64 Bible Verses about Reformation

Samuel told the entire nation of Israel: If you return to Jehovah with all your hearts you must get rid of the foreign gods you have, including the statues of the goddess Astarte. You must dedicate your lives to Jehovah and serve him only. Then he will rescue you from the Philistines.

Jacob said to his family and those who were with him: Get rid of the foreign gods that you have. Wash yourselves until you are ritually clean. Change your clothes.

Honor Jehovah and serve him sincerely and in truth. Get rid of the gods that your ancestors used to worship in Mesopotamia and in Egypt, and serve only Jehovah. If you are not willing to serve him, decide today whom you will serve, the gods your ancestors worshiped in Mesopotamia or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are now living. As for my family and me, we will serve Jehovah.' The people replied: We would never leave Jehovah to serve other gods!read more.
Jehovah our God brought our fathers and us out of slavery in Egypt. We saw the miracles he performed. He kept us safe wherever we went among all the nations through which we passed. As we advanced to this land, Jehovah drove out all the Amorites who lived here. We also will serve Jehovah. He is our God! Joshua said to the people: You may not be able to serve Jehovah. He is a holy God and will not forgive your sins. He will tolerate no rivals, and if you leave him to serve foreign gods, he will turn against you and punish you. He will destroy you, even though he was good to you before. The people said to Joshua: No! We will serve Jehovah! Joshua replied: You are your own witnesses to the fact that you have chosen to serve Jehovah. They said: We are witnesses! Remove the foreign gods you have. He demanded: Pledge your loyalty to Jehovah, the God of Israel. The people said to Joshua: We will serve Jehovah our God. We will obey his commands.

That night Jehovah told Gideon: Take your father's bull and another seven year old bull, tear down your father's altar to Baal, and cut down the symbol of the goddess Asherah, that is beside it. Build a well-constructed altar to Jehovah your God on top of this mound. Take the second bull and burn it as a whole offering. Cut down the symbol of Asherah and use it for firewood. So Gideon took ten of his servants and did what Jehovah instructed him to do. He was afraid of his family and the people in town, so he did it at night.

Jehu assembled all the people and said to them: Ahab was Baal's servant in a small way, but Jehu will be his servant on a great scale. Now send for all the prophets of Baal, all his servants and priests, to come to me. Let no one stay away for I have a great offering to make to Baal. Anyone who is not present will be put to death. Jehu did this with deceit. It was his purpose to destroy the servants of Baal. Jehu said: Let there be a special holy meeting for the worship of Baal. So a public statement was made.read more.
Jehu sent through all Israel; and all the servants of Baal came, not one kept away. They entered the house of Baal. It was full from one end to the other end. Jehu said to the keeper of the robes: Get out robes for all the servants of Baal. So he got out robes for them. Jehu, with Jehonadab, the son of Rechab, went into the house of Baal. He said to the servants of Baal: Make a search with care, to see that no servant of Jehovah is with you, but only servants of Baal. They went in to make offerings and burned offerings. Jehu put eighty men outside. He told them: If any man whom I give into your hands escapes, he who lets him go will forfeit his own life for that life. As soon as he finished offering the burned offering Jehu said to the armed men and the captains: Go in and put them to death! Do not let one come out! So they put them to the sword. Pulling the images to the ground, they went into the holy place of the house of Baal. They removed the image of Asherah from the house of Baal and burned it. The altar of Baal was pulled down and the house of Baal was broken up and made an unclean place, as it is to this day.

The priest Jehoiada had King Jehoash and the people make a covenant with Jehovah that they would be Jehovah's people. He also made a covenant between the king and the people. The people went to the temple of Baal and tore it down. They smashed the altars and the idols, and killed Mattan, the priest of Baal, in front of the altars. Jehoiada put guards on duty at the Temple,

The priest Jehoiada had King Joash and the people join him. They made a covenant that they would be Jehovah's people. Then they all went to the temple of Baal and tore it down. They smashed the altars and idols. Then they killed Mattan, the priest of Baal, in front of the altars.

Regardless of this, there is some good in you. You have removed all the symbols of the goddess Asherah that people worshiped. You have tried to follow God's will.

Manasseh also removed the foreign gods and the idol in Jehovah's Temple. He eliminated the altars he had built in the Temple on Jehovah's mountain and in Jerusalem.

My dearly beloved, flee (run away) from idolatry.

My little children guard (protect) yourselves from idols.

He banished perverted persons from the land. He removed those used for sex purposes in the worship of the gods. He removed all the idols his fathers had made. He would not let Maacah his mother be queen, because she had made a disgusting image for Asherah. Asa had the obscene image cut down and burned by the Kidron Stream.

Asa heard the prophet Oded's words of prophecy. He was encouraged and put away the detestable idols from all of Judah, Benjamin, and the cities he had captured in the mountains of Ephraim. He also repaired Jehovah's altar in front of Jehovah's entrance hall.

Then Asa gathered all the people from Judah and Benjamin and the foreigners who had come from Ephraim, Manasseh, and Simeon. Many of them had come to him from Israel when they saw that Asa's God, Jehovah, was with him. In the third month of the fifteenth year of Asa's reign, they gathered in Jerusalem. They sacrificed to Jehovah a part of the loot they brought with them: seven hundred cattle and seven thousand sheep.read more.
They made an agreement with one another to dedicate their lives to serve the true God Jehovah, the God of their ancestors with all their heart and all their being. All people, young and old, male and female, who refused to dedicate their lives to the true God Jehovah the God of Israel were to be killed. Asa and the people swore their oath to Jehovah with shouts, singing, and the blowing of trumpets and rams' horns. All the people of Judah were overjoyed because of the oath. They took the oath wholeheartedly. They took great pleasure in looking for Jehovah. And he let them find him. So Jehovah surrounded them with rest and peace.

He removed the high places. He broke the stone pillars to bits, and cut down the Asherah poles. The brass snake that Moses had made was crushed to powder at his command, because in those days the children of Israel had offerings burned before it, and he gave it the name Nehushtan.

When this ended, all Israel who were present went out to the cities of Judah, broke the pillars in pieces, cut down the Asherim and pulled down the high places and the altars throughout all Judah and Benjamin, Ephraim and Manasseh. They destroyed them all. Then all the sons of Israel returned to their cities, each to his possession.

In the first month of his first year as king, he opened the doors of Jehovah's temple and repaired them. He assembled the priests and Levites in the square on the east side of the temple. He said: Listen to me, Levites. Perform the ceremonies to make the temple of Jehovah the God of your ancestors holy. Remove anything that has been corrupted from the holy place.read more.
Our ancestors were unfaithful and did what Jehovah our God considered evil. They deserted him. They turned away from Jehovah's tent and turned their backs on him. They also shut the doors of the temple's entrance hall. They extinguished the lamps, and did not burn incense or sacrifice burnt offerings in the holy place to the God of Israel.

Now I intend to make a pledge to Jehovah the God of Israel so that he may turn his burning anger away from us. Do not be negligent, my sons. Jehovah has chosen you to stand in front of him, serve him, be his servants, and burn sacrifices.

Hezekiah sent a message to all Israel and Judah. He wrote letters to the tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh. He invited them to come to Jehovah's Temple in Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover of Jehovah the God of Israel. The king, his officials, and the whole assembly in Jerusalem decided to celebrate the Passover in the second month. They could not celebrate it at the regular time because not enough priests had performed the ceremonies to make themselves holy and the people had not gathered in Jerusalem.read more.
The king and the entire assembly considered their plan to be the right thing to do. They decided to send an announcement throughout Israel from Beersheba to Dan. They summoned everyone to come to Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover of Jehovah God of Israel. These people had not celebrated it in large numbers as the written instructions said they should. Messengers carried letters from the king and his officials throughout Israel and Judah. The king's order said: Israelites should return to Jehovah the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel. Then he will return to the few of you who escaped from the power of the kings of Assyria. Do not be like your ancestors and your relatives who were unfaithful to Jehovah the God of their ancestors. He made them something that shocks people, as you have seen. Do not stiffen your neck like your fathers, but yield to Jehovah and enter his sanctuary that he has consecrated from generation to generation. Serve Jehovah your God that His burning anger may turn away from you. If you return to Jehovah, your brothers and your sons will find compassion before those who led them captive and will return to this land. Jehovah your God is gracious and compassionate. He will not turn his face away from you if you return to him. So the couriers passed from city to city through the country of Ephraim and Manasseh, and as far as Zebulun, but they laughed them to scorn and mocked them. Nevertheless some men of Asher, Manasseh and Zebulun humbled themselves and came to Jerusalem. The hand of God was also on Judah to give them one heart to do what the king and the princes commanded by the word of Jehovah. Many people were gathered at Jerusalem to celebrate the Feast of Unleavened Bread in the second month. It was a very large assembly. They arose and removed the altars in Jerusalem. They also removed all the incense altars and cast them into the Kidron Brook. They slaughtered the Passover lambs on the fourteenth of the second month. The priests and Levites were ashamed of themselves. They consecrated themselves and brought burnt offerings to the house of Jehovah. They stood in their regular places as instructed by the law of Moses. Moses was a man of God. The priests sprinkled the blood they received from the Levites. Many people in the assembly had not made themselves holy. So the Levites had to kill the Passover lambs for all who were not clean and could not make their lambs holy for Jehovah. Many people from Ephraim, Manasseh, Issachar, and Zebulun had not made themselves clean. So they ate the Passover, but not in the way the written instructions said they should. Hezekiah prayed for them: May Jehovah forgive everyone who have their hearts set on dedicating their lives to serve God. May Jehovah the God of their ancestors do this for those who are not clean as required for the holy place. Jehovah listened to Hezekiah and healed the people. Thus the Israelites in Jerusalem celebrated the Festival of Unleavened Bread for seven days with great joy. Each day the Levites and priests praised Jehovah in song. They played Jehovah's instruments loudly. Hezekiah spoke encouraging words to all the Levites who had the skills to serve Jehovah. They ate the festival meals for seven days, sacrificed fellowship offerings, and confessed their sins to Jehovah the God of their ancestors. Then the whole assembly decided to celebrate the festival for seven more days. So they joyfully celebrated for seven more days. Hezekiah king of Judah contributed one thousand bulls and seven thousand sheep to the assembly. The princes contributed one thousand bulls and ten thousand sheep to the assembly. A large number of priests consecrated themselves. The entire assembly of Judah rejoiced with the priests and the Levites. The entire assembly that came from Israel, both the sojourners who came from the land of Israel and those living in Judah rejoiced. There was great joy in Jerusalem. Nothing occurred like this in Jerusalem since the days of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel. The Levitical priests arose and blessed the people. Their voice was heard and their prayer came to God's holy dwelling place, to heaven.

Hezekiah assigned the priests and the Levites to divisions. Each priest or Levite was put in a division based on the service he performed. The services included: sacrificing burnt offerings, sacrificing fellowship offerings, serving, giving thanks, or praising within the gates of Jehovah's camp. He set aside part of the king's property for burnt offerings, the morning and evening offerings, burnt offerings on the weekly worship days, the New Moon Festivals, and the annual festivals, as it is written in Jehovah's Law. He told the people living in Jerusalem to give the priests and Levites the portions they were due so that they could devote themselves to Jehovah's Law.read more.
As soon as the order was given, the people of Israel brought gifts of their finest grain, wine, olive oil, honey, and other farm produce, and they also brought the tithes of everything they had. All the people who lived in the cities of Judah brought tithes of their cattle and sheep. They also brought large quantities of gifts they dedicated to Jehovah their God. The gifts started arriving in the third month. They continued to pile up for the next four months. King Hezekiah and his officials saw how much had been given. They praised Jehovah and praised his people Israel. The king spoke to the priests and the Levites about these gifts, and Azariah the High Priest, a descendant of Zadok, said to him: Since the people started bringing their gifts to the temple, there has been enough to eat and a large surplus besides. We have all this because Jehovah has blessed his people. On the king's orders they prepared storerooms in the Temple area and put all the gifts and tithes in them for safekeeping. They placed a Levite named Conaniah in charge and made his brother Shimei his assistant. Ten Levites were assigned to work under them: Jehiel, Azaziah, Nahath, Asahel, Jerimoth, Jozabad, Eliel, Ismachiah, Mahath, and Benaiah. This was done by authority of King Hezekiah and Azariah the High Priest. Kore son of Imnah, a Levite who was chief guard at the East Gate of the temple, was in charge of receiving the gifts offered to Jehovah and of distributing them. In the other cities where priests lived, he was faithfully assisted in this by other Levites: Eden, Miniamin, Jeshua, Shemaiah, Amariah, and Shecaniah. They distributed the food equally to their fellow Levites according to what their duties were. They were appointed to distribute them to males who were at least three years old. The way they were enrolled in the genealogical records did not matter. The six men who served under Kore were to distribute the offerings to everyone who went to Jehovah's Temple to perform the daily service that each division was responsible for. They were to distribute offerings to the priests who were enrolled by families and to the Levites who were at least twenty years old. Distribution was based on the way they served in their divisions. The priests and Levites were enrolled with their wives, sons, daughters, and other people who depended on them in the community. The priests and Levites had to be faithful in keeping themselves holy for the holy work. Men were appointed to give a portion of the offerings to all the males in the priestly families and to everyone listed in the genealogies of the Levites. These men were Aaron's descendants, priests who lived in the pasturelands of every Levite city.

Now in the eighteenth year after he became king, Josiah sent Shaphan son of Azaliah son of Meshullam the scribe, to the Temple of Jehovah. He said to him: Go to Hilkiah the high priest. Let him count the money brought into the Temple of Jehovah that the keepers of the door gathered from the people. Let them deliver it to the workmen who have oversight of the work of Jehovah's Temple. Then they can pay it to the workmen who are making good what was damaged in the Temple of Jehovah.read more.
To the woodworkers and the builders and the stonecutters; and for getting wood and cut stones for building the Temple. Since the workmen are honest, do not require them to account for the money you give them.

In his eighteenth year as king as he was making the land and the temple clean, Josiah sent Shaphan, son of Azaliah, Maaseiah, the mayor of the city, and Joah, the royal historian and son of Joahaz, to repair the Temple of Jehovah his God. They came to the chief priest Hilkiah and gave him the money that had been brought into God's Temple. It was the money that the Levite doorkeepers had collected from the tribes of Manasseh and Ephraim, from all who were left in Israel, from everyone in the tribes of Judah and Benjamin, and from the inhabitants of Jerusalem. They gave the money to the foremen who were in charge of Jehovah's Temple. These foremen gave it to the workmen who were restoring and repairing the Temple.read more.
These workers included carpenters and builders. They were to buy quarried stones and wood for the fittings and beams of the buildings that the kings of Judah had allowed to become run-down. The men did their work faithfully under the supervision of Jahath and Obadiah; Levites descended from Merari, and Zechariah and Meshullam descendants of Kohath. The Levites, who were skilled musicians, also supervised the workers and directed all the workmen on the various jobs. Some of the Levites served as scribes, officials, or gatekeepers.

Then the king ordered the high priest Hilkiah, the priests who served under Hilkiah, and the doorkeepers to remove from Jehovah's Temple all utensils that had been made for Baal, Asherah, and the entire army of heaven. Josiah burned the utensils outside Jerusalem. It was in an open field near the Kidron Brook. Then he carried their ashes to Bethel. He got rid of the pagan priests. The kings of Judah appointed them to sacrifice at the illegal places of worship in the cities of Judah and all around Jerusalem. They had been sacrificing to Baal, the sun god, the moon god, the constellations of the zodiac (Mazzalohth Constellation-Job 38:32), and the entire army of heaven. He removed the pole dedicated to the goddess Asherah from the temple. He took it to the Kidron Valley outside Jerusalem. There he burned it in the Kidron Valley, ground it to dust, and threw its ashes on the tombs of the common people.read more.
He tore down the houses of the male temple (cult) prostitutes who were in Jehovah's Temple. This is where women did weaving for Asherah. He brought all the priests out of the cities of Judah from Geba to Beersheba and made the places where those priests sacrificed unclean. He tore down the worship site at the entrance of the Gate of Joshua, the gate named after the mayor of the city. The worship site was to the left of anyone going through the city gate. The priests of the illegal worship sites had never gone to Jehovah's altar in Jerusalem. Instead, they ate their unleavened bread among the other worshipers. Josiah also made Topheth in the valley of Ben Hinnom unclean so that people would never again sacrifice their sons or daughters by burning them to the god Molech. He also removed the horses that the kings of Judah had dedicated to the worship of the sun. He burned the chariots used in this worship. The altars the kings of Judah built on the palace roof above King Ahaz' quarters, King Josiah tore down, along with the altars put up by King Manasseh in the two courtyards of the Temple. He smashed the altars to bits and threw them into Kidron Valley. The king made the illegal places of worship east of Jerusalem unclean. They were on the southern part of the Hill of Destruction. King Solomon of Israel built them for Astarte the disgusting goddess of the Sidonians. Also made unclean were references to Chemosh the disgusting god of Moab, and Milcom the disgusting god of the Ammonites. Josiah crushed the sacred stones. He cut down the poles dedicated to Asherah. And he filled their places with human bones. He also tore down the altar at Bethel the place of worship made by Jeroboam, who had made Israel sin. He tore down both the altar and the place of worship. They burned the worship site. They crushed it into powder and burned the pole dedicated to Asherah. Josiah turned and saw the tombs on the hill. He sent men to take the bones out of the tombs and burn them on the altar to make it unclean. This fulfilled the word of Jehovah announced by the man of God. What is that headstone I see over there? Josiah asked. The men of the town said: It is the tomb of the man of God who came from Judah. The one who foretold all these things you have done to the altar of Bethel. He said: Let him be. Do not move his bones. So they let his bones be with the bones of the prophet who came from Samaria. Josiah removed all the houses of the high places the kings of Israel built in the towns of Samaria. This provoked Jehovah to anger and he did with them as he had done in Bethel. He killed all the priests of the high places on the altars. Their bones were burned on the altars. Then the king went back to Jerusalem. The king gave orders to all the people. He said: Keep the Passover to Jehovah your God, as it says in this book of the law. Truly, such a Passover had not been kept in all the days of the judges of Israel or of the kings of Israel or the kings of Judah. In the eighteenth year of the rule of King Josiah this Passover was kept to Jehovah in Jerusalem. Josiah removed all the spirit mediums, the foretellers, the images, and the false gods, and all the disgusting things seen in the land of Judah and in Jerusalem. That way he could establish the words of the agreement recorded in the book Hilkiah the priest discovered in the Temple of Jehovah.

It was the eighth year of his reign. He was still a boy when he dedicated his life to service of the God of his ancestor David. In his twelfth year as king he purged Judah and Jerusalem by destroying the illegal places of worship, poles dedicated to the goddess Asherah, carved idols, and metal idols. He tore down the altars of the Baal gods. He cut down the incense altars that were above them. He destroyed the Asherah poles, carved idols, and metal idols. He ground them into powder and scattered the powder over the tombs of those who had sacrificed to them. He burned the bones of the priests on their altars. Thus he made Judah and Jerusalem clean.read more.
In the cities of Manasseh, Ephraim, Simeon, and as far as Naphtali, he removed all their temples. Then he tore down the altars, beat the Asherah poles and idols into powder, and cut down all the incense altars everywhere in Israel. Then he went back to Jerusalem.

Josiah got rid of all the disgusting idols throughout Israelite territory. He required all people in Israel to serve Jehovah their God. As long as he lived, they did not stop following Jehovah the God of their ancestors.

When the king heard what the book of the Law said, he tore his clothes in distress. The king gave an order to the priest Hilkiah, to Ahikam son of Shaphan, Achbor son of Micaiah, the scribe Shaphan, and the royal official Asaiah. He said: Go inquire of Jehovah on my behalf and for the people. This is concerning the words in this book that has been found. Jehovah's fierce anger is directed towards us because our ancestors did not obey the things in this book or do everything written in it.read more.
So the priest Hilkiah, Ahikam, Achbor, Shaphan, and Asaiah went to talk to the prophet Huldah. She was the wife of Shallum, son of Tikvah and grandson of Harhas. Shallum was in charge of the royal wardrobe. Huldah was living in the Second Part of Jerusalem. She told them: This is what Jehovah God of Israel says: Tell the man who sent you to me: This is what Jehovah says: I am going to bring disaster on this place and on the people living here. This is according to everything written in the book that the king of Judah has read. I will do this because they abandoned me. They sacrificed to other gods in order to make me furious. Therefore, my burning anger against this place will never be extinguished.' Huldah added: Tell Judah's king who sent you to me to ask Jehovah a question. This is what Jehovah God of Israel says about the words you heard: You had a change of heart and humbled yourself in front of Jehovah when you heard my words against this place and those who live here. I said that those who live here would be destroyed and cursed. You also tore your clothes in distress and cried in front of me. So I will listen to you,' declares Jehovah. That is why I will bring you to your ancestors. I will bring you to your grave in peace. Your eyes will not see any of the disaster I will bring on this place.' They reported this to the king.

As soon as the king heard what the Law said, he tore his clothes in distress. Then the king gave an order to Hilkiah, Ahikam son of Shaphan, Abdon son of Micah, the scribe Shaphan, and the royal official Asaiah. He said: On behalf of those who are left in Israel and Judah and me, ask Jehovah about the words in this book that was found. Jehovah's fierce anger has been poured on us because our ancestors did not obey the word of Jehovah by doing everything written in this book.read more.
Hilkiah and the king's officials went to talk to the prophet Huldah about this matter. She was the wife of Shallum, son of Tokhath and grandson of Hasrah. Shallum was in charge of the royal wardrobe. Huldah was living in the Second Part of Jerusalem. She told them: This is what Jehovah the God of Israel says: Tell the man who sent you to me, This is what Jehovah says: 'I am going to bring disaster on this place and on the people living here. This is according to the curses written in the book that was read to the king of Judah. I will do this because they have abandoned me. They have sacrificed to other gods in order to make me furious. Therefore, my anger will be poured on this place and it will not be extinguished.' Huldah continued: Tell Judah's king who sent you to me to ask Jehovah a question: 'This is what Jehovah the God of Israel says about the words you heard: You had a change of heart and humbled yourself in front of God when you heard my words against this place and those who live here. You humbled yourself, tore your clothes in distress, and cried in front of me. So I will listen to you, proclaims Jehovah. 'That is why I am going to bring you to your ancestors. I am going to bring you to your grave in peace. Your eyes will not see any of the disaster I am going to bring on this place and those who live here.' They reported this to the king.

Then the king sent for all the elders of Judah and Jerusalem to join him. The king went up to the Temple of Jehovah. All the inhabitants of Judah young and old also went to Jehovah's Temple. Josiah read everything written in the Book of the Promise found in Jehovah's Temple so they could all hear it. The king stood beside the pillar and made a promise to Jehovah that he would follow Jehovah and obey his commands, instructions, and laws with all his heart and mind. He confirmed the terms of the promise written in this book. All the people joined in the promise.

The king sent for all the respected leaders of Judah and Jerusalem to join him. The king, everyone in Judah, everyone living in Jerusalem, the priests, the Levites, and all the people, young and old, went up to Jehovah's Temple. He read everything written in the Book of the Covenant found in Jehovah's Temple so that they could hear it. The king stood in his place and made a promise to Jehovah that he would follow Jehovah and obey his commandments, instructions, and laws with his entire heart and being. He said he would live by the terms of the covenant (promise) written in this book.read more.
He also made all those found in Jerusalem and Benjamin join with him in the covenant. Then the people of Jerusalem lived according to the covenant of God, the God of their ancestors.

The king stood beside the pillar and made a promise to Jehovah that he would follow Jehovah and obey his commands, instructions, and laws with all his heart and mind. He confirmed the terms of the promise written in this book. All the people joined in the promise.

The king stood in his place and made a promise to Jehovah that he would follow Jehovah and obey his commandments, instructions, and laws with his entire heart and being. He said he would live by the terms of the covenant (promise) written in this book. He also made all those found in Jerusalem and Benjamin join with him in the covenant. Then the people of Jerusalem lived according to the covenant of God, the God of their ancestors.

The king gave orders to all the people. He said: Keep the Passover to Jehovah your God, as it says in this book of the law. Truly, such a Passover had not been kept in all the days of the judges of Israel or of the kings of Israel or the kings of Judah. In the eighteenth year of the rule of King Josiah this Passover was kept to Jehovah in Jerusalem.

Josiah celebrated the Passover to Jehovah in Jerusalem. The Passover lamb was slaughtered on the fourteenth day of the first month. Josiah appointed the priests to their duties and encouraged them to serve in Jehovah's Temple. He told the Levites, who instructed all Israel and performed ceremonies to make themselves holy to Jehovah: Put the Holy Ark in the Temple that Solomon, son of David and king of Israel, built. It should not be carried on your shoulders any longer. Serve Jehovah your God and his people Israel.read more.
Get yourselves ready with the family groups of your divisions, which are listed in the records of King David of Israel and the records of his son Solomon. Divide yourselves into groups. Then spread out throughout the Temple so that each family of worshipers will be able to get help from one of you. When the people bring you their Passover lamb, you must slaughter it and prepare it to be sacrificed to Jehovah. Make sure the people celebrate according to the instructions Jehovah gave Moses. Do not do anything to become unclean and unacceptable. Josiah donated thirty thousand sheep and goats, and three thousand bulls from his own flocks and herds for the people to offer as sacrifices. Josiah's officials also voluntarily gave some of their animals to the people, the priests, and the Levites as sacrifices. Hilkiah, Zechariah, and Jehiel, who were the officials in charge of the Temple, gave the priests twenty-six hundred sheep and lambs and three hundred bulls to sacrifice during the Passover celebration. Conaniah and his brothers Shemaiah and Nethanel, and Hashabiah, Jeiel, and Jozabad, the leaders of the Levites, gave the Levites five thousand sheep and goats and five hundred bulls as Passover sacrifices. Thus the service was prepared. The priests took their positions with the Levites according to their divisions, as the king had ordered. They slaughtered the Passover lambs. The priests sprinkled the blood with their hands while the Levites skinned the lambs. They set aside the burnt offerings to give them to the people according to their family divisions. The people could then present them to Jehovah as is written in the Book of Moses. The Levites did the same with the bulls. The Levites roasted the Passover sacrifices over the fire, according to the regulations. They boiled the sacred offerings in pots, kettles, and pans, and quickly distributed the meat to the people. After this was done, the Levites provided meat for themselves and for the priests descended from Aaron. Since the priests were kept busy until night, burning the animals that were burned whole and the fat of the sacrifices. The following musicians of the Levite clan of Asaph were in the places assigned to them by King David's instructions: Asaph, Heman, and Jeduthun, the king's prophet. The guards at the Temple gates did not need to leave their posts, because the other Levites prepared the Passover for them. Everything was done that day as King Josiah commanded for the worship of Jehovah. This included the keeping of the Passover Festival, and the offering of burnt offerings on the altar. All the people of Israel who were present celebrated the Passover and the Festival of Unleavened Bread for seven days. The Passover had not been celebrated like this since the days of the prophet Samuel. None of the former kings had ever celebrated a Passover like this one celebrated by King Josiah, the priests, the Levites, and the people of Judah, Israel, and Jerusalem This was the eighteenth year of Josiah's reign.

Shecaniah, the son of Jehiel, one of the sons of Elam, answering, said to Ezra, We have done evil against our God, and have taken as our wives strange women of the peoples of the land. But still there is hope for Israel in this question. Let us make an agreement with our God to put away all the wives and all their children, if it seems right to my lord and to those who go in fear of the words of our God. Let it be done in keeping with the law.

After these things were done, the captains came to me and said: The people of Israel and the priests and Levites have not kept themselves separate from the people of the lands. They have taken part in the disgusting ways of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Jebusites, the Ammonites, the Moabites, the Egyptians, and the Amorites. They have taken their daughters as wives for themselves and for their sons. They have mingled the holy race with peoples around them. In fact the leaders and officials were first to do this evil. Hearing this, with signs of grief and pulling out the hair of my head and my chin, I took my seat on the earth deeply troubled.read more.
Then everyone who respected the word of the God of Israel were overcome with grief because of the sin of those who came back. They gathered with me until the evening offering. I humbled myself before God at the evening offering. I got up, with signs of grief, and fell on my knees with my hands stretched out to Jehovah my God, I said, O my God, shame keeps me from lifting up my face (praying) to you (being in your presence), my God: for our sins have increased higher than our heads and our evil-doing has come up to heaven. From the days of our fathers till this day we have been great sinners. Because of our sins, the kings of the lands captured us. We were given to the sword and to prison and to loss of goods and to shame of face, as it is this day. Now for a little time grace (favour) has come to us from Jehovah our God, to let a small band of us go free and to give us a nail in his holy place. Our God gives light to our eyes and a measure of new life in our prison chains. We are servants. Our God has not been turned away from us in our prison. He had mercy on us before the eyes of the kings of Persia, to give us new strength, to put up again the house of our God and to restore its desolate places, and to give us a wall in Judah and Jerusalem. And now, O our God, what are we to say after this? For we have not obeyed your laws, Which you gave to your servants the prophets, saying: 'The land where you are going, you should take for a heritage. It is an unclean land, because of the evil lives of the peoples of the land and their disgusting ways, which have made the land unclean from end to end.' Do not give your daughters to their sons or take their daughters for your sons or do anything for their peace or well being for a very long time. That way you may be strong, living on the good of the land, and handing it on to your children for a heritage for as long as they live. After all this and because of our evil-doing and our great sin, and seeing that the punishment that you, O God, have given us, is less than the measure of our sins, and that you have kept from death those of us who are here; Are we again to go against your orders, taking wives from among the people who do these disgusting things? Would you not be angry with us till our destruction was complete, till there was not one who got away safe? O Jehovah, God of Israel, righteousness is yours. We are only a small band that has been kept from death this day. See, we are before you in our sin. For no one may keep his place before you because of this.

Then Ezra got up, and made the chiefs of the priests and the Levites and all Israel take an oath that they would do this. So they took an oath. Then Ezra got up from before the house of God and went into the room of Jehohanan, the son of Eliashib. When he arrived there, he took no food or drink, for he was sorrowing for the sin of those who had come back. They made a public statement to all Judah and Jerusalem, to all those who came back, that they were to come together to Jerusalem.read more.
And that if anyone did not come before three days were past, as ordered by the rulers and the responsible men, all his goods would be put under the curse. He himself would be cut off from the meeting of the people who had come back. Then all the men of Judah and Benjamin came together to Jerusalem before three days were past. It was the ninth month, on the twentieth day of the month; and all the people were seated in the wide square in front of the house of God. They shook with fear because of this business of this business and because of the great rain. Ezra the priest got to his feet and said to them: You have done wrong and taken strange women for your wives, thus increasing the sin of Israel. Give praise to Jehovah, the God of your fathers, and do his will. Separate yourselves from the peoples of the land and from the strange women. Then all the people, answered with a loud voice: As you have said, so it is right for us to do. The number of people is great, and it is a time of much rain; it is not possible for us to go on waiting outside. This is not a thing that may be done in one day or even two: for our sin in this business is great. So now let our rulers be representatives for all the people. Let all those in our towns who are married to strange women come at fixed times, and with them the responsible men and the judges of every town, till the burning wrath of our God is turned away from us, and this has been done. Only Jonathan, the son of Asahel, and Jahzeiah, the son of Tikvah, were against this, Meshullam and Shabbethai the Levite supporting them. So those who had come back did so. Ezra the priest, with certain heads of families, by their fathers' families, all of them by their names, were marked out. On the first day of the tenth month they took their places to go into the question with care. they reached the end of all the men who were married to strange women by the first day of the first month.

I saw the Jews who were married to women of Ashdod and Ammon and Moab: Their children were talking half in the language of Ashdod; they had no knowledge of the Jews' language, but made use of the language of the two peoples. I took up the cause against them, cursing them and giving blows to some of them and pulling out their hair. I made them take an oath by God, saying: You are not to give your daughters to their sons or take their daughters for your sons or for yourselves.read more.
Was it not in these things that Solomon, king of Israel, did wrong? Among a number of nations there was no king like him. He was dear to his God, and God made him king over all Israel. But even he was made to do evil by strange women. Are we then without protest to let you do all this great evil, sinning against our God by taking strange women for your wives?

Before this, Eliashib the priest had been placed over the rooms of the house of our God. He was a friend of Tobiah. Had made a great room ready for him. This is where they once kept the meal offerings, the perfume, the vessels and the tenths of the grain and wine and oil. They were given by order to the Levites and the music-makers and the gatekeepers, and the contributions for the priests. I was not at Jerusalem all this time in the thirty-second year of Artaxerxes, king of Babylon. I went to the king; and after some days, I got the king to let me go.read more.
I went to Jerusalem. It was clear to me what evil Eliashib had done for Tobiah by making ready for him a room in the buildings of the house of God. It was evil in my eyes so I had all Tobiah's things removed from the room. Then I gave orders, and they made the rooms clean. I put the vessels of the House of God, along with the meal offerings and the perfume, back in the rooms. I saw that the Levites had not been given what was needed for their support. So the Levites and the music-makers, who did the work, had gone away, everyone to his field. Then I made protests to the chiefs, and said: Why has the house of God been given up? I got them together and put them in their places. All Judah came with the tenth part of the grain and wine and oil and put it into the storehouses. I made controllers over the storehouses, Shelemiah the priest and Zadok the scribe, and of the Levites, Pedaiah: and with them was Hanan, the son of Zaccur the son of Mattaniah. They were taken to be honest men and their business was the distribution of these things to their brothers.

In those days, I saw in Judah some who were crushing grapes on the Sabbath, and harvesting grain and putting it on Asses; as well as wine and grapes and figs and all sorts of goods that they took into Jerusalem on the Sabbath day. I gave witness against them on the day when they were marketing food.

There were men of Tyre there. They came with fish and all sorts of goods, trading with the children of Judah and in Jerusalem on the Sabbath. Then I made protests to the chiefs of Judah, and said to them: What is this evil you are doing, not keeping the Sabbath day holy? Did not your fathers do the same, and did not our God send all this evil on us and on this town? You are causing more anger to come on Israel by not keeping the Sabbath holy.read more.
When the streets of Jerusalem were getting dark before the Sabbath, I gave orders for the gate to be shut and not to be open again until after the Sabbath. I put some of my servants by the gate so that nothing might be taken in on the Sabbath day. So the traders in all sorts of goods took their night's rest outside Jerusalem once or twice. Then I gave witness against them and said: Why are you waiting all night by the wall? If you do so again I will have you taken prisoners. From that time they did not come again on the Sabbath. I gave the Levites orders to make themselves clean and come and keep the gates and make the Sabbath holy. Keep this in mind to my credit, O my God, and have mercy on me, for great is your mercy.

Jehu put an end to the worship of Baal in Israel. But Jehu did not keep himself from all the sins of Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, and the evil he made Israel do. The gold calves were still worshiped in Bethel and in Dan.

The high places were not taken away. Nevertheless Asa's heart was true to Jehovah all his life.

Although the illegal worship sites in Israel were not taken down, Asa remained committed to Jehovah his entire life.

Though he was not as bad as his father or his mother Jezebel; he sinned against Jehovah. He removed the image his father had made for the worship of Baal. Like King Jeroboam son of Nebat before him, he caused Israel to sin. He would not turn away from sin.

Jehoash did what was right in the eyes of Jehovah all his days, because he was guided by the teaching of Jehoiada the priest. The high places were not taken away. The people continued making offerings and burning them in the high places.

Thus says Jehovah of Hosts, the God of Israel: Amend (make right) your ways and your deeds, and I will let you dwell in this place.

However, if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves, pray, search for me, and turn from their evil ways, I will hear their prayer from heaven, forgive their sins, and heal their country.

Wash yourselves! Become clean! Get your evil deeds out of my sight. Stop doing evil. Learn to do good (well) (right). Seek justice. Correct oppressors. Defend orphans. Plead the case of widows.

Seek Jehovah while he may be found. Call on him while he is near. Let the wicked forsake his way and the evil man his thoughts. Let him turn to Jehovah, and he will have mercy on him, and to our God, for he will freely pardon.

Now say to the people of Judah and to those who live in Jerusalem, This is what Jehovah says: 'I am going to prepare a disaster and make a plot against you. Turn from your evil ways, change your lives, and do good.'

You must change the way you are living and the things you are doing. You must obey Jehovah your God. If you do, he will change his mind about the destruction that he said he would bring on you.

I have sent all my servants the prophets to you again and again. They said: Turn from your evil ways, do what is right, and do not follow other gods in order to serve them. Then you will live in the land that I gave you and your ancestors. However, you refused to listen to me or obey me.

Tell them, Jehovah of Hosts has said: Jehovah of Hosts says return to me and I will return to you.

Repent therefore, and turn around, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times (seasons) of refreshing shall come from the presence of Jehovah. (Deuteronomy 18:18, 19) He will send Jesus Christ, who preached to you. whom heaven must receive until the times of restoration of all things. God spoke about this through all his holy prophets since the world began.read more.
Moses said to the fathers, 'Jehovah will raise up for your brothers a prophet like me. You must listen to all the things he speaks to you.' (Deuteronomy 18:18) It will happen. Every person who will not listen to the prophet will be destroyed from among the people. Yes, all the prophets from Samuel and his successors also announced these days. You are the children of the prophets, and of the covenant that God made with our fathers. He said to Abraham: 'All the families of the earth will be blessed in your seed.' God raised up his servant and sent him to you first. He sent him to bless you and to turn every one of you from your wicked ways.

Be watchful, and strengthen the things that remain that are at the point of death: for I have not found your works perfect (completed) before God. Remember what you received and heard, and hold fast, and repent. If you do not stay awake, I will come to you like a thief. You will not know the hour when I will come to you.

It is reported that there is sexual immorality among you. This type of fornication is not even found among the people of the nations (who do not know God). There is a man who has his father's wife. And you are proud! You should have been filled with sadness that he did this deed. And you should have ejected (expelled) (excommunicated) (disfellowshiped) him from your congregation. I am not there with you in person. But I am with you in spirit. I have already judged the man who did this.read more.
When you assemble in the name and with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ, I will be with you in spirit. Deliver this one to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus. Your boasting is not good. Do you know that a little leaven ferments the whole batch of dough? Purge out the old leaven, that you may be a new batch of dough. For even Christ our Passover has been sacrificed for us. Therefore let us celebrate the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth. I wrote in a letter to you not to keep company with fornicators. Yet you cannot completely avoid the fornicators of this world, nor the greedy persons, nor cheaters and robbers, nor those who worship idols. To do so you would have to leave this world. I wrote you not to keep company with any man who is called a brother who is a fornicator, or who is greedy, or who worships idols, or constantly gets drunk, or cheats people. Do not even eat with such a person. What have I to do with judging those outside (in the world)? Do we not judge those who are inside (the congregation)? God judges those outside. Remove the wicked man from among yourselves.

Think how far you have fallen! Turn from your sins (repent) and do what you did at first. If you do not turn from your sins, I will come to you and remove your lamp stand from its place.

I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish that you were cold or hot. Because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth. You say, I am rich and have become wealthy and have need of nothing." You do not know that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked.read more.
I counsel you to buy gold from me, gold purified by fire, so that you may be rich; and white clothing, so that you may be clothed. In this way the shame of your nakedness will not appear. And anoint your eyes with eye salve, so that you may see. I reprove and discipline those whom I love: be zealous therefore, and repent. Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hears my voice, and opens the door, I will come in to him, and dine with him, and he with me.

Therefore get rid of all filthiness and wickedness. Receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save you.

Do not be conformed to this world (religious, social, political, and economic arrangement). But be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Prove what is the good, acceptable, and perfect will of God.

You put away your former way (course) (behavior) (conversation) of life, the old self that was corrupt with the lusts of deceit. You are renewed in the spirit (vital principles) (attitude) of your mind (understanding). Put on the new man, that in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth.

Make your members that are upon the earth dead with regard to fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness (greed), which is idolatry. Because of such things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. You once walked in these when you lived in them.read more.
Now you also put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and abusive speech out of your mouth. Do not lie to one another, seeing that you got rid of the old self with its evil practices. You put on the new self that is being renewed to a true knowledge (full discernment) according to the image of the one who created him.

Be doers of the word, and not hearers only, who deceive themselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man looking at his natural face in a mirror. He sees himself, and goes away, and immediately forgets what manner of man he was.read more.
But he who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and so continues, being not a hearer who forgets but a doer who works, this man will be blessed in what he does.

Be subject to God! Resist [Satan] the Devil and he will flee from you. Draw close to God, and he will draw close to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded (uncertain) (doubter) (skeptic). Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness.read more.
Humble yourselves in the presence of God, and he will exalt you.