'May' in the Bible

And many peoples shall come and say,“Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord,To the house (temple) of the God of Jacob;That He may teach us His waysAnd that we may walk in His paths.”For the law will go out from ZionAnd the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.

Woe (judgment is coming) to those who rise early in the morning to pursue intoxicating drink,Who stay up late in the night till wine inflames them!

Who say, “Let Him move speedily, let Him expedite His work [His promised vengeance], so that we may see it;And let the purpose of the Holy One of Israel approachAnd come to pass, so that we may know it!”

So as to deprive the needy of justiceAnd rob the poor of My people of rightful claims,So that widows may be their spoilAnd that they may plunder the fatherless.

And the remaining trees of Assyria’s forest will be so few in numberThat a child could write them down.

Lift up a signal banner on the bare mountain,Summon them [the Medes and Persians] with a loud voice,Wave the [beckoning] hand so that they may enter the doorways of the [Babylonian] nobles.

“You will not be united with them in burial,Because you have destroyed your land,You have slain your people.May the descendants of evildoers never be named!

“Prepare a slaughtering place for his sonsBecause of the wickedness [the sin, the injustice, the wrongdoing] of their fathers.They must not rise and take possession of the earth,And fill the face of the world with cities.”

Take a harp, walk around the city,O forgotten prostitute;Play the strings skillfully, sing many songs,That you may be remembered.

But her commercial gain and her prostitute’s wages will be dedicated to the Lord; it will not be treasured or stored up, but her commercial gain will become sufficient food and stately clothing for those who dwell (minister) in the presence of the Lord.

The city of chaos is broken down;Every house is shut up so that no one may enter.

“Open the gates, that the righteous nation may enter,The one that remains faithful and trustworthy.

“Or let him (Israel) cling to My strength and rely on My protection [My stronghold],Let him make peace with Me,Let him make peace with Me.”

Therefore the word of the Lord to them will be [merely monotonous repetitions]:“Precept upon precept, precept upon precept,Rule upon rule, rule upon rule,Here a little, there a little.”That they may go and stumble backward, and be broken, ensnared, and taken captive.

For the Lord will rise up as at Mount Perazim,He will be stirred up as in the Valley of Gibeon,To do His work, His unusual and incredible work,And to accomplish His work, His extraordinary work.

Now, go, write it on a tablet before themAnd inscribe it on a scroll,So that it may serve in the time to comeAs a witness [against them] forevermore.

Therefore the Lord waits [expectantly] and longs to be gracious to you,And therefore He waits on high to have compassion on you.For the Lord is a God of justice;Blessed (happy, fortunate) are all those who long for Him [since He will never fail them].

It may be that the Lord your God will hear the words of the Rabshakeh [the commander], whom his master the king of Assyria has sent to taunt and defy the living God, and will avenge the words which the Lord your God has heard. Therefore, offer a prayer for the remnant [of His people] that is left.’”

Now, O Lord our God, save us from his hand so that all the kingdoms of the earth may know and fully realize that You alone, Lord, are God.”

Now Isaiah had said, “Have them take a cake of figs and rub it [as an ointment] on the inflamed spot, that he may recover.”

So that they may see and know,And consider and understand together,That the hand of the Lord has done this,That the Holy One of Israel has created it.

Let them bring forward [their evidence] and tell us what is going to happen.Regarding the former events, tell what they were,That we may consider them and know their outcome;Or announce to us the things that are going to come.

Tell us the things that are to come afterward,That we may know that you are gods;Indeed, you should do something good or do evil, that we may be afraid and fear [you] together [as we observe the miracle].

Hear, you deaf!And look, you blind, that you may see.

All the nations have gathered togetherSo that the peoples may be assembled.Who among them (the idolaters) can predict this [that Judah would return from captivity]And proclaim to us the former events?Let them provide their witnesses so that they may be justified,Or let them hear and say [in acknowledgement], “It is the truth.”

“You are My witnesses,” declares the Lord,“And My servant whom I have chosen,That you may know and believe MeAnd understand that I am He.Before Me there was no God formed,And there will be none after Me.

“The people whom I formed for MyselfWill make known My praise.

“Remind Me [of your merits with a thorough report], let us plead and argue our case together;State your position, that you may be proved right.

The carpenter stretches out a measuring line, he marks out the shape [of the idol] with red chalk; he works it with planes and outlines it with the compass; and he makes it like the form of a man, like the beauty of man, that it may sit in a house.

“I will give you the treasures of darkness [the hoarded treasures]And the hidden riches of secret places,So that you may know that it is I,The Lord, the God of Israel, who calls you (Cyrus the Great) by your name.

That people may know from the rising to the setting of the sun [the world over]That there is no one except Me.I am the Lord, and there is no other,

“To whom would you liken MeAnd make Me equal and compare Me,That we may be alike?

“For the sake of My Name I refrain from My wrath,And for My praise I restrain Myself from you,So that I do not cut you off.

He says, “It is too trivial a thing that You should be My ServantTo raise up the tribes of Jacob and to restore the survivors of Israel;I will also make You a light to the nationsThat My salvation may reach to the end of the earth.”

[The Lord answered] “Can a woman forget her nursing childAnd have no compassion on the son of her womb?Even these may forget, but I will not forget you.

“The children of your bereavement [those born in captivity] will yet say in your ears,‘The place is too cramped for me’;Make room for me that I may live here.

I have put My words in your mouth and have covered you with the shadow of My hand, to establish the [renewed] heavens and lay the foundations of the [renewed] earth, and to say to Zion (Jerusalem), ‘You are My people.’”

“I will put it into the hands of your tormentors,Who have said to you, ‘Lie down so that we may walk over you.’You have even made your back like the groundAnd like the street for those who walk over it.”

“If anyone fiercely attacks you it will not be from Me.Whoever attacks you will fall because of you.

Seek the Lord while He may be found;Call on Him [for salvation] while He is near.

“For as the rain and snow come down from heaven,And do not return there without watering the earth,Making it bear and sprout,And providing seed to the sower and bread to the eater,

“Your gates will be open continually;They shall not be shut day or night,So that people may bring to you the wealth of the nations—With their kings led in procession.

“Then all your people will be [uncompromisingly and consistently] righteous;They will possess the land forever,The branch of My planting,The work of My hands,That I may be glorified.

To grant to those who mourn in Zion the following:To give them a turban instead of dust [on their heads, a sign of mourning],The oil of joy instead of mourning,The garment [expressive] of praise instead of a disheartened spirit.So they will be called the trees of righteousness [strong and magnificent, distinguished for integrity, justice, and right standing with God],The planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified.

As [sure as] fire kindles the brushwood, as fire causes water to boil—To make Your name known to Your adversaries,That the nations may tremble at Your presence!

This is what the Lord says,“As the new wine is found in the cluster,And one says, ‘Do not destroy it, for there is a blessing and benefit in it,’So I will do for the sake of My servantsIn order not to destroy all of them.

“Because he who blesses himself on the earthWill bless himself by the God of truth and faithfulness;And he who swears [an oath] on the earthWill swear by the God of truth and faithfulness;Because the former troubles are forgotten,And because they are hidden from My sight.

Hear the word of the Lord, you who tremble [with awe-filled reverence] at His word:“Your brothers who hate you, who exclude you for My Name’s sake,Have said, ‘Let the Lord be glorified, that we may see your joy.’But they will be put to shame.

That you may nurse and be satisfied with her comforting breasts,That you may drink deeply and be delighted with her bountiful bosom.”