Thematic Bible
Thematic Bible
Divination » Miscellaneous topics relating to
And as for you, do not listen to your [counterfeit] prophets, your diviners, your dreams and dreamers, your soothsayers or your sorcerers, who say to you, ‘You will not serve the king of Babylon.’
For the king of Babylon stands at the parting of the way, at the fork of the two ways, to use divination. He shakes the arrows, he consults the teraphim (household idols), he looks at the liver [of an animal for an omen].
Joseph spoke harshly to them, “What is this thing that you have done? Do you not realize that such a man as I can indeed practice divination and foretell [everything you do without outside knowledge of it]?”
So the elders of Moab and of Midian departed with fees for divination (foretelling) in hand; and they came to Balaam and told him the words of Balak.
For these nations which you shall dispossess listen to those who practice witchcraft and to diviners and fortune-tellers, but as for you, the Lord your God has not allowed you to do so.
And the Philistines called for the priests and the diviners (seers), saying, “What shall we do with the ark of the Lord? Let us know how we can send it back to its place.”
therefore, you women will no longer see false visions or practice divinations, and I will rescue My people from your hand. Then you will know [without any doubt] that I am the Lord.”
For the teraphim (household idols) speak wickedness (emptiness, worthlessness),
And the diviners see lying visions
And tell false dreams;
They comfort in vain.
Therefore the people wander like sheep,
They are afflicted and suffer because there is no shepherd.
It happened that as we were on our way to the place of prayer, we were met by a slave-girl who had a spirit of divination [that is, a demonic spirit claiming to foretell the future and discover hidden knowledge], and she brought her owners a good profit by fortune-telling.
Integrity » Instances of » Jacob's sons, when accused by joseph of robbery
Then the men took the present, and they took double the [grain] money with them, and Benjamin; and they arose and went down to Egypt and stood before Joseph. And when Joseph saw Benjamin with them, he said to the steward of his house, Bring the men into the house and kill an animal and make ready, for the men will dine with me at noon. And the man did as Joseph ordered and brought the men to Joseph's house. read more.
The men were afraid because they were brought to Joseph's house; and they said, We are brought in because of the money that was returned in our sacks the first time we came, so that he may find occasion to accuse and assail us, take us for slaves, and seize our donkeys. So they came near to the steward of Joseph's house and talked with him at the door of the house, And said, O sir, we came down truly the first time to buy food; And when we came to the inn, we opened our sacks and there was each man's money, full weight, returned in the mouth of his sack. Now we have brought it back again. And we have brought down with us other money to buy food; we do not know who put our money in our sacks.
The men were afraid because they were brought to Joseph's house; and they said, We are brought in because of the money that was returned in our sacks the first time we came, so that he may find occasion to accuse and assail us, take us for slaves, and seize our donkeys. So they came near to the steward of Joseph's house and talked with him at the door of the house, And said, O sir, we came down truly the first time to buy food; And when we came to the inn, we opened our sacks and there was each man's money, full weight, returned in the mouth of his sack. Now we have brought it back again. And we have brought down with us other money to buy food; we do not know who put our money in our sacks.
They said to him, Why does my lord say these things? Far be it from your servants to do such a thing! Note that the money which we found in the mouths of our sacks we brought back to you from the land of Canaan. Is it likely then that we would steal from your master's house silver or gold? With whomever of your servants [your master's cup] is found, not only let that one die, but the rest of us will be my lord's slaves. read more.
And the steward said, Now let it be as you say: he with whom [the cup] is found shall be my slave, but [the rest of] you shall be blameless. Then quickly every man lowered his sack to the ground and every man opened his sack. And [the steward] searched, beginning with the eldest and stopping with the youngest; and the cup was found in Benjamin's sack. Then they rent their clothes; and after each man had loaded his donkey again, they returned to the city. Judah and his brethren came to Joseph's house, for he was still there; and they fell prostrate before him. Joseph said to them, What is this thing that you have done? Do you not realize that such a man as I can certainly detect and know by divination [everything you do without other knowledge of it]? And Judah said, What shall we say to my lord? What shall we reply? Or how shall we clear ourselves, since God has found out and exposed the iniquity of your servants? Behold, we are my lord's slaves, the rest of us as well as he with whom the cup is found.
And the steward said, Now let it be as you say: he with whom [the cup] is found shall be my slave, but [the rest of] you shall be blameless. Then quickly every man lowered his sack to the ground and every man opened his sack. And [the steward] searched, beginning with the eldest and stopping with the youngest; and the cup was found in Benjamin's sack. Then they rent their clothes; and after each man had loaded his donkey again, they returned to the city. Judah and his brethren came to Joseph's house, for he was still there; and they fell prostrate before him. Joseph said to them, What is this thing that you have done? Do you not realize that such a man as I can certainly detect and know by divination [everything you do without other knowledge of it]? And Judah said, What shall we say to my lord? What shall we reply? Or how shall we clear ourselves, since God has found out and exposed the iniquity of your servants? Behold, we are my lord's slaves, the rest of us as well as he with whom the cup is found.
Judah » Son of jacob » Goes down into egypt for corn (grain)
Now Jacob (Israel) sent Judah ahead of him to Joseph, to direct him to Goshen; and they came into the land of Goshen.
But the hunger and destitution and starvation were very severe and extremely distressing in the land [Canaan]. And when [the families of Jacob's sons] had eaten up the grain which the men had brought from Egypt, their father said to them, Go again; buy us a little food. But Judah said to him, The man solemnly and sternly warned us, saying, You shall not see my face again unless your brother is with you. read more.
If you will send our brother with us, we will go down [to Egypt] and buy you food; But if you will not send him, we will not go down; for the man said to us, You shall not see my face unless your brother is with you. And Israel said, Why did you do me such a wrong and suffer this evil to come upon me by telling the man that you had another brother? And they said, The man asked us straightforward questions about ourselves and our relatives. He said, Is your father still alive? Have you another brother? And we answered him accordingly. How could we know that he would say, Bring your brother down here? And Judah said to Israel his father, Send the lad with me and we will arise and go, that we may live and not die, both we and you and also our little ones. I will be security for him; you shall require him of me [personally]; if I do not bring him back to you and put him before you, then let me bear the blame forever. For if we had not lingered like this, surely by now we would have returned the second time.
If you will send our brother with us, we will go down [to Egypt] and buy you food; But if you will not send him, we will not go down; for the man said to us, You shall not see my face unless your brother is with you. And Israel said, Why did you do me such a wrong and suffer this evil to come upon me by telling the man that you had another brother? And they said, The man asked us straightforward questions about ourselves and our relatives. He said, Is your father still alive? Have you another brother? And we answered him accordingly. How could we know that he would say, Bring your brother down here? And Judah said to Israel his father, Send the lad with me and we will arise and go, that we may live and not die, both we and you and also our little ones. I will be security for him; you shall require him of me [personally]; if I do not bring him back to you and put him before you, then let me bear the blame forever. For if we had not lingered like this, surely by now we would have returned the second time.
Judah and his brethren came to Joseph's house, for he was still there; and they fell prostrate before him. Joseph said to them, What is this thing that you have done? Do you not realize that such a man as I can certainly detect and know by divination [everything you do without other knowledge of it]? And Judah said, What shall we say to my lord? What shall we reply? Or how shall we clear ourselves, since God has found out and exposed the iniquity of your servants? Behold, we are my lord's slaves, the rest of us as well as he with whom the cup is found. read more.
But [Joseph] said, God forbid that I should do that; but the man in whose hand the cup is found, he shall be my servant; and as for [the rest of] you, arise and go in peace to your father. Then Judah came close to [Joseph] and said, O my lord, let your servant, I pray you, speak a word to you in private, and let not your anger blaze against your servant, for you are as Pharaoh [so I will speak as if directly to him]. My lord asked his servants, saying, Have you a father or a brother? And we said to my lord, We have a father -- "an old man -- "and a young [brother, the] child of his old age; and his brother is dead, and he alone is left of his mother's [offspring], and his father loves him. And you said to your servants, Bring him down to me, that I may set my eyes on him. And we said to my lord, The lad cannot leave his father; for if he should do so, his father would die. And you told your servants, Unless your youngest brother comes with you, you shall not see my face again. And when we went back to your servant my father, we told him what my lord had said. And our father said, Go again and buy us a little food. But we said, We cannot go down. If our youngest brother is with us, then we will go down; for we may not see the man's face except our youngest brother is with us. And your servant my father said to us, You know that [Rachel] my wife bore me two sons: And the one went out from me, and I said, Surely he is torn to pieces, and I have never seen him since. And if you take this son also from me, and harm or accident should befall him, you will bring down my gray hairs with sorrow and evil to Sheol (the place of the dead). Now therefore, when I come to your servant my father and the lad is not with us, since his life is bound up in the lad's life and his soul knit with the lad's soul, When he sees that the lad is not with us, he will die; and your servants will be responsible for his death and will bring down the gray hairs of your servant our father with sorrow to Sheol. For your servant became security for the lad to my father, saying, If I do not bring him to you, then I will bear the blame to my father forever. Now therefore, I pray you, let your servant remain instead of the youth [to be] a slave to my lord, and let the young man go home with his [half] brothers. For how can I go up to my father if the lad is not with me? -- "lest I witness the woe and the evil that will come upon my father.
But [Joseph] said, God forbid that I should do that; but the man in whose hand the cup is found, he shall be my servant; and as for [the rest of] you, arise and go in peace to your father. Then Judah came close to [Joseph] and said, O my lord, let your servant, I pray you, speak a word to you in private, and let not your anger blaze against your servant, for you are as Pharaoh [so I will speak as if directly to him]. My lord asked his servants, saying, Have you a father or a brother? And we said to my lord, We have a father -- "an old man -- "and a young [brother, the] child of his old age; and his brother is dead, and he alone is left of his mother's [offspring], and his father loves him. And you said to your servants, Bring him down to me, that I may set my eyes on him. And we said to my lord, The lad cannot leave his father; for if he should do so, his father would die. And you told your servants, Unless your youngest brother comes with you, you shall not see my face again. And when we went back to your servant my father, we told him what my lord had said. And our father said, Go again and buy us a little food. But we said, We cannot go down. If our youngest brother is with us, then we will go down; for we may not see the man's face except our youngest brother is with us. And your servant my father said to us, You know that [Rachel] my wife bore me two sons: And the one went out from me, and I said, Surely he is torn to pieces, and I have never seen him since. And if you take this son also from me, and harm or accident should befall him, you will bring down my gray hairs with sorrow and evil to Sheol (the place of the dead). Now therefore, when I come to your servant my father and the lad is not with us, since his life is bound up in the lad's life and his soul knit with the lad's soul, When he sees that the lad is not with us, he will die; and your servants will be responsible for his death and will bring down the gray hairs of your servant our father with sorrow to Sheol. For your servant became security for the lad to my father, saying, If I do not bring him to you, then I will bear the blame to my father forever. Now therefore, I pray you, let your servant remain instead of the youth [to be] a slave to my lord, and let the young man go home with his [half] brothers. For how can I go up to my father if the lad is not with me? -- "lest I witness the woe and the evil that will come upon my father.
Magic » Divination
And as for you, do not listen to your [counterfeit] prophets, your diviners, your dreams and dreamers, your soothsayers or your sorcerers, who say to you, ‘You will not serve the king of Babylon.’
For the king of Babylon stands at the parting of the way, at the fork of the two ways, to use divination. He shakes the arrows, he consults the teraphim (household idols), he looks at the liver [of an animal for an omen].
Joseph spoke harshly to them, “What is this thing that you have done? Do you not realize that such a man as I can indeed practice divination and foretell [everything you do without outside knowledge of it]?”
So the elders of Moab and of Midian departed with fees for divination (foretelling) in hand; and they came to Balaam and told him the words of Balak.
For these nations which you shall dispossess listen to those who practice witchcraft and to diviners and fortune-tellers, but as for you, the Lord your God has not allowed you to do so.
And the Philistines called for the priests and the diviners (seers), saying, “What shall we do with the ark of the Lord? Let us know how we can send it back to its place.”
therefore, you women will no longer see false visions or practice divinations, and I will rescue My people from your hand. Then you will know [without any doubt] that I am the Lord.”
For the teraphim (household idols) speak wickedness (emptiness, worthlessness),
And the diviners see lying visions
And tell false dreams;
They comfort in vain.
Therefore the people wander like sheep,
They are afflicted and suffer because there is no shepherd.
It happened that as we were on our way to the place of prayer, we were met by a slave-girl who had a spirit of divination [that is, a demonic spirit claiming to foretell the future and discover hidden knowledge], and she brought her owners a good profit by fortune-telling.