'Themselves' in the Bible

Afterward the Levites prepared for themselves and for the priests, because the priests, the sons of Aaron, were busy offering the burnt offerings and the fat until night; so the Levites prepared for themselves and for the priests, the sons of Aaron.

For the priests and the Levites had purified themselves together; all of them were [ceremonially] clean. So they slaughtered the Passover lamb for all the exiles, for their brothers the priests, and for themselves.

The Passover was eaten by the sons (descendants) of Israel (Jacob) who returned from exile and by all those who had separated themselves from the [ceremonial] uncleanness of the nations of the land to join them, in order to seek the Lord God of Israel.

When these things were completed, the officials came to me and said, “The people of Israel and the priests and Levites have not separated themselves from the peoples of the lands, but have committed the repulsive acts of the Canaanites, Hittites, Perizzites, Jebusites, Ammonites, Moabites, Egyptians, and Amorites.

For they have taken some of their daughters as wives for themselves and for their sons, so that the holy race has intermingled with the peoples of the lands. Indeed, the officials and chief men have been foremost in this unfaithful act and direct violation [of God’s will].”

He spoke before his brothers and the army of Samaria, “What are these feeble Jews doing? Can they restore it for themselves? Can they offer sacrifices? Can they finish in a day? Can they revive the stones from the heaps of dust and rubbish, even the ones that have been burned?”

Those who were rebuilding the wall and those who carried burdens loaded themselves so that everyone worked with one hand and held a weapon with the other.

So the people went out and brought them and made booths for themselves, each on the roof of his house, and in their courtyards and the courtyards of God’s house, and in the open square of the Water Gate and in the square of the Gate of Ephraim.

The descendants of Israel (Jacob) separated themselves from all foreigners, and stood and confessed their sins and the wrongdoings of their fathers.

“Even when they had made for themselvesA calf of cast metalAnd said, ‘This is your godWho brought you up from Egypt,’And committed great [and contemptible] blasphemies,

“They captured fortified cities and a fertile land.They took possession of houses full of all good things,Hewn cisterns, vineyards, olive groves,And fruit trees in abundance.So they ate and were filled and became fat,And they reveled and were delighted in Your great goodness.

Now the rest of the people—the priests, the Levites, the gatekeepers, the singers, the temple servants, and all those who had separated themselves from the peoples of the lands to the Law of God, their wives, their sons, their daughters, all those who had knowledge and understanding—

from Beth-gilgal and from the fields of Geba and Azmaveth, for the singers had built villages for themselves around Jerusalem.

The priests and the Levites purified themselves; they also purified the people, the gates, and the wall.

and Maaseiah, Shemaiah, Eleazar, Uzzi, Jehohanan, Malchijah, Elam, and Ezer. And the singers sang, with Jezrahiah as their leader.

And I commanded the Levites to purify themselves and come and guard the gates to keep the Sabbath day holy. O my God, remember me concerning this also and have compassion on me according to the greatness of Your lovingkindness.

A copy of the edict was to be issued as a law in every province and as a proclamation to all peoples, so that the Jews would be ready on that day, to avenge themselves on their enemies.

In each and every province and in each and every city, wherever the king’s command and his decree arrived, the Jews celebrated with gladness and joy, a feast and a holiday. And many among the peoples of the land became Jews, for the fear of the Jews [and their God] had fallen on them.

the Jews established and made it a custom for themselves and for their descendants and for all who joined them, so that they would not fail to celebrate these two days as it was written and at the appointed time annually.

to establish these days of Purim [to be observed] at their appointed times, just as Mordecai the Jew and Queen Esther had established for them, and as they had established for themselves and for their descendants with instructions regarding their times of fasting and their lamentations (expressions of needing help).

Now there was a day when the sons of God (angels) came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan (adversary, accuser) also came among them.

Again there was a day when the sons of God (angels) came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan (adversary, accuser) also came among them to present himself before the Lord.

With kings and counselors of the earth,Who built up [now desolate] ruins for themselves;

Because the arrows of the Almighty are within me,My spirit drinks their poison;The terrors of God are arrayed against me.

“They have gaped at me with their mouths,With contempt they have struck me on the cheek;They massed themselves together [and conspired] against me.

“They lift up their voices and sing to the tambourine and the lyreAnd rejoice to the sound of the flute.

“They crowd the needy off the road;The poor of the land all hide themselves.

“In the dark they dig into [the penetrable walls of] houses;They shut themselves up by day;They do not know the light [of day].

The young men saw me and hid themselves,The aged arose and stood [respectfully];

“Among the bushes they cry out [like wild animals];Beneath the prickly scrub they gather and huddle together.

“They break up and clutter my path [upsetting my plans],They profit from my destruction;No one restrains them.

“As through a wide breach they come,Amid the crash [of falling walls] they roll on [over me].

“There is no darkness nor deep shadowWhere the evildoers may hide themselves.

“They kneel down, they bring forth their young,They cast out their labor pains.

“When he raises himself up, the mighty are afraid;Because of the crashing they are bewildered.

I will not be intimidated or afraid of the ten thousandsWho have set themselves against me all around.

Put them in [reverent] fear of You, O Lord,So that the nations may know they are but [frail and mortal] men. Selah.

As soon as they hear me, they respond and obey me;Foreigners feign obedience to me.

Let those be ashamed and humiliated together who rejoice at my distress;Let those be clothed with shame and dishonor who magnify themselves over me.

But the humble will [at last] inherit the landAnd will delight themselves in abundant prosperity and peace.

You make us turn back from the enemy,And those who hate us have taken spoil for themselves.

They attack, they hide and lurk,They watch my steps,As they have [expectantly] waited to take my life.

They set a net for my steps;My very life was bowed down.They dug a pit before me;Into the midst of it they themselves have fallen. Selah.

They run and set themselves against me though there is no guilt in me;Stir Yourself to meet and help me, and see [what they are doing]!

But those who seek my life to destroy itWill [be destroyed and] go into the depths of the earth [into the underworld].

They encourage themselves in [their pursuit of] an evil agenda;They talk of laying snares secretly;They say, “Who will discover us?”

The pastures of the wilderness drip [with dew],And the hills are encircled with joy.

Say to God, “How awesome and fearfully glorious are Your works!Because of the greatness of Your power Your enemies will pretend to be obedient to You.

Who rules by His might forever,His eyes keep watch on the nations;Do not let the rebellious exalt themselves. Selah.

May his name endure forever;May his name continue as long as the sun;And let men bless themselves by him;Let all nations call him blessed.

It seems as if one had lifted upAn axe in a forest of trees [to set a record of destruction].

You make us an object of contention to our neighbors,And our enemies laugh [at our suffering] among themselves.

They band themselves together against the life of the righteousAnd condemn the innocent to death.

When the sun arises, they withdrawAnd lie down in their dens.

They joined themselves also to [the idol] Baal of Peor,And ate sacrifices offered to the dead.

But they mingled with the [idolatrous] nationsAnd learned their ways,

Let my attackers be clothed with dishonor,And let them cover themselves with their own shame as with a robe.

Your people will offer themselves willingly [to participate in Your battle] in the day of Your power;In the splendor of holiness, from the womb of the dawn,Your young men are to You as the dew.

“Do not grant, O Lord, the desires of the wicked;Do not further their evil device, that they not be exalted. Selah.

“Bring my soul out of prison (adversity),So that I may give thanks and praise Your name;The righteous will surround me [in triumph],For You will look after me.”

The wicked become a ransom for the righteous,And the treacherous in the place of the upright [for they fall into their own traps].

Do not be among those who give pledges [involving themselves in others’ finances],Or among those who become guarantors for others’ debts.

When you set your eyes on wealth, it is [suddenly] gone.For wealth certainly makes itself wingsLike an eagle that flies to the heavens.

When the righteous triumph, there is great glory and celebration;But when the wicked rise [to prominence], men hide themselves.

When the wicked rise [to power], men hide themselves;But when the wicked perish, the [consistently] righteous increase and become great.

Open your mouth for the mute,For the rights of all who are unfortunate and defenseless;

And I set my mind to seek and explore by [man’s] wisdom all [human activity] that has been done under heaven. It is a miserable business and a burdensome task which God has given the sons of men with which to be busy and distressed.

I have seen the task which God has given to the sons of men with which to occupy themselves.

I said to myself regarding the sons of men, “God is surely testing them in order for them to see that [by themselves, without God] they are [only] animals.”

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, in the place where the tree falls, there it lies.

in the day when the keepers of the house (hands, arms) tremble, and the strong men (feet, knees) bow themselves, and the grinders (molar teeth) cease because they are few, and those (eyes) who look through the windows grow dim;

In that day men will throw away to the moles and to the batsTheir idols of silver and their idols of gold,Which they made for themselves [as objects] to worship,

Their partiality testifies against them,They display their sin like Sodom;They do not even hide it.Woe (judgment is coming) to them!For they have brought evil on themselves [as a reward].

Woe (judgment is coming) to those who drag along wickedness with cords of falsehood,And sin as if with cart ropes [towing their own punishment];

In their streets they have wrapped themselves with sackcloth;On their [flat] housetops and in their open squaresEveryone is wailing, dissolved in tears.

And it came to pass that your choicest valleys were full of chariots,And the horsemen took their fixed positions [in an offensive array] at the gate [of Jerusalem].

Who proceed down to EgyptWithout consulting Me,To take refuge in the stronghold of PharaohAnd to take shelter in the shadow of Egypt!

They stooped over, they have bowed down together;They could not rescue the burden [of their own idols],But have themselves gone into captivity.

“In fact, they are like stubble;Fire burns them.They cannot save themselves from the power of the flame [much less save the nation],There is no blazing coal for warmingNor fire before which to sit!

“For they call themselves [citizens of Jerusalem] after the holy cityAnd depend on the God of Israel;The Lord of hosts is His name.

This is what the Lord, the Redeemer of Israel, Israel’s Holy One says,To the thoroughly despised One,To the One hated by the nationTo the Servant of rulers,“Kings will see and arise,Princes shall also bow down,Because of the Lord who is faithful, the Holy One of Israel who has chosen You.”

“I will make those who oppress you consume their own flesh [in mutually destructive wars]And they will become drunk with their own blood as with sweet wine;And all mankind will know [with a knowledge grounded in personal experience] that I, the Lord, am your SaviorAnd your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob.”

“Also the foreigners who join themselves to the Lord,To minister to Him, and to love the name of the Lord,To be His servants, everyone who keeps the Sabbath without profaning itAnd holds fast to My covenant [by conscientious obedience];

Their webs will not serve as clothing,Nor will they cover themselves with what they make;Their works are works of wickedness [of sin, of injustice, of wrongdoing],And the act of violence is in their hands.

“Lift up your eyes around you and see;They all gather together, they come to you.Your sons will come from far away,And your daughters will be looked after at their side.

“Those who [vainly attempt to] sanctify and cleanse themselves to go to the gardens [to sacrifice to idols],Following after one in the center,Who eat swine’s flesh, detestable things and mice,Will come to an end together,” says the Lord.

Thus says the Lord,“What injustice or unrighteousness did your fathers find in Me,That they have wandered far from MeAnd [habitually] walked after emptiness and futility and became empty?

“For My people have committed two evils:They have abandoned (rejected) Me,The fountain of living water,And they have carved out their own cisterns,Broken cisternsThat cannot hold water.

Or [you have the untamed and reckless nature of] a wild donkey accustomed to the wilderness,That sniffs the wind in her passion [for the scent of a mate].In her mating season who can restrain her?No males seeking her need to weary themselves;In her month they will find her [looking for them].

And if you swear [your oaths], ‘As the Lord lives,’In truth, in justice, and in righteousness,Then the nations will bless themselves in Him,And in Him they will glory.”

“Why should I [overlook these offenses and] forgive you?Your children have abandoned (rejected) MeAnd sworn [their oaths] by those who are not gods.When I had fed them until they were full [and bound them to Me by a promise],They committed [spiritual] adultery,Assembling in troops at the houses of prostitutes (idols).

‘Do you not fear Me?’ says the Lord.‘Do you not tremble [in awe] in My presence?For I have placed the sand as a boundary for the sea,An eternal decree and a perpetual barrier beyond which it cannot pass.Though the waves [of the sea] toss and break, yet they cannot prevail [against the sand ordained to hold them back];Though the waves and the billows roar, yet they cannot cross over [the barrier].[Is not such a God to be feared?]

Do they offend and provoke Me to anger?” says the Lord. “Is it not themselves [they offend], to their own shame?”

“Everyone deceives and mocks his neighborAnd does not speak the truth.They have taught their tongue to speak lies;They exhaust themselves with sin and cruelty.

For the Lord of hosts, who planted you, has pronounced evil and horror against you because of the evil of the house of Israel and of the house of Judah, which they have done to provoke Me [to anger] by offering sacrifices and burning incense to Baal.

“They have planted wheat but have reaped thorns;They have exhausted themselves but without profit.So be ashamed of your harvestBecause of the fierce and raging anger of the Lord.”

“I will make their widows more numerous before MeThan the sand of the seas;I will bring against them, against the mother of the young men,A destroyer at noonday;I will suddenly cause anguish and terrorTo fall on her.

Both great men and small will die in this land; they will not be buried, nor will they be lamented (mourned over with expressions of grief in death), nor will anyone cut himself or shave his head for them [in mourning].

and I will give them one heart and one way, that they may [reverently] fear Me forever, for their own good and for the good of their children after them.

“Have you not noticed what this people have spoken, saying, ‘The two families [Israel the northern kingdom, and Judah the southern kingdom] which the Lord chose, He has rejected’? Thus they despise My [chosen] people, no longer are they [considered] as a nation in their sight.