David told the entire assembly: "Praise the Lord your God!" So the entire assembly praised the Lord God of their ancestors; they bowed down and stretched out flat on the ground before the Lord and the king.

so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. See, you have what is yours.'

"When you direct your people to march out and fight their enemies, and they direct their prayers to the Lord toward his chosen city and this temple I built for your honor,

He risked his life when he struck down the Philistine and the Lord gave all Israel a great victory. When you saw it, you were happy. So why would you sin against innocent blood by putting David to death for no reason?"

when all Israel comes to appear before the Lord your God in the place he chooses, you must read this law before them within their hearing.

When Saul was told that David had come to Keilah, Saul said, "God has delivered him into my hand, for he has boxed himself into a corner by entering a city with two barred gates."

The Lord repaid me for my godly deeds; he rewarded my blameless behavior.

and called David's enemies to account." So Jonathan made a covenant with the house of David.

Manoah said, "Now, when your announcement comes true, how should the child be raised and what should he do?"

And they stood before Moses and Eleazar the priest and the leaders of the whole assembly at the entrance to the tent of meeting and said,

Do not go up, for the Lord is not among you, and you will be defeated before your enemies.

When the Danites returned to their tribe in Zorah and Eshtaol, their kinsmen asked them, "How did it go?"

but if only a few years remain until the jubilee, he must calculate for himself in keeping with the remaining years and refund it for his redemption.

There they buried Abraham and his wife Sarah; there they buried Isaac and his wife Rebekah; and there I buried Leah.

then there will be an oath to the Lord between the two of them, that he has not laid his hand on his neighbor's goods, and its owner will accept this, and he will not have to pay.

When all the land of Egypt experienced the famine, the people cried out to Pharaoh for food. Pharaoh said to all the people of Egypt, "Go to Joseph and do whatever he tells you."

So Jacob took a stone and set it up as a memorial pillar.

"It is not our custom here," Laban replied, "to give the younger daughter in marriage before the firstborn.

They crafted all your planks out of fir trees from Senir; they took a cedar from Lebanon to make your mast.

Esau took his wives, his sons, his daughters, all the people in his household, his livestock, his animals, and all his possessions which he had acquired in the land of Canaan and went to a land some distance away from Jacob his brother

"What have you done?" Laban demanded of Jacob. "You've deceived me and carried away my daughters as if they were captives of war!

eighty men arrived from Shechem, Shiloh, and Samaria. They had shaved off their beards, torn their clothes, and cut themselves to show they were mourning. They were carrying grain offerings and incense to present at the temple of the Lord in Jerusalem.

Soon Leah's servant Zilpah gave Jacob a son.

But in my opinion, she will be happier if she remains as she is -- and I think that I too have the Spirit of God!

"'But the Levites who went far from me, straying off from me after their idols when Israel went astray, will be responsible for their sin.

When King Zedekiah of Judah and all his soldiers saw them, they tried to escape. They departed from the city during the night. They took a path through the king's garden and passed out through the gate between the two walls. Then they headed for the Jordan Valley.

while seeing false visions for you and reading lying omens for you -- to place that sword on the necks of the profane wicked, whose day has come, the time of final punishment.

Sound the ram's horn on the day of the new moon, and on the day of the full moon when our festival begins.

He brought his people out enriched with silver and gold; none of his tribes stumbled.

You widen my path; my feet do not slip.

Can anyone catch it by its eyes, or pierce its nose with a snare?

Who among you will pay attention to this? Who will listen attentively in the future?

I will threaten Ariel, and she will mourn intensely and become like an altar hearth before me.

But when I hoped for good, trouble came; when I expected light, then darkness came.

And he reveals this for correction, and says that they must turn from evil.

The singers: the descendants of Asaph: 128.

Among those nations you will have no rest nor will there be a place of peaceful rest for the soles of your feet, for there the Lord will give you an anxious heart, failing eyesight, and a spirit of despair.

The Israelites seized from their brothers 200,000 wives, sons, and daughters. They also carried off a huge amount of plunder and took it back to Samaria.

for the gold used in the display tables, including the amount to be used in each table, for the silver to be used in the silver tables,

While the battle raged throughout the day, the king stood propped up in his chariot opposite the Syrians. He died in the evening as the sun was setting.

He ordered Judah to seek the Lord God of their ancestors and to observe his law and commands.

Realize now that the Lord has chosen you to build a temple as his sanctuary. Be strong and do it!"

The officers of the Israelite tribes: Eliezer son of Zikri was the leader of the Reubenites, Shephatiah son of Maacah led the Simeonites,

Then the king said to the messengers who were stationed beside him, "Turn and kill the priests of the Lord, for they too have sided with David! They knew he was fleeing, but they did not inform me." But the king's servants refused to harm the priests of the Lord.

Hosah, one of the descendants of Merari, had sons: The firstborn Shimri (he was not actually the firstborn, but his father gave him that status),

Cursed is the one who has sexual relations with his father's former wife, for he dishonors his father.' Then all the people will say, 'Amen!'

But David's men said to him, "We are afraid while we are still here in Judah! What will it be like if we go to Keilah against the armies of the Philistines?"

But if the man does not want to marry his brother's widow, then she must go to the elders at the town gate and say, "My husband's brother refuses to preserve his brother's name in Israel; he is unwilling to perform the duty of a brother-in-law to me!"

Go to the flock and get me two of the best young goats. I'll prepare them in a tasty way for your father, just the way he loves them.

the herdsmen of Gerar quarreled with Isaac's herdsmen, saying, "The water belongs to us!" So Isaac named the well Esek because they argued with him about it.

So they asked, "Who from all the Israelite tribes did not assemble before the Lord at Mizpah?" Now it just so happened no one from Jabesh Gilead had come to the gathering.

This man left the town of Bethlehem in Judah to find another place to live. He came to the Ephraimite hill country and made his way to Micah's house.

These were the families of Naphtali according to their families; and those numbered of them were 45,400.

"Get away from this community, so that I can consume them in an instant!" But they threw themselves down with their faces to the ground.

Laban overtook Jacob, and when Jacob pitched his tent in the hill country of Gilead, Laban and his relatives set up camp there too.

I am against you and your waterways. I will turn the land of Egypt into an utter desolate ruin from Migdol to Syene, as far as the border with Ethiopia.

This is how you assessed the obscene conduct of your youth, when the Egyptians fondled your nipples and squeezed your young breasts.

"Son of man, when the house of Israel was living on their own land, they defiled it by their behavior and their deeds. In my sight their behavior was like the uncleanness of a woman having her monthly period.

All the inhabitants of the coastlands are shocked at you, and their kings are horribly afraid -- their faces are troubled.

They hatch the eggs of a poisonous snake and spin a spider's web. Whoever eats their eggs will die, a poisonous snake is hatched.

Here is the official record of the number of people Nebuchadnezzar carried into exile: In the seventh year, 3,023 Jews;

The ruined town is shattered; all of the houses are shut up tight.

The Lord is merciful and fair; our God is compassionate.

Terror, pit, and snare are ready to overtake you inhabitants of the earth!

You have heard; now look at all the evidence! Will you not admit that what I say is true? From this point on I am announcing to you new events that are previously unrevealed and you do not know about.

The earth will be completely devastated and thoroughly ransacked. For the Lord has decreed this judgment.

Messengers delivered the letters from the king and his officials throughout Israel and Judah. This royal edict read: "O Israelites, return to the Lord God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, so he may return to you who have been spared from the kings of Assyria.

I weep and refrain from eating food, which causes others to insult me.

then let my arm fall from the shoulder, let my arm be broken off at the socket.

if I have raised my hand to vote against the orphan, when I saw my support in the court,

Look, God is my deliverer! The Lord is among those who support me.

All of these were under the supervision of their fathers; they were musicians in the Lord's temple, playing cymbals and stringed instruments as they served in God's temple. Asaph, Jeduthun, and Heman were under the supervision of the king.

Amasa did not protect himself from the knife in Joab's other hand, and Joab stabbed him in the abdomen, causing Amasa's intestines to spill out on the ground. There was no need to stab him again; the first blow was fatal. Then Joab and his brother Abishai pursued Sheba son of Bicri.

so that they caused the cry of the poor to come before him, so that he hears the cry of the needy.

Who entrusted to him the earth? And who put him over the whole world?

Because God has untied my tent cord and afflicted me, people throw off all restraint in my presence.

They brought seven bulls, seven rams, seven lambs, and seven goats as a sin offering for the kingdom, the sanctuary, and Judah. The king told the priests, the descendants of Aaron, to offer burnt sacrifices on the altar of the Lord.

He wholeheartedly and successfully reinstituted service in God's temple and obedience to the law, in order to follow his God.

a nation of stern appearance that will have no regard for the elderly or pity for the young.

Samson said to her, "If they tie me up with seven fresh bowstrings that have not been dried, I will become weak and be just like any other man."

Gad went to David and told him, "This is what the Lord says: 'Pick one of these:

He worshiped and bowed down to Baal, angering the Lord God of Israel just as his father had done.

Was it just today that I began to inquire of God on his behalf? Far be it from me! The king should not accuse his servant or any of my father's house. For your servant is not aware of all this -- not in whole or in part!"

He said to him, "This is what Ben Hadad says, 'Your silver and your gold are mine, as well as the best of your wives and sons.'"

The Israelites received this report: "Look, the Reubenites, Gadites, and half-tribe of Manasseh have built an altar at the entrance to the land of Canaan, at Geliloth near the Jordan on the Israelite side."

You must have a spade among your other equipment and when you relieve yourself outside you must dig a hole with the spade and then turn and cover your excrement.

Please let us pass through your country. We will not pass through the fields or through the vineyards, nor will we drink water from any well. We will go by the King's Highway; we will not turn to the right or the left until we have passed through your region.'"

from the tribe of Gad: Ramoth in Gilead (a city of refuge for one who committed manslaughter), Mahanaim,

If the person is one month old up to five years old, the conversion value of the male is five shekels of silver, and for the female the conversion value is three shekels of silver.

"You are to put it in front of the curtain that is before the ark of the testimony (before the atonement lid that is over the testimony), where I will meet you.

This is the offering you are to accept from them: gold, silver, bronze,

They do not comprehend or understand, for their eyes are blind and cannot see; their minds do not discern.

"'But you must offer to the Lord an offering made by fire, a burnt offering of two young bulls, one ram, and seven lambs one year old; they must all be unblemished.

But the meat of the bull, its skin, and its dung you are to burn up outside the camp. It is the purification offering.

They traveled from Oboth and camped in Iye-abarim, on the border of Moab.

So Moses told the Israelites everything, just as the Lord had commanded him.

Its length is to be a foot and a half and its width a foot and a half; it will be square. Its height is to be three feet, with its horns of one piece with it.

The Lord protects those residing outside their native land; he lifts up the fatherless and the widow, but he opposes the wicked.

"'If a man eats a holy offering by mistake, he must add one fifth to it and give the holy offering to the priest.

If he does not provide her with these three things, then she will go out free, without paying money.

The leaders of Sidon and Arvad were your rowers; your skilled men, O Tyre, were your captains.

To Sarah he said, "Look, I have given a thousand pieces of silver to your 'brother.' This is compensation for you so that you will stand vindicated before all who are with you."

"'In a controversy they will act as judges; they will judge according to my ordinances. They will keep my laws and my statutes regarding all my appointed festivals and will observe my Sabbaths.

"'Because you did not remember the days of your youth and have enraged me with all these deeds, I hereby repay you for what you have done, declares the sovereign Lord. Have you not engaged in prostitution on top of all your other abominable practices?

I will exhaust my rage on you, and then my fury will turn from you. I will calm down and no longer be angry.

For this is what the Lord has told me: "I will wait and watch from my place, like scorching heat produced by the sunlight, like a cloud of mist in the heat of harvest."

So Hanun seized David's servants and shaved their beards off. He cut off the lower part of their robes so that their buttocks were exposed and then sent them away.

You will desecrate your silver-plated idols and your gold-plated images. You will throw them away as if they were a menstrual rag, saying to them, "Get out!"

For the sovereign master, the Lord who commands armies, has planned a day of panic, defeat, and confusion. In the Valley of Vision people shout and cry out to the hill.

Asa was so angry at the prophet, he put him in jail. Asa also oppressed some of the people at that time.

The heavens belong to you, as does the earth. You made the world and all it contains.

Then she saw the king standing by his pillar at the entrance. The officers and trumpeters stood beside the king and all the people of the land were celebrating and blowing trumpets, and the musicians with various instruments were leading the celebration. Athaliah tore her clothes and yelled, "Treason! Treason!"

It lives on a rock and spends the night there, on a rocky crag and a fortress.

God may let them rest in a feeling of security, but he is constantly watching all their ways.

You must supply them generously from your flock, your threshing floor, and your winepress -- as the Lord your God has blessed you, you must give to them.

And from among the priests: the descendants of Hobaiah, the descendants of Hakkoz, and the descendants of Barzillai (who had married a woman from the daughters of Barzillai the Gileadite and was called by that name).

I will become his father and he will become my son. I will never withhold my loyal love from him, as I withheld it from the one who ruled before you.

Afterward King Sennacherib of Assyria, while attacking Lachish with all his military might, sent his messengers to Jerusalem. The message was for King Hezekiah of Judah and all the people of Judah who were in Jerusalem. It read:

King David dedicated these things to the Lord, along with the silver and gold which he had carried off from all the nations, including Edom, Moab, the Ammonites, the Philistines, and Amalek.

David ran and stood over the Philistine. He grabbed Goliath's sword, drew it from its sheath, killed him, and cut off his head with it. When the Philistines saw their champion was dead, they ran away.

So she left him and closed the door behind her and her sons. As they were bringing the containers to her, she was pouring the olive oil.

and the priest is to wave them -- the two lambs -- along with the bread of the first fruits, as a wave offering before the Lord; they will be holy to the Lord for the priest.

Joshua read aloud every commandment Moses had given before the whole assembly of Israel, including the women, children, and resident foreigners who lived among them.

When the residents of Jabesh Gilead heard what the Philistines had done to Saul,

Your basket and your mixing bowl will be blessed.

Every woman who was skilled spun with her hands and brought what she had spun, blue, purple, or scarlet yarn, or fine linen,

"And if she marries a husband while under a vow, or she uttered anything impulsively by which she has pledged herself,

Do this: exterminate every male, as well as every woman who has had sexual relations with a male. But spare the lives of any virgins." So they did as instructed.

the Negev, and the plain of the valley of Jericho, the city of the date palm trees, as far as Zoar.

But if the priest examines it and the infection has not spread in the garment or in the warp or in the woof or in any article of leather,

You are to take all the fat that covers the entrails, and the lobe that is above the liver, and the two kidneys and the fat that is on them, and burn them on the altar.

"No, my lord! Hear me out. I sell you both the field and the cave that is in it. In the presence of my people I sell it to you. Bury your dead."

Pick up millstones and grind flour! Remove your veil, strip off your skirt, expose your legs, cross the streams!

For the fortress is neglected; the once-crowded city is abandoned. Hill and watchtower are permanently uninhabited. Wild donkeys love to go there, and flocks graze there.

At that time the Egyptians will be like women. They will tremble and fear because the Lord who commands armies brandishes his fist against them.

About seventy-five pounds of pure gold is to be used for it and for all these utensils.

"Therefore, Oholibah, this is what the sovereign Lord says: Look here, I am about to stir up against you the lovers with whom you were disgusted; I will bring them against you from every side:

Offer to the Lord a song of thanks! Sing praises to our God to the accompaniment of a harp!

But the next day Pashhur released Jeremiah from the stocks. When he did, Jeremiah said to him, "The Lord's name for you is not 'Pashhur' but 'Terror is Everywhere.'

Bring out some water for the thirsty. You who live in the land of Tema, bring some food for the fugitives.

For you will extend your great loyal love to me, and will deliver my life from the depths of Sheol.

With his hands he covers the lightning, and directs it against its target.

Strap your sword to your thigh, O warrior! Appear in your majestic splendor!

It ranges the hills as its pasture, and searches after every green plant.

So I registered a complaint with the leaders, asking "Why is the temple of God neglected?" Then I gathered them and reassigned them to their positions.

He rebuilt the high places that his father Hezekiah had destroyed; he set up altars for the Baals and made Asherah poles. He bowed down to all the stars in the sky and worshiped them.

King Hezekiah and the prophet Isaiah son of Amoz prayed about this and cried out to heaven.

I will teach you about the power of God; What is on the Almighty's mind I will not conceal.

(Now the priests of the high places did not go up to the altar of the Lord in Jerusalem, but they did eat unleavened cakes among their fellow priests.)

the fourth to Izri and his sons and relatives -- twelve in all,

What follows is a record of what happened to Jerusalem and Judah because of the Lord's anger; he finally threw them out of his presence. Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon.

But in the same way every faithful promise the Lord your God made to you has been realized, it is just as certain, if you disobey, that the Lord will bring on you every judgment until he destroys you from this good land which the Lord your God gave you.

the ninth to Jeshua, the tenth to Shecaniah,

This was my lot for twenty years in your house: I worked like a slave for you -- fourteen years for your two daughters and six years for your flocks, but you changed my wages ten times!

The old prophet picked up the corpse of the prophet, put it on the donkey, and brought it back. The old prophet then entered the city to mourn him and to bury him.

When David came to Ziklag, he sent some of the plunder to the elders of Judah who were his friends, saying, "Here's a gift for you from the looting of the Lord's enemies!"

Then a ceremonially clean person must take hyssop, dip it in the water, and sprinkle it on the tent, on all its furnishings, and on the people who were there, or on the one who touched a bone, or one killed, or one who died, or a grave.

and to Isaac I gave Jacob and Esau. To Esau I assigned Mount Seir, while Jacob and his sons went down to Egypt.

They put him in custody, because there was no clear instruction about what should be done to him.

Your strength will be used up in vain, your land will not give its yield, and the trees of the land will not produce their fruit.

I will increase their disasters, I will use up my arrows on them.

You are to sanctify the breast of the wave offering and the thigh of the contribution, which were waved and lifted up as a contribution from the ram of consecration, from what belongs to Aaron and to his sons.

The Lord made them secure, in fulfillment of all he had solemnly promised their ancestors. None of their enemies could resist them.

Edom was your trade partner because of the abundance of your goods; they exchanged turquoise, purple, embroidered work, fine linen, coral, and rubies for your products.

It is to be square when doubled, nine inches long and nine inches wide.

Then Rebekah took her older son Esau's best clothes, which she had with her in the house, and put them on her younger son Jacob.

Did Abraham not say to me, 'She is my sister'? And she herself said, 'He is my brother.' I have done this with a clear conscience and with innocent hands!"

"Assemble and listen, you sons of Jacob; listen to Israel, your father.

And what you sow is not the body that is to be, but a bare seed -- perhaps of wheat or something else.

For whenever I prophesy, I must cry out, "Violence and destruction are coming!" This message from the Lord has made me an object of continual insults and derision.

He took away all the livestock he had acquired in Paddan Aram and all his moveable property that he had accumulated. Then he set out toward the land of Canaan to return to his father Isaac.

The Dedanites were your clients. Many coastlands were your customers; they paid you with ivory tusks and ebony.

Hasn't he treated us like foreigners? He not only sold us, but completely wasted the money paid for us!

I cannot eat, I weep day and night; all day long they say to me, "Where is your God?"

Pack your bags for exile, you inhabitants of poor dear Egypt. For Memphis will be laid waste. It will lie in ruins and be uninhabited.

So I, the Lord, say: "The time will soon come that people will no longer call this place Topheth or the Hinnom Valley. But they will call this valley the Valley of Slaughter!

But be happy and rejoice forevermore over what I am about to create! For look, I am ready to create Jerusalem to be a source of joy, and her people to be a source of happiness.

Even when an army is deployed against me, I do not fear. Even when war is imminent, I remain confident.

The Lord continued, "In every town in the land I will purge them like straw blown away by the wind. I will destroy my people. I will kill off their children. I will do so because they did not change their behavior.

the deep waters! Grain from the Shihor region, crops grown near the Nile she receives; she is the trade center of the nations.

When the wicked increase, transgression increases, but the righteous will see their downfall.

For in truth, my words are not false; it is one complete in knowledge who is with you.

He launched a military campaign against the king of the Ammonites and defeated them. That year the Ammonites paid him 100 talents of silver, 10,000 kors of wheat, and 10,000 kors of barley. The Ammonites also paid this same amount of annual tribute the next two years.

So we came to Jerusalem, and we stayed there for three days.

Jotham passed away and was buried in the City of David. His son Ahaz replaced him as king.

Jehoiada the priest gave to the officers of the units of hundreds King David's spears and shields that were kept in God's temple.

The king told him, "Do as he said! Strike him down and bury him. Take away from me and from my father's family the guilt of Joab's murderous, bloody deeds.

No one must enter the Lord's temple except the priests and Levites who are on duty. They may enter because they are ceremonially pure. All the others should carry out their assigned service to the Lord.

He answered her, "While I was talking to Naboth the Jezreelite, I said to him, 'Sell me your vineyard for silver, or if you prefer, I will give you another vineyard in its place.' But he said, 'I will not sell you my vineyard.'"

But Micaiah said, "As certainly as the Lord lives, I will say what my God tells me to say!"

From the descendants of Uzziel: Amminadab the leader and 112 of his relatives.

He removed from the land any male cultic prostitutes who had managed to survive the reign of his father Asa.

He said, 'Permit me to go, for we are having a family sacrifice in the city, and my brother urged me to be there. So now, if I have found favor with you, let me go to see my brothers.' For that reason he has not come to the king's table."

except for his close relative who is near to him: his mother, his father, his son, his daughter, his brother,

So Achish gave him Ziklag on that day. (For that reason Ziklag has belonged to the kings of Judah until this very day.)

The priest must then examine the infection on the seventh day, and if the scall has not spread, there is no reddish yellow hair in it, and the scall does not appear to be deeper than the skin,

I have not eaten anything when I was in mourning, or removed any of it while ceremonially unclean, or offered any of it to the dead; I have obeyed you and have done everything you have commanded me.

It will belong to Aaron and his sons, and they must eat it in a holy place because it is most holy to him, a perpetual allotted portion from the gifts of the Lord."

I adorned you with jewelry. I put bracelets on your hands and a necklace around your neck.

"The holy garments that belong to Aaron are to belong to his sons after him, so that they may be anointed in them and consecrated in them.

The Merarite clans (the remaining Levites) were allotted twelve cities.

Say to Tyre, who sits at the entrance of the sea, merchant to the peoples on many coasts, 'This is what the sovereign Lord says: "'O Tyre, you have said, "I am perfectly beautiful."

But Simeon and Levi replied, "Should he treat our sister like a common prostitute?"

"'In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month, you will celebrate the Passover, and for seven days bread made without yeast will be eaten.

A blacksmith works with his tool and forges metal over the coals. He forms it with hammers; he makes it with his strong arm. He gets hungry and loses his energy; he drinks no water and gets tired.

My hand will be against the prophets who see delusion and announce lying omens. They will not be included in the council of my people, nor be written in the registry of the house of Israel, nor enter the land of Israel. Then you will know that I am the sovereign Lord.

The sons of Heth answered Abraham,

Instead he will say, 'I am no prophet -- indeed, I am a farmer, for a man has made me his indentured servant since my youth.'

tell them, 'This is what the sovereign Lord says: Look, I am about to take the branch of Joseph which is in the hand of Ephraim and the tribes of Israel associated with him, and I will place them on the stick of Judah, and make them into one stick -- they will be one in my hand.'

In unison give a joyful shout, O ruins of Jerusalem! For the Lord consoles his people; he protects Jerusalem.

Then he brought me to the outer sanctuary, and measured the jambs; the jambs were 10? feet wide on each side.

"Say to the rebellious house of Israel: 'Don't you know what these things mean?' Say: 'See here, the king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and took her king and her officials prisoner and brought them to himself in Babylon.

They do not lie with the fallen warriors of ancient times, who went down to Sheol with their weapons of war, having their swords placed under their heads and their shields on their bones, when the terror of these warriors was in the land of the living.

Over and over again the Lord has sent his servants the prophets to you. But you have not listened or paid attention.

then I will bring you down to bygone people, to be with those who descend to the pit. I will make you live in the lower parts of the earth, among the primeval ruins, with those who descend to the pit, so that you will not be inhabited or stand in the land of the living.

Surely people go through life as mere ghosts. Surely they accumulate worthless wealth without knowing who will eventually haul it away."

rock badgers are creatures with little power, but they make their homes in the crags;

None can compare to you among the gods, O Lord! Your exploits are incomparable!

They donated for the service of God's temple 5,000 talents and ten thousand darics of gold, 10,000 talents of silver, 18,000 talents of bronze, and 100,000 talents of iron.

to turn a person from his sin, and to cover a person's pride.

So Job opens his mouth to no purpose; without knowledge he multiplies words."

Then I gave instructions that the storerooms should be purified, and I brought back the equipment of the temple of God, along with the grain offering and the incense.

With Job's three friends he was also angry, because they could not find an answer, and so declared Job guilty.

and the priests -- Eliakim, Maaseiah, Miniamin, Micaiah, Elioenai, Zechariah, and Hananiah, with their trumpets --

He appointed judges throughout the land and in each of the fortified cities of Judah.

The descendants of Levi carried the ark of God on their shoulders with poles, just as Moses had ordered according to the divine command.

From the descendants of Elizaphan: Shemaiah the leader and 200 of his relatives.

If he regroups in a city, all Israel will take up ropes to that city and drag it down to the valley, so that not a single pebble will be left there!"

Then David said to Abishai, "Now Sheba son of Bicri will cause greater disaster for us than Absalom did! Take your lord's servants and pursue him. Otherwise he will secure fortified cities for himself and get away from us."

You are my brothers -- my very own flesh and blood! Why should you delay any further in bringing the king back?'

Cursed is the one who misleads a blind person on the road.' Then all the people will say, 'Amen!'

"Our father died in the wilderness, although he was not part of the company of those that gathered themselves together against the Lord in the company of Korah; but he died for his own sin, and he had no sons.

We conducted a raid on the Negev of the Kerethites, on the area of Judah, and on the Negev of Caleb. We burned Ziklag."

Saul accepted Jonathan's advice and took an oath, "As surely as the Lord lives, he will not be put to death."

When they got near Jebus, it was getting quite late and the servant said to his master, "Come on, let's stop at this Jebusite city and spend the night in it."

Three thousand men of Judah went down to the cave in the cliff of Etam and said to Samson, "Do you not know that the Philistines rule over us? Why have you done this to us?" He said to them, "I have only done to them what they have done to me."

His master observed that the Lord was with him and that the Lord made everything he was doing successful.

for you will heap coals of fire on his head, and the Lord will reward you.

Edom will be a possession, Seir, his enemies, will also be a possession; but Israel will act valiantly.

He must not defile himself as a husband among his people so as to profane himself.

and they started on their journey. The surrounding cities were afraid of God, and they did not pursue the sons of Jacob.

The sun will not harm you by day, or the moon by night.

The Jews also joined in the verbal attack, claiming that these things were true.

The punishment of Ephraim has been decreed; his punishment is being stored up for the future.

Because you did that, I, the Lord, affirm that a time is coming when I will make Rabbah, the capital city of Ammon, hear the sound of the battle cry. It will become a mound covered with ruins. Its villages will be burned to the ground. Then Israel will take back its land from those who took their land from them. I, the Lord, affirm it!

No man can live on without experiencing death, or deliver his life from the power of Sheol. (Selah)

When the righteous rejoice, great is the glory, but when the wicked rise to power, people are sought out.

They will talk about the fame of your great kindness, and sing about your justice.

If you lay your hand on it, you will remember the fight, and you will never do it again!

They are sustained as they travel along; each one appears before God in Zion.

The Annals of the Prophets include his prayer, give an account of how the Lord responded to it, record all his sins and unfaithful acts, and identify the sites where he built high places and erected Asherah poles and idols before he humbled himself.

The lot for the east gate went to Shelemiah. They then cast lots for his son Zechariah, a wise adviser, and the lot for the north gate went to him.

Meshelemiah had sons and relatives who were respected -- eighteen in all.

God was also offended by it, so he attacked Israel.

They marched out at noon, while Ben Hadad and the thirty-two kings allied with him were drinking heavily in their quarters.

David took the golden shields which Hadadezer's servants had carried and brought them to Jerusalem.

When he taunted Israel, Jonathan son of Shimea, David's brother, killed him.

The men whose names are listed came during the time of King Hezekiah of Judah and attacked the Hamites' settlements, as well as the Meunites they discovered there, and they wiped them out to this very day. They dispossessed them, for they found pasture for their sheep there.

So David and his men went to Keilah and fought the Philistines. He took away their cattle and thoroughly defeated them. David delivered the inhabitants of Keilah.

They went up and camped in Kiriath Jearim in Judah. (To this day that place is called Camp of Dan. It is west of Kiriath Jearim.)

(Now to one half-tribe of Manasseh, Moses had assigned land in Bashan; and to the other half Joshua had assigned land on the west side of the Jordan with their fellow Israelites.) When Joshua sent them home, he rewarded them,

Joshua drew lots for them in Shiloh before the Lord and divided the land among the Israelites according to their allotted portions.

You must not expose the nakedness of your father's brother; you must not approach his wife to have sexual intercourse with her. She is your aunt.

and all of Naphtali, the land of Ephraim and Manasseh, all the land of Judah as far as the distant sea,

The sword will make people childless outside, and terror will do so inside; they will destroy both the young man and the virgin, the infant and the gray-haired man.

This is what the Lord has commanded for Zelophehad's daughters: 'Let them marry whomever they think best, only they must marry within the family of their father's tribe.

The Lord will do to them just what he did to Sihon and Og, the Amorite kings, and to their land, which he destroyed.

As for the Lord your God, he is about to cross over before you; he will destroy these nations before you and dispossess them. As for Joshua, he is about to cross before you just as the Lord has said.

On the first day there will be a holy assembly for you; you must not do any regular work.

He must not go out from the sanctuary and must not profane the sanctuary of his God, because the dedication of the anointing oil of his God is on him. I am the Lord.

in the Transjordan, in the valley opposite Beth Peor, in the land of King Sihon of the Amorites, who lived in Heshbon. (It is he whom Moses and the Israelites attacked after they came out of Egypt.

(Laban gave his female servant Zilpah to his daughter Leah to be her servant.)

Say to them, 'Throughout your generations, if any man from all your descendants approaches the holy offerings which the Israelites consecrate to the Lord while he is impure, that person must be cut off from before me. I am the Lord.

because the tribe of the Reubenites by their families, the tribe of the Gadites by their families, and half of the tribe of Manasseh have received their inheritance.

Every skilled person among you is to come and make all that the Lord has commanded:

Israel said to Joseph, "Your brothers are grazing the flocks near Shechem. Come, I will send you to them." "I'm ready," Joseph replied.

"Hear me, my lord. The land is worth 400 pieces of silver, but what is that between me and you? So bury your dead."

All the men who assembled at the city gate agreed with Hamor and his son Shechem. Every male who assembled at the city gate was circumcised.

chief Kenaz, chief Teman, chief Mibzar,

The Babylonians crawled into bed with her. They defiled her with their lust; after she was defiled by them, she became disgusted with them.

He chose David, his servant, and took him from the sheepfolds.

Three days later Laban discovered Jacob had left.

Ethiopia, Put, Lud, all the foreigners, Libya, and the people of the covenant land will die by the sword along with them.

Then Esau realized that the Canaanite women were displeasing to his father Isaac.

I, the Lord, promise that I will hand Pharaoh Hophra king of Egypt over to his enemies who are seeking to kill him. I will do that just as surely as I handed King Zedekiah of Judah over to King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon, his enemy who was seeking to kill him.'"

He also ordered Jerahmeel, who was one of the royal princes, Seraiah son of Azriel, and Shelemiah son of Abdeel to arrest the scribe Baruch and the prophet Jeremiah. However, the Lord hid them.

Now the Lord makes this announcement: "Within exactly three years Moab's splendor will disappear, along with all her many people; there will be just a few, insignificant survivors left."

They also led off all the men, women, children, and royal princesses that Nebuzaradan, the captain of the royal guard, had left with Gedaliah, the son of Ahikam and grandson of Shaphan. This included the prophet Jeremiah and Baruch son of Neriah.

"But you did not call for me, O Jacob; you did not long for me, O Israel.

Ask yourselves this and consider it carefully: Have you ever seen a man give birth to a baby? Why then do I see all these strong men grabbing their stomachs in pain like a woman giving birth? And why do their faces turn so deathly pale?

But as soon as she springs up, she laughs at the horse and its rider.

He called down a famine upon the earth; he cut off all the food supply.

The Lord God, the God of Israel, deserves praise! He alone accomplishes amazing things!

But now, the sun cannot be looked at -- it is bright in the skies -- after a wind passed and swept the clouds away.

For Job says, 'I am innocent, but God turns away my right.

Early the next morning King Hezekiah assembled the city officials and went up to the Lord's temple.

The community must deliver the slayer out of the hand of the avenger of blood, and the community must restore him to the town of refuge to which he fled, and he must live there until the death of the high priest, who was anointed with the consecrated oil.

For it has been hidden from the eyes of every living creature, and from the birds of the sky it has been concealed.

Benaiah, Bedeiah, Keluhi,

He followed in the footsteps of Ahab's dynasty, for his mother gave him evil advice.

The next day, when the Philistines came to strip loot from the corpses, they discovered Saul and his three sons lying dead on Mount Gilboa.

When the king passed by, he called out to the king, "Your servant went out into the heat of the battle, and then a man turned aside and brought me a prisoner. He told me, 'Guard this prisoner. If he ends up missing for any reason, you will pay with your life or with a talent of silver.'

The Ammonites paid tribute to Uzziah and his fame reached the border of Egypt, for he grew in power.

and you must present as the drink offering half a hin of wine with the fire offering as a pleasing aroma to the Lord.

the third to Harim, the fourth to Seorim,

Certainly you have heard how the kings of Assyria have annihilated all lands. Do you really think you will be rescued?

There are three gates on the east side, three gates on the north side, three gates on the south side and three gates on the west side.

Then he became very attached to Dinah, Jacob's daughter. He fell in love with the young woman and spoke romantically to her.

Zimri destroyed Baasha's entire family, just as the Lord had predicted to Baasha through Jehu the prophet.

and the priest is to make one of them a sin offering and the other a burnt offering. So the priest is to make atonement for him before the Lord for his discharge.

For I will drive out the nations before you and enlarge your borders; no one will covet your land when you go up to appear before the Lord your God three times in the year.

These must be on Aaron and his sons when they enter to the tent of meeting, or when they approach the altar to minister in the Holy Place, so that they bear no iniquity and die. It is to be a perpetual ordinance for him and for his descendants after him.

"So now Pharaoh should look for a wise and discerning man and give him authority over all the land of Egypt.

From the tribe of Benjamin they assigned Gibeon, Geba,

But the chief cupbearer did not remember Joseph -- he forgot him.

Silently the man watched her with interest to determine if the Lord had made his journey successful or not.

And they began making fun of him, because they knew that she was dead.

I myself will feed my sheep and I myself will make them lie down, declares the sovereign Lord.

who delivers your life from the Pit, who crowns you with his loyal love and compassion,

So this is what the sovereign Lord says: I will stretch out my hand against Edom, and I will kill the people and animals within her, and I will make her desolate; from Teman to Dedan they will die by the sword.

Then Azariah son of Hoshaiah, Johanan son of Kareah, and other arrogant men said to Jeremiah, "You are telling a lie! The Lord our God did not send you to tell us, 'You must not go to Egypt and settle there.'

For a destroyer is attacking Babylon. Her warriors will be captured; their bows will be broken. For the Lord is a God who punishes; he pays back in full.

In this place I will thwart the plans of the people of Judah and Jerusalem. I will deliver them over to the power of their enemies who are seeking to kill them. They will die by the sword at the hands of their enemies. I will make their dead bodies food for the birds and wild beasts to eat.

The leading men of the cities send their servants for water. They go to the cisterns, but they do not find any water there. They return with their containers empty. Disappointed and dismayed, they bury their faces in their hands.

Now I will triumph over my enemies who surround me! I will offer sacrifices in his dwelling place and shout for joy! I will sing praises to the Lord!

Johanan and all the officers of the troops that had been hiding in the open country came to Gedaliah at Mizpah.

"The Lord God of Israel who rules over all says, 'I will break the yoke of servitude to the king of Babylon.

So this is what the Lord, the one who delivered Abraham, says to the family of Jacob: "Jacob will no longer be ashamed; their faces will no longer show their embarrassment.

I have not learned wisdom, nor do I have knowledge of the Holy One.

It scorns the tumult in the town; it does not hear the shouts of a driver.

Can you raise your voice to the clouds so that a flood of water covers you?

I would know with what words he would answer me, and understand what he would say to me.

So in the days of Zerubbabel and in the days of Nehemiah, all Israel was contributing the portions for the singers and gatekeepers, according to the daily need. They also set aside the portion for the Levites, and the Levites set aside the portion for the descendants of Aaron.

I will establish a place for my people Israel and settle them there; they will live there and not be disturbed anymore. Violent men will not oppress them again, as they did in the beginning

to establish these days of Purim in their proper times, just as Mordecai the Jew and Queen Esther had established, and just as they had established both for themselves and their descendants, matters pertaining to fasting and lamentation.

I was very upset, and I threw all of Tobiah's household possessions out of the storeroom.

Isaiah said to Hezekiah, "Listen to the word of the Lord,

"The entire community of the Lord says, 'Why have you disobeyed the God of Israel by turning back today from following the Lord? You built an altar for yourselves and have rebelled today against the Lord.

you must then designate some towns as towns of refuge for you, to which a person who has killed someone unintentionally may flee.

Each of the pillars was about twenty-seven feet high. The bronze top of one pillar was about four and a half feet high and had bronze latticework and pomegranate shaped ornaments all around it. The second pillar with its latticework was like it.

May Joab and his descendants be perpetually guilty of their shed blood, but may the Lord give perpetual peace to David, his descendants, his family, and his dynasty."

He also built high places on the hills of Judah; he encouraged the residents of Jerusalem to be unfaithful to the Lord and led Judah away from the Lord.

But the Lord was unwilling to destroy David's dynasty because of the promise he had made to give David a perpetual dynasty.

you may bring her back to your house. She must shave her head, trim her nails,

Judah was defeated by Israel, and each man ran back home.

Locate precisely all the places where he hides and return to me with dependable information. Then I will go with you. If he is in the land, I will find him among all the thousands of Judah."

Then God met Balaam, who said to him, "I have prepared seven altars, and I have offered on each altar a bull and a ram."

From there it crossed eastward to Gath Hepher and Eth Kazin and extended to Rimmon, turning toward Neah.

But they did not find anything, though many false witnesses came forward. Finally two came forward

You must obey my charge to not practice any of the abominable statutes that have been done before you, so that you do not defile yourselves by them. I am the Lord your God.'"

You must write Aaron's name on the staff of Levi; for one staff is for the head of every tribe.

Outside the veil-canopy of the congregation in the Meeting Tent Aaron must arrange it from evening until morning before the Lord continually. This is a perpetual statute throughout your generations.

You are to put the turban on his head and put the holy diadem on the turban.

Bilhah became pregnant and gave Jacob a son.

But Peter denied it: "Woman, I don't know him!"

You must also say, 'In fact your servant Jacob is behind us.'" Jacob thought, "I will first appease him by sending a gift ahead of me. After that I will meet him. Perhaps he will accept me."

So Abimelech summoned Isaac and said, "She is really your wife! Why did you say, 'She is my sister'?" Isaac replied, "Because I thought someone might kill me to get her."

"'You have shown unrelenting hostility and poured the people of Israel onto the blades of a sword at the time of their calamity, at the time of their final punishment.

"Son of man, turn toward Sidon and prophesy against it.

Wild donkeys stand on the hilltops and pant for breath like jackals. Their eyes are strained looking for food, because there is none to be found."

I am bringing my deliverance near, it is not far away; I am bringing my salvation near, it does not wait. I will save Zion; I will adorn Israel with my splendor."

"Go and tell Hezekiah: 'This is what the Lord God of your ancestor David says: "I have heard your prayer; I have seen your tears. Look, I will add fifteen years to your life,

Can your heart endure, or can your hands be strong when I deal with you? I, the Lord, have spoken, and I will do it!

"Are you willing to pronounce judgment? Are you willing to pronounce judgment, son of man? Then confront them with the abominable practices of their fathers,

So a treaty curse devours the earth; its inhabitants pay for their guilt. This is why the inhabitants of the earth disappear, and are reduced to just a handful of people.

Yes, here is what he says: "You hear cries of panic and of terror; there is no peace in sight.

You did not hear, you do not know, you were not told beforehand. For I know that you are very deceitful; you were labeled a rebel from birth.

"Moreover I, the Lord, tell you: 'Do not go into a house where they are having a funeral meal. Do not go there to mourn and express your sorrow for them. For I have stopped showing them my good favor, my love, and my compassion. I, the Lord, so affirm it!

May the godly strike me in love and correct me! May my head not refuse choice oil! Indeed, my prayer is a witness against their evil deeds.

God looks down from heaven at the human race, to see if there is anyone who is wise and seeks God.

To you they cried out, and they were saved; in you they trusted and they were not disappointed.

He said, "You will no longer celebrate, oppressed virgin daughter Sidon! Get up, travel to Cyprus, but you will find no relief there."

God reigns over the nations! God sits on his holy throne!

Now I am sure that the Lord will deliver his chosen king; he will intervene for him from his holy heavenly temple, and display his mighty ability to deliver.

Then those living on earth will know what you are like; all nations will know how you deliver your people.

They open their mouths to devour me like a roaring lion that rips its prey.

From the brightness in front of him came hail and fiery coals.

From there it spots its prey, its eyes gaze intently from a distance.

Will you rely on it because its strength is great? Will you commit your labor to it?

I go about blackened, but not by the sun; in the assembly I stand up and cry for help.

Your wickedness affects only a person like yourself, and your righteousness only other people.

I chose the way for them and sat as their chief; I lived like a king among his troops; I was like one who comforts mourners.

When he prayed to the Lord, the Lord responded to him and answered favorably his cry for mercy. The Lord brought him back to Jerusalem to his kingdom. Then Manasseh realized that the Lord is the true God.

King Joash of Israel sent this message back to King Amaziah of Judah, "A thorn bush in Lebanon sent this message to a cedar in Lebanon, 'Give your daughter to my son as a wife.' Then a wild animal of Lebanon came by and trampled down the thorn bush.

all their warriors set out and traveled throughout the night. They took Saul's corpse and the corpses of his sons from the city wall of Beth Shan and went to Jabesh, where they burned them.

King Joash disregarded the loyalty his father Jehoiada had shown him and killed Jehoiada's son. As Zechariah was dying, he said, "May the Lord take notice and seek vengeance!"

Joash was determined to repair the Lord's temple.

So all the people broke off the gold earrings that were on their ears and brought them to Aaron.

He is the Lord our God; he carries out judgment throughout the earth.

Then he brought us to this place and gave us this land, a land flowing with milk and honey.

The Gibeonites said to him, "We have no claim to silver or gold from Saul or from his family, nor would we be justified in putting to death anyone in Israel." David asked, "What then are you asking me to do for you?"

for I know about your rebellion and stubbornness. Indeed, even while I have been living among you to this very day, you have rebelled against the Lord; you will be even more rebellious after my death!

When King Hezekiah's servants came to Isaiah,

But all Israel and Judah loved David, for he was the one leading them out to battle and back.

Moses was not able to enter the tent of meeting because the cloud settled on it and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle.

Do this, Korah, you and all your company: Take censers,

Fine linen from Egypt, woven with patterns, was used for your sail to serve as your banner; blue and purple from the coastlands of Elishah was used for your deck's awning.

God also repaid the men of Shechem for their evil deeds. The curse spoken by Jotham son of Jerub-Baal fell on them.

collect five shekels for each one individually; you are to collect this amount in the currency of the sanctuary shekel (this shekel is twenty gerahs).

The Israelites took the women of Midian captives along with their little ones, and took all their herds, all their flocks, and all their goods as plunder.

They said to them, "We cannot give our sister to a man who is not circumcised, for it would be a disgrace to us.

All those numbered of the camp of Dan are 157,600. They will travel last, under their standards."

"'Therefore this is what the sovereign Lord says: In my rage I will make a violent wind break out. In my anger there will be a deluge of rain and hailstones in destructive fury.

He must not profane his children among his people, for I am the Lord who sanctifies him.'"

They will steal your wealth and loot your merchandise. They will tear down your walls and destroy your luxurious homes. Your stones, your trees, and your soil he will throw into the water.

Then Jeremiah got another scroll and gave it to the scribe Baruch son of Neriah. As Jeremiah dictated, Baruch wrote on this scroll everything that had been on the scroll that King Jehoiakim of Judah burned in the fire. They also added on this scroll several other messages of the same kind.

I will bring such disaster on them that all the kingdoms of the earth will be horrified. I will make them an object of reproach, a proverbial example of disaster. I will make them an object of ridicule, an example to be used in curses. That is how they will be remembered wherever I banish them.

He turns springs into streams; they flow between the mountains.

You said, 'I will rule forever as permanent queen!' You did not think about these things; you did not consider how it would turn out.

So here is what the Lord has to say about Israel and Judah.

The Lord said, "Jerusalem, I will surely send you away for your own good. I will surely bring the enemy upon you in a time of trouble and distress.

I collapse from grief. Sustain me by your word!

You will winnow them and the wind will blow them away; the wind will scatter them. You will rejoice in the Lord; you will boast in the Holy One of Israel.

"Now I will rise up," says the Lord. "Now I will exalt myself; now I will magnify myself.

Then the guard cries out: "On the watchtower, O sovereign master, I stand all day long; at my post I am stationed every night.

May his children be fatherless, and his wife a widow!

Israel moved to Egypt; Jacob lived for a time in the land of Ham.

For I say, "Loyal love is permanently established; in the skies you set up your faithfulness."

For you are my deliverer; under your wings I rejoice.

O Lord, I love the temple where you live, the place where your splendor is revealed.

Men were assigned to take the prisoners and find clothes among the plunder for those who were naked. So they clothed them, supplied them with sandals, gave them food and drink, and provided them with oil to rub on their skin. They put the ones who couldn't walk on donkeys. They brought them back to their brothers at Jericho, the city of the date palm trees, and then returned to Samaria.

The men of the city, the leaders and the nobles who lived there, followed the written orders Jezebel had sent them.

You said, 'Pay attention, and I will speak; I will question you, and you will answer me.'

At that time they sacrificed to the Lord some of the plunder they had brought back, including 700 head of cattle and 7,000 sheep.

On my right the young rabble rise up; they drive me from place to place, and build up siege ramps against me.

But when she took the pan and set it before him, he refused to eat. Instead Amnon said, "Get everyone out of here!" So everyone left.

How much less, then, when you say that you do not perceive him, that the case is before him and you are waiting for him!

Obed-Edom was assigned the south gate, and his sons were assigned the storehouses.

The king of Babylon ordered them to be executed at Riblah in the territory of Hamath. So Judah was deported from its land.

the seventh to Jesharelah and his sons and relatives -- twelve in all,

Now two hundred men had gone with Absalom from Jerusalem. Since they were invited, they went naively and were unaware of what Absalom was planning.

Eliel, and Obed, and Jaasiel the Mezobaite.

He brought the holy items that he and his father had made into the Lord's temple, including the silver, gold, and other articles.

The king said, "Bring to me whoever speaks to you, and he won't bother you again!"

Eleazar the priest is to take some of its blood with his finger, and sprinkle some of the blood seven times directly in front of the tent of meeting.

Joab answered, "Get serious! I don't want to swallow up or destroy anything!

But if her father overrules her when he hears about it, then none of her vows or her obligations which she has pledged for herself will stand. And the Lord will release her from it, because her father overruled her.

Then Saul said, "Cast the lot between me and my son Jonathan!" Jonathan was indicated by lot.

Today I am weak, even though I am anointed as king. These men, the sons of Zeruiah, are too much for me to bear! May the Lord punish appropriately the one who has done this evil thing!"

Her father said, "I really thought you absolutely despised her, so I gave her to your best man. Her younger sister is more attractive than she is. Take her instead!"

These were the families of the Ephraimites, according to those numbered of them, 32,500. These were the descendants of Joseph by their families.

as well as all the towns around these cities as far as Baalath Beer (Ramah of the Negev). This was the land assigned to the tribe of Simeon by its clans.

seven fine-looking, fat cows were coming up out of the Nile, and they grazed in the reeds.

Nevertheless the Kenite will be consumed. How long will Asshur take you away captive?"

but if a priest's daughter is a widow or divorced, and she has no children so that she returns to live in her father's house as in her youth, she may eat from her father's food, but no lay person may eat it.

He must not eat an animal that has died of natural causes or an animal torn by beasts and thus become unclean by it. I am the Lord.

The trees of the field will yield their fruit and the earth will yield its crops. They will live securely on their land; they will know that I am the Lord, when I break the bars of their yoke and rescue them from the hand of those who enslaved them.

The priest must then examine it, and if the scab has spread on the skin, then the priest is to pronounce the person unclean. It is a disease.

This is the service of the families of the Merarites, their entire service concerning the tent of meeting, under the authority of Ithamar son of Aaron the priest."

You can make the bride price and the gift I must bring very expensive, and I'll give whatever you ask of me. Just give me the young woman as my wife!"

Then the seven years of famine began, just as Joseph had predicted. There was famine in all the other lands, but throughout the land of Egypt there was food.

I signed the deed of purchase, sealed it, and had some men serve as witnesses to the purchase. I weighed out the silver for him on a scale.

So Pharaoh's heart remained hard, and he did not release the Israelites, as the Lord had predicted through Moses.

The cedars in the garden of God could not eclipse it, nor could the fir trees match its boughs; the plane trees were as nothing compared to its branches; no tree in the garden of God could rival its beauty.

Look, your fasting is accompanied by arguments, brawls, and fistfights. Do not fast as you do today, trying to make your voice heard in heaven.

"Son of man, I have broken the arm of Pharaoh king of Egypt. Look, it has not been bandaged for healing or set with a dressing so that it might become strong enough to grasp a sword.

For you are aware of our many rebellious deeds, and our sins testify against us; indeed, we are aware of our rebellious deeds; we know our sins all too well.

"This is what the sovereign Lord says: 'Moab and Seir say, "Look, the house of Judah is like all the other nations."

The one who vindicates me is close by. Who dares to argue with me? Let us confront each other! Who is my accuser? Let him challenge me!

O Lord, you are ready to act, but they don't even notice. They will see and be put to shame by your angry judgment against humankind, yes, fire will consume your enemies.

Go ahead and charge into battle, you horsemen! Drive furiously, you charioteers! Let the soldiers march out into battle, those from Ethiopia and Libya who carry shields, and those from Lydia who are armed with the bow.

So their land will become an object of horror. People will forever hiss out their scorn over it. All who pass that way will be filled with horror and will shake their heads in derision.

Did you not dry up the sea, the waters of the great deep? Did you not make a path through the depths of the sea, so those delivered from bondage could cross over?

Let them give the Lord the honor he deserves; let them praise his deeds in the coastlands.

before the Lord, for he comes! For he comes to judge the earth! He judges the world fairly, and the nations in accordance with his justice.

Who can compare to the Lord our God, who sits on a high throne?

All the nations are insignificant before him; they are regarded as absolutely nothing.

The people of Heshbon and Elealeh cry out, their voices are heard as far away as Jahaz. For this reason Moab's soldiers shout in distress; their courage wavers.

The likes of it is not on earth, a creature without fear.

the chief men refrained from talking and covered their mouths with their hands;

We also accept responsibility for bringing the first fruits of our land and the first fruits of every fruit tree year by year to the temple of the LORD.

Concerning my right, should I lie? My wound is incurable, although I am without transgression.'

Some of the family leaders contributed to the work. The governor contributed to the treasury 1,000 gold drachmas, 50 bowls, and 530 priestly garments.

An edict was sent throughout Judah and Jerusalem requiring the people to bring to the Lord the tax that Moses, God's servant, imposed on Israel in the wilderness.

The second choir was proceeding in the opposite direction. I followed them, along with half the people, on top of the wall, past the Tower of the Ovens to the Broad Wall,

Heman and Jeduthun were in charge of the music, including the trumpets, cymbals, and the other musical instruments used in praising God. The sons of Jeduthun guarded the entrance.

Recall the miraculous deeds he performed, his mighty acts and the judgments he decreed,

Likewise, the most tender and delicate of your women, who would never think of putting even the sole of her foot on the ground because of her daintiness, will turn against her beloved husband, her sons and daughters,

Joab son of Zeruiah was commanding general of the army; Jehoshaphat son of Ahilud was secretary;

Lot went outside to them, shutting the door behind him.

Or for a ram, you must prepare as a grain offering two-tenths of an ephah of finely ground flour mixed with one-third of a hin of olive oil,

The king and all Israel with him were presenting sacrifices to the Lord.

Who will listen to you in this matter? The portion of the one who went down into the battle will be the same as the portion of the one who remained with the equipment! Let their portions be the same!"

If it does not accept terms of peace but makes war with you, then you are to lay siege to it.

Of all the most holy offerings reserved from the fire this will be yours: Every offering of theirs, whether from every grain offering or from every purification offering or from every reparation offering which they bring to me, will be most holy for you and for your sons.

Ain, Juttah, and Beth Shemesh, along with the grazing areas of each -- a total of nine cities taken from these two tribes.

Their territory included Helkath, Hali, Beten, Acshaph,

The descendants of Judah were Er and Onan, but Er and Onan died in the land of Canaan.

Isaac said, "Bring some of the wild game for me to eat, my son. Then I will bless you." So Jacob brought it to him, and he ate it. He also brought him wine, and Isaac drank.

This is what they are responsible to carry as their entire service in the tent of meeting: the frames of the tabernacle, its crossbars, its posts, its sockets,

Have you not seen a false vision and announced a lying omen when you say, "the Lord declares," although I myself never spoke?

Now it was reported in the household of Pharaoh, "Joseph's brothers have arrived." It pleased Pharaoh and his servants.

Adah bore Eliphaz to Esau, Basemath bore Reuel,

Who is like me? Let him make his claim! Let him announce it and explain it to me -- since I established an ancient people -- let them announce future events!

The word of the Lord came to me:

One of their own people will be their leader. Their ruler will come from their own number. I will invite him to approach me, and he will do so. For no one would dare approach me on his own. I, the Lord, affirm it!

Before Jeremiah could turn to leave, the captain of the guard added, "Go back to Gedaliah, the son of Ahikam and grandson of Shaphan, whom the king of Babylon appointed to govern the towns of Judah. Go back and live with him among the people. Or go wherever else you choose." Then the captain of the guard gave Jeremiah some food and a present and let him go.

"After I had given the copies of the deed of purchase to Baruch son of Neriah, I prayed to the Lord,

Then Jeremiah left Topheth where the Lord had sent him to give that prophecy. He went to the Lord's temple and stood in its courtyard and called out to all the people.

You were once abandoned and despised, with no one passing through, but I will make you a permanent source of pride and joy to coming generations.

Those who remain in Judah will take root in the ground and bear fruit.

However, King Jehoiakim sent some men to Egypt, including Elnathan son of Achbor,

Eliakim son of Hilkiah, the palace supervisor, accompanied by Shebna the scribe and Joah son of Asaph, the secretary, went out to meet him.

They burned down the Lord's temple and tore down the wall of Jerusalem. They burned all its fortified buildings and destroyed all its valuable items.

For you, O Lord, have made me happy by your work. I will sing for joy because of what you have done.

The Lord is exalted, indeed, he lives in heaven; he fills Zion with justice and fairness.

Princesses are among your honored guests, your bride stands at your right hand, wearing jewelry made with gold from Ophir.

Indeed, the waters of Dimon are full of blood! Indeed, I will heap even more trouble on Dimon. A lion will attack the Moabite fugitives and the people left in the land.

You have given your loyal followers a rallying flag, so that they might seek safety from the bow. (Selah)

Night pierces my bones; my gnawing pains never cease.

God deserves praise, for he did not reject my prayer or abandon his love for me!

Far from where people live he sinks a shaft, in places travelers have long forgotten, far from other people he dangles and sways.

But if they refuse to listen, they pass over the river of death, and expire without knowledge.

Then the father and mother of the young woman must produce the evidence of virginity for the elders of the city at the gate.

The Lord sent a messenger and he wiped out all the soldiers, princes, and officers in the army of the king of Assyria. So Sennacherib returned home humiliated. When he entered the temple of his god, some of his own sons struck him down with the sword.

"I want to make a treaty with you, like the one our fathers made. See, I have sent you silver and gold. Break your treaty with King Baasha of Israel, so he will retreat from my land."

At the court on the west there were four posted on the road and two at the court.

He said, "You may go." He permitted her to leave for two months. She went with her friends and mourned her virginity as she walked through the hills.

The sons of Moses: Gershom and Eliezer.

But the king's edict stood, despite Joab's objections. So Joab left and traveled throughout Israel before returning to Jerusalem.

When one of the men saw this, he reported it to Joab saying, "I saw Absalom hanging in an oak tree.

The king replied to him, "Go in peace." So Absalom got up and went to Hebron.

David said to the Gibeonites, "What can I do for you, and how can I make amends so that you will bless the Lord's inheritance?"

Or who among you has planted a vineyard and not benefited from it? He may go home, lest he die in battle and someone else benefit from it.

David had also married Ahinoam from Jezreel; the two of them became his wives.

The first lot belonged to the tribe of Benjamin by its clans. Their allotted territory was between Judah and Joseph.

The Levites received within the land owned by the Israelites forty-eight cities in all and their grazing areas.

You will die on the mountain that you ascend and join your deceased ancestors, just as Aaron your brother died on Mount Hor and joined his deceased ancestors,

You must give it to Eleazar the priest so that he can take it outside the camp, and it must be slaughtered before him.

The priest must then examine it again on the seventh day, and if the infection has faded and has not spread on the skin, then the priest is to pronounce the person clean. It is a scab, so he must wash his clothes and be clean.

Moreover, Moses commanded the people that day:

His brothers were jealous of him, but his father kept in mind what Joseph said.

The length of each curtain is to be forty-two feet, and the width of each curtain is to be six feet -- the same size for each of the curtains.

So I prophesied as I was commanded, and the breath came into them; they lived and stood on their feet, an extremely great army.

From Aroer, which is at the edge of Wadi Arnon (it is the city in the wadi), all the way to Gilead there was not a town able to resist us -- the Lord our God gave them all to us.

"Bring trouble to the Midianites, and destroy them,

The elders of Gebal and her skilled men were within you, mending cracks; all the ships of the sea and their mariners were within you to trade for your merchandise.

Abraham got up and bowed down to the local people, the sons of Heth.

oppresses the poor and the needy, commits robbery, does not give back what was given in pledge, prays to idols, performs abominable acts,

Say to the rebellious, to the house of Israel, 'This is what the sovereign Lord says: Enough of all your abominable practices, O house of Israel!

And you, my sheep, the sheep of my pasture, are my people, and I am your God, declares the sovereign Lord.'"

"Therefore this is what the sovereign Lord says: Because you have forgotten me and completely disregarded me, you must bear now the punishment for your obscene conduct and prostitution."

"Son of man, turn toward Pharaoh king of Egypt, and prophesy against him and against all Egypt.

But upright men will punish them appropriately for their adultery and bloodshed, because they are adulteresses and blood is on their hands.

I will set my face against that person and will make him an object lesson and a byword and will cut him off from among my people. Then you will know that I am the Lord.

The word of the Lord came to me:

Then the Lord said to me,

Shake off the dirt! Get up, captive Jerusalem! Take off the iron chains around your neck, O captive daughter Zion!

For the Lord judges all humanity with fire and his sword; the Lord will kill many.

For when they see their children, whom I will produce among them, they will honor my name. They will honor the Holy One of Jacob; they will respect the God of Israel.

Extol the Lord, O Jerusalem! Praise your God, O Zion!

They cried out to the Lord in their distress; he delivered them from their troubles.

You answer our prayers by performing awesome acts of deliverance, O God, our savior. All the ends of the earth trust in you, as well as those living across the wide seas.

In my self-confidence I said, "I will never be upended."

Who planned this for royal Tyre, whose merchants are princes, whose traders are the dignitaries of the earth?

Do not reject me! Do not push your servant away in anger! You are my deliverer! Do not forsake or abandon me, O God who vindicates me!

when the waters become hard like stone, when the surface of the deep is frozen solid?

You make my enemies retreat; I destroy those who hate me.

After that a voice roars; he thunders with an exalted voice, and he does not hold back his lightning bolts when his voice is heard.

For he does not still consider a person, that he should come before God in judgment.

Then would I speak and not fear him, but it is not so with me.

He did evil in the sight of the Lord and committed the same horrible sins practiced by the nations whom the Lord drove out ahead of the Israelites.

On the first day of the first month they began consecrating; by the eighth day of the month they reached the porch of the Lord's temple. For eight more days they consecrated the Lord's temple. On the sixteenth day of the first month they were finished.

He placed the men at their posts, each holding his weapon in his hand. They lined up from the south side of the temple to the north side and stood near the altar and the temple, surrounding the king.

David son of Jesse reigned over all Israel.

Jehoiada grew old and died at the age of 130.

accusing her of impropriety and defaming her reputation by saying, "I married this woman but when I had sexual relations with her I discovered she was not a virgin!"

Now Joab did not number Levi and Benjamin, for the king's edict disgusted him.

the fifth Elam, the sixth Jehohanan, and the seventh Elihoenai.

and during the time when I appointed judges to lead my people Israel. I will subdue all your enemies. "'"I declare to you that the Lord will build a dynastic house for you!

"Now, my son, may the Lord be with you! May you succeed and build a temple for the Lord your God, just as he announced you would.

These are the names of children born to him in Jerusalem: Shammua, Shobab, Nathan, Solomon,

Isaiah the prophet visited King Hezekiah and asked him, "What did these men say? Where do they come from?" Hezekiah replied, "They come from the distant land of Babylon."

The sons of his brother Eshek: Ulam was his firstborn, Jeush second, and Eliphelet third.

Saul himself was in the thick of the battle; the archers spotted him and wounded him severely.

So she made him go to sleep, wove the seven braids of his hair into the fabric on the loom, fastened it with the pin, and said to him, "The Philistines are here, Samson!" He woke up and tore away the pin of the loom and the fabric.

You must not present anything that has a flaw, because it will not be acceptable for your benefit.

When David was told what Rizpah daughter of Aiah, Saul's concubine, had done,

So he started back on another road; he did not travel back on the same road he had taken to Bethel.

But if they say, 'Come up against us,' we will go up. For in that case the Lord has given them into our hand -- it will be a sign to us."

but your father has humiliated me and changed my wages ten times. But God has not permitted him to do me any harm.

So Hushai came to Absalom. Absalom said to him, "Here is what Ahithophel has advised. Should we follow his advice? If not, what would you recommend?"

But the Lord took note and despised them because his sons and daughters enraged him.

So Laban invited all the people of that place and prepared a feast.

Everyone who remains in your house will come to bow before him for a little money and for a scrap of bread. Each will say, 'Assign me to a priestly task so I can eat a scrap of bread.'"

and take the garments and clothe Aaron with the tunic, the robe of the ephod, the ephod, and the breastpiece; you are to fasten the ephod on him by using the skillfully woven waistband.

Here I am, standing by the spring, and the daughters of the people who live in the town are coming out to draw water.

"Give these instructions to the Israelites, and tell them: 'When you enter Canaan, the land that has been assigned to you as an inheritance, the land of Canaan with its borders,

This is what the Lord commanded to give to them from the Israelites on the day Moses anointed them -- a perpetual allotted portion throughout their generations.

Then Joseph gave orders to fill their bags with grain, to return each man's money to his sack, and to give them provisions for the journey. His orders were carried out.

The merchants who sold these things, who got rich from her, will stand a long way off because they are afraid of her torment. They will weep and mourn,

They were scattered because they had no shepherd, and they became food for every wild beast.

After that she gave birth to a daughter and named her Dinah.

So then, let no one treat him with contempt. But send him on his way in peace so that he may come to me. For I am expecting him with the brothers.

You must allot it as an inheritance among yourselves and for the foreigners who reside among you, who have fathered sons among you. You must treat them as native-born among the people of Israel; they will be allotted an inheritance with you among the tribes of Israel.

Thus they were looking for Jesus, and saying to one another as they stood in the temple courts, "What do you think? That he won't come to the feast?"

"'No longer will Israel suffer from the sharp briers or painful thorns of all who surround and scorn them. Then they will know that I am the sovereign Lord.

Men of Persia, Lud, and Put were in your army, men of war. They hung shield and helmet on you; they gave you your splendor.

But if that nation does what displeases me and does not obey me, then I will cancel the good I promised to do to it.

I will desolate Pathros, I will ignite a fire in Zoan, and I will execute judgments on Thebes.

But just watch! The wrath of the Lord will come like a storm! Like a raging storm it will rage down on the heads of those who are wicked.

"Son of man, turn toward Jerusalem and speak out against the sanctuaries. Prophesy against the land of Israel

Just watch! The wrath of the Lord will come like a storm. Like a raging storm it will rage down on the heads of those who are wicked.

She forgets that a foot might crush them, or that a wild animal might trample them.

In the evening there is sudden terror; by morning they vanish. This is the fate of those who try to plunder us, the destiny of those who try to loot us!

where then is my hope? And my hope, who sees it?

The sluggard plunges his hand in the dish; he is too lazy to bring it back to his mouth.

Do not let those who are my enemies for no reason gloat over me! Do not let those who hate me without cause carry out their wicked schemes!

Who is this majestic king? The Lord who commands armies! He is the majestic king! (Selah)

not counting their 7,337 male and female servants. They also had 245 male and female singers.

Now I intend to make a covenant with the Lord God of Israel, so that he may relent from his raging anger.

They plotted against him and by royal decree stoned him to death in the courtyard of the Lord's temple.

The men of Judah captured 10,000 men alive. They took them to the top of a cliff and threw them over. All the captives fell to their death.

Therefore the Lord brought us out of Egypt with tremendous strength and power, as well as with great awe-inspiring signs and wonders.

The Lord God of Israel chose me out of my father's entire family to become king over Israel and have a permanent dynasty. Indeed, he chose Judah as leader, and my father's family within Judah, and then he picked me out from among my father's sons and made me king over all Israel.

The Lord will plague you with deadly diseases until he has completely removed you from the land you are about to possess.

the sixth Ammiel, the seventh Issachar, and the eighth Peullethai. (Indeed, God blessed Obed-Edom.)

the seventeenth to Hezir, the eighteenth to Happizzez,

son of Elkanah, son of Jeroham, son of Eliel, son of Toah,

If he should then say, 'That's fine,' then your servant is safe. But if he becomes very angry, be assured that he has decided to harm me.

Micah paid the Levite; the young man became his priest and lived in Micah's house.

You are to receive the atonement money from the Israelites and give it for the service of the tent of meeting. It will be a memorial for the Israelites before the Lord, to make atonement for your lives."

These are the land assignments which Eleazar the priest, Joshua son of Nun, and the Israelite tribal leaders made by drawing lots in Shiloh before the Lord at the entrance of the tent of meeting. So they finished dividing up the land.

"'The land will give its fruit and you may eat until you are satisfied, and you may live securely in the land.

Moses said, "You have been consecrated today for the Lord, for each of you was against his son or against his brother, so he has given a blessing to you today."

You must obey him and keep his commandments and statutes that I am giving you today."

So the chief cupbearer told his dream to Joseph: "In my dream, there was a vine in front of me.

from Mount Hor you will draw a line to Lebo Hamath, and the direction of the border will be to Zedad.

Pharaoh said to Joseph, "I had a dream, and there is no one who can interpret it. But I have heard about you, that you can interpret dreams."

So he blessed them that day, saying, "By you will Israel bless, saying, 'May God make you like Ephraim and Manasseh.'" So he put Ephraim before Manasseh.

"No, please take them," Jacob said. "If I have found favor in your sight, accept my gift from my hand. Now that I have seen your face and you have accepted me, it is as if I have seen the face of God.

They ran through that whole region and began to bring the sick on mats to wherever he was rumored to be.

When I bring you out from the nations and gather you from the lands where you are scattered, I will accept you along with your soothing aroma. I will display my holiness among you in the sight of the nations.

Then you will remember, be ashamed, and remain silent when I make atonement for all you have done, declares the sovereign Lord.'"

Then Abimelech said, "Look, my land is before you; live wherever you please."

In the twelfth year, in the twelfth month, on the first of the month, the word of the Lord came to me:

On the same day they slaughtered their sons for their idols, they came to my sanctuary to desecrate it. This is what they have done in the middle of my house.

"'This is what the sovereign Lord says: I will destroy the idols, and put an end to the gods of Memphis. There will no longer be a prince from the land of Egypt; so I will make the land of Egypt fearful.

so that the house of Israel will no longer go astray from me, nor continue to defile themselves by all their sins. They will be my people and I will be their God, declares the sovereign Lord.'"

The canals will stink; the streams of Egypt will trickle and then dry up; the bulrushes and reeds will decay,

The Lord continued, "Now break the jar in front of those who have come here with you.

"The people of Israel are like scattered sheep which lions have chased away. First the king of Assyria devoured them. Now last of all King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon has gnawed their bones.

Jeremiah finished telling all the people all these things the Lord their God had sent him to tell them.

Then the prophet Jeremiah responded to the prophet Hananiah in the presence of the priests and all the people who were standing in the Lord's temple.

Isaiah son of Amoz sent this message to Hezekiah: "This is what the Lord God of Israel says: 'Because you prayed to me concerning King Sennacherib of Assyria,

Like cutting off the feet or drinking violence, so is sending a message by the hand of a fool.

O Lord, of what importance is the human race, that you should notice them? Of what importance is mankind, that you should be concerned about them?

The nations' idols are made of silver and gold, they are man-made.

As the heaven is high and the earth is deep so the hearts of kings are unsearchable.

Take note of the one who has integrity! Observe the godly! For the one who promotes peace has a future.

Even if he trips, he will not fall headlong, for the Lord holds his hand.

(Tav) Listen to my cry for help, O Lord! Give me insight by your word!

During his days the godly will flourish; peace will prevail as long as the moon remains in the sky.