This was the land assigned to the tribe of Naphtali by its clans, including the cities and their towns.

along with one male goat for a purification offering, in addition to the continual burnt offering with its grain offering and its drink offering.

The merchants of Sheba and Raamah engaged in trade with you; they traded the best kinds of spices along with precious stones and gold for your products.

Then Balak became very angry at Balaam, and he struck his hands together. Balak said to Balaam, "I called you to curse my enemies, and look, you have done nothing but bless them these three times!

Naphtali is a free running doe, he speaks delightful words.

While he was still speaking with them, Rachel arrived with her father's sheep, for she was tending them.

These were the sons of Zibeon: Aiah and Anah (who discovered the hot springs in the wilderness as he pastured the donkeys of his father Zibeon).

I will turn you around and drag you along; I will lead you up from the remotest parts of the north and bring you against the mountains of Israel.

Suppose I say to the wicked, 'You must certainly die,' but he turns from his sin and does what is just and right.

"'I the Lord have spoken; judgment is coming and I will act! I will not relent, or show pity, or be sorry! I will judge you according to your conduct and your deeds, declares the sovereign Lord.'"

Hide your face from my sins! Wipe away all my guilt!

For your arrows pierce me, and your hand presses me down.

Then you will find joy in your relationship to the Lord, and I will give you great prosperity, and cause crops to grow on the land I gave to your ancestor Jacob." Know for certain that the Lord has spoken.

The Lord spoke to Jeremiah about the nations.

Now some of the officers of the Judean army and their troops had been hiding in the countryside. They heard that the king of Babylon had appointed Gedaliah son of Ahikam to govern the country. They also heard that he had been put in charge over the men, women, and children from the poorer classes of the land who had not been carried off into exile in Babylon.

Scornful people inflame a city, but those who are wise turn away wrath.

He sent it with Elasah son of Shaphan and Gemariah son of Hilkiah. King Zedekiah of Judah had sent these men to Babylon to King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon. The letter said:

I continually look to the Lord for help, for he will free my feet from the enemy's net.

I had faith when I said, "I am severely oppressed."

The men worked faithfully. Their supervisors were Jahath and Obadiah (Levites descended from Merari), as well as Zechariah and Meshullam (descendants of Kohath). The Levites, all of whom were skilled musicians,

You have scrutinized my inner motives; you have examined me during the night. You have carefully evaluated me, but you find no sin. I am determined I will say nothing sinful.

The majority of the many people from Ephraim, Manasseh, Issachar, and Zebulun were ceremonially unclean, yet they ate the Passover in violation of what is prescribed in the law. For Hezekiah prayed for them, saying: "May the Lord, who is good, forgive

My eyes have grown dim with grief; my whole frame is but a shadow.

For I would have committed a shameful act, an iniquity to be judged.

For our fathers were unfaithful; they did what is evil in the sight of the Lord our God and abandoned him! They turned away from the Lord's dwelling place and rejected him.

He did what the Lord approved, just as his father Amaziah had done.

He assembled all Judah and Benjamin, as well as the settlers from Ephraim, Manasseh, and Simeon who had come to live with them. Many people from Israel had come there to live when they saw that the Lord his God was with him.

including Obed-Edom and sixty-eight colleagues. Obed-Edom son of Jeduthun and Hosah were gatekeepers.

He built the inner courtyard with three rows of chiseled stones and a row of cedar beams.

The earth heaved and shook; the foundations of the sky trembled. They heaved because he was angry.

God will severely punish David, if I leave alive until morning even one male from all those who belong to him!"

David said to Saul, "Who am I? Who are my relatives or the clan of my father in Israel that I should become the king's son-in-law?"

The son of Jonathan: Meribbaal. Meribbaal was the father of Micah.

He did evil in the sight of the Lord, as his ancestors had done. He did not repudiate the sinful ways of Jeroboam son of Nebat who encouraged Israel to sin.

The man replied to Joab, "Even if I were receiving a thousand pieces of silver, I would not strike the king's son! In our very presence the king gave this order to you and Abishai and Ittai, 'Protect the young man Absalom for my sake.'

When Saul sent messengers to arrest David, she said, "He's sick."

The border then descended to the edge of the hill country near the Valley of Ben Hinnom located in the Valley of the Rephaites to the north. It descended through the Valley of Hinnom to the slope of the Jebusites to the south and then down to En Rogel.

Then you must build an altar there to the Lord your God, an altar of stones -- do not use an iron tool on them.

But the Israelites did not conquer the Geshurites and Maacathites; Geshur and Maacah live among Israel to this very day.

And the clean person must sprinkle the unclean on the third day and on the seventh day; and on the seventh day he must purify him, and then he must wash his clothes, and bathe in water, and he will be clean in the evening.

"And this is yours: the raised offering of their gift, along with all the wave offerings of the Israelites. I have given them to you and to your sons and daughters with you as a perpetual ordinance. Everyone who is ceremonially clean in your household may eat of it.

Thus all Israel will hear and be afraid; no longer will they continue to do evil like this among you.

You are to make for the hanging five posts of acacia wood and overlay them with gold, and their hooks will be gold, and you are to cast five bronze bases for them.

They traveled from Rissah and camped in Kehelathah.

Their inheritance must be apportioned by lot among the larger and smaller groups.

Now, if such a carcass falls on any sowing seed which is to be sown, it is clean,

Afterward his brother came out -- the one who had the scarlet thread on his hand -- and he was named Zerah.

For your hands are stained with blood and your fingers with sin; your lips speak lies, your tongue utters malicious words.

The four victorious kings took all the possessions and food of Sodom and Gomorrah and left.

If this matter is heard before the governor, we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble."

I will punish those people who have violated their covenant with me. I will make them like the calf they cut in two and passed between its pieces. I will do so because they did not keep the terms of the covenant they made in my presence.

But if the woman is not willing to come back with you, you will be free from this oath of mine. But you must not take my son back there!"

we said farewell to one another. Then we went aboard the ship, and they returned to their own homes.

Edom's streams will be turned into pitch and her soil into brimstone; her land will become burning pitch.

The word of the Lord came to me:

So I made a vow in my anger, 'They will never enter into the resting place I had set aside for them.'"

Why do you constantly go about changing your political allegiances? You will get no help from Egypt just as you got no help from Assyria.

For the Lord's power will make this mountain secure. Moab will be trampled down where it stands, as a heap of straw is trampled down in a manure pile.

You will say to the prisoners, 'Come out,' and to those who are in dark dungeons, 'Emerge.' They will graze beside the roads; on all the slopes they will find pasture.

From the ends of the earth we hear songs -- the Just One is majestic. But I say, "I'm wasting away! I'm wasting away! I'm doomed! Deceivers deceive, deceivers thoroughly deceive!"

So my heart constantly sighs for Moab, like the strumming of a harp, my inner being sighs for Kir Hareseth.

Yet if he is caught he must repay seven times over, he might even have to give all the wealth of his house.

Like an archer who wounds at random, so is the one who hires a fool or hires any passer-by.

He will call out to me, 'You are my father, my God, and the protector who delivers me.'

I will sing praises to the Lord when he vindicates me.

He draws near to the place of corruption, and his life to the messengers of death.

Anyone who accidentally kills someone can escape there; these cities will be a place of asylum from the avenger of blood.

"Do you think this to be just: when you say, 'My right before God.'

But David said to Abishai, "Don't kill him! Who can extend his hand against the Lord's chosen one and remain guiltless?"

Is it because of your piety that he rebukes you and goes to judgment with you?

Now you are declaring that you will resist the Lord's rule through the Davidic dynasty. You have a huge army, and bring with you the gold calves that Jeroboam made for you as gods.

the seventh to Hakkoz, the eighth to Abijah,

"Go, tell David, 'This is what the Lord says: I am offering you three forms of judgment. Pick one of them and I will carry it out against you.'"

You will plant vineyards and cultivate them, but you will not drink wine or gather in grapes, because worms will eat them.

I will not make Israel again leave the land I gave to their ancestors, provided that they carefully obey all I commanded them, the whole law my servant Moses ordered them to obey."

Now send word quickly to David and warn him, "Don't spend the night at the fords of the desert tonight. Instead, be sure you cross over, or else the king and everyone who is with him may be overwhelmed."

If your father happens to miss me, you should say, 'David urgently requested me to let him go to his city Bethlehem, for there is an annual sacrifice there for his entire family.'

(Now Saul had given his daughter Michal, David's wife, to Paltiel son of Laish, who was from Gallim.)

The fortified cities included Ziddim, Zer, Hammath, Rakkath, Kinnereth,

The Lord was king over Jeshurun, when the leaders of the people assembled, the tribes of Israel together.

Of Zebulun he said: Rejoice, Zebulun, when you go outside, and Issachar, when you are in your tents.

Moses said to his father-in-law, "Because the people come to me to inquire of God.

and anoint them just as you anointed their father, so that they may minister as my priests; their anointing will make them a priesthood that will continue throughout their generations."

Eliab's descendants were Nemuel, Dathan, and Abiram. It was Dathan and Abiram who as leaders of the community rebelled against Moses and Aaron with the followers of Korah when they rebelled against the Lord.

In this way Jacob became extremely prosperous. He owned large flocks, male and female servants, camels, and donkeys.

From Merari came the family of the Mahlites and the family of the Mushites; these were the families of Merari.

Those numbered in his division are 62,700.

It could have been sold at a high price and the money given to the poor!"

does not oppress anyone, but gives the debtor back whatever was given in pledge, does not commit robbery, but gives his bread to the hungry and clothes the naked,

Now Joseph was the ruler of the country, the one who sold grain to all the people of the country. Joseph's brothers came and bowed down before him with their faces to the ground.

if he will sell me the cave of Machpelah that belongs to him; it is at the end of his field. Let him sell it to me publicly for the full price, so that I may own it as a burial site."

The sons of Gad: Zephon, Haggi, Shuni, Ezbon, Eri, Arodi, and Areli.

They travel down to Egypt without seeking my will, seeking Pharaoh's protection, and looking for safety in Egypt's protective shade.

For I envied those who are proud, as I observed the prosperity of the wicked.

He will extend his power against other lands; the land of Egypt will not escape.

For if you return to the Lord, your brothers and sons will be shown mercy by their captors and return to this land. The Lord your God is merciful and compassionate; he will not reject you if you return to him."

Look what's coming! A charioteer, a team of horses." When questioned, he replies, "Babylon has fallen, fallen! All the idols of her gods lie shattered on the ground!"

I find delight in your statutes; I do not forget your instructions.

The Lord spoke to the prophet Jeremiah about the Philistines before Pharaoh attacked Gaza.

The earth will stagger around like a drunk; it will sway back and forth like a hut in a windstorm. Its sin will weigh it down, and it will fall and never get up again.

The one who leads the upright astray in an evil way will himself fall into his own pit, but the blameless will inherit what is good.

He went down to the chamber of the royal secretary in the king's palace and found all the court officials in session there. Elishama the royal secretary, Delaiah son of Shemaiah, Elnathan son of Achbor, Gemariah son of Shaphan, Zedekiah son of Hananiah, and all the other officials were seated there.

Be my protector and refuge, a stronghold where I can be safe! For you are my high ridge and my stronghold.

I say, "I wish I had wings like a dove! I would fly away and settle in a safe place!

Now, our God, we give thanks to you and praise your majestic name!

In three more days Pharaoh will decapitate you and impale you on a pole. Then the birds will eat your flesh from you."

For the music director; by David; written to get God's attention. O God, please be willing to rescue me! O Lord, hurry and help me!

King Joash of Israel captured King Amaziah of Judah, son of Joash son of Jehoahaz, in Beth Shemesh and brought him to Jerusalem. He broke down the wall of Jerusalem from the Gate of Ephraim to the Corner Gate -- a distance of about six hundred feet.

"People listened to me and waited silently; they kept silent for my advice.

The first time you did not carry it; that is why the Lord God attacked us, because we did not ask him about the proper way to carry it."

When she has left him she may go and become someone else's wife.

Then he said to all Israel, "You will be on one side, and I and my son Jonathan will be on the other side." The army replied to Saul, "Do whatever you think is best."

Then they came very close to him and said, "We will build sheep folds here for our flocks and cities for our families,

Moses summoned Bezalel and Oholiab and every skilled person in whom the Lord had put skill -- everyone whose heart stirred him to volunteer to do the work,

"'When you sacrifice a peace offering sacrifice to the Lord, you must sacrifice it so that it is accepted for you.

Therefore, take your weapons -- your quiver and your bow -- and go out into the open fields and hunt down some wild game for me.

does not eat pagan sacrifices on the mountains or pray to the idols of the house of Israel, does not defile his neighbor's wife, does not have sexual relations with a woman during her period,

The sons of Asher: Imnah, Ishvah, Ishvi, Beriah, and Serah their sister. The sons of Beriah were Heber and Malkiel.

No longer will they build a house only to have another live in it, or plant a vineyard only to have another eat its fruit, for my people will live as long as trees, and my chosen ones will enjoy to the fullest what they have produced.

"'They must not shave their heads nor let their hair grow long; they must only trim their heads.

Then Jacob kissed Rachel and began to weep loudly.

He had so many sheep and cattle and such a great household of servants that the Philistines became jealous of him.

Their tongues wound like a serpent; a viper's venom is behind their lips. (Selah)

So then, the one who marries his own virgin does well, but the one who does not, does better.

A rich person is wise in his own eyes, but a discerning poor person can evaluate him properly.

He is the one who by his power made the earth. He is the one who by his wisdom fixed the world in place, by his understanding he spread out the heavens.

For the Lord is great and certainly worthy of praise; he is more awesome than all gods.

They confronted King Uzziah and said to him, "It is not proper for you, Uzziah, to offer incense to the Lord. That is the responsibility of the priests, the descendants of Aaron, who are consecrated to offer incense. Leave the sanctuary, for you have disobeyed and the Lord God will not honor you!"

You make mankind return to the dust, and say, "Return, O people!"

"Foreigners will take care of your sheep; foreigners will work in your fields and vineyards.

O Lord, you pulled me up from Sheol; you rescued me from among those descending into the grave.

This is the prayer of King Hezekiah of Judah when he was sick and then recovered from his illness:

"What profit is there in taking my life, in my descending into the Pit? Can the dust of the grave praise you? Can it declare your loyalty?

The godly speak wise words and promote justice.

For God deprived her of wisdom, and did not impart understanding to her.

Who is this majestic king? The Lord who is strong and mighty! The Lord who is mighty in battle!

O Lord God of our ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, maintain the motives of your people and keep them devoted to you.

Gaze at the heavens and see; consider the clouds, which are higher than you!

The Lord struck down the Cushites before Asa and Judah. The Cushites fled,

because the Israelites are my own servants; they are my servants whom I brought out from the land of Egypt. I am the Lord your God.

But the king said, "You will surely die, Ahimelech, you and all your father's house!

the second Hilkiah, the third Tebaliah, and the fourth Zechariah. All of Hosah's sons and relatives numbered thirteen.

Jezebel's corpse will be like manure on the surface of the ground in the plot of land at Jezreel. People will not be able to even recognize her.'"

Anything their carcass may fall on will become unclean. An oven or small stove must be smashed to pieces; they are unclean, and they will stay unclean to you.

Beth Marcaboth, Hazar Susim, Beth Biri, and Shaaraim. These were their towns until the reign of David.

and on the third day they threw the ship's gear overboard with their own hands.

If a man gives his neighbor a donkey or an ox or a sheep or any beast to keep, and it dies or is hurt or is carried away without anyone seeing it,

Joseph instructed the physicians in his service to embalm his father, so the physicians embalmed Israel.

to the south; all the Canaanite territory, from Arah in the region of Sidon to Aphek, as far as Amorite territory;

Then Balak said to Balaam, "What have you done to me? I brought you to curse my enemies, but on the contrary you have only blessed them!"

"You must not offer the blood of my sacrifice with yeast; the sacrifice from the feast of Passover must not remain until the following morning.

Rescue me, I pray, from the hand of my brother Esau, for I am afraid he will come and attack me, as well as the mothers with their children.

When the people there recognized him, they sent word into all the surrounding area, and they brought all their sick to him.

Say, 'Listen to what the Lord says, you kings of Judah and citizens of Jerusalem! The Lord God of Israel who rules over all says, "I will bring a disaster on this place that will make the ears of everyone who hears about it ring!

"For the last twenty-three years, from the thirteenth year that Josiah son of Amon was ruling in Judah until now, the Lord has been speaking to me. I told you over and over again what he said. But you would not listen.

For,' I say, 'just as shorts cling tightly to a person's body, so I bound the whole nation of Israel and the whole nation of Judah tightly to me.' I intended for them to be my special people and to bring me fame, honor, and praise. But they would not obey me.

So all these officers and their troops came to Gedaliah at Mizpah. The officers who came were Ishmael son of Nethaniah, Johanan and Jonathan the sons of Kareah, Seraiah son of Tanhumeth, the sons of Ephai the Netophathite, and Jezaniah son of the Maacathite.

But at that time they will affirm them with "I swear as surely as the Lord lives who delivered the descendants of the former nation of Israel from the land of the north and from all the other lands where he had banished them." At that time they will live in their own land.'"

They are dismayed because the ground is cracked because there has been no rain in the land. The farmers, too, are dismayed and bury their faces in their hands.

Will it make a pact with you, so you could take it as your slave for life?

"Let them produce evidence! Let them tell us what will happen! Tell us about your earlier predictive oracles, so we may examine them and see how they were fulfilled. Or decree for us some future events!

The lotus trees conceal it in their shadow; the poplars by the stream conceal it.

At that time men will trust in their creator; they will depend on the Holy One of Israel.

Remove the dross from the silver, and material for the silversmith will emerge;

The musicians, the descendants of Asaph, manned their posts, as prescribed by David, Asaph, Heman, and Jeduthun the king's prophet. The guards at the various gates did not need to leave their posts, for their fellow Levites made preparations for them.

Look, I am putting a wool fleece on the threshing floor. If there is dew only on the fleece, and the ground around it is dry, then I will be sure that you will use me to deliver Israel, as you promised."

Does God listen to his cry when distress overtakes him?

For all of them, the morning is to them like deep darkness; they are friends with the terrors of darkness.

The Philistines again raided the valley.

the pure gold lampstands at the entrance to the inner sanctuary (five on the right and five on the left), the gold flower-shaped ornaments, lamps, and tongs,

After King Amaziah of Judah consulted with his advisers, he sent this message to the king of Israel, Joash son of Jehoahaz, the son of Jehu, "Come, face me on the battlefield."

I will say to a young woman, 'Please lower your jar so I may drink.' May the one you have chosen for your servant Isaac reply, 'Drink, and I'll give your camels water too.' In this way I will know that you have been faithful to my master."

Jehoram was thirty-two years old when he became king and he reigned for eight years in Jerusalem.

You must be loyal to your servant, for you have made a covenant with your servant in the Lord's name. If I am guilty, you yourself kill me! Why bother taking me to your father?"

Then Saul said, "O Lord God of Israel! If this sin has been committed by me or by my son Jonathan, then, O Lord God of Israel, respond with Urim. But if this sin has been committed by your people Israel, respond with Thummim." Then Jonathan and Saul were indicated by lot, while the army was exonerated.

Jeiel (the father of Gibeon) lived in Gibeon. His wife was Maacah.

Will the leaders of Keilah deliver me into his hand? Will Saul come down as your servant has heard? O Lord God of Israel, please inform your servant!" Then the Lord said, "He will come down."

Jotham passed away and was buried with his ancestors in the city of his ancestor David. His son Ahaz replaced him as king.

If, however, the people of the land shut their eyes to that man when he gives some of his children to Molech so that they do not put him to death,

Today I am still as strong as when Moses sent me out. I can fight and go about my daily activities with the same energy I had then.

"Everything devoted in Israel will be yours.

The nations will know that the house of Israel went into exile due to their iniquity, for they were unfaithful to me. So I hid my face from them and handed them over to their enemies; all of them died by the sword.

The name of the Midianite woman who was killed was Cozbi daughter of Zur. He was a leader over the people of a clan of Midian.

So I bought the field at Anathoth from my cousin Hanamel. I weighed out seven ounces of silver and gave it to him to pay for it.

May the sovereign God grant you mercy before the man so that he may release your other brother and Benjamin! As for me, if I lose my children I lose them."

Her parents were astonished, but he ordered them to tell no one what had happened.

Then Leah said, "God has given me a good gift. Now my husband will honor me because I have given him six sons." So she named him Zebulun.

But they just keep saying, 'We do not care what you say! We will do whatever we want to do! We will continue to behave wickedly and stubbornly!'"

So I will choose severe punishment for them; I will bring on them what they dread, because I called, and no one responded, I spoke and they did not listen. They did evil before me; they chose to do what displeases me."

At that time Baruch went into the temple of the Lord. He stood in the entrance of the room of Gemariah the son of Shaphan who had been the royal secretary. That room was in the upper court near the entrance of the New Gate. There, where all the people could hear him, he read from the scroll what Jeremiah had said.

The word of Lord came to me:

He did this while the army of the king of Babylon was attacking Jerusalem and the cities of Lachish and Azekah. He was attacking these cities because they were the only fortified cities of Judah which were still holding out.

For I will not be hostile forever or perpetually angry, for then man's spirit would grow faint before me, the life-giving breath I created.

Listen to the cries of anguish of the leaders. Listen to the wails of the shepherds of the flocks. They are wailing because the Lord is about to destroy their lands.

A stone is heavy and sand is weighty, but vexation by a fool is more burdensome than the two of them.

O Lord, in distress they looked for you; they uttered incantations because of your discipline.

Do not lie in wait like the wicked against the place where the righteous live; do not assault his home.

Strength lodges in its neck, and despair runs before it.

They lock tightly together, one to the next; they cling together and cannot be separated.

the descendants of the other Elam: 1,254;

But one of the servants told Nabal's wife Abigail, "David sent messengers from the desert to greet our lord, but he screamed at them.

The righteous see their destruction and rejoice; the innocent mock them scornfully, saying,

All the prophets were prophesying the same, saying, "Attack Ramoth Gilead! You will succeed; the Lord will hand it over to the king."

The son of Uzziel: Micah; Shamir from the sons of Micah.

then his sister-in-law must approach him in view of the elders, remove his sandal from his foot, and spit in his face. She will then respond, "Thus may it be done to any man who does not maintain his brother's family line!"

The sons of Hebron: Jeriah, Amariah the second, Jahaziel the third, and Jekameam the fourth.

In Jerusalem David married more wives and fathered more sons and daughters.

So Delilah said to Samson, "Tell me what makes you so strong and how you can be subdued and humiliated."

But Abishai the son of Zeruiah came to David's aid, striking the Philistine down and killing him. Then David's men took an oath saying, "You will not go out to battle with us again! You must not extinguish the lamp of Israel!"

So Joab's men came and laid siege against him in Abel of Beth Maacah. They prepared a siege ramp outside the city which stood against its outer rampart. As all of Joab's soldiers were trying to break through the wall so that it would collapse,

went up to Beth Hoglah, crossed north of Beth Arabah, and went up to the Stone of Bohan son of Reuben.

But a married man is concerned about the things of the world, how to please his wife,

Don't ever cut off your loyalty to my family, not even when the Lord has cut off every one of David's enemies from the face of the earth

who will go out before them, and who will come in before them, and who will lead them out, and who will bring them in, so that the community of the Lord may not be like sheep that have no shepherd."

does not engage in usury or charge interest, but refrains from wrongdoing, promotes true justice between men,

"Instruct the Israelites to give the Levites towns to live in from the inheritance the Israelites will possess. You must also give the Levites grazing land around the towns.

"'Surely no man may consecrate a firstborn that already belongs to the Lord as a firstborn among the animals; whether it is an ox or a sheep, it belongs to the Lord.

Then he said to them, "If you agree that I may bury my dead, then hear me out. Ask Ephron the son of Zohar

Your fame spread among the nations because of your beauty; your beauty was perfect because of the splendor which I bestowed on you, declares the sovereign Lord.

These were the sons of Shobal: Alvan, Manahath, Ebal, Shepho, and Onam.

and say to the scrub land of the Negev, 'Hear the word of the Lord: This is what the sovereign Lord says: Look here, I am about to start a fire in you, and it will devour every green tree and every dry tree in you. The flaming fire will not be extinguished, and the whole surface of the ground from the Negev to the north will be scorched by it.

Gideon said to God, "Please do not get angry at me, when I ask for just one more sign. Please allow me one more test with the fleece. This time make only the fleece dry, while the ground around it is covered with dew."

the foreigners living in Egypt; all the kings of the land of Uz; all the kings of the land of the Philistines, the people of Ashkelon, Gaza, Ekron, the people who had been left alive from Ashdod;

Then the Pharisees answered, "You haven't been deceived too, have you?

Say: 'Listen, O king of Judah who follows in David's succession. You, your officials, and your subjects who pass through the gates of this palace must listen to what the Lord says.

Teach me what I cannot see. If I have done evil, I will do so no more.'

At the fords of the Arnon the Moabite women are like a bird that flies about when forced from its nest.

then let my wife turn the millstone for another man, and may other men have sexual relations with her.

Their children are firmly established in their presence, their offspring before their eyes.

He built fortified cities throughout Judah, for the land was at rest and there was no war during those years; the Lord gave him peace.

Azmaveth son of Adiel was in charge of the king's storehouses; Jonathan son of Uzziah was in charge of the storehouses in the field, in the cities, in the towns, and in the towers.

The descendants of Joseph said, "The whole hill country is inadequate for us, and the Canaanites living down in the valley in Beth Shean and its surrounding towns and in the Valley of Jezreel have chariots with iron-rimmed wheels."

Joab son of Zeruiah started to count the men but did not finish. God was angry with Israel because of this, so the number was not recorded in the scroll called The Annals of King David.

Ten thousand men, well-trained soldiers from all Israel, then made a frontal assault against Gibeah -- the battle was fierce. But the Benjaminites did not realize that disaster was at their doorstep.

Threshing season will extend for you until the season for harvesting grapes, and the season for harvesting grapes will extend until sowing season, so you will eat your bread until you are satisfied, and you will live securely in your land.

The king then said to the prophet, "Come home with me and have something to eat. I'd like to give a present."

When he gave the silver back to his mother, she took two hundred pieces of silver to a silversmith, who made them into a carved image and a metal image. She then put them in Micah's house.

You are to celebrate the festival seven days before the Lord your God in the place he chooses, for he will bless you in all your productivity and in whatever you do; so you will indeed rejoice!

In this manner you will purge out the guilt of innocent blood from among you, for you must do what is right before the Lord.

For the Lord had said to Moses, "Tell the Israelites, 'You are a stiff-necked people. If I went up among you for a moment, I might destroy you. Now take off your ornaments, that I may know what I should do to you.'"

Kedorlaomer king of Elam, Tidal king of nations, Amraphel king of Shinar, and Arioch king of Ellasar. Four kings fought against five.

and the priest who pronounces him clean will have the man who is being cleansed stand along with these offerings before the Lord at the entrance of the Meeting Tent.

So the tabernacle was set up on the first day of the first month, in the second year.

On that day there will be great confusion from the Lord among them; they will seize each other and attack one another violently.

The splendor of Lebanon will come to you, its evergreens, firs, and cypresses together, to beautify my palace; I will bestow honor on my throne room.

You take olive oil as tribute to your king, along with many perfumes. You send your messengers to a distant place; you go all the way to Sheol.

We have heard about Moab's pride, their great arrogance, their boasting, pride, and excess. But their boastful claims are empty!

Predict how future events will turn out, so we might know you are gods. Yes, do something good or bad, so we might be frightened and in awe.

Like charcoal is to burning coals, and wood to fire, so is a contentious person to kindle strife.

The bravest of the warriors will speak to him from the midst of Sheol along with his allies, saying: 'The uncircumcised have come down; they lie still, killed by the sword.'

Do not cause me dismay! You are my source of safety in times of trouble.

But you rejected and embarrassed us! You did not go into battle with our armies.

In those days Hezekiah was stricken with a terminal illness. He prayed to the Lord, who answered him and gave him a sign confirming that he would be healed.

In the light of the king's face there is life, and his favor is like the clouds of the spring rain.

The heavens declare his fairness, for God is judge. (Selah)

Then from the wicked the light is withheld, and the arm raised in violence is broken.

I am pure, without transgression; I am clean and have no iniquity.

Moreover, the strength of their hands -- what use was it to me? Men whose strength had perished;

David left Asaph and his colleagues there before the ark of the Lord's covenant to serve before the ark regularly and fulfill each day's requirements,

Because he killed innocent people and stained Jerusalem with their blood, the Lord was unwilling to forgive them.

Uzziah had an army of skilled warriors trained for battle. They were organized by divisions according to the muster rolls made by Jeiel the scribe and Maaseiah the officer under the authority of Hananiah, a royal official.

The rest of the Levites included: Shubael from the sons of Amram, Jehdeiah from the sons of Shubael,

Azmaveth the Baharumite, Eliahba the Shaalbonite,

These six towns will be places of refuge for the Israelites, and for the foreigner, and for the settler among them, so that anyone who kills any person accidentally may flee there.

Then Ahaziah son of Ahab said to Jehoshaphat, "Let my sailors join yours in the fleet," but Jehoshaphat refused.

Jehu passed away and was buried in Samaria. His son Jehoahaz replaced him as king.

He won over the hearts of all the men of Judah as though they were one man. Then they sent word to the king saying, "Return, you and all your servants as well."

When Moses' father-in-law saw all that he was doing for the people, he said, "What is this that you are doing for the people? Why are you sitting by yourself, and all the people stand around you from morning until evening?"

I wish that they were wise and could understand this, and that they could comprehend what will happen to them."

Now at your own discretion, O king, come down. Delivering him into the king's hand will be our responsibility."

Now once again there was war. So David went out to fight the Philistines. He defeated them thoroughly and they ran away from him.

So Hebron remains the assigned land of Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite to this very day because he remained loyal to the Lord God of Israel.

Then he turned from those who were nearby to someone else and asked the same question, but they gave him the same answer as before.

For the daughters of Zelophehad -- Mahlah, Tirzah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Noah -- were married to the sons of their uncles.

You are to make its four horns on its four corners; its horns will be part of it, and you are to overlay it with bronze.

If you say, 'What will we eat in the seventh year if we do not sow and gather our produce?'

Then Nobah went and captured Kenath and its villages and called it Nobah after his own name.

So Moses spoke to the Israelites, and each of their leaders gave him a staff, one for each leader, according to their tribes -- twelve staffs; the staff of Aaron was among their staffs.

He went to his father and said, "My father!" Isaac replied, "Here I am. Which are you, my son?"

But the wheat and the spelt were not struck, for they are later crops.)

"'For this is what the sovereign Lord says: I will deal with you according to what you have done when you despised your oath by breaking your covenant.

But suddenly Babylonia will fall and be destroyed. Cry out in mourning over it! Get medicine for her wounds! Perhaps she can be healed!

After Isaac had been there a long time, Abimelech king of the Philistines happened to look out a window and observed Isaac caressing his wife Rebekah.

"'When you allot the land as an inheritance, you will offer an allotment to the Lord, a holy portion from the land; the length will be eight and a quarter miles and the width three and one-third miles. This entire area will be holy.

The mouth of a fool is his ruin, and his lips are a snare for his life.

So this is what the sovereign Lord 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 humiliated!

Like a door that turns on its hinges, so a sluggard turns on his bed.

a place whose stones are sapphires and which contains dust of gold;

All of your creatures wait for you to provide them with food on a regular basis.

"When you tell these people about all this, they will undoubtedly ask you, 'Why has the Lord threatened us with such great disaster? What wrong have we done? What sin have we done to offend the Lord our God?'

When they heard the law, they removed from Israel all who were of mixed ancestry.

Elisha went back and walked around in the house. Then he got up on the bed again and bent down over him. The child sneezed seven times and opened his eyes.

But God drags off the mighty by his power; when God rises up against him, he has no faith in his life.

In the first month of the first year of his reign, he opened the doors of the Lord's temple and repaired them.

"Foreigners, who do not belong to your people Israel, will come from a distant land because of your great reputation and your ability to accomplish mighty deeds; they will come and direct their prayers toward this temple.

Just as the Lord had announced, he rejected Judah because of all the sins which Manasseh had committed.

Look, a time is coming when everything in your palace and the things your ancestors have accumulated to this day will be carried away to Babylon; nothing will be left,' says the Lord.

The Lord alone was guiding him, no foreign god was with him.

After Jehoiada died, the officials of Judah visited the king and declared their loyalty to him. The king listened to their advice.

He did what the Lord approved, just as his father Amaziah had done.

There will be very few of you left, though at one time you were as numerous as the stars in the sky, because you will have disobeyed the Lord your God.

Moses and Aaron said to all the Israelites, "In the evening you will know that the Lord has brought you out of the land of Egypt,

He said to me, "These waters go out toward the eastern region and flow down into the Arabah; when they enter the Dead Sea, where the sea is stagnant, the waters become fresh.

He sent messengers throughout Manasseh and summoned them to follow him as well. He also sent messengers throughout Asher, Zebulun, and Naphtali, and they came up to meet him.

When the stronger females were in heat, Jacob would set up the branches in the troughs in front of the flock, so they would mate near the branches.

"'This is what the sovereign Lord says: Enough, you princes of Israel! Put away violence and destruction, and do what is just and right. Put an end to your evictions of my people, declares the sovereign Lord.

So I prophesied as I was commanded. There was a sound when I prophesied -- I heard a rattling, and the bones came together, bone to bone.

Then they traveled on from Oboth and camped at Iye Abarim, in the wilderness that is before Moab, on the eastern side.

Balak said to him, "Please come with me to another place from which you can observe them. You will see only a part of them, but you will not see all of them. Curse them for me from there."

Jacob said to Joseph, "The sovereign God appeared to me at Luz in the land of Canaan and blessed me.

I will look after their welfare and will restore them to this land. There I will build them up and will not tear them down. I will plant them firmly in the land and will not uproot them.

"Son of man, speak to your people, and say to them, 'Suppose I bring a sword against the land, and the people of the land take one man from their borders and make him their watchman.

Therefore speak to them and say to them, 'This is what the sovereign Lord says: When any one from the house of Israel erects his idols in his heart and sets the obstacle leading to his iniquity before his face, and then consults a prophet, I the Lord am determined to answer him personally according to the enormity of his idolatry.

Joy and happiness disappear from the orchards, and in the vineyards no one rejoices or shouts; no one treads out juice in the wine vats -- I have brought the joyful shouts to an end.

Your names will live on in the curse formulas of my chosen ones. The sovereign Lord will kill you, but he will give his servants another name.

The Lord says, "Attack the land of Merathaim and the people who live in Pekod! Pursue, kill, and completely destroy them! Do just as I have commanded you!

The Lord spoke to the prophet Jeremiah about Nebuchadnezzar coming to attack the land of Egypt.

Your word is absolutely pure, and your servant loves it!

Do not audit the foremen who disburse the silver, for they are honest."

The way of the guilty person is devious, but as for the pure, his way is upright.

O Lord, the heavens praise your amazing deeds, as well as your faithfulness in the angelic assembly.

Sing to God! Sing! Sing to our king! Sing!

May you demonstrate wholehearted devotion to the Lord our God by following his rules and obeying his commandments, as you are presently doing."

My lord should not pay attention to this wicked man Nabal. He simply lives up to his name! His name means 'fool,' and he is indeed foolish! But I, your servant, did not see the servants my lord sent.

I thought, 'Now the Philistines will come down on me at Gilgal and I have not sought the Lord's favor.' So I felt obligated to offer the burnt offering."

They slaughtered the bulls, and the priests took the blood and splashed it on the altar. Then they slaughtered the rams and splashed the blood on the altar; next they slaughtered the lambs and splashed the blood on the altar.

and went after the Israelite man into the tent and thrust through the Israelite man and into the woman's abdomen. So the plague was stopped from the Israelites.

the kite, the black kite, the dayyah after its species,

"You say, 'He is foam on the face of the waters; their portion of the land is cursed so that no one goes to their vineyard.

For, when I think about this, I am terrified and my body feels a shudder.

Come, let's sell him to the Ishmaelites, but let's not lay a hand on him, for after all, he is our brother, our own flesh." His brothers agreed.

Fishermen will stand beside it; from Engedi to En-eglaim they will spread nets. They will catch many kinds of fish, like the fish of the Great Sea.

Then the priest is to take some of the blood of the guilt offering and put it on the right earlobe of the one being cleansed, on the thumb of his right hand, and on the big toe of his right foot.

and your poverty will come like a bandit, and your need like an armed robber."

They traveled from Etham, and turned again to Pi-hahiroth, which is before Baal-Zephon; and they camped before Migdal.

The Israelites brought a freewill offering to the Lord, every man and woman whose heart was willing to bring materials for all the work that the Lord through Moses had commanded them to do.

Jethro said, "Blessed be the Lord who has delivered you from the hand of Egypt, and from the hand of Pharaoh, who has delivered the people from the Egyptians' control!

I saw a wall all around the outside of the temple. In the man's hand was a measuring stick 10? feet long. He measured the thickness of the wall as 10? feet, and its height as 10? feet.

Instead of bronze, I will bring you gold, instead of iron, I will bring you silver, instead of wood, I will bring you bronze, instead of stones, I will bring you iron. I will make prosperity your overseer, and vindication your sovereign ruler.

There is a generation whose teeth are like swords and whose molars are like knives to devour the poor from the earth and the needy from among the human race.

Praise the Lord from the earth, you sea creatures and all you ocean depths,

Mishma, Dumah, Massa,

My own brothers treat me like a stranger; they act as if I were a foreigner.

Hear my plea for mercy when I cry out to you for help, when I lift my hands toward your holy temple!

to cause it to rain on an uninhabited land, a desert where there are no human beings,

So now my heart will sing to you and not be silent; O Lord my God, I will always give thanks to you.

O Lord, do I not hate those who hate you, and despise those who oppose you?

All those who behave wickedly do not understand -- those who devour my people as if they were eating bread, and do not call out to the Lord.

He loads the clouds with moisture; he scatters his lightning through the clouds.

For the sake of your reputation, O Lord, forgive my sin, because it is great.

Now, to show my commitment to the temple of my God, I donate my personal treasure of gold and silver to the temple of my God, in addition to all that I have already supplied for this holy temple.

In a moment they die, in the middle of the night, people are shaken and they pass away. The mighty are removed effortlessly.

Sons of senseless and nameless people, they were driven out of the land with whips.

He assembled the priests and Levites and ordered them, "Go out to the cities of Judah and collect the annual quota of silver from all Israel for repairs on the temple of your God. Be quick about it!" But the Levites delayed.

Although you were a powerful man, owning land, an honored man living on it,

The entire group numbered 42,360,

And you will get a serious, chronic intestinal disease which will cause your intestines to come out."

Now, look, I have made every effort to supply what is needed to build the Lord's temple. I have stored up 100,000 talents of gold, 1,000,000 talents of silver, and so much bronze and iron it cannot be weighed, as well as wood and stones. Feel free to add more!

Have them hand it over to the construction foremen assigned to the Lord's temple. They in turn should pay the temple workers to repair it,

God helped him in his campaigns against the Philistines, the Arabs living in Gur Baal, and the Meunites.

On the two doors made of olive wood he carved cherubs, palm trees, and flowers in bloom, and he plated them with gold. He plated the cherubs and the palm trees with hammered gold.

One nation was crushed by another, and one city by another, for God caused them to be in great turmoil.

But he left behind some of the poor of the land and gave them fields and vineyards.

Solomon offered as peace offerings to the Lord 22,000 cattle and 120,000 sheep. Then the king and all the Israelites dedicated the Lord's temple.

Jeroboam son of Nebat, a servant of Solomon son of David, rose up and rebelled against his master.

Suppose he goes with someone else to the forest to cut wood and when he raises the ax to cut the tree, the ax head flies loose from the handle and strikes his fellow worker so hard that he dies. The person responsible may then flee to one of these cities to save himself.

As for the Amramites, Izharites, Hebronites, and Uzzielites:

The sons of Shimei: Jahath, Zina, Jeush, and Beriah. These were Shimei's sons -- four in all.

From the descendants of Kohath: Uriel the leader and 120 of his relatives.

People from all nations came to hear Solomon's display of wisdom; they came from all the kings of the earth who heard about his wisdom.

The Philistine drew steadily closer to David to attack him, while David quickly ran toward the battle line to attack the Philistine.

The people responded, "Far be it from us to abandon the Lord so we can worship other gods!

Just as he finished speaking, the king's sons arrived, wailing and weeping. The king and all his servants wept loudly as well.

If you abandon the Lord and worship foreign gods, he will turn against you; he will bring disaster on you and destroy you, though he once treated you well."

There must not be a scrap of yeast within your land for seven days, nor can any of the meat you sacrifice on the evening of the first day remain until the next morning.

Then Saul said, "Scatter out among the army and say to them, 'Each of you bring to me your ox and sheep and slaughter them in this spot and eat. But don't sin against the Lord by eating the blood." So that night each one brought his ox and slaughtered it there.

Samson continued on down to Timnah and spoke to the girl. In his opinion, she was just the right one.

And every daughter who possesses an inheritance from any of the tribes of the Israelites must become the wife of a man from any family in her father's tribe, so that every Israelite may retain the inheritance of his fathers.

The first lot belonged to the Kohathite clans. The Levites who were descendants of Aaron the priest were allotted thirteen cities from the tribes of Judah, Simeon, and Benjamin.

You must not eat anything that crawls on its belly or anything that walks on all fours or on any number of legs of all the swarming things that swarm on the land, because they are detestable.

and then the border will turn from the south to the Scorpion Ascent, continue to Zin, and then its direction will be from the south to Kadesh Barnea. Then it will go to Hazar Addar and pass over to Azmon.

These are the families of the Asherites, according to those numbered of them, 53,400.

"If a man borrows an animal from his neighbor, and it is hurt or dies when its owner was not with it, the man who borrowed it will surely pay.

You are to cast four gold rings for it and put them on its four feet, with two rings on one side and two rings on the other side.

I will purify them from all the sin that they committed against me. I will forgive all their sins which they committed in rebelling against me.

He feeds on ashes; his deceived mind misleads him. He cannot rescue himself, nor does he say, 'Is this not a false god I hold in my right hand?'

"'No lay person may eat anything holy. Neither a priest's lodger nor a hired laborer may eat anything holy,

"I will display my majesty among the nations. All the nations will witness the judgment I have executed, and the power I have exhibited among them.

For this reason the Jews seized me in the temple courts and were trying to kill me.

Does it make you any more of a king that you outstrip everyone else in building with cedar? Just think about your father. He was content that he had food and drink. He did what was just and right. So things went well with him.

"Son of man, write down the name of this day, this very day. The king of Babylon has laid siege to Jerusalem this very day.

This is the order Jeremiah the prophet gave to Seraiah son of Neriah, son of Mahseiah, when he went to King Zedekiah of Judah in Babylon during the fourth year of his reign. (Seraiah was a quartermaster.)

With all my strength I will say, "O Lord, who can compare to you? You rescue the oppressed from those who try to overpower them; the oppressed and needy from those who try to rob them."

I have more insight than all my teachers, for I meditate on your rules.

It shatters in pieces like a clay jar, so shattered to bits that none of it can be salvaged. Among its fragments one cannot find a shard large enough to scoop a hot coal from a fire or to skim off water from a cistern."

If I have seen anyone about to perish for lack of clothing, or a poor man without a coat,

Daughter Tarshish, travel back to your land, as one crosses the Nile; there is no longer any marketplace in Tyre.

The eyes of the Lord guard knowledge, but he overthrows the words of the faithless person.

He says: "Assemble my covenant people before me, those who ratified a covenant with me by sacrifice!"

How blessed are those who live in your temple and praise you continually! (Selah)

In excitement and impatience it consumes the ground; it cannot stand still when the trumpet is blown.

And on that day they offered great sacrifices and rejoiced, for God had given them great joy. The women and children also rejoiced. The rejoicing in Jerusalem could be heard from far away.

That is why I am terrified in his presence; when I consider, I am afraid because of him.

The Philistines left their idols there, so David ordered that they be burned.

You were adorned with gold and silver, while your clothing was of fine linen, silk, and embroidery. You ate the finest flour, honey, and olive oil. You became extremely beautiful and attained the position of royalty.

The Lord made his kingdom secure; all Judah brought tribute to Jehoshaphat, and he became very wealthy and greatly respected.

When Achan son of Zerah disobeyed the command about the city's riches, the entire Israelite community was judged, though only one man had sinned. He most certainly died for his sin!'"

He looked up at the window and said, "Who is on my side? Who?" Two or three eunuchs looked down at him.

When the messengers came, they found only the idol on the bed and the quilt made of goat's hair at its head.

son of Ethni, son of Zerah, son of Adaiah,

When the king crossed over to Gilgal, Kimham crossed over with him. Now all the soldiers of Judah along with half of the soldiers of Israel had helped the king cross over.

The king's servants replied to the king, "We will do whatever our lord the king decides."

Then he brought out gold, silver jewelry, and clothing and gave them to Rebekah. He also gave valuable gifts to her brother and to her mother.

The artistically woven waistband of the ephod that is on it is to be like it, of one piece with the ephod, of gold, blue, purple, scarlet, and fine twisted linen.

Later Reuben returned to the cistern to find that Joseph was not in it! He tore his clothes,

It then extended on to the sea, with Micmethath on the north. It turned eastward to Taanath Shiloh and crossed it on the east to Janoah.

the priest must then examine it, and if the disease covers his whole body, he is to pronounce the person with the infection clean. He has turned all white, so he is clean.

The land assignments to the nine-and-a-half tribes were made by drawing lots, as the Lord had instructed Moses.

And they came to Balaam and said to him, "Thus says Balak son of Zippor: 'Please do not let anything hinder you from coming to me.

therefore this is what the sovereign Lord says: Surely I have spoken in the fire of my zeal against the rest of the nations, and against all Edom, who with great joy and utter contempt have made my land their property and prey, because of its pasture.'

The anger of the Lord will not turn back until he has fully carried out his intended purposes. In days to come you people will come to understand this clearly.

They are unfamiliar with peace; their deeds are unjust. They use deceitful methods, and whoever deals with them is unfamiliar with peace.

Then Abimelech exclaimed, "What in the world have you done to us? One of the men might easily have had sexual relations with your wife, and you would have brought guilt on us!"

Are you looking for great things for yourself? Do not look for such things. For I, the Lord, affirm that I am about to bring disaster on all humanity. But I will allow you to escape with your life wherever you go."'"

Some of them were wanting to seize him, but no one laid a hand on him.

who fulfills the oracles of his prophetic servants and brings to pass the announcements of his messengers, who says about Jerusalem, 'She will be inhabited,' and about the towns of Judah, 'They will be rebuilt, her ruins I will raise up,'

It is me -- I stir him up and commission him; I will make all his ways level. He will rebuild my city; he will send my exiled people home, but not for a price or a bribe," says the Lord who commands armies.

At that time Tyre will be forgotten for seventy years, the typical life span of a king. At the end of seventy years Tyre will try to attract attention again, like the prostitute in the popular song:

So I bought the shorts as the Lord had told me to do and put them on.

All you who live in the world, who reside on the earth, you will see a signal flag raised on the mountains; you will hear a trumpet being blown.

All Judah was happy about the oath, because they made the vow with their whole heart. They willingly sought the Lord and he responded to them. He made them secure on every side.

Planted in the Lord's house, they grow in the courts of our God.

I will walk in the way of integrity. When will you come to me? I will conduct my business with integrity in the midst of my palace.

For the music director; to be accompanied by stringed instruments; a psalm of Asaph, a song. God has revealed himself in Judah; in Israel his reputation is great.

Yet God finds occasions with me; he regards me as his enemy!

Micaiah replied, "I saw all Israel scattered on the mountains like sheep that have no shepherd. Then the Lord said, 'They have no master. They should go home in peace.'"

Those who survive him are buried by the plague, and their widows do not mourn for them.

The priests then entered the Lord's temple to purify it; they brought out to the courtyard of the Lord's temple every ceremonially unclean thing they discovered inside. The Levites took them out to the Kidron Valley.

They assembled in Jerusalem in the third month of the fifteenth year of Asa's reign.

They hired 32,000 chariots, along with the king of Maacah and his army, who came and camped in front of Medeba. The Ammonites also assembled from their cities and marched out to do battle.

After two months she returned to her father, and he did to her as he had vowed. She died a virgin. Her tragic death gave rise to a custom in Israel.

The one who gathers the ashes of the heifer must wash his clothes and be ceremonially unclean until evening. This will be a permanent ordinance both for the Israelites and the resident foreigner who lives among them.

The stew was poured out for the men to eat. When they ate some of the stew, they cried out, "Death is in the pot, O prophet!" They could not eat it.

Joining them were Heman, Jeduthun, and the rest of those chosen and designated by name to give thanks to the Lord. (For his loyal love endures!)

her husband came after her, hoping he could convince her to return. He brought with him his servant and a pair of donkeys. When she brought him into her father's house and the girl's father saw him, he greeted him warmly.

Joash passed away and Jeroboam succeeded him on the throne. Joash was buried in Samaria with the kings of Israel.

Jonadab said to the king, "Look! The king's sons have come! It's just as I said!"

Then the Lord your God will put all these curses on your enemies, on those who hate you and persecute you.

Then you will take it to your father. Thus he will eat it and bless you before he dies."

You saw everything the Lord your God did to all these nations on your behalf, for the Lord your God fights for you.

This is so that the Israelites will bring their sacrifices that they are sacrificing in the open field to the Lord at the entrance of the Meeting Tent to the priest and sacrifice them there as peace offering sacrifices to the Lord.

Balaam uttered his oracle, and said, "Rise up, Balak, and hear; Listen to me, son of Zippor:

and from Mattanah to Nahaliel; and from Nahaliel to Bamoth;

He gave them portions of the food set before him, but the portion for Benjamin was five times greater than the portions for any of the others. They drank with Joseph until they all became drunk.

"This is what the sovereign Lord says: 'The Philistines have exacted merciless revenge, showing intense scorn in their effort to destroy Judah with unrelenting hostility.

that the Lord, the God of Israel, says, 'The forces at your disposal are now outside the walls fighting against King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon and the Babylonians who have you under siege. I will gather those forces back inside the city.

Her fortresses will be overgrown with thorns; thickets and weeds will grow in her fortified cities. Jackals will settle there; ostriches will live there.

all the kings of Tyre, all the kings of Sidon; all the kings of the coastlands along the sea;

This includes 3,000 talents of gold from Ophir and 7,000 talents of refined silver for overlaying the walls of the buildings,

When you cry out for help, let your idols help you! The wind blows them all away, a breeze carries them away. But the one who looks to me for help will inherit the land and will have access to my holy mountain."

Then tell them, 'The Lord says, "I will soon fill all the people who live in this land with stupor. I will also fill the kings from David's dynasty, the priests, the prophets, and the citizens of Jerusalem with stupor.

Rescue me from the guilt of murder, O God, the God who delivers me! Then my tongue will shout for joy because of your deliverance.

A servant cannot be corrected by words, for although he understands, there is no answer.

The Righteous One considers the house of the wicked; he overthrows the wicked to their ruin.

Can you play with it, like a bird, or tie it on a leash for your girls?

In a battle in Gath there was a large man who had six fingers on each hand and six toes on each foot -- twenty-four in all! He too was a descendant of Rapha.

The Lord who commands armies is on our side! The God of Jacob is our protector! (Selah)

People who had seen him will not see him again, and the place where he was will recognize him no longer.

But the Israelite soldiers had all fled to their own homes.

But may the Lord prevent me from extending my hand against the Lord's chosen one! Now take the spear by Saul's head and the jug of water, and let's get out of here!"

He summoned his son Solomon and charged him to build a temple for the Lord God of Israel.

They came, men and women alike, all who had willing hearts. They brought brooches, earrings, rings and ornaments, all kinds of gold jewelry, and everyone came who waved a wave offering of gold to the Lord.

My advice therefore is this: Let all Israel from Dan to Beer Sheba -- in number like the sand by the sea! -- be mustered to you, and you lead them personally into battle.

You are to engrave the two stones with the names of the sons of Israel with the work of an engraver in stone, like the engravings of a seal; you are to have them set in gold filigree settings.

Even though she continued to speak to Joseph day after day, he did not respond to her invitation to have sex with her.

Nevertheless for David's sake the Lord his God maintained his dynasty in Jerusalem by giving him a son to succeed him and by protecting Jerusalem.

Jonathan said to him, "Tomorrow is the new moon, and you will be missed, for your seat will be empty.

They will teach Jacob your ordinances and Israel your law; they will offer incense as a pleasant odor, and a whole offering on your altar.

Then David said to the priest Abiathar son of Ahimelech, "Bring me the ephod." So Abiathar brought the ephod to David.

You will bear sons and daughters but not keep them, because they will be taken into captivity.

the conversion value of the male from twenty years old up to sixty years old is fifty shekels by the standard of the sanctuary shekel.

As the Lord had instructed, they gave him the city he requested -- Timnath Serah in the Ephraimite hill country. He built up the city and lived in it.

From heaven he spoke to you in order to teach you, and on earth he showed you his great fire from which you also heard his words.

Be careful during an outbreak of leprosy to follow precisely all that the Levitical priests instruct you; as I have commanded them, so you should do.

"Before I finished praying in my heart, along came Rebekah with her water jug on her shoulder! She went down to the spring and drew water. So I said to her, 'Please give me a drink.'

Then it says, 'I will return to the home I left.' When it returns, it finds the house empty, swept clean, and put in order.

They made your oars from oaks of Bashan; they made your deck with cypresses from the Kittean isles.

She said to him, "I am the daughter of Bethuel the son of Milcah, whom Milcah bore to Nahor.

"Son of man, the house of Israel has become slag to me. All of them are like bronze, tin, iron, and lead in the furnace; they are the worthless slag of silver.

Then Leah said, "God has granted me a reward because I gave my servant to my husband as a wife." So she named him Issachar.

The craftsman encourages the metalsmith, the one who wields the hammer encourages the one who pounds on the anvil. He approves the quality of the welding, and nails it down so it won't fall over."

"'As for you, my sheep, this is what the sovereign Lord says: Look, I am about to judge between one sheep and another, between rams and goats.

Say to the Ammonites, 'Hear the word of the sovereign Lord: This is what the sovereign Lord says: You said "Aha!" about my sanctuary when it was desecrated, about the land of Israel when it was made desolate, and about the house of Judah when they went into exile.

Why should you be like someone who is helpless, like a champion who cannot save anyone? You are indeed with us, and we belong to you. Do not abandon us!"

They will bear their punishment; the punishment of the one who sought an oracle will be the same as the punishment of the prophet who gave it

the people of Dedan, Tema, Buz, all the desert people who cut their hair short at the temples;

"'So I brought them out of the land of Egypt and led them to the wilderness.

They lift their voices and shout joyfully; they praise the majesty of the Lord in the west.

The sluggard is wiser in his own estimation than seven people who respond with good sense.

As for me, I will wait continually, and will continue to praise you.

my lips will not speak wickedness, and my tongue will whisper no deceit.

He has searched the sources of the rivers and what was hidden he has brought into the light.

This very day the Lord will deliver you into my hand! I will strike you down and cut off your head. This day I will give the corpses of the Philistine army to the birds of the sky and the wild animals of the land. Then all the land will realize that Israel has a God

"And now my soul pours itself out within me; days of suffering take hold of me.

Then all of Judah brought the tithe of the grain, the new wine, and the olive oil to the storerooms.

If you sin, how does it affect God? If your transgressions are many, what does it do to him?

Now the king of Israel and King Jehoshaphat of Judah were sitting on their respective thrones, dressed in their royal robes, at the threshing floor at the entrance of the gate of Samaria. All the prophets were prophesying before them.

Uzziah passed away and was buried near his ancestors in a cemetery belonging to the kings. (This was because he had a skin disease.) His son Jotham replaced him as king.

In those days no one could travel safely, for total chaos had overtaken all the people of the surrounding lands.

But God said to me, 'You must not build a temple to honor me, for you are a warrior and have spilled blood.'

he stood his ground and fought the Philistines until his hand grew so tired that it seemed stuck to his sword. The Lord gave a great victory on that day. When the army returned to him, the only thing left to do was to plunder the corpses.

The Lord will be unwilling to forgive him, and his intense anger will rage against that man; all the curses written in this scroll will fall upon him and the Lord will obliterate his name from memory.

In the same way, the one who had two gained two more.

His son Shemaiah also had sons, who were leaders of their families, for they were highly respected.

The king asked, "Where is your master's grandson?" Ziba replied to the king, "He remains in Jerusalem, for he said, 'Today the house of Israel will give back to me my grandfather's kingdom.'"

The Israelites sent Phinehas, son of Eleazar, the priest, to the land of Gilead to the Reubenites, Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh.

David divided them into groups corresponding to the sons of Levi: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.

The judges will thoroughly investigate the matter, and if the witness should prove to be false and to have given false testimony against the accused,

He scooped it up with his hands and ate it as he walked along. When he returned to his father and mother, he offered them some and they ate it. But he did not tell them he had scooped the honey out of the lion's carcass.

For I know that after I die you will totally corrupt yourselves and turn away from the path I have commanded you to walk. Disaster will confront you in the days to come because you will act wickedly before the Lord, inciting him to anger because of your actions."

When it is reported to you and you hear about it, you must investigate carefully. If it is indeed true that such a disgraceful thing is being done in Israel,

If you are not pleased with her, then you must let her go where she pleases. You cannot in any case sell her; you must not take advantage of her, since you have already humiliated her.

But he looked around to see who had done it.

You will be responsible for the care of the sanctuary and the care of the altar, so that there will be no more wrath on the Israelites.

Those numbered in his division are 35,400.

The more years there are, the more you may make its purchase price, and the fewer years there are, the less you must make its purchase price, because he is only selling to you a number of years of produce.

As soon as Jehudi had read three or four columns of the scroll, the king would cut them off with a penknife and throw them on the fire in the firepot. He kept doing so until the whole scroll was burned up in the fire.

These are the commandments and the decisions that the Lord commanded the Israelites through the authority of Moses, on the plains of Moab by the Jordan River opposite Jericho.

to loot and plunder, to attack the inhabited ruins and the people gathered from the nations, who are acquiring cattle and goods, who live at the center of the earth."

"A lion coming up from the thick undergrowth along the Jordan scatters the sheep in the pastureland around it. So too I will chase the Edomites off their land. Then I will appoint over it whomever I choose. For there is no one like me, and there is no one who can call me to account. There is no ruler who can stand up against me.

"For this is what the sovereign Lord says: Bring up an army against them and subject them to terror and plunder.

They will be like a shrub in the desert. They will not experience good things even when they happen. It will be as though they were growing in the desert, in a salt land where no one can live.

that the Lord God of Israel who rules over all has a message for him. Tell him, 'On your own initiative you sent a letter to the priest Zephaniah son of Maaseiah and to all the other priests and to all the people in Jerusalem. In your letter you said to Zephaniah,

Tell them that the Lord says, 'You must obey me! You must live according to the way I have instructed you in my laws.

Why, Lord, do you make us stray from your ways, and make our minds stubborn so that we do not obey you? Return for the sake of your servants, the tribes of your inheritance!

"Be strong and brave! Don't be afraid and don't panic because of the king of Assyria and this huge army that is with him! We have with us one who is stronger than those who are with him.

Pay attention and listen to my message! Be attentive and listen to what I have to say!

Look all around you! They all gather and come to you -- your sons come from far away and your daughters are escorted by guardians.

So Moab wails over its demise -- they all wail! Completely devastated, they moan about what has happened to the raisin cakes of Kir Hareseth.

To show partiality is terrible, for a person will transgress over the smallest piece of bread.

For you are great and do amazing things. You alone are God.

How great are your works, O Lord! Your plans are very intricate!

As when a pregnant woman gets ready to deliver and strains and cries out because of her labor pains, so were we because of you, O Lord.

Who can uncover its outer covering? Who can penetrate to the inside of its armor?

A song of ascents. Attention! Praise the Lord, all you servants of the Lord, who serve in the Lord's temple during the night.

Even if I were hungry, I would not tell you, for the world and all it contains belong to me.

Can you count on it to bring in your grain, and gather the grain to your threshing floor?

May he send you help from his temple; from Zion may he give you support!

Their young grow strong, and grow up in the open; they go off, and do not return to them.

why it is so dark you cannot see, and why a flood of water covers you.

The Levites who were thirty years old and up were counted; there were 38,000 men.

Say this to the king of Judah, who sent you to seek an oracle from the Lord: "This is what the Lord God of Israel says concerning the words you have heard:

Jehoram crossed over to Zair with his officers and all his chariots. The Edomites, who had surrounded him, attacked at night and defeated him and his chariot officers.

From Tibhath and Kun, Hadadezer's cities, David took a great deal of bronze. (Solomon used it to make the big bronze basin called "The Sea," the pillars, and other bronze items.

He followed in the footsteps of the kings of Israel, just as Ahab's dynasty had done, for he married Ahab's daughter. He did evil in the sight of the Lord.

The sons of Ladan: Jehiel the oldest, Zetham, and Joel -- three in all.

Joab replied, "May the Lord make his army a hundred times larger! My master, O king, do not all of them serve my master? Why does my master want to do this? Why bring judgment on Israel?"

From the descendants of Gershom: Joel the leader and 130 of his relatives.

Aaron must then present the goat which has been designated by lot for the Lord, and he is to make it a sin offering,

When the king arrived back from Damascus and saw the altar, he approached it and offered a sacrifice on it.

His father-in-law, the girl's father, persuaded him to stay with him for three days, and they ate and drank together, and spent the night there.

The rest of the events of Azariah's reign, including all his accomplishments, are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of Judah.

Then the king told the woman, "Go to your home. I will give instructions concerning your situation."

So Joab's men, accompanied by the Kerethites, the Pelethites, and all the warriors, left Jerusalem to pursue Sheba son of Bicri.

if you carefully obey him by keeping all these commandments that I am giving you today.

You stretched out your right hand, the earth swallowed them.

Come now, let's kill him, throw him into one of the cisterns, and then say that a wild animal ate him. Then we'll see how his dreams turn out!"

They assigned from the tribes of Judah and Simeon the cities listed below.

The silver of those who were numbered of the community was one hundred talents and 1,775 shekels, according to the sanctuary shekel,

But he said, "You may not pass through." Then Edom came out against them with a large and powerful force.

Then the Lord spoke to Moses:

and the fourth row, a chrysolite, an onyx, and a jasper. They are to be enclosed in gold in their filigree settings.

But you are always thinking and looking for ways to increase your wealth by dishonest means. Your eyes and your heart are set on killing some innocent person and committing fraud and oppression.

Next will be the tribe of Naphtali. The leader of the people of Naphtali is Ahira son of Enan.

On the third day Joseph said to them, "Do as I say and you will live, for I fear God.

Then Jacob offered a sacrifice on the mountain and invited his relatives to eat the meal. They ate the meal and spent the night on the mountain.

After he had said this, he dismissed the assembly.

Now, if you will show faithful love to my master, tell me. But if not, tell me as well, so that I may go on my way."

The sons of Midian were Ephah, Epher, Hanoch, Abida, and Eldaah. All these were descendants of Keturah.

What is your verdict?" They answered, "He is guilty and deserves death."

The king of Assyria sent his chief adviser from Lachish to King Hezekiah in Jerusalem, along with a large army. The chief adviser stood at the conduit of the upper pool which is located on the road to the field where they wash and dry cloth.

At that time the Babylonian forces had temporarily given up their siege against Jerusalem. They had had it under siege, but withdrew when they heard that the army of Pharaoh had set out from Egypt.)

Does the snow ever completely vanish from the rocky slopes of Lebanon? Do the cool waters from those distant mountains ever cease to flow?

The way of the righteous is level, the path of the righteous that you make is straight.

The splendid crown of Ephraim's drunkards will be trampled underfoot.

The land dries up and withers away; the forest of Lebanon shrivels up and decays. Sharon is like the desert; Bashan and Carmel are parched.

If a king judges the poor in truth, his throne will be established forever.

If I forget you, O Jerusalem, may my right hand be crippled!

How long must I worry, and suffer in broad daylight? How long will my enemy gloat over me?

For surely there is a future, and your hope will not be cut off.

I know, Lord, that your regulations are just. You disciplined me because of your faithful devotion to me.

My God, I trust in you. Please do not let me be humiliated; do not let my enemies triumphantly rejoice over me!

The appetite of the wicked desires evil; his neighbor is shown no favor in his eyes.

Come and witness God's exploits! His acts on behalf of people are awesome!

who says to a king, 'Worthless man' and to nobles, 'Wicked men,'

For a long time Israel had no true God, or priest to instruct them, or law.

They gave him a slice of pressed figs and two bunches of raisins to eat. This greatly refreshed him, for he had not eaten food or drunk water for three days and three nights.

To whom did you utter these words? And whose spirit has come forth from your mouth?

The Philistine said to David, "Am I a dog, that you are coming after me with sticks?" Then the Philistine cursed David by his gods.

"Have the Israelites select the cities of refuge that I told you about through Moses.

While he was speaking, Amaziah said to him, "Did we appoint you to be a royal counselor? Stop prophesying or else you will be killed!" So the prophet stopped, but added, "I know that the Lord has decided to destroy you, because you have done this thing and refused to listen to my advice."

Ahab asked, "By whom will this be accomplished?" He answered, "This is what the Lord says, 'By the servants of the district governors.'" Ahab asked, "Who will launch the attack?" He answered, "You will."

Benaiah son of Jehoiada supervised the Kerethites and Pelethites; and David's sons were the king's leading officials.

your infants, your wives, and the foreigners living in your encampment, those who chop wood and those who carry water --

Hushai replied to Absalom, "Ahithophel's advice is not sound this time."

Now what do you have at your disposal? Give me five loaves of bread, or whatever can be found."

and will secretly eat her afterbirth and her newborn children (since she has nothing else), because of the severity of the siege by which your enemy will constrict you in your villages.

He said to him, "Don't be afraid! For the hand of my father Saul cannot find you. You will rule over Israel, and I will be your second in command. Even my father Saul realizes this."

If he is able to fight with me and strike me down, we will become your servants. But if I prevail against him and strike him down, you will become our servants and will serve us."

Then Moses said to Aaron, "Tell the whole community of the Israelites, 'Come before the Lord, because he has heard your murmurings.'"

Reuben continued, "Don't shed blood! Throw him into this cistern that is here in the wilderness, but don't lay a hand on him." (Reuben said this so he could rescue Joseph from them and take him back to his father.)

Whatever you vow, you must be careful to do what you have promised, such as what you have vowed to the Lord your God as a freewill offering.

So Jacob set up a sacred stone pillar in the place where God spoke with him. He poured out a drink offering on it, and then he poured oil on it.

Now the Lord your God has made your fellow Israelites secure, just as he promised them. So now you may turn around and go to your homes in your own land which Moses the Lord's servant assigned to you east of the Jordan.

Moses went out to meet his father-in-law and bowed down and kissed him; they each asked about the other's welfare, and then they went into the tent.

I tell you the truth, the master will put him in charge of all his possessions.

Balak again sent princes, more numerous and more distinguished than the first.

They have treated father and mother with contempt within you; they have oppressed the foreigner among you; they have wronged the orphan and the widow within you.

I have oxen, donkeys, sheep, and male and female servants. I have sent this message to inform my lord, so that I may find favor in your sight.'"

And I hope that you will realize that we have not failed the test!

Recite a proverb to this rebellious house and say to them, 'This is what the sovereign Lord says: "'Set on the pot, set it on, pour water in it too;

The downtrodden will again rejoice in the Lord; the poor among humankind will take delight in the Holy One of Israel.

Indeed, you have made the city into a heap of rubble, the fortified town into a heap of ruins; the fortress of foreigners is no longer a city, it will never be rebuilt.

unless they became my subjects and made peace with me; let them make peace with me.

A song of ascents, by David. "If the Lord had not been on our side" -- let Israel say this! --

The Lord extends your dominion from Zion. Rule in the midst of your enemies!

Violent men perjure themselves, and falsely accuse me.

Let the sky rejoice, and the earth be happy! Let the sea and everything in it shout!

I chase my enemies and catch them; I do not turn back until I wipe them out.

Then they cry out -- but he does not answer -- because of the arrogance of the wicked.

When Jezebel heard that Naboth had been stoned to death, she said to Ahab, "Get up, take possession of the vineyard Naboth the Jezreelite refused to sell you for silver, for Naboth is no longer alive; he's dead."

so that you may enter by oath into the covenant the Lord your God is making with you today.