The first to live in their towns on their own property again were Israelites, priests, Levites, and temple servants.

Then he distributed to each and every Israelite, both men and women, a loaf of bread, a date cake, and a raisin cake.

Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good;
His faithful love endures forever.

With them were Heman, Jeduthun, and the rest who were chosen and designated by name to give thanks to the Lord—for His faithful love endures forever.

I will establish a place for My people Israel and plant them, so that they may live there and not be disturbed again. Evildoers will not continue to oppress them as they formerly have

I will be a father to him, and he will be a son to Me. I will not take away My faithful love from him as I took it from the one who was before you.

But he did not include Levi and Benjamin in the count because the king’s command was detestable to him.

Then David divided them into divisions according to Levi’s sons: Gershom, Kohath, and Merari.

As for Moses the man of God, his sons were named among the tribe of Levi.

These were the sons of Levi by their ancestral houses—the heads of families, according to their registration by name in the headcount—20 years old or more, who worked in the service of the Lord’s temple.

As for the rest of Levi’s sons:
from Amram’s sons: Shubael;
from Shubael’s sons: Jehdeiah.

And Solomon said to God: “You have shown great and faithful love to my father David, and You have made me king in his place.

God said to Solomon, “Since this was in your heart, and you have not requested riches, wealth, or glory, or for the life of those who hate you, and you have not even requested long life, but you have requested for yourself wisdom and knowledge that you may judge My people over whom I have made you king,

Then Solomon sent word to King Hiram of Tyre:

Do for me what you did for my father David. You sent him cedars to build him a house to live in.

The trumpeters and singers joined together to praise and thank the Lord with one voice. They raised their voices, accompanied by trumpets, cymbals, and musical instruments, in praise to the Lord:

For He is good;
His faithful love endures forever.

The temple, the Lord’s temple, was filled with a cloud.

But will God indeed live on earth with man?
Even heaven, the highest heaven, cannot contain You,
much less this temple I have built.

so that they may fear You
and walk in Your ways
all the days they live on the land
You gave our ancestors.

All the Israelites were watching when the fire descended and the glory of the Lord came on the temple. They bowed down on the pavement with their faces to the ground. They worshiped and praised the Lord:

For He is good,
for His faithful love endures forever.

The priests and the Levites were standing at their stations. The Levites had the musical instruments of the Lord, which King David had made to praise the Lord—“for His faithful love endures forever”—when he offered praise with them. Across from the Levites, the priests were blowing trumpets, and all the people were standing.

Solomon brought the daughter of Pharaoh from the city of David to the house he had built for her, for he said, “My wife must not live in the house of David king of Israel because the places the ark of the Lord has come into are holy.”

The high places were not taken away from Israel; nevertheless, Asa was wholehearted his entire life.

Then Jehu son of Hanani the seer went out to confront him and said to King Jehoshaphat, “Do you help the wicked and love those who hate the Lord? Because of this, the Lord’s wrath is on you.

Then he consulted with the people and appointed some to sing for the Lord and some to praise the splendor of His holiness. When they went out in front of the armed forces, they kept singing:

Give thanks to the Lord,
for His faithful love endures forever.

The Lord put it into the mind of the Philistines and the Arabs who live near the Cushites to attack Jehoram.

They brought out the king’s son, put the crown on him, gave him the testimony, and made him king. Jehoiada and his sons anointed him and cried, “Long live the king!”

When they finished, they presented the rest of the money to the king and Jehoiada, who made articles for the Lord’s temple with it—articles for ministry and for making burnt offerings, and ladles and articles of gold and silver. They regularly offered burnt offerings in the Lord’s temple throughout Jehoiada’s life.

While he was still speaking to him, the king asked, “Have we made you the king’s counselor? Stop, why should you lose your life?”

So the prophet stopped, but he said, “I know that God intends to destroy you, because you have done this and have not listened to my advice.”

God helped him against the Philistines, the Arabs that live in Gur-baal, and the Meunites.

As for the rest of the events of Hezekiah’s reign and his deeds of faithful love, note that they are written in the Visions of the Prophet Isaiah son of Amoz, and in the Book of the Kings of Judah and Israel.

The rest of the events of Josiah’s reign, along with his deeds of faithful love according to what is written in the law of the Lord,

They sang with praise and thanksgiving to the Lord: “For He is good; His faithful love to Israel endures forever.” Then all the people gave a great shout of praise to the Lord because the foundation of the Lord’s house had been laid.

so that they can offer sacrifices of pleasing aroma to the God of heaven and pray for the life of the king and his sons.

Since the gracious hand of our God was on us, they brought us Sherebiah—a man of insight from the descendants of Mahli, a descendant of Levi son of Israel—along with his sons and brothers, 18 men,

But now, for a brief moment, grace has come from Yahweh our God to preserve a remnant for us and give us a stake in His holy place. Even in our slavery, God has given us new life and light to our eyes.

Though we are slaves, our God has not abandoned us in our slavery. He has extended grace to us in the presence of the Persian kings, giving us new life, so that we can rebuild the house of our God and repair its ruins, to give us a wall in Judah and Jerusalem.

I said,

Yahweh, the God of heaven, the great and awe-inspiring God who keeps His gracious covenant with those who love Him and keep His commands,

and replied to the king, “May the king live forever! Why should I not be sad when the city where my ancestors are buried lies in ruins and its gates have been destroyed by fire?”

And let me have a letter written to Asaph, keeper of the king’s forest, so that he will give me timber to rebuild the gates of the temple’s fortress, the city wall, and the home where I will live.” The king granted my requests, for I was graciously strengthened by my God.

before his colleagues and the powerful men of Samaria, and said, “What are these pathetic Jews doing? Can they restore it by themselves? Will they offer sacrifices? Will they ever finish it? Can they bring these burnt stones back to life from the mounds of rubble?”

Some were saying, “We, our sons, and our daughters are numerous. Let us get grain so that we can eat and live.”

But I said, “Should a man like me run away? How can I enter the temple and live? I will not go.”

You alone are Yahweh.
You created the heavens,
the highest heavens with all their host,
the earth and all that is on it,
the seas and all that is in them.
You give life to all of them,
and the heavenly host worships You.

They refused to listen
and did not remember Your wonders
You performed among them.
They became stiff-necked and appointed a leader
to return to their slavery in Egypt.
But You are a forgiving God,
gracious and compassionate,
slow to anger and rich in faithful love,
and You did not abandon them.

You warned them to turn back to Your law,
but they acted arrogantly
and would not obey Your commands.
They sinned against Your ordinances,
which a person will live by if he does them.
They stubbornly resisted,
stiffened their necks, and would not obey.

We will bring a loaf from our first batch of dough to the priests at the storerooms of the house of our God. We will also bring the firstfruits of our grain offerings, of every fruit tree, and of the new wine and oil. A tenth of our land’s produce belongs to the Levites, for the Levites are to collect the one-tenth offering in all our agricultural towns.

Now the leaders of the people stayed in Jerusalem, and the rest of the people cast lots for one out of ten to come and live in Jerusalem, the holy city, while the other nine-tenths remained in their towns.

The people praised all the men who volunteered to live in Jerusalem.

Levi’s descendants, the leaders of families, were recorded in the Book of the Historical Records during the days of Johanan son of Eliashib.

Then I instructed the Levites to purify themselves and guard the gates in order to keep the Sabbath day holy.

Remember me for this also, my God, and look on me with compassion in keeping with Your abundant, faithful love.

“All the royal officials and the people of the royal provinces know that one law applies to every man or woman who approaches the king in the inner courtyard and who has not been summoned—the death penalty. Only if the king extends the gold scepter will that person live. I have not been summoned to appear before the king for the last 30 days.”

Queen Esther answered, “If I have obtained your approval, my king, and if the king is pleased, spare my life—this is my request; and spare my people—this is my desire.

Angered by this, the king arose from where they were drinking wine and went to the palace garden. Haman remained to beg Queen Esther for his life because he realized the king was planning something terrible for him.

This explains why the rural Jews who live in villages observe the fourteenth day of the month of Adar as a time of rejoicing and feasting. It is a holiday when they send gifts to one another.

These days are remembered and celebrated by every generation, family, province, and city, so that these days of Purim will not lose their significance in Jewish life and their memory will not fade from their descendants.

saying:

Naked I came from my mother’s womb,
and naked I will leave this life.
The Lord gives, and the Lord takes away.
Praise the name of Yahweh.

“Skin for skin!” Satan answered the Lord. “A man will give up everything he owns in exchange for his life.

“Very well,” the Lord told Satan, “he is in your power; only spare his life.”

Why is light given to one burdened with grief,
and life to those whose existence is bitter,

Why is life given to a man whose path is hidden,
whom God has hedged in?

Isn’t your piety your confidence,
and the integrity of your life your hope?

You will laugh at destruction and hunger
and not fear the animals of the earth.

Remember that my life is but a breath.
My eye will never again see anything good.

so that I prefer strangling—
death rather than life in this body.

I give up! I will not live forever.
Leave me alone, for my days are a breath.

Surely this is the joy of his way of life;
yet others will sprout from the dust.

Though I am blameless,
I no longer care about myself;
I renounce my life.

I would still live in terror of all my pains.
I know You will not acquit me.

I am disgusted with my life.
I will express my complaint
and speak in the bitterness of my soul.

You gave me life and faithful love,
and Your care has guarded my life.

Your life will be brighter than noonday;
its darkness will be like the morning.

The life of every living thing is in His hand,
as well as the breath of all mankind.

Wisdom is found with the elderly,
and understanding comes with long life.

Why do I put myself at risk
and take my life in my own hands?

Will You frighten a wind-driven leaf?
Will You chase after dry straw?

When a man dies, will he come back to life?
If so, I would wait all the days of my struggle
until my relief comes.

He has no children or descendants among his people,
no survivor where he used to live.

All of my best friends despise me,
and those I love have turned against me.

Why do the wicked continue to live,
growing old and becoming powerful?

Yet God drags away the mighty by His power;
when He rises up, they have no assurance of life.

I will cling to my righteousness and never let it go.
My conscience will not accuse me as long as I live!

For what hope does the godless man have when he is cut off,
when God takes away his life?

Now my life is poured out before my eyes,
and days of suffering have seized me.

Yes, I know that You will lead me to death—
the place appointed for all who live.

I have not allowed my mouth to sin
by asking for his life with a curse.

The Spirit of God has made me,
and the breath of the Almighty gives me life.

God spares his soul from the Pit,
his life from crossing the river of death.

He draws near to the Pit,
and his life to the executioners.

in order to turn him back from the Pit,
so he may shine with the light of life.

They die in their youth;
their life ends among male cult prostitutes.

He causes this to happen for punishment,
for His land, or for His faithful love.

Have you ever in your life commanded the morning
or assigned the dawn its place,

to bring rain on an uninhabited land,
on a desert with no human life,

So the Lord blessed the last part of Job’s life more than the first. He owned 14,000 sheep, 6,000 camels, 1,000 yoke of oxen, and 1,000 female donkeys.

He is like a tree planted beside streams of water
that bears its fruit in season
and whose leaf does not wither.
Whatever he does prospers.

How long, exalted men, will my honor be insulted?
How long will you love what is worthless
and pursue a lie?Selah

I will both lie down and sleep in peace,
for You alone, Lord, make me live in safety.

But I enter Your house
by the abundance of Your faithful love;
I bow down toward Your holy temple
in reverential awe of You.

But let all who take refuge in You rejoice;
let them shout for joy forever.
May You shelter them,
and may those who love Your name boast about You.

Turn, Lord! Rescue me;
save me because of Your faithful love.

But I have trusted in Your faithful love;
my heart will rejoice in Your deliverance.