Children are gathering firewood, fathers are building fires with it, and women are mixing dough to bake cakes to offer to the goddess they call the Queen of Heaven. They are also pouring out drink offerings to other gods. They seem to do all this just to trouble me.

[we are] persecuted, but are not deserted [by God]; [we are] struck down, but are not destroyed.

You are to weep in silence, but you are not to participate in mourning rituals. You are to keep your turban on your head and your sandals on your feet. You are not to cover your mouth or eat what your comforters bring to you."

For we are glad when we are weak and you are powerful. And we are also praying for your complete restoration [i.e., to spiritual maturity].

Glory and worship are before him; power and honour are in his Sanctuary. {TYNDALE: Praise and honour are in his presence; strength and gladness are in his place.}

To this present hour we are both hungry and thirsty, and are poorly clothed, and are roughly treated, and are homeless;

For indeed, the descendants of Levi, who are appointed to the priesthood, are commanded by the law of Moses to collect a tenth [of the income] of the Israelites, who are their brothers, even though these brothers are [also] descendants of Abraham.

So he came to the men of Succoth and said, Here are Zebah and Zalmunna, on account of whom you made sport of me, saying, Are the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna even now in your hand, that we are to give bread to your army who are overcome with weariness?

"I know what you've been doing. You are known for being alive, but you are dead. Be alert, and strengthen the things that are left, which are about to die. I note that your actions are incomplete before my God.

The tongue of the righteous is like precious silver (greatly valued);
The heart of the wicked is worth little.

You are therefore inexcusable, O man, whoever you are, that sits in judgment; for in judging another you are condemning yourself. You, the judge, are habitually practising the very same things.

Look at the facts of your Call, Brothers. There are not many among you who are wise, as men reckon wisdom, not many who are influential, not many who are high-born;

Where are we going up? Our brothers have made our hearts feeble with fear by saying, The people are greater and taller than we are, and the towns are great and walled up to heaven; and more than this, we have seen the sons of the Anakim there.

For our present light affliction works out for us an eternal fullness of glory, excelling all excellence, ls while we look not at the things that are seen, but at the things that are not seen: for the things seen are temporal; but the things not seen are eternal.

Still, all men have not that knowledge: but some, being used till now to the image, are conscious that they are taking food which has been offered to the image; and because they are not strong in the faith, their minds are troubled.

These offerings from the Israelis are to be a perpetual ordinance for Aaron and his sons. They are presented offerings, and they are to be presented offerings from the Israelis out of their peace offerings. They are presented offerings to the LORD.

The ways to Zion, are mourning, because none come to her appointed feasts, All her gates, are desolate, her priests, are sighing, - her virgins, are grieved, and, she, it is bitter for her.

In the day when the keepers of the house are shaking for fear, and the strong men are bent down, and the women who were crushing the grain are at rest because their number is small, and those looking out of the windows are unable to see;

Happy are you who are in need of food now: for you will be made full. Happy are you who are weeping now; for you will be glad.

Unhappy are you who are full of food now: for you will be in need. Unhappy are you who are laughing now: for you will be crying in sorrow.

namely, a man of unquestionable integrity, the husband of one wife, having children who believe, not accused of being immoral or rebellious.

If any believing woman has [dependent] widows [in her household], she must assist them [according to her ability]; and the church must not be burdened [with them], so that it may assist those who are truly widows [those who are all alone and are dependent].

“To the angel (divine messenger) of the church in Sardis write:

“These are the words of Him who has the seven Spirits of God and the seven stars: ‘I know your deeds; you have a name (reputation) that you are alive, but [in reality] you are dead.

These are the ones who have not been defiled [by relations] with women, for they are celibate. These are the ones who follow the Lamb wherever He goes. These have been purchased and redeemed from among men [of Israel] as the first fruits [sanctified and set apart for special service] for God and the Lamb.

Wherefore have I seen it? they are dismayed and are turned backward; and their mighty ones are beaten down, and are fled apace, and look not back: terror is on every side, saith Jehovah.

And like the bad figs which are so bad that they are of no use for food, so I will give up Zedekiah, king of Judah, and his chiefs and the rest of Jerusalem who are still in this land, and those who are in the land of Egypt:

And the king said to Ziba, What are these to you? And Ziba said, The asses are for the king's household to ride upon. And the bread and summer fruit are for the young men to eat. And the wine is so that the ones who are faint in the wilderness may drink.

Their residents are powerless, they are terrified and ashamed. They are as short-lived as plants in the field, or green vegetation. They are as short-lived as grass on the rooftops when it is scorched by the east wind.

Hear a word of Jehovah, Ye who are trembling unto His word, Said have your brethren who are hating you, Who are driving you out, for My name's sake: 'Honoured is Jehovah, and we look on your joy,' But they are ashamed.

yet to us [there is] one God, the Father, from whom [are] all [things], and we [are] for him, and [there is] one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom [are] all [things], and we [are] through him.

Of painful deaths they die, They are not lamented, nor are they buried, For dung on the face of the ground they are, And by sword and by famine are consumed, And their carcase hath been for food To the fowl of the heavens, And to the beast of the earth.

And they lie not with the mighty, that are fallen of the uncircumcised, who are gone down to Sheol with their weapons of war; and whose swords are laid under their heads, and whose iniquities are upon their bones, though they were the terror of the mighty in the land of the living.

And My hand hath been on the prophets, Who are seeing vanity, and who are divining a lie, In the assembly of My people they are not, And in the writing of the house of Israel they are not written, And unto the ground of Israel they come not, And ye have known that I am the Lord Jehovah.

And all things that are mine are thine, and that are thine are mine; and I am glorified by them.

For those things of him which are invisible, both his eternal power and Godhead, are clearly seen from the creation of the world, being understood by the things which are made, so that they are without excuse:

For there are eunuchs [i.e., men who do not have normal sexual activity] who are born that way; then there are eunuchs who were made that way by undergoing a surgical operation; then there are [also] eunuchs who purposely chose to avoid normal sexual activity for the sake of [ministering in] the kingdom of heaven. Whoever can accept such an arrangement [i.e., of not marrying], should do so."

Are you not [always] saying, 'There are still four months before harvest time comes'? Look, I am telling you [disciples], lift up your eyes and look at the fields, that they are white and ripe for harvest [i.e., people are ready to make a spiritual response].

And note this, there are some who are last who will be first, and there are some who are first who will be last."

Highways are empty, there are no travelers. Treaties are broken, witnesses are despised, human life is treated with disrespect.

Their residents are powerless; they are terrified and ashamed. They are as short-lived as plants in the field or green vegetation. They are as short-lived as grass on the rooftops when it is scorched by the east wind.

I am as full of anger as you are, Lord, I am tired of trying to hold it in." The Lord answered, "Vent it, then, on the children who play in the street and on the young men who are gathered together. Husbands and wives are to be included, as well as the old and those who are advanced in years.

The shields of his mighty men are colored red,
The warriors are dressed in scarlet,
The chariots are enveloped in flashing steel
When he is prepared to march,
And the cypress spears are brandished.

Being always confident therefore, and knowing that while we are present in the body we are absent from the Lord,??7 we walk by faith, not by sight;??8 but we are confident, and are pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord.

"Men, why are you doing all this? We also are men, with natures like your own! We are bringing you good tidings, that you are to turn from these empty things to the living God, who made heaven and earth and the sea and all that in them is.

There are bodies which are celestial and there are bodies which are earthly, but the glory of the celestial ones is one thing, and that of the earthly ones is another.

But he said to him, “My lord knows that the children are frail and that the flocks and herds which are nursing are a care to me. And if they are driven hard one day, all the flocks will die.

Yet we do speak wisdom among those spiritually mature [believers who have teachable hearts and a greater understanding]; but [it is a higher] wisdom not [the wisdom] of this present age nor of the rulers and leaders of this age, who are passing away;

We are children of God now, beloved; what we are to be is not apparent yet, but we do know that when he appears, we are to be like him ??for we are to see him as he is.

It is the spirit that giveth life; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I have spoken unto you are spirit, are are life.

As long as we have life we are living to the Lord; or if we give up our life it is to the Lord; so if we are living, or if our life comes to an end, we are the Lord's.

His watchmen [are] blind, none of them know. They [are] all dumb dogs; they are unable to bark, panting, lying down, loving to slumber.

They that are slain with the sword are better than they that are slain with hunger: for these pine away, stricken through for want of the fruits of the field.

For, we, are the circumcision, who in the Spirit of God, are doing divine service, and are boasting in Christ Jesus, and, not in flesh, having confidence, -

Therefore my people are gone into captivity for lack of knowledge; and their honorable men are famished, and their multitude are parched with thirst.

And for those who are in sorrow, to give no signs of it; and for those who are glad, to give no signs of joy; and for those who are getting property, to be as if they had nothing;

The seeds are rotten under their clods, the granaries are laid desolate, the barns are broken down; for the corn is withered.

Then said he unto me, Son of man, These, are the men who are devising iniquity, and who are counselling wicked counsel in this city;

The Jews answered, and said to him, are we not in the right to say, that you are a Samaritan, and are really mad?

The words of the wise are as goads; and as nails well fastened are the words of the masters of assemblies, which are given from one shepherd.

I know thy works, and thy labour, and thy patience, and how thou canst not forbear them which are evil: and examinedst them which say they are apostles, and are not: and hast found them liars.

A curse is on you, scribes and Pharisees, false ones! for you are like the resting-places of the dead, which are made white, and seem beautiful on the outside, but inside are full of dead men's bones and of all unclean things.

Thy teeth are like a flock of ewes that are newly'shorn, Which are come up from the washing, Whereof every one hath twins, And none is bereaved among them.

Until this day they [are] doing according to their former customs; none of them [are] fearing Yahweh, and none of them [are] doing according to their statutes, to their decisions, to the law, or to the commands that Yahweh commanded the descendants of Jacob [to] which he had given the name Israel.

These [are] the heads of {their families}. The sons of Reuben, the firstborn of Israel, [are] Enoch and Pallu, Hezron and Carmi. These [are] the clans of Reuben.

If you are being justified by law, you are cut off from Christ; you are fallen away from grace.

You are to redeem every firstborn donkey with a lamb, and if you don't redeem it, you are to break its neck. You are to redeem every firstborn among your sons.

For my haters are waiting secretly for me; and those who are watching for my soul are banded together in their evil designs,

Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they descendants of Israel? So am I. Are they descendants of Abraham? So am I.

And the father-in-law of Moses saw all that he was doing for the people, and he said, "What [is] this thing that you [are] doing for the people? Why [are] you sitting alone and all the people [are] standing by you from morning until evening?"

Look! All of them [are] deception; their works [are] nothing; their images [are] wind and emptiness.

Howl, ye inhabitants of Maktesh; for all the people of Canaan are cut down, all they that are laden with silver are cut off.

For all who are of the works of the law are under a curse: because it is said in the Writings, A curse is on everyone who does not keep on doing all the things which are ordered in the book of the law.

They pour not out wine to Jehovah, Nor are they sweet to Him, Their sacrifices are as bread of mourners to them, All eating it are unclean: For their bread is for themselves, It doth not come into the house of Jehovah.

Unto them, on the other hand, who are of contention, and are not yielding unto the truth, but are yielding unto unrighteousness, anger and wrath,

Behold, the ships also, though they are so great and are driven by rough winds, are yet turned about by a very small rudder, whither the impulse of the steersman willeth.

Therefore all the generations from Abraham to David [are] fourteen generations, and from David to the deportation to Babylon [are] fourteen generations, and from the deportation to Babylon to the Christ [are] fourteen generations.

but you are to be a kingdom of priests and a holy nation to me.' These are the words you are to declare to the Israelis."

He answered, "Don't be afraid; for those who are with us are more than those who are with them."

"You are to be people set apart for me. You are not to eat flesh torn apart in the field; you are to throw it to the dogs."

And also, what are ye to Me, O Tyre and Zidon, And all circuits of Philistia? Recompence are ye rendering unto Me? And if ye are giving recompence to Me, Swiftly, hastily, I turn back your recompence on your head.

Know ye not that, unto whom ye are presenting yourselves as servants for obedience, servants ye are unto him unto whom ye are obedient, whether of sin unto death or of obedience unto righteousness?

Therefore doth the curse devour the earth, and they that dwell therein are held guilty; therefore the inhabitants of the earth are consumed, and few men are left.

Who are lying down on beds of ivory, And are spread out on their couches, And are eating lambs from the flock, And calves from the midst of the stall,

And he said unto me, "Blessed are they which are called unto the Lamb's supper." And he said unto me, "These are the true sayings of God."

But these also have erred through wine, and through strong drink are they gone astray. The priest and the prophet have erred through strong drink; they are overpowered by wine, they are gone astray through strong drink; they have erred in vision, they have stumbled in judgment.

For you, brothers, began to follow the example of the churches of God in Judea, which are in Christ Jesus; and you in your turn suffered at the hands of your fellow citizens persecutions like to those which they endured from the Jews??15 The men who killed both the Lord Jesus and the prophets, and drove us out??hey are displeasing to God, and are the enemies of all mankind.

Are not your haters hated by me, O Lord? are not those who are lifted up against you a cause of grief to me?

We are bound, however, we, who are strong, the weakness of them who are not strong to be bearing, and not, unto ourselves, to give pleasure.

For those who are sleeping, sleep in the night, and those who are drunken, are drunken in the night.

Truly to the pure all things are pure, but to those who are defiled and unbelieving nothing is pure, but both their mind and their conscience are defiled.

But I hear that there are those of your number who are leading idle and disorderly lives, who are not busy, but mere busybodies.

And, the low-born things of the world, and the things that are despised, hath God chosen, - and the things that are not, - that, the things that are, he might bring to nought;

For ye are yet fleshly. For, whereas there are, among you, jealousy and strife, are ye not, fleshly, and, after the manner of men, walking?

You are not to bow down to their gods or serve them. You are not to follow their practices, but you are to overthrow them completely and smash their sacred stones to pieces.

You are to overlay it with pure gold you are to overlay it inside and outside and you are to make a gold molding around it.

You are to overlay the boards with gold, and you are to make gold rings for them as holders for the bars, and you are to overlay the bars with gold.

You are to make horns on its four corners. Its corners are to be of one piece with it, and you are to overlay it with bronze.

These are the garments that they are to make: a breast piece, an ephod, a robe, a checkered tunic, a turban, and a sash. They are to make holy garments for Aaron your brother and for his sons to serve me as priests.

"You are to weave the checkered tunic of fine linen, you are to make a turban of fine linen, and you are to make an embroidered sash.

"You are to make tunics for the sons of Aaron, you are to make sashes for them, and you are to make head coverings for them for dignity and beauty.