But after he had become strong, in his arrogance he acted corruptly and became unfaithful to the LORD his God, and he dared to enter the LORD's Temple to burn incense on the incense altar.

and they opposed King Uzziah. "Uzziah, it's not for you to burn incense to the LORD," they told him, "but for the priests to do, Aaron's descendants who are consecrated to burn incense. Leave the sanctuary now, because you have been unfaithful and won't receive any honor from the LORD God."

Ahaz was 20 years old when he began to reign, and he reigned 16 years in Jerusalem, but he did not practice what the LORD considered to be right, as his ancestor David had done.

But a prophet of the LORD was there named Oded. He went out to greet the army as it arrived in Samaria. He warned them, "Look! Because the LORD God of your ancestors was angry at Judah, he delivered them into your control, but you have killed them with a vehemence that has reached all the way to heaven!

He sacrificed to the gods of Damascus that had defeated him, reasoning, "The gods of the kings of Aram helped them, so I'll sacrifice to them so they will help me!" But those gods brought about his downfall, and the downfall of all of Israel, too.

So Ahaz died, as had his ancestors, and he was buried in the city of Jerusalem, but they didn't bury him among the tombs of the kings of Israel. Ahaz's son Hezekiah reigned in his place.

but they had been unable to celebrate it then because not enough priests had consecrated themselves and the people had not yet been gathered together in Jerusalem.

Couriers crossed from city to city throughout the territories of Ephraim and Manasseh as far as Zebulun, but those people just mocked them and laughed at them.

He only has the strength of his own flesh, but the LORD our God is with us to help us and to fight our battles." So the people were encouraged from what King Hezekiah of Judah told them.

But Hezekiah's response wasn't commensurate with what had been done for him because he was arrogant in heart, so wrath came upon him, upon Judah, and upon Jerusalem.

But Hezekiah humbled himself while he was arrogant in heart, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem joined him in this. As a result, the LORD's wrath did not come upon them during Hezekiah's lifetime.

Hezekiah died, as had his fathers, and they buried him in the upper part of the tombs of the descendants of David. All of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem honored him at his death. But his son Manasseh reigned in his place.

But he practiced what the LORD considered to be evil by behaving detestably, as did the nations whom the LORD expelled in front of the Israelis.

The LORD kept on speaking to Manasseh and to his people, but they paid no attention to him,

But when he was in trouble, he sought the face of the LORD his God, humbled himself magnificently before the God of his ancestors,

Even so, the people continued to sacrifice in the high places, but only to the LORD their God.

But the people of the land executed all of the conspirators against King Amon and installed his son Josiah as king to succeed him.

But he sent messengers to him, who asked him, "What do we have in common, King of Judah? I am not here today opposing you. I am fighting the dynasty that is fighting me, and God has ordered me to hurry. For your own good, stop interfering with God, who is with me, and he won't destroy you!"

But Josiah wouldn't turn around. In fact, he put on a disguise so he could fight Neco. He wouldn't listen to what God told him through what Neco had to say, and as a result, Josiah came to attack Neco on the Megiddo plain.

Jehoiakim was 25 years old when he became king, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem, but he practiced what the LORD his God considered to be evil.

but they mocked God's messengers, despised his words, and scoffed at his prophets, until there was no remedy for the wrath of the LORD that arose to punish his people.

These people searched for their ancestral registrations but they couldn't be located. Accordingly, they were assigned an "unclean" status and couldn't be priests.

But Zerubbabel, Jeshua, and the rest of the heads of the families of Israel replied, "You have no part in our plans for building a temple to our God, because we alone will build to the LORD, the God of Israel, in accordance with the decree issued by King Cyrus, king of Persia."

But God watched over the Jewish leaders, who could not be forced to stop working until Darius received a report and responded in reply.

But because our predecessors provoked the God of Heaven to become angry, he handed them over to the control of King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon, the Chaldean who destroyed this Temple and transported the people to Babylon.

I gathered them together at the river that flows toward Ahava, where we camped three days. Afterwards, I examined the people and the priests, but found no descendants of Levi there.

because I was ashamed to ask the king for a contingent of soldiers and cavalry to protect us from enemies we might encounter on the way. After all, we had told the king, "The hand of our God seeks the good of all who seek him, but his power and anger are against everyone who forsakes him."

Jehiel's son Shecaniah, one of Elam's descendants, responded to Ezra: "We have sinned against our God by marrying foreign wives from the people of the land, but even now there is hope in Israel, despite this.

"If you rebel, I will scatter you among the nations but if you return to me, keeping my commands and doing them, even if your exiled people are in the farthest horizon, I will gather them from there and bring them to the place where I have chosen to establish my Name.'

The king asked me, "Why do you look so troubled, since you're not ill? This cannot be anything else but troubles of the heart."

But when Sanballat the Horonite and his servant Tobiah the Ammonite heard of this, they were greatly distressed because someone had come to do good for the Israelis.

I proceeded to the Fountain Gate, and then to the King's Pool, but there wasn't sufficient clearance for the animal I was riding to pass.

But when Sanballat the Horonite, his servant Tobiah the Ammonite, and Geshem the Arab heard about it, they jeered at us and despised us when they said, "What is this thing that you're doing? You're rebelling against the king, aren't you?"

In reply to them, I said, "The God of Heaven will prosper us. That's why we're preparing to build. But as far as you're concerned, there exists no ancestral heritage, no legal right, nor any historic claim in Jerusalem.

But when Sanballat, Tobiah, the Arabs, the Ammonites, and the Ashdodites heard that the repair work on the Jerusalem wall was progressing and that its breaches were being repaired, they flew into a rage.

But we prayed to our God. We also set up guards day and night because of them.

I'm also lending money and grain, as are my fellow-Jews and my servants, but let's not charge interest.

Nevertheless, the former governors before me placed a heavy burden on the people. They received food and wine, plus a tax of 40 shekels of silver. Even their young men took advantage of the people, but I never did so because I feared God.

Sanballat and Geshem sent word to me, saying "Come, let's meet together at Kephirim on the Ono Plain." But they were just trying to do me harm.

Then Sanballat sent his assistant to me the fifth time. But this time the letter was sent unsealed, and

But I asked him, "Should a man like me run? Should someone like me run into the Temple to save his life? I won't go there!"

These people searched for their ancestral records, but they couldn't be located. Accordingly, they were considered disqualified from the priesthood.

"But they our ancestors became arrogant and stubborn, refusing to listen to your commands.

They would not listen, and did not remember the miracles you did among them. Instead, they became stubborn and appointed a leader to return them to their slavery. "But you are a God of forgiveness, gracious and compassionate, slow to anger, and rich in gracious love; therefore you did not abandon them.

So you delivered them into the control of their enemies, who oppressed them. But when they were oppressed, they cried out to you, and you heard from heaven. In your great compassion you gave them deliverers who rescued them from the control of their enemies.

"But after they had gained relief, they returned to doing evil before you. Therefore you abandoned them to the control of their enemies, who continued to oppress them. But when they came back and cried out to you, you listened from heaven and delivered them in your compassion on many occasions.

You admonished them to return to your Law, but they acted arrogantly, and would not listen to your commands. They sinned against your regulations, which if anyone obeys, he will live by them. They turned away, being stubborn and stiff-necked, and they did not listen.

You were patient with them for many years, warning them by your Spirit through your prophets. But they would not listen, so you turned them over to the control of people in other lands.

But they in their kingdom in the midst of your great goodness that you gave them and in the large and fertile land that you provided them did not serve you or turn away from their evil deeds.

But now its abundant produce belongs to the kings whom you placed over us because of our sin. They also have power over our bodies and our herds at their pleasure, and we are in great distress.

but the Temple Servants lived on Ophel. Ziha and Gishpa oversaw the Temple Servants.

because they did not greet the Israelis with food and water, but instead hired Balaam to oppose them by cursing them, even though our God turned the curse into a blessing.

Then Memucan replied in the presence of the king and his officials, "It is not the king alone whom Vashti has wronged, but rather all of the officials and all of the people who are in the provinces of King Ahasuerus.

When the report about the queen goes out to all the women, it will cause them to despise their husbands. They'll say, "King Ahasuerus ordered Queen Vashti to be brought before him, but she wouldn't come.'

When Esther's young women and her eunuchs came and told her, the queen was greatly distressed. She sent clothes for Mordecai to put on so he could take off the sackcloth that he had on, but he would not take them.

Indeed, if you are silent at this time, relief and deliverance will come to the Jewish people from another place, but you and your father's family will perish. Who knows but that you were brought to the kingdom for a time like this?"

Haman went out that day pleased and happy, but when Haman saw Mordecai in the king's gate, and that he did not stand up and tremble in his presence, Haman was furious with Mordecai.

But all this does not satisfy me every time I see Mordecai the Jew sitting at the king's gate."

the ten sons of Hammedatha's son Haman, the enemy of the Jewish people, but they did not lay their hands on the spoils.

The Jewish people in Susa assembled again on that day, the fourteenth of Adar, and they killed 300 people in Susa, but they did not lay their hands on the spoils.

The rest of the Jewish people in the king's provinces assembled to defend themselves, and they gained relief from their enemies, killing 75,000 of those who hated them. But they did not lay their hands on the spoils.

But when Esther came before the king, he ordered through a letter that the evil plot that Haman had devised against the Jewish people be rescinded, and that he and his sons be hanged on poles.

But in response, Satan asked the LORD, "Does Job fear God for nothing?

But he replied to her, "You're talking like foolish women do. Are we to accept what is good from God but not tragedy?" Throughout all of this, Job did not sin by what he said.

Let the stars of its evening twilight be dark; let it hope for light but let there be none; let it not see the breaking rays of the dawn.

"But now it's your turn, and you're the one who is worn out! Now it's striking you, and you're dismayed!

"The lioness may roar, and the lion cub may growl; but even the ivory teeth of the full grown lion are broken.

It remained standing, but I couldn't recognize its appearance. A form appeared before my eyes; At first there was silence, and then this voice:

"I myself saw a fool becoming established, but I suddenly cursed where he lived.

But mankind is born headed for trouble, just as sparks soar skyward."

because though he wounds, but then applies bandages; though he strikes, his hands still heal.

But my brothers have acted treacherously like a cascading river, like torrential rivers that overflow.

But then the snow melts, and they disappear; when warmed, they evaporate from their stream beds.

The truth can be painful, but what has your argument proven?

"When I lie down I ask, "When will I wake up?' But the night continues and I keep tossing and turning until dawn.

The eyes of the one who sees me won't see me anymore; your eyes will look for me but I won't be around!

But then you scared me with dreams; you terrified me with visions.

Why haven't you pardoned my transgression and taken away my iniquity? Now I'm about to lie down in the dust. You will seek me diligently, but I won't be around!"

Your beginning may be small, but later years will be very great.

He leans against his house, but it won't stand; he grabs hold of it firmly, but it doesn't last.

"Indeed, I'm fully aware that this is so, but how can a person become right with God?

"My days pass faster than a runner; but they pass quickly without seeing anything good.

Your hands formed and fashioned me, but then you have destroyed me all at once on all sides.

But you've hidden these things in your heart I know this was your purpose:

But if I do lift up my head, you will hunt me like a lion! You will perform miracles in order to fight against me.

"But what if God were to speak? What if he were to talk with you,

But what the wicked look for will fail; their way of escape will be taken away from them; their only hope is to take their final breath."

"I'm a laughingstock to my friends, someone who called on God. But then he answered this upright and blameless man, and I have become a laughingstock.

He makes nations great, and then destroys them; he enlarges nations, but then sends them away to captivity.

But I want to talk to the Almighty; and I'm determined to argue my case before God."

"But as for you, you whitewash with lies; all of you are worthless quacks.

"But when a person dies and wastes away, when a person breathes his last, where will he be?

Then you'll certainly count every step I took, but you won't keep an inventory of my sin.

Water wears away stones; floods wash away topsoil from the land but you destroy the hope of human beings just like that!

"But if I speak, my pain isn't assuaged; if I refrain from speaking, what do I have to lose?"

But the righteous person will hold to his way, and those with clean hands will grow stronger and stronger."

"Although I cried out "Violence!' I received no answer; I cried for help, but there was no justice.

"I call to my servant, but he doesn't respond, even though I beg to him earnestly.

you see nothing but darkness, and a flood of troubles drowns you."

"For when they're humbled, you may respond; "It's their pride!' but he delivers the humble.