'People' in the Bible

For you are not being sent to a people of unintelligible speech or difficult language but to the house of Israel.

Go to your people, the exiles, and speak to them. Tell them, ‘This is what the Lord God says,’ whether they listen or refuse to listen.”

But she has rebelled against My ordinances with more wickedness than the nations, and against My statutes more than the countries that surround her. For her people have rejected My ordinances and have not walked in My statutes.

A third of your people will die by plague and be consumed by famine within you; a third will fall by the sword all around you; and I will scatter a third to every direction of the wind, and I will draw a sword to chase after them.

The seller will certainly not returnto what was soldas long as he and the buyer remain alive.For the vision concerning all its peoplewill not be revoked,and none of them will preservehis life because of his iniquity.

The king will mourn;the prince will be clothed in grief;and the hands of the people of the land will tremble.I will deal with them according to their own conduct,and I will judge them by their own standards.Then they will know that I am Yahweh.

Then He said to them, “Defile the temple and fill the courts with the slain. Go!” So they went out killing people in the city.

The Spirit then lifted me up and brought me to the eastern gate of the Lord’s house, which faces east, and at the gate’s entrance were 25 men. Among them I saw Jaazaniah son of Azzur, and Pelatiah son of Benaiah, leaders of the people.

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

Then say to the people of the land: This is what the Lord God says about the residents of Jerusalem in the land of Israel: They will eat their bread with anxiety and drink their water in dread, for their land will be stripped of everything in it because of the violence of all who live there.

“Son of man, what is this proverb you people have about the land of Israel, which goes:The days keep passing by,and every vision fails?

“My hand will be against the prophets who see false visions and speak lying divinations. They will not be present in the fellowship of My people or be recorded in the register of the house of Israel, and they will not enter the land of Israel. Then you will know that I am the Lord Yahweh.

“Since they have led My people astray saying, ‘Peace,’ when there is no peace, for when someone builds a wall they plaster it with whitewash,

“Now, son of man, turn toward the women of your people who prophesy out of their own imagination. Prophesy against them

and say: This is what the Lord God says: Woe to the women who sew magic bands on the wrist of every hand and who make veils for the heads of people of every height in order to ensnare lives. Will you ensnare the lives of My people but preserve your own?

You profane Me in front of My people for handfuls of barley and scraps of bread; you kill those who should not die and spare those who should not live, when you lie to My people, who listen to lies.

“Therefore, this is what the Lord God says: I am against your magic bands that you ensnare people with like birds, and I will tear them from your arms. I will free the people you have ensnared like birds.

I will also tear off your veils and deliver My people from your hands, so that they will no longer be prey in your hands. Then you will know that I am Yahweh.

therefore you will no longer see false visions or practice divination. I will deliver My people from your hands. Then you will know that I am Yahweh.”

I will turn against that one and make him a sign and a proverb; I will cut him off from among My people. Then you will know that I am Yahweh.

“But if the prophet is deceived and speaks a message, it was I, Yahweh, who deceived that prophet. I will stretch out My hand against him and destroy him from among My people Israel.

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.

You are to say: This is what the Lord God says:Will it flourish?Will he not tear out its rootsand strip off its fruitso that it shrivels?All its fresh leaves will wither!Great strength and many peoplewill not be needed to pull it from its roots.

“As for his father, he will die for his own iniquity because he practiced fraud, robbed his brother, and did what was wrong among his people.

She brought up one of her cubs,and he became a young lion.After he learned to tear prey,he devoured people.

He prowled among the lions,and he became a young lion.After he learned to tear prey,he devoured people.

Then all people will see that I, Yahweh, have kindled it. It will not be extinguished.”

So all the people will know that I, Yahweh, have taken My sword from its sheath—it will not be sheathed again.

Cry out and wail, son of man,for it is against My people.It is against all the princes of Israel!They are given over to the sword with My people.Therefore strike your thigh in grief.

There are men within you who slander in order to shed blood. People who live in you eat at the mountain shrines; they commit immoral acts within you.

People who live in you accept bribes in order to shed blood. You take interest and profit on a loan and brutally extort your neighbors. You have forgotten Me.” This is the declaration of the Lord God.

The conspiracy of her prophets within her is like a roaring lion tearing its prey: they devour people, seize wealth and valuables, and multiply the widows within her.

The people of the land have practiced extortion and committed robbery. They have oppressed the poor and needy and unlawfully exploited the foreign resident.

I spoke to the people in the morning, and my wife died in the evening. The next morning I did just as I was commanded.

Then the people asked me, “Won’t you tell us what these things you are doing mean for us?”

therefore I am about to give you to the people of the east as a possession. They will set up their encampments and pitch their tents among you. They will eat your fruit and drink your milk.

I will give it along with Ammon to the people of the east as a possession, so that Ammon will not be remembered among the nations.

I will take My vengeance on Edom through My people Israel, and they will deal with Edom according to My anger and wrath. So they will know My vengeance.” This is the declaration of the Lord God.

He will trample all your streets with the hooves of his horses. He will slaughter your people with the sword, and your mighty pillars will fall to the ground.

then I will bring you down to be with those who descend to the Pit, to the people of antiquity. I will make you dwell in the underworld like the ancient ruins, with those who descend to the Pit, so that you will no longer be inhabited or display your splendor in the land of the living.

Your wealth, merchandise, and goods,your sailors and captains,those who repair your leaks,those who barter for your goods,and all the warriors within you,with all the other people on board,sink into the heart of the seaon the day of your downfall.

Now you are shattered by the seain the depths of the waters;your goods and the people within youhave gone down.

He along with his people,ruthless men from the nations,will be brought in to destroy the land.They will draw their swords against Egyptand fill the land with the slain.

This happened so that no trees planted beside water would become great in height and set their tops among the clouds, and so that no other well-watered trees would reach them in height. For they have all been consigned to death, to the underworld, among the people who descend to the Pit.

“Son of man, speak to your people and tell them: Suppose I bring the sword against a land, and the people of that land select a man from among them, appointing him as their watchman,

and he sees the sword coming against the land and blows his trumpet to warn the people.

However, if the watchman sees the sword coming but doesn’t blow the trumpet, so that the people aren’t warned, and the sword comes and takes away their lives, then they have been taken away because of their iniquity, but I will hold the watchman accountable for their blood.

“Now, son of man, say to your people: The righteousness of the righteous person will not save him on the day of his transgression; neither will the wickedness of the wicked person cause him to stumble on the day he turns from his wickedness. The righteous person won’t be able to survive by his righteousness on the day he sins.

“But your people say, ‘The Lord’s way isn’t fair,’ even though it is their own way that isn’t fair.

“Now, son of man, your people are talking about you near the city walls and in the doorways of their houses. One person speaks to another, each saying to his brother, ‘Come and hear what the message is that comes from the Lord!’

So My people come to you in crowds, sit in front of you, and hear your words, but they don’t obey them. Although they express love with their mouths, their hearts pursue dishonest profit.

Then they will know that I, Yahweh their God, am with them, and that they, the house of Israel, are My people.” This is the declaration of the Lord God.

“You, mountains of Israel, will produce your branches and bear your fruit for My people Israel, since their arrival is near.

I will fill you with people, with the whole house of Israel in its entirety. The cities will be inhabited and the ruins rebuilt.

I will fill you with people and animals, and they will increase and be fruitful. I will make you inhabited as you once were and make you better off than you were before. Then you will know that I am Yahweh.

I will cause people, My people Israel, to walk on you; they will possess you, and you will be their inheritance. You will no longer deprive them of their children.

“This is what the Lord God says: Because people are saying to you, ‘You devour men and deprive your nation of children,’

When they came to the nations where they went, they profaned My holy name, because it was said about them, ‘These are the people of Yahweh, yet they had to leave His land in exile.’

Then you will live in the land that I gave your fathers; you will be My people, and I will be your God.

So the ruined cities will be filled with a flock of people, just as the flock of sheep for sacrifice is filled in Jerusalem during its appointed festivals. Then they will know that I am Yahweh.”

Therefore, prophesy and say to them: This is what the Lord God says: I am going to open your graves and bring you up from them, My people, and lead you into the land of Israel.

You will know that I am Yahweh, My people, when I open your graves and bring you up from them.

When your people ask you, ‘Won’t you explain to us what you mean by these things?’—

“When the sticks you have written on are in your hand and in full view of the people,

They will not defile themselves anymore with their idols, their detestable things, and all their transgressions. I will save them from all their apostasies by which they sinned, and I will cleanse them. Then they will be My people, and I will be their God.

My dwelling place will be with them; I will be their God, and they will be My people.

You will say, ‘I will go up against a land of open villages; I will come against a tranquil people who are living securely, all of them living without walls and without bars or gates—

in order to seize spoil and carry off plunder, to turn your hand against ruins now inhabited and against a people gathered from the nations, who have been acquiring cattle and possessions and who live at the center of the world.’

“Therefore prophesy, son of man, and say to Gog: This is what the Lord God says: On that day when My people Israel are dwelling securely, will you not know this

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.

So I will make My holy name known among My people Israel and will no longer allow it to be profaned. Then the nations will know that I am Yahweh, the Holy One in Israel.

All the people of the land will bury them and their fame will spread on the day I display My glory.” This is the declaration of the Lord God.

“Say to the rebellious people, the house of Israel: This is what the Lord God says: I have had enough of all your detestable practices, house of Israel.

Yet they will occupy My sanctuary, serving as guards at the temple gates and ministering at the temple. They will slaughter the burnt offerings and other sacrifices for the people and will stand before them to serve them.

Before they go out to the outer court, to the people, they must take off the clothes they have been ministering in, leave them in the holy chambers, and dress in other clothes so that they do not transmit holiness to the people through their clothes.

They must teach My people the difference between the holy and the common, and explain to them the difference between the clean and the unclean.

This will be his land as a possession in Israel. My princes will no longer oppress My people but give the rest of the land to the house of Israel according to their tribes.

“This is what the Lord God says: You have gone too far, princes of Israel! Put away violence and oppression and do what is just and right. Put an end to your evictions of My people.” This is the declaration of the Lord God.

And the quota from the flock is one animal out of every 200 from the well-watered pastures of Israel. These are for the grain offerings, burnt offerings, and fellowship offerings, to make atonement for the people.” This is the declaration of the Lord God.

“All the people of the land must take part in this contribution for the prince in Israel.

On that day the prince will provide a bull as a sin offering on behalf of himself and all the people of the land.

The people of the land will also bow in worship before the Lord at the entrance of that gate on the Sabbaths and New Moons.

“When the people of the land come before the Lord at the appointed times, whoever enters by way of the north gate to worship must go out by way of the south gate, and whoever enters by way of the south gate must go out by way of the north gate. No one must return through the gate by which he entered, but must go out by the opposite gate.

When the people enter, the prince will enter with them, and when they leave, he will leave.

The prince must not take any of the people’s inheritance, evicting them from their property. He is to provide an inheritance for his sons from his own property, so that none of My people will be displaced from his own property.”

He said to me, “This is the place where the priests will boil the restitution offering and the sin offering, and where they will bake the grain offering, so that they do not bring them into the outer court and transmit holiness to the people.”