and in this place, I am about to put an end to the sound of joy and the sound of gladness, the sound of the groom and the sound of the bride.'

10 Then it will happen that you will report all these words to this people, and they will say to you, 'Why has Yahweh decreed all this great disaster against us? What is our iniquity and sin that we sinned against Yahweh our God?' 11 So say to them, 'Because your ancestors abandoned me—this is Yahweh's declaration—and they went after other gods and worshiped and bowed down to them. They abandoned me and have not kept my law. 12 But you yourselves have brought about more wickedness than your ancestors, for see, each person is walking by the stubbornness of his wicked heart; there is no one who listens to me. 13 So I will throw you from this land to a land that you have not known, neither you nor your ancestors, and you will worship other gods there by day and night, for I will not give any favor to you.'

14 Therefore, behold, the days are coming—this is Yahweh's declaration—when it will no longer be said, 'As Yahweh lives, the one who brought up the people of Israel from the land of Egypt.' 15 but, 'As Yahweh lives, the one who brought up the people of Israel from the land of the north and from the lands where he had scattered them.' For I will bring them back to the land that I gave to their ancestors.

16 Behold! I will send for many fishermen—this is Yahweh's declaration—so they will fish the people out. After this I will send for many hunters so they will hunt for them among all the mountains and hills, and in rock crevices. 17 For my eye is on all their ways; they cannot be hidden from before me. Their iniquity cannot be concealed from before my eyes. 18 I will first pay back double for their iniquity and sin for their polluting of my land with their disgusting idol figures, and for their filling my inheritance with their disgusting idols.”

19 Yahweh, you are my stronghold and my refuge, my place of safety in the day of distress.

The nations will go to you from the ends of the earth and say, “Surely our ancestors inherited deceit.

They are empty; there is no profit in them.

20 Do people make gods for themselves? But they are not gods.”

21 Therefore see! I will cause them to know in this time, I will cause them to know my hand and my power,

so they will know that Yahweh is my name.

17

1 “The sin of Judah is written with an iron stylus having a diamond point.

It is engraved on the tablet of their hearts and on the horns of your altars.

2 Even their children remember their altars and their Asherah poles

that were beside the spreading trees and on the high hills.

3 My mountain in the open country,

and your wealth and all your treasures I will give away as plunder,

together with your high places,

because of the sin you committed in all your territories.

4 You will lose the inheritance that I gave to you.

I will enslave you to your enemies in a land that you do not know,

for you have ignited a fire in my wrath, which will burn forever.”

5 Yahweh says, “The person who trusts in mankind is accursed;

he makes flesh his strength but turns his heart away from Yahweh.

6 For he will be like a small bush in the Arabah and will not see anything good coming.

He will stay in the stony places in the wilderness, barren land without inhabitants.

7 But the person who trusts in Yahweh is blessed, for Yahweh is his reason for confidence.

8 For he will be like a tree planted by water, its roots will spread out by the stream.

It will not fear the heat when it comes, for its leaves are always green.

It is not anxious in a year of drought, and it will not stop producing fruit.

9 The heart is more deceitful than anything else. It is sick; who can understand it?

10 I am Yahweh, the one who searches through the mind, who tests the hearts.

I give to each person according to his ways, according to the fruit of his deeds.

11 A partridge hatches an egg that she did not lay. Someone may become rich unjustly,

but when half his days are over, those riches will abandon him, and in the end he will be a fool.”

12 “The place of our temple is a glorious throne, elevated from the beginning.

13 Yahweh is the hope of Israel. All who abandon you will be put to shame; those in the land who turn away from you will be written in the earth,

for they have forsaken Yahweh, the fountain of living waters.

14 Heal me, Yahweh, and I will be healed! Rescue me, and I will be rescued. For you are my song of praise.

15 See, they are saying to me, 'Where is the word of Yahweh? Let it come!'

16 As for me, I did not run from being a shepherd following you. I did not long for the day of disaster.

You know the proclamations that came from my lips. They were made in your presence.

17 Do not be a terror to me. You are my refuge on the day of calamity.

18 May my pursuers be ashamed, but do not let me be ashamed. May they be dismayed, but do not let me be dismayed.

Send the day of disaster against them and shatter them with a double share of destruction.”

19 Yahweh said this to me: “Go and stand in the gate of the people where the kings of Judah enter and where they exit, then in all the other gates of Jerusalem. 20 Say to them, 'Hear the word of Yahweh, kings of Judah and all you people of Judah, and every resident of Jerusalem who comes in through these gates. 21 Yahweh says this: “Be careful for the sake of your lives and do not carry a burden on the Sabbath day to bring it to the gates of Jerusalem. 22 Do not bring a load out from your house on the Sabbath day. Do not do any work, but set apart the Sabbath day, just as I commanded your ancestors to do.”' 23 They did not listen or pay attention, but stiffened their neck so they would not hear me nor accept discipline.

24 It will happen that if you truly listen to me—this is Yahweh's declaration—and do not bring a load to the gates of this city on the Sabbath day but instead set apart the Sabbath day to Yahweh and not do any work on it, 25 then kings, princes, and those who sit on David's throne will come to the gates of this city in chariots and with horses, they and their leaders, men of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem, and this city will be inhabited forever. 26 They will come from the cities of Judah and from all around Jerusalem, from the land of Benjamin and the lowlands, from the mountains, and from the Negev, bringing burnt offerings and sacrifices, grain offerings and frankincense, thank offerings to the house of Yahweh. 27 But if you do not listen to me—to set apart the Sabbath day and to not carry heavy loads and to not enter the gates of Jerusalem on the Sabbath day—then I will light a fire in its gates, and it will consume the fortresses of Jerusalem, and it cannot be put out.”

18

1 The word that came to Jeremiah from Yahweh, saying, 2 “Arise and go out to the potter's house, for I will have you hear my word there.” 3 So I went out to the potter's house, and behold! The potter was working on the potter's wheel. 4 But the object of clay that he was molding was ruined in his hand, so he changed his mind and made another object that seemed good in his eyes to do.

5 Then the word of Yahweh came to me, saying, 6 “Should I not be able to act like this potter with you, house of Israel?—this is Yahweh's declaration. Behold! Like clay in a potter's hand—that is how you are in my hand, house of Israel. 7 At one moment, I may proclaim something about a nation or a kingdom, that I will drive it out, tear it down, or destroy it. 8 But if the nation about which I have made that proclamation turns from its evil, then I will relent from the disaster that I was planning to bring upon it.

9 At another moment, I may proclaim something about a nation or a kingdom, that I will build it up or plant it. 10 But if it does evil in my eyes by not listening to my voice, then I will stop the good that I had said I would do for them. 11 So now, speak to the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem and say, 'Yahweh says this: See, I am about to form disaster against you. I am about to devise a plan against you. Repent, each person from his wicked way, so your ways and your practices will bring good to you.' 12 But they will say, 'This is no use. We will act according to our own plans. Each one of us will do what his evil, stubborn heart desires.'

13 Therefore Yahweh says this, 'Ask the nations, who has ever heard of such a thing as this?

The virgin Israel has committed a horrible act.

14 Does the snow in Lebanon ever leave the rocky hills on its sides?

Are the mountain streams coming from far away ever destroyed, those cold streams?

15 Yet my people have forgotten me. They have made offerings to useless idols and been made to stumble in their paths;

they have left the ancient paths to walk lesser paths.

16 Their land will become a horror, an object of everlasting hissing.

Everyone who passes by her will shudder and shake his head.

17 I will scatter them before their enemies like an eastern wind. I will show them my back, and not my face, on the day of their disaster.'”

18 So the people said, “Come, let us make plots against Jeremiah, since the law will never perish from the priests, or advice from the wise men, or words from the prophets. Come, let us attack him with our words and no longer pay attention to anything he proclaims.”

19 Pay attention to me, Yahweh, and listen to the voice of my enemies.

20 Will disaster from them really be my reward for being good to them? For they have dug a pit for me.

Remember how I stood before you to speak for their welfare, to cause your fury to turn away from them.

21 Therefore give their children over to famine, and give them to the hands of those who use the sword.

So let their women become bereaved and widows, and their men be killed, and their young men killed by the sword in battle.

22 Let a distressed shout be heard from their houses, as you suddenly bring raiders against them.

For they have dug a pit to capture me and have hidden traps for my feet.

23 But you, Yahweh, you know all of their plans against me to kill me.

Do not forgive their iniquities and sins. Do not wipe their sins away from you.

Instead, let them be overthrown before you. Act against them in the time of your wrath.

19

1 Yahweh said this, “Go and purchase a potter's clay flask while you are with the elders of the people and the priests. 2 Then go out to the Valley of Ben Hinnom at the entry of the Broken Pottery Gate, and there proclaim the words that I will tell you. 3 Say, 'Hear the word of Yahweh, kings of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem! Yahweh of hosts, God of Israel, says this, “See, I am about to bring disaster on this place, and the ears of everyone who hears of it will tingle. 4 I will do this because they have abandoned me and profaned this place. In this place they offer sacrifices to other gods that they did not know. They, their ancestors, and the kings of Judah have also filled this place with innocent blood. 5 They built the high places of Baal to burn their sons in the fire as burnt offerings to him—something that I did not command or mention, nor did it enter my mind.

6 Therefore, see, the days are coming—this is Yahweh's declaration—when this place will no longer be called Topheth, the Valley of Ben Hinnom, for it will be the Valley of Slaughter. 7 In this place I will make the plans of Judah and Jerusalem useless. I will make them to fall by the sword before their enemies and by the hand of the ones seeking their lives. Then I will give their corpses as food to the birds of the heavens and the beasts of the earth. 8 Then I will make this city a ruin and the object of hissing, for everyone passing by it will shudder and hiss regarding all of its plagues. 9 I will make them eat the flesh of their sons and daughters; each man will consume the flesh of his neighbor in the siege and in the anguish brought on them by their enemies and the ones seeking their lives.”'

10 Then you will break the clay flask in the sight of the men who went with you. 11 You will say to them, 'Yahweh of hosts says this: I will do this same thing to this people and this city—this is Yahweh's declaration—just as Jeremiah shattered the clay flask so that it could not be repaired again. People will bury the dead in Topheth until there is no place left for any more dead. 12 This is what I will do to this place and its inhabitants when I make this city like Topheth—this is Yahweh's declaration— 13 so the houses of Jerusalem and of the kings of Judah will become like Topheth—all the houses on whose rooftops the unclean people worship all the stars of the heavens and pour out drink offerings to other gods.'”

14 Then Jeremiah went from Topheth, where Yahweh had sent him to prophesy. He stood in the courtyard of Yahweh's house and he said to all the people, 15 “Yahweh of hosts, God of Israel, says this, 'See, I am about to bring to this city and to all of its towns all the disaster that I have proclaimed against it, since they stiffened their neck and refused to listen to my words.'”

20

1 Pashhur son of Immer the priest—he was a leading officer—heard Jeremiah prophesying these words before Yahweh's house. 2 So Pashhur beat Jeremiah the prophet and then placed him in the stocks that were at the Upper Gate of Benjamin in Yahweh's house. 3 It happened on the next day that Pashhur brought Jeremiah out of the stocks. Then Jeremiah said to him, “Yahweh has not called your name Pashhur, but you are Magor Missabib. 4 For Yahweh says this, 'Look, I will make you an object of horror, you and all of your loved ones, for they will fall by the sword of their enemies and your eyes will see it. I will give all of Judah into the hand of the king of Babylon. He will make them captives in Babylon or attack them with the sword. 5 I will give him all the wealth of this city and all of its riches, all of its precious items and all the treasures of the kings of Judah. I will place these things in the hand of your enemies, and they will seize them. They will take them and bring them to Babylon. 6 But you, Pashhur, and all the inhabitants of your house will go into captivity. You will go to Babylon and die there. You and all of your loved ones to whom you prophesied deceitful things will be buried there.'”

7 “Yahweh, you deceived me, and I was deceived. You are stronger than I, and you overpowered me.

I have become a laughingstock all day long; everyone mocks me.

8 For whenever I have spoken, I have called out and proclaimed, 'Violence and destruction.'

Then Yahweh's word has become for me reproach and mocking every day.

9 If I say, 'I will not think about Yahweh anymore. I will not speak any longer in his name.'

Then it is like a fire in my heart, held within my bones. So I struggle to contain it but I cannot.

10 I have heard rumors of terror from many people all around. 'Report! We must report it!'

Those who are close to me watch to see if I will fall. 'Perhaps he can be tricked.

If so, we can overpower him and take our revenge on him.'

11 But Yahweh is with me like a powerful warrior, so the ones pursuing me will stagger.

They will not defeat me. They will be greatly ashamed, because they will not succeed.

They will have unending shame, it will never be forgotten.

12 But Yahweh of hosts, you examine the righteous and see the mind and the heart.

Let me see your vengeance on them for I have committed my cause to you.

13 Sing to Yahweh! Praise Yahweh!

For he has rescued the lives of those who are oppressed from the hand of evildoers.

14 Let the day when I was born be cursed.

Do not let the day that my mother bore me be blessed.

15 Let the man who informed my father be cursed,

the one who said, 'A male child has been born to you,' causing great joy.

16 Let that man be like the cities that Yahweh overthrew and he did not have compassion on them.

Let him hear a cry for help in the dawn, a battle cry at noontime,

17 because he did not kill me in the womb, making my mother to be my tomb,

a womb that was pregnant forever.

18 Why is it that I came out from the womb to see troubles and agony,

so that my days are filled with shame?”

21

1 The word came to Jeremiah from Yahweh when King Zedekiah sent Pashhur son of Malkijah and Zephaniah son of Maaseiah the priest to him, and they said, 2 “Seek advice from Yahweh on our behalf, for Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon is making war on us. Perhaps Yahweh will do miracles for us, as in times past, and will make him withdraw from us.”

3 So Jeremiah said to them, “This is what you must say to Zedekiah, 4 'Yahweh, God of Israel, says this: See, I am about to turn back the instruments of war that are in your hand, with which you are fighting against the king of Babylon and the Chaldeans who are closing you in from outside the walls! For I will gather them in the middle of this city. 5 Then I myself will fight against you with a raised hand and a strong arm, and with wrath, fury, and great anger. 6 For I will attack the inhabitants of this city, both man and beast. They will die in a severe plague. 7 After this—this is Yahweh's declaration—Zedekiah king of Judah, his servants, the people, and whoever remains in this city after the plague, the sword, and the famine, I will give them all into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and into the hand of their enemies, and into the hand of those seeking their life. Then he will kill them with the edge of the sword. He will not pity them, spare them, or have compassion.'

8 Then to this people you must say, 'Yahweh says this: See, I am about to place before you the way of life and the way of death. 9 Anyone staying in this city will die by the sword, famine, and plague; but anyone going out and falling on his knees before the Chaldeans who have closed in against you will live. He will escape with his life. 10 For I have set my face against this city in order to bring disaster and not to bring good—this is Yahweh's declaration. It has been given into the hand of the king of Babylon and he will burn it.'

11 Concerning the house of the king of Judah, listen to the word of Yahweh.

12 House of David, Yahweh says, 'Bring about justice in the morning.

Rescue the one who has been robbed by the hand of the oppressor,

or my fury will go out like fire and burn,

and there is no one who can quench it, because of your evil deeds.

13 See, inhabitant of the valley! I am against you, rock of the plain—this is Yahweh's declaration—

I am against anyone who is saying, “Who will come down to attack us?” or “Who will enter our houses?”

14 I have assigned the fruit of your practices to come against you—this is Yahweh's declaration—

and I will light a fire in the thickets, and it will consume everything around it.'”

22

1 This is what Yahweh says, “Go down to the house of the king of Judah and proclaim this word there. 2 Say, 'King of Judah, listen to the word of Yahweh—you who sit on David's throne—you, and your servants, and your people who come through these gates. 3 Yahweh says this, “Perform justice and righteousness, and anyone who has been robbed—rescue him from the hand of the oppressor. Do not mistreat any foreigner in your land, or any orphan or widow. Do not commit violence or pour out innocent blood in this place. 4 For if you truly do these things, then kings sitting on David's throne will enter the gates of this house riding in a chariot and on horses, he, his servants, and his people! 5 But if you do not listen to these words from me that I have announced—this is Yahweh's declaration—then this royal house will become a ruin.”' 6 For Yahweh says this concerning the house of the king of Judah,

'You are like Gilead, or like the summit of Lebanon to me. Yet I will turn you into a wilderness,

into cities with no inhabitants.

7 For I have designated destroyers to come against you! Men with their weapons

will cut off the best of your cedars and let them fall into the fire. 8 Then many nations will pass by this city. Each person will say to the next, “Why has Yahweh acted in this way toward this great city?”

9 Then the other will answer, “Because they abandoned the covenant of Yahweh their God and bowed down to other gods and worshiped them.”

10 Do not weep for the one who is dead or mourn for him; but weep bitterly for him who is about to go away,

because he will never return and see his native land again.'

11 For Yahweh says this about Jehoahaz son of Josiah king of Judah, who served as king instead of Josiah his father, 'He has gone from this place and will not come back. 12 He will die there in the place to where they have exiled him, and he will never again see this land.'

13 Woe to him who builds his house by unrighteousness, his upper rooms by injustice,

who makes his neighbor work for him for nothing, and he does not give him his wages;

14 he says, 'I will build for myself a large house with spacious upper rooms.'

So he cuts out large windows for it, and he panels it with cedar, and he paints it red. 15 Is this what makes you a good king, that you wanted to have boards of cedar?

Did not your father also eat and drink, yet do justice and righteousness? Then things went well for him.

16 He judged in favor of the poor and needy. It was good then. Is this not what it means to know me?—this is Yahweh's declaration. 17 But there is nothing in your eyes and heart except worry for your unjust profit and for pouring out innocent blood,

for producing oppression and crushing of others.

18 Therefore this is what Yahweh says about Jehoiakim son of Josiah, king of Judah:

They will not lament for him, saying,

'Woe, my brother!' or 'Woe, my sister!'

They will not lament for him, saying,

'Woe, master!' or 'Woe, majesty!'

19 He will be buried with a donkey's burial,

dragged away and thrown out beyond the gates of Jerusalem.

20 Go up Lebanon's mountains and shout. Lift your voice in Bashan.

Shout from the Abarim mountains, for all of your friends will be destroyed.

21 I spoke to you when you were safe, but you said, 'I will not listen.'

This was your custom since your youth, for you have not listened to my voice.

22 The wind will shepherd away all your shepherds, and your friends will go into captivity.

Then you will certainly be ashamed and humiliated by all of your evil deeds.

23 You who live in 'Lebanon,' who is nestled in cedar buildings,

how you will be pitied when the labor pains come upon you, pain like that of a woman in labor!”

24 “As I live—this is Yahweh's declaration—even if you, Jehoiachin son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, were the signet on my right hand, I would tear you off. 25 For I have given you to the hand of the ones seeking your life and to the hand of those before whom you are afraid, even to the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and the Chaldeans. 26 I will throw you and your mother who bore you into another land, a country where you were not born, and there you will die. 27 About this land to which they will want to return, they will not come back here.

28 Is this a despised and shattered vessel? Is this man Jehoiachin a pot that pleases no one?

Why have they thrown him and his descendants out, and have poured them out into a land that they did not know?

29 Land, Land, Land! Hear the word of Yahweh!

30 Yahweh says this, 'Write about this man Jehoiachin: He will be childless.

He will not prosper during his days, and no one among his descendants will achieve success

or ever again sit on David's throne and rule over Judah.'”

23

1 “Woe to the shepherds who destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture—this is Yahweh's declaration.” 2 Therefore Yahweh, the God of Israel, says this concerning the shepherds who are shepherding his people, “You have scattered my flock and have driven them away. You have not cared for them. So I am about to punish you for the evil you have done—this is Yahweh's declaration. 3 I myself will gather the remnant of my flock from all of the lands where I have driven them, and I will return them to a grazing place, where they will be fruitful and increase. 4 Then I will raise up shepherds over them who will shepherd them so they will no longer fear or be shattered. None of them will go missing—this is Yahweh's declaration.

5 See, the days are coming—this is Yahweh's declaration—when I will raise up for David a righteous branch.

He will reign as king; he will act wisely and cause justice and righteousness in the land.

6 In his days Judah will be rescued, and Israel will live in security.

Then this is the name by which he will be called: Yahweh is our righteousness.

7 Therefore see, days are coming—this is Yahweh's declaration—when they will no longer say, 'As Yahweh lives, who brought the people of Israel up from the land of Egypt.' 8 Instead they will say, 'As Yahweh lives, who brought up and who led back the descendants of the house of Israel from the northern land and all the lands where they had been driven.' Then they will live in their own land.”

9 Regarding the prophets, my heart is broken in me, and all of my bones tremble. I have become like a drunk man,

like a man whom wine has overpowered, because of Yahweh and his holy words.

10 For the land is full of adulterers. Because of these the land is dried up.

The meadows in the wilderness dry up. These prophets' paths are wicked; their power is not used in a right manner.

11 “For both the prophets and the priests are polluted. I even found their wickedness in my house!—this is Yahweh's declaration—

12 therefore their way will be like a slippery place in the darkness. They will be pushed down. They will fall in it.

For I will send disaster against them in the year of their punishment—this is Yahweh's declaration.

13 For I have seen the prophets in Samaria doing what is repulsive:

They prophesied by Baal and led my people Israel astray.

14 Among the prophets in Jerusalem I have seen horrible things:

They commit adultery and walk in deceit.

They strengthen the hands of evildoers; no one turns back from his evildoing.

All of them have become like Sodom to me and its inhabitants like Gomorrah!”

15 Therefore Yahweh of hosts says this concerning the prophets,

“Look, I am about to make them eat wormwood and drink poisonous water,

for pollution has gone out from the prophets of Jerusalem to all the land.”

16 Yahweh of hosts says this, “Do not listen to the words of the prophets who prophesy to you.

They have deluded you! They are announcing visions from their own minds, not from Yahweh's mouth.

17 They are constantly saying to those who dishonor me, 'Yahweh declares there will be peace for you.'

For everyone walking in the stubbornness of his own heart says, 'Disaster will not come upon you.'

18 Yet who has stood in Yahweh's council meeting? Who sees and hears his word?

Who pays attention to his word and listens?

19 See, there is a storm coming from Yahweh! His fury is going out, and a tempest is whirling about.

It is whirling around the heads of the wicked.

20 Yahweh's wrath will not return until it has carried out and brought into being his heart's intentions.

In the final days, you will understand it.

21 I did not send out these prophets. They just appeared.

I did not proclaim anything to them, but they have still prophesied.

22 For if they had stood in my council meeting, they would have caused my people to hear my word;

they would have caused them to turn from their wicked words and corrupt practices.

23 Am I only a God nearby—this is Yahweh's declaration—and not also a God far away?

24 Can anyone hide in a secret place so I cannot see him?—this is Yahweh's declaration—

and do I not fill the heavens and the earth?—this is Yahweh's declaration.

25 I have heard what the prophets have said, those who were prophesying deceit in my name. They said, 'I had a dream! I had a dream!' 26 How long will this go on, prophets who prophesy lies from their minds, and who prophesy from the deceit in their hearts? 27 They are planning on making my people forget my name with the dreams that they report, each one to his neighbor, just as their ancestors forgot my name in favor of Baal's name.

28 The prophet who has a dream, let him report the dream. But the one to whom I have declared something, let him declare my word truthfully. What does straw have to do with grain?—this is Yahweh's declaration— 29 Is not my word like fire?—this is Yahweh's declaration—and like a hammer that shatters a rock into pieces? 30 So see, I am against the prophets—this is Yahweh's declaration—anyone who steals words from another person and says they come from me. 31 See, I am against the prophets—this is Yahweh's declaration—who use their tongues to prophesy proclamations. 32 See, I am against the prophets who dream deceitfully—this is Yahweh's declaration—and then proclaim them and in this way mislead my people with their deceit and boasting. I am against them, for I have not sent them out nor given them commands. So they will certainly not help this people—this is Yahweh's declaration.

33 When these people, or a prophet, or a priest asks you, 'What is the burden of Yahweh?' you will say to them, 'You are the burden, and I will cast you off'—this is Yahweh's declaration. 34 As for the prophets, priests, and people who are saying, 'This is the burden of Yahweh' I will punish that man and his house. 35 You continue to say, each person to his neighbor and each man to his brother, 'What did Yahweh answer?' and 'What did Yahweh declare?' 36 But you must no longer talk about the 'burden of Yahweh,' for the burden is every man's own word, and you have perverted the words of the living God, Yahweh of hosts, our God. 37 This is what you will say to the prophet, 'What answer did Yahweh give you? or 'What did Yahweh say?' 38 But if you say, 'The burden of Yahweh', this is what Yahweh says:

'Because you have said these words, 'The burden of Yahweh,' when I sent to you, saying, 'You will not say, “The burden of Yahweh,”'

39 therefore, behold, I am about to pick you up and throw you away from me, along with the city that I gave you and your ancestors.

40 Then I will put everlasting shame and insult on you that will not be forgotten.'”

24

1 Yahweh showed me something. Behold, two baskets of figs were placed before Yahweh's temple. (This vision happened after Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, took into exile Jehoiachin son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, the officials of Judah, the craftsmen and the metalworkers from Jerusalem and brought them to Babylon.) 2 One basket of figs was very good, like first ripe figs, but the other basket of figs was so very bad that they could not be eaten. 3 Yahweh said to me, “What do you see, Jeremiah?” I said, “Figs. Figs that are very good and figs that are so very bad they cannot be eaten.”

4 Then the word of Yahweh came to me, saying, 5 “Yahweh, God of Israel, says this: I will look on the exiles of Judah for their benefit, just like these good figs, the exiles whom I have sent out from this place to the land of Chaldea. 6 I will set my eyes on them for good and restore them to this land. I will build them up, and not tear them down. I will plant them, and not uproot them. 7 Then I will give them a heart to know me, for I am Yahweh. They will be my people and I will be their God, so they will turn to me with all their heart.

8 But like the bad figs that are too bad to be eaten—this is what Yahweh says—I will act in this way with Zedekiah, king of Judah, with his officials, and with the rest of Jerusalem who remain in this land or go to stay in the land of Egypt. 9 I will turn them into a frightening thing, a disaster, in the sight of all the kingdoms on earth, a disgrace and a subject for proverbs, taunts, and curses in every place where I will have driven them. 10 I will send out sword, famine, and plague against them, until they are destroyed from the land that I gave them and their ancestors.”

25

1 This is the word that came to Jeremiah about all the people of Judah. It came in the fourth year of Jehoiakim son of Josiah, king of Judah. That was the first year of Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon. 2 Jeremiah the prophet proclaimed this to all the people of Judah and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem. 3 He said, “For twenty-three years, from the thirteenth year of Josiah son of Amon, king of Judah until this day, Yahweh's words have been coming to me and I have spoken to you again and again, but you have not listened. 4 Yahweh sent out all his servants the prophets to you again and again, but you have not listened or paid any attention. 5 These prophets said, 'Let each man turn from his wicked way and the corruption of his practices and return to the land that Yahweh gave in ancient times to your ancestors and to you, as a permanent gift. 6 So do not walk after other gods to worship them or bow down to them, and do not provoke him with the work of your hands so that he does you harm.' 7 But you have not listened to me—this is Yahweh's declaration—so you have provoked me with the work of your hands to do harm to you. 8 So Yahweh of hosts says this, 'Because you did not listen to my words, 9 see, I am about to send out a command to gather all the peoples of the north—this is Yahweh's declaration—with Nebuchadnezzar my servant, king of Babylon, and bring them against this land and its inhabitants, and against all the nations around you. For I will set them apart for destruction. I will turn them into a horror, an object for hissing, and an unending desolation. 10 I will put an end to the sound of joy and sound of gladness, the sound of the groom and the sound of the bride, the sound of the millstones and the light of the lamp. 11 Then all of this land will become a desolation and a horror, and these nations will serve the king of Babylon for seventy years.

12 Then it will happen when seventy years have been completed, that I will punish the king of Babylon and that nation, the land of the Chaldeans—this is Yahweh's declaration—for their iniquity and make it an unending desolation. 13 Then I will carry out against that land all the words that I had spoken, and everything written in this book that Jeremiah has prophesied against all the nations. 14 For also many other nations and great kings will make slaves out of these nations. I will repay them for their deeds and the works of their hands.'”

15 For Yahweh, God of Israel, said this to me, “Take this cup of the wine of fury from my hand and make all the nations to which I am sending you drink it. 16 For they will drink and then stagger about and rant madly before the sword that I am sending out among them.” 17 So I took the cup from Yahweh's hand, and I made all the nations to which Yahweh had sent me drink it: 18 Jerusalem, the cities of Judah and her kings and officials—to turn them into ruins and something terrifying, and into an object for hissing and cursing, as they are at this present day. 19 Other nations also had to drink it: Pharaoh king of Egypt and his servants; his officials and all his people; 20 all people of mixed heritage and all the kings of the land of Uz; all the kings of the land of Philistia—Ashkelon, Gaza, Ekron, and the remnant of Ashdod; 21 Edom and Moab and the people of Ammon. 22 The kings of Tyre and Sidon, the kings of the coasts on the other side of the sea, 23 Dedan, Tema, and Buz with all the ones who cut the hair on the sides of their heads, they also had to drink it. 24 All the kings of Arabia and all the kings of people of mixed heritage who live in the wilderness; 25 all the kings of Zimri, all the kings of Elam, and all the kings of the Medes; 26 all the kings of the north, the ones close by and the ones far away—everyone with his brother and all the kingdoms of the world that are on the surface of the earth, all of them had to drink the cup from Yahweh's hand. Finally, the king of Babylon will also drink from that cup.

27 Yahweh said to me, “Now you must say to them, 'Yahweh of hosts, God of Israel, says this: Drink and become drunk, then vomit, fall down, and do not rise before the sword that I am sending among you.' 28 Then it will happen that if they refuse to take the cup from your hand to drink, you will say to them, 'Yahweh of hosts says this: You must certainly drink it. 29 For see, I am about to bring disaster on the city that is called by my name, and should you yourselves be free from punishment? You will not be free, for I am calling a sword against all the inhabitants of the land!—this is the declaration of Yahweh of hosts.'

30 You must prophesy all these words against them, and say to them,

'Yahweh will roar from the heights

and he will shout with his voice from his holy dwelling,

and he will roar mightily against his fold;

and he will shout, like those who tread the grapes

against all those who live on the earth.

31 The sound of battle will resound to the ends of the earth,

for Yahweh brings charges against the nations,

and he brings judgment on all flesh,

and the wicked ones he will put to the sword—this is Yahweh's declaration.'

32 Yahweh of hosts says this,

'See, disaster is going out from nation to nation,

and a great storm is beginning from the farthest parts of the earth.

33 Then those killed by Yahweh will on that day extend from one end of the earth to the other;

they will not be mourned, gathered, or buried.

They will be like dung on the ground.

34 Wail, shepherds, and shout for help!

Roll about in the dust,

you leaders of the flock,

for the days of your slaughter have come;

you will be scattered when you fall like fine pottery.

35 There is no refuge for the shepherds, there will be no escape for the leaders of the flock.

36 Hear the cries of the shepherds and the wails of the leaders of the flock,

for Yahweh is destroying their pastures.

37 So the peaceful pastures will be devastated because of Yahweh's fierce anger.

38 Like a young lion, he has left his den, for their land will become a horror because of the oppressor's anger,

because of his angry wrath.'” *

26

1 In the beginning of the reign of Jehoiakim son of Josiah, this word came from Yahweh, saying, 2 “Yahweh says this: Stand in the courtyard of my house and speak about all the cities of Judah who come to worship at my house. Proclaim all the words that I have commanded you to say to them. Do not cut short any word! 3 It may be that they will listen, that each man will turn from his wicked ways, so I will relent concerning the disaster that I am planning to bring on them because of the wickedness of their practices. 4 So you must say to them, 'Yahweh says this: If you do not listen to me so as to walk in my law that I have placed before you— 5 if you do not listen to the words of my servants the prophets whom I am persistently sending to you—but you have not listened!— 6 then I will make this house like Shiloh; I will turn this city into a curse in the sight of all the nations on earth.'”

7 The priests, the prophets, and all the people heard Jeremiah announcing these words in Yahweh's house. 8 So it happened that when Jeremiah had finished announcing all that Yahweh commanded him to say to all the people, the priests, prophets, and all the people seized him and said, “You will certainly die! 9 Why have you prophesied in Yahweh's name and said that this house will become like Shiloh and this city will become desolate, with no inhabitant?” For all the people had formed a mob against Jeremiah in Yahweh's house.

10 Then the officials of Judah heard these words and went up from the king's house to Yahweh's house. They sat in the gateway at the New Gate of Yahweh's house. 11 The priests and the prophets spoke to the officials and to all the people. They said, “It is right for this man to die, for he prophesied against this city, just as you heard with your own ears!” 12 So Jeremiah spoke to all the officials and all the people and said, “Yahweh has sent me out to prophesy against this house and this city, to say all the words that you have heard. 13 So now, improve your ways and your practices, and listen to the voice of Yahweh your God so that he will relent concerning the disaster that he has proclaimed against you. 14 I myself—look at me!—am in your hand. Do to me what is good and right in your eyes. 15 But you must surely know that if you kill me, then you are bringing innocent blood on yourselves and on this city and its inhabitants, for Yahweh has truly sent me to you to proclaim all these words for your ears.”

16 Then the officials and all the people said to the priests and prophets, “It is not right for this man to die, for he has proclaimed things to us in the name of Yahweh our God.” 17 Then men from the elders of the land rose up and spoke to the entire assembly of the people. 18 They said, “Micah the Morashite was prophesying in the days of Hezekiah king of Judah. He spoke to all the people of Judah and said, 'Yahweh of hosts says this:

Zion will become a plowed field,

Jerusalem will become a heap of rubble,

and the hill of the temple will become a thicket.' 19 Did Hezekiah king of Judah and all of Judah put him to death? Did he not fear Yahweh and appease the face of Yahweh so that Yahweh would relent concerning the disaster that he proclaimed to them? So will we do greater evil against our own lives?”

20 Meanwhile there was another man who prophesied in the name of Yahweh—Uriah son of Shemaiah from Kiriath Jearim—he also prophesied against this city and this land, agreeing with all of Jeremiah's words. 21 But when King Jehoiakim and all his soldiers and officials heard his word, then the king tried to put him to death, but Uriah heard and was afraid, so he ran away and went to Egypt. 22 Then King Jehoiakim sent out men to go to Egypt—Elnathan son of Akbor and men to go into Egypt after Uriah. 23 They took Uriah out from Egypt and brought him to King Jehoiakim. Then Jehoiakim killed him with a sword and sent his corpse out to the graves of the ordinary people. 24 But the hand of Ahikam son of Shaphan was with Jeremiah, so he was not given into the hand of the people to be put to death.

27

1 In the beginning of the reign of Zedekiah son of Josiah, king of Judah, this word came to Jeremiah from Yahweh. * 2 This is what Yahweh said to me, “Make fetters and a yoke for yourself. Place them on your neck. 3 Then send them out to the king of Edom, the king of Moab, the king of the people of Ammon, the king of Tyre, and to the king of Sidon. Send them by the hand of those kings' ambassadors who have come to Jerusalem to Zedekiah king of Judah. 4 Give commands to them for their masters and say, 'Yahweh of hosts, God of Israel, says this: This is what you must say to your masters, 5 “I myself made the earth by my great strength and my raised arm. I also made the people and animals on the earth, and I give it to anyone who is right in my eyes. 6 So now, I myself am giving all these lands into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, my servant. Also, I am giving the living things in the fields to him to serve him. 7 For all the nations will serve him, his son, and his grandson until the time for his land comes. Then many nations and great kings will subdue him. 8 So the nation and the kingdom that does not serve Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, and that does not put its neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon—I will punish that nation with the sword, with famine, and with the plague—this is Yahweh's declaration—until I have destroyed it by his hand. 9 So do not listen to your prophets, your diviners, your seers, your soothsayers, and sorcerers, who have been speaking to you and saying, 'Do not serve the king of Babylon.' 10 For they are prophesying deceit to you in order to send you far away from your lands, for I will drive you away, and you will die. 11 But the nation that places its neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon and serves him, I will allow it to rest in its land—this is Yahweh's declaration—and they will cultivate it and make their homes in it.”'”

12 So I spoke to Zedekiah king of Judah and gave him this message, “Place your necks under the yoke of the king of Babylon and serve him and his people, and you will live. 13 Why will you die—you and your people—by the sword, famine, and plague, just as I have declared about the nation that refuses to serve the king of Babylon? 14 Do not listen to the words of the prophets who speak to you and say, 'Do not serve the king of Babylon,' for they are prophesying lies to you. 15 'For I have not sent them out—this is Yahweh's declaration—for they are prophesying deceit in my name so that I will drive you out and you will perish, both you and the prophets who are prophesying to you.'”

16 I proclaimed this to the priests and all the people and said, “Yahweh says this: Do not listen to the words of your prophets who prophesy to you and say, 'Look! The objects belonging to Yahweh's house are being returned from Babylon now!' They are prophesying lies to you. 17 Do not listen to them. You should serve the king of Babylon and live. Why should this city become a ruin? 18 If they are prophets, and if the word of Yahweh has truly come to them, let them beg Yahweh of hosts not to send to Babylon the objects that remain in his house, the house of the king of Judah, and Jerusalem. 19 Yahweh of hosts says this about the pillars, the large basin known as “The Sea” and its base, and the rest of the objects that remain in this city— 20 the objects that Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon did not take when he carried Jehoiachin son of Jehoiakim, the king of Judah, into captivity from Jerusalem to Babylon with all the nobles of Judah and Jerusalem. 21 Yahweh of hosts, God of Israel, says this about the objects that remain in the house of Yahweh, the house of the king of Judah, and Jerusalem, 22 'They will be brought to Babylon, and they will remain there until the day I have set to come for them—this is Yahweh's declaration—then I will bring them up and restore them to this place.'”

28

1 It happened in that year, in the beginning of the reign of Zedekiah king of Judah, in the fourth year and the fifth month, Hananiah son of Azzur the prophet, who was from Gibeon, spoke to me in Yahweh's house in front of the priests and all the people. He said, 2 “Yahweh of hosts, God of Israel, says this: I have broken the yoke imposed by the king of Babylon. 3 Within two years I will bring back to this place all the objects belonging to Yahweh's house that Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon took from this place and transported to Babylon. 4 Then I will bring back to this place Jehoiachin son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, and all the captives of Judah who were sent to Babylon—this is Yahweh's declaration—for I will break the yoke of the king of Babylon.”

5 So Jeremiah the prophet spoke to Hananiah the prophet in front of the priests and to all the people who stood in Yahweh's house. 6 Jeremiah the prophet said, “May Yahweh do this! May Yahweh confirm the words that you prophesied and bring back to this place the objects belonging to Yahweh's house, and all the captives from Babylon. 7 However, listen to the word that I am proclaiming in your hearing and in the hearing of all the people. 8 The prophets who existed before me and you from long ago also prophesied about many nations and against great kingdoms, about war, famine * , and plague. 9 So the prophet who prophesies that there will be peace—if his word comes true, then it will be known that he is indeed a prophet sent out by Yahweh.” 10 But Hananiah the prophet took the yoke from the neck of Jeremiah the prophet and broke it. 11 Then Hananiah spoke in front of all the people and said, “Yahweh says this: Just like this, within two years I will break from off the neck of every nation the yoke imposed by Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon.” Then Jeremiah the prophet went on his way.

12 After Hananiah the prophet had broken the yoke from the neck of Jeremiah the prophet, the word of Yahweh came to Jeremiah, saying, 13 “Go and speak to Hananiah and say, 'Yahweh says this: You broke a yoke of wood, but I will make instead a yoke of iron.' 14 For Yahweh of hosts, God of Israel, says this: I have placed a yoke of iron on the neck of all of these nations to serve Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and they will serve him. I have also given him the wild beasts in the fields to rule over.” 15 Next Jeremiah the prophet said to Hananiah the prophet, “Listen Hananiah! Yahweh has not sent you, but you yourself have caused this people to believe in lies. 16 So Yahweh says this: Look, I am about to send you out from the earth. You will die this year, since you proclaimed rebellion against Yahweh.” 17 In the seventh month of that same year, Hananiah the prophet died.

29

1 These are the words in the scroll that Jeremiah the prophet sent out from Jerusalem to the remaining elders among the captives and to the priests, prophets, and all the people that Nebuchadnezzar exiled from Jerusalem to Babylon. 2 This was after Jehoiachin the king, the queen mother, and the high officials, the leaders of Judah and Jerusalem, and the craftsmen had been sent away from Jerusalem. 3 He sent this scroll by the hand of Elasah son of Shapan and Gemariah son of Hilkiah whom Zedekiah, king of Judah, had sent to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon. 4 The scroll said, “Yahweh of hosts, God of Israel, says this to all the captives whom I caused to be exiled from Jerusalem to Babylon, 5 'Build houses and live in them. Plant gardens and eat their fruit. 6 Take wives and give birth to sons and daughters. Then take wives for your sons, and give your daughters to husbands. Let them give birth to sons and daughters and increase there so you do not become too few. 7 Seek the peace of the city where I have caused you to be exiled, and intercede with me on its behalf since there will be peace for you if it is at peace.' 8 For Yahweh of hosts, God of Israel, says this, 'Do not let your prophets who are in your midst and your diviners deceive you, and do not listen to the dreams that you yourselves are having. 9 For they are prophesying deceitfully to you in my name. I did not send them—this is Yahweh's declaration.'

10 For Yahweh says this, 'When Babylon has ruled you for seventy years, I will help you and carry out my good word for you to bring you back to this place. 11 For I myself know the plans that I have for you—this is Yahweh's declaration—plans for peace and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. 12 Then you will call to me, and go and pray to me, and I will listen to you. 13 For you will seek me and find me, since you will seek me with all your heart. 14 Then I will be found by you—this is Yahweh's declaration—and I will bring back your fortunes; I will gather you from all the nations and places where I scattered you—this is Yahweh's declaration—for I will bring you back to the place from where I caused you to be exiled.'

15 Since you said that Yahweh has raised up prophets for us in Babylon, 16 Yahweh says this to the king who sits on the throne of David and to all the people who are staying in that city, your brothers who have not gone out with you into captivity— 17 Yahweh of hosts says this, 'See, I am about to send sword, famine, and disease on them. For I will make them like rotten figs that are too bad to be eaten. 18 Then I will pursue them with sword, famine, and plague and make them a horrible sight to all the kingdoms on earth—a horror, an object of curses and hissing, and a shameful thing among all the nations where I scattered her. 19 This is because they did not listen to my word—this is Yahweh's declaration—that I sent out to them through my servants the prophets. I repeatedly sent them, but you would not listen—this is Yahweh's declaration.' 20 So you yourselves listen to the word of Yahweh, all you exiles whom he has sent out from Jerusalem to Babylon,

21 'Yahweh of hosts, God of Israel, says this about Ahab son of Kolaiah and Zedekiah son of Maaseiah, who prophesy falsely to you in my name: See, I am about to put them into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon. He will kill them before your eyes. 22 Then a curse will be spoken about these persons by all the captives of Judah in Babylon. The curse will say: May Yahweh make you like Zedekiah and Ahab, whom the king of Babylon roasted in fire. 23 This will happen because of the shameful things they did in Israel when they committed adultery with their neighbor's wives and declared false words in my name, things that I never commanded them to say. For I am the one who knows; I am the witness—this is Yahweh's declaration.'”

24 “About Shemaiah the Nehelamite, say this: 25 'Yahweh of hosts, God of Israel, says this: Because you sent out letters in your own name to all the people in Jerusalem, to Zephaniah son of Maaseiah the priest, and to all the priests, and said, 26 “Yahweh has made you priest instead of Jehoiada the priest, for you to be in charge of Yahweh's house. You are in control of all the people who rave and make themselves into prophets. You should put them in stocks and chains. 27 So now, why have you not rebuked Jeremiah of Anathoth, who makes himself into a prophet against you? 28 For he has sent to us in Babylon and said, 'It will be a long time. Build houses and live in them, and plant gardens and eat their fruit.”'” 29 Zephaniah the priest read this letter in the hearing of Jeremiah the prophet. 30 Then the word of Yahweh came to Jeremiah, saying, 31 “Send word to all the exiles and say, 'Yahweh says this about Shemaiah the Nehelamite: Because Shemaiah has prophesied to you when I myself did not send him, and he has led you to believe lies, 32 therefore Yahweh says this: Look, I am about to punish Shemaiah the Nehelamite and his descendants. There will not be a man for him to stay among this people. He will not see the good that I will do for my people—this is Yahweh's declaration—for he has proclaimed rebellion against Yahweh.'”

30

1 The word that came to Jeremiah from Yahweh, saying, 2 “This is what Yahweh, God of Israel, says, 'Write in a scroll all the words that I have spoken to you. 3 For look, days are coming—this is Yahweh's declaration—when I will restore the fortunes of my people, Israel and Judah. I, Yahweh, have said it. For I will bring them back to the land that I gave their ancestors, and they will possess it.'”

4 These are the words that Yahweh declared concerning Israel and Judah, 5 “For Yahweh says this,

'We have heard a trembling voice of dread and not of peace.

6 Ask and see if a man bears a child.

Why do I see every young man with his hand on his loins like a woman bearing a child?

Why have all their faces become pale?

7 Woe! For that day will be great, with none like it.

It will be a time of anxiety for Jacob, but he will be rescued from it.

8 For it will be in that day—this is the declaration of Yahweh of hosts—that I will break the yoke off your neck, and I will shatter your chains, so foreigners will no longer enslave you.

9 But they will worship Yahweh their God and serve David their king, whom I will make king over them.

10 So you, my servant Jacob, do not fear—this is Yahweh's declaration—and do not be dismayed, Israel.

For see, I am about to bring you back from far away, and your descendants from the land of captivity.

Jacob will return and be at peace; he will be secure, and there will be no more terror.

11 For I am with you—this is Yahweh's declaration—to save you. Then I will bring a complete end

to all the nations where I have scattered you. But I will certainly not put an end to you,

though I discipline you justly and will certainly not leave you unpunished.'

12 For Yahweh says this, 'Your injury is incurable; your wound is infected.

13 There is no one to plead your case; there is no remedy for your wound to heal you.

14 All of your lovers have forgotten you. They will not look for you,

for I have wounded you with the wound of an enemy and the discipline of a cruel master

because of your many iniquities and your innumerable sins.

15 Why do you call for help for your injury? Your pain is incurable.

Because of your many iniquities, your innumerable sins, I have done these things to you.

16 So everyone who consumes you will be consumed, and all of your adversaries will go into captivity.

For the ones who have plundered you will become plunder, and I will make all of the ones despoiling you a spoil.

17 For I will bring healing on you; I will heal you of your wounds—this is Yahweh's declaration—

I will do this because they called you: Outcast. No one cares for this Zion.'”

18 Yahweh says this, “See, I am about to bring back the fortunes of Jacob's tents and have compassion on his homes.

Then a city will be built on the heap of ruins, and a stronghold will exist again where it used to be.

19 Then a song of praise and a sound of merriment will go out from them,

for I will increase them and not diminish them; I will honor them so they will not be humbled.

20 Then their people will be like before, and their assembly will be established before me

when I punish all the ones who are now tormenting them.

21 Their leader will come from among them. He will emerge from their midst

when I draw him near and when he approaches me.

If I do not do this, who would dare come close to me?—this is Yahweh's declaration.

22 Then you will be my people, and I will be your God.

23 See, the tempest of Yahweh, his fury, has gone out. It is a continual tempest.

It will whirl on the heads of the wicked people.

24 Yahweh's wrath will not return until it has carried out and brought into being his heart's intentions.

In the final days, you will understand it.”

31

1 “At that time—this is Yahweh's declaration—I will be the God of all the clans of Israel, and they will be my people.” 2 Yahweh says this,

“The people who have survived the sword have found favor in the wilderness; I will go out to give rest to Israel.”

3 Yahweh appeared to me in the past and said, “I have loved you, Israel, with everlasting love.

So I have drawn you toward myself with covenant faithfulness.

4 I will build you up again so you will be built, virgin Israel.

You will again pick up your tambourines and go out with happy dances.

5 You will plant vineyards again on the mountains of Samaria; the farmers will plant and put the fruit to good use.

6 For a day will come when the watchmen in the mountains of Ephraim will proclaim,

'Arise, let us go up to Zion to Yahweh our God.'

7 For Yahweh says this, “Shout for joy over Jacob! Shout in gladness for the chief people of the nations! Let praise be heard. Say, 'Yahweh has rescued his people, the remnant of Israel.'

8 See, I am about to bring them from the northern lands. I will gather them from the farthest parts of the earth.

The blind and lame will be among them;

pregnant women and those who are about to give birth will be with them.

A great assembly will return here.

9 They will come weeping; I will lead them as they make their pleas. I will have them journey to streams of water

on a straight road. They will not stumble on it, for I will be a father to Israel,

and Ephraim will be my firstborn.”

10 “Hear the word of Yahweh, nations. Report along the coasts in the distance.

You nations must say, 'The one who scattered Israel is gathering her up and keeping her as a shepherd keeps his sheep.'

11 For Yahweh has ransomed Jacob and has redeemed him from the hand that was too strong for him.

12 Then they will come and rejoice on the heights of Zion. Their faces will shine because of Yahweh's goodness,

over the corn and the new wine, over the oil and the offspring of the flocks and herds.

For their lives will become like a watered garden, and they will never again feel any more sorrow.

13 Then virgins will rejoice with dancing, and young and old men will be together.

For I will change their mourning into celebration. I will have compassion on them and cause them to rejoice instead of sorrowing.

14 Then I will saturate the lives of the priests in abundance.

My people will fill themselves with my goodness—this is Yahweh's declaration.”

15 Yahweh says this: “A voice is heard in Ramah, wailing and bitter weeping.

It is Rachel weeping for her children. She refuses to be comforted over them, for they live no longer.”

16 Yahweh says this, “Hold your voice back from weeping and your eyes from tears;

there is a reward for your work—this is Yahweh's declaration—your children will return from the land of the enemy.

17 There is hope for your future—this is Yahweh's declaration—your descendants will return inside their borders.”

18 “I have certainly heard Ephraim sorrowing, 'You punished me, and I have been punished like an untrained calf.

Bring me back and I will be brought back, for you are Yahweh my God.

19 For after I turned back to you, I was sorry; after I was trained, I slapped my thigh.

I was ashamed and humiliated, for I have borne the guilt of my youth.'

20 Is not Ephraim my precious child? Is he not my dear, delightful son?

For whenever I speak against him, I certainly still call him to my loving mind. In this way my heart longs for him.

I will certainly have compassion on him—this is Yahweh's declaration.”

21 Place road signs for yourself. Set up guideposts for yourself. Set your mind on the right path,

the way you should take. Come back, virgin Israel! Come back to these cities of yours.

22 How long will you waver, faithless daughter?

For Yahweh has created something new on earth—a woman surrounds a strong man.

23 Yahweh of hosts, the God of Israel, says this, “When I bring back the people to their land, they will say this in the land of Judah and its cities, 'May Yahweh bless you, you righteous place where he lives, you holy mountain.' 24 For Judah and all its cities will live together there, as will farmers and those who set out with flocks. 25 For I will cause those who are weary to drink, and I fill up those who are faint.” 26 After this I awoke, and I realized that my sleep had been refreshing.

27 “Look, the days are coming—this is Yahweh's declaration—when I will sow the houses of Israel and Judah with the descendants of man and beast. 28 In the past, I kept them under surveillance in order to uproot them and to tear them down, to overthrow, destroy, and bring them harm. But in the coming days, I will watch over them, in order to build them up and to plant them—this is Yahweh's declaration. 29 In those days no one will say any longer,

'Fathers have eaten sour grapes, but the children's teeth are dulled.' 30 For each man will die in his own iniquity; everyone who eats sour grapes, his teeth will be dulled.

31 Look, the days are coming

—this is Yahweh's declaration—

when I will establish a new covenant

with the house of Israel and the house of Judah.

32 It will not be like the covenant

that I established with their fathers in the days

when I took them by their hand

to bring them out from the land of Egypt,

because they broke my covenant,

although I was a husband for them.

—this is Yahweh's declaration.

33 This is the covenant

that I will establish with the house of Israel

after these days

—this is Yahweh's declaration.

I will place my law within them

and will write it on their heart,

for I will be their God,

and they will be my people.

34 Then each man will no longer teach his neighbor,

or a man teach his brother and say, 'Know Yahweh!'

For all of them will know me,

from the smallest of them to the greatest

—this is Yahweh's declaration—

for I will forgive their iniquity

and will no longer call their sins to mind.”

35 Yahweh says this,

it is he who makes the sun to shine by day

and fixes the moon and stars to shine by night.

He is the one who sets the sea in motion

so that its waves roar—

Yahweh of hosts is his name.

36 “Only if these permanent things vanish from my sight—this is Yahweh's declaration—

will Israel's descendants ever stop from forever being a nation before me.”

37 Yahweh says this, “Only if the highest heavens can be measured,

and only if the earth's foundation below can be discovered, will I reject all of Israel's descendants

because of all that they have done—this is Yahweh's declaration.”

38 “Look, the days are coming—this is Yahweh's declaration—when the city will be rebuilt for me, from the Tower of Hananel to the Corner Gate. 39 Then the measuring line will go out again farther, to the hill of Gareb and around Goah. 40 The whole valley of the dead bodies and the ashes, and all the terraced fields going out to the Kidron Valley as far as the corner of the Horse Gate on the east, will be set apart for Yahweh. The city will not be pulled up or overthrown again, forever.”

32

1 This is the word that came to Jeremiah from Yahweh in the tenth year of Zedekiah king of Judah, the eighteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar. 2 At that time, the army of the king of Babylon was besieging Jerusalem, and Jeremiah the prophet was imprisoned in the courtyard of the guard at the house of the king of Judah. 3 Zedekiah king of Judah had imprisoned him and said, “Why do you prophesy and say, 'Yahweh says this: Look, I am about to give over this city into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he will capture it. 4 Zedekiah king of Judah will not escape from the hand of the Chaldeans, for he will certainly be given into the hand of the king of Babylon. His mouth will speak to the king's mouth, and his eyes will see the king's eyes. 5 He will take Zekediah to Babylon, and he will remain there until I have dealt with him—this is Yahweh's declaration. Though you fight against the Chaldeans, you will not succeed.'”

6 Jeremiah said, “The word of Yahweh came to me, saying, 7 'Look, Hanamel son of Shallum your uncle is coming to you and will say, “Buy my field that is in Anathoth for yourself, for the right to buy it belongs to you.”'” 8 Then, as Yahweh had declared, Hanamel, the son of my uncle, came to me in the courtyard of the guard, and he said to me, “Buy my field that is in Anathoth in the land of Benjamin, for the right of inheritance is yours, and the right to buy it belongs to you. Buy it for yourself.” Then I knew that this was Yahweh's word. 9 So I bought the field in Anathoth from Hanamel, the son of my uncle, and I weighed out for him the silver, seventeen shekels in weight. 10 Then I wrote in a scroll and sealed it, and had witnesses witness it. Then I weighed the silver in the scales. 11 Next I took the deed of purchase that was sealed, following the command and the statutes, as well as the unsealed deed. 12 I gave the sealed scroll to Baruch son of Neriah son of Mahseiah in front of Hanamel, the son of my uncle, and the witnesses who had written in the sealed scroll, and in front of all the Judeans who sat in the courtyard of the guard. 13 So I gave a command to Baruch before them. I said, 14 “Yahweh of hosts, God of Israel, says this: Take these documents, both this receipt of purchase that is sealed and the unsealed copies of the deed of purchase, and put them in a clay jar so they will last for a long time. 15 For Yahweh of hosts, God of Israel, says this: Houses, fields, and vineyards will again be bought in this land.”

16 After I gave the receipt of purchase to Baruch son of Neriah, I prayed to Yahweh and said, 17 “Woe, Lord Yahweh! Look! You alone have made the heavens and the earth by your great strength and with your raised arm. Nothing you say is too difficult for you to do. 18 You show covenant faithfulness to thousands and pour the guilt of men into the laps of their children after them. You are the great and mighty God; Yahweh of hosts is your name. 19 You are great in wisdom and mighty in deeds, for your eyes are open to all the ways of people, to give to each man what his conduct and deeds deserve. 20 You did signs and wonders in the land of Egypt. To this present day here in Israel and among all mankind, you have made your name famous. 21 For you brought your people Israel out from the land of Egypt with signs and wonders, with a strong hand, with a raised arm, and with great terror. 22 Then you gave them this land—which you had sworn to their ancestors to give to them—a land flowing with milk and honey. 23 So they entered and took possession of it. But they did not obey your voice or live in obedience to your law. They did nothing of what you had commanded them to do, so you brought all this disaster on them. 24 Look! The siege mounds have reached up to the city to capture it. For because of sword, famine, and plague, the city has been given into the hand of the Chaldeans who are fighting against it. For what you have said would happen is happening, and see, you are watching. 25 Then you yourself said to me, “Purchase a field for yourself with silver and have witnesses witness it, even though this city is being given into the hand of the Chaldeans.”

26 The word of Yahweh came to Jeremiah, saying, 27 “Look! I am Yahweh, God of all mankind. Is anything too difficult for me to do? 28 Therefore Yahweh says this, 'See, I am about to give this city into the hand of the Chaldeans and Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon. He will capture it. 29 The Chaldeans who are fighting against this city will come and set fire to this city and burn it, along with the houses on the roofs of which the people worshiped Baal and poured out drink offerings to other gods in order to provoke me. 30 For the people of Israel and Judah have certainly been people who have been doing evil before my eyes since their youth. The people of Israel have certainly offended me with the practices of their hands—this is Yahweh's declaration. 31 Yahweh declares that this city has been a provocation of my wrath and fury since the day that they built it. It has been that right up to this present day. So I will remove it from before my face 32 because of all the wickedness of the people of Israel and Judah, the things that they have done to provoke me—they, their kings, princes, priests, prophets, and every person in Judah and inhabitant of Jerusalem. 33 They turned their backs to me instead of their faces, though I had eagerly taught them. I tried to teach them, but not one of them listened in order to receive correction. 34 They set up their abominable idols in the house that is called by my name, to defile it. 35 They built high places for Baal in the Valley of Ben Hinnom in order to put their sons and daughters in the fire for Molech. I did not command them. It never entered my mind that they should do this detestable thing and so cause Judah to sin.'

36 So now therefore, I, Yahweh, the God of Israel, say this concerning this city, the city about which you are saying, 'It is given into the hand of the king of Babylon by sword, famine, and plague.' 37 See, I am about to gather them from every land where I had driven them in my wrath, fury, and great anger. I am about to bring them back to this place and enable them to live in security. 38 Then they will be my people, and I will be their God. 39 I will give them one heart and one way to honor me every day so it will be good for them and their descendants after them. 40 Then I will make with them an everlasting covenant, that I will not turn away from doing good to them. I will set honor for me in their hearts, so that they will never turn away from me. 41 Then I will rejoice in doing good to them. I will faithfully plant them in this land with all my heart and all my life.

42 For Yahweh says this, 'Just as I have brought all this great disaster on this people, so I will bring on them all the good things that I have said I would do for them. 43 Then fields will be bought in this land, about which you are saying, “This is a ruined land, which has neither man nor beast. It has been given into the hand of the Chaldeans.” 44 They will buy fields with silver and write in sealed scrolls. They will assemble witnesses in the land of Benjamin, all around Jerusalem and the cities of Judah, in the cities in the hill country and in the lowlands, and in the cities of the Negev. For I will bring back their fortunes—this is Yahweh's declaration.'”

33

1 Then the word of Yahweh came to Jeremiah a second time, while he was still shut within the courtyard of the guard, saying, 2 “Yahweh the maker, says this—Yahweh, who forms in order to establish—Yahweh is his name, 3 'Call to me, and I will answer you. I will demonstrate great things to you, mysteries that you do not understand.' 4 For Yahweh, God of Israel, says this concerning the houses in this city and the houses of the kings of Judah that are torn down because of the siege ramps and the sword, 5 'The Chaldeans are coming to fight and to fill the houses with corpses of people whom I will kill in my wrath and fury, when I hide my face from this city because of all their wickedness. 6 But see, I am about to bring healing and a cure, for I will heal them and will bring to them abundance, peace, and faithfulness. 7 For I will bring back the fortunes of Judah and Israel; I will build them up as in the beginning. 8 Then I will purify them from all the iniquity that they have committed against me. I will pardon all the iniquities that they have done against me, and all the ways that they rebelled against me. 9 For this city will become for me an object of joy, a song of praise and honor for all the nations of the earth who will hear of all the good things that I am going to do for it. Then they will fear and tremble because of all the good things and the peace that I will give to it.'

10 Yahweh says this, 'In this place about which you are now saying, “It is desolate, a place with neither man nor beast,” in the cities of Judah, and in the streets of Jerusalem that are desolate having neither man nor beast, there will be heard again 11 the sound of joy and the sound of gladness, the sound of the groom and the sound of the bride, the sound of those who say, while they bring thank offerings to the house of Yahweh, “Give thanks to Yahweh of hosts, for Yahweh is good, and his unfailing love lasts forever!” For I will restore the fortunes of the land to what they were before,' says Yahweh.

12 Yahweh of hosts says this: 'In this desolate place, where now there is neither man nor beast—in all its cities there will again be pastures where shepherds can rest their flocks. 13 In the cities in the hill country, the lowlands, and the Negev,in the land of Benjamin and all around Jerusalem, and in the cities of Judah, the flocks will again pass under the hands of the ones counting them,' says Yahweh.

14 'Look! Days are coming—this is Yahweh's declaration—when I will do what I have promised for the house of Israel and the house of Judah. 15 In those days and in that time I will make a righteous branch to grow for David, and he will carry out justice and righteousness in the land. 16 In those days Judah will be saved, and Jerusalem will live in security, for this is what she will be called, “Yahweh is our righteousness.”' 17 For Yahweh says this: 'A man from David's line will never be lacking to sit on the throne of the house of Israel, 18 nor will a man from the Levitical priests be lacking before me to raise burnt offerings, to burn food offerings, and to perform grain offerings all the time.'”

19 The word of Yahweh came to Jeremiah, saying, 20 “Yahweh says this: 'If you can break my covenant with day and night so that there will no longer be day or night at their proper times, 21 then you will be able to break my covenant with David my servant, so that he will no longer have a son to sit on his throne, and my covenant with the Levitical priests, my servants. 22 As the hosts of heaven cannot be counted, and as the sand of the seashores cannot be measured, so I will increase the descendants of David my servant and the Levites who serve before me.'”

23 The word of Yahweh came to Jeremiah, saying, 24 “Have you not considered what this people has declared when they said, 'The two families that Yahweh chose, now he has rejected them'? In this way they despise my people, saying that they are no longer a nation in their sight. 25 I, Yahweh, say this, 'If I have not established the covenant of day and night, and if I have not fixed the laws of heaven and earth, 26 then I will reject the descendants of Jacob and David my servant, and not bring from them a person to rule over the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. For I will restore their fortunes and show mercy to them.'”

34

1 The word that came to Jeremiah from Yahweh, when Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and all of his army, together with all the kingdoms of the earth, the domains under his power, and all their people were waging war against Jerusalem and all of her cities, saying: 2 “Yahweh, God of Israel, says this: Go and speak to Zedekiah king of Judah and say to him, 'Yahweh says this: Look, I am about to give this city into the hand of the king of Babylon. He will burn it. 3 You will not escape from his hand, for you will certainly be seized and given into his hand. Your eyes will look at the eyes of the king of Babylon; he will speak directly to you as you go to Babylon.' 4 Listen to the word of Yahweh, Zedekiah king of Judah! Yahweh says this concerning you, 'You will not die by the sword. 5 You will die in peace. As in the funeral burning of your ancestors, the kings who were before you, they will burn your body. They will say, “Woe, master!” They will lament for you. Now I have spoken—this is Yahweh's declaration.'”

6 So Jeremiah the prophet proclaimed to Zedekiah king of Judah all these words in Jerusalem. 7 The army of the king of Babylon made war against Jerusalem and all the remaining cities of Judah: Lachish and Azekah. These cities of Judah remained as fortified cities.

8 The word came to Jeremiah from Yahweh after King Zedekiah had made a covenant with all the people in Jerusalem, to proclaim freedom to them, 9 that each man must free his Hebrew slaves, both male and female, so one was to make a slave of a Jew, who was his brother. 10 So all the leaders and people entered into the covenant that each person would free his male and female slaves so that they would not be enslaved any longer. They obeyed and set them free. 11 But after this they changed their minds. They brought back the slaves whom they had freed. They forced them to become slaves again.

12 So the word of Yahweh came to Jeremiah, saying, 13 “Yahweh, God of Israel, says this, 'I myself made a covenant with your ancestors on the day that I brought them out from the land of Egypt, out from the house of slavery. That was when I said, 14 “At the end of every seven years, each man must send away his brother, his fellow Hebrew who had sold himself to you and served you for six years. Send him away in freedom.” But your ancestors did not listen to me or incline their ears to me. 15 Now you yourselves repented and began to do what is right in my eyes. You proclaimed freedom, each man to his neighbor, and you made a covenant before me in the house that is called by my name. 16 But then you turned and polluted my name; you caused each man to bring back his male and female slaves, the ones whom you had sent out to go where they wished. You forced them to become your slaves again.'

17 Therefore Yahweh says this, 'You yourselves have not listened to me. You should have proclaimed freedom, every one of you, to your brothers and fellow Israelites. So look! I am about to proclaim freedom to you—this is Yahweh's declaration—freedom for the sword, the plague, and famine, for I am going to make you a horrible thing in the sight of every kingdom on earth. 18 Then I will deal with the people who have broken my covenant, who did not keep the words of the covenant that they established before me when they cut a bull in two and walked between its parts, 19 and then the leaders of Judah and Jerusalem, the eunuchs and the priests, and all the people of the land walked between the parts of the bull. 20 I will give them into the hand of their enemies and into the hand of those who are seeking their lives. Their bodies will be food for the birds of the skies and the beasts on the earth. 21 So I will give Zedekiah king of Judah and his leaders into the hand of their enemies and into the hand of those who are seeking their life, and into the hand of the army of the king of Babylon that has risen up against you. 22 Look, I am about to give a command—this is Yahweh's declaration—and will bring them back to this city to wage war against it and take it, and to burn it. For I will turn the cities of Judah into ruined places in which there will be no inhabitants.'”

35

1 The word that came to Jeremiah from Yahweh in the days of Jehoiakim son of Josiah king of Judah, saying, 2 “Go to the family of the Rekabites and speak with them. Then bring them to my house, into one of the rooms there, and give them wine to drink.” 3 So I took Jaazaniah son of Jeremiah son of Habazziniah and his brothers, all his sons, and all the family of the Rekabites. 4 I took them to the house of Yahweh, into the rooms of the sons of Hanan son of Igdaliah, the man of God. These rooms were beside the room of the leaders, which was above the room of Maaseiah son of Shallum, the gatekeeper. 5 Then I placed bowls and cups full of wine in front of the Rekabites and said to them, “Drink some wine.” 6 But they said, “We will not drink any wine, for our ancestor, Jonadab son of Rekab, commanded us, 'Do not drink any wine, neither you nor your descendants, forever. 7 Also, do not build any houses, sow any seeds, or plant any vineyards; this is not for you. For you must live in tents all your days, so that you might live many days in the land where you are staying as foreigners.' 8 We have obeyed the voice of Jonadab son of Rekab, our ancestor, in all that he commanded us, to never drink wine all of our days, we, our wives, our sons, and our daughters. 9 We will never build houses to live in, and there will be no vineyard, field, or seed in our possession. 10 We have lived in tents and we have obeyed and done all that Jonadab our ancestor commanded us. 11 But when Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon attacked the land, we said, 'Come, we must go to Jerusalem to escape from the Chaldean and Aramean armies.' So we are living in Jerusalem.”

12 Then the word of Yahweh came to Jeremiah, saying, 13 “Yahweh of hosts, God of Israel, says this, 'Go and say to the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, “Will you not receive correction and listen to my words? —this is Yahweh's declaration. 14 The words of Jonadab son of Rekab that he gave to his sons as a command, not to drink any wine, have been observed to this very day. They have obeyed their ancestor's command. But as for me, I myself have been making persistent proclamations to you, but you do not listen to me. 15 I sent out to you all my servants, the prophets. I was persistent in sending them to say, 'Let each person turn from his wicked way and do good deeds; let no one walk any longer after other gods and worship them. Instead, come back to the land that I gave to you and your ancestors.' Yet you will not listen to me or pay attention to me. 16 For the descendants of Jonadab son of Rekab have observed the commands of their ancestor that he gave them, but this people refuses to listen to me.”' 17 So Yahweh, God of hosts and God of Israel, says this, 'Look, I am bringing upon Judah and on everyone living in Jerusalem, all the disasters I pronounced against them because I spoke to them, but they did not listen; I called to them, but they did not answer.'”

18 Jeremiah said to the family of the Rekabites, “Yahweh of hosts, God of Israel, says this: You have listened to the commands of Jonadab your ancestor and have kept them all—you have obeyed all that he commanded you to do— 19 so Yahweh of hosts, God of Israel, says this, 'There will always be someone descended from Jonadab son of Rekab to serve me.'”

36

1 It came about in the fourth year of Jehoiakim son of Josiah king of Judah, that this word came to Jeremiah from Yahweh, and he said, 2 “Take a scroll for yourself and write on it all the words that I have told you concerning Israel and Judah, and every nation. Do this for everything I have told from the days of Josiah until this very day. 3 Perhaps the people of Judah will listen to all the disasters that I intend to bring on them. Perhaps everyone will turn away from his wicked way, so I can forgive their iniquity and their sin.”

4 Then Jeremiah called Baruch son of Neriah, and Baruch wrote in a scroll, at Jeremiah's dictation, all the words of Yahweh spoken to him. 5 Next Jeremiah gave a command to Baruch. He said, “I am in prison and cannot go to Yahweh's house. 6 So you must go and read from the scroll that you wrote at my dictation. On the day of the fast, you must read Yahweh's words in the hearing of the people in his house, and also in the hearing of all of Judah who have come from their cities. Proclaim these words to them. 7 Perhaps their pleas for mercy will come before Yahweh. Perhaps each person will turn from his wicked way, since the wrath and fury that Yahweh has proclaimed against this people are severe.” 8 So Baruch son of Neriah did everything that Jeremiah the prophet had commanded him to do. He read aloud the words of Yahweh in the house of Yahweh.

9 It came about in the fifth year and ninth month of Jehoiakim son of Josiah, king of Judah, that all the people in Jerusalem and the people who came to Jerusalem from the cities of Judah proclaimed a fast before Yahweh. 10 Baruch read aloud Jeremiah's words in the house of Yahweh, from the room of Gemariah son of Shaphan the scribe, in the upper courtyard, by the gate of the entrance to the house of Yahweh. He did this in the hearing of all the people.

11 Now Micaiah son of Gemariah son of Shaphan heard all of Yahweh's words in the scroll. 12 He went down to the house of the king, to the secretary's room. Look, all the officials were sitting there: Elishama the secretary, Delaiah son of Shemaiah, Elnathan son of Akbor, Gemariah son of Shaphan, and Zedekiah son of Hananiah, and all the officials. 13 Then Micaiah reported to them all the words that he had heard that Baruch read aloud in the hearing of the people. 14 So all the officials sent Jehudi son of Nethaniah son of Shelemiah son of Cushi, to Baruch. Jehudi said to Baruch, “Take the scroll in your hand, the scroll from which you were reading in the hearing of the people, and come.” So Baruch son of Neriah took the scroll in his hand and went to the officials. 15 Then they said to him, “Sit down and read this in our hearing.” So Baruch read the scroll. 16 It happened that when they heard all these words, each man turned in fear to the one next to him and said to Baruch, “We must certainly report all of these words to the king.” 17 Then they asked Baruch, “Tell us, how did you come to write all these words at Jeremiah's dictation?” 18 Baruch said to them, “He dictated all these words to me, and I wrote them in ink on this scroll.” 19 Then the officials said to Baruch, “Go, hide yourself, and Jeremiah, too. Do not let anyone know where you are.”

20 So they put the scroll in the room of Elishama the secretary, and they went to the king in the courtyard and they reported everything in the hearing of the king. 21 Then the king sent Jehudi to get the scroll. Jehudi took it from the room of Elishama the secretary. Then he read it in the hearing of the king and all the officials who were standing beside him. 22 Now the king was staying in the winter house in the ninth month, and a brazier was burning in front of him. 23 It happened that as Jehudi read three or four columns, the king would cut it off with a knife and throw it into the fire in the brazier until all of the scroll was destroyed. 24 But neither the king nor any of his servants who heard all these words were frightened, nor did they tear their clothes. 25 Elnathan, Delaiah, and Gemariah had even urged the king not to burn the scroll, but he did not listen to them. 26 Then the king commanded Jerahmeel, a relative, Seraiah son of Azriel, and Shelemiah son of Abdeel to arrest Baruch the scribe and Jeremiah the prophet, but Yahweh had hidden them.

27 Then the word of Yahweh came to Jeremiah after the king had burned the scroll and the words that Baruch had written at Jeremiah's dictation, saying, 28 “Go back, take another scroll for yourself, and write in it all the words that were on the original scroll, the one that Jehoiakim king of Judah burned. 29 Then you must say this to Jehoiakim king of Judah: 'You burned that scroll, saying, “Why have you written on it, 'The king of Babylon will certainly come and destroy this land, for he will destroy both man and beast in it'?”'” 30 Therefore Yahweh says this concerning you, Jehoiakim king of Judah: “No descendant of yours will ever sit on the throne of David. As for you, your corpse will be thrown out into the heat of day and the frost of night. 31 For I will punish you, your descendants, and your servants for the iniquity of you all. I will bring on you, on all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and on every person in Judah all the disasters with which I have threatened you with, but to which you paid no attention.” 32 So Jeremiah took another scroll and gave it to Baruch son of Neriah the scribe. Baruch wrote on it at Jeremiah's dictation all the words that had been in the scroll burned by Jehoiakim king of Judah. Furthermore, many other similar words were added to this scroll.

37

1 Now Zedekiah son of Josiah reigned as king instead of Jehoiachin son of Jehoiakim. Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had made Zedekiah king over the land of Judah. 2 But Zedekiah, his servants, and the people of the land did not listen to the words of Yahweh that he proclaimed by the hand of Jeremiah the prophet.

3 So King Zedekiah, Jehukal son of Shelemiah, and Zephaniah son of Maaseiah the priest sent a message to Jeremiah the prophet. They said, “Pray on our behalf to Yahweh our God.” 4 Now Jeremiah was coming and going among the people, for he had not yet been put in prison. 5 Pharaoh's army came out from Egypt, and the Chaldeans who were besieging Jerusalem heard the news about them and left Jerusalem.

6 Then the word of Yahweh came to Jeremiah the prophet, saying, 7 “Yahweh, God of Israel, says this: This is what you will say to the king of Judah, because he has sent you to seek advice from me, 'See, Pharaoh's army, which came to help you, is about to go back to Egypt, its own land. 8 The Chaldeans will return. They will fight against this city, capture it, and burn it.' 9 Yahweh says this: Do not deceive yourselves by saying, 'Surely the Chaldeans are leaving us,' for they will not leave. 10 Even if you had defeated the entire Chaldean army that is fighting you so that only wounded men were left in their tents, they would get up and burn this city.”

11 So it was when the Chaldean army had left Jerusalem as Pharaoh's army was coming, 12 then Jeremiah went out from Jerusalem to go to the land of Benjamin. He wanted to take possession of a tract of land there among his people. 13 As he was in the Benjamin Gate, a chief guard was there. His name was Irijah son of Shelemiah son of Hananiah. He grabbed hold of Jeremiah the prophet and said, “You are deserting to the Chaldeans.” 14 But Jeremiah said, “That is not true. I am not deserting to the Chaldeans.” But Irijah did not listen to him. He took Jeremiah and brought him to the officials. 15 The officials were angry with Jeremiah. They beat him and put him in prison, which had been the house of Jonathan the scribe, for they had turned it into a prison.

16 So Jeremiah was put into an underground cell, where he stayed for many days. 17 Then King Zedekiah sent someone who brought him to the palace. In his house, the king asked him privately, “Is there any word from Yahweh?” Jeremiah answered, “There is a word: You will be given into the hand of the king of Babylon.” 18 Then Jeremiah said to King Zedekiah, “How have I sinned against you, your servants, or this people so that you have placed me in prison? 19 Where are your prophets, the ones who prophesied for you and said the king of Babylon will not come against you or against this land? 20 But now listen, my master the king! Let my pleas come before you. Do not return me to the house of Jonathan the scribe, or I will die there.” 21 So King Zedekiah gave an order. His servants confined Jeremiah in the courtyard of the guard. A loaf of bread was given him every day from the street of the bakers, until all the bread in the city was gone. So Jeremiah stayed in the courtyard of the guard.

38

1 Shephatiah son of Mattan, Gedaliah son of Pashhur, Jehukal son of Shelemiah, and Pashhur son of Malkijah heard the words that Jeremiah was declaring to all the people. He was saying, 2 “Yahweh says this: Anyone staying in this city will be killed by sword, famine, and plague. But anyone who goes out to the Chaldeans will survive. He will escape with his own life, and live. 3 Yahweh says this: This city will be given into the hand of the army of the king of Babylon, and he will capture it.” 4 So the officials said to the king, “Let this man die, for in this way he is weakening the hands of the fighting men who remain in this city, and the hands of all the people. He is proclaiming these words, for this man is not working for safety for this people, but disaster.” 5 So King Zedekiah said, “Look, he is in your hand since there is no king able to resist you.” 6 Then they took Jeremiah and threw him into the cistern of Malkijah, son of the king. The cistern was in the courtyard of the guard. They lowered Jeremiah down on ropes. There was no water in the cistern, but it was muddy, and he sank down into the mud.

7 Now Ebed-Melek the Cushite was one of the eunuchs in the king's house. He heard that they had placed Jeremiah in the cistern. Now the king was sitting at the Benjamin Gate. 8 So Ebed-Melek went from the king's house and spoke with the king. He said, 9 “My master the king, these men have done evil with the way they have treated Jeremiah the prophet. They threw him into a cistern for him to die in it from hunger, since there is no more food in the city.” 10 Then the king gave a command to Ebed-Melek the Cushite. He said, “Take command of thirty men from here and take Jeremiah the prophet out of the cistern before he dies.” 11 So Ebed-Melek took command of those men and went to the king's house, to a storeroom for clothing under the house. From there he took rags and worn-out clothing and then let them down by ropes to Jeremiah in the cistern. 12 Ebed-Melek the Cushite said to Jeremiah, “Put the rags and worn-out clothing under your arms and on top of the ropes.” So Jeremiah did so. 13 Then they pulled Jeremiah by the ropes. In this way they brought him up from the cistern. So Jeremiah stayed in the courtyard of the guard.

14 Then King Zedekiah sent word and brought Jeremiah the prophet to himself, to the third entrance in Yahweh's house. The king said to Jeremiah, “I want to ask you something. Do not keep the answer from me.” 15 Jeremiah said to Zedekiah, “If I answer you, will you not certainly kill me? But if I give you advice, you will not listen to me.” 16 But King Zedekiah swore to Jeremiah in private and said, “As Yahweh lives, the one who made us, I will not kill you or give you into the hand of those men who are seeking your life.”

17 So Jeremiah said to Zedekiah, “Yahweh, God of hosts, God of Israel, says this: If you indeed go out to the officials of the king of Babylon then you will live, and this city will not be burned. You and your family will live. 18 But if you do not go out to the officials of the king of Babylon, then this city will be given into the hand of the Chaldeans. They will burn it, and you will not escape from their hand.” 19 King Zedekiah said to Jeremiah, “But I am afraid of the people of Judah who have deserted to the Chaldeans, because I might be given over into their hand, for them to treat me badly.” 20 Jeremiah said, “They will not give you over to them. Obey the message from Yahweh that I am telling you, so that things will go well for you, and so that you will live. 21 But if you refuse to go out, this is what Yahweh has shown me. 22 Look! All the women who are left in your house, king of Judah, will be brought out to the officials of the king of Babylon. These women will say to you,

'You have been deceived by your friends; they have ruined you.

Your feet are now sunk into the mud, and your friends will run away.'

23 For all of your wives and children will be brought out to the Chaldeans, and you yourself will not escape from their hand. You will be captured by the hand of the king of Babylon, and this city will be burned.”

24 Then Zedekiah said to Jeremiah, “Do not inform anyone about these words, so that you do not die. 25 If the officials hear that I have talked with you, and if they come and say to you, 'Tell us what you said to the king and do not hide it from us, or we will kill you,' 26 then you must say to them, 'I made a humble plea before the king that he would not return me to the house of Jonathan to die there.'” 27 Then all the officials came to Jeremiah and questioned him, so he answered them as the king had instructed him. So they stopped talking with him, because they had not heard the conversation between Jeremiah and the king. 28 So Jeremiah remained in the courtyard of the guard until the day Jerusalem was captured.

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1 In the ninth year and tenth month of Zedekiah king of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came with all his army against Jerusalem and besieged it. 2 In the eleventh year and fourth month of Zedekiah, on the ninth day of the month, the city was broken into. 3 Then all the officials of the king of Babylon came and sat in the middle gate: Nebo-Sarsekim, Samgar Nebo, and Sarsechim, an important official. Nebo-Sarsekim was a high official and all the rest were the officials of the king of Babylon.

4 It happened that when Zedekiah, king of Judah, and all his fighting men saw them, they fled. They went out at night from the city by the king's garden path, through the gate between the two walls. The king went out in the direction of the Arabah. 5 But the army of Chaldeans pursued them and overtook Zedekiah in the plains of the Jordan River valley near Jericho. Then they captured him and brought him up to Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, at Riblah in the land of Hamath, where Nebuchadnezzar passed sentence on him. 6 The king of Babylon slaughtered Zedekiah's sons before his own eyes at Riblah. He also slaughtered all the noblemen of Judah. 7 Then he put out Zedekiah's eyes and bound him in bronze chains in order to take him to Babylon. 8 Then the Chaldeans burned the king's house and the people's houses. They also tore down the walls of Jerusalem. 9 Nebuzaradan, the commander of the king's bodyguards, took into exile the rest of the people who were left in the city. This included the people who had deserted to the Chaldeans and the rest of the people who were left in the city. 10 But Nebuzaradan the commander of the king's bodyguards allowed the poorest people who had nothing for themselves to remain in the land of Judah. He gave them vineyards and fields on that same day.

11 Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon had given an order about Jeremiah to Nebuzaradan the commander of the king's bodyguards. He had said, 12 “Take him and care for him. Do not harm him. Do for him anything he tells you.” 13 So Nebuzaradan the commander of the king's bodyguards, Nebushazban the high eunuch, Nergal-Sharezer the high official, and all the most important officials of the king of Babylon sent men out. 14 Their men took Jeremiah from the courtyard of the guard and entrusted him to Gedaliah son of Ahikam son of Shaphan, to take him home, so Jeremiah stayed among the people.

15 Now the word of Yahweh came to Jeremiah while he was under arrest in the courtyard of the guard, saying, 16 “Speak to Ebed-Melek the Cushite and say, 'Yahweh of hosts, God of Israel, says this: See, I am about to carry out my words against this city for disaster and not for good. For they will all come true before you on that day. 17 But I will rescue you on that day—this is Yahweh's declaration—and you will not be given into the hand of the men whom you fear. 18 For I will certainly rescue you. You will not fall by the sword. You will escape with your life, since you trust in me—this was Yahweh's declaration.'”

40

1 The word came to Jeremiah from Yahweh after Nebuzaradan the commander of the king's bodyguards had released him at Ramah. He had found Jeremiah bound with chains among all the captives of Jerusalem and Judah who were being carried into exile to Babylon. 2 The chief guard took Jeremiah and said to him, “Yahweh your God decreed this disaster for this place. 3 So Yahweh brought it about. He did just as he had decreed, since you people sinned against him and did not obey his voice. That is why this thing has happened to you people. 4 But now look! I have released you today from the chains that were on your hands. If it is good in your eyes to come with me to Babylon, come, and I will take care of you. But if it is not good in your eyes to come with me to Babylon, then do not do so. Look at all the land before you. Go where it is good and right in your eyes to go.” 5 When Jeremiah did not reply, Nebuzaradan said, “Go to Gedaliah son of Ahikam son of Shaphan, whom the king of Babylon has put in charge of the cities of Judah. Stay with him among the people or go wherever it is good in your eyes to go.” The commander of the king's bodyguards gave him food and a gift, and then sent him away. 6 So Jeremiah went to Gedaliah son of Ahikam, at Mizpah. He stayed with him among the people who were left behind in the land.

7 Now some commanders of Judean soldiers who were still in the countryside—they and their men—heard that the king of Babylon had made Gedaliah son of Ahikam governor over the land. They also heard that he had put him in charge of the men, women, and children who were the poorest people in the land, those who had not been exiled to Babylon. 8 So they went to Gedaliah at Mizpah. These men were Ishmael son of Nethaniah; Johanan and Jonathan, sons of Kareah; Seraiah son of Tanhumeth; the sons of Ephai the Netophathite; and Jaazaniah son of the Maakathite—they and their men. 9 Gedaliah son of Ahikam son of Shaphan took an oath to them and to their men and said to them, “Do not be afraid to serve the Chaldean officials. Live in the land and serve the king of Babylon, and it will go well with you. 10 Look, I am living in Mizpah to meet with the Chaldeans who came to us. So harvest wine, summer fruit, and oil and store them in your containers. Live in the cities that you have occupied.” 11 Then all the Judeans in Moab, among the people of Ammon, and in Edom, and in every land heard that the king of Babylon had allowed a remnant of Judah to stay, that he had appointed Gedaliah son of Ahikam son of Shaphan over them. 12 So all the Judeans returned from every place where they had been scattered. They came back to the land of Judah, to Gedaliah at Mizpah. They harvested wine and summer fruit in great abundance.

13 Johanan son of Kareah and all the army commanders in the countryside came to Gedaliah at Mizpah. 14 They said to him, “Do you realize that Baalis king of the people of Ammon sent Ishmael son of Nethaniah to murder you?” But Gedaliah son of Ahikim did not believe them. 15 So Johanan son of Kareah spoke privately to Gedaliah in Mizpah and said, “Allow me to go kill Ishmael son of Nethaniah. No one will suspect me. Why should he kill you? Why allow all of Judah that has been gathered to you to be scattered and the remnant of Judah destroyed?” 16 But Gedaliah son of Ahikam said to Johanan son of Kareah, “Do not do this thing, for you are telling lies about Ishmael.”

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1 But it happened that in the seventh month Ishmael son of Nethaniah son of Elishama, from the royal family, and some officers of the king, came—ten men were with him—to Gedaliah son of Ahikam, at Mizpah. They ate food together there in Mizpah. 2 But Ishmael son of Nethaniah, and the ten men who were with him rose up and attacked Gedaliah son of Ahikam son of Shaphan, with the sword. Ishmael killed Gedaliah, whom the king of Babylon had put in charge of the land. 3 Then Ishmael killed all the Judeans who were with Gedaliah in Mizpah and the Chaldean fighting men found there.

4 Then it was the second day after the killing of Gedaliah, but no one knew. 5 Some men came from Shechem, from Shiloh, and from Samaria—eighty men who had shaved their beard, torn their clothes, and cut themselves—with food offerings and frankincense in their hands to go to Yahweh's house. 6 So Ishmael son of Nethaniah went out from Mizpah to meet them as they went, walking and weeping. Then it happened that as he encountered them, he said to them, “Come to Gedaliah son of Ahikam!” 7 It came about that when they came into the city, Ishmael son of Nethaniah slaughtered them and threw them into a pit, he and the men who were with him. 8 But there were ten men among them who said to Ishmael, “Do not kill us, for there are provisions of ours in a field: Wheat and barley, oil and honey.” So he did not kill them with their other companions. 9 The cistern where Ishmael threw all the dead bodies that he had killed, was a large cistern that King Asa dug to make a defense against King Baasha of Israel. Ishmael son of Nethaniah filled it in with the dead. 10 Next Ishmael captured all the other people who were in Mizpah, the king's daughters and all the people who were left in Mizpah whom Nebuzaradan the chief guard had assigned to Gedaliah son of Ahikam. So Ishmael son of Nethaniah captured them and went to cross over to the people of Ammon.

11 But Johanan son of Kareah and all the army commanders with him heard of all the harm that Ishmael son of Nethaniah had done. 12 So they took all their men and went to fight against Ishmael son of Nethaniah. They found him at the great pool of Gibeon. 13 Then it happened that when all the people who were with Ishmael saw Johanan son of Kareah and all the army commanders who were with him, they were very happy. 14 So all the people whom Ishmael had captured at Mizpah turned around and went to Johanan son of Kareah.

15 But Ishmael son of Nethaniah fled with eight men from Johanan. He went to the people of Ammon. 16 Johanan son of Kareah and all the army commanders with him took from Mizpah all the people who had been rescued from Ishmael son of Nethaniah. This was after Ishmael had killed Gedaliah son of Ahikam. Johanan and his companions took the strong men, the fighting men, the women and children, and the eunuchs who had been rescued at Gibeon. 17 Then they went and stayed for a while in Geruth Kimham, which is near Bethlehem. They were going to go to Egypt 18 because of the Chaldeans. They were afraid of them since Ishmael son of Nethaniah had killed Gedaliah son of Ahikam, whom the king of Babylon had put in charge of the land.

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1 Then all the army commanders and Johanan son of Kareah, Jezaniah son of Hoshaiah, and all the people from the least to the greatest approached Jeremiah the prophet. 2 They said to him, “Let our pleas come before you. Pray for us to Yahweh your God for these people who remain since we are so few in number, as you see. 3 Ask Yahweh your God to tell us the way we should go and what we should do.” 4 So Jeremiah the prophet said to them, “I have heard you. Look, I will pray to Yahweh your God as you have requested. Whatever Yahweh answers, I will tell you. I will keep nothing back from you.” 5 They said to Jeremiah, “May Yahweh be a true and faithful witness against us, if we do not do everything that Yahweh your God tells us to do. 6 Whether it is good or if it is bad, we will obey the voice of Yahweh our God, to whom we are sending you, so that it may be well with us when we obey the voice of Yahweh our God.”

7 At the end of ten days, the word of Yahweh came to Jeremiah. 8 So Jeremiah called to Johanan son of Kareah and all the army commanders with him, and to all the people from the least to the greatest. 9 Then he said to them, “This is what Yahweh, the God of Israel—to whom you sent me so I might lay your pleas before him—says, 10 'If you go back and live in this land, then I will build you and not tear you down; I will plant you and not pull you up, for I will turn back the disaster that I have brought on you. 11 Do not fear the king of Babylon, whom you are fearing. Do not fear him—this is Yahweh's declaration—since I am with you to save you and rescue you from his hand. 12 For I will give you mercy. I will have compassion on you, and I will bring you back to your land. 13 But suppose that you say, “We will not stay in this land”—if you do not listen to my voice, the voice of Yahweh your God. 14 Suppose that you say, “No! We will go to the land of Egypt, where we will not see any war, where we will not hear the sound of the trumpet, and we will not go hungry for food. We will live there.” 15 Now listen to this word of Yahweh, you remnant of Judah. Yahweh of hosts, God of Israel, says this, 'If you actually set out to go to Egypt, to go and live there, 16 then the sword that you fear will overtake you there in the land of Egypt. The famine that you are worrying about will pursue you to Egypt, and you will die there. 17 So it will happen that all the men who set out to go to Egypt to live there will die by sword, famine, or plague. There will be no survivor of them, no one to escape the disaster that I will bring on them.

18 For Yahweh of hosts, God of Israel, says this: Just as my wrath and my fury were poured out on the inhabitants of Jerusalem, in the same way my fury will be poured out on you if you go to Egypt. You will become an object of cursing and a horror, an object for speaking curses, and something dishonorable, and you will not see this place again.'” 19 Then Jeremiah said, “Yahweh has spoken concerning you—the remnant of Judah. Do not go to Egypt! You certainly know that I have been a witness against you today. 20 For you fatally deceived yourselves when you sent me to Yahweh your God and said, 'Pray to Yahweh our God for us. Everything that Yahweh our God says, tell us, and we will carry it out.' 21 For I have reported to you today, but you have not listened to the voice of Yahweh your God or to anything about which he sent me to you. 22 So now, you should certainly know that you will die by sword, famine, and plague in the place where you desired to go to live.”

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1 It happened that Jeremiah finished proclaiming to all the people all the words of Yahweh their God that Yahweh their God had told him to say. 2 Azariah son of Hoshaiah, Johanan son of Kareah, and all the arrogant men said to Jeremiah, “You are telling lies. Yahweh our God has not sent you to say, 'Do not go to Egypt to live there.' 3 For Baruch son of Neriah is inciting you against us to deliver us into the hand of the Chaldeans, for you to cause our death and to make us captives in Babylon.” 4 So Johanan son of Kareah, all the princes of the army, and all the people refused to listen to Yahweh's voice to live in the land of Judah. 5 Johanan son of Kareah and all the army commanders took away all the remnant of Judah who had returned from all the nations where they had been scattered to live in the land of Judah. 6 They took the men and women, the children and the king's daughters, and every person whom Nebuzaradan, the commander of the king's bodyguards, had let remain with Gedaliah son of Ahikam son of Shaphan. They also took Jeremiah the prophet and Baruch son of Neriah. 7 They went to the land of Egypt, to Tahpanhes, because they did not listen to Yahweh's voice.

8 So the word of Yahweh came to Jeremiah in Tahpanhes, saying, 9 “Take some large stones in your hand, and, in the sight of the people of Judah, hide them in the mortar in the pavement at the entrance to Pharaoh's house in Tahpanhes.” 10 Then say to them, “Yahweh of hosts, God of Israel, says this, 'See, I am about to send messengers to take Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon as my servant. I will place his throne over these stones that you, Jeremiah, have buried. Nebuchadnezzar will place his pavilion over them. 11 For he will come and attack the land of Egypt. Anyone who is assigned to death will be given to death. Anyone who is assigned to captivity will be taken captive. Anyone who is assigned to the sword will be given to the sword. 12 Then I will light a fire in the temples of Egypt's gods. Nebuchadnezzar will burn them or capture them. He will clean out the land of Egypt just as shepherds clean vermin off their clothes. He will go out from that place in victory. * 13 He will break the stone pillars at Heliopolis in the land of Egypt. He will burn the temples of Egypt's gods.'”

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1 The word came to Jeremiah concerning all the Judeans who lived in the land of Egypt, the ones staying in Migdol, Tahpanhes, Memphis, and in Upper Egypt: 2 “Yahweh of hosts, God of Israel, says, 'You yourselves have seen all the disasters that I brought on Jerusalem and all the cities of Judah. See, they are ruins today. There is no one to live in them. 3 This is because of the wicked things they did to offend me by going to burn incense and to worship other gods. These were gods that neither they themselves, nor you, nor your ancestors knew.' 4 So I repeatedly sent all of my servants the prophets to them. I sent them to say, 'Stop doing these abominable things that I hate.' 5 But they did not listen. They refused to pay attention or turn from their wickedness in burning incense to other gods. 6 So my fury and my wrath were poured out and kindled a fire in the cities of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem. So they became ruins and devastations, as at this present day.' 7 So now Yahweh, the God of hosts and the God of Israel, says this, 'Why are you doing great wickedness against yourselves? Why are you causing yourselves to be cut off from among Judah—men and women, children and babies? No remnant of you will be left. 8 By your wickedness you have offended me with the deeds of your hands, by burning incense to other gods in the land of Egypt, where you have gone to live. You have gone there so that you will be destroyed, so that you will be a curse and a reproach among all the nations of the earth. 9 Have you forgotten the wickedness committed by your ancestors and the wickedness committed by the kings of Judah and their wives? Have you forgotten the evil committed by yourselves and your wives in the land of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem? 10 To this day, they still are not humbled. They do not honor my law or decrees that I placed before them and their ancestors, nor do they walk in them.'

11 Therefore Yahweh of hosts, God of Israel, says this, 'See, I am about to set my face against you to bring disaster to you and to destroy all of Judah. 12 For I will take the remnant of Judah that has set out to go to the land of Egypt to live there. I will do this so that they will all perish in the land of Egypt. They will fall by sword and famine. From the least to the greatest they will perish by sword and famine. They will die and will become an object of swearing, cursing, reproaching, and a horrible thing. 13 For I will punish the people inhabiting the land of Egypt just as I punished Jerusalem with the sword, with famine, and with the plague, 14 so that none of the remnant of Judah who have gone to live in the land of Egypt will escape or survive or return to the land of Judah, to which they desire to return and live; and none of them will return except a few who escaped from there.'”

15 Then all the men who knew that their wives were burning incense to other gods, and all the women who were in the great assembly, and all the people who were living in Lower and Upper Egypt, answered Jeremiah. 16 They said, “About the word that you have told us in Yahweh's name—we will not listen to you. 17 For we will certainly do all the things that we said we would do—burn incense to the queen of heaven and pour out drink offerings to her just as we, our ancestors, our kings, and our leaders did in the cities of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem. Then we will be filled with food and will prosper, without experiencing any disaster. 18 When we refrained from doing these things, not offering incense to the queen of heaven and not pouring out drink offerings to her, we were all suffering poverty and were dying by sword and famine.” 19 The women said, “When we were making incense offerings before the queen of heaven and pouring out drink offerings to her, was it against our husbands that we did these things, making cakes in her image and pouring out drink offerings to her?”

20 Then Jeremiah said to all the people—to the men and women, and all the people who answered him—he proclaimed and said, 21 “Did not Yahweh remember the incense that you burned in the cities of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem—you and your ancestors, your kings and leaders, and the people of the land? For Yahweh calls this to mind; it comes to his thoughts. 22 Then he was no longer able to bear it because of your wicked practices, because of the abominations that you did. Then your land became a desolation, a horror, and a curse so there was no longer an inhabitant as at this present day. 23 Because you burned incense and sinned against Yahweh, and because you would not listen to his voice, his law, his statutes, or his covenant decrees, this disaster against you has happened as at this present day.”

24 Then Jeremiah said to all the people and all the women, “Hear the word of Yahweh, all of Judah who are in the land of Egypt. 25 Yahweh of hosts, God of Israel, says this, 'You and your wives both have said with your mouths and carried out with your hands what you said, “We will certainly carry out the vows that we made to worship the queen of heaven, to pour out drink offerings to her.” Now fulfill your vows; carry them out.' 26 So then, hear the word of Yahweh, all of Judah who are staying in the land of Egypt, 'See, I have sworn by my great name—says Yahweh. My name will no longer be called upon by the mouths of any of the men of Judah in all the land of Egypt, you who now say, “As the Lord Yahweh lives.” 27 See, I am watching over them for disaster and not for good. Every person of Judah in the land of Egypt will perish by sword and famine until they are all finished. 28 Then the survivors of the sword will return from the land of Egypt to the land of Judah, only a small number of them. So all the remnant of Judah who went to the land of Egypt to live there will know whose word will stand—mine or theirs. 29 This will be the sign for you—this is Yahweh's declaration—that I am setting against you in this place, so that you will know that my words will certainly attack you with disaster.' 30 Yahweh says this, 'Look, I am about to give Pharaoh Hophra king of Egypt into the hand of his enemies and into the hand of those who seek to kill him. It will the same as when I gave Zedekiah king of Judah into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, his enemy who sought his life.'”

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1 This is the word that Jeremiah the prophet told Baruch son of Neriah. This happened when he wrote in a scroll these words at Jeremiah's dictation—this was in the fourth year of Jehoiakim son of Josiah, king of Judah, and he said, 2 “Yahweh, God of Israel, says this to you, Baruch: 3 You have said, 'Woe is me, for Yahweh has added agony to my pain. My groaning has wearied me; I find no rest.' 4 This is what you must say to him: 'Yahweh says this: See, what I built, I am now tearing down. What I planted, I am now pulling up—I will do this throughout all the earth. 5 But are you hoping for great things for yourself? Do not hope for that. For see, disaster is coming on all humanity—this is Yahweh's declaration—but I am giving you your life as your plunder everywhere you will go.'”

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1 This is the word of Yahweh that came to Jeremiah the prophet concerning the nations. 2 For Egypt: “This is about the army of Pharaoh Necho, king of Egypt that was at Carchemish by the Euphrates river. This was the army that Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon defeated in the fourth year of Jehoiakim son of Josiah, king of Judah:

3 Get the small shields and the large shields ready, and go forward to fight.

4 Put the harness on the horses; mount up on the horses and take your stand with your helmets on;

polish the spears and put on your armor.

5 What am I seeing here? They are filled with terror and are running away, for their soldiers are defeated.

They are running for safety and are not looking back. Terror is all around—this is Yahweh's declaration—

6 the swift cannot run away, and the soldiers cannot escape.

They stumble in the north and fall beside the Euphrates River.

7 Who is this who rises like the Nile, whose waters toss up and down like the rivers?

8 Egypt rises like the Nile, like rivers of water that rise and fall.

Egypt says, 'I will go up and I will cover the earth. I will destroy cities and their inhabitants.

9 Go up, horses. Be angry, you chariots. Let the soldiers go out,

Cush and Put, men skillful with a shield, and Ludim, men skillful at bending their bows.'

10 That day will be the day of vengeance for the Lord Yahweh of hosts, and he will avenge himself on his foes.

The sword will devour and be satisfied. It will drink its fill of their blood. For there will be a sacrifice

to the Yahweh Lord of hosts in the northern land by the Euphrates River.

11 Go up to Gilead and obtain medicine, virgin daughter of Egypt.

It is useless that you put much medicine on yourself. There is no cure for you.

12 The nations have heard of your disgrace. The earth is filled with your laments,

for soldier stumbles against soldier; both of them fall together.”

13 This is the word that Yahweh told Jeremiah the prophet when Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came and attacked the land of Egypt:

14 “Announce in Egypt, and proclaim it in Migdol, Memphis, and Tahpanhes.

'Take your station and prepare yourself, for the sword will devour those around you.'

15 Why are your mighty ones face-down on the ground? They will not stand, because I, Yahweh, have pushed them to the ground.

16 He increases the numbers of those who stumble. Each soldier falls against the next one. They are saying, 'Get up. Let us go home.

Let us go back to our own people, to our native land. Let us leave this sword that is beating us down.'

17 They proclaimed there, 'Pharaoh the king of Egypt is only a noise, one who has let his opportunity slip away.'

18 As I live—declares the King, whose name is Yahweh of hosts—

someone will come like Mount Tabor and Mount Carmel by the sea.

19 Pack for yourselves baggage to carry into exile, you who live in Egypt.

For Memphis will become a waste, it will lie in ruins and no one will live there.

20 Egypt is a very beautiful young cow, but a stinging insect is coming from the north. It is coming.

21 The hired soldiers in her midst are like a fattened bull, but they will also turn away and run away.

They will not stand together, for the day of their disaster is coming against them, the time of their punishment.

22 Egypt hisses like a snake and crawls away, for her enemies are marching against her.

They are going toward her like woodcutters with axes.

23 They will cut down the forests—this is Yahweh's declaration—although it is very dense.

For the enemies will be more numerous than locusts, unable to be counted.

24 The daughter of Egypt will be made ashamed. She will be given into the hand of people from the north.”

25 Yahweh of hosts, the God of Israel, says, “See, I am about to punish Amon of Thebes, Pharaoh, Egypt and her gods, her kings the Pharaohs, and those who trust in them. 26 I am giving them into the hand of the ones seeking their lives, and into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and his servants. Then after this Egypt will be inhabited as in previous days—this is Yahweh's declaration.

27 But you, my servant Jacob, do not fear. Do not be dismayed, Israel, for see, I am about to bring you back from far away, and your offspring from the land of their captivity. Then Jacob will return, find peace, and be secure, and there will be no one to terrify him. 28 You, my servant Jacob, do not fear—this is Yahweh's declaration—for I am with you, so I will bring complete destruction against all the nations where I scattered you. But I will not destroy you completely. Yet I will discipline you justly and will certainly not leave you unpunished.”

47

1 This is the word of Yahweh that came to Jeremiah the prophet concerning the Philistines. This word came to him before Pharaoh attacked Gaza.

2 “Yahweh says this: See, floods of water are rising in the north. They will be like an overflowing river!

Then they will overflow the land and everything in it, its cities and its inhabitants! So everyone will shout for help,

and all the inhabitants of the land will lament.

3 At the sound of the stamping of their strong horses' hooves,

at the roar of their chariots and the noise of their wheels,

fathers will not help their children because of their own weakness.

4 For the day is coming that will devastate all of the Philistines, to cut off from Tyre and Sidon

every survivor who wants to help them. For Yahweh is devastating the Philistines,

those who remain from the island of Caphtor. 5 Baldness will come upon Gaza. As for Ashkelon, the people who are left in their valley will be made silent.

How long will you cut yourself in mourning?

6 Woe, sword of Yahweh! How long will it be until you become silent?

Go back to your scabbard! Stop and be silent.

7 How can it rest when Yahweh has commanded it,

when he has ordered it to attack Ashkelon and the coastlands along the sea?”

48

1 To Moab, Yahweh of hosts, God of Israel, says this,

“Woe to Nebo, for it has been devastated. Kiriathaim has been humiliated and captured.

Her fortress has been disgraced and crushed.

2 The honor of Moab is no more. Their enemies in Heshbon plotted disaster against her.

They said, 'Come and let us destroy her as a nation. Madmen will also perish—a sword will go after you.'

3 Listen! A sound of screaming is coming from Horonaim, where there is ruin and great destruction.

4 Moab has been destroyed. Her children have made their cries heard.

5 They go up the hill of Luhith weeping,

for on the way down to Horonaim, screams are heard because of the destruction.

6 Flee! Save your lives and become like a juniper bush in the wilderness.

7 For because of your trust in your practices and your wealth, you also will be captured.

Then Chemosh will go away into captivity, together with his priests and leaders.

8 For the destroyer will come to every city; no city will escape.

So the valley will perish and the plain will be devastated, as Yahweh has said.

9 Give wings to Moab, for she must certainly fly away.

Her cities will become a wasteland, where there is no one to live in them.

10 May anyone who is lazy in doing Yahweh's work be cursed! May anyone who keeps his sword back from shedding blood be cursed!

11 Moab has felt secure since he was young. He is like his wine

that has never been poured from pot to pot. He has never gone into captivity.

Therefore he tastes as good as ever; his flavor remains unchanged.

12 So see, the days are coming—this is Yahweh's declaration—when I will send him those who will tip him over and pour out all his pots and shatter his jars.

13 Then Moab will be ashamed of Chemosh just as the house of Israel was ashamed of Bethel, their object of trust.

14 How can you say, 'We are soldiers, powerful fighting men'?

15 Moab will be devastated and its cities attacked. For its finest young men have gone down to the place of slaughter. This is the king's declaration! Yahweh of hosts is his name.

16 Moab's disaster is soon to happen; calamity is hurrying quickly.

17 All you who are around Moab, wail; and all you who know its fame,

shout this, 'Woe, the strong staff, the honored rod, has been broken.'

18 Come down from your honored place and sit on the dry ground, you daughter living in Dibon.

For the one who will destroy Moab is attacking you,

the one who will destroy your strongholds.

19 Stand on the road and watch, you people who live in Aroer.

Ask the ones who are fleeing and escaping. Say, 'What has happened?'

20 Moab has been shamed, for it has been shattered.

Howl and lament; shout for help.

Tell it to people by the Arnon River that Moab has been devastated.

21 Now punishment has come to the hill country,

to Holon, Jahzah, and Mephaath,

22 to Dibon, Nebo, and Beth Diblathaim,

23 to Kiriathaim, Beth Gamul, and Beth Meon,

24 To Kerioth and Bozrah,

and to all the cities in the land of Moab—

the farthest and the closest cities.

25 The horn of Moab has been hacked off; its arm has been broken—this is Yahweh's declaration.

26 Make him drunk, because he acted proudly against Yahweh. Let Moab wallow in his vomit, and let him be an object of ridicule. 27 For did not Israel become an object for laughter to you? Was he found among thieves, so that you shook your head at him as often as you spoke about him?

28 Abandon the cities and camp on the cliffs, inhabitants of Moab.

Become like a dove that is nesting over the mouth of a hole in the rocks.

29 We have heard of Moab's pride—his arrogance,

his haughtiness, his pride, his self-glory and the conceit in his heart. 30 This is Yahweh's declaration—I myself know his defiant speech, which amounts to nothing, like his deeds.

31 So I will howl a lament for Moab, and I will shout in sorrow for all of Moab.

I will lament for the people of Kir Hareseth.

32 I will weep for you more than I did for Jazer, vine of Sibmah! Your branches passed across the Salt Sea and reached

as far as Jazer. The destroyers have attacked your summer fruit and your wine.

33 So celebration and rejoicing have been taken away from the fruit trees and the land of Moab.

I have put an end to the wine from their winepresses. They will not tread with joyful shouts. Any shouts will not be shouts of joy.

34 From the shouts at Heshbon as far as Elealeh, their sound is heard at Jahaz, from Zoar to Horonaim and Eglath Shelishiyah, since even the waters of Nimrim have dried up. 35 For I will put an end to anyone in Moab who makes sacrifices on the high places and burns incense to his gods—this is Yahweh's declaration. 36 So my heart is lamenting for Moab like a flute. My heart is lamenting like flutes for the people of Kir Hareseth. The riches they gained are gone. 37 For every head is bald and every beard shaved. Incisions are on every hand, and sackcloth is around their waists. 38 There is mourning everywhere, on every flat roof of Moab and in Moab's plazas. For I have destroyed Moab like pots that no one wants—this is Yahweh's declaration.

39 How it has been shattered! How they howl in their lamenting! Moab turns its back in shame! So Moab will become an object of derision and a terror to all those who are around him.” 40 For Yahweh says this, “See, the enemy will come flying like an eagle, spreading out his wings over Moab.

41 Kerioth has been captured, and its strongholds have been seized.

For in that day the hearts of Moab's soldiers will be like the hearts of women in birth labor.

42 So Moab will be destroyed and be no longer a people, because he made himself to be great against Yahweh.

43 Terror and the pit, and a trap are coming on you, inhabitant of Moab—this is Yahweh's declaration.

44 Anyone who flees because of terror will fall into the pit,

and anyone who climbs out of the pit will be caught in the trap, for I will bring this on them

in the year of my vengeance against them—this is Yahweh's declaration.

45 The ones who flee will stand in the shadow of Heshbon without any strength, for fire will go out from Heshbon,

flame from the middle of Sihon. It will devour the forehead of Moab and the top of the heads of the boastful people.

46 Woe to you, Moab! Chemosh's people are destroyed,

For your sons are taken as captives and your daughters into captivity.

47 But I will restore the fortunes of Moab in later days—this is Yahweh's declaration.”

The judgment on Moab ends here.

49

1 About the people of Ammon, Yahweh says this,

“Does Israel have no children? Is there no one to inherit anything in Israel?

Why does Molech occupy Gad, and his people live in its cities? *

2 So look, the days are coming—this is Yahweh's declaration—when I will sound the signal for battle

against Rabbah among the people of Ammon, so it will become a deserted heap and its villages will be set on fire.

For Israel will possess those who possessed him,” says Yahweh.

3 “Howl in lament, Heshbon, for Ai will be devastated! Shout out, daughters of Rabbah! Put on sackcloth.

Lament and run about in futility, for Molech is going into captivity,

together with his priests and leaders.

4 Why do you brag about your valleys, your valleys that are so fruitful, faithless daughter?

you who trust in your wealth and say, 'Who will come against me?'

5 See, I am about to bring terror on you—this is the declaration of Lord Yahweh of hosts—

this terror will come from all those who surround you. Each one of you will be scattered before it.

There will be no one to gather those running away.

6 But after this I will restore the fortunes of the people of Ammon—this is Yahweh's declaration.”

7 About Edom, Yahweh of hosts says this, “Is there no longer any wisdom to be found in Teman?

Has good advice disappeared from those who have understanding? Has their wisdom become corrupted?

8 Flee! Turn back! Stay in holes in the ground, inhabitants of Dedan.

For I am bringing the disaster of Esau on him at the time that I punish him.

9 If grape harvesters came to you, would they not leave a little bit behind?

If thieves came in the night, would they not steal only as much as they wanted?

10 But I have stripped Esau bare. I have revealed his hiding places.

So he will not be able to hide himself. His children, his brothers, and his neighbors are destroyed, and he is gone.

11 Leave your orphans behind. I will take care of their lives, and your widows can trust in me.”

12 For Yahweh says this, “See, those who did not deserve it must certainly drink some of the cup. Do you yourself think you will go without punishment? You will not, for you will certainly drink. 13 For I have sworn by myself—this is Yahweh's declaration—that Bozrah will become a horror, a disgrace, a devastation, and an object for cursing. All of its cities will become devastations forever.

14 I have heard news from Yahweh, and a messenger has been sent out to the nations,

'Gather together and attack her. Get ready for battle.'

15 “For see, I have made you small compared to the other nations, despised by people.

16 As for your fearsomeness, your heart's pride has deceived you, inhabitants of places on the cliff,

you who have occupied the highest hills so that you may make your nest high like an eagle.

I will bring you down from there—this is Yahweh's declaration.

17 Edom will become a horror to everyone passing by it.

Every such person will tremble and hiss because all of its disasters.

18 Like the overthrow of Sodom and Gomorrah and their neighbors,” says Yahweh,

“no one will live there; no person will stay there.

19 See, he will go up like a lion from the forests of the Jordan to the green pasturelands.

For I will quickly make Edom run from it, and I will put someone who will be chosen in charge of it.

For who is like me, and who will summon me? What shepherd is able to resist me?”

20 “So listen to the plans that Yahweh has decided against Edom,

the plans that he has formed against the inhabitants of Teman.

They will certainly be dragged away, even the smallest flock.

Their pasturelands will be turned into ruined places.

21 At the sound of their falling the earth shakes. The sound of distressed shouts is heard at the Sea of Reeds.

22 See, someone will attack like an eagle, and swoop down and spread his wings over Bozrah.

Then on that day, the hearts of Edom's soldiers will become like the heart of a woman in birth labor.”

23 About Damascus: “Hamath and Arpad will be ashamed, for they have heard news of disaster.

They melt away! They become as troubled as the sea, which cannot stay calm.

24 Damascus has become very weak. It turns away to flee; terror seizes it.

Distress and pain seize it, like the pain of a woman giving birth.

25 How has the city of praise not been forsaken, the town of my joy?

26 Therefore its young men will fall in its plazas,

and all the fighting men will perish on that day—this is the declaration of Yahweh of hosts.”

27 “For I will light a fire on the wall of Damascus, and it will devour the strongholds of Ben Hadad.”

28 About Kedar and the kingdoms of Hazor, Yahweh says this to Nebuchadnezzar (now Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon was going to attack these places):

“Arise and attack Kedar and destroy those people of the east.

29 Their tents and their flocks will be taken,

along with their tent curtains and all of their equipment;

their camels will be led away from them,

and men will shout to them, “Terror is on every side!”

30 Flee! Wander far away! Stay in holes in the ground, inhabitants of Hazor—this is Yahweh's declaration—

for Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon has devised a plan against you. Flee! Turn back!

31 Arise! Attack the nation at ease, that lives in safety,” says Yahweh.

“They have no gates or bars in them, and its people live by themselves.

32 For their camels will become plunder, and the abundance of their property will become war plunder.

Then I will scatter to every wind those who cut the corners of their hair,

and I will bring disaster on them from every side—this is Yahweh's declaration.

33 Hazor will become a lair of jackals, a permanent wasteland.

No one will live there; no human being will stay there.”

34 This is the word of Yahweh that came to Jeremiah the prophet about Elam. This happened at the beginning of the reign of Zedekiah king of Judah, and he said, 35 “Yahweh of hosts says this: See, I am about to break the bowmen of Elam, the main part of their power.

36 For I will bring the four winds from the four corners of the heavens,

and I will scatter the people of Elam to all of those winds. There is no nation

to which those scattered from Elam will not go.

37 So I will shatter Elam before their enemies and before those who seek their lives.

for I will bring disaster against them, the fury of my wrath—this is Yahweh's declaration—

and I will send the sword after them until I have annihilated them.

38 Then I will put my throne in Elam and will destroy its king and leaders from there—this is Yahweh's declaration—

39 and it will happen in later days that I will bring back the fortunes of Elam—this is Yahweh's declaration.”

50

1 This is the word that Yahweh declared about Babylon, the land of the Chaldeans, by the hand of Jeremiah the prophet,

2 “Report to the nations and cause them to listen. Lift up a signal and cause them to listen. Do not conceal it.

Say, 'Babylon is taken. Bel is made ashamed. Marduk is dismayed. Its idols are put to shame; its images are dismayed.'

3 A nation from the north will arise against it, and make her land a desolation.

No one will live in it; both man and beast will flee away.

4 In those days and at that time—this is Yahweh's declaration—the people of Israel and the people of Judah

will come together to go with weeping and seek Yahweh their God.

5 They will ask the way to Zion and will set off toward it, saying,

We will go and join ourselves to Yahweh in an everlasting covenant that will not be forgotten.”

6 My people have been a lost flock. Their shepherds have led them astray in the mountains;

they have turned them around from hill to hill. They went, they forgot the place where they had lived.

7 Everyone who went out to them devoured them. Their adversaries said, 'We are not guilty,

because they sinned against Yahweh, their true home—Yahweh, the hope of their ancestors.'

8 Leave from the midst of Babylon; go out from the land of the Chaldeans;

be like male goats that leave before the rest of the flock does.

9 For see, I am about to set in motion and raise up a group of great nations from the north against Babylon.

They will arrange themselves against her. Babylon will be captured from there.

Their arrows are like a skilled warrior who does not return empty-handed.

10 Chaldea will become plunder. All those who plunder it will be satisfied—this is Yahweh's declaration.

11 You rejoice, you celebrate the plundering of my inheritance;

you jump around like a calf stamping in its pasture;

you neigh like a powerful horse.

12 So your mother will be greatly ashamed; the one who bore you will be embarrassed.

See, she will be the least of nations, a wilderness, a dry land, and a desert.

13 Because of Yahweh's anger, Babylon will not be inhabited, but will be a complete devastation.

Everyone who passes by will shudder because of Babylon and will hiss because all of its wounds.

14 Arrange yourselves against Babylon all around her. Everyone who bends a bow must shoot at her.

Do not keep back any of your arrows, for she has sinned against Yahweh.

15 Raise a shout against her all around! She has surrendered; her towers have fallen;

her walls are torn down, for this is Yahweh's vengeance.

Take vengeance on her! Do to her just as she has done!

16 Destroy both the farmer who sows seed and the one who uses a sickle at the time of harvest in Babylon.

Let each person turn back to his own people from the oppressor's sword; let them flee to their own land.

17 Israel is a sheep scattered and driven away by lions. First the king of Assyria devoured him;

then after this, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon broke his bones. 18 Therefore Yahweh of hosts, the God of Israel, says this: See, I am about to punish the king of Babylon and his land, just as I punished the king of Assyria.

19 I will restore Israel to his homeland; he will graze on Carmel and Bashan.

Then he will be satisfied in the hill country of Ephraim and Gilead.

20 In those days and at that time, says Yahweh, iniquity will be looked for in Israel,

but none will be found. I will inquire about the sins of Judah, but none will be found, for I will forgive the remnant that I spare.”

21 “Arise against the land of Merathaim, against it and the ones inhabiting Pekod.

Put them to the sword and set them apart for destruction—this is Yahweh's declaration—do everything that I am commanding you.

22 The sounds of battle and enormous destruction are in the land.

23 How the hammer of all the lands has been cut apart and destroyed.

How Babylon has become a destroyed place among the nations.

24 I have set a trap for you and you were taken, Babylon, and you did not know it!

You were found and captured, because you opposed Yahweh.

25 Yahweh has opened his armory and is bringing out the weapons for carrying out his anger.

There is work for the Lord Yahweh of hosts in the land of the Chaldeans.

26 Attack her from far away. Open her granaries and pile her up like heaps of grain.

Set her apart for destruction. Leave no remnant of her.

27 Kill all her bulls. Send them down to the place of slaughter.

Woe to them, for their day has come—the time for their punishment.

28 There is the sound of those fleeing, of those who are survivors, from the land of Babylon.

These will report the vengeance of Yahweh our God for Zion, and vengeance for his temple.”

29 “Summon the archers against Babylon—all those who bend their bows.

Camp against her, and let no one escape.

Repay her for what she has done.

Do to her by the measure she has used.

For she had defied Yahweh, the Holy One of Israel.

30 So her young men will fall in the city squares,

and all her fighting men will be destroyed on that day

—this is Yahweh's declaration.”

31 “See, I am against you, proud one—this is the declaration of the Lord Yahweh of hosts—

for your day has come, proud one, the time when I will punish you.

32 So the proud ones will stumble and fall. No one will raise them up.

I will light a fire in their cities; it will devour everything around him.

33 Yahweh of hosts says this: The people of Israel are oppressed, together with the people of Judah.

All the ones who captured them still hold them; they refuse to let them go.

34 The one who rescues them is strong. Yahweh of hosts is his name. He will truly plead their case,

in order to bring rest to the land, and to bring strife to the ones inhabiting Babylon.

35 A sword is against the Chaldeans—this is Yahweh's declaration—

and against the inhabitants of Babylon, her leaders, and her wise men.

36 A sword against those who say empty words! They will become fools!

A sword against her soldiers! They will be filled with terror.

37 A sword is coming against their horses, their chariots and all of the people who are in the midst of Babylon,

so they will become like women. A sword is coming against her storerooms, and they will be plundered.

38 A drought is coming on her waters, so they will become dry.

For she is a land of worthless idols, and they act like people made insane by their dreadful idols.

39 So desert beasts with the jackals will inhabit there, and the young of ostriches will live in her.

For all time, she will no longer be inhabited. From generation to generation, she will not be lived in.

40 Just as God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah and their neighbors—this is Yahweh's declaration—

no one will live there; no person will stay in her.”

41 “See, a people is coming from the north;

a great nation and many kings

are being stirred up from the farthest parts of the earth.

42 They will pick up bows and spears. They are cruel and have no compassion.

Their sound is like the sea roar,

and they are riding on horses,

set out in order as men for battle, against you,

daughter of Babylon.

43 The king of Babylon heard the reports about them and his hands fell limp in distress.

Anguish seized him like a woman giving birth.

44 Behold! He goes up like a lion from the heights of the Jordan to the enduring grazing place

For I will quickly cause them to run from it, and I will put someone who will be chosen in charge of it.

For who is like me, and who will summon me? What shepherd is able to resist me?

45 So listen to the plans that Yahweh has decided against Babylon,

the plans that he has planned against the land of the Chaldeans. They will certainly be dragged away,

even the smallest flock. Their pasturelands will be turned into ruined places.

46 At the sound of conquered Babylon the earth shakes, and their shout of distress is heard among the nations.”

51

1 “Yahweh says this: See, I am about to stir up a wind of destruction against Babylon

and against those who live in Leb Kamai.

2 I will send foreigners to Babylon. They will scatter her and devastate her land,

for they will come against her from all around on the day of disaster.

3 Do not let the archers bend their bows; do not let them put on armor.

Do not spare her young men; set her whole army apart for destruction.

4 For the wounded people will fall in the land of the Chaldeans; those who are killed will fall in her streets.

5 For Israel and Judah are not forsaken by their God, by Yahweh of hosts,

although their land is filled with offenses committed against the Holy One of Israel.

6 Flee from the midst of Babylon; let each man save himself. Do not perish in her iniquity.

For it is the time of Yahweh's vengeance. He will repay all of it to her.

7 Babylon was a golden cup in the hand of Yahweh that made all the world drunk;

nations drank her wine and became insane.

8 Babylon will fall suddenly and be destroyed.

Wail for her! Give her medicine for her pain; perhaps she can be healed.

9 'We wished to heal Babylon, but she is not healed. Let us all leave her and go away,

to our own land. For her guilt reaches up to the heavens; it is piled up to the clouds.

10 Yahweh has declared our innocence. Come, let us tell in Zion

the deeds of Yahweh our God.'

11 Sharpen the arrows and take up the shields. Yahweh is stirring up

the spirit of the king of the Medes in a plan to destroy Babylon.

This is for Yahweh's vengeance, vengeance for the destruction of his temple.

12 Lift up a banner over Babylon's walls; make the watch strong; set up watchmen; prepare the ambushes;

for the LORD will do what he has said concerning the inhabitants of Babylon.

13 You people who live by many streams of water, you people who are rich with treasures,

your end has come. The thread of your life is now cut short.

14 Yahweh of hosts has sworn by his own life, 'I will fill you with men, like a swarm of locusts,

and they will raise a battle cry against you.'

15 He has made the earth by his power; he set in place the world by his wisdom.

By his understanding he stretched out the heavens.

16 When he thunders, there is the roar of waters in the heavens, for he brings up the mist from the ends of the earth.

He makes lightning for rain and sends out wind from his storehouses.

17 Every man has become ignorant, without knowledge. Every metalworker is put to shame by his idols.

For his cast images are frauds, and there is no life in them.

18 They are useless, the work of mockers; they will perish at the time of their punishment.

19 But God, the portion of Jacob, is not like these, for he is the molder of all things. Israel is the tribe of his inheritance;

Yahweh of hosts is his name.

20 You are my war hammer, my weapon for battle.

With you I will smash nations and destroy kingdoms.

21 With you I will smash horses and their riders; with you I will smash chariots and their drivers.

22 With you I will smash each man and woman; with you I will smash the old and the young.

With you I will smash the young men and the virgin girls.

23 With you I will smash the shepherds and their flocks; with you I will smash the plowmen and their teams.

With you I will smash the governors and officials.

24 For in your sight I will pay Babylon and all the inhabitants of Chaldea

for all of the evil that they did in Zion—this is Yahweh's declaration.

25 See, I am against you, mountain of destruction—this is Yahweh's declaration—which destroys the whole earth.

I will stretch out my hand against you, and roll you down from the cliffs,

and make you a burned-out mountain.

26 So they will not take from you any stone to construct a building's corner or foundation;

for you will become an everlasting devastation—this is Yahweh's declaration.

27 Lift up a banner over the earth. Blow the trumpet over the nations. Call the nations to attack her:

Ararat, Minni, and Ashkenaz.

Appoint a commander to attack her; bring up horses like swarming locusts.

28 Prepare the nations to attack her: The kings of the Medes and his governors,

all of his officials and all the lands under his rule.

29 For the land will shake and be in anguish, since Yahweh's plans continue against Babylon,

to make the land of Babylon a wasteland where there is no inhabitant.

30 The soldiers in Babylon have stopped fighting; they stay in their strongholds.

Their strength has failed; they have become women—her homes are on fire, the bars of her gates are broken.

31 A messenger runs to proclaim to another messenger, and a runner tells another runner

to report to the king of Babylon that his city has been taken from end to end.

32 So the fords over the river are seized; the enemy is burning the reed marshes,

and Babylon's fighting men are confused.

33 For Yahweh of hosts, God of Israel, says this: The daughter of Babylon is like a threshing floor.

It is time to trample her down. In a little while the time of harvest will come to her.

34 'Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon has devoured me,

he has driven me into confusion and has made me an empty pot.

Like a monster he has swallowed me,

he has filled his stomach with my delicious foods,

and then he has spit me out.'

35 The one who lives in Zion will say, 'May the violence done to me and my flesh be on Babylon.'

Jerusalem will say, 'May my blood be on the inhabitants of Chaldea.'

36 Therefore Yahweh says this: See, I am about to plead your case and bring about vengeance for you.

For I will dry up Babylon's waters and make her springs run dry.

37 Babylon will become heaps of rubble, a den of jackals, a horror,

an object of hissing, where there are no inhabitants.

38 The Babylonians will roar together like young lions. They will growl like lion cubs.

39 When they become hot with greed, I will make a feast for them; I will make them drunk so they become happy,

and then sleep an unending sleep and not wake up—this is Yahweh's declaration—

40 I will send them down like lambs to the slaughter, like rams with male goats.

41 How Babylon has been captured! So the praise of all the earth is seized.

How Babylon has become a ruined place among the nations.

42 The sea has come up over Babylon! She is covered with its roaring waves.

43 Her cities have become a desolation, a dry land and a wilderness,

a land that no one inhabits, and no human being passes through.

44 So I will punish Bel in Babylon; I will bring out from his mouth what he swallowed,

and the nations will no longer flow to him with their offerings. The walls of Babylon will fall.

45 Go out from her midst, my people. Let each of you save his own life from the fury of my wrath.

46 Do not let your hearts be timid or fear the news that is heard in the land,

for the news will come one year. After it in the next year there will be news,

and violence will be in the land. Ruler will be against ruler.

47 Therefore, see, days are coming when I will punish the carved idols of Babylon.

All of her land will be ashamed, and all of her slaughtered ones will fall in her midst.

48 Then the heavens and the earth, and all that is in them will rejoice over Babylon.

For destroyers will come for her from the north—this is Yahweh's declaration.

49 As Babylon has made the killed of Israel fall,

so the killed of all her land will fall in Babylon.

50 Survivors of the sword, go away! Do not stay still.

Call Yahweh to mind from far away; let Jerusalem come to mind.

51 We are ashamed, for we have heard insults; reproach has covered our faces,

for foreigners have entered the holy places of Yahweh's house.

52 Therefore, see, days are coming—this is Yahweh's declaration—when I will punish her carved idols,

and the wounded people will groan in all of her land.

53 For even if Babylon went up to the heavens or fortified her highest fortresses,

destroyers would come from me to her—this is Yahweh's declaration.

54 A shout of distress came from Babylon, a great collapse from the land of the Chaldeans.

55 For Yahweh is destroying Babylon. He is causing her loud voice to perish.

Their enemies roar like the waves of many waters; their noise becomes very strong.

56 For the destroyers have come against her—against Babylon!—and her warriors have been captured.

Their bows are broken, for Yahweh is the God of vengeance; he will surely carry out this repayment.

57 For I will make her princes, her sages, her officials, and her soldiers drunk,

and they will sleep in an unending sleep and never wake up

—this is the King's declaration: Yahweh of hosts is his name.

58 Yahweh of hosts says this: The thick walls of Babylon will be completely demolished,

and her high gates will be burned.

Then the peoples coming to her aid will labor uselessly; everything that the nations try to do for her will be burned up.”

59 This is the word that Jeremiah the prophet commanded Seraiah son of Neriah

son of Mahseiah when he went with Zedekiah king of Judah to Babylon

in the fourth year of his reign. Now Seraiah was a chief officer. 60 For Jeremiah had written in a scroll about all the disaster that was going to come on Babylon—all these words that were written about Babylon. 61 Jeremiah said to Seraiah, “When you go to Babylon, then you will see and you will read these words aloud. 62 Then you will say, 'Yahweh, you yourself have declared that you would destroy this place, and that no man or animal will live in it, and it will be desolate forever.' 63 Then when you have finished reading this scroll, tie a stone to it and throw it into the middle of the Euphrates. 64 Say, 'Babylon will sink like this. It will not arise because of the disaster that I am sending against it, and they will fall.'” Jeremiah's words end here.

52

1 Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he began to reign; he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Hamutal; she was the daughter of Jeremiah from Libnah. 2 He did what was evil in the sight of Yahweh; he did everything that Jehoiakim had done. 3 Through Yahweh's anger, all these events happened in Jerusalem and Judah, until he drove them from before himself. Then Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon. 4 It happened that in the ninth year of the reign of King Zedekiah, in the tenth month, and on the tenth day of the month, Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, came with all his army against Jerusalem. They camped opposite it, and they built a siege wall around it. 5 So the city was besieged until the eleventh year of King Zedekiah's reign. 6 By the ninth day of the fourth month the famine was so severe in the city that there was no food for the people of the land. 7 Then the city was broken into, and all the fighting men fled and went out of the city at night by the way of the gate that was between the two walls, by the king's garden, although the Chaldeans were all around the city. So they went in the direction of the Arabah. 8 But the army of Chaldeans pursued the king and overtook Zedekiah in the plains of the Jordan River valley near Jericho. All his army was scattered away from him. 9 They captured the king and brought him up to the king of Babylon at Riblah in the land of Hamath, where he passed sentence on him. 10 The king of Babylon slaughtered Zedekiah's sons before his own eyes, and at Riblah he also slaughtered all the leaders of Judah. 11 Then he put out Zedekiah's eyes, bound him in bronze chains, and brought him to Babylon. The king of Babylon put him in prison until the day of his death.

12 Now in the fifth month, on the tenth day of the month, which was the nineteenth year of the reign of King Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, Nebuzaradan came to Jerusalem. He was the commander of the king's bodyguards and a servant of the king of Babylon. 13 He burned the house of Yahweh, the king's palace, and all the houses of Jerusalem; also every important building in the city he burned. 14 As for the walls around Jerusalem, all the army of the Babylonians who were with the commander of the bodyguards destroyed them. 15 As for the poorest people, the rest of the people who were left in the city, those who had deserted to the king of Babylon, and the rest of the craftsmen— Nebuzaradan, the commander of the bodyguards, took some of them away into exile. 16 But Nebuzaradan, the commander of the bodyguards, left some of the poorest of the land to work the vineyards and fields.

17 As for the bronze pillars that belonged to the house of Yahweh, and the stands, and the large bronze basin called “The Sea” that were in the house of Yahweh, the Chaldeans broke them into pieces and carried all the bronze back to Babylon. 18 The pots, shovels, lamp trimmers, bowls, and all the utensils of bronze with which the priests had served in the temple—the Chaldeans took them all away. 19 The basins and the incense burners, the bowls, pots, lampstands, pans, and basins that were made of gold, and those made of silver—the commander of the king's guard took them away as well. 20 The two pillars, the large bronze basin known as “The Sea,” and the twelve bronze bulls that were under the stands, things that Solomon had made for the house of Yahweh, contained more bronze than could be weighed. 21 The pillars were eighteen cubits high each, and a line around each one measured twelve cubits. Each was four fingers thick and hollow. 22 A capital of bronze was on top of it. The capital was five cubits high, with latticework and pomegranates all around. It was all made of bronze. The other pillar and its pomegranates were the same as the first. 23 So there were ninety-six pomegranates on the capital's sides, and one hundred pomegranates above the surrounding latticework.

24 The commander of the bodyguards took prisoner Seraiah, the high priest, together with Zephaniah, the second priest, and the three gatekeepers. 25 From the city he took prisoner an officer who was in charge of soldiers, and seven men of those who advised the king, who were still in the city. He also took prisoner the king's army officer responsible for drafting men into the army, along with sixty important men from the land who were in the city. 26 Then Nebuzaradan, the commander of the bodyguards, took them and brought them to the king of Babylon at Riblah. 27 The king of Babylon put them to death at Riblah in the land of Hamath. In this way, Judah went out of its land into exile.

28 These were the people who Nebuchadnezzar exiled: In the seventh year, 3,023 Judeans. 29 In the eighteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar he took 832 people from Jerusalem. 30 In the twenty-third year of Nebuchadnezzar, Nebuzaradan, the commander of the king's bodyguards, exiled 745 Judean people. All the exiled people totaled 4,600.

31 It happened later in the thirty-seventh year of the exile of Jehoiachin, king of Judah, in the twelfth month, on the twenty-fifth day of the month, that Awel-Marduk, king of Babylon released Jehoiachin king of Judah from prison. This happened in the year that Awel-Marduk began to reign. 32 He spoke kindly to him and gave him a seat more honorable than that of the other kings who were with him in Babylon. 33 Awel-Marduk removed Jehoiachin's prison clothes, and Jehoiachin ate regularly at the king's table for the rest of his life, 34 and a regular food allowance was given to him every day for the rest of his life until his death.

* 2:11 Instead of their glory , some ancient copies have my glory .

* 13:4 Some transate Perath as the Euphrates .

† 13:7 Some transate Perath as the Euphrates .

* 15:14 Instead of Then I will make you serve your enemies , some ancient copies have Then I will make your enemies take you .

* 25:38 Instead of the oppressor's anger , some ancient copies and modern versions have the oppressor's sword .

* 27:1 Although most Hebrew copies have Jehoiakim , most modern versions have Zedekiah , because the events in this chapter occur during his reign.

* 28:8 Some ancient copies have disaster instead of famine .

* 43:12 Instead of I will light a fire , some ancient and modern versions have he will light a fire .

* 49:1 Instead of Molech , some modern versions have their king .

Lamentations

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2

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4

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Lamentations

1

1 The city that once was full of people is now sitting all alone.

She has become like a widow, though she was a mighty nation.

She was a princess among the nations, but is now forced into slavery.

2 She weeps and wails in the night, and her tears cover her cheeks.

None of her lovers comfort her.

All her friends have betrayed her. They have become her enemies.

3 After poverty and affliction, Judah has gone into exile.

She lives among the nations and finds no rest.

All her pursuers overtook her in her desperation.

4 The roads of Zion mourn because none come to the appointed feasts.

All her gates are desolate. Her priests groan.

Her virgins are sorrowful and she herself is in complete distress.

5 Her adversaries have become her master; her enemies prosper.

Yahweh has afflicted her for her many sins.

Her little children go into captivity to her adversary.

6 Beauty has left the daughter of Zion.

Her princes have become like deer that cannot find pasture,

and they go without strength before their pursuer.

7 In the days of her affliction and her homelessness, Jerusalem will call to mind

all her precious treasures that she had in former days.

When her people fell into the hand of the adversary, no one helped her.

The adversaries saw her and laughed at her destruction.

8 Jerusalem sinned greatly, therefore, she has become scorned as something that is filthy.

All who honored her now despise her since they have seen her nakedness.

She groans and tries to turn away.

9 She has become unclean beneath her skirts. She did not think about her future.

Her fall was terrible. There was no one to comfort her.

She cried out, “Look at my affliction, Yahweh, for the enemy has become too great!”

10 The adversary has put his hand on all our precious treasures.

She has seen the nations enter her sanctuary,

even though you had commanded that they must not enter into your assembly place.

11 All her people groan as they search for bread.

They have given their precious treasures for food to restore their lives.

Look, Yahweh, and consider me, for I have become worthless.

12 Is it nothing to you, all you who pass by?

Look and see if there is anyone else's sorrow like the sorrow that is being inflicted on me,

since Yahweh has tormented me on the day of his fierce anger.

13 It is from on high that he has sent fire into my bones, and it has conquered them.

He has spread a net for my feet and turned me back.

He has made me constantly desolate and weak.

14 The yoke of my transgressions is bound together by his hand.

They are knit together and placed upon my neck. He has made my strength fail.

The Lord has given me over into their hands, and I am not able to stand.

15 The Lord has tossed aside all my mighty men who defended me.

He has called an assembly against me to crush my vigorous men.

The Lord has trampled the virgin daughter of Judah in the winepress.

16 For these things I weep, my eyes overflow with tears;

for a comforter is far from me, one who restores my life.

My children are desolate because the enemy has conquered me.

17 Zion has spread her hands wide; there is none to comfort her.

Yahweh has commanded that those around Jacob should be his adversaries.

Jerusalem is something unclean to them.

18 Yahweh is righteous, for I have rebelled against his commandment.

Hear, all you peoples, and see my sorrow.

My virgins and my vigorous men have gone into captivity.

19 I called for my friends, but they were treacherous toward me.

My priests and my elders perished in the city,

while they sought food to restore their lives.

20 Look, Yahweh, for I am in distress; my stomach churns,

my heart is disturbed within me, for I have been very rebellious.

Outside, the sword bereaves a mother, inside the house there is only death.

21 They have heard my groaning, but there is no one to comfort me.

All my enemies have heard of my trouble and they are glad that you have done it.

You have brought the day you promised; now let them become like me.

22 Let all their wickedness come before you.

deal with them as you have dealt with me because of all my transgressions.

My groans are many and my heart is faint.

2

1 The Lord has covered the daughter of Zion under the cloud of his anger.

He has thrown the splendor of Israel down from heaven to earth.

He has not remembered his footstool on the day of his anger.

2 The Lord has swallowed up and has had no compassion on all the towns of Jacob.

In the days of his anger he has thrown down the fortified cities of the daughter of Judah;

in dishonor he has brought down to the ground the kingdom and its rulers.

3 With fierce anger he has cut off every horn of Israel.

He has withdrawn his right hand from before the enemy.

He has burned up Jacob like a blazing fire that devours everything around it.

4 Like an enemy he has bent his bow toward us,

with his right is ready to shoot.

He has slaughtered all who had been so pleasing to him in the tent of the daughter of Zion;

he has poured out his wrath like fire.

5 The Lord has become like an enemy. He has swallowed up Israel.

He has swallowed up all her palaces. He has destroyed her strongholds.

He has increased mourning and lamentation within the daughter of Judah.

6 He has attacked his tabernacle like a garden hut. He has destroyed the place of the solemn assembly.

Yahweh has caused both solemn assembly and Sabbath to be forgotten in Zion,

for he has despised both king and priest in the indignation of his anger.

7 The Lord has rejected his altar and disowned his sanctuary.

He has given over the walls of her palaces into the hand of the enemy.

They have raised a shout in the house of Yahweh, as on the day of an appointed feast.

8 Yahweh decided to destroy the city wall of the daughter of Zion.

He has stretched out the measuring line and has not withheld his hand from destroying the wall.

He has made the ramparts and wall to lament; together they wasted away.

9 Her gates have sunk into the ground; he has destroyed and broken the bars of her gate.

Her king and her princes are among the nations, the law is no more

and her prophets find no vision from Yahweh.

10 The elders of the daughter of Zion sit on the ground in silence.

They have thrown dust on their heads and put on sackcloth.

The virgins of Jerusalem have bowed their heads to the ground.

11 My eyes have failed from their tears; my stomach churns;

my inner parts are poured out to the ground because of the destruction of the daughter of my people,

children and infants faint in the streets of the city.

12 They say to their mothers, “Where is grain and wine?”

as they faint like a wounded man in the streets of the city,

their lives are poured out on the bosom of their mothers.

13 What can I say to you, daughter of Jerusalem?

To what can I compare to you, that I may comfort you, virgin daughter of Zion?

Your wound is as great as the sea. Who can heal you?

14 Your prophets have seen false and worthless visions for you.

They have not exposed your iniquity to restore your fortunes,

but for you they gave utterances that are false and misleading.

15 All those who pass along the road clap their hands at you.

They hiss and shake their heads against the daughter of Jerusalem and say,

“Is this the city that they called 'The Perfection of Beauty,' 'The Joy for All of Earth'?”

16 All your enemies open their mouths against you.

They sneer and grind their teeth in rage and say, “We have swallowed her up!

This is the day we have waited for! We have lived to see it!”

17 Yahweh has done what he planned to do. He has fulfilled his word.

He has overthrown you without pity,

for he has permitted the enemy to rejoice over you; he has lifted up the horn of your enemies.

18 Their heart cried out to the Lord,

walls of the daughter of Zion! Make your tears flow down like a river day and night.

Give yourself no relief, your eyes no relief.

19 Arise, cry out in the night, at the beginning of the night watches!

Pour out your heart like water before the face of the Lord.

Lift up your hands to him for the lives of your children who faint with hunger at the corner of every street.”

20 See, Yahweh, and consider those you have dealt in this way.

Should women eat the fruit of their wombs, the children whom they have cared for?

Should priest and prophet be slaughtered in the sanctuary of the Lord?

21 Both the young and the old lie on the dust of the streets.

My young women and my young men have fallen by the sword;

you have slaughtered them without taking pity on them.

22 You have summoned, as you would call the people to a feast day, my terrors on every side, on the day of the anger of Yahweh no one escaped or survived;

those I cared for and raised,

my enemy has destroyed.

3

1 I am a man who has seen misery under the rod of Yahweh's fury.

2 He drove me away and caused me to walk in darkness rather than light.

3 Surely he turned his hand against me again and again, the whole day long.

4 He made my flesh and my skin waste away; he broke my bones.

5 He built up siege works against me, and surrounded me with bitterness and hardship.

6 He made me live in dark places, like those who died long ago.

7 He built a wall around me and I cannot escape. He made my chains heavy

8 and though I call out and cry for help, he shut out my prayer.

9 He blocked my path with a wall of hewn stone; he made my paths crooked.

10 He is like a bear waiting to ambush me, a lion in hiding;

11 he turned aside my paths, he has made me desolate.

12 He bent his bow and set me as a target for his arrow.

13 He pierced my kidneys with the arrows of his quiver.

14 I became a laughingstock to all my people, the object of their taunting all day long.

15 He filled me with bitterness and forced me to drink wormwood.

16 He has made my teeth grind with gravel, and he made me cower in the ashes.

17 My soul is deprived of peace; I have forgotten what happiness is.

18 So I say, “My endurance has perished and so has my hope in Yahweh.”

19 Remember my affliction and my wanderings, the wormwood and bitterness.

20 I continually remember it and I am bowed down within me.

21 But I call this to mind and therefore I have hope:

22 The steadfast love of Yahweh never ceases and his compassions never end,

23 they are new every morning; your faithfulness is great.

24 “Yahweh is my inheritance,” I said, therefore I will hope in him.

25 Yahweh is good to those who wait for him, to the one who seeks him.

26 It is good to wait silently for the salvation of Yahweh.

27 It is good for a man that he bear the yoke in his youth.

28 Let him sit alone in silence, when it is laid upon him.

29 Let him put his mouth in the dust—there may yet be hope.

30 Let him offer his cheek to the one who strikes him, and let him be filled to the full with reproach.

31 For the Lord will not reject us forever,

32 but though he causes grief, he will have compassion according to the abundance of his steadfast love.

33 For he does not afflict from his heart or torment the children of mankind.

34 To crush underfoot all the prisoners of the earth,

35 to deny a man justice in the presence of the Most High,

36 to deny justice to a person—the Lord would not approve such things!

37 Who has spoken and it came to pass, unless the Lord decreed it?

38 Is it not from the mouth of the Most High that both calamities and the good come?

39 How can any person alive complain? How can a person complain about the punishment for his sins?

40 Let us examine our ways and test them, and let us return to Yahweh.

41 Let us lift up our hearts and our hands to God in the heavens:

42 “We have transgressed and rebelled, and you have not forgiven.

43 You have covered yourself with anger and pursued us, you have killed and you have not spared.

44 You have covered yourself with a cloud so that no prayer can pass through.

45 You have made us like filthy scum and refuse among the nations.

46 All our enemies curse us,

47 panic and pitfall have come upon us, ruin and destruction.

48 My eyes flow with streams of tears because my people are destroyed.

49 My eyes will shed tears without ceasing, without relief,

50 until Yahweh from heaven looks down and sees.

51 My eyes cause me grief because of all the daughters of my city.

52 I have been hunted like a bird by those who were my enemies; they hunted me without a reason.

53 They cast me into a pit and they threw a stone on me,

54 and they caused waters to overflow, covering my head. I said, 'I have been cut off!'

55 I called on your name, Yahweh, from the depths of the pit.

56 You heard my voice when I said, 'Do not close your ear to my cry for help.'

57 You came near on the day I called on you; you said, 'Do not fear.'

58 Lord, you defended my case, you saved my life!

59 Yahweh, you have seen the wrong they have done to me; judge my case.

60 You have seen their insults, all their plots against me—

61 You have heard their scorn, Yahweh, and all their plans regarding me.

62 The lips and the accusations of my enemies come against me all the day.

63 Look at how they sit and then rise up; they mock me with their songs.

64 Pay back to them, Yahweh, according to what they have done.

65 You will let their hearts be shameless! May your condemnation be upon them!

66 You pursue them in anger and destroy them from under the heavens, Yahweh!”

4

1 The gold has become tarnished; how the purest gold has changed!

The holy stones are scattered at the corner of every street.

2 The precious sons of Zion were worth their weight in pure gold,

but now they are worth no more than clay jars, the work of the potter's hands!

3 Even the jackals offer the breast to nurse their cubs, but

the daughter of my people has become cruel, like the ostriches in the desert.

4 The tongue of the nursing baby sticks to the roof of his mouth by thirst;

the children ask for food, but there is none for them.

5 Those who used to feast on the finest food now starve in the streets.

Those who were brought up wearing scarlet clothing now lie on piles of ashes.

6 The punishment of the daughter of my people is greater than that of Sodom,

which was overthrown in a moment and no hands were wrung for her.

7 Her leaders were purer than snow, whiter than milk;

their bodies were more ruddy than coral, their form was like sapphire.

8 Their appearance now is darker than soot;

they are not recognized in the streets.

Their skin has shriveled on their bones;

it has become as dry as wood.

9 Those who have been killed by the sword were happier than those killed by hunger,

who wasted away, pierced by the lack of any harvest from the field.

10 The hands of compassionate women have boiled their own children;

they became their food during the time

when the daughter of my people was being destroyed.

11 Yahweh showed all his wrath; he poured out his fierce anger.

He kindled a fire in Zion that consumed her foundations.

12 The kings of the earth did not believe,

nor did any of the inhabitants of the world believe,

that enemies or opponents could enter the gates of Jerusalem.

13 This happened because of the sins of her prophets and the iniquities of her priests

who have shed the blood of the righteous in her midst.

14 They wandered, blind, through the streets.

They were so defiled by that blood that no one was allowed to touch their clothes.

15 “Away! Unclean!” people cried at them. “Away! Away! Do not touch!”

So they wandered about; people said among the nations, “They can stay here no longer.”

16 Yahweh himself scattered them; he does not watch over them anymore.

They do not honor the priests,

and they did not show any favor to the elders.

17 Our eyes failed, looking in vain for help;

from our watchtowers we watched

for a nation that could not rescue us.

18 They followed our steps,

we could not walk in our streets.

Our end was near and our days were numbered,

our end had come.

19 Our pursuers were swifter than the eagles in the sky.

They chased us to the mountains and lay in wait for us in the wilderness.

20 The breath in our nostrils—Yahweh's anointed one—he was the one who was captured in their pits;

of whom it was said, “Under his shadow we will live among the nations.”

21 Rejoice and be glad, daughter of Edom,

you who live in the land of Uz.

But to you also the cup will be passed;

you will be drunk and strip yourself naked.

22 Daughter of Zion, your punishment will come to an end;

he will not extend your exile.

But daughter of Edom, he will punish;

he will uncover your sins.

5

1 Remember, Yahweh, what has happened to us;

look and see our disgrace.

2 Our inheritance has been turned over to strangers;

our houses to foreigners.

3 We have become orphans, the fatherless,

and our mothers are like widows.

4 We must pay silver for the water we drink,

and we must pay silver to get our own wood.

5 Those who are coming after us are close behind us;

we are weary and we can find no rest.

6 We have given ourselves to Egypt and to Assyria

to get enough food.

7 Our fathers sinned, and they are no more,

and we bear their iniquities.

8 Slaves rule over us,

and there is no one to deliver us from their hand.

9 We get our bread only by risking our lives,

because of the sword in the wilderness.

10 Our skin has grown as hot as an oven

because of the burning heat of hunger.

11 Women are raped in Zion,

and virgins in the cities of Judah.

12 Princes are hung up by their own hands,

and no honor is shown to the elders.

13 Young men are forced to grind grain with a millstone,

and boys stagger under heavy loads of wood.

14 The elders have left the city gate,

and the young men have left their music.

15 The joy of our heart has ceased

and our dancing has turned into mourning.

16 The crown has fallen from our head;

woe to us, for we have sinned!

17 For this our heart has become sick,

for these things our eyes grow dim

18 for Mount Zion lies desolate, with jackals prowling over it.

19 But you, Yahweh, reign forever,

and you will sit upon your throne from generation to generation.

20 Why do you forget us forever?

Why do you forsake us for so many days?

21 Restore us to yourself, Yahweh, and we will be restored.

Renew our days as they were long ago—

22 unless you have utterly rejected us

and you are angry with us beyond measure.

Ezekiel

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Ezekiel

1

1 In the thirtieth year, the fourth month, and the fifth day of the month, it came about that I was living among the captives by the Kebar Canal. The heavens opened, and I saw visions of God. 2 On the fifth day of that month—it was the fifth year of the exile of King Jehoiachin— 3 the word of Yahweh came to Ezekiel son of Buzi the priest, in the land of the Chaldeans by the Kebar Canal, and the hand of Yahweh was upon him there.

4 Then I looked, and there was a windstorm coming from the north; a great cloud with fire flashing within it and brightness surrounding it and inside of it, and the fire was the color of amber inside the cloud. 5 In the middle was the likeness of four living creatures. This was their appearance: They had the likeness of a man, 6 but they had four faces each, and each of the creatures had four wings. 7 Their legs were straight, but the soles of their feet were like the hooves of a calf that shone like polished bronze. 8 Yet they had human hands under their wings on all four sides. For all four, their faces and wings were like this: 9 their wings were touching the wings of the next creature, and they did not turn as they went; instead, each one went straight forward. 10 The likeness of their faces was like the face of a man. The four of them had the face of a lion to the right side, and the four of them had the face of an ox on the left side. They four had also the face of an eagle. 11 Their faces were like that, and their wings were spread out above, so that each creature had a pair of wings that touched another creature's wing, and also a pair of wings that covered their bodies. 12 Each went straight forward, so that wherever the Spirit directed them to go, they went without turning. 13 As for the likeness of the living creatures, their appearance was like burning coals of fire, like the appearance of torches; bright fire also moved about among the creatures, and there were flashes of lightning. 14 The living creatures were moving swiftly back and forth, and they had the appearance of lightning!

15 Then I looked at the living creatures; and I saw one wheel on the ground beside each of living creatures with its four faces. 16 This was the appearance and structure of the wheels: Each wheel was like beryl, and the four had the same likeness; their appearance and structure was like a wheel intersecting another wheel. 17 As they moved, they went in any of their four directions, without turning as they went. 18 As for their rims, they were high and fearsome, for the rims were full of eyes round about. 19 Whenever the living creatures moved, the wheels moved beside them. When the living creatures rose up from the earth, the wheels also rose up. 20 Wherever the Spirit would go, they went, and the wheels rose up beside them, for the spirit of the living creature was in the wheels. 21 Whenever the creatures moved, the wheels also moved; and when the creatures stood still, the wheels stood still; when the creatures rose up from the earth, the wheels rose up beside them, because the spirit of the living creature was in the wheels.

22 Over the heads of the living creatures was the likeness of an expansive dome; it looked like awe-inspiring crystal stretched out over their heads above. 23 Beneath the dome, each one of the creature's wings stretched out straight and touched another creature's wings. Each of the living creatures also had a pair to cover themselves; each had a pair to cover his own body. 24 Then I heard the sound of their wings. Like the noise of many waters. Like the voice of the Almighty whenever they moved. Like the sound of a rainstorm. Like the sound of an army. Whenever they stood still, they lowered their wings. 25 A voice came from above the dome over their heads whenever they stood still and lowered their wings.

26 Above the dome over their heads was the likeness of a throne that was like the appearance of a sapphire stone, and on the likeness of the throne was a likeness like the appearance of a man. 27 I saw a figure with the appearance of glowing metal with fire in it from the appearance of his hips up; I saw from the appearance of his hips downward the appearance of fire and brightness all around. 28 Like the appearance of a rainbow in the clouds on a rainy day was the appearance of the bright light surrounding it. It was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of Yahweh. When I saw it, I fell on my face, and I heard a voice speaking.

2

1 He said to me, “Son of man, stand up on your feet; then I will speak to you.” 2 Then, as he spoke to me, the Spirit entered into me and set me on my feet, and I heard him speaking to me. 3 He said to me, “Son of man, I am sending you to the people of Israel, to rebellious nations that have rebelled against me—both they and their ancestors have sinned against me up to this very day! 4 Their descendants have stubborn faces and hard hearts. I am sending you to them, and you will say to them, 'This is what the Lord Yahweh says.' 5 Either they will listen or they will not listen. They are a rebellious house, but they will at least know that a prophet has been among them. 6 You, son of man, do not be afraid of them or their words. Do not be afraid, although you are with briers and thorns and although you live with scorpions. Do not fear their words or be dismayed by their faces, since they are a rebellious house. 7 But you will speak my words to them, whether they listen or not, because they are most rebellious.

8 But you, son of man, listen to what I am saying to you. Do not be rebellious like that rebellious house. Open your mouth and eat what I am about to give to you!” 9 Then I looked, and a hand was extended out to me; in it was a written scroll. 10 He spread it out before me; it had been written on both its front and back, and written on it were lamentations, mourning, and woe.

3

1 He said to me, “Son of man, what you have found, eat. Eat this scroll, then go speak to the house of Israel.” 2 So I opened my mouth, and he fed me that scroll. 3 He said to me, “Son of man, feed your belly and fill your stomach with this scroll that I have given to you!” So I ate it, and it was as sweet as honey in my mouth.

4 Then he said to me, “Son of man, go to the house of Israel and speak my words to them. 5 For you are not being sent to a people of strange speech or difficult language, but to the house of Israel— 6 not to many peoples of strange speech or a difficult language, whose words you cannot understand. Surely if I sent you to them, they would have listened to you. 7 But the house of Israel will not be willing to listen to you, for they are not willing to listen to me. So all the house of Israel is strong browed and hard hearted. 8 Behold! I have made your face as stubborn as their faces and your brow as hard as their brows. 9 I have made your brow like a diamond, harder than flint! Do not fear them or be discouraged by their faces, since they are a rebellious house.” 10 Then he said to me, “Son of man, all the words that I announce to you—take them into your heart and hear them with your ears! 11 Then go to the captives, to your people, and speak to them. Say to them, 'This is what the Lord Yahweh says,' whether they will listen or not.”

12 Then the Spirit lifted me up, and I heard behind me the sound of a great earthquake: “Blessed be the glory of Yahweh from his place!” 13 It was the sound of the wings of the living creatures as they touched one another, and the sound of the wheels that were with them, and the sound of a great earthquake. 14 The Spirit lifted me up and took me away, and I went with bitterness in my spirit's rage, for the hand of Yahweh was powerfully pressing on me! 15 So I went to the captives at Tel Aviv who lived along the Kebar Canal, and I stayed there among them for seven days, overwhelmed in amazement.

16 Then it happened after seven days that the word of Yahweh came to me, saying, 17 “Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel, so listen to the word from my mouth, and give them my warning. 18 When I say to the wicked, 'You will surely die' and you do not warn him or speak a warning to the wicked about his evil deeds so he might live—the wicked one will die for his sin, but I will require his blood from your hand. 19 But if you warn the wicked, and he does not turn from his wickedness or from his wicked deeds, then he will die for his sin, but you will have rescued your own life. 20 If a righteous man turns from his righteousness and acts unjustly, and I set a stumbling block before him, he will die. Because you did not warn him, he will die in his sin, and I will not call to mind the righteous deeds that he performed, but I will require his blood from your hand. 21 But if you warn the righteous man to stop sinning so that he no longer sins, he will surely live since he was warned; and you will have rescued your own life.”

22 So the hand of Yahweh was on me there, and he said to me, “Arise! Go out into the plain, and I will speak with you there!” 23 I arose and went out into the plain, and there the glory of Yahweh was staying, like the glory that I had seen beside the Kebar Canal; so I fell on my face. 24 The Spirit came to me and stood me up on my feet; and he spoke with me, and said to me, “Go and shut yourself up within your house, 25 for now, son of man, they will place ropes upon you and tie you so you cannot go out among them. 26 I will make your tongue stick to the roof of your mouth, so you will be mute, and you will not be able to rebuke them, since they are a rebellious house. 27 But when I speak with you, I will open your mouth so you will say to them, 'This is what the Lord Yahweh says.' The one who will hear will hear; the one who will not listen will not listen, for they are a rebellious house!”

4

1 “But you, son of man, take a brick for yourself and place it before you. Then carve the city of Jerusalem on it. 2 Then lay siege against it, and build forts against it. Raise up an assault ramp against it and set camps around it. Place battering rams all around it. 3 Then take for yourself an iron pan and use it as an iron wall between yourself and the city and set your face against it, for it will be under siege, and you are to put the siege against it. This will be a sign to the house of Israel.

4 Then, lie on your left side and put the sin of the house of Israel on it; you will carry their sin for the number of the days that you lie down against the house of Israel. 5 I myself am assigning to you one day to represent each year of their punishment: 390 days! In this way, you will carry the sin of the house of Israel. 6 When you have completed these days, then lie down a second time on your right side, for you will carry the sin of the house of Judah for forty days. I am assigning to you one day for each year. 7 Set your face toward Jerusalem that is under siege, and with your arm uncovered prophesy against it. 8 For behold! I am placing bonds on you so you will not turn from one side to the other until you have completed the days of your siege.

9 Take for yourself wheat, barley, beans, lentils, millet, and spelt; put them in a single container and make bread for yourself according to the number of the days that you will lie upon your side. For 390 days you will eat it. 10 The food you will eat will be by weight, twenty shekels per day, and you will eat it at set times each day. 11 Then you will drink water, measured out to a sixth of a hin, and you will drink it at set times. 12 You will eat it as barley cakes, but you will bake it on excrement of human dung within their sight!” 13 For Yahweh says, “This means that the bread that the people of Israel will eat will be unclean, there among the nations where I will banish them.” 14 But I said, “Alas, Lord Yahweh! I have never been unclean! I have never eaten either anything that died or anything killed by animals, from my youth until now, and foul meat has never entered my mouth!” 15 So he said to me, “Look! I have given you cow manure instead of human dung so you can prepare your bread over that.” 16 He also said to me, “Son of man! Behold! I am breaking the staff of bread in Jerusalem, and they will eat bread while rationing it in anxiety and drink water while rationing it in trembling. 17 Because they will lack bread and water, every man will be dismayed at his brother and waste away because of their iniquity.”

5

1 “Then you, son of man, take a sharp sword as a barber's razor for yourself, and pass the razor over your head and your beard, then take scales to weigh and divide your hair. 2 Burn a third of it with fire in the midst of the city when the days of the siege are completed, and take a third of the hair and strike it with the sword all around the city. Then scatter a third of it to the wind, and I will draw out a sword to chase after the people. 3 But take a small number of hairs from them and tie them into the folds of your robe. 4 Then take more of the hair and throw it into the midst of the fire; and burn it in the fire; from there a fire will go out to all the house of Israel.”

5 The Lord Yahweh says this, “This is Jerusalem in the midst of the nations, where I have placed her, and where I have surrounded her with other lands. 6 But she has in wickedness rejected my decrees more than the nations have, and my statutes more than the countries that surround her. The people have rejected my judgments and have not walked in my statutes.” 7 Therefore the Lord Yahweh says this, “Because you are more troublesome than the nations that surround you and have not walked in my statutes or acted according to my decrees, or even acted according to the decrees of the nations that surround you,” 8 therefore the Lord Yahweh says this, “Behold! I myself will act against you. I will execute judgments within your midst for the nations to see. 9 I will do to you what I have not done and the like of which I will not do again, because of all your disgusting actions. 10 Therefore fathers will eat the children in your midst, and sons will eat their fathers, since I will execute judgment on you and scatter to every direction all of you who are left. 11 Therefore, as I live—this is the Lord Yahweh's declaration—it is certainly because you have defiled my sanctuary with all your hateful things and with all your disgusting deeds, that I myself will reduce you in number; my eye will not have pity on you, and I will not spare you. 12 A third of you will die by plague, and they will be consumed by famine in your midst. A third will fall by the sword surrounding you. Then I will scatter a third in every direction, and draw out a sword to chase after them as well.

13 Then my wrath will be completed, and I will cause my fury toward them to rest. I will be satisfied, and they will know that I, Yahweh, have spoken in my wrath when I have completed my fury against them. 14 I will make you a desolation and a reproach to the nations that surround you in the sight of everyone who passes by. 15 So Jerusalem will become something for other people to condemn and to mock, a warning and a horror to the nations that surround you. I will execute judgments against you in wrath and fury, and with a furious rebuke—I, Yahweh have declared this! 16 I will send out harsh arrows of famine against you that will become the means with which I will destroy you. For I will increase the famine on you and break your staff of bread. 17 I will send a famine and disasters against you so you will be childless. Plague and blood will pass through you, and I will bring a sword against you—I, Yahweh, have declared this.”

6

1 The word of Yahweh came to me, saying, 2 “Son of man, set your face against the mountains of Israel and prophesy to them. 3 Say, 'Mountains of Israel, listen to the word of the Lord Yahweh! The Lord Yahweh says this to the mountains and to the hills, to the streambeds, and to the valleys: Behold! I am bringing a sword against you, and I will destroy your high places. 4 Then your altars will become desolate and your pillars will be destroyed, and I will throw down your dead in front of their idols. 5 I will lay the dead bodies of the people of Israel before their idols, and scatter your bones around your altars. 6 Everywhere you live, cities will be laid waste and the high places ruined, so that your altars will be laid waste and made desolate. Then they will be broken and disappear, your pillars will be cut down and your works will be wiped away. 7 The dead will fall down in your midst and you will know that I am Yahweh.

8 But I will preserve a remnant among you, and there will be some who escape the sword among the nations, when you are scattered throughout the countries. 9 Then those who escape will think of me among the nations where they will be held captive, that I was grieved by their promiscuous heart that turned away from me, and by their eyes that whored after their idols. Then they will show loathing on their face for the wickedness which they have committed with all their abominations. 10 So they will know that I am Yahweh. It was for a reason that I said I would bring this evil to them.

11 The Lord Yahweh says this: Clap your hands and stomp your foot! Say, 'Alas!' because of all the evil abominations of the house of Israel! For they will fall by sword, famine, and plague. 12 The one far away will die by plague, and the one who is near will fall by the sword. Those who remain and survive will die by famine. In this way I will accomplish my fury against them. 13 Then you will know that I am Yahweh, when their dead lie among their idols, around their altars, on every high hill—on all the mountain peaks, and under every flourishing tree and thick oak—the places where they burned incense to all their idols. 14 I will strike with my hand and make the land desolate and a waste, from the wilderness to Diblah, throughout all the places where they live. Then they will know that I am Yahweh.” *

7

1 The word of Yahweh came to me, saying, 2 “You, son of man—the Lord Yahweh says this to the land of Israel.”

'An end! An end has come to the four borders of the land.

3 Now the end is upon you, for I am sending out my wrath on you, and I will judge you according to your ways;

then I will bring all your abominations upon you.

4 For my eyes will not pity you, and I will not spare you. Instead, I will bring your ways upon you,

and your abominations will be in your midst, so you will know that I am Yahweh.

5 The Lord Yahweh says this:

Disaster! A unique disaster! Behold, it is coming. *

6 An end is surely coming. The end has woken up against you. Behold, it is coming!

7 Your doom is coming to you who inhabit the land.

The time has come; the day of destruction is near, and the mountains will no longer be joyful.

8 Now before long I will pour out my fury against you and fill up my wrath upon you

when I judge you according to your ways and bring all your abominations upon you.

9 For my eye will not look compassionately, and I will not spare you. As you have done, I will do to you;

and your abominations will be in your midst so you will know that I am Yahweh, the one punishing you.

10 Behold, the day! Behold, it is coming!

Doom has gone out! The rod has blossomed, arrogance has budded!

11 Violence has grown up into a rod of wickedness—

none of them, and none of their multitude, none of their wealth, and none of their importance will last!

12 The time is coming; the day has come close. Do not let the buyer rejoice,

nor the seller mourn, since my anger is on the entire multitude!

13 For the seller will not return to the land he sold as long as they both live,

because the vision concerning the entire multitude will not be reversed;

and because of their sins, none of them will be strengthened!

14 They have blown the trumpet and made everything ready, but there is no one marching to battle;

since my anger is on the entire multitude.

15 The sword is on the outside, and plague and famine are inside the building.

Those who are in the field will die by the sword, while famine and plague will consume those in the city.

16 But some survivors will escape from among them, and they will go to the mountains.

Like doves of the valleys, all of them will moan—each man for his iniquity.

17 Every hand will falter and every knee will be weak as water,

18 and they will wear sackcloth, and terror will cover them;

and shame will be on every face, and baldness on all of their heads.

19 They will throw their silver into the streets and their gold will be like refuse. Their silver and their gold

will not be able to rescue them in the day of Yahweh's rage. Their lives will not be saved,

and their hunger will not be satisfied, because their iniquity has become a stumbling block.

20 In their pride they took the beauty of his jeweled ornaments, and with them they made their idolatrous figures, and their detestable things. Therefore, I am turning these into an unclean thing to them.

21 Then I will give those things into the hand of strangers as plunder and to the wicked of the earth as plunder,

and they will defile them.

22 Then I will turn my face away from them when they defile my cherished place;

bandits will enter it and defile it.

23 Make a chain, because the land is filled with the judgment of blood,

and the city is full of violence.

24 So I will bring the most wicked of the nations, and they will possess their houses,

and I will bring an end to the pride of the mighty, for their holy places will be defiled!

25 Fear will come! They will seek peace, but there will be none.

26 Disaster upon disaster will come, and there will be rumor after rumor.

Then they will seek a vision from the prophet, but the law will perish from the priest and advice from the elders.

27 The king will mourn and the prince will dress in despair,

while the hands of the people of the land will tremble in fear. According to their own ways I will do this to them!

I will judge them with their own standards until they know that I am Yahweh.'”

8

1 So it came about in the sixth year and the sixth month, in the fifth day of the month, as I sat in my house and the elders of Judah sat before me, that the hand of the Lord Yahweh again fell upon me there. 2 So I looked, and behold, there was a likeness with the appearance of a man. From the appearance of his hips downward there was fire. And from his hips upward there was the appearance of something shining, like glowing metal. 3 Then he reached out the form of a hand and took me by the hair of my head; the Spirit lifted me up between earth and heaven, and in visions from God, he brought me to Jerusalem, to the entrance of the inner northern gate, where the idol that provokes great jealousy was standing. 4 Then behold, the glory of the God of Israel was there, according to the vision I had seen on the plain.

5 Then he said to me, “Son of man, lift up your eyes to the north.” So I lifted up my eyes to the north, and to the north of the gate leading to the altar, there in the entrance, was the idol of jealousy. 6 So he said to me, “Son of man, do you see what they are doing? These are great abominations that the house of Israel is doing here to make me go far from my own sanctuary. But you will turn and see even greater abominations.”

7 Then he brought me to the doorway of the courtyard, and I looked, and there was a hole in the wall. 8 He said to me, “Son of man, dig into this wall.” So I dug into the wall, and there was a door. 9 Then he said to me, “Go and see the wicked abominations that they are doing here.” 10 So I went in and looked, and behold! There was every form of creeping thing and detestable beast! Every idol of the house of Israel was carved into the wall all around. 11 Seventy elders of the house of Israel were there, and Jaazaniah son of Shaphan was standing in their midst. They were standing in front of the images, and each man had his censer in his hand so that the smell of the cloud of incense went up. 12 He said to me, “Son of man, do you see what the elders of the house of Israel are doing in the dark? Each one does this in the hidden chamber of his idol, for they say, 'Yahweh does not see us! Yahweh has forsaken the land.'” 13 Then he said to me, “Turn again and see the other great abominations that they are doing.”

14 Next he brought me to the entrance of the gate of Yahweh's house that was on the north side, and behold! The women were sitting there mourning for Tammuz. 15 So he said to me, “Do you see this, son of man? Turn again and see even greater abominations than these.”

16 He brought me into the inner courtyard of Yahweh's house, and behold! at the entrance of the temple of Yahweh between the portico and the altar, there were about twenty-five men with their backs toward the temple of Yahweh and their faces toward the east, and they were worshiping the sun. 17 He said to me, “Do you see this, son of man? Is it a little thing for the house of Judah to do these abominations that they are doing here? For they have filled the land with violence and they have turned again to provoke me to anger, putting the branch to their noses. 18 So I will also act among them; my eye will not have compassion, and I will not spare them. Though they cry in my ears with a loud voice, I will not hear them.”

9

1 Then he cried in my hearing with a loud voice, and said, “Let the guards come up to the city, each with his weapon of destruction in his hand.” 2 Then behold! Six men came from the pathway of the upper gate that faces north, each with his weapon of slaughter in his hand. There was a man in their midst dressed in linen with a scribe's equipment at his side. So they went in and stood beside the bronze altar.

3 Then the glory of the God of Israel went up from the cherubim where it had been to the threshold of the house. He called to the man dressed in linen who had the scribe's equipment at his side. 4 Yahweh said to him, “Pass through the midst of the city—the midst of Jerusalem—and make a mark on the foreheads of those who groan and sigh about all the abominations being performed in the midst of the city.” 5 Then he spoke to the others within my hearing, “Pass through the city after him and kill. Do not let your eyes have compassion, and do not spare 6 either old man, young man, virgin, little children or women. Kill all of them! But do not approach anyone who has the mark on his head. Begin at my sanctuary!” So they began with the elders who were in front of the house. 7 He said to them, “Defile the house, and fill its courtyards with the dead. Proceed!” So they went out and attacked the city. 8 As they were attacking it, I found myself alone and I fell on my face and cried out and said, “Ah, Lord Yahweh, will you destroy all the remnant of Israel in the outpouring of your wrath on Jerusalem?”

9 He said to me, “The iniquity of the house of Israel and Judah is exceedingly great. The land is full of blood and the city full of perversions, since they say, 'Yahweh has forgotten the land,' and 'Yahweh does not see!' 10 So then, my eye will not look with compassion, and I will not spare them. I will instead bring it all on their heads.” 11 Behold! The man dressed in linen who had the scribe's equipment by his side came back. He reported and said, “I have done all that you have commanded.”

10

1 As I looked toward the dome that was over the heads of the cherubim; something appeared above them like a sapphire with the appearance of the likeness of a throne. 2 Then Yahweh spoke to the man dressed in linen and said, “Go between the wheels underneath the cherubim, and fill both your hands with fiery coals from between the cherubim and scatter them over the city.” Then the man went in as I watched. 3 The cherubim stood on the right side of the house when the man went in, and a cloud filled the inner courtyard. 4 The glory of Yahweh rose up from the cherubim and stood over the threshold of the house. It filled the house with the cloud, and the courtyard was full of the brightness of Yahweh's glory. 5 The sound of the cherubim's wings was heard as far as the outer courtyard, like the voice of God Almighty when he speaks. 6 It came about, when God commanded the man dressed in linen and said, “Take fire from between the wheels that are between the cherubim,” the man went in and stood beside a wheel. 7 A cherub reached out his hand between the cherubim to the fire that was among the cherubim, and lifted it up and placed it into the hands of the one dressed in linen. The man took it and went back out. 8 I saw on the cherubim something like a man's hand under their wings.

9 So I looked, and behold! Four wheels were beside the cherubim—one wheel beside each cherub—and the appearance of the wheels was like a beryl stone. 10 Their appearance was the same likeness for all four of them, like a wheel intersecting another wheel. 11 When they moved, they went in any of their four directions, without turning as they went; but whatever direction the head faced, they followed after it without turning as they went. 12 Their whole body—including their backs, their hands, and their wings—was covered with eyes, and eyes covered the four wheels all around also. 13 As I listened, the wheels were called, “Whirling.” 14 They had four faces each; the first face was the face of a cherub, the second face was the face of a man, the third the face of a lion, and the fourth the face of an eagle.

15 Then the cherubim—these were the living creatures that I had seen by the Kebar Canal—rose up. 16 Whenever the cherubim moved, the wheels would go beside them, and whenever the cherubim lifted up their wings to rise up from the earth, the wheels did not turn. They still stayed beside them. 17 When the cherubim stood still, the wheels stood still, and when they rose up, the wheels rose up with them, for the spirit of the living creature was in the wheels.

18 Then the glory of Yahweh went out from over the threshold of the house and stood over the cherubim. 19 The cherubim lifted up their wings and rose from the earth in my sight when they went out, and the wheels did the same beside them. They stood at the eastern entrance to Yahweh's house, and the glory of the God of Israel came upon them from above.

20 These were the living creatures that I had seen below the God of Israel by the Kebar Canal, so I knew that they were cherubim! 21 They had four faces each and four wings each, and the likeness of human hands under their wings, 22 and the likeness of their faces was like the faces that I had seen in the vision at the Kebar Canal, and each of them went straight ahead.

11

1 Then the Spirit lifted me up and brought me to the eastern gate of Yahweh's house, facing east, and behold, in the doorway of the gate there were twenty-five men. I saw Jaazaniah son of Azzur and Pelatiah son of Benaiah, leaders of the people, among them. 2 God said to me, “Son of man, these are the men who devise iniquity, and who decide wicked plans in this city. 3 They are saying, 'The time to build houses is not now; this city is the pot, and we are the meat.' 4 Therefore prophesy against them. Prophesy, son of man.”

5 Then the Spirit of Yahweh fell on me and he said for me to say: This is what Yahweh says, “That is what you are saying, house of Israel; for I know what goes through your mind. 6 You have multiplied the people you have killed in this city and filled its streets with them. 7 Therefore, the Lord Yahweh says this: The people you have killed, whose bodies you have laid in the midst of Jerusalem, are the meat, and this city is the pot. But you are going to be brought out from the midst of this city. 8 You have feared the sword, so I am bringing the sword upon you—this is the declaration of the Lord Yahweh. 9 I will bring you out of the midst of the city, and put you into the hands of foreigners, for I will bring judgment against you. 10 You will fall by the sword. I will judge you within the borders of Israel so you will know that I am Yahweh. 11 This city will not be your cooking pot, nor will you be the meat within her midst. I will judge you within the borders of Israel. 12 Then you will know that I am Yahweh, the one whose statutes you have not walked in and whose decrees you have not carried out. Instead, you have carried out the decrees of the nations that surround you.”

13 It came about that as I was prophesying, Pelatiah son of Benaiah, died. So I fell on my face and cried out with a loud voice and said, “Alas, Lord Yahweh, will you completely destroy the remnant of Israel?” 14 The word of Yahweh came to me, saying, 15 “Son of man, your brothers! Your brothers! The men of your clan and all the house of Israel! All of them are those of whom it is said by those living in Jerusalem, 'They are far away from Yahweh! This land was given to us as our possession.' 16 Therefore say, 'The Lord Yahweh says this: Though I have removed them far off among the nations, and though I have scattered them among the lands, yet I have been a sanctuary for them for a little while in the lands where they have gone.' 17 Therefore say, 'The Lord Yahweh says this: I will gather you from the peoples, and assemble you from the lands where you were scattered, and I will give you the land of Israel.' 18 Then they will go there and remove every detestable thing and every abomination from that place. 19 I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within them. I will take out the heart of stone from their flesh and give them a heart of flesh, 20 so that they will walk in my statutes, they will carry out my decrees and do them. Then they will be my people, and I will be their God. 21 But to those who walk with affection toward their detestable things and their abominations, I will bring their conduct on their own heads—this is the Lord Yahweh's declaration.”

22 The cherubim lifted up their wings and the wheels that were beside them, and the glory of the God of Israel was high up over them. 23 Then the glory of Yahweh went up from within the midst of the city and stood on the mountain to the east of the city. 24 The Spirit lifted me up and brought me into Chaldea, to the exiles, in the vision from the Spirit of God, and the vision that I had seen went up from upon me. 25 Then I declared to the exiles all the things of Yahweh that I had seen.

12

1 The word of Yahweh came to me, saying, 2 “Son of man, you live in the midst of a rebellious house, where they have eyes to see but they do not see; and where they have ears to hear but do not listen, because they are a rebellious house. 3 Therefore as for you, son of man, prepare your things for exile, and begin going out by day in their sight, for I will exile you in their sight from your place to another place. Perhaps they will begin to see, though they are a rebellious house. 4 You will bring out your things for an exile in the day in their sight; go out in the evening in their sight in the way that anyone goes into exile. 5 Dig a hole through the wall in their sight, and go out through it. 6 In their sight, lift up your things onto your shoulder, and bring them out in the darkness. Cover your face, for you must not see the land, since I have set you as a sign to the house of Israel.”

7 So I did this, just as I was commanded. I brought out my things of exile in the daytime, and in the evening I dug a hole through the wall by hand. I brought my things out in the dark, and lifted them up on my shoulder in their sight. 8 Then the word of Yahweh came to me in the morning, saying, 9 “Son of man, is the house of Israel, that rebellious house, not asking, 'What are you doing?' 10 Say to them, 'The Lord Yahweh says this: this prophetic action concerns the prince in Jerusalem, and all the house of Israel in whose midst they are.' 11 Say, 'I am a sign to you.' As I have done, so it will be done to them; they will go into exile and into captivity. 12 The prince who is among them will lift up his things upon his shoulder in the dark, and will go out through the wall. They will dig through the wall and bring out their things. He will cover his face, so he will not see the land with his eyes. 13 I will spread out my net over him and he will be caught in my snare; then I will bring him to Babylon, the land of the Chaldeans, but he will not see it. He will die there. 14 I will also scatter in every direction all of those around him who were to assist him and his entire army, and I will send out a sword after them. 15 Then they will know that I am Yahweh, when I scatter them among the nations and disperse them throughout the lands. 16 But I will spare a few men from among them from the sword, famine, and plague, so they may record all of their abominations in the lands where I take them, so they will know that I am Yahweh.”

17 The word of Yahweh came to me, saying, 18 “Son of man, eat your bread with trembling, and drink your water with shaking and worry. 19 Then say to the people of the land, 'The Lord Yahweh says this concerning the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and the land of Israel, “They will eat their bread with trembling and drink their water while shaking, since the land will be despoiled of its fullness because of the violence of all those who live there. 20 So the cities that were inhabited will be desolate, and the land will become a wasteland; so you will know that I am Yahweh.”'”

21 Again the word of Yahweh came to me, saying, 22 “Son of man, what is this proverb that you have in the land of Israel that says, 'The days are prolonged, and every vision fails'? 23 Therefore, say to them, 'The Lord Yahweh says this: I will put an end to this proverb, and the people of Israel will no longer use it.' Say to them, 'The days have drawn near when every vision will be fulfilled. 24 For there will no longer be any false visions or favorable divinations within the house of Israel. 25 For I am Yahweh! I speak, and I carry out the words that I speak. The matter will no longer be delayed. For I will speak this word in your days, rebellious house, and I will carry it out!—this is the Lord Yahweh's declaration.'”

26 Again the word of Yahweh came to me, saying, 27 “Son of man! Behold, the house of Israel has said, 'The vision that he sees is for many days from now, and he prophesies of far off times.' 28 Therefore say to them, 'The Lord Yahweh says this: My words will not be delayed any longer, but the word that I have spoken will be done—this is the Lord Yahweh's declaration.'”

13

1 Again, the word of Yahweh came to me, saying, 2 “Son of man, prophesy against the prophets who are prophesying in Israel, and say to those who are prophesying out of their own imaginations, 'Listen to the word of Yahweh. 3 The Lord Yahweh says this: Woe to the foolish prophets who follow their own spirit, but who have seen nothing! 4 Israel, your prophets have been like jackals in the wastelands. 5 You have not gone to the breaks in the wall around the house of Israel in order to repair it, in order to resist in battle on the day of Yahweh. 6 The people have false visions and make false predictions, those who say, “Such and such is Yahweh's declaration.” Yahweh has not sent them, but they nevertheless have made people hope that their messages would come true. 7 Have you not had false visions and made false predictions, you who say, “Such and such is Yahweh's declaration” when I myself have not spoken?'

8 Therefore the Lord Yahweh says this, 'Because you have had false visions and have told lies—therefore this is the Lord Yahweh's declaration against you: 9 My hand will be against the prophets who have lying visions and who make false predictions. They will not be in the assembly of my people, or enrolled in the record of the house of Israel; they must not go to the land of Israel. For you will know that I am the Lord Yahweh! 10 Because of this, and because they led my people astray and said, “Peace!” when there is no peace, they are building a wall that they will paint with whitewash.' 11 Say to those who are whitewashing the wall, 'It will fall down; there will be a downpour of rain, and I will send hailstones to make it fall down, and a windstorm wind to break it down. 12 See, the wall will fall down. Have others not said to you, “Where is the whitewash that you put on it?” 13 Therefore the Lord Yahweh says this: I will bring a windstorm in my rage, and there will be floods of rain in my wrath! Hailstones in my rage will completely destroy it. 14 For I will tear down the wall that you have covered with whitewash, and I will demolish it to the ground and lay bare its foundations. So it will fall, and you will be annihilated in the middle of it all. Then you will know that I am Yahweh. 15 For I will annihilate in my fury the wall and those who whitewashed it. I will say to you, “The wall exists no more, nor do the people who whitewashed it— 16 the prophets of Israel who prophesied about Jerusalem and who had visions of peace for her. But there is no peace!—this is the Lord Yahweh's declaration.”'

17 So you, son of man, set your face against the daughters of your people who prophesy out of their own minds, and prophesy against them. 18 Say, 'The Lord Yahweh says this: Woe to the women who sew magic charms onto every part of their hand and make veils for their heads of every size, used to hunt down people. Will you hunt down my people but save your own lives? 19 You have profaned me among my people for handfuls of barley and crumbs of bread, to kill people who should not die, and to preserve the lives of those who should not continue to live, because of your lies to my people who heard you.

20 Therefore the Lord Yahweh says this: I am against the magic charms that you have used to ensnare the people's lives as if they were birds. Indeed, I will tear them from your arms; and the people whom you have trapped like birds—I will let them go free. 21 I will tear away your veils and rescue my people from your hand, so they will no longer be trapped in your hands. You will know that I am Yahweh. 22 Because you discourage the heart of the righteous person with lies, even though I did not desire his discouragement, and because you encourage instead the actions of the wicked person so that he will not turn from his way to save his life— 23 therefore you will no longer have false visions or continue to make predictions, for I will rescue my people out of your hand. You will know that I am Yahweh.'”

14

1 Some of the elders of Israel came to me and sat before me. 2 Then the word of Yahweh came to me, saying, 3 “Son of man, these men have taken their idols into their hearts and have put the stumbling block of their iniquity before their own faces. Should I be inquired of at all by them? 4 Therefore announce this to them and say to them, 'The Lord Yahweh says this: Every man of the house of Israel who takes his idols into his heart, or who puts the stumbling block of his iniquity before his face, and who then comes to a prophet—I, Yahweh, will answer him according to the number of his idols. 5 I will do this so that I may take back the house of Israel in their hearts that have been driven far from me through their idols.'

6 Therefore say to the house of Israel, 'The Lord Yahweh says this: Repent and turn away from your idols! Turn back your faces from all your abominations. 7 For every one from the house of Israel and every one of the foreigners staying in Israel who deserts me, who takes his idols into his heart and puts the stumbling block of his iniquity before his own face, and who then comes to a prophet to seek me—I, Yahweh, will answer him myself. 8 So I will set my face against that man and make him a sign and a proverb, for I will cut him off from the midst of my people, and you will know that I am Yahweh. 9 If a prophet is deceived and speaks a message, then I, Yahweh, will deceive that prophet; I will reach out with my hand against him and destroy him from the midst of my people Israel. 10 They will carry their own iniquity; the iniquity of the prophet will be the same as the iniquity of the one who inquires from him. 11 Because of this, the house of Israel will no longer wander away from following me nor defile themselves any longer through all their transgressions. They will be my people, and I will be their God—this is the Lord Yahweh's declaration.'”

12 Then the word of Yahweh came to me, saying, 13 “Son of man, when a land sins against me by committing a sin so that I reach out with my hand against it and break the staff of its bread, and send out over it a famine and cut off both man and beast from the land; 14 then even if these three men—Noah, Daniel, and Job—were in the land's midst, they could only rescue their own lives by their righteousness—this is the Lord Yahweh's declaration. 15 If I send evil beasts through the land and make it barren so that it becomes a wasteland where no man may pass through because of the beasts, 16 then even if these same three men were in it—as I live, declares the Lord Yahweh—they would not be able to rescue even their own sons or daughters; only their own lives would be rescued, but the land would become a wasteland. 17 Or if I bring a sword against that land and say, 'Sword, go through the land and cut off both man and beast from it', 18 then even if these three men were in the midst of the land—as I live, declares the Lord Yahweh—they would not be able to rescue even their own sons or daughters; only their own lives would be rescued. 19 Or if I send a plague against this land and pour out my fury against it through bloodshed, in order to cut off both man and beast, 20 then even if Noah, Daniel, and Job were in that land—as I live, declares the Lord Yahweh—they would not be able to rescue even their own sons or daughters; only their own lives would be rescued by their righteousness.

21 For the Lord Yahweh says this: I will certainly make things worse by sending my four punishments—famine, sword, wild animals, and plague—against Jerusalem to cut off both man and beast from her. 22 Yet, behold! A remnant will be left in her, survivors who will go out with sons and daughters. Behold! They will go out to you, and you will see their ways and actions and be comforted concerning the punishment that I have sent to Jerusalem, and about everything else that I have sent against the land. 23 The survivors will comfort you when you see their ways and their actions, so you will know all these things I have done against her, that I have not done them in vain!—this is the Lord Yahweh's declaration.”

15

1 Then the word of Yahweh came to me, saying, 2 “Son of man, how is a vine better than any tree with branches that is among the trees in a forest? 3 Do people take wood from a vine to make anything? Or do they make a peg from it to hang anything on it? 4 See! If it is thrown into a fire as fuel, and if the fire has burned both of its ends and also the middle, is it good for anything? 5 See! When it was complete, it could not make anything; surely then, when the fire has burned, then it still will not make anything useful. 6 Therefore the Lord Yahweh says this: Unlike the trees in the forests, I have given the vine as fuel for fires; I will act in the same way toward the inhabitants of Jerusalem. 7 For I will set my face against them. Though they come out from the fire, yet the fire will consume them; so you will know that I am Yahweh, when I set my face against them. 8 Then I will make the land into an abandoned wasteland because they have committed sin—this is the Lord Yahweh's declaration.”

16

1 Then the word of Yahweh came to me, saying, 2 “Son of man, inform Jerusalem about her abominations, 3 and declare, 'The Lord Yahweh says this to Jerusalem: Your beginning and your birth took place in the land of Canaan; your father was an Amorite, and your mother was a Hittite. 4 On the day of your birth, your mother did not cut your navel, nor did she purify you in water or rub you down with salt, or wrap cloth around you. 5 No eye had compassion for you to do any of these things for you, to be compassionate toward you. On the day that you were born, with loathing for your life, you were thrown out into the open field.

6 But I passed by you, and I saw you writhing in your own blood; so I said to you in your blood, “Live!” I said to you in your blood, “Live!” * 7 I made you grow like a plant in a field. You multiplied and became great, and you became the jewel of jewels. Your breasts became firm, and your hair grew thick, though you had been naked and bare. 8 I passed by you again, and I saw you. See! the time of love came for you, so I spread my robe over you and covered your nakedness. Then I swore to you and brought you into a covenant—this is the Lord Yahweh's declaration—and you became mine. 9 So I washed you with water and rinsed your blood off you, and I anointed you with oil. 10 I dressed you in embroidered clothes and placed leather sandals on your feet. I wrapped you with fine linen and covered you with silk. 11 Next I adorned you with jewelry, and I put bracelets on your hands, and a chain around your neck. 12 I put a nose ring in your nostrils and earrings in your ears, and a beautiful crown on your head. 13 So you were adorned with gold and silver, and you were dressed in fine linen, silk, and embroidered clothes; you ate fine flour, honey, and oil, and you were very beautiful, and you became a queen. 14 Your fame went out among the nations because of your beauty, for it was perfect in the majesty that I had given to you—this is the Lord Yahweh's declaration.

15 But you trusted in your own beauty, and you acted like a prostitute because of your fame; you poured out your acts of prostitution on everyone who passed by, so that your beauty became his. 16 Then you took your clothes and with them you made high places for yourself decorated in various colors, and there you acted like a prostitute. This should not have happened. Nor should such a thing exist. 17 You took the fine jewels of the gold and silver that I gave you, and you made for yourself male figures, and you did with them as a prostitute would do. 18 You took your embroidered garments and covered them, and you set my oils and perfumes before them. 19 My bread I gave you—made with fine flour, oil, and honey—you set before them for a fragrant aroma, for this is what happened—this is the Lord Yahweh's declaration. 20 Then you took your sons and daughters whom you bore for me, and you sacrificed them to the images to be devoured as food. Are your acts of prostitution a small matter? 21 You slaughtered my children to the idols and made them pass through the fire. 22 In all your abominations and your acts of prostitution you have not thought about the days of your youth, when you were naked and bare as you thrashed about in your blood.

23 Woe! Woe to you!—this is the Lord Yahweh's declaration—therefore, in addition to all this wickedness, 24 you built yourself a vaulted chamber in every public place. 25 You built your high place at the head of every road and made your beauty a disgrace, and you spread your legs to anyone who passed by, and you multiplied your acts of prostitution. 26 You have acted like a prostitute with the Egyptians, your lustful neighbors, and you committed many more acts of prostitution, provoking me to anger. 27 See! I will strike you with my hand and cut off your food. I will hand your life over to your enemies, the daughters of the Philistines, who were ashamed of your obscene behavior. 28 You have acted like a prostitute with the Assyrians because you could not be satisfied. You acted like a prostitute and still were not satisfied. 29 You performed many more acts of prostitution in the land of the merchants of Chaldea, and even this did not satisfy you.

30 How sick is your heart—this is the Lord Yahweh's declaration—that you would do all these things, deeds of a shameless prostitute? 31 You have built your high places at the head of every street and made your vaulted chamber in every public place. Yet you were not like a prostitute because you refused to take payment. 32 You adulterous woman, you accept strangers instead of your husband. 33 People give payment to every prostitute, but you give your wages to all your lovers and bribe them to come to you from all around for your acts of prostitution. 34 So there is a difference between you and those other women, since no one goes to you to ask you to sleep with them. Instead, you pay them. No one pays you.

35 Therefore, you prostitute, listen to the word of Yahweh. 36 The Lord Yahweh says this: Because you have poured out your lust and uncovered your nakedness through your acts of prostitution with your lovers and with all your detestable idols, and because you gave them your children's blood, 37 therefore, behold, I will gather all your lovers that you have met, all those whom you loved and all those whom you hated, and I will gather them against you on every side. I will uncover your nakedness to them so they see all your nakedness. 38 For I will punish you for adultery and the shedding of blood, and I will bring on you the bloodshed of my anger and passion. 39 I will give you into their hands so they will throw down your vaulted chamber and break down your high places and they will strip you of your clothes and take all of your jewelry. They will leave you naked and bare. 40 Then they will bring up a crowd against you and stone you with stones, and they will cut you apart with their swords. 41 They will burn your houses and will perform many acts of punishment on you in the sight of many women, for I will put a stop to your prostitution, and you will no longer pay your lovers. 42 Then I will calm my fury against you; my anger will leave you, for I will be satisfied, and will no longer be angry. 43 Because you did not call to mind the days of your youth and have made me shake with anger because of all these things, therefore, behold! I myself will bring down on your own head the punishment for what you have done—this is the Lord Yahweh's declaration. Have you not added prostitution to all your other detestable practices?

44 Behold! Everyone who speaks proverbs concerning you will say, “As the mother is, so also is her daughter.” 45 You are the daughter of your mother, who detested her husband and her children, and you are the sister of your sisters who detested their husbands and their children. Your mother was a Hittite, and your father was an Amorite. 46 Your older sister was Samaria and her daughters were the ones living in the north, while your younger sister was the one living south of you, that is, Sodom and her daughters. 47 You not only walked in their ways and copied their behavior and practices, but in all your ways you have been worse than they were. 48 As I live—this is the Lord Yahweh's declaration—your sister Sodom and her daughters, have not done as much evil as you and your daughters have done. 49 Behold! This was the sin of your sister Sodom that she was arrogant in her leisure, careless and unconcerned about anything. She did not strengthen the hands of the poor and needy people. 50 She was arrogant and committed disgusting actions before me, so I took them away just as you have seen. 51 Neither did Samaria commit even half of your sins; instead, you have done many more disgusting things than they did, and you have shown that your sisters were better than you because of all the disgusting things that you do! 52 Especially you, show your own shame; in this way you have shown that your sisters were better than you, because of the sins you committed in all those disgusting ways. Your sisters now seem better than you. Especially you, show your own shame, for in this way you have shown that your sisters were better than you.

53 For I will restore their fortunes—the fortunes of Sodom and her daughters, and the fortunes of Samaria and her daughters; but your fortunes will be among them. 54 On account of these things you will show your shame; you will be humiliated because of everything that you have done, and in this way you will be a comfort to them. 55 So your sister Sodom and her daughters will be restored to their former condition, and Samaria and her daughters will be restored to their former estate. Then you and your daughters will be restored to your former condition. 56 Sodom your sister was not even mentioned by your mouth in the days when you were proud, 57 before your wickedness was revealed. But now you are an object of scorn to the daughters of Edom and to all the daughters of the Philistines around her. People all about despise you. † 58 You will show your shame and your disgusting actions!—this is Yahweh's declaration! 59 The Lord Yahweh says this: I will deal with you as you deserve, you who have despised your oath by breaking the covenant.

60 But I myself will call to mind my covenant with you made in the days of your youth, and I will establish an everlasting covenant with you. 61 Then you will call to mind your ways and be ashamed when you receive your older sisters and your younger sisters. I will give them to you as daughters, but not because of your covenant. 62 I myself will establish my covenant with you, and you will know that I am Yahweh. 63 Because of these things, you will call everything to mind and be ashamed, so you will no longer open your mouth to speak because of your shame, when I have forgiven you for all that you have done—this is the Lord Yahweh's declaration.'”

17

1 The word of Yahweh came to me, saying, 2 “Son of man, present a riddle and speak a parable to the house of Israel. 3 Say, 'The Lord Yahweh says this:

A large eagle with large wings and long pinions, full of feathers,

and that was multicolored went to Lebanon and took hold of the top of a cedar tree.

4 It broke off the tips of the branches and took them to the land of Canaan;

he planted it in a city of merchants.

5 He also took some seed of the land and planted it in fertile soil.

He placed it beside a large body of water like a willow.

6 Then it sprouted and became a spreading vine low to the ground.

Its branches turned toward him, and its roots grew under it.

So it became a vine and produced branches and sent out shoots.

7 But there was another great eagle with large wings and many feathers.

Behold! This vine turned its roots toward the eagle,

and it spread out its branches toward the eagle from the place it had been planted so it would be watered.

8 It had been planted in good soil beside a large body of water

so it would produce branches and sprout fruit, to become a magnificent vine.'

9 Say to the people, 'The Lord Yahweh says this: Will it prosper?

Will it not be uprooted and stripped of its fruit so that it withers, and all its fresh growth will wither?

No strong arm or many people will be needed to pull it out by its roots.

10 So behold! After it has been planted, will it grow? Will it not wither when the eastern wind touches it?

It will completely wither away in the garden plot where it sprouted.'”

11 Then the word of Yahweh came to me, saying, 12 “Speak to the rebellious house, 'Do you not know what these things mean? Behold! The king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and took her king and her princes and brought them to him in Babylon. 13 Then he took a royal descendant, made a covenant with him, and brought him under an oath. He took away the powerful people of the land, 14 so the kingdom might become lowly and not lift itself up. By keeping his covenant the land will survive. 15 But the king of Jerusalem rebelled against him by sending his ambassadors to Egypt to acquire horses and an army. Will he succeed? Will the one doing these things escape? If he breaks the covenant, will he escape? 16 As I live!—this is the Lord Yahweh's declaration—he will surely die in the land of the king who made him king, the king whose oath he despised, and whose covenant he broke. He will die in the middle of Babylon. 17 Pharaoh with his mighty army and a great company of men will not help him in battle, when ramps are constructed and siege walls are built up to cut off many lives. 18 For the king despised his oath by breaking the covenant. Behold, he reached out with his hand to make a promise and yet he did all these things. He will not escape. 19 Therefore the Lord Yahweh says this: As I live, was it not my oath that he despised and my covenant that he broke? So I will bring his punishment on his head! 20 I will spread my net out over him, and he will be caught in my hunting net. Then I will bring him to Babylon and execute judgment on him there for his treason that he committed when he betrayed me! 21 All of his refugees in his armies will fall by the sword, and the ones who remain will be scattered in every direction. Then you will know that I am Yahweh; I have declared this would happen.”

22 The Lord Yahweh says this, 'So I myself will take away the highest part of the cedar tree, and I will plant it away from its tender branches. I will break it off, and I myself will plant it on a high mountain. 23 I will plant it on the mountains of Israel so it will bear branches and produce fruit, and it will become a majestic cedar so that every winged bird will live under it. They will nest in the shade of its branches. 24 Then all the trees of the field will know that I am Yahweh. I bring down the high trees and I raise up the low trees. I wither the watered tree and I cause the dried tree to bloom. I am Yahweh, I have declared that this will happen; and I have done it.'”

18

1 The word of Yahweh came to me again, saying, 2 “What do you mean, you who use this proverb concerning the land of Israel and say,

'Fathers eat sour grapes, and the children's teeth are made blunt'? 3 As I live—this is the Lord Yahweh's declaration—there will certainly no longer be any occasion for you to use this proverb in Israel. 4 Behold! Every life belong to me—the life of the father as well as the life of the son, they belong to me! The soul who sins is the one who will die!

5 What can be said about a man who is righteous and who carries out justice and righteousness— 6 if he does not eat upon the mountains or lift up his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel, and he does not defile his neighbor's wife, nor approached a woman during her monthly period, is he a righteous man? 7 What can be said about a man who does not oppress anyone, and he gives back to the debtor what was put up as security for a loan, and he does not commit theft but gives his food to the hungry and he covers the naked with clothes, is he a righteous man? 8 What can be said about a man who does not charge too much interest for the money he loans, and he does not take too much profit for what he sells? It is said of him that he carries out justice and establishes faithfulness between people. 9 If that man walks in my statutes and keeps my decrees to act faithfully, then the promise for this righteous man is this: He will surely live!—this is the Lord Yahweh's declaration.

10 But suppose that he has a violent son who sheds blood and does any one of these things that were mentioned, * 11 (though his father has not done any of these things). He eats upon the mountains and he defiles his neighbor's wife, what can be said about him? 12 This man oppresses the poor and needy, and he seizes and robs, and he does not return a pledge, and he lifts up his eyes to the idols and commits disgusting actions, 13 and he lends out money at too high interest and he makes too much profit on what he sells, should that man live? Surely he will not! He will certainly die and his blood will be on him because he has done all these detestable things.

14 But behold! Suppose there is a man who bears a son, and his son sees all the sins that his father has committed, and though he sees them, he does not do those things. 15 That son does not eat upon the mountains, and he does not lift up his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel, and he does not defile his neighbor's wife, what can be said about him? 16 That son does not oppress anyone, or seize a pledge, or take stolen things, but instead gives his food to the hungry and covers up the naked with clothes. 17 That son does not oppress anyone or take interest that is too high or make too much profit for a loan, but he carries out my decrees and walks according to my statutes; that son will not die for his father's sin: He will surely live! 18 His father, since he oppressed others by extortion and robbed his brother, and did what is not good among his people—behold, he will die in his iniquity.

19 But you say, 'Why does the son not bear the iniquity of his father?' Because the son carries out justice and righteousness and keeps all my statutes; he does them. He will surely live! 20 The one who sins, he is the one who will die. A son will not bear his father's iniquity, and a father will not bear his son's iniquity. The righteousness of the one who acts rightly will be on himself, and the wickedness of the wicked will be on himself.

21 But if the wicked turns away from all his sins that he has done, and keeps all my statutes and performs justice and righteousness, then he will certainly live and not die. 22 All the transgressions that he has committed will not be called to mind against him. He will live by the righteousness that he practices. 23 Do I greatly rejoice over the death of the wicked—this is the Lord Yahweh's declaration—and not in his turning away from his way so that he may live? 24 But if the righteous person turns away from his righteousness and commits iniquity and practices abominations like all the abominations that the wicked person does, then will he live? All the righteousness that he had done will not be called to mind when he betrays me in his treason. So he will die in the sins that he committed.

25 But you say, 'The way of the Lord is not fair!' Listen, house of Israel! Are my ways unfair? Is it not your ways that are unfair? 26 When the righteous man turns away from his righteousness, and commits iniquity and dies because of them, then he will die in the iniquity that he has done. 27 But when a wicked man turns away from his wickedness that he has done and performs justice and righteousness, then he will preserve his life. 28 For he has seen and turned away from all the transgressions that he had done. He will surely live, and he will not die. 29 But the house of Israel says, 'The way of the Lord is not fair!' How is my way not fair, house of Israel? It is your ways that are not fair. 30 Therefore I will judge each man among you according to his ways, house of Israel!—this is the Lord Yahweh's declaration. Repent and turn away from all your transgressions so that they will not be stumbling blocks of iniquity against you. 31 Throw away from yourselves all of the transgressions that you have committed; make for yourselves a new heart and a new spirit. Why should you die, house of Israel? 32 For I have no delight in the death of the one who dies—this is the Lord Yahweh's declaration—so repent and live!”

19

1 “Now you, take up a lamentation against the leaders of Israel 2 and say,

'Who was your mother? A lioness, she lived with a lion's son;

in the midst of young lions, she nurtured her cubs.

3 She is the one who raised up one of her cubs to become a young lion, a lion who learned to tear apart his victims, and then he devoured men.

4 Then the nations heard about him. He was caught in their trap, and they brought him with hooks to the land of Egypt.

5 Then she saw that although she had waited for his return, her expectation was now gone, so she took another of her cubs and raised him to become a young lion.

6 This young lion roamed about in the midst of lions. He was a young lion and learned to tear his victims; he devoured men.

7 He seized their widows and ruined their cities.

The land and its fullness were abandoned because of the sound of his roaring. *

8 But the nations came against him from the surrounding provinces;

they spread their nets over him. He was caught in their trap.

9 With hooks they put him in a cage and then they brought him to the king of Babylon.

They brought him to the strongholds so that his voice would no longer be heard on the mountains of Israel.

10 Your mother was like a vine planted in your blood beside the water. †

it was fruitful and full of branches because of the abundance of water.

11 It had strong branches that were used for rulers' scepters,

and its size was exalted above the branches,

and its height was seen by the greatness of its foliage.

12 But the vine was uprooted in fury and thrown down to the earth, and an eastern wind dried out its fruit.

Its strong branches were broken off and withered and fire consumed them.

13 So now it is planted in the wilderness, in a land of drought and thirst.

14 For fire went out from her large branches and consumed its fruit.

There is no strong branch on it, no scepter to rule.' This is a lamentation and will be sung as a lamentation.”

20

1 It came about in the seventh year, on the tenth day of the fifth month, that elders of Israel came to inquire of Yahweh and sat before me. 2 Then the word of Yahweh came to me, saying, 3 “Son of man, declare to the elders of Israel and say to them, 'The Lord Yahweh says this: Have you come to inquire of me? As I live, I will not be inquired of by you!—this is the Lord Yahweh's declaration.' 4 Will you judge them? Will you judge, son of man? Let them know about their fathers' abominations. 5 Say to them, 'The Lord Yahweh says this: On the day that I chose Israel and raised my hand to swear an oath to the descendants of the house of Jacob, and made myself known to them in the land of Egypt, when I raised my hand to swear an oath to them. I said, “I am Yahweh your God”— 6 on that day I raised my hand to swear an oath to them that I would bring them out of the land of Egypt into a land that I had carefully selected for them. It was flowing with milk and honey; it was the most beautiful ornament among all the lands. 7 I said to them, “Let each man throw away the detestable things from before his eyes and the idols of Egypt. Do not make yourselves unclean; I am Yahweh your God.” 8 But they rebelled against me and were unwilling to listen to me. Each man did not throw away the detestable things from before his eyes nor forsake the idols of Egypt, so I determined to pour out my fury upon them to satisfy my wrath among them in the middle of the land of Egypt. 9 I acted for my name's sake so it would not be profaned in the eyes of the nations among whom they were staying. I made myself known to them, in their eyes, by bringing them out of the land of Egypt.

10 So I sent them out of the land of Egypt and brought them into the wilderness. 11 Then I gave them my statutes and made my decrees known to them, by which a man will live if he obeys them. 12 I also gave them my Sabbaths as a sign between myself and them, for them to know that I am Yahweh who makes them holy. 13 But the house of Israel rebelled against me in the wilderness. They did not walk in my statutes; instead, they rejected my decrees, by which a man will live if he obeys them. They greatly profaned my Sabbaths, so I said I would pour out my fury upon them in the wilderness in order to end them. 14 But I acted for my name's sake so it would not be profaned in the eyes of the nations, in whose sight I had brought them out of Egypt. 15 So I myself also raised my hand to swear an oath to them in the wilderness not to bring them into the land that I had been going to give them, a land flowing with milk and honey, which was the most beautiful ornament among all the lands. 16 I swore this because they had rejected my decrees and did not walk in my statutes, and they profaned my Sabbaths, since their hearts walked after their idols. 17 But my eye spared them from their destruction and I did not annihilate them in the wilderness.

18 I said to their children in the wilderness, “Do not walk in the statutes of your fathers, or keep their rules, or defile yourselves with their idols. 19 I am Yahweh your God, walk in my statutes; keep my decrees and obey them. 20 Keep my Sabbaths holy so that they will be a sign between me and you, so that you will know that I am Yahweh your God.” 21 But their sons and daughters rebelled against me. They did not walk in my statutes or keep my decrees, by which a man might live if he obeys them. They profaned my Sabbaths, so I determined to pour out my fury upon them to satisfy my wrath against them in the wilderness. 22 But I turned my hand away and acted for my name's sake, so it would not be profaned in the eyes of the nations in whose sight I had brought out the Israelites. 23 I myself also lifted up my hand to swear to them in the wilderness, that I would scatter them among the nations and disperse them among the lands. 24 I decided to do this since they had not obeyed my decrees, and since they had rejected my statutes and profaned my Sabbaths. Their eyes were longing after their fathers' idols. 25 Then I also gave them statutes that were not good, and decrees by which they could not live. 26 I declared them to be unclean through their gifts—they made a sacrifice of every firstborn of the womb and caused them to pass through the fire—that I might fill them with horror so they will know that I am Yahweh!'

27 Therefore, son of man, speak to the house of Israel and say to them, 'The Lord Yahweh says this: In this also your fathers blasphemed me when they were unfaithful to me. 28 When I brought them into the land that I had sworn to give them, and then whenever they saw any high hill and leafy tree, they offered their sacrifices, they provoked me by their offerings, and there they also burned their fragrant incense and poured out their drink offerings. 29 Then I said to them, “What is this high place where you bring offerings there?” So the name is called Bamah to this day.' 30 Therefore say to the house of Israel, 'The Lord Yahweh says this: Why do you make yourselves unclean with the ways of your fathers? So why do you act like prostitutes, searching for disgusting things? 31 When you offer up your gifts—when you cause your sons to pass through the fire—to this day you defile yourselves with all your idols. So why should I let you seek me, house of Israel? As I live—this is the Lord Yahweh's declaration—I will not allow you to seek me. 32 The thought that is forming in your mind will never happen. You say, “Let us be like the other nations, like the clans in the other lands who worship wood and stone.”

33 As I live—this is the Lord Yahweh's declaration—I will certainly reign over you with a mighty hand, a raised arm, and fury that will be poured out on you. 34 I will bring you out from the other peoples and will gather you out of the countries among whom you have been scattered. I will do this with a mighty hand and with fury poured out. 35 Then I will bring you into the wilderness of the peoples, and there I will judge you face to face. 36 As I judged your fathers in the wilderness of the land of Egypt, so also I will judge you—this is the Lord Yahweh's declaration. 37 I will cause you to pass under my rod, and I will make you obey the requirements of the covenant. 38 I will purge from among you the rebels and those who revolt against me. I will send them out from the land where they are staying as foreigners, but they will not enter the land of Israel. Then you will know that I am Yahweh. 39 So to you, house of Israel, the Lord Yahweh says this: Each of you should go to his own idols. Worship them if you will refuse to listen to me, but you must no longer profane my holy name with your gifts and your idols.

40 For on my holy mountain, on the mountain peak of Israel—this is the Lord Yahweh's declaration—all of the house of Israel will worship me there in the land. I will be pleased to require your offerings there, and also the firstfruits of your tribute with all your holy things. 41 I will accept you like fragrant incense when I bring you out from the peoples and gather you out of the countries where you have been scattered. I will show myself as holy among you for the nations to see. 42 Then, when I bring you to the land of Israel, to the land that I have lifted up my hand to swear to give to your fathers, you will know that I am Yahweh. 43 There you will call to mind your conduct and all of your deeds by which you defiled yourselves, and you will despise yourselves in your own eyes for all your evil deeds that you have done. 44 So you will know that I am Yahweh when I do this to you because of my name's sake, and not because of your evil deeds, and not because of your corrupt deeds, house of Israel—this is the Lord Yahweh's declaration.'”

45 Then the word of Yahweh came to me, saying, 46 “Son of man, set your face toward the southern lands, and speak against the south; prophesy against the forest of the Negev. 47 Say to the forest of the Negev, 'This is Yahweh's declaration—the Lord Yahweh says this: See, I will set a fire among you. It will devour every fresh tree and every dried tree among you. The fiery flame will not be quenched; every face from the south to the north will be burned. 48 Then all flesh will see that I am Yahweh when I light the fire, and it will not be quenched.'” 49 Then I said, “Alas! Lord Yahweh, they are saying of me, 'Is he not a mere teller of parables?'”

21

1 Then the word of Yahweh came to me, saying, 2 “Son of man, set your face toward Jerusalem, and speak against the sanctuaries; prophesy against the land of Israel. 3 Say to the land of Israel, 'Yahweh says this: Behold! I am against you! I will draw my sword from its sheath and cut off both the righteous person and the wicked person from you! 4 In order for me to cut off both the righteous and the wicked from you, my sword will go out from its sheath against all flesh from the south to the north. 5 Then all flesh will know that I, Yahweh, have drawn my sword from its sheath. It will no longer hold back!' 6 As for you, son of man, groan as your loins break! In bitterness groan before their eyes! 7 Then it will happen that they will ask you, 'For what reason are you groaning?' Then you will say, 'Because of the news that is coming, for every heart will faint away, and every hand will falter! Every spirit will grow faint, and every knee will flow like water. Behold! It is coming and it will be like this!—this is the Lord Yahweh's declaration.'”

8 Then the word of Yahweh came to me, saying, 9 “Son of man, prophesy and say, 'The Lord says this:

“Say: A sword! A sword! It will be sharpened and polished!

10 It will be sharpened in order to engage in great slaughter! It will be polished in order to be like lightning!

Should we rejoice in my son's scepter? The coming sword hates every such rod!

11 So the sword will be given to be polished, and then to be grasped by the hand!

The sword is sharpened and it is polished and it is to be given into the hand of the one who kills!”'”

12 Call for help and lament, son of man! For that sword has come against my people! It is against all the leaders of Israel.

They are thrown against the sword with my people. Therefore, slap your thigh!

13 For there is a trial, but what if the scepter does not last?—this is the Lord Yahweh's declaration.

14 Now you, son of man, prophesy and hit your two hands together, for the sword will attack even a third time!

A sword for the ones to be slaughtered! It is a sword for the many to be slaughtered, piercing them everywhere!

15 In order to melt their hearts and to multiply their fallen, I have set the sword for slaughter at all their gates. Ah! It is made like lightning, it is grasped for slaughter.

16 You, sword! Strike to the right! Strike to the left! Go wherever your face is turned.

17 For I will also hit my two hands together, and then I will bring my fury to rest! I, Yahweh, declare it!”

18 The word of Yahweh came to me again, saying, 19 “Now you, son of man, assign two roads for the sword of the king of Babylon to come. The two roads will start in the same land, and a signpost will mark one of them as leading to a city. 20 Mark one road for the Babylonian army to come to Rabbah, the city of the Ammonites. Mark the other to lead the army to Judah and the city of Jerusalem, which is fortified. 21 For the king of Babylon will stop at the crossroads, at the junction, in order to practice divination. He will shake some arrows and ask direction from some idols and he will examine a liver.

22 In his right hand will be an omen about Jerusalem, to set battering rams against it, to open his mouth to order the slaughter,

to sound a war cry, to set battering rams against the gates,

to build a ramp, and to erect siege towers.

23 It will seem to be a useless omen in the eyes

of the ones in Jerusalem, those who had sworn an oath to the Babylonians! But the king will accuse them of violating their treaty in order to besiege them!

24 Therefore the Lord Yahweh says this: Because you have made your guilt to be remembered,

making your transgressions to be revealed, so that in all your actions your sins will be seen—

because you have done this you will be taken in hand.

25 As for you, profane and wicked ruler of Israel, whose day of punishment has come, and whose time of committing iniquity has ended,

26 the Lord Yahweh says this to you: Remove the turban and take off the crown! Things will no longer be the same! Exalt the lowly and humble the exalted!

27 A ruin! A ruin! I will make it a ruin! It will not be restored until the one comes who is assigned to execute judgment.

28 So you, son of man, prophesy and say, 'The Lord Yahweh says this to the people of Ammon concerning their coming disgrace: A sword, a sword is drawn! It is sharpened for the slaughter in order to devour, so it will be like lightning! 29 While prophets see empty visions for you, while they perform rituals to come up with lies for you, this sword will lie on the necks of the wicked who are about to be killed, whose day of punishment has come and whose time of iniquity is about to end. 30 Return the sword to its sheath. In the place of your creation, in the land of your origin, I will judge you! 31 I will pour out my indignation on you! I will fan the fire of my rage against you and put you into the hand of cruel men, craftsmen of destruction! 32 You will become fuel for the fire! Your blood will be in the midst of the land. You will not be remembered, for I, Yahweh have declared this!'”

22

1 Then the word of Yahweh came to me, saying, 2 “Now you, son of man, will you judge? Will you judge the city of blood? Make her know all her abominations. 3 You must say, 'The Lord Yahweh says this: This is a city that pours out blood in her midst so that her time may come; a city that makes idols to make herself unclean. 4 You have become guilty by the blood that you have poured out, and you have become unclean by the idols that you have made. You have drawn your days to a close, and the end of your years has come. Therefore I will make you a reproach to the nations and a laughingstock to all the lands. 5 Both those who are near and those who are far away from you will mock you—you unclean city—with the reputation known everywhere as being full of confusion.

6 Behold! The rulers of Israel, each one by his own power, have come to you to pour out blood. 7 They have dishonored fathers and mothers within you, and they have performed oppression on the foreigners in your midst. They have mistreated the orphans and the widows within you. 8 You have despised my holy things and have profaned my Sabbaths. 9 Slanderous men have come within you in order to pour out blood, and they eat on the mountains. They perform wickedness in your midst. 10 Within you men uncover the nakedness of their father. Within you they have violated unclean women during their menstrual period. 11 Men who commit abominations with their neighbors' wives, and men who make their own daughters-in-law shamefully unclean; men who abuse their own sisters—daughters of their own fathers—all these are done within you. 12 These men take bribes within you in order to pour out blood and you have taken interest and gained too much profit, and you have damaged your neighbors through oppression, and you have forgotten me—this is the Lord Yahweh's declaration.

13 See! With my hand I have struck the dishonest gain that you have made, and the bloodshed that is done in the midst of you. 14 Will your heart stand, will your hands be strong on the days when I myself will deal with you? I, Yahweh, am declaring this, and I will do it. 15 So I will scatter you among the nations and disperse you through the lands. In this way, I will purge your uncleanness from you. 16 So you will become unclean in the eyes of the nations. Then you will know that I am Yahweh.'” *

17 Next the word of Yahweh came to me, saying, 18 “Son of man, the house of Israel has become dross to me. All of them are the leftovers of bronze and tin, and iron and lead in the midst of you. They will be like the dross of silver in your furnace. 19 Therefore the Lord Yahweh says this, 'Because all of you have become like dross, therefore, behold! I am about to gather you into the midst of Jerusalem. 20 As men gather silver, bronze, iron, lead and tin and put it inside a furnace to melt it, and they blow the fire on it in order to melt it, so I will gather you in my anger and my wrath, and I will put you there and melt you. 21 I will gather you and blow on you the fire of my wrath, and you will be melted in the midst of it. 22 As silver is melted in a furnace, you will be melted in it, and you will know that I, Yahweh, have poured out my wrath on you!'”

23 The word of Yahweh came to me, saying, 24 “Son of man, say to her, 'You are a land that has not been cleansed. There is no rain on the day of wrath! 25 There is a conspiracy of her prophets in her midst, like a roaring lion tearing apart a victim. They consume life and take precious wealth; they make many widows within her! † 26 Her priests do violence to my law, and they profane my holy things. They do not distinguish between holy things and profane things, and do not teach the difference between the unclean and the clean. They hide their eyes from my Sabbaths so that I am profaned in their midst. 27 Her princes within her are like wolves tearing apart their victims. They pour out blood and destroy life, to make a profit dishonestly. 28 Her prophets have painted them over with whitewash; they see false visions and predict falsehoods to them. They say “The Lord Yahweh says this” when Yahweh has not spoken. 29 The people of the land have oppressed through extortion and plundered through robbery, and they mistreat the poor and needy, and oppress the foreigner without justice. 30 So I searched for a man from them who would build up a wall and who would stand before me in its breach for the land so I would not destroy it, but I found no one. 31 So I will pour out my indignation upon them. I will finish them with the fire of my indignation and set their way on their own heads—this is the Lord Yahweh's declaration.'”

23

1 The word of Yahweh came to me, saying, 2 “Son of man, there were two women, daughters of the same mother. 3 They acted as prostitutes in Egypt in the time of their youth. They acted as prostitutes there. Their breasts were squeezed and their virgin nipples were fondled there. 4 Their names were Oholah—the older sister—and Oholibah—her younger sister. Then they became mine and bore sons and daughters. Their names mean this: Oholah means Samaria, and Oholibah means Jerusalem.

5 But Oholah acted as a prostitute even when she was mine; she lusted for her lovers, for the Assyrians who were dominant, 6 the governor who wore blue, and for his officials, who were strong and handsome, all of them men riding on horses. 7 So she gave herself as a prostitute to them, to all the best of Assyria's men, and she made herself unclean with everyone she lusted for—and with all their idols. 8 For she had not left her prostitute behavior behind in Egypt, when they had slept with her when she had been a young girl, when they first began to fondle her virgin breasts, when they first began to pour out their promiscuous behavior on her. 9 Therefore I gave her into the hand of her lovers, into the hand of the Assyrians for whom she lusted. 10 They uncovered her nakedness, took her sons and daughters, killed her with the sword, and she became notorious among other women, so they executed judgment on her.

11 Her sister Oholibah saw this, but she lusted even more passionately and acted like a prostitute even more than her sister. 12 She lusted for the Assyrians, the governors and the dominating officials who dressed impressively, who were men riding horses. All of them were strong, handsome men. 13 I saw that she had made herself unclean. It was the same for both sisters. 14 Then she increased her prostitution even more. She saw men carved on walls, figures of Chaldeans painted in red, 15 wearing belts around their waists, with flowing turbans on their heads. All of them had the appearance of officers of chariot troops, the likeness of sons of Babylonia, whose native land is Chaldea. 16 As soon as her eyes saw them, she lusted for them, so she sent out messengers to them in Chaldea. 17 Then the Babylonians came to her and to her bed of lust, and they made her unclean with their promiscuousness. By what she had done she was made unclean, so she turned herself away from them in disgust.

18 When she displayed her acts of prostitution and uncovered her nakedness,

I turned away from her, just as I had turned away in disgust from her sister.

19 Then she increased her prostitution as she remembered the days of her youth,

when she was a prostitute in the land of Egypt.

20 So she lusted for her lovers,

whose private parts were like those of donkeys, and whose reproductive emissions were like those of horses.

21 This is how you committed shameful acts of your youth, when the Egyptians fondled your nipples and squeezed your young breasts.

22 Therefore, Oholibah, the Lord Yahweh says this, 'Behold! I will turn your lovers against you.

Those from whom you turned away, I will bring them against you from every side:

23 the Babylonians and all the Chaldeans, Pekod, Shoa, and Koa, and all the Assyrians with them,

strong, handsome men, governors and commanders, all of them are officers and men of reputation, all of them riding on horses.

24 They will come against you with weapons, and with chariots and wagons, and with a great crowd of people.

They will set large shields, small shields, and helmets against you all around.

I will give them the opportunity to punish you, and they will punish you with their actions.

25 For I will set my jealous anger on you, and they will deal with you in fury. They will cut off your noses and your ears, and your survivors will fall by the sword. They will take away your sons and your daughters, and your survivors will be devoured by fire. 26 They will strip you of your clothes and take away all of your jewelry. 27 So I will remove your shameful behavior from you and your acts of prostitution from the land of Egypt. You will not lift up your eyes toward them with longing, and you will think of Egypt no longer.' 28 For the Lord Yahweh says this, 'Behold! I will give you into the hand of the ones you hate, back into the hand of the ones from whom you had turned away. 29 They will deal with you hatefully; they will take all your possessions and abandon you naked and bare, and your nakedness will be uncovered just as when you engaged in promiscuity and prostitutions. 30 These things will be done to you in your acting like a prostitute, lusting after nations by which you became unclean with their idols. 31 You have walked in the way of your sister, so I will put her cup of punishment into your hand.'

32 The Lord Yahweh says this, 'You will drink your sister's cup that is deep and large.

You will become a laughingstock and a subject for derision—this cup contains a great amount.

33 You will be filled with drunkenness and sorrow,

the cup of horror and devastation;

the cup of your sister Samaria.

34 You will drink it and drain it empty; then you will shatter it and tear your breasts with the pieces.

For I have declared it—this is the Lord Yahweh's declaration.' 35 Therefore, the Lord Yahweh says this, 'Because you have forgotten me and thrown me away behind your back, so also you will bear the consequences of your shameful behavior and acts of sexual immorality.'”

36 Yahweh said to me, “Son of man, will you judge Oholah and Oholibah? So present to them their disgusting actions, 37 since they have committed adultery, and since there is blood on their hands. They have committed adultery with their idols, and they have even caused their sons to pass through the fire, as food for their idols. 38 Then they continue to do this to me: They make my sanctuary unclean, and on the same day they defile my Sabbaths. 39 For when they had slaughtered their children for their idols, then they came to my sanctuary on the same day to defile it! So behold! This is what they have done in the middle of my house. 40 You sent out for men who came from far away, to whom messengers had been sent—now behold. They indeed came, those for whom you bathed, painted your eyes, and adorned yourself with jewelry. 41 There you sat on a beautiful bed and at a table arranged before it where you placed my incense and my oil. 42 So the sound of a noisy crowd was around her; including all kinds of men, even Sabeans were brought in from the wilderness, and they put bracelets on their hands and beautiful crowns on their heads.

43 Then I said of her who was worn out by adultery, 'Now they will be sexually immoral with her, and she with them.' 44 They went in to her and slept with her as men go in to be with a prostitute. In this way they slept with Oholah and Oholibah, who were immoral women. 45 But righteous men will pass judgment and punish them as adulteresses, and they will punish them with the sentence for those who shed blood, because they are adulteresses and blood is on their hands. 46 So the Lord Yahweh says this: I will raise up a company against them and give them up to be terrorized and plundered. 47 Then that company will stone them with stones and cut them down with their swords. They will kill their sons and daughters and burn down their houses. 48 For I will remove shameful behavior from the land and discipline all the women so they will no longer act like prostitutes. 49 So they will set your shameful behavior against you. You will bear the guilt of your sins with your idols, and in this way you will know that I am the Lord Yahweh.”

24

1 The word of Yahweh came to me in the ninth year, in the tenth month, and on the tenth day of the month, saying, 2 “Son of man, write for yourself the name of this day, this exact day, for this exact day the king of Babylon has besieged Jerusalem. 3 So speak a proverb against this rebellious house, a parable. Say to them, 'The Lord Yahweh says this:

Place the cooking pot. Place it and pour water into it.

4 Gather pieces of food within it, every good piece—the thigh and shoulder—

and fill it with the best bones.

5 Take the best of the flock and pile up the bones under it.

Bring it to a boil and cook the bones in it.

6 Therefore the Lord Yahweh says this: Woe to the city of blood, a cooking pot that has rust in it and that rust will not come out of it. Take piece after piece from it, but do not cast lots for it. 7 For her blood is in the midst of her. She has set it on the smooth rock; she has not poured it out on the ground to cover it with dust, 8 so it brings fury up to exact vengeance. I placed her blood on the smooth rock so it could not be covered. 9 Therefore, the Lord Yahweh says this: Woe to the city of blood. I will also enlarge the pile of wood. 10 Stack up the wood and kindle the fire. Cook the meat well and mix in the spices and let the bones be charred. 11 Then set the pot on its coals empty, in order to heat and scorch its bronze, so its uncleanness within it will be melted, its corrosion consumed.' 12 She has become weary because of toil, but her corrosion has not gone out of her by the fire. 13 Your shameful behavior is in your uncleanness. Because I tried to cleanse you but still you would not be cleansed from your uncleanness, you will not be cleansed anymore until I have satisfied my fury upon you. 14 I, Yahweh, have declared it, and I will do it. I will not relent nor will I rest from it. As your ways were, and as your activities, they will judge you!—this is the Lord Yahweh's declaration.”

15 Then the word of Yahweh came to me, saying, 16 “Son of man! Behold, I am taking the desire of your eyes from you with a plague, but you must not mourn nor weep, and your tears must not flow. 17 You must groan silently. Do not conduct a funeral for the dead. Tie your turban on you and place your sandals on your feet, but do not veil your facial hair or eat the bread of men who mourn for having lost their wives.” 18 So I spoke to the people in the morning, and my wife died in the evening. In the morning I did what I had been commanded to do.

19 The people asked me, “Will you not tell us what these things mean, the things that you are doing?” 20 So I said to them, “The word of Yahweh came to me, saying, 21 'Say to the house of Israel, the Lord Yahweh says this: Behold! I will desecrate my sanctuary—the pride of your power, the delight of your eyes, and the yearning of your soul, and your sons and your daughters whom you left behind will fall by the sword. 22 Then you will do exactly as I have done: you will not veil your facial hair, nor eat the bread of mourning men! 23 Instead, your turbans will be on your heads, and your sandals on your feet; you will not mourn nor weep, for you will melt away in your iniquities, and each man will groan for his brother. 24 So Ezekiel will be a sign for you, as everything that he has done you will do when this comes. Then you will know that I am the Lord Yahweh!'”

25 “But you, son of man, on the day that I capture their temple, which is their joy, their pride, and what they see and desire—and when I take away their sons and daughters— 26 on that day, a refugee will come to you to give you the news! 27 On that day your mouth will be opened up to that refugee and you will speak—you will no longer be silent. You will be a sign for them so that they will know that I am Yahweh.”

25

1 Then the word of Yahweh came to me, saying, 2 “Son of man, set your face against the people of Ammon and prophesy against them. 3 Say to the people of Ammon, 'Hear the word of the Lord Yahweh. This is what the Lord Yahweh says: Because you said, “Aha!” over my sanctuary when it was profaned, and against the land of Israel when it was desolate, and against the house of Judah when they went into exile, 4 therefore, behold, I am giving you to a people in the east as their possession. They will set up camp against you and set up their tents among you. They will eat your fruit and they will drink your milk. 5 I will make Rabbah a pasture for camels and the people of Ammon a field for flocks. Then you will know that I am Yahweh. 6 For the Lord Yahweh says this: You have clapped your hands and stamped your feet, and rejoiced with all the contempt within you against the land of Israel. 7 Therefore, behold! I will strike you with my hand and give you as plunder to the nations. I will cut you off from the peoples and make you perish from among the countries! I will destroy you, and you will know that I am Yahweh.'

8 The Lord Yahweh says this, 'Because Moab and Seir say, “Behold! The house of Judah is like every other nation.” 9 Therefore, behold! I will open the slopes of Moab, starting at his cities on the border—the splendor of Beth Jeshimoth, Baal Meon, and Kiriathaim— 10 to the people of the east who have been against the people of Ammon. I will give them up as a possession so that the people of Ammon will not be remembered among the nations. 11 So I will perform judgments against Moab, and they will know that I am Yahweh.'

12 The Lord Yahweh says this, 'Edom has taken vengeance against the house of Judah and has committed wrong in doing so. 13 Therefore, the Lord Yahweh says this: I will strike Edom with my hand and destroy every person and animal there. I will make them a ruined, abandoned place, from Teman to Dedan. They will fall by the sword. 14 I will lay my vengeance upon Edom by the hand of my people Israel, and they will do to Edom according to my anger and my fury, and they will know my vengeance—this is the Lord Yahweh's declaration.'

15 The Lord Yahweh says this, 'The Philistines have taken vengeance with malice and from within themselves they tried to destroy Judah again and again. 16 So this is what the Lord Yahweh says: Behold! I will reach out with my hand against the Philistines, and I will cut off the Kerethites and destroy the remnant who are along the seacoast. 17 For I will take great vengeance against them with furious acts of punishment, so they will know that I am Yahweh, when I take my vengeance on them.'”

26

1 So it was in the eleventh year, on the first day of the month, that the word of Yahweh came to me, saying, 2 “Son of man, because Tyre has said against Jerusalem, 'Aha! The gates of the people are broken! She has turned to me; I will be filled up because she is ruined.' 3 Therefore the Lord Yahweh says this, 'Behold! I am against you, Tyre, and I will raise up many nations against you like the sea raises its waves. 4 They will destroy the walls of Tyre and tear down her towers. I will sweep her dust away and make her like a bare rock. 5 She will become a place for nets to dry out in the midst of the sea, since I have declared it—this is the Lord Yahweh's declaration—and she will become plunder for the nations. 6 Her daughters who are in the fields will be slaughtered by the swords, and they will know that I am Yahweh.'

7 For this is what Yahweh says: Behold, from the north I am bringing Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, king of kings, against Tyre, with horses and chariots, and with horsemen and a great many people. 8 He will kill your daughters in the field. He will set up a siege work and build a ramp against your walls and raise up shields against you. 9 He will place his battering rams to hit against your walls, and his tools will tear down your towers. 10 His horses will be so many that their dust will cover you. Your walls will shake with the sound of horsemen, wagons, and chariots. When he enters your gates, he will enter as men come into a city whose walls have been broken down. 11 The hooves of his horses will trample all of your streets. He will kill your people with the sword and your mighty stone pillars will fall to the ground. 12 They will plunder your riches and loot your merchandise. They will tear down your walls and destroy your luxurious homes. Your stones, your timber, and the rubble they will throw into the waters. 13 I will stop the noise of your songs. The sound of your harps will be heard no more. 14 I will make you a bare rock, you will become a place where nets are spread out to dry. You will never be built again, for I, Lord Yahweh have spoken—this is the Lord Yahweh's declaration.

15 The Lord Yahweh says this to Tyre, 'Will not the islands quake with the sound of your downfall, and with the groans of the wounded when the terrible slaughter is in your midst? 16 Then all the princes of the sea will step down from their thrones and remove their robes and cast off their embroidered garments. They will clothe themselves with trembling, they will sit on the ground and tremble every moment, and they will be appalled because of you. 17 They will lift up a lament for you and say to you,

How you, who were inhabited by sailors, have been destroyed. The famous city that was so strong—it is now gone from the sea.

The ones living in her once spread a terror about themselves upon everyone who lived near them.

18 Now the coasts tremble on the day of your downfall.

The islands in the sea are terrified, because you are no longer in your place.'

19 For the Lord Yahweh says this: When I make you a desolate city, like the other cities that are not inhabited, when I raise up the deeps against you, and when the great waters cover you, 20 then I will bring you down to the people of ancient times, like the others who have gone down into the pit; for I will make you live in the lowest realms of the earth as in ruins of ancient times. Because of this you will not come back and stand in the land of the living. * 21 I will place disaster on you, and you will be no more forever. Then you will be sought, but you will never be found ever again—this is the Lord Yahweh's declaration.”

27

1 Again the word of Yahweh came to me, saying, 2 “Now you, son of man, begin a lamentation concerning Tyre, 3 and say to Tyre, who lives within the gates of the sea, merchants of peoples to many islands, the Lord Yahweh says this to you:

Tyre, you have said, 'I am perfect in beauty.'

4 Your borders are in the heart of the seas; your builders have perfected your beauty.

5 They have made all your planks with cypress from Mount Hermon;

they took cedar from Lebanon to make a mast for you.

6 They made your oars from the oaks of Bashan;

they made your decks out of cypress wood from Cyprus, and they overlaid them with ivory.

7 Your sails were made from colorful linen from Egypt that served as your banner;

the colors of blue and purple from the coasts of Elishah are used for the awning on your boat.

8 Those who were living in Sidon and Arvad were your rowers;

the sages of Tyre were within you; they were your pilots.

9 Highly experienced craftsmen from Byblos filled your seams;

all the ships of the sea and their sailors among you were carrying your merchandise for trade.

10 Persia, Lydia, and Libya were in your army, your men of war.

they hung shield and helmet within you; they showed your splendor.

11 The men of Arvad and Helek in your army were on your walls surrounding you, and the people of Gammad were in your towers. They hung up their shields on your walls all around you! They completed your beauty.

12 Tarshish was a trading partner with you because of your abundant wealth of goods to sell: Silver, iron, tin, and lead. They bought and sold your wares! 13 Javan, Tubal, and Meshech—they traded slaves and in items made of bronze. They handled your merchandise. 14 Beth Togarmah provided horses, stallions, and mules as your merchandise. 15 The men of Rhodes were your traders on many coasts. Merchandise was in your hand; they sent back horn, ivory, and ebony as tribute! 16 Aram was a dealer in your many products; they provided emeralds, purple, colored cloth, fine fabric, pearls, and rubies as your merchandise. 17 Judah and the land of Israel were trading with you. They provided wheat from Minnith, cakes, honey, oil, and balsam as your merchandise. 18 Damascus was a trader of all your products, of all your enormous wealth, and of the wine of Helbon and the wool of Zahar. 19 Dan and Javan from Izal provided you with merchandise of wrought iron, cinnamon, and calamus. This became merchandise for you. 20 Dedan was your dealer in fine saddle blankets. 21 Arabia and all the chiefs of Kedar were traders with you; they provided you with lambs, rams and goats. 22 The traders of Sheba and Raamah came to sell you the best of every spice and in all kinds of precious gems; they traded gold for your merchandise. 23 Haran, Kanneh, and Eden were traders with you, along with Sheba, Ashur, and Kilmad. 24 These were your dealers in ornate robes of violet cloths with woven colors, and in blankets of multicolored, embroidered, and well-woven cloth in your marketplaces. 25 The ships of Tarshish were the transporters of your merchandise!

So you were filled up, heavily laden with cargo in the heart of the seas!

26 Your rowers have brought you into vast seas;

the eastern wind has broken you in the middle of them.

27 Your wealth, merchandise, and trade goods; your sailors and pilots, and ship builders; your traders of merchandise and all the men of war who are in you, and all your crew—they will sink into the depths of the sea on the day of your destruction.

28 Cities at the sea will tremble at the sound of your pilots' cry;

29 All those who handle oars will come down from their ships;

mariners and all the pilots on the sea will stand on the land.

30 Then they will make you listen to their voice and will wail bitterly;

they will cast dust up on their heads. They will roll about in ashes.

31 They will shave their heads bald for you and bind themselves with sackcloth,

and they will weep bitterly over you and they will cry out.

32 They will lift up their wails of lamentation for you and sing dirges over you,

Who is like Tyre, who has now been brought to silence in the middle of the sea?

33 When your merchandise went ashore from the sea, it satisfied many peoples;

you enriched the kings of the earth with your great wealth and merchandise!

34 But when you were shattered by the seas, by deep waters,

your merchandise and all your crew sank!

35 All the inhabitants of the coasts were appalled at you,

and their kings shuddered in horror! Their faces trembled!

36 The merchants of the people hiss at you;

you have become a horror, and you will be no more forever.”

28

1 Then the word of Yahweh came to me, saying, 2 “Son of man, say to the ruler of Tyre, 'The Lord Yahweh says this: Your heart is arrogant! You have said, “I am a god! I will sit in the seat of the gods in the heart of the seas!” Even though you are a man and not a god, you make your heart like the heart of a god; 3 you think that you are wiser than Daniel, and that no secret amazes you! 4 You have made yourself wealthy with wisdom and skill, and obtained gold and silver in your treasuries! 5 By great wisdom and by your trading, you have multiplied your wealth, so your heart is arrogant because of your wealth. 6 Therefore, the Lord Yahweh says this: Because you have made your heart like the heart of a god, 7 I will therefore bring foreigners against you, terrifying men from other nations. They will bring their swords against the beauty of your wisdom, and they will profane your splendor. 8 They will send you down to the pit, and you will die the death of those who die in the heart of the seas. 9 Will you truly say, “I am a god” to the face of one who kills you? You are a man and not God, and you will be in the hand of the one who pierces you. 10 You will die the death of the uncircumcised by the hand of foreigners, for I have declared it—this is the Lord Yahweh's declaration.'”

11 The word of Yahweh came again to me, saying, 12 “Son of man, lift up a lament for the king of Tyre and say to him, 'The Lord Yahweh says this: You were the model of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty. 13 You were in Eden, the garden of God. Every precious stone covered you: ruby, topaz, emerald, chrysolite, onyx, jasper, sapphire, turquoise, and beryl. Your settings and mountings were made from gold. It was on the day you were created that they were prepared. 14 I placed you on the holy mountain of God as the cherub I anointed to guard mankind. You were in the midst of the fiery stones where you walked about. 15 You had integrity in your ways from the day you were created until injustice was found within you. 16 Through your great trade you were filled with violence, and so you sinned. So I threw you out of the mountain of God, as a one who was defiled, and I destroyed you, guardian cherub, and drove you from among the fiery stones. 17 Your heart was arrogant with your beauty; you ruined your wisdom because of your splendor. I have sent you down to the earth. I have placed you before kings so they may see you. 18 Because of your many sins and your dishonest trade, you have defiled your holy places. So I have made fire come out from you; it will consume you. I will turn you into ashes on the earth in the sight of all who look at you. 19 All the ones who knew you among the peoples will shudder at you; they will be horrified, and you will be no more forever.'”

20 Then the word of Yahweh came to me, saying, 21 “Son of man, set your face against Sidon and prophesy against her. 22 Say, 'The Lord Yahweh says this: Behold! I am against you, Sidon! For I will be glorified in your midst so your people will know that I am Yahweh when I execute justice within you. I will be shown to be holy in you. 23 I will send out a plague in you and blood in your streets, and the slain will fall in your midst. When the sword comes against you from all around, then you will know that I am Yahweh. 24 Then there will no longer be pricking briars and painful thorns for the house of Israel from all those around her who despise her people, so they will know that I am the Lord Yahweh!'

25 The Lord Yahweh says this, 'When I gather the house of Israel from the peoples among whom they were scattered, and when I am set apart among them, so the nations may see, then they will make their homes in the land I will give to my servant Jacob. 26 Then they will live securely within her and build houses, plant vineyards, and live securely when I execute justice on all the ones who now despise them from all around; so they will know that I am Yahweh their God!'”

29

1 In the tenth year, in the tenth month on the twelfth day of the month, the word of Yahweh came to me, saying, 2 “Son of man, set your face against Pharaoh, the king of Egypt; prophesy against him and against all of Egypt. 3 Declare and say, 'The Lord Yahweh says this:

Behold! I am against you, Pharaoh, king of Egypt.

You, the great sea monster that lurks in the midst of the river,

that says, “My river is my own. I have made it for myself.” 4 For I will place hooks in your jaw, and the fish of your Nile will cling to your scales; I will lift you up from the middle of your river along with all the fish of the river that cling to your scales.

5 I will throw you down into the wilderness, you and all the fish from your river.

You will fall on the open field; you will not be gathered nor lifted up.

I will give you as food to the living things of the earth and to the birds of the heavens.

6 Then all the inhabitants of Egypt will know that I am Yahweh,

because they have been a reed stalk to the house of Israel.

7 When they took hold of you in their hand, you broke and tore open their shoulder;

and when they leaned on you, you were broken, and you caused their legs to be unsteady.

8 Therefore the Lord Yahweh says this: Behold! I will bring a sword against you. I will cut off both man and beast from you. 9 So the land of Egypt will become desolate and a ruin. Then they will know that I am Yahweh, because the sea monster had said, “The river is mine, for I have made it.” 10 Therefore, behold! I am against you and against your river, so I will give the land of Egypt over to desolation and waste, and you will become a wasteland from the Migdol to Syene and the borders of Cush. 11 No man's foot will pass through it, and no wild animal's foot will pass through it. It will not be inhabited for forty years. 12 For I will make the land of Egypt a desolation in the midst of uninhabited lands, and its cities in the midst of wasted cities will become a desolation for forty years; then I will scatter Egypt among the nations, and I will disperse them though the lands.

13 For the Lord Yahweh says this: At the end of forty years I will gather Egypt from the peoples among whom they were scattered. 14 I will restore the fortunes of Egypt and bring them back to the region of Pathros, to the land of their origin. Then they will be a lowly kingdom there. 15 It will be the lowliest of the kingdoms, and it will not be lifted up any more among the nations. I will diminish them so they will no longer rule over nations. 16 The Egyptians will no longer be a reason for confidence for the house of Israel. Instead, they will be a reminder of the iniquity that Israel committed when they turned to Egypt for help. Then they will know that I am the Lord Yahweh.'”

17 Then it came about in the twenty-seventh year on the first of the first month, that the word of Yahweh came to me, saying, 18 “Son of man, Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon stationed his army to do hard work against Tyre. Every head was rubbed until it was made bald, and every shoulder was made raw. Yet he and his army received no payment from Tyre for the hard work that he carried out against it. 19 Therefore the Lord Yahweh says this, 'Behold! I am giving the land of Egypt to Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, and he will take away its wealth, plunder its possessions, and carry off all he finds there; that will be his army's wages. 20 I have given him the land of Egypt as the wages for the work they did for me—this is the Lord Yahweh's declaration. 21 On that day I will make a horn sprout up for the house of Israel, and I make you speak in their midst, so that they will know that I am Yahweh.'”

30

1 The word of Yahweh came to me, saying, 2 “Son of man, prophesy and say, 'The Lord Yahweh says this:

Wail, “Woe is the coming day.”

3 The day is near. The day is near for Yahweh. It will be a day of clouds, a time of doom for nations.

4 Then a sword will come against Egypt, and there will be anguish in Cush when the killed people fall in Egypt—

when they take her wealth, and when her foundations are ruined.

5 Cush and Put, Lydia and all Arabia, and Libya, together with the people belonging to the covenant—they will all fall by the sword.

6 Yahweh says this:

So the ones who support Egypt will fall, and the pride of her strength will go down.

From Migdol to Syene their soldiers will fall by the sword—this is the Lord Yahweh's declaration.

7 They will be appalled in the midst of the abandoned lands, and their cities will be among all the ruined cities. 8 Then they will know that I am Yahweh, when I set fire in Egypt, and when all of her helpers are destroyed. 9 In that day messengers will go out from before me in ships to terrorize a secure Cush, and there will be anguish among them on the day of Egypt's doom. For behold! It is coming.

10 The Lord Yahweh says this: I will make an end of the multitudes of Egypt by the hand of Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon. 11 He and his army with him, the terror of nations, will be brought to destroy the land; they will draw out their swords against Egypt and fill the land with those who have been killed. 12 I will make the rivers into dry ground, and I will sell the land into the hand of wicked men. I will make the land and its fullness desolate by the hand of strangers—I, Yahweh, have spoken.

13 The Lord Yahweh says this: I will destroy idols, and I will bring an end to the worthless idols of Memphis. There will no longer be a prince in the land of Egypt, and I will put terror on the land of Egypt. 14 Then I will make Pathros desolate and set fire in Zoan, and I will execute acts of judgment on Thebes. 15 For I will pour out my fury on Pelusium, the stronghold of Egypt, and cut off the multitude of Thebes. 16 Then I will set fire in Egypt; Pelusium will be in great agony, Thebes will be broken up, and Memphis will face enemies every day. 17 The young men in Heliopolis and Bubastis will fall by the sword, and their cities will go into captivity. 18 In Tahpanhes, the day will hold back its light when I break the yoke of Egypt there, and the pride of her strength will be finished. There will be a cloud covering her, and her daughters will walk into captivity. 19 I will execute acts of judgment in Egypt, so they will know that I am Yahweh.'”

20 Then it came about in the eleventh year, in the first month, in the seventh day of the month, that the word of Yahweh came to me, saying, 21 “Son of man, I have broken the arm of Pharaoh, the king of Egypt. Behold! It has not been bound up, or set to heal with a bandage, so that it will become strong enough to grasp a sword. 22 Therefore the Lord Yahweh says this, 'Behold, I am against Pharaoh, the king of Egypt. For I will break his arm, both the strong one and the broken one, and I will make the sword fall from his hand. 23 Then I will scatter Egypt among the nations and disperse them among the lands. 24 I will strengthen the arms of the king of Babylon and place my sword in his hand so that I might destroy Pharaoh's arms. He will groan before the king of Babylon with the groans of a dying man. 25 For I will strengthen the arms of the king of Babylon, while Pharaoh's arms will fall. Then they will know that I am Yahweh, when I put my sword into the hand of the king of Babylon; for he will attack the land of Egypt with it. 26 So I will scatter Egypt among the nations and disperse them through the lands. Then they will know that I am Yahweh.'”

31

1 Then it came about in the eleventh year, in the third month, on the first day of the month, that the word of Yahweh came to me, saying, 2 “Son of man, say to Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, and to his multitudes around him,

'In your greatness, who are you like?

3 Behold! Assyria was a cedar in Lebanon with beautiful branches, giving shade to the forest,

and the tallest in height, and the branches formed its treetop.

4 Many waters made it tall; the deep waters made it huge. Rivers flowed all around its area,

for their channels stretched out to all the trees in the field.

5 Its great height was more than any of the other trees in the field, and its branches became very many;

its branches grew long because of many waters as they grew.

6 Every bird of the heavens nested in its branches, while every living thing of the field gave birth to its young under its foliage.

All of the many nations lived under its shade.

7 For it was beautiful in its greatness and the length of its branches, for its roots were in many waters.

8 Cedars in the garden of God could not equal it.

None among the cypress trees matched its branches, and the plane tree could not equal its boughs.

There was no other tree in the garden of God that was like it in its beauty.

9 I made it beautiful with its many branches

and all the trees of Eden that were in the garden of God envied it.

10 Therefore the Lord Yahweh says this: Because it was tall in height, and it set its treetop between its branches, it lifted up its heart because of its height. 11 I have given it into the hand of a mighty one of the nations, to deal with it according to what its wickedness deserves. I have thrown it out. 12 Foreigners who were the terror of all the nations cut it off and left it to die. Its branches fell on the mountains and all the valleys, and its boughs lay broken in all the ravines of the land. Then all the nations on earth came out from under its shade and they went away from it.

13 All the birds of the sky rested on the trunk of the fallen tree,

and every animal of the field came to its branches.

14 This happened so that no other trees that grow by the waters will lift up their foliage to the height of the tallest trees, and that no other trees that grow beside the waters will reach up to that height. All of them have been assigned to death, to the earth below, among the children of humanity, with those that go down to the pit.

15 The Lord Yahweh says this: On the day when the cedar went down to Sheol I brought mourning to the earth. I covered the deep waters over it, and I held back the ocean waters. I kept back the great waters, and I brought mourning to Lebanon for him. So all the trees of the field mourned because of it. 16 I brought shuddering to the nations at the sound of its downfall, when I threw it down to Sheol with those who went down into the pit. So I comforted all the trees of Eden in the lowest parts of the earth. These had been the choicest and best trees of Lebanon; the trees that drank the waters. 17 For they also went down with it to Sheol, to the ones who had been killed by the sword. These were its strong arm, those nations who had lived in its shade. 18 Which of the trees in Eden was your equal in glory and greatness? For you will be brought down with the trees of Eden to the lowest parts of the earth among the uncircumcised; you will live with those who were killed by the sword.'

This is Pharaoh and all of his multitudes—this is the Lord Yahweh's declaration.”

32

1 Then it happened in the twelfth month of the twelfth year, on the first of the month, that the word of Yahweh came to me, saying, 2 “Son of man, lift up a lament concerning Pharaoh the king of Egypt; say to him, 'You are like a young lion among the nations,

but you are like a monster in the seas; you churn up the water,

you stir up the waters with your feet and muddy their waters. 3 The Lord Yahweh says this:

So I will spread my net over you in the assembly of many peoples, and they will lift you up in my net.

4 I will abandon you in the land. I will throw you into a field

and cause all the birds of the heavens to settle on you; the hunger of all living animals on earth will be satisfied by you.

5 For I will put your flesh on the mountains, and I will fill the valleys with your worm-filled corpse.

6 Then I will pour your blood over the mountains,

and the stream beds will be filled with your blood.

7 Then when I extinguish you, I will cover the heavens and darken their stars;

I will cover the sun with clouds, and the moon will not shine its light.

8 All the shining lights in the heavens I will darken over you,

and I will put darkness over your land—this is the Lord Yahweh's declaration. 9 So I will terrify the heart of many peoples in lands that you do not know, when I bring about your collapse among the nations, among lands that you have not known. * 10 I will shock many peoples concerning you; their kings will shudder in horror concerning you when I swing my sword before them. Every moment each one will tremble because of you, on the day of your downfall.

11 For the Lord Yahweh says this: The sword of the king of Babylon will come against you.

12 I will cause your multitudes to fall by warriors' swords—each warrior a terror of nations.

These warriors will devastate the pride of Egypt and destroy all of its multitudes.

13 For I will destroy all the livestock from beside the plentiful waters;

the foot of man will no longer stir the waters up, neither will the hooves of cattle stir them.

14 Then I will calm their waters and make their rivers run like oil—

this is the Lord Yahweh's declaration.

15 When I make the land of Egypt an abandoned place, when the land is made bare of all its fullness,

when I attack all the inhabitants in her, they will know that I am Yahweh.

16 There will be a lament; the daughters of the nations will lament over her; they will lament over Egypt,

over all her multitudes they will lament—this is the Lord Yahweh's declaration.'”

17 Then it happened in the twelfth year, on the fifteenth day of the month, that the word of Yahweh came to me, saying,

18 “Son of man, weep for the multitudes of Egypt and bring them down—

her and the daughters of majestic nations—to the lowest earth with those who have gone down to the pit.

19 'Are you really more beautiful than anyone else? Go down and lie down with the uncircumcised.'

20 They will fall among those who were killed by the sword. The sword has been drawn! She has been given to the sword; they will seize her and her multitudes.

21 The strongest of the warriors in Sheol will declare about Egypt and her allies,

'They have come down here! They will lie with the uncircumcised, with those who were killed by the sword.'

22 Assyria is there with all her assembly. Her graves surround her;

all of them were killed by the sword.

23 Those whose graves are set in the recesses of the pit are there, with all her assembly.

Her graves surround all of those who were killed, who fell by the sword,

those who brought terror on the land of the living.

24 Elam is there with all her multitudes. Her graves surround her; all of them were killed.

Those who fell by the sword, who have gone down uncircumcised to the lowest parts of the earth,

who brought their terrors on the land of the living and who carry their own shame, together with the ones going down to the pit.

25 They set a bedroll for Elam and all her multitudes in the midst of the slain; her graves surround her.

All of them are uncircumcised, pierced by the sword, because they had brought their terrors on the land of the living.

So they carry their own shame, together with the ones going down to the pit among all those who have been killed, those who are going down to the pit. Elam is among all those who were killed.

26 Meshech, Tubal, and all their multitudes are there! Their graves surround them.

All of them are uncircumcised, killed by the sword, because they had brought their terrors on the land of the living.

27 They do not lie with the fallen warriors of the uncircumcised who have gone down to Sheol

with all their weapons of war, and with their swords placed under their heads

and their iniquities over their bones. For they were the terror of warriors in the land of the living.

28 So you, Egypt, will be broken in the midst of the uncircumcised! You will lie alongside those who were pierced by the sword.

29 Edom is there with her kings and all her leaders. They have been placed in their strength with those killed by the sword. With the uncircumcised they lie, with those who have gone down to the pit. 30 The princes of the north are there—all of them and all the Sidonians who went down with the ones who had been pierced. They were powerful and made others to be afraid, but now they are there in shame, uncircumcised with those who were pierced by the sword. They carry their own shame, together with the ones going down to the pit.

31 Pharaoh will look and be comforted about all his multitudes who were pierced by the sword—Pharaoh and all his army—this is the Lord Yahweh's declaration. 32 I put him as my terrifying one in the land of the living, but he will be laid down in the midst of the uncircumcised, among those pierced by the sword, Pharaoh and all his multitudes—this is the Lord Yahweh's declaration.”

33

1 Then the word of Yahweh came to me, saying, 2 “Son of man, declare this to your people; say to them, 'When I bring a sword against any land, then the people of that land take one man from among themselves and make him a watchman for them. 3 He looks for the sword as it comes on the land, and he blows his horn to warn the people! 4 If the people hear the sound of the horn but do not pay attention, and if the sword comes and kills them, then each one's blood is on his own head. 5 If someone hears the sound of the horn and pays no attention, his blood is on him; but if he pays attention, he will save his own life.

6 However, if the watchman sees the sword as it is coming, but if he does not blow the horn, with the result that the people are not warned, and if the sword comes and takes anyone's life, then that person dies in his own sin, but I will require his blood from the watchman.'

7 Now you yourself, son of man! I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel; you will hear the words from my mouth and warn them on my behalf. 8 If I say to a wicked person, 'Wicked one, you will surely die!' but if you do not announce this so as to warn the wicked about his way, then he who is wicked will die in his sin, but I will require his blood from your hand! 9 But you, if you warn the wicked about his way, so that he might turn back from it, and if he does not turn back from his way, then he will die in his sin, but you yourself will have saved your own life.

10 So you, son of man, say to the house of Israel, 'You are saying this, “Our transgressions and our sins are on us, and we are decaying in them! How can we live?”' 11 Say to them, 'As I live—this is the Lord Yahweh's declaration—I do not delight in the death of the wicked, for if the wicked repents from his way, then he will live! Repent! Repent from your wicked ways! For why should you die, house of Israel?' 12 So now you, son of man, say to your people, 'The righteousness of a righteous person will not save him if he sins! The wickedness of a wicked person will not cause him to perish if he repents from his sin! For the righteous person will not be able to live because of his righteousness if he sins. 13 If I say to the righteous, “He will surely live!” and if he trusts in his righteousness and then commits injustice, I will not call to mind any of his righteousness. He will die for the wickedness he committed. 14 So if I say to the wicked, “You will surely die,” but if he then repents from his sins and does what is just and right— 15 if he restores the loan guarantee that he wickedly demanded, or if he makes restitution for what he has stolen, and if he walks in the statutes that give life and no longer commits sin—then he will surely live. He will not die. 16 None of the sins that he has committed will be called to mind for him. He has acted justly and rightly, and so, he will surely live!

17 But your people say, “The way of the Lord is not fair!” but it is your ways that are not fair! 18 When the righteous person turns away from his righteousness and commits sin, then he will die in it! 19 When the wicked turns away from his wickedness and does what is just and righteous, he will live because of those things! 20 But you people say, “The way of the Lord is not fair!” I will judge each of you according to his way, house of Israel!'”

21 It happened in the twelfth year, on the fifth day of the tenth month of our captivity, that a fugitive came to me from Jerusalem and said, “The city has been captured!” 22 The hand of Yahweh had been on me in the evening before the fugitive came, and my mouth was opened by the time that he came to me in the dawn. So my mouth was open; I was no longer mute!

23 Then the word of Yahweh came to me, saying, 24 “Son of man, the ones inhabiting those ruins in the land of Israel are talking and say, 'Abraham was only one person, and he inherited the land, but we are many! The land has been given to us as a possession.' 25 Therefore say to them, 'The Lord Yahweh says this: You eat blood, and you lift up your eyes towards your idols, then you pour out people's blood. Should you really possess the land? 26 You have depended on your swords and have done disgusting things; each man defiles his neighbor's wife. Should you really possess the land?' 27 You will say this to them, 'The Lord Yahweh says this: As I live, surely the ones in the ruins will fall by the sword, and I will give those in the fields to the living creatures as food, and those in fortresses and in caves will die of plagues. 28 Then I will turn the land into a desolation and a horror, and the pride of its might will end, for the mountains of Israel will be deserted, and there will be no one to pass through them.' 29 So they will know that I am Yahweh, when I make the land a desolation and a waste because of all the abominations that they have done.

30 So now you, son of man—your people are saying things about you beside the walls and the gates of the houses, and each says to one another—each man to his brother, 'Let us go and listen to the prophet's word that comes out from Yahweh!' 31 So my people will come to you, as they often do, and will sit in front of you and listen to your words, but they will not obey them. Right words are in their mouths, but their hearts are going after unjust profit. 32 For you are like a lovely song to them, a beautiful sound that is well played on a stringed instrument, so they will listen to your words, but none of them will obey them. 33 So when all of this happens—behold! it will happen!—then they will know that a prophet has been among them.”

34

1 Then the word of Yahweh came to me, saying, 2 “Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel. Prophesy and say to them, 'The Lord Yahweh says this to the shepherds: Woe to the shepherds of Israel who are shepherding themselves. Should not shepherds guard the flock? 3 You eat the fatty portions and you dress in wool. You slaughter the fatlings of the flock. You do not shepherd at all. 4 You have not strengthened those who have diseases, nor do you heal the ones who are ill. You do not bind up the ones who are broken, and you do not restore the outcasts or seek the lost. Instead, you rule over them through strength and violence. 5 Then they were scattered without a shepherd, and they became food for all the living beasts in the fields, after they were scattered. 6 My flock strays on all of the mountains and on every high hill, and it is dispersed over the entire surface of the earth. Yet no one is searching for them.

7 Therefore, shepherds, hear the word of Yahweh: 8 As I live—this is the Lord Yahweh's declaration—because my flock has become plunder and food for all the beasts in the fields, because there was no shepherd and none of my shepherds sought my flock, but the shepherds guarded themselves and did not shepherd my flock. 9 Therefore, shepherds, hear the word of Yahweh: 10 The Lord Yahweh says this: Behold! I am against the shepherds, and I will require my flock from their hand. Then I will dismiss them from shepherding the flock; neither will the shepherds any longer shepherd themselves since I will take away my flock from their mouths, so that my flock will no longer be food for them.

11 For the Lord Yahweh says this: Behold! I myself will seek out my flock and I will look after them, 12 like a shepherd seeking his flock on the day he is within the midst of his scattered flock. Thus I will seek my flock, and I will rescue them from all the places where they were scattered on the day of clouds and darkness. 13 Then I will bring them out from among the peoples; I will gather them from the lands and bring them to their land. I will put them in pastures on the mountainsides of Israel, by the streams, and in every settlement in the land. 14 I will put them in good pastures; the high mountains of Israel will be their grazing places. They will lie down there in good places for grazing, in abundant pastures, and they will graze on the mountains of Israel. 15 I myself will shepherd my flock, and I myself will make them lie down—this is the Lord Yahweh's declaration— 16 I will seek the lost and restore the outcast. I will bind up the broken sheep and heal the sick sheep but the fat and the strong I will destroy. I will shepherd with justice.

17 So now you, my flock—this is what the Lord Yahweh says—behold, I will be a judge between sheep and sheep and between rams and male goats. 18 Is it not enough to feed on the good pasture, that you must trample down with your feet what is left of the pasture; and to drink from clear waters, that you must muddy the rivers with your feet? 19 Must my sheep eat what you have trampled with your feet, and drink what you have muddied with your feet?

20 Therefore the Lord Yahweh says this to them: Behold! I myself will judge between the fat sheep and the thin ones, 21 for you have pushed them with your sides and shoulders, and you have gored all of the weak ones with your horns until you have scattered them away from the land. 22 I will save my flock and they will no longer be plunder, and I will judge between one sheep and another! 23 I will set over them one shepherd, my servant David. He will shepherd them, he will feed them, and he will be their shepherd. 24 For I, Yahweh, will be their God, and my servant David will be a prince among them—I, Yahweh, have declared this.

25 Then I will make a covenant of peace with them and remove the evil wild animals from the land, so that they will live securely in the wilderness and safely sleep in the forests. 26 I will also bring blessings on them and on the places around my hill, for I will send out showers in due season. These will be showers of blessing. 27 Then the trees of the field will produce their fruit, and the earth will yield its produce. My sheep will be secure in their land; then they will know that I am Yahweh, when I break the bars of their yoke, and when I rescue them from the hand of those who enslaved them. 28 They will no longer be plunder for the nations, and the wild animals on the earth will no longer devour them. For they will live securely, and no one will frighten them. 29 For I will provide them a land known for its crops; so they will not be victims of famine in the land, and they will not bear the scorn of the nations. 30 Then they will know that I, Yahweh their God, am with them. They are my people, the house of Israel—this is the Lord Yahweh's declaration. 31 For you are my sheep, the flock of my pasture, and my people, and I am your God—this is the Lord Yahweh's declaration.'”

35

1 Then the word of Yahweh came to me, saying, 2 “Son of man, set your face against Mount Seir and prophesy against it. 3 Say to it, 'The Lord Yahweh says this: Behold! I am against you, Mount Seir, and I will strike you with my hand and make you a desolation and a waste. 4 I will make your cities ruins, and you yourself will become desolate; then you will know that I am Yahweh. 5 Because you have always been hostile to the people of Israel, and because you poured them out into the hands of the sword at the time of their distress, at the time their punishment was at its greatest. 6 Therefore, as I live—this is the Lord Yahweh's declaration—I will prepare you for bloodshed, and bloodshed will pursue you! Since you did not hate bloodshed, bloodshed will pursue you. 7 I will make Mount Seir a complete desolation when I cut off from it anyone who passes through and returns again. 8 I will fill its mountains with those who were killed; on your high hills and valleys and in all your streams those who were killed by the sword will fall. 9 I will make you a perpetual desolation. Your cities will not be inhabited, but you will know that I am Yahweh.

10 You have said, “These two nations and these two lands will become mine, and we will possess them,” even when Yahweh was present with them. 11 Therefore, as I live—this is the Lord Yahweh's declaration—so I will do according to your anger and according to your jealousy that you had in your hatred of Israel, and I will show myself to them when I judge you. 12 So you will know that I am Yahweh. I have heard all the insults you spoke against the mountains of Israel, when you said, “They have been destroyed; they have been given over to us to devour.” 13 You exalted yourselves against me with what you said, and you multiplied the words you said against me; and I heard it all.

14 The Lord Yahweh says this: I will make you a desolation, while the entire earth rejoices. 15 As you rejoiced over the inheritance of the people of Israel because of its desolation, I will do the same to you. You will become a desolation, Mount Seir, and all of Edom—all of it! Then they will know that I am Yahweh.'”

36

1 “Now you, son of man, prophesy to the mountains of Israel and say, 'Mountains of Israel, listen to the word of Yahweh. 2 The Lord Yahweh says this: The enemy has said about you, “Aha!” and “The ancient high places have become our possession.”' 3 Therefore prophesy and say, 'The Lord Yahweh says this: Because of your desolation and because of the attacks that came on you from all sides, you have become a possession of the other nations; you have been the subject of slanderous lips and tongues, and of people's stories. 4 Therefore, mountains of Israel, listen to the word of the Lord Yahweh: The Lord Yahweh says this to the mountains and the high hills, to the streambeds and valleys, to the uninhabited desolations and the forsaken cities that have become plunder and a subject of mocking for the other nations that surround them— 5 therefore the Lord Yahweh says this: I have certainly spoken in the fire of my fury against the other nations, against Edom and all who took my land for themselves as a possession, against all those who had both joy in their heart and disdain in their spirit, as they seized my land that they might claim its pasturelands for themselves.' 6 Therefore, prophesy to the land of Israel and say to the mountains and to the high hills, to the streambeds and to the valleys, 'the Lord Yahweh says this: Behold! In my fury and in my anger I am declaring this because you have borne the insults of nations. 7 Therefore, the Lord Yahweh says this: I myself will lift up my hand to swear that the nations that surround you will certainly carry their own shame.

8 But you, mountains of Israel, you will grow branches and bear fruit for my people Israel, since they will soon come back to you. 9 For behold, I am for you, and I treat you with favor; you will be plowed and sown with seed. 10 So I will multiply upon you the number of your people, even the whole house of Israel. The cities will be inhabited and the ruins rebuilt. 11 I will multiply man and beast on you mountains so that they will multiply and be fruitful. Then I will cause you to be inhabited as you previously were, and I will make you prosper more than you did in the past, for you will know that I am Yahweh. 12 I will bring men, my people Israel, to walk on you. They will possess you, and you will be their inheritance, and you will no longer cause their children to die. 13 The Lord Yahweh says this: Because they are saying to you, “You devour men, bereaving your nation of children,” 14 therefore you will not consume people any longer, and you will no longer make your nation mourn their deaths. This is the Lord Yahweh's declaration. 15 Nor will I allow you to hear the insults of the nations any longer; you will no longer have to bear the shame of the peoples or cause your nation to fall—this is the Lord Yahweh's declaration.'”

16 Then the word of Yahweh came to me, saying, 17 “Son of man, when the house of Israel inhabited their land, they defiled it with their ways and their deeds. Their ways were like the unclean menstruation of a woman before me. 18 So I poured out my fury against them for the blood that they poured out on the land and for their pollution of it by their idols. 19 I scattered them among the nations; they were dispersed through the lands. I judged them according to their ways and their deeds. 20 Then they went to the nations, and wherever they went, they profaned my holy name when people said of them, 'Are these really the people of Yahweh? For they have been thrown out of his land.' 21 But I had compassion for my holy name that the house of Israel had defiled among the nations, when they went there.

22 Therefore say to the house of Israel, 'The Lord Yahweh says this: I am not doing this for your sake, house of Israel, but for my holy name, which you have profaned among the nations everywhere you have gone. 23 For I will make my great name holy, which you have profaned among the nations—in the midst of the nations, you profaned it. Then the nations will know that I am Yahweh—this is the Lord Yahweh's declaration—when you see that I am holy. 24 I will take you from the nations and gather you from every land, and I will bring you to your land. 25 Then I will sprinkle pure water on you so you will be purified from all of your impurities, and I will purify you from all of your idols. 26 I will give you a new heart and a new spirit in your innermost parts, and I will take away the heart of stone from your flesh. For I will give you a heart of flesh. 27 I will set my Spirit in you and enable you to walk in my statutes and keep my decrees, so you will do them. 28 Then you will inhabit the land that I gave to your ancestors; you will be my people, and I will be your God. 29 For I will save you from all of your uncleanness. I will summon the grain and multiply it. I will no longer put famine upon you. 30 I will multiply the fruit of the tree and the produce of the field so that you will no longer bear the shame of famine among the nations. 31 Then you will think of your wicked ways and your deeds that were not good, and you will show loathing on your faces because of your own sins and your disgusting deeds.

32 I am not doing this for your sake—this is the Lord Yahweh's declaration—let this be known to you. So be ashamed and disgraced because of your ways, house of Israel. 33 The Lord Yahweh says this: On the day that I purify you from all your iniquity, I will cause you to inhabit the cities and to rebuild the ruined places. 34 For you will plow the ruined land until it is no longer a ruin before the eyes of all who pass by. 35 Then they will say, “This land was desolate, but it has become like the garden of Eden; the desolate cities and the uninhabited ruins that were torn down are now fortified and inhabited.” 36 Then the other nations around you will know that I am Yahweh, that I built up the ruins and replanted the abandoned places. I am Yahweh. I have declared it and I will do it.

37 The Lord Yahweh says this: Again I will be asked by the house of Israel to do this for them, to increase them like a flock of people. 38 Like the flock is set apart for sacrifices, like the flock in Jerusalem at her appointed feasts, so will the ruined cities be filled with flocks of people and they will know that I am Yahweh.'”

37

1 The hand of Yahweh was upon me, and he brought me out by the Spirit of Yahweh and set me down in the midst of a valley; it was full of bones. 2 Then he made me pass through them round and round. Behold! A great many of them were in the valley. Behold! They were very dry. 3 He said to me, “Son of man, can these bones live again?” So I said, “Lord Yahweh, you alone know.” 4 Then he said to me, “Prophesy over these bones and say to them, 'Dry bones. Listen to the word of Yahweh. 5 The Lord Yahweh says this to these bones: Behold! I am about to put breath into you, and you will live. 6 I will place sinews over you and bring flesh onto you. I will cover you with skin and put breath within you so you will live. Then you will know that I am Yahweh.'”

7 So I prophesied as I was commanded; as I prophesied, behold, a sound came, that of shaking. Then the bones drew together—bone against bone. 8 I looked and, behold, sinews were now on them, and flesh grew up and skin covered them. But there was still no breath in them. 9 Then Yahweh said to me, “Prophesy to the breath, prophesy, son of man, and say to the breath, 'The Lord Yahweh says this: Breath, come from the four winds, and breathe on these who have been killed, so they may live.'” 10 So I prophesied as I was commanded; the breath came into them and they lived. Then they stood on their feet, a very great army.

11 Then Yahweh said to me, “Son of man, these bones are the entire house of Israel. Behold! They are saying, 'Our bones have dried up, and our hope is gone. We have been cut off.' 12 Therefore prophesy and say to them, 'The Lord Yahweh says this: Behold! I will open your graves and lift you out from them, my people. I will bring you back to the land of Israel. 13 Then you will know that I am Yahweh, when I open your graves and bring you out from them, my people. 14 I will place my Spirit within you so you will live, and I will cause you to rest in your land when you know that I am Yahweh. I declare and will do it—this is Yahweh's declaration.'”

15 Then the word of Yahweh came to me, saying, 16 “So now you, son of man, take one stick for yourself and write on it, 'For Judah and for the people of Israel, his companions.' Then take another stick and write on it, 'For Joseph, the branch of Ephraim, and for all the people of Israel, their companions.' 17 Bring both of them together into one stick, so that they become one in your hand. 18 When your people speak to you and say, 'Will you not tell us what these things of yours mean?' 19 then say to them, 'The Lord Yahweh says this: Behold! I am taking the branch of Joseph that is in the hand of Ephraim and the tribes of Israel his companions and joining it to the branch of Judah, so that they will make one branch, and they will become one in my hand.' 20 Hold in your hand the branches that you wrote on before their eyes.

21 Declare to them, 'The Lord Yahweh says this: Behold! I am about to take the people of Israel from among the nations where they went. I will gather them from the surrounding lands and I will bring them to their land. 22 I will make them one nation in the land, on the mountains of Israel, and there will be one king as king over all of them, and they will no longer be two nations. They will no longer be divided into two kingdoms. 23 Then they will no longer defile themselves with their idols, their disgusting things, or any of their other sins. For I will save them from all of their faithless actions with which they have sinned, and I will purify them, so they will be my people and I will be their God. *

24 David my servant will be king over them. So there will be one shepherd over them all, and they will walk according to my decrees and they will keep my statutes and obey them. 25 They will live in the land that I have given to my servant Jacob, where your fathers had stayed. They will live in it forever—they, their children, and their grandchildren, for David my servant will be their chief forever. 26 I will establish a covenant of peace with them. It will be an everlasting covenant with them. I will establish them and multiply them and set my holy place in their midst forever. 27 My dwelling place will be with them; I will be their God, and they will be my people. 28 Then the nations will know that I am Yahweh who sets Israel apart, when my holy place is among them forever.'”

38

1 The word of Yahweh came to me, saying, 2 “Son of man, set your face toward Gog, the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal; and prophesy against him. 3 Say, 'The Lord Yahweh says this: Behold! I am against you, Gog, chief prince of Meshech and Tubal. 4 So I will turn you around and set hooks in your jaw; I will send you out with all your army, horses, and horsemen, all of them dressed in full armor, a great company with large shields and small shields, all of them holding swords! 5 Persia, Cush, and Libya are with them, all of them with shields and helmets! 6 Gomer and all her troops, and Beth Togarmah, from the far parts of the north, and all its troops! Many peoples are with you!

7 Get ready! Yes, prepare yourself and your troops assembled with you, and be their commander. 8 You will be called after many days, and after some years you will go to a land that has recovered from the sword and that has been gathered from many peoples, gathered back to the mountains of Israel that had been a continuous ruin. But the land's people will be brought out of the peoples, and they will live in safety, all of them! 9 So you will go up as a storm goes; you will be like a cloud covering the land, you and all your troops, all the many soldiers with you.

10 The Lord Yahweh says this: It will happen on that day that plans will form in your heart, and you will devise wicked schemes.' 11 Then you will say, 'I will go up to the open land; I will go to the quiet people living in safety, all of them living where there are no walls or bars, and where there are no city gates. 12 I will capture booty and steal plunder, in order to bring my hand against the ruins that are newly inhabited, and against the people gathered from the nations, people who are gaining livestock and property, and who are living at the center of the earth.' 13 Sheba and Dedan, and the traders of Tarshish along with all its young warriors will say to you, 'Have you come to plunder? Have you assembled your armies to take away spoil, to carry off silver and gold, to take their livestock and property and to haul away much plunder?'

14 Therefore prophesy, son of man, and say to Gog, 'The Lord Yahweh says this: On that day, when my people Israel are living securely, will you not learn about them? 15 You will come from your place far away in the north with a great army, all of them riding on horses, a great company, a large army. 16 You will attack my people Israel like a cloud that covers the land. In the latter days I will bring you against my land, so the nations might know me when I show myself through you, Gog, to be holy before their eyes.

17 The Lord Yahweh says this: Are you not the one of whom I spoke in former days by the hand of my servants, the prophets of Israel, who prophesied in their own time for years that I would bring you against them? 18 So it will come to be in that day when Gog attacks the land of Israel—this is the Lord Yahweh's declaration—my wrath will mount up in my anger. 19 In my zeal and in the fire of my anger, I declare that on that day there will be a great earthquake in the land of Israel. 20 They will shake before me—the fish of the sea and the birds of the skies, the beasts of the fields, and all the creatures that crawl on the earth, and every person who is on the surface of the land. The mountains will be thrown down and the cliffs will fall, until every wall falls to the earth. 21 I will summon a sword against him on all my mountains—this is the Lord Yahweh's declaration—each man's sword will be against his brother. 22 Then I will judge him by plague and blood; and overflowing rain and hailstones and burning sulfur I will rain down upon him and his troops and the many nations that are with him. 23 For I will show my greatness and my holiness and I will make myself known in the eyes of the many nations, and they will know that I am Yahweh.'”

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1 “Now you, son of man, prophesy against Gog and say, 'The Lord Yahweh says this: Behold! I am against you, Gog, chief of Meshech and Tubal. 2 I will turn you and lead you on; I will bring you up from the far north and bring you to the mountains of Israel. 3 Then I will knock your bow out of your left hand and make the arrows fall from your right hand. 4 You will fall on the mountains of Israel—you and all your troops and the soldiers who are with you. I will give you to the birds of prey and the wild beasts of the fields for food. 5 You will fall on the open field, for I myself declare it—this is the Lord Yahweh's declaration. 6 Then I will send out fire on Magog and on those living in safety on the coasts, and they will know that I am Yahweh. 7 For I will make my holy name known in the midst of my people Israel, and I will no longer allow my holy name to be profaned; the nations will know that I am Yahweh, the Holy One in Israel. 8 Behold! The day is coming, and it will take place—this is the Lord Yahweh's declaration. 9 The ones living in the cities of Israel will go out and they will use weapons to kindle and make fires and burn them—small shields, large shields, bows, arrows, the clubs and spears; they will make fires with them for seven years. 10 They will not gather wood from the fields or cut down trees from the forests, since they will burn the weapons; they will take from those who wanted to take from them; they will plunder those who wanted to plunder them—this is the Lord Yahweh's declaration.”

11 Then it will happen on that day that I will make a place there for Gog—a grave in Israel, a valley for those who journey to the east of the sea. It will block those who wish to cross over. There they will bury Gog with all his multitudes. They will call it the Valley of Hamon Gog. 12 For seven months the house of Israel will bury them in order to purify the land. 13 For all the people of the land will bury them; it will be a memorable day for them when I am glorified—this is the Lord Yahweh's declaration. 14 Then they will designate men to continually go through the land, to find those who were traveling through, but who died and their bodies remained on the surface of the land, so that they may bury them, in order to cleanse the land. At the end of the seventh month they will begin their search. 15 As these men pass through the land, when they see any human bone, they will put a marker by it, until gravediggers come and bury it in the Valley of Hamon Gog. 16 There will be a city there by the name of Hamonah. In this way they will purify the land.

17 Now to you, son of man, the Lord Yahweh says this: Say to all the winged birds and all the wild beasts in the fields, 'Gather together and come. Gather from all around to the sacrifice that I myself am making for you, a large sacrifice on the mountains of Israel, so that you may consume flesh and drink blood. 18 You will consume the flesh of warriors and drink the blood of the princes of the earth; they will be rams, lambs, goats, and bulls, they were all fattened in Bashan. 19 Then you will eat fat to your satisfaction; you will drink blood until drunkenness; this will be the sacrifice that I will slaughter for you. 20 You will be satisfied at my table with horse, chariot, warrior, and every man of war—this is the Lord Yahweh's declaration.'

21 I will set my glory among the nations, and all the nations will see my judgment that I perform and my hand that I have set against them. 22 The house of Israel will know that I am Yahweh their God from that day onward. 23 The nations will know that the house of Israel went into captivity because of their iniquity by which they betrayed me, so I hid my face from them and gave them into the hand of their adversaries so that all of them fell by the sword. 24 I did to them according to their uncleanness and their sins, when I hid my face from them.

25 Therefore the Lord Yahweh says this: Now I will restore the fortunes of Jacob, and I will have compassion on all the house of Israel, when I act with zeal for my holy name. 26 Then they will bear their shame and all the treason in which they betrayed me. They will forget all this when they rest in their land in safety, with no one to terrify them. 27 When I restore them from the peoples and gather them from the lands of their enemies, I will show myself to be holy in the sight of many nations. 28 Then they will know that I am Yahweh their God, for I sent them into captivity among the nations, but then I will gather them back to their land. I will not leave any of them among the nations. 29 I will no longer hide my face from them when I pour out my Spirit on the house of Israel—this is the Lord Yahweh's declaration.”

40

1 In the twenty-fifth year of our captivity at the beginning of the year on the tenth day of the month, in the fourteenth year after the city was captured—on that same day, the hand of Yahweh was upon me and he took me there. 2 In visions from God he brought me to the land of Israel. He brought me to rest on a very high mountain; to the south were what appeared to be buildings of a city. 3 Then he brought me there. Behold, a man! His appearance was like the appearance of bronze. A linen cord and a measuring stick were in his hand, and he stood in the city gate. 4 The man said to me, “Son of man, look with your eyes and listen with your ears, and fix your mind on all that I am revealing to you, for you were brought here so I could reveal them to you. Report everything that you will see to the house of Israel.”

5 There was a wall surrounding the temple area. The length of the measuring stick in the man's hand was six long cubits. Each long cubit was a cubit and a handbreadth in length. So he measured the wall, and it was one measuring stick thick and one rod high. 6 Then he went to the temple gate that faced east. He went up its steps and measured the threshold of the gate—one stick in depth. * 7 The guard chambers were each one stick in length and one stick in width; there were five cubits between any two of the chambers, and the threshold of the temple gate by the temple portico was one stick deep. 8 He measured the portico of the gate; it was one stick in length. 9 He measured the portico of the gate. It was one stick deep. The doorposts were two cubits in width. This was the portico of the gate facing the temple. 10 There were three guard chambers on either side of the east gate, and each of them had the same measurement, and the walls that separated them had the same measurement. 11 Then the man measured the width of the gateway entrance—ten cubits; and he measured the length of the gateway entrance—thirteen cubits. 12 He measured the wall that was bordering the front of the chambers—one cubit high. The chambers measured six cubits on each side. 13 Then he measured the gateway from the roof of one chamber to that of the next chamber—twenty-five cubits, from the entrance of the first chamber to that of the second. 14 Then he measured the wall that went between the guard chambers—sixty cubits in length; he measured as far as the gate's portico. 15 The entrance from the front of the gate to the other end of the gate's portico was fifty cubits. 16 There were closed windows toward the chambers and toward their pillars within the gates all around; and likewise for the porches. The were windows all around the inside, and each jamb was decorated with palm trees.

17 Then the man brought me to the outer courtyard of the temple. Behold, there were rooms, and there was pavement in the courtyard, with thirty rooms next to the pavement. 18 The pavement went up to the side of the gates, and its width was the same as the gates' length. This was the lower pavement. 19 Then the man measured the distance from the front of the lower gate to the front of the inner gate; it was one hundred cubits on the east side, and the same on the north side.

20 Then he measured the length and width of the gate that was at the north of the outer court. 21 There were three chambers on either side of that gate, and the gate and its portico measured the same as the main gate—fifty cubits in total length and twenty-five cubits in width. 22 Its windows, portico, chambers, and its palm trees corresponded to the gate that faced east. Seven steps went up to it and to its portico. 23 There was a gate to the inner courtyard in front of the gate facing north, just as also there was a gate to the east; the man measured from one gate to the other gate—one hundred cubits in distance.

24 Next the man brought me to the gate of the southern entrance, and its walls and portico measured the same as the other outer gates. 25 There were closed windows in the gateway and its portico just as at that gate. The south gate and its portico measured fifty cubits in length and twenty-five cubits in width. 26 There were seven steps up to the gate and its portico, and there were carvings of palm trees on the walls on either side. 27 There was a gate to the inner courtyard on the southern side, and the man measured from that gate to the gate of the south entrance—one hundred cubits in distance.

28 Then the man brought me to the inner courtyard by way of its southern gate, which had the same measurements as the other gates. 29 Its chambers, walls, and porticos measured the same as the other gates; there were windows all around in the portico. The inner gate and its portico measured fifty cubits in length and twenty-five cubits in width. 30 There were also porticos all around the inner wall; these were twenty-five cubits in length and five cubits in width. 31 This portico faced the outer courtyard with carved palm trees on its walls and eight steps going up to it.

32 Then the man brought me to the inner courtyard by the eastern way and measured the gate, which had the same measurements as the other gates. 33 Its chambers, walls, and portico measured the same as the other gates, and there were windows all around. The inner gate and its portico measured fifty cubits in length and twenty-five cubits in width. 34 Its portico faced the outer courtyard; it had palm trees on either side of it and eight steps going up it.

35 Next the man brought me to the northern gate and measured it; it measured the same as the other gates. 36 Its chambers, walls, and portico measured the same as the other gates, and there were windows all around. The gateway and its portico measured fifty cubits in length and twenty-five cubits in width. 37 Its portico faced the outer courtyard; it had palm trees on either side of it and eight steps going up it.

38 There was a room with a door by each of the inner gateways. This was where they rinsed the burnt offerings. 39 There were two tables on each side of each portico, on which the burnt offering was slaughtered, and also the sin offering and the guilt offering. 40 By the wall of the courtyard, going up to the gate to the north, there were two tables. Also on the other side there were two tables at the gate's portico. 41 There were four tables on either side by the gate; they slaughtered animals on the eight tables. 42 There were four tables of cut stone for the burnt offerings, one and a half cubits in length, one and a half cubits in width, and one cubit tall. On them they laid the tools with which they slaughtered the burnt offerings for the sacrifices. 43 Two-pronged hooks a handbreadth in length were fastened in the portico all around, and the flesh of the offerings would be put on the tables.

44 On the outside of the inner gate, within the inner courtyard, were singers' chambers, one on the north side facing south, and the other on the south side facing north. 45 Then the man said to me, “This room facing south is for the priests who are on duty in the temple. 46 The room facing north is for the priests on duty at the altar. These are the sons of Zadok who come near to Yahweh to serve him; they are among the sons of Levi.” 47 Next he measured the courtyard—one hundred cubits in length and one hundred cubits in width in a square, with the altar in front of the house.

48 Then the man brought me to the portico of the house and measured its doorposts—they were five cubits thick on either side. The entryway itself was fourteen cubits in width, and the walls on each side of it were three cubits in width. † 49 The length of the portico was twenty cubits, and its depth was eleven cubits. There were steps that went up to it and columns that stood on either side of it. ‡ §

41

1 Then the man brought me into the temple's holy place and measured the doorposts—six cubits in width on either side. * 2 The width of the doorway was ten cubits; the wall on each side was five cubits in length. Then the man measured the dimensions of the holy place—forty cubits in length and twenty cubits in width. 3 Then the man went into the very holy place and measured the posts of the doorway—two cubits, and the doorway was six cubits in width. The walls on either side were seven cubits in width. 4 Then he measured the room's length—twenty cubits. Its width—twenty cubits to the front of the temple hall. Then he said to me, “This is the most holy place.”

5 Then the man measured the wall of the house—it was six cubits thick. The width of each side room around the house was four cubits in width. 6 There were side rooms on three levels, one room above another, thirty rooms on each level. There were ledges around the wall of the house, to support all of the side rooms, for there was no support put in the wall of the house. 7 So the side rooms widened and went around going up, for the house went around higher and higher all around; the rooms widened as the house went up, and a stairway went up to the highest level, through the middle level. 8 Then I saw a raised part all around the house, the foundation for the side chambers; it measured a full stick in height—six cubits. 9 The width of the wall of the side rooms on the outside was five cubits. There was an open space to the outside of these rooms in the sanctuary. 10 On the other side of this open space were the priests' outer side rooms; this space was twenty cubits in width all around the sanctuary. 11 There were doors into the side rooms from another open space—one doorway was on the north side, and the other on the south side. The width of this open area was five cubits all around.

12 The building that faced the courtyard on the west side was seventy cubits in width. Its wall measured five cubits thick all around, and it was ninety cubits in length. 13 Then the man measured the sanctuary—one hundred cubits in length. The separated building, its wall, and the courtyard also measured one hundred cubits in length. 14 The width of the front of the courtyard in front of the sanctuary was also one hundred cubits.

15 Then the man measured the length of the building behind the sanctuary, to its west, and the galleries on either side—one hundred cubits. The holy place and the portico, 16 the inner walls and the windows, including the narrow windows, and the galleries all around on three levels, were all paneled in wood. 17 Above the entryway to the inner sanctuary and spaced along the walls there was a measured pattern. 18 It was decorated with cherubim and palm trees; with a palm tree between each cherub, and each cherub had two faces: 19 the face of a man looked toward a palm tree on one side, and the face of a young lion looked toward a palm tree on the other side. They were carved all around the entire house. 20 From the ground to above the doorway, cherubim and palm trees were carved on the outer wall of the house.

21 The gate posts of the holy place were square. Their appearance was like the appearance of 22 the wooden altar in front of the holy place, which was three cubits high and two cubits in length on each side. Its corner posts, base, and frame were made of wood. Then the man said to me, “This is the table that stands before Yahweh.” † 23 There were double doors for the holy place and the most holy place. 24 These doors had two hinged door panels each, two panels for one door and two panels for the other. 25 Carved on them—on the doors of the holy place—were cherubim and palm trees just as the walls were decorated, and there was a wooden roof over the portico at the front. 26 There were narrow windows and palm trees on either side of the portico. These were the side rooms of the house, and they also had overhanging roofs.

42

1 Next the man sent me out to the outer courtyard on the north side, and he brought me to rooms in front of the outer courtyard and the northern outer wall. 2 Those rooms were one hundred cubits along their front and fifty cubits in width. 3 Some of those rooms faced the inner courtyard and were twenty cubits away from the sanctuary. There were three levels of rooms, and the ones above looked down on the ones below and were open to them, having a walkway. Some of the rooms looked out onto the outer courtyard. 4 A passage ten cubits in width and one hundred cubits in length ran in front of the rooms. The rooms' doors were toward the north. * 5 But the upper halls were smaller, for the walkways took away from them more space than they did in the lowest and middle levels of the building. 6 For the halls on the third story had no columns, unlike the courtyards, which did have columns. So the highest level's rooms were smaller in size compared to the rooms in the lowest and middle levels. 7 The outside wall ran along the rooms toward the outer courtyard, the courtyard that was in front of the rooms. That wall was fifty cubits in length. 8 The length of the rooms of the outer courtyard was fifty cubits, and the rooms facing the sanctuary were one hundred cubits in length. 9 There was an entrance to the lowest rooms from the east side, coming from the outer courtyard.

10 Along the wall of the outer courtyard on the eastern side of the outer courtyard, in front of the sanctuary's inner courtyard, there were also rooms † 11 with a walkway in front of them. They were as the appearance of the rooms on the northern side. They had the same length and breadth and the same exits and arrangements and doors. 12 On the south side were doors into rooms that were just the same as on the north side. A passage on the inside had a door at its head, and the passage opened into the various rooms. On the east side there was a doorway into the passage at one end.

13 Then the man said to me, “The northern rooms and the southern rooms that are in front of the outer courtyard are holy rooms where the priests who work nearest to Yahweh may eat the most holy food. They will put the most holy things there—the food offering, the sin offering, and the guilt offering—for this is a holy place. 14 When the priests enter there, they must not go out of the holy place to the outer court, without laying aside the clothes in which they served, since these are holy. So they must dress in other clothes before going near the people.”

15 The man completed measuring the inner house and then took me out to the gate that faced the east and measured all the surrounding area there. 16 He measured the east side with a measuring stick—five hundred cubits with the measuring stick. ‡ 17 He measured the north side—five hundred cubits with the measuring stick. § 18 He also measured the south side—five hundred cubits with the measuring stick. * 19 He also turned and measured the west side—five hundred cubits with the measuring stick. † 20 He measured it on four sides. It had a wall around it that was five hundred cubits in length, and five hundred cubits in width, to separate the holy from that which is common.

43

1 The man then brought me to the gate that opened to the east. 2 Behold! The glory of the God of Israel came from the east; his voice was like the sound of many waters, and the earth shone with his glory. 3 It was according to the appearance of the vision that I saw, according to the vision that I saw when he had come * to destroy the city, and the visions were like the vision that I saw at the Kebar Canal—and I fell to my face. 4 So the glory of Yahweh came to the house by way of the gate that opened to the east. 5 Then the Spirit lifted me up and brought me into the inner court. Behold! The glory of Yahweh was filling the house.

6 The man was standing beside me, and I heard someone else speaking to me from the house. 7 He said to me, “Son of man, this is the place of my throne and the place for the soles of my feet, where I will live in the midst of the people of Israel forever. The house of Israel will no longer profane my holy name—they or their kings—with their faithlessness or with the corpses of their kings at their high places. 8 They will no longer profane my holy name by putting their threshold next to my threshold, and their gateposts next to my gateposts, with nothing but a wall between me and them. They profaned my holy name with their disgusting actions, so I consumed them with my anger. 9 Now let them remove their faithlessness and the corpses of their kings from before me, and I will live in their midst forever.

10 Son of man, you yourself must tell the house of Israel about this house so they will be ashamed of their iniquities. They should think about this description. 11 For if they are ashamed of all that they have done, then reveal to them the design of the house, its details, its exits, its entrances, and all its designs, all its decrees and rules. Then write this down before their eyes so they will keep to all its design and all its rules, so as to obey them. 12 This is the regulation for the house: From the peak of the hill to all the surrounding border around it, it will be most holy. Behold! This is the regulation for the house.

13 These will be the measurements of the altar in cubits—that cubit being a regular cubit and a handbreadth in length. So the gutter around the altar will be a cubit deep, and its width will also be a cubit. The border around its surrounding edge will be one span. This will be the base of the altar. 14 From the gutter at the ground level up to the lower ledge of the altar is two cubits, and that ledge itself is one cubit in width. Then from the small ledge up to the large edge of the altar, it is four cubits, and the large edge is a cubit in width. 15 The hearth on the altar for the burnt offerings is four cubits high, and there are four horns pointing upward on the hearth. 16 The hearth is twelve cubits in length and twelve cubits in width, a square. 17 Its border is fourteen cubits in length and fourteen cubits in width on each of its four sides, and its rim is a half cubit in width. The gutter is a cubit in width all around with its steps facing east.”

18 Next he said to me, “Son of man, the Lord Yahweh says this: These are the regulations for the altar on the day they make it, for raising the burnt offering onto it, and for sprinkling blood on it. 19 You will give a bull from the cattle as a sin offering for the Levitical priests who are the descendants of Zadok, those who come near to me to serve me—this is the Lord Yahweh's declaration. 20 Then you will take some of its blood and place it on the altar's four horns and the four sides of its edge and on the surrounding rim; you will cleanse it and make atonement for it. 21 Then take the bull for the sin offering and burn it in the appointed part of the temple area outside of the sanctuary. 22 Then on the second day you will offer a male goat without blemish from the goats as a sin offering; the priests will cleanse the altar just as they cleansed it with the bull. 23 When you finish its cleansing, offer an unblemished bull from the cattle and an unblemished ram from the flock. 24 Offer them before Yahweh; the priests will throw salt onto them and raise them up as a burnt offering to Yahweh. 25 You must prepare a male goat as a sin offering daily for seven days, and the priests must also prepare an unblemished bull of the cattle and unblemished ram from the flock. 26 They must atone for the altar for seven days and purify it, and in this way they must consecrate it. 27 They must complete these days, and on the eighth day and onward it will come about that the priests will prepare your burnt offerings and your peace offerings on the altar, and I will accept you—this is the Lord Yahweh's declaration.”

44

1 Then the man brought me back to the outer sanctuary gate that faced east; it was closed tightly. 2 Yahweh said to me, “This gate has been sealed shut; it will not be opened. No man will go through it, for Yahweh, the God of Israel, has come through it, so it has been closed tightly. 3 The ruler of Israel will sit in it to eat food before Yahweh. He will enter by way of the gate's portico and go out the same way.”

4 Then he brought me by way of the northern gate to the front of the temple, and I looked, and behold, the glory of Yahweh filled the house of Yahweh, and I fell on my face. 5 Then Yahweh said to me, “Son of man, set your heart and look with your eyes and listen with your ears to all that I am declaring to you, to all the statutes of the house of Yahweh and all its regulations. Think about the house's entrance and exits. 6 Then say to the rebellious ones, the house of Israel, 'The Lord Yahweh says this: Let all of your disgusting actions be enough for you, house of Israel— 7 that you brought foreigners with uncircumcised hearts and uncircumcised flesh to be in my sanctuary, profaning my house, while you were offering me food, fat and blood—you have broken my covenant by all your disgusting actions. 8 You have not carried out your duties regarding my holy things, but you appointed others to take up your duties, and you assigned them to care for my holy place. 9 The Lord Yahweh says this: No foreigner, uncircumcised in heart and flesh, from any of those who live among the people of Israel, may enter my holy place. 10 Yet the Levites went far from me—they wandered away from me, going after their idols—but they will pay for their sin. 11 They are servants in my sanctuary, watching the gates of the house and serving in the house and they slaughter the burnt offerings and the people's sacrifices, and they will stand before the people and serve them. 12 But because they performed the sacrifices before their idols, they became stumbling blocks for sin for the house of Israel. Therefore I will lift up my hand to swear an oath against them—this is the Lord Yahweh's declaration—they will bear their punishment. 13 They will not come near me to act as my priests or to approach any of my holy things, the most holy things. Instead, they will bear their reproach and their guilt for the disgusting actions that they have done. 14 But I will place them as keepers of the work in the house, for all of its duties and everything that is done in it.

15 Then the Levitical priests, those sons of Zadok who fulfilled the duties of my sanctuary when the people of Israel were wandering away from me—they will come near me to worship me. They will stand before me to offer me the fat and the blood—this is the Lord Yahweh's declaration. 16 They will come to my sanctuary; they will approach my table to worship me and to fulfill their duties to me. 17 So it will be that when they come to the gates of the inner courtyard, they will have to dress in linen clothes, for they must not come in wool inside the gates of the courtyard and its house. 18 There should be linen turbans on their heads and linen underclothes on their hips. They must not dress in clothes that make them sweat. 19 When they go out to the outer courtyard, to the outer courtyard in order to go to the people, they must take off the clothes they wore when they served; they must take them off and lay them down in a holy room, so they do not make other people holy by contact with their special clothing. 20 Also they must neither shave their heads nor allow their hair to hang loosely, but they must trim the hair of their heads. 21 No priest may drink wine when he comes to the inner court, 22 nor take a widow or a divorced woman as a wife for himself, but only a virgin from the line of the house of Israel or a widow who was previously married to a priest. 23 For they will teach my people the difference between the holy and the profane; they will make them know the unclean from the clean. 24 In a dispute they will stand to judge with my decrees; they must be just. They will keep my law and my statutes in every feast, and they will celebrate my holy Sabbaths. 25 They will not go to a dead person so as to become unclean, unless it is their father or mother, son or daughter, brother or a sister who has not slept with a man; otherwise, they will become unclean. 26 After a priest has become unclean, they will count off a period of seven days for him. 27 On the day he enters the holy place, into the inner courtyard to serve in the holy place, he must bring a sin offering for himself—this is the Lord Yahweh's declaration.

28 This will be their inheritance: I am their inheritance, and you must give them no property in Israel; I will be their property! 29 They will eat the food offerings, the sin offerings, the guilt offerings, and everything devoted to Yahweh in Israel, will be theirs. 30 The best of the firstfruits of all things and every contribution, anything from all of your contributions will belong to the priests, and you will give the best of your meal offerings to the priests so that blessing may rest on your house. 31 The priests will not eat any carcass or animal torn by a beast, whether bird or beast.

45

1 When you cast lots to divide up the land as an inheritance, you must make an offering to Yahweh; this offering will be a holy part of the land, twenty-five thousand cubits in length, and ten thousand cubits in width. It will be holy, all its area round about. * 2 From this there will be a five hundred cubits by five hundred cubits square surrounding the holy place, with a surrounding border fifty cubits in width. 3 From this area you will measure a portion that is twenty-five thousand cubits in length and ten thousand in width; it will be the sanctuary, the most holy place. 4 It will be a holy place in the land for the priests who serve Yahweh, who come near Yahweh to serve him. It will be a place for their houses and a holy area for the holy place. 5 So it will be twenty-five thousand cubits in length and ten thousand in width, and it will be for towns for the Levites who serve in the house. 6 You will designate an area for the city, five thousand cubits in width and twenty-five thousand in length, that will be next to the area reserved for the holy place; this city will belong to all the house of Israel. 7 The prince's land will be on both sides of the area reserved for the holy place and the city. It will be to their west and to their east. The length will correspond to the length of one of those portions, from the west to the east. 8 This land will be property for the prince in Israel. My princes will no longer oppress my people; instead, they will give the land to the house of Israel, for their tribes.

9 The Lord Yahweh says this: It is enough for you, princes of Israel! Remove violence and strife; do justice and righteousness! Quit your evictions of my people!—this is the Lord Yahweh's declaration. 10 You must have accurate scales, accurate ephahs, and accurate baths! 11 The ephah and the bath will be the same amount, so that a bath will be a tenth of a homer; the ephah will be a tenth of a homer. Their measure will be corresponding to the homer. 12 The shekel will be twenty gerahs; sixty shekels will make a mina for you.

13 This is the contribution that you must present: A sixth of an ephah for every homer of wheat, and you will give a sixth of an ephah for every homer of barley. 14 The regulation offering of oil will be a tenth of a bath for every cor (which is ten baths), or for every homer, since a homer is also ten baths. 15 One sheep or goat from the flock for every two hundred animals from the watered regions of Israel will be used for any burnt offering or peace offering to make atonement for the people—this is the Lord Yahweh's declaration. 16 All the people of the land will give this contribution to the prince in Israel. 17 It will be the prince's responsibility to furnish animals for the burnt offerings, the grain offerings, and the drink offerings at the festivals and the new moon celebrations, and on the Sabbath days—all the fixed festivals of the house of Israel. He will provide for the sin offerings, the grain offerings, the burnt offerings, and the peace offerings for atonement on behalf of the house of Israel.

18 The Lord Yahweh says this: In the first month, on the first day of the month, you will take an unblemished bull from the herd and perform a sin offering for the sanctuary. 19 The priest will take some of the blood of the sin offering and place it on the doorposts of the house and on the four corners of the border of the altar, and on the doorposts of the gate to the inner court. 20 You will do this on the seventh of the month for each person's sin by accident or ignorance; in this way you will atone for the temple.

21 In the first month on the fourteenth day of the month, there will be for you a festival, a seven-day festival. You will eat unleavened bread. 22 On that day, the prince will prepare for himself and for all the people of the land a bull as a sin offering. 23 For the seven days of the festival, the prince will prepare a burnt offering for Yahweh: Seven bulls and seven unblemished rams each day for seven days, and a male goat each day as a sin offering. 24 Then the prince will perform a food offering of an ephah for each bull and an ephah for each ram with a hin of oil for each ephah. 25 In the seventh month on the fifteenth day of the month, at the festival, the prince will perform offerings on these seven days: Sin offerings, burnt offerings, food offerings, and offerings of oil.

46

1 The Lord Yahweh says this: The gate of the inner courtyard, facing east, will be shut for the six days of work, but on the Sabbath it will be opened, and on the day of the new moon it will be opened. 2 The prince will enter the outer courtyard by the way of the gate and its portico from outside, and he will stand before the doorposts of the inner gate while the priests perform his burnt offering and peace offering. Then he will worship at the threshold of the inner gate and go out, but the gate will not be shut until evening. 3 The people of the land will also worship before Yahweh at the entrance to this gate on the Sabbaths and new moons. 4 The burnt offering that the prince offers to Yahweh on the Sabbath day will be six unblemished lambs and an unblemished ram. 5 The grain offering with the ram will be an ephah, and the grain offering with the lambs will be what he wishes to give, and a hin of oil with each ephah of grain.

6 On the day of the new moon he must offer an unblemished bull from a herd, six lambs, and an unblemished ram. 7 He must make a grain offering of an ephah for the bull and an ephah for the ram, and what he wishes to give for the lambs, and a hin of oil for every ephah of grain. 8 When the prince enters by the way of the gate and its portico, he must leave by the same way.

9 But when the people of the land come before Yahweh at the appointed festivals, anyone entering through the north gate to worship must leave through the south gate; and anyone entering through the south gate must leave through the north gate. No one may turn back to the gate through which he entered, for he must go out straight ahead. 10 The prince must be in their midst; when they go in, he must go in, and when they leave, he must leave. 11 At the festivals, the grain offering must be an ephah of grain for the bull and an ephah for the ram, and whatever he wishes to give with the lambs, and a hin of oil for every ephah. 12 When the prince gives a freewill offering, either a burnt offering or a peace offering to Yahweh, the gate facing east will be opened for him. He will offer his burnt offering offering or his peace offering as he does it on the Sabbath day. Then he must go out, and after he has gone out the gate will be shut.

13 In addition, you will give an unblemished lamb one year old as a burnt offering to Yahweh daily; you will do this morning after morning. 14 You will give a grain offering with it morning after morning, a sixth of an ephah and a third of a hin of oil to moisten the flour of the grain offering for Yahweh, according to a permanent statute. 15 They will prepare the lamb, the grain offering, and the oil morning after morning, a permanent burnt offering.

16 The Lord Yahweh says this: If the prince gives a gift to any of his sons, it is his inheritance. It will be the property of his sons, it is an inheritance. 17 But if he gives a gift from his inheritance to one of his servants, then it will be that servant's until the year of liberty, and then it will return to the prince. His inheritance will certainly be for his sons. 18 The prince will not take the people's inheritance away from their own property; he must provide for his sons from his own property so that my people will not be scattered, each man from his own property.'”

19 Next the man brought me through the entrance at the gate to the holy rooms for the priests, which faced north and behold! There was a place toward the west. 20 He said to me, “This is the place where the priests must boil the guilt offering and the sin offering and where they must bake the grain offering. They must not bring the offerings into the outer courtyard, for then the people would be consecrated.” 21 Then he brought me to the outer courtyard and he led me past the four corners of that courtyard, and I saw that in at every corner of the courtyard there was a another court. 22 In the four corners of the outer courtyard there were four small courtyards, forty cubits in length and thirty in width. There the same dimensions for all four of the courtyards. * 23 There was a row made of stone all around the four of them, and cooking hearths were under the stone row. 24 The man said to me, “These are the places where the temple servants will boil the people's sacrifices.”

47

1 Then the man took me back to the entrance to the temple, and there was water flowing out from under the temple threshold of the house toward the east—for the front of the temple faced east—and the water was flowing down the south side of the temple, to the right of the altar. 2 So he brought me out through the northern gate and led around to the gate facing east, and there the water was flowing from this gate on its south side.

3 As the man was going toward the east, there was a measuring line in his hand; he measured off one thousand cubits and brought me through the water to ankle-deep water. 4 Then he measured one thousand cubits again and brought me through the water to knee-deep water; and he measured another thousand cubits and brought me to hip-deep water. 5 Next he measured off another thousand cubits, but it was a river that I could not cross through because the water had risen and was deep enough to swim in—it was a river that could not be crossed.

6 The man said to me, “Son of man, do you see this?” and he brought me out and had me walk back along the riverbank. 7 As I walked back, there the riverbank had many trees on this side and also the other side. 8 The man said to me, “This water is going out to the eastern territory and down to the Arabah; this water flows into the Salt Sea and will make it fresh. 9 It will be that every living creature that swarms will live where the water goes; there will be many fish, for these waters flow there. It will make the salt water fresh. Everything will live wherever the river goes. 10 Then it will happen that fishermen of En Gedi will stand by the water, and there will be a place to dry out the fishing nets by En Eglaim. There will be many kinds of fish in the Salt Sea, like the fish in the Great Sea for their abundance. 11 But the Salt Sea's swamps and marshes will not be made fresh; they will be for providing salt. 12 Beside this river on its banks, on both sides, all kinds of trees will grow that bear food. Their leaves will not wither and their fruit will never fail to grow. Each month the trees will bear fruit, because the water from the sanctuary flows to them. Their fruit will be for food, and their leaves will be for healing.

13 The Lord Yahweh says this: This will be the way that you divide the land up for the twelve tribes of Israel: Joseph will have two portions. 14 You are to divide equally what I lifted up my hand and swore to give to your fathers. This land will come to you as an inheritance.

15 This will be the boundary of the land on the north side from the Great Sea by way of Hethlon, and then to Zedad. * 16 Then the boundary will go to Berothah, to Sibraim, which is between Damascus and Hamath, and then to Hazer Hattikon, which is beside the boundary of Hauran. 17 So the boundary will go from the sea to Hazar Enan on the border with Damascus and Hamath to the north. This will be the north side. 18 On the east side the boundary will run between Hauran and Damascus, along the Jordan River between Gilead and the land of Israel. You will measure from the border to the eastern sea. This will be the eastern border. † 19 Then on the south side the boundary will run from Tamar as far as the waters of Meribah Kadesh, then along the brook of Egypt to the Great Sea. This will be the boundary on the south side. 20 Then the boundary on the west side will be the Great Sea to a point opposite Lebo Hamath. This will be the west side.

21 In this way you will divide this land for yourselves, for the tribes of Israel. 22 So you will distribute the inheritances for yourselves and for the foreigners in your midst, those who have given birth to children in your midst and who are, with you, like the native born people of Israel. You will cast lots for inheritances among the tribes of Israel. 23 Then it will happen that the foreigner will be with the tribe among whom he is living. You must give him an inheritance—this is the Lord Yahweh's declaration.”

48

1 These are the names of the tribes. The tribe of Dan will receive one portion of land; its boundary will run along the northern boundary of Israel by way of Hethlon and Lebo Hamath. Its boundary will go on to Hazar Enan and along the border with Damascus to the north and then on to Hamath. Dan's boundary will go from east all the way to the Great Sea. 2 Adjoining the border of Dan, from the east side to the west, Asher will have one portion. 3 Adjoining the border of Asher from the east side to the west, Naphtali will have one portion. 4 Adjoining the border of Naphtali from the east side to the west, Manasseh will have one portion. 5 Adjoining the border of Manasseh from the east side to the west, Ephraim will have one portion. 6 Adjoining the border of Ephraim from the east side to the west, Reuben will have one portion. 7 Adjoining the border of Reuben from the east side to the west, Judah will have one portion.

8 The offering of land that you will make will be along the border with Judah and extend from the east side to the west side; it will be twenty-five thousand cubits in width. Its length will correspond to one tribe's portion from the east side to the west side, and the temple will be in the middle of it. 9 This land that you will offer up to Yahweh will be twenty-five thousand cubits in length and ten thousand cubits in width. 10 These will be the assignments of this holy portion of land: The priests will have land assigned to them measuring twenty-five thousand cubits in length on the north side; ten thousand cubits in width on the west side; ten thousand cubits in width on the east side; and twenty-five thousand cubits in length on the south side, with the holy place of Yahweh in the middle of it. 11 This will be for the consecration of the priests of the line of Zadok, who have served me faithfully and who did not go astray when the people of Israel went astray, as the Levites did. 12 The offering for them will be a portion of this most holy land, extending to the border of the Levites.

13 The Levites' land along the border with the priests' land will be twenty-five thousand cubits in length and ten thousand cubits in width. The entire length of the two tracts of land will be twenty-five thousand cubits in length and twenty thousand cubits in width. 14 They must not sell it or exchange it; none of this firstfruits of the land of Israel must ever be separated from these tracts, for it all is holy to Yahweh.

15 The remaining land, five thousand cubits in width and twenty-five thousand cubits in length, will be for the collective use of the city, the houses, and the pastureland; the city will be in its midst. 16 These will be the city's measurements: The north side will be 4,500 cubits in length; the south side will be 4,500 cubits in length; the east side will be 4,500 cubits in length; and the west side will be 4,500 cubits in length. 17 There will be pasture for the city toward the north, 250 cubits deep; to the south, 250 cubits deep; to the east, 250 cubits deep, and to the west, 250 cubits deep. 18 The remaining area of the holy offering will stretch for ten thousand cubits to the east and ten thousand cubits to the west. It will stretch along the border of the holy offering, and its produce will be food for those working in the city. 19 The people who work in the city, people belong to all the tribes of Israel, will farm that land. 20 All the land offering will measure twenty-five thousand cubits by twenty-five thousand cubits. In this way you will make the holy offering of land, together with the land for the city.

21 The rest of the land on either side of the holy offering and the city area will be for the prince. The prince's tract of land to the east will extend for twenty-five thousand cubits from boundary of the holy offering to the eastern border—and his tract to the west will extend for twenty-five thousand cubits to the western border. In the middle will be the holy offering, and the holy place of the temple will be in its midst. 22 The land extending from the property of the Levites and the area of the city in its midst will be for for the prince; it will be between the border of Judah and the border of Benjamin—this land will be for the prince.

23 As for the remaining tribes, their portions will also run from the eastern side to the west side. Benjamin will receive one portion. 24 Adjoining the border of Benjamin from the east side to the west, Simeon will have one portion. 25 Adjoining the border of Simeon from the east side to the west, Issachar will have one portion. 26 Adjoining the border of Issachar from the east side to the west, Zebulun will have one portion. 27 To the south of Zebulun's boundary, running from the east side to the west side, will be the land of Gad—one portion. 28 The southern boundary of Gad will extend from Tamar to the waters of Meribah Kadesh, and farther to the brook of Egypt, and then to the Great Sea. 29 This is the land for which you will cast lots; it will be the inheritance of the tribes of Israel. These will be their portions. This is the Lord Yahweh's declaration.

30 These will be the exits from the city: On the north side, which will measure 4,500 cubits in length, 31 will be three gates, named for tribes of Israel: one gate for Reuben, one gate for Judah, and one gate for Levi. 32 On the east side, which will measure 4,500 cubits in length, will be three gates: one gate for Joseph, one gate for Benjamin, and one gate for Dan. 33 On the south side, which is 4,500 cubits in length, will be three gates: one gate for Simeon, one gate for Issachar, and one gate for Zebulun. 34 On the west side, which will measure 4,500 cubits, will be three gates: one gate for Gad, one gate for Asher, and one gate for Naphtali. 35 The distance around the city will be eighteen thousand cubits; from that day on, the city's name will be “Yahweh Is There.”

* 6:14 Instead of Diblah , some ancient copies and modern versions have Riblah .

* 7:5 Instead of Disaster! A unique disaster! some ancient copies have Disaster after disaster

* 16:6 Some modern versions leave out the second occurrence of I said to you in your blood, “Live!” .

† 16:57 Instead of Edom , some ancient copies and modern versions have Aram , that is, Syria.

* 18:10 Some ancient copies and many modern versions leave out to a brother .

* 19:7 Instead of He seized their widows , some ancient copies and many modern versions have He destroyed their fortresses .

† 19:10 Instead of in your blood , some ancient copies and many modern versions have in your vineyard .

* 22:16 Instead of you will become unclean , some ancient copies have I will give you your inheritance .

† 22:25 Instead of There is a conspiracy of her prophets within her , some ancient copies have whose princes .

* 26:20 The expression and stand in the land of the living is supplied by an ancient version. The Hebrew has I will place glory in the land of the living , which does not seem to fit the context here.

* 32:9 Instead of when I bring about your collapse among the nations , some ancient and modern versions have when I take you into captivity among the nations .

* 37:23 Some ancient and most modern versions read in this way: from all of their faithless actions . However, the Hebrew text reads from their dwelling places , which many think makes little sense in this context.

* 40:6 After one stick in depth , the Hebrew text reads in addition: one threshold one stick in depth” . Many modern versions, however, leave this expression out, because it seems to be a repetition of preceding text.

† 40:48 Instead of the walls on each side of it were three cubits in width , the Hebrew text reads the entrance was three cubits in width , but this seems to be a mistake, judging from the preceding words in this verse.

‡ 40:49 Instead of steps , some ancient and modern versions read ten steps .

§ 40:49 Instead of eleven cubits , some ancient and modern versions read twelve cubits .

* 41:1 After six cubits in width on either side , most ancient copies and some modern versions add the width of the tent .

† 41:22 Instead of Their appearance was like the appearance of the wooden altar in front of the holy place, which was , some modern versions have They all looked like each other. The wooden altar in front of the holy place was .

* 42:4 Some ancient versions and many modern versions read one hundred cubits . Ancient Hebrew copies and some modern versions read one cubit .

† 42:10 Hebrew and some modern versions read on the eastern side . However, some ancient copies and most modern versions read on the southern side .

‡ 42:16 Instead of five hundred cubits , which some ancient and most modern versions read, Hebrew reads five hundred measuring sticks , which seems to be an error.

§ 42:17 Instead of five hundred cubits, which some ancient and most modern versions read, Hebrew reads five hundred measuring sticks , which seems to be an error.

* 42:18 Instead of five hundred cubits , which some ancient and most modern versions read, Hebrew reads five hundred measuring sticks , which seems to be an error.

† 42:19 Instead of five hundred cubits , which some ancient and most modern versions read, Hebrew reads five hundred measuring sticks , which seems to be an error.

* 43:3 Instead of when he had come, which some Hebrew copies and some ancient and many modern versions read, the Hebrew reads when I came .

* 45:1 Instead of ten thousand , which the Hebrew text and some modern versions have, some ancient copies and many modern versions have twenty thousand .

* 46:22 The Hebrew word translated here as small is unclear. It is translated in this way by some ancient and some modern versions. However, other modern versions translate it differently.

* 47:15 The Hebrew text reads by way of Hethlon, and then to Zedad , but some modern versions imitate 48:1 and add Lebo Hamath .

† 47:18 The Hebrew text reads You will measure from the border to the eastern sea . However, some ancient and modern versions read to the eastern sea as far as Tamar .

Daniel

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Daniel

1

1 In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylonia came to Jerusalem and surrounded the city to cut off all supplies to it. 2 The Lord gave Nebuchadnezzar victory over Jehoiakim king of Judah, and he gave him some of the sacred objects from the house of God. He brought them into the land of Babylonia, to the house of his god, and he placed the sacred objects in his god's treasury. 3 The king spoke to Ashpenaz, his chief official, to bring in some of the people of Israel, both of the royal family and of the nobility— 4 young men without blemish, attractive in appearance, skillful in all wisdom, filled with knowledge and understanding, and qualified to serve in the king's palace. He was to teach them the Babylonians' literature and language. 5 The king counted out for them a daily portion of his delicacies and some of the wine that he drank. These young men were to be trained for three years, and after that, they would serve the king. 6 Among these were Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, some of the people of Judah. 7 The chief official gave them names: Daniel he called Belteshazzar, Hananiah he called Shadrach, Mishael he called Meshach, and Azariah he called Abednego.

8 But Daniel intended in his mind that he would not pollute himself with the king's delicacies or with the wine that he drank. So he asked permission from the chief official that he might not pollute himself. 9 Now God gave Daniel favor and compassion through the respect that the chief official had for him. 10 The chief official said to Daniel, “I am afraid of my master the king. He has commanded what food and drink you should have. Why should he see you looking worse than the other young men of your own age? The king might have my head because of you.” 11 Then Daniel spoke to the steward whom the chief official had assigned over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. 12 He said, “Please test us, your servants, for ten days. Give us only some vegetables to eat and water to drink. 13 Then compare our appearance with the appearance of the young men who eat the king's delicacies, and treat us, your servants, based on what you see.”

14 So the steward agreed with him to do this, and he tested them for ten days. 15 At the end of ten days their appearance was more healthy, and they were better nourished, than all the young men who ate the king's delicacies. 16 So the steward took away their delicacies and their wine and gave them only vegetables.

17 As for these four young men, God gave them knowledge and insight in all literature and wisdom, and Daniel could understand all kinds of visions and dreams. 18 At the end of the time set by the king to bring them in, the chief official brought them in before Nebuchadnezzar. 19 The king spoke with them, and among the whole group there were none to compare with Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. They stood before the king, ready to serve him. 20 In every question of wisdom and understanding that the king asked them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and those who claimed to speak with the dead, who were in his entire kingdom. 21 Daniel was there until the first year of King Cyrus.

2

1 In the second year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar, he had dreams. His mind was troubled, and he could not sleep. 2 Then the king summoned the magicians and those who claimed to speak with the dead. He also called the sorcerers and wise men. He wanted them to tell him about his dreams. So they came in and stood before the king. 3 The king said to them, “I have had a dream, and my mind is anxious to know what the dream means.” 4 Then the wise men spoke to the king in Aramaic, “King, live forever! Tell the dream to us, your servants, and we will reveal the meaning.” 5 The king replied to the wise men, “This matter has been settled. If you do not reveal the dream to me and interpret it, your bodies will be torn apart and your houses made into rubbish heaps. 6 But if you will tell me the dream and its meaning, you will receive gifts from me, a reward, and great honor. So tell to me the dream and its meaning.” 7 They replied again and said, “Let the king tell us, his servants, the dream and we will tell you its meaning.” 8 The king answered, “I know for certain that you want more time because you see how firm my decision is about this. 9 But if you do not tell me the dream, there is only one sentence for you. You have decided to prepare false and deceptive words that you agreed together to say to me until I change my mind. So then, tell me the dream, and then I will know you can interpret it for me.” 10 The wise men replied to the king, “There is not a man on earth able to meet the king's demand. There is no great and powerful king who has demanded such a thing from any magician, or from anyone who claims to speak with the dead, or from a wise man. 11 What the king demands is difficult, and there is no one who can tell it to the king except the gods, and they do not live among humans.” 12 This made the king angry and very furious, and he gave an order to destroy all those in Babylon who were known for their wisdom. 13 So the decree went out that all those who were known for their wisdom were to be put to death. Because of this decree, they searched for Daniel and his friends so they could be put to death.

14 Then Daniel replied with prudence and discretion to Arioch the commander of the king's bodyguard, who had come to kill all those in Babylon who were known for their wisdom. 15 Daniel asked the king's commander, “Why is the king's decree so urgent?” So Arioch told Daniel what had happened. 16 Then Daniel went in and requested an appointment with the king so that he could present the interpretation to the king.

17 Then Daniel went to his house and explained to Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, what had happened. 18 He urged them to seek mercy from the God of heaven concerning this mystery so that he and they might not be killed with the rest of the men of Babylon who were known for their wisdom. 19 That night the mystery was revealed to Daniel in a vision. Then Daniel praised the God of heaven 20 and said,

“Praise the name of God forever and ever;

for wisdom and power belong to him.

21 He changes the times

and seasons;

he removes kings

and places kings on their thrones.

He gives wisdom to the wise

and knowledge to those who have understanding.

22 He reveals the deep and hidden things

because he knows what is in the darkness,

and the light lives with him.

23 God of my ancestors, I thank you and praise you

for the wisdom and power you gave to me.

Now you have made known to me what we asked of you,

you have made known to us the matter that concerns the king.”

24 Then Daniel went in to see Arioch (the one the king appointed to kill everyone who was wise in Babylon). He went and said to him, “Do not kill the wise men in Babylon. Take me to the king and I will show the king the interpretation of his dream.”

25 Then Arioch quickly brought in Daniel before the king and said, “I have found among the exiles of Judah a man who will reveal the meaning of the king's dream.” 26 The king said to Daniel (who was called Belteshazzar), “Are you able to tell me the dream that I saw and its meaning?” 27 Daniel answered the king and said, “The mystery that the king has asked about cannot be revealed by those who have wisdom, nor by those who claim to speak with the dead, nor by magicians, and not by astrologers. 28 Nevertheless, there is a God who lives in the heavens, who reveals mysteries, and he has made known to you, King Nebuchadnezzar, what will happen in the days to come. These were your dream and the visions of your mind as you lay on your bed. 29 As for you, king, your thoughts on your bed were about things to come, and the one who reveals mysteries has made known to you what is about to happen. 30 As for me, this mystery was not revealed to me because of any wisdom that I have more than any other living person. This mystery was revealed to me so that you, king, may understand the meaning, and so that you may know the thoughts deep within you.

31 King, you looked up and you saw a large statue. This statue, which was very powerful and bright, stood before you. Its brightness was terrifying. 32 The head of the statue was made of fine gold. Its breast and arms were of silver. Its middle and its thighs were made of bronze, 33 and its legs were made of iron. Its feet were made partly of iron and partly of clay. 34 You looked up, and a stone was cut out, although not by human hands, and it struck the statue on its feet of iron and clay, and it shattered them. 35 Then the iron, clay, bronze, silver, and gold at the same time were broken into pieces and became like the chaff of the threshing floors in the summer. The wind carried them away and there was no trace of them left. But the stone that struck the statue became a great mountain and filled the whole earth.

36 This was your dream. Now we will tell the king the meaning. 37 You, king, are king of the kings to whom the God of heaven has given the kingdom, the power, the strength, and the honor. 38 He has given into your hand the place where the human beings live. He has given over the animals of the fields and the birds of the heavens into your hand, and he has made you rule over them all. You are the statue's head of gold. 39 After you, another kingdom will arise that is inferior to you, and yet a third kingdom of bronze will rule over all the earth. 40 There will be a fourth kingdom, strong as iron, because iron breaks other things into pieces and shatters everything. It will shatter all these things and crush them. 41 Just as you saw, the feet and toes were partly made of baked clay and partly made of iron, so it will be a divided kingdom; some of the strength of iron will be in it, just as you saw iron mixed with the soft clay. 42 As the toes of the feet were partly made of iron and partly made of clay, so the kingdom will be partly strong and partly brittle. 43 As you saw the iron mixed with soft clay, so the people will be a mixture; they will not stay together, just as iron does not mix with clay. 44 In the days of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed, nor will it be conquered by another people. It will break the other kingdoms into pieces and put an end to all of them, and it will remain forever. 45 Just as you saw, a stone was cut out of the mountain, but not by human hands. It broke the iron, bronze, clay, silver, and gold into pieces. The great God has made known to you, king, what will happen after this. The dream is true and this interpretation is reliable.”

46 King Nebuchadnezzar fell on his face before Daniel and honored him; he commanded that an offering be made and that incense be offered up to him. 47 The king said to Daniel, “Truly your God is the God of gods, the Lord of kings, and the one who reveals mysteries, for you have been able to reveal this mystery.” 48 Then the king made Daniel highly honored and gave him many wonderful gifts. He made him ruler over the whole province of Babylon. Daniel became chief governor over the wisest men of Babylon. 49 Daniel made a request of the king, and the king appointed Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego to be administrators over the province of Babylon. But Daniel remained at the king's court.

3

1 King Nebuchadnezzar made a gold statue that was sixty cubits tall and six cubits wide. He set it up in the Plain of Dura in the province of Babylon. 2 Then Nebuchadnezzar sent messages out to gather together the provincial governors, regional governors, and local governors, together with the counselors, treasurers, judges, magistrates, and all the high officials of the provinces to come to the dedication of the statue that he had set up. 3 Then the provincial governors, regional governors, and local governors, together with the counselors, treasurers, judges, magistrates, and all the high officials of the provinces gathered together to the dedication of the statue that Nebuchadnezzar had set up. They stood before it. 4 Then a herald loudly shouted, “You are commanded, peoples, nations, and languages, 5 that at the time you hear the sound of the horns, flutes, zithers, lyres, harps, and pipes, and all kinds of music, you must fall down and prostrate yourselves to the golden statue that King Nebuchadnezzar has set up. 6 Whoever does not fall down and worship, at that very moment, will be thrown into a blazing furnace.” 7 So when all the peoples heard the sounds of the horns, flutes, zithers, lyres, harps, and pipes, and all kinds of music, all the peoples, nations, and languages fell down and prostrated themselves to the golden statue that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up.

8 Now at this time certain Chaldeans came and brought accusations against the Jews. 9 They said to Nebuchadnezzar the king, “King, live forever! 10 You, king, have made a decree that every person who hears the sounds of the horns, flutes, zithers, lyres, harps, and pipes, and all kinds of music, must fall down and prostrate himself to the golden statue. 11 Whoever does not fall down and worship must be thrown into a blazing furnace. 12 Now there are certain Jews whom you have appointed over the affairs of the province of Babylon; their names are Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. These men, king, pay no attention to you. They will not worship or serve your gods, or prostrate themselves before the golden statue you have set up.”

13 Then Nebuchadnezzar, filled with anger and rage, commanded that Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego be brought to him. So they brought these men before the king. 14 Nebuchadnezzar said to them, “Have you made your minds up, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, that you will not worship my gods or prostrate yourselves to the golden statue that I have set up? 15 Now if you are ready—when you hear the sounds of the horns, flutes, zithers, lyres, harps, and pipes, and all kinds of music—to fall down and prostrate yourselves to the statue that I have made, all will be well. But if you do not worship, you will immediately be thrown into a blazing furnace. Who is the god who is able to rescue you out of my hands?” 16 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered the king, “Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. 17 If there is an answer, it is that our God whom we serve is able to keep us safe from the blazing furnace, and he will rescue us out of your hand, king. 18 But if not, let it be known to you, king, that we will not worship your gods, and we will not prostrate ourselves to the golden statue you set up.”

19 Then Nebuchadnezzar was filled with rage; the look on his face changed against Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. He commanded that the furnace should be heated seven times hotter than it was normally heated. 20 Then he commanded some very strong men in his army to tie up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego and to throw them into the blazing furnace. 21 They were tied up still wearing their robes, tunics, turbans, and other clothing, and they were thrown into the blazing furnace. 22 Because the king's command was strictly followed and the furnace was very hot, the flames killed the men who took up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. 23 These three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, fell into the blazing furnace while they were tied up.

24 Then Nebuchadnezzar the king was amazed and stood up quickly. He asked his advisors, “Did we not throw three men tied up into the fire?” They replied to the king, “Certainly, king.” 25 He said, “But I see four men who are not tied up walking around in the fire, and they are not hurt. The brilliance of the fourth is like a son of the gods.” 26 Then Nebuchadnezzar came near the door of the blazing furnace and called out, “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, servants of God Most High, come out! Come here!” Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego came out of the fire. 27 The provincial governors, regional governors, other governors, and the king's counselors who had gathered together saw these men. The fire had not hurt their bodies; the hair on their heads was not singed; their robes were not harmed; and there was no smell of fire on them.

28 Nebuchadnezzar said, “Let us praise the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who has sent his messenger and given his message to his servants. They trusted in him when they set aside my command, and they gave up their bodies rather than worship or prostrate themselves to any god except their God. 29 Therefore I make a decree that any people, nation, or language that speaks anything against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego must be torn apart, and that their houses must be made into rubbish heaps because there is no other god who is able to save like this.” 30 Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the province of Babylon.

4

1 King Nebuchadnezzar sent this decree to all peoples, nations, and languages who lived on the earth: May your peace increase. 2 It has seemed good to me to tell you about the signs and wonders that the Most High has done for me.

3 How great are his signs,

and how mighty are his wonders!

His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,

and his dominion lasts from generation to generation.”

4 I, Nebuchadnezzar, was living happily in my house, and I was enjoying prosperity in my palace. 5 But a dream I had made me afraid. As I lay there, the images I saw and the visions in my mind troubled me. 6 So I gave a decree to bring before me all the men of Babylon who had wisdom so they could interpret the dream for me. 7 Then came the magicians, those who claimed to speak with the dead, the wise men, and the astrologers. I told them the dream, but they could not interpret it for me. 8 But at last Daniel came in—the one who is named Belteshazzar after the name of my god, and in whom is the spirit of the holy gods—and I told him the dream. 9 “Belteshazzar, chief of the magicians, I know that the spirit of the holy gods is in you and that no mystery is too difficult for you. Tell me what I saw in my dream and what it means. 10 These were the sights that I saw in my mind as I lay upon my bed: I looked, and there was a tree in the middle of the earth, and its height was very great. 11 The tree grew and became strong. Its top reached to the heavens, and it could be seen to the ends of the whole earth. 12 Its leaves were beautiful, its fruit was abundant, and on it was food for all. The wild animals found shade under it, and the birds of the heavens lived in its branches. All living creatures were fed from it. 13 I saw in my mind as I lay on my bed, and a holy messenger came down from the heavens. 14 He shouted and said, 'Chop down the tree and cut off its branches, strip off its leaves, and scatter its fruit. Let the animals flee from under it and the birds fly away from its branches. 15 Leave the stump of its roots in the earth, bound with a band of iron and bronze, in the middle of the tender grass of the field. Let it be wet with the dew from the heavens. Let it live with the animals among the plants on the ground. 16 Let his mind be changed from a man's mind, and let an animal's mind be given to him until seven years pass by. 17 This decision is by the decree reported by the messenger. It is a decision made by the holy ones so that those who are alive may know that the Most High rules over the kingdoms of people and gives them to anyone he wishes to place over them, even to the most humble men.' 18 I, King Nebuchadnezzar, had this dream. Now you, Belteshazzar, tell me the interpretation, because none of the men with wisdom in my kingdom can interpret it for me. But you are able to do so, because the spirit of the holy gods is in you.”

19 Then Daniel, who was also named Belteshazzar, was greatly upset for a while, and his thoughts alarmed him. The king said, “Belteshazzar, do not let the dream or its interpretation alarm you.” Belteshazzar replied, “My master, may the dream be for those who hate you; may its interpretation be for your enemies. 20 The tree that you saw—which grew and became strong, and whose top reached up to the heavens, and which could be seen to the ends of the whole earth— 21 whose leaves were beautiful, and whose fruit was abundant, so that in it was food for all, and under it the animals of the field found shade, and in which the birds of the heavens lived— 22 this tree is you, king, you who have grown so strong. Your greatness has grown and reaches to the heavens, and your authority reaches to the ends of the earth. 23 You, king, saw a holy messenger coming down from heaven and saying, 'Chop down the tree and destroy it, but leave the stump of its roots in the earth, bound with a band of iron and bronze, in the middle of the tender grass of the field. Let it be wet with the dew from the heavens. Let it live with the wild animals in the fields until seven years pass by.' 24 This is the interpretation, king. It is a decree of the Most High that has reached you, my master the king. 25 You will be driven from among men, and you will live with the wild animals in the fields. You will be made to eat grass like an ox, and you will be wet with the dew from the heavens, and seven years will pass by until you acknowledge that the Most High rules over the kingdoms of people and that he gives them to anyone he wishes. 26 As it was commanded to leave the stump of the roots of the tree, in this way your kingdom will be returned to you from the time you learn that heaven rules. 27 Therefore, king, let my advice be acceptable to you. Stop sinning and do what is right. Turn away from your iniquities by showing mercy to the oppressed, and it may be that your prosperity will be extended.”

28-29 All these things happened to King Nebuchadnezzar. Twelve months later he was walking on the roof of the royal palace in Babylon, 30 and he said, “Is this not the great Babylon, which I have built for my royal residence, for the glory of my majesty?” 31 While the words were still on the lips of the king, a voice came from heaven: “King Nebuchadnezzar, it is announced to you that this kingdom has been taken away from you. 32 You will be driven away from people, and your home will be with the wild animals in the fields. You will be made to eat grass like an ox. Seven years will pass until you acknowledge that the Most High rules over the kingdoms of people and he gives them to anyone he wishes.” 33 This decree against Nebuchadnezzar was carried out immediately. He was driven away from people. He ate grass like an ox, and his body was wet with the dew from the heavens. His hair grew as long as eagles' feathers, and his nails became like birds' claws.

34 At the end of the days I, Nebuchadnezzar, raised my eyes toward heaven, and my sanity was given back to me.

“I praised the Most High,

and I honored and glorified the one who lives forever.

For his reign is an everlasting reign,

and his kingdom endures from all generations to all generations.

35 All the earth's inhabitants are considered by him to be as nothing;

he does among the army of heaven and the inhabitants of the earth

whatever suits his will.

No one can stop him or challenge him. No one can say to him, 'Why have you done this?'”

36 At the same time that my sanity returned to me, my majesty and splendor returned to me for the glory of my kingdom. My counselors and my noblemen sought my favor. I was brought back to my throne, and even more greatness was given to me. 37 Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise, extol, and honor the King of heaven, for all his deeds are right, and his ways are just. He can humble those who walk in their own pride.

5

1 Belshazzar the king made a great feast for a thousand of his noblemen, and he drank wine in front of all one thousand of them. 2 While Belshazzar tasted the wine, he gave orders to bring the containers made of gold or silver that Nebuchadnezzar his father had taken out of the temple in Jerusalem, from which he, his noblemen, and his wives and concubines could drink. 3 The servants brought the gold containers that had been taken out of the temple, the house of God, in Jerusalem. The king, his noblemen, and his wives and concubines drank from them. 4 They drank the wine and praised their idols made of gold and silver, bronze, iron, wood, and stone.

5 At that moment the fingers of a human hand appeared in front of the lampstand and wrote on the plaster wall in the king's palace. The king could see part of the hand as it wrote. 6 Then the king's face changed and his thoughts frightened him; his limbs could not support him, and his knees were knocking together. 7 The king shouted a command to bring in those who claimed to speak with the dead, wise men, and astrologers. The king said to those known for their wisdom in Babylon, “Whoever explains this writing and its meaning will be clothed with purple and will have a gold chain around his neck. He will have the authority of the third highest ruler in the kingdom.” 8 Then all the king's men who were known for their wisdom came in, but they could not read the writing or explain its meaning to the king. 9 Then King Belshazzar was greatly alarmed and the look on his face changed. His noblemen were perplexed.

10 Now the queen came into the banquet house because of what the king and his nobles had said. The queen said, “King, live forever! Do not let your thoughts trouble you. Do not let the look on your face change. 11 There is a man in your kingdom who has the spirit of the holy gods. In the days of your father, light and understanding and wisdom like the wisdom of the gods was found in him. King Nebuchadnezzar, your father the king, made him chief of the magicians, as well as chief of those who speak with the dead, of the wise men, and of the astrologers. 12 An excellent spirit, knowledge, understanding, interpreting of dreams, explaining riddles and solving problems—these qualities were found in this man Daniel, whom the king named Belteshazzar. Now call for Daniel and he will tell you the meaning of what has been written.”

13 Then Daniel was brought before the king. The king said to him, “You are that Daniel, one of the people of the exiles of Judah, whom my father the king brought out of Judah. 14 I have heard about you, that the spirit of the gods is in you, and that light and understanding and excellent wisdom are found in you. 15 Now the men known for wisdom and those who claim to speak with the dead have been brought in before me to read this writing and make known to me its interpretation, but they could not make known the interpretation of it. 16 I have heard that you can give interpretations and solve problems. Now if you can read the writing and tell me its meaning, you will be clothed with purple and have a gold chain placed around your neck, and you will have the authority of the third highest ruler in the kingdom.”

17 Then Daniel answered before the king, “Let your gifts be for yourself, and give your rewards to another person. Nevertheless, I will read the writing to you, king, and will tell you the meaning. 18 As for you, king, the Most High God gave Nebuchadnezzar your father the kingdom, greatness, honor, and majesty. 19 Because of the greatness God gave him, all peoples, nations, and languages trembled and feared him. He put to death those he wanted to die, and he kept alive those he wished to live. He raised up those he wanted, and he humbled those he wished. 20 But when his heart was arrogant and his spirit was hardened so that he acted presumptuously, he was brought down from his kingly throne, and they took away his majesty. 21 He was driven away from humanity, he had the mind of an animal, and he lived with the wild donkeys. He ate grass like an ox. His body was wet with the dew from the heavens until he learned that the Most High God rules over the kingdoms of people and that he sets over them anyone he wishes. 22 You his son, Belshazzar, have not humbled your heart, even though you knew all this. 23 You have lifted yourself up against the Lord of heaven. From his house they brought you the containers that you, your nobles, your wives and your concubines drank wine from, and you praised the idols made of silver and gold, bronze, iron, wood, and stone—idols that do not see, hear, or know anything. You have not honored the God who holds your breath in his hand and who knows all your ways. 24 Then God sent out a hand from his presence and this writing was done.

25 This is the writing that was done: 'Mene, Mene, Tekel, and Pharsin.' 26 This is its meaning: 'Mene,' 'God has numbered your kingdom and brought it to an end.' 27 'Tekel,' 'you are weighed in the scales and are found lacking.' 28 'Peres,' 'your kingdom is divided and is given to the Medes and Persians.'”

29 Then Belshazzar gave a command, and they clothed Daniel with purple. A chain of gold was put around his neck, and the king made a proclamation about him that he would have the authority of the third highest ruler in the kingdom. 30 That night Belshazzar, the Babylonian king, was killed, 31 and Darius the Mede received the kingdom when he was about sixty-two years old.

6

1 It pleased Darius to appoint over the kingdom 120 provincial governors who would rule over all the kingdom. 2 Over them there were three chief administrators, and Daniel was one of them. These chief administrators were appointed so that they might supervise the provincial governors, so that the king should suffer no loss. 3 Daniel was distinguished above the other chief administrators and the provincial governors because he had an extraordinary spirit. The king was planning to put him over the whole kingdom.

4 Then the other chief administrators and the provincial governors looked for mistakes in the work Daniel did for the kingdom, but they could find no corruption or failure in his duty because he was faithful. No mistakes or negligence was found in him. 5 Then these men said, “We cannot find any reason to complain against this Daniel unless we find something against him regarding the law of his God.” 6 Then these administrators and governors brought a plan before the king. They said to him, “King Darius, may you live forever! 7 All the chief administrators of the kingdom, the regional governors, and the provincial governors, the advisors, and the governors have consulted together and decided that you, the king, should issue a decree and should enforce it, so that whoever makes a petition to any god or man for thirty days, except to you, king, that person must be thrown into the den of lions. 8 Now, King, issue a decree and sign the document so that it may not be changed, as directed by the laws of the Medes and Persians, so it cannot be repealed.” 9 So king Darius signed the document making the decree into a law.

10 When Daniel learned that the document had been signed into law, he went into his house (now his windows were open in his upper room toward Jerusalem), and he got down on his knees, as he did three times a day, and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as he had done before. 11 Then these men who had formed the plot together saw Daniel make requests and seek help from God. 12 Then they approached the king and spoke with him about his decree: “Did you not make a decree that everyone who makes a petition to any god or human being during the next thirty days, except to you, king, must be throw into the den of lions?” The king answered, “The matter is settled, as directed by the law of the Medes and Persians; it cannot be repealed.” 13 Then they replied to the king, “That person Daniel, who is one of the people of the exile from Judah, pays no attention to you, king, or to the decree that you have signed. He prays to his God three times a day.” 14 When the king heard this, he was terribly distressed, and he applied his mind to rescue Daniel from this ruling. He labored until sunset to try to save Daniel. 15 Then these men who had formed the plot gathered together with the king and said to him, “Know, king, that it is a law of the Medes and Persians, that no decree or statute that the king issues can be changed.”

16 Then the king gave an order, and they brought in Daniel, and they threw him into the lions' den. The king said to Daniel, “May your God, whom you serve continually, rescue you.” 17 A stone was brought over the entrance to the den, and the king sealed it with his own signet ring and with the signet rings of his nobles so that nothing might be changed concerning Daniel. 18 Then the king went to his palace and he went through the night fasting. No entertainment was brought before him, and sleep fled from him.

19 Then at daybreak the king got up and he quickly went to the lions' den. 20 As he came near to the den, he called out to Daniel in a sad voice, saying to Daniel, “Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God, whom you serve continually, been able to save you from the lions?” 21 Then said Daniel to the king, “King, live forever! 22 My God has sent his messenger and has shut the lions' mouths, and they have not hurt me. For I was found blameless before him and also before you, king, and I have done you no harm.” 23 Then the king was very happy. He gave an order that they should take Daniel up out of the den. So Daniel was lifted up out of the den. No harm was found on him, because he had trusted in his God.

24 The king gave an order, and they brought those men who had accused Daniel and threw them into the den of lions—they, their children, and their wives. Before they reached the floor, the lions overpowered them and broke all their bones to pieces. 25 Then King Darius wrote to all the peoples, nations, and languages that live in all the earth:

“May peace increase for you. 26 I hereby make a decree that in all the dominion of my kingdom men tremble and fear before the God of Daniel,

for he is the living God and lives forever,

and his kingdom shall not be destroyed;

his dominion shall be to the end.

27 He makes us safe and rescues us,

and he does signs and wonders

in heaven and in earth;

he has kept Daniel safe from the strength of the lions.” 28 So Daniel prospered during the reign of Darius and during the reign of Cyrus the Persian.

7

1 In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylonia, Daniel had a dream and visions in his mind while lying on his bed. Then he wrote down what he had seen in the dream. He wrote down the most important events: 2 Daniel explained, “In my vision at night I saw that the four winds of heaven were stirring up the great sea. 3 Four large animals, each one different from the other, came up out of the sea. 4 The first was like a lion but had eagle's wings. As I was looking, its wings were torn off and it was lifted from the ground and made to stand on two feet, like a man. The mind of a man was given to it. 5 Then there was a second animal, like a bear, and it was bending over; it had three ribs between its teeth in its mouth. It was told, 'Get up and devour many people.' 6 After this I looked again. There was another animal, one that looked like a leopard. On its back it had four wings like bird wings, and it had four heads. It was given authority to rule. 7 After this I saw in the visions of the night a fourth animal, terrifying, frightening, and very strong. It had large iron teeth; it devoured, broke in pieces, and trampled underfoot what was left. It was different from the other animals, and it had ten horns. 8 While I was considering the horns, I looked and saw another horn grow up among them, a little horn. Three of the first horns were wrenched out by the roots. I saw in this horn eyes like the eyes of a man and a mouth that was boasting about great things.

9 As I looked,

thrones were set in place,

and the Ancient of Days took his seat.

His clothing was as white as snow,

and the hair of his head was like pure wool.

His throne was flames of fire,

and its wheels were burning fire. 10 A river of fire flowed out from before him;

millions served him,

and one hundred million were standing before him.

The court was in session,

and the books were opened. 11 I continued to look because of the boastful words spoken by the horn. I watched while the animal was killed, and its body was destroyed, and it was given over to be burned up. 12 As for the rest of the four animals, their authority to rule was taken away, but their lives were prolonged for a period of time.

13 In my visions that night,

I saw one coming with the clouds of heaven like a son of man;

he came to the Ancient of Days

and was presented before him.

14 Authority to rule and glory and royal power were given to him

so that all the peoples, nations, and languages should serve him.

His authority to rule is an everlasting authority that will not pass away,

and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.

15 As for me, Daniel, my spirit was grieved inside of me, and the visions I saw in my mind troubled me. 16 I approached one of them standing there and asked him to show me the meaning of these things. 17 'These large animals, four in number, are four kings that will arise from the earth. 18 But the holy people of the Most High will receive the kingdom, and they will possess it forever and ever.' 19 Then I wanted to know more about the fourth animal—it was so different from the others and very horrifying with its iron teeth and bronze claws; it devoured, broke into pieces, and trampled on what was left with its feet. 20 I wanted to know about the ten horns on its head, and about the other horn that grew up, and before which the three horns fell down. I wanted to know about the horn that had eyes and about the mouth that boasted about great things and that seemed greater than its companions. 21 As I looked, this horn waged war against the holy people and was defeating them 22 until the Ancient of Days came, and justice was given to the holy people of the Most High. Then the time came when the holy people received the kingdom.

23 This is what that person said, 'As for the fourth animal,

it will be a fourth kingdom on earth

that will be different from all the other kingdoms.

It will devour the whole earth,

and it will trample it down

and break it into pieces.

24 As for the ten horns,

out of this kingdom ten kings will arise,

and another will arise after them.

He will be different from the previous ones,

and he will conquer the three kings. 25 He will speak words against the Most High

and will oppress the holy people of the Most High God.

He will try to change the festivals and the law.

These things will be given into his hand

for one year, two years, and half a year.

26 But the court will be in session,

and they will take his royal power away

to be consumed and destroyed at the end. 27 The kingdom and the dominion,

and the greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven,

will be given to the people

who belong to the holy people of the Most High.

His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,

and all other kingdoms will serve and obey him.'

28 Here is the end of the matter. As for me, Daniel, my thoughts greatly alarmed me and my face changed in appearance. But I kept these things to myself.”

8

1 In the third year of the reign of King Belshazzar, I, Daniel, had a vision appear to me (after the one that appeared to me at first). 2 I saw in the vision, as I was looking, that I was in the fortress of Susa in the province of Elam. I saw in the vision that I was beside the Ulai Canal. 3 I looked up and saw before me a ram with two horns, standing beside the canal. One horn was longer than the other, but the longer one grew more slowly than the shorter and was passed up in length by it. 4 I saw the ram charging west, then north, and then south; no other animal could stand before him. None of them was able to rescue anyone out of his hand. He did whatever he wanted, and he became great.

5 As I was thinking about this, I saw a male goat come from the west, who went across the surface of the whole earth, running fast, not seeming to touch the ground. The goat had a large horn between his eyes. 6 He came to the ram who had two horns—I had seen the ram standing on the bank of the canal—and the goat ran toward the ram in a powerful rage. 7 I saw the goat come close to the ram. He was very angry at the ram, and he hit the ram and broke off its two horns. The ram was powerless to stand before him. The goat knocked him down to the ground and trampled on him. There was no one who could rescue the ram from his power. 8 Then the goat became very large. But when he became strong, the large horn was broken, and in its place four other large horns grew up that pointed toward the four winds of the heavens.

9 Out of one of them grew another horn, little at first, but which became very large in the south, in the east, and in the land of beauty. 10 It became so large as to engage in war with the army of heaven. Some of that army and some of the stars were thrown down to the earth, and it trampled on them. 11 It made itself to be as great as the commander of the army. It took away from him the regular burnt offering, and the place of his sanctuary was polluted. 12 Because of rebellion, the army will be given over to the goat's horn, and the burnt offering will be stopped. The horn will throw truth down to the ground, and it will succeed in what it does. 13 Then I heard a holy one speaking and another holy one answering him, “How long will these things last, this vision about the burnt offering, the sin that brings destruction, the handing over of the sanctuary, and heaven's army being trampled on?” 14 He said to me, “It will last for 2,300 evenings and mornings. After that the sanctuary will be put right.”

15 When I, Daniel, had seen the vision, I tried to understand it. Then there stood before me one who looked like a man. 16 I heard a man's voice calling between the banks of the Ulai Canal. He said, “Gabriel, help this man understand the vision.” 17 So he came near where I stood. When he came, I was frightened and prostrated myself on the ground. He said to me, “Understand, son of man, that the vision is for the time of the end.” 18 When he spoke to me, I fell into a deep sleep with my face to the ground. Then he touched me and made me stand up. 19 He said, “See, I will show you what will happen later in the time of wrath, because the vision concerns the appointed time for the end. 20 As for the ram you saw, the one that had two horns—they are the kings of Media and Persia. 21 The male goat is the king of Greece. The large horn between his eyes is the first king. 22 As for the horn that was broken, in the place of which four others arose—four kingdoms will arise from his nation, but not with his great power. 23 At the latter time of those kingdoms, when the transgressors shall have reached their limit, a grim-faced king, one who is very intelligent, will arise. 24 His power will be great—but not by his own power. He will be amazing in what he destroys; he will act and succeed. He will destroy powerful people, people among the holy ones. 25 By his craftiness he will make deceit prosper under his hand. He will become great in his own mind. He will unexpectedly destroy many people. He will even rise up against the King of kings, and he will be broken, but not by any human hand. 26 The vision about the evenings and mornings that has been told is true. But seal up the vision, for it refers to many days in the future.” 27 Then I, Daniel, was overcome and lay weak for several days. Then I got up, and went about the king's business. But I was appalled by the vision, and there was no one who understood it.

9

1 Darius was the son of Ahasuerus, a descendant of the Medes. It was Ahasuerus who had been made king over the realm of the Babylonians. 2 Now in the first year of Darius' reign I, Daniel, was studying the books containing Yahweh's word, the word that had come to Jeremiah the prophet. I observed that there would be seventy years until Jerusalem's abandonment would end.

3 I turned my face to the Lord God, to seek him with prayer and requests, with fasting, wearing sackcloth, and sitting in ashes. 4 I prayed to Yahweh my God, and I made confession of our sins. I said, “Please, Lord—you are the great and awesome God—you are the one who keeps the covenant and is faithful to love those who love you and keep your commandments. 5 We have sinned and have done what is wrong. We have acted wickedly and we have rebelled, turning aside from your commands and decrees. 6 We have not listened to your servants the prophets who spoke in your name to our kings, our leaders, our ancestors, and to all the people of the land. 7 To you, Lord, belongs righteousness. To us today, however, belongs shame on our faces—for the people of Judah and those who live in Jerusalem, and to all Israel. This includes those who are near and those who are far away in all the lands where you scattered them. This is because of the great treachery that we committed against you. 8 To us, Yahweh, belongs shame on our faces—to our kings, to our leaders, and to our ancestors—because we have sinned against you. 9 To the Lord our God belong compassion and forgiveness, for we have rebelled against him. 10 We have not obeyed the voice of Yahweh our God by walking in his laws he gave us through his servants the prophets. 11 All Israel has transgressed your law and turned aside, refusing to obey your voice. The curse and oath that are written in the law of Moses, the servant of God, have been poured out on us, for we have sinned against him. 12 Yahweh has confirmed the words that he spoke against us and against our rulers over us, by bringing on us a great disaster. For under the whole of heaven there has not been done anything that could compare with what has been done to Jerusalem. 13 As it is written in the law of Moses, all this disaster has come on us, yet we have not begged for mercy from Yahweh our God by turning away from our iniquities and paying attention to your truth. 14 Therefore Yahweh has kept the disaster ready and has brought it on us, for Yahweh our God is righteous in all the deeds he does, yet we have not obeyed his voice. 15 Now, Lord our God, you brought out your people from the land of Egypt with a mighty hand, and you have made a famous name for yourself, as in this present day. But still we sinned; we have done wicked things. 16 Lord, because of all your righteous deeds, let your anger and your wrath turn away from your city Jerusalem, your holy mountain. Because of our sins, and because of the iniquities of our ancestors, Jerusalem and your people have become an object of scorn to all those around us. 17 Now, our God, listen to the prayer of your servant and to his pleas for mercy; for your sake, Lord, make your face shine on your sanctuary that is desolate. 18 My God, open your ears and listen; open your eyes and see. We have been devastated; look at the city that is called by your name. We do not beg for your help because of our righteousness, but because of your great mercy. 19 Lord, listen! Lord, forgive! Lord, pay attention and take action! For your own sake, do not delay, my God, for your city and your people are called by your name.”

20 While I was speaking—praying and confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel, and presenting my requests before Yahweh my God on behalf of God's holy mountain— 21 while I was praying, the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision at the first, flew down to me in rapid flight, at the time of the evening sacrifice. 22 He gave me understanding and said to me, “Daniel, I have now come out to give you insight and understanding. 23 When you began pleading for mercy, the order was given and I have come to tell you the answer, for you are greatly loved. Therefore consider this word and understand the revelation.

24 Seventy sevens are decreed for your people and your holy city to end the guilt and put an end to sin, to atone for wickedness, to bring everlasting righteousness, to carry out the vision and the prophecy, and to consecrate the most holy place. 25 Know and understand that from the issuing of the order to restore and rebuild Jerusalem to the coming of the anointed one (who will be a leader), there will be seven sevens and sixty-two sevens. Jerusalem will be rebuilt with streets and a moat, despite the times of distress. 26 After the sixty-two sevens, the anointed one will be destroyed and will have nothing. The army of a coming ruler will destroy the city and the holy place. Its end will come with a flood, and there will be war even to the end. Desolations have been decreed. 27 He will confirm a covenant with many for one seven. In the middle of the seven he will put an end to the sacrifice and the offering. On the wing of abominations will come someone who makes desolate. A full end and destruction are decreed to be poured out on the one who has made the desolation.”

10

1 In the third year of Cyrus king of Persia, a message was revealed to Daniel, who was also called Belteshazzar. This message was true. It was about a great war. Daniel understood the message when he had insight from the vision. 2 In those days I, Daniel, was in mourning for three weeks. 3 I ate no delicacies, I ate no meat, I drank no wine, and I did not anoint myself with oil until the completion of three entire weeks. 4 On the twenty-fourth day of the first month, as I was beside the great river (that is, the Tigris), 5 I looked up and saw a man dressed in linen, with a belt around his waist made of pure gold from Uphaz. 6 His body was like topaz, and his face was like lightning. His eyes were like flaming torches, and his arms and his feet were like polished bronze. The sound of his words was like the sound of a great crowd. 7 I, Daniel, alone saw the vision, for the men who were with me did not see the vision. However, a great terror came on them, and they ran away to hide themselves. 8 So I was left alone and saw this great vision. No strength remained in me; my bright appearance was turned into a ruined look, and no strength remained in me. 9 Then I heard his words—and as I heard them, I fell on my face in deep sleep with my face to the ground.

10 A hand touched me, and it made me tremble in my knees and the palms of my hands. 11 The angel said to me, “Daniel, man greatly treasured, understand the words that I am speaking to you. Stand upright, for I have been sent to you.” When he had spoken this message to me, I stood up trembling. 12 Then he said to me, “Do not be afraid, Daniel. Since the first day you set your mind to understand and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I have come because of your words. 13 The prince of the kingdom of Persia resisted me, and I was kept there with the kings of Persia for twenty-one days. But Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me. * 14 Now I have come to help you understand what will happen to your people in the last days. For the vision is for days yet to come.” 15 While he was speaking to me using these words, I turned my face toward the ground and was unable to speak. 16 One who was like the sons of man touched my lips, and I opened my mouth and spoke to him who stood before me: “My master, I am in agony because of the vision; I have no strength left. 17 I am your servant. How can I talk with my master? For I now have no strength, and there is no breath left in me.”

18 Again the one with an appearance of a man touched me and strengthened me. 19 He said, “Do not be afraid, man greatly treasured. May peace be to you! Be strong now, be strong!” While he was speaking to me, I was strengthened. I said, “Let my master speak, for you have strengthened me.” 20 He said, “Do you know why I have come to you? I will soon return to fight against the prince of Persia. When I go, the prince of Greece will come. 21 But I will tell you what is written in the Book of Truth. There is no one who shows himself to be strong with me against them, except Michael your prince.”

11

1 In the first year of Darius the Mede, I myself came to support and protect Michael. 2 Now I will tell you the truth. Three kings will arise in Persia, and a fourth will be far richer than all the others. When he has gained power through his riches, he will stir up everyone against the kingdom of Greece. 3 A mighty king will rise up who will rule a very great kingdom, and he will act according to his desires. 4 When he has risen up, his kingdom will be broken and divided to the four winds of heaven, but not to his own descendants, and not with his power when he had been ruling. For his kingdom will be uprooted for others besides his descendants.

5 The king of the South will become strong, but one of his commanders will become even stronger than he and will rule his kingdom with great power. 6 After a few years, when the time is right, they will make an alliance. The daughter of the king of the South will come to the king of the North to confirm the agreement. But she will not keep her arm's strength, nor will he stand, or his arm. She will be abandoned—she and those who brought her, and her father, and the one who supported her in those times. *

7 But a branch from her roots will rise up in her place. He will attack the army and enter the fortress of the king of the North. He will fight them, and he will conquer them. 8 He will carry off to Egypt their gods along with their cast metal figures and their precious vessels of silver and of gold. For some years he will stay away from the king of the North. 9 Then the king of the North will invade the realm of the king of the South, but he will withdraw to his own land.

10 His sons will get ready and assemble a great army. It will keep coming and will flood everything; it will pass through all the way to his fortress. 11 Then the king of the South will become very angry; he will go and fight against him, the king of the North. The king of the North will raise up a great army, but the army will be given into his hand. 12 The army will be carried off, and the heart of the king of the South will be lifted up, and he will make tens of thousands to fall, but he will not be victorious. 13 Then the king of the North will raise up another army, greater than the first. After some years, the king of the North will surely come with a great army supplied with much equipment. 14 In those times many will rise against the king of the South. Sons of the violent among your people will set themselves in order to fulfill a vision, but they will stumble. 15 The king of the North will come, pour out earth for siege mounds, and capture a city with fortifications. The forces of the South will not be able to stand, not even their best soldiers. There will be no strength to stand. 16 Instead, the one who comes will act according to his desires against him; no one will stand in his way. He will stand in the land of beauty, and destruction will be in his hand. 17 The king of the North will set his face to come with the strength of his entire kingdom, and with him will be an agreement that he will make with the king of the South. He will give him a daughter of women in marriage to ruin the kingdom of the South. But the plan will not succeed or help him. 18 After this, the king of the North will pay attention to the coastlands and will capture many of them. But a commander will end his arrogance and will cause his arrogance to turn back upon him. 19 Then he will pay attention to the fortresses of his own land, but he will stumble and fall; he will not be found.

20 Then someone will rise up in his place who will make a tax collector pass through for the sake of the splendor of the kingdom. But in the next days he will be broken, but not in anger or in battle. 21 In his place will rise up a despised person to whom the people will not have given the honor of royal power; he will come unexpectedly and will take over the kingdom by trickery. 22 An army will be swept away like a flood from before him. Both that army and the leader of the covenant will be destroyed. 23 From the time an alliance is made with him, he will act deceitfully; with only a small number of people he will become strong. 24 Without warning he will come into the richest part of the province, and he will do what neither his father nor his father's father did. He will spread among his followers the booty, the plunder, and the wealth. He will plan the overthrow of fortresses, but only for a time. 25 He will wake up his power and his heart against the king of the South with a great army. The king of the South will wage war with a large, very powerful army, but he will not stand because others will make plots against him. 26 Even those who eat his fine food will try to destroy him. His army will be swept away like a flood, and many of them will fall killed. 27 Both these kings, with their hearts set on evil against each other, will sit at the same table and lie to each other, but it will be of no use. For the end will come at the time that has been fixed.

28 Then the king of the North will go back into his land with great riches, with his heart set against the holy covenant. He will act and then will return to his own land. 29 At the appointed time he will return and come against the South again. But this time it will not be as before. 30 For ships of Kittim will come against him, and he will become afraid and will turn back. He will be furious against the holy covenant, and he will show favor to those who forsake the holy covenant. 31 His forces will rise up and profane the fortress sanctuary. They will take away the regular burnt offering, and they will set up the abomination that causes desolation. 32 As for those who acted wickedly against the covenant, he will deceive them and corrupt them. But the people who know their God will be strong and will take action. 33 The wise among the people will make many understand. But they will stumble by the sword and by flame; they will stumble into captivity and into being robbed for days. 34 In their stumbling, they will be helped with a little help. In hypocrisy many will join themselves with them. 35 Some of the wise will stumble so that refining will happen to them, and cleansing, and purifying, until the time of the end. For the appointed time is still to come.

36 The king will act according to his desires. He will lift himself up and make himself great above every god. Against the God of gods he will say astonishing things, for he will succeed until the wrath is completed. For what has been decreed will be done. 37 He will pay no attention to the gods of his ancestors or to the god desirable to women. Neither will he will pay attention to any other god. For all above every one he will make himself great. 38 He will honor the god of fortresses instead of these. It is a god whom his fathers did not acknowledge that he will honor with gold and silver, with precious stones and valuable gifts. 39 He will attack the strongest fortresses with the help of a foreign god. To anyone who acknowledges him, he will give much honor. He will make them rulers over many people, and he will divide up the land as a reward. †

40 At the time of the end the king of the South will attack. The king of the North will storm against him with chariots and horsemen, and with many ships. He will go against lands, flood them, and pass through. 41 He will go into the land of beauty, and tens of thousands of Israelites will fall. But these will escape from his hand: Edom, Moab, and the remainder of the people of Ammon. 42 He will extend his hand into lands; the land of Egypt will not be rescued. 43 He will have control over the treasures of gold and of silver, and over all the riches of Egypt; the Libyans and the Cushites will be in his footsteps. 44 But news from the east and the north will frighten him, and he will go out with great rage to completely destroy and to set many apart for destruction. 45 He will set up the tent of his royal residence between the seas and the mountain of the beauty of holiness. He will come to his end, and there will be no helper for him.

12

1 “At that time Michael, the great prince who guards your people, will rise up. There will be a time of trouble such as never was since the beginning of any nation until that time. At that time your people will be saved, everyone whose name is found written in the book. 2 Many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth will rise up, some to everlasting life and some to shame and everlasting contempt. 3 Those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the sky above, and those who turn many to righteousness, are like the stars forever and ever. 4 But you, Daniel, close up these words; keep the book sealed until the time of the end. Many will run here and there, and knowledge will increase.”

5 Then I, Daniel, looked, and there were two others standing. One stood on the bank on this side of the river, and one stood on the bank on the other side of the river. 6 One of them said to the man clothed in linen, the one who was upstream along the river, “How long will it be to the end of these amazing events?” 7 I heard the man clothed in linen, who was upstream along the river—he raised his right hand and his left hand to heaven and swore by the one who lives forever that it would be for a time, times, and half a time. When the power of the holy people has been finally broken, all these things will be completed. 8 I heard, but I did not understand. So I asked, “My master, what will be the outcome of all these things?” 9 He said, “Go your way, Daniel, for the words are shut up and sealed until the time of the end. 10 Many will be purified, cleansed, and refined, but the wicked will act wickedly. None of the wicked will understand, but those who are wise will understand. 11 From the time that the regular burnt offering is taken away and the abomination that causes complete desolation is set up, there will be 1,290 days. 12 Blessed is the one who waits until the end of the 1,335 days. 13 You must go your way until the end, and you will rest. You will rise in the place assigned to you, at the end of days.”

* 10:13 Instead of kings of Persia , some ancient copies have prince of the kings of Persia .

* 11:6 Instead of his arm , which the Hebrew text has, some ancient and many modern versions read his seed , that is, his children .

† 11:39 Instead of He will attack the strongest fortresses , some modern versions have He will defend his fortress .

Hosea

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Hosea

1

1 This is the word of Yahweh that came to Hosea son of Beeri in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam son of Joash, king of Israel. 2 When Yahweh spoke at first through Hosea, he said to him,

“Go, take for yourself a wife who is a prostitute.

She will have children who are the result of her prostitution.

For the land is committing great prostitution

by forsaking Yahweh.” 3 So Hosea went and married Gomer daughter of Diblaim, and she conceived and bore him a son. 4 Yahweh said to Hosea,

“Call his name Jezreel.

For in a little while

I will punish the house of Jehu

for the bloodshed at Jezreel,

and I will put an end

to the kingdom of the house of Israel.

5 It will happen on the day

that I break the bow of Israel

in the Valley of Jezreel.” 6 Gomer conceived again and bore a daughter. Then Yahweh said to Hosea,

“Call her name Lo-Ruhamah,

for I will no longer have mercy

on the house of Israel,

that I should forgive them at all.

7 Yet I will have mercy on the house of Judah,

and I will save them by myself, Yahweh their God.

I will not save them

by bow, sword, battle, horses, or horsemen.” 8 Now after Gomer had weaned Lo-Ruhamah, she conceived and bore another son. 9 Then Yahweh said,

“Call his name Lo-Ammi,

for you are not my people,

and I am not your God.

10 Yet the number of the people of Israel

will be like the sand of the seashore,

which cannot be measured or counted.

It will be that where it was said to them,

'You are not my people,'

it will be said to them,

'You are people of the living God.'

11 The people of Judah and the people of Israel

will be gathered together.

They will appoint one leader for themselves,

and they will go up from the land,

for great will be the day of Jezreel.

2

1 Say to your brothers, 'My people!'

and to your sisters, 'You have been shown compassion.'”

2 Bring a lawsuit against your mother, bring a lawsuit,

for she is not my wife,

and neither am I her husband.

Let her put away her prostitution from before herself,

and her acts of adultery from between her breasts.

3 If not, I will strip her naked

and show her nakedness as on the day that she was born.

I will make her like the wilderness,

like a parched land,

and I will make her die from thirst.

4 I will not have any mercy on her children,

for they are children of prostitution.

5 For their mother has been a prostitute,

and she who conceived them has acted shamefully.

She said, “I will go after my lovers,

for they give me my bread and water,

my wool and flax,

my oil and drink.”

6 Therefore I will build up a hedge to block her way with thorns.

I will build up a wall against her

so she cannot find her way.

7 She will pursue her lovers,

but she will not overtake them.

She will seek them,

but she will not find them.

Then she will say,

“I will return to my first husband,

for it was better for me then than it is now.”

8 For she had not known that it was I who gave her

the grain, the new wine and the oil,

and who lavished on her silver and gold,

which they then used for Baal.

9 So I will take back her grain at harvest time,

and my new wine in its season.

I will take back my wool and flax

that were used to cover her nakedness.

10 Then I will strip her naked in the sight of her lovers,

and no one will rescue her out of my hand.

11 I will also cause all her celebrations to cease—

her feasts, her new moon celebrations, her Sabbaths, and all her appointed festivals.

12 “I will destroy her vines and her fig trees,

of which she has said,

'These are the wages that my lovers gave me.'

I will make them a forest,

and the animals of the field will eat them.

13 I will punish her for the feast days of the Baals,

when she burned incense to them,

when she adorned herself with her rings and jewelry,

and she went after her lovers and forgot me—

this is Yahweh's declaration.”

14 So I am going to win her back. I will bring her into the wilderness

and speak tenderly to her.

15 I will give her back her vineyards,

and the Valley of Achor as a door of hope.

She will answer me there as she did in the days of her youth,

as in the days that she came out of the land of Egypt.

16 “It will be in that day—this is Yahweh's declaration—

that you will call me, 'My husband,'

and you will no longer call me, 'My Baal.'

17 For I will remove the names of the Baals from her mouth;

their names will not be remembered anymore.”

18 “On that day I will make a covenant for them

with the beasts in the fields,

with the birds in the sky,

and with the crawling things on the ground.

I will drive away the bow, the sword, and the battle from the land,

and I will make you lie down in safety.

19 I will promise to be your husband forever.

I will promise to be your husband in righteousness, justice, covenant faithfulness, and mercy.

20 I will pledge myself to you in faithfulness,

and you will know Yahweh.

21 On that day,

I will answer—this is Yahweh's declaration—

I will answer the heavens,

and they will answer the earth.

22 The earth will answer the grain, the new wine and the oil,

and they will answer Jezreel.

23 I will plant her for myself in the land,

and I will have mercy on Lo-Ruhamah.

I will say to Lo-Ammi,

'You are Ammi Attah,'

and they will say to me, 'You are my God.'”

3

1 Yahweh said to me, “Go again, love a woman, loved by her husband, but who is an adulteress. Love her just as I, Yahweh, love the people of Israel, although they turn to other gods and love raisin cakes.” 2 So I bought her for myself for fifteen pieces of silver and a homer and a lethek of barley. 3 I said to her, “You must live with me many days. You will not be a prostitute or belong to any other man. In the same way, I will be with you.” 4 For the people of Israel will live for many days without a king, prince, sacrifice, stone pillar, ephod or household idols. 5 Afterward the people of Israel will return and seek Yahweh their God and David their king, and in the last days, they will come trembling before Yahweh and his goodness.

4

1 Hear the word of Yahweh, you people of Israel.

Yahweh has a lawsuit against the inhabitants of the land,

because there is no truthfulness or covenantal faithfulness, no knowledge of God in the land.

2 There is cursing, lying, killing, stealing and adultery.

The people have broken all bounds, and bloodshed comes after bloodshed.

3 So the land is drying up,

and everyone living in it is wasting away;

the beasts in the fields and the birds in the sky,

even the fish in the sea, are being taken away. 4 But do not allow anyone to bring a lawsuit;

do not let anyone accuse anyone else.

For it is you, the priests, whom I am accusing.

5 You priests will stumble during the day;

the prophets will also stumble with you by night,

and I will destroy your mother.

6 My people are being destroyed because of the lack of knowledge.

Because you priests have rejected knowledge,

I will also reject you as priests to me.

Because you have forgotten my law, although I am your God,

I also will forget your children.

7 The more the priests multiplied,

the more they sinned against me.

They exchanged their honor for shame.

8 They feed on the sin of my people;

they are greedy for more of their wickedness.

9 It will be the same for the people as for the priests:

I will punish them all for their practices;

I will repay them for their deeds.

10 They will eat but not have enough;

they will commit prostitution but not increase,

because they have gone far away from Yahweh.

11 They love sexual promiscuity, wine, and new wine, which have taken away their understanding.

12 My people consult their wooden idols,

and their walking sticks give them prophecies.

For a mind of promiscuity has misled them,

and they have acted as prostitutes instead of being faithful to their God.

13 They sacrifice on the tops of the mountains

and burn incense on the hills,

under oaks, poplars and terebinths,

because the shade is good.

So your daughters commit sexual immorality,

and your daughters-in-law commit adultery.

14 I will not punish your daughters when they choose to commit sexual immorality,

nor your daughters-in-law when they commit adultery.

For the men also give themselves to the prostitutes,

and they offer sacrifices so they can commit immoral acts with sacred prostitutes.

So this people who does not understand will be thrown down.

15 Though you, Israel, have committed adultery,

may Judah not become guilty.

Do not go to Gilgal, you people;

do not go up to Beth Aven,

and do not swear, saying, “As Yahweh lives.”

16 For Israel has behaved stubbornly, like a stubborn heifer.

How can Yahweh bring them to pasture like lambs in a meadow?

17 Ephraim united himself with idols;

leave him alone.

18 Even when their strong drink is gone,

they continue to commit adultery;

her rulers dearly love their shame.

19 The wind will wrap her up in its wings;

and they will be ashamed because of their sacrifices.

5

1 “Hear this, priests!

Pay attention, house of Israel!

Listen, house of the king!

For judgment is coming against you all.

You have been a snare at Mizpah

and a net spread over Tabor.

2 The rebels stand deep in slaughter,

but I will punish all of them. *

3 I know Ephraim,

and Israel is not hidden from me.

Ephraim, now you have become like a prostitute;

Israel is defiled.

4 Their deeds will not allow them to turn to God,

for the mind of adultery is in them,

and they do not know Yahweh.

5 The pride of Israel testifies against him;

so Israel and Ephraim will stumble in their guilt;

and Judah also will stumble with them.

6 They will go with their flocks and herds to seek Yahweh,

but they will not find him,

for he has withdrawn himself from them.

7 They were unfaithful to Yahweh,

for they have borne illegitimate children.

Now the new moon festivals will devour them with their fields.

8 Blow the horn in Gibeah,

and the trumpet in Ramah.

Sound a battle cry at Beth Aven:

'We will follow you, Benjamin!'

9 Ephraim will become a desolation on the day of punishment.

Among the tribes of Israel I have declared what is certain to happen.

10 The leaders of Judah are like those who move a boundary stone.

I will pour my wrath on them like water.

11 Ephraim is crushed;

he is crushed in judgment,

because he has willingly walked after idols.

12 So I will be like a moth to Ephraim,

and like rot to the house of Judah.

13 When Ephraim saw his sickness,

and Judah saw his wound,

then Ephraim went to Assyria,

and Judah sent messengers to the great king.

But he was not able to cure you people

or heal your wound.

14 So I will be like a lion to Ephraim,

and like a young lion to the house of Judah.

I, even I, will tear and go away;

I will carry them off,

and there will be no one to rescue them.

15 I will go and return to my place,

until they acknowledge their guilt and seek my face,

until they earnestly seek me in their distress.”

6

1 “Come, let us return to Yahweh.

For he has torn us to pieces, but he will heal us;

he has injured us, but he will bandage our wounds.

2 After two days he will revive us;

he will raise us up on the third day,

and we will live before him.

3 Let us know Yahweh;

let us press on to know Yahweh.

His coming out is as sure as the dawn;

he will come to us like the showers,

like the spring rains that water the land.”

4 Ephraim, what will I do with you?

Judah, what will I do with you?

Your faithfulness is like a morning cloud,

like the dew that goes away early.

5 So I have cut them to pieces by the prophets,

I have killed them with the words of my mouth.

Your decrees are like the light that shines out.

6 For I desire faithfulness and not sacrifice,

and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings.

7 Like Adam they have broken the covenant;

they were unfaithful to me.

8 Gilead is a city of evildoers

with footprints of blood.

9 As gangs of robbers wait for someone,

so the priests band together to commit murder on the way to Shechem;

they have committed shameful crimes.

10 In the house of Israel I have seen a horrible thing;

Ephraim's prostitution is there, and Israel has become unclean.

11 For you also, Judah, a harvest has been appointed,

when I will restore the fortunes of my people.

7

1 Whenever I want to heal Israel,

the sin of Ephraim is exposed,

as well as the evil deeds of Samaria,

for they practice deceit;

a thief comes in,

and a marauding band attacks in the street.

2 They do not realize in their hearts

that I remember all their evil deeds.

Now their deeds surround them;

they are before my face.

3 With their evil they make the king glad,

and by their lies the officials.

4 They are all adulterers,

like an oven heated by the baker,

who ceases to stir the fire

from the kneading of the dough until it is leavened.

5 On the day of our king the officials made themselves sick with the heat of wine.

He reached out with his hand to those who were mocking.

6 For with hearts like an oven,

they devise their deceitful plans.

Their anger smolders all night;

in the morning it burns high like a flaming fire.

7 They all are as hot as an oven,

and they devour those who rule over them.

All their kings have fallen;

none of them calls on me.

8 Ephraim mixes himself among the peoples.

Ephraim is a flat cake that has not been turned over.

9 Foreigners have devoured his strength,

but he does not know it.

Gray hairs are sprinkled on him,

but he does not know it.

10 The pride of Israel testifies against him;

however, they have not returned to Yahweh their God,

nor have they sought him, in spite of all this.

11 Ephraim is like a dove, gullible and without sense,

calling out to Egypt,

then flying to Assyria. 12 When they go, I will spread my net over them,

I will bring them down like the birds of the sky.

I will punish them

in their flocking together.

13 Woe to them!

For they have strayed from me.

Devastation is coming to them!

They have rebelled against me!

I would have rescued them,

but they spoke lies against me.

14 They have not cried to me with all their heart,

but they wail on their beds.

They gather together for grain and new wine,

and they turn away from me. *

15 Though I trained them and strengthened their arms,

they are now plotting evil against me.

16 They return,

but they do not return to me, the Most High.

They are like a slack bow.

Their officials will fall by the sword

because of the insolence of their tongues.

This will become their mockery in the land of Egypt.

8

1 “Place a trumpet at your lips!

An eagle is coming over the house of Yahweh

because the people have broken my covenant

and rebelled against my law.

2 They cry out to me,

'My God, we in Israel know you.'

3 But Israel has rejected what is good,

and the enemy will pursue him.

4 They have set up kings,

but not by me.

They have made princes,

but without my knowledge.

With their silver and gold

they have made idols for themselves,

but it was only so they might be cut off.”

5 “Your calf has been rejected, Samaria.

My anger is burning against these people.

For how long will they stay guilty?

6 For this idol came from Israel;

a workman made it;

it is not God!

The calf of Samaria will be broken to pieces.

7 For the people sow the wind

and reap the whirlwind.

The standing grain has no heads;

it yields no flour.

If it does come to maturity,

foreigners will devour it.

8 Israel is swallowed up;

now they lie among the nations like something useless.

9 For they went up to Assyria

like a wild donkey all alone.

Ephraim has hired lovers for herself.

10 Even though they have hired lovers among the nations,

I will now gather them together.

They will begin to waste away

because of the oppression of the king of princes.

11 For Ephraim has multiplied altars for sin offerings,

but they have become altars for committing sins instead.

12 I could write down my law for them ten thousand times,

but they would view it as something strange to them.

13 As for the sacrifices of my offerings,

they sacrifice meat and eat it,

but I, Yahweh, do not accept them.

Now I will think about their iniquity

and punish their sins.

They will return to Egypt.

14 Israel has forgotten me, his Maker,

and has built palaces.

Judah has fortified many cities,

but I will send fire on his cities;

it will destroy his fortresses.

9

1 Do not rejoice, Israel,

with joy like the other peoples.

For you have been unfaithful,

forsaking your God.

You love to pay the wages a prostitute requires

on all the threshing floors.

2 But the threshing floor and the winepress will not feed them;

the new wine will fail them.

3 They will not continue to live in Yahweh's land;

instead, Ephraim will return to Egypt,

and one day they will eat unclean food in Assyria.

4 They will pour out no wine offerings to Yahweh,

neither will they be pleasing to him.

Their sacrifices will be to them like mourners' food:

all who eat it will be defiled.

For their food will be for themselves only;

it will not come into the house of Yahweh.

5 What will you do on the day of an appointed festival,

on the day of a festival for Yahweh?

6 For, look, if they escape from destruction,

Egypt will gather them,

and Memphis will bury them.

As for their treasures of silver—

sharp briers will possess them,

and thorns will fill their tents.

7 The days for punishment are coming;

the days for retribution are coming.

Let all Israel know these things.

The prophet is a fool,

and the inspired man is insane,

because of your great iniquity

and great hostility.

8 The prophet is the watchman for my God over Ephraim.

But a bird snare is on all of his paths,

and hostility toward him is in the house of his God.

9 They have deeply corrupted themselves

as in the days of Gibeah.

God will call to mind their iniquity,

and he will punish their sins.

10 Yahweh says, “When I found Israel, it was like finding grapes in the wilderness.

Like the very first fruit of the season on the fig tree, I found your fathers.

But they went to Baal Peor,

and they devoted themselves to that shameful idol.

They became as detestable as the idol they loved.

11 As for Ephraim, their glory will fly away like a bird.

There will be no birth, no pregnancy, and no conception.

12 Though they have brought up children,

I will take them away so that none of them is left.

Woe to them when I turn away from them!

13 I have seen Ephraim, just like Tyre, planted in a meadow,

but Ephraim will bring out his children to someone who will slaughter them.”

14 Give them, Yahweh—what will you give them?

Give them a miscarrying womb and breasts that give no milk.

15 “Because of all their wickedness in Gilgal,

that is where I began to hate them.

Because of their sinful deeds,

I will drive them out of my house.

I will love them no more;

all their officials are rebels.

16 Ephraim is diseased,

and their root is dried up;

they bear no fruit.

Even if they have children,

I will put their beloved children to death.”

17 My God will reject them

because they have not obeyed him.

They will become wanderers among the nations.

10

1 Israel is a luxuriant vine that produces his fruit.

As his fruit increased,

the more altars he built.

As his land produced more,

he improved his pillars.

2 Their heart is deceitful;

now they must bear their guilt.

Yahweh will demolish their altars;

he will destroy their pillars.

3 For then they will say,

“We have no king,

for we did not fear Yahweh,

and a king—what could he do for us?”

4 They speak empty words

and make covenants by swearing falsely.

So justice springs up

like poisonous weeds in the furrows of a field.

5 The inhabitants of Samaria will be afraid

because of the calves of Beth Aven.

Its people mourned over them,

as did those idolatrous priests who had rejoiced over them

and their splendor,

but they are no longer there.

6 They will be carried to Assyria

as a present for the great king.

Ephraim will be disgraced,

and Israel will be ashamed of its idol.

7 Samaria's king

will be destroyed,

like a chip of wood on the surface of the water.

8 The high places of wickedness will be destroyed.

This is the sin of Israel!

Thorns and thistles will grow over their altars.

The people will say to the mountains, “Cover us!”

and to the hills, “Fall on us!”

9 “Israel,

you have sinned since the days of Gibeah;

there you have remained.

Will not war overtake the sons of wrong in Gibeah?

10 When I desire it, I will discipline them.

The nations will gather together against them

and put them in bonds for their double iniquity.

11 Ephraim is a trained heifer that loves to thresh the grain,

so I will put a yoke on her fair neck.

I will put a yoke on Ephraim;

Judah will plow;

Jacob will pull the harrow by himself.

12 Sow righteousness for yourselves,

and reap the fruit of covenant faithfulness.

Break up your unplowed ground,

for it is time to seek Yahweh,

until he comes and rains righteousness on you.

13 You have plowed wickedness;

you reaped injustice.

You have eaten the fruit of deception

because you trusted in your plans

and in your many soldiers.

14 So a tumult of war will rise among your people,

and all your fortified cities will be destroyed.

It will be as Shalman destroyed Beth Arbel on a day of battle,

when mothers were dashed to pieces with their children.

15 So it will happen to you, Bethel,

because of your great wickedness.

At daybreak the king of Israel will be completely cut off.”

11

1 “When Israel was a young man I loved him,

and I called my son out of Egypt.

2 The more they were called,

the more they went away from me.

They sacrificed to the Baals

and burned incense to idols. *

3 Yet it was I who taught Ephraim to walk.

It was I who lifted them up by their arms,

but they did not know that I cared for them.

4 I led them with cords of humanity,

with bands of love.

I was to them like someone who eased the yoke on their jaws,

and I bent down to them and fed them.

5 Will they not return to the land of Egypt?

Will Assyria not rule over them

because they refuse to return to me?

6 The sword will fall on their cities

and destroy the bars of their gates;

it will destroy them

because of their own plans.

7 My people are determined to turn away from me.

Though they call to the Most High,

no one will help them.

8 How can I give you up, Ephraim?

How can I hand you over, Israel?

How can I make you like Admah?

How can I make you like Zeboyim?

My heart has changed within me;

all my compassions have been stirred up.

9 I will not execute my fierce anger;

I will not again destroy Ephraim.

For I am God

and not a man;

I am the Holy One among you,

and I will not come in wrath.

10 They will follow Yahweh;

and he will roar like a lion.

When he roars,

his children will come trembling from the west.

11 They will come trembling like a bird from Egypt,

like a dove from the land of Assyria.

I will make them live in their homes—this is the declaration of Yahweh.

12 Ephraim surrounds me with falsehood,

and the house of Israel with deceit.

But Judah is still going about with me, God,

and is faithful to me, the Holy One.”

12

1 Ephraim feeds on the wind

and follows after the east wind.

He continually multiplies lies and violence.

They make a covenant with Assyria

and carry olive oil to Egypt.

2 Yahweh also has a lawsuit against Judah

and will punish Jacob for what he has done;

he will repay him for his deeds.

3 In the womb Jacob grasped his brother by the heel,

and in his manhood he struggled with God.

4 He struggled with the angel and won.

He wept and begged for his favor.

He met God at Bethel;

there God spoke with him.

5 This is Yahweh, the God of hosts;

“Yahweh” is his name to be called on.

6 So turn to your God.

Keep covenantal faithfulness and justice,

and wait continually for your God.

7 The merchants have false scales in their hands;

they love to defraud.

8 Ephraim said, “I have certainly become very rich;

I have found wealth for myself.

In all my work they will not find any iniquity in me,

anything that would be sin.”

9 “I am Yahweh your God from the land of Egypt.

I will again make you live in tents,

as in the days of the appointed festival.

10 I spoke to the prophets,

and I gave them many visions for you.

By the hand of the prophets I gave parables.”

11 If there is wickedness in Gilead,

surely the people are worthless.

In Gilgal they sacrifice bulls;

their altars will be like heaps of stone in the furrows of the fields.

12 Jacob fled to the land of Aram;

Israel worked in order to get a wife;

and he kept flocks of sheep to get a wife.

13 Yahweh brought Israel out of Egypt by a prophet,

and by a prophet he took care of them.

14 Ephraim has bitterly angered Yahweh.

So his Lord will leave his blood on him

and will turn back on him his disgrace.

13

1 “When Ephraim spoke, there was trembling.

He exalted himself in Israel,

but he became guilty because of Baal worship, and he died.

2 Now they sin more and more.

They make cast metal figures from their silver,

idols as skillfully worked as possible,

all of them the work of the craftsmen.

People say of them,

'These men who sacrifice kiss calves.'

3 So they will be like the morning clouds,

like the dew that goes away early,

like the chaff that is driven by the wind away from a threshing floor,

and like smoke out of a chimney.

4 But I am Yahweh your God from the land of Egypt.

You must acknowledge no God but me;

you must acknowledge that besides me, there is no other savior.

5 I knew you in the wilderness,

in the land of great dryness.

6 When you had pasture, then you became full;

and when you were filled, your heart became lifted up.

For that reason you forgot me.

7 I will become like a lion to them;

like a leopard I will watch along the path.

8 I will attack them as a bear that is robbed of her cubs.

I will rip open their chests,

and there I will devour them as a lion,

as a wild beast would tear them to pieces.

9 I will destroy you, Israel;

who will be able to help you?

10 Where now is your king,

that he may save you in all your cities?

Where are your rulers, about whom you said to me,

'Give me a king and princes'?

11 I gave you a king in my anger,

and I took him away in my wrath.

12 Ephraim's iniquity has been stored up;

his guilt has been stored up.

13 Pains of childbirth will come on him,

but he is an unwise son,

for when it is time to be born, he does not come out of the womb.

14 Will I rescue them from the hand of Sheol?

Will I rescue them from death?

Where, death, are your plagues?

Where, Sheol, is your destruction?

Compassion is hidden from my eyes.”

15 Though Ephraim is prosperous among his brothers,

an east wind will come;

the wind of Yahweh will blow in from the wilderness.

Ephraim's spring will dry up,

and his well will have no water.

His enemy will plunder his storehouse of every precious object.

16 Samaria will be guilty,

for she has rebelled against her God.

They will fall by the sword;

their young children will be dashed to pieces,

and their pregnant women will be ripped open.

14

1 Israel, return to Yahweh your God,

for you have fallen because of your iniquity.

2 Take with you words and return to Yahweh.

Say to him, “Take away all our iniquity

and accept what is good,

so that we may offer to you the fruit of our lips. *

3 Assyria will not save us;

we will not ride on horses to war.

Neither will we say anymore to the work of our hands,

'You are our gods,'

for in you the fatherless person finds compassion.”

4 “I will heal their turning away;

I will love them freely,

for my anger has turned away from him.

5 I will be like the dew to Israel;

he will blossom like the lily

and take root like a cedar in Lebanon.

6 His branches will spread out;

his beauty will be like the olive trees,

and his fragrance like the cedars in Lebanon.

7 The people who live in his shade will return;

they will revive like grain

and blossom like vines.

His fame will be like the wine of Lebanon.

8 Ephraim, what more have I to do with idols?

I will answer him and care for him.

I am like a cypress whose leaves are always green;

from me comes your fruit.”

9 Who is wise that he may understand these things?

Who understands these things so that he may know them?

For the ways of Yahweh are right,

and the righteous will walk in them,

but the rebellious will stumble in them.

* 5:2 Some modern versions have The rebels have dug a deep pit , The rebels have dug deep at Shittim , or, continuing on from the previous verse, a pit dug deep at Shittim .

* 7:14 Instead of They gather together , which the Hebrew text has, some ancient copies and many modern versions have They cut themselves , an allusion to the pagan custom of idol worshipers wounding themselves in the frenzy of prayer.

* 11:2 Some ancient and most modern versions have they went away from me . The Hebrew text has they went away from them .

* 14:2 The phrase so that we may offer to you the fruit of our lips represents the interpretation of some ancient versions. The Hebrew text has so that we may offer bulls, our lips . Some modern versions interpret this to mean, so that we may offer to you bulls, which we have promised to do .

Joel

1

2

3

Joel

1

1 This is the word of Yahweh that came to Joel son of Pethuel.

2 Hear this, you elders,

and listen, all you inhabitants of the land.

Has anything like this happened in your days

or in the days of your ancestors?

3 Tell your children about it,

and let your children tell their children,

and their children the next generation.

4 What the swarming locust has left the great locust has eaten;

what the great locust has left the grasshopper has eaten;

and what the grasshopper has left the caterpillar has eaten.

5 Wake up, you drunkards, and weep!

Wail, all you drinkers of wine,

because the sweet wine has been cut off from you.

6 For a nation has come up upon my land,

strong and without number.

His teeth are the teeth of a lion,

and he has the teeth of a lioness.

7 He has made my vineyard into a desolate place

and has stripped my fig tree bare.

He has stripped its bark and thrown it away;

the branches are bare white.

8 Mourn like a virgin dressed in sackcloth for the death of her young husband.

9 The grain offering and the drink offering have been cut off from Yahweh's house.

The priests, Yahweh's servants, mourn.

10 The fields are ruined,

the ground is mourning because the grain has been destroyed.

The new wine has dried up,

the oil fails.

11 Be ashamed, you farmers,

and wail, you vine growers,

for the wheat and the barley.

For the harvest of the fields has perished.

12 The vines have withered and the fig trees have dried up,

the pomegranate trees, also the palm trees, and the apple trees—

all the trees of the field have withered.

For joy has withered away from the descendants of mankind.

13 Put on sackcloth and mourn, you priests!

Wail, you servants of the altar.

Come, lie all night in sackcloth, you servants of my God.

For the grain offering and the drink offering have been withheld from the house of your God.

14 Call for a holy fast,

and call a holy assembly.

Gather the elders and all the inhabitants of the land

to the house of Yahweh your God,

and cry to Yahweh.

15 Alas for the day!

For the day of Yahweh is almost here.

With it will come destruction from the Almighty.

16 Has not food been cut off from before our eyes,

and joy and gladness from the house of our God?

17 The seeds rot under their clods,

the granaries are desolate,

and the barns have been broken down,

for the grain has withered.

18 How the animals groan!

The herds of cattle are suffering

because they have no pasture.

Also, the flocks of sheep suffer.

19 Yahweh, I cry to you.

For fire has devoured the pastures of the wilderness,

and flames have burned all the trees of the fields.

20 Even the animals of the fields pant for you,

for the water brooks have dried up,

and fire has devoured the pastures of the wilderness.

2

1 Blow the trumpet in Zion,

and sound an alarm on my holy mountain!

Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble in fear,

for the day of Yahweh is coming;

indeed, it is near.

2 It is a day of darkness and gloom,

a day of clouds and thick darkness.

Like the dawn that spreads on the mountains,

a large and mighty army is approaching.

There has never been an army like it,

and there never will be again,

even after many generations.

3 A fire is consuming everything in front of it,

and behind it a flame is burning.

The land is like the garden of Eden in front of it,

but behind it there is a ruined wilderness.

Indeed, nothing will escape from it.

4 The army's appearance is like horses,

and they run like horsemen.

5 They jump with a noise like that of chariots on the tops of the mountains,

like the noise of fiery flames that devour the stubble,

like a mighty army ready for battle.

6 At their presence people are in anguish

and all their faces become pale.

7 They run like mighty warriors;

they climb the walls like soldiers;

they march, every one in step,

and do not break their ranks.

8 Neither does one thrust another aside;

they march, each in his path;

they break through the defenses

and do not fall out of line.

9 They rush on the city,

they run on the wall,

they climb in the houses,

and they go through the windows like thieves.

10 The earth shakes in front of them,

the heavens tremble,

the sun and the moon are darkened,

and the stars stop shining.

11 Yahweh raises his voice in front of his army,

for his warriors are very numerous;

for they are strong, those who carry out his commands.

For the day of Yahweh is great and very terrible.

Who can survive it?

12 “Yet even now,” says Yahweh,

“Return to me with all your heart.

Fast, weep, and mourn.”

13 Tear your heart and not only your garments,

and return to Yahweh your God.

For he is gracious and merciful,

slow to anger and abundant in covenant faithfulness,

and he would like to turn from inflicting punishment.

14 Who knows? Will he perhaps turn and have compassion,

and leave a blessing behind him,

a grain offering and a drink offering for Yahweh your God?

15 Blow the trumpet in Zion,

call for a holy fast,

and call a holy assembly.

16 Gather the people,

call for the holy assembly.

Assemble the elders,

gather the children

and the nursing infants.

Let the bridegrooms come out of their rooms,

and the brides out of their bridal chambers.

17 Let the priests, the servants of Yahweh,

weep between the porch and the altar.

Let them say, “Spare your people, Yahweh,

and do not make your inheritance into an object of scorn,

that the nations mock them.

Why should they say among the nations,

'Where is their God?'”

18 Then Yahweh was zealous for his land

and had pity on his people.

19 Yahweh answered his people,

“Look, I will send you grain, new wine, and oil.

You will be satisfied with them,

and I will no longer make you a disgrace among the nations.

20 I will remove the northern attackers far from you,

and will drive them into a dry and abandoned land.

The front of their army will go into the eastern sea,

and the rear into the western sea.

Its stench will rise,

and its bad smell will rise.”

Indeed, he has done great things.

21 Do not fear, land, be glad and rejoice,

for Yahweh will do great things.

22 Do not fear, beasts of the field,

for the pastures of the wilderness will sprout,

the trees will bear their fruit,

and the fig trees and the vines will yield their full harvest.

23 Be glad, people of Zion,

and rejoice in Yahweh your God.

For he will give you the autumn rain in due course

and bring down showers for you,

the autumn rain and the spring rain as before.

24 The threshing floors will be full of wheat,

and the vats will overflow with new wine and oil.

25 “I will restore to you the years of crops that the swarming locust has eaten

—the great locust, the devouring locust, and the destroying locust—

my mighty army that I sent among you.

26 You will eat plentifully and be full,

and praise the name of Yahweh your God,

who has done wonders among you,

and I will never again bring shame on my people.

27 You will know that I am among Israel,

and that I am Yahweh your God,

and there is none else,

and I will never bring shame on my people.

28 It will come about afterward that

I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh,

and your sons and your daughters will prophesy.

Your old men will dream dreams,

your young men will see visions.

29 Also on servants and female servants,

in those days I will pour out my Spirit.

30 I will show wonders in the heavens and on the earth,

blood, fire, and pillars of smoke.

31 The sun will turn into darkness

and the moon into blood,

before the great and terrible day of Yahweh comes.

32 It will be that everyone who calls on the name of Yahweh will be saved.

For on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there will be those who escape,

as Yahweh has said,

and among the survivors,

those whom Yahweh calls.

3

1 Behold, in those days and at that time,

when I return the exiles of Judah and Jerusalem,

2 I will gather all the nations,

and bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat.

I will judge them there,

because of my people and my inheritance Israel,

whom they scattered among the nations,

and because they divided up my land.

3 They cast lots for my people,

traded a boy for a prostitute,

and sold a girl for wine

so they could drink.

4 Now, why are you angry at me,

Tyre, Sidon and all the regions of Philistia?

Will you repay me?

Even if you do repay me,

I will immediately return your retribution on your own head.

5 For you took my silver and my gold,

and you brought my precious treasures into your temples.

6 You sold the people of Judah and Jerusalem to the Greeks,

in order to remove them far from their territory.

7 Look, I am about to stir them up, out of the place where you sold them,

and will return payment on your own head.

8 I will sell your sons and your daughters,

by the hand of the people of Judah.

They will sell them to the Sabeans,

to a nation far off,

for Yahweh has spoken.”

9 Proclaim this among the nations,

“Prepare yourselves for war,

rouse the mighty men,

let them come near,

let all the men of battle come up.

10 Beat your plowshares into swords

and your pruning knives into spears.

Let the weak say,

'I am strong.'

11 Hurry and come,

all you nearby nations,

gather yourselves together there.

Yahweh, bring down your mighty warriors.

12 Let the nations wake themselves up

and come up to the Valley of Jehoshaphat.

For there will I sit to judge

all the surrounding nations.

13 Put in the sickle,

for the harvest is ripe.

Come, crush the grapes,

for the winepress is full.

The vats overflow,

for their wickedness is enormous.”

14 There is a tumult, a tumult in the Valley of Judgment.

For the day of Yahweh is near in the Valley of Judgment.

15 The sun and the moon become dark,

the stars keep back their brightness.

16 Yahweh will roar from Zion,

and raise his voice from Jerusalem.

The heavens and earth will shake,

but Yahweh will be a shelter for his people,

and a fortress for the people of Israel.

17 “So you will know that I am Yahweh your God

who lives in Zion, my holy mountain.

Then Jerusalem will be holy,

and no army will march through her again.

18 It will come about on that day

that the mountains will drip with sweet wine,

the hills will flow with milk,

all the brooks of Judah will flow with water,

and a fountain will come from the house of Yahweh

and water the Valley of Shittim.

19 Egypt will become an abandoned devastation,

and Edom will become an abandoned wilderness,

because of the violence done to the people of Judah,

because they shed innocent blood in their land.

20 But Judah will be inhabited forever,

and Jerusalem will be inhabited from generation to generation.

21 I will avenge their blood that I have not yet avenged,

for Yahweh lives in Zion.”

Amos

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

Amos

1

1 These are the things concerning Israel that Amos, one of the shepherds in Tekoa, received in revelation. He received these things in the days of Uzziah king of Judah, and also in the days of Jeroboam son of Joash king of Israel, two years before the earthquake. 2 He said,

“Yahweh will roar from Zion;

he will raise his voice from Jerusalem.

The pastures of the shepherds will dry up;

the top of Carmel will wither.”

3 This is what Yahweh says:

“For three sins of Damascus,

even for four,

I will not turn away punishment,

because they threshed Gilead with instruments of iron.

4 I will send a fire into the house of Hazael,

and it will devour the fortresses of Ben Hadad.

5 I will break the gate bars of Damascus

and cut off the man who rules over the Valley of Aven,

and also the man who holds the scepter in Beth Eden.

The people of Aram will go in captivity to Kir,”

says Yahweh.

6 This is what Yahweh says:

“For three sins of Gaza,

even for four,

I will not turn away punishment,

because they carried away captive a whole people,

to hand them over to Edom.

7 I will send fire on the walls of Gaza,

and it will devour her fortresses.

8 I will cut off the man who lives in Ashdod

and the man who holds the scepter from Ashkelon.

I will turn my hand against Ekron,

and the rest of the Philistines will perish,”

says the Lord Yahweh.

9 This is what Yahweh says:

“For three sins of Tyre,

even for four,

I will not turn away punishment,

because they had delivered up a whole people to Edom,

and they broke their covenant of brotherhood.

10 I will send fire on the walls of Tyre,

and it will devour her fortresses.”

11 This is what Yahweh says,

“For three sins of Edom,

even for four,

I will not turn away punishment,

because he pursued his brother with the sword

and cast off all pity.

His anger raged continually,

and his wrath lasted forever.

12 I will send fire on Teman,

and it will devour the palaces of Bozrah.”

13 This is what Yahweh says,

“For three sins of the people of Ammon,

even for four,

I will not turn away punishment,

because they ripped open the pregnant women of Gilead,

that they may enlarge their borders.

14 I will light a fire in the walls of Rabbah,

and it will devour the palaces,

with a shout in the day of battle,

with a tempest in the day of the whirlwind.

15 Their king will go into captivity,

he and his officials together,”

says Yahweh.

2

1 This is what Yahweh says:

“For three sins of Moab,

even for four,

I will not turn away punishment,

because he burned the bones

of the king of Edom to lime.

2 I will send fire on Moab,

and it will devour the fortresses of Kerioth.

Moab will die in an uproar,

with shouting and the sound of the trumpet.

3 I will destroy the judge in her,

and I will kill all the princes with him,”

says Yahweh.

4 This is what Yahweh says:

“For three sins of Judah,

even for four,

I will not turn away punishment,

because they rejected the law of Yahweh

and did not keep his statutes.

Their lies caused them to go astray,

after which their fathers had also walked.

5 I will send fire on Judah,

and it will devour the fortresses of Jerusalem.”

6 This is what Yahweh says:

“For three sins of Israel,

even for four,

I will not turn away punishment,

because they sold the innocent for silver

and the needy for a pair of sandals.

7 They trample on the heads of the poor as people trample on dust on the ground;

they push the oppressed away.

A man and his father sleep with the same girl

and so profane my holy name.

8 They lie down beside every altar on clothes taken as pledges,

and in the house of their God they drink the wine of those who were fined.

9 Yet I destroyed the Amorite before them,

whose height was like the height of cedars;

he was strong as the oaks.

Yet I destroyed his fruit above

and his roots below.

10 Also, I brought you up out of the land of Egypt

and led you forty years in the wilderness

to possess the land of the Amorites.

11 I raised up prophets from among your sons

and Nazirites from your young men.

Is it not so,

people of Israel?

—this is Yahweh's declaration.

12 But you persuaded the Nazirites to drink wine

and commanded the prophets not to prophesy.

13 Look, I will crush you

as a cart that is full of grain can crush someone.

14 The swift will find no escape;

the strong will not add to his own strength;

neither will the mighty save himself.

15 The archer will not stand;

the fast runner will not escape;

the horseman will not save himself.

16 Even the bravest warriors

will flee naked in that day

—this is Yahweh's declaration.”

3

1 Hear this word that Yahweh has spoken against you, people of Israel, against the whole family that I brought up out of the land of Egypt:

2 “I have chosen only you

from all the families of the earth.

Therefore I will punish you

for all your sins.”

3 Will two walk together

unless they have agreed?

4 Will a lion roar in the forest

when he has no victim?

Will a young lion growl from his den

if he has caught nothing?

5 Can a bird fall in a trap on the ground

when no bait is set for him?

Will a trap spring up from the ground

when it has not caught anything?

6 If a trumpet sounds in a city,

will the people not tremble?

If disaster overtakes a city,

has Yahweh not sent it?

7 Surely the Lord Yahweh will do nothing

unless he reveals his plan to his servants the prophets.

8 The lion has roared;

who will not fear?

The Lord Yahweh has spoken;

who will not prophesy?

9 Proclaim this in the fortresses at Ashdod,

and in the fortresses in the land of Egypt;

say, “Assemble yourselves on the mountains of Samaria

and see what great confusion is in her,

and what oppression is in her.

10 For they do not know how to do right

—this is Yahweh's declaration—

They store up violence

and destruction in their fortresses.”

11 Therefore, this is what the Lord Yahweh says:

“An enemy will surround the land,

and pull down your strongholds

and plunder your fortresses.”

12 This is what Yahweh says:

“As the shepherd rescues out of the mouth of the lion

two legs only, or a piece of an ear;

so will the people of Israel who live in Samaria be rescued;

they will be left with only the corner of a couch

or a piece of a bed.”

13 Hear and testify

against the house of Jacob

—this is the declaration of the Lord Yahweh, the God of hosts:

14 “For in the day that I punish the sins of Israel,

I will also punish the altars of Bethel.

The horns of the altar will be cut off

and fall to the ground.

15 I will destroy the winter house

with the summer house.

The houses of ivory will perish,

and the large houses will vanish,

—this is Yahweh's declaration.”

4

1 Listen to this word,

you cows of Bashan,

you who are in the mountain of Samaria,

you who oppress the poor,

you who crush the needy,

you who say to your husbands,

“Bring us drinks.”

2 The Lord Yahweh has sworn by his holiness,

“Look, the days will come on you

when they will take you away with hooks,

the last of you with fishhooks.

3 You will go out through the breaks in the city wall,

each one of you going straight through it,

and you will be thrown out toward Harmon

—this is Yahweh's declaration.”

4 “Go to Bethel and sin,

to Gilgal and multiply sin,

bring your sacrifices every morning,

your tithes every three days.

5 Offer a thanksgiving sacrifice with bread;

proclaim freewill offerings; announce them,

for this pleases you,

you people of Israel

—this is the declaration of the Lord Yahweh.

6 I gave you cleanness of teeth in all your cities

and lack of bread in all your places.

Yet you have not returned to me

—this is Yahweh's declaration.

7 I also withheld rain from you

when there were still three months to the harvest.

I caused it to rain on one city,

and caused it not to rain on another city.

One piece of land was rained on,

but the piece of land where it did not rain dried up.

8 Two or three cities staggered to another city to drink water,

but were not satisfied.

Yet you have not returned to me

—this is Yahweh's declaration.

9 I afflicted you with blight and mildew.

The multitude of your gardens,

your vineyards,

your fig trees,

and your olive trees—

the locusts devoured them all.

Yet you have not returned to me

—this is Yahweh's declaration.

10 I sent a plague on you as on Egypt.

I killed your young men with the sword,

carried away your horses,

and made the stench of your camp come up

to your nostrils.

Yet you have not returned to me

—this is Yahweh's declaration.

11 I overthrew cities among you,

as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah.

You were like a burning stick snatched out of the fire.

Yet you have not returned to me

—this is Yahweh's declaration.

12 Therefore I will do something terrible to you, Israel;

and because I will do something terrible to you,

prepare to meet your God, Israel!

13 For, look, he who forms the mountains

also creates the wind,

reveals his thoughts to mankind,

makes the morning darkness,

and treads on the high places of the earth.

Yahweh, God of hosts, is his name.”

5

1 Hear this word that I take up as a lament over you, house of Israel.

2 The virgin Israel has fallen;

she will rise no more;

she is forsaken on her land;

there is no one to raise her up.

3 For this is what the Lord Yahweh says:

“The city that went out with a thousand will have a hundred left,

and the one that went out with a hundred will have ten left

belonging to the house of Israel.”

4 For this is what Yahweh says to the house of Israel:

“Seek me and live!

5 Do not seek Bethel;

nor enter Gilgal;

do not journey to Beersheba.

For Gilgal will surely go into captivity,

and Bethel will become nothing.

6 Seek Yahweh and live,

or he will break out like fire

in the house of Joseph.

It will devour,

and there will be no one to quench it in Bethel.

7 Those people turn justice into a bitter thing

and throw righteousness down to the ground!”

8 God made the Pleiades and Orion;

he turns darkness into the morning;

he makes the day dark with night

and calls for the waters of the sea;

he pours them out on the surface of the earth.

Yahweh is his name!

9 He brings sudden destruction on the strong

so that destruction comes on the fortresses.

10 They hate anyone who corrects them in the city gate,

and they abhor anyone who speaks the truth.

11 Because you trample down the poor

and take portions of wheat from him—

although you have built houses of worked stone,

you will not live in them.

You have delightful vineyards,

but you will not drink their wine.

12 For I know how many are your offenses

and how great are your sins—

you who afflict the just,

take bribes,

and turn aside the needy in the city gate.

13 Therefore any prudent person is silent at such a time,

for it is an evil time.

14 Seek good and not evil,

so that you may live.

So Yahweh, the God of hosts, will really be with you,

as you say he is.

15 Hate evil, love good,

establish justice in the city gate.

Perhaps Yahweh, the God of hosts, will be gracious

to the remnant of Joseph.

16 Therefore, this is what Yahweh says,

the God of hosts, the Lord,

“Wailing will be in all the squares,

and they will say in all the streets,

'Woe! Woe!'

They will call the farmers to mourning

and the mourners to wail.

17 In all vineyards there will be wailing,

for I will pass through your midst,”

says Yahweh.

18 Woe to you who desire the day of Yahweh!

Why do you long for the day of Yahweh?

It will be darkness and not light,

19 as when a man flees from a lion

and a bear meets him,

or he goes in a house and puts his hand on the wall

and a snake bites him.

20 Will not the day of Yahweh be darkness and not light?

Gloom and no brightness?

21 “I hate, I despise your festivals,

I take no delight in your solemn assemblies.

22 Even though you offer me your burnt offerings and grain offerings,

I will not accept them,

neither will I look at the fellowship offerings of your fattened animals.

23 Remove from me the noise of your songs;

I will not listen to the sound of your harps.

24 Instead, let justice flow like water,

and righteousness like a constantly flowing stream.

25 Did you bring me sacrifices and offerings

in the wilderness for forty years, house of Israel?

26 You have lifted up the images of Sikkuth, your king,

and Kaiwan, your star god,

which you made for yourselves.

27 Therefore I will exile you beyond Damascus,”

says Yahweh,

whose name is the God of hosts.

6

1 Woe to those who are at ease in Zion,

and to those who are secure in the hill country of Samaria,

the notable men of the best of the nations,

to whom the house of Israel comes for help!

2 Your leaders say, “Go to Kalneh and look;

from there go to Hamath, the great city;

then go down to Gath of the Philistines.

Are they better than your two kingdoms?

Is their border larger than your border?”

3 Woe to those who put off the day of disaster

and make the throne of violence come near.

4 They lie on beds of ivory

and lounge on their couches.

They eat lambs from the flock

and calves from the stall.

5 They sing foolish songs to the music of the harp;

they improvise on instruments as David did.

6 They drink wine from bowls

and anoint themselves with the finest oils,

but they do not grieve over the ruin of Joseph.

7 So they will now go into exile with the first exiles,

and the feasts of those who lounge about will pass away.

8 “I, the Lord Yahweh, have sworn by myself

—this is the declaration of the Lord Yahweh, the God of hosts,

I detest the pride of Jacob;

I hate his fortresses.

Therefore I will deliver up the city with all that is in it.” 9 It will come about that if there are ten men left in one house, they will all die. 10 When a man's relative comes to take their bodies up—the one who is to cremate them after bringing the corpses out of the house—if he says to the person in the house, “Is there anyone with you?” What if that person says, “No.” Then he will say, “Be quiet, for we must not mention Yahweh's name.”

11 For, look, Yahweh will give a command,

and the big house will be smashed to pieces,

and the little house to bits.

12 Do horses run on the rocky cliffs?

Does one plow there with oxen?

Yet you have turned justice into poison

and the fruit of righteousness into bitterness.

13 You who rejoice over Lo Debar,

who say, “Have we not taken Karnaim by our own strength?”

14 “But look, I will raise up against you a nation,

house of Israel—this is the declaration of the Lord Yahweh, the God of hosts.

They will afflict you

from Lebo Hamath to the brook of the Arabah.”

7

1 This is what the Lord Yahweh showed me. Look, he formed a locust swarm when the spring crop began to come up, and, look, it was the late crop after the king's harvest. 2 When they finished eating the vegetation of the land, then I said, “Lord Yahweh, please forgive; how will Jacob survive? For he is so small.” 3 Yahweh relented concerning this. “It will not happen,” he said.

4 This is what the Lord Yahweh showed me: Look, the Lord Yahweh called on fire to judge. It dried the vast, deep water under the earth and would have devoured the land, also. 5 But I said, “Lord Yahweh, please stop; how will Jacob survive? For he is so small.” 6 Yahweh relented concerning this, “This also will not happen,” said the Lord Yahweh.

7 This is what he showed me: Look, the Lord stood beside a wall, with a plumb line in his hand. 8 Yahweh said to me, “Amos, what do you see?” I said, “A plumb line.” Then the Lord said, “Look, I will put a plumb line among my people Israel. I will spare them no longer.

9 The high places of Isaac will be destroyed,

the sanctuaries of Israel will be ruined,

and I will rise against the house of Jeroboam with the sword.”

10 Then Amaziah, the priest of Bethel, sent a message to Jeroboam, king of Israel: “Amos has conspired against you in the middle of the house of Israel. The land cannot bear all his words. 11 For this is what Amos said,

'Jeroboam will die by the sword,

and Israel will surely go into exile away from his land.'” 12 Amaziah said to Amos, “Seer, go, run back to the land of Judah, and there eat bread and prophesy. 13 But do not prophesy anymore here at Bethel, for it is the king's sanctuary and a royal house.”

14 Then Amos said to Amaziah, “I am not a prophet nor a prophet's son. I am a herdsman, and I take care of sycamore fig trees. 15 But Yahweh took me from tending the flock and said to me, 'Go, prophesy to my people Israel.' 16 Now hear the word of Yahweh. You say, 'Do not prophesy against Israel, and do not speak against the house of Isaac.' 17 Therefore this is what Yahweh says,

'Your wife will be a prostitute in the city;

your sons and your daughters will fall by the sword;

your land will be measured and divided up;

you will die in an unclean land,

and Israel will surely go into exile from his land.'”

8

1 This is what the Lord Yahweh showed me. Look, a basket of summer fruit! 2 He said, “What do you see, Amos?” I said, “A basket of summer fruit.” Then Yahweh said to me,

“The end has come for my people Israel;

I will spare them no longer.

3 The songs of the temple will become wailings in that day

—this is the declaration of the Lord Yahweh—

many dead bodies, they are thrown everywhere!

Silence!”

4 Listen to this, you who trample the needy

and remove the poor of the land. 5 They say,

“When will the new moon be over,

so we can sell grain again?

When will the Sabbath day be over,

so that we can sell wheat?

We will make the measure small

and increase the price,

as we cheat with false scales.

6 This is so we can sell bad wheat, buy the poor with silver,

and the needy for a pair of sandals.” 7 Yahweh has sworn by the pride of Jacob, “Surely I will never forget any of their actions.”

8 Will not the land quake for this,

and every one who lives in it mourn?

All of it will rise up like the Nile River,

and it will be tossed about and sink again,

like the river of Egypt.

9 “It will come in that day

—this is the declaration of the Lord Yahweh—

that I will make the sun set at noon,

and I will darken the earth at daylight.

10 I will turn your festivals into mourning

and all your songs into lamentation.

I will make all of you wear sackcloth

and have baldness on every head.

I will make it like mourning for an only son,

and a bitter day to its end.

11 Look, the days are coming

—this is the declaration of the Lord Yahweh—

when I will send a famine in the land,

not a famine for bread,

nor of thirst for water,

but for hearing the words of Yahweh.

12 They will stagger from sea to sea;

they will run from the north to the east

to seek the word of Yahweh,

but they will not find it.

13 In that day the beautiful virgins

and the young men will faint from thirst.

14 Those who swear by the sin of Samaria *

and say, 'As your god lives, Dan,'

and, 'As the way to Beersheba exists'— †

they will fall and never rise again.”

9

1 I saw the Lord standing beside the altar, and he said, “Strike the tops of the pillars so that the foundations will shake.

Break them in pieces on all of their heads,

and I will kill the last of them with the sword.

Not one of them will get away,

not one of them will escape.

2 Though they dig into Sheol,

there my hand will take them.

Though they climb up to heaven,

there I will bring them down.

3 Though they hide on the top of Carmel,

there I will search and take them.

Though they are hidden from my sight in the bottom of the sea,

there will I give orders to the serpent, and it will bite them.

4 Though they go into captivity, driven by their enemies before them,

there will I give orders to the sword, and it will kill them.

I will keep my eyes on them for harm and not for good.”

5 The Lord Yahweh of hosts

touches the land and it melts;

all who live in it mourn;

all of it will rise up like the River,

and sink again like the river of Egypt.

6 It is he who builds his steps in the heavens,

and has established his vault over the earth.

He calls for the waters of the sea,

and pours them out on the surface of the earth,

Yahweh is his name.

7 “Are you not like the people of Cush to me,

people of Israel?

—this is Yahweh's declaration.

Did I not bring up Israel out of the land of Egypt,

the Philistines from Crete,

and the Arameans from Kir?

8 Look, the eyes of the Lord Yahweh are on the sinful kingdom,

and I will destroy it from the face of the earth,

except that I will not totally destroy the house of Jacob

—this is Yahweh's declaration.

9 Look, I will give a command,

and I will shake the house of Israel among all the nations,

as one shakes grain in a sieve,

so that not the smallest stone will fall to the ground.

10 All the sinners of my people will die by the sword,

those who say, 'Disaster will not overtake or meet us.'

11 In that day I will raise up the tent of David that has fallen,

and close up its breaches.

I will raise up its ruins,

and rebuild it as in the days of old,

12 That they may possess the remnant of Edom,

and all the nations that are called by my name

—this is Yahweh's declaration—he does this.

13 Look, the days will come—this is Yahweh's declaration—

when the plowman will overtake the reaper,

and the treader of grapes will overtake him who plants seed.

The mountains will drip sweet wine,

and all the hills will flow with it.

14 I will bring back from captivity my people Israel.

They will build the ruined cities and inhabit them,

they will plant vineyards and drink their wine,

and they will make gardens and eat their fruit.

15 I will plant them upon their land,

and they will never again be uprooted from the land

that I have given them,”

says Yahweh your God.

* 8:14 Instead of the sin of Samaria , some versions have Ashimah of Samaria. Ashimah was the name of a pagan goddess worshiped in some parts of Syria .

† 8:14 The Hebrew text has As the way to Beersheba exists , where this might refer to what people going to worship Beersheba's idols might have said. However, some versions want to change the Hebrew text to read As the loved one of Beersheba lives . Here “loved one” stands for an idol worshiped in Beersheba.

Obadiah

Obadiah

1

1 The vision of Obadiah. The Lord Yahweh says this concerning Edom: We have heard a report from Yahweh and an ambassador has been sent among the nations, saying, “Rise up! Let us rise up against her for battle!” 2 Behold, I will make you small among the nations, you will be greatly despised. 3 The pride of your heart has deceived you, you who live in the clefts of the rock, in your lofty home; who say in your heart, “Who will bring me down to the ground?” 4 Though you soar high like the eagle and though your nest is set among the stars, I will bring you down from there, says Yahweh.

5 If thieves came to you, if robbers came by night—how you will be ruined!—would they not steal only as much as they needed? If grape gatherers came to you, would they not leave the gleanings? 6 How Esau has been ransacked, his hidden treasures will be searched out! 7 All the men of your alliance will send you on your way to the border. The men who were at peace with you have deceived you, and prevailed against you. They who eat your bread have set a trap under you. There is no understanding in him. 8 “Will I not on that day,” says Yahweh, “destroy the wise men from Edom and understanding out of the mountain of Esau? 9 Your mighty men will be dismayed, Teman, so that every man may be cut off from the mountain of Esau by slaughter.

10 Because of the violence done to your brother Jacob, you will be covered with shame, and you will be cut off forever. 11 On the day you stood aloof, on the day strangers carried away his wealth, and foreigners entered into his gates, and cast lots for Jerusalem, you were like one of them. 12 But do not gloat over your brother's day, in the day of his misfortune, and do not rejoice over the people of Judah in the day of their destruction; do not boast in the day of their distress. 13 Do not enter my people's gate in the day of their calamity; do not gloat over their affliction in the day of their disaster, do not loot their wealth in the day of their ruin. 14 Do not stand at the crossroads to cut down his fugitives, and do not deliver up his survivors in the day of distress.

15 For the day of Yahweh is near upon all the nations. As you have done, it will be done to you; your deeds will return on your own head. 16 For as you have drunk on my holy mountain, so will all the nations drink continually. They will drink and swallow and it will be as though they had never existed.

17 But in Mount Zion there will be those that escape and it will be holy; and the house of Jacob shall possess their own possessions. 18 The house of Jacob will be a fire, and the house of Joseph a flame, and the house of Esau will be stubble, and they will burn them, and consume them. There will be no survivors to the house of Esau, for Yahweh has spoken it.” 19 Those from the Negev will possess the mount of Esau and those of the Shepelah will possess the land of the Philistines. They will possess the land of Ephraim and the land of Samaria; and Benjamin will possess Gilead. 20 The exiles of this host of the people of Israel will possess the land of Canaan as far as Zarephath. The exiles of Jerusalem, who are in Sepharad, will possess the cities of the Negev. 21 Deliverers will go up to Mount Zion to rule over the hill country of Esau, and the kingdom will belong to Yahweh. *

* 1:21 Instead of deliverers , several modern versions follow some ancient interpreters in reading those who will be delivered .

Jonah

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Jonah

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1 Now the word of Yahweh came to Jonah son of Amittai, saying, 2 “Get up and go to Nineveh, that great city, and speak out against it, because their wickedness has risen up before me.” 3 But Jonah got up to run away from the presence of Yahweh and go to Tarshish. He went down to Joppa and found a ship going to Tarshish. So he paid the fare and boarded the ship to go with them to Tarshish, away from the presence of Yahweh.

4 But Yahweh sent out a great wind on the sea and it became a mighty storm on the sea. Soon it appeared that the ship was going to be broken up. 5 Then the sailors became very afraid and each man cried out to his own god. They threw the ship's cargo into the sea to lighten it. But Jonah had gone down into the innermost parts of the ship, and he was lying there deeply asleep.

6 So the captain came to him and said to him, “What are you doing sleeping? Get up! Call upon your god! Maybe your god will notice us and we will not perish.”

7 They all said to each other, “Come, let us cast lots, so that we may know who is the cause of this evil that is happening to us.” So they threw lots, and the lot fell to Jonah.

8 Then they said to Jonah, “Please tell us who is the cause of this evil that is happening to us. What is your occupation, and where did you come from? What is your country, and from which people are you?” 9 Jonah said to them, “I am a Hebrew; and I fear Yahweh, the God of heaven, who has made the sea and the dry land.” 10 Then the men were even more afraid and said to Jonah, “What is this that you have done?” For the men knew that he was running away from the presence of Yahweh, because he had told them.

11 Then they said to Jonah, “What should we do to you so that the sea will calm down for us?” For the sea became more and more violent. 12 Jonah said to them, “Pick me up and throw me into the sea. Then the sea will be calm for you, for I know that it is because of me that this great storm is happening to you.”

13 Nevertheless, the men rowed hard to get them back to the land, but they could not do it because the sea was becoming more and more violent against them.

14 Therefore they cried out to Yahweh and said, “We beg you, Yahweh, we beg you, do not let us perish on account of this man's life, and do not lay upon us the guilt of his death, because you, Yahweh, have done just as it pleased you.” 15 So they picked up Jonah and threw him into the sea, and the sea stopped raging. 16 Then the men feared Yahweh very much. They offered sacrifices to Yahweh and made vows.

17 Now Yahweh had prepared a great fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was in the stomach of the fish three days and three nights.

2

1 Then Jonah prayed to Yahweh his God from the fish's stomach. 2 He said,

“I called out to Yahweh about my distress

and he answered me;

from the belly of Sheol I cried out for help!

You heard my voice.

3 You had thrown me into the depths, into the heart of the seas,

and the currents surrounded me;

all your waves and billows

passed over me.

4 I said, 'I am driven out from before your eyes;

yet I will again look toward your holy temple.'

5 The waters closed around me up to my neck;

the deep was all around me;

seaweed wrapped around my head.

6 I went down to the bases of the mountains;

the earth with its bars closed upon me forever.

Yet you brought up my life from the pit, Yahweh, my God!

7 When my soul fainted within me, I called Yahweh to mind;

then my prayer came to you, to your holy temple.

8 They give attention to useless gods

while they forsake loving faithfulness.

9 But as for me, I will sacrifice to you with a voice of thanksgiving;

I will fulfill that which I have vowed.

Salvation comes from Yahweh!”

10 Then Yahweh spoke to the fish, and it vomited up Jonah upon the dry land.

3

1 The word of Yahweh came to Jonah a second time, saying, 2 “Get up, go to Nineveh, that great city, and proclaim to it the message that I command you to give.” 3 So Jonah got up and went to Nineveh in obedience to the word of Yahweh. Now Nineveh was a very large city, one of three days' journey. 4 Jonah began to enter the city and after a day's journey he called out and said, “In forty days Nineveh will be overthrown.” 5 The people of Nineveh believed God and they proclaimed a fast. They all put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them down to the least of them. 6 Soon the news reached the king of Nineveh. He rose up from his throne, took off his robe, covered himself with sackcloth, and sat in ashes. 7 He sent out a proclamation that said, “In Nineveh, by the authority of the king and his nobles, let neither man nor animal, herd nor flock, taste anything. Let them not eat, nor drink water. 8 But let both man and animal be covered with sackcloth and let them cry out loudly to God. Let every one turn from his evil way and from the violence that is in his hands. 9 Who knows? God may relent and change his mind and turn away from his fierce anger so that we do not perish.” 10 God saw what they did, that they turned from their evil ways. So then God changed his mind about the punishment that he had said he would do to them, and he did not do it.

4

1 But this displeased Jonah and he became very angry. 2 So Jonah prayed to Yahweh and said, “Ah, Yahweh, is this not just what I said when I was back in my own country? That is why I acted first and tried to flee to Tarshish—because I knew that you are a gracious God, compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in covenant faithfulness, and you hold back from sending disaster. 3 Therefore now, Yahweh, I beg you, take my life from me, for it is better for me to die than to live.” 4 Yahweh said, “Is it good that you are so angry?” 5 Then Jonah went out of the city and sat on the east side of the city. There he made a shelter and sat under it in the shade so that he could see what might become of the city.

6 Yahweh God prepared a plant and made it grow up over Jonah so that it might be a shade over his head to relieve his distress. Jonah was very glad because of the plant. 7 But God prepared a worm at sunrise the next morning. It attacked the plant and the plant withered. 8 It came about that when the sun rose the next morning, God prepared a hot east wind. Also, the sun beat down on Jonah's head and he became faint. Then Jonah wished that he might die. He said to himself, “It is better for me to die than to live.” 9 Then God said to Jonah, “Is it good that you are so angry about the plant?” Then Jonah said, “It is good that I am angry, even to death.” 10 Yahweh said, “You have had compassion for the plant, for which you have not labored, nor did you make it grow. It grew up in a night and died in a night. 11 So as for me, should I not have compassion for Nineveh, that great city, in which there are more than one hundred and twenty thousand people who do not know the difference between their right hand and their left hand, and also many cattle?”

Micah

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Micah

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1 This is the word of Yahweh that came to Micah the Morashtite in the days of Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, which he saw concerning Samaria and Jerusalem.

2 Listen, all you peoples.

Listen, earth, and all that is in you.

Let the Lord Yahweh be a witness against you,

the Lord from his holy temple.

3 Look, Yahweh comes out of his place;

he will come down and tread

on the high places of the earth.

4 The mountains will melt under him;

the valleys will break apart,

like wax before fire,

like waters that are poured down a steep place.

5 All this is because of the Jacob's transgression,

and because of the sins of the house of Israel.

What is Jacob's transgression?

Is it not Samaria?

What is Judah's high place?

Is it not Jerusalem?

6 “I will make Samaria a heap of ruins in the field,

a place for planting vineyards,

and I will pour her stones down into the valley

and I will uncover her foundations.

7 All her carved figures will be broken to pieces,

and all her gifts that she received will be burned with fire,

and I will destroy all her idols.

Since she gathered her gifts from the wages of prostitutes,

they will become the wages of prostitutes again.”

8 For this reason I will lament and wail;

I will go barefoot and naked;

I will wail like the jackals

and mourn like owls.

9 For her wound is incurable,

for it has come to Judah.

It has reached the gate of my people,

to Jerusalem.

10 Do not tell about it in Gath;

do not weep at all.

At Beth Leaphrah I roll myself in the dust.

11 Pass by, inhabitants of Shaphir,

in nakedness and shame.

The inhabitants of Zaanan do not come out.

Beth Ezel mourns,

for their protection is taken away.

12 For the inhabitants of Maroth wait anxiously for good news,

because disaster has come down from Yahweh

to the gates of Jerusalem.

13 Harness the chariot to the team of horses, inhabitants of Lachish.

You, Lachish, were the beginning of sin for the daughter of Zion,

for the transgressions of Israel were found in you.

14 So you will give a parting gift to Moresheth Gath;

the town of Akzib will disappoint the kings of Israel.

15 I will again bring a conqueror to you,

inhabitants of Mareshah;

the splendor of Israel will come to Adullam.

16 Shave your head

and cut off your hair

for the children in whom you delight.

Make yourself as bald as eagles,

for your children will go into exile from you.

2

1 Woe to those who plan iniquity,

to those who plan on their beds to do evil.

In the morning light they do it

because they have power.

2 They desire fields and seize them;

they desire houses and take them.

They oppress a man and his house,

a man and his inheritance.

3 Therefore Yahweh says this,

“Look, I am about to bring disaster against this clan,

from which you will not remove your necks.

You will not walk arrogantly,

for it will be an evil time.

4 In that day men will sing a song about you,

and lament with a wailing lamentation.

They will sing, 'We Israelites are completely ruined;

Yahweh changes the territory of my people.

How can he remove it from me?

He portions out our fields to traitors!'”

5 Therefore, you rich people will have no descendants to divide up the territory by lot

in the assembly of Yahweh.

6 “Do not prophesy,”

they say.

“They must not prophesy these things;

reproaches must not come.”

7 Should it really be said, house of Jacob,

“Is the Spirit of Yahweh angry?

Are these really his deeds?”

Do not my words do good

to anyone who walks uprightly?

8 Lately my people have risen up like an enemy.

You strip the robe, the garment, from those who pass by unsuspectingly,

as soldiers return from war to what they think is safety.

9 You drive the women belonging to my people from their pleasant houses;

you take my blessing from their young children forever.

10 Get up and leave,

for this is not a place where you can stay,

because of its uncleanness;

it is destroyed with complete destruction.

11 If someone comes to you in a spirit of falsehood and lies and says,

“I will prophesy to you about wine and strong drink,”

he would be considered to be a prophet for this people.

12 I will surely assemble all of you, Jacob.

I will surely gather the remnant of Israel.

I will bring them together like sheep in a fold,

like a flock in the midst of their pasture.

There will be a loud noise because of the multitude of people.

13 Someone who breaks open their way for them will go ahead of them.

They break through the gate and go out;

their king will pass on before them.

Yahweh will be at their head.

3

1 I said, “Now listen,

you leaders of Jacob

and rulers of the house of Israel:

Is it not right for you to understand justice?

2 You who hate good

and love evil,

you who tear off their skin,

their flesh from their bones—

3 you who also eat the flesh of my people,

and tear their skin off,

break their bones,

and chop them in pieces,

just like meat for a pot,

just like meat in a cauldron.

4 Then you rulers will cry out to Yahweh,

but he will not answer you.

He will hide his face from you at that time,

because you have done evil deeds.”

5 Yahweh says this,

“As for the prophets who lead my people astray,

if one gives them something to eat,

they proclaim, 'Peace.'

But if he puts nothing in their mouths,

they dedicate themselves to wage war on him.

6 Therefore, it will be night for you with no vision for you;

it will be dark so that you will do no divination.

The sun will go down on the prophets,

and the day will be dark on them.

7 The seers will be put to shame,

and the diviners will be confused.

All of them will cover their lips,

for there is no answer from me.”

8 But as for me, I am full of power by the Spirit of Yahweh,

and am full of justice and might,

to declare to Jacob his transgression,

and to Israel his sin.

9 Now listen to this,

you leaders of the house of Jacob,

and rulers of the house of Israel,

you who detest justice,

and pervert everything right.

10 You build Zion with blood

and Jerusalem with iniquity.

11 Your leaders judge for a bribe,

your priests teach for a price,

and your prophets do divination for money.

Yet you rely on Yahweh and say,

“Is not Yahweh with us?

No evil will come on us.”

12 Therefore, because of you,

Zion will become a plowed field,

Jerusalem will become a heap of rubble,

and the hill of the temple will become a thicket.

4

1 But in the last days it will come about

that the mountain of Yahweh's house

will be established over the other mountains.

It will be exalted above the hills,

and peoples will stream to it.

2 Many nations will go and say,

“Come, let us go up to the mountain of Yahweh,

to the house of the God of Jacob.

He will teach us his ways,

and we will walk in his paths.”

For from Zion the law will go out,

and the word of Yahweh from Jerusalem.

3 He will judge among many peoples

and will decide concerning numerous nations far away.

They will beat their swords into plowshares

and their spears into pruning hooks.

Nation will not lift up sword against nation,

nor will they train for war any longer.

4 Instead, they will sit every person under his vine

and under his fig tree.

No one will make them afraid,

for the mouth of Yahweh of hosts has spoken.

5 For all the peoples walk,

each one, in the name of their god.

But we will walk in the name of Yahweh our God

forever and ever.

6 “On that day”—this is Yahweh's declaration—

“I will assemble the lame

and gather the outcast,

those whom I have afflicted.

7 I will turn the lame into a remnant,

and the ones driven away into a strong nation,

and I, Yahweh, will reign over them on Mount Zion,

now and forever.

8 As for you, watchtower for the flock,

hill of the daughter of Zion—

to you it will come, your former dominion will be restored,

the kingdom that belongs to the daughter of Jerusalem.

9 Now, why do you shout so loudly?

Is there no king among you?

Has your counselor died?

Is this why pain grips you like that of a woman in labor?

10 Be in pain

and labor to give birth,

daughter of Zion,

like a woman in labor.

For now you will you go out of the city,

live in the field,

and go to Babylon.

There you will be rescued.

There Yahweh will rescue you

from the hand of your enemies.

11 Now many nations are assembled against you;

they say, 'Let her be defiled;

let our eyes gloat over Zion.'

12 They do not know Yahweh's thoughts,

neither do they understand his plans,

for he has gathered them like bundles of grain prepared for the threshing floor.

13 Arise and thresh, daughter of Zion,

for I will make your horn to be iron,

and I will make your hooves to be bronze.

You will crush many peoples and you will devote their unjust wealth to Yahweh,

their wealth to the Lord of the whole earth.”

5

1 Now come together in battle ranks,

daughter of soldiers;

the soldiers have set up a siege around city,

with a rod they will strike the judge of Israel

on the cheek. *

2 But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah,

even though you are small among the clans of Judah,

out of you one will come to me

to rule in Israel,

whose beginning is from ancient times,

from everlasting.

3 Therefore God will give them up,

until the time when she who is in labor bears a child,

and the rest of his brothers return to the people of Israel.

4 He will stand

and shepherd his flock in the strength of Yahweh,

in the majesty of the name of Yahweh his God.

They will remain,

for then he will be great to the ends of the earth.

5 For this shall be the peace—

when the Assyrians come into our land,

and when they march against our fortresses,

then we will raise against them seven shepherds

and eight leaders over men.

6 They will shepherd the land of Assyria with the sword,

and the land of Nimrod in its entrances. †

He will rescue us from the Assyrians,

when they come into our land,

when they march inside our borders.

7 The remnant of Jacob will be in the midst of many peoples,

like dew from Yahweh,

like showers on the grass,

that do not wait for a man,

and they do not wait for the children of mankind.

8 The remnant of Jacob will be among the nations,

among many peoples,

like a lion among the animals of the forest,

like a young lion among the flocks of sheep.

When he goes through them,

he will trample over them and tear them to pieces,

and there will be no one to save them.

9 Your hand will be lifted against your enemies,

and it will destroy them.

10 “It will happen in that day”—this is Yahweh's declaration—

“that I will destroy your horses from among you

and will demolish your chariots.

11 I will destroy the cities in your land

and throw down all your strongholds.

12 I will destroy the witchcraft in your hand,

and you will no longer have any diviners.

13 I will destroy your carved figures

and your stone pillars from among you.

You will no longer worship the workmanship of your hands.

14 I will uproot your Asherah poles from among you,

and I will destroy your cities.

15 I will execute vengeance in anger and wrath

on the nations that have not listened.”

6

1 Now listen to what Yahweh says,

“Arise and state your case before the mountains;

let the hills hear your voice.

2 Listen to Yahweh's lawsuit, you mountains,

and you enduring foundations of the earth.

For Yahweh has a lawsuit with his people,

and he will fight in court against Israel.”

3 “My people, what have I done to you?

How have I wearied you?

Testify against me!

4 For I brought you up out of the land of Egypt

and rescued you out of the house of bondage.

I sent Moses, Aaron, and Miriam to you.

5 My people, remember what Balak king of Moab devised,

and how Balaam son of Beor answered him

as you went from Shittim to Gilgal,

so you may know the righteous acts of Yahweh.”

6 What should I bring to Yahweh,

as I bow down to the high God?

Should I come to him with burnt offerings,

with calves a year old?

7 Will Yahweh be pleased with thousands of rams,

or with ten thousand rivers of oil?

Should I give my firstborn for my transgression,

the fruit of my body for my own sin?

8 He has told you, man,

what is good,

and what Yahweh requires from you:

Act justly,

love kindness,

and walk humbly with your God.

9 The voice of Yahweh is making a proclamation to the city—

even now wisdom acknowledges your name:

“Pay attention to the rod,

and to the one who has put it in place. *

10 There is wealth in the houses of the wicked that is dishonest,

and false measures that are abominable.

11 Should I consider a person to be innocent if he uses fraudulent scales,

with a bag of deceptive weights?

12 The rich men are full of violence,

the inhabitants have spoken lies,

and their tongue in their mouth is deceitful.

13 Therefore I will strike you with a terrible blow,

and I will make you desolate because of your sins.

14 You will eat but not be satisfied;

your emptiness will remain inside you.

You will store goods away but not save,

and what you do save I will give to the sword. †

15 You will sow but not reap;

you will tread the olives but not anoint yourselves with oil;

you will press grapes but drink no wine.

16 The regulations made by Omri have been kept,

and all the deeds of the house of Ahab.

You walk by their advice.

So I will make you, city, a ruin,

and you inhabitants an object of hissing,

and you will bear the reproach of my people.” ‡

7

1 Woe is me!

I have become like the gathering of summer fruit,

and like the grapes that have been gleaned;

there is no grape cluster to eat,

no ripe early fig that my soul desires.

2 Faithful people have disappeared from the land;

there is no upright person in all mankind.

They all lie in wait to shed blood;

each one hunts his own brother with a net.

3 Their hands are very good at doing harm:

the ruler asks for money,

the judge is ready for bribes,

and the powerful man is saying to others what he wants to obtain.

Thus they plot together.

4 The best of them is like a brier,

the most upright is worse than a thorn hedge.

It is the day foretold by your watchmen,

the day of your punishment.

Now is the time of their confusion.

5 Do not trust any neighbor;

put no confidence in any friend.

Be careful about what you say

even to the woman who lies in your arms.

6 For a son dishonors his father,

a daughter rises up against her mother,

and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law.

A man's enemies are the people of his own house.

7 But as for me, I will look to Yahweh.

I will wait for the God of my salvation;

my God will hear me.

8 Do not rejoice over me, my enemy.

After I fall,

I will rise.

When I sit in darkness,

Yahweh will be a light for me.

9 Because I sinned against Yahweh,

I will bear his rage

until he pleads my cause,

and executes judgment for me.

He will bring me to the light,

and I will see him rescue me in his justice.

10 Then my enemy will see it,

and shame will cover the one who said to me,

“Where is Yahweh your God?”

My eyes will look at her;

she will be trampled down like the mud in the streets.

11 A day to build your walls will come;

on that day the boundaries will be extended very far.

12 On that day your people will come to you,

from Assyria and the cities in Egypt,

from Egypt to the River,

from sea to sea,

and from mountain to mountain.

13 But the land will be desolate

because of the people who are living there,

because of the fruit of their actions.

14 Shepherd your people with your rod,

the flock of your inheritance.

They live alone in a thicket,

in the midst of a pastureland.

Let them graze in Bashan and Gilead

as in the old days.

15 As in the days when you came out of the land of Egypt,

I will show them wonders.

16 The nations will see and be ashamed

of all their power.

They will put their hands on their mouths;

their ears will be deaf.

17 They will lick the dust like a snake,

like creatures that crawl on the earth.

They will come out of their dens with fear;

they will come with fear to you, Yahweh our God,

and they will be afraid because of you.

18 Who is a God like you—

who takes away sin,

who passes over the transgression of the remnant of his inheritance?

He does not keep his anger forever,

because he delights in his covenant faithfulness.

19 You will again have compassion on us;

you will trample our iniquities under your feet.

You will throw all our sins into the depths of the sea.

20 You will give truth to Jacob

and covenant faithfulness to Abraham,

as you swore to our ancestors in ancient days.

* 5:1 Instead of come together in battle ranks , some interpreters translate cut yourselves , referring to the pagan practice of cutting oneself while praying to idols. Also, some modern versions follow an ancient version that reads build up your fortifications .

† 5:6 The Hebrew text has in its entrances , that is, in their gates. However, some modern versions suppose that a different Hebrew word was intended: with a drawn sword .

* 6:9 Instead of the Hebrew text's reading of Pay attention to the rod and to the one who has put it into place , some modern versions have Listen, tribe, and those assembled together in the city .

† 6:14 Parts of this verse are difficult to understand, because there are two Hebrew words in it whose meanings are not known. As a result, various other readings have been proposed that some modern versions follow.

‡ 6:16 The Hebrew text has you will bear the reproach of my people , but an ancient Greek version has you will bear the scorn of the nations . Some modern versions follow this reading.

Nahum

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Nahum

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1 The declaration about Nineveh. The book of the vision of Nahum, the Elkoshite.

2 Yahweh is a jealous God and avenges; Yahweh avenges and is full of wrath;

Yahweh takes vengeance on his adversaries, and he continues his anger for his enemies.

3 Yahweh is slow to anger and great in power; he will not allow the wicked to go unpunished.

Yahweh makes his way in the whirlwind and the storm, and the clouds are the dust of his feet.

4 He rebukes the sea and makes it dry; he dries up all the rivers.

Bashan is weak, and Carmel also; the flowers of Lebanon are weak.

5 The mountains shake in his presence, and the hills melt;

the earth collapses in his presence, indeed, the world and all people who live in it.

6 Who can stand before his wrath? Who can resist the fierceness of his anger?

His wrath is poured out like fire, and the rocks are broken apart by him.

7 Yahweh is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; and he is faithful to those who take refuge in him.

8 But he will make a full end to his enemies with an overwhelming flood; he will pursue them into darkness.

9 What are you people plotting against Yahweh?

He will make a full end to it; trouble will not rise up a second time.

10 For they will become tangled up like thornbushes; they will be saturated in their own drink;

they will be completely devoured by fire like dry stubble.

11 Someone arose among you, Nineveh, who planned evil against Yahweh, someone who promoted wickedness.

12 This is what Yahweh says,

“Even if they are at their full strength and full numbers, they will nevertheless be sheared;

their people will be no more. But you, Judah: Though I have afflicted you, I will afflict you no more.

13 Now will I break that people's yoke from off you; I will break your chains.”

14 Yahweh has given a command about you, Nineveh:

“There will be no more descendants bearing your name.

I will cut off the carved figures and the cast metal figures from the houses of your gods.

I will dig your graves, for you are contemptible.”

15 Look, on the mountains there are the feet of someone who is bringing good news, who is announcing peace!

Celebrate your festivals, Judah, and keep your vows,

for the wicked one will invade you no more; he is completely cut off.

2

1 The one who will dash you to pieces is coming up against you.

Man the city walls, guard the roads,

make yourselves strong, assemble your armies.

2 For Yahweh is restoring the majesty of Jacob, like the majesty of Israel,

although the plunderers devastated them and destroyed their vine branches.

3 The shields of his mighty men are red, and the soldiers are clothed in scarlet;

the chariots flash with their metal on the day that they are made ready, and the cypress spears are waved in the air.

4 The chariots speed through the streets; they rush back and forth in the wide streets.

They look like torches, and they run like lightning.

5 The one who will dash you to pieces calls his officers; they stumble over each other in their march;

they hurry to attack the city wall. The large shield is made ready to protect these attackers.

6 The gates at the rivers are forced open, and the palace falls to ruins.

7 Huzzab is stripped of her clothes and is taken away;

her female servants moan like doves, beating on their breasts.

8 Nineveh is like a leaking pool of water, with its people fleeing away like rushing water.

Others shout, “Stop, stop,” but no one looks back.

9 Take the silver plunder, take the gold plunder, for there is no end to it,

to the splendor of all Nineveh's beautiful things.

10 Nineveh is empty and ruined. Everyone's heart melts, everyone's knees strike together,

and anguish is in everyone; their faces are all pale.

11 Where now is the lions' den, the place where the young lion cubs were fed,

the place where the lion and lioness walked, with the cubs, where they were afraid of nothing?

12 The lion tore his victims to pieces for his cubs; he strangled victims for his lionesses,

and filled his cave with victims, his dens with torn carcasses.

13 “See, I am against you—this is the declaration of Yahweh of hosts.

I will burn your chariots in the smoke, and the sword will devour your young lions.

I will cut off your prey from your land, and the voices of your messengers will be heard no more.”

3

1 Woe to the city full of blood!

It is all full of lies and stolen property; victims are always in her.

2 But now there is the noise of whips and the sound of rattling wheels,

prancing horses, and bounding chariots.

3 There are attacking horsemen,

flashing swords, glittering spears,

heaps of corpses, great piles of bodies.

There is no end to the bodies; their attackers stumble over them.

4 This is happening because of the lustful actions of the beautiful prostitute, the expert in witchcraft,

who sells nations through her prostitution, and peoples through her acts of witchcraft.

5 “See, I am against you—this is the declaration of Yahweh of hosts—I will raise up your skirt over your face

and show your private parts to the nations, your shame to the kingdoms.

6 I will throw disgusting filth on you and make you vile; I will make you someone that everyone will look at.

7 It will come about that everyone who looks at you will flee from you and say,

'Nineveh is destroyed; who will weep for her?'

Where can I find anyone to comfort you?”

8 Nineveh, are you better than Thebes, that was built on the Nile River, that had water around her,

whose defense was the ocean, whose wall was the sea itself?

9 Cush and Egypt were her strength, and there was no end to it;

Put and Libya were allies to her.

10 Yet Thebes was carried away; she went into captivity;

her young children were dashed in pieces at the head of every street;

her enemies threw lots for her honorable men,

and all her great men were bound in chains.

11 You also will become drunk; you will try to hide,

and you will also look for a refuge from your enemy.

12 All your fortresses will be like fig trees with the earliest ripe figs:

if they are shaken, they fall into the mouth of the eater.

13 See, the people among you are women;

the gates of your land have been opened wide to your enemies;

fire has devoured their bars.

14 Go draw water for the siege; strengthen your fortresses;

go into the clay and tread the mortar;

pick up the molds for the bricks.

15 Fire will devour you there, and the sword will destroy you. It will devour you as young locusts devour everything.

Make yourselves as many as the young locusts, as many as the full-grown locusts.

16 You have multiplied your merchants more than the stars in the heavens; but they are like young locusts: they plunder the land and then fly away.

17 Your princes are as many as the full-grown locusts, and your generals are like swarms of them

that camp in the walls on a cold day.

But when the sun rises they fly away to no one knows where.

18 King of Assyria, your shepherds are asleep; your rulers are lying down resting.

Your people are scattered on the mountains, and there is no one to gather them.

19 No healing is possible for your wounds. Your wounds are severe.

Everyone who hears the news about you will clap their hands in joy over you.

Who has escaped your constant wickedness?

Habakkuk

1

2

3

Habakkuk

1

1 The message that Habakkuk the prophet received,

2 “Yahweh, how long will I cry for help, and you will not hear?

I cry out to you, 'Violence!' but you will not save.

3 Why do you make me see iniquity and look upon wrongdoing?

Destruction and violence are before me; there is strife, and contention rises up.

4 Therefore the law is weakened, and justice does not last for any time.

For the wicked surround the righteous; therefore false justice goes out.”

Yahweh replies to Habakkuk

5 “Look at the nations and examine them; be amazed and astonished!

For I am surely about to do something in your days that you will not believe when it is reported to you.

6 For look! I am about to raise up the Chaldeans—that fierce and impetuous nation—

they are marching throughout the breadth of the land to seize homes that were not their own.

7 They are terrifying and fearsome; their judgment and splendor proceed from themselves.

8 Their horses also are swifter than leopards, quicker than the evening wolves.

So their horses stamp,

and their horsemen come from a great distance—they fly like an eagle hurrying to eat.

9 They all come for violence;

their multitudes go like the desert wind, and they gather captives like sand. *

10 So they mock kings, and rulers are only a mockery for them.

They laugh at every stronghold, for they heap up earth and take them.

11 Then the wind will rush on; it will move past—guilty men, those whose might is their god.”

Habakkuk asks Yahweh another question

12 “Are you not from ancient times, Yahweh my God, my Holy One? We will not die.

Yahweh has ordained them for judgment, and you, Rock, have established them for correction.

13 Your eyes are too pure to gaze upon evil, and you are not able to look on wrongdoing with favor;

why then have you looked favorably on those who betray?

Why are you silent while the wicked swallow up those more righteous than they are?

14 You make men like fish in the sea, like creeping things without a ruler over them.

15 He brings all of them up with a fishhook;

he drags men away in his fishnet;

he gathers them together in his dragnet;

so he rejoices and he is glad.

16 Therefore he sacrifices to his net

and burns incense to his dragnet,

for by his net he lives in luxury,

and his food is the richest kind.

17 Will he therefore keep emptying his net,

and will he continually slaughter the nations without mercy?”

2

1 I will stand at my guard post and station myself on the watchtower,

and I will watch carefully to see what he will say to me

and how I should turn from my complaint. *

2 Yahweh answered me and said,

“Record this vision, and write plainly on the tablets so that the one reading them might run.

3 For the vision is yet for a future time and will finally speak and not fail.

Though it delays, wait for it. For it will surely come and will not tarry.

4 Look! The one whose desires are not right within him is puffed up. But the righteous will live by his faith.

5 For wine is a betrayer of the arrogant young man so that he will not abide,

but enlarges his desire like the grave and, like death, is never satisfied.

He gathers to himself every nation and gathers up for himself all of the peoples.

6 Will not all these create a saying to ridicule him and a taunting song about him, saying,

'Woe to the one increasing what is not his! For how long will you increase the weight of the pledges you have taken?'

7 Will the ones biting at you not rise up suddenly, and the ones terrifying you awaken?

You will become a victim for them.

8 Because you have plundered many peoples, all the remnant of the peoples will plunder you.

For you have shed human blood and acted with violence against the land, the cities, and all who live in them.

9 'Woe to the one who carves out evil gains for his house,

so he can set his nest on high to keep himself safe from the hand of evil.'

10 You have devised shame for your house by cutting off many people, and have sinned against yourself.

11 For the stones will cry out from the wall, and the rafters of timber will answer them,

12 'Woe to the one who builds a city with blood, and who establishes a town in iniquity.'

13 Is it not from Yahweh of hosts

that peoples labor for fire and all the other nations weary themselves for nothing?

14 Yet the land will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of Yahweh as the waters cover the sea.

15 'Woe to the one who forces his neighbors to drink—

you express your anger † over and you make them drunk

in order to look at their nakedness.'

16 You will be filled with shame instead of glory.

Now it is your turn! Drink, and you will expose your uncircumcised foreskin!

The cup in Yahweh's right hand is coming around to you,

and disgrace will cover your glory.

17 The violence done to Lebanon will overwhelm you and the destruction of animals will terrify you.

For you have shed human blood and you have acted with violence against the land, the cities, and all who live in them.

18 What does the carved figure profit you? For the one who has carved it, or who casts a figure from molten metal, is a teacher of lies;

for he trusts his own handiwork when he makes these mute gods.

19 'Woe to the one saying to the wood, Wake up! Or to the silent stone, Arise!' Do these things teach?

See, it is overlaid with gold and silver, but there is no breath at all within it.

20 But Yahweh is in his holy temple! Be silent before him, all the land.”

3

1 The prayer of Habakkuk the prophet: *

2 Yahweh, I have heard your report, and I am afraid.

Yahweh, revive your work in the midst of these times; in the midst of these times make it known;

remember to have compassion in your wrath.

3 God came from Teman, and the Holy One from Mount Paran.

Selah

His glory covered the heavens, and the earth was full of his praise.

4 With brightness like the light, two-pronged rays flash from his hand;

and there he hid his power.

5 Deadly disease went before him,

and the plague followed him.

6 He stood and measured the earth; he looked and shook the nations.

Even the eternal mountains were shattered, and the everlasting hills bowed down.

His path is everlasting.

7 I saw the tents of Cushan in affliction, and the fabric of the tents in the land of Midian trembling.

8 Was Yahweh angry at the rivers? Was your wrath against the rivers,

or your fury against the sea,

when you rode upon your horses and your victorious chariots?

9 You have brought out your bow without a cover; you put arrows to your bow!

Selah

You divided the earth with rivers.

10 The mountains saw you and twisted in pain.

Downpours of water passed over them; the deep sea raised a shout.

It lifted up its waves.

11 The sun and moon stood still in their high places

at the flash of your arrows as they fly,

at the lightning of your flashing spear.

12 You have marched over the earth with indignation. In wrath you have threshed the nations.

13 You went out for the salvation of your people, for the salvation of your anointed one.

You shatter the head of the house of the wicked to lay bare from the base up to the neck.

Selah

14 You have pierced the head of his warriors with his own arrows since they came like a storm to scatter us,

their gloating was like one who devours the poor in a hiding place.

15 You have traveled over the sea with your horses, and heaped up the great waters.

16 I heard, and my inner parts trembled! My lips quivered at the sound.

Decay comes into my bones, and under myself I tremble

as I wait quietly for the day of distress to come upon the people who invade us.

17 Though the fig tree does not bud

and there is no produce from the vines;

and though the produce of the olive tree disappoints

and the fields yield no food;

and though the flock is cut off from the fold

and there are no cattle in the stalls, this is what I will do.

18 Still, I will rejoice in Yahweh.

I will be joyful because of the God of my salvation.

19 The Lord Yahweh is my strength

and he makes my feet like the deer's.

He makes me go forward on my high places.

—To the music director, on my stringed instruments.

* 1:9 The Hebrew text translated here as their multitudes go like the desert wind is very difficult; many modern versions have other interpretations.

* 2:1 Instead of how I should turn from my complaint , which is what the Hebrew text has, some modern versions have how I should answer when he replies to my complaint or how I should answer when he rebukes me .

† 2:15 There is some question about whether the Hebrew should be translated as anger or as wineskin .

* 3:1 The Hebrew text adds the expression on shigionoth , which may refer to musical directions for singers.

Zephaniah

1

2

3

Zephaniah

1

1 This is the word of Yahweh that came to Zephaniah son of Cushi son of Gedaliah son of Amariah son of Hezekiah, in the days of Josiah son of Amon, king of Judah.

2 “I will utterly destroy everything from off the surface of the earth—this is Yahweh's declaration.

3 I will destroy man and beast; I will destroy the birds of the heavens and the fish of the sea,

the ruins along with the wicked.

For I will cut off man from the surface of the earth—this is Yahweh's declaration.

4 I will reach out with my hand over Judah and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem.

I will cut off every remnant of Baal from this place and the names of the idolatrous people among the priests,

5 the people who on the housetops worship the heavenly bodies,

and the people who worship and swear to Yahweh but who also swear by their king. *

6 I will also cut off those who have turned away from following Yahweh, those who neither seek Yahweh nor ask for his guidance.”

7 Be silent before the Lord Yahweh! For the day of Yahweh is near;

Yahweh has prepared the sacrifice and set apart his guests.

8 “It will come about on the day of Yahweh's sacrifice,

that I will punish the princes and the king's sons,

and everyone dressed in foreign clothes.

9 On that day I will punish all those who leap over the threshold,

those who fill their master's house with violence and deceit.

10 So it will be on that day—this is Yahweh's declaration—

that a cry of distress will come from the Fish Gate, wailing from the Second District,

and a great crashing sound from the hills.

11 Wail, inhabitants of the Market District,

for all the merchants will be ruined; all those who weigh out silver will be cut off.

12 It will come about at that time that

I will search Jerusalem with lamps and punish the men

who have settled into their wine and say in their heart,

'Yahweh will not do anything, either good or evil.'

13 Their wealth will become plunder, and their houses will be an abandoned devastation!

They will build houses but not live in them, and plant vineyards but not drink their wine.

14 The great day of Yahweh is near, near and hurrying quickly!

The sound of the day of Yahweh will be that of a warrior crying bitterly!

15 That day will be a day of fury, a day of distress and anguish,

a day of storm and devastation, a day of darkness and gloom,

a day of clouds and thick darkness.

16 It will be a day of trumpets and alarms

against the fortified cities and the high battlements.

17 For I will bring distress upon mankind, so that they will walk about like blind men

since they have sinned against Yahweh.

Their blood will be poured out like dust, and their inner parts like dung.

18 Neither their silver nor their gold will be able to save them

on the day of Yahweh's fury. In the fire of his jealousy the whole earth will be consumed,

for he will bring a complete, a terrible end of all the inhabitants of the earth.”

2

1 Rally yourselves together and gather, unashamed nation—

2 before the decree takes effect and that day passes like the chaff,

before the fierce anger of Yahweh's wrath comes upon you, before the day of the wrath of Yahweh comes upon you.

3 Seek Yahweh, all you humble people on earth who obey his decrees!

Seek righteousness. Seek humility,

and perhaps you will be protected in the day of Yahweh's wrath.

4 For Gaza will be abandoned, and Ashkelon will turn into a devastation.

They will drive out Ashdod at noon, and they will uproot Ekron!

5 Woe to the inhabitants of the seacoast, the nation of the Kerethites! Yahweh has spoken against you,

Canaan, land of the Philistines. I will destroy you until no inhabitant remains.

6 So the seacoast will become pastures for shepherds and for sheep pens.

7 The coastal region will belong to the remnant of the house of Judah,

who will shepherd their flocks there. Their people will lie down in the evening in the houses of Ashkelon,

for Yahweh their God will care for them and restore their fortunes.

8 “I have heard the taunts of Moab and the reviling of the people of Ammon

when they taunted my people and violated their borders.

9 Therefore, as I live—this is the declaration of Yahweh of hosts, God of Israel—

Moab will become like Sodom, and the people of Ammon like Gomorrah;

a place of nettles and a salt pit, deserted forever.

But the remnant of my people will plunder them, and the remainder of my nation will take possession of them.”

10 This will happen to Moab and Ammon because of their pride, since they taunted and mocked the people of Yahweh of hosts. 11 Then they will fear Yahweh, for he will taunt all the gods of the earth. Everyone will worship him, everyone from his own place, from every seashore.

12 You Cushites also will be pierced by my sword,

13 and God's hand will attack the north and destroy Assyria,

so that Nineveh will become an abandoned devastation, as dry as the desert.

14 Then herds will lie down there, every animal of the nations,

both the desert owl and the screech owl will rest in the top of her columns.

A call will sing out from the windows; rubble will be in the doorways; her carved cedar beams will be exposed.

15 This is the exultant city that lived without fear,

that said in her heart, “I am, and nothing is my equal.”

How she has become a horror, a place for beasts to lie down in.

Everyone that passes by her will hiss and shake his fist at her.

3

1 Woe to the rebellious city! The violent city is defiled.

2 She has not listened to the voice of God, nor accepted correction from Yahweh.

She does not trust in Yahweh and will not approach her God.

3 Her princes are roaring lions in her midst.

Her judges are evening wolves who leave nothing to be gnawed upon in the morning.

4 Her prophets are insolent and treasonous men.

Her priests have profaned what is holy and have done violence to the law.

5 Yahweh is righteous in her midst. He can do no wrong.

Morning by morning he will dispense his justice! It will not be hidden in the light, yet unrighteous people know no shame.

6 “I have destroyed nations; their fortresses are ruined.

I have made their streets ruins, so that no one passes over them.

Their cities are destroyed so that there is no man inhabiting them.

7 I said, 'Surely you will fear me. Accept correction

and do not be cut off from your homes by all that I have planned to do to you.'

But they were eager to begin each morning by corrupting all their deeds.

8 Therefore wait for me—this is Yahweh's declaration—until the day that I rise up to seize the prey.

For my decision is to assemble the nations, to gather the kingdoms,

to pour out on them my anger—all of my burning wrath;

for in the fire of my jealousy all the earth will be consumed. *

9 But then I will purify the lips of the peoples,

that all of them may call upon the name of Yahweh to serve him shoulder to shoulder.

10 From beyond the river of Cush my worshipers—my scattered people—will bring offerings due me.

11 In that day you will not be put to shame for all your deeds that you committed against me,

since at that time I will remove from among you those who celebrated your pride,

and because you will no longer act arrogantly on my holy mountain.

12 But I will leave among you a lowly and poor people,

and they will find refuge in the name of Yahweh.

13 The remnant of Israel will no longer commit injustice or speak lies,

and no deceitful tongue will be found in their mouth;

so they will graze and lie down, and no one will make them afraid.”

14 Sing, daughter of Zion! Shout, Israel.

Be glad and rejoice with all your heart, daughter of Jerusalem.

15 Yahweh has taken away your punishment; he has driven out your enemies!

Yahweh is the king of Israel among you. You will never again fear evil!

16 In that day they will say to Jerusalem,

“Do not fear, Zion. Do not let your hands falter.

17 Yahweh your God is among you, a mighty one to save you.

He will celebrate over you with joy; he will be silent over you in his love;

he will be glad over you with a shout for joy.

18 I will gather those who grieve, those who cannot attend the appointed feasts,

so you will no longer bear any shame for it. †

19 Behold, I am about to deal with all your oppressors.

At that time, I will rescue the lame and gather up the outcast.

I will make them as praise, and I will change their shame into renown in all the earth.

20 At that time I will lead you; at that time I will gather you together.

I will make all the nations of the earth respect and praise you, when you see that I restored you,”

says Yahweh.

* 1:5 The Hebrew text has by their king , but some modern versions read by Milcom , the name of a pagan god that many people worshiped.

* 3:8 The Hebrew text as until the day that I rise up to seize the prey . However, some ancient and modern versions have until the day that I rise up as a witness .

† 3:18 This verse is very difficult to understand, and modern versions translate it in many different ways.

Haggai

1

2

Haggai

1

1 In the second year of Darius the king, in the sixth month, on the first day of the month, the word of Yahweh came by the hand of Haggai the prophet to the governor of Judah, Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, and to the high priest Joshua son of Jehozadak, saying, 2 “Yahweh of hosts says this: These people say, 'It is not time for us to come or to build Yahweh's house.'” 3 Then the word of Yahweh came by the hand of Haggai the prophet, saying,

4 “Is it a time for you yourselves to live in your finished houses,

while this house lies ruined?

5 So now Yahweh of hosts says this:

Consider your ways!

6 You have sown much seed, but bring in little harvest; you eat but do not have enough;

you drink but cannot get drunk. You wear clothes but cannot warm yourselves,

and the wage earner earns money only to put it into a bag full of holes!

7 Yahweh of hosts says this:

“Consider your ways!

8 Go up to the mountain, bring timber, and build my house;

then I will take pleasure in it, and I will be glorified!—says Yahweh.”

9 “You looked for much, but behold! you have brought little home, for I blew it away!

Why?” declares Yahweh of hosts.

“Because my house lies in ruins, while every one of you is working on his own house.

10 Because of this the heavens withhold the dew from you, and the earth withholds its produce.

11 I have summoned a drought upon the land and upon the mountains, upon the grain

and upon the new wine, upon the oil and upon the harvest of the earth,

upon men and upon beasts, and upon all the labor of your hands!”

12 Then Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, and the high priest Joshua son of Jehozadak, along with all the remnant of the people, obeyed the voice of Yahweh their God and the words of Haggai the prophet, because Yahweh their God had sent him and the people feared the face of Yahweh. 13 Then Haggai, the messenger of Yahweh, spoke Yahweh's message to the people and said, “I am with you!—this is Yahweh's declaration!” 14 So Yahweh stirred up the spirit of the governor of Judah, Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, and the spirit of the high priest Joshua son of Jehozadak, and the spirit of all the remnant of the people, so that they went and worked on the house of Yahweh of hosts, their God 15 in the twenty-fourth day of the sixth month, in the second year of Darius the king.

2

1 In the seventh month on the twenty-first day of the month, the word of Yahweh came by the hand of Haggai the prophet, saying, 2 “Speak to the governor of Judah, Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, and to the high priest Joshua son of Jehozadak, and to the remnant of the people. Say,

3 'Who is left among you

who saw this house in its former glory?

How do you see it now?

Is it not like nothing in your eyes?

4 Now, be strong, Zerubbabel!—this is Yahweh's declaration—

and be strong, high priest Joshua son of Jehozadak;

and be strong, all you people in the land!—this is Yahweh's declaration—

and work, for I am with you!—this is the declaration of Yahweh of hosts.

5 This is the covenant that I established with you when you came out of Egypt,

and my Spirit remains with you. Do not fear!

6 For Yahweh of hosts says this: In a little while

I will once again shake the heavens and the earth, the sea and the dry land!

7 I will shake every nation, and every nation will bring their precious things to me,

and I will fill this house with glory, says Yahweh of hosts.

8 The silver and gold are mine!—this is the declaration of Yahweh of hosts.

9 The glory of this house will be greater in the future than at the beginning, says Yahweh of hosts,

and I will give peace in this place!—this is the declaration of Yahweh of hosts.”

10 On the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, in the second year of Darius, the word of Yahweh came by Haggai the prophet, saying, 11 “Yahweh of hosts says this: Ask the priests concerning the law, and say, 12 'If a man carries meat that is set apart to Yahweh in the fold of his garment, and the fold touches bread or stew, wine or oil, or any kind of food, does it become holy?'” The priests answered and said, “No.” 13 Then Haggai said, “If someone who is unclean because of death touches any of these things, do they become unclean?” The priests answered and said, “Yes, they become unclean.” 14 So Haggai answered and said, “So it is with this people and this nation before me!—this is Yahweh's declaration—and so it is with everything done by their hands. What they offer to me is unclean! 15 So now, think in your minds about the past leading up to this very day. Before stone was placed upon stone in the temple of Yahweh, 16 how was it then? When you came to a heap of twenty measures of grain, there were only ten; and when you came to the wine vat to draw out fifty measures, there were only twenty. 17 I afflicted you and all the work of your hands with blight and mildew, but you still did not turn to me—this is Yahweh's declaration. 18 Consider from this day forward, from the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, from the day that the foundation of Yahweh's temple was laid. Consider it! 19 Is there still seed in the storehouse? The vine, the fig tree, the pomegranate, and the olive tree have not produced! But from this day will I bless you!”

20 Then the word of Yahweh came a second time to Haggai on the twenty-fourth day of the month and said, 21 “Speak to the governor of Judah, Zerubbabel, and say,

'I will shake the heavens and the earth.

22 For I will overthrow the throne of kingdoms and destroy the strength of the kingdoms of the nations!

I will overthrow the chariots and their riders; the horses and their riders will fall down, each one because of his brother's sword.

23 On that day—this is the declaration of Yahweh of hosts—I will take you, Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, as my servant—this is Yahweh's declaration.

I will make you like a signet ring, for I have chosen you!

—this is the declaration of Yahweh of hosts!'”

Zechariah

1

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6

7

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14

Zechariah

1

1 In the eighth month of the second year of Darius' reign, the word of Yahweh came to Zechariah son of Berechiah son of Iddo, the prophet, saying, 2 “Yahweh was exceedingly angry with your fathers! 3 Say to them, 'Yahweh of hosts says this:

Turn to me!—this is the declaration of Yahweh of hosts—

and I will return to you, says Yahweh of hosts.

4 Do not be like your fathers to whom the prophets cried out previously, saying, “Yahweh of hosts says this: Turn from your evil ways and wicked practices!” But they would not hear and did not pay attention to me—this is Yahweh's declaration.'

5 Your fathers, where are they? Where are the prophets, are they here forever?

6 But my words and my decrees that I commanded my servants the prophets,

have they not overtaken your fathers?

So they repented and said, 'Just as Yahweh of hosts planned to do to us what our ways and actions deserved, so he has dealt with us.'”

7 On the twenty-fourth day of the eleventh month, which is the month of Shebat, in the second year of Darius' reign, the word of Yahweh came to Zechariah son of Berechiah son of Iddo, the prophet, saying, 8 “I saw in the night, and, look! a man was riding on a red horse, and he was among the myrtle trees that are in the valley; and behind him there were red, reddish-brown, and white horses.” 9 I said, “What are these things, Lord?” Then the angel who talked with me said to me, “I will show you what these things are.” 10 Then the man who stood among the myrtle trees answered and said, “These are those Yahweh has sent out to roam throughout the earth.” 11 They answered the angel of Yahweh who stood among the myrtle trees; they said to him, “We have been roaming throughout the earth; see, all the earth sits still and is at rest.”

12 Then the angel of Yahweh answered and said, “Yahweh of hosts, how long will you show no compassion to Jerusalem and to the cities of Judah, which you have been angry with these seventy years?” 13 Yahweh answered the angel who had talked with me, with good words, words of comfort. 14 So the angel who had talked with me said to me, “Call out and say, 'Yahweh of hosts says this:

I have been jealous for Jerusalem and for Zion with a great passion!

15 I am very angry with the nations that are at ease.

When I was only a little angry with them, they made the disaster worse.

16 Therefore Yahweh of hosts says this:

I have returned to Jerusalem with mercies. My house will be built within her

—this is the declaration of Yahweh of hosts—and the measuring line will be stretched out over Jerusalem!'

17 Again call out, saying,

'Yahweh of hosts says this: My cities will once again overflow with goodness,

and Yahweh will again comfort Zion, and he will once again choose Jerusalem.'”

18 Then I lifted up my eyes and saw four horns! 19 I spoke to the angel who talked with me, “What are these?” He answered me, “These are the horns that have scattered Judah, Israel, and Jerusalem.” 20 Then Yahweh showed me four craftsmen. 21 I said, “What are these people coming to do?” He answered, and said, “These are the horns that scattered Judah so that no man would lift up his head. But the blacksmiths have come to terrify them, to cast down the horns of the nations that lifted up a horn against the land of Judah to scatter her.”

2

1 Next I lifted up my eyes and saw a man with a measuring line in his hand. 2 I said, “Where are you going?” So he said to me, “To measure Jerusalem, to determine its width and length.” 3 Then the angel who had talked with me went away and another angel went out to meet him. 4 The second angel said to him, “Run and speak to that young man; say,

'Jerusalem will sit in the open country

because of the multitudes of men and beasts within her.

5 For I—this is Yahweh's declaration—will become for her a wall of fire around her,

and I will be the glory in her midst.

6 Up! Up! Flee from the land of the north—this is Yahweh's declaration—

for I have scattered you like the four winds of the skies!—This is Yahweh's declaration.

7 Up! Escape to Zion, you who live with the daughter of Babylon!'”

8 For after Yahweh of hosts honored me and sent me against the nations that plundered you—

for whoever touches you, touches the apple of God's eye!—after Yahweh did this, he said,

9 “I myself will shake my hand over them, and they will be plunder for their slaves.”

Then you will know that Yahweh of hosts has sent me.

10 “Sing for joy, daughter of Zion,

for I myself am about to come and encamp among you!—this is Yahweh's declaration.”

11 Then great nations will join themselves to Yahweh in that day. He says, “Then you will become my people;

for I will encamp in the midst of you,” and you will know that Yahweh of hosts has sent me to you.

12 For Yahweh will inherit Judah as his rightful possession in the holy land

and will once again choose Jerusalem for himself.

13 Be silent, all flesh, before Yahweh, for he has been roused from out of his holy place!

3

1 Then Yahweh showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of Yahweh and Satan was standing at his right hand to accuse him of sin. 2 The angel of Yahweh said to Satan, “May Yahweh rebuke you, Satan; may Yahweh, who has chosen Jerusalem, rebuke you! Is this not a brand pulled from the fire?” 3 Joshua was dressed in filthy garments as he stood before the angel. 4 The angel spoke and said to those who stood before him, “Remove the filthy garments from upon him.” Then he said to Joshua, “Look! I have caused your iniquity to pass from you and I will dress you in fine clothing.” 5 Then I said, “Let them put a clean turban on his head!” So they set a clean turban on Joshua's head and clothed him with clean garments, while the angel of Yahweh was standing by.

6 Next the angel of Yahweh solemnly commanded Joshua and said, 7 “Yahweh of hosts says this:

If you will walk in my ways, and if you will keep my commandments,

then you will govern my house and guard my courts,

for I will allow you to go and come among these who stand before me.

8 Listen, Joshua the high priest, you and your companions who live with you!

For these men are a sign, for I myself will bring up my servant the Branch.

9 Now look at the stone that I have set before Joshua. There are seven eyes on this single stone,

and I will engrave an inscription—this is the declaration of Yahweh of hosts—

and I will remove the sin from this land in one day.

10 In that day—this is the declaration of Yahweh of hosts—each man will invite his neighbor to sit under his vine and under his fig tree.”

4

1 Then the angel who was talking with me turned and roused me like a man roused from his sleep. 2 He said to me, “What do you see?” I said, “I see a lampstand made entirely of gold, with a bowl on its top. It has seven lamps on it and seven lamp wicks at the top of each lamp. 3 Two olive trees are by it, one on the right side of the bowl and the other on the left side.” 4 So I spoke again to the angel who was talking with me. I said, “What do these things mean, my master?” 5 The angel who was talking with me answered and said to me, “Do you not know what these things mean?” I said, “No, my master.” 6 So he said to me, “This is the word of Yahweh to Zerubbabel: Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit, says Yahweh of hosts. 7 What are you, great mountain? Before Zerubbabel you will become a plain, and he will bring out the top stone to shouts of 'Grace! Grace to it!'”

8 The word of Yahweh came to me, saying, 9 “The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this house and his hands will bring it to completion.” Then you will know that Yahweh of hosts has sent me to you.

10 Who has despised the day of small things? These people will rejoice and will see the plumb stone in the hand of Zerubbabel. (These seven lamps are the eyes of Yahweh that roam over the whole earth.)

11 Then I asked the angel, “What are these two olive trees that stand on the left and the right of the lampstand?”

12 Once more I asked him, “What are these two olive branches beside the two gold pipes that have golden oil pouring out of them?” 13 Then he said to me, “Do you not know what these are?” I said, “No, my master.”

14 So he said, “These are the sons of fresh olive oil who stand before the Lord of all the earth.”

5

1 Then I turned and lifted my eyes, and I saw, behold, a flying scroll! 2 The angel said to me, “What do you see?” I answered, “I see a flying scroll, twenty cubits long and ten cubits wide.” 3 Then he said to me, “This is the curse that goes out over the surface of the whole land. For every thief will be cut off according to what it says on the one side, and everyone who swears a false oath will be cut off according to what it says on the other side. 4 “I will send it out—this is the declaration of Yahweh of hosts—so it will enter into the house of the thief and into the house of the one that swears falsely by my name. It will remain in his house and consume its timber and stones.”

5 Then the angel who was speaking with me went out and said to me, “Raise your eyes and see what is coming!” 6 I said, “What is it?” He said, “This is a basket containing an ephah that is coming. This is their iniquity in the whole land.” * 7 Then a lead covering was lifted off the basket and there was a woman under it sitting in it! 8 The angel said, “This is Wickedness!” He threw her back inside the basket, and he threw the lead cover over its opening. 9 I lifted my eyes and saw two women coming toward me, and wind was in their wings—for they had wings like a stork's wings. They lifted up the basket between earth and heaven. 10 So I said to the angel who was talking to me, “Where are they taking the basket?” 11 He said to me, “To build a temple in the land of Shinar for it, so that when the temple is ready, the basket will be set there on its prepared base.”

6

1 Then I turned and lifted my eyes and I saw four chariots coming out from between two mountains; and the two mountains were made of bronze. 2 The first chariot had red horses, the second chariot had black horses, 3 the third chariot had white horses, and the fourth chariot had spotted gray horses. 4 So I answered and said to the angel who talked with me, “What are these, my master?” 5 The angel answered and said to me, “These are the four winds of heaven that go out from the place where they were standing before the Lord of all the earth. 6 The one with the black horses is going out to the north country; the white horses are going out to the west country; and the spotted gray horses are going out to the south country.” 7 These strong horses went out and sought to go and roam over the earth, so the angel said, “Go and roam over the earth!” and they left for all the earth. 8 Then he called out to me and spoke to me and said, “Look at the ones that are going out to the north country; they will appease my spirit concerning the north country.”

9 So the word of Yahweh came to me, saying, 10 “Take an offering from the exiles—from Heldai, Tobijah, and Jedaiah—and go this same day and take it into the house of Josiah son of Zephaniah, who has come from Babylon. 11 Then take the silver and gold, make a crown and set it upon the head of Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest. 12 Speak to him and say, 'Yahweh of hosts says this:

This man, his name is Branch! He will grow up where he is

and will then build the temple of Yahweh!

13 It is he who builds the temple of Yahweh, and he will be clothed with royal splendor, and will sit and rule on his throne.

He will be a priest on his throne, and he will bear a counsel of peace between the two. 14 The crown will given to Heldai, Tobijah, Jedaiah, and for Hen son of Zephaniah as a memorial in the temple of Yahweh. 15 Then those who are far off will come and build the temple of Yahweh, so you will know that Yahweh of hosts has sent me to you; for this will happen if you truly listen to the voice of Yahweh your God!'”

7

1 When King Darius had been ruler for four years, on the fourth day of Kislev (which was the ninth month), the word of Yahweh came to Zechariah. 2 The people of Bethel had sent Sharezer and Regem-Melek and their men to beg before the face of Yahweh. 3 They spoke to the priests who were at the house of Yahweh of hosts and to the prophets; they said, “Should I mourn in the fifth month by means of a fast, as I have done these many years?”

4 So the word of Yahweh of hosts came to me, saying,

5 “Speak to all the people of the land and to the priests and say, 'When you fasted and mourned in the fifth and in the seventh month for these seventy years, were you truly fasting for me? 6 When you ate and drank, did you not eat and drink for yourselves? 7 Were these not the same words that Yahweh proclaimed by the mouth of the former prophets, when you still inhabited Jerusalem and the surrounding cities in prosperity and were settled in the Negev, and the foothills to the west?'” 8 The word of Yahweh came to Zechariah, saying, 9 “Yahweh of hosts says this, 'Judge with true justice, covenant faithfulness, and mercy. Let each man do this for his brother. 10 About the widow and orphan, the foreigner, and the poor person—do not oppress them, and let none of you plot any harm against another in your heart.' 11 But they refused to pay attention and set their shoulders stubbornly. They stopped up their ears so they would not hear. 12 They made their hearts as hard as rock so they would not hear the law or the words of Yahweh of hosts. He had sent these messages to the people by his Spirit in earlier times, by the mouth of the prophets. But the people refused to listen, so Yahweh of hosts was very angry with them. 13 It happened that when he called, they did not listen. In the same way,” said Yahweh of hosts, “they will call out to me, but I will not listen. 14 For I will scatter them with a whirlwind to all the nations that they have not seen, and the land will be desolate after them. For no one will pass through the land or return to it since the people have made their delightful land into a wasteland.”

8

1 The word of Yahweh of hosts came to me, saying, 2 “Yahweh of hosts says this: I am passionate for Zion with great zeal and I am passionate for her with great anger! 3 Yahweh of hosts says this: I will return to Zion and will live in the midst of Jerusalem, for Jerusalem will be called The City of Truth and the mountain of Yahweh of hosts will be called The Holy Mountain!

4 Yahweh of hosts says this:

Old men and old women will once again be in the streets of Jerusalem,

and every person will need a staff in his hand because he has grown so old.

5 The streets of the city will be full of boys and girls playing in them.

6 Yahweh of hosts says this:

If something seems impossible in the eyes of the remnant of this people in those days,

should it also seem impossible in my eyes?—this is Yahweh's declaration.

7 Yahweh of hosts says this:

Behold, I am about to rescue my people from the land of the sunrise and from the land of the setting sun!

8 For I will bring them back,

and they will live in the midst of Jerusalem,

so they will again be my people,

and I will be their God in truth and in righteousness!

9 Yahweh of hosts says this:

You who now continue to hear the same words

that came from the prophets' mouths

when the foundation of my house was laid—this house of mine, Yahweh of hosts:

Strengthen your hands so that the temple can be built.

10 For before those days

no crops were gathered in by anyone,

there was no profit for either man or beast,

and there was no peace from enemies for anyone going or coming.

I had set every person each against his neighbor.

11 But now it will not be as in former days,

I will be with the remnant of this people

—this is the declaration of Yahweh of hosts.

12 For seeds of peace will be sown;

the climbing vine will give its fruit and the earth will give its produce;

the skies will give their dew,

for I will make the remnant of this people inherit all these things.

13 You were an example to the other nations of a curse,

house of Judah and house of Israel.

So I will rescue you and you will be a blessing.

Do not be afraid; let your hands be strong!

14 For Yahweh of hosts says this:

Just as I planned to do harm to you when your ancestors provoked my anger

—says Yahweh of hosts—and did not relent,

15 so also I will plan in these days

to do good again to Jerusalem and the house of Judah!

Do not fear! 16 These are the things that you must do: Speak truth, every person with his neighbor. Judge with truth, justice, and peace in your gates. 17 Do not plan to do evil within your heart against one another, and do not love false oaths—for these are the things I hate!—this is Yahweh's declaration.”

18 Then the word of Yahweh of hosts came to me, saying,

19 “Yahweh of hosts says this: The fasts of the fourth month,

the fifth month, the seventh month, and the tenth month

will become times of joy, gladness, and happy festivals for the house of Judah!

Therefore love truth and peace!

20 Yahweh of hosts says this: People will come again,

even those who are living in many different cities.

21 The inhabitants of one city will go to another city and say,

'Let us quickly go to beg before the face of Yahweh

and to seek Yahweh of hosts! We ourselves are also going.'

22 Many people and mighty nations will come to seek Yahweh of hosts in Jerusalem

and beg for the favor of Yahweh!

23 Yahweh of hosts says this: In those days

ten men from every language and nation

will grasp the hem of your robe and say,

'Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you!'”

9

1 “This is a declaration of Yahweh's word concerning the land of Hadrak and Damascus, its resting place; for the eyes of all humanity and all the tribes of Israel are toward Yahweh. 2 This declaration also concerns Hamath, which borders on Damascus, and it concerns Tyre and Sidon, for they are very wise. 3 Tyre has built herself a stronghold and heaped up silver like dust and refined gold like mud in the streets. 4 Look! The Lord will dispossess her and destroy her strength on the sea, so she will be devoured by fire. 5 Ashkelon will see and be afraid! Gaza also will tremble greatly! Ekron, her hopes will be disappointed! The king will perish from Gaza, and Ashkelon shall no longer be inhabited! 6 Strangers will make their homes in Ashdod, and I will cut off the pride of the Philistines. 7 For I will remove their blood from their mouths and their abominations from between their teeth. Then they will become a remnant for our God like a clan in Judah, and Ekron will become like the Jebusites.

8 I will camp around my land against enemy armies,* so no one can pass through or return, for no oppressor will overrun them, for now I see with my own eyes!

9 Shout with great joy, daughter of Zion! Shout with happiness, daughter of Jerusalem!

Behold! Your king is coming to you with righteousness

and is rescuing you. He is humble and is riding on a donkey, on the colt of a donkey.

10 Then I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim and the horse from Jerusalem,

and the bow will be cut off from battle; for he will speak peace to the nations,

and his dominion will be from sea to sea, and from the River to the ends of the earth!

11 As for you, because of the blood of my covenant with you, I will set your prisoners free from the pit where there is no water. 12 Return to the stronghold, prisoners of hope! Even today I am declaring that I will return double to you, 13 for I have bent Judah as my bow. I have filled my quiver with Ephraim. I have roused your sons, Zion, against your sons, Greece, and have made you, Zion, like a warrior's sword!” 14 Yahweh will appear to them, and his arrows will shoot out like lightning! For my Lord Yahweh will blow the trumpet and will advance with the storms from Teman. 15 Yahweh of hosts will defend them, and they will devour them and defeat the stones of the slings. Then they will drink and shout like men drunk on wine, and they will be filled with wine like bowls, like the corners of the altar. 16 So Yahweh their God will rescue them on that day, as the flock of his people. They are the jewels of a crown that will shine on his land. 17 How good and how beautiful they will be! The young men will flourish on grain and the virgins on sweet wine!”

10

1 Ask for rain from Yahweh in the season of the spring rain—

Yahweh who makes thunderstorms—

and he gives rain showers to everyone

and vegetation in the field.

2 For household idols speak falsely; the diviners envision a lie;

they tell deceitful dreams and give empty comfort,

so they wander like sheep and suffer because there is no shepherd.

3 “My wrath burns against the shepherds; it is the male goats—the leaders—that I will punish. Yahweh of hosts will also attend to his flock, the house of Judah, and make them like his warhorse in battle! 4 From Judah will come the cornerstone; from him will come the tent peg; from him will come the war bow; from him will come every ruler together. * 5 They will be like warriors who trample their enemies into the mud of the streets in battle; they will make war, for Yahweh is with them, and they will shame those who ride warhorses. 6 I will strengthen the house of Judah and save the house of Joseph; for I will restore them and have mercy on them. They will be as though I had not cast them off, for I am Yahweh their God, and I will respond to them. 7 Then Ephraim will be like a warrior, and their hearts will rejoice as with wine; their children will see and rejoice. Their hearts will rejoice in me!

8 I will whistle for them and gather them, for I will rescue them, and they will become as great as they previously were! 9 I sowed them among the peoples, but they will remember me in distant countries, so they and their children will live and return. 10 For I will restore them from the land of Egypt and gather them from Assyria. I will bring them to the land of Gilead and Lebanon until there is no more room for them. 11 I will pass through the sea of their affliction; I will strike the waves of that sea and will dry up all the depths of the Nile. The majesty of Assyria will be brought down, and the scepter of Egypt will go away from the Egyptians. 12 I will strengthen them in myself, and they will walk in my name—this is Yahweh's declaration.”

11

1 Open your doors, Lebanon, that fire may devour your cedars!

2 Lament, cypress trees, for the cedar trees have fallen! What was majestic has been devastated!

Lament, you oaks of Bashan, for the strong forest has gone down.

3 The shepherds howl, for their glory has been destroyed!

The voice of the young lions' roar, for the pride of the Jordan River has been devastated!

4 This is what Yahweh my God says, “Like a shepherd, watch over the flock set aside for slaughter! 5 (The ones who buy them slaughter them and are not punished, and the ones who sell them say, 'Blessed be Yahweh! I have become rich!' for the shepherds working for the flocks' owners have no pity on them.) 6 For I will no longer pity the inhabitants of the land!—this is Yahweh's declaration. See! I myself am about to turn over every person into the hand of his neighbor and into the hand of his king, and they will destroy the land and none of them will I deliver them from their hand.” 7 So I became the shepherd of the flock marked for slaughter, for those who dealt in sheep. I took two staffs; one staff I called “Favor” and the other I called “Unity.” In this way I shepherded the flock. 8 In one month I destroyed the three shepherds. I became impatient with them, and they also hated me. 9 Then I said to the owners, “I will not work as a shepherd for you any longer. The sheep that are dying—let them die; the sheep that are being destroyed—let them be destroyed. Let the sheep that remain each eat the flesh of its neighbor.” 10 So I took my staff “Favor” and broke it to break the covenant that I had made with all of my tribes. 11 On that day the covenant was broken, and those who dealt in sheep and who were watching me knew that Yahweh had spoken. 12 I said to them, “If it seems good to you, pay me my wages. But if not, do not do it.” So they weighed out my wages—thirty pieces of silver. 13 Then Yahweh said to me, “Deposit the silver in the treasury, the excellent price at which they valued you!” So I took the thirty pieces of silver and deposited them in the treasury in the house of Yahweh. 14 Then I broke my second staff, “Unity,” to break the brotherhood between Judah and Israel.

15 Yahweh said to me, “Again, take the equipment of a foolish shepherd for yourself, 16 for see, I am about to set in place a shepherd in the land. He will not care for the perishing sheep. He will not seek out the sheep gone missing, nor heal the crippled sheep. He will not feed the sheep that are healthy, but will eat the flesh of the fattened sheep and will tear off their hooves.

17 Woe to the worthless shepherd who forsakes the flock!

May the sword come against his arm and his right eye!

May his arm wither away and may his right eye become blind!”

12

1 This is a declaration of Yahweh's word concerning Israel—a declaration of Yahweh, who stretched out the skies and laid the foundation of the earth, who fashions the spirit of mankind within man, 2 “See, I am about to make Jerusalem into a cup causing all the peoples surrounding her to stagger about. It will also be like that for Judah during the siege against Jerusalem. 3 On that day, I will make Jerusalem a heavy stone for all the peoples. Anyone trying to lift that stone will hurt himself very much, and all the nations of the earth will gather against that city. 4 On that day—this is Yahweh's declaration—I will strike every horse with confusion and its rider with madness. Over the house of Judah I will open my eyes, but every horse of the peoples I will strike with blindness. 5 Then the leaders of Judah will say in their hearts, 'The inhabitants of Jerusalem are our strength because of Yahweh of hosts, their God.' 6 On that day I will make the leaders of Judah like firepots among wood and like a flaming torch among standing grain, for they will consume all the surrounding peoples on their right and on their left. Jerusalem will again live in her own place.” 7 Yahweh will save the tents of Judah first, so that the honor of the house of David and the honor of those who live in Jerusalem may not be greater than the rest of Judah. 8 On that day Yahweh will be the defender of the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and on that day those who are weak among them will be like David, while the house of David will be like God, like the angel of Yahweh in front of them. 9 “On that day that I will begin to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem.

10 But I will pour out a spirit of compassion and pleading on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so they will look on me, the one they have pierced. They will mourn for me, as one mourns for an only son; they will bitterly lament for him like those who lament the death of a firstborn son. 11 On that day the laments in Jerusalem will be like the laments at Hadad Rimmon in the plain of Megiddo. 12 The land will mourn, each clan separate from other clans. The clan of the house of David will be separate and their wives will be separate from the men. The clan of the house of Nathan will be separate and their wives will be separate from the men. 13 The clan of the house of Levi will be separate and their wives will be separate from the men. The clan of the Shimeites will be separate and their wives will be separate from the men. 14 Every clan of the remaining clans—each clan will be separate and the wives will be separate from the men.”

13

1 “On that day a spring will be opened for the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, for their sin and impurity. 2 On that day—this is the declaration of Yahweh of hosts—I will cut off the names of the idols from the land and they will no longer be remembered. I will remove the prophets and the spirit of impurity from the land. 3 If any man continues to prophesy, his father and mother who bore him will tell him, 'You will not live, for you speak lies in the name of Yahweh!' Then the father and mother who bore him will pierce him when he prophesies. 4 On that day each prophet will be ashamed of his vision when he is about to prophesy. These prophets will no longer wear a hairy cloak, in order to deceive the people. 5 For each will say, 'I am not a prophet! I am a man who works the soil, for the land became my work while I was still a young man!' 6 But someone will say to him, 'What are these wounds between your arms?' and he will answer, 'I was wounded with those in my friends' house.'”

7 “Sword! Rouse yourself against my shepherd,

the man who stands close to me—

this is the declaration of Yahweh of hosts.

Strike the shepherd,

and the flock will scatter!

For I will turn my hand against the lowly ones.

8 Then it will come about that throughout all the land—this is Yahweh's declaration—

that two-thirds of it will be cut off! Those people will perish;

only one-third will remain there.

9 I will bring that third through the fire

and refine them as silver is refined;

I will test them as gold is tested.

They will call on my name,

and I will answer them and say,

'This is my people!'

and they will say, 'Yahweh is my God!'”

14

1 Behold! A day for Yahweh is coming when your plunder will be divided in your midst. 2 For I will gather every nation against Jerusalem for battle and the city will be captured. The houses will be plundered and the women raped. Half of the city will go out into captivity, but the remainder of the people will not be cut off from the city. 3 But Yahweh will go out and wage war against those nations as when he wages war on the day of battle. 4 On that day his feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, which is beside Jerusalem to the east. The Mount of Olives will be split in half between the east and the west by a very great valley and half of the mountain will go back toward the north and half toward the south. 5 Then you will flee down the valley between Yahweh's mountains, for the valley between those mountains will reach to Azel. You will flee just as you fled from the earthquake in the days of Uzziah, king of Judah. Then Yahweh my God will come and all the holy ones will be with him. 6 On that day there will be no light, but no cold or frost either. 7 On that day, a day known only to Yahweh, there will no longer be day or night, for the evening will be a time of light. 8 On that day living waters will flow out of Jerusalem. Half of them will flow to the eastern sea and half to the western sea, in summer and in winter.

9 Yahweh will be king over all the earth. On that day there will be Yahweh, the one God, and his name alone. 10 All the land will be like the Arabah, from Geba to Rimmon south of Jerusalem. Jerusalem will continue to be raised up and remain in its own place, from the Benjamin Gate to the place where the first gate was, to the Corner Gate, and from the Tower of Hananel to the king's winepresses. 11 The people will live in Jerusalem and there will be no more complete destruction from God against them. Jerusalem will live in safety.

12 This will be the plague with which Yahweh will attack all the peoples that waged war against Jerusalem: Their flesh will rot away even as they are standing on their feet. Their eyes will rot in their sockets and their tongues will rot in their mouths. 13 On that day that great fear from Yahweh will come among them. Each one will seize the hand of another, and the hand of one will be raised up against the hand of another. 14 Judah will also fight against Jerusalem. They will gather the wealth of all the surrounding nations—gold, silver, and fine clothes in great abundance. 15 A plague will also be on the horses and the mules, the camels and the donkeys, and on every animal in those camps will also suffer that same plague.

16 Then it will happen that all who remain in those nations that came against Jerusalem will instead go up from year to year to worship the king, Yahweh of hosts, and to keep the Festival of Shelters. 17 It will happen that if anyone from all the nations of the earth does not go up to Jerusalem to worship the king, Yahweh of hosts, then Yahweh will not bring rain on them. 18 If the nation of Egypt does not go up, then they will not receive rain. A plague from Yahweh will attack the nations that do not go up to keep the Festival of Shelters. 19 This will be the punishment for Egypt and the punishment for every nation that does not go up to keep the Festival of Shelters. 20 But on that day, the bells of the horses will say, “Set apart to Yahweh,” and the basins in Yahweh's house will be like the bowls before the altar. 21 For every pot in Jerusalem and Judah will be set apart to Yahweh of hosts and everyone who brings a sacrifice will eat from them and boil in them. On that day traders will no longer be in the house of Yahweh of hosts.

* 5:6 Some ancient and most modern versions have their iniquity . The Hebrew text has their eye , but this is widely thought to be an error.

* 9:8 Most interpreters translate the Hebrew words as against enemy armies and some translate the Hebrew as a guard, and so translate the phrase, I will surround my temple as a guard .

* 10:4 Many modern versions put the idea of together at the start of the next verse.

Malachi

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Malachi

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1 The declaration of the word of Yahweh to Israel by the hand of Malachi.

2 “I have loved you,” says Yahweh. But you say, “How have you loved us?” “Was not Esau Jacob's brother?” declares Yahweh. “Yet I have loved Jacob, 3 but Esau I have hated. I have made his mountains an abandoned devastation, and I have made his inheritance a place for the jackals of the wilderness.” 4 If Edom says, “We are beaten down, but we will rebuild the ruins,” Yahweh of hosts will say, “They may rebuild, but I will throw down again. Others will call them 'The country of wickedness' and 'The people whom Yahweh has cursed forever.' 5 Your own eyes will see this, and you will say, 'Yahweh is great beyond the borders of Israel.'”

6 “A son honors his father, and a servant honors his master. If I, then, am a father, where is my honor? If I am a master, where is the reverence for me?” says Yahweh of hosts to you priests, who despise my name. “But you say, 'How have we despised your name?' 7 By offering polluted bread upon my altar. But you say, 'How have we polluted you?' By saying that Yahweh's table is contemptible. 8 When you offer blind animals for sacrifice, is that not evil? When you offer the lame and sick, is that not evil? Present that to your governor! Will he accept you or will he lift up your face?” says Yahweh of hosts. 9 Now you keep asking the face of God, that he may be gracious to us. But Yahweh of hosts says that with such an offering in your hand, would he lift up any of your faces? 10 “Oh, if only there were one of you who would shut the temple gates, so that you might not light fires on my altar in vain! I have no pleasure in you,” says Yahweh of hosts, “and I will not accept any offering from your hand. 11 For from the rising of the sun to its setting my name will be great among the nations and in every place incense and pure offerings will be offered in my name. For my name will be great among the nations,” says Yahweh of hosts. 12 “But you are profaning it when you say the Lord's table is polluted, and that its fruit, its food, is to be despised. 13 You also say, 'How tiresome this is,' and you snort at it,” says Yahweh of hosts. “You bring what has been taken by a wild animal or is lame or sick; and this you bring as your offering. Should I accept this from your hand?” says Yahweh. 14 “May the deceiver be cursed who has a male animal in his flock and vows to give it to me, and yet sacrifices to me, the Lord, what is flawed! For I am a great king,” says Yahweh of hosts, “and my name will be honored among the nations.”

2

1 Now you priests, this command is for you. 2 “If you will not listen, and if you will not lay it on your heart to give honor to my name,” says Yahweh of hosts, “then I will send a curse on you, and I will curse your blessings. Indeed, I have cursed them, because you are not laying my command on your heart. 3 See, I am about to rebuke your descendants, and I will spread dung on your faces, the dung from your festivals, and he will take you away with it. * † 4 You will know that I have sent this command to you, and that my covenant may continue to be with Levi,” says Yahweh of hosts. 5 “My covenant with him was life and peace, and I gave them to him; I gave him fear, and he feared me, and he stood in awe of my name. 6 True instruction was in his mouth, and nothing false was found on his lips. He walked with me in peace and uprightness and he turned many away from sin. 7 For a priest's lips should keep knowledge and people should seek instruction from his mouth, for he is a messenger of Yahweh of hosts. 8 But you have turned away from the true path. You have caused many to stumble with respect to the law. You have broken the covenant of Levi,” says Yahweh of hosts. 9 “So I also, I have made you contemptible and vile before all the people, because you have not kept my ways, but have instead shown partiality with regard to the instruction.”

10 Is there not one father for us all? Has not one God created us? Why are we faithless each man against his brother, profaning the covenant of our fathers? 11 Judah has been faithless. A disgusting thing has been committed in Israel and in Jerusalem. For Judah has profaned the holy place of Yahweh which he loves, and has married the daughter of a foreign god. 12 May Yahweh cut off from the tents of Jacob the man who does this, the one who is awake and the one who answers, even if he is bringing an offering to Yahweh of hosts. ‡ 13 You also do this: You cover the altar of Yahweh with tears, with weeping and sighing, because he still does not turn toward the offering or accept it with favor from your hand. 14 But you say, “Why does he not?” Because Yahweh was a witness between you and the wife of your youth, against whom you have been faithless, even though she was your companion and your wife by covenant. 15 Did he not make them one, with a portion of his spirit? Then why did he make you one? Because he was seeking an offspring from God. So guard yourselves in your spirit, and do not be unfaithful to the wife of your youth. 16 “For I hate divorce,” says Yahweh, the God of Israel, “and the one who covers his garment with violence,” says Yahweh of hosts. “So guard yourselves in your spirit and do not be faithless.”

17 You have wearied Yahweh with your words. But you say, “How have we wearied him?” By saying, “Everyone who does evil is good in the eyes of Yahweh, and he delights in them,” or “Where is the God of justice?”

3

1 “See, I am about to send my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me. Then the Lord, whom you seek, will suddenly come to his temple. The messenger of the covenant in whom you delight, see, he will come,” says Yahweh of hosts.

2 But who will be able to endure the day of his coming? Who will be able to stand when he appears? For he will be like a refiner's fire and like laundry soap. 3 He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and he will purify the sons of Levi. He will refine them like gold and silver, and they will bring offerings of righteousness to Yahweh. 4 Then the offering of Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasing to Yahweh, as in the days of old, and as in ancient years. 5 “Then I will approach you for judgment. I will quickly become a witness against the sorcerers, the adulterers, the false witnesses, and against those who oppress the hired worker in his wages, those who oppress the widow and the fatherless, against those who turn away the foreigner, and against those who do not honor me,” says Yahweh of hosts. 6 “For I, Yahweh, have not changed; therefore you, sons of Jacob, have not come to an end.

7 From the days of your fathers you have turned aside from my ordinances and have not kept them. Return to me, and I will return to you,” says Yahweh of hosts. “But you say, 'How will we return?' 8 Would a person rob God? Yet you are robbing me. But you say, 'How have we robbed you?' In tithes and offerings. 9 You are cursed with a curse, for you are robbing me, the whole nation. 10 Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, so that there may be food in my house, and test me now in this,” says Yahweh of hosts, “if I do not open to you the windows of heaven and pour out a blessing on you, until there is no more room for it all. 11 I will speak against those who destroy your crops, so that they do not destroy the harvest of your land. Your vines in the fields will not lose their fruit,” says Yahweh of hosts. 12 “All the nations will call you blessed, for you will be a land of delight,” says Yahweh of hosts.

13 “Your words against me have been strong,” says Yahweh. “But you say, 'What have we said among ourselves against you?' 14 You have said, 'It is useless to serve God. What profit is it that we have kept his requirements or walked mournfully before Yahweh of hosts? 15 So now we call the arrogant blessed. Evildoers not only prosper, but they even test God and escape.'”

16 Then those who feared Yahweh spoke with one another. Yahweh paid attention and listened, and a book of remembrance was written before him about those who feared Yahweh and honored his name. 17 “They will be mine,” says Yahweh of hosts, “my own treasured possession, on the day that I act. I will pity them, as a man pities his own son who serves him. 18 Then once again you will distinguish between the righteous and the wicked, between one who worships God and one who does not worship him.

4

1 For see, the day is coming, burning like a furnace, when all the arrogant and all the evildoers will become stubble. The day that is coming will burn them up,” says Yahweh of hosts, “so that it will leave them neither root nor branch. 2 But for you who fear my name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings. You will go out, and you will leap like calves from the stall. 3 On that day you will trample down the wicked, for they will be ashes under the soles of your feet on the day that I act,” says Yahweh of hosts.

4 “Remember the teaching of my servant Moses that I gave him at Horeb for all Israel, the statutes and the rulings. 5 See, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and fearful day of Yahweh. 6 He will turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, so that I do not come and attack the land with complete destruction.”

* 2:3 Instead of rebuke your descendants , which the Hebrew text has, some ancient and modern versions have cut off your shoulder (or arm ). Some other modern versions have corrupt your descendants .

† 2:3 Instead of he will take you away with it , which is in the Hebrew text, some ancient and modern versions have I will take you away from beside me , that is, from my presence .

‡ 2:12 Instead of the one who is awake and the one who answers , some versions have other expressions such as the master and the one who studies .

Matthew

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Matthew

1

1 The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, son of David, son of Abraham. 2 Abraham was the father of Isaac, and Isaac the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers. 3 Judah was the father of Perez and Zerah by Tamar, Perez the father of Hezron, and Hezron the father of Ram. 4 Ram was the father of Amminadab, Amminadab the father of Nahshon, and Nahshon the father of Salmon. 5 Salmon was the father of Boaz by Rahab, Boaz the father of Obed by Ruth, Obed the father of Jesse. 6 Jesse was the father of David the king,

David the father of Solomon by the wife of Uriah. 7 Solomon was the father of Rehoboam, Rehoboam the father of Abijah, Abijah the father of Asa. 8 Asa was the father of Jehoshaphat, Jehoshaphat the father of Joram, and Joram an ancestor of Uzziah. 9 Uzziah was the father of Jotham, Jotham the father of Ahaz, Ahaz the father of Hezekiah. 10 Hezekiah was the father of Manasseh, Manasseh the father of Amon, and Amon the father of Josiah. 11 Josiah was an ancestor of Jechoniah and his brothers at the time of the deportation to Babylon.

12 After the deportation to Babylon, Jechoniah was the father of Shealtiel, Shealtiel was an ancestor of Zerubbabel. 13 Zerubbabel was the father of Abiud, Abiud the father of Eliakim, and Eliakim the father of Azor. 14 Azor was the father of Zadok, Zadok the father of Achim, and Achim the father of Eliud. 15 Eliud was the father of Eleazar, Eleazar the father of Matthan, and Matthan the father of Jacob. 16 Jacob was the father of Joseph the husband of Mary, by whom Jesus was born, who is called Christ. 17 All the generations from Abraham to David were fourteen generations, from David to the deportation to Babylon fourteen generations, and from the deportation to Babylon to the Christ fourteen generations.

18 The birth of Jesus Christ happened in the following way. His mother, Mary, was engaged to marry Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant by the Holy Spirit. 19 Her husband, Joseph, was a righteous man, and he did not want to disgrace her publicly. So he decided to secretly end his engagement with her. 20 As he thought about these things, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, because the one who is conceived in her is conceived by the Holy Spirit. 21 She will give birth to a son, and you will call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” 22 All this happened to fulfill what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying,

23 “Behold, the virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call his name Immanuel”—which means, “God with us.” 24 Joseph woke up from his sleep and did as the angel of the Lord commanded him and he took her as his wife. 25 But he did not have sexual relations with her until she gave birth to a son. Then he called his name Jesus.

2

1 After Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, learned men from the east arrived in Jerusalem saying, 2 “Where is he who was born King of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him.” 3 When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. 4 Herod brought together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, and he asked them, “Where is the Christ to be born?” 5 They said to him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for this is what was written by the prophet,

6 'But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,

are not the least among the leaders of Judah,

for from you will come a ruler

who will shepherd my people Israel.'”

7 Then Herod secretly called the learned men to ask them exactly what time the star had appeared. 8 He sent them to Bethlehem, saying, “Go and search carefully for the young child. When you have found him, bring me word, so that I also may come and worship him.” 9 After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star that they had seen in the east went before them until it came and stood still over where the young child was. 10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced with very great joy. 11 They went into the house and saw the young child with Mary his mother. They fell down and worshiped him. They opened their treasures and offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. 12 God warned them in a dream not to return to Herod, so they departed to their own country by another way.

13 After they had departed, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Get up, take the young child and his mother, and flee to Egypt. Remain there until I tell you, for Herod will seek the young child to destroy him.” 14 That night Joseph rose and took the young child and his mother and departed into Egypt. 15 He remained there until the death of Herod. This fulfilled what the Lord had spoken through the prophet, “Out of Egypt I have called my son.”

16 Then Herod, when he saw that he had been mocked by the learned men, was very angry. He sent and killed all the male children that were in Bethlehem and in all that region who were two years old and under, according to the time that he had determined exactly from the learned men. 17 Then was fulfilled what had been spoken through Jeremiah the prophet,

18 “A voice was heard in Ramah,

weeping and great mourning,

Rachel weeping for her children,

and she refused to be comforted, because they were no more.”

19 When Herod died, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt and said, 20 “Get up and take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel, for those who sought the child's life are dead.” 21 Joseph rose, took the child and his mother, and came into the land of Israel. 22 But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning over Judea in the place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. After God warned him in a dream, he left for the region of Galilee 23 and went and lived in a city called Nazareth. This fulfilled what had been spoken through the prophets, that he would be called a Nazarene.

3

1 In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea saying, 2 “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.” 3 For this is he who was spoken of by Isaiah the prophet, saying,

“The voice of one calling out in the wilderness,

'Make ready the way of the Lord,

make his paths straight.'”

4 Now John wore clothing of camel's hair and a leather belt around his waist. His food was locusts and wild honey. 5 Then Jerusalem, all Judea, and all the region around the Jordan River went out to him. 6 They were baptized by him in the Jordan River, as they confessed their sins. 7 But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to him for baptism, he said to them, “You offspring of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath that is coming? 8 Bear fruit worthy of repentance. 9 Do not think of saying among yourselves, 'We have Abraham for our father.' For I say to you that God is able to raise up children for Abraham even out of these stones. 10 Already the ax has been placed against the root of the trees. So every tree that does not produce good fruit is chopped down and thrown into the fire. 11 I baptize you with water for repentance. But he who comes after me is mightier than I, and I am not worthy even to carry his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. 12 His winnowing fork is in his hand to thoroughly clear off his threshing floor and to gather his wheat into the storehouse. But he will burn up the chaff with fire that can never be put out.”

13 Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan River to be baptized by John. 14 But John kept trying to stop him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” 15 Jesus responded and said to him, “Permit it now, for it is right for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then John permitted him. 16 After he was baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him. He saw the Spirit of God coming down like a dove and resting upon him. 17 Behold, a voice came out of the heavens saying, “This is my beloved Son. I am very pleased with him.”

4

1 Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 2 When he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. 3 The tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become bread.” 4 But Jesus answered and said to him, “It is written, 'Man shall not live on bread alone, but by every word that comes out of the mouth of God.'” 5 Then the devil took him into the holy city and set him on the highest point of the temple building, 6 and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down, for it is written,

'He will command his angels to take care of you,'

and,

'They will lift you up in their hands,

so that you will not hit your foot against a stone.'”

7 Jesus said to him, “Again it is written, 'You must not test the Lord your God.'” 8 Again, the devil took him up to a very high hill and showed him all the kingdoms of the world along with all their splendor. 9 He said to him, “All these things I will give you, if you fall down and worship me.” 10 Then Jesus said to him, “Go away from here, Satan! For it is written,

'You will worship the Lord your God, and you will serve only him.'”

11 Then the devil left him, and behold, angels came and served him.

12 Now when Jesus heard that John had been arrested, he withdrew into Galilee. 13 He left Nazareth and went and lived in Capernaum, which is by the Sea of Galilee, in the territories of Zebulun and Naphtali. 14 This happened to fulfill what was said by Isaiah the prophet,

15 “The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali,

toward the sea, beyond the Jordan,

Galilee of the Gentiles!

16 The people who sat in darkness

have seen a great light,

and to those who sat in the region and shadow of death,

upon them has a light arisen.”

17 From that time Jesus began to preach and say, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” 18 As he was walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. 19 Jesus said to them, “Come, follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” 20 Immediately they left the nets and followed him. 21 As Jesus was going on from there he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee, and John his brother. They were in the boat with Zebedee their father mending their nets. He called them, 22 and they immediately left the boat and their father and followed him.

23 Jesus went about in all of Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every kind of disease and sickness among the people. 24 The news about him went out into all of Syria, and the people brought to him all those who were sick, ill with various diseases and pains, those possessed by demons, and the epileptic and paralytic. Jesus healed them. 25 Large crowds followed him from Galilee, the Decapolis, Jerusalem, and Judea, and from beyond the Jordan.

5

1 When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up on the mountain. When he had sat down, his disciples came to him. 2 He opened his mouth and taught them, saying,

3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit,

for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

4 Blessed are those who mourn,

for they will be comforted.

5 Blessed are the meek,

for they will inherit the earth.

6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,

for they will be filled.

7 Blessed are the merciful,

for they will obtain mercy.

8 Blessed are the pure in heart,

for they will see God.

9 Blessed are the peacemakers,

for they will be called sons of God.

10 Blessed are those who have been persecuted for righteousness' sake,

for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

11 Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil things against you falsely for my sake. 12 Rejoice and be very glad, for great is your reward in heaven. For in this way people persecuted the prophets who lived before you.

13 You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt has lost its taste, how can it be made salty again? It is never again good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people's feet. 14 You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but rather on the lampstand, and it shines for everyone in the house. 16 Let your light shine before people in such a way that they see your good deeds and praise your Father who is in heaven.

17 Do not think that I have come to destroy the law or the prophets. I have come not to destroy them, but to fulfill them. 18 For truly I say to you that until heaven and earth pass away, not one jot or one tittle shall in any way pass away from the law, until all things have been accomplished. 19 Therefore whoever breaks the least one of these commandments and teaches others to do so will be called least in the kingdom of heaven. But whoever keeps them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 20 For I say to you that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will in no way enter the kingdom of heaven.

21 You have heard that it was said to them in ancient times, 'Do not kill,' and, 'Whoever kills will be in danger of the judgment.' 22 But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be in danger of the judgment; and whoever says to his brother, 'You worthless person!' will be in danger of the council; and whoever says, 'You fool!' will be in danger of the fire of hell. 23 Therefore if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has anything against you, 24 leave your gift there in front of the altar, and go on your way. First be reconciled with your brother, and then come and offer your gift. 25 Agree with your accuser quickly while you are with him on the way to court, or your accuser may hand you over to the judge, and the judge may hand you over to the officer, and you may be thrown into prison. 26 Truly I say to you, you will never come out from there until you have paid the last bit of money you owe.

27 You have heard that it was said, 'Do not commit adultery.' 28 But I say to you that everyone who looks on a woman to lust after her has already committed adultery with her in his heart. 29 If your right eye causes you to stumble, pluck it out and throw it away from you. For it is better for you that one of your body parts should perish than that your whole body should be thrown into hell. 30 If your right hand causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it away from you. For it is better for you that one of your body parts should perish than that your whole body should go into hell. 31 It was also said, 'Whoever sends his wife away, let him give her a certificate of divorce.' 32 But I say to you that everyone who divorces his wife, except for the cause of sexual immorality, makes her an adulteress. Whoever marries her after she has been divorced commits adultery.

33 Again, you have heard that it was said to those in ancient times, 'Do not swear a false oath, but carry out your oaths to the Lord.' 34 But I say to you, swear not at all, neither by heaven, for it is the throne of God; 35 nor by the earth, for it is the footstool for his feet; nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. 36 Neither swear by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black. 37 But let your speech be 'Yes, yes,' or 'No, no.' Anything that is more than this is from the evil one.

38 You have heard that it was said, 'An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.' 39 But I say to you, do not resist one who is evil. Instead, whoever strikes you on your right cheek, turn to him the other also. 40 If anyone wishes to go to court with you and takes away your coat, let that person also have your cloak. 41 Whoever compels you to go one mile, go with him two. 42 Give to anyone who asks you, and do not turn away from anyone who wishes to borrow from you.

43 You have heard that it was said, 'You must love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' 44 But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, * 45 so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the just and the unjust. 46 For if you love those who love you, what reward do you get? Do not even the tax collectors do the same thing? 47 If you greet only your brothers, what do you do more than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same thing? 48 Therefore you must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

6

1 Take heed that you do not do your acts of righteousness before people to be seen by them, or else you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven. 2 So when you give alms, do not sound a trumpet before yourself as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they may have the praise of people. Truly I say to you, they have received their reward. 3 But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 so that your gift may be given in secret. Then your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

5 When you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on the street corners, so that they may be seen by people. Truly I say to you, they have received their reward. 6 But you, when you pray, enter your inner chamber. Shut the door, and pray to your Father who is in secret. Then your Father who sees in secret will reward you. 7 When you pray, do not make useless repetitions as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard because of their many words. 8 Therefore, do not be like them, for your Father knows what things you need before you ask him. 9 Therefore pray like this:

'Our Father in heaven,

may your name be sanctified.

10 May your kingdom come.

May your will be done

on earth as it is in heaven.

11 Give us today our daily bread.

12 Forgive us our debts,

as we also have forgiven our debtors.

13 Do not bring us into temptation,

but deliver us from the evil one.' *

14 For if you forgive people their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15 But if you do not forgive their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

16 When you fast, do not have a mournful face as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces so that they may appear to people as fasting. Truly I say to you, they have received their reward. 17 But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, 18 so that it would not appear to others that you are fasting, but only to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret, will reward you.

19 Do not store up for yourselves treasures on the earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 Instead, store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. 22 The eye is the lamp of the body. Therefore, if your eye is good, the whole body is filled with light. 23 But if your eye is bad, your whole body is full of darkness. Therefore, if the light that is in you is actually darkness, how great is that darkness! 24 No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth. 25 Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink—or about your body, what you will wear. For is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? 26 Look at the birds in the air. They do not sow or reap or gather into barns, but your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not more valuable than they are? 27 Which one of you by being anxious can add one cubit to his lifespan? 28 Why are you anxious about clothing? Think about the lilies in the fields, how they grow. They do not work, and they do not spin cloth. 29 Yet I say to you, even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these. 30 If God so clothes the grass in the fields, which exists today and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will he clothe you, you of little faith? 31 Therefore do not be anxious and say, 'What will we eat?' or, 'What will we drink?' or, 'What clothes will we wear?' 32 For the Gentiles search for these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness and all these things will be given to you. 34 Therefore, do not be anxious for tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Each day has enough evil of its own.

7

1 Do not judge, and you will not be judged. 2 For with the judgment you judge, you will be judged, and with the measure that you measure, it will be measured out to you. 3 Why do you look at the tiny piece of straw that is in your brother's eye, but you do not notice the log that is in your own eye? 4 How can you say to your brother, 'Let me take out the piece of straw that is in your eye,' while the log is in your own eye? 5 You hypocrite! First take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take out the piece of straw that is in your brother's eye. 6 Do not give what is holy to the dogs, and do not throw your pearls in front of the hogs. Otherwise they may trample them underfoot, and then turn and tear you to pieces.

7 Ask, and it will be given to you. Seek, and you will find. Knock, and it will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks, receives; everyone who seeks, finds; and to the person who knocks, it will be opened. 9 Or which one of you, if his son asks for a loaf of bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? 11 Therefore, if you who are evil know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good things to those who ask him? 12 Therefore, whatever things you want people to do to you, you should also do to them, for this is the law and the prophets.

13 Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many people who go through it. 14 But the gate is narrow and the way is difficult that leads to life, and there are few who find it.

15 Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing but are truly ravenous wolves. 16 By their fruits you will know them. Do people gather grapes from a thornbush or figs from thistles? 17 In the same way, every good tree produces good fruit, but the bad tree produces bad fruit. 18 A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, nor can a bad tree produce good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not produce good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 So then, you will recognize them by their fruits. 21 Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter into the kingdom of heaven, but only those who do the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 Many people will say to me in that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, in your name drive out demons, and in your name do many mighty deeds?' 23 Then will I openly declare to them, 'I never knew you! Get away from me, you evildoers!'

24 Therefore, everyone who hears my words and obeys them will be like a wise man who built his house upon a rock. 25 The rain came down, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat upon that house, but it did not fall down, for it was built on the rock. 26 But everyone who hears my words and does not obey them will be like a foolish man who built his house upon the sand. 27 The rain came down, the floods came, and the winds blew and struck that house, and it fell, and its destruction was complete.”

28 It came about that when Jesus finished speaking these words, the crowds were astonished by his teaching, 29 for he taught them as one who had authority, and not as their scribes.

8

1 When Jesus had come down from the hill, large crowds followed him. 2 Behold, a leper came to him and bowed before him, saying, “Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean.” 3 Jesus reached out his hand and touched him, saying, “I am willing. Be clean.” Immediately he was cleansed of his leprosy. 4 Jesus said to him, “See that you say nothing to any man. Go on your way, and show yourself to the priest and offer the gift that Moses commanded, for a testimony to them.”

5 When Jesus had entered into Capernaum, a centurion came to him and asked him, 6 saying, “Lord, my servant lies in the house paralyzed and in terrible pain.” 7 Jesus said to him, “I will come and heal him.” 8 The centurion answered and said, “Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof, only say the word and my servant will be healed. 9 For I also am a man who is placed under authority, and I have soldiers under me. I say to this one, 'Go,' and he goes, and to another one, 'Come,' and he comes, and to my servant, 'Do this,' and he does it.” 10 When Jesus heard this, he was amazed and said to those who were following him, “Truly I say to you, I have not found anyone with such faith in Israel. 11 I tell you, many will come from the east and the west, and they will recline at the table with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven. 12 But the sons of the kingdom will be thrown into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and grinding of teeth.” 13 Jesus said to the centurion, “Go! As you have believed, so may it be done for you.” And the servant was healed at that very hour.

14 When Jesus had come into Peter's house, he saw Peter's mother-in-law lying sick with a fever. 15 Jesus touched her hand, and the fever left her. Then she got up and started serving him. 16 When evening had come, the people brought to Jesus many who were possessed by demons. He drove out the spirits with a word and healed all who were sick. 17 In this way was fulfilled that which had been spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying, “He himself took our sickness and bore our diseases.”

18 Now when Jesus saw the crowd around him, he gave instructions to leave for the other side of the Sea of Galilee. 19 Then a scribe came to him and said, “Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.” 20 Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes, and the birds of the sky have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.” 21 Another of the disciples said to him, “Lord, allow me first to go and bury my father.” 22 But Jesus said to him, “Follow me, and leave the dead to bury their own dead.”

23 When Jesus had entered a boat, his disciples followed him into it. 24 Behold, there arose a great storm on the sea, so that the boat was covered with the waves. But Jesus was asleep. 25 The disciples came to him and woke him up, saying, “Save us, Lord; we are about to die!” 26 Jesus said to them, “Why are you afraid, you of little faith?” Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the sea. Then there was a great calm. 27 The men marveled and said, “What sort of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him?”

28 When Jesus had come to the other side and to the country of the Gadarenes, two men who were possessed by demons met him. They were coming out of the tombs and were very violent, so that no traveler could pass that way. 29 Behold, they cried out and said, “What do we have to do with you, Son of God? Have you come here to torment us before the set time?” 30 Now a herd of many pigs was there feeding, not too far away from them. 31 The demons kept imploring Jesus and saying, “If you cast us out, send us away into that herd of pigs.” 32 Jesus said to them, “Go!” The demons came out and went into the pigs; and behold, the whole herd rushed down the steep hill into the sea and they died in the water. 33 Those who had been tending the pigs ran away and they went into the city and reported everything, especially what had happened to the men who had been possessed by demons. 34 Behold, all the city came out to meet Jesus. When they saw him, they begged him to leave their region.

9

1 Jesus entered a boat, crossed over, and came into his own city. 2 Behold, they brought to him a paralyzed man lying on a mat. Seeing their faith, Jesus said to the paralyzed man, “Son, be of good cheer. Your sins have been forgiven.” 3 Behold, some of the scribes said among themselves, “This man is blaspheming.” 4 Jesus knew their thoughts and said, “Why are you thinking evil in your hearts? 5 For which is easier, to say, 'Your sins are forgiven,' or to say, 'Get up and walk'? 6 But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins, ... “ he said to the paralytic, “Get up, pick up your mat, and go to your house.” 7 Then the man got up and went away to his house. 8 When the crowds saw this, they were amazed and praised God, who had given such authority to people. 9 As Jesus passed by from there, he saw a man named Matthew, who was sitting at the tax collection's tent. He said to him, “Follow me.” He got up and followed him.

10 As Jesus sat down to eat in the house, behold, many tax collectors and sinful people came and dined with Jesus and his disciples. 11 When the Pharisees saw it, they said to his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinful people?” 12 When Jesus heard this, he said, “People who are strong in body do not need a physician, only those who are sick. 13 You should go and learn what this means: 'I desire mercy and not sacrifice.' For I came not to call the righteous to repent, but sinners.”

14 Then the disciples of John came to him and said, “Why do we and the Pharisees often fast, but your disciples do not fast?” 15 Jesus said to them, “Can wedding attendants be sorrowful while the bridegroom is still with them? But the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast. 16 No man puts a piece of new cloth on an old garment, for the patch will tear away from the garment, and a worse tear will be made. 17 Neither do people put new wine into old wineskins. If they do, the skins will burst, the wine will be spilled, and the wineskins will be destroyed. Instead, they put new wine into fresh wineskins, and both will be preserved.”

18 While Jesus was saying these things to them, behold, an official came and bowed down to him. He said, “My daughter has just now died, but come and lay your hand on her, and she will live.” 19 Then Jesus got up and followed him, and so did his disciples. 20 Behold, a woman who suffered from a discharge of blood for twelve years came up behind Jesus and touched the edge of his garment. 21 For she had said to herself, “If only I touch his clothes, I will be made well.” 22 But Jesus turned and saw her, and said, “Daughter, take courage; your faith has made you well.” And the woman was healed from that hour. 23 When Jesus came into the official's house, he saw the flute players and the crowds making much noise. 24 He said, “Go away, for the girl is not dead, but she is asleep.” But they laughed at him in mockery. 25 When the crowd had been put outside, he entered the room and took her by the hand, and the girl got up. 26 The news about this spread into all that region.

27 As Jesus passed by from there, two blind men followed him. They kept shouting and saying, “Have mercy on us, Son of David!” 28 When Jesus had come into the house, the blind men came to him. Jesus said to them, “Do you believe that I can do this?” They said to him, “Yes, Lord.” 29 Then Jesus touched their eyes and said, “Let it be done to you according to your faith,” 30 and their eyes were opened. Then Jesus strictly commanded them and said, “See that no one knows about this.” 31 But the two men went out and spread the news about this throughout that region.

32 As those two men were going away, behold, a mute man possessed by a demon was brought to Jesus. 33 When the demon had been driven out, the mute man spoke. The crowds were astonished and said, “This has never been seen before in Israel!” 34 But the Pharisees were saying, “By the ruler of the demons, he drives out demons.”

35 Jesus went about all the cities and the villages. He continued teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all kinds of disease and all kinds of sickness. 36 When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were troubled and discouraged. They were like sheep without a shepherd. 37 He said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. 38 Therefore urgently pray to the Lord of the harvest, so that he may send out laborers into his harvest.”

10

1 Jesus called his twelve disciples together and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to drive them out, and to heal all kinds of disease and all kinds of sickness. 2 Now the names of the twelve apostles were these. The first, Simon (whom he also called Peter), and Andrew his brother; James son of Zebedee, and John his brother; 3 Philip, and Bartholomew; Thomas, and Matthew the tax collector; James son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus; 4 Simon the Zealot, and Judas Iscariot, who would betray him.

5 These twelve Jesus sent out. He instructed them and said, “Do not go to any place where Gentiles live, and do not enter any town of the Samaritans. 6 Go instead to the lost sheep of the house of Israel; 7 and as you go, preach and say, 'The kingdom of heaven has come near.' 8 Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, and cast out demons. Freely you have received, freely give. 9 Do not carry any gold, silver, or copper in your purses. 10 Do not take a traveling bag for your journey, or an extra tunic, or sandals, or a staff, for a laborer deserves his food. 11 Whatever city or village you enter, find who is worthy in it, and stay there until you leave. 12 As you enter into the house, greet it. 13 If the house is worthy, let your peace come upon it. But if it is not worthy, let your peace come back to you. 14 As for those who do not receive you or listen to your words, when you depart from that house or city, shake off the dust from your feet. 15 Truly I say to you, it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment than for that city.

16 See, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be as wise as serpents and harmless as doves. 17 Watch out for people! They will deliver you up to councils, and they will whip you in their synagogues. 18 Then you will be brought before governors and kings for my sake, as a testimony to them and to the Gentiles. 19 When they deliver you up, do not be anxious about how or what you will speak, for what to say will be given to you in that hour. 20 For it is not you who will speak, but the Spirit of your Father who will speak in you. 21 Brother will deliver up brother to death, and a father his child. Children will rise up against their parents and cause them to be put to death. 22 You will be hated by everyone because of my name. But whoever endures to the end, that person will be saved. 23 When they persecute you in this city, flee to the next, for truly I say to you, you will not have gone through the cities of Israel before the Son of Man has come.

24 A disciple is not greater than his teacher, nor a servant above his master. 25 It is enough for the disciple that he should be like his teacher, and the servant like his master. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebul, how much worse would be the names they call the members of his household! 26 Therefore do not fear them, for there is nothing concealed that will not be revealed, and nothing hidden that will not be known. 27 What I tell you in the darkness, say in the daylight, and what you hear softly in your ear, proclaim upon the housetops. 28 Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but are unable to kill the soul. Instead, fear him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. 29 Are not two sparrows sold for a small coin? Yet not one of them falls to the ground without your Father's knowledge. 30 But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. 31 Do not fear. You are more valuable than many sparrows. 32 Therefore everyone who confesses me before men, I will also confess before my Father who is in heaven. 33 But he who denies me before men, I will also deny before my Father who is in heaven.

34 Do not think that I came to bring peace upon the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. 35 For I came to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. 36 A man's enemies will be those of his own household. 37 He who loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; and he who loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. 38 He who does not pick up his cross and follow after me is not worthy of me. 39 He who finds his life will lose it. But he who loses his life for my sake will find it.

40 He who welcomes you welcomes me, and he who welcomes me also welcomes him who sent me. 41 He who welcomes a prophet because he is a prophet will receive a prophet's reward, and he who welcomes a righteous man because he is a righteous man will receive a righteous man's reward. 42 Whoever gives to one of these little ones even a cup of cold water to drink because he is a disciple, truly I say to you, he will in no way lose his reward.”

11

1 It came about that when Jesus had finished instructing his twelve disciples, he departed from there to teach and preach in their cities. 2 Now when John heard in the prison about the deeds of the Christ, he sent a message by his disciples 3 and said to him, “Are you the one who is coming, or should we look for another?” 4 Jesus answered and said to them, “Go and report to John what you see and hear. 5 Blind people are receiving sight, lame people are walking, lepers are being cleansed, deaf people are hearing again, people who have died are being raised back to life, and needy people are being told the good news. 6 Blessed is anyone who is not offended by me.”

7 As these men went on their way, Jesus began to say to the crowds about John, “What did you go out in the desert to see—a reed being shaken by the wind? 8 But what did you go out to see—a man dressed in soft clothing? Really, those who wear soft clothing live in kings' houses. 9 But what did you go out to see—a prophet? Yes, I say to you, and much more than a prophet. 10 This is he of whom it was written,

'See, I am sending my messenger before your face, who will prepare your way before you.'

11 I say to you truly, among those born of women no one is greater than John the Baptist. Yet the least important person in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he is. 12 From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and men of violence take it by force. 13 For all the prophets and the law have been prophesying until John; 14 and if you are willing to accept it, he is Elijah who was to come. 15 He who has ears to hear, let him listen. 16 To what should I compare this generation? It is like children playing in the marketplace, who sit and call to one another 17 and say, 'We played a flute for you, and you did not dance. We mourned, and you did not weep.' 18 For John came not eating bread or drinking wine, and they say, 'He has a demon.' 19 The Son of Man came eating and drinking and they say, 'Look, he is a gluttonous man and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!' But wisdom is justified by her deeds.”

20 Then Jesus began to rebuke the cities in which most of his mighty deeds were done, because they had not repented. 21 “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! If the mighty deeds had been done in Tyre and Sidon which were done in you, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. 22 But it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the day of judgment than for you. 23 You, Capernaum, do you think you will be exalted to heaven? No, you will be brought down to Hades. For if in Sodom there had been done the mighty deeds that were done in you, it would still have remained until today. 24 But I say to you that it shall be easier for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment than for you.”

25 At that time Jesus said, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you concealed these things from the wise and understanding, and revealed them to little children. 26 Yes, Father, for so it was well-pleasing in your sight. 27 All things have been entrusted to me from my Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father and no one knows the Father except the Son, and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him. 28 Come to me, all you who labor and are heavy burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke on you and learn from me, for I am meek and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

12

1 At that time Jesus went on the Sabbath day through the grainfields. His disciples were hungry and began to pluck heads of grain and eat them. 2 But when the Pharisees saw that, they said to Jesus, “See, your disciples do what is unlawful to do on the Sabbath.” 3 But Jesus said to them, “Have you never read what David did, when he was hungry, and the men who were with him? 4 He went into the house of God and ate the bread of the presence, which was unlawful for him to eat and unlawful for those who were with him, but lawful only for the priests. 5 Have you not read in the law that on the Sabbath the priests in the temple profane the Sabbath but are guiltless? 6 But I say to you that one greater than the temple is here. 7 If you had known what this meant, 'I desire mercy and not sacrifice,' you would not have condemned the guiltless. 8 For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.”

9 Then Jesus left from there and went into their synagogue. 10 Behold, there was a man who had a withered hand. The Pharisees asked Jesus, saying, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?” so that they might accuse him of sinning. 11 Jesus said to them, “What man would there be among you, who, if he had just one sheep, and if this sheep fell into a deep hole on the Sabbath, would not grasp hold of it and lift it out? 12 How much more valuable, then, is a man than a sheep! Therefore it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.” 13 Then Jesus said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He stretched it out, and it was restored to health, just like the other hand. 14 But the Pharisees went out and plotted against him. They were seeking how they might put him to death.

15 As Jesus perceived this, he withdrew from there. Many people followed him, and he healed them all. 16 He commanded them not to make him known to others, 17 that it might come true, what had been said through Isaiah the prophet, saying,

18 “See, my servant whom I have chosen;

my beloved one, in whom my soul is well pleased.

I will put my Spirit upon him,

and he will proclaim justice to the Gentiles.

19 He will not strive nor cry aloud;

neither will anyone hear his voice in the streets.

20 He will not break any bruised reed;

he will not quench any smoking flax,

until he leads justice to victory, 21 and in his name the Gentiles will have certain hope.”

22 Then someone blind and mute, possessed by a demon, was brought to Jesus. He healed him, with the result that the mute man spoke and saw. 23 All the crowds were amazed and said, “Can this man be the Son of David?” 24 But when the Pharisees heard of this miracle, they said, “This man does not cast out demons except by Beelzebul, the prince of the demons.” 25 But Jesus knew their thoughts and said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself is made desolate, and every city or house divided against itself will not stand. 26 If Satan drives out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then will his kingdom stand? 27 And if I drive out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your sons drive them out? For this reason they will be your judges. 28 But if I drive out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you. 29 How can anyone enter the house of the strong man and steal his belongings without tying up the strong man first? Then he will steal his belongings from his house. 30 The one who is not with me is against me, and the one who does not gather with me scatters. 31 Therefore I say to you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. 32 Whoever speaks any word against the Son of Man, that will be forgiven him. But whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, that will not be forgiven him, neither in this world, nor in that which is to come. 33 Make a tree good and its fruit good, or make the tree bad and its fruit bad, for a tree is recognized by its fruit. 34 You offspring of vipers, since you are evil, how can you say good things? For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks. 35 The good man from the good treasure of his heart produces what is good, and the evil man from the evil treasure of his heart produces what is evil. 36 I say to you that in the day of judgment people will give an account for every idle word they will have said. 37 For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”

38 Then certain scribes and Pharisees answered Jesus and said, “Teacher, we wish to see a sign from you.” 39 But Jesus answered and said to them, “An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign. But no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah the prophet. 40 For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the stomach of the big fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. 41 The men of Nineveh will stand up at the judgment with this generation of people and will condemn it. For they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and see, someone greater than Jonah is here. 42 The Queen of the South will rise up at the judgment with the men of this generation and condemn them. She came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and see, someone greater than Solomon is here. 43 When an unclean spirit has gone away from a man, it passes through waterless places and looks for rest, but does not find it. 44 Then it says, 'I will return to my house from which I came.' Having returned, it finds that house swept out and put in order. 45 Then it goes and takes along with it seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they all come in to live there. Then the final condition of that man becomes worse than the first. It will be just like that with this evil generation.”

46 While Jesus was still speaking to the crowds, behold, his mother and his brothers stood outside, seeking to speak to him. 47 Someone said to him, “Look, your mother and your brothers stand outside, seeking to speak to you.” 48 But Jesus answered and said to him who told him, “Who is my mother and who are my brothers?” 49 Then he stretched out his hand toward his disciples and said, “See, here are my mother and my brothers! 50 For whoever does the will of my Father who is in heaven, that person is my brother, and sister, and mother.”

13

1 On that day Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the sea. 2 A very large crowd gathered around him, so he got into a boat and sat in it, while the whole crowd stood on the beach. 3 Then Jesus said many things to them in parables. He said, “Behold, a farmer went out to sow seed. 4 As he sowed, some seeds fell beside the road, and the birds came and devoured them. 5 Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil. Immediately they sprang up, because the soil had no depth. 6 But when the sun had risen, they were scorched because they had no root, and they withered away. 7 Other seeds fell among the thorn plants. The thorn plants grew up and choked them. 8 Other seeds fell on good soil and produced a crop, some one hundred times as much, some sixty, and some thirty. 9 He who has ears, let him listen.”

10 The disciples came and said to Jesus, “Why do you talk to the crowd in parables?” 11 Jesus answered and said to them, “You have been given the privilege of understanding mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given. 12 For whoever has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. But whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him. 13 This is why I talk to them in parables: Though they are seeing, they do not see; and though they are hearing, they do not hear, or understand. 14 To them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled, that which says,

'While hearing you will hear, but you will in no way understand;

while seeing you will see, but you will in no way perceive.

15 For this people's heart has become dull,

and they are hard of hearing,

and they have closed their eyes,

so they should not see with their eyes,

or hear with their ears,

or understand with their hearts,

so they would turn again,

and I would heal them.'

16 But blessed are your eyes, for they see; and your ears, for they hear. 17 Truly I say to you that many prophets and righteous men desired to see the things that you see, and did not see them. They desired to hear the things that you hear, and did not hear them. 18 Listen then to the parable of the farmer who sowed his seed. 19 When anyone hears the word of the kingdom but does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart. This is the seed that was sown beside the road. 20 What was sown on rocky ground is the person who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy, 21 yet he has no root in himself and he endures for a while. When tribulation or persecution arises because of the word, he quickly falls away. 22 What was sown among the thorn plants, this is the person who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful. 23 What was sown on the good soil, this is the person who hears the word and understands it. He bears fruit and makes a crop, some yielding one hundred times as much as was planted, some sixty, and some thirty times as much.”

24 Jesus presented another parable to them. He said, “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. 25 But while people slept, his enemy came and also sowed weeds among the wheat and then went away. 26 When the blades sprouted and then produced their crop, then the weeds appeared also. 27 The servants of the landowner came and said to him, 'Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? How does it now have weeds?' 28 He said to them, 'An enemy has done this.' The servants said to him, 'So do you want us to go and pull them out?' 29 The landowner said, 'No. Because while you are pulling out the weeds, you might uproot the wheat with them. 30 Let both grow together until the harvest. At the time of the harvest I will say to the reapers, “First pull out the weeds and tie them in bundles to burn them, but gather the wheat into my barn.”'”

31 Then Jesus presented another parable to them. He said, “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed which a man took and sowed in his field. 32 This seed is indeed the smallest of all seeds. But when it has grown, it is greater than the garden plants. It becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and nest in its branches.” 33 Jesus then told them another parable. “The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed with three measures of flour until all the dough had risen.”

34 All these things Jesus said to the crowds in parables; and he said nothing to them without a parable. 35 This was in order that what had been said through the prophet might come true, when he said,

“I will open my mouth in parables.

I will say things that were hidden from the foundation of the world.”

36 Then Jesus left the crowds and went into the house. His disciples came to him and said, “Explain to us the parable of the weeds of the field.” 37 Jesus answered and said, “He who sows the good seed is the Son of Man. 38 The field is the world; and the good seed, these are the sons of the kingdom. The weeds are the sons of the evil one, 39 and the enemy who sowed them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are angels. 40 Therefore, as the weeds are gathered up and burned with fire, so will it be at the end of the age. 41 The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will gather out of his kingdom all the things that cause sin and those who commit iniquity. 42 They will throw them into the furnace of fire, where there will be weeping and grinding of teeth. 43 Then will the righteous people shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him listen.

44 The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in a field. A man found it and hid it. In his joy he goes, sells everything he possesses, and buys that field. 45 Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a man who is a merchant looking for valuable pearls. 46 When he found one pearl of very great value, he went and sold everything that he possessed and bought it.

47 Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was cast into the sea, and that gathered creatures of every kind. 48 When it was filled, the fishermen drew it up on the beach. Then they sat down and gathered the good things into containers, but the worthless things they threw away. 49 It will be this way at the end of the age. The angels will come and separate the wicked from among the righteous. 50 They will throw them into the furnace of fire, where there will be weeping and grinding of teeth.

51 Have you understood all these things?” The disciples said to him, “Yes.” 52 Then Jesus said to them, “Therefore every scribe who has become a disciple to the kingdom of heaven is like a man who is the owner of a house, who draws out old and new things from his treasure.” 53 Then it came about that when Jesus had finished these parables, he departed from that place.

54 Then Jesus entered his own region and taught the people in their synagogue. The result was that they were astonished and said, “Where does this man get his wisdom and these miracles from? 55 Is not this man the carpenter's son? Is not his mother called Mary? Are not his brothers James, Joseph, Simon, and Judas? 56 Are not all his sisters with us? Where did he get all these things?” 57 They were offended by him. But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his own country and in his own family.” 58 He did not do many miracles there because of their unbelief.

14

1 About that time, Herod the tetrarch heard the news about Jesus. 2 He said to his servants, “This is John the Baptist; he has risen from the dead. Therefore these powers are at work in him.” 3 For Herod had arrested John, bound him, and put him in prison because of Herodias, his brother Philip's wife. 4 For John had said to him, “It is not lawful for you to have her as your wife.” 5 Herod would have put him to death, but he feared the people, because they regarded him as a prophet. 6 But when Herod's birthday came, the daughter of Herodias danced in the midst and pleased Herod. 7 In response, he promised with an oath to give her whatever she should ask. 8 After being instructed by her mother, she said, “Give me here, on a platter, the head of John the Baptist.” 9 The king was very upset by her request, but because of his oath and because of all those at dinner with him, he ordered that it should be done. 10 He sent and beheaded John in the prison. 11 Then his head was brought on a platter and given to the girl and she took it to her mother. 12 Then his disciples came, took up the corpse, and buried it. After this, they went and told Jesus.

13 Now when Jesus heard this, he withdrew from there in a boat to an isolated place. When the crowds heard of it, they followed him on foot from the cities. 14 Then Jesus came before them and saw the large crowd. He had compassion on them and healed their sick. 15 When the evening had come, the disciples came to him and said, “This is a deserted place, and the day is already over. Dismiss the crowds, so that they can go into the villages and buy food for themselves.” 16 But Jesus said to them, “They have no need to go away. You give them something to eat.” 17 They said to him, “We have here only five loaves of bread and two fish.” 18 Jesus said, “Bring them to me.” 19 Then Jesus ordered the crowd to sit down on the grass. He took the five loaves and the two fish. Looking up to heaven, he blessed and broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowd. 20 They all ate and were filled. Then they took up what remained of the broken pieces of food—twelve baskets full. 21 Those who ate were about five thousand men, besides women and children.

22 Immediately he made the disciples get into the boat and go before him to the other side, while he sent away the crowds. 23 After he had sent away the crowds, he went up on the mountain by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone. 24 But the boat was now a long way from land, being tossed about by the waves, for the wind was blowing against them. 25 In the fourth watch of the night Jesus approached them, walking on the sea. 26 When the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified and said, “It is a ghost,” and they cried out in fear. 27 But Jesus spoke to them right away and said, “Be brave! It is I! Do not be afraid.” 28 Peter answered him and said, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” 29 Jesus said, “Come.” So Peter got out from the boat and walked on the water to go to Jesus. 30 But when Peter saw the wind, he became afraid. As he began to sink, he cried out and said, “Lord, save me!” 31 Jesus immediately stretched out his hand, took hold of Peter, and said to him, “You of little faith, why did you doubt?” 32 Then when Jesus and Peter went into the boat, the wind ceased blowing. 33 Then the disciples in the boat worshiped Jesus and said, “Truly you are the Son of God.”

34 When they had crossed over, they came to land at Gennesaret. 35 When the men in that place recognized Jesus, they sent messages everywhere into the surrounding area, and they brought to him everyone who was sick. 36 They begged him that they might just touch the edge of his garment, and as many as touched it were healed.

15

1 Then some Pharisees and scribes came to Jesus from Jerusalem. They said, 2 “Why do your disciples violate the traditions of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat.” 3 He answered and said to them, “Then why do you violate the commandment of God for the sake of your traditions? 4 For God said, 'Honor your father and your mother,' and 'He who speaks evil of his father or mother, will surely die.' 5 But you say, 'Whoever says to his father or mother “Whatever help you would have received from me is now a gift given to God,”' 6 that person does not need to honor his father. In this way you have made void the word of God * for the sake of your traditions. 7 You hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy about you when he said,

8 'This people honors me with their lips,

but their heart is far from me.

9 They worship me in vain,

because they teach as their doctrines the commandments of people.'”

10 Then he called the crowd to himself and said to them, “Listen and understand— 11 Nothing that enters into the mouth defiles a person. Instead, what comes out of the mouth, this is what defiles a person.” 12 Then the disciples came and said to Jesus, “Do you know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this statement?” 13 Jesus answered and said, “Every plant that my heavenly Father has not planted will be rooted up. 14 Let them alone, they are blind guides. If a blind person guides another blind person, both will fall into a pit.” 15 Peter responded and said to Jesus, “Explain this parable to us.” 16 Jesus said, “Are you also still without understanding? 17 Do you not see that whatever goes into the mouth passes into the stomach and is then passed out into the latrine? 18 But the things that come out of the mouth come from the heart. They are the things that defile a person. 19 For from the heart proceed evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, and slander. 20 These are the things that defile a person. But to eat with unwashed hands does not defile a person.”

21 Then Jesus went away from there and withdrew toward the regions of the cities of Tyre and Sidon. 22 Behold, a Canaanite woman came out from that region. She shouted out and said, “Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David! My daughter is severely demon-possessed.” 23 But Jesus answered her not a word. His disciples came and begged him, saying, “Send her away, for she is shouting after us.” 24 But Jesus answered and said, “I was not sent to anyone except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” 25 But she came and bowed down before him, saying, “Lord, help me.” 26 He answered and said, “It is not right to take the children's bread and throw it to the little dogs.” 27 She said, “Yes, Lord, but even the little dogs eat some of the crumbs that fall from their masters' tables.” 28 Then Jesus answered and said to her, “Woman, great is your faith; let it be done for you just as you wish.” At that hour her daughter was healed.

29 Jesus left that place and went near to the Sea of Galilee. Then he went up a hill and sat there. 30 Large crowds came to him. They brought with them lame, blind, mute, and crippled people, and many others who were sick. They presented them at Jesus' feet, and he healed them. 31 So the crowd marveled when they saw the mute persons speak, the crippled made well, the lame walking, and the blind seeing. They praised the God of Israel.

32 Jesus called his disciples to him and said, “I have compassion on the crowd, because they have stayed with me for three days already and have nothing to eat. I do not want to send them away without eating, or they may faint on the way.” 33 The disciples said to him, “Where can we get enough loaves of bread in such a deserted place to satisfy so large a crowd?” 34 Jesus said to them, “How many loaves do you have?” They said, “Seven, and a few small fish.” 35 Then Jesus commanded the crowd to sit down on the ground. 36 He took the seven loaves and the fish, and after giving thanks, he broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples. The disciples gave them to the crowd. 37 The people all ate and were satisfied. Then they gathered up seven baskets full of the broken pieces that were left over. 38 Those who ate were four thousand men, besides women and children. 39 Then Jesus sent the crowds away and got into the boat and went into the region of Magadan.

16

1 The Pharisees and Sadducees came and tested him by asking him to show them a sign from the sky. 2 But he answered and said to them, “When it is evening, you say, 'It will be fair weather, for the sky is red.' 3 When it is morning, you say, 'It will be foul weather, for the sky is red and overcast.' You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times. 4 An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah.” Then Jesus left them and went away.

5 When the disciples reached the other side, they had forgotten to take bread. 6 Jesus said to them, “Take heed and beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees.” 7 The disciples reasoned among themselves and said, “It is because we took no bread.” 8 Jesus was aware of this and said, “You of little faith, why do you reason among yourselves and say that it is because you have taken no bread? 9 Do you not yet perceive or remember the five loaves for the five thousand, and how many baskets you gathered up? 10 Or the seven loaves for the four thousand, and how many baskets you took up? 11 How is it that you do not understand that I was not speaking to you about bread? Take heed and beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees.” 12 Then they understood that he was not telling them to beware of yeast in bread, but to beware of the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees.

13 Now when Jesus came to the regions near Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” 14 They said, “Some say John the Baptist; some, Elijah; and others, Jeremiah, or one of the prophets.” 15 He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” 16 Answering, Simon Peter said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” 17 Jesus answered and said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar Jonah, for flesh and blood have not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. 18 I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church. The gates of Hades will not prevail against it. 19 I will give to you the keys of the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” 20 Then Jesus commanded the disciples that they should tell no one that he was the Christ.

21 From that time Jesus started to tell his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem, suffer many things at the hand of the elders and chief priests and scribes, be killed, and be raised back to life on the third day. 22 Then Peter took him aside and rebuked him, saying, “May this be far from you, Lord; may this never happen to you.” 23 But Jesus turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me, for you do not care for the things of God, but for the things of people.” 24 Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If anyone wants to follow me, he must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me. 25 For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. 26 For what does it profit a person if he gains the whole world but forfeits his life? What can a person give in exchange for his life? 27 For the Son of Man will come in the glory of his Father with his angels. Then he will reward every person according to what he has done. 28 Truly I say to you, there are some of you standing here who will not taste death until they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.”

17

1 Six days later Jesus took with him Peter, James, and John his brother, and brought them up a high mountain by themselves. 2 He was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and his garments became as brilliant as the light. 3 Behold, there appeared to them Moses and Elijah talking with him. 4 Peter answered and said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good for us to be here. If you desire, I will make here three shelters—one for you, and one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” 5 While he was still speaking, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and behold, there was a voice out of the cloud, saying, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Listen to him.” 6 When the disciples heard it, they fell on their face and were very afraid. 7 Then Jesus came and touched them and said, “Get up and do not be afraid.” 8 Then they looked up but saw no one except Jesus only.

9 As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus commanded them, saying, “Report this vision to no one until the Son of Man has risen from the dead.” 10 His disciples asked him, saying, “Why then do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?” 11 Jesus answered and said, “Elijah will indeed come and restore all things. 12 But I tell you, Elijah has already come, but they did not recognize him. Instead, they did whatever they wanted to him. In the same way, the Son of Man will also suffer at their hands.” 13 Then the disciples understood that he was speaking to them about John the Baptist.

14 When they had come to the crowd, a man came to him, knelt before him, and said, 15 “Lord, have mercy on my son, for he is epileptic and suffers severely. For he often falls into the fire or the water. 16 I brought him to your disciples, but they could not cure him.” 17 Jesus answered and said, “Unbelieving and corrupt generation, how long will I have to stay with you? How long must I bear with you? Bring him here to me.” 18 Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of him, and the boy was healed from that hour.

19 Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, “Why could we not cast it out?” 20 Jesus said to them, “Because of your small faith. For I truly say to you, if you have faith even as small as a grain of mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you. 21  *

22 While they stayed in Galilee, Jesus said to his disciples, “The Son of Man will be delivered into the hands of people, 23 and they will kill him, and the third day he will be raised up.” The disciples became very upset.

24 When they had come to Capernaum, the men who collected the half-shekel tax came to Peter and said, “Does not your teacher pay the half-shekel tax?” 25 He said, “Yes.” When Peter came into the house, Jesus spoke to him first and said, “What do you think, Simon? From whom do the kings of the earth collect tolls or taxes? From their sons or from others?” 26 When he said, “From others,” Jesus said to him, “Then the sons are free.” 27 But so that we do not cause the tax collectors to sin, go to the sea, throw in a hook, and draw in the fish that comes up first. When you have opened its mouth, you will find a shekel. Take it and give it to the tax collectors for me and you.”

18

1 In that same time the disciples came to Jesus and said, “Who is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” 2 Jesus called to himself a little child, set him among them, 3 and said, “Truly I say to you, unless you turn and become like little children, you will in no way enter the kingdom of heaven. 4 Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. 5 Whoever welcomes a little child like this in my name receives me. 6 But whoever causes one of these little ones who believes in me to sin, it would be better for him that a great millstone should be hung about his neck, and that he should be sunk into the depths of the sea.

7 Woe to the world because of stumbling blocks! For it is necessary that those stumbling blocks come, but woe to the person through whom those stumbling blocks come! 8 If your hand or your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it away from you. It is better for you to enter into life maimed or lame than to be thrown into the eternal fire having two hands or two feet. 9 If your eye causes you to stumble, pluck it out and throw it away from you. It is better for you to enter into life with one eye than to be thrown into the eternal fire having both eyes. 10 See that you do not despise any of these little ones. For I say to you that in heaven their angels always look on the face of my Father who is in heaven. 11  * 12 What do you think? If anyone has a hundred sheep, and one of them goes astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the hillside and go off seeking the one that went astray? 13 If he finds it, truly I say to you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine that did not go astray. 14 In the same way, it is not the will of your Father in heaven that one of these little ones should perish.

15 If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you will have gained your brother. 16 But if he does not listen to you, take one or two others along with you, so that by the mouth of two or three witnesses every word might be verified. 17 And if he refuses to listen to them, tell the matter to the church. If he also refuses to listen to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector. 18 Truly I say to you, whatever things you bind on earth will be bound in heaven; and whatever you release on earth will be released in heaven. 19 Again I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father who is in heaven. 20 For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there I am in their midst.”

21 Then Peter came and said to Jesus, “Lord, how often will my brother sin against me and I forgive him? Until seven times?” 22 Jesus said to him, “I do not tell you seven times, but until seventy times seven. 23 Therefore the kingdom of heaven is similar to a certain king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. 24 As he began the settling, one servant was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents. 25 But since he had not the means to repay, his master commanded him to be sold, together with his wife and children and everything that he had, and payment to be made. 26 So the servant fell down, bowed down before him, and said, 'Master, have patience with me, and I will pay you everything.' 27 So the master of that servant, since he was moved with compassion, released him and forgave him the debt. 28 But that servant went out and found one of his fellow servants, who owed him one hundred denarii. He grasped him, took him by the throat, and said, 'Pay me what you owe.' 29 But his fellow servant fell down and implored him, saying, 'Have patience with me, and I will repay you.' 30 But the first servant refused. Instead, he went and threw him into prison until he should pay him what he owed. 31 When his fellow servants saw what had happened, they were very upset. They came and told their master everything that had happened. 32 Then that servant's master called him, and said to him, 'You wicked servant, I forgave you all that debt because you implored me. 33 Should you not have had mercy on your fellow servant, even as I had mercy on you?' 34 His master was angry and handed him over to the torturers until he would pay all that was owed. 35 So also my heavenly Father will do to you, if you do not forgive your brother from your heart.”

19

1 It came about that when Jesus had finished these words, he departed from Galilee, and came to the region of Judea that is beyond the Jordan River. 2 Great crowds followed him, and he healed them there.

3 Pharisees came to him, testing him, saying to him, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any cause?” 4 Jesus answered and said, “Have you not read that he who made them from the beginning made them male and female? 5 He who made them also said, 'For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and join to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.' 6 So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no one tear apart.” 7 They said to him, “Why then did Moses command us to give a certificate of divorce and then to send her away?” 8 He said to them, “For your hardness of heart, Moses allowed you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not that way. 9 I say to you, whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery; and the man who marries a woman who is divorced commits adultery.” 10 The disciples said to Jesus, “If that is the case of a man with his wife, it is not good to marry.” 11 But Jesus said to them, “Not everyone can accept this teaching, but only those who are allowed to accept it. 12 For there are eunuchs who were that way from their mother's womb, and there are eunuchs who were made eunuchs by men, and there are eunuchs who made themselves eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. He who is able to receive this teaching, let him receive it.”

13 Then some little children were brought to him so that he would lay his hands on them and pray, but the disciples rebuked them. 14 But Jesus said, “Permit the little children, and do not forbid them to come to me, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such ones.” 15 He placed his hands on the children, and then he went away from there.

16 Behold, a man came to Jesus and said, “Teacher, what good thing must I do that I may have eternal life?” 17 Jesus said to him, “Why do you ask me about what is good? Only one is good, but if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments.” 18 The man said to him, “Which commandments?” Jesus said, “Do not kill, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not bear false witness, 19 honor your father and your mother, and love your neighbor as yourself.” 20 The young man said to him, “All these things I have obeyed. What do I still need?” 21 Jesus said to him, “If you wish to be perfect, go, sell what you have, and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” 22 But when the young man heard what Jesus said, he went away sorrowful, for he had many possessions.

23 Jesus said to his disciples, “Truly I say to you, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. 24 Again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.” 25 When the disciples heard it, they were very astonished and said, “Who then can be saved?” 26 Jesus looked at them and said, “With people this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” 27 Then Peter answered and said to him, “See, we have left everything and followed you. What then will we have?” 28 Jesus said to them, “Truly I say to you, in the new age when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. 29 Every one who has left houses, brothers, sisters, father, mother, children, or land for my name's sake, will receive one hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life. 30 But many who are first will be last, and the last will be first.

20

1 For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard. 2 After he had agreed with the workers for one denarius a day, he sent them into his vineyard. 3 He went out again about the third hour and saw other workers standing idle in the marketplace. 4 To them he said, 'You also, go into the vineyard, and whatever is right I will give you.' So they went to work. 5 Again he went out about the sixth hour and again the ninth hour, and did the same. 6 Once more about the eleventh hour he went out and found others standing idle. He said to them, 'Why do you stand here idle all the day long?' 7 They said to him, 'Because no one has hired us.' He said to them, 'You also go into the vineyard.' 8 When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his manager, 'Call the workers and pay them their wages, beginning from the last to the first.' 9 When the workers who had been hired at the eleventh hour came, each of them received a denarius. 10 When the first workers came, they thought that they would receive more, but they also received one denarius each. 11 When they received their wages, they complained about the landowner. 12 They said, 'These last workers have spent only one hour in work, but you have made them equal to us, we who have borne the burden of the day and the scorching heat.' 13 But the owner answered and said to one of them, 'Friend, I do you no wrong. Did you not agree with me for one denarius? 14 Take what belongs to you and go your way. I choose to give to these last hired workers just the same as to you. 15 Do I not have the right to do as I want with what belongs to me? Or are you envious because I am generous?' 16 So the last will be first, and the first last.” *

17 As Jesus was going up to Jerusalem, he took the twelve aside, and on the way he said to them, 18 “See, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be delivered to the chief priests and scribes. They will condemn him to death 19 and will deliver him to the Gentiles for them to mock, to flog, and to crucify him. But on the third day he will be raised up.”

20 Then the mother of the sons of Zebedee came to Jesus with her sons. She bowed down before him and asked for something from him. 21 Jesus said to her, “What do you wish?” She said to him, “Command that these my two sons may sit, one at your right hand and one at your left hand, in your kingdom.” 22 But Jesus answered and said, “You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I am about to drink?” They said to him, “We are able.” 23 He said to them, “My cup you will indeed drink. But to sit at my right hand and at my left hand is not mine to give, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared by my Father.” 24 When the other ten disciples heard this, they were very angry with the two brothers. 25 But Jesus called them to himself and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles subjugate them, and their important men exercise authority over them. 26 But it must not be this way among you. Instead, whoever wishes to become great among you must be your servant, 27 and whoever wishes to be first among you must be your servant, 28 just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

29 As they went out from Jericho, a great crowd followed him. 30 There were two blind men sitting by the road. When they heard that Jesus was passing by, they shouted, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us.” 31 The crowd rebuked them, telling them to be quiet, but they cried out even more loudly, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us.” 32 Then Jesus stood still and called to them and said, “What do you wish me to do for you?” 33 They said to him, “Lord, that our eyes may be opened.” 34 Then Jesus, being moved with compassion, touched their eyes. Immediately they received their sight and followed him.

21

1 As Jesus and his disciples approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage, to the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples, 2 saying to them, “Go into the next village, and you will immediately find a donkey tied up there, and a colt with her. Untie them and bring them to me. 3 If anyone says anything to you about that, you will say, 'The Lord has need of them,' and that person will immediately send them with you.” 4 Now this came about that what was spoken through the prophet might be fulfilled. He said,

5 “Tell the daughter of Zion,

'See, your King is coming to you,

Humble and riding on a donkey—

on a colt, the foal of a donkey.'”

6 Then the disciples went and did just as Jesus had instructed them. 7 They brought the donkey and the colt and put their cloaks on them, and Jesus sat upon the cloaks. 8 Most of the crowd spread their cloaks on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them in the road. 9 Then the crowds that went before Jesus and those that followed him were shouting,

“Hosanna to the son of David!

Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!

Hosanna in the highest!”

10 When Jesus had come into Jerusalem, all the city was stirred and said, “Who is this?” 11 The crowds answered, “This is Jesus the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee.”

12 Then Jesus entered the temple. He cast out all those who bought and sold in the temple, and turned over the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold doves. 13 He said to them, “It is written, 'My house will be called a house of prayer,' but you make it a den of robbers.” 14 Then the blind and the lame came to him in the temple, and he healed them. 15 But when the chief priests and the scribes saw the marvelous things that he did, and when they heard the children shouting in the temple and saying, “Hosanna to the Son of David,” they became very angry. 16 They said to him, “Do you hear what they are saying?” Jesus said to them, “Yes! But have you never read, 'Out of the mouths of little children and nursing infants you have prepared praise'?” 17 Then Jesus left them and went out of the city to Bethany and spent the night there.

18 Now in the morning as he returned to the city, he was hungry. 19 Seeing a fig tree along the roadside, he went to it and found nothing on it except leaves. He said to it, “May there be no fruit from you ever again,” and immediately the fig tree withered. 20 When the disciples saw it, they marveled and said, “How did the fig tree immediately wither away?” 21 Jesus answered and said to them, “Truly I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what was done to this fig tree, but you will even say to this mountain, 'Be taken up and thrown into the sea,' and it will be done. 22 Whatever you ask for in prayer, believing, you will receive.”

23 When Jesus had come into the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came to him as he was teaching and said, “By what authority do you do these things, and who gave you this authority?” 24 Jesus answered and said to them, “I also will ask you one question. If you tell me, I will tell you by what authority I do these things. 25 The baptism of John—from where did it come? From heaven or from men?” They discussed among themselves, saying, “If we say, 'From heaven,' he will say to us, 'Why then did you not believe him?' 26 But if we say, 'From men,' we fear the crowd, because they all view John as a prophet.” 27 Then they answered Jesus and said, “We do not know.” He also said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things. 28 But what do you think? A man had two sons. He went to the first and said, 'Son, go work today in the vineyard.' 29 The son answered and said, 'I will not,' but afterward he changed his mind and went. 30 Then the man went to the second son and said the same thing. He answered and said, 'I will go, sir,' but he did not go. 31 Which of the two sons did his father's will?” They said, “The first one.” Jesus said to them, “Truly I say to you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes will enter the kingdom of God before you do. 32 For John came to you in the way of righteousness, but you did not believe him. But the tax collectors and the prostitutes believed him. But you, even when you saw this, you did not repent afterward and believe him.

33 Listen to another parable. There was a man, a landowner. He planted a vineyard, set a hedge about it, dug a winepress in it, built a watchtower, and rented it out to vine growers. Then he went into another country. 34 When the time of the fruit harvest approached, he sent some servants to the vine growers to get his fruit. 35 But the vine growers took his servants, beat one, killed another, and stoned still another. 36 Again, the owner sent other servants, more than the first, but the vine growers treated them in the same way. 37 After that, the owner sent his own son to them, saying, 'They will respect my son.' 38 But when the vine growers saw the son, they said among themselves, 'This is the heir. Come, let us kill him and take over the inheritance.' 39 So they took him, threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. 40 Now when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those vine growers?” 41 They said to him, “He will destroy those miserable men in the most severe way, and will then rent out the vineyard to other vine growers, men who will give him his share of crops at the harvest time.” 42 Jesus said to them, “Did you never read in the scriptures,

'The stone which the builders rejected

has been made the cornerstone.

This was from the Lord,

and it is marvelous in our eyes'?

43 Therefore I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and will be given to a nation that produces its fruits. 44 Whoever falls on this stone will be broken to pieces. But anyone on whom it falls will be crushed.” 45 When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard his parables, they understood he was speaking about them. 46 Seeking to arrest him, they were afraid of the crowd, because the people regarded him as a prophet.

22

1 Jesus spoke to them again in parables, saying, 2 “The kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who prepared a marriage feast for his son. 3 He sent out his servants to call those who had been invited to come to the marriage feast, but they would not come. 4 Again the king sent other servants, saying, 'Tell them who are invited, “See, I have prepared my dinner. My oxen and fattened calves have been killed, and all things are ready. Come to the marriage feast.”' 5 But they paid no attention and went away, one to his farm, another to his business. 6 The others seized the king's servants, treated them shamefully, and killed them. 7 The king was angry, and he sent his soldiers and they killed those murderers and burned their city. 8 Then he said to his servants, 'The wedding is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy. 9 Therefore go to the highway crossings and invite as many people to the marriage feast as you can find.' 10 The servants went out to the highways and gathered together all the people they found, both bad and good. So the wedding hall was filled with guests. 11 But when the king came in to look at the guests, he saw a man there who was not wearing wedding clothes. 12 The king said to him, 'Friend, how did you come in here without wedding clothes?' But the man was speechless. 13 Then the king said to the servants, 'Bind this man hand and foot, and throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and the grinding of teeth.' 14 For many people are called, but few are chosen.”

15 Then the Pharisees went and planned how they might entrap Jesus in his own talk. 16 Then they sent to him their disciples, together with the Herodians. They said to Jesus, “Teacher, we know that you are truthful, and that you teach God's way in truth. You care for no one's opinion, and you do not show partiality between people. 17 So tell us, what do you think? Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar or not?” 18 But Jesus understood their wickedness and said, “Why are you testing me, you hypocrites? 19 Show me the coin for the tax.” Then they brought a denarius to him. 20 Jesus said to them, “Whose image and name are these?” 21 They said to him, “Caesar's.” Then Jesus said to them, “Then give to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's.” 22 When they heard it, they marveled. Then they left him and went away.

23 On that day some Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to him. They asked him, 24 saying, “Teacher, Moses said, 'If a man dies, having no children, his brother must marry his wife and have children for his brother.' 25 There were seven brothers. The first married and then died. Having left no children, he left his wife to his brother. 26 Then the second brother did the same thing, then the third, all the way to the seventh brother. 27 After them all, the woman died. 28 Now in the resurrection, whose wife will she be of the seven brothers? For they all had married her.” 29 But Jesus answered and said to them, “You are mistaken, because you do not know the scriptures or the power of God. 30 For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage. Instead, they are like angels in heaven. 31 But concerning the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was spoken to you by God, saying, 32 'I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob'? God is not the God of the dead, but of the living.” 33 When the crowds heard this, they were astonished at his teaching.

34 But when the Pharisees heard that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered themselves together. 35 One of them, a lawyer, asked him a question, testing him— 36 “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the law?” 37 Jesus said to him, “'Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.' 38 This is the great and first commandment. 39 And a second commandment is like it—'Love your neighbor as yourself.' 40 On these two commandments depend the whole law and the prophets.”

41 Now while the Pharisees were still gathered together, Jesus asked them a question. 42 He said, “What do you think about the Christ? Whose son is he?” They said to him, “The son of David.” 43 Jesus said to them, “How then does David in the Spirit call him Lord, saying,

44 'The Lord said to my Lord,

“Sit at my right hand,

until I make your enemies your footstool”'?

45 If David then calls the Christ 'Lord,' how is he David's son?” 46 No one was able to answer him a word, and no man dared ask him any more questions from that day on.

23

1 Then Jesus spoke to the crowds and to his disciples. 2 He said, “The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat. 3 Therefore whatever they command you to do, do these things and observe them. But do not imitate their deeds, for they say things but then do not do them. 4 Yes, they bind heavy burdens that are difficult to carry, and then they put them on people's shoulders. But they themselves will not move a finger to carry them. 5 They do all their deeds to be seen by people. For they make their phylacteries wide, and they enlarge the edges of their garments. 6 They love the chief places at feasts and the chief seats in the synagogues, 7 and special greetings in the marketplaces, and to be called 'Rabbi' by people. 8 But you must not be called 'Rabbi,' for you have only one teacher, and all you are brothers. 9 And call no man on earth your father, for you have only one Father, and he is in heaven. 10 Neither must you be called 'teacher,' for you have only one teacher, the Christ. 11 But he who is greatest among you will be your servant. 12 Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.

13 But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! You shut the kingdom of heaven against people. For you do not enter it yourselves, and neither do you allow those about to enter to do so. 14  * 15 Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you go over sea and land to make one convert, and when he has become one, you make him twice as much a son of hell as you.

16 Woe to you, you blind guides, you who say, 'Whoever swears by the temple, it is nothing. But whoever swears by the gold of the temple, he is bound to his oath.' 17 You blind fools! Which is greater, the gold or the temple that makes the gold holy? 18 And, 'Whoever swears by the altar, it is nothing. But whoever swears by the gift that is on it, he is bound to his oath.' 19 You blind people! Which is greater, the gift or the altar that makes the gift holy? 20 Therefore, he who swears by the altar swears by it and by everything on it. 21 The one who swears by the temple swears by it and by the one who lives in it. 22 And the one who swears by heaven swears by the throne of God and by him who sits on it.

23 Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cumin, but you have left undone the weightier matters of the law—justice and mercy and faith. But these you ought to have done and not to have left the other undone. 24 You blind guides, you who strain out a gnat but swallow a camel!

25 Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and of the plate, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. 26 You blind Pharisee! Clean first the inside of the cup and of the plate, so that the outside may become clean also.

27 Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which on the outside look beautiful, but on the inside are full of dead men's bones and everything unclean. 28 In the same way, you also outwardly appear righteous to men, but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.

29 Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you build the tombs of the prophets and decorate the tombs of the righteous. 30 You say, 'If we had lived in the days of our fathers, we would not have been participants with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.' 31 Therefore you testify against yourselves that you are sons of those who killed the prophets. 32 You also fill up the measure of your fathers. 33 You serpents, you offspring of vipers, how will you escape the judgment of hell? 34 Therefore, see, I am sending you prophets and wise men and scribes. Some of them you will kill and crucify, and some you will whip in your synagogues and drive them out from city to city. 35 The result is that upon you will come all the righteous blood that has been shed on the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel, to the blood of Zechariah son of Barachiah, whom you killed between the sanctuary and the altar. 36 Truly I say to you, all these things will come upon this generation.

37 Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those who are sent to you! How often did I long to gather your children together, just as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing! 38 See, your house is left to you desolate. 39 For I say to you, You will not see me from now on until you say, 'Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.'”

24

1 Jesus went out from the temple and was going on his way. His disciples came to him to point out to him the buildings of the temple. 2 But he answered and said to them, “Do you not see all these things? Truly I say to you, not one stone will be left on another that will not be torn down.”

3 As he sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately and said, “Tell us, when will these things happen? What will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?” 4 Jesus answered and said to them, “Be careful that no one leads you astray. 5 For many will come in my name. They will say, 'I am the Christ,' and will lead many astray. 6 You will hear of wars and reports of wars. See that you are not troubled, for these things must happen; but the end is not yet. 7 For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. 8 But all these things are only the beginning of birth pains. 9 Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you. You will be hated by all the nations for my name's sake. 10 Then many will stumble, and betray one another and hate one another. 11 Many false prophets will rise up and lead many astray. 12 Because lawlessness will increase, the love of many will grow cold. 13 But the one who endures to the end will be saved. 14 This gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all the nations. Then the end will come.

15 Therefore, when you see the abomination of desolation, which was spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place” (let the reader understand), 16 “let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, 17 let him who is on the housetop not go down to take anything out of his house, 18 and let him who is in the field not return to take his cloak. 19 But woe to those who are with child and to those who are nursing infants in those days! 20 Pray that your flight will not occur in the winter or on a Sabbath. 21 For there will be great tribulation, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, nor ever will be again. 22 Unless those days are shortened, no flesh would be saved. But for the sake of the elect, those days will be shortened. 23 Then if anyone says to you, 'Look, here is the Christ!' or, 'There is the Christ!' do not believe it. 24 For false Christs and false prophets will come and show great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect. 25 See, I have told you ahead of time. 26 Therefore, if they say to you, 'Look, he is in the wilderness,' do not go out to the wilderness. Or, 'See, he is in the inner rooms,' do not believe it. 27 For as the lightning shines out from the east and flashes all the way to the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. 28 Wherever a dead animal is, there the vultures will gather.

29 But immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, the moon will not give its light, the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. 30 Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and all the tribes of the earth will mourn. They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky with power and great glory. 31 He will send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other.

32 Learn a lesson from the fig tree. As soon as the branch becomes tender and puts out its leaves, you know that summer is near. 33 So also, when you see all these things, you should know that he is near, at the very gates. 34 Truly I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all of these things will have happened. 35 Heaven and the earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away. 36 But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. 37 As the days of Noah were, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. 38 For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage until the day that Noah entered the ark, 39 and they knew nothing until the flood came and took them all away—so will be the coming of the Son of Man. 40 Then two men will be in a field—one will be taken, and one will be left. 41 Two women will be grinding with a mill—one will be taken, and one will be left. 42 Therefore be on your guard, for you do not know on what day your Lord will come. 43 But know this, that if the master of the house had known in what time of night the thief was coming, he would have been on guard and would not have allowed his house to be broken into. 44 Therefore you must also be ready, for the Son of Man will come at an hour that you do not expect.

45 So who is the faithful and wise servant whom his master has set over his household in order to give them their food at the right time? 46 Blessed is that servant whom his master will find doing that when he comes. 47 Truly I say to you that the master will set him over everything that he owns. 48 But if an evil servant says in his heart, 'My master has been delayed,' 49 and begins to beat his fellow servants, and eats and drinks with drunkards, 50 then the master of that servant will come on a day that the servant does not expect and at an hour that he does not know. 51 His master will cut him in pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and grinding of teeth.

25

1 Then the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. 2 Five of them were foolish and five were wise. 3 For when the foolish virgins took their lamps, they did not take any oil with them. 4 But the wise virgins took containers of oil along with their lamps. 5 Now while the bridegroom was delayed, they all got sleepy and slept. 6 But at midnight there was a cry, 'Look, the bridegroom! Go out and meet him.' 7 Then all those virgins rose up and trimmed their lamps. 8 The foolish said to the wise, 'Give us some of your oil because our lamps are going out.' 9 But the wise answered and said, 'Since there will not be enough for us and you, go instead to those who sell and buy some for yourselves.' 10 While they went away to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went with him to the marriage feast, and the door was shut. 11 Afterward the other virgins also came and said, 'Master, master, open for us.' 12 But he answered and said, 'Truly I say to you, I do not know you.' 13 Watch therefore, for you do not know the day or the hour.

14 For it is like when a man was about to go into another country. He called his own servants and gave over to them his wealth. 15 To one of them he gave five talents, to another he gave two, and to yet another he gave one talent. Each one received an amount according to his own ability, and that man went on his journey. 16 The one who received the five talents went at once and invested them and made another five talents. 17 Likewise the one who had received two talents made another two. 18 But the servant who had received one talent went away, dug a hole in the ground, and hid his master's money. 19 Now after a long time the master of those servants came back and settled accounts with them. 20 The servant who had received the five talents came and brought another five talents. He said, 'Master, you gave me five talents. See, I have made five talents more.' 21 His master said to him, 'Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful over a few things. I will put you in charge over many things. Enter into the joy of your master.' 22 The servant who had received two talents came and said, 'Master, you gave me two talents. See, I have made two more talents.' 23 His master said to him, 'Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful over a few things. I will put you in charge over many things. Enter into the joy of your master.' 24 Then the servant who had received one talent came and said, 'Master, I know that you are a strict man. You reap where you did not sow, and you harvest where you did not scatter. 25 I was afraid, so I went away and hid your talent in the ground. See, you have here what belongs to you.' 26 But his master answered and said to him, 'You wicked and lazy servant, you knew that I reap where I have not sowed and harvest where I have not scattered. 27 Therefore you should have given my money to the bankers, and at my coming I would have received back my own with interest. 28 Therefore take away the talent from him and give it to the servant who has ten talents. 29 For to everyone who possesses, more will be given—even more abundantly. But from anyone who does not possess anything, even what he does have will be taken away. 30 Throw the worthless servant into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and grinding of teeth.'

31 When the Son of Man comes in his glory and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. 32 Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate the people one from another, as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 He will place the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on his left. 34 Then the King will say to those on his right hand, 'Come, you who have been blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me food; I was thirsty and you gave me a drink; I was a stranger and you took me in; 36 I was naked and you clothed me; I was sick and you cared for me; I was in prison and you came to me.' 37 Then the righteous will answer and say, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you? Or thirsty and give you a drink? 38 When did we see you a stranger and take you in? Or naked and clothe you? 39 When did we see you sick or in prison and come to you?' 40 Then the King will answer and say to them, 'Truly I say to you, what you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did it for me.' 41 Then he will say to those on his left hand, 'Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire that has been prepared for the devil and his angels, 42 because I was hungry, but you did not give me food; I was thirsty, but you did not give me a drink; 43 I was a stranger, but you did not take me in; naked, but you did not clothe me; sick and in prison, but you did not care for me.' 44 Then they will also answer and say, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not serve you?' 45 Then he will answer them and say, 'Truly I say to you, what you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.' 46 These will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”

26

1 It came about that when Jesus had finished all these words, he said to his disciples, 2 “You know that after two days the Passover is coming, and the Son of Man will be delivered up to be crucified.” 3 Then the chief priests and the elders of the people were gathered together in the palace of the high priest, who was named Caiaphas. 4 They plotted together to arrest Jesus stealthily and kill him. 5 For they were saying, “Not during the feast, so that a riot does not arise among the people.”

6 Now while Jesus was in Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, 7 as he was reclining at table, a woman came to him having an alabaster jar of very expensive ointment, and she poured it upon his head. 8 But when his disciples saw it, they became angry and said, “What is the reason for this waste? 9 This could have been sold for a large amount and given to the poor.” 10 But Jesus, knowing this, said to them, “Why are you troubling this woman? For she has done a beautiful thing for me. 11 You always have the poor with you, but you will not always have me. 12 For when she poured this ointment on my body, she did it for my burial. 13 Truly I say to you, wherever this gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be spoken of in memory of her.”

14 Then one of the twelve, who was named Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests 15 and said, “What are you willing to give me to deliver him to you?” They weighed out thirty pieces of silver for him. 16 From that moment he sought an opportunity to deliver him to them.

17 Now on the first day of unleavened bread the disciples came to Jesus and said, “Where do you want us to prepare for you to eat the Passover meal?” 18 He said, “Go into the city to a certain man and say to him, 'The Teacher says, “My time is at hand. I will keep the Passover at your house with my disciples.”'” 19 The disciples did as Jesus directed them, and they prepared the Passover meal.

20 When evening came, he sat down to eat with the twelve disciples. 21 As they were eating, he said, “Truly I say to you that one of you will betray me.” 22 They were very sorrowful, and each one began to ask him, “Surely not I, Lord?” 23 He answered, “The one who dips his hand with me in the dish is the one who will betray me. 24 The Son of Man will go, just as it is written about him. But woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would be better for that man if he had not been born.” 25 Judas, who would betray him said, “Is it I, Rabbi?” He said to him, “You have said it yourself.”

26 As they were eating, Jesus took bread, blessed it, and broke it. He gave it to the disciples and said, “Take, eat. This is my body.” 27 He took a cup and gave thanks, and gave it to them and said, “Drink it, all of you. 28 For this is my blood of the covenant that is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. 29 But I say to you, I will not drink again of this fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father's kingdom.”

30 When they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives. 31 Then Jesus said to them, “All of you will fall away tonight because of me, for it is written,

'I will strike the shepherd

and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.'

32 But after I am raised up, I will go ahead of you into Galilee.”

33 But Peter said to him, “Even if all fall away because of you, I will never fall away.” 34 Jesus said to him, “Truly I say to you, this very night, before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times.” 35 Peter said to him, “Even if I must die with you, I will not deny you.” All the other disciples said the same thing.

36 Then Jesus went with them to a place called Gethsemane and said to his disciples, “Sit here while I go over there and pray.” 37 He took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee with him and began to become sorrowful and troubled. 38 Then he said to them, “My soul is deeply sorrowful, even to death. Remain here and watch with me.” 39 He went a little farther, fell on his face, and prayed. He said, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me. Yet, not as I will, but as you will.” 40 He came to the disciples and found them sleeping, and he said to Peter, “What, could you not watch with me for one hour? 41 Watch and pray that you do not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” 42 He went away a second time and prayed. He said, “My Father, if this cannot pass away unless I drink it, your will be done.” 43 He came again and found them sleeping, for their eyes were heavy. 44 So leaving them again, he went away and prayed a third time, saying the same words. 45 Then Jesus came to the disciples and said to them, “Are you still sleeping and taking your rest? Look, the hour is at hand, and the Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of sinners. 46 Arise, let us go. Look, the one who is betraying me is near.”

47 While he was still speaking, Judas, one of the twelve, came. A large crowd came with him from the chief priests and elders of the people. They came with swords and clubs. 48 Now the man who was going to betray Jesus had given them a signal, saying, “Whomever I kiss, he is the one. Seize him.” 49 Immediately he came up to Jesus and said, “Greetings, Rabbi!” and he kissed him. 50 Jesus said to him, “Friend, do what you have come to do.” Then they came, laid hands on Jesus, and seized him. 51 Behold, one of those who was with Jesus stretched out his hand, drew his sword, and struck the servant of the high priest, and cut off his ear. 52 Then Jesus said to him, “Put your sword back in its place, for all those who take up the sword will perish by the sword. 53 Do you think that I could not call upon my Father, and he would send me more than twelve legions of angels? 54 But how then would the scriptures be fulfilled, that this must happen?” 55 At that time Jesus said to the crowd, “Have you come out with swords and clubs to seize me like a robber? Every day I sat teaching in the temple, and you did not arrest me. 56 But all this has happened so that the writings of the prophets might be fulfilled.” Then all the disciples left him and fled.

57 Those who had seized Jesus led him away to Caiaphas the high priest, where the scribes and the elders had gathered together. 58 But Peter followed him from a distance to the courtyard of the high priest. He went inside and sat down with the guards to see the outcome. 59 Now the chief priests and the whole council were looking for false testimony against Jesus so that they might put him to death. 60 They did not find any, even though many false witnesses came forward. But later two came forward 61 and said, “This man said, 'I am able to destroy the temple of God and rebuild it in three days.'” 62 The high priest stood up and said to him, “Do you have no answer? What is it that they are testifying against you?” 63 But Jesus was silent. The high priest said to him, “I command you by the living God, tell us whether you are the Christ, the Son of God.” 64 Jesus replied to him, “You have said it yourself. But I tell you, from now on you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of Power, and coming on the clouds of heaven.” 65 Then the high priest tore his clothes and said, “He has spoken blasphemy! Why do we still need witnesses? Look, now you have heard the blasphemy. 66 What do you think?” They answered and said, “He is worthy of death.” 67 Then they spit in his face and beat him, and struck him with the palms of their hands, 68 and said, “Prophesy to us, you Christ. Who is it that struck you?”

69 Now Peter was sitting outside in the courtyard, and a servant girl came to him and said, “You were also with Jesus of Galilee.” 70 But he denied it in front of them all, saying, “I do not know what you are talking about.” 71 When he went out to the gateway, another servant girl saw him and said to those there, “This man was also with Jesus of Nazareth.” 72 He again denied it with an oath, “I do not know the man!” 73 After a little while those who were standing by came and said to Peter, “Surely you are also one of them, for the way you speak gives you away.” 74 Then he began to curse and swear, “I do not know the man,” and immediately a rooster crowed. 75 Peter remembered the words that Jesus had said, “Before the rooster crows you will deny me three times.” Then he went outside and wept bitterly.

27

1 Now when morning came, all the chief priests and elders of the people plotted against Jesus to put him to death. 2 They bound him, led him away, and delivered him to Pilate the governor.

3 Then when Judas, who had betrayed him, saw that Jesus had been condemned, he repented and returned the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders, 4 and said, “I have sinned by betraying innocent blood.” But they said, “What is that to us? See to that yourself.” 5 Then he threw down the pieces of silver in the temple, and departed, and went out and hanged himself. 6 The chief priests took the pieces of silver and said, “It is not lawful to put this into the treasury, because it is the price of blood.” 7 They discussed the matter together and with the money bought the potter's field in which to bury strangers. 8 For this reason that field has been called, “The Field of Blood” to this day. 9 Then that which had been spoken by Jeremiah the prophet was fulfilled, saying, “They took the thirty pieces of silver, the price set on him by the people of Israel, 10 and they gave it for the potter's field, as the Lord had directed me.”

11 Now Jesus stood before the governor, and the governor asked him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” Jesus answered him, “You say so.” 12 But when he was accused by the chief priests and elders, he answered nothing. 13 Then Pilate said to him, “Do you not hear all the charges against you?” 14 But he did not answer even one word, so that the governor was greatly amazed. 15 Now at the feast it was the custom of the governor to release one prisoner chosen by the crowd. 16 At that time they had a notorious prisoner named Barabbas. 17 So when they were gathered together, Pilate said to them, “Who do you want me to release for you? Barabbas, or Jesus who is called Christ?” 18 He knew that they had handed Jesus over to him because of envy. 19 While he was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent word to him and said, “Have nothing to do with that innocent man. For I have suffered much today because of a dream I had about him.” 20 Now the chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowd to ask for Barabbas, and have Jesus killed. 21 The governor asked them, “Which of the two do you want me to release to you?” They said, “Barabbas.” 22 Pilate said to them, “What should I do with Jesus who is called Christ?” They all answered, “Crucify him.” 23 Then he said, “Why, what crime has he done?” But they cried out even louder, “Crucify him.” 24 So when Pilate saw that he could not do anything, but instead a riot was starting, he took water, washed his hands in front of the crowd, and said, “I am innocent of the blood of this innocent man. See to it yourselves.” 25 All the people said, “May his blood be on us and our children.” 26 Then he released Barabbas to them, but he scourged Jesus and handed him over to be crucified.

27 Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the government headquarters and gathered the whole company of soldiers. 28 They stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him. 29 They made a crown of thorns and put it on his head, and placed a staff in his right hand. They knelt down before him and mocked him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” 30 They spat on him, and they took the staff and struck him on the head again and again. 31 When they had mocked him, they took the robe off him and put his own garments on him, and led him away to crucify him.

32 As they came out, they found a man from Cyrene named Simon, whom they forced to go with them so that he might carry his cross. 33 They came to a place called Golgotha, which means “The Place of a Skull.” 34 They gave him wine to drink mixed with gall. But when he tasted it, he would not drink. 35 When they had crucified him, they divided up his garments by casting lots, 36 and they sat and kept guard over him. 37 Above his head they put the charge against him, which read “This is Jesus, the king of the Jews.” 38 Two robbers were crucified with him, one on the right of him and one on the left. 39 Those who passed by insulted him, shaking their heads 40 and saying, “You who were going to destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save yourself! If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross!” 41 In the same way the chief priests were mocking him, along with the scribes and elders, and said, 42 “He saved others, but he cannot save himself. He is the King of Israel. Let him come down off the cross, and then we will believe in him. 43 He trusts in God, let God rescue him now, if God consents to release him. For he even said, 'I am the Son of God.'” 44 In the same way the robbers who were crucified with him also spoke insults to him.

45 Now from the sixth hour darkness came over the whole land until the ninth hour. 46 About the ninth hour, Jesus cried with a loud voice and said, “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?” which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” 47 When some of those who were standing there heard it, they said, “He is calling for Elijah.” 48 Immediately one of them ran and took a sponge, filled it with sour wine, put it on a reed staff, and gave it to him to drink. 49 The rest of them said, “Leave him alone. Let us see whether Elijah comes to save him.” 50 Then Jesus cried out again with a loud voice and gave up his spirit. 51 Behold, the curtain of the temple was split in two from the top to the bottom, and the earth shook, and the rocks split apart. 52 The tombs were opened, and the bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised. 53 They came out of the tombs after his resurrection, entered the holy city, and appeared to many. 54 Now when the centurion and those who were watching Jesus saw the earthquake and the things that had happened, they became very afraid and said, “Truly this was the Son of God.” 55 Many women who had followed Jesus from Galilee to care for him were there looking on from a distance. 56 Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and the mother of the sons of Zebedee.

57 When it was evening, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who was also a disciple of Jesus. 58 He approached Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Then Pilate ordered it to be given to him. 59 Joseph took the body, wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, 60 and laid it in his own new tomb that he had cut into the rock. Then he rolled a large stone against the door of the tomb and went away. 61 Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were there, sitting opposite the tomb.

62 The next day, which was the day after the Preparation, the chief priests and the Pharisees were gathered together with Pilate. 63 They said, “Sir, we remember that when that deceiver was alive, he said, 'After three days will I rise again.' 64 Therefore command that the tomb be made secure until the third day, otherwise his disciples may come and steal him and say to the people, 'He has risen from the dead,' and the last deception will be worse than the first.” 65 Pilate said to them, “Take a guard. Go and make it as secure as you can.” 66 So they went and made the tomb secure, sealing the stone and placing the guard.

28

1 Now late on the Sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to see the tomb. 2 Behold, there was a great earthquake, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven, came and rolled away the stone, and sat on it. 3 His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing as white as snow. 4 The guards shook with fear and became like dead men. 5 The angel addressed the women and said to them, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus, who has been crucified. 6 He is not here, but is risen, just as he said. Come see the place where the Lord lay. 7 Go quickly and tell his disciples, 'He has risen from the dead. See, he is going ahead of you to Galilee. There you will see him.' See, I have told you.” 8 The women quickly left the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples. 9 Behold, Jesus met them and said, “Greetings!” The women came, took hold of his feet and worshiped him. 10 Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid. Go tell my brothers to leave for Galilee. There they will see me.”

11 Now while the women were going, behold, some of the guards went into the city and told the chief priests all the things that had happened. 12 When the priests had met with the elders and discussed the matter with them, they gave a large amount of money to the soldiers 13 and told them, “Say to others, 'Jesus' disciples came by night and stole his body while we were sleeping.' 14 If this report reaches the governor, we will persuade him and take any worries away from you.” 15 So the soldiers took the money and did as they had been instructed. This report spread widely among the Jews and continues even today.

16 But the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. 17 When they saw him, they worshiped him, but some doubted. 18 Jesus came to them and spoke to them and said, “All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations. Baptize them into the name of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. 20 Teach them to obey all the things that I have commanded you. See, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

* 5:44 The best ancient copies omit Bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you .

* 6:13 The best ancient copies omit For yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen .

* 15:6 The best ancient copies have the word of God some other ancient copies have the commandment. It is difficult to choose the better reading.

* 17:21 The best ancient copies omit v. 21, But this kind of demon does not go out except with prayer and fasting .

* 18:11 The best ancient copies omit the sentence that some versions include at v. 11. For the Son of Man came to save that which was lost .

* 20:16 The best ancient copies omit Many are called, but few are chosen .

* 23:14 The best ancient copies omit verse 14 (some copies add the verse after verse 12). Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you devour widows' houses, while you make a show of long prayers. You will therefore receive greater condemnation .

Mark

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Mark

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1 This is the beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

2 As it is written in Isaiah the prophet,

“Look, I am sending my messenger before your face,

the one who will prepare your way.

3 The voice of one calling out in the wilderness,

'Make ready the way of the Lord;

make his paths straight.'”

4 John came, baptizing in the wilderness and preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. 5 The whole country of Judea and all the people of Jerusalem went out to him. They were baptized by him in the Jordan River, confessing their sins. 6 John was wearing a coat of camel's hair and a leather belt around his waist, and he was eating locusts and wild honey.

7 He proclaimed, “One will come after me who is more powerful than I; the strap of his sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie. 8 I baptized you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”

9 It happened in those days that Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee, and he was baptized by John in the Jordan River. 10 As Jesus came up out of the water, he saw the heavens split open and the Spirit coming down on him like a dove. 11 A voice came out of the heavens, “You are my beloved Son. I am very pleased with you.”

12 Then the Spirit compelled him to go out into the wilderness. 13 He was in the wilderness forty days, being tempted by Satan. He was with the wild animals, and the angels served him.

14 Now after John was arrested, Jesus came into Galilee proclaiming the gospel of God. 15 He said, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe in the gospel.”

16 When he was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and Andrew the brother of Simon casting a net in the sea, for they were fishermen. 17 Jesus said to them, “Come, follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” 18 Then immediately they left the nets and followed him. 19 As Jesus was walking on a little farther, he saw James son of Zebedee and John his brother; they were in the boat mending the nets. 20 He called them and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired servants, and they followed him.

21 Then they came into Capernaum, and on the Sabbath, Jesus went into the synagogue and taught. 22 They were astonished at his teaching, for he was teaching them as someone who has authority and not as the scribes. 23 Just then a man in their synagogue who had an unclean spirit cried out, 24 saying, “What do we have to do with you, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are. You are the Holy One of God!” 25 Jesus rebuked the demon and said, “Be quiet and come out of him!” 26 The unclean spirit threw him down and went out from him while crying out with a loud voice. 27 All the people were amazed, so they asked each other, “What is this? A new teaching with authority? He even commands the unclean spirits and they obey him!” 28 The news about him went out everywhere into the whole region of Galilee.

29 After coming out of the synagogue, they came into the house of Simon and Andrew, along with James and John. 30 Now Simon's mother-in-law was lying sick with a fever, and they told Jesus about her. 31 So he came, took her by the hand, and raised her up; the fever left her, and she started serving them.

32 That evening, after the sun had set, they brought to him all who were sick or possessed by demons. 33 The whole city gathered together at the door. 34 He healed many who were sick with various diseases and cast out many demons, but he did not allow the demons to speak because they knew him.

35 He got up very early, while it was still dark; he left and went out into a solitary place and there he prayed. 36 Simon and those who were with him searched for him. 37 They found him and they said to him, “Everyone is looking for you.” 38 He said, “Let us go elsewhere, out into the surrounding towns, so that I may preach there also. That is why I came out here.” 39 He went throughout all of Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and casting out demons.

40 A leper came to him. He was begging him; he knelt down and said to him, “If you are willing, you can make me clean.” 41 Moved with compassion, Jesus reached out his hand and touched him, saying to him, “I am willing. Be clean.” 42 Immediately the leprosy left him, and he was made clean. 43 Jesus strictly warned him and sent him away. 44 He said to him, “Be sure to say nothing to anyone, but go, show yourself to the priest, and offer for your cleansing what Moses commanded, as a testimony to them.” 45 But he went out and began to spread the news widely, so much that Jesus could no longer enter a town openly but he stayed out in remote places. Yet people were still coming to him from everywhere.

2

1 When he came back to Capernaum after a few days, it was heard that he was at home. 2 So many gathered there that there was no more space, not even at the door, and Jesus spoke the word to them. 3 Then some men came to him who were bringing a paralyzed man; four people were carrying him. 4 When they could not get near him because of the crowd, they removed the roof that was above Jesus, and after they made an opening, they lowered the bed the paralyzed man was lying on. 5 Seeing their faith, Jesus said to the paralyzed man, “Son, your sins are forgiven.” 6 Now some of the scribes were sitting there, and they reasoned in their hearts, 7 “How can this man speak this way? He blasphemes! Who can forgive sins but God alone?” 8 Immediately Jesus knew in his spirit what they were thinking among themselves. He said to them, “Why are you thinking this in your hearts? 9 What is easier to say to the paralyzed man, 'Your sins are forgiven' or to say 'Get up, take up your bed, and walk'? 10 But in order that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins,” he said to the paralytic, 11 “I say to you, get up, take up your mat, and go to your house.” 12 He got up and immediately took up the mat, and went out of the house in front of everyone, so that they were all amazed and they gave glory to God, and they said, “We never saw anything like this.”

13 He went out again by the lake, and all the crowd came to him, and he taught them. 14 As he passed by, he saw Levi son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax collector's tent and he said to him, “Follow me.” He got up and followed him.

15 Jesus was having a meal in Levi's house and many tax collectors and sinful people were dining with him and his disciples, for there were many and they followed him. 16 When the scribes, who were Pharisees, saw that Jesus was eating with the sinful people and tax collectors, they said to his disciples, “Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinful people?” 17 When Jesus heard this he said to them, “People who are strong in body do not need a physician; only people who are sick need one. I did not come to call righteous people, but sinful people.”

18 Now John's disciples and the Pharisees were fasting. Some people came and said to him, “Why do John's disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast?” 19 Jesus said to them, “Can the wedding attendants fast while the bridegroom is still with them? As long as they have the bridegroom with them, they cannot fast. 20 But the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them, and in those days, they will fast. 21 No man sews a piece of new cloth on an old garment, otherwise the patch will tear away from it, the new from the old, and there will be a worse tear. 22 No man puts new wine into old wineskins, otherwise the wine will burst the skins and both the wine and the wineskins will be lost. Instead, put new wine into fresh wineskins.”

23 On the Sabbath day Jesus went through some grainfields, and his disciples began to pick heads of grain. 24 The Pharisees said to him, “Look, why are they doing something that is not lawful on the Sabbath day?” 25 He said to them, “Have you never read what David did when he was in need and hungry—he and the men who were with him— 26 how he went into the house of God when Abiathar was high priest, and ate the bread of the presence, which it is unlawful for anyone to eat except the priests, and he even gave some to those who were with him?” 27 Jesus said, “The Sabbath was made for mankind, not mankind for the Sabbath. 28 Therefore, the Son of Man is Lord, even of the Sabbath.”

3

1 Again Jesus walked into the synagogue and there was a man with a withered hand. 2 Some people watched him closely to see if he would heal him on the Sabbath so that they could accuse him. 3 Jesus said to the man with the withered hand, “Get up and stand here in the middle of everyone.” 4 Then he said to the people, “Is it lawful to do good on the Sabbath day or to do harm; to save a life or to kill?” But they were silent. 5 He looked around at them with anger, and he was grieved by their hardness of heart, and he said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He stretched it out, and his hand was restored. 6 The Pharisees went out and immediately began to plot with the Herodians as to how they might put him to death.

7 Then Jesus, with his disciples, went to the sea, and a great crowd of people followed from Galilee and from Judea 8 and from Jerusalem and from Idumea and beyond the Jordan and around Tyre and Sidon. When they heard about the things he was doing, a great crowd came to him. 9 He asked his disciples to have a small boat ready for him because of the crowd, so that they would not crush him. 10 For he healed many, so that everyone who had afflictions eagerly approached him in order to touch him. 11 Whenever the unclean spirits saw him, they fell down before him and cried out, and they said, “You are the Son of God.” 12 He strictly ordered them not to make him known.

13 He went up on the mountain, and he called for those he wanted, and they came to him. 14 He appointed the twelve (whom he named apostles) so that they might be with him and he might send them to proclaim the message, 15 and to have authority to cast out demons. 16 Then he appointed the twelve: Simon, to whom he gave the name Peter; 17 James son of Zebedee, and John the brother of James, to whom he gave the name Boanerges, that is, sons of thunder; 18 and Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James son of Alphaeus, Thaddaeus, Simon the Zealot, 19 and Judas Iscariot, who would betray him.

20 Then he went home, and the crowd came together again, so that they could not even eat bread. 21 When his family heard about it, they went out to seize him, for they said, “He is out of his mind.” 22 The scribes who came down from Jerusalem said, “He is possessed by Beelzebul” and “By the ruler of the demons he drives out demons.” 23 Jesus called them to him and said to them in parables, “How can Satan cast out Satan? 24 If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. 25 If a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand. 26 If Satan has risen up against himself and is divided, he is not able to stand, but has come to an end. 27 But no one can enter into the house of a strong man and steal his belongings without tying up the strong man first, and then he will plunder his house. 28 Truly I say to you, all sins of the sons of men will be forgiven, even all the blasphemies which they utter, 29 but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never have forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin.” 30 Jesus said this because they were saying, “He has an unclean spirit.”

31 Then his mother and his brothers came and stood outside. They sent for him, summoning him. 32 A crowd was sitting around him and they said to him, “Your mother and your brothers are outside, and they are looking for you.” 33 He answered them, “Who are my mother and my brothers?” 34 He looked around at those who were sitting in a circle around him and said, “See, here are my mother and my brothers! 35 For whoever does the will of God, that person is my brother, and sister, and mother.”

4

1 Again he began to teach beside the sea, and a large crowd gathered around him. He stepped into a boat that was on the sea, and he sat down in it. The whole crowd was on the shore beside the sea. 2 He taught them many things in parables, and in his teaching, this is what he said to them. 3 “Listen, the farmer went out to sow his seed. 4 As he sowed, some seed fell on the road, and the birds came and devoured it. 5 Other seed fell on the rocky ground, where it did not have much soil. Immediately it sprang up, because it did not have deep soil. 6 But when the sun rose, the plants were scorched, and because they had no root, they dried up. 7 Other seed fell among the thorn plants. The thorn plants grew up and choked it, and it did not produce a crop. 8 Other seed fell into good soil and it produced a crop growing up and increasing thirty, sixty, and even a hundred times.” 9 Then he said, “Whoever has ears to hear, let him hear!”

10 When Jesus was alone, those who were close to him and with the twelve asked him about the parables. 11 He said to them, “To you is given the mystery of the kingdom of God. But to those outside everything is in parables,

12 so that when they look, yes they look, but do not see,

and so that when they hear, yes they hear, but do not understand,

or else they would turn and God would forgive them.”

13 Then he said to them, “Do you not understand this parable? How then will you understand all the other parables? 14 The farmer who sows his seed is the one who sows the word. 15 These are the ones that fall beside the road, where the word was sown, but when they hear it, Satan immediately comes and takes away the word that was sown in them. 16 These are the ones that are sown on rocky ground, who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with joy. 17 They have no root in themselves, but endure for a short time. Then tribulation or persecution comes because of the word, and immediately they stumble. 18 The others are the ones that were sown among the thorns. They hear the word, 19 but the cares of the world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires of other things enter in and choke the word, and it does not produce a crop. 20 Then those that were sown in the good soil are the ones who hear the word and receive it, and they produce crops—thirty, sixty, or a hundred times what was sown.”

21 Jesus said to them, “Do you bring a lamp inside the house to put it under a basket, or under the bed? You bring it in and you put it on a lampstand. 22 For nothing is hidden that will not be known, and nothing is secret that will not come out into the open. 23 If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear!” 24 He said to them, “Pay attention to what you hear, for the measure you use will be measured to you, and more will be added to you. 25 Because whoever has, to him will be given more, and whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken.”

26 He also said, “The kingdom of God is like a man who sows his seed on the ground. 27 He sleeps at night and gets up by day, and the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how. 28 The earth bears grain by itself: First the blade, then the ear, then the mature grain in the ear. 29 When the crop is ripe, he immediately sends in the sickle because the harvest has come.”

30 Again he said, “To what can we compare the kingdom of God, or what parable can we use to explain it? 31 It is like a mustard seed which, when it is sown, is the smallest of all the seeds on earth. 32 Yet, when it is sown, it grows and becomes greater than all the garden plants, and it forms large branches, so that the birds of heaven can make their nests in its shade.”

33 With many parables like this he spoke the word to them, as much as they were able to understand, 34 and he did not speak to them without a parable. But when he was alone, he explained everything to his own disciples.

35 On that day, when evening had come, he said to them, “Let us go over to the other side.” 36 So they left the crowd, taking Jesus with them, just as he was, in the boat. There were other boats going along with him. 37 Just then a violent windstorm arose and the waves were breaking into the boat so that the boat was almost full of water. 38 But Jesus himself was in the stern, asleep on a cushion. They woke him up, saying, “Teacher, do you not care that we are about to die?” 39 He got up, rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Peace! Be still!” Then the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. 40 Then he said to them, “Why are you afraid? Do you still not have faith?” 41 They were filled with great fear and said to one another, “Who then is this, because even the wind and the sea obey him?”

5

1 They came to the other side of the sea, to the region of the Gerasenes. 2 When Jesus was getting out of the boat, immediately there came up to him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit. 3 The man lived in the tombs. No one could restrain him anymore, not even with a chain. 4 He had been bound many times with shackles and with chains. He tore the chains apart and his shackles were shattered. No one had the strength to subdue him. 5 Every night and day in the tombs and in the mountains, he cried out and cut himself with sharp stones. 6 When he saw Jesus from a distance, he ran to him and bowed down before him. 7 He cried out with a loud voice, “What do I have to do with you, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg you by God himself, do not torment me.” 8 For he had been saying to him, “Come out of the man, you unclean spirit.” 9 He asked him, “What is your name?” He answered him, “My name is Legion, for we are many.” 10 He begged him again and again not to send them out of the region. 11 Now a great herd of pigs was there feeding on the hill, 12 and they begged him, saying, “Send us into the pigs; let us enter into them.” 13 So he allowed them; the unclean spirits came out and entered into the pigs, and they rushed down the steep hill into the sea, and about two thousand pigs drowned in the sea. 14 Then those who were feeding the pigs ran away and reported what had happened in the city and in the countryside, and so people went out to see what had happened. 15 Then they came to Jesus and they saw the demon-possessed man, the one who had been possessed by Legion, sitting there, clothed and in his right mind; and they were afraid. 16 Those who had seen what happened to the demon-possessed man told them about it in detail, and they also them told about the pigs. 17 Then they started to beg him to leave their region. 18 When he was getting into the boat, the demon-possessed man begged him that he might be with him. 19 But Jesus did not permit him, but said to him, “Go to your house and to your people and tell them what the Lord has done for you, and how he has shown you mercy.” 20 So he went away and began to proclaim the great things that Jesus had done for him in the Decapolis, and everyone was amazed.

21 Now when Jesus had crossed over again to the other side, in the boat, a great crowd gathered around him, as he was beside the sea. 22 Then one of the leaders of the synagogue, named Jairus, came, and when he saw him, fell at his feet. 23 He begged again and again, saying, “My little daughter is near death. I beg you, come and lay your hands on her that she may be made well and live.” 24 So he went with him, and a great crowd followed him and pressed close around him.

25 Now a woman was there who had a flow of blood for twelve years. 26 She had suffered much from many doctors and had spent everything that she had, but instead of getting better she grew worse. 27 When she had heard the reports about Jesus, she came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak. 28 For she said, “If I touch just his clothes, I will be healed.” 29 When she touched him, the bleeding stopped, and she felt in her body that she was healed from her affliction. 30 Jesus immediately realized in himself that power had gone out from him. He turned around in the crowd and said, “Who touched my clothes?” 31 His disciples said to him, “You see this crowd pressed around you, and you say, 'Who touched me?'” 32 But Jesus looked around to see who had done it. 33 The woman, knowing what had happened to her, feared and trembled. She came and fell down before him and told him the whole truth. 34 He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace and be healed from your disease.”

35 While he was speaking, some people came from the leader of the synagogue, saying, “Your daughter is dead. Why trouble the teacher any longer?” 36 But when Jesus overheard what they said, he said to the leader of the synagogue, “Do not be afraid. Just believe.” 37 He did not permit anyone to accompany him, except Peter, James, and John, the brother of James. 38 They came to the house of the leader of the synagogue and he saw there people making a lot of noise; they were weeping and wailing loudly. 39 When he entered the house, he said to them, “Why are you upset and why do you weep? The child is not dead but sleeps.” 40 They laughed at him. But he put them all outside and took the father of the child and the mother and those who were with him, and he went in where the child was. 41 He took the hand of the child and said to her, “Talitha, koum!” which being translated would be, “Little girl, I say to you, get up.” 42 Immediately the child got up and walked (for she was twelve years of age). They were immediately astonished with overwhelming amazement. 43 He strictly ordered them that no one should know about this. Then he told them to give her something to eat.

6

1 He went out from there and came to his hometown, and his disciples followed him. 2 When the Sabbath came, he taught in the synagogue. Many people heard him and they were amazed. They said, “Where did he get these teachings?” “What is this wisdom that has been given to him?” “What are these miracles that he does with his hands?” 3 “Is this not the carpenter, the son of Mary and the brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon? Are his sisters not here with us?” They were offended by Jesus. 4 Then Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor, except in his hometown and among his own relatives and in his own household.” 5 He was unable to do any mighty work, except to lay his hands on a few sick people and heal them. 6 He was amazed at their unbelief. Then he went around the villages teaching.

7 Then he called the twelve and began to send them out two by two, and he gave them authority over the unclean spirits, 8 and instructed them to take nothing for their journey, except a staff—no bread, no bag, and no money in their belts— 9 but to wear sandals, and not to wear two tunics. 10 He said to them, “Whenever you enter a house, remain until you go away from there. 11 If any town will not receive you or listen to you, when you leave that place, shake the dust off your feet as a testimony to them.” 12 They went out and proclaimed that people should turn away from their sins. 13 They cast out many demons, and anointed many sick people with oil and healed them.

14 King Herod heard this, for Jesus' name had become well known. Some were saying, “John the Baptist has been raised from the dead, and that is why these miraculous powers are at work in him.” 15 Some others said, “He is Elijah.” Still others said, “He is a prophet, like one of the prophets in ancient times.” 16 But when Herod heard this he said, “John, whom I beheaded, has been raised.” 17 For Herod sent to have John arrested and he had him bound in prison on account of Herodias (his brother Philip's wife), because he had married her. 18 For John told Herod, “It is not lawful for you to have your brother's wife.” 19 But Herodias held on to anger against him and wanted to kill him, but she could not, 20 for Herod feared John; he knew that he was a righteous and holy man, and he kept him safe. Listening to him made him greatly upset, yet he heard him gladly. 21 Then the opportunity came when Herod had his birthday and he made a dinner for his officials, and his commanders, and leaders of Galilee. 22 The daughter of Herodias herself came in and danced for them, and she pleased Herod and his dinner guests. The king said to the girl, “Ask me for anything you want and I will give it to you.” 23 He swore to her saying, “Whatever you ask of me, I will give you, up to half of my kingdom.” 24 She went out and said to her mother, “What should I ask him for?” She said, “The head of John the Baptist.” 25 She immediately hurried back to the king, and she asked, saying, “I want you to give me, right now, the head of John the Baptist on a wooden platter.” 26 Though this deeply grieved the king, he could not refuse her request because of the oath he had made and because of his dinner guests. 27 So the king sent a soldier from his guard and commanded him to bring him John's head. The guard went and beheaded him in the prison. 28 He brought his head on a platter and gave it to the girl, and the girl gave it to her mother. 29 When his disciples heard of this, they came and took his body and placed it in a tomb.

30 The apostles returned to Jesus and told him all that they had done and taught. 31 Then he said to them, “Come away by yourselves into a deserted place and rest a while.” For many were coming and going, and they did not even have time to eat. 32 So they went away in the boat to a deserted place by themselves. 33 But they saw them leaving and many recognized them, and they ran there together on foot from all the towns, and they arrived there before them. 34 When they came ashore, he saw a great crowd and he had compassion on them because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So he began to teach them many things. 35 When the hour was late, his disciples came to him and said, “This is a deserted place and the hour is already late. 36 Send them away so that they may go into the nearby countryside and villages to buy something to eat for themselves.” 37 But he answered and said to them, “You give them something to eat.” They said to him, “Can we go and buy two hundred denarii worth of bread and give it to them to eat?” 38 He said to them, “How many loaves do you have? Go and see.” When they found out, they said, “Five loaves and two fish.” 39 He commanded all the people to sit down in groups upon the green grass. 40 They sat down in groups of hundreds and fifties. 41 He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven he blessed and broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples to set before the people. He also divided the two fish among them all. 42 They all ate until they were satisfied. 43 They took up broken pieces of bread, twelve baskets full, and also pieces of the fish. 44 There were five thousand men who ate the loaves.

45 Immediately he made his disciples get into the boat and go ahead of him to the other side, to Bethsaida, while he sent the crowd away. 46 When they were gone, he went up the mountain to pray. 47 Evening came, and the boat was now in the middle of the sea, and he was alone on land. 48 He saw that they straining against the oars, for the wind was against them. About the fourth watch of the night he came to them, walking on the sea, and he wanted to pass by them. 49 But when they saw him walking on the sea, they thought he was a ghost and cried out, 50 because they saw him and were terrified. Immediately he spoke to them and said to them, “Be courageous! It is I! Do not be afraid!” 51 He got into the boat with them, and the wind ceased blowing. They were completely amazed. 52 For they had not understood what the loaves meant. Instead, their hearts were hardened.

53 When they had crossed over, they came to land at Gennesaret and anchored the boat. 54 When they came out of the boat, the people recognized him immediately, 55 and they ran throughout the whole region and began to bring the sick on their mats to wherever they heard he was. 56 Wherever he entered into villages, or cities, or into the country, they would put the sick in the marketplaces. They begged him to let them touch the edge of his garment, and as many as touched him were healed.

7

1 The Pharisees and some of the scribes who had come from Jerusalem gathered around him. 2 They saw that some of his disciples ate bread with hands that were defiled, that is, unwashed. 3 (For the Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they wash their hands, because they hold to the tradition of the elders. 4 When the Pharisees come from the marketplace, they do not eat unless they bathe themselves, and they hold fast to many other traditions, such as the washing of cups, pots, copper vessels, and the couches upon which they eat.) 5 The Pharisees and the scribes asked Jesus, “Why do your disciples not walk according to the tradition of the elders, for they eat their bread with unwashed hands?” 6 But he said to them, “Isaiah prophesied well about you hypocrites. He wrote,

'This people honors me with their lips,

but their heart is far from me.

7 Empty worship they offer me,

teaching the rules of men as their doctrines.'

8 You abandon the commandment of God and hold fast to the tradition of men.” 9 He also said to them, “How well you reject the commandment of God so you may keep your tradition! 10 For Moses said, 'Honor your father and your mother,' and, 'He who speaks evil of his father or mother will surely die.' 11 But you say, 'If a man says to his father or mother, “Whatever help you would have received from me is Corban”' (that is to say, 'Given to God'), 12 then you no longer permit him to do anything for his father or his mother. 13 You are making the commandment of God void by your tradition which you have handed down. And many similar things you do.” 14 He called the crowd again and said to them, “Listen to me, all of you, and understand. 15 There is nothing from outside of a person that can defile him when it enters into him. It is what comes out of the person that defiles him.” 16  * 17 Now when Jesus left the crowd and entered the house, his disciples asked him about the parable. 18 Jesus said, “Are you also still without understanding? Do you not see that whatever enters into a person from outside cannot defile him, 19 because it cannot go into his heart, but it goes into his stomach and then passes out into the latrine?” With this statement Jesus declared all foods clean. 20 He said, “It is that which comes out of the person that defiles him. 21 For from within a person, out of the heart, proceed evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, 22 adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, folly. 23 All these evils come from within, and they are what defile a person.”

24 He got up from there and went away to the region of Tyre and Sidon. There he went into a house and he wanted no one to know where he was, but he could not be hidden. 25 In fact † , as soon a woman whose little daughter had an unclean spirit heard about him, she came and fell down at his feet. 26 Now the woman was a Greek, a Syrophoenician by descent. She begged him to cast out the demon from her daughter. 27 He said to her, “Let the children first be fed. For it is not right to take the children's bread and throw it to the dogs.” 28 But she answered and said to him, “Yes, Lord, even the dogs under the table eat the children's crumbs.” 29 He said to her, “Because you have said this, you are free to go. The demon has gone out of your daughter.” 30 She went back to her house and found the child lying on the bed, and the demon was gone.

31 Then he went out again from the region of Tyre, and went through Sidon to the Sea of Galilee up into the region of the Decapolis. 32 They brought to him someone who was deaf and had difficulty speaking, and they begged him to lay his hand on him. 33 He took him aside from the crowd privately, and he put his fingers into his ears, and after spitting, he touched his tongue. 34 He looked up to heaven, he sighed and said to him, “Ephphatha,” that is to say, “Open!” 35 At once his ears were opened, his tongue was released, and he began to speak plainly. 36 Jesus ordered them to tell no one. But the more he ordered them, the more abundantly they proclaimed it. 37 They were extremely astonished, saying, “He has done all things well. He even makes the deaf hear and the mute speak.”

8

1 In those days, there was again a great crowd, and they had nothing to eat. Jesus called his disciples and said to them, 2 “I have compassion on the crowd, because they continue to be with me already for three days and have nothing to eat. 3 If I send them away to their home without eating, they may faint on the way. Some of them have come a long way.” 4 His disciples answered him, “Where can we get enough loaves of bread in such a deserted place to satisfy these people?” 5 He asked them, “How many loaves do you have?” They said, “Seven.” 6 He commanded the crowd to sit down on the ground. He took the seven loaves, gave thanks, and broke them. He gave them to his disciples to set before them, and they set them before the crowd. 7 They also had a few small fish, and after he gave thanks for them, he commanded the disciples to serve these as well. 8 They ate and were satisfied, and they picked up the remaining broken pieces, seven large baskets. 9 There were about four thousand people. Then he sent them away. 10 Immediately he got into the boat with his disciples, and they went into the region of Dalmanutha.

11 Then the Pharisees came out and began to argue with him. They sought from him a sign from heaven, to test him. 12 He sighed deeply in his spirit and said, “Why does this generation seek for a sign? Truly I say to you, no sign will be given to this generation.” 13 Then he left them, got into a boat again, and went away to the other side.

14 Now the disciples had forgotten to take bread with them. They had no more than one loaf of bread in the boat. 15 He warned them and said, “Keep watch and be on guard against the yeast of the Pharisees and the yeast of Herod.” 16 The disciples reasoned with each other, “It is because we have no bread.” 17 Jesus was aware of this, and he said to them, “Why are you reasoning about not having bread? Do you not yet perceive? Do you not understand? Have your hearts become so dull? 18 You have eyes, do you not see? You have ears, do you not hear? Do you not remember? 19 When I broke the five loaves among the five thousand, how many baskets full of broken pieces of bread did you take up?” They said to him, “Twelve.” 20 “When I broke the seven loaves among the four thousand, how many basketfuls did you take up?” They said to him, “Seven.” 21 He said, “Do you not yet understand?”

22 They came to Bethsaida. The people there brought to him a blind man and begged Jesus to touch him. 23 Jesus took hold of the blind man by the hand, and led him out of the village. When he had spit on his eyes and laid his hands on him, he asked him, “Do you see anything?” 24 He looked up, and said, “I see men who look like walking trees.” 25 Then he again laid his hands upon his eyes, and the man opened his eyes, his sight was restored, and he saw all things clearly. 26 Jesus sent him away to his home and said, “Do not enter the town.”

27 Jesus went out with his disciples into the villages of Caesarea Philippi. On the way he asked his disciples, “Who do the people say that I am?” 28 They answered him and said, “John the Baptist. Others say, 'Elijah,' and others, 'One of the prophets.'” 29 He asked them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter said to him, “You are the Christ.” 30 Jesus warned them not to tell anyone about him.

31 He began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things, and would be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes, and would be killed, and after three days rise up. 32 He said this clearly. Then Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. 33 But Jesus turned and looked at his disciples and then he rebuked Peter and said, “Get behind me, Satan! You are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of people.” 34 Then he called the crowd and his disciples together, and he said to them, “If anyone wants to follow me, he must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me. 35 For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake and for the gospel, will save it. 36 What does it profit a person to gain the whole world and then forfeit his life? 37 What can a person give in exchange for his life? 38 Whoever is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.”

9

1 He said to them, “Truly I say to you, there are some of you who are standing here who will not taste death before they see the kingdom of God come with power.” 2 Six days later, Jesus took Peter and James and John with him up a high mountain, alone by themselves. Then he was transfigured before them. 3 His garments became radiantly brilliant, extremely white, whiter than any bleacher on earth could bleach them. 4 Then Elijah with Moses appeared to them, and they were talking with Jesus. 5 Peter answered and said to Jesus, “Rabbi, it is good for us to be here, and so let us make three shelters, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” 6 (For he did not know what to say, for they were terrified.) 7 A cloud came and overshadowed them. Then a voice came out of the cloud, “This is my beloved Son. Listen to him.” 8 Suddenly, when they looked around, they no longer saw anyone with them, but only Jesus.

9 As they were coming down the mountain, he commanded them to tell no one what they had seen, until the Son of Man had risen from the dead. 10 So they kept the matter to themselves, but they discussed among themselves what “rising from the dead” could mean. 11 They asked him, “Why do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?” 12 He said to them, “Elijah does come first to restore all things. Why then is it written that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be despised? 13 But I say to you that Elijah has come, and they did whatever they wanted to him, just as scripture says about him.”

14 When they came to the disciples, they saw a great crowd around them and scribes were arguing with them. 15 As soon as they saw Jesus, the whole crowd was amazed and as they ran up to him they greeted him. 16 He asked his disciples, “What are you arguing with them about?” 17 Someone in the crowd answered him, “Teacher, I brought my son to you. He has a spirit that makes him unable to speak. 18 It seizes him and it throws him down and he foams at the mouth, grinds his teeth, and he becomes rigid. I asked your disciples to drive it out of him, but they could not.” 19 He answered them, “Unbelieving generation, how long will I have to stay with you? How long will I bear with you? Bring him to me.” 20 They brought the boy to him. When the spirit saw Jesus, it immediately threw him into a convulsion. The boy fell on the ground and foamed at the mouth. 21 Jesus asked his father, “How long has he been like this?” The father said, “Since childhood. 22 It has often thrown him into the fire or into the waters and tried to destroy him. If you are able to do anything, have pity on us and help us.” 23 Jesus said to him, “'If you are able'? All things are possible for the one who believes.” 24 Immediately the father of the child cried out and said, “I believe! Help my unbelief!” 25 When Jesus saw the crowd running to them, he rebuked the unclean spirit and said, “You mute and deaf spirit, I command you, come out of him, and never enter into him again.” 26 It cried out and convulsed the boy greatly and then came out. The boy looked like one who was dead, so that many said, “He is dead.” 27 But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him up, and the boy stood up. 28 When Jesus came into the house, his disciples asked him privately, “Why could we not cast it out?” 29 He said to them, “This kind cannot be cast out except by prayer.”

30 They went out from there and passed through Galilee. He did not want anyone to know where they were, 31 for he was teaching his disciples. He said to them, “The Son of Man will be delivered into the hands of men, and they will put him to death. When he has been put to death, after three days he will rise again.” 32 But they did not understand this statement, and they were afraid to ask him.

33 Then they came to Capernaum. After he entered the house he asked them, “What were you discussing on the way?” 34 But they were silent. For they had been arguing with one with another on the way about who was the greatest. 35 Sitting down, he called the twelve together and he said to them, “If anyone wants to be first, he must be last of all and servant of all.” 36 He took a little child and placed him in their midst. He took him in his arms and said to them, 37 “Whoever receives such a child in my name receives me; and whoever receives me, does not receive me but the one who sent me.” 38 John said to him, “Teacher, we saw someone driving out demons in your name and we stopped him, because he does not follow us.” 39 But Jesus said, “Do not stop him, for there is no one who will do a mighty work in my name and can soon afterwards say anything bad about me. 40 Whoever is not against us is for us. 41 Whoever gives you a cup of water to drink because you belong to Christ, truly I say to you, he will not lose his reward. 42 Whoever causes one of these little ones who believes in me to stumble, it would be better for him to have a large millstone tied around his neck and be thrown into the sea. 43 If your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off. It is better for you to enter into life maimed than to have two hands and to go into hell, into the unquenchable fire. 44  * 45 If your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off. It is better for you to enter into life lame than to have your two feet and be thrown into hell. 46  † 47 If your eye causes you to stumble, tear it out. It is better for you to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye than to have two eyes and to be thrown into hell, 48 where their worm does not die, and the fire is not put out. 49 For everyone will be salted with fire. 50 Salt is good, but if the salt has lost its saltiness, how can you make it salty again? Have salt among yourselves, and be at peace with one another.”

10

1 Jesus left that place and went to the region of Judea and to the area beyond the Jordan River, and the crowds came to him again. He was teaching them again, as he was accustomed to do. 2 Then Pharisees came to him to test him and asked, “Is it lawful for a husband to divorce his wife?” 3 He answered, “What did Moses command you?” 4 They said, “Moses allowed a man to write a certificate of divorce and then to send her away.” 5 “It was because of your hard hearts that he wrote you this law,” Jesus said to them. 6 “But from the beginning of creation, 'God made them male and female.'

7 'For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, 8 and the two shall become one flesh.'

So they are no longer two, but one flesh. 9 Therefore what God has joined together, let no man tear apart.” 10 When they were in the house, the disciples asked him again about this. 11 He said to them, “Whoever divorces his wife and marries another woman commits adultery against her. 12 If she divorces her husband and marries another man, she commits adultery.”

13 Then they brought their little children to him so that he might touch them, but the disciples rebuked them. 14 But when Jesus noticed it, he was very displeased and said to them, “Permit the little children to come to me, and do not forbid them, for the kingdom of God belongs to those who are like them. 15 Truly I say to you, whoever will not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will definitely not enter it.” 16 Then he took the children into his arms and blessed them as he placed his hands on them.

17 When he began his journey, a man ran up to him and knelt before him, and asked, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” 18 Jesus said, “Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone. 19 You know the commandments: 'Do not kill, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not testify falsely, do not defraud, honor your father and mother'.” 20 The man said, “Teacher, all these things I have obeyed from the time I was a youth.” 21 Jesus looked at him and loved him. He said to him, “One thing you lack. You must sell all that you have and give it to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” 22 But because of this statement he looked very sad and he went away distressed, because he had many possessions.

23 Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How difficult it is for those who are rich to enter the kingdom of God!” 24 The disciples were astonished at his words. But Jesus said to them again, “Children, how hard it is to enter into the kingdom of God! 25 It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.” 26 They were greatly astonished and said to each other, “Then who can be saved?” 27 Jesus looked at them and said, “With people it is impossible, but not with God. For all things are possible with God.” 28 Peter began to speak to him, “Look, we have left everything and have followed you.” 29 Jesus said, “Truly I say to you, there is no one who has left house, or brothers, or sisters, or mother, or father, or children, or lands, for my sake, and for the gospel, 30 who will not receive a hundred times as much now in this world: houses, and brothers, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands, with persecutions, and in the world to come, eternal life. 31 But many who are first will be last, and the last first.”

32 They were on the road, going up to Jerusalem, and Jesus was going ahead of them. The disciples were amazed, and those who were following behind were afraid. Then Jesus took the twelve aside again and began to tell them what would soon happen to him. 33 “See, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be delivered to the chief priests and the scribes. They will condemn him to death and deliver him to the Gentiles. 34 They will mock him, spit on him, whip him, and put him to death. But after three days he will rise.”

35 James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came up to him and said, “Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask you.” 36 He said to them, “What do you want me to do for you?” 37 They said, “Allow us to sit with you in your glory, one at your right hand and the other at your left.” 38 But Jesus replied to them, “You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup which I will drink or endure the baptism with which I will be baptized?” 39 They said to him, “We are able.” Jesus said to them, “The cup that I will drink, you will drink, and with the baptism with which I am baptized, you also will be baptized. 40 But who is to sit at my right hand or at my left hand is not mine to give, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared.” 41 When the other ten disciples heard about this, they began to be very angry with James and John. 42 Jesus called them to himself and said, “You know those who are considered rulers of the Gentiles dominate them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. 43 But it shall not be this way among you. Whoever wishes to become great among you must be your servant, 44 and whoever wishes to be first among you must be the slave of all. 45 For the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

46 They came to Jericho. As he left Jericho with his disciples and a great crowd, the son of Timaeus, Bartimaeus, a blind beggar, sat by the road. 47 When he heard that it was Jesus the Nazarene, he began to shout and to say, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” 48 Many rebuked the blind man, telling him to be quiet. But he cried out all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” 49 Jesus stopped and commanded him to be called. They called the blind man, saying, “Be brave! Get up! He is calling for you.” 50 He threw aside his coat, sprang up, and came to Jesus. 51 Jesus answered him and said, “What do you want me to do for you?” The blind man said, “Rabbi, I want to receive my sight.” 52 Then Jesus said to him, “Go. Your faith has healed you.” Immediately he could see again, and he followed him on the road.

11

1 Now as they came to Jerusalem, they were close to Bethphage and Bethany, at the Mount of Olives, and Jesus sent out two of his disciples 2 and said to them, “Go into the village opposite us. As soon as you enter it, you will find a colt that has never been ridden. Untie it and bring it to me. 3 If anyone says to you, 'Why are you doing this?' you should say, 'The Lord has need of it and will immediately send it back here.'” 4 They went away and found a colt tied at a door outside on the open street, and they untied it. 5 Some people were standing there and said to them, “What are you doing, untying that colt?” 6 They spoke to them as Jesus told them, and the people let them go their way. 7 The two disciples brought the colt to Jesus and threw their cloaks on it so Jesus could ride it. 8 Many people spread their garments on the road, and others spread branches they had cut from the fields. 9 Those who went before him and those who followed shouted,

“Hosanna! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord.

10 Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David!

Hosanna in the highest!”

11 Then Jesus entered into Jerusalem and went into the temple and looked around at everything. Now, the time being late, he went out to Bethany with the twelve. 12 The next day, when they returned from Bethany, he was hungry. 13 Seeing from far away a fig tree that had leaves, he went to see if he could find any fruit on it, and when he came to it, he found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs. 14 He spoke to it, “No one will ever eat fruit from you again.” And his disciples heard it.

15 They came to Jerusalem, and he entered the temple and began to cast out the sellers and the buyers in the temple. He turned over the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold pigeons. 16 He did not allow anyone to carry anything through the temple that could be sold. 17 He taught them and said, “Is it not written,

'My house will be called a house of prayer for all the nations'?

But you have made it a den of robbers.”

18 The chief priests and the scribes heard what he had said, and they looked for a way to kill him. For they feared him because the entire crowd was amazed at his teaching. 19 When evening came, they left the city.

20 As they walked by in the morning, they saw the fig tree withered away to its roots. 21 Peter remembered and said, “Rabbi, look! The fig tree you cursed has withered away.” 22 Jesus answered them, “Have faith in God. 23 Truly I say to you that whoever says to this mountain, 'Get up and cast yourself into the sea,' and if he does not doubt in his heart but believes that what he said will happen, that is what God will do. 24 Therefore I say to you: Everything you pray and ask for, believe that you received it, and it will be yours. 25 When you stand and pray, you must forgive whatever you have against anyone, so that your Father who is in heaven will also forgive you your trespasses.” 26  *

27 They came to Jerusalem again. As Jesus was walking in the temple, the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders came to him. 28 They said to him, “By what authority do you do these things, and who gave you the authority to do them?” 29 Jesus said to them, “I will ask you one question. Tell me and I will tell you by what authority I do these things. 30 The baptism of John, was it from heaven or from men? Answer me.” 31 They discussed between themselves and argued and said, “If we say, 'From heaven,' he will say, 'Why then did you not believe him?' 32 But if we say, 'From men,' ... .” They were afraid of the people, for everyone was convinced that John was a prophet. 33 Then they answered Jesus and said, “We do not know.” Then Jesus said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.”

12

1 Then Jesus began to teach them in parables. He said, “A man planted a vineyard, put a hedge around it, and dug a pit for a winepress. He built a watchtower and then leased the vineyard to vine growers. Then he went away on a journey. 2 At the right time, he sent a servant to the vine growers to receive from them some of the fruit of the vineyard. 3 But they took him, beat him, and sent him away with nothing. 4 Again he sent to them another servant, and they wounded him in the head and treated him shamefully. 5 He sent yet another, and this one they killed. They treated many others in the same way, beating some and killing others. 6 He had still one more person to send, a beloved son. He was the last one he sent to them. He said, 'They will respect my son.' 7 But the vine growers said to one another, 'This is the heir. Come, let us kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.' 8 They seized him, killed him, and threw him out of the vineyard. 9 Therefore, what will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and destroy the vine growers and will give the vineyard to others. 10 Have you not read this scripture?

'The stone which the builders rejected

has been made the cornerstone.

11 This was from the Lord,

and it is marvelous in our eyes.'”

12 They sought to arrest Jesus, but they feared the crowd, for they knew that he had spoken this parable against them. So they left him and went away.

13 Then they sent some of the Pharisees and the Herodians to him to trap him with words. 14 When they came, they said to him, “Teacher, we know that you care for no one's opinion, and you do not show partiality between people. You truly teach the way of God. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar or not? Should we pay or not?” 15 But Jesus knew their hypocrisy and said to them, “Why do you test me? Bring me a denarius so I can look at it.” 16 They brought one to Jesus. He said to them, “Whose likeness and inscription is this?” They said, “Caesar's.” 17 Jesus said, “Give to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's.” They marveled at him.

18 Then Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to him. They asked him, saying, 19 “Teacher, Moses wrote for us, 'If a man's brother dies and leaves a wife behind him, but no child, the man should take the brother's wife, and raise up a descendant for his brother.' 20 There were seven brothers; the first took a wife and then died, leaving no children. 21 Then the second took her and died, leaving no children, and the third likewise. 22 The seven left no children. Last of all, the woman also died. 23 In the resurrection, when they rise again, whose wife will she be? For all seven brothers had her as their wife.” 24 Jesus said, “Is this not the reason you are mistaken, because you do not know the scriptures nor the power of God? 25 For when they rise from the dead, they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but they are like angels in heaven. 26 But concerning the dead that are raised, have you not read in the Book of Moses, in the account about the bush, how God spoke to him and said, 'I am the God of Abraham and the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob'? 27 He is not the God of the dead, but of the living. You are quite mistaken.”

28 One of the scribes came and heard their discussion; he saw that Jesus answered them well. He asked him, “What commandment is the most important of all?” 29 Jesus answered, “The most important is, 'Hear, Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. 30 You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.' 31 The second commandment is this, 'You must love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no other greater commandment than these.” 32 The scribe said, “Good, Teacher! You have truly said that God is one, and that there is no other besides him. 33 To love him with all the heart and with all the understanding and with all the strength, and to love one's neighbor as oneself, is even more than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.” 34 When Jesus saw that he had given a wise answer, he said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” After that, no one dared to ask Jesus any more questions.

35 While Jesus was teaching in the temple courts, he said, “How is it that the scribes say the Christ is the son of David? 36 David himself, in the Holy Spirit, said,

'The Lord said to my Lord,

“Sit at my right hand,

until I make your enemies your footstool.”'

37 David himself calls him 'Lord,' so how can the Christ be David's son?” The large crowd gladly listened to him.

38 In his teaching Jesus said, “Beware of the scribes, who like to walk in long robes and they like the greetings they receive in the marketplaces 39 and they like to have the chief seats in the synagogues and chief places at feasts. 40 They also devour widows' houses, and they pray long prayers for people to see. These men will receive greater condemnation.”

41 Then Jesus sat down across from an offering box in the temple area; he was watching people as they dropped their money into the box. Many rich people put in large amounts of money. 42 Then a poor widow came and put in two mites, worth about a penny. 43 He called his disciples and said to them, “Truly I say to you, this poor widow has put in more than all of them who contributed to the offering box. 44 For all of them gave out of their abundance. But this widow, out of her poverty, put in all of the money which she had to live on. “

13

1 As Jesus was walking away from the temple, one of his disciples said to him, “Teacher, look at the wonderful stones and wonderful buildings!” 2 He said to him, “Do you see these great buildings? Not one stone will be left on another which will not be torn down.”

3 As he sat on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter, James, John, and Andrew asked him privately, 4 “Tell us, when will these things happen? What will be the sign when all these things are about to happen?” 5 Jesus began to say to them, “Be careful that no one leads you astray. 6 Many will come in my name and say, 'I am he,' and they will lead many astray. 7 When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not worry; these things must happen, but the end is not yet. 8 For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes in many places, and famines. These are the beginnings of birth pains.

9 Be on your guard. They will deliver you up to councils, and you will be beaten in synagogues. You will stand before both governors and kings for my sake, as a testimony to them. 10 But the gospel must first be proclaimed to all the nations. 11 When they arrest you and hand you over, do not worry about what you should say. For in that hour, what you should say will be given to you; it will not be you who speak, but the Holy Spirit. 12 Brother will deliver up brother to death, and a father his child. Children will rise up against their parents and cause them to be put to death. 13 You will be hated by everyone because of my name. But whoever endures to the end, that person will be saved.

14 When you see the abomination of desolation standing where it should not be standing (let the reader understand), let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, 15 let him who is on the housetop not go down into the house or take anything out of it, 16 and let him who is in the field not return to take his cloak. 17 But woe to those who are with child and to those who are nursing infants in those days! 18 Pray that it might not occur in the winter. 19 For there will be great tribulation, such as has not been from the beginning, when God created the world, until now, no, nor ever will be again. 20 Unless the Lord had shortened the days, no flesh would be saved. But for the sake of the elect, those whom he chose, he cut short the days. 21 Then if anyone says to you, 'Look, here is the Christ!' or 'Look, there he is!' do not believe it. 22 For false Christs and false prophets will appear and will give signs and wonders, so as to deceive, if possible, even the elect. 23 Be on guard! I have told you all these things ahead of time.

24 But after the tribulation of those days,

the sun will be darkened,

the moon will not give its light,

25 the stars will fall from the sky,

and the powers that are in the heavens will be shaken.

26 Then they will see the Son of Man coming in the clouds with great power and glory. 27 Then he will send his angels and he will gather together his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of the sky.

28 Learn a lesson from the fig tree. As soon as the branch becomes tender and puts out its leaves, you know that summer is near. 29 So also, when you see these things happening, you know that he is near, close to the gates. 30 Truly I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all of these things occur. 31 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away. 32 But concerning that day or that hour, no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but the Father.

33 Be alert! Watch, because you do not know what time it is. * 34 It is like a man who goes on a journey—he leaves his house and puts his servants in charge of the house, each one with his work, and he commands the watchman to stay awake. 35 Therefore stay alert, because you do not know when the master of the house will come home; it could be in the evening, at midnight, when the rooster crows, or in the morning. 36 If he comes suddenly, do not let him find you sleeping. 37 What I say to you I say to everyone: Watch!”

14

1 It was now two days before the Passover and the Festival of Unleavened Bread. The chief priests and the scribes were considering how they might stealthily arrest Jesus and then kill him. 2 For they were saying, “Not during the feast, so that a riot does not arise among the people.”

3 While Jesus was in Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, as he was reclining at the table, a woman came to him having an alabaster jar of very costly liquid, which was pure nard. She broke the jar and poured it on his head. 4 But there were some who were angry. They spoke among themselves and said, “What is the reason for this waste? 5 This perfume could have been sold for more than three hundred denarii, and given to the poor.” Then they scolded her. 6 But Jesus said, “Leave her alone. Why are you troubling her? She has done a beautiful thing for me. 7 You always have the poor with you, and whenever you desire you can do good to them, but you will not always have me. 8 She has done what she could. She has anointed my body for burial. 9 Truly I say to you, wherever the gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will be spoken of, in memory of her.”

10 Then Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve, went away to the chief priests so that he might deliver him over to them. 11 When the chief priests heard it, they were glad and promised to give him money. He began looking for an opportunity to deliver him to them.

12 On the first day of unleavened bread, when they sacrificed the Passover lamb, his disciples said to him, “Where do you want us to go to prepare, so you may eat the Passover meal?” 13 He sent two of his disciples and said to them, “Go into the city, and a man bearing a pitcher of water will meet you. Follow him. 14 Where he enters a house, follow him in and say to the owner of that house, 'The Teacher says, “Where is my guest room where I will eat the Passover with my disciples?”' 15 He will show you a large furnished upper room that is ready. Make the preparations for us there.” 16 The disciples left and went to the city. They found everything as he had said to them, and they prepared the Passover meal.

17 When it was evening, he came with the twelve. 18 As they were lying down at the table and eating, Jesus said, “Truly I say to you, one of you eating with me will betray me.” 19 They were all very sorrowful, and one by one they said to him, “Surely not I?” 20 Jesus answered and said to them, “It is one of the twelve, the one now dipping bread with me in the bowl. 21 For the Son of Man will go the way that the scripture says about him. But woe to that man through whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been better for him if he had not been born.”

22 As they were eating, Jesus took bread, blessed it, and broke it. He gave it to them and said, “Take this. This is my body.” 23 He took a cup, gave thanks, and gave it to them, and they all drank from it. 24 He said to them, “This is my blood of the covenant, the blood that is poured out for many. 25 Truly I say to you, I will not drink again of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God.”

26 When they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives. 27 Jesus said to them, “All of you will fall away, for it is written,

'I will strike the shepherd

and the sheep will be scattered.'

28 But after I am raised up, I will go ahead of you into Galilee.” 29 Peter said to him, “Even if all fall away, I will not.” 30 Jesus said to him, “Truly I say to you, today—yes, this very night—before the rooster crows twice you will deny me three times.” 31 But Peter said, “If I must die with you, I will not deny you.” They all made the same promise.

32 They came to the place called Gethsemane, and Jesus said to his disciples, “Sit here while I pray.” 33 He took Peter, James, and John with him and began to be distressed and deeply troubled. 34 He said to them, “My soul is deeply grieved, even to the point of death. Remain here and watch.” 35 Going a little farther, Jesus fell to the ground and prayed that if it were possible the hour might pass from him. 36 He said, “Abba, Father, all things are possible with you. Remove this cup from me. But not my will, but yours.” 37 He came back and found them sleeping, and he said to Peter, “Simon, are you asleep? Could you not watch for one hour? 38 Watch and pray that you do not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” 39 Again he went away and prayed, and he used the same words. 40 When he came back again, he found them sleeping, for their eyes were heavy. They did not know what to say to him. 41 He came the third time and said to them, “Are you still sleeping and taking your rest? Enough! The hour has come. Look! The Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of sinners. 42 Get up; let us go. Look, the one who is betraying me is near.” 43 While he was still speaking, Judas, one of the twelve, arrived, and a large crowd was with him with swords and clubs, from the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders. 44 Now his betrayer had given them a sign, saying, “Whomever I kiss, he is the one. Seize him and lead him away under guard.” 45 When Judas arrived, immediately he came up to Jesus and said, “Rabbi,” and he kissed him. 46 Then they laid hands on him and seized him. 47 But one of them who stood by drew his sword and struck the servant of the high priest and cut off his ear. 48 Jesus said to them, “Do you come out, as against a robber, with swords and clubs to capture me? 49 When I was daily with you and I was teaching in the temple, you did not arrest me. But this was done that the scriptures might be fulfilled.” 50 All those with Jesus left him and ran away.

51 A young man, wearing only a linen garment that was wrapped around him, was following Jesus. When the men seized him 52 he left the linen garment and ran away naked.

53 They led Jesus to the high priest. There were gathered with him all the chief priests, the elders, and the scribes. 54 Now Peter followed him from a distance, as far as the courtyard of the high priest. He sat among the guards, who were near a fire to keep warm. 55 Now the chief priests and the entire Jewish council were seeking testimony against Jesus so they might put him to death. But they did not find any. 56 For many brought false testimony against him, but even their testimony did not agree. 57 Some stood up and brought false testimony against him; they said, 58 “We heard him say, 'I will destroy this temple made with hands, and in three days I will build another made without hands.'” 59 Yet even their testimony did not agree. 60 The high priest stood up among them and asked Jesus, “Have you no answer? What is it these men testify against you?” 61 But he was silent and answered nothing. Again the high priest questioned him and said, “Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?” 62 Jesus said, “I am;

and you will see the Son of Man

when he sits at the right hand of power

and comes with the clouds of heaven.”

63 The high priest tore his garments and said, “Do we still need witnesses? 64 You have heard the blasphemy. What is your decision?” They all condemned him as one who deserved death. 65 Some began to spit on him and to cover his face and strike him and say to him, “Prophesy!” The officers took him and beat him.

66 While Peter was below in the courtyard, one of the servant girls of the high priest came to him. 67 She saw Peter warming himself, and she looked closely at him and said, “You were also with the Nazarene, Jesus.” 68 But he denied it, saying, “I neither know nor understand what you are talking about.” Then he went out into the courtyard. * 69 But the servant girl there saw him and began to say again to those who stood there, “This man is one of them!” 70 But he denied it again. After a little while those who stood there were saying to Peter, “Surely you are one of them, for you also are a Galilean.” 71 But he began to put himself under curses and to swear, “I do not know this man you are talking about.” 72 The rooster immediately crowed a second time. Then Peter remembered the words that Jesus had said to him: “Before the rooster crows twice, you will deny me three times,” and he broke down and wept.

15

1 Early in the morning, the chief priests met together with the elders and scribes and the entire Jewish council. Then they bound Jesus and led him away. They handed him over to Pilate. 2 Pilate asked him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” He answered him, “You say so.” 3 The chief priests were presenting many charges against Jesus. 4 Pilate again asked him, “Do you give no answer? See how many charges they are bringing against you!” 5 But Jesus no longer answered Pilate, and that amazed him.

6 Now at the time of the feast, Pilate usually released to them one prisoner, a prisoner they requested. 7 There with the rebels in prison, among the murderers held for their part in the rebellion, was a man named Barabbas. 8 The crowd came to Pilate and began to ask him to do for them as he had done in the past. 9 Pilate answered them and said, “Do you want me to release to you the King of the Jews?” 10 For he knew that it was because of envy that the chief priests had handed Jesus over to him. 11 But the chief priests stirred up the crowd to cry out that Barabbas should be released instead. 12 Pilate answered them again and said, “What then should I do with the King of the Jews?” 13 They shouted again, “Crucify him!” 14 Pilate said to them, “What wrong has he done?” But they shouted more and more, “Crucify him.” 15 Pilate wanted to satisfy the crowd, so he released Barabbas to them. He scourged Jesus and then handed him over to be crucified.

16 The soldiers led him inside the courtyard (which is the government headquarters), and they called together the whole cohort of soldiers. 17 They put a purple robe on Jesus, and they twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on him. 18 They began to salute him and say, “Hail, King of the Jews!” 19 They struck his head with a reed staff and they spat on him. They bent their knees before him to pretend to worship him. 20 When they had mocked him, they took off of him the purple robe and put his own garments on him, and then led him out to crucify him. 21 A certain man, Simon of Cyrene, was coming in from the country (he was the father of Alexander and Rufus), and they forced him to carry his cross.

22 The soldiers brought Jesus to the place called Golgotha (which interpreted means, “Place of a Skull”). 23 They offered him wine mixed with myrrh, but he did not drink it. 24 They crucified him and divided up his garments by casting lots to determine what piece each soldier would take. 25 It was the third hour when they crucified him. 26 On a sign they wrote the charge against him, “The king of the Jews.” 27 With him they crucified two robbers, one on the right of him and one on his left. 28  * 29 Those who passed by insulted him, shaking their heads and saying, “Aha! You who would destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, 30 save yourself and come down from the cross!” 31 In the same way the chief priests were mocking him with each other, along with the scribes, and said, “He saved others, but he cannot save himself. 32 Let the Christ, the King of Israel, come down now from the cross, that we may see and believe,” and those who were crucified with him also taunted him.

33 At the sixth hour, darkness came over the whole land until the ninth hour. 34 At the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?” which is interpreted, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” 35 Some of those standing by heard his words and said, “Look, he is calling for Elijah.” 36 Someone ran, put sour wine on a sponge, put it on a reed staff, and gave it to him to drink. The man said, “Let us see if Elijah comes to take him down.” 37 Then Jesus cried out with a loud voice and died. 38 The curtain of the temple was split in two from the top to the bottom. 39 When the centurion who stood and faced Jesus saw that he had died in this way, he said, “Truly this man was the Son of God.” 40 There were also women who looked on from a distance. Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary (the mother of James the younger and of Joses), and Salome. 41 When he was in Galilee they followed him and served him. Many other women also came up with him to Jerusalem.

42 When evening had come, because it was the Day of Preparation, that is, the day before the Sabbath, 43 Joseph of Arimathea came there. He was a respected member of the council, who was waiting for the kingdom of God. He boldly went in to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. 44 Pilate was amazed that Jesus was already dead; he called the centurion and asked him if Jesus was dead. 45 When Pilate learned from the centurion that Jesus was dead, he gave the body to Joseph. 46 Joseph had bought a linen cloth. He took him down from the cross, wrapped him in the linen cloth, and laid him in a tomb that had been cut out of a rock. Then he rolled a stone against the entrance of the tomb. 47 Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses saw the place where Jesus was buried.

16

1 When the Sabbath day was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices that they might come and anoint Jesus' body. 2 Very early on the first day of the week, they went to the tomb when the sun came up. 3 They were saying to one another, “Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance to the tomb?” 4 When they looked up, they saw that the stone had been rolled away, for it was very large. 5 They entered the tomb and saw a young man dressed in a white robe, sitting on the right side, and they were alarmed. 6 He said to them, “Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus, the Nazarene, who was crucified. He is risen! He is not here. Look at the place where they had laid him. 7 But go, tell his disciples and Peter, 'He is going ahead of you to Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.'”

8 They went out and ran from the tomb; they were trembling and amazed. They said nothing to anyone because they were so afraid. 9  * Early on the first day of the week, after he arose, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, from whom he had cast out seven demons. 10 She went and told those who were with him, while they were mourning and weeping. 11 They heard that he was alive and that he had been seen by her, but they did not believe.

12  † After these things he appeared in a different form to two of them, as they were walking out into the country. 13 They went and told the rest of the disciples, but they did not believe them.

14  ‡ Jesus later appeared to the eleven as they were reclining at the table, and he rebuked them for their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they did not believe those who saw him after he rose from the dead. 15 He said to them, “Go into all the world, and preach the gospel to the entire creation. 16 He who believes and is baptized will be saved, and he who does not believe will be condemned. 17  § These signs will go with those who believe: In my name they will cast out demons. They will speak in new languages. 18 They will pick up snakes with their hands, and if they drink anything deadly, it will not hurt them. They will lay hands on the sick, and they will get well.”

19  * After the Lord had spoken to them, he was taken up into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God. 20 The disciples left and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the word by the signs that went with them.

* 7:16 The best ancient copies omit vs. 16. If any man has ears to hear, let him hear .

† 7:25 Some ancient copies have the word, But as an alternative reading.

* 9:44 The best ancient copies omit this phrase from verses 44 and 46, where their worm does not die, and the fire is not put out .

† 9:46 The best ancient copies omit this phrase from verses 44 and 46, where their worm does not die, and the fire is not put out .

* 11:26 The best ancient copies omit this verse (See: Mt. 6:15) Mk. 11:26 But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father who is in heaven forgive your trespasses .

* 13:33 Some ancient authorities read: Be alert! Watch and pray .

* 14:68 Some ancient copies add, “Then the rooster crowed,” but the best ancient copies do not have this phrase.

* 15:28 The best ancient copies omit Mrk. 15:28, The scripture was fulfilled that says, 'He was counted with the lawless ones,' (compare LUK 22:37) .

* 16:9 The best ancient copies omit Mrk. 16:9-20.

† 16:12 The best ancient copies omit Mrk. 16:9-20.

‡ 16:14 The best ancient copies omit Mrk. 16:9-20.

§ 16:17 The best ancient copies omit Mrk. 16:9-20.

* 16:19 The best ancient copies omit Mrk. 16:9-20.

Luke

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Luke

1

1 Many have taken on the work of putting together an account of the things that have been fulfilled among us, 2 just as they were passed down to us by those who from the first were eyewitnesses and servants of the word. 3 So it seemed good to me also, because I have accurately investigated everything from the beginning, to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, 4 so that you might know the certainty of the things you have been taught.

5 In the days of Herod, king of Judea, there was a certain priest named Zechariah, from the division of Abijah. His wife was from the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. 6 They were both righteous before God, obeying all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord. 7 But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and they were both very old by this time.

8 Now it came about that Zechariah was in God's presence, carrying out the priestly duties in the order of his division. 9 According to the customary way of choosing which priest would serve, he had been chosen by lot to enter into the temple of the Lord to burn incense. 10 The whole crowd of people was praying outside at the hour when the incense was burned. 11 Now an angel of the Lord appeared to him and stood at the right side of the incense altar. 12 When Zechariah saw him, he was terrified and fear fell on him. 13 But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah, because your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son. You will call his name John. 14 You will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth. 15 For he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He must never drink wine or strong drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit from his mother's womb. 16 Many of the people of Israel will be turned to the Lord their God. 17 He will go before the face of the Lord in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous—to make ready for the Lord a people prepared for him.”

18 Zechariah said to the angel, “How can I know this? For I am an old man and my wife is very old.” 19 The angel answered and said to him, “I am Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God. I was sent to speak to you, to bring you this good news. 20 Behold! You will be silent, unable to speak, until the day these things take place. This is because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled at the right time.” 21 Now the people were waiting for Zechariah. They were surprised that he was spending so much time in the temple. 22 But when he came out, he could not speak to them. They realized that he had seen a vision while he was in the temple. He kept on making signs to them and remained silent. 23 It came about that when the days of his service were over, he went to his house.

24 After these days, his wife Elizabeth conceived and for five months she kept herself hidden. She said, 25 “This is what the Lord has done for me when he looked at me with favor in order to take away my shame before people.”

26 In the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city in Galilee named Nazareth, 27 to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph. He belonged to the house of David, and the virgin's name was Mary. 28 He came to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.” 29 But she was very confused by his words and she wondered what kind of greeting this could be. 30 The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31 See, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son. You will call his name 'Jesus.' 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David. 33 He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and there will be no end to his kingdom.” 34 Mary said to the angel, “How will this happen, since I have not slept with any man?” 35 The angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will come over you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. 36 See, your relative Elizabeth has also conceived a son in her old age. This is the sixth month for her, she who was called barren. 37 For nothing will be impossible for God.” 38 Mary said, “See, I am the female servant of the Lord. Let it be for me according to your message.” Then the angel left her.

39 Then Mary arose in those days and quickly went into the hill country, to a city in Judea. 40 She went into the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. 41 Now it happened that when Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the baby in her womb jumped, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. 42 She raised her voice and said loudly, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. 43 Why has it happened to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me? 44 For see, when the sound of your greeting came to my ears, the baby in my womb jumped for joy. 45 Blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of the things that were told her from the Lord.” 46 Mary said,

“My soul praises the Lord,

47 and my spirit has rejoiced in God my savior.

48 For he has looked at the low condition of his female servant.

For see, from now on all generations will call me blessed.

49 For he who is mighty has done great things for me,

and his name is holy.

50 His mercy lasts from generation to generation for those who fear him.

51 He has displayed strength with his arm;

he has scattered those who were proud about the thoughts of their hearts.

52 He has thrown down princes from their thrones

and he has raised up those of low condition.

53 He has filled the hungry with good things,

but the rich he has sent away empty.

54 He has given help to Israel his servant,

so as to remember to show mercy

55 (as he said to our fathers) to Abraham and his descendants forever.”

56 Mary stayed with Elizabeth about three months and then returned to her house.

57 Now the time had come for Elizabeth to deliver her baby and she gave birth to a son. 58 Her neighbors and her relatives heard that the Lord had shown his great mercy to her, and they rejoiced with her.

59 Now it happened on the eighth day that they came to circumcise the child. They would have called him “Zechariah,” after the name of his father. 60 But his mother answered and said, “No. He will be called John.” 61 They said to her, “There is no one among your relatives who is called by this name.” 62 They made signs to his father as to how he wanted him to be named. 63 His father asked for a writing tablet and wrote, “His name is John.” They all were astonished at this. 64 Immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue was freed. He spoke and praised God. 65 Fear came on all who lived around them. All these matters were spread throughout all the hill country of Judea. 66 All who heard them stored them in their hearts, saying, “What then will this child become?” For the hand of the Lord was with him.

67 His father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied, saying,

68 “Praised be the Lord, the God of Israel,

for he has come to help and he has accomplished redemption for his people.

69 He has raised up a horn of salvation for us

in the house of his servant David

70 (as he spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets from long ago),

71 salvation from our enemies

and from the hand of all who hate us.

72 He will do this to show mercy to our fathers

and to remember his holy covenant,

73 the oath that he spoke to Abraham our father.

74 He swore to grant to us that we, having been delivered out of the hand of our enemies,

would serve him without fear,

75 in holiness and righteousness before him all our days.

76 Yes, and you, child, will be called a prophet of the Most High,

for you will go before the face of the Lord to prepare his paths,

to prepare people for his coming,

77 to give knowledge of salvation to his people

by the forgiveness of their sins.

78 This will happen because of the tender mercy of our God,

because of which the sunrise from on high will come to help us,

79 to shine on those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death.

He will do this to guide our feet into the path of peace.”

80 Now the child grew and became strong in spirit, and he was in the wilderness until the day of his public appearance to Israel.

2

1 Now in those days, it came about that Caesar Augustus sent out a decree ordering that a census be taken of all the people living in the world. 2 This was the first census made while Quirinius was governor of Syria. 3 So everyone went to his own city to be registered for the census. 4 Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the city of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family line of David. 5 He went there to register along with Mary, who was engaged to him and was pregnant. 6 Now it came about that while they were there, the time came for her to deliver her baby. 7 She gave birth to a son, her firstborn child, and she wrapped him in long strips of cloth and laid him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

8 There were shepherds in that region who were staying in the fields, guarding their flock at night. 9 An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. 10 Then the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, because I bring you the good news that will bring great joy to all the people. 11 Today a savior was born for you in the city of David! He is Christ the Lord! 12 This is the sign that will be given to you: You will find a baby wrapped in strips of cloth and lying in a manger.” 13 Suddenly there was together with the angel a great, heavenly army praising God and saying,

14 “Glory to God in the highest,

and may there be peace on earth among people

with whom he is pleased.”

15 It came about that when the angels had gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to each other, “Let us now go to Bethlehem, and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.” 16 They hurried there and found Mary and Joseph, and saw the baby lying in the manger. 17 After they had seen him, they made known what had been said to them about this child. 18 All who heard it were amazed at what was spoken to them by the shepherds. 19 But Mary kept thinking about all the things she had heard, treasuring them in her heart. 20 The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for everything that they had heard and seen, just as it had been spoken to them.

21 When it was the end of the eighth day, when he was circumcised, he was named Jesus, the name he had been given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb.

22 When the required number of days for their purification had passed, according to the law of Moses, Joseph and Mary * brought him up to the temple in Jerusalem to present him to the Lord. 23 As it is written in the law of the Lord, “Every male who opens the womb will be set apart to the Lord.” 24 So they offered a sacrifice according to what was said in the law of the Lord, “a pair of doves or two young pigeons.” 25 Behold, there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon, and this man was righteous and devout. He was looking for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. 26 It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord's Christ. 27 Led by the Spirit, Simeon came into the temple. When the parents brought in the infant Jesus, to do for him according to the custom of the law, 28 he took him into his arms and praised God and he said,

29 “Now let your servant depart in peace, Lord, according to your word.

30 For my eyes have seen your salvation,

31 which you have prepared in the presence of all peoples:

32 A light for revelation to the Gentiles and glory to your people Israel.”

33 His father and mother † were amazed at what was said about him. 34 Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, “Behold, this child is appointed for the downfall and rising up of many people in Israel and for a sign that is rejected— 35 and a sword will pierce your own soul—so that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.” 36 A prophetess named Anna was there. She was the daughter of Phanuel from the tribe of Asher. She was very old. She had lived with her husband for seven years after her virginity, 37 and was a widow for eighty-four years. She never left the temple but was serving with fastings and prayers, night and day. 38 At that very hour she came near to them and began giving thanks to God and she spoke about the child to everyone who had been waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem. 39 When they had finished everything they were required to do according to the law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth.

40 The child grew and became strong, increasing in wisdom, and the grace of God was upon him.

41 His parents went every year to Jerusalem for the Festival of the Passover. 42 When he was twelve years old, they again went up at the customary time for the feast. 43 After they had stayed the full number of days for the feast, they began to return home. But the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem and his parents did not know it. 44 They assumed that he was with the group that was traveling with them, so they traveled a day's journey. Then they started looking for him among their relatives and friends. 45 When they did not find him, they returned to Jerusalem and started looking for him there. 46 It came about that after three days, they found him in the temple, sitting in the middle of the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. 47 All who heard him were amazed at his understanding and his answers. 48 When they saw him, they were astonished. His mother said to him, “Son, why have you treated us this way? Listen, your father and I have been anxiously searching for you.” 49 He said to them, “Why were you searching for me? Did you not know that I had to be about my Father's business? ‡ 50 But they did not understand what he meant by those words. 51 Then he went back home with them to Nazareth and was obedient to them. His mother treasured all these things in her heart.

52 But Jesus continued to grow in wisdom and stature, and increased in favor with God and people.

3

1 In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar—while Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, Herod was tetrarch of Galilee, his brother Philip was tetrarch of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias was tetrarch of Abilene, 2 during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas—the word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the wilderness. 3 He went into all the region around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. 4 As it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet,

“A voice of one calling out in the wilderness,

'Make ready the way of the Lord,

make his paths straight.

5 Every valley will be filled,

and every mountain and hill will be made low,

and the crooked roads will be made straight,

and the uneven places will be built into roads,

6 and all flesh will see the salvation of God.'”

7 So John said to the crowds who were coming out to be baptized by him, “You offspring of vipers! Who warned you to run away from the wrath that is coming? 8 Therefore, produce fruits that are worthy of repentance, and do not begin to say within yourselves, 'We have Abraham for our father,' for I tell you that God is able to raise up children for Abraham from these stones. 9 Even now the ax is set against the root of the trees. So every tree that does not produce good fruit is chopped down and thrown into the fire.” 10 Then the crowds kept asking him, saying, “What then are we to do?” 11 He answered and said to them, “If someone has two tunics, he should share it with a person who has none, and the one having food should do the same.” 12 Tax collectors also came to be baptized, and they said to him, “Teacher, what must we do?” 13 He said to them, “Do not collect more money than you have been ordered to collect.” 14 Some soldiers also asked him, saying, “What about us? What must we do?” He said to them, “Do not take money from anyone by force, and do not accuse anyone falsely. Be content with your wages.”

15 Now as the people were eagerly expecting the Christ to come, everyone was wondering in their hearts concerning John, whether he might be the Christ. 16 John answered by saying to them all, “As for me, I baptize you with water, but someone is coming who is more powerful than I, and I am not worthy even to untie the strap of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. 17 His winnowing fork is in his hand to thoroughly clear off his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his storehouse. But he will burn up the chaff with fire that can never be put out.”

18 With many other exhortations also, John preached good news to the people. 19 When Herod the tetrarch had been reproved for marrying his brother's wife Herodias, and for all the other evil things that Herod had done, 20 he added this to them all, that he locked John up in prison.

21 Now it came about, when all the people were baptized, Jesus also was baptized, and while he was praying, the heavens opened, 22 and the Holy Spirit in bodily form came down on him like a dove, and a voice came from heaven, “You are my Son, whom I love. I am pleased with you.”

23 When Jesus began his ministry, he was about thirty years of age. He was the son (as it was assumed) of Joseph, the son of Heli, 24 the son of Matthat, the son of Levi, the son of Melchi, the son of Jannai, the son of Joseph. 25 Joseph was the son of Mattathias, the son of Amos, the son of Nahum, the son of Esli, the son of Naggai, 26 the son of Maath, the son of Mattathias, the son of Semein, the son of Josech, the son of Joda. 27 Joda was the son of Joanan, the son of Rhesa, the son of Zerubbabel, the son of Salathiel, the son of Neri, 28 the son of Melchi, the son of Addi, the son of Cosam, the son of Elmadam, the son of Er, 29 the son of Joshua, the son of Eliezer, the son of Jorim, the son of Matthat, the son of Levi. 30 Levi was the son of Simeon, the son of Judah, the son of Joseph, the son of Jonam, the son of Eliakim, 31 the son of Melea, the son of Menna, the son of Mattatha, the son of Nathan, the son of David, 32 the son of Jesse, the son of Obed, the son of Boaz, the son of Salmon, the son of Nahshon. 33 Nahshon was the son of Amminadab, the son of Admin, the son of Arni, the son of Hezron, the son of Perez, the son of Judah, 34 the son of Jacob, the son of Isaac, the son of Abraham, the son of Terah, the son of Nahor, 35 the son of Serug, the son of Reu, the son of Peleg, the son of Eber, the son of Shelah. 36 Shelah was the son of Cainan, the son of Arphaxad, the son of Shem, the son of Noah, the son of Lamech, 37 the son of Methuselah, the son of Enoch, the son of Jared, the son of Mahalaleel, the son of Cainan, 38 the son of Enos, the son of Seth, the son of Adam, the son of God.

4

1 Then Jesus, being full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan River, and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness, 2 where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and at the end of that time he was hungry. 3 The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.” 4 Jesus answered him, “It is written, 'Man does not live on bread alone.'” 5 Then the devil led Jesus up and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in an instant of time. 6 The devil said to him, “I will give to you all this authority and all their splendor, for they have been given to me, and I can give it to anyone I want. 7 So then, if you will bow down and worship me, it will be yours.” 8 But Jesus answered and said to him, “It is written, 'You will worship the Lord your God, and you will serve only him.'” 9 Then the devil led Jesus to Jerusalem and put him on the very highest point of the temple building, and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here. 10 For it is written,

'He will give orders to his angels regarding you, to protect you,'

11 and, 'They will lift you up in their hands,

so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.'”

12 Answering him, Jesus said, “It is said, 'Do not put the Lord your God to the test.'”

13 When the devil had finished testing Jesus, he went away and left him until another time.

14 Then Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and news about him spread throughout the entire surrounding region. 15 Then he began to teach in their synagogues and he was praised by all.

16 He came into Nazareth, where he had been raised, and as was his custom, he entered the synagogue on the Sabbath day and he stood up to read aloud. 17 The scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. He opened the scroll and found the place where it was written,

18 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,

because he anointed me to tell good news to the poor.

He has sent me to proclaim freedom to the captives,

and recovery of sight to the blind,

to set free those who are oppressed,

19 to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor.”

20 Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down. The eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. 21 He began to speak to them, “Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.” 22 Everyone there spoke well of him and they were amazed at the gracious words which were coming out of his mouth, and they asked, “Is this not the son of Joseph?” 23 He said to them, “Surely you will say this proverb to me, 'Doctor, heal yourself. Whatever we heard that you did in Capernaum, do the same in your hometown.'” 24 But he said, “Truly I say to you, no prophet is received in his own hometown. 25 But in truth I tell you that there were many widows in Israel during the time of Elijah, when the sky was shut up for three years and six months, and a great famine came upon all the land. 26 But Elijah was sent to none of them, but only to Zarephath in Sidon, to a widow living there. 27 There were many lepers in Israel during the time of Elisha the prophet, but none of them were healed except Naaman the Syrian.” 28 All the people in the synagogue were filled with rage when they heard these things. 29 They got up, forced him out of the town, and led him to the cliff of the hill on which their town was built, so they might throw him off the cliff. 30 But he passed through the middle of them and he went to another place.

31 Then he went down to Capernaum, a city in Galilee, and he began to teach them on the Sabbath. 32 They were astonished at his teaching, because he spoke with authority. 33 Now in the synagogue there was a man who had the spirit of an unclean demon, and he cried out with a loud voice, 34 “Ah! What do we have to do with you, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God!” 35 Jesus rebuked the demon, saying, “Do not speak! Come out of him!” When the demon had thrown the man down in the middle of them, he came out of him, and did not harm him in any way. 36 All the people were very amazed, and they kept talking about it with one another. They said, “What kind of words are these? He commands the unclean spirits with authority and power and they come out.” 37 So news about him began to spread into every part of the surrounding region.

38 Then Jesus left the synagogue and entered into the house of Simon. Now Simon's mother-in-law was suffering with a high fever, and they pleaded with him on her behalf. 39 So he stood over her and rebuked the fever, and it left her. Immediately she got up and started serving them.

40 When the sun was setting, people brought to Jesus everyone who was sick with various kinds of diseases. He laid his hands on every one of them and healed them. 41 Demons also came out from many of them, crying out and saying, “You are the Son of God!” Jesus rebuked the demons and would not let them speak, because they knew that he was the Christ.

42 When daybreak came, he went out into a solitary place. Crowds of people were looking for him and came to the place where he was. They tried to keep him from going away from them. 43 But he said to them, “I must also preach the good news about the kingdom of God to many other cities, because this is the reason I was sent here.”

44 Then he continued to preach in the synagogues throughout Judea.

5

1 Now it happened, while the people were crowding around Jesus and listening to the word of God, that he was standing by the lake of Gennesaret. 2 He saw two boats pulled up by the edge of the lake. The fishermen had gotten out of them and were washing their nets. 3 Jesus got into one of the boats, which was Simon's, and asked him to put it out in the water a short distance from the land. Then he sat down and taught the people out of the boat. 4 When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Take the boat out into the deeper water and let down your nets for a catch.” 5 Simon answered and said, “Master, we worked all night, and caught nothing, but at your word, I will let down the nets.” 6 When they had done this, they gathered a very large number of fish, and their nets were breaking. 7 So they motioned to their partners in the other boat that they should come and help them. They came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink. 8 But Simon Peter, when he saw it, fell down at Jesus' knees, saying, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, Lord.” 9 For he was amazed, and all who were with him, at the catch of fish which they had taken. 10 This included James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid, because from now on you will catch men.” 11 When they had brought their boats to land, they left everything and followed him.

12 It came about that while he was in one of the cities, a man full of leprosy was there. When he saw Jesus, he fell on his face and begged him, saying, “Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean.” 13 Then Jesus reached out his hand and touched him, saying, “I am willing. Be clean.” Immediately the leprosy left him. 14 He instructed him to tell no one, but told him, “Go on your way, and show yourself to the priest and offer a sacrifice for your cleansing, according to what Moses commanded, for a testimony to them.” 15 But the report about him spread even farther, and large crowds of people came together to hear him teach and to be healed of their sicknesses. 16 But he often withdrew into the deserted places and prayed.

17 It came about on one of those days that he was teaching, and there were Pharisees and teachers of the law sitting there who had come from many different villages in the regions of Galilee and Judea, and also from the town of Jerusalem. The power of the Lord was with him to heal. 18 Now some men came, carrying on a mat a man that was paralyzed, and they looked for a way to bring him inside in order to lay him down in front of Jesus. 19 They could not find a way to bring him in because of the crowd, so they went up to the housetop and let the man down through the tiles, on his mat, into the midst of the people, right in front of Jesus. 20 Seeing their faith, Jesus said, “Man, your sins are forgiven you.” 21 The scribes and the Pharisees began to question this, saying, “Who is this who speaks blasphemies? Who can forgive sins but God alone?” 22 But Jesus, perceiving what they were thinking, answered and said to them, “Why are you questioning this in your hearts? 23 Which is easier to say, 'Your sins are forgiven you' or to say 'Get up and walk?' 24 But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins,”—he said to the paralysed man—”I tell you, get up, pick up your mat and go to your house.” 25 Immediately he got up in front of them and picked up the mat on which he was lying. Then he went away to his house, glorifying God. 26 Everyone was amazed and they glorified God. They were filled with fear, saying, “We have seen extraordinary things today.”

27 After these things happened, Jesus went out from there and saw a tax collector named Levi sitting at the tax collector's tent. He said to him, “Follow me.” 28 So Levi got up and followed him, leaving everything behind.

29 Then Levi gave a big banquet in his house for Jesus. There were many tax collectors there and other people who were reclining at the table and eating with them. 30 But the Pharisees and their scribes were complaining to his disciples, saying, “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and other sinful people?” 31 Jesus answered them, “People who are well do not need a physician; only those who are sick. 32 I did not come to call righteous people to repentance, but to call sinners to repentance.”

33 They said to him, “The disciples of John often fast and pray, and the disciples of the Pharisees do the same. But your disciples eat and drink.” 34 Jesus said to them, “Can anyone make the wedding attendants of the bridegroom fast while the bridegroom is still with them? 35 But the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them, then in those days they will fast.” 36 Then Jesus also spoke a parable to them. “No one tears a piece of cloth from a new garment and uses it to mend an old garment. If he did that, he would tear the new garment, and the piece of cloth from the new garment would not fit with the cloth of the old garment. 37 No one puts new wine into old wineskins. If he does that, the new wine would burst the skins, and the wine would be spilled, and the wineskins would be destroyed. 38 But new wine must be put into fresh wineskins. 39 No one after drinking old wine wants the new, for he says, 'The old is better.'”

6

1 Now it happened on a Sabbath that Jesus was going through the grainfields, and his disciples were picking the heads of grain, rubbing them between their hands, and eating the grain. 2 But some of the Pharisees said, “Why are you doing something that is not lawful to do on the Sabbath day?” 3 Answering them, Jesus said, “Have you not even read what David did when he was hungry, he and the men who were with him? 4 He went into the house of God, and took the bread of the presence and ate some of it, and also gave some to the men who were with him to eat, even though it was only lawful for the priests to eat it.” 5 Then he said to them, “The Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.”

6 It happened on another Sabbath that he went into the synagogue and taught the people there. A man was there whose right hand was withered. 7 The scribes and the Pharisees were watching him closely to see whether he would heal someone on the Sabbath, so that they might find a reason to accuse him. 8 But he knew what they were thinking and he said to the man whose hand was withered, “Get up, and stand here in the middle of everyone.” So the man got up and stood there. 9 Jesus said to them, “I ask you, is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do harm, to save a life or to destroy it?” 10 Then he looked around at them all and said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He did so, and his hand was restored. 11 But they were filled with anger and they talked to each other about what they might do to Jesus.

12 It happened in those days that he went out to the mountain to pray. He continued all night in prayer to God. 13 When it was day, he called his disciples to him, and he chose twelve of them, whom he also named apostles. 14 The names of the apostles were Simon (whom he also named Peter) and his brother Andrew, James, John, Philip, Bartholomew, 15 Matthew, Thomas, James son of Alphaeus, Simon who was called the Zealot, 16 Judas son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor. 17 Then Jesus came down the mountain with them and stood on a level place with a large crowd of his disciples and a large number of the people from Judea and Jerusalem and the seacoast of Tyre and Sidon. 18 They had come to listen to him and to be healed of their diseases. People who were troubled with unclean spirits were also healed. 19 Everyone in the crowd kept trying to touch him because power to heal was coming out from him, and he healed them all.

20 Then he looked at his disciples, and said, “Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. 21 Blessed are you who hunger now, for you will be filled. Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh. 22 Blessed are you when people hate you, and when they exclude you and insult you and reject your name as evil, because of the Son of Man. 23 Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, because you will surely have a great reward in heaven, for their ancestors treated the prophets in the same way. 24 But woe to you who are rich, for you have already received your comfort. 25 Woe to you who are full now, for you will be hungry later. Woe to you who laugh now, for you will mourn and weep later. 26 Woe to you when all men speak well of you, for that is how their ancestors treated the false prophets.

27 But I say to you who are listening, love your enemies and do good to those who hate you. 28 Bless those who curse you and pray for those who mistreat you. 29 To him who strikes you on the one cheek, offer him also the other. If someone takes away your coat, do not withhold your tunic either. 30 Give to everyone who asks you. If someone takes away something that belongs to you, do not ask him to give it back to you. 31 As you want people to do to you, you should do the same to them. 32 If you only love people who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. 33 If you do good only to people who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. 34 If you only lend to people from whom you expect to be repaid, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, to get back the same amount. 35 But love your enemies and do good to them. Lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he himself is kind toward unthankful and evil people. 36 Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. 37 Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive others, and you will be forgiven. 38 Give, and it will be given to you. A generous amount—pressed down, shaken together and spilling over—will pour into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you.”

39 Then he also told them a parable. “Can a blind person guide another blind person? If he did, they would both fall into a pit, would they not? 40 A disciple is not greater than his teacher, but everyone when he is fully trained will be like his teacher. 41 Why do you look at the tiny piece of straw that is in your brother's eye, but you do not notice the log that is in your own eye? 42 How can you say to your brother, 'Brother, let me take out the piece of straw that is in your eye,' when you yourself do not even see the log that is in your own eye? You hypocrite! First take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take out the piece of straw that is in your brother's eye. 43 For there is no good tree that produces rotten fruit, nor is there a rotten tree that produces good fruit. 44 For each tree is known by the kind of fruit it produces. For people do not gather figs from a thornbush, nor do they gather grapes from a briar bush. 45 The good man from the good treasure of his heart produces what is good, and the evil man from the evil treasure of his heart produces what is evil. For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.

46 Why do you call me, 'Lord, Lord,' and yet you do not obey the things that I say? 47 Every person who comes to me and hears my words and obeys them, I will tell you what he is like. 48 He is like a man building a house, who dug down deep in the ground and built the house's foundation on solid rock. When a flood came, the torrent of water flowed against that house, but could not shake it, because it had been well built. 49 But the person who hears my words and does not obey them, he is like a man who built a house on top of the ground without a foundation. When the torrent of water flowed against that house, it immediately collapsed, and the ruin of that house was complete.”

7

1 After Jesus had finished everything he was saying in the hearing of the people, he entered Capernaum.

2 Now a centurion had a slave who was highly regarded by him, and he was sick and about to die. 3 When the centurion heard about Jesus, he sent to him elders of the Jews, asking him to come and heal his servant. 4 When they had come to Jesus, they asked him earnestly, saying, “He is worthy to have you do this for him, 5 because he loves our nation, and he is the one who built the synagogue for us.” 6 So Jesus continued on his way with them. But when he was not far from the house, the centurion sent friends to say to him, “Lord, do not trouble yourself, because I am not worthy for you to come under my roof. 7 For this reason I did not even consider myself worthy to come to you, but just say a word and my servant will be healed. 8 For I also am a man who is under authority, with soldiers under me. I say to this one, 'Go,' and he goes, and to another one, 'Come,' and he comes, and to my servant, 'Do this,' and he does it.” 9 When Jesus heard this, he was amazed at him, and turning to the crowd following him said, “I say to you, not even in Israel have I found such faith.” 10 When those who had been sent returned to the house, they found the servant was well.

11 Soon after that, Jesus went to a town called Nain, and his disciples and a great crowd went with him. 12 As he came near to the gate of the town, behold, a man who had died was being carried out, the only son of his mother (who was a widow), and a rather large crowd from the town was with her. 13 When the Lord saw her, he was deeply moved with compassion for her and said to her, “Do not cry.” 14 Then he went up and touched the wooden frame on which they carried the body, and those carrying it stood still. He said, “Young man, I say to you, arise.” 15 The dead man sat up and began to speak, and Jesus gave him to his mother. 16 Then fear overcame all of them, and they kept praising God, saying, “A great prophet has been raised among us” and “God has looked upon his people.” 17 This news about Jesus spread throughout the whole of Judea and all the neighboring regions.

18 John's disciples told him about all these things. 19 Then John called two of his disciples and sent them to the Lord to say, “Are you the one who is to come, or should we look for another?” 20 When they had come near to Jesus, the men said, “John the Baptist has sent us to you to say, 'Are you the one who is coming, or should we look for another?'” 21 In that hour he healed many people from sicknesses and afflictions and from evil spirits, and to many blind people he gave sight. 22 Jesus answered and said to them, “After you have gone on your way, report to John what you have seen and heard. Blind people are receiving sight, lame people are walking, lepers are being cleansed, deaf people are hearing, people who have died are being raised back to life, and needy people are being told the good news. 23 The person who does not stop believing in me because of my actions is blessed.”

24 After John's messengers had gone away, Jesus began to say to the crowds about John, “What did you go out into the desert to see? A reed shaken by the wind? 25 But what did you go out to see? A man dressed in soft clothes? Look, those who wear expensive clothing and who live in luxury are in kings' palaces. 26 But what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I say to you, and more than a prophet. 27 This is he of whom it is written,

'See, I am sending my messenger before your face,

who will prepare your way before you.'

28 I say to you, among those born of women none is greater than John. Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he is.” 29 (When all the people heard this, including the tax collectors, they declared that God is righteous, because they had been baptized with the baptism of John. 30 But the Pharisees and the experts in Jewish law rejected God's purpose for themselves, because they had not been baptized by John.) 31 “To what, then, can I compare the people of this generation? What are they like? 32 They are like children playing in the marketplace, who sit and call to one another and say, 'We played a flute for you, and you did not dance. We sang a funeral song, and you did not cry.' 33 For John the Baptist came eating no bread and drinking no wine, and you say, 'He has a demon.' 34 The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and you say, 'Look, he is a gluttonous man and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!' 35 But wisdom is justified by all her children.”

36 Now one of the Pharisees invited Jesus to eat with him. So after Jesus entered into the Pharisee's house, he reclined at the table to eat. 37 Behold, there was a woman in the city who was a sinner. When she found out that he was reclining at the table in the Pharisee's house, she brought an alabaster jar of perfumed oil. 38 As she stood behind him near his feet, weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears, and she wiped them with the hair of her head and kissed his feet and anointed them with perfumed oil. 39 When the Pharisee who had invited Jesus saw this, he thought to himself, saying, “If this man were a prophet, then he would know who and what type of woman is touching him, that she is a sinner.” 40 Jesus responded and said to him, “Simon, I have something to say to you.” He said, “Say it, Teacher!” 41 Jesus said, “A certain moneylender had two debtors. The one owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. 42 When they could not pay him, he forgave them both. Therefore, which of them will love him more?” 43 Simon answered him and said, “I suppose the one whom he forgave the most.” Jesus said to him, “You have judged correctly.” 44 Jesus turned to the woman and said to Simon, “You see this woman. I have entered into your house. You gave me no water for my feet, but she has wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. 45 You did not give me a kiss, but from the time I came in she did not stop kissing my feet. 46 You did not anoint my head with oil, but she has anointed my feet with perfumed oil. 47 Therefore I say to you, her sins, which were many, have been forgiven—for she loved much. But the one who is forgiven little, loves little.” 48 Then he said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.” 49 Those reclining together began to say among themselves, “Who is this that even forgives sins?” 50 Then Jesus said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you. Go in peace.”

8

1 It happened soon afterward that Jesus began traveling around to different cities and villages, preaching and proclaiming the good news about the kingdom of God. The twelve were with him, 2 as well as certain women who had been healed of evil spirits and diseases: Mary who was called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had been driven out; 3 Joanna, the wife of Chuza, Herod's manager; Susanna; and many others, who, out of their possessions, provided for their needs.

4 While a large crowd of people was gathering, and people were coming to him from town after town, he told a parable: 5 “A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he sowed, some fell beside the road and it was trampled underfoot, and the birds of the sky devoured it. 6 Some fell on the rock, and as soon as it grew up, it withered away, because it had no moisture. 7 Some fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up together with the seed and choked it. 8 But some fell on good soil and produced a crop that was a hundred times greater.” After Jesus had said these things, he called out, “Whoever has ears to hear, let him hear.”

9 His disciples asked him what this parable meant. 10 He said, “The knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of God has been given to you, but for others I speak in parables, so that 'seeing they may not see, and hearing they may not understand.' 11 Now this is the meaning of the parable: The seed is the word of God. 12 The ones along the path are those who have heard, but then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so they may not believe and be saved. 13 The ones on the rock are those who, when they hear the word, receive it with joy. But they have no root; they believe for a while, and in a time of testing they fall away. 14 The seeds that fell among the thorns are people who hear the word, but as they go on their way, they are choked by the cares and riches and pleasures of this life, and their fruit does not mature. 15 But the seed that fell on the good soil, these are the ones who, hearing the word with an honest and good heart, hold it securely and bear fruit with patient endurance.

16 No one lights a lamp and covers it with a bowl or puts it under a bed. Rather, he puts it on a lampstand so that everyone who enters may see the light. 17 For nothing is hidden that will not be made known, nor is anything secret that will not be known and come into the light. 18 So listen carefully, for to the one who has, more will be given to him, but the one who does not have, even what he thinks he has will be taken away from him.”

19 Then his mother and brothers came to him, but they could not get near him because of the crowd. 20 He was told, “Your mother and your brothers are standing outside, wanting to see you.” 21 But Jesus answered and said to them, “My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and do it.”

22 Now one day he got into a boat with his disciples, and he said to them, “Let us go over to the other side of the lake.” They set sail. 23 But as they sailed he fell asleep. A terrible windstorm came down on the lake, and their boat was filling with water, and they were in danger. 24 Then Jesus' disciples came over to him and woke him up, saying, “Master! Master! We are about to die!” He awoke and rebuked the wind and the raging of the water, and they ceased, and there was a calm. 25 Then he said to them, “Where is your faith?” and they were afraid. While they were afraid they were also amazed, and they asked one another, “Who then is this, that he commands even the winds and the water, and they obey him?”

26 They sailed to the region of the Gerasenes, which is across the lake from Galilee. 27 When Jesus stepped on the land, he was met by a certain man from the city who had demons. For a long time he had worn no clothes, and he did not live in a house but among the tombs. 28 When he saw Jesus, he cried out and fell down before him and he said with a loud voice, “What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg you, do not torment me.” 29 For Jesus had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. For many times it had seized him, and though he was bound with chains and shackles and kept under guard, he had broken his chains and he would be driven by the demon into the wilderness. 30 Then Jesus asked him, “What is your name?” and he said, “Legion,” for many demons had entered into him. 31 They kept begging him not to send them into the abyss. 32 Now a large herd of pigs was there feeding on the hillside. The demons begged him to let them go into them, and he gave them permission. 33 So the demons came out of the man and went into the pigs, and the herd rushed down the steep slope into the lake and was drowned. 34 When those tending the pigs saw what had happened, they ran off and told about it in the city and countryside. 35 So the people went out to see what had happened, and they came to Jesus and found the man from whom the demons had gone out. He was sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind; and they were afraid. 36 Then those who had seen it told them how the man who had been possessed by demons had been healed. 37 Then all the people of the region of the Gerasenes asked Jesus to depart from them, for they were overwhelmed with great fear. So he got into the boat so they could start back. 38 The man from whom the demons had gone out begged him to let him go with him, but Jesus sent him away, saying, 39 “Return to your home and give a full account of what God has done for you.” The man went on his way, proclaiming throughout the whole city what Jesus had done for him.

40 Now when Jesus returned, the crowd welcomed him, for they were all expecting him. 41 Behold, a man named Jairus, who was one of the leaders of the synagogue, came and fell down at Jesus' feet, and he begged him to come to his house, 42 because his only daughter, a girl of about twelve years of age, was dying. As Jesus was on his way, the crowds of people pressed together around him.

43 Now a woman was there who had been bleeding for twelve years and had spent all her money * , and could not be healed by anyone. 44 She came behind Jesus and touched the edge of his coat, and immediately her bleeding stopped. 45 Jesus said, “Who was it who touched me?” When all denied it, Peter said, “Master, the crowds of people are all around you and they are pressing in against you.” 46 But Jesus said, “Someone did touch me, for I know that power has gone out from me.” 47 When the woman saw that she could not escape notice, she came trembling and fell down before him. In the presence of all the people she declared why she had touched him and how she had been immediately healed. 48 Then he said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace.”

49 While he was still speaking, someone came from the synagogue leader's house, saying, “Your daughter is dead. Do not trouble the teacher any longer.” 50 But when Jesus heard this, he answered Jairus, “Do not be afraid; only believe, and she will be healed.” 51 When he came to the house, he allowed no one to enter with him, except Peter and John and James, and the father of the child and her mother. 52 Now all were mourning and wailing for her, but he said, “Do not weep; she is not dead but asleep.” 53 But they laughed at him, knowing that she was dead. 54 But he took her by the hand and called out, saying, “Child, get up!” 55 Her spirit returned, and she rose up immediately. He ordered them to get her something to eat. 56 Her parents were astonished, but he ordered them to tell no one what had happened.

9

1 He called the twelve together and gave them power and authority over all the demons and to cure diseases. 2 He sent them out to preach the kingdom of God and to heal the sick. 3 He said to them, “Take nothing for your journey—no staff, no wallet, no bread, no money, and no extra tunic. 4 Whatever house you enter, stay there until you leave. 5 Wherever they do not receive you, when you leave that town, shake off the dust from your feet as a testimony against them.” 6 Then they departed and went through the villages, proclaiming the good news and healing everywhere.

7 Now Herod the tetrarch heard about all that was happening, and he was perplexed, because it was said by some that John had risen from the dead, 8 and others said that Elijah had appeared, and still others that one of the prophets of long ago had risen. 9 Herod said, “I beheaded John. Who is this about whom I hear such things?” And so he tried to see him.

10 When the apostles returned, they told him everything they had done. Then he took them with him, and they went away privately to a town called Bethsaida. 11 But when the crowds heard about this, they followed him. He welcomed them and spoke to them about the kingdom of God, and he cured those who needed healing. 12 Now the day was about to come to an end, and the twelve came to him and said, “Send the crowd away that they may go into the surrounding villages and countryside to find lodging and food, because we are here in an isolated place.” 13 But he said to them, “You give them something to eat.” They said, “We have no more than five loaves of bread and two fish—unless we go and buy food for all these people.” 14 (There were about five thousand men.) He said to his disciples, “Have them sit down in groups of about fifty each.” 15 So they did this, and made the people sit down. 16 Taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven, he blessed them and broke them into pieces, and he gave them to the disciples to set before the crowd. 17 They all ate and were satisfied, and what was left over was picked up—twelve baskets of broken pieces.

18 It came about while Jesus was praying by himself, the disciples were with him. He questioned them, saying, “Who do the crowds say that I am?” 19 They answered, “John the Baptist. But others say Elijah, and others say that one of the prophets from long ago has risen.” 20 Then he said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter answered, “The Christ of God.” 21 But he strongly warned them to tell this to no one, 22 saying, “The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and he will be killed and on the third day be raised.” 23 Then he said to them all, “If anyone wants to come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. 24 Whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it. 25 What good is it for a person to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit himself? 26 Whoever is ashamed of me and my words, of him will the Son of Man be ashamed when he comes in his own glory, and the glory of the Father and of the holy angels. 27 But I say to you truly, there are some standing here who will not taste death before they see the kingdom of God.”

28 Now about eight days after Jesus said these words, he took with him Peter and John and James and went up on the mountain to pray. 29 As he was praying, the form of his face was changed, and his clothes became brilliant white. 30 Behold, two men were talking with him, Moses and Elijah, 31 who appeared in glorious splendor. They spoke about his departure, which he was about to bring to completion in Jerusalem. 32 Now Peter and those who were with him were heavy with sleep, but when they became fully awake, they saw his glory and the two men who were standing with him. 33 As they were going away from Jesus, Peter said to him, “Master, it is good for us to be here. Let us make three shelters, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” (He did not know what he was saying.) 34 As he was saying this, a cloud came and overshadowed them, and they were afraid as they entered into the cloud. 35 A voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This is my Son, the one who is chosen; listen to him.” 36 When the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone. They kept silent and told no one in those days anything of what they had seen.

37 Now on the next day, when they came down from the mountain, a large crowd met him. 38 Behold, a man from the crowd cried out, saying, “Teacher, I beg you to look at my son, for he is my only child. 39 You see, a spirit takes control over him and he suddenly screams; it causes him to have convulsions so that he foams at the mouth. It hardly ever leaves him and it bruises him badly. 40 I begged your disciples to force it out, but they could not.” 41 Jesus answered and said, “You unbelieving and depraved generation, how long must I be with you and put up with you? Bring your son here.” 42 While the boy was coming, the demon threw him to the ground and shook him with convulsions. But Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit and healed the boy, and gave him back to his father. 43 Then they were all amazed at the greatness of God. While they all were marveling at everything he was doing, he said to his disciples, 44 “Let these words go deeply into your ears: The Son of Man will be betrayed into the hands of men.” 45 But they did not understand this statement. It was hidden from them, so they could not know its meaning, and yet they were afraid to ask about this statement.

46 Then an argument started among them about which of them would be the greatest. 47 But Jesus, knowing the reasoning in their hearts, took a little child and put him by his side 48 and said to them, “Whoever welcomes this child in my name, welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me, welcomes the one who sent me. For whoever is least among you all is the one who is great.”

49 John answered, “Master, we saw someone forcing out demons in your name and we prevented him, because he does not follow along with us.” 50 “Do not stop him,” Jesus said, “because whoever is not against you is for you.”

51 When the days drew near for him to be taken up, he set his face to go to Jerusalem. 52 He sent messengers on ahead of him, and they went and entered into a Samaritan village to prepare everything for him. 53 But the people there did not welcome him, because he had set his face to go to Jerusalem. 54 When the disciples James and John saw this, they said, “Lord, do you want us to command fire to come down from heaven and destroy them?” 55 But he turned and rebuked them, 56 and they went on to another village.

57 As they were going along the road, someone said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.” 58 Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes, and birds in the sky have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.” 59 Then he said to another, “Follow me.” But he said, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.” 60 But he said to him, “Leave the dead to bury their own dead. But as for you, go and proclaim far and wide the kingdom of God.” 61 Then someone else said, “I will follow you, Lord, but first let me say goodbye to those in my home.” 62 Jesus replied to him, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.”

10

1 Now after these things, the Lord appointed seventy * others, and sent them out two by two ahead of him to every town and place where he himself was about to go. 2 He said to them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest. 3 Go on your way. See, I send you out as lambs in the midst of wolves. 4 Do not carry a money bag, or a traveler's bag, or sandals, and greet no one on the road. 5 Whatever house you enter, first say, 'May peace be on this house!' 6 If a person of peace is there, your peace will rest upon him, but if not, it will return to you. 7 Remain in that same house, eating and drinking what they provide, for the laborer is worthy of his wages. Do not move around from house to house. 8 Whatever town you enter, and they receive you, eat what is set before you, 9 and heal the sick that are there. Say to them, 'The kingdom of God has come close to you.' 10 Whenever you enter a town and they do not receive you, go out into its streets and say, 11 'Even the dust from your town that clings to our feet we wipe off against you! But know this: The kingdom of God has come near.' 12 I say to you that on the judgment day it will be more tolerable for Sodom than for that town. 13 Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! If the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes. 14 But it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the judgment than for you. 15 You, Capernaum, do you think you will be exalted to heaven? No, you will be brought down to Hades. 16 The one who listens to you listens to me, and the one who rejects you rejects me, and the one who rejects me rejects the one who sent me.”

17 The seventy returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons submitted to us in your name.” 18 Jesus said to them, “I was watching Satan fall from heaven as lightning. 19 See, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing will in any way hurt you. 20 Nevertheless do not rejoice only in this, that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice even more that your names are engraved in heaven.”

21 At that same time he rejoiced greatly in the Holy Spirit, and said, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you concealed these things from the wise and understanding, and revealed them to those who are untaught, like little children. Yes, Father, for so it was well pleasing in your sight.” 22 “All things have been entrusted to me from my Father, and no one knows who the Son is except the Father, and no one knows who the Father is except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.” 23 Then he turned around to the disciples and said privately, “Blessed are those who see the things that you see. 24 I say to you, many prophets and kings desired to see the things you see, and they did not see them, and to hear the things that you hear, and they did not hear them.”

25 Behold, a certain teacher of the Jewish laws stood up so that he might test him, saying, “Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” 26 Jesus said to him, “What is written in the law? How do you read it?” 27 He gave an answer and he said, “You will love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.” 28 Jesus said to him, “You have answered correctly. Do this, and you will live.” 29 But the teacher, desiring to justify himself, said to Jesus, “Who is my neighbor?” 30 Jesus answered him and said, “A certain man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho. He fell among robbers, who stripped him of his belongings, and beat him, and left him half dead. 31 By chance a certain priest was going down that way, and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. 32 Similarly a Levite also, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. 33 But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came to where he was. When he saw him, he was moved with compassion. 34 He approached him and bound up his wounds, pouring oil and wine on them. He set him on his own animal, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him. 35 The next day he took out two denarii, and gave them to the host, and said, 'Take care of him and whatever extra you spend, when I return, I will repay you.' 36 Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to him who fell among the robbers?” 37 The teacher said, “The one who showed mercy to him.” Jesus said to him, “Go and do the same.”

38 Now as they were traveling along, he entered into a certain village, and a certain woman named Martha welcomed him into her house. 39 She had a sister named Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet and heard his word. 40 But Martha was overly busy with preparing to serve a meal. She came up to Jesus, and said, “Lord, do you not care that my sister left me to serve alone? Therefore tell her to help me.” 41 But the Lord answered and said to her, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious about many things, 42 but only one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen what is best, which will not be taken away from her.”

11

1 It happened when Jesus was praying in a certain place, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray just as John taught his disciples.” 2 Jesus said to them, “When you pray say,

'Father, may your name be sanctified.

May your kingdom come.

3 Give us our daily bread each day.

4 Forgive us our sins,

as we forgive everyone

who is in debt to us.

Do not lead us into temptation.'”

5 Jesus said to them, “Which of you will have a friend, and will go to him at midnight, and say to him, 'Friend, lend to me three loaves of bread, 6 since a friend of mine just came in from the road, and I do not have anything to set before him'? 7 Then the one inside who answered him may say, 'Do not bother me. The door is already shut, and my children, along with me, are in bed. I am not able to get up and give bread to you.' 8 I say to you, even if he does not get up and give bread to you because you are his friend, yet because of your shameless persistence, he will get up and give you as many loaves of bread as you need. 9 I also say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 10 For every asking person receives; and the seeking person finds; and to the person who knocks, it will be opened. 11 Which father among you, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead of a fish? * 12 Or if he asks for an egg, will you give a scorpion to him? 13 Therefore, if you who are evil know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father from heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him?”

14 Now Jesus was driving out a demon that was mute. When the demon had gone out, the man who had been mute spoke, and the crowd was amazed. 15 But some of the people said, “By Beelzebul, the ruler of demons, he is driving out demons.” 16 Others tested him and sought from him a sign from heaven. 17 But Jesus knew their thoughts and said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself is made desolate, and a house divided against itself falls. 18 If Satan is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand? For you say I cast out demons by Beelzebul. 19 If I drive out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your followers drive them out? Because of this, they will be your judges. 20 But if I drive out demons by the finger of God, then the kingdom of God has come to you. 21 When a strong man who is fully armed guards his own house, his goods are safe, 22 but when a stronger man overcomes him, the stronger man takes away the armor from the man, and plunders the man's possessions. 23 The one who is not with me is against me, and the one who does not gather with me scatters. 24 When an unclean spirit has gone away from a man, it passes through waterless places and looks for rest. Finding none, it says, 'I will return to my house from which I came.' 25 Having returned, it finds that house swept out and put in order. 26 Then it goes and takes along with it seven other spirits more evil than itself and they all come in to live there. Then the final condition of that man becomes worse than the first.”

27 It happened that, as he said these things, a certain woman raised her voice above the crowd and said to him, “Blessed is the womb that bore you and the breasts that nursed you.” 28 But he said, “Rather, blessed are they who hear the word of God and keep it.”

29 As the crowds were increasing, Jesus began to say, “This generation is an evil generation. It seeks a sign, though no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah. 30 For just as Jonah became a sign to the Ninevites, so too the Son of Man will be a sign to this generation. 31 The Queen of the South will rise up at the judgment with the men of this generation and condemn them, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and see, someone greater than Solomon is here. 32 The men of Nineveh will stand up at the judgment with this generation of people and will condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and see, someone greater than Jonah is here.

33 No one, after lighting a lamp, puts it in a hidden place or under a basket, but on a lampstand, so that those who enter may see the light. 34 Your eye is the lamp of the body. When your eye is good, the whole body is filled with light. But when your eye is bad, your body is full of darkness. 35 Therefore, be careful that the light in you is not darkness. 36 If then your whole body is full of light, with no part of it in darkness, then your whole body will be like when a lamp shines its brightness on you.”

37 When he had finished speaking, a Pharisee asked him to eat with him at his house, so Jesus went in and reclined. 38 The Pharisee was surprised that Jesus first did not wash before dinner. 39 But the Lord said to him, “Now then, you Pharisees clean the outside of cups and bowls, but the inside of you is filled with greed and evil. 40 You senseless men! Did not the one who made the outside also make the inside? 41 Give to the poor what is inside, and then all things will be clean for you.

42 But woe to you Pharisees, because you tithe mint and rue and every other garden herb, but you neglect justice and the love of God. It is necessary to act justly and love God, without failing to do the other things also. 43 Woe to you Pharisees, for you love the front seats in the synagogues and respectful greetings in the marketplaces. 44 Woe to you, for you are like unmarked graves that people walk over without knowing it.”

45 One of the teachers of the law said to him, “Teacher, what you say insults us too.” 46 Jesus said, “Woe to you, teachers of the law! For you put people under burdens that are hard to carry, but you do not touch the burdens with one of your own fingers. 47 Woe to you, because you build tombs for the prophets, and it was your ancestors who killed them. 48 So you are witnesses and you consent to the works of your ancestors, for they indeed killed them and you build their tombs. 49 For this reason also, God's wisdom said, 'I will send to them prophets and apostles, and they will persecute and kill some of them.' 50 This generation, then, will be held responsible for all the blood of the prophets shed since the world began, 51 from Abel's blood to the blood of Zechariah, who was killed between the altar and the sanctuary. Yes, I say to you, this generation will be held responsible. 52 Woe to you teachers of Jewish laws, because you have taken away the key of knowledge; you do not enter in yourselves, and you hinder those who are entering.”

53 After Jesus left there, the scribes and the Pharisees opposed him and argued with him about many things, 54 trying to trap him in his own words.

12

1 In the meantime, when many thousands of the people were gathered together, so much that they trampled on each other, he began to say to his disciples first of all, “Beware of the yeast of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy. 2 But there is nothing concealed that will not be revealed, and nothing hidden that will not be known. 3 So whatever you have said in the darkness will be heard in the light, and what you have spoken in the ear in the inner rooms will be proclaimed upon the housetops. 4 I say to you my friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body, and after that they have no more that they can do. 5 But I will warn you about whom to fear. Fear the one who, after he has killed, has authority to throw you into hell. Yes, I say to you, fear him. 6 Are not five sparrows sold for two small coins? Yet not one of them is forgotten in the sight of God. 7 But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not fear. You are more valuable than many sparrows. 8 I say to you, everyone who confesses me before men, the Son of Man will also confess before the angels of God, 9 but he who denies me before men will be denied before the angels of God. 10 Everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him, but to him who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven. 11 When they bring you before the synagogues, the rulers, and the authorities, do not worry about how you will speak in your defense, or what you will say, 12 for the Holy Spirit will teach you in that hour what you should say.”

13 Then someone from the crowd said to him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.” 14 Jesus said to him, “Man, who made me a judge or a mediator over you?” 15 He said to them, “Watch that you keep yourselves from all greedy desires, because a person's life does not consist of the abundance of his possessions.” 16 Then Jesus told them a parable, saying, “The field of a rich man yielded abundantly, 17 and he reasoned with himself, saying, 'What will I do, because I do not have a place to store my crops?' 18 He said, 'This is what I will do. I will pull down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store all of my grain and other goods. 19 I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have many goods stored up for many years. Rest easy, eat, drink, be merry.”' 20 But God said to him, 'Foolish man, tonight your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?' 21 That is what someone is like who stores up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God.”

22 Jesus said to his disciples, “Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat—or about your body, what you will wear. 23 For life is more than food, and the body is more than clothes. 24 Consider the ravens, that they do not sow or reap. They have no storeroom or barn, but God feeds them. How much more valuable you are than the birds! 25 Which of you by being anxious can add a cubit to his lifespan? 26 If then you are not able to do such a very little thing, why do you worry about the rest? 27 Consider the lilies—how they grow. They do not labor, neither do they spin. Yet I say to you, even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these. 28 If God so clothes the grass in the field, which exists today, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will he clothe you, O you of little faith! 29 Do not look for what you will eat and what you will drink, and do not be anxious. 30 For all the nations of the world look for these things, and your Father knows that you need them. 31 But seek his kingdom, and these things will be added to you. 32 Do not fear, little flock, because your Father is very pleased to give you the kingdom. 33 Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Make for yourselves purses which will not wear out—treasure in the heavens that does not run out, where no thief comes near, and no moth destroys. 34 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

35 Let your long clothing be tucked in at your belt, and let your lamps be kept burning, 36 and be like people looking for their master when he returns from the marriage feast, so that when he comes and knocks, they may immediately open the door for him. 37 Blessed are those servants whom the master will find watching when he comes. Truly I say to you, he will tuck in his long clothing at his belt, and have them sit down at the table, and he will come and serve them. 38 If the master comes in the second watch of the night, or if even in the third watch, and finds them ready, blessed are those servants. 39 But understand this, that if the master of the house had known the hour the thief was coming he would not have let his house be broken into. 40 Be ready also, because you do not know the hour when the Son of Man comes.”

41 Peter said, “Lord, are you telling this parable only to us, or also to everyone?” 42 The Lord said, “Who then is the faithful and wise manager whom his lord will set over his other servants to give them their portion of food at the right time? 43 Blessed is that servant whom his lord finds doing that when he comes. 44 Truly I say to you that he will set him over all his property. 45 But if that servant says in his heart, 'My lord delays his return,' and begins to beat the male and female servants, and to eat and drink, and to become drunk, 46 the lord of that servant will come in a day when he does not expect, and in an hour that he does not know, and will cut him in pieces and appoint a place for him with the unfaithful. 47 That servant, having known his lord's will, and not having prepared or done according to his will, will be beaten with many blows. 48 But the one who did not know and did what deserved a beating, he will be beaten with a few blows. But everyone who has been given much, from them much will be required, and the one who has been entrusted with much, even more will be asked.

49 I came to cast fire upon the earth, and how I wish that it were already kindled. 50 But I have a baptism to be baptized with, and how I am distressed until it is completed! 51 Do you think that I came to bring peace on the earth? No, I tell you, but rather division. 52 For from now on there will be five in one house divided—three people against two, and two people against three. 53 They will be divided, father against son, and son against father; mother against daughter, and daughter against mother; mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law, and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.”

54 Jesus was saying to the crowds also, “When you see a cloud rising in the west, immediately you say, 'A shower is coming,' and so it happens. 55 When a south wind is blowing, you say, 'There will be a scorching heat,' and it happens. 56 Hypocrites, you know how to interpret the appearance of the earth and the heavens, but how is it that you do not know how to interpret the present time? 57 Why do you not judge what is right for yourselves? 58 For when you go with your adversary before the magistrate, on the way make an effort to settle the matter with him so that he does not drag you to the judge, and so that the judge does not deliver you to the officer, and the officer does not throw you into prison. 59 I say to you, you will never come out from there until you have paid the very last bit of money.”

13

1 At that time, some people there told him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate mixed with their own sacrifices. 2 Jesus answered and said to them, “Do you think that these Galileans were more sinful than all the other Galileans because they suffered in this way? 3 No, I tell you. But if you do not repent, all of you will perish in the same way. 4 Or those eighteen people in Siloam on whom a tower fell and killed them, do you think they were worse sinners than other men in Jerusalem? 5 No, I say. But if you do not repent, all of you will also perish.”

6 Jesus told this parable, “Someone had a fig tree planted in his vineyard and he came and looked for fruit on it but found none. 7 The man said to the gardener, 'Look, for three years I came and tried to find fruit on this fig tree and found none. Cut it down. Why let it waste the ground?' 8 The gardener answered and said, 'Leave it alone this year while I dig around it and put manure on it. 9 If it bears fruit next year, good; but if it does not, cut it down!'”

10 Now Jesus was teaching in one of the synagogues during the Sabbath. 11 Behold, a woman was there who for eighteen years had a spirit of weakness. She was bent over and was not able to straighten up completely. 12 When Jesus saw her, he called to her and said, “Woman, you are freed from your weakness.” 13 He placed his hands on her, and immediately she was straightened up and she glorified God. 14 But the synagogue ruler was indignant because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath. So the ruler answered and said to the crowd, “There are six days in which it is necessary to work. Come and be healed then, not on the Sabbath day.” 15 The Lord answered him and said, “Hypocrites! Does not each of you untie his ox or his donkey from the stall and lead it to drink on the Sabbath? 16 So too this daughter of Abraham, whom Satan bound for eighteen long years, should her bonds not be untied on the Sabbath day?” 17 As he said these things, all those who opposed him were ashamed, but the whole crowd was rejoicing over all the glorious things he did.

18 Then Jesus said, “What is the kingdom of God like, and what can I compare it to? 19 It is like a mustard seed that a man took and threw into his garden, and it grew into a big tree, and the birds of heaven built their nests in its branches.”

20 Again he said, “To what can I compare the kingdom of God? 21 It is like yeast that a woman took and mixed with three measures of flour until it spread through all the flour.”

22 Then Jesus traveled through the towns and villages, teaching and making his way toward Jerusalem. 23 Someone said to him, “Lord, are only a few people to be saved?” So he said to them, 24 “Struggle to enter through the narrow door, because, I say to you, many will want to enter, but will not be able to enter. 25 Once the owner of the house gets up and locks the door, then you will stand outside and pound the door and say, 'Lord, Lord, let us in.' He will answer and say to you, 'I do not know you or where you are from.' 26 Then you will say, 'We ate and drank in front of you and you taught in our streets.' 27 But he will reply, 'I say to you, I do not know where you are from. Get away from me, you evildoers!' 28 There will be crying and the grinding of teeth when you see Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and all the prophets in God's kingdom, but you are thrown out. 29 They will come from the east, west, north, and south, and be seated at a table in the kingdom of God. 30 Know this, those who are least important will be first, and those who are most important will be last.”

31 Shortly after, some Pharisees came and said to him, “Go and leave here because Herod wants to kill you.” 32 Jesus said, “Go and tell that fox, 'Look, I cast out demons and perform healings today and tomorrow, and the third day I will reach my goal.' 33 In any case, it is necessary for me to continue on today, tomorrow, and the following day, since it is not acceptable to kill a prophet away from Jerusalem. 34 Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those sent to you. How often I desired to gather your children the way a hen gathers her brood under her wings, but you did not desire this. 35 See, your house is abandoned. I say to you, you will not see me until you say, 'Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.'”

14

1 It happened one Sabbath, when he went into the house of one of the leaders of the Pharisees to eat bread, that they were watching him closely. 2 Behold, there in front of him was a man who was suffering from edema. 3 Jesus asked the experts in the Jewish law and the Pharisees, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath, or not?” 4 But they kept silent. So Jesus took hold of him, healed him, and sent him away. 5 He said to them, “Which of you who has a son or an ox that falls into a well on the Sabbath day will not immediately pull him out?” 6 They were not able to give an answer to these things.

7 When Jesus noticed how those who were invited chose the seats of honor, he spoke a parable, saying to them, 8 “When you are invited by someone to a wedding feast, do not sit down in the place of honor, because someone may have been invited who is more honored than you. 9 When the person who invited both of you arrives, he will say to you, 'Give this other person your place,' and then in shame you will proceed to take the lowest place. 10 But when you are invited, go and sit down in the lowest place, so that when the one who has invited you comes, he may say to you, 'Friend, go up higher.' Then you will be honored in the presence of all who sit at the table with you. 11 For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”

12 Jesus also said to the man who had invited him, “When you give a dinner or a banquet, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or your rich neighbors, as they may also invite you in return, and you will be repaid. 13 But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind, 14 and you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you. For you will be repaid in the resurrection of the just.”

15 When one of them who sat at the table with Jesus heard these things, he said to him, “Blessed is he who will eat bread in the kingdom of God!” 16 But Jesus said to him, “A certain man prepared a large dinner and invited many. 17 When the dinner was prepared, he sent his servant to say to those who were invited, 'Come, because everything is now ready.' 18 They all alike began to make excuses. The first said to him, 'I have bought a field, and I must go out and see it. Please excuse me.' 19 Another said, 'I have bought five pairs of oxen, and I am going to try them out. Please excuse me.' 20 Then another man said, 'I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come.' 21 The servant came and told his master these things. Then the master of the house became angry and said to his servant, 'Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the town and bring in here the poor, the crippled, the blind, and the lame.' 22 The servant said, 'Master, what you commanded has been done, and yet there is still room.' 23 The master said to the servant, 'Go out into the highways and hedges and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled. 24 For I say to you, none of those men who were invited will taste my dinner.'”

25 Now large crowds were going with him, and he turned and said to them, 26 “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father, mother, wife, children, brothers and sisters, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. 27 Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple. 28 For which of you who desires to build a tower does not first sit down and count the cost to calculate if he has what he needs to complete it? 29 Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who see it will begin to mock him, 30 saying, 'This man began to build and was not able to finish.' 31 Or what king, as he goes to encounter another king in war, will not sit down first and take advice about whether he is able with ten thousand men to fight the other king who comes against him with twenty thousand men? 32 If not, while the other army is still far away, he sends a delegation and asks for conditions of peace. 33 So therefore, any one of you who does not give up all that he has cannot be my disciple. 34 Salt is good, but if the salt has lost its taste, how can it be made salty again? 35 It is of no use for the soil or even for the manure pile. It is thrown away. He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”

15

1 Now all the tax collectors and other sinners were coming to Jesus to listen to him. 2 Both the Pharisees and the scribes grumbled to each other, saying, “This man welcomes sinners, and even eats with them.”

3 Jesus spoke this parable to them, saying, 4 “Which one of you, if he has a hundred sheep and then loses one of them, will not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness, and go after the lost one until he finds it? 5 Then when he has found it, he lays it across his shoulders and rejoices. 6 When he comes to the house, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, 'Rejoice with me, for I have found my lost sheep.' 7 I say to you that even so, there will be joy in heaven over one sinner who repents, more than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.

8 Or what woman who has ten silver coins, if she were to lose one coin, would not light a lamp, sweep the house, and seek diligently until she has found it? 9 When she has found it, she calls together her friends and neighbors, saying, 'Rejoice with me, for I have found the coin which I lost.' 10 Even so, I say to you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”

11 Then Jesus said, “A certain man had two sons, 12 and the younger of them said to his father, 'Father, give me the portion of the wealth that falls to me.' So he divided his property between them. 13 Not many days later, the younger son gathered together all he owned and went to a country far away, and there he wasted all his wealth by living recklessly. 14 Now when he had spent everything, a severe famine spread through that country, and he began to be in need. 15 He went and hired himself out to one of the citizens of that country, who sent him into his fields to feed pigs. 16 He would gladly have eaten the carob pods that the pigs ate, because no one gave him anything. 17 But when the young son came to himself, he said, 'How many of my father's hired servants have more than enough food, and I am here, dying from hunger! 18 I will leave here and go to my father, and will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. 19 I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me as one of your hired servants.”' 20 So the young son left and came toward his father. While he was still far away, his father saw him and was moved with compassion, and he ran and embraced him and kissed him. 21 The son said to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.' 22 The father said to his servants, 'Bring quickly the best robe, and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand, and sandals on his feet. 23 Then bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let us celebrate with a feast! 24 For my son was dead, and now he is alive. He was lost, and now he is found.' Then they began to celebrate. 25 Now his older son was out in the field. As he came and approached the house, he heard music and dancing. 26 He called to one of the servants and asked what these things might be. 27 The servant said to him, 'Your brother has come home and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has returned safely.' 28 The older son was angry and would not go in, and his father came out and begged him. 29 But the older son answered and said to his father, 'Look, these many years I slaved for you, and I never broke a rule of yours, and yet you never gave me a young goat that I might celebrate with my friends, 30 but when your son came, who has devoured your living with prostitutes, you killed for him the fattened calf.' 31 The father said to him, 'Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours. 32 But it was proper for us to feast and be happy, for this brother of yours was dead, and is now alive; he was lost, and has now been found.'”

16

1 Jesus also said to the disciples, “There was a certain rich man who had a manager, and it was reported to him that this manager was wasting his possessions. 2 So the rich man called him and said to him, 'What is this that I hear about you? Give an account of your management, for you can no longer be manager.' 3 The manager said to himself, 'What should I do, since my master is taking away my management job? I do not have strength to dig, and I am ashamed to beg. 4 I know what I will do, so that when I am removed from my management job, people will welcome me into their houses.' 5 Then the manager called for each one of his master's debtors, and he asked the first one, 'How much do you owe to my master?' 6 He said, 'A hundred baths of olive oil.' He said to him, 'Take your bill, sit down quickly, and write fifty.' 7 Then the manager said to another, 'How much do you owe?' He said, 'A hundred cors of wheat.' He said to him, 'Take your bill, and write eighty.' 8 The master then commended the unrighteous manager because he had acted shrewdly. For the children of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own people than are the children of light. 9 I say to you, make friends for yourselves by means of unrighteous wealth, so that when it is gone, they may welcome you into the eternal dwellings. 10 He who is faithful in very little is also faithful in much, and he who is unrighteous in very little is also unrighteous in much. 11 If you have not been faithful in using unrighteous wealth, who will trust you with true wealth? 12 If you have not been faithful in using other people's property, who will give you money of your own? 13 No servant can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.”

14 Now the Pharisees, who were lovers of money, heard all these things, and they ridiculed him. 15 He said to them, “You justify yourselves in the sight of men, but God knows your hearts. That which is exalted among men is detestable in the sight of God. 16 The law and the prophets were in effect until John came. From that time on, the gospel of the kingdom of God is preached, and everyone tries to force their way into it. 17 But it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one stroke of a letter of the law to become invalid.

18 Everyone who divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery, and he who marries one who is divorced from her husband commits adultery.

19 Now there was a certain rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and was enjoying every day his great wealth. 20 A certain beggar named Lazarus was laid at his gate, covered with sores, 21 and longing to eat what fell from the rich man's table. Even the dogs came and licked his sores. 22 It came about that the beggar died and was carried away by the angels to Abraham's side. The rich man also died and was buried, 23 and in Hades, being in torment, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham far away and Lazarus at his side. 24 So he cried out and said, 'Father Abraham, have mercy on me and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am in anguish in this flame.' 25 But Abraham said, 'Child, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner evil things. But now he is comforted here, and you are in agony. 26 Besides all this, a great chasm has been put in place, so that those who want to cross over from here to you cannot, and no one can cross over from there to us.' 27 The rich man said, 'I beg you, Father Abraham, that you would send him to my father's house— 28 for I have five brothers—in order that he may warn them, so that it may not be that they come into this place of torment.' 29 But Abraham said, 'They have Moses and the prophets; let them listen to them.' 30 The rich man replied, 'No, Father Abraham, but if someone would go to them from the dead, they will repent.' 31 But Abraham said to him, 'If they do not listen to Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded if someone rises from the dead.'”

17

1 Jesus said to his disciples, “It is certain there will be things that can cause us to sin, but woe to that person through whom they come! 2 It would be better for him if a millstone were put around his neck and he were thrown into the sea than that he should cause one of these little ones to stumble. 3 Watch yourselves. If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him. 4 If he sins against you seven times in the day, and seven times returns to you, saying, 'I repent,' you must forgive him!”

5 The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith.” 6 The Lord said, “If you had faith like a mustard seed, you would say to this mulberry tree, 'Be uprooted, and be planted in the sea,' and it would obey you. 7 But which of you, who has a servant plowing or keeping sheep, will say to him when he has come in from the field, 'Come immediately and sit down to eat'? 8 Will he not say to him, 'Prepare something for me to eat, and put a belt around your clothes and serve me until I have finished eating and drinking. Then afterward you will eat and drink'? 9 He does not thank the servant because he did the things that were commanded, does he? 10 Even so you also, when you have done everything that you are commanded, should say, 'We are unworthy servants. We have only done what we ought to do.'”

11 It came about that as he traveled to Jerusalem, he went along the border between Samaria and Galilee. 12 As he entered into a certain village, there he was met by ten men who were lepers. They stood far away from him 13 and they lifted up their voices, saying, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.” 14 When he saw them, he said to them, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.” As they went away they were cleansed. 15 When one of them saw that he was healed, he turned back, with a loud voice glorifying God. 16 He fell down at Jesus' feet, giving him thanks. He was a Samaritan. 17 Then Jesus said, “Were not the ten cleansed? Where are the nine? 18 Were there no others who returned to give glory to God, except this foreigner?” 19 He said to him, “Arise, and go. Your faith has made you well.”

20 Being asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, Jesus answered them and said, “The kingdom of God does not come with careful observing. 21 Neither will they say, 'Look, here it is!' or, 'There it is!' For look, the kingdom of God is within you.”

22 He said to the disciples, “The days are coming when you will desire to see one of the days of the Son of Man, but you will not see it. 23 Then they will say to you, 'Look, there! Look, here!' But do not go out or run after them, 24 for as the lightning shines brightly when it flashes from one part of the sky to another part of the sky, so will the Son of Man be in his day. 25 But first he must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation. 26 As it happened in the days of Noah, even so will it also happen in the days of the Son of Man. 27 They ate, they drank, they married, and they were given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark—and the flood came and destroyed them all. 28 Likewise, even as it happened in the days of Lot—they were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building. 29 But in the day that Lot went out from Sodom, it rained fire and sulfur from heaven and destroyed them all. 30 After the same manner it will be in the day that the Son of Man is revealed. 31 In that day, do not let him who is on the housetop go down to get his goods out of the house; and do not let him who is in the field return. 32 Remember Lot's wife. 33 Whoever seeks to gain his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life will save it. 34 I tell you, in that night there will be two people in one bed. One will be taken, and the other will be left. 35 There will be two women grinding together. One will be taken, and the other will be left.” 36  * 37 They asked him, “Where, Lord?” and he said to them, “Where there is a body, there will the vultures also be gathered together.”

18

1 Then he spoke a parable to them about how they should always pray and not become discouraged, 2 saying, “In a certain city there was a judge who did not fear God and did not respect people. 3 Now there was a widow in that city, and she came often to him, saying, 'Help me get justice against my opponent.' 4 For a long time he was not willing to help her, but after a while he said to himself, 'Though I do not fear God or respect man, 5 yet because this widow causes me trouble, I will help her get justice, so that she does not wear me out by her constant coming.'” 6 Then the Lord said, “Listen to what the unjust judge says. 7 Now will not God also bring justice to his chosen ones who cry out to him day and night? Will he delay long over them? 8 I say to you that he will bring justice to them speedily. Even so, when the Son of Man comes, will he indeed find faith on the earth?”

9 Then he also spoke this parable to some who were persuaded in themselves that they were righteous and who despised other people, 10 “Two men went up into the temple to pray—the one was a Pharisee and the other was a tax collector. 11 The Pharisee stood and prayed these things about himself, 'God, I thank you that I am not like other people—robbers, unrighteous people, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. 12 I fast two times every week. I give tithes of all that I get.' 13 But the tax collector, standing at a distance, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but hit his breast, saying, 'God, have mercy on me, a sinner.' 14 I say to you, this man went back down to his house justified rather than the other, because everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but everyone who humbles himself will be exalted.”

15 The people were also bringing to him their infants so that he might touch them, but when the disciples saw it, they rebuked them. 16 But Jesus called them to him, saying, “Permit the little children to come to me, and do not forbid them. For the kingdom of God belongs to such ones. 17 Truly I say to you, whoever will not receive the kingdom of God like a child will definitely not enter it.”

18 A certain ruler asked him, saying, “Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” 19 Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good, except God alone. 20 You know the commandments—do not commit adultery, do not kill, do not steal, do not testify falsely, honor your father and mother.” 21 The ruler said, “All these things I have obeyed from the time I was a youth.” 22 When Jesus heard that, he said to him, “One thing you still lack. You must sell all that you have and distribute it to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven—and come, follow me.” 23 But when the ruler heard these things, he became extremely sad, for he was very rich. 24 Then Jesus, seeing him, became very sad * and said, “How difficult it is for those who are rich to enter the kingdom of God! 25 For it is easier for a camel to go through a needle's eye, than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.” 26 Those hearing it said, “Then who can be saved?” 27 Jesus answered, “The things which are impossible with people are possible with God.” 28 Peter said, “Well, we have left everything that is our own and have followed you.” 29 Jesus then said to them, “Truly, I say to you that there is no one who has left house, or wife, or brothers, or parents, or children, for the sake of the kingdom of God, 30 who will not receive much more in this world, and in the world to come, eternal life.”

31 After he gathered the twelve to himself, he said to them, “See, we are going up to Jerusalem, and all the things that have been written by the prophets about the Son of Man will be accomplished. 32 For he will be given over to the Gentiles, and will be mocked, and shamefully treated, and spit upon. 33 After whipping him, they will kill him, and on the third day he will rise again.” 34 They understood none of these things, and this word was hidden from them, and they did not understand the things that were said.

35 It came about that, as Jesus approached Jericho, a certain blind man was sitting by the road begging, 36 and hearing a crowd going by, he asked what was happening. 37 They told him that Jesus of Nazareth was passing by. 38 So the blind man cried out, saying, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me.” 39 The ones who were walking ahead rebuked the blind man, telling him to be quiet. But he cried out all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me.” 40 Jesus stood still and commanded that the man be brought to him. Then when the blind man was near, Jesus asked him, 41 “What do you want me to do for you?” He said, “Lord, I want to receive my sight.” 42 Jesus said to him, “Receive your sight. Your faith has healed you.” 43 Immediately he received his sight and followed him, glorifying God. All the people, when they saw this, gave praise to God.

19

1 Jesus entered and was passing through Jericho. 2 Behold, there was a man there named Zacchaeus. He was a chief tax collector and was rich. 3 He was trying to see who Jesus was, but could not see over the crowd, because he was small in height. 4 So he ran on ahead of the people and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see him, because Jesus was about to pass that way. 5 When Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, come down quickly, for today I must stay at your house.” 6 So he hurried and came down and welcomed him joyfully. 7 When everyone saw this, they all complained, saying, “He has gone in to visit a man who is a sinner.” 8 Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor, and if I have cheated anyone of anything, I will restore four times the amount.” 9 Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because he too is a son of Abraham. 10 For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the people who are lost.”

11 As they heard these things, he continued speaking and told a parable, because he was near to Jerusalem, and they thought that the kingdom of God was about to appear immediately. 12 He said therefore, “A certain nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom and then to return. 13 He called ten of his servants, and gave them ten minas, and said to them, 'Conduct business until I come back.' 14 But his citizens hated him and sent a delegation after him, saying, 'We will not have this man rule over us.' 15 It happened when he came back again, having received the kingdom, he commanded the servants to whom he had given the money to be called to him, that he might know what profit they had made by doing business. 16 The first came before him, saying, 'Lord, your mina has made ten minas more.' 17 The nobleman said to him, 'Well done, good servant. Because you were faithful in very little, you will have authority over ten cities.' 18 The second came, saying, 'Your mina, lord, has made five minas.' 19 The nobleman said to him, 'You take charge over five cities.' 20 Another came, saying, 'Lord, here is your mina, which I kept safely in a cloth, 21 for I was afraid of you, because you are a demanding person. You take up what you did not put in, and you reap what you did not sow.' 22 The nobleman said to him, 'By your own words I will judge you, you wicked servant. You knew that I am a demanding person, that I take up what I did not put in, and that I reaped what I did not sow. 23 Then why did you not put my money in the bank, so that when I returned I would have collected it with interest?' 24 The nobleman said to them that stood by, 'Take away from him the mina, and give it to him that has the ten minas.' 25 They said to him, 'Lord, he has ten minas.' 26 'I say to you, that everyone who has will be given more, but from him that has not, even that which he has will be taken away. 27 But these enemies of mine, those who did not want me to reign over them, bring them here and kill them before me.'”

28 When he had said these things, he went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem.

29 It came about that when he came near to Bethphage and Bethany, to the hill that is called Olivet, he sent two of the disciples, 30 saying, “Go into the next village. As you enter, you will find a colt that has never been ridden. Untie it and bring it to me. 31 If anyone asks you, 'Why are you untying it?' say, 'The Lord has need of it.'” 32 Those who were sent went and found the colt just as Jesus had told them. 33 As they were untying the colt, the owners said to them, “Why are you untying the colt?” 34 They said, “The Lord has need of it.” 35 They brought it to Jesus, and they threw their cloaks upon the colt and set Jesus on it. 36 As he went, they spread their cloaks on the road. 37 As he was now approaching the place where the Mount of Olives descends, the whole multitude of the disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works which they had seen, 38 saying, “Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!” 39 Some of the Pharisees in the multitude said to him, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples.” 40 Jesus answered and said, “I tell you, if these were silent, the stones would cry out.”

41 When Jesus approached the city, he wept over it, 42 saying, “If only you had known in this day, even you, the things which bring you peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes. 43 For the days will come upon you when your enemies will build a barricade around you, and surround you, and press in on you from every side. 44 They will strike you down to the ground and your children with you. They will not leave one stone upon another, because you did not recognize it when God was trying to save you.”

45 Jesus entered the temple and began to cast out those who were selling, 46 saying to them, “It is written, 'My house will be a house of prayer,' but you have made it a den of robbers.”

47 So Jesus was teaching daily in the temple. The chief priests and the scribes and the leaders of the people wanted to kill him, 48 but they could not find a way to do it, because all the people were listening to him intently.

20

1 It came about one day, as Jesus was teaching the people in the temple and preaching the gospel, the chief priests and the scribes came to him with the elders. 2 They spoke, saying to him, “Tell us by what authority you do these things, or who it is who gave you this authority.” 3 He answered and said to them, “I will also ask you a question, and you tell me. 4 The baptism of John: was it from heaven or from men?” 5 They reasoned with themselves, saying, “If we say, 'From heaven,' he will say, 'Then why did you not believe him?' 6 But if we say, 'From men,' all the people will stone us, for they are persuaded that John was a prophet.” 7 So they answered that they did not know where it came from. 8 Jesus said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.”

9 He told the people this parable, “A man planted a vineyard, rented it out to vine growers, and went into another country for a long time. 10 At the appointed time he sent a servant to the vine growers, that they should give him of the fruit of the vineyard. But the vine growers beat him, and sent him away empty-handed. 11 He then sent yet another servant and they also beat him, treated him shamefully, and sent him away empty-handed. 12 He also sent yet a third and they also wounded him, and threw him out. 13 So the lord of the vineyard said, 'What will I do? I will send my beloved son. Maybe they will respect him.' 14 But when the vine growers saw him, they discussed among themselves, saying, 'This is the heir. Let us kill him, that the inheritance may be ours.' 15 They threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. What then will the lord of the vineyard do to them? 16 He will come and destroy these vine growers, and will give the vineyard to others.” When they heard it, they said, “May it never be!” 17 But Jesus looked at them, and said, “What is the meaning of that which is written:

'The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone'?

18 Every one who falls on that stone will be broken to pieces. But on whomever it falls, it will crush.”

19 So the scribes and the chief priests sought to lay hands on him in that very hour, for they knew that he had spoken this parable against them. But they were afraid of the people. 20 Watching him carefully, they sent out spies who pretended to be righteous, that they might find fault with his speech, so as to deliver him up to the rule and to the authority of the governor. 21 They asked him, saying, “Teacher, we know that you say and teach rightly, and are not influenced by anyone's position, but you teach the truth about the way of God. 22 Is it lawful for us to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?” 23 But Jesus understood their craftiness, and said to them, 24 “Show me a denarius. Whose image and name is on it?” They said, “Caesar's.” 25 He said to them, “Then give to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's.” 26 They were not able to find fault with what he had said in front of the people, but marveling at his answer, they were silent.

27 When some of the Sadducees came to him, the ones who say that there is no resurrection, 28 they asked him, saying, “Teacher, Moses wrote to us that if a man's brother dies, having a wife, and being childless, the man should take the brother's wife, and have a child for his brother. 29 There were seven brothers and the first took a wife, and died childless, 30 and the second as well. 31 The third took her, and likewise the seven also left no children, and died. 32 Afterward the woman also died. 33 In the resurrection then, whose wife will she be? For the seven had her as their wife.” 34 Jesus said to them, “The sons of this world marry and are given in marriage. 35 But those who are regarded as worthy in that age to receive the resurrection from the dead will neither marry nor be given in marriage. 36 Neither can they die anymore, for they are equal to the angels and are sons of God, being sons of the resurrection. 37 But that the dead are raised, even Moses showed, in the place concerning the bush, where he calls the Lord the God of Abraham and the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob. 38 Now he is not the God of the dead, but of the living, because all live to him.” 39 Some of the scribes answered, “Teacher, you have answered well.” 40 For they did not dare ask him any more questions.

41 Jesus said to them, “How do they say that the Christ is David's son? 42 For David himself says in the Book of Psalms,

The Lord said to my Lord,

'Sit at my right hand,

43 until I make your enemies your footstool.'

44 David therefore calls the Christ 'Lord', so how is he David's son?”

45 In the hearing of all the people he said to his disciples, 46 “Beware of the scribes, who desire to walk in long robes, and love special greetings in the marketplaces, and chief seats in the synagogues, and chief places at feasts. 47 They also devour widows' houses, and for a show they make long prayers. Men like this will receive greater condemnation.”

21

1 Jesus looked up and saw the rich men who were putting their gifts into the treasury. 2 He saw a certain poor widow putting in two mites. 3 So he said, “Truly I say to you, this poor widow put in more than all of them. 4 All of these gave gifts out of their abundance. But this widow, out of her poverty, put in all she had to live on.”

5 As some spoke of the temple, how it was decorated with beautiful stones and offerings, he said, 6 “As for these things that you see, the days will come when not one stone will be left on another which will not be torn down.” 7 So they asked him, saying, “Teacher, when will these things happen? What will be the sign when these things are about to happen?” 8 Jesus answered, “Be careful that you are not deceived. For many will come in my name, saying, 'I am he,' and, 'The time is near.' Do not go after them. 9 When you hear of wars and riots, do not be terrified, for these things must happen first, but the end will not happen immediately.”

10 Then he said to them, “Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. 11 There will be great earthquakes, and in various places famines and plagues. There will be terrifying events and great signs from heaven. 12 But before all of these things, they will lay their hands on you and will persecute you, delivering you over to the synagogues and prisons, bringing you before kings and governors because of my name. 13 It will lead to an opportunity for your testimony. 14 Therefore resolve in your hearts not to prepare your defense ahead of time, 15 for I will give you words and wisdom that all your adversaries will not be able to resist or contradict. 16 But you will be delivered up also by parents, brothers, relatives, and friends, and they will put some of you to death. 17 You will be hated by everyone because of my name. 18 But not a hair of your head will perish. 19 In your endurance you will gain your souls.

20 When you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its destruction is near. 21 Then let those in Judea flee to the mountains, let those who are in the city leave it, and those who are out in the country must not enter the city. 22 For these are days of vengeance, so that all the things that are written will be fulfilled. 23 Woe to them who are pregnant and to them who are nursing in those days! For there will be great distress upon the land, and wrath to this people. 24 They will fall by the edge of the sword, and they will be led captive into all the nations, and Jerusalem will be trampled by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.

25 There will be signs in the sun, in the moon, and in the stars, and on the earth. The nations will be in distress, anxious because of the roar of the sea and waves. 26 There will be men fainting from fear and from expectation of the things which are coming upon the world. For the powers of the heavens will be shaken. 27 Then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. 28 But when these things begin to happen, stand up and lift up your heads, because your deliverance is coming near.”

29 Jesus told them a parable, “Look at the fig tree, and all the trees. 30 When they sprout buds, you see for yourselves and know that summer is already near. 31 So also, when you see these things happening, you know that the kingdom of God is near. 32 Truly I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place. 33 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.

34 But pay attention to yourselves, so that your hearts are not burdened with the effects of drinking and intoxication, and the worries of life, and then that day will close on you suddenly like a trap. 35 For it will come upon everyone living on the face of the whole earth. 36 But be alert at all times, praying that you may be strong enough to escape all these things that will take place, and to stand before the Son of Man.”

37 So during the days he was teaching in the temple, and at night he went out and stayed on the Mount of Olives. 38 All of the people came early in the morning to hear him in the temple.

22

1 Now the Festival of Unleavened Bread was approaching, which is called the Passover. 2 The chief priests and the scribes discussed how they could put Jesus to death, for they were afraid of the people.

3 Then Satan entered into Judas Iscariot, who was one of the twelve. 4 Judas went to the chief priests and captains and discussed with them how he would betray Jesus to them. 5 They were glad, and agreed to give him money. 6 He consented, and looked for an opportunity to deliver him to them away from the crowd.

7 Then came the day of unleavened bread, on which the Passover lamb had to be sacrificed. 8 So Jesus sent Peter and John, saying, “Go and prepare for us the Passover meal, so that we may eat it.” 9 They said to him, “Where do you want us to make preparations?” 10 He answered them, “Listen, when you have entered the city, a man bearing a pitcher of water will meet you. Follow him into the house that he goes into. 11 Then say to the master of the house, 'The Teacher says to you, “Where is the guest room, where I will eat the Passover with my disciples?”' 12 He will show you a large furnished upper room. Make the preparations there.” 13 So they went, and found everything as he had said to them. Then they prepared the Passover meal.

14 When the time came, he sat down with the apostles. 15 Then he said to them, “I have greatly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. 16 For I say to you, I will not eat it again, until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.” 17 Then Jesus took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he said, “Take this, and share it among yourselves. 18 For I say to you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine again until the kingdom of God comes.” 19 Then he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and gave to them, saying, “This is my body which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” 20 He took the cup in the same way after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you. 21 But pay attention. The one who betrays me is with me at the table. 22 For the Son of Man indeed goes as it has been determined. But woe to that man through whom he is betrayed!” 23 They began to discuss among themselves which one of them it might be who would do this.

24 Then there arose also a quarrel among them about which of them was considered to be greatest. 25 He said to them, “The kings of the Gentiles are masters over them, and the ones who have authority over them are referred to as those who do good to their people. 26 But it must not be like this with you. Instead, let the one who is the greatest among you become like the youngest, and let the one who is the most important become like the one who serves. 27 For who is greater, the one who sits at the table, or the one who serves? Is it not the one who sits at the table? Yet I am among you as one who serves. 28 But you are the ones who have continued with me in my temptations. 29 I give to you a kingdom, even as my Father has given a kingdom to me, 30 that you may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom, and you will sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel.

31 Simon, Simon, be aware, Satan asked to have you, that he might sift you as wheat. 32 But I have prayed for you, that your faith may not fail. After you have turned back again, strengthen your brothers.” 33 Peter said to him, “Lord, I am ready to go with you both to prison and to death.” 34 Jesus replied, “I tell you, Peter, the rooster will not crow this day, before you deny three times that you know me.”

35 Then Jesus said to them, “When I sent you out without a purse, a bag of provisions, or shoes, did you lack anything?” They answered, “Nothing.” 36 Then he said to them, “But now, the one who has a purse, let him take it, and also a bag of provisions. The one who does not have a sword should sell his cloak and buy one. 37 For I say to you, what is written about me must be fulfilled, 'He was counted with the lawless ones.' For what is predicted about me is being fulfilled.” 38 Then they said, “Lord, look! Here are two swords.” He said to them, “It is enough.”

39 Jesus went, as he often did, to the Mount of Olives, and the disciples followed him. 40 When they arrived, he said to them, “Pray that you do not enter into temptation.” 41 He went away from them about a stone's throw, and he knelt down and prayed, 42 saying, “Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless not my will, but yours be done.” 43 Then an angel from heaven appeared to him, strengthening him. 44 Being in agony, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat became like great drops of blood falling down upon the ground. 45 When he rose up from his prayer, he came to the disciples, and found them sleeping because of their sorrow, 46 and asked them, “Why are you sleeping? Rise and pray, that you may not enter into temptation.”

47 While he was still speaking, behold, a crowd appeared, with Judas, one of the twelve, leading them. He came near to Jesus to kiss him, 48 but Jesus said to him, “Judas, are you betraying the Son of Man with a kiss?” 49 When those who were around Jesus saw what was happening, they said, “Lord, should we strike with the sword?” 50 Then one of them struck the servant of the high priest, and cut off his right ear. 51 Jesus said, “That is enough!” He touched his ear, and healed him. 52 Jesus said to the chief priests, to the captains of the temple, and to elders who came against him, “Do you come out as against a robber, with swords and clubs? 53 When I was daily with you in the temple, you did not lay your hands on me. But this is your hour, and the authority of darkness.”

54 Seizing him, they led him away, and brought him into the high priest's house. But Peter followed from a distance. 55 After they had kindled a fire in the middle of the courtyard and had sat down together, Peter sat in the midst of them. 56 A certain female servant saw him as he sat in the light of the fire, and looked straight at him and said, “This man also was with him.” 57 But Peter denied it, saying, “Woman, I do not know him.” 58 After a little while someone else saw him, and said, “You are also one of them.” But Peter said, “Man, I am not.” 59 After about an hour another man insisted and said, “Truly this man also was with him, for he is a Galilean.” 60 But Peter said, “Man, I do not know what you are saying.” Immediately, while he was speaking, a rooster crowed. 61 Turning, the Lord looked at Peter, and Peter remembered the word of the Lord, when he said to him, “Before a rooster crows today you will deny me three times.” 62 Peter went outside and wept bitterly.

63 Then the men guarding Jesus mocked and beat him. 64 They put a cover over him and asked him, saying, “Prophesy! Who is the one who hit you?” 65 They spoke many other things against Jesus, blaspheming him.

66 As soon as it was day, the elders of the people gathered together, both chief priests and scribes. They led him into the council 67 and said, “If you are the Christ, tell us.” But he said to them, “If I tell you, you will not believe, 68 and if I ask you, you will not answer. 69 But from now on, the Son of Man will be seated at the right hand of the power of God.” 70 They all said, “Then you are the Son of God?” Jesus said to them, “You say that I am.” 71 They said, “Why do we still need a witness? For we ourselves have heard from his own mouth.”

23

1 The whole company of them rose up and brought Jesus before Pilate. 2 They began to accuse him, saying, “We found this man perverting our nation, forbidding to give tribute to Caesar, and saying that he himself is Christ, a king.” 3 Pilate asked him, saying, “Are you the King of the Jews?” Jesus answered him and said, “You say so.” 4 Pilate said to the chief priests and the multitudes, “I find no fault in this man.” 5 But they were insisting, saying, “He stirs up the people, teaching throughout all Judea, beginning from Galilee even to this place.” 6 So when Pilate heard this, he asked whether the man was a Galilean. 7 When he discovered that he was under Herod's authority, he sent Jesus to Herod, who himself also was at Jerusalem in those days.

8 When Herod saw Jesus, he was very glad, because he had wanted to see him for a long time. He had heard about him and he hoped to see some miracle done by him. 9 Herod questioned Jesus in many words, but Jesus answered him nothing. 10 The chief priests and the scribes stood, violently accusing him. 11 Herod with his soldiers insulted Jesus and they mocked him. Then they dressed him in elegant clothes and sent him back to Pilate. 12 For Herod and Pilate had become friends with each other that very day, for before this they had been enemies with each other.

13 Pilate then called together the chief priests and the rulers and the crowd of people, 14 and said to them, “You brought to me this man like a man who is leading the people to act badly, and see, I, having questioned him before you, find no fault in this man concerning those things of which you accuse him. 15 No, nor does Herod, for he sent him back to us, and see, nothing worthy of death has been done by him. 16 I will therefore punish him, and release him.” 17  * 18 But they cried out all together, saying, “Away with this man, and release to us Barabbas!” 19 Barabbas was a man who had been put into prison for a certain rebellion in the city and for murder. 20 Pilate addressed them again, desiring to release Jesus. 21 But they shouted, saying, “Crucify him, crucify him.” 22 He said to them a third time, “Why, what evil has this man done? I have found nothing deserving the death penalty in him. Therefore after punishing him, I will release him.” 23 But they were insistent with loud voices, demanding for him to be crucified. Their voices convinced Pilate. 24 So Pilate decided to grant their demand. 25 He released the one they asked for who had been put in prison for rioting and murder. But he delivered up Jesus to their will.

26 As they led him away, they seized one Simon of Cyrene, coming from the country, and they laid the cross on him to carry, following Jesus.

27 A great crowd of the people, and of women who grieved and mourned for him, were following him. 28 But turning to them, Jesus said, “Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me, but weep for yourselves and for your children. 29 For see, the days are coming in which they will say, 'Blessed are the barren and the wombs that did not bear, and the breasts that did not nurse.' 30 Then they will begin to say to the mountains, 'Fall on us,' and to the hills, 'Cover us.' 31 For if they do these things while the tree is green, what will happen when it is dry?”

32 Other men, two criminals, were led away with him to be put to death.

33 When they came to the place that is called “The Skull,” there they crucified him, and the criminals—one on his right and one on his left. 34 Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” Then they cast lots, dividing up his garments. 35 The people stood watching while the rulers also were mocking him, saying, “He saved others. Let him save himself, if he is the Christ of God, the chosen one.” 36 The soldiers also ridiculed him, approaching him, offering him vinegar, 37 and saying, “If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself.” 38 There was also a sign over him, “This is the King of the Jews.”

39 One of the criminals who was hanging there insulted him by saying, “Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us.” 40 But the other rebuked him, saying, “Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence? 41 We indeed are here justly, for we are receiving what we deserve for our deeds. But this man did nothing wrong.” 42 Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” 43 Jesus said to him, “Truly I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise.”

44 It was now about the sixth hour, and darkness came over the whole land until the ninth hour 45 as the sun's light failed. Then the curtain of the temple was split in two. 46 Crying with a loud voice, Jesus said, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.” Having said this, he died. 47 When the centurion saw what was done, he glorified God, saying, “Surely this was a righteous man.” 48 When all the multitudes who came together to witness this sight saw the things that were done, they returned beating their breasts. 49 But all those who knew him, and the women who followed him from Galilee, stood at a distance, watching these things.

50 Behold, there was a man named Joseph, who was a member of the Council. He was a good and righteous man. 51 This man had not agreed with the decision of the Council and their action. He was from the Judean town of Arimathea; and he was looking for the kingdom of God. 52 This man, approaching Pilate, asked for the body of Jesus. 53 He took it down, wrapped it in fine linen, and placed it in a tomb that was cut in stone, where no one had ever been laid. 54 It was the Day of the Preparation, and the Sabbath was about to begin. 55 The women who had come with Jesus out of Galilee followed and saw the tomb and how his body was laid. 56 They returned, and prepared spices and ointments.

Then on the Sabbath they rested according to the commandment.

24

1 Very early on the first day of the week, they came to the tomb, bringing the spices which they had prepared. 2 They found the stone rolled away from the tomb. 3 They entered in, but did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. 4 It happened that, while they were confused about this, suddenly, two men stood by them in bright shining robes. 5 As the women were filled with fear and bowed down their faces to the earth, they said to the women, “Why do you seek the living among the dead? 6 He is not here, but has been raised! Remember how he spoke to you when he was still in Galilee, 7 saying that the Son of Man must be delivered up into the hands of sinful men and be crucified, and on the third day rise again.” 8 The women remembered his words, 9 and returned from the tomb, and told all these things to the eleven and all the rest. 10 Now Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the other women with them reported these things to the apostles. 11 But this message seemed like idle talk to the apostles, and they did not believe the women. 12 Yet Peter rose up and ran to the tomb, and stooping and looking in, he saw the linen cloths by themselves. Peter then departed to his home, wondering what had happened.

13 Behold, two of them were going that very day to a village named Emmaus, which was sixty stadia from Jerusalem. 14 They discussed with each other about all the things that had happened. 15 It happened that, while they discussed and questioned together, Jesus himself approached and went with them. 16 But their eyes were prevented from recognizing him. 17 Jesus said to them, “What are the two of you talking about as you walk?” They stood there looking sad. 18 One of them, named Cleopas, answered him, “Are you the only person in Jerusalem who does not know the things which have happened there these days?” 19 Jesus said to them, “What things?” They answered him, “The things concerning Jesus the Nazarene, who was a prophet, mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, 20 and how the chief priests and our rulers delivered him up to be condemned to death and crucified him. 21 But we had confidence that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel. Yes, and what is more, it is now the third day since all these things happened. 22 But also, some women of our company amazed us, having been at the tomb early in the morning. 23 When they did not find his body, they came, saying that they had also seen a vision of angels who said that he was alive. 24 Some men who were with us went to the tomb, and found it just as the women had said. But they did not see him.” 25 Jesus said to them, “O foolish men and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken! 26 Was it not necessary for the Christ to suffer these things, and to enter into his glory?” 27 Then beginning from Moses and through all the prophets, Jesus interpreted to them the things concerning himself in all the scriptures. 28 As they approached the village to which they were going, Jesus acted as though he were going further. 29 But they compelled him, saying, “Stay with us, for it is toward evening and the day is almost over.” So Jesus went in to stay with them. 30 It happened that, when he had sat down with them to eat, he took the bread, blessed it, and breaking it, he gave it to them. 31 Then their eyes were opened, and they knew him, and he vanished out of their sight. 32 They said one to another, “Was not our heart burning within us, while he spoke to us on the way, while he opened to us the scriptures?” 33 They rose up that very hour, and returned to Jerusalem. They found the eleven gathered together, and those who were with them, 34 saying, “The Lord is risen indeed, and has appeared to Simon.” 35 So they told the things that happened on the way, and how Jesus was shown to them in the breaking of the bread.

36 As they spoke these things, Jesus himself stood in the midst of them, and said to them, “Peace be to you.” 37 But they were terrified and filled with fear, and supposed that they saw a spirit. 38 Jesus said to them, “Why are you troubled? Why do questions arise in your heart? 39 See my hands and my feet, that it is I myself. Touch me and see. For a spirit does not have flesh and bones, as you see me having.” 40 When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his feet. 41 They still could not believe it because of joy, and they were amazed. Jesus said to them, “Do you have anything to eat?” 42 They gave him a piece of a broiled fish, 43 and he took it and ate it before them.

44 He said to them, “When I was with you, I told you that all that was written in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.” 45 Then he opened their minds, that they might understand the scriptures. 46 He said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer, and rise again from the dead on the third day. 47 Repentance and forgiveness of sins should be preached in his name to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem. 48 You are witnesses of these things. 49 See, I am sending you what my Father promised. But remain in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.”

50 Then Jesus led them out until they were near Bethany. He lifted up his hands and blessed them. 51 It happened that, while he was blessing them, he left them and was carried up into heaven. 52 So they worshiped him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy. 53 They were continually in the temple, blessing God.

* 2:22 The proper names Joseph and Mary were not in the original text, and are supplied for the reader from the third person plural verb.

† 2:33 Some ancient copies add to the text the name of his father, Joseph ; and some omit the mention of the mother. The most reliable copies have his father and mother .

‡ 2:49 Some scholars translate “about my Father's business” as in my Father's house .

* 8:43 Scholars are divided whether the phrase [she] had spent all her money should be included here.

* 10:1 Many of the best ancient copies read “seventy” but some read “seventy-two”

* 11:11 The best ancient copies have the shorter reading, which we follow here. Some ancient copies have a longer reading, which also is found in Matthew 7:9: Which father among you, if your son asks for a loaf of bread, will give him a stone? Or a fish, will give him a snake?

* 17:36 Luke 17:36 the best ancient copies omit, vs. 36 There will be two in the field; one will be taken and the other left .

* 18:24 Scholars are divided whether the phrase: [he] became very sad should be included here. Compare vs 23.

* 23:17 The best ancient copies omit Luk. 23:17, Now Pilate was obligated to release to the Jews one prisoner at the feast .

John

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John

1

1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 This one was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through him, and without him there was not one thing made that has been made. 4 In him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it. 6 There was a man who was sent from God, whose name was John. 7 He came as a witness to testify about the light, that all might believe through him. 8 John was not the light, but came that he might testify about the light. 9 The true light, which gives light to all men, was coming into the world. 10 He was in the world, and the world was made through him, and the world did not know him. 11 He came to his own, and his own did not receive him. 12 But to as many as received him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God. 13 These were not born of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. 14 The Word became flesh and lived among us. We have seen his glory, glory as of the one and only who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. 15 John testified about him and cried out, saying, “This was the one of whom I said, 'He who comes after me is greater than I am, for he was before me.'” 16 For from his fullness we have all received grace after grace. 17 For the law was given through Moses. Grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. 18 No one has seen God at any time. The one and only God, who is at the side of the Father, he has made him known.

19 This is the testimony of John when the Jews sent priests and Levites to him from Jerusalem to ask him, “Who are you?” 20 He confessed—he did not deny, but confessed—”I am not the Christ.” 21 So they asked him, “What are you then? Are you Elijah?” He said, “I am not.” They said, “Are you the prophet?” He answered, “No.” 22 Then they said to him, “Who are you, so that we may give an answer to those who sent us? What do you say about yourself?” 23 He said,

“I am a voice, crying in the wilderness:

'Make the way of the Lord straight,'

just as Isaiah the prophet said.” 24 Now some from the Pharisees were sent, 25 and they asked him and said to him, “Why do you baptize then if you are not the Christ nor Elijah nor the prophet?” 26 John answered them, saying, “I baptize with water. But among you stands someone you do not know. 27 He is the one who comes after me, the strap of whose sandal I am not worthy to untie.” 28 These things were done in Bethany on the other side of the Jordan, where John was baptizing. 29 The next day John saw Jesus coming to him and said, “Look, there is the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! 30 This is the one of whom I said, 'The one who comes after me is more than me, for he was before me.' 31 I did not know him, but it was so that he could be revealed to Israel that I came baptizing with water.” 32 John testified, saying, “I saw the Spirit descending like a dove from heaven, and it stayed upon him. 33 I did not recognize him, but he who sent me to baptize in water said to me, 'Upon whom you shall see the Spirit descending and remaining on him, he is the one baptizing in the Holy Spirit.' 34 I have both seen and testified that this is the Son of God.”

35 Again, the next day, as John was standing with two of his disciples, 36 they saw Jesus walking by, and John said, “Look, the Lamb of God!” 37 His two disciples heard him say this and they followed Jesus. 38 Then Jesus turned and saw them following him and said to them, “What do you want?” They replied, “Rabbi (which translated means teacher), where are you staying?” 39 He said to them, “Come and see.” Then they came and saw where he was staying; they stayed with him that day, for it was about the tenth hour. 40 One of the two who heard John speak and then followed Jesus was Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter. 41 He first found his own brother Simon and said to him, “We have found the Messiah” (which translated is: Christ). 42 He brought him to Jesus, and Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon son of John. You will be called Cephas” (which is translated Peter).

43 The next day, when Jesus wanted to leave to go to Galilee, he found Philip and said to him, “Follow me.” 44 Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. 45 Philip found Nathaniel and said to him, “He of whom Moses wrote in the law, and the prophets, we have found him: Jesus son of Joseph, from Nazareth.” 46 Nathaniel said to him, “Can any good thing come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.” 47 Jesus saw Nathaniel coming to him and said about him, “See, a true Israelite, in whom is no deceit!” 48 Nathaniel said to him, “How do you know me?” Jesus answered and said to him, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.” 49 Nathaniel replied, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!” 50 Jesus replied and said to him, “Because I said to you, 'I saw you underneath the fig tree,' do you believe? You will see greater things than this.” 51 Then he said, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you will see the heavens opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man.”

2

1 Three days later, there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. 2 Jesus and his disciples were invited to the wedding. 3 When the wine ran out, the mother of Jesus said to him, “They have no wine.” 4 Jesus said to her, “Woman, why do you come to me? My time has not yet come.” 5 His mother said to the servants, “Whatever he says to you, do it.” 6 Now there were six stone water pots there used for the Jewish ceremonial washing, each containing two to three metretes. 7 Jesus said to them, “Fill the water pots with water.” So they filled them up to the brim. 8 Then he told the servants, “Take some out now and take it to the head waiter.” So they did. 9 The head waiter tasted the water that had become wine, but he did not know where it came from (but the servants who had drawn the water knew). Then he called the bridegroom 10 and said to him, “Every man serves the good wine first and then the cheaper wine when they are drunk. But you have kept the good wine until now.” 11 This first sign Jesus did in Cana of Galilee, and he revealed his glory, and his disciples believed in him. 12 After this Jesus, his mother, his brothers, and his disciples went down to Capernaum and they stayed there for a few days.

13 Now the Passover of the Jews was near, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 14 He found sellers of oxen and sheep and pigeons, and the money changers were sitting there. 15 So he made a whip of cords and drove all of them out from the temple, including both the sheep and the oxen. He scattered the coins of the money changers and overthrew their tables. 16 To the pigeon sellers he said, “Take these things away from here. Stop making the house of my Father a marketplace.” 17 His disciples remembered that it was written, “Zeal for your house will consume me.” 18 Then the Jewish authorities responded and said to him, “What sign will you show us, since you are doing these things?” 19 Jesus replied, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” 20 Then the Jewish authorities said, “This temple was built in forty-six years, and you will raise it up in three days?” 21 However, he was speaking about the temple of his body. 22 After he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he said this, and they believed the scripture and this statement that Jesus had spoken.

23 Now when he was in Jerusalem at the Passover festival, many believed in his name when they saw the signs that he did. 24 But Jesus did not trust in them because he knew them all, 25 because he did not need anyone to testify to him about man, for he knew what was in man.

3

1 Now there was a Pharisee whose name was Nicodemus, a Jewish leader. 2 This man came to Jesus at night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher that came from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him.” 3 Jesus replied to him, “Truly, truly, unless someone is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” 4 Nicodemus said to him, “How can a man be born when he is old? He cannot enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born, can he?” 5 Jesus replied, “Truly, truly, unless someone is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. 6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7 Do not be amazed that I said to you, 'You must be born again.' 8 The wind blows wherever it wishes; you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it is going. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit.” 9 Nicodemus replied and said to him, “How can these things be?” 10 Jesus answered and said to him, “Are you a teacher of Israel, and yet you do not understand these things? 11 Truly, truly, I say to you, we speak what we know, and we testify about what we have seen. Yet you do not accept our testimony. 12 If I told you about earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you about heavenly things? 13 No one has ascended into heaven except he who descended from heaven—the Son of Man. 14 Just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 15 so that all who believe in him may have eternal life.

16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send the Son into the world in order to condemn the world, but in order to save the world through him. 18 He who believes in him is not condemned, but he who does not believe is already condemned because he has not believed in the name of the one and only Son of God. 19 This is the reason for the judgment: The light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the light because their deeds were evil. 20 For everyone who does evil hates the light, and does not come to the light, so that his deeds will not be exposed. 21 However, he who practices the truth comes to the light so that it may be plainly seen that his deeds have been done in God.”

22 After this, Jesus and his disciples went into the land of Judea. There he spent some time with them and baptized. 23 Now John was also baptizing in Aenon near to Salim because there was much water there. People were coming to him and were being baptized, 24 for John had not yet been thrown in prison. 25 Then there arose a dispute between some of John's disciples and a Jew about ceremonial washing. 26 They went to John and said to him, “Rabbi, the one who was with you on the other side of the Jordan River, about whom you have testified, look, he is baptizing, and they are all going to him.” 27 John replied, “A man cannot receive anything unless it has been given to him from heaven. 28 You yourselves can testify that I said, 'I am not the Christ,' but instead, 'I have been sent before him.' 29 The bride belongs to the bridegroom. Now the friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly because of the voice of the bridegroom. This, then, is my joy made complete. 30 He must increase, but I must decrease.

31 He who comes from above is above all. He who is from the earth is from the earth and speaks about the earth. He who comes from heaven is above all. 32 He testifies about what he has seen and heard, but no one accepts his testimony. 33 He who has received his testimony has confirmed that God is true. 34 For the one whom God has sent speaks the words of God. For he does not give the Spirit by measure. 35 The Father loves the Son and has given all things into his hand. 36 He who believes in the Son has eternal life, but the one who disobeys the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God stays on him.”

4

1 Now when Jesus knew that the Pharisees had heard that he was making and baptizing more disciples than John 2 (although Jesus himself was not baptizing, but his disciples were), 3 he left Judea and went back again to Galilee. 4 But it was necessary for him to go through Samaria. 5 So he came to a town of Samaria, called Sychar, near the piece of land that Jacob had given to his son Joseph. 6 The well of Jacob was there. Jesus was tired from his journey and sat by the well. It was about the sixth hour. 7 A Samaritan woman came to draw water, and Jesus said to her, “Give me some water to drink.” 8 For his disciples had gone away into the town to buy food. 9 Then the Samaritan woman said to him, “How is it that you, being a Jew, are asking me, being a Samaritan woman, for something to drink?” For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans. 10 Jesus answered and said to her, “If you had known the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, 'Give me a drink,' you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.” 11 The woman said to him, “Sir, you do not have a bucket and the well is deep. Where then do you have the living water? 12 You are not greater, are you, than our father Jacob, who gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did his sons and his cattle?” 13 Jesus replied and said to her, “Everyone who drinks from this water will be thirsty again, 14 but whoever drinks from the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. Instead, the water that I will give him will become a fountain of water in him, springing up to eternal life.” 15 The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water so that I may not become thirsty and not have to come here to draw water.” 16 Jesus said to her, “Go, call your husband, and come back here.” 17 The woman answered and said to him, “I do not have a husband.” Jesus replied, “You are right in saying, 'I have no husband,' 18 for you have had five husbands, and the one you now have is not your husband. What you have said is true.” 19 The woman said to him, “Sir, I see that you are a prophet. 20 Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, but you say that Jerusalem is the place where people have to worship.” 21 Jesus said to her, “Believe me, woman, that an hour is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. 22 You worship what you do not know. We worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. 23 However, the hour is coming, and is now here, when true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to be his worshipers. 24 God is Spirit, and the people who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.” 25 The woman said to him, “I know that the Messiah is coming (the one called Christ). When he comes, he will explain everything to us.” 26 Jesus said to her, “I am he, the one speaking to you.”

27 At that moment his disciples returned. Now they were wondering why he was speaking with a woman, but no one said, “What do you want?” or “Why are you speaking with her?” 28 So the woman left her water pot, went back to the town, and said to the people, 29 “Come, see a man who told me everything that I have ever done. This could not be the Christ, could it?” 30 They left the town and came to him. 31 In the meantime, the disciples were urging him, saying, “Rabbi, eat.” 32 But he said to them, “I have food to eat that you do not know about.” 33 So the disciples said to each other, “No one has brought him anything to eat, have they?” 34 Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to complete his work. 35 Do you not say, 'There are four more months and then the harvest comes'? I am saying to you, look up and see the fields, for they are already ripe for harvest! 36 He who is harvesting receives wages and gathers fruit for everlasting life, so that he who sows and he who harvests may rejoice together. 37 For in this the saying, 'One sows, and another harvests,' is true. 38 I sent you to harvest what you have not worked for. Others have worked, and you have entered into their labor.”

39 Many of the Samaritans in that city believed in him because of the report of the woman who was testifying, “He told me everything that I have done.” 40 So when the Samaritans came to him, they asked him to stay with them, and he stayed there two days. 41 Many more believed because of his word. 42 They said to the woman, “We no longer believe because of what you said, for we ourselves have heard, and we know that this one is indeed the savior of the world.”

43 After those two days, he departed from there for Galilee. 44 For Jesus himself declared that a prophet has no honor in his own country. 45 When he came into Galilee, the Galileans welcomed him. They had seen all the things that he had done in Jerusalem at the festival, for they had also gone to the festival.

46 Now he came again to Cana in Galilee, where he had made the water wine. There was a certain royal official whose son in Capernaum was ill. 47 When he heard that Jesus had come from Judea to Galilee, he went to Jesus and asked him to come down and heal his son, who was about to die. 48 Jesus then said to him, “Unless you see signs and wonders, you will not believe.” 49 The official said to him, “Sir, come down before my child dies.” 50 Jesus said to him, “Go. Your son lives.” The man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him, and he went away. 51 While he was going down, his servants met him, saying that his son was living. 52 So he asked them the hour when he began to improve. They replied to him, “Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him.” 53 Then the father realized that it was at that hour that Jesus had said to him, “Your son lives.” So he himself and his whole household believed. 54 This was the second sign that Jesus did when he came out of Judea to Galilee.

5

1 After this there was a Jewish festival, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 2 Now in Jerusalem by the sheep gate, there is a pool, which in Hebrew is called Bethesda, and it has five roofed porches. 3 A large number of people who were sick, blind, lame, or paralyzed were lying there. * 4  † 5 A certain man was there who had been sick for thirty-eight years. 6 When Jesus saw him lying there, and after he realized that he had been there a long time, he said to him, “Do you want to be healthy?” 7 The sick man replied, “Sir, I do not have anyone to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up. When I come, another steps down before me.” 8 Jesus said to him, “Get up, take up your bed, and walk.” 9 Immediately the man was healed, and he took up his bed and walked.

Now that day was a Sabbath. 10 So the Jews said to him who was healed, “It is the Sabbath and you are not permitted to carry your mat.” 11 He replied, “He who made me healthy said to me, 'Pick up your mat and walk.'” 12 They asked him, “Who is the man that said to you, 'Pick it up and walk'?” 13 However, the one who was healed did not know who it was because Jesus had gone away secretly, for there was a crowd in the place. 14 Afterward, Jesus found him in the temple and said to him, “See, you have become healthy! Do not sin anymore, so that something worse will not happen to you.” 15 The man went away and reported to the Jews that it was Jesus who had made him healthy. 16 Now because of these things the Jews persecuted Jesus, because he did these things on the Sabbath. 17 Jesus replied to them, “My Father is working even now, and I, too, am working.” 18 Because of this, the Jews sought even more to kill him because he not only broke the Sabbath, but also called God his own Father, making himself equal to God.

19 Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, the Son can do nothing of himself, except only what he sees the Father doing, for whatever the Father is doing, the Son does these things also. 20 For the Father loves the Son and he shows him everything that he himself does, and he will show him greater things than these so that you will be amazed. 21 For as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so also the Son gives life to whomever he wishes. 22 For the Father judges no one, but he has given all judgment to the Son 23 so that everyone will honor the Son just as they honor the Father. The one who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him. 24 Truly, truly, he who hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned, but he has passed from death to life. 25 Truly, truly, I tell you the time is coming, and is now, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live. 26 For just as the Father has life in himself, so he has also given to the Son so that he has life in himself, 27 and the Father has given the Son authority to carry out judgment because he is the Son of Man. 28 Do not be amazed at this, for there is a time coming in which everyone who is in the tombs will hear his voice 29 and will come out. Those who have done good to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil to the resurrection of judgment.

30 I can do nothing from myself. As I hear, I judge, and my judgment is righteous because I am not seeking my own will but the will of him who sent me. 31 If I should testify about myself, my testimony would not be true. 32 There is another who testifies about me, and I know that the testimony that he gives about me is true. 33 You have sent to John, and he has testified the truth. 34 But the testimony that I receive is not from man. I say these things that you might be saved. 35 John was a lamp that was burning and shining, and you were willing to rejoice in his light for a while. 36 Yet the testimony that I have is greater than that of John, for the works that the Father has given me to accomplish, the very works that I do, testify about me that the Father has sent me. 37 The Father who sent me has himself testified about me. You have neither heard his voice nor seen his form at any time. 38 You do not have his word remaining in you, for you are not believing in the one whom he has sent. 39 You search the scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life, and these same scriptures testify about me, 40 and you are not willing to come to me so that you may have life. 41 I do not receive praise from men, 42 but I know that you do not have the love of God in yourselves. 43 I have come in my Father's name, and you do not receive me. If another should come in his own name, you would receive him. 44 How can you believe, you who accept praise from one another but are not seeking the praise that comes from the only God? 45 Do not think that I myself will accuse you before the Father. The one who accuses you is Moses, in whom you have put your hope. 46 If you believed Moses, you would believe me, because he wrote about me. 47 If you do not believe his writings, how are you going to believe my words?”

6

1 After these things, Jesus went away to the other side of the Sea of Galilee, also called the Sea of Tiberias. 2 A great crowd was following him because they saw the signs that he was doing on those who were sick. 3 Jesus went up the mountain and there he sat down with his disciples. 4 (Now the Passover, the Jewish festival, was near.) 5 When Jesus looked up and saw a great crowd coming to him, he said to Philip, “Where are we going to buy bread so that these may eat?” 6 (But Jesus said this to test Philip, for he himself knew what he was going to do.) 7 Philip answered him, “Two hundred denarii worth of bread would not be sufficient for each one to have even a little.” 8 One of the disciples, Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter, said to Jesus, 9 “There is a boy here who has five bread loaves of barley and two fish, but what are these among so many?” 10 Jesus said, “Make the people sit down.” (Now there was a lot of grass in the place.) So the men sat down, about five thousand in number. 11 Then Jesus took the loaves and after giving thanks, he gave it to those who were sitting. He did the same with the fish, as much as they wanted. 12 When the people were filled, he said to his disciples, “Gather up the broken pieces which remain, so that nothing will be lost.” 13 So they gathered them up and filled twelve baskets with broken pieces from the five barley loaves left over by those who had eaten. 14 Then, when the people saw this sign that he did, they said, “This truly is the prophet who is to come into the world.” 15 When Jesus realized that they were about to come and seize him by force to make him king, he withdrew again up the mountain by himself.

16 When it became evening, his disciples went down to the sea. 17 They got into a boat, and were going over the sea to Capernaum. It was dark by this time, and Jesus had not yet come to them. 18 A strong wind was blowing, and the sea was getting rough. 19 When they had rowed about twenty-five or thirty stadia, they saw Jesus walking on the sea and coming near the boat, and they were afraid. 20 But he said to them, “It is I! Do not be afraid.” 21 Then they were willing to receive him into the boat, and immediately the boat reached the land where they were going.

22 The next day, the crowd that had been standing on the other side of the sea saw that there was no other boat there except the one, and that Jesus had not entered it with his disciples but that his disciples had gone away alone. 23 However, there were some boats that came from Tiberias close to the place where they had eaten the bread loaves after the Lord had given thanks. 24 When the crowd discovered that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there, they themselves got into the boats and went to Capernaum seeking Jesus. 25 After they found him on the other side of the sea, they said to him, “Rabbi, when did you come here?” 26 Jesus replied to them, saying, “Truly, truly, you seek me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate some of the bread loaves and were filled. 27 Do not work for the food that perishes, but work for the food that endures to eternal life which the Son of Man will give you, for God the Father has set his seal on him.” 28 Then they said to him, “What must we do, so that we may do the works of God?” 29 Jesus replied and said to them, “This is the work of God: That you believe in the one whom he has sent.” 30 So they said to him, “What sign then will you do, so that we may see and believe you? What will you do? 31 Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, as it is written, 'He gave them bread from heaven to eat.'” 32 Then Jesus replied to them, “Truly, truly, it was not Moses who gave you the bread out of heaven, but it is my Father who is giving you the true bread from heaven. 33 For the bread of God is that which comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” 34 So they said to him, “Sir, give us this bread always.” 35 Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; he who comes to me will not be hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty. 36 But I told you that indeed you have seen me, and you do not believe. 37 Everyone whom the Father gives me will come to me, and he who comes to me I will certainly not throw out. 38 For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will, but the will of him who sent me. 39 This is the will of him who sent me, that I would lose not one of all those whom he has given me, but will raise them up on the last day. 40 For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in him would have eternal life and I will raise him up on the last day.”

41 Then the Jews grumbled about him because he had said, “I am the bread that has come down from heaven.” 42 They said, “Is not this Jesus son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How then does he now say, 'I have come down from heaven'?” 43 Jesus replied and said to them, “Stop grumbling among yourselves. 44 No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him, and I will raise him up on the last day. 45 It is written in the prophets, 'Everyone will be taught by God.' Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to me. 46 Not that anyone has seen the Father, except he who is from God—he has seen the Father. 47 Truly, truly, he who believes has eternal life. 48 I am the bread of life. 49 Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. 50 This is the bread which comes down from heaven, so that a person may eat some of it and not die. 51 I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats some of this bread, he will live forever. The bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world.”

52 The Jews became angry among themselves and began to argue, saying, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?” 53 Then Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you will not have life in yourselves. 54 Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has everlasting life, and I will raise him up at the last day. 55 For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. 56 He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in him. 57 As the living Father sent me, and as I live because of the Father, so he who eats me, he will also live because of me. 58 This is the bread that has come down from heaven, not as the fathers ate and died. He who eats this bread will live forever.” 59 But Jesus said these things in the synagogue while he was teaching in Capernaum.

60 Then many of his disciples who heard this said, “This is a difficult teaching; who can accept it?” 61 Jesus, because he knew in himself that his disciples were grumbling at this, said to them, “Does this offend you? 62 Then what if you should see the Son of Man going up to where he was before? 63 It is the Spirit who makes alive; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit, and they are life. 64 Yet there are some of you who do not believe.” For Jesus knew from the beginning who were the ones that would not believe and who it was who would betray him. 65 He said, “It is because of this that I said to you that no one can come to me unless it is granted to him by the Father.”

66 Because of this, many of his disciples went away and no longer walked with him. 67 Then Jesus said to the twelve, “You do not want to go away also, do you?” 68 Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have words of eternal life, 69 and we have believed and come to know that you are the Holy One of God.” * 70 Jesus said to them, “Did not I choose you, the twelve, and one of you is a devil?” 71 Now he spoke of Judas son of Simon Iscariot, for it was he, one of the twelve, who would betray Jesus.

7

1 After these things Jesus traveled about in Galilee, for he did not want to go into Judea because the Jews were seeking to kill him. 2 Now the Jewish Festival of Shelters was near. 3 His brothers therefore said to him, “Leave this place and go to Judea, so that your disciples also may see the works that you do. 4 No one does anything in secret if he himself wants to be known openly. If you do these things, show yourself to the world.” 5 For even his brothers did not believe in him. 6 Jesus therefore said to them, “My time has not yet come, but your time is always ready. 7 The world cannot hate you, but it hates me because I testify about it that its works are evil. 8 You go up to the festival; I am not going to this festival because my time has not yet been fulfilled.” 9 After he said these things to them, he stayed in Galilee.

10 But when his brothers had gone up to the festival, then he also went up, not publicly but in secret. 11 The Jews were looking for him at the festival and said, “Where is he?” 12 There was much discussion among the crowds about him. Some said, “He is a good man.” Others said, “No, he leads the crowds astray.” 13 Yet no one spoke openly about him for fear of the Jews.

14 When the festival was already half over, Jesus went up into the temple and began to teach. 15 Then the Jews marveled, saying, “How does this man know so much? He has never been educated.” 16 Jesus answered them and said, “My teaching is not mine, but is of him who sent me. 17 If anyone wishes to do his will, he will know about this teaching, whether it comes from God, or whether I speak from myself. 18 Whoever speaks from himself seeks his own glory, but whoever seeks the glory of him who sent him, that person is true, and there is no unrighteousness in him. 19 Did not Moses give you the law? Yet none of you keeps the law. Why do you seek to kill me?” 20 The crowd answered, “You have a demon. Who seeks to kill you?” 21 Jesus answered and said to them, “I did one work, and you all marvel because of it. 22 Moses gave you circumcision (not that it is from Moses, but from the ancestors), and on the Sabbath you circumcise a man. 23 If a man receives circumcision on the Sabbath so that the law of Moses is not broken, why are you angry with me because I made a man completely healthy on the Sabbath? 24 Do not judge according to appearance, but judge righteously.”

25 Some of them from Jerusalem said, “Is not this the one they seek to kill? 26 See, he speaks openly, and they say nothing to him. It cannot be that the rulers indeed know that this is the Christ, can it? 27 Yet we know where this one is from. But when the Christ comes, no one will know where he is from.” 28 Then Jesus cried out in the temple, teaching and saying, “You both know me and know where I come from. I have not come of myself, but he who sent me is true, and you do not know him. 29 I know him because I come from him and he sent me.” 30 They were trying to arrest him, but no one laid a hand on him because his hour had not yet come. 31 But many in the crowd believed in him, and they said, “When the Christ comes, will he do more signs than what this one has done?” 32 The Pharisees heard the crowds whispering these things about Jesus, and the chief priests and the Pharisees sent officers to arrest him. 33 Jesus then said, “I am still with you for a short amount of time, and then I go to him who sent me. 34 You will seek me but you will not find me; where I go, you will not be able to come.” 35 The Jews therefore said among themselves, “Where will this man go that we will not be able to find him? Will he go to the dispersion among the Greeks and teach the Greeks? 36 What is this word that he said, 'You will seek me but will not find me; where I go, you will not be able to come'?”

37 Now on the last, great day of the festival, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. 38 He who believes in me, just as the scripture says, rivers of living water will flow from his stomach.” 39 But he said this about the Spirit, whom those who believed in him would receive; the Spirit had not yet been given because Jesus was not yet glorified. 40 Some of the crowd, when they heard these words, said, “This is indeed the prophet.” 41 Others said, “This is the Christ.” But some said, “Does the Christ come from Galilee? 42 Have the scriptures not said that the Christ will come from the descendants of David and from Bethlehem, the village where David was?” 43 So there arose a division in the crowds because of him. 44 Some of them would have arrested him, but no one laid hands on him.

45 Then the officers came back to the chief priests and Pharisees, who said to them, “Why did you not bring him?” 46 The officers answered, “Never has anyone spoken like this.” 47 So the Pharisees answered them, “Have you also been deceived? 48 Have any of the rulers believed in him, or any of the Pharisees? 49 But this crowd that does not know the law, they are cursed.” 50 Nicodemus (one of the Pharisees, who came to him earlier) said to them, 51 “Does our law judge a man before hearing from him and knowing what he does?” 52 They answered and said to him, “Are you also from Galilee? Search and see that no prophet comes from Galilee.”

53  * [Then everyone went to his own house.

8

1  * Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. 2 Early in the morning he came to the temple again, and all the people came; he sat down and taught them. 3 The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman caught in the act of adultery. They placed her in the middle. 4  † Then they said to him, “Teacher, this woman has been caught in the act of adultery. 5 Now in the law, Moses commanded us to stone such people; what do you say about her?” 6 They said this in order to trap him so that they might have something to accuse him about, but Jesus bent down and wrote on the ground with his finger. 7  ‡ When they continued asking him questions, he stood up and said to them, “The one among you who has no sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.” 8 Again he stooped down, and wrote on the ground with his finger. 9  § When they heard it, they left one by one, beginning with the oldest. Finally Jesus was left alone, with the woman who had been in the middle. 10 Jesus stood up and said to her, “Woman, where are your accusers? Did no one condemn you?” 11 She said, “No one, Lord.” Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you. Go and sin no more.”]

12 Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world; he who follows me will not walk in the darkness but will have the light of life.” 13 The Pharisees said to him, “You bear witness about yourself; your witness is not true.” 14 Jesus answered and said to them, “Even if I bear witness about myself, my witness is true. I know where I came from and where I am going, but you do not know where I came from or where I am going. 15 You judge according the flesh; I judge no one. 16 Yet if I judge, my judgment is true because I am not alone, but I am with the Father who sent me. 17 Yes, and in your law it is written that the testimony of two men is true. 18 I am he who bears witness about myself, and the Father who sent me bears witness about me.” 19 They said to him, “Where is your father?” Jesus answered, “You know neither me nor my Father; if you had known me, you would have known my Father also.” 20 He said these words in the treasury as he taught in the temple, and no one arrested him because his hour had not yet come.

21 So again he said to them, “I am going away; you will seek me and will die in your sin. Where I am going, you cannot come.” 22 The Jews said, “Will he kill himself? Is that why he says, 'Where I am going you cannot come'?” 23 Jesus said to them, “You are from below; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world. 24 Therefore, I said to you that you will die in your sins. For unless you believe that I AM, you will die in your sins.” 25 They said therefore to him, “Who are you?” Jesus said to them, “What I have said to you from the beginning. 26 I have many things to speak and to judge about you. However, he who sent me is true; and the things that I heard from him, these things I say to the world.” 27 They did not understand that he was speaking to them about the Father. 28 Jesus said, “When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then will you know that I AM, and that I do nothing of myself. As the Father taught me, I speak these things. 29 He who sent me is with me, and he has not left me alone, because I always do what is pleasing to him.” 30 As Jesus was saying these things, many believed in him.

31 Jesus said to those Jews who had believed him, “If you remain in my word, then you are truly my disciples; 32 and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” 33 They answered him, “We are descendants of Abraham and have never been slaves of anyone; how can you say, 'You will be set free'?” 34 Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is the slave of sin. 35 The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son remains forever. 36 Therefore, if the Son sets you free, you will be truly free. 37 I know that you are Abraham's descendants; you seek to kill me because my word has no place in you. 38 I say what I have seen with my Father, and you also do what you heard from your father.” 39 They answered and said to him, “Our father is Abraham.” Jesus said to them, “If you were Abraham's children, you would do the works of Abraham. 40 Yet, now you seek to kill me, a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God. Abraham did not do this. 41 You do the works of your father.” They said to him, “We were not born in sexual immorality; we have one Father: God.” 42 Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from God and am here; for neither have I come of myself, but he sent me. 43 Why do you not understand my words? It is because you cannot hear my words. 44 You are of your father, the devil, and you wish to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature because he is a liar and the father of lies. 45 Yet, because I speak the truth, you do not believe me. 46 Which one of you convicts me of sin? If I speak the truth, why do you not believe me? 47 He who is of God hears the words of God; you do not hear them because you are not of God.” 48 The Jews answered and said to him, “Do we not truly say that you are a Samaritan and have a demon?” 49 Jesus answered, “I do not have a demon, but I honor my Father, and you dishonor me. 50 I do not seek my glory; there is one seeking and judging. 51 Truly, truly, I say to you, if anyone keeps my word, he will never see death.” 52 The Jews said to him, “Now we know that you have a demon. Abraham and the prophets died; but you say, 'If anyone keeps my word, he will never taste death.' 53 You are not greater than our father Abraham who died, are you? The prophets also died. Who do you make yourself out to be?” 54 Jesus answered, “If I glorify myself, my glory is nothing; it is my Father who glorifies me—about whom you say that he is your God. 55 You have not known him, but I know him. If I would say, 'I do not know him,' I would be like you, a liar. However, I know him and keep his word. 56 Your father Abraham rejoiced at seeing my day; he saw it and was glad.” 57 The Jews said to him, “You are not yet fifty years old, and you have seen Abraham?” 58 Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM.” 59 Then they picked up stones to throw at him, but Jesus hid himself and went out of the temple.

9

1 Now as Jesus passed by, he saw a man blind from birth. 2 His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, so that he was born blind?” 3 Jesus answered, “Neither did this man sin, nor his parents, but so that the works of God would be revealed in him. 4 We must work the works of him who sent me while it is day. Night is coming when no one will be able to work. 5 While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” 6 After Jesus said these things, he spit on the ground, made mud with the saliva, and smeared the mud on his eyes. 7 He said to him, “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam,” (which is translated “Sent”). So the man went away, washed, and came back seeing. 8 Then the man's neighbors and those who had seen him previously as a beggar were saying, “Is not this the man that used to sit and beg?” 9 Some said, “It is he.” Others said, “No, but he is like him.” But he said, “It is me.” 10 They said to him, “Then how were your eyes opened?” 11 He answered, “The man who is called Jesus made mud and smeared it on my eyes and said to me, 'Go to Siloam and wash.' So I went and washed, and I received my sight.” 12 They said to him, “Where is he?” He replied, “I do not know.”

13 They brought the man who used to be blind to the Pharisees. 14 Now it was the Sabbath day when Jesus made the mud and opened his eyes. 15 Then again the Pharisees asked him how he had received his sight. He said to them, “He put mud on my eyes, I washed, and I now can see.” 16 Some of the Pharisees said, “This man is not from God because he does not keep the Sabbath.” Others said, “How can a man who is a sinner do such signs?” So there was a division among them. 17 So they asked the blind man again, “What do you say about him, since he opened your eyes?” The blind man said, “He is a prophet.” 18 Now the Jews still did not believe about him that he was blind and had received his sight until they called the parents of him who had received his sight. 19 They asked the parents, “Is this your son whom you say was born blind? How then does he now see?” 20 So his parents answered them, “We know that this is our son and that he was born blind. 21 How he now sees, we do not know, and who opened his eyes, we do not know. Ask him, he is an adult. He can speak for himself.” 22 His parents said these things, because they were afraid of the Jews. For the Jews had already agreed that if anyone would confess him to be the Christ, he would be thrown out of the synagogue. 23 Because of this, his parents said, “He is an adult, ask him.” 24 So for a second time they called the man who had been blind and said to him, “Give glory to God. We know that this man is a sinner.” 25 Then that man replied, “I do not know if he is a sinner. One thing I do know: I was blind, and now I see.” 26 Then they said to him, “What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?” 27 He answered, “I have told you already, and you did not listen! Why do you want to hear it again? You do not want to become his disciples too, do you? 28 They insulted him and said, “You are his disciple, but we are disciples of Moses. 29 We know that God has spoken to Moses, but we do not know where this one is from.” 30 The man answered and said to them, “This is remarkable, that you do not know where he is from, and yet he opened my eyes. 31 We know that God does not listen to sinners, but if someone is devout and does his will, he listens to him. 32 Since the world began it has never been heard that anyone opened the eyes of a man born blind. 33 If this man were not from God, he could do nothing.” 34 They answered and said to him, “You were completely born in sins, and you are teaching us?” Then they threw him out.

35 Jesus heard that they had cast him out of the synagogue. He found him and said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?” 36 He replied and said, “Who is he, Lord, that I may believe in him?” 37 Jesus said to him, “You have seen him, and it is the one who is speaking with you.” 38 The man said, “Lord, I believe” and he worshiped him. 39 Jesus said, “For judgment I came into this world so that those who do not see may see and so that those who see may become blind.” 40 Some of the Pharisees who were with him heard these things and asked him, “Are we also blind?” 41 Jesus said to them, “If you were blind, you would have no sin, but now you say, 'We see,' so your sin remains.”

10

1 “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter through the gate into the sheep pen, but climbs up some other way, that man is a thief and a robber. 2 He who enters through the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. 3 The gatekeeper opens for him. The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4 When he has brought out all his own, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. 5 They will not follow a stranger but instead they will avoid him, for they do not know the voice of strangers.” 6 Jesus spoke this parable to them, but they did not understand what these things were that he was saying to them.

7 Then Jesus said to them again, “Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the gate of the sheep. 8 Everyone who came before me is a thief and a robber, but the sheep did not listen to them. 9 I am the gate. If anyone enters in through me, he will be saved; he will go in and out and will find pasture. 10 The thief does not come if he would not steal and kill and destroy. I have come so that they will have life and have it abundantly. 11 I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 12 The hired servant is not a shepherd and does not own the sheep. He sees the wolf coming and abandons the sheep and escapes, and the wolf carries them off and scatters them. 13 He runs away because he is a hired servant and does not care for the sheep. 14 I am the good shepherd, and I know my own, and my own know me. 15 The Father knows me, and I know the Father, and I lay down my life for the sheep. 16 I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also, and they will hear my voice so that there will be one flock and one shepherd. 17 This is why the Father loves me: I lay down my life so that I may take it again. 18 No one takes it away from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. I have received this command from my Father.”

19 A division again occurred among the Jews because of these words. 20 Many of them said, “He has a demon and is insane. Why do you listen to him?” 21 Others said, “These are not the words of a demon-possessed man. Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?”

22 Then it was time for the Festival of the Dedication in Jerusalem. 23 It was winter, and Jesus was walking in the temple in the porch of Solomon. 24 Then the Jews surrounded him and said to him, “How long will you hold us doubting? If you are the Christ, tell us openly.” 25 Jesus replied to them, “I told you, but you do not believe. The works that I do in the name of my Father, these testify concerning me. 26 Yet you do not believe because you are not my sheep. 27 My sheep hear my voice; I know them, and they follow me. 28 I give them eternal life; they will never die, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. 29 My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all others, and no one is able to snatch them out of the hand of the Father. 30 I and the Father are one.” 31 Then the Jews took up stones again to stone him. 32 Jesus answered them, “I have shown you many good works from the Father. For which of those works are you stoning me?” 33 The Jews answered him, “We are not stoning you for any good work, but for blasphemy, because you, a man, are making yourself God.” 34 Jesus answered them, “Is it not written in your law, 'I said, “You are gods”'? 35 If he called them gods, to whom the word of God came (and the scripture cannot be broken), 36 do you say to him whom the Father set apart and sent into the world, 'You are blaspheming,' because I said, 'I am the Son of God'? 37 If I am not doing the works of my Father, do not believe me. 38 But if I am doing them, even if you do not believe me, believe in the works so that you may know and understand that the Father is in me and that I am in the Father.” 39 They tried to seize him again, but he went away out of their hand.

40 He went away again beyond the Jordan to the place where John had first been baptizing, and he stayed there. 41 Many people came to him and they said, “John indeed did no signs, but all the things that John has said about this man are true.” 42 Many people believed in him there.

11

1 Now a certain man named Lazarus was sick. He was from Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. 2 It was Mary who anointed the Lord with myrrh and wiped his feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick. 3 The sisters then sent for Jesus, saying, “Lord, see, he whom you love is sick.” 4 When Jesus heard it, he said, “This sickness is not to death, but instead it is for the glory of God so that the Son of God may be glorified by it.” 5 Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. 6 So when he heard that Lazarus was sick, Jesus stayed two more days in the place where he was. 7 Then after this, he said to the disciples, “Let us go to Judea again.” 8 The disciples said to him, “Rabbi, right now the Jews are trying to stone you, and you are going back there again?” 9 Jesus answered, “Are there not twelve hours of light in a day? If someone walks in the daytime, he will not stumble, because he sees by the light of this world. 10 However, if he walks at night, he will stumble because the light is not in him.” 11 He said these things, and after these things, he said to them, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I am going so that I may wake him out of sleep.” 12 The disciples therefore said to him, “Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will recover.” 13 Now Jesus had spoken of his death, but they thought that he was speaking about the sleep of resting. 14 Then Jesus said to them plainly, “Lazarus is dead. 15 I am glad, for your sakes, that I was not there so that you may believe. Let us go to him.” 16 Thomas, who was called Didymus, said to his fellow disciples, “Let us also go so that we may die with Jesus.”

17 When Jesus came, he found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days. 18 Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, about fifteen stadia away. 19 Many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary, to comfort them about their brother. 20 Then Martha, when she heard that Jesus was coming, went to meet him, but Mary was sitting in the house. 21 Martha then said to Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. 22 Even now, I know that whatever you ask from God, he will give to you.” 23 Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.” 24 Martha said to him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.” 25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in me, even if he dies, will live; 26 and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?” 27 She said to him, “Yes, Lord, I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who is coming into the world.” 28 When she had said this, she went away and called her sister Mary privately. She said, “The Teacher is here and is calling for you.” 29 When she heard this, she got up quickly and went to him. 30 Now Jesus had not yet come into the village but was still in the place where Martha had met him. 31 So when the Jews, who were with her in the house and who were comforting her, saw Mary getting up quickly and going out, they followed her, thinking that she was going to the tomb to weep there. 32 When Mary came to the place where Jesus was and saw him, she fell down at his feet and said to him, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” 33 When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in his spirit and was troubled; 34 he said, “Where have you laid him?” They said to him, “Lord, come and see.” 35 Jesus wept. 36 Then the Jews said, “See how much he loved Lazarus!” 37 But some of them said, “Could not this man, who opened the eyes of a blind man, also have made this man not die?” 38 Then Jesus again, being deeply moved in himself, went to the tomb. Now it was a cave, and a stone lay against it. 39 Jesus said, “Take away the stone.” Martha, the sister of Lazarus, the one who had died, said to Jesus, “Lord, by this time the body will be decaying, for he has been dead for four days.” 40 Jesus said to her, “Did I not say to you that, if you believed, you would see the glory of God?” 41 So they took away the stone. Jesus lifted up his eyes and said, “Father, I thank you that you listened to me. 42 I knew that you always listen to me, but it is because of the crowd that is standing around me that I said this, so that they may believe that you have sent me.” 43 After he had said this, he cried out with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” 44 The dead man came out; his feet and hands were bound with cloths, and his face was bound about with a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Untie him and let him go.”

45 Then many of the Jews who came to Mary and saw what Jesus did, believed in him. 46 But some of them went away to the Pharisees and told them the things that Jesus had done.

47 Then the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered the council together and said, “What will we do? This man does many signs. 48 If we leave him alone like this, all will believe in him; the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation.” 49 However, a certain man among them, Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, said to them, “You know nothing. 50 You do not consider that it is better for you that one man dies for the people than that the whole nation perishes.” 51 Now this he said not from himself. Instead, being high priest that year, he prophesied that Jesus should die for the nation; 52 and not only for the nation, but so that the children of God who are scattered would be gathered together into one. 53 So from that day onward they planned how to put Jesus to death.

54 No longer did Jesus walk openly among the Jews, but he departed from there into the country near to the wilderness into a town called Ephraim. There he stayed with the disciples. 55 Now the Passover of the Jews was near, and many went up to Jerusalem from the country before the Passover in order to purify themselves. 56 They were looking for Jesus, and speaking one with another as they stood in the temple, “What do you think? That he will not come to the festival?” 57 Now the chief priests and the Pharisees had given an order that if anyone knew where Jesus was, he should report it so that they might seize him.

12

1 Six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus, whom Jesus had raised from the dead, was. 2 So they made him a dinner there, and Martha was serving, but Lazarus was one of those who was lying down at the table with Jesus. 3 Then Mary took a litra of perfume made of very precious pure nard, anointed the feet of Jesus with it, and wiped his feet with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. 4 Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples, the one who would betray him, said, 5 “Why was this perfume not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor?” 6 Now he said this, not because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief. He had the moneybag and would steal from what was put in it. 7 Jesus said, “Allow her to keep what she has for the day of my burial. 8 You will always have the poor with you. But you will not always have me.”

9 Now a large crowd of the Jews learned that Jesus was there, and they came, not only for Jesus, but also to see Lazarus, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. 10 The chief priests conspired together so that they might also put Lazarus to death; 11 for it was because of him that many of the Jews went away and believed in Jesus.

12 On the next day a great crowd came to the festival. When they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, 13 they took the branches of the palm trees and went out to meet him and cried out, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, the King of Israel.” 14 Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it; as it was written, 15 “Do not fear, daughter of Zion; see, your King is coming, sitting on the colt of a donkey.” 16 His disciples did not understand these things at first; but when Jesus was glorified, they remembered that these things had been written about him and that they had done these things to him. 17 Now the crowd testified that they had been with him when he called Lazarus out of the tomb and raised him up from the dead. 18 It was also for this reason that the crowd went out to meet him, because they heard that he had done this sign. 19 The Pharisees therefore said among themselves, “Look, you can do nothing; see, the world has gone after him.”

20 Now certain Greeks were among those who were going up to worship at the festival. 21 These went to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and asked him, saying, “Sir, we want to see Jesus.” 22 Philip went and told Andrew; Andrew went with Philip, and they told Jesus. 23 Jesus answered them and said, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. 24 Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains by itself alone; but if it dies, it will bear much fruit. 25 He who loves his life will lose it; but he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. 26 If anyone serves me, let him follow me; and where I am, there will my servant also be. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him. 27 Now my soul is troubled and what should I say? 'Father, save me from this hour'? But for this reason I came to this hour. 28 Father, glorify your name.” Then a voice came from heaven and said, “I have glorified it and I will glorify it again.” 29 Then the crowd that stood by and heard it said that it had thundered. Others said, “An angel has spoken to him.” 30 Jesus answered and said, “This voice did not come for me, but for you. 31 Now is the judgment of this world: Now will the ruler of this world be thrown out. 32 When I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw everyone to myself.” 33 He said this to indicate what kind of death he would die. 34 The crowd answered him, “We have heard from the law that the Christ will stay forever. How can you say, 'The Son of Man must be lifted up'? Who is this Son of Man?” 35 Jesus then said to them, “The light will still be with you for a short amount of time. Walk while you have the light, so that darkness does not overtake you. He who walks in the darkness does not know where he is going. 36 While you have the light, believe in the light so that you may be sons of light.”

Jesus said these things and then departed and hid from them. 37 Although Jesus had done so many signs before them, yet they did not believe in him 38 so that the word of Isaiah the prophet would be fulfilled, in which he said:

“Lord, who has believed our report,

and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?”

39 For this reason they could not believe, for Isaiah had also said,

40 “He has blinded their eyes, and he has hardened their hearts;

otherwise they would see with their eyes and understand with their hearts,

and turn,

and I would heal them.”

41 Isaiah said these things because he saw the glory of Jesus and spoke of him. 42 But despite that, many of the rulers believed in Jesus; but because of the Pharisees, they did not admit it so that they would not be banned from the synagogue. 43 They loved the praise that comes from people more than the praise that comes from God.

44 Jesus cried out and said, “The one who believes in me, believes not only in me but also in him who sent me, 45 and the one who sees me sees him who sent me. 46 I have come as a light into the world, so that whoever believes in me may not remain in the darkness. 47 If anyone hears my words but does not keep them, I do not judge him; for I have not come to judge the world, but to save the world. 48 The one who rejects me and who does not receive my words, has one who judges him. The word I have spoken will judge him on the last day. 49 For I did not speak for myself, but it is the Father who sent me, who has given me the command about what to say and what to speak. 50 I know that his command is eternal life, so that is what I say—just as the Father has spoken to me, so I speak.”

13

1 Now it was before the Festival of the Passover. Jesus knew that his hour had come to go out of this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end. 2 Now the devil had already put it into the heart of Judas Iscariot son of Simon, to betray Jesus. 3 He knew that the Father had given everything over into his hands and that he had come from God and was going back to God. 4 He got up from dinner and took off his outer clothing. Then he took a towel and wrapped it around himself. 5 Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the feet of the disciples and dry them with the towel that he had put around himself. 6 He came to Simon Peter, and Peter said to him, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?” 7 Jesus answered and said to him, “What I am doing you do not understand now, but you will understand this later.” 8 Peter said to him, “You will never wash my feet.” Jesus answered him, “If I do not wash you, you have no share with me.” 9 Simon Peter said to him, “Lord, do not only wash my feet, but also my hands and my head.” 10 Jesus said to him, “He who is bathed has no need, except to wash his feet, but he is completely clean; you are clean, but not everyone.” 11 (For Jesus knew who would betray him; that is why he said, “Not all of you are clean.”)

12 So when Jesus had washed their feet and taken his garments and sat down again, he said to them, “Do you know what I have done for you? 13 You call me 'teacher' and 'Lord,' and you are speaking correctly, because so I am. 14 If I then, the Lord and the Teacher, have washed your feet, you should also wash the feet of one another. 15 For I have given you an example so that you should also do just as I did for you. 16 Truly, truly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master; nor is a messenger greater than he who sent him. 17 If you know these things, you are blessed if you do them. 18 I am not speaking about all of you; I know those whom I have chosen—but this so that the scripture will be fulfilled: 'He who eats my bread lifted up his heel against me.' 19 I tell you this now before it happens so that when it happens, you may believe that I AM. 20 Truly, truly, I say to you, he who receives whomever I sent, receives me, and he who receives me, receives him who sent me.”

21 When Jesus said this, he was troubled in spirit. He testified and said, “Truly, truly, I say to you that one of you will betray me.” 22 The disciples looked at each other, wondering of whom he was speaking. 23 One of his disciples, whom Jesus loved, was lying down at the table against Jesus' side. 24 Simon Peter motioned to this disciple and said, “Ask him who he is speaking about.” 25 So he leaned back against the side of Jesus and said to him, “Lord, who is it?” 26 Then Jesus answered, “It is the one for whom I will dip the piece of bread and give it him.” So when he had dipped the bread, he gave it to Judas son of Simon Iscariot. 27 Then after the bread, Satan entered into him, so Jesus said to him, “What you are doing, do it quickly.” 28 Now no one who was lying down at the table knew why he said this to him. 29 Some thought that, since Judas had the moneybag, Jesus said to him, “Buy what we need to have for the festival,” or that he should give something to the poor. 30 After Judas received the bread, he went out immediately. It was night.

31 When Judas was gone, Jesus said, “Now the Son of Man is glorified, and God is glorified in him. 32 God will glorify him in himself, and he will glorify him immediately. 33 Little children, I am with you for still a short amount of time. You will look for me, and as I said to the Jews, 'Where I am going, you cannot come.' Now I also say this to you. 34 I am giving you a new commandment, that you should love one another; as I have loved you, so also you should love one another. 35 By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love one for another.”

36 Simon Peter said to him, “Lord, where are you going?” Jesus answered, “Where I am going, you cannot follow me now, but you will follow later.” 37 Peter said to him, “Lord, why can I not follow you now? I will lay down my life for you.” 38 Jesus answered, “Will you lay down your life for me? Truly, truly, I say to you, the rooster will not crow before you have denied me three times.”

14

1 “Do not let your heart be troubled. You believe in God, believe also in me. 2 In the house of my Father are many rooms. If it were not so, I would have told you, for I am going to prepare a place for you. 3 If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to myself, so that where I am you will also be. 4 You know the way to where I am going.” 5 Thomas said to Jesus, “Lord, we do not know where you are going, how can we know the way?” 6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father except through me. 7 If you had known me, you would have known my Father also. From now on you know him and have seen him.” 8 Philip said to Jesus, “Lord, show us the Father, and that will be enough for us.” 9 Jesus said to him, “I have been with you for so long and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, 'Show us the Father'? 10 Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak from my own authority, but the Father living in me is doing his work. 11 Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father is in me, or else believe because of the works themselves. 12 Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in me will do the works that I do, and he will do greater works than these because I am going to the Father. 13 Whatever you ask in my name, I will do it so that the Father will be glorified in the Son. 14 If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it. 15 If you love me, you will keep my commandments, 16 and I will pray to the Father, and he will give you another Comforter so that he will be with you forever— 17 the Spirit of truth. The world cannot receive him because it does not see him or know him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. 18 I will not leave you alone; I will come back to you. 19 Yet a short amount of time and the world will no longer see me, but you see me. Because I live, you will also live. 20 On that day you will know that I am in my Father, and that you are in me, and that I am in you. 21 He who has my commandments and keeps them is the one who loves me, and he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and I will show myself to him.” 22 Judas (not Iscariot) said to Jesus, “Lord, why is it that you will show yourself to us and not to the world?” 23 Jesus answered and said to him, “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and we will make our home with him. 24 He who does not love me does not keep my words. The word that you hear is not from me but from the Father who sent me.

25 I have said these things to you, while I am staying with you. 26 However, the Comforter—the Holy Spirit whom the Father will send in my name—he will teach you everything and he will remind you of everything that I said to you. 27 I leave you peace; I give you my peace. I do not give it as the world gives. Do not let your heart be troubled, and do not be afraid. 28 You heard that I said to you, 'I am going away, and I will come back to you.' If you loved me, you would be glad because I am going to the Father, for the Father is greater than I am. 29 Now I have told you before it happens so that, when it happens, you will believe. 30 I will no longer speak much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming. He has no power over me, 31 but in order that the world will know that I love the Father, I do just as the Father commanded me. Let us get up and go from here.”

15

1 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. 2 He takes away every branch in me that does not bear fruit, and he prunes every branch that bears fruit so that it will bear more fruit. 3 You are already clean because of the message that I have spoken to you. 4 Remain in me, and I in you. Just as a branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it remains in the vine, so neither can you, unless you remain in me. 5 I am the vine, you are the branches. He who remains in me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for without me you can do nothing. 6 If anyone does not remain in me, he is thrown away like a branch and dries up, and they gather the branches and throw them into the fire, and they are burned up. 7 If you remain in me, and if my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 8 My Father is glorified in this, that you bear much fruit and so prove that you are my disciples. 9 As the Father has loved me, I have also loved you. Remain in my love. 10 If you keep my commandments, you will remain in my love, as I have kept the commandments of my Father and remain in his love. 11 I have spoken these things to you so that my joy will be in you and so that your joy will be complete. 12 This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. 13 No one has greater love than this—that he lay down his life for his friends. 14 You are my friends if you do the things that I command you. 15 No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing. I have called you friends, for everything that I heard from my Father, I have made known to you. 16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you would go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain. This is so that whatever you ask of the Father in my name, he will give it to you. 17 These things I command you, so that you love one another. 18 If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. 19 If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own. But because you are not of the world and because I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. 20 Remember the word that I said to you, 'A servant is not greater than his master.' If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they kept my word, they will also keep yours. 21 They will do all these things to you because of my name, because they do not know him who sent me. 22 If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin. 23 He who hates me also hates my Father. 24 If I had not done the works that no one else did among them, they would have no sin, but now they have seen and hated both me and my Father. 25 But this is in order to fulfill the word that is written in their law, 'They hated me without a cause.' 26 When the Comforter—whom I will send to you from the Father, that is, the Spirit of truth, who goes out from the Father—comes, he will testify about me. 27 You are also testifying because you have been with me from the beginning.

16

1 “I have spoken these things to you so that you will not fall away. 2 They will throw you out of the synagogues. But the hour is coming when everyone who kills you will think that he is offering a service to God. 3 They will do these things because they have not known the Father nor me. 4 I have spoken these things to you so that when their hour comes, you will remember that I told you about them. I did not tell you about these things in the beginning, because I was with you. 5 But now I go to him who sent me, yet none of you asks me, 'Where are you going?' 6 But because I have said these things to you, sadness has filled your heart. 7 But truly I tell you, it is better for you that I go away. For if I do not go away, the Comforter will not come to you, but if I go, I will send him to you. 8 When he comes, the Comforter will prove the world to be wrong about sin, about righteousness, and about judgment— 9 about sin, because they do not believe in me; 10 about righteousness, because I am going to the Father, and you will no longer see me; 11 and about judgment, because the ruler of this world has been judged. 12 I have many things to say to you, but you would not understand them now. 13 But when he, the Spirit of Truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak from himself. But he will say whatever he hears, and he will tell you things that are to come. 14 He will glorify me, because he will take from what is mine and he will tell it to you. 15 Everything that the Father has is mine. Therefore, I said that the Spirit will take from what is mine and he will tell it to you. 16 In a short amount of time you will no longer see me, and after another short amount of time you will see me.” 17 Then some of his disciples said to one another, “What is this that he says to us, 'A short amount of time you will no longer see me and after another short amount of time you will see me,' and, 'Because I go to the Father'?” 18 Therefore they said, “What is this that he says, 'A short amount of time'? We do not know what he is talking about.” 19 Jesus saw that they wanted to ask him, and he said to them, “Is this what you are asking yourselves, what I meant by saying, 'A little while and you will no longer see me, and again a little while and you will see me'? 20 Truly, truly, I say to you, you will weep and lament, but the world will be glad. You will become full of sadness, but your sorrow will be turned into joy. 21 When a woman gives birth she has sadness because her hour has come, but when she has given birth to the child, she no longer remembers her pain because of her joy that a man has been born into the world. 22 So you have sadness now, but I will see you again, and your heart will be glad, and no one will be able to take away your joy from you. 23 On that day you will not ask me anything. Truly, truly, I say to you, if you ask anything of the Father in my name, he will give it to you. 24 Until now you have not asked anything in my name. Ask, and you will receive so that your joy will be fulfilled.

25 I have said these things to you in figures of speech, but the hour is coming when I will no longer speak to you in figures of speech, but instead I will tell you plainly about the Father. 26 On that day you will ask in my name and I do not say to you that I will pray to the Father for you, 27 for the Father himself loves you because you have loved me and because you have believed that I came from the Father. 28 I came from the Father, and I have come into the world. Again, I am leaving the world and I am going to the Father.” 29 His disciples said, “See, now you are speaking plainly and you are not using figures of speech. 30 Now we know that you know all things, and you do not need anyone to ask you questions. Because of this, we believe that you have come from God.” 31 Jesus answered them, “Do you believe now? 32 See, the hour is coming, yes, and has indeed come, when you will be scattered, everyone to his own home, and you will leave me alone. Yet I am not alone because the Father is with me. 33 I have spoken these things to you so that you will have peace in me. In the world you have troubles, but have courage, I have conquered the world.”

17

1 After Jesus said these things, he lifted up his eyes to the heavens and said, “Father, the hour has come, glorify your Son so that the Son will glorify you— 2 just as you gave him authority over all flesh so that he would give eternal life to everyone whom you have given him. 3 This is eternal life: That they know you, the only true God, and him whom you sent, Jesus Christ. 4 I glorified you on the earth. I have finished the work that you have given me to do. 5 Now, Father, glorify me along with yourself with the glory that I had with you before the world was made. 6 I revealed your name to the people whom you gave me from the world. They were yours, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word. 7 Now they know that everything that you have given me comes from you, 8 for I have given them all the words that you gave me. They received them and truly knew that I came from you, and they believed that you sent me. 9 I pray for them. I do not pray for the world but for those whom you have given me, for they are yours. 10 Everything that is mine is yours, and yours is mine, and I am glorified in them. 11 I am no longer in the world, but these people are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, keep them in your name that you have given me so that they will be one, just as we are one. 12 While I was with them, I kept them in your name, which you have given me. I protected them, and not one of them was destroyed, except for the son of destruction, so that the scriptures would be fulfilled. 13 Now I am coming to you, but I am saying these things in the world so that they will have my joy fulfilled in themselves. 14 I have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. 15 I do not ask for you to take them away from the world, but for you to keep them from the evil one. 16 They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. 17 Set them apart by the truth. Your word is truth. 18 Just as you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world. 19 For their sakes I have set myself apart, so that they themselves may also be set apart in truth. 20 I pray not only for these, but also for those who will believe in me through their word 21 so that they will all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world will believe that you have sent me. 22 The glory that you gave me, I have given to them, so that they will be one, just as we are one: 23 I in them, and you in me—that they may be brought to complete unity, so that the world will know that you sent me, and that you have loved them just as you loved me. 24 Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you gave me because you loved me before the creation of the world. 25 Righteous Father, the world did not know you, but I know you; and these know that you sent me. 26 I made your name known to them, and I will make it known so that the love with which you have loved me will be in them, and I will be in them.”

18

1 After Jesus spoke these words, he went out with his disciples to the other side of the Kidron Valley, where there was a garden into which he and his disciples entered. 2 Now Judas, who was going to betray him, also knew the place, for Jesus often went there with his disciples. 3 Then Judas, leading a group of soldiers and some officers from the chief priests and Pharisees, went there with lanterns, torches, and weapons. 4 Then Jesus, who knew all the things that were happening to him, went forward and asked them, “Who are you looking for?” 5 They answered him, “Jesus of Nazareth.” Jesus said to them, “I am.” Judas, who betrayed him, was also standing with the soldiers. 6 So when he said to them, “I am,” they went backward and fell to the ground. 7 Then again he asked them, “Who are you looking for?” Again they said, “Jesus of Nazareth.” 8 Jesus answered, “I told you that I am. So if you are looking for me, let these go.” 9 This was in order to fulfill the word that he said: “Of those whom you have given me, I lost no one.” 10 Then Simon Peter, who had a sword, drew it and struck the servant of the high priest and cut off his right ear. Now the name of the servant was Malchus. 11 Jesus said to Peter, “Put the sword back into its sheath. Should I not drink the cup that the Father has given me?”

12 So the group of soldiers and the captain, and the officers of the Jews, seized Jesus and tied him up. 13 They led him first to Annas, for he was father-in-law of Caiaphas, who was high priest that year. 14 Now Caiaphas was the one who had given the advice to the Jews that it would be better that one man die for the people.

15 Simon Peter followed Jesus, and so did another disciple. Now that disciple was known to the high priest, and he entered with Jesus into the courtyard of the high priest; 16 but Peter was standing at the door outside. So the other disciple, who was known to the high priest, went out and spoke to the female doorkeeper and he brought Peter in. 17 Then the female servant, the doorkeeper, said to Peter, “Are you not also one of the disciples of this man?” He said, “I am not.” 18 Now the servants and the officers were standing there, and they had made a charcoal fire, for it was cold, and they were warming themselves. Peter was also with them, standing there and warming himself.

19 The high priest then asked Jesus about his disciples and his teaching. 20 Jesus answered him, “I have spoken openly to the world. I was always teaching in synagogues and in the temple where all the Jews come together. I said nothing in secret. 21 Why did you ask me? Ask those who have heard me about what I said. Look, these people know what I said.” 22 When Jesus had said this, one of the officers standing there struck Jesus and said, “Is that how you answer the high priest?” 23 Jesus answered him, “If I spoke wrongly, testify about the wrong, but if rightly, why do you hit me?” 24 Then Annas sent him tied up to Caiaphas the high priest.

25 Now Simon Peter was standing and warming himself. The people then said to him, “Are you not also one of his disciples?” He denied it and said, “I am not.” 26 One of the servants of the high priest, who was a relative of the man whose ear Peter had cut off, said, “Did I not see you in the garden with him?” 27 Peter then denied again, and immediately the rooster crowed.

28 Then they led Jesus from Caiaphas to the government headquarters. It was early in the morning, and they did not enter the government headquarters so that they would not be defiled but would eat the Passover. 29 So Pilate went out to them and said, “What accusation are you bringing against this man?” 30 They answered and said to him, “If this man was not an evildoer, we would not have given him over to you.” 31 Pilate therefore said to them, “Take him yourselves, and judge him according to your law.” The Jews said to him, “It is not lawful for us to put any man to death.” 32 They said this so that the word of Jesus would be fulfilled which he had spoken to indicate by what kind of death he would die.

33 Then Pilate entered the government headquarters again and called Jesus and he said to him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” 34 Jesus answered, “Do you speak from yourself, or did others speak to you about me?” 35 Pilate answered, “I am not a Jew, am I? Your own people and the chief priests gave you over to me. What did you do?” 36 Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were part of this world, then my servants would fight so that I would not be given over to the Jews. But now my kingdom is not from here.” 37 Pilate then said to him, “Are you a king then?” Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. For this purpose I have been born, and for this purpose I have come into the world, so that I would bear witness to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice.” 38 Pilate said to him, “What is truth?” When he had said this, he went out again to the Jews and said to them, “I find no guilt in this man. 39 But you have the custom that I release one person to you at the Passover. So do you want me to release the King of the Jews to you?” 40 Then they cried out again and said, “Not this man, but Barabbas.” Now Barabbas was a robber.

19

1 Then Pilate took Jesus and whipped him. 2 The soldiers weaved a crown of thorns. They put it on the head of Jesus and dressed him with a purple garment. 3 They came to him and said, “Hail, King of the Jews!” and they struck him. 4 Then Pilate went outside again and said to them, “See, I am bringing him outside to you so that you will know that I find no guilt in him.” 5 So Jesus came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple garment. Pilate said to them, “Look, here is the man!” 6 When therefore the chief priests and the officers saw Jesus, they cried out and said, “Crucify him, crucify him!” Pilate said to them, “Take him yourselves and crucify him, for I find no guilt in him.” 7 The Jews answered him, “We have a law, and according to that law he has to die because he claimed to be the Son of God.” 8 When Pilate heard this statement, he was even more afraid, 9 and he entered the government headquarters again and said to Jesus, “Where do you come from?” But Jesus gave him no answer. 10 Then Pilate said to him, “Are you not speaking to me? Do you not know that I have power to release you, and power to crucify you?” 11 Jesus answered him, “You do not have any power over me except for what has been given to you from above. Therefore, he who gave me over to you has a greater sin.” 12 At this answer, Pilate tried to release him, but the Jews cried out, saying, “If you release this man, you are not a friend of Caesar. Everyone who makes himself a king speaks against Caesar.” 13 When Pilate heard these words, he brought Jesus out and sat down in the judgment seat in a place called “The Pavement,” but in Hebrew, “Gabbatha.” 14 Now it was the day of preparation for the Passover, at about the sixth hour. Pilate said to the Jews, “See, here is your king!” 15 They cried out, “Away with him, away with him; crucify him!” Pilate said to them, “Should I crucify your King?” The chief priests answered, “We have no king but Caesar.” 16 Then Pilate gave Jesus over to them to be crucified.

17 Then they took Jesus, and he went out, carrying the cross for himself, to the place called “The Place of a Skull,” which in Hebrew is called “Golgotha.” 18 They crucified Jesus there, and with him two other men, one on each side, with Jesus in the middle. 19 Pilate also wrote a sign and put it on the cross. There it was written: JESUS OF NAZARETH, THE KING OF THE JEWS. 20 Many of the Jews read this sign because the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city. The sign was written in Hebrew, in Latin, and in Greek. 21 Then the chief priests of the Jews said to Pilate, “Do not write, 'The King of the Jews,' but rather, 'This one said, “I am King of the Jews.”'” 22 Pilate answered, “What I have written I have written.”

23 When the soldiers crucified Jesus, they took his clothes, divided them into four shares, one for each of them; and also the tunic. Now the tunic was seamless, woven in one piece from the top. 24 Then they said to each other, “Let us not tear it, but instead let us cast lots for it to decide whose it will be.” This happened so that the scripture would be fulfilled which said,

“They divided my garments among themselves

and cast lots for my clothing.”

This is what the soldiers did. 25 Now standing beside Jesus' cross were his mother, his mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. 26 When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, “Woman, see, your son!” 27 Then he said to the disciple, “See, your mother!” From that hour the disciple took her to his own home.

28 After this, knowing that everything was now completed and so that the scriptures would be fulfilled, Jesus said, “I am thirsty.” 29 A container full of sour wine was placed there, so they put a sponge full of the sour wine on a hyssop staff and lifted it up to his mouth. 30 When Jesus had taken the sour wine, he said, “It is finished.” He bowed his head and gave up his spirit.

31 Then the Jews, because it was the day of preparation, and so that the bodies would not remain on the cross during the Sabbath (for that Sabbath was especially important), asked Pilate to break their legs and to remove them. 32 Then the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first man and of the second man who had been crucified with Jesus. 33 When they came to Jesus, they saw that he was already dead, so they did not break his legs. 34 However, one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear, and immediately blood and water came out. 35 The one who saw this has testified, and his testimony is true. He knows that what he said is true so that you would also believe. 36 For these things happened in order to fulfill scripture, “Not one of his bones will be broken.” 37 Again, another scripture says, “They will look at him whom they pierced.”

38 After these things, Joseph of Arimathea, since he was a disciple of Jesus (but secretly for fear of the Jews), asked Pilate if he could take away the body of Jesus. Pilate gave him permission. So Joseph came and took away his body. 39 Nicodemus also came, he who at first had come to Jesus by night. He brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about one hundred litras in weight. 40 So they took the body of Jesus and wrapped it in linen cloths with the spices, as was the custom of the Jews to bury bodies. 41 Now in the place where he was crucified there was a garden; and in the garden was a new tomb in which no person had yet been buried. 42 Because it was the day of preparation for the Jews and because the tomb was close by, they laid Jesus in it.

20

1 Now early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and she saw the stone rolled away from the tomb. 2 So she ran and came to Simon Peter and to the other disciple whom Jesus loved, and she said to them, “They took away the Lord out from the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him.” 3 Then Peter and the other disciple went out, and they went to the tomb. 4 They both ran together, and the other disciple quickly ran ahead of Peter and arrived at the tomb first. 5 Then stooping down, he saw the linen cloths lying there, but he did not go inside. 6 Simon Peter then arrived after him and went into the tomb. He saw the linen cloths lying there 7 and the cloth that had been on his head. It was not lying with the linen cloths but was folded up in a place by itself. 8 Then the other disciple, the one who first arrived at the tomb, also went in, and he saw and believed. 9 For until that time they still did not know the scripture that he should rise from the dead. 10 So the disciples went back home again.

11 But Mary was standing outside the tomb weeping. As she wept, she stooped down into the tomb. 12 She saw two angels in white sitting, one at the head, and one at the foot of where the body of Jesus had lain. 13 They said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” She said to them, “Because they took away my Lord, and I do not know where they have put him.” 14 When she said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not know that it was Jesus. 15 Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you looking for?” She thought that he was the gardener, so she said to him, “Sir, if you have taken him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will take him away.” 16 Jesus said to her, “Mary.” She turned, and said to him in Hebrew, “Rabboni” (which means “Teacher”). 17 Jesus said to her, “Do not touch me, for I have not yet gone up to the Father, but go to my brothers and say to them that I will go up to my Father and your Father, and my God and your God.” 18 Mary Magdalene came and told the disciples, “I have seen the Lord,” and that he had said these things to her.

19 When it was evening, on that day, the first day of the week, and the doors of where the disciples were, were closed for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in the middle of them and said to them, “Peace to you.” 20 After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side. The disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. 21 Jesus then said to them again, “Peace to you. As the Father has sent me, so I am sending you.” 22 When Jesus had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 Whoever's sins you forgive, they are forgiven; whoever's sins you keep back, they are kept back.”

24 Thomas, one of the twelve, called Didymus, was not with them when Jesus came. 25 The other disciples later said to him, “We have seen the Lord.” He said to them, “Unless I see in his hands the mark of the nails, and put my finger into the mark of the nails, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.”

26 After eight days his disciples were inside again, and Thomas was with them. Jesus came while the doors were closed, and stood among them, and said, “Peace to you.” 27 Then he said to Thomas, “Reach here with your finger and see my hands. Reach here with your hand and put it into my side. Do not be unbelieving, but believe.” 28 Thomas answered and said to him, “My Lord and my God.” 29 Jesus said to him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen, and believed.”

30 Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, signs that have not been written in this book, 31 but these have been written so that you would believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and so that believing, you would have life in his name.

21

1 After these things Jesus showed himself again to the disciples at the Sea of Tiberias. This is how he showed himself: 2 Simon Peter was together with Thomas called Didymus, Nathaniel from Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two other disciples of Jesus. 3 Simon Peter said to them, “I am going fishing.” They said to him, “We, too, will come with you.” They went and got into a boat, but they caught nothing during the whole night. 4 Now, when it was already early in the morning, Jesus stood on the beach, but the disciples did not know it was Jesus. 5 So Jesus said to them, “Young men, do you have anything to eat?” They answered him, “No.” 6 He said to them, “Throw your net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some.” So they threw their net and were not able to draw it in because of the large number of fish. 7 Then the disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord.” When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he tied up his outer garment (for he was undressed), and threw himself into the sea. 8 The other disciples came in the boat (for they were not far from the land, about two hundred cubits off), and they were pulling the net full of fish. 9 When they got out upon the land, they saw a charcoal fire there and fish laid on it, with bread. 10 Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish that you have just caught.” 11 Simon Peter then went up and drew the net to land, full of large fish; 153. There were so many, but the net was not torn. 12 Jesus said to them, “Come and eat breakfast.” None of the disciples dared ask him, “Who are you?” They knew it was the Lord. 13 Jesus came, took the bread, and gave it to them, and the fish also. 14 This was the third time that Jesus showed himself to the disciples after he had risen from the dead.

15 After they ate breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?” Peter said to him, “Yes Lord, you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my lambs.” 16 He said to him again a second time, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” Peter said to him, “Yes Lord, you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Take care of my sheep.”

17 He said to him a third time, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” Peter was sad because Jesus had said to him a third time, “Do you love me?” He said to him, “Lord, you know all things, you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep. 18 Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were young, you used to clothe yourself and walk wherever you wanted, but when you become old, you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will clothe you and carry you where you will not want to go.” 19 Now Jesus said this in order to indicate with what kind of death Peter would glorify God. After he had said this, he said to Peter, “Follow me.” 20 Peter turned around and saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following them, the one who had also leaned back against the side of Jesus at the dinner and who had said, “Lord, who is the one who will betray you?” 21 Peter saw him and then said to Jesus, “Lord, what will this man do?” 22 Jesus said to him, “If I want him to stay until I come, what is that to you? Follow me.” 23 So this statement spread among the brothers, that that disciple would not die. Yet Jesus did not say to Peter that the other disciple would not die, but, “If I want him to stay until I come, what is that to you?”

24 This is the disciple who testifies about these things, and who wrote these things, and we know that his testimony is true. 25 There are also many other things that Jesus did. If each one were written down, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that would be written.

* 5:3 The best ancient copies omit the phrase, waiting for the moving of the water .

† 5:4 The best ancient copies omit vs. 4, For an angel of the Lord went down and stirred up the water at certain times and whoever stepped in while the water was stirring was healed from whatever disease he suffered from .

* 6:69 The phrase the Holy One of God is in the best ancient copies. Some later copies add an additional description and they read: the Christ, the Holy One of God .

* 7:53 The best ancient copies omit Jhn. 7:53-8:11

* 8:1 See the note about Jhn. 7:53-8:11 above

† 8:4 See the note about John 7:53-8:11 above

‡ 8:7 See the note about Jhn. 7:53-8:11 above

§ 8:9 See the note about Jhn. 7:53-8:11 above

Acts

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Acts

1

1 The former book I wrote, Theophilus, told all that Jesus began to do and to teach, 2 until the day that he was taken up, after he had given commands through the Holy Spirit to the apostles he had chosen. 3 After his suffering, he presented himself alive to them with many convincing proofs. For forty days he appeared to them, and he spoke about the kingdom of God. 4 When he was meeting together with them, he commanded them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, about which, he said, “You heard from me 5 that John indeed baptized with water, but you shall be baptized in the Holy Spirit in a few days.”

6 When they were assembled together they asked him, “Lord, is this the time you will restore the kingdom to Israel?” 7 He said to them, “It is not for you to know the times or the seasons which the Father has determined by his own authority. 8 But you will receive power, when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be my witnesses both in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” 9 When the Lord Jesus had said these things, as they were looking up, he was raised up, and a cloud hid him from their eyes. 10 While they were looking intensely to heaven as he went, suddenly, two men stood by them in white clothing. 11 They said, “You men of Galilee, why do you stand here looking into heaven? This Jesus who has been taken up from you into heaven, will return in the same manner as you saw him going into heaven.”

12 Then they returned to Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives, which is near to Jerusalem, a Sabbath day's journey. 13 When they arrived, they went up into the upper chamber, where they were staying. They were Peter, John, James, Andrew, Philip, Thomas, Bartholomew, Matthew, James son of Alphaeus, Simon the Zealot, and Judas son of James. 14 They were all united as one, as they diligently continued in prayer. Included were the women, Mary the mother of Jesus, and his brothers.

15 In those days Peter stood up in the midst of the brothers, about 120 people, and said, 16 “Brothers, it was necessary that the scripture should be fulfilled, that the Holy Spirit spoke before by the mouth of David concerning Judas, who guided the ones who arrested Jesus. 17 For he was one of us and received his share of the benefits of this ministry.” 18 (Now this man bought a field with the earnings he received for his wickedness, and there he fell headfirst, and his body burst open, and all his intestines poured out. 19 All those living in Jerusalem heard about this, so they called that field in their language “Akeldama,” that is, “Field of Blood.”) 20 “For it is written in the Book of Psalms,

'Let his field be made desolate,

and do not let even one person live there';

'Let someone else take his position of leadership.'

21 It is necessary, therefore, that one of the men who accompanied us all the time the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, 22 beginning from the baptism of John to the day that he was taken up from us, must be a witness with us of his resurrection.” 23 They put forward two men, Joseph called Barsabbas, who was also named Justus, and Matthias. 24 They prayed and said, “You, Lord, know the hearts of all people, so reveal which of these two is the one whom you have chosen 25 to take the place in this ministry and apostleship from which Judas turned away to go to his own place.” 26 They cast lots for them, and the lot fell to Matthias, and he was numbered with the eleven apostles.

2

1 When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in the same place. 2 Suddenly there came from heaven a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3 There appeared to them tongues like fire that were distributed, and they sat upon each one of them. 4 They were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other languages, as the Spirit gave them to speak.

5 Now there were Jews who were living in Jerusalem, godly men, from every nation under heaven. 6 When this sound was heard, the multitude came together and was confused because everyone heard them speaking in his own language. 7 They were amazed and marveled; they said, “Really, are not all these who are speaking Galileans? 8 Why is it that we are hearing them, each in our own language in which we were born? 9 Parthians and Medes and Elamites, and those who live in Mesopotamia, in Judea and Cappadocia, in Pontus and Asia, 10 Phrygia and Pamphylia, in Egypt and the parts of Libya toward Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, 11 Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabians, we hear them telling in our languages about the mighty works of God.” 12 They were all amazed and perplexed; they said to one another, “What does this mean?” 13 But others mocked and said, “They are full of new wine.”

14 But Peter stood with the eleven, raised his voice, and said to them, “Men of Judea and all of you who live at Jerusalem, let this be known to you; pay attention to my words. 15 For these people are not drunk as you assume, for it is only the third hour of the day. 16 But this is what was spoken through the prophet Joel:

17 'It will be in the last days,' God says,

'I will pour out my Spirit on all people.

Your sons and your daughters will prophesy,

your young men will see visions,

and your old men will dream dreams.

18 Also on my servants and my female servants in those days

I will pour out my Spirit, and they will prophesy.

19 I will show wonders in the sky above

and signs on the earth below,

blood, fire, and vapor of smoke.

20 The sun will be turned to darkness

and the moon to blood,

before the great and remarkable day of the Lord comes.

21 It will be that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.'

22 Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a man accredited to you by God by the mighty deeds, the wonders, and the signs which God did through him in your midst, as you yourselves know. 23 This man was handed over by God's predetermined plan and foreknowledge; and you, by the hand of lawless men, put him to death by nailing him to a cross. 24 But God raised him up, freeing him from the pains of death, because it was impossible for him to be held by it. 25 For David says about him,

'I saw the Lord always before my face,

for he is beside my right hand so that I should not be moved.

26 Therefore my heart was glad and my tongue rejoiced.

Also, my flesh will live in certain hope.

27 For you will not abandon my soul to Hades,

neither will you allow your Holy One to see decay.

28 You revealed to me the ways of life;

you will make me full of gladness with your face.'

29 Brothers, I can speak to you confidently about the patriarch David, he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. 30 Therefore, he was a prophet and knew that God had sworn with an oath to him, that he would set one of the fruit of his body upon his throne. 31 He saw what was to happen in the future and spoke about the resurrection of the Christ,

'He was neither abandoned to Hades, nor did his flesh see decay.'

32 This Jesus—God raised him up, of which we all are witnesses. 33 Therefore having been exalted to the right hand of God and having received the promised Holy Spirit from the Father, he has poured out what you see and hear.

34 For David did not ascend to the heaven, but he says,

'The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at my right hand,

35 until I make your enemies the stool for your feet.”'

36 Therefore, let all the house of Israel certainly know that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.”

37 Now when they heard this, they were pierced in their hearts, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?” 38 Then Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized, each of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 For the promise is to you and to your children and to all that are far off, as many people as the Lord our God will call.” 40 With many other words he testified and urged them; he said, “Save yourselves from this wicked generation.” 41 Then they received his word and were baptized, and there were added in that day about three thousand souls. 42 They continued in the apostles' teaching and fellowship, in the breaking of bread and in prayers.

43 Fear came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were done through the apostles. 44 All who believed were together and had all things in common, 45 and they sold their property and possessions and distributed them to all, according to the needs anyone had. 46 So day after day they continued with one purpose in the temple, and they broke bread in homes, and they shared food with glad and humble hearts, 47 praising God and having favor with all the people, and every day the Lord added to their number those who were being saved.

3

1 Now Peter and John were going up into the temple at the hour of prayer, the ninth hour. 2 Now a man lame from birth was being carried every day to the Beautiful gate of temple, so he could ask people who were going into the temple for a gift of money. 3 When he saw Peter and John about to enter the temple, he asked them for a gift of money. 4 Peter, fastening his eyes upon him, with John, said, “Look at us.” 5 The lame man looked at them, expecting to receive something from them. 6 But Peter said, “Silver and gold I do not have, but what I do have, I will give to you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.” 7 Taking him by the right hand, Peter raised him up, and immediately the man's feet and ankle were made strong. 8 Leaping up, the lame man stood and began to walk; and he entered with Peter and John into the temple, walking, leaping, and praising God. 9 All the people saw him walking and praising God. 10 They noticed that it was the man who had been asking people for a gift of money at the Beautiful Gate of the temple; and they were filled with wonder and amazement because of what had happened to him.

11 As he was holding on to Peter and John, all the people ran together to them in the porch that is called Solomon's, greatly marveling. 12 When Peter saw this, he answered the people, “You men of Israel, why do you marvel? Why do you fix your eyes on us, as if we had made him to walk by our own power or godliness? 13 The God of Abraham, and of Isaac, and of Jacob, the God of our fathers, has glorified his servant Jesus. He is the one whom you delivered up and rejected before the face of Pilate, when he had decided to release him. 14 You rejected the Holy and Righteous One, and you asked instead for a murderer to be released to you. 15 You killed the Founder of life, whom God raised from the dead—and we are witnesses of this. 16 Now, by faith in his name—this man whom you see and know—this same name made him strong. The faith that is through Jesus gave to him this complete health in the presence of all of you. 17 Now, brothers, I know that you acted in ignorance, as did also your rulers. 18 But the things which God foretold by the mouth of all the prophets, that his Christ should suffer, he has now fulfilled. 19 Repent, therefore, and turn, so that your sins may be blotted out, so that there may come periods of refreshing from the presence of the Lord; 20 and that he may send the Christ who has been appointed for you, Jesus. 21 He is the One heaven must receive until the time of the restoration of all things, about which God spoke long ago by the mouth of his holy prophets. 22 Moses indeed said, 'The Lord God will raise up a prophet like me from among your brothers. You shall listen to everything that he will speak to you. 23 It will happen that every person who does not listen to that prophet will be completely destroyed from among the people.' 24 Yes, and all the prophets from Samuel and those who came after him, they spoke out and announced these days. 25 You are the sons of the prophets and of the covenant that God made with your ancestors, as he said to Abraham, 'In your seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed.' 26 After God raised up his servant, he sent him to you first, in order to bless you by turning every one of you from your wickedness.”

4

1 As Peter and John were speaking to the people, the priests and the captain of the temple and the Sadducees came upon them. 2 They were deeply troubled because Peter and John were teaching the people and proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection from the dead. 3 They arrested them and put them in jail until the next morning, since it was now evening. 4 But many of the people who had heard the message believed; and the number of the men who believed was about five thousand.

5 It came about on the next day that their rulers, elders and scribes gathered together in Jerusalem. 6 Annas the high priest was there, and Caiaphas, and John, and Alexander, and all who were relatives of the high priest. 7 When they had set Peter and John in their midst, they asked them, “By what power, or in what name, have you done this?” 8 Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “You rulers of the people, and elders, 9 if we this day are being questioned concerning a good deed done to a sick man, by what means was this man made well? 10 May this be known to you all and to all the people of Israel, that in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, but whom God raised from the dead, that this man stands here before you healthy. 11 Jesus Christ is the stone which you as builders despised but which has been made the head cornerstone. 12 There is no salvation in any other person, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”

13 Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and realized that they were ordinary, uneducated men, they were surprised, becoming aware that Peter and John had been with Jesus. 14 Because they saw the man who was healed standing with them, they had nothing to say against this. 15 But after they had commanded the apostles to leave the council meeting, they talked among themselves. 16 They said, “What shall we do to these men? For the fact that a remarkable miracle has been done through them is known to everyone who lives in Jerusalem; we cannot deny it. 17 But in order that it spreads no further among the people, let us warn them not to speak anymore to anyone in this name.” 18 They called Peter and John in and commanded them not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus. 19 But Peter and John answered and said to them, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to obey you rather than him, you judge. 20 We are not able to stop speaking about the things we have seen and heard.” 21 After further warning Peter and John, they let them go. They were unable to find any excuse to punish them, because all of the people were praising God for what had been done. 22 The man who had experienced this miracle of healing was more than forty years old.

23 After they were set free, Peter and John came to their own people and reported all that the chief priests and the elders had said to them. 24 When they heard it, they raised their voices together to God and said, “Lord, you made the heavens and the earth and the sea, and all that is in them. 25 You spoke by the Holy Spirit through the mouth of your servant, our father David,

'Why did the Gentile nations rage,

and the peoples imagine useless things?'

26 You said,

'The kings of the earth set themselves together,

and the rulers gathered together

against the Lord, and against his Christ.'

27 Indeed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, together with the Gentiles and the people of Israel, gathered together in this city against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed. 28 They gathered together to do all that your hand and your plan had decided in advance would happen. 29 Now, Lord, look upon their warnings and grant to your servants to speak your word with all boldness. 30 Stretch out your hand to heal, and to give signs and wonders through the name of your holy servant Jesus.” 31 When they finished praying, the place where they were gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and they spoke the word of God with boldness.

32 The great number of those who believed were of one heart and soul. No one said that anything he possessed was his own, but they had everything in common. 33 With great power the apostles were proclaiming their testimony about the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all. 34 There was no person among them who lacked anything, for all who owned title to lands or houses sold them and brought the money of the things that were sold 35 and laid it at the apostles' feet, and it was distributed to each one according to their need.

36 Joseph, a Levite, a man from Cyprus whom the apostles called Barnabas (which means Son of Encouragement), 37 sold a field and brought the money and laid it at the apostles' feet.

5

1 Now a certain man named Ananias, with Sapphira his wife, sold a piece of property, 2 and he kept back part of the sale money (his wife also knew it), and brought the other part of it and laid it at the apostles' feet. 3 But Peter said, “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back part of the price of the land? 4 While it remained unsold, did it not remain your own, and after it was sold, was it not in your control? How is it that you thought of this thing in your heart? You have not lied to men, but to God.” 5 Hearing these words, Ananias fell down and breathed his last, and great fear came upon all who heard it. 6 The young men came forward and wrapped him up, and they carried him out and buried him.

7 After about three hours, his wife came in, not knowing what had happened. 8 Peter said to her, “Tell me whether you sold the land for so much.” She said, “Yes, for so much.” 9 Then Peter said to her, “How is it that you have agreed together to test the Spirit of the Lord? Look, the feet of the men who buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out.” 10 She immediately fell down at his feet and breathed her last. When the young men came in, they found her dead, and carried her out and buried her beside her husband. 11 Great fear came upon the whole church, and upon all who heard these things.

12 Many signs and wonders were taking place among the people through the hands of the apostles. They were all together in Solomon's Porch. 13 But no one else had the courage to join them; however, they were held in high esteem by the people. 14 Still more believers were being added to the Lord, multitudes of men and women, 15 so that they even carried the sick into the streets and laid them on beds and couches, so that as Peter came by, his shadow might fall on some of them. 16 There also came together a great number of people from the towns around Jerusalem, bringing the sick and those afflicted with unclean spirits, and they were all healed.

17 But the high priest rose up, and all those who were with him (which is the sect of the Sadducees); and they were filled with jealousy 18 and laid hands on the apostles, and put them in the public jail. 19 Yet during the night an angel of the Lord opened the doors of the jail and led them out, and said, 20 “Go, stand in the temple and speak to the people all the words of this life.” 21 When they heard this, they entered into the temple about daybreak and taught. But the high priest came, and those who were with him, and called the council together, all the elders of the people of Israel, and sent to the jail to have the apostles brought. 22 But the officers that went did not find them in the prison, and they returned and reported, 23 “We found the jail securely shut and the guards standing at the door, but when we had opened it, we found no one inside.” 24 Now when the captain of the temple and the chief priests heard these words, they were much perplexed concerning them as to what would come of it. 25 Then someone came and told them, “The men whom you put in the jail are standing in the temple and teaching the people.” 26 So the captain went with the officers, and brought them back, but without violence, for they feared that the people might stone them. 27 When they had brought them, they set them before the council. The high priest interrogated them, 28 saying, “We strictly charged you not to teach in this name, and yet, you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching, and desire to bring this man's blood upon us.” 29 But Peter and the apostles answered, “We must obey God rather than men. 30 The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom you killed by hanging him on a tree. 31 God exalted him to his right hand to be a prince and a savior, to give repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins. 32 We are witnesses of these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him.”

33 When the council members heard this, they were furious and wanted to kill the apostles. 34 But a Pharisee named Gamaliel, a teacher of the law, who was honored by all the people, stood up and commanded the apostles to be taken outside for a little while. 35 Then he said to them, “Men of Israel, pay close attention to what you propose to do with these people. 36 For some time ago, Theudas rose up claiming to be somebody, and a number of men, about four hundred, joined him. He was killed, and all who had been obeying him were scattered and came to nothing. 37 After this man, Judas of Galilee rose up in the days of the census and drew away some people after him. He also perished, and all who had been obeying him were scattered. 38 Now I say to you, keep away from these men and let them alone, for if this plan or work is of men, it will be overthrown. 39 But if it is of God, you will not be able to overthrow them; you may even find that you are fighting against God.” So they were persuaded. 40 Then they called the apostles in and beat them and commanded them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go. 41 They left the council rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the Name. 42 Thereafter every day, in the temple and from house to house, they were continuously teaching and proclaiming Jesus as the Christ.

6

1 Now in these days, when the number of the disciples was multiplying, a complaint by the Grecian Jews began against the Hebrews, because their widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution of food. 2 The twelve called the multitude of the disciples to them and said, “It is not right for us to give up the word of God in order to serve tables. 3 You should therefore choose, brothers, seven men from among yourselves, men of good reputation, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business. 4 As for us, we will always continue in prayer and in the ministry of the word.” 5 Their speech pleased the whole multitude. So they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, and Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolaus, a proselyte from Antioch. 6 The believers brought these men before the apostles, who prayed and then placed their hands upon them.

7 So the word of God continued to spread, and the number of disciples in Jerusalem increased greatly, and a large number of the priests became obedient to the faith.

8 Now Stephen, full of grace and power, was doing great wonders and signs among the people. 9 But there arose some people who belonged to the synagogue called the synagogue of the Freedmen, of the Cyrenians and Alexandrians, and some from Cilicia and Asia. These people were debating with Stephen. 10 But they were not able to stand against the wisdom and the Spirit with which Stephen spoke. 11 Then they bribed some men to say, “We have heard Stephen speak blasphemous words against Moses and against God.” 12 They stirred up the people, the elders, and the scribes, and they approached Stephen and seized him and brought him before the council. 13 They brought false witnesses, who said, “This man does not stop speaking words against this holy place and the law. 14 For we have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place and change the customs that Moses handed down to us.” 15 Everyone who sat in the council fixed their eyes on him and saw his face was like the face of an angel.

7

1 The high priest said, “Are these things true?” 2 Stephen said,

“Brothers and fathers, listen to me: The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia, before he lived in Haran; 3 he said to him, 'Leave your land and your relatives, and go into the land that I will show you.' 4 Then he left the land of the Chaldeans and lived in Haran; from there, after his father died, God brought him into this land, where you live now. 5 He gave none of it as an inheritance to him, no, not even enough to set a foot on. But he promised—even though Abraham had no child yet—that he would give the land as a possession to him and to his descendants after him. 6 God was speaking to him like this, that his descendants would live for a while in a foreign land, and that the inhabitants there would bring them into slavery and treat them badly for four hundred years. 7 'But I will judge the nation that they serve,' said God, 'and after that they will come out and worship me in this place.' 8 Then God gave Abraham the covenant of circumcision, so Abraham became the father of Isaac and circumcised him on the eighth day; Isaac became the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father of the twelve patriarchs. 9 Because the patriarchs were jealous of Joseph, they sold him into Egypt; but God was with him 10 and rescued him from all his troubles. He gave Joseph favor and wisdom in the presence of Pharaoh, king of Egypt, who had made him governor over Egypt and over all his household. 11 Now there came a famine over all Egypt and Canaan, and great suffering, and our fathers could find no food. 12 But when Jacob heard that there was grain in Egypt, he sent out our fathers on their first trip. 13 On their second trip Joseph made himself known to his brothers, and Joseph's family became known to Pharaoh. 14 Joseph sent his brothers back to tell Jacob his father to come to Egypt, along with all his relatives, seventy-five persons in all. 15 So Jacob went down into Egypt, and he died, he and our fathers. 16 They were carried over to Shechem and laid in the tomb that Abraham had bought for a price in silver from the sons of Hamor in Shechem. 17 As the time of the promise approached, the promise that God had made to Abraham, the people grew and multiplied in Egypt, 18 until there arose another king over Egypt, a king who did not know about Joseph. 19 He deceived our people and forced our fathers to expose their newborn infants so they would not be kept alive. 20 At that time Moses was born; he was very beautiful before God and was nourished for three months in his father's house. 21 When he was placed outside, Pharaoh's daughter adopted him and raised him as her own son. 22 Moses was educated in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, and he was mighty in his words and works. 23 But when he was about forty years old, it came into his heart to visit his brothers, the children of Israel. 24 Seeing an Israelite being mistreated, Moses defended him and avenged him who was oppressed by striking the Egyptian: 25 he thought that his brothers would understand that God by his hand was rescuing them, but they did not understand. 26 On the next day he came to some Israelites as they were quarreling; he tried to put them at peace with each other; he said, 'Men, you are brothers; why are you hurting one another?' 27 But the one who had wronged his neighbor pushed him away, and said, 'Who made you a ruler and a judge over us? 28 Would you like to kill me, as you killed the Egyptian yesterday?' 29 Moses ran away after hearing this; he became a foreigner in the land of Midian, where he became the father of two sons. 30 When forty years were past, an angel appeared to him in the wilderness of Mount Sinai, in a flame of fire in a bush. 31 When Moses saw the fire, he marveled at the sight; and as he approached to look at it, there came a voice of the Lord, saying, 32 'I am the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, and of Isaac, and of Jacob.' Moses trembled and did not dare to look. 33 The Lord said to him, 'Take off the sandals from your feet, for the place where you are standing is holy ground. 34 I have certainly seen the suffering of my people who are in Egypt; I have heard their groaning, and I have come down to rescue them; now come, I will send you to Egypt.' 35 This Moses whom they rejected, when they said, 'Who made you a ruler and a judge?'—he was the one whom God sent as both a ruler and deliverer. God sent him by the hand of the angel who appeared to Moses in the bush. 36 Moses led them out of Egypt, after doing miracles and signs in Egypt and at the Sea of Reeds, and in the wilderness during forty years. 37 It is the same Moses who said to the people of Israel, 'God will raise up a prophet for you from among your brothers, a prophet like me.' 38 This is the man who was in the assembly in the wilderness with the angel who had spoken to him on Mount Sinai. This is the man who was with our fathers; this is the man who received living words to give to us. 39 This is the man whom our fathers refused to obey; they pushed him away from themselves, and in their hearts they turned back to Egypt. 40 At that time they said to Aaron, 'Make us gods who will lead us. As for this Moses, who led us out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has happened to him.' 41 So they made a calf in those days and brought a sacrifice to the idol, and rejoiced because of the work of their hands. 42 But God turned and gave them up to worship the stars in the sky, as it is written in the book of the prophets,

'Did you offer to me slain beasts and sacrifices

for forty years in the wilderness, house of Israel?

43 You accepted the tabernacle of Molech

and the star of the god Rephan,

and the images that you made to worship them:

and I will carry you away beyond Babylon.'

44 Our fathers had the tabernacle of the testimony in the wilderness, just as God commanded when he spoke to Moses, that he should make it like the pattern that he had seen. 45 Later, our fathers, under Joshua, received the tabernacle and brought it with them when they took possession of the land. God took the land from the nations and drove them out before the face of our fathers. The tabernacle remained in the land until the time of David, 46 who found favor in the sight of God, and he asked if he might find a dwelling place for the God of Jacob. 47 But it was Solomon who built the house for God. 48 However, the Most High does not live in houses made with hands, as the prophet says,

49 'Heaven is my throne, and the earth is the footstool for my feet.

What kind of house can you build for me? says the Lord,

or what is the place for my rest?

50 Did my hand not make all these things?'

51 You people who are stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, you always resist the Holy Spirit; you act just as your fathers acted. 52 Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? They killed the prophets who appeared in advance of the coming of the Righteous One; and you have now become the betrayers and murderers of him also, 53 you people who received the law that angels had established, but you did not keep it.”

54 Now when the council members heard these things, they were cut to the heart, and they ground their teeth at Stephen. 55 But he, being full of the Holy Spirit, looked up intently into heaven and saw the glory of God; and he saw Jesus standing at the right hand of God. 56 Stephen said, “Look, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.” 57 At this the council members covered their ears, and shouting out with a loud voice, altogether they rushed at him. 58 They dragged him out of the city where they began to stone him, and the witnesses laid down their outer clothing at the feet of a young man named Saul. 59 As they were stoning Stephen, he was calling out to the Lord and saying, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” 60 He knelt down and called out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” When he had said this, he fell asleep.

8

1 Saul was in agreement with his death.

So there began on that day a great persecution against the church that was in Jerusalem; and the believers were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles. 2 Devout men buried Stephen and made great lamentation over him. 3 But Saul greatly harmed the church; he went into house after house and dragged out men and women, and put them into prison.

4 Yet the believers who had been scattered went about proclaiming the word. 5 Philip went down to the city of Samaria and proclaimed to them the Christ. 6 When multitudes of people heard and saw the signs that Philip did, they paid attention together to what he said. 7 Unclean spirits came out of many who were possessed, crying out with a loud voice, and many who were paralyzed and lame were healed. 8 So there was much joy in that city.

9 But there was a certain man in the city named Simon, who had earlier been practicing sorcery; he used to astonish the people of Samaria, while claiming that he was an important person. 10 All the Samaritans, from the least to the greatest, paid attention to him; they said, “This man is that power of God which is called Great.” 11 They listened to him, because he had astonished them for a long time with his sorceries. 12 But when they believed Philip as he proclaimed the good news about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women. 13 Even Simon himself believed, and after he was baptized he stayed with Philip constantly. When he saw signs and mighty deeds taking place, he was amazed.

14 Now when the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent to them Peter and John. 15 When they had come down, they prayed for them, that they might receive the Holy Spirit. 16 For until that time, the Holy Spirit had not come upon any of them; they had only been baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus. 17 Then Peter and John placed their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit. 18 Now when Simon saw that the Holy Spirit was given through the laying on of the apostles' hands, he offered them money. 19 He said, “Give me this power, too, that whoever I place my hands on might receive the Holy Spirit.” 20 But Peter said to him, “May your silver perish along with you, because you thought to obtain the gift of God with money. 21 You have no part or share in this matter, because your heart is not right with God. 22 Therefore repent of this wickedness of yours, and pray to the Lord, so that he might perhaps forgive you for the intention of your heart. 23 For I see that you are in the poison of bitterness and in the bonds of sin.” 24 Simon answered and said, “Pray to the Lord for me, so that nothing you have said may happen to me.”

25 When they had testified and spoken the word of the Lord, Peter and John returned to Jerusalem, proclaiming the gospel to many villages of the Samaritans.

26 Now an angel of the Lord spoke to Philip and said, “Arise and go toward the south to the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” (This road is in a desert.) 27 He arose and went. Behold, there was a man from Cush, a eunuch of great authority under Candace, queen of the Cushites. He was in charge of all her treasure. He had come to Jerusalem to worship. 28 He was returning and sitting in his chariot, and was reading the prophet Isaiah. 29 The Spirit said to Philip, “Go over and stay close to this chariot.” 30 So Philip ran to him, and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet, and said, “Do you understand what you are reading?” 31 The Cushite said, “How can I, unless someone guides me?” He begged Philip to come up into the chariot and sit with him. 32 Now the passage of the scripture which the Ethiopian was reading was this,

“He was led like a sheep to the slaughter,

and like a lamb before his shearer is silent,

so he did not open his mouth.

33 In his humiliation justice was taken away from him.

Who can fully describe his descendants?

For his life was taken from the earth.”

34 So the eunuch asked Philip, and said, “I beg you, who is the prophet speaking about, himself, or someone else?” 35 Philip began to speak, and beginning with this scripture he proclaimed the good news about Jesus to him. 36 As they went on the road, they came to some water and the eunuch said, “Look, there is water here. What prevents me from being baptized?” 37  * 38 So the Ethiopian commanded the chariot to stop. They went down into the water, both Philip and the eunuch, and Philip baptized him. 39 When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord took Philip away, and the eunuch saw him no more, but went on his way rejoicing. 40 But Philip appeared at Azotus and he went through that region, proclaiming the gospel to all the cities until he came to Caesarea.

9

1 But Saul, still speaking threats even of murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest 2 and asked him for letters for the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any who belonged to the Way, whether men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem. 3 As he was traveling, it happened that as he came near to Damascus, suddenly there shone all around him a light out of heaven; 4 and he fell upon the ground and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” 5 Saul replied, “Who are you, Lord?” The Lord said, “I am Jesus whom you are persecuting; 6 but rise, enter into the city, and it will be told you what you must do.” 7 The men who traveled with Saul stood speechless, hearing the voice, but seeing no one. 8 Saul arose from the ground, and when he opened his eyes, he could see nothing; so they led him by the hand and brought him into Damascus. 9 For three days he was without sight, and he neither ate nor drank.

10 Now there was a disciple at Damascus named Ananias. The Lord said to him in a vision, “Ananias!” He said, “See, I am here, Lord.” 11 The Lord said to him, “Arise, and go to the street which is called Straight, and at the house of Judas ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul, for he is praying. 12 He has seen in a vision a man named Ananias coming in and laying his hands on him, so that he might see again.” 13 But Ananias answered, “Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much harm he has done to your holy people in Jerusalem. 14 He has authority from the chief priests to arrest everyone here who calls upon your name.” 15 But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is a chosen instrument of mine, to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel; 16 for I will show him how much he must suffer for the cause of my name.” 17 So Ananias departed, and entered into the house. Laying his hands on him, he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road when you were coming, has sent me so that you might receive your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” 18 Immediately something like scales fell from Saul's eyes, and he received his sight; he arose and was baptized; 19 and he ate and was strengthened.

He stayed with the disciples in Damascus for several days. 20 Right away he proclaimed Jesus in the synagogues, saying that he is the Son of God. 21 All who heard him were amazed and said, “Is not this the man who destroyed those in Jerusalem who called on this name? He has come here to take them bound to the chief priests.” 22 But Saul became more and more powerful, and he was causing distress among the Jews who lived in Damascus by proving that Jesus is the Christ.

23 After many days, the Jews planned together to kill him. 24 But their plan became known to Saul. They watched the gates day and night in order to kill him. 25 But his disciples took him by night and let him down through the wall, lowering him in a basket.

26 When he had come to Jerusalem, Saul attempted to join the disciples, but they were all afraid of him, not believing that he was a disciple. 27 But Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles, and he told them how Saul had seen the Lord on the road and that the Lord had spoken to him, and how at Damascus Saul had spoken boldly in the name of Jesus. 28 He met with them as they were coming in and going out of Jerusalem. He spoke boldly in the name of the Lord Jesus 29 and debated with the Grecian Jews; but they kept trying to kill him. 30 When the brothers learned of this, they brought him down to Caesarea and sent him away to Tarsus.

31 So then, the church throughout all Judea, Galilee, and Samaria had peace and was built up; and, walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, the church grew in numbers. 32 Now it came about that, as Peter went throughout the whole region, he came down also to the believers who lived in the town of Lydda. 33 There he found a certain man named Aeneas, who had been in his bed for eight years, for he was paralyzed. 34 Peter said to him, “Aeneas, Jesus Christ heals you. Get up and make your bed,” and right away he got up. 35 So everyone who lived in Lydda and in Sharon saw the man and they turned to the Lord.

36 Now there was in Joppa a certain disciple named Tabitha, which is translated as “Dorcas.” This woman was full of good works and merciful deeds that she did for the poor. 37 It came about in those days that she fell sick and died; when they had washed her, they laid her in an upper room. 38 Since Lydda was near Joppa, and the disciples had heard that Peter was there, they sent two men to him, begging him, “Come to us without delay.” 39 Peter arose and went with them. When he had arrived, they brought him to the upper room, and all the widows stood by him weeping, showing him the coats and garments that Dorcas had made while she had been with them. 40 Peter put them all out of the room, knelt down, and prayed; then, turning to the body, he said, “Tabitha, arise.” Then she opened her eyes, and seeing Peter she sat up. 41 Peter then gave her his hand and lifted her up; and when he called the believers and the widows, he presented her alive to them. 42 This matter became known throughout all Joppa, and many people believed on the Lord. 43 It happened that Peter stayed for many days in Joppa with a man named Simon, a tanner.

10

1 Now there was a certain man in the city of Caesarea, Cornelius by name, a centurion of what was called the Italian Regiment. 2 He was a devout man, one who worshiped God with all his household; he gave much money to those in need, and he constantly prayed to God. 3 About the ninth hour of the day, he clearly saw in a vision an angel of God coming to him. The angel said to him, “Cornelius!” 4 Cornelius stared at the angel and was very frightened and said, “What is it, sir?” The angel said to him, “Your prayers and your gifts to the poor have gone up as a memorial offering into God's presence. 5 Now send men to the city of Joppa to bring a man named Simon who is called Peter. 6 He is staying with a tanner named Simon, whose house is by the seaside.” 7 When the angel who spoke to him had left, Cornelius called two of his house servants, and a devout soldier from among those who served him. 8 Cornelius told them all that had happened and sent them to Joppa.

9 Now on the next day at about the sixth hour, as they were on their journey and were approaching the city, Peter went up upon the housetop to pray. 10 He then became hungry and wanted something to eat, but while the people were cooking some food, he was given a vision, 11 and he saw the sky open and a certain container descending, something like a large sheet coming down to the earth, let down by its four corners. 12 In it were all kinds of four-footed animals and things that crawled on the earth, and birds of the sky. 13 Then a voice spoke to him: “Rise, Peter, kill and eat.” 14 But Peter said, “Not so, Lord; for I have never eaten anything that was defiled and unclean.” 15 But the voice came to him again a second time: “What God has cleansed, do not call it defiled.” 16 This happened three times; then the container was immediately taken back up into the sky.

17 Now while Peter was very confused about what the vision that he had seen could mean, behold, the men who were sent by Cornelius stood before the gate, after they had asked their way to the house. 18 They called out and asked whether Simon, who was also called Peter, was staying there. 19 While Peter was still thinking about the vision, the Spirit said to him, “Behold, three men are looking for you. * 20 Arise and go down and go with them. Do not hesitate to go with them, because I have sent them.” 21 So Peter went down to the men and said, “I am he whom you are seeking. Why have you come?” 22 They said, “A centurion named Cornelius, a righteous man and one who worships God, and is well spoken of by all the nation of the Jews, was told by a holy angel of God to send for you to come to his house, so he could listen to a message from you.” 23 So Peter invited them to come in and stay with him.

On the next morning he got up and went with them, and some of the brothers from Joppa accompanied him. 24 On the following day they came to Caesarea. Cornelius was waiting for them; he had called together his relatives and his close friends. 25 It came about that when Peter entered, Cornelius met him and fell down at his feet to worship him. 26 But Peter helped him up, saying, “Stand up! I too am a man.” 27 While Peter was talking with him, he went in and found many people gathered together. 28 He said to them, “You yourselves know that it is not lawful for a Jewish man to associate with or to visit someone from another nation. But God has shown me that I should not call any man defiled or unclean. 29 That is why I came without arguing, when I was sent for. So I ask you why you sent for me.” 30 Cornelius said, “Four days ago at this very hour, I was praying at the ninth hour in my house; and see, a man stood before me in bright clothing. 31 He said, 'Cornelius, your prayer has been heard by God, and your gifts to the poor have reminded God about you. 32 So send someone to Joppa, and call to you a man named Simon who is called Peter. He is staying in the house of a tanner named Simon, by the seaside.' † 33 So at once I sent for you. You are kind to have come. Now then, we are all here present in the sight of God, to hear everything that you have been instructed by the Lord to say.” ‡ 34 Then Peter opened his mouth and said,

“Truly, I perceive that God does not take anyone's side. 35 Instead, in every nation anyone who worships and does righteous deeds is acceptable to him. 36 You know the message that he sent to the people of Israel, when he announced good news about peace through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all— 37 you yourselves know the events that took place, which occurred throughout all Judea, beginning in Galilee, after the baptism that John announced; 38 the events concerning Jesus of Nazareth, how God anointed him with the Holy Spirit and with power. He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him. 39 We are witnesses of all the things Jesus did, both in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They killed him by hanging him on a tree, 40 but God raised him up on the third day and caused him to be seen, 41 not by all the people, but to the witnesses who were chosen beforehand by God—by us who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. 42 He commanded us to proclaim to the people and to testify that this is the one who has been chosen by God to be the Judge of the living and the dead. 43 It is to him that all the prophets bear witness, so that everyone who believes in him shall receive forgiveness of sins through his name.”

44 While Peter was still saying these things, the Holy Spirit fell on all of those who were listening to his message. 45 The people who belonged to the circumcision group of believers—all of those who came with Peter—were amazed, because the gift of the Holy Spirit was poured out also on the Gentiles. 46 For they heard these Gentiles speak in other languages and praising God. Then Peter answered, 47 “Can anyone keep water from these people so they should not be baptized, these people who have received the Holy Spirit as well as we?” 48 Then he commanded them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked him to stay with them for several days.

11

1 Now the apostles and the brothers who were in Judea heard that the Gentiles also had received the word of God. 2 When Peter had come up to Jerusalem, they who belonged to the circumcision group criticized him; 3 they said, “You associated with uncircumcised men and ate with them!” 4 But Peter started to explain the matter to them in detail; he said, 5 I was praying in the city of Joppa, and I had a vision of a container coming down, like a large sheet let down from heaven by its four corners. It descended to me. 6 I gazed at it and I thought about it. I saw the four-legged animals of earth, wild beasts, creeping animals, and birds of the sky. 7 Then I heard a voice say to me, “Get up, Peter; kill and eat!” 8 I said, “Not so, Lord; for nothing unholy or unclean has ever entered into my mouth.” 9 But the voice answered again from heaven, “What God has declared clean, do not call unclean.” 10 This happened three times, and then everything was taken back up into heaven again. 11 Behold, right away there were three men standing in front of the house where we were; they had been sent from Caesarea to me. 12 The Spirit commanded me to go with them, and that I should make no distinction regarding them. These six brothers went with me, and we went into the man's house. 13 He told us how he had seen the angel standing in his house and saying, “Send men to Joppa and bring back Simon who is called Peter. 14 He will speak to you a message by which you will be saved—you and all your household.” 15 As I began to speak to them, the Holy Spirit came on them, just as on us in the beginning. 16 I remembered the words of the Lord, how he said, “John indeed baptized with water; but you shall be baptized in the Holy Spirit.” 17 Then if God gave to them the same gift as he gave to us when we believed on the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I, that I could oppose God?” 18 When they heard these things, they said nothing in response, but they praised God and said, “Then God has given repentance for life to the Gentiles also.”

19 Now those who had been scattered by the persecution that arose over Stephen spread as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch, speaking the word only to Jews. 20 But some of them, men from Cyprus and Cyrene, came to Antioch and spoke also to Greeks, telling them the good news about the Lord Jesus. 21 The hand of the Lord was with them; a great number believed and turned to the Lord. 22 News about them came to the ears of the church in Jerusalem, and they sent out Barnabas as far as Antioch. 23 When he came and saw the grace of God, he was glad; and he encouraged them all to remain with the Lord with all their heart. 24 For he was a good man and full of the Holy Spirit and of faith, and many people were added to the Lord. 25 Barnabas then went out to Tarsus to look for Saul. 26 When he found him, he brought him to Antioch. It came about, that for an entire year they gathered together with the church and taught many people. The disciples were called Christians first in Antioch.

27 Now in these days some prophets came down from Jerusalem to Antioch. 28 One of them, Agabus by name, stood up and indicated by the Spirit that a great famine would occur over all the world. This happened in the days of Claudius. 29 So, the disciples, as each one was able, decided to send help to the brothers in Judea. 30 They did this; they sent money to the elders by the hand of Barnabas and Saul.

12

1 Now about that time Herod the king laid hands on some who belonged to the church so that he might mistreat them. 2 He killed James the brother of John with the sword. 3 After he saw that this pleased the Jews, he proceeded to arrest Peter also. That was during the days of unleavened bread. 4 After arresting him, he put him in prison, assigning him over to four squads of soldiers to guard him; he was intending to bring him to the people after the Passover. 5 So Peter was kept in the prison, but prayer was made earnestly to God for him by those in the church. 6 On the night before Herod was going to bring him out for trial, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, while guards in front of the door were keeping watch over the prison. 7 Behold, an angel of the Lord suddenly appeared by him, and a light shone in the prison cell. He struck Peter on the side and woke him and said, “Get up quickly,” and his chains fell off his hands. 8 The angel said to him, “Dress yourself and put on your sandals.” Peter did so. The angel said to him, “Put on your outer garment and follow me.” 9 So Peter followed the angel and went out. He did not know that what was done by the angel was real. He thought he was seeing a vision. 10 After they had passed by the first guard and the second, they came to the iron gate that led into the city; it opened for them by itself. They went out and went down a street, and the angel left him right away. 11 When Peter came to himself, he said, “Now I truly know that the Lord has sent his angel and delivered me out of the hand of Herod, and from everything the Jewish people were expecting.” 12 When he realized this, he went to the house of Mary the mother of John, also called Mark, where many people had gathered and were praying. 13 When he knocked at the door of the gate, a servant girl named Rhoda came to answer. 14 When she recognized Peter's voice, out of joy she failed to open the door; instead, she came running into the room; she reported that Peter was standing at the door. 15 So they said to her, “You are insane.” But she insisted that it was so. They said, “It is his angel.” 16 But Peter continued knocking, and when they had opened the door, they saw him and were amazed. 17 Peter motioned to them with his hand to be silent, and he told them how the Lord had brought him out of prison. He said, “Report these things to James and the brothers.” Then he left and went to another place. 18 Now when it became day, there was no small disturbance among the soldiers over what had happened to Peter. 19 After Herod had searched for him and could not find him, he questioned the guards and ordered them to be put to death. Then he went down from Judea to Caesarea and stayed there.

20 Now Herod was very angry with the people of Tyre and Sidon. They went to him together. They persuaded Blastus, the king's assistant, to help them. Then they asked for peace, because their country received its food from the king's country. 21 On a set day Herod dressed himself in royal clothing and sat on a throne; he made a speech to them. 22 The people shouted, “This is the voice of a god, not of a man!” 23 Immediately an angel of the Lord struck him, because he did not give God the glory; he was eaten by worms and died.

24 But the word of God increased and multiplied.

25 So when Barnabas and Saul had completed their mission, they returned from * Jerusalem, bringing with them John, also called Mark.

13

1 Now in the church in Antioch, there were some prophets and teachers. They were Barnabas, Simeon (who is called Niger), Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen (the foster brother of Herod the tetrarch), and Saul. 2 While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul, to do the work to which I have called them.” 3 After they had fasted, prayed, and laid their hands on these men, they sent them off.

4 So Barnabas and Saul obeyed the Holy Spirit and went down to Seleucia; from there they sailed to the island of Cyprus. 5 When they were in the city of Salamis, they proclaimed the word of God in the synagogues of the Jews. They also had John Mark as their assistant. 6 When they had gone through the whole island to Paphos, they found a certain magician, a Jewish false prophet, whose name was Bar Jesus. 7 This magician associated with the proconsul, Sergius Paulus, who was an intelligent man. This man summoned Barnabas and Saul, because he wanted to hear the word of God. 8 But Elymas “the magician” (that is how his name is translated) opposed them; he tried to turn the proconsul away from the faith. 9 But Saul, who is also called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, stared at him intensely. 10 and said, “You son of the devil, you are full of all kinds of deceit and wickedness. You are an enemy of every kind of righteousness. You will never stop twisting the straight paths of the Lord, will you? 11 Now look, the hand of the Lord is upon you, and you will become blind. You will not see the sun for a while.” Immediately there fell on Elymas a mist and darkness; he started going around asking people to lead him by the hand. 12 After the proconsul saw what had happened, he believed, because he was astonished at the teaching about the Lord.

13 Now Paul and his friends set sail from Paphos and came to Perga in Pamphylia. But John left them and returned to Jerusalem. 14 Paul and his friends traveled from Perga and came to Antioch of Pisidia. There they went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day and sat down. 15 After the reading of the law and the prophets, the leaders of the synagogue sent them a message saying, “Brothers, if you have any message of encouragement for the people here, say it.” 16 So Paul stood up and motioned with his hand; he said, “Men of Israel and you who honor God, listen. 17 The God of this people Israel chose our fathers and made the people numerous when they stayed in the land of Egypt, and with an uplifted arm he led them out of it. 18 For about forty years he put up with them in the wilderness. * 19 After he had destroyed seven nations in the land of Canaan, he gave our people their land for an inheritance. 20 All these events took place over four hundred and fifty years. After all these things, God gave them judges until Samuel the prophet. 21 Then the people asked for a king, and God gave them Saul son of Kish, a man from the tribe of Benjamin, to be king for forty years. 22 After God removed him from the kingship, he raised up David to be their king. It was about David that God said, 'I have found David son of Jesse to be a man after my heart, who does all I want him to do.' 23 From this man's descendants God has brought to Israel a savior, Jesus, as he promised to do. 24 This began to happen when, before Jesus came, John first announced the baptism of repentance to all the people of Israel. 25 As John was finishing his work, he said, 'Who do you think I am? I am not the one. But listen, one is coming after me, the shoes of whose feet I am not worthy to untie.' 26 Brothers, children of the line of Abraham, and those among you who worship God, it is to us that the message about this salvation has been sent. 27 For they who live in Jerusalem, and their rulers, did not recognize him, and they fulfilled sayings of the prophets that are read every Sabbath by condemning him. 28 Even though they found no good cause for death in him, they asked Pilate to kill him. 29 When they had completed all the things that were written about him, they took him down from the tree and laid him in a tomb. 30 But God raised him from the dead. 31 He was seen for many days by those who had come up with him from Galilee to Jerusalem. These people are now his witnesses to the people. 32 So we are telling you the good news that what God promised to our fathers 33 he has fulfilled for us, their children, by raising up Jesus. As it is written in the second Psalm:

'You are my Son, today I have become your Father.'

34 The fact that he raised him up from the dead so that his body would never decay, God has spoken in this way:

'I will give you the holy and sure blessings promised to David.'

35 This is why he also says in another Psalm,

'You will not allow your Holy One to see decay.'

36 For when David had served the desires of God in his own generation, he fell asleep; he was laid with his fathers and his body experienced decay. 37 But he whom God raised up experienced no decay. 38 So let it be known to you, brothers, that through this man is proclaimed to you forgiveness of sins. 39 By him every one who believes is justified from all the things which the law of Moses could not justify you. 40 So then be careful that the thing the prophets spoke about does not happen to you:

41 'Look, you despisers, and be astonished and then perish;

For I am doing a work in your days,

A work that you shall never believe, even if someone announces it to you.'”

42 As Paul and Barnabas left, the people begged them that they might speak these same words again the next Sabbath. 43 When the synagogue meeting ended, many of the Jews and devout proselytes followed Paul and Barnabas, who spoke to them and urged them to continue in the grace of God.

44 On the next Sabbath, almost the whole city was gathered together to hear the word of the Lord. 45 When the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy and spoke against the things that were said by Paul and insulted him. 46 But Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly and said, “It was necessary that the word of God should first be spoken to you. Seeing you push it away from yourselves and consider yourselves unworthy of eternal life, see, we will turn to the Gentiles. 47 For so has the Lord commanded us, saying,

'I have placed you as a light for the Gentiles,

that you should bring salvation to the uttermost parts of the earth.'”

48 As the Gentiles heard this, they were glad and praised the word of the Lord. As many as were appointed to eternal life believed. 49 The word of the Lord was spread out through the whole region. 50 But the Jews urged on the devout and important women, as well as the leading men of the city. These stirred up a persecution against Paul and Barnabas and threw them out beyond the border of their city. 51 But Paul and Barnabas shook off the dust from their feet against them. Then they went to the city of Iconium. 52 And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.

14

1 It came about in Iconium that Paul and Barnabas entered together into the synagogue of the Jews and spoke in such a way that a great multitude both of Jews and of Greeks believed. 2 But the Jews who were disobedient stirred up the minds of the Gentiles and made them bitter against the brothers. 3 So they stayed there for a long time, speaking boldly with the Lord's power, while he gave evidence about the message of his grace. He did this by granting signs and wonders to be done by the hands of Paul and Barnabas. 4 But the majority of the city was divided: some people sided with the Jews, and some with the apostles. 5 When both Gentiles and Jews attempted to persuade their leaders to mistreat and stone Paul and Barnabas, 6 they became aware of it and fled to the cities of Lycaonia, Lystra and Derbe, and the surrounding region, 7 and there they were proclaiming the gospel.

8 At Lystra a certain man sat, powerless in his feet, a cripple from his mother's womb, who never had walked. 9 This man heard Paul speaking. Paul fixed his eyes on him and saw that he had faith to be made well. 10 So he said to him in a loud voice, “Stand up on your feet.” Then the man jumped up and walked around. 11 When the multitude saw what Paul had done, they raised their voice, saying in the dialect of Lycaonia, “The gods have come down to us in the form of men.” 12 They called Barnabas “Zeus,” and Paul, “Hermes,” because he was the main speaker. 13 The priest of Zeus, whose temple was just outside the city, brought oxen and wreaths to the gates; he and the multitudes wanted to offer sacrifice. 14 But when the apostles, Barnabas and Paul, heard of it, they tore their clothing and quickly went out into the crowd, crying out 15 and saying, “Men, why are you doing these things? We also are human beings with the same feelings as you. We bring you good news, that you should turn from these useless things to a living God, who made the heavens, the earth, and the sea and everything that is in them. 16 In the past ages, he allowed all the nations to walk in their own ways. 17 But still, he did not leave himself without witness, in that he did good and gave you the rains from heaven and fruitful seasons, filling your hearts with food and gladness.” 18 Even with these words, Paul and Barnabas barely kept the multitudes from sacrificing to them.

19 But some Jews from Antioch and Iconium came and persuaded the crowds. They stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city, thinking that he was dead. 20 Yet as the disciples were standing around him, he got up and entered the city. The next day, he went to Derbe with Barnabas. 21 After they had proclaimed the gospel in that city and made many disciples, they returned to Lystra, to Iconium, and to Antioch. 22 They kept strengthening the souls of the disciples and encouraging them to continue in the faith, saying, “We must enter into the kingdom of God through many sufferings.” 23 When they had appointed for them elders in every church, and had prayed with fasting, they entrusted them to the Lord, in whom they had believed. 24 Then they passed through Pisidia and came to Pamphylia. 25 When they had spoken the word in Perga, they went down to Attalia. 26 From there they sailed to Antioch, where they had been committed to the grace of God for the work which they had now completed. 27 When they arrived in Antioch and gathered the church together, they reported all the things that God had done with them, and how he had opened a door of faith for the Gentiles. 28 They stayed for a long time with the disciples.

15

1 Some men came down from Judea to Antioch and taught the brothers, saying, “Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved.” 2 This brought Paul and Barnabas into a sharp dispute and debate with them. So Paul and Barnabas along with some others from among them were appointed to go up to Jerusalem to meet with the apostles and elders about this question. 3 They therefore, being sent by the church, passed through both Phoenicia and Samaria and announced the conversion of the Gentiles. They brought great joy to all the brothers. 4 When they came to Jerusalem, they were welcomed by the church and the apostles and the elders, and they reported all the things that God had done with them. 5 But certain men who believed, who belonged to the group of Pharisees, stood up and said, “It is necessary to circumcise them and to command them to keep the law of Moses.” 6 So the apostles and the elders gathered together to consider this matter. 7 After much debate, Peter stood up and said to them,

“Brothers, you know that a good while ago God made a choice among you, that by my mouth the Gentiles should hear the word of the gospel, and believe. 8 God, who knows the heart, witnesses to them, giving them the Holy Spirit, just as he did to us; 9 and he made no distinction between us and them, making their hearts clean by faith. 10 Now therefore why do you test God, that you should put a yoke upon the neck of the disciples which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear? 11 But we believe that we shall be saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, just as they were.”

12 All the multitude kept silent while they listened to Barnabas and Paul report the signs and wonders God had worked among the Gentiles through them. 13 After they stopped speaking, James answered, saying,

“Brothers, listen to me. 14 Simon has told how God first graciously helped the Gentiles in order to take from them a people for his name. 15 The words of the prophets agree with this, as it is written,

16 'After these things I will return,

and I will build again the tent of David, which has fallen down;

I will set up and restore its ruins again,

17 so that the remnant of men may seek the Lord,

including all the Gentiles called by my name.'

18 This is what the Lord says, who has done these things that have been known from ancient times. *

19 Therefore, my opinion is, that we should not trouble those of the Gentiles who turn to God. 20 But we will write to them that they must keep away from the pollution of idols, from sexual immorality, and from the meat of strangled animals, and from blood. 21 For Moses has been proclaimed in every city from the ancient times and he is read in the synagogues every Sabbath.”

22 Then it seemed good to the apostles and the elders, with the whole church, to choose Judas called Barsabbas, and Silas, who were leaders of the church, and send them to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas. 23 They wrote this: “From the apostles and elders, your brothers, to the Gentile brothers in Antioch, Syria, and Cilicia: Greetings! 24 We have heard that certain men have gone out from us, with no orders from us, and have disturbed you with teachings that upset your souls. 25 This being so, all of us have agreed to choose men and to send them to you along with our beloved Barnabas and Paul, 26 men who have risked their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. 27 Therefore we are sending Judas and Silas, who will tell you the same thing themselves in their own words. 28 For it seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us, to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things: 29 that you abstain from things sacrificed to idols, blood, things strangled, and from sexual immorality. If you keep yourselves from these, it shall be well with you. Farewell.”

30 So they, when they were dismissed, came down to Antioch; after they gathered the multitude together, they delivered the letter. 31 When they had read it, they rejoiced because of the encouragement. 32 Judas and Silas, also prophets, encouraged the brothers with many words and strengthened them. 33 After they had spent some time there, they were sent away in peace from the brothers to those who had sent them. 34  † 35 But Paul and Barnabas stayed in Antioch along with many others, where they taught and proclaimed the word of the Lord.

36 After some days Paul said to Barnabas, “Let us return now and visit the brothers in every city where we proclaimed the word of the Lord, and see how they are.” 37 Barnabas wanted to also take with them John who was called Mark. 38 But Paul thought it was not good to take Mark, who had left them in Pamphylia and did not go further with them in the work. 39 Then there arose a sharp disagreement, so that they separated from each other, and Barnabas took Mark with him and sailed away to Cyprus. 40 But Paul chose Silas and left, after he was entrusted by the brothers to the grace of the Lord. 41 Then he went through Syria and Cilicia, strengthening the churches.

16

1 Paul also came to Derbe and to Lystra; and behold, a certain disciple named Timothy was there, the son of a Jewish woman who believed; his father was a Greek. 2 He was well spoken of by the brothers who were at Lystra and Iconium. 3 Paul wanted him to travel with him; so he took him and circumcised him because of the Jews that were in those places, for they all knew that his father was a Greek. 4 As they went on their way through the cities, they delivered to the churches the instructions for them to obey, the instructions that had been written by the apostles and elders in Jerusalem. 5 So the churches were strengthened in the faith and increased in number daily.

6 Paul and his companions went through the regions of Phrygia and Galatia, since they had been forbidden by the Holy Spirit to proclaim the word in the province of Asia. 7 When they came near Mysia, they attempted to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus prevented them. 8 So passing by Mysia, they came down to the city of Troas. 9 A vision appeared to Paul in the night: A man of Macedonia was standing there, calling him and saying, “Come over into Macedonia and help us.” 10 When Paul had seen the vision, immediately we set out to go to Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to proclaim the gospel to them.

11 Setting sail therefore from Troas, we made a straight course to Samothrace, and the next day we came to Neapolis. 12 From there we went to Philippi, which is a city of Macedonia, the most important city in the district and a Roman colony, and we stayed in this city for several days. 13 On the Sabbath day we went outside the gate by the river, where we thought there would be a place of prayer. We sat down and spoke to the women who had come together. 14 A certain woman named Lydia, a seller of purple from the city of Thyatira, who worshiped God, listened to us. The Lord opened her heart to pay attention to what was said by Paul. 15 When she and her house were baptized, she urged us, saying, “If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come and stay in house.” And she persuaded us. 16 It came about that, as we were going to the place of prayer, a certain young woman who had a spirit of divination encountered us. She brought her masters much gain by fortunetelling. 17 This woman followed after Paul and us and shouted, saying, “These men are servants of the Most High God. They proclaim to you the way of salvation.” 18 She did this for many days. But Paul, being greatly annoyed by her, turned and said to the spirit, “I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her.” And it came out right away.

19 When her masters saw that their opportunity to make money was now gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace before the authorities. 20 When they had brought them to the magistrates, they said, “These men are stirring up our city. They are Jews. 21 They proclaim customs that are not lawful for Romans to accept or practice.” 22 Then the crowd rose up together against Paul and Silas; the magistrates tore their garments off them and commanded them to be beaten with rods. 23 When they had laid many blows upon them, they threw them into prison and commanded the jailer to keep them securely. 24 After he got this command, the jailer threw them into the inner prison and fastened their feet in the stocks. 25 Around midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them. 26 Suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened, and everyone's chains were unfastened. 27 The jailer was awakened from sleep and saw the open prison doors; he drew his sword and was about to kill himself, because he thought that the prisoners had escaped. 28 But Paul shouted with a loud voice, saying, “Do not harm yourself, because we are all here.” 29 The jailer called for lights and rushed in and, trembling for fear, fell down before Paul and Silas, 30 and brought them out and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” 31 They said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your house.” 32 They spoke the word of the Lord to him, together with everyone in his house. 33 Then the jailer took them at the same hour of the night, and washed their wounds, and he and those in his entire house were baptized immediately. 34 Then as he brought Paul and Silas up into his house and he set food before them, he rejoiced greatly with those of his house, that he had believed in God.

35 Now when it was day, the magistrates sent word to the guards, saying, “Let those men go.” 36 The jailer reported the words to Paul, saying, “The magistrates have sent word to me to let you go. Now therefore come out, and go in peace.” 37 But Paul said to them, “They have publicly beaten us without a trial, even through we are Romans citizens—and they threw us into prison. Do they now want to send us away secretly? No! Let them come themselves and lead us out.” 38 The guards reported these words to the magistrates, and when they heard that Paul and Silas were Romans, they were afraid. 39 The magistrates came and apologized to them and brought them out, asking them them to go away from the city. 40 So Paul and Silas went out of the prison and came to the house of Lydia. When Paul and Silas saw the brothers, they encouraged them and then departed from the city.

17

1 Now when they had passed through the cities of Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to the city of Thessalonica, where there was a synagogue of the Jews. 2 Paul, as his custom was, went to them, and for three Sabbath days reasoned with them from the scriptures. 3 He was opening the scriptures and explaining that it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise again from the dead. He said, “This Jesus whom I proclaim to you is the Christ.” 4 Some of the Jews were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, including a large number of devout Greeks, and not a few of the leading women. 5 But the unbelieving Jews, being moved with jealousy, took certain wicked men from the marketplace, gathered a crowd together, and set the city in an uproar. Assaulting the house of Jason, they wanted to bring Paul and Silas out to the people. 6 But when they did not find them, they dragged Jason and certain other brothers before the officials of the city, crying, “These men who have turned the world upside down have come here also. 7 These men whom Jason has welcomed act against the decrees of Caesar; they say that there is another king—Jesus.” 8 The crowd and the officials of the city were disturbed when they heard these things. 9 But after the officials made Jason and the rest pay money as security, then they let them go.

10 That night the brothers sent Paul and Silas to Berea. When they arrived there, they went into the synagogue of the Jews. 11 Now these people were more noble than those in Thessalonica, for they received the word with all readiness of mind, examining the scriptures daily to see whether these things were so. 12 Therefore many of them believed, including some influential Greek women and many men. 13 But when the Jews of Thessalonica learned that Paul was also proclaiming the word of God at Berea, they went there and stirred up and troubled the crowds. 14 Then immediately, the brothers sent Paul to go to the sea, but Silas and Timothy stayed there. 15 Those who were leading Paul took him as far as the city of Athens. As they left Paul there, they received from him instructions for Silas and Timothy to come to him as quickly as possible.

16 Now while Paul was waiting for them in Athens, his spirit was provoked within him as he saw the city full of idols. 17 So he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and others who worshiped God, as well as in the marketplace with those who happened to be there. 18 But also some of the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers encountered him. Some said, “What is this babbler trying to say?” Others said, “He seems to be one who calls people to follow strange gods,” because he was proclaiming Jesus and the resurrection. 19 They took Paul and brought him to the Areopagus, saying, “May we know this new teaching which you were speaking? 20 For you bring some strange things to our ears. Therefore, we want to know what these things mean.” 21 (Now all the Athenians and the strangers living there spent their time in nothing but either telling or listening about something new.) 22 So Paul stood in the middle of the Areopagus and said,

“You men of Athens, I see that you are very religious in every way. 23 For as I passed along and observed the objects of your worship, I found an altar with this inscription, “To an Unknown God.” What therefore you worship in ignorance, this I announce to you. 24 The God who made the world and everything in it, since he is Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples built with hands. 25 Neither is he served by men's hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives people life and breath and everything else. 26 From one man he made every nation of people to live on the surface of the earth, having determined their appointed seasons and the boundaries of their living areas, 27 so that they should search for God and perhaps they may feel their way toward him and find him. Yet he is not far from each one of us. 28 For in him we live and move and have our being, just as one of your own poets has said,

'For we also are his offspring.' 29 Therefore, since we are God's offspring, we ought not to think that the qualities of deity are like gold, or silver, or stone—images created by the art and imagination of man. 30 Therefore God overlooked the times of ignorance, but now he commands all men everywhere to repent. 31 This is because he has set a day when he will judge the world in righteousness by the man he has chosen. God has given proof of this man to everyone by raising him from the dead.”

32 Now when the men of Athens heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked Paul; but others said, “We will listen to you again about this matter.” 33 After that, Paul left them. 34 But certain men joined him and believed, including Dionysius the Areopagite, a woman named Damaris, and others with them.

18

1 After these things Paul left Athens and went to Corinth. 2 There he met a Jew named Aquila, a native of Pontus, who had recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla, because Claudius had commanded all the Jews to leave Rome. Paul went to them, 3 and because he worked at the same trade, he stayed with them and worked, for they were tentmakers by trade. 4 So Paul reasoned in the synagogue every Sabbath. He persuaded both Jews and Greeks. 5 But when Silas and Timothy came down from Macedonia, Paul was compelled by the Spirit to testify to the Jews that Jesus was the Christ. 6 When the Jews opposed and insulted him, Paul shook out his garment at them and said to them, “May your blood be upon your own heads; I am innocent. From now on I will go to the Gentiles.” 7 Then he left from there and went to the house of Titius Justus, a man who worshiped God. His house was next to the synagogue. 8 Crispus, the leader of the synagogue, believed in the Lord, together with all those who lived in his house; and many of the Corinthians who heard about it believed and were baptized. 9 The Lord said to Paul in the night in a vision, “Do not be afraid, but speak and do not be silent. 10 For I am with you, and no one will try to harm you, for I have many people in this city.” 11 Paul lived there for a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them.

12 But when Gallio became governor of Achaia, the Jews rose up together against Paul and brought him before the judgment seat; 13 they said, “This man persuades people to worship God contrary to the law.” 14 Yet when Paul was about to speak, Gallio said to the Jews, “You Jews, if indeed it were a matter of wrong or a crime, it would be reasonable to deal with you. 15 But since these are questions about words and names and your own law, settle it yourselves. I do not wish to be a judge of these matters.” 16 Gallio made them leave the judgment seat. 17 So they all seized Sosthenes, the ruler of the synagogue, and beat him in front of the judgment seat. But Gallio did not care what they did.

18 Paul, after staying there for many more days, left the brothers and sailed for Syria with Priscilla and Aquila. Before he left the seaport, Cenchrea, he had his hair cut off because of a vow he had taken. 19 When they came to Ephesus, Paul left Priscilla and Aquila there, but he himself went into the synagogue and reasoned with the Jews. 20 When they asked Paul to stay a longer time, he declined. 21 But taking his leave of them, he said, “I will return again to you if it is God's will.” He then set sail from Ephesus.

22 When Paul had landed at Caesarea, he went up and greeted the Jerusalem church and then went down to Antioch. 23 After having spent some time there, Paul departed and went through the regions of Galatia and Phrygia and strengthened all the disciples.

24 Now a certain Jew named Apollos, an Alexandrian by birth, came to Ephesus. He was eloquent in speech and mighty in the scriptures. 25 Apollos had been instructed in the teachings of the Lord. Being fervent in spirit, he spoke and taught accurately the things concerning Jesus, but he knew only the baptism of John. 26 Apollos began to speak boldly in the synagogue. But when Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they took him aside and explained to him the way of God more accurately. 27 When he desired to pass over into Achaia, the brothers encouraged him and wrote to the disciples in Achaia to welcome him. When he arrived, he greatly helped those who believed by grace. 28 Apollos powerfully refuted the Jews in public debate, showing by the scriptures that Jesus is the Christ.

19

1 It came about that while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul passed through the upper country and came to the city of Ephesus, and found certain disciples there. 2 Paul said to them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” They said to him, “No, we did not even hear about the Holy Spirit.” 3 Paul said, “Into what then were you baptized?” They said, “Into John's baptism.” 4 So Paul replied, “John baptized with the baptism of repentance. He told the people that they should believe in the one who would come after him, that is, in Jesus.” 5 When the people heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. 6 Then when Paul had laid his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them and they spoke in other languages and prophesied. 7 In all they were about twelve men.

8 Paul went into the synagogue and spoke boldly for three months, reasoning and persuading them about the kingdom of God. 9 But when some Jews were hardened and disobedient, they began to speak evil of the Way before the crowd. So Paul left them and took the disciples from him, reasoning with them every day in the lecture hall of Tyrannus. 10 This continued for two years, so that all who lived in Asia heard the word of the Lord, both Jews and Greeks. 11 God was doing mighty deeds by the hands of Paul, 12 so that even handkerchiefs and aprons that had touched him were taken to the sick and their illnesses left them and the evil spirits came out of them. 13 But there were Jewish exorcists traveling through the area. They called on the name of the Lord Jesus so they could have power over evil spirits when they said, “By the Jesus whom Paul proclaims, I command you to come out.” 14 The Jewish high priest, whose name was Sceva, had seven sons who were doing this. 15 An evil spirit answered them, “Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are you?” 16 The evil spirit in the man leaped on the exorcists and overpowered them and beat them up. Then they fled out of that house naked and wounded. 17 This became known to all, both Jews and Greeks, who lived at Ephesus. They became very afraid, and the name of the Lord Jesus was honored. 18 Also, many of the believers came and confessed and admitted the evil things they had done. 19 Many who practiced magical arts brought their books together and burned them in the sight of everyone. When they counted the value of them, it was fifty thousand pieces of silver. 20 So the word of the Lord spread very widely in powerful ways.

21 Now after Paul completed his ministry in Ephesus, he decided in the Spirit to pass through Macedonia and Achaia on his way to Jerusalem; he said, “After I have been there, I must also see Rome.” 22 Paul sent to Macedonia two of his helpers, Timothy and Erastus, who had helped him. But he himself stayed in Asia for a while.

23 At about that time there was no small disturbance in Ephesus concerning the Way. 24 A certain silversmith named Demetrius, who made silver statues of Artemis, brought in much business for the craftsmen. 25 So he gathered together the workmen of that occupation and said, “Sirs, you know that in this business we make much money. 26 You see and hear that, not only at Ephesus, but almost throughout all Asia, this Paul has persuaded and turned away many people. He is saying that there are no gods that are made with hands. 27 Not only is there danger that our trade will no longer be needed, but also that the temple of the great goddess Artemis may be considered worthless. Then she would even lose her greatness, she whom all Asia and the world worships.” 28 When they heard this, they were filled with anger and cried out, saying, “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians.” 29 The whole city was filled with confusion, and the people rushed together into the theater. They had seized Paul's travel companions, Gaius and Aristarchus, who came from Macedonia. 30 Paul wanted to enter in among the crowd of people, but the disciples prevented him. 31 Also, some of the officials of the province of Asia who were his friends sent him a message strongly requesting him not to enter the theater. 32 Some people were shouting one thing, and some another, for the crowd was in confusion. Most of them did not even know why they had come together. 33 Some of the crowd informed Alexander, whom the Jews were pushing to the front, and so Alexander motioned with his hand, wanting to give an explanation to those who were assembled. 34 But when they became aware that he was a Jew, they all cried out for about two hours with one voice, saying, “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians.” 35 When the town clerk had quieted the crowd, he said, “You men of Ephesus, what man is there who does not know that the city of the Ephesians is temple keeper of the great Artemis and of the image which fell down from heaven? 36 Seeing then that these things are undeniable, you ought to be quiet and do nothing rash. 37 For you have brought these men to this court who are neither robbers of temples nor blasphemers of our goddess. 38 Therefore, if Demetrius and the craftsmen who are with him have an accusation against anyone, the courts are open and there are proconsuls. Let them accuse one another. 39 But if you seek anything about other matters, it shall be settled in the regular assembly. 40 For indeed we are in danger of being accused concerning this day's riot. There is no cause for this disorder, and we will not be able to explain it.” 41 When he had said this, he dismissed the assembly.

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1 After the uproar was over, Paul sent for the disciples and after he encouraged them, he said farewell and left to go into Macedonia. 2 When he had gone through those regions and had spoken many words of encouragement to them, he came to Greece. 3 After he had spent three months there, a plot was formed against him by the Jews as he was about to sail for Syria, so he decided to return through Macedonia. 4 Accompanying him as far as Asia were Sopater son of Pyrrhus from Berea; Aristarchus and Secundus, both from the Thessalonian believers; Gaius of Derbe; Timothy; and Tychicus and Trophimus from Asia. 5 But these men had gone before us and were waiting for us at Troas. 6 We sailed away from Philippi after the days of unleavened bread, and in five days we came to them in Troas. There we stayed for seven days.

7 On the first day of the week, when we were gathered together to break bread, Paul spoke to the believers. He was planning to leave the next day, so he kept speaking until midnight. 8 There were many lamps in the upper room where we had come together. 9 In the window was sitting a young man named Eutychus, who fell into a deep sleep. As Paul spoke even longer, this young man, still sleeping, fell down from the third story and was picked up dead. 10 But Paul went down, stretched himself out on him, and embraced him. Then he said, “Do not be upset any more, for he is alive.” 11 Then he went upstairs again and broke bread and ate. After talking with them much longer until dawn, he left. 12 They brought back the boy alive and were greatly comforted.

13 We ourselves went ahead of Paul by ship and sailed away to Assos, where we planned to take Paul on board. This is what he himself desired to do, because he planned to go by land. 14 When he met us at Assos, we took him onto the ship and went to Mitylene. 15 Then we sailed from there and arrived the next day opposite the island of Chios. The following day we touched at the island of Samos, and the day after we came to the city of Miletus. 16 For Paul had decided to sail past Ephesus, so that he would not spend any time in Asia; for he was hurrying to be in Jerusalem for the day of Pentecost, if it were at all possible for him to do so.

17 From Miletus he sent men to Ephesus and called to himself the elders of the church. 18 When they had come to him, he said to them,

“You yourselves know, from the first day that I set foot in Asia, how I always spent my time with you. 19 I kept serving the Lord with all lowliness of mind and with tears, and in sufferings that happened to me because of the plots of the Jews. 20 You know how I did not keep back from declaring to you anything that was useful, and how I taught you in public and from house to house, 21 testifying both Jews and Greeks about repentance toward God and of faith in our Lord Jesus. 22 Now look, I am going to Jerusalem, compelled by the Spirit, not knowing what will happen to me there, 23 except that the Holy Spirit warns to me in every city that chains and sufferings await me. 24 But I do not consider my life is valuable to myself, if only I may finish the race and complete the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God. 25 Now look, I know that you all, among whom I went about proclaiming the kingdom, will see my face no more. 26 Therefore I testify to you this day, that I am innocent of the blood of any man. 27 For I did not hold back from declaring to you the whole will of God. 28 Therefore be careful about yourselves, and about all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be careful to shepherd the church of God, which he purchased with his own blood. * 29 I know that after my departure, vicious wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock. 30 I know that from even among you some men shall come and distort the truth in order to draw away the disciples after them. 31 So be on guard. Remember that for three years I did not stop instructing every one of you with tears night and day. 32 Now I entrust you to God and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up and to give you the inheritance among all those who are being sanctified. 33 I coveted no man's silver, gold, or clothing. 34 You yourselves know that these hands served my own needs and the needs of those who were with me. 35 In all things I gave you an example of how you should help the weak by working, and of how you should remember the words of the Lord Jesus, words that he himself said: “It is more blessed to give than to receive.”

36 After he had spoken in this way, he knelt down and prayed with them all. 37 There was a lot of crying and they embraced Paul and kissed him. 38 They were sad most of all because of what he had said, that they would never see his face again. Then they escorted him to the ship.

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1 When we had gone away from them and set sail, we took a straight course to the city of Cos, and the next day to the city of Rhodes, and from there to the city of Patara. 2 When we found a ship crossing over to Phoenicia, we went aboard and set sail. 3 After sighting Cyprus, leaving it on the left side of the boat, we sailed on to Syria and landed at Tyre, where the ship was to unload its cargo. 4 After we found the disciples, we stayed there seven days. Through the Spirit they kept urging Paul not to go to Jerusalem. 5 When our days there were over, we left and went on our way, and they all, with their wives and children, accompanied out of the city. Then we knelt down on the beach, prayed, 6 and said farewell to each other. Then we went on board the ship, and they returned home.

7 When we had finished the voyage from Tyre, we arrived at Ptolemais. There we greeted the brothers and stayed with them for one day. 8 On the next day we left and went to Caesarea. We entered the house of Philip, the evangelist, who was one of the seven, and we stayed with him. 9 Now this man had four virgin daughters who prophesied. 10 As we stayed there for some days, there came down from Judea a certain prophet named Agabus. 11 He came to us and took Paul's belt. With it he tied his own feet and hands and said, “Thus says the Holy Spirit, 'So shall the Jews in Jerusalem tie up the man who owns this belt, and they will hand him over into the hands of the Gentiles.'” 12 When we heard these things, both we and the people who lived in that place begged Paul not to go up to Jerusalem. 13 Then Paul answered, “What are you doing, weeping and breaking my heart? For I am ready, not only to be tied up, but also to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.” 14 Since Paul did not wish to be persuaded, we stopped trying and said, “May the will of the Lord be done.”

15 After these days, we picked up our bags and went up to Jerusalem. 16 There also went with us some of the disciples from Caesarea. They brought with them a man named Mnason, a man from Cyprus, an early disciple, with whom we would stay.

17 When we had arrived in Jerusalem, the brothers welcomed us gladly. 18 The next day Paul went with us to James, and all the elders were present. 19 When he had greeted them, he reported one by one the things that God had done among the Gentiles through his ministry. 20 When they heard it, they praised God, and they said to him, “You see, brother, how many thousands have believed among the Jews. They are all determined to keep the law. 21 They have been told about you, that you teach all the Jews who live among the Gentiles to abandon Moses, and that you tell them not to circumcise their children, and not to follow the old customs. 22 What should we do? They will certainly hear that you have come. 23 So do what we say to you. We have four men who made a vow. 24 Take these men and purify yourself with them, and pay their expenses for them, so that they may shave their heads. So everyone will know that the things they have been told about you are false. They will learn that you also follow the law. 25 But concerning the Gentiles who have believed, we wrote and gave the instructions that they should keep themselves from things sacrificed to idols, from blood, from what is strangled, and from sexual immorality.” 26 Then Paul took the men, and the next day, purifying himself with them, went into the temple, announcing the period of the days of purification, until the offering was offered for every one of them.

27 When the seven days were almost finished, some Jews from Asia, seeing Paul in the temple, stirred up the whole crowd, and laid hands on him. 28 They were shouting, “Men of Israel, help us. This is the man who teaches all men everywhere things that are against the people, the law, and this place. Besides, he has also brought Greeks into the temple and has defiled this holy place.” 29 For they had previously seen Trophimus the Ephesian with him in the city, and they thought that Paul had brought him into the temple. 30 All the city was excited, and the people ran together and laid hold of Paul. They dragged him out of the temple, and the doors were immediately shut. 31 As they were trying to kill him, news came up to the chief captain of the guard that all Jerusalem was in an uproar. 32 Right away he took soldiers and centurions and ran down to the crowd. When the people saw the chief captain and the soldiers, they stopped beating Paul. 33 Then the chief captain approached and laid hold of Paul, and commanded him to be bound with two chains. Then he asked who he was and what he had done. 34 Some in the crowd were shouting one thing and others another. Since the captain could not tell anything because of all the noise, he ordered that Paul be brought into the fortress. 35 When he came to the steps, he was carried by the soldiers because of the crowd's violence. 36 For the crowd of people followed after and kept shouting out, “Away with him!”

37 As Paul was about to be brought into the fortress, he said to the chief captain, “May I say something to you?” The captain said, “Do you speak Greek? 38 Are you not then the Egyptian, who previously led a rebellion and led the four thousand men of the 'Assassins' out into the wilderness?” 39 Paul said, “I am a Jew, from the city of Tarsus in Cilicia. I am a citizen of an important city. I ask you, allow me to speak to the people.” 40 When the captain had given him permission, Paul stood on the steps and motioned with the hand to the people. When there was a deep silence, he spoke to them in the Hebrew language. He said,

22

1 “Brothers and fathers, listen to my defense which I will now make to you.”

2 When the crowd heard Paul speak to them in the Hebrew language, they became quiet. He said,

3 “I am a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia, but educated in this city at the feet of Gamaliel. I was instructed according to the strict ways of the law of our fathers. I am zealous for God, just as all of you are today. 4 I persecuted this Way to the death, binding up and delivering them to prison both men and women, 5 as the high priest and all the elders can bear witness. I received letters from them for the brothers in Damascus, and went there to bring them back in bonds to Jerusalem in order for them to be punished. 6 It happened that when I was traveling and nearing Damascus, about noon suddenly a great light from heaven began to shine around me. 7 I fell to the ground and heard a voice say to me, 'Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?' 8 I answered, 'Who are you, Lord?' He said to me, 'I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom you are persecuting.' 9 Those who were with me saw the light, but they did not understand the voice of him who spoke to me. 10 I said, 'What should I do, Lord?' The Lord said to me, 'Arise and go into Damascus; there you will be told everything that you must do.' 11 I could not see because of that light's brightness, and being led by the hands of those who were with me, I came into Damascus. 12 There I met a man named Ananias, a devout man according to the law and well spoken of by all the Jews who lived there. 13 He came to me, stood by me, and said, 'Brother Saul, receive your sight.' In that very hour I saw him. 14 Then he said, 'The God of our fathers has chosen you to know his will, to see the Righteous One, and to hear the voice coming from his own mouth. 15 For you shall be a witness for him to all men about what you have seen and heard. 16 Now why are you waiting? Arise, be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on his name.' 17 After I had returned to Jerusalem, and while I was praying in the temple, it happened that I was given a vision. 18 I saw him say to me, 'Hurry and leave Jerusalem quickly, because they will not accept your testimony about me.' 19 I said, 'Lord, they themselves know that I imprisoned and beat those who believed in you in every synagogue. 20 When the blood of Stephen your witness was spilled, I also was standing by and agreeing, and I was guarding the cloaks of those who killed him.' 21 But he said to me, 'Go, because I will send you far away to the Gentiles.'”

22 They listened to him until he said this. Then they shouted and said, “Away with such a fellow from the earth, for it is not right that he should live.” 23 As they were shouting, throwing off their cloaks, and throwing dust into the air, 24 the chief captain commanded Paul to be brought into the fortress. He ordered that he should be questioned with scourging, so that he himself might know why they were shouting against him like that. 25 When they had tied him up with the thongs, Paul said to the centurion who was standing by, “Is it lawful for you to scourge a man who is a Roman and who has not been put on trial?” 26 When the centurion heard this, he went to the chief captain and told him, saying, “What are you about to do? For this man is a Roman citizen.” 27 The chief captain came and said to him, “Tell me, are you a Roman citizen?” Paul said, “Yes.” 28 The chief captain answered, “It was only with a large amount of money that I acquired citizenship.” But Paul said, “I was born a Roman citizen.” 29 Then the men who were going to question him left him immediately. The chief captain also was afraid, when he learned that Paul was a Roman citizen, because he had tied him up.

30 On the next day, the chief captain wanted to know the truth about the Jews' accusations against Paul. So he untied his bonds and ordered the chief priests and all the council to meet. Then he brought Paul down and placed him in their midst.

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1 Paul looked directly at the council members and said, “Brothers, I have lived before God in all good conscience until this day.” 2 The high priest Ananias commanded those who stood by him to strike him on the mouth. 3 Then said Paul to him, “God will strike you, you whitewashed wall. Are you sitting to judge me by the law, yet order me to be struck, against the law?” 4 Those who stood by said, “Is this how you insult God's high priest?” 5 Paul said, “I did not know, brothers, that he was high priest. For it is written,

You shall not speak evil of a ruler of your people.”

6 When Paul saw that the one part of the council were Sadducees and the other Pharisees, he spoke loudly in the council, “Brothers, I am a Pharisee, a son of Pharisees. It is because I have the certain hope of the resurrection of the dead that I am being judged.” 7 When he said this, an argument began between the Pharisees and Sadducees, and the crowd was divided. 8 For the Sadducees say that there is no resurrection, no angels, and no spirits, but the Pharisees acknowledge all of them. 9 So a large uproar occurred, and some of the scribes belonging to the Pharisees stood up and argued, saying, “We find nothing wrong with this man. What if a spirit or an angel has spoken to him?” 10 When there arose a great argument, the chief captain feared that Paul would be torn to pieces by them, so he commanded the soldiers to go down and take him by force from among the council members, and bring him into the fortress.

11 The following night the Lord stood beside him and said, “Do not be afraid, for as you have testified about me in Jerusalem, so you must also bear witness in Rome.”

12 When it became day, some Jews formed a conspiracy and called a curse down upon themselves with an oath not to eat nor drink anything until they had killed Paul. 13 There were more than forty men who formed this conspiracy. 14 They went to the chief priests and the elders and said, “We have put ourselves under a great curse, to eat nothing until we have killed Paul. 15 Now, therefore, let the council tell the chief captain to bring him down to you, as if you would decide his case more precisely. As for us, we are ready to kill him before he comes here.” 16 But Paul's sister's son heard that they were lying in wait, so he went and entered the fortress and told Paul. 17 Paul called one of the centurions and said, “Take this young man to the chief captain, for he has something to tell him.” 18 So the centurion took the young man and brought him to the chief captain and said, “Paul the prisoner called me to him, and asked me to bring this young man to you. He has something to say to you.” 19 The chief captain took him by the hand to a private place and asked him, “What is it that you have to tell me?” 20 The young man said, “The Jews have agreed to ask you to bring down Paul tomorrow to the council, as if they were going to ask more precisely about his case. 21 But do not give in to them, because there are more than forty men who are lying in wait for him. They have called a curse down on themselves, neither to eat nor to drink until they have killed him. Even now they are ready, waiting for consent from you.” 22 So the chief captain let the young man go, after instructing him, “Tell no one that you have said these things to me.” 23 Then he called to him two of the centurions and said, “Get two hundred soldiers ready to go as far as Caesarea, and seventy horsemen also, and two hundred spearmen. You will leave at the third hour of the night.” 24 He also ordered them to provide animals which Paul could ride, and to take him safely to Felix the governor. 25 Then he wrote a letter like this:

26 “Claudius Lysias to the most excellent Governor Felix, greetings. 27 This man was arrested by the Jews and was about to be killed by them, when I came upon them with soldiers and rescued him, since I learned that he was a Roman citizen. 28 I wanted to know why they accused him, so I took him down to their council. 29 I learned that he was being accused about questions concerning their own law, but that there was no accusation against him that deserved death or imprisonment. 30 Then it was made known to me that there was a plot against the man, so I immediately sent him to you, and instructed his accusers also to bring their charges against him in your presence. Farewell.”

31 So the soldiers obeyed their orders. They took Paul and brought him by night to Antipatris. 32 On the next day, most of the soldiers left the horsemen to go with him and they themselves returned to the fortress. 33 When the horsemen reached Caesarea and delivered the letter to the governor, they also presented Paul to him. 34 When the governor read the letter, he asked what province Paul was from. When he learned that he was from Cilicia, 35 he said, “I will hear you fully when your accusers come here.” Then he commanded him to be kept in Herod's government headquarters.

24

1 After five days, Ananias the chief priest, certain elders, and an orator named Tertullus went there. These men brought charges against Paul before the governor. 2 When Paul stood before the governor, Tertullus began to accuse him and said to the governor, “Because of you we have great peace, and your foresight brings good reform to our nation;

3 so with all thankfulness we welcome everything that you do, most excellent Felix. 4 So that I detain you no more, I ask you to briefly listen to me with kindness. 5 For we have found this man to be a pest and one who causes all the Jews throughout the world to rebel. He is a leader of the Nazarene sect. 6 He even tried to desecrate the temple, so we arrested him. * 7  † 8 When you question Paul about all these matters, you will be able to learn about these charges we are bringing against him.” ‡ 9 The Jews also joined in the accusation, affirming that these charges were true.

10 But when the governor motioned for Paul to speak, Paul answered, “I understand that for many years you have been a judge to this nation, and so I gladly explain myself to you.

11 You will be able to find out that it has not been more than twelve days since I went up to worship in Jerusalem. 12 When they found me in the temple, I did not argue with anyone, and I did not stir up a crowd, either in the synagogues, or in the city. 13 They cannot prove to you the accusations they are now making against me. 14 But I admit this to you, that according to the Way that they call a sect, in that same way I serve the God of our fathers. I am faithful to all that is in the law and the writings of the prophets. 15 I have the same confident hope in God as these men, that there will be a resurrection of both the righteous and the wicked. 16 So I always strive to have a clear conscience before God and human beings. 17 Now after many years I came to bring help to my nation and gifts of money. 18 When I did this, certain Jews from Asia found me in a purification ceremony in the temple, not with a crowd or an uproar. 19 These men ought to be before you now and say what they have against me, if they have anything. 20 Or else, these same men should say what wrong they found in me when I stood before the Jewish council, 21 unless it is about this one thing that I shouted out when I stood among them, 'It is concerning the resurrection of those who have died that I am on trial before you today.'”

22 Then Felix, who was well informed about the Way, ajourned the hearing. He said, “When Lysias the commander comes down from Jerusalem, I will decide your case.” 23 Then he commanded the centurion that Paul should be kept under guard, but to have some freedom so that none of his friends would be prevented from attending to his needs.

24 After some days, Felix returned with Drusilla his wife, a Jewess, and he sent for Paul and he heard from him about faith in Christ Jesus. 25 But when Paul reasoned with him about righteousness, self-control, and the coming judgment, Felix became frightened and said, “Go away for now. But when I have the opportunity later on, I will send for you.” 26 At the same time he wanted Paul to give money to him, so he often sent for him and spoke with him. 27 But when two years passed, Porcius Festus became the governor after Felix, but Felix wanted to gain favor with the Jews, so he left Paul to continue under guard.

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1 Now, Festus entered the province, and after three days, he went from Caesarea up to Jerusalem. 2 The chief priest and the prominent Jews brought accusations against Paul, and they urged him 3 and asked him for a favor that would put Paul in danger—that Festus might summon Paul to Jerusalem so that they could kill him along the way. 4 Festus answered that Paul was being held at Caesarea, and that he himself was going there soon. 5 “Therefore, those who can,” he said, “should go there with us. If there is something wrong with the man, you should accuse him.”

6 Festus stayed not more than eight or ten days and then he went down to Caesarea, and on the next day he sat in the judgment seat and commanded Paul to be brought to him. 7 When he arrived, the Jews from Jerusalem stood nearby, and they brought many serious charges which they could not prove. 8 Paul defended himself and said, “I have done nothing wrong against the law of the Jews or against the temple or against Caesar.” 9 But Festus wanted to gain the favor of the Jews, and so he answered Paul and said, “Do you want to go up to Jerusalem and to be judged by me about these things there?” 10 Paul said, “I stand before the judgment seat of Caesar where I must be judged. I have wronged no Jews, just as you also very well know. 11 Though if I have done wrong and if I have done what is worthy of death, I do not refuse to die. But if their accusations are nothing, no one may hand me over to them. I appeal to Caesar.” 12 After Festus talked with the council, he answered, “You have appealed to Caesar. To Caesar you will go!”

13 Now after some days, King Agrippa and Bernice arrived at Caesarea to pay an official visit to Festus. 14 After he had been there for many days, Festus presented Paul's case to the king; he said, “A certain man was left behind here by Felix as a prisoner. 15 When I was in Jerusalem, the chief priests and the elders of the Jews brought charges against this man to me, and they asked for a sentence of condemnation against him. 16 I answered them that it was not the custom of the Romans to hand over anyone before the accused had faced his accusers and had an opportunity to defend himself against the charges. 17 Therefore, when they came together here, I did not wait, but the next day I sat in the judgment seat and I ordered the man to be brought in. 18 When the accusers stood up and accused him, I thought that none of the charges that they brought against him were serious. 19 Instead, they had certain disputes with him about their own religion and about a certain Jesus who was dead, whom Paul claims to be alive. 20 I was not certain about how to investigate this matter, and so I asked him if he was willing to go to Jerusalem to stand trial there about these charges. 21 But when Paul appealed to be kept in custody while awaiting the decision of the emperor, I ordered him to be held in custody until I could send him to Caesar.” 22 Agrippa spoke to Festus, “I would also like to listen to this man.” “Tomorrow,” Festus said, “you will hear him.”

23 So on the next day, Agrippa and Bernice came with much ceremony; they came into the hall with the military officers and with the prominent men of the city. When Festus spoke the command, Paul was brought to them. 24 Festus said, “King Agrippa, and all you men who are here with us, you see this man; all the multitude of Jews consulted with me in Jerusalem and here also, and they shouted to me that he should no longer live. 25 I learned that he had done nothing worthy of death; but because he appealed to the emperor, I decided to send him. 26 But I do not have something definite to write to the emperor. For this reason, I have brought him to you, especially to you, King Agrippa, so that I might have something more to write about the case. 27 For it seems unreasonable for me to send a prisoner and to not also state the charges against him.”

26

1 So Agrippa said to Paul, “You may speak for yourself.” Then Paul stretched out his hand and made his defense.

2 “I regard myself as happy, King Agrippa, to make my case before you today against all the accusations of the Jews; 3 especially, because you are an expert in all the Jewish customs and questions. So I ask you to hear me patiently. 4 Truly, all the Jews know how I lived from my youth in my own nation and at Jerusalem. 5 They knew me from the beginning and they should admit that I lived as a Pharisee, the strictest party of our religion. 6 Now I stand here to be judged because of my certain hope in the promise made by God to our fathers. 7 For this is the promise that our twelve tribes sought to receive as they earnestly worshiped God night and day. It is for this certain hope, King Agrippa, that the Jews accuse me. 8 Why should any of you think it is unbelievable that God raises the dead? 9 Now indeed, I myself thought that I should do many things against the name of Jesus of Nazareth. 10 I did these in Jerusalem. I locked up many of the saints in prison by the authority I received from the chief priests, and when they were killed, I cast my vote against them. 11 I punished them many times in all the synagogues and I tried to force them to blaspheme. I was furiously enraged against them and I persecuted them even to foreign cities. 12 While I was doing this, I went to Damascus with authority and orders from the chief priests; 13 and on the way there, at midday, King, I saw a light from heaven that was brighter than the sun and it shone around both me and the men who were traveling with me. 14 When we all fell to the ground, I heard a voice speaking to me that said in the Hebrew language, 'Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me? It is hard for you to kick a goad.' 15 Then I said, 'Who are you, Lord?' The Lord replied, 'I am Jesus whom you persecute. 16 Now get up and stand on your feet; because for this purpose I appeared to you, to appoint you to be a servant and a witness concerning the things that you know about me now and the things that I will show to you later; 17 and I will rescue you from the people and from the Gentiles to whom I am sending you, 18 to open their eyes and to turn them from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive from God the forgiveness of sins and the inheritance that I give to them who are sanctified by faith in me.' 19 Therefore, King Agrippa, I did not disobey the heavenly vision; 20 but, to those in Damascus first, and then at Jerusalem, and throughout all the country of Judea, and also to the Gentiles, I gave them the message that that they should repent and turn to God, doing deeds worthy of repentance. 21 For this cause the Jews arrested me in the temple and tried to kill me. 22 God has helped me until now, so I stand and testify to the common people and to the great ones about nothing more than what the prophets and Moses said would happen— 23 that Christ must suffer and that by being the first to rise from the dead, he would proclaim light to our own people and to the Gentiles.”

24 As Paul completed his defense, Festus said with a loud voice, “Paul, you are insane; your great learning makes you insane.” 25 But Paul said, “I am not insane, most excellent Festus, but what I am declaring is true and rational. 26 For the king knows about these things; and so, I speak freely to him, for I am persuaded that none of this is hidden from him; for this has not been done in a corner. 27 Do you believe the prophets, King Agrippa? I know that you believe.” 28 Agrippa said to Paul, “In a short time would you persuade me and make me a Christian?” 29 Paul said, “I pray to God, that whether in a short or long time, not you only, but also all that hear me today, would be like me, but without these prison chains.”

30 Then the king stood up, and the governor, and Bernice also, and those who were sitting with them; 31 when they left the hall, they talked to one another and said, “This man does nothing worthy of death or of bonds.” 32 Agrippa said to Festus, “This man could have been freed if he had not appealed to Caesar.”

27

1 When it was decided that we should sail for Italy, they put Paul and some other prisoners under the charge of a centurion named Julius of the Imperial Regiment. 2 We boarded a ship from Adramyttium, which was about to sail along the coast of Asia. So we went to sea. Aristarchus from Thessalonica in Macedonia went with us. 3 The next day we landed at the city of Sidon, where Julius treated Paul kindly and allowed him to go to his friends to receive their care. 4 From there we went to sea and sailed under the lee of Cyprus, close to the island, because the winds were against us. 5 Then we had sailed across the sea and were near the coast of Cilicia and Pamphylia, we landed at Myra, a city of Lycia. 6 There, the centurion found a ship from Alexandria that was going to sail to Italy. He put us in it. 7 When we had sailed slowly for many days and had finally arrived with difficulty near Cnidus, the wind no longer allowed us to go that way, so we sailed along the sheltered side of Crete, opposite Salmone. 8 We sailed along the coast with difficulty, until we came to a certain place called Fair Havens, which is near the city of Lasea.

9 We had now taken much time, the time of the Jewish fast also had passed, and it had now become dangerous to sail. So Paul warned them, 10 and said, “Men, I see that the voyage we are about to take will be with injury and much loss, not only of the cargo and the ship, but also of our lives.” 11 But the centurion paid more attention to the master and to the owner of the ship than to those things that were spoken by Paul. 12 Because the harbor was not easy to spend the winter in, most of the sailors advised to sail from there, if by any means we could reach the city of Phoenix, to spend the winter there. Phoenix is a harbor in Crete, and it faces northeast and southeast. 13 When the south wind began to blow gently, the sailors thought that they had what they needed. So they weighed anchor and sailed along Crete, close to the shore. 14 But after a short time a wind of hurricane force, called the northeaster, began to beat down from the island. 15 When the ship was caught by the storm and could no longer head into the wind, we had to give way to the storm and were driven along by the wind. 16 We sailed along the lee of a small island called Cauda, and with difficulty we were able to secure the lifeboat. 17 When they had hoisted the lifeboat up, they used its ropes to bind the hull of the ship. They were afraid that they should run upon the sandbars of Syrtis, so they lowered the sea anchor and were driven along. 18 We took such a violent battering by the storm that the next day they began throwing the cargo overboard. 19 On the third day the sailors threw overboard the ship's equipment with their own hands. 20 When the sun and stars did not shine on us for many days, and the great storm still beat upon us, any more hope that we should be saved was abandoned. 21 When they had gone long without food, then Paul stood up among the sailors and said, “Men, you should have listened to me, and not have set sail from Crete, so as to get this injury and loss. 22 Now I urge you to take courage, for there will be no loss of life among you, but only the loss of the ship. 23 For last night an angel of the God to whom I belong, whom also I worship—his angel stood beside me 24 and said, 'Do not be afraid, Paul. You must stand before Caesar, and see, God in his kindness has given to you all those who are sailing with you.' 25 Therefore be cheerful, men! For I trust God that it will happen just as it was told to me. 26 But we must run aground upon some island.”

27 When the fourteenth night had come, as we were driven this way and that in the Adriatic Sea, about midnight the sailors thought that they were approaching some land. 28 They took soundings and found twenty fathoms; after a little while, they took more soundings and found fifteen fathoms. 29 They were afraid that we might crash on the rocks, so they lowered four anchors from the stern and prayed that morning would come soon. 30 The sailors were looking for a way to abandon the ship and had lowered the lifeboat into the sea, and pretended that they would throw down the anchors from the bow. 31 But Paul said to the centurion and to the soldiers, “Unless these men stay in the ship, you cannot be saved.” 32 Then the soldiers cut away the ropes of the boat and let it drift away. 33 When daylight was coming on, Paul urged them all to take some food. He said, “This day is the fourteenth day that you wait and do not eat; you have eaten nothing. 34 So I urge you to share some food, for this is necessary for you to survive. For not one of you will lose a single hair from his head.” 35 When he had said this, he took bread and he thanked God in the sight of everyone. Then he broke the bread and began to eat. 36 Then they were all encouraged and they also took food. 37 We were 276 people in the ship. 38 When they had eaten enough, they made the ship lighter by throwing out the wheat into the sea. 39 When it was day, they did not recognize the land, but they saw a bay with a beach, and they discussed whether they could drive the ship onto it. 40 So they cut loose the anchors and left them in the sea. At the same time they loosed the ropes of the rudders and raised the foresail to the wind; and so they headed to the beach. 41 But they came to a place where two currents met, and the ship ran into the ground. The bow of the ship stuck there and remained unmovable, but the stern began to break up because of the waves' violence. 42 The soldiers' plan was to kill the prisoners so that none of them could swim away and escape. 43 But the centurion wanted to save Paul, so he stopped their plan; and he ordered those who could swim to jump overboard first and get to land. 44 Then the rest of the men should follow, some on planks, and some on other things from the ship. In this way it happened that all of us came safely to land.

28

1 When we were brought safely through, we learned that the island was called Malta. 2 The native people offered to us not just ordinary kindness, but they lit a fire and welcomed us all, because of the constant rain and cold. 3 But when Paul had gathered a bundle of sticks and placed them on the fire, a viper came out because of the heat, and fastened onto his hand. 4 When the native people saw the animal hanging from his hand, they said one to another, “This man certainly is a murderer who escaped from the sea, yet justice does not permit him to live.” 5 But then he shook the animal into the fire and suffered no harm. 6 They were waiting for him to become inflamed with a fever or to suddenly drop dead. But after they watched him for a long time and saw that nothing was unusual with him, they changed their minds and said that he was a god.

7 Now in a nearby place there were lands belonging to the chief man of the island, a man named Publius. He welcomed us and kindly provided for us for three days. 8 It happened that the father of Publius had been made ill with a fever and dysentery. When Paul went to him, he prayed, placed his hands on him, and healed him. 9 After this happened, the rest of the people on the island who were sick also came and were healed. 10 The people also honored us with many honors. When we were preparing to sail, they gave us what we needed.

11 After three months we set sail in an ship that had spent the winter at the island, a ship of Alexandria, with “the twin gods” as it figurehead. 12 After we landed at the city of Syracuse, we stayed there three days. 13 From there we sailed and arrived at the city of Rhegium. After one day a south wind sprang up, and in two days we came to the city of Puteoli. 14 There we found some brothers and were invited to stay with them for seven days. In this way we came to Rome. 15 From there the brothers, after they heard about us, came to meet us as far as The Market of Appius and The Three Taverns. When Paul saw the brothers, he thanked God and took courage.

16 When we entered Rome, Paul was allowed to live by himself with the soldier who was guarding him.

17 Then it came about that after three days Paul called together those men who were the leaders among the Jews. When they had come together, he said to them, “Brothers, although I have done nothing wrong against the people or the customs of our fathers, I was delivered as a prisoner from Jerusalem into the hands of the Romans. 18 After they questioned me, they wished to set me free, because there was no reason in me for a death penalty. 19 But when the Jews spoke against their desire, I was forced to appeal to Caesar, although it is not as if I were bringing any accusation against my nation. 20 Because of my appeal, then, I have asked to see you and to speak with you. It is because of the certain hope of Israel that I am bound with this chain.” 21 Then they said to him, “We neither received letters from Judea about you, nor did any of the brothers come and report or say anything bad about you. 22 But we want to hear from you what you think about this sect, because it is known by us that it is spoken against everywhere.”

23 When they had set a day for him, more people came to him at his dwelling place. He presented the matter to them, and testified about the kingdom of God. He tried to persuade them about Jesus, both from the law of Moses and from the prophets, from morning until evening. 24 Some were convinced about the things which were said, while others did not believe. 25 When they did not agree with one another, they left after Paul had spoken this one word, “The Holy Spirit spoke well through Isaiah the prophet to your fathers. 26 He said, 'Go to this people and say,

“By hearing you will hear, but not understand;

and seeing you will see, but will not perceive.

27 For the heart of this people has become dull,

and with their ears they hardly hear,

and they have shut their eyes.

Otherwise they might see with their eyes,

and hear with their ears,

and understand with their heart and turn again,

and I would heal them.”'

28 Therefore, you should know that this salvation of God has been sent to the Gentiles, and they will listen.” 29  *

30 Paul lived for two whole years in his own rented house, and he welcomed all who came to him. 31 He was proclaiming the kingdom of God and was teaching the things about the Lord Jesus Christ with all boldness. No one stopped him.

* 8:37 The best ancient copies omit Acts 8:37, Philip said, “If you believe with all your heart, you may be baptized.” The Ethiopian answered, “I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God” .

* 10:19 Some ancient copies have, two men are looking for you or some men are looking for you .

† 10:32 Some ancient copies add: When he comes, he will speak to you .

‡ 10:33 Instead of instructed by the Lord to say, some ancient copies have, instructed by God to say .

* 12:25 Some ancient copies read, they returned to Jerusalem .

* 13:18 Some ancient copies read, For about forty years he cared for them in the wilderness .

* 15:18 Some older versions read, This is what the Lord says, to whom are known all his deeds from ancient times .

† 15:34 The best ancient copies omit verse 34 (See: Acts 15:40), But it seemed good to Silas to remain there .

* 20:28 Instead of with his own blood , some ancient copies read, with the blood of his own Son .

* 24:6 Some ancient copies add, “We wanted to judge him according to our our law .

† 24:7 Some ancient copies have vs 7, But Lysias, the officer, came and took him by force out of our hands .

‡ 24:8 Some ancient copies add to the first part of vs 8, sending us to you .

* 28:29 Acts 28:29 - Some ancient copies have vs. 29: When he had said these things, the Jews went away. They were having a great dispute among themselves .

Romans

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Romans

1

1 Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God, 2 which he promised beforehand by his prophets in the holy scriptures, 3 concerning his Son who was a descendant of David according to the flesh. 4 Through the Spirit of holiness he was declared with power to be the Son of God by the resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord. 5 Through him we have received grace and apostleship for obedience of faith among all the nations, for the sake of his name. 6 Among these nations, you also have been called to belong to Jesus Christ. 7 This letter is to all who are in Rome, the beloved of God, who are called to be holy people. May grace be to you, and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

8 First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is proclaimed throughout the whole world. 9 For God is my witness, whom I serve in my spirit in the gospel of his Son, of how continually I make mention of you. 10 I always request in my prayers that by any means I may at last be successful now by the will of God in coming to you. 11 For I desire to see you, that I may give you some spiritual gift, in order to strengthen you. 12 That is, I long to be mutually encouraged among you, through each other's faith, yours and mine. 13 Now I do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, that I often intended to come to you, (but I was hindered until now), in order to have a harvest among you, just as I have had among the rest of the Gentiles. 14 I am a debtor both to Greeks and to foreigners, both to the wise and to the foolish. 15 So, as for me, I am ready to proclaim the gospel also to you who are in Rome.

16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and for the Greek. 17 For in it God's righteousness is revealed from faith to faith, as it has been written, “The righteous will live by faith.”

18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of people, who through unrighteousness hold back the truth. 19 This is because that which is known about God is visible to them. For God has enlightened them. 20 For his invisible qualities, namely his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. 21 This is because, although they knew about God, they did not glorify him as God, nor did they give him thanks. Instead, they became foolish in their thoughts, and their senseless hearts were darkened. 22 They claimed to be wise, but they became foolish. 23 They exchanged the glory of the imperishable God for the likenesses of an image of perishable man, of birds, of four-footed beasts, and of creeping things.

24 Therefore God gave them over to the lusts of their hearts for uncleanness, for their bodies to be dishonored among themselves. 25 It is they who exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and who worshiped and served the creation instead of the Creator, who is praised forever. Amen.

26 Because of this, God gave them over to dishonorable passions, for their women exchanged natural relations for those that were unnatural. 27 Likewise, the men also left their natural relations with women and burned in their lust for one another. These were men who committed shameless acts with men and received in themselves the penalty they deserved for their error.

28 Because they did not approve of having God in their awareness, he gave them up to a depraved mind, for them to do those things that are not proper. 29 They have been filled with all unrighteousness, wickedness, covetousness, and malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, and evil intentions. They are gossips, 30 slanderers, haters of God, insolent, arrogant, boastful, inventing ways of doing evil; they are disobedient to parents. 31 They are senseless, faithless, heartless, and unmerciful. 32 They understand the regulations of God, that those who practice such things are deserving of death. But not only do they do these things, they also approve of others who do them.

2

1 Therefore you are without excuse, you person, you who judge, for what you judge in another you condemn in yourself. For you who judge practice the same things. 2 But we know that God's judgment is according to truth when it falls on those who practice such things. 3 But consider this, you person, you who judge those who practice such things although you do the same things. Will you escape from the judgment of God? 4 Or do you think so little of the riches of his goodness, his delayed punishment, and his patience? Do you not know that his goodness is meant to lead you to repentance? 5 But it is to the extent of your hardness and unrepentant heart that you are storing up for yourself wrath on the day of wrath, that is, the day of the revelation of God's righteous judgment. 6 He will pay back to every person according to his actions: 7 to those who according to consistent, good actions have sought praise, honor, and incorruptibility, he will give eternal life. 8 But to those who are self-seeking, who disobey the truth but obey unrighteousness, wrath and fierce anger will come. 9 God will bring tribulation and distress on every human soul that has practiced evil, to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. 10 But praise, honor, and peace will come to everyone who practices good, to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. 11 For there is no favoritism with God. 12 For as many as have sinned without the law will also perish without the law, and as many as have sinned with respect to the law will be judged by the law. 13 For it is not the hearers of the law who are righteous before God, but it is the doers of the law who will be justified. 14 For when Gentiles, who do not have the law, do by nature the things of the law, they are a law to themselves, although they do not have the law. 15 By this they show that the actions required by the law are written in their hearts. Their conscience also bears witness to them, and their own thoughts either accuse or defend them to themselves 16 and also to God. That will happen on the day when God will judge the secrets of all people, according to my gospel, through Jesus Christ.

17 But if you call yourself a Jew and rest upon the law and boast in God, 18 and know his will and approve of what is excellent because you have been instructed from the law; 19 and if you are convinced that you yourself are a guide to the blind, a light to those who are in darkness, 20 a corrector of the foolish, a teacher of little children, and that you have in the law the form of knowledge and of the truth, then how does this affect the way you live your life? 21 You who teach others, do you not teach yourself? You who preach against stealing, do you steal? 22 You who say that one must not commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who hate idols, do you rob temples? 23 You who boast in the law, do you dishonor God by breaking the law? 24 For “the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you,” just as it has been written. 25 For circumcision indeed benefits you if you obey the law, but if you break the law, your circumcision becomes uncircumcision. 26 If, then, the uncircumcised person keeps the requirements of the law, will not his uncircumcision be considered as circumcision? 27 And will not the one who is naturally uncircumcised condemn you if he keeps the law? This is because you have the written law and circumcision, yet you break the law! 28 For he is not a Jew who is merely one outwardly; neither is circumcision that which is merely outward in the flesh. 29 But he is a Jew who is one inwardly, and circumcision is that of the heart, in the Spirit, not in the letter. The praise of such a person comes not from people but from God.

3

1 Then what advantage does the Jew have? And what is the benefit of circumcision? 2 It is great in every way. First of all, the Jews were entrusted with revelation from God. 3 For what if some Jews were without faith? Will their unbelief abolish God's faithfulness? 4 May it never be. Instead, let God be found to be true, even though every man is a liar. As it has been written,

“That you might be shown to be righteous in your words,

and that you might prevail when you come into judgment.”

5 But if our unrighteousness shows the righteousness of God, what can we say? Can we say that God is unrighteous to bring his wrath upon us? (I am using a human argument.) 6 May it never be! For then how would God judge the world? 7 But if the truth of God through my lie provides abundant praise for him, why am I still being judged as a sinner? 8 Why not say, as we are falsely reported to say, and as some affirm that we say, “Let us do evil, so that good may come”? The judgment on them is just.

9 What then? Are we excusing ourselves? Not at all. For we have already accused both Jews and Greeks, all of them, of being under sin. 10 This is as it is written:

“There is no one righteous, not one.

11 There is no one who understands.

There is no one who seeks after God.

12 They have all turned away. They together have become useless.

There is no one who does good, no, not even one.”

13 “Their throat is an open grave.

Their tongues have deceived.

The poison of snakes is under their lips.”

14 “Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness.”

15 “Their feet are swift to pour out blood.

16 Destruction and suffering are in their paths.

17 These people have not known a way of peace.”

18 “There is no fear of God before their eyes.”

19 Now we know that whatever the law says, it speaks to the ones who are under the law. This is in order that every mouth may be shut, and the whole world held accountable to God. 20 This is because no flesh will be justified by the works of the law in his sight. For through the law comes the knowledge of sin.

21 But now apart from the law the righteousness of God has been made known. It was witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, 22 that is, the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all those who believe. For there is no distinction. 23 For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God, 24 and they are freely justified by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. 25 For God provided Christ Jesus as a propitiation through faith in his blood. He offered Christ as proof of his justice, because of his disregard of previous sins 26 in his patience. This all happened for the demonstration of his righteousness at this present time. This was so he could prove himself just, and to show that he justifies anyone because of faith in Jesus.

27 Where then is boasting? It is excluded. On what grounds? Of works? No, but on the grounds of faith. 28 We conclude then that a person is justified by faith without works of the law. 29 Or is God the God of Jews only? Is he not also the God of Gentiles? Yes, of Gentiles also. 30 If, indeed, God is one, he will justify the circumcision by faith, and the uncircumcision through faith.

31 Do we then nullify the law through faith? May it never be! Instead, we uphold the law.

4

1 What then will we say that Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh, found? 2 For if Abraham had been justified by works, he would have had a reason to boast, but not before God. 3 For what does the scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness.” 4 Now for him who works, what he is paid is not counted as a gift, but as what is owed. 5 But for him who does not work but instead believes in the one who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness. 6 David also pronounces blessing on the man to whom God counts righteousness without works. 7 He said,

“Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven,

and whose sins are covered.

8 Blessed is the man against whom the Lord will not count sin.”

9 Then is this blessing pronounced only on those of the circumcision, or also on those of the uncircumcision? For we say, “Faith was counted to Abraham as righteousness.” 10 So how was it counted? When Abraham was in circumcision, or in uncircumcision? It was not in circumcision, but in uncircumcision. 11 Abraham received the sign of circumcision. This was a seal of the righteousness of the faith that he had already possessed when he was in uncircumcision. The result of this sign was that he became the father of all those who believe, even if they are in uncircumcision. This means that righteousness will be counted for them. 12 This also meant that Abraham became the father of the circumcision for those who are not only circumcised but also for those who follow in the steps of faith of our father Abraham before he was circumcised.

13 For the promise to Abraham and to his descendants that he would be heir of the world did not come through the law but through the righteousness of faith. 14 For if those who live by the law are to be the heirs, faith is made empty, and the promise is void. 15 For the law brings about wrath, but where there is no law, there is no trespass. 16 For this reason it is by faith, in order that the promise may rest on grace and be guaranteed to all of Abraham's descendants—not only to those who are under the law, but also to those who share the faith of Abraham. He is the father of us all, 17 as it is written, “I have made you the father of many nations.” Abraham was in the presence of him whom he trusted, that is, God, who gives life to the dead and calls the things that do not exist into existence. 18 In hope he believed against hope, that he would become the father of many nations, according to what he had been told, “So will your descendants be.” 19 Without becoming weak in faith, he considered his own body as dead (because he was about a hundred years old)—and he considered the deadness of Sarah's womb. 20 But because of God's promise, Abraham did not hesitate in unbelief. Instead, he was strengthened in faith and gave praise to God. 21 He was fully convinced that what God had promised, he was also able to accomplish. 22 Therefore this was also counted to him as righteousness. 23 Now it was not written only for his benefit, that it was counted for him. 24 It was written also for us, for whom it will be counted, we who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead. 25 This is the one who was delivered up for our trespasses and was raised for our justification.

5

1 Since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. 2 Through him we also have our access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in the certain hope of the glory of God. 3 Not only this, but we also rejoice in our sufferings. We know that suffering produces endurance. 4 Endurance produces character, and character produces certain hope, 5 and that hope does not disappoint because the love of God has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us. 6 For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. 7 For one will hardly die for a righteous man. That is, perhaps someone would dare to die for a good person. 8 But God proves his own love toward us, because while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Much more, then, now that we are justified by his blood, we will be saved by it from the wrath of God. 10 For if, while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of his Son, much more, after having been reconciled, will we be saved by his life. 11 Not only this, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we now have received this reconciliation.

12 So then, as through one man sin entered into the world, in this way death entered through sin. And death spread to all people, because all sinned. 13 For until the law, sin was in the world, but there is no accounting for sin when there is no law. 14 Nevertheless, death ruled from Adam until Moses, even over those who did not sin like Adam's disobedience, who is a pattern of him who was to come.

15 But the gift is not like the trespass. For if by the trespass of one the many died, how much more did the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, abound for the many! 16 For the gift is not like the outcome of that one man's sin. The judgment followed one trespass and brought condemnation, but the gift followed many trespasses and brought justification. 17 For if, by the trespass of the one, death ruled through the one, how much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one, Jesus Christ. 18 So then, by one trespass condemnation came to all people, so also one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all people. 19 For as through the one man's disobedience the many were made sinners, even so through the obedience of the one will the many be made righteous. 20 But the law came in to increase the trespass. But where sin abounded, grace abounded even more. 21 This happened so that, as sin ruled in death, even so grace might rule through righteousness for everlasting life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

6

1 What then will we say? Should we continue in sin so that grace may abound? 2 May it never be. We who died to sin, how can we still live in it? 3 Do you not know that as many as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 We were buried, then, with him through baptism into death. This happened in order that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so also we might walk in newness of life. 5 For if we have become united with him in the likeness of his death, we will also be united with his resurrection. 6 We know this, that our old man was crucified with him, in order that the body of sin might be destroyed. This happened so that we should no longer be enslaved to sin. 7 He who has died is declared righteous with respect to sin. 8 But if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live together with him. 9 We know that since Christ has been raised from the dead he cannot die again; death no longer has authority over him. 10 For in regard to the death that he died to sin, he died once for all. However, the life that he lives, he lives for God. 11 In the same way, you also must consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus.

12 Therefore do not let sin rule in your mortal body in order that you may obey its lusts. 13 Do not present the parts of your body to sin, to be tools used for unrighteousness. But present yourselves to God, as those who have been brought from death to life, and present the parts of your body to God as tools to be used for righteousness. 14 Do not allow sin to rule over you. For you are not under law, but under grace.

15 What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law, but under grace? May it never be. 16 Do you not know that the one to whom you present yourselves as slaves is the one to which you are obedient, the one you must obey? This is true whether you are slaves to sin which leads to death, or slaves to obedience which leads to righteousness. 17 But thanks be to God! For you were slaves of sin, but you have obeyed from the heart the pattern of teaching that you were given. 18 You have been made free from sin, and you have been made slaves of righteousness. 19 I speak like a man because of the weakness of your flesh. For just as you presented the parts of your body as slaves to uncleanness and to evil, in the same way now, present the parts of your body as slaves to righteousness for sanctification. 20 For when you were slaves of sin, you were free from righteousness. 21 At that time, what fruit then did you have of the things of which you are now ashamed? For the outcome of those things is death. 22 But now that you have been made free from sin and are enslaved to God, you have your fruit for sanctification. The result is eternal life. 23 For the wages of sin are death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

7

1 Or do you not know, brothers (for I am speaking to people who know about law), that the law controls a person for as long as he lives? 2 For the married woman is bound by law to the husband while he lives, but if the husband dies, she is released from the law of marriage. 3 So then, while her husband is living, if she lives with another man, she will be called an adulteress. But if the husband dies, she is free from the law, so she is not an adulteress if she lives with another man. 4 Therefore, my brothers, you were also made dead to the law through the body of Christ. This is so that you could be joined to another, that is, to him who was raised from the dead, in order that we might produce fruit for God. 5 For when we were in the flesh, the sinful passions, aroused by the law, were at work in our members to bear fruit for death. 6 But now we have been released from the law. We have died to that by which we were held. This is so that we might serve in newness of the Spirit, and not in oldness of the letter.

7 What will we say then? Is the law itself sin? May it never be. However, I would never have known sin, if it were not through the law. For I would not have known covetousness unless the law said, “You must not covet.” 8 But sin took the opportunity through the commandment and brought about every lust in me. For without the law, sin is dead. 9 At one time I was alive without the law, but when the commandment came, sin regained life, and I died. 10 The commandment that was to bring life turned out to be death for me. 11 For sin took the opportunity through the commandment and deceived me. Through the commandment it killed me. 12 So the law is holy, and the commandment is holy, righteous, and good.

13 So did what is good become death to me? May it never be. But sin, in order that it might be shown to be sin through what is good, brought about death in me. This was in order that through the commandment, sin might become sinful beyond measure. 14 For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am of the flesh. I have been sold under slavery to sin. 15 For what I do, I do not really understand. For what I want to do, I do not do, and what I hate, I do. 16 But if I do what I do not want, I agree with the law that the law is good. 17 But now it is no longer I who do it, but the sin that lives in me. 18 For I know that in me, that is in my flesh, lives no good thing. For the desire for good is with me, but I cannot do it. 19 For the good that I want I do not do, but the evil that I do not want, that I do. 20 Now if I do what I do not want to do, then it is no longer I who am acting, but rather sin that lives in me. 21 I find, then, the principle in me that I want to do what is good, but that evil is actually present in me. 22 For I rejoice in the law of God with the inner man. 23 But I see a different principle in my body parts. It fights against that new principle in my mind. It takes me captive by the principle of sin that is in my body parts. 24 I am a miserable man! Who will deliver me from this body of death? 25 But thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself serve the law of God with my mind. However, with the flesh I serve the principle of sin.

8

1 There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. 2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and death. 3 For what the law was unable to do because it was weak through the flesh, God did. He sent his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh to be an offering for sin, and he condemned sin in the flesh. 4 He did this in order that the requirements of the law might be fulfilled in us, we who walk not according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. 5 Those who live according to the flesh pay attention to the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit pay attention to the things of the Spirit. 6 For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace. 7 The mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God, for it is not subject to God's law, nor is it able to do so. 8 Those who are in the flesh cannot please God. 9 However, you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if it is true that God's Spirit lives in you. But if someone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to him. 10 If Christ is in you, the body is dead with respect to sin, but the spirit is alive with respect to righteousness. 11 If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead lives in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will give life also to your mortal bodies through his Spirit, who lives in you.

12 So then, brothers, we are debtors, but not to the flesh to live according to the flesh. 13 For if you live according to the flesh, you are about to die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the body's actions, you will live. 14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. 15 You did not receive a spirit that makes you slaves, so that you live in fear again; but you received the Spirit of adoption, by which we cry, “Abba, Father!” 16 The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God. 17 If we are children, then we are also heirs, heirs of God. And we are joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with him so that we may also be glorified with him.

18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that will be revealed to us. 19 For the eager expectation of the creation waits for the revealing of the sons of God. 20 For the creation was subjected to futility, not of its own will, but because of him who subjected it, in the certain hope 21 that the creation itself will be delivered from slavery to decay, and that it will be brought into the freedom of the glory of the children of God. 22 For we know that the whole creation groans and labors in pain together even now. 23 Not only that, but even we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit—even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for our adoption, the redemption of our body. 24 For in this certain hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he can see? 25 But if we have certain hope about what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.

26 In the same way, the Spirit also helps in our weakness. For we do not know how we should pray, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with inexpressible groans. 27 He who searches the hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because he intercedes on behalf of the saints according to the will of God. 28 We know that for those who love God, he works all things together for good, * for those who are called according to his purpose. 29 Because those whom he foreknew, he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. 30 Those whom he predestined, these he also called. Those whom he called, these he also justified. Those whom he justified, these he also glorified.

31 What then shall we say about these things? If God is for us, who is against us? 32 He who did not spare his own Son but delivered him up on behalf of us all, how will he not also with him freely give us all things? 33 Who will bring any accusation against God's chosen ones? God is the one who justifies. 34 Who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, and who also is interceding for us. 35 Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or hunger, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? 36 Just as it is written,

“For your benefit we are killed all day long.

We were considered as sheep for the slaughter.”

37 In all these things we are more than conquerors through the one who loved us. 38 For I have been convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor governments, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

9

1 I tell the truth in Christ. I do not lie, and my conscience bears witness with me in the Holy Spirit, 2 that for me there is great sorrow and unceasing pain in my heart. 3 For I could wish that I myself would be cursed and set apart from Christ for the sake of my brothers, those of my own race according to the flesh. 4 They are Israelites. They have adoption, the glory, the covenants, the gift of the law, the worship of God, and the promises. 5 Theirs are the ancestors from whom Christ has come with respect to the flesh—he who is God over all. May he be praised forever. Amen.

6 But it is not as though the promises of God have failed. For it is not everyone in Israel who truly belongs to Israel. 7 Neither are all Abraham's descendants truly his children. But, “It is through Isaac that your descendants will be called.” 8 That is, the children of the flesh are not the children of God. But the children of the promise are regarded as descendants. 9 For this is the word of promise: “At this time I will come, and a son will be given to Sarah.” 10 Not only this, but after Rebekah also had conceived by one man, our father Isaac— 11 for the children were not yet born and had not yet done anything good or bad, so that the purpose of God according to choice might stand, not because of actions, but because of him who calls— 12 it was said to her, “The older will serve the younger.” 13 It is just as had been written: “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.”

14 What then will we say? Is there unrighteousness with God? May it never be. 15 For he says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.” 16 So then, it is not because of him who wills, nor because of him who runs, but because of God, who shows mercy. 17 For the scripture says to Pharaoh, “For this very purpose I raised you up, so that I might demonstrate my power in you, and so that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.” 18 So then, God has mercy on whom he wishes, and whom he wishes, he makes stubborn.

19 You will say then to me, “Why does he still find fault? For who has ever withstood his will?” 20 On the contrary, man, who are you who answers against God? Will what has been molded say to the one who molds it, “Why did you make me this way?” 21 Does the potter not have the right over the clay to make from the same lump a container for special use, and another container for daily use? 22 What if God, who is willing to show his wrath and to make his power known, endured with much patience containers of wrath prepared for destruction? 23 What if he did this in order that he might make known the riches of his glory upon containers of mercy, which he had previously prepared for glory? 24 What if he did this also for us, whom he also called, not only from among the Jews, but also from among the Gentiles? 25 As he says also in Hosea:

“I will call my people who were not my people,

and her beloved who was not beloved.

26 Then it will be that where it was said to them, 'You are not my people,'

there they will be called 'sons of the living God.'”

27 Isaiah cries out concerning Israel,

“Though the number of the children of Israel were as the sand of the sea,

it will be a remnant that will be saved,

28 for the Lord will carry out his sentence on the earth,

completely and without delay.”

29 As Isaiah had said previously,

“If the Lord of hosts had not left us descendants,

we would be like Sodom,

and we would have become like Gomorrah.”

30 What will we say then? That the Gentiles, who were not pursuing righteousness, obtained righteousness, the righteousness by faith. 31 But Israel, who did pursue a law of righteousness, did not arrive at it. 32 Why not? Because they did not pursue it by faith, but by works. They stumbled over the stone of stumbling, 33 as it has been written,

“Look, I am laying in Zion a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense.

He who believes in it will not be ashamed.”

10

1 Brothers, my heart's desire and my request to God is for them, for their salvation. 2 For I testify about them that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. 3 For they do not know of God's righteousness, and they seek to establish their own righteousness. They did not submit to the righteousness of God. 4 For Christ is the fulfillment of the law for righteousness for everyone who believes. 5 For Moses writes about the righteousness that comes from the law: “The man who does the righteousness of the law will live by this righteousness.” 6 But the righteousness that comes from faith says this, “Do not say in your heart, 'Who will ascend into heaven?' (that is, to bring Christ down); 7 and do not say, 'Who will descend into the abyss?'” (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). 8 But what does it say?

“The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart.”

That is the word of faith, which we proclaim. 9 For if with your mouth you acknowledge Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart man believes for righteousness, and with the mouth he acknowledges for salvation. 11 For scripture says, “Everyone who believes on him will not be put to shame.” 12 For there is no difference between Jew and Greek. For the same Lord is Lord of all, and he is rich to all who call upon him. 13 For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. 14 How then can they call on him in whom they have not believed? How can they believe in him of whom they have not heard? How can they hear without a preacher? 15 Then how can they preach, unless they are sent?—As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who proclaim glad tidings of good things!”

16 But they did not all listen to the gospel. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed our message?” 17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ. 18 But I say, “Did they not hear?” Yes, most certainly.

“Their sound has gone out into all the earth,

and their words to the ends of the world.”

19 Moreover, I say, “Did Israel not know?” First Moses says,

“I will provoke you to jealousy by what is not a nation.

By means of a nation without understanding, I will stir you up to anger.”

20 Then Isaiah was very bold when he says,

“I was found by those who did not seek me.

I appeared to those who did not ask for me.”

21 But to Israel he says, “All the day long I reached out my hands to a disobedient and stubborn people.”

11

1 I say then, did God reject his people? May it never be. For I also am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin. 2 God did not reject his people, whom he foreknew. Do you not know what the scripture says about Elijah, how he pleaded with God against Israel? 3 “Lord, they have killed your prophets, they have broken down your altars. I alone am left, and they are seeking my life.” 4 But what does God's answer say to him? “I have reserved for myself seven thousand men who have not bent the knee to Baal.” 5 Even so then, at this present time also there is a remnant because of the choice of grace. 6 But if it is by grace, it is no longer by works. Otherwise grace would no longer be grace. * 7 What then? The thing that Israel was seeking, it did not obtain, but the chosen obtained it, and the rest were hardened. 8 It is just as it is written: “God has given them a spirit of dullness, eyes so that they should not see, and ears so that they should not hear, to this very day.” 9 Then David says,

“Let their table become a net and a trap,

a stumbling block and a retribution for them.

10 Let their eyes be darkened so that they may not see,

and bend their backs continually.”

11 I say then, “Did they stumble so as to fall?” May it never be. Instead, by their failure, salvation has come to the Gentiles, in order to provoke them to jealousy. 12 Now if their failure is the riches of the world, and if their loss is the riches of the Gentiles, how much greater will their completion be? 13 But now I am speaking to you Gentiles, and as long as I am an apostle to the Gentiles, I take pride in my ministry. 14 Perhaps I will provoke to jealousy those who are of my own flesh. Perhaps we will save some of them. 15 For if their rejection means the reconciliation of the world, what will their acceptance be but life from the dead? 16 If the firstfruits are reserved, so is the lump of dough. If the root is reserved, so are the branches. 17 But if some of the branches were broken off, if you, a wild olive branch, were grafted in among them, and if you shared with them in the rich root of the olive tree, 18 do not boast over the branches. But if you do boast, it is not you who supports the root, but the root that supports you. 19 You will say then, “Branches were broken off so that I might be grafted in.” 20 That is true. Because of their unbelief they were broken off, but you stand firm because of your faith. Do not think too highly of yourself, but fear. 21 For if God did not spare the natural branches, neither will he spare you. 22 Look at, then, the kind actions and the severity of God: severity came on the Jews who fell, but God's kindness comes on you, if you continue in his kindness. Otherwise you also will be cut off. 23 And even they, if they do not continue in their unbelief, will be grafted in. For God is able to graft them in again. 24 For if you were cut out of what is by nature a wild olive tree, and contrary to nature were grafted into a good olive tree, how much more will these Jews, who are the natural branches, be grafted back into their own olive tree?

25 For I do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, of this mystery, in order that you will not be wise in your own thinking. This mystery is that a partial hardening has occurred in Israel, until the completion of the Gentiles come in. 26 Thus all Israel will be saved, just as it is written:

“Out of Zion will come the Deliverer.

He will remove ungodliness from Jacob,

27 and this will be my covenant with them,

when I will take away their sins.”

28 As far as the gospel is concerned, they are enemies for your sake. But as far as election is concerned, they are beloved because of their forefathers. 29 For the gifts and the call of God are unchangeable. 30 For you were formerly disobedient to God, but now you have received mercy because of their disobedience. 31 In the same way, now these Jews have been disobedient. The result was that by the mercy shown to you they may also now receive mercy. 32 For God has shut up all into disobedience, in order that he might show mercy on all.

33 Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and the knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways beyond discovering!

34 “For who has known the mind of the Lord

or who has become his advisor?

35 Or who has first given anything to God,

that God must repay him?”

36 For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be the glory forever. Amen.

12

1 I urge you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God. This is your reasonable service. 2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind. Do this to know what is the good, acceptable, and perfect will of God.

3 For I say, because of the grace that was given to me, that everyone who is among you should not think more highly of themselves than they ought to think. Instead, they should think in a wise way, just as God has given out to each one a certain amount of faith. 4 For we have many members in one body, but not all the members have the same function. 5 In the same way, we who are many are one body in Christ, and are individually members of each other. 6 We have different gifts according to the grace that was given to us. If one's gift is prophecy, let it be done according to the proportion of his faith. 7 If one's gift is service, let him serve. If one has the gift of teaching, let him teach. 8 If one's gift is encouragement, let him encourage. If one's gift is giving, let him do it generously. If one's gift is leading, let it be done with care. If one's gift is in showing mercy, let it be done with cheerfulness.

9 Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil; hold on to that which is good. 10 Concerning love of the brothers, be affectionate to one another. Concerning honor, respect one another. 11 Concerning diligence, do not be hesitant. Concerning the spirit, be eager. Concerning the Lord, serve him. 12 Rejoice in certain hope, be patient in suffering, be faithful in prayer. 13 Share in the needs of the saints. Find many ways to show hospitality. 14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. 15 Rejoice with those who rejoice; weep with those who weep. 16 Be of the same mind toward one another. Do not think in proud ways, but accept lowly people. Do not be wise in your own thoughts. 17 Repay no one evil for evil. Do good things in the sight of all people. 18 If possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with all people. 19 Do not avenge yourselves, beloved, but give way to the wrath of God. For it is written, “'Vengeance belongs to me; I will repay,' says the Lord.”

20 “But if your enemy is hungry, feed him.

If he is thirsty, give him a drink.

For if you do this, you will heap coals of fire on his head.”

21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

13

1 Let every soul be obedient to higher authorities, for there is no authority unless it comes from God. The authorities that exist have been appointed by God. 2 Therefore he who resists that authority opposes the command of God; and those who oppose it will receive judgment on themselves. 3 For rulers are not a terror to good deeds, but to evil deeds. Do you desire to be unafraid of the one in authority? Do what is good, and you will receive his approval. 4 For he is a servant of God to you for good. But if you do what is evil, be afraid; for he does not carry the sword for no reason. For he is a servant of God, an avenger for wrath on the one who does evil. 5 Therefore you must obey, not only because of the wrath, but also because of conscience. 6 Because of this you pay taxes also. For authorities are servants of God, who attend to this very thing continually. 7 Pay to everyone what is owed to them. Tax to whom tax is due, toll to whom toll is due; fear to whom fear is due, honor to whom honor is due.

8 Owe no one anything, except to love one another. For he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law. 9 The commandments: “Do not commit adultery, do not kill, do not steal, do not covet,” and if there is any other commandment also, it is summed up in this sentence: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” 10 Love does not harm one's neighbor; therefore, love is the fulfillment of the law.

11 Because of this, you know the time, that it is already time for you to awake out of sleep. For now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed. 12 The night has advanced, and the day has come near. Let us therefore put aside the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light. 13 Let us walk appropriately, as in the day, not in drunken celebrations or drunkenness; and let us not walk in sexual immorality or in uncontrolled lust, and not in strife or jealousy. 14 But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its lusts.

14

1 Receive anyone who is weak in faith, without giving judgment about arguments. 2 One person has faith to eat anything, another who is weak eats only vegetables. 3 May the one who eats everything not despise the one who does not; and may the one who does not eat everything not judge the other who eats everything. For God has accepted him. 4 Who are you, you who judge a servant belonging to someone else? It is before his own master that he stands or falls. But he will be made to stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand. 5 One person values one day above another. Another values every day equally. Let each person be convinced in his own mind. 6 He who observes the day, observes it for the Lord; and he who eats, eats for the Lord, for he gives thanks to God. He who does not eat, refrains from eating for the Lord, he also gives thanks to God. 7 For none of us lives for himself, and none dies for himself. 8 For if we live, we live for the Lord, and if we die, we die for the Lord. Then whether we live or die, we are the Lord's. 9 For to this purpose Christ died and lived again, that he might be Lord of both the dead and those who are living. 10 But you, why do you judge your brother? And you, why do you despise your brother? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God. 11 For it is written,

“As I live,” says the Lord, “to me every knee will bend,

and every tongue will give praise to God.”

12 So then, each one of us will give an account of himself to God.

13 Therefore, let us no longer judge one another, but instead decide this, that no one will place a stumbling block or a snare for his brother. 14 I know and am persuaded in the Lord Jesus, that nothing is unclean by itself. Only for him who considers anything to be unclean, for him it is unclean. 15 If because of food your brother is hurt, you are no longer walking in love. Do not destroy with your food one for whom Christ died. 16 So do not allow what you consider to be good to be spoken of as evil. 17 For the kingdom of God is not about food and drink, but about righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit. 18 For the one who serves Christ in this way is acceptable to God and approved by people. 19 So then, let us pursue the things of peace and the things that build up one another. 20 Do not destroy the work of God because of food. All things are indeed clean, but it is evil for that person who eats and causes him to stumble. 21 It is good not to eat meat, nor to drink wine, nor anything by which your brother takes offense. 22 The faith you have, keep between yourself and God. Blessed is the one who does not condemn himself by what he approves. 23 He who doubts is condemned if he eats, because it is not from faith. And whatever is not from faith is sin.

15

1 Now we who are strong ought to bear the weaknesses of the weak, and ought not to please ourselves. 2 Let each one of us please his neighbor for that which is good, in order to build him up. 3 For even Christ did not please himself. Instead, it was just as it is written, “The insults of those who insulted you fell on me.” 4 For whatever was previously written was written for our instruction, in order that through patience and through encouragement of the scriptures we would have certain hope. 5 Now may the God of patience and of encouragement grant you to be of the same mind with each other according to Christ Jesus. 6 May he do this in order that with one mind you may praise with one mouth the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

7 Therefore receive one another, even as Christ also received you, to the praise of God. 8 For I say that Christ has been made a servant of the circumcision on behalf of God's truth, in order to confirm the promises given to the fathers, 9 and for the Gentiles to glorify God for his mercy. As it is written,

“Therefore I will give praise to you among the Gentiles

and sing praise to your name.”

10 Again it says,

“Rejoice, you Gentiles, with his people.”

11 And again,

“Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles;

let all the peoples praise him.”

12 Again, Isaiah says,

“The root of Jesse will come, the one who rises to rule over the Gentiles; in him the Gentiles will have hope.”

13 Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace for believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you will have hope.

14 I myself am also convinced about you, my brothers. I am convinced that also you yourselves are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge. I am convinced that you are also able to exhort one another. 15 But I am writing more boldly to you about some things in order to remind you again, because of the grace given me by God. 16 This gift was that I should be a servant of Christ Jesus sent to the Gentiles, to offer as a priest the gospel of God. I should do this so that the offering of the Gentiles might become acceptable, consecrated by the Holy Spirit. 17 In Christ Jesus I have reason to boast of my service for God. 18 For I will not dare to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me for the obedience of the Gentiles. These are things done by word and action, 19 by the power of signs and wonders, and by the power of the Holy Spirit. This was so that from Jerusalem, and round about as far as Illyricum, I might fully carry out the gospel of Christ. 20 In this way, my desire has been to proclaim the gospel, but not where Christ is known by name, in order that I might not build upon another man's foundation. 21 It is as it is written:

“Those to whom no tidings of him came will see him,

and those who have not heard will understand.”

22 Therefore I was also hindered many times from coming to you. 23 But now, I no longer have any place in these regions, and I have been longing for many years to come to you. 24 I am hopeful that I will see you in passing when I go to Spain, and to be helped by you along my journey there, once I have enjoyed your company for a while. 25 But now I am going to Jerusalem, bringing aid to the believers. 26 For it was the good pleasure of Macedonia and Achaia to make a certain contribution to the poor among the saints who are in Jerusalem. 27 Yes, it was their good pleasure, and, indeed, they are their debtors. For if the Gentiles have shared in their spiritual things, they owe it to them also to serve them in material things. 28 Therefore, when I have completed this task and have made sure that they have received what was collected, I will go to Spain and visit you on the way. 29 I know that when I come to you I will come in the fullness of the blessing of Christ.

30 Now I urge you, brothers, by our Lord Jesus Christ, and by the love of the Spirit, that you strive together with me in your prayers to God for me. 31 Pray that I may be rescued from those who are disobedient in Judea, and that my service for Jerusalem may be acceptable to the believers. 32 Pray that I may come to you in joy through the will of God, and that I may, together with you, find rest. 33 May the God of peace be with you all. Amen.

16

1 I commend to you Phoebe our sister, who is a servant of the church that is in Cenchrea, 2 in order that you may receive her in the Lord. Do this in a manner worthy of the saints, and stand by her in whatever matter she may have need of you. For she herself as well has become a helper of many, and of myself as well.

3 Greet Priscilla and Aquila, my fellow workers in Christ Jesus, 4 who for my life risked their own lives. I give thanks to them, and not only I, but also all the churches of the Gentiles. 5 Greet the church that is in their house. Greet Epaenetus my beloved, who is the firstfruit of Asia to Christ. 6 Greet Mary, who has worked hard for you. 7 Greet Andronicus and Junias, my kinsmen, and my fellow prisoners. They are prominent among the apostles, who also were in Christ before me. 8 Greet Ampliatus, my beloved in the Lord. 9 Greet Urbanus, our fellow worker in Christ, and Stachys, my beloved. 10 Greet Apelles, the approved in Christ. Greet those who are of the household of Aristobulus. 11 Greet Herodion, my kinsman. Greet those of the household of Narcissus, who are in the Lord. 12 Greet Tryphaena and Tryphosa, who work hard in the Lord. Greet Persis the beloved, who has worked much in the Lord. 13 Greet Rufus, chosen in the Lord, and his mother and mine. 14 Greet Asyncritus, Phlegon, Hermes, Patrobas, Hermas, and the brothers who are with them. 15 Greet Philologus and Julia, Nereus and his sister, and Olympas, and all the believers who are with them. 16 Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the churches of Christ greet you.

17 Now I urge you, brothers, to think about those who are causing the divisions and stumbling. They are going beyond the teaching that you have learned. Turn away from them. 18 For people such as these do not serve our Lord Christ, but their own stomach. By their smooth and flattering speech they deceive the hearts of the innocent. 19 For your example of obedience reaches everyone. I rejoice, therefore, over you, but I want you to be wise as to that which is good, and innocent to that which is evil. 20 The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet.

May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.

21 Timothy, my fellow worker, greets you, and Lucius, Jason, and Sosipater, my kinsmen. 22 I, Tertius, who write this epistle down, greet you in the Lord. 23 Gaius, the host for me and for the whole church, greets you. Erastus, the treasurer of the city, greets you, with Quartus the brother. 24  *

25 Now to him who is able to make you stand according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ,

according to the revelation of the mystery that had been kept secret for long ages,

26 but now has been revealed and made known through the prophetic writings to all nations, by the command of the eternal God, to bring about the obedience of faith.

27 To the only wise God, through Jesus Christ, be glory forever. Amen.

* 8:28 Instead of he works all things together for good , some older versions read, all things work together for good .

* 11:6 Some old copies read, But if it is by works, then is it no more grace; otherwise work is no more work .

* 16:24 The best ancient copies omit this verse. (See: Rom. 16:20). v. 24 May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen .

1 Corinthians

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First Corinthians

1

1 Paul, called by Christ Jesus to be an apostle by the will of God, and Sosthenes our brother, 2 to the church of God at Corinth, to those who have been sanctified in Christ Jesus, who are called to be holy people. We are also writing to all who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ in every place, their Lord and ours. 3 May grace and peace be to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

4 I always give thanks to my God for you because of the grace of God that Christ Jesus gave to you. 5 He has made you rich in every way, in all speech and with all knowledge, 6 just as the testimony about Christ has been confirmed as true among you. 7 Therefore you lack no spiritual gift as you eagerly wait for the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ. 8 He will also strengthen you to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 God is faithful, who called you into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

10 Now I urge you, brothers, through the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all agree, and that there be no divisions among you. I urge that you be joined together with the same mind and by the same purpose. 11 For it has been made clear to me, my brothers, by Chloe's people that there are factions among you. 12 I mean this: Each one of you says, “I am with Paul,” or “I am with Apollos,” or “I am with Cephas,” or “I am with Christ.” 13 Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Were you baptized in the name of Paul? 14 I thank God that I baptized none of you, except Crispus and Gaius. 15 This was so that no one would say that you were baptized into my name. 16 (I also baptized the household of Stephanas. Beyond that, I do not know if I baptized any others.) 17 For Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel. He did not send me to preach with words of human wisdom, so that the cross of Christ should not be emptied of its power.

18 For the message about the cross is foolishness to those who are dying. But among those whom God is saving, it is the power of God. 19 For it is written,

“I will destroy the wisdom of the wise.

I will frustrate the understanding of the intelligent.”

20 Where is the wise person? Where is the scholar? Where is the debater of this world? Has not God turned the wisdom of the world into foolishness? 21 Since the world in its wisdom did not know God, it pleased God through the foolishness of preaching to save those who believe. 22 For Jews ask for miraculous signs and Greeks seek wisdom. 23 But we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Greeks. 24 But to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, we preach Christ as the power and the wisdom of God. 25 For the foolishness of God is wiser than people, and the weakness of God is stronger than people.

26 Look at your calling, brothers. Not many of you were wise by human standards. Not many of you were powerful. Not many of you were of noble birth. 27 But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise. God chose what is weak in the world to shame what is strong. 28 God chose what is low and despised in the world. He even chose things that are regarded as nothing, to bring to nothing things that are held as valuable. 29 He did this so that no one would have a reason to boast before him. 30 Because of what God did, now you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God. He became our righteousness, holiness, and redemption. 31 As a result, as scripture says, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.”

2

1 When I came to you, brothers, I did not come with eloquence of speech or wisdom as I proclaimed hidden truths about God. * 2 For I decided to know nothing when I was among you except Jesus Christ, and him crucified. 3 And I was with you in weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling. 4 And my message and my proclamation were not with persuasive words of wisdom. Instead, they were with the demonstration of the Spirit and of power, 5 so that your faith might not be in the wisdom of humans, but in the power of God.

6 Now we do speak wisdom among the mature, but not the wisdom of this world, or of the rulers of this age, who are passing away. 7 Instead, we speak God's wisdom in hidden truth, the hidden wisdom that God predestined before the ages for our glory. 8 None of the rulers of this age understood it, for if they had understood it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. 9 But as it is written,

“Things that no eye has seen,

no ear has heard,

no mind has imagined,

the things that God has prepared for those who love him.”

10 These are the things that God has revealed to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches everything, even the deep things of God. 11 For who knows a person's thoughts except the spirit of the person in him? So also, no one knows the deep things of God except the Spirit of God. 12 But we did not receive the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we might know the things freely given to us by God. 13 We speak about these things in words that man's wisdom cannot teach, but which the Spirit teaches us. The Spirit interprets spiritual words with spiritual wisdom. 14 The unspiritual person does not receive the things that belong to the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him. He cannot know them because they are spiritually discerned. 15 The one who is spiritual judges all things, but he is not subject to the judgment of others.

16 “For who can know the mind of the Lord, that he can instruct him?”

But we have the mind of Christ.

3

1 And I, brothers, could not speak to you as spiritual people, but instead as to fleshly people, as to little children in Christ. 2 I fed you milk, not solid food, for you were not ready for it; and even now you are not yet ready. 3 For you are still fleshly. For where jealousy and strife exist among you, are you not living according to the flesh, and are you not walking by human standards? 4 For when one says, “I follow Paul,” and another says, “I follow Apollos,” are you not living as human beings? 5 Who then is Apollos? Who is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, to each of whom the Lord gave tasks. 6 I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. 7 So then, neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything. But it is God who gives the growth. 8 Now he who plants and he who waters are one, and each will receive his own wages according to his own labor. 9 For we are God's fellow workers. You are God's garden, God's building.

10 According to the grace of God that was given to me as a skilled master builder, I laid a foundation and another is building on it. But let each man be careful how he builds on it. 11 For no one can lay a foundation other than the one that has been laid, that is, Jesus Christ. 12 Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, or straw, 13 his work will be revealed, for the daylight will reveal it. For it will be revealed in fire. The fire will test the quality of what each one had done. 14 If anyone's work remains, he will receive a reward; 15 but if anyone's work is burned up, he will suffer loss, but he himself will be saved, as though escaping through fire.

16 Do you not know that you are God's temple and that the Spirit of God lives in you? 17 If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy that person. For God's temple is holy, and so are you.

18 Let no one deceive himself. If anyone among you thinks he is wise in this age, let him become a “fool” that he may become wise. 19 For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written,

“He catches the wise in their craftiness.”

20 And again,

“The Lord knows that the reasoning of the wise is futile.”

21 For this reason, let no one boast in men. All things are yours, 22 whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, or the world, or life, or death, or things present, or things to come. All things are yours, 23 and you are Christ's, and Christ is God's.

4

1 This is how a person should regard us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the hidden truths of God. 2 Now what is required of stewards is that they are found to be trustworthy. 3 But for me it is a very small thing that I should be judged by you or by any human court. For I do not even judge myself. 4 I am not aware of any charge being made against me, but that does not mean I am innocent. It is the Lord who judges me. 5 Therefore do not pronounce judgment about anything before the time, before the Lord comes. He will bring to light the hidden things of darkness and reveal the purposes of the heart. Then each one will receive his praise from God.

6 Now, brothers, I applied these principles to myself and Apollos for your sakes, so that from us you might learn the meaning of the saying,

“Do not go beyond what is written.”

This is so that none of you may be puffed up in favor of one against the other. 7 For who sees any difference between you and others? What do you have that you did not freely receive? If you have freely received it, why do you boast as if you had not done so? 8 Already you have all you could want! Already you have become rich! You began to reign—and that quite apart from us! Indeed, I wish you did reign, so that we could reign with you. 9 For I think God has put us apostles on display as the last in line in a procession and like men sentenced to death. We have become a spectacle to the world—to angels, and to human beings. 10 We are fools for Christ's sake, but you are wise in Christ. We are weak, but you are strong. You are held in honor, but we are held in dishonor. 11 Up to this present hour we are hungry and thirsty, we are poorly clothed, we are brutally beaten, and we are homeless. 12 We work hard, working with our own hands. When we are reviled, we bless. When we are persecuted, we endure. 13 When we are slandered, we speak with kindness. We have become, and are still considered to be, the refuse of the world and the filthiest of all things.

14 I do not write these things to shame you, but to correct you as my beloved children. 15 For even if you have ten thousand guardians in Christ, you do not have many fathers. For I became your father in Christ Jesus through the gospel. 16 So I urge you to be imitators of me. 17 That is why I sent you Timothy, my beloved and faithful child in the Lord. He will remind you of my ways in Christ, just as I teach them everywhere and in every church. 18 Now some of you have become arrogant, acting as though I were not coming to you. 19 But I will come to you soon, if the Lord wills. Then I will know not merely the talk of these who are so arrogant, but I will see their power. 20 For the kingdom of God does not consist in talk but in power. 21 What do you want? Shall I come to you with a rod or with love and in a spirit of gentleness?

5

1 We heard a report that there is sexual immorality among you, a kind of immorality that is not even permitted among the Gentiles. The report is that one of you is sleeping with his father's wife. 2 You are so arrogant! Should you not mourn instead? The one who did this must be removed from among you. 3 For even though I am absent in body, I am present in spirit. I have already passed judgment on the one who did this, just as though I were there. 4 When you are assembled in the name of our Lord Jesus and I am with you in spirit, and the power of our Lord Jesus is present, 5 hand this man over to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so that his spirit may be saved on the day of the Lord. 6 Your boasting is not good. Do you not know that a little yeast leavens the whole loaf? 7 Cleanse yourselves of the old yeast so that you may be new dough, so that you may be unleavened bread. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. 8 So let us then celebrate the festival, not with the old yeast, the yeast of bad behavior and wickedness. Instead, let us celebrate with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.

9 I wrote to you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people. 10 In no way did I mean the immoral people of this world, or the greedy, or swindlers, or idolaters, since to stay away from them you would need to go out of the world. 11 But now I am writing to you not to associate with anyone who is called a brother but who is living in sexual immorality, or who is greedy, or is an idolater, or is verbally abusive, or is a drunkard, or a swindler. Do not even eat a meal with such a person. 12 For how am I involved with judging those who are outside the church? Instead, are you not to judge those who are inside the church? 13 But God judges those who are on the outside.

“Remove the evil person from among you.”

6

1 When one of you has a dispute with another, does he dare to go to the civil court before an unbelieving judge, rather than before the saints? 2 Do you not know that the believers will judge the world? If then, you will judge the world, are you not able to settle matters of little importance? 3 Do you not know that we will judge the angels? How much more, then, can we judge matters of this life? 4 If then you have to make judgments that pertain to daily life, why do you lay such cases as these before those who have no standing in the church? 5 I say this to your shame. Is there no one among you wise enough to settle a dispute between brothers? 6 But as it stands, one believer goes to court against another believer, and that case is placed before a judge who is an unbeliever! 7 The fact that there are any disputes at all between Christians is already a defeat for you. Why not rather suffer the wrong? Why not rather allow yourselves to be cheated? 8 But you have wronged and cheated others, and these are your own brothers! 9 Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not believe lies. The sexually immoral, idolaters, adulterers, male prostitutes, those who practice homosexuality, 10 thieves, the greedy, drunkards, slanderers, and swindlers—none of them will inherit the kingdom of God. 11 That is what some of you were like. But you have been cleansed, you have been sanctified, you have been made right with God in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.

12 “Everything is lawful for me,” but not everything is beneficial. “Everything is lawful for me,” but I will not be mastered by any of them. 13 “Food is for the stomach, and the stomach is for food,” but God will do away with both of them. The body is not intended for sexual immorality. Instead, the body is for the Lord, and the Lord will provide for the body. 14 God both raised the Lord and will also raise us up by his power. 15 Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take away the members of Christ and join them to a prostitute? May it not be! 16 Do you not know that he who is joined to a prostitute becomes one flesh with her? As scripture says, “The two will become one flesh.” 17 But he who is joined to the Lord becomes one spirit with him. 18 Run away from sexual immorality! Every other sin that a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body. 19 Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives within you, whom you have from God? Do you not know that you are not your own? 20 For you were bought with a price. Therefore glorify God with your body. *

7

1 Now concerning the issues you wrote about: “It is good for a man not to touch a woman.” 2 But because of temptations for many immoral acts, each man should have his own wife, and each woman should have her own husband. 3 The husband should give to the wife her sexual rights, and likewise the wife to her husband. 4 It is not the wife who has authority over her own body, it is the husband. Likewise, the husband does not have authority over his own body, but the wife does. 5 Do not deprive each other, except by mutual agreement and for a specific period of time. Do this so that you may devote yourselves to prayer. Then you should come together again, so that Satan may not tempt you because of your lack of self-control.

6 But I say these things to you as a concession and not as a command. 7 I wish that everyone were as I am. But each one has his own gift from God. One has this kind of gift, and another that kind. 8 To the unmarried and to widows I say that it is good for them if they remain unmarried, as I am. 9 But if they cannot exercise self-control, they should marry. For it is better for them to marry than to burn with passion. 10 Now to the married I give this command—not I, but the Lord—the wife should not separate from her husband 11 (but if she does separate from her husband, she should remain unmarried or else be reconciled to her husband), and the husband should not divorce his wife. 12 But to the rest I say—I, not the Lord—that if any brother has a wife who is an unbeliever, and if she is content to live with him, he should not divorce her. 13 If a woman has an unbelieving husband, and if he is content to live with her, she should not divorce him. 14 For the unbelieving husband is set apart because of his wife, and the unbelieving wife is set apart because of the brother. Otherwise your children would be unclean, but actually they are set apart. 15 But if the unbelieving partner departs, let him go. In such cases, the brother or sister is not bound to their vows. God has called us to live in peace. 16 For how do you know, woman, whether you will save your husband? Or how do you know, man, whether you will save your wife? 17 Only let each one live the life the Lord has assigned him, each as God has called him. This is my rule in all the churches. 18 Was anyone circumcised when he was called to believe? He should not try to appear uncircumcised. Was anyone uncircumcised when he was called to faith? He should not be circumcised. 19 For it is neither circumcision nor uncircumcision that matters. What matters is obeying the commandments of God. 20 Each one should remain in the calling he was in when God called him to believe. 21 Were you a slave when God called you? Do not be concerned about it. But if you can become free, take advantage of it. 22 For someone who is called by the Lord as a slave is the Lord's freeman. Likewise, the one who was free when he was called to believe is Christ's slave. 23 You have been bought with a price, so do not become slaves of men. 24 Brothers, in whatever life each of us was in when we were called to believe, let us remain like that.

25 Now concerning those who never married, I have no commandment from the Lord. But I give my opinion as one who, by the Lord's mercy, is trustworthy. 26 Therefore, I think that because of the disaster that is coming, it is good for a man to remain as he is. 27 Are you married to a wife? Do not seek a divorce. If you are unmarried, do not seek a wife. 28 But if you do marry, you have not sinned, and if an unmarried woman marries, she has not sinned. But those who marry will have many kinds of worldly trouble, and I want to spare you from this. 29 But this I say, brothers: The time is short. From now on, let those who have wives live as though they had none. 30 Those who weep should act as though they were not weeping, and those who rejoice as though they were not rejoicing, and those who buy as though they did not possess anything, 31 and those who use the world should not act as though they are using it to the full. For the world in its present form is coming to an end. 32 I would like you to be free from worries. The unmarried man is concerned about the things of the Lord, how to please him. 33 But the married man is concerned about the things of the world, how to please his wife— 34 he is divided. The unmarried woman or the virgin is concerned about the things of the Lord, how to be set apart in body and in spirit. But the married woman is concerned about the things of the world, how to please her husband. 35 I say this for your own benefit, and not to put any constraint on you. I say this for what is right, so that you may be devoted to the Lord without any distraction. 36 But if anyone thinks that he is not treating his fiancée with respect—if she is beyond the age of marriage and it must be so—he should do what he wants. He is not sinning. They should marry. 37 But if he is standing firm in his heart, if he is not under pressure but can control his own will, and if he has decided in his own heart to do this, to keep his own fiancée a virgin, he will do well. 38 So the one who marries his fiancée does well, and the one who chooses not to marry will do even better. 39 A woman is bound to her husband for as long as he lives. But if her husband dies, she is free to marry whomever she wishes to marry, but only in the Lord. 40 Yet in my judgment she would be happier if she lives as she is. And I think that I also have the Spirit of God.

8

1 Now about food sacrificed to idols: We know that we all have knowledge. Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up. 2 If anyone thinks he knows something, that person does not yet know as he should know. 3 But if anyone loves God, that person is known by him. 4 So then, about eating food sacrificed to idols: We know that an idol in this world is nothing and that there is no God but one. 5 For maybe so-called gods do exist, either in heaven or on earth, just as there are many “gods” and many “lords.” 6 Yet for us there is only one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we live, and one Lord Jesus Christ, through whom all things exist, and through whom we exist.

7 However, this knowledge is not in everyone. Instead, some previously practiced idol worship, and they eat this food as if it were something sacrificed to an idol. Their conscience is thereby corrupted because it is weak. 8 But food will not present us to God. We are not worse if we do not eat, nor better if we do eat it. 9 But take care that your freedom does not become a reason for someone who is weak in faith to stumble. 10 For suppose that someone sees you, who have knowledge, eating a meal in an idol's temple. Is not his weak conscience emboldened to eat what is offered to idols? 11 So because of your understanding about the true nature of idols, the weaker one, the brother for whom Christ died, is destroyed. 12 Thus, when you sin against your brothers and wound their weak consciences, you sin against Christ. 13 Therefore, if food causes my brother to stumble, I will never eat meat again, so that I may not cause my brother to fall.

9

1 Am I not free? Am I not an apostle? Have I not seen Jesus our Lord? Are you not my workmanship in the Lord? 2 If I am not an apostle to others, at least I am to you. For you are the proof of my apostleship in the Lord. 3 This is my defense to those who examine me: 4 Do we not have the right to eat and drink? 5 Do we not have the right to take along with us a wife who is a believer, as do the rest of the apostles, and the brothers of the Lord, and Cephas? 6 Or is it only Barnabas and I who must work? 7 Who serves as a soldier at his own expense? Who plants a vineyard and does not eat its fruit? Or who tends a flock and does not drink milk from it? 8 Do I say these things based on human authority? Does not the law also say this? 9 For it is written in the law of Moses, “Do not put a muzzle on an ox when it is treading out the grain.” Is it really the oxen that God cares about? 10 Is he not speaking about us? It was written for us, because the one who plows should plow in hope, and the one who threshes should thresh in the expectation of sharing in the harvest. 11 If we sowed spiritual things among you, is it too much for us to reap material things from you? 12 If others exercised this right from you, do we not have even more? But we did not claim this right. Instead we endured everything rather than be a hindrance to the gospel of Christ. 13 Do you not know that those who serve in the temple get their food from the temple? Do you not know that those who serve at the altar share in what is offered on the altar? 14 In the same way, the Lord commanded that those who proclaim the gospel should get their living from the gospel. 15 But I have not claimed any of these rights. And I do not write this so something might be done for me. I would rather die than anyone deprive me of this boast. 16 For if I preach the gospel, I have no reason for boasting, because I must do this. And woe be to me if I do not preach the gospel! 17 For if I do this willingly, I have a reward. But if not willingly, I still have a responsibility that was entrusted to me. 18 What then is my reward? That when I preach, I may offer the gospel without charge and so not take full use of my right in the gospel. 19 For though I am free from all, I became a servant to all, in order that I might win more. 20 To the Jews I became like a Jew, in order to win Jews. To those under the law, I became like one under the law in order to win those under the law. I did this even though I myself was not under the law. * 21 To those outside the law, I became like one outside the law, although I was not outside the law of God myself, but under the law of Christ. I did this so that I may win those outside the law. 22 To the weak I became weak, so that I may win the weak. I have become all things to all people, so that I may by all means save some. 23 I do all things for the gospel's sake, so that I may participate in its blessings. 24 Do you not know that in a race all the runners run the race, but that only one receives the prize? So run to win the prize. 25 Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a wreath that is perishable, but we do it to receive one that is imperishable. 26 Therefore I do not run without purpose or box by beating the air. 27 But I subdue my body and make it a slave, so that after I have preached to others, I myself may not be disqualified.

10

1 I do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, that our fathers were all under the cloud and all passed through the sea. 2 All were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, 3 and all ate the same spiritual food. 4 All drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank from a spiritual rock that followed them, and that rock was Christ. 5 But God was not well pleased with most of them, and their corpses were scattered about in the wilderness. 6 Now these things were examples for us, so we would not long for evil things as they did. 7 Do not be idolaters, as some of them were. This is as it is written, “The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play.” 8 Let us not commit sexual immorality, as many of them did. In one day, twenty-three thousand people died because of it. 9 Neither let us put Christ to the test, as many of them did and were destroyed by snakes. 10 Also do not grumble, as many of them did and were destroyed by an angel of death. 11 Now these things happened to them as examples for us. They were written for our instruction—for us on whom the end of the ages has come. 12 Therefore let anyone who thinks he stands be careful that he does not fall. 13 No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to all humanity. Instead, God is faithful. He will not let you be tempted beyond your ability. With the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, so that you may be able to endure it.

14 Therefore, my loved ones, run away from idolatry. 15 I speak to you as people who have understanding, so you may judge what I say. 16 The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a sharing in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a sharing in the body of Christ? 17 Because there is one loaf of bread, we who are many are one body. We all take of one loaf of bread together. 18 Look at the people of Israel. Are not those who eat the sacrifices participants in the altar? 19 What am I saying then? That an idol is anything? Or that food sacrificed to an idol is anything? 20 But I say about the things the Gentile pagans sacrifice, that they offer these things to demons and not to God. I do not want you to be participants with demons! 21 You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons. You cannot have fellowship at the table of the Lord and the table of demons. 22 Or do we provoke the Lord to jealousy? Are we stronger than he is?

23 “Everything is lawful,” but not everything is beneficial. “Everything is lawful,” but not everything builds people up. 24 No one should seek his own good. Instead, each one should seek the good of his neighbor. 25 You may eat whatever is sold in the market, without questions of conscience. 26 For “the earth is the Lord's, and the fullness of it.” 27 If an unbeliever invites you to eat a meal, and you wish to go, eat whatever is set before you without asking questions of conscience. 28 But if someone says to you, “This has been offered in sacrifice,” then do not eat it, both for the sake of the one who informed you, and for the sake of conscience— * 29 the conscience of the other man, I mean, and not yours. For why should my freedom be judged by another's conscience? 30 If I partake of the meal with gratitude, why am I being insulted for that for which I gave thanks? 31 Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. 32 Give no offense to Jews or to Greeks, or to the church of God. 33 I try to please all people in all things. I do not seek my benefit, but that of the many. I do this so that they may be saved.

11

1 Be imitators of me, just as I am an imitator of Christ.

2 Now I praise you because you remember me in everything. I praise you because you hold fast to the traditions just as I delivered them to you. 3 Now I want you to understand that Christ is the head of every man, that a man is the head of a woman, and that God is the head of Christ. 4 Any man who prays or prophesies with his head covered dishonors his head. 5 But any woman who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonors her head. For it is the same thing as if her head were shaved. 6 For if a woman will not cover her head, she should cut her hair short. If it is disgraceful for a woman to have her hair cut off or for her to shave her head, let her cover her head. 7 For a man should not have his head covered, since he is the image and glory of God. But the woman is the glory of the man. 8 For man was not made from woman. Instead, woman was made from man. 9 For neither was man created for woman. Instead, woman was created for man. 10 This is why the woman ought to have a symbol of authority on her head, because of the angels. 11 Nevertheless, in the Lord, the woman is not independent from the man, nor is the man independent from the woman. 12 For as the woman comes from the man, so does the man come from the woman. And all things come from God. 13 Judge for yourselves: Is it proper for a woman to pray to God with her head uncovered? 14 Does not even nature itself teach you that if a man has long hair, it is a disgrace for him? 15 Does not nature teach you that if a woman has long hair, it is her glory? For her hair has been given to her as a covering. 16 But if anyone wants to argue about this, we do not have any other practice, nor do the churches of God.

17 But in the following instructions, I do not praise you. For when you come together, it is not for the better but for the worse. 18 For in the first place, I hear that when you come together in the church, there are divisions among you, and in part I believe it. 19 For there must also be factions among you, so that those who are approved may be recognized among you. 20 For when you come together, it is not the Lord's Supper that you eat. 21 When you eat, each one eats his own food before the others have their meal. One is hungry, and another becomes drunk. 22 Do you not have houses to eat and to drink in? Do you despise the church of God and humiliate those who have nothing? What should I say to you? Should I praise you? I will not praise you for this! 23 For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you, that the Lord Jesus, on the night when he was betrayed, took bread. 24 After he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body, which is for you. Do this to remember me.” 25 In the same way he took the cup after supper, and he said, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this as often as you drink it, to remember me.” 26 For every time you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes. 27 Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner, will be guilty of the body and the blood of the Lord. 28 Let a person examine himself first, and in this way let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup. 29 For he who eats and drinks without discerning the body, eats and drinks judgment to himself. 30 That is why many among you are weak and ill, and some of you have fallen asleep. 31 But if we examine ourselves, we will not be judged. 32 But when we are judged by the Lord, we are disciplined, so that we may not be condemned along with the world. 33 Therefore, my brothers, when you come together to eat, wait for one another. 34 If anyone is hungry, let him eat at home, so that when you come together it will not be for judgment. And about the other things you wrote, I will give directions when I come.

12

1 About spiritual gifts, brothers, I do not want you to be uninformed. 2 You know that when you were pagans, you were led astray to idols who could not speak, in whatever ways you were led by them. 3 Therefore I want you to know that no one who speaks by the Spirit of God can say, “Jesus is accursed.” No one can say, “Jesus is Lord,” except by the Holy Spirit.

4 Now there are different gifts, but the same Spirit. 5 There are different ministries, but the same Lord; 6 and there are different kinds of work, but it is the same God who makes them possible in everyone. 7 Now to each one is given the outward display of the Spirit for the benefit of all. 8 For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom, and to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit. 9 To another is given faith by the same Spirit, and to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit. 10 To another is given deeds of power, and to another prophecy. To another is given the ability to distinguish between spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, and to another the interpretation of tongues. 11 All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, giving the gifts to each one individually, as he chooses.

12 For as the body is one and has many members and all are members of the same body, so it is with Christ. 13 For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether bound or free, and all were made to drink of one Spirit. 14 For the body is not a single member, but many. 15 If the foot says, “Since I am not the hand, I am not part of the body,” it is not any less a part of the body. 16 And if the ear says, “Because I am not an eye, I am not part of the body,” it is not any less a part of the body. 17 If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? 18 But God arranged each part of the body as he designed it. 19 If they were all the same member, where would the body be? 20 So now they are many members, but only one body. 21 The eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you.” Nor does the head say to the feet, “I have no need of you.” 22 But the members of the body that appear to be weaker are essential, 23 and the parts of the body that we think are less honorable, we give them greater honor, and our unpresentable members have more dignity. 24 Now our presentable members have no need to be treated with dignity, for they already have dignity. But God has joined all the members together, and he gave more honor to those that lacked it. 25 He did this so there may be no division within the body, but that the members should care for one another with the same affection. 26 So when one member suffers, all the members suffer together; or when one member is honored, all the members rejoice together. 27 Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it. 28 And God has appointed in the church first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then those who do powerful deeds, then gifts of healing, those who provide helps, those who do the work of administration, and those who have various kinds of tongues. 29 Are all of them apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all do powerful deeds? 30 Do all of them have gifts of healing? Do all of them speak with tongues? Do all of them interpret tongues? 31 Zealously seek the greater gifts. But I will show you a more excellent way.

13

1 Suppose that I speak with the tongues of men and of angels. But if I do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 Suppose that I have the gift of prophecy and understand all hidden truths and knowledge, and that I have all faith so as to remove mountains. But if I do not have love, I am nothing. 3 Suppose that I give all I own to feed the poor, and that I give my body to be burned. But if I do not have love, I gain nothing. * 4 Love is patient and kind. Love does not envy or boast. It is not arrogant 5 or rude. It is not self-serving. It is not easily angered, nor does it keep a count of wrongs. 6 It does not rejoice in unrighteousness. Instead, it rejoices in the truth. 7 Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, and endures all things. 8 Love never ends. If there are prophecies, they will pass away. If there are tongues, they will cease. If there is knowledge, it will pass away. 9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part. 10 But when the perfect comes, that which is incomplete will pass away. 11 When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became an adult, I put away childish things. 12 For now we see indirectly in a mirror, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I will know fully just as I have been fully known. 13 But now these three remain: faith, future confidence, and love. But the greatest of these is love.

14

1 Pursue love and be zealous for spiritual gifts, especially that you may prophesy. 2 For the one who speaks in a tongue does not speak to people but to God. For no one understands him because he speaks hidden things in the Spirit. 3 But the one who prophesies speaks to people to build them up, to encourage them, and to comfort them. 4 The one who speaks in a tongue builds up himself, but the one who prophesies builds up the church. 5 Now I wish that you all spoke in tongues. But even more than that, I wish that you would prophesy. The one who prophesies is greater than the one who speaks in tongues (unless someone interprets so that the church may be built up). 6 But now, brothers, if I come to you speaking in tongues, how will I benefit you? I cannot, unless I speak to you with revelation, or knowledge, or prophecy, or teaching. 7 If lifeless instruments are producing sounds—like the flute or the harp—and they do not produce different tones, how will anyone know what tune the flute or harp is playing? 8 For if the trumpet is played with an uncertain sound, how will anyone know when it is time to prepare for battle? 9 So it is with you. If you utter speech that is unintelligible, how will anyone understand what you have said? You will be speaking, and no one will understand you. 10 There are doubtless many different languages in the world, and none is without meaning. 11 But if I do not know the meaning of a language, I will be a foreigner to the speaker, and the speaker will be a foreigner to me. 12 So it is with you. Since you are eager for the manifestations of the Spirit, try to excel in the gifts that build up the church. 13 So the one who speaks in a tongue should pray that he may interpret. 14 For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my mind is unfruitful. 15 What am I to do? I will pray with my spirit, but I will also pray with my mind. I will sing with my spirit, and I will also sing with my mind. 16 Otherwise, if you praise God with the spirit, how will the outsider say “Amen” when you are giving thanks if he does not know what you are saying? 17 For you certainly give thanks well enough, but the other person is not built up. 18 I thank God that I speak in tongues more than all of you. 19 But in the church I would rather speak five words with my understanding so that I might instruct others, than ten thousand words in a tongue.

20 Brothers, do not be children in your thinking. Rather, in regard to evil, be like infants. But in your thinking be mature. 21 In the law it is written,

“By men of strange tongues and by the lips of strangers

I will speak to this people.

Even then they will not hear me,”

says the Lord. 22 So then, tongues are a sign, not to believers, but to unbelievers. But prophesying is for a sign, not for unbelievers, but for believers. 23 If, therefore, the whole church comes together and all speak in tongues, and outsiders and unbelievers come in, would they not say that you are insane? 24 But if you all were prophesying and an unbeliever or an outsider came in, he would be convicted by all he hears. He would be judged by all that is said. 25 The secrets of his heart would be revealed. As a result, he would fall on his face and worship God. He would declare that God is really among you.

26 What is next then, brothers? When you come together, each one has a psalm, a teaching, a revelation, a tongue, or an interpretation. Do everything so that you build up the church. 27 If anyone speaks in a tongue, let there be two or at most three, and each one in turn, then someone should interpret what is said. 28 But if there is no one to interpret, let each of them keep silent in the church. Let each one speak to himself alone and to God. 29 Let two or three prophets speak, and let the others listen with discernment to what is said. 30 But if an insight is given to one who is sitting in the service, let the one who had been speaking be silent. 31 For each of you can prophesy one by one so that each one may learn and all may be encouraged. 32 For the spirits of the prophets are under the control of the prophets. 33 For God is not a God of confusion, but of peace.

This is the rule in all the churches of the saints. 34 The women should keep silent in the churches. For they are not permitted to speak. Instead, they should be in submission, as also the law says. 35 If there is anything they desire to learn, let them ask their husbands at home. For it is disgraceful for a woman to speak in the church. 36 Did the word of God come from you? Are you the only ones it has reached?

37 If anyone thinks himself to be a prophet or spiritual, he should acknowledge that the things I write to you are a command of the Lord. 38 But if anyone does not recognize this, let him not be recognized. *

39 So then, brothers, earnestly desire to prophesy, and do not forbid anyone from speaking in tongues. 40 But let all things be done properly and in order.

15

1 Now I remind you, brothers, of the gospel I proclaimed to you, which you received and on which you stand. 2 It is by this gospel that you are being saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you, unless you believed in vain. 3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures, 4 that he was buried, and that he was raised on the third day according to the scriptures. 5 Christ appeared to Cephas, and then to the twelve; 6 then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at once. Most of them are still alive, but some have fallen asleep. 7 Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. 8 Last of all, he appeared to me, as if to a child born at the wrong time. 9 For I am the least of the apostles. I am unworthy to be called an apostle because I persecuted the church of God. 10 But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace in me was not in vain. Instead, I worked harder than all of them. Yet it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me. 11 Therefore whether it is I or they, so we preach and so you believed.

12 Now if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead, how can some of you say there is no resurrection of the dead? 13 But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised; 14 and if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain, and your faith also is in vain. 15 Also, we are found to be false witnesses about God, because we testified against God, saying he raised up Christ when he did not. 16 For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised; 17 and if Christ has not been raised, your faith is in vain and you are still in your sins. 18 Then those who have died in Christ have also perished. 19 If only in this life we have hope in Christ, of all people we are most to be pitied.

20 But now Christ, who is the firstfruits of those who died, has been raised from the dead. 21 For since death came by a man, by a man also came the resurrection of the dead. 22 For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive. 23 But each in his own order: Christ, who is the firstfruits, and then those who belong to Christ will be made alive at his coming. 24 Then will be the end, when Christ will hand over the kingdom to God the Father. This is when he will abolish all rule and all authority and power. 25 For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. 26 The last enemy to be destroyed is death. 27 For “he has put everything under his feet.” But when it says “he has put everything,” it is clear that this does not include the one who put everything in subjection to himself. 28 When all things are subjected to him, then the Son himself will be subjected to him who put all things into subjection under him, that God may be all in all.

29 Or else what will those do who are baptized for the dead? If the dead are not raised at all, why are they baptized for them? 30 Why then, are we in danger every hour? 31 Every day I face death! This is as sure as my boasting in you, which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord. 32 What do I gain, from a human point of view, if I fought with beasts at Ephesus, if the dead are not raised? “Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die.” 33 Be not deceived: “Bad company corrupts good morals.” 34 Sober up! Live righteously! Do not keep sinning. For some of you have no knowledge of God. I say this to your shame.

35 But someone will say, “How are the dead raised, and with what kind of body will they come?” 36 You are so ignorant! What you sow will not start to grow unless it dies. 37 What you sow is not the body that will be, but a bare seed. It may become wheat or something else. 38 But God will give it a body as he chooses, and to each seed its own body. 39 Not all flesh is the same. Instead, there is one flesh of human beings, and another flesh for animals, and another flesh for birds, and another for fish. 40 There are also heavenly bodies and earthly bodies. But the glory of the heavenly body is one kind and the glory of the earthly is another. 41 There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars. For one star differs from another star in glory. 42 So also is the resurrection of the dead. What is sown is perishable, and what is raised is imperishable. 43 It is sown in dishonor; it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness; it is raised in power. 44 It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body. 45 So also it is written, “The first man Adam became a living soul.” The last Adam became a life-giving spirit. 46 But the spiritual did not come first but the natural, and then the spiritual. 47 The first man is of the earth, made of dust. The second man is from heaven. 48 Just as the one made from dust is, so also are those who are made of the dust, and as the man of heaven is, so also are those who are of heaven. 49 Just as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we will also bear the image of the man of heaven.

50 Now this I say, brothers, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God. Neither does what is perishable inherit what is imperishable. 51 Look! I tell you a secret truth: We will not all die, but we will all be changed. 52 We will be changed in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. 53 For this perishable body must put on what is imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality. 54 But when this perishable body has put on what is imperishable, and when this mortal body has put on immortality, then will come about the saying that is written,

“Death is swallowed up in victory.”

55 “Death, where is your victory?

Death, where is your sting?”

56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ! 58 Therefore, my dear brothers, be steadfast and immovable. Always abound in the work of the Lord, because you know that your work in the Lord is not in vain.

16

1 Now concerning the collection for the believers, as I directed the churches of Galatia, so you are to do. 2 On the first day of the week, each of you is to put something aside and store it up as you are able. Do this so that there will be no collections when I come. 3 When I arrive, whomever you approve, I will send with letters to deliver your offering to Jerusalem. 4 If it is appropriate for me to go also, they will go with me. 5 But I will come to you when I pass through Macedonia. For I will pass through Macedonia. 6 Perhaps I may stay with you or even spend the winter, so that you may help me on my journey, wherever I go. 7 For I do not wish to see you now for only a passing visit. For I am looking forward to spending more time with you, if the Lord permits. 8 But I will stay in Ephesus until Pentecost, 9 for a wide door has opened for me, and there are many adversaries.

10 Now when Timothy comes, see that he is with you unafraid, for he is doing the work of the Lord, as I am doing. 11 Let no one despise him. Help him on his way in peace, so that he may come to me. For I am expecting him to come along with the brothers. 12 Now concerning our brother Apollos, I strongly encouraged him to visit you with the brothers. But it was not at all his will that he come now. However, he will come when the time is right.

13 Be watchful, stand fast in the faith, act like men, be strong. 14 Let all that you do be done in love.

15 You know the household of Stephanas, that they were the first converts in Achaia, and that they have set themselves to the service of the believers. Now I urge you, brothers, 16 to be in submission to such people and to everyone who helps in the work and labors with us. 17 I rejoice at the coming of Stephanas, Fortunatus, and Achaicus. They have made up for your absence. 18 For they have refreshed my spirit and yours. So then, recognize people like this.

19 The churches of Asia send greetings to you. Aquila and Priscilla greet you in the Lord, with the church that is in their home. 20 All the brothers greet you. Greet one another with a holy kiss.

21 I, Paul, write this with my own hand. 22 If anyone does not love the Lord, may he be accursed. Our Lord, come! 23 The grace of the Lord Jesus be with you. 24 My love be with you all in Christ Jesus. *

* 2:1 Many other versions read, as I proclaimed the testimony about God .

* 6:20 Some older copies read, Therefore glorify God with your body and in your spirit, which belong to God . But the best copies do not have this reading.

* 9:20 The ULB and UDB read, I did this even though I was not under the law myself . Some older versions leave this passage out.

* 10:28 Some older copies add, For the earth and everything in it belong to the Lord . But the best copies do not have this.

* 13:3 The ULB and UDB, together with most versions, read, I give my body to be burned . Some older versions read, I give my body so that I might boast .

* 14:38 Most versions, including the ULB and UDB, read, But if anyone does not recognize this, let him not be recognized . Some older versions read, But if anyone is ignorant of this, let him be ignorant .

* 16:24 Some older versions add, Amen . But many newer versions, including the ULB and UDB, leave it out.

2 Corinthians

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Second Corinthians

1

1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, to the church of God that is in Corinth, and to all the believers in the entire region of Achaia. 2 May grace be to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

3 May the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ be praised. He is the Father of mercies and the God of all comfort. 4 God comforts us in all our affliction, so that we can comfort those who are in any affliction. We comfort others with the same comfort that God used to comfort us. 5 For just as the sufferings of Christ abound for our sake, so also our comfort abounds through Christ. 6 But if we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation; and if we are comforted, it is for your comfort. Your comfort is working effectively when you patiently share in the same sufferings that we also suffer. 7 Our expectation concerning you is unshaken, for we know that as you share the sufferings, you also share our comfort. 8 For we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about the troubles we had in Asia. We were so completely crushed beyond our strength that we despaired even of life. 9 Indeed, we had the sentence of death on us. But that was to make us not put our trust in ourselves, but instead in God, who raises the dead. 10 He rescued us from such a deadly peril, and he will rescue us again. On him we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us. 11 He will do this as you also help us by your prayer. Then many will give thanks on our behalf for the gracious favor given to us through the prayers of many.

12 We are proud of this: Our conscience testifies that we have conducted ourselves in the world with holiness and godly sincerity, not relying on fleshly wisdom but on the grace of God. 13 We write to you nothing that you cannot read and understand. I expect that, 14 as you have understood us in part, we will be your reason for boasting on the day of our Lord Jesus, just as you will be our reason to boast.

15 Because I was confident about this, I wanted to come to you first, so that you might receive the benefit of two visits. 16 I was planning to visit you on my way to Macedonia. Then I wanted to visit you again on my trip from Macedonia, and then for you to send me on my way to Judea. 17 When I was thinking this way, was I hesitating? Do I plan things according to human standards, so that I say “Yes, yes” and “No, no” at the same time? 18 But just as God is faithful, we do not say both “Yes” and “No.” 19 For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, whom Silvanus, Timothy and I proclaimed among you, is not “Yes” and “No.” Instead, he is always “Yes.” 20 For all the promises of God are “Yes” in him. So also through him we say “Amen” to the glory of God. 21 Now it is God who confirms us with you in Christ, and he appointed us, 22 he set his seal on us and he gave us the Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee of what is to come.

23 Instead, I call God to bear witness for me that the reason I did not come to Corinth was so that I might spare you. 24 This is not because we are trying to control what your faith should be. Instead, we are working with you for your joy, as you stand in your faith.

2

1 So I decided for my own part that I would not again come to you in painful circumstances. 2 If I caused you pain, who could cheer me up but the very one who was hurt by me? 3 I wrote as I did in order that when I came to you I might not be hurt by those who should have made me rejoice. I have confidence about all of you that my joy is the same joy you all have. 4 For I wrote to you from great affliction, with anguish of heart, and with many tears. I did not want to cause you pain. Instead, I wanted you to know the depth of the love that I have for you.

5 If anyone has caused pain, he has not caused it only to me, but in some measure—not to put it too harshly—to all of you. 6 This punishment of that person by the majority is enough. 7 So now rather than punishment, you should forgive and comfort him. Do this so that he is not overwhelmed by too much sorrow. 8 So I encourage you to publicly affirm your love for him. 9 This was the reason I wrote, so that I might test you and know whether you are obedient in everything. 10 If you forgive anyone, I forgive that person as well. What I have forgiven—if I have forgiven anything—it is forgiven for your sake in the presence of Christ. 11 This is so that Satan will not trick us. For we are not ignorant of his plans.

12 A door was opened to me by the Lord when I came to the city of Troas to preach the gospel of Christ there. 13 I had no relief in my spirit, because I did not find my brother Titus there. So I left them and went on to Macedonia.

14 But may thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumph. Through us he spreads the sweet aroma of the knowledge of him everywhere. 15 For we are to God the sweet aroma of Christ, both among those who are saved and among those who are perishing. 16 To the people who are perishing, it is an aroma from death to death. To the ones being saved, it is an aroma from life to life. Who is worthy of these things? 17 For we are not like so many people who sell the word of God for profit. Instead, with purity of motives, we speak in Christ, as we are sent from God, in the sight of God.

3

1 Are we beginning to praise ourselves again? We do not need letters of recommendation to you or from you, like some people, do we? 2 You yourselves are our letter of recommendation, written on our hearts, known and read by all people. 3 You show that you are a letter from Christ, delivered by us. It was written not with ink but by the Spirit of the living God. It was not written on tablets of stone, but on tablets of human hearts. 4 And this is the confidence that we have through Christ before God. 5 We are not competent in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us. Instead, our competence is from God. 6 It is God who made us able to be servants of a new covenant. This is a covenant not of the letter but of the Spirit. For the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life. 7 Now the service that produced death—engraved in letters on stones—came in such glory that the people of Israel could not look directly at Moses' face. This is because of the glory of his face, a glory that was fading. 8 How much more glorious will be the service that the Spirit does? 9 For if the service of condemnation had glory, how much more does the service of righteousness abound in glory! 10 For indeed, that which was once made glorious is no longer glorious in this respect, because of the glory that exceeds it. 11 For if that which was passing away had glory, how much more will what is permanent have glory!

12 Since we have such a hope, we are very bold. 13 We are not like Moses, who put a veil over his face, so that the people of Israel were not able to look directly at the ending of a glory that was passing away. 14 But their minds were closed. For to this day, when they read the old covenant, that same veil remains. It has not been removed, because only in Christ is it taken away. 15 But even today, whenever Moses is read, a veil covers their hearts. 16 But when a person turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. 17 Now the Lord is the Spirit. Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 18 Now all of us, with unveiled faces, see the glory of the Lord. We are being transformed into the same glorious likeness from one degree of glory into another, just as from the Lord, who is the Spirit.

4

1 Therefore, because we have this ministry, and just as we have received mercy, we do not become discouraged. 2 Instead, we have rejected secret and shameful ways. We do not live by craftiness, and we do not mishandle the word of God. By presenting the truth, we recommend ourselves to everyone's conscience in the sight of God. 3 But if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled only to those who are perishing. 4 In their case, the god of this world has blinded their unbelieving minds. As a result, they are not able to see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. 5 For we do not proclaim ourselves, but Christ Jesus as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus' sake. 6 For God is the one who said, “Light will shine out of darkness.” He has shone in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the presence of Jesus Christ.

7 But we have this treasure in jars of clay, so that it is clear that the exceedingly great power belongs to God and not to us. 8 We are afflicted in every way, but not overwhelmed. We are perplexed but not filled with despair. 9 We are persecuted but not forsaken. We are struck down but not destroyed. 10 We always carry in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus also may be shown in our bodies. 11 We who are alive are always carrying around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may be shown in our body. 12 So death is at work in us, but life is at work in you. 13 But we have the same spirit of faith according to that which was written: “I believed, and so I spoke.” We also believe, and so we also speak, 14 because we know that the one who raised the Lord Jesus will also raise us with Jesus and bring us with you into his presence. 15 Everything is for your sake so that, as grace is spread to many people, thanksgiving may increase to the glory of God.

16 So we do not become discouraged. Even though outwardly we are wasting away, inwardly we are being renewed day by day. 17 For this momentary, light affliction is preparing us for an eternal weight of glory that exceeds all measurement. 18 For we are not watching for things that are seen, but for things that are unseen. The things that we can see are temporary, but the things that are unseen are eternal.

5

1 We know that if the earthly dwelling that we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God. It is a house not made by human hands, but an eternal house, in heaven. 2 For in this tent we groan, longing to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling. 3 We long for this because by putting it on we will not be found to be naked. 4 For indeed while we are in this tent, we groan, being burdened. We do not want to be unclothed. Instead, we want to be clothed, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. 5 The one who prepared us for this very thing is God, who gave us the Spirit as a guarantee of what is to come. 6 Therefore always be confident. Be aware that while we are at home in the body, we are away from the Lord. 7 For we walk by faith, not by sight. 8 So we have confidence. We would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord. 9 So we make it our goal, whether we are at home or away, to please him. 10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for the things done in the body, whether for good or for bad.

11 Therefore, knowing the fear of the Lord, we persuade people. What we are is clearly seen by God. I expect that it is also clear to your conscience. 12 We are not trying to persuade you again to view us as sincere. Instead, we are giving you a reason to be proud of us, so you may have an answer for those who boast about appearances but not about what is in the heart. 13 For if we are out of our minds, it is for God; and if we are in our right minds, it is for your sake. 14 For the love of Christ compels us, because we are certain of this: That one person died for all, and that therefore all have died. 15 He died for all, so that those who live should live no longer for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised. 16 For this reason, from now on we do not judge anyone according to human standards, even though we once regarded Christ in this way. But now we do not judge anyone in this way any longer. 17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old things have passed away. See, they have become new. 18 All these things are from God. He reconciled us to himself through Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation. 19 That is, in Christ God is reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them. He is entrusting to us the message of reconciliation.

20 So we are appointed as representatives of Christ, as though God were making his appeal through us. We plead with you, for the sake of Christ: “Be reconciled to God!” 21 He made Christ become the sacrifice for our sin. He is the one who never sinned. He did this so that we might become the righteousness of God in him.

6

1 Working together with him, we also urge you not to receive the grace of God in vain. 2 For he says,

“In a favorable time I paid attention to you,

and in the day of salvation I helped you.”

Look, now is the favorable time. Look, now is the day of salvation. 3 We do not place a stumbling block in front of anyone, for we do not wish our ministry to be discredited. 4 Instead, we prove ourselves by all our actions, that we are God's servants. We are his servants in much endurance, affliction, distress, hardship, 5 beatings, imprisonments, riots, in hard work, in sleepless nights, in hunger, 6 in purity, knowledge, patience, kindness, in the Holy Spirit, in genuine love. 7 We are his servants in the word of truth, in the power of God. We have the armor of righteousness for the right hand and for the left. 8 We work in honor and dishonor, in slander and praise. We are accused of being deceitful and yet we are truthful. 9 We work as if we were unknown and we are still well known. We work as dying and—see!—we are still living. We work as being punished for our actions but not as condemned to death. 10 We work as sorrowful, but we are always rejoicing. We work as poor, but we are making many rich. We work as having nothing and yet as possessing all things.

11 We have spoken the whole truth to you, Corinthians, and our heart is wide open. 12 You are not restrained by us, but you are restrained in your own hearts. 13 Now in fair exchange—I speak as to children—open yourselves wide also. 14 Do not be tied together with unbelievers. For what association does righteousness have with lawlessness? For what fellowship does light have with darkness? 15 What agreement can Christ have with Beliar? Or what share does a believer have together with an unbeliever? 16 And what agreement is there between the temple of God and idols? For we are the temple of the living God, just as God said:

“I will dwell among them and walk among them.

I will be their God,

and they will be my people.”

17 Therefore,

“Come out from among them,

and be set apart,” says the Lord.

“Touch no unclean thing,

and I will welcome you.

18 I will be a Father to you,

and you will be my sons and daughters,”

says the Lord Almighty.

7

1 Loved ones, since we have these promises, let us cleanse ourselves of everything that makes us unclean in our body and spirit. Let us pursue holiness in the fear of God.

2 Make room for us! We have not wronged anyone. We have not harmed anyone or taken advantage of anyone. 3 It is not to condemn you that I say this. For I have already said that you are in our hearts, for us to die together and to live together. 4 I have great confidence in you, and I am proud of you. I am filled with comfort. I overflow with joy even in all our afflictions.

5 When we came to Macedonia, our bodies had no rest. Instead, we were troubled in every way by conflicts on the outside and fears on the inside. 6 But God, who comforts the discouraged, comforted us by the arrival of Titus. 7 It was not only by his arrival that God comforted us. It was also by the comfort that Titus had received from you. He told us of your great affection, your sorrow, and your deep concern for me. So I rejoiced even more. 8 Even though my letter made you sad, I do not regret it. But I did regret it when I saw that my letter made you sad. But you were sad just for a little while. 9 Now I rejoice, not because you were distressed, but because your sadness brought you to repentance. You experienced a godly sorrow, so you suffered no loss because of us. 10 For godly sorrow brings about repentance that accomplishes salvation without regret. Worldly sorrow, however, brings about death. 11 See what great determination this godly sorrow produced in you. How great was the determination in you to prove you were innocent. How great was your indignation, your fear, your longing, your zeal, and your desire to see that justice should be done! In everything you have proved yourselves to be innocent in this matter. 12 Although I wrote to you, I did not write for the sake of the wrongdoer, nor for the one who suffered the wrong, but so that your good will toward us should be made known to you in the sight of God. 13 It is by this that we are encouraged.

In addition to our own comfort, we also rejoiced even more because of Titus' joy, because his spirit was refreshed by all of you. 14 For if I boasted to him about you, I was not embarrassed. On the contrary, just as everything we said to you was true, our boasting about you to Titus proved to be true. 15 His affection for you is even greater, as he remembers the obedience of all of you, how you welcomed him with fear and trembling. 16 I rejoice because I have complete confidence in you.

8

1 We want you to know, brothers, about the grace of God that has been given to the churches of Macedonia. 2 During a great test of affliction, the abundance of their joy and the extremity of their poverty have produced great riches of generosity. 3 For I bear witness that they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond what they were able, and of their own free will, 4 they urgently pleaded with us for the privlege of sharing in this ministry to the believers. 5 This did not happen as we had expected. Instead, they first gave themselves to the Lord. Then they gave themselves to us by the will of God. 6 So we urged Titus, who had already begun this task, to complete among you this act of grace. 7 But you abound in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in all diligence, and in your love for us. So also make sure that you excel in this act of grace. * 8 I say this not as a command. Instead, I say this in order to test the sincerity of your love by comparing it to the eagerness of other people. 9 For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. Even though he was rich, for your sakes he became poor, so that through his poverty you might become rich. 10 In this matter I will give you advice that will help you. One year ago, you not only started to do something, but you desired to do it. 11 Now finish it. Just as there was an eagerness and desire to do it then, may you also bring it to completion, as much as you can. 12 For if you are eager to do this deed, it is a good and acceptable thing. It must be based on what a person has, not on what he does not have. 13 For this task is not in order that others may be relieved and you may be burdened. Instead, there should be fairness. 14 Your abundance at the present time will supply what they need. This is also so that their abundance may supply your need, and so that there may be fairness. 15 It is as it is written:

“The one with much did not have anything left over,

and the one who had little did not have any lack.”

16 But thanks be to God, who put into Titus' heart the same earnest care that I have for you. 17 For he not only accepted our appeal, but he was also very earnest about it. He came to you of his own free will. 18 We have sent with him the brother who is praised among all of the churches for his work in proclaiming the gospel. 19 Not only this, but he also was selected by the churches to travel with us in our carrying out this act of grace. This is for the honor of the Lord himself and for our eagerness to help. 20 We are avoiding the possibility that anyone should complain about us concerning this generosity that we are carrying out. 21 We take care to do what is honorable, not only before the Lord, but also before people. 22 We are also sending another brother with them. We have tested him in many ways and found him diligent for many tasks. He is even more eager now because of the great confidence he has in you. 23 As for Titus, he is my partner and fellow worker for you. As for our brothers, they are sent by the churches. They are an honor to Christ. 24 So show them your love, and show to the churches the reason for our boasting about you.

9

1 Concerning the ministry for the believers, it is not necessary for me to write to you. 2 I know about your desire, which I boasted about to the people of Macedonia. I told them that Achaia has been getting ready since last year. Your eagerness has motivated most of them to action. 3 Now I have sent the brothers so that our boasting about you may not be futile, and so that you would be ready, as I said you would be. 4 Otherwise, if any Macedonians come with me and find you unprepared, we would be ashamed—I say nothing about you—for being so confident in you. 5 So I thought it was necessary to urge the brothers to come to you and to make arrangements in advance for the gift you have promised. This is so that it might be ready as a blessing, and not as something extorted.

6 The point is this: The one who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and the one who sows for the purpose of a blessing will also reap a blessing. 7 Let each one give as he has planned in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. 8 And God is able to make all grace overflow for you, so that, always, in all things, you may have all you need. This will be so that you may multiply every good deed. 9 It is as it is written:

“He has distributed his riches and given them to the poor.

His righteousness lasts forever.”

10 He who supplies seed to the farmer who sows and bread for food, will also supply and multiply your seed for sowing. He will increase the harvest of your righteousness. 11 You will be enriched in every way so you can be generous. This will bring about thanksgiving to God through us. 12 For carrying out this service not only meets the needs of the saints but is also overflowing into many acts of thanksgiving to God. 13 Because of your being tested and proved by this service, you will also glorify God by obedience to your confession of the gospel of Christ. You will also glorify God by the generosity of your gift to them and to everyone. 14 They long for you, and they are praying for you. They do this because of the very great grace of God that is on you. 15 May thanks be to God for his inexpressible gift!

10

1 I, Paul, myself appeal to you, by the humility and gentleness of Christ. I am meek when I am in your presence, but I am bold toward you when I am away. 2 I beg of you that, when I am present with you, I will not need to be bold with self-confidence. But I think I will need to be bold when I oppose those who assume that we are living according to the flesh. 3 For even though we walk in the flesh, we do not wage war according to the flesh. 4 For the weapons we fight with are not fleshly. Instead, they have divine power to destroy strongholds. They bring to nothing misleading arguments. 5 We also destroy every high thing that rises up against the knowledge of God. We take every thought captive into obedience to Christ. 6 And we are getting ready to punish every act of disobedience, as soon as your obedience is complete. 7 Look at what is clearly in front of you. If anyone is convinced that he is Christ's, let him remind himself that just as he is Christ's, so also are we. 8 For even if I boast a little too much about our authority, which the Lord gave for us to build you up and not to destroy you, I will not be ashamed. 9 I do not want it to appear that I am terrifying you by my letters. 10 For some people say, “His letters are serious and powerful, but physically he is weak. His words are not worth listening to.” 11 Let such people be aware that what we are in the words of our letters when we are absent is what we will be in our actions when we are there. 12 We do not go so far as to group ourselves or compare ourselves with those who praise themselves. But when they measure themselves by one another and compare themselves with each other, they have no insight. 13 We, however, will not boast beyond limits. Instead, we will do so only within the limits of what God has assigned to us, limits that reach as far as you. 14 For we did not overextend ourselves when we reached you. We were the first to reach as far as you with the gospel of Christ. 15 We have not boasted beyond limits about the labors of others. Instead, we expect that as your faith continues to grow, our work among you will greatly expand. 16 We hope for this, so that we may preach the gospel even in regions beyond you. We will not boast about the work being done in another's area.

17 “But let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.”

18 For it is not the one who recommends himself who is approved. Instead, it is the one whom the Lord recommends.

11

1 I wish that you could put up with me in some foolishness. But you are indeed putting up with me! 2 For I am jealous about you. I have a godly jealousy for you, since I promised you in marriage to one husband. I promised to present you as a pure virgin to Christ. 3 But I am afraid that somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, your thoughts might be led astray away from a sincere and pure devotion to Christ. 4 For suppose that someone comes and proclaims another Jesus than the one we preached. Or suppose that you receive a different spirit than what you received. Or suppose that you receive a different gospel than the one you received. You put up with these things well enough! 5 For I think that I am not in the least inferior to those so-called super-apostles. 6 But even if I am untrained in giving speeches, I am not untrained in knowledge. In every way and in all things we have made this known to you. 7 Did I sin by humbling myself so you might be exalted? For I freely preached the gospel of God to you. 8 I robbed other churches by accepting support from them so that I could serve you. 9 When I was with you and I was in need, I did not burden anyone. For my needs were met by the brothers who came from Macedonia. In everything I have kept myself from being a burden to you, and I will continue to do that. 10 As the truth of Christ is in me, this boasting of mine will not be silenced in the parts of Achaia. 11 Why? Because I do not love you? God knows. 12 And what I do I will keep doing, in order that I may take away the claim for criticizing me and the claim for which they want to boast—that they are found to be doing the same work that we are doing. 13 For such people are false apostles and deceitful workers. They disguise themselves as apostles of Christ. 14 And this is no surprise, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. 15 It is no great surprise if his servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness. Their fate will be what their deeds deserve.

16 I say again: Let no one think I am a fool. But if you do, receive me as a fool so I may boast a little. 17 What I am saying with this boastful confidence—I am not talking the way the Lord would—I am saying as a fool. 18 Since many people boast according to the flesh, I will also boast. 19 For you gladly put up with fools. You are wise yourselves! 20 For you put up with someone if he enslaves you, if he consumes you, if he takes advantage of you, if he considers himself better than you, or if he slaps you in the face. 21 I will say to our shame that we were too weak to do that. Yet if anyone boasts—I am speaking like a fool—I too will boast. 22 Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they descendants of Abraham? So am I. 23 Are they servants of Christ? (I speak as though I were out of my mind.) I am more. I have been in even more hard work, in far more prisons, in beatings beyond measure, in facing many dangers of death. 24 From Jews I received five times the “forty lashes minus one.” 25 Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked. I have spent a night and a day on the open sea. 26 I have been on frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, in danger from robbers, in danger from my own people, in danger from the Gentiles, in danger in the city, in danger in the wilderness, in danger at sea, in danger from false brothers. 27 I have been at hard work and in hardship, in many sleepless nights, in hunger and thirst, often in fasting, in cold and nakedness. 28 Apart from everything else, there is the daily pressure on me of my anxiety for all the churches. 29 Who is weak, and I am not weak? Who has been caused to stumble, and I do not burn? 30 If I must boast, I will boast about what shows my weaknesses. 31 The God and Father of the Lord Jesus, the one who is praised forever, knows that I am not lying!

32 At Damascus, the governor under King Aretas was guarding the city of Damascus to arrest me. 33 But I was lowered in a basket through a window in the wall, and I escaped from his hands.

12

1 I must boast, but nothing is gained by it. But I will go on to visions and revelations from the Lord. 2 I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago who—whether in the body or out of the body, I do not know, God knows—was caught up into the third heaven. 3 And I know that this man—whether in the body, or out of the body, I do not know, God knows— 4 was caught up into paradise and heard things too sacred for anyone to say. 5 On behalf of such a person I will boast. But on behalf of myself I will not boast, except about my weaknesses. 6 If I should choose to boast, I will not be a fool, because I would be speaking the truth. But I will keep from boasting, so that no one will think more of me than what he sees in me or hears from me. 7 To keep me from boasting because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger from Satan to afflict me—so I would not become overly proud. 8 Three times I begged the Lord about this, for him to take it away from me. 9 But he said to me, “My grace is enough for you, for power is made perfect in weakness.” So I would much rather boast about my weakness, so that the power of Christ might reside on me. 10 Therefore I am content for Christ's sake in weaknesses, in insults, in troubles, in persecutions and distressing situations. For whenever I am weak, then I am strong.

11 I have become a fool! You forced me to this, for I should have been praised by you. For I was not at all inferior to the so-called super-apostles, even though I am nothing. 12 The true signs of an apostle were performed among you with complete patience, signs and wonders and mighty deeds. 13 For how were you less important than the rest of the churches, except that I was not a burden to you? Forgive me for this wrong!

14 Look! I am ready to come to you a third time. I will not be a burden to you, for I do not want what is yours. I want you. For children should not save up for the parents. Instead, the parents should save up for the children. 15 I will most gladly spend and be spent for your souls. If I love you more, am I to be loved less? 16 But as it is, I did not burden you. But, since I am so crafty, I am the one who caught you by deceit. 17 Did I take advantage of you by anyone I sent to you? 18 I urged Titus to go to you, and I sent the other brother with him. Did Titus take advantage of you? Did we not walk in the same way? Did we not walk in the same steps?

19 Do you think all of this time we have been defending ourselves to you? In the sight of God, we have in Christ been saying everything for your strengthening. 20 For I fear that when I come I may not find you as I wish. I fear that you might not find me as you wish. I fear that there may be quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, rivalries, slander, gossip, arrogance, and disorder. 21 I fear that when I come back, my God might humble me before you. I fear that I might be grieved by many of those who have sinned before now, and who did not repent of the impurity and sexual immorality and lustful indulgence that they practiced.

13

1 This is the third time that I am coming to you. “Every accusation must be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses.” 2 I have already said to those who sinned before and to all the rest when I was there the second time, and I say it again: When I come again, I will not spare them. 3 I tell you this because you are looking for evidence that Christ is speaking through me. He is not weak toward you. Instead, he is powerful in you. 4 For he was crucified in weakness, but he is alive by God's power. For we also are weak in him, but we will live with him by the power of God among you. 5 Examine yourselves to see if you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not realize this about yourselves that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless you have failed the test. 6 And I trust that you will recognize that we have not failed the test. 7 Now we pray to God that you may not do any wrong. I do not pray that we may appear to have passed the test. Instead, I pray that you may do what is right, although we may seem to have failed the test. 8 For we are not able to do anything against the truth, but only for the truth. 9 For we rejoice when we are weak and you are strong. We also pray that you may be made complete. 10 I write these things while I am away from you, so that when I am with you I do not have to deal harshly with you in the use of my authority—which the Lord gave to me, so that I may build you up, and not tear you down.

11 Finally, brothers, rejoice! Work for restoration, be encouraged, agree with one another, live in peace. And the God of love and peace will be with you. 12 Greet each other with a holy kiss.

13 All of the believers greet you. *

14 May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with all of you.

* 8:7 The ULB and UDB, together with many other versions, read, and in your love for us . Some other versions read, and in our love for you .

* 13:13 Some translations combine verse 13 with verse 12 and number verse 14 as verse 13.

Galatians

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Galatians

1

1 Paul, an apostle—not an apostle from men nor by human agency, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised him from the dead— 2 and all the brothers with me, to the churches of Galatia: 3 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, 4 who gave himself for our sins so that he might deliver us from this present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, 5 to him be the glory forever and ever. Amen.

6 I am amazed that you are turning away so quickly from him who called you by the grace of Christ. I am amazed that you are turning to a different gospel. 7 This is not to say that there is another gospel, but there are some men who cause you trouble and want to change the gospel of Christ. 8 But even if we or an angel from heaven should proclaim to you a gospel other than the one we proclaimed to you, let him be cursed. 9 As we have said before, so now I say again, “If someone proclaims to you a gospel other than the one you received, let him be cursed.” 10 For am I now seeking the approval of men or God? Am I seeking to please men? If I am still trying to please men, I am not a servant of Christ.

11 For I want you to know, brothers, that the gospel I proclaimed is not man's gospel. 12 I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it. Instead, it was by revelation of Jesus Christ to me. 13 You have heard about my former life in Judaism, how I was persecuting the church of God beyond measure and that I was trying to destroy it. 14 I advanced in Judaism beyond many of those who were my own age, from out of my own people. That is how extremely zealous I was for the traditions of my fathers. 15 But when God, who had set me apart from my mother's womb, and who called me through his grace, 16 was pleased to reveal his Son in me, so that I would proclaim him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately consult with flesh and blood. 17 I did not go up to Jerusalem to those who had become apostles before me. Instead, I went to Arabia and then returned to Damascus.

18 Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to get to know Cephas and I stayed with him fifteen days. 19 But I saw none of the other apostles except James, the Lord's brother. 20 In what I write to you, I assure you before God, that I am not lying. 21 Then I went to the regions of Syria and Cilicia. 22 I was still not personally known to the churches of Judea that are in Christ. 23 They only heard it being said, “The man who once persecuted us is now proclaiming the faith he once tried to destroy.” 24 So they glorified God because of me.

2

1 Then after fourteen years I went up again to Jerusalem with Barnabas, taking Titus along with me. 2 I went up because of a revelation and set before them the gospel that I proclaim among the Gentiles. I spoke privately to those who seemed to be important, in order to make sure that I was not running—or had not run—in vain. 3 But not even Titus, who was with me and who was a Greek, was forced to be circumcised. 4 The false brothers came in secretly to spy on the liberty we have in Christ Jesus. They desired to make us slaves, 5 but we did not yield in submission to them for a moment, so that the truth of the gospel would remain with you. 6 But those who seemed to be important (whatever they were does not matter to me, God shows no partiality)—those, I say, who seemed important added nothing to me. 7 On the contrary, they saw that I had been entrusted with the gospel to those who are uncircumcised, just as Peter had been entrusted with the gospel to those who are circumcised. 8 For God, who worked in Peter for the apostleship to those who are circumcised, also worked in me to the Gentiles. 9 When James, Cephas, and John, who were recognized as those who built up the church, understood the grace that had been given to me, they gave the right hand of fellowship to Barnabas and me. They did this so that we should go to the Gentiles, and so that they should go to those who are circumcised. 10 They requested only that we remember the poor, the very thing that I was eager to do.

11 But when Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face because he was declared to be in the wrong. 12 Before certain men came from James, Cephas was eating with the Gentiles. But when these men came, he stopped and kept away from the Gentiles. He was afraid of those who were demanding circumcision. 13 Also the rest of the Jews joined in this hypocrisy. Even Barnabas was led astray with them by their hypocrisy. 14 But when I saw that their behavior was not following the truth of the gospel, I said to Cephas in front of all of them, “If you are a Jew but are living like a Gentile and not like a Jew, how can you force the Gentiles to live like Jews?” 15 We ourselves are Jews by birth and not Gentile sinners; 16 yet we know that no person is justified by the works of the law but through faith in Christ Jesus. We also came to faith in Christ Jesus so that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law. For by the works of the law no flesh will be justified. 17 But if, while we seek to be justified in Christ, we too, were found to be sinners, does Christ then promote sin? Absolutely not! 18 For if I rebuild those things I once destroyed, I prove myself to be a lawbreaker. 19 For through the law I died to the law, so that I might live for God. 20 I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. 21 I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, then Christ died for nothing!

3

1 Foolish Galatians! Who has put a spell on you? It was before your eyes that Jesus Christ was publicly displayed as crucified. 2 This is the only thing I want to learn from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law or by believing what you heard? 3 Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now going to finish by the flesh? 4 Have you suffered so many things for nothing—if indeed it was for nothing? 5 Does he who gives the Spirit to you and works miracles among you do so by the works of the law, or by hearing with faith? 6 Just as Abraham “believed God and it was credited to him as righteousness,” 7 in the same way, understand, then, that those of faith are the children of Abraham. 8 The scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, “In you all the nations will be blessed.” 9 So then, those of faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith. 10 All who rely on the works of the law are under a curse; and so it is written, “Cursed is everyone who does not abide by all the things written in the book of the law, and do them.” 11 Now it is clear that no one is justified before God by the law, because “the righteous will live by faith.” 12 But the law is not of faith, rather, “The person who does the works of the law must live by them.” 13 Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree”— 14 so that the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit.

15 Brothers, let me speak in human terms. In a man-made contract, no one can set it aside or add to it, once it is established by law. 16 Now the promises were spoken to Abraham and to his descendant. It does not say, “to descendants,” referring to many, but instead to only one, “and to your descendant,” who is Christ. 17 Now what I mean is this: The law, which came 430 years afterward, does not set aside the covenant previously established by God. 18 For if the inheritance comes by the law, then it no longer comes by promise. But God gave it to Abraham by a promise. 19 What, then, was the purpose of the law? It was added because of trespasses, until the descendant of Abraham would come to whom the promise had been made. The law was put into force through angels by a mediator. 20 Now a mediator implies more than one person, but God is one. 21 So is the law against the promises of God? Absolutely not! For if a law had been given that could give life, then righteousness would certainly have come by the law. 22 But the scripture imprisoned everything under sin. God did this so that the promise to save us by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe.

23 Now before faith came, we were held captive under the law, imprisoned until faith should be revealed. 24 So then the law became our guardian until Christ came, so that we might be justified by faith. 25 But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian. 26 For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. 27 For as many of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 Then if you are Christ's, you are Abraham's descendants, and heirs according to promise.

4

1 I am saying that the heir, as long as he is a child, is no different from a slave, though he is owner of the entire estate. 2 But he is under guardians and trustees until the date set by his father. 3 So also, when we were children, we were enslaved to the elemental principles of the world. 4 But when the fullness of time had come, God sent out his Son, born of a woman, born under the law. 5 He did this to redeem those under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. 6 And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, who calls out, “Abba, Father.” 7 So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then you are also an heir through God.

8 But at that time, when you did not know God, you were made to be slaves to those who are, by their natural powers, not gods at all. 9 But now that you have come to know God, or rather that you are known by God, how is it that you are turning back to the weak and worthless elemental principles? Do you want to be enslaved all over again? 10 You observe days and new moons and seasons and years! 11 I am afraid for you that somehow my work with you may have been for nothing.

12 I beg you, brothers, become like me, for I also have become like you. You did me no wrong. 13 But you know that it was because of a physical illness that I proclaimed the gospel to you the first time. 14 Though my physical condition put you to the test, you did not despise or reject me. Instead you welcomed me as if I were an angel of God, as if I were Christ Jesus himself. 15 Where, then, is your blessing now? For I testify to you that, if possible, you would have torn out your own eyes and given them to me. 16 So then, have I become your enemy because I am telling you the truth? 17 They are zealous to win you over, but for no good. They want to shut you out, so you may be zealous for them. 18 It is always good to be zealous for a good purpose, and not only when I am present with you. 19 My little children, again I am in the pains of childbirth for you until Christ is formed in you. 20 I wish I could be present with you now and change my tone, because I am perplexed about you.

21 Tell me, you who desire to be under the law, do you not listen to the law? 22 For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by the slave girl and one by the free woman. 23 One was born by the slave girl according to the flesh, but the other was born by the free woman through promise. 24 These things may be interpreted as an allegory, for these women represent two covenants. One of them is from Mount Sinai and she gives birth to children who are slaves. This is Hagar. 25 Now Hagar represents Mount Sinai in Arabia; and she represents the present Jerusalem, for she is in slavery with her children. 26 But the Jerusalem that is above is free, and she is our mother. 27 For it is written,

“Rejoice, you barren one who does not give birth;

cry out and shout for joy, you who are not suffering the pains of childbirth;

because the children of the abandoned woman are more numerous

than those of the woman who has a husband.”

28 But you, brothers, like Isaac, are children of promise. 29 At that time the one who was born according to the flesh persecuted the one born according to the Spirit. It is the same now. 30 But what does the scripture say? “Send away the slave girl and her son. For the son of the slave girl will not share in the inheritance with the son of the free woman.” 31 Therefore, brothers, we are not children of a slave girl, but of the free woman.

5

1 For freedom Christ has set us free. Stand firm, therefore, and do not again be put under the control of a yoke of slavery.

2 Look, I, Paul, say to you that if you let yourselves be circumcised, Christ will not benefit you in any way. 3 I testify again to every man who lets himself be circumcised that he is obligated to obey the whole law. 4 You are cut off from Christ, you who would be justified by the law; you no longer experience grace. 5 For through the Spirit, by faith, we eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness. 6 In Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything, but only faith working through love. 7 You were running well. Who prevented you from obeying the truth? 8 This persuasion does not come from him who calls you! 9 A little yeast makes the whole batch of dough rise. 10 I have confidence in the Lord that you will take no other view. The one who is troubling you will pay the penalty, whoever he is. 11 Brothers, if I still proclaim circumcision, why am I still being persecuted? In that case the stumbling block of the cross has been removed. 12 As for those who are disturbing you, I wish they would castrate themselves!

13 For you were called to freedom, brothers. But do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the sinful nature; rather, through love serve one another. 14 For the whole law is fulfilled in one command: “You must love your neighbor as yourself.” 15 But if you bite and devour one another, watch out that you are not consumed by one another.

16 But I say, walk by the Spirit and you will not carry out the desires of the sinful nature. 17 For the desires of the sinful nature are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the sinful nature. For these are in conflict with each other, so that you cannot do the things you want. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. 19 Now the works of the sinful nature are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, depravity, 20 idolatry, sorcery, hostilities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, rivalry, dissension, divisions, 21 envy, drunkenness, drunken celebrations, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith, 23 gentleness, and self-control; against such things there is no law. 24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires.

25 If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit. 26 Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.

6

1 Brothers, if someone is caught in any trespass, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Be concerned about yourself, so you also may not be tempted. 2 Carry one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. 3 For if anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself. 4 Each one should examine his own work, and then his reason to boast will be in himself alone and not in someone else. 5 For each one will carry his own load.

6 The one who is taught the word must share all good things with the one who teaches. 7 Do not be deceived. God is not mocked, for whatever a man plants, that he will also gather in. 8 For he who plants seed to his own sinful nature, from the sinful nature will gather in destruction. The one who plants seed to the Spirit, from the Spirit will gather in eternal life from the Spirit. 9 Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the right time we will gather in a harvest, if we do not give up. 10 So then, as we have the opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the household of faith.

11 See what large letters I write to you with my own hand. 12 Those who want to make a good impression in the flesh are trying to compel you to be circumcised. They do this only to avoid being persecuted for the cross of Christ. 13 For not even those who circumcised themselves keep the law, but they want you to be circumcised so that they may boast about your flesh. 14 But may I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. 15 For neither circumcision counts for anything nor uncircumcision, but what counts is a new creation. 16 To all who live according to this standard, peace and mercy be upon them, even upon the Israel of God.

17 From now on let no one trouble me, for I carry on my body the marks of Jesus.

18 May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit, brothers. Amen.

Ephesians

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Ephesians

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1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus through the will of God, to God's holy people in Ephesus, who are faithful in Christ Jesus. * 2 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

3 May the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ be praised, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ. 4 God chose us in him from the beginning of the world, that we may be holy and blameless in his sight in love †. 5  ‡ God chose us beforehand for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the good pleasure of his will. 6 Our adoption results in the praise of his glorious grace that he has freely given us in the One he loves. 7 In Jesus Christ we have redemption through his blood and the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace. 8 He lavished this grace upon us with all wisdom and understanding. 9 God made known to us the hidden purpose of his will, according to what pleased him, and which he demonstrated in Christ, 10 with a view to a plan for the fullness of time, to bring all things together, all things in heaven and on earth, under one head, even Christ. 11 In Christ we were appointed as heirs. We were decided on beforehand according to the plan of him who works out everything according to the purpose of his will. 12 God appointed us as heirs so that we might be the first to have a certain hope in Christ, so we would be for the praise of his glory. 13 In Christ, you also, when you had heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, you believed in him and were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, 14 who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we take full possession of it, to the praise of his glory.

15 For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all God's holy people, 16 I have not stopped thanking God for you as I mention you in my prayers. 17 I pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, will give to you a spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him. 18 I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, that you may know the hope to which he has called you and the riches of his glorious inheritance among all God's holy people. 19 In my prayers I ask that you may know the incomparable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great strength. 20 This is the same power that God worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places. 21 He seated Christ far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and every name that is named. Christ will rule, not only in this age, but also in the age to come. 22 God put all things under Christ's feet and gave him to the church as head over all things. 23 The church is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.

2

1 And as for you, you were dead in your trespasses and sins. 2 It was in these trespasses and sins that you once lived according to the ways of this world. You were living according to the ruler of the authorities of the air, the spirit that is working in the sons of disobedience. 3 Once we all lived among these people, fulfilling the evil desires of our sinful nature, and carrying out the desires of the body and of the mind. We were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of humanity. 4 But God is rich in mercy because of his great love with which he loved us. 5 While we were dead in trespasses, he made us alive together in Christ—by grace you have been saved. 6 God raised us up together with Christ, and God made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 so that in the ages to come he might show to us the immeasurably great riches of his grace expressed in his kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this did not come from you, it is the gift of God, 9 not from works and so no one may boast. 10 For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good deeds that God planned long ago for us, so that we would walk in them.

11 Therefore remember that once you were Gentiles in the flesh. You are called “uncircumcision” by what is called the “circumcision” in the flesh made by human hands. 12 For at that time you were separated from Christ, foreigners to the people of Israel, strangers to the covenants of the promise, having no hope and without God in the world. 13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away from God have been brought near by the blood of Christ. 14 For he is our peace. He made the two one. By his flesh he destroyed the wall of hostility that divided us. 15 That is, he abolished the law of commandments and regulations so that he might create one new man in himself, and so making peace. 16 Christ reconciles both peoples into one body to God through the cross, putting to death the hostility. 17 Jesus came and proclaimed peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. 18 For through Jesus we both have access in one Spirit to the Father. 19 So then, now you Gentiles are no longer strangers and foreigners. Instead you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of God's household. 20 You have been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, and Christ Jesus himself was the cornerstone. 21 In him the whole building fits together and grows as a temple in the Lord. 22 It is in him that you also are being built together as a dwelling place for God in the Spirit.

3

1 Because of this I, Paul, am the prisoner of Christ Jesus for you Gentiles. 2 I assume that you have heard of the stewardship of the grace of God that was given to me for you. 3 I am writing according to the revelation made known to me. This is the hidden truth about which I briefly wrote to you. 4 When you read about this, you will be able to understand my insight into this hidden truth about Christ. 5 In other generations this truth was not made known to the sons of men. But now it has been revealed by the Spirit to his apostles and prophets who were set apart for this work. 6 This hidden truth is that the Gentiles are fellow heirs, and fellow members of the body, and they share the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel. 7 For I became a servant of this gospel by the gift of God's grace given to me through the working of his power. 8 This grace was given to me, although I am the least of all the saints, that I should proclaim to the Gentiles the gospel of the unsearchable riches of Christ, 9 so that I will bring to light for everyone the plan—the mystery hidden for ages in God who created all things. 10 This plan was made known through the church so the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places would come to know the many-sided nature of the wisdom of God. 11 This happened according to the eternal plan that he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord. 12 For in Christ we have boldness and access with confidence because of our faith in him. 13 Therefore I ask you not to be discouraged because of what I am suffering for you, which is your glory.

14 For this reason I bend my knees to the Father, 15 from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named. 16 I pray that he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with power through his Spirit, who is in you. 17 I pray that Christ may live in your hearts through faith, that you will be rooted and grounded in his love. 18 May you have strength so you can understand, along with all the believers, what is the width, the length, the height, and the depth, 19 and that you may know the love of Christ, which goes beyond knowledge, and that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

20 Now to him who is able to do far beyond all that we ask or think, according to his power that works in us, 21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen.

4

1 I, therefore, as the prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk worthily of the calling by which you were called. 2 I urge you to live with great humility and gentleness and patience, putting up with one another in love. 3 Do your best to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. 4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as also you were called in one certain hope of your calling. 5 And there is one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6 and one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. 7 To each one of us grace has been given according to the measure of the gift of Christ. 8 It is as scripture says:

“When he ascended to the heights,

he led the captives into captivity,

and he gave gifts to the people.”

9 What is the meaning of “He ascended,” except that he also descended into the lower regions of the earth? 10 He who descended is the same person who also ascended far above all the heavens, that he might fill all things. 11 Christ gave some to be apostles, some as prophets, some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers. 12 He gave these offices to equip the saints for the work of service, for the building up of the body of Christ. 13 He continues to build up his body until we all reach the unity of faith and knowledge of the Son of God, and that we become mature and so reach the measure of the fullness of Christ. 14 Christ builds us up so that we should no longer be children who are tossed back and forth by the waves, and carried away by every wind of teaching and by the trickery of people in their deceitful schemes. 15 Instead, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, that is, Christ. 16 Christ builds the whole body, and it is joined and held together by every supporting ligament, and when each part works together, that makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.

17 Therefore, I say and insist on this in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles live, in the futility of their minds. 18 They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the hardness of their hearts. 19 They have no shame and have handed themselves over to sensuality, and they are continually practicing every kind of impurity. 20 But that is not how you learned about Christ. 21 I assume that you have heard about him, and that you were taught in him, as the truth is in Jesus. 22 You were taught to put off what belongs to your former manner of life, to put off the old man. It is the old man that is corrupt because of its deceitful desires. 23 You were taught to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, 24 and to put on the new man that is created in the image of God—in true righteousness and holiness.

25 Therefore, get rid of lies, and let each one of you speak truth with his neighbor, because we are members of one another. 26 Be angry and do not sin. Do not let the sun go down on your anger. 27 Do not give an opportunity to the devil. 28 The one who had been stealing must steal no longer. He must labor, doing useful work with his hands, so that he may have something to share with those who are in need. 29 Do not let any filthy talk come out of your mouth. Use only words that are helpful for building others up, according to their needs, that your words would be helpful to those who hear you. 30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, for it is by him that you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31 Put away all bitterness, rage, anger, quarreling, and insults, along with every kind of evil. 32 Be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God in Christ forgave you.

5

1 Therefore be imitators of God, as dearly loved children. 2 And walk in love, as also Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.

3 But there must not be even a suggestion among you of sexual immorality or any kind of impurity or of greed, for these are improper for God's holy people. 4 Let there be no filthiness, no foolish talk, and no crude jokes—all of which are improper. Instead there should be thanksgiving. 5 For you can be sure of this, that no sexually immoral, impure, or greedy person—that is, an idolater—has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. 6 Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the anger of God is coming upon the sons of disobedience. 7 Therefore, do not join in with them. 8 For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light 9 (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness, and truth), 10 and find out what is pleasing to the Lord. 11 Do not associate with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them. 12 For it is shameful even to mention the things they do in secret. 13 But when anything is illuminated by the light, it becomes visible. 14 For anything that becomes visible is light. Therefore it says,

“Awake, you sleeper,

and arise from the dead,

and Christ will shine on you.”

15 Look carefully how you live—not as unwise but as wise. 16 Redeem the time because the days are evil. 17 Therefore, do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. 18 And do not get drunk with wine, for that leads to reckless behavior. Instead, be filled with the Holy Spirit, 19 speaking to each other in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with all your heart, 20 always giving thanks for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God the Father, 21 submitting yourselves to one another in reverence for Christ.

22 Wives, submit to your husbands, as to the Lord. 23 For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ also is the head of the church, and Christ himself is its savior. 24 But as the church submits to Christ, so also wives must submit to their husbands in everything. 25 Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her. 26 Christ gave himself for the church so that he might make her holy, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, 27 so that he might present her to himself as glorious, without stain or wrinkle or any such thing, but holy and without fault. 28 In the same way husbands ought to love their own wives as their own bodies. He who loves his own wife loves himself. 29 For no one ever hated his own body, but nourishes and treats it with care, just as Christ nourishes and treats the church with care, 30 because we are members of his body. 31 “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and will be joined to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.” 32 This hidden truth is great—but I am speaking about Christ and the church. 33 Nevertheless, each of you also must love his own wife as himself, and the wife must respect her husband.

6

1 Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. 2 “Honor your father and mother” (which is the first commandment with promise), 3 “so that it may be well with you and you may live long on the earth.” 4 Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger. Instead, raise them in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.

5 Slaves, be obedient to your human masters with deep respect and trembling, in the honesty of your heart. Be obedient to them as you would be obedient to Christ. 6 Be obedient not only when your masters are watching in order to please them. Instead, be obedient as slaves of Christ, who do the will of God from your heart. 7 Serve with all your heart, as though you were serving the Lord and not people, 8 because we know that for whatever good deed each person does, he will receive a reward from the Lord, whether he is slave or free.

9 Masters, treat your slaves in the same way. Do not threaten them. You know that he who is both their Master and yours is in heaven, and there is no favoritism with him.

10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. 11 Put on the whole armor of God, so that you may be able to stand against the scheming plans of the devil. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore put on the whole armor of God, so that you may be able to stand in this time of evil, and after you have done everything, to stand firm. 14 Stand, therefore, after you have put on the belt of truth and the breastplate of righteousness. 15 Then as shoes for your feet, put on the readiness to proclaim the gospel of peace. 16 In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, by which you will be able to put out all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 And take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 18 With every prayer and request, pray at all times in the Spirit. To this end, always be watching with all perseverance, as you offer prayers for all the saints. 19 And pray for me, that a message might be given to me when I open my mouth. Pray that I might make known with boldness the hidden truth about the gospel. 20 It is for the gospel that I am an ambassador who is kept in chains, so that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak.

21 Tychicus, the beloved brother and faithful servant in the Lord, will tell you everything, so that you may know how I am doing. 22 I have sent him to you for this very purpose, so that you may know how we are, and so that he may encourage your hearts.

23 Peace be to the brothers, and love with faith from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 24 Grace be to all those who love our Lord Jesus Christ with an incorruptible love.

* 1:1 Some early versions omit, in Ephesus, but this expression is probably in Paul's original letter.

† 1:4 Some interpreters place the phrase in love with the next sentence, Eph. 1:5 In love God chose us .

‡ 1:5 Some interpreters place the last phrase of Eph. 1:4 in love with verse 5 so that it reads, In love God chose us .

Philippians

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Philippians

1

1 Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus, to all those set apart in Christ Jesus who are at Philippi, with the overseers and deacons. 2 May grace be to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

3 I thank my God every time I remember you; 4 and always in every prayer for all of you, I pray with joy. 5 I give thanks for your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now. 6 I am confident of this very thing, that he who began a good work in you will continue to complete it until the day of Jesus Christ. 7 It is right for me to feel this way about all of you because I have you in my heart. You all have been my partners in grace both in my imprisonment and in my defense and confirmation of the gospel. 8 For God is my witness, how I long for all of you with the compassion of Christ Jesus. 9 I am praying this: That your love may abound more and more in knowledge and all understanding. 10 I pray for this so that you may approve what is excellent, and so you may be sincere and without offense on the day of Christ. 11 I pray that you also will be filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.

12 Now I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel. 13 As a result, my chains in Christ came to light throughout the whole palace guard and to everyone else. 14 Most of the brothers have far more confidence in the Lord because of my chains, and they have courage to fearlessly speak the word. 15 Some indeed even proclaim Christ out of envy and strife, and also others out of good will. 16 The latter do it out of love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel. 17 But the former proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely. They think they will afflict me while I am in chains. 18 What then? Only that in every way—whether from false motives or from true—Christ is proclaimed, and in this I rejoice. Yes, and I will rejoice, 19 for I know that this will result in my deliverance through your prayers and the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ. 20 It is my eager expectation and certain hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but that I will have complete boldness, so that now as always, Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death. 21 For to me to live is Christ and to die is gain. 22 But if I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me. Yet which to choose? I do not know. 23 For I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, which is far better, 24 yet to remain in the flesh is more necessary for your sake. 25 Being convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with you all, for your progress and joy in the faith, 26 so that in me you may have increasing reasons to boast in Christ Jesus when I come to you again. 27 Only conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come to see you or am absent, I may hear about you, that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel. 28 Do not be frightened in any respect by those who are your opponents. This is a sign to them of their destruction, but of your salvation—and this from God. 29 For it has been granted to you, for the sake of Christ, not only to believe in him, but also to suffer for his sake, 30 having the same conflict which you saw in me, and now you hear in me.

2

1 If there is any encouragement in Christ, if there is any comfort from his love, if there is any fellowship of the Spirit, if there are any tender mercies and compassions, 2 then make my joy full by thinking alike, having the same love, being united in spirit, and having the same purpose. 3 Do nothing out of selfishness or empty conceit. Instead with humility consider others better than yourselves. 4 Each of you should take care not only for your own needs, but also for the needs of others. 5 You should have the same attitude toward one another as was in Christ Jesus.

6 He existed in the form of God,

but he did not consider his equality with God

as something to hold on to.

7 Instead, he emptied himself

by taking the form of a servant,

and he was born in the likeness of men.

8 He humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death,

even death of a cross!

9 Therefore God also highly exalted him.

He gave him the name that is above every name.

10 He did this so that in the name of Jesus every knee should bend,

the knees of those in heaven and on earth and under the earth.

11 He did this so that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,

to the glory of God the Father.

12 So then, my beloved, as you always obey, not only in my presence but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. 13 For it is God who is working in you both to will and to work for his good pleasure. 14 Do all things without complaining or arguing. 15 Act in this way so that you may become blameless and honest, children of God without blemish. Act in this way so that you may shine as lights in the world, in the middle of a crooked and depraved generation. 16 Hold tightly to the word of life so that I may have reason to glory on the day of Christ. For then I will know that I did not run in vain or labor in vain. 17 But even if I am being poured out as an offering on the sacrifice and service of your faith, I am glad and rejoice with you all. 18 In the same manner you also should be glad and rejoice with me.

19 But I have hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you soon, so that I may also be encouraged when I know the things about you. 20 For I have no one else with his same attitude, who is truly anxious for you. 21 For they all seek their own interests, not the things of Jesus Christ. 22 But you know his worth, because as a child serves his father, so he served with me in the gospel. 23 So I hope to send him as soon as I see how things will go with me. 24 But I am confident in the Lord that I myself will also come soon. 25 But I think it is necessary to send Epaphroditus back to you. He is my brother and fellow worker and fellow soldier, and your messenger and servant for my needs. 26 For he was very distressed, and he longed to be with you all, because you heard that he was sick. 27 For indeed he was so sick that he almost died. But God had mercy on him, and not on him only, but also on me, so that I might not have sorrow upon sorrow. 28 So it is all the more eagerly that I am sending him, so that when you see him again you may rejoice, and I can be free from anxiety. 29 Welcome Epaphroditus in the Lord with all joy. Honor people like him. 30 For it was for the work of Christ that he came near death. He risked his life to serve me and fill up what you could not do in service to me.

3

1 Finally, my brothers, rejoice in the Lord. For me to write these same things again to you is no trouble for me, and it keeps you safe. 2 Watch out for the dogs, those evil workers, those who mutilate the flesh. 3 For it is we who are the circumcision. It is we who worship by the Spirit of God. It is we who take pride in Christ Jesus, and who have no confidence in the flesh. 4 Even so, I myself could have confidence in the flesh. If anyone thinks he has confidence in the flesh, I could have even more. 5 I was circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; with regard to the law, a Pharisee. 6 As for zeal, I persecuted the church; as for righteousness under the law, I was blameless. 7 But whatever things were a profit for me, I have considered them as loss because of Christ. 8 In fact, now I count all things to be loss because of the surpassing value of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord. For him I have given up all things—and I consider them rubbish—so that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in him. I do not have a righteousness of my own from the law. Instead, I have the righteousness that is through faith in Christ, the righteousness that is from God based on faith. 10 So now I want to know him and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of his sufferings. I want to be transformed into the likeness of his death, 11 so somehow I may experience the resurrection from the dead. 12 It is not true that I have already received these things, or that I have become complete. But I press on in order that I may grasp that for which I was grasped by Christ Jesus. 13 Brothers, I do not think that I myself have yet grasped it. But there is one thing: I forget what is behind and strain for what is ahead. 14 I press on toward the goal to win the prize of the upward calling of God in Christ Jesus. 15 All of us who are mature, let us think this way; and if you think differently about anything, God will also reveal that to you. 16 However, whatever we have reached, let us hold on to it.

17 Be imitators of me, brothers. Closely watch those who are walking by the example that you have in us. 18 Many are walking—those about whom I have often told you, and now I am telling you with tears—as enemies of the cross of Christ. 19 Their end is destruction. For their god is their stomach, and their pride is in their shame. They think about earthly things. 20 But our citizenship is in heaven, from where we also wait for a savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. 21 He will transform our lowly bodies into bodies formed like his glorious body, formed by the might of his power to subject all things to himself.

4

1 Therefore, my beloved brothers whom I long for, my joy and crown, in this way stand firm in the Lord, beloved friends.

2 I am pleading with Euodia, and I am pleading with Syntyche, be of the same mind in the Lord. 3 Yes, I ask you, my true companion, to help these women who labored with me in spreading the gospel, along with Clement and the rest of my fellow workers, whose names are in the Book of Life.

4 Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice. 5 Let your gentleness be known to all people. The Lord is near. 6 Do not be anxious about anything. Instead, in everything by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, let your requests be known to God, 7 and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your thoughts in Christ Jesus.

8 Finally, brothers, whatever things are true, whatever things are honorable, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is anything excellent, if there is anything to be praised, think about these things. 9 The things that you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, do these things, and the God of peace will be with you.

10 I greatly rejoice in the Lord because now at last you have renewed your concern for me. You had indeed been concerned for me before, but there was no opportunity for you to help. 11 I am not saying this because I am in need. For I have learned to be content in all circumstances. 12 I know what it is to be poor, and I also know what it is to have plenty. In every way and in all things I have learned the secret of how to be well-fed or to be hungry, and how to have an abundance or to be in need. 13 I can do all things through him who strengthens me. 14 However, you did well to share with me in my difficulties. 15 You Philippians know that in the beginning of the gospel, when I left Macedonia, no church supported me in the matter of giving and receiving except you alone. 16 Even when I was in Thessalonica, you sent help for my needs more than once. 17 It is not that I seek the gift. Instead, I seek the fruit that increases to your credit. 18 I have received everything in full, and even more. I have been well-supplied now that I have received from Epaphroditus the things you sent. They are a sweet-smelling aroma, a sacrifice acceptable and pleasing to God. 19 My God will meet all your needs according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus. 20 Now to our God and Father be the glory forever and ever. Amen.

21 Greet every believer in Christ Jesus. The brothers who are with me greet you. 22 All the believers here greet you, especially those of Caesar's household.

23 May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. *

* 4:23 Some versions add, Amen .

Colossians

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Colossians

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1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus through the will of God, and Timothy our brother, 2 to the believers and faithful brothers in Christ who are at Colossae. May grace be to you, and peace from God our Father. *

3 We give thanks to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, and we always pray for you. 4 We have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all those set apart for God. 5 You have this love because of the certain hope reserved for you in heaven. You heard about this confident expectation before in the word of truth, the gospel, 6 which has come to you. This gospel is bearing fruit and is growing in all the world. It has been doing this in you also from the day you heard it and learned about the grace of God in truth. 7 This is the gospel as you learned it from Epaphras, our beloved fellow servant, who is a faithful servant of Christ on our behalf. † 8 Epaphras has made known to us your love in the Spirit.

9 Because of this love, from the day we heard this we have not stopped praying for you. We have been asking that you will be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding. 10 We have been praying that you will walk worthily of the Lord in pleasing ways. We have been praying that you will bear fruit in every good deed and that you will grow in the knowledge of God. 11 We pray you may be strengthened in every ability according to the power of his glory into all perseverance and patience. 12 We pray that you will joyfully give thanks to the Father, who has made you able to have a share in the inheritance of the saints in light. ‡ 13 He has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son. 14 In his Son we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. § 15 The Son is the image of the invisible God. He is the firstborn of all creation. 16 For by him all things were created, those in the heavens and those on the earth, the visible and the invisible things. Whether thrones or dominions or governments or authorities, all things were created by him and for him. 17 He himself is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18 He is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so he has first place among all things. 19 For God was pleased that all his fullness should live in him, 20 and to reconcile through the Son all things to himself. God made peace through the blood of his cross. God reconciled all things to himself, whether the things on the earth or the things in heaven. 21 At one time, you also were strangers to God and were his enemies in mind and in evil deeds. 22 But now he has reconciled you by his physical body through death. He did this in order to present you holy, blameless, and above reproach before him, 23 if you continue in the faith, established and firm, not moved away from the certain hope of the gospel that you heard. This is the gospel that was proclaimed to every person created under heaven. This is the gospel of which I, Paul, became a servant.

24 Now I rejoice in my sufferings for you, and I fill up in my flesh what is lacking of the afflictions of Christ for the sake of his body, which is the church. 25 It is of this church that I am a servant, according to the responsibility from God that was given to me for you, to fulfill the word of God. 26 This is the secret truth that was hidden for ages and for generations. But now it has been revealed to those who believe in him. 27 It is to them that God wanted to make known the riches of the glory of this secret truth among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. 28 This is he whom we proclaim. We admonish every person, and we teach every person with all wisdom, so that we may present every person complete in Christ. 29 For this I labor and strive according to his energy that is at work in me in power.

2

1 For I want you to know how great a struggle I have had for you, for those at Laodicea, and for as many as have not seen my face in the flesh. 2 I work so that their hearts may be encouraged by being brought together in love and into all the riches of full assurance of understanding, into the knowledge of the secret truth of God, that is, Christ. 3 In him all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are hidden. 4 I say this so that no one may trick you with persuasive speech. 5 Although I am not with you in the flesh, yet I am with you in spirit. I rejoice to see your good order and the strength of your faith in Christ.

6 As you received Christ the Lord, walk in him. 7 Be rooted in him, be built on him, be established in faith just as you were taught, and abound in thanksgiving.

8 See that no one captures you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, conforming to the elements of the world, and not conforming to Christ. 9 For in him all the fullness of God lives in bodily form. 10 You have been filled in him, who is the head over every power and authority. 11 In him you were also circumcised with a circumcision not done by humans in the removal of the body of flesh, but in the circumcision of Christ. 12 You were buried with him in baptism, and in him you were raised up through faith in the power of God, who raised him from the dead. 13 When you were dead in your trespasses and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, he made you alive together with him and forgave us all of our trespasses. * 14 He canceled the written record of debts that stood against us with its regulations. He took it away by nailing it to the cross. 15 He disarmed the powers and authorities and made a public spectacle of them, by being victorious over them by the cross.

16 So then, let no one judge you in eating or in drinking, or about a feast day or a new moon, or about Sabbath days. 17 These are a shadow of the things to come, but the substance is Christ. 18 Let no one who wants humility and the worship of angels judge you out of your prize. Such a person enters into the things he has seen and becomes puffed up by his fleshly thinking. 19 He does not hold on to the head. It is from the head that the whole body throughout its joints and ligaments is supplied and held together; it grows with the growth given by God.

20 If you died together with Christ to the elements of the world, why do you live as obligated to the world: 21 “Do not handle, nor taste, nor touch”? 22 All these things will perish with use, according to the instructions and teachings of men. 23 These rules have the wisdom of self-made religion and humility and severity of the body. But they have no value against the indulgence of the flesh.

3

1 If then God has raised you with Christ, seek the things above, where Christ is sitting at the right hand of God. 2 Think about the things above, not about the things on earth. 3 For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ appears, who is your life, then you will also appear with him in glory. *

5 Put to death, then, the members that are on earth—sexual immorality, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and greed, which is idolatry. 6 It is for these things that the wrath of God is coming on the sons of disobedience. † 7 It is in these things that you also once walked when you lived in them. 8 But now you must get rid of all these things—wrath, anger, evil intentions, insults, and obscene speech from your mouth. 9 Do not lie to one another, since you have taken off the old man with its practices, 10 and you have put on the new man that is being made new in knowledge according to the image of the one who created it. 11 This is where there is no Greek and Jew, circumcision and uncircumcision, barbarian, Scythian, slave, freeman, but Christ is all, and is in all.

12 Therefore, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, put on a heart of mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. 13 Bear with one another. Be gracious to each other. If someone has a complaint against someone else, forgive in the same way that the Lord has forgiven you. 14 Above all these things, have love, which is the bond of perfection. 15 Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts. It was for this peace that you were called in one body. And be thankful. 16 Let the word of Christ live in you richly. With all wisdom teach and admonish one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs. Sing with thankfulness in your hearts to God. 17 Whatever you do, in word or in deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus. Give thanks to God the Father through him.

18 Wives, submit to your husbands, as it is appropriate in the Lord. 19 Husbands, love your wives, and do not be bitter against them. 20 Children, obey your parents in all things, for this is pleasing in the Lord. 21 Fathers, do not provoke your children, so that they will not be discouraged. 22 Slaves, obey your masters according to the flesh in all things, not with eyeservice as people pleasers, but with a sincere heart. Fear the Lord. 23 Whatever you do, work from the soul as to the Lord and not as to people. 24 You know that you will receive from the Lord the reward of the inheritance. It is the Lord Christ whom you serve. 25 For anyone who does unrighteousness will receive the penalty for the unrighteousness that he did, and there is no favoritism.

4

1 Masters, give to slaves what is right and fair. You know that you also have a master in heaven.

2 Continue steadfastly in prayer. Stay alert in it in thanksgiving. 3 Pray together for us also, that God would open a door for the word, to speak the secret truth of Christ. Because of this, I am chained up. 4 Pray that I may make it clear, as I ought to speak. 5 Walk in wisdom toward those outside, and redeem the time. 6 Let your words always be with grace. Let them be seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you should answer each person.

7 As for the things concerning me, Tychicus will make them known to you. He is a beloved brother, a faithful servant, and fellow slave in the Lord. 8 I sent him to you for this, that you might know the matters about us, and so that he may encourage your hearts. * 9 I sent him together with Onesimus, the faithful and beloved brother, who is one of you. They will tell you everything that has happened here.

10 Aristarchus, my fellow prisoner, greets you, as well as Mark, the cousin of Barnabas (about whom you received orders; if he comes to you, receive him), 11 and also Jesus who is called Justus. These alone of the circumcision are my fellow workers for the kingdom of God. They have been a comfort to me. 12 Epaphras greets you. He is one of you and a slave of Christ Jesus. He always strives for you in prayer, so that you may stand complete and fully assured in all the will of God. 13 For I bear witness of him, that he works hard for you, for those in Laodicea, and for those in Hierapolis. 14 Luke the beloved physician and Demas greet you. 15 Greet the brothers in Laodicea, and Nympha, and the church that is in her house. 16 When this letter has been read among you, have it read also in the church of the Laodiceans, and see that you also read the letter from Laodicea. 17 Say to Archippus, “Look to the ministry that you have received in the Lord, that you should fulfill it.”

18 This greeting is with my own hand—Paul. Remember my chains. May grace be with you.

* 1:2 Some versions add, and the Lord Jesus Christ .

† 1:7 Some versions read, on your behalf .

‡ 1:12 Some versions read, who has made us able to have a share .

§ 1:14 Some versions read, In his Son we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins .

* 2:13 Some older versions read, and forgave you all of your trespasses .

* 3:4 Some versions read, When Christ appears, who is our life, then you will also appear with him in glory .

† 3:6 Some versions read, It is for these things that the wrath of God is coming .

* 4:8 Some older versions read, I sent him to you for this, that he might know the matters about you, and that he may encourage your hearts .

1 Thessalonians

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First Thessalonians

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1 Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy to the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. May grace and peace be to you. *

2 We always give thanks to God for all of you, as we mention you in our prayers. 3 We remember without ceasing before our God and Father your work of faith, labor of love, and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ. 4 Brothers loved by God, we know he has chosen you, 5 because our gospel came to you not in word only, but also in power, in the Holy Spirit, and in much assurance. In the same way, you also know what kind of men we were among you for your sake. 6 You became imitators of us and of the Lord, as you received the word in much hardship with joy from the Holy Spirit. 7 As a result, you became an example to all in Macedonia and Achaia who believe. 8 For from you the word of the Lord has rung out, and not only in Macedonia and Achaia—everywhere your faith in God has gone out. Therefore we do not need to say anything about it. 9 For they themselves report what kind of coming we had among you. They tell how you turned to God from the idols to serve the living and true God. 10 They report that you are waiting for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead. This is Jesus, who frees us from the wrath to come.

2

1 For you yourselves know, brothers, that our coming to you was not useless. 2 You know that we previously suffered and were shamefully treated at Philippi. We were bold in our God to speak to you the gospel of God in much struggling. 3 For our exhortation was not from error, nor from impurity, nor from deceit. 4 Instead, just as we have been approved by God to be trusted with the gospel, so we speak. We speak, not to please men, but to please God. He is the one who examines our hearts. 5 For we never used words of flattery, as you know, nor as an excuse to cover up greed— God is our witness. 6 Nor did we seek glory from people, either from you or from others. We could have claimed privileges as apostles of Christ. 7 Instead, we were as gentle among you as a mother comforting her own children. * 8 In this way we had affection for you. We were pleased to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own lives. For you had become very dear to us. 9 For you remember, brothers, our labor and toil. Night and day we were working so that we might not weigh down any of you. During that time, we preached to you the gospel of God. 10 You are witnesses, and God also, how holy, righteous, and blameless was our behavior toward you who believe. 11 In the same way you know how we dealt with each one of you as a father deals with his own children. 12 We were begging you and encouraging and urging you to walk in a manner that is worthy of God, who calls you into his own kingdom and glory.

13 For this reason we also thank God constantly. For when you received from us God's message that you heard, you accepted it not as the word of man. Instead, you received it as it truly is, the word of God. It is this word that is also at work among you who believe. 14 For you, brothers, became imitators of the churches of God that are in Judea in Christ Jesus. For you also suffered the same things from your own countrymen, as they did from the Jews. 15 It was the Jews who killed both the Lord Jesus and the prophets. It was the Jews who drove us out. They do not please God. Instead, they are hostile to all people. 16 They forbid us to speak to the Gentiles for them to be saved. The result is that they always fill up their own sins. Wrath must come on them in the end.

17 We were separated from you, brothers, for a short time, in person not in heart. We were especially eager, with great desire, to see your face. 18 For we wished to come to you—I, Paul, wished to come to you once and again—but Satan stopped us. 19 For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of pride in front of our Lord Jesus at his coming? Is it not you just as much as others? 20 For you are our glory and our joy.

3

1 Therefore, when we could no longer bear it, we thought it was good to be left behind at Athens alone. 2 We sent Timothy, our brother and fellow worker for God in the gospel of Christ, to strengthen and comfort you regarding your faith. * 3 We did this so that no one would be shaken by these sufferings. For yourselves know that for this we have been appointed. 4 Truly, when we were with you, we told you in advance that we were about to suffer affliction, and that happened, as you know. 5 For this reason, when I could no longer stand it, I sent that I might know about your faith. Perhaps the tempter had somehow tempted you, and our labor was in vain. 6 But Timothy came to us from you and brought us the good news of your faith and love. He told us that you always have good memories of us, and that you long to see us just as we also long to see you. 7 Because of this, brothers, we were comforted by you because of your faith, in all our distress and affliction. 8 For now we live, if you stand firm in the Lord. 9 For what thanks can we give to God for you, for all the joy that we have before our God over you? 10 Night and day we pray very hard that we may see your face and provide what is lacking in your faith.

11 May our God and Father himself, and our Lord Jesus, direct our way to you. 12 May the Lord make you increase and abound in love one for another and toward all people, as we also do for you. 13 May he strengthen your hearts, so that they will be blameless in holiness before our God and Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his saints.

4

1 Finally, brothers, we encourage and exhort you in the Lord Jesus. As you received instructions from us about how you must walk and please God, also in this way walk, so that you do so even more. 2 For you know what instructions we gave you through the Lord Jesus. 3 For this is the will of God, your sanctification, that you avoid sexual immorality, 4 that each of you know how to possess his own vessel in holiness and honor, 5 not in the passion of lust (as the Gentiles who do not know God). 6 Let no man transgress and wrong his brother in this matter. For the Lord is an avenger in all these things, just as we forewarned you and testified. 7 For God did not call us to uncleanness, but to holiness. 8 Therefore, he who rejects this rejects not people, but God, who gives his Holy Spirit to you.

9 Regarding brotherly love, you have no need for anyone to write to you, for you yourselves are taught by God to love one another. 10 Indeed, you do this for all the brothers who are in all Macedonia. But we exhort you, brothers, to do this even more. 11 We also exhort you to aspire to live quietly, take care of your own responsibilities, and work with your hands, just as we commanded you, 12 so that you may walk properly before outsiders and not be in any need.

13 We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who sleep, so that you do not grieve like the rest who do not have hope. 14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. 15 For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left at the coming of the Lord, will surely not go before those who have fallen asleep. 16 For the Lord himself will descend from heaven. He will come with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are alive, who are left, will together with them be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. In this way we will always be with the Lord. 18 Therefore, comfort one another with these words.

5

1 Now concerning the times and seasons, brothers, you have no need that anything be written to you. 2 For you yourselves know perfectly well that the day of the Lord is coming like a thief in the night. 3 When they say, “Peace and safety,” then sudden destruction will come on them. It will be like birth pains in a pregnant woman. They will in no way escape. 4 But you, brothers, are not in darkness so that the day would overtake you like a thief. 5 For you are all sons of the light and sons of the day. We are not sons of the night or the darkness. 6 So then, let us not sleep as the rest do. Instead, let us keep watch and be sober. 7 For those who sleep do so at night, and those who get drunk do so at night. 8 But since we belong to the day, we must stay sober and put on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation for our helmet. 9 For God did not appoint us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. 10 It is he who died for us so that, whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with him. 11 Therefore comfort one another and build each other up, just as you are already doing.

12 We ask you, brothers, to acknowledge those who labor among you and who are over you in the Lord and who admonish you. 13 We also ask you to regard them highly in love because of their work. Be at peace among yourselves. 14 We exhort you, brothers: Warn the disorderly, encourage the discouraged, help the weak, and be patient toward all. 15 See that no one pays back evil for evil to anyone. Instead, pursue what is good for one another and for all. 16 Rejoice always. 17 Pray without ceasing. 18 In everything give thanks. For this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. 19 Do not quench the Spirit. 20 Do not despise prophecies. 21 Test all things. Hold on to what is good. 22 Avoid every appearance of evil.

23 May the God of peace make you completely holy. May your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved without blame for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 24 Faithful is he who calls you, the one who will also do it.

25 Brothers, pray also for us.

26 Greet all the brothers with a holy kiss. 27 I solemnly charge you by the Lord to have this letter read to all the brothers.

28 May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.

* 1:1 Some older versions read, May grace and peace be to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ .

* 2:7 Some other versions read, Instead, we were like babies among you, as when a mother comforts her own children .

* 3:2 Some other versions read, We sent Timothy, our brother and God's servant in the gospel of Christ .

2 Thessalonians

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2

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Second Thessalonians

1

1 Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy, to the church of the Thessalonians in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 2 May grace be to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

3 We should always give thanks to God for you, brothers. For this is appropriate, because your faith is growing more and more, and the love each of you has for one another increases. 4 So we ourselves speak proudly about you among the churches of God. We talk about your patience and faith in all your persecutions. We talk about the afflictions that you endure. 5 This is a sign of God's righteous judgment. The result is that you will be considered worthy of the kingdom of God for which you suffer. 6 It is righteous for God to return affliction to those who afflict you, 7 and relief to you who are afflicted with us. He will do this at the appearing of the Lord Jesus from heaven with the angels of his power. 8 In flaming fire he will take vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not respond to the gospel of our Lord Jesus. 9 They will be punished with eternal destruction away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his power. 10 He will do this when he comes on that day to be glorified by his people and to be marveled at by all those who believed. For our testimony to you was believed. 11 Because of this we also pray continually for you. We pray that our God will consider you worthy of your calling. We pray that he will fulfill every desire of goodness and every work of faith with power. 12 We pray these things so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified by you. We pray that you will be glorified by him, because of the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.

2

1 Now about the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered together to be with him, we ask you, brothers, 2 that you not be easily disturbed or troubled, either by a spirit, by a message, or by a letter that seems to be coming from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has already come. 3 Let no one deceive you in any way. For it will not come until after the falling away comes, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction. * 4 This is he who opposes and exalts himself against all that is called God or that is worshiped. As a result, he sits in the temple of God and exhibits himself as God. 5 Do you not remember that when I was with you I told you these things? 6 Now you know what restrains him, so that he will be revealed only at the right time. 7 For the mystery of lawlessness is already working, only there is someone who restrains him now until he is taken out of the way. 8 Then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will kill with the breath of his mouth. The Lord will bring him to nothing by the revelation of his coming. 9 The lawless one's coming will be due to the work of Satan with all power, signs, and false wonders, 10 and with all deceit of unrighteousness. These things will be for those who are perishing, because they did not receive the love of the truth for them to be saved. 11 For this reason God is sending them a work of error so that they would believe a lie. 12 The result is that they will all be judged, those who did not believe the truth but instead took pleasure in unrighteousness.

13 But we should always give thanks to God for you, brothers loved by the Lord. For God chose you as the firstfruits for salvation in sanctification of the Spirit and belief in the truth. † 14 He called you to this through our gospel, that you might obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. 15 So then, brothers, stand firm and hold tightly to the traditions that you were taught, whether by word or by our letter.

16 Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God our Father who loved us and gave us eternal comfort and good hope through grace, 17 comfort and establish your hearts in every good work and word.

3

1 Now, brothers, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may rush and be glorified, as it also is with you. 2 Pray that we may be delivered from wicked and evil people, for not all have faith. 3 But the Lord is faithful, who will establish you and guard you from the evil one. 4 We have confidence in the Lord about you, that you both do and will continue to do the things that we command. 5 May the Lord direct your hearts to the love of God and to the endurance of Christ.

6 Now we command you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you avoid every brother who lives a lazy life and does not live according to the traditions you received from us. 7 For you yourselves know it is proper for you to imitate us. We did not live among you as those who had no discipline. 8 We did not eat anyone's food without paying for it. Instead, we worked night and day in difficult labor and hardship, so we might not be a burden to any of you. 9 We did this not because we have no authority. Instead, we did this in order to be an example to you, so that you may imitate us. 10 When we were with you, we commanded you, “The one who is unwilling to work must not eat.” 11 For we hear that some walk idly among you. They do not work but are instead meddlers. 12 Now such ones we command and exhort in the Lord Jesus Christ, that they should work with quietness and eat their own food. 13 But you, brothers, do not become tired of doing what is right. 14 If anyone does not obey our word in this letter, take note of him and have no association with him, so that he may be ashamed. 15 Do not consider him as an enemy, but warn him as a brother.

16 May the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times in all ways. May the Lord be with you all. 17 This is my greeting, Paul, with my own hand, which is the sign in every letter. This is how I write. 18 May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all.

* 2:3 Some older versions read, and the man of sin is revealed .

† 2:13 Some other versions read, For God chose you from the first for salvation .

1 Timothy

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6

First Timothy

1

1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus according to the commandment of God our Savior and Christ Jesus our hope, 2 to Timothy, a true son in the faith: Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.

3 As I urged you to do when I was leaving for Macedonia, remain in Ephesus so that you can command certain people not to teach a different doctrine. 4 Neither should they pay attention to stories and endless genealogies. These cause arguments rather than helping the plan of God, which is by faith. 5 Now the goal of the commandment is love from a pure heart, from a good conscience, and from a sincere faith. 6 Some people have missed the mark and have turned away from these things to foolish talk. 7 They want to be teachers of the law, but they do not understand what they are saying or what they so confidently affirm. 8 But we know that the law is good if one uses it lawfully. 9 We know this, that law is not made for a righteous man, but for a lawless and rebellious people, for ungodly people and sinners, and for those who are godless and profane. It is made for those who kill their fathers and mothers, for murderers, 10 for sexually immoral people, for homosexuals, for those who kidnap people for slaves, for liars, for false witnesses, and for whatever else is against faithful instruction. 11 This instruction is according to the glorious gospel of the blessed God with which I have been entrusted.

12 I thank Christ Jesus our Lord. He strengthened me, for he considered me faithful, and he placed me into service. 13 I was a blasphemer, a persecutor, and a violent man. But I received mercy because I acted ignorantly in unbelief. 14 But the grace of our Lord overflowed with faith and love that is in Christ Jesus. 15 This message is reliable and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. I am the worst of these. 16 But for this reason I was given mercy, so that in me, the foremost, Christ Jesus might demonstrate all patience. He did this as an example for those who would trust in him for eternal life. 17 Now to the king of the ages, the immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.

18 I am placing this command before you, Timothy, my child, in accordance with the prophecies previously made about you, that you might fight the good fight, 19 holding faith and a good conscience. By rejecting this, some have shipwrecked their faith. 20 Such are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I gave over to Satan so that they may be taught not to blaspheme.

2

1 Therefore first of all, I urge that requests, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, 2 for kings and all who are in authority, in order that we may live a peaceful and quiet life in all godliness and dignity. 3 This is good and acceptable before God our savior. 4 He desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. 5 For there is one God, and there is one mediator for God and man, the man Christ Jesus. 6 He gave himself as a ransom for all, as the testimony at the right time. 7 For this purpose, I myself, was made a herald and an apostle. I am telling the truth. I am not lying. I am a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth.

8 Therefore, I want men in every place to pray and to lift up holy hands without anger or arguing. 9 Likewise, I want the women to dress themselves in proper clothing, with modesty and self-control. They should not have braided hair, or gold, or pearls, or expensive clothing. 10 I want them to dress with what is appropriate for women who profess godliness through good works. 11 A woman should learn in silence and with all submission. 12 I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man, but to live in quietness. 13 For Adam was formed first, then Eve. 14 Adam was not deceived, but the woman was deceived and became a transgressor. 15 However, she will be saved through bearing children, if they continue in faith and love and sanctification with soundness of mind.

3

1 This saying is trustworthy: If someone desires to be an overseer, he desires a good work. 2 Therefore the overseer must be without reproach. He must be a husband of one wife. He must be moderate, sensible, orderly, and hospitable. He must be able to teach. 3 He must not be addicted to wine, not a brawler, but instead, gentle, peaceful. He must not be a lover of money. 4 He should manage his own household well, and his children should obey him with all respect. 5 For if a man does not know how to manage his own household, how will he care for a church of God? 6 He should not be a new convert, so that he does not swell with pride and might fall into condemnation as the devil. 7 He must also have a good reputation with those outside, so that he does not fall into disgrace and the trap of the devil. 8 Deacons, likewise, should be dignified, not double-talkers. They should not drink too much wine or be greedy. 9 They should keep the revealed truth of the faith with a clean conscience. 10 They should also be approved first, then they should serve because they are blameless. 11 Women in the same way should be dignified. They should not be slanderers. They should be moderate and faithful in all things. 12 Deacons must be husbands of one wife. They must manage well their children and household. 13 For those who have served well acquire for themselves a good standing and great confidence in the faith that is in Christ Jesus.

14 I am writing these things to you, and I expect to come to you soon. 15 But if I delay, I am writing so that you may know how to behave in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and support of the truth. 16 It is undeniable that the revealed truth of godliness is great:

“He appeared in the flesh,

was justified by the Spirit,

was seen by angels,

was proclaimed among nations,

was believed on in the world,

and was taken up in glory.”

4

1 Now the Spirit clearly says that in later times some people will leave the faith and pay attention to deceitful spirits and the teachings of demons 2 in lying hypocrisy. Their own consciences will be branded. 3 They will forbid to marry and to receive foods that God created for sharing with thanksgiving among those who believe and who know the truth. 4 For everything created by God is good. Nothing that we take with thanksgiving is to be rejected. 5 For it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer.

6 If you place these things before the brothers, you will be a good servant of Jesus Christ. For you are being nourished by the words of faith and by the good teaching that you have followed. 7 But reject worldly stories loved by old women. Instead, train yourself in godliness. 8 For bodily training is a little useful, but godliness is useful for all things. It holds promise for this life now and the life to come. 9 This message is trustworthy and worthy of full acceptance. 10 For it is for this that we struggle and work very hard. For we have hope in the living God, who is the Savior of all people, but especially of believers. 11 Proclaim and teach these things. 12 Let no one despise your youth. Instead, be an example for those who believe, in speech, conduct, love, faithfulness, and purity. 13 Until I come, attend to the reading, to the exhortation, and to the teaching. 14 Do not neglect the gift that is in you, which was given to you through prophecy, with the laying on of the hands of the elders. 15 Care for these things. Be in them, so that your progress may be evident to all people. 16 Give careful attention to yourself and to the teaching. Continue in these things. For by doing so, you will save yourself and those who listen to you.

5

1 Do not scold an older man. Instead, exhort him as if he were a father. Exhort younger men as if they were brothers. 2 Exhort older women as mothers, and younger women as sisters in all purity. 3 Honor widows, the real widows. 4 But if a widow has children or grandchildren, let them first learn to show honor in their own household. Let them repay their parents, because this is pleasing to God. 5 But a real widow is left all alone. She puts her certain hope in God. She always remains with requests and prayers both night and day. 6 However, the woman who lives for pleasure is dead, even though she is still alive. 7 Give these instructions as well, so that they may be blameless. 8 But if someone does not provide for his own relatives, especially for those of his own household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever. 9 Let a woman be enrolled as a widow who is not younger than sixty, a wife of one husband. 10 She must be known for good deeds, whether it is that she has cared for children, or has been hospitable to strangers, or has washed the feet of the saints, or has relieved the afflicted, or has been devoted to every good work. 11 But as for younger widows, refuse to enroll them in the list. For when they give in to bodily desires against Christ, they want to marry. 12 In this way they incur guilt because they revoke their first commitment. 13 At the same time, they also learn to be lazy and they go around from house to house. They not only become lazy, but they also talk nonsense and are busybodies, saying things they should not say. 14 I therefore want younger women to marry, to bear children, to manage the household, and to give no opportunity for the enemy to slander us. 15 For some have already turned aside after Satan. 16 If any believing woman has widows, let her help them, so that the church will not be weighed down, so that it might help the real widows.

17 Let the elders who rule well be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who work with the word and in teaching. 18 For the scripture says, “You shall not put a muzzle on an ox while it treads the grain” and “The laborer is worthy of his wages.” 19 Do not receive an accusation against an elder unless there are two or three witnesses. 20 Correct sinners before all so that the rest may be afraid. 21 I solemnly command you before God and Christ Jesus and the chosen angels, to keep these commands without partiality, and to do nothing out of favoritism. 22 Place hands hastily on no one. Do not share in the sins of another person. You should keep yourself pure. 23 You should no longer drink water. Instead, you should take a little wine for the stomach and your frequent sicknesses. 24 The sins of some people are openly known, and they go before them into judgment. But some sins follow later. 25 Likewise, some good works are openly known, but even the others cannot be hidden.

6

1 Let all who are under the yoke as slaves regard their own masters as worthy of all honor. They should do this so that the name of God and the teaching might not be blasphemed. 2 The slaves who have believing masters should not disrespect them because they are brothers. Instead, they should serve them all the more. For the masters who are helped by their work are believers and are loved. Teach and declare these things.

3 If anyone teaches something that does not agree with the reliable instruction of our Lord Jesus Christ and to godly teaching, 4 he is proud and understands nothing. He has an unhealthy interest in controversies and arguments about words that result in envy, strife, insults, evil suspicions, 5 and constant conflict between people with depraved minds. They have lost the truth and they think that godliness is a way to get more money. * 6 Now godliness with contentment is great gain. 7 For we have brought nothing into the world. Neither are we able to take out anything. 8 Instead, let us be satisfied with food and clothing. 9 Now those who want to become wealthy fall into temptation, into a trap. They fall into many foolish and harmful passions, and into whatever else makes people sink into ruin and destruction. 10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people who desire it have been mislead away from the faith and have pierced themselves with much grief.

11 But you, man of God, flee from these things. Pursue righteousness, godliness, faithfulness, love, endurance, and gentleness. 12 Fight the good fight of faith. Take hold of the everlasting life to which you were called, and about which you gave the good confession before many witnesses. 13 I give you this command before God, who causes all things to live, and before Christ Jesus, who spoke what is true to Pontius Pilate: 14 Keep the commandment without spot or blame until the appearance of our Lord Jesus Christ. 15 God will reveal Christ's appearing at the right time—God, the blessed and only Sovereign, the King who reigns and the Lord who rules. 16 Only he has immortality and dwells in inapproachable light. No man sees him or is able to view him. To him be honor and eternal power. Amen.

17 Tell the rich in this world not to be proud, and not to hope in riches, which are uncertain. Instead, they should hope in God. He offers to us all the true riches to enjoy. 18 Tell them to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous, and willing to share. 19 In that way, they will store up for themselves a good foundation for what is to come, so that they will take hold of real life.

20 Timothy, protect what was given to you. Avoid the foolish talk and conflicting ideas of what is falsely called knowledge. 21 Some men proclaim these things and so they have missed the faith. May grace be with you.

* 6:5 Some old copies add, Withdraw from such things, but the best ancient copies do not.

2 Timothy

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Second Timothy

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1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus through the will of God, according to the promise of the life that is in Christ Jesus, 2 to Timothy, beloved child: Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.

3 I thank God, whom I serve from my forefathers, with a clean conscience, as I constantly remember you in my prayers night and day. 4 As I remember your tears, I long to see you, that I may be filled with joy. 5 I have been reminded of your genuine faith, which lived first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice, and I am convinced that it lives in you also. 6 This is the reason I am reminding you to rekindle the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands. 7 For God did not give us a spirit of fear, but of power and love and discipline. 8 So do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord, nor of me, Paul, his prisoner. Instead, share in suffering for the gospel according to the power of God. 9 It is God who saved us and called us with a holy calling. He did this, not according to our works, but according to his own plan and grace. He gave us these things in Christ Jesus before times ever began. 10 But now God's salvation has been revealed by the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus. It is Christ who put an end to death and brought life that never ends to light through the gospel. 11 Because of this, I was appointed a preacher, an apostle, and a teacher. * 12 For this cause I also suffer these things. But I am not ashamed, for I know him whom I have believed. I am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have entrusted to him until that day. 13 Keep the example of faithful messages that you heard from me, with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. 14 The good thing that God committed to you, guard it through the Holy Spirit, who lives in us.

15 You know this, that all who live in Asia turned away from me. In this group are Phygelus and Hermogenes. 16 May the Lord grant mercy to the household of Onesiphorus, for he often refreshed me and was not ashamed of my chain. 17 Instead, when he was in Rome, he sought me diligently, and he found me. 18 May the Lord grant to him to find mercy from him on that day. All the ways he helped me in Ephesus, you know very well.

2

1 You therefore, my child, be strengthened in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. 2 The things you heard from me among many witnesses, entrust them to faithful people who will be able to teach others also. 3 Suffer hardship with me, as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. 4 No soldier serves while entangled in the affairs of this life, so that he may please his superior officer. 5 Also, if someone competes as an athlete, he is not crowned unless he competes by the rules. 6 It is necessary that the hardworking farmer receive his share of the crops first. 7 Think about what I am saying, for the Lord will give you understanding in everything. 8 Remember Jesus Christ, from David's seed, who was raised from the dead. This is according to my gospel message, 9 for which I am suffering to the point of being bound with chains as a criminal. But the word of God is not bound. 10 Therefore I endure all things for those who are chosen, so that they also may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus, with eternal glory. 11 This is a trustworthy saying:

“If we have died with him, we will also live with him.

12 If we endure, we will also reign with him.

If we deny him, he also will deny us.

13 if we are unfaithful, he remains faithful,

for he cannot deny himself.”

14 Keep reminding them of these things. Warn them before God against quarreling about words; it is of no value, and only ruins those who listen. * 15 Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no reason to be ashamed, who accurately teaches the word of truth. 16 Avoid profane talk, which leads to more and more godlessness. 17 Their talk will spread like cancer. Among them are Hymenaeus and Philetus, 18 who have gone astray from the truth. They say that the resurrection has already happened, and they destroy the faith of some. 19 However, the firm foundation of God stands. It has this inscription: “The Lord knows those who are his” and “Everyone who names the name of the Lord must depart from unrighteousness.” 20 In a wealthy home, there are not only containers of gold and silver. There are also containers of wood and clay. Some of these are for honorable use, and some for dishonorable. 21 If someone cleans himself from dishonorable use, he is an honorable container. He is set apart, useful to the Master, and prepared for every good work. 22 Flee youthful lusts. Pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace with those who call on the Lord out of a clean heart. 23 But refuse foolish and ignorant questions. You know that they give birth to arguments. 24 The Lord's servant must not quarrel. Instead he must be gentle toward all, able to teach, and patient. 25 He must in meekness educate those who oppose him. God may perhaps give them repentance for the knowledge of the truth. 26 They may become sober again and leave the devil's trap, after they have been captured by him for his will.

3

1 But know this: In the last days there will be difficult times. 2 For people will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, and unholy. 3 They will be without natural affection, unable to reconcile, slanderers, without self-control, violent, not lovers of good. 4 They will be betrayers, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God. 5 They will have a shape of godliness, but they will deny its power. Turn away from these people. 6 For some of them are men who enter into households and captivate foolish women. These are women who are heaped up with sins and are led away by various desires. 7 These women are always learning, but they are never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. 8 In the same way that Jannes and Jambres stood against Moses, these false teachers also stand against the truth. They are men corrupt in mind, and with regard to the faith they are proven to be false. 9 But they will not advance very far. For their foolishness will be obvious to all, just like that of those men. 10 But as for you, you have followed my teaching, conduct, purpose, faith, longsuffering, love, patience, 11 persecutions, sufferings, and what happened to me at Antioch, at Iconium, and at Lystra. I endured persecutions. Out of them all, the Lord rescued me. 12 All those who want to live in a godly manner in Christ Jesus will be persecuted. 13 Evil people and impostors will go from bad to worse, leading others and themselves astray. 14 But as for you, remain in the things that you have learned and have firmly believed. You know from whom you have learned. 15 You know that from childhood you have known the sacred writings. These are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. 16 All scripture has been inspired by God. It is profitable for doctrine, for conviction, for correction, and for training in righteousness. 17 This is so that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work.

4

1 I give this solemn command before God and Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and because of his appearing and his kingdom: 2 Preach the word; be ready when it is convenient and when it is not. Reprove, rebuke, exhort, with all patience and teaching. 3 For the time will come when people will not endure sound teaching. Instead, they will heap up for themselves teachers according to their own desires, who say what their itching ears want to hear. 4 They will turn their hearing away from the truth, and they will turn aside to myths. 5 But you, be sober-minded in all things. Suffer hardship; do the work of an evangelist; fulfill your service. 6 For I am already being poured out. The time of my departure has come. 7 I have competed in the good contest; I have finished the race; I have kept the faith. 8 The crown of righteousness has been reserved for me, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will give to me on that day, and not to me only, but also to all those who have loved his appearing.

9 Do your best to come to me quickly. 10 For Demas has left me. He loves this present world and has gone to Thessalonica. Crescens went to Galatia, and Titus went to Dalmatia. 11 Only Luke is with me. Get Mark and bring him with you because he is useful to me in the work. 12 Tychicus I sent to Ephesus. 13 The cloak that I left at Troas with Carpus, bring it when you come, and the books, especially the parchments. 14 Alexander the coppersmith displayed many evil deeds against me. The Lord will repay him according to his deeds. 15 You also should guard yourself against him, because he greatly opposed our words. 16 At my first defense, no one stood with me. Instead, everyone left me. May it not be counted against them. 17 But the Lord stood by me and strengthened me so that, through me, the message might be fully proclaimed, and that all the Gentiles might hear it; and that I was rescued out of the lion's mouth. 18 The Lord will rescue me from every evil deed and will save me for his heavenly kingdom. To him be the glory forever and ever. Amen.

19 Greet Priscilla, Aquila, and the house of Onesiphorus. 20 Erastus remained at Corinth, but Trophimus I left sick at Miletus. 21 Do your best to come before winter. Eubulus greets you, also Pudens, Linus, Claudia, and all the brothers.

22 May the Lord be with your spirit. May grace be with you.

* 1:11 Some older versions add, to the Gentiles .

* 2:14 Some versions read, Warn them before the Lord .

Titus

1

2

3

Titus

1

1 Paul, a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ, for the faith of God's chosen people and the knowledge of the truth that agrees with godliness, 2 with the certain hope of everlasting life that God, who does not lie, promised before all the ages of time. 3 At the right time, he revealed his word by the message that he trusted me to deliver. I was to do this by the command of God our savior. 4 To Titus, a true son in our common faith. Grace and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our savior.

5 For this purpose I left you in Crete, that you might set in order things not yet complete and ordain elders in every city as I directed you. 6 An elder must be without blame, the husband of one wife, with faithful children who do not have the reputation of being reckless or undisciplined. 7 It is necessary for the overseer, as God's household manager, to be blameless. He must not be arrogant, not be easily angered, not addicted to wine, not a brawler, and not a greedy man. 8 Instead, he should be hospitable and a friend of what is good. He must be sensible, righteous, godly, and self-controlled. 9 He should hold tightly to the trustworthy message that was taught, so that he may be able to encourage others with good teaching and correct those who oppose him.

10 For there are many rebellious people, empty talkers and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision. 11 It is necessary to stop them. They are upsetting whole families by teaching for shameful profit what they should not teach. 12 One of their own prophets has said, “Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, lazy gluttons.” 13 This statement is true. Therefore, correct them severely, so that they may be sound in the faith, 14 not paying any attention to Jewish myths or to the commands of people who turn away from the truth. 15 To those who are pure, all things are pure. But to those who are corrupt and unbelieving, nothing is pure, but both their minds and their consciences have been corrupted. 16 They profess to know God, but they deny him by their actions. They are detestable, disobedient, and unfit for doing any good work.

2

1 But you, speak what fits with faithful instruction. 2 Teach older men to be temperate, dignified, sensible, sound in faith, in love, and in perseverance. 3 Teach older women likewise to be reverent in behavior, not slanderers or being slaves to much wine, but to be teachers of what is good. 4 In this way they may train the younger women to love their own husbands and children, 5 to be sensible, pure, good housekeepers, and obedient to their own husbands. They should do these things so that God's word may not be insulted. 6 In the same way, encourage the younger men to use good sense. 7 In all ways present yourself as an example of good works. In your teaching, show integrity, dignity, 8 and a correct message, so that anyone who opposes you may be ashamed because they have nothing bad to say about us. 9 Teach slaves to obey their masters in everything, to please them and not argue with them, 10 to not steal from them, but instead to demonstrate all good faith, so that in every way they may bring credit to the teaching about God our Savior. 11 For the grace of God has appeared for the salvation of all people. 12 It trains us to reject godlessness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in this age, 13 while we look forward to receiving our blessed hope, the appearance of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ. 14 Jesus gave himself for us in order to redeem us from all lawlessness and to make pure, for himself, a special people who are eager to do good works.

15 Speak of these things, encourage people to do them, and give correction with all authority. Let no one disregard you.

3

1 Remind them to submit to rulers and authorities, to obey them, to be ready for every good work, 2 to revile no one, to not be eager to fight, and to be gentle, showing all humility toward everyone. 3 For once we ourselves were thoughtless and disobedient. We were led astray and enslaved by various passions and pleasures. We lived in evil and envy. We were detestable and hated one another. 4 But when the kindness of God our savior and his love for mankind appeared, 5 it was not by works of righteousness that we did, but by his mercy that he saved us. He saved us through the washing of new birth and renewal by the Holy Spirit. 6 God richly poured the Holy Spirit on us through our Savior Jesus Christ, 7 so that having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs with the certain hope of eternal life. 8 This message is trustworthy. I want you to insist on these things, so that those who have believed in God may be careful to engage themselves in good works. These things are good and useful for everyone. 9 But avoid foolish debates and genealogies and strife and conflict about the law. Those things are unprofitable and worthless. 10 Reject anyone who is causing divisions among you, after one or two warnings, 11 knowing that such a person has turned from the right way and is sinning and condemns himself.

12 When I send Artemas or Tychicus to you, hurry and come to me at Nicopolis, where I have decided to spend the winter. 13 Do everything you can to send on their way Zenas the lawyer and Apollos, so that they lack nothing. 14 Our people must learn to engage themselves in good works that provide for urgent needs, and so not be unfruitful.

15 All those who are with me greet you. Greet those who love us in faith. Grace be with all of you.

Philemon

Philemon

1

1 Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus, and the brother Timothy to Philemon, our dear friend and fellow worker, 2 and to Apphia our sister, and to Archippus our fellow soldier, and to the church that meets in your home. 3 May grace be to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

4 I always thank my God. I mention you in my prayers. 5 I have heard of the love and the faith that you have in the Lord Jesus and for all the believers. 6 I pray that the fellowship of your faith may be effective for the knowledge of everything good that is among us in Christ. 7 For I have had much joy and comfort because of your love, because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed by you, brother.

8 Therefore, although I have all the boldness in Christ to command you to do what you should do, 9 yet because of love, I appeal to you instead—I, Paul, an old man, and now a prisoner for Christ Jesus. 10 I am asking you concerning my child Onesimus, whom I have fathered in my chains. 11 For he once was useless to you, but now he is useful both to you and to me. 12 I have sent him back to you, he who is my very heart. 13 I wish I could have kept him with me, so he could serve me for you, while I am in chains for the sake of the gospel. 14 But I did not want to do anything without your consent. I did not want your good deed to be from necessity but from good will. 15 Perhaps for this he was separated from you for a time, so that you might have him back forever. 16 No longer would he be a slave, but better than a slave, a beloved brother. He is beloved especially to me, and much more so to you, in both the flesh and in the Lord. 17 So if you have me as a partner, receive him as me. 18 If he has wronged you or owes you anything, charge that to me. 19 I, Paul, write this with my own hand. I myself will pay it back—not to mention that you owe me your own self! 20 Yes, brother, do me a favor in the Lord; refresh my heart in Christ.

21 Confident about your obedience, I am writing to you. I know that you will do even more than I ask. 22 At the same time, prepare a guest room for me, for I hope that through your prayers I will be given back to you.

23 Epaphras, my fellow prisoner in Christ Jesus, greets you. 24 So do Mark, Aristarchus, Demas, and Luke, my fellow workers.

25 May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Amen.

Hebrews

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

Hebrews

1

1 Long ago God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in many ways. 2 But in these last days, he has spoken to us through a Son, whom he appointed to be the heir of all things. It is through him that God also made the universe. 3 He is the brightness of God's glory, the exact representation of his being. He even holds everything together by the word of his power. After he had made cleansing for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high. 4 He has become just as superior to the angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than their name. 5 For to which of the angels did God ever say,

“You are my son,

today I have become your father”?

Or to which of the angels did God ever say,

“I will be a father to him,

and he will be a son to me”?

6 But again, when God brings the firstborn into the world, he says, “All God's angels must worship him.” 7 About the angels he says,

“He is the one who makes his angels spirits,

and his servants flames of fire.”

8 But to the Son he says,

“Your throne, God, is forever and ever.

The scepter of your kingdom is the scepter of justice.

9 You have loved righteousness and hated lawlessness.

Therefore God, your God, has anointed you

with the oil of joy more than your companions.”

10 “In the beginning, Lord, you laid the earth's foundation.

The heavens are the work of your hands.

11 They will perish, but you will continue.

They will all wear out like a piece of clothing.

12 You will roll them up like a cloak,

and they will be changed like a piece of clothing.

But you are the same,

and your years do not end.”

13 But to which of the angels has God said at any time,

“Sit at my right hand

until I make your enemies a stool for your feet”?

14 Are not all angels spirits who serve, and who are sent to care for those who will inherit salvation?

2

1 Therefore we must give far more attention to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away from it. 2 For if the message that was spoken through the angels proved to be so reliable, and every trespass and disobedience receives just punishment, 3 how then can we escape if we ignore so great a salvation? This is salvation that was first announced by the Lord and confirmed to us by those who heard it. 4 At the same time God testified to it by signs, wonders, and various powerful deeds, and by distributing the gifts of the Holy Spirit according to his will.

5 For it was not to the angels that God subjected the world to come, about which we are speaking. 6 Instead, someone has somewhere testified, saying,

“What is man, that you are mindful of him?

Or a son of man, that you care for him?

7 You made man a little lower than the angels;

you crowned him with glory and honor. *

8 You put everything in subjection under his feet.”

For it was to him that God has subjected all things. He did not leave anything not subjected to him. But now we do not yet see everything subjected to him. 9 But we see him who was made lower than the angels for a little while, Jesus, crowned with glory and honor because of his suffering and death, so that by God's grace he might taste death for everyone. 10 For it was proper for God, because everything exists for him and through him, to bring many sons to glory. It was proper for him to make the leader of their salvation complete through his sufferings. 11 For both the one who sanctifies and those who are sanctified have one source. So he is not ashamed to call them brothers. 12 He says,

“I will proclaim your name to my brothers,

I will sing about you from inside the assembly.”

13 And again,

“I will trust in him.”

And again,

“See, here am I and the children whom God has given me.”

14 Therefore, since the children of God share flesh and blood, Jesus also shared the same things with them, so that through death he would do away with the one who had the power of death, that is, the devil. 15 This was so that he would free all those who through fear of death lived all their lives in slavery. 16 For of course it is not with angels that he is concerned; instead, it is with the seed of Abraham that he is concerned. 17 So it was necessary for him to become like his brothers in all ways, so that he would be a merciful and faithful high priest in relation to the things of God, and so that he would bring about the pardon of the people's sins. 18 Because Jesus himself has suffered and was tempted, he is able to help those who are tempted.

3

1 Therefore, holy brothers, you share in a heavenly calling. Think about Jesus, the apostle and high priest of our confession. 2 He was faithful to God, who appointed him, just as Moses was also faithful in God's house. 3 For Jesus has been considered worthy of greater glory than Moses, because the one who builds a house has more honor than the house itself. 4 For every house is built by someone, but the one who built everything is God. 5 For Moses was faithful as a servant in God's entire house, bearing witness about the things that were to be spoken of in the future. 6 But Christ is faithful as a Son who is in charge of God's house. We are his house if we hold fast to our courage and the hope of which we boast. 7 Therefore, it is just as the Holy Spirit says:

“Today, if you hear his voice

8 do not harden your hearts

as in the rebellion,

in the time of testing in the wilderness.

9 This was when your ancestors rebelled by testing me,

and when, during forty years, they saw my deeds.

10 Therefore I was displeased with that generation.

I said, 'They have always gone astray in their hearts.

They have not known my ways.'

11 It is just as I swore in my anger:

'They will never enter my rest.'”

12 Be careful, brothers, so that among you there will not be anyone with an evil heart of unbelief, a heart that turns away from the living God. 13 Instead, encourage one another daily, as long as it is called “today,” so that no one among you will be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. 14 For we have become partners of Christ if we firmly hold to our confidence in him from the beginning to the end. 15 About this it has been said,

“Today, if you hear his voice,

do not harden your hearts,

as in the rebellion.”

16 Who was it who heard God and rebelled? Was it not all those who came out of Egypt through Moses? 17 With whom was he angry for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose dead bodies fell in the wilderness? 18 To whom did he swear that they would not enter his rest, if it was not to those who disobeyed him? 19 We see that they were not able to enter his rest because of unbelief.

4

1 Therefore, let us be very careful so that none of you might seem to have failed to reach the promise left behind for you to enter God's rest. 2 For we were told the good news just as they were. But that message did not benefit those who did not unite in faith with those who obeyed. * 3 For we who have believed enter that rest, just as he said,

“As I swore in my wrath,

They will never enter my rest.”

Even so, his works were finished from the foundation of the world. 4 For he has somewhere spoken about the seventh day:

“And God rested on the seventh day from all his works.” 5 And again in this same passage he said,

“They will never enter my rest.”

6 Therefore, because it is still reserved for some to enter his rest, and since many Israelites who heard the good news did not enter it because of disobedience, 7 God has again set a certain day calling it “Today.” After many days, he spoke through David, as it was earlier said,

“Today if you hear his voice,

do not harden your hearts.”

8 For if Joshua had given them rest, God would not have spoken about another day. 9 Therefore there is still a Sabbath rest reserved for God's people. 10 For he who enters into God's rest has himself also rested from his deeds, just as God did from his. 11 Therefore let us be eager to enter that rest, so that no one will fall into the kind of disobedience that they did. 12 For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword. It pierces even to the division of soul from spirit, and joints from marrow. It is able to know the heart's thoughts and intentions. 13 Nothing created is hidden before God. Instead, everything is bare and open to the eyes of the one to whom we must give account.

14 Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us firmly hold to our beliefs. 15 For we do not have a high priest who cannot feel sympathy for our weaknesses. Instead, we have someone who has in all ways been tempted as we are, except that he is without sin. 16 Let us then go with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

5

1 For every high priest, chosen from among people, is appointed to act on the behalf of people in the things concerning God, so that he may offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins. 2 He can deal gently with those who are ignorant and who have been deceived, because he himself is subject to weakness. 3 Because of this, he also is required to offer sacrifices for his own sins, just as he does for the people's sins. 4 It is not for himself that anyone takes this honor. Instead, he is called by God, just as Aaron was. 5 In the same way, neither did Christ honor himself by making himself high priest. Instead, the one speaking to him said,

“You are my Son;

today I have become your Father.”

6 It is just as he also says in another place,

“You are a priest forever

after the manner of Melchizedek.”

7 During the days of his flesh, Christ offered up both prayers and requests with loud cries and tears to God, the one able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his godly life. 8 Even though he was a son, he learned obedience from what he suffered. 9 He was made perfect and became, for everyone who obeys him, the cause of eternal salvation. 10 He was designated by God as high priest after the manner of Melchizedek.

11 We have much to say about Jesus, but it is hard to explain since you have become dull in hearing. 12 For though by this time you should be teachers, you still have need for someone to teach you the basic principles of God's messages. You need milk, not solid food! 13 For anyone who only takes milk is inexperienced with the message of righteousness, because he is still a little child. 14 But solid food is for adults. These are those who because of their maturity have their understanding trained for distinguishing good from evil.

6

1 So then, let us leave the beginning of the message of Christ and move forward to maturity. Let us not lay again the foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith in God, 2 nor the foundation of teaching about baptisms, laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. 3 We will also do this if God permits. 4 For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, who tasted the heavenly gift, who were sharers of the Holy Spirit, 5 and who tasted God's good word and the powers of the age to come, 6 but who then fell away—it is impossible to restore them again to repentance. This is because they crucify the Son of God for themselves again, and publicly shame him. 7 For the land that drinks in the rain that often comes on it, and that gives birth to the plants useful to those for whom the land was worked—this is the land that receives a blessing from God. 8 But if it bears thorns and thistles, it is worthless and is near to a curse. Its end is in burning.

9 But we are convinced about better things concerning you, beloved ones, things that concern salvation, even though we speak like this. 10 For God is not so unjust that he would forget your work and the love that you have shown for his name, because you served the believers and still serve them. 11 We greatly desire that each of you may show the same diligence to the end, in order to make your hope certain. 12 This is so that you will not become lazy, but imitators of those who by faith and patience inherit the promises.

13 For when God made his promise to Abraham, he swore by himself, since he could not swear by anyone greater. 14 He said, “I will certainly bless you, and I will greatly increase you.” 15 In this way, Abraham obtained what was promised after he had patiently waited. 16 For people swear by someone greater than themselves. At the end of each of their disputes, an oath serves as confirmation. 17 When God decided to show more clearly to the heirs of the promise the unchangeable quality of his purpose, he guaranteed it with an oath. 18 He did this so that by two unchangeable things—with which it is impossible for God to lie—we, who have fled for refuge, will have a strong encouragement to hold firmly to the hope set before us. 19 We have this as a secure and reliable anchor for the soul, a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain, 20 where Jesus, who went before us, has entered into that place on our behalf. He has become a high priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.

7

1 It was this Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of God Most High, who met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings and blessed him. 2 It was to him that Abraham gave a tenth of everything. His name “Melchizedek” means “king of righteousness.” His other title is “king of Salem,” that is, “king of peace.” 3 He is without father, without mother, without ancestors, with neither beginning of days nor end of life. Instead, he resembles the Son of God, because he remains a priest forever.

4 See how great this man was to whom the patriarch Abraham gave a tenth of the things that he had taken in battle. 5 The sons of Levi who receive the priesthood have a command from the law to collect tithes from the people, that is, from their brothers, even though they, too, have come from Abraham's body. 6 But Melchizedek, whose descent was not traced from them, received tithes from Abraham, and blessed him, the one who had the promises. 7 There is no denying that the lesser person is blessed by the greater person. 8 In this case, mortal men receive tithes, but in that case it is testified that he lives on. 9 And, in a manner of speaking, Levi, who received tithes, also paid tithes through Abraham, 10 because Levi was in the body of his ancestor when Melchizedek met Abraham.

11 Now if perfection were possible through the Levitical priesthood (for under it the people received the law), what further need would there have been for another priest to arise after the manner of Melchizedek, and not be considered to be after the manner of Aaron? 12 For when the priesthood is changed, the law must also be changed. 13 For the one about whom these things are said belongs to another tribe, from which no one has ever served at the altar. 14 Now clearly, it is from Judah that our Lord was born, a tribe that Moses never mentioned concerning priests. 15 What we say is clearer yet if another priest arises in the likeness of Melchizedek. 16 It was not based on the law of fleshly descent that he became a priest, but instead was based on the power of an everlasting life. 17 For scripture witnesses about him:

“You are a priest forever

after the manner of Melchizedek.”

18 For the former regulation is set aside because it is weak and useless, 19 (for the law made nothing perfect), and a better hope is introduced, through which we come near to God. 20 And it was not without an oath! Others became priests without any oath, 21 but he became a priest when God said to him,

“The Lord has sworn and he will not change his mind:

'You are a priest forever.'”

22 By this also Jesus has given the guarantee of a better covenant. 23 The former priests were many in number, since death prevented them from continuing in office. 24 But because Jesus continues to live forever, he has a permanent priesthood. 25 Therefore he is also able to save completely those who approach God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them. 26 For such a high priest is suitable for us. He is sinless, blameless, pure, separated from sinners, and has become higher than the heavens. 27 He does not need, unlike the high priests, to offer up daily sacrifices, first for his own sins, and then for the sins of the people. He did this once for all, when he offered himself. 28 For the law appoints as high priests men who have weaknesses. But the word of the oath, which came after the law, appointed a Son, who has been made perfect forever.

8

1 Now the point of what we are saying is this: We have a high priest who has sat down at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens. 2 He is a servant in the holy place, the true tabernacle that the Lord, not a man, set up. 3 For every high priest is appointed to offer both gifts and sacrifices. Therefore it is necessary to have something to offer. 4 Now if Christ were on earth, he would not be a priest at all, since there are those who offer the gifts according to the law. 5 They serve in a tabernacle that is a copy and shadow of the heavenly things. It is just as Moses was warned by God when he was about to construct the tabernacle: God said, “See that you make everything according to the pattern that was shown to you on the mountain.” 6 But now Christ has received a much better ministry, just as he is also the mediator of a better covenant, which is based on better promises. 7 For if that first covenant had been faultless, there would have been no need for a second covenant. 8 For when God found fault with the people, he said,

“See, the days are coming—says the Lord—

when I will make a new covenant

with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah.

9 It will not be like the covenant

that I made with their ancestors

on the day that I took them by their hand

to lead them out of the land of Egypt.

For they did not carefully obey my covenant,

and I disregarded them

—says the Lord.

10 This is the covenant

that I will make with the house of Israel

after those days

—says the Lord.

I will put my laws into their minds,

and I will also write them on their hearts.

I will be their God,

and they will be my people.

11 They will not teach each one his neighbor

and each one his brother, saying, 'Know the Lord.'

For they will all know me,

from the least of them to the greatest.

12 For I will be merciful toward their evil deeds,

and their sins I will not remember any longer.”

13 By calling this covenant “new,” he declared the first covenant to be old, and what has become old and obsolete will soon disappear.

9

1 Now even the first covenant had regulations for worship and an earthly sanctuary. 2 For a tabernacle was prepared. The first room, in which were the lampstand, the table, and the bread of the presence, was called the holy place. 3 Behind the second curtain was another room, called the most holy place. 4 It had a golden altar for incense. It also had the ark of the covenant, which was completely overlaid with gold. Inside it was a golden jar holding the manna, Aaron's rod that budded, and the tablets of the covenant. 5 Above the ark of the covenant, glorious cherubim overshadowed the atonement lid, which we cannot now talk about in detail. 6 After these things were prepared, the priests always entered the outer room of the tabernacle to perform their services. 7 But only the high priest entered the second room once each year, and not without blood that he offered for himself and for the people's unintentional sins. 8 The Holy Spirit showed that the way into the most holy place had not yet appeared as long as the first tabernacle was still standing. 9 This was an illustration for the present time. Both the gifts and sacrifices that are now being offered are not able to perfect the worshiper's conscience. 10 They are only concerned with food and drink and various ceremonial washings, regulations for the body until the time of the new order.

11 Christ came as a high priest of the good things that have come. He went through the greater and more perfect tabernacle that was not made by human hands, one not belonging to this created world. * 12 It was not by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood that he entered into the most holy place once for all and secured our eternal redemption. 13 For if the blood of goats and bulls and the sprinkling of a heifer's ashes on those who have become unclean sets them apart to God for the cleansing of their flesh, 14 how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, cleanse our conscience from dead works to serve the living God? 15 For this reason, he is the mediator of a new covenant. This is so that, since a death has taken place to free those under the first covenant from their sins, those who are called will receive the promise of an eternal inheritance. 16 For where there is a will, the death of the person who made it must be proven. 17 For a will is only in force when there has been a death, because it has no force while the one who made it is still alive. 18 So not even the first covenant was established without blood. 19 For when Moses had given every command in the law to all the people, he took the blood of the calves and the goats, with water, red wool, and hyssop, and sprinkled both the scroll itself and all the people. 20 Then he said, “This is the blood of the covenant that God has commanded for you.” 21 In the same manner, he sprinkled the blood on the tabernacle and all the containers used in the service. 22 According to the law, almost everything is cleansed with blood. Without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.

23 Therefore it was necessary that the copies of the things in heaven should be cleansed with these animal sacrifices. However, the heavenly things themselves had to be cleansed with much better sacrifices. 24 For Christ did not enter into the most holy place made with hands, which is only a copy of the true one. Instead he entered into heaven itself, to appear now in God's presence for us. 25 He did not go there in order to offer himself many times, as does the high priest, who enters the most holy place year by year with the blood of another. 26 If that had been the case, then he would have had to suffer many times since the beginning of the world. But now he has appeared at the end of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of himself. 27 Just as man is appointed to die once, and after that comes judgment, 28 so also, Christ was offered once to take away the sins of many, and will appear a second time, not to deal with sin, but for the salvation of those who are waiting for him.

10

1 For the law is only a shadow of the good things to come, not the real forms of those things themselves. Those who approach God can never be made perfect by the same sacrifices that the priests continually bring year after year. 2 Otherwise, would the sacrifices not have ceased to be offered? For the worshipers would have been cleansed one time and would no longer have any consciousness of sin. 3 But with those sacrifices there is a reminder of sins year after year. 4 For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins. 5 When Christ came into the world, he said,

“Sacrifices and offerings

you did not desire,

but a body you have prepared for me;

6 with burnt offerings and sin offerings

you did not take pleasure.

7 Then I said, 'See, here I am—

as it is written about me in the scroll—

to do your will.'”

8 First he said, “It was neither sacrifices, nor offerings, nor whole burnt offerings, nor sacrifices for sin that you desired. Nor did you take pleasure in them.” These are sacrifices that are offered according to the law. 9 Then he said, “See, here I am to do your will.” He takes away the first practice in order to establish the second practice. 10 By that will, we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. 11 Day after day every priest stands and performs his service to God. He offers the same sacrifices again and again—sacrifices that can never take away sins. 12 But when Christ offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God. 13 He is waiting until his enemies are made a stool for his feet. 14 For by one offering he has perfected forever those who are being sanctified. 15 The Holy Spirit also testifies to us. First he said,

16 “This is the covenant that I will make with them

after those days, says the Lord.

I will put my laws in their hearts,

and I will write them on their minds.

17 Their sins and lawless deeds

I will remember no longer.”

18 Now where there is forgiveness for these, there is no longer any sacrifice for sin.

19 Therefore, brothers, we have confidence to enter into the most holy place by the blood of Jesus. 20 That is the new and living way that he has opened for us through the curtain, that is, by means of his flesh. 21 Because we have a great priest over the house of God, 22 let us approach with true hearts in the full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. 23 Let us also hold tightly to the confession of our hope without wavering, because God, who has promised, is faithful. 24 Let us consider how to motivate one another to love and good deeds. 25 Let us not stop meeting together, as some have done. Instead, encourage one another more and more, and all the more as you see the day coming closer.

26 For if we deliberately go on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, a sacrifice for sins no longer exists. 27 Instead, there is only a certain fearful expectation of judgment, and a fury of fire that will consume God's enemies. 28 Anyone who has rejected the law of Moses dies without mercy at the testimony of two or three witnesses. 29 How much worse punishment do you think one deserves who has trampled underfoot the Son of God, who treated the blood of the covenant as unholy—the blood by which he was sanctified—and insulted the Spirit of grace? 30 For we know the one who said, “Vengeance belongs to me; I will pay back.” And again, “The Lord will judge his people.” 31 It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God!

32 But remember the former days, after you were enlightened, how you endured a great struggle in suffering. 33 You were exposed to public ridicule by insults and persecution, and you were sharing with those who went through such suffering. 34 For you had compassion on those who were prisoners, and you accepted with joy the seizure of your possessions. You knew that you yourselves had a better and everlasting possession. * 35 So do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward. 36 For you need patience, so that you may receive what God has promised, after you have done his will.

37 “For in a very little while,

the one who is coming will indeed come and not delay.

38 My righteous one will live by faith.

If he shrinks back, I will not be pleased with him.”

39 But we are not any of those who turn back to destruction. Instead, we are some of those who have faith for keeping our soul.

11

1 Now faith is being sure of the things hoped for and certain of things that are not seen. 2 For because of this the ancestors were approved for their faith. 3 By faith we understand that the universe was created by God's command, so that what is visible was not made out of things that were visible. 4 It was by faith that Abel offered God a better sacrifice than Cain, through which he was attested to be righteous, and God spoke well of him because of his offerings, and by faith Abel still speaks, even though he is dead. 5 It was by faith that Enoch was taken up so that he did not see death. “He was not found, because God took him.” For before he was taken up, it was testified that he had pleased God. 6 Now without faith it is impossible to please him. For it is necessary that anyone coming to God must believe that he exists and that he is a rewarder of those who seek him. 7 It was by faith that Noah, having been given a divine message about things not yet seen, with godly reverence built a ship to save his household. By doing this, he condemned the world and became an heir of the righteousness that is according to faith. 8 It was by faith that Abraham, when he was called, obeyed and went out to the place that he was to receive as an inheritance. He went out, not knowing where he was going. 9 It was by faith that he lived in the land of promise as a foreigner. He lived in tents with Isaac and Jacob, fellow heirs of the same promise. 10 For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God. 11 It was by faith, even though Sarah herself was barren, that Abraham received ability to father a child. This happened even though he was too old, since he considered as faithful the one who had given the promise. * 12 Therefore, from this one man—and he was almost dead—were born descendants as many as the stars in the sky and as countless as sand by the seashore. 13 It was in faith that all these died without receiving the promises. Instead, after seeing and greeting them from far off, they admitted that they were foreigners and exiles on earth. 14 For those who say such things make it clear that they are seeking a homeland. 15 If they had been thinking of the country from which they had gone out, they would have had opportunity to return. 16 But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, since he has prepared a city for them. 17 It was by faith that Abraham, when he was tested, offered Isaac. It was his only son whom he offered, he who had received the promises. 18 It was Abraham to whom it had been said, “It is through Isaac that your descendants will be named.” 19 Abraham reasoned that God was able to raise up Isaac from the dead, and figuratively speaking, it was from them that he received him back. 20 It was also by faith about things to come that Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau. 21 It was by faith that Jacob, when he was dying, blessed each of Joseph's sons. Jacob worshiped, leaning on the top of his staff. 22 It was by faith that Joseph, when his end was near, spoke of the departure of the children of Israel from Egypt and instructed them about his bones. 23 It was by faith that Moses, when he was born, was hidden for three months by his parents because they saw he was a beautiful child. They were not afraid of the king's command. 24 It was by faith that Moses, after he had grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter. 25 Instead, he chose to suffer with the people of God, rather than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a while. 26 He reasoned that the disgrace of following Christ was greater riches than Egypt's treasures. For he was fixing his eyes on his reward. 27 It was by faith that Moses left Egypt. He did not fear the king's anger, for he endured as if he were seeing the one who is invisible. 28 It was by faith that he kept the Passover and the sprinkling of the blood, so that the destroyer of the firstborn should not touch the Israelites' firstborn sons. 29 It was by faith that they passed through the Sea of Reeds as if over dry land. When the Egyptians tried to do this, they were swallowed up. 30 It was by faith that Jericho's walls fell down, after they had been circled around for seven days. 31 It was by faith that Rahab the prostitute did not die with those who were disobedient, because she had received the spies in peace. 32 What more can I say? For the time will fail me if I tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel, and about the prophets. 33 It was through faith that they conquered kingdoms, worked justice, and received promises. They stopped the mouths of lions, 34 extinguished the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, were healed of illnesses, became mighty in battle, and defeated foreign armies. 35 Women received back their dead by resurrection. Others were tortured, not accepting release, so that they might experience a better resurrection. 36 Others had testing in mocking and whippings, and even chains and imprisonment. 37 They were stoned. They were sawn in two. They were killed with the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins. They were destitute, oppressed, mistreated. † 38 The world was not worthy of them. They were always wandering about in the deserts and mountains, and in caves and holes in the ground. 39 Although all these people were approved by God because of their faith, they did not receive the promise. 40 God planned something better for us, so that without us, they would not be made perfect.

12

1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a large cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight and easily entangling sin. Let us patiently run the race that is placed before us. 2 Let us pay attention to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of the faith. For the joy that was placed before him, he endured the cross, despised its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 So think about him, the one who has endured such opposition from sinners against himself, so that you do not become weary in your hearts and give up.

4 You have not yet resisted or struggled against sin to the point of blood; 5 and you have forgotten the encouragement that instructs you as sons:

“My son, do not think lightly of the Lord's discipline,

nor grow weary when you are corrected by him.”

6 For the Lord disciplines everyone whom he loves,

and he punishes every son whom he receives.

7 Endure suffering as discipline. God deals with you as with sons. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline? 8 But if you are without discipline, which all people share in, then you are illegitimate and not his sons. 9 Furthermore, we had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them. How much more should we submit to the Father of spirits and live! 10 Our fathers disciplined us for a short time as they thought best. But God disciplines us for our good, so that we can share in his holiness. 11 No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. But later it produces the peaceful fruit of righteousness for those who have been trained by it. 12 So strengthen your hands that hang down and your weak knees. 13 Make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame will not be sprained but rather be healed.

14 Pursue peace with everyone, and also the holiness without which no one will see the Lord. 15 Be careful so that no one lacks God's grace, and that no root of bitterness grows up to cause trouble, so that many do not become polluted by it. 16 Be careful that there be no sexually immoral or ungodly person such as Esau, who for one meal sold his own birthright. 17 For you know that afterwards, when he desired to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, because he found no opportunity for repentance, even though he sought it with tears.

18 For you have not come to a mountain that can be touched, a mountain of burning fire, darkness, gloom, and storm. 19 You have not come to a trumpet blast, nor to a voice that speaks words whose hearers begged that not another word be spoken to them. 20 For they could not endure what was commanded: “If even an animal touches the mountain, it must be stoned.” * 21 So fearful was this sight that Moses said, “I am terrified and am trembling.” 22 Instead, you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to tens of thousands of angels in celebration. 23 You have come to the congregation of the firstborn, who have been registered in heaven. You have come to God, the Judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous ones who have been made perfect. 24 You have come to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks better than Abel's blood. 25 See that you do not refuse the one who is speaking. For if they did not escape when they refused the one who warned them on earth, much less will we escape if we turn away from the one who is warning from heaven. 26 At one time, his voice shook the earth. But now he has promised and said, “One more time I will shake not only the earth, but also the heavens.” 27 These words, “One more time,” mean the removal of those things that can be shaken, that is, of the things that have been created, so that the things that cannot be shaken will remain. 28 Therefore, receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be grateful and in this manner worship God with reverence and awe. 29 For our God is a consuming fire.

13

1 Let brotherly love continue. 2 Do not forget hospitality for strangers. For through this, some have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it. 3 Remember prisoners, as if you were bound with them. Remember those who are mistreated, as if you also were them in the body. 4 Let marriage be respected by everyone. Let the marriage bed be pure, for God will judge the sexually immoral people and adulterers. 5 Let your conduct be free from the love of money. Be content with the things you have, for God himself has said, “I will never leave you, nor will I forsake you.” 6 Let us be content so that we may have courage to say,

“The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid.

What can a man do to me?”

7 Consider your leaders, those who spoke God's word to you, and consider the result of their conduct. Imitate their faith. 8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. 9 Do not be carried away by various strange teachings. For it is good that the heart should be strengthened by grace, not by foods that do not help those who walk by them. 10 We have an altar from which those who serve in the tabernacle have no right to eat. 11 For the blood of the animals killed for sins is brought by the high priest into the holy place, while their bodies are burned outside the camp. 12 So Jesus also suffered outside the city gate, in order to sanctify the people through his own blood. 13 Let us therefore go to him outside the camp, bearing his shame. 14 For we do not have any permanent city here. Instead, we are looking for one that is to come. 15 Through him, then, let us always offer up sacrifices of praise to God, praise that is the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name. 16 Let us not forget doing good and helping one another, for it is with such sacrifices that God is very pleased. 17 Obey and submit to your leaders, for they keep watch over your souls, as those who will give account. Obey so that your leaders will do this with joy, and not with groaning, which would be useless to you.

18 Pray for us, for we are persuaded that we have a clean conscience and that we desire to live rightly in all things. 19 I encourage you even more to do this, so that I will be returned to you sooner.

20 Now may the God of peace, who brought back from the dead the great shepherd of the sheep, our Lord Jesus, by the blood of the eternal covenant, 21 equip you with everything good to do his will, working in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory forever. Amen.

22 Now I encourage you, brothers, to bear with the word of encouragement that I have briefly written to you. 23 Know that our brother Timothy has been set free, with whom I will see you if he comes soon.

24 Greet all your leaders and all the believers. Those from Italy greet you.

25 May grace be with you all.

* 2:7 Some older version add, and you have put him over the works of your hands .

* 4:2 Other versions read, But that message did not benefit those who heard it without joining faith to it .

* 9:11 Other versions read, Christ came as a high priest of the good things that are to come .

* 10:34 Some older versions read, For you had compassion on me in my chains .

* 11:11 There is some question about whether it was Abraham's faith or Sarah's faith that was in view. By faith Sarah, though she was old, received the power to have a child, even though she was too old to bear a child, since she considered the one who gave the promise to be faithful .

† 11:37 Some older versions read, They were stoned. They were sawn in two. They were put to the test. They were killed with the sword .

* 12:20 Some older versions read, If even an animal touches the mountain, it must be stoned or shot with an arrow .

James

1

2

3

4

5

James

1

1 James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes in the dispersion: Greetings! 2 Consider it all joy, my brothers, when you experience various troubles. 3 You know that the testing of your faith produces endurance. 4 Let endurance complete its work, so that you may become fully developed and complete, not lacking anything. 5 But if any of you needs wisdom, let him ask for it from God, the one who gives generously and without rebuke to all who ask, and he will give it to him. 6 But let him ask in faith, doubting nothing. For anyone who doubts is like a wave in the sea that is driven by the wind and tossed around. 7 For that person must not think that he will receive anything from the Lord. 8 Such a person is double-minded, unstable in all his ways. 9 Let the poor brother boast of his high position, 10 but the rich man of his low position, because he will pass away as a wild flower in the grass. 11 For the sun rises with burning heat and dries up the grass. The flower falls off, and its beauty perishes. In the same way, the rich man will fade away in the middle of his journey. 12 Blessed is the man who endures testing. For after he has passed the test, he will receive the crown of life, which has been promised to those who love God. 13 Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am tempted by God,” because God is not tempted by evil, nor does he himself tempt anyone. 14 But each person is tempted by his own desire, which drags him away and entices him. 15 Then after the desire conceives, it gives birth to sin, and after the sin is full grown, it gives birth to death. 16 Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers. 17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above. It comes down from the Father of lights. With him there is no changing or shadow because of turning. 18 God chose to give us birth by the word of truth, so that we would be a kind of firstfruits of all the things that he created. 19 You know this, my beloved brothers: Let every man be quick to hear, slow to speak, and slow to anger. 20 For the anger of man does not work the righteousness of God. 21 Therefore take off all sinful filth and abundant amounts of evil. In humility receive the implanted word, which is able to save your souls. 22 Be doers of the word and not only hearers, deceiving yourselves. 23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word but not a doer, he is like a man who examines his natural face in a mirror. 24 He examines himself and then goes away and immediately forgets what he was like. 25 But the person who looks carefully into the perfect law of freedom, and continues to do so, not just being a hearer who forgets, this man will be blessed in his actions. 26 If anyone thinks himself to be religious, but if he does not control his tongue, he deceives his heart, and his religion is worthless. 27 Religion that is pure and unspoiled before our God and Father is to help the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained by the world.

2

1 My brothers, do not hold to faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with favoritism toward certain people. 2 Suppose that someone enters your meeting wearing gold rings and fine clothes, and there also enters a poor man in dirty clothes. 3 If you look at the person wearing fine clothes and say, “You sit here in a good place,” but you say to the poor man, “You stand over there” or “Sit at my feet,” 4 are you not judging among yourselves? Have you not become judges with evil thoughts? 5 Listen, my beloved brothers, did not God choose the poor of the world to be rich in faith and to be heirs of the kingdom that he promised to those who love him? 6 But you have dishonored the poor! Is it not the rich who oppress you? Are they not the ones who drag you to court? 7 Do they not insult the good name by which you have been called? 8 If, however, you fulfill the royal law according to the scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” you do well. 9 But if you favor certain people, you are committing sin, and you are convicted by the law as lawbreakers. 10 For whoever obeys the whole law, except that he stumbles in just a single way, has become guilty of breaking the whole law. 11 For the one who said, “Do not commit adultery,” also said, “Do not murder.” If you do not commit adultery, but if you do commit murder, you have become a lawbreaker. 12 So speak and act as those who will be judged by means of the law of freedom. 13 For judgment comes without mercy to those who have shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.

14 What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith, but he has no works? Can that faith save him? 15 Suppose that a brother or sister is badly clothed and lacks food for the day. 16 Suppose that one of you says to them, “Go in peace, stay warm and be filled.” If you do not give them the things necessary for the body, what good is that? 17 In the same way faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. 18 Yet someone may say, “You have faith, and I have works.” Show me your faith without works, and I will show you my faith by my works. 19 You believe that there is one God; you do well. But even the demons believe that, and they tremble. 20 Do you want to know, foolish man, that faith without works is useless? * 21 Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up Isaac his son on the altar? 22 You see that faith worked with his works, and that by works his faith was fully developed. 23 The scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness,” and he was called a friend of God. 24 You see that it is by works that a man is justified, and not only by faith. 25 In the same way also, was not Rahab the prostitute justified by works, when she welcomed the messengers and sent them away by another road? 26 For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, even so faith apart from works is dead.

3

1 Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly. 2 For we all stumble in many ways. If anyone does not stumble in words, he is a perfect man, able to control even his whole body. 3 Now if we put bits into horses' mouths for them to obey us, we can also direct their whole bodies. 4 Notice also that ships, although they are so large and are driven by strong winds, are steered by a very small rudder to wherever the pilot desires. 5 Likewise the tongue is a small body part, yet it boasts great things. Notice also how small a fire sets on fire a large forest. 6 The tongue is also a fire, a world of sinfulness set among our body parts. It stains the whole body and sets on fire the course of life. It is itself set on fire by hell. 7 For every kind of wild animal, bird, reptile, and sea creature is being tamed and has been tamed by mankind. 8 But no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. 9 With it we praise the Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God's likeness. 10 Out of the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things should not happen. 11 Does a spring pour out from its opening both sweet and bitter water? 12 Does a fig tree, my brothers, make olives? Or a grapevine, figs? Neither can salty water produce sweet water.

13 Who is wise and understanding among you? Let that person show a good life by his works in the humility of wisdom. 14 But if you have bitter jealousy and ambition in your heart, do not boast and lie against the truth. 15 This is not the wisdom that comes down from above. Instead, it is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. 16 For where there are jealousy and ambition, there is confusion and every evil practice. 17 But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peace-loving, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere. 18 The fruit of righteousness is sown in peace among those who make peace.

4

1 Where do quarrels and disputes among you come from? Do they not come from your desires that fight among your members? 2 You desire, and you do not have. You kill and covet, and you are not able to obtain. You fight and quarrel. You do not possess because you do not ask. 3 You ask and do not receive because you ask badly, in order that you may use it for your desires. 4 You adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility against God? So whoever wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. 5 Or do you think the scripture says in vain, “The Spirit he caused to live in us is deeply jealous”? 6 But God gives more grace, so the scripture says, “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” 7 So submit to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8 Come close to God, and he will come close to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. 9 Grieve, mourn, and cry! Let your laughter turn into sadness and your joy into gloom. 10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.

11 Do not speak against one another, brothers. The person who speaks against a brother or judges his brother speaks against the law and judges the law. If you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law, but a judge. 12 Only one is the lawgiver and judge. He is the one who is able to save and to destroy. Who are you, you who judge your neighbor?

13 Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into this city, spend a year there, trade, and make a profit.” 14 Who knows what will happen tomorrow, and what is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little while and then disappears. 15 Instead, you should say, “If the Lord wishes, we will live and do this or that.” 16 But now you are boasting about your arrogant plans. All such boasting is evil. 17 So for anyone who knows to do good but does not do it, for him it is sin.

5

1 Come now, you who are rich, weep and wail because of the miseries coming on you. 2 Your riches have rotted, and your clothes have become moth-eaten. 3 Your gold and your silver have become tarnished and their rust will be a witness against you. It will consume your flesh like fire. You have stored up your treasure for the last days. 4 Look, the pay of the laborers is crying out—the pay that you have withheld from those who harvested your fields, and the cries of the harvesters have gone into the ears of the Lord of hosts. 5 You have lived in luxury on the earth and indulged yourselves. You have fattened your hearts for a day of slaughter. 6 You have condemned and killed the righteous person. He does not resist you.

7 So be patient, brothers, until the Lord's coming. See, the farmer awaits the valuable harvest from the ground. He is patiently waiting for it, until it receives the early and late rains. 8 You, too, be patient. Make your hearts strong, because the Lord's coming is near. 9 Do not complain, brothers, against one another, so that you will be not judged. See, the judge is standing at the door. 10 Take an example, brothers, from the suffering and patience of the prophets, those who spoke in the name of the Lord. 11 See, we regard those who endured as blessed. You have heard of the endurance of Job, and you know the purpose of the Lord, how he is very compassionate and merciful.

12 Above all, my brothers, do not swear, either by heaven or by the earth, or by any other oath. Instead, let your “Yes” mean “Yes” and your “No” mean “No,” so you do not fall under judgment.

13 Is anyone among you suffering hardship? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise. 14 Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him. Let them anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. 15 The prayer of faith will heal the sick person, and the Lord will raise him up. If he has committed sins, God will forgive him. 16 So confess your sins to one another, and pray for each other, so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is very strong in its working. 17 Elijah was a man just like us. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain in the land for three years and six months. 18 Then Elijah prayed again. The heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its fruit.

19 My brothers, if anyone among you wanders from the truth, and someone brings him back, 20 that person should know that whoever turns a sinner from his wandering way will save him from death, and will cover over a great number of sins.

* 2:20 Some older versions read, Do you want to know, foolish man, how it is that faith without works is dead?

1 Peter

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2

3

4

5

First Peter

1

1 Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to the foreigners of the dispersion, the chosen ones, throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia. 2 This is according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, set apart by the Spirit for obedience and for the sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ. May grace be to you, and may your peace increase.

3 May the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ be praised! In his great mercy, he has given us new birth to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. 4 This is for an inheritance that will not perish, will not become stained, and will not fade away. It is reserved in heaven for you. 5 You are protected by God's power through faith, for the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last times. 6 You are very glad about this, even though it is now necessary for you to feel sadness in many different troubles. 7 This is for the proving of your faith, which is more precious than gold that perishes, even though it is tested by fire. This happens so that your faith will be found to result in praise, glory, and honor at the revealing of Jesus Christ. 8 You have not seen him, but you love him. You do not see him now, but you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory. 9 You are now receiving for yourselves the result of your faith, the salvation of your souls. 10 The prophets searched and inquired carefully about this salvation, about the grace that would be yours. 11 They searched to know about whom and when the Spirit of Christ in them was speaking to them. This was happening as he was telling them in advance about the sufferings of Christ and the glorious things after that. 12 It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves, but you, when they spoke of the things that have now been told to you by those who preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven—things into which angels long to look.

13 So gird up the loins of your mind. Be sober. Put your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you when Jesus Christ is revealed. 14 As obedient children, do not conform yourselves to the desires that you followed when you were ignorant. 15 But as the one who called you is holy, you, too, be holy in your whole behavior. 16 For it is written, “Be holy, because I am holy.” 17 So if you call “Father” the one who judges impartially and according to each person's work, go through the time of your journey in reverence. 18 You know that it was not with perishable silver or gold that you have been redeemed from the foolish behavior that you learned from your fathers. 19 Instead, you have been redeemed with the precious blood of Christ, who was like a lamb without blemish or spot. 20 Christ was chosen before the foundation of the world, but now he has been revealed to you in these last times. 21 Through him you believe in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope would be in God. 22 You made your souls pure by obedience to the truth. This was for the purpose of sincere brotherly love; so love one another earnestly from the heart. * 23 You have been born again, not from perishable seed, but from imperishable seed, through the living and remaining word of God. 24 For,

“All flesh is like grass,

and all its glory is like the wild flower of the grass.

The grass dries up, and the flower falls off,

25 but the word of the Lord remains forever.”

This is the good news that was announced to you.

2

1 Therefore put aside all evil, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all slander. 2 As newborn infants, long for pure spiritual milk, so that through it you may grow in salvation, 3 if you have tasted that the Lord is kind. 4 Come to him who is a living stone that has been rejected by people, but that has been chosen by God as valuable to him. 5 You also are like living stones that are being built up to be a spiritual house, in order to be a holy priesthood that offers the spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 6 Scripture contains this:

“See, I am laying in Zion a cornerstone,

chosen and valuable.

Whoever believes in him will not be ashamed.”

7 The honor then is for you who believe. But,

“the stone that was rejected by the builders,

this has become the head of the corner”—

8 and,

“A stone of stumbling

and a rock that makes them fall.”

They stumble because they disobey the word—which is what they were appointed to do. 9 But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God's possession, so that you would announce the wonderful actions of the one who called you out from darkness into his marvelous light.

10 Once you were not a people,

but now you are the people of God.

You did not receive mercy,

but now you have received mercy.

11 Beloved, I call on you as foreigners and exiles to abstain from fleshly desires, which make war against your soul. 12 You should have good behavior among the Gentiles, so that, if they speak about you as having done evil things, they may observe your good works and praise God on the day of his coming.

13 Obey every human authority for the Lord's sake. Obey both the king as supreme, 14 and also the governors, who are sent to punish evildoers and to praise those who do good. 15 For this is God's will, that in doing good you silence the ignorant talk of foolish people. 16 As free people, do not use your freedom as a covering for wickedness, but be like servants of God. 17 Honor all people. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the king.

18 Servants, be subject to your masters with all respect. Be subject not only to the good and gentle masters, but also to the malicious ones. 19 For it is praiseworthy if anyone endures pain while suffering injustice because of his awareness of God. 20 For how much credit is there if you sin and then endure while being punished? But if you have done good and then you suffer while being punished, this is worthy of praise from God. 21 For it is to this that you were called, because Christ also suffered for you. He left an example for you to follow in his steps.

22 “He committed no sin,

neither was any deceit found in his mouth.”

23 When he was reviled, he did not revile back. When he suffered, he did not threaten back, but he gave himself to the one who judges justly. 24 He himself carried our sins in his body to the tree, so that we would have no more part in sin, and so that we would live for righteousness. By his bruises you have been healed. 25 All of you had been wandering away like lost sheep, but now you have returned to the shepherd and guardian of your souls.

3

1 In this way, you who are wives should submit to your own husbands. Do this so even if some men are disobedient to the word, they may be won without a word, through their wives' behavior. 2 For they will have seen your sincere behavior with respect. 3 Let it be done not with outward ornaments such as braided hair, jewels of gold, or fashionable clothing. 4 Instead, let it be done with the inner person of the heart, and the lasting beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is precious before God. 5 For this is how holy women long ago who hoped in God adorned themselves, by submitting to their husbands. 6 In this way Sarah obeyed Abraham and called him her lord. You are now her children if you do what is good and if you are not afraid of trouble.

7 In the same way, you husbands should live with your wives according to understanding, as with a weaker container, a woman. You should give them honor as fellow heirs of the grace of life. Do this so that your prayers will not be hindered.

8 Finally, all of you, be likeminded, compassionate, loving as brothers, tenderhearted, and humble. 9 Do not pay back evil for evil or insult for insult. On the contrary, continue to bless, because for this you were called, that you might inherit a blessing.

10 “The one who wants to love life and see good days

should stop his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking deceit.

11 Let him turn away from what is bad and do what is good.

Let him seek peace and pursue it.

12 The eyes of the Lord see the righteous, and his ears hear their requests.

But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.”

13 Who is the one who will harm you if you are eager to do what is good? 14 But if you suffer because of righteousness, you are blessed. Do not fear what they fear. Do not be troubled. 15 Instead, set apart the Lord Christ in your hearts as holy. Always be ready to answer everyone who asks you why you have confidence in God. Do this with meekness and respect. 16 Have a good conscience so that the people who insult your good life in Christ may be ashamed because they are speaking against you as if you were evildoers. 17 It is better, if God desires, that you suffer for doing good than for doing evil. 18 Christ also suffered once for sins. He who is righteous suffered for us, who were unrighteous, so that he would bring us to God. He was put to death in the flesh, but he was made alive by the Spirit. 19 By the Spirit, he went and preached to the spirits who are now in prison. 20 They were disobedient when the patience of God was waiting in the days of Noah, in the days of the building of an ark, and God saved a few people—eight souls—by means of the water. 21 This is a symbol of the baptism that saves you now—not as a washing away of dirt from the body, but as the appeal of a good conscience to God—through the resurrection of Jesus Christ. 22 Christ is at the right hand of God. He went into heaven. Angels, authorities, and powers must submit to him.

4

1 Therefore, because Christ suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves with the same intention. For whoever has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin. 2 As a result, such a person, for the rest of his time in the flesh, no longer lives for men's desires, but for God's will. 3 You have spent enough time doing what the Gentiles want to do, living in sensuality, passion, drunkenness, drunken celebrations, having wild parties, and committing disgusting acts of idolatry. 4 They think it is strange that you do not join with them in these floods of reckless behavior, so they speak evil about you. 5 They will give an account to the one who is ready to judge the living and the dead. 6 For this purpose the gospel was preached also to the dead, so that, although they have been judged in the flesh as humans, they may live in the spirit the way God does.

7 The end of all things is coming near. Therefore be of sound mind, and be sober in your thinking for the sake of prayers. 8 Above all things, have fervent love for one another, for love covers a multitude of sins. 9 Be hospitable to one another without complaining. 10 As each one of you has received a gift, use it to serve one another, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms. 11 If anyone speaks, let it be with God's words. If anyone serves, let it be from the strength that God supplies. Do these things so that in all ways God would be glorified through Jesus Christ. May there be to Jesus Christ glory and power forever and ever. Amen.

12 Beloved, do not regard as strange the testing in the fire that has happened to you, as if something strange were happening to you. 13 Instead, however much you experience the sufferings of Christ, rejoice, so that you may also rejoice and be glad at the revealing of his glory. 14 If you are insulted for Christ's name, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and the Spirit of God is resting on you. 15 But let none of you suffer as a murderer, a thief, an evildoer, or a meddler. 16 But if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; instead, let him glorify God with that name. 17 For it is time for judgment to begin with the household of God. If it begins with us, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey God's gospel?

18 And “If it is difficult for the righteous to be saved,

what will become of the ungodly and the sinner?”

19 Therefore let those who suffer because of God's will entrust their souls to the faithful Creator in well-doing.

5

1 I am exhorting the elders among you, I, who am a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and am also one who will share in the glory that will be revealed: 2 Be shepherds of God's flock that is under your care, serving as overseers—not because you must, but because you are willing, as God would have you serve—not for shameful profit but eagerly. 3 Do not act as a master over the people who are in your care. Instead, be an example to the flock. 4 Then when the Chief Shepherd is revealed, you will receive an unfading crown of glory. 5 In the same way, you younger men, submit to the older men. All of you, clothe yourselves with humility and serve one another. For God resists the proud, but he gives grace to the humble. 6 Therefore humble yourselves under God's mighty hand so that he may lift you up in due time. 7 Cast all your anxiety on him, because he cares for you. 8 Be sober, be watchful. Your adversary, the devil, is stalking around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. 9 Stand against him. Be strong in your faith. You know that your community of believers that is in the world is enduring the same sufferings. 10 After you suffer for a little while, the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will perfect you, establish you, and strengthen you. 11 To him be the dominion forever and ever. Amen.

12 I regard Silvanus as a faithful brother, and I have written to you briefly through him. I am exhorting you and I am testifying to you that what I have written is the true grace of God. Stand in it. 13 The woman who is in Babylon, who is chosen together with you, greets you. Also Mark, my son, greets you. 14 Greet one another with a kiss of love.

May peace be to you all who are in Christ.

* 1:22 Some older versions read, You made your souls pure by obedience to the truth through the Spirit .

2 Peter

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2

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Second Peter

1

1 Simon Peter, a slave and apostle of Jesus Christ, to those who have received the same precious faith as we have received, faith in the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ. 2 May grace and peace increase in measure in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord. 3 All the things concerning divine power for life and godliness have been given to us through the knowledge of God, who called us through his own glory and excellence. 4 Through these, he gave us precious and great promises, so that you might be sharers in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world that is caused by evil desires. 5 For this reason, do your best to add goodness to your faith; and to goodness add knowledge; 6 to knowledge add self-control; to self-control add endurance; to endurance add godliness; 7 to godliness add brotherly affection; and to brotherly affection add love. 8 If these things are in you and grow in you, you will not be barren or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 But whoever lacks these things is so nearsighted that he is blind, having forgotten he has been cleansed from his past sins. 10 Therefore, brothers, do your best to make your calling and election sure, for if you do these things, you will not stumble. 11 In this way there will be richly provided for you an entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

12 Therefore I will always be ready to remind you of these things, although you know them, and although you are strong in the truth you now have. 13 It is proper for me to think, as long as I am in this tent, to stir you up by way of reminder. 14 For I know that the putting off of my tent will be soon, because our Lord Jesus Christ has revealed this to me. 15 I will make every effort to see that after my departure you may be always able to remember these things. 16 For we did not follow cleverly invented myths when we made known to you the power and the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. 17 For he received honor and glory from God the Father when a voice was brought to him by the Majestic Glory saying, “This is my beloved Son, with him I am well pleased.” 18 We ourselves heard this voice brought from heaven when we were with him on the holy mountain. 19 For we have this prophetic word made more sure, and you do well to pay attention to it, as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts. 20 Above all, you must understand that no prophecy comes from someone's own interpretation. 21 For no prophecy was ever brought by the will of man, but men spoke from God when they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.

2

1 False prophets came to the people, and false teachers will also come to you. They will secretly bring with them destructive heresies, and they will deny the master who bought them. They are bringing quick destruction upon themselves. 2 Many will follow their sensuality, and through them the way of truth will be blasphemed. 3 In their greed they will exploit you with deceptive words. For a long time their condemnation has not been idle, and their destruction is not asleep. 4 For God did not spare the angels who sinned. Instead he handed them down to Tartarus to be kept in chains of lower darkness until the judgment. * 5 Also, he did not spare the ancient world. Instead, he preserved Noah, who was a herald of righteousness, along with seven others, when he brought a flood on the world of the ungodly. 6 God also reduced the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to ashes and condemned them to destruction, as an example of what is to happen to the ungodly. 7 But as for the righteous Lot, he was oppressed by the sensual behavior of lawless people. 8 So that righteous man, who was living among them day after day, was tormented in his righteous soul because of what he saw and heard. 9 The Lord knows how to rescue godly men out of trials, and how to hold unrighteous men for punishment at the day of judgment. 10 This is especially true for those who continue in the corrupt desires of the flesh and who despise authority. Bold and self-willed, they are not afraid to blaspheme the glorious ones. 11 Angels have greater strength and power, but they do not bring insulting judgments against them to the Lord. 12 But these unreasoning animals are naturally made for capture and destruction. They do not know what they insult. They will be destroyed. 13 They will receive the reward of their wrongdoing. They think that luxury during the day is a pleasure. They are stains and blemishes. They enjoy their deceitful actions while they are feasting with you. † 14 They have eyes full of adultery, they are never satisfied with sin. They entice unstable souls into wrongdoing, and they have their hearts trained in covetousness. They are cursed children! 15 They have abandoned the right way and have wandered off to follow the way of Balaam son of Beor, who loved to receive payment for unrighteousness. ‡ 16 But he obtained a rebuke for his own transgression—a mute donkey speaking in a human voice stopped the prophet's insanity. 17 These men are springs without water and mists driven by a storm. The gloom of thick darkness is reserved for them. 18 They speak with vain arrogance. They entice people through the lusts of the flesh. They entice people who try to escape from those who live in error. 19 They promise freedom to them, but they themselves are slaves of corruption. For a man is a slave to whatever overcomes him. 20 If they have escaped the corruption of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and are again entangled in them and overcome, the last state has become worse for them than the first. 21 It would have been better for them not to know the way of righteousness than to know it and turn away from the holy commandment delivered to them. 22 This proverb is true for them: “A dog returns to its own vomit, and a washed pig returns to the mud.”

3

1 Beloved, this is now the second letter that I have written to you; and in both of them they are reminders to stir up your sincere mind, 2 so that you will recall the words spoken in the past by the holy prophets and the command of our Lord and Savior given through your apostles. 3 Know this first, that mockers will come in the last days. They will mock and proceed according to their own desires. 4 They will say, “Where is the promise of his return? From when our fathers fell asleep, all things have stayed the same, since the beginning of creation.” 5 They willfully forget that the heavens and the earth came to exist out of water and through water, long ago, by God's command, 6 and that through these things, the world of that time was destroyed, being flooded with water. 7 But now the heavens and the earth are reserved for fire by that same command. They are reserved for the day of judgment and the destruction of the ungodly people.

8 It should not escape your notice, beloved, that one day with the Lord is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like one day. 9 The Lord does not move slowly concerning his promises, as some consider slowness to be. Instead, he is patient toward you. He does not desire for any of you to perish, but for everyone to make room for repentance. 10 However, the day of the Lord will come as a thief: The heavens will pass away with a loud noise. The elements will be burned with fire, and the earth and the deeds in it will be revealed. * 11 Since all these things will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people should you be? You should live holy and godly lives. 12 You should expect and hasten the coming of the day of God. On that day, the heavens will be destroyed by fire, and the elements will be melted in great heat. 13 But according to his promise, we are waiting for the new heavens and the new earth, where righteousness will dwell.

14 Therefore, beloved, since you expect these things, do your best to be found spotless and blameless before him, in peace. 15 Also, consider the patience of our Lord to be salvation, just as our beloved brother Paul wrote to you, according to the wisdom that was given to him. 16 Paul speaks of these things in all his letters, in which there are things that are difficult to understand. Ignorant and unstable men distort these things, as they also do the other scriptures, to their own destruction. 17 Therefore, beloved, since you know about these things beforehand, guard yourselves so that you are not led astray by the deceit of lawless people and you lose your own faithfulness. 18 But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. May the glory be to him both now and forever. Amen!

* 2:4 Some other versions read, to be kept in pits of lower darkness until the judgment .

† 2:13 Other versions read, They enjoy their actions while they are feasting with you in love feasts .

‡ 2:15 Some other versions read, Balaam, son of Bosor

* 3:10 Some versions read, The elements will be burned with fire, and the earth and the deeds in it will be burned up .

1 John

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First John

1

1 That which was from the beginning—which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at, and our hands have touched—it is about the Word of life. 2 Also, the life was made known, and we have seen it, and we bear witness to it. We are announcing to you the eternal life, which was with the Father, and which has been made known to us. 3 That which we have seen and heard we declare also to you, so you also will have fellowship with us. Our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. 4 Also, we are writing these things to you so that our joy will be complete. *

5 This is the message that we have heard from him and are announcing to you: God is light, and in him there is no darkness at all. 6 If we say that we have fellowship with him and walk in darkness, we are lying and are not practicing the truth. 7 But if we walk in the light as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from every sin. 8 If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 But if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar, and his word is not in us.

2

1 Children, I am writing these things to you so that you will not sin. But if anyone sins, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ, the one who is righteous. 2 He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only, but also for the whole world. 3 We know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments. 4 The one who says, “I know God,” but does not keep his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. 5 But whoever keeps his word, truly, in him truly the love of God has been perfected. By this we know that we are in him: 6 whoever says that he remains in God should himself also walk just as he walked.

7 Beloved, I am not writing a new commandment to you, but an old commandment that you have had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word that you heard. 8 Yet I am writing a new commandment to you, which is true in Christ and in you, because the darkness is passing away, and the true light is already shining. 9 The one who says that he is in the light and hates his brother is in the darkness until now. 10 The one who loves his brother remains in the light and there is no occasion for stumbling in him. 11 But the one who hates his brother is in the darkness and walks in the darkness; he does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes.

12 I am writing to you, dear children, because your sins are forgiven because of his name. 13 I am writing to you, fathers, because you know the one who is from the beginning. I am writing to you, young men, because you have overcome the evil one. I have written to you, little children, because you know the Father. 14 I have written to you, fathers, because you know the one who is from the beginning. I have written to you, young men, because you are strong, and the word of God remains in you, and you have overcome the evil one. 15 Do not love the world nor the things that are in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For everything that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the arrogance of life—is not from the Father but is from the world. 17 The world and its desire are passing away. But whoever does the will of God will remain forever.

18 Little children, it is the last hour. Just as you heard that the antichrist is coming, now many antichrists have come. By this we know that it is the last hour. 19 They went out from us, but they were not from us. For if they had been from us they would have remained with us. But when they went out, that showed they were not from us. 20 But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and you all know the truth. * 21 I did not write to you because you do not know the truth, but because you know it and because no lie is from the truth. 22 Who is the liar but the one who denies that Jesus is the Christ? That person is the antichrist, since he denies the Father and the Son. 23 No one who denies the Son has the Father. Whoever acknowledges the Son also has the Father. 24 As for you, let what you have heard from the beginning remain in you. If what you heard from the beginning remains in you, you will also remain in the Son and in the Father. 25 This is the promise he gave to us—eternal life. 26 I have written these things to you about those who would lead you astray. 27 As for you, the anointing that you received from him remains in you, and you do not need anyone to teach you. But as his anointing teaches you everything and is true and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, remain in him.

28 Now, dear children, remain in him, so that when he appears, we will have boldness and not be ashamed before him at his coming. 29 If you know that he is righteous, you know that everyone who does what is right has been born from him.

3

1 See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God, and this is what we are. For this reason, the world does not know us, because it did not know him. * 2 Beloved, we are now children of God, and it has not yet been revealed what we will be. We know that when Christ appears, we will be like him, for we will see him just as he is. 3 Everyone who has this hope fixed on him purifies himself just as he is pure. 4 Everyone who sins is committing acts of lawlessness, for sin is lawlessness. 5 You know that Christ was revealed in order to take away sins, and in him there is no sin. 6 No one who remains in him will keep on sinning. No one who continues to sin has seen him or known him. 7 Dear children, do not let anyone lead you astray. The one who does righteousness is righteous, just as Christ is righteous. 8 The one who commits sin is from the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this reason the Son of God was revealed, so that he would destroy the devil's works. 9 Whoever has been born from God does not continue to sin because God's seed remains in him. He cannot continue to sin because he has been born of God. 10 In this the children of God and children of the devil are revealed: Whoever does not do what is righteous is not from God, neither is the one who does not love his brother. 11 For this is the message that you have heard from the beginning: We should love one another. 12 We should not be like Cain, who was from the evil one and murdered his brother. Why did he kill him? Because his works were evil and his brother's righteous.

13 Do not be amazed, my brothers, if the world hates you. 14 We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brothers. Anyone who does not love remains in death. 15 Anyone who hates his brother is a murderer. You know that no murderer has eternal life residing in him. 16 By this we know love, because Christ laid down his life for us. We also ought to lay down our lives for the brothers. 17 But whoever has the world's goods, sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart of compassion from him, how does the love of God remain in him? 18 My dear children, let us not love in word nor in tongue, but in actions and truth. 19 It is by this we know that we are from the truth, and we assure our hearts before him. 20 For if our hearts condemn us, God is greater than our hearts, and he knows all things. 21 Beloved, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence toward God. 22 Whatever we ask we will receive from him, because we keep his commandments and do the things that are pleasing before him. 23 This is his commandment: that we should believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he gave us this commandment. 24 The one who keeps God's commandments remains in him, and God remains in him. By this we know that he remains in us, by the Spirit whom he gave to us.

4

1 Beloved, do not believe every spirit. Instead, test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. 2 By this you will know the Spirit of God—every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, 3 and every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming, and now is already in the world. * 4 You are from God, dear children, and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world. 5 They are from the world; therefore what they say is from the world, and the world listens to them. 6 We are from God. Anyone who knows God listens to us. He who is not from God does not listen to us. By this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error.

7 Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and everyone who loves is born from God and knows God. 8 The person who does not love does not know God, for God is love. 9 Because of this the love of God was revealed among us, that God has sent his only Son into the world so that we would live because of him. 10 In this is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and that he sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. 11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we also should love one another. 12 No one has ever seen God. If we love one another, God remains in us, and his love is perfected in us. 13 By this we know that we remain in him and he in us, because he has given us some of his Spirit. 14 Also, we have seen and have borne witness that the Father has sent the Son to be the Savior of the world. 15 Whoever acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God remains in him and he in God. 16 Also, we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love, and the one who remains in this love remains in God, and God remains in him. 17 Because of this, this love has been made perfect among us, so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment, because as he is, just so are we in this world. 18 There is no fear in love. Instead, perfect love throws out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. But the one who fears has not been made perfect in love. 19 We love because God first loved us. 20 If anyone says, “I love God” but hates his brother, he is a liar. For the one who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen. 21 Also, this is the commandment we have from him: Whoever loves God must also love his own brother.

5

1 Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born from God, and whoever loves a father also loves the child born from him. 2 Because of this we know that we love God's children, when we love God and do his commandments. 3 For this is love for God: that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome. 4 For everyone who is born from God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. 5 Who is the one who overcomes the world? The one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God. 6 This is the one who came by water and blood: Jesus Christ. He came not only by water, but also by water and blood. 7 For there are three who bear witness: 8 the Spirit, the water, and the blood. These three are in agreement. * 9 If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater. For the testimony of God is this, that he has borne witness concerning his Son. 10 Anyone who believes in the Son of God has the testimony in himself. Anyone who does not believe God has made him out to be a liar, because he has not believed the witness that God has given concerning his Son. 11 And the witness is this: God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. 12 The one who has the Son has life. The one who does not have the Son of God does not have life.

13 I have written to you these things so that you will know that you have eternal life—to you who believe in the name of the Son of God. 14 Also, this is the confidence we have before him, that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. 15 Also, if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask of him—we know that we have whatever we have asked of him. 16 If anyone sees his brother commit a sin that does not result in death, he must pray, and God will give him life. I refer to those whose sin does not result in death. There is a sin that results in death; I am not saying that he should pray about that. 17 All unrighteousness is sin, but there is sin that does not result in death.

18 We know that whoever is born from God does not sin. But the one who was born from God keeps him safe, and the evil one cannot harm him. 19 We know that we are from God, and we know that the whole world lies in the power of the evil one. 20 But we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true. Also, we are in him who is true, in his Son Jesus Christ. This one is the true God and eternal life. 21 Children, keep yourselves from idols.

* 1:4 Some older versions read, And we are writing these things to you so that your joy will be complete .

* 2:20 Some other modern versions read, and you have all knowledge . Some older versions read, and you know all things .

* 3:1 Some older versions leave out, and this is what we are .

* 4:3 Some older versions read, and every spirit that does not acknowledge that Jesus has come in the flesh is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming, and now is already in the world .

* 5:8 Some older versions read, For there are three that bear witness in heaven: the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit. These three are one; and there are three that bear witness on earth: the Spirit, the water, and the blood; and these three are as one . However, the best copies do not have this reading.

2 John

Second John

1

1 From the elder to the chosen lady and her children, whom I love in truth—and not only I, but also all those who have known the truth— 2 because of the truth that remains in us and will be with us forever. 3 Grace, mercy, and peace will be with us from God the Father and from Jesus Christ, the Son of the Father, in truth and love.

4 I rejoice greatly that I have found some of your children walking in truth, just as we have received this commandment from the Father. 5 Now I plead with you, lady—not as though I were writing to you a new commandment, but one that we have had from the beginning—that we should love one another. 6 This is love, that we should walk according to his commandments. This is the commandment, just as you heard from the beginning, that you should walk in it. 7 For many deceivers have gone out into the world, and they do not confess that Jesus Christ came in the flesh. This is the deceiver and the antichrist. 8 Look to yourselves, that you do not lose the things for which we all have worked, but so that you may receive a full reward. 9 Whoever goes on ahead and does not remain in the teaching of Christ does not have God. The one who remains in the teaching, this one has both the Father and the Son. 10 If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not receive him into your house and do not greet him. 11 For the one who greets him participates in his evil deeds.

12 I have many things to write to you, but I did not wish to write them with paper and ink. However, I expect to come to you and speak face to face, so that our joy will be complete. 13 The children of your chosen sister greet you.

3 John

Third John

1

1 The elder to beloved Gaius, whom I love in truth.

2 Beloved, I pray that all may go well with you and that you may be healthy, just as it is well with your soul. 3 For I rejoiced greatly when brothers came and bore witness to your truth, just as you walk in truth. 4 I have no greater joy than this, to hear that my children walk in the truth.

5 Beloved, you practice faithfulness whenever you work for the brothers and for strangers 6 who have borne witness of your love in the presence of the church. You do well to send them off on their journey in a manner worthy of God, 7 because it was for the sake of the name that they went out, taking nothing from the Gentiles. 8 We therefore should welcome such as these, so that we will be fellow workers for the truth.

9 I wrote something to the congregation, but Diotrephes, who loves to be first among them, does not receive us. 10 So if I come, I will call attention to what he is doing, talking wicked nonsense against us. Not satisfied with that, he not only refused to welcome the brothers himself, but he also stops those who want to welcome them and puts them out of the church. 11 Beloved, do not imitate what is evil but what is good. The one who does good is of God; the one who does evil has not seen God. 12 Demetrius is borne witness to by all and by the truth itself. We also bear witness, and you know that our testimony is true.

13 I had many things to write to you, but I do not wish to write them to you with pen and ink. 14 But I expect to see you soon, and we will speak face to face. 15 May peace be with you. The friends greet you. Greet our friends there by name.

Jude

Jude

1

1 Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James, to those who are called, beloved in God the Father, and kept for Jesus Christ: 2 May mercy and peace and love be multiplied to you.

3 Beloved, while I was making every effort to write to you about our common salvation, I had to write to you to exhort you to struggle earnestly for the faith that was entrusted once for all to the holy people. 4 For certain men have slipped in secretly among you. These are men who were marked out for condemnation. They are ungodly men who have changed the grace of our God into sensuality, and who deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.

5 Now I wish to remind you—although once you fully knew it—that the Lord saved a people out of the land of Egypt, but that afterward he destroyed those who did not believe. 6 Also angels who did not keep to their own position of authority, but who left their proper dwelling place—God has kept them in everlasting chains, in utter darkness, for the judgment on the great day. 7 It is just like Sodom and Gomorrah and the cities around them, which also indulged themselves in sexual immorality and pursued unnatural desires. They were displayed as examples of those who suffer the punishment in eternal fire. 8 Yet in the same way, these dreamers also pollute their bodies. They reject authority, and they say slanderous things against the glorious ones. 9 But even Michael the archangel, when he was arguing with the devil and disputing with him about the body of Moses, did not dare to bring a slanderous judgment against him. Instead he said, “May the Lord rebuke you!” 10 But these people slander whatever they do not understand, and what they do understand—what unreasoning animals know by instinct—these are what destroy them. 11 Woe to them! For they have walked in the way of Cain and have plunged into Balaam's error for profit. They have perished in Korah's rebellion. 12 These are the ones who are hidden reefs in your love feasts, when they feast with you shamelessly—shepherds who only feed themselves. They are clouds without rain, carried along by winds. They are autumn trees without fruit—twice dead, torn up by the roots. 13 They are violent waves in the sea, foaming out their own shame. They are wandering stars, for whom the gloom of thick darkness has been reserved forever. 14 Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied about them, saying, “Look! The Lord is coming with thousands and thousands of his holy ones. 15 He is coming to execute judgment on everyone. He is coming to convict all the ungodly of all the works they have done in an ungodly way, and of all the harsh words that ungodly sinners have spoken against him.” 16 These are grumblers, complainers, who follow their evil desires. They are loud boasters, who, for their own advantage, flatter others.

17 But you, beloved, remember the words that were spoken in the past by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ. 18 They said to you, “In the last time there will be mockers who will follow their own ungodly desires.” 19 It is these who cause divisions; they are worldly and they do not have the Spirit. 20 But you, beloved, build yourselves up in your most holy faith, and pray in the Holy Spirit. 21 Keep yourselves in God's love, and wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that brings you eternal life. 22 Be merciful to those who doubt. 23 Save others by snatching them out of the fire. To others be merciful with fear. Hate even the garment stained by the flesh.

24 Now to the one who is able to keep you from stumbling and to cause you to stand before his glorious presence without blemish and with great joy, 25 to the only God our Savior through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and power, before all time, now, and forevermore. Amen.

Revelation

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Revelation

1

1 This is the revelation of Jesus Christ that God gave him to show his servants what must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John. 2 John testified about the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ, all the things that he saw. 3 Blessed is the one who reads aloud this prophecy, and those who listen to the words of this prophecy and who obey what is written in it, because the time is near.

4 John, to the seven churches in Asia: May grace be to you and peace from the one who is, and who was, and who is to come, and from the seven spirits who are before his throne, 5 and from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To the one who loves us and has released us from our sins by his blood— 6 he has made us a kingdom, priests for his God and Father—to him be the glory and the power forever and ever. Amen.

7 Look, he is coming with the clouds;

every eye will see him,

including those who pierced him.

All the tribes of the earth will mourn because of him.

Yes, Amen.

8 “I am the alpha and the omega,” says the Lord God, “the one who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.” *

9 I, John—your brother and the one who shares with you in the suffering and kingdom and patient endurance that are in Jesus—was on the island called Patmos because of the word of God and the testimony about Jesus. 10 I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day. I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet. 11 It said, “Write what you see in a book, and send it to the seven churches—to Ephesus, to Smyrna, to Pergamum, to Thyatira, to Sardis, to Philadelphia, and to Laodicea.” 12 I turned around to see whose voice was speaking to me, and as I turned I saw seven golden lampstands. 13 In the middle of the lampstands there was one like a son of man, wearing a long robe that reached down to his feet and a golden sash around his chest. 14 His head and hair were as white as wool—as white as snow—and his eyes were like a flame of fire. 15 His feet were like polished bronze, like bronze that had been refined in a furnace, and his voice was like the sound of many rushing waters. 16 He had seven stars in his right hand, and a sword with two sharp edges was coming out of his mouth. His face was shining like the sun at its strongest. 17 When I saw him, I fell at his feet like a dead man. He placed his right hand on me and said, “Do not be afraid. I am the first and the last, 18 and the one who lives. I was dead, but look, I live forever! And I have the keys of death and of Hades. 19 Therefore write down what you have seen, what is now, and what will take place after this. 20 As for the hidden meaning about the seven stars you saw in my right hand, and the seven golden lampstands: The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches.”

2

1 “To the angel of the church in Ephesus write:

'The words of the one who holds the seven stars in his right hand and who walks among the seven golden lampstands, 2 “I know what you have done and your hard labor and your patient endurance. I know that you cannot tolerate the evil people. I know that you have tested those who say they are apostles, but are not, and that you have found them to be false. 3 I know you have patient endurance, and you have suffered much because of my name, and that you have not grown weary. 4 But I have against you the fact that you have left behind your first love. 5 Remember therefore from where you have fallen. Repent and do the things you did at first. Unless you repent, I will come to you and I will remove your lampstand from its place. 6 But you have this: You hate what the Nicolaitans have done, which I also hate. 7 Let the one who has an ear listen to what the Spirit is saying to the churches. To the one who conquers I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.”'”

8 “To the angel of the church in Smyrna write:

'The words of the one who is the first and the last, the one who was dead and who became alive again: 9 “I know your sufferings and your poverty, but you are rich. I know the slander of those who say they are Jews, but they are not. They are a synagogue of Satan. 10 Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Look! The devil is about to throw some of you into prison so that you will be tested, and you will suffer for ten days. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life. 11 Let the one who has an ear listen to what the Spirit is saying to the churches. The one who conquers will not be hurt by the second death.”'”

12 “To the angel of the church in Pergamum write:

'The words of the one who has the sword with two sharp edges: 13 “I know where you live, there where Satan's throne is. Yet you hold on tightly to my name. I know that you did not deny your faith in me, even in the days of Antipas my witness, my faithful one, who was killed among you, there where Satan lives. 14 But I have a few things against you: You have there some who hold tightly to the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to throw a stumbling block before the children of Israel, so they would eat food sacrificed to idols and be sexually immoral. 15 In the same way, you even have some who hold tightly to the teaching of the Nicolaitans. 16 Repent, therefore! If you do not, I will quickly come to you, and I will wage war against them with the sword in my mouth. 17 Let the one who has an ear listen to what the Spirit is saying to the churches. To the one who conquers, I will give some of the hidden manna, and I will give a white stone with a new name written on the stone, a name which no one knows but the one who receives it.”'”

18 “To the angel of the church in Thyatira write:

'These are the words of the Son of God, who has eyes like a flame of fire and feet like polished bronze: 19 “I know what you have done: your love and faith and service and your patient endurance. I know that what you have done recently is more than you did at first. 20 But I have this against you: You tolerate the woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess. By her teaching she deceives my servants to commit sexual immorality and to eat food sacrificed to idols. 21 I gave her time to repent, but she is not willing to repent of her immorality. 22 Look! I will throw her onto a sickbed, and those who commit adultery with her into great suffering, unless they repent of her deeds. 23 I will strike her children dead, and all the churches will know that I am the one who searches thoughts and hearts. I will give to each one of you according to your deeds. 24 But to the rest of you in Thyatira, to everyone who does not hold this teaching, and does not know what some call the deep things of Satan—to you I say, 'I do not put any other burden on you.' 25 In any case, you must hold on tightly until I come.

26 The one who conquers and who does what I have done until the end, to him I will give authority over the nations.

27 'He will rule them with an iron rod,

like clay jars he will break them into pieces.'

28 Just as I have received from my Father, I will also give him the morning star. 29 Let the one who has an ear listen to what the Spirit is saying to the churches.”'”

3

1 “To the angel of the church in Sardis write:

'The words of the one who holds the seven spirits of God and the seven stars. “I know what you have done. You have a reputation that you are alive, but you are dead. 2 Wake up and strengthen what remains, but is about to die, because I have not found your deeds complete in the sight of my God. 3 Remember, therefore, what you have received and heard. Obey it, and repent. But if you do not wake up, I will come as a thief, and you will not know what hour I will come against you. 4 But you have a few names in Sardis who have not stained their clothes, and they will walk with me, dressed in white, for they are worthy. 5 The one who conquers will be clothed in white garments, and I will never wipe his name out of the Book of Life, and I will speak his name before my Father, and before his angels. 6 Let the one who has an ear listen to what the Spirit is saying to the churches.”'”

7 “To the angel of the church in Philadelphia write:

'The words of the one who is holy and true—

he holds the key of David,

he opens and no one shuts,

he shuts and no one can open.

8 “I know what you have done. Look, I have put before you an open door that no one can shut. I know that you have little strength, yet you have obeyed my word and have not denied my name. 9 Look! Those who belong to the synagogue of Satan who say they are Jews but are not, but they are liars—I will make them come and bow down before your feet, and they will come to know that I loved you. 10 Since you have kept my command to endure patiently, I will also keep you from the hour of testing that is coming on the whole world, to test those who live on the earth. 11 I am coming soon. Hold to what you have so no one can take away your crown. 12 The one who conquers, I will make like a pillar in the temple of my God. Never again will he go out of it, and I will write on him the name of my God, the name of the city of my God (the new Jerusalem, that comes down out of heaven from my God), and my new name. 13 Let the one who has an ear listen to what the Spirit is saying to the churches.”'”

14 “To the angel of the church in Laodicea write:

'The words of the Amen, the reliable and true witness, the ruler over God's creation. 15 “I know what you have done, and that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish that you were either cold or hot! 16 So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to vomit you out of my mouth. 17 For you say, 'I am rich, I have had many material possessions, and I need nothing.' But you do not know that you are most miserable, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked. 18 Listen to my advice: Buy from me gold refined by fire so that you may become rich, and brilliant white garments so you may clothe yourself and not show the shame of your nakedness, and salve to anoint your eyes so you will see. 19 I train everyone whom I love, and I teach them how they should live. Therefore, be earnest and repent. 20 Look, I am standing at the door and am knocking. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come into his home and will eat with him, and he with me. 21 The one who conquers, I will give him the right to sit down with me on my throne, just as I also conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne. 22 Let the one who has an ear listen to what the Spirit is saying to the churches.”'”

4

1 After these things I looked, and I saw an open door in heaven. The first voice that I had heard was speaking to me like a trumpet, saying, “Come up here, and I will show you what must happen after these things.” 2 At once I was in the Spirit, and I saw there was a throne placed in heaven, with someone sitting on it. 3 The one who was sitting on it looked like jasper and carnelian. There was a rainbow around the throne. The rainbow looked like an emerald. 4 Around the throne were twenty-four thrones, and seated on the thrones were twenty-four elders, dressed with white garments, with golden crowns on their heads. 5 From the throne came flashes of lightning, rumblings, and crashes of thunder. Seven lamps were burning in front of the throne, lamps that were the seven spirits of God. 6 Before the throne was a sea of glass, like crystal. In the middle of the throne and around the throne were four living creatures, full of eyes, front and back. 7 The first living creature was like a lion, the second living creature was like a calf, the third living creature had a face like a man, and the fourth living creature was like a flying eagle. 8 The four living creatures each had six wings, full of eyes on top and underneath. Night and day they do not stop saying,

“Holy, holy, holy

is the Lord God Almighty

who was, and who is, and who is to come.”

9 Whenever the living creatures give glory, honor, and thanks to the one who sits on the throne, the one who lives forever and ever, 10 the twenty-four elders fall down before the one seated on the throne, and worship him who lives forever and ever. They lay their crowns before the throne, saying,

11 “Worthy are you, our Lord and our God,

to receive glory and honor and power,

for you created all things,

and by your will they existed and were created.”

5

1 Then I saw in the right hand of the one who was seated on the throne a scroll written on the front and on the back, sealed with seven seals. 2 I saw a mighty angel proclaiming with a loud voice, “Who is worthy to open the scroll and break its seals?” 3 No one in heaven or on the earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll or to read it. 4 I wept bitterly because no one was found worthy to open the scroll or to read it. 5 But one of the elders said to me, “Do not weep. Look! The Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered. He is able to open the scroll and its seven seals.” 6 I saw a Lamb standing in the middle of the throne area and among the four living creatures and among the elders. He looked as though he had been killed. He had seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth. 7 He went and took hold of the scroll out of the right hand of the one who was seated on the throne. 8 When he had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. Each of them had a harp and a golden bowl full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. 9 They sang a new song:

“You are worthy to take the scroll

and to open its seals.

For you were slaughtered, and with your blood you purchased people for God

from every tribe, language, people, and nation.

10 You made them a kingdom and priests to serve our God,

and they will reign on the earth.”

11 Then I looked and heard the sound of many angels who encircled the throne and the living creatures and the elders. Their total number was ten thousands of ten thousands and thousands of thousands. 12 They said in a loud voice,

“Worthy is the Lamb who has been slaughtered to receive power, wealth, wisdom, strength, honor, glory, and praise.”

13 I heard every created thing that was in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and on the sea—everything in them—saying,

“To the one who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise, honor, glory, and the power to rule, forever and ever.”

14 The four living creatures said, “Amen!” and the elders fell down and worshiped. *

6

1 I looked when the Lamb opened one of the seven seals, and I heard one of the four living creatures say in a voice that sounded like thunder, “Come!” 2 I looked and there was a white horse. Its rider held a bow, and he was given a crown. He came out as a conqueror in order to conquer.

3 When the Lamb opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature say, “Come!” 4 Then another horse came out—fiery red. To its rider was given permission to take peace away from the earth, so that its people would slaughter one another. This rider was given a huge sword.

5 When the Lamb opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, “Come!” I saw a black horse, and its rider held a pair of scales in his hand. 6 I heard what seemed to be a voice among the four living creatures say, “A choenix of wheat for one denarius, and three choenices of barley for a denarius. But do not harm the oil and the wine.”

7 When the Lamb opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature say, “Come!” 8 Then I saw a pale horse. The rider on it was named Death, and Hades was following him. They were given authority over one-fourth of the earth, to kill with the sword, with famine and disease, and with the wild animals of the earth.

9 When the Lamb opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been killed because of the word of God and the testimony which they held. 10 They cried out with a loud voice, “How long, Ruler over all, holy and true, until you judge those who live on the earth, and until you avenge our blood?” 11 Then each of them was given a white robe, and they were told that they should wait a little longer until the full number of their fellow servants and their brothers and sisters was reached who were to be killed, just as they had been killed.

12 When the Lamb opened the sixth seal, I watched and there was a great earthquake. The sun became as black as sackcloth, and the full moon became like blood. 13 The stars in the heavens fell to the earth, just as a fig tree drops its unripe fruit when shaken by a stormy wind. 14 The sky vanished like a scroll that was being rolled up. Every mountain and island was moved out of its place. 15 Then the kings of the earth and the important people, and the generals, and the rich, and the powerful, and everyone else, slave and free, hid in caves and among the rocks of the mountains. 16 They said to the mountains and to the rocks, “Fall on us! Hide us from the face of the one who is seated on the throne and from the Lamb's wrath. 17 For the great day of their wrath has come. Who is able to stand?”

7

1 After this I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, tightly holding back the four winds of the earth so that no wind should blow on the earth, on the sea, or against any tree. 2 I saw another angel coming up from the east, who had the seal of the living God. He cried out with a loud voice to the four angels who were given permission to harm the earth and the sea: 3 “Do not harm the earth, the sea, or the trees until we have put a seal on the foreheads of the servants of our God.” 4 I heard the number of those who were sealed: 144,000, who were sealed from every tribe of the people of Israel:

5 twelve thousand from the tribe of Judah,

twelve thousand from the tribe of Reuben,

twelve thousand from the tribe of Gad,

6 twelve thousand from the tribe of Asher,

twelve thousand from the tribe of Naphtali,

twelve thousand from the tribe of Manasseh,

7 twelve thousand from the tribe of Simeon,

twelve thousand from the tribe of Levi,

twelve thousand from the tribe of Issachar,

8 twelve thousand from the tribe of Zebulun,

twelve thousand from the tribe of Joseph, and

twelve thousand from the tribe of Benjamin were sealed.

9 After these things I looked, and there was a huge multitude that no one could count—from every nation, tribe, people, and language—standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and holding palm branches in their hands, 10 and they were calling out with a loud voice:

“Salvation belongs to our God who is seated on the throne, and to the Lamb!”

11 All the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne. They worshiped God, 12 saying,

“Amen! Praise, glory, wisdom, thanksgiving, honor, power, and strength be to our God forever and ever! Amen!”

13 Then one of the elders asked me, “Who are these, clothed with white robes, and where did they come from?” 14 I said to him, “Sir, you know,” and he said to me, “These are the ones who have come out of the great tribulation. They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.

15 For this reason, they are before the throne of God,

and they worship him day and night in his temple.

The one who is seated on the throne will spread his tent over them.

16 They will not be hungry again, nor will they be thirsty again.

The sun will not beat down on them,

nor any burning heat.

17 For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd,

and he will guide them to springs of living water,

and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”

8

1 When the Lamb opened the seventh seal, there was a silence in heaven for about half an hour. 2 Then I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and seven trumpets were given to them.

3 Another angel came, holding a golden incense bowl, standing at the incense altar. Much incense was given to him so that he would offer it with the prayers of all the saints on the golden incense altar before the throne. 4 The smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, rose up before God from the angel's hand. 5 The angel took the incense bowl and filled it with fire from the altar. Then he threw it down to the earth, and there were crashes of thunder, rumblings, flashes of lightning, and an earthquake.

6 The seven angels who had the seven trumpets prepared to sound them.

7 The first angel sounded his trumpet, and there was hail and fire mixed with blood. It was thrown down onto the earth so that a third of it was burned up, a third of the trees were burned up, and all the green grass was burned up. *

8 The second angel sounded his trumpet, and something like a great mountain burning with fire was thrown into the sea. A third of the sea became blood, 9 a third of the living creatures in the sea died, and a third of the ships were destroyed.

10 The third angel sounded his trumpet, and a huge star fell from the sky, blazing like a torch, on a third of the rivers and springs of water. 11 The name of the star is Wormwood. A third of the waters became wormwood, and many people died from the waters that became bitter.

12 The fourth angel sounded his trumpet, and a third of the sun was struck, as well as a third of the moon and a third of the stars. So a third of them turned dark; a third of the day and a third of the night had no light.

13 I looked, and I heard an eagle † that was flying overhead calling out with a loud voice, “Woe, woe, woe, to those who live on the earth, because of the remaining trumpet blasts that are about to be sounded by the three angels.”

9

1 Then the fifth angel sounded his trumpet. I saw a star from heaven that had fallen to the earth. The star was given the key to the shaft of the bottomless pit. 2 He opened the shaft of the bottomless pit, and smoke went up out of the shaft like smoke from a huge furnace. The sun and the air turned dark by the smoke pouring out of the shaft. 3 Out of the smoke locusts came on the earth, and they were given power like that of scorpions on the earth. 4 They were told not to damage the grass on the earth or any green plant or tree, but only the people who did not have the seal of God on their foreheads. 5 They were not given permission to kill those people, but only to torture them for five months. Their agony would be like the sting of a scorpion when it strikes a person. 6 In those days people will seek death, but will not find it. They will greatly desire to die, but death will flee from them. 7 The locusts looked like horses prepared for war. On their heads were something like crowns of gold, and their faces were like human faces. 8 They had hair like women's hair, and their teeth were like lions' teeth. 9 They had breastplates like iron breastplates, and the sound of their wings was like the sound made by many chariots and horses running into battle. 10 They had tails with stingers like scorpions; in their tails they had power to harm people for five months. 11 They had as king over them the angel of the bottomless pit. His name in Hebrew was Abaddon, and in Greek he had the name Apollyon.

12 The first woe is past. Look! After this there are still two disasters to come.

13 The sixth angel sounded his trumpet, and I heard a voice coming from the horns of the golden altar that is present before God. 14 The voice said to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, “Release the four angels who are bound at the great Euphrates River.” 15 The four angels who had been prepared for that hour, that day, that month, and that year, were released to kill a third of mankind. 16 The number of the soldiers on horseback was 200,000,000. I heard their number. 17 This is how I saw the horses in my vision and those who rode on them: Their breastplates were fiery red, dark blue and sulfurous yellow. The heads of the horses resembled the heads of lions, and out of their mouths came fire, smoke, and sulfur. 18 A third of the people were killed by these three plagues: the fire, smoke, and sulfur that came out of their mouths. 19 For the power of the horses was in their mouths and in their tails—for their tails were like snakes, and they had heads with which they inflicted wounds on people. 20 The rest of mankind, those who were not killed by these plagues, did not repent of the deeds they had done, nor did they stop worshiping demons and idols of gold, silver, bronze, stone, and wood—things that cannot see, hear, or walk. 21 Neither did they repent of their murders, their sorcery, their sexual immorality or their acts of theft.

10

1 Then I saw another mighty angel coming down from heaven. He was robed in a cloud, and there was a rainbow above his head. His face was like the sun and his feet were like pillars of fire. 2 He held a little scroll, which was opened in his hand. He put his right foot on the sea and his left foot on the land. 3 Then he shouted in a loud voice like a roaring lion. When he shouted, the seven thunders spoke out with their sounds. 4 When the seven thunders spoke out, I was about to write, but I heard a voice from heaven saying, “Keep secret what the seven thunders said. Do not write it down.” 5 Then the angel I saw standing on the sea and the earth raised his right hand to heaven. 6 He swore by the one who lives forever and ever, who created heaven and all that is in it, the earth and all that is on it, and the sea and all that is in it, and the angel said, “There will be no more delay. 7 But on the day when the seventh angel is about to sound his trumpet, then the mystery of God will be accomplished, just as he proclaimed to his servants the prophets.” 8 The voice I heard from heaven spoke to me again: “Go, take the open scroll that is in the hand of the angel standing on the sea and on the land.” 9 Then I went to the angel and told him to give me the little scroll. He said to me, “Take the scroll and eat it. It will make your stomach bitter, but in your mouth it will be as sweet as honey.” 10 I took the little scroll from the angel's hand and ate it. It was as sweet as honey in my mouth, but after I ate it, my stomach became bitter. 11 Then someone said to me, “You must prophesy again about many peoples, nations, languages, and kings.”

11

1 A reed was given to me to use like a measuring rod. I was told, “Get up and measure the temple of God and the altar, and those who worship in it. 2 But do not measure the courtyard outside the temple, for it has been given over to the Gentiles. They will trample the holy city for forty-two months. 3 I will give my two witnesses authority to prophesy for 1,260 days, clothed in sackcloth.” 4 These witnesses are the two olive trees and the two lampstands that have stood before the Lord of the earth. 5 If anyone chooses to harm them, fire comes out of their mouth and devours their enemies. Anyone who wishes to harm them must be killed in this way. 6 These witnesses have authority to close up the sky so that no rain will fall during the time that they prophesy. They have power to turn the waters to blood and to strike the earth with every kind of plague whenever they wish. 7 When they will have finished their testimony, the beast that comes up from the bottomless pit will wage war against them. He will conquer them and kill them. 8 Their bodies will lie in the street of the great city (which is symbolically called Sodom and Egypt) where their Lord was crucified. 9 For three and a half days some from every people, tribe, language, and nation will look at their bodies. They will not permit them to be placed in a tomb. 10 Those who live on the earth will rejoice over them and celebrate. They will even send gifts to one another because these two prophets tormented those who lived on the earth. 11 But after three and a half days a breath of life from God will enter them, and they will stand on their feet. Great fear will fall on those who see them. 12 Then they will hear a loud voice from heaven say to them, “Come up here!” Then they will go up into heaven in a cloud, while their enemies look on. 13 At that hour there will be a major earthquake, and a tenth part of the city will collapse. Seven thousand people will be killed in the earthquake, and the survivors will be terrified and give glory to the God of heaven.

14 The second woe is past. Look! The third woe is coming quickly.

15 Then the seventh angel sounded his trumpet, and loud voices spoke in heaven and said,

“The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ.

He will reign forever and ever.”

16 Then the twenty-four elders, who sit on their thrones in the presence of God, fell upon their faces and worshiped God. 17 They said,

“We give thanks to you, Lord God Almighty, the one who is and who was,

because you have taken your great power and have begun to reign. *

18 The nations were enraged,

but your wrath has come.

The time has come for the dead to be judged

and for you to reward your servants the prophets,

those who are believers, and those who feared your name,

both the unimportant and the mighty.

The time has come for you to destroy those who are destroying the earth.”

19 Then God's temple in heaven was opened and the ark of his covenant was seen within his temple. There were flashes of lightning, rumblings, crashes of thunder, an earthquake, and a great hailstorm.

12

1 A great sign was seen in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, and with the moon under her feet, and a crown of twelve stars was on her head. 2 She was pregnant, and she was crying out in birth pains, in the anguish of childbirth. 3 Then another sign was seen in heaven: Look! There was a huge red dragon that had seven heads and ten horns, and there were seven crowns on his heads. 4 His tail swept away a third of the stars in heaven and hurled them down to the earth. The dragon stood before the woman who was about to give birth, so that when she gave birth, he would devour her child. 5 She gave birth to a son, a male child, who would rule all the nations with an iron rod. Her child was snatched away to God and to his throne, 6 and the woman fled into the wilderness, where God had prepared a place for her, so she could be taken care of for 1,260 days.

7 Now there was war in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon and his angels fought back. 8 But the dragon was not strong enough to win. So there was no longer any place in heaven for him and his angels. 9 The great dragon—that old serpent called the devil or Satan, who deceives the whole world—was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him. 10 Then I heard a loud voice in heaven:

“Now have come the salvation and the power

and the kingdom of our God,

and the authority of his Christ.

For the accuser of our brothers has been thrown down,

the one who accused them before our God day and night.

11 They conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony,

for they did not love their lives even to death.

12 Therefore rejoice you heavens,

and all who reside in them!

But woe to the earth and to the sea,

because the devil has gone down to you!

He is filled with terrible anger

because he has only a little time!

13 When the dragon realized he had been thrown down to the earth, he pursued the woman who had given birth to the male child. 14 But the woman was given the two wings of a great eagle, so that she would flee to the place prepared for her in the wilderness. This was the place where she would be taken care of, for a time, times, and half a time—out of the serpent's presence. 15 The serpent poured water out of his mouth like a river, that he would make a flood to sweep her away. 16 But the earth helped the woman. The earth opened its mouth and swallowed the river that the dragon was pouring out of his mouth. 17 Then the dragon was enraged at the woman and went off to wage war with the rest of her descendants, those who obey God's commandments and hold to the testimony about Jesus. 18 Then the dragon stood on the sand of the seashore.

13

1 Then I saw a beast coming up out of the sea. It had ten horns and seven heads. On its horns were ten crowns, and on each of its heads was a blasphemous name. 2 This beast I saw was like a leopard. Its feet were like a bear's feet, and its mouth was like a lion's mouth. The dragon gave his power to it, and his throne, and his great authority to rule. 3 One of the beast's heads appeared to have been killed, but its fatal wound was healed. The whole earth marveled as they followed the beast. 4 They also worshiped the dragon, for he had given his authority to the beast. They worshiped the beast, too, and kept saying, “Who is like the beast?” and “Who can fight against it?” 5 The beast was given a mouth that could speak proud words and blasphemies. It was permitted to exercise authority for forty-two months. 6 So the beast opened its mouth to speak blasphemies against God—blaspheming his name, the place where he lives, and those who live in heaven. 7 The beast was permitted to wage war with the saints and to conquer them. Also, authority was given to it over every tribe, people, language, and nation. 8 All who live on the earth will worship it, everyone whose name was not written, since the creation of the world, in the Book of Life, which belongs to the Lamb, who had been slaughtered. 9 If anyone has an ear, let him listen.

10 If anyone is to be taken into captivity,

into captivity he will go.

If anyone is to be killed with the sword,

with the sword he will be killed.

Here is a call for the patient endurance and faith of the saints.

11 Then I saw another beast coming up out of the earth. It had two horns like a lamb, and it spoke like a dragon. 12 It exercised all the authority of the first beast in its presence, and it made the earth and those who live on it worship the first beast—the one whose lethal wound had been healed. 13 It performed mighty miracles. It even made fire come down on the earth from heaven in front of people. 14 By the signs it was permitted to do, it deceived those who lived on the earth. It told them to make an image in honor of the beast that had the sword wound but lived. 15 It was permitted to give breath to the beast's image so that the image would even speak and cause all who refused to worship the beast to be killed. 16 It also forced everyone, unimportant and mighty, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on the right hand or on the forehead. 17 It was impossible for anyone to buy or sell unless he had the mark of the beast, that is, the number representing its name. 18 This calls for wisdom. If anyone has insight, let him calculate the number of the beast. For it is the number of a human being. Its number is 666.

14

1 I looked and saw the Lamb standing on Mount Zion. With him were 144,000 who had his name and his Father's name written on their foreheads. 2 I heard a voice from heaven sounding like a roar of many waters and loud thunder. The sound I heard was also like harpists playing their harps. 3 They sang a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and the elders. No one could learn the song except for the 144,000 who had been bought from the earth. 4 These are the ones that have not defiled themselves with women, for they have kept themselves sexually pure. It is these who follow the Lamb wherever he goes. These were bought out of mankind as firstfruits for God and for the Lamb. 5 No lie was found in their mouth; they are blameless. *

6 I saw another angel flying in midair, who had the eternal message of good news to proclaim to those who live on the earth—to every nation, tribe, language, and people. 7 He called out with a loud voice, “Fear God and give him glory. For the hour of his judgment has come. Worship him, the one who made the heaven, the earth, the sea, and the springs of water.”

8 Another angel—a second angel—followed, saying, “Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great, who persuaded all the nations to drink the wine of her immoral passion.”

9 Another angel—a third angel—followed them, saying with a loud voice, “If anyone worships the beast and his image, and receives a mark on his forehead or on his hand, 10 he will also drink some of the wine of God's wrath, the wine that has been poured undiluted into the cup of his anger. The person who drinks it will be tormented with fire and sulfur before God's holy angels and before the Lamb. 11 The smoke from their torment goes up forever and ever, and they have no rest day or night—these worshipers of the beast and his image, and everyone who receives the mark of his name. 12 Here is a call for the patient endurance of the saints, those who obey the commandments of God and faith in Jesus.”

13 I heard a voice from heaven say, “Write this: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord.” “Yes,” says the Spirit, “so that they may rest from their labors, for their deeds will follow them.”

14 I looked, and there was a white cloud. Seated on the cloud was one like a son of man. He had a golden crown on his head and a sharp sickle in his hand. 15 Then another angel came out of the temple and called with a loud voice to the one sitting on the cloud: “Take your sickle and start to reap. For the time to reap has come, since the harvest of the earth is ripe.” 16 Then the one who was sitting on the cloud swung his sickle over the earth, and the earth was harvested.

17 Another angel came out from the temple in heaven; he also had a sharp sickle. 18 Still another angel came out from the incense altar, who had authority over the fire. He called out with a loud voice to the one who had the sharp sickle, “Take your sharp sickle and gather in the clusters of grapes from the vines of the earth, for their grapes are now ripe.” 19 The angel swung his sickle to the earth and gathered the grape harvest of the earth. He threw it into the great wine vat of God's wrath. 20 The winepress was stomped outside the city, and blood poured out from it up to the height of a horse's bridle, for 1,600 stadia.

15

1 Then I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvelous: There were seven angels with seven plagues, which are the final plagues, for with them the wrath of God will be completed.

2 I saw what appeared to be a sea of glass mixed with fire. Standing beside the sea were those who had been victorious over the beast and his image, and over the number representing his name. They were holding harps given to them by God. 3 They were singing the song of Moses, the servant of God, the song of the Lamb:

“Great and marvelous are your deeds,

Lord God, the Almighty.

Just and true are your ways,

King of the nations.

4 Who will not fear you, Lord,

and glorify your name?

For you alone are holy.

All nations will come

and worship before you

because your righteous deeds have been revealed.”

5 After these things I looked, and the temple having the tent of witness was open in heaven. 6 Out of the most holy place came the seven angels holding the seven plagues. They were clothed with pure, bright linen and had golden sashes around their chests. 7 One of the four living creatures gave to the seven angels seven golden bowls full of the wrath of God, who lives forever and ever. 8 The temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God and from his power. No one could enter it until the seven plagues of the seven angels were completed.

16

1 I heard a loud voice call out of the temple and say to the seven angels, “Go and pour out on the earth the seven bowls of God's wrath.”

2 The first angel went and poured out his bowl on the earth; ugly and painful sores came on the people who had the mark of the beast, those who worshiped his image.

3 The second angel poured out his bowl into the sea. It became blood, like the blood of a dead person, and every living thing in the sea died.

4 The third angel poured out his bowl into the rivers and the springs of water, and they became blood. 5 I heard the angel of the waters say,

“You are righteous—the one who is and who was, the Holy One—

because you have judged these things. *

6 Because they poured out the blood of the saints and prophets,

you have given them blood to drink;

it is what they deserve.”

7 I heard the altar reply,

“Yes, Lord God Almighty,

your judgments are true and righteous.”

8 The fourth angel poured out his bowl on the sun, and it was given permission to scorch the people with fire. 9 They were scorched by the terrible heat, and they blasphemed the name of God, who has the power over these plagues. They did not repent or give him glory.

10 Then the fifth angel poured out his bowl on the throne of the beast, and darkness covered its kingdom. They chewed on their tongues because of the pain. 11 They blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pain and sores, and they still refused to repent of what they had done.

12 The sixth angel poured out his bowl into the great river, the Euphrates. Its water was dried up in order to prepare the way for the kings that would come from the east. 13 I saw three unclean spirits that looked like frogs coming out of the mouths of the dragon, of the beast, and of the false prophet. 14 For they are spirits of demons performing miraculous signs. They were going out to the kings of the whole world in order to gather them together for the battle on the great day of God Almighty. 15 (“Look! I am coming as a thief! Blessed is the one who keeps watching, keeping his garments on so that he will not go out naked and they see his shameful condition.”) 16 They brought them together at the place that is called Armageddon in Hebrew.

17 Then the seventh angel poured out his bowl into the air. Then a loud voice came out of the temple and from the throne, saying, “It is done!” 18 There were flashes of lightning, rumbles, crashes of thunder, and a terrible earthquake—an earthquake greater than any that has ever happened since human beings have been on the earth, so great was this earthquake. 19 The great city was split into three parts, and the nations' cities collapsed. Then God called to mind Babylon the great, and he gave that city the cup filled with the wine made from his furious wrath. 20 Every island disappeared, and the mountains were no longer found. 21 Great hailstones, weighing about a talent, came down from the sky upon the people. They cursed God for the plague of hail because that plague was so terrible.

17

1 One of the seven angels who had been holding the seven bowls came and said to me, “Come, I will show you the condemnation of the great prostitute who is seated on many waters. 2 It is with her that the kings of the earth committed sexual immorality. It is with the wine of her sexual immorality that the earth's inhabitants became drunk.” 3 Then the angel carried me away in the Spirit to a wilderness, and I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast that was full of blasphemous names. The beast had seven heads and ten horns. 4 The woman was dressed in purple and scarlet and was adorned with gold, precious stones, and pearls. She was holding in her hand a golden cup full of detestable things and the impurities of her sexual immorality. 5 On her forehead was written a name having a secret meaning: “Babylon the great, the mother of prostitutes and of the detestable things of the earth.” 6 I saw that the woman was drunk with the blood of the saints and with the blood of the martyrs for Jesus. When I saw her, I was greatly astonished. 7 But the angel said to me, “Why are you astonished? I will explain to you the meaning of the woman and of the beast that is carrying her, the beast that has the seven heads and the ten horns. 8 The beast you saw existed, does not exist now, but is about to come up from the bottomless pit. Then it will go on to destruction. Those who live on the earth, those whose names have not been written in the Book of Life since the foundation of the world—they will be astounded when they see the beast that existed, does not exist now, but is about to come. 9 This calls for a mind that has wisdom. The seven heads are seven hills on which the woman is seated. 10 They are also seven kings. Five kings have fallen, one exists, and the other has not yet come; when he comes, he can remain only for a little while. 11 The beast that existed, but does not exist now, is itself also an eighth king; but it is one of those seven kings, and it is going to destruction. 12 The ten horns that you saw are ten kings who have not yet received a kingdom, but they will receive authority as kings for one hour together with the beast. 13 These are of one mind, and they give over their power and authority to the beast. 14 They will wage war against the Lamb. But the Lamb will conquer them because he is Lord of lords and King of kings—and with him are the called ones, the chosen ones, and the faithful ones.” 15 The angel said to me, “The waters you saw, where the prostitute is seated, are peoples, multitudes, nations, and languages. 16 The ten horns that you saw—they and the beast will hate the prostitute. They will make her desolate and naked, they will devour her flesh, and they will burn her completely with fire. 17 For God has put it into their hearts to carry out his purpose by agreeing to give their power to rule to the beast until God's words are fulfilled. 18 The woman you saw is the great city that rules over the kings of the earth.”

18

1 After these things I saw another angel coming down out of heaven. He had great authority, and the earth was illumined by his glory. 2 He cried out with a mighty voice, saying,

“Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great!

She has become a dwelling place for demons,

a refuge for every unclean spirit,

and a refuge for every unclean and detestable bird.

3 For all the nations have drunk the wine of her immoral passion.

The kings of the earth have committed immorality with her.

The merchants of the earth have become rich from the power of her sensual way of living.”

4 Then I heard another voice from heaven say,

“Come out from her, my people,

so that you will not share in her sins,

and so that you will not receive any of her plagues.

5 Her sins have piled up as high as heaven,

and God has remembered her evil actions.

6 Pay her back as she has paid others back,

and repay her double for what she has done;

in the cup she mixed, mix double the amount for her.

7 As she glorified herself and lived in luxury,

give her just as much torture and grief.

For she says in her heart,

'I am seated as a queen;

I am not a widow,

and I will never see mourning.'

8 Therefore in one day her plagues will come:

death, mourning, and famine.

She will be consumed by fire,

for the Lord God is mighty, and he is her judge.”

9 The kings of the earth who committed sexual immorality and went out of control with her will weep and wail over her when they see the smoke of her burning. 10 They will stand off at a distance, afraid of her torment, saying,

“Woe, woe to the great city,

Babylon, the powerful city!

For in a single hour your punishment has come.”

11 The merchants of the earth weep and mourn for her, since no one buys her merchandise anymore— 12 merchandise of gold, silver, precious stone, pearls, fine linen, purple, silk, scarlet, all kinds of scented wood, every vessel of ivory, every vessel made of most precious wood, bronze, iron, marble, 13 cinnamon, spice, incense, myrrh, frankincense, wine, oil, fine flour, wheat, cattle and sheep, horses and chariots, and slaves and human souls. 14 The fruit that you longed for with all your might is gone from you. All your luxury and splendor have vanished, never to be found again. 15 The merchants of these goods who became rich by her will stand away from her at a distance because of the fear of her torment, weeping and mourning loudly.

16 They will say,

“Woe, woe to the great city

that was dressed in fine linen,

in purple, and in scarlet,

and was adorned with gold,

precious jewels, and pearls!

17 In a single hour all that wealth has been wasted.”

Every ship's captain, every seafaring man, sailors, and all whose living is made from the sea, stood off at a distance.

18 They cried out as they saw the smoke of her burning. They said, “What city is like the great city?” 19 They threw dust on their heads, and cried out, weeping and mourning,

“Woe, woe to the great city

where all who had their ships

at sea became rich from her wealth.

For in a single hour she has been destroyed.”

20 “Rejoice over her, heaven,

you believers, apostles, and prophets,

for God has brought your judgment on her!”

21 A mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone and threw it into the sea, saying,

“In this way, Babylon, the great city,

will be thrown down with violence

and will not be seen anymore.

22 The sound made by harpists, musicians,

flute players, and trumpeters

will not be heard anymore in you.

No craftsman of any kind

will be found in you.

No sound of a mill

will be heard anymore in you.

23 The light of a lamp

will not shine in you anymore.

The voices of the bridegroom and the bride

will not be heard in you anymore,

for your merchants were the princes of the earth,

and the nations were deceived by your sorcery.

24 In her the blood of prophets and saints was found,

and the blood of all who have been killed on the earth.”

19

1 After these things I heard what sounded like a loud voice of a large number of people in heaven saying,

“Hallelujah.

Salvation, glory, and power belong to our God.

2 His judgments are true and just,

for he has judged the great prostitute

who corrupted the earth with her sexual immorality.

He has taken revenge for the blood of his servants,

which she herself shed.”

3 They spoke a second time:

“Hallelujah!

The smoke rises from her forever and ever.”

4 The twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God who was seated on the throne. They were saying,

“Amen. Hallelujah!”

5 Then a voice came out from the throne, saying,

“Praise our God,

all you his servants,

you who fear him,

both the unimportant and the powerful.”

6 Then I heard what sounded like the voice of a great number of people, like the roar of many waters, and like loud crashes of thunder, saying,

“Hallelujah!

For the Lord reigns, the God who rules over all.

7 Let us rejoice and be very happy

and give him the glory

because the wedding celebration of the Lamb has come,

and his bride has made herself ready.

8 She was permitted to be dressed

in bright and clean fine linen”

(for fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints).

9 The angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding feast of the Lamb.” He also said to me, “These are true words of God.” 10 I fell down at his feet to worship him, but he said to me, “Do not do this! I am a fellow servant with you and your brothers who hold the testimony about Jesus. Worship God, for the testimony about Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.”

11 Then I saw heaven open, and I looked and there was a white horse. The one riding it is called faithful and true. It is with justice that he judges and wages war. 12 His eyes are like a fiery flame, and on his head are many crowns. He has a name written on him that no one knows but himself. 13 He wears a robe that was dipped in blood, and his name is called the Word of God. 14 The armies of heaven were following him on white horses, dressed in fine linen, white and clean. 15 Out of his mouth goes a sharp sword with which he strikes down the nations, and he will rule them with an iron rod. He tramples in the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty. 16 He has a name written on his robe and on his thigh: “King of kings and Lord of lords.”

17 I saw an angel standing in the sun. He called out in a loud voice to all the birds flying overhead, “Come, gather together for the great feast of God. 18 Come eat the flesh of kings, the flesh of commanders, the flesh of mighty men, the flesh of horses and their riders, and the flesh of all men, both free and slave, the unimportant and the powerful.”

19 I saw the beast and the kings of the earth with their armies. They were gathering in order to wage war with the one who rode the horse and with his army. 20 The beast was captured and with him the false prophet who performed the signs in his presence. With these signs he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and who worshiped his image. The two of them were thrown alive into the fiery lake of burning sulfur. 21 The rest of them were killed by the sword that came out of the mouth of the one who rode on the horse. All the birds ate their dead flesh.

20

1 Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven. He had the key to the bottomless pit, and he had a great chain in his hand. 2 He took hold of the dragon, the old serpent, which is the devil, or Satan, and bound him for a thousand years. 3 He threw him into the bottomless pit. He shut it and sealed it over him. This was so that he would not deceive the nations anymore until the thousand years were over. After that, he must be set free for a short amount of time.

4 Then I saw thrones. Seated on them were those who had been given authority to judge. I also saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for the testimony about Jesus and for the word of God. They had not worshiped the beast or his image, and they had refused to receive the mark on their forehead or hand. They came to life, and they reigned with Christ for a thousand years. 5 The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended. This is the first resurrection. 6 Blessed and holy is anyone who takes part in the first resurrection! Over these the second death has no power. They will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with him for a thousand years.

7 When the thousand years come to an end, Satan will be released from his prison. 8 He will go out to deceive the nations at the four corners of the earth—Gog and Magog—to bring them together for the battle. They will be as many as the sand of the sea. 9 They went up over the broad plain of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints, the beloved city. But fire came down from heaven and devoured them. 10 The devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet had been thrown. They will be tormented day and night forever and ever.

11 Then I saw a great white throne and the one who is seated on it. The earth and the heaven fled away from his presence, but there was no place for them to go. 12 I saw the dead—the mighty and the unimportant—standing before the throne, and the books were opened. Then another book was opened—the Book of Life. The dead were judged by what was recorded in the books, according to their deeds. 13 The sea gave up the dead who were in it. Death and Hades gave up the dead who were in them, and the dead were judged according to what they had done. 14 Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death—the lake of fire. 15 If anyone's name was not found written in the Book of Life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.

21

1 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. 2 I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, that came down out of heaven from God, prepared like a bride adorned for her husband. 3 I heard a great voice from the throne saying, “Look! The dwelling place of God is with human beings, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and he will be their God. 4 He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death, or grieving, or crying, or pain. The former things have passed away. 5 The one who was seated on the throne said, “Look! I make all things new.” He said, “Write this down because these words are trustworthy and true.” 6 He said to me, “These things are done! I am the alpha and the omega, the beginning and the end. To the one who thirsts I will give drink without cost from the spring of the water of life. 7 The one who conquers will inherit these things, and I will be his God, and he will be my son. 8 But as for the cowards, the faithless, the detestable, the murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their place will be in the fiery lake of burning sulfur. That is the second death.”

9 One of the seven angels came to me, the one who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues, and he said, “Come here. I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb.” 10 Then he carried me away in the Spirit to a great and high mountain and showed me the holy city Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God. 11 Jerusalem had the glory of God, and its brilliance was like a very precious jewel, like a stone of crystal-clear jasper. 12 It had a great, high wall with twelve gates, with twelve angels at the gates. On the gates were written the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel. 13 On the east were three gates, on the north three gates, on the south three gates, and on the west three gates. 14 The wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb. 15 The one who spoke with me had a measuring rod made of gold to measure the city, its gates, and its wall. 16 The city was laid out in a square; its length was the same as its width. He measured the city with the measuring rod, twelve thousand stadia in length (its length, width, and height were the same). 17 He also measured its wall, 144 cubits thick by human measurement (which is also the angel's measure). 18 The wall was built of jasper and the city of pure gold, like clear glass. 19 The foundations of the wall were adorned with every kind of precious stone. The first was jasper, the second was sapphire, the third was agate, the fourth was emerald, 20 the fifth was onyx, the sixth was carnelian, the seventh was chrysolite, the eighth was beryl, the ninth was topaz, the tenth was chrysoprase, the eleventh was jacinth, and the twelfth was amethyst. 21 The twelve gates were twelve pearls; each of the gates was made from a single pearl. The streets of the city were pure gold, like transparent glass. 22 I saw no temple in the city, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. 23 The city had no need of the sun or the moon in order to shine on it because the glory of God shone on it, and its lamp is the Lamb. 24 The nations will walk by the light of that city. The kings of the earth will bring their splendor into it. * 25 Its gates will not be shut during the day, and there will be no night there. 26 They will bring the splendor and the honor of the nations into it, 27 but nothing unclean will ever enter into it, nor anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb's Book of Life.

22

1 Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, clear as crystal. It was flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb 2 through the middle of the city's street. On each side of the river was the tree of life, bearing twelve kinds of fruits, and it bears its fruit every month. The leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. 3 There will no longer be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him. 4 They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. 5 There will be no more night; they will have no need for the light of a lamp or sunlight because the Lord God will shine on them. They will reign forever and ever.

6 The angel said to me, “These words are trustworthy and true. The Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets, sent his angel to show his servants what must happen soon.” 7 “Look! I am coming soon! Blessed is the one who obeys the words of the prophecy of this book.”

8 I, John, am the one who heard and saw these things. When I heard and saw them, I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who had been showing me these things. 9 He said to me, “Do not do that! I am a fellow servant with you, with your brothers the prophets, and with those who obey the words of this book. Worship God!”

10 He said to me, “Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this book, for the time is near. 11 The one who is unrighteous, let him continue to do unrighteousness. The one who is morally filthy, let him continue to be morally filthy. The one who is righteous, let him continue to do what is righteous. The one who is holy, let him continue to be holy.” 12 “Look! I am coming soon. My reward is with me, to pay back each one according to what he has done. 13 I am the alpha and the omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end. 14 Blessed are those who wash their robes so that they will have the right to eat from the tree of life and to enter the city through the gates. * 15 Outside are the dogs, the sorcerers, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices falsehood.

16 I, Jesus, have sent my angel to testify to you about these things for the churches. I am the root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star.”

17 The Spirit and the Bride say, “Come!” Let the one who hears say, “Come!” Whoever is thirsty, let him come, and whoever desires it, let him freely have the water of life.

18 I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues that are written about in this book. 19 If anyone takes away from the words of this book of prophecy, God will take away his share in the tree of life and in the holy city that are written about in this book. †

20 The one who testifies to these things says, “Yes! I am coming soon.” Amen! Come, Lord Jesus!

21 May the grace of the Lord Jesus be with everyone. Amen.

* 1:8 Some versions read, I am the alpha and the omega, the beginning and the end, says the Lord God .

* 5:14 Some older versions read, the twenty-four elders fell down and worshiped the one who lives forever and ever .

* 8:7 Some older versions leave out, so that a third of it was burned up .

† 8:13 Some copies have the word angel instead of eagle .

* 11:17 Some copies read the ruler over all, the one who is and who was, and who is to come, but most modern versions do not.

* 14:5 Some older copies add, before the throne of God .

* 16:5 Some older copies read, You are righteous, Lord—the one who is and who was and who is to be, because you have judged these things .

* 21:24 Some older copies read, The nations that are saved will walk by the light of that city .

* 22:14 Instead of, Blessed are those who wash their robes, some older copies read, Blessed are those who do his commandments .

† 22:19 Some older copies read, God will take away his share in the Book of Life and in the holy city that are written about in this book .