'May' in the Bible

All the brothers of a poor man hate him;how much more do his friendskeep their distance from him!He may pursue them with words,but they are not there.

Listen to counsel and receive instructionso that you may be wise later in life.

I have instructed you today—even you—so that your confidence may be in the Lord.

in order to teach you true and reliable words,so that you may give a dependable reportto those who sent you?

It is not good to show partiality—yet a man may sin for a piece of bread.

As for the eye that ridicules a fatherand despises obedience to a mother,may ravens of the valley pluck it outand young vultures eat it.

I said to myself, “This happens concerning people, so that God may test them and they may see for themselves that they are like animals.”

A man may father a hundred children and live many years. No matter how long he lives, if he is not satisfied by good things and does not even have a proper burial, I say that a stillborn child is better off than he.

Grief is better than laughter,for when a face is sad, a heart may be glad.

Don’t pay attention to everything people say, or you may hear your servant cursing you,

The one who digs a pit may fall into it,and the one who breaks through a wall may be bitten by a snake.

The one who quarries stones may be hurt by them;the one who splits trees may be endangered by them.

Do not curse the king even in your thoughts,and do not curse a rich person even in your bedroom,for a bird of the sky may carry the message,and a winged creature may report the matter.

Send your bread on the surface of the waters,for after many days you may find it.

Give a portion to seven or even to eight,for you don’t know what disaster may happen on earth.

Y Come back, come back, Shulammite!Come back, come back, that we may look at you!M Why are you looking at the Shulammite,as you look at the dance of the two camps? >

I said, “I will climb the palm treeand take hold of its fruit.”May your breasts be like clusters of grapes,and the fragrance of your breath like apricots.

and many peoples will come and say,“Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord,to the house of the God of Jacob.He will teach us about His waysso that we may walk in His paths.”For instruction will go out of Zionand the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.

Now, Lord our God, save us from his power so that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that You are the Lord—You alone.

Now Isaiah had said, “Let them take a lump of pressed figs and apply it to his infected skin, so that he may recover.”

Youths may faint and grow weary,and young men stumble and fall,

so that all may see and know,consider and understand,that the hand of the Lord has done this,the Holy One of Israel has created it.

“Let them come and tell uswhat will happen.Tell us the past events,so that we may reflect on themand know the outcome,or tell us the future.

“Listen, you deaf!Look, you blind, so that you may see.

All the nations are gathered together,and the peoples are assembled.Who among them can declare this,and tell us the former things?Let them present their witnessesto vindicate themselves,so that people may hear and say, “It is true.”

“You are My witnesses”—this is the Lord’s declaration—“and My servant whom I have chosen,so that you may know and believe Meand understand that I am He.No god was formed before Me,and there will be none after Me.

Take Me to court; let us argue our case together.State your case, so that you may be vindicated.

I will give you the treasures of darknessand riches from secret places,so that you may know that I, Yahweh,the God of Israel call you by your name.

so that all may know from the rising of the sun to its settingthat there is no one but Me.I am Yahweh, and there is no other.

Yet as you listen, the childrenthat you have been deprived of will say,‘This place is too small for me;make room for me so that I may settle.’

Seek the Lord while He may be found;call to Him while He is near.

Let the wicked one abandon his wayand the sinful one his thoughts;let him return to the Lord,so He may have compassion on him,and to our God, for He will freely forgive.

Your gates will always be open;they will never be shut day or nightso that the wealth of the nationsmay be brought into you,with their kings being led in procession.

Then all your people will be righteous;they will possess the land forever;they are the branch I planted,the work of My hands,so that I may be glorified.

so that you may nurse and be satisfiedfrom her comforting breastand drink deeply and delight yourselvesfrom her glorious breasts.

However, as a woman may betray her lover,so you have betrayed Me, house of Israel.This is the Lord’s declaration.

I have appointed you to be an assayer among My people—a refiner—so you may know and assay their way of life.

However, I did give them this command: Obey Me, and then I will be your God, and you will be My people. You must follow every way I command you so that it may go well with you.

Who is the man wise enough to understand this? Who has the Lord spoken to, that he may explain it? Why is the land destroyed and scorched like a wilderness, so no one can pass through?

Let them come quickly to raise a lament over usso that our eyes may overflow with tears,our eyelids soaked with weeping.

You are to speak this word to them:Let my eyes overflow with tears;day and night may they not stop,for the virgin daughter of my peoplehas been destroyed by a great disaster,an extremely severe wound.

The prophet Jeremiah said, “Amen! May the Lord do so. May the Lord make the words you have prophesied come true and may He restore the articles of the Lord’s temple and all the exiles from Babylon to this place!

Take wives and have sons and daughters. Take wives for your sons and give your daughters to men in marriage so that they may bear sons and daughters. Multiply there; do not decrease.

Based on what happens to them, all the exiles of Judah who are in Babylon will create a curse that says, ‘May the Lord make you like Zedekiah and Ahab, whom the king of Babylon roasted in the fire!’

This is what the Lord of Hosts, the God of Israel, says: “When I restore their fortunes, they will once again speak this word in the land of Judah and in its cities, ‘May the Lord bless you, righteous settlement, holy mountain.’

“This is what the Lord of Hosts says: In this desolate place—without man or beast—and in all its cities there will once more be a grazing land where shepherds may rest flocks.

then also My covenant with My servant David may be broken so that he will not have a son reigning on his throne, and the Levitical priests will not be My ministers.

At the end of seven years, each of you must free his Hebrew brother who sold himself to you. He may serve you six years, but then you must send him out free from you. But your ancestors did not obey Me or pay any attention.

You must not build a house or sow seed or plant a vineyard. Those things are not for you. Rather, you must live in tents your whole life, so you may live a long time on the soil where you stay as a temporary resident.’

So now please listen, my lord the king. May my petition come before you. Don’t send me back to the house of Jonathan the scribe, or I will die there.”

But King Zedekiah said to Jeremiah, “I am worried about the Judeans who have deserted to the Chaldeans. They may hand me over to the Judeans to abuse me.”

“They will not hand you over,” Jeremiah replied. “Obey the voice of the Lord in what I am telling you, so it may go well for you and you can live.

Jeremiah the prophet and said, “May our petition come before you; pray to the Lord your God on our behalf, on behalf of this entire remnant (for few of us remain out of the many, as you can see with your own eyes),

that the Lord your God may tell us the way we should walk and the thing we should do.”

And they said to Jeremiah, “As for every word the Lord your God sends you to tell us, if we don’t act accordingly, may the Lord be a true and faithful witness against us.

Whether it is pleasant or unpleasant, we will obey the voice of the Lord our God to whom we are sending you so that it may go well with us. We will certainly obey the voice of the Lord our God!”

This will be a sign to you’—this is the Lord’s declaration—‘that I am about to punish you in this place, so you may know that My words of disaster concerning you will certainly come to pass.

May you not become cowardly and fearfulwhen the report is proclaimed in the land,for the report will come one year,and then another the next year.There will be violence in the landwith ruler against ruler.

שׁ ShinPeople have heard me groaning,but there is no one to comfort me.All my enemies have heard of my misfortune;they are glad that You have caused it.Bring on the day You have announced,so that they may become like me.

מ MemWhat can I say on your behalf?What can I compare you to, Daughter Jerusalem?What can I liken you to,so that I may console you, Virgin Daughter Zion?For your ruin is as vast as the sea.Who can heal you?

You will give them a heart filled with anguish.May Your curse be on them!

Lord, restore us to Yourself, so we may return;renew our days as in former times,

so they may follow My statutes, keep My ordinances, and practice them. Then they will be My people, and I will be their God.

so that I may take hold of the house of Israel by their hearts. They are all estranged from Me because of their idols.

in order that the house of Israel may no longer stray from following Me and no longer defile themselves with all their transgressions. Then they will be My people and I will be their God.” This is the declaration of the Lord God.

I will turn against them. They may have escaped from the fire, but it will still consume them. And you will know that I am Yahweh when I turn against them.

I will plant it on Israel’s high mountainso that it may bear branches, produce fruit,and become a majestic cedar.Birds of every kind will nest under it,taking shelter in the shade of its branches.

But you may ask, ‘Why doesn’t the son suffer punishment for the father’s iniquity?’ Since the son has done what is just and right, carefully observing all My statutes, he will certainly live.

Keep My Sabbaths holy, and they will be a sign between Me and you, so you may know that I am Yahweh your God.

I have appointed a sword for slaughterat all their gates,so that their hearts may meltand many may stumble.Yes! It is ready to flash like lightning;it is drawn for slaughter.

“I will make a covenant of peace with them and eliminate dangerous animals in the land, so that they may live securely in the wilderness and sleep in the forest.

He said to me, “Prophesy to the breath, prophesy, son of man. Say to it: This is what the Lord God says: Breath, come from the four winds and breathe into these slain so that they may live!”

You will advance against My people Israel like a cloud covering the land. It will happen in the last days, Gog, that I will bring you against My land so that the nations may know Me, when I show Myself holy through you in their sight.

The chamber that faces north is for the priests who keep charge of the altar. These are the sons of Zadok, the ones from the sons of Levi who may approach the Lord to serve Him.”

“As for you, son of man, describe the temple to the house of Israel, so that they may be ashamed of their iniquities. Let them measure its pattern,

and they will be ashamed of all that they have done. Reveal the design of the temple to them—its layout with its exits and entrances—its complete design along with all its statutes, design specifications, and laws. Write it down in their sight so that they may observe its complete design and all its statutes and may carry them out.

Then He said to me: “Son of man, this is what the Lord God says: These are the statutes for the altar on the day it is constructed, so that burnt offerings may be sacrificed on it and blood may be sprinkled on it:

“This is what the Lord God says: No foreigner, uncircumcised in heart and flesh, may enter My sanctuary, not even a foreigner who is among the Israelites.

“They are the ones who may enter My sanctuary and draw near to My table to serve Me. They will keep My mandate.

“They may not shave their heads or let their hair grow long, but must carefully trim their hair.

No priest may drink wine before he enters the inner court.

A priest may not come near a dead person so that he becomes defiled. However, he may defile himself for a father, a mother, a son, a daughter, a brother, or an unmarried sister.

The best of all the firstfruits of every kind and contribution of every kind from all your gifts will belong to the priests. You are to give your first batch of dough to the priest so that a blessing may rest on your homes.

The priests may not eat any bird or animal that died naturally or was mauled by wild beasts.

The Chaldeans spoke to the king (Aramaic begins here): “May the king live forever. Tell your servants the dream, and we will give the interpretation.”

They answered a second time, “May the king tell the dream to his servants, and we will give the interpretation.”

and declared:May the name of Godbe praised forever and ever,for wisdom and power belong to Him.

As for me, this mystery has been revealed to me, not because I have more wisdom than anyone living, but in order that the interpretation might be made known to the king, and that you may understand the thoughts of your mind.

They said to King Nebuchadnezzar, “May the king live forever.

King Nebuchadnezzar, To those of every people, nation, and language, who live in all the earth: May your prosperity increase.

Then Daniel, whose name is Belteshazzar, was stunned for a moment, and his thoughts alarmed him. The king said, “Belteshazzar, don’t let the dream or its interpretation alarm you.”Belteshazzar answered, “My lord, may the dream apply to those who hate you, and its interpretation to your enemies!

Therefore, may my advice seem good to you my king. Separate yourself from your sins by doing what is right, and from your injustices by showing mercy to the needy. Perhaps there will be an extension of your prosperity.”

Because of the outcry of the king and his nobles, the queen came to the banquet hall. “May the king live forever,” she said. “Don’t let your thoughts terrify you or your face be pale.

Then Daniel answered the king, “You may keep your gifts, and give your rewards to someone else; however, I will read the inscription for the king and make the interpretation known to him.

So the administrators and satraps went together to the king and said to him, “May King Darius live forever.

So the king gave the order, and they brought Daniel and threw him into the lions’ den. The king said to Daniel, “May your God, whom you serve continually, rescue you!”

Then Daniel spoke with the king: “May the king live forever.

Then King Darius wrote to those of every people, nation, and language who live in all the earth: “May your prosperity abound.

Lord, in keeping with all Your righteous acts, may Your anger and wrath turn away from Your city Jerusalem, Your holy mountain; for because of our sins and the iniquities of our fathers, Jerusalem and Your people have become an object of ridicule to all those around us.

Some of the wise will fall so that they may be refined, purified, and cleansed until the time of the end, for it will still come at the appointed time.