but don't seek Bethel. Don't go to Gilgal, and don't pass over to Beer-sheba. Because Gilgal will surely go into captivity, and Bethel will come to nothing.

"Therefore, since you trample the poor continuously, taxing his grain, building houses of stone in which you won't live and planting fine vineyards from which you won't drink

and because I know that your transgressions are many, and your sins are numerous as you oppose the righteous, taking bribes as a ransom, and turning away the poor in court

It will be like a man who runs from a lion, only to encounter a bear; or who comes home, leans his hand against a wall, and a serpent bites him!

"Horses don't run over bare rock, do they? One doesn't plow rock with oxen, does he? But you have turned justice to gall, and the fruit of righteousness into bitterness.

So Amaziah priest of Bethel sent a message to Jeroboam king of Israel. It said, "Amos has been conspiring against you in the very heart of the house of Israel! The land cannot bear everything he has to say,

"Hear this, you who are swallowing up the needy, who intend to make the poor of the land fail,

buying the poor for cash, and the needy for a pair of sandals, selling chaff mixed in with the wheat.'

Those who have been swearing oaths by the sin of Samaria, or who say, "As your god lives, Dan"' or who say, "As the way of Beer-sheba lives"' will fall, and will never rise again."

"Even if they burrow into Sheol, from there my hand will find them. Even if they ascend to the heavens, from there I will bring them down.

so my people may inherit the remnant of Edom and all of the nations that bear my name," declares the LORD who is bringing this about.

"Woe to those who are crafting iniquity, planning evil well into the night! When morning's light comes, they carry out their plans because they have the power to do so.

"As for me, I am truly filled with power by the Spirit of the LORD, filled with judgment and power to announce to Jacob his transgression, and to Israel his sin.

Be in pain! Be in labor, you daughter of Zion, like a woman about to give birth, because now you will depart from the city, living in the open fields. To Babylon you will go. There you will be delivered, there the LORD will rescue you from the power of your enemies."

"Then he will take his stand, shepherding by means of the strength of the LORD, by the power of the name of the LORD his God. And they will be firmly established; indeed, from then on he will become great to the ends of the earth.

You will turn your power against your adversaries, and all of your enemies will be cut down."

"My people, recall how king Balak of Moab deliberated, and how Beor's son Balaam counseled him from Shittim to Gilgal, so that you may know the righteousness of the LORD."

You keep Omri's statutes and observe the customs of the house of Ahab. Because you live according to their advice, I'll make you desolate and turn your inhabitants into an object of scorn. Therefore you will bear the shame of my people."

Poor me! I feel like those who harvest summer fruit, or like those who pick grapes there are no clusters to eat or any fresh fruit that I want.

The nations will look on and will be ashamed in spite of all their power; they will cup their hands over their mouths, and their ears will be deaf.

This lion renders its prey to pieces to feed its whelps, and strangles enough prey for its mate, filling its lairs with prey and its dens with rendered flesh.

"I am against you," declares the LORD of the Heavenly Armies, "and I will send your chariots up in smoke. A sword will devour your young lions, I will eliminate your prey from the earth, and the voice of your messengers will no longer be heard."

Then like the wind sweeping by they will pass through they're guilty because they say their power is their god."

Your eyes are too pure to gaze upon evil; and you cannot tolerate wickedness. So why do you tolerate the treacherous? And why do you stay silent while the wicked devour those who are more righteous than they are?

Won't your creditors revolt unexpectedly? Won't those who make you tremble wake up? As a result, you'll become their prey!

"Woe to the one who amasses profit upon unjust profit in order to establish his household, so he can establish a secure place on the heights and escape from the power of evil.

"Just you wait!" declares the LORD. "The day will come when I stand up as a prosecutor, for I am determined to assemble the nations and to gather the kingdoms, in order to pour out my indignation upon them all of my fierce anger. All the earth will be consumed by the fire of my jealousy.

Indeed, then I will return my people to a pure language so that they all may call upon the name of the LORD, serving him with a united will.

Then I asked, "What have they come to do?" He answered, "Those horns that dispersed Judah so that no one could lift up his head those artisans are coming to disrupt the power of nations, tearing them down now that they've come to power and dispersed the land of Judah."

Then I said, "Let them place a pure diadem on his head." So they placed the pure diadem on his head and clothed him with fine garments while the angel of the LORD was standing beside them.

The people of Bethel were sending Sharezer, Regem-melech, and their men to pray in the LORD's presence

You are not to wrong the widow, orphans, the foreigner, or the poor, and you are not to plan evil against each other.

and they will travel from one place to another place and say, "Let's go quickly to pray in the presence of the LORD and to inquire of the LORD of the Heavenly Armies.' And I will go, too.

Many people and powerful nations will come to inquire of the LORD of the Heavenly Armies in Jerusalem, and to pray in the presence of the LORD."'"

"Tyre built itself a fortification, hoarding silver like dust and pure gold like mud in a street.

Look! The Lord will evict her, striking at her power in the sea, and she will be consumed by fire.

They will pass through the sea of affliction, and they will strike the waves in that sea. All of the depths of the Nile will evaporate, Assyria's arrogance will be brought down low, and the ruling power of Egypt will disappear.

I will pour out on the house of David and on the residents of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and of supplications, and they will look to me the one whom they pierced.'"

It will also come about that if any man would dare to prophesy, then his father and his mother who bore him will respond to him, "You will not live, because you are speaking lies in the name of the LORD.' Then his father and mother who bore him will stab him for prophesying.

Even so, from where the sun rises to where it sets my name will be great among the Gentiles. Incense will be brought to me everywhere, along with pure offerings, because my name will be great among the Gentiles," says the LORD of the Heavenly Armies.

"Bring the entire tithe into the storehouse that there may be food in my house. So put me to the test in this right now," says the LORD of the Heavenly Armies, "and see if I won't throw open the windows of heaven for you and pour out on you blessing without measure.

"How blessed are those who are pure in heart, because it is they who will see God!

Give to the person who asks you for something, and do not turn away from the person who wants to borrow something from you."

But I say to you, love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you,

So whenever you give to the poor, don't blow a trumpet before you like the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets so that they will be praised by people. I tell all of you with certainty, they have their full reward!

But when you give to the poor, don't let your left hand know what your right hand is doing,

"And whenever you pray, don't be like the hypocrites who love to stand in the synagogues and on the street corners so that they will be seen by people. I tell all of you with certainty, they have their full reward!

But whenever you pray, go into your room, close the door, and pray to your Father who is hidden. And your Father who sees from the hidden place will reward you.

Therefore, this is how you should pray: "Our Father in heaven, may your name be kept holy.

Nor do people pour new wine into old wineskins. If they do, the skins will burst, the wine will spill out, and the skins will be ruined. Instead, they pour new wine into fresh wineskins, and both are preserved."

When the crop came up and bore grain, the weeds appeared, too.

After dismissing the crowds, he went up on a hillside by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone.

Then some little children were brought to him so that he might lay his hands on them and pray. But the disciples rebuked those who brought them.

Jesus answered them, "You are mistaken because you don't know the Scriptures or God's power,

Pray that it may not be in winter or on a Sabbath when you flee,

Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and all "the tribes of the land will mourn' when they see "the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven' with power and great glory.

Then Jesus went with them to a place called Gethsemane. He told the disciples, "Sit down here while I go over there and pray."

All of you must stay awake and pray that you won't be tempted. The spirit is indeed willing, but the body is weak."

Jesus told him, "You have said so. Nevertheless I tell you, from now on you will see "the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power' and "coming on the clouds of heaven.'"

Immediately Jesus became aware that power had gone out of him. So he turned around in the crowd and asked, "Who touched my clothes?"

So Herodias bore a grudge against John and wanted to kill him. But she couldn't do it

After saying goodbye to them, he went up on a hillside to pray.

Then he told them, "I tell all of you with certainty, some people standing here will not experience death until they see the kingdom of God arrive with power."

Whenever it brings on a seizure, it throws him to the ground. Then he foams at the mouth, grinds his teeth, and becomes stiff. So I asked your disciples to drive the spirit out, but they didn't have the power."

"Whenever you stand up to pray, forgive whatever you have against anyone, so that your Father in heaven will forgive your sins.

Jesus answered them, "Aren't you mistaken because you don't know the Scriptures or God's power?

Pray that it may not be in winter,

Then people will see "the Son of Man coming in clouds' with great power and glory.

While Jesus was in Bethany sitting at the table in the home of Simon the leper, a woman arrived with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume made from pure nard. She broke open the jar and poured the perfume on his head.

Then they came to a place called Gethsemane, and he told his disciples, "Sit down here while I pray."

All of you must stay awake and pray that you won't be tempted. The spirit is indeed willing, but the body is weak."

Jesus said, "I AM, and "you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of the Power' and "coming with the clouds of heaven.'"

But the angel told him, "Stop being afraid, Zechariah, because your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to name him John.

He is the one who will go before the Lord with the spirit and power of Elijah to turn the hearts of parents to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous, and to prepare the people to be ready for the Lord."

The angel answered her, "The Holy Spirit will come over you, and the power of the Most High will surround you. Therefore, the child will be holy and will be called the Son of God.

He displayed his mighty power with his arm. He scattered people who were proud in mind and heart.

They also offered a sacrifice according to what is specified in the Law of the Lord: "a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons."

Then Jesus returned to Galilee by the power of the Spirit. Meanwhile, the news about him spread throughout the surrounding country.

"The Spirit of the Lord is upon me; he has anointed me to tell the good news to the poor. He has sent me to announce release to the prisoners and recovery of sight to the blind, to set oppressed people free,

Overwhelmed with amazement, they all kept saying to one another, "What kind of statement is this? because with authority and power he gives orders to unclean spirits, and they come out!"

One day, as Jesus was teaching, some Pharisees and teachers of the Law happened to be sitting nearby. The people had come from every village in Galilee and Judea and from Jerusalem. The power of the Lord was present to heal them.

Then they told him, "John's disciples frequently fast and pray, and so do those of the Pharisees. But your disciples keep right on eating and drinking."

Now it was in those days that Jesus went to a mountain to pray, and he spent the whole night in prayer to God.

The entire crowd was trying to touch him, because power was coming out from him and healing all of them.

Bless those who curse you, and pray for those who insult you.

Still Jesus said, "Somebody touched me, because I know that power has gone out of me."

Jesus called the Twelve together and gave them power and authority over all the demons and to heal diseases.

Now about eight days after Jesus said this, he took Peter, John, and James with him and went up on a mountain to pray.

Look! I have given you the authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to destroy all the enemy's power, and nothing will ever hurt you.

Once Jesus was praying in a certain place. After he had finished, one of his disciples told him, "Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples."

So he told them, "Whenever you pray you are to say, "Father, may your name be kept holy. May your kingdom come.

Then he told them, "Suppose one of you has a friend, and you go to him at midnight and say to him, "Friend, let me borrow three loaves of bread.

But if I drive out demons by the power of God, then the kingdom of God has come to you.

So give what is inside to the poor, and then everything will be clean for you.

"Sell your possessions, and give the money to the poor. Make yourselves wallets that don't wear out a dependable treasure in heaven, where no thief can get close and no moth can destroy anything.

Maybe next year it will bear fruit. If not, then cut it down.'"

Instead, when you give a banquet, make it your habit to invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind.

"So the servant went back and reported all this to his master. Then the master of the house became angry and told his servant, "Go quickly into the streets and alleys of the town and bring back the poor, the crippled, the blind, and the lame.'

Jesus told his disciples a parable about their need to pray all the time and never give up.

"Two men went up to the Temple to pray. One was a Pharisee, and the other was a tax collector.