“Do not gloat over your brother’s day,
The day of his misfortune.
And do not rejoice over the sons of Judah
In the day of their destruction;
Yes, do not boast
In the day of their distress.

And he caused it to be proclaimed and published through Nineveh by the decree of the king and his nobles, saying, Let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste any thing: let them not feed, nor drink water:

But let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and cry mightily unto God: yea, let them turn every one from his evil way, and from the violence that is in their hands.

For their wound is past remedy. And why? It is come into Judah, and hath touched the port of my people at Jerusalem already.

Thou that dwellest at Shaphir, get thee hence with shame. The proud shall boost no more for very sorrow. And why? Her neighbour shall take from her what she hath.

O thou inhabitant of Lachish, bind the chariot to the swift beast: she is the beginning of the sin to the daughter of Zion: for the transgressions of Israel were found in thee.

And you, Beth-lehem Ephrathah, the least among the families of Judah, out of you one will come to me who is to be ruler in Israel; whose going out has been purposed from time past, from the eternal days.

He will assume his post and shepherd the people by the Lord's strength, by the sovereign authority of the Lord his God. They will live securely, for at that time he will be honored even in the distant regions of the earth.

Woe is me! I am become as one that goeth a gleaning in the harvest. There are no more grapes to eat, yet would I fain, with all my heart, have of the best fruit.

The best of them is as a brier: the most upright is sharper than a thorn hedge: the day of thy watchmen and thy visitation cometh; now shall be their perplexity.

Keep your people safe with your rod, the flock of your heritage, living by themselves in the woods in the middle of Carmel: let them get their food in Bashan and Gilead as in the past.

You will make clear your good faith to Jacob and your mercy to Abraham, as you gave your oath to our fathers from times long past.

This is what the Lord says,

“Though they are at full strength and many in number,
Even so, they will be cut off and pass away.
Though I have afflicted you and caused you grief [O Jerusalem],
I will afflict you no longer.

I will stand at my guard post
And station myself on the tower;
And I will keep watch to see what He will say to me,
And what answer I will give [as His spokesman] when I am reproved.

I will consume man and beast; I will consume the fowls of the heaven, and the fishes of the sea, and the stumblingblocks with the wicked; and I will cut off man from off the land, saith the LORD.

"I've heard Moab's insults and the curses from those Ammonites by which they defame my people and boast about their territory.

And crouched in her midst have droves, Every beast of the nation, Both pelican and hedge-hog in her knobs lodge, A voice doth sing at the window, 'Destruction is at the threshold, For the cedar-work is exposed.'

This the exulting city dwelling confidently, saying in her heart, I, and none besides me. How was she for a desolation, a piece of lying down for the beast! all passing by her shall hiss and wave his hand.

In that day you will not be ashamed of all your rebelliousness against me, for then I will remove from your midst those who proudly boast, and you will never again be arrogant on my holy hill.

Shout for joy, Daughter Zion! Shout out, Israel! Be happy and boast with all your heart, Daughter Jerusalem!

“The Lord your God is in your midst,
A Warrior who saves.
He will rejoice over you with joy;
He will be quiet in His love [making no mention of your past sins],
He will rejoice over you with shouts of joy.

And I proclaim draught on the land, And on the mountains, and on the corn, And on the new wine, and on the oil, And on what the ground doth bring forth, And on man, and on beast, And on all labour of the hands.'

Now therefore reflect carefully on the recent past, before one stone was laid on another in the Lord's temple.

Think carefully about the past: from today, the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, to the day work on the temple of the Lord was resumed, think about it.

And the angel of the LORD replied, "LORD of the Heavenly Armies, how long will it be until you show mercy to Jerusalem and to the cities of Judah, with whom you have been angry for these past seventy years?"

and sore displeased at the careless Heathen: for whereas I was but a little angry, they did their best that I might destroy them.

and he saith unto him, 'Run, speak unto this young man, saying: Unwalled villages inhabit doth Jerusalem, From the abundance of man and beast in her midst.

And to say to the priests of the house of the Lord of armies and to the prophets, Am I to go on weeping in the fifth month, separating myself as I have done in past years?

"Talk to everyone in the land, as well as to the priests. Ask them, "When you were fasting and mourning during the fifth and seventh months for the past seventy years, were you really fasting for me?

For before these days there was no hire for man, nor any hire for beast; neither was there any peace to him that went out or came in because of the affliction: for I set all men every one against his neighbour.

But now I will not be to the rest of this people as I was in the past, says the Lord of armies.

And Tyre made for herself a strong place, and got together silver like dust and the best gold like the earth of the streets.

I said to them, "If you think it best, give me my wages; and if not, keep them." So they weighed for my wages thirty pieces of silver.

for I am now raising up a shepherd in the land who will neither search for the lost, nor care for the young, nor fix the broken, nor sustain the healthy. Instead, he will devour the meat of the best of the sheep, tearing off their hoofs."

Then the offering of Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasing to the Lord, as in days gone by, and as in past years.

“As for me, I baptize you with water because of [your] repentance [that is, because you are willing to change your inner self—your old way of thinking, regret your sin and live a changed life], but He (the Messiah) who is coming after me is mightier [more powerful, more noble] than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to remove [even as His slave]; He will baptize you [who truly repent] with the Holy Spirit and [you who remain unrepentant] with fire (judgment).

From that time Jesus began to preach and say, “Repent [change your inner self—your old way of thinking, regret past sins, live your life in a way that proves repentance; seek God’s purpose for your life], for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

"Those persons who have a humble attitude [toward themselves] are blessed because they will inherit [the best of] the earth.

"You have heard what was said to the people in time's past [Exodus 20:13], 'You must not murder,' and whoever does will be subject to judgment.

If your right eye is a snare to you, take it out and throw it away. It would be best for you to lose one part of your body, and not to have the whole of it thrown into the Pit.

And, if your right hand is a snare to you, cut it off and throw it away. It would be best for you to lose one part of your body, and not to have the whole of it go down to the Pit.

"Again, you have heard what was said to people in time's past [Lev. 19:12], 'You must not go back on your oaths, but [rather] fulfill the oaths you take to the Lord.'

And why spiest thou out the mote which is in thy brother's eye, yet payest no attention to the beam which is in thine own eye?

if ye then, as wicked as ye are, know how to bestow proper gifts upon your children; how much more shall your heavenly father give good things to them that ask him?

And when it was evening, his disciples came to him, saying, This is a desert place, and the time is now past; send the multitude away, that they may go into the villages, and buy themselves victuals.

“Why do Your disciples violate the tradition (religious laws) handed down by the [Jewish] elders? For Your disciples do not [ceremonially] wash their hands before they eat.”

But, if any one puts a snare in the way of one of these lowly ones who believe in me, it would be best for him to be sunk in the depths of the sea with a great millstone hung round his neck.

thereupon his disciples said, if the case between man and wife be such, it is best not to marry.

Then some little children were brought to Jesus so he could pray and place His hands on them [i.e., to bestow a blessing on them]. But His disciples spoke harshly to the people [for doing this].

So, He placed His hands on them [i.e., to bestow a blessing] and [then] left that place.

And he saith unto them, Ye shall indeed drink of my cup, and with the baptism with which I am baptised, shall ye be baptised; but to sit on my right hand, and on my left, it is not in my power to bestow, but on those, for whom it was prepared by my Father.

'Tell ye the daughter of Zion, Lo, thy king doth come to thee, meek, and mounted on an ass, and a colt, a foal of a beast of burden.'

They love the place of distinction and honor at feasts and the best seats in the synagogues [those on the platform near the scrolls of the Law, facing the congregation],

and your boast is, "'If we had lived in the time of our forefathers, we should not have been implicated with them in the murder of the Prophets.'

and they took their post to watch him there.

"You can have a guard," said Pilate: "go and make all safe, as best you can."

John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins [that is, requiring a change of one’s old way of thinking, turning away from sin and seeking God and His righteousness].

John was clothed with camel's hair, and with a girdle of a beast's skin about his loins. And he did eat locusts and wild honey,

and saying, “The [appointed period of] time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent [change your inner self—your old way of thinking, regret past sins, live your life in a way that proves repentance; seek God’s purpose for your life] and believe [with a deep, abiding trust] in the good news [regarding salvation].”

“Why does this man talk that way? He is blaspheming; who can forgive sins [remove guilt, nullify sin’s penalty, and assign righteousness] except God alone?”

For he healed many, so that they beset him that they might touch him, as many as had plagues.

And He continued to speak, "What shall I compare the kingdom of God to? Or, what parable will [best] illustrate it?

So they went out and preached that men should repent [that is, think differently, recognize sin, turn away from it, and live changed lives].

Others said, "He is Elijah." Others said, "He is a prophet, like one of the prophets from the past."

And seeing that they had trouble in getting their boat through the water, because the wind was against them, about the fourth watch of the night he came to them, walking on the sea; and he would have gone past them;

but your doctrine is this, if any one shall tell his father or his mother, that what he could bestow for their relief, is corban, that is, to be given to the temple;

Then He laid His hands upon his eyes again, and he looked the best he could and was cured, and saw everything distinctly.

or what would not a man bestow to preserve himself?

Then some [parents] were bringing [their] little children to Jesus so He could touch them [i.e., to bestow a blessing on them], but His disciples spoke harshly to these parents [for doing this].

and the best seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at banquets,

And when delivering up, they bring you, take no care beforehand what ye speak, neither bestow attention: but whatever should be given you in that hour, that speak ye: for not ye are speaking, but the Holy Spirit.

But when that misery is past, in those days, the sun will be darkened and the moon will not yield her light,

And Jesus said, Let her go; why bestow ye weariness upon her? she has wrought a good work upon me.

And hearing what he said, they were glad, and gave him their word to make him a payment of money. And he took thought how he might best give him up to them.

And when the sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome, had bought sweet spices, that they might come and anoint him.

it seemed best to me also--[because I] have followed all [things] carefully from the beginning--to write [them] down in orderly sequence for you, most excellent Theophilus,

Which thou bast prepared before the face of all peoples:

And he went into all the country around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sin;

And the Devil said to Him, "To you will I give all this authority and this splendour; for it has been handed over to me, and on whomsoever I will I bestow it.

I did not come to call the [self-proclaimed] righteous [who see no need to repent], but sinners to repentance [to change their old way of thinking, to turn from sin and to seek God and His righteousness].”

so no-body that has been drinking old wine, will immediately call for new: for 'tis his maxim, "the old is best."

and those that were beset by unclean spirits were healed.

And they approaching to Jesus, besought him earnestly, saying, That he is worthy to whom he will bestow this:

you did not bestow any oil upon my head; but she has poured her rich perfume upon my feet.

who were just departing from him, when Peter said to Jesus, master, it is best for us to stay here: let us build three apartments, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elias: not knowing well what he said.

And when the voice was past, Jesus was found alone. And they kept it close, and told no man in those days any of those things which they had seen.

Now it so chanced that a priest was going down the same road, but on seeing him he went past on the opposite side.

And went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him.

And Jesus having answered, said to her, Martha,.Martha, thou bast care, and art confused about many things

but one thing is needed. Mary has chosen the best part; it will not be taken away from her."

Woe to you Pharisees, because you love the best seats in the synagogues and to be respectfully greeted in the market places.

And he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits?

And he said, This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods.

Sell your property and bestow charity; make yourselves purses that become not old, and a treasury that fails not, in heaven, where no thief approaches, nor moth destroys;

For example, when you go with your opponent in front of a ruler, do your best to settle with him on the way there. Otherwise, you will be dragged in front of the judge, and the judge will hand you over to an officer, and the officer will throw you into prison.

I tell you, no; but unless you repent [change your old way of thinking, turn from your sinful ways and live changed lives], you will all likewise perish.

I tell you, no; but unless you repent [change your old way of thinking, turn from your sinful ways and live changed lives], you will all likewise perish.”

Do your best to go in by the narrow door, for I say to you, A number will make the attempt to go in, but will not be able to do so.

He told a parable to those who were invited, when He noticed how they would choose the best places for themselves:

“When you are invited by someone to a wedding banquet, don’t recline at the best place, because a more distinguished person than you may have been invited by your host.